EDGUY frontman Tobias Sammet's AVANTASIA project kicked off its European tour on Friday, April 12 at the Power Prog & Metal Fest at Lotto Mons Expo in Mons, Belgium.

The first two in a series of video blogs from the road from American singer-songwriter Amanda Somerville, who is one of the guest vocalists on the tour, can be viewed below.

AVANTASIA's new album, "The Mystery Of Time", has registered the following first-week chart positions:

Sweden: #9
Finland: #9
Norway: #19
France: #51
Netherlands: #85
UK: #97, #6 (Rock Chart)
Japan: #17 (International chart)

"The Mystery Of Time" was released on March 30. The effort was made available as a regular CD, limited-edition vinyl and limited-edition hardcover book with a 28-page booklet containing ten regular songs and two bonus tracks ("The Cross And You", "Death Is Just A Feeling"). The cover artwork was hand-painted by world acclaimed British fantasy artist Rodney Matthews. Among Rodney's most famous artworks are not only album covers for rock legends such as MAGNUM, THIN LIZZY, ASIA and NAZARETH, he has also designed the characters for the TV series "Lavender Castle" and created the covers for novels by British fantasy author Michael Moorcock and many more.

"The Mystery Of Time" features guest appearances by Michael Kiske (UNISONIC, HELLOWEEN), former KISS guitarist Bruce Kulick, drummer Russell Gilbrook of URIAH HEEP, AYREON mastermind Arjen Lucassen (also ex-BODINE, VENGEANCE), Ronnie Atkins of Danish hard rock veterans PRETTY MAIDS and MR. BIG frontman Eric Martin.

The new AVANTASIA CD was recorded in part at VOX Klangstudio in Bendestorf, Germany with producer Sascha Paeth (KAMELOT, EDGUY, EPICA, RHAPSODY).

According to BocaNewsNow.com, Rebecca McBrain — wife of IRON MAIDEN drummer Nicko McBrain — is due in court on May 3 to defend herself against allegations that she attempted to stab a man, then threw logs at him at her Boca Raton, Florida home. It is unclear if the man was Nicko.

**UPDATE**: After initially reporting that Nicko was the alleged victim in the incident, the BocaNewsNow.com web site has now been updated to indicate that the identity of the man involved in the attack has not been revealed.

As reported on BLABBERMOUTH.NET earlier today, Rebecca McBrain, 50, was arrested on February 24 and charged with battery after she allegedly tried to stab the man with a decorative lance. Although the stabbing attempt failed, Rebecca was allegedly successful in hitting the man with logs that had been sitting in a firepit behind the house, causing minor injuries. She was booked into the Palm Beach County Jail and later released on bond.

She has entered a plea of "not guilty."

On March 2, Nicko McBrain performed at The Classic Rock & Roll Party at Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida. Proceeds from the event went to HomeSafe, a non-profit organization helping society's most vulnerable residents — victims of severe child abuse and domestic violence in Palm Beach County and South Florida.

According to a 1994 article in the Sun Sentinel, Nicko and Rebecca met in 1984 at the Button South in Fort Lauderdale. They married five years later and have made a home in Boca Raton around their son, Justin, who is now 19 years old.

"It's very peaceful here. And there are great golf courses," Nicko said about living in Boca Raton.

He added: "This is a great community. After the humdrum life on the road, the last thing I want to come home to is craziness."

Rebecca comes from a big family in West Virginia and did some modeling while studying at Marshall University in Huntington. In 1985, she was a finalist in the Miss West Virginia Pageant.

Back in July 2003, Nicko McBrain was arrested for allegedly hitting a parking lot attendant — on purpose — with his black Jaguar after a disagreement over McBrain's VIP credentials before a concert at Jones Beach Theatre in Wantagh, New York. "It's one of those things that happened that shouldn't have happened, but it did, and over time, you sort of look at it and go, 'Gosh, that was silly,'" Nicko said in an August 2004 interview. "And the other guy that was involved with it, I'm sure he's sitting there thinking [the same thing]."

In a brand new interview with the QMI Agency, MÖTLEY CRÜE singer Vince Neil was asked about bassist Nikki Sixx's recent statement that the band's next studio album will likely be the last one and then they will do a farewell tour and call it quits.

"We're going to put out some new music next year and then it's our farewell tour — we'll do the world one more time and then call it a day," Vince said.

"Our farewell tour (will be like) 2014 or '15. Tours last about two years. So to finish the world, you've got to do the U.S., Canada, Europe, Asia ... it takes some time."

Regarding the reason behind the MÖTLEY CRÜE split more than three dacdes after the band's inception, Neil said: "It's time, that's really it.

"Do you want to go out on top rather than fading away? And that's it. You know, I'll continue to sing MÖTLEY with my solo band and put out solo records and stuff and Nikki's got his radio show and [drummer] Tommy [Lee] wants to be a deejay, and so we'll see what happens."

About a year ago, Neil opened a Las Vegas strip club called Girls, Girls, Girls, named after the MÖTLEY CRÜE song.

"It's doing great," he told the QMI Agency. "I have a lot of plans to take some of these ideas and put them in other cities and stuff. Expanding my alcohol lines of (tequila), I've got some rums now. There's a lot of things happening that I'm cultivating. That's fun stuff. But music's always No. 1. I'll always be on stage somewhere."

MÖTLEY CRÜE last year released a brand new song called "Sex" to coincide with the launch of the band's North American co-headlining tour with KISS.

Written when the group was together during their residency in Las Vegas in February 2012, "Sex" was the first studio track from the CRÜE since their June 2008 release of "Saints Of Los Angeles".

MÖTLEY CRÜE will return to The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas for a dozen shows September 18 through October 6.

The CRÜE's first Las Vegas residency in February 2012 consisted of 12 sold-out concerts featuring pyrotechnics, aerialists, special effects, vixens galore and tons of hits from a catalog stretching back to the band's formation in 1981.

STONE SOUR is currently on the road with IN THIS MOMENT on the first-ever "Road To The Golden Gods" tour, which will lead up the fifth annual Revolver Golden Gods Awards on May 2 in Los Angeles.

Fuse has posted two behind-the-scenes video clips from the trek. Check them out below.

"House Of Gold & Bones - Part 2", the second part of STONE SOUR's two-album series, "House of Gold & Bones", sold 35,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 10 on The Billboard 200 chart. The record arrived in stores on April 9 via Roadrunner

STONE SOUR's previous album, "House Of Gold & Bones - Part 1", opened with 31,000 units to enter the chart at No. 7.

The band's third CD, "Audio Secrecy", opened with 46,000 units back in September 2010 to debut at No. 6.

The group's sophomore effort, "Come What(ever) May" (2006), moved 81,000 units in the U.S. its first week out — triple what STONE SOUR's gold-selling debut album (2002) shifted its first week.

The "House Of Gold & Bones" albums were recorded at Sound Farm Studios just outside of the band's native Des Moines, Iowa with producer David Bottrill (TOOL, MUSE) at the helm.

STONE SOUR has issued a new music video for "Do Me A Favor", the first official single from "House Of Gold & Bones - Part 2". A four-issue comic book series adapted from Taylor's story will come out this spring, with the first issue arriving on shelves on April 17.

