Australia-based "epic, aggressive" metallers DRAGONSCLAW are "98% done" with their second album, "Judgement Day", which is scheduled for release in early 2013. The band states, "David Reece [ACCEPT, BANGALORE CHOIR] has delivered an amazing guest vocal on the track 'Watching My Every Move'... Jack Starr [VIRGIN STEELE] plays a killer solo on the track 'Battle Cry', which is our tribute to RIOT and Mark Reale's musical legacy. And Natalie Whitton of the CURSING STONE contributes choir vocals on the track 'Fear'... our thanks also to Rhino [MANOWAR, ANGELS OF BABYLON] for tracking Jack's solo and to Corey Wyer [CURSING STONE] for assisting Natalie in the studio recording her vocals."

Commented Reece: "DRAGONSCLAW are a great band with an exceptional singer and I'm truly honored to have been asked to participate."

"Judgement Day" track listing:

01. Watching My Every Move (feat. David Reece)
02. Judgement Day
03. Bullet
04. Fear
05. Fly: Defenders Of The Skies Part II
06. Lucifer's Hammer (WARLORD cover)
07. Battle Cry (feat. Jack Starr)
08. Eternally

DRAGONSCLAW's debut album, "Prophecy", was released in January via Arkeyn Steel Records. The CD features guest appearances by Blaze Bayley (IRON MAIDEN, WOLFSBANE) and Alessandro Del Vecchio (EDGE OF FOREVER, EDEN'S CURSE).

The band's lineup is as follows:

Ben Thomas - Guitar
Giles Lavery - Vocals
Ray Martens - Keyboards
Aaron Thomas - Bass, Orchestration
Alcides "Seed" Stowe - Drums

LNJ Records and Roxx Records have joined forces just in time for the holidays to bring you LIBERTY N' JUSTICE's massive double CD, The Cigar Chronicles, featuring 26 songs and over 70 guest artists.
The Cigar Chronicles will be the last all-star CD as Liberty N' Justice stops being a project band and becomes a real band. With an official release date of February 26th, Liberty N' Justice's official website, Roxx's online store, and some online stores will be releasing the CD early. Anyone ordering the CD early from either the LNJ site or Roxx will receive the digital files the same day they order the CD.

You can hear song samples at this location including a free Christmas song download that has JK Northrup's monster guitar playing and arranging with the voice of the new LNJ, David Cagle.

Roxx will also be selling an exclusive autographed copy for the first 100 purchasers plus a special package with a new Roxx LNJ release"Before The Revolution: Best Of Liberty N' Justice - The Early Years. Pre-orders are available here.

The Cigar Chronicles features over 70 guest musicians including George Lynch (DOKKEN, LYNCH MOB), Kip Winger (WINGER), Jeff LaBar (CINDERELLA), Tony Harnell (ex-TNT), CJ Snare (FIREHOUSE), Phil Lewis (LA GUNS), Gunnar Nelson (NELSON), Tim Gaines (STRYPER), Steve Brown (TRIXTER), Mark Kendall (GREAT WHITE), and more.

The complete double album tracklist and line-up details can be found at this location.

Canada's THREE DAYS GRACE released their new album, Transit Of Venus, back in October. An audio snippet of their cover of MICHAEL JACKSON's 'Give In To Me' has surfaced on YouTube and can be heard below:
As previously reported, Three Days Grace hit the road with SHINEDOWN and P.O.D. in 2013. Dates are as follows:

February
1 - Moline, IL - iWireless Center
2 - Madison, WI - Alliant Energy Center
5 - Minneapolis, MN - Target Center
6 - Green Bay, WI - Resch Center
8 - Nashville TN - Bridgestone Arena
10 - Knoxville, TN - Knoxville Coliseum
12 - Saginaw, MI - DOW Events Center
13 - Battle Creek, MI - Kellogg Arena
15 - Ft. Wayne, IN - Allen County War Memorial
16 - Lexington, KY - Rupp Arena
17 - Reading, PA - Sovereign Center
19 - Baltimore, MD - 1st Mariner Arena
20 - Lowell, MA - Tsongas Arena
For more information on Three Days Grace go to this location.

German death metallers DEFEATED SANITY will release their fourth full-length album, "Passages Into Deformity", onFebruary 5, 2013 via Willowtip Records. The nine-track follow-up to 2010's "Chapters Of Repugnance" was recorded at Soundlodge Studios in Germany and includes guest vocal appearances by Frank Rini (INTERNAL BLEEDING), AJ Magana (ex-DEFEATED SANITY, DISGORGE), and Brian Forgue (SYPHILIC, GUTROT), with sound effects performed by Jon Engman (ex-BRODEQUIN).

"Passages Into Deformity" will be paired with a bonus DVD featuring making-of clips, interviews with the band, and performance videos.

Comments the band in a statement: "With 'Passages Into Deformity', fans can expect another quality release from DEFEATED SANITY. Without compromising the brutality of our sound, we have stepped it up in terms of the overall production. The album has a more old-school vibe to it, with a lot of early '90s-inspired riffs and slams, but we made it a point to not get away from the technical and progressive stuff as well. People can definitely expect the most balanced DEFEATED SANITY album yet"

"Passages Into Deformity" track listing:

01. Initiation
02. Naraka
03. Verblendung
04. Lusting For Transcendence
05. The Purging
06. Verses Of Deformity
07. Perspectives
08. Frenzy
09. Martyrium

The song "Verblendung" can now be streamed below.

Former SKID ROW vocalist Sebastian Bach is working on a brand new DVD/live CD package, "ABachalypse Now", for a spring 2013 release via Frontiers Records. The DVD/CD includes never-before-seen footage from this year's Graspop Metal Meeting in Dessel, Belgium, the full Hellfest set from France and the fully remixed and remastered Club Nokia show from Los Angeles (originally broadcast on AXS TV). The exact track listing and table of contents is forthcoming.

According to Sebastian, "ABachalypse Now" will include "special guest appearances by Jinxx from BLACK VEIL BRIDES, Roy Z (HALFORD), and Brent Woods (VINCE NEIL)."

He previously stated about the forthcoming set: "I am so excited for all of you to witness and experience 'ABachalypse Now'. We have included three recent concerts and the footage is totally kickass! It's remixed and remastered for full audio and video quality. The performances and energy of the crowds are killer throughout the DVD and you really feel like you are at the shows. Prepare yourselves for the coming ABachalypse — now!"

Bach in July posted a letter on his Facebook page in which he said he was willing to reunite with SKID ROW. "For the fans, I would be willing to put my ego aside and do something that would be special for the people who put us where we are today," he wrote. "I do not personally want it myself. But it's not always about 'what I want.' If the fans really want to see us together, I would do it for the fans. Sometimes you can do things for people other than yourself."

Bach said he wanted to write the letter in response to current SKID ROW singer Johnny Solinger's interview in which Johnny said a recent tweet by Bach about a possible SKID ROW reunion was an attempt to "get attention."

Bach's most recent solo album, "Kicking & Screaming", sold 6,600 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 73 on The Billboard 200 chart. The singer's previous CD, "Angel Down", opened with 6,400 units back in November 2007 to debut at No. 190.

PORCUPINE TREE released Octane Twisted, a double-disc live set recorded at The Rivera, Chicago, Ill. and Royal Albert Hall, London, UK, in North America on November 20th via Kscope.



The album track, 'Dislocated Day', can be streamed below:
Porcupine Tree previously posted a live video of the band performing 'I Drive The Hearse', taken from the Chicago performance offered on the two-disc set. Check it out below:
Octane Twisted consists of The Incident - the band's 10th studio album - live in its entirety recorded in Chicago. The second CD contains five classic Porcupine Tree tracks also recorded in Chicago, along with three highlights from the band's landmark show at Royal Albert Hall. All the songs were recorded during the tour that supported The Incident, which went Top 30 in both the US and UK in 2009.

Tracklisting:

CD 1 - The Incident - Chicago:

'Occam's Razor'
'The Blind House'
'Great Expectations'
'Kneel And Disconnect'
'Drawing The Line'
'The Incident'
'Your Unpleasant Family'
'The Yellow Windows Of The Evening Train'
'Time Flies'
'Degree Zero Of Liberty'
'Octane Twisted'
'The Seance'
'Circle Of Manias'
'I Drive The Hearse'

CD2:

'Hatesong
'Russia On Ice / The Pills I'm Taking'
'Stars Die'
'Bonnie The Cat'
'Even Less'
'Dislocated Day'
'Arriving Somewhere But Not Here'
The track, 'I Drive The Hearse', is streaming in the widget below. Fans who sign up for the Porcupine Tree mailing list will receive a free download of the track.
Porcupine Tree is unquestionably one of the most difficult-to-categorize and innovative bands working today. The band is fronted by Steven Wilson, who also is well-known for his work producing other artists, from Swedish progressive metal group, Opeth, to Norwegian chanteuse, Anja Garbarek.
More on Porcupine Tree at this location.

MEEK IS MURDER have released a music video for the track 'Marty McFly (88mph)' off their latest EP release, Into The Sun Where It Falls Off The Sky. Check it out below:
A free stream of Into The Sun Where It Falls Off The Sky is currently available at this location.
According to a press release: “The five-song EP assaults listeners with Meek’s special brand of techy, chaotic hardcore and manages to get in-and-out in about seven minutes.”

The EP was engineered and mixed by Kevin Antreassian at Backroom Studios (THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN, MIKE PORTNOY, AND FOXY SHAZAM) along with producer and guest vocalist Jesse Korman. Into The Sun Where It Falls Off The Sky was mastered by Alan Douches (CONVERGE, MASTODON) at West West Side Music.

Guitarist/vocalist Mike Keller commented: “Much in the way Algorithms drew influence from computer science concepts as allegories for life’s many challenges, the songs of Into The Sun Where It Falls Off The Sky honor a couple of our favorite sci-fi films as metaphors for the comedy and tragedy of our lives.”

German gothic metallers CORONATUS have released a new video, for the track 'Vor Der Schlacht', lifted from the band's Terra Incognita album, released in late 2011 via Massacre Records. Watch the new video below:
Coronatus will release a digital compilation just in time for Christmas. Best Of 2007-2011 will be available December 21st via Massacre Records at iTunes and Amazon. It will feature the top 16 songs from all of Coronatus' albums. The tracklisting is as follows:
'Fernes Land'
'Dead Man's Tale'
'Saint Slayer'
'Traumzeit'
'Wolfstanz'
'Tantalos'
'Kristallklares Wasser'
'Blind'
'Exitus'
'Cast My Spell'
'Mein Herz'
'Beauty In Black'
'Silberlicht'
'Scream Of The Butterfly'
'Ich Atme Zeit'
'Hot & Cold'

Sound snippets can be heard at this location.

SAXON frontman Biff Byford has been confirmed as one of the guest musicians who will appear on "The Mystery Of Time", the new album from EDGUY frontman Tobias Sammet's AVANTASIA project. Also scheduled to make appearances on the CD are former KISS guitarist Bruce Kulick and drummer Russell Gilbrook of URIAH HEEP.

