According to The Pulse Of Radio, RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE guitarist Tom Morello has teamed up with "Game Of Thrones" composer Ramin Djawadi to contribute to the score of "Pacific Rim", the upcoming sci-fi film about giant pilot-controlled robots battling colossal monsters invading Earth from another dimension. Morello told Rolling Stone, "When they asked me to put some giant robot riffs and screaming underwater monster licks on the film score, I was all in." The soundtrack to the movie arrived in stores on Tuesday (June 25) with the film hitting theaters on July 12.

The film, from "Hellboy" director Guillermo Del Toro, stars Idris Elba, Rinko Kikuchi, Charlie Hunnam and Ron Perlman from "Sons Of Anarchy" and Charlie Day from "It's Always Sunny In Philadelphia".

Djawadi said, "Guillermo and I were discussing adding a rock element to the score and Tom's unique style and sounds really defined our robots."

Morello has played on a number of soundtracks, including "Talladega Nights: The Ballad of Ricky Bobby", "Dodgeball", "Spider-Man", "Iron Man", "Iron Man 2" and "The A-Team".

He has appeared onscreen in small roles in "Iron Man", "Star Trek: Insurrection" and "Made".

Darko Zivkovic of the Serbian Metal Portal conducted an interview with former METALLICA, VOIVOD and FLOTSAM AND JETSAM bassist and current NEWSTED frontman Jason Newsted prior to NEWSTED's June 25 performance at Kombank Arena in Blgrade, Serbia as the support act for SLAYER. You can now listen to the chat using the SoundCloud widget below.

Asked if he has ever heard the two METALLICA albums that were recorded after his departure from the band — 2003's "St. Anger" and 2008's "Death Magnetic" — and what his opinion was of them, Jason said: "I heard 'St. Anger' one time — really, literally. My wife, who at the time was my girlfriend, got the record, or actually had someone get the record for us when we were on tour with Ozzy [Osbourne]. And she got the record the day it came out. She [played] about seven tracks and took it off, and that's the only time I really ever heard it. I watched the video — the one they did in a prison [for the 'St. Anger' title track] — so I saw that a couple of times and I heard that song a couple of times. But I won't speak anything ill of METALLICA, because… you know what I mean?!"

He continued: "Are they the best-sounding records they've ever made? No. But 'Death Magnetic', I think, has some juice. I think it shows that they've still got it.

"I did see them play one of their new songs on the TV, on the [BBC television show 'Later... With Jools Holland'] a couple of years ago. And I don't know what the name of the song was. It was, like, a seven-minute song. It was fuckin', 'Whoa!' And I just stood up in my living room when they were done, and I was [cheering them].

"I'm a fan of METALLICA, so that's kind of the way it is. But 'Master Of Puppets' is the shit for me."

MOTÖRHEAD was forced to cancel two European concerts earlier this week after the band's frontman Lemmy Kilmister suffered a haematoma (where blood collects outside of a blood vessel). The news of Lemmy's latest medical issue followed reports that he was also recently fitted with a defibrillator because of heart problems.

A new message posted on Lemmy's official Facebook page reads as follows: "We are happy to announce that despite rumors to the contrary, Lemmy is alive, breathing, talking, fucking, drinking, eating, reading and will be back to playing shows shortly.

"As reported, he did undergo a Motor-pit-stop for some medical maintenance this past spring, and the timing of his recent illness was unfortunate in that it came so soon after that.

"Lemmy & Co believe in the 'keep calm and carry on' way of thinking. Fans can anticipate more MOTÖRHEAD live action this summer, as well as the most exciting MOTÖRHEAD in years, 'Aftershock', this fall."

The follow-up to 2010's "The Wörld Is Yours", "Aftershock" was recorded at Maple Sound Studios in Santa Ana, California with longtime producer Cameron Webb and will feature 13 songs, including "Dust And Glass", "Knife", "Going To Mexico", "Lost Woman Blues", "Death Machine" and "Heartbreaker".

GUNS N' ROSES and SIXX: A.M. guitarist DJ Ashba claims that he almost lost his life after trying to quit smoking by using electronic cigarettes containing dangerous chemicals.

Ashba, who has been trying to kick the habit for at least a couple of years now, posted a photo on Instagram on Wednesday of himself smoking a cigarette. This prompted one fan to ask him: "I thought you quit the cigs, man?" The guitarist then replied: "I did quit [cigarettes] for 9 months. However, I was smoking fake cigarettes that I bought in a mall in Poland which contained high doses of nicotine and antifreeze, which kills people."

He continued: "Nobody knows this, but I was rushed to the hospital put on heart monitors and I had eight of the best doctors trying to save my life. Poison control confirmed that the nicotine intake that was going into my body from the fake cigarettes was equivalent to smoking 33 packs of cigarettes a day.

"After doing a full body CAT scan, the doctors were amazed that every organ in my body was in perfect condition. They advised me to start smoking real cigarettes because my body would go into shock if I just stop smoking, so now I can wean myself off of real cigarettes and hopefully quit for good this time."

He added: "We purposely kept this out of the press but that is the real story of why I am smoking right now."

Electronic cigarettes, also called "e-cigarettes," are battery-operated devices that generally contain cartridges filled with nicotine, flavor and other chemicals. The electronic cigarette turns nicotine, which is highly addictive, and other chemicals into a vapor that is inhaled by the user.

