Bobbie Brown, the ex-wife of late WARRANT frontman Jani Lane and the video vixen in WARRANT's "Cherry Pie" video, recently fan-submitted questions via the Fuse.tv web site.

Asked who is the "creepiest rock star" that ever hit on her, Bobbie said (see video below): "Paul Stanley from KISS. He was just effeminate… extremely effeminate. I don't know… It was pretty creepy, I have to say. I mean, no offense to KISS and all that stuff, but it was bizarre. And I think that maybe…. I don't know… Who knows?! I don't know if he's gay or not, but [laughs] I really had the feeling that he might be. I don't know."

Bobbie is one of the stars of "Ex-Wives Of Rock", the new reality series which "chronicles the highs and lows of the glamorous L.A. lives of four women who have led the sex, drugs and rock 'n' roll life... and have survived to reinvent themselves."

The show, which is co-produced by the FEMME FATALE frontwoman Lorraine Lewis, follows video vixen Susan Dixon (ex-wife of WARRANT bassist Jerry Dixon); Bobbie Brown; Athena Lee (ex-wife of SCORPIONS drummer James Kottak and MÖTLEY CRÜE drummer Tommy Lee's sister); and Sharise Neil (ex-wife of MÖTLEY CRÜE frontman Vince Neil). Throughout each episode, you see all sides of the four ex-wives: the good, the bad and the ugly. We witness family drama, messed up love lives and friendships crash and burn. We see the glamorous red-carpet events, the seedy rock clubs, the fabulous hotel lunches and the quiet dinners at home.

Season Of Mist has announced the signing of Australian progressive extreme metallers NE OBLIVISCARIS. The band stands on its own by infusing its metal with western art music, jazz, and flamenco. With adventurous, progressive and nuanced compositions often exceeding ten minutes in length, NE OBLIVISCARIS adds profound depth to a musical proficiency which reaches the highest levels.

Said NE OBLIVISCARIS in a statement: "For us as a band, signing to Season Of Mist, one of the best independent metal labels in the world, a label which roster includes some of our all time favorite bands and influences, is quite surreal.

"We worked for many years to get our debut album, 'Portal Of I', out there for the world to hear and for its reception to have been so overwhelmingly positive, and for a label like this to not only love our music, but believe we can go places in the worldwide metal scene is incredible. It is one of those things that just gives us even more motivation to keep composing and performing and trying to take Ne Obliviscaris as far as we can to as many people across the world as possible.

"We're currently in the middle of writing our next album with plans to record late 2013 and we can't wait to get it out there to the world and take that next step in partnership with Season Of Mist."

NE OBLIVISCARIS has toured Australia alongside SOILWORK, SUFFOCATION, PSYCROPTIC and more. The band has also played several revered festivals like ProgPower, Bloodline and Sonic Forge.

With its first demo, "The Aurora Veil", in 2007, NE OBLIVISCARIS garnered significant word-of-mouth within the metal underground. Last year, their independently released debut album, "Portal Of I", showcased their unique array of influences and dynamic songwriting, and sent shockwaves through the metal underground once again.

Danish old-school thrashers IMPALERS will release their debut album, "Power Behind The Throne", on March 5 via the American label Horror Pain Gore Death Productions. The CD was recorded with producer Søren Jensen at Six String Studios (ILLNATH, IRON FIRE) in the winter of 2011, but due to some difficulties the album was delayed and now it finally sees it release in 2013. The artwork was created by Kakak Lung Art (ALL SHALL PERISH, AS I LAY DYING, SUICIDE SILENCE, CARNIFEX).

IMPALERS singer and the rhythm guitarist Søren Crawack made the following statement about the release, signing and artwork: "It's an incredible relief to finally be able to release this album. After the excruciating delays we've had, it's been an absolute pleasure to work with some very talented people, who made this last sprint towards the release a smooth trip. Everyone — from management to record label — have just been fantastic.

"We consider us very fortunate to be signed unto Horror Pain Gore Death Productions, who clearly made the most sincere offer of all who was interested in signing us, so it was pretty much a no-brainer. Also we managed to track down this guy Kakak Lung, an incredible artist from Indonesia, who delivered an amazing piece of artwork for the cover. Combining all of the above ingredients with the songs we recorded a year ago, I believe we have one hell of a potent record, that we definitely can't wait to unleash."

Added Horror Pain Gore Death Productions owner Mike Juliano: "We are honored to have Impalers join the Horror Pain Gore Death roster. This album is sure to be a favorite and early candidate for album of the year. Thrash 'till death!"

"Power Behind The Throne" track listing:

01. Fear
02. Power Behind The Throne
03. See What I See
04. Aggressor
05. Nuclear Nights
06. We Are Nothing
07. Army Of Darkness
08. When The World Hungers
09. Death In Fire

Listen to the title track, "Power Behind The Throne", in the YouTube clip below.

Eulogy Recordings has announced the signing of the French hardcore band PROVIDENCE.