The official synopsis for the comic book reads, "Trapped in an alternate reality, the Human must make his way to the House of Gold & Bones as he is chased by a crazed mob and taunted by mysterious ally Allen. What the Human discovers on his journey will be his salvation . . . or his destruction."

The second issue of the comic will arrive on May 22, with the publication dates of the third and fourth yet to be determined.

Guitarist/vocalist Alexi Laiho and bassist Henkka Seppälä (a.k.a. Henkka T. Blacksmith) of Finnish metallers CHILDREN OF BODOM recently answered a number of fan-submitted questions at the Nuclear Blast Records headquarters in Donzdorf, Germany. You can now watch part one of the question-and-answer session below.

CHILDREN OF BODOM's eighth studio album, "Halo Of Blood", will be released on June 11 in North America via Nuclear Blast Records. The cover art was created by Sami Saramäki, who was responsible for the artwork on previous CHILDREN OF BODOM albums "Follow The Reaper", "Are You Dead Yet?" and "Hate Crew Deathroll".

CHILDREN OF BODOM's new CD was recorded at Danger Johnny Studios in Helsinki. For the recording of the LP, CHILDREN OF BODOM has teamed up with recording engineer Mikko Karmila, who worked with the band on their fan-favorite albums "Hatebreeder", "Follow The Reaper" and "Hate Crew Deathroll", as well as Swedish producer Peter Tägtgren (MARDUK, AMON AMARTH), who oversaw production of both vocals and keyboards on the record. The album was mixed at Finnvox Studios in Helsinki.

Commented CHILDREN OF BODOM guitarist/vocalist Alexi Laiho: "'Halo Of Blood' is the eighth studio album from CHILDREN OF BODOM, and believe it or not, but we still managed to keep it fresh and new while still maintaining the elements that make COB sound recognizable. It's got the fastest and the slowest song we ever made and lyrics wise there are themes we had never had before. It's 10 new songs of pure Nordic metal and whether you enjoy it with a beer or a glass of water, I'm sure you will have a good time."

Added Seppälä about the artwork: "We wanted to have a winter scene. Somehow it fits well with the atmosphere of the music and the composing session. It could be Lake Bodom, actually, frozen, with people trapped under the ice. Very Finnish looking scene. We were really happy how Sami created the whole imagery!"

"Halo Of Blood" track listing:

01. Waste Of Skin
02. Halo Of Blood
03. Scream For Silence
04. Transference
05. Bodom Blue Moon (The Second Coming)
06. The Days Are Numbered
07. Dead Man's Hand On You
08. Damage Beyond Repair
09. All Twisted
10. One Bottle And A Knee Deep

"Halo Of Blood" is expected to feature a guest appearance by ANNIHILATOR mainman Jeff Waters.

"I played on ANNIHILATOR's album 'Metal' in 2007, so the way I see it, Jeff Waters owes BODOM a solo or two! It's payback time," Laiho told Soundi magazine.

Greece's Rock Overdose recently conducted an interview with drummer Dave Lombardo (SLAYER, PHILM, GRIP INC.). A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

On whether he will be sitting behind the kit for SLAYER when they return to Europe this summer:

Lombardo: "I don't know yet. I hope to be there, but at this point, I don't know if I'm returning or not.

"I love my fans so much and they've been so supportive through the years; they've always been there. And their concern and sadness for what happened in Australia is more than I could have ever imagined fans to react. It's unbelievable. I just love my fans and I hope to continue playing for them. This is all I do. This is my life. I don't do anything else. I don't have a snakefarm, I don't have a farm with cows… I'm not like that. Music is my passion and my life, and this is all I do. SO for the fans to be this nice and kind and concerned, I just love them."

On the status of GRIP INC.:

Lombardo: "Actually, Waldemar Sorychta [GRIP INC. guitarist] and myself, we've been talking, and we hope to bring GRIP INC. together again for some shows here and there. I believe I found a singer who is very… He's a great guy. I think he would fit the position pretty well. His name is Casey Chaos from the band AMEN. So I hope to maybe come out with some new material and, if possible, some shows. I would love to do some shows with GRIP INC. again. I believe we're probably gonna do a… We have a dream of doing a GRIP INC. / PHILM tour, and, of course, I play in both bands. And possibly a new album. I don't know for sure. But I hope so."

Lombardo sat out SLAYER's recent Australian tour due to a contract dispute with the other members of the group. Also missing from the shows was guitarist Jeff Hanneman, who is still recovering from necrotising fasciitis, a flesh-eating disease which he is believed to have gotten from a spider bite. Filling in for them were Jon Dette (TESTAMENT, ANTHRAX) and Gary Holt (EXODUS), respectively.

Cleveland. Ohio-based metallers CHIMAIRA have announced a massive crowdfunding campaign surrounding the release of their brand new LP, "Crown Of Phantoms". The CD will be released on Tuesday, July 30 via eOne Music.

The band is seeking support for a special fan-edition CD/DVD. This edition and its perks will only be available to campaign supporters and will not be sold anywhere else. Specifically, supporters will be contributing to the following:

* Two narrative music videos
* A behind-the-scenes making-of documentary, "Crown Of Phantoms"
* Seven additional tracks exclusive to the fan edition
* Various behind-the-scenes videos
* Expanded version of "Dr. Z" with fan-determined ending
* Full-length album commentary that features dialog from all the band members as they listen to the record start to finish
* Graphic art storyboards created specifically for the music videos included in the fan-edition booklet
* Original artwork and packaging exclusive to the fan edition

To further conceptualize their plan, the band has released a video explaining, with some satire, the details of their campaign along with a sneak peek of a brand new track called "Kings Of The Shadow World" and a visual display of the many creative perks they're offering to contributors.

Comments CHIMAIRA frontman Mark Hunter: "When I started this band, I had a desire to make extremely heavy, eclectic metal. Nothing has changed in that regard. I wanted to merge all the styles I loved into a hybrid of sounds. Having the chance to reinvent the group gave me the opportunity to work with unbelievable players and take the essence of CHIMAIRA to uncharted territory. Assembling the right team was essential to creating what I feel is some of the craziest and most passionate music I've had the pleasure to be a part of. The past defines us while the present refines us."

In a 2012 interview with Metal Insider, Hunter stated about CHIMAIRA's plans for the new CD: ""We want to come out with an album that not only captures the essence of what the fans have grown to know over the years, but we want to do something not only for the scene that's special, but for musicians out there, too. The musicianship in this band now is definitely on the next level. Everyone's pretty much a virtuoso at their instrument. Some of the stuff Emil [Werstler, guitar] was writing yesterday on this new song, I'm watching him play and I'm like, 'There are only going to be about a handful of people that'll able to play this!' [laughs] I'm imagining like a kid getting home, getting our new record and maybe they have the guitar, and they go sit down and try play along to it. And it's going to take them a very long time. [laughs]"

He added: "We couldn't be happier moving forward. It sucks that we had to go through hell — no pun intended — to get to where we are now. But I think all of us, coming from lessons of life, lessons of bands, lessons of the industry, we've lived and learned and now we have something completely different to prove."

CHIMAIRA's current lineup is as follows:

Mark Hunter - Vocals
Matt Szlachta (DIRGE WITHIN) - Guitar
Jeremy Creamer (DAATH) - Bass
Emil Werstler (DAATH) - Guitar
Sean Zatorsky (DAATH) - Keyboards
Austin D'Amond (BLEED THE SKY, THE ELITE) - Drums

CHIMAIRA's last album, "The Age Of Hell", sold more than 7,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 54 on The Billboard 200 chart. The band's previous CD, "The Infection", opened with 15,000 units back in April 2009 to land at No. 30. This figure was roughly in line with the first-week tally registered by CHIMAIRA's 2007 album, "Resurrection", which shifted 16,000 copies to enter the chart at No. 42.

"The Age Of Hell" was released in August 2011 in the U.S. via eOne Music and in Europe through Long Branch Records.

Cleveland, Ohio metal/hardcore veterans RINGWORM have entered Spider Studios in their hometown with producer Ben Schigel (CHIMAIRA, WALLS OF JERICHO) to begin recording their new album for a late 2013 release via Relapse Records.

Formed in 1990, RINGWORM has previously released six full-length albums on labels Deathwish, A389 and Victory Records in addition to playing countless shows with the likes of CRO-MAGS, INTEGRITY, KREATOR, GOATWHORE and NASUM.

Commented RINGWORM vocalist Human Furnace: "Throughout our existence, I've felt that RINGWORM has always been the 'black sheep,' never quite fitting into any specific genre mold. Sometimes too metal for hardcore, other times too hardcore for metal. We enjoy distorting the line between the two and, often, completely destroying it. But I've always felt that we've never quite had a home that understood where we're coming from and embraced the fact what we are a 'black sheep' and we aren't cookie-cut bullshit. We feel that we finally found that home. They understand that there are legions of black sheep out there that don't fit into society's 'one size fits all' mold. We couldn't be more excited to be more working with Relapse."

Guitar legend Zakk Wylde, the man who turned heavy metal touring into a journey of fantastical excess with his band BLACK LABEL SOCIETY and as lead guitarist for OZZY OSBOURNE for over 20 years, shares what really goes on behind bus windows and stage doors in the paperback edition of his book, "Bringing Metal To The Children: The Complete Berzerker’s Guide To World Tour Domination". The book, set to be released on April 9 through William Morrow, was co-written by New York Times bestselling author Eric Hendrikx.

Beginning with Wylde's "True Rocker Test," "Bringing Metal To The Children" goes on to tell stories of wild nights on the road with some of the biggest names in metal like Ozzy Osbourne, Rob Zombie, Slash and "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott, coaches metal lovers about tour hygiene on the road, and covers both pre-show and post-show etiquette. The book also features Wylde's tales from the record business, a look at his recording studio, and world tour survival techniques.

In support of the release, Wylde has announced a string of West Coast acoustic performances beginning April 21 in San Francisco, and ending May 1 in San Juan Capistrano, California.

A live online video stream of the fisrt date of the tour — on Sunday, April 21 at The Independent in San Francisco, California — will begin at 8:30 p.m. PST. More information is available at this location.

Zakk Wylde acoustic dates:

April 21 - San Francisco, CA - Independent
April 22 - Chico, CA - El Rey Theater
April 24 - Salt Lake City, UT - The Depot
April 25 - Reno, NV - El Dorado
April 26 - Modesto, CA - Fat Cat
April 27 - Las Vegas, NV - Hard Rock Hotel
April 28 - Scottsdale, AZ - Pub Rock
April 30 - San Diego, CA - Belly Up
May 01 - San Juan Capistrano, CA - Coach House

"God Is Dead?", a brand new single from BLACK SABBATH, can be streamed below. The track, will be made available digitally on April 19, comes off "13" — the band's first album in 35 years to feature bassist Geeezer Butler, guitarist Tony Iommi and singer Ozzy Osbourne — due out June 11 on Vertigo/Republic. This marks BLACK SABBATH's return to Vertigo, their original label, and the group's first studio album together since 1978's "Never Say Die!"

The drum tracks on the album were laid down by RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE sticksman Brad Wilk following original drummer Bill Ward's decision to bow out of the reunion.

An invite-only listening party for "13" was held on April 10 at The Montalban in Los Angeles, California.

The following eight songs were played back to a small theater full of select media and VIPs:

* End Of The Beginning
* God Is Dead?
* Loner
* Zeitgeist
* Age Of Reason
* Live Forever
* Damaged Soul
* Dear Father

Check out a report at the Black Sabbath Online web site.

In its report on the listening party, Loudwire stated about "God Is Dead?": "Fans who caught the recent video tease the band release will recognize this track. Butler's bass work offers a mesmerizing beginning to the song that continues through a majority of the track. Osbourne sings about a bleak future and questions the existence of a higher being, given some of the hard times on Earth. As he belts, 'Will someone please tell me is God really dead?,' a musical shift begins to set in with Wilk and the band offering a swinging beat while Osbourne exclaims, 'Nowhere to run / Nowhere to hide.'"

Ozzy told an Australian radio station that "13" is "mind-blowing," adding, "It's better than my wildest dreams; it's so good."

BLACK SABBATH will make a rare television appearance when the band performs a new song on the season finale of "CSI: Crime Scene Investigation". The episode is set to air on Wednesday, May 15 at 10:00 p.m. ET on CBS-TV. The band will world premiere a song called "End Of The Beginning" from "13". The episode's plot follows the "CSI" team as they investigate a series of murder that resemble the sins in "Dante's Inferno", with the trail leading the detectives played by Ted Danson and Marc Vann to attend a SABBATH concert.

ALICE IN CHAINS has teamed with VEVO, the world's leading all-premium music video and entertainment platform for the premiere of "Stone", the companion video to their new single. The clip, which can be seen below, was recently shot in Lucerne Valley, California with director Roboshobo (a.k.a. Robert Schober; METALLICA, MASTODON, GREEN DAY) and follows the recently released "Stone" lyric video. "Stone", which is about to crack the Top 10 at rock radio, arrives on the heels of lead single "Hollow", which shot to No. 1 on the rock charts.

Both songs appear on ALICE IN CHAINS' new album, "The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here", which is set for a May 28 release and currently available for pre-order through iTunes. The band (vocalist/guitarist Jerry Cantrell, vocalist/guitarist William DuVall, drummer Sean Kinney and bassist Mike Inez) will be playing the new singles and giving fans a sneak preview of additional songs from the album during their upcoming tour, which kicks off April 25 at The Fillmore in Miami Beach.

In their cover story on the band, Electronic Musician called "The Devil Put Dinosaurs Here" "a multi-layered monster," adding that "every song rocks, sways and convulses in grand AIC style." In their cover piece on Sean Kinney, Drum! magazine described the album as "bluesier and more off the cuff than anything ALICE IN CHAINS has done since, well, ever. Although more pop than previous records, it's cut with a particular sourness that befits the band's curdled worldview. If [previous album] 'Black Gives Way To Blue' recaptured the Northwest gothic ALICE IN CHAINS patented two decades ago, 'Dinosaur' digs past the broad strokes of grunge in search of hard rock as haunted and shadow-filled as the pines ringing Puget Sound." Revolver magazine called it one of ALICE IN CHAINS' "heaviest and most challenging records yet."

The band recently gave fans a teaser of what to expect on tour by performing both "Hollow" and "Stone" on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" and followed with the classic "Man In The Box".

Joe D, host of "Saturday Night Scream", which airs Saturday nights on 95X in Syracuse, New York, spoke with Dave Mustaine of MEGADETH earlier this week about the band's new album, "Super Collider", and this year's edition of Gigantour, the critically acclaimed package festival founded in 2005 by Mustaine. You can now listen to the chat using the audio player below.

Asked how David Draiman's (DISTURBED, DEVICE) guest appearance on "Super Collider" came about, Mustaine said: "[Draiman and I] met when we did the [Rockstar Energy Drink] Mayhem Festival a couple of years ago. That was the year that my arm got blown out on the tour again and I finished the tour with just two fingers, which is… It's pretty hard to play MEGADETH songs as it is, but [even more so] with two fingers… I think that kind of impressed David a little bit. So we kind of talked a little bit and became friends. And [MEGADETH producer] Johnny K had done the [first couple of] DISTURBED records, so we kind of all were talking about the band, and [Draiman's] name just came up and I asked him, 'Hey, would you come out and give me some ideas, help me with some of these songs a little bit, tell me what you think, and let's see what we come up with.' Just like throwing spaghetti at the wall — see if it'll stick. And it was pretty cool. He came up with two really great ideas. The record was done and I was over at his house listening to the new DEVICE record. I said, 'Hey, you know what?! Would you be interested in singing this part at the end of 'Dance In The Rain'. Because we wanted to have another guy do it, but he just was too full of himself and thought that he could make us wait. When we were just about to master, and I don't know anybody in the real world when you say, 'We're just about ready to master,' would make you wait a couple of weeks just so they could grace your presence with their vocal part. And Dave did it, and I've gotta tell you, I think that, knowing how the two artists sound, I don't know that the other guy is even capable of touching the performance that Draiman did. So that was awesome for us. And I was so excited, I asked him to be on Gigantour this year."

Regarding the rest of the lineup for this year's Gigantour, Mustane said: "I'm kind of just dropping little hints here and there, and I wanted to share that news with you about DEVICE so that you could run with that before anybody else says anything. We haven't said anything about any of the bands yet until just today, and as far as I know, nobody knows 'cause we've kept it totally under wraps."

He added: "I think [fans] are gonna be pretty stoked, because each one of the other bands on there, they're new bands comprised of a person who was a major celebrity from a really large band that went on to do something new — another really good clue for you and your listeners."

Interview (audio):

The first official photo of the new lineup of reactivated British extreme metal legends CARCASS can be seen below (courtesy of Adrian Erlandsson of Murder Mile Studios). Joining guitarist Bill Steer and bassist/vocalist Jeff Walker in the band's current incarnation are new drummer Dan Wilding (ABORTED, TRIGGER THE BLOODSHED) and guitarist Ben Ash (PIG IRON, DESOLATION, LIQUEFIED SKELETON).

CARCASS performed this past Saturday, April 13 at The Metal Fest at Movistar Arena in Santiago, Chile. Fan-filmed video footage of the concert can be seen below.

CARCASS recently recruited Andy Sneap (MEGADETH, ACCEPT, EXODUS, ARCH ENEMY) to mix their comeback album, "Surgical Steel", after the CD's producer, Colin Richardson (FEAR FACTORY, MACHINE HEAD, NAPALM DEATH, SLIPKNOT, BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE), quit the project two weeks into the mixing process. During last month's concert at the Underworld in London, Walker claimed that Richardson walked away from the mix in order to work on the new TRIVIUM album.

CARCASS' first studio LP in 17 years, "Surgical Steel" is due in late 2013 via an as-yet-undetermined record label. The band's first studio outing since 1996's "Swansong" will feature guest vocals from original sticksman Ken Owen.

In a brand new interview with Chile's Radio Futuro, Walker stated about the new CARCASS CD: "We think we've made a good album, so it's gonna be very interesting when people get to hear the record. We can't wait to see what people think."

He continued: "It sounds like CARCASS. Even the drumming sounds like CARCASS. Everything about it… I think it's gonna shock people, how good it is. I think it's got all the elements that people like, yet it still sounds fresh. So that's all I can say, really, 'cause we don't really sound like any other band, and the fact that after 17 years, we wrote music and it still sounds like CARCASS, I think it's good."

Guitarist Michael Amott and drummer Daniel Erlandsson, who had been touring with CARCASS since the band's reunion was announced in 2007, are no longer involved with the group due to scheduling conflicts with their main band, ARCH ENEMY.

Photo credit: Adrian Erlandsson of Murder Mile Studios

Just in time for the celebration of Canadian music and musicians at the JUNO awards next week, Canada Post has given Canadians a preview of this edition of the Canadian Recording Artist stamp series, to be released in July, featuring for the first time, Canadian bands. RUSH, BEAU DOMMAGE, THE GUESS WHO and THE TRAGICALLY HIP will be spotlighted in this fourth issue in a series created to honor musical legends.

"This year's series features Canadian bands that have shaped the music industry in Canada," says Jim Phillips, Director of Stamp Services for Canada Post. "Each band has achieved national acclaim, along with international radio airtime and extensive tours."

The Canadian Recording Artists stamp series will be available from Canada Post retail outlets starting July 19 or online at canadapost.ca/shop.

RUSH is among the 2013 inductees to the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. The induction ceremony will be held tonight (Thursday, April 18) at L.A.'s Nokia Theater. A truncated version of the evening's events will air on HBO on May 18.

Fan-filmed video footage of DEVICE, the new band fronted by DISTURBED singer David Draiman, performing on April 12 at the Culture Room in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida can be seen below.

The self-titled debut album from DEVICE sold 35,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 11 on The Billboard 200 chart. The record arrived in stores on April 9 via Warner Bros.

Draiman told The Pulse Of Radio that DEVICE's CD is a showcase for musical and vocal styles he couldn't do with DISTURBED. "This was just kind of experimentation of other things that I've always been able to do but never really tried in any effective way," he said. "But, you know, I love going in these different directions and trying these different textures and taking songs to have a little bit more of an ambient feel to them — things that don't go hand in hand with DISTURBED."

Draiman launched DEVICE last year with ex-FILTER guitarist Geno Lenardo, after DISTURBED went on hiatus in late 2011.

Lenardo is not touring with DEVICE due to previous commitments. The live band, which made its debut on April 10 in Mobile, Alabama, includes EVANESCENCE drummer Will Hunt and DOPE guitarist Virus.

The DEVICE album features guest appearances from AVENGED SEVENFOLD singer M. Shadows, SYSTEM OF A DOWN vocalist Serj Tankian, RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE guitarist Tom Morello, HALESTORM singer Lzzy Hale, BLACK SABBATH bassist Geezer Butler and ex-DEEP PURPLE bassist/vocalist Glenn Hughes.

"Stigmatized", the new video from German thrash metal veterans SODOM, can be seen at Bloody-Disgusting.com. The clip was filmed in Berlin with director Ronald Matthes and Roax Media (SODOM's "Lords Of Depravity" volumes 1 and 2, VOLBEAT, MOB RULES).

"SODOM haven't had an official video clip for some time, so it's about time we did one," SODOM vocalist/bassist Thomas "Angelripper" Such previously said. "That’s why the mini film will be uncompromising, a shocking clip which our fans can look forward to!"

"Stigmatized" comes off SODOM's new album, "Epitome Of Torture", which will be made available on April 29 in Europe and May 7 in North America via SPV/Steamhammer. Angelripper, guitarist Bernd "Bernemann" Kost and new drummer Markus "Makka" Freiwald recorded a total of twelve new tracks (plus a MOTÖRHEAD cover) which "present SODOM as more diverse and multi-faceted than ever," according to a press release.

"Epitome Of Torture" track listing:

Limited-edition digipak:

01. My Final Bullet (04:40)
02. S.O.D.O.M. (03:46)
03. Epitome Of Torture (03:31)
04. Stigmatized (02:56)
05. Cannibal (04:19)
06. Shoot Today - Kill Tomorrow (04:01)
07. Invocating The Demons (04:25)
08. Katjuscha (03:43)
09. Into The Skies Of War (03:51)
10. Tracing The Victim (04:46)
11. Waterboarding (05:06) (bonus track)
12. Splitting The Atom (04:28) (bonus track)

Jewel Case:

01. My Final Bullet (04:40)
02. S.O.D.O.M. (03:46)
03. Epitome Of Torture (03:31)
04. Stigmatized (02:56)
05. Cannibal (04:19)
06. Shoot Today - Kill Tomorrow (04:01)
07. Invocating The Demons (04:25)
08. Katjuscha (03:43)
09. Into The Skies Of War (03:51)
10. Tracing The Victim (04:46)

2LP (colored vinyl):

LP 1

Side 1

01. My Final Bullet (04:40)
02. S.O.D.O.M. (03:46)
03. Epitome Of Torture (03:31)

Side 2

01. Stigmatized (02:56)
02. Cannibal (04:19)
03. Shoot Today - Kill Tomorrow (04:01)

LP 2

Side 1

01. Invocating The Demons (04:25)
02. Katjuscha (03:43)
03. Into The Skies Of War (03:51)

Side 2

01. Tracing The Victim (04:46)
02. Waterboarding (05:06) (bonus track)
03. Splitting The Atom (04:28) (bonus track)
04. Ace Of Spades (02:36) (bonus track)

"'Epitome Of Torture' features not only your typical SODOM fare, but also two or three numbers which are slightly more moderate and melodic than what people have come to expect from us," says Angelripper, "so wait and see!"

SODOM will celebrate the release of "Epitome Of Torture" on April 26 at Endzeit in Essen, Germany.

"Katjuscha" has little to do with the same-named folk song by Mikhail Isakovsky, but is about the Russian rocket launcher which has been responsible for death and destruction thousandfold.

"The Katjuscha has been produced since World War II and is still used today," the SODOM frontman explains. "It's been responsible for the death of more people than Stalin's organ. To name such a deadly weapon after a girl is as grotesque as giving the atom bomb dropped on Hiroshima the code name 'Little Boy'."

It's obvious that SODOM hasn't changed its scornful view of the world, presenting an album in "Epitome Of Torture" that is as uncompromising as ever in musical as well as lyrical terms.

"Unfortunately, there's still plenty of inspiration for angry lyrics around," says Angelripper. The bitter thrash metal attack "Waterboarding", which deals with torture methods, fits perfectly into this context.

"It always surprises me how inventive — in the most negative sense of the word — people can be when it comes to torturing others," states the vocalist. "At the same time, 'Epitome Of Torture' features not only typical SODOM numbers, like the title track, our new hit 'S.O.D.O.M.' and 'Stigmatized', the toughest SODOM number in ages, but also two or three recordings which are slightly more moderate and melodic than what people have come to expect from us." Angelripper is referring to songs such as "Cannibal" and "Tracing The Victim", which allow Bernemann to present his impressive musical skills, as well as "Into The Skies Of War", on which Angelripper allowed himself to be inspired by icons such as MOTÖRHEAD and TANK. "Luckily, it's impossible to hide my influences," he says.

"Epitome Of Torture" was produced by Waldemar Sorychta (GRIP INC., ENEMY OF THE SUN), whose expertise as a sound engineer and audio magician thoroughly enhanced SODOM's previous CD, 2010's "In War And Pieces". Angelripper says: "Waldemar is a true authority. He doesn't let you get away with anything, he knows all our weak spots. Which occasionally makes working at the studio a little demanding, but at the end of the day, it's all worthwhile, as the result shows." The SODOM frontman describes the sound on "Epitome Of Torture" as "hard as nails and contemporary, without ignoring our tried-and-tested old-school attitude."

"Epitome Of Torture" will be available in four different formats: a limited-edition digipak, including two bonus tracks and a poster; regular jewel case; as a double gatefold vinyl, including three bonus tracks; and as a digital download. The cover artwork featuring SODOM's popular "Knarrenheinz" logo was developed by graphic designer Meran Karanitant, who has previously worked with SIX FEET UNDER, HATEBREED and DIMMU BORGIR, among others.

"S.O.D.O.M." audio stream:

Canadian rapper Peter Jackson has dropped a video for his cover of the classic SKID ROW song "18 And Life" featuring another Toronto native, former ROCK STAR SUPERNOVA singer Lukas Rossi. Check it out below.

Jackson's new album, "Fresh Start", features collaborations with Jadakiss, Sheek Louch, Styles P, Sizzla Kalonji, Classified, Krizz Kailko, Karl Wolf, Aleesia and is available online at iTunes.

Peter toured throughout Canada with Styles P in March, and is appearing on select dates with Tyga and Sean Paul in April, before heading out as direct support to SWOLLEN MEMBERS on their European tour.

Jackson is often referred to as "the hardest-working rapper in Canada." Known for his intense work ethic both in the studio and on the road, Jackson has spent the last several years touring with the likes of French Montana, Jadakiss and Akon.

Jackson gained international recognition with the success of his hit single "Miss Right" featuring Jamaican reggae star Sizzla Kalonji, while his collaboration with Karl Wolf, "#1 Fan", hit the No. 1 spot at Winnipeg's Streetz FM, and is in rotation across the country. The success helped Jackson garner a nomination for "Artist Of The Year" at the Toronto Independent Music Awards.

Jackson is currently putting the final touches on his new mixtape "Good Company" which will be hosted by DJ Whoo Kid and DJ Dames Nellas and executive-produced by Tyga. The mixtape will feature Peter collaborating with Tyga, Rick Ross, Ace Hood, Trae Da Truth, Talib Kweli and Troy Ave.

Rossi shot to fame in 2006 when he won the reality series "Rock Star: Supernova" and joined the band featuring veterans Tommy Lee (MÖTLEY CRÜE), Jason Newsted (METALLICA, VOIVOD) and Gilby Clarke (GUNS N' ROSES).

Multinational metallers POWERWOLF have completed work on their fifth album, "Preachers Of The Night", for a a summer release via Napalm Records. According to the band, "There [is] fast stuff, heavy stuff and epic stuff as well as some unholy little surprises — and all of that in the most typical, powerwolfish way you can imagine."

"Preachers Of The Night" track listing:

01. Amen & Attack
02. Secrets Of The Sacristy
03. Coleus Sanctus
04. Sacred & Wild
05. Kreuzfeuer
06. Cardinal Sin
07. In The Name Of God (Deus Vult)
08. Nochnoi Dozor
09. Lust For Blood
10. Extatum Et Oratum
11. Last Of The Living Dead

POWERWOLF's first live album, "Alive In The Night", was recorded exclusively for Metal Hammer, Germany's leading metal magazine. The CD was only available with the April 2012 issue of Metal Hammer.

POWERWOLF's fourth album, "Blood Of The Saints", was released in August 2011 via Metal Blade Records. The CD was made available as a regular CD, a limited-edition digibook 2-CD and on vinyl. The cover art was created by POWERWOLF guitarist Matthew Greywolf.

"I Am The Gun", the new video from Francisco Bay Area metallers VICIOUS RUMORS, can be seen below. The song comes off the band's new album, "Electric Punishment", which will be released on April 29 in Europe and May 7 in U.S./Canada via Steamhammer/SPV.

When VICIOUS RUMORS returned from a long, strenuous and immensely successful world tour in autumn 2011, the musicians — least of all band mastermind and main songwriter Geoff Thorpe — couldn't really see themselves mustering the energy to release a new studio album in the foreseeable future.

"2011 was a monster year for VICIOUS RUMORS in the most positive sense of the word," Thorpe says, looking back at that time with surprise and some satisfaction. "We were on the road non-stop for more or less eight months, played countless club shows and performed at some of the most important festivals worldwide. The last show of the tour took place as part of the 70000 Tons Of Metal cruise — what a finale! Then everything was over very suddenly and we started to work on our new album without so much as a break. Perhaps you can imagine how difficult that was and how much concentration we needed to do that kind of work without any loss of friction."

There definitely is no discernible loss of friction on "Electric Punishment", which is again ruled by what Thorpe refers to as an "impressive double bass thunder, double guitar attacks and haunting vocals the way you only get them with this band." At the same time, the ten new songs are clearly more multi-layered and diverse than the material on its 2011 predecessor, "Razorback Killers".

"While 'Razorback Killers' was heavy all the way through from start to finish, the new material is more in the vein of 'Word Of Mouth'," Thorpe explains. At the same time, the uncompromising toughness that their fans have come to expect of VICIOUS RUMORS is present on "Electric Punishment" as well: the two openers, "I Am The Gun" and "Black X List", are typical as can be of VICIOUS RUMORS. Thorpe refers to those numbers as "classic power metal tracks which would have fitted on every one of our albums. But there's also an unusually atmospheric song called 'Eternally', an anthem to our audience entitled 'Together We Unite' and a deeply black ballad named 'Escape (From Hell)'. I'm sure that our fans will be just as surprised of the whole album as they will be of the final KISS cover, 'Strange Ways'."

Surprised and most likely thrilled, because once again the band has brought all its skills to bear and come up with a real highlight. Thorpe, vocalist Brian Allen, bassist Stephen Goodwin and drummer Larry Howe were supported by guitarist Thean Rasmussen, who returned to the VICIOUS RUMORS fold after "Razorback Killers". In addition, Thorpe & Co. invited a number of former allies to the studio as guest musicians: Brad Gillis features on "D-Block", "Together We Unite" and "Eternally", Marc McGhee on "Escape (From Hell)", and last but not least, tour guitarist Bob Capka helped out at the studio with a number of rhythm guitars and a haunting solo on "D-Block". Thorpe says: "I had a few problems with my fingers; that's why I was glad that Bob was there to help. Otherwise, it probably wouldn't have been possible to stick to our tight production schedule."

So it's done: "Electric Punishment" is VICIOUS RUMORS' eleventh studio album and proves just how much of a force to be reckoned with this band continues to be.

"We have permanently grown, there have been no two identical albums in our career because each album has a new, fresh approach," comments Thorpe, not without pride. "Still we've never strayed from our course — perhaps precisely for this reason. We've remained faithful to our ideals and have always been honest with our fans. I think our loyal followers value that VICIOUS RUMORS have never jumped on any kind of bandwagon. Everything we do comes from the heart, and 'Electric Punishment' documents that no other band on this planet sounds like VICIOUS RUMORS. To us, that's an incentive, a challenge and a quality feature all in one. And it's something our fans can rely on when we set off on our next monster tour in spring 2013."

VICIOUS RUMORS have been scheduled to headline countless clubs and play important festivals (the Headbangers Open Air in Germany and the Alcatraz festival in Belgium having been confirmed already) before going on to Japan and the USA. Thorpe says: "We're facing big challenges again — but that sort of thing has always helped VICIOUS RUMORS to grow!"

"Electric Punishment" track listing:

CD:

01. I Am The Gun
02. Black X List
03. Electric Punishment
04. D-Block
05. Escape ( From Hell)
06. Dime Store Prophet
07. Together We Unite
08. Eternally
09. Thirst For A Kill
10. Strange Ways (KISS cover version)

2LP:

Side 1

01. I Am The Gun
02. Black X List
03. Electric Punishment

Side 2

01. D-Block
02. Escape (From Hell)
03. Dime Store Prophet

Side 3

01. Together We Unite
02. Eternally
03. Thirst For A Kill

Side 4

01. Strange Ways
02. Murderball (live) (bonus track)
03. Abandoned (live) (bonus track)

VICIOUS RUMORS released a new live album, "Live You To Death", on November 27, 2012 (one day earlier internationally) through SPV/Steamhammer. The CD was recorded by Pontus Norgren of HAMMERFALL, mixed by Juan Urteaga and produced by VICIOUS RUMORS guitarist Geoff Thorpe.

2011 was the year VICIOUS RUMORS stormed European stages with their highly acclaimed studio album, "Razorback Killers", playing 92 shows in 12 months.

"Live You To Death" was recorded in December 2011 on the band's European tour as the support act for Swedish metallers HAMMERFALL. It features 11 songs, including two very special studio recordings: cover versions of "Sign Of The Southern Cross" by BLACK SABBATH and "Running Wild" by JUDAS PRIEST.

"Razorback Killers" was released in Europe in March 2011 and in the U.S. in April 2011 via SPV/Steamhammer. The CD was recorded at Trident Studios in Pacheco, California with Urteaga and Thorpe.

I AM I, the new band led by former DRAGONFORCE singer ZP Theart, has announced the addition of guitarist Andy Midgley to the group's ranks. Midgley tore it up on the road with I AM I on their SKID ROW tour, fitted in seamlessly from the start and is now bringing a whole new dimension to the band's live show.

Unfortunately, due to work and family commitments, Jake Thorsen decided to step down from his role in I AM I.

I AM I's tour with SKID ROW and BUFFALO SUMMER ended in great style at a sold-out Islington Academy on April 13, with all three bands getting up on stage to sing the final SKID ROW song "Youth Gone Wild", a fittingly raucous end to what was a two-week blast of some damn fine rock 'n' roll!

After this fantastic tour, I AM I will be making its first foray into Europe and head off into Italy at the start of May for a couple of shows before gearing up for their Download festival slot.

I AM I released a cover version of John Farnham's classic '80s track "You're The Voice" on December 10, 2012 on digital format, distributed worldwide by Plastichead and available from all the usual digital outlets.

I AM I's rocking, feel-good rendition had been received exceptionally well on the band's recent tour, with everyone singing along with the memorable chorus of this great track, leading them to decide to put it out as an end-of-year single. ZP also felt that the lyrical content of the track was especially relevant in this current era, mirroring what's actually happening with the us all right now and making the timing for the single release perfect.

Written by Andy Qunta, Keith Reid, Maggie Ryder and Chris Thompson, "You're The Voice" was originally released by Australian singer John Farnham in 1986 and was a smash hit, reaching the Top 10 in most European countries.

I AM I released its debut album, "Event Horizon", digitally worldwide on December 10, 2012. The CD was previously released exclusively throughout Europe, but due to the increasing demand for the LP throughout the U.S., Americas, Australia and other territories, the decision was made to go ahead and release it digitally worldwide.

Written and produced by Theart and Jacob Ziemba and mixed and mastered by Roland Grapow (HELLOWEEN, MASTERPLAN), "Event Horizon" is described in a press release as "an absolutely blistering slice of heavy rock liberally infused with Theart's passion, energy and soaring vocals."

I AM I last year announced the addition of drummer Phil Martini (DOWN 'N' OUTZ, TOKYO DRAGONS, THE QUIREBOYS) to the group's ranks.

Norwegian/Spanish symphonic gothic metallers SIRENIA will release their sixth studio album, "Perils Of The Deep Blue", on June 28 via Nuclear Blast Records.

Comments SIRENIA vocalist and guitarist Morten Veland: "The entire band and all the people we are working with are absolutely ecstatic about it! This album takes SIRENIA to the next level and brings many new sides of us to the table. There's typical tried-and-tested SIRENIA stuff but also approaches that you've never heard from us before. I think I've never felt so good about an album throughout my entire career. I mean, I love them all, but this one is something special. It's the result of two and a half years of blood, sweat and tears. I've literally put my heart and soul into this record, so I am very curious to see what our fans as well as the press will think about it!"

"Perils Of The Deep Blue" was produced by the SIRENIA mastermind himself, while the mixing and mastering was handled by Endre Kirkesola at Dub Studios in Oslo.

"The writing process has been going on for about two years," states Veland. "I always have ideas for new stuff, so I started writing even before we had released our previous album, 'The Enigma Of Life'. Most of it has been recorded in my own studio. I love to work there as I always feel inspired — plus we can take our time with whatever we do, for there is no time pressure. Just like for all of our previous albums, we also dropped by Sound Suite Studios in France — a great place that feels like home, too. This time we recorded the Marseille choir there that one can always hear on our records, as well as some of my acoustic guitar parts."

The album artwork was originally painted by Anne Stokes — though it wasn't intentionally created to be used as such, as Morten explains: "came across the artwork on the Internet and immediately fell in love with it for obvious reasons — it's no secret that I've always been fascinated by Greek mythology and sirens. So we got in touch with Anne and luckily she granted us the permits to use it for the record. I actually drew the inspiration for the album title, 'Perils Of The Deep Blue', from the artwork. In my opinion, it's the perfect SIRENIA cover — there was no way we could have let that opportunity slip away!"

"Perils Of The Deep Blue" track listing:

01. Ducere Me In Lucem
02. Seven Widows Weep
03. My Destiny Coming To Pass
04. Ditt Endelikt
05. Cold Caress
06. Darkling
07. Decadence
08. Stille Kom Døden
09. The Funeral March
10. Profound Scars
11. A Blizzard Is Storming

Limited-edition-digipak bonus tracks:

12. Chains
13. Blue Colleen

SIRENIA's last album, "The Enigma Of Life", was released on January 21, 2011 via Nuclear Blast Records.

In 2008, SIRENIA recruited singer Ailyn (born: Pilar Giménez García) as the replacement for Monika Pedersen, who left the group a year earlier after only one album due to "musical differences."

Ailyn was best known as a former contestant on the Spanish version of "The X Factor", the biggest television talent competition in Europe.

Finnish epic folk metallers FROSTTIDE have inked a record deal with NoiseArt Records, as well as a booking deal with Rock The Nation/RTN Touring.

Commented the band: "We are very happy to announce that we are now part of NoiseArt Records and Rock The Nation Booking Agency! We are thrilled to cooperate with them on future records and projects!"

Commented their label NoiseArt Records: "We were stunned by the outstanding material the band has not only released themselves single-handedly, but has already been written for their debut album. They are young, very ambitious and the music is simply beautiful – melodic and dark yet intense and very heavy! We are very much looking forward to present this amazing band to all the fans out there!“

The band is currently working on their yet-untitled debut album, which is due August 30th. Right after they are going to embark on an extended tour, more info on that as well as the album title and artwork coming soon.

Frosttide lineup:

Joni Snoro - Vocals, Guitars
Juho Patinen - Guitars
Juha Tretjakov - Vocals, Bass
Joonas Nislin - Drums
Felipe Muñoz - Keyboards

More on Frosttide at this location. Check out the song 'Assault' below:

Algy Ward, founder and frontman of British metal legands TANK, has signed a deal with 4Worlds Media for the release of "the definitive" new TANK album entitled "Breath Of The Pit", Due in May, the CD will feature 10 brand new recordings that "will blow your face off in true filth hounds tradition," according to a press release. Algy himself produced the effort, which is being described as "a real TANK album for genuine TANK fans."

"Breath Of The Pit" track listing:

01. Breath Of The Pit
02. T-34
03. Kill Or Be Killed
04. Healing The Wounds Of War
05. Stalingrad (Time Is Blood)
06. Victim
07. Crawl Back Into Your Hole
08. Retribution
09. Conflict Primeval
10. Circle Of Willis

All songs were written, played and shouted by Ward. The CD was engineered and recorded by Ward and Guy Denning at the Tankroom Tunbridge Wells, Kent, England and The Granary Lamberhurst, Kent, England. The album was mixed and produced by Ward and Denning. Mastered duties were handled by Tim Turan.

Algy's TANK is not to be confused with the other version of the band — featuring Mick Tucker and Cliff Evans on guitar alongside ex-RAINBOW/YNGWIE MALMSTEEN frontman Doogie White and ex-BRUCE DICKINSON bassist Chris Dale and former HELLOWEEN drummer Mark Cross — which released a new DVD, "War Machine Live", last December in the USA through MVD. The set, which came out in Europe in November via Metal Mind Productions, features live performances filmed on March 9, 2012 at Stodola in Warsaw, Poland and August 10, 2011 at Metal Hammer Festival in Katowice, Poland, plus band interviews, on-the-road footage and the promotional video for "War Nation", the title track of the band's most recent studio album.

In a 2009 statement to Classic Rock magazine, Ward slammed his former bandmates for taking a version of the band out on the road in Europe without him. He said: "I wish the loyal TANK fans around the world to know that the band playing various European festivals under the name of 'TANK' do so without my consent.

"The band name TANK, associated logos and images are my sole intellectual property and copyright.

"I am currently unable to perform live due to poor health but continue to write and record."

DOYLE, the project led by former MISFITS guitarist Doyle Wolfgang Von Frankenstein, has just released its new album, "Abominator", digitally via iTunes, Google Play and CDBaby. The effort, which also features Alex Story (CANCERSLUG) on vocals and Dr. Chud (MISFITS) on drums, will be made available as a full official physical CD digipak (jam-packed with "extras") in a few months. Special advanced copies are available now during the DANZIG 25th-anniversary tour and 50 copies will be in stock per show.

A horror-based hard rock/metal band of epic proportions, DOYLE's lineup is rounded out by Graham (GRAVES, LET IT BURN) on bass, unifying the skull-crushing sound that is the machine Doyle himself has put together. DOYLE cranks out music "as scary as the MISFITS, as doom-laden as BLACK SABBATH, and has the same hard-hitting in your face style of metal as MOTÖRHEAD or SLAYER," according to a press release.

"Abominator" track listing:

01. Abominator
02. Learn To Bleed
03. Dreamingdeadgirls
04. Headhunter
05. Valley Of Shadows
06. Land Of The Dead
07. Cemeterysexxx
08. Love Like Murder
09. Mark Of The Beast
10. Bloodstains
11. Hope Hell Is Warm

DOYLE is currently in the middle of mixing and finishing up the follow-up to "Abominator", tentively due out in December.

For more information, visit www.officialdoyle.com.

Norwegian/Italian metallers TRISTANIA will release their seventh studio album, "Darkest White", on May 31 via Napalm Records. The CD artwork, painted by artist Eliran Kantor (TESTAMENT, SODOM, HATEBREED), can be seen below.

"Darkest White" track listing:

01. Number
02. Darkest White
03. Himmelfal
04. Requiem
05. Diagnosis
06. Scarling
07. Night on Earth
08. Cathedral (limited-edition bonus track)
09. Lavender
10. Cypher
11. Arteries

A new teaser for the CD can be seen below.

The band wanted a dark and disturbing cover, and Kantor instantly knew what they asked for after being presented with the music and lyrics.

"What he came up with turned out to be more than what we had dared to hope for," says TRISTANIA guitarist Anders Høyvik Hidle. "His painting for the front cover made us speechless, Eliran totally understood our vision with this album, and the artwork fits perfectly to the music and lyrics."

With "Darkest White", TRISTANIA venture into a considerably darker soundscape than on their previous album, both musically and lyrically. The emotional span of the album is bigger, ranging from the most brutal primal aggression to the most fragile and poignant moments. The album features an array of grand arrangements, doomy moods, and elaborate harmonies blended with intense growling; a flamboyant display of outstanding vocal performances. "Darkest White" is produced and mixed by Christer André Cederberg.

Comments TRISTANIA bassist Ole Vistnes: "After the release of 'Rubicon' in 2010, I felt that we had opened the door to our new musical landscape, but that we still had a lot of places to explore creatively. With 'Darkest White', we have dug deeper, searched wider and reached higher to create the most musically challenging and emotionally involving album we possibly could. Like all TRISTANIA albums, I feel this one is detached from musical rules and genre expectations, and perfectly represents the musical freedom that I so much love about TRISTANIA.

"During the writing and recording of the album, we worked hard to create the album we had in our minds, but we were also careful to let the songs live a life on their own. We didn't set out to make the album technically outstanding or theoretically perfect, but we followed our hearts in all parts of the writing and production. I'm proud of 'Darkest White', mostly because of the uncompromising honesty and attitude that saturated everything from the songwriting and recording to the mix."

TRISTANIA is:

Mariangela Demurtas (vocals)
Kjetil Nordhus (vocals)
Anders Høyvik Hidle (guitar and vocals)
Ole Vistnes (bass and backing vocals)
Gyri Losnegaard (guitar)
Einar Moen (keyboards)
Tarald Lie (drums)

Norwegian progressive metallers LEPROUS will release their new album, "Coal", on May 28 in North America (May 20 in Europe) via InsideOut Music. The cover artwork for the CD was created by acclaimed American artist Jeff Jordan, who produced the artwork for the band's last album, "Bilateral", in addition to working with THE MARS VOLTA.

Comments LEPROUS: "The artwork for this album was a hard nut to crack. We wanted something dark, melancholic but with a distinct character. We tried several solutions without finding the perfect supplement for the music, before we decided to contact Jeff Jordan once again. Jeff immediately had wonderful ideas that we decided to pursue. The artwork of 'Coal' is, in [our] opinion, the most iconic we've had so far."

LEPROUS has just finished filmed a video for the track "The Cloak" and, most suitably for the album's theme, the clip was shot in a mine.

Says the band: "We spent one very long day inside the Konnerud Hill Mines here in Norway, getting some very interesting footage. The video, just like the clip for 'Restless' on our previous album, was made by Twichty Films, but we promise you no fish or cake was harmed this time around. A dark, moist atmosphere, far into the deep..."

LEPROUS will perform at various prominent summer festivals (Wacken Open Air, Hellfest, Tuska, etc.) and headlining a European tour from September to November 2013 to promote "Coal".

SEPULTURA members Andreas Kisser (guitar), Paulo Xisto Pinto Jr. (bass) and Eloy Casagrande (drums), along with Andreas' 15-year-old son, Yohan Kisser, joined DOWN on stage on April 10 at Carioca Club in São Paulo, Brazil to perform the DOWN song "Bury Me In Smoke". Fan-filmed video footage of their appearance can be seen below.

DOWN's latest EP, "Down IV Part I - The Purple EP", was released on purple vinyl on February 26.

"Down IV Part I" sold 12,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 35 on The Billboard 200 chart.

"Down IV Part I - The Purple EP", DOWN's first in a series of four EPs to be released over the next few years (with a year between EPs), each touching on a different aspect of the band's sound, came out on September 18, 2012.

"Down IV Part I - The Purple EP" heralds the sound of DOWN going back to its roots, with influences from BLACK SABBATH, SAINT VITUS and WITCHFINDER GENERAL.

SEPULTURA will reunite with producer Ross Robinson (KORN, LIMP BIZKIT, SLIPKNOT) to record their next album, tentatively due before the end of the year via Nuclear Blast Records. The CD will be tracked in June at Robinson's studio in Venice, California and will be co-produced by Steve Evetts, who previously worked with SEPULTURA on the "Nation" (2001), "Revolusongs" (2002) and "Roorback" (2003) albums, in addition to having collaborated with Ross on a number of other projects in the past.

Argentinian gothic death metal band LUMIE CRIPTICA has released their new single, ‘Falling To Nowhere’, inaugurating a new era for the group and can be heard and downloaded via Facebook.

The concept of ‘Falling To Nowhere’ revolves around an internal struggle of a person against his feelings. The singer explains that, "it talks about the clash between the violent and the rational side... to try to master aggressive impulses that arise from the depths of each one of us and we did not know we had inside.”

The band has also released a video of the song and was directed by Cristian Trefny and Ariel Rey and was shot in three different sessions: one at IMPA facilities, a reclaimed factory that turns into a cultural center and the other two sessions were held in studio.

Check out the video for ‘Falling To Nowhere’ below: