Liebe Freunde des gepflegten Rocks, das französische Label Bad Reputation veröffentlicht in Deutschland mit Vertrieb Cargo am 08.06.2012 das neue Album der amerikanischen Rocker AMERICAN DOG. Es trägt den Namen "Poison Smile" und kommt mit folgender Track List in den Handel.

"Poison Smile" Track list:

01. Devil Dog
02. Just Like Charlie Sheen
03. Old Dog, New Tricks
04. The Real Nitty Gritty
05. 2012 A.D.
06. Poison Smile
07. Lust and Greed
08. Bathroom Romance
09. Splinterin' Sally
10. Off the Chain
11. Can Your Pussy Do the Dog?

CHAOS BEYOND ist eine fünfköpfige Metalband aus Wien. Da der Weg zum Ruhm in Österreich über Schlagermusik als zu einfach erschien (und Lederhosen den Arsch zu sehr betonen), wählten sie den steinigen Pfad des Metal. Melodische Riffs, harte Shouts, schnelle Drums und Vocal-Lines mit Wiedererkennungswert, das ist genau ihr Ding. Das aktuelle Album "Confessions Of A Twisted Mind" wurde im April 2011 veröffentlicht und jetzt wurde mit "Crawling In The Dark", der zweite Videoclip veröffentlicht!

VERSE, Energischer, streckenweise regelrecht epischer Hardcore mit sehr viel Leidenschaft und Massen von Herzblut, Melodien für die Ewigkeit und einer positiven Attitüde, die einen umgehend in den Bann zieht. Die wiedervereinte Amerikanische Hardcore Band VERSE wird ihr neues Album "Bitter Clarity, Uncommon Grace" am 17. Juli 2012 veröffentlichen. Jetzt wurde die neue Single "The Selfless of the Earth" als Stream online gestellt.

Audio samples of all the songs that are set to appear on "The Industrialist", the new album from Los Angeles cyber metallers FEAR FACTORY, can be streamed at Amazon.com. Due in North America on June 5 via Candlelight Records, the CD is a conceptual record based around a story written by vocalist Burton C. Bell. Lyrics to the album's ten songs divulge the narrative as discussed recently by Bell with Decibel magazine. The album's artwork was created by American designer Anthony Clarkson with additional direction from the band. The album will be available on three formats — standard CD, a limited edition deluxe digi-book (featuring two additional songs), and 180-gram double vinyl.

Bell notes, "The protagonist (The Industrialist) is the incarnation of all industries in the form of an automaton. The mechanical, technological, and scientific advances through the industrial age led to the creation of The Industrialist. In the story, the automaton becomes sentient as it collects memories with each passing day. Through observation and learning, it gains the will to exist. What was meant to help man, will eventually be man's demise."

"The Industrialist" again pairs FEAR FACTORY with producer Rhys Fulber. Mixed by Greg Reely (PARADISE LOST, SKINNY PUPPY, MACHINE HEAD), with additional tracking by Logan Mader (GOJIRA, DIVINE HERESY), the album is the second written by Bell and guitarist Dino Cazares since reuniting in 2009 after a seven-year split. Cazares says, "Collaborating with Burton again on the new album was like magic. Everything just fell into place naturally. It felt good to recapture the true sound of FEAR FACTORY, taking it back to where it all started while raising it to new levels." Regarding Fulber, Cazares says, "Rhys has been our secret member. He is the one producer who has been able to understand what we have been trying to accomplish from the beginning and has opened our eyes to new things without sacrificing our original sound. His production and keyboard talents has made FEAR FACTORY stand out amongst the many bands of our genre."

"The Industrialist" track listing:

01. The Industrialist
02. Recharger
03. New Messiah
04. God Eater
05. Depraved Mind Murder
06. Virus of Faith
07. Difference Engine
08. Dissemble
09. Religion is Flawed Because Man is Flawed
10. Human Augmentation
11. Blush Response (Difference Engine) *
12. Landfill *

* Available on deluxe digibook only

"Recharger" can be purchased via iTunes.

FEAR FACTORY recently enlisted Matt DeVries as the band's new bass player. DeVries, previously of CHIMAIRA (where he played guitar) and most recently SIX FEET UNDER, joined FEAR FACTORY as the replacement for Byron Stroud (now with 3 INCHES OF BLOOD).

FEAR FACTORY has tapped Mike Heller (MALIGNANCY, SYSTEM DIVIDE) as its new touring drummer.

"Recharger" audio stream:

Acclaimed Raleigh, North Carolina-based progressive doom metal band CONFESSOR played a hometown show this past Friday night (May 18) at the Lincoln Theatre. Fan-filmed video footage of the concert can be seen below.

The group's setlist was as follows:

01. Intro
02. Cross The Bar
03. Prepare Yourself
04. Until Tomorrow
05. The Stain
06. Uncontrolled
07. Wigstand
08. Blueprint Soul
09. Collapse Into Despair
10. Condemned
11. Alone
12. Endtime
13. Eve Of Salvation
14. Suffer

"Uncontrolled", a compilation of all three demo taptes from CONFESSOR, was relased on May 8 via Divebomb Records.

CONFESSOR made a name for itself by writing unapologetically heavy riffs, with a unique flare for timing changes. The band had created quite a stir by playing all over the Southeast and landing two tours in Europe, including the now legendary "Gods of Grind" tour with CARCASS and ENTOMBED. With the release of their debut album, "Condemned", the band felt as though their chance was at hand to show the world what they knew, that CONFESSOR was unlike anything else out at the time. Unfortunately, label merging and politics forced CONFESSOR off of the U.S. leg of that famous tour in favor of the latest "new band." CONFESSOR's struggles with their label led to lineup changes that seriously altered the band's trajectory and eventually they disbanded after only a single album was released. Luckily, over the years CONFESSOR's controversial-yet-pioneering sound became accepted and adored by many in the metal community and in 2004 the band reunited for some festival appearances. They have reunited once again for a special appearance at the Maryland Deathfest in 2012.

"Uncontrolled" is the first time all three CONFESSOR demo tapes have been released officially. These are the demos that helped the band get signed to Earache Records back in 1990 and led to the eventual release of "Condemned".
For the diehards, Divebomb has unearthed raw archival live footage as part of both an enhanced CD and bonus DVD. Jeff Wagner, author of "Mean Deviation: Four Decades Of Progressive Metal", has also contributed a brand new essay to the liners.

The demos themselves were converted from original reels and/or DAT by The Kitchen Mastering in 2004. Jamie King remastered the entire set in 2012 at his Basement Studios.

CONFESSOR released its latest full-length album, "Unraveled", in 2005 via Season of Mist. The CD was produced by Dick Hodgin (ex-CORROSION OF CONFORMITY producer) and is "a wonderful representation of the classic CONFESSOR twisted guitar riffing and complex drumming, meshed with some more straightforward parts and a toned down and very melodic vocal approach," according to Jeffreys.

CONFESSOR split up in the early '90s after releasing one full-length album (1991's "Condemned") and EP (1992's "Confessor"), with the with the rhythm section going on to form FLY MACHINE. CONFESSOR reformed in 2002 following the death of guitarist Ivan Colon, who passed away due to cardiac complications.

BLACK SABBATH performed earlier tonight (Saturday, May 19) at the intimate 3,800-capacity O2 Academy in Birmingham, England as a warm-up for the band's upcoming appearance at the Download festival.

According to various fan reports, the setlist for the show was as follows: (**TO BE CONFIRMED**)

01. Into The Void
02. Under The Sun
03. Snowblind
04. War Pigs
05. Wheels Of Confusion
06. Electric Funeral
07. Black Sabbath
08. The Wizard
09. Behind The Wall Of Sleep
10. N.I.B.
11. Fairies Wear Boots
12. Tomorrow's Dream
13. Sweet Leaf
14. Symptom Of The Universe (snippet / instrumental)
15. Drum Solo
16. Iron Man
17. Dirty Women
18. Children Of The Grave

Encore:

19. Paranoid

BLACK SABBATH's first performance in the band's hometown in 13 years — and their first concert since 2005 — featured three-quarters of the legendary heavy metal act's original lineup — guitarist Tony Iommi, singer Ozzy Osbourne and bassist Geezer Butler. Tommy Clufetos, a member of Ozzy's solo band, is filling in for original SABBATH drummer Bill Ward, who is sitting out the group's reunion shows due to a contractual dispute with his bandmates.

All tickets for tonight's show reportedly sold out within 10 minutes of going on sale on May 4.

BLACK SABBATH was supposed to tour the Europe and North America this year as part of a worldwide trek in support of a new album, but Iommi's cancer diagnosis put those plans on hold.

Ozzy, Iommi and Butler recently spent time in London recording their first album together in 33 years, although without drummer Bill Ward it is not the original SABBATH reunion announced last November.

BLACK SABBATH has been confirmed for this year's Lollapalooza festival, which takes place on August 3-5 at Grant Park in Chicago, Illinois

During a brand new interview with Greece's Rock Overdose, SLAYER drummer Dave Lombardo revealed that the band is putting the finishing touches on a two-song EP, to be released later this year, possibly in time for their appearance at this summer's Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival . "Kerry [King, guitar] and Tom [Araya, bass/vocals] are recording it right now; they are doing the vocals," he said.

Lombardo previously stated about SLAYER's new material, "[It sounds like] SLAYER. . . Traditional fans will be pacified and non-traditional fans will be like, 'Again?'"

Speaking to U.K.'s Metal Hammer magazine, Kerry described the new SLAYER songs as "really refreshing and energetic." He added, "One thing I can tell you is that the songs are shaping up in the classic SLAYER style. You won't be hearing us doing acoustic stuff. [laughs]"

Kerry also said that he was hoping that Greg Fidelman, who co-produced 2009's "World Painted Blood" with Rick Rubin, would be at the helm for the new album. "That's the idea, anyway," Kerry told Metal Hammer. "But it all depends on his availability. . . I don't think we'll spend long in the studio this time, either. We're gonna do it old-school style and get things done fast."

SLAYER will perform its classic 1986 album "Reign In Blood" in its entirety at All Tomorrow's Parties' second U.K. "I'll Be Your Mirror" event, which is scheduled to take place the weekend of May 25-27 at Alexandra Palace, London, England.

SLAYER guitarist Jeff Hanneman has been forced to sit the band's forthcoming tour dates due to complications from a spider bite.

Hanneman contracted necrotising fasciitis, a flesh-eating disease, from a spider bite over a year ago.

EXODUS guitarist Gary Holt will fill in for Hanneman on SLAYER's summer tour, which begins at All Tomorrow's Parties.

SLAYER's latest album, "World Painted Blood", sold 41,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 12 on The Billboard 200 chart.

Lombardo's side project PHILM — which also features guitarist/vocalist Gerry Nestler (CIVIL DEFIANCE) and bassist Pancho Tomaselli (WAR) — released its debut album, "Harmonic", on May 15 via Ipecac Recordings.

Photo credit: Mark Seliger

THE CULT was the musical guest on last night's (Friday, May 18) edition ABC-TV's "Jimmy Kimmel Live!". The band performed two songs — "For The Animals" and "Wild Flower" — on the show's outdoor stage in front of a standing-room-only crowd. You can now watch video footage of the group's appearance below.

THE CULT's new album, "Choice Of Weapon", will be made available on May 22 via THE CULT's new label Cooking Vinyl.

"Choice Of Weapon" is the follow-up to the critically acclaimed 2007 release "Born Into This" that the U.K.'s Mojo magazine called "a wholehearted, utopian and irrefutably exciting record." Longtime THE CULT collaborator and producer Bob Rock (METALLICA, BUSH), who produced one of THE CULT's most successful albums, the platinum-certified "Sonic Temple", put the finishing touches on the foundations that were laid by co-producer Chris Goss (QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE, U.N.K.L.E., MASTERS OF REALITY).

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

"We made a great record," Astbury told Billboard magazine. "It's more of a fully realized work. There is a thematic note that goes throughout. I will say one thing about THE CULT. For every piece of territory that we ever got, any piece of success we ever had, we never got a break. We fought for everything. We worked for it. It was authentic. It was always about the music."

Speaking to Austin360.com, Astbury said of "Choice Of Weapon", "I think we went back to a place of instinct. There were no predetermined agendas. We've had periods of stagnation and being stale and repeating ourselves, but I think that's common. With 'Choice Of Weapon', we just said, '(Screw) it! We're going to grab every jewel we can find. We're going to play the ace and go as deep as we can.' There's definitely hard rock moments on this record, but then again, there's moments that are kind of pastoral."

"Choice Of Weapon" is aimed at the heart of THE CULT's loyal following. It reflects the current discontent and destruction of our eco systems, the search for individual meaning against a tide of rampant materialism, narcissism and disconnected lives.

"We're still growing and still developing," Astbury told Austin360.com. "We're still students; we're still inquisitive; we're still passionate. I still think what we're doing is relevant. We still have an awareness of what's going on around us. It's not like I live in a cave."

"Choice Of Weapon" track listing:

01. Honey From A Knife
02. Elemental Light
03. The Wolf
04. Life > Death
05. For The Animals
06. Amnesia
07. Wilderness Now
08. Lucifer
09. A Pale Horse
10. This Night In The City Forever
11. Every Man And Woman Is A Star
12. Embers
13. Until The Light Takes Us
14. Siberia

BLACK SABBATH bassist Geezer Butler has released the following statement:

"I feel sad to see the SABBATH reunion becoming a bit of a soap opera on the Internet.

"It has been a very tough year for us as a band, having announced our reunion plans, only for Tony [Iommi, guitar] to be diagnosed with lymphoma, leaving us no choice but to postpone the proposed SABBATH tour, and then for Bill [Ward, drums] to go public on his site about an unsignable contract.

"None of us knew how Tony was going to respond to his intensive chemotherapy, and radiotherapy. Ozzy [Osbourne, vocals] and myself flew to England to be with Tony, and on his 'good' days, we'd meet at his home studio and put ideas together for the upcoming album, all sitting down together, no drummer involved, just three of us quietly putting together ideas. We thought that when we had enough songs together for a full band rehearsal, we'd move back to L.A and put the whole thing together with Bill. Unfortunately, to our surprise, Bill issued a statement on his site saying he'd been offered an unsignable contract. He hadn't told any one of us he was having contractual problems, and frankly, those things are worked out between our representatives, and never between the four of us let alone in public.

"We had the idea of keeping just one show in this year, hoping that Tony would be well enough for that show, and that things with Bill would be sorted.

"As you may expect, a one-off show at Donnington festival (Download) costs an absolute fortune to stage, involving over 50 people, transport, air fares, hotels, meals, agents, promotors, accountants, lawyers etc, so none of us, expected to make much money from it — it was a one-off SABBATH show for the fans, before we go into recording the new album. Apparently, this wasn't acceptable to Bill's representatives, they wanted an amount that was so unrealistic that it seemed to have been a joke. So we resigned ourselves to doing Download without Bill, hoping he'd change his mind and at least make a guest appearance.

"We started rehearsals a few weeks ago with Tommy Cluefetos, the drummer who will be on the 'Ozzy And Friends' tour. Brilliant drummer and good bloke. It was decided we'd better do a warm-up show, to break the ice since we haven't played together live. The O2 Academy was available in Birmingham, where we were rehearsing, so we decided on that, and to make a donation to Help For Heroes charity, since we'd be ironing out any glitches we may have. Then Bill put out a further statement saying he'd been ready to play the Birmingham show , but he was expected to have to do it 'for free.' Well, I think that's basically how you raise money from gigs for charity — you play them 'for free.'

"All I am saying is that there are two sides to everything.

"I do hope to play with Bill again some day. For whatever reason; it wasn't meant to be this time. Bill's made his decision, and I have to respect that. Hopefully this painful year will be worth the wait for the new SABBATH album and end in joy and happiness for all."

Former GORGOROTH/GOD SEED frontman Gaahl (real name: Kristian Eivind Espedal) stars in a new Norwegian film called "Flukt" (English: "Escape"). An action picture set in the remote Norwegian countryside during the 1300s, it was helmed by "Cold Prey" director Roar Uthaug and features Norwegian actress Ingrid Bolsø Berdal in the role of the leader of a group of outlaws living in the mountains.

Synopsis: "The film takes place in the year 1363. Black Death has killed half the population. Many travel from death and misery in search of a better life elsewhere. But the country is sparsely populated, and in the mountains, raging outlaw gangs and a life is worth little."

Uthaug said, "'Escape' should be a grand adventure that takes us back to a time that is little described in the Norwegian film. It should be an epic rollercoaster ride of a thriller."

"Flukt" is scheduled to premiere on September 28. Check out a trailer below.

Opeth frontman Mikael Åkerfeldt was interviewed by Spin magazine about his favorite things, and some of the answers may surprise even longtime fans!

Favorite thing to do on tour between shows:
On tour I go out and get records every day. When I'm [in the U.S.] I'm concentrating on collecting American records; American presses. On this tour I've probably bought 200 vinyls so far and we've been on tour for five weeks. I got a bunch of Kiss stuff lately. I bought Mountain stuff, too, and a few 13th Floor Elevator records from a friend of mine. Generally, I'm just collecting psychedelic progressive-rock from the '60s and '70s. They have to be from the country that they're from. I couldn't live with having a copy of [Free's] Fire and Water from a Spanish pressing, you know what I mean? It has to be the original. Otherwise I would feel nauseous.

Favorite music to listen to on tour:
When I go to bed, I still listen to ABBA for some reason. It just makes me feel comfortable. It makes me feel at home. But when we're drinking, I'm usually the power DJ. I'm very restless when I've had a couple of glasses of wine, so I play songs really fast, and I never play a whole song. It's like a compilation thing: everything from ABBA to bands like the Scorpions and Iron Maiden.

Favorite city to play:
It is really fun to play in Santiago, Chile. There are a lot of people coming out and they're fucking crazy. They're so loud. And it kind of detaches you from your role as a musician. You don't really think about what you're playing because you're enjoying the whole thing. The crowds are always good. Most of the night I'm usually just listening to how we're doing as a band as opposed to listening to how the crowd is reacting. But in Santiago it's just crazy.

Favorite fan encounter:
We played a festival called Desert Rock, which was in Dubai. I had never been to Dubai and it's mostly Muslim. We have a lot of fans out in the Middle East, but because of whatever restrictions, we can't play in some of those countries. After the show, I met with, like, 50 fans from all over the Middle East — from Saudi Arabia, to Iran, to Iraq, from Jordan, and from Dubai, obviously. We were talking and they were so fucking happy. It was amazing for me. I was a bit drunk I think. But I was standing and talking to them about what it's like in their countries. Like, if they want to listen to some of the records, they have to do it really secretly. Otherwise, they might be arrested. This music is forbidden. It's illegal for them to go to shows and they can't buy the record. It's such a struggle for them just to listen to the music. It was really profound.

Favorite ways to unwind at home:
I have two daughters, so I spend a lot of time with them. It's the beauty of this trade that I don't have to grow up so much. I was interested in playing video games and stuff like that, but I've become more and more restless with age. I also have a fish tank I take care of with all sorts of fish. One, the direct translation would be a "fire eel." I asked my daughters to name it but they just call it the eel. I have another big fish — I don't know what they call it in English but it's a big fucking fish that sits on the bottom just hanging out. I was sold when I bought it because I could eat it. When it's too dull to watch, I might just fry it up!

Favorite book:
I read a lot of musician's biographies. I guess it's not like fine literature if you're reading a Mötley Crüe book, but that's what I enjoy.

Favorite author:
I do read some poetry but I only have one favorite poet that I read all the time. It's a Swedish guy named Bruno K. Öijer. In the early days of the band, I got a lot of inspiration from him because his poems are a bit surreal, a bit twisted and dark. Very dark. I went to see one of his spoken-word shows once, and it was amazing. He's like a rock star to me. I saw him in a record store once and I just froze. I was like, "Wow." I love him.

Favorite food:
Italian food. I like carpaccio. I love it. I could eat Italian food every day. In Italy, you can go into pretty much every restaurant and it's going to be decent. When we're on tour — because we're always visiting these countries on tour and I never go on holiday — we're connoisseurs when it comes to food. We're not gonna run into McDonald's, you know? Most of the time we eat really good food.

Favorite TV show:
There's a couple of TV shows in Sweden that I watch. One is like COPS almost. They have cameras on the subway — so someone mugs this girl and there's just people acting fucking stupid. It's my favorite thing to watch. I also like cooking shows, especially if it's got a bit of a twist, like Gordon Ramsay's Kitchen Nightmares. I love that. I love that shit even if it's more produced. I still love it.

Favorite movie:
The first one that comes to mind is Smoke, the film with Harvey Keitel and William Hurt. I love that film. It makes me cry. I also love The Deer Hunter. It's my favorite film of all time. If we're talking newer films, I did love The Wrestler, it was a beautiful film. I loved Black Swan. That was fucking amazing. It's the best film I've seen lately.

Favorite guitar:
PRS built a guitar for Johnny Hiland, that he sent in for repair [to a guitar shop where Åkerfeldt once worked] and never picked up. It was just lying there so I played it. And I just — it was amazing. It was love. I didn't end up getting it, but they built another guitar almost like that one, that I love. But I'm a very nostalgic person so I love very old guitars. I got a guitar from a guy who worked at another store and it was basically in two pieces. It was a wreck. It was fucking broken so he gave it to me and I fixed it up, and I still have it. We've recorded a few records with it, so it's also one of my favorites.

Greek black metallers NAER MATARON have proclaimed themselves to be a non-political entity following reports that the band's bassist has been has been elected to the country's parliament.

Giorgos Germenis, who is known by the stage name "Kaiadas," will represent the extremist Golden Dawn party, which is described as perhaps the most extreme of the far-right parties in all of Europe. Comparisons are made to Germany's neo-Nazi National Democratic Party and many say Golden Dawn's logo (see below) resembles a swastika.

Golden Dawn, an extreme right nationalist party with patriotic symbolism and an anti-immigrant stance, won between 5 and 7 percent of the vote in Greece's general elections on May 6, enough for them to gain representation in parliament for the first time in Greek history.

In a statement, the members of NAER MATARON say, "NAER MATARON has been and still remains a pure-blooded black metal band, and as such, a non-political one. Any member of the band has the right to keep on to his personal beliefs and act accordingly. Therefore, any kind of legal political activity of any member, is a matter of personal choice and is respected as such. Attempts to put NAER MATARON under any political agenda are rejected by the band. In addition, any false accusations against the band will come across with legal actions on our behalf. The band stands only for black metal, and black metal is extreme music, not politics. Closing, anyone who is into the extreme music and thematology, but for any reason feels shocked or offended by non-extreme views and/or beliefs is not of our concern."

Stefanos Stefanopolous from the Rockway.gr webzine tells PRI's The World, "[Giorgos] wasn't a well-known musician here in Greece. And to be honest, not many webzines were paying attention to NAER MATARON. It was just another black metal band, a mediocre one, so no one was really paying attention."

In a recent interview, Germenis suggested that there was an easy solution for Greece's myriad economic problems. First, he said, "Greek factories must be reborn, rheir chimneys must be filled with smoke once more, and, of course, all illegal immigrants must leave. If all the illegal immigrants left — and there are more than three million — there would be three million jobs for Greeks." Germenis was also quoted by PRI's The World as saying, "We Golden Dawn say that Greece is a rich country. In order to rebuild Greece, we also need to revitalize our factories and small workshops. In this way, Greece can stand on its own two feet. We won't need the European Union or anyone else. We'll just need Greeks."

Original RATT bassist Juan Croucier rejoined the Californian rockers for their show at the M3 Rock Festival on Saturday, May 12 at the Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland. This marked his first appearance with the band since 1991.

Commented guitarist Warren DeMartini, "I happened to see Juan after a signing at Charvel guitars last January at NAMM. This guy walks up with RATT's 'Out Of The Cellar' LP and it had every bandmember's autograph except his and mine. Juan said in disbelief, 'Do you know what the odds are of this happening in a crowd of 100,000 people? Another couple minutes and this wouldn’t be possible!' I think that says it all. Rehearsing with Juan [the week before the M3 Rock Festival] was like going back in time to our last performance together in RATT at Irvine Meadows two decades ago — [it felt] like it was yesterday."

Frontman Stephen Pearcy added, "After all these years, regrouping with the original band members is like riding a bike — you never forget. The first day in rehearsal was like years ago. Amazing, to say the least."

Guitarist Carlos Cavazo commented, "I'm sure this could create yet another successful page in the band's history."

Drummer Bobby Blotzer said, "Juan and I go way back, playing in bands together since age 16. Having him back in fold with us for the M3 festival after being gone so many years is intriguing. We've been rehearsing for several weeks and it sounds like RATT 'n' Roll."

Croucier himself declared, "It's hard to believe that it's been almost 20 years since we last played together. I’m personally looking forward to reconnecting with RATT fans worldwide and I'm hopeful this will last far into the future."

In an October 2011 interview with Legendary Rock Interviews, Croucier stated about the possibility of him returning to RATT, "I never say never, because I can't predict the future but there have been some very nasty things said and done to me by my former bandmates in RATT. It has destroyed the trust, bond and respect we once had among each other."

He added, "I have had many offers to go back to RATT (ironically, sometimes while they were deriding me in the press at the same time) and the main reason I have not gone back to the band is because we had a very problematic situation in the first place, and nothing had (or has) changed — we don't get along, it's not fun and things that should be easy are hard. . . Some people like being in tumultuous relationships; I don't. I have been fortunate enough to be able to work in my recording studio, still play in bands and be a father that is present in my children's lives at the same time. It's not 'all about Juan.'"

Bassist Robbie Crane, who had played with RATT since 1997, quit the band in March to focus on LYNCH MOB. During an appearance on the March 22 edition of the "Headbangers At 11" show on the 93.3 KDKB radio station with host Mike Gaube, Crane stated about his decision to leave RATT, "I've been playing in LYNCH MOB since October of 2010. It's a thing that I've always loved doing, and I love playing with the band. . I'd been with RATT for 15 years and it was time to move on. I love being in LYNCH MOB and this is where my heart's at."

The SEX PISTOLS were responsible for initiating the punk movement in the United Kingdom and inspiring many later punk and alternative rock musicians. Although their initial career lasted just two and a half years and produced only four singles and one studio album, they are regarded as one of the most influential acts in the history of popular music.

For the first time ever in their history, the SEX PISTOLS have been rendered as vinyl figures.

All of these stylized 3.75-inch-tall vinyl figures come decked in the trend-setting SEX PISTOLS attire we've come to know and love. They're detailed right down to Sid's pad lock chain, Johnny's enigmatic glare, and Steve's leather jacket.

To guarantee them a spot on your stage, pre-order now at this location.

Drummer Bill Ward has been removed from all the photos on the homepage and gallery section of BLACK SABBATH's official web site after he announced that he was unable to to reach a contractual agreement with his bandmates about participating in their upcoming reunion shows.

In response to the move, Tony Conley of the Facebook page 1,000,000 Black Sabbath Fans Say Yes To Bill Ward wrote, "That is simply one of the most dastardly, chickenshit things I have ever seen done in my 40-some years of watching rock and roll. Definitely the maneuver with the least class, and disrespect.

"Bill's statements have been filled with love and respect. BLACK SABBATH's responses have been shallow and cold.

"Two sides to every story? Then tell yours, BLACK SABBATH, and stop hiding. If Bill can't hack it — say so. If he wants more than his share financially — say so. If there is a reasonable explanation for this shameful display, please help us to understand what it is. Currently, you look shameful and sad. That is not how we wish to feel about you.

"Your fans deserve better, Bill deserves better, and you deserve better."

BLACK SABBATH will play a hometown concert in Birmingham, England tomorrow night (Saturday, May 19) as a warm-up show for the band's appearance at the Download festival at Donington next month. SABBATH has hired a replacement drummer for the upcoming gigs but has yet to reveal the musician's identiry.

A furor erupted online in 2007 after photos of Michael Anthony at the official VAN HALEN web site were either removed or replaced by an image of guitarist Eddie Van Halen's son Wolfgang, who played bass on the group's recent album and tour. The photos were restored less than two days later.

Official Metallica.com footage of METALLICA's pre-show meet-and-greet, soundcheck and "The Struggle Within" performance at the May 7 opening show of the band's European tour at Synot Tip Arena in Prague, Czech Republic can be viewed below.

METALLICA performed its top-selling 1991 LP, "Metallica", a.k.a. "the black album," in its entirety for the first time ever at the Prague concert. The band played the LP backwards, starting with closing number "The Struggle Within" and ending with "Enter Sandman".

The band's setlist was as follows:

01. Hit The Lights
02. Master Of Puppets
03. The Shortest Straw
04. For Whom The Bell Tolls
05. Blackened
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. Fuel
19. One
20. Seek & Destroy

Asked why METALLICA decided to play the "black" album in its entirety on the current tour, the band's drummer, Lars Ulrich, told Kerrang! magazine, "The people at [the U.K.'s] Download [festival] asked. It wasn't our idea."

He added, "The thing is, although we haven't played at Donington for six years, we have been to the U.K. pretty much every single summer since then. So they wanted us to do something different, and that's what they came up with. I quite like the fact that come [this] summer it'll be the 21st anniversary of the 'black album,' not the 20th."

Asked whether he and his bandmates would have to re-learn the two songs from the record — "Don't Tread On Me" and "The Struggle Within" — that METALLICA had never played live before, Lars said, "Yeah. Although to be honest with you, a song like 'The Struggle Within' is a lot easier to re-learn than 'The Frayed Ends Of Sanity'." He added, "I don't think it's going to be too difficult for us to figure out these songs."

During a recent interview with Spin, Lars was asked which METALLICA song he would take back if he could. "'Don't Tread On Me' has that shuffle vibe," Lars replied. "That's not my thing, but I don't wish to erase it from all 97 bazillion copies of the 'black' album."

METALLICA will play the complete "black album" at its own Orion Music + More festival, scheduled for June 23-24 in Atlantic City, New Jersey. METALLICA is headlining both days and will perform its entire 1984 album "Ride The Lightning" for the first time ever on the other day of the festival.

"Metallica" in 2009 surpassed SHANIA TWAIN's 1997 record, "Come On Over", as the best-selling CD of the SoundScan era. To date, the black album has sold 15,772,000 copies in the United States.

Although METALLICA had scored their first radio and video airplay with their previous effort, 1988's "...And Justice For All", the black album was the band's biggest commercial breakthrough, producing five singles and making them into one of the most popular rock bands in the world.

"The Devil Made Me Do It 3", the new single from SCUM OF THE EARTH — the band led by former ROB ZOMBIE guitarist Riggs — will receive its premiere on Saturday, May 19 during the New Jersey Devils/New York Rangers Eastern Conference Finals game at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey.

The song is the first single from SCUM OF THE EARTH's forthcoming third album, titled "The Devil Made Me Do It", due out in the fall of 2012.

Being a passionate hockey fan, Mark Nawara, president of Goomba Music, thought he would send the song to the New Jersey Devils and they loved it.

"When I heard the track, I immediately thought of the Devils and I figured the song could fit in during their upcoming home games in the quest for the Stanley Cup," said Nawara. "On an impulse, I contacted the team and they loved the song and are going to use it in some way."

"I'm excited that the New Jersey Devils decided to use the song," stated Riggs. "The track definitely had an anthem feel when I wrote it."

Goomba Music will release "The Devil Made Me Do It 3" on iTunes and other digital music outlets on Tuesday, May 22.

SCUM OF THE EARTH's latest CD, "Sleaze Freak", was released on October 23, 2007. The explicit (PA) version of the album was made available at most retailers containing an added DVD video. The DVD consists of footage filmed while recording and mixing the album documenting the recording and mixing process and many hijinks of the band around town, in the studio, and on the road.

SCUM OF THE EARTH's first studio album of all-new material since the critically-acclaimed debut "Blah…Blah…Blah…Love Songs For The New Millennium" (2004), "Sleaze Freak" contained 13 brand new songs described by Riggs as "heavy-as-hell grinding, stripper-rock." "It's a much more intense collection of material than 'Blah…Blah…Blah…'" said Riggs. "We did everything we wanted to do this time around, which allowed us to really embody the whole red-light-district sleazy vibe into the material."