Marta Gabriel of CRYSTAL VIPER joined the legendary epic metal act MANILLA ROAD on stage this past Saturday (February 2), at the Metal Assault festival in Würzburg, Germany, to perform the song "Flaming Metal Systems". Fan-filmed video footage of her appearance can be seen below.

CRYSTAL VIPER recorded a cover version of "Flaming Metal Systems" for "The Riddle Masters - A Tribute To Manilla Road" album, which was released in 2008.

MANILLA ROAD's performance at Metal Assault saw the group play a double headlining set celebrating 30 years of the "Crystal Logic" album (featuring original drummer Rick Fisher) and release of the new studio album, "Mysterium".

The new MANILLA ROAD album, "Mysterium", was released on February 2 via Zyx Music (CD) and High Roller Records (LP), and is the the first MANILLA ROAD album recorded with new drummer Neudi (ROXXCALIBUR, JAMESON RAID, ex-SAVAGE GRACE). A limited digipak version of the album includes a bonus DVD with full MANILLA ROAD live show recorded at the Hammer Of Doom festival in 2011.

CRYSTAL VIPER's new album, "Crimen Excepta", was released in April 2012 via AFM Records. The concept effort about holy inquisition, black magic and witches, where fiction is mixed with historical facts, was produced by Bart Gabriel (SACRED STEEL, JACK STARR'S BURNING STARR). "Crimen Excepta" features two special guests: David Bower, vocalist of HELL, appears in the title track, while VADER mainman Piotr "Peter" Wiwczarek can be heard in the cover version of the classic VADER song "Tyrani Piekiel", which is available as the bonus track on the first, limited edition of the album.

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 VAN HALEN classic "Ain't Talkin' Bout Love" with a backing band that included ANNIHILATOR's Jeff Waters on guitar, and DORO's Nick Douglas on bass and Johnny Dee on drums and can be seen below.

A previously unreleased MESHUGGAH track, "Pitch Black", can be streamed in the YouTube clip below. The song, which was recorded in July 2003 (around the time MESHUGGAH's "I" EP was released) at Fear And Loathing studios in Stockholm, Sweden by MESHUGGAH guitarist Fredrik Thordendal, is available for free download as a two-track EP from Scion Audio/Visual, (a.k.a. Scion A/V), the in-house record label and lifestyle marketing division of the Scion marque produced by Toyota Motor Corporation for the North American market. In addition to the "Pitch Black" title cut, the EP includes a live recording of the "obZen" song "Dancers To A Discordant System".

MESHUGGAH will embark on a North American headlining tour later this month with ANIMALS AS LEADERS as direct support and INTRONAUT opening each evening.

This continent-shifting, sonically devastating tour will launch in Orlando, Florida on February 11 and will run through March 3 in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Commented MESHUGGAH guitarist Mårten Hagström: "Finally we're getting our asses back over the pond to deliver a second helping of the Ophidian trek across North America. We are excited. We WILL see you there!"

MESHUGGAH's latest album, "Koloss", has sold more than 40,000 copies in the United States since its March 2012 release.

A new trailer for "The Lords Of Salem", Rob Zombie's long-awaited new film, can be seen below. The horror movie, Zombie's fifth live-action feature, stars his wife Sheri Moon Zombie as a Massachusetts DJ who discovers that playing a mysterious record somehow activates a curse placed on her town by a coven of witches 300 years ago.

The film premiered in September 2012 at the Toronto International Film Festival and will hit theaters in the U.S. on April 26. On top of that, the rocker-turned-director has teamed up with multiple-award-winning horror author B.K. Evenson to pen the official movie tie-in book for the film. The book will be released in March and promises to plunge readers into a nightmarish world where the sins of Salem are paid for in today’s blood. Zombie says: "The book offers a different experience from the film since it can obviously go into much more detail. The book and the film really complement each other."

The book will be published by Grand Central Publishing and their executive editor Ben Greenberg is excited about the release too. "As a horror junkie and a fan of Rob's work, I am thrilled that GCP will be publishing this novel," said Greenberg. "'The Lords Of Salem' is Rob's first original horror story since the great 'The Devil's Rejects', and it delivers exactly what his fans have been waiting for."

Zombie told The Pulse Of Radio a while back that this is the first time he's made a movie with explicitly supernatural overtones. "Yeah, the other ones aren't at all, I don't think," he said. "' [House Of 1000] Corpses' was just this crazy, bloody, you know, 'Rocky Horror Picture Show' thing, and 'Devil's Rejects' was always meant to be sort of like a post-modern Western, and the 'Halloween' films, I tried to make them not supernatural on purpose. So yeah, this will be the first one that's sort of about supernatural things coming back to life. It's good. I'm excited. It's gonna be very different than the other films."

"The Lords Of Salem" trailer:

Mysterious Swedish buzz band GHOST has been forced to modify its name in the U.S. to GHOST B.C. for "legal reasons."

