DEVILDRIVER and COAL CHAMBER frontman Dez Fafara has released a benefit song for his sister Kerri, who has been diagnosed with breast cancer. Entitled "Dark Meadowlark", the track was produced by Greg Weiss (DEVILDRIVER) and was mixed by Logan Mader (SOULFLY, GOJIRA, DEVILDRIVER).

Says Dez: "['Dark Meadowlark'] is about my sister who is a ray of sunshine, but has a dark sense of humor much like myself, thus the [track title]."

He added, "The song was mixed by Logan Mader and produced by Greg Weiss, who played bass and balalaika, along with Dan Yob on guitar, and Zac Morris on drums. I would also like to thank Winson and Doug at Third Encore for letting us use their amazing facilities, and Doug from Rack Attack Rentals for providing us with some great gear to record with."

Even with insurance, Kerri's family can't cover the costs of her surgery, chemotherapy and radiation for the upcoming year. "We have two daughters still at home, we've relocated from Boise to Irvine (really close to UCLA/UCI treatment center — what good fortune!), but the cost of two years of what's called 'out of pocket maximum costs' are definitely a burden," she says.

To help Kerri with the costs associated with her breast cancer treatment and follow-up care, you can make a donation via the online fundraising web site Microgiving at this location.

In observance of the anniversary of PSA Flight 182, Los Angeles thrashers VIKING have released a rough, pre-release mix of the song "9:02 on Flight 182" from their the long-awaited comeback album, "No Child Left Behind". Other songtitles set to appear on the CD include "An Ideal Opportunity", "Debt To Me", "Helen Behind The Door", "A Thousand Reasons I Hate You" and "Wretched Old Mildred".

Founded in the spring of 1986 in Los Angeles, VIKING released two full-length albums on the Metal Blade label, 1987's "Do Or Die" and 1989's "Man Of Straw".

Long hailed as one of the most rare and hard to find speed/thrash metal albums by collectors, "Man Of Straw" was re-released in 2006 via Lost And Found Records. This fully licensed CD release was remastered and contained rare and never-before-heard bonus tracks.

In early 2011, Ron Daniel (guitar, vocals) and Matt Jordan (drums) resurrected VIKING after a 20-year hiatus.

Ron recruited former DARK ANGEL members Gene Hoglan and Michael Gonzalez to record VIKING's first release in over 20 years.

"No Child Left Behind" is due to be released late fall 2012.

Video footage of Hoglan in the studio with VIKING can be seen below.

San Francisco Bay Area metal veterans VICIOUS RUMORS will release a new live album, "Live You To Death", on November 27 (one day earlier internationally) through SPV/Steamhammer. The CD was recorded by Pontus Norgren of HAMMERFALL, mixed by Juan Urteaga and produced by VICIOUS RUMORS guitarist Geoff Thorpe.

2011 was the year VICIOUS RUMORS stormed European stages with their highly acclaimed studio album, "Razorback Killers", playing 92 shows in 12 months.

"Live You To Death" was recorded last December on the band's European tour as the support act for Swedish metallers HAMMERFALL. It features 11 songs, including two very special studio recordings: cover versions of "Sign Of The Southern Cross" by BLACK SABBATH and "Running Wild" by JUDAS PRIEST.

"We wanted to do a few covers of our metal gods SABBATH and PRIEST as a tribute to where it all started," Thorpe said.

"Live You To Death" track listing:

01. Replicant / Digital Dictator
02. Minute To Kill
03. Murderball
04. Lady Took A Chance ( intro ) / Down To The Temple
05. Abandoned
06. Let The Garden Burn
07. Hellraiser
08. Soldiers Of The Night
09. Don't Wait For Me
10. Sign Of The Southern Cross (BLACK SABBATH cover) (studio recording)
11. Running Wild (JUDAS PRIEST cover) (studio recording)

Running time: approximately 56 minutes

"Razorback Killers" was released in Europe in March 2011 and in the U.S. in April 2011 via SPV/Steamhammer. The CD was recorded at Trident Studios in Pacheco, California with producers Juan Urteaga and Geoff Thorpe.

VICIOUS RUMORS current touring lineup:

Larry Howe - Drums
Brian Allen (LAST EMPIRE, MALICE, WILD DOGS) - Vocals
Bob Capka - Guitar
Stephen Goodwin - Bass
Geoff Thorpe - Guitar

Video footage of VICIOUS RUMORS performing the song "Don't Wait For Me" on August 3 at Garage in Munich, Germany can be seen below.

Legendary progressive rock veterans FOCUS are set to release their new studio album, Focus X, on November 5th via Eastworld Recordings.

With their unique progressive rock, Focus manifested themselves at the start of the 70s as the most successful and the most appreciated of all the Dutch pop-rock exports. The band is fronted by founder and musical genius Thijs van Leer. Their hits include the instrumentals, 'Hocus Pocus', 'House Of The King', and 'Sylvia', and their timeless albums include Moving Waves, Focus 3 and Hamburger Concerto.

A new Focus era has arrived. There is a rejuvenated passion in the new compositions that adorn the new album Focus X, which features a full scale Roger Dean painting on the cover.
Thijs van Leer commented: “It’s a thrill to have finally completed Focus X; we are all ecstatic and looking forward to playing the new material on the forthcoming Focus X Tour.”

This album - and the following gigs - will surprise the loyal fans. They will hear once again all the classic Focus tunes and they will be surprised at the strength and depth of the new material.

"Our music is evolution, not revolution", Thijs van Leer once said about the music of Focus.
After a comeback which resulted in the well received albums Focus 8 and Focus 9, the band is now back on the frontline, with a fantastic lineup. Also back on the drums is Pierre van der Linden, who is internationally renowned for his rhythmic skills, and is still a defining factor in the Focus sound. Bassist Bobby Jacobs, who stems from a well-acclaimed Dutch musical family and guitarist Menno Gootjes, who participated in Focus at an earlier stage, completes the band's current lineup.

Focus X is released on November 5th via Eastworld Recordings.

Focus tour dates:

November
8 - Buxton, UK - Opera House
9 - Hessle, UK - Town Hall
10 - Glasgow, UK - The Ferry
11 Hebden, UK - Bridge Trades Club
13 - Wolverhampton, UK - Robin 2
14 - Runcorn, UK - The Brindley
15 - Barnsley, UK - Birdwell
16 - Fletching, UK - Trading Boundaries
17 - Tavistock, UK - The Wharf
18 - Sutton, UK - Boom Boom Club
19 - Milton Keynes, UK - The Stables
20 - Chislehurst, UK - Beaverwood Club

More on Focus at this location.

Black Market Activities presents the long-awaited return of BEHOLD THE ARCTOPUS, pioneers in the field of extreme, progressive music. Marking the start of a new era for the band, Behold The Arctopus’ second full-length, Horrorscension, is set for an October 23rd release.
In the five years since their last album, Skullgrid, much has transpired in the Behold The Arctopus camp. 12-string Warr guitarist Colin Marston expanded his musical outlets, founding avant-black metal band Krallice and joining progressive death metal legends GORGUTS. In addition to his playing, Marston increased his output as a recording engineer, helping create albums for such artists as KAYO DOT, ORTHRELM, JARBOE, and ALTAR OF PLAGUES. Original drummer Charlie Zeleny departed, to be replaced by the prolific Weasel Walter, renowned for his long-running band THE FLYING LUTTENBACHERS and his widespread collaborations in the free jazz, noise, and metal genres.

Horrorscension is the inaugural release of the new Behold The Arctopus lineup - Marston, Walter, and unholy shredder Mike Lerner on guitar. (In the spirit of defining Horrorscension as the beginning of a new era for the band, the ellipsis [“...”] has been officially removed from the band name.)

In crafting Horrorscension, Behold The Arctopus employed their signature method of composing the music in written form before ever playing it. Marston elaborates: “Since our music is written down and then learned, like classical music, we're never actually building songs based on our playing ability. It’s very different from jamming out a bunch of riffs.”

Horrorscension showcases Behold The Arctopus’ jaw-dropping, complex music, delivered with a raw, visceral attack - something closer to punk than to the antiseptic sound of music school perfectionism that is all too common amongst young technical bands. Widely regarded as a band of virtuosos, Marston, Walter, and Lerner are quick to separate themselves from the showboaters.

Says Marston: “I accept that the music is not for a general audience and that musicians are more likely to relate to it due to the density, but I see a huge difference between this band and say, YNGWIE MALMSTEEN or DREAM THEATER or anyone who really wants you to notice how proficient they are. I would love it if, when people hear Horrorscension, they think ‘Whoa, what the hell is going on?’ rather than ‘Wow, they can play their instruments well.’ I want the focus to be on the content, not the performance.”

Horrorscension was recorded, mixed, and mastered by Marston at his The Thousand Caves studio in Queens, NY. The cover art is once again by longtime Behold The Arctopus collaborator Terry Grow.
Tracklisting:

'Disintegore'
'Monolithic Destractions'
'Horrorsentience'
'Deluge Of Sores'
'Putrefucktion'
'Annihilvore'

The track, 'Disintegore', is streaming below:
Pre-order various Horrorscension packages at this location.

More on Behold The Arctopus at this location.

Phoenix metal duo PSYCHOBLISS, consisting of Dan Stollings as the main songwriter, and Kyla Pavelski as the band's frontwoman, first formed in Chicago in 2008 and released a short demo shortly after, but has since drastically changed their overall sound and style.
PsychoBliss is now deep in the process of recording their debut EP. Dan Stollings has this to say about the EP: "It's going to be dark, ethereal, atmospheric, and some of it will hopefully make you want to kill yourself. The contrast between the vocals and the music is amazing, and we're doing our best to make sure every track will deeply impact the listener."

The dark metal band's upcoming EP is currently unnamed, but it has been slated for a release on December 21st (the date of the mythological apocalypse).

You can listen to two of PsychoBliss' pre-mixed and unmastered tracks at the band's this location page.

Frontiers Records is excited to announce the release of JIMI JAMISON’s new solo album Never Too Late on November 2nd in Europe and November 6th in North America.

Jimi Jamison has been the singer with TARGET, COBRA and finally SURVIVOR – who rejoined in late 2011 - for more than a decade, apart from being an accomplished solo artist on his own.

Jimi performed back up vocals on recordings by ZZ TOP, JOE WALSH and numerous other recording artists. Among Jamison’s best known performances are 'Burning Heart', from the Rocky IV movie which hit #2 on the Billboard Charts, 'High On You' (#8), and 'The Search Is Over' (#4).
His solo career started in 1991 with the release of When Love Comes Down followed in 1999 by Empires, the album which included the theme, 'I'm Always Here' for Baywatch. In 2008 Jamison teamed up with the other former Survivor bandmate, Jim Peterik who wrote and produced for him the acclaimed album Crossroads Moment. On the heels of this superb release, Jimi toured Europe a few times and culminated with an appearance at the popular Firefest in the UK in 2011.

In the meanwhile Jamison started to work together with Swedish songwriter and producer Erik Mårtensson (W.E.T., Eclipse etc), who had met “virtually” while working on the successful Kimball Jamison duet album to which Mårtensson had contributed with some songwriting. They started laying down the foundations for a new solo album.

“The songs on this cd are truly some of the strongest of my career” says Jamison. “It’s a great pleasure to have songs with such power and ballads with such truth and feeling. It makes it easy to realize the emotion in each vocal. This is my favorite cd to date and 'The Air I Breathe' is the most magic song for me. A track like this only comes along once in a while. Erik really hit the mark here. Brilliant writing.”
Never Too Late tracklisting includes:
'Everybody's Got A Broken Heart'
'The Great Unknown'
'Never Too Late'
'I Can't Turn Back'
'Street Survivor'
'The Air I Breathe'
'Not Tonight'
'Calling The Game'
'Bullet In The Gun'
'Heaven Call Your Name'
'Walk On (Wildest Dreams)'.

The first single off the album – the title track 'Never Too Late' - can be streamed in full on the Frontiers webradio.

Twinkle Twinkle Little Rock Star has released Lullaby Versions Of DREAM THEATER via iTunes "featuring lush instrumental versions of 12 progressive metal classics. Listen as TTLRS faithfully honors their musical proficiency in a soothing lullaby style for shredders young and old alike."
Tracks available include:

'A Nightmare To Remember'
'Build Me Up, Break Me Down'
'Wither'
'Pull Me Under'
'As I Am'
'These Walls'
'On The Backs Of Angels'
'The Dark Eternal Night'
'Metropolis Part 1 The Miracle And The Sleeper'
'Under A Glass Moon'
'Forsaken'
'Panic Attack'

Go to this location to check out audio samples and to purchase.

Almost two years to the day since their last show, Ashland, Kentucky female-fronted hard rockers HYDROGYN will come back to the live stage at Callihan's Pub & Grill in their hometown for a special event on November 3. The one-off "storyteller night" will mark the first time the band has ever done this type of show and will include songs spanning HYDROGYN's entire career. The concert will be professionally filmed and recorded for a DVD and CD release.

Tickets go on sale this Friday, September 28 at 11 a.m. EST and are $10 each.

To get your tickets, call 606-585-0586.

HYDROGYN's fourth album, "Private Sessions", was released in Europe on April 20 through Music Buy Mail. 13 songs were recorded for the CD at guitarist Jeff Westlake's Ridgeline Studio in Ashland, Kentucky and Patrick Liotard's Peek Studio in Boisseron, France.

Japanese metal legends LOUDNESS will release their 25th offcial studio album, 2012, via Tokuma Communications in Japan on August 22nd. Some full length audio samples from the record are available below.
'The Stronger'
'End Of The Age'
'Break New Ground'
'Driving Force'
'Behind The Scene'
'Bang 'Em Dead'
'The Voice Of Metal'
'Who The Hell Cares'
'Spirit From The East'
'Memento Mori'
'Out Of The Space'
'Deep-Six The Law'

Click here to order the album via CDJapan.

Boston area punk-metal crossover mainstay MONGREL has unveiled their new music video for the song 'Bored To Death' from their upcoming full length album Reclamation, which is set for release on September 25th via THC-X, the digital imprint of THC-Music.

Directing and producing the band’s first proper music video, which can be seen below, was Jim Foster at Red 13 Media (GODSMACK).



Mongrel recently announced the addition of new drummer Mike Hogan, as well as a series of album release parties winding up with a mainstage appearance at this year’s Rock & Shock festival in Worcester, MA where they will share the stage with THE MISFITS, SHADOWS FALL, GOD FORBID, and VISION OF DISORDER.

Catch Mongrel live:

September
28 – Trash Bar - Brooklyn, NY
29 - Silver Lake Park - Athol, MA (Rise Above Festival)
30 - Tammany Hall - Worcester, MA

October
5 - Mad Bob’s - Manchester, NH
12 – The Palladium - Worcester, MA (Rock & Shock Festival)

Portland, OR metallers STONECREEP announce the Infernal Autumn West Coast Tour with TOXIC ZOMBIE. The road jaunt kicks off on October 24th in Anaheim, CA and ends with a Halloween homecoming gig at Portland's Hawthorne Theater. The band issued the following statement about the trek:
"The Storm of the Deathmarch tour this past summer was our most ambitious and most successful tour ever, so needless to say we are chomping at the bit to get out on the road again. This one will only take us up and down the West Coast for a week, but it's exciting nonetheless. We'll be doing a handful of dates in the Northwest with our friends in Toxic Zombie, who always bring an amazing stage show. You don't want to miss this..."

The Infernal Autumn West Coast Tour 2012

October
24- Anaheim, CA - The Doll Hut
25- San Jose, CA - Johnny V's
26- Eugene, OR - Black Forest
27- Redmond, OR - Big T's
29- Everett, WA - Hayley's
30- Seattle, WA - 2-Bit Saloon
31- Portland, OR - Hawthorne Theater

In other news, Stonecreep has just issued a demo recording of their brand new song, 'Night And The Formless Beyond'. Check it out below:

Azorean modern metallers STAMPKASE will release their debut album, Mechanorganism, in November 3rd. The band have revealed the cover artwork created by the acclaimed British artist Colin Marks below:

Colin Marks manages the London based studio Rain Song Design working primarily within the music and film industries. He has previously worked with famous acts such as KATAKLYSM, EXODUS, STRAPPING YOUNG LAD, JEFF LOOMIS, NEVERMORE, ABORTED, SYLOSIS, SCAR SYMMETRY, THREAT SIGNAL, ALL SHALL PERISH, SUICIDE SILENCE and many more.

Colin ties in some words on Mechanorganism artwork: "The great thing about the album is that every song has a particular individual theme, and thus needed its own independent visual to accompany it, so we have a wide range of artwork running throughout. Each page is a new concept. It's refreshing to alternate the style of the imagery to tie in with the songs and their lyrics rather than keep a running theme as is generally the case.

It's been a pleasure collaborating with the band on this, and on top of that the album sounds awesome from what I've heard so far."

The band thoughts on the artwork great results: "When we reached Colin we were absolutely aware of his potential. However, we must say there was no way of imagining something so amazing, flawless and reliable about everything that goes on in the album, musically and lyrically. Despite our descriptions he digged so perfectly in all the concepts and added his own vision, that we had absolutely nothing to pinpoint during the process. He was right in our mood and came out like our sixth element."

Mechanorganism was recorded separately in Azores and Portugal mainland during the last two years.

Drums were tracked at the renowned Ultrasound Studios (ANGELUS APATRIDA, HEAVENWOOD, W.A.K.O., SWITCHTENSE) in Braga, with sound engineer Pedro Mendes. All other instruments were laid down in their home island with José Miranda and Carlos Rijo. Mixing and mastering duties were handled by Daniel Cardoso (Angelus Apatrida, ANNEKE VAN GIERSBERGEN).

Stampkase was formed in 2003 in São Miguel Island, Azores archipelago (Portugal), and have since spread their groove and odd tempos, as well as their sticky melodies, onstage with bands such as MNEMIC, FEAR MY THOUGHTS, DAGOBA, EXILIA, SWITCHTENSE and many others.

Watch previously released concept teaser below:

Canadian black / folk metal project THRAWSUNBLAT, featuring vocalist/guitarist Joel Violette and drummer Rae Amitay - both former members of WOODS OF YPRES - will return with a new album in the coming months. Violette recently checked in with the following update:

"Thrawsunblat is back. I've emerged from the all-devouring writing sessions of Thrawsunblat II, recharged, and ready to go. Updates on the album and Tblat to come. To kick things off... an absolutely stunning 'Black Sky' video, put together by Mr. Darcy Inness. Live action footage of mist, mountains, trees, streams, all woven together to the sound of Thrawsunblat."
Thrawsunblat's first official release - the Canada 2010 "demo" fearuring Woods Of Ypres frontman/founder David Gold on drums - is still available via BandCamp.com. Go to this location to check out audio samples and to purchase.

The tracklist is as follows:

'Black Sky'
'Set Us Ablaze'
'Misted Shores'
'Slake the Earth'
'Through the Ice'
'Fire Still Burns'
'She, Arboreal'
'Vastland'

Finnish "battle metal" warriors TURISAS have entered the studio to begin recording their fourth album for an early 2013 release.

The first in a series of video updates from the studio can be seen below.

TURISAS earlier in the year toured North America as part of "PaganFest: America Part III", the band's first-ever U.S. headlining run. Joining the Finnish sextet on their triumphant return to the States was a gathering of bands from across the world: Scotland's ALESTORM, Russia's ARKONA, and the U.S.'s very own HUNTRESS.

"Stand Up And Fight", the latest video from TURISAS, was filmed in February 2011 in the California desert with director Iain Sclater. Influenced by the film "Mad Max" and the band's own image, the video was a thrilling new look at TURISAS in the band's first-ever U.S.-shot music video.

"Stand Up And Fight" is the title track of TURISAS's third album, which entered the official chart in the band's home country at position No. 5. The CD was released in North America in March 2011 via Century Media Records.

Dutch death metallers SINISTER will release their new album, "The Carnage Ending", on September 28 via Massacre Records. The CD was once again recorded at Soundlodge studios in Rhauderfehn, Germany with producer Jörg Uken (GOD DETHRONED, OBSCENITY).

"The Carnage Ending" track listing:

01. Gates Of Bloodshed (Intro)
02. Unheavenly Domain
03. Transylvania (City Of The Damned)
04. My Casual Enemy
05. Crown Of Thorns
06. The Carnage Ending
07. Oath Of Rebirth
08. Regarding The Imagery
09. Blood Ecstacy
10. Defamatory Content
11. Final Destroyer

The digipack version will include a bonus disc with five covers:

* Spit On Your Grave (WHIPLASH
* Succubus (MASSACRE
* Swing Of The Axe (POSSESSED
* Dethroned Emperor (CELTIC FROST
* Face Fate (BLOODFEAST

Audio samples of the entire album are available at this location.

Poland's Metal Mind Productions released an exclusive box containing SINISTER's full discography in February 2011. Entitled "Altered Since Birth", the set contains eight studio albums, a live DVD, a compilation of demo tracks, plus a booklet containing a full biography based on an exclusive interview, the complete discography, lyrics to all songs and a selection of amazing archive photos. The cover artwork was created by the well-known Polish graphic designer Graal.

SINISTER's most recent album, "Legacy of Ashes", came out on December 17, 2010 via Massacre Records.