DISTURBED singer David Draiman is among the artists who have spoken out in defense of LAMB OF GOD vocalist Randy Blythe, who has been officially indicted on charges of manslaughter by the State Attorney's Office in Prague, the Czech Republic. The charges were filed on Friday (November 30) and mean that Blythe will likely have to stand trial. The LAMB OF GOD singer was arrested last summer and held in a Czech prison for five weeks when the band stopped there on a European tour. He was forced to pay hundreds of thousands of dollars in bail before being allowed to return home.

The charges stem from an incident in 2010 in which a fan died nearly a month after he sustained a head injury following an apparent stage fall while attending a LAMB OF GOD concert in Prague. The prosecutor maintains that Blythe pushed the man off the stage, leading to his injury.

The District Court in Prague now has three months to either set a trial date or to delay the hearing for further investigation.

If the case goes to trial and Blythe is convicted of manslaughter, he could face five to 10 years in prison. He has declared his innocence and has vowed to return to Prague and stand trial if necessary, saying he will not hide out in the U.S.

In a new post on DISTURBED's Facebook page, Draiman writes: "My brothers and sisters, my blood, our friend Randy Blythe of LAMB OF GOD has now officially been indicted on charges of manslaughter. This is a travesty of justice. He is being a man and standing up to these charges. Show your support by on their Facebook page and Twitter pages, raise awareness amongst your friends, and take the time to donate to his defense fund on both pages. You can also help by writing your local elected officials and pressuring the U.S. dept of foreign affairs/state department to get personally involved. we stand behind Randy, hope all of you will as well. As always, much respect."

LAMB OF GOD's manager issued a response to the news of the charges, saying in part, "We intend to fight vigorously against these charges as we feel that in no way did Randy intend to cause bodily harm on the young fan who subsequently died from injuries sustained at the show . . . At this point, all that the band, myself, and our lawyers can do is to present a defense and try to convince the panel of judges who will hear the case that Randy is innocent of all charges."

Frontiers Records will release of a very special album from Norwegian hard rock singer Jorn Lande entitled "Symphonic" on January 25 in Europe and January 22 in North America.

"Symphonic" is not a proper new album, but rather a selection of tracks taken from Jorn's previous studio releases, which have been carefully selected by the Norwegian singer himself and painstakingly remixed in order to add a grandiose classical orchestra arrangement to the existing hard rock structure.

"I didn't want to choose the most obvious Jorn songs, as I didn't want this album to come out as a typical 'best-of' release," explains the former MASTERPLAN frontman. "Some songs that are not too typical in a Jorn context, were chosen simply because some great songs often tend to be forgotten and therefore deserve a second chance."

Tracks like "I Came to Rock", "Burn Your Flame" and "Behind The Clown" are presented in a very intriguing and different new dressing, which enhances the variety and depth of Jorn's classic songwriting and performance style. In Jorn's words: "'I Came To Rock' might now even remind the listener of a Broadway musical, not coming from a heavy rock band like Jorn. The new version of 'Behind The Clown' shows how much as a young boy I have been fascinated by Kate Bush. 'Burn Your Flame' instead came out really fresh and different, compared to the original version on 'Spirit Black' from 2009." "Symphonic" also includes a previously unreleased track: a cover version of DIO's "Rock And Roll Children".

"I hope you will enjoy the album and maybe you will even rediscover some songs you had forgotten…" concludes Jorn.

"Symphonic" track listing:

01. I Came To Rock
02. Rock And Roll Children
03. The World I See
04. Burn Your Flame
05. Man Of The Dark
06. My Road
07. Time To Be King
08. Black Morning
09. Like Stone In Water
10. Vision Eyes
11. War Of The World
12. Behind The Clown
13. A Thousand Cuts
14. The Mob Rules

"I Came To Rock" audio sample:

The official lyric video for the song "Brutalized" from German metallers PARADOX can be seen below. The track comes off the band's new album, "Tales Of The Weird", which will be released on December 14 via AFM Records. The CD was produced by PARADOX mainman Charly Steinhauer and was mixed and mastered by Victor Bullok (a.k.a. V. Santura; TRIPTYKON, DARK FORTRESS) at Woodshed Studio in Landshut, Germany. The cover art was created by Claudio Bergamin.

"Tales Of The Weird" features guest appearances by Bob Katsionis (FIREWIND) and Gus Drax (SUNBURST).