In the year of 13, the second phase of GHOST B.C. begins with the release of the sophomore psalm, "Infestissumam", on April 9 via Loma Vista Recordings. Papa Emeritus II succeeded Papa Emeritus at the conclusion of phase one in the year of 12, and the Nameless Ghouls joined him under the unholy church's current moniker. Make no mistake, though. The rituals still demand the same reverence and praise, fortified through a delivery of sweetly satanic melodies, snaking distorted riffs, and vaudevillian keyboards.

GHOST B.C.'s tour, Haze Over North America 2013, will bow at this year's Coachella Valley Music & Arts Festival on April 14 and the Empire Polo Field in Indio, California. The band will also appear during the second weekend on April 21. All fans subscribed to the GHOST B.C. mailing list before Tuesday, February 6 at 6:00 p.m. EST will be sent a password for access to an exclusive tour pre-sale to take place February 6-7. Tickets will be available for purchase to the general public beginning February 8.

Papa Emeritus II recently emerged on the 100th issue of Decibel magazine for an extensive feature detailing the making of the forthcoming "Infestissumam" in which a nameless ghoul declared, "Regardless of your religious beliefs, we like to trigger the imagination of the listener so they can become a devout burner in Hell or a keen participant of devil worship for at least an hour or two. That's the GHOST experience." Decibel editor-in-chief Albert Mudrian said, "For the cover of our 100th issue, we wanted to spotlight a band that embodies the ideals of the magazine: theatricality, black humor, love for both the past and present of extreme music. GHOST meets and exceeds all of those criteria, and we couldn't be more excited to reveal the exclusive story of the making of their sophomore album."

Video footage of GHOST performing its new single, "Secular Haze" on January 19 at "P3 Guld" — Swedish radio station P3's annual music awards ceremony — at Scandinavium in Gothenburg, Sweden can be seen below.

"Infestissumam" track listing:

01. Infestissumam
02. Per Aspera Ad Inferi
03. Secular Haze
04. Jigolo Har Megiddo
05. Ghuleh / Zombie Queen
06. Year Zero
07. Idolatrine
08. Body And Blood
09. Depth Of Satans Eyes
10. Monstrance Clock

The band's debut album, "Opus Eponymous", was released in late 2010 in Europe and in early 2011 in North America via Rise Above Records.

French electro/industrial/gothic band AD INFERNA, which features in its ranks SETH mainman/vocalist Vicomte Vampyr Arkames, last month released its sixth album, "Im Mortelle", via DSM Records. According to a press release, the CD — which features a guest appeance by Minneapolis, Minnesota-based singer Melissa Ferlaak (PLAGUE OF STARS, AESMA DAEVA, VISIONS OF ATLANTIS, ECHOTERRA) — sees AD INFERNA "unveil[ing] an intimistic and very personal part of their soul. Their trip into space takes us where the reason ends & where the madness begins. Magic, bewitching, disturbing and so sensual, 'Im Mortelle' won't leave you indifferent."

"Im Mortelle" track listing:

01. Eternity Regained (feat. Melissa Ferlaak)
02. The Freezing Light (feat. MyLucina)
03. Extra Life
04. ReBirth (feat. Annie Bertram)
05. One Million Miles Away
06. Equinoxe (feat. Alina Dunaevskaya)
07. In-Human
08. Moïra (Bewitched by Jana Cova)
09. Ad Vitam (feat. Melissa Ferlaak)
10. Eternity Regained (acoustic version) (bonus track)

Gothenburg, Sweden-based rockers GERM BOMB return with their second album, "Sound Of Horns", out now through Heavy Steel Records (tape edition) from Portugal. The CD version of the effort will be released soon via the Chinese label Area Death Productions.
According to a press release, the follow-up to "Infected From Birth" "contains eight tracks of apocalyptic rock n' roll and analog power! Songs like 'Broken Bones', 'We Own The Night', 'Among Maniacs' are inspired from various artists such as MOTÖRHEAD, MIDNIGHT, GBH, ENTOMBED, SAINT VITUS! Kicking tracks of fast, punk fueled, hard-rocking metal sounding like it could have come straight from the '80s."

The artwork for "Sound Of Horns" was created by Chany Pilote from INEPSY and can be seen below.

Texas thrashers WARBEAST will release their sophomore full-length album, "Destroy", on April 2 via Housecore Records. The CD was produced by former PANTERA frontman, and Housecore owner, Philip H. Anselmo, and engineered by Stephen "The Big Fella" Berrigan at Anselmo's Nodferatu's Lair studios in Louisiana in May and July 2012. The effort was mixed by Anselmo and Berrigan. The album artwork and concept were designed by "Carcass" John Fossum with graphic and technical adviser John Deleon.

A CD-release show for "Destroy" will take place at The Rail Club in Fort Worth, Texas on April 6. This is currently the first live date WARBEAST has planned for 2013 after the close of the band's current tour, "The Weed & Speed Tour: West Coast Throwdown In The Year Of XIII", with headliners DOWN. The tour ends today in Chattanooga, Tennessee.

