Prosthetic Records has announced the signing of Greek symphonic death metal quartet SEPTICFLESH, whose eight albums and performances on tour alongside the likes of CRADLE OF FILTH, AMON AMARTH, GORGOROTH, SATYRICON, CHILDREN OF BODOM and more have earned the group international acclaim.

Commented SEPTICFLESH: "We are very excited to have signed a new North American deal with Prosthetic Records; we feel we have made the right choice with a label that could give us the right attention for the American market, we plan on striking hard with our next album!"

SEPTICFLESH has also announced that it will come over to North America later this year to headline what will be the first "Conquerors Of The World" tour. Until then, the band can be seen taking part in the Metalfest open-air European festival tour alongside the likes of MEGADETH, KREATOR, BEHEMOTH and more.

SEPTICFLESH's latest album, the critically acclaimed "The Great Mass", was released in April 2011 by the French label Season Of Mist and was produced by Peter Tägtgren (IMMORTAL, HYPOCRISY). The CD, which featured a full orchestra and choir, captured the band much attention, including placement on several "Album Of The Year" lists from notable publications worldwide.

SEPTICFLESH's current lineup consists of Seth Siro Anton (bass, vocals), Sotiris Anunnaki V (guitar, clean vocals), Christos Antoniou (guitar, orchestral), and Fotis Benardo (drums).

The release date of "Band Of Brothers", the third album from the metal juggernaut known as HELLYEAH — featuring Vinnie Paul Abbott (PANTERA, DAMAGEPLAN), Chad Gray and Greg Tribbett (MUDVAYNE), Tom Maxwell (NOTHINGFACE) and Bob "Zilla" Kakaha (DAMAGEPLAN) — has been pushed back to July 17 from the previously announced June 5 (via HELLYEAH's new label home, Eleven Seven Music). The CD was recorded in Dallas, Texas at Vinnie Paul's home studio, VP's Upstairs Studio, and was produced by the band and Jeremy Parker (GODSMACK, EVANESCENCE), who also served as engineer.

HELLYEAH last week released the "War In Me" digital single via iTunes.

Having produced track after track of heavy-hitting, in-your-face, feel-good rock and roll on their previous two albums (2010's "Stampede" and 2007's self-titled debut), HELLYEAH takes a slightly different musical direction on "Band Of Brothers". Drawing on their former bands' collective metal roots for inspiration, the influences and style of MUDVAYNE, PANTERA, DAMAGEPLAN and NOTHINGFACE are immediately recognizable in tracks such as "Band Of Brothers", "War In Me" and "Rage Burn", while the party anthem "Drink, Drank, Drunk" retains the essence of earlier HELLYEAH.

Commented HELLYEAH singer Chad Gray, "I'm really excited about what we've done on this new album. I've always separated MUDVAYNE and HELLYEAH as much as I could, even though it was my voice. Melodies, lyrics and just the overall style of writing were different. With 'Band Of Brothers', I just quit being afraid of who I am in relation to this band. I think we've all really gotten back to the original roots of what we've done individually and brought it together on this album. As an artist, as long as you're painting with your own brush, no one can compare or challenge you. I just painted with a bigger, heavier brush than I had with HELLYEAH in the past. I think this is what fans have always expected to hear from us, and now were giving it to them."

Added Jeremy Parker, "It's impossible not to have a good time jamming this record. It has the anger and violence of PANTERA and MUDVAYNE, but a party vibe that can only be HELLYEAH!"

In a recent interview with Loudwire, Vinnie stated about "Band Of Brothers", "On our first two records, we were a new band. We really wanted to branch out and expand and experiment with all different styles. We all come from traditional metal bands and backgrounds, so it was a great breath of fresh air to play in a band that was rock 'n' roll, blues and Southern rock. We got that out of our system and got really focused on going back to our metal roots. It's heavy, focused, groove-oriented and I'm excited about it."

Oakland, California death metallers ALL SHALL PERISH have delivered a Scion A/V first: a song guaranteed to sear off your eyebrows and stir up the pit, en español. Unison deathcore riffage and multiple pummeling breakdowns make this one truly epic. If you're wondering what vocalist, Eddie Hermida, is saying, the title translates as "The Past Will Haunt Us." Download "El Pasado Nos Perseguira" for free or stream it in the YouTube clip below.

ALL SHALL PERISH is currently embarked on a headlining U.S. tour, "Scion Presents: This Is Where It Ends" 2012, featuring an all-star supporting cast of modern death metal acts, CARNIFEX, FLESHGOD APOCALYPSE, THE CONTORTIONIST and CONDUCTING FROM THE GRAVE in support.

ALL SHALL PERISH's fourth full-length album, "This Is Where It Ends", sold around 8,400 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 50 on The Billboard 200 chart. The band's previous CD, "Awaken The Dreamers", opened with 5,000 copies back in 2008 to land at No. 126.

"This Is Where It Ends" was released last July via Nuclear Blast Records. The majority of the effort was recorded and mixed once again at Castle Ultimate Studios in Oakland with producer Zack Ohren (LIGHT THIS CITY, DECREPIT BIRTH, SUFFOCATION).

METALLICA drummer Lars Ulrich has shot down professional wrestling legend and reality TV star Hulk Hogan's recent claim that Lars once asked him if he wanted to join METALLICA as the band's bass player.

Speaking to The Sun in January, Hulk Hogan said, "I used to be a session musician before I was a wrestler. I played bass guitar. I was big pals with Lars Ulrich and he asked me if I wanted to play bass with METALLICA in their early days but it didn't work out."

During yesterday's (Tuesday, April 10) appearance on "The Howard Stern Show", Ulrich was asked if there was any truth to Hogan's claim that he almost joined METALLICA.

"You know what?! I'm blessed or cursed, depending on how you look at it, with having more or less a photographic memory for pretty much anything that I've been a part of," Lars replied. "That one, when that showed up two or three months ago, I was scratching my head over that one. Unless he went by… I don't know Hulk Hogan, I don't know enough about him… I'm not a huge wrestling [fan]… Unless he went by, like, his Christian name or something, and I don't know if anybody knows what his Christian name was — Dave Smith or something — if there was a whole thing that we had with him under a different name, but I certainly have no recollection of doing anything with quote Hulk Hogan endquote. That one, I was scratching my head on that one, too."

Hulk Hogan told the Chicago Tribune's "About Last Night" column in 2009 that he always wanted to make it big in music and even yearned to play bass in METALLICA at one point. The WWE Hall of Famer said, "When METALLICA was looking for a bass player, I called and never heard a word back from them . . . I would have quit wrestling in a heartbeat to be a bass player for METALLICA." Hogan added that he also tried to join another legendary act, revealing, "I was in England presenting an award with Jerry Hall, Mick Jagger's ex, and she told me THE ROLLING STONES were looking for a bass player. I sent her a ton of merchandise that she asked for and said 'Tell Mick I'm a great bass player.' I never heard a word back."

METALLICA changed bass players twice in their recording history: first in 1986 when Cliff Burton died and was replaced by Jason Newsted, then in 2001 when Newsted quit and Robert Trujillo took over two years later.

Hogan took up the bass when he was younger and played high schools and frat parties in various bands.

"Slaves To Substance", the new video from California deathcore masters SUICIDE SILENCE, can be seen below. The song comes off the band's new album, "The Black Crown", which sold around 14,400 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 28 on The Billboard 200 chart.

The band's previous album, "No Time To Bleed", opened with 14,000 units in July 2009 to land at No. 32 on The Billboard 200 chart.

"The Black Crown" was released in North America on July 12, 2011 via Century Media Records. The CD was recorded with heavyweight producer Steve Evetts (THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN, EVERY TIME I DIE, HATEBREED) and features guest appearances by KORN singer Jonathan Davis and SUFFOCATION frontman Frank Mullen.

"The Black Crown" track listing:

01. Slaves To Substance
02. O.C.D.
03. Human Violence
04. You Only Live Once
05. Fuck Everything
06. March To The Black Crown
07. Witness The Addiction (feat. Jonathan Davis)
08. Cross-Eyed Catastrophe
09. Smashed (feat. Frank Mullen)
10. The Only Thing That Sets Us Apart
11. Cancerous Skies

The cover artwork for "The Black Crown" was created by the Delaware-based freelance graphic designer and illustrator Ken "K3N" Adams, who has previously worked with LAMB OF GOD.

STONE TEMPLE PILOTS will release their first-ever live DVD/Blu-ray on June 5. Entitled "Alive In The Windy City", the effort contains the band's entire concert from March 27, 2010 at the Riviera Theater in Chicago, Illinois.

"Alive In The Windy City" track listing:

01. Vasoline
02. Crackerman
03. Wicked Garden
04. Hollywood Bitch
05. Between The Lines
06. Hickory Dichotomy
07. Big Empty
08. Sour Girl
09. Creep
10. Plush
11. Interstate Love Song
12. Bagman
13. Huckleberry Crumble
14. Sex Type Thing
15. Dead And Bloated
16. Lounge Fly
17. Piece Of Pie
18. Trippin' On A Hole In A Paper Heart

According to The Pulse Of Radio, STONE TEMPLE PILOTS have a number of plans in the works for 2012, but apparently a new studio album is not one of them. Guitarist Dean DeLeo told New Jersey radio station WRAT on March 21 that contrary to earlier reports, the quartet are not recording their seventh studio effort. When asked if the band would work on a new disc anytime soon, DeLeo answered, "Possibly, we're just kind of enjoying home life right now and raising our kids and enjoying the loves of our lives."

Word of a new STP album first surfaced as early as the fall of 2010, just months after the band released its self-titled sixth effort.

That 2010 album came nine years after STP's last record, "Shangri-La-Dee-Da", and followed the band's 2008 reunion after a seven-year hiatus.

One thing that's much more likely to happen in 2012 is a celebration of the 20th anniversary of STP's debut album, "Core". While a reissue featuring unreleased and live material could happen, DeLeo hinted that a tour was more likely, saying, "Scott [Weiland, singer] and I were just talking a couple of weeks ago, and we'd really love to go out there and perform ['Core'] in its entirety."

"Core" remains a classic album nearly two decades after its release, and DeLeo told The Pulse Of Radio a while back that he considers the band's music in general to be timeless. "We never want to date our material," he said. "When I say 'date,' you can almost listen to some stuff and just say, 'Well, that was the drum sound that everybody was using in '95. I think our records are kind of just — the material is kind of timeless, you know, where you can't really date it. I think you'll be able to listen to it 20 years from now and think, 'Wow, it's just timeless,' you know?"

Six years after publishing a collection of reinterpretations of famous rock and pop songs under the title "Cover To Cover", multi-instrumentalist, composer and singer Neal Morse will release a second album of cover songs, "Cover 2 Cover", in May. Joining Neal once again during the CD's recording sessions were his longtime colleagues Mike Portnoy (drums; DREAM THEATER, ADRENALINE MOB, AVENGED SEVENFOLD, FLYING COLORS, TRANSATLANTIC) and Randy George (bass).

Morse is one of the leading figures in progressive rock, whose notoriety follows his co-founding of the seminal band, SPOCK'S BEARD in 1995, recordings as a solo artist, and contributions to the super-group TRANSATLANTIC.

Portnoy is one of the most popular and respected drummers in both metal and rock, and an accomplished writer and producer. He is the recipient of numerous industry accolades, including 26 Modern Drummer awards, Revolver magazine's Golden God award for "Best Drummer" and Drum magazine's "Drummer Of The Year". He rose to prominence as the leader, drummer, producer, and co-writer for metal/prog juggernaut DREAM THEATER, before moving on in 2010. That same year, he worked on AVENGED SEVENFOLD's #1 album "Nightmare" and their subsequent tour.

Eagle Rock Entertainment has set a May 29 release date for FOREIGNER's "Alive & Rockin'", recorded at one of Europe's most popular hard rock fests, the 2006 Bang Your Head!!! festival in Balingen, Germany. This nine-track concert, previously released on DVD only (Eagle Rock Entertainment) is now available for the first time on CD.

"My initial musical vision for FOREIGNER was to combine blues and R&B with British rock and make it sound soulful and authentic," says guitarist Mick Jones. "I'd grown up in England and had the English influence but I was also inspired by many elements of American music from Mississippi blues to country. FOREIGNER was the vehicle to get that musical blend across."

That "blend" was never more evident than on this rockin' night as Jones — with vocalist Kelly Hansen, drummer Jason Bonham, keyboardist Jeff Jacobs, multi-instrumentalist Tom Gimbel (guitars, saxophone, flute) and bassist Jeff Pilson — knocked out a crowd-pleasing set that included eight U.S. Top 20 hits including anthems "Juke Box Hero", "Cold As Ice" and "Hot Blooded".

This most beloved of classic rock bands has been serving up the hits for over 30 years. With over 70 million records sold worldwide, they're second only to LED ZEPPELIN on the Atlantic Records roster in total album sales. Jones, producer of 10 of FOREIGNER's multi-platinum albums, has composed some of the most memorable riffs in rock history. After forming SPOOKY TOOTH with Gary Wright in the early 1970s, he left his native England to move to New York in 1976 and formed FOREIGNER.

"Alive & Rockin'" track listing:

01. Double Vision
02. Head Games
03. Dirty White Boy
04. Cold As Ice
05. Starrider
06. Feels Like The First Time
07. Urgent
08. Juke Box Hero / Whole Lotta Love
09. Hot Blooded

Die Amerikanische Prog/Power Metal Band wird ihr neues und fünftes Album "Seventh Year Of The Broken Mirror" am 22. Mai in den nUSA und am 25. Mai 2012 in Europa via Nightmare/SonyRED veröffentlichen. Die Band und das Label haben jetzt das Artwork und die Track List enthüllt.

"Seventh Year Of The Broken Mirror" Track List:

01. Seventh Year Of The Broken Mirror
02. Words That Were Said
03. Dreamspeak
04. Spiral Staircase
05. Changing Of The Guard
06. Innocence
07. Third Wish
08. Eye Of The Enemy
09. Twelfth Talisman
10. Reign Down
11. Winter's Call

Greek melodic metallers FIREWIND — who feature in their ranks current OZZY OSBOURNE guitarist Gus G. — will release their new album, "Few Against Many", in Europe on May 21 via Century Media Records and in North America on May 22 through DisManic, Inc. via eOne Distribution. The CD was mixed by Jason Suecof and Eyal Levi at Audiohammer Studios (TRIVIUM, ALL THAT REMAINS, DEATH ANGEL) in Sanford, Florida. A digital single, "Wall Of Sound", will precede the full-length CD in late April. Look out for the track via your digital retail platform of choice as of the following date per country:

* Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Norway, Italy, Australia, New Zealand: Friday, April 20
* U.K.: Sunday, April 22
* Benelux, France, Greece, Denmark, Portugal, Rest Of Europe: Monday, April 23
* Spain: Tuesday, April 24
* Sweden, Finland, Hungary: Wednesday, April 25

Produced by Gus, "Few Against Many" was recorded with his longtime bandmates, vocalist Apollo Papathanasio, keyboardist/guitarist Bob Katsionis and bassist Petros Christo, at Valve Studio in Greece as well as the Sweetspot Studios in Sweden and sees the band expanding on its signature melodic sound with some of its most aggressive songs to date. The CD also marks the recording debut of new FIREWIND drummer Johan Nunez (NIGHTRAGE). The young Belgian is regarded by Gus as a "phenomenal talent," and anyone that witnessed him on the band's most recent world tour will no doubt agree.

The "Few Against Many" cover artwork can be seen below.

FIREWIND 2012 is:

Bob Katsionis - Keyboards, Guitar
Apollo Papathanasio - Vocals
Gus G. - Guitar
Petros Christo - Bass
Jo Nunez - Drums

FIREWIND debuted two brand new songs — "Wall Of Sound" and "Losing My Mind" — during its headlining concert on January 14 at the Fuzz Club in Athens, Greece.

FIREWIND has already announced a few summer festival appearances (including Summer Breeze in Germany and Czech Republic's Masters Of Rock) and will play three shows in China and Taiwan at the end of August. The band will also embark on a European headlining tour in September/October with support from LEAVES' EYES.

Legendary rock band RUSH has unveiled details of its highly anticipated, new album, "Clockwork Angels". This is the renowned trio's first new collection of original material in over five years and their first studio release via Anthem/Roadrunner Records. "Clockwork Angels", the band's 20th studio album, will be released on June 12.

The recording of "Clockwork Angels" began in April 2010 with Grammy Award-winning producer Nick Raskulinecz (FOO FIGHTERS, DEFTONES) — who also collaborated with the band on their last studio album, 2007's "Snakes & Arrows". RUSH co-produced both records. The first two songs, "Caravan" and "BU2B", were completed during that first session at Nashville's Blackbird studios and performed nightly during the wildly successful Time Machine Tour, which ran from June 2010 to June 2011. Work on "Clockwork Angels" resumed in the fall of 2011 at Revolution Recording in Toronto after the tour's finale, with additional strings (arranged by David Campbell) recorded at Hollywood's Ocean Way Studios earlier this year. Lyrically, "Clockwork Angels" chronicles a young man's quest across a lavish and colorful world of steampunk and alchemy as he attempts to follow his dreams. The story features lost cities, pirates, anarchists, an exotic carnival, and a rigid Watchmaker who imposes precision on every aspect of daily life. The novelization of "Clockwork Angels" is being written by science fiction writer Kevin J. Anderson in collaboration with RUSH drummer and lyricist Neil Peart.

RUSH will herald the release of "Clockwork Angels" with a new single, "Headlong Flight", landing at rock radio on April 19. Details of a full-scale North American tour to support the new album will be announced shortly.

"Clockwork Angels" track listing:

01. Caravan
02. BU2B
03. Clockwork Angels
04. The Anarchist
05. Carnies
06. Halo Effect
07. Seven Cities Of Gold
08. The Wreckers
09. Headlong Flight
10. BU2B2
11. Wish Them Well
12. The Garden

Multi-camera video footage of NIGHTWISH rehearsing the song "Planet Hell" in January 2012 at SIR Studios in Los Angeles can be seen below.

NIGHTWISH will release a limited-edition "Trials Of Imaginaerum" 10-inch picture disc for Record Store Day (April 21). The effort includes four previously unreleased demo recordings with Marco Hietala on lead vocals. It also comes with a download of the previously unreleased track "The Heart Asks Pleasure First", a cover with lyrics from the movie "The Piano".

"Trials Of Imaginaerum" features a picture of "The Crew, The Owl And The Dove" on one side, and the "Imaginaerum" grounds on the other side.

"Trials Of Imaginaerum" track listing:

Side A

01. Storytime (Demo)
02. The Crow, The Owl And The Dove (Demo)

Side B

01. I Want My Tears Back (Demo)
02. Slow, Love, Slow (Demo)

Price: $16.99

About Record Store Day: Record Store Day is managed by the Music Monitor Network and is organized in partnership with the Alliance Of Independent Media Stores (AIMS), the Coalition Of Independent Music Stores (CIMS) and celebrates the culture of independent record stores by playing host to in-store events/performances, signings and special product releases on a global scale.

Record Store Day takes place annually on the third Saturday of April.

"The Crow, The Owl And The Dove", the second single from NIGHTWISH's latest album, "Imaginaerum", entered the official chart in Finland at position No. 1. The single features the title cut in three versions — radio edit, album version and instrumental — and the previously unreleased song "The Heart Asks Pleasure First" (theme from the movie "The Piano") in two different versions.

NIGHTWISH will release a special "tour edition" of "Imaginaerum", on April 13 via Nuclear Blast Records. It will be a 2CD+DVD digibook in slipcase.

"Imaginaerum" sold 12,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 27 on The Billboard 200 chart. The band's previous CD, 2007's "Dark Passion Play", opened with 11,000 units to land at No. 84.

"Imaginaerum" was released in North America on January 10 via Roadrunner Records.

According to Guitar Player, a report by the San Mateo County Coroner's Office, released on April 6, confirms legendary guitarist Ronnie Montrose died from a self-inflicted gunshot wound. The toxicology report also showed his blood-alcohol level at 0.31% when he died — almost four times the legal limit in California. No evidence of other drugs was found in his system.

The Montrose family posted the following statement on RonnieMontrose.com:

"By now, the devastating truth of Ronnie's death is public knowledge. We hope you can understand why we wanted to keep this news a private family matter for as long as possible. We can only hope that you will choose to celebrate Ronnie's life, and what his music meant to you, rather than mourn his passing. Ronnie would have wanted it that way. He loved being a guitarist, a composer, a producer, and a creator of magic. He fully understood his gifts, and yet he constantly pushed himself to evolve, improve, and make better music. He did this for himself, and he did this for you, because he adored and appreciated his fans. Please keep his energy, his joy, and his love in your hearts."

Although Montrose did not leave a suicide note, his wife/manager Leighsa Montrose feels he was probably always planning for an exit.

"Ronnie had a very difficult childhood, which caused him to have extremely deep and damaging feelings of inadequacy," Leighsa tells Guitar Player. "This is why he always drove himself so hard. He never thought he was good enough. He always feared he'd be exposed as a fraud. So he was exacting in his self criticism, and the expectations he put upon himself were tremendous. Now I see that perhaps he didn't want to carry these burdens for very much longer'

She adds, "I knew I had married an alcoholic, but Ronnie was never anything but loving. He could be curmudgeonly and cranky, but he was never angry or abusive to me in any way. He definitely had a reputation for his bad temper and controlling personality when he was younger, but he'd always say that I got the best version of himself, and we were nearly inseparable. We ate every meal together. I went to every show he played."

Read more from Guitar Player.

Photo below courtesy of RonnieMontrose.com

Legendary guitarist Slash (VELVET REVOLVER, GUNS N' ROSES) was the musical guest on last night's (Tuesday, April 10) episode of ABC-TV's "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" Slash and his band performed his new single, "You're A Lie", from the upcoming "Apocalyptic Love" album, as well as "Back to Cali" from Slash's eponymous debut on the show's outdoor stage in front of a standing-room-only crowd. Video footage of the performance can be seen below.

"Apocalyptic Love" will be released on May 22 via Slash's own label Dik Hayd International distributed through EMI. In the U.K., the album will be made available on May 21 in exclusive Classic Rock Fan Pack form — providing a unique collectable package containing the studio album with bonus tracks alongside a specially created magazine with unseen behind-the-scenes content put together by Classic Rock. The Fan Pack format will also come with free gifts, including a pin badge and artwork poster and will be available to buy via more than 2000 retail outlets on newsstands nationally as well as the traditional high street and online music retailers. Roadrunner Records will simultaneously release the record digitally. The standard physical release of the Slash album will follow through Roadrunner Records on June 18.

For the new album, Slash — along with and his bandmates Myles Kennedy (vocals), Brent Fitz (drums) and Todd Kerns (bass) — teamed with producer Eric Valentine, who also produced the "Slash" disc. All the songs were written together by Slash and Kennedy, and cameras have been rolling throughout the entire making of the album.

On Saturday, April 7, Slash shot a "dark" video for the song "You're A Lie" with director Anthony Leonardi III. Leonardi is also helming the first feature film produced by Slash, called "Nothing To Fear", which was recently picked up for distribution by Anchor Bay Entertainment. The movie is the first of a proposed series of horror films produced by Slash's company, called Slasher Films, which he launched last year in partnership with two other producers. The film began shooting last month in Louisiana, with Anne Heche and others confirmed for the cast.

The reunited BLACK SABBATH has been confirmed for this year's edition of the Lollapalooza festival, which takes place on August 3-5 at Grant Park in downtown Chicago.

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

Ozzy Osbourne's wife and manager, Sharon, said recently that SABBATH would now play just one date each in North America and the U.K.

It was the decision by Lollapalooza organizers 15 years ago to deny Ozzy a spot on the bill that led him and Sharon to launch Ozzfest.

Founded by JANE'S ADDICTION singer Perry Farrell, Lollapalooza has remained a one-weekend event in Chicago since 2005, after starting as a touring fest in 1991.

Tickets for Lollapalooza are currently on sale at the festival's official web site, with Early Bird 3-Day passes quickly selling out after going on sale on March 27.

When asked if original SABBATH drummer Bill Ward will participate in the band's U.S. show, Sharon told VH1 Radio Network, "We don't know yet, we really don't know. It's up to Bill. The door is open for him to join us, so it's up to him."

Meanwhile, Ozzy, Iommi and bassist Geezer Butler are in London continuing to record their first album together in 33 years, although without Ward it is not the original SABBATH reunion announced last November.

Sharon said about the recording sessions, "It's going good. They're doing really well in the studio. Gosh, they must've written 15 new songs already and it's going great."

She also denied that she was responsible for Ward's current absence from the project, saying, "Everybody's got their own manager, so we have an independent group of people that have come in to manage the project, and I don't, and I get the blame because Bill doesn't want to play with the band; he doesn't like his deal and I get the blame. It's like, 'All right, I'm a big girl, I can take it.'"

Ward has been sitting out the sessions due to being offered what he called "an unsignable contract" in an open letter to SABBATH fans.

Ward posted an update on February 17 in which he said he "remains hopeful" for a positive outcome to the situation.

The rest of SABBATH's scheduled European summer gigs will be replaced by "Ozzy And Friends", at which the singer will be joined by Butler, former Ozzy guitarist Zakk Wylde and other special guests, including Slash on selected dates.

KISS performed its classic song "Lick It Up" on last night's (Tuesday, April 10) episode of of ABC-TV's "Dancing With The Stars". Video footage of their appearance can be seen below.

As previously reported, KISS also played "Rock And Roll All Nite" on Monday's (April 9) "Dancing" episode.

KISS has completed recording its new album, "Monster", for a summer release. Songtitles set to appear on the CD include "It's A Long Way Down", "Back To The Stone Age", "Shout Mercy", "Out Of This World", "Wall Of Sound" and "Hell Or Hallelujah".

Speaking to VH1 Radio Network's Dave Basner following the March 20 press conference at the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel in Hollywood, California to officially announce details of KISS' summer co-headlining tour with MÖTLEY CRÜE, KISS vocalist/guitarist Paul Stanley stated about the band's new CD, "'Monster' is really the culmination of everything this band has been in the past and where we're going. When we did [2009's] 'Sonic Boom', it was a big task for us because we were saying, 'How do we define who we are today without losing who we've been?' So, that was a tall order for us, but once we got that under our belts, we wanted to go back in and 'Monster' is far, far beyond anything we've done in terms of 'Sonic Boom' and yet it's right up there with some of the best stuff we've done. It's KISS."

"Lick It Up" performance (April 10):

According to The Pulse Of Radio, AC/DC was in danger of being dropped from their label, Atlantic Records, just prior to the release of the band's 1977 album "Let There Be Rock". Phil Carson, the exec who got AC/DC signed to the label, revealed to Classic Rock magazine, "They'd delivered [1976's] 'Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap', which I thought was pretty good. But the Atlantic A&R department [in the U.S.] said, 'We're sorry, but this album doesn't make it. We're not gonna put it out and we're dropping the band.' And everybody was unanimous in this, by the way — everybody."

Carson continued, "I said: 'I think you're making a very big mistake.' . . . So I went to Neshui [Ertegun, co-owner of Atlantic] and showed him the sales figures that we'd got for [1976's] 'High Voltage'. They were not awe-inspiring but considering we'd only paid $25,000 for the album, this was not so bad."

Ertegun agreed with Carson and allowed him to re-sign the band. Three years later, they became one of the biggest bands in the world with the release of 1980's "Back In Black", which has sold 49 million copies worldwide.

Singer Brian Johnson revealed last month that unspecified health issues for a different, unidentified member of AC/DC were delaying the start of work on the band's next album, although he added that a "full recovery" was expected.

Veteran female-fronted German thrashers HOLY MOSES will release the "30th Anniversary - In The Power Of Now" double album on April 30 in Germany, April 23 in the rest of Europe and early May in North America via SPV/Steamhammer. The CD contains re-recorded versions of 20 of the most important songs in HOLY MOSES' 30-year catalog along with two brand new tracks.

"30th Anniversary - In The Power Of Now" track listing:

CD 1

01. Clash My Soul (02:36)
02. Jungle Of Lies (03:46)
03. Finished With The Dogs (02:29)
04. Symbol Of Spirit (03:42)
05. World Chaos (03:12)
06. SSP (03:40)
07. Borderland (03:27) (brand new song)
08. Lost In The Maze (05:51)
09. Walpurgisnight (02:58)
10. Welcome To The Real World (03:31)
11. Near Dark (05:30)

CD 2

01. Reborn Dogs (03:50)
02. Def Con II (04:26)
03. I Feel Sick (03:48)
04. Nothing For My Mum (03:51)
05. Disorder Of The Order (04:14)
06. Corroded Dreams (04:04)
07. Entering The Now (03:40) (brand new song)
08. Creation Of Violation (03:56)
09. Panic (03:13)
10. Decapitated Minds (03:40)
11. Master Of Disaster (03:45)

The re-recorded version of the song "Def Con II" can be streamed below.

HOLY MOSES recently parted ways with longtime guitarist Michael Hankel and have replaced him with Peter "Pete" Geltat (ex-DESILENCE).

HOLY MOSES is:

Sabina Classen - Vocals
Michael Hankel - Guitars
Oliver Jaath - Rhythm Guitar, Backing Vocals
Gerd Lücking - Drums
Thomas Neitsch - Bass

"Agony of Death", the latest album from HOLY MOSES, was released in September 2008 in Europe via Wacken Records/SPV. The CD was recorded at the Blue Castle Studio near Hamburg with producer/guitar player Michael Hankel. DESTRUCTION, OBITUARY and AXEL RUDI PELL members are among the guest musicians who appear on the album.

Swedish female-fronted melodic metal band END OF SEPTEMBER has just released a digital single. "Isolated" is the opening song from the group's self-titled debut album, which will be released on May 11 in Europe and on May 22 in North America via Ulterium Records.

A music video for "Isolated" was filmed earlier this year in Gothenburg with 11Frames Productions and can be seen below.

According to a press release, "END OF SEPTEMBER is definitely one of the most promising bands from Scandinavia at the moment. This young band shows with their debut album that they know how to create fantastic, memorable songs, and perform them to perfection. They have also been able to successfully create a mix between melodic metal and more modern metal that not many bands have.

"With the well-crafted and intelligent song-writing of Erik Tordsson and the smooth and emotional vocals of Elin Redin, END OF SEPTEMBER is a force to be reckoned with during the coming years. The band is hungry to hit the stages around the world, and are destined to make it."

"End of September" track listing:

01. Isolated
02. Fallen
03. A Place To Go
04. Exile
05. Inner Voice
06. Left In This World
07. Waiting For The Rain
08. Silence
09. Autumn Breaks

END OF SEPTEMBER is:

Elin Redin - Vocals
Erik Tordsson - Guitar, Vocals
Johan Nöjd - Bass
Johan Svensson - Drums

Intent on stimulating your visual senses in addition to simply your auditory receptors with each release nowadays, today UFOMAMMUT have released the final two installments completing the series of five visual accompaniments to each track from their "Oro: Opus Primum" full-length, as the album sees release in Europe this week, and will see release in North America on Tuesday.

Documenting the final two tracks of UFOMAMMUT's "Opus Primum", the audio/visual installments of the songs "Magickon" and "Mindomine" finish out the five-part video series that showcases the entire album, following the three previously released clips. To sum it all up, Roadburn.com has hosted the two video pieces, as well as a stream of the entire album.

Although this completes the cycle for the "Oro: Opus Primum" LP, as the second part of the "Oro" series — "Oro: Opus Alter" — nears release in September, each track from that album will be released in the same visual/audio format. The full visual adaptation of both "Opus Primum" and later "Opus Alter" will be available as DVD installments which will accompany the limited edition LP versions of each chapter, hand-build by Malleus Rock Art Labs and released on the band's own Supernatural Cat Records.

"Oro: Opus Primum" track listing:

01. Empireum
02. Aureum
03. Infearnatural
04. Magickon
05. Mindomine

A five-minute YouTube clip containing audio samples of the tracks that will appear on "Throes Of Absolution", the forthcoming debut album from progressive atmospheric death metallers 7 HORNS 7 EYES, can be found below. Due in North America on April 24 via Century Media Records, the CD features a guest appearance by former NEVERMORE guitarist Jeff Loomis.

The cover artwork for "Throes Of Absolution" was created by Travis Smith of Seempieces (OPETH, DEVIN TOWNSEND) and can be seen below.

The track listing for the CD is as follows:

01. Divine Amnesty
02. Phumis: The Falsehood of Affliction
03. The Hill Difficulty
04. Cycle of Self
05. Delusions
06. A Finite Grasp of Infinite Disillusion
07. Vindicator
08. The Winnowing
09. Regeneration

7 HORNS 7 EYES previously released a digital single, entitled "Convalescence", which can be purchased on iTunes. In addition to the title track, the single also features two tracks from "Throes Of Absolution" ("Vindicator", "The Winnowing").

Arizona-based death/thrash metallers SARGON have completed work on their new EP, "The Bitter End", at Arcane Digital Recording studios in Chandler, Arizona with producer Ryan Butler (EXHUMED, MISERY INDEX, LANDMINE MARATHON). This marks the first SARGON recording to feature bassist Kelly Conlon (DEATH, MONSTROSITY) and new drummer Rickard Stjernquist (JAG PANZER).

SARGON once again utilized the services of Panamanian guitar virtuoso Rod Denis, who previously recorded lead guitar tracks on the band's full-length debut album, "In Contempt", released last year via Old Cemetery Records.

Due to be released digitally on Tuesday, April 24, "The Bitter End" will feature the following track listing:

01. The Bitter End (Conlon, Van Kwartel)
02. Wretched Affliction (Van Kwartel)
03. Thrash N' Roll (Van Kwartel) (remastered bonus track from "In Contempt")

SARGON 2012 is:

Frank Van Kwartel: Guitar, Vocals
Kelly Conlon: Bass
Rickard Stjernquist: Drums

SARGON is scheduled to perform at the Central Illinois Deathfest on Friday, July 13.

An exhibition celebrating the life and work of legendary guitarist Gary Moore has been launched at the Oh Yeah Music Centre in Belfast, United Kingdom.

Gary Moore was an exceptional guitarist, songwriter and performer. His solo records are internationally admired, likewise his work with the likes of THIN LIZZY, SKID ROW, THE TRAVELLING WILBURYS, BB King and George Harrison.

Gary was born in Belfast on April 4, 1952. Sadly, he passed away on February 6, 2011. To mark what would have been his 60th birthday, the family of Gary Moore is helping with a unique exhibition of his personal effects.

The exhibition includes:

* Gary's Black "quilted" Gibson Les Paul guitar
* A suit, shirt and shoes, specially commissioned by the tailor Gresham Blake for an Amnesty International event.
* A series of gold albums, framed magazine covers, signed photos, tour passes, posters and flyers.
* A brass plaque to mark a sold out Hammersmith Odeon show in 2001
* A mounted brick from the Martime Hotel, Belfast, presented by the Belfast Blues Society to Gary.
* Plus many more effects.

This is the first of a series of events that will mark the legendary achievements of Gary Moore.

Exhibition dates: April 5 to June 30, 2012

Oh Yeah Music Centre,
15-21 Gordon Street
Belfast
United Kingdom BT1 2LG

For more information, visit www.ohyeahbelfast.com.

Gary Moore suffered a heart attack brought on by a massive amount of alcohol he consumed prior to being found dead in bed at a luxury Costa del Sol hotel in February 2011.

Nach einigen Monaten im Studio haben die Melodic Deather THE AGONIST endlich ihr langerwartetes drittes Album "Prisoners" fertiggestellt. Das von Christian Donaldson (CRYPTOPSY) produzierte und von Tue Madsen (THE HAUNTED, DARK TANQUILITY, SUICIDE SILENCE) abgemischte Prisoners wird via Century Media Records am 04. Juni 2012 veröffentlicht. Das Album macht genau da weiter, wo „Lullabies for the Dormant Mind“ von 2009 aufgehört hat, und zwar mit wunderbaren Melodien, die in gewohnter Agonist-Manier mit komplexen Metal-Strukturen amalgamieren und Fans von anspruchsvollem Metal ganz sicher auf ihre Kosten kommen lassen werden.

Das kommende Album betreffend, kommentiert die Band: "‘Prisoners‘ zu kreieren war die anspruchsvollste Aufgabe, die THE AGONIST bis dato angegangen sind. Jahre an Emotionen, Leidenschaft, Ideenreichtum und Erfahrung ließen dieses Album entstehen und ich bin mir sicher, dass die Leute, die ‚Prisoners‘ hören werden, all dies in dem beim Hören wiederfinden werden."

Die Band bereitet sich im Moment auf eine ausgedehnte US-Tour mit KITTIE vor. Weitere Details über „Prisoners“ werden in Kürze enthüllt, also haltet die Ohren und Augen offen!

Jetzt wurde HIER die erste Single "Ideomotor" zum probehören online gestellt.