During a recent interview with Loudwire, drummer and founding member Allen Blickle of the Savannah, Georgia-based quartet BARONESS was asked for his thoughts on LAMB OF GOD frontman Randy Blythe's recent arrest in the Czech Republic in connection with the death of a fan at a show more than two years ago.

"It's a huge bummer, man," Allen replied. "We were all really shocked. Our thoughts go out to him and the rest of the guys. We really hope it all gets resolved quickly. We're super close friends with those guys and we're just wishing them the best of luck. We're fully supportive of him.

When asked if Blythe's current ordeal makes him re-think BARONESS' upcoming show in the Czech Republic, Allen replied, "You mean like we wouldn't play because of that situation? I don't know. It's weird, I actually have never thought about it like that. Maybe I should have. I don't think any of us have thought of it in that way. I don't think they're handling it well. It's not his fault. It seems like it got out of hand. It really could've happened to anyone and that's kind of the shitty part about it. They just put it on Randy, that's the bad part. We've been keeping up with it and hope it gets taken care of."

Photo credit: Jimmy Hubbard

Norwegian black metallers DJEVEL (Norwegian word for "devil") will release a brand new seven-inch vinyl single, "Besatt Av Maane Og Natt", on August 24. This very limited EP features two demo songs from the band's forthcoming album. Mainman T. Ciekals states, "The tracks are, as always, dark and infected with malicious Norwegian melodies."

Pre-orders are being taken at www.aftermath-music.com.

DJEVEL recently announced the addition of drummer Dirge Rep (GEHENNA, ENSLAVED, GORGOROTH, ORCUSTUS) to the group's ranks.

DJEVEL's debut album, "Dødssanger", was released last year via Aftermath Music. The cover artwork was created by DJEVEL's T. Ciekals and Truls Espedal, who has previously worked with ENSLAVED.

DJEVEL was formed in June 2009 when T. Ciekals decided to disband his previous group, LJÅ. With a lot of material already composed for the next LJÅ album, he decided to put all this and more into DJEVEL. Initially DJEVEL was supposed to be a one-man project but it has slowly grown into something resembling a band.

In other news, Dirge Rep and T. Ciekals are also involved in another band, NETTLECARRIER, which entered Caliban Studio on March 23 to record its debut album. According to T. Ciekals, the CD will contain "eight tracks of infernal Norwegian black metal" and will be released later in the year via Indie Recordings.

NETTLECARRIER is:

T.Ciekals (DJEVEL, ex-LJÅ) - Guitar
Dirge Rep (GEHENNA, ORCUSTUS, ex-GORGOROTH) - Drums
Mannevond (KOLDBRANN, DJEVEL, ex-URGEHAL) - Bass

Oakland, California death metallers SUFFOKATE have gone public with their vocalist search following the recent departure of Ricky Hoover. More information is available on the band's Facebook page .

Hoover quit SUFFOKATE in May, claiming that it was "in the best interest for everyone" for him to depart. He revealed that he "could no longer continue" to front the band due to reasons he "[wouldn't] get into." He added, "I have no bad feelings or ill will towards the band and will always have love for them and the music I was fortunate enough to help create. I have poured my all and given everything I have into these last two albums and will always be grateful for them and everyone who supported me. No matter what happens, the guys in SUFFOKATE will always be my brothers. I will do whatever i can to help them out. They are some of the greatest people I have ever met and I'm truly thankful I've gotten to do this with them."

SUFFOKATE's latest album, "Return To Despair", was released last September via Mediaskare Records. The CD was recorded at Undercity Studios in North Hollywood, California.

British heavy metal legends IRON MAIDEN have posted an eight-minute video report from the East Coast leg of their "Maiden England" tour. You can watch it below.

The 34-date "Maiden England" tour is IRON MAIDEN's most extensive visit to North America for many years and includes a number of other cities the band have not played in a very long time such as Atlanta, Milwaukee, Buffalo, Indianapolis, Salt Lake City and Sacramento, and places like Sarnia (Ontario, Canada) and Cadott, Wisconsin where they have never visited before. The tour is based on the band's "Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son Tour", with a setlist almost exclusively from the 1980s featuring all the classic songs and hits. The same spectacular stage set as was used on the original 1988 tour has been recreated, complete with a magnificent light show, pyro and a newly reincarnated Eddie!

When asked by The Aquarian Weekly what the reason was behind choosing a setlist like that of the famous 1988 excursion, 7th Tour Of A 7th Tour, IRON MAIDEN guitarist Adrian Smith said, "Well, we just thought it'd be fun to revisit that period in time — there were some good songs there. It's just great revisiting some of the songs we haven't played for a long while. It keeps us fresh and it's just, you know, we got a lot of new fans coming on board now, a lot of younger fans who probably never saw or were around when we did that tour. That's one factor of it for us revisiting that time and I think there's some good songs from that period, so it's fun to do."

On the topic of how this tour differs from those in the recent years, Adrian said, "Well, this is a new set; we haven't taken the stage set out, for example, so it's a new stage set. We got new effects. I think it's going to be actually more spectacular than the original tour and probably, technically, you got more stuff now to put into a live show in terms of lighting and that, which will make it quite spectacular, so I think this is going to be pretty special, this tour. What with the songs, we love playing these songs, and with the stage set and effects and of course we got Eddie, he's back, so it should be fun."

The extraordinary and legendary ALICE COOPER is IRON MAIDEN's very special guest on all shows up to July 21. After that date, special guest will be COHEED AND CAMBRIA, the inspiring, cutting-edge band from New York.

For a complete list of "Maiden England" 2012 tour dates, visit IronMaiden.com.

American/German/Swedish symphonic metallers KAMELOT played a brand new song, reportedly titled "Sacrimony", during their second-ever full live concert with new singer Tommy Karevik on July 13 at the Bang Your Head!!! festival in Balingen, Germany. Fan-filmed video footage of the performance can be seen below.

The general public may not be overly familiar with the 30-year-old Swede Karevik, but people in the industry know him as the immensely talented frontman of the Swedish band SEVENTH WONDER.

KAMELOT guitarist 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.

KAMELOT's recently completed North American, South American and European tours featured guest singer Fabio Lione of RHAPSODY OF FIRE following the departure of KAMELOT's longtime frontman, Roy Khan.

Duff McKagan joined his VELVET REVOLVER and ex-GUNS N' ROSES bandmate Slash on stage last night (Friday, July 13) at Showbox SoDo in Seattle, Washington to perform two GN'R classics, "It's So Easy" and "Paradise City".

After the show, Slash took to his Twitter account to say, "Thanks to Duff McKagan for coming down & jamming a couple tunes as well. Made it a perfect night. #itssoeasy#"

Original GN'R members Slash, McKagan and Steven Adler, along with later members Matt Sorum and Gilby Clarke, performed three songs at the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction ceremony in Cleveland, Ohio in April. They were joined on vocals by Myles Kennedy, who sings in Slash's solo band. GUNS N' ROSES lead singer Axl Rose skipped the induction and declined to be inducted along with the rest of the group.

VELVET REVOLVER has still not found a replacement vocalist following the departure of Scott Weiland in 2008 and is more or less on hiatus, although it was revealed that the group recorded an album's worth of material with STONE SOUR and SLIPKNOT frontman Corey Taylor.

"Surrounded By Skulls", the new video from U.K. death metallers THE ROTTED, can be seen below. The song comes off the band's second album, "Ad Nauseam", which was released last Halloween to high critical acclaim from reviewers and listeners alike. The CD features 11 tracks of fast, aggressive, honest and in-your-face punk-infused death metal sure to strike a chord with fans of NAPALM DEATH, ENTOMBED, EXTREME NOISE TERROR, MOTÖRHEAD and DISCHARGE. Since then, THE ROTTED has also released a seven-inch vinyl single, "Apathy In The UK", through Hammerheart Records.

In other news, THE ROTTED has announced Scottish and Irish dates for September, with a cheeky one-off N.W. England show thrown into the bargain for good measure. In keeping with the band's old-school values and ethics, entry to each show will be as low cost as possible, and in many cases, the support bands have been hand-picked by the band themselves to showcase the wealth of hard working, home grown talent in the U.K. extreme metal scene.

Former DIVINE HERESY/SNOT and current VEXT singer Tommy "Vext" Cummings (pictured below) is one of a number of musicians who have come out in support of LAMB OF GOD frontman Randy Blythe, who is facing manslaughter charges in the Czech Republic.

Blythe, 41, is accused of causing the fatal injury that occurred at LAMB OF GOD's May 24, 2010 show in Prague. The singer allegedly either pushed or struck a 19-year-old fan named Daniel N. — a guitarist in a local metal band — and that person died almost a month later of bleeding in the brain.

Randy has been charged with causing "bodily harm of the fourth degree, resulting in the death of a fan" and faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted.

Speaking to Paige Montgomery of idobi radio, Tommy said (hear audio below), "I've known Randy probably for, like, eight or nine years now, and he's just such an amazing guy. Even with me, or any frontman in metal, our job is to go out there and we basically display a part of ourselves that is ugly and intense and intimidating. And Randy, like many other frontmen, he's an extremely intelligent, kind, compassionate and softspoken person. The sad thing is that sombody had to lose their life at a concert, and that's a bummer, but trying to hold an innocent man accountable for something that… I saw three different clips, footage of this kid, who was clearly inebriated, jumping on the stage, jumping off the stage of his own volition, and then security and Randy escorting him off the stage where it looked like the giant security guard had pushed him off. And then afterwards, the guy trying to get on stage again and then just passing out, and he looks clearly introxicated. And I think the real fault… I also security and I've done bodyguard work — that's what I do when I'm not touring — and from a general manager's standpoint, not just being an artist, it's security's responsibility to make sure the band is safe and the fans, first and foremost."

He added, "We're living in a post-Dimebag Darrell where, honestly, that day changed everything. And we lost one of the greatest guitar players in the history of American rock and roll, not just metal, because the security guard failed to keep the band safe from the fans. And unfortunately, if I was in that situation and I was on stage and some guy jumped on the stage, I'd throw him off, too. I have done it. I've played in Europe and I've played with DIVINE HERESY where there was no security and I was basically… Kids were crowdsurfing and I picked them up and I dropped them back in the crowd. Thank God nobody got hurt. You know, the adrenalin is pumping, the fans are going off, it's a certain style of music in a certain environment, and people have to be wary and careful about themselves."

Interview (audio):

MetalBlast.net conducted an interview with guitarist Trevor Peres of Florida death metallers OBITUARY on June 30 at the 2012 edition of the Dokk'em Open Air festival at Spriens Raard in Dokkum, Netherlands. You can now watch the chat below.

On OBITUARY's plans to record and release new music:

Trevor: "We're actually… Before this tour, we started recording an EP. We were hoping to be finished recording before this tour, but a bunch of different personal things happened and we just didn't have time to finish it. But I've got all the guitar scratch tracks done and Donald [Tardy, drums] started doing scratch drum tracks. But when we get home from this, in one or two weeks we finish recording. It's like three new songs; it's an EP we're gonna do. We're actually gonna do a seven-inch picture disc — no CDs at all; just picture disc only. But then you [will be able to] download it from iTunes or Google Music and stuff. But then we've got another 10 songs we're gonna record after that. So, hopefully, by the end of the year — January, maybe — [there will be] a brand new full-length album."

On how the new OBITUARY music is sounding:

Trevor: "It's pure OBITUARY. In fact, we've got some of the catchiest hooks on this album. These songs are so amazing. In fact, one of the first songs [we wrote] for it I'm always humming in my head. It pisses me off because it's stuck there all the time. So it's a good thing; it's, like, really catchy, groovy OBITUARY."

On how Terry Butler (SIX FEET UNDER, DEATH, MASSACRE) is fitting in after the departure of longtime bassist Frank Watkins:

Trevor: "I've been friends with Terry Butler for, like, probably, 27 years, so it was naturally for him to come into my band. Actually, when I was a child, when I was 10, 10-ish, I moved down from Jacksonville to Tampa with my family, and one of my first friends I ever met was his sister, Amy Butler, who is actually married to Greg Gall, the drummer for SIX FEET UNDER. So we've been friends for years and years. So it was a natural transition. He's a great bass player, a cool guy… he's solid, and like family, so it was natural. We haven't recorded with him yet, but we're getting ready to. He's excited to record with us, so it's gonna be great."

On OBITUARY's current record label situation:

Trevor: "We're between labels. We were hoping to do our own record label. We have a person who we're friends with who is interested in investing. I don't think it's gonna happen soon enough for us to be able to [release the next CD on our own]. So we're actually talking with Century Media. They're very interested. Without saying it's happened, [or that] it's done, 'cause we haven't signed a contract with them, [but] they've offered us a deal and they're really interested in OBITUARY."

German hard rock veterans SCORPIONS spent the first three months of this year in the studio with producers Mikael "Nord" Andersson and Martin Hansen resurrecting a dozen unfinished songs from what some people believe was the band's best and most creative period — leftovers from the albums "Blackout" (1982), "Love At First Sting" (1984), "Savage Amusement" (1988) and "Crazy World" (1990) — for an album that is tentatively scheduled for release in 2013.

"We will dig in again and maybe have a selection of 16 to 18 songs and pick the best 12 from those," Jabs tells Billboard.com. "It's actually very good material." He adds, "We're doing it the way we are recording albums today, but the basic ideas, the riffs, the feel, the way they were written and arranged, we try to keep as much from the old recordings as possible. Thirty years later no one would come up with these ideas we came up with when we were younger, so we want to keep that spirit in there."

According to Jabs, the idea for the project "came from the fans. They were the ones saying, 'There must be some extra material from those days,' and they were right," he says.

The guitarist recently told ArizonaRepublic.com about the project, "There's so much strong material, but it hasn't ever been finished, especially the lyrics. They're like 'Blah blah blah blah blah.' It was recorded like you would record a demo, no click track, anything. But the vibe is great because it's from the time when we were starting out. Everything I played back then, I remember when I found a new riff, I would get excited. It's slightly different today because I know it all. I've heard it all. So it's much harder to get excited about the simplest or sometimes half-genius riff. But there was a definite spark in those old recordings and the idea is to redo them with today's technology and take it further as a tribute to the fans."

Guitar Center, the world's largest retailer of musical instruments and equipment, and DirecTV , one of the world's leading providers of digital television entertainment services, spotlighted MEGADETH in a new episode of the award-winning music series Guitar Center Sessions on Friday, July 13. Guitar Center Sessions features exclusive performances and intimate, enlightening conversations conducted by revered musical tastemaker Nic Harcourt. The episode was filmed at Guitar Center in Hollywood, California on March 22 and premiered in 2D hi-definition on DIRECTV's Audience Network (channel 239) and in 3D on DirecTV's n3D powered by Panasonic.

A clip clip of MEGADETH performing the song "Trust" from the Guitar Center Sessions episode can be seen below.

Check out photos from the taping at this location.

Continuing its commitment to inspiring musicians, each episode of Guitar Center Sessions is filmed live in front of a studio audience in the world-famous Guitar Center Hollywood Vintage Room. The show gives real music fans a rare peek inside the minds of their idols, with Harcourt's thoughtful, conversational questions drawing out new and intimate details from their storied careers. Audiences hear first-hand accounts from each artist about their personal and musical journeys and the influences that molded them into the icons they have become.

After its series debut, featuring episodes with artists including Peter Gabriel, WEEZER, JANE'S ADDICTION, THE CULT, CAKE and Jakob Dylan, Guitar Center Sessions was the recipient of the International 3D Society's award for Best Music Television Series in 2010.

"Trust":

Fan-filmed video footage of SLAYER's July 8 performance at the Comfort Dental Amphitheatre in Englewood, Colorado can be seen below.

SLAYER recently entered the studio to record two new songs with producer Greg Fidelman for possible release as an EP before the end of the year.

In an interview with "Metal Zone" host Nikki Blakk of the San Francisco, California radio station 107.7 The Bone, SLAYER guitarist Kerry King was asked whether guitarist Jeff Hanneman — who in January 2011 contracted necrotizing fasciitis, likely caused by a spider bite, and has been undergoing surgeries, skin grafts and intense rehab since — is contributing to the songwriting process for the new album. "On the last record [2009's 'World Painted Blood'], it was kind of, like, [split] down the middle [between me and Jeff]. On the records prior, it was mostly me. This one's been all me so far," he said. "He's welcome to contribute. It's just a matter of him [putting] something [together] and getting it to us."

Regarding when fans can expect to Jeff back on stage with SLAYER, Kerry said, "After Mayhem, we'll evaluate Jeff again; that's all we can do. He practiced for, like, three weeks with us before… I think it was Fun Fun Fun Fest [in November 2011] — the Austin show we did. And it just wasn't there. That's just how it is — it wasn't there. He played the songs, but if you recorded it, you could definitely tell who's who. And after playing with Holt, who's nailing everything, you can't really take a step backwards. And it sucks to say if that is a backwards step, but if [Jeff's] been gone 18 months and he's gonna make a comeback, you don’t' want it to be a backwards step, you want it to be awesome. And I think he wants it to be awesome. So, as shitty a decision as it is, that's just how it is."

20 Minutes Online has uploaded interview and performance footage of 69 CHAMBERS — the Swiss rock/metal trio featuring guitarist and producer Tommy Vetterli (CORONER, ex-KREATOR) and his wife, Nina Vetterli-Treml — shot on July 12 at the Montreux Jazz Festival. Check it out by following the links below.

* Interview
* Performance

69 CHAMBERS' sophomore album, "Torque", was released on April 27 via Massacre Records.

69 CHAMBERS' sound is described as "a minefield of contradictions — a place where brutality meets pop sensibility and downtuned riffs, battering drums and a driving bass collide with infectious melody."

"Torque" track listing:

01. Cause And Effect (feat. Chrigel Glanzmann) (4:31)
02. Bring On The Flood (3:30)
03. Naughty Naughty Naughty (6:22)
04. Anhedonia (4:27)
05. Burn Some Gasoline (4:01)
06. The Peep Hole (4:20)
07. Ring A Bell (4:19)
08. Closure (4:54)
09. And Then There Was Silence (5:38)
10. Temple Down (3:37)
11. Your Fool (4:25)
12. The Doom Of Her Power (4:00)
13. Grace (5:31)
14. Elegy (5:31)

The "Cause And Effect" video can be seen below. The clip was directed by Jessie Fischer of Motor Productions and features a guest appearance by vocalist Christian "Chrigel" Glanzmann of Swiss folk metallers ELUVEITIE.

69 CHAMBERS' debut album, "War On The Inside", was released in 2009 via Silverwolf Productions.

69 CHAMBERS is:

Nina Vetterli-Treml - Vocals, Bass
Tommy Vetterli - Guitar
Diego Rapacchietti - Drums

For more information, visit www.69chambers.com.

SLIPKNOT guitarist Jim Root rejoined the band on stage last night (Friday, July 13) at the Tampa, Florida stop of the Rockstar Energy Mayhem Festival after missing several dates of the tour because a burst appendix. A statement issued by the rest of the group said that Root had been seriously ill for the past few weeks and that the situation could have been life threatening.

Fan-filmed video footage of last night's concert can be seen below.

SLIPKNOT's stint on the Mayhem tour is the band's first U.S. trek since the May 2010 death of bassist Paul Gray.

The tour also features SLAYER, MOTÖRHEAD, ANTHRAX and others on the bill.

Following the end of the tour, the group will headline Knotfest, two festival dates put together by the band itself on August 17 in Council Bluffs, Iowa and August 18 in Somerset, Wisconsin.

SLIPKNOT will tentatively enter the studio sometime in early 2013 to begin recording its fifth album. In the meantime, a greatest hits collection called "Antennas To Hell" arrives on July 24.

American/German/Swedish symphonic metallers KAMELOT played a brand new song during their first-ever full live concert with new singer Tommy Karevik on July 12 at the Masters Of Rock festival in Vizovice, Czech Republic. Fan-filmed video footage of the performance can be seen below.

The general public may not be overly familiar with the 30-year-old Swede Karevik, but people in the industry know him as the immensely talented frontman of the Swedish band SEVENTH WONDER.

KAMELOT guitarist 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.

KAMELOT's recently completed North American, South American and European tours featured guest singer Fabio Lione of RHAPSODY OF FIRE following the departure of KAMELOT's longtime frontman, Roy Khan.