VAN HALEN, SHINEDOWN and LINKIN PARK have been nominated in the "Favorite Band" category at the People's Choice Awards 2013.

Now in its 39th year, the People's Choice Awards continues to be the only major awards show voted on entirely by the public for fan favorites in music, movies and television.

The People's Choice official web site at PeoplesChoice.com houses the voting platform where fans determine the categories, nominees and winners for the annual awards show. Every year, potential nominees are determined by national ratings averages, box-office grosses, music sales and PeoplesChoice.com data, then vetted through E-Poll MediaSYNC – E-Score Celebrity.

The People's Choice Awards 2013, will be broadcast live from the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles on Wednesday, January 9, 2013 (9:00-11:00 p.m. ET/delayed PT), on the CBS television network. The show is produced by Mark Burnett's One Three Inc. and hosted by Kaley Cuoco, star of "The Big Bang Theory".

Singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, poet and political activist Serj Tankian performed a full classical symphony called "Orca" with the world-renowned Das Karussell Orchestra (featuring members of the Bruckner Orchester) last night (Sunday, October 28) at Brucknerhaus in Linz, Austria. Video footage of the concert can be seen below. The show was professionally filmed and recorded for a 2013 release.

Tankian utilized the Kickstarter project platform to create funding for "Orca".

Stated Serj: "Many of you know my work in rock music, between SYSTEM OF A DOWN and my solo album releases. While I have rearranged some of my past rock compositions to be performed as orchestral pieces, such as the 'Elect The Dead Symphony' in 2010, 'Orca' is the first four-act symphony that I have composed, a mix of early-20th-century compositional styles combined with the powerful range of film scoring.

"I decided to name my symphony 'Orca' because orcas 'appear to have no parallel outside humans' in terms of their cultural faculties. An orca is really a dolphin with much darker tendencies. I see this dichotomy as a great metaphor for humanity.

"Last year, I wrote and recorded a professionally sampled studio version with the goal of being able to record it properly with a full orchestra…. this was not something I could capture in a small home studio.

"I was able to play with the Das Karussell Orchestra at Brucknerhaus during the 'Elect The Dead Symphony' world tour, which was an amazing experience. I shared my sampled recording of 'Orca' with them, and together we made plans for the live performance and recording to fully bring the work to life and share and distribute it to as many people as possible."

Superskum has uploaded quality video footage of MORBID ANGEL's October 7 concert at Gothic Theatre in Englewood during the band's North American tour with GRAVE and DARK FUNERAL. Check it out below.

In a recent interview with Full Metal Jackie's nationally syndicated radio show, MORBID ANGEL vocalist/bassist David Vincent stated about the band's latest album, "Illud Divinium Insanus", "One thing about MORBID ANGEL is that there's never been any rules and it's an interesting perspective. We just kind of go in and do what we do, and sometimes it blossoms; every flower is a different color and a different smell. This album, it surprises people, a couple of tracks on there, and then there's a couple of other tracks that are as MORBID ANGEL as you can get. People are coming around. It was slow going at first — people were going, 'What are these guys doing here?' and night after night, I'm getting comments, people are like, 'I finally really listened to it and I really like it. It just took me a while.' That's no different than some of the other records we've done in the past, so everything is going as planned."

"Illud Divinum Insanus" sold around 3,600 copies in the United States in its first week of release to enter The Billboard 200 chart at position No. 141. The effort marked MORBID ANGEL's first CD to feature Vincent since 1995's "Domination".

Fan-filmed video footage of STONE SOUR performing its new song "Gone Sovereign", last night (Sunday, October 28) at the first of two "House Of Gold And Bones - Part 1" hometown CD-release shows at Wooly's in Des Moines, Iowa can be seen below.

STONE SOUR filmed a video for "Gone Sovereign" on September 26 in Des Moines with director Paul R. Brown (SLIPKNOT, MÖTLEY CRÜE, KORN, GODSMACK, AVENGED SEVENFOLD).

"House Of Gold And Bones - Part 1", the first half of STONE SOUR's upcoming two-disc concept album, arrived on October 23. The second half will come out next year, probably in May.

Singer Corey Taylor told The Pulse Of Radio that the project has turned out even better than he had hoped. "It's some of the best work we've ever done," he said. "Song-wise, guitar-wise, performance-wise, I mean, everything. It's so good. It's come out so much better than I thought it was going to. It's surpassed all of our expectations. It's really, really good."

Speaking to Rolling Stone about the making of the project, Taylor said, "Even with the time constraints we had, we basically recorded two albums in the time it takes to record one. So we were doing double-duty every day. I was tracking two songs vocally a day just to keep us on a deadline and it really pushed us to strive for excellence."

The singer also said that the band wanted to "really try and go for (a) natural vibe on this without using a ton of samples and really try to differentiate us from everybody else out there . . . we wanted to really capture a unique sound."

STONE SOUR has tapped Johny Chow as its live bassist for the band's tour behind "House Of Gold And Bones". Chow has formerly played with metal acts SOULFLY, CAVALERA CONSPIRACY and FIREBALL MINISTRY, and replaces Shawn Economaki, who bowed out of the band earlier this year for personal reasons.

Los Angeles-based traditional metallers WHITE WIZZARD have set "The Devil's Cut" as the title of their new album, tentatively due in the spring of 2013. The band says, "It [will contain] eight songs to tear your heads off. [Bassist, songwriter and founding member] Jon [Leon] is perfecting lyrics and vocal melodies now after having written the best WHITE WIZZARD yet and Jake [Dreyer] and Will [Wallner] are writing masterful leads that are gonna blow your heads off."

"Torpedo Of Truth", a brand new demo song from WHITE WIZZARD, can be seen streamed below. The track was recorded in early May and it features "beastly rhythm, thunderous melodic bass and some serious shred at a whole new level," said the band. "Anybody that was whining about the lack of more shreddy leads on the 'Flying Tigers' album better get ready to get an injection of some serious shit. A 'Torpedo Of Truth' right up your ass!" the group added.

WHITE WIZZARD's latest album, "Flying Tigers", was released in September 2011 via Earache Records.

Minneapolis, Minniesota-based singer Melissa Ferlaak (AESMA DAEVA, VISIONS OF ATLANTIS, ECHOTERRA) has joined forces with guitarist Will Maravelas (WE ARE LEGION) in a brand new death/doom metal project called PLAGUE OF STARS. The two discussed the initial formula then brought in two additional scientists, bassist Christopher Quinn (AESMA DAEVA, A WHISPER IN THE NOISE, DODD) and drummer Aaron Lanik (WE ARE LEGION).

A press release states: "Initially concocted were two surprising reactions, 'In The Pines' which replicated earlier known reactions produced by Lead Belly and 'When Morning Came', an original design that surprised those who came in contact with it. These two strains of the virus would soon be engineered to include multiple strains of the infection to be released into the public in June 2013 following a top secret campaign by private donors, who believe this biochemical weapon is the answer to the struggles we currently face. The plague to be remembered in history….if history continues to exist….the PLAGUE OF STARS."

Finnish gothic metallers THE 69 EYES have released their own signature red wine.

Official wine description: "Love is red. Just like the lips of Juliet. Not far from that balcony of hers comes this Veronese wine. The Helsinki Vampires have always been known for their love of wine, women and song. THE 69 EYES' wine is red. Just like your lips."

For more information, go to this location.

THE 69 EYES' new album, "X", sold around 1,400 copies in the United States in its first week of release. The effort landed at position No. 17 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.

As previously reported, "X" entered the German Media Control chart at position No. 47 and the Finnish chart at No. 4. The CD, which was released in Europe on September 28 via Nuclear Blast Records, was mixed by Stefan Boman (THE HELLACOPTERS, BULLET).

THE 69 EYES filmed a video for the song "Red" in July with Patric Ullaeus of Revolver Film Company, who has previously worked with DIMMU BORGIR, LACUNA COIL, IN FLAMES, SONIC SYNDICATE and KAMELOT, among others.

After enjoying a limited "fan-club-only" U.K. release, "Heavy Metal Thunder - The Movie", SAXON's wonderfully unfiltered and intimate account of their ascent to the upper echalons of heavy metal, will finally enjoy an international release this December. The double-disc set features the soon-to-be-celebrated story of SAXON, while the second disc is packed with bonus features including a full-length performance (on St. George's Day) from April 23, 2008. Rivetingly honest, and including the frank memories of every musician who has played in the band, "Heavy Metal Thunder - The Movie" pieces together the earliest incarnations of SAXON, from frontman Biff Byford's teenage years in the coalmines of Yorkshire and SON OF A BITCH (the first incarnation of SAXON) all the way through to top 10 hits and world tours.

"Our music was more sort of machinery banging together, wheels turning, machines making noise," says Biff of those early, industrial days, "It's what heavy metal is all about. Heavy metal is all about hard, big sounds bashing your skull in. I used to work in factories where big machinery made lot of noise and I used to sing along to the noises they made."

It is a documentary which looks for all the world as though it's a superbly crafted script, as much a tale of pure, honest, working-class triumph as just another rock 'n' roll story. "Heavy Metal Thunder - The Movie" shows every facet of SAXON on their journey without once diluting the true characters who make up the band.

"We basically played every dump and shithole that there is in England over a period, probably just short of eight years," laughs Biff. "You know classic cliché of transit van, up and down and we used to play more or less every night. One gig might be a good paying gig and the other one might be no money or ten quid, but it was an obsession; you had to play every day." These wonderfully naïve young men sought nothing more than a great gig, a good time and maybe a nice girl, before suddenly finding themselves on tour in the U.S., exposed to the sorts of things which (quite frankly) Barnsley simply didn't offer in 1980. And from that point, "Heavy Metal Thunder - The Movie" takes the viewer on a journey on a rock 'n' roller of a journey encompassing it all from triumphs to tears to tea-bags and beyond. Nothing is forsaken and nothing skipped. Despite the fact that to this day there remain problems between the Byford/Quinn and Oliver/Dawson parties, everyone tells the full unedited SAXON story with heartfelt honesty and integrity.

"We do have a great legacy," says Byford, "whether you joined the band in 1994 or (as) an original member. There's a legacy there and I've tried hard to not let people demean it and to spoil it and you have to look after that thing that is SAXON."

Formats:

* DVD Digipack (2 discs)
* Blu-ray

German thrash metal veterans SODOM have entered the studio with producer Waldemar Sorychta (GRIP INC., ENEMY OF THE SUN) to begin recording their new album for an early 2013 release. The band's bassist/vocalist Thomas "Angelripper" Such states, "Makka [drummer Markus Freiwald] finished all the drum tracks [last] Wednesday. And believe us, he did a great job and hammered twelve songs in just two days. [This] week, Bernemann [guitarist Bernd Kost] will start the guitar recording sessions."

Freiwald previously played for the German bands DESPAIR and FLAMING ANGER and was involved with the VOODOOCULT project. In addition, he played percussion as a session musician on the MOONSPELL album "Irreligious" and is featured on the 1996 LP "Triarchy Of The Lost Lovers" by Greek extreme metallers ROTTING CHRIST.

SODOM in 2010 parted ways with drummer Bobby Schottkowski due to "personal and private problems between Tom and Bobby," according to a statement released by the band.

SODOM's latest album, "In War And Pieces", entered the German Media Control chart at position No. 64.

The expanded edition of late DEEP PURPLE keyboardist JON LORD's Concerto For Group And Orchestra will be released on December 7th.
Officially known as the Mediabook Edition, it comes with the standard CD of the Concerto plus a 72-page book and a documentary DVD. Along with unseen photographs from the recording sessions, the book also contains Paul Mann‘s elaborate complete essay on the life and recording of the Concerto.
The book also contains Marco de Goeij‘s essay on how he struggled with his recreation of the Concerto and his initial meeting with Jon while he was on tour with Deep Purple. Marco de Goeij caught him outside his hotel in Rotterdam and remembers the crucial moment, when Jon first heard about the reconstructed score: "Jon decided to have a look at my work right away. For the next two hours we sat in the lobby of the hotel discussing the score. With every turn of a page new thoughts and memories surfaced and at some points Jon could see his own handwriting coming through the printed score, remembering what the manuscript had looked like when he wrote it, complete with the stains caused by erasing mistakes. As he studied the work, it slowly dawned on him that it would now be possible to play the piece again. He grabbed my arm, asking “Are you real? Am I dreaming?”‘
The DVD contains The Making Of Concerto for Group and Orchestra, complete with unseen footage from the recording sessions in Liverpool and at Abbey Road Studios, along with filmed interviews with Paul Mann and Marco de Goeij.

The Mediabook will ship from December 7th. Pre-order at this location.

Lord assembled guest musicians such as IRON MAIDEN singer Bruce Dickinson, JOE BONAMASSA (BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION) and Deep Purple guitarist Steve Morse in the Abbey Road Studios, to work with his trusted partner, director Paul Mann, on the 2012 version of the legendary concert.

“Over these last years since leaving Deep Purple, I’ve played it over 30 times with different orchestras and conductors all over the world, and, of course, in 2000 I did it well over 30 times with Purple on the Concerto tour, so I’ve been honing the piece live on stage, and I’ve had the opportunity to change things in the score that weren’t sounding quite right. It is therefore a marvelous and exciting prospect to have the definitive recording of the definitive version of the score.” (Jon Lord May 2011)

On July 16, 2012, Jon Lord passed away in London at 71 years old. This album is a joyful testament of a great musician and fantastic man.

“His dignity and graciousness touched us all. His music was an inspiration and took us to places beyond our imagination… A truly great man. We humbly express our eternal love and great respect.” – Tribute from Deep Purple upon the passing of Jon Lord.

Jon Lord's Concerto For Group And Orchestra features the following tracklisting:

'Movement One'
'Movement Two'
'Movement Three'

Peter Mensch, the manager of LED ZEPPELIN guitarist Jimmy Page, told the U.K.'s Sunday Times that the legendary axeman is holed up in a west London studio "remastering every LED ZEPPELIN LP." It is believed that the new remasters, which are tentatively due next year, will possibly include alternate takes and unreleased material as well.

Page recently told Mojo magazine that there are plans to release each ZEPPELIN studio album as a box set with additional material from each LP. In addition, it was revealed in an article in The Australian that artist Shepard Fairley has been tapped to re-design the artwork for the upcoming reissues.

Page recently told a British radio station that he is working on new music, which might be released before the end of the year. During a chat with BBC Radio, Page said, "I'm just looking forward to making some music and surprising people with it. It won't be just teaming up with lots of people who are [big] names. I've got an idea of something which I've had for a long time and now's the time to do it."

Page remained ambiguous when talking about the still-unnamed project, saying: "I have got other ideas that have been nagging at me for a long long time, I think the way to present music is same picture different frame, and sometimes this frame is quite radical."

The Sunset Strip's hottest export STEEL PANTHER is looking to further its quest for worldwide domination with the release of its first-ever DVD, "British Invasion", via Guitar Anarchy Studios. Rumored for release multiple times in the U.S. in 2010 and 2011, the DVD will finally see the light of day domestically on October 30.

Recorded with 16 cameras in pristine HD over a two-year period, the DVD chronicles STEEL PANTHER's legendary live show that the band has come to be known for. Beginning in March 2010 at the band's sold-out concert at Brixton Academy in London during their highly successful "Feel The Steel" tour, the DVD feaures some of the group's most memorable hits, including "Asian Hooker", "Community Property", "The Shocker" and "Stripper Girl", in a way never seen before. Included in the package is a laugh-out-loud documentary that follows the band backstage and on their tour that is not to be missed. The deluxe box set includes two DVDs — one with the full show and one with the documentary — deleted scenes and five songs from Download Festival 2012. The packaging also includes a 16-page color book. The DVD will also be available in Blu-ray at the same time.

"British Invasion" was directed and produced by award-winning director Daniel E. Catullo III (RUSH, NICKELBACK, GODSMACK) and was mixed by Jay Ruston, who worked with the band on both of their previous records. An official DVD web site has been set up specifically for the DVD release, SteelPantherDVD.com, with a pre-order starting today as well. Fans who pre-order the DVD on the DVD site will receive a limited-edition signed poster of the band for free. New videos will be released every week up until release day to give the fans a sneak peek at the DVD and updated information will be posted on the official DVD site.

STEEL PANTHER is currently gearing up for their second world tour of 2012. The 25-plus-city trek kicks off in Auckland, New Zealand on October 2 and runs through mid-November and makes stops in major markets all over Europe and Australia, including Brisbane, Sydney, Perth, Helsinki, Amsterdam, Manchester, Paris, Zurich and Bristol, before wrapping up in London on November 15.

STEEL PANTHER was, for a long time, rock's best-kept secret: a cult legend on the L.A. scene. But in recent years due to the success of their albums (both debuted at #1 on the Billboard Comedy Album Charts) and live shows, the band has enjoyed huge acclaim from fans and peers alike. At sold-out shows in Hollywood and Las Vegas, STEEL PANTHER has been joined on stage by rock and roll icons such as Steven Tyler of AEROSMITH, Paul Stanley of KISS, Corey Taylor of SLIPKNOT, Tom Morello of RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE, and Chester Bennington of LINKIN PARK.

"British Invasion" track listing:

Main DVD

01. Eyes Of A Panther
02. Eatin' Ain't Cheatin'
03. Fat Girl
04. Hair Solo
05. Party All Day
06. Hell's On Fire
07. Stripper Girl
08. Asian Hooker
09. Turn Out The Lights
10. Girl From Oklahoma
11. We Want Pussy
12. Community Property
13. The Shocker
14. Death To All But Metal

Bonus Disc

* 40-minute documentary
* Deleted scenes
* Download Festival 2012
* "Supersonic Sex Machine" video
* "Community Property" video
* "Just Like Tiger Woods" video
* "17 Girls In A Row" video
* "Death To All But Metal" video (featuring Corey Taylor)

A performance clip of the song "Fat Girl" from the "British Invasion" DVD can be seen below (courtesy of Loudwire).

"Fat Girl" performance clip:

"La Epidemia", the new video from New Jersey/New York's ILL NIÑO, can be seen below. The clip, which features a guest appearance by EMMURE frontman Frankie Palmeri, was filmed on September 29 at The Rave in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

"La Epidemia" comes off ILL NIÑO's new album, "Epidemia", which will be released on October 22 via Victory Records.

The recording sessions for "Epidemia" took place in Hoboken, New Jersey; Austin, Texas; and Denver, Colorado.

For nearly fifteen years, ILL NIÑO has gained a loyal and dedicated fan base while creating its own unique style of Latin-influenced, aggressive metal.

Utilizing bilingual vocals, Latin/tribal rhythms and powerful melodies, "Epidemia" is bound to spread worldwide.

"Epidemia" track listing:

01. The Depression
02. Only The Unloved
03. La Epidemia
04. Eva
05. Demi-God
06. Death Wants More
07. Escape
08. Time Won't Save You
09. Forgive Me Father...
10. Invisible People

The "Epidemia" cover artwork can be seen below.

ILL NIÑO drummer Dave Chavarri previously stated about the upcoming album: "This time around, we want to explore Latin and tribal rhythms we have never explored in the past five releases, giving us no musical boundaries at all."

CINDERELLA frontman Tom Keifer has uploaded audio samples of two new solo tracks, "Cold Day In Hell" and "Ask Me Yesterday", at TomKeifer.com. he states: "As promised, some new music, but it won't be here forever..."

Keifer has inked a deal with Jack Ponti's Merovee Records, a joint venture with David Letterman's Worldwide Pants, for the release of his long-awaited debut solo album. Due in early 2013, the as-yet-untitled CD will feature 14 tracks that are described by Ponti as “intimate, organic, acoustic tracks to driving hard rock. It embraces the blues, rock and country roots." The lyrics will take an introspective look at the roller coaster ride that has been Keifer's life for the past 15 years. From being told that he would never sing again as a result of a partially paralyzed left vocal cord, to the emotional and personal battles that followed, his solo debut is a story of perseverance, a testament to the power of passion and will, when combined with a true love of music.

In a 2011 interview with Sweden's Metalshrine, Keifer was asked whether his solo album was going to be a whole lot different from CINDERELLA. Tom replied, "No, not really, because being the lead singer and the main songwriter and I did a lot of the guitar work in CINDERELLA, it's kind of hard to run from my sound. I had a lot of influence over those records so… I'm just doing what I do and that's hard rock inspired by blues and roots music. What I did in CINDERELLA is what I love to do and what I'm doing on my own is what I love to do. I try to be true to what I like. It's similar in that way, you know. Dynamically the records, the CINDERELLA records, and especially as they went on into 'Long Cold Winter' and 'Heartbreak Station', they had a lot of different flavors and colors and dynamics and different types of songs, which I always like because the bands that I grew up on, like, [LED] ZEPPELIN and THE [ROLLING] STONES, they really covered a lot of area musically. My solo record does that, too, and I think it makes for a more interesting record when it's not just the same song for 14 tracks."

A few short weeks week after shocking the music world by announcing their plans to disband following a January 2013 farewell tour, Christian metalcore act UNDERØATH is debuting one of the final new tracks of its remarkable career, "Sunburnt". Check it out using the SoundCloud player below. (courtesy of Billboard.com).

"Sunburnt" is one of two new songs recorded by UNDERØATH with longtime producer Matt Goldman for release on the band's career retrospective album, "Anthology 1999-2013", available November 6 on Solid State Records. Together with final new track "Unsound", "Sunburnt" is a worthy addition to the career-spanning collection, which includes fan favorites culled from the band's 1999 debut, "Act Of Depression", through the instant classics on 2010's "Ø (Disambiguation)".

Due to unexpectedly high demand and in the midst of several rapid sell-outs, UNDERØATH's previously announced farewell tour has been expanded to include additional dates, with several of the tour's shows to be moved to higher capacity venues. Among the dates added are a January 13 stop at Worcester, Massachusetts' The Palladium and an additional night at New York City's Irving Plaza. Changes of venue have taken place in Toronto, Detroit and St. Petersburg, allowing for the accommodation of additional fans seeking to watch the powerhouse live act one final time. Shows in five of the tour's ten cities have already sold out.

The group's unanticipated decision to disband sent shockwaves through social media networks, with UNDERØATH becoming a worldwide trending topic on Twitter as countless fans shared their thoughts on the influential band and the impact its music had on their lives.

One of hard rock's biggest success stories, UNDERØATH leaves a remarkable legacy that includes seven acclaimed albums — chief among them gold-certified releases "They're Only Chasing Safety" and "Define The Great Line" — multiple Grammy nominations, tours of six continents and over 1.3 million records sold.

"Anthology 1999-2013" track listing:

01. Sunburnt (new song)
02. Unsound (new song)
03. In Division
04. Catch Myself Catching Myself
05. Paper Lung
06. Desperate Times, Desperate Measures
07. Too Bright To See, Too Loud To Hear
08. In Regards To Myself
09. You're Ever So Inviting
10. Writing On The Walls
11. A Boy Brushed Red Living In Black And White
12. Reinventing Your Exit
13. It's Dangerous Business Walking Out Your Front Door
14. I've Got Ten Friends And A Crowbar That Says You Ain't Gonna Do Jack
15. When The Sun Sleeps
16. Cries Of The Past
17. Heart Of Stone

San Francisco Bay Area metallers MACHINE HEAD will release a new live album, "Machine Fucking Head Live", on November 13 via Roadrunner Records. It's the band's second live effort — "Hellalive" was released in 2003 — but in the nine years that have passed, the group has only gained in power; MACHINE HEAD still slay and administer a beating in the live realm.

"Machine Fucking Head Live" was recorded at various tour stops across the globe last year. It features songs from throughout the band's expansive catalog, including crowd favorites like "Imperium", "Aesthetics of Hate", "Locust", "Ten Ton Hammer", "This is the End" and "Halo".

"The Head Cases [MACHINE HEAD's nickname for the band's fans] have been so intense on this tour cycle that we had to start capturing the shows, especially with technology making it so much easier to record," said frontman Robb Flynn. "We culled some of the best nights where the band and crowd were on fire and made a badass, nearly two-hour, double live album, which is a great documentation of where the band is at, 18 years deep."

"Machine Fucking Head Live" track listing:

01. I Am Hell (Sonata in C#)
02. Be Still And Know
03. Imperium
04. Beautiful Mourning
05. The Blood, The Sweat, The Tears
06. Locust
07. This Is The End
08. Aesthetics Of Hate
09. Old
10. Darkness Within
11. Bulldozer
12. Ten Ton Hammer
13. Who We Are
14. Halo
15. Davidian

A live recording of the song "This Is The End", taken from "Machine Fucking Head Live", is available for free download using the widget below (e-mail sign-up required).

"Machine Fucking Head Live" was mixed and mastered at Trident Studios in Pacheco, California by Juan Urteaga and Robb Flynn.

MACHINE HEAD will hit the road in North America with DETHKLOK, ALL THAT REMAINS and THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER beginning October 30.

Vocalist Angela Gossow of Swedish/German extreme metallers ARCH ENEMY has issued the following update:

"[The ARCH ENEMY] European tour was awesome!! Lots of people came to the shows. [We are] very, very grateful for this, given the tough economy all around.

"We know how it feels to be broke. Been there many times. But just like you, we rather spend our last penny on music (or gear for that matter) than paying our phone bill. For that matter, I only have a prepaid card and no phone contract ;-) I hate bills and reminders.

"Back home now, recovering from dirty backstage rooms, cold showers and lack of quality sleep.

"I love playing live. [It's] a shame I can't bring my home (or at least my bed and my clean bathroom) on tour though, haha..

"After 12 years of continuous touring, I can tell ya, sometimes I think about stopping for good and route for the homely life instead.

"We got the Latin America tour kicking off in November all the way through December and then we'll stop touring for at least six months. We'll just do a few [European] festivals in the summer, like Wacken :-). Will be interesting how that feels. If I get bored with being 'static?'

"I'll miss playing shows, but I am also excited to finally have some time to myself, actually being able to take up an art class, start drawing again, take some vocal lessons for fun, try new sports (like thai boxing or any sort of angry martial arts, haha), spend quality time with my family, decorate my home with framed pictures, paint the walls.. you know, that stuff 'normal' people do when they are not living like gypsies, always on the move.

"It will be nice not having to do pre-production for a tour in my 'off time' but actually allow my mind to rest and stop worrying about travel arrangements, technical riders, ticket sales, budgets, crew, stage production etc.

"I have noticed I am in an constant 'alarm-state' mentally and I don't relax in my sleep either anymore. I dream about figures and band stuff every night.

"I miss my crazy, funny, light dreams.. and simply being worry-free.

"This said, I wont be lazy. We have a massive new live DVD/Blu-ray in the works and it will take up a real chunk of my time to get that together for an autumn 2013 release. We filmed so many shows.. And we will film even more now during the Latin America tour. We got a ton of incidental footage too.. That will be weeks and weeks of sorting out, editing, cutting, mix and master. Plus we got a new album to write and record in 2013 too. It will drop in spring-ish 2014.

"So yeah.. today I am catching up with thre weeks of unanswered postal mail, final tour budget, tax office paperwork and shopping for groceries. I will go for a walk later, take a long bath to soak my sore back and neck and try to go to bed before 6 a.m. as I am not on tour anymore ;-)"

ARCH ENEMY's ninth album, "Khaos Legions", which sold around 6,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to enter The Billboard 200 chart at position No. 78.

The band earlier in the year amicably parted ways with guitarist Christopher Amott and replaced him with 26-year-old American musician Nick Cordle (ARSIS).

TRILLIUM, launched by AVANTASIA vocalist Amanda Somerville, performed at the Metal Female Voices Festival 2012 in Wieze, Belgium on October 21st. The band performed the KISKE/SOMERVILLE song 'Set Afire' - originally recorded with vocalist Michael Kiske (UNISONIC, ex-HELLOWEEN) - during the band's set. Fan-filmed video of the performance plus the songs 'Coward' and 'Mistaken' is available below.

'Set Afire' was written by Somerville and guitarist Sander Gommans (HDK, ex-AFTER FOREVER), who performed with Trillium as a guest at the festival.

As previously reported, Trillium will support veteran British rockers MAGNUM on their upcoming UK tour this November. Dates are as follows:

November
18 - Bristol, UK - O2 Academy
20 - Liverpool, UK - O2 Academy
21 - Glasgow, UK - Garage
22 - Newcastle, UK - O2 Academy
23 - Holmfirth, UK - Picturedrome
24 - Manchester, UK - Ritz
25 - Nottingham, UK - Rock City
27 - Leamington, UK - Leamington Assembly
28 - Southampton, UK - The Brook
29 - London, UK O2 - Academy Islington
30 - Pontypridd, UK - Muni Arts Centre

December
1 - Wolverhampton, UK - The Wulfrun
2 - Norwich, UK - Waterfront
Trillium played their first ever UK show at the HMV Institute in Birmingham on May 12th. Fan-filmed quality footage is available below:

A three-minute YouTube clip containing audio samples of the tracks that will appear on the debut EP from CIVIL WAR — the new Swedish metal band featuring former SABATON members Rikard Sundén (guitar), Daniel Mullback (drums), Daniel Mÿhr (keyboards) and Oskar Montelius (guitar) alongside singer Patrik Johansson (ASTRAL DOORS, LION'S SHARE) and bassist Stefan "Pizza" Eriksson (VOLTURYON) — can be found below. The CD will be released on November 13 via Despotz Records.

The track listing for the effort is as follows:

01. Rome Is Falling
02. Civil War
03. Forevermore
04. Custers Last Stand
05. [Bonus Song]

You can pre-order the EP at this location.

"Rome Is Falling" is available for free download at PledgeMusic.com (e-mail sign-up required).

According to Sundén, CIVIL WAR's sound is "more old-school hard rock," with "a little less keyboards" than that of SABATON. He says, "With Patrik's vocals on top, it becomes a different thing, but there are some parallels [to our previous band]."

Regarding how CIVIL WAR came together, b>Mullback told the Swedish-language newspaper Dalarnas Tidningar (DT), "It came pretty naturally. We always thought Patrik had a good voice and he accepted our offer when we asked him to join the band."

"I had no hesitation about getting involved," Patrik said. "ASTRAL DOORS certainly has a solid fan base, but we are a little more underground. I see this as an opportunity to reach a wider audience."

The four ex members of SABATON were never involved in the songwriting process with their former band since those duties were usually handled by vocalist Joakim Brodén. But in the new group, everyone is contributing ideas.

"This has been a reawakening of sorts," Mÿhr said. "I have never been in a situation where there has been so much creativity."

On the topic of whether CIVIL WAR will continue SABATON's tradition of focusing on war-related themes in its lyrics, Mÿhr said, "No, we won't. Now the lyrics can be about anything. [CIVIL WAR was just] a good name that sounded good."

Video footage of Michael Schenker's October 26 performance at Arcada Theatre in Saint Charles, Illinois can be seen below.

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

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

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

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

Joe Satriani, one of rock music's most respected and celebrated electric guitar players, will record a new solo album later this year for a worldwide release via Sony in May 2013. The enterprising guitarist is also in the planning stages of releasing a career retrospective box set for spring 2013.

Joe released his 11th studio album, "Black Swans And Wormhole Wizards", in October 2010 and followed this with extensive North American and European tours. The following year, CHICKENFOOT's second album, "III", was released to critical acclaim.

In January 2012, Satriani embarked on a European tour with CHICKENFOOT. By April 2012, he released the DVD/Blu-ray of his much-talked-about 3D concert film "Satchurated: Live In Montreal". During the same year, he embarked on G3 tours of Europe and Australia with Steve Vai and Steve Lukather.

Dutch old-school death/thrash metallers WEAPONS TO HUNT, who released three albums under the name INFINITED HATE, last year transformed into WEAPONS TO HUNT. The group, featuring mainman Adrie Kloosterwaard (SINISTER) on vocals, Ron van de Polder (original and founding member of SINISTER) on guitar, Paul Beltman (ex-SINISTER, ex-SUPREME PAIN) on drums and Bastiaan Brusssaar (SINISTER, FONDLECORPSE) on lead guitar, will release its debut CD, "Blessed In Sin", on November 26 via Vic Records. The bass tracks on the effort were laid down by Erwin Harreman (ex-SINISTER, SUPREME PAIN).

According to a press release, WEAPONS TO HUNT "bring an intense death/thrash metal style on this new album that brings you back to the good old days of SOLSTICE, DEMOLITION HAMMER… and, of course, SINISTER's mighty debut album, 'Cross The Styx' (needless to say, both debut albums are written by riff master Ron van de Polder!)."

"Blessed In Sin" track listing:

01. The Hell Room
02. Blessed In Sin
03. Corpse Field
04. The Smell of Victory
05. Bullets For The Assassin
06. Merciless Impact
07. False Positive System
08. Strike Face

Belgian melodic black metallers SAILLE will release their new album, "Ritu", 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!"

Fan-filmed video footage of THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA's October 27 performance at Effenaar in Eindhoven, Netherlands can be seen below.

THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA's latest album, "Dead Throne", sold 32,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 10 on The Billboard 200 chart. The follow-up to 2009's critically acclaimed "With Roots Above and Branches Below" was recorded at Zing Studios in Massachusetts with producer Adam Dutkiewicz (KILLSWITCH ENGAGE, TIMES OF GRACE). Additional synth/key production was handled by Joey Sturgis (who has worked on all of the THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA records so far) with further assistance on the vocal production by Jeremy McKinnon (A DAY TO REMEMBER).

THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA released a live CD/DVD, "Dead & Alive", on June 26 via Ferret Music.

"Dead & Alive" was filmed and recorded last year during THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA's hugely successful "Dead Throne Tour: North America" tour.

Philip Anselmo (DOWN, PANTERA) will release a split 10-inch EP with Texas thrashers WARBEAST on January 8, 2013 via Anselmo's Housecore label. Entitled "War Of The Gargantuas", , the effort is expected to include a pair of previously unreleased tracks from WARBEAST — "IT" and "Birth Of A Psycho" — along with with two songs from Anselmo's forthcoming solo debut, "Walk Through Exits Only".

In a recent interview with U.K.'s Terrorizer magazine, Anselmo spoke about "Walk Through Exits Only", which will be released in early 2013 via Housecore.

Asked what prompted him to make a solo CD now, Anselmo said, "I am a lover of all sorts of music but really my heart is ... really I love extreme music, underground music, whether it be grindcore, death metal, thrash, black metal, [or whatever other] subgenre, and I find beauty in a lot of this stuff."

He continued, "I wanted to do an extreme record that didn't necessarily fit in any of those aforementioned categories, really, but it's metal. It's very tough for me to describe, man. I really wanted to do an extreme record again. I did it out of pure, fucking need — need — and love. I just needed to do it for myself."

Anselmo said that he chose to release the CD under his own name because "if I was to name it something, to me, it may be tough on the fans, or people, that might be interested in hearing what I'm doing, just to buy into a whole new band, where in all truth, I'm very, very, what's the word, just very guarded and I wrote every fucking goddamn note of it and that's just how its going to fucking be.

He added, "I don't want another all-star band, I don 't want another supergroup, if you will, I don't want it to be misconstrued, and this is something I can take as a solo artist, as a free agent, I can take this wherever I want to go. If I want to make the next record a completely different style, yet still extreme in its own right, I can do that … So it's gonna be up to y'all to figure it out: it's really not my place to say it's death metal or it's extreme thrash or black metal, I'm not gonna put it in a category. It is extreme, though, in its own right. Anything that was completely traditional, I would stop it and fuck with it a little, make sure it wasn't so paint-by-numbers, because that's the last thing I wanna do, and as a matter of fact, I believe that's what people will be expecting."

On the topic of his lyrical approach on "Walk Through Exits Only", Anselmo said, "[It's] very real, very honest, very close to the sleeve, close to the heart, close to the fingertips, close to everyday life, and maybe [about] periods of my life that I've gone through. People that have heard the record have said it is the angriest record that they've heard in a very, very long time. And I have to agree with them — it is an angry, angry album. It is just a statement of my condition a lotta times. Daily I still deal with heaps of chronic pain, if you will, whether it be my knee, my hip, the shoulder sockets, the elbow, the fucking back — you name it, man. I've busted everything, man, so there is a frustration there that you can't necessarily get across in DOWN, so it does have an angry edge to it and really, truth be told, the name of the record could be 'Songs From The Bedroom Of Philip Anselmo'; it's not a pretty place. [laughs] [It's] not as sexy as it sounds'l [It's a] fucking, raging fucking place where I can simmer and boil over in private."

Asked what expectations he has for the solo record, Anselmo said, "Me being the pessimist, some people will love it, some people will hate it. Will I break new ground? I don't know. I really don't have any fucking idea. Music is vast, people's opinions are vast and boy can you read them on the comments section today.

He continued, "If you enjoyed stuff in the past, then I think you 'll really enjoy the fucking solo record and people who still to this day [say], 'Ah I wish Phil would sing more. He's got such a pretty voice when he sings' then its gonna be a gigantic fucking letdown. [laughs] I cannot wait, truthfully, for the likes of yourself and fans alike to consume
this shit. Love it or hate it, it's coming."

Brazilian band LIVIN GARDEN have released a 50-second preview of their brand new song, 'Sing My Soul', to be featured on their new album, due next year. Listen to the sample below:
The band will post two more audio previews every two weeks, so everybody can have a little sneak peek of how the new album will sound. These aren't the final versions yet, since they're still in the pre-production process.
More on Livin Garden at this location.