"Tales Of The Weird" track listing:

01. Tales Of The Weird
02. Day Of Judgement
03. Brutalized
04. Fragile Alliance
05. Slashdead
06. Drowning In Lies
07. Zeitgeist
08. Escalation
09. Brainwashed
10. The Downward Spiral
11. A Light In The Black (RAINBOW cover) (Japanese bonus track)

The new PARADOX lineup is as follows:

Charly Steinhauer (vocals, guitar)
Christian Muenzner (guitar)
Olly Keller (bass)
Daniel "Evil Ewald" Buld (drums)

Commented new PARADOX guitarist Christian Muenzner (also of OBSCURA): "I already applied for PARADOX 10 years ago, even before I was in the band NECROPHAGIST. Logisitically, this is even the closest band to where I live; we're not even 45 minutes apart, so this makes a lot of sense. Been a fan of that band for years and always wanted to play thrash, so here we go. The new songs sound fucking amazing, I'm stoked to be a part of this!"

"Brutalized" lyric video:

"Nabataea", the first single from "Straight Out Of Hell", the new album from German power metallers HELLOWEEN, can be streamed using the SoundCloud player below. The track talks about the fabled high culture whose secret city, Petra, was only discovered at the beginning of the 20th century, and is the origin of many legends and myths. HELLOWEEN singer Andi Deris was inspired to write the song during a holiday.

"Straight Out Of Hell" will be released in Europe on January 18 and in North America on January 22, 2013. The cover artwork was once again created by Martin Häusler, who previously worked with the band on the "7 Sinners" and "Gambling With The Devil" CDs.

"Straight Out Of Hell" is described in a press release as "a work full of speed and toughness, with optimism and great joy of playing, featuring complex arrangements, strong hooks and plenty of catchy melodies. Or, to let the facts speak for themself: 13 mostly fast-paced songs that turn out to be impressively multi-layered and will completely delight all HELLOWEEN fans, due to the different songwriters Andi Deris, founding members Michael Weikath and Markus Grosskopf, and guitarist Sascha Gerstner."

Says Weikath: "'Straight Out Of Hell' is the consequent development of the two albums before. '7 Sinners' was recorded more or less in the wake of 'Gambling With The Devil', while the new songs are a continuation of the '7 Sinners' directives, only a little less doom bound and noticeably more positive. These songs will kick even the laziest listener's ass."

"Straight Out Of Hell" track listing:

01. Nabataea
02. World Of War
03. Live Now!
04. Far From The Stars
05. Burning Sun
06. Waiting For The Thunder
07. Hold Me In Your Arms
08. Wanna Be God
09. Straight Out Of Hell
10. Asshole
11. Years
12. Make Fire Catch The Fly
13. Church Breaks Down

Limited-edition bonus tracks:

14. Another Shot Of Life
15. Burning Sun (Hammond version; dedicated to Jon Lord)

On the live front, meanwhile, HELLOWEEN (fresh from appearing at prestigious Japanese festival Loud Park) will be returning to the road in March 2013 — the first part of a world tour set to kick off in mainland Europe, with GAMMA RAY as special guests. The follow-up to the "Hellish Rock" tour of 2007/2008, this extended outing ("Hellish Rock Part II") will bring the band to the U.K. on April 16 for a one-off date at the London Forum.

Atlanta progressive metallers MASTODON are writing and recording a song for the upcoming animated film "Monsters University".

Due out June 21, 2013, "Monsters University" is the prequel to 2001's "Monsters, Inc." Billy Crystal and John Goodman reprise their roles in the prequel as the wise-cracking Mike Wazowski and lovable Sulley.

MASTODON contributed several original songs to the score to the 2010 motion picture "Jonah Hex" as a collaboration with Oscar-nominated composer Mario Beltrami ("The Hurt Locker", "3:10 to Yuma"). MASTODON was asked to create the score personally by the film's director, Jimmy Hayward, who was inspired by repeated listenings of MASTODON's 2006 album, "Blood Mountain".

MASTODON's latest album, "The Hunter", came out in September 2011 through Reprise Records.

An EPK (Electronic Press Kit) for "Target Earth", the new album from Canadian metal innovators VOIVOD, can be seen below. The seven-minute clip contains behind-the-scenes footage, plus an exclusive interview with drummer Michel "Away" Langevin and guitarist Daniel "Chewy" Mongrain about the making of the CD.

Due on January 22, 2013 (one day earlier internationally) via VOIVOD's own company, Iron Gang Factory, and Century Media, "Target Earth" was recorded in January at Pierre Rémillard's (OBLIVEON, CRYPTOPSY, KRISIUN, MISERY INDEX) Wild Studio in a small town called St-Zénon in Quebec, Canada and was mixed by Sanford Parker (PELICAN, NACHTMYSTIUM). The follow-up to 2009's "Infini" contains the band's first music to be written with new guitarist Daniel "Chewy" Mongrain (MARTYR) following the passing of original axeman Denis "Piggy" D'Amour in 2005. The original art was once again drawn by VOIVOD drummer Michel "Away" Langevin and features color schemes from each one of the band's previous albums. The effort will be available as a CD, gatefold double vinyl and a limited edition deluxe box set.

Regarding what the new VOIVOD songs sound like, Mongrain said in an interview, "As a VOIVOD fan since I am 12 years old and early rise of VOIVOD in late '80s and everything, I think… I'm in conflict of interest right now. [laughs] I like the old stuff as much as the new stuff, so I think it's a blend of everything. It's really a team work and Blacky [Jean-Yves Thériault] is back on the 'blower bass' — he's got the original sound — and we're having a blast jamming. I think it's working pretty good."

On the topic of the lyrical themes covered in the new VOIVOD tracks, singer Denis "Snake" Bélanger said, "The song we played [on the early 2012 European tour] ['Kaleidos'] is about conspiracy involving drugs and the FBI… [Laughs] It's hard to describe because we're kind of early in the process. There's another song called 'Target Earth', which is more like a spacy, conspiracy, controlling the information around the world. The main thing is the 'war' of information. You know, somebody Osama Bin Laden is dead, someone [else] says he's not… It gets to a point where everybody has his own story and nobody is sure what the truth is. There's people above everything controlling the information."

"Target Earth" EPK:

LAMB OF GOD's manager Larry Mazer has issued a statement in response to the announcement that the band's frontman, Randy Blythe, has been indicted on a manslaughter charge related to the death of a fan in Prague, Czech Republic more than two years ago.

Blythe is facing the possibility of conviction and a long-term jail sentence after a 2010 incident in which a fan 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.

Said Mazer: "After a three-month investigation, the prosecutor in the Czech Republic has decided to move forward with an indictment of Randy Blythe on the charge of manslaughter with intent to cause bodily harm. Obviously, we intend to fight vigorously against these charges as we feel that in no way did Randy intend to cause bodily harm on the young fan who subsequently died from injuries sustained at the show. As he has stated previously, Randy intends to go to Prague to defend himself at trial.

"While it is a tragedy that a LAMB OF GOD fan died following a performance by the group, in no way do I feel that Randy did anything improper that led to the young man's injuries and subsequent death. The price of a ticket to a show does not entitle audience members access to a band's stage.

"In the years since the murder on stage of Dimebag Darrell Abbott [PANTERA, DAMAGEPLAN], performers of all genres have had to become more guarded while performing in response to the dangers presented by fans trying to become part of the performance. We believe that Randy responded professionally to the numerous amount of fans rushing the stage that day, a number of them captured on videos that have been posted on the Internet. We have testimony from the venue operator that acknowledges lax security and an improper barricade being used that evening. Numerous testimonies from fans also were contradictory as to the actions of the multiple fans that tried to access the stage.

"At this point, all that the band, myself, and our lawyers can do is to present a defense and try to convince the panel of judges who will hear the case that Randy is innocent of all charges and that his name and reputation need to be cleared and that he be permitted to carry on with his life and career always mindful that a fan passed away after a LAMB OF GOD performance."

Ozzy Osbourne spent part of his 64th birthday yesterday (Monday, December 3) recording vocals on the new BLACK SABBATH album at a Los Angeles studio.

A photo of Osbourne in the studio laying down tracks on the CD can be seen below.

As previously reported, BLACK SABBATH took part in a photo shoot on Friday (November 30) with famed British photographer/artist Sam Taylor-Wood.

BLACK SABBATH guitarist Tony Iommi clarified the status of the band's new CD in an interview with "The Blairing Out With Eric Blair Show". Although it has been reported that the band has recorded 15 songs, Iommi explained, "That's wrong . . . We've written 15 songs and we've played them all. But now, at the moment, we're recording them. We recorded them at my house first, in England, just as demos, but now we're doing them for real. So we're about six tracks in now, at the moment."

Iommi, Osbourne and bassist Geezer Butler are recording their first album together under the SABBATH name since 1978's "Never Say Die".

The drums on the disc are being handled by Tommy Clufetos, who has replaced founding drummer Bill Ward due to a contractual dispute between Ward and the rest of the group.

Asked if there is any chance of Ward rejoining the band, Iommi said, "We'll always have a heart for Bill, but I think it's gone past that now, because it's gone on so long that I don't see that happening at the moment. Maybe at some point we might [play together again]."

Meanwhile, SABBATH has announced an Australian tour for next April and has also revealed that it will headline the first-ever Japanese version of Ozzfest on May 11-12, with SLIPKNOT also on the bill.

Photo below courtesy of Ozzy Osbourne's Facebook page

MACHINE HEAD guitarist Phil Demmel joined Michael Schenker (SCORPIONS, UFO) on stage on October 4 at The Rodeo Club in San Jose, California to perform the UFO classic "Doctor Doctor".

"I just wanted my Schenker tribute guitar signed, [but] he invited me up [to] jam and then signed it while shredding," Demmel tells BLABBERMOUTH.NET.

Video footage of Demmel's appaearance with Schenker can be seen below.

Vocalist David Van Landing fronted Schenker's band on the recent North American tour, which kicked off on October 3 in Modesto, California. David stepped in for Robin McAuley, who was originally slated to take part in the trek after recently reuniting with Schenker for their first full tour together in almost 20 years.

Van Landing, who has previously done three tours with MSG and had a short stint with CRIMSON GLORY, said prior to the start of the trek: "I am just looking forward to getting out on the road again with the boys and seeing all my old friends and hopefully meet some new ones!!"

In addition to Schenker and Van Landing, the lineup for the tour included Pete Holmes on drums, Wayne Findlay on guitar and Elliott Rubinson on bass.

Schenker's latest album, "Temple Of Rock", was released in Europe on September 23, 2011 and in North America on October 11, 2011 on CD and LP through Schenker's own Inakustik label via MVD Entertainment Group.

"Dreaming Schematics", the new video from Indiana progressive metallers THE CONTORTIONIST, can be seen below. Fans familiar with THE CONTORTIONIST's clip for the song "Causality" will see a definitive correlation between the two videos.

Commented THE CONTORTIONIST frontman Jonathan Carpenter: "We're very pleased with the vibe captured in our new video. It has a very spacey look and that fits the ethereal sounds of the song."

"Dreaming Schematics" comes off THE CONTORTIONIST's latest album, "Intrinsic", which sold 3,600 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 125 on The Billboard 200 chart. Released on July 17 via eOne/Good Fight Music, the CD was produced and recorded by Eyal Levi (DAATH, JOB FOR A COWBOY) and Jason Suecof (TRIVIUM, DEVILDRIVER) at Audiohammer Studios in Sanford, Florida.

Commented Carpenter: "On 'Intrinsic', we've found ourselves focusing on the songwriting as well as the new textures and melody we're striving for. Each song has its own identity and flow, but the album is fun to listen through in order cause of the conceptual ties."

THE CONTORTIONIST is: Robby Baca (guitar), Jonathan Carpenter (vocals, keyboards), Joey Baca (percussion), Cameron Maynard (guitar), Christopher Tilley (bass).

Jonas Lööw at Sweden's Rockbladet recently caught up with AMARANTHE vocalist Elize Ryd, also known for her work with KAMELOT as a backing vocalist. An excerpt from the interview is available below:
Photo by Amalie Stepperud Antonsen

Jonas: Do you still manage to combine these two things, (musical performance) and musical career playing in bands?

Elize: "Absolutely, I'm doing my best. I work with the band Kamelot for the fourth year in a row now, and their music is very inspired by musicals. Each album is based on a unique story, and my job is to illustrate the different characters in it. I stand for the theatricals and visuals in their show. It feels really great to have an outlet for my theater, and sometimes even dancing skills there. I work to the extent that I have time to show different projects where I sing, do back-up singing and dancing behind both Swedish and international artists."

Jonas: I've read that you were one of the candidates to replace Tarja Turunen in NIGHTWISH, what happened?

Elite: "Yes, it went pretty well for me during that tryout. It was Jake and Olof who did send in the application on behalf of me. I had no idea who Nightwish were when I wasn’t a part of the industry (laughing). I was way too young and because of my lack of experience, they did choose Anette Olzon instead. Olof promised me that he would start a new band and that I could be the lead singer, and that made me really happy of course (laughing). About a month ago, I did perform with the band in Denver during the support tour with Kamelot in the US, when the singer got acutely ill."

Click here for the complete interview

As previously reported, on Friday, September 28th Nightwish took the stage at the Ogden Theatre in Denver, CO without vocalist Anette Olzon, who was hospitalized due to illness. Ryd and Alissa White-Gluz (THE AGONIST) stepped in to fill Olzon's role alongside bassist/male singer Marco Hietala. Fan-filmed video is available below:

Japan’s DIR EN GREY will release their new single, ‘Rinkaku’, on December 19th. A teaser can be heard below:
According to a press release, "the track is unlike anything you have heard before, almost overturning the band's musical concept on a new scale, coming in with a range full of depth with Kyo's vocals that evoke classical elements in this beautiful and intricate melodic track which builds up dramatically with the intertwining guitars and bass. 'Rinkaku' mixed by an internationally acclaimed engineer has turned out to be an inimitable track with an intense sound."

'Rinkaku' will be released as a limited order-only deluxe version, initial limited version, and original version. Artwork for the single can be seen below:
The initial limited version will feature a bonus DVD featuring scenes from the recording of 'Rinkaku'.

The limited order-only deluxe version features a bonus DVD featuring scenes from the recording of 'Rinkaku' and the band's November 11th, 2011 concert at Tokyo Dome City Hall.

The tracklisting is as follows:

'Amon'
'Lotus'
'Obscure'
'Ruten No Tou'
'Akatsuki'
'Hageshisa To, Kono Mune No Naka De Karamitsuita Shakunetsu No Yami'
'The Blossoming Beelzebub'
'Mazohyst Of Decadence'
'Tsumi To Batsu'
'Yokusou Ni Dreambox Aruiwa Seijuku No Rinen To Tsumetai Ame'
'Different Sense'
'Decayed Crow'
'Rinkaku' (Scenes From Recording)

Just in time for the start of GOTTHARD's Swiss tour, and on the last part of their successful Firebirth world tour 2012, the band heat things up with 'Give Me Real' their new fan video.

What usually requires long days of shooting with countless takes was made in Chile in an afternoon "First Take". The result is pure emotion! Like hardly any other clip it captures the magic between the band, fans and live performance.

The video was shot spontaneously at the start of the tour during the sound check. It was only the second show with singer Nic Maeder and is the fastest video shoot of the band's history. The director from South America only needed one run-through. The film was shot in Chile, home of creative TV talent. In addition to the band, two known South American actors can be seen, the only 25-year-old Leon Bravo and the 24-year-old Paula Pardo.
"We were immediately enthusiastic about the idea when the director came up with the idea of making the clip on tour in Chile", says bassist Marc Lynn. "We were all curious to shoot in South Amer ica and to work with a local team. Also the fact that we were on tour and did not have two whole days as usual for a video shoot but only a few hours in the afternoon, was an exciting challenge. We got to know a lot from the people there and their sweeping, spirited way of working. "

The clip can be seen below:
Upcoming Swiss dates include:

November
30 - Chur, Switzerland - Stadthalle

December
1 - Bern, Switzerland - Expo Halle 4.1.
6 - Lausanne, Switzerland - Metropole
7 - Winterthur, Switzerland - Eishalle Deutweg
8 - Sursee, Switzerland - Stadthalle

Gotthard are confirmed for 70000 Tons Of Metal 2013. The World's Biggest Heavy Metal Cruise will sail Monday, January 28th, 2013 aboard the Royal Caribbean Majesty Of The Seas from Miami, FL to Cockburn Town on Grand Turk Island, and will not return to the real world for four days until Friday, February 1st.
The following 23 out of 40 bands have now been announced: ANACRUSIS, ANGRA, DIE APOKALYPTISCHEN REITER, DORO, DRAGONFORCE, ENSIFERUM, EVERGREY, FLOTSAM AND JETSAM, GOTTHARD, HELLOWEEN, HELSTAR, IMMOLATION, IN FLAMES, KREATOR, LACUNA COIL, METAL CHURCH, NILE, RAGE and LINGUA MORTIS ORCHESTRA, SABATON, SUBWAY TO SALLY, TIAMAT, TURISAS, TÝR, UNEXPECT.

Ticket prices start at US$666 plus US$299 taxes and fees per person and include all on-board entertainment, non-alcoholic and non-carbonated beverages, all meals at the dining rooms, most on-board restaurants and even 24 hour room service!

What are you waiting for? You might even need a vacation from this vacation when all is said and done! Check out 70000tons.com for more information.

German death metallers DESERTED FEAR have released a video for the song 'Field Of Death', featured on their new album, My Empire, released on September 28th in Germany and October 1st worldwide via FDA Rekotz. Watch the new clip below:
My Empire was mixed and mastered by DAN SWANÖ (ex-EDGE OF SANITY, BLOODBATH, NIGHTINGALE) at Unisound Studio.
Tracklisting is as follows:

‘Intro’
‘The Battalion Of Insanities’
‘Pestilential’
‘Nocturnal Frags’
‘Morbid Infection’
‘The Black Incantation’
‘Scene Of Crime’
‘Field Of Death’
‘My Empire’
‘Bury Your Dead’

A promo video for My Empire can be seen below:

German metallers EISREGEN will release their new two disc compilation entitled Krebskollektion, on December 7th via Massacre Records.

The band have now released a video for a cover of FALCO’s ‘Mutter Der Mann Mit Dem Koks Ist Da’, off the new album. Check it out below:
Krebskollektion features rare tracks from 1998-2004 on the first CD and seven new/unreleased recordings on the second.

