"Drink Drank Drunk", the new video from HELLYEAH, can be seen below. The clip was filmed on May 27 at the Rocklahoma festival in Pryor, Oklahoma.

"Drink Drank Drunk" comes off HELLYEAH's third album, "Band Of Brothers", which sold 19,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 19 on The Billboard 200 chart.

Released on July 17 via HELLYEAH's new label home, Eleven Seven Music, "Band Of Brothers" was recorded in Dallas, Texas at Vinnie Paul Abbott's home studio, VP's Upstairs Studio, and was produced by the band and Jeremy Parker (GODSMACK, EVANESCENCE), who also served as engineer. Gray told The Pulse Of Radio that the album represents the first time that the members of the band have fully embraced their musical roots. "It's definitely my favorite HELLYEAH record to date, for sure," he said. "I think the first couple were kind of experiments and stuff, and I think we kind of kept what we've done individually away from HELLYEAH, with our, you know, previous bands and stuff, and this time it was like we just kind of said, 'Screw it,' we just kind of quit being afraid to be ourselves. I'm really, really proud of it, I think we all are."

The band has stated that "Band Of Brothers" is a heavier, more metal-sounding effort that either its self-titled 2007 debut or 2010's "Stampede".

"Band Of Brothers" track listing:

01. War In Me
02. Band Of Brothers
03. Rage/Burn
04. Drink Drank Drunk
05. Bigger God
06. Between You And Nowhere
07. Call It
08. Why Does It Always
09. WM Free
10. Dig Myself A Hole
11. What It Takes To Be Me

"Drink Drank Drunk" video:

"The Divinity Of Purpose", the new album from Connecticut hardcore/metal masters HATEBREED is available for pre-order beginning today 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.

"Leave You In Dirt", the new video from U.K. metallers SOLDIERFIELD, can be seen below. The song comes off the band's debut EP, "Bury The Ones We Love", which was released on October 29 via Metalbox Recordings.

Drawing on influences from across the rock and metal spectrum, SOLDIERFIELD released an early demo track at the turn of 2012 before recording the EP with producer Steve Wray (BLAZE, RISE TO ADDICTION) at The Cell in Bradford during May/June 2012.

SOLDIERFIELD recently announced the addition of drummer Jeff Singer to the group's ranks. Jeff has 20 years experience touring and recording with the likes of PARADISE LOST, BLAZE, KILL II THIS, CHINA BEACH, and will now be in charge of the heavy weapons both on the band's soon-to-be announced live shows and on the full-length album, due in early 2013.

SOLDIERFIELD is:

Vocals: Leigh Oates (ORDER OF VOICES, RISE TO ADDICTION)
Guitars: Andy Trott
Guitars: Steve Wray (RISE TO ADDICTION, BLAZE)
Bass: Simon Priestland
Drums: Jeff Singer (PARADISE LOST, BLAZE, KILL II THIS, CHINA BEACH)

"Let The Angels Burn", the new video from Tel-Aviv, Israel metallers HAMMERCULT, can be seen below. The clip was filmed during the band's appearance at this year's edition of the Wacken Open Air festival in early August in Wacken, Germany. The song comes off HAMMERCULT's debut album, "Anthems Of The Damned", which was released in April through Sonic Attack Records.

"Anthems Of The Damned" will be released in a special edition vinyl format in early 2013. Also in the works in a seven-inch EP featuring brand new songs that will appear on the band's next full-length album.

HAMMERCULT will play its first show of 2013 as the main support for KREATOR in Tel-Aviv on January 18.

HAMMERCULT earlier in the year wrapped up a European tour during which they shared stages with SEPULTURA, HATEBREED and MALEVOLENT CREATION.

Since its formation in the politically-charged country of Israel in late 2010, HAMMERCULT has created a violent mixture of extreme thrash metal with a nasty punk approach, delivering crunching riffs, furious vocals, pounding drum skins and sickening lyrics. In a matter of months, HAMMERCULT managed to gather a loyal hardcore fan base through the band's intense live show attitude — "no bullshit, just metal!"

After conquering the hearts of the Israeli metalheads, HAMMERCULT emerged victorious at the international Metal Battle competition at Wacken Open Air in summer 2011. But this was just the beginning — they also signed to the German label Sonic Attack Records, founded by Karl Walterbach, and embarked on a European tour with crossover legends D.R.I.

Former METALLICA and VOIVOD bassist Jason Newsted was interviewed on this past Friday's (Novermber 16) edition of Eddie Trunk's "Friday Night Rocks" radio show on New York's Q104.3 FM. A few excerpts from the chat follow below (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET).

On what promped him to launch his official web site, NewstedHeavyMetal.com, and release music under his own name after so many years:

Jason: "I've thought about this for a long time, putting my name on a project other than just coming up with a clever name, like ECHOBRAIN or PAPA WHEELIE or something. We have a lot of cool names for projects, but this is the first time with my name and really trying to get out to the people that I played for by the millions in the past with METALLICA. I think I've waited just long enough, and I think the people are ready, and I'm ready, so I'm gonna try to get some music together and see what I can do for some people. We'll see what comes about in the next couple of months here."

On what the project is going to be called:

Jason: "It'll be called Newsted Heavy Metal Music. Whatever it ends up being — if it's five songs, 20 songs, 50 songs… I don't even know what the heck I'm gonna do. I have so much music from over the years. I have a bunch of new stuff, I have so many mixes of projects with people — new players, young players, old-school players like myself — so I'm just trying to figure out exactly what I wanna unleash on everybody first. That's kind of what it's coming down to — the timing of things and how I wanna hit people with it, and which stuff [to release first]."

On how he plans to release his music:

Jason: "I see a couple of the old avenues still being there that will always be there in the purest form — making the vinyl and everybody having the special-edition vinyl to be able to read the lyrics, stuff like you and I loved the most, that's the closest to us that's the most endearing and the most personal. So that's always gonna be there and I never wanna dismiss that, so that will be percentage of it for the fans that really dig the real American kick-ass guitar music. So I wanna make sure that that part is there. And then the newest avenues that I'm just really now learning about as I expose myself to all this stuff… I saw a piece of one of ['That Metal Show' espisodes on VH1 Classic] and somebody talked about DOWN and some other bands doing four tracks at a time in EP form every few months, letting people have some fresh metal. I think that's a pretty good concept, a pretty good formula — I'm hip to that, [and] I'd like to warm up to that. Since it is new territory for me, I'm really open to that idea; I think it's a good way to spread stuff. Like today, [my official] web site has been up up there for 12 hours officially and there's been thousands and thousands of people from all over so many countries already saying, 'Let's come up with some tunes for us to listen to.' Back in the day, man, when I was tape-trading and working with FLOTSAM AND JETSAM, I had to put one tape at a time in an envelope with custom tags and I had to figure out how much it was to go to Ireland or Spain or wherever, man — one at a time. I had to go to the post office and mail it and I did it, and I did it very dilligently, and that's why FLOTSAM got to be where they were, and that's actually the very reason that I got the gig with METALLICA, because of all of those letters and my correspondence all over the world. When Lars [Ulrich, METALLICA drummer] called out and reached out to all of his contacts across the world, my name came out of everyone's mouth: 'This kid is organized.' That's why I got the gig — because I tape-trader and I was so committed to sharing the music. Now I can do that with one push of a button and it's a squillion people. I know about the labors and what it takes one at a time, and I'm not afraid to do that, but I know that I have the chance now, from all of my hard work for 30 years, I'm gonna be able to share [the music] with a bunch of people at once. Anybody that really gives a snot about the music and cares about what I'm doing, I wanna share with them. Everybody else: peace, man. There's room for everybody. Enjoy what you enjoy. It might not be for everybody, but the people that it's for, let's go get it, you know?!"

On whether he plans on embracing the social media full-on after leading such a reclusive life for the past decade:

Jason: "It's kind of two very diferrent sides of the same coin in the way that in all of my time with METALLICA, I went to every single pre-show and every single after-show. I might have missed literally four out of two thousands [after-]shows, and the only reason I did is because the kids' fingers and lips were turning blue and it was so cold, we couldn't go outside to sign for them. That was the only reason that I've ever been held back where I would ever not go and make those connections. So that's the part of me with the people, being fueled by their energy and the energy exchange and the love for the metal and being together with that. Everybody that knows anything about how I've run my game, run my life over time on a professional level [knows it was all about] that — the connection with the people, the eye-level thing, always giving somebody a minute. That was always my mantra: I can always give every one of these people one minute. There was weeks when [we were doing] the 'Black' album tour, we did 24 months in a row, or whatever the heck that thing was, with no stopping, there was five or seven or nine hundred or eleven hundred people every week that I would look in their eyes and shake their hand and give them one minute. And I always did that. Now, after I got out of METALLICA, there was all kinds of crazy, heavy emotions [I felt] that nobody knows about. And I'm the only guy on the planet that was in that band and I'm out of that band, but I'm still breathing. So I did a very serious, reclusive deal. I built a ranch in Montana in the center of a forest of millions of acres of nothing. That kind of thing where I just said, 'OK, screw it, man! I'm outta here.' I went that far opposite of my connection with the people. It took me 12 years to come back to earth, and here I am now. And my big, black boots are on the ground and I'm ready to go."

On how perfming with METALLICA in December 2011 at all four intimate shows at the Fillmore in San Francisco as part of the band's week-long celebration of its 30th anniversary as a group gave him the incentive to reconnect with the fans again:

Jason: "The initial thing of the obvious stimulation and the 'adrenaline starts to flow,' and all that kind of thing, that was just right there, palpable. [I was] with my boys again, everybody, looking in each other's guys, going to rehearsal and jamming that stuff loud again and feeling the wall of sound, and just 'Wow!', levitating right off the ground. Then I get to the show and what really did it, what really was the catalyst [for me getting the urge to reconnect with everyone] was the people. I had no idea what to expect when I got there, but the response from the fans… There was people from all over the world there at those shows. And in so many languages and so many accents and stuff, they're screaming, man. And I hadn't been to shows enough to realize… It used to be the lighters that show the appreciation, now it's the screens of the phones that show the appreciation. And as I look out there, when [Rob] Halford comes on, half the room's got the screens up, and when King Diamond comes on, a third of the room's got the sceens up. When Jason comes on the stage, every screen in the room is up in the sky and people are chanting. And I'm like, 'Holy crap, man!' I was so overwhelmingly pleasantly surprised that that just hit me. Like, 'Wow, you know what?! I might be able to do this again. The appreciation of the people can bring me back.' The reason why I ever freakin' did it and loved it so much to begin with is the thing that brings me back."

On the neck and back injuries he sustained banging his head every night onstage with METALLICA which contributed to his decision to leave the band:

Jason: "If you go back and look at those videos, like any of the live videos and stuff, oh my God — there's no wonder that it's the way it is; there's definitely some serious degeneration that's taken place in my vertebrae. I don't know how many people spun their head like that that early in the progress of all this. I'm not gonna take the blame or the credit for anybody doing it anymore these days, but I know I did my share. I've had three shoulder surgeries and going back and forth with them, kind of to fix everything up, so I've been in rehab for many, many years trying to get everything back together. So I'm a lot better than I was for the last, probably six or seven years, I'm a lot stronger. I've always retained my same fighting weight, I've kept myself fit in that way, so that's all cool. And I'm pretty close to the monster, and I think if I work on it a little bit, I can be the monster again."

Iconic heavy metal band BLACK SABBATH was crowned the most important British hard rock act of all time in a major poll unveiled this weekend by record industry trade body the BPI.

The Birmingham-born pioneers of heavy metal, who have sold more than 70 million records worldwide — including the 1970 classic "Paranoid" — bagged almost half of the votes (45%) in a poll of more than 3,600 hard rock / metal fans. IRON MAIDEN and LED ZEPPELIN completed the trio of the most respected British hard rock legends, each taking one fifth of the votes.

Commenting on the poll-topping news, BLACK SABBATH said, "We are honored and flattered to be acknowledged in a poll like this which is voted for by the fans. We thank you."

Metallers confirmed Britain's reputation as the home of metal (75%), with two thirds (67.3%) praising Britain as a "world force" in the genre. Three out of four fans believe that Britain is still producing great artists, with Sheffield's WHILE SHE SLEEPS the act most hotly tipped for future success.

