Santa Barbara, California's DEVILDRIVER, the group fronted by former COAL CHAMBER singer Dez Fafara, recently entered Edge of the Earth studios in Los Angeles to begin recording the band's as-yet untitled fourth album with producer Logan Mader (FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH, GOJIRA, DIVINE HERESY).

Commented drummer John Boecklin: "This record is our most technical to date. It is certainly pushing the boundary of what one may call a DEVILDRIVER record. It has the vocal deliverance that is very catchy and a little more along the lines of the 'The Fury of Our Maker's Hand' [2005] record, yet blows it away at the same time. Musically we are sounding more progressive at times, as well as more straight forward than ever at times. We absolutely captured all the levels of what we are about on this one. Logan Mader has taken us where we needed to go on a production level. We finally feel like we have a unique guitar tone on this one. Something that always bugged me about our records. Can't wait for people to get a listen."

A two-minute video clip featuring early footage from the studio can be viewed below.

DEVILDRIVER recently re-signed with Roadrunner Records after previously issuing three full-length albums through the label. In addition, the band has secured a new management company in the shape of Davis Entertainment Group.

Commented Roadrunner Senior VP of A&R Monte Conner: "I am thrilled to welcome DEVILDRIVER back to the Roadrunner family. Dez Fafara and Roadrunner have quite a history together and we are happy to be going back into the trenches with him yet again. I'm extremely proud of DEVILDRIVER's steady ascent over the course of their first three Roadrunner albums. They continue to evolve and grow with each new record, and I know this next album will be the best thing DEVILDRIVER have ever made."

Stated Fafara: "I'm proud to say that DEVILDRIVER has resigned with Roadrunner Records worldwide. My friend and A&R rep Monte Conner and the entire staff have been like family to me since 1996 and I am looking forward to many, more years of working together and putting out music."

DEVILDRIVER's last album, 2007's "The Last Kind Words", has sold around 70,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan. That CD shifted a little more than 14,000 copies during its first week of release to debut at No. 48 on The Billboard 200 chart. This figure represented around a 40 percent increase over the opening-week number of 2005's "The Fury of Our Maker's Hand", which premiered at No. 177 with sales of 10,400.

Norwegian doom metallers SYRACH have issued the following update:

"Today we got the message we'd been expecting for some time. Our guitarist Reichborn [a.k.a. Noralf Venås] choose to leave the band, due to lack of motivation. He finished his parts and contibuted well in the studio, which we thank him for. We guess doom is not too deep in his heart, and playing the 'slow' parts has been quite a test for him, but he is a great rock 'n' roller and we had two great years playing with him. So we wish him good luck in the future, whatever he decides to focus on!

"That said, we will focus on our new album and get the promotion done as planned, and not rush things. We will start looking for a replacement in due time. This will only set us back a few hours… no need to worry. The album is soon to be sent off to mastering and a release date will come in (hopefully) a few weeks."

SYRACH entered the studio on January 16 with producer Bjørnar Nilsen to begin recording its sophomore album, due later in the year via Napalm Records. The CD's artwork will be designed by Martin Kvamme, who has previously worked with FANTOMAS, Mike Patton, DARKTHRONE and lots of other artists.

Reunited Canadian thrashers SACRIFICE are recording their new album, "The Ones I Condemn", at Rouge Valley Studio in Toronto, Ontario with engineer Darius Szczepaniak, who has previously worked with I MOTHER EARTH, SUM 41 and EDWIN, among many others. The CD is tentatively due this spring via Brazil's Marquee Records.

Commented vocalist/guitarist Rob Urbinati: "Finally the Toronto cold snap broke, day temperature around +1 Celsius, just above freezing… just in time because it kept us shut in Rouge Valley Studio all weekend. Scott Watts managed to finish up the bass on Friday, Joe Rico finished up his guitar tracks on Sunday, so that just leaves a few vocal tracks for myself and we will be ready to mix very soon.

"I can't find words to describe the sonic Armageddon we have laid down. Late Sunday night, we were talking about how we wouldn't trade this sound for anything. Darius, our engineer, took our visions and is really making it happen. It is raw, thick, all the instruments sound heavy alone…together it is completely devastating. It sounds real. It sounds like a band, not a computer-program-fixed band.

"Not finished yet, but the finish line is visible. We cannot wait to unleash this album to the world."

A new DAATH track entitled "The Worthless" is available for streaming on the band's MySpace page. The song comes off the group's new album, "The Concealers", which is scheduled for release on April 20 in Europe and April 21 in the U.S. through Century Media Records (via a partnership with Roadrunner Records). The CD was produced and mixed by Jason Suecof and Mark Lewis (TRIVIUM, ALL THAT REMAINS, DEVILDRIVER).

DAATH shot to the forefront of the metal world with the 2007 release of "The Hinderers". The band built a worldwide following by touring with the likes of JOB FOR A COWBOY, DEVILDRIVER, UNEARTH, DESPISED ICON and others while also taking part in the 2007 edition of Ozzfest. After this wrapped and the band underwent some healthy lineup changes, DAATH entered the studio more focused than ever before to begin work on their sophomore album.

