Vocalist Martin Schönherr of Swedish death metallers DERANGED has issued the following update:

"Sad news… A couple of weeks ago Rikard Wermén [drums] decided to leave the band. He’s been handling all of the band's correspondence (as well as any other matters concerning the band) the last 15 years and told us that he basically was fed up and didn't want to do that any longer and therefore decided to leave the band. He's been doing a really great work and has always managed to squeeze in time to handle the band's business. He also said numerous times that he will stay and do whatever shows that was booked but wouldn't handle any correspondence and the likes, and even said if we managed to get a tour later this year, he would stay for that as well in case we hadn't managed to get a new drummer. Fair enough, and we thank him eternally for that… Now, Johan Axelsson [guitar] said that he didn't want to do the booked shows and wanted to split the band up ('coz of reasons unknown) which leaves me and Tomas Ahlgren [bass] no other choice then hereby say that we can't play the [previously announced European festivals plus the Maryland Deathfest in the U.S.]. Therefore DERANGED are from now on split up."

DERANGED's seventh full-length album, "The Redlight Murder Case", was released last month via Regain Records. Drummer Rikard Wermén previously stated about the CD, "It is the best musical work we have so far accomplished under the name DERANGED. It's brutal and insane, and will hopefully leave you dead with a broken neck in the pit."

LACUNA COIL's male singer Andrea Ferro recently answered a number of questions submitted by the group's fans via the EmptySpiral.net web site regarding the songwriting process for LACUNA COIL's forthcoming album. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow:

EmptySpiral.net: So, how's the new music coming along then? How's that creativity?

Ferro: "So far, we've been in an amazing creative mood. We really have this flowing creativity that we didn't expect, because we took a break after all the touring and the shows and then we just waited a bit before we met again in the practice room just to, you know, clear the air, the mind and change a bit of your lifestyle, don't live the same situation every day. So we just try to live our lives and solve all the situations we have back home, you know, pay all the bill… family and everything. And then, after the Christmas break we met again and started working [on] some ideas, like the first ideas for songs that Marco [Coti Zelati; bass] and Maus [Biazzi; guitar] came up with, and just start going to the practice room. We basically wanna do something different. We try also to change a bit of the process of the songwriting."

EmptySpiral.net: Has anything in particular inspired you with the music that you've put together so far?

Ferro: "Yeah, as I say we've tried to change a bit the way of working compare to the past. For example, when we did the 'In a Reverie' album, we were all jamming, finding ideas and work the songs in the practice room all together. Then, for example, 'Unleashed Memories' and 'Comalies', we started to work more on the PC. Marco, or Maus, they were writing songs on the computer and pass it to me and Cristina [Scabbia; vocals] and then we just get back our ideas. Only when we had more or less a complete song we were going to the practice room and rehearse all the songs together then fixed all the parts and roles and write the lyrics. So this time around, we wanted to get back to jam all together in the practice room but that didn't really work out for us, because we were just not used anymore to jam for hours and then come up with ideas. There are too many elements now in our music to do that, so we tried again to work with the computer and then decide we would work the vocals together in the rehearsal place — me, Marco and Cristina especially — and then the rest of the guys for the music and arrangements. Basically we are all finding some ideas back home, then work the structure of the song in the practice room. Like… go there and let everybody listen your ideas, then decide which part fits the chorus, or fits the bridge or the verse, then re-arrange it together, and this way so far the vocals have been much more fluent and consistent compared to the past; we didn't just incorporate some parts but we tried to build it together and give it a good flow. So we have basically changed the approach. The more we work the more the songs sounds very…tight. The music is very fluent."

EmptySpiral.net: Do you think it will change the mood of the music? I mean, what kind of direction do you feel you are going with the music now?

Ferro: "Hmmm. That is not easy to say because every song we have done so far is quite different from the other ones. At the moment, we have a couple of more classical ballads — those are more in our style — and then we've got like two or three songs which are more rock-orientated — still heavy, but with a very fluent sound. It's more about the vocals than the music. And then we have another song which is more heavy, and has more focus on the arrangement and the instrumental parts. All the three types of songs we have at the moment are quite different."

The German branch of Nuclear Blast Records has set an April 11 release date for the "Beautiful Voices Vol. 3" DVD+CD combo featuring female-fronted rock and metal bands. It is the follow-up to the successful first and second parts in the series.

