A two-minute Colombian TV report on MASSACRE's November 10 appearance at the Rock Al Rio festival in Rionegro, Colombia can be seen below.

MASSACRE wasa forced to cancel the Brazilian leg of its South American tour, which kicked off on November 9 in Bogota, Colombia.

An official statement regarding the cancelation can be found at this location.

MASSACRE released a seven-inch single, "Condemned To The Shadows", on July 30. The single, which is available as a regular black-wax version, a transparent wax limited edition and a yellow-wax limited edition, contains two brand new songs — "Succumb To Rapture" and "Back From Beyond" — that were recorded in February at CGM Studios in Altamonte Springs, Florida with Tim Vazquez at the helm.

MASSACRE is hard at work on material for a new album, to be released in March 2013 via Century Media Records.

The band's new lineup consists of bassist Terry Butler and guitarist Frederick "Rick Rozz" DeLillo alongside MASSACRE's latest additions, Mike Mazzonetto (drums; M INC., PAIN PRINCIPLE) and Ed Webb (vocals; DIABOLIC, GENERICHRIST, DESTINED TO RUIN).

Finnish metallers CHILDREN OF BODOM are currently recording "pre-production demos" of new songs that will be included on the band's next album, tentatively due in late spring/early summer 2013 via Marquee Inc. in Japan and Nuclear Blast in other parts of the world. CHILDREN OF BODOM keyboardist Janne Wirman states, "Drums [are] done, some guitars and keys plus vocals [are] still missing."

CHILDREN OF BODOM drummer, Jaska Raatikainen recently described the band's new material as "very inspiring, dark and also little 'black' [metal]-ish."

CHILDREN OF BODOM earlier in the month canceled its appearance at next year's edition of the Tuska festival, set to take place June 28-30, 2013 in Suvilahti, Helsinki, Finland, "in order to be able to be part of a big tour in USA," according to the group's bassist, Henkka Seppälä (a.k.a. Henkka T. Blacksmith).

CHILDREN OF BODOM released a photo book, "Roadkill", on August 8 via Hatecrew.com. The first 666 copies are numbered and personally signed by the band.

Photography for "Roadkill" started in 2007. It includes exclusive material of life on the road, shows, promo shoots, recording sessions, album cover production and the worldwide "hate crew," as the band's fans are affectionately known. The book also contains comments and diary entries by the band and the photographer, Jussi Hyttinen of FLC415.

CHILDREN OF BODOM's most recent release was "Holiday At Lake Bodom (15 Years Of Wasted Youth)" , a very special CD+DVD career retrospective in celebration of the band's 15th anniversary.

Fan-filmed video footage of CAVALERA CONSPIRACY's November 15 performance at Circo Voador in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil can be seen below.

CAVALERA CONSPIRACY, the band led by brothers and founding SEPULTURA members Max (also of SOULFLY) and Igor Cavalera, has recruited SOULFLY bassist Tony Campos for its current tour of South America and Mexico.

Johny Chow, who has been touring and recording with CAVALERA CONSPIRACY for the past few years, recently joined STONE SOUR as that band's new touring bassist.

"Blunt Force Trauma", the sophomore album from CAVALERA CONSPIRACY, sold around 5,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 122 on The Billboard 200 chart. The band's debut CD, "Inflikted", opened with 9,000 units to enter the chart at No. 72.

"Blunt Force Trauma" was once again tracked with ex-MACHINE HEAD/SOULFLY guitarist Logan Mader, who co-produced the LP with Max. Logan also mixed the follow-up to the band's debut album, "Inflikted", which has sold less than 50,000 copies in the United States since its March 2008 release, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson has posted behind-the-scenes footage from the band's November 14 concert at Best Buy Theater in New York City. Check out the eight-minute clip 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".

Irish rockers THE ANSWER have entered the studio with producer Toby Jepson (LITTLE ANGELS, GUN, DIO DISCIPLES) to begin recording their fourth album for an early 2013 release. The recording sessions are taking place in a quintessentially English village somewhere between Stratford and Oxford at "a converted townhouse with a great vibe," according to THE ANSWER singer Cormac Neeson.

THE ANSWER's latest release, the "Rise" EP, named after the band's previously unreleased track, came out on July 2 via the group's own The Answer Productions label. The EP consists of a new 2012 radio edit mix of "Rise", an extended full-length version, a very special acoustic/orchestral version and a brand new mix of another rockin' gem called "Lost".

THE ANSWER's third album, "Revival", entered the official chart in the U.K. at position No. 39.

"Revival" was released on October 3, 2011 via Spinefarm Records. The initial run of the album was a limited-edition deluxe format with 24-page booklet and band sleeve notes, plus an 11-track second disc containing previously unreleased studio, acoustic, demo and cover material.

"Revival" was produced by Chris "Frenchie" Smith and mixed by Chris Sheldon.

Indie Recordings has announced the signing of Norway's MAN THE MACHETES. The band's debut album, "Idiokrati", will be released on January 29 in Europe.

The first single from the upcoming album, "Mageplask", can be streamed in the YouTube clip below.

Commented MAN THE MACHETES: "We feel privileged to be working with Indie Recordings to release our debut album. We have been met with professionalism, good advice and it's been great working together so far.

"We are very excited about the reception of our first single and the album when it's released in January. The album contains 10 tracks that are characterized by hard work and a high party factor. The nearly 30 minutes are intense, without much breathing space, and production-wise, we are very pleased. Eric Ratz has done a fantastic job and has been a major factor in giving each song the identity that we have been looking for. We are so excited!"

In a matter of two years, MAN THE MACHETES has gone from playing small venues in Norway to playing festivals like Pstereo and Hove, being awarded Ukas Urørt by the Norwegian radio broadcasters NRK P3, and warming up for bands like GALLOWS and KVELERTAK.

Former OZZY OSBOURNE and BADLANDS guitarist Jake E. Lee joined SOMETHING UNTO NOTHING (S.U.N.) on stage last night (Friday, November 16) at Vamp'd in Las Vegas, Nevada to perform the LED ZEPPELIN classic "Rock And Roll". Video footage of his appearance can be seen below.

SOMETHING UNTO NOTHING is the band featuring the whiskey-soaked voice of Sass Jordan, a Canadian icon and Juno Award winner, alongside music partner, renowned drummer, songwriter and multi-instrumentalist Brian Tichy, known for his tours of duty with BILLY IDOL, FOREIGNER, OZZY OSBOURNE and currently WHITESNAKE.

Prior to last night's concert, Tichy was interviewed by "Tales From The Stage Volume 1" author Michael Toney. Tichy discussed the release of S.U.N.'s new album, leaving the LYNCH MOB tour to join the FOREIGNER tour, confirming that George Lynch wasn't mad at his departure, and his excitement after getting a private guitar lesson from Jake E. Lee moments prior to the interview. You can watch the chat below.

Jordan recently recorded a guest appearance on the track "Redeem Me" from Jake E. Lee.

Jordan was in Las Vegas earlier this year, where she ran into Lee.

"It was hilarious because S.U.N. was doing these few dates, including one in Phoenix which was the longest van ride ever," the singer recalled. "We were playing air guitar and drums to BADLANDS' first record — when [S.U.N.'s guitarist and co-founder] Brian Tichy mentioned that Jake lived in Vegas. I thought, 'Wouldn't it be wild to run into him and invite him to our show?' Well, due to an incredibly fortuitous set of circumstances, it happened, and that morphed into Jake inviting me co-write and sing a song on his new record."

Lee is back after over a decade in seclusion. In great shape mentally, physically and spiritually, Jake is ready to return and bring his brand of unique playing and music to the world.

In the process of recording his new album at Las Vegas' The Hideout Studios — owned and operated by Kevin Churko (OZZY OSBOURNE, FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH, IN THIS MOMENT) — Lee's first new release will feature a combination of legendary rock artists and some of the biggest names of new metal. Already recorded are guest appearances by Robin Zander (CHEAP TRICK), Paul Di'Anno (IRON MAIDEN), Maria Brink (IN THIS MOMENT), with many other big names attached to the project.

Lee's new solo album is being recorded with the help of guitarist Ronnie Mancuso of BEGGARS & THIEVES, whose 2011 video, "We Come Undone", featured an appearance by Jake.

Video below: Jake E. Lee performing with SOMETHING UNTO NOTHING

POISON singer Bret Michaels will release his new solo album, "Good Songs & Great Friends", on February 26, 2013 via Poor Boy Records. The effort features some of the rocker's famous friends helping him out on various tracks, including Ace Frehley (KISS), Michael Anthony (CHICKENFOOT, VAN HALEN), Phil Collen (DEF LEPPARD), Joe Perry (AEROSMITH), Loretta Lynn, Lil Jon, Bobby Capps (.38 SPECIAL), Sal Coz Costa (MY DARKEST DAYS), Jimmy Buffett, Edwin McCain, Miley Cyrus, Gary Rossington, Peter Keys and Rickey Medlocke (LYNYRD SKYNYRD), Leslie West (MOUNTAIN), Jaret Reddick (BOWLING FOR SOUP) and C.C. Deville (POISON).

Speaking to VH1 Radio Network's Dave Basner, Medlocke revealed how he became involved in the project. "[Bret's] doing a rendition of 'Alabama' and he wanted some guitar work on it," he said. "He got a hold of me and Gary and we kind of went in, did a little bit of playing on it, on 'Sweet Home Alabama'. It's pretty cool. We played a little bit of leads, a little bit of chinky rhythms on it or whatever. But Bret's a good guy. He's a good friend of ours."

Asked how the song sounds, Rickey said, "It's good. I mean, it's different. It's real different. And he took it away from what you would cop 'Sweet Home Alabama'. He took it from that but he did a… I think he did a good rendition of it. It's different. Different arrangement, but it's cool."

In a recent interview with Gimme Noise, Bret stated about his upcoming CD, "I'm really proud of what we've done with it. It's really not just a Bret Michaels album. I had so many other talented artists come in and support that it's really a 'Bret Michaels And Friends' album. There's a staggering amount of talent on this album. . . It's been such a fun project for me and I'm excited to share it with the fans."

Speaking to Rolling Stone magazine in February, Bret revealed that his new solo album will feature a remake of the POISON smash "Every Rose Has Its Thorn" as a duet between him and Loretta Lynn. He said, "For me, growing up in a family that my father loved country music and 'Coal Miner's Daughter', this is gonna be a really awesome time."

Former SEPULTURA guitarist Jairo Guedz joined CAVALERA CONSPIRACY on stage earlier tonight (Friday, November 16) at Music Hall in Belo Horizonte, Brazil to perform the early SEPULTURA classic "Troops Of Doom", a song that he co-wrote.

CAVALERA CONSPIRACY is the band led by brothers and founding SEPULTURA members Max (also of SOULFLY) and Igor Cavalera.

A photo taken at the gig, as well as a couple of pre-concert shots of Max and Jairo being interviewed together, can be seen below.

SEPULTURA was formed in 1984 in Belo Horizonte, the capital city of Minas Gerais. Jairo joined the group the following year and played on the band's first two releases, 1985's "Beastial Devastation" EP and their 1986 full-length debut, "Morbid Visions".

In early 1987, Jairo quit SEPULTURA after losing interest in playing death metal and was replaced by São Paulo-based guitarist Andreas Kisser.

In 1996, Max exited SEPULTURA after the rest of the band fired Max's wife Gloria as their manager.

Igor left SEPULTURA in June 2006 due to "artistic differences." His departure from the band came five months after he announced that he was taking a break from SEPULTURA's touring activities to spend time with his second wife and their new son (who was born in January 2006).

After Max exited SEPULTURA, there was a rift between him and Igor, one that was eventually repaired through the redemptive power of music. Some time had passed and Max and Igor were unable to resist the musical pull in their magnetic fields and their musical collaboration was renewed. The duo are back for round two with CAVALERA CONSPIRACY, which released its debut album, "Inflikted", in March 2008 and follow-up effort, Blunt Force Trauma", in March 2011.

Max and Igor played together for the first time in 10 years at the 10th annual D-Low Memorial Festival on August 17, 2006 at the Marquee Theatre in Tempe, Arizona.

Quality fan-filmed video footage of Swedish progressive metallers OPETH performing the song "Ghost Of Perdition" on November 14 at Vicar Street in Dublin, Ireland can be seen below.

OPETH's new album, "Heritage", 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. The band's previous studio CD, 2008's "Watershed", opened with more than 19,000 units to land at No. 23.

"Watershed" was the follow-up to the band's acclaimed "Ghost Reveries" CD, which debuted at No. 64 on the Billboard chart back in September 2005 with first-week sales of just under 15,000.

OPETH's 2003 album, "Damnation", premiered with a little over 5,000 copies.

When asked how OPETH planned to deliver the more technical songs from "Heritage" in the live show, vocalist/guitarist Mikael Åkerfeldt said in a 2011 interview, "I thought that might be a problem. But it's not been difficult at all. The live versions of the new songs sound closer to the originals than many of the other songs. We have a new keyboard player who's really into the different sounds we create and he's got lots of kit. When he plays, it's like he has four arms. He's doing a lot to make sure the current live show is something very special. But we'd never record anything that we didn't think we could pull off live."

RAVEN frontman John Gallagher joined A SOUND OF THUNDER on stage on November 9 at DIVEBar in Raleigh, North Carolina to perform the song "Out Of The Darkness". Fan-filmed video footage of his appearance can be seen below.

Gallagher is also featured on the studio version of "Out Of The Darkness", which is the title track of A SOUND OF THUNDER's second full-length album. The follow-up to last year's "Metal Renaissance" was produced by Kevin "131" Gutierrez (SHINEDOWN, WHILE HEAVEN WEPT, DECEASED) at Assembly Line Studios in Virginia and was released on March 27 via Nightmare Records. According to a press release, "the 10-track album plays like a love letter to all that is metal, encompassing traditional heavy metal, modern power metal, prog and classic rock, with timeless songs that could have been written in 1971, 1991 or 2011."

The material on "Out Of The Darkness" was composed by Josh Schwartz and the rest of A SOUND OF THUNDER, with lyrics written by Nina Osegueda and Chris Haren.

"John Gallagher was so awesome to work with," said Nina. "I learned a lot from him in the short time we were in the studio together, and I really respect his skills and experience which shine through on this track."

A SOUND OF THUNDER is:

Nina Osegueda - Vocals, Lyrics
Josh Schwartz - Guitars, Keyboards
Chris Haren - Drums, Lyrics
Jesse Keen - Bass, Keyboards

For more information, visit www.asoundofthunderband.com.

Sweden's Helsingborg Arena will open November 30 with a magnificent gala evening, led by SOILWORK/THE NIGHT FLIGHT ORCHESTRA members Björn Strid and David Andersson (guitar), along with former NIGHTWISH vocalist Anette Olzon.

"We are very excited to get to share the stage with so many great artists, from so many different genres," says Björn. "We will perform unique interpretations of both SOILWORK and THE NIGHT FLIGHT ORCHESTRA songs in the opening."

Adds Anette: "When I was asked to perform in the opening gala, I got so happy and proud but also really sad when it clashed with mine and NIGHTWISH South American tour. Now when me and NIGHTWISH have gone separate ways, the window again opened and I am so happy to stand in the arena in front of all dear people from Helsingborg. And for the very first time I will perform my own solo songs that has never been performed before, so it is a very special evening for me in every way."

Helsingborg Arena started to be built in 2009 and is Helsingborg's new main arena for indoor sports, concerts, events, meetings and other events. The location and the arenas multi-functionality has opened for it to be a new meeting place for the cities citizens and incoming guests. The arena holds up to 5,500 people.

With a storming new stomp in their boots and a renewed, lithe swagger to their legendary sound, British heavy metal legends SAXON will release "Sacrifice" in February 2013 through UDR. Taking a sharper, re-invigorated approach to the production, on this, their 20th album, SAXON have produced 10 of their strongest, heaviest and most inspired songs for many-a-year, and a more than worthy successor to their last album "A Call To Arms".

"Less tricks, more power!" roars frontman and founding father Biff Byford. "My brief to the band was to be raw, be real and not be afraid to look back at the old classic material for inspiration."

The album was recorded at LS Studios in Yorkshire and was produced by Byford, with Andy Sneap mixing and engineering by Jacky Lehmann. It fairly bristles with muscular metallic intent, Paul Quinn's and Doug Scarratt's guitar work the best it's ever been, while Biff's vocals sound fresher and livelier. The songwriting too harks back to a classic era in SAXON's history, with the likes of "Warriors Of The Road", "Wheels Of Terror" and "Stand Up And Fight" evoking the halcyon days of yore with a contemporary twist, the classic SAXON sound absorbing the snarl, ferocity and attitude of contemporary bands (and fans) such as MEGADETH, as evidenced by the crunching title cut, "Sacrifice".

"It's certainly been done from a more early '80s thrashier perspective," explains Biff, "and it's not just guitars bashing away willy-nilly, they've got a fresh drive, purpose and perspective."

Besides the new material, SAXON will also be adding some unique recordings of revisited classic to certain formats of the release, also produced by Byford and mastered by Andy Sneap, including an orchestrated version of "Crusader" and an acoustic version of "Frozen Rainbow".

"From the songs to the production, I wanted to focus on the raw aspects which made us great in the first place," concludes Biff, "And living in that rawness, combined with some great classic SAXON songwriting, has in my opinion made SAXON fresher than ever."

The "Sacrifice" cover artwork was created by longtime SAXON artist Paul Raymond Gregory and can be seen below.

"Sacrifice" track listing:

01. Procession
02. Sacrifice
03. Made In Belfast
04. Warriors Of The Road
05. Guardians Of The Tomb
06. Stand Up And Fight
07. Walking The Steel
08. Night Of The Wolf
09. Wheels Of Terror
10. Standing In A Queue

Bonus track:

* Luck Of The Draw (on iTunes only)

01. Crusader (orchestrated version)
02. Just Let Me Rock (re-recorded version)
03. Requiem (acoustic version)
04. Frozen Rainbow (acoustic version)
05. Forever Free (re-recorded version)

VOICES, the new U.K. black metal project featuring AKERCOCKE/MY DYING BRIDE drummer David Gray alongside AKERCOCKE members Peter Benjamin and Sam Loynes (also of DIMINISHED FIFTH), has inked a deal with Candlelight Records. The band's forthcoming debut album, "Voices From The Human Forest Create A Fugue Of Imaginary Rain", was recorded at Legacy Studios, located in the heart of the historic Old Street in central London.

VOICES were formed in London in 2011 as a new experiment from Benjamin, Gray and Loynes, also joined by London producer Dan Abela of Legacy Studios. The mission is to create a deep brand of cold and confronting music, part hypnotic yet often disturbing, focusing from an avant-garde take upon black metal, whilst always striving to explore a wide musical spectrum.

As the band state: "We have some immense plans for future creativity, ruling out no potential musical style or influence. We hope to never be bound by convention and thus remaining truly extreme through this unique and open-minded disposition."

Setting out head-first into new and daring terrain from the notorious past musical outfits, VOICES promises an extraordinary ride using the albums 55 minutes of playing time as a vessel by which our negative journey into the human forest can be witnessed. Expect moments of intense brutality, frenzied 360bpm blasts beats conjoined with crippling caveman guitars juxtaposed with subliminal dissonance. Vocals that articulate the insanity of despair, contrasted with ethereal glimpses of melancholic beauty through bold and layered singing. Destructive yet fragile, VOICES resonate a new direction and individual take upon the often constrained arena of extreme metal. Lyrically the debut album deals in themes spawned from being truly outside of conventional points of view and a certain disconnect with any form of human emotions. The self-destructive streak within us, in turn drives us and all these torturous burdens have created this first set of intense and uncompromising songs.

