UK technical metallers NO CONSEQUENCE have revealed their sophomore album’s artwork, tracklisting and title: IO. The debut single to be taken from the album, 'Coerce:Conform', will be released as a free download on March 4th via Basick Records, prior to their UK tour with Odessa.
IO tracklisting:
'So Close to Nowhere'
'Name Your Price'
'All That’s Left'
'Enemy of Logic'
'Ether'
'Bury The Debt'
'Sentient'
'Illusion Of Choice'
'Coerce:Conform'
'What Is Dead May Never Die'
'Vela'
'Unify'

The band have made the album track 'So Close to Nowhere' available to stream as a sneak preview to IO below:
IO will be released via Basick Records this spring.
No Comsequence will be touring throughout the year in support of IO. Dates announced so far are:

February
23 - Boilerroom - Guildford, UK (with Exist Immortal)

March (with Odessa)
6 - Relentless Garage - London, UK
7 - The Vic Inn - Derby, UK
8 - Intake Club - Mansfield, UK
9 - Kingston Peel - Kingston, UK

THE ALCOHOLLYS, featuring KITTIE drummer Mercedes Lander and former Kittie bassist Tanya Candler, performed at The Richmond in London, Ontario on February 1st. Fan-filmed live video of '27 Death Riot/Demolition In Speed City' is available below:
The band's schedule is now as follows:

February
16 - The Coach And Horses - Windsor, ON

March
2 - BackStage Bar & Grill - Stratford, ON

The Alcohollys have posted a short studio documentary of the sessions for The Flashback EP. It was recorded at Beachroad Studios in Goderich, Ontario with Siegfried Meier. Check it out below:
Tracks featured on the album are 'Flashback To '93' and '27 Death Riot / Demolition In Speed City'. It will be released digitally on February 12th. Check out the tracks at the bottom of the page.

The Alcohollys are:
Kimber Heart - vocals, keys
Scarlet Fever - bass, vocals
Ruby Pubey - drums, vocals
Maiden China - guitar
The Flashback EP by The Alcohollys

For information and updates on The Alcohollys go to this location.

Serbian thrashers PUTRID BLOOD have released their first-ever video for the song 'Silovanje', taken from their current album Absolute Profit; check out the clip below:
Released via Switzerland's Miner Recordings in November 2012, Absolute Profit consists of ten songs: five in Serbian, four in English, and one instrumental.
Putrid Blood is:

Stevan Milankovi - vocals
Bojan Goluža - vocals
Srdjan Ranisavljevi - guitars
Vladimir Jašur - guitars
Srdjan Hardi - bass
Petar Barna - drums

UK-based emotive doom/death metal band EYE OF SOLITUDE and their label, Kaotoxin Records, have just released The Deceit, a digital EP which is being sold to help raise funds for a Romanian organization for the blind.
A two-song version of The Deceit, which includes a remastered version of 'Painstained', from the band's now out-of-print debut, The Ghost, and a title track featuring guest vocals from Arno Strobl (ex-CARNIVAL IN COAL, 6:33, WE ALL DIE (LAUGHING)!) and Déhà (IMBER LUMINUS, MERDA MUNDI, We All Die (Laughing)!), is available through all major digital music retailers.

Orders being placed through Kaotoxin Records will receive a three-song version of the EP that comes with an instrumental cover of SHAPE OF DESPAIR's 'Night's Dew'. This bonus track edition is available exclusively at this location.

A trailer for The Deceit can be seen below:
Eyes Of Solitude lineup:

Daniel Neagoe - Vocals
Indee Rehal-Sagoo - Guitars
Mark Antoniades - Guitars
Pedro Caballero Clemente - Keys
Chris Davies- Bass
Adriano Ferraro- Drums
More on Eyes Of Solitude at this location.

DEATH TYRANT was a project of Thomas Backelin at first, running alongside with LORD BELIAL, but in the end of 2008 Lord Belial was put on ice and the ideas of turning the project into a real band began to take form. Death Tyrant as a band was formed in the spring of 2009 and the positions within the band were filled very fast.

Joakim Antonsson was recruited as drummer, shortly followed by his brother Dennis Antonsson to fill the spot as guitarist. Anders Backelin was the obvious and only choice as bass-player since Thomas and Anders already had a long time collaboration between them.
A promo EP entitled The Dark Abyss was recorded in the fall of 2010 in Armageddon Recordings - produced and engineered by Anders and Death Tyrant.

After this recording Death Tyrant recruited Daniel Bornstrand as a permanent singer since Thomas only did the vocals for The Dark Abyss because there were no vocalist up for the task at the time being.

In the fall of 2012 Death Tyrant closed a deal with Non Serviam Records who will release the band's debut, Opus De Tyranis, on March 18th.

