The Cure will hit the studio to record a track for a new Paul McCartney tribute album. The material covered for this release will include material recorded during his time in The Beatles, Wings and his solo career. The as-yet-untitled collection will be released to coincide with McCartney's 70th birthday in June. A behind-the-scenes documentary is also being filmed during studio sessions.

The whole production will be supervised by producer Ralph Sall.

In further The Cure news, it seems that the band will hit Russia for a gig at the Maxidrom on June 11th. Here are the gigs confirmed so far for the band throughout Europe.
May 26th: Pinkpop in Netherlands (Tickets)
June 1st: Primavera Sound in Spain (Tickets)
June 11th: Maxidrom in Russia (Tickets)
June 14th - 16th: Hultsfred Festival in Sweden (Tickets)
June 22nd - 24th: Southside Festival in Germany (Tickets)
June 23rd - 24th: Hurricane Festival in Germany (Tickets)
June 28th: Rock Werchter in Belgium (Tickets)
June 30th: Les Eurockeennes in France (Tickets)
July 5th - 8th: Roskilde Festival in Denmark (Tickets)
July 7th: Heineken Jammin' in Italy (Tickets)
July 9th: Rock in Roma in Italy (Tickets)
July 12th: Bilbao BBK Live in Spain (Tickets)
July 14th: Optimus Alive in Portugal (Tickets)
July 20th: Festival Vielles Charrues in France (Tickets)
Aug. 18th: Frequency Festival in Austria

Frontiers Records has announced the return of good-time rock 'n' rollers TRIXTER; the band's first new album in 20 years, "New Audio Machine", will be released in North America on April 24.

Featuring TRIXTER's original lineup, "New Audio Machine" was produced and engineered by Chuck Alzakian (ELTON JOHN, CHRISTINA AGUILERA, TESLA) and includes songwriting contributions by SKID ROW's Snake Sabo and Rachel Bolan and STYX's Glen Burtnik.

Commented TRIXTER frontman Pete Loran commented, "After all these years playing and recording with this band, I would say I am most proud of this record!" Lead guitarist Steve Brown added, "'New Audio Machine is everything TRIXTER was and everything we are now. I can't wait for the world to hear it!"

"New Audio Machine" track listing:

01. Drag Me Down
02. Get On It
03. Dirty Love
04. Machine
05. Live For The Day
06. Ride
07. Physical Attraction
08. Tattoos & Misery
09. The Coolest Thing
10. Save Your Soul
11. Walk With A Stranger
12. Heart Of Steel (bonus acoustic track)

Formed in Paramus, New Jersey in 1984, TRIXTER's self-titled debut album attained gold status (reaching #28 on The Billboard 200 in 1990), and spawned three minor hit singles: "Surrender" (#72), "One In A Million" (#75), and "Give It To Me Good" (#65). Despite the fact that none of the singles made the Top 40 or garnered much radio airplay, the videos for all three tunes were in heavy rotation on MTV (especially "Give It To Me Good", which was #1 on the channel for several weeks). A follow-up effort, "Hear", came out in 1992, but failed to reach the same commercial heights. The band recorded an album of cover songs, "Undercovers", in 1994, which garnered little commercial success, and TRIXTER broke up shortly after its release.

TRIXTER announced the reunion of its original lineup in 2007 and has since played a number of shows, including the Rocklahoma festival in 2008.

TRIXTER's current lineup features Pete Loran on lead vocals and guitar, Steve Brown on lead guitar, P.J. Farley on bass and Gus Scott on drums.

"Do Not Look Down", a brand new song from Swedish experimental extreme metallers MESHUGGAH, can be streamed at this location. The track comes off the band's new album, "Koloss", which will be released in Germany on March 23 and the rest of Europe on March 26 (March 27 in North America) as a CD digi, limited-edition Magic Cube (CD digi plus DVD exclusive to Nuclear Blast mail order) and two-LP brown vinyl via Nuclear Blast Records.

The track listing for the CD is as follows:

01. I Am Colossus
02. The Demon's Name Is Surveillance
03. Do Not Look Down
04. Behind The Sun
05. The Hurt That Finds You First
06. Marrow
07. Break Those Bones Whose Sinews Gave It Motion
08. Swarm
09. Demiurge
10. The Last Vigil

In a recent intervie with MSN's metal music section Headbang, MESHUGGAH drummer Tomas Haake stated about the band's decision to call the new album "Koloss", "It's not so much like a theme, it's kind of how the overall album is more towards something heavier than anything that we've ever done. We wanted something that had that sound to it, something monolithic, something huge. Also a few things that tied into that was the stress and anxiety that a few of us went through up until we started recording this album because of previous sessions where we felt we were doing things the wrong way. That lingers with you, you don't want to do the same mistakes again, you want to save the mental health of a few in the band as well, try to do things another way. So it felt like a colossal thing to get out of the hat this time, even though it went smoother in a lot of ways. Also once we knew what artwork we were using, because it's not artwork that was designed for this album, it was an existing piece of art by this Russian artist Luminokaya, we just fell in love with the piece and we found out it hadn't been used for anything, so we could buy the rights for it. Once we saw that, and we already had the title 'Colossus', we had that song in there, we just felt like this creature on the cover looks like, is it a god, is it a devil, what is it? The word 'Koloss' just fit for some reason."

Regarding how the band found the album artwork, Haake, "I don't even remember, I think I was just looking through random art online probably three or four years ago I saw this guy's art the first time. I got in contact with him, and initially he was supposed to do something for the album but we trailed off into other things and we didn't stay in touch for a while. I just took for granted that the piece had been used for something already, but when I finally asked him he said no, it was up for grabs. He's done a lot of additions and renditions and versions of it for the whole layout, so he's spent a lot of time on it too, and we're really stoked that we ended up using this art."

Regarding the suggestion that "Koloss" sounds like MESHUGGAH deliberately tried to expand its sound even more than on "ObZen", Haake said, "We definitely pushed ourselves hard with 'ObZen', too, but maybe that one feels even more like a flirtatious thing with the stuff we were doing earlier on and the stuff we grew up with. I still feel there's some of that on this one too, with the different tunings, and a couple of the songs are actually written for six-string guitar and not all of them being really down-tuned eight-stringed stuff. That's definitely to get that old-school thrash vibe in there, even though the music is different, of course. There's definitely a little bit of that going on this album, too. But apart from that, we basically tried to create something that we find intriguing. We always try to find new ways of writing our own music, so to speak, to see if there's an additional lateral movement, a sideways step that we can take for ourselves to feel that we did something new with this one and that we pushed ourselves into doing something that came out cool and refreshing. That's kind of what we always aim for, and this time it came out like this."

Released in March 2008, MESHUGGAH's last album, "obZen", debuted at No. 59 on The Billboard 200 chart and at No. 14 on the iTunes Top Rock Albums chart.

MESHUGGAH's first DVD, "Alive" sold around 3,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 8 on the Top Music Videos chart.

"Break Those Bones Whose Sinews Gave It Motion" lyric video:

Swedish dark rockers KATATONIA recently entered the studio to begin recording their ninth album, to be released later in the year.

A video update from the band's drummer, Daniel Liljekvist, can be seen at this location.

Said Daniel, "We finished up the drum recordings at Ghost Ward studio in Stockholm, Sweden. I did that together with David Castillo, the owner of the studio. We worked with him far too many years. He's a great guy. The sessions went really good. The songs are great; incredible songs. It's got everything — complex parts, soft shit… same old darkness, KATATONIA bullshit that all you crazy KATATONIA maniacs love; I know that."

KATATONIA previously stated about the band's new material, "Well, you got the lush textures, the moody melodies, the heavy parts, the progressive touches, the mellow bits and so on... Is it metal? Is it rock? Is it alternative? Is it singer/songwriter? Actually at times it feels like we're exploring territories where KATATONIA would be an orphan in the land of 'genres.' We can't tell where and to whom we belong and the goal is that it doesn't even matter, because before and above any genre, there's first an acceptance level of music being good, or being bad. KATATONIA might be bad people, but we create good music."

The group added, "We also hooked up again with keyboard maestro extraordinaire Frank Default and regardless of the Internet speculations, he's not to 'blame' for the increased use of electronics since the last album. That part has been called for as we simply feel that it has grown to fill a hole in our sound inside, or alongside, the classic formation of instruments. In our world, we allow mellotrones, Hammonds, rhodes and strings to integrate with loops, distortion and filters to manifest in the katatonic maelstrom. It's our time to marry contemporary with vintage."

KATATONIA played four shows in Scandinavia in December, hitting the capital cites of Copenhagen, Oslo, Helsinki and, of course, the band's hometown of Stockholm. The concerts, which were part of the 20th-anniversary "Last Fair Day Gone Night Tour 2011", saw the band perform two sets. The first set consisted of a performance of the entire "Last Fair Deal Gone Down" album front to back. The second set was a mixture of carefully picked songs from the band's extensive catalogue.

KATATONIA's May 6, 2011 concert at Koko in London, England was professionally filmed/recorded for a future DVD release.

KATATONIA released special editions of the critically acclaimed albums "Last Fair Deal Gone Down" and "Night Is The New Day" on April 25, 2011. The 10th-anniversary edition "Last Fair Deal Gone Down" was presented in deluxe mediabook packaging, as a two-disc edition containing tracks from the now hard-to-find singles "Teargas" and "Tonight's Music". The reissue of 2009's "Night Is The New Day" included bonus tracks from the "The Longest Year" EP. Both titles were presented with newly updated cover artwork courtesy of original artist Travis Smith.

"Remember Everything", the new video from Las Vegas-based metallers FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH, can be seen below. The track comes off the band's third album, "American Capitalist", which debuted at No. 3 on The Billboard 200 chart, selling 91,000 copies in its first week of release. Both the chart and sales numbers were career highs for the group.

FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH fans are able to get the brand new cover art for "American Capitalist". It features an illustration of the group's ubiquitous "mascot," Knucklehead, over the backdrop of Times Square in New York City.

The new Knucklehead illustration only replaces the regular edition album version of "American Capitalist", while the deluxe edition artwork remains the same.

"American Capitalist" was released as a standard CD, and a limited-edition deluxe CD format complete with special packaging plus second disc containing a number of exclusive remixes, including one for "Under And Over It". Meanwhile, the iTunes version carries the bonus track "The Tragic Truth".

"When The Walls Close In", the new video from Sacramento, California's WILL HAVEN, can be seen below. The song comes off the band's latest album, "Voir Dire", which came out last October via Bieler Bros. Records. The follow-up to 2007's "The Hierophant" marked the return of the band's original vocalist Grady Avenell, who rejoined WILL HAVEN in October 2009 after a two-year break. The CD also featured SLIPKNOT percussionist Chris Fehn handling bass duties, following the departure of Mike Martin, who left the group to focus on family life.

According to a press release, "Voir Dire" "builds upon the bands great sonic history but is by far the biggest, most ominous, riff-laden WILL HAVEN release to date.

"The Hierophant" was released in June 2007 through Bieler Bros. Records. The CD was WILL HAVEN's first release since 2001's critically acclaimed "Carpe Diem". It was also the group's first and only effort with singer Jeff Jaworski (formerly of RED TAPE).

"Shadows Of My Past", the first video from SIX HOUR SUNDOWN, the U.K.-based rock band fronted by Lauren Harris — daughter of legendary IRON MAIDEN bassist Steve Harris — can be seen below. The clip was filmed during one of the group's rehearsals.

Formed in late 2009, SIX HOUR SUNDOWN was born from a desire of like-minded friends (and experienced musicians) to get back to the heart of why they wanted to make music in the first place.

According to a press release, SIX HOUR SUNDOWN "blurs the boundaries of musical genres with edgy modern rock riffs, driven by a solid rhythm section and topped off by a contemporary melody lines, delivered by a vocalist who puts her heart on the line with every performance."

SIX HOUR SUNDOWN creates music that takes influences from bands as diverse as FOO FIGHTERS, 30 SECONDS TO MARS and VELVET REVOLVER but at all times keeping its unique vision intact.

SIX HOUR SUNDOWN is:

Lauren Harris - Vocals
Tom Gentry - Guitar
James Bennett - Guitar
Mitch Witham - Bass
Olly Smith - Drums

When asked why she decided to launch a band after touring and releasing an album under her own name, Lauren told Planetmosh, "It kind of turned into a band when I was out as a solo artist anyway, because all of us became so close and we started writing songs together and stuff, and then we decided to drop the name completely and perform properly as a band. . . I'm not the only one in the band . . . so we just wanted to make it a bit more equal, and yeah, that's it, really."

Regarding the origins of the name SIX HOUR SUNDOWN, Lauren said, "We were talking amongst friends and just laughing and having a drink and stuff, and you know, when somebody says, 'Oh, I fancy a drink,' and it’s like one o'clock in the afternoon or something, and you're like, 'Really, you’re going to start drinking now?' Then someone said, 'It's five o'clock somewhere in the world.' . . . We went for six, because six is a cooler number, and six is my birthday, and it kind of led on from there — six hour sundown.

On the topic of the biggest difference between SIX HOUR SUNDOWN and the LAUREN HARRIS band, the singer said, "[SIX HOUR SUNDOWN is] much more current — the songs are more current. What we were doing before was almost a different genre, really. I think now it's a lot more rocky, more melodic rock, whereas before it was much more pop-orientated rock, so I think that's really the main difference, and of course, now there's a band feel to it, which I think gives it a completely different feel anyway."

Progressive atmospheric death metallers 7 HORNS 7 EYES will release their debut full-length album, "Throes Of Absolution", in North America on April 24 via Century Media Records. The CD, which features a guest appearance by guitarist Jeff Loomis (ex-NEVERMORE), has been many months in the making.

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

A teaser trailer for "Throes Of Absolution" 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").

SHADOWS FALL drummer Jason Bittner has revealed via the comments section of his official YouTube channel that the band's seventh album, "Fire From The Sky", will be released on May 8 via Razor & Tie. The CD was recorded at Zing Studios in Westfield, Massachusetts with longtime friend, producer/engineer and KILLSWITCH ENGAGE/TIMES OF GRACE guitarist Adam Dutkiewicz. Adam D., who has previously manned the boards on albums by ALL THAT REMAINS, AS I LAY DYING, UNEARTH, THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA and EVERY TIME I DIE, was also intimately involved in the writing of the new SHADOWS FALL material.

SHADOWS FALL has just kicked off a string of intimate headlining warm-up shows in select cities before heading to Australia for this year's Soundwave Festival.

Remaining dates are as follows:

Feb. 17 - Syracuse, NY - Station 58
Feb. 18 - Clifton Park, NY - Trickshots
Feb. 19 - Turners Falls, MA - Shea Theatre

SHADOWS FALL's "Madness In Manila: Shadows Fall Live In The Philippines 2009" concert DVD/CD was released on October 25, 2010 via Everblack Industries/Ferret Music. The set includes over 60 minutes of footage that was shot on April 30, 2009 at the Pulp Summer Slam in Manila, Philippines as well as a live audio CD.

SHADOWS FALL's latest album, "Retribution", came out on September 15, 2009. The CD sold around 13,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 35 on The Billboard 200 chart. The effort was made available via Everblack Industries, the label SHADOWS FALL created in conjunction with Warner Music Group's ILG, Ferret Music and ChannelZERO Entertainment.

PUSCIFER, the eclectic music-meets-comedy troupe helmed by Maynard James Keenan (TOOL, A PERFECT CIRCLE), was the musical guest on last night's (Thursday, February 16) episode of ABC-TV's "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" (which actually aired the morning of Friday, February 17). You can now watch the "Telling Ghosts" and "Toma" performances below.

"Telling Ghosts" and "Toma" come off PUSCIFER's sophomore album "Conditions Of My Parole", which was released last October via Puscifer Entertainment.

PUSCIFER will return to the road on February 23 in support of "Conditions Of My Parole".

The band's live performances are not to be missed. Keenan brings the unconventional atmosphere of the Verde Valley to life with a musically driven evening that merges technology, quirky characters and comedy. The Boston Globe referred to the shows as "musical theater" and the Philadelphia Weekly described the set as an "engaging performance with hilarious pre-recorded between-song skits featuring MJK alter-egos Major Douche and white-trash hero Billy D."

The band celebrated the release of their sophomore album with an in-character Halloween performance on "The Late Show With David Letterman".

PUSCIFER's touring band members are Maynard James Keenan, Mat Mitchell, Josh Eustis, Carina Round, Matt McJunkins and Jeff Friedl.

Slash has recruited THE CAB's Frank Sidoris (pictured below) to play rhythm guitar on the former GUNS N' ROSES axeman's upcoming tour. Slash says, "He's in for a long, crazy ride." Sidoris replaces Bobby Schneck, who parted ways with Slash's band a few months ago after spending much of the last two years on the road backing the VELVET REVOLVER guitarist.

Slash is currently in a Los Angeles studio putting the finishing touches on his second solo album. Entitled "Apocalyptic Love", the disc is due out May 22 on Slash's own label Dik Hayd International distributed through EMI

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" (2010) disc.

"The Fatal Feast", the title track of the forthcoming fifth studio album from the Virginia crossover thrash metal band MUNICIPAL WASTE, can be streamed below.

"The Fatal Feast" will be released on April 10 in North America and April 13 in Europe via Nuclear Blast Records. The cover artwork for the CD was created by Justin Osbourn of Slasher Design and can be seen below.

"The Fatal Feast" track listing:

01. Waste In Space
02. Repossession
03. New Dead Masters
04. Unholy Abductor
05. Idiot Check
06. Covered In Sick/The Barfer
07. You're Cut Off
08. Authority Complex
09. Standards And Practices
10. Crushing Chest Wound
11. The Monster With 21 Faces
12. Jesus Freaks
13. The Fatal Feast
14. 12 Step Program
15. Death Tax
16. Residential Disaster

Both the digipack and vinyl editions will include the bonus track "Eviction Party".

"The Fatal Feast" features guest appearances by John Connelly (guitarist and vocalist for NUCLEAR ASSAULT), Steve Moore (who plays bass and synthesizers for ZOMBI), and vocalist Tim Barry (ex-AVAIL).

MUNICIPAL WASTE will film a video for "The Fatal Feast" title track this weekend with Jeff Speed Films.

Video footage of vocalist Mark "Barney" Greenway of British/American grindcore pioneers NAPALM DEATH revealing "secret facts" about each member of the band can be seen below.

NAPALM DEATH will release its 14th studio album (excluding the cover album "Leaders Not Followers"), "Utilitarian", on February 27 in Europe and February 28 in North America via the band's longtime partner, Century Media Records. The cover artwork (see below) perfectly fits the album's theme and was created by the Danish artist Frode Sylthe, who is also responsible for THE HAUNTED's "rEVOLVEr" artwork.

In anticipation of this release, the band has now launched an "Occupy Napalm" Facebook tab to show their support for the Occupy movement and to provide fans with the latest news about their politically-charged "Utilitarian". With downloadable Occupy-themed stencils and screensavers, plus a special video teaser for "Utilitarian" created by Mitch Harris (guitar, vocals), this Facebook tab is the place to go for everything NAPALM DEATH!

"Utilitarian" track listing

01. Circumspect
02. Errors In The Signals
03. Everyday Pox
04. Protection Racket
05. The Wolf I Feed
06. Quarantined
07. Fall On Their Swords
08. Collision Course
09. Orders Of Magnitude
10. Think Tank Trials
11. Blank Look About Face
12. Leper Colony
13. Nom De Guerre
14. Analysis Paralysis
15. Opposite Repellent
16. A Gag Reflex
17. Aim Without An Aim (bonus track)
18. Everything In Mono (bonus track)

Upon "Utilitarian"'s release, NAPALM DEATH's limited-edition "Analysis Paralysis" seen-inch EP will also be available for purchase at CM Distro in black and clear vinyl. Its B-side includes the exclusive track "Youth Offender", making this a very collectable piece for any diehard NAPALM DEATH fan.

Greenway explains the album title and concept: "After some deliberation, we have decided on 'Utilitarian' as the album title. We generally try to avoid generic titles, and this seemed to have a lot of scope to it. I won't explain the full meaning of utilitarianism here because it's an ethical theory, and as ethical theories go, the depth and debate around it is quite heavy at times. It has a certain 'morality' aspect to it and that isn't something that drives me, so I also certainly have issues with it."

"So, rather than just nail that straight to the mast, of course we wanted to put our own spin on it by suggesting that those (i.e. the utilitarian in us, perhaps) who try to challenge everything, or fight against conventions, well, we go through periods of real self-doubt where we wonder if we're really making a difference. I suppose the conclusion is that, for the sake of all our freedoms, you should never stop, as even the feeling of resistance is at least a signal to those who would like to entirely control and dominate us — meaning everything from our instinctive behavior to our human entitlement to walk the earth unprovoked.

"Regarding the album overall, the final creases should be ironed out fairly soon, and immediately after that, we thought it would be good to top it off with a few U.K. dates. We've been playing one new song ('Quarantined') out on a tour of Canada and it's been well received, so we hope to perhaps throw in another one for now. Either way, we'll be bouncing off the walls again near you very soon."

Finnish technical death metallers DE LIRIUM'S ORDER (DLO) will release their third album, "Veniversum", on March 16 via DLO Productions, distributed by Inverse Records.

According to a press release, "Veniversum" is "not to be taken lightly — its compelling sounds, myriad instruments, and incredible solos combined with unprecedented musical madness leaves you puzzled and wanting more.. will you survive this blasting inferno?"

"Veniversum" track listing:

01. Autistic Savant
02. .44
03. Maximum Sentence
04. Seppuku
05. The Gravity of Crime
06. Schizophrenic
07. My Kingdom from Baekdu
08. The Aftermath

DE LIRIUM'S ORDER's "twisted riffs and trashing talent have built the band strong cult following, and with over 800,000 views and moew than 3,000 followers in YouTube, DLO's Ukri Suvilehto is himself a wonder child among the modern death metal drummers."

WATCH ME BLEED — the German "groove" thrash metal band featuring MYSTIC PROPHECY guitar player Markus Pohl and ex-SYMPHORCE drummer Steffen Theurer — will release its sophomore album, "Kingdom", on May 4 via the "label alternative" SAOL/H'art. The CD was produced, mixed and mastered by Eike Fresse (DARK AGE, CALLEJON, GAMMA RAY) at the Hammerstudios in Hamburg. The cover artwork was once again created by the German artist Matthias Bäuerle from Season Zero.

"Kingdom" track listing:

01. The Rising Tide (intro)
02. The World Stops Turning
03. Here Come The Red
04. War Calls Us
05. The Blackest Of The Black (interlude)
06. Kingdom
07. Rack The Slide
08. Death And Pain
09. A Question Of Honor (interlude)
10. Judgement
11. The Sons Of Fenris
12. From Down Below
13. Let Them Try
14. Will You Stand With Me (outro)

Commented Pohl: "'Kingdom' is our statement. It's a big 'fuck you!!!' to all the people who can't stand loud guitars and aggressive singers. That's us…raw, heavy and loud"

Video footage from the recording sessions, including snippets of the title track, "Kingdom", can be viewed below.

WATCH ME BLEED's debut album, "Souldrinker", was released in October 2009 via Silverwolf Productions.

Former EXODUS and current HATRIOT and DUBLIN DEATH PATROL singer Steve "Zetro" Souza makes a guest appearance in the track "Angerhead" from the San Jose, California metal quartet ANGERHEAD. The song comes off ANGERHEAD's latest three-song EP, which is available for streaming in its entirety using the ReverbNation TuneWidget below. In addition to the song "Angerhead", the EP features the cuts "Buried Inside" and "Pissed Off!!"

ANGERHEAD is:

Eric Beard - Guitar
Paul Hastey - Vocals
Larry Luv - Bass
David O'Neal - Drums

ANGERHEAD will support TESTAMENT and HATRIOT on Sunday, February 19 at The Avalon in Santa Clara, California.

"Awoken Broken", the debut album from PRIMAL ROCK REBELLION, the project featuring IRON MAIDEN guitarist Adrian Smith and SIKTH frontman Mikee Goodman, will be released in the U.S. on April 17 through Spinefarm Records. The CD, which will be made available in Europe on February 27, was produced by Adrian and Mikee, and mixed by Simon Hanhart, whose previous credits include everyone from TIN MACHINE to SAXON. The album features 12 tracks top to tail, and it will be available on digipak CD, digital download and double colored vinyl in gatefold sleeve.

"Awoken Broken" track listing:

01. No Friendly Neighbour (4:53)
02. No Place Like Home (3:06)
03. I See Lights (4:59)
04. Bright As A Fire (6:21)
05. Savage World (3:38)
06. Tortured Tone (5:08)
07. White Sheet Robes (5:16)
08. As Tears Come Falling From The Sky (0:47)
09. Awoken Broken (4:58)
10. Search For Bliss (4:13)
11. Snake Ladders (4:43)
12. Mirror and the Moon (5:04)

Audio samples of all the tracks that will appear on "Awoken Broken" can be streamed below.

The brainchild of Adrian Smith and Mikee Goodman, U.K. musicians with different stories to tell, PRIMAL ROCK REBELLION is a fresh new project that manages to be both reassuring and unexpected at one and the same time…

On the one side, there's Adrian, a key member of the IRON MAIDEN setup, a band he first joined back in 1980; and since that time, MAIDEN has gone on to become one of the biggest hard rock bands the world has seen, playing to vast and staunchly committed crowds all over the world, opening exciting new doors in parts of the globe many people will never even have heard of! Their last studio album, "The Final Frontier", hit the No 1 slot in over 28 countries!

With MAIDEN's reputation having been forged through their ability to blend well-crafted vocal and guitar melodies with the sheer brute force of prime heavy metal, it will surely come as no surprise that the debut PRIMAL ROCK REBELLION album, "Awoken Broken", delivers fully on both fronts, but with an extra nod to the underground, the alternative and the downright edgy — an aspect of the music that is enhanced from start to finish by the presence of one-time SIKTH frontman / lyric-writer/spoken-word maestro, Mikee Goodman.

With SIKTH now universally lauded as one of the major inspirations of the new "Djent" movement, it's perfect timing for Mikee to return to the music scene in full force, following that band's decision to take a break after their second "Death Of A Dead Day" album back in 2006; Mikee's unique vocal approach — an arresting, signature blend of spoken word plus a wide variety of vocal tones (some dark and disturbing, others that owe a debt to the world of animation) — was very much a part of what made SIKTH stand out from the chasing pack, and fans will be delighted to know that his key vocal mannerisms have been both retained and honed for PRIMAL ROCK REBELLION, in a form tightly bound to the structure of the songs themselves.

Yes, there are spoken-word elements, and yes, there are more extreme vocal moments peppered throughout the tracks, but generally speaking, this is a more mature and experienced Mikee, showcasing a strong, melodic voice plus an impressive vocal range, using the more "adventurous" end of his repertoire as a way of providing contrast and effect.

In essence, PRIMAL ROCK REBELLION is the meeting of different minds, different mentalities and different musical backgrounds, but the end result is very much a cohesive, self-produced whole… albeit one that reflects the individual talents of the musicians involved: Adrian provides the guitars, the bass and the advanced song-writing skills — the sense of drama, of light and shade, of music designed to stir the senses, all of them.

Right from the start, it's been very much a labor of love…

Adrian: "It was great working at my own pace and in my own studio with no time constraints. I think during the making of this album I went around the world twice with MAIDEN, working on the project in between. In the process, it allowed for a bit more of an experimental approach."

Meanwhile, Mikee goes head to head with this renowned player as a full writing & production partner, adding new (sometimes surprising, often experimental) layers to the tracks, and ensuring that the music glistens with an inherent contemporary sheen.

Mikee: "Adrian inspired me in many ways. I learnt the importance and the power of choruses in songs. Adrian also gave me a lot more belief in myself melodically. I think we pulled each other out of our comfort zones, creating something fresh and exciting along the way. We co-produced the album together, and the whole recording process was very relaxed — no deadlines, just honing the songs naturally as we recorded them, a new experience for both of us."

In addition to the PRIMAL ROCK REBELLION pair, there are backing vocals on three of the tracks (delivered by Tarin Kerry, discovered by Mikee while he was acting as producer for a band she was in), viola on the bulk of the songs (provided by Abi Fry of BAT FOR LASHES), plus original SIKTH member Dan "Loord" Foord on drums.

The track "I See Lights" can be streamed using the SoundCloud player below.

PRIMAL ROCK REBELLION was originally scheduled to play a "one-off, under-the-radar" gig on January 15, 2011 at the Wycombe Bucks Student Union, but the gig ended up being canceled after it was inadvertently advertised via the Internet.

Welsh metallers BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE have entered a Thailand studio with longtime engineer Martyn "Ginge" Ford to begin recording their fourth album.

A two-and-a-half-minute video tour of the studio courtesy of BULLET guitarist/vocalist Matt Tuck can be seen on the band's Facebook page.

BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE released a deluxe CD/DVD edition of its third full-length album, "Fever", titled "Fever Tour Edition", in February 2011. The set featured three new songs recorded live at Xfm radio in the U.K. ("Fever", "The Last Fight" and "Bittersweet Memories") and a DVD of "Your Betrayal", "Fever" and "Waking the Demon", recorded live from Graspop Metal Meeting 2010 in Dessel, Belgium. The DVD also included videos for "Your Betrayal", "The Last Fight" and "The Making of The Last Fight" as well as a BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE track-by-track commentary of "Fever".

"Fever" sold 71,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 3 on The Billboard 200 chart. "Fever" also landed in the Top Five in Australia, the U.K., Japan, Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

In a September 2011 interview with Lithium Magazine, BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE guitarist Michael "Padge" Paget stated about "Fever", "As opposed to the other albums, this is right up there. This is definitely where we wanted to go as a band and it's definitely the right record when it comes to maturing. It's the third album; it's definitely where we wanted to go and has taken us where we want to be. It's ticking all the boxes so far and hopefully the next record does the same thing . . . We strive to write great songs and I think 'Fever' comes across as a great album, not just songs, and a complete album. You can sit down and listen to the whole thing as opposed to 'Scream, Aim, Fire'. We tried to take it back to the roots to the 'Poison' sort of thing on the new album, if you know what I mean."

Mediaskare Records has announced the signing of Auckland, New Zealand's ANTAGONIST A.D. The band's new album, "Nothing From No One", will be released this summer.

Formed in 2006, ANTAGONIST A.D. has been steadily building up its reputation in the international hardcore community, touring countries like Australia, Japan, Thailand, Malaysia, and more alongside bands such as HAVE HEART, PARKWAY DRIVE and EARTH CRISIS.

"Mediaskare is a great label with a great reputation," said ANTAGONIST A.D. vocalist Sam Crocker. "We know their bands are hard-working, 'real' bands that actually tour and make music. Less gimmicks & more heart — which is what we are all about. The music is paramount — first and foremost, before any hype/spin/fashion/faux industry bullshit."

The band recently entered the studio to begin recording "Nothing From No One" and will be documenting its progress via a series of video updates on Mediaskare's YouTube channel.

"The new album steps in a more personal direction than our previous releases," added Sam. "There are still the usual themes you can expect from ANTAGONIST A.D. with songs about animal rights, consumerism, and apathy, but where it differs is dealing with anxiety, depression — feelings of alienation. I think for me, being from a tiny town on a small isolated island at bottom of the world I really started to feel that isolation — the lyrics have been a lot more therapeutic than anything I have written before."

To give new ears a taste of their music, Mediaskare and the band have teamed up to give away their seven-inch EP, "Old Bones Make New Blooms", for free. More information is available at this location.

Massive, massive news from the Black Sabbath camp as they’ve announced that they’ll now only be performing at Download this summer.

Black Sabbath have revealed that they have cancelled the mass majority of their planned European tour!
Sorgnatt (00:24:11 18/02/2012)
The 2012 tour dates are as follows:

BLACK SABBATH

DATE CITY VENUE
Sun 6/10 Donnington UK Download Festival

OZZY AND FRIENDS
DATE CITY VENUE
Wed 5/23 Helsinki,
8:30:11: Finland Hartwall Arena
Fri 5/25 Stockholm, Sweden Stadium
Sun 5/27 Jelling, Denmark Jelling Festival
Tue 5/29 Bergen, Norway Bergen Calling Festival
Thu 5/31 Oslo, Norway Spektrum
Sat 6/2 Malmo, Sweden Malmo Stadium
Mon 6/4 Dortmund, Germany Westfalenhalle
Wed 6/6 Prague, Czech Rep O2 Arena
Fri 6/15 Vitoria, Spain Azkena Rock Festival
Sun 6/17 Clisson, France Hellfest
Fri 6/22 Dessel, Belgium Graspop Metal Meeting
Sun 6/24 Milan,
8:30:12: Italy Gods of Metal Festival
Tue 6/26 Vienna, Austria Stadthalle
Thu 6/28 Belgrade, Serbia USCE Park
Sun 7/1 Athens, Greece Rockwave Festival – Terra”

So as not to let the promoters and fans down, OZZY OSBOURNE will now perform the majority of the previously scheduled BLACK SABBATH dates (both festival performances and the headlining shows) billed as OZZY & FRIENDS. These “first ever” OZZY & FRIENDS shows will feature appearances by “special guest” musicians including GEEZER BUTLER (who will join Ozzy for a special BLACK SABBATH set as a show of respect and support to their friend, Tony Iommi) and longtime former OZZY band member Zakk Wylde. In addition, OZZY will be accompanied by longtime collaborator and friend Slash at select shows, with other “special guests” set to join the tour at various stops along the way (full list of dates, appearances below).

Tony Iommi continues to make excellent progress and is looking forward to getting back out on the road. Meanwhile, BLACK SABBATH continue to write and record music in the U.K. for their upcoming album. More information about these dates and BLACK SABBATH’s recording and touring plans is forthcoming.

MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson last fall became one of 100 students in the distance education program at the Concordia Seminary in Clayton, Missouri. Classes include "Lutheran Distinctions," "Preaching I & II," "Introduction to Worship" and "Scripture and Faith."

Speaking to Ken Kelly of The Music Nerd Chronicles, Ellefon stated about his decision to try to become an ordained Lutheran pastor, "My decision really stemmed from attending the church that I have raised my children in. The pastor of the church is a really cool guy. He's a musician and a songwriter and knows a lot about rock n roll. When he moved to Scottsdale to become the Senior Pastor at the church we attend, he and I really hit it off and he was the one who actually suggested that he felt I would be a good fit. He told me that the church needs to have more current and relevant people in their ranks. In a way, he felt as though I was the perfect example because there was a time in my life that I had turned away from the church, but ultimately returned triumphantly. My story is a believable one and that is something that people look towards when they are deciding whether to trust in you. I believe that playing in MEGADETH has been one of my primary purposes in life. However, I feel as though a lot of people reach a point in their lives where there is a fork in the road and aren't quite sure where to turn. I'm proud to be taking the seminary training so that one day, I might have a solid answer to give back to them."

When asked if studying to become a pastor is kind of at odds with playing "the devil's music," Ellefson told the QMI Agency in a separate interview, "Well, the thing of it is, we don't play the devil's music. On (1986's) 'Peace Sells ... But Who's Buying?' there were some songs about seances and things like that. But they weren't written because we did them. Certainly I didn't do them. You can write a song about anything ...and those songs weren't about Satan. They were about questioning things. People that thought it was just about Satan just didn't want to do any homework and went, 'If it's different, then it must be wrong and therefore it's the devil's work.' That's about as closed-minded as you could be."

On the topic of whether he feels an obligation to intervene when he sees other musicians and young people on the wrong path, Ellefson said, "My attitude is that you suit up, you show up and you behave accordingly. And you let, for lack of a better term, God's spirit pass through you. People will see that. If they want to inquire, they know where to go. If someone ain't asking, you don't need to be telling. But if they start asking, that's an opportunity to share what your life was like. The testimony-based approach comes from a place where it's genuine. And I think most ears will hear that a lot better than if you're just standing at the airport beating them over the head with a Bible as they come through the door."

Ellefson recently started MEGALife Ministry, a Christian-based ministry focused on serving all people in their development of faith. Based in Scottsdale, Arizona, the ministry is designed to help engage the needs of both churched and un-churched individuals and families worldwide.

Through the endowment of MEGALife's music ministries, personal testimonies and captivating multi-media, it offers a dynamic center for developing a faith in Jesus Christ, especially to those who are new to Christianity or seeking a new church home.

Drummer Roland Navratil has left LEAVES' EYES — the German/Norwegian band formed by ex-THEATRE OF TRAGEDY singer Liv Kristine Espenaes Krull and members of ATROCITY — for "private reasons" and has been replaced by Felix Born.

Commented Felix: "I am really happy to announce that I am the new drummer of LEAVES' EYES. As I got the offer to do a jam session with the band, I was highly motivated, because I love their music. The combination of grooves and nice melodies is exactly what I appreciate being a drummer. During the jam session, I realized the fact that I wanted the job even more, because I felt very comfortable with the whole band. I am really happy about joining LEAVES' EYES and I am looking forward to seeing you all on the road soon!"

Added Liv: "Felix convinced me straight away through his way of playing, for both [my solo band] as well as for LEAVES' EYES. He is a highly talented drummer, probably one of the greatest talents in Germany, in the studio as well as on stage. He is a fresh breath to our music."

In other news, Greece's Rock Overdose recently conducted an interview with Liv Kristine Espenaes Krull. During the chat, which can be streamed below, Liv discusses plans for LEAVES' EYES' next studio album — which she says will be heavier than last year's "Meredead" — her next solo album, and the forthcoming CD from ATROCITY.

Interview (audio):

Miami purveyors of hard rock TORCHE will release of their third album, "Harmonicraft", on April 24 via Volcom Entertainment. The bandmembers produced the CD in their hometown studio, Pinecrust, and delivered the finished recordings to Kurt Ballou of CONVERGE for mixing.

A song from "Harmonicraft" entitled "Kicking" can be streamed below.

Led by vocalist/guitarist Steve Brooks (formerly of doom dropouts FLOOR), Jonathan Nuñez and Rick Smith (also members of the grindcore outfit SHITSTORM) and new guitarist Andrew Elstner (former vocalist/guitarist for St. Louis' RIDDLE OF STEEL), TORCHE has been steamrolling the underground-metal scene since its 2004 inception and made big waves in 2008 with the release of "Meanderthal", their second full-length album. With outlets like Pitchfork, Spin, Paste and Stereogum piling praise upon the band for their super-heavy-yet-totally-accessible brand of melodic metal, TORCHE soon found themselves on top of the underground metal heap, not to mention plenty of year-end lists, most notably grabbing the #1 spot on Decibel magazine's "Top 40 Albums Of 2008."

TORCHE's collection of singles, aptly titled "Songs For Singles", was released in September 2010 via Hydra Head.

"American Idol" finalist Adam Lambert was interviewed on this morning's (Thursday, February 16) edition of "Big Morning Buzz Live" on VH1. You can now video footage of his appearancee below.

When asked about the rumors that he will join the legendary British rock band QUEEN for a tour this summer, Lambert replied, "I'm talking to QUEEN about doing something. I got to perform with them on the [MTV European Music Awards last November], which was so incredible — such an honor to be asked. And there may be something on the horizon, but I'm not joining the band. I have my own album that I need to promote this year, so… I think in a perfect world, I would like to try to find some sort of balance between the two projects, so I'm working on it."

Lambert recently told U.K.'s Daily Star that he had "no intention" of trying to replace QUEEN's original frontman Freddie Mercury.

"The intention is to pay tribute to Freddie and the band by singing some fucking great songs. It's to keep the music alive for the fans and give it an energy that Freddie would have been proud of," he said.

He added, "After the EMAs, I heard faint little slithers of backlash from people saying, 'You can't replace Freddie Mercury.' But I already knew that. There's no intention in my mind of replacing Freddie. That's impossible. The way I'm choosing to view it is that it's a great honor and one I'm in no way going to shirk."

QUEEN drummer Roger Taylor confirmed to Billboard late last year that he and guitarist Brian May were in talks to hit the road with Lambert. After going public with the fact that QUEEN is essentially retired as an active touring unit, Taylor said, "[Lambert] has grown into a really great performer with an astonishing voice with a range that's great. We would like to work with him again. There's nothing signed just yet but we're talking about live dates. It could be very exciting."

1991's "Innuendo" was the last album of new music QUEEN released during Freddie Mercury's lifetime. Mercury died of AIDS on November 24, 1991 at age 45.

In 1995, Brian May, Roger Taylor, and John Deacon overdubbed Mercury's final piano and vocal recordings to create the band's 15th — and final-four man QUEEN album — "Made In Heaven".

Deacon officially retired from music in 1997 — although he is still a voting member and quarter partner in QUEEN.

In 2008, Brian May and Roger Taylor, who had been touring with Paul Rodgers as QUEEN + PAUL RODGERS, released the chart bomb, "The Cosmos Rocks", before calling it a day as a trio and a recording entity — despite a string of globally sold-out concerts.

Quebec, Canada-based metallers AETERNAM will enter Badass Studios with engineer Jean-François "Jef" Fortin this spring to begin recording their new album, "Moongod", for a late 2012 release via Galy Records.

Commented the band, "The album will contain nine songs plus a short and wicked intro. As far as it goes, there's still a lot of blast beats and brutal stuff, but the music is way more epic and melodic, really more groovy and let's say... dangerous? Lyrics deal a lot with religions (again), but the focus is more on pre-Islamic rites and actual stuff that is going on right now in the Middle East. Nevertheless, there's still some new ideas and conceptsL we do even have a song that talks about Mayan culture! Crazy stuff!"

"Moongod" track listing:

01. Moongod
02. Invading Jerusalem
03. Cosmogony
04. Iram Of The Pillars
05. Rise Of Arabia
06. Xibalba
07. Descent Of Gods
08. Idol Of The Sun
09. Hubal, Profaner Of Light

Video footage of AETERNAM performing the new song "Descent Of Gods" live for the first time in January 2011 at Impérial in Quebec City can be seen below.

In other news, AETERNAM has announced the departure of bassist Jean-François Boudreault.

Montreal, Quebec, Canada-based technical death metallers DERELICT will release their new album, "Perpetuation", on April 20. Vocalist Eric Burnet states, "The date coincides with our Montreal CD-release show, which will kick off a run of similar events around Quebec and Ontario, followed by some tours in the summer and fall."

"Perpetuation" track listing:

01. Perpetuation
02. Spoils Of War
03. Expiry
04. Digital Birthright
05. Intricate Decay
06. Olympic
07. Ergogenic
08. Recreated
09. Yours To Surpass
10. Shackles Of Indoctrination
11. The Iridium Layer
12. Emergence

A teaser video, a performance of the guitar solo from "Shackles Of Indoctrination", can be seen below.

For more information, visit www.derelictmetal.com.

Portuguese/Finnish heavy rock/ melancholy metal/ progressive ambient project VERTIGO STEPS has inked a record deal with the Portuguese label Ethereal Sound Works. An EP/single entitled "Sublight" will be released in March, featuring three tracks from the forthcoming "Surface/Light" full-length album, plus three video clips.

"Sublight" will include the brand new video for "Someone (Like You)", directed by Norwegian artist and VERTIGO STEPS fan Sigurd Svidal Randal, and featuring experimental and stunning Bergen-area landscape and timelapses.

"Surface/Light" will be made available in April, along with a highly limited special digipack edition including all three VERTIGO STEPS albums ("Vertigo Steps", "The Melancholy Hour", "Surface/Light"). The CD was recorded in late 2011 at UltraSound Studios with producer Daniel Cardoso — who also handled bass and drum duties — and features, in addition to the core duo Bruno A and Niko Mankinen, special guest vocals by Jan Transit, Stein R Sordal, Patrik Karlsson and Sophie.

"Sublight" track listing:

Audio:

01. Silent Bliss
02. Someone (Like You)
03. Nothing At All (ROB DOUGAN cover)

Video:

01. Someone (Like You)
02. Fire Eaters
03. Inhale

Surface/Light recording lineup:

* Bruno A - Music, Guitars, Keys, Ambiences, Samples
* Niko Mankinen - Lead Vocals
* Daniel Cardoso (ANATHEMA, LEAFBLADE, HEAD CONTROL SYSTEM) - Drums, Bass

Vocal guests:

* Jan Transit (IN THE WOODS..., TRANSIT)
* Patrik Karlsson (THIS HAVEN)
* Stein R Sordal (GREEN CARNATION, SORDAL)
* Sophie (UGARIT)