The album will be available in three different formats: as standard two CD version for a special price, as a limited, numbered and embossed two CD digipak version and as a limited and numbered double vinyl LP in gate-fold cover (limited to 500 units).
Tracklisting is as follows:

CD 1:

‘Vorabend Der Schlacht’
‘Scharlachrotes Kleid’
‘Für Euch Die Ihr Lebt’
‘Das Kleine Leben’
‘Abglanz Vom Licht’
‘Thüringen’
‘Vorboten’
‘Angst Wird Fleisch’
‘Schatten Im Verstand’
‘Ein Jahr Im Leben Des Todes’
‘Mein Eichensarg’
‘Blutgeil’
‘Glas’

CD 2:

‘Brut’
‘Mutter, Der Mann Mit Dem Koks Ist Da’ (FALCO cover)
‘Fleischhaus 2012’
‘Engelmacher’
‘Scharlachrotes Kleid 2012’
‘Born Dead’
‘Blutgeil’ (live)

Power trio SUBJEKTIVE have announced the release of their self-titled debut album via Alliance entertainment/RDM Entertainment.

According to a press release: “The band has even coined its own name for the particular style of music they play: rock driven metal. It's the perfect description of music that is both a melodious form of metal combined with a powerful, in-your-face attitude.”
Tracklisting is as follows:

‘Veins’
‘R.D.M’
‘Too Far Gone’ ‘
‘Mental’
‘Your World Will End’
‘Watch This Space’
‘Round 1’
‘Coward’
‘Split From One Source’
‘Shattered (Wasted)’

The track ‘Round 1’ can be heard below:

Belgian progressive death metallers IN-QUEST have inked a deal with the metal band management agency Morbid Management.

Commented In-Quest guitarist Douglas Verhoeven: “We are very happy with this news. We can't wait to release our new material!"

Stated Morbid Management band manager Willem Van Maele: “I’m honored to announce that from now on I will be representing In-Quest. When I discovered metal I visited In-Quest gigs on a monthly basis, working with them is a huge chance for me!"

In-Quest is currently in the studio recording their eigth album. The follow-up to 2009’s Made Out of Negative Matter is being recorded at Split Second Sound studio with producer Jochem Jacobs (TEXTURES).

In-Quest is:

MiQe Löfberg – Vocals
Douglas Verhoeven – Leads
Gert Monden – Drums
Korre Lauwereins – Rhythms
Frederick Peeters - Bass
More on In-Quest at this location.

WHITESNAKE recently launched WSTV, described as "an audio-visual treat". The newest episode is now online, and features David Coverdale answering fan questions, Part 7. Check it out below:
Part 1 - 6 of the Q&A with Coverdale can be seen below:
JOURNEY and Whitesnake, along with special guests THUNDER, are set to appear onstage together for the first time ever in May 2013, taking in eight dates across the UK. Tickets are on sale now via Livenation.co.uk or Ticketmaster.co.uk.

Journey's Neal Schon said of the tour: "Looking forward to getting back to the UK and playing our best for you all. You guys are the very best, cheers and see you soon. We will be rocking!"
Meanwhile Whitesnake say they're back with a vengeance in 2013, with plans to release a live DVD ahead of the tour as well as a double album. "Unfinished business..." as Coverdale says slyly. "We all wanted the last tour to continue as we got closer to the end...After a year in the studio we're ready to rock on stage again...We're coming back for more..."
Special guests Thunder will also be joining the UK dates. Singer Danny Bowes says: "We'd already discussed possibly doing some shows next year, so this is perfect, and it's a great bill, like they used to be back in the day, it'll be a brilliant night out".

Journey, Whitesnake and Thunder UK live dates:

May
18 - Glasgow SECC - Glasgow, UK
20 - Motorpoint Arena - Sheffield, UK
22 - Metro Radio Arena - Newcastle, UK
23 - Manchester Arena - Manchester, UK
25 - Capital FM Arena - Nottingham, UK
26 - Motorpoint Arena - Cardiff, UK
28 - LG Arena - Birmingham, UK
29 - Wembley Arena - London, UK

Germany's 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.

Rhode Island-based rockers DREAMER announce the release of their debut album, Turn It Up. The album features ten tracks filled with razor-sharp hooks, radio friendly melodies and a heavy metal wallop that can satisfy the most demanding headbanger.
Inspired by bands ranging from the classic hard rock bands (KISS, LED ZEPPELIN, QUEEN) to modern hardcore and metal (BLACK LABEL SOCIETY, PANTERA, SENSES FAIL), Dreamer captures the sound of classic metal and infuses it with a style and sound all their own. Renowned for their high energy live shows at venues across New England, the band has opened for bands such as ALL THAT REMAINS, BURN HALO, CANDLEBOX, FIREWIND, HAWTHORNE HEIGHTS, HOLLYWOOD UNDEAD, LYNCH MOB, SALIVA and SAVING ABEL. Dreamer are booking shows to support their album and are on a mission to deliver Turn It Up to audiences and radio stations across the US.
Turn It Up tracklisting:

'Way It Feels'
'Live For Today'
'Lost Without You'
'Last Goodbye'
'Cry'
'On The Run'
'Over Time'
'Dream'
'Sex Rocks'
'Turn It Up'

Listen to the album below:

Turn It Up by Dreamer

Dreamer is:

Christian Shields - Lead Vocals/Guitar
Nathan Shields - Drums/Vocals
Jake Bizarre - Lead Guitar/Vocals
Nathan Andreadi - Bass/Vocals.

More on Dreamer at this location.

Italy's Southern hard rock act TOMBSTONE HIGHWAY is to release a debut studio album entitled Ruralizer on February 26th in Europe and March 19th in the US on Agonia Records.

According to a press release, the band is a classic blend of feisty stoner/southern rock and doom metal, with catchy guitar solos and old-school heavy metal parts that may remind of LYNYRD SKYNYRD, CORRISON OF CONFORMITY, PRIDE AND GLORY, DOWN, BLACK SABBATH, or even ZZ TOP riffage. The band even uses also a banjo and Hammond organs.
Ruralizer will consist of eight original songs and a cover of MOUNTAIN's 'Mississippi Queen' with a playing time of almost 50 minutes and will be made available on Digipack CD and digital download. It was recorded at Elfo Studios by Daniele Mandelli who is also in charge of mix and mastering.

The band commented: "We're very proud of how the album came out and we strongly believe it's the perfect way to begin our legacy. People into heavy, ballsy southern-tinged Hard Rock should take note!"

Three songs from Ruralizer can be heard Tombstone Highway's Reverb Nation profile here.

Ruralizer tracklist:
'Old Blood'
'Acid Overlord'
'Graveyard Blues'
'Hellfire Rodeo'
'Ruralizer'
'Bite The Dust (And Bleed)'
'At The Bitter End'
'Mississippi Queen'
'Hangman's Friend'

For more details on Tombstone Highway visit Facebook .

Dark metallers AETERNUS, have announced the addition of new session bassist Eld from Krakow and Vithr, Norway. Eld joins the band for their upcoming shows in February.
Details for the upcoming shows will be announced soon.

Aeternus were recently confirmed for Oslo, Norway's Inferno Festival which is being held at the venues Rockefeller, John Dee, Rock In, Blå, Unholy, Victoria and Revolver from March 27-30th, 2013.
Thus far, the Inferno 2013 lineup includes: AETERNUS, BEHEXEN, DARK FRUNERAL, DISKORD, HADES ALMIGHTY, IN VAIN, PURIFIED IN BLOOD, SATYRICON, SOLEFALD, TAAKE.

For more details visit Infernofestival.net.

California rockers BUCKCHERRY will release "Gluttony", the first single from their forthcoming sixth studio album, "Confessions", on December 11 via iTunes.

In other news, BUCKCHERRY will join KID ROCK as special guests on the upcoming "Rebel Soul" tour beginning February 2 in Kansas City, Missouri.

"'Great American rock and roll': KID ROCK and BUCKCHERRY. That's all you have to say. The baddest rock 'n' roll tour with the American badass himself," says BUCKCHERRY vocalist Josh Todd.

"Confessions" will be BUCKCHERRY's first domestic release with new label Century Media Records. The CD is due in early 2013 on Century Media in the United States and via Eleven Seven Music in other parts of the world.

"Confessions" is an album based on the seven deadly sins, and is part of a larger vision that includes a film written by Josh Todd, who based the album's lyrics on his childhood and transformation into adulthood.

Asked about the reports that "Confessions" is a "concept" album, Nelson told PopCultureMadness.com, "Basically, it kind of started off as a concept record and then evolved away from that, so I wouldn't really call it a concept record right now. But it definitely has a theme to the record. And the record, it evolved into Josh writing a screenplay, basically, loosely based on some events of his life. So the story of the record goes with the film and the film goes with the record and they really work together. It tells a story."

He added, "The whole idea was to, basically, make the record stand alone on its own and the film stand alone on its own, but they could both come together and work really well together. And same thing with the songs — there isn't anything on the record that is so weird that you wouldn't understand it unless you saw the movie. So the record really needs to stand on its own, like every other record we've made."

Todd told an Oklahoma radio station about the "Confessions" screenplay, "It's based around the seven sins and true events that happened in my life as well, when I was younger."

Todd, however, shot down the idea of playing the lead role in the film, although he did say that the band will appear somewhere in it.

He added, "I think (the film is) gonna be a real treat for people who love this band and people who are just discovering BUCKCHERRY for the first time."

As for "Confessions", Todd said that the new disc is "definitely a heavier, musically, record than we've ever had, and more melodic. It's pretty intense, but everybody's gonna love it. It's quintessential BUCKCHERRY at the end of the day."

