A PALE HORSE NAMED DEATH vocalist/guitarist Sal Abruscato has checked in from the studio with the following update:

"The new APHND album just gets heavier and blacker everyday. Vocals are almost done and then it's off to leads, mix, master and wrapping up artwork. Album is set to be released early 2013 on SPV Records. Part two of an everlasting struggle with inner conflict and depression.

This album is not recommended for the weak and suicidal."

On November 16th, some six years after their self titled debut, American progressive metal outfit SPEAKING TO STONES expands their sound and lineup with their new release, Elements.
After the release of Speaking To Stones’ 2006 self-titled debut, guitarist Tony Vinci began work on a more progressive project that called for a new group of musicians. Speaking To Stones’ current lineup includes:

Andy Engberg (SECTION A) - vocals
Mark Zonder (FATES WARNING) - drums
Greg Putnam (JAM PAIN SOCIETY) - bass
Anthony Brown (GRAPHITE SYMPHONY) - keyboards

Between 2009 and 2012, this cast of international performers collaborated on the five thematically-linked tracks that make up the band’s 2012 release, Elements. The result is a musical narrative that builds on groove metal roots and develops into a soundscape of symphonic complexity and technically prodigious performances.
Elements is a metaphysical journey that explores our relationship to the physical world and our hopes to become part of something more. Musically and lyrically, the album delivers us into the extremes of our experience—from the infernal intensity of 'Fire' to the ambiguous peace of 'Water' to the ethereal tonalities of 'Quinta Essentia', Elements creates a new world.

Tony Vinci comments, “The goal in writing Elements was to craft a type of thematic concept album that doesn’t necessarily tell a single story, but inspires a collection of themes and moods that work together to create a diverse but unifying musical and lyrical experience. Also, we wanted to present a truly international CD that blends the best of American progressive with the best of European metal. The way to achieve this was to write the skeletons of the songs and then let each musician transform them with their individual talents and voices. While each song balances itself between each instrument, one could listen to the whole CD while focusing on a different element (guitars, bass, drums, etc.) and hear a brand new CD each time.”

The Elements album sampler is available below:

VERA MESMER, the Los Angeles-based alternative rock band featuring ex-COAL CHAMBER bassist Nadja Peulen and former REVEILLE guitarist Chris Turner (a.k.a. Christopher Mesmer), will release its long-awaited EP, "Orphans", on November 8. Produced by Turner, mixed by Sean Beaven (MARILYN MANSON, NINE INCH NAILS) and mastered by Maor Appelbaum (SEPULTURA, HALFORD), the CD tells the story of how Chris and Nadja met and takes the listeners on their mystical journey.

VERA MESMER's video for the song "Back From The Dead", which was shot in January 2011 by Vicente and Fernando Cordero of Industrialism Films, has already been viewed nearly 30,000 times on YouTube.

The band's five-track debut EP, "The Gypsy Magician" (which doesn't feature Peulen), came out in 2007.

VERA MESMER will perform at The Viper Room in West Hollywood, California on December 6.

"The Meaning Of I", the new video from Western Australia's masters of progressive metal experimentation VOYAGER, can be seen below. The song is the title track of the band's fourth full-length album, which came out in October 2011 via Sensory Records.

VOYAGER will embark on a tour of the Australian east coast in November, venturing into familiar popular territories, some new ones and making two festival appearances.

Conceived in 1999 by German-born musician Danny Estrin, VOYAGER is certainly well known throughout the prog metal circuit worldwide, having carved an incredible, diehard cult fan base since inception. The unit's previous three albums display their unique and even strange integration of symphonic, electronic and progressive elements crafted into a seamless, incredibly executed, multi-genre style all their own, bridging gaps between metal subgenres and even verging on '80s pop.

With an impressive history of Australian music awards, as well as many titles of "album of the month" in Romanian, Finnish, Italian, German and Belgian music press, VOYAGER's notoriety for their energetic live performances has captured audiences worldwide. The band have battled geographical isolation to tour Europe twice, perform at ProgPower Europe 2006 and share stages with diverse acts like NIGHTWISH, STEVE VAI, SOILWORK and ALESTORM.

For more information, visit www.voyager-australia.com.

Twinkle Twinkle Little Rock Star, the company which creates "beautiful lullaby versions of your favorite artists," has just released "Lullaby Versions Of Deftones" via Roma Music Group.

"Lullaby Versions Of Deftones" track listing:

01. My Own Summer (Shove It)
02. Digital Bath
03. Hole In the Earth
04. Be Quiet and Drive (Far Away)
05. Diamond Eyes
06. You've Seen the Butcher
07. Simple Man
08. Change (In the House of Flies)
09. Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want
10. Minerva
11. The Chauffeur
12. Passenger
13. Cherry Waves
14. Bored

Check out audio samples at Amazon.com.

Twinkle Twinkle Little Rock Star is the premier pop music lullaby line, with 56 titles to choose from across soundtracks, pop, rock, metal, country, alternative and more. Be sure to also check out the company's METALLICA, IRON MAIDEN, MÖTLEY CRÜE and RUSH lullabies.

In its mission statement, Twinkle Twinkle Little Rock Star says, "We feel our lullaby line fills a vacant musical niche. There are other lines of pop music lullabies but we decided to take the approach of being high end musically rather than simply doing these as a novelty. After all, just because the music is for a baby it doesn’t have to sound unsophisticated. We feel we owe it to the artists that we are covering to do their music justice and our standard of quality transcends the lullaby genre. In fact, in addition to soothing babies our fans use our music for yoga, massage and sleep therapy or just general relaxation. We like to call them 'lullabies for all ages' and the diversity of use is testament to that."

For more information, visit www.ttlrs.com.

Indie Recordings has announced the re-signing of the Norwegian band VREID. The group's new album is scheduled for a February 2013 release.

Commented VREID: "We have released three albums on Indie Recordings, and it has worked out tremendously. The band and label have grown together over these years, and we are very satisfied that we have now re-signed a new deal with Indie Recordings.

"Two years after we started writing new riffs, our new beast is now complete. It's been a lot of work, but we are utterly pleased with the result. Dark, heavy and VREID are the three keywords to describe it.

"The artwork takes us in a new direction this time, and is done by the wizard Kim Holm. His work is spectacular and he has captured the music and lyrics beyond words.

"In February the new album will see the light of day, and we can’t wait to unleash it, and come out and play for you again."

VREID will play a special show in London at the Underworld on Sunday, November 4. This will conclude VREID's "V" touring cycle, and the band will take a few months off before they unleash their new CD. The London concert will also include unique special guest appearances by their former members Ese and Vegard Bakken; brother of the late Valfar from WINDIR. VREID will perform material from all of its albums, a new song and tracks that were never before performed.

FLYLEAF's third studio album, "New Horizons", is available for streaming in its entirety below (courtesy of Buzznet). Released on October 30 via A&M/Octone, the CD's cover artwork was designed by FLYLEAF bassist Pat Seals, who also created a fold-out poster as part of the packaging.

FLYLEAF has just released the second single from the album titled "Call You Out". The song is the follow-up to the title track from the new CD.

Longtime FLYLEAF lead singer Lacey Sturm last week announced her departure from the band. Kristen May, formerly of the group VEDERA, will join the remaining members of FLYLEAF on the road to promote "New Horizons".

Sturm stated about her decision to leave the band, "I am very thankful to have recently become a mom to one of the greatest blessings of my life, my son Jack.

"You may have also heard that we recently lost our brilliant sound engineer, Rich Caldwell, in a devastating car accident. Now, more than ever, I understand the phrase 'Memento Mori.' I understand that, for me, living life to the fullest in this season means to step down as the lead singer for FLYLEAF."

FLYLEAF's debut self-titled album has now sold 1.4 million units and is certified platinum. "All Around Me" reached the Top 10 on Top 40 Radio. FLYLEAF has also charted six singles at modern and rock radio.

FLYLEAF's last album, "Memento Mori", debuted at No. 8 on The Billboard 200 chart. "Again" from the album went all the way No. 2 at Modern Rock radio.

Finnish melodic gothic metal/rock band LUNAR PATH has announced that they have found a new guitarist. The band released the following statement:

“We are very happy to officially welcome our new lead guitarist, Elmeri Kokkomäki to the Lunar Path family. Elmeri has been a good friend of the band and was a top choice in our search for a new lead guitarist. Elmeri impressed us with his awesome playing style, great personality, can-do attitude and vast technical knowledge. We are very excited to continue working on our second album and having some fresh blood on board.

Some of you might even have had the chance to see Elmeri perform with us live, as he's been our temporary bass player a few years back, including the tours with DEATHSTARS and PAUL DI'ANNO.”

A photo of Kokkomäki can be seen below:
Lunar Path’s former bassist Jesse Mäläskä left the band in September due to musical differences.

Danish prog metallers BOIL have announced that they have signed an international record deal with Swedish record label ViciSolum Productions.

Furthermore Boil has entered into a management deal and worldwide booking deal with Intromental.

The band will release their new album aXiom on February 15th.

The album is based on extensive interviews that Boil - with assistance from various Danish psychiatric organizations - has conducted with a number of mentally ill people, especially paranoid schizophrenic people suffering from delusions.

aXiom was mixed and mastered by Jens Bogren (OPETH, KATATONIA, SOILWORK). On the visual side, American artist Travis Smith (KATATONIA, AVENGED SEVENFOLD, OPETH) has made the cover and other album artwork based on Boil’s 50 page story script. The cover can be seen below:
The band has also released the video for the track ‘Vindication’. Check it out below:

Mexican blackened death metallers EVILHEART have announced they will release all of the tracks from their 2007 album Storm Of Annihilation onto YouTube to celebrate its fifth anniversary. The release schedule is as follows:

November
2 – ‘Dead Peace’
9 - ‘Subhuman’
16 – ‘Storm Of Annihilation’
23 - ‘Paradise Of Synthetic Souls’
30 – ‘Oath Of Apostasy’

December
7 – ‘Symmetrical Carnage’
14 – ‘Crystallized In Eternal Death’

The first track ‘In The Arms Of Ixtab’ released on October 26th can be heard below:



The band will release their new album entitled Quinquaginta, this summer 2013. “Making Of The New Album” videos will be released after the Storm Of Annihilation tracks are finished being released.

Cover art for the new album was created by Niklas Sundin at Cabin Fever Media. Check it out below:



Tracklisting for Quinquaginta is as follows:
‘Perfection Collapsed’
‘Misanthropic Decree’
‘Selective Extermination’
‘Rebellion’
‘Nullified Resistance’
‘Supremacy And Holocaust’
‘Postmortal Corruption’
‘Genetics Of Betrayal’
‘Quinquaginta’

Polish metallers SARATAN will release their third album Martya Xwar on November 23rd via Massacre Records.

V. Santura (TRIPTYKON, DARK FORTRESS, CELTIC FROST) was responsible for mixing and mastering the album and also played some guitar solos. Further guest musicians are: Tymek J?drzejczyk, Maciej Kowalski and Micha? Strzelecki on male vocals; Karolina Sumowska - Hocyk as additional female vocals; Marina Novikova on piano; and Jacek Gruszka on guitar solos.

According to a press release: "Martya Xwar is about forty minutes of apocalyptic death - thrash metal, full of oriental and classical ornaments. Ethnic music, occultism and orchestrations are the main focus on this album."

Martya Xwar was recorded over the course of five months in five recording studios in Poland and Germany - it was mixed and mastered by V. Santura (TRIPTYKON, DARK FORTRESS, CELTIC FROST) at Woodshed Studio.

Cover design and artwork are created by Micha? "Xaay" Loranc (Nile, Kamelot). Check it out below:
The band will premiere the video for 'Ba'al Zevuv' on November 1st.
The track 'Mastema' can be heard below:

SOUNDGARDEN will add five bonus tracks to the Best Buy deluxe edition of its upcoming album, "King Animal". The cuts will be demo versions of the songs "Black Saturday", "Worse Dreams", "By Crooked Steps", "Bones Of Birds" and "A Thousand Days Before", all of which appear in finished form on the main 13-song album. "King Animal" is the first collection of all-new material from SOUNDGARDEN in 16 years, and first since the group reunited in 2010.

"King Animal" track listing:

01. Been Away Too Long
02. Non-State Actor
03. By Crooked Steps
04. A Thousand Days Before
05. Blood On The Valley Floor
06. Bones Of Birds
07. Taree
08. Attrition
09. Black Saturday
10. Halfway There
11. Worse Dreams
12. Eyelid's Mouth
13. Rowing

Drummer Matt Cameron told The Pulse Of Radio two things that he thinks made SOUNDGARDEN special then and now: "In our scene up here in the Northwest in the '80s and '90s, we were sometimes considered to be the RUSH of Seattle, just because we could sort of play our instruments maybe better than most bands. [laughs] We never really tried to flaunt any musical chops, but we always had pretty diverse tastes. We had a lot of really cool influences amongst ourselves that we tried to infuse in the music."

"King Animal" is due out on November 13. The first single from the disc is called "Been Away Too Long".

Singer Chris Cornell told OnstageWeb that the track is literally about the band's reunion, explaining, "It means that a group, in this case personified by SOUNDGARDEN, has been away and the length of that away time has suddenly become maybe overextended. So been away too long, like thank God we're back now. It seems like it might have been a little bit too long for us to be gone."

The vocalist added that he was surprised that SOUNDGARDEN seems poised to once again fill a void for "real" rock music, saying, "I always expected that after we broke up or even maybe before we broke up that there should be or would be some very vital scene, numerous interesting rock bands that are kind of taking the history of rock music and making it their own."

DECEASED's classic album "Supernatural Addiction" has just been reissued via Hells Headbangers on CD, with an LP version coming January 23, 2013.

Featuring five bonus demo tracks and extensive liner notes from founding frontman King Fowley, DECEASED's masterfully haunting "Supernatural Addiction" was originally released in 2000 on Relapse Records. The effort saw these underground legends expand upon the epic narratives of the preceding "Fearless Undead Machines", but put into punchier, more concise attacks without losing any of drumming vocalist King Fowley's characteristically creepy storytelling. Less "death metal" and more deathly heavy metal, this DECEASED album cemented their staus as one of the most unique and recognizable metal bands since the turn of the '90s.

"Supernatural Addiction" reissue track listing:

01. The Premonition
02. Dark Chilling Heartbeat
03. A Very Familiar Stranger
04. Frozen Screams
05. The Doll With the Hideous Spirit
06. The Hanging Soldier
07. Chambers of the Waiting Blind
08. Elly's Dementia
09. Dark Chilling Heartbeat (bonus demo track)
10. Frozen Screams (bonus demo track)
11. A Very Familiar Stranger (bonus demo track)
12. The Premonition (bonus demo track)
13. The Hanging Soldier (bonus demo track)

Vocalist SARAH JEZEBEL DEVA (ANGTORIA, ex-CRADLE OF FILTH) has issued the following band update:

"I would like to take a moment to thank all of you for adding us, taking a chance on us even if you knew nothing about us, adding us if you are one of those trolls or haters and still gave us a chance, and to all those who bought our music, our shirts and came to a show It means so much to us and we look forward for what 2013 brings us.

As some of you know, we parted ways with Ablaz due to distance and other issues such as schedules clashing, it was going to happen sooner or later. But all is good; in fact, he is doing naked house work for me right now!! Anyway, I want to introduce Ed, a hand and nose model for Ginger Surprises LTD. He is also pretty damn amazing on bass. His first show with us was Metal Female Voices Festival in front of thousands and it was a huge thing for him seeing as he had only played with himself prior to this show. Wish him luck and any fan mail should be addressed to his mighty beard ;)."
As previously reported, Sarah and her band are comfirmed for Les-Fest, which will take place on June 28th - 30th 2013 at Valley International Park in Crossford, North Lanarkshire. For event information go to this location.

Go to this location for BW&BK's recent interview with Sarah about her new Malediction EP.

LEADING THE BETRAYED - featuring THE AGONIST guitarist Pascal "Paco" Jobin - checked in with the following update this past Monday (October 22nd):

"Tonight we begin working on Leading The Betrayed's demo, that should be ready in a few months! These songs are fucken epic and we can't wait to finally share them with you!"
Audio samples are currently available for streaming here.

"Leading The Betrayed bring a technical, energetic and orignal sound in a modern blend of heavy metal. They encompass an entire range of solid, powerful and aggressive rhythm sections complimented by virtuoso melodies. They stand out by presenting comprehensive and fluent song structures that are supported by complex guitar work and blazing drum sections. The work of these metal juggernauts will catch the attention of young hardcore kids to die hard metal heads all around."

Footage of Jobin laying down the solo for the track 'In The Dark' is available below:

Mascot Label Group will release the seventh solo album, Transition, by guitarist, vocalist, composer/producer/arranger, STEVE LUKATHER, on Monday, January 21st, 2013. The album will be followed by an extensive European tour that will include two UK concerts at London’s Islington O2 Academy (March 29th) and Bilston’s Robin 2 (March 30th).

One of the original founding members of the multi-million selling rock band TOTO, Lukather will showcase his innate feel for rock and jazz guitar music, along with his impeccable song writing talents. Transition showcases extraordinary guitar playing performed across some of the most heartfelt songs of Steve’s career. The album will be released in three formats including limited deluxe edition CD, jewel case CD, and vinyl. Pre-order Transition album and merchandise here.
Tracklisting:

'Judgement Day'
'Creep Motel'
'Once Again'
'Right The Wrong'
'Transition'
'Last Man Standing'
'Do I Stand Alone'
'Rest Of The World'
'Smile'

Over the previous decade a series of trials including divorce, the death of his mother and business hassles had dampened his joy in music making — a passion that drove Lukather to excel since seeing THE BEATLES on the Ed Sullivan as a seven-year-old growing up in San Fernando Valley.

“Transition is a turning point for the album and a turning point for me,” Lukather explains. “As we were writing the songs, I was thinking about everything I’ve seen — all the people I’ve lost in my life, the great and the difficult experiences I’ve had, and how ultimately it was time to get it together and embrace things for what they are. We’ve only got one life to live so we should make the most of it.”
In addition to his work with Toto, Lukather has played on hundreds of albums with some of the biggest stars and legends in music including VAN HALEN, WHITNEY HOUSTON, ALICE COOPER, GEORGE BENSON and ROD STEWART, he even played guitar on MICHAEL JACKSON’s multi-million selling milestone album, Thriller.

More on Steve Lukather at this location.

Italian metallers MESMERIZE recently inked a deal with Punishment 18 Records, for the release of their new full length album.

The recordings of the new album, the fifth in the history of the Milan-based band headed by the singer Folco Orlandini, started this summer at Octopussy Studios in Sedriano (MI, Italy), while the release is scheduled for spring 2013.
"I'd say we've reached a good 80% of the recording process. In these very days we've finished all the vocal lines, and now we'll concentrate on guitar solos, a few keyboard parts and some other special FX", says drummer Andrea Garavaglia, who fully handled also the job of Sound Engineer for this record. "We plan to start the mixing of the songs within the end of the month, in order to do the mastering in December".

Check out the Mesmerize website for some video previews from the recording studio.

Best known for his vocal work with THE SCREAM, MÖTLEY CRÜE and UNION, legendary hard rock vocalist John Corabi serves up a passionate, soulful dose of both new and classic songs on this all-new acoustic release. Due on November 13 via Rat Pak Records, "Unplugged" offers five new original tracks, seven re-recorded classic songs and in addition, features an exclusive 2012 behind-the-scenes interview with John. The album features John Corabi on vocals/guitar, Cheney Brannon (formerly of COLLECTIVE SOUL) on percussion/vocals, Topher Nolen on bass/vocals, D.A. Karkos on guitar/vocals, Matt Farley on percussion/vocals and Bruce Kulick (KISS, GRAND FUNK RAILROAD) on guitar (on "Hoolgan's Holiday" and "Man In The Moon").

"Unplugged" track listing:

01. Love (I Don't Need It Anymore)
02. If I Never Get To Say Goodbye
03. Are You Waiting?
04. Crash
05. Everything's All Right
06. Father, Mother, Son
07. Hooligan's Holiday
08. If I Had A Dime
09. Loveshine
10. Man In The Moon
11. Open Your Eyes
12. I Never Loved Her Anyway
13. 2012 Interview (bonus track)

"Are You Waiting?" is available for streaming below.

For more information, visit www.ratpakrecordsamerica.com.

Video footage of John Corabi and his solo band performing the song "If I Had A Dime" from his "Unplugged" CD on August 18 at DTE Energy Music Theatre in Clarkston, Michigan can be seen below. The clip was shot and edited by Scott Nolen.

Corabi originally joined CRÜE in 1992 as the replacement for the group's original singer, Vince Neil, who was fired due to personal differences. With Corabi on vocals, MÖTLEY CRÜE released one critically acclaimed full-length CD, which ended up being a commercial failure in the wake of grunge despite a Top-Ten placing on the album chart. When Neil returned to the fold in 1997, Corabi was left on his own and formed the band UNION with ex-KISS guitarist Bruce Kulick.

For a list of upcoming John Corabi tour dates, visit www.johncorabi.com.

"Are You Waiting?" audio stream:

According to Reuters, Poland's Supreme Court has ruled that Adam "Nergal" Darski, frontman for Polish extreme metallers BEHEMOTH, committed a crime when when he called the Catholic Church "the most murderous cult on the planet" during the band's September 2007 performance in Gdynia and tore up a copy of the Bible, calling it "a book of lies."

A lower court will now decide if Darski is guilty of the crime, which carries a maximum sentence of two years in jail.

"[The decision] is negative and restricts the freedom of speech. The court decided that this is allowed in a democratic system," Jacek Potulski, a lawyer for Darski, told Reuters.

He added, "We are still arguing that we were dealing with art, which allows more critical and radical statements."

Ryszard Nowak, chairman of the privately run Nationwide Defence Committee Against Sects, told Polish television about today's court ruling, "The Supreme Court said clearly that there are limits for artists which cannot be crossed."

Back in August 2011, a Polish judge ruled that Darski's ripping up of a Bible during a show was a form of artistic expression consistent with the style of his band.

Judge Krzysztof Wieckowski said he considered Darski's actions "a form of art." He added that the court had no intention of limiting freedom of expression or the right to criticize religion.

The court said audience members who testified said their religious feelings had not been hurt despite the fact they were Christians.

After the 2007 incident, Nowak sued BEHEMOTH for promoting Satanism. Although a court expert witness on religious matters said that the act of destroying the Holy Bible could offend somebody's religious feelings, the case was discontinued because no one except Nowak accused BEHEMOTH of insulting their religious beliefs. (Under Polish law, there must be at least two formal complaints before a charge is laid. The previous complaint was made in 2008, and recently an unspecified number of other complaints had been filed.)

In a 2009 interview with Decibel magazine, BEHEMOTH bassist Tomasz "Orion" Wróblewski explained that the Bible-tearing incident was by no means a spontaneous outburst. "We'd been doing that for two years on tour before it happened in Poland," he said. "So, we had discussed it many times before. A BEHEMOTH show is a BEHEMOTH show, and BEHEMOTH fans are coming to a BEHEMOTH show. BEHEMOTH fans know what BEHEMOTH is about, know what the lyrics are about, and know at least a little of the philosophy behind the band. So, it's kind of surprising that there are people coming to the shows and feeling offended with what we do onstage. If such a person comes to a show, he comes with the purpose of being offended, I guess, and it shouldn't be like that. We're not offending any particular person. We're just offending the religion that we've been raised in."

Polish-language TV report on today's Supreme Court ruling:

Norwegian black metallers SATYRICON will perform an exclusive and special long set featuring songs from their upcoming album during an appearance at next year's edition of the Inferno festival, set to take place March 27-30, 2013 at the Rockefeller, John Dee, Rock In, Blå, Unholy, Victoria and Revolver venues in Oslo, Norway. Also scheduled to appear are SOLEFALD, TAAKE, AETERNUS, PURIFIED IN BLOOD, DISKORD and IN VAIN.

For more information, visit InfernoFestival.net.

In a June 2012 interview with MetalSickness.com, SATYRICON frontman Sigurd "Satyr" Wongraven stated about the band's decision to take a long break after completing its last extensive tour in 2009, "I felt that the cycle of SATYRICON had become very something different from what I wanted it to be. It became like this: write, rehearse, record, promote, tour, finish. [Then again] write, rehearse, record, promote, tour, finish. And again and again and again. And I came to a point in 2009 where I went, like, 'What's the point of this? Is this why I started [playing music]? Definitely not.' This was never my goal to come in a situation like this. It's not like I dreamt about living on a bus. It was not my goal in life. Or to live my life in a suitcase. Or in a backstage. It was never my plan. My plan was to write music, record music and release music and then do the occasional show and tour, but this became like a clusterfuck of events — all the time something going on and all this pressure all the time, especially from everyone around us. Plus, I also think that when you're working so intensely, there's sort of this tear-and-wear to people on a personal level. And also, as the leader of a company or a sports team or a metal band, you also have a responsibility to make some decisions that might be popular but unnecessary. And for those who just want to go on the road and play all the time, they don't want to have a break, and our agent and record company, they certainly didn't want any break. But for me, it became almost like a choice between quitting as a band or taking a break."

SATYRICON's latest album, "The Age Of Nero" (2008), entered the German Media Control chart at position No. 73. It also landed on the national chart in Norway at position No. 5. This was SATYRICON's lowest chart entry in the band's home country since "Rebel Extravaganza", which premiered at No. 32 in 1999. "Volcano" (2002) entered the chart at No. 4, while 2006's "Now, Diabolical" came in at No. 2.

Northern German "Lovecraftian" black metallers CTULU will release their third full-length, "Seelenspiegelsplitter", in April 2013. The follow-up to 2011's "Sarkomand" is being recorded and produced by Hoschi and CTULU in Bremen, Germany.

CTULU will present new tracks from "Seelenspiegelsplitter" during the band's appearance at the third edition of the War Over Kiel festival, set to take place on November 10.

In other news, CTULU recently parted ways with drummer Martin Hefurth. A temporary replacement for the War Over Kiel performance has been found in the shape of ex-CTULU drummer Jan Westermann, who is also known for his work in RELEASED ANGER, VIGOUR and DIABLERY.

CTULU's current lineup:

Mathias Junge - Guitar, Vocals
Arne Uekert - Guitar, Vocals
Lasse Bodenstein – Bass

Finnish rock group DEVIL I KNOW will release its self-tilted debut album on November 23 via Inverse Records.

According to a press release, DEVIL I KNOW is a fresh breath of American-style melodic hard rock influenced by the likes of HARDCORE SUPERSTAR, AVENGED SEVENFOLD and even BLACK LABEL SOCIETY. The band's songs do contain some familiar elements but these guys are no copycats — they have their own sound and that sound happens to be pretty damn good!

Driven by catchy singalong choruses, heavy rock riffs and high-quality production, DEVIL I KNOW is on its way to something bigger. Their songs have already received airplay on the Finnish rock-oriented radio stations.

A digital single, "Scream And Shout", is now available. The song's official video can be seen below.

"Devil I Know" track listing:

01. Scream 'N' Shout
02. One Last Dance
03. Open Your Eyes
04. Bells of Death
05. Blow Me
06. Insomnia
07. Overrated
08. Not Anymore
09. Other Side

DEVIL I KNOW is:

Matias Melleri - Guitar, Vox
Roni Seppänen - Guitar
Olli Vartiainen - Drums
Jani Aaltonen - Bass

Frank Mullen, frontman for New York death metal veterans SUFFOCATION, recently gave an interview (see video below) in which he revealed that he would no longer perform with the band full time. He has since issued the following statement clarifying some of his comments:

"I am not leaving SUFFOCATION. Massive, one-month-long touring on my side cannot be done anymore, though.

"When the new album is released next year, I will be touring as much as possible to support the album as well as the following year in 2014.

"When I was asked that question in the interview, I was taken off guard and didn't really know what my schedule was going to look like next year and wanted to try and answer.

"I haven't given much thought to what our touring schedule would look like since we've been in the studio recording the new release. So I'm going to be getting out there as much as I can to support the album and get out there in front of the ones who have supported SUFFOCATION over the years, the true fans. So we are going to be supporting this record as soon as it comes out."

The rest of the band adds: "We have respected this decision that Frank has made, but by no means does this mean SUFFOCATION will 'replace' him with new singer or stop touring.

"Death metal has been good to us, and we feel fortunate with the success we have achieved. For shows or tours he can't be a part of, there will be a well-respected, talented fill-in singer, so we as a band can continue to prosper and bring SUFFOCATION to the fans.

"Bill Robinson (DECREPIT BIRTH) is a good friend of ours and came through during the European tours when Frank was unable to make the shows, but he was just filling in those two times. The fill-in singer will be announced soon, and we promise that our fans will not be let down.

"We have been fortunate to make a great living playing music, and are willing to continue to give our fans what they want."

SUFFOCATION is putting the finishing touches on its new album, "Pinnacle Of Bedlam", for an early 2013 release via Nuclear Blast Records. The CD was produced by the band at Full Force Studios in New York with longtime collaborator Joe Cincotta. The mixing and mastering of the effort will be handled by Chris "Zeuss" Harris (HATEBREED, ARSIS, SUICIDE SILENCE).

"Pinnacle Of Bedlam" will feature 10 genre-defining-bone-crushing tracks and also marks the return of drummer Dave Culross, who previously played on the "Despise The Sun" EP.

SUFFOCATION was among the inductees for this year's class of the Long Island Music Hall Of Fame. TWISTED SISTER frontman Dee Snider received the Harry Chapin Award at the event, which was held on October 18 at The Paramount in Huntington, New York. Snider also performed selections from his "Dee Does Broadway" album.

GUNS N' ROSES guitarist Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal has joined forces with former TNT singer Tony Harnell and Harnell's unique New York-based acoustic/electric band.

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.

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.

AMERICAN DOG is getting into the holiday spirit with the release of their new album, Merry Christmas Asshole, available November 6th.

The 15-track disc features the brand new festive diddy 'Merry Christmas Asshole', plus a 13-song live set from Sonic Lounge Studios. The tracklisting is as follows:
'Merry Christmas Asshole'
'Devil Dog'
'Old Dog, New Tricks'
'Splinterin' Sally'
'The Real Nitty Gritty'
'Poison Smile'
'Cat Has Got You By The Tongue'
'Another Day In Paradise'
'Human Garbage Can'
'TV Disease'
'Beaten, Broken, Etc.'
'Boozehound'
'Just Like Charlie Sheen'
'Sometimes You Eat The Pussy'
'Merry Christmas A** (Radio Friendly Edit)'

Order yours for only $10 at AmericanDog.us.

Catch American Dog live at the following shows:

November
2 - Cambridge, OH - Downtown Arena
3 - Columbus, OH - O'Sheckeys Live
8 - Madrid, Spain - Ego Live
9 - Vitoria, Spain - Jimmy Jazz
10 - Pamplona, Spain - El Bafle
11 - Torredembarra, Spain - La Traviesa
12 - Barcelona, Spain - Rocksound
13 - Montpellier, France - Secret Place
14 - Guyancourt, France - La Batterie
15 - Arras, France - Blue Devil
16 - Toul, France - Chez Paulette
17 - Montbeliard, France - Atelier des Moles
18 - Chambery, France - Brin de Zinc
21 - Verviers, Belgium - Spirit of 66
22 - Berlin, Germany - Wild at Heart
23 - Lubeck, Germany - Dr. Rock
24 - Arnstadt, Germany - Rockneipe Jungfer
27 - Burgos, Spain - Estudio 27
28 - Leon, Spain - Gran Cafe
29 - Vigo, Spain - Sala Son
30 - A Coruna, Spain - Mardigras

December
1 - Asturias, Spain - Boca Negra
2 - Santa Maria del Paramo, Spain - Taberna Belfast
4 - Palencia, Spain - Lemon Society
5 - Lleida, Spain - Pub Stones
6 - Castellon, Spain - D' Leyend
7 - Alicante, Spain - Texola
8 - Zaragosa, Spain - La Ley Seca
9 - Segovia, Spain - Beat Club

Thrash metallers CANCRENA will release their new album entitled Hidden Depravity, on November 16th through Logic(il)logic Records.

The band has now revealed the artwork for the new album. Check it out below:



Tracklisting is as follows:

‘Serpent Skin’
‘The Pessimist’
‘Pervert Priest’
‘Dark Torment’
‘Backdraft’
‘Black Underground’
‘Ancient Strength’
‘Hidden Depravity’
‘To Nerve Oneself’
‘Under The Law’

According to a press release: “Hidden Depravity is a dense concentrate of 90's metal influenced by sludge and southern (PANTERA, TESTAMENT, SEPULTURA, DOWN and BLACK LABEL SOCIETY are the main reference artists for the band). A solid sound assault made of crushing guitar riffs, massive drumming and a melodic touch, all condensed in 40 minutes of pure energy and strength.”

The track ‘Dark Torment’ can be heard below:

Portuguese hard-rock/metal band IBERIA has announced the release of their new music video for the track ‘Hollywood’, off the band’s third album Revolution.

The video contains live footage of the band's performance on Friday, September 14th, as headliners of the Youth Night (Festas da Moita 2012), which took place in Moita, Portugal.

Also featured in the video is special guest MOONSPELL guitarist Ricardo Amorim who joined the band during their live performance.
Iberia has also been confirmed as support for W.A.S.P. for their November 10th show in Lisbon, Portugal.

Denver, CO-based melodic speed metallers CELLADOR have released the following update:

“Thanks! This idea had not been discussed but isn't ruled out. One immediate issue with this is the difference in tunings then versus now. The Honor Forth songs were recorded in D standard tuning, whereas nowadays the band has returned to Eb tuning for new songs.

The agenda has dramatically changed over the last couple months so really anything can happen. The band has been rehearsing several times a week for a year now without a singer, and as all the other elements continue to return (the band is seriously tighter than ever now), the prospects of Chris continuing to cover the vocalist spot are becoming more inevitable. Auditions are still being accepted through the band's email contact@cellador.com.”

Cellador band lineup:
Chris Petersen - Guitar, Vocals,
Diego Valadez - Synths and Leads
James Pickett - Bass
Nick McCallister - Drums

On November 1, link textKissFAQ, the self-described "most comprehensive and most informative KISS web site inhabiting the Internet," will launch NovElder, a month-long retrospective dedicated to the band's controversial 1981 concept album, "Music From The Elder".

"It's certainly a shock when you first put it on," producer Bob Ezrin said of the LP back in 1981. "It's kind of dreamy and a little softer than most people expect from KISS. The harmonies and different vocal sounds on this record are going to throw a lot of people for a loop."

Shock people and throw them for a loop, "Music From The Elder" did. Upon its release in November 1981, the album was confusingly received by both KISS fans and the general public. By the time the calendar turned to 1982, the album was essentially a commercial failure. And KISS were already ready to move on.

More than 30 years later, "Music From The Elder" has attained a cult-classic status among a segment of diehard KISS fans. A great part of the album's appeal lies in the mysterious conditions under which it was created. While "Music From The Elder" has been discussed in various music publications and KISS-related books, there has never been a concentrated effort to put this album under a historical microscope.

Until now.

Through a series of brand-new KissFAQ interviews, original features and related special content, NovElder will shine a spotlight on "Music From The Elder" like never before. More than 10 hours of interviews were conducted with various individuals who either worked on the project or have a connection of sorts, including professionals who have never told their "Elder story." These interviews will provide interesting insights and unique perspectives regarding the album's creative process and this fascinating period in KISStory, in addition to fun anecdotes and personal recollections.

A series of topical features will shed more light on KISS' activity in 1981 and early 1982 and dissect the album further with in-depth musical analysis, biographical information on the album's participants, a revised KissFAQ Album Focus, and much more. NovElder will also take a look at the climate of the rock genre in 1981 and look at the bloodline of rock concept albums.

Members of the KissFAQ community will have the opportunity to participate in NovElder via commenting on content, voting in "Music From The Elder"-specific polls and sharing album reviews and personal "Elder stories."

The odyssey continues November 1 with NovElder only at www.KissFAQ.com.