Ex-DIMMU BORGIR/CRADLE OF FILTH drummer Nick Barker and the former drum tech for Richard Christy on DEATH's "Perseverance" tour, Jonathan Lee, have been confirmed to perform at a benefit concert to honor late DEATH/CONTROL DENIED mastermind Chuck Schuldiner on December 12, 2007 at the Theatre Imperial in Quebec City, QC, Canada. The concert — which will feature additional guest musicians Ralph Santolla (OBITUARY, ex-DEATH, ICED EARTH, DEICIDE), Bobby Koelble (guitarist on DEATH's "Symbolic" album), Shannon Hamm (guitarist on DEATH's "The Sound of Perseverance" album), Scott Clendenin (bass on DEATH's "The Sound of Perseverance" album) and Daniel Mongrain (MARTYR), among others — will be over two hours long with a few surprises throughout the night. Tickets are on sale now via Billetech. There are also limited VIP tickets available. This will allow people to enter the show 30 minutes before doors open and attend a private private party to be held right after the show, with all the musicians and organizers also in attendance. Every VIP will receive a poster of the show to be signed by the musicians of their choice. All profits will be divided between Chuck's foundation for cancer research and a local foundation.

List of musicians taking part in the concert is now as follows:

Drummers:

Nicholas Barker (ex-DIMMU, ex-CRADLE OF FILTH)
Jonathan Lee (THE AUTUMN OFFERING, ex-ACHERON)
Antoine Baril (SYMBOLIC)

Bassists:

Scott Clendenin (DEATH [1996-1999])
Alexis Robitaille (SYMBOLIC)
Daniel Perron (ex-SYMBOLIC)

Guitarists:

Shannon Hamm (DEATH [1996-2001])
Bobby Koelble (DEATH [1995])
Ralph Santolla (DEATH [1993], OBITUARY, ex-DEICIDE, ICED EARTH)
Daniel Mongrain (MARTYR)
Marc-André Gingras (QUO VADIS)
Matthew Sweeney (SYMBOLIC)
Mike Sweeney (SYMBOLIC)

Chuck Schuldiner passed away On December 13, 2001 at age 34 after a a battle with pontine glioma, a rare type of brain tumor.

Back in December 2006, the Greek edition of Rock Hard magazine published a tribute to late DEATH mastermind Chuck Schuldiner, including statements and stories from many of the people that played with Chuck — such as Kam Lee, Chris Reifert, Terry Butler, Steve DiGiorgio, Richard Christy and Paul Masvidal — plus music industry notables who dealt with Schuldiner, and other musicians, among them Michael Amott (ARCH ENEMY), Niklas Sundin (DARK TRANQUILLITY), Donald Tardy (OBITUARY), Alex Webster (CANNIBAL CORPSE), Trym (EMPEROR), Dan Lilker (NUCLEAR ASSAULT), Kelly Shaefer (ATHEIST), and Tony Choy (ATHEIST, CYNIC). The magazine has posted all the individual statements from the article (which came out in Greece on December 27, 2006) at this location (scroll down to May 14, 2007 blog entry).

To coincide with what would have been DEATH mastermind Chuck Schuldiner's 40th birthday (Chuck was born on May 13, 1967), the official DEATH web site Empty Words posted the Schuldiner tribute article (entitled "Lust for Life") which was published in Guitar World magazine's April 2007 issue.

Long-running German thrashers HOLY MOSES have set "Bloodbound" as the title of their new album, tentatively due in the spring. According to a press release, fans can expect another "blast of old-school thrash with modern elements and the classic HOLY MOSES style," featuring "the queen of growls, Sabina Classen!"

Sabina Classen recently secured a brand-new "fashion deal" with the Finnish clothing company Northern Tribe. According to a press release, "the fashion label for metal clothes and merchandise promises best quality with cool artwork at fair prices. Sabina closed the new deal by presenting one model shirt at the Northern Tribe stall [at] the [Jalometalli festival in Oulu, Finland]. In the future Sabina will present more Northern Tribe fashion on the upcoming HOLY MOSES gigs!"

For more information, click here.

HOLY MOSES will team up with legendary Florida death metallers OBITUARY for a European tour in January 2008. Also appearing on the bill are Swedish metallers AVATAR.

HOLY MOSES' latest CD, "Strength Power Will Passion", was released in the U.S. in September 2005 via Crash Music Inc. The group's tenth album was the follow-up to 2002's "Disorder of the Order", which came out through Century Media.

RAMMSTEIN guitarist Richard Z. Kruspe recently spoke to MTV.com about the self-titled debut album from his EMIGRATE project, which will receive a North American release on January 28. According to Kruspe, the songs on the disc are neither haunting nor ethereal. They're filled with feelings of loneliness, despair and rage that stemmed more from the isolation he felt in America.

"I moved here in 2001 because I needed a change in my life," he explained. "I had been living in Berlin for 18 years, and I was bored and wanted a new challenge. I felt I had to create something new, and one of the things you have to do as an artist is go the unsafe way, because this brings you into the suffering world, and if you're suffering, you can write good music. When I came to New York, I dealt with a lot of rejection and depression in the process of entering the new world and saying goodbye to the old one, and that was definitely inspirational."

Kruspe found the outlet in EMIGRATE, a project that allowed him to explore new artistic avenues on his own and take on the role of lead singer as well as guitarist.

"At the time I did these songs, I felt like something was missing in RAMMSTEIN," Kruspe said. "To work for that band is almost like working for a soundtrack. You have to work with no vocals because those are the last things that will appear on the song. For EMIGRATE, I started to work more as a traditional songwriter. Also, I was singing and writing lyrics in English, which allowed me to experiment with all these things I had never explored before. Basically, that allowed me to balance myself out again so I could go back to RAMMSTEIN and be the happy guitar player."

Watch EMIGRATE's "My World" video here

Demonaz Occulta of IMMORTAL has posted four songs from his new project, dubbed simply DEMONAZ, on his MySpace page. The songs "Demonized", "Over the Mountains", "Under the Dying Sun" and "Perfect Visions" were recently recorded at Soundsurf studios in Bergen, Norway.

DEMONAZ lineup:

Demonaz (Vocals, Music and Lyrics)
Abbath (Bass, Backing Vocals)
Ice Dale (Guitars)
Armagedda (drums)

Commented Demonaz: "The forthcoming album is what I'm working with these days on the side of IMMORTAL. It's another cold dimension in my musical and lyrical world."

A full-length album will be released in 2008.

Abbath and Demonaz formed IMMORTAL in 1990. In 1998 Demonaz stopped playing live with IMMORTAL due to a hand injury, "but writing and working fully with IMMORTAL has been important for us to continue," he says.

In 2006, Abbath's project I released the album "Between Two Worlds" — featuring lyrics by Demonaz — and became a worldwide success.

2007 saw the IMMORTAL reunion with 10 concerts. The new stage lineup with Abbath, Horgh and Apollyon perfomed the first gig of this journey headlining the Inferno Festival in Norway.

"Bleed Well", the new video from the Finnish "love metallers" HIM, can be viewed here.

The band filmed the live footage for the new clip at their Los Angeles shows on November 14 and November 15 at the Orpheum Theatre. The footage from the shows will also be used for HIM's upcoming live DVD, to be released in 2008.

HIM frontman Ville Valo recently spoke to Straight.com about his songwriting process. "It's very hard to sing about sunshine and ice cream and birds in fast cars . . . I'm a miserable bastard when it comes to writing music," he said. "I love melancholy music, and I love the darker aspects when it comes to, like, popular music. I've always been a big fan of [BLACK] SABBATH and all that, so obviously they've been a big influence on me, and I wanted to write music that would have a similar kind of gloomy atmosphere to it."

HIM's new album, "Venus Doom", has sold 79,000 copies in the United States since its September release, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

According to a posting on the MySpace page of Amanda Somerville — the American-born, Germany-based singer-songwriter and vocal coach who is better known for her collaborations with various European metal bands, including EPICA, AFTER FOREVER and EDGUY — she will be performing on stage with AVANTASIA (the solo project of EDGUY frontman Tobias Sammet) during the band's upcoming 2008 concerts. "I'll be appearing on stage with Tobi, Sascha [Paeth], Eric Singer [KISS, ALICE COOPER], Bob Catley [MAGNUM], Jorn Lande [ex-MASTERPLAN] and a few other amazing people," she said. "The shows will most definitely do some serious rocking."

AVANTASIA's "Lost in Space - Part 1" and "Lost in Space - Part 2" EPs recently entered the German Media Control chart at position No. 9. It is the highest single chart entry in the history of Nuclear Blast Records.

An e-card for "Lost in Space - Part 1" and "Lost in Space - Part 2" — can be accessed at this location.

Apart from the identical title track, both releases feature completely different, exclusive songs plus videos, a poster, studio reports, a "making-of," a slideshow, and loads of enhanced bonus material, each for the price of a CD single.

The cover artwork for the upcoming album AVANTASIA, entitled "The Scarecrow", can be found at this location. Due at the end of January via Nuclear Blast Records, the CD is expected to feature guest appearances by the following artists:

Alice Cooper (vocals)
Amanda Somerville (vocals)
Bob Catley (MAGNUM; vocals)
Jorn Lande (ex-MASTERPLAN; vocals)
Kai Hansen (GAMMA RAY; guitar)
Michael Kiske (ex-HELLOWEEN; vocals)
Oliver Hartmann
Roy Khan (KAMELOT; vocals)
Rudolf Schenker (SCORPIONS; guitar)

Atrocity are looking for a new bassist and drummer so they announce on their MySpace page. Jumping the ship are Chris Lukhaup, who had to leave the band due to personal reasons, and Moritz Neuner, who is taking another turn in his working career. At the moment Atrocity are checking out new musicians, if you are interested and a killer bassist or drummer, get in touch with the band at info@mastersoundentertainment.de .

The new ATROCITY album "Werk 80 II" will be out on 08th february 2008, and will released as a Jewel Case, Digipak and Deluxe Edition. Here you can find the cover artwork with the model Dita von Teese.

German power metallers RAGE will release their new album, "Carved in Stone", in Europe on February 22, 2008 via Nuclear Blast Records.

RAGE guitarist Victor Smolski previously stated about the upcoming LP, "From the beginning we decided to compose the songs for this CD more straight, concentrating on cool riffs and catchy melodies. Actually, with our new lineup it was easy to realize everything, as we pulled together with André [Hilgers; drums; AXXIS, SILENT FORCE] perfectly! All the recordings with our co-producer, sound engineer and almost fourth bandmember Charly Czajkowski runs perfectly, as well as the final mix with Charlie Bauerfeind. From my point of view I promise you brutal guitar riffs with fancy soli. In one song, I've hidden a modification of a real famous melody — the one who will first recognize this melody will get a present! At 'Open My Grave', my sitar guitar came into operation, at 'Lord of the Flies', I've contributed a phat keyboard arrangement."

Other ongtitles set to appear on the CD include "Carved in Stone", "Drop Dead", "Gentle Murders", "One Step Ahead" and "Without You".

RAGE's new DVD, entitled "Full Moon in St. Petersburg", was released on February 23 via Nuclear Blast. The double DVD set was filmed in St. Petersburg, Russia last year in front of 15,000 fans. "Full Moon in St. Petersburg" contains the complete concert in St. Petersburg, Russia, plus a lot of behind-the-scenes footage and material from personal archives.

DISFEAR, the Swedish "crust rock" outfit featuring former AT THE GATES/THE CROWN vocalist Tomas Lindberg and ex-ENTOMBED guitarist Ulf "Uffe" Cederlund, has posted a new song, entitled "Get It Off", on its MySpace page. The track comes off the group's new album, "Live The Storm", due on January 22 in North America (January 28 internationally) via Relapse Records.

The follow-up to 2003's "Misanthropic Generation", "Live The Storm" was recorded with CONVERGE guitarist Kurt Ballou at his Godcity Studios in Salem, MA and includes 10 all new songs from the band. The complete track listing is as follows:

01. Get It Off
02. Fiery Father
03. Deadweight
04. The Cage
05. The Furnace
06. Live The Storm
07. Testament
08. In Exodus
09. Maps of War
10. Phantom

Live footage of DISFEAR performing the "Live The Storm" track "Phantom" can be viewed below.

DISFEAR drummer Marcus Andersson says of the album: "The making of 'Live the Storm' has been a long time coming, but the long wait has not been in vain. The new album is probably the best we've ever accomplished and the production turned out exactly as awesome as you'd expect from a genius like Kurt. Working with Kurt was really easy and fun and his knowledge of extreme music really helped during the recording process."

Norwegian extreme metallers ENSLAVED were featured in yesterday's (Thursday, November 8) "Arts" section of the New York Times. An excerpt from the article follows:

"On Tuesday night, in a plush tour bus parked in this city’s scruffy downtown, a couple of Norwegians were talking about world music. They were talking about the competing musical traditions of Norway and Sweden. They were talking about Icelandic linguistics and Viking mythology. They were talking about indigenous scenes in Canada, India and lots of places in between. In other words, they were talking about heavy metal.

"The Norwegians were Ivar Bjornson and Grutle Kjellson, who founded their metal band, ENSLAVED, 16 years ago. They were once identified with the spooky — and, for a time, hugely controversial — subgenre known as black metal, but they have sloughed off one label after another while slowly building a worldwide following.

"Not a huge one: They are rock stars, more or less, in Norway, but they are decidedly underground figures in most of the rest of the world. Still, that a hundred or so fans came out to see them at the Crocodile Rock Café, a cavernous Allentown club, says something about the tenacity of the genre and the band. The members hurtled through a typically eerie, riveting set, propelled by tricky rhythms, keyboard atmospherics, mutating guitar riffs and careful but cathartic explosions of noise and screaming.

"This was the fourth date of a grueling five-week tour, and the unglamorous surroundings only underscored the mixed blessing of being in a band like this one. Being a working metal band often means touring the world indefinitely."

THRESHOLD keyboard player Richard West has just returned home to the UK from Remaster Studios in Italy where he's been co-producing the fourth POWER QUEST album.

POWER QUEST is the brainchild of ex-DRAGONFORCE keyboard player Steve Williams and the band recently signed with Napalm Records, home of such acts as SERENITY, VINTERSONG and EDENBRIDGE.

The CD is due to be mixed in January 2008 by Nick Savio (WHITE SKULL).

Richard West also worked on the last two DRAGONFORCE albums but is unsure if he'll be involved in the group's fourth CD. "DRAGONFORCE forgot to acknowledge me on the last record so they'll have to do better next time!" he said. "They're good guys though so I hope to work with them again."

Asked about future THRESHOLD plans, West commented, "We've got our final show of the year with WITHIN TEMPTATION on Saturday. After that we're going to sit down and work out where to go next. With our original singer Damian Wilson back in the lineup we've been putting on the best shows of our career, so I hope we can do some more touring before we start thinking about any new material. We need to see where Damian's at, though. He's also in HEADSPACE with Adam Wakeman so we're officially borrowing him at the moment while Adam's out playing for OZZY OSBOURNE".

THRESHOLD's first retrospective, "The Best Of Threshold - The Ravages Of Time", is out this week through Inside Out/SPV Records.

BEHEMOTH mainman Adam "Nergal" Darski has issued the following update:

"It feels great to finally be back in Poland, especially after spending the last eight months intensely touring across almost every corner of the globe. I'm very proud and satisfied at the same time: our live activities have never been so splendorous and prestigious. Now we're going to enjoy a well-deserved two week vacation before we hit the shores of Australia and New Zealand.

"We just completed our first co-headlining tour in the U.S. The Radio Rebellion tour was nothing but massive success. It was a real honor to share the stage with one of the best extreme metal acts in the scene now. Canada's BENEATH THE MASSACRE, France's GOJIRA and America's JOB FOR A COWBOY were not just awesome bands but also the nicest people to hang out and work with. It made this tour so much better. I'd never guessed this bill could pull so many people pretty much everywhere. It's a great reward for all these crazy years of working our asses off and pushing so hard. I'm so happy we finally managed to bring bigger production, all the new stage gear, lights, backdrops so finally people could get a taste of what the definitive BEHEMOTH performance should look like. Seeing big smiles on those people's faces every night they were leaving the venue assured me we did a good fuckin' job. I've also noticed that a big part of the crowd coming to the shows have been younger. Seems like there's whole new generation of people discovering extreme metal and it feels very refreshing. We wanna thank everyone who came down to the show. You made this tour one of the brightest moments of both, our career and life.

“This past year was probably the craziest year in my life. All the things would be happening at the same time: making of the record, all the technical and logistic problems, moving in to the new apartment, politicians trying to ban us in Poland and all the touring that started before the record was even finished. We've been working so fuckin' hard, there was more stress and nerves involved that ever. But at the same time I can't say we didn't have fun. We did. Sometimes maybe even too much, ha ha…in the end of the day, it was all worth it. It's also extremely satisfying to see 'The Apostasy' outselling 'Demigod' only a few months after its release. I'm still so fuckin' stoked that people loved the record that was even more extreme, diverse and technical than anything we've done before. Seems like everyone (fans, media, critics) really took notice and appreciate all the giant work we invested. All I can say is that it only encourages us to work even harder in the future. We have a very demanding schedule for next year and I advice you to sit tight and wait for some very exciting news coming early next year. There are some major plans in the works to create a perfect set up for our future activities.

"There's definitely going to be more touring next year. We'll be doing second European leg with KATAKLYSM and we‘ll visit all the markets we didn't make last time. We are also coming back to U.S. for another big tour around March. We'll be touring South America and possibly Japan (cross fingers!) in the spring. From there on we should take a long break, doing only off shows and occasional festivals. Next year we're going to focus on the next DVD, EP and new album. We already have some sick ideas but its way to early to reveal any details yet. You just have to wait and be surprised!"

JUDAS PRIEST has begun mixing its new concept album about the legendary 16th century prophet Nostradamus, singer Rob Halford revealed during an appearance this past Friday (November 16) on Eddie Trunk's "Friday Night Rocks" radio show. In addition, JUDAS PRIEST will make an announcement in the next couple of weeks about tour dates for 2008. According to Halford, the upcoming tour will include shows where the entire "Nostradamus" album will be performed as well as concerts featuring the band's classic songs.

Regarding the direction of the material and how whole concept for the record came about, Halford recently told PureGrainAudio.com, "It sounds absolutely fucking amazing and that's not me inflating it, it is genuinely spectacular. So we're still carrying on with that and it should be out sometime in 2008. The idea (for the record) came from our manager Bill Curbishley, because we were ready to go in and do another studio record, but Bill came to see us towards the end of the 'Angel of Retribution' tour, he came to Russia, we were playing Russia and we had lunch with him and he said, 'Look, I have this idea.' Bill manages THE WHO, you know, Pete and Roger, and Bill was behind the enormous success of 'Tommy' and he said, 'I just think that you know, maybe you should think about this possibility of doing a concept album and I've been thinking about this guy Nostradamus.' And as soon as he brought the name up, I'm like, I'm there, let's go, you don't have to say anything else. I knew something of him already like everybody does about the books that you read about him, or on the Internet or on TV, documentaries and I thought wow, this is absolutely brilliant so that's where it all came about from."

On the rumors that "Nostradamus" will be a double album, Halford said, "It is a rumor still. I mean, there is an enormous amount of material and you can only put so much on a single CD so you know, we're trying to tell the story of his life and we're trying to cover every significant moment of his life and I think you know, when we got it all recorded, that's when you're faced with the reality of how much time you got and how much a CD will afford you and the timing of it all. So we just ask everyone to bear with us and as we actually get into the mixing mode, we'll be able to be more definitive and tell everybody exactly what we've got, but we just want to make sure we tell his life story so we'll do whatever it takes to do that."

Former NIGHTWISH singer Tarja Turunen kicked of her first solo tour Sunday night (November 25) at the Columbia Club in Berlin, Germany. Fan-filmed video footage of the performance can be viewed below (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g9jwgmwqO-0, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UU1RjE322L4, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IO57wrRpRZ0)

Commented Tarja: "The first show in Berlin was just great!! Everybody in the band, including myself, was really nervous. It is normal that in the first show some things are not really working yet. We were ready to have a total catastrophe in the middle of the concert, but luckily it didn't happen! I sensed that the audience was really listening everything carefully and I got the feeling that they enjoyed the show. That makes me very happy and delighted. There was a good spirit. It was funny to see the entire band, including two drum sets, in a small stage! But our crew managed to make us fit there… I am sure that things are getting better from now on. As for the first show, Berlin was amazing beginning for us. Thanks so much for all the nice and wonderful persons in the audience. I felt your support and love. You made a bit difficult for me to continue singing at some points during the concert. Just to bring down the myth that German people is cold. I think you were great and very, very warm."

Tarja Turunen's new single, "I Walk Alone", entered the German chart at position No. 16.

Turunen will perform "I Walk Alone" on November 30 at the farewell fight of the German female boxing champion (and Doro Pesch's close friend) Regina Halmich. The event will take place at the DM Arena in Karlsruhe, Germany.

According to the Finnish newspaper Iltalehti, Tarja Turunen's new solo album, "My Winter Storm", was certified gold in Finland for sales in excess of 15,000 copies on the day of the CD's release (November 14).

"My Winter Storm" will be released in North America on February 26, 2008. The CD was produced by Daniel Presley (FAITH NO MORE, JEWEL, THE BREEDERS), who has been joined in the studio by a truly stellar line-up of musicians: Doug Wimbish on bass (LIVING COLOUR, ANNIE LENNOX, JOE SATRIANI, JEFF BECK, MADONNA, ROLLING STONES), Alex Scholpp on electric guitars (FARMER BOYS) and Earl Harvin on drums (SEAL, PET SHOP BOYS, AIR), a player personally selected by Tarja after she saw him stealing the show at a SEAL concert. Keyboards and programming, meanwhile, are being provided by Torsten Stenzel, whose previous credits include NELLY FURTADO, MOBY, TINA TURNER, VANESSA MAE and more.

KING DIAMOND frontman/namesake has issued the following statement:

"As you know by now, it has been necessary to postpone the [KING DIAMOND] US tour due to the slow healing of my herniated disc.

"I want to thank everyone for being so understanding under the circumstances, and for all the well wishes. It just shows me that we have the best fans any band could wish for. I also very much appreciate the support and understanding I have received from all the people involved with the business side of the band, such as all the promoters, our booking agent, record label, our crew and, of course, the band members.

"The facts are that at this point there was only about 10% chance that everything would work out as planned, and 90% chance that my back would not be completely healed in time for the tour. It could have cost a possible cancellation within the first week or so, resulting in damaging my back beyond repair, and an early end to my career and health. Therefore the only thing that made sense was to postpone all touring activities until my back has completely healed. Rather postpone the US tour now and have the career run another 8-10 years (look at Dio, Alice Cooper, etc. still going strong) than take a chance where both health and career might be over within half a year.

"Even though I know the situation is out of my control, I can't help but feel that this whole thing is my fault. It really just plain SUCKS, but I promise we'll make it up to all of you.

"I just want to let you know that the healing process has not stopped. It IS still getting better, and I am personally confident that it will heal 100% given the time it needs (hopefully six months rather than a full year, but who knows). I am still putting 100% effort into speeding up this whole process, and I can't wait to get back to a decent normal life.

"Again, I really want to personally thank you all for the understanding and all the well wishes."

TRIVIUM guitarist/vocalist Matt Heafy has issued the following update:

"Matt here in Birmingham, UK. First day off The Black Crusade. UK/Euro leg of the tour has been completely unreal... if you haven't had a chance yet check some pictures out of how the tour has been going.

"The amount of killer friends showing up to all the shows is first of all, mindblowing... then, there's our fuckinjungle-gym-playhouse-for-metalkids-of-a-stage! It's the very stage all of us have always dreamed of- and i tell ya- it's a blast.

"So it seems like everyone's having a great time! All four of us band dudes and all the people rockin' in the crowds always have bigggg ass grins on their faces before, during, and after the show... this is just one big -party; and we're lovin it.

"SHADOWS FALL is fuckin rockin' out; ARCH ENEMY shredding the shit out of people; DRAGONFORCE... is... wellll.... holy shit, right?; and of course MACHINE HEAD!!! MACHINE FUCKING HEAD, enough said.

"So if you have an opportunity to come out to any of the shows, and for some reason aren't — you're crazy!! Come on out and have some fun with us.

"This tour is a complete dream come true and we are so happy and thankful for everything that is going on.

"Once this tour is over it's gonna be a very long while 'till we play any shows (unfortunately!); however, we gotta take the time to go and make the greatest TRIVIUM album ever (we have demoed lotsa tracks and so far... it's already, in demo form, shaping up to be the best material we have ever created.

"So 'till whenever I can see ya'll again (whether a show, hanging at a video game store, or whatever it may be)... take care!"

MetalIsrael.com recently conducted an interview with vocalist Fernando Ribiero of the Portuguese metal band MOONSPELL. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow:

MetalIsrael.com: So you're in the studio recording your new album. What are we in for? What should we expect? What should we not expect?

Ribeiro: "Not yet. We are pre-producing it right now in Lisbon with Waldemar Sorychta. It has been ten days of very extreme work!!! But it is indeed sounding powerful and soulful and it'll be a great follow-up to 'Memorial'. Both natures of MOONSPELL the more melodic and progressive and the more brutal and dark are even better balanced this time. Stay tuned to our site for diaries and updates."

MetalIsrael.com: Many of your lyrics deal with Satanism. Is it a belief system you adhere to? If not, what DO you believe in?

Ribeiro: "Satan is just a great symbol for Man. But I do not forget it is also a man made one. Just that. It's a question of representation. And Satan has features that can and must be attached to Man as we really are. If I wanted to be specific I would say I write a lot more about Luciferanism and the myths of Faust/Prometheus rather than about Satan. For me they are different things. I believe in Men, in our capacity for beauty and horror."

MetalIsrael.com: Why did you choose not to use clear vocals on the last MOONSPELL record, "Memorial"? Also, on "Memorial" we see that MOONSPELL returned to more brutal roots. Why?

Ribeiro: "I used some! Songs like 'Best Forgotten', 'Sanguine', 'Memento Mori', they all have singing vocals. But it's true that this time around, due to the more epic nature of the music, I have opted for a stronger, less melodic vocal approach. The reasons are countless but besides the contour of the sound, I'd say screaming is a style I feel most comfortable with, less unsure. I am not that much of a great singer, I have to say! Saying 'Memorial' is a back to the roots album is just seeing one part of it. Nowadays everybody says that, it's easier. For me 'Memorial', like any album, is the whole tree: roots yeah, but also branches, fruits, and so forth."

QUIET RIOT drummer Frankie Banali has confirmed the passing of the group's singer, Kevin DuBrow, at the age of 52. In an e-mail to Spain's The Metal Circus, which had requested a comment from Banali on the rumors of DuBrow's death, the drummer wrote, "I can't even find words to say. Please respect my privacy as I mourn the passing and honor the memory of my dearest friend Kevin DuBrow." UPDATE: The same statement can now be found on Frankie Banali's official web site.

Michael Politz of The Vegas Eye reported earlier today that DuBrow was found dead in his Las Vegas home on Sunday, November 25. According to Politz, DubRow — whom Politz calls "one of my closest friends" — recently celebrated his 52nd birthday in New Orleans "where he ate great food and even caught THE CULT at The House of Blues."

Although the band has yet to issue an official statement on the matter, bassist Kelly Garni, who was one of the founding members of QUIET RIOT, has posted the following message on the Randy Rhoads (late QUIET RIOT/OZZY OSBOURNE guitarist) web site RandyRhoads.tk:

"I ask this to all of you not only for myself but for other friends and family. I ask that no one here offer any speculation or opinions, theories or other things that could be construed as negative or, and I'm sorry for this, even sympathetic, right at this immediate time. I am already within hours of this having to deal with untrue rumors and speculation and that only adds fuel to that. There is a tendency for the subject of Kevin to incite flames on every board and now is not the time for that. I will explain to everyone here the facts and the truth in the next 24 to 48 hours as I realize this will effect us all. So please, until then, be patient. All details and other pertinate info will be passed on to you here when it becomes available to me. Thank you."

In 2004, DuBrow recorded a collection of cover versions for his first solo album, "In for the Kill".

According to Headbanger's Blog, veteran New Jersey thrash band OVERKILL will release its second DVD, "Live at Wacken Open Air 2007", on February 5.

The 50-minute disc was shot during the band’s headline set at the festival in front of an audience of 40,000, and will feature songs that span OVERKILL's 28-year career, including "Walk Through Fire" (which can be viewed below) from the group's new disc "Immortalis", "Rotten to the Core", "Elimination", "Fuck You", "In Union We Stand", "Necroshine", "Skull and Bones", "Old School" and "Wrecking Crew".

The show was previously released as the limited-edition bonus DVD in the Germany digipack edition of "Immortalis".

"Live at Wacken Open Air 2007" track listing:

01. Rotten to the Core
02. Elimination
03. Necroshine
04. Thanx for Nothin'
05. Skull and Bones
06. In Union We Stand
07. Walk through Fire
08. Wrecking Crew
09. Old School
10. Fuck You

OVERKILL's last DVD, "Wrecking Everything: Live", came out in 2002 and was re-released October 2.

Swedish "Viking metal" act MÅNEGARM has recruited drummer Jacob Hallegren for its upcoming live appearances. Jacob will make his live debut with the band on December 7 at Hedon in Zwolle, Holland.

MÅNEGARM's latest album, "Vargstenen" ("The Wolfstone"), entered the Swedish chart at position No. 59 back in May. The CD was recorded at Studio Underground with producer Pelle Saether.

MÅNEGARM previously stated about the CD, "We are really, really satisfied with the album recording. The songs that we have recorded feel great and Pelle Saether has, as always, done a fantastic job with the sound and with the mix. We all think that the production is the best ever and we are totally convinced, and we hope that we can convince the rest of you, that this is going to be the best MÅNEGARM album we have released so far."

The new CD is MÅNEGARM's first for Black Lodge after a ten-year collaboration with Displeased Records.

Dutch female-fronted symphonic metallers EPICA have issued the following update:

"We are very sorry to announce that Simone [Simons, vocals] is very ill at the moment. She has been ill for a couple of days already, but unfortunately today it just isn't possible for her to perform on stage at Melkweg [in Amsterdam, Holland]. As you can imagine we all feel very bad about this and as we want to end this tour in the best possible way we have decided to still do the show, but without Simone. Tonight's set list will therefore contain mostly grunt-orientated songs. We wish her all a quick recovery."

A video teaser for the forthcoming AYREON album, entitled "01011001", can be viewed http://vids.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=vids.individual&videoid=22873436.

AYREON is the brainchild of Dutch guitarist/composer Arjen Lucassen. The group will make its new rock opera, entitled "01011001", available in three editions:

* a regular two-CD edition with a 28 page booklet.
* a Special Edition: a box containing the regular 2CD edition and a bonus DVD.
* a Deluxe Limited Edition, a DVD size fold-out case with embossed silver lettering on the slipcase. This edition contains the 2 CDs and a bonus DVD* plus a 36 page booklet with additional artwork.

The bonus DVD contains:

* Behind the Scenes - Making of 01011001
* Beneath the Waves - CGI Movie (5.1/2.0)
* Guide Demos (audio) - feat. Arjen on vocals
* Ed Warby's Session - Recording drums
* Bloopers (audio)

"01011001" (cover artwork) is scheduled for release in Europe on January 28, 2008 (one day later in the U.S.). The track listing for the effort is as follows:

CD1 - Y:

01. Age Of Shadows (incl. "We Are Forever')
02. Comatose
03. Liquid Eternity
04. Connect The Dots
05. Beneath The Waves
(a) Beneath The Waves
(b) Face The Facts
(c) But A Memory...
(d) World Without Walls
(e) Reality Bleeds
06. Newborn Race
(a) The Incentive
(b) The Vision
(c) The Procedure
(d) Another Life
(e) Newborn Race
(f) The Conclusion
07. Ride The Comet
08. Web Of Lies

Disc 2 - Earth:

01. The Fifth Extinction
(a) Glimmer of Hope
(b) World of Tomorrow Dreams
(c) Collision Course
(d) From the Ashes
(e) Glimmer of Hope (reprise)
02. Waking Dreams
03. The Truth Is In Here
04. Unnatural Selection
05. River of Time
06. E=MC2
07. The Sixth Extinction
(a) Echoes On The Wind
(b) Radioactive Grave
(c) 2085
(d) To The Planet Of Red
(e) Spirit On The Wind
(f) Complete The Circle

The complete list of musicians who appear on the album is as follows:

Vocalists:

Daniel Gildenlöw (PAIN OF SALVATION)
Tom Englund (EVERGREY)
Hansi Kürsch (BLIND GUARDIAN)
Anneke van Giersbergen (AGUA DE ANNIQUE, THE GATHERING)
Jonas Renkse (KATATONIA)
Bob Catley (MAGNUM)
Jorn Lande (MASTERPLAN)
Floor Jansen (AFTER FOREVER)
Steve Lee (GOTTHARD)
Magali Luyten (VIRUS IV)
Ty Tabor (KING'S X)
Simone Simons (EPICA)
Liselotte Hegt (DIAL)
Phideaux
Marjan Welman
Wudstik
Arjen Lucassen

Instrumentalists:

Arjen Lucassen: Guitar, Keyboards, Synths, Bass Guitar, Programming
Tomas Bodin (THE FLOWER KINGS): Keyboards
Derek Sherinian (PLANET X): Keyboards
Joost van den Broek (AFTER FOREVER, STAR ONE): Keyboards
Michael Romeo (SYMPHONY X): Guitar
Lori Linstruth (ex-STREAM OF PASSION): Guitar
Ed Warby (GOREFEST): Drums
Jeroen Goossens (FLAIRCK): Flute
Ben Mathot (DIS): Violin
David Faber: Cello

Canadian thrash metal pioneers EXCITER have issued the following update:

"The recording of [the new EXCITER album] 'Thrash Speed Burn' is moving along. The music and vocals are complete for eight of the 10 songs. On the remaining two, all that's left is lead and backing vocals. Then it's mixing time, and off to Massacre [Records] for mastering and release.

"We have also videotaped interviews with each band member for inclusion in some special edition versions that Massacre plans on releasing. There are no details as yet about that package, though.

"The Atarfe Vega Rock festival in Spain has been rescheduled to March 7 and 8, 2008, and we'll be playing on Saturday the 8th."

Massacre Records will release date the new EXCITER album, "Thrash Speed Burn", on February 22, 2008.

"Thrash Speed Burn" will mark EXCITER's recorded debut with new singer Kenny "MetalMouth" Winter, who joined the band in October 2006. The track listing for the effort is as follows:

01. Thrash Speed Burn
02. Demon's Gate
03. Evil Omen
04. Hangman
05. In Mortal Fear
06. Crucifixion
07. Betrayal
08. The Punisher
09. Massacre Mountain
10. Rot The Devil King

EXCITER's last CD is "New Testament - Coven of Re-Recorded Classics", a collection of reworked early songs which was released in June 2004 through Osmose Productions.

EXCITER 2007 is:

John Ricci (Guitar)
Rik Charron (Drums)
Clammy (Bass)
Kenny Winter (Vocals)

The forthcoming release from UK extreme progressive metallers BIOMECHANICAL is set to feature four exclusive orchestral tracks. These expanded and reworked orchestral versions will only be available on a limited edition first pressing of "Cannibalised", which is due to be released on February 11, 2008 in Europe and February 26 in the USA.

These exclusive orchestral tracks have been masterminded by BIOMECHANICAL mainman John K and include the songs "Imperium (Absolution Parts I+III)" and "Through The Remains (Consumed)" taken from "The Empires Of The Worlds" and two tracks adapted from "Cannibalised", which include "Beyond The Descent (Fallen In Fear/Regenerated)" and "Reborn Into Darkness (Through Hatred Arise)".

Finnish melodic death/power metal band NAILDOWN has issued the following update:

"As some of you have might witnessed on our last two gigs, we pulled those shows without Jarmo [Puikkonen, keyboards] so it's time to tell the truth for everybody about the situation.

"NAILDOWN has parted ways with keyboard player Jarmo Puikkonen. No big drama here, just a 'little' different views of what being in a band actually requires.

"Us, the remaining Naildowners feel sorry that things were gettting into this point but there was no other way, this decision was best for everybody. However, this has NO effect on our live performances. We will continue without a keyboard player as long as we find the right person for the job. And if we don't find anyone by the next album's session, that's not a problem either since we are fully capable to handle keyboard tracks in studio by our own. So, we are gonna consider carefully before making anyone an official member of the band."

NAILDOWN's latest album, "Dreamcrusher", was released in March via Spinefarm Records. The CD was recorded at Sound Supreme studios, mixed at Hansen studios and mastered at Finnvox studios.

Acclaimed guitarist Paul Gilbert (ex-MR. BIG, RACER X) has issued the following update:

"It's November, 2007 and I'm back in the recording studio making a brand new CD! After the success of the 'Get Out Of My Yard' CD and playing on G3 this year, I am feeling inspired and still very much in the mood for guitar music. So this new CD will be all-instrumental as well. I will announce more details soon, but now I have to dedicate my time to writing new songs and making new sounds on the electric guitar!"

Gilbert composes music in a wide variety of styles including pop, rock, metal, blues, jazz, funk and classical, but is perhaps best known for his versatility and speed, which helped him be named as one of the "Top 10 Shredders Of All Time" by Guitar One magazine. He is also considered to be one of the best proponents of alternate picking, tapping and string skipping.

Drummer Anders Jakobson of the Örebro, Sweden-based "blasting" death metal band COLDWORKER — which consists of current and former/current members of such acts as NASUM, RELENTLESS, CARNAL GRIEF, RUIN and PHOBOS — has issued the following update:

"It's less than two weeks until we start recording the second COLDWORKER album (yet untitled). More details regarding the recording will come soon.

"As of today we have written and rehearsed all 14 songs for the album, just some vocal arrangements and lyrics left until they are completely finished. We will also rehearse a cover song for the Japanese release, song and original artist to be announced later...

"The second COLDWORKER album will be a very intense record. We've worked hard on the songs during all of 2007 and we've cut every corner to make the songs as good as possible. Can't wait to share them with you all.

"The current list of titles are as follows: 'The Black Dog Syndrome', 'Deliverance Of The Rejected', 'Citizens Of The Cyclopean Maze', 'Comatose State', 'The Machine', 'The Last Bitter Twist', 'Scare Tactics', 'Identify With The Aggressor', 'Paradox Lost', 'I Am The Doorway', 'Cold World Paranoia' plus three yet-untitled songs."

COLDWORKER's debut album, "The Contaminated Void", was recorded in June 2006 and mixed by Dan Swanö. The CD was issued in the U.S. on January 23, 2007 via Relapse Records.