Swedish metallers ENFORCER will release their new album, "Death By Fire", on February 1, 2013 via Nuclear Blast Records. The CD artwork was created by Jonathan Hultèn of Necromantic Art and can be seen below.

Commented ENFORCER vocalist/guitarist Olof Wikstrand: "[The art] captures pretty much everything we wanted from a cover. Simple and direct!"

"Death By Fire" track listing:

01. Bells Of Hades
02. Death Rides This Night
03. Run For Your Life
04. Mesmerized By Fire
05. Take Me Out Of This Nightmare
06. Crystal Suite
07. Sacrificed
08. Silent Hour / The Conjugation
09. Satan

ENFORCER will will hit the road with GRAND MAGUS and the NWOBHM legends ANGEL WITCH in February.

ENFORCER's second album, "Diamonds", was released in May 2010 in Europe by Earache Records and in the rest of the world through Heavy Artillery.

Having released its debut album, "Into the Night", in November 2008, ENFORCER kicked open the floodgates for the return of traditional heavy metal, paving the way for many other young bands to follow. With critical acclaim pouring in from fans and the international music press, ENFORCER wasted no time taking their show to the road for their first European and American tours as well as a litany of appearances at many of Europe's most highly regarded festivals.

Southern Germany-based melodic thrash metal sextet LARCENY will release its debut album, "My Fall", in early 2013 via SAOL (Service For Artist Owned Labels). The CD was recorded at R.E.D. studios with producer Achim Lindermair.

According to a press release, LARCENY has " a lot of different influences, like death, black and thrash metal, but also metalcore, which seems to be an interesting mix."

Comments the band: "We are seeing an influence from all sorts of styles of metal music (and occasionally even beyond metal) which at times makes things complicated. Yet there is a special type of harmony between us. We would never stop rehearsals before we are sure that we feel really good about our songs."

LARCENY is:

Anna Rantou - Vocals
Oliver Gaupp - Vocals, Guitar
Andreas Augat - Lead Guitar
Conny Ott - Keyboards
Lukas Frankenhauser - Bass
Dennis Siebert - Drums

Virginia-based melodic tech-death metal masters ARSIS will make a new EP, "Lepers Caress", available for free download tomorrow (Tueaday, December 4) via 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.

"The EP was put together quickly after we finished [the forthcoming ARSIS full-length album] 'Unwelcome'," said ARSIS bassist Noah Martin, "It gave us the opportunity to offer a brief statement of where our heads are at the moment. We revisited some of the oldest material in the ARSIS catalog as well as re-tracked a song off the upcoming full-length. Expect more three and four-part writing, thrash and blasts, and a string quartet arranged for a full band."

A brand new ARSIS song, "Six Coffins Wide", taken from the "Lepers Caress" EP, can be streamed below (courtesy of GuitarWorld.com).

Scion A/V will also sponsor a brief North American tour that will see ARSIS hit 15 cities this December, starting with a December 6 show at New York City's Gramercy Theater.

ARSIS recently recruited Brandon Ellis as the band's new guitarist. Brandon has toured with the group in the past but will finally make his recording debut on ARSIS' upcoming full-length release. He replaces guitarist Nick Cordle, who was recently tapped to replace Christopher Amott in the Swedish/German extreme metal act ARCH ENEMY.

ARSIS's 2010 album, "Starve For The Devil" (Nuclear Blast Records), sold 1,800 copies in the United States in its first week of release, landing at No. 13 on the Top New Artist Albums (Heatseekers) chart.

When THE CULT frontman Ian Astbury had the idea for SALEM to remix a song off THE CULT's new release, "Choice Of Weapon", he reached out to SALEM as an admirer, using an e-mail he found on and EP he had. The band responded and chose "Elemental Light", which resulted in an ethereal, beat-driven verison of the song. Ian then called in the cinematic prowess of director/acclaimed fine artist Kostas Seremetis to create a visual element for the remix, and the result is more short film than music video.

"The sentiment of this film captures the loss of wilderness, and a generation trying to make sense of the trash heap they have inherited," Astbury says of the project. "It evokes nature versus man, that struggle [and] desire to control nature and ultimately death.”

The film recently premiered on IFC.com, and and can now be seen below.

THE CULT recently released a "prequel" to accompany "Choice Of Weapon". The digital-only release "Weapon Of Choice" reveals the songs at a stage of development that will be of interest to THE CULT's fans and followers. "Weapon Of Choice" is a document of a work in progress and offers a unique opportunity to hear THE CULT's process. The material had not been previously released, and is available exclusively on iTunes for two months only beginning October 16.

The ten tracks that comprise "Weapon Of Choice" were recorded when THE CULT returned to the studio in 2011 with producer Chris Goss. The songs were conceived in New York, Los Angeles, the California desert and the band's Witch Mountain studio.