During a recent conversation with Ultimate Classic Rock, legendary bassist Rudy Sarzo (OZZY OSBOURNE, QUIET RIOT, WHITESNAKE, DIO) revealed that he has parted ways with BLUE ÖYSTER CULT.

"Due to my scheduling with other projects that I'm doing, it became a little bit hard for me to keep a really solid working schedule with BLUE ÖYSTER CULT, so we amicably, we just basically parted ways," Sarzo said. "So they can actually find somebody who can devote more time to the band and I can actually pursue other bands that I'm doing."

Sarzo's other projects include the Japanese anime-inspired project ANIMETAL USA and TRED, the new band featuring former ANTHRAX singer Dan Nelson, TWISTED SISTER drummer AJ Pero and ADRENALINE MOB guitarist Mike Orlando. His time is further occupied by shows with the official Ronnie James Dio tribute band DIO DISCIPLES and his ongoing duties with the Rock And Roll Fantasy Camp.

A collector's edition of Rudy's book, "Off the Rails: Aboard the Crazy Train in the Blizzard of Ozz", was released in August 2008 via TooSmart! Publishing. According to Sarzo, "The new edition is beautiful and includes many more pictures throughout the book as well as a 16-page glossy spread of Ross Halfin photos from the beginning of our tour."

"Off the Rails" includes a first-person account from Rudy's personal day-by-day diary of events while touring with Ozzy Osbourne and Randy Rhoads in the early Eighties. The book was originally due in 2005 but was delayed after Sharon Osbourne allegedly applied pressure to have it pulled.

On February 24, Dani Buarque of the "Lokaos Rock Show" conducted an interview with Sarzo prior to BLUE ÖYSTER CULT's concert at HSBC Brasil in São Paulo, Brazil. You can watch the chat below.

Swedish death metallers DEMONICAL have issued the following update:

"As a lot of people have asked us during the past months what's up with the DEMONICAL lineup, we feel that it is time to sort things out.

"Since February Pablo Magallanes [guitar] is no longer a member of DEMONICAL. Only about two months after he officially joined the band we had to part ways due to him moving back to South America and as a result of this, some of the shows during the spring were done as four-piece.

"The timing of Pablo's departure was not the best as Johan [Jansson, guitar] had already last autumn notified us that because of personal reasons he needs to take some time off from all touring activities during this summer. However, Johan will be back again after the summer and everything will be back to normal.

"We have not yet decided and feel no rush in deciding what to do with the vacant guitarist slot. We will continue as a five-piece live — that's for sure — but in which form (full-time or session member) is yet to be decided.

"As of now, we have Daniel Gustavsson and Antti Kurvinen with us to fill in on guitars and so far everything has worked out incredible well.

"The shows we have done this spring have been awesome - actually some of the best shows we have ever done — and we are all very much looking forward to the exciting festivals and club battles that we have ahead of us."

DEMONICAL's third album, "Death Infernal", was released in April 2011 via Germany's Cyclone Empire Records. The CD was recorded, mixed and mastered at Necromorbus Studio (WATAIN, UNANIMATED, DESTRÖYER 666) in Alvik, Sweden under the watchful eye of DEMONICAL frontman Sverker Widgren. Other individuals taking part in the creation of "Death Infernal" were Costin Chioreanu of Twilight 13 Media and photographer Soile Siirtola.

Bergen-based post-metal crew KRAKOW has debuted two tracks from its upcoming album, "diin", which is set for release on Dark Essence Records in September of this year. "diin" will be KRAKOW's sophomore album, and a follow-up to their 2009 debut, "Monolith". The tracks "Hymn to the Winds" and "Future Past" can be heard using the SoundCloud player below.

As well as well as having debuted the tracks, KRAKOW have also revealed the cover art for "diin", which has been designed by one of America's foremost tattoo artist Thomas Hooper. Brooklyn-based Hooper, who, as well as being a tattooist is also well known for his paintings and designs, has previously worked with bands such as DOOMRIDERS, TOMB, SCOTT KELLY and OLD MAN GLOOM. According to KRAKOW guitarist and vocalist René Misje, the chance to work with Hooper is something the band relishes. "We are proud to have had such a talented and renowned artist to create the artwork for our new album," he said. "We are big admirers of his work and we were honoured when he agreed to work with us. We are eternally grateful and can only hope that our music does justice to his art."

Formed in 2005 by Frode Kilvik (bass, vocals), Kjartan Grønhaug (guitar) and René Misje (guitar, vocals), the band recently added KAMPFAR and MONDVOLLAND drummer Ask Ty Arctander to their lineup. With a sound that ranges from dark, evocative and mesmerizing to fast, aggressive and heavy, KRAKOW is a band that is not easily categorised, fitting as it does equally well within the post-rock, metal and stoner rock genres.

On October 29, 2007, a tour bus accident claimed the life of DECAPITATED drummer Witold "Vitek" Kieltyka, and gravely injured the band's lead singer, Adrian "Covan" Kowanek, who has yet to make a full recovery.

After he underwent what was deemed to be "successful" neurosurgery, a 36-hour pharmacological coma ended with Covan suffering a cardiac arrest and diffuse cerebral hypoxia (wherein brain impairment occurs due to low blood oxygen levels) because of alleged "medical negligence." Covan returned home after another six months of treatment in October 2008. Since then, Covan has made vast improvements, but still is unable to communicate and care for himself and requires 24-hour care.

A documentary about Covan and "Covan Wake The Fuck Up Tour", which was held in January this year, will be available for purchase the last quarter of this year. All proceeds from the disc sales will go to cover Adrian's treatment. The DVD will include footage of the January 28 concert at the club Kwadrat in Krakow as well as a documentary and other bonus features.

33 bands from the Polish rock and metal scenes took part in a charity tour, "Covan Wake The Fuck Up Tour 2012", to help Covan.

The following bands performed in 10 biggest cities in Poland:

HUNTER
DECAPITATED
FRONTSIDE
VIRGIN SNATCH
CHAINSAW
CORRUPTION
TRAUMA
THY DISEASE
QUO VADIS
PARRICIDE
MASACHIST
NEOLITH
ANAL STENCH
MADE OF HATE
TOTEM
CIRYAM
BUTELKA
DEIVOS
MILCZENIE OWIEC
ALASTOR
CALM HATCHERY
BEHEADING MACHINE
THE SIXPOUNDER
HEART ATTACK
OGOTAY
REDEMPTOR
LOSTBONE
THRASHER DEATH
DEVON
EMPATIC

The tour started on January 19 in Pod Palma club in Rzeszow and wrapped on January 28 at Kwadrat club in Krakow. This final concert was narrated by the famous satirist Adam Grzanka from the "Chatelet" cabaret.

At each concert there was a merchandise sale of a special "Covan Wake The Fuck Up" collection. All proceeds from these sales and ticket sales were supposed to be transferred to directly to Adrian's family.

A four-and-a-half-minute video report from Poland's national television station TVP on Covan's current medical status can be seen below. The report itself is in Polish, but English subtitles are available by clicking on the "CC" button below the video's progress bar.

For more information, go to www.wakeupcovan.com.

DVD trailer:

A guitar/bass demonstration video for the song "Overcome" from New Brunswick, New Jersey's melodic, thrash-metal warriors GOD FORBID can be seen below. The clip features Doc Coyle (guitar, vocals), Matt Wicklund (lead guitar) and John Outcalt (bass).

"Overcome" comes off GOD FORBID's new album, "Equilibrium", which sold 3,400 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 156 on The Billboard 200 chart. The effort landed at No. 7 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.

"Equilibrium" was released on March 27 via Victory Records. The bulk of the CD was recorded by Mark Lewis (THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, WHITECHAPEL, DEVILDRIVER, TRIVIUM), with Jason Suecof (TRIVIUM, ALL THAT REMAINS, THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, CHIMAIRA, DEVILDRIVER) stepping in during the the vocal-tracking stage. The effort was mixed by acclaimed Swedish producer Jens Bogren, who has previously worked with such acts as KATATONIA, OPETH, PARADISE LOST and AMON AMARTH.

Fan-filmed video footage of SCORPIONS' June 26 concert at Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas can be seen below.

During a recent interview with ArizonaRepublic.com, SCORPIONS guitarist Matthias Jabs was asked what "different things" he is planning on doing following the band's current farewell tour. "I don't know," he said. "Do you know what you're doing three years from now? The SCORPIONS will not break up. We're giving up the constant touring, into the studio, out of the studio, back on the road. At some point, you have to say, 'OK, thank you very much.' We have a project which we will probably release next year. We have so much film material. We will work on something like an anthology, some kind of box set. And nobody has said we'll never hit the stage again, for one show somewhere in the world. Why not? If somebody wants to see us desperately, yes, OK, here we are. There's also the chance ... that we would get terribly bored just sitting around at home, and we would call each other and go, 'Let's play a few shows.' But the intense touring, the way we've been doing it for decades now, it had to come to an end. The one-off show, fine. We were approached to play for the opening of the World Cup Championships in 2014. That is not confirmed, but those opportunities, we would not let slip away. We're scheduled until December 15 this year. That's the last show. It's somewhere in a small town in Germany. After that, we don't know."

When asked if the SCORPIONS' next project will consist of new material, Jabs said, "The first three months of this year, we took off to work in the studio, resurrecting unfinished songs from what some people say was our best time, leftovers from the albums 'Blackout', 'Love At First Sting', 'Crazy World', 'Savage Amusement', all the albums from the '80s and early '90s. 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."

SLIPKNOT has released the following statement:

"We're sorry to announce that our brother Jim Root [guitar] will not be performing with us at [Rockstar Energy Drink] Mayhem [Festival] today in San Bernardino due to serious health issues. Jim has been seriously sick for the past two weeks and went to the hospital last week where he was advised that his appendix burst a couple weeks before and that it could have been life-threatening. Jim is at home recovering and is awaiting surgery to have pieces of his appendix removed and hopes to join the tour as soon as he is able. SLIPKNOT will continue to headline the Mayhem festival and all other shows. We refuse to let our fans down and will not miss a single date. We will miss Jim greatly and our thoughts are with him. Jim sends his love to each and every one of our fans."

SLIPKNOT began its return last summer with a European tour, continued it earlier this year with jaunts through Australia and South America, and will now complete it this summer with a headlining slot on the Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival. The icing on the cake will be Knotfest, two festival dates put together by the band itself on August 17 in Council Bluffs, Iowa and August 18 in Somerset, Wisconsin.

In addition to the headliners, both days will include sets from DEFTONES, LAMB OF GOD, DETHKLOK, SERJ TANKIAN and PRONG.

Also playing at the Iowa show will be THE URGE and DIRTFEDD, while the Wisconsin show will also feature CANNIBAL CORPSE, GOJIRA and THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN.

Knotfest is being positioned as a "dark carnival experience," and the event will feature circus tents, pillars of fire, amusement park rides, burlesque performers, fire-breathers, stilt walkers, drum circles made of junkyard cars, graffiti walls and even a SLIPKNOT museum.

The festival will mark the end of a two-year grieving period for the band following the May 2010 death of bassist Paul Gray from an overdose of drugs.

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.

SLIPKNOT will also release its first-ever mobile app, Wear The Mask. The app will be made available simultaneously with "Antennas To Hell" and is marketed as part mask builder, part social connector for fans.

One of the greatest Brazilian heavy metal bands has rejoined forces with its original lead singer after 22 years. VIPER reunited with vocalist André Matos (ANGRA, SHAAMAN) in order to celebrate the 25-year anniversary of the release of the group's album "Soldiers Of Sunrise". For the first time ever, VIPER played its first two LPs, "Soldiers Of Sunrise" and "Theater Of Fate", in their entirety, on June 22 at Central Rock Bar in Santo André, São Paulo, Brazil. Fan-filmed video footage of the concert can be seen below.

In addition to Matos, VIPER's current lineup includes Pit Passarell (bass, vocals), Felipe Machado (guitar) and Guilherme Martin (drums). Hugo Mariutti has replaced Yves Passarell during the trek, the setlist for which contains "nice surprises for the fans."

The "To Live Again Tour 2012" is the only opportunity for fans to check out VIPER in this formation.

Fan-filmed video footage of VAN HALEN's entire June 1 concert at Staples Center in Los Angeles, California can be seen below.

The band's setlist was as follows:

01. Unchained
02. Runnin' With The Devil
03. She's The Woman
04. Romeo Delight
05. Tattoo
06. Everybody Wants Some!!
07. Somebody Get Me A Doctor
08. China Town
09. Hear About It Later
10. Oh, Pretty Woman (ROY ORBISON Cover)
11. Drum Solo
12. You Really Got Me (THE KINKS cover)
13. The Trouble With Never
14. Dance The Night Away
15. I'll Wait
16. And The Cradle Will Rock…
17. Hot For Teacher
18. Women In Love
19. Beautiful Girls
20. Ice Cream Man (JOHN BRIM cover)
21. Panama
22. Guitar Solo
23. Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love
24. Jump

As previously reported, Eddie Van Halen and his son, VAN HALEN bassist Wolfgang Van Halen, gave a rare joint interview to USA Today on June 13 in which they discussed the reason for the band canceled more than 30 summer tour dates following a June 26 show in New Orleans. Eddie explained, "We bit off more than we could chew. This record took a lot out of us. And we went on tour earlier than we wanted to so we could play Madison Square Garden (in March, before a renovation), and that threw the schedule out of whack."

Eddie added that "a lot of the canceled dates were in cities we already played," but promised that VAN HALEN will return to U.S. stages later on: "In November, we'll hit Japan, and in the New Year, we'll possibly do something special, but I can't talk about it."

When the canceled shows were announced, rumors originally began circulating that Eddie and singer David Lee Roth were feuding again. But Eddie denied that, saying, "Dave's the same as he's always been, funny, witty. Sometimes I can only take that in small doses, because he just goes on and on."

Wolfgang added, "He's like the Energizer Bunny — wind it up and see what happens," while his father said, "But Dave always lands on his feet."

Roth himself posted a video message online explaining the scrapped dates, saying that "the band is getting along famously, better than we have in quite some time . . . (but) if we continue past July 4 and all the way into Australia and Japan then we're asking for the robot zombie tour."

VAN HALEN is touring behind "A Different Kind Of Truth", its first album in 14 years and first with Roth since 1984.

QUEEN's Roger Taylor and Brian May joined forces with "American Idol" runner-up Adam Lambert last night (Saturday, June 30) to take part in the Elena Pinchuk ANTIAIDS Foundation charity concert at Maidan Nezalezhnosti (Independence Square) in Kiev. The show was the largest social and cultural event of Euro 2012 and attracted hundreds of thousands of people on the main square of Ukraine and was seen by millions of viewers on TV screens throughout Ukraine and Poland.

In recognition of the importance and the charitable status of this project, the musicians who performed last night waived their fees.

The concert was held under UEFA support one day before the Euro 2012 final in the official Fan zone of the football championship. It was broadcasted live on Ukrainian and Polish Television.

QUEEN + Adam Lambert setlist:

01. Flash (intro)
02. Seven Seas Of Rhye
03. Keep Yourself Alive
04. We Will Rock You (Fast)
05. Fat Bottomed Girls
06. Don’t Stop Me Now
07. Under Pressure (Roger/Adam duet)
08. I Want It All
09. Who Wants To Live Forever
10. A Kind Of Magic (Roger)
11. These Are Days Of Our Lives (Roger)
12. Love Of My Life (Brian)
13. 39 (Brian)
14. Dragon Attack
15. Drum Battle / Guitar Solo
16. I Want To Break Free
17. Another One Bites The Dust
18. Radio Ga Ga
19. Somebody To Love
20. Crazy Little Thing Called Love
21. The Show Must Go On
22. Bohemian Rhapsody

Encore:

23. Tie Your Mother Down (Brian)
24. We Will Rock You
25. We Are The Champions

Video footage can be seen below.

Adam Lambert said last month that he knows that he can't replace Freddie Mercury in his shows fronting QUEEN — but he doesn't intend to let anyone down either. He told the Daily Mail that when he performs with the remaining members of QUEEN, Brian May and Roger Taylor, he will learn from the experience.

He said, "We want to keep the music alive and give it an energy that would have made Freddie proud. You can't replace him. But playing with QUEEN is the best thing that could happen to me. My intention is to pay tribute to Freddie. I'm looking forward to spending time with Brian and Roger. I want to make myself familiar with their more obscure songs and hear some stories from the guys themselves. I'll get my own personal QUEEN documentary. Working with them is going to be a great honor, but I'm also very keen for people to hear my own music, so who knows what the future will hold?"

A video report from Czech Republic's TV Nova on the court hearing for LAMB OF GOD frontman Randy Blythe which was held earlier today in Prague in connection with the death of a fan more than two years ago can be seen at this location. The two-and-a-half-minute clip appears to contain low-quality footage of the actual incident that resulted in the fan's death (around 57-second mark).

Blythe, who was arrested Wednesday (June 27) at the Prague airport on manslaughter charges, will reportedly be released on 4 million Czech Koruna bail (approximately $200,000 — an amount which, according to the site, Randy claimed was the equivalent of his annual income). Since most banks are closed this weekend, Blythe will be allowed to pay off his bail on Monday (July 2). The singer, who did not speak at his hearing, was considered a flight risk by the judge. Photos and video footage of Blythe in court show him wearing an OBITUARY hooded sweatshirt and American flag hat. For safety reasons, he also had his shoelaces removed while he was in the pre-trial detention cell.

Blythe, 41, who was represented by two lawyers in court, is accused of causing the fatal injury that occurred at LAMB OF GOD's May 24, 2010 show in Prague. The singer apparently either pushed or struck a 19-year-old fan named Daniel N. — a guitarist in a local metal band — who had come on stage, and that person died 14 days later of bleeding in the brain. A post-mortem reportedly found that he had not been drunk or under the influence of drugs.

The crime of which Blythe is being accused is punishable by up to ten years in prison, according to popular Czech news web site Novinky.cz.

LAMB OF GOD was scheduled to perform on Thursday at the Rock Café in Prague with SKELETONWITCH and ALL SHALL PERISH but that show ended up getting canceled.

LAMB OF GOD's publicist, Adrenaline PR, issued a statement yesterday stressing that "under no circumstances was there a fight of any kind involved [during LAMB OF GOD's 2010 concert]. This incident deals with a fan that three times during the concert jumped the barricade and rushed Randy during the performance. It is alleged that the third time, security was not able to reach him and that Randy pushed him back into the audience where supposedly he fell and hit his head."

KISS performed earlier tonight (Saturday, June 30) at the Kollen Sommerfestival in Solo, Norway. Fan-filmed video footage of the concert can be seen below.

The band's setlist was as follows:

01. Detroit Rock City
02. Shout It Out Loud
03. Deuce
04. Makin' Love
05. I Love It Loud
06. Crazy Crazy Nights
07. Shock Me
08. Calling Dr. Love
09. 100,000 Years
10. Love Gun
11. Black Diamond

Encore:

12. Lick It Up
13. I Was Made For Lovin' You
14. Rock And Roll All Nite

KISS's 20th studio album, "Monster", is set for release in October through Universal Music Enterprises. The 12-track, straight-ahead rock 'n' roll album features collaborations among all four members — including co-founders Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons and longtime members guitarist Tommy Thayer and drummer Eric Singer — in an album that shows the band at the top of its game. And that's saying something, considering their illustrious, 40-plus year history — 28 U.S. gold albums, the most gold records for any American rock band, 40 million sales in the U.S., and a total exceeding 100 million worldwide.

SHADOWS FALL drummer Jason Bittner will be filling in for ANTHRAX's Charlie Benante on the the first few weeks of the Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival, which kicks off today (Saturday, June 30) in San Bernardino, California. Charlie is recovering from a minor hand injury.

Bittner most recently filled in for Benante at two ANTHRAX shows in Argentina in February.

Fan-filmed video footage of ANTHRAX's February 13 concert at Cosquin Rock in Buenos Aires, Argentina can be seen below.

Benante and ANTHRAX bassist Frank Bello (who is Charlie's nephew) missed several shows on ANTHRAX's North American tour in order to spend time with Charlie's mother, who was terminally ill. On February 4, Benante informed fans via his official web site that his mother passed away.

Bittner previously joined ANTHRAX on stage on November 8, 2011 at Northern Lights in Clifton Park, New York to perform the ANTHRAX classic "Madhouse". He also filled in on drums for Benante for two ANTHRAX shows in January 2006 after Charlie was forced to leave the tour early to attend to his wife Sandra, who gave birth to the couple's first child, Mia Charley Benante.

Video footage of SIX FEET UNDER's June 23 performance at Metro Operahouse in Oakland, California? can be seen below.

SIX FEET UNDER last month announced the addition of Swedish rhythm guitarist Ola Englund (FEARED, SCARPOINT) to their legendary ranks. Englund, who made his first official appearance with the band on the "18 Nights Of Blood Tour" earlier this month, takes the place of Rob Arnold (CHIMAIRA).

SIX FEET UNDER's new album, "Undead", was released on May 22 through Metal Blade Records. The 12-track CD was produced by Mark Lewis (DEICIDE, DEVILDRIVER) and mixed by Jason Suecof (WHITECHAPEL, JOB FOR A COWBOY), at AudioHammer Studios in Sanford, Florida.

SIX FEET UNDER's European tour will kick off on August 11 in Jaromer, Czech Republic and will conclude on August 18 in Hamburg, Germany. Support on the trek will come from DEW-SCENTED.

SIX FEET UNDER recently parted ways with bassist Matt DeVries and replaced him with Jeff Hughell, formerly of the Santa Cruz, California technical death metal band BRAIN DRILL and Concord, California death metal group VILE, and currently of RECIPROCAL.

Bassist Terry Butler and drummer Greg Gall announced their departures from SIX FEET UNDER in January 2011. Butler has since joined OBITUARY as a permanent member.

ANIMETAL USA — the American counterpart to ANIMETAL, the Japanese heavy metal band which specialized in metal covers of popular Japanese anime/tokusatsu theme songs — made its U.S. live debut yesterday (Friday, June 29) at the Anime Expo at the Los Angeles Convention Center at the Main Events/Hall G. Fan-filmed video footage of the performance can be seen below.

ANIMETAL USA released its self-titled debut album in the U.S. on June 26 via Century Media Records. A European release date will follow shortly.

The track listing of "Animetal USA" will be the same as that of the album that was issued in Japan, but will also include four bonus songs — "Touch", "JAM Project Medley", "Give Lee Give Lee Rock Lee" (Japanese single version) and "Give Lee Give Lee Rock Lee" (English version). "Give Lee Give Lee Rock Lee" will already be familiar to anime fans, as it is the opening song to the "Naruto" spin-off, "Rock Lee & His Ninja Pals".

ANIMETAL USA is:

* Mike Vescera (OBSESSION, YNGWIE MALMSTEEN, LOUDNESS) - Vocals
* Rudy Sarzo (BLUE ÖYSTER CULT, OZZY OSBOURNE, QUIET RIOT, WHITESNAKE, DIO) – Bass
* Jon Dette (SLAYER, TESTAMENT) - Drums
* Chris Impellitteri (IMPELLITTERI) - Guitar

The drums on ANIMETAL USA's debut album were laid down by JUDAS PRIEST's Scott Travis. He has since been forced to leave the group due to his touring commitments with PRIEST.

Performance:

According to EW.com, DEFTONES has set a tentative October 9 release date for its seventh album.

Regarding the musical direction of the follow-up to 2010's "Diamond Eyes", DEFTONES vocalist Chino Moreno said, "Obviously we're an aggressive band — not the heaviest, but there's a lot of attack. But there's also this lush beauty that flows within everything that we do, and that's my favorite part of the band. To me, it's the epitome of what the DEFTONES do."

The CD was once again helmed by Nick Raskulinecz, who produced "Diamond Eyes" and has also worked with FOO FIGHTERS, RUSH, EVANESCENCE and ALICE IN CHAINS. "He's a very hands-on guy," Moreno told EW.com. "We adopted a work ethic that was really productive on the last record. We said we were going to work eight hours a day, and since we had those hours, everybody in there was super focused. Before that we had been working up in Sacramento, and the vibe was everybody would come in and hang out and we would work when we got around to it. We had to get more efficient."

As in the past, DEFTONES will record a handful of covers, some of which will undoubtedly make it various special editions of the new album. "We've done a lot of '80s stuff, but we wanted to do something from farther back," Moreno explained. "We sat down and everybody had their computers on and were playing songs that we like. So we're going to do an Elvis Presley song — we have five Elvis songs that we've been talking about. And we're going to do EARTH, WIND, AND FIRE. Hopefully we'll get at least two, maybe three or four."

He added, "It's always fun. We're done with the real creative part of having to come up with music out of thin air, and now we can be experimental with someone else's song."

When asked by a person on Twitter how he felt about LAMB OF GOD frontman Randy Blythe "slaughtering" a fan during a Prague concert two years ago, leading to Randy's arrest past Wednesday when he tried to re-enter the country, DISTURBED frontman David Draiman replied, "[Randy] didnt 'slaughter' anyone. The kid jumped on stage and started a brawl, and Randy defended himself. That his life was lost in the process is truly unfortunate, but Randy is my friend and he's no murderer. I feel for the child and for the family and for Randy, but you have to understand that ever since Dimebag Darrell [late PANTERA/DAMAGEPLAN guitarist] was assaulted, shot, and murdered on stage by a 'fan,' all of us have been very defensive/cautious of anyone jumping up on stage. I'm not saying that it's OK, or justified, or anything like that, only that it's an unfortunate/tragic set of circumstances, and that I know Randy's intention was not to kill the kid. That's my opinion. I've heard yours. That is all."

Blythe, 41, is accused of causing the fatal injury that occurred at LAMB OF GOD's May 24, 2010 show in Prague. The singer apparently either pushed or struck a 19-year-old fan named Daniel N. who had come on stage, and that person died 14 days later of bleeding in the brain.

According to WTVR-TV, another Czech online news site, Aktualne.cz, has published statements from a witness — a friend of the victim — who said the fan wasn't using drugs or alcohol and fell back directly on his head. The victim lapsed into a coma and died two weeks later.

The crime of which Blythe is being accused is punishable by up to ten years in prison, according to popular Czech news web site Novinky.cz.

The "Death To All Tour 2012" kicked off this past Friday night (June 22) at the Regency Ballroom in San Francisco, California and made a stop the following night (Saturday, June 23) at the House Of Blues in West Hollywood, California. The trek, which features a majority of DEATH's amazing musicians, celebrates the life and music of Chuck Schuldiner, as well as raises awareness of Sweet Relief Musicians Fund — a charity that provides financial assistance to career musicians faced with illness, disability or age-related problems.

The drums on the "Death To All Tour 2012" are being handled by Gene Hoglan ("Individual Thought Patterns", "Symbolic"), Danny Walker (INTRONAUT, BEREFT) and Sean Reinert ("Human"). On bass is Steve DiGiorgio ("Human", "Individual Thought Patterns") and Scott Clendenin ("The Sound Of Perseverance"). Guitar duties are being shared by Paul Masvidal ("Human"), Shannon Hamm ("The Sound of Perseverance") and Bobby Koelble ("Symbolic"). The vocals are being taken care of by EXHUMED's Matt Harvey and Charles Elliott of ABYSMAL DAWN and BEREFT.

Harvey replaced OBSCURA vocalist Steffen Kummerer due to visa issues and had only nine days to learn his entire set. Harvey said of the opportunity: "To say that I'm excited about hitting the stage with such amazing musicians would be a massive understatement. To say that I'm overwhelmed standing in Chuck's spot singing his songs would be the understatement of the century. Phrases like 'it’s an honor’ get tossed around pretty casually, but taking part in this unique celebration is truly exhilarating, humbling and magical for me. Even though the name of the band is DEATH, this event is a celebration of Chuck's life and the vitality and staying power of his work. To be able to share what DEATH's music has meant to me this way is a truly once-in-a-lifetime opportunity I am incredibly grateful to have."

The "Death To All Tour 2012" concert organizers commented on Matt’s involvement: "The guys in the band, as well as the organizers and crew, want you to know Matt has been killing it! We are all very thankful for his efforts and talent, being able to pull this off on such short notice."

Fan-filmed video footage of the West Hollywood performance can be seen below. Photos are available at DirtJunior.com.

For more information, go to this location.

Chuck died on December 13, 2001 after a battle with pontine glioma, a rare type of brain tumor.

Two Swedish metal legends — strongly rumored to be Dan Swanö (EDGE OF SANITY, BLOODBATH) and Lord K. Philipson (THE PROJECT HATE MCMXCIX, TORTURE DIVISION, GOD AMONG INSECTS, HOUSE OF USHER, LEUKEMIA) — have, under the moniker IBUPROFANE, recorded the one-minute masterpiece "I.P.R.E.N." It's their death metal contribution to a competition where the company behind one of Sweden's most popular painkillers, Ipren, is looking for a new theme song for their next TV commercial. The winner gets SEK 50,000 (approximately $7,225).

You can listen to the song at this location.

For more information on how to vote on "I.P.R.E.N." (song #294), click here.

Atlanta, GA’s ROYAL THUNDER recently announced that guitarist Josh Coleman had been hospitalized due to unknown sickness.

Coleman has now released the following update:

“I wanted to let you all know that I am back in Atlanta with my family recovering after my trip to the hospital. I want to thank every single one of you for your thoughts and prayers during this time. It means more to me than you can know. I am so grateful for all your support and love! I'm going to take it easy for the next week or so and rest up so that I may rejoin my bandmates for the remainder of our tour. This whole ordeal will only make us stronger and I can't wait to get back out and rock with my family of thunder!”

American/German symphonic metallers KAMELOT last week announced the addition of Scandinavian singer Tommy Karevik to the group's ranks.

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.

Commented Tommy: "I am truly happy to finally get to write these words to you...

"It is with great respect I look at the things KAMELOT has achieved over the years, both in terms of songwriting and when it comes to reaching out to the heart of the listener.

"Changing a singer is always a big thing for a band and even more so when you had a singer like Roy [Khan]. But although I am humble before the task ahead, I am also strongly confident in the new material and in the future to come!

"I am so honored to now be a part of the family and I can't wait to move into the new era of the band together with the guys. You can rest assured I will give it my all! From this day, a new journey has begun and I am really eager to meet you all along the way to share with you my passion for this music. I believe in this, so thank you for believing in me!"

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. We want to thank all the applicants, thank you for your understanding and we wish you all lots of success in the future!"

In their 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 (see footage below).

Youngblood on the style and content of the 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."

"Our new album marks another step and a new chapter for KAMELOT and our amazing fans!"

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

For more information, visit EnterTheVault.com.

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.

Maryland-based experimental, progressive metallers PERIPHERY have issued the following update:

"We're incredibly excited to announce that our longtime friend and contributor Adam 'Nolly' Getgood (RED SEAS FIRE) will be joining PERIPHERY as a full-time member. He will be taking care of bass duties live and in the studio, and additionally will be bringing his considerable guitar playing, production and songwriting abilities to the table.

"Nolly should already be known to many, having filled-in live on both bass and guitar several times over the years. He also played all of the bass on, and co-produced, our new album, 'Periphery II: This Time It's Personal'. He will be taking up his permanent spot in the live line-up as of this October's European tour with BETWEEN THE BURIED AND ME and THE SAFETY FIRE. Our excellent friend Jeff Holcomb will be filling in on bass for all live dates between now and October, including the imminent Summer Slaughter tour."

Commented PERIPHERY guitarist Misha Mansoor: "Nolly has been an honorary PERIPHERY member for the last few years. He filled in on bass for us on our first real tour (Thrash And Burn 2009) and since then has always been there for us and has helped us out immensely. Given that we love him dearly as a friend and found that we have excellent chemistry both on stage and in the studio, and he is a master of all of his instruments, hiring him as our full-time bassist was the logical solution. His irreplaceable ability and insight brought so much to the production and bass on 'Periphery II: This Time It's Personal' — we don't feel that anyone else would be able to take on the roles he has filled. He has already been writing with us for new material, and we are proud to have him on board!"

Added Nolly: "It's absolutely amazing to be joining my friends in PERIPHERY full-time! Having felt like part of the 'family' for quite some time, this feels like an incredibly natural step. I've had the pleasure of watching them grow to their current stage and can't wait to see where we can take the band together!"

"Periphery II: This Time It's Personal" can be streamed in its entirety in the YouTube clip below. Due in North America on July 3 via Sumerian Records and in Europe on July 16 through Century Media Records, the CD will feature guest appearances by John Petrucci (DREAM THEATER), Guthrie Govan (THE ARISTOCRATS) and Wes Hauch (THE FACELESS).

German technical death metal sorcerers SOPHICIDE will release their debut album, "Perdition Of The Sublime", on August 14 via Willowtip Records. The 11-track longplayer was recorded, mixed and mastered by founder Adam Laszlo at his home studio and features the striking cover design by artist Steve Voigt.

Formed as a one-man-project in 2009 by then-19-year-old Laszlo, SOPHICIDE fuses elaborate melodies with battering technical brutality into a sound that's as malicious as it is memorable. Meaning "murder of wisdom," SOPHICIDE describes the state of modern society and serves as the central theme of "Perdition Of The Sublime". Laszlo notes: "It's another word for anti-intellectualism. People are stupid, ignorant and seem to be proud of it. This is a disturbing trend."

He adds, "I'm really keen to release this album. I've put a lot of blood, sweat and tears into it and I hope people can connect to it as I do. Basically the overall theme coincides with the meaning of ‘sophicide.' Intellect and enlightenment seem to be displaced by religion and casting shows. There's this overall apathy, people don't seem to give a shit about anything as long as they get their cheap meat and TV shows. This is what 'Perdition Of The Sublime' is basically about, although the focus is on religion, after all it's the elephant in the room."

"Perdition Of The Sublime" track listing:

01. The Art Of Atrocity
02. Within Darkness
03. Perdition Of The Sublime
04. Of Lust And Vengeance
05. Execration
06. Blood For Honour
07. Freedom Of Mind
08. Folie Á Deux
09. Lafayette's Deception
10. Dawn Of A New Age
11. The Essence Of Warfare

Vocalist Jimmie Strimell has announced his departure from the Swedish metal band DEATHDESTRUCTION.

Commented the remaining members of the group: "After several discussions about what we think is best for this band, and where we need to be going, the four of us decided that Jimmie should focus on his commitments with [his other band] DEAD BY APRIL, and leave DEATHDESTRUCTION. There are no hard feelings from any of us — there's nothing but love!

"After DEAD BY APRIL's appearance on the Swedish Eurovision Song Contest, the band got a second breakthrough in Sweden, which, of course, affects DEATHDESTRUCTION's touring possibilities.

"Jimmie doesn't want to be the guy holding back the band's opportunities to tour, do live shows etc, due to gigs with his other band. So, even though this wasn't what we'd planned, all four of us feel that this is the best solution.

"We sincerely wish the best to Jimmie and DEAD BY APRIL.

"So, for the time being, we have no singer. We've just started writing new material for our second album that will be released on Sony Music. We are totally stoked about it and can't wait to hit the studio again together with our producer Roberto Laghi!

"So if any one of you out there think you're the man for this job, give us a shout at deathdestructiongbg@gmail.com."

DEATHDESTRUCTION last year inked a deal with the Swedish branch of Sony Music Entertainment. The band's three-song EP, "Fuck Yeah", was released in April 2011 and was followed by the group's self-titled debut album in August. The CD was recorded at IN FLAMES' IF Studios with producer Roberto Laghi (IN FLAMES, HARDCORE SUPERSTAR, LOK, SONIC SYNDICATE).

DEATHDESTRUCTION is:

[to be announced] - Vocals
Henrik Danhage (ex-EVERGREY) - Guitar
Fredrik "Loppan" Larsson (HAMMERFALL) - Bass
Jonas Ekdahl (ex-EVERGREY) - Drums

"Mark My Words" video:

Video footage of Sebastian Bach's performance at this year's edition of the Hellfest festival, which took place June 15-17 in Clisson, France, can be seen below.

Bach earlier in the month released a video for the song "I'm Alive". The clip is one of three videos (alongside "Kicking & Screaming" and "TunnelVision") that the singer filmed on June 28, 2011 in Hollywood, California with director Devin DeHaven of Fortress Entertainment (PAPA ROACH, WHITESNAKE, METHOD MAN, TALIB KWELI).

"I'm Alive" comes off Bach's new album, "Kicking & Screaming", which sold 6,600 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 73 on The Billboard 200 chart. The singer's previous CD, "Angel Down", opened with 6,400 units back in November 2007 to debut at No. 190.

According to the Czech news site Blesk.cz, LAMB OF GOD frontman Randy Blythe appeared in court shortly before 10 a.m. today for a hearing in connection with the death of a fan more than two years ago.

Blythe, who was arrested Wednesday (June 27) at the Prague airport on manslaughter charges, was reportedly released on 4 million Czech Koruna bail (approximately $200,000 — an amount which, according to the site, Randy claimed was the equivalent of his annual income). Since most banks are closed this weekend, Blythe will be allowed to pay off his bail on Monday (July 2). The singer, who did not speak at his hearing and was "timid as a lamb," was considered a flight risk by the judge and will reportedly have to remain in the country at least for the next two days. Photos and video footage (see below) of Blythe in court show him wearing an OBITUARY hooded sweatshirt and American flag hat. For safety reasons, he also had his shoelaces removed while he was in the pre-trial detention cell.

LAMB OF GOD guitarist Mark Morton — who, along with the rest of the band, is in Prague, tweeted a few hours ago, "Today just turned into a FANTASTIC day!!!"

Blythe, 41, who was represented by two lawyers in court, is accused of causing the fatal injury that occurred at LAMB OF GOD's May 24, 2010 show in Prague. The singer apparently either pushed or struck a 19-year-old fan named Daniel N. who had come on stage, and that person died 14 days later of bleeding in the brain.

According to WTVR-TV, another Czech online news site, Aktualne.cz, has published statements from a witness — a friend of the victim — who said the fan wasn't using drugs or alcohol and fell back directly on his head. The victim lapsed into a coma and died two weeks later.

The crime of which Blythe is being accused is punishable by up to ten years in prison, according to popular Czech news web site Novinky.cz.

LAMB OF GOD was scheduled to perform on Thursday at the Rock Café in Prague with SKELETONWITCH and ALL SHALL PERISH but that show ended up getting canceled.

LAMB OF GOD's publicist, Adrenaline PR, issued a statement yesterday stressing that "under no circumstances was there a fight of any kind involved [during LAMB OF GOD's 2010 concert]. This incident deals with a fan that three times during the concert jumped the barricade and rushed Randy during the performance. It is alleged that the third time, security was not able to reach him and that Randy pushed him back into the audience where supposedly he fell and hit his head."

Video footage and a photo of Randy in a Czech court earlier today can be seen below.

METALLICA's two-day festival Orion Music + More took place last weekend (June 23-24) at the popular Atlantic City, New Jersey concert venue Bader Feld. METALLICA headlined both nights of Orion Music + More and played "Ride The Lightning" in its entirety the first night and "The Black Album" in its entirety the second.

A 58-minute recap of some of the second day's events, including METALLICA's performances of the songs "Hit The Lights" and "Master Of Puppets", can be seen below.

The band's setlist for the June 23 concert was as follows:

01. Hit The Lights
02. Master Of Puppets
03. The Four Horsemen
04. Sad But True
05. Hell And Back
06. The Call Of Ktulu
07. Creeping Death
08. Escape
09. Trapped Under Ice
10. Fade To Black
11. For Whom The Bell Tolls
12. Ride The Lightning
13. Fight Fire With Fire
14. Nothing Else Matters
15. Enter Sandman

Encore:

16. Battery
17. One
18. Seek & Destroy

The band's setlist for the June 24 concert was as follows:

01. Hit The Lights
02. Master Of Puppets
03. Fuel
04. For Whom The Bell Tolls
05. The Shortest Straw
06. The Struggle Within
07. My Friend Of Misery
08. The God That Failed
09. Of Wolf & Man
10. Nothing Else Matters
11. Through The Never
12. Don't Tread On Me
13. Wherever I May Roam
14. The Unforgiven
15. Holier Than Thou
16. Sad But True
17. Enter Sandman

Encore:

18. Blackened
19. One
20. Seek & Destroy

In an interview with CBS Local, METALLICA lead guitarist Kirk Hammett said, "I know 'Ride The Lightning' forwards and backwards. It's not like 'The Black Album,' where there are three or four songs that we rarely play. Over the course of the years, we've played most of 'Ride The Lightning', except for one song we've never done, 'Escape'. It was pretty easy [to re-learn those songs]. We put way more time into learning 'The Black Album' than 'Ride The Lightning'."

Orion Music + More featured multiple live music stages plus a lifestyle element that reflects each of METALLICA's bandmembers' many personal interests.

When asked why METALLICA would want to do their own festival, guitarist/vocalist James Hetfield said in a recent interview, "First of all, because we can. Why wouldn't you? We're just trying to bring a little more of a mix to what is going on. . . . I think the Europeans are able to look at a festival more as an event than 'my favorite band is playing.' We're not necessarily trying to reproduce that in the States, but we'd like to bring a little taste of that here."

Regarding the significance of the "Ride The Lightning" and "Metallica" albums, Hetfield said, "'Ride The Lightning' started to splinter us off from your SLAYERs and other thrash bands. A song called 'Fade To Black' was an instant thorn in the side of the metal community. It was the first veering off the studded path. [The Black Album] became the album, I guess, that people needed to have. It's a gateway for people to get into METALLICA."

Day 2 Recap:

Nick Azinas of Peek From The Pit conducted an interview with bassist Jack Gibson of San Francisco Bay Area metallers EXODUS earlier today (Friday, June 29) prior to the band's performance at the Tuska open-air festival in Helsinki, Finland. You can now watch the chat below. A couple of excerpts follow.

On the news that LAMB OF GOD frontman Randy Blythe was arrested on Wednesday in Prague, Czech Republic in connection with the death of a fan who jumped on stage at a LAMB OF GOD show more than two years ago:

Gibson: "I'm very surprised that that happened. I mean, we've had very [much] the same type of thing happen. We had a guy get on stage and was singing with Rob [Dukes, EXODUS vocalist] arm-in-arm, and when Rob pulled the mic away, the guy didn't wanna go and he grabbed Rob's arm and twisted him and Rob beat the fucking shit out of him on stage for it and [rightfully] so. And I got in there and wanted to give him the boot. That's our stage when we're there, you know what I mean?! That's our shit up there — that's our stuff, our pedals, our guitars… That's our place. Everybody knows what happened to Dimebag [late PANTERA/DAMAGEPLAN guitarist "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott who was shot and killed onstage while performing with DAMAGEPLAN in December 2004] — this guy just walks onstage and he's out of his fucking mind and shit goes incredibly wrong. There's a lot of bands that, after that happened, they just said, 'No people on stage, period.' For us, it's kind of part of our shows — letting people get up and jump off and all that stuff. We kind of have this… It's kind of a collective idea of who's been on stage too long. Like, you just know when a guy is not wanting to… You know, you get up, you can headbang, you can even come over and give us [a quick pat on the back], and run, and then you've gotta go — you've gotta go. I don't know, man. That's a little bit disturbing. Of course, I have sympathy for the kid who died and that he was in a coma, all that. Of course, I don't like to see anybody die or say that anybody deserved anything or whatever, but I am very surprised that that happened. And I can't imagine that a good lawyer isn't gonna get this settled, because it's like, if you come on stage, you're trespassing, you know what I mean?! It's almost like we just have to wait and see how this shakes out. I super-hope it [sorts itself out], 'cause that's a pretty serious situation, so I hope for [Randy] it's alright."

On whether EXODUS has plans to record the follow-up to 2010's "Exhibit B: The Human Condition" album:

Gibson: "We're way overdue to do it. We've just been so busy. Actually, we've been getting great tour offers over and over, and we just keep wanting to take them, and that, coupled with the fact that Gary [Holt], our main guitar player and songwriter, is out playing with SLAYER, he's filling in for [SLAYER guitarist] Jeff [Hanneman] on this whole [SLAYER tour]. Nobody really knows how long that's gonna take, how long Jeff's gonna take [to recover from contracting necrotizing fasciitis, likely caused by a spider bite, in January 2011]. I mean, it was pretty severe what happened to him, from what I understand. So we just haven't had the time, to be perfectly honest. I know that Gary has songs, and Lee [Altus, guitar] has some stuff — they've been coming up with stuff — [but] we just really haven't had the time to sit down and hammer it all out and then record it. That takes a few months together to make that happen, and we just haven't had the time, basically. But there is gonna be another album, for sure. The way that our writing has been going and our albums have been going, it's gonna be great — I know it. What I've heard Gary noodling with. Me, him and Tom [Hunting, drums] have kind of just fooled around with it here and there, and man, it's gonna be good. Gary, he's the main driver, and [the songwriting] keeps evolving. It's one of the things I really like about the band — the music keeps getting good; it doesn't just stay the same or we don't rewrite the last one. We kind of throw the last one out and do something new each time. So I expect the same and more from the next album."

"Exhibit B: The Human Condition" was released in North America on May 18, 2010 via Nuclear Blast Records.

The CD sold around 4,600 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 114 on The Billboard 200 chart.

EXODUS' previous album, "The Atrocity Exhibition: Exhibit A", opened with 3,600 units back in October 2007.