Drummer Kevin Talley (CHIMAIRA, DYING FETUS, MISERY INDEX) comments on "The Worthless": "This song is cool for two main reasons... I am playing drums and I helped write the song. No, but seriously — this song was initially created by Eyal [Levi, guitar] and I when we got together in the rehearsal space and jammed it out. After several drafts and the input of other band members, we had this song. It is one of my favorites on the record because it has many elements of my DYING FETUS drumming style. It has a fucking killer solo section that sounds like old-school METALLICA/MEGADETH except the solos, by Eyal and Emil respectively, smoke anything those 2 bands have ever done... haha... I can brag about my guitar players, right? We finish the song with a morbidly disgusting ending. Notice the texture with the kick drums and the guitar rhythms: they do not match up but they sound great together. This song has a great mix of double bass, blast beats, and killer grooves. It's killer and its way better than your neighbor's band."

The Atlanta-based quintet certainly set out with a mission to truly separate itself from the rest when recording its much-anticipated new album. The dueling guitar virtuosity of Emil Werstler and Eyal Levi harkens many comparisons to Mustaine and Friedman, all the while the acclaimed Talley pounds away with fury and precision and bassist Jeremy Creamer provides a powerful groove.

The band's current lineup is completed by new singer Sean Z, who performs an extraordinary job on "The Concealers".

Reunited Oakland, California thrashers DEFIANCE have finally completed all the basic tracks for the 11 songs that will appear on their first album in over 15 years. According to the band, "All that is left are some vocals and guitar leads for the last four tunes we recorded at the end of 2008 at Trident Studios [in Pacheco, California]."

The group added, "We are going to have a special guest on the album too. Glen Alvelais [FORBIDDEN, TENET, TESTAMENT] has offered to help us by busting out some sick leads to help fill the void left by Doug [Harrington, late DEFIANCE guitarist who passed away in 2006]. We are stoked to have him on our album, and we truly appreciate it."

Regarding the recording process for the new DEFIANCE album, vocalist Steev Esquivel (also of SKINLAB) stated, "Everything is sounding bad-ass, and [it's] sure to be one of the best thrash album to come out in a while. The guys have really fuckin' outdone themselves this time. What was meant to be some friends having fun and paying tribute to our fallen brother Doug Harrington has completly turned into a monster that none of us even knew it would turn into. Lots of thrash and tons of screaming!!"

He continued, "Vocals for the first six songs are 95% done and recorded. The end of the recording process is near and sounding fuckin' killer at that. Juan [Urteaga, producer] should be throwing some mixes together here very soon, as were shooting for a mid-2009 release."

DEFIANCE's current lineup consists of vocalist Steev Esquivel (SKINLAB), guitarist Jim Adams, bassist Mike Kaufmann and drummer Mark Hernandez (VIO-LENCE, FORBIDDEN). The group's fourth album, which will be released via Candlelight Records, is being tracked at Trident Studios and Greendot Studios in East Bay, California.

DEFIANCE recently posted a new song, entitled "The Voice", on its MySpace page. The track is a rough mix from the group's sessions at Trident Studios. Along with the new album, DEFIANCE is also working on putting together a DVD, tentatively titled "Decade(s) of Defiance", that will chronicle the band's entire career from 1985 to the present.

Part of the so-called "second wave" of Bay Area thrash (which also included the likes of FORBIDDEN, VIO-LENCE, DEATH ANGEL, and TESTAMENT), DEFIANCE officially disbanded in 1993 after the departure of vocalist Steev Esquivel (who would go on to form SKINLAB, and later RE:IGNITION), while the remaining members, with the addition of vocalist Dave Godfrey White (HEATHEN), formed INNER THRESHOLD, which would also eventually disband.

Marilyn Manson has revealed the title of his new album to RollingStone.com.

"My new record is done, man," he is quoted as saying. "It's called 'The High End of Low' — it's a self-described state of being that I'm in. You're going to be fucking freaked. It's the shit."

This month, Manson will shoot the album's first video, for the tune "I Want to Kill You Like They Do in the Movies". "It's nine minutes long," he tells RollingStone.com. "Severely sadist. Basically, it's murder, sex, death, the end."

Manson's new album is currently being mixed for a tentative May release on Interscope Records. This highly anticipated record reunites Manson and Twiggy Ramirez for their first collaboration since "Holy Wood (In the Shadow of the Valley of Death)" in 2000.

As previously reported, MARILYN MANSON and SLAYER will co-headline this year's Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival tour, which is scheduled to kick off July 10 in Sacramento, California.

British vocalist Sarah Jezebel Deva (CRADLE OF FILTH, ANGTORIA) — who currently resides in Melbourne, Australia — is continuing work on her solo album, "A Sign of Sublime", tentatively due later in the year. She says, "it's been slow but it's still moving, it's just ya life changes and you have to go with the flow."