Commented the band: "We are excited to be working with the legendary Candlelight Records. It's a greatly profound occasion for us to be sharing a label alongside some of our own and long-serving musical influences. Each member of the band has been listening to Candlelight artists for years and has great appreciation and respect of the label’s direction and continuing legacy. From here, we hope to spread our message throughout the world via the mighty platform provided by Candlelight Records. And therefore we now have some colossal ventures and goals on the horizon... Expect VOICES to always bring deeply innovative and unusual extreme metal infiltrated by the strain of London life, pushing this sound into the forefront of the global metal world."

French death metal maniacs NECROWRETCH will release their debut album, "Putrid Death Sorcery", in early 2013 via Century Media Records. The CD was recorded in late August at Blackout Multimedia studios in Brussels, Belgium by Phorgath of ENTHRONED.

Commented NECROWRETCH guitarist/vocalist Vlad: "We are extremely pleased with the way the recordings took place in Brussels, as Phorgath of ENTHRONED put all his energy in this album and did everything possible to make those days in the studio a stainless experience.

"A first album is always a turning point in the life of a band and we were willing to push everything one step further while remaining faithful to our influences, such as MERCILESS and GROTESQUE. We also wanted this album to be more personal and more varied than everything we have done in the past. All in all, I think the mission is accomplished! We are now looking forward to puke on the face of the earth what NECROWRETCH has to offer on a full-length album through songs such as 'Ripping Souls Of Sinners', 'Putrid Death Sorcery' or 'Spewed From Hell'. Our friend Milovan Novakovic from Montenegro is now working on the cover artwork and some shirts design that will symbolize our Putrid Death Metal!"

Added Jerry Maréchal, A&R representative at Century Media in Europe: "Witnessing the band in the studio was a truly impressive experience, to say the least! It was like seeing a beast come to life and I can't wait to see the face of people when this beast will cross their paths!"

WITHIN TEMPTATION's cover version of the SWEDISH HOUSE MAFIA track "Don't You Worry Child", which was premiered on the Q-Music web site, can now be streamed below.

Ahead of WITHIN TEMPTATON's 15th-anniversary concert on November 13 at Sportpaleis in Antwerp, Belgium, the band revealed a unique cover every week on Q-Music. The group stated, "We figured this would be a great occasion to do something special for [the fans]. It will be a musical adventure as we are covering songs that are very close to us but also songs that are not close to us at all."

The following tracks have already been released:

* Paradise (COLDPLAY)
* Grenade (BRUNO MARS)
* Crazy (GNARLS BARKLEY)
* Somebody That I Used To Know (GOTYE)
* Dirty Dancer (ENRIQUE IGLESIAS)
* Behind Blue Eyes (THE WHO)
* Summertime Sadness (LANA DEL REY)
* Apologize (ONE REPUBLIC)
* Don't You Worry Child (SWEDISH HOUSE MAFIA)

WITHIN TEMPTATION's fifth studio album, "The Unforgiving", sold around 12,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 50 on The Billboard 200 chart. Released on March 29, 2011 the CD was produced by Daniel Gibson and is based on a comic book story written by script writer Steven O'Connell (BloodRayne, Dark 48). The band asked comic artist Romano Molenaar (Witchblade, Darkness, X-Men) to draw the characters and scenery of "The Unforgiving", which was made available via Sony Music in Continental Europe and Roadrunner Records in the U.S., U.K. and Ireland, Japan and Australia.

WITHIN TEMPTATION guitarist Robert Westerholt last year announced that he would step down from touring duties in order to focus on taking care of the three children he has with the band's lead singer, Sharon den Adel. His replacement on stage is Stefan Helleblad, who has been working with the band behind the scenes for a few years.

"Watch The World Burn", the new Jonpaul Douglass-directed video from Florida metallers TRIVIUM, can be seen below. The song comes off the band's latest album, "In Waves", which sold 22,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 13 on The Billboard 200 chart — the highest U.S. chart entry of the band's career. The group's previous CD, "Shogun", opened with just under 24,000 units back in October 2008 to debut at No. 23. The effort followed up "The Crusade", which registered a first-week tally of 31,000 copies in October 2006 to enter the chart at No. 25.

"In Waves" was recorded primarily at Paint It Black Studios in Orlando, Florida (with only the drums having been tracked at Audiohammer Studios in Sanford, Florida) with the production/mixing team of Colin Richardson (MACHINE HEAD, BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE, SLIPKNOT, FEAR FACTORY) and Martin "Ginge" Ford, along with engineer Carl Bown.

TRIVIUM is currently touring Europe with AS I LAY DYING, CALIBAN and UPON A BURNING BODY.

AC/DC will release "Live At River Plate" on November 20 as a the three-disc red vinyl or a two-CD set featuring multiple covers and a 24-page booklet. The live record follows last year's "Live At River Plate" DVD, filmed during their three triumphant Buenos Aires concerts on the "Black Ice" world tour, in December of 2009 in front of nearly 200,000 fans.

You can now listen to the album online at RollingStone.com.