In other news, bassist Dré Karst has announced his departure from WARBEAST because he is unable to keep up with the band's busy touring schedule due to his full-time job. WARBEAST vocalist Bruce Corbitt states: "We are saddened that Dré has to leave the band. But we will be the first to acknowledge that Dré did an amazing job while he was in WARBEAST. He only had two weeks to prepare to record our upcoming full-length album, 'Destroy'. He also kicked ass at all of the shows and on the three tours with DOWN. So please everyone… join us in giving Dré his props for what he accomplished in his time in WARBEAST. Thanks so much, Dré!!! We will miss ya, bro… Thanks for being part of our family."

Corbitt continues: "So, obviously, that means that WARBEAST is now on the hunt for our next bass player. Please only serious musicians contact us about this. Obviously, we need someone that can tour constantly and that has a schedule that will work with WARBEAST. So for those interested please send an email to brucecorbitt@yahoo.com."

WARBEAST recently released a split album with Anselmo, entitled "War Of The Gargantuas". The split, released via Housecore, includes two songs from each artist. This album serves as the first release of any solo work by Anselmo during the span of his nearly 30-year legacy. Also, the two WARBEAST tracks on the split feature former bassist Alan Bovee before his amicable departure from the band.

The reunited original lineup of the acclaimed 1990s rock band SAIGON KICK has parted ways with bassist Tom DeFile before playing a single show. According to Tom, the split happened because of "personalities and other reasons."

Chris McLernon, who was not a part of the original SAIGON KICK lineup, but came aboard as the band's bassist for the "Water" album in 1993 and remained with the group until they unofficially called it quits in 1999, will play bass on SAIGON KICK's upcoming reunion tour.

SAIGON KICK has announced three shows so far: Las Vegas, Navada on March 29; Hollywood, California on March 30 and New York City on April 11.

Guitarist Jason Bieler, who last year launched a new project called OWL STRETCHING, stated in a 2012 interview about the prospect of a SAIGON KICK reunion, "My only thing about SAIGON KICK is that I wouldn't want it to be a 'will-work-for-food' tour. I hate that, and I expressed to the guys that whatever and if ever we do something, I want to do it at a level that's higher and better than it was. You tend to remember the best things about a band when they're younger, and when you see them when you're older you think 'Oh, man, they suck! Maybe they're still the same band and just never got any better.' I'd want to go out there and capture something, do something great. If we're going to do some shows, I don't want to show up with one flashlight and rip off the fans to make an extra $200. That's not what I'm interested in."

SAIGON KICK is perhaps best remembered for its second album, 1992's "The Lizard", which spawned the band's biggest hit single, "Love Is On The Way". The track reached No. 12 on the Billboard Hot 100 and its accompanying video was in the top 10 MTV countdown for many weeks. Just before touring for the LP commenced, DeFile was fired and was replaced by ex-COLD SWEAT bassist Chris McLernon. They toured from summer 1992 to spring 1993 and "The Lizard" was eventually certified gold by the RIAA (Recording Industry Association Of America) for sales in excess of 500,000 copies.

The official lyric video for the song "Feeding Frenzy" from Massachusetts heavyweights WITHIN THE RUINS can be seen below. The track comes off the band's third album, "Elite", which will be released on February 26 via eOne/Good Fight Music.

Commented WITHIN THE RUINS vocalist Tim Goergen: "This is definitely one of my favorite songs on the album, lyrically and musically. It explores a little bit more of our groove side while still keeping true to our sound. Enjoy!"

"Elite" track listing:

01. Terminal
02. Solice
03. Feeding Frenzy
04. New Holy War
05. The Charm
06. Ataxia II
07. Elite
08. I, Blashpheme
09. Absolute Hell
10. Weightless
11. Dreamland

WITHIN THE RUINS filmed music videos for the songs "Feeding Frenzy" and "New Holy War" this past weekend with veteran director Kevin J. Custer.

Commented WITHIN THE RUINS guitarist Joe Cocchi: "These two songs are the best representation of the new album as a whole. We chose a very melodic/groove-oriented song ('Feeding Frenzy') which is something this album has a lot more of. The other ('New Holy War') displays our more familiar fast paced and to-the-point sound and lyrically focusing on religion. With Kevin's help, we've come up with two pretty kick-ass ideas. Two back-to-back days of shooting will require tremendous amounts of alcohol, so we are looking for a beer sponsor as well. Just kidding, but not really."

In existence for nearly 10 years, WITHIN THE RUINS has released two full-length albums and has amassed an impressive touring resume.

WITHIN THE RUINS is: Tim Goergen (vocals), Joe Cocchi (guitar), Andrew Tate (bass), Kevin McGuill (drums).

HARASAI has inked a deal with Quality Steel Records. The band's second album, "Psychotic Kingdom", will be released in April. The CD was recorded and mixed by ORDEN OGAN's Sebastian Levermann. Mastering duties were handled by Dennis Koehne (CALIBAN, TIAMAT, LACUNA COIL).

