Harley Flanagan, who founded the legendary hardcore band the CRO-MAGS at the age of 14 and toured with the band for some twenty years, was arrested in New York City on July 6 on charges of attacking several members of the new CRO-MAGS lineup during the CBGB Festival. Flanagan, who had been a panelist at one of the event's seminars, allegedly attempted to attend the concert of his former band. Neither Harley Flanagan nor Parris Mayhew, the two founding members of the band, is still in the CRO-MAGS.

According to news reports, William Berario, 45, was slashed above the eye and bitten on his cheek, and Michael "The Gook" Couls, 33, was cut on his arm and stomach during the incident, which happened around 8:30 p.m. Flanagan was seen in photographs posted on BoweryBoogie.com being wheeled from the venue by EMTs. He was reportedly taken to Bellevue Hospital to be treated for a broken leg and was charged with second-degree assault and criminal possession of a weapon.

New York Natives sat down with Flanagan for an exclusive interview about the events of July 6.

According to Harley, he was invited to the Webster Hall gig and had a VIP pass which he used to enter the venue. He says he went there with "the best of intentions" hoping to mend years of bickering and make the fans happy. After he was invited to the backstage dressing room, he says that instead of being welcomed, as he expected to be, he was jumped by a group of men.

"When I saw that door get pulled shut, I was literally fighting for my life," Harley said. "I was afraid these guys were going to kick me half to death, roll me down the back steps and that no one would see it... and there would be no witnesses and that would be that....and all I could think about was getting home safe to my kids... I wanted to save my life, to protect myself and these guys were trying to do me in.

He added, "I was getting the shit beat out of me. It was like an old-fashioned biker beatdown. . . And at that point everybody started screaming and I saw the door of the dressing room open and I started screaming, 'Security, security,' and I saw somebody pull the door shut to keep security out. And in my mind, I thought to myself, 'Fuck, these dudes, their intention is to fuck me up, they don't want no one to see it they're trying to beat the shit out of me... So what I did was defend my life.

He continued, "I'm getting the shit beat out of me. Then at that point that's when the bouncers managed to get in the room and I ended up getting dragged out into the balcony area, which is where everybody says the mêlée took place but no the mêlée took place in the dressing room behind a locked door where I was getting jumped people by myself."

Read the rest of Harley's account, and check out exclusive photos, at New York Natives.

According to Jonathan Crane of The Prague Post, a friend of the fan who allegedly died of fatal injuries sustained at a LAMB OF GOD concert in the Czech Republic more than two years ago claims that none of the video footage that has been released of the show is of the alleged incident, and that the band's lead singer, Randy Blythe, was to blame.

"There are many videos which do not even show [the alleged victim, Daniel N.]," the friend, who also attended the gig, told The Prague Post. "He got up onstage only once, at the end of the concert. Randy was brutal, and pushed Dan down where nobody could catch him. I don't think he meant to kill Dan. But I hope he will be punished."

This account appears to be corroborated by several Czech music sites, with a May 28, 2010 posting on the Sicmaggot blog claiming that Blythe had "behaved like he didn't care about the fans." Another review of the May 24, 2010 concert on Abysszine.com made note of the "mildly controversial approach from LAMB OF GOD toward stage divers."

Blythe remains behind bars in the Pankrác Prison in Prague after the Prague State Attorney's Office filed a complaint against the singer's release on bail.

On Monday (July 9), the attorney's office spokeswoman Štepánka Zenklová confirmed that the complaint was delivered to the Prague 8 district court last Friday (July 6).

Zenklová told the Prague Daily Monitor that she could not specify the justification of the complaint. The Prague City Court will deal with it now.

The complaint was filed with a Prague district court that was in charge of the case. It is to pass the decision-making on the bail to the City Court.

The City Court can either meet the complaint and annul the bail or it can approve the release on bail, and then the Prague attorney would comment on it again, district court judge Petr Fassati said.

Martin Holub, a lawyer at Šafra & Partners, told The Prague Post if bail is revoked, Blythe could be kept in prison for up to six months.

"The authorities will be concerned about him leaving the country and then having to begin extradition proceedings," Holub said. "If, however, the appeal court confirms the decision of the previous court, Randy Blythe should be released on the day that decision is made."

The organizers of Germany's Wacken Open Air festival have announced the inaugural installment of the "the first and the biggest metal cruise in Europe," the Full Metal Cruise, which promises to bring the real festival feeling to the sea from May 5 to May 12, 2013.

The Full Metal Cruise starts in Hamburg and enters the harbors of Southampton (United Kingdom), Le Havre (France) and Amsterdam (Netherlands). After seven days full of sea and relaxing and metal and party feeling, the ship then returns to Hamburg with a special show at the harbor anniversary fest.

While there will be big fireworks and a special show on onboard, the cruise will return to the harbor and this will be one of the many things leading to a great overall experience for every metal-sailor!

The special features of this metal cruise:

* Drinks and food are included
* No difficult travelling to the starting point — Hamburg, the gateway to the world!
* Concerts take place onboard and onshore
* Interesting shore excursions for every metal-heart

More than 20 high-quality bands from the metal and rock scene will perform on three stages at the Mein Schiff 1. Certainly there will be everything which provides you with festival fun onboard: meet-and-greets, metal karaoke, movie nights, metal comedy, workshops for musicians and much more.

In the many lounges onboard, the metalheads can party and meet the artists — nowhere else it is possible to have such a direct connection to the musicians. Furthermore, metalheads can book shore excursions with more concerts at the harbors.

The lineup of the shows at the seaports and onboard of the cruise will be announced soon.

"Heavy and hard music and a cruise don't conflict with each other," says Wacken boss Thomas Jensen. "With the Full Metal Cruise, we want to bring a real metal festival to the sea!"

For more information, visit www.full-metal-cruise.com.

North American syndicated rock radio show "In The Studio: The Stories Behind History's Greatest Rock Bands" celebrates the 25th anniversary of DEF LEPPARD's twenty million-seller "Hysteria" album with lead singer Joe Elliott and bassist Rick Savage.

Attempting to follow-up the seven-times-platinum "Pyromania", DEF LEPPARD were hard at work recording their next album by Christmas of 1984 when a tragic car accident would leave drummer Rick Allen without his left arm. It would be another two and a half years of intense work in the studio before "Hysteria" would finally be released to a long-awaiting fanbase.

Joe Elliott tells "In The Studio" host Redbeard about a comical encounter with legendary THE ROLLING STONES singer Mick Jagger that drove home the four-and-ahalf-year gap between albums.

"We had Mick Jagger come in and do two solo albums in the same studio complex when we were doing ['Hysteria']. [Elliott imitating Mick] 'Bloody hell, you guys are still here? Weren't you here doing that album when I was doing 'She's The Boss'? Well, I've done that one, I've toured. I've had two kids, done a STONES album and toured, and now I'm back doing my next solo album and you're still here!"

The DEF LEPPARD "Hysteria" "In The Studio" program will air on radio this weekend on over 50 radio stations across North America.

To stream this interview online, go to this location.

The wife of LAMB OF GOD singer Randy Blythe visited him for two hours on Wednesday (July 11) in the Pankrác Prison in Prague, Czech Republic where he is facing manslaughter charges in connection with the death of a fan more than two years ago.

"It was really good to see him," Cindy Blythe told reporters after her visit. "I miss him very much and I really hope I get to see him soon, and that we'll be together again soon. So this was a special day, getting to see him."

She added, "I think it's terrible what happened — that the kid lost his life and his family lost him — but I believe [Randy] is innocent. That's what I believe."

Video footage of Cindy Blythe speaking to Czech reporters in Prague can be seen by following these links:

* Blesk.cz
* TV Nova

Photos of Cindy Blythe in Prague with attorney Tomáš Morysek are available at this location.

Cindy and Randy Blythe were married on September 10, 2005 in North Carolina.

Randy Blythe remains behind bars after the Prague State Attorney's Office filed a complaint against the singer's release on bail.

On Monday (July 9), the attorney's office spokeswoman Štepánka Zenklová confirmed that the complaint was delivered to the Prague 8 district court this past Friday (July 6).

Zenklová told the Prague Daily Monitor that she could not specify the justification of the complaint. The Prague City Court will deal with it now.

The complaint was filed with a Prague district court that was in charge of the case. It is to pass the decision-making on the bail to the City Court.

The City Court can either meet the complaint and annul the bail or it can approve the release on bail, and then the Prague attorney would comment on it again, district court judge Petr Fassati said.

It's not clear as to whether there will be another hearing, or if the judgment will be made independently.

"It could be days, it could even be weeks," Jonathan Crane, a reporter with the Prague Post, told WTVR-TV. "Our legal experts said that sometimes these things could take up to months."

"The legal expert said it could take six months," said Crane, referring to the trial.

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 group — 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.

Crane discussed the video footage that has popped up online which allegedly shows three different incidents involving the fan. Friends of Daniel say that isn't him in the video. Again, confusion surrounds this case as fans wait for answers and Blythe's release.

"Police have not been cooperative and haven't answered these questions and so it just breeds more uncertainty," Crane told WTVR-TV.

"The worry with this is how it will affect other heavy metal groups that want to come to the Czech Republic," said Crane.

He added, "We must not forget at the end of the day, a young boy lost his life, and a mother lost her son."

According to WTVR-TV, a U.S. defense attorney for Blythe will remain overseas until Saturday. No confirmation yet if that means the singer could be released by then.

Eagle Rock Entertainment has announced the September 25 release of the Gary Moore CD, DVD and Blu-ray title "Blues For Jimi".

This release captures a unique concert featuring Moore playing Jimi Hendrix tracks, including such classics as "Purple Haze", "Foxy Lady", "The Wind Cries Mary", "Hey Joe", "Voodoo Child (Slight Return)" and many more. Filmed at the London Hippodrome on October 25, 2007, it was part of the launch for the Jimi Hendrix "Live At Monterey" program.

At the end of the night, Gary was joined by Mitch Mitchell and Billy Cox of THE JIMI HENDRIX EXPERIENCE for three tracks. The full lineup for this show was Gary Moore (guitar, vocals); Dave Bronze (bass); Darrin Mooney (drums) with Billy Cox (bass on tracks 9-11, and also vocals on the first two of those) and Mitch Mitchell (drums on tracks 9-11).

Both Gary Moore and Mitch Mitchell have passed since this concert took place, which makes the recording of this incredible night so special. Gary Moore was one of the finest British guitarists of all time and is one of the few players who could pay homage to Jimi Hendrix's groundbreaking and truly distinctive guitar style. This is a stunning tribute from one master guitarist to another.

"Blues For Jimi" track listing:

01. Purple Haze
02. Manic Depression
03. Foxy Lady
04. The Wind Cries Mary
05. I Don't Live Today
06. My Angel
07. Angel
08. Fire
09. Red House
10. Stone Free
11. Hey Joe
12. Voodoo Child (Slight Return)

Canadian metal legends ANVIL are working on material for their 15th studio album, tentatively due next year. The band's guitarist/vocalist Steve "Lips" Kudlow states, "Six new songs so far!! All killer no filler!! Building songs is building the future!!"

ANVIL's latest album, "Juggernaut Of Justice", was released in Europe on June 20, 2011 (three days earlier in Germany) via SPV/Steamhammer. The effort was made available as a limited-edition digipak (including two bonus tracks), double gatefold LP in blue vinyl, standard version and a digital download.

In an interview with MusicFrenzy.net, Lips stated about the departure of the band's longtime bassist Glenn Gyorffy (a.k.a. Glenn Five or G5) and the addition of Sal Italiano, "It's so much more a relaxed, comfortable feeling on the stage. Sal steps back for me to do the front thing rather than trying to compete with it, or be a distraction to it. It's comfortable — it makes it very comfortable when everybody realizes what it all is and there's no bad vibes, which is… I mean, vibes between the members is everything and the ill feelings that we had around us are gone."

Italiano is a member of the Long Island, New York IRON MAIDEN tribute band LIVE AFTER DEATH and original progressive metal act THE NIGHTMARE STAGE, as well as a former member of the acclaimed '80s heavy metal group CITIES.

Glenn Five joined ANVIL in 1996 and has appeared on seven of the band's albums, including "This Is Thirteen" and the group's latest release, "Juggernaut Of Justice", on which he wrote and sang the song "This Ride".

HOTEL DIABLO — the new band featuring vocalist Rick Stitch (LADYJACK, ex-ADLER'S APPETITE), guitarist Alex Grossi (QUIET RIOT), bassist Mike Duda and drummer Mike Dupke (both of W.A.S.P.) — has inked a worldwide deal with Scarlet Records for the physical release of its full-length debut, "The Return To Psycho, California". Entertainment One will distribute the CD in the U.S.

"The Return To Psycho, California" was produced by Gilby Clarke (GUNS N' ROSES, ROCKSTAR SUPERNOVA), with additional production by Matt Starr (ACE FREHLEY, BEAUTIFUL CREATURES).

"We are very excited to be working with Scarlet Records," says Grossi. "In the past couple of years, they have really grown to become a major force in the European rock and metal market, and coupled with the muscle of Entertainment One here in the U.S., we feel that 'The Return To Psycho, California' will reach the audience it was meant to."

"The Return To Psycho, California" is also available digitally via iTunes, Amazon and other online music retailers.

"The Return To Psycho, California" track listing:

01. Taken
02. Set It Off
03. What You Do To Me
04. Psycho, California
05. Bury You *
06. Wicked Lines *
07. All These Years
08. Wonderwall (OASIS cover)
09. Trigger
10. Bury You (alternate version) *
11. What You Do To Me (alternate version)

Produced by Gilby Clarke
* Produced by Matt Starr

Earlier in the year, MÖTLEY CRÜE entered drummer Tommy Lee's studio called The Atrium in Calabasas, California to begin recording a new song, "Sex", that will be released to coincide with the band's upcoming summer co-headlining tour with KISS.

Written when the band was together during their residency in Las Vegas last February, "Sex" is the first studio track from the CRÜE since their June 2008 release of "Saints Of Los Angeles".

"Sex" will debut on Friday, July 13 on SiriusXM and be available on Tuesday, July 17 — three days before the tour begins.

An audio sample of "Sex" can be streamed below. Also available is the single artwork.

Speaking to VH1 Radio Network's Dave Basner in March, MÖTLEY CRÜE bassist and main songwriter Nikki Sixx stated about the band's new track, "It sounds very much like it's off of the first record [1981's 'Too Fast For Love']. And that was definitely on purpose. I've been writing very simple riffs for the last year and focusing on how these riffs would work for Vince [Neil, vocals], basically, and took it in the studio with Tommy and Mick [Mars, guitar] and the thing just came alive."

MÖTLEY CRÜE's latest studio album, 2008's "Saints Of Los Angeles", sold 99,000 copies in the United States during its first week of release. The CD was CRÜE's first studio album since 2000's "New Tattoo", which has sold over 200,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan. The band's previous studio effort with all of its original members was 1997's "Generation Swine", which debuted and peaked at No. 4 on The Billboard 200, and has sold more than 300,000 units.

"Saints of Los Angeles" was loosely based on the band's memoir, "The Dirt", which was published in 2001.

MÖTLEY CRÜE's "greatest-hits" collection, suitably titled "Greatest Hits", was released on November 17, 2009 via Eleven Seven Music/Mötley Records.

CRÜE performed its classic 1989 album, "Dr. Feelgood", in its entirety on Crüe Fest 2, the sophomore outing of the band's summer festival tour, to celebrate the record's 20th anniversary.

Eleven Seven Music/Mötley Records re-released "Dr. Feelgood" on September 21, 2009.

On July 28, Swedish melodic metallers HAMMERFALL will perform a very special show at the unique outdoor Dalhalla venue in Rättvik, Sweden. This concert will serve as the 15-year celebration of the release of HAMMERFALL's debut album, 1997's "Glory To The Brave".

The following very special guests will join HAMMERFALL at the show:

* Mikael Stanne (DARK TRANQUILLITY), who was HAMMERFALL's vocalist from 1993 to 1996.
* Stefan Elmgren (FULLFORCE), who was HAMMERFALL's guitar player from 1997 to 2008.
* Jesper Strömblad (founding member of IN FLAMES), who was an original member of HAMMERFALL as well as a longtime songwriter for the band.

The Swedish all-girl hard rock band CRUCIFIED BARBARA will be the opening act.

The concert will be professionally filmed and recorded for a future DVD release.

The members of HAMMERFALL announced in March that they were take an extended break immediately following their festival appearances this summer.

"It has been an unbelievable first 15 years, to say the least," said guitarist Oscar Dronjak, "and now we are taking a pause to ensure that we have another 15 years ahead of us."

There will be no HAMMERFALL activities in 2013, but the band promises to return strong the following year. "The plan is to use the year off to recharge our batteries and come back more vital than ever with a new album in 2014," explained singer Joacim Cans.

HAMMERFALL will celebrate its 15th anniversary at two special shows this summer: July 28 at Dalhalla in Sweden, and a week later at the Wacken Open Air festival in Germany. Joacim stated: "Obviously, the gig to attend is the one in Dalhalla; that will be the biggest and most special show we have ever done! But we will not forget that it all started at Wacken for us once upon a time." The German festival was the first show HAMMERFALL ever played outside Sweden and marked the beginning of the long and passsionate relationship the band has enjoyed with the German metal fans. "This is why we have decided to pull out all the stops for these two shows, and really make them special," Oscar said, "It will be a fitting end to the first 15 years of our career."

HAMMERFALL's new album, "Infected", sold around 1,700 copies in the United States in its first week of release. The CD debuted at No. 16 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.

HAMMERFALL's previous CD, "No Sacrifice, No Victory", opened with 1,400 units to land at No. 38 on the Top New Artist Albums chart.

"Infected" entered the official chart in Sweden at position No. 2 (right behind LADY GAGA!). The CD was released in Europe in May 2011 and was made available in North America in June via Nuclear Blast Records. Laying down the foundation themselves in their own studio in Sweden, the members of HAMMERFALL then traveled to Nashville, Tennessee to finish it up with acclaimed producer James Michael (MÖTLEY CRÜE, SCORPIONS, MEAT LOAF). He also mixed the album, giving it a decisive updated edge without losing any of the essence of the band's sound.

HAMMERFALL was among the five final nominees that competed for the "Best Hard Rock/Metal" honor at the Swedish Grammis awards (Swedish Grammy equivalent), which was held February 14, 2012 at Kungliga Operan in Stockholm.

"The Host", a brand new song from the Norwegian progressive black metal outfit KHONSU, can be streamed in the YouTube clip below. The track comes off the band's debut album, "Anomalia", which will be released on August 28 via Season Of Mist. The effort will be made available as a CD digipack limited to the first pressing and hand-numbered double gatefold LP.

S. Gronbech, the man behind the mask, orchestrates the ancient traveller's return. The last public appearance of the mysterious mastermind was the collaboration with his brother A. "Obsidian C." Gronbech on KEEP OF KALESSIN's highly acclaimed "Reclaim" EP (2003). Being one of Norway's foremost guitarists himself, Obsidian C. comments: "If you think that I am a good guitarist, wait until you hear my brother." The renowned string wizard also produced and engineered all electric guitars played by his sibling in his own Morningstar studio. Adding vocals in an amazing range from the clear and gentle to the venomous and growling, Thebon of KEEP OF KALESSIN fame joins S. Gronbech in his dark quest.

Under their former name MERAH, KHONSU already performed at this year's edition of the prestigious Inferno festival in Oslo. Even without an album out, the band from Trondheim was invited on the strength of their demo alone. Their musically and visually impressive performance gained the Norwegians excellent reviews. Now KHONSU reveal their true strength with "Anomalia". Let this sinister blend of rock, metal, and electronic elements enchant you with its epic and desolate atmospheres!

Guitarist Tore Moren and bassist Nic Angileri have left JORN, the band led by Norwegian powerhouse vocalist Jorn Lande (MASTERPLAN, AVANTASIA), in order to focus on their solo careers and other projects. Their replacements have not yet been announced.

"Live And Let Fly", the new video from Lande, can be seen below. The song comes off the singer's new album, "Bring Heavy Rock To The Land", which entered the official Swedish chart at position No. 34. The CD was released on June 1 in Europe and June 5 in North America via Frontiers Records.

"I think this album follows a similar Jorn tradition like those before, more heavy rock oriented than metal," says Jorn. "But, as usual, it's not one musical expression all the way through the album, but a variety of musical landscapes within the categories of rock and metal."

A winning formula should not change, so Jorn has again worked with Tommy Hansen at Jailhouse Studios in Denmark, who mixed the album, ensuring the right edge to the rich guitar and vocal sound that is now trademark to all JORN releases. The lineup sees the return of Jimmy Iversen on guitar who also appeared on "Spirit Black".

As usual, in addition to the original material, Jorn offers some interesting covers. This time, MASTERPLAN's "Time to Be King" and Christopher Cross' "Ride Like The Wind" are the ones to get the Jorn treatment.

"When we wrote 'Time To Be King', I heard a different and more rock-oriented arrangement in my mind," says Jorn, "so after the MASTERPLAN album was released, I couldn't stop thinking about how it would sound if it was recorded with this other arrangement. I don't know which one's better, I have ended up liking both versions. As for Christopher Cross, I have always loved 'West Coast'-oriented music and bands like 10CC, PAGES, SANTANA, LITTLE RIVER BAND, EAGLES and so on. So I thought 'Ride Like The Wind' would be a good song to do Jorn style. SAXON also released a version of this song in the '80s, and the arrangement we made ended up beeing a mix between the original version and SAXON's. It's also a fun song to sing and play."

Jorn Lande's strong and diverse voice and solid songwriting skills have now become legendary in the hard rock world. In a career spanning over close to 40 album releases, as frontman for ARK and MASTERPLAN, in addition to featuring on spectacular projects such as NOSTRADAMUS "The Rock Opera", BEYOND TWILIGHT "The Devil's Hall of Fame", Tobias Sammet's AVANTASIA and AYREON.

"If you buy a Jorn album today, you know what you will get," states Jorn Lande. You are guaranteed to get your adrenaline going with the riveting sound that has solid roots in classic hard rock/heavy metal music, such as DIO, BLACK SABBATH, RAINBOW and WHITESNAKE.

The title track, "Bring Heavy Rock To The Land", was released as a single worldwide on May 14. A video for the song was directed by Thomas Tjäder (PRETTY MAIDS, IN FLAMES) and can be seen below. Jorn says, "The title track has really a strong Jorn trademark. It was a natural choice for a title track, I felt the same about 'Lonely Are The Brave' back in 2008. Sometimes one song's got the magic and you just know it. 'Bring Heavy Rock To The Land' is such a song and regardless of how the whole album is evaluated by critics, I feel that this song will live on and become an essential Jorn classic!"

On June 27, Swiss hard rockers GOTTHARD performed in the studios of JOIZ, the one and only Swiss music channel. You can watch video footage of their appearance below.

GOTTHARD's new album, "Firebirth", entered the chart in the band's home country of Switzerland at position No. 1 — the 14th time that a GOTTHARD CD has topped the Swiss chart in the group's career so far. In addition, the album landed at No. 9 on the German Media Control chart.

"Firebirth" was released on June 1 via Nuclear Blast/Warner Music. The CD was produced at the band's own Yellow House Studios in Lugano, Switzerland, with guitarist/songwriter Leo Leoni and Paul Lani (who has previously worked with GOTTHARD on several of their earlier albums, including "G-Spot" and "Homerun") at the helm.

"Firebirth" marks GOTTHARD's first release with singer Nic Maeder, who was born in Lausanne, Switzerland, lived in Melbourne, Australia and grew up between Switzerland and "Down Under."

GOTTHARD vocalist Steve Lee was killed on October 5, 2010 in what has been described as a freak road accident in Nevada.

The "Firebirth" album cover depicts the firebird Phoenix, which symbolically rises "from the ashes to the sky" — this line expresses what each GOTTHARD fan feels and underlines the turbulent time that GOTTHARD has gone through in the past months.

Singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, poet and political activist Serj Tankian was the musical guest on last night's (Wednesday, July 11) edition ABC-TV's "Jimmy Kimmel Live!". The band performed two songs — "Harakiri" and "Butterfly" — on the show's outdoor stage in front of a standing-room-only crowd. You can now watch video footage of the his appearance below.

Tankian's new solo album, "Harakiri", was released on July 10 via Reprise Records/Serjical Strike.

In a recent interview with CraveOnline.com, Serj stated about the "Harakiri" title track, "[It] refers to the ominous events of early 2011 when close to a million species of bird and fish died, without much satisfactory scientific explanation. The omen was not lost on me. Varied creatures on earth were committing massive harakiri or were being given a sign to leave this place. Why would these intuitive beings closely knit in the fabric of nature leave? What does that mean for us in terms of environmental degradation, events to come, etc.?"

When asked if there is a thematic idea behind the "Harakiri" album, Serj said, "'Harakiri' is not really a concept record, although the idea of harakiri as it relates to death is a central theme. Everything else on the album captures the same time period of life in these times: political and social events, personal stories, humorous interpretations. It tries to convey the massive upheaval of our global life today ripe with injustice, economic inequities, the failing of the massive globalist agenda, and of course revolt."?

"Harakiri", a Japanese word meaning ritual suicide, is the follow-up to 2010's critically acclaimed "Imperfect Harmonies", and the third solo release from the SYSTEM OF A DOWN frontman. As with 2007's "Elect The Dead" and "Imperfect Harmonies", Serj produced "Harakiri" himself at his home studio in Los Angeles. He tried to approach writing a little differently this time around. "I used the Apple iPad as a songwriting instrument to sketch out three of the songs on the record," explained Serj. "We must trick ourselves into writing in different ways to get unexpected results." The album will also feature performances by Serj's touring band, THE F.C.C. — Dan Monti on guitar, Mario Pagliarulo on bass, and Troy Zeigler on drums. Dan Monti is also co-mixing and co-engineering the album with Serj. The album was mastered by Vlado Meller (METALLICA, RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS, KANYE WEST, BEASTIE BOYS).

In cooperation with natural cosmetic expert Rutano, German traditional metallers GRAVE DIGGER have released their own 2-in-1 shampoo/shower gel combination. The product will be manufactured as a valent aluminum finish and will be available at the GRAVE DIGGER online shop soon.

GRAVE DIGGER will release its new album on August 31 in Europe and September 4 in North America via Napalm Records. A six-song mini-CD, "Home At Last", will precede the full-length effort on July 27 in Europe and August 7 in North America.

"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)

Check out the cover artwork below.

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."

Australian melodic power metallers BLACK MAJESTY will release their new album, "Stargazer", on July 20 via Limb Music. Dirk Illing (SCORPIONS, WIZARD) once again handled the album's artwork, which continues the theme of the band's past works.

BLACK MAJESTY began recording drums back in October 2011 with Roland Grapow (MASTERPLAN, ex-HELLOWEEN) at Grapow Studios in Slovakia and spent several months in its homeland of Australia laying down guitars and vocals. Grapow also mixed the CD, which will feature the following songtitles, among others: "The Fallen", "Edge Of The World", "The Killing Hand", "Lykan" and "Journey To The Soul".

"Stargazer" track listing:

01. Falling
02. Lost Horizon
03. Voice Of Change
04. Killing Hand
05. Journey To The Soul
06. Holy Killers
07. Symphony Of Death
08. Edge Of The World
09. Stargazer
10. Ariel (Australia-only bonus track) / Shine (Europe-only bonus track)

Check out audio samples at Limb-Music.de.

BLACK MAJESTY has been confirmed for this year's edition of the Masters Of Rock festival in the Czech Republic alongside THIN LIZZY, EXODUS, STRATOVARIUS, EDGUY, KAMELOT, SABATON, GOTTHARD, ARCH ENEMY, WITHIN TEMPTATION, FIREWIND, BLOODBOUND and ARAKAIN, among others.

BLACK MAJESTY's last album, "In Your Honour", was released in Europe in May 2010 via Limb Music.

Ex-DREAM THEATER drummer Mike Portnoy, who was involved in a messy split with his former bandmates less than two years ago, has taken to Twitter to comment on the legal battle between QUEENSRŸCHE and the Seattle progressive rock band's ex-singer, Geoff Tate, over the rights to the group's name.

After apparently checking out some of the latest BLABBERMOUTH.NET articles on the ongoing QUEENSRŸCHE saga, Portnoy wrote, "WOW!!! What a read... This QR split makes my DT split look like a walk in the park! Wow..."

Portnoy and Tate engaged in a minor public feud in 2006 over Tate's alleged "bashing" of DREAM THEATER following the two bands' co-headlining tour in the summer of 2003. (See previous BLABBERMOUTH.NET stories: Story#1, Story#2, Story#3.) The two progressive hard rock giants had originally intended to join forces for a package tour in 2000 — a plan that failed to materialize after QUEENSRŸCHE decided to take the middle slot on IRON MAIDEN's "Brave New World" tour instead. This move infuriated Portnoy, who told Metal Sludge several months later, "I have a bone to pick with [QUEENSRŸCHE]... We had a summer tour in the works being booked with them which I think would have been cool for the fans and they backed out in the 11th hour which fucked us over....I think maybe they realized that having to play after us would make their fans realize how much they suck now!"

When a DREAM THEATER fan suggested back in April 2006 in a posting in "The Forum" section of Portnoy's web site that Tate was in New York City doing press for QUEENSRŸCHE's then-new album and that he may join DREAM THEATER on stage at their April 1, 2006 concert at New York City's Radio City Music Hall, Portnoy had the following response: "I'm tired of being politically correct... For the record, Geoff Tate is a two-faced douche bag. Since he has begun doing 'Operation: Mindcrime II' press, he has been consistently bashing DREAM THEATER and even me personally in the press... (why, I have no idea?). But I'm tired of biting my tongue when he obviously can't.

"When he was on Eddie Trunk's show [on Q104.3 FM in March 2006], he was incredibly rude and insultful [sic] when talking about me off the air to Eddie and [FOZZY singer and former WWE wrestler] Chris Jericho (he having no idea they're my bros)... Eddie and Chris were FUMING at him and Chris immediately texted me from the studio saying he was ready to body-slam him on the spot.

"His new name on this board should be Geoff Taint...

"Screw him...he's now on my shitlist..."

During an appearance on Eddie Trunk's "Friday Night Rocks" radio show on New York's Q104.3 FM in October 2006, Portnoy had the following response when asked by a fan regarding his "war of words" with Tate:

"I've gotta choose my words carefully or else I'm gonna end up on the front page of Blabbermouth tomorrow morning. [Laughs]

"There's no hard feelings. I think that the things that were said between me and Geoff, a lot of it got blown out of propotion, a lot of those feelings and… whatever. When I went and saw them in New York a few weeks ago, they were all totally open arms to me, and Geoff was cool. And the next night when they were here on Eddie's show, they were totally cool about it.

"You know what it is? I think when we toured together with them, it was a co-headlining thing — we were sharing the lights and the video and the sound. We had to work together on a lot of things. And I'm very used to running our band and our organization and our live touring situation a certain way, and I guess Geoff is used to it his way, so inevitably, as much of a great time we had, there was also moments where I wanted something some way and he maybe wanted it the other, so as kind of the two heads of our organizations, inevitably, maybe, he got turned off by my headstrongness and same vice versa. I guess when you're kind of a perfectionist, or a controlling person, and you have to kind of share that situation with another band, it's tough, and maybe some of it rubbed him the wrong way. But I've had nothing but good stuff to say about that tour we did together — it was a lot of fun, every night we jammed together, and I thought it was a great thing for the fans, and we had a good time. There were little things here and there in terms of the whole behind-the-scenes thing, but it was really all a very, very good-spirited tour.

"It's hard in the age of the Internet to keep things cool and not get blown up. After what went down here with Geoff and me, it was all over Blabbermouth the next day and then from there it was on every web site from here to Australia, and the fans get into it with each other, and they blow it up, and every word is dissected. That's the scary part. I know I did a Metal Sludge interview back in 2000 — it was like six years ago — and I still get heat over that. Because everything you say on the Internet gets spread around and people just blow it up into the biggest thing."

Resurrected 1990s Florida-based death metallers MASSACRE will release a seven-inch single, "Condemned To The Shadows", on July 30, in time for the group's appearance at the Wacken Open Air festival in Germany. The single, which will be available as a regular black-wax version, a transparent wax limited edition and a yellow-wax limited edition, will contain two brand new songs — "Succumb To Rapture" and "Back From Beyond" — that were recorded in February at CGM Studios in Altamonte Springs, Florida with Tim Vazquez at the helm.

The cover artwork for "Condemned To The Shadows" was created by Richard Schouten and can be seen below. According to MASSACRE guitarist Frederick "Rick Rozz" DeLillo, "the art will wrap around from front to back of the seven-inch."

"Succumb To Rapture" is now available for streaming using the SoundCloud player below.

After their trip to Germany, the guys will start working hard on a new album to be released worldwide on Century Media Records in early 2013.

MASSACRE played "Succumb To Rapture" for the first time during the group's January 14 headlining concert at The Brass Mug in Tampa, Florida. Video footage of the performance can be seen below (courtesy of Brutal Broadcast).

The Brass Mug show marked the first-ever appearance by MASSACRE's new lineup, which consists of bassist Terry Butler and guitarist Frederick "Rick Rozz" DeLillo alongside the band's latest additions, Mike Mazzonetto (drums; M INC., PAIN PRINCIPLE) and Ed Webb (vocals; DIABOLIC, GENERICHRIST, DESTINED TO RUIN).

MASSACRE's current lineup is as follows:

* Mike Mazzonetto (M INC., PAIN PRINCIPLE) - Drums
* Ed Webb (DIABOLIC, GENERICHRIST, DESTINED TO RUIN) - Vocals
* Frederick "Rick Rozz" DeLillo (MANTAS, DEATH) – Guitar
* Terry Butler (OBITUARY, SIX FEET UNDER, DEATH) – Bass

Rozz started his career at the age of 16 when he formed MANTAS with Chuck Schuldiner. The band's "Death By Metal" demo from 1984 was as influential on the early death metal scene as early recordings by POSSESSED (who released their infamous "Death Metal" demo the same year) and HELLHAMMER's 1983 demos. MANTAS changed its name to DEATH later in 1984, followed by the creation of MASSACRE, with Butler joining the group a short time later. After recording and touring as members of DEATH, Rozz and Butler released the MASSACRE death metal cult classic "From Beyond" in 1991, influencing generations of extreme metal bands worldwide.

"From Beyond" was reissued as a limited-edition digipak CD via Earache Records.The long-out-of-print album was made available on CD with four bonus EP tracks and comes housed in a digipak with extended artwork and a fold-out poster.

A different version of MASSACRE — consisting of DENIAL FIEND members Sam Williams (guitar), Curt Beeson (drums; NASTY SAVAGE), along with Terry Butler, Steve Swanson (guitar) and Kam Lee (vocals; MASSACRE, DEATH, MANTAS) — completed a European tour in late 2007.

Swedish hard rockers BULLET will release their new album, "Full Pull", on September 14 via Nuclear Blast Records. The CD was recorded at Gutterview Recorders in Solna, Sweden with producers Nicke Andersson (HELLACOPTERS, ENTOMBED) and Fred Estby (DISMEMBER). The band states, "We think this is going to be our best album thus far. Expect the hardest-rocking BULLET album yet recorded!"

"Full Pull" track listing:

01. Midnight Oil
02. Full Pull
03. Running Away
04. All Fired Up
05. Rolling Home
06. In The Heat
07. High On The Hog
08. Rush Hour
09. Freeriding
10. Gutterview
11. Warriors

Bonus track:

12. Get On

A one-and-a-half-minute teaser for "Full Pull" can be seen below.

A new single, "Full Pull", will be released on July 13 via Nuclear Blast Records. The single will be available digitally and on vinyl, with various colours.

The track listing is as follows:

Side A: "Full Pull"
Side B: "Get On"

BULLET's third full-length album "Highway Pirates", entered the official chart in Sweden at position No. 3.

"Highway Pirates" was mixed by Tobias Lindell, who has previously worked with such Swedish rock bands as EUROPE, MUSTASCH and HARDCORE SUPERSTAR.

Texas heavy rockers DROWNING POOL have tapped Jasen Moreno from fellow Dallas band THE SUICIDE HOOK as their new vocalist.

Moreno made his live debut with DROWNING POOL this past Sunday, July 8 at Outlawz Night Club in Ardmore, Oklahoma.

Video footage of DROWNING POOL performing the song "Tear Away" with Moreno on vocals on July 10 at Club Fever in South Bend, Indiana can be found at this location.

In a radio interview conducted at this past May's Rock On The Range festival in Columbus, Ohio, DROWNING POOL guitarist C.J. Pierce declined to reveal the identity of his band's new singer, but he did offer that the vocalist's first name contained the letter "J."

Regarding DROWNING POOL's plans for the immediate future, Pierce said, "We've been in the studio. DROWNING POOL is recording a new record. We have three weeks left. I've been in the studio all year long and I haven't gone out at all — 12-hour days, seven days a week; I'm not kidding. . . We have our first coming out show with the new [singer], we're gonna be opening up for MÖTLEY CRÜE on July 13 — it's a radio show in Wisconsin, which is great, to get started, again, right where you left off. We were fortunate… Things have been, the last few years… I mean, things are flowing again. It's been great. . . But the new record is heavier, there's more metal on it, there's a lot of double bass, a lot of guitar solos… stepping up a notch."

DROWNING POOL parted ways with vocalist Ryan McCombs late last year, with Pierce telling the 97-1 The Eagle radio station in Dallas, Texas at the time that the singer and his former bandmates simply "grew apart." He explained, "If you're gonna write music together and tour together, you've gotta be hitting on all four cylinders — everybody's gotta be on the same page. . . So instead of going into the studio and trying to force something and just throwing out a record there, [we thought it would be] better if we part ways now while we're still on good terms."

McCombs joined the band in 2005 and provided some stability on the microphone after the group's first two albums featured two different vocalists. Original frontman Dave Williams died on tour in 2002 after singing on the band's debut, "Sinner". He was replaced by Jason "Gong" Jones, who also contributed to one record, "Desensitized", before being shown the door in 2004.

McCombs sang on two studio efforts by DROWNING POOL, 2007's "Full Circle" and 2010's self-titled fourth album.

DROWNING POOL's fifth album is tentatively due in October.

Australian metalcore band PARKWAY DRIVE is currently bunkered down in a Los Angeles studio hard at work on its fourth album. The recording is due to take seven weeks, which is the longest time the band has spent on any album. Production is being overseen by Matt Hyde, whose vast resume includes SLAYER, SUM 41, ALKALINE TRIO, HATEBREED and CHILDREN OF BODOM.

The as-yet-untitled effort is the follow-up to 2010's phenomenally successful "Deep Blue", which debuted No. 39 on The Billboard 200 chart, and No. 2 in Australia, where it reached solid gold status and won the ARIA Award for "Best Hard Rock/Heavy Metal Album". PARKWAY DRIVE also just released a visually stunning Blu-ray and DVD, "Home Is For The Heartless", which can be found by going to the Epitaph store.

PARKWAY DRIVE vocalist Winston McCall says new material flowed easily in the wake of "Deep Blue", which saw the group tap a rich vein of creativity.

"When we finished 'Deep Blue', I was, like, 'I don't know where we go from here.' But if there was ever a way to step up from the last record, this is the way to do it," McCall says. "We're expanding in every way we can. But at the same time — and I say this with every new record — it still sounds like PARKWAY."

"Home Is For The Heartless" was shot in 42 countries on 5 continents. The 75-minute DVD is both a rare travelogue and an in-depth look at PARKWAY DRIVE on stage and off. In addition to footage of some of the craziest shows the band has ever played, it also captures some of their greatest adventures and most poignant shared moments. Traveling to many obscure destinations, including some third-world cities that had never been visited by an international heavy band, PARKWAY DRIVE embrace the local peoples and cultures as a vital part of their experience.

Fan-filmed video footage of IRON MAIDEN's July 11 performance at Bell Centre in Montreal, Quebec, Canada can be seen below.

The band's setlist was as follows:

01. Moonchild
02. Can I Play With Madness
03. The Prisoner
04. 2 Minutes To Midnight
05. Afraid To Shoot Strangers
06. The Trooper
07. The Number Of The Beast
08. Phantom Of The Opera
09. Run To The Hills
10. Wasted Years
11. Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son
12. The Clairvoyant
13. Fear Of The Dark
14. Iron Maiden

Encore:

15. Aces High
16. The Evil That Men Do
17. Running Free

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.

SLIPKNOT frontman Corey Taylor passed out at the end of the last song of the band's set last night (Tueday, July 10) at the Dallas, Texas stop of the Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival tour. He tweeted earlier today, "I'm fine — just overheated in Dallas last night. Ready and waiting for Houston! Thank you to everyone for your concerns!"

Fan-filmed video footage of the incident can be seen below. (Corey passes out around 1:50 mark.)

In other news, SLIPKNOT's final live performance of 2012 will be broadcast worldwide via pay per view during the group's first-ever Knotfest, an extraordinary two-date metal and hard rock festival. The "Slipknot Live At Knotfest" event from Somerset, Wisconsin is in partnership with TODOCAST and Event View Live. The official broadcast site will launch today, July 11 via www.EventViewLive.com.

"One of our long-time dreams, is finally coming to fruition with the creation of Knotfest," says M. Shawn Crahan (a.k.a. Clown) of SLIPKNOT. "Our goal was to create a festival experience which screamed our vision. It means everything for everyone to see the live spectacle we're creating in the flesh, but we understand some fans around the world can't be at the show. We've now made it possible for you to be there in spirit — so join us live on August 18th."

The "Slipknot Live At Knotfest" event can be accessed from any Internet device at $14.95 for early bird fans starting today, July 11 through August 11. The week before the event, the price will rise to $19.95. Fans who purchase early will receive full access to "Slipknot Saturdays" which begin Saturday, July 14 (and continue each Saturday until the event) and feature exclusive SLIPKNOT performances and video footage documenting the road to Knotfest.

The "Slipknot Live At Knotfest" event will include all the insanity that goes on backstage. Fans can pause it. Rewind it. Re-watch it. Day-of-show footage includes a behind-the-scenes tour of the festival grounds, pre-show interviews with Knotfest artists and Mistress Juliya, the stunning high definition main-stage performance of SLIPKNOT as well as exclusive post-show interviews with the band. The entire "Slipknot Live At Knotfest" event package is available to purchasers for on-demand viewing for 30 days following the event.

Harley Flanagan, who founded the legendary hardcore band the CRO-MAGS at the age of 14 and toured with the band for some twenty years, was arrested in New York City on July 6 on charges of attacking several members of the new CRO-MAGS lineup during the CBGB Festival. Flanagan, who had been a panelist at one of the event's seminars, allegedly attempted to attend the concert of his former band. Neither Harley Flanagan nor Parris Mayhew, the two founding members of the band, is still in the CRO-MAGS.

According to news reports, William Berario, 45, was slashed above the eye and bitten on his cheek, and Michael "The Gook" Couls was cut on his arm and stomach during the incident, which happened around 8:30 p.m. Flanagan was seen in photographs posted on BoweryBoogie.com being wheeled from the venue by EMTs. He was reportedly taken to Bellevue Hospital to be treated for a broken leg and was charged with second-degree assault and criminal possession of a weapon.

Harley Flanagan has been a well-known personality in New York and the underground music scene. At 9 years old, he published a book of poetry with an introduction written by famed beat poet Allen Ginsberg; at 12 he was playing drums for the punk band THE STIMULATORS; and the CRO-MAGS' first release, "Age Of Quarrel", is considered a quintessential hardcore anthem. Recently, Flanagan was the subject of a chapter in the book "Art That Kills" by George Petros about leaders of the Aesthetic Terrorism Art Movement.

Since the CRO-MAGS disbanded, Flanagan has gone on to become a martial arts expert and instructor, the father of two young sons, and to record a solo project called HARLEY'S WAR.

Flanagan is in jail awaiting a $25,000 bail, of which a percentage must be paid.

Friends and fans of Harley Flanagan have set us a defense fund to help cover his attorney fees and hopefully make his bail. Donations for the fund can be made here.

Peter Hodgson of Gibson.com recently conducted an interview with guitarist Richie Faulkner of British heavy metal legends JUDAS PRIEST. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

Gibson.com: You've been in JUDAS PRIEST for over a year now and the fans seem to have welcomed you with open arms. How does that feel? Were you worried about how you'd be accepted?

Richie: I think that any big change in such a legendary band is going to bring a certain amount of skepticism and when people don't know the outcome, we tend to fear the worst. The band and me were sure that when the fans came to see us live, all fears would be put to bed. It astonishes, really, how the fans have welcomed me into the family and I feel honored to be accepted in the way that I have been. The great thing is, even though the fans didn't know how it was gonna be at first, they still believed in the band, got their tickets and came to see the show. When the opening song kicked in, all politics and uncertainty seemed to be blown out the door and everyone was just part of a huge family, ya know? Hats off to the fans for that and a massive thank you.

Gibson.com: How much lead-up did you have between getting the PRIEST gig and stepping on stage with them?

Richie: It was about a month before rehearsals started for the "Epitaph" tour that I got the gig. We rehearsed for two weeks and then flew out to L.A. to play on the finale of "American Idol". So my first show with the band was in front of nearly 30 million people! No pressure then guys, eh?! We then flew back to England again to continue rehearsing, so I think it was about two months in total before we played the first show of the "Epitaph" tour.

Gibson.com: Are you writing new material with PRIEST? And are you able to fit in your own musical pursuits at the moment?

Richie: We are working on a new album. Glenn [Tipton, guitar] and Rob [Halford, vocals] started writing material early 2011 before I joined the band, and I got together with them earlier this year to work on some more tracks with them. We're getting together again after the summer to do some more writing and if all goes to plan, we might have the album out early next year. The ideas we have so far are sounding very strong and very PRIEST, so watch this space!

Read the entire interview from Gibson.com.

Metal Army America recently conducted an interview with Michael Gilbert, guitarist and songwriter for American thrash metal legends FLOTSAM AND JETSAM. You can now listen to the chat in the YouTube clip below.

FLOTSAM AND JETSAM has set "Ugly Noise" as the title of its new album, which the band is currently writing for a tentative late 2012/early 2013 release.

When asked about the progress of the songwriting sessions for the new CD, Gilbert said, "I worked with [former METALLICA and FLOTSAM AND JETSAM bassist] Jason Newsted on a few songs, and he's given me some tips about some things and opened my view up towards how I look at my music and how I want the listeners to perceive the points I'm trying to make."

He added, "[Jason] is really passionate about music, so when I called him and talked to him, I just wanted him to help out with some lyrical stuff and hear some of the music I was writing. He's a great songwriter, too. I'm not sure if everything that he got to do in METALLICA, if he was restrained a little bit, I'm not sure about all that sort of stuff, but as far as with me, anytime he wants to write with me, he's got full rein and he's got absolute say-so in everything that happens. It's a 50-50 relationship, as it would be with Eric ['A.K.' Knutson], our singer, writing music with us, or Kelly [David Smith], our drummer."

Regarding the musical direction of the new FLOTSAM AND JETSAM material, Gilbert said, "It's probably the most mature it's ever been, but if you wanna classify it as close to any other record that we've done, it's probably gonna be close to [1995's] 'Drift'. If we were gonna make a record right after 'Drift', which was out fifth record, 'Ugly Noise' would be the next one — with this lineup, you know."

Funding for the next FLOTSAM AND JETSAM album is being aided by the PledgeMusic.com project, which encourages fans to contribute funds to the recording of albums and the artists themselves to donate to charity as a part of their fundraising.

FLOTSAM AND JETSAM last summer parted ways with drummer Craig Nielsen and was rejoined by Kelly David Smith.

The band's current lineup is the same as the one that recorded the "Cuatro" (1992), "Drift" (1995) and "High" (1997) albums:

Eric "A.K." Knutson - Vocals
Ed Carlson - Guitar
Michael Gilbert - Guitar
Jason Ward - Bass
Kelly David Smith – Drums

FLOTSAM AND JETSAM's latest album, "The Cold", was released in Europe in February 2011 via Nuclear Blast. The CD's cover artwork was created by Travis Smith, who has previously worked with OPETH, NEVERMORE, AMORPHIS and KING DIAMOND, among others.

"The Cold" was released in North America on September 14, 2010.

According to Kicks On Fire, the new collaboration between METALLICA and Vans — one of the world's leaders in the shoe and apparel market — is slated for release next year, honoring the 30th anniversary of the band's first studio album, "Kill 'Em All". The "Kill 'Em All" pack will consist of both the Vans Slip On and Sk8 Hi, with each one dressed in the hand and hammer design used for the cover art. Done in red, white and black, the vibrant kicks will give anyone instant rock-star status.

Originally issued on July 25, 1983 through the independent label Megaforce Records, "Kill 'Em All" was recorded in two weeks on a miniscule budget in upstate New York. Although only 1,500 copies were initially pressed, the album was reissued by Elektra Records after the band signed to that label in 1984 and has since been certified triple platinum for sales of more than three million copies.

The original title of "Kill 'Em All" was "Metal Up Your Ass".

The album's opening cut, "Hit the Lights", was the first song that frontman James Hetfield and drummer Lars Ulrich wrote together after forming METALLICA. An early version of the track appeared on the 1982 compilation "Metal Massacre".

Lead guitarist Dave Mustaine was replaced by Kirk Hammett shortly before recording commenced, although Mustaine still has several writing credits on the disc and went on to form MEGADETH.

A number of songs from the album are still part of METALLICA's set list to this day, including "The Four Horsemen", "Seek and Destroy" and "No Remorse".

METALLICA has since gone on to become one of the biggest rock bands in the world, selling tens of millions of copies of its eight studio albums, including 15 million alone of 1991's self-titled "black album." The band's ninth effort, "Death Magnetic", arrived in 2008.

In 2008, Metal Blade Records owner and CEO Brian Slagel conducted interviews with James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich to coincide with the 25th anniversary of "Kill 'Em All". Watch the six-and-a-half-minute clip below.

Eagle Rock Entertainment has announce the September 25 release of the Freddie Mercury DVD and Blu-ray, "The Great Pretender".

Created by the same team behind the widely acclaimed "Queen: Days Of Our Lives" BBC documentary, "The Great Pretender", in similar vein, presents a compelling insight into its subject matter, unearthing previously undiscovered or rarely seen footage and presented for the first time in High Definition.

Produced and directed by Rhys Thomas, life-long QUEEN fan and expert (to the extent that Rhys famously broke the "Mastermind" all-time record points score with a specialist subject of QUEEN), Rhys has this time turned his attention to the Freddie archive, going back as early as 1976 in search of vintage gems which reveal more than ever before the inside story of Freddie's life and career and the solo projects he worked on outside of QUEEN.

The extensive archive footage is drawn from rare interviews with Freddie, concerts, video shoots and personal material, much of it being seen for the first time, along with newly filmed contributions from fellow QUEEN members Brian May and Roger Taylor, QUEEN manager Jim Beach, soprano Montserrat Caballé, composers David Arnold and Mike Moran, lyricist Tim Rice, comedian and lifelong fan Matt Lucas and many more.

From it emerges a portrait of a man who was very different to his flamboyant onstage public persona.

Among the treasures to be anticipated, "The Great Pretender" includes for the first time ever Freddie and Rod Stewart singing their demo for "Take Another Piece Of My Heart", an unreleased song from 1984, a snippet of the unreleased Michael Jackson / Freddie Mercury collaboration "There Must Be More To Life Than This", and Freddie with the Royal Ballet 1979 — never seen in full before.

Rhys, whose extensive scouting for lost material turned up a copy of the band's first TV appearance among the belongings of late comedian Dick Emery, brings to the light Freddie's earliest filmed interview from 1976 unearthed in Australia and another unseen interview from 1976 filmed by NBC in the USA.

Rhys also found 10 cans of Freddie's 39th Black and White birthday party in Mrs. Henderson's nightclub in Munich in 1985. Originally filmed for the video for "Living On My Own", and promptly banned by Freddie's record company because of its cross-dressing theme, there's much to be enjoyed in watching Freddie and his friends go full out in their efforts to help Freddie celebrate his last birthday before turning 40.

On top of this, "The Great Pretender" has a feast of outtakes from the video shoots for "I Want To Break Free", "One Vision", "Days Of Our Lives", "I Want It All", "A Kind Of Magic", "Princes Of The Universe", "Living On My Own", "Born To Love You", "Great Pretender", "Made In Heaven" and "Who Wants To Live Forever".

As bonus features (that will not make up part of the version to be broadcast by the BBC), the program includes "Freddie Mercury Goes Solo" and an extended interview with Montserrat Caballé.

Coinciding with the release of "The Great Pretender" DVD will come the release of the new "Barcelona: Special Edition" album with Freddie and Montserrat's original album re-recorded with full 80 piece orchestra (a feature on the making of this album is included on both formats) and a new book, also entitled "The Great Pretender" with matching artwork, in September. The Savoy Hotel hosts the second "Freddie For A Day" charity event on September 3 in aid of The Mercury Phoenix Trust - Fighting Aids Worldwide and there is a special premiere of "The Great Pretender" film at BAFTA on September 6.

Freddie Mercury was one of the most charismatic, complex and fascinating characters in British rock music. A generous, caring, thoughtful man with a self-deprecating sense of humor and a genuine passion for music. Freddie Mercury touched the lives of millions through his career both with QUEEN and as a solo performer and this new program is sure to delight and inform his legions of fans as never before.