Opus De Tyranis cover created by Marcelo Vasco:
Opus De Tyranis tracklisting:
'The Awakening Of Sleeping Gods'
'Pandemonium'
'Ixion - The Fallen King of the Laphits'
'Baphomet'
'The End'
'Impending Day of Wrath'
'Tenebrae'
'A Greater Alliance'
'Wrath And Disgust'

Check out the track 'The Awakening Of Sleeping Gods' below:

German thrash metal veterans SODOM will release their new studio album, "Epitome Of Torture", on April 29 in Europe and May 7 in North America via SPV/Steamhammer. Vocalist/bassist Thomas "Angelripper" Such, 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' 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!"

"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.

SODOM will film a video for the song "Stigmatized" later this month with Roax Media (SODOM's "Lords Of Depravity" volumes 1 and 2, VOLBEAT, THE MOB RULES) in Berlin.

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

SODOM's latest CD, "In War And Pieces", entered the German Media Control chart at position No. 64.

SODOM in 2010 parted ways with drummer Bobby Schottkowski due to "personal and private problems between Tom and Bobby," according to a statement released by the band.

SODOM's current drummer, Markus Freiwald, previously played for the German bands DESPAIR and FLAMING ANGER and was involved with the VOODOOCULT project. In addition, he played percussion as a session musician on the MOONSPELL album "Irreligious" and is featured on the 1996 LP "Triarchy Of The Lost Lovers" by Greek extreme metallers ROTTING CHRIST.

According to WTVR.com, a concertgoer defended LAMB OF GOD singer Randy Blythe's actions during a performance in Prague, telling a Czech court earlier today that he did not think Blythe was aggressive that night, and that fans should realize any aggressive behavior displayed on stage is just part of the show.

Blythe is facing the possibility of conviction and a long-term jail sentence after a May 2010 incident in which a fan, Daniel Nosek, who attended a LAMB OF GOD concert in Prague, died almost a month later, allegedly from injuries sustained when he was thrown off the stage.

Lukas Havlena told the court during Thursday's testimony that he contacted Blythe's defense team after reading accounts of what other witnesses were saying during the trial.

Contrary to the way other witnesses described the atmosphere at the concert, Havlena said that each time somebody got on the stage, Blythe made it clear they weren't allowed there.

Blythe's defense team asked for the trial to be postponed until March 4 because one witness fell ill and two criminal psychologists who were expected to testify were unable to attend this week. Also expected to testify when the trial resumes are Havlena's friend and some more security personnel.

The singer will be allowed to return to the U.S. until his trial resumes. He indicated in court that he would definitely return to Prague next month.

The parents of the alleged victim, Daniel Nosek, are demanding compensation of 10 million Czech Koruna (approximately $530,000).

Blythe was imprisoned for five weeks in the Czech Republic after being detained on June 27, 2012 when the Grammy-nominated, Richmond, Virginia-based band arrived there for a show.

The singer was freed without charge in August but had to post $400,000 bail, then left the country, vowing to return for the trial.

Candlelight Records has announced the signing of PESTILENCE to a worldwide deal. The celebrated eastern Netherlands-based band is currently preparing to enter the studio to begin work on its seventh album, titled "Obsideo". The CD wil be produced by PESTILENCE vocalist/guitarist Patrick Mameli and will feature ten new songs, including "Necromorph", "Saturation", "Soulrot", "Laniatus" and "Superconcious". According to Mameli, the album's overall lyrical theme will be "the journey of the human soul." No release date is set as of press time.

Comments PESTILENCE: "PESTILENCE is very excited to announce that they have signed a recording deal with Candlelight Records. We feel that our new material is very special and innovative and that it needs the back up of a solid company like Candlelight to get it out there to the metal world."

"Obsideo" will feature band mastermind Mameli and longtime partner, guitarist Patrick Uterwijk, with new German bassist George Maier and Australian drummer Dave Haley. Mameli notes: "PESTILENCE is chuffed to have Dave Haley in the lineup. Dave is one of the five best extreme drummers in the world, and his talent brings PESTILENCE to new levels that couldn't be reached otherwise. Georg Maier is a young and talented bass player that will turn some heads. Both guys are really down to earth and real easy going. Of course, Patrick Uterwijk is my most respectable and long-going friend and musician."

The "Obsideo" cover art can be seen below.

PESTILENCE 2013 is:

Patrick Mameli - Lead guitar/Vocals
Patrick Uterwijk - Lead guitar
George Maier - Bass
David Haley - Drums

PESTILENCE's last album, "Doctrine", was released in North America in July 2011 via Mascot Records. The eleven-track CD was recorded and mixed at Woodshed Studio in southern Germany with engineer Victor Bullok (a.k.a. V. Santura; TRIPTYKON, DARK FORTRESS). The artwork was designed by Marko Saarelainen.

