Metal guitar master Joe Stump (HOLYHELL, REIGN OF TERROR) has just released his ninth solo album, "Revenge Of The Shredlord", via Lion Music. The CD was engineered and mixed by Grammy Award winner Ducky Carlise (BUDDY GUY, JOHNNY WINTER) and mastered by Maor Appelbaum (HALFORD, YNGWIE MALMSTEEN, ARMORED SAINT, ANGRA, SEPULTURA) at Appelbaum Mastering.

Commented Joe: "The new record's heavy, very dark and classically influenced, with the usual mix of strong melodies and fierce metal riffage that are a constant on all my previous releases. This is without a doubt my best effort, both sonically and guitar-playing-wise."

"Revenge Of The Shredlord" track listing.

01. The Ritual Begins
02. Man Your Battlestations
03. Pistoleros
04. Shredlord's Sonata
05. Master's Prelude
06. In The Master's House
07. The Black Knight's Castle
08. Enter The Coven
09. Evil Beasts Below
10. Strat Outa Hell
11. White Knuckle Mayhem
12. The End Approaches

Audio samples of all the songs that appear on "Revenge Of The Shredlord" can be streamed using the SoundCloud player below.

Stump's last solo album, "Virtuostic Vendetta", was released in April 2009 via Lion Music.

'80s hard rock queen Lita Ford took part in a signing session and acoustic performance on August 19 at Newbury Comics in Norwood, Massachusetts. Fan-filmed video footage of her appearance can be seen below.

Lita's new solo album, "Living Like A Runaway", was released on June 19 in North America via SPV/Steamhammer. The effort was made available in four configurations: a double LP, limited-edition CD, standard CD and digital download. The artwork for the album was created by famed rock photographer Mark Weiss.

In a recent interview with Über Röck. Lita stated about "Living Like A Runaway", "This was an album I wrote during one of the darkest times of my life. I was going through this divorce and I needed somewhere to channel my feelings. My hurt, my pain, my aggression, my sadness, my happiness... all of these feelings are in this record. When you listen to the tracks, they are believable because they are real. . . It just came together; it was like a gift from God, this album. It took a year to write, it was a slow process, seeming like two years, and it came to me a piece at a time."

Lita has previously referred to "Living Like A Runaway" as her "real comeback album." She explained, "The last album I did was called 'Wicked Wonderland'. I put it out with Jim Gillette, and we were married at the time. It is kind of a Jim/Lita album and not a really true Lita album. I got a lot of spiel about that. . . I really wasn't that comfortable with that record — not at all, to tell you the truth. There are parts of it that are good, but it doesn't sound like a Lita record. When it got released, a lot of my fans felt weird about it and said it wasn't a Lita album. [It] turned out to be more of a Jim album. We worked pretty well together. It doesn't suck, it's not a bad album; it's just not a Lita album."

Lita's current touring band consists of the following musicians:

Lita Ford - Guitar, Vocals
Mitch Perry - Guitar
Marty O'Brien - Bass
Scot Coogan - Drums

Finnish melancholic dark metal forerunners AMORPHIS will enter the studio in September to record their as-yet-untitled 11th album for a March/April 2013 release via Nuclear Blast Records. Production and mixing duties for the follow-up to 2011's "The Beginning Of Times" will be handled by HYPOCRISY and PAIN mastermind Peter Tägtgren, who has previously worked with such bands as CHILDREN OF BODOM, CELTIC FROST, IMMORTAL and DIMMU BORGIR.

Commented AMORPHIS guitarist and founding member Esa Holopainen: "We had to face the fact that if we want to develop our music and sound, we need a producer who has a vision and whom we can accept as an authority, for I know that we're not the most flexible guys when it comes to letting outsiders into our camp for telling us how to do things.

"We spent one evening at our management office, talking about the right producer and the recording sessions in general. As usual, the best decisions are not far to seek.

"We've been talking to Peter about him producing AMORPHIS for ages — I think the first time we spoke about this was when we met first at the Nuclear Blast festival tour in 1994 and it was in Helsinki around a year ago when we last speculated about the idea.

"We've been following Peter's career — he's developed as a musician and especially as a producer over the years. Plus he's one of the true survivors from the '90s death metal scene who is still around just like us, so we share kind of an 'old-school' mental level."

The recordings for the new AMORPHIS CD will take place at Petrax Studio (NIGHTWISH, CHILDREN OF BODOM, KORPIKLAANI) in Hollola and 5K Studios in Helsinki.

Added Esa: "We've decided to record in Finland, so that Peter can come here to escape to Petrax in the countryside together with us in order to record all the drums plus some additional lines. Later on, we'll continue in Helsinki at 5K Studios to lay down the rest of the material. The mixing will be done with Peter in the Swedish Abyss Studios."

Regarding the direction of the new AMORPHIS material, Esa said, "Over the last couple of weeks we've had some really intense rehearsing for the forthcoming album. Originally we laid down around 20 new songs as demos, now we are proceeding with 14 tracks.

"I'm really thrilled about the idea to take a major step away from the so-called routines that we've had with our last records.

"While promoting 'The Beginning Of Times', we started to feel that we were giving the same explanations over and over again when people asked about the studio process and how the songs came about. Even though the music was very strong, the making process didn't offer any surprises and appeared to be quite secured. Now the addition of a new dimension to the developing process has inspired us to focus on our material even more. The songs are extremely strong, bombastic and skull-pummelling.

"Though it's too early for a statement like this, I'd already love to say that we've created the best AMORPHIS album ever. We'll do our best!"

"The Beginning Of Times" entered the German Media Control chart at position No. 16 — the best chart position ever scored by an AMORPHIS album in that country. The CD also landed at position No. 1 on the Finnish chart.

Released on May 27, 2011 via Nuclear Blast Records, "The Beginning Of Times" was described as "the most challenging AMORPHIS album so far in terms of both music and lyrics." Its central character is the iconic hero of Finnish mythology, Väinämöinen, whose tale has been masterfully retold by lyricist Pekka Kainulainen.

"The Beginning Of Times" was produced by the band; vocals were recorded under the guidance of Marco Hietala (NIGHTWISH, TAROT) in his home studio in Kuopio. Like its predecessors, the album was mixed by Mikko Karmila. Its cover artwork shows Travis Smith's magnificent interpretation of the mythological birth of the world from a goldeneye's egg.

EVANESCENCE singer Amy Lee is enjoying her band's current stint on the "Carnival Of Madness" tour, alongside HALESTORM, CHEVELLE and others, but the 30-year-old vocalist told The Pulse Of Radio that she misses her family more and more when she's on the road and is starting to think about starting one of her own. "Definitely," she said. "That's something I long for more and more the older I get, for sure. Not just about kids of my own, but just spending time with my living family. [laughs] Something I really end up missing a lot on the road is that, you know, just down home family time. You miss a lot of that stuff when you're on the road and it's starting to hit me, like, 'Ooh, I can't get that back.'"

Lee has been married to therapist Josh Hartzler since May 2007.

The singer told Michigan Live that EVANESCENCE's fans keep her going when life on the road gets too lonely, explaining, "When I think I've had enough, and want to have a normal life and go home, I end up at a meet-and-greet, and meet a fan who tells me their life has changed because a song touched them. And then it's like, 'This show is for you!'"

She added, "We take a lot of inspiration from our fans. But it did take some time to process the fame. I never wanted to be a rock star or any of that. I just wanted to make my music."

EVANESCENCE is touring behind its self-titled third major label album, which came out last October — five years after 2006 sophomore effort "The Open Door".

Lee said about taking long amounts of time between records, "Great things take time. You can't force inspiration. There's a lot of pressure to strike when the iron's hot, but I think that's watering down the industry. I just wanted to live life a little bit, so I'd have something to write about."

The "Carnival Of Madness" tour next stops in Grand Rapids, Michigan on Thursday (August 23).

A new seven-minute video clip featuring behind-the-scenes footage from WARBRINGER's appearance at this year's edition of the Wacken Open Air festival, which took place August 2-4 in Wacken, Germany, can be seen below.

WARBRINGER recently completed a seven-week North American tour supporting ICED EARTH and SYMPHONY X.

WARBRINGER's third album, "Worlds Torn Asunder", sold around 2,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release, according to Nielsen SoundScan. The CD landed at position No. 11 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.

WARBRINGER's sophomore CD, "Waking Into Nightmares", also opened with around 2,000 units back in May 2009 to debut at No. 14 on the Heatseekers chart.

"Worlds Torn Asunder" was produced and mixed by Steve Evetts (SUICIDE SILENCE, THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN, SYMPHONY X), and features artwork by Dan Seagrave, who designed WARBRINGER's previous album cover (in addition to art for bands such as ENTOMBED, SUFFOCATION and MORBID ANGEL).

WARBRINGER 2012 is:

Andy Laux - Bass
Andrew Bennett - Guitar
John Kevill - Vocals
John Laux - Guitar
Carlos Cruz - Drums

A trailer for "Elements", the forthcoming 15-year-anniversary concert from Dutch female-fronted symphonic metallers WITHIN TEMPTATION, can be seen below.

WITHIN TEMPTATION previously stated about the upcoming show: "Since the release of 'Enter' in 1997, things have skyrocketed for us. We were able to share and play our music all over the world and received so much appreciation from you. We got the chance to grow and become Holland's most successful rock band internationally.

"We are celebrating our anniversary with an incredible concert on the 13th of November in Sportpaleis Antwerpen, Belgium. The anniversary show, 'Elements', will be the most significant event in the history of WITHIN TEMPTATION.

"The title represents the kind of music and live shows we are known for — the melodius, crystal clear voice of Sharon [den Adel], the massive guitar riffs, the orchestral and Celtic influences and the always surprising musical collaborations.

"Energetic performance, musical mastery, and visually thrilling elements ranging from impressive set designs to fireworks and specially made films and videos. Everything you have witnessed in the last 15 years will be topped during the anniversary show in Antwerp.

"We will share the stage with some unexpected guests and can already tell you that we will also be accompanied by the renowned Il Novecento Orchestra."

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

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

Official Metallica.com footage of METALLICA's pre-show meet-and-greet and "Master Of Puppets" performance on August 9 at the eighth and final concert of the band's eight-date run at Palacio de los Deportes (Sports Palace) in Mexico City can be seen below.

METALLICA's setlist for August 9 concert was as follows:

01. Creeping Death
02. For Whom The Bell Tolls
03. Fuel
04. Ride The Lightning
05. One
06. Cyanide
07. The Memory Remains
08. Orion
09. Sad But True
10. Welcome Home (Sanitarium)
11. ...And Justice For All
12. Fade To Black
13. Master Of Puppets
14. Blackened
15. Nothing Else Matters
16. Enter Sandman

Encore:

17. Am I Evil?
18. Seek & Destroy

Two members of METALLICA's road crew caught fire during each of the Mexico concerts, as the two stagehands were seen struggling with a malfunctioning pyro launcher during "Enter Sandman" when both were suddenly engulfed in flame. As James Hetfield called for the band to stop playing, other crew members doused the men with fire extinguishers and took them off the stage in stretchers, with the band resuming its show a few minutes later.

A spokesperson for the promoter said the stunt was "all part of the show," and in fact METALLICA has staged this type of "accident" before during its 1997 tour, on which the show ended with the stage seemingly collapsing around the band as one crew member caught fire and another dangled upside down from the fallen lighting rig. The effect was caught on the band's "Cunning Stunts" DVD.

The show on July 28 marked the debut of a new 140-foot-by-50-foot stage that features "colossal components and striking visual elements spanning METALLICA's entire 30-year career," meaning that the "accident" stunt could be back for an encore.

At a press conference before the show, frontman James Hetfield said that the band was focused on "staying alive" while performing alongside the "dangerous elements" of the new production, with bassist Robert Trujillo adding, "Like James said, it's very dangerous — we've got stuff flying every which way."

A post in the "Tour Journal" section of METALLICA's official web site related that "shit really hit the fan (during 'Enter Sandman' with) loud bangs, random fireworks, falling towers, falling spot light guy, falling scaffolding, guy was caught on fire . . . then a complete blackout."

METALLICA played the Outside Lands festival in San Francisco earlier in the month and is scheduled to perform two shows in late August in Vancouver, which will be filmed for the band's upcoming 3D movie.

ICED EARTH's August 19 concert at the ancient Kourion Amphitheater, outside Limassol in Cyprus, was professionally filmed and recorded for an upcoming CD/DVD release. 1,500 fans witnessed the show, which ran for three hours and featured on-stage scenery and artwork that was uniquely created for this special event. Veteran producer Jim Morris of Morrisound Studios (ICED EARTH, SEPULTURA, MORBID ANGEL, DEATH, SAVATAGE) flew in from Tampa, Florida to supervise the entire audio section with the help of the ToneDeaf Recording Studio.

In a recent interview, ICED EARTH mainman/guitarist Jon Schaffer stated about the Cyprus DVD shoot, "We are playing an old ancient theater. It's really cool. It's been witness to gladiatorial events and theater from the Greek, Roman, and Byzantine empires. It's been there for 1000 years. And I think it's gonna be nice and intimate, and the Cypriots crowd is awesome. We played there for the first time, I think it was in December of last year, and it was amazing."

The setlist for ICED EARTH's August 19 concert was as follows:

01. Dystopia
02. Burning Times
03. Angel Holocaust
04. Slave To The Dark
05. V
06. When The Night Falls
07. I Died For You
08. Invasion
09. Motivation Of Man
10. Setian Massacre
11. Stormrider
12. Pure Evil
13. Wolf
14. Dark City
15. End Of Innocence
16. Dracula
17. Ten Thousand Strong
18. End Of Innocence
19. Anthem
20. Decleration Day
21. Days Of Rage
22. Melancholy (Holy Martyr)

Encore 1:

23. In Sacred Flames
24. Boiling Point
25. Damien
26. Watching Over Me
27. Dantes Inferno
28. Iced Earth

Encore 2:

29. The Hunter

To coincide with ICED EARTH's recent North American tour with VOLBEAT and HELLYEAH, ICED EARTH released a limited tour edition of its latest album, "Dystopia". The two-disc "Dystopia Tour Edition" contains the original full-length album, B-side covers of IRON MAIDEN's "The Trooper" and BLACK SABBATH's "Mob Rules", as well as the classic 17-minute ICED EARTH track "Dante's Inferno", re-recorded with vocalist Stu Block. The bonus disc also contains both music videos from "Dystopia" — the title track and "Anthem" — as well as a "Making Of Dystopia" studio interview with the band, and exclusive cell phone skins and desktop backgrounds.

Bassist Freddie Vidales recently left ICED EARTH and was replaced by Luke Appleton of FURY UK.

"Dystopia" sold around 6,100 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 67 on The Billboard 200 chart.

ICED EARTH's previous CD, "The Crucible of Man (Something Wicked Part II)", opened with 6,700 units in September 2008 to debut at No. 79.

ICED EARTH's 10th studio offering, "Dystopia", was released in Europe on October 17, 2011 and in the U.S. on October 18 via Century Media Records. Two bonus tracks were also recorded for inclusion on special editions of the album.

Massachusetts metallers ALL THAT REMAINS will release their new album, "A War You Cannot Win", in September via Razor & Tie/Prosthetic. The CD sees the band reunited with longtime producer Adam Dutkiewicz (THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA, AS I LAY DYING, KILLSWITCH ENGAGE). The record is the culmination of an intense writing period for the group that began shortly after their 18-month tour in support of "For We Are Many".

The "A War You Cannot Win" cover artwork has just been unveiled and can be seen below.

Commented ALL THAT REMAINS singer Phil Labonte: "We really busted our asses and tried to do some new stuff (like we always do) and we're really happy about what came out of it. Some of it is pretty different and is REALLY gonna blow you guys away. Some of it is gonna sound just like what you expect from ALL THAT REMAINS. And I'm sure all of it is gonna make the Internet have a conniption fit!"

Dutkiewicz previously helmed ALL THAT REMAINS' last album, 2010's "For We Are Many", as well as 2004's "This Darkened Heart" and 2006's "The Fall of Ideals".

In a recent interview with the Colorado Springs, Colorado radio station 94.3 KILO, Labonte stated about "A War You Cannot Win", "I don't like to get too involved in tooting my own horn, but I think that we really wrote some killer songs. I mean, there's gonna be people with different opinions that are gonna go ahead and make comments based on their opinions and what they think we should have done, and that's all fine. But if you get past that and just look at the record for what it is and listen to the songs for what they are and judge them on their own merits as opposed to, 'I wanted you to write this record,' or 'I wanted the record to sound like this and it doesn't sound like what I wanted you to write a record to sound like,' if you just look at the songs and the material that's actually there, we really did a good job. There's gonna be critics out there that are gonna be like, 'Well, ALL THAT REMAINS, in my opinion, should have done this.' But the hilarious part is they're not in ALL THAT REMAINS, so no one gives a fuck [what they think]. And that's the thing about people on the Internet and blogs. Like, 'Oh, you should have done this. You should have done that. And blah blah blah.' Guess who's not in the band? You. Shut up, f****t. Seriously. Are you gonna sit there and be like, 'Ah, I think you should have done this. And I think you should have done that.' We don't give a fuck! We did what we wanted to do. So if you don't like it, s**k a d**k. I don't care. If you listen to the songs themselves and really base an opinion on the music that you're listening to without the bias of, 'I think you should have done this,' or 'I think you should have done that,' or 'I wanted your next record to sound like this,' or 'I wanted that,' and just listen to the stuff that we wrote, it's a killer album; it's great. It's a really, really well-put-together record. The songs are really strong, the melodies are all really cool, the hooks are there, there's heavy parts that really kind of pummel you a little bit. It's really there."

"For We Are Many" sold 29,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release. The band's previous CD, "Overcome", opened with just under 29,000 units in September 2008 to enter The Billboard 200 chart at No. 16.

"Honey From A Knife", the new video from THE CULT, can be seen below. Directed by Rick Rodgers and produced by THE CULT's Ian Astbury and New York City-based film company Mechanizedmules, the clip was shot on location in the Washington Heights nieghborhood of Manhattan on a RED Scarlet camera with Super Speed lenses provided by ARRI.

"Honey From A Knife", rooted in the seductiveness of addiction, was inspired by the following Buddhist precept, and Astbury states that the accompanying film reveals a "desperate descent into a fractured psyche": "Wealth and beauty, to a man who will not relinquish them, are like a knife covered with honey which, even before he has had the pleasure of eating the honey, cuts the tongue of the child that licks it."

The track comes off the band's new album, "Choice Of Weapon", which sold around 11,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 34 on The Billboard 200 chart. The CD was made available on May 22 via THE CULT's new label Cooking Vinyl.

"Choice Of Weapon" is the follow-up to the critically acclaimed 2007 release "Born Into This", which opened with 12,600 units to debut at No. 70. Longtime THE CULT collaborator and producer Bob Rock (METALLICA, BUSH), who produced one of THE CULT's most successful albums, the platinum-certified "Sonic Temple", put the finishing touches on the foundations that were laid by co-producer Chris Goss (QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE, U.N.K.L.E., MASTERS OF REALITY).

The album was written by Ian Astbury and Billy Duffy, recorded in New York City, Los Angeles, the California high desert, and the band's Witch Mountain studio between July and December 2011. The new release features founding members Astbury on vocals and Duffy on guitars, with drummer John Tempesta and bassist Chris Wyse.

Guitarist/vocalist Piotr "Peter" Wiwczarek of Polish extreme metal veterans VADER has issued the following update:

"The summer and festival season is almost over.

"The concert Fist Full Of Metal in Germany crowns the promotion of the album 'Welcome To The Morbid Reich' on the European continent.

"With VADER's last record we're gonna move yet to Australia/New Zealand (at the end of October), China, Taiwan and — again — South America (in November) and finally to USA early spring 2013.

"Before we'll start working on next record (under the title 'Straight To Hell'), we're gonna perform VADER's third album 'Black To The Blind' from 1997 as a whole!!! The tour, named 'Back To The Black', will include — besides mentioned record — many different songs from a variety of albums during a 70-minute-long set. We start in December in Poland and Czech Repuplic.

"At the beginning of 2013, we will tour with same set in Western Europe, Scandinavia and Baltic Lands too. More details soon!"

VADER's latest album, "Welcome To The Morbid Reich", was released in Europe on August 12, 2011 and in North America on September 13, 2011 via Nuclear Blast Records. The CD was recorded at Hertz Studio in Bialystok, Poland and features the cover artwork of Zbigniew Bielak (DESTRÖYER 666, WATAIN). The band laid down a total of 12 songs for the CD, which was mixed and mastered in May 2011.

Due to "family matters," drummer Pawel "Paul" Jaroszewicz left VADER last year and was replaced by the "very talented" 22-year-old English musician James Stewart, who has previously played with DIVINE CHAOS.

SYSTEM OF A DOWN drummer John Dolmayan is no longer involved with SCARS ON BROADWAY, the project led by SYSTEM OF A DOWN guitarist/vocalist Daron Malakian.

SCARS ON BROADWAY returned to the live stage on May 2, 2010 after a 17-month absence to play a headlining show at The Troubadour in West Hollywood, California. The band debuted a new song, reportedly entitled "Talkin' Shit", and was joined for two tracks — "Cute Machines" and "They Say" — by SYSTEM OF A DOWN bassist Shavo Odadjian on third guitar.

Earlier this year, SCARS ON BROADWAY released a 43-second audio clip of a new song, "Guns Are Loaded", to be included on the band's forthcoming sophomore album.

Speaking to PureGrainAudio.com, Dolmayan said, "I’m no longer involved with SCARS ON BROADWAY, but Daron is, and is in the process of making, recording and releasing an album. So, you will definitely hear some SCARS ON BROADWAY within the next four or five months. . . And it’s a good album, by the way."

In October 2008, Malakian announced via SCARS ON BROADWAY's web site that the band's headlining tour — which included an appearance on "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" — was being canceled, with no plans of rescheduling. Malakian cited his lack of enthusiasm and "his heart not being into touring" as the chief reasons behind the decision to call off the trek. "The music of SCARS will live on, but now is a time when aspects of my life need to be tended to," he said in a statement.

SCARS ON BROADWAY sold just under 24,000 copies of its self-titled debut album in the United States during its first week of release to debut at position No. 17 on The Billboard 200 chart. This number represented roughly 36 percent of the 66,000 opening tally registered by "Elect the Dead", the debut solo effort from SYSTEM OF A DOWN lead singer Serj Tankian, which came out in the fall of 2007 through the Warner Music Group.

LickLibrary has launched the "Quick Licks Van Halen Vol. 2" DVD, featuring more than thirty guitar licks in the style of superstar guitarist Eddie Van Halen. Following the success of "Quick Licks Van Halen Vol. 1", this new guitar tuition DVD brings you a whole arsenal of new licks in a series of professional guitar lessons beautifully explained by popular tutor Jamie Humphries.

"Quick Licks Van Halen Vol. 2" features guitar lessons with all the techniques you'd expect on a Van Halen DVD, such as tapped harmonics, tremolo picking, whammy bar dive bombs and much, much more. Included on this DVD is a solo in the style of Eddie Van Halen that uses a range of Eddie's trademark licks, which you can learn and then practice along with the backing track included.

iGuitar columnist and U.K. session player extraordinaire Jamie Humphries talks you through all the lessons, breaking the concepts down easily understandable chunks. And at the same time you will be able to clearly see what both his hands do on the fret board and strumming with the all-important LickLibrary split screen presentation.

"Home At Last", the new video from German power metallers GRAVE DIGGER, can be seen below. The song comes off the band's new album, "Clash Of The Gods", which will be released on August 31 in Europe and September 4 in North America via Napalm Records. A six-song mini-CD, "Home At Last", preceded the full-length effort on July 27 in Europe and August 7 in North America.

GRAVE DIGGER's new CD was recorded at Principal Studios in Münster, Germany. The band laid down at least 10 new original compositions as well as "a cover version of a male, 'not-heavy-metal' artist," which the group said "won't be another German 'Schlager' song... it will be 150 percent pure GRAVE DIGGER metal. Again we transferred the spirit of the '80s into the sound of 2012."

"Clash Of The Gods" track listing:

01. Charon
02. God Of Terror
03. Hell Dog
04. Medusa
05. Clash Of The Gods
06. Death Angel & The Grave Digger
07. Walls Of Sorrow
08. Call Of The Sirens
09. Warriors Revenge
10. With The Wind
11. Home At Last

Bonus tracks on digibook version:

12. Saints Of The Broken Souls
13. Zurück Nach Haus ("Home At Last" German version)

"Home At Last" track listing:

01. Home At Last
02. Rage Of The Savage Beast (non-album track)
03. Metal Will Never Die (non-album track)
04. Ballad Of A Hangman (live in Wacken 2010)
05. Excalibur (live in Wacken 2010)
06. Heavy Metal Breakdown (live in Wacken 2010)

GRAVE DIGGER last fall extended its contract with Napalm Records.

A seven-minute YouTube clip containing audio samples of all the tracks that are set to appear on "Clash Of The Gods" can be found below.

"The Clans Are Still Marching", the latest DVD from GRAVE DIGGER, entered the German Media Control chart at position No. 56 (German chart rules allow music DVDs to enter album charts).

The band's latest album, "The Clans Will Rise Again", was released in Europe on October 1, 2010 via Napalm Records.

"Home At Last" video:

NIGHTWISH's long-awaited "Imaginaerum" film — based on the band's album of the same name — will be released theatrically in Finland on November 23.

Several new photos from the "Imaginaerum" movie shoot can be found at this location.

"Imaginaerum" is one of the projects which received grants from the Finnish government institution called the Finnish Film Foundation. The movie, directed by Stobe Harju, about an old man on his deathbed who glimpses a childhood dream in which he refuses to grow old, and fights aging with his imagination, reportedly got $575,000 toward its $3.7 million budget.

During a September 2011 interview with Petri Silas of Finland's Soundi magazine, NIGHTWISH mainman/keyboardist Tuomas Holopainen explained that all the filming for the "Imaginaerum" movie was done in Canada with mostly Canadian actors/actresses. Post-production took place in Canada and Finland. He aso revealed the names of the actors who have two of the main roles in the film: Marianne Farley and Quinn Lord.

Speaking to Loudwire, Holopainen stated about the plot of the "Imaginaerum" film, "Basically it's about this old guy who used to be a composer and he's really sick; he's lying on his death bed in a hospital and he's going through his life, through his dreams — that's the basic storyline. It's all about praising life and life's beauty, imagination and all the strife and the bad stuff we have to face.

"[The storyline] came from the director; I just had the twelve ideas, the twelve visions. He basically wrote the script and storyline around those originally visions and the only one we had to leave out was the 'Ghost River' part, because we didn't have the finance to realize that vision."

Asked if the band appears in the film at all, Tuomas said, "A little bit, we are seen in two different scenes as a band, playing in the background. That's something that I really emphasized to the director, 'Please don't put the band into the movie,' because we want to do a believable story and we have no idea how to act. We are not actors so if your give us some lines and we tried to act, it would look goofy. He insisted to put us into the movie because it's our brainchild, so we're just playing in there as a band; it's a good compromise."

"Imaginaerum" film cast:

* Francis X. McCarthy
* Quinn Lord
* Marianne Farley
* Joanna Noyes
* Ilkka Villi
* Keyanna Fielding
* Ron Lea
* Victoria Jung
* Hélène Robitaille
* Stefan Demers
* Anette Olzon
* Marco Hietala
* Tuomas Holopainen
* Emppu Vuorinen
* Jukka Nevalainen

The "Imaginaerum" album was released in the U.S. on January 10 via Roadrunner Records.

A trailer for "Redefining Darkness", the eighth full-length album from Swedish extreme metallers SHINING, can be seen below. The CD will be released on October 29 via Spinefarm Records.

Unlike all previous SHINING efforts, "Redefining Darkness"'s title will not be prefaced with a number.

Commented SHINING founder and frontman Niklas Kvarforth: "The use of numbers to describe our albums is no longer something that SHINING is interested in doing.

"The new album is without a doubt the darkest thing I have ever done or heard. People will be upset, for sure — and hopefully its divine genius will destroy the lives of thousands."

SHINING recently announced the addition of two new touring members — Euge Valovirta on guitar and Rainer Tuomikanto on drums.

Some of you might have already spotted Euge on SHINING's previous gigs in Germany and Finland. Not only is he known to be one of the greatest guitarists in Finland, but, along with Peter Huss, he is also one of the most versatile players SHINING's live touring has ever witnessed.

Rainer is mostly known of his innovative approach to drumming; combining elements of bombastic groove, hard-hitting solid beats and lightning-fast execution to unbelievably energetic live performances.

Rainer made his live debut with SHINING on June 15 at the Metaltown festival in Gothenburg, Sweden.

SHINING in May released an EP of cover songs with a choice of material that came as a surprise to many of the band's fans. The four-track EP, titled "Lots of Girls Gonna Get Hurt", includes tracks from KATATONIA, KENT, IMPERIET and POETS OF THE FALL.

"Set To Fail", the new video from hardcore/metal veterans VISION OF DISORDER (a.k.a. V.O.D.), can be seen below. The song comes off the band's new album, "The Cursed Remain Cursed", which will be released on September 18 (one day earlier in Europe) via Candlelight Records.

Commented VISION OF DISORDER guitarist Matt Baumbach: "'Set To Fail' is a song that was literally finished the day before we went into the studio. [Mike] Kennedy showed up with this insane riff and it all came together very fast.

"This record is crazy in that some songs took three years and others took three days.

"It's by far one of our strongest tracks ever, in my opinion, and it's gonna be insane live."

Added VISION OF DISORDER vocalist Tim Williams: "'Set To Fail' was the last song to come together for 'The Cursed Remain Cursed' writing sessions.

"When the track was played back over the studio speakers, it was clear from the first thirty seconds we had a monster on our hands. The track represented everything V.O.D. was, is, and will be. All the elements and chaos V.O.D. has to offer is within the track.

"When our friend Kirk Farrington approached us for a video shoot, there was no doubt in our minds that this song would be it. Lyrically, [it is] the utmost honest and venomous track on the record, coming from a journey through the several levels of a personal hell so deep, the even the sun could cast no shadows."

A working collaboration between VISION OF DISORDER, producer Will Putney (SHADOWS FALL, SUICIDE SILENCE), and mixer Cameron Webb (MOTÖRHEAD, SOCIAL DISTORTION), "The Cursed Remains Cursed" is eagerly anticipated, with the album's lead single, "Loveless", recently having landed in the Top 20 on CMJ's Loud Rock Album chart.

Several artists were considered for "The Cursed Remain Cursed"; the band looking for images that would reflect the near four years of intense work that comprised the making of the album. It was the vision of East Anglia-based illustrator Tom Bates that struck the right chord with the band in making the final selection. Guitarist Mike Kennedy says, "Some of the best album covers, like SOUNDGARDEN's 'Badmotorfinger' and FAITH NO MORE's 'Angel Dust', say everything and nothing at the same time. We felt like Tom's art really impacted us profoundly in that way. None of us were thinking in that direction yet as soon as we saw it, the band unanimously wanted it on the cover."

Lyrical inspiration for "The Cursed Remain Cursed", as detailed by vocalist Tim Williams, came from a personal place. "There was a lot going on in my life at the time we began writing songs for the record and I had a lot to reflect upon," he reveals. "Looking back over the past few years, I have had to make some difficult decisions. There were things that needed to change. Some things die quietly, while other things take years to pass.. Your life is what you make of it, to live is to learn." He adds, "Some songs came very easy, like 'Skullz Out'. Songs like 'Loveless' and 'Set To Fail' took a little bit more effort because they were already saying something musically, so I had to work extra hard to push the vocal over the top."

With creative detail now complete, the band is preparing for the album's early autumn release and upcoming live appearances. Reflecting the extensive process, guitarist Matt Baumbach says, "In my opinion 'The Cursed Remain Cursed' is our band's finest achievement. We are proud to have written something that represents the next level of V.O.D. It is never easy to make one of our records; it's long, arduous, and at times maniacal. This record bleeds from the band's heart and it survived hell and back to get here. Roll the dice one more time because we are all in with this one." Kennedy adds, "We feel we accomplished a very unique, vicious and exciting record without compromising the V.O.D. brand of hardcore."

"The Cursed Remain Cursed" track listing:

01. Loveless
02. Set To Fail
03. Blood Red Sun
04. Hard Times
05. Annihilator
06. Skullz Out (Rot In Pieces)
07. The Enemy
08. The Seventh Circle
09. New Order of Ages
10. Be Up On It
11. Heart And Soul

VISION OF DISORDER's current lineup includes singer Tim Williams, guitarists Matt Baumbach and Mike Kennedy, Fleischmann and drummer Brendon Cohen.

The band's last studio album, "From Bliss to Devastation", came out in 2001 via TVT Records.

VISION OF DISORDER toured with some of metal's biggest names during the late 1990s — including PANTERA, BLACK SABBATH, TYPE O NEGATIVE, ANTHRAX and BAD BRAINS — before calling it quits in 2001, and then reuniting in 2008.

SUNFLOWER DEAD's self-titled debut album is available for streaming in its entirety below. Released on August 21 via Bloody Bat Records LLC, the 11-song CD was recorded at Temple Studios, owned by Raymond Herrera of FEAR FACTORY and B-Real of CYRPRESS HILL, with Christian Olde Wolbers (FEAR FACTORY) in the producer's seat. The effort was co-produced and mixed by Jeremy Blair (GUNS N' ROSES, DEVILDRIVER) at Temple and House Of Blues Studios, and mastered by Robert Hadley (KORN) at The Mastering Lab.

The band, which consists of Jaime Teissere (guitar, formerly of DROID), Michael Del Pizzo (vocals, piano, accordion), Jaboo (guitar, formerly of TWO HIT CREEPER), Luis Gascon (bass, touring member of BUCKETHEAD), and Jimmy Schultz (drums, a touring member of IN THIS MOMENT), formed with the goal of "creating an undeniable unit that would not just move but more importantly, entertain people," according to a press release.

An audio sample of "Sacrimony (Angel Of Afterlife)", the new single from American/German/Swedish symphonic metallers KAMELOT, can be streamed at Amazon.com. The track, which will be released on September 4, comes off the band's new album, "Silverthorn", due on on October 30 in North America, October 26 in Germany and October 29 in the rest of Europe via Steamhammer/SPV. The CD will mark the band's first release with new singer Tommy Karevik, the 30-year-old Swede who previously fronted SEVENTH WONDER (a group that he is still a member of).

Karevik revealed in a recent interview that KAMELOT filmed a video for "Sacrimony (Angel Of Afterlife)" in Belgrade, Serbia. The clip, which features guest appearances by Elize Ryd (AMARANTHE) and Alissa White-Gluz (THE AGONIST), is expected to make its online debut in a few weeks. Alissa's cameo was filmed by Von Wong Photography at Studio Newreel in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

The "Silverthorn" LP and limited edition will have one version of the cover artwork, while the standard version of "Silverthorn" will have a different but equally exquisite version. The standard version is presented as an Ecolbook. The limited edition contains the Ecolbook, a bonus CD with nearly 60 minutes of music, a 44-page book and an exclusive poster. The double LP version is a gatefold on colored vinyl and includes the CD.

KAMELOT guitarist Thomas Youngblood says of the artwork: "Artist Stefan Heilemann captured the true essence of the story and the main character. The booklet and 44-page book is packed with amazing images!"

In a recent interview with RockLiveBG, KAMELOT keyboardist Oliver Palotai stated about the band's new vocalist, "[Tommy] was already with us on some tour dates as a guest singer, and he was singing on one or two songs. And in the past year, we were considering which singer to take. I was strongly on Tommy's side because he made a huge impression on me. Personality. of course. is really important. and he is a little bit introverted and I like this 'Scandinavian feel' about him and he fits KAMELOT really well."

He continued, "The final decision for him was sending in vocals, lyrics and recorded melody on a ballad that I wrote which is on the album. And it was so great and impressive. We all had goosebumps and when we heard that for the first time we knew immediately that was 'it.' He wrote most of the vocal melodies in the album also."

On the topic of the upcoming CD, Palotai said, "The cover was done by Stephan Heilemann. He also did covers for EPICA and my other band, SONS OF SEASONS. He is one of my best buddies, living in the neighborhood, and in my opinion, he is one of the greatest designers in the whole world. The amount of songs is ... I think 9 or 10 without the interludes. . . It's a concept album and it has a story. In the special edition you will get a little book where the story is described. All the songs will be around the story. It will be something like [2005's] 'The Black Halo'.

Regarding how the upcoming CD compares to 2010's "Poetry For The Poisoned", Oliver said, "To be honest, I'm not the biggest fan of 'Poetry For The Poisoned'. For me, 'The Black Halo' is a bit like a reference also when I produce bands in my studio. So we wanted to go back to 'The Black Halo' but also include modern elements, which we included since then. You will never hear from a band, Our new record sucks,' but this record is a real killer and brings KAMELOT back on track. It is exactly what I wanted, and I'm really happy with it. I hope the fans will like it as well."

Thomas Youngblood previously stated about Karevik: "We had around 800 candidates for the vacant position, among them a number of really renowned musicians, and having to reject them really wasn't easy."

In KAMELOT's search for a new singer, Youngblood found YouTube to be an amazing tool. "I listened to a clip of a studio production featuring Tommy and have to confess that his performance really amazed me," he said. "His approach to melodies and themes suits KAMELOT perfectly, and during our European shows we had plenty of opportunity to find out what a great guy he is."

Tommy first appeared as one of the guest singers on KAMELOT's very successful 2011 Pandemonium World Tour.

Youngblood on the style and content of the forthcoming KAMELOT concept album: "The new songs sound more symphonic and melodic than our last two studio recordings. The material brings to mind albums such as 'Karma' (2001) and 'The Black Halo' (2005). In addition, this will be the best production that KAMELOT have ever delivered. Because while other acts tend to opt for low-budget productions due to the difficult market situation, we have gone the opposite way: the new album will be a real statement, in terms of our compositions as well as in terms of our sound."

KAMELOT will support Finnish/Swedish symphonic metallers NIGHTWISH on a North American tour in September and October.

Audio samples of two new songs — "The Poisoning" and "Led By Liars" — from I AM WAR, the Orange County, California-based act featuring Alex Varkatzas (vocals; ATREYU) and Brandan Schieppati (guitar, vocals; BLEEDING THROUGH), can be streamed below.

I AM WAR's debut album, "Outlive You All", will be released on August 28 via Razor & Tie. The CD was produced by Mick Kenney (ANAAL NATHRAKH).

"Outlive You All" track listing:

01. Don't Worship Assholes
02. Uninvite Me To Your Facebook Party
03. The Poisoning
04. Plug Me In
05. Bat Out Of Hell
06. Hunting Me
07. Chipped Shoulders And Heart Attacks
08. Don't Know Anything
09. A Nightmare
10. Led By Liars
11. My Love Affair With Disaster
12. Nihilistic Motivation
13. Feel The Same

A two-and-a-half-minute video clip in which Varkatzas and Schieppati talk about the making of the CD can be seen below.

I AM WAR released a limited-edition seven-inch vinyl single featuring the songs "Bat Out Of Hell" (off their forthcoming album) and "Call Me Slugger" (vinyl exclusive). A limited number of the vinyl has been pressed in both white and hot pink, with 225 only available of each color.

The song "Bat Out Of Hell" is now available for streaming at AltPress.com.

Varkatzas previously stated that I AM WAR's album would be "filled with super-aggressive, heavy, energetic metallic, raw, punky hardcore. The kind of music that boils your blood and inspires you to get up and move."

"The Poisoning" audio sample:

Singer Mike Patton of the reactivated influential alt-metal act FAITH NO MORE recently told Australia's News.com.au that he and his bandmates have no plans to work on new material anytime in the near future. "We're pretty happy with just touring," he said. "There was talk, 'Should we write new stuff?' and we all looked at each other and said 'Nahhh, fuck it.' We did work up one new little thing [a song with the working title 'Matador', performance footage of which can be seen below] and that was really energizing."

Patton previously told RollingStone.com about the prospect of recording new music with FAITH NO MORE, "Reunions can be done very distastefully I think, and we were all very worried about that. But I think we were all very surprised with how good it felt. It's a tired old script: band splits up, gets hard up for cash, goes on tour and records a shitty record. We don't want to be part of that kind of history."

FAITH NO MORE made a comeback in June 2009 with a headlining performance at the Brixton Academy in London, England and has played sporadic shows for the past three years.

FAITH NO MORE's last LP, "Album Of The Year", came out in 1997.

Professionally filmed video footage of Los Angeles glam-metal jokesters STEEL PANTHER performing the song "Party All Day (Fuck All Night)" can be seen below. The clip is taken from the band's forthcoming concert DVD, "The British Invasion", which will be released this fall. Filmed in London, England in 2010, the set was directed by Daniel E. Catullo III, who has previously worked with RUSH, CREED, GODSMACK, SMASHING PUMPKINS, CHICKENFOOT and ALTER BRIDGE.

STEEL PANTHER is the '80s metal/hard rock tribute band formerly known as METAL SKOOL. The group's lineup includes guitarist "Satchel" (real name Russ Parrish; ex-FIGHT) and singer "Michael Starr" (real name Ralph Saenz; ex-L.A. GUNS). Onstage, the band both pays tribute to and lampoons the heyday of '80s glam metal. The group's between-song comedy includes jests at conflict between bandmembers, discussions of drugs, sex, and improvised humor with the crowd.

STEEL PANTHER's sophomore album, "Balls Out", sold nearly 12,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 40 on The Billboard 200 chart. Released on November 1, 2011 via Universal Republic Records, the follow-up to 2009's "Feel The Steel" contains 14 soon-to-be classics such as "Just Like Tiger Woods", "Gold Digging Whore" and "Weenie Ride". The album also features cameos by Dane Cook on the album opener "In The Future" and NICKELBACK frontman Chad Kroeger and EXTREME axeman Nuno Bettencourt show up on an instant classic "It Won't Suck Itself". "Balls Out" was produced by Grammy-nominated producer/mixer Jay Ruston who produced the band's "Feel The Steel" debut and is known for his work with ANTHRAX, MEAT LOAF, THE DONNAS and MORRISSEY, to name a few.

"Party All Day (Fuck All Night)" performance clip:

DREAM THEATER's August 19 and August 20 concerts at Estadio Luna Park in Buenos Aires, Argentina were professionally filmed and recorded for the band's next live DVD, to be released sometime next year.

The setlists for the two concerts were as follows:

Sunday, August 19

01. Bridges In The Sky
02. 6:00
03. The Dark Eternal Night
04. This Is The Life
05. The Root Of All Evil
06. Lost Not Forgotten
07. Drum Solo
08. A Fortune In Lies
09. The Silent Man (with a string quartet)
10. Beneath The Surface (with a string quartet)
11. Outcry
12. Surrounded (preceded by Jordan Rudess' keyboard solo)
13. On The Backs Of Angels
14. War Inside My Head
15. The Test That Stumped Them All
16. The Spirit Carries On (preceded by John Petrucci's guitar solo)
17. Breaking All Illusions

Encore:

18. Metropolis Pt. 1: The Miracle And The Sleeper

Monday, August 20

01. Bridges In The Sky
02. These Walls
03. Build Me Up, Break Me Down
04. This Is The Life
05. Caught In A Web
06. Lost Not Forgotten
07. Drum Solo
08. A Fortune In Lies
09. Wait For Sleep (with a string quartet)
10. Far From Heaven (with a string quartet)
11. Outcry
12. Surrounded (preceded by Jordan Rudess' keyboard solo)
13. On The Backs Of Angels
14. War Inside My Head
15. The Test That Stumped Them All
16. The Spirit Carries On (preceded by John Petrucci's guitar solo)
17. Breaking All Illusions

Encore:

18. Pull Me Under

Fan-filmed video footage can be seen below.

In a July 2012 interview with Tri-State Rock,

PAPA ROACH was forced to cancel its appearance last night (Tuesday, August 21) at the Grand Rapids, Michigan stop of the Rockstar Energy Uproar Festival tour due to singer Jacoby Shaddix's ongoing vocal issues.

Christian hard rockers P.O.D., who have been headlining the second stage during the Uproar trek, revealed the news in a tweet, explaining that they were asked to step up to the main stage yesterday to make up for PAPA ROACH's absence.

They wrote, "Headed to Grand Rapids. Papa Roach dropped off today's show so we're covering their slot last minute. Prayers 4 Jacoby to heal his vocals."

PAPA ROACH has yet to comment on the Grand Rapids concert cancelation or offer an update on Shaddix's condition.

Shaddix admitted in a recent interview that he has been suffering from throat problems. Speaking backstage at a show in Allentown, Pennsylvania, Shaddix said, "I went to a vocal specialist. I have what's called a node that's forming on my vocal cord, so it's like a callus on my vocal cord, and so it's fucking with my top range of my vocals for the last week, so I've actually been pretty bummed out." He added, "I took some steroids, and that'll help the swelling and hopefully that'll help it go away. But if it doesn't get better, it's one of those things where you have to get surgery and do the whole thing."

Shaddix was hopeful that the problem would be better in time for the band's stint on the Uproar Festival tour, which kicked off on August 17 in Bonner Springs, Kansas.

"I think I'll be all right," he told Loudwire earlier this month. "I've got a speech and vocal therapist at the current time to learn how to sing through this and work through this and take care of myself. Really, it's just a matter of having a little bit more discipline than I'm used to, you know, as far as vocal rest and warm-ups and cool-downs and all that kind of stuff."

The Uproar Festival also features SHINEDOWN, STAIND, REDLIGHT KING, ADELITAS WAY and others.

The vocal scare is the latest in a series of struggles for Shaddix, who has also dealt with marital strife and recurring addiction issues in the past year or so. He told The Pulse Of Radio that all his problems found their way into the new PAPA ROACH album. "I was a mess. I'm a mess," he said. "You know, I was in the process of getting sober again and I just, you know, I'm a wreck. I'm a rock 'n' roll freight train. I'm a VH1 story. It came through on the record, you know, so there's desperation, there's hope, exhilaration, there's empowerment...it's a myriad of emotions. You know, there's songs on this record that I listen to and I'm just — they hit so deep to me, I'm like, 'God, I don't even want to listen to that song right now.'"

The band's new studio set, "The Connection", is due out on October 2. First single "Still Swingin'" arrived late last month.

A kinetic typography lyric video for "Still Swingin'" can be seen below.

Finnish love metallers HIM will release a greatest-hits album, "XX - Two Decades Of Love Metal", on October 29 via Sony Music in Finland. The set will include the band's new cover version of the song "Strange World", originally recorded in the 1990s by Kevin Grivois a.k.a. Ké.

The "Strange World" video and digital single is tentatively due on September 21.

H.I.M. is scheduled to enter the studio in early September with producer Hiili Hiilesmaa (APOCALYPTICA, AMORPHIS, MOONSPELL) to begin recording its ninth full-length album, "Tears On Tape", for an early 2013 release. The CD will be mixed by Tim Palmer, who has previously worked with PEARL JAM, U2 and ROBERT PLANT, among many others.

H.I.M. will end this year by bringing back the Helldone Festival at club Tavastia in Helsinki, where they will perform for four nights in a row.

"XX - Two Decades Of Love Metal" track listing:

01. Strange World (KÉ cover)
02. Join Me In Death
03. Heartkiller
04. Rip Out The Wings Of A Butterfly
05. The Kiss Of Dawn (radio edit)
06. The Funeral Of Hearts (radio edit)
07. Right Here In My Arms (radio edit)
08. Pretending
09. Buried Alive By Love (radio edit)
10. Gone With The Sin
11. Your Sweet Six Six Six
12. The Sacrament (radio edit)
13. Wicked Game (CHRIS ISAAK cover)
14. Killing Loneliness
15. Bleed Well (radio edit)
16. In Joy And Sorrow (radio edit)
17. Poison Girl
18. Scared To Death
19. When Love And Death Embrace (radio edit)
20. Heartache Every Moment

The "XX - Two Decades Of Love Metal" cover artwork can be seen below.

In March of last year, HIM parted ways with Sire/Warner Music following a six-year partnership that produced three albums. HIM frontman Ville Valo told Kerrang! magazine in February, "The thing with Warner is really a kind of a familiar story. When we signed with [the label], there were lots of people there who really loved the band, loved what we were doing; people who worked hard for us and who really had our best interests at heart. And now, of course, all of those people have left the company. So instead we had a bunch of people that we didn't know, who didn't know us, and who we felt didn't really understand what we are about and how to best represent us. All of a sudden, it felt like we didn't have a home anymore. It was time for us to move on."

HIM's discography on Sire includes the 2005 album "Dark Light", which was certified gold in the U.S. for sales in excess of 500,000 copies. Follow-up releases "Venus Doom" (2007) and "Screamworks: Love In Theory And Practice" charted both in the U.S. and Europe.

"Screamworks: Love In Theory And Practice" sold 26,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 25 on The Billboard 200 chart.

Fan-filmed video footage of EVANESCENCE singer Amy Lee joining HALESTORM on stage this past Monday night (August 20) at the Sioux City, Iowa stop of the "Carnival Of Madness" tour to perform the HALESTORM song "Break In" can be seen below.

Lee first performed the track with HALESTORM on August 20 in El Paso, Texas. HALESTORM singer Lzzy Hale tweeted after the concert, "El Paso, tonight was the first night I've ever had a duet with a woman. Amy Lee rocked it with me on 'Break In'! Love her!"

In response, Lee wrote, "I loved singing with you. Your voice shreds and that is my SONG right now! Thanks for letting me 'Break In' on your set tonight ;)."

Lzzy then replied to Amy directly, writing, "The pleasure was all mine! It was so beautiful! You rule, babe! I'm so grateful for your friendship. You brought new life to 'Break In'."

In a recent interview with Fuse, Lee spoke about sharing the "Carnival Of Madness" stage with HALESTORM and Lzzy Hale. "We played with HALESTORM [at a previous festival]," she said. "I went on the side of the stage just to hear [Lzzy] sing and she sounded incredible, unreal, like one of those old classic rock voices, and I was like, 'Wow, she's great,'" She added, "It's cool to have another female on the road. Not just because it inspires me musically — because it does — it makes me feel this sort of pride and, 'Yeah, go get 'em' when I see a chick rocking. Also, [Lzzy's] really down to earth. I'm looking forward to hanging out and getting some girl time in."

Norwegian death metallers CHTON have announced the addition of vocalist Craig Furunes (DEMONTERA) to the group's their ranks.

After their previous singer, Terje (CHTON vocalist from 2002 to 2011) left the band just after recording CHTON's upcoming sophomore album, "The Devil Builds", the band had a brief period as a four-piece, with bass player Ola handling main vocals. Now CHTON has found a dedicated vocalist in Craig, and Ola is back to handling bass and backing vocals.

Commented Torstein: "Now we have found a vocalist in Craig that has the guts and dedication to front CHTON, giving 666% as he shreds his throat and spits blasphemies from the stage!"

"The Devil Builds" will be released on September 15 via the German label Godeater Records. The vinyl edition is planned for early winter 2013. Digital distribution of the effort will be handled by Morningstar Music to ensure the LP will be available via all major digital stores.

"The Devil Builds" track listing:

01. Faustian Resolve
02. Scavenger Of A Dead World
03. Gods Of The Flesh
04. Rise Black God
05. Death Awaits
06. Contagion (The Disease)
07. Lord And Master
08. Nithon Undertow
09. Ratbag (ABSCESS cover)
10. Babalon And The Beast Conjoined

"The Devil Builds" was recorded and produced at Morningstar Studio with Arnt Obsidian Grønbech (KEEP OF KALESSIN, SATYRICON) at the helm. The album was mixed by Stamos Koliousis (MENCEA) and Vangelis Labrakis at 210 Studio in Berlin, known for earlier work with NATTEFROST, GEHENNA and VREID, among others.

CHTON has previously shared stages with such bands as MORBID ANGEL, BEHEMOTH, MAYHEM, AMON AMARTH and ZYKLON, and plans to embark on a European tour to promote "The Devil Builds".

CHTON's digital split single "Screaming For Death" with CLEAVER is still available for streaming or download from most digital stores like Spotify, iTunes, WiMP, Amazon and many others.

Formed in 1999 in Trondheim, CHTON released its debut album, "Chtonian Lifecode", in 2004 via Retribute Records.

Swedish melodic metal maestros SOILWORK will enter the studio on August 23 to begin recording the follow-up to their 2010 release "The Panic Broadcast". In the producer seat this time will be none other than Jens Bogren (OPETH, AMON AMARTH, BLOODBATH). The new album, entitled "The Living Infinite", will also mark the recording debut of long-time touring guitarist David Andersson (NIGHT FLIGHT ORCHESTRA).

"It's been a pretty long time coming, but as we speak I'm sitting here smiling my ass off listening to the demos that will forge into 'The Living Infinite'," commented the group's towering vocalist Björn "Speed" Strid. "I've been feeling pretty damn restless from this break to be honest with you, therefore it is with great excitement that I've approached this new album. As soon as we started working on songs in March, all my focus and energy went into building this new beast. We're finished writing songs and I'm currently laying down demo vocals and I'm having a blast. I feel very inspired.

"Around the time that we released 'The Panic Broadcast', I moved into a house by the ocean in a tiny fisherman's village. The ocean has given me so much inspiration and raised a lot of existential questions, which will inspire a lot of the lyrics on 'The Living Infinite', the words Jacques Cousteau used to describe the ocean. Pretentious? Hell yes, but in the most typical SOILWORK manner, with the right intensity, dynamics and melodies to back it up and make it real. I can't wait to team up with the rest of the guys and start putting this album on tape, together with the amazing producer Jens Bogren!"

"It's almost time to start recording 'The Living Infinite' and I seriously can't wait," added drummer Dirk Verbeuren. "The new demos are super intense guitar-wise with tons of harmonies and typical SOILWORK-style riffs. I hear 'A Predator's Portrait' peppered with some 'The Panic Broadcast', a hint of 'Stabbing The Drama' and a bunch of new spices thrown in for good measure. We've all been writing and arranging like mad for the past few months, now we're about to get together in the ole rehearsal space to finish everything up. It's gonna be a hell of a ride folks, and it'll be captured in stereo by the mighty Jens Bogren. Better sharpen your sledgehammers 'cause SOILWORK is back!"

SOILWORK's latest album, "The Panic Broadcast", was released in Europe on July 2, 2010 and in North America on July 13, 2010 via Nuclear Blast Records.

"The Panic Broadcast" was SOILWORK's studio debut with axeman Sylvain Coudret, who joined in 2008.

According to Talking Points Memo, TWISTED SISTER frontman Dee Snider has slammed Paul Ryan, who was tapped last week to run for vice president on the Republican ticket alongside presumptive presidential nominee Mitt Romney, for using the band's 1984 hit "We're Not Gonna Take It" as intro music at a rally yesterday in Pennsylvania.

"I emphatically denounce Paul Ryan's use of my band TWISTED SISTER's song 'We're Not Gonna Take It' in any capacity," Snider said. "There is almost nothing he stands for that I agree with except the use of the P90X."

P90X, or Power 90 Extreme, is a commercial home exercise regimen, known for being intense. It is designed to take 90 days, and consists of a training program which uses cross-training (weight training, martial arts, yoga and old-school calisthenics) and periodization, combined with a nutrition and dietary supplement plan.

"We're Not Gonna Take It" and "Stay Hungry" were the biggest hit single and album, respectively, in TWISTED SISTER's career. Snider said "We're Not Gonna Take It" is now part of America's cultural fabric.

"It's become like a folk song. It's a traditional song now. It has a simple message that's applicable to everything from sports teams to politics. I even once heard about the song being used by people protesting the development of commercial property," he said.

The song's lyrics say in part "Oh you're so condescending/Your gall is never ending/We don't want nothin'/Not a thing from you."