SOULFLY will tour Brazil for the first time since 2002 in late February. The band's guest drummer for the trek will be SOULFLY/ex-SEPULTURA frontman Max Cavalera's son Zyon Cavalera, who also plays in LODY KONG.

It is Zyon's unborn heartbeat that can be heard during the intro of SEPULTURA's classic song "Refuse/Resist".

SOULFLY has tapped Thomas Mignone (MEGADETH, SEPULTURA, DANZIG) of Doom Incorporated to direct the video for the band's new song "World Scum". The track comes off the band's eighth album, "Enslaved", which is due on March 13 via Roadrunner Records. The CD was recorded at Tallcat Studios in Phoenix, Arizona and was produced by Chris "Zeuss" Harris, the seasoned knob twiddler behind some of the most notable bands in metal today, such as SHADOWS FALL, HATEBREED, THE RED CHORD and more. SOULFLY vocalist/guitarist Max Cavalera also shared production duties.

SOULFLY's current lineup features Max and guitar dynamo Marc Rizzo, with STATIC-X's Tony Campos taking up the bass. The lineup is rounded out by drummer David Kinkade (BORKNAGAR, ARSIS, MALEVOLENT CREATION), a new-school, extreme skinsman whose brutality behind the kit brings a new flavor to the band.

Former RIKETS and current SKINLAB guitarist Provo Provenzano has launched a new project called EVERYBODY PANIC! The band, which is rounded out by Ty (LURE, WHITEFALL) on vocals, Gog (WHITEFALL, GOG & GRUBBS) on bass and TJ (HORSE CALLED WAR, MEMORY DRIVEN) on drums, will make its first single, "When It All Burns", available for free download on Monday, February 6.

A teaser video of EVERYBODY PANIC! in the studio recording "When It All Burns" can be seen below.

For more information, visit www.facebook.com/EVERYBODYPANIC.

Jim Barber of Kingston, Ontario, Canada's daily newspaper Kingston Whig Standard recently conducted an interview with MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

On MEGADETH's upcoming shows in Canada as part of this year's Gigantour alongside MOTÖRHEAD, VOLBEAT and LACUNA COIL:

Mustaine: "I think our management and agents want to kill us, that's why they booked us in Canada in February. I am sure (Canadian drummer Shawn) Drover is going to be ready. But seriously, it's not so much about any potential inconvenience of discomfort because of the weather, because we're going to be travelling in a nice warm bus. We're coming there to entertain people and to help them feel good. It's just the right thing to do, to not let the elements intimidate you, especially if you're a metal band."

On how a venerable Canadian rock band played a role in a teenaged Mustaine taking music a serious vocation and not just an entertaining pastime:

Mustaine: "I was at a festival called Cal-Jam, and one of your countrymen, April Wine, was playing. And I had gone there because I wanted to see UFO, because I dug Michael Schenker, and VAN HALEN was playing too. And everybody I was with was getting high, and I was really young and still very impressionable, so I went along for the ride with everyone else, and was in sort of la-la land, and the dude does this really great song, doing a harmonica solo and he throws the harp out into the audience, and I am standing there and I swear to God, it just plopped right into my hand. And I was like, 'wow, is this my destiny to be a rock star?' And that was it. That was the moment when the switch was turned on, and then not long after when I first heard AC/DC's 'Let There Be Rock', that was the guitar record that blew my mind."

On MOTÖRHEAD:

Mustaine: "You know what, to tell you the truth I didn't even know who they were until I met Lars [Ulrich, METALLICA drummer]. I went to his apartment when I first met him and on the wall he had a picture of their drummer Phil (Philthy Animal) Taylor. And James [Hetfield, METALLICA guitarist/vocalist] was also really hell bent for MOTÖRHEAD. I've liked them since then, but having them out on tour now is totally awesome, because as I grew as a metal fan, I started to really dig the energy and the longevity of the band. And (frontman Ian) Lemmy (Kilmister) and I have been good friends for a while now. There's kind of a very loyal bond between frontmen, like a frontman's club. I am a terrible liar so if I would have told you I was influenced by Lemmy and MOTÖRHEAD, you'd know I was lying. But I was and am a fan. For me, being a fan and being influenced by something are two different things."

On Gigantour:

Mustaine: "I like the way this format makes people feel, because when you go to a festival, and there are several bands, it's got a really great vibe. You go home feeling a certain way. And let's face facts, the entertainment value of concerts these days is pretty low. When I go to a concert, I want to see some activity. I want to see some movement. I want to see some showbiz, you know what I mean?"

On MEGADETH's new album, "TH1RT3EN":

Mustaine: "We tried hard when we were making this record to really get the best that we could in the amount of time that we had. We only had two months to make the whole record, and the first thing we had to do was make a song for a video game. So that took a week, meaning we only really had seven weeks. But that can be fun when you get under the gun like that, because you really have to dig deep. I think that's what gave this record the kind of energetic feeling that it has, because we were wired. Frenetic is a good word for it."

On MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson's return to the band:

Mustaine: "It was so good when he came back. We had a couple of other bass players in the interim, and they were good guys, but there's a sound that Dave has. When we first started playing together I said, 'You're going to play bass guitar like it's a lead guitar, cool?' And we took that same approach with the drums, because the drum is a percussive instrument, but each shell has its own note. So we would play riffs on the drums that would go along with the guitar riffs."

On MEGADETH garnering its 10th Grammy nomination for the single "Public Enemy No. 1", from "TH1RT3EN", in the category of "Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance":

Mustaine: "I haven't won yet, so I don't really know what it means to win a Grammy. The bummer is that if we do win, we won't be there to accept it because we're going to be on tour."

Read the entire interview from Kingston Whig Standard.

Reunited heavy metal band SLEEPY HOLLOW will release its new album, "Skull 13", on March 23 via Pure Steel Records and High Roller Records. The effort will be released on vinyl (limited 500 copies) through High Roller and on CD/DDL through Pure Steel.

SLEEPY HOLLOW will film a video for the song "Spiral Effect" on location in Middletown, Delaware between February 2 and February 3. The clip will make its online debut on the day of the CD's release.

An album release party is currently in the works for Saturday, March 24. Details for the event will be made available soon. A tour of the Midwest is currently in the final stage of negotiations and will be announced soon.

"Skull 13" track listing:

01. Death Of The Horseman
02. Facemelter
03. Black Passage
04. Bleed Steel
05. Rear Window
06. Inquisition
07. Epic (The Legend Retold)
08. Eternal Bridge
09. Misery Waltz
10. Spiral Effect
11. Midnight

"Skull 13" was recorded primarily at No Oulet Studio in Chester Springs, Pennsylvania with producers Steve Stegg and Eric Fisher.

Bassist Mike LePond left SLEEPY HOLLOW in December due to his commitments with SYMPHONY X. He has since been replaced by Alan D'Angelo.

SLEEPY HOLLOW is:

Bob Mitchell - Vocals
Steve Stegg - Guitar
Alan D'Angelo - Bass
Tom Wassman - Drums

Drummer Brooks Wackerman (BAD RELIGION, TENACIOUS D) played with Robert Trujillo (METALLICA) and Armand Sabal-Lecco (PAUL SIMON), both on bass, this past Saturday (January 14) at the twenty-third annual Guitar Center's Drum-Off, the nationwide search for the next great undiscovered drummer, at Club Nokia in Los Angeles, California. You can now watch video footage of their performance below.

In addition to all the incredible performances, the night featured the Drum Legend induction of drumming greats Peter Criss (KISS) and Terry Bozzio (FRANK ZAPPA, MISSING PERSONS). The Drum Legend induction honors icons in the drum world that have paved the way for today's drummers. The award is given to those that have made significant contributions to the craft and have hugely influenced players by their style and illustrious musical career. Past inductees include John Bonham, Billy Cobham, Nicko McBrain, Steve Smith, Dave Garibaldi, Alan White, and Greg Errico.

The Drum-Off champion won the grand prize package, valued at nearly $50,000, which includes: $25,000 cash, a feature in Modern Drummer magazine, 2012 NAMM VIP Experience, recording time at the Converse Rubber Track Studios and thousands of dollars in gear and endorsement deals from the drum world's top manufacturers.

Legendary hard rock singer Jeff Scott Soto (YNGWIE MALMSTEEN, TALISMAN, JOURNEY) will release his new solo album, "Damage Control", on March 23 in Europe and March 27 in North America via Frontiers Records.

An extraordinary performer and amazing vocalist, Jeff Scott Soto blasts through these hard-rocking tracks with energy and masters the transition smoothly from heavy rock to a delicate ballad.

For "Damage Control", Jeff has turned to many of his past influences and most requested aspects of his career by blending the art of melodic rock with hard rock.

"I feel 'Damage Control' is more of a return to what my fans would expect to hear from me," says Jeff. "It's a perfect blend of my first two solo albums with Frontiers Records — 'Prism' and 'Lost In The Translation' — but also mixes in some of my favorite moments of my past bands such as TALISMAN and SOUL SIRKUS. It is heavy, AOR, hard rock with loads of great riffs and melodies."

"Damage Control" was recorded in the fall of 2011 and features appearances and writing contributions by Jeff's former and current bandmates, along with many guests, including Jamie Borger and Nalley Påhlsson (TREAT), Casey Grillo (KAMELOT), Joel Hoekstra (NIGHT RANGER) and legendary Y&T founding member Dave Meniketti. Jeff states, "Y&T drummer Mike Vanderhule played drums on a track and suggested I bring Dave on but, as he is a long time friend and one on the 'wish list' of people I would have loved to have, I didn't want to get an excuse that he was too busy or not interested, to my surprise I got neither... he was willing to do it and I was not only grateful but beyond pleased to work with another musical hero!"