The "Vol. 3" details are as follows:

DVD track listing:

01. NIGHTWISH - Bye Bye Beautiful
02. LACUNA COIL - Within Me
03. XANDRIA - Save My Life
04. AFTER FOREVER - Energize Me
05. TRISTANIA - Equilibrium
06. SIRENIA - The Other Side
07. IN THIS MOMENT - Prayers
08. AUTUMN - Satellites
09. DELAIN - Frozen
10. DELIGHT - Divided
11. BIF NAKED - Let Down
12. THE VINCENT BLACK SHADOW - Broken
13. THE AGONIST - Business Suits and Combat Boots
14. LEAVES' EYES - Legend Land
15. QNTAL - Von den Elben
16. STREAM OF PASSION - Passion
17. FIREWIND - Breaking the Silence
18. DORO - live clip
19. EPICA - Never Enough

CD track listing:

01. NIGHTWISH - Amaranth
02. AFTER FOREVER - Discord
03. XANDRIA - Save My Life
04. EDENBRIDGE - Shine (single edit)
05. BEAUTIFUL SIN - Lost
06. DORO - Thunderspell
07. BIF NAKED - Abandonment
08. DELAIN - See me in a Shadow (single edit)
09. AUTUMN - Angel of Desire
10. THE VINCENT BLACK SHADOW - Ghost Train Out
11. IN THIS MOMENT - This Moment
12. SINERGY - The Sin Trade
13. SIRENIA - My Mind’s Eye
14. TRISTANIA - Destination Departure
15. THERION - Trul
16. ELIS - Phoenix from the Ashes
17. VISIONS OF ATLANTIS - The Secret
18. EPICA - Chasing the Dragon (radio edit)
19. LACUNA COIL - Closer

SYSTEM OF A DOWN singer Serj Tankian performed the song "Empty Walls" on ABC-TV's "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" on this past Friday's (March 28) episode. Watch the performance below.

As previously reported, Serj Tankian has been added to the lineup of this year's Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival, scheduled for April 25-27 at the Empire Polo Field in Indio, California. With SCARS ON BROADWAY, the new band featuring SYSTEM guitarist Daron Malakian and drummer John Dolmayan, previously announced for the festival, speculation has started about whether the musicians will get together for a surprise SYSTEM reunion. The band has been on hiatus since the fall of 2006, with Tankian releasing his first solo album, "Elect the Dead", last fall. The SCARS ON BROADWAY debut is due out this summer.

Guitarist Chris Caffery (SAVATAGE, TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA) has revealed that this next solo album will include "a really cool metal cover of 'Get Up, Stand Up' by BOB MARLEY." He added, "It is actually a cool metal anthem!"

Other working songtitles set to appear on the CD include "House of Insanity", "Shame", "Fight The Fleas", "Sorry", "Schizophrenia", "Seasons Change", "Back's To The Wall", "Solitaire", "Winter in Hamburg" and "No Matter What".

The instrumental track "Schizophrenia" will contain "many guest solos," including those from Glen Drover (ex-MEGADETH), Jeff Loomis (NEVERMORE) and Alex Skolnick (TESTAMENT, TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA).

Caffery plans to record the new album between May and July for an October release.

According to Chris, he will tour "a lot in 2009" in support of the new CD. Some shows will take place this year, but there will be "no serious touring."

The cover artwork for "Watershed", the forthcoming album from Swedish metallers OPETH, can be viewed at this location. The cover was (as usual) designed by Travis Smith in co-operation with frontman/guitarist Mikael Åkerfeldt

"Watershed" is scheduled for release on June 3 via Roadrunner Records (one day earlier internationally). The CD, recorded in the band's native Sweden and produced by frontman/guitarist Mikael Åkerfeldt and Jens Bogren, is a masterwork that follows the time-honored OPETH tradition; its modern yet timeless, progressive yet paying homage to the sounds of classic rock.

