Founding member and guitarist Spike Cassidy of hardcore/metal crossover pioneers D.R.I. (DIRTY ROTTEN IMBECILES) is in the hospital recovering from complications — including infection — that arose after he underwent total colectomy surgery (having his entire colon removed) earlier this month. Doctors have pinpointed the infection and he is expected to be released from the hospital within the next few days.

Spike's rehabilitation will likely have some effect on the band's touring schedule in early 2012.

In 2004, Cassidy was diagnosed with colon cancer. He underwent surgery (a one-foot section of large intestine was removed through an eight-inch incision in his stomach on March 27, 2006), radiation and chemotherapy and is said to be winning the battle against the disease.

Video footage of D.R.I.'s December 14, 2011 concert in Denver, Colorado can be seen below (courtesy of Superskum).

D.R.I.'s classic 1987 album "Crossover" was reissued in April 2010 via Beer City Records. Available on LP, CD and as a digital download, the LP was remastered by Bill Metoyer, who was the engineer for the original recordings. The CD and digital version of the reissue include the original 13 songs plus 11 bonus tracks.

For the past 29 years, D.R.I. has been the epitome of the aggressive, hardcore-punk thrash sound that we've all become accustomed to hearing. Throughout this time, they've been one of the few genuine underground bands to remain true to their pure punk roots. Still actively touring and recording, the only thing that may have changed is that they're a little older now, but time hasn't gotten the best of the DIRTY ROTTEN IMBECILES. They're still thrashing just as hard, and just as loud as ever, continuing to overload our senses with the sound that is, and will always remain, uniquely D.R.I.

Acclaimed Houston, Texas-based heavy metal singer James Rivera (HELSTAR, MALICE, VICIOUS RUMORS, FLOTSAM AND JETSAM) has formed a new project entitled METAL ASYLUM, which is slated to be launched in February.

The concept of METAL ASYLUM was inspired by two of Rivera's previous endeavors; the first tribute band the singer ever created entitled PROJECT RIVERA, which was a tribute to classic '80s metal, in addition to a more recent specialty show of his known as "James Rivera, A Tribute To His Metal History". The frontman has recruited several quality local Houston musicians to perform material from his own music career, in addition to fan favorites from the forerunners of classic and true metal. Audiences can expect to witness Rivera and company's renditions of the SCORPIONS, IRON MAIDEN, JUDAS PRIEST, MERCYFUL FATE, METAL CHURCH, plus many others! Currently three regional Texas shows are scheduled to take place early this year in San Antonio, College Station and Houston. James Rivera's METAL ASYLUM promises to deliver a pulse-pounding, headbanging, horns in the air experience for every metalhead!

METAL ASYLUM lineup:

* James Rivera (HELSTAR, MALICE, VICIOUS RUMORS, FLOTSAM AND JETSAM) - Vocals
* Marc Petillon (WINTERS END) - Guitar
* Scott Fisher (WINTERS END) - Guitar
* Michael Millsap (SIX MINUTE CENTURY) - Bass
* Mikey Lewis (HELSTAR) – Drums

Upcoming shows:

Feb. 24 - Bonds 007 Rock Bar - San Antonio, TX
Feb. 25 - Schotzis - College Station, TX
Apr. 14 - Acadia Bar & Grill - Houston, TX (James Rivera's Birthday Bash)

Legendary rock band THE CULT has set "Choice Of Weapon" as the title of its long-awaited ninth album, due on May 22 via Cooking Vinyl Records. The group's first full-length work in five years (though the band has kept active by putting out "capsules" of new songs and live recordings in recent years) was co-produced by Chris Goss (QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE, U.N.K.L.E. ) and longtime collaborator Bob Rock (METALLICA, AEROSMITH).

"Choice Of Weapon" was made in several studios, including the band's own Witch Mountain as well as spots in New York City, Los Angeles and the California desert.

A new THE CULT song entitled "Lucifer" can be streamed at RollingStone.com.

Regarding the recording process for the new album, THE CULT frontman Ian Astbury tells RollingStone.com, "We began with Chris Goss, who is a very close friend and somebody I've been friends with for over 20 years. And we always talked about doing a CULT record together. Chris did all the refinement, helping us find the material, craft it, and I think we've been at it for quite a while. It just became attrition. Everyone was getting kind of exhausted. Kind of wearing each other out in the studio."

On the topic of the "Choice Of Weapon" album cover, Astbury said, "This image has been with me for many years, since I was about 11 years old. I grew up in Hamilton, Ontario. I immigrated there when I was a kid. I was exposed to Native American culture very early on. And that kind of piqued my interest in indigenous cultures. It had a quite profound effect on me. With this particular image, it had been hovering around me for quite a while. And it's almost like I had to manifest this image within myself. I wanted to have an image that in some way reflected the sentiment of not only the record, of the deepest sentiment of the record, but also the sentiment of what's going on in society. I mean, the fact that the shaman figure has a veiled face, there's a face mask pulled over, it's almost reminiscent of images we've seen from Libya and Egypt and also from things like the Occupy movement or the riots we had in the U.K."

He continued, "The title of the record reflects the fact that here we are, we have a choice to make right now. We can choose different modalities. We can either choose literal weapons, which, many people have picked up weapons in Libya, Egypt, Syria. Or picking up weapons and overtaking systems, physically, by force. In a more metaphorical sense, a weapon can be a camera, a weapon can be a pen, a weapon can be a statement, a verbal statement, a weapon can be an article of clothing. Tantric weapons are symbols they use in tantric rituals, like the dorje, which is an object that the shamanic figure is actually holding. The dorje being representative of a thunderbolt enlightenment, that moment of awakening, where you go, 'Aha!'

"Time magazine said this year the Person of the Year was the demonstrator, the image of the woman with the veil. So this is an icon that we're seeing more and more in our culture. It's almost like people don't want to come out and show their faces and say something. Because they're almost afraid of . . . I don't know. There's a lot of intellectual bullying going on. People are very quick to jump on someone if they say something that's maybe different. They're certainly not part of the status quo, of a moving force. Everyone's kind of pointing at it, but nobody's really saying it, what really needs to be said. So in some ways, this shamanic figure, the look in the eyes is almost like a wild animal, which I connect to nature."

Read the entire interview at RollingStone.com.

THE CULT is Ian Astbury (vocals), Billy Duffy (guitar), Chris Wyse (bass), John Tempesta (drums) and Mike Dimkich (rhythm guitar).

"The Great Fire", the new album from Orange County, California's BLEEDING THROUGH, can be streamed in its entirety on AOL Music. The CD will be released on January 31 via Rise Records.

"The Great Fire" track listing:

01. March
02. Faith In Fire
03. Goodbye To Death
04. Final Hours
05. Starving Vultures
06. Everything You Love Is Gone
07. Walking Dead
08. Devil And Self Doubt
09. Step Back In Line
10. Trail Of Seclusion
11. Deaf Ears
12. One By One
13. Entrenched
14. Back To Life

Check out the cover artwork below.

BLEEDING THROUGH's last, self-titled CD sold around 3,700 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 143 on The Billboard 200 chart.

BLEEDING THROUGH's previous effort, "Declaration" (2008), opened with 6,000 units to land at No. 101.

Classic Swedish heavy metal band OVERDRIVE formed in 1980 and recorded two albums, "Metal Attack" and "Swords And Axes", before splitting up in 1985. A shortlived reformation took place in 1992, at the time featuring original drummer Kenta Svensson, guitarist Janne Stark and singer Pelle Thuresson now handling the bass. In 2003 the band played, what was to be a one-off reunion show, but it became permanent as more concerts were booked and a new deal with Lion Music was signed. The band continued with new singer Per "Perilo" Lengstedt (formerly Karlsson) and has since released an EP and three albums. The group's latest CD, "Angelmaker" (2011), received rave reviews and the band played a number of shows.

In December 2011, internal communication problems caused the group to break up for a short time. Not willing to let go of a great band, the members reformed with Thuresson once again handling the bass.

After leaving OVERDRIVE in 1985, Pelle switched to playing bass and has since played with such bands as OVERHEAT, CROSSEYED MARY and the AC/DC cover band AC/DC JAM.

"It's truly sad it had to come to this, but it was impossible to continue under previous circumstances," OVERDRIVE said in a statement. "It, however, feels really great to have Pelle back in the band, both on a personal and a musical level. We've stayed friends through the years and Pelle even made a guest appearance on one of our shows in 2010. This also opens up possibilities for some more interesting things for OVERDRIVE on a live show level. We are really exited to get this sucker on the road."

Added Pelle: "I didn't expect this at all, but I immediately jumped at it when I was asked. Now I just have to relearn all the old songs on bass instead."

OVERDRIVE's new single, "Short Moments", is in heavy rotation on the Swedish radio channel P4 and a digital release will follow soon. The band will also support NAZARETH in Sweden.

Pictured below is OVERDRIVE's current lineup (left to right): Kjell Jacobsson (guitar), Pelle Thuresson (bass), Per "Periloz" Karlsson (vocals), Janne Stark (guitar) and Kenta Svensson (drums).

Former NEVERMORE guitarist Jeff Loomis has set "Plains Of Oblivion" as the title of his sophomore solo album, to be released on April 10 in North America (one day earlier in Europe) via Century Media Records. The CD was produced by Aaron Smith (7 HORNS 7 EYES) and features cover artwork by Colin Marks of Rain Song Design, who has previously worked with ALL SHALL PERISH, THE END and XERATH.

"Plains Of Oblivion" track listing:

01. Mercurial (feat. Marty Friedman)
02. The Ultimatum (feat. Tony MacAlpine)
03. Escape Velocity
04. Tragedy And Harmony (feat. Christine Rhoades)
05. Requiem For The Living (feat. Attila Voros)
06. Continuum Drift (feat. Chris Poland)
07. Surrender (feat. Ihsahn)
08. Chosen Time (feat. Christine Rhoades)
09. Rapture
10. Sibylline Origin

In August 2011, RHAPSODY OF FIRE guitarist Luca Turilli and keyboardist Alex Staropoli announced their decision to go their separate ways.

Due to legal reasons, Staropoli will continue under the RHAPSODY OF FIRE name. Turilli, on the other hand, will make his future efforts available under the RHAPSODY moniker (RHAPSODY OF FIRE's original name), in which he will be joined by guitarist Dominique Leurquin, bassist Patrice Guers, and drummer Alex Holzwarth. A singer for the group has has yet to be announced.

LUCA TURILLI'S RHAPSODY will release a new album entitled "Ascending To Infinity" on June 29 via Nuclear Blast.

The track listing for the CD is as follows:

01. Quantum X
02. Ascending To Infinity
03. Dante’s Inferno
04. Excalibur
05. Tormento E Passione
06. Dark Fate Of Atlantis
07. Fantasia Gotica
08. Clash Of The Titans
09. Of Michael The Archangel And Lucifer's Fall
I. Alma Mundi
II. Fatum Mortalis
III. Ignis Divinus

The album will have a running time of around 65 minutes.

The limited-edition version of "Ascending To Infinity" will include two bonus tracks for 75 minutes of music, plus "many exclusive gifts," to be revealed very soon.

LUCA TURILLI'S RHAPSODY will embark on the "Ascending To Infinity" headlining tour in the fall.

In a recent interview, Turilli stated about "Ascending To Infinity", "Honestly, this album is very important for me, Alex Holzwarth, Patrice and Dominique and personally it is the one I always dreamed to record. The basic composition process lasted around five months. In this period of time I worked at the rhythm of 12-14 hours per day and, while very hard because very demanding mentally and spiritually, this was one of the most rewarding sessions of composition of my whole life. It rarely happened I had so much fun playing the guitar, the keyboards or my beloved piano and creating original classical parts, cinematic interludes, orchestrations and all the rest. Now all the songs are ready and I am actually in the process of arranging everything. As you know, I don't hire external people to orchestrate the music, but I do all by myself writing the music for each section of the orchestra, the choirs etc. and this sometimes can be a very long and hard process stealing a lot of time and energy. I can not deny that this is a very ambitious album, because of the investment, artistic vision etc., and all the people working on it, Nuclear Blast included, are thinking the same. That's why in the upcoming months of intensive studio work I want to go on dedicating myself night and day to it, without thinking to anything else."

Regarding the change in the production team for the LUCA TURILLI'S RHAPSODY album, Luca said, "After many years of work in Wolfsburg at the court of our friend Sascha Paeth, I decided to start this new artistic adventure with a different team of people. Sascha and the other friends of the Gate Studio (Miro, Olaf, Robert, Simon, etc.) are a winning team and their help in the past was really important for RHAPSODY. But it's since many years already that Alex and I took the productions in our hands becoming producers of our own albums, despite Sascha remaining always fundamental as engineer and mixer man. His mixes will remain legendary and our list of thanks will be never long enough for all the professional contribution he gave. All the years of work, fun and sufferance in the Gate studios of Wolfsburg will surely remain unforgettable and are carved in our heart. For LUCA TURILLI'S RHAPSODY and the new band adventure I decided to change the studio and the main man behind the console. We are now recording the new album at the Backyard Studio of Kempten, Germany. Our new engineer and main mixer man is the same owner of the studio and his name is Sebastian Roeder, the person who worked for RHAPSODY OF FIRE in the last worldwide tour making real miracles while mixing our music live. Apart from being a talented engineer, he is a great person and he shares with us the love for this style of music. To resume, the new album will be produced by me as usual, while Sebastian will take care of the engineering, mixing and mastering process."

On the topic of the singer for LUCA TURILLI'S RHAPSODY, Luca said, "As you can imagine, this will be one of the most important news to be given in the upcoming months, but for the moment we prefer to keep all top secret. Speaking about singers, please allow me to say a few words about Olaf Hayer, singer and talented voice of LUCA TURILLI, my old solo band. The truth is that, as many people could already imagine, I stopped my solo activity as LUCA TURILLI definitely, willing to dedicate myself to LUCA TURILLI'S RHAPSODY at full time. That's why I want to publicly thank Olaf for the fundamental contribution he gave to our solo albums. All the three albums of the trilogy entered the charts establishing some important records and this was possible mainly because of my friend Olaf. Who knows?! Maybe sooner or later we'll still have the chance to work together. Never say never."

Current TESTAMENT touring drummer Gene ''The Atomic Clock'' Hoglan is pulling double duty on band's U.S. tour with ANTHRAX and DEATH ANGEL, filling in for ANTHRAX drummer Charlie Benante who is taking a short leave from the band's concert tour to be with his terminally ill mother.

Commented Hoglan: "I am honored to have been asked by Charlie to fill in for ANTHRAX in his time of need. We are all metal brethren, and this is what we do. Unite for the cause, unite for the fans, and unite for metal. Everybody on this tour has pulled together to keep this tour rollin', everybody is kicking ass. And everyone on this tour is sending our love and respect to the Benante and Bello families. [ANTHRAX bassist Frank Bello is Benante's nephew. — Ed.] And Charlie, we can't wait to have ya back where you belong, my man. I'm just keeping your throne warm for ya bro."

Hoglan last year laid down the drum tracks on TESTAMENT's new album, "The Dark Roots Of Earth", which is tentatively due in late April/early May 2012 via Nuclear Blast Records.

Gene Hoglan recently released his long-awaited instructional DVD, "The Atomic Clock". Available on Hoglan Industries in the U.S. and on Reversed Records in Canada, the disc showcases Hoglan's three decades of experience of performing and recording with the world's most well-known metal bands such as DEVIN TOWNSEND, DARK ANGEL, DEATH, DETHKLOK, STRAPPING YOUNG LAD, TESTAMENT, ZIMMER'S HOLE, and most recently FEAR FACTORY, along with many others on his resume.

Norway's blackened thrashers AURA NOIR will release their fifth full-length studio ablum, "Out To Die", on March 23 in Europe and March 27 in North America via Indie Recordings.

Speaking to Terrorizer magazine shortly after a recent listening session in Oslo, AURA NOIR guitarist/vocalist Aggressor stated about the band's new CD, "It feels right. That's all I can say really. I'm not sitting here digging it; it's more like I'm content with having the finished product there, and now we can go play live. Because I think our music comes into its element when we're playing live. For me, a new album is like, 'Okay, we have more songs to play live now.'"

"Out To Die" marks the return of guitarist Rune Eriksen (a.k.a. ex-MAYHEM guitarist/songwriter Blasphemer), who now resides in Portugal and leads his own band AVA INFERI. Eriksen made several trips back to Norway to work on the new AURA NOIR songs with Aggressor and Apollyon (guitar, bass, vocals, drums; also bassist in IMMORTAL).

"I wish we were all living in the same apartment and rehearsing every day, all three of us together, but obviously that's not possible because we have our private lives and everything," Aggressor told Terrorizer. "But it brought about some new ways of working, and it actually worked out okay in the end."

"Out To Die" track listing:

01. Trenches
02. Fed To The Flames
03. Abbadon
04. The Grin From The Gallows
05. Withheld
06. Priest's Hellish Fiend
07. Deathwish
08. Out To Die

Quality video footage of the reformed Minneapolis, Minnesota-based hard-rock/industrial act AMERICAN HEAD CHARGE performing on January 24 at Whisky A Go Go in West Hollywood, California can be seen below.

Having survived severe addictions, countless tours, the major label minefield, and the death of guitarist Bryan Ottoson, AMERICAN HEAD CHARGE has returned to create new music and decimate crowds across the globe. Following the 2007 deactivation of the band (due to reasons that aren't terribly interesting), the classic lineup of vocalist Cameron Heacock, bassist Chad Hanks, keyboard player Justin Fowler, drummer Chris Emery and guitarist Karma Cheema is back! To solidify their return, they've added guitarist (and MINISTRY/LORDS OF ACID alumni) Sin Quirin to round out the lineup.

AMERICAN HEAD CHARGE entered Studio D in Cleveland, Ohio on October 24, 2011 with producers Don Dibiase and Thom Hazaert to begin recording its first new material since 2005's "The Feeding". The result of the 24-hour marathon session was a new studio track "Sugars of Someday" and a "live" EP including three new AMERICAN HEAD CHARGE tracks: "Sand", "Set Yourself on Fire", "Writhe" and a cover of the PATTI SMITH classic "Rock And Roll Nigger". These 5 songs are currently being mixed for an upcoming EP release.

AMERICAN HEAD CHARGE 2012 is:

Cameron Heacock - Vocals
Chad Hanks - Bass
Justin Fowler - Keyboards, Backing vocals
Karma Singh Cheema - Guitar
Christopher Emery - Drums
Sin Quirin (MINISTRY, LORDS OF ACID) - Guitar

AMERICAN HEAD CHARGE announced in August 2009 that it was disbanding due to Heacock's "inability to continue on a musical career path."

The band's sophomore album, "The Feeding", came out in February 2005.

AMERICAN HEAD CHARGE released a DVD/CD entitled "Can't Stop the Machine" in April 2007 on Nitrus Records via Fontana/Universal. The 90-minute DVD chronicled HEAD CHARGE's career with a poignant tribute to deceased guitarist Bryan Ottoson, insightful interviews and no holds barred live footage. The companion CD featured unreleased tracks and a remix of the HEAD CHARGE classic "Just So You Know" by Wired All Wrong.

TRIVIUM guitarist/vocalist Matt Heafy, guitarist Corey Beaulieu and bassist Paolo Gregoletto stopped by the studios of the the Tampa Bay radio station 98 Rock in their home state of Florida to perform acoustic versions of their songs "Built To Fall" and "Dying In Your Arms", as well as a cover version of the IRON MAIDEN classic "Iron Maiden". Check out the footage below.

TRIVIUM's latest album, "In Waves", sold 22,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 13 on The Billboard 200 chart — the highest U.S. chart entry of the band's career. The group's previous CD, "Shogun", opened with just under 24,000 units back in October 2008 to debut at No. 23. The effort followed up "The Crusade", which registered a first-week tally of 31,000 copies in October 2006 to enter the chart at No. 25.

"In Waves" was recorded primarily at Paint It Black Studios in Orlando, Florida (with only the drums having been tracked at Audiohammer Studios in Sanford, Florida) with the production/mixing team of Colin Richardson (MACHINE HEAD, BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE, SLIPKNOT, FEAR FACTORY) and Martin "Ginge" Ford, along with engineer Carl Bown. A two-disc special edition is also available. It features five bonus tracks, plus a DVD with a 40-minute, behind-the-scenes documentary, as well as an exclusive concert filmed in a warehouse located in Orlando, Florida, which is the band's stomping grounds. This concert features the first performances of tracks from "In Waves", along with TRIVIUM classics.

TRIVIUM has joined forces with Swedish metallers IN FLAMES for a co-headining North American tour in January/February. Support on the trek is coming from VEIL OF MAYA and KYNG.

HBO has selected the LAMB OF GOD track "King Me" to be the musical bed for the promos for the upcoming season of "True Blood".

"King Me" closes LAMB OF GOD's new album, "Resolution", and features the band accompanied by a full orchestra and opera singer Amanda Munton.

"True Blood" is an American television series created and produced by Alan Ball. It is based on "The Southern Vampire Mysteries" series of novels by Charlaine Harris, detailing the co-existence of vampires and humans in Bon Temps, a fictional, small town in the state of Louisiana. The series centers on the adventures of Sookie Stackhouse (played by actress Anna Paquin), a telepathic waitress.

The fifth season of "True Blood" will premiere on HBO this summer.

"Resolution", the new album from Richmond, Virginia metallers LAMB OF GOD, has entered the official Australian Recording Industry Association (ARIA) chart at position No. 3.

As previously reported, "Resolution" is likely to sell between 50,000 and 55,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release, according to industry web site Hits Daily Double. The estimate was based on one-day sales reports compiled after the record arrived in stores on January 24 via Epic.

LAMB OF GOD's previous CD, "Wrath", opened with around 68,000 units back in March 2009 to land at No. 2 on The Billboard 200 chart. This figure was roughly in line with the first-week tally registered by 2006's "Sacrament", which shifted around 63,000 units to enter the chart at No. 8. It also represented almost double the amount of records sold by its predecessor, "Ashes Of The Wake", which premiered with 35,000 copies in September 2004.

"Resolution" was released internationally through Roadrunner Records. The CD was recorded at various studios in Virginia and New York with producer Josh Wilbur, who worked on the band's last effort, 2009's "Wrath".

AmbPirate of Capital Chaos conducted an interview with guitarist Kevin Schwartz of San Diego-based brutal death metallers PATHOLOGY on January 23 at On The Y in Sacramento, California. You can now watch the chat below. Also available is performance footage from the Sacramento concert.

PATHOLOGY's latest album, "Awaken To The Suffering", was released on September 13, 2011 via Victory Records. The CD was recorded at Lambesis Studios (owned by AS I LAY DYING vocalist Tim Lambesis) in the band's hometown with producer Daniel Castleman (IMPENDING DOOM, AS I LAY DYING, WINDS OF PLAGUE). This is PATHOPLOGY's first CD to feature the group's new lineup, including vocalist Jonathan Huber and second guitarist Kevin Schwartz, who have spent time on the road with their new bandmates during recent U.S. and European tours with DEICIDE and OBITUARY.

The artwork for "Awaken To The Suffering" was brought to life by the twisted mind of Pär Olofsson (IMMORTAL, THE FACELESS, ABYSMAL DAWN).

Interview:

Wie bereits in einer früheren Newsmeldung angekündigt werden CYNIC die legendären „Portal“ Demos veröffentlichen. „The Portal Tapes“ wird am 23. März (27. März in Nord Amerika) via Season Of Mist veröffentlicht.

“The Portal Tapes” werden in einer strickt limitierten Digipak CD Version (5000 Einheiten) und einer Vinyl LP Edition (1000 Einheiten) erscheinen.
Tracklisting:

1. Endless Endeavors
2. Karma's Plight
3. Circle
4. Costumed in Grace
5. Cosmos
6. Crawl Above
7. Mirror Child
8. Road to You
9. Belong
10. Not the Same

Hi folks - Herr Morbid checking in here. Just wanted to let you know that songwriting for the new album is officially completed. Of 10-11 songs that I wrote, we finally chose the best 7 that will end up on the album. The whole material sounds extremely miserable, and I really mean it. It sounds unmistakably Forgotten Tomb. Even lyrically-wise, I came up with some of the best stuff I ever wrote. It's totally fucked up. Most harmful album I wrote in a long time.

In a brand new interview with the QMI Agency, AEROSMITH guitarist Joe Perry spoke about the progress of the recording sessions for the band's long-awaited new album, which is tentatively due later this year.

When asked about the sound of AEROSMITH's new material, Perry said, "It definitely has a feel like some of the early stuff. We've tried to bring that back. People are always asking for something that sounds like the old stuff, but you can't rewrite 'Mama Kin' or 'Same Old Song And Dance'. All you can do is go in and start from the same place you started when you made those records. So we just went in with (producer) Jack Douglas and we all worked on the record. There's a song or two that the band helped write, and Tom (Hamilton, bass) wrote and Brad (Whitford, guitar) has a track on there. So from that point of view, it's a lot more like an early AEROSMITH record. We were all in the room when we were pulling these songs together and recording them. Every way that we used to make our records, that's what we did to get this to where it is. Right down to what we're doing now, which is going over the tracks and bringing them up to speed. Steven [Tyler] is finishing up the lyrics and we're just going to put the finishing touches on it."

During a recent interview, Tyler stated about the new AEROSMITH album, "All of it's been written, but I gotta lay lyrics on it and I haven't had a lot of time," he said. "But what I've listened to so far just knocked me out. I know a good song, I know what's gonna get played on the radio, I'm not that pretentious to say I think we've got hits, but I think we've got something, and that's all that matters."

AEROSMITH began work on its first all-new album since 2001 last year, with the rest of the band working on music while Tyler made his "American Idol" debut.

The band has been working with producer Jack Douglas, who collaborated with them on classic early albums like "Toys In The Attic" and "Rocks".

Perry recently wrote on Twitter, "People have said when we play the rough tracks it sounds like it's from the '70s but for me, it's too early to tell."

Meanwhile, Tyler also said at the TCA press conference that sales of AEROSMITH's back catalog were up 260 percent since he began appearing on "Idol".

The 11th season of the series began with its two-night premiere on January 18.

Jeremy Deacon, the former bassist of South Florida-based female-fronted extreme metallers WYKKED WYTCH, has died of lymphoma at age 33. The band's vocalist Ipek Warnock said, "[Jeremy] was a great friend and kind/gentle soul with great talent. I'm very saddened with heavy heart and shock!! This is the second member we lost from that era. Timur, [former] WYKKED WYTCH drummer, was the other member died from suicide few years back.

"[It's] very sad to lose a band members and friends who have made an impact in my life personally and for the band!

"Thanks for the great memories, Jeremy, hope you find Timur wherever you are and jam WYKKED WYTCH tunes! RIP, brother!!"

WYKKED WYTCH's fifth full-length album, "The Ultimate Deception", will be released on February 14 via Goomba Music. The follow-up to 2008's "Memories Of A Dying Whore" "continues where its predecessor left off and pushes the boundaries of extreme music as well as the legacy of WYKKED WYTCH," according to a press release.

Frankie DiVita, radio personality for 96.7 KCAL Rocks, conducted an interview with IRON MAIDEN drummer Nicko McBrain at the 2012 NAMM (National Association Of Music Merchants) show, a massive music-products convention which took place January 19-22 at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, California. You can now watch the chat below.

When asked about what is going on with IRON MAIDEN at the moment, Nicko replied, "Well, we're taking some time off. And we're gonna go back out on tour sometime this year. We're not sure yet when. It's in the words of a very famous British singer from the Second World War called Vera Lynn. And she had a song and it went something like, 'We'll meet again. Don't know where. Don't know when.' So that's in the line of Vera Lynn. We're doing a Vera Lynn. We don't know where, we don't know when. . . [But] IRON MAIDEN is touring sometime this year, yeah. I don't think [it will be a world tour this time]. Next year, maybe. But this year, it's just gonna be a little tour — short run."

EMI has set a March 26 release date for "En Vivo!", the new concert Blu-Ray, two-DVD set and double soundtrack album from legendary British metallers IRON MAIDEN.

"En Vivo!" was filmed on April 10, 2011 in front of over 50,000 ecstatic fans at the Estadio Nacional, Santiago during the "Round The World In 66 Days" leg of "The Final Frontier World Tour", and captures a magnificent performance by the band, ardently embraced by the legendary Latino passion and energy of their Chilean fans. With spectacular stage backdrops, dynamic musicianship and a literally jaw-dropping appearance by Eddie, this live show encapsulates to perfection the heart and soul of IRON MAIDEN 2011.

In addition to the Blu-Ray, the two-DVD will initially be available as a limited-edition double DVD in collectors' steel book case and double vinyl picture disc. As well as a traditional two-CD soundtrack album, "En Vivo!" will be available as a digital download CD soundtrack album and digital download video.

Video footage of Zoe Thomson, the 8-year-old guitarist for the Thatcham, United Kingdom-based group THE MINI BAND, showing off her shredding skills during a play-along to a guitar track ("Stratosphere") from Finnish symphonic metallers STRATOVARIUS can be seen below. The clip has been watched more than 1.5 million times by guitar fans worldwide since it was posted on YouTube on January 16.

Zoe was recently signed by guitar company Daisy Rock. Her mother Collette told Newbury Today, "Zoe is really excited; she is overjoyed. For someone of her age to get an endorsement is a massive achievement. I think you have to have something special to be endorsed, and it's really nice that someone has recognized her talent."

THE MINI BAND's performance of METALLICA's "Enter Sandman" has racked up more than 3.5 million YouTube views in 15 weeks.

The METALLICA members were so impressed with the young musicians that they posted a one-minute YouTube video singing THE MINI BAND's praises.

Aaron Lewis has received two Academy Of Country Music nominations for his debut country single, "Country Boy", continuing his breakthrough year as a solo artist. The singer, songwriter and guitarist was nominated in the "Vocal Event of the Year" category for the song — which features George Jones and Charlie Daniels — as both the artist and co-producer, along with co-producer James Stroud. The song is from Lewis' acclaimed 2011 country debut EP, "Town Line" (R&J Records).

The Academy Of Country Music Awards will take place at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Sunday, April 1.

The STAIND frontman is in Nashville with Grammy award-winning producer James Stroud recording the follow-up to "Town Line", which debuted at #1 on the Billboard Country Albums chart and #7 on The Billboard 200 chart. The new album is planned for a spring 2012 release and its first single will be released in February or March (details to be announced).

Lewis told the Dallas Observer that he doesn't see himself giving up country music now that he's started, explaining, "It's the first music that I was ever exposed to . . . Country music is a part of me. It certainly reflects my lifestyle. I live out in the middle of nowhere in a town of 1,200 people. I've got chickens and a house pig. I deer hunt and I fish. I really don't do many things that require a city."

STAIND's self-titled seventh album arrived in September and debuted at No. 5 on the Billboard album chart.