Formed in 2005, PROVIDENCE comes from the depths of filthy Paris and plays dark and brutal hardcore, full of crushing breakdowns. Since its inception, the band sought to innovate rather than imitate, intending to create a combination of social/political awareness and aggression.

Feeling that hardcore had strayed from its roots and DIY ethic into subgenres like emo and chaotic metal, a good, basic, heavy sound is PROVIDENCE's aim. Their style is huge, metallic and epic, yet manages to be efficient and straight-up at the same time. A low and thick dual guitar sound is underpinned by intense double-bass drumming, mostly switching between mid-tempo and punishing breakdowns but occasionally breaking into full-on bursts of hardcore speed. The hoarse-growled vocals that complete this already potent formula are complemented by monstrous gang backups, spitting out venom on a variety of topics, including politics, economy and the craziness of the world, yet maintaining a poetic turn of
phrase.

PROVIDENCE's violent and energetic live shows, to-the-point music and thought provoking, bleak, reflective lyrics never fail to impress live audiences. With the quintet always eager to hit the road, their fan base is constantly expanding outside of their city and country, forging a blazing path of hardcore force and brutality that France hasn't produced in quite some time (since KIKCBACK in the '90s).

PROVIDENCE has shared stages in France, USA, Brazil, Russia, Scandinavia and across Europe with such notable heavyweights as CRO-MAGS, STRIFE, AGNOSTIC FRONT, MADBALL, TERROR and VISION OF DISORDER.

French sowers of intelligent, distinctive, and airless black metal AOSOTH will release their new album, "IV: Arrow In Heart", on April 16 via Agonia Records. The CD is a natural improvement over the band's previous release, entitled "III", which already was "a major step forward for Aosoth in creating their own distinct sound" (Sputnik Music).

Commented the band: "We've spent such a huge amount of time on defining a darker identity, yet open to a wider range of influences. Those tracks still haunt us, as delivering them was a painful and excruciating experience, and left some of us even physically wounded... Which gives that album even more of a spiritual value, as it involved a form of sacrifice." They added: "This fourth full-length release is without a doubt a great step forward for us in term of music writing, and sound."

"IV: Arrow In Heart" consists of 6 original tracks with a running time of 56 minutes.

The track listing for the CD is as follows:

01. An Arrow in Heart
02. One With The Prince With A Thousand Enemies
03. Temple of Knowledge
04. Under The Nails and Fingertips
05. Broken Dialogue 1
05. Broken Dialogue 2
06. Ritual Marks of Penitence

Lifeforce Records has announced the signing of Northern Californian progressive metal instrumentalists ABNORMAL THOUGHT PATTERNS. The band's new album, "Manipulation Under Anesthesia", will be released in the spring.

In 2008, Jasun Tipton (guitars and keys) wrote and recorded the 12-minute instrumental "Velocity And Acceleration", the track that would ultimately lead to the founding of ABNORMAL THOUGHT PATTERNS. Upon hearing the song, Troy Tipton (bass) expressed his desire to put together an instrumental band. The Tipton brothers looked no further than longtime drummer and friend Mike Guy to provide the rhythmic foundation for ABNORMAL THOUGHT PATTERNS. The three members then headed to the studio and tracked seven songs for CynNormal Lab Recordings.

Prior to forming ABNORMAL THOUGHT PATTERNS, the trio was for many years the backbone of prog-metal powerhouses ZERO HOUR, releasing five albums, including the landmark 2001 epic "The Towers Of Avarice". The band landed ZERO HOUR gigs alongside such notable bands as OPETH, CYNIC, SYMPHONY X, ALL THAT REMAINS, THE HUMAN ABSTRACT and LIQUID TENSION EXPERIMENT, in addition to multiple successful European tours and three appearances at America's premier progressive metal festival, ProgPower USA. The Tipton brothers have also been guest columnists on the popular guitar enthusiast web site Chops From Hell, and have released two instructional videos.

Commented Lifeforce Records CEO about the signing: "It is definitely not the easiest to go through a huge pile of demos and nothing can better describe it than what Season Of Mist founder Michael Berberian just recently said '...That’s the equivalent of Mordor — a dark place where we don’t usually go unless we really have to.... However, I made my way through and it was that not very substantially looking demo that caught my attention after the first few tunes... Thank god (or whoever was responsible for) that I listen through pretty much everything being sent to Lifeforce... I'm still blown away by the sheer technicality these guys have in their fingers and I truly believe the Tiptons are guitar mutants! :)"

Added Jasun Tipton: "We'd like to thank Lifeforce for this awesome opportunity. The band is very pleased with the new material as 'Manipulation Under Anesthesia' is truly the thoughts and sounds of ABNORMAL THOUGHT PATTERNS."

Universal will release the deluxe edition of DIO's "Dream Evil" album on March 4.