The "Psychotic Kingdom" title track can be streamed in the YouTube clip below.

Hailing from Altenessen, which is said to be "Germany's capital of metal," the youngsters in HARASAI present a sound no one would expect of a Teutonian metal band: progressive melodic death metal.

With their highly acclaimed debut album, 2010's "The I-Conception" (produced by Dan Swanö), the band already built up a strong worldwide following. The release was followed by countless shows and festival appearances inside and outside of Germany with such acts as DARK TRANQUILLITY, ENTOMBED, SODOM, ICED EARTH, INSOMNIUM and GHOST BRIGADE.

HARASAI is:

Martin Wittsieker - Vocals
Yannick Becker - Guitar
Arne Laßen - Bass, Voice, Piano
Nicolas Becker - Drums
Patrick Wassenberg - Guitar

"Quietly", the first video from "Going Postal", the debut album from Swedish groove metallers DEATHEMBER, can be seen below. The CD, which features guest appearances by guitarist Ralph Santolla (DEICIDE, OBITUARY, ICED EARTH) and vocalist Daniel Ädel (VILDHJARTA, UNEVEN STRUCTURE), will be made available on April 5 via Violent Groove Music Group.

"Going Postal" track listing:

01. Going Postal
02. Spirals
03. Quietly
04. Unending Thirst
05. Let Us Flip A Few Pages Back (Part 1)
06. Where I Evade (Part 2)
07. The Deprivation (Part 3) (feat. Daniel Ädel)
08. Repeat & Remind
09. Hailing Down (feat. Ralph Santolla)
10. Amnesiac
11. By Damnation (limited-edition bonus track)

Commented DEATHEMBER: "It was a huge honor for us to have Ralph and Daniel on two separate songs on the album. Ralph is one of the greatest metal guitarists of all time and Daniel's band VILDHJARTA is one of the most important bands today in modern metal."

DEATHEMBER is:

Simon Tarasewicz - Vocals
Elias Ryen-Rafstedt - Drums
Pontus Wicklander - Bass
Staffan Birkedal - Guitars
Rikard Bonander - Guitars

Tampa Bay-based death thrashers GENERICHRIST have released their official video for the track 'Nazi In Blue'. The video was produced by Underground Florida film maker Josh Antonelli who has worked with the band through the years . This is the first video the band has done in two years but will not be the last in 2013.

Founder and frontman Tony Anderson states: "We are already throwing ideas around for the next video and plan to start shooting in March and there are also talks for a DVD this year with live footage and some of the old videos and so on its going to be a very busy 2013."
The band is currently finishing two releases; one being a record that will be titled Taste Of Death that will be released on Horror Pain Gore Productions out of Philadelphia and a special edition Asian release titled House Of Ill Repute that will be released on AreaDeath Productions/Xmusick China.

Both of the new albums will feature guest appearances by horror icon Bill Moseley and the artwork of Mark Cooper who did covers for several of the bands prior releases.

For more details visit Generichrist.com.

German power metallers GAMMA RAY have confirmed that they will release a new EP called Master Of Confusion on March 15 via EarMUSIC. The EP is actually close to an album as it has a length of 60 minutes, including two brand new songs, plus two covers (HOLOCAUST, SWEET) and six live tracks.

There will be a new album later this year; it's kind of a teaser and a perfect tool for the upcoming tour, which starts later this month. More news will be announced shortly.

A photo of frontman Kai Hansen and bassist Dirk Schlächter from the studio in Hamburg, Germany can be viewed below. Stay tuned for updates in the coming weeks.
Following is an excerpt from BraveWords' recent interview with Hansen about the new Gamma Ray live CD/DVD, Skeletons & Majesties Live:

“From a fan’s point of view, I’d be happy to see one of my favourite bands doing a completely different setlist because I know all their songs. If I go to a JUDAS PRIEST show, rather than hearing ‘Living After Midnight’ I’d rather hear stuff like ‘Dreamer Deceiver’. That’s much more interesting even for a diehard fan that knows all the songs in a band’s catalogue.”

And there you have the motivation behind Gamma Ray's new outing Skeletons & Majesties Live courtesy of frontman/founder Kai Hansen. Call it a case of the band challenging themselves and the fans by daring to be different, building a tour setlist in 2011 that reached all the way back to their 1990 debut Heading For Tomorrow and dusted off some of their more obscure tracks for the stage.

“It was really cool,” Hansen says. “And the great part of it was seeing that it actually works, that those songs aren’t weaker than the ones we play all the time. They just don’t get the attention they deserve. There are always the album favourites and the ‘real’ great songs, but that doesn’t mean the other songs are shit. When you do festivals and tours, sure, you include your ‘Best Of’ songs to make most of the people happy, but it was a lot of fun for us to do things this way.”

“That was especially at the rehearsals, when we were saying ‘Do we really have to practice ‘Send Me A Sign’ again?’ We’ve been playing that song for a long time and it’s quite simple, so there was no real need to go over it again. The songs that we hadn’t played in such a long time – or never – there was a totally different motivation to rehearsing them and improving ourselves.”

Go to this location for the complete interview.

The video for the song 'Thousands Carybdea', taken from French modern death-prog metallers ATLANTIS CHRONICLES' album, entitled Ten Miles Underwater and due for release on March 12th via Coroner Records, can be seen below:
Ten Miles Underwater will include the following tracklisting:

'Enter The Bathysphere...'
'... And Embrace The Abyss'
'Echoes Of Silence'
'Thousands Carybdea'
'Homocene'
'Ten Miles Underwater'
'L’Ivresse Des Profondeurs'
'Architeuthis Dux'
'Tales Of Atlantis'
'Stomias Boa'
'Behold Kraken'
'William Beebe'
Atlantis Chronicles tracklisting:

Antoine Bibent - Lead Vocals
Alex "Ash" Houngbo - Guitar/Vocals
Mikael Rumèbe - Bass
Jérôme Blazquez - Guitar
Sydney Taieb - Drums
More on Atlantis Chronicles at this location.

Horror maniacs STORY OF JADE have released a music video for the track ‘Self-Inflicted Masterpiece’. Check it out below:

‘Self-Inflicted Masterpiece’ comes off the band’s latest album The Damned Next Door ( Know Your Neighbors!).

Tracklisting is as follows:
‘Self-Inflicted Masterpiece’
‘Afterlife Confusion’
‘Enemy In Me’
‘H.M.K.M.’
‘C.F.Virus S01’
‘Confessions Of A Headless Man’
‘Bloodsuckers’
‘J.A.D.E.’
‘Lulladie’
‘New World Inquisition (When You Hear The Sirens)’

Vancouver death metal band ABRIOSIS have released their new EP entitled Vessel, today, February 1st.

The album is now available for free download in its entirety at the band’s website. Physical copies are also available for purchase their as well.

Guitarist Taylor Lipton commented: "Vessel is what we've been striving towards for year. We feel it truly defines the sound of Abriosis, and foreshadows our future endeavours."

Vessel marks the first Abriosis recording to feature the band's new vocalist, Alxs Ness (ex-WITHOUT MERCY). Ness' YouTube channel has attracted over one million views split between her death metal vocal covers and vocal technique/advice videos.

Artwork for the album was created by Alison Lilly.
Tracklisting is as follows:
‘Crypsis’
‘Vessel’
‘Peering Into Oblivion’
‘Aprochra’

The band previously released the track ‘Crypsis’ for streaming. Check it out below:
More on Abriosis here.

Platinum selling solo artist and iconic guitarist ORIANTHI is gearing up for the release of her new album, Heaven In This Hell. Orianthi will captivate fans with a record that delivers a mega-dose of rock and weaves elements of modern country and swampy blues. The album, produced by Dave Stewart, will be released on Robo Records (distributed by Universal/Fontana) and is scheduled to drop on March 12th. The first single, 'Frozen', was serviced to rock and classic rock radio on January 28th.

Fans can check out the songs 'Frozen' and 'You Don't Wanna Know' here.
From writing her first song at the age of 6, to being discovered and playing alongside her idols CARLOS SANTANA and STEVE VAI early in her career, Orianthi has made an enduring mark on the music industry. While many were introduced to this timid guitar goddess when she played the Grammy Awards in 2009 as part of CARRIE UNDERWOOD’s band, it was being selected for MICHAEL JACKSON’s ill-fated This Is It Tour that exposed her to mainstream audiences. In the Fall of 2009, Orianthi released According To You, her first solo single, which went platinum in the US and abroad. More than just a gifted guitarist, this success showed she had serious vocal chops as well.

In late 2011, between legs of ALICE COOPER's world tour (where she played lead guitar), she began work on her forthcoming project.

“I am so proud of this album because it really showcases my style of riff heavy rock and energetic blues,” Orianthi remarks. “The success of Believe [her previous CD] helped give me credibility and afforded me the freedom to create the kind of album I have been wanting to make, with musicians I respect, playing together live in a studio, creatively exchanging ideas... the way I want all my records to be made. My friend, collaborator and producer, Dave Stewart and I just jammed and hashed out a variety of songs and sounds until we found the grooves that inspired us”, she continued.

While Orianthi recorded a majority of Heaven In This Hell at Blackbird Studio in Nashville, she also recorded several songs and overdubs at Dave Stewart's Hollywood Studio.

“Working with Ori over the last year has been an inspiring experience for me,” said Stewart . “She is such a dedicated guitarist and focused songwriter; her enthusiasm is infectious and all the musicians who worked on the record were motivated to give her their best. When we went to Nashville, we knew we were about to embark on something exciting, something career altering,” he continued.

The time spent in Nashville left an indelible impression that can be heard in several of the tracks, which were mixed by Nashville resident John McBride. New tracks like 'Rock' and 'Another You' are examples of crossover country-AC songs that blend heartfelt harmonies and melodies with lyrics that showcase a more vulnerable, exposed emotional side, often veiled by her signature PRS axe. 'Heaven In This Hell' the title track, is a blues-rooted rock song which features swampy guitar riffs with an edgy Zeppelin-esque vibe. Songs like 'Frozen', the first single, and 'You Don’t Wanna Know' provide listeners with some insight into a couple of her primary musical influences with raw, crunchy guitar riffs reminiscent of JIMI HENDRIX and STEVIE RAY VAUGHN. 'If You Think You Know Me' is an arousing anthem with thunderous drums, meant to inspire and empower anyone who has ever felt alone. This track, which begs to be played in a large arena, asks listeners: “Have you ever felt like you didn’t fit in?/Like there's somebody else inside your skin?/ Well you’re not alone/We all came here for something."

"To say that we are excited about this record is a complete understatement" said Rob Christie, founder of Robo Records. "Not only is Orianthi one of the most gifted musicians I've heard, but she also has a heart of gold. She is extremely passionate about music, animals, family and her fans. She truly is an inspiration to adults and children, literally around the globe."

“I’m so excited to share Heaven In This Hell with the fans! It’s been a long time coming for me,” says Orianthi.
Heaven In This Hell tracklisting:

'Heaven In This Hell'
'You Don't Wanna Know'
'Fire'
'If You Think You Know Me'
'How Do You Sleep?'
'Frozen'
'Rock'
'Another You'
'How Does That Feel?'
'Filthy Blues'
'If You Were Here With Me'

A sneak peek into the making of Heaven In This Hell can be seen below:
More on Orianthi at this location.

The fifth solo album from TOBY KNAPP (ONWARD, GODLESS RISING) will be titled Static Warfare, and is entering it's second stage. The entire album is written and in demo format; all the drum tracks have been recorded as well.
Knapp has selected nine new compositions for the album and now the guitar and bass tracks begin. The album, due out this summer on Shredguy Records, is a summing up of the most ideal elements from the entire body of Knapp's work dating back 20 years. The odd meter thrash of 'Guitar Distortion', the addictive riffery from the Onward years, the darkness of Godless Rising and the neo-classical virtuosity displayed on 'Polarizing Lines'. Stay tuned as Knapp will be lining up some tour dates for the summer.

Germany’s SIX REASONS TO KILL have announced that they will release their fifth studio album We Are Ghosts, on March 22nd via Massacre Records.

On March 1st, the band will release the first single ‘The Damned’, off the new album. It will be a two -track single and will be available in digital form only.

A snippet of the track can be heard at this location.

Artwork for the album is below:



Previously released studio diaries from the making of the album can be seen below:





The band has also announced that they will join PRO-PAIN on their Straight To The Dome European tour 2013. Joining them in support will be UNDIVIDED and DON GATTO. Tour dates can be seen below:



February
14 – Berlin, Germany - SO36
15 – Bischofswerda, Germany - Eastclub
16 – Essen, Germany - Turock
17 – Almelo, The Netherlands - NAXT Stage
18 – Köln, Germany - MTC
19 – Roeselare, Belgium - De Verlichte Geest
20 - La Roche-Sur-Yon, France - Texas Café
22 - Montpellier, France - Secret Place
23 – Düdingen, Switzerland - Bad Bonn
24 – Freiburg, Germany - Cafe Atlantik
25 – Nürnberg, Germany - Kulturfactory
26 – Bratislava, Slovakia - Randal Club
27 – Zagreb, Croatia - KSET
28 – Belgrade, Russia - Gun Club

March
1 – Belgrade, Russia - Gun Club
2 – Slatina, Croatia - The Rock
3 - Cluj-Napoca, Russia - Gambrinus Pub
5 - Ostrava Czech Republic - Barrák Music Club
6 – Wroclaw, Poland - Alibi
7 - Schwäbisch Hall, Germany - Kantine 26
8 - Memmingen, Germany - Kaminwerk
9 – Weinheim, Germany - Café Central

Norwegian death metal band NO DAWN have revealed the tracklisting to their upcoming, as-untitled new album, due out via Wormholedeath/Aural Music Group.

It is as follows:
'Preludium ex Chaos'
'Terror Divine'
'Dark Aura'
'Exit Sanity'
'The Human Curse'
'Inevitable Downfall'
'God ov Torment'
'The Voice Ov The Abyss'
'Hail The Burden'
'The Final Departure'
No Dawn will travel to Parma in Italy to record their debut album, due out later this year.

No Dawn hails from Steinkjer, in the middle parts of Norway. Formed back in 2002, as a thrash metal project, the band sounds quite different today opposed to the beginning, going from extreme thrash to being a more brutal and technical death metal act. The band has more and more frequently entered the stage and toured with bands like CANNIBAL CORPSE, SIX FEET UNDER and MASTER.
More on No Dawn at this location.