"Damage Control" will be released in two exclusive configurations; the basic version in CD jewel box will include 11 songs, while the deluxe edition in digipak format has an additional three bonus tracks and a DVD.

CD:

01. Give A Little More
02. Damage Control
03. Look Inside Your Heart
04. Die A Little
05. Take U Down*
06. If I Never Let Her Go
07. Tears That I Cry
08. BonaFide
09. Elena*
10. Krazy World
11. How To Love Again
12. AfterWorld
13. NeverEnding War
14. Afraid To Die*

* Bonus tracks only available on the Deluxe Edition.

DVD:

* Look Inside Your Heart (videoclip)
* NeverEnding War (videoclip)
* Damage Control (videoclip)
* EPK interview

Jeff Scott Soto is currently planning tour dates that will support the release of the new record. "The plan is to do as much touring as possible wherever the world will have me," he says. "I plan to promote this album with a proper touring regiment!"

Bassist Olivier Pinard (NEURAXIS, VENGEFUL) has officially joined Canadian extreme metallers CRYPTOPSY.

A playthrough bass video of Pinard filmed and edited by Bookaking Productions can be seen below.

Guitarist-turned-bassist Youri Raymond left CRYPTOPSY last month, explaining in a statement that "it's in the best interest of both the band and I to part ways." He added, "As a musician, moving from guitar to bass was a great challenge, but honestly, I never really felt comfortable in that position and my motivation in general was stagnating."

Lead guitarist and songwriter Jon Levasseur rejoined CRYPTOPSY in May 2011.

"The Unspoken King", CRYPTOPSY's sixth full-length and first to feature new vocalist Matt McGachy, was released June 24, 2008 to a wide array of reactions. Drummer Flo Mounier explained his intention in reshaping the dynamics of the band to Decibel magazine: "I'm a fan of different sorts of music, and I think it's most fun when a band puts out an album that has elements of everything; you get this thing called diversity, not boredom. That's what we're trying to do. Still, I think people are going to be surprised how brutal this album is."

"Appomattox", the new video from the Appalachian doom/rock outfit KING GIANT, can be seen below. The song comes off the band's sophomore LP, "Dismal Hollow", which will be released worldwide on Tuesday, January 31 via digipak CD, deluxe digital download and 180-gram gatefold LP available in two color schemes — swamp green with bone swirl, and bone with gold haze. The record will be available internationally via a split release between KING GIANT's band-operated imprint Graveyard Hill Records and The Path Less Traveled Records, part of the MRI Group, with distribution by RED, Code 7 and Plastichead.

Brooding more sinister homage to their rock and metal forefathers than KING GIANT's heralded self-released 2009 debut, "Southern Darkness", the new album further develops the band's well-written hooks and thunderous, harmonized grooves. Clocking in at nearly 48 minutes, "Dismal Hollow" was recorded at Inner Ear Studio (MINOR THREAT, FUGAZI, AVAIL, JAWBOX, Dave Grohl).

"Appomattox" is the third video produced and directed by Kevin James Barker for KING GIANT, in conjunction with Mono/Poly Creative, and was partially funded through massive support from the band's fans via a Kickstarter campaign last year. Filmed on location in historic Waterford, Virginia during the summer and fall of 2011, the cinematic "Appomattox" video rolls in at nearly eight minutes in length, and portrays a high-action, backwoods zombie attack storyline.

KING GIANT has scheduled a record-release show this Saturday night at Springfield, Virginia's infamous Jaxx nightclub to set the release of the new album up properly with their diehard local fans, with opening support from AUROBOROS, THE CRIMSON ELECTRIC and BORRACHO.

Irish metallers STORMZONE have parted ways with guitarist Keith Harris and have replaced him with Andrew Baxter, formerly of LAST KNOWN ADDICTION.

Commented STORMZONE vocalist John "Harv" Harbinson: "Andrew and existing STORMZONE guitarist Steve Moore played together in Irish band FIRELAND so they have already built up a powerful partnership."

A photo of STORMZONE's new lineup can be seen below. Also available is footage of the band performing its first gig with Baxter.

STORMZONE's latest album, "Zero To Rage", will be released in North America on January 17, 2012 via SPV/Steamhammer. The CD was made available in Europe last November.

The first STORMZONE headline show of 2012 will take place in Belfast's Spring & Airbrake on Saturday, April 28 and will see the band doing a full two-hour show featuring songs from all three STORMZONE albums. From that, the group will be choosing the set for a planned European tour shortly afterwards.

"Zero To Rage" track listing:

01. Where We Belong
02. Zero To Rage
03. Jester's Laughter
04. This Is Our Victory
05. Fear Hotel
06. Hail The Brave
07. Uprising
08. Last Man Fighting
09. Empire Of Fear
10. Monsters
11. Voice Inside My Head
12. Cuchulainn's Story

The song "Jester's Laughter" is available for streaming using the SoundCloud player below.

STORMZONE is:

Steve Moore - Guitar
Andrew Baxter - Guitar
John "Harv" Harbinson - Lead Vocals
Graham McNulty - Bass
Davy Bates - Drums

New Zealand-based brutal death metallers DEPTHS have inked a deal with Deadboy Records. The band's new album will be released later in the year.

Commented Deadboy A&R representative Vasely Sapunov: "It is a great pleasure to be working with our newest signing DEPTHS. They are a super-hard-working, great bunch of guys who have proven themselves well over the last year with relentless touring in support of their self-released EP, 'Resurgence', which has won over an impressive amount of fans.

"After seeing the band's relentless live show at the end of 2011, we knew that it was right to begin a relationship with these guys and help them take their music and career to the next level."

DEPTHS plays "a ball-crushingly brutal blend of modern deathcore and traditional death metal for fans of OCEANO, WHITECHAPEL and IMPENDING DOOM," according to a press release.

The band's brand new music video for the song "Of Nothing" can be viewed below.

DEPTHS is:

Sam Bennett - Guitar
Joshua Bain - Vocals
James Power - Bass
Dylan Rober't - Drums
Jae Faithfull - Guitar

San Diego extreme metallers CATTLE DECAPITATION entered Denver, Colorado's Flatline Audio on January 7 to begin recording the highly anticipated follow-up to their critically-acclaimed album "The Harvest Floor" (2009 on Metal Blade Records).

Commented CATTLE DECAPITATION frontman Travis Ryan : "We spent the first two days mapping out tempos and getting things situated, drums mic'd all that stuff. Just started tracking drums today and everything is sounding great! We're excited to start laying down some tones and getting this beast finished and in the hands of our fans and friends."

The band has a small crew filming all steps of the way so fans of the band can look forward to studio video reports via the band's YouTube channel and getting the full album details in the coming weeks when album title, cover image and track listing as well as immediate U.S. and European tour plans are revealed.

Florida-based death metal veterans CANNIBAL CORPSE will release their twelfth studio album, "Torture", on March 13 via Metal Blade Records. The follow-up to 2009's "Evisceration Plague" offers up 12 tracks of maniacally precise, soul-searing death metal. "Torture" was again produced by HATE ETERNAL's Erik Rutan at his own Mana Recording Studio in St. Petersburg, Florida as well as Sonic Ranch in Tornillo, Texas, and features the maniacal cover art by longtime CANNIBAL CORPSE artist Vincent Locke.

While "Torture" marks the latest progression in the band's sound, it also witnesses a return to what drummer Paul Mazurkiewicz accurately terms "the frenzied attack of 'Butchered At Birth' (1991) or 'Tomb Of The Mutilated' (1992)," infusing the band's advanced musicianship with the raw savagery that haunted their earlier releases, and in the process conceiving the definitive CANNIBAL CORPSE record. Adds bassist Alex Webster on the outcome of the record: "We're extremely happy with how 'Torture' turned out. Erik Rutan did an amazing job with the production, and the songwriting and performances may be our strongest yet. We can't wait until our fans get to hear the whole thing!"

From the monstrous chugging of "Sarcophagic Frenzy" to the deeply sinister "Followed Home Then Killed" or the loping evil of "Scourge of Iron", every track hits with sledgehammer force, and each one boasts its own hideous character, the band refusing to repeat themselves at any point.

"While we make everything as heavy as possible there's a very strong emphasis placed on song writing in this band, trying to make every song individual, and I think you should be able to hit play at any point on a record and be able to tell one song from another almost instantly," states Webster. "We want all the songs to be brutal death metal, but we also want them to be instantly identifiable from one another, and that's something that is definitely true of the songs on 'Torture'."

Webster also believes that stability in the band's ranks greatly contributes to the record's strength, "Torture" being the third consecutive album featuring the current lineup of himself and co-founding member Mazurkiewicz, alongside guitarists Rob Barrett and Patrick O'Brien, and vocalist George "Corpsegrinder" Fisher. "The band is at its strongest right now, and I think we're at our very peak as far as playing ability and song writing maturity. As a result of that this is the album where we've been able to finally best get across what we wanted to do as players and as song writers." Equally, this is their third release to be helmed by producer Erik Rutan (of HATE ETERNAL fame), and while "Kill" and "Evisceration Plague" were recorded entirely at Rutan's Mana Recording Studio in St. Petersburg, Florida, this time out the sessions were split between Mana and Sonic Ranch in Tornillo, Texas. Having tracked 1999's Colin Richardson-produced "Bloodthirst", as well as 2002's "Gore Obsessed" and 2004's "The Wretched Spawn" (both produced by Neil Kernon) at Sonic Ranch, the band were keen to once again experience the isolation of working essentially in the middle of nowhere, this time with Rutan calling the shots.

"The studio is about forty miles outside of El Paso, and we made a point of not having a rental car so we were stuck there, that way all we could think about was the record," Webster states. "When we record in Florida usually the only guy in the studio with Erik is the one recording that day, and having us all together rather than scattered really helped us focus and totally immerse ourselves in the music, and I think that it's a far better record for it." This approach has resulted in a record that not only delivers a devastating punch but also eschews merely replicating the sound of their previous collaborations, and Mazurkiewicz asserts that their relationship with the producer is a tremendously beneficial one. "He's a death metal guitar player and a death metal singer, which makes him 'one of us'. On top of that he's a great guy, a workaholic, and a great motivator because he's not only an extremely talented peer but he's always nitpicking and doing what he's got to do to make everything better. He pushes us to make the best possible record and does what needs to be done to give it a distinctive sound of its own."

Though the band continue to dwell on dark and disturbing lyrical areas, they long ago transcended the early notoriety bestowed upon them (based solely upon their artwork and lyrics) through proving themselves one of the best — and hardest working — live bands in modern heavy music. As such, while they certainly stand defiant as part of the old guard in death metal, through their devotion to touring and consistently releasing bigger and better records they have retained both their relevance and bite while many of the bands that hacked their way out of the scene twenty years ago have fallen by the wayside. Equally, as the genre's profile has begun to once again grow in recent years the band do not concern themselves with thoughts of being dethroned by younger generations of bands following in their wake.

"We get inspired by seeing these other bands doing killer music, but we definitely don't feel threatened by it," Webster states. With a great many contemporary death metal bands perhaps overly concerned with being recognized as the 'fastest' or 'most technical', the art of the song itself seems often overlooked, and that is a trap CANNIBAL CORPSE have never fallen into. "I am very into ultra-fast music that shows off chops, but I think that it's important to develop ability as a musician not to show off that ability but rather to use it to write killer songs. Writing a genuinely memorable, killer song is very challenging, but the best albums are the ones with the best songs, period."

In 2012, CANNIBAL CORPSE have ensured that the twelve songs comprising "Torture" are the very best and therefore cohere to make the best possible album, though they are not content to rest upon their laurels and they are as hungry as ever to unleash their distinctive breed of aural horror upon heaving mosh pits. "I haven't been this excited about a release in a long time," enthuses Mazurkiewicz. "We worked so hard at it and we hope that the fans feel the same way we do. Being out there and getting to play these songs live will once again prove to people we're not going anywhere. We're not going through the motions, we're really trying to be the best band we can be, and we're just getting better."

"Torture" track listing:

01. Demented Aggression
02. Sarcophagic Frenzy
03. Scourge of Iron
04. Encased in Concrete
05. As Deep As the Knife Will Go
06. Intestinal Crank
07. Followed Home Then Killed
08. The Strangulation Chair
09. Caged...Contorted
10. Crucifier Avenged
11. Rabid
12. Torn Through

The song "Demented Aggression" can be streamed using the SoundCloud player below.

As a precursor to the release, CANNIBAL CORPSE will perform a special one-off show at the Culture Room in West Palm Beach, Florida on January 22 then head to the seas to take part in this year's edition of the 70,000 Tons Of Metal cruise. The band will get a short break before a near month-long march through Europe on the Full Of Hate 2012 tour with labelmates BEHEMOTH.

Chicago's DIRGE WITHIN has set "There Will Be Blood" as the title of its sophomore full-length album, due on April 10 via Rocket Science Ventures/THC: Music. The CD was recorded at Mercenary Studios in Zion, Illinois with engineer Scott Creekmore and producer Ari Mihalopoulos and is currently being mixed at Inner Light Studios with Ari and DIRGE WITHIN guitarist Shaun Glass.

Guitarist Matt Szlachta recently left DIRGE WITHIN to continue to focus on his passion for teaching guitar to his students and for other personal reasons. He has since been replaced by Chuck Wepfer.

"There's no bad blood at all, man," said vocalist Jeremy "Jerms" Genske. "We're all still good buds and very close. His head and heart just weren't in it anymore, and he wanted to go back to teaching. He really loves it, and that's where he felt he had to be."

DIRGE WITHIN's forthcoming album will be the band's first to feature drummer Frankie Harchut and bassist Jeff Paulick (bassist/vocalist of LAZARUS A.D.), who has been filling on bass duties on tour with DIRGE WITHIN.

"I am very excited about the new songs we've written for this new album, and that people will be able to check out my style of playing a little more," stated Harchut. "We worked our asses off writing these new songs, a lot of long nights, and I'm personally stoked to have our fans hear 'em. I really think they're gonna be into it." Jeremy added, "The songs are heavier, smarter, and more melodic in parts. Some are even a little slower! There were no rules when we were writing at all. No holds barred. Whatever came out, came out. And I think it's gonna make a really good, well-rounded metal album."

DIRGE WITHIN's "Absolution" EP was made available on August 16, 2011. The three-song effort gives fans a taste of what's to come from the band's forthcoming sophomore album.

DIRGE WITHIN's debut album, "Force Fed Lies", came out on September 1, 2009 via E1 Music.

ROCK MEETS CLASSIC 2012 backing vocalist Amanda Somerville (TRILLIUM, AVANTASIA) has checked in with BW&BK, revealing that their January 12th show in Munich, Germany at the Olympiahalle was filmed for a future DVD release. They played on the night to an audience of 9,000 people. More details will be revealed in the coming months.

Rock Meets Classic 2012 is an evening with Ian Gillan (DEEP PURPLE), Steve Lukather (TOTO), Jimi Jamison (SURVIVOR), Chris Thompson (MANFRED MAN'S EARTH BAND), Robin Beck, THE MAT SINNER BAND & The Bohemian Symphony Orchestra Prague. Check out fan-filmed footage of the final song of the night at the Munich show below

††† (CROSSES) — DEFTONES frontman Chino Moreno's latest project with FAR guitarist Shaun Lopez — will release its second EP, "††", on January 24. A song from the effort, "Prurien†", is available for streaming at RollingStone.com.

Lopez tells RollingStone.com that ††† (CROSSES)'s newest song "is one of about 20 or so we've written, and the initial idea was almost metal. It ultimately morphed into something opposite of that – less aggressive, still big and resonating."


††† (CROSSES) has announced a series of four intimate California shows in support of the new album, starting in Pomona on January 31 and wrapping up in San Francisco on February 4.

In a recent interview with ChinaShop, Moreno stated about how ††† (CROSSES) came together, "I remember I mentioned to [Shaun] one day when we were hanging out, y'know, 'We should make a record together.' It just so happened that when I moved to L.A. I ended up living a few blocks away from him. I was down here working on recording some vocals with Shaun. We just clicked. We listened to a lot of the same music. We've always worked well together. With this project in particular, I met [guitarist] Chuck over at Shaun's house. Chuck was working on some of his solo stuff. I don't know when they started working together, but they said they were working on a project together and asked if I was interested in contributing vocals. Whenever they were working, I'd just ride my bike over there. A couple different times, I was just like, 'Let me try singing on this,' and they were like, 'OK, cool.' I'd just go in and throw in a bunch of ideas. Pretty soon they got rid of the idea of getting a bunch of different singers together. We just started working on the record together. And any time I had a break, I'd just head on over there to see what was going on and stuff. This started maybe 9 months ago, and I'd been on tour for a year and a half. I'd just spend some time over at his studio when I could."

When asked if there is somebody who's a sort of designated songwriter, Chino said, "You'd have to ask these guys about that. Most of the songs were written before I came in. I just talked to them and said, y'know, 'I really like this, can I sing on it?' I know Chuck will come in with a bunch of chord progressions. He'll send me a couple chord progressions, with a really lo-fi beat going on, and you can pretty much hear the beat in there, and send it to me, sort of like, 'See what you can come up with for this.' And him and Shaun will work on laying out the rest of the music. When he gives you a copy of the music, do you pretty much get an idea of what to sing. Shaun says that when he's writing a lot of the time, he already has in mind what I'm going to sing, and will sometimes plan it around that. It almost seems like, I'm right there with it. I'm never overwhelmed, like, 'Wow, what am I going to do with this?”' It just seems pretty natural. I”ll just go in and throw out melodies."

German melodic black metal act CRAVING has inked a deal with Apostasy Records. The band's self-titled debut album will be released on January 20 in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. The CD was recorded in June 2010 at Alpha Sound Studios in Dortmund by Lars Schlüter (THE FLAW) and mixed and mastered in late 2011 by Sebastian "Seeb" Levermann (ORDEN OGAN). The drum tuning durung the recording sesions was handled by Markus "Makka" Freiwald (KREATOR, ROTTING CHRIST, SODOM).

"Craving" features guest appearances by Geman singer Helge Stang (EQUILIBRIUM, ARAFEL) and Chilean female virtuoso guitarist Sole Genua (HUMAN FACTOR). The album's lyrics were written in three languages: Russian, German and English.

CRAVING previously released a demo, "Demo 2006", and one EP, "Revenge" (2008).

"Craving" track listing:

01. Lord Of The Flames
02. By The Blowing Wind
03. The Nameless (feat. Sole Genua)
04. Leopard
05. The Song Of The Prophetic Oleg
06. Revenge
07. Into The Forest
08. Ein Funken Abendrot (feat. Helge Stang)
09. Wolfsherz
10. Lug Und Litanei (feat. Helge Stang & Sole Genua)

For more information, visit www.cravingmetal.de.

An eight-minute audio preview of "...In Unholy Mourning...", the fifth album from Brazilian thrashers HEADHUNTER D.C., is available in the YouTube clip below. The artwork was created by the Spanish artist Juanjo Castellano, who has previously worked with VOMITORY, NOMINON, SATHANAS, ANAL VOMIT and BLASPHERIAN, among others.

Commented HEADHUNTER D.C. singer Sérgio "Baloff" Borges: "We are very pleased with the excellent job done by Mr. Juanjo Castellano, a real masterpiece, no doubt about it! He just managed to absorb the context behind the album title, creating the visual atmosphere we were looking for and really needed for the album cover. The guy kills! This is one of our best covers, definitely!"

"...In Unholy Mourning..." will be released later in the year in South America through a partnership between Eternal Hatred Records and Mutilation Records.

"...In Unholy Mourning..." track listing:

01. Rotten Death Prayer
02. Dawn Of Heresy
03. Cursed Be Thou
04. Deny The Light
05. A Dream Of Blasphemy
06. Hail The Metal Of Death!
07. Into The Nightmare (THRASHMASSACRE cover)
08. Unexorcised (Haunting Your Exorcist)
09. In Unholy Mourning
10. Lightless…

HEADHUNTER D.C. has started the process of booking dates for its next Brazilian/South American tour in support of "...In Unholy Mourning...".

Former EXODUS guitarist Rick Hunolt has agreed to perform at least one guitar solo on "World In Chaos", the upcoming album from the Nevada-based metal act PAIN CLINIC. In addition, Hunolt is said to be working on his first band since EXODUS, with plans to begin auditioning drummers soon.

Hunolt played two songs with PAIN CLINIC on January 8 at the Thrashocalypse festival at the Workshop in Ceres, California (near Modesto). They performed a cover version of the EXODUS classic "A Lesson In Violence" as well as an original PAIN CLINIC song, "Wrapped In Plastic".

Commented PAIN CLINIC guitarist Jeff Gresham: "I can't believe I got to not only meet one of my childhood idols, but I got to stand next to him and perform an EXODUS classic, along with playing a song written by my band. Rick was humble, down to earth and just an all-around cool guy. You can tell he really changed his life around. It was an honor for me just to meet him."

Fan-filmed video footage of Hunolt performing with PAIN CLINIC can be seen below.

Hunolt, who left EXODUS in 2005 in order to focus on his family life, rejoined his former bandmates at a special concert in celebration of EXODUS guitarist Gary Holt and Lisa Perticone's wedding on September 24, 2011 at Avalon in Santa Clara, California.

An e-card for the forthcoming self-titled new album from Raleigh, North Carolina legends CORROSION OF CONFORMITY can be accessed at this location. Due on February 28 in North America via Candlelight Records, the CD Was recorded at Dave Grohl's Studio 606 in Northridge, California and was produced by the band in cooperation with longtime collaborator John Custer. It was mixed by John Lousteau (FOO FIGHTERS) and features artwork by Seldon Hunt (MELVINS, HIGH ON FIRE).

ecent Indie Recordings signing from Norway, RIBOZYME is releasing their new album, Presenting The Problem, on February 10th of in Europe and the 14th in North America.

Today the band are releasing the title track from the album for free on Facebook.

The band comments: "'Presenting The Problem' is a song about the moment you turn to try to fix your life. Going back in time to get an alibi, one that can justify your actions. A song for cynics with big hearts.

The download link will be active for 72 hours from Monday, January 16th at 20:00 (GMT+1).

Brendan "Brush" Shiels, founding member of the late 1960s/early 1970s Irish blues-rock act SKID ROW — which is best known as legendary guitarist Gary Moore's first professional band — has posted a YouTube video in which he accuses the American rock group SKID ROW of using the band name without his permission. He also discusses how he believes the story that Moore received a $35,000 payoff by the American band for the use of the name is nonsense and reveals that he has unsuccessfully tried to contact Jon Bon Jovi (with whom the Sebastian Bach-fronted SKID ROW reportedly signed a publishing deal prior to releasing its first album) and Doc McGhee, early manager of the the American SKID ROW, to resolve the SKID ROW name issue once and for all. Shiels also talks about his ex-SKID ROW bandmates, the late Phil Lynott and Gary Moore.

Shiels' video message can be seen below. Also available is a separate YouTube clip containing a track from Brush's new SKID ROW album.

Haugesund, Norway-based "noise rock" band ÅRABROT was honored in the "Metal" category at the 40th annual Spellemann awards (the Norwegian equivalent to the Grammy Awards). The largest and oldest Norwegian music awards show was held this past Saturday, January 14 at Folketeateret in Oslo, Norway and was broadcast live on the Norwegian channel NRK1.

The nominees in the "Metal" category were as follows:

* INSENSE - "Burn In Beautiful Fire"
* SHINING - "Live Blackjazz"
* TAAKE - "Noregs Vaapen"
* VREID - "V"
* ÅRABROT - "Solar Anus"

Last year's Spellemann award in the "Metal" category went to ENSLAVED for the band's "Axioma Ethica Odini" album.

Finnish power metallers CELESTY have released the following statement:

"We are sorry to announce that CELESTY will go to indefinite hiatus. During the time when fifth-album songs have been in progress, there has been mixed feelings in the air for a longer period of time now. Situation in the band has come to the point where only solution is to take a break. Will that break be a year or ten, we don't know, but this is the only way to take the time that we need. This decision is mutual by all members of the band."

"Vendetta", the fourth full-length album from CELESTY, was released in March 2009 via Spinefarm Records. The CD, which contained eleven tracks and over sixty minutes of music, featured guest appearances by Stephan Lill (VANDEN PLAS) and Elias Viljanen (SONATA ARCTICA). Suvi-Tuuli Dietrich (ESCAPE) contributed female vocals to the album.

Drummer Mike Portnoy (DREAM THEATER, AVENGED SEVENFOLD), bassist Billy Sheehan (STEVE VAI, DAVID LEE ROTH), guitarist Tony MacAlpine (neo classical-metal style, STEVE VAI) and keyboardist Derek Sherinian (DREAM THEATER, PLANET X, BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION) performed yesterday (Saturday, January 14) at the twenty-third annual Guitar Center's Drum-Off, the nationwide search for the next great undiscovered drummer, at Club Nokia in Los Angeles, California. You can now watch video footage of their performance below.

In addition to all the incredible performances, the night featured the Drum Legend induction of drumming greats Peter Criss (KISS) and Terry Bozzio (FRANK ZAPPA, MISSING PERSONS). The Drum Legend induction honors icons in the drum world that have paved the way for today's drummers. The award is given to those that have made significant contributions to the craft and have hugely influenced players by their style and illustrious musical career. Past inductees include John Bonham, Billy Cobham, Nicko McBrain, Steve Smith, Dave Garibaldi, Alan White, and Greg Errico.

The Drum-Off champion won the grand prize package, valued at nearly $50,000, which includes: $25,000 cash, a feature in Modern Drummer magazine, 2012 NAMM VIP Experience, recording time at the Converse Rubber Track Studios and thousands of dollars in gear and endorsement deals from the drum world's top manufacturers.

Original KISS drummer Peter Criss was inducted last night (Saturday, January 14) as part of the latest Drum Legend class during the grand finals of Guitar Center's annual Drum-Off at Club Nokia in Los Angeles, California.

The Drum Legend induction honors icons in the drum world that have paved the way for today's drummers. The award is given to those that have made significant contributions to the craft and have hugely influenced players by their style and illustrious musical career. Past inductees include John Bonham, Billy Cobham, Nicko McBrain, Steve Smith, Dave Garibaldi, Alan White, and Greg Errico.

Video footage of Peter's induction can be seen below.

Born Peter George Criscoula on December 20, 1945, in Brooklyn, New York, Criss got his start drumming after discovering legendary jazz drummer Gene Krupa and such '60s rockers as THE ROLLING STONES.

"Finally, when I got into rock 'n' roll drumming, I liked Charlie Watts [of THE ROLLING STONES]," said Criss in a 1997 interview. He also cited CREAM's Ginger Baker, THE WHO's Keith Moon and LED ZEPPELIN's John Bonham as big influences on his playing.

QUEENSRŸCHE drummer Scott Rockenfield was personally invited to visit Alan Menken and his team for an entire week during a recent recording session on a new film that Alan was hired to compose the orchestral music for. Alan has composed the music for such blockbusters as "Beauty And The Beast", "Aladdin", "Hercules", "Tangled", and many many more. He has won more Academy Awards than any living composer in history.

Scott spent the entire five days sitting directly beside Alan and his crew while listening and watching as his team of professional orchestrators and engineers captured this most incredible sounding music score.

"I had an amazing time and thoroughly enjoyed his talents and personality," Scott said. "He was most gracious and treated everyone with respect and kindness and has a great sense of humor. I was honored for the opportunity to get to know him and see how much he thoroughly enjoys his work."

Australian black/death metallers DENOUNCEMENT PYRE are preparing to enter the studio to record their second full-length album, to be titled "Almighty Arcanum". The effort will feature seven new tracks and will be released later in the year on both CD and vinyl formats by Hells Headbangers Records.

DENOUNCEMENT PYRE will return to the stage in June to perform live for the first time in half a decade as part of the Evil Invaders festival in Sydney, Australia. More shows will be announced soon.

DENOUNCEMENT PYRE's full-length debut, "World Cremation", came out in 2010 via Hells Headbangers.

German deathcore band SCIENCE OF SLEEP has inked a deal with Bastardized Recordings. The band's first EP, "Affliction" — which was originally made available last September — will be re-released later this year with a bonus track, to be followed by SCIENCE OF SLEEP's full-length debut.

Formed two years ago in the German city of Braunschweig, SCIENCE OF SLEEP "clearly break out of line and deliver a new era of brutality, blast beats and blood-freezing vocals," according to the band's official bio. "The passion the five guys carry through every moment of their bandlife and over 100 live shows in the first two years show everybody the strong will to reach a higher level."

For more information, visit www.facebook.com/SOSMETAL.