Monmouth, NJ-based old school thrashers CONDITION CRITICAL have released a video for their new track, 'Random Acts Of Killing'. The track will be featured on the band's debut album, Operational Hazard, due in April. Watch the clip below:
The new track and upcoming album were recorded at Mana Recording Studios, owned by Eric Rutan, and were recorded and mixed by Brian Elliot at Mana. 'Random Acts Of Killing' is available for free download at this location.
Condition Critical lineup:

Alonso Maguiño - Guitar/Vox
Ryan Donato - Drums
Sam Agnew - Guitar/Gang Vox
Mike Dreher - Bass/Gang Vox

More on Condition Critical at this location.

Swedish hard rockers STONELAKE will release their sixth album, Monolith, on March 22nd via Massacre Records. The new album artwork can be seen below:
Stonelake combine classic hard rock with power and progressive metal, and will appeal to fans of MASTERPLAN, JORN and BEYOND TWILIGHT.

"Monolith is an exceptional record and reminds me very much of my work with QUEENSRŸCHE", says Peter Collins, producer Operation: Mindcrime and Empire.

The album track, 'End This War', is streaming below:
More on Stonelake at this location.

Swedish death metallers FACEBREAKER will visit Germany in April for four gigs, where they not only will play their classics, but also material from their 2012 released 7”, ‘Zombie God’, and two brand new songs from their upcoming new album, Dedicated To The Flesh (see the cover artwork below), due for release in May/June.
Tour dates include:

April
25 - Hamburg, Germany - Bambi Galore (with BURIED IN BLACK)
26 - Berlin, Germany - K17 (with DISREPUTE, more)
27 - Erfurt, Germany - From Hell (with Disrepute, DESERTED FEAR)
28 - Dresden, Germany - Chemiefabrik (with Disrepute, DRENCHED IN BLOOD)
More on Facebreaker at this location.

Australian death metal quintet BERSERKERFOX have announced the addition of new drummer, Matt 'Skitz' Sanders (ex-DAMAGED, TERRORUST, SADISTIK EXEKUTION, INSIDIOUS TORTURE). Writing has commenced for the band's next album, scheduled for release in late 2013.

For now, download New World Murder EP at BandCamp. The EP is streaming below:

New World Murder (EP) by BerserkerfoX
Stay tuned for tour announcements, news and studio diaries. More on BerserkerfoX at this location.

Covered Call: An expression used in financial circles depicting a picture of Wall Street, big cities, and the frenzy of the stock market. COVERED CALL, the band, however, was born in a small carpentry shed in the dark, deep forests of Sweden. The contrast couldn't be greater between the band and their name.

COVERED CALL was formed by drummer Ronny Svanströmer and guitarist Joel Carlsson. Subsequently, second guitarist Morgan Rosenquist joined the band and the material rapidly started taking shape.

The band immediately landed a deal and released its debut album, "Money Never Sleeps", internationally in 2009. During the recording sessions for the band's second album, bassist Andy Loos (GLORY, LION'S SHARE) was recruited as a full member in the lineup.

Andy previously worked with Göran Edman (JOHN NORUM, YNGWIE MALMSTEEN), who was soon after recruited to complete this stellar lineup.

COVERED CALL's new album, entitled "Impact", was recorded in part at Studio Fredman (ARCH ENEMY, HAMMERFALL, DIMMU BORGIR, IN FLAMES) and was mixed by LION'S SHARE guitarist Lars Chriss (who also performed a guest solo on the track "Hold On") at LS Studio.

According to a press release, "This new musical constellation together with vocalist Göran Edman now sound stronger than ever and with fantastic new material COVERED CALL will prove, once again, that their brand of hook-layered rock is a force to be reckoned with."

"Impact" track listing:

01. Lorraine
02. When The Lights Are Out
03. Think About All Times
04. Look Into Your Mind
05. Hold On
06. Make A Wish
07. Nothing Lasts Forever
08. Wake Up
09. When I'm Gone
10. Live It Up
11. Last Goodbye

"Lorraine" audio sample:

Australian hard rockers AIRBOURNE will release their third album, "Black Dog Barking", on May 21 via Roadrunner Records. The follow-up to 2010's "No Guts. No Glory." was produced by Brian Howes, who has previously worked with HINDER, DAUGHTRY and PUDDLE OF MUDD.

Said the band: "A lot of thought and effort has gone into this record not only by the band, but by the production crew who worked countless hours, seven days a week, even through Christmas and New Year's Eve to achieve the best possible performances, backed by real undying tones. Now we're handing it over to you... so crank it up, crack a beer and stick some rock 'n' roll in your ear!"

The Full Throttle edition of a new AIRBOURNE song, "Live It Up", will be made available for the opening of Full Throttle at Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia, California, the tallest, fastest looping roller coaster in the world. The track will be released to rock radio in late spring, followed by its in-park debut at Six Flags Magic Mountain with the ride opening. The Full Throttle edition of "Live It Up" will be featured throughout the newly themed five-acre section of the park where guests will experience high-energy action through fast-paced imagery, sound and lights, with additional music featuring various Roadrunner artists. The launch will be further supported nationally in all theme parks, Roadrunner and Six Flags online and social media channels, live events and press outreach.

"Theme music is synonymous with television, movies and even sports. It's a natural extension to bring original music to a world-class roller coaster, like Full Throttle," said David McKillips, Senior Vice President of Corporate Alliances, Six Flags Entertainment. "Roadrunner Records had the creative vision and talent to match the heart-pounding speed and adrenaline the ride experience delivers, backed with a content partnership that provides best-in-class entertainment to our guests."

In addition to the song's release, Six Flags and Roadrunner will be working together on programming to be featured on Six Flags digital networks, which includes the Nielsen-measured Six Flags Television Network. The content partnership will air Roadrunner videos in ride-line televisions and help drive awareness, music downloads, and sales for Roadrunner's breadth of rock artists.

"This is an innovative partnership that brings together two great brands and allows Roadrunner to bring music to millions of entertainment-seeking consumers in a new way," said Michael Easterlin, General Manager of Roadrunner Records. "Six Flags' ability to generate awareness through the Full Throttle attraction and its national media network provides a unique outlet for fans to instantly access our music."

AIRBOURNE's infectious music has been used in more than 20 video games, countless films, trailers and more.

AIRBOURNE is Joel O'Keeffe (vocals/lead guitar), Ryan O'Keeffe (drums), David Roads (guitar) and Justin Street (bass).

Melodic progressive power metal act ARTIZAN has chosen Eliran Kantor to create the artwork for the band's upcoming album, "Ancestral Energy".

Eliran has accumulated an extensive body of work, including pieces for TESTAMENT, HATEBREED, SIGH, ATHEIST and AGHORA.

Commented ARTIZAN founder/drummer Ty Tammeus: "Eliran has impressed me with his previous illustrations; he is a young, gifted artist, who will inject his unique talents into a masterpiece for the new ARTIZAN album. I am amazed how he has completely immersed himself into our music, and the story of our characters, to develop a concept for the album cover unlike anything I have ever seen."

ARTIZAN's new song "The Death Of Me" can be streamed below. According to a press release, the track "showcases all of the elements ARTIZAN established on their first album, 'Curse Of The Artizan'." Fantasy artist Marc Sasso created artwork for the "The Death Of Me" single which displays the Artizan character with Sasso’s unique conception of the Grim Reaper.

"The Death Of Me" comes off ARTIZAN's sophomore album, "Ancestral Energy", which was recorded at Morrisound Studios in Tampa, Florida with legendary metal producer Jim Morris. Ex-ICED EARTH singer Matt Barlow makes a very special guest appearance on the CD's title track.

"Ancestral Energy" is scheduled for an April release through Pure Steel Records.

Portland punk/metal derelicts TOXIC HOLOCAUST will unleash "From The Ashes Of Nuclear Destruction" this spring. The mammoth 22-track anthology collects over a decade's worth of TOXIC HOLOCAUST rarities into one raging compilation. Amassing the band's many contributions to various comps and vinyl-only splits with the likes of MUNICIPAL WASTE, MIDNIGHT and others, together with demo versions of treasured TOXIC classics, "From The Ashes Of Nuclear Destruction" is a historic romp through the history of one of today's best old-school metal bands.

"From The Ashes Of Nuclear Destruction" will see release through Relapse Records on April 2 in North America, March 29 in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Finland and Benelux and April 1 in the U.K.

"From The Ashes Of Nuclear Destruction" track listing:

01. Intro
02. Metal Attack
03. Deathmaster
04. Created To Kill
05. Ready To Fight
06. Arise From The Cemetery
07. Thrashing Death
08. Send Them To Hell
09. Never Stop The Massacre
10. Army Of One
11. Death Camp
12. Reaper's Grave
13. Death Brings Death
14. In The Name Of Science
15. Nuke The Cross
16. Suicide Eye
17. 666
18. Bitch
19. Agony Of The Damned
20. A.T.O.M.I.C.
21. We Bring ‘Em Hell
22. Altar-ed States

Following a solid year of relentless stage pollution, TOXIC HOLOCAUST will enter the studio later this winter to record the as-yet-untitled follow-up to their 2011 "Conjure And Command" full-length.

"After taking a much-needed break from touring and finally being able to enjoy life outside the confines of a van," details band mastermind Joel Grind, "things have come back in full swing and I've been working nonstop writing the new TOXIC record for Relapse Records. Things are coming along great it's a bit too early to tell for sure but it seems like this record will encompass all of TOXIC's past recordings while building on that as well and moving forward. I can't wait to get into the studio to record this!"

Praised for its "nuclear reactive riffage and Repo Man punk attitude," by Revolver and commended for its "tar-thick riffage, staggering breakdowns, and a corroded dose of self-loathing," by The Onion's A.V. Club, "Conjure And Command" continues to reap hails from fans and critics globally. As an added bonus, the band closed the year with the honor of having the song "Bitch" rear its sonic apocalyptic menace in an episode of high-rated FX drama series "Sons Of Anarchy" (season 5; episode 11).

TOXIC HOLOCAUST mutated into existence in 1999, when Joel Grind merged his love for classic punk and metal and the flash of L.A. hard rock into his ideal band. Like his influences — BATHORY, VENOM, ENGLISH DOGS, POSSESSED, BROKEN BONES — TOXIC HOLOCAUST offers up blazing riffs, gravel-throated vocals, and a deadly fixation on the evil in man and a post-apocalyptic world wrapped in a DIY attitude.

Theatrical Canadian hard rockers INCURA have released their new video, for the track, 'Who You Are', taken from their forthcoming self-titled full-length debut album, due out in North America on February 26th via Coalition Music (Records) and Warner Music Canada.

The video features a dark, tantalizing vibe to accompany the compelling, sweeping song that is 'Who You Are'. Check it out below:
Incura is currently on a headlining tour of Canada. Remaining dates are listed below:

February
7 - Red Deer, AB - The Vat
8 - Calgary, AB - The Gateway
9 - Edmonton, AB - Pawn Shop
15 - Vancouver, BC - The Cellar

With a dramatic sound that is as much IRON MAIDEN as it is QUEEN, and an exotic name to boot, Incura embodies an incredibly unique array of musical influences - from metal to prog rock with elements of Andrew Lloyd Webber's Phantom Of The Opera thrown in for good measure (lead singer Kyle Gruninger has his roots in professional theatre).

Creating their moniker by combining the name of a previous band with that of a spell from the Final Fantasy games, Incura was formed in a small Canadian city in the Prairies a few years ago and has already toured with the likes of STONE TEMPLE PILOTS, SHINEDOWN and APOCALYPTICA. Their sound is compelling, featuring epic arrangements, powerful crescendos and pristine musicianship.
Incura tracklisting:

'Get The Gun'
'I Breathe This'
'I'm Here Waiting'
'Who You Are'
'Turning Blue'
'Decide'
'The Greatest Con'
'Here To Blame'
'I'd Give Anything'
'Sweat Runs Cold'

Check out a lyric video for 'I'm Here Waiting' below:
Incura lineup:

Kyle Gruninger - Vocals
Royce Whittaker - Guitar
Jono Olson - Bass
Jim McLaren - Keyboards
Phil Gardner - Drums

More on Incura here.

Umeå, Sweden's CULT OF LUNA have uploaded a new live video for their track 'In Awe Of', shot on January 24th at Le Divan Du Monde in Paris, France. Watch below:
Cult Of Luna's new album, Vertikal, was released via Indie Recordings in Europe on January 25th and Density Records/Universal in North America on January 29th.

Vertikal tracklisting:

'The One'
'I: The Weapon'
'Vicarious Redemption'
'The Sweep'
'Synchronicity'
'Mute Departure'
'Disharmonia'
'In Awe Of'
'Passing Through'

Check out an album teaser below:




Tour dates:

February
27 - Oslo, Norway - Parkteatret
28 - Stockholm, Sweden - Debaser Medis

March
2 - Helsinki, Finland -Nosturi

April
18 - Gothenburg, Sweden - Pustervik
19 - Copenhagen, Denmark - Lilla Vega
20 - Tilburg, The Netherlands - Roadburn Festival
21 - Belfort, France - Impetus Festival
22 - Fribourg, Switzerland - Fri\Son
23 - Mezzago, Italy - Bloom
24 - Rome, Italy - Traffic Live Club
25 - Misano Adriatico, Italy - Boulevard
26 - Winterthur, Switzerland - Gaswerk
27 - Zagreb, Croatia - Club Attack
29 - Bucharest, Romania - Silver Church
30 - Timisoara, Romania - Daos Club

May
1 - Budapest, Hungary - A38
2 - Innsbruck, Austria - P.M.K
3 - Wroclaw, Poland - Asymmetry Festival
4 - Marburg, Germany - KFZ
5 - Munich, Germany - Kranhalle
6 - Stuttgart, Germany - Universum
7 - Bielefeld, Germany - Forum
8 - Cologne, Germany - Gebaude
9 - Rotterdam, The Netherlands - Baroeg

More on Cult Of Luna at this location.

Andorra-based progressive death metal act PERSEFONE has inked a worldwide deal with ViciSolum Productions. The band's fourth album, "Spiritual Migration", will be released on March 29. The CD was mixed by Jacob Hansen (VOLBEAT, PRETTY MAIDS, MERCENARY, PESTILENCE, DESTRUCTION) at Hansen Studios in Denmark, and is described in a press release as "a portrait of all the emotions the band has gone through within the first decade of their existence. Fine-tuning has never been a better word to describe the progression of a band than in the case of PERSEFONE."

"Spiritual Migration" track listing:

01. Flying Sea Dragons
02. Mind As Universe
03. The Great Reality
04. Zazen Meditation
05. The Majestic Of Gaia
06. Consciousness (Pt. 1): Sitting In Silence
07. Consciousness (Pt. 2): A Path To Enlightenment
08. Inner Fullness
09. Metta Meditation
10. Upward Explosion
11. Spiritual Migration
12. Returning To The Source
13. Outro

The artwork for "Spiritual Migration" was created by Travis Smith (KATATONIA, AVENGED SEVENFOLD, NEVERMORE) and can be seen below.

PERSEFONE is:

Marc Martins: Vocals
Carlos Lozano: Guitar
Jordi Gorgues: Guitar
Miguel Espinosa: Keyboards, Vocals
Toni Mestre: Bass
Marc Mas: Drums

Austin Fusion Magazine recently conducted an interview with TESTAMENT guitarist Alex Skolnick. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

Austin Fusion Magazine: In the video documentary that is included with the ["Dark Roots Of Earth"], we get the sense that this record was perhaps more intentional and collaborative than many of your previous records in the past, that each member has grown to respect the others opinions and roles in regard to songwriting and producing. How has this album and that collaboration process matured from past recordings?

Alex Skolnick: This was the second reunion album. "The Formation Of Damnation", released in 2008, was the first new record in almost a decade, and I had been away from the band. But having completed that previous album, we'd done a lot of touring, and all that experience playing on the road, gave us more of a prerequisite. There's just nothing like coming off of a tour, and having that feeling of being on stage, and then you just have this connection with what ideas that are gonna work. Also we've had a few different drummer changes. For a while we didn't have a drummer to work with, so Eric (Peterson) and I just had to sit with our guitars and write songs, and I think that was a really good way to write songs. It used to be more Eric sitting with the drummer and then I'd come in and make changes. And this time we really initiated the songs together.

Austin Fusion Magazine: Back in the day, it used to be that if you were a metalhead, that's what you were, but perhaps your music has crossed genres a little bit?

Alex Skolnick: Well I think that's true. One of the struggles I had with it early on was it just felt so exclusive. If you played metal, you couldn't do acoustic world music, and you couldn't do blues, and I believe in being an all-around musician. But I also believe that you can be an all-around musician and do metal. When I left the band, I immersed myself into other music scenes, the jazz guitar scene, the world music scene, and even to study music at the university level in New York, and that was unheard of. Nobody ever thought that I'd return to play heavy metal, but one of my points was that you can be an all around diverse musician and play metal. So now it's a pleasure to play all these different styles of music. Now there's an environment where you can be a diverse musician and also play metal, but back in the late '80s, early '90s, there was a lot of resistance.

Austin Fusion Magazine: Do you think there has been a resurgence of heavy metal music in the US and/or globally?

Alex Skolnick: Absolutely, at least at the underground level. What happened in the '90s was very strange. METALLICA became this supergroup in league with BRUCE SPRINGSTEEN and MADONNA, and the harder metal had been sort of relegated to underground status. And now it's growing a lot. A band like TESTAMENT, for example, was playing very small clubs in the late '90s and early 2000s in the U.S., and now in addition to playing Emo's in Austin, we're playing the Fillmore in San Francisco and the House of Blues all over the country. So it's not arena level, but it's not tiny club level either. And I think that's true of a lot of other metal bands. In Europe we just played the Wacken festival, which had 70,000 people.

Read the entire interview from Austin Fusion Magazine.

Video footage of I AM I, the new band led by former DRAGONFORCE singer ZP Theart, performing an acoustic version of the song "Stay A While" at the Hard Rock Hell festival, which took place between November 29, 2012 and December 3, 2012 at Hafan-y-Mor Holiday Camp in North Wales, United Kingdom, can be seen below.

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.

N.O.W., the brainchild of Brazilian bassist Alec Mendonça, will release its sophomore album, "Bohemian Kingdom", on March 22 via the British label Escape Music.

Three years in the making, the CD — which features additional contributions from Philip Bardowell on vocals, Jean Barros on keyboards, piano and vocals, Juno Moraes on lead and rhythm guitar, acoustic guitar and mandolin, and Diogo Macedo on drums — was mixed and mastered by Swedish musician and producer Lars Chriss (LION'S SHARE).

"Bohemian Kingdom" is described in a press release as "much darker and moodier" than its predecessor, 2010's "Force Of Nature". It includes the song "No One Can Feel It's Over", which was written about Alec's "very close friend" who died of leukemia at the tender age of 17.

"Bohemian Kingdom" track listing:

01. I'm Alive
02. I Feel Divine
03. Don't Go Now
04. Strong Enough
05. Mary-Ann
06. Tonight Is The Night
07. Bohemian Kingdom
08. Leon's Going Soft
09. Cassie's Dream
10. No One Can Feel It's Over

A snippet of the song "I'm Alive" can be streamed using the audio player below.

"Imrama", the legendary debut album from Irish pagan metal masters PRIMORDIAL, will be officially released on vinyl for the first time ever on March 29. This official version will include a remaster of the album as well as a free poster and will be made available as a gatefold LP with the original artwork.

PRIMORDIAL's latest album, "Redemption At The Puritan's Hand", was released in April 2011 via Metal Blade Records.

Acoustic dark rockers ANCIENT VVISDOM have released their new video, for 'Deathlike', the title track of their new album, out now in the UK and North America, and due throughout Europe on February 8th, via Prosthetic Records. Watch the new video below:
Deathlike was once again mixed and mastered by engineer/co-producer Jason Buntz (JET, THE DARKNESS, …TRAIL OF DEAD), along with partner and Enormous Door founder Jack Control whilst being recorded at Diamond Factory Studios in Austin, TX.
More on Ancient VVisdom including tour dates at this location.

"Learn To Live Again", the new video from the international powerhouse rock group W.E.T., can be seen below. The clip was shot on location last month in an industrial barn outside Stockholm, Sweden under bone-chilling weather conditions.

"Learn To Live Again" comes off W.E.T.'s new studio album, "Rise Up", which will be released on February 22 in Europe and February 26 in North America via Frontiers Records.

W.E.T.'s 2009 debut CD was one of the rare occasions when a band, created by the vision of a record label president, managed to generate a wave of enthusiasm and interest from fans and the media alike. Not only did it go beyond the band's own expectations, but it pushed the musicians themselves to raise their own game, when in the beginning they thought no one would care except maybe the die-hard fans from the three bands the name W.E.T. came from.

The key element to the success of W.E.T. was to create a modern melodic hard rock sound and drive it into the future with powerhouse rhythm and production, making it an equally classic and contemporary release.

Robert Säll (the "W" from WORK OF ART), Erik Mårtensson (the "E" from ECLIPSE) and Jeff Scott Soto (the "T" from TALISMAN), along with returning ECLIPSE members Magnus Henriksson and Robban Bäck, accepted the daunting task to create a follow-up that could live up to the expectation of thousands of fans across the globe.

The album's first single, "Learn To Live Again", was released on December 17 — and was described in a press release as "an unbelievably radio-friendly song, which features for the first time a vocal duet between Mårtensson and Soto."

"Rise Up" presents again a massive production and equally impressive songwriting, which updates the term "classic rock" into the new century.

"The songs were written between December 2011 to February 2012 and were recorded between March through May. We then wrote/added three more songs in September, recorded them in October and the whole album was finally mixed and mastered," says Erik Mårtensson. "To me, this album sounds more like a 'band' verses the first album", adds Jeff Scott Soto. "The first album was great as it had a lot of great songs, but this one has great songs and a band personality, which shows growth as far as I'm concerned."

Hook after hook, "Rise Up" is another one of these albums where you can enjoy the dynamics of a brilliant partnership bringing out a unique result. Melodic bullet rockers are followed by haunting ballads and fabulous arena rockers in an album that will leave listeners in awe from start to finish.

"We took what we all loved about the first album and built the songwriting and sound from that," says Mårtensson. "We wanted to give the band more of an identity and tried to find 'our' own sound. I really think we achieved it with this album. Heavier and darker than the first album which we all in the band love. It's melodic rock for a new century!" Soto adds: "Strangely, my faves are the more uptempo songs and ballads on this album, W.E.T. do great AOR stuff naturally but to have more strength on some tracks and then get emotionally charged in others made those songs the more interesting for me."

"Rise Up" track listing:

01. Walk Away
02. Learn to Live Again
03. Rise Up
04. Love Heals
05. What You Want
06. The Moment
07. Bad Boy
08. On The Run
09. Broken Wings
10. Shot
11. Still Believe In Us
12. Still Unbroken

W.E.T. is:

Jeff Scott Soto: Lead Vocals
Erik Mårtensson: Guitar, Bass, Keyboards, Vocals
Robert Säll: Keyboards, Guitar
Robban Bäck: Drums
Magnus Henriksson: Guitar

LACUNA COIL singer Cristina Scabbia is among the musicians who took part in an all-star jam aboard 70000 Tons Of Metal — the world's biggest heavy metal cruise — which sailed Monday, January 28 aboard the Royal Caribbean Majesty Of The Seas from Miami, Florida to Cockburn Town on Grand Turk Island, and returned to the real world last Friday, February 1. Video footage of Scabbia performing a cover version of the OZZY OSBOURNE classic "Bark At The Moon" with a backing band that included ANNIHILATOR's Jeff Waters on guitar, TURISAS' Robert Engstrand on keyboards, GOTTHARD's Marc Lynn on bass and ENSIFERUM's Janne Parviainen on drums can be seen below.