The drums on the CD were laid down by Max Blunos of the U.K. death metal outfit TRIGGER THE BLOODSHED. He says of the session, "The drums were tracked at Red House Farm studios in Ipswich over the 20th and 21st of December. It was a pleasure and a true honor to work with Sarah, who is an amazing musician and person."

With the rise in popularity in the pagan/celtic metal scene, one of the true pioneers of the Genre is ready to take the United States scene by storm. Over its fourteen-year history, SUIDAKRA has stayed true to its roots and the sound that it has become known for. The German Celtic metallers are returning full steam with their ninth studio album, "Crógacht". Combining fast melodic death metal, Irish folk music, and a torrent of harmonies, SUIDAKRA proves yet again that it possesses the ability to blend several different influences into its unique sound. To put a spin on things, new elements have been introduced, like traditional instruments (bagpipes, banjo, tin whistles), a sixteen member choir and epic orchestral arrangements.

Recorded at Gernart Studios with producer Martin Muchwalter, "Crógacht" delivers an aural assault. In addition to that, the eyes and mind of the listener will also be pleased, as famous Belgian graphic artists Kris Verwimp is responsible not only for the magnificent artwork in the digipack and 16-page booklet, but also for the lyrics of this fascinating concept album. "Crógacht", meaning bravery, is based on one of the most dramatic tales in Irish mythology. It tells the story of the hero Cuchulainn's epic journey to the Isle of Skye, where he seeks to learn the arts of war from the Scythian warrior woman Scathach. The decisions he then has to make set the events in motion that will lead up to his son Conlaoch's tragic fate…

With overwhelming reactions to their 2006 release, "Caledonia", and their November 2008 DVD/Best of CD, "13 Years of Celtic Wartunes", SUIDAKRA has performed over 200 live shows (including the Wacken Open Air festival five times), and successfully completed several tours in Europe, Russia, and a first-ever American tour.

SUIDAKRA's video for the new song "Shattering Swords" (directed by Sebastian Radtke) can be viewed below. The track comes off "Crógacht", which will be released through Wacken Records/SPV on the following dates:

Germany: February 20, 2009
Rest of Europe: February 23, 2009
U.S.: March 3, 2009

"Crógacht" track listing:

01. Slán
02. Conlaoch
03. Isle Of Skye
04. Scáthach
05. Feats Of War
06. Shattering Swords
07. Ár Nasc Fola
08. Gilded Oars
09. Baile's Strand

Renaissance rock act BLACKMORE'S NIGHT, featuring legendary guitarist Ritchie Blackmore and singer/songwriter/multi-instrumentalist Candice Night, can now be heard in Warner Bros. major motion picture release "Yes Man". The film, starring Jim Carrey, features the song "Olde Mill Inn" from the BLACKMORE'S NIGHT CD "The Village Lanterne" (released April 2006 on SPV).

"Secret Voyage", the latest album from BLACKMORE'S NIGHT, entered the German Media Control chart at position No. 14 and Finnish chart at No. 38.

"Locked Within The Crystal Ball", the latest video from BLACKMORE'S NIGHT, can be viewed below.

Other members of the band include Bard David of Larchmont (keyboards/vocals), Earl Grey of Chimay (bass/rhythm guitar/vocals), Squire Malcolm of Lumley (percussionist), and Gypsy Rose (violin/vocals).

Inspired by their international performances, and assimilating the various melodies from the continents they've traversed, many of the 12 new tracks on "Secret Voyage" have been adapted from the folk traditions of numerous countries including France ("Gilded Cage"), Russia ("Toast To Tomorrow"), Germany ("Prince Waldeck's Galliard") and England ("Peasant's Promise"). Add to that two stunning covers done distinctively in BLACKMORE'S NIGHT's strongly identifiable style — the 1961 ELVIS PRESLEY hit "Can't Help Falling In Love" and RAINBOW's "Rainbow Eyes" — and some entrancingly poignant originals.

Guitarist Alex Auburn has announced his departure from the Canadian death metal act CRYPTOPSY. "There are many reasons why I must leave the band, and this has been going on for a while now, so I am quitting," Alex said in a statement released to BLABBERMOUTH.NET. "The band and I believe it is better for me to go, so I am moving forward."

He continued, "I want to thank the guys in CRYPTOPSY for an adventurous and crazy 10 years. It's been a great ride. I will, especially, miss the fans a great deal and I want to thank all of you for your awesome support throughout those years.

"Right now I need to take a break for a few months to reflect on my life and my future in music.

"As far as music goes, I might start my own band next summer, but I don't know yet. In the meantime, I am open to good offers and to join other forces."

"The Unspoken King", CRYPTOPSY's sixth full-length and first to feature new vocalist Matt McGachy, was released June 24, 2008 to a wide array of reactions. Flo Mounier explained his intention in reshaping the dynamics of the band to Decibel magazine: "I'm a fan of different sorts of music, and I think it's most fun when a band puts out an album that has elements of everything; you get this thing called diversity, not boredom. That's what we're trying to do. Still, I think people are going to be surprised how brutal this album is."