"Dream Evil" is DIO's fourth album, released on July 21, 1987. It features former ROUGH CUTT members Craig Goldy and Claude Schnell, and includes the singles "All The Fools Sailed Away" and "I Could Have Been a Dreamer". "Dream Evil" was DIO's last album to feature drummer Vinny Appice.

This new 2-CD deluxe edition comes with a bonus disc containing amounts other tracks the band's triumphant gig at Monsters Of Rock. An expanded booklet with notes by Malcolm Dome endorsed by Ronnie's widow Wendy makes this the next in line of ultimate DIO reissues.

Disc One

01. Night People
02. Dream Evil
03. Sunset Superman
04. All The Fools Sailed Away
05. Naked In The Rain
06. Overlove
07. I Could Have Been A Dreamer
08. Faces In A Window
09. When A Woman Cries

Disc Two

01. Hide In The Rainbow (Dio EP)
02. I Could Have Been A Dreamer (Single Edit)
03. Dream Evil (Castle Donington - 22/08/87)
04. Neon Nights
05. Naked In The Rain
06. Rock N Roll Children
07. Long Live Rock N Roll
08. The Last In Line
09. Holy Diver
10. Heaven And Hell
11. Man On The Silver Mountain
12. All The Fools Sailed Away
13. The Last In Line (Reprise)
14. Rainbow In The Dark

TESTAMENT's February 15 concert at the Paramount Theatre in Huntington, New York as part of "The Dark Roots Of Thrash" tour will be professionally filmed for a 90-minute DVD, to be released later this year via Nuclear Blast.

"We haven't shot a live DVD or CD since our 'Live In London' release and we've had two killer albums since then," commented TESTAMENT vocalist Chuck Billy. "We thought it would be cool to put out a live DVD/CD focusing on the last three records ('The Gathering', 'The Formation Of Damnation' and 'Dark Roots Of Earth') mixed in with a good amount of classics, too. Last time we recorded anything live in America was for 'Live At The Fillmore' on the West Coast. This time we thought we'd give the East Coast a chance to show the world how crazy and loud they can be. We're going to be playing an extra-long 17-18-song set, which will be our lengthiest set of the tour. Let's see all you thrashers stirring it up out there and singing along! See ya!"

TESTAMENT's setlist for the February 9 concert at The Masquerade in Atlanta, Georgia was as follows:

01. Rise Up
02. More Than Meets The Eye
03. Burnt Offerings
04. Native Blood
05. True American Hate
06. Dark Roots Of Earth
07. Into The Pit
08. Practice What You Preach
09. Riding The Snake
10. Eyes Of Wrath
11. Trial By Fire
12. The Haunting
13. The New Order
14. D.N.R. (Do Not Resuscitate)
15. 3 Days In Darkness
16. The Formation Of Damnation

TESTAMENT's new album, "Dark Roots Of Earth", sold more than 20,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No, 12 on The Billboard 200 chart. The CD arrived in stores on July 31, 2012 via Nuclear Blast Records.

"Dark Roots Of Earth" was produced, mixed and mastered by acclaimed British producer Andy Sneap (ARCH ENEMY, NEVERMORE, ACCEPT, EXODUS). Special bonus tracks were recorded, mixed and mastered by Juan Urteaga (MACHINE HEAD, EXODUS, TED NUGENT, NIGHT RANGER) at his Trident Studios. The cover artwork for the effort (see below) was painted by Eliran Kantor, who has previously worked with ATHEIST, SIGH, ANACRUSIS and GWAR, among others.

SAVAGE CIRCUS, the multinational project featuring Jens Karlsson (vocals; PERSUADER) and Emil Norberg (lead guitar; PERSUADER), has issued the following update:

"Here is a little update for all those who are impatiently waiting for the third release. We are working really hard on the new stuff, but since we're still not completely done with all songwriting stuff and besides that, we will start dealing with the labels to find a new well supporting homebase for SAVAGE CIRCUS. The release can still take some time! Hope you will all stay loyal and don't get too impatient! Surely we'll provide you with one or two song snippets already before releasing the album on our new webpage! Thanks sooo much for your loyalty and patience, friends!"

SAVAGE CIRCUS is:

Jens Carlsson (PERSUADER) - Vocals
Emil Norberg (PERSUADER) - Guitar
Thorsten "Toto" Hain - Guitar
Michael "Mi" Schüren - Keyboards
Thomen Stauch (BLIND GUARDIAN) - Drums

IRON SAVIOR mainman Piet Sielck left SAVAGE CIRCUS in 2011. He explained in a statement, "I am proud of what has been achieved, but I just cannot imagine myself doing songwriting and production more or less completely alone for a third time. This has drained too much energy in the past, which was needed in more important spots. I am not willing to make such a sacrifice again."

SAVAGE CIRCUS's second album, "Of Doom And Death", was released in October 2009 via Dockyard 1 Records.

SAVAGE CIRCUS fired Thomen Stauch in August 2007 due to personal differences and has since rejoined the group.