ANNIHILATOR guitarist/founder Jeff Waters has checked in with the following update from the recent Metal Hammer Golden Gods Awards in London, England:
"Cool METALLICA-related story. Jason (Newsted) surprised me with a story about when James Hetfield was injured/burned at the Montreal Metallica/G'N'R show years ago. He said I was to get the call to fill in for James on guitar for the rest of the tour, but that they decided on John Marshall (ex-METAL CHURCH/Metallica's tech) as they knew him! THAT was pretty cool, eh?!

Great way to kick off my press tour through Europe. Press are loving the new Annihilator CD, Feast. Feeling honored, grateful and glad to be a metalhead."

Check out the Behind The Music segment on the aforementioned 1992 incident that almost cost Hetfield his life:
Annihilator are gearing up for studio album #14, simply titled Feast, to be released on August 23rd in Europe, August 26th in the UK, and August 27th in North America, via the UDR label. The deluxe ECO-book version will also feature a bonus CD containing a 15 song Best Of Annihilator tracklisting... a grand total of 24 songs in one package... with a 3D cover!

Jeff Waters and company tear through each release with honest, raw power and energy, along with excellent technical skill, giving the metal world the most-tasteful mixtures of huge, metal riffs with the idea of the perfect song and some legendary solo shredding as the icing on the cake. That’s why Jeff and Annihilator have been a major influence on countless well-known metal acts and musicians around the world. In fact, countless, successful non-metal acts and musicians cite Waters and Co. as an influence in their careers. Tours with everyone from JUDAS PRIEST to PANTERA to TRIVIUM, plus dozens of headlining tours and festivals around the world have been going on steady since 1989 for this band; no rest as the demand for this band never ends. Annihilator has been touted as one of the best live acts in metal music. High-end musicianship, tight playing and massive energy and fun are what these lads are known for. Their music? Honest melodic thrash and heavy metal, combined with traces of blues, classical and jazz. Hell, there is even some death and punk in there, too.

Annihilator is the biggest-selling Canadian heavy/thrash metal band in Canadian history with close to 2 million units sold. Says Waters “We truly are among the few bands with a long history, that have always waved the flag for honesty, integrity and perseverance in this hard-edge category of music.”
Feast tracklisting:

'Deadlock'
'No Way Out'
'Smear Campaign'
'No Surrender'
'Wrapped'
'Perfect Angel Eyes'
'Demon Code'
'Fight The World'
'One Falls, Two Rise'

Bonus CD - Re-Kill (best of re-recorded 2012):

'Fun Palace'
'Alison Hell'
'King Of The Kill'
'Never, Neverland'
'Set The World On Fire'
'Welcome To Your Death W.T.Y.D.'
'Nozone'
'Bloodbath'
'21'
'Stonewall'
'Ultra Motion'
'Time Bomb'
'Refresh The Demon'
'Word Salad'
'Brain Dance'
Feast will be available in the following formats:

• Limited Edition Eco-Book + Bonus Disc - Re-Kill (best of re-recorded 2012)
• CD Jewel Case
• LP Gatefold
• Digital Download
• D2C fan-package

Annihilator lineup:

Jeff Waters - guitars and vocals
Dave Padden - lead vocals
Mike Harshaw - drums
Alberto Campuzano - bass

After a nearly yearlong search for a new guitarist DOGBANE has issued the following:

"We here at Dogbane are extremely pleased to announce the addition of guitarist Jeff Rinehart into our ranks. With over twenty plus years of guitar and songwriting experience, Jeff's presence will only serve to expand our sound as well as the pool of influences from which we draw. Having grown up during the same era as us, Jeff's knowledge of traditional heavy metal and the NWOBHM movement are second to none. These influences are only foreshadowed by his fondness for such acts as CACOPHONY, RACER X, and the atmospheric doom of MY DYING BRIDE. Certainly these influences will continue to push our boundaries and further our collective potential. Jeff's work ethic and his ability to create has already become an asset as we continue to work on material for our next release. So, join us as we welcome our new brother into the fold and begin the next chapter of our musical conquest."

The doom rockers recently released a video for the song ‘Ride The Serpent’, taken off the band’s 2011 debut Residual Alcatraz. The video, directed and produced by TJ Webb and starring actress Valaria Sweet, can be seen below:

In live news, Dogbane will be performing on July 27th at The Casbah in Durham, NC with BEDOWYN and THE PLOW.

British thrash metal band FLAYED DISCIPLE are to tour for four dates around the UK with Norwegian death metal band BLOOD RED THRONE. Blood Red Throne have just released their latest self-titled album through Sevared Records and are coming to the UK as part of their European tour.

Flayed Disciple is now back on the road after the departure of original drummer, Phil Tolfree. They have replaced him with Rich Lewis; also of Welsh band INTENSIVE SQUARE. Writing for the follow up to 2012's Death Hammer is now in the pre-production stage, so a release is expected early 2014.

Guitarist Jon Whitfield commented: “Rich's first show with us was at this year’s Hammerfest, he was just a stand-in while we looked for someone to come in full time. He played a cool show and we got hammered together all weekend, so by the Sunday morning we were a full band again. The Blood Red Throne dates will be his first tour with us, so we're itching to playing some awesome gigs and show him what it's like to be on the road with Flayed Disciple.”