The survey — carried out partly in conjunction with leading publications Kerrang! and Metal Hammer — found that aficionados of hard rock and metal get bitten by the bug early, with over 40% discovering it before their teenage years.

Fans were also keen to showcase the positive aspects of the genre, with 79% stating they felt energised after listening to their favourite bands and almost three quarters (71%) saying it had helped them get through tough times. Two thirds (65%) said that they had made friends through their shared love of metal but only 12% of respondents said that rock and metal were the only genres of music they listened to, with indie, blues and electronic/dance all surprise hits.

Of all the great albums in the metal canon, METALLICA's self-titled smash was revealed to be the album metal fans would recommend as the ideal introduction to the genre. Released in 1991, it has sold some 30 million copies globally and produced the Top 10 U.K. hits "Enter Sandman" and "Nothing Else Matters".

Photo below courtesy of Black-Sabbath.com

Singaporean blackened warbeasts IMPIETY have inked a deal with Hells Headbangers for the release of a new single and full-length album for 2013.

IMPIETY has worked with Osmose Productions and Agonia Records, and most recently had its eighth album, "Ravage & Conquer", issued through Pulverised Records.

"I've long admired the works of Hells Headbangers. They have always put out killer albums from dedicated bands and it came by much surprise recently that they have shown great enthusiasm and concern to work with us," says IMPIETY frontman Shyaithan. "We definitely look forward to an infernal 2013 with Hells Headbangers."

After their November European tour with ENTHRONED and FORGOTTEN TOMB, IMPIETY will complete the songwriting for its four-song mini-CD titled "The Impious Crusade".

"Ravage & Conquer" was recorded, mixed and mastered over the course of two weeks at Studio 47 in Singapore and featured cover art by renowned illustrator Lord Sickness (SABBAT, WITCHAVEN, ZYGOATSIS).

DEVICE, the new industrial-style project featuring DISTURBED vocalist David Draiman and former FILTER guitarist Geno Lenardo, will release its first single, "Vilify", in early February. The band's full-length debut will follow in the beginning of April. Other songtitles set to appear on the CD include "You Think You Know", "Recover", "Hunted" and "War Of Lies".

Draiman revealed the existence of the project last March, saying it would be in the vein of industrial acts like NINE INCH NAILS and MINISTRY. He later announced that Lenardo was joining the group, although further members' identities have yet to be unveiled.

DISTURBED went on an open-ended hiatus last year, with Draiman saying at the time that all four members wanted some time to pursue other endeavors. "We've got other things that each of the band members wanted to pursue individually, outside of DISTURBED," he said. "There's other businesses we have, there's other interests. We've got futures hopefully to help cultivate for our families and our children, and they can't all revolve specifically around DISTURBED."

DISTURBED has not indicated when it plans to return, although all four members say they're likely to come back.

Aside from Draiman, DISTURBED bassist John Moyer has branched out recently by joining ADRENALINE MOB, a new group also featuring ex-DREAM THEATER and AVENGED SEVENFOLD drummer Mike Portnoy.

Zakk Wylde (BLACK LABEL SOCIETY, OZZY OSBOURNE) joined Slash (GUNS N' ROSES, VELVET REVOLVER) on stage for a jam last night (Saturday, November 17) at Estadio Cubierto Malvinas Argentinas in Buenos Aires, Argentina. You can watch fan-filmed video footage of the performance below.

After the concert, Slash's lead singer, Myles Kennedy, tweeted, "Zakk Wylde jammed with us this evening in Buenos Aires. That guy can punish a fretboard. BLACK LABEL SOCIETY [who opened the cocert] was awesome as well."

Zakk tweeted: "BIG BL LOVE To SLASH n Co.!!!! Always Great Seeing you n Listening to You TEAR it UP My BROTHER!!! BIG BL Thanks To SLASH/MYLES n The CONSPIRATORS for letting Is Roll w/Them... GREAT PEOPLE=GREAT TIMES"

Slash tweeted: "Many thanks to Zakk for jamming w/us tonight. It was an honor & a privilege. iiii]; )'"

In a 2011 interview with Music Radar, Zakk stated about GUNS N' ROSES lead singer Axl Rose, "I've been friends with Axl for a long time. He's the last of the great frontmen. Seriously, who else is there? You had Elvis and Mick Jagger, then you had Jim Morrison and Freddie Mercury, Robert Plant, Ronnie Van Zandt, and of course you can't forget about Ozzy [Osbourne], David Lee Roth… After all them, Axl came out, and it was like, Wow! The ultimate frontman, you know? You've gotta give it up for Axl. Amazing songs, amazing production — 'Appetite''s one of the greatest records of all time. The guy's got the whole nine yards. As a frontman, nobody's come close to him since he busted out."

AVENGED SEVENFOLD returned to the public eye this week with its new song and video "Carry On", which is included in the just-released blockbuster video game "Call Of Duty: Black Ops II". Lead singer M. Shadows told The Pulse Of Radio that ever since recording that song in August, AVENGED has been working steadily on album number six. "I try not to say too much about the album because you know how the Internet world is, so I'll just say this: we have a direction, we're sticking to that direction, and we feel really very happy writing in these terms that we've laid out for ourselves," he said. "The album is coming along very nicely, we're excited to get in the studio, we have about six songs that I'm really happy with right now, and we're continuing to write every single day."

The new disc is expected out in June or July of 2013 and will follow up 2010's "Nightmare". That album was the first No. 1 record of AVENGED SEVENFOLD's career and followed the December 2009 death of drummer Jimmy "The Rev" Sullivan.

The new CD will be the first written and recorded by AVENGED SEVENFOLD without any musical contributions from Sullivan, who wrote a large amount of the material for "Nightmare" before his death from drug and alcohol abuse.

Meanwhile, "Call Of Duty: Black Ops II", which features a score by Trent Reznor in addition to the new AVENGED SEVENFOLD song and dozens of others, arrived in stores on Tuesday (November 13) and is anticipated to sell in record-breaking numbers.

AVENGED SEVENFOLD previously had a song called "Not Ready To Die" on the expansion pack for the 2011 game "Call Of Duty: Call Of The Dead".

Sully Erna, best known as vocalist and songwriter for the multi-platinum rock band, GODSMACK, will release a limited-edition box set of his 2010 deeply personal solo debut, "Avalon".

The treasure chest that is the "Avalon" limited-edition box set contains 5 DVDs — the double disc, "Avalon Live", shot December 16, 2011 in Boston at The Wilbur Theatre in 2D, on Standard and Blu-ray; "The Making Of Avalon Live", a 40-minute documentary of behind the scenes footage from the concert in December; "The Journey To Avalon" documentary — an hour-long version of the acclaimed doc seen on Palladia, and a bloopers-and-outtakes DVD of Sully in the studio along with videos from "Avalon". The box also contains 2 CDs — "Avalon", the studio album, and "Avalon Live", the live show from Boston. Other items include an autographed limited edition coffee table book, an updated version of Sully's personal memoir, "The Paths We Choose", a limited-edition poster from the Wilbur show and a limited edition t-shirt, a Sully Erna hat and necklace, commemorative backstage pass from the 2010 tour, a guitar pick, and custom hand-made incense chosen by Sully.

Directed and produced by longtime GODSMACK/Sully director Daniel E. Catullo III (GODSMACK's "Changes" DVD, RUSH's "Rush In Rio" DVD, NICKELBACK), the show was produced as both a 2D and 3D special (release date for the the 3D version to be announced). It is priced at $249, but the first 1,000 people to pre-order will get it for $199. The box set is an amazing array of products and one-of-a-kind items that are a must-have for any Sully fan. Five "golden tickets" will be hidden in the boxes that offer grand prize luxury trips with Erna himself to Napa, Boston, New York, Las Vegas, and Avalon/Catalina Island. Many more amazing prizes such as guitars and handwritten lyrics can also be won with no purchase required. Register now at www.sullyernaavalon.com. Only 5,000 box sets will be made, each individually numbered.

"Avalon Live", the concert from The Wilbur Theatre in Boston, will air on Palladia November 16 (check local listings). A single disc version in standard and Blu-ray of the concert will also be released December 18 and is available for pre-order at www.sullyernaavalon.com.

The seeds for "Avalon" were planted back when Erna was in pre-GODSMACK outfit STRIP MIND, discovering Australian world fusion band DEAD CAN DANCE's 1993 album "Into The Labyrinth". Their "eclectic, mystical, hand drumming" approach filtered into GODSMACK hits like "Voodoo" and "Serenity". From there, an organic process of assembling the right musicians began. Erna recruited DEAD CAN DANCE percussionist Niall Gregory and long time friend and blues vocalist Lisa Guyer, each of whom introduced the guitarists, keyboardists and cellists that would fill out "Avalon"'s diverse sound.

Track listing for "Avalon Live" CD and DVD:

01. Avalon
02. Sinner’s Prayer
03. Broken Road
04. The Departed
05. My Light
06. Cast Out
07. Piano Solo
08. Until Then
09. The Rise
10. Eyes Of A Child
11. 7 Years
12. Serenity
13. The Chain
14. Hey Jude

Massachusetts metallers KILLSWITCH ENGAGE are currently mixing their new album with veteran British producer Andy Sneap (MEGADETH, TESTAMENT, EXODUS, ACCEPT, ARCH ENEMY, NEVERMORE) for an early 2013 release via Roadrunner Records. The recording sessions for the CD were overseen by KILLSWITCH ENGAGE guitarist Adam Dutkiewicz, an acclaimed producer in his own right who has previously worked with ALL THAT REMAINS, THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA and AS I LAY DYING, among others.

KILLSWITCH ENGAGE's forthcoming album will mark the return of the band's original vocalist, Jesse Leach, who rejoined the group earlier this year following the departure of Howard Jones after nine years and three successful albums. Having Leach — who had appeared on the band's first two albums and more recently played with Dutkiewicz in a new project, TIMES OF GRACE — back in the fold has "felt 100 percent natural," Adam tells Guitar World magazine. "Jesse sounds a little different from Howard — he's obviously not a big black man," he says with a laugh. "But he's bringing his own thing to it."

KILLSWITCH ENGAGE fans have already had the opportunity to hear one of the cuts that will appear on the upcoming CD: a rough mix of the song "No End In Sight" was recently leaked online, and as a result the band has started playing it live. "It's actually the one tune that's pretty different from the other stuff," Dutkiewicz tells Guitar World. "Overall the rest of the album is a little faster, a little meaner, a little growlier — thrashy but with lots of clean parts. We're going a little more extreme this time."

In an interview with the "Brock And The Fatguy" radio show, Leach stated about KILLSWITCH ENGAGEd's new material, "People are gonna be really surprised; [we're] setting the bar up high once again. It's really fast and it's really heavy. It's not what people are going to anticipate, I'm sure. I literally am getting chills right now talking about it. It's gonna blow the doors off people, man. It's gonna be great."

Leach sang on the band's first self-titled album, which came out in 2000, and on their landmark release, 2002's genre-defining "Alive Or Just Breathing".

KILLSWITCH ENGAGE's April 22 performance at at the New England Metal & Hardcore Festival marked the band's first concert with Leach in more than nine years.

KILLSWITCH ENGAGE will celebrate the 10th anniversary of "Alive Or Just Breathing" by performing the entire album during their U.S. headlining tour in November/December. Support on the trek will come from SHADOWS FALL and ACARO.

New KILLSWITCH ENGAGE song "No End In Sight" (demo version) audio stream:

Former EMPEROR frontman Ihsahn will play keyboards on the forthcoming debut album from GOD OF ATHEISTS, the Norwegian extreme metal project led by Asgeir Mickelson (SARKE, SPIRAL ARCHITECT, BORKNAGAR, TESTAMENT). The CD will also feature Trym (EMPEROR, ZYKLON, ENSLAVED) on drums, Mickelson on rhythm guitar, ICS Vortex (DIMMU BORGIR, BORKNAGAR) on vocals, and Carl A. Tidemann (ARCTURUS, WINDS) on lead guitar.

Says Mickelson: "[Ihsahn's] contribution adds a new dimension to the music without making GOD OF ATHEISTS symphonic extreme metal — just as intended! Stoked!"