"Watershed" track listing:

01. Coil
02. Heir Apparent
03. The Lotus Eater
04. Burden
05. Porcelain Heart
06. Hessian Peel
07. Hex Omega

All the songs were written by Åkerfeldt apart from "Porcelain Heart", which was co-written with new guitarist Fredrik Åkesson. One additonal track, "Derelict Herds", was also recorded and this was written by Mikael Åkerfeldt and Per Wiberg. On top of this, three cover songs were recorded. "Bridge of Sighs" from ROBIN TROWER's 1974 LP of the same title, "Den Ständiga Resan" (sung in Swedish) by MARIE FREDRIKSSON as well as the classic ALICE IN CHAINS song "Would?"

The album was recorded at Fascination Street studios during November 1 and December 13. Some additional recording was done between January 3 and January 7.

Says Mikael Åkerfeldt: "I've worked so hard with these songs for quite some time now, I've listened to 'em a zillion times. I don't hate them just yet! The album sounds great sonically and I think I can hear us evolving as the record plays on. It is taking us somewhere musically and I don't know where. It's very exciting to say the least! I can't remember having enjoyed a recording this much ever before."

ANATHEMA masterminds Vincent and Danny Cavanagh will perform an acoustic show in Bucharest, Romania, on May 24. They will be joined by cello player David Wesling for the concert, which is being promoted by the Artmania Foundation, which also produces the Artmania festival.

Vincent and Danny Cavanagh, along with former ANATHEMA bassist Duncan Patterson, performed an "unplugged" set at last year's Artmania festival in Sibiu, Romania. Video footage of the song "Temporary Peace" from the 2007 concert can be viewed below.

ANATHEMA recently announced plans to release two albums this year. According to the band, "[The] first record is a semi-acoustic recording of many of our most loved older tracks. This will be released on Peaceville Records. The working title is 'Temporary Peace'.

"In late winter/early spring, immediately following the recording of this semi-acoustic album, we will enter a studio to record the next full-length ANATHEMA album, which be produced by ANATHEMA and mixed by Steven Wilson, independently from a record company. Upon completion, the new album will be licensed around the world, giving us artistic and creative control and keeping the rights to the music in our own hands."

Italian power metallers KALEDON have unveiled the cover artwork for their fifth album, "Legend Of The Forgotten Reign Chapter 5: A New Era Begins", tentatively due in Europe in May/June via Hellion Records. The CD artwork was designed by Fabrizio Galliccia.

"Legend Of The Forgotten Reign Chapter 5: A New Era Begins" track listing:

01. A New Man
02. A Wounded Friend
03. Mozul
04. Undeads Again
05. The End Of The Green Power
06. A Flash In The Sky
07. Great Mighty Light (instrumental)
08. The Greatest Heart
09. The God Beyond The Man
10. Return To Kaledon

The Japanese version of the CD will include "top-secret" bonus material, according to a posting on the band's web site.

KALEDON last fall announced the addition of singer Marco Palazzi to the group's ranks.

The band parted ways with vocalist Claudio Conti in October due to "personal differences."

KALEDON's latest CD, "Chapter 4: Twilight of the Gods", was released in Europe in December 2006 via Hellion Records. An MP3 of the track "Clash of the Titans" has been made available for download at this location.

KALEDON's first three full-length albums are now available in the United States through Mythic Silence Records.

Currently ranked the seventh best electric guitarist in the world, Joe Satriani will release his highly anticipated 13th solo album "Professor Satchafunkilus and the Musterion of Rock" as a single disc CD and "Special Edition CD + DVD" (the latter featuring over 40 minutes of bonus DVD footage). The album is released in the UK by Epic Records via SonyBMG on Monday, March 31.

Over the course of his career, JOE SATRIANI has achieved legendary success with his 12 solo albums and three platinum DVDs, selling more than 10 million units worldwide. On March 31 (UK) and April 1 (North America), SATRIANI is set to continue his brand of electric education for the masses with the release of his 13th solo album, entitled "Professor Satchafunkilus and the Musterion of Rock".