Israeli-based dark epic metallers DESERT have checked in from the studio where they are working with Erez Yohanan of AMASEFFER fame.
The band comments: “Here is coming the first part of the studio diary, where you can see Assaf Markowitz, making an outstanding job, on drums recording for our upcoming album. Enjoy and to be continued!”
More information about Desert can be found on Facebook.

Chicago-based metal/rock supergroup SPILLAGE are the latest act confirmed for Days Of The Doomed Fest III, taking place June 21st and 22nd at the Blue Pig in Milwaukee, WI.
Combing the metal elements of early JUDAS PRIEST and SCORPIONS, along with the bluesy feel of early AEROSMITH and even THREE DOG NIGHT, Spillage promise to deliver a unique sound experience like no other. With Bruce Franklin producing the record, Spillage will be entering Chicago’s Farview Recording Studios this spring, and are hoping for a late 2013 release of the debut album.

Spillage will be making their debut performance as part of Days Of The Doomed Fest III, also featuring HOLLOW LEG, MOON CURSE, KINGS DESTROY, VENOMOUS MAXIMUS, ORODRUIN, PENANCE, IRON MAN, VICTOR GRIFFIN'S IN~GRAVED, PALE DIVINE, WHILE HEAVEN WEPT, EARTHEN GRAVE, LEATHER NUN, KING GIANT and SPYDERBONE.

Complete Days Of The Doomed Fest III details at this location.
Further Spillage live dates will be revealed soon.

Spillage lineup:

Tony Spillman (EARTHEN GRAVE) - Guitars
Bruce Franklin (TROUBLE, SUPERSHINE) - Guitars
Lothar Keller (THE SKULL, SACRED DAWN, DIVINITY COMPROMISED) - Vocals
Willie Max (SHADOZ EDGE) - Bass
Chris Martins (BAND OF BROTHERS) - Drums
Derrick Simpson - Keyboards
Check out a sample of the demo track 'Insomnia' below. More on Spillage at this location.

Italian dark gothic progressive metal act RESONANCE ROOM will release their new album, Untouchable Failure, on March 18th via My Kingdom Music. The album artwork is below:
Untouchable Failure tracklisting:

'The Great Insomnia'
'Cages Of Dust'
'So Precious'
'New Life'
'Naivety And Oblivion'
'Outside The Maze'
'A Picture'
'Unending Loss'
'Prometheus'
'Faded'

Watch an official album trailer below:
Resonance Room lineup:

Alessandro Consoli (Vocals)
Riccardo Failla (Guitars)
Alfio Timoniere (Bass)
Sandro Galati (Drums)
More on Resonance Room at this location.

Finnish metal band NO SIGN OF LIFE have premiered their new video, for the track 'Enemies Of Choice'. The video was directed by Ristomatti Rinne and filmed over two days in Helsinki in early November 2012.

The band states: "We're extremely satisfied with the video and the way it turned out to be. Hopefully we can work with Ristomatti Rinne and his team with our future projects as well!"

Watch the clip below:
'Enemies of Choice' is featured on the new album, Embrace Your Demons, released in December 2012 via Mighty Music.
Embrace Your Demons tracklist:

'Ghost'
'Walls Melt Down'
'Nothing To Say'
'Enemies Of Choice'
'Behind The Scenes'
'SymPathetic'
'Embrace Your Demons'
'Meaning Of Life'
'The Wounds Of Nature'
'Light At The End Of The Tunnel'

The video for 'Meaning of Life' can be seen below:
More on No Sign Of Life at this location.

LAMB OF GOD frontman Randy Blythe has returned to the Czech Republic to stand trial on charges of manslaughter in the death of a fan at a Prague concert more than two years ago.

The court originally had three months to set a trial date after announcing on December 3, 2012 that Blythe was officially indicted on manslaughter charges.

Blythe is facing the possibility of conviction and a long-term jail sentence after a 2010 incident in which a fan, Daniel Nosek, attending a LAMB OF GOD show died almost a month later, allegedly from injuries sustained when he was thrown off the stage. Blythe's predicament has galvanized the heavy rock community, with artists across the hard rock genre pledging their support.

Blythe arrived in court this morning (Monday, February 4) about a quarter hour before the scheduled start time and was described by Blesk.cz as "unrecognizable" — sporting slick short hair and a "humble" expression. He did not address reporters before the court session and spoke only with his lawyer.

"And so it begins. I am calm and prepared," Randy wrote on his Instagram account. "Everyone, thanks for your good thoughts and prayers. Have a nice day, y'all!"

Speaking in court, Randy said: "I've kept my word. I said that I would come back to court today and I did. I do not shy away from responsibility. I'm not a person who runs away from problems. But I do not want to be punished for something I did not do."

Randy explained that fans are normally prohibited from jumping on stage, but the Prague show was different. People climbed up on stage and found themselves standing next to bandmembers.

"The fan's death breaks my heart," Randy said.

"I never saw Daniel and I never came in contact with him," he added in court.

According to the singer, LAMB OF GOD never encouraged anyone to get up on stage and has security guards and barriers around the stage to prevent fans from getting up on stage and possibly bumping into the musicians.

The club Abaton where the LAMB OF GOD concert on May 24, 2010 took place was had inadequate security, according to Blythe, and there was general chaos on stage during the performance.

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

"I'm not rich, and if I had to pay for something, I would have to earn it first," said Blythe, who makes about $200,000 a year. Most of the earnings reportedly come from the sale of T-shirts and other merchandise.

Jonathan Crane, a reporter from the Prague Post, told WTVR-TV that a legal expert believes the Blythe's defense team should have quite a strong case. "Even if Randy was responsible for the alleged attack, the expert said that who is to say that he wasn't accidentally kicked or trodden on or left without help by fans below the stage," Crane said.

Check out video footage from today's court session at this location. Photos can be found at Blesk.cz.

"A Question Of God", the new video from the NERGARD — the Norwegan melodic metal act led by musician and composer Andreas Nergård — can be seen below. The song was co-written with legendary British singer Tony Mills (TNT, SHY), who also appears in the clip, which was filmed and edited by Sondre Sivertsen.

"A Question Of God" comes off NERGARD's album, "Memorial For A Wish", which will be released this spring through the Australian label Battlegod Productions.

"Memorial For A Wish" features guest appearances by the following musicians:

* Åge Sten Nilsen (WIG WAM) - Vocals
* Ralf Scheepers (PRIMAL FEAR, ex-GAMMA RAY) - Vocals
* Göran Edman (ex-YNGWIE MALMSTEEN) - Vocals
* Mike Vescera (ex-YNGWIE MALMSTEEN, LOUDNESS) - Vocals
* Nils K. Rue (PAGAN'S MIND) - Vocals
* Michele Luppi (SECRET SPHERE) - Vocals
* Andi Kravljaca (SILENT CALL, AEON ZEN) - Vocals
* David Reece (POWERWORLD, ex-ACCEPT) - Vocals
* Tony Mills (TNT, SHY) - Vocals
* Helge Engelke (FAIR WARNING) - Guitar Solos
* Stig Nergård (TELLUS REQUIEM) - Guitar Solos

A promo EP entitled "In The Beginning" was released in 2011 containing three tracks from "Memorial For A Wish", with special guest appearances by Ralf Scheepers (PRIMAL FEAR, GAMMA RAY), Tony Mills (TNT, SHY), Mike Vescera (YNGWIE MALMSTEEN, LOUDNESS).

The story of "Memorial For A Wish" is set in Dublin, Ireland, in 1890. A young man by the name of Peter O'Donnell is arrested and wrongfully accused of a burglary which he did not commit. After a short trial, he is sentenced to prison for twenty years. In desperation he is forced to leave his pregnant wife behind and live in solitude behind the prison walls. Twenty long years pass by and Peter is released from jail, only to find out that his beloved wife died many years ago while giving birth to their daughter. The friends he once had turn their backs on him and let him face the grief all alone. This eventually tears him apart. As the sorrow and despair become too much to handle, he ends up committing suicide.

Frontiers Records last month announced the signing of iconic Christian rockers STRYPER to a multi-album deal. The first CD to be made available the agreement will be a collection of re-recorded versions of the band's classic songs, due in North America on March 26. Entitled "Second Coming" and produced by frontman Michael Sweet, the CD will contain a total of 16 cuts — two from "The Yellow And Black Attack", six from "Soldiers Under Command", six from "To Hell With The Devil", as well as two new tracks, "Bleeding From Inside Out" and "Blackened".

Commented Sweet: "We're really excited about this record. The re-recorded songs are sounding awesome... better than the originals in many ways! One word to describe the record? Heavier."

He added: "Why did we re-record old songs? That's a multiple-answer question.

"First, because we wanted to cut out the middle men and have a little more control over our own songs.

"Second, we wanted to 'fix' some things that have annoyed the 'hell' out of us for the past 30 years such as: no bass in the mix of 'The Yellow And Black Attack' or 'Soldiers Under Command', and no Tim [Gaines, bass] on the mix of 'To Hell With The Devil'. The fact that I sound a little more like a man instead of a helium-induced kid at Disneyland. :-) The sheer joy of still loving these songs and still being able to perform these songs (well, we'll let the experts be the judge of that). And last but not certainly least? We did it just because we wanted to :-)

"So there you go, the mystery is over and the reasons have been revealed.

"Seriously, we're really excited about this record. It's one of the few re-records that I believe will stand against any of the originals if not surpass them.

"If you liked 'The Covering', you'll love 'Second Coming'!"

"Second Coming" track listing:

01. Loud N' Clear
02. Loving You
03. Soldiers Under Command
04. Makes Me Wanna Sing
05. First Love
06. The Rock That Makes Me Roll
07. Reach Out
08. Surrender
09. To Hell With The Devil
10. Calling On You
11. Free
12. The Way
13. Sing Along Song
14. More Than A Man
15. Bleeding From Inside Out (new track)
16. Blackened (new track)

"Soldiers Under Command" (new version) audio clip: