THE OVERSEER, the latest addition to the Solid State Records roster, will release its debut album, "We Search, We Dig", on June 19.

The surging hard rock outfit has been dominating the underground circuit of late with a relentless touring schedule and a rousing catalog of dynamic material that has been turning heads while also setting them apart from their peers. Not content to simply be another voice in a crowded music scene, THE OVERSEER have three goals with their songs: to elevate, to transport the listener to a place that's emotionally honest ... and to stir up one hell of a mess in the moshpit.

All of those elements are on full Technicolor display in "We Search, We Dig". Recorded earlier this year at Atlanta's Glow In The Dark studios, the album is a huge, dynamic debut that calls to mind artists like UNDEROATH, THRICE and CAVE IN though with a clear, distinct voice that never emulates those artists directly. The band's debut single, "Secrets", perfectly encapsulates that approach and is available now on iTunes.

"'We Search, We Dig' is an aggressive rock record that's going to be a refreshing sound to this generation and today's music scene," says bassist Bradley Riggs. "Fans are really going to love the expected heavy aspect of the album... But it's not a 'breakdown' heavy, exactly.The album has a lot of smooth softer rhythms and melodies that really set up big impacting choruses and riffs."

For THE OVERSEER, "We Search, We Dig" is just as much an album of self discovery as it is the work of a band with a clear vision.

"The end of the second track, 'Dredge', has the lyrics 'We search, we dig,'" explains vocalist Anthony Rivera. "That is a theme of the whole record, not just that track in particular — the idea that people are searching for hope, digging for truth and going through trials full of highs and lows. The record reflects on both extremes of the journey through the eyes of the band members."

Proving they've got the work ethic to back up their talent, THE OVERSEER have spent 400 days over the last two years touring as an unsigned band and winning over the fans the good, old-fashioned way: By playing their hearts out and grabbing listeners by the throat with an artful brand of dynamic, hard-hitting rock. It's been a fruitful run for THE OVERSEER — if not always glamorous. "There's really nothing like sleeping in a van in a different Walmart parking lot every night and showering once a week — or less," laughs Riggs.

California rockers BUCKCHERRY have set "Confessions" as the title of their new album, tentatively due in September. "It's gonna be a little bit different [than our previous albums]," BUCKCHERRY singer Josh Todd told Oklahoma's Z94 radio station in a new interview. "It's definitely a heavier, musically, record than we've ever had, and more melodic. It's pretty intense, but everybody's gonna love it — it's quintessential BUCKCHERRY at the end of the day. But we have all those peaks and valleys. That's what we want on all our records — dynamics — and I think people are gonna dig it."

He added, "At the end of the day, we're a rock and roll band, and we know that. And these are the type of records that we wanna listen to, so that's what we wanna create. We don't wanna make it hard for the listener to figure it all out; that's just a drag. I hate it when I get records that I'm just like, 'I don't get it. I don't understand what they're doing here.' We don't want that. We want it to be really easy to remember, but have substance and all of that, and it's tricky. That art of doing that is you have to write a lot of songs."

In addition to writing and recording the new album, BUCKCHERRY is also planning to shoot a short movie to go along with the new CD release. "[It's] really cool [and] that's something we're really looking forward to," Todd said. "We're still working on all the details of that, but the plan is, hopefully, to release it at small film festivals and do shows around those film festivals as well, and perform the record in its entirety. Because the record is really the soundtrack to the movie. I wrote the screenplay to the movie, and it's based around the seven sins and true events that happened in my life as well, when I was younger. So I think it's gonna be a real treat for people who love this band and people who are just discovering BUCKCHERRY for the first time."

He added, "You've gotta think outside of the box in this rapidly changing business that we're in — the music business — so we thought that this would be a really cool way to go for this record, because it's something that we'd never done and it was challenging. And because of it, I think we made the best record we've ever done together as a band, so we're excited."

When asked if he wrote the album and the screenplay for the "Confessions" movie at the same time, Todd said, "I kind of did it all together. I was writing the screenplay when we were writing songs. We always had the idea of incorporating the seven sins into the record, so that was a lot of fun for me as a lyricist and a writer, because I'm always good when I have a subject."

On the topic of whether he will also be starring in the "Confessions" film, Josh said, "We have a great lead character; I'm not gonna give it away. He's an unknown anyway, so nobody knows him. But he's gonna be great in this film. I'm gonna be in the film, but I won't be playing myself. All the members of BUCKCHERRY will be in the film somewhere."

He added, "We haven't actually shot the film. We're gonna shoot it in June. But we have a director. His name is Billy Jayne. He actually did a viral video with Shaquille O'Neal and Betty White that we did for Childhelp.org. That went really well and we just hit it off and I knew he was the right guy for this project. We started banging the script into shape. He's already got all the locations. Now we've just gotta shoot it."

A new BUCKCHERRY song, "Wherever I Go", can be streamed using the ReverbNation player below. The track will appear on the upcoming soundtrack to this year's highly anticipated movie, "Marvel's The Avengers". "Wherever I Go" is included on "Avengers Assemble", a 14-track compilation of music from and inspired by the film. "Avengers Assemble" will be released on May 1.

Commented Todd: "We're gonna be [playing] 'Wherever I Go' on this next run [of shows], so that will be cool for everybody; we'll at least get to play one new song because we can't play the record material yet until it gets closer [to the release date]."

When asked how BUCKCHERRY's involvement with the "Marvel's The Avengers" film came about, Todd said, "They talked to us about doing a song, and we were super-excited because we are fans. I think [the movie] is gonna be a big hit. And then I just put myself in the third person. When I sat down and I had the music [to write the lyrics to], I was like, 'OK, if I had super powers, what would life be like?' It would be kind of hard coping in society knowing that you had all these powers that you could use at any point in time that you kind of blend in. So that's what the song is about. It's pretty cool. And we were just happy that when we turned the song in, they really liked it, and we knew that we accomplished our goal."

Australian extreme noise metal collective THE AMENTA will release its latest digital offering, "Chokehold", mid-May through France's Listenable Records. The effort features two brand new songs from the band, the title track "Chokehold" and a cover of the GODFLESH track "Christbait Rising". Both songs were recorded and produced with a modern take on GODFLESH's influential "Streetcleaner" album's sound and aesthetic. The EP also features two live tracks taken from the bands 2011 "V01D" Australian tour as well as a remix of the track "V01D".

In other news, THE AMENTA has released an official video clip for the track "V01D", consisting of footage taken from the band's 2011 Australian tour in support of the online release of the same name. "V01D" was filmed and edited by Shane "Swanee" Thomson. Check it out below.

THE AMENTA is working on material for its third album for a late 2012 release. Tentatively titled "Flesh Is Heir", the follow-up to 2008's "n0n" is a crystallization of THE AMENTA's methods. Featuring the expansive, aggressive riffing of the "Occasus" album and the ambient electronic destruction of "n0n", "Flesh Is Heir" also introduces a new eeriness courtesy of Cressall and the unique musical and visual element he brings to the band. Lyrically, "Flesh Is Heir" deals with the two warring sides of the human psyche: The Obliterate (the part of the human thats seeks to escape wordly woes by destroying the concept of self) and the Realist (the part that embraces pain, seeing it as a challenge, the meeting of which creates a better human).

"n0n" received a U.S. release on February 10, 2009 via Listenable Records. The CD, which came out in Europe in October 2008, was mixed at The Vault Studios in Sydney, Australia with longtime engineer Lachlan Mitchell (NAZXUL). Mastering for the album took place at Studios 301 with Steve Smart.

Vocalist Michael Starr and bassist Lexxi Foxx of Los Angeles glam metal jokesters STEEL PANTHER recently shared with Fuse TV their wisdom and experiences about the various types of rock and roll groupies. Check out the footage below.

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

When asked what lessons STEEL PANTHER learned from its 2009 debut, "Feel The Steel", that he and his bandmates applied to this new album, guitarist Satchel told Guitar International, "It's funny because we haven't learned any lessons from our first record. We don't even think of it as our sophomore album, we think of it as our second debut release. Many bands will try to make a different-sounding record for their second release, but we couldn't really get any better than our first record. Our first record was awesome, so we decided to go in and make the same record for our second album, just better. We didn't really grow as writers. We didn't grow as musicians. In fact, I think I got a little bit worse . . . But because of that it's much better. It's kind of like a fine wine. If you let it sit there and let it get moldy, that's what they do with wine, right? Then you let the mold fester in the bottom of the bottle, that's what our music is like on this record. We're like a moldy cheese that's been left out in the sun all summer. You wouldn't think that it would taste good at the end of the summer, but surprisingly, it does. That's us in a nutshell."

STEEL PANTHER is Michael Starr (vocals), Satchel (guitar), Lexxi Foxx (bass) and Stix Zadinia (drums).

Ruben Mosqueda of Oregon Music News recently conducted an interview with singer Cristina Scabbia of Italian heavy rockers LACUNA COIL. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

Oregon Music News: Your third album, "Comalies", was a breakthrough album for you in North America and brought you continued success around the world. Did you know that the album was going to be huge for you?

Cristina: No, it just happened. If you recall that by the time we did Ozzfest in 2004, "Comalies" had already been out for about two years. We had already established a following in Europe and we had done various tours with bands like OPETH. After Ozzfest, the song "Heaven's a Lie" took off and radio picked the song up; that helped a lot of people to become familiar with LACUNA COIL.

Oregon Music News: In the years since older fans feel that they've been alienated as a result of the LACUNA COIL's continued "growth" with albums like "Comalies", "Karmacode", "Shallow Life" and now with "Dark Adrenaline". What do you make of such a statement?

Cristina: People's perception is like this. They were there from the beginning so they are connected to that period of LACUNA COIL. I can't think of many bands with a long career that are currently appreciated for their last album. To be honest with you, we've never really changed — an evolution isn't a change. We never stopped using heavy guitars, we never stopped playing heavier songs, I think we might write "heavier" music now than we did in the past. I think for some reason people think that our early albums are "more metal," but if I think about a song like "No Need To Explain" — which we'll be playing tonight — that was not a heavy song. If you take a close listen you could say it was almost a pop song. I think people's perception regarding our change has something to do with our look. If you look at "Shallow Life", people didn't understand the way we were dressed — they were costumes. They were meant to make fun of the "shallow life." I was dressed up like a "pop princess" and Andrea [Ferro] was dressed up like a "hip-hop pimp." People would come up to us and say, "You guys changed your look?!" I said, "What the fuck?! You think we're really going to be dressed up like that?! Didn't you see that we even enhanced my boobs on the photos just to make fun of this fake world?!" I bet you if we would have gone with the typical black look people wouldn't have said a thing. That's frustrating because you have to go with the most obvious choice, the more bland choice, so people will get it.

Oregon Music News: "Dark Adrenaline" was pushed back on a couple of occasions. Did you go back and re-cut or record more material?

Cristina: No, what happened was that the IN FLAMES record was doing very well, I think it was number one on the German charts and that affected everybody. The label wanted to put a lot of time on promoting our new album, but they had a chance to promote a band who was currently selling very well. During all of this we took the opportunity to remix "Dark Adrenaline" so the final product was released the way that we really wanted. I think it worked out very well, we postponed it for a little bit but we ended up with the album that we really wanted.

Read the entire interview from Oregon Music News.

Candlelight Records has set a June 19 North American release date for "Ghostmaker", the third album from the Philadelphia quartet RUMPELSTILTSKIN GRINDER. Produced by the band, the CD reunites the band with noted gore artist Mike Hrubovcak (SINISTER, HATE ETERNAL, CATTLE DECAPITATION).

Commented RUMPELSTILTSKIN GRINDER vocalist/bassist Shawn Riley: "'Ghostmaker' represents everything we have worked towards for the past several years. When the album drops, it will be obvious that this is something created by four dudes thirsty for blood, eager to silence all the critics, and to crush all the lames." Guitarist Ryan Moll notes, "This album is our fastest, darkest, and most relentless album yet. It will contain some of the most bone-crushing, graveyard stomping, Frankenstein/Dracula/Wolfman hate-fuck riffage written thus far." Guitarist Matt Moore adds, "Each song has its own distinct and strange aura of speed, darkness, brute strength, violence, cunning, and power. We have raised the bar and taken on musical and lyrical concepts that would drive commoners insane."

Since completing recording, RUMPELSTILTSKIN GRINDER has been performing regionally, most recently at Philadelphia venue Johnny Brenda's.

Formed in 2002, RUMPELSTILTSKIN GRINDER had several underground releases, including a split seven-inch single and a live album, before signing with Relapse. Their studio debut, "Buried In the Front Yard", came out in October 2005.

RUMPELSTILTSKIN GRINDER kept busy with additional split recordings, "Speed N Spikes Vol. II" (2008) and "Urine Trouble / Nothing Defeats the Skull" (2008) before getting back in to the studio for their second full-length, "Living For Death; Destroying The Rest" also released by Relapse in January 2009. The band supported ABSU for a 22-date U.S./Canadian tour April 2009, took part in a tour with DECEASED in 2010, and has been performing regionally since.

RUMPELSTILTSKIN GRINDER currently features bassist/vocalist Shawn Riley, guitarist Matt Moore, guitarist Ryan Moll, and drummer Patrick Battaglia.

"Ghostmaker" track listing:

01. Those Who Are Unseen
02. Ghostmaker
03. Nightworms
04. Fucking Wild
05. Dripping With Venom
06. Cold Haunting Death
07. A Lurking Thief
08. You’ve Been Had
09. Iron Jaw
10. Get Out Of My Grave/Gigantic Graveyard
11. Run Through The Bastards
12. Desert Goblins

Swedish vocalist Elize Ryd of AMARANTHE has once again been selected to fill the female singer spot on KAMELOT's upcoming North American tour with NIGHTWISH in September/October.

Commented KAMELOT: "Elize has been touring with KAMELOT since 2010 and will once again join the band for a very special tour throughout North America."

AMARANTHE's self-titled debut album was released in Europe in April 2011 via Spinefarm Records.

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. A permanent replacement for Khan has not yet been announced.

KAMELOT returned to Gate Studio in Wolfsburg, Germany in January with Sascha Paeth producing, to begin recording its new album. The production is expected to be several months long and will include special guests, orchestra arrangements and much more.

PATHFINDER, die epische Symphonic-Metal-Band aus Polen, meldet sich zurück! Das 2011er Debüt "Beyond The Space, Beyond The Time" hat viele Freunde gewonnen, vor allem im asiatischen Raum. Zwei sehr beliebte You-Tube-Videos und eine loyale Facenook-Community sind der Beweis, dass dieser eigenwillige Dream Metal starke Unterstützung in der internationalen Metal-Szene gefunden hat. Mit dem Albumtitel "Fifth Element" wird das zweite Album der Band am 25.05.2012 europaweit von Sonic Attack Records über Soulfood veröffentlicht und in Asien am 23.05.2012 durch Avalon/Marqueee. Das "fünfte Element" im Albumtitel bezieht sich auf Kreativität als neues zeitloses Element und wesentlichen Bestandteil aller künstlerischen Entdeckungsreisen. PATHFINDER's "fünftes Element" wird durch folgende Kriterien definiert:

"Drag Ropes", the first official video from STORM CORROSION, the long-discussed and highly anticipated collaboration between two of the modern progressive rock scene's most innovative and multi-talented artists — Mikael Åkerfeldt of OPETH and PORCUPINE TREE's Steven Wilson — can be seen below.

Due on May 8, the "Storm Corrosion" Special Edition Blu-ray/CD Set & Collector's Edition Double LP Bundle (pre-order link) is $50, and includes the album on 180-gram black virgin vinyl, in a gatefold jacket with exclusive artwork; a digital download of the entire album in high-quality FLAC files; the Blu-ray/CD version of the record, which offers the album on CD; a Blu-ray disc containing a 5.1 audio mix of the entire album, two exclusive demo tracks, and five instrumental tracks; a 24" x 36" fold-out poster; and a separate 12" x 12" poster autographed by both Mikael Åkerfeldt and Steven Wilson.

The "Storm Corrosion" Collector's Edition Double-LP Set (pre-order link) is $35, and includes the vinyl version, the digital download, and the two posters.

"Storm Corrosion" track listing:

CD

01. Drag Ropes (9:52)
02. Storm Corrosion (10:12)
03. Hag (6:28)
04. Happy (4:53)
05. Lock Howl (6:09)
06. Ljudet Innan (10:20)

Blu-ray:

01. Drag Ropes
02. Storm Corrosion
03. Hag
04. Happy
05. Lock Howl
06. Ljudet Innan
07. Drag Ropes
08. Storm Corrosion
09. Hag
10. Happy
11. Lock Howl
12. Ljudet Innan
13. Drag Ropes (demo)
14. Hag (demo)

A little background information on the genesis of this project: Åkerfeldt and Wilson have been friends since the late '90s, when Wilson co-produced OPETH's revered "Blackwater Park" album. Over the years, they'd often spoken of working on a project together, but it wasn't until recently that they managed to make something happen, when Mikael flew over to visit Steven in the U.K. and they ended up in Wilson's home studio throwing ideas around. That visit was the nascence of a whole self-titled album, written and produced by the pair, and mixed by Wilson.

The sound of STORM CORROSION can best be described as enchanting, orchestral, ambient, epic (half the album's tracks clock in around the 10-minute mark) and nothing short of surprising to the new ear. However, the musicians' respective fanbases will be primed to appreciate the new output, with Wilson's recent solo album, "Grace For Drowning", and OPETH's "Heritage" having brought them to a logical place to understand STORM CORROSION. This eponymous collection is almost viewed as one side of a musical triangle.

Says Wilson, "If you'd asked me three months ago about the music, I would have said, 'Expect the last thing you would expect.' But actually, now that 'Heritage' and 'Grace For Drowning' have come out, I don't think it's going to be that much of a shock to people, because it's almost like a third part of the trilogy, in a way. If anything, it's even more orchestral, even more stripped down, even more dark, twisted and melancholic… but it certainly feels like it comes from the same place as 'Heritage' and 'Grace For Drowning', which indeed it does because it was written during the same period.”

"Some of the music on this record I think is the most beautiful music I have participated on ever," adds Åkerfeldt. "There's some magical sections on there. Musically, I think we've created something earthy, a bit frightening, exhausting, profound and rather intense. All at the same time. I can safely say I don't know any other band or artist that sounds anything like STORM CORROSION. I guess that was also one of our goals, so to speak."

Roadrunner Senior VP of A&R, Monte Conner, welcomed STORM CORROSION to the Roadrunner family, commenting, "I am honored to have the Roadrunner logo on the STORM CORROSION album. Steven Wilson and Mikael Åkerfeldt have demonstrated time and time again that they are two of the truest and most important artists working today, and it is not often that I get to work with musicians of this caliber. This album is a beautiful piece of work that will appeal to fans of Steven and Mikael's past records, while at the same time exploring new avenues for both artists."

"Recharger", the new single from Los Angeles cyber metallers FEAR FACTORY, can be purchased via iTunes. The track comes off the band's new album, "The Industrialist", which is 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

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

Commented Heller: "It is an incredible honor to be chosen as the new drummer for FEAR FACTORY! It's something I never would have dreamt of as a kid listening to 'Soul Of A New Machine' and 'Demanufacture' over and over again in middle school. It's also an incredible honor to be following in the footsteps of two of the most amazing and influential drummers in metal drumming history. I hope to continue their legacy, creating some of the most forward-thinking and innovative music available today."

FEAR FACTORY's first tour dates since 2011 kick off with four performances in South America, including Brazil, Argentina, and Chile, before starting American dates in San Antonio on May 1. Support on the trek will come from SHADOWS FALL, THE BROWNING, THE DEVASTED and LEGACY OF DISORDER.

"Recharger" audio stream:

German thrashers DEW-SCENTED have finished recording their new album at Soundlodge Studio in the deepest heart of Northern Germany with Jörg Uken (GOD DETHRONED, SUICIDAL ANGELS, NIGHTFALL) as producer. The band states, "We have worked with Jörg already on 'Incinerate' for the recordings and then on the previous album, 'Invocation', for recordings and mix. It was an absolute pleasure to be able to team up with him again and the time we worked on the new music together in his halls pretty much went flying by! The best part however is: The final mix turned out really, really HEAVY, so much we can tell you already!!! Some songtitles off the new album are: 'Sworn To Obey', 'Reawakening', 'Storm Within' and 'Gleaming Like Silver'."

The group adds, "The new album will be released by late July 2012 via our good partners Metal Blade Records in Europe and Prosthetic Records in North America. The artwork was once again created by our buddie Björn Goosses / Killustrations, who we have actually partnered with since 2003's 'Impact' release, so it's been almost a full decade! Wow! The new album's artwork looks totally stunning and we can't wait to share it with all of you soon! We are right now finishing off the work on the layouts and just did a promo photo session this past weekend, so all things are rolling forwards…"

On the live front, DEW-SCENTED was forced to cancel its previously announced appearance at Chronical Moshers open air festival on June 9 "due to logistical complications on our end." The band will also support Metal Blade labelmates SIX FEET UNDER on a run of shows in August.

For a complete list of upcoming dates, visit www.dew-scented.net.

DEW-SCENTED's latest album, "Invocation", was released on May 24, 2010 in Europe via Metal Blade Records and May 25, 2010 in North America through Prosthetic Records.

South Carolina-based extreme technical death metallers NILE will release their seventh full-length album, "At The Gate Of Sethu", on July 3 via Nuclear Blast Records. The follow-up to 2009's "Those Whom The Gods Detest" was once again produced and mixed by Neil Kernon, who has previously worked with NEVERMORE, CANNIBAL CORPSE, QUEENSRŸCHE and DEICIDE, among many others.

In a recent interview with CobraMetal.net, NILE's Karl Sanders stated about the band's forthcoming CD, "Well, we started [working on it] in May of last year (2011) after we finished our European tour. We worked on that fucking record for 10 months straight, to the exclusion of all else. (Laughs) Long hours, every day."

Regarding the new album's concept, Karl said, "It's in similar territory to other NILE records in that a lot of it stems from Ancient Egyptology and sort of has underlying modern themes tied in. We haven't abandoned our identity and I don't believe you should fuck over your fans. If your fans like what you do, and you change too much of what you do, fans don't like it. What matters to me is when I'm out on tour and I meet the actual fans and they share their thoughts…those are the people that I listen to. There's a lot of new ideas within the realm of what we do that we tried to incorporate. We studied real hard on the guitar and have lots of new riffs and musical ideas. There are a lot of surprises on the record."

When asked if fans can expect any guest appearances on the new NILE CD, Karl said, "Jon Vesano is all over this record. (Our former singer and bass guitarist who we're still good friends with.) Jon did some guest vocals on "Those Whom The Gods Detest" and it made us realize all over again all the things we really liked about Jon's vocals. We wanted to incorporate some of his insanity. [laughs] He's wicked, man. He knows how to channel that inner possession. He finds a way to summon it. It's great stuff."

Performance footage of new song:

Rock 'N' Roll Allstars, an 11-piece supergroup comprised of Gene Simmons of KISS, three former members of GUNS N' ROSES, Sebastian Bach (SKID ROW) and many other big names in rock history, played a special club show last night (Sunday, April 22) at Teatro Vorterix in Buenos Aires, Argentina as part of its tour of South and Central America. The band blazed through an abbreviated ten-song set that featured the biggest hits from all the musicians involved, including DEF LEPPARD's "Pure Some Sugar on Me", KISS' "Rock and Roll All Nite", SKID ROW's "Youth Gone Wild", along with GUNS N' ROSES' "Welcome To The Jungle", with Sebastian Bach singing.

Professionally filmed video footage of the concert can be seen below.

The setlist was as follows:

01. Welcome To The Jungle (GUNS N' ROSES cover)
02. Youth Gone Wild (SKID ROW cover)
03. Highway Star (DEEP PURPLE cover)
04. Wildflower (THE CULT cover)
05. Rebel Yell (BILLY IDOL cover)
06. Shine (COLLECTIVE SOUL cover)
07. Tie Your Mother Down (QUEEN cover)
08. Pour Some Sugar On Me (DEF LEPPARD cover)
09. I Love It Loud (KISS cover)
10. Rock And Roll All Nite (KISS cover)

Comprised of musicians from some of the biggest bands in recent rock history, the Rock 'N' Roll Allstars is a live show unlike any before. Bandmembers include:

* Gene Simmons (KISS)
* Joe Elliott (DEF LEPPARD)
* Matt Sorum (VELVET REVOLVER, GUNS N' ROSES)
* Duff McKagan (VELVET REVOLVER, GUNS N' ROSES)
* Gilby Clarke (GUNS N' ROSES, ROCK STAR SUPERNOVA)
* Glenn Hughes (BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION, DEEP PURPLE, BLACK SABBATH)
* Ed Roland (COLLECTIVE SOUL)
* Sebastian Bach (SKID ROW)
* Steve Stevens (BILLY IDOL)
* Mike Inez (ALICE IN CHAINS)
* Billy Duffy (THE CULT)

Promoter Gabe Reed hosted a press conference on March 1 at The Roxy Theatre in West Hollywood, California to officially announce the Rock 'N' Roll Allstars tour. Also attending the press conference were Simmons, Sorum, McKagan, Clarke, Bach and Hughes, among others.

"This is going to be a great time, a time for us to pay tribute to the fans," Simmons said. "This is an important honor to step on sacred holy ground with a project like this, and all of it is for the fans. It harkens back to the old days of rock and roll, the 'Legends Of Rock' when Chuck Berry, Little Richard, all of them got together to put on the best show possible for the fans. . . We're trying to follow a great trend in rock and roll, and we're going to have a great time. So stay tuned."

Commented Bach: "For me to be the singer in Gene Simmons' first-EVER side project is amazing to me! Dreams come true, indeed. If you would have told me when I was a boy that some day Gene Simmons, Glenn Hughes and myself would be in a band together, my reply would have been, No, we will not,' and I would have been wrong, haha!! We are gonna rock the best of KISS, DEEP PURPLE, GUNS N' ROSES, SKID ROW and DEF LEPPARD!"

Added Hughes: "It's going to be quite a spectacle. For me, this collective of rockers is a fan's dream come true. It's a great lineup with players from a lot of great bands."

"We'll play all the biggest hits from each band," Sorum, who is one of the tour's organizers, said. "It's going to be a good time. The hits will keep coming."

"If you look at who's been doing something a long time, if you look at who is still around, they're usually the best guys to hang with," McKagan said. "I wasn't the easiest one to get into the camp, but this is going to be great."

For more information, visit www.rnrallstars.com.

Costa Rica-based melodic metal band SIGHT OF EMPTINESS has finished recording its as-yet-untitled third album, to be released later this year. The CD was recorded at SoloHits Studios in San José, Costa Rica with Swedish producer Thomas "Plec" Johansson (SCAR SYMMETRY, WATAIN, ESKIMO CALLBOY, SOLUTION .45, MISERATION), who traveled all the way to Costa Rica to work with the band closely for about 22 days. The mixing and mastering duties are being handled by Thomas Johansson at Panic Room Studios in Skara, Sweden.

SIGHT OF EMPTINESS' new CD will feature guest appearances by the following musicians: Glen Drover (KING DIAMOND, MEGADETH), Christian Älvestam (SCAR SYMMETRY, MISERATION, SOLUTION .45), Whitfield Crane (UGLY KID JOE, ANOTHER ANIMAL), Ralph Santolla (DEICIDE, ICED EARTH, OBITUARY), Ole Halvard Sveen (EXTOL, MANTRIC, LENGSEL) and last but not least, one that comes as a shocking but pleasant surprise, no other than the Minister of Culture of Costa Rica; Manuel Obregón who plays the Marimba and the acoustic piano.

Commented Johansson: "Coming to Costa Rica to work with SIGHT OF EMPTINESS has been a great experience. Such dedication and love for music as these guys show is a rare commodity to come across these days and that's probably why we got along so well and managed to dish out some kick-ass tracks. The new album will be something to look forward to, creating a blend of dark, heavy, energetic and melodic atmospheres that are ready to take the stage."

Added SIGHT OF EMPTINESS singer Eduardo Chacón: "What a journey 'familia,' the last 15 months have been a roller coaster for us, filled with so many good moments, experiences and the pre-production of our new baby. A few days ago, we finished recording our third and best album to date. Let me tell you something, this time around we had the opportunity and pleasure to work for the first time with a producer and WOW, it really makes a huge difference. Plec is a monster, he really knows how to get the best out of you, the best and perfect team for this project, no doubt about it. He also brought new ideas and arrangements in order to take the songs to a new level, I still can't believe how good every song sounds even if they're not mixed and mastered yet."

Stated SIGHT OF EMPTINESS guitarist Rafael Castro: "It is quite a bold attempt to be known outside our country, and after listening to the kind of work Plec is used to do, we're pretty sure we won't let anybody down. While composing the album, we were so meticulous! Every note had to be on the right spot and performance had to be as precise as possible. Nobody wanted to be a weak link in this process, so we were very focused. Also, having these kinds of guests on board is just amazing. They've been heroes of ours for such a long time, and now they want to be part of this! I can't believe it... It was humbling to receive excellent feedback on our new album and how they love it. It is just unreal! Can't wait to go out there and play it live! We're ready!"

Labels interested in releasing the new album or signing the band can contact SIGHT OF EMPTINESS at sightofemptiness@gmail.com.

IRON MAIDEN guitarist Adrian Smith was the featured guest on this past Saturday's (April 21) episode of VH1 Classic's "That Metal Show". You can now watch the entire program below.

Remaining episodes in season ten of VH1 Classic's "That Metal Show":

Premiere date - April 28:

* Robert Mason (WARRANT, LYNCH MOB)
* Jerry Dixon (WARRANT)
* Ian "Lemmy" Kilmister (MOTÖRHEAD)
* Michael Schenker (MSG, UFO, SCORPIONS) (guest guitarist)

Premiere date - May 5:

* Michael Schenker (MSG, UFO, SCORPIONS)
* Mike McCready (PEARL JAM)
* Frank Hannon (TESLA) (guest guitarist)

Premiere date - May 12:

* Billy Duffy (THE CULT)
* Ian Astbury (THE CULT)
* Doro Pesch
* Frank Hannon (TESLA) (guest guitarist)

Premiere date – May 19:

* Vinnie Paul Abbott (PANTERA, HELLYEAH, DAMAGEPLAN)
* Tommy Shaw (STYX)
* James Young (STYX)
* Steve Stevens (BILLY IDOL) (guest guitarist)

Episodes originally shot for Season 10 that will now air as part of Season 11 this summer:

Premiere date - to be announced:

* Bobby Blotzer (RATT)
* Steve Riley, Phil Lewis (L.A. GUNS)
* Steve Stevens (BILLY IDOL) (guest guitarist)

Premiere date - to be announced:

* David Draiman (DISTURBED)
* Russell Allen, Mike Orlando (ADRENALINE MOB)
* Mike Portnoy (ADRENALINE MOB, DREAM THEATER) (guest drummer)

Distilling decades of your favorite hard rock and heavy metal into sixty minutes of mayhem; "That Metal Show" will deliver the ever-popular "Stump The Trunk" as well as the triumphant return of "TMS Top 5" to your TV every Saturday night at 11 p.m., only on VH1 Classic.

"That Metal Show" is a production of VH1 Classic. Lee Rolontz and Keshia Williams as executive producers for VH1. Jeff Baumgardner serves as producer for the series for VH1.

End Of The Light Records will re-release EXUMER's "Possessed By Fire" (1986) and "Rising From The Sea" (1987) albums as "CD deluxe" versions on June 19. Both reissues will contain the original 10 tracks plus three bonus cuts — unreleased demo versions of songs, some of which were originally cut from the final albums. .

EXUMER is excited about the reissue through End Of The Light in North America and Canada. The band stated, "It's an honor for us to finally see our albums to be re-released in the U.S., Spreading the fire from our early days. Thank you, guys!"

"Possessed By Fire" track listing:

01. Intro
02. Possessed By Fire
03. Destructive Solution
04. Fallen Saint
05. A Mortal In Black
06. Sorrows Of The Judgement
07. Xiron Dark Star
08. Reign Of Sadness
09. Journey To Oblivion
10. Silent Death
11. A Mortal In Black (Demo)
12. Scanners (Demo)
13. Silent Death (Demo)

"Rising From The Sea" track listing:

01. Intro
02. Winds Of Death
03. Rising From The Sea
04. Decimation
05. The First Super
06. Unearthed
07. Shadows Of The Past
08. Are You Deaf?
09. I Dare You
10. Ascension Day
11. Whips & Chains (Demo)
12. Lil Ol'Me (Demo)
13. Time Out (Demo)

EXUMER's first album in 24 years , "Fire & Damnation", was released in North America on April 10 via Metal Blade Records. The 10-track CD, which was recorded with renowned producer Waldemar Sorychta (GRIP INC., THERION, SODOM, MOONSPELL), "combines a punishing production with aggressive songwriting," according to a press release. "EXUMER manages to capture the intensity and feel of the 1980s thrash metal gems and yet sound up to date on their latest output."

Universal Music has set a May 21 release date for the SOUNDGARDEN classic album box set called "The Classic Album Selection". The box set will contain the original A&M recordings of SOUNDGARDEN's seminal albums, "Louder Than Love" (1989), "Badmotorfinger" (1991), "Superunknown" (1994) and "Down On The Upside" (1996) plus last year's live record of the band's 1996 West Coast tour, "Live On I-5" (2011). The albums will be presented as a set of mini-LPs in gatefold wallets with booklets and exclusive new artwork designed by widely acclaimed designer and long-term SOUNDGARDEN collaborator Josh Graham.

"The Classic Album Selection" box set features:

* Louder Than Love
* Badmotorfinger
* Superunknown
* Down On The Upside
* Live On I-5

The first new SOUNDGARDEN song in almost 16 years, "Live To Rise", was made available as a free download on iTunes beginning April 17 as part of the promotion of "Marvel's The Avengers". The seven-day promotion includes an exclusive clip, "The Face Off", from the superhero team-up movie coming out on May 4.

"Live To Rise" was written specifically for "Marvel's The Avengers" after SOUNDGARDEN was approached about contributing a song to the film.

SOUNDGARDEN officially reunited in early 2010 after disbanding in 1997. Since then, the group has played one full-length North American tour, a batch of festival and club gigs, and some overseas shows.

The group also released a career retrospective called "Telephantasm" as well as a concert album titled "Live On I5", which was recorded on its last tour before breaking up.

A release date and title for the new SOUNDGARDEN studio album have yet to be announced.

CALL ME NO ONE — the new project featuring SEVENDUST drummer Morgan Rose and guitarist Clint Lowery — has announced the addition of bassist Rek Mohr (HURT) and guitarist Alan Price (SOULS HARBOR, SHINEDOWN) to the group's ranks.

CALL ME NO ONE's debut album, "Last Parade", will arrive on June 5. The CD's first single, "Biggest Fan", will be available to purchase on iTunes on April 24.

"Last Parade" track listing:

01. The World Is Dead
02. Thunderbird
03. Soapbox
04. Hillbilly
05. Alls Well
06. Biggest Fan
07. Please To Meet You
08. Broken Record
09. War Song
10. Last Parade

The record will also include two bonus tracks.

Rose told The Pulse Of Radio that CALL ME NO ONE has turned into something bigger than he and Lowery first envisioned. "This isn't really a side project. This is another band," he said. "I mean, other people have done it, but I guess that the closest thing we could compare it to is like STONE SOUR to SLIPKNOT, you know. I mean, we're gonna go ahead and do this, then when this runs its course, it should be right on time for SEVENDUST to get back and rolling."

Lowery recently described the sound of CALL ME NO ONE as "kind of NINE INCH NAILS meets FOO FIGHTERS."

SEVENDUST guitarist John Connolly and bassist Vince Hornsby also recently launched a new project, joining forces with CREED/ALTER BRIDGE drummer Scott Phillips in a new outfit called PROJECTED.

PROJECTED has already entered the studio to begin recording its debut disc, to be made available later in the year.

SEVENDUST itself will begin writing its ninth studio effort this summer, with plans for an early 2013 release. SEVENDUST issued its most recent outing, "Cold Day Memory", in April 2010.

"Last Parade" (song) audio stream:

After over a decade with the band, guitarist Juho Matikainen has decided to part ways with Finnish black metallers GLORIA MORTI.

Commented the band: "Matikainen wants to concentrate fully on his studies and career and is left with not enough time to give his 100% to the band. The departure happens in good spirits and the band wishes to thank Matikainen for the great years on the road.

"The guitarist vacancy will be filled with our good friend and an outstanding guitarist Eero Silvonen (CASKET, FINAL HARVEST, ROUTASIELU, DEATH CONFRONTING). The band is really excited to have him on-board and wishes to welcome Eero to the twisted family known as GLORIA MORTI.

"The aforementioned lineup change will not in any way affect the plans laid out for the recordings of the forthcoming album. The band is currently doing pre-production and the recordings of the album will start on June 9th at D-studio with Juho Räihä behind the desk."

GLORIA MORTI's third labum, "Anthems Of Annihilation", was released in 2010 via Cyclone Empire Records. Recorded and mixed at guitarist Juho Räihä's personal studio and mastered at Chartmakers by Svante Forsbäck (RAMMSTEIN, SOULFLY), the CD "easily exceeds the band's earlier work," according to a press release. "[It] brings the band to new heights by its agressive yet diverse soundscape."

GLORIA MORTI is:

Psycho - Vocals
Juho Räihä - Guitar
Eero Silvonen - Guitar
Aki Salonen - Bass
Kauko Kuusisalo - Drums

Danish black metallers HORNED ALMIGHTY have parted ways with Candlelight Records, the label that released the band's critically acclaimed album "Necro Spirituals" in 2010. HORNED ALMIGHTY is currently seeking a suitable label to release the group's as-yet-untitled fifth studio CD.

Commented the band: "The writing of the coming black mass is at full speed and half of the opus is already completed. Once again, the gates of death and darkness opens and pukes forth sheer and utter black metal, fueled by diesel, beer and piss!! A special release later this year is also being planned to commemorate the first ten years of misery and madness. This is the age of scorn!!!"

"Necro Spirituals" was released in North America in January 2011 via Candlelight Records. The album, which was issued in Europe in October 2010, was recorded in May-June 2010 and mixed and mastered by Jacob Bredahl (HATESPHERE, KOLDBORN) at Dead Rat Studios. The CD is "comprised of the strongest and most fierce material written in the band's eight-year existence," according to a press release. "Yet again, crushing all doctrines and rules with their 'don't-give-a-shit' take on black metal, as a testament to all that is extreme."

As you may have heard, the theme of our summer trek through Europe is celebrating the 20th anniversary of the release of the Black Album by playing it in its entirety at all 16 shows. And what would a tour of the Black Album be without a snake pit????

For those of you who were with us almost 20 years ago for the summer of ’92-’93 tours, you might recall that diamond shaped pit extending from the middle of the stage, well it’s baccccckkkk for our little summer vacation!
Met Club members with floor/front section tickets (it varies by venue) are eligible to win passes to watch from the snake pit at all shows on the European tour this summer with the exception of Rock Am Ring on June 2, where local production constraints prevent us from setting the snake pit up. Log in and get all the details on how to enter here.

We’re gearing up and getting ready now . . . see you on the road next month!

Canadian thrash/death metal pioneers SLAUGHTER have released a 25th-anniversary two-disc edition of their 1987 full-length debut, "Strappado". The set also contains the band's rare demos — "Meatcleaver", "Bloody Karnage" (both recorded in 1984) and "Surrender Or Die" (1985) — and previously unreleased live material recorded in 1986 when the band opened for CELTIC FROST in Toronto. The limited anniversary release also features new cover art by Eric "Rot" Engelmann.

The vinyl reissue of "Strappado" was made available last year through the Canadian vinyl label War On Music Records.

SLAUGHTER famously included Chuck Schuldiner on guitar for a brief moment in the mid-'80s before Schuldiner resumed his frontman duties in DEATH.

SLAUGHTER was a crucial player in te early Toronto thrash metal scene alongside genre heavyweights RAZOR, SACRIFICE and EXCITER. SLAUGHTER guitarist Dave Hewson made a guest vocal appearance on the latest SACRIFICE album, "The Ones I Condemn".