Hungarian hardcore/thrash metallers EKTOMORF will release their new album, "What Doesn't Kill Me…", on March 20 via AFM Records. The CD was recorded at Antfarm Studio in Denmark with producer Tue Madsen (HEAVEN SHALL BURN, DARK TRANQUILLITY, MOONSPELL, THE HAUNTED). "You can expect a very strong and punchy new EKTOMORF album," guitarist/vocalist Zoltán Farkas previously said.

In addition to the standard CD, there will be a limited digipack which will include one bonus track. Furthermore, AFM Records will release a limited fan box containing the digipack version of the album, an EKTOMORF sticker and a necklace with the EKTOMORF band logo.

"What Doesn't Kill Me…" track listing:

01. Rat War
02. Nothing Left
03. What Doesn't Kill Me...
04. Revenge To All
05. Love And Live
06. Can See You
07. I Got It All
08. New Life
09. Sick Of It All
10. It's Up To You
11. Envy
12. Scream
13. Breed The Fire

A short message from the band, including a clip of the new song "It's Up To You" (for which EKTOMORF recently shot a video), can be viewed below.

"Herzblut", the latest video from German metal queen Doro Pesch, can be viewed below. The "Herzblut" single recently entered the German Media Control chart at position No. 72.

"Herzblut" was released in December via AFM Records. It features four versions of the title track, each recorded in a different language.

"Herzblut" track listing:

01. Herzblut (Single Version)
02. Herzblut (Album Version)
03. A Fond Le Coeur - Herzblut (French)
04. Te Doy Mi Corazon - Herzblut (Spanish)
05. Eu Dou-Te O Meu Coração - Herzblut (Portuguese)
06. Share My Fate

Doro Pesch released her new album, "Fear No Evil", on January 30, 2009 via AFM Records. The track listing for the CD is as follows:

01. Night Of The Warlock
02. Running From The Devil
03. Celebrate
04. Caught In A Battle
05. Herzblut
06. On The Run
07. Walking With The Angels
08. I Lay My Head
09. It Kills Me
10. Long Lost For Love
11. 25 Years

Bonus tracks (limited-edition digipack):

12. Wildfire
13. You Won My Love
14. Herzblut (CD-ROM Video)

German goth metal band XANDRIA will announce its new lead singer this Sunday, February 8 via the group's official web site.

Singer Lisa Middelhauve left XANDRIA in May 2008 for "personal reasons." She stated at the time, "My exit has nothing to do with dispute or controversy within the band. It was just time to split. I hope we still will be friends in future like we are right now."

XANDRIA's "Now & Forever - The Best Of" collection was released in June 2008. The CD contains 20 tracks, including a few rarities like the ballad "Lullaby" from the "India" era and the songs "One Word" and "Drown In Me" (previously unavailable on a XANDRIA album). "Now & Forever - The Best Of Xandria" was also released as a double digipack containing a DVD of the complete XANDRIA show from 2007's Summer Breeze festival, all of the band's promotional video clips and a brand new interview.

XANDRIA's fourth album, "Salomé - The Seventh Veil", was released on May 25, 2007.

On March 13, Nuclear Blast Records will release "Made In Hong Kong (And In Various Other Places)", the new CD/DVD from Finnish/Swedish symphonic metallers NIGHTWISH. The set will contain a DVD documentary (with a running time of approximately 45 minutes) of NIGHTWISH's world tour in support of the band's latest album, "Dark Passion Play", as well as a CD featuring live recordings from the trek. The documentary footage was reportedly directed by Ville Lipiäinen.

"Made In Hong Kong (And In Various Other Places)" track listing:

CD (running time - 66:13):

01. Bye Bye Beautiful (live)
02. Whoever Brings The Night (live)
03. Amaranth (live)
04. The Poet And The Pendulum (live)
05. Sahara (live)
06. The Islander (live)
07. Last Of The Wilds (live)
08. 7 Days To The Wolves (live)
09. Escapist
10. While Your Lips Are Still Red
11. Cadence Of Her Last Breath (demo version)

DVD (running time - 49:52)

* Documentary (Dark Passion Play World Tour)
* Video Clips:
01. Amaranth
02. Bye Bye Beautiful
03. The Islander

16:9 PAL / 2.0 Stereo / DVD-5 / region free

After a three-year break, Norwegian black/death metallers ANCIENT are preparing their return to the scene. The band has announced plans to begin touring again this spring, with dates in the works for Spain, Portugal, Italy, and Eastern Europe. More information will be made available soon.

ANCIENT last year announced the addition of guitarist Morfeus (LIMBONIC ART, DIMENSION F3H) to the group's ranks.

The band's sixth album, "Night Visit" was released in June 2004 through Metal Blade Records. The follow-up to 2001's "Proxima Centauri" was recorded at Mirage and Alpha-Omega studios and was mixed at Studio Fredman in Gothenburg, Sweden with producer Fredrik Nordström (HAMMERFALL, IN FLAMES, DIMMU BORGIR, SPIRITUAL BEGGARS, etc.). Mastering was done at Sterling Sound in New York City.

Austrian symphonic metallers VISIONS OF ATLANTIS have announced the addition of singer Joanna Nieniewska (pictured below) to the group's ranks. According to the band, "This 20-year-old Austrian girl offers a wide range and a strong soprano combined with a great natural feeling for vocal harmonies."

A short interview with Joanna conducted by VISIONS OF ATLANTIS' official web site follows below.

Q: First of all, how do you feel being aboard the VISIONS OF ATLANTIS ship now and what were your first impressions of the other members?

Joanna: I've been welcomed very warmly by the others. I feel great, but I think I also haven't realized it a 100 percent yet. But this, of course, will be different when the first gigs with the guys are on their way. But the more we're working on the new song material, the more familiar it becomes to me to be a part of VISIONS OF ATLANTIS.

Q: How did you get in contact with VISIONS OF ATLANTIS or did they contact you?

Joanna: When the band was looking for a new singer, they have received demo CDs and MP3s by many other singers, and at the same time they were also looking within the scene to find talented voices who have already performed in other bands. So, one day, Martin [Harb, keyboards] was asked to visit the rehearsal of my old band and this was the first time he heard me singing. And well, apparently he really liked what he heard because a few weeks later I was asked if I would be interested to come to an audition. They've sent me the songs they wanted to hear, I sang …well, and now I'm here and very happy about it.

Q: How far improved are the new songs, maybe you can tell us a few details about the whole songwriting process or how they might sound? Have you already been involved in the songwriting for the forthcoming album or was everything already fixed for you when you joined the band?

Joanna: The songwriting process is already finished, now we're working on the arrangements, the details and some fine-tuning of the material. I was really involved in the whole process and I'm also working on vocal lines which were not dictated to me but more or less proposed by Martin, and Mario [Plank, vocals] in some cases. To talk about the songwriting: The direction is to offer a broad horizon of the VISIONS OF ATLANTIS trademarks which will be now extended by some very personal influences which are brought into the songs by the different characters of the band. I can tell you that we'll have songs with harder intensity and rougher sound but also some more epic and emotional creations. For those who are more into the calm side of VISIONS OF ATLANTIS, we'll also include ballads on the new album again. Furthermore, Martin wrote a second part of "The Poem" and with the second part we want to bring the story of the first song to an end. The rest should be a surprise until then but there'll also be a premiere within VISIONS OF ATLANTIS history, but so far I'm afraid I'm not allowed to tell you more about that.

Q: Do you also play any instrument or do you consider yourself just as a 100% singer?

Joanna: I play guitar and also tried some other instruments, but within the band I only prefer singing in order to focus fully on the vocals and my performance. From my point of view, it is not that easy if you also have to play guitar or something else.

Q: Have you got plans to join the songwriting for upcoming releases? If yes, in which way and what musical influences can we expect within your creative side?

Joanna: Yes, I'd like to play a little part in the songwriting in future but mainly I'm really satisfied with the work which is done by the others where I'm actually not excluded at all. Altogether, it's also really cool to bring vocal lines and some other ideas into already written frames and basic song structures. When it comes to my musical influences it's hard to classify because I'm fond of many genres and bands but primarily I prefer musicals and gothic metal.

Q: What are your personal [short-term] or [long-term] future plans with VISIONS OF ATLANTIS and which impressions and experiences you'd like to make or you think you're gonna make?

Joanna: First of all, I'm looking forward to recording and then releasing the album with the band. Touring with the guys would be also great to promote the new album. I think it will be great fun to go on stage with the others, talking to fans, having a cool time and hopefully doing a good job for the people who are listening to our music.

Q: The last words are yours: What would you like to tell the fans of VISIONS OF ATLANTIS?

Joanna: I'm really looking forward to playing my first gigs with the band and to meet all of you on tour and hopefully to have time to talk and to have a drink together. But, above all, I hope that you are pleased with my voice and I'd like to tell you that I'm constantly on the forum from now on and it would be cool to get in contact with you, talking and sharing cool moments. And if the fans welcome me just as half as nice as the band has done, it will be a great time!"

VISIONS OF ATLANTIS in 2007 parted ways with the group's Minnesota-based vocalist, Melissa Ferlaak, and her now-husband, guitarist Wolfgang "Wops" Koch, due to "musical differences." As a result, the band's previously announced participation in the KAMELOT European tour was cancelled. Koch has since been replaced by the returning guitarist Werner Fiedler, who was responsible for much of the songwriting on the group's first two records.

VISIONS OF ATLANTIS's latest album, "Trinity", was released in May 2007 via Napalm Records. The CD was recorded at Dreamscape Studios and was mastered at Finnvox Studios in Helsinki, Finland. The CD's cover artwork was created by Anthony Clarkson, who has previously worked with BLIND GUARDIAN, HYPOCRISY and EXODUS, among others.

British heavy metal legends SAXON have just shot a video for the song "Battalions Of Steel". The track comes off the band's latest album, "Into The Labyrinth", which sold around 1,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release, according to Nielsen SoundScan. The CD debuted at No. 29 on the Top New Artist Albums (Heatseekers) chart, which lists the best-selling albums by new and developing artists, defined as those who have never appeared in the Top 100 of The Billboard 200.

"Into The Labyrinth" has registered the following first-week chart positions in Europe:

Austria: #53
Germany: #23 (Media Control)
Germany: #8 (Media Markt)
Sweden: #44
Switzerland: #61
UK: #119
UK: #6 (Rock)

The CD was recorded at the Twilight Hall in Krefeld, Germany, under the direction of Charlie Bauerfeind. SAXON laid down 13 new songs at BLIND GUARDIAN's studio, starting with monumental opener "Battalions Of Steel" through "Demon Sweeney Todd" and "Valley Of The Kings", which both cover historic events, to the final slide guitar blues track "Coming Home" (fans are already familiar with the electric version of this track from SAXON's "Killing Ground" album).

San Diego-based metallers AS I LAY DYING have reportedly set "This Is Who We Are" as the title of their upcoming three-disc DVD set. Due on April 14 via Metal Blade, the effort will include live performances, backstage footage, interviews, photos, production videos, and a documentary on the group covering everything from the band's humble beginnings to the their massive success as one of today's leading metal acts. The DVD is being directed and produced by Denise Korycki, who also worked on the CANNIBAL CORPSE DVD "Centuries of Torment".

"This Is Who We Are" will mark AS I LAY DYING's first release since "An Ocean Between Us", which came out August 21, 2007 and entered The Billboard 200 chart at No. 8.

Karl Sanders, the driving force behind South Carolina's Egyptian-themed death metal titans NILE, has inked a solo deal with The End Records. Sanders' second full-length solo album, entitled "Saurian Exorcisms", will be released on April 14. The CD — which was recorded at Serpent Headed Studios, mixed by Bob Moore at the Soundlab in Columbia, South Carolina, and mastered by Juan Punchy Gonzalez at D.O.W. Studios in Tampa, Florida — contains nine carefully constructed dark cinematic songs that work in harmony to create a uniquely moving emotional experience.

"Saurian Exorcisms" (cover) track listing:

01. Preliminary Purification Before the Calling of Inanna
02. Rapture of the Empty Spaces
03. Contemplate this On the Tree of Woe
04. A Most Effective Excorcism against Azagthoth and his Emissaries
05. Slavery to Nitokris
06. Shira Gula Pazu
07. Kali Ma
08. Curse the Sun
09. Dying Embers of the Aga Mass SSSratu

Personnel:

* Karl Sanders - Baglama Saz, Glissentar, Acoustic Guitars, Guitar Synth, Keyboards, Drums, Percussion, Vocals
* Mike Breazeale - Vocals and Chants

Sanders, who has been playing guitar for the better part of four decades, certainly knows his way around the instrument. But for his solo work, Sanders opts for more diverse instrumentation. "I love the baglama saz, for example," he admits. "It's a really cool instrument because there are half step frets. If you put the quarter tone in the right place you can add a lot of dark mystery to a melody," he explains.

"While I do have a natural ease of technique with just about any stringed instrument, which could easily lend itself to miles and miles of would-be saz spaghetti shredfest, I use the instrument in a more compositional and thematic way — playing evocative melodies and song-oriented riffs.

"I have immense respect for the Eastern musicians who are accomplished in playing the instrument in its traditional style. Most of my musical training, however, is Western-oriented, so no matter what I do I'm not going to sound completely authentic with the saz. So rather than get caught up in merely attempting to emulate the great Turkish players like Orhan Gencebay, which would never be realistically achievable anyway, I get more enjoyment out of approaching the saz in a non-traditional, uniquely musical, and personal way."

The baglama saz, a traditional Turkish lute, is just one of many instruments Sanders employs to create lush imagery and stirring emotion in his solo work. Glissentar (a sort of east/west hybrid instrument), acoustic guitars, guitar synth, keyboards, and various drums and percussion instruments are employed as well on Sanders' forthcoming follow-up to 2004's "Saurian Meditation" (Relapse Records). "Saurian Exorcisms" is Sanders' magnum opus and every instrument present, including percussion, was performed by Sanders himself.

"I'm a big fan of Arabic rhythms and middle eastern percussion instruments," Sanders explains. "But since I'm not a drummer by trade, it takes a bit longer to do all the drums myself. The upside is that I don't have to wait on anybody else, and I don't have to spend my energy needlessly debating drum arrangements or endlessly trying to explain unusual song concepts."

"Since percussion is not my forte," he continues, "the drum parts end up being a little less cluttered and more custom tailored to the song. The drums aren't necessarily the prime thrust of the record, but they're thematically appropriate and they're interesting as they function to help set the right mood and keep a nice compositional focus."

Besides Sanders, the only other musician appearing on "Saurian Exorcisms" is Mike Breazeale, who contributes chants and some vocals. "Between the two of us we did everything on the album, even the stuff that sounds like female vocals," Sanders chuckles. Sanders' influences are more varied and far-reaching than NILE fans may suspect. "What I've been trying to do is move away from strict Egyptian kind of influences and incorporate a broader range of inspiration. The music I'm making is not strictly traditional Egyptian music. I borrow and steal from the traditional music of many different cultures. There's some Tibetan stuff, some Indian stuff, some Arabic stuff, and so forth."

He concludes by saying, "I hope that people find 'Saurian Exorcisms' relaxing and imaginative. A lot of times when I'm listening to this music it makes my mind wander adrift and my imagination go places. And I like music like that. Like cinematic music, you listen to it and see little movies in your head. It takes you to a different place."

Christina Fuoco-Karasinski of LiveDaily recently conducted an interview with METALLICA bassist Robert Trujillo. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

LiveDaily: How have you seen the band grow since you joined METALLICA almost six years ago?

Trujillo: In a lot of ways: For starters, me, personally and Kirk [Hammett, guitar], we've now got children. When I first joined METALLICA back in 2003, I wasn't married, I didn't have kids. Now I'm sitting here with a 2-year-old daughter and a 4-year-old son, happily married. That's a major transition in one's life. When I first joined the band, I was kind of like the boy in the bubble. I really had to focus on being a part of this band and learning over 23 years of catalog at the time, then learning all the "St. Anger" material, which was really crazy. So I had to create this bubble environment, so I could only focus on that. That would have been difficult with the full-on family back then. And then also Kirk, as I mentioned, has a couple kids as well. Lars [Ulrich, drums] had a child just over a year ago. There's a lot of new magic in the band, somewhere we can all connect, where we share the same interests. Outside of a lot of things like family, we don't have a lot of the same interests. We're all different. Our families sort of bring us together. The music brings us together, definitely. It's nice to have the family aspect in there too, something we obviously love and cherish. We can all share that.

LiveDaily: What do you see for the future of METALLICA? You have one more album left on your deal with Warner Bros., correct?

Trujillo: Basically, I don't know the technical details. I can only tell you this: outside of the business side of things — which is probably what you're asking me — on a creative level, the sky's the limit. To me, "Death Magnetic" is only a launch pad. We're already jamming on new ideas and new riffs. There's a rhythm-section thing that I'm feeling with Lars that I'd like to dive into even more so with the future. It's great to be playing thrashy, heavy riffs again, too. That's one of the things with this band — there's no shortage of musical ideas. When you check out some of the other bands that have been around for so many years, sometimes the hardest thing is to stay motivated. Sometimes bands will end up playing almost like — how do you say it? — a tribute scenario where they're playing all the hits all the time. That's cool. But the future of [that type of] band doesn't seem as interesting. I think we still got it in us to create interesting music and to get even better with it. That's kind of fun.

On the 15th of February we will enter the studio to record our sixth album. The upcoming album Karkelo (it means something like having fun, or partying) will contain 14 songs... sorry, we cannot do any less :)

The recordings will start in Hollola, Petrax studio, where Matson will do his drum work. After that we will switch to the Grooveland Recording Studio in Lahti, where the rest of the recordings will be made under the demanding eyes of the producer Aksu Hanttu.

The cover art will be done by our friend Jan 'Örkki' Yrlund again.


Karkelo is scheduled for release by Nuclear Blast in June 2009.

German power metallers PRIMAL FEAR have completed work on their new album, "16.6: (Before The Devil Knows You're Dead)", at House Of Music studios in Winterbach, Germany with Dennis Ward and Achim Köhler. The CD, which is due in May via Frontiers Records, will mark the group's first release with guitarist Magnus Karlsson (ALLEN/LANDE, STARBREAKER), who replaced Stefan Leibing last year. Returning guitarist Henny Wolter and Karlsson participated in the songwriting and pre-production, which took place at Karlsson's Stuntguitar Studio in Sweden. The band spent four weeks at House Of Music recording the effort, which was mastered by Ted Jensen at the Sterling Sound in New York City.

Commented bassist Mat Sinner: "I'm really proud of our work. The guys of the band and the entire team did a killer job! I love the crystal-clear sound of the album and total dedication of the players. The fans of our first albums will really love the new tracks, plus there are a lot of sophisticated more stuff on '16.6' following the path of 'Seven Seals' or 'New Religion'."

Guitarist Henny Wolter commented on several of the tracks that appear on "16.6: (Before The Devil Knows You're Dead)":

* "Riding The Eagle": "[This track] is bringing back that 'Nuclear Fire' vibe with a full speed double-bass groove and those typical heavy guitar riffs and high-speed twin leads that PRIMAL FEAR stands for. Above all, it's that mix between full-throttle metal and melody with Ralf Scheepers powerful vocals on which PRIMAL FEAR built their reputation."

* "Six Times Dead (16.6)" : "The title track and a super-heavy guitar riff, stomping groove with a new approach and a message to the fans; 100% PRIMAL FEAR!"

* "Black Rain": "A nearly seven-minute epic with big instrumentation, and a heavy Arabian atmosphere. Lots of variations and sophisticated playing and singing. This song strongly carries the handwriting of the new bandmember Magnus Karlsson, who is known for these skilful and tasty arrangements."

* "Under The Radar": "Another traditional PRIMAL FEAR speed rocker, a hymn with the classic Scheepers vibe."

* "Torn": "Seven minutes of pure music and the most ambitioned song and riff we've ever recorded. Killer stuff, very groovy and a great melodic vocal line."

* "Soar": "Pure energy combined with a driving groove, a majestic halftime chorus and a great experimental breakdown part — one of my favorite tracks on the new album."

* "Hands Of Time": "This will be a real surprise for everybody. There is always at least one track on a new PRIMAL FEAR album that is different — this time it's 'Hands Of Time' with four guys sharing lead vocals. A very cool song!"

PRIMAL FEAR's last album, "New Religion", in 2007 landed on the Swedish chart at No. 67. It also entered the German chart at No. 60. The CD was released in the U.S. on January 29, 2008 via Locomotive/Ryko. Guest musicians on the album include Kai Hansen (GAMMA RAY, ex-HELLOWEEN) and Simone Simons (EPICA).

Finnish melodic metal band LEVERAGE has inked a deal with Spinefarm Records.

Commented LEVERAGE guitarist and main songwriter Tuomas Heikkinen: "Actually, this is LEVERAGE's first real artist deal with a record company. Before, we've had distribution and licensing agreements. Personally, I have no complaints about anything in LEVERAGE's last couple of years, but I'm very pleased that we're now with a very well recognized heavy music label, and that we now get to make our next album concentrating solely on just that. We're in full steam writing new songs, and the overall feeling is great! In addition, our bass player Pekka is now rapidly recovering from a serious disease, which really is the best news of the moment for this band."

Spinefarm A&R representative Hannu Lehtonen added: "I am happy to star working with LEVERAGE and I look forward to hearing their new material. With a strong new album, like both their previous ones have been, I am certain that we can take LEVERAGE into the right direction, step by step. There's tons of work to do for LEVERAGE to conquer the world, but '09 will hopefully be a good kick off for that!"

LEVERAGE will spend the next few months writing material for its third album, to be released in the fall.

LEVERAGE's second album, entitled "Blind Fire", was released in the U.S. on October 21, 2008 via Blistering Records USA, Inc. with Ryko distribution.

LEVERAGE came out of nowhere in 2006, causing a stir with the release of its debut album, "Tides". The group's blend of modern metal sound and old-school, melody-based songwriting earned rave reviews from the media and created a fanbase both in Finland and throughout the rock community in many countries.

"The warm welcome for 'Tides' was a pleasant surprise for us," the band's guitar player and main composer Tuomas Heikkinen previously said. "We got good radio airplay in Finland, even climbed to the charts, all before our very first gig with our own material! Since then, we’ve played throughout Finland at clubs and festivals. Our music has been described as melodic metal or melodic heavy rock, which is fine by us."

He continued, "We wanted to plan the second album and the second step of our career carefully. The songs were all written between the release of 'Tides' and entering the studio in July 2007. Right from the first demos we knew that the second album will be a great step forward for LEVERAGE. Here's why: we're tighter as a band, we know what our own style is and what we might be capable of, and we're busting our butts to make as solid music as we ever can. We recorded and mixed (Torsti Spoof and Jari Mikkola) the album at Studio Audio, Jyväskylä, Finland between the beginning of July and halfway of September. It was mastered at Chartmakers, Helsinki."

LEVERAGE is:

Pekka Heino - vocals
Tuomas Heikkinen - guitar
Torsti Spoof - guitar
Pekka Lampinen - bass
Marko Niskala - keyboards
Valtteri Revonkorpi - drums

On February 3, vocalist Oni Logan of reactivated rockers LYNCH MOB will fly from his adopted home of Switzerland (where he resides with his wife and daughter) to join his bandmates George Lynch (guitar), Marco Mendoza (bass; ex-WHITESNAKE, THIN LIZZY) and Scot Coogan (drums; ACE FREHLEY, ex-BRIDES OF DESTRUCTION) to continue writing and recording material for the group's new album, tentatively titled "Smoke And Mirrors", for a summer release. Songtitles set to appear on the CD include "The Phasist", "Mansions In The Sky" and "Hollywood Heroes". Lynch previously stated about the new tracks, "It's got a nice old-school, four-on-the-floor vibe to it… very honest, bare and raw!" Oni added, "So far the songs that have been written are all different from each other. In some ways, it's been a bit of an adventure. It's really too early to tell what will end up on the recording."