MARILYN MANSON's concert in Saskatchewan, Canada last night (Wednesday, February 6) was reportedly cut short after the band's lead singer and namesake collapsed on stage.

The 44-year-old rocker — whose real name is Brian Hugh Warner — was midway through performing the song "Beautiful People" at TCU Place in Saskatoon when he reportedly kneeled over and vomited on the stage. His bandmates continued to play for two minutes before security finally carried him off.

Video footage of the incident can be seen below (skip to around 1:25 mark).

The first photo of the new lineup of multinational melodic metallers MASTERPLAN can be seen below. Joining recently announced new drummer Martin "Marthus" Skaroupka (CRADLE OF FILTH) are vocalist Rick Altzi (AT VANCE, SANDALINAS, THUNDERSTONE), who replaces Jorn Lande, and bassist Jari Kainulainen (STRATOVARIUS, SYMFONIA, DEVIL'S TRAIN).

The band recently recorded the follow-up to its 2010 album, "Time To Be King", for a March release via AFM Records.

Commented MASTERPLAN guitarist/leader Roland Grapow: "The last years have not been easy for MASTERPLAN. Because of several factors, we have been unable to play festivals and tours — even though we had plenty of offers. But this will definitely change now.

"I'm very happy to welcome Rick and Jari on board now. Beside their undoubted musical qualities, they both fit perfectly into our team.

"We feel a huge motivation to get things going now.

"2013 will be see a new MASTERPLAN album, several festivals and a tour! It's time to return with full force."

MASTERPLAN's new lineup:

Rick Altzi - vocals
Roland Grapow - guitars
Axel Mackenrott - keyboards
Jari Kainulainen - bass
Martin "Marthus" Skaroupka - drums

Back in March 2012, Grapow revealed that he had 15 songs written for MASTERPLAN's next album. He added, "We are looking for a more powerful album this time... still with great melodies and feelings, but also with more orchestration and faster stuff again… just more metal."

In an August 2011 interview with the Czech web portal Kultura21.cz, Grapow stated about the status of the songwriting sessions for the next MASTERPLAN album, "This time we tried not to make demo productions, which have a poor sound — so we wanted to make really nice pre-production [recordings] which sound very close to the album sound, which is very easy [to do] in my studio now. I think we have many, many new ideas which, I guess, are a little bit more modern and more aggressive as well. So we try not to follow any trends of MASTERPLAN — I'm not saying we're reproducing the first album or the third one or the fifth one. I think we always have to try to make some surprises for the people. The 'Time To Be King' album is great, but this new album sounds a bit different again. I always want to do this, because I'm not that kind of guy who wants to make every year the same album."

On the topic of MASTERPLAN's numerous lineup changes, Grapow said, "I think it's always difficult in this band, I guess. If you see, the first album just came out after a big turbulence — leaving HELLOWEEN, Uli [Kusch, drums] and me. I think this band always needs some very bad moments to some great songs. [laughs] And it looks like MASTERPLAN, basically, is my main band, and whoever will sing and whoever will play in the band, I'm happy with. But, basically, at the moment, I'm thinking the main songwriters are Axel now and me. So whatever happens, this band will continue. It's very important for me to show that we still have the power and the ability to write beautiful melodies and some aggression and rock and metal songs. Whatever we do, we want just to make good-quality stuff."

MASTERPLAN's last CD, "Time To Be King", was released on May 21, 2010 through AFM Records. The CD's first single, "Far From The End Of The World", was issued on April 16, 2010.

"Russian Holiday", the new video from British heavy metal singer Blaze Bayley (IRON MAIDEN, WOLFSBANE) and Belgium-based classical guitarist Thomas Zwijsen, can be seen below. The song is the title track of the duo's collaborative acoustic EP, which is available for order at Blaze's official web site. The EP features four re-arranged songs from previous albums — including a "full classical guitar arrangement" of the IRON MAIDEN song "Sign Of The Cross" — and one brand new song written by Bayley and Zwijsen.

"Russian Holiday" EP track listing:

01. Stealing Time
02. Russian Holiday
03. Soundtrack Of My Life
04. One More Step
05. Sign Of The Cross

Zwijsen previously recorded an acoustic IRON MAIDEN tribute album called "Nylon Maiden", which featured a guest appearance by Bayley on a cover version of "The Clansman".

Zwijsen is one of the musicians who backed Bayley on Blaze's most recent European "The King Of Metal" tour.

Bayley's new studio album, "The King Of Metal", was released in March 2012. The CD was recorded at Fear Studio in Ravenna, Italy.

The 49-year-old Bayley, who was born in Birmingham, was the original frontman in WOLFSBANE, but left in 1994 to replace Bruce Dickinson as the lead singer of IRON MAIDEN.