Asgeir previously described GOD OF ATHEISTS as "the extreme metal project which I wrote most of the music for in 2008. One song was originally written for BORKNAGAR back in 2004, but was never finished, so I rewrote it and it's now way too brutal for BORKNAGAR's style. The overall style is kind of 'Norwegian black metal done death metal.' It's brutal but also very melodic."

Fan-filmed video footage of GUNS N' ROSES guitarist Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal and former TNT singer Tony Harnell performing acoustically this past Friday, November 16 at Vinyl in Las Vegas, Nevada can be seen below.

Since leaving TNT in 2006, Harnell has been recording hard rock, metal and acoustic rock albums and has been putting on entertaining acoustic shows to sold-out crowds in the the New York City area with his current backing group, which features guitarist Jason Hagen, Amy Harnell (vocals, percussion) and newest member, Cassandra Sotos (TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA, MARK WOOD), on seven-string electric violin.

Thal and Harnell met 20 years ago when Tony was forming a new band after TNT took a break in 1992, and in January 2012, Ron and Tony were reunited at the NAMM convention in Anaheim, California, where they started discussing the possibility of working together.

After Ron attended one of Tony's performances in August, which Thal proclaimed was "the best acoustic show he had ever seen," Tony, being a fan of Ron's otherworldly and original fretwork, asked if he'd like to join him on the project and contribute to his EP, which was already underway. Harnell states: "In addition to Ron's superhuman and beautiful guitar playing, he also happens to have a great voice and writes amazing songs, which will greatly add to this project both live and in the studio." Thal has also been a longtime fan of Harnell's songwriting and vocal artistry, so the new coalition seems more than natural.

The group has also announced the launch of a Pledge Music campaign, which allows the fans to contribute to and watch the making of the EP. A portion of the proceeds from the campaign will go to Breast Cancer Research.

With the new lineup and EP on the way, the group will tour nationally and internationally as a foursome featuring Harnell, Thal, Amy Harnell and Sotos under the name TONY HARNELL AND THE WILDFLOWERS FEATURING BUMBLEFOOT. Hagen will remain an integral part of songwriting and recording and will be appearing with the group for local performances. Harnell adds: "Ron's live appearances with this project will be subject to his schedule with GN'R, but he'll be with us for the live shows whenever possible."

The project already has shows booked in Vegas and Europe as well as the prestigious, soon to be re-opened Cutting Room in New York City, which has relocated and is being touted as one of the coolest new venues in the city.

Harnell and Thal have also been discussing other plans for a full electric band and have already started to reach out to some well-known musicians to join them. "That'll manifest after the acoustic EP, which is due out in early 2013," says Harnell.

Swedish singer Angelica Rylin of THE MURDER OF MY SWEET has decided to pursue her childhood dream and has begun recording a melodic rock solo album with the help of producer — and her THE MURDER OF MY SWEET bandmate — Daniel Flores.

"I always wanted to record an album like this," says Angelica. My childhood heroes were Robin Beck, Ann Wilson of HEART, Leigh Matty of ROMEO'S DAUGHTER."

Several melodic rock songwriting luminaries worked hard to create the magic harmonies and music that will be displayed on Angelica's solo debut, including Harry Hess, Daniel Flores, Robert Sall and Anders Wigelius. Making guest appearances on the CD are guitarists Jesper Strömblad (IN FLAMES), Magnus Karlsson (PRIMAL FEAR) and Per Berquist (SMASH INTO PIECES); and keyboardist Matt Guillory (JAMES LABRIE).

"This being my first solo record, I now have the chance to show you another side of me," says Angelica. "This is the next chapter. I hope you'll follow!"

A one-and-a-half-minute video clip of Angelica laying down vocal tracks in the studio can be seen below.

GUNS N' ROSES launched its first-ever residency on October 31 when the band played the first of 12 shows at the Joint in the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. The "Appetite For Democracy" run will last through Saturday, November 24, with the band playing a setlist exclusively created for these shows.

The shows feature the current lineup of the band, of which singer Axl Rose is the only original member.

The following are some of the first GUNS N' ROSES attendances/grosses at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, as reported by Billboard magazine:

* Artist/Event: GUNS N' ROSES
* Show Venue:The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
* City/State: Las Vegas, Nevada
* Show Dates: Oct. 31, Nov. 2-3, 2012
* Gross Sales: $775,119
* Total Attendance: 8,387
* Capacity: 9,839
* Ticket Prices: $179.50, $129.50, $85, $45
* Promoter: Concerts West/AEG Live

* Artist/Event: GUNS N' ROSES
* Show Venue:The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino
* City/State: Las Vegas, Nevada
* Show Dates: Nov. 7, 9-10, 2012
* Gross Sales: $829,220
* Total Attendance: 9,082
* Capacity: 9,908
* Ticket Prices: $179.50, $129.50, $85, $45
* Promoter: Concerts West/AEG Live

GUNS N' ROSES drew criticism earlier in the month from Clark County commissioners after they were told about an ad for the group's Vegas concerts which depicts what appears to be a sexually assaulted woman beneath the "Welcome to Las Vegas" sign.

The image, which is said to be a watered-down version of the banned cover for the band's classic 1987 debut, "Appetite For Destruction", was being used in mainstream advertising, including newspaper promotions and taxicab placards.

"Hubris Inc.", the fourth album from Los Angeles-based thrashers ANGER AS ART, will be released on February 5 , 2013 via Old School Metal Records. According to ANGER OF ART founder Steve Gaines (ABATTOIR, BLOODLUST, TACTICS, BITCH, DREAMS OF DAMNATION, PAGAN WAR MACHINE), the follow-up to 2009's "Disfigure" offers the kind of vicious, memorably penned thrash/speed metal that fans have come to expect without simply retracing the steps taken on previous albums.

"Hubris Inc." includes several guest appearances: "Rage And Retribution" features Betsy Bitch on vocals, Jim Durkin (DARK ANGEL) on lead guitar and Timothy Gaines (STRYPER) on bass; Steve Nelson (EVIL DEAD) contributes backing vocals on "The Evil You Create"; and "Speed Kills" features Mark Caro (ABATTOIR) on lead guitar. The latter track was actually written for ABATTOIR back in 1984 and is performed by all ABATTOIR members. It's the last opportunity to ever hear a new ABATTOIR song!

"Hubris Inc." track listing:

01. Hubris Inc.
02. Time Devours Life
03. Gods Of Hate
04. Anger Is The Reason
05. Speed Kills
06. This Is Why I Hate
07. As The Exalted Seethe
08. Pearls Before The Swine
09. Divided We Fall
10. Head Of The Snake
11. The Evil You Create
12. Pieces Of Red
13. Rage And Retribution
14. Never Forgive Never Forget

ANGER AS ART earlier in the year announced the addition of bassist Henry De La Cruz (MANIACAL GENOCIDE, STIGMATA, REVMATIX) to the group's ranks. Henry replaces Angelo Espino, who departed in October 2011.

ANGER AS ART's concert DVD, "Live Dissent", was released last year. The disc features footage from the February 21, 2010 concert at the Galaxy Theatre in Santa Ana, California, clips of the band on tour in Europe and in the USA, and a segment of the recording process for the "Disfigure" album.

ANGER AS ART's current lineup:

Steve Gaines - Vocals, Guitar
Henry De La Cruz - Bass
Rob Alaniz - Drums
Daniel Oliverio - Guitar, Vocals

The official lyric video for the song "Haunter Of The Dark" from Belgian melodic black metallers SAILLE can be seen below. The track comes off the band's new album, "Ritu", which will be released on January 18, 2013 via Code666 Records. The follow-up to 2011's "Irreversible Decay" was produced and mixed by Reinier Schenk (GORATH, FLESHMOULD) and mastered by Tom Kvålsvoll (1349, DIMMU BORGIR, KEEP OF KALESSIN). Cover art comes courtesy of Polish digital landscape artist Michal Karcz.

"Ritu" track listing:

01. Blood Libel
02. Subcutaneous Terror
03. Fhtagn
04. Upon The Idol Of Crona
05. Sati
06. A Titan's Sacrifice
07. Haunter Of The Dark
08. Runaljod
09. Ritual Descent

A trailer for "Ritu" can be seen below.

SAILLE keyboard player Dries Gaerdelen previously stated: "When creating our new album, I did research on and was inspired by several ancient destruction rituals. The new songs are therefore darker, faster, more aggressive and create a feeling of unease. The lyrics, written by frontman Dennie Grondelaers, explore the history of those death rites. With the drums being recorded a while ago, we’ve all got a 'recording state of mind' and have a feeling we're creating more than just songs. We're looking forward to unleashing our creations on the audience, both on CD and live!"

MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson has posted a five-minute video clip featuring behind-the-scenes footage from the band's November 17 concert at Rapids Theatre in Niagara Falls, New York. Check it out below.

The 20th-anniversary edition of MEGADETH's 1992 double platinum-certified "Countdown To Extinction" album was released on November 6 via Capitol/EMI.

Presented in a 2CD lift-top box and digitally, "Countdown To Extinction"'s new commemorative edition pairs the remastered original album with a 1992 concert, recorded live at San Francisco's Cow Palace, which has never before been released in its entirety. The concert audio has been newly remixed for this release. The physical and digital versions both include a booklet with a new liner notes essay by music journalist Kory Grow, and the 2CD box also contains a 24" x 36" poster and four collectible postcards.

MEGADETH is currently performing the acclaimed album in its entirety on the band's "Countdown To Extinction 20th Anniversary Tour".

Former NIGHTWISH singer Anette Olzon has posted the following message on her official blog:

"I just finished writing my new song that I've been working on for some weeks... This time I am doing the lyrics in Swedish and it was a bit hard but also challenging to do that, and now I've just sent it to my friend Fredrik Bergh to see how it will sound after the music is added. Since I don't play instruments so well, I always need help with recording. That, and Fredrik is fast and really good at what he does.

"The way we work is that I sing the song and record it directly in to Garage Band and set the tempo I want it to have. Then I write down the lyrics and also add little comments to Fredrik how I have thought the song should be 'built.' Then I send the song to iTunes and email lyrics and the song file to Fredrik and voila! — his magic can start working.

"I love the technology of today, making it so easy to create music, even when we live far apart in the country!"

Olzon last year released two demo tracks that she recorded in 2009 for what was supposed to become her debut solo album. She said at the time, "The songs are not mixed or produced, just recorded in the moment, and therefore are very rough songs. But I still want you to hear them since I am proud of them and I think they show another part of me than you hear in NIGHTWISH." She added, "The first song is called 'Floating' and I call it the 'circus' song. It gives me a happy feeling and the vibe in it is happy and joyful. The second song ['Invincible'] is a song I wrote for my son and therefore it's very special to me."

You can listen to the tracks below.

Olzon announced in April 2011 that she decided to push back the tentative release date of her debut solo album to after NIGHTWISH has completed touring in support of its new studio album, "Imaginarium".

Olzon worked on material for her solo CD in 2009 with Swedish producers Stefan Örn and Johan Glössner. The album was slated to be co-produced by Swedish producer/songwriter Anders Bagge, who has previously worked with MADONNA, CELINE DION, JANET JACKSON and JESSICA SIMPSON, among others. He was also one of judges on the Swedish TV talent competition "Idol" and a producer of the TV series "Made in Sweden".

Olzon in 2009 hired a personal manager — the Swedish management company Hagenburg Management, which also represents EUROPE and THE CARDIGANS.

Photo credit: Per Sjöborg

A series of clips from last night's (Friday, November 16) SABATON concert at Scandinavium in Gothenburg, Sweden can be seen below. The entire show was professionally filmed and recorded for the band's upcoming DVD and Blu-ray, tentatively due in 2013. The band states, "A huge thanks to the fantastic crowd! This was an amazing night that we never will forget!"

SABATON has just finished headlining the "Swedish Empire Tour" with support from ELUVEITIE and WISDOM.

SABATON's new album, "Carolus Rex", was certified gold in the group's home country for sales in excess of 20,000 copies. (Note: The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry [IFPI] in Sweden has revised the sales requirements for albums to reach gold status in the country twice in the last seven years — from the pre-2002 level of 40,000 to the current 20,000.)

"Carolus Rex" was released on May 22 via Nuclear Blast Records. The lyrics for the CD, which was made available in both English and Swedish, deal with the Swedish Empire (referring to the Kingdom of Sweden between 1561 and 1721).

SABATON earlier in the year parted ways with guitarists Oskar Montelius and Rikard Sundén, drummer Daniel Mulback and keyboardist Daniel Mÿhr. The band's new touring lineup is as follows:

Joakim Brodén - Vocals
Pär Sundström - Bass
Chris Rörland (NOCTURNAL RITES) - Guitar
Thobbe Englund (WINTERLONG, RAUBTIER) - Guitar
Robban Bäck (BALTIMOORE, PREY) - Drums

Sweden Rock Festival is among the nominees for the "Best International Music Festival" award at the Concert Industry Awards from Pollstar, the only trade publication covering the worldwide concert industry. This is the first time a Swedish festival has been nominated for the prize.

"It feels great," says Sweden Rock Festial CEO Mats Natvig. "We see this as an acknowledgement of our long term efforts to make Sweden Rock a comfortable festival with a high service level and friendly atmosphere for our audience and the artists.

"In the last few years, Sweden Rock Festival has enjoyed increasing international recognition and we now get visitors from some 50 countries. This nomination should serve to further strengthen the Sweden Rock brand."

Pollstar magazine was founded in 1981 and is the world's leading live music business magazine. Each year, it invites hundreds of randomly selected music business professionals to participate in nominating for the annual awards gala, Pollstar Concert Industry Awards in Los Angeles. The 2012 winners will be presented on February 7, 2013.

The nominees in the "Best International Music Festival" category for 2012 are:

* Sweden Rock Festival
* Bluesfest Byron Bay (Australia)
* Primavera Sound (Spain)
* T In The Park (UK)
* Tomorrowland (Belgium)
* V Festivals (UK)

No Swedish festival has ever been nominated before, and this is the first time since the Roskilde nomination of 2006 that a Scandinavian festival is among the chosen few.

The 22nd edition of the Sweden Rock Festival will take place in Sölvesbog, southern Sweden, on June 5-8, 2013. Around 70 bands will perform on five stages, and among the confirmed artists so far are KISS, RUSH, STATUS QUO, ACCEPT, SAXON, AMON AMARTH, UFO and KROKUS.

For more information, see www.swedenrock.com.

SEVENDUST has set "Black Out The Sun" as the title of its ninth album, tentatively due in April 2013. The CD was recorded at Architekt Music studios in Butler, New Jersey with engineer Mike Ferretti.

"The craziest thing about this record is finishing it in about a month," guitarist John Connolly tells Revolver magazine. "We haven't done that since our debut album [1997's self-titled effort]. This is one of the fastest records we've ever made, but also one of the strongest — working off instinct mostly."

According to Connolly, SEVENDUST's forthcoming CD finds the band exploring "a darker vibe," but "there's still plenty of melody," he adds. "The record fits right in with 'Animosity' [2002], 'Alpha' [2007], and our self-titled album. Lots of heavy stuff and some more mellow, moody songs as well It's a nice balance of what makes for the SEVENDUST sound."

Songtitles set to appear on the 12-track CD, which was produced by the bandmembers themselves, include "Mountain" and "Murder Bar". The latter was reportedly inspired by a Butler, New Jersey bar across from the hotel where SEVENDUST was staying while recording the new CD. Rumor had it the place was popular with many of New Jersey's murderers.

"It's a basic SEVENDUST record," guitarist Clint Lowery recently told "Source Of The Sound With Wendy Campbell". "There's nothing, like, too completely different than anything we've done before. It's got a darker vibe to it. We've got a good amount of the programming element in there. It's a lot of what we do — it's heavy and it's got its melodic element in it. So if you're a SEVENDUST fan, it's more along the lines of the second and third records we did — it's kind of like that. It's got a couple of throwback vibes to it. 'Animosity' and 'Home' [1999], if I can put those two records together, it would [sound similar to the new CD]."

SEVENDUST's last CD, "Cold Day Memory", sold around 27,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 12 on the Billboard 200 chart.

The band's previous effort, "Chapter VII: Hope and Sorrow", opened with 25,000 units back in April 2008 to land at position No. 19.

"Cold Day Memory" was released on April 20, 2010 on the band's own 7Bros. Records, through Warner Music Group's Independent Label Group.

Fan-filmed video footage of THE SKULL, the new band formed by the original member of Chicago doom legends TROUBLE — vocalist Eric Wagner (also of BLACKFINGER) — alongside the band's longtime bassist Ron Holzner (also of EARTHEN GRAVE), and guitarists Lothar Keller and Michael Carpenter of the Chicago, Illinois-based progressive power metal band SACRED DAWN, and drummer Kevin Tarpey - performing on November 16 at Truckstop Alaska in Gothenburg, Sweden can be seen below.

THE SKULL is:

Eric Wagner - Vocals
Ron Holzner - Bass
Lothar Keller - Guitar
Mykull Carpenter - Guitar
Kevin Tarpey - Drums

Drummer Jeff "Oly" Olson quit THE SKULL earlier in the year, explaining in a statement, "Upon much thought, and effective immediately, I will not be participating with THE SKULL. I've decided to wait for a real TROUBLE reunion with original members or not play TROUBLE's music at all. I can not comment further at this time. My apologies to those who have been disappointed."

Wagner, Olson and original TROUBLE bassist Sean McAllister shared the stage for the first time since 1986 during Olson's RETRO GRAVE set on June 18, 2011 at the Days Of The Doomed Fest in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

TROUBLE formed in 1979 and released several classic albums like "Trouble", "Manic Frustration" and "Plastic Green Head".

Eric was one of the guest singers on Dave Grohl's (NIRVANA, FOO FIGHTERS) heavy metal side project PROBOT, whose 2004 album featured heavy metal vocalists from the '80s and '90s. Wagner also makes a guest appearance in the forthcoming horror film "Jezebeth" (written and directed by Damien Dante of Satania 6 Films), to be released on Blu-ray in early 2012.

Eric Wagner left TROUBLE in April 2008, citing his disdain for the touring life as the main reason for his departure.

Ed Condran of Atlantic City Weekly recently conducted an interview with MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

Atlantic City Weekly: I interviewed [comedian] George Carlin just before he passed away five years ago. He said that as a civilization we're circling the drain.

Mustaine: You want to hear something very bizarre? I was reading Carlin and listening to his stand-up when I wrote some of the songs on [1992's] "Countdown To Extinction". I remember writing "Sweating Bullets" after reading Carlin. I just thought: "Did I mention George Carlin and 'Sweating Bullets' or did he say that and I forgot?" [laughs] That's mind-blowing that you said that. Back then we were listening to a lot of Carlin's tapes. We were listening to a lot of stand-up. We listened to Eddie Murphy and Richard Pryor and it had a huge effect.

Atlantic City Weekly: You said from the stage that if Barack Obama were re-elected, you would leave for Canada. Have you started packing yet?

Mustaine: A lot of that was stage fodder. You're talking about the Singapore incident. I was just there marveling how beautiful Singapore is and I started thinking about how our nation is changing and I don't know if we can handle all of the taxation. I know years ago that in England the taxes got so out of control that people left and I can see it happening here. There could be a mass exodus here. There are quite a few musicians who are blessed enough to be making $250,000 or more a year and they will be taxed. I think what will happen is that bands will be dying left and right. What's happening now is that everything America has been built on will be destroyed.

Atlantic City Weekly: What do you think will happen in the future??

Mustaine: The way things are going after this election is that I think a lot of people are going to be hoping the Mayan Calendar — [saying the world ends December 21, 2012] — is correct. I think life will continue on. We're a strong nation, no matter who is in the White House. God is in my White House. I'm a Christian and I make a lot of mistakes, but I try to keep my head up and do the right thing. It's crazy out there. I'm a dad. Oddly enough, my son just got a notice from the Selective Service and he has to register. No one else from his school mentioned they got a notice. My daughter said that she thinks they're targeting [my son] Justice because of me. I said, "No, they are not!" But I was thinking, "What's going on?" But having two kids, I try to do my best.

Read the entire interview from Atlantic City Weekly.

According to the Czech news portal iDNES.cz, the police have completed their investigation of LAMB OF GOD frontman Randy Blythe related to the death of a fan in Prague two years ago and have sent the case file to the prosecutor with a recommendation that Blythe be indicted and ordered to return to the Czech Republic to stand trial. The prosecutor will spend the next couple of weeks studying the case before making a determination on the singer's potential criminal liability. A spokesperson for the the Municipal Public Prosecutor's Office in Prague, Štepánka Zenklová, has said that a decision as to whether to file criminal charges will likely be made before the end of November.

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.

Shortly after being released from the Pankrác prison in Prague in early August, Blythe sat down with Mark Holmberg of WTVR-TV — the CBS television affiliate based in Richmond, Virginia — to discuss his 37-day stay at the notorious Czech Republic penitentiary (see video below).

Asked about his vow to go back to Prague if there is a trial, Randy said, "I feel ethically responsible to go back there and face this charge. [The victim's] family right now is in a lot of pain, and they deserve some answers. To lose a child is the worst possible thing a human can go through, I think .. I want my name cleared. I have to go around the world and tour, you know. That's what I do. I'm not going to hide here. I'm an innocent man. I'm going to go to court and see what happens."

The original 1991 demo version of the RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE song "Bullet In The Head", which will be featured on the second disc included in the upcoming deluxe-edition reissue of the band's classic 1992 self-titled debut, can be streamed using the audio player below (courtesy of AOL's Noisecreep).

The "Rage Against The Machine" deluxe edition will be issued on November 27, complete with unreleased demos and tons of live material.

RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE guitarist Tom Morello told The Pulse Of Radio that the band had no idea when it first started out that its pioneering mix of rock, rap and radical politics would last this long. "I had literally zero expectations," he said. "It's very different now, like, everybody's got LIL WAYNE and METALLICA in their iPod. That was not the case in 1991. They were opposing musics. And to combine traditionally black and white music and then to have a multi-ethnic band, and then have the lyrical content — I didn't think that we would be able to book a club show."

"Rage Against The Machine XX", as the new reissue is called, will come out in three versions: a regular single disc, a two-CD/one-DVD package, and a deluxe box set featuring the CDs, two DVDs, the album on vinyl picture disc, plus a 40-page booklet and a double-sided poster.

The first CD will feature three hard-to-find B-sides along with the original album, while the second CD will contain the rare, original RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE 1991 demo tape that helped land the group their record deal with Sony.

The first DVD will contain RAGE's free concert in Finsbury Park on June 2010. Also included are music videos and other live concert performance clips. The second DVD will feature RAGE's first public performance ever at Cal State North Ridge in October 1991, plus various rare early concert clips.

Morello told Billboard about the release, "We're really psyched to be putting this out for the fans . . . I want to really give them a motherlode of RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE history, past and present."

RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE disbanded in 2000 but reunited in 2007 and has played sporadic live shows ever since. Summer 2011's L.A. Rising festival was RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE's last live appearance to date.

"Bullet In The Head" (1991 demo version) audio stream (courtesy of AOL's Noisecreep):

20-year-old Persian bellydancer Mahafsoun performed with Dutch symphonic metallers EPICA on November 10 in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. Video footage of her appearance can be seen below.

Commented Mahafsoun: "Performing with EPICA has been a dream of mine since mid-2007, when I not only started listening to metal, but also developed the passion of bellydance.

"EPICA was the very first band that introduced me to the world of metal music. This was during a time when I was also developing a love towards dance. The influence that this band has had on my personal journey is massive, and the opportunity to perform live with the source of my inspiration is one of the most amazing things that I have ever experienced.

"Despite the tiny stage with barely any space to move, I had the greatest time of my life performing.

"I want to thank Mark [Jansen, EPICA guitarist] once again for giving me this opportunity. I will never forget this wonderful night."

Mahafsoun, who has "drops of Azerbaijani and Egyptian in her blood," is "passionate about some of the most beautiful dance forms in the world — oriental dances. Out of all the magickal dances of the Middle East, at the age of 15 I fell eternally in love with the spiritual, ancient and immortal art of bellydance," she said. "To this day that undying desire is growing."