A short video from a studio in Brighton, England where Tobias recently worked on the recordings for the new AVANTASIA album with Biff can be seen below.

Bruce previously appeared on AVANTASIA's "The Wicked Symphony" and "Angel Of Babylon" CDs and Tobias contributed guest vocals to Bruce's last solo release, "BK3".

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

Immediately after the release of "The Mystery Of Time", a metal opera based on a story written by Sammet, the band will embark on a full-fledged indoor tour, during which the band and special guests will bring the epic undertaking to the stage.

Since the performances will embrace all the different eras and history of AVANTASIA, these shows will feature an extended playing time and the entire evening will be dedicated to AVANTASIA with no support acts.

Tobias originally wanted to put AVANTASIA to rest after the release of the "The Flying Opera - Around The World In 20 Days" concert DVD in April 2011, but he has since had a change of heart. He explains, "Even though I love to record and tour with EDGUY, I didn't foresee how much I need AVANTASIA when I decided to finish this chapter of my life in 2011. I didn't know if there would be another AVANTASIA album one day, but I didn‘t feel like doing it. After the worldwide success of the latest studio releases, an arena world tour that was sold out pretty much everywhere, collaborations with childhood heroes like Alice Cooper, Klaus Meine, Rudolf Schenker, Eric Singer of KISS, etc. I 'knew' that I had said everything I could possibly say in the name of AVANTASIA. But that's not what AVANTASIA is all about. I wanna create more great music, I wanna create more fantasy worlds, the bigger and the more epic, the better. And listening to the material that I have created for this forthcoming chapter in the history of AVANTASIA, I know there is no way I am not going to do it! I have got the feeling and the certainty that this is absolutely meant to happen and to be!"

A two-and-a-half-minute trailer for "The Divinity Of Purpose", the new album from Connecticut hardcore/metal masters HATEBREED, in which the band's frontman, Jamey Jasta discusses the CD's artwork, can be seen below.

"The Divinity Of Purpose" is available for pre-order on iTunes (in the United States and Canada). When fans pre-order the album, they'll also receive an instant download of the opening track, "Put It To The Torch".

"The Divinity Of Purpose" will be released on January 29, 2013 in North America via Razor & Tie and on January 25, 2013 in Europe through Nuclear Blast. The CD was co-produced by HATEBREED, Chris "Zeuss" Harris (SUICIDE SILENCE, ALL THAT REMAINS, SHADOWS FALL) and Josh Wilbur (LAMB OF GOD, AVENGED SEVENFOLD), with Wilbur also handling mixing duties. The cover artwork was created and illustrated by Eliran Kantor (TESTAMENT, ATHEIST, SIGH, ANACRUSIS, GWAR) and can be seen below.

"The Divinity Of Purpose" track listing:

01. Put It To the Torch
02. Honor Never Dies
03. Own Your World
04. The Language
05. Before The Fight Ends You
06. Indivisible
07. Dead Man Breathing
08. The Divinity Of Purpose
09. Nothing Scars Me
10. Bitter Truth
11. Boundless (Time To Murder It)
12. Idolized And Vilified

Regarding the musical direction of the new HATEBREED material, singer Jamey Jasta told "Maximum Threshold", "We did enough experimenting, I think, on the last record… A lot of people really liked that record and it did gain us a lot of new fans, but on this record, with the 10-year anniversary of [HATEBREED's 2002 album] 'Perseverance' and with Wayne [Lozinak, guitar] being back in the band — this will be his second record with us — it's just fun to kind of keep with the old-school influences. I hear more CRO-MAGS and KILLING TIME and SHEER TERROR and OBITUARY and BOLT THROWER and SLAYER and ENTOMBED and those kind of '80s and '90s influences in there. Which is fun for us, because we emulate the bands that we love. We try to make it our own sound and make it our own style, but at the end of the day, we're just fans of those styles of bands."

"The Divinity Of Purpose" will be supported by extensive global touring that will stretch well into 2014.

HATEBREED is currently on the road with LAMB OF GOD, IN FLAMES and SYLOSIS and will headline the Persistence Tour 2013 in Europe in January.

"The Divinity Of Purpose" trailer:

Iggy Pop, John Wetton (ASIA), Glenn Hughes (DEEP PURPLE, BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION), Jack Russell (GREAT WHITE), L.A. GUNS, Gilby Clarke (GUNS N' ROSES), PRETTY BOY FLOYD, George Lynch (DOKKEN, LYNCH MOB) and Steve Morse (DEEP PURPLE) are among the musicians who appear on "An All-Star Salute To Christmas", a one-of-a-kind gathering of superstars from pop, rock, metal and country music, who have recorded these exclusive tracks of their takes on the holiday classics to create a Christmas album like no other! The two-disc set was released on November 27 via Cleopatra.

IRON MAIDEN singer Bruce Dickinson was one of the featured speakers on November 14 at the Entrepreneurs Wales 2012 event at Cardiff's City Hall, a one-day conference designed by entrepreneurs for entrepreneurs looking to start, develop and grow their business. Dickinson addressed the conference on inspiring entrepreneurship in Wales.

Video footage of Dickinson's speech can be seen below.

According to WalesOnline.co.uk, Dickinson urged delegates to make their businesses something their customers could not live without.

"The key thing is to figure out how to make yourself invaluable — to be the ultimate virus — to get into the system, a corporate, or somebody's head and become indispensable," he said. "They can't do it without you because you have invented some widget or some software or because you are who you are."

Dickinson, who is also a commercial pilot, entrepreneur and international fencer, talked about the parallels between his music and business careers, saying, "You have to make music because that gives you the moral authority to play live, but everybody is going to steal it or get it for a fraction of what it was worth. It makes it a little more tedious — the music is free, but the T-shirt now costs you 100 bucks."

"Everything about being an entrepreneur is about the customer," he added. "If I turn the word 'fan' into 'customer,' that's not a bad customer satisfaction rating, is it?

"Are all your customers fans of what you do? Apple have got fans — people who believe their little devices are a pathway to a better tomorrow. To turn your customers into fans you really have to target them and know exactly who they are and what you are going to deliver for them that is different to everybody else."

ECLIPSE ETERNAL frontman Voldamares has checked in with the following update:

"Another new song almost fully worked out. That brings the total to four so far. Our new album is turning out to be quite a dark one. Perhaps our most heavy and cruel one to date."
Eclipse Eternal released their latest album, The Essence of Hopelessness, on January 14th, 2012 through Archaic North Records. It features the following tracks:

'Ragnarok'
'Deathbound'
'Ancient Voices On The Wind'
'Ode To A Long Time Gone'
'The Essence Of Hopelessness'
'Death Obsession'
'Writing With A Razor Upon'
'Murder…Suicide'
'Noose'
'What Comes Next' (hidden track)
Recorded once again at former KING DIAMOND/MEGADETH guitarist Glen Drover's Eclipse Studios, "Eclipse Eternal has mixed the vicious, harsh nature of their previous album with an emotional intensity that is rarely seen in current black metal," according to a press release. "They have delved into their innermost suffering and wrenched forth an album that is both poignant and memorable. From cold atmospheres to absolute chaos, from acoustic and spoken word interludes to ripping shredding, this album is as brutal as it is stirring. With lyrics swinging from Odes to ancient Pagan times to suicide to murder most foul, Eclipse Eternal holds back nothing on this third full-length album. This is death obsessed black metal at its best."

A video for the song 'Murder...Suicide' is available below:

American extreme prog outfit ANA KEFR frontman Rhiis Lopez has issued the following statement regarding the recent departure of lead guitarist Brendan Moore and drummer Shane Dawson:

"After three years of working together, recording the digi-single ‘Tonight We Watch the Children Fucking Burn’ and our critically-acclaimed second full-length album The Burial Tree (II), we have decided that it would be in the best interests of all involved to let Brendan and Shane pursue their own different musical paths. The reasons all boil down to a conflict of personal interests, but the parting has been on amicable terms and we genuinely wish them the absolute best in their future endeavors. It has been a good ride these past three years!

At the moment, Ana Kefr is focused on the future and writing, for a strong return in 2013. We are extremely excited about the new material and can't wait to share it with everyone!"

Ana Kefr released their latest album The Burial Tree (II) in 2011. The album was produced and mixed by Ana Kefr and David Franklin, engineered by David Franklin.

Underground acts THEUDHO and WAELCYRGE, both of whom hail from the Dutch-speaking part of Belgium, will release a seven-inch split EP with previously unreleased material in early 2013 through Aurora Australis Records.

THEUDHO recently issued a promotional video for "Niðr ok Norðr", a track from their latest release, "When Ice Crowns the Earth", which was mastered by Dan Swanö (DARK FUNERAL, ASPHYX, DISSECTION).

WAELCYRGE issued a new album called "Nithstang" earlier this year. The CD featured artwork by József Tari (VENOM, SEAR BLISS).

The SOULGRIND movie can be seen in two parts below. The "rocument" is described as a an hour-and-a-half journey into the life of the act during recordings of their ninth album, "The Tuoni Pathway", partying and friendship among the bandmembers. The footage for the film was shot between August 2009 and August 2010. According to the group, the movie "was supposed to be released by Femme Metal Germany" but it "never happened."

SOULGRIND is the Finnish band featuring former LULLACRY frontwoman Tanja "Whisper Lilith" Kemppainen (a.k.a. Tanya).

"The Tuoni Pathway" was released in May 2010 via U.K.'s Femme Metal Records. The CD features a guest appearance by Roope Latvala of CHILDREN OF BODOM.

SOULGRIND's 2010 lineup:

Azhemin (THY SERPENT) - Vocals
Ms W Lilith (ex-LULLACRY) - Vocals
Lord Heikkinen (TWILIGHT OPHERA, GLOOMY GRIM, FIERCE) – Guitar
Tapio Wilska (ex-FINNTROLL) - Bass
Agathon The Beast (GLOOMY GRIM) - Drums
TByte (TWILIGHT OPHERA) – Guitar

Part 1:

Reunited Dutch death metallers CENTURIAN will release their much-anticipated new album, "Contra Rationem", on January 28, 2013 via Listenable Records. The CD was recorded at the We Are (Music) Junkies studio in Eindhoven with producer/sound engineer Jo Peeters (ABORTED, HEAVEN SHALL BURN, SEVERE TORTURE) and Ralph Timmermans (MINDPARK).

Commented guitarist Rob Oorthuis, CENTURIAN's founding member and writer/composer, "'Contra Rationem' is an adversive record in the broadest sense of the word. It lacks all the ethics of contemporary productions.
Leaving only the dynamic range of decay and rats exploring your skeleton.
Through the rattle of bones... One might even hear flesh on instruments.

"We keep our deathmetal underproduced. All songs were nailed with conviction, without hesitation. In one take. Guided only by tongues of fire descending upon our heads. Uncorrected. As real as we are not."

"Contra Rationem" track listing:

01. Thou Shallt Bleed For The Lord Thy God
02. Crown Of Bones
03. Feast Of The Cross
04. Judas Among Twelve
05. Antinomian
06. The Will Of The Torch
07. Sin Upon Man
08. Damnatio Memoriae
09. Adversus

Video footage of CENTURIAN rehearsing the new song "Judas Among Twelve" can be seen below.

Oorthuis previously stated about CENTURIAN's new material and decision to reform, "The new songs are more CENTURIAN-esque than they are NOX songs. The chemistry among the bandmembers, musically and technically, leans on an approach we had back in the CENTURIAN days. Because of this I coined the idea about changing back the name."

CENTURIAN is:

Niels Adams - Vocals
Rob Oorthuis - Guitars
Patrick Boleij - Bass
Seth Van De Loo - Drums

CENTURIAN's last album, "Liber Zarzax", was released in 2001 via Listenable Records.

California thrash metal veterans HIRAX have inked a worldwide deal with SPV/Steamhammer. The band's new album will be released in September 2013 and will be followed by a world tour.

Commented HIRAX frontman Katon W. De Pena: "We are honored to now be a part of the SPV family and we appreciate their total support of our thrash metal music. Together we are going to bring the heavy metal music world one hell of a skull-crushing album in 2013."

Added SPV/Steamhammer A&R representative Olly Hahn: "It's an honor to have Katon and HIRAX on our label. Through all the years, Katon held the flag of metal high and also played places of the earth where nobody would. It's time for another raging violence!"

HIRAX recently released a new single, "La Boca De La Bestia (The Mouth Of The Beast)", through iTunes. A very special limited-edition 12-inch vinyl version of the single with bonus tracks is also planned for a December 14 release on Black Devil Records.

"La Boca De La Bestia (The Mouth Of The Beast)" will be included on HIRAX's as-yet-untitled new full-length album. The song was recorded, produced and mastered by Bill Metoyer at Skull Seven Productions.

A promotional video that includes the song and a comprehensive photo slideshow can be seen below.

"La Boca De La Bestia (The Mouth Of The Beast)" track listing:

Part I: The Conquest - Guitar Intro
Part II: Thunder Roar
Part III: La Boca De La Bestia (The Mouth Of The Beast)

HIRAX is:

Katon W. De Pena (vocals)
Lance Harrison (lead guitar)
Steve Harrison (bass guitar)
Jorge Iacobellis (drums)
Mike Guerrero (lead guitar)

Multinational metallers RAVEN LORD have announced the addition of keyboardist Alessandro Duo (VOODOO HIGHWAY) to the group's ranks. The Italian musician will join RAVEN LORD on the road in 2013 and will take part in all of the band's future recordings.

Commented singer Csaba Zvekan: "Alessandro is a true Raven Lord and fits the bill like a glove. His musical skills are excellent and he makes a great addition to the band. We're all happy and excited to have a complete band and are ready for our upcoming tour in 2013 and summer festivals."

RAVEN LORD's debut album, "Descent To The Underworld", will be released on February 1, 2013 in Europe and February 12, 2013 in North America via Mausoleum Records. The CD was mixed by acclaimed Swedish producer Fredrik Nordström (AT THE GATES, ARCH ENEMY, NIGHTRAGE, IN FLAMES, DREAM EVIL, OPETH) and was mastered by U.S. mastering engineer Maor Appelbaum (SEPULTURA, HALFORD, YNGWIE MALMSTEEN, ANGRA, DOKKEN). The cover artwork was created by Brazilian artist Caio Caldas of CadiesArt, who has previously worked with DORO, PAUL DI'ANNO, SEVEN KINGDOMS, DOMINANZ and VIOLET SUN, among others.

"Descent To The Underworld" track listing:

01. The Rebel
02. Attila The Hun
03. Let The Show Go On
04. Seal Of The Cross
05. Settle The Score
06. Promised Land
07. Black Friar
08. World Out Of Steel
09. Revelation
10. Metal Knights
11. Sun God

A song from the album, "Black Friar", can be streamed using the SoundCloud player below.

RAVEN LORD is:

* Csaba Zvekan (KILLING MACHINE, SARDONYX, EMERGENCY) - Vocals
* Joe Stump (HOLYHELL, REIGN OF TERROR) - Lead Guitar
* Jamie Mallender (TONY MARTIN) - Bass
* Lawrence "Larry" Paterson (BLAZE BALEY, STUKA SQUADRON) - Drums
* George Karafotis (VERMILLION DAYS, OPERATION X) - Guitar
* Alessandro Duo (VOODOO HIGHWAY) - Keyboards

Long-running Gothenburg, Sweden-based metallers DESTINY have announced the addition of drummer Roger Christiansson to the group's ranks. According to the band, Roger "is a passionate drummer, singer and multi-instrumentalist. He is also a composer both of music and lyrics. So far he has recorded and performed with bands like SOLID, RAMPAGE, ATTRAPP, SOUTHERN COMFORT BAND, FREAK STATION, GRINGOS and OVERNIGHT SENSATION. As an old HiFi enthusiast and with a keen interest to improve sound quality, he has plans to move into sound engineering. Roger and Stefan Björnshög [bass] have been friends for more than 25 years but this is actually the first time that they will play together. On a personnel level, Roger was the obvious choice and after just one rehearsal it was also quite clear that he will be the prefect drummer for DESTINY!"

DESTINY recently recruited DRAGONLAND vocalist Jonas Heidgert. Jonas has already begun to lay down vocals for DESTONY's upcoming anniversary album, "The Incompatibility Of Philosophical Terminology", for a spring release, as well as the next official full-length CD, "Global Warming", for which everything but the vocals has already recorded.

Fans will get their first taste of DESTINY with Jonas on vocals later this monthwhen a digital single from "The Incompatibility Of Philosophical Terminology" is released.

Way back in 1982, bassist Stefan Björnshög founded one of Sweden's first true heavy metal bands, DESTINY. Unlike most other Swedish acts that were active around the same period, DESTINY never broke up. In 2005, DESTINY was joined by guitarist Michael Åberg, who previously played with NOSTRADAMEUS.

Following a tour opening for former BLACK SABBATH vocalist Tony Martin in 2006, DESTINY kept an unusually low profile, partly because the band was unable to find a suitable vocalist and also because of illness and various personal tragedies.

Horror Pain Gore Death Productions has signed Cyprus-based old-school death metal maniacs VOMITILE. The band's debut album, "Igniting Chaos", will be released on January 22, 2013.

According to a press release, VOMITILE "capture the true vile essence of the old-school on 'Igniting Chaos'. Full of punishing riffs and extreme aggression, VOMITILE unleash a killer recording of total annihilation and pure fucking destruction. Recommended for fans of ASPHYX, BOLT THROWER, CANNIBAL CORPSE, CARNAGE, THE CROWN, DEICIDE, DEMOLITION HAMMER, ENTOMBED, GRAVE, IMMOLATION, MALEVOLENT CREATION, MASSACRE, MONSTROSITY, MORBID ANGEL, PESTILENCE and SLAYER. A brutal slab of fucking death metal!"

"Igniting Chaos" track listing:

01. Rise Of The Wicked (intro)
02. Obliterating Scourge
03. Bastardocracy
04. Repulsive Postured Gangrene (R.P.G.)
05. Stagnant Purity
06. Unleashing The Massacre
07. Decapitation Of The Gods
08. Warcult
09. Cesspool Of Blood And Hate

Pavement Entertainment Inc. has signed the post-hardcore band THE PERSEVERING PROMISE to a three-album deal. The group will enter the studio in early 2013 to begin recording its new CD, to be distributed through MRI/RED in North America and SPV in Europe.

THE PERSEVERING PROMISE has opened the ears and pulled on the heartstrings of fans and critics throughout the Pacific Northwest and the western United States with its debut EP, "Fake Is Not A Pretty Color". The dynamic anthems of THE PERSEVERING PROMISE are comprised of strong, honest vocals, ranging from vibrant hooks to solid gang chants, monstrous guitar riffs and technical, animalistic, powerhouse drumming.

Commented Pavement Music President Mark Nawara: "We've been looking for the right band that has the passion and the talent to break-out of the scene and I think these guys have what it takes. They have been touring the country non-stop without any label support and their fan base is growing strong. We are excited to be working with them."

Added THE PERSEVERING PROMISE guitarist/vocalist Jesse Bartonz: "We've signed with Pavement Entertainment and we couldn't be more happy. We have been working our whole lives for this moment and we are excited to show the world what we have to offer. To Pavement and to our wonderful fans, thank you and this is only just the beginning!"

THE PERSEVERING PROMISE is:

Matt Hoos - Guitar/Vocals
Jesse Barton - Guitar/Vocals
Chase Williams - Drums
Hampton Amos - Bass/Backup Vocals
Phil Keon - Guitar

Australian black/death metal band DENOUNCEMENT PYRE will release its second album, "Almighty Alcanum", on January 22, 2013 via Hells Headbangers on both CD and LP formats. The follow-up to 2010's "World Cremation" is described in a press release as "a veritable abyss of fiery, blackened death metal, but now sharper and more focused than ever." The effort was mastered at Endarker Studio in Östergötland, Sweden.

"Almighty Alcanum" track listing:

01. Intro: Breath Of Tehom
02. An Extension Of The Void
03. Almighty Arcanum
04. He Who Conquers All
05. The Deceiver
06. Drakon: All Is One
07. Circle Of Serpents
08. Darkness Manifest
09. The Redeemer

Hells Headbangers recently released a DENOUNCEMENT PYRE seven-inch EP titled "Darkness Manifest". The effort featured one track from the forthcoming album plus an additional song that is exclusive to this release. Both cuts were recorded during different sessions to those for the album, so they are unique to this release.

"Wynter Fever", the new Christmas single from the Athens, Georgia-based melodic metal band THEOCRACY, can be streamed in the YouTube clip below. The track will also be made available at iTunes during the coming week.

Commented THEOCRACY vocalist Matt Smith: "After being trapped in the studio working on the upcoming remix of the first THEOCRACY album, we were itching to record a little something new as a break from working on the old songs. Since Christmas was coming up and we had a little spare time this year, it seemed like the perfect chance to deliver an epic slab of fun holiday silliness for you all. Enjoy!"

THEOCRACY's latest album, "As The World Bleeds", was released in November 2011 via Ulterium Records (Europe) and Nightmare Records (North America).

THEOCRACY's debut CD, which was originally issued through Metal Ages Records in 2003, will be re-released through Ulterium Records. Smith stated the reissue: "We went through a lot of discussion about how much we wanted to rework it: Do we re-record the whole thing with the new lineup? Do we just release it as is? There were a lot of ways we could go, but ultimately we decided that people love that album and it's a snapshot in time, so we didn't want to completely redo something people are attached to. We'd rather present the best-sounding version we can of what's already there, with one change that seemingly everyone wants to hear: real drums! Shawn's [Benson] [recorded] drums to the tracks that are already there, and then I'm going to remix it, so it should be killer."

Norwegian hard rockers AVENTYR have inked a deal with Mighty Music. The band's debut album, "Driven", will be released on January 28, 2013. The CD was recorded between January and August 2012 in the band's hometown of Førde and was mixed by Beau Hill (ALICE COOPER, EUROPE, WINGER).

In 2011 AVENTYR released the EP "Trouble" (also mixed by Beau Hill) via the U.K. label Casket Music. The EP received good reviews both at home and abroad, with one magazine describing the band as a mixture of HELLACOPTERS and BACKYARD BABIES. This led, among other things, to a five-year publishing agreement with American Michael Davenport of Expressive Artists, a full-service music supervision and management company.

"Driven" track listing:

01. Driven
02. Betrayed
03. Trouble
04. Tomorrow
05. Torpedo
06. Crazy Roads
07. Outside
08. Delirious
09. Empty Bottles
10. Wanted

Members of LAMB OF GOD, IN FLAMES and SYLOSIS joined tourmates HELLYEAH on stage last night (Saturday, December 8) Kansas City, Missouri to pay tribute to late PANTERA/DAMAGEPLAN guitarist "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott who was shot and killed by a deranged "fan" while performing in Columbus, Ohio eight years earlier.

Fan-filmed footage of the event can be seen below.

Vocalist Randy Blythe of tour headliners LAMB OF GOD commented via his Instagram account: "Tonight's show in Kansas City was an emotional one for us on this tour, especially the HELLYEAH guys. Eight years ago (December 8, 2004) a crazy man jumped onstage and killed Darrell 'Dimebag' Abbott in front of two members of HELLYEAH, one of which, of course, is his brother Vinnie Paul. This night changed EVERYTHING for those of us in metal bands — something had been taken away from us, and it wasn't just Dime. It was our care-free sorta attitude; this sort of thing just didn't happen in OUR SCENE.

"But it did, and we are all the worse for it. Things have changed, but we still are out here. Vinnie and Bobzilla are still out here rocking their balls off — they have my utmost respect for that. I don't know if I would step foot on a stage again after witnessing and going through what they did. But they are musicians — plus Dime woulda wanted it that way; you can bet your ass on that.

"The other day, Vinnie came to me and said, Hey, man, can we have a few extra moments in Kansas City to have a drink in memory of Dime?' Are you kidding me? OF COURSE. So tonight, the whole damn tour, every member of every band, got up on that stage and had a drink in his honor. It felt like family to me, in those best moments of tour when you all are there together, doing this incredible thing, as a FAMILY.

"I wish Dime coulda been there in person with us. But it's like I said tonight onstage — a mad man's bullet can take this mortal shell, but TRUE LEGENDS NEVER DIE. We keep them alive, all of us, when we come together band & audience and do this thing we all love so much.

"RIP, Dime. See ya on the other side, bro!"

Video footage of SODOM's December 1 performance at Circo Volador in Mexico City, Mexico can be seen below.

SODOM recently entered the studio with producer Waldemar Sorychta (GRIP INC., ENEMY OF THE SUN) to begin recording its new album for an early 2013 release.

SODOM's latest album, "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.

LED ZEPPELIN guitarist Jimmy Page spoke to Guitar World for the magazine's January 2013 issue about the release of ZEPPELIN's "Celebration Day", which documents the band's 2007 concert at London, England's O2 Arena, and his future plans.

Guitar World: So why haven't there been more shows [after the O2 concert]? Is it because Robert [Plant, vocals] doesn't want to be involved?

Jimmy Page: From a concert like that, you would have thought that there might have been some sort of whisper or hint about another gig over here or over there, for maybe very, very good reasons — you know, charitable causes or whatever. Well, there wasn't. That's it. That's all I can tell you. I wouldn't expect that there would be any more concerts, really.

Guitar World: Which is sad.

Jimmy Page: Well, it is what it is, isn't it? So under those circumstances, when it was getting in three and a half years after the concert, I thought. We've got to pay some attention to this show. I've gotto look at the footage and just go in, in an objective way, with a really positive attitude of knowing that we did a really great show, and that Jason [Bonham, drums] had played marvelously. His father would have been so proud of him. And that was the way to go in and look at the O2.

Guitar World: But weren't there plans to form another band with a different singer and go on tour?

Jimmy Page: No. You see, what we did — doing all of the rehearsals — was not to play any new stuff, not to get sidetracked. After it was done, Jason, myself and John Paul Jones felt it was the right thing to do to go in and start playing new material and see how we were getting on. I thought that, really, we should play on our strengths and start working on quite a lot of music. We had a few things together, but Robert had his Alison Krauss project ["Raising Sand"] to promote. There was talk about bringing in some other singers, but that would have changed the character of what we were doing, and done it rather suddenly. There was a lot of... I won't say pressure but a lot of hinting about "this singer and that singer." And for me, it was more about, "Let's see what we can really do." But I don't think we really got a chance to do that.

Guitar World: So it would have been too early at that point?

Jimmy Page: To do what? Bring in a singer on it? Yes. I think we needed to work on the material first and all the various sorts of textures and moods that we could create. But that wasn't to be either.

Guitar World: Everybody thought you would replace Robert with another singer and go on a LED ZEPPELIN reunion tour. That is obviously a misunderstanding then.

Jimmy Page: Well, look: even If we had eventually settled on a singer, I think it would have been premature to go on our. Of course, we would have played LED ZEPPELIN material, but I would also want to be playing some really, really good new material as well, to knock people's socks off.

Guitar World: Is that ever going to happen?

Jimmy Page: I don't think so. I don't think so. I know that I certainly want to be… Let's put it this way: This time last year I intended to be actually playing by now in a live outfit. [laughs] So that will have to be postponed now into sort of next year, tail end of next year. But I definitely want to be doing that.

To order a copy of the January 2013 issue of Guitar World, go to this location.

Anthony Morgan of Metal Forces recently conducted an interview with keyboardist Richard West of British progressive metallers THRESHOLD. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

On the late vocalist Andrew "Mac" McDermott leaving THRESHOLD in 2007:

Richard: "We were just about to go on tour to support 'Dead Reckoning' [2007] when when our old singer Andrew McDermott sent us a message to say he wasn't coming. It was the day before he was supposed to come over and rehearse with us in Germany, and I think we had maybe five to six days until our first show. It was a really big surprise. He didn't even explain why; he just said in a message that he had to get on with his life, which was weird because we thought THRESHOLD really was a big part of his life. We were quite surprised, because he had made it very clear that he was really excited about the new album and everything we were doing. We were totally surprised, and really shell shocked."

On former vocalist Damian Wilson returning to THRESHOLD:

Richard: "We didn't want to cancel shows, because that's just not a good thing to do. Fans buy tickets, book flights, and book hotels. We did talk very briefly at the time about having vocalist auditions, but we didn't have very long. Over the years we've had three singers, which is ludicrous for any band. Your dream is that you have the same line-up for your whole career, so the fact that we've managed to still keep our fanbase is quite fortunate. The thought of having a fourth singer… We thought that would just be a bit of a joke really for a band. We might as well have just called ourselves a project or something, so we really thought that it had to be Damian or Glynn [Morgan, vocalist on 1994's 'Psychedelicatessen']. It was so obvious to go back to one of those two. Luckily, I had been working with Damian about a week before in the studio on another project, and he had spoken about THRESHOLD. He said to me, 'I really miss the band. If there's ever an opportunity, I'd love to have another shot'. A week later he got a phone call [laughs], and he came back in. He was the hero of the hour, and we did the shows. After that he then did a tour, and some more shows. With every show we did, he just became more and more part of the band. There was never a day where we said 'We don't have a singer again'. Slowly he made his way back in I think. To be honest it was down to timing though; Damian was here and he was ready, and he was available. We didn't actually have a way of getting hold of Glynn at the time, so it was a pretty easy decision. If it was another month it might've been Glynn who came back."

On latest album "March Of Progress":

Richard: "It goes back a long way back, back to 'Psychedelicatessen' [1994], the second album. With the first album 'Wounded Land' [1993], it was all written by the three founding guys, Karl Groom, Jon Jeary, and Nick Midson. With the second album suddenly I was writing and the new singer Glynn Morgan was writing, and it really changed the flavor. I think that's why Jon Jeary called it 'Psychedelicatessen', because it was like a delicatessen. You can go in there and choose all of these different flavours, and it feels a little bit like that with 'March Of Progress'. It just opens up the perspective a bit. There's a little bit more diversity in there, but that said I think it's a very coherent record. It doesn't sound like a compilation; it does sound like one body of work."

On his keyboard/piano work:

Richard: "I have a big love of piano in rock just because not many people do it, and when you can do it in a way that works I love it. Not the old honky tonk kind of piano, but just atmospheric riffs and that kind of thing. I've done a bit more of that than usual. Songs like 'Colophon', for example, have quite a bit of piano, and 'Staring At The Sun'. I really enjoy getting that to work, and also I'm a big fan of those old, big Gary Numan sounds from the late '70s and early '80s. I've never really gone there so much in the past, but I'm going there more now. I think 'Hang on… that's the stuff I love, so let's try it out'."

On many progressive metal bands arguably attempting to emulate DREAM THEATER:

Richard: "I remember in the 90s when DREAM THEATER first got big. Loads of bands started and they only had one influence, and you could tell it was DREAM THEATER. If you're a musician and you've only got one influence, then you're stuck aren't you? That's what you're gonna sound like. If you're a musician who has 20-30 influences and you just let them all be a small part of what you do, then you're gonna create something new. I think that's what we've always tried to do with THRESHOLD. I think that's one of the reasons we sound a bit different than other prog metal too, because we're British. Pretty much all of our influences are British. I know prog metal isn't specifically a British thing, but I think what we do is though because that's where we come from."

On late vocalist Andrew "Mac" McDermott, who passed away last year:

Richard: "He was a phenomenal singer, and in equal parts phenomenal and infuriating I would say. I think it's pretty well documented he had a pretty serious drinking habit, and you can imagine that that causes all sorts of difficulties and problems. Whether it was in the studio or onstage, you just never quite knew what you were gonna get. Some days he'd be quite brilliant, and then the next day he couldn't remember anything. Alcoholism is a terrible thing, and as far as I'm aware that's eventually what killed him."

On the reissue of THRESHOLD's past albums:

Richard: "They're just a practical thing, really. We've moved to Nuclear Blast. All those old albums were released through InsideOut Music and those contracts have now expired, so those albums are no longer available. That's obviously a silly thing to do if you're a band, so we needed them reissued. Nuclear Blast have taken on the job, and have released the Definitive Edition series. Obviously from Nuclear Blast's point of view, they wanted to make them as appealing as possible. We've crammed them full with as many bonus tracks as you can fit on a CD, so they really are definitive and good value for money. The mastering's been tweaked a little bit, so they sound slightly better in some cases and hopefully they really are the definitive editions."

Read the entire interview at this location.