"Live At River Plate" track listing is as follows:

01. Rock N Roll Train
02. Hell Ain't A Bad Place To Be
03. Back In Black
04. Big Jack
05. Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap
06. Shot Down In Flames
07. Thunderstruck
08. Black Ice
09. The Jack
10. Hells Bells
11. Shoot To Thrill
12. War Machine
13. Dog Eat Dog
14. You Shook Me All Night Long
15. T.N.T.
16. Whole Lotta Rosie
17. Let There Be Rock
18. Highway To Hell
19. For Those About To Rock (We Salute You)

In an interview with Fox411, AC/DC frontman Brian Johnson was asked when fans can expect to see the band back on the road. "We're going to London in about three weeks; we're just going to have a sitdown like we usually do," he explained, befoe adding, "I wouldn't like to do another [tour] like the last one. The last one was two years. It broke your body in half."

He continued, "The thing with our band is we never want to go on stage and have people looking at us and saying, 'Oh you should have seen them ten years ago.' So we're going to take it as it come and see what happens. I doubt we'll be doing a big one. If we could do some festivals, I wouldn't mind that all. That would be lovely."

AC/DC guitarist Malcolm Young recently confirmed to Classic Rock magazine that the band is working on the follow-up to 2008's "Black Ice". But he said fans may have to wait longer than expected.

"I've been doing some jamming on some song ideas but I do that all the time, as do the rest of the band," he said. "We are still working. But we had a long rest between 'Stiff Upper Lip' and 'Black Ice', so I think we need a couple of years to recuperate and work on it a bit more."

"The Afterman", the new video from New York progressive rockers COHEED AND CAMBRIA, can be seen below. The song comes off the band's latest album,
"The Afterman: Ascension", which sold 49,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 5 on The Billboard 200 chart.

"The Afterman" is being released in two separate full-length volumes. The first volume, "The Afterman: Ascension", was made available on both physical and digital platforms in the U.S. on October 9 via Hundred Handed/Everything Evil, and distributed through Fontana/Ingrooves (available in Canada via Universal Music Canada). The second volume, "The Afterman: Descension", is due in February 2013.

A deluxe version of "The Afterman" includes a hardcover coffee-table book with expansive art by Heidi Taillefer and Nathan Spoor with collaborative written work from singer/creator Claudio Sanchez and writer Peter David that creates a song-by-song experience.

The two records follow-up to 2010's "Year Of The Black Rainbow", and feature new bassist Zach Cooper and returning drummer Josh Eppard, who have replaced Michael Todd and Chris Pennie, respectively.

The concept albums continue to be set in the band's alternate universe of "Heaven's Fence", which are part of their series titled "The Amory Wars". "The Amory Wars" is currently being developed by Mark Wahlberg and Stephen Levinson of Leverage Productions for a live-action feature film. It follows the story of a superhuman dictator named Wilhelm Ryan, and a family that may have the ability to free the world from his control.

"The Afterman" albums focus on a character named Sirius Amory, a scientist who discovers an energy force that can connect the universe's 78 planets together.

COHEED AND CAMBRIA frontman Claudio Sanchez said of the album: "This is, without a doubt, the most honest record I've ever written. Though all the songs can be interpreted through our main character in the story, they were initially written in a very spontaneous manner. In the past, I've always had a predetermined idea of what the story was going to be when I approached the songs. With 'The Afterman' being a new story within 'The Amory Wars' arc, I allowed the events of my life to drive the concept, and therefore opened up the songwriting to a fuller degree."

"The Veil Of Isis", the new video from Austin, Texas metal luminaries THE SWORD, can be seen below. The song comes off the band's fourth album, "Apocryphon", which sold nearly 17,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 17 on The Billboard 200 chart.

According to THE SWORD frontman J.D. Cronise, "The Veil Of Isis" is the most "SWORD-ish" song of the album musically, yet notes that lyrically, "it's a little more metaphysical than a lot of our previous stuff. It talks a lot about cycles of nature and life and death and birth and transformation and death and rebirth.

"In essence, the song is about change," Cronise tells RollingStone.com. "[It's about] moving from one phase of the natural cycle to the next and the recognition of the knowledge revealed when such transitions occur. The lyrics make reference to Isis, the goddess of nature and magic, and her brother/husband Osiris, the god of the dead and the afterlife, as agents of those changes and keepers of sacred knowledge. The 'veil' is that which hides from us the true nature of the universe that, during our earthly existence, is largely hidden from us."

"Apocryphon" was produced and engineered by J. Robbins (CLUTCH, JAWBOX) at Magpie Cage Studios and features cover art by famed comic book artist J.H. Williams III (Batwoman, Promethea).

Asked about the band's decision to work with J. Robbins on "Apocryphon" after self-producing two records and then working with Matt Bayles, THE SWORD guitarist Kyle Shutt told AltPress.com, "We're all huge CLUTCH fans, and we know those guys real well. [James] did two of their last three records, and those sound great, so we figured it was a no-brainer. We called him up and he was into it. He saw our live show at a club in Baltimore on the tour before we came here so he could get a feel of the kind of show we put on because we wanted to make an album that sounds like we do live in a club. And it was great. It was a real speedy process."

On the topic of the musical direction of the new album, Shutt said, "It is a reflection of everything that we [have gone] through and the lessons we learned. We then deal with these situations metaphorically in our lyrics. This record is just 10 banging hard rockers. There's no real 'stick-out' thrash song, or, like, this one is the ballad. I don't think there's going to be any instrumental songs on this record, either, so that'll be a first for us. It's just 10 kick-ass rock songs."

Regarding the subject matter covered in the new songs' lyrics, Shutt said, "There are lyrical themes that weave in and out of the songs, but there's no story or anything like that. With 'Warp Riders', J.D. [guitarist/vocalist John Cronise] had already written [the story] and now he [doesn't] have the time to sit down and write another book. We had the idea to make a comic book for 'Warp Riders', but we had some really poor management at the time, so nothing really came together with that and it was going to cost so much money that it never saw the light of day. It was just a nice thing we did. Now we're moving on to other things."

THE SWORD's third album, "Warp Riders", sold around 8,900 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 47 on The Billboard 200 chart.

GIANT X, the new band formed by RUNNING WILD members Rolf Kasparek and Peter J. Jordan, will release its debut album, "I", on January 18 in Germany, January 21 in the rest of Europe and January 22 in USA/Canada via Steamhammer/SPV.

This sensational collaboration was sparked by the unexpectedly euphoric reactions from all over the world to the Kasparek/Jordan composition "Burning Wheels" (off EMI's rock/metal album), which featured Kasparek on vocals. Encouraged by those positive responses, Jordan and Kasparek decided to co-compose more tracks and offer them to interested record companies under the band name of GIANT X. They decided on the Hanover label Steamhammer/SPV, which previously released the latest RUNNING WILD opus, "Shadowmaker".

"GIANT X have a broader musical range which allows Rolf and myself to present ourselves from a totally different side," Jordan explains. "Our material consists of consciously multi-layered numbers, more in the tradition of KISS, QUEEN, THIN LIZZY, VAN HALEN but also BILLY TALENT. In other words: rock music in the tradition of the Seventies, Eighties and Nineties — our shared musical roots. The main thing for us was that people would be able hear the lightness and spontaneity of our collaboration."

"I" contains a total of 13 brand new songs, all of them penned by Jordan and Kasparek. The recording was produced and mixed by Jordan, with lots of support from Kasparek and RUNNING WILD's live mixer Niki Nowy.

No plans for GIANT X's future have yet been made, but according to Jordan and Kasparek, they are happy to "take things as they come. We don't rule anything out at this point."

Robert DiGiacomo of Atlantic City Insiders recently conducted an interview with MEGADETH drummer Shawn Drover. A few excerpts from the chat follow below.

On performing the "Countdown To Extinction" album in its entirety on the current tour:

Drover: "As a fan of MEGADETH, this is one of my favorite records. It's such a cohesive record. It's very solid and to the point — it's a lot of fun to play those songs."

"It's been a lot of fun going back and getting reacquainted with songs I haven't heard in a while."

On MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine's unwillingness to perform the song "The Conjuring" live because it no longer jives with his status as a born-again Christian:

Drover: "The subject matter lyrically is very dark, and he's not comfortable singing it. Ironically, it's one of my favorite tracks. You have to respect that if someone's not comfortable with that. Pretty much everything out of our catalog, we can pull out and play."

On whether he shares Mustaine's outspoken political views, including belief that President Barack Obama was not born in the U.S.:

Drover: "He doesn't speak for the band."

On the progress of the recording sessions for MEGADETH's follow-up to 2011's "TH1RT3EN":

Drover: "If a record comes out in the summer of 2013, it will be a little more than two years. We don't want to wait too long. We try to keep it cranked up pretty good, in terms of releasing new material.

"There are all kinds of ideas bouncing around. We're in the midst of listening to what we have and seeing which riffs and songs to put together. We don't go in with any preconceived notions of how a song is going to sound. We just want to create the best material we can and hope fans love it as much as we do. If you go in with preconceived notions, it's not organic. We never try to copy anything we've done in the past."

On taking part in the worldwide "Big Four" tour with SLAYER, ANTHRAX and METALLICA in 2010 and 2011:

Drover: "The camaraderie was fantastic. We're friends with those guys now. Certainly, with the Big Four, there was a celebration of the bands coming together. The reaction was amazing. The whole vibe was a positive vibe. I would love to do it again. Whether that happens again remains to be seen. Anything is possible at any given time."

Read the entire interview from Atlantic City Insiders.

earMUSIC, the Hamburg based international rock label part of Edel Group, will release "I+III+LV" by CHICKENFOOT on January 25, 2013. The box set will include the worldwide Top 10 debut album "Chickenfoot" and the equally successful follow-up "III" and the limited live release "LV", released in December and limited to 10.000 numbered copies in Europe.

"LV" features over an hour of live music made of four unreleased live songs recorded during the "III" world tour and a series of very rare digital bonus tracks and B-sides live.

Since their debut album in 2009, CHICKENFOOT is one of the names mentioned the most in the industry, and one of the most loved among rock fans. Guitar virtuoso Joe Satriani, RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS drummer Chad Smith together with Sammy Hagar and Michael Anthony (both formerly of VAN HALEN) reinvented the meaning of rock "supergroup", even if the fabulous four don't like the definition themselves, having started the band just by jamming in clubs, without the idea of making it a successful recording band.

The worldwide rock community welcomed the band's debut album, "Chickenfoot", as one of the most inspired and honest rock record heard in years. "Chickenfoot" became one of the biggest rock successes of 2009. It ended up selling close to one million copies. The album is included in the box set, for the first time featuring the rare B-side "Bitten By The Wolf" previously only available on vinyl LP.

The follow-up, "III", repeated the success of the first album and showed the band making a big step forward in terms of song-writing and sound identity reminding everybody how arena rock can be a fine art form and the most exciting thing around. The box set includes "III" in its limited CD+DVD version, featuring a bonus DVD with exclusive behind the scenes content, videos and live music.

"LV", CHICKENFOOT's first live CD, includes rare live versions of their biggest hits like "Big Foot", "Oh Yeah" and "My Kinda Girl" and four previously unreleased live songs from the most recent world tour featuring the phenomenal Kenny Aronoff on drums (stepping in for Chad Smith, who was busy with the CHILI PEPPERS).

For all the most dedicated fans who have already bought "Chickenfoot" and "III", CHICKENFOOT will make the extra disc, "LV", available for a limited period as a stand-alone CD, released all over Europe on December 7, 2012 (strictly limited to 10,000 numbered copies).

Sammy Hagar expressed his enthusiasm with his proverbial energy when asked to comment about the limited release of "LV". "Every now and then with great bands some songs just outdo the original recordings live," he said. "À la 'Live At Leeds', 'Frampton Comes Alive' etc. I feel these four live CHICKENFOOT tracks do just that. Especially 'Something Going Wrong'. If it were 20 years ago when DJs were allowed to play what they wanted to play, this song would be a hit at rock radio. There's magic there, check it out. If the fur doesn't come up on your arms, it wasn't loud enough! Crank it up and enjoy!"

After Mauricio Bustamente left REIGN OF THE ARCHITECT, he started work on his new multinational project called EXXILES. According to a press release, the band's debut CD "will reflect how sometimes we are exile in life by simple or great things when we are betrayed by something we believed in. At the end there is only one result, abandonment. With pain… With anger… With passion, you discover that you learn how to rise, to liberate and fight for the things you believe in once again, at that moment the exile transforms into something that makes you stronger while you leave it behind, to keep walking towards some other kind of exile. [The] conceptual album will talk about loyalty. Loyalty should be a symbol of friendship, politics, religion, love… It will have a lot of stories but at the end they will all have the same direction to become one. It will show how loyalty becomes weak when personal interests are involved in it."

EXXILES' debut release will feature guest appearances by the following musicians:

* Mike Lepond (SYMPHONY X)
* Zak Stevens (CIRCLE II CIRCLE, SAVATAGE)
* Oddleif Stensland (COMMUNIC)
* Chris Caffery (TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA, SAVATAGE)
* Mats Haugen (CIRCUS MAXIMUS)
* David Grey (LOST IN THOUGHT)

Mauricio will be joined on the CD by Mexican musicians Sergio Aguilar (AGORA), Simon Rojas and Noel Martinez.

A trailer for the album can be seen below.

German power metallers HELLOWEEN will release their new album, "Straight Out Of Hell", in Europe on January 18 and in North America on January 22, 2013. The cover artwork — which was once again created by Martin Häusler, who previously worked with the band on the "7 Sinners" and "Gambling With The Devil" CDs — is being revealed in four parts over a four-day period starting this past Wednesday (November 14). Check out the third part below. The band states, "The cover literally is the bomb!"

"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."

HELLOWEEN recently completed work on the video for the CD's first single, the six-minute opus "Nabataea".

"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.

Swedish melodic death metallers DARK TRANQUILLITY have released the following statement:

"It is with great frustration that we have to announce the cancellation of our participation in the planned European tour 'Metal Attack Over Europe'.

"The reasons are several. The main tour promoter has failed in making the necessary practical and logistical arrangements needed for the tour to happen. Due to the lack of reliable information and substandard promotion, ticket sales have been surprisingly low. We can't just embark on a one-month, five-band trek risking to be met by closed venues or not being 100% sure that the necessary arrangements for the shows even to happen are in place. The fact that WARBRINGER had to cancel didn't help the situation.
"We understand that many people will be disappointed, and so are we. Rest assured that our booking agent has been doing his outmost to save the tour and try to sort things out, but the sad reality is that we're left with no choice but to cancel. We are truly sorry about this situation."

DARK TRANQUILLITY digitally released the "Zero Distance" EP on October 22 in North America. Taken from the European tour edition of "We Are The Void" (2010), the five tracks on the EP are a must-have for any diehard DARK TRANQUILLITY fan.

DARK TRANQUILLITY will enter the studio in early 2013 to begin recording its new album for a tentative summer release.

The band's ninth CD, "We Are The Void", sold around 2,100 copies in the United States in its first week of release. The effort landed at position No. 15 on the Top New Artist Albums (Heatseekers) chart, which lists the best-selling albums by new and developing artists, defined as those who have never appeared in the Top 100 of The Billboard 200.