"Professor Satchafunkilus and the Musterion of Rock" track listing:

01. Musterion
02. Overdriver
03. I Just Wanna Rock
04. Professor Satchafunkilus
05. Revelation
06. Come On Baby
07. Out of the Sunrise
08. Diddle-y-a-doo-dat
09. Asik Vaysel
10. Andalusia

Special Edition CD/DVD version features the following bonus DVD features:

* The making of "Professor Satchafunkilus"
* Surfing the Alien (live in New York City)
* Ice 9 (live in San Francisco)
* Crushing Day (live in New York City, Los Angeles and San Francisco - montage)
* Behind the scenes in Los Angeles and San Francisco

Jamey Jasta (HATEBREED, KINGDOM OF SORROW) has issued the following update:

"A lot of people have been writing me asking me about my solo dates and upcoming shows with both of my bands HATEBREED and KINGDOM OF SORROW. I've been getting a lot of questions and inquiries about booking. First, I'd like to thank everyone for interest and second I'd like to answer some of the questions. Hopefully this helps, see you all on the road!

"1. What is the JASTA solo show all about?

"Basically I perform songs from all three of my bands, as well as some covers, vote @ www.jameyjasta.com. I jam with a bunch of cool dudes from the band PHANTOMS. We play small bars, clubs and halls. Most of the time on really short notice in places you wouldn't think you'd hear some of these songs played live. This is just a fun way for me to play in places that I haven't played in years and I get to play cities and venues that it is hard to play with HATEBREED. I will eventually put out a solo record, maybe Halloween time of '08? But HATEBREED will always be my 1 priority and we will have our DVD coming out soon as well as a live album and a covers CD THIS YEAR! Later this year we will get back to writing our new album as well.

"2. How can I book a JASTA solo show?

"My old pal Tim Borror at The Agency Group books my solo shows. Please do not bother him unless you are a serious promoter and have promoted successful shows in the past. Thanks! timborror@theagencygroup.com."

"Monolithe III", the third full-length album from the French doom metal band MONOLITHE, which was previously scheduled for a March 2008 release, has been delayed.

Guitarist Sylvain Bégot commented: "I, on behalf of the whole band, would like to apologize and thank the numerous people who showed impatience and anxiety toward the band's current hiatus. But the record we're making is very special and strange, so it makes things complicated to do. Be sure that the album will be released this year and will, of course, keep its promises!"

"Monolithe III" is scheduled to include contributions from the following musicians:

Sylvain Bégot: rhythm, bass & lead guitars, all devices
Benoît Blin (DEVIANZ): bass & lead guitars
Richard Loudin (DESPOND): vocals
Vindsval (BLUT AUS NORD): vocals
Marc Canlers (ANTHEMON): sound carving

Former AUDIOSLAVE/SOUNDGARDEN singer Chris Cornell has tapped hip hop and R&B superstar Timbaland to produce Chris' third solo album.

Speaking to Ryan Seacrest of Los Angeles's 102.7 KIIS-FM this morning (Thursday, March 27), Timbaland — who has worked with Justin Timberlake, Nelly Furtado and a host of other big names — called his collaboration with Cornell "the best work I've done in my career."

Cornell stated about the unlikely pairing, "This is different from anything I've ever done. I've come from an indie rock world, where, if you have a producer, it's somebody who's not a musician, not a songwriter. He's just someone who twists knobs and can kinda tell you if they think a song is too long or too short or needs to be more aggressive. Tim's a songwriter, so I was working with him in a collaboration, sort of as if we were in a band."

According to the World Entertainment News Network, Cornell called the new album, which hasn't got a release date at present, "a highlight of my career."

Timbaland added, "This will be everybody's favorite album of this year."

Listen to Cornell and Timbaland's interview with Ryan Seacrest at this location.

According to Gaming Today, DEF LEPPARD will be one of the featured artists on Guitar Hero 4 when it is released later this year. The songs expected to be included are as follows: "Photograph", "Rock of Ages" and "Animal".

Markus Goldman of Philadelphia's WMMR conducted an interview with DEF LEPPARD frontman Joe Elliott this past Friday, March 21. Joe spoke for over an hour about the band's forthcoming album, "Songs from the Sparkle Lounge", the old records, NWOBHM, how he met Ron Wood, the Mick Ronson tribute record, the VH1 movie and a lot more.

Download the podcast containing the Joe Elliott interview at this location.

DEF LEPPARD's new studio album, "Songs from the Sparkle Lounge", is scheduled for release on April 29 via Bludgeon Riffola/Island/UMe.

The 11-track "Songs From The Sparkle Lounge" is DEF LEPPARD's first album of brand new material since 2002's "X" and begins yet another remarkable new chapter in the band's 30-year recording career. Recorded last year during month-long stints at lead singer Joe Elliott's Dublin studio, the album's title refers to a backstage area called The Sparkle Lounge on DEF LEPPARD's 2006 tour where the band would go to write songs.

LACUNA COIL's male singer Andrea Ferro has issued the following update:

"I've been very busy with the works on the new LACUNA COIL album that has started taking shape. We feel like we're on the right creative mood but we still wanna write a lot more material before we call it done."

UK rock magazine Kerrang! recently spoke to LACUNA COIL frontwoman Cristina Scabbia about the group's forthcoming CD.

It's still early days for the follow-up to 2006's "Karmacode", with the band still piecing the songs together and seeking the right producer. But the sound, according to Scabbia, will "leave you with your mouths open. We want to experiment, we want to try something completely different, something that will rock your faces more than ever while still being LACUNA COIL."

The as-yet-untitled album is due for release in September 2008.

LAMB OF GOD's official MySpace page has issued the following news bulletin:

"Chris Adler (drums) and Willie Adler (guitars) are now back from a very successful and sold-out clinic tour across Germany.

"The band is currently hard at work on the upcoming DVD release. Although no official release or title has been announced, late spring 2008 is expected. The band is also rumored to have begun working on new material. There are also multiple new messages from Chris at his number on TheLiveLine.com. The call is free and no membership is required. The number to call is: 866-944-5262 (if this is your first time calling, you can call repeatedly to hear each additional message).

LAMB OF GOD in December 2007 released the "deluxe producer edition" of its latest album, "Sacrament" (with bonus CD).

LAMB OF GOD is breaking down the smoke and mirrors and allowing fans and professionals alike the revolutionary opportunity to produce and/or remix the entire "Sacrament" audio CD. All of the studio audio tracks (guitar, vocals, drums and bass) from the entire "Sacrament" album have been isolated, separated and prepared for use by music fans everywhere in ANY Mac or PC, so it is very user-friendly.

British/Norwegian black metal project CODE, featuring vocalist Simen Hestnaes (a.k.a. ICS Vortex; DIMMU BORGIR, ex-ARCTURUS), bassist/backing vocalist Viper (a.k.a. Vicotnik from DHG), guitarist/songwriter Aort, and drummer Adrian Erlandsson (AT THE GATES, CRADLE OF FILTH), has issued the following update:

"Firstly, the end is in sight at last for the recording of the second album. Drums are set to be recorded in April. The mix is booked for the end of May at Studio Fredman so we are nearly there. Artwork is being worked on too at the moment so an autumn release is still looking likely.

"We are looking forward to belting out the 'Nouveau Gloaming' songs for the last time at Bitterfeld in May. Unfortunately, Vicotnik won’t be able to make it for this show but the low-end frequencies will be more than taken care of by Ilia Rodriguez from the monstrous death.doom band INDESINENCE."

CODE's follow-up to "Nouveau Gloaming" will be released on Tabu Recordings.

Legendary doomers CANDLEMASS have issued a statement regarding the recent reports in the Swedish media that the group's guitarist, Mats "Mappe" Björkman, has been sentenced to two years in prison for grand theft. The musician was convicted of stealing CDs worth approximately $490,000 from the distribution warehouse of Entertainment Network Scandinavia AB, where he and an accomplice shipped the CDs to Stockholm retail outlets.

Stated the band: "CANDLEMASS answer to the crap that's been published lately is very simple: NOTHING HAS CHANGED!! The band will record the planned EP, 'Lucifer Rising', in April WITH MAPPE… CANDLEMASS will also tour the states WITH MAPPE in May and June and also record the follow-up to 'King of the Grey Islands' this coming autumn WITH MAPPE!!

"Despite what's been said in the press, the band is very optimistic about the future. 2008 and 2009 will be two great years for CANDLEMASS.

"Don't believe everything you read!!"

Suspicions were raised in November 2005 when a music company spotted a discrepancy in Björkman's reported sales. A subsequent investigation uncovered evidence that someone had manipulated the warehouse computer on 301 occasions.

Björkman initially denied the charges against him, but his accomplice, Stefan Håkansson, has admitted his role in the theft and has implicated his colleague.

The guitarist stated in court that he didn't understand why Håkansson "lied" about his involvement in the theft scheme, suggesting it might be because Håkansson was trying to protect others.

But, based on the evidence, the court concluded that Håkansson had no reason to lie about Björkman's role in the scheme and determined that prison was the appropriate punishment for both men.

The agreement between Mats and his accomplice was that they were to split the profits — which were estimated to be SEK 1.3 million (approximately $213,000) — equally.

Björkman's accomplice received a sentence of one year and nine months.

California metallers STEEL PROPHET — who were rejoined by vocalist Rick Mythiasin a year ago — have issued the following update:

"The band has finished all instrumental and vocal tracks for two songs. The songs are tentatively titled 'Transformation Staircase' and 'Trickery of the Scourge'. Sessions took place at Horacio's [Colmenares, guitar] studio in La Puente and the band was very pleased with the results.

"A preliminary mix of one of the songs will be made available on the band's Myspace site in the near future. The songs are similar in nature to material from 'The Goddess Principle' and 'Dark Hallucinations'. The band is also starting rehearsals for their appearance at the 2008 Swordbrothers Festival September 13th in Andernach, Germany. STEEL PROPHET is the headline act for the festival."

STEEL PROPHET's last singer, Bruce Hall (AGENT STEEL), joined the band following the departure of Nadir D'Priest, who sang on the group's "Beware" CD (2004, Massacre Records). D'Priest originally joined STEEL PROPHET as the replacement for Mythiasin, who also has a project called MYTHIASIN.

STEEL PROPHET had previously released five records through the Nuclear Blast label and three via Art of Music/Brainstorm.

Swedish thrashers THE HAUNTED are back on the map with some good news, as they have just finished pre-production for their highly anticipated, still-untitled new album. The band will soon enter PUK studio in Denmark to start working with producer Tue Madsen (HEAVEN SHALL BURN, DARK TRANQUILLITY, MOONSPELL, etc), who has already collaborated with THE HAUNTED on their two previous albums, "rEVOLVEr" and "The Dead Eye".

Bassist Jonas Björler comments: "Right now we're rehearsing like madmen. This is the final week before we enter the PUK studio in Denmark. Right now we have like 20+ songs, so we have a lot of material to choose from; I think we aim at putting 11 or 12 on the CD. This time around we worked 6 months on the songs, and I think that really paid off — none of the songs sound alike, and the material sounds really heavy and groovy."

As a special preview, THE HAUNTED have now posted a new video online which shows them during pre-production activities for the upcoming album. Watch the clip below.

Despite the upcoming AT THE GATES reunion tourdates, which see Jonas and Anders Björler invade Japan, North American and several prestigious European Summer festivals with their former band, THE HAUNTED will be busy playing shows as well and they have in fact just been confirmed for Spain's Electric Weekend festival on May 31 as well as Germany's Wacken Open Air festival on August 1.

Upcoming THE HAUNTED shows:

May 22 - Copenhagen, Denmark - The Rock
May 31 - Madrid, Spain - Electric Weekend Festival
Jun. 27 - Borlänge, Sweden - Peace & Love Festival
Aug. 01 - Wacken, Germany - Wacken Open Air
Aug. 14 - Tel Aviv, Israel - Anthem Festival

Swedish "death-rockers" HELLTRAIN — whose members have spent time playing with such acclaimed outfits as SCHEITAN, THE EVERDAWN, GATES OF ISHTAR, DEFLESHED, BATTLELUST, THE MOANING, and RAISED FIST — will release their second album, "Rock 'n' Roll Devil", in May via Jimmy Franks Recording Company.

The Swedish radio show "Norrbotten", which is broadcast on the Sveriges Radio channel P4, recently aired the title track from the upcoming CD. The show is now available for streaming at this location. (HELLTRAIN is on about 26:20 minutes into the show. You have to allow pop-ups in your browser in order to listen. You might have to select your preferrable media player; just select either Real Player or Windows Media and klick the green "Spara" button.)

HELLTRAIN's debut album, "Route 666", was released in 2004 via Nuclear Blast Records.

The band's lineup includes Pierre Törnkvist (vocals, guitar), Oskar Karlsson (drums, guitars), and Patrik Törnkvist (guitars, organ, piano, bass).

Florida progressive metal act AGHORA has enlisted KING DIAMOND drummer Matt Thompson to accompany the group to the studio for the recording sessions for band's third full-length CD for Season of Mist.

Says AGHORA in a statement: "Matt is a drummer with a great history and skills and chops galore. He is a perfect match for AGHORA. We are all excited to hear what he does on this record. So far the demos he has done are fantastic.

"The new album is currently in pre-production. Actual tracking will start with in a few months.

"We want to thank everyone who sent in a submission for the drum slot. Everyone who auditioned was great. Best wishes to you all."

AGHORA's second album, "Formless" was produced in part by Neil Kernon (QUEENSRŸCHE, NEVERMORE, CANNIBAL CORPSE, DEICIDE).

The band's self-titled first album (2000) was recorded in 1999 with the help of Sean Malone and Sean Reinert, both former/current members of CYNIC.

Original CRIMSON GLORY vocalist Midnight has released three new songs on his MySpace page. The tracks include a duet with none other than SAVATAGE/TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA mastermind Jon Oliva on the CRIMSON GLORY classic "Painted Skies", as well as a new-for-2008 version of the much-revered song "Lost Reflections", originally found on CG's 1986 debut, self-titled album. Also avalable is another new epic song, titled "The Deep".

Sessions for the new tracks were engineered by MONSTROSITY founder/drummer Lee Harrison at his private studio. Harrison also played guitar on "Lost Reflections '08".

Also onboard for the sessions were guitarist Matt LaPorte (JON OLIVA'S PAIN, ex-CIRCLE II CIRCLE). LaPorte played guitar, mandolin and fretless bass on two of the three tracks, and arranged "Painted Skies" for piano and string quartet.

Last week tracking was started at Tampa's famed Morrissound Studios for Midnight's forthcoming album, "Descending Into Madness".

Finnish folk/pagan metal band MOONSORROW will release its new EP, "Tulimyrsky" (Firestorm), on April 30 via Spikefarm Records. The CD will contain over 60 minutes of music, including a cover version of METALLICA's "For Whom The Bell Tolls".

"Tulimyrsky" (cover artwork) track listing:

01. Tulimyrsky (new song)
02. For Whom The Bell Tolls (METALLICA cover)
03. Taistelu Pohjolasta (from the "Tämä Ikuinen Talvi" demo)
04. Hvergelmir (from the "Metsä" demo)
05. Back To North (MERCILESS cover)

Finnish female-fronted metal band AMBERIAN DAWN will have its debut album, "River of Tuoni", released in European territories outside of Finland on June 16 via Ascendance Records. Two tracks from the CD — "Valkyries" and "River Of Tuoni" — can currently be streamed on the group's MySpace page.

The band previously stated: "Our [Finnish] label, Suomen Musiikki, has defined AMBERIAN DAWN's music as fantasy metal, but as always, the genre borders are very thin and hard to define. Our music has definitely fantasy in its lyrics... but melody and rhythm are the key components."

AMBERIAN DAWN is:

Heidi Parviainen - Vocals
Tuomas Seppälä - Guitar and Keyboards
Kasperi Heikkinen - Rhythm Guitar
Tommi Kuri - Bass
Tom Sagar - Keyboards
Joonas Pykälä-Aho - Drums

Bob Katsionis, keyboard wizard from Greek power metallers FIREWIND, has recorded a guest appearance on the track "Save the World" from the new POWER QUEST album, "Master of Illusion". Other guest musicians on the CD include keyboardist Richard West from the UK progressive metal band THRESHOLD, Jorn Viggo Lofstad from the Norwegian power metal act PAGAN'S MIND, Bill Hudson (ex-CELLADOR) and FOURWAYKILL singer Chris Neighbour.

Audio samples of the entire "Master of Illusion" album are available on Play.com.

"Master of Illusion" will be issued on the following dates:

March 26 - Japan/Southeast Asia (via Marquee/Avalon)
April 25 - Europe (via Napalm)
May 13 - USA (via Napalm)

"Master of Illusion" track listing:

01. Cemetery Gates
02. Human Machine
03. Civilised?
04. Kings of Eternity
05. Master of Illusion
06. The Vigil
07. Save the World
08. Hearts and Voices
09. I Don't Believe in Friends Forever
10. Never Again
11. Reckoning Day