ENSLAVED, KEEP OF KALESSIN, and BENEA REACH have been nominated in the "Metal" category at the 37th annual Spellemann awards (the Norwegian equivalent to the Grammy Awards). The largest and oldest Norwegian music awards show will be held Saturday, January 24 at the Spektrum in Oslo, Norway and will be broadcast live on the Norwegian channel TV2.

The nominees in the "Metal" category are as follows:

BENEA REACH - "Alleviat" (Tabu Recordings)
ENSLAVED - "Vertebrae" (Indie Recordings)
KEEP OF KALESSIN - "Kolossus" (Indie Recordings)

ENSLAVED vocalist/bassist Grutle Kjellson commented: "This is great! Although this is our fifth nomination, I will never get used to receiving honors such as this! Some people claim these awards do not mean anything — and they may be right, of course. Then again, they are lying idiots if they claim they wouldn't appreciate a 'Best Metal Album' award. It simply states that you are doing something right even if your life doesn't depend on it. Congratulations to our buddies in KEEP OF KALESSIN for their nomination, too!"

Hard-hitting Danish four-piece THE BURNING will release its sophomore album, "Rewakening", on February 27 through Massacre Records. The follow-up to 2007's "Storm the Walls" was recorded and mixed at KohleKeller Studios with German producer Kristian Kohle Bonifer (BENIGHTED, CREMATORY, ABANDONED, AGATHODAIMON). The vocals was recorded by Jacob Bredahl (ex-HATESPHERE) at Smart N' Hard.

Commented the band: "It's been two years since we wrote and recorded the last album, and obviously we have been honing our skills in that time, but eventhough there are a few surprises and a little more melody on 'Rewakening', we kept true to our roots; heavy aggressive groove metal."

"Rewakening" features a guest appearance by Bo Summer (ILLDISPOSED).

The track listing for the effort is as follows:

01. It Came From The North
02. Cloven Hoof
03. Carnivora
04. Eight Legged Omen
05. Repentance (Burned On The Stake)
06. Father They Call Me The Heretic
07. He Who Whispers In The Back Of Us All
08. Evangelical Cannibal
09. Unspeakable
10. Live The Goat (feat. Bo Summer)
11. Rewakening
12. My Apostacy

THE BURNING's video for the song "Snakes of Life" (taken off THE BURNING's debut album, "Storm the Walls") can be viewed below. The clip was shot by Division 666 (HATESPHERE, AS WE FIGHT, HORNED ALMIGHTY, THE PSYKE PROJECT).

MASTERPLAN guitarist Roland Grapow has commented on the band's split with vocalist Mike DiMeo (RIOT, THE LIZARDS).

DiMeo joined MASTERPLAN in 2006 for the recording of the "MK II" album and the subsequent tour.

Grapow, who was member of HELLOWEEN between 1989 and 2001, stated: "Mike is still our friend and we feel big respect to his huge singing talent. We are really thankful for Mike's great addition on 'MK II' and wishing him all the best and luck on his new projects! Meanwhile we continue to work on the new studio album. We'll put out more news about our new singer soon! So stay tuned and expect big things coming around... Right now we are not able to tell you more news, so be patient! The band is not searching for a new singer, drummer, keyboarder, bass or guitar player."

LAETHORA, the Swedish death/grind band featuring DARK TRANQUILLITY guitarist Niklas Sundin, will enter the studio on January 29 to begin recording its second album for a late spring/early summer release. "If all goes according to plan, we are looking at some 11-12 tracks that will be mixed by the great Roberto Laghi (IN FLAMES, MUSTASCH)," the group writes on its MySpace page. "So far we've had two pre-recording sessions, each consisting of five tracks, so the foundation is already laid."

LAETHORA last year posted demo versions of two new tracks — "Uproar" and "New Day" — on the band's MySpace page.

A video clip of the new song "Uproar" performed live can be viewed here.

LAETHORA's debut album, "March of the Parasite", was released in February 2007 via The End Records.

According to a press release, the band — which also features THE PROVENANCE members Joakim Rosen (guitar), Jonnie Tall (bass) and Joel Lindell (drums) — plays "aggressive music firmly rooted in the death/grind tradition, yet challenging and innovative." In an interview with MTV.com, Sundin described the "March of the Parasite" CD as "extreme and in-your-face, but organic rather than clinical-sounding."

"All The Tears", the new animated video from French progressive metallers GOJIRA, can be viewed here. The clip was directed by Spanish artist Jossie Malis and is "really something that fits what we want to create artistically as a band," according to guitarist/vocalist Joseph Duplantier. Drummer Mario Duplantier explains: "We first came accross Jossie's work with his astounding animated films, 'Bend It To Machine' and we really liked the way he told stories in a very mysterious and unusual manner. His enigmatic animations deal with serious issues and are yet always permeated with a sense of poetry. We, as music writers, are trying to mix very different emotional atmospheres. We are happy to present a visual/audio work that gathers the sort of brutality of our music with the sensibility of his drawings."

When asked what the song is about, Joseph Duplantier replied, "It's all about all the tears that we cry through life. Because life is so hard, the simple fact of being alive is [there is always a constant] struggle. And it's about that — how hard it is."

GOJIRA sold around 4,200 copies of the band's new album, "The Way of All Flesh", in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 138 on The Billboard 200 chart. The CD's cover artwork was created by Joseph Duplantier, who was also responsible for the artwork for GOJIRA's previous album, 2005's "From Mars to Sirius".

GOJIRA last year shot a video for the song "Vacuity" with French producers Julien Mokrani and Samuel Bodin of Six Pieds Sous Terre Productions. The location of the shoot was in the Basque country where GOJIRA resides. Joseph Duplantier told the UK's Rock Sound magazine about the clip, ''It is a fantastic, mind-blowing video. The song is about the Buddhist meaning of the word which is emptiness not nothingness, the ultimate presence. It was very hard to picture that concept in a video so we told the story of a girl carrying her own casket as the whole album is about facing your death and your pain. It seemed fitting."

After five years of silence, WITCHMASTER is back with a new studio album. The CD, entitled "Trucizna" (which stands for poison) contains "nine tracks of fucked-up, old-school black thrashing rock n' roll madness," according to a press release. The album will be made available worldwide on CD as well as LP by Agonia Records, and in the U.S. by Ibex Moon Records under exclusive licence from Agonia. An April 10 release is expected.

In other news, WITCHMASTER has amicably parted ways with drummer Inferno due to his "growing commitments to his mother band, BEHEMOTH." His replacement is Bastek, who is also a member of SPINAL CORD and has played with HELL-BORN and DEVILYN. Furthermore, Reyash, the original WITCHMASTER bassist, has joined American death metal veterans INCANTATION and Polish legends VADER.

After last year's successful gigs in Poland, Germany and U.K., WITCHMASTER is planning on hitting the road again in 2009.

"On The Hill Of Dreams", the new video from Madrid, Spain-based power metallers DARK MOOR, can be viewed below. The song comes off the band's new album, "Autumnal", which will be released soon. The follow-up to 2007's "Tarot", was recorded in part at New Sin Studios in Italy and features a guest appearance by soprano Itea Benedicto (NIOBETH).

"Autumnal" track listing:

01. Swan Lake
02. On The Hill Of Dreams
03. Phantom Queen
04. An End So Cold
05. Faustus
06. Don't Look Back
07. When The Sun Is Gone
08. For Her
09. The Enchanted Forest
10. The Sphinx
11. Fallen Leaves Waltz

Swedish metallers CONSTRUCDEAD will release their long-awaited fourth album, "Endless Echo", in April via Black Lodge Records.

The band previously stated about the new material, "[We] think that there will be something for everyone on this album. Most of the material though, is very fast, heavy and hard. But we managed to squeeze in a few melodies here and there as well. [We] can guarantee some serious blasting!!!"

"Endless Echo" track listing:

01. Sedated Morning
02. My Haven
03. Endless Echoes
04. A Godess Breaches Through Me
05. Disfigured Beauty
06. Mephisto
07. No Exit
08. Transfixed
09. Tragic Kingdom
10. Spriritual Shift
11. The One Beside Me
12. Cataclysm
13. A Dark Wave

A new CONSTRUCDEAD song entitled "Mephisto" is available for streaming on the band's MySpace page.

CONSTRUCDEAD parted ways with drummer Nicke Karlsson shortly after the recording of the new album. According to the band, "We just felt that he wasn't the drummer for CONSTRUCDEAD and on some levels we didn't go along either. We've asked Chris [Barkensjö] from FACE DOWN to fill in on the drums, and it's working out really good.'

The band's third album, "The Grand Machinery", was released in September 2005 via Black Lodge Records.

Greek old-school thrashers SUICIDAL ANGELS have issued the following update:

"After the departure of our former bass player, we had a problem that needed to be fixed. To be more specific, there's a European tour coming up (more news on this soon!) and suddenly the bass player position became vacant. So we called a good friend, Angelos, a skilled bass player that could definitely help us out with the tour, and asked him if he would care to do some session work for us. The thing is, we'd like him to be a full member in the first place, but he was a bit preoccupied with other bands and we didn't know if he could do it. However, he gave it some thought, decided to go for it and hence we are in the pleasant position to welcome him as the new SUICIDAL ANGELS bass player.

"Our Greek friends will be the first ones to see him on stage, as our next concert will be supporting DEW-SCENTED in Athens (on February 27). We hope for a warm welcome!"

Norwegian melodic metal band PICTURES OF PAIN has posted a new song, "Far Beyond", on the group's MySpace page. The track is expected to appear on PICTURES OF PAIN's forthcoming debut album, which was recorded at Black Dimension studio by Stein R. Sund. The band says, "It's the same studio we used for the two demos we recorded earlier. As always, [Stein] has done a great job — thanks, mate! We will quite soon start the research of actual record companies, which hopefully will result in a record deal. Time will show!"

PICTURES OF PAIN is:

Rune Fredriksen (guitar)
Arne Marton Tangjerd (guitar)
Hans Helge Iversen (vocals)
Frode Gundersen (drums)
Roy Ostrem (bass)

Vocalist Mike DiMeo (RIOT, THE LIZARDS) has confirmed that he has parted ways with MASTERPLAN, the melodic metal band led by former HELLOWEEN guitarist Roland Grapow. Mike writes on his MySpace page, "I have nothing but profound respect for them and continue to wish them nothing but success in the future."

Although MASTERPLAN has yet to announce a replacement for DiMeo, Grapow wrote in a November 5, 2008 online posting that the band had commenced the recording sessions for a new studio album, which is tentatively expected in May/June via AFM Records. He said, "Axel [Mackenrott, keyboards] and Jan [S. Eckert, bass] are working on more new song material in Hamburg in Axel's new studio. Meanwhile i'm writing/recording guitars and arranging songs in my studio in [Slovakia]. We have 10 songs written so far and we'll still write more material parallel to the recordings. We are very happy with the new song material so far and we are sure it will be a killer album!!!" Roland also added that there will "hopefully [be] a big surprise" coming soon.

DiMeo, regarded as one of the finest vocalists in the heavy rock scene, first came to prominence after joining the legendary New York City band RIOT prior to the recording of 1994's "Nightbreaker". He went on to record six studio albums and one live album with the group before departing to join MASTERPLAN for the recording of "MK II" in 2006.

DiMeo in August 2008 announced the formation of a new project called TENPOINT alongside Steve Seigerman (guitar), Chris Kozikowski (bass) and Doug Bohn (drums).

MASTERPLAN's "Lost And Gone" video (from 2007's "MK II") can be viewed here.

DEAD BY APRIL, the Swedish "pop/metal" act featuring former members of NIGHTRAGE, BY NIGHT, EVILDOER, MINDFALL and DEATHDESTRUCTION, has issued the following update:

"We are heading for Stockholm and are entering the studio next week to proceed with recording the long-awaited [debut DEAD BY APRIL] album. We are really stoked and I can tell you that it IS going to be a monster! Some new and unheard killer songs that we have been really just dying to show you guys mixed with some perfected versions of the best demo songs will make an album that have our whole spectra of our music!"

DEAD BY APRIL's first album is being produced by Henrik Edenhed, who has previously worked with ROBYN, LAMBRETTA, TEDDYBEARS, CHRISTIAN WALTZ and THE SOUNDS. A spring/summer release via Universal Music Sweden is expected.

According to the group's official bio, "DEAD BY APRIL is a collaboration between some free-spirited, like-minded musicians. It has evolved from just being a project to a full-time band in a very short amount of time."

Austrian death metallers MASTIC SCUM will enter the studio in February to begin recording their fourth album for a late spring/early summer release via Cudgel Agency. According to the band, "The new material is fucking exciting and heavy as fuck: shredding mosh grooves and grinding blast attacks. We continued to refine the songs over and over again. Never before have we spent so much time in songwriting and never before have we put so much energy in our new material."

The CD will contain 12 tracks, including "Construcdead", "The Sufferage", "Dead Remains", "The Consciousness In A State Of Mind" and "Extinction".

In 2007, MASTIC SCUM celebrated its 15th anniversary by issung "The EPs Collection 1993-2002" via Power It Up/Twilight. This CD includes all of the band's vinyl releases plus two bonus tracks. This was MASTIC SCUM's 17th release since the band's inception in 1992.

World Entertainment News Network reports that SLIPKNOT/STONE SOUR frontman Corey Taylor plans on taking a break from performing with the two bands so he can put out a solo album.

Taylor wants to release an LP of his own material and has even built up a catalog of over 40 songs under consideration for the project.

He says, "It's something that I'd like to do purely for myself. It's something that I need to release before I can think about moving on to anything else... In both SLIPKNOT and STONE SOUR I'm slightly limited to how I can write and indeed what I can write about. The beauty of doing a solo album is that I can write whatever type of song I want."

SLIPKNOT's latest album, "All Hope Is Gone", was officially certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on December 9, 2008 for shipments in excess of 500,000 copies. According to Nielsen SoundScan, the LP has shifted 641,000 units in the United States since its August 26 release.

"All Hope Is Gone" claimed the coveted No. 1 debut slot on Billboard's Top 200 chart, after an extraordinary SoundScan recount. The album was initially announced on September 3 as a No. 2 debut, a mere 13 units behind THE GAME's No. 1 debut, marking the closest margin in SoundScan history. The chart positions resulted from a reported 238,272 copies of "All Hope Is Gone" its first week in stores, while THE GAME's "LAX" reported 238,285. With such an unprecedented margin, Roadrunner Records and WEA requested an historic recount. SoundScan obliged and chart positions were reversed, with SLIPKNOT claiming No. 1 and a new margin of 1,134 albums.

"That was incredible," Corey Taylor told Scotland's The Daily Record about the chart-topping feat. "I still have moments where I ask myself if that really happened. "Obviously, when you get in a business like this, it's the goal to get to the top. But we had to call a recount for it because all the numbers weren't in and they originally had THE GAME at No. 1. But there was only a difference of 12 CDs. Our label, Roadrunner, called the recount and it turned out we were No. 1 by 1,200 CDs. We got the the top spot but we had to earn it. Unlike most people, we had to go through the crazy job of finding out if we were No. 1."

Greek old-school thrashers SUICIDAL ANGELS have issued the following update:

"As it is now confirmed, we can announce that everything's set for the recording of the second SUICIDAL ANGELS album. Recordings will be held at Prophecy and Music Factory Studios in Germany, under the direction of producer R.D. Liapakis, who, as many might know, is an accomplished fellow Greek musician and recording engineer, lead singer of the heavy metal group MYSTIC PROPHECY.

"The yet-untitled record will contain nine tracks of pure thrash metal, which we can't wait to play live, by the way! It will be recorded in March and released (hopefully) later in 2009. One of the songs, 'Jesus Lies', has already been performed live in various occasions and can also be heard through our upcoming DVD, 'Live Domination', the production of which has been unfortunately hampered by some artwork issues that will very soon be resolved. This song will give you an idea of the straight-in-your-face approach we have adopted while writing new material that we hope you like.

"So everything's rolling and March draws near! Moreover, the plans for a 2009 European tour are in motion, many shows have already been confirmed and we can't wait to see you all again and have a hell of a time. More on our upcoming tour will be posted soon, as the final details will be worked out early in 2009."

SUICIDAL ANGELS recently struck up a deal with OSM Records for the release of its new DVD, "Live Domination". The disc, which was filmed in May 2008 concert in Athens, will be made available in early 2009. According to the band, "the DVD will feature the whole show and 100% live sound. No overdubs whatsoever! It will also feature our two video clips off 'Eternal Domination' and a full band biography.

"Though we feel quite confident about picture and sound, we certainly don't pretend that our self-financed release meets the highest quality criteria. Therefore expect the price to be substantially low, compared to major band DVD releases. We certainly do not wish to rip anyone off!

"The front cover of the DVD package, designed by George 'Grin' Prasinis, [can be viewed below]. George has designed almost all SUICIDAL ANGELS artwork to date and we believe he once again did a killer job. We hope you like it as well!"

San Jose, California-based metallers IMAGIKA have parted ways with guitarist Corey Krick. The remaning members of the group said in a statement, "Almost a year after joining the band, Corey has left to pursue other ventures. No B.S. or hard feelings involved — just a realization that both parties where coming from a different musical direction. We wish him all the best! Interested guitarist can send us a pic and samples of your playing to imagika6@gmail.com. Please be on pro level with lead and rhythm capabilities."

IMAGIKA added, "The band currently has written and demoed new material for our label to see if we still have a deal...and you never really know these days, so we should hit the studio in the summer. As usual, [the songs have] tons of diversity and [are] heavy as hell!"

IMAGIKA's latest album, "Feast for the Hated" was released in the U.S. on May 20, 2008 via Locomotive Records. The CD was mixed at Sweden's Sonic Train Studio with Andy La Rocque (KING DIAMOND guitarist)

Swedish doom metal band ISOLE has completed work on its new album, "Silent Ruins", at the group's own Studio Apocalypse for a late February/early March release via Napalm Records. According to a press release, "ISOLE makes use of clean vocals, slo-mo grooves, and melodies in the minor keys. Fans of CANDLEMASS, SOLITUDE AETERNUS, or early ANATHEMA and MY DYING BRIDE will not be disappointed."

"Silent Ruins" track listing:

01. From the Dark (mp3 sample)
02. Forlorn
03. Nightfall
04. Hollow Shrine (mp3 sample)
05. Soulscarred
06. Peccatum
07. Dark Clouds

According to a press release, "Silent Ruins" "continues to forge forth in the tradition of [ISOLE's] previous albums. The Swedes once again indulge in their heart-sickened and somber brand of doom metal that only finds solace in a perfectly placed portion of deadly black epic. Profound compositions, hypnotic arrangements, and heavy flowing riffs, that not unlike molten lava slowly yet inexorably pull the listener down into its depths, are the core elements comprising this album. Gustavo Sazes (FIREWIND, SERENITY) once again lends his artistic know-how to graphically convey a feeling of utter despair and isolation, while Peter In de Betou (AMON AMARTH, DRACONIAN, ARCH ENEMY) takes on the darkly work's mastering responsibilites. Rarely before have hopelessness and despair found such an elegant and becoming sound, making 'Silent Ruins' a dark jewel that will not only appeal to the die-hard doom metal fan."

Release dates set for "Silent Ruins":

Feb. 25 - Finland
Feb. 27 - Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Benelux, France, Italy, Sweden
Mar. 2 - Rest of Europe
Mar. 3 - USA, Canada

San Francisco Bay Area metal veterans DEATH ANGEL have announced the addition of bassist Sammy Diosdado to the group's ranks. Sammy is a Bay Area native who previously played with the San Francisco hardcore band THE SICK and is a member of the rock and roll outfit ALL TIME HIGHS which is fronted by DEATH ANGEL singer Mark Osegueda. With his in-your-face punk assault on bass and on stage, he was the perfect fit to fill the shoes of former bassist and founding member Dennis Pepa.

Commented Osegueda: "I could not be more thrilled! People in the Bay Area who have seen Sammy on stage know what I'm talking about, and now it is time for the rest of the world to see! Sammy just plain ROCKS! So I urge all DEATH ANGEL fans to welcome Sammy to the DEATH ANGEL family, and come see us live when we come to your town that will be all the convincing you will need that we made the right choice!!!"

Former SKID ROW singer Sebastian Bach has issued the following update:

"It's time for some 2008 'Angel Down Round The World Tour' highlights!! Here is where I will post exclusive videos from the 2008 tour shot personally by myself or the road crew! You got the best seat in the house! First up is 'Youth Gone Wild' live at Blossom Music Center in Cleveland, Ohio [filmed on August 14, 2008 during Bach's tour with POISON]! CLEVELAND ROCKS! Hey, you knew that!"

Watch the video below.

Sebastian Bach's "Angel Down" limited-edition CD/DVD package, featuring "Roadrage", a film by Sebastian Bach, was made available in the USA as an FYE exclusive at all FYE stores nationwide and also at the FYE booth on the POISON tour. "Roadrage" features five tracks, "100% live, pro-shot" on the 2006 North American GUNS N' ROSES/SEBASTIAN BACH tour.

Cleveland's CHIMAIRA has finished mastering the band's new album, "The Infection", at Sterling Sound in New York City with Ted Jensen and Chris "Zeuss" Harris (HATEBREED, SHADOWS FALL, AGNOSTIC FRONT, TERROR, THE ACACIA STRAIN). "Sonically, this album sounds amazing," vocalist Mark Hunter writes on the group's web site. "Ben [Schigel, producer], Zeuss [who mixed the CD] and Ted did an amazing job making our vision come to reality. The album has exceeded everyone in this band's expectations. Now we all get to play the game 'hurry up and wait' as we won't be posting a new track for a little bit because our record labels (yes, I said labels) need to listen to the album and hear the songs before you guys. I trust you understand. After all, they did pay for us to record them; it's only fair they get first dibs."

Behind-the-scenes footage from the making of the video for "The Path To Decay", the new single from the Norwegian/Spanish female-fronted gothic metal band SIRENIA, can be viewed below. The clip was shot in Gothenburg, Sweden with director Patric Ullaeus (DIMMU BORGIR, LACUNA COIL) of Revolver Film Company. Guitarist Morten Veland said, "We are very satisfied with the end result and [are excited] to share the video with all of you."

"The 13th Floor", the new album from SIRENIA, is available for streaming in its entirety on the group's MySpace page.

"The 13th Floor" will be released on January 23 via Nuclear Blast Records. The CD was tracked at Sound Suite Studios in France and Stargoth Studios in Norway while the mixing and mastering sessions took place at the Antfarm Studios in Denmark with Tue Madsen. The group says, "Expect a melodic and powerful album in the typical SIRENIA vein. The album features guest appearances by Jan Kenneth Barkved (who also did some guest appearances on our debut, 'At Sixes and Sevens'), French violin player Stephanie Valentin adds to the sound along with the Sirenian choir that has been an important part of our sound since the very beginning."

"The 13th Floor" track listing:

01. The Path To Decay
02. Lost In Life
03. The Mind Maelstrom
04. The Seventh Summer
05. Beyond Life's Scenery
06. The Lucid Door
07. Led Astray
08. Winterborn 77
09. Sirens Of The Seven Seas

Veteran Massachusetts metallers MELIAH RAGE have set "Masquerade" as the title of their new album, due later in the year via Screaming Ferret/Metro City Records. The CD was recorded at The Outpost in Stoughton, Massachusetts and was mastered at the end of November by producer Rich Spillberg (WARGASM), who has worked with everyone from STEEL ASSASSIN to JOSH GROBAN. According to the group, "The music on the record is much faster and heavier than the past few records and will feature a guest appearance by METAL CHURCH frontman Ronny Munroe."

The track listing for the CD is as follows:

01. Lost Or Found (7:57)
02. Chosen (6:15)
03. History Will Tell (6:47)
04. Dreamer (5:09)
05. Seeker (6:58)
06. Hour Glass (5:06)
07. Masquerade (6:00)
08. Last Rites (4:56) (feat. Ronny Munroe)
09. Whatever It Takes (7:32)

MELIAH RAGE this past summer announced the return of the band's
original frontman, Mike Munro.

After singer Paul Souza exited the band late last year, a six-month search for a suitable replacement began, which led to a dead end. That is, until producer Rich Spillberg suggested that they contact Munro and get back to their roots.

METALLICA guitarist Kirk Hammett makes a guest appearance on the second album from the Somali-Canadian poet and musician K'naan (born Kanaan Warsame). Due on February 24, "Troubadour" was recorded at the legendary Tuff Gong Studio in Jamaica. Other guest musicians appearing on the CD include MAROON 5's Adam Levine, Chubb Rock, Damian Marley, Mos Def and JURASSIC 5's Chali Tuna.

Speaking to Spinner.com recently, K'naan stated about Hammett's involvement, "I met him at Bonnaroo and he was such a nice man, a cool dude. Stephen Marley introduced us. So I though I wanted to have another version of this song on this album, to kind of constantly affect the genre-hopping. I thought, 'What could be better than having him on a great guitar solo?'"

"Troubadour" track listing (not final sequence):

01. ABC's (feat. Chubb Rock)
02. America (feat. Mos Def & Chali Tuna)
03. Bang Bang (feat. Adam Levine)
04. Dreamer
05. Fatima
06. Fire In Freetown
07. 15 Minutes Away
08. I Come Prepared (feat. Damian Marley)
09. If Rap Gets Jealous (feat. Kirk Hammett)
10. People Like Me
11. Take A Minute
12. Somalia
13. T.I.A.
14. Waiving Flag

Guitarist Glen Alvelais has left reactivated San Francisco Bay Area thrashers FORBIDDEN amd has been replaced by Steve Smyth (TESTAMENT, NEVERMORE).

Commented Glen: "Back in October of 2008, I felt it better to remove myself from the business part of the band with the hopes I could go forward playing live shows and giving the fans what they want, I wanted to put the 'Evil' back in FORBIDDEN.

"I had a lot of fun seeing the smiling faces as they sang the words to 'Eyes Of Glass' and 'Chalice Of Blood', but could no longer take all the accusations and distrust that came with our so-called chemistry.

"I'm looking forward to the release of my new band TENET's CD release. This is the heaviness that I was seeking from a band. Not to say that the new FORBIDDEN CD will not be good, just not heavy enough for my taste buds. How could it get any heavier than the line up of Jed Simon [STRAPPING YOUNG LAD], Zetro Souza [EXODUS], Gene Hoglan [STRAPPING YOUNG LAD, DARK ANGEL, TESTAMENT], Byron Stroud [STRAPPING YOUNG LAD, FEAR FACTORY] and myself?

"I would like to say good luck to all the FORBIDDEN guys and their new guitarist Steve Smyth. Let's hear another 'Forbidden Evil' or 'Twisted Into Form' CD."

FORBIDDEN was rejoined by drummer Paul Bostaph (TESTAMENT, SLAYER, EXODUS) for a couple of songs during the band September 12 Slim's concert in San Francisco. It was the first time in over 15 years that the all-original FORBIDDEN EVIL (pre-FORBIDDEN) lineup played together.

FORBIDDEN's new drummer is Mark Hernandez, who has previously played with HEATHEN, DEFIANCE, RE:IGNITION, VIO-LENCE, TORQUE, TECHNOCRACY and SOCIAL UNREST.

Swedish doom legends CANDLEMASS have set "Death Magic Doom" as the title of their new album, due on March 27 via Nuclear Blast Records.

The track listing is as follows:

01. If I Ever Die
02. Hammer Of Doom
03. The Bleeding Baroness
04. Demon Of The Deep
05. House Of 1000 Voices
06. Dead Angel
07. Clouds Of Dementia
08. My Funeral Dreams

Four audio snippets from the CD — "Hammer Of Doom", "If I Ever Die", "Demon Of The Deep" and "Funeral Dreams" — have been posted on the MySpace page of the European branch of Nuclear Blast Records. They will be available online until January 10.

German thrash metal veterans KREATOR are putting the finishing touches on their new video for the title track of their forthcoming album, "Hordes Of Chaos". The clip was shot on November 2 in Berlin, Germany with director Jörn Heitmann (RAMMSTEIN), who has also worked on the band's video for the song "Enemy Of God".

KREATOR guitarist/vocalist Mille Petrozza told HeadbangersBlog.com about the clip: "It's a little cliché, of course. It's a sword-and-sorcery, 'Conan the Barbarian 300' kind of thing, but it's pretty brutal and I think it's fun. I really like the director and I think he did a good job. It was hard for him, but for us it was easy, because our part took only two ours. But we had to wait a lot because they had to shoot these fighting scenes the whole day. So, we worked for two hours and waited for eight.

"In the video there's a pile of dead people on the ground and we're in the middle of them. Of course, they weren't really dead, but it still felt kind of strange to be between all these people lying on the ground on this hill and it was kind of funny, too because they were there pretending to be dead and we had to perform above them while they just lay there. But they did a great job and I'm really happy."

Swedish Viking metallers AMON AMARTH will have their first four albums reissued in 2009. The series will kick off with "Once Sent From A Golden Hall", which will be released on February 27 in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Italy and March 2 in the rest of Europe as a double-popup-digipak featuring two discs. Disc one features the entire "Once Sent From A Golden Hall" album remastered plus the bonus track "Siegreicher Marsch" (German version of "Victorious March"). Disc two features the live recording of the show AMON AMARTH played on December 28, 2008 in Bochum, Germany where they played the album in its entirety. The order of songs is the same as on disc one (excluding "Siegreicher Marsch").

This reissue (and all the other ones that will follow later in the year) will be released as an eight-sided double-figipak with individual pop-up. All four pop-ups attached to each other will show a special three-dimensional pic! The reissue also features liner notes by the band and will be released for the price of a regular CD.

"Once Sent From A Golden Hall" reissue track listing:

01. Ride For Vengeance
02. The Dragons´ Flight Across The Waves
03. Without Fear
04. Victorious March
05. Friends Of The Suncross
06. Abandoned
07. Amon Amarth
08. Once Sent From The Golden Hall
09. Siegreicher Marsch (German version of "Victorious March")