The band released a DVD, entitled "Live in Atlanta", through Dockyard 1. The live footage was filmed in 2006 at the ProgPower USA VII festival in Atlanta, GA.

SAVAGE CIRCUS issued its debut album, "Dreamland Manor", in North America in March 2006 via Century Media Records. The North American version of the CD, which was released in Europe in August 2005, includes the "Evil Eyes" video.

A posting on ALICE IN CHAINS' various web sites and social media accounts earlier today offered the title of the band's new studio album up in the form of an anagram.

"H V L E N T P S U S D A H I E E O E D T I U R R"

Share your decoded messages on Instagram, tagging #AICALBUMTITLE.

Shot by award-winning director Roboshobo (a.k.a. Robert Schober; METALLICA, MASTODON), ALICE IN CHAINS' video for the song "Hollow" captures a man closed off and losing himself in an empty repetition of daily tasks until his last thread with reality is completely severed. Also available is a lyric video for the song, which was created by fans and comprised of images submitted through Instagram.

ALICE IN CHAINS guitarist Jerry Cantrell recently confirmed to Guitar World that the band has finished recording its fifth studio album and second without original vocalist Layne Staley. The new disc was once again produced by Nick Raskulinecz (FOO FIGHTERS, DEFTONES) and is scheduled for release in the spring.

"I don't think you'll be surprised by anything you hear," Cantrell told Revolver about the new CD's musical direction. "It's us. But it's also really unique. It's got all the elements of any record we've put out, but it's unlike any record we've put out. Basically, it's the next chapter in the ALICE IN CHAINS book, and it's going to be a big one."

The new disc will follow up 2009's "Black Gives Way To Blue", which ended a 14-year gap between studio efforts for the group and featured singer/guitarist William DuVall.

"In my opinion, that record stood up to anything else we've put out in our career. Hopefully, the new album will connect with people in the same way," Cantrell told Guitar World.

DuVall told The Pulse Of Radio while the band was touring behind that album that he was seeing a new generation of ALICE fans at the shows. "There's a lot of young people showing up, so that this thing has become a generational band now," he said. "So you've got people, 15, 16, 17 years old, that are coming of their own volition. I mean, they're not being brought there by their parents or anything. They're coming on their own. They're bringing their friends. So that's one thing that's a real sign that perhaps you're onto something."

ALICE IN CHAINS began working on new material in 2011, but the sessions for the album were delayed when Cantrell had to undergo shoulder surgery.

DREAD SOVEREIGN, the project featuring vocalist Alan "Nemtheanga" Averill of Irish pagan metal masters PRIMORDIAL, will make its live debut at the Roadburn festival, which will run for four days — from Thursday, April 18 to Sunday, April 21 (the traditional Afterburner event) at the 013 venue in Tilburg, Holland.

Years of string hacking and slashing on guitar have finally come to realization, as Nemtheanga is backed by Dubh SOL (PRIMORDIAL) on drums and Bones (ZOM, WIZARDS) on guitar.

The blueprint is rough, raw, old-school doom metal which draws influences from VENOM, SAINT VITUS, CIRITH UNGOL and touches of late '80s early sepulchral black metal.

Not intended to re-invent the wheel just to give it a good kicking in the true old evil metal fashion, DREAD SOVEREIGN's appearance at Roadburn will be commemorated by the release of a limited vinyl through Roadburn's own label.

Capital Chaos has uploaded multi-camera video footage of CORROSION OF CONFORMITY's December 16 concert at The Uptown in Oakland, California. Check it out below.

CORROSION OF CONFORMITY has begun writing material for its next album, the follow-up to the well-received self-titled record issued via Candlelight Records in late February 2012, the reissue of their "Eye For An Eye" debut, and the recently released Scion A/V EP "Megalodon". The forthcoming CD, untitled at this time, will again feature the trio of vocalist/bassist Mike Dean, guitarist Woodroe Weatherman, and drummer Reed Mullin.

CORROSION OF CONFORMITY's U.S. tour concluded in southern California alongside HIGH ON FIRE. The trio was also a featured participant on Barge From Hell that left Florida shores on December 7.

Formed in Raleigh in 1982, CORROSION OF CONFORMITY quickly transformed heavy music. Politically charged and socially aware, the band has influenced countless others and today remains humble about their accomplishments. With over 1.1 million albums sold in the United States, the band continues to find new fans via nonstop touring.

So it is done finally. Today, after seven years of silence we have finished the work for our new album "Old Mornings Dawn". The master tape is on its way to Napalm Records. As soon as they fix a release date (which is probably in may), the one minute teaser will be on-line on their homepage. We think this will happen during the next days.

The new CD will consist on 7 songs and one intro. Here is the track list of the forthcoming Album.

1. Evernight
2. Flammifer
3. Old Mornings Dawn
4. The white Tower
5. Caradhras
6. Of pale white Morns and darkened Eves
7. The wandering Fire
8. Earthshine

We also have finished two bonus tracks called "The Darkening of Valinor" and "With Fire and Sword". These tracks will be on the limited CD version and on the LP version. The first track was originally supposed to be the intro of the album, but later was reworked into a instrumental track; similar to those on "Lost Tales". The second one is the missing song from the "Oathbound" session; just a little bit reworked.

During the next weeks we will make a relaunch of our homepage. So take a look up and then.

After releasing three albums with the label, culminating with 2011's "Until Fear No Longer Defines Us", Finnish metallers GHOST BRIGADE have re-signed with France's Season Of Mist.

Comments GHOST BRIGADE guitarist Wille Naukkarinen: "I remember when we first signed to Season Of Mist some six years go, it felt a bit like stepping into the unknown. We knew the label, we had a good feeling about it but then again, we had no background in working with them so you never know how things will go. Luckily, everything went fine and three albums later, it's safe to say we made the right decision. So when it was time to start thinking about the future of GHOST BRIGADE, re-signing with Season Of Mist not only felt natural but was also our number one choice. We were fortunate to be in a situation where we could've chosen the label we want to work with, but why fix something that isn't broken? We wanted to continue working with people who believe in this band and with people who we today consider as friends. It's hard to top that.

"Right now we are working on new material for the next album and I don't know, somehow all this feels like a new beginning. Everyone's super motivated and we are rehearsing more actively than ever before. And the fact that new songs are sounding great doesn't make things any worse.

"Oh, and while I'm writing this, I would also like to take this opportunity to introduce two new ghosts. We figured two Jonis would be better than one so first off, we have Joni Saalamo on bass. Secondly, we FINALLY have a permanent keyboard player in the band, Joni Vanhanen.

"2013 will be a good year."

Added Season Of Mist CEO Michael Berberian: "Of all the bands we signed, GHOST BRIGADE holds a special place. We had our share of successes the last few years with the label, sure. Bands with underground credibility, already with a CD out or two, and we took them to the next level. That's what we do — or at least we try!

"We took GHOST BRIGADE out of the demo pile. That's the equivalent of Mordor — a dark place where we don't usually go unless we really have to. After listening to a punishing amount of 'first guitar lesson' bands and a few hundred copycats of whoever is popular at the moment in the U.S., you sometimes stumble upon a jewel. Of course, this is as rare as finding a $100 bill on the street. You heard it is possible, but it never happened to you.

"When I heard GHOST BRIGADE, my jaw dropped. This was exceptional. The artwork, the originality and the sensibility all blew me away. We had to sign them, but then came the challenging part: making people agree with us! The band has worked tremendously hard and we have worked hard and GHOST BRIGADE has achieved critical and public acclaim and is on the edge of moving to the big circles. I am even prouder that we were able to do it with GHOST BRIGADE insofar as they are hardworking and decent human beings. We are extremely happy to keep them trapped at Season Of Mist a while longer!"

GHOST BRIGADE is tentatively scheduled to enter the studio later this year to record its next full-length album.

Nuclear Blast Records has announced the signing of U.S. metallers DARK SERMON. The band's full-length debut, "In Tongues", was recorded at AudioHammer Studios in Sanford, Florida, and will be released in Europe on April 12. The cover artwork was created by Eliran Kantor, who has previously worked with such bands as HATEBREED, TESTAMENT and SODOM.

Hailing from Tampa, Florida, the young quintet uses its fast, thrashy riffs, bone-crushing blast beats, and throaty vocals to bring something fresh and new to the table.

Founded in 2009, DARK SERMON arrived in the worldwide metal community determined to stand apart from the cookie-cutter garbage and trend-following cretins who have overcrowded the scene. They don't care about what’s marketable or what sells. The band has nothing less than total domination on their minds, armed with a new kind of heavy. The suffocating stomp of BEHEMOTH the brash experimentalism of GOJIRA and the all-out ferocity of American heroes like JOB FOR A COWBOY and THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER all have a home in DARK SERMON's cookbook, which slices and dices its way through the most exciting elements of metal's subgenres with relentless aggression.

Comments DARK SERMON frontman Johnny Crowder: "Nuclear Blast is a label we have respected and revered since we started this band. It is both an honor and a privilege to be working with such a heavy-hitter in Europe. There's no one we'd rather have on our side!"

Check out the official video clip for the title track, "In Tongues", below.

DARK SERMON is:

Johnny Crowder - Vocals
Austin Good - Guitar
Neal Minor - Guitar
Austin Chandler - Bass
Bryson St. Angelo - Drums

Legendary heavy metal band BLACK SABBATH will release its much-anticipated new album, "13", in June via Vertigo/Universal Republic in the U.S. and Vertigo in all other territories. The drum tracks on the group's first LP with Ozzy Osbourne since 1978 were laid down by RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE sticksman Brad Wilk following original drummer Bill Ward's decision to bow out of the reunion.

Osbourne, Tony Iommi (guitar) and Geezer Butler (bass) recorded the album primarily in Los Angeles with producer Rick Rubin. Songtitles set to appear on the CD include "God Is Dead", "End Of The Beginning" and "Age Of Reason", the latter two of which stretch out to as long as eight minutes.

A three-minute behind-the-scenes video from the "13" recording sessions can be seen below.

"I wanted to make an album that stood alongside their first four albums," Rubin tells RollingStone.com. "The first album wasn't a straightforward heavy metal record. You could hear the jazz influence, so that was the goal, and to capture that live interaction."

Ward in May 2012 announced again that he was declining to join his former bandmates for its scheduled 2012 dates, as well as the recording of the new album, due to a contractual dispute. After SABBATH shot down Rubin's suggestion to replace Ward with Ginger Baker (CREAM) ("I thought, 'Bloody hell?'" Iommi tells the magazine. "I just couldn't see that."), Rick suggested Wilk.

Iommi tells RollingStone.com that Ward's demands came out of the blue. "I didn't know Bill was having these issues when we got together — he never even mentioned it to us," he says. "It was quite confusing. We wanted him involved, but it was just getting too hard." Adds Osbourne: "You can't go, 'Well, I don't like it.' You get off your ass and get your shit together. The life of a bohemian rock star is fucking long over."

Iommi was diagnosed with cancer at the end of 2011, and his treatments forced BLACK SABBATH to cancel all but three tour dates in 2012 after announcing their reunion in November 2011.

"Things are fairly good, dare I say, at the moment," Iommi tells RollingStone.com. "I'm still here and it's okay. We had to do this album now. Christ, if it happened in another 10 years, I don't know if we'd be around."

Osbourne, who describes the new SABBATH album as "Satanic blues," also spoke about one of the band's new tracks, the provocatively titled "God Is Dead". "It starts off, 'God is dead,'" Osbourne says, "but at the end it says, 'I don't believe that God is dead.'"

When Dan Phillipps and his wife Kinga got married at The Staaten in Staten Island, New York on September 24, 2011, they chose an unlikely song as their wedding intro: SLAYER's "Raining Blood" (see video footage below).

Asked why he chose this particular track to serve as the introduction to the newly hitched couple, Dan told BLABBERMOUTH.NET: "SLAYER has always been a very special band to me. SLAYER, METALLICA and ANTHRAX were the reasons I got into heavy metal. I remember first hearing 'Hell Awaits' in 1987 and being blown away. I never heard anything like it.

"When I first met Kinga, I didn't know she was into extreme music. She's from Poland so I randomly asked her if she heard of BEHEMOTH or VADER. To my surprise, she heard of them and had seen them live in concert a few times. So we instantly clicked. Our second date was a ROTTING CHRIST concert.

"When I was planning our wedding intro, I knew that I didn't want your typical wedding music for our intro. I spoke to Kinga about it and she agreed. A standard wedding intro just didn't seem right for my wife and I. Something about the 'Raining Blood' intro seemed like the perfect walk-out music for us. I got goosebumps just thinking about it. Most of my friends and family loved our intro. They said it was perfect for my wife and I."

A trailer for "3 Inches Of Blood: Warriors Of The Great White North", the brand new documentary about Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada-based metallers 3 INCHES OF BLOOD, can be seen below. The film follows the band on tour across Canada and gives a first-hand look at what it takes to thrive on the road.

Filmmaker Tom MacLeod is currently submitting "3 Inches Of Blood: Warriors Of The Great White North" to film festivals and seeking a distributor.

3 INCHES OF BLOOD's latest album, "Long Live Heavy Metal", was released on March 27, 2012 via Century Media Records.

For "Long Live Heavy Metal", 3 INCHES OF BLOOD reunited with producer and engineer Terry "Sho" Murray (CITY OF FIRE, EXHIBITIONISTS), who worked with the band on their seven-inch single, "Anthems For The Victorious".

3 INCHES OF BLOOD teamed up with Kim Thiessen to perfect their artistic vision for the album, which was released as a digipack and when opened, lays out similar to that of a book.

3 INCHES OF BLOOD last year recruited Byron Stroud (STRAPPING YOUNG LAD, FEAR FACTORY) as its new bassist.

Oulu, Finland-based metallers ZENITH REUNION are recording their second album, "Entropy", for a late spring release via Violent Journey Records. The studio sessions started in the fall of 2012 and have gone ahead with such a speed and success that the release could be expected in the next few months. The artwork for the CD was created by Felipe Machado Franco, who has previously worked with ICED EARTH, BLIND GUARDIAN, AXEL RUDI PELL and BURNING POINT.

According to a press release, "Entropy" "ensures an experience of tight heavy metal along with a couple of slower songs full of feeling — all done by the name of guaranteed ZENITH REUNION style!"

ZENITH REUNION's debut album, "Utopia", entered the official chart in Finland at position No. 9.

Formed in the early '90s, ZENITH REUNION's "unique sound" draws influences from "heavy guitar messengers of the '80s and '90s like STONE, TAROT, ZERO NINE, ACCEPT and DREAM THEATER," according to a press release. These powerful but beautifully rugged guitar riffs together with bass- and drum sections' progressively colored rhythm work are entwined with melodic and harmonic vocals to update the last few decades' heavy rock to present. The whole package is crowned by talented solos bursting with nuances and surprises."

ZENITH REUNION is:

Jouni Juurikka: Lead Vocals
Jukka Uusi-Illikainen: Guitar, Backing Vocals
Jukka Ihme: Guitar, Backing Vocals
Jukka Jokikokko: Bass, Backing Vocals
Ville Hanhisuanto: Drums, Backing Vocals

Swedish death metallers DEMONICAL have issued the following update:

"Since early February we have been isolated at Necromorbus studios in the dark suburbs of Stockholm recording 'Darkness Unbound', our fourth full-length masterpiece and the first album to feature our new determinate lineup. So far the drums for all 11 tracks have been recorded. Now it's time to move on and nail down some guitars.

"The new material is clearly our most sinister, vicious and dark work up until to date and we are confident that 'Darkness Unbound' will be an important milestone not only for us as a band but also an album that will have a certain impact on the current death metal scene and especially the Swedish old-school wave.

"The artwork and visual concept of the album follows the same somber path as the music making it a solid entity of perpetual death metal darkness.

"More reports will be published as the work proceeds."

DEMONICAL last year announced the addition of guitarist Daniel Gustavsson to the group's ranks. The band stated, "Daniel has been touring with us as session member since early spring, and as all admission tests executed on the road turned out nothing but excellent, he therefore became the obvious choice for our vacant axe position."

DEMONICAL's third album, "Death Infernal", was released in April 2011 via Cyclone Empire.

HATRIOT, the new San Francisco Bay Area thrash metal band led by former EXODUS and LEGACY (pre-TESTAMENT) frontman Steve "Zetro" Souza, released its debut album, "Heroes Of Origin" on January 25 via Germany's Massacre Records. The CD was recorded with producer Juan Urteaga (MACHINE HEAD, EXODUS, TESTAMENT) and features guest appearances BY TESTAMENT 's Chuck Billy and MACHINE HEAD 's Phil Demmel . The cover artwork, which can be seen below, was created by Mark DeVito, who has previously worked with MOTÖRHEAD and ANVIL CHORUS, among others.

"Heroes Of Origin" track listing:

01. Suicide Run
02. Weapons Of Class Destruction
03. Murder American Style
04. Blood Stained Wings
05. The Violent Time Of My Dark Passenger
06. Globicidal
07. And Your Children To Be Damned
08. The Mechanics Of Annihilation
09. Shadows Of The Buried
10. Heroes Of Origin

The entire album can now be streamed using the SoundCloud player below.

HATRIOT's new drummer is none other than Steve's son, Nicholas Souza. Nicholas auditioned for the band after the departure of Alex Bent and "proved himself to be the best choice," according to Steve.

HATRIOT's lineup also includes Zetro's 21-year-old son Cody, who got his first bass as a present from his father after Zetro bought it off current EXODUS bassist Jack Gibson. "I told him," Zetro said in a recent interview with Metalholic.com, "'You have to try out [for the bassist position in HATRIOT if you want to be in the band]. There's no nepotism here, boy. If you can hang, you're on.' So he actually tried out, and he got the gig."

Regarding HATRIOT's musical direction, Zetro said, "It's in the vein of typical Bay Area thrash, but these guys are a lot younger, so there's gonna be some blast-beats in there. There's gonna be some kind of death [metal] approach to it, a little bit. 'Cause these guys are new. They're raw, and they're fast, young, heavy, hard and aggressive, and I'm trying to convey that along as well."

He added, "These new kids seem to understand what we did in the '80s, but still bring a little bit of a new essence to it. We put that together with what I write vocally and it's turned out to be really, really killer. It's good stuff."

Asked why he thinks thrash metal has enjoyed something of a revival in more recent years, Zetro told Über Röck, "You know, I get asked this a lot, and I think it is because the first wave of thrash came and went so fast. I mean, it started in the mid-'80s and was gone by 1991 or so. The older bands still have something to say, and I feel that's why they are still able to put out great music so many years later. Now the fans that were young kids back then have bands of their own, so these new bands are naturally influenced by the old sound and it has come full circle. Of course, with technology and things like they are today, it is a totally different ballgame when it comes to marketing the music. I don't know that there will ever be another band as big as the 'Big Four' or anything, because the business structure just isn't there anymore, but it is really cool to see these new bands carrying the torch of what we helped invent back in the old scene."

HATRIOT's "Blood Stained Wings" video can be seen below.

HATRIOT is:

Steve "Zetro" Souza - Vocals
Kosta Varvatakis - Guitar
Miguel Esparza - Guitar
Nicholas Souza - Drums
Cody Souza - Bass

French progressive metallers HACRIDE will release their new album, "Back To Where You've Never Been", on April 19 in Norway, Germany and Austria and on April 22 in the rest of Europe via Indie Recordings.

2013 is a big year for HACRIDE because not only does it mark the unleashing of a fourth album, but it also marks the launching of a new collaboration for the team now welcoming two members to their ranks, Florent Marcadet (KLONE, STEP IN FLUID) on drums and Luiss Roux on vocals.

According to a press release, "Back To Where You've Never Been" is "an evocative album title that represents a transitional phase. It is a deeply personal record that acts as a bridge between two eras and could become a royal path to a second life."

"Back To Where You've Never Been" track listing:

01. Introversion
02. Strive Ever To More
03. Synesthesia
04. Overcome
05. Edification Of The Fall
06. To Numb The Pain
07. Ghosts Of The Modern World
08. Requiem For A Lullaby

HACRIDE's follow-up to 2007's "Amoeba", entitled "Lazarus", was released IN 2009 via Listenable Records. The CD was recorded at Loko Studio in Normandie, France with producers Franck Hueso and Marc Casanova.

Finland's DEATHCHAIN will release its new album, "Ritual Death Metal", on April 5 via Svart Records.

Keeping up with the band's tradition of including the word "death" or "dead" in its titles, DEATHCHAIN's sixth full-length feels like a warning. In the wake of an already impressive "Death Gods" three years ago, this new offering to the Ancients been recorded last summer with Swedish wünderkid Tore Stjerna in Stockholm at his world-renowned Necromorbus studio, where most famously WATAIN but also ONDSKAPT, FUNERAL MIST, and many others have sworn a pact with the Great Horned One. Guest starring on the album is one Lars Göran Petrov from ENTOMBED, who provides vocals for the track "Like Worms Upon The Lands". Cover art is by Babalon Graphics, other layout work by Costin Chioreanu of Twilight13 Media.

As eclectic as the label is, Svart Records has a strong foundation in death metal, having reissued albums by vintage acts like ABHORRENCE, XYSMA and the resuscitated CONVULSE. However, DEATHCHAIN is the first contemporary death metal band operating on the label. Each member sports an impressive curriculum vitae of musical misbehaviours that reads like a who's who of the Finnish extreme metal scene (DEMILICH, DEATHBOUND, AJATTARA, FORGOTTEN HORROR, and so on), and the band's two guitarists are already part of the Svart family with JESS AND THE ANCIENT ONES. But it's the sheer intensity of its music that has put DEATHCHAIN at the top of the foodchain as, unlike others, they've taken their time to shed their previous collective skins one by one. And what started off back in 2003 with "Deadmeat Disciples" as one frantic yet somehow still conventional thrash/death vehicle has now become, a decade later, an altogether even more unique and ten-times-more-intense beast. "Rebellion — rebellion and liberty, they've always been at the heart of what we do," says guitarist Corpse. "During our years as a band, we have grown to disrespect all boundaries, and the fire inside burns ever higher."

Defying all categories, DEATHCHAIN's "Ritual Death Metal" applies elements from the entire extreme metal spectrum to achieve its pernicious goal, from the doom-laden rumblings of "Like Worms Upon The Land" to the blackish fury of "King Pazuzu". The result is a defiant, gloomy and epic 45-minute tour de force dedicated to summoning ancient Mesopotamian deities. Says Corpse of the theme of the album: "Thematically, we have moved closer to the source, and all laughter around it has died. We work on our music and lyrics with the greatest intensity and map our inner beings to find the Lightbringer, who stands beyond everything. On this album, we concentrate on the Mesopotamian pandemonium as we examine the different manifestations of the Adversary."

"Ritual Death Metal" track listing:

01. Voice of Sharur
02. Stele of the Vultures
03. Seven Asakku Shadows
04. Our Lady Under The Earth
05. King Pazuzu 6. Like Worms Upon The Lands
07. Tiamat's Eyes Of Death
08. Abzu Doom

Sweden's ARCKANUM, one of the spearheads of traditional black metal, is back with a vengeance. Leader Shamaatae's seventh album is entitled "Fenris Kindir" and will hit stores on May 10 (May 14 in North America). The cover artwork and tracklisting will be unveiled soon.

ARCKANUM was founded in 1992 by Shamaatae, who decided to continue solo after first demo, "Demo-93". The Swede had previously played drums in CONQUEST/GROTESQUE (which were to become AT THE GATES) and founded the death metal band ABSORPTION with his brother Sataros, before renaming it DISENTERMENT.

ARCKANUM embodies Shamaatae's return to black metal taking inspiration from Pan, anti-cosmic Satanism, Old Norse tradition, runic witchcraft and chaos-Gnosticism. Musically, the Swede draws inspiration from black and death metal with strong influences from the '80s, with a clear penchant for a dirty and thrashing sound.

ARCKANUM's first albums — "Fran Marder" (1995), "Kostogher" (1997) and "Kampen" (1998) — as well as a host of EPs gained Shamaatae a large following in the underground.