Flayed Disciple dates:

July
11 – London, UK – Electrowerks
12 – Liverpool, UK – The Lomax
13 – Birmingham, UK – Asylum 2
14 – Brighton, UK – Green Door Store

Guitarist/vocalist Rogga Johansson and his Swedish killing machine PAGANIZER had to cancel their upcoming summer shows, as their second guitarist Andreas Karlsson left the band

Says Rogga: "As a few times before in the past 15 and more years, Andreas has decided to leave the rotten ship that is Paganizer. Nothing spectacular about that... the man isn't hardcore death metal like the rest of us idiots, he often needs a few years breal to listen to Sophie Zelmani.

So now Dennis (Blomberg, bass) moved over to lead guitar and it'll be killer as he's a better guitar player than me or Andreas (which isn't hard though). And on the bass we have now long time friend Willy Darkness, the man the myth the mystery (to women anyways...).

We have had to cancel the shows for this summer which we are fuckin' pissed about of corpse, but with some effort we will do them next year instead!"
Paganizer's World Lobotomy, out now, includes 12 tunes of pure old school death metal. The artwork was created by Juanjo Castellano (REVEL IN FLESH, BLASPHERIAN, RIBSPREADER, SATHANAS).

World Lobotomy tracklisting:

'Prelude To The Lobotomy'
'World Lobotomy'
'The Sky On Fire'
'Mass Of Parasites'
'As Blood Grows Cold'
'Ödeläggaren'
'You Call It Deviance'
'As The Maggots Gather'
'Trail Of Human Decay'
'The Drowners'
'The Last Chapter'
'Hunt Eat Repeat'

For more details on Paganizer visit Facebook .

According to the New York Post, members of the legendary hardcore band the CRO-MAGS are suing the group's founder, Harley Flanagan, over an incident in New York City on July 6, 2012 when he allegedly attacked the musicians during the CBGB Festival.

Michael Couls and William Berardo are suing Harley in civil court, claiming that he slashed Berardo in the left eye with a five-inch hunting knife and bit Couls' arm. Also named in the lawsuit is the East Village venue Webster Hall where the event was held.

"The uninvited defendant, Harley Flanagan, gained access to the VIP area because the hall failed to hire sufficiently trained security personal to protect the plaintiffs," the Manhattan Supreme Court suit alleges.

Flanagan was initially charged with felony assault and criminal possession of a weapon in connection with the incident, but those charges were eventually dropped.

New York Natives last year published an interview with Flanagan in which Harley claimed that he was invited to the Webster Hall gig and had a VIP pass which he used to enter the venue. He said he went there with "the best of intentions" hoping to mend years of bickering and make the fans happy. After he was invited to the backstage dressing room, he said that instead of being welcomed, as he expected to be, he was jumped by a group of men.

Bassist Jared MacEachern played his second with San Francisco Bay Area metallers MACHINE HEAD last night (Wednesday, June 26) at Hawthorne Theatre in Portland, Oregon. Fan-filmed video footage of the concert can be seen below.

Some fans might remember MacEachern from MACHINE HEAD's 2007 "The Black Tyranny" tour, on which he performed with his previous band, SANCTITY. MACHINE HEAD, challenged to find a fill-in bass player for the North American tour after an injury sidelined their then-four-stringer Adam Duce, also found themselves in need of someone to sing harmony with singer/guitarist Robb Flynn. Flynn remembers: "We had locked in Brandon Sigmund of local boys HOSTILITY to play bass on that tour, but we soon realized we'd need someone to hit the high harmonies. Our A&R guy [at Roadrunner Records], Monte Conner, recommended Jared since he was already on the tour, and that ended up being a great call. Jared flew out a few days before the tour and rehearsed with us and did great. What was most impressive about the whole thing was that he was doing double duty — opening for MACHINE HEAD with his band at the time, SANCTITY, and then later singing with us. He would stay sober until after our set, and often get in the van and drive all night. His seriousness and dedication was awesome to see and it stuck with us."

Earlier this year, MACHINE HEAD conducted an extensive search for candidates through various channels, the most fruitful of which proved to be video submissions. Sifting through more than 400 videos, the band personally reviewed and evaluated everyone's performances, including MacEachern, who made the short list without a second thought. Lead guitarist Phil Demmel recalls: "There were dozens of amazing players, and it was interesting to watch each one take on our tunes. One of our biggest criteria for this gig was to be able to sing the high harmonies. That was our litmus test. And Jared passed with flying colors."

After reviewing all of the submissions, the band narrowed down the 400-plus candidates to a short list of seven, each of whom took a trip to Oakland to perform a handful of songs in person and spend the day hanging with the band. Drummer Dave McClain remembers: "Jared came in to the audition and just killed it! Besides being able to nail the bass and vocal harmonies, he also had the vibe and personality to make it feel like we were a BAND again. It was a great feeling and we all knew he was the guy."

MacEachern first picked up concert bass at 12, and around the same time discovered metal. Jared recalls: "I heard the [METALLICA] song 'Unforgiven' and really liked it. The next day my friend gave me [METALLICA's first album] 'Kill 'Em All' and it was over. I became completely enamored with all the metal bands of that time; METALLICA, MEGADETH, SLAYER and PANTERA, but when it came to bass, it was all about Cliff Burton, he was, and is my dude." With a brief stint at the Brevard School for Music Performance, Jared has consistently played bass for the past 22 years, most notably in SANCTITY, where oddly enough, the band needed a guitar player. "That was purely out of necessity," he explains, "I'd been a bass player, but that gig opened up and I gave it a shot on the six-stringer."

After extensive global touring with SANCTITY and the birth of Jared's daughter in 2007, the band's release from their label ignited Jared's sense of responsibility and he quit the group to focus on her. But music stayed a part of his life and he continued to jam locally throughout the south with death metal bands FROM A DIG and TELIC, until he saw MACHINE HEAD were in need and thought he'd try out.

Frontman Robb Flynn reflects: "We really wanted a guy that was hungry for this, someone who could live and breathe this with us. Dave would joke around that we didn't want to get someone too green that'd be, like, 'Oh my god, is this a dressing room?!', but we also didn't want someone who was too jaded by the whole thing and 'been there done that.' We thought the perfect guy would be someone who'd paid some dues, who had done nine or ten crummy van tours, and wasn't broken by that, but inspired to keep going and play music, and in many ways that was Jared. I mean, hell, the guy's only rode in a bus for two nights, one of which was with us! It brings a really cool level of appreciation to the table, and it shows where his heart's at."

"Identity", the new Dan "Beast" Quigley-directed video from the transgender singer Mina Caputo — once known as Keith Caputo, the front-person for the popular rock band LIFE OF AGONY — can be seen below. (Note: Video contains mature content.) The song comes off Caputo's first album as a female, "As Much Truth As One Can Bear", for which she has launched an Indigogo campaign in the hopes of raising $35,000 to cover production costs.

In a new interview with Billboard.com, Caputo stated about the lifelong torment that reached a breaking point in 2008 where she became suicidal: "I couldn't look at myself in the mirror anymore. I couldn't play. Living in my testosterone and my masculinity was killing me. It was just a nightmare for me. Words can't describe the torture someone like me feels or anyone that's gender fluid."

Speaking to Advocate.com in 2011, Mina stated about how becoming a "rock star" delayed her transition, "I was very boxed in that metal thing. The first album I've ever done was released and then it pretty much exploded in Europe and I kind of had no choice but to leave school. I didn't want to sing in a band. That wasn't really what I set out to do. I wanted to go to Julliard. I wanted to play the classics, get good grades… and I pictured myself living more of a feminine life then at 19 when this whole alpha male world just pretty much took over. I was in hell for years. . . It was more of a sense of responsibility and not getting labels down… the management, the band, and the fans. And I mean, we were a really, really really, really big band. We were doing concerts in Europe where 60 to 100 thousand people were showing up."

Official MetOnTour video footage of METALLICA performing the songs "Fuel" and "Through The Never" on April 25 in Cape Town, South Africa can be seen below.

METALLICA drummer Lars Ulrich said in a new interview with Rolling Stone that the band has compiled nearly 600 song ideas for its tenth studio album, most of them coming during jam sessions on tour and organized this past January and March in several rehearsal sessions. But that doesn't mean the group is rushing to whittle all that music down to 10 or 12 solid tunes and record them. Ulrich explained, "I understand there are people waiting for a new record, and so are we. But I can't stress about it. It's not like, 'Fuck, hurry up and get this record out.' Hurry up for what? So we can go play gigs? We already play gigs. We'll get there."

Frontman James Hetfield told The Pulse Of Radio that making the new record was a question of time and not lack of material. "We've come up with enough material for a record, for sure," he said. "We've gone through maybe one-tenth of the material that's on our riff CDs, but we've got enough for an album. We just haven't had the time to really focus on it and dial in and start whittling at these masterpieces, hopefully."

METALLICA is not likely to get down to serious recording until later this year or early 2014, with the new album probably not expected to arrive until 2015. The band's last studio effort was 2008's "Death Magnetic".

Earlier this month the band headlined the second edition of its Orion Music + More festival, which was held in Detroit on June 8-9. The group headlined the second day while also playing a surprise afternoon set on the first day at which it played its entire 1983 debut disc "Kill 'Em All".

The group has a scattering of festival slots lined up into September, just before its upcoming 3D movie, "Metallica Through the Never", premieres on IMAX screen in North America on September 27.

METALLICA filmed the movie last August, combining live performance footage from three shows in Vancouver with a storyline following a fictional member of their crew, played by actor Dane DeHaan, who's sent on a mission during a concert.

As part of its ongoing 35th-birthday celebrations, Utopia Records had the Richmond, Virginia crossover act MUNICIPAL WASTE in the Sydney, Australia store for a meet-and-greet and signing and interview session on June 16 from 2 p.m. before the band laid waste to the HiFi later that night. Check out video footage below.

MUNICIPAL WASTE supported ANTHRAX on the third annual Metal Alliance Tour, which kicked off in March and ran through the month of April.

MUNICIPAL WASTE's fifth album, "The Fatal Feast", sold around 2,700 copies in the United States in its first week of release. The CD landed at No. 3 on the Top New Artist Albums (Heatseekers) chart, which lists the best-selling albums by new and developing artists, defined as those who have never appeared in the Top 100 of The Billboard 200. The band's previous effort, "Massive Aggressive", opened with around 2,100 copies back in September 2009 to debut at No. 10 on the Heatseekers chart.

"The Fatal Feast" was released on April 10, 2011 in North America and April 13, 2011 in Europe via Nuclear Blast Records. The cover artwork for the CD was created by Justin Osbourn of Slasher Design and can be seen below.

"The Fatal Feast" features guest appearances by John Connelly (guitarist and vocalist for NUCLEAR ASSAULT), Steve Moore (who plays bass and synthesizers for ZOMBI), and vocalist Tim Barry (ex-AVAIL).

German epic metal heroes EQUILIBRIUM will release their very first EP on August 16 via Nuclear Blast Records. Produced by guitarist René Berthiaume at Helion Studios and mixed and mastered by the Resetti Brothers — Joerg Umbreit and Vincent Sorg — at their Principal Studios, "Waldschrein" includes the brand-new title track and an acoustic version of the same song plus a re-recorded and extended version of "Der Sturm" from "Turis Fratyr" (originally sung by ex-vocalist Helge Stange, now by frontman Robse Dahn). Moreover, it contains "Zwergenhammer" — a previously unreleased older song — as well as a cover version of the "Skyrim" video game opening theme.

Commented the band: "We're really looking forward to releasing this EP, because we all have to wait until next year for our next full-length album to be released. This makes it the perfect chance to release some songs and recordings that didn't make it on any regular album because they are so exclusive. The best thing yet is that with 'Waldschrein' we can provide the fans with a little foretaste for what expects them in 2014!"

"Waldschrein" track listing:

01. Waldschrein
02. Der Sturm
03. Zwergenhammer
04. Himmelsrand
05. Waldschrein (acoustic version)

Female vocalist Pamela Moore, who is best known for her performance as Sister Mary on QUEENSRŸCHE's 1988 epic release "Operation: Mindcrime" and 2006's sequel "Operation: Mindcrime II", joined the Todd La Torre-fronted version of QUEENSRŸCHE on stage last night (Wednesday, June 26) at The Crocodile in Seattle, Washington to perform the band's classic song "Suite Sister Mary". Fan-filmed video footage of her appearance can be seen below.

The new self-titled album from the Todd La Torre-fronted version of QUEENSRŸCHE, was released on Tuesday (June 25) via Century Media Records. The cover artwork was created by Craig Howell, who has previously worked on designs for "Star Wars", SLIPKNOT and "American Idol", to name a few.

"Queensrÿche" marks the debut release from the lineup comprised of La Torre (vocals; ex-CRIMSON GLORY), Michael Wilton (guitar), Parker Lundgren (guitar), Eddie Jackson (bass) and Scott Rockenfield (drums). The drums for the album were recorded at London Bridge Studios in Seattle, Washington with producer James "Jimbo" Barton — the man who engineered and mixed the band's classic 1988 LP, "Operation: Mindcrime", and its 1990 follow-up, "Empire", and co-produced 1994's "Promised Land". The rest of the music and vocals were laid down at several different facilities on the West Coast.

Former THE HAUNTED and current AT THE GATES guitarist Anders Björler has completed work on his first solo album, "Antikythera" (formerly "The Antikythera Mechanism"), tentatively due later this year. He states: "The mix and master is all done. CD and vinyl designs are all completed. I have signed a record deal and a publishing deal. I won't have any more specific detailed news about 'Antikythera' until after the summer probably."

"Antikythera" recording lineup:

* Anders Björler (THE HAUNTED, AT THE GATES) - Guitar, Keyboards, Mellotron & Moog
* Morgan Ågren (MATS & MORGAN BAND, KAIPA, FREDRIK THORDENDAL'S SPECIAL DEFECTS) - Drums, Percussion
* Dick Lövgren (MESHUGGAH) - Bass
* Carl Svensson - Additional Electric And Acoustic Guitars
* Peter Wiberg (THE SPOTNICKS) - Piano
* Anders Gabrielson - Saxophone

Anders previously stated about his upcoming album: "This is NOT a 'metal' project. Those of you who are familiar with my soundtrack/movie stuff for THE HAUNTED and AT THE GATES documentaries will know somewhat to expect. It's inspired by Italian film music from the '60 and '70s, post rock, ambient, progressive, jazz, and Swedish folk music."

Björler announced his departure from THE HAUNTED in October. He explained in a statement, "I feel that I have come to the end of the line regarding THE HAUNTED. This is not a sudden or hasty decision. I have been contemplating it for the last couple of years. Peter's [Dolving, vocals] departure [in early 2012] made me more certain than ever that I had reached my personal goal with THE HAUNTED, and that the time was right to call it quits. I have enjoyed every bit of the ride. It's been an overwhelming journey. I would like to thank the other band members especially, our crew through the years, and our fans worldwide for the experience and opportunity. Thank you so much! The memories will be with me forever. I will, of course, continue writing music, but where that leads me? [It's] simply too early to say."

Nick Oliveri (MONDO GENERATOR, ex-KYUSS, QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE) was involved in a serious auto accident late Monday night (June 24). According to a posting on the MONDO GENERATOR Facebook page, "[Nick] was shaken up, and you can probably see why if you look at the car [see photos below], but it's nothing he won't recover from."

Oliveri was fired from QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE in 2004 but has reconnected with QOTSA mainman Josh Homme in recent years, with the latter even appearing on a MONDO GENERATOR track last year.

Oliveri and fellow ex-KYUSS members John Garcia (vocals) and Brant Bjork (drums) reunited for shows in 2011 under the KYUSS LIVES! banner, in which they were joined by guitarist Bruno Fevery. Oliveri has since left the band, which has changed its name to VISTA CHINO and is planning to release its full-length debut this fall.

NEWSTED — the new band led by former METALLICA, VOIVOD and FLOTSAM AND JETSAM bassist Jason Newsted — was joined on stage by Gary Holt (EXODUS, SLAYER) on June 25 at Kombank Arena in Belgrade, Serbia for a performance of the METALLICA classic "Whiplash". Check out fan-filmed video footage below. Headlining the show was SLAYER, for which Holt has been playing guitar on the road for the past two and a half years.

In a 2010 interview with Metal Asylum, Gary Holt was asked if he feels the "Big Four" (METALLICA, MEGADETH, SLAYER and ANTHRAX), should have been expanded and considered the "Big Seven", including EXODUS, TESTAMENT and OVERKILL.

"Well, I think it should be the 'Big Five' with EXODUS, because we were there at the start of thrash metal with METALLICA in the real early '80s," he said. "Same thing with MEGADETH because [Dave] Mustaine was a part of METALLICA's birth and he also created MEGADETH. And SLAYER are SLAYER. ANTHRAX are also great and old friends, but if you listen to those first few records, they have definitely changed. TESTAMENT has every right to be part of the thrash metal legends, but it just came down to timing because they came later. And OVERKILL have been their since the beginning also. But I don't get hung up on that shit, because I know how it all started and I know where I was when the shit got created. We [EXODUS] certainly deserve to be part of the founding fathers, but you know who often gets excluded are the Germans — KREATOR, DESTRUCTION and SODOM. Everybody looks to America and forgets those guys. KREATOR, DESTRUCTION and SODOM all released records in the early '80s."

He continued: "Really, the "Big Four" is solely based on sales and the ones who sold the most. But if you compare records, I will put EXODUS' last few albums up against anybody's shit. SLAYER is always awesome; the last TESTAMENT album [at the time of the interview], 'The Formation of Damnation', was great; the new MEGADETH is one of their best; METALLICA are still finding their feet again, and their last album, 'Death Magnetic', was a step in the right direction. The new OVERKILL, 'Ironbound', is one of their best records ever; it's so good. And KREATOR, DESTRUCTION, and SODOM still make great new music. What I think it boils down to is the bands who've been doing this the longest still can do it the best. METALLICA are still a mighty force live, but they lost their way for quite a while. But then again I've never had to deal with the horrible problem of having millions of dollars. [Laughs] Maybe if I had that kind of money, it would distract my hunger for doing this kind of shit, too. But, unfortunately for me, I have to keep kickin' people in the teeth, I don't have the funds to go art-shopping. My version of fine art is a new edition of Hustler magazine. [laughs]"

Jason Newsted (METALLICA, VOIVOD, FLOTSAM AND JETSAM, NEWSTED) and Bobby "Ed" Landgraf (HONKY) joined DOWN on stage on June 23 at this year's Hellfest in Clisson, France to perform a cover version of the CORROSION OF CONFORMITY song "Clean My Wounds". Handling lead vocals for the performance was CORROSION OF CONFORMITY guitarist/singer Pepper Keenan, who has spent the last few years focusing on his guitar-playing duties in DOWN. Fan-filmed video footage of the rendition can be seen below.

Keenan joined CORROSION OF CONFORMITY in 1990, but he did not become the band's lead singer until the recording of "Deliverance", which came out in 1994.

In a 2012 interview with Blistering.com, CORROSION OF CONFORMITY bassist/vocalist Mike Dean was asked if the band will ever do anything with Pepper again. "There's no firm plans, but there is a firm desire to make it happen," he said. "We had a really good time doing 'In The Arms Of God' and I'm really proud of that album. The only thing missing was Reed [Mullin]. I thought Stanton Moore did a great job. If you're not going to have your original drummer, then it's novel to get someone who's flamboyant to do their take on it. I thought that was a good move. I came away from that thinking that if we had this level of creativity and also had Mullin… that would be a bonus. But yeah, I hope we don't just get that lineup together for shows or 'Deliverance' nostalgia shows, but get it together with the idea of putting out a record. There's some controversy to doing the three-piece. People are like, "Oh my God, no Pepper!" People haven't even heard it and complain. I'm like, "Complain on, you'll see!" There's a good story behind this version, and there would be a good story behind doing the four-piece again."

CORROSION OF CONFORMITY's most recent studio album with Keenan, "In the Arms of God", came out in 2005 on Sanctuary Records.

On May 2, the sudden news took the metal community by storm: SLAYER guitarist Jeff Hanneman had died. In the August 2013 issue of Guitar World magazine, the band's bassist/vocalist Tom Araya recalls his final communications with his longtime friend and bandmate: "I had been texting with him, and he even sent me a song that he had been working on. So it seemed like he was doing okay. But when I got the call that he was back in intensive care, I became concerned. Eventually he stopped responding to my texts. It was like a one-sided conversation.

"I was home with my family when I found out he had died. The phone rang and my wife answered it, and she had this look of dread on her face. She handed me the phone and didn't say anything, and it was our manager, Rick [Sales], and he told me. I hung up the phone and went to my room and I cried.

"It hit my family hard, because they really liked Jeff. My mother was really upset, my sisters loved Jeff, and my brother too — he was Jeff's tech for a long time."

Hanneman died from alcohol-related cirrhosis of the liver, a result of a lifetime of drinking.

His bandmates are quick to point out that Hanneman's drinking rarely became an issue within the group, though it did creep in on occasion.

"The only thing that comes to mind," guitarist Kerry King tells Guitar World, "was when we were on the 'Divine Intervention' tour [in 1994-1995], when [drummer] Paul [Bostaph] was with us, and we wanted to play 'Sex. Murder. Art.' live. But on that album I pretty much played everything in the studio, so I don't think Jeff had ever played that song. And he was just too messed up all the time to learn it, so Paul, Tom and I just did it as a three-piece because Jeff would not come on stage and play it. After that, we said, 'Listen dude, like it or not, you're a part of this band, and if we decide to play a song, you gotta play that fucking song.'"

There were events that occurred in the previous few years that could be viewed as contributing factors in Jeff's downward spiral. One was the death of his father in 2008. "That's when things really started to go downhill for him," Kathryn Hanneman, Jeff's wife of 24 years, tells Guitar World. "It was probably the hardest thing he ever had to face in his entire life. When I met Jeff, he didn't have all that great of a relationship with his father. But as time went on, they became very close. So that took a toll on him. He was never quite the same after that. I just don't think he cared anymore."

To read more of the interview, purchase a copy of the August 2013 issue of Guitar World magazine.

A six-year-old girl shocked the judges on "America's Got Talent" last night (Tuesday, June 25) by screaming her way through an original "heavy metal" song.

Aaralyn O'Neil, backed up on drums by brother Isaiah O'Neil, sang a track called "Zombie Skin", featuring such lyrics as "Everybody! Listen to meeeee! I am a zombieeeee! I'm gonna eat you up right now!"

Judges Howard Stern and Scary Spice Mel B. buzzed Aaralyn and Isaiah almost immediately, with Stern telling the girl, "It's not because I didn't like ('Zombie Skin'). I was afraid your voice was gonna blow out. That song really packs a punch." Fellow judge Heidi Klum added, "I'm really confused. You're so cute and sweet, and when you open your mouth, I was like, 'Whoa!'"

Watch video footage of the performance below.

Greek thrashers MEMORAIN have inked a deal with Metal Scrap Records. The band's new album, "Seven Sacrificies", will contain 11 songs and will be released before the end of the year. The CD will feature special guest appearances by David Ellefson (MEGADETH), Jed Simon (STRAPPING YOUNG LAD) and Michael Gilbert (FLOTSAM AND JETSAM).

In other news, MEMORAIN has re-recorded eight tracks from its first two albums — 2002's "Digital Crimes" and 2003's "White Line" — to be made available for free download at the band's web site after the new album is released.

MEMORAIN is:

Ilias Papadakis - Guitar
Jason Mercury - Guitar
Andreas Boutos - Vocals
Dimitris Anestis - Bass
Tolis Mistiloglou - Drums

Swedish death metallers EVOCATION have finished recording of five cover versions that are going to be released as a EP on vinyl and as digital download on August 19.

"Excised And Anatomised" includes the following tracks:

Side 1:

01. … For Victory (originally by BOLT THROWER)
02. Corporal Jigsore Quandary (originally by CARCASS)
03. You Suffer (originally by NAPALM DEATH)

Side 2:

01. Enigma (originally by EDGE OF SANITY)
02. Terminal Spirit Disease (originally by AT THE GATES)

All songs were recorded at EVOCATION's own Evocation Studios. Dan Swanö took care of the mix and mastering at Unisound Studios. Cover and layout were once again created by Xaay, who has previously worked with EVOCATION on their last two studio albums.
According to a press release, "Each of the five classic songs works very well in the typical sound of EVOCATION. It's not only homage to the ancient gods of death metal. It's a tribute to the scene itself that EVOCATION has been part of since the band's founding in 1991. It's a deferential bow to the bands that have decisively influenced EVOCATION throughout the years. 'Excised And Anatomised' is not a try to play a decent copy of a classic track. It's a statement, an oath of allegiance to death metal."

The vinyl version of "Excised And Anatomised" will be released as a 12-inch EP on 180-gram vinyl with inlay for a fan-friendly price.

* White vinyl, limited to 100 copies - exclusively at CMdistro.com
* Gray vinyl, limited to 100 copies - exclusively at Nuclear Blast
* Dark-red vinyl, limited to 100 copies - available at various mailorders
* Black vinyl, limited to 700 copies - available at various mailorder

EVOCATION's fourth studio album, "Illusions Of Grandeur", was released in September 2012 via Century Media Records. The CD includes "ten tracks of supreme Swedish death metal, a perfect mélange of Stockholm rawness and Gothenburg epics," according to a press release.

"Illusions Of Grandeur" was recorded at IF Studios (IN FLAMES, THE HAUNTED) and Evocation Studios with producer Roberto Laghi (IN FLAMES) and mixed at IF Studios by Laghi. It was mastered at Bohus Sound Studios by Dragan Tanaskovic. As a very special guest, Johan Hegg of AMON AMARTH laid down vocals on the song "Into Submission".

Californian death metallers RECIPROCAL have completed work on their second full-length album titled "New Order Of The Ages". The follow-up to 2009's self-titled CD was recorded with engineer Zack Orhen (ALL SHALL PERISH, BRAIN DRILL, DECREPIT BIRTH) at Castle Ultimate Studios in Oakland, California. The artwork was created by Jon Zig (SUFFOCATION, DEEDS OF FLESH, DISGORGE)

RECIPROCAL describes "New Order Of The Ages" as "an epic blend of all metal styles mixed in with our own aggressive and technical approach.

"We set forth to make this album for all metal fans without compromising what we feel is dark and extreme death metal.

"You may be surprised to hear the unexpected."

"New Order Of The Ages" track listing:

01. New American Century
02. Esoteric Agenda
03. Profit Before Protocol
04. Guilty Until Proven Innocent
05. Illuminati
06. New Order Of The Ages
07. Saintan
08. Mystery, Babylon The Great, Mother Of All Harlots And Abominations Of The Earth
09. Tyrannicide
10. Oblivion
11. RIP (Memento Mori)

Two songs from the album — "Illuminati" and "Tyrannicide" — can be streamed below.

RECIPROCAL consists of vocalist Jacob Enfinger (ex-GATEKEEPER), guitarist Andy McLeod (ex-DEADBYDAY, WILLOW WISP), bassist Jeff Hughell (SIX FEET UNDER, ex-BRAIN DRILL, VILE), and drummer Dustin Perle (ex-GRIMFIST)

RECIPROCAL has not yet announced an offical release date for "New Order Of The Ages", explaining that "we are looking for new label representation to release [the CD] and will update the fans as soon as a contract and release date are agreed upon."

Dave Nassie, lead guitarist for BLEEDING THROUGH, will release his first-ever solo album later this year.

BLEEDING THROUGH's "Declaration" (2008) marked Dave's first recorded appearance with the band (as a guest). He eventually joined as a full-time member, contributing to "Bleeding Through" (2010) and "The Great Fire" (2012).

Nassie recently filmed scenes for Next Level Guitar's 10-disc "Modern and Classic Rock Blues Masters", a forthcoming collection featuring a variety guitar players.

When Chris Shifflet left NO USE FOR A NAME to join FOO FIGHTERS, Dave Nassie took his place, beginning a ten-year stint with the band that included touring all over the world and several studio albums. Nassie was also a member of the short-lived project THE INNOCENT (with members of BAD RELIGION and THE DISTILLERS) and has played with INFECTIOUS GROOVES and SUICIDAL TENDENCIES.

Nassie has been keeping busy doing clinics for Charvel as well as private Skype lessons with students in Europe, Australia, New Zealand, India, South America, Japan and North America.

76 free lessons on YouTube can be seen at this location.

BLEEDING THROUGH recently announced plans to disband after 14 years in existence. They wrapped a final tour of Europe this spring and will head to Australia next month for their last appearances Down Under. A farewell U.S. tour is in the works for the fall.

RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE guitarist Tom Morello says that Edward Snowden, the now-famous/infamous National Security Agency (NSA) whistleblower, is a "hero" who "exposed the crimes of the government."

Snowden is a former CIA employee who faces felony charges of espionage and theft of government property after admitting he leaked classified material to Britain's The Guardian newspaper. He remained in hiding at a Moscow airport on Wednesday in an effort to evade extradition and is reportedly waiting for political asylum from Ecuador or some other sympathetic country.

Speaking to TMZ.com this past Monday night (June 24) in Los Angeles, Morello said (see video below), "I think [Snowden] should live a happy life in Ecuador. That's what I think. I think he's a hero. He exposed the crimes of the government. That we're all being spied on, all the time by the Obama administration. If anybody deserves to be in jail, it's not Snowden."

He added: "Today, I got an e-mail from Obama's campaign, or whatever, asking me for money after they've been spying on me and their drones have been killing civilians. So I decided I'm gonna take whatever amount of money that I might have donated, which would have been not that much, and I'm gonna donate it to whatever airplane or flight is gonna get Snowden to Ecuador. Whatever fund that is, that's what I'm gonna donate that money to. I'd be happy to [do that], and that means I'm guilty of espionage as well, probably. But so are you for asking the question."

SWORN IN will release their debut full-length album, The Death Card, on August 20th on Razor & Tie. Fans can pre-order the new album in various merch bundles now here. The Death Card was produced by the band and was recorded, mixed and mastered by Brian Hood (A PLEA FOR PURGING, GIDEON).

The Death Card tracklisting:
‘XIII’
‘Hypocrisy’
‘Mindless’
‘Dead Soul’
‘Senseless’
‘A Song For The Nameless’
‘Snake Eyes’
‘Deadpan’
‘Mute’
‘Three Cheers’
‘Bitter Blood’
‘Death’
‘Return (Heartless)’
Check out a live video for ‘A Song For The Nameless’ below: