Here is the tracklist of the new album "Ariettes oubliées...".
Title // English translation
Total running time is 43 minutes.

I - Linceul d’hiver // Shroud Of Winter
II - La Traversée // The Crossing
III - Le Mouvement perpétuel // Perpetual Motion
IV - Ariettes oubliées I : Je devine à travers un murmure... // Forgotten Ariettas
V - La Nuit muette // The Silent Night
VI - Au Creux de l’hiver // In The Hollow Of Winter
VII - Après l‘Ombre (Re-recorded studio version) // After The Dark
VIII - Les Regrets // Regrets

"Memories Of A Time To Come", the ultimate collection of BLIND GUARDIAN music from 1987 to 2011, will be released on January 20, 2012 via Virgin/EMI. It will be available as a double CD, three-CD deluxe limited edition, including the band's demo recordings when they were called LUCIFER'S HERITAGE, and as download.

Commented the band: "Finally, after all these years, we have found the time to gather our most worthy songs into a best of compilation, representative of our career's first 25 years.

"From the very beginning it was important for us to undertake this project only if we could put the necessary time and attention to detail into it. With overwhelming nostalgia we have looked back on 25 years and came up with 'Memories Of A Time To Come', an organic mixture of some of our greatest songs.

"With the exception of 'Sacred Worlds', all songs on 'Memories of a Time to Come' have been remixed while 'The Bard's Song - The Hobbit', 'Valhalla' as well as 'And Then There Was Silence' have been re-recorded.

"This album contains some very pleasant surprises for the die-hard BLIND GUARDIAN fan and delivers a perfect image of our musical spirit to those who are not, or just loosely, familiar with the band. 'Memories Of A Time To Come' precisely defines our progression and the long-standing dedication to our music. We are proud to present an album that will take the listener on a musical voyage. This year's Christmas will be in January!"

CD 1:

01. Imaginations From The Other Side (7:11) *
02. Nightfall (5:34) *
03. Ride Into Obsession (4:46) *
04. Somewhere Far Beyond (7:32) *
05. Majesty (7:29) *
06. Traveler In Time (6:01) *
07. Follow The Blind (7:11) *
08. The Last Candle (6:03) *

CD 2:

01. Sacred Worlds (9:17)
02. This Will Never End (5:07) *
03. Valhalla (5:13) **
04. Bright Eyes (5:15) *
05. Mirror Mirror (5:09) *
06. The Bard's Song (In The Forest) (3:26) *
07. The Bard's Song (The Hobbit) (3:41) **
08. And Then There Was Silence (14:06) **

CD 3: (only available with the deluxe limited edition)

01. Brian ***
02. Halloween (The Wizard's Crown) ***
03. Lucifer's Heritage ***
04. Symphonies Of Doom ***
05. Dead Of The Night ***
06. Majesty
07. Trial By The Archon
08. Battalions Of Fear
09. Run For The Night
10. Lost In The Twilight Hall
11. Tommyknockers
12. Ashes To Ashes
13. Time What Is Time
14. A Past And Future Secret
15. The Script For My Requiem

* Remixed 2011
** Re-recorded 2011
*** Reworked 2011

An audio sample of an orchestral version of"The Bard's Song (In The Forest)" can be streamed in the YouTube clip below.

BLIND GUARDIAN is currently collaborating with Germany's best fantasy author Markus Heitz on an orchestral album which is expected to be released in 2012.

"At The Edge Of Time", the tenth studio album from BLIND GUARDIAN, sold around 4,400 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 108 on The Billboard 200 chart. The CD landed at position No. 1 on the Top New Artist Albums (Heatseekers) chart, which lists the best-selling albums by new and developing artists, defined as those who have never appeared in the Top 100 of The Billboard 200.

BLIND GUARDIAN's previous CD, "A Twist In The Myth", opened with 3,000 units back in September 2006.

"At The Edge Of Time" entered the German Media Control chart at position No. 2 — the band's strongest chart showing ever in its home country.

"Meet The Enemy", a brand new song from Swiss folk metallers ELUVEITIE, can be streamed on the band's Facebook page. The track comes off the group's new album, "Helvetios", which will be released on February 10, 2012 via Nuclear Blast Records.
Surf to Facebook to check out 'Meet The Enemy'.

Commented ELUVEITIE vocalist Christian "Chrigel" Glanzmann: "We're happy and proud to already present you 'Meet The Enemy' — track seven off our upcoming album, 'Helvetios'. It tells you about the 'encounter' the Helvetians had with the roman legions in the year 58 B.C. — one of the crucial points in their history, for it was basically when the gaulish wars erupted. So the song is pretty much filled with wrath and rage — upholding the furious spirit you might know from tracks such as 'Kingdom Come Undone', 'Bloodstained Ground' or 'Lament'. Furthermore the song's substantial instrumentation (including fiddle, hurdy gurdy, whistles and uilleann pipes) is also enriched by one of the guest musicians, we had the honour to work with — Fredy Schnyder (from NUCLEUS TORN) who contributed some amazing parts on the hammered dulcimer."

"Helvetios" was recorded at New Sound Studio in Pfäffikon, a municipality in the canton of Zurich in Switzerland, with producer Tommy Vetterli (a.k.a. Tommy T. Baron; CORONER/ex-KREATOR guitarist). According to the band, Vetterli "record[ed] drums, guitars and vocals and also produc[ed] and mix[ed] the record. Most folk instruments and also vocals [were] recorded by Anna Murphy and Marco Jencarelli at the Soundfarm studios in Lucerne."

"Helvetios" track listing:

01. Prologue
02. Helvetios
03. Luxtos
04. Home
05. Santonian Shores
06. Scorched Earth
07. Meet The Enemy
08. Neverland
09. A Rose For Epona
10. Havoc
11. The Uprising
12. Hope
13. The Siege
14. Alesia
15. Tullianum
16. Uxellodunon
17. Epilogue

A trailer for the album can be seen below.

ELUVEITIE will hold the first edition of its own festival, "Eluveitie & Friends", on December 30, 2011 at the Volkshaus in Zurich. Other bands scheduled to participate in the event include CORONER and KORPIKLAANI.

ELUVEITIE's last album, "Everything Remains (As It Never Was)", sold around 1,600 copies in the United States in its first week of release. The CD landed at position No. 23 on the Top New Artist Albums (Heatseekers) chart, which lists the best-selling albums by new and developing artists, defined as those who have never appeared in the Top 100 of The Billboard 200.

ELUVEITIE will join CHILDREN OF BODOM on the Finnish metallers' North American headlining tour in celebration of the band's 15th anniversary. The trek will kick off on January 30, 2012 in Rochester, New York and run through March 4, hitting 26 cities over the course of the five-week jaunt. Boston-based extreme metal band REVOCATION and Canada's THREAT SIGNAL are also on the bill.

Lemmy Kilmister (MOTÖRHEAD), Jason Bonham (LED ZEPPELIN), Mark McGrath (SUGAR RAY), Scott Ian (ANTHRAX), Glenn Hughes (BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION, DEEP PURPLE, BLACK SABBATH), Steve Stevens (BILLY IDOL), Corey Taylor (SLIPKNOT, STONE SOUR), Billy Gibbons (ZZ TOP), Dominick Monaghan and Franky Perez are among the guest musicians who performed with CAMP FREDDY last night (Friday, December 23) at the third and final show as part of the band's fifth annual Christmas residency at the world-famous The Roxy Theatre in West Hollywood, California.

Fan-filmed video footage of the concert can be seen below.

CAMP FREDDY is the Los Angeles-based "jam" group featuring Dave Navarro (JANE'S ADDICTION, RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS), Billy Morrison (ex-THE CULT bassist, current CIRCUS DIABLO vocalist), Matt Sorum (VELVET REVOLVER, ex-GUNS N' ROSES), Donovan Leitch (son of legendary folk singer Donovan), and Chris Chaney (JANE'S ADDICTION, ALANIS MORRISETTE).

In an interview with Gibson.com, Navarro was asked if there will ever be a CAMP FREDDY album. "We talked about it for many, many years, but the logistics of something like that really doesn't translate to what we're about," he replied. "We're a live band and we're about the fun on stage and whoever's gonna get up with us — we don't know from night to night. And when you go into a studio to record songs that have already been recorded, it's difficult to recreate that kind of energy and spontaneity, so it's unlikely at this juncture."

Since its formation eight years ago when they rocked the opening of The Standard Hotel in Downtown Los Angeles at the invitation of Brent Bolthouse, CAMP FREDDY has performed on both coasts of America and on national television shows ("The Tonight Show with Jay Leno", "Jimmy Kimmel Live!", "Late Late Show With Craig Kilborn", "Last Call with Carson Daly").

Professionally filmed video footage of GUNS N' ROSES' entire December 21, 2011 concert at the Forum in Los Angeles, California can be seen below. The show was streamed online via iClips as a pay-per-view event.

GUNS N' ROSES lead singer Axl Rose said that the last thing he wants to do is ruin the band's Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction for anyone — but that doesn't mean he's willing to perform with his former bandmates. In a rare new interview with the Los Angeles Times, Rose said about the group's upcoming induction into the Hall, "I've got mixed emotions about what the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame actually really is, but at the same time, there's a lot of people — the fans — that it just means something to them, and they're happy. It's like you won the Heisman or something."

He added that he doesn't want to see the induction turn into a scenario like what happened at the Oscars decades ago, when actor Marlon Brando sent a Native American to refuse his "Best Actor" prize for "The Godfather" and make a protest speech. Rose explained, "People don't want that associated with their awards shows, even if you have a big audience. In one way it might be right, but it usually backfires on whoever does it. So I really don't want to spoil it for everybody else — or take the beating."

As for whether there have been discussions of what will happen on the night the band is inducted, Rose said, "There is no plan yet. There really is no plan."

The eccentric singer says that the current lineup of the group, of which he is the sole original member, will be "busy all next year" and will put out new music "as soon as we can figure out what our deal is with labels, blah blah blah."

Rose has fired two managers in the past year and explained why he's had a hard time dealing with them, explaining, "All these managers, they all believe in one thing: sell a reunion tour and get their commission. It's just a phone call. It's a half a day's . . . work, or however long they want to keep the bidding war going. They get their commission and they don't care if it falls on its face."

Later in the interview, Rose made the odd statement that a reunion tour would only work if guitarist Slash and bassist Duff McKagan were involved, hinting that original guitarist Izzy Stradlin and drummer Steven Adler need not be there. He said, "The only thing that would make it would be Duff and Slash, really. It's nothing against Izzy and it's nothing against Steven, or anything like that . . . I've toured with the other guys and I've also seen what they've done since, and I just know the difficulties."
GUNS N' ROSES will be inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame on April 14, 2012 along with the BEASTIE BOYS, the RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS and others.

Swedish progressive rockers PAIN OF SALVATION have announced the addition of keyboardist Daniel "D2" Karlsson to the group's ranks. The band has also confirmed that Gustaf Hielm (ex-MESHUGGAH) will be the bass player for its February/March 2012 European tour.

Gustaf previously played with PAIN OF SALVATION back in 1994, years before he became involved with CHARTA 77 and MESHUGGAH.

Commented PAIN OF SALVATION mainman Daniel Gildenlöw: "It feels great to have Gustaf on board for the tour. He is truly one of the best bass players I have ever seen, and I can't wait to hear him take on the songs."

Karlsson previously played keyboards for PAIN OF SALVATION in India and handled the bass for the band on tour in South America and in Europe. In addition, he did the lights for PAIN OF SALVATION in Skellefteå.

Stated Gildenlöw: "Through the years we have always had problems finding people who can master ONE instrument well enough to play our songs the way they should be played, so needless to say [Karlsson] has impressed us by playing both the bass and the keyboard with total conviction. Asking him to join the band was a natural step. Also, band meetings were getting boring with only me and Léo there."

Added Karlsson: "To be a part of this band is a real honor. I'm very grateful to have been around PAIN OF SALVATION for quite some time, both as a technician and a musician and a fan of course, and suddenly I'm being a part of them for real. It pays off to work your way up.

"My intentions is not be the 'new' Fredrik, because there's only one. And a damn good one! But I'll do my best to carry the spirit on and bring a new chapter to the history of PAIN OF SALVATION. I'm looking forward to be a part of the future of the best band in the world."

PAIN OF SALVATION's new album, "Road Salt II" was released on September 26 in Europe and was made available on October 11 in North America via InsideOut Music.

"Distrust", the new video from Hungarian "progressive-grunge metallers" ANGERTEA, can be seen below. The song is the title track of the band's 2011 EP, which features a guest appearance by former KYUSS bassist Scott Reeder.

ANGERTEA previously released three full-length albums — "Lélekvágy" (2001), "Rushing Towards the Hateline" (2006) and "Twenty-Eight Ways to Bleed" (2009) — and an EP that was mixed by Neil Kernon (NILE, NEVERMORE, CANNIBAL CORPSE).

ANGERTEA is:

Mihály Gergely - Vocals/Guitar
Peralta Miguel - Bass
Bárkai László - Drums

ANGERTEA's fourth full-length album is due in 2012 via the Norwegian label Smash Fabric Records.

Swedish black metallers NAGLFAR have completed work on their sixth album, "Téras", for a March 2012 release via Century Media Records. The drum tracks on the CD were laid down by Dirk Verbeuren (SOILWORK).

A brand new track, "Pale Horse", is available for streaming in the YouTube clip below.

NAGLFAR's current lineup is as follows:

Kristoffer W. Olivius - Vocals
Marcus E. Norman - Guitar
Andreas Nilsson - Guitar

According to a press release, "Téras" is "another prime example of infernal melodic black metal from the vanguards of the scene."

Prior to the new album release, NAGLFAR will issue a strictly limited seven-inch EP featuring one track taken from the upcoming CD as well as a second song exclusive to this single.

A limited-edition version of "Harvest", the 2007 album from NAGLFAR, contained a bonus DVD (featuring four professionally recorded live clips from the Party.San Open Air festival 2006, the video for the track "The Perpetual Horrors" as well as an interview with lead singer Kristoffer W. Olivius). The cover artwork was created by Travis Smith.

STORM CORROSION, the much-anticipated collaboration project between OPETH's Mikael Åkerfeldt and PORCUPINE TREE's Steven Wilson, earlier in the year completed work on its self-titled debut album for an April 2012 release through Roadrunner Records. Apart from Mikael and Steven, the CD includes guest appearances by Gavin Harrison (PORCUPINE TREE) on drums/percussion, Ben Castle on woodwinds and Dave Stewart on string arrangements.

In a interview with Metal Injection conducted on November 11 at the Best Buy Theater in New York City, Wilson was asked how STORM CORROSION is different from his previous collaborations with Åkerfeldt. "Well, the only stuff I've collaborated with Mikael on in the past has been working on his records," Wilson replied. "This is obviously a collaboration, so it's a different approach. We sat in a room together and we wrote music together, rather than taking his music that he'd already written and working it into a record. We actually started from the very basics — composition and arranging."

He continued, "If you'd asked me three months ago about the music, I would have said, 'Expect the last thing you would expect.' But actually, now that [OPETH's new record] 'Heritage' has come out and [Steven Wilson's solo album] 'Grace Of Drowning' has come out, I don't think it's going to be that much of a shock to people, because it's almost like a third part of the trilogy, in a way. If anything, it's even more orchestral, even more stripped down, even more dark, twisted and melancholic… but it certainly feels like it comes from the same place as 'Heritage' and 'Grace For Drowning', which indeed it does because it was written during the same period — it was written during a period that he was playing the tracks that he'd written for 'Heritage' and I was playing the tracks that I had written for 'Grace Of Drowning'. So we were kind of, in a way, egging each other on, encouraging each other to do those particular records, but also at the same time coming up with this music that is now gonna be on STORM CORROSION. So it's a very orchestral record, it's very — as you'd expect — epic, the songs are quite long and they develop in quite unusual ways."

He concluded, "I'm realistic that half the people are gonna hate it and half the people probably will fall in love with it. I'd be happy with that anyway."

Although former DREAM THEATER drummer Mike Portnoy was initially supposed to be part of the STORM CORROSION project, he did not take part in the recording sessions for the CD. "To be honest, there's just no room for drums on what we've done," Åkerfeldt told Classic Rock magazine last year. "I called Mike up, and he was cool about it. He's got so much going on anyway, and I'm sure we will work together in the future."

"Face To The Floor", the new video from the alternative hard rock trio CHEVELLE, can be viewed below. (Note: The video stream may not be available to some non-U.S. residents.) The performance-based clip, which was filmed in Los Angeles with director Paul R. Brown (STONE SOUR, SLIPKNOT, MÖTLEY CRÜE, KORN, GODSMACK, AVENGED SEVENFOLD), mirrors the chaotic and economic state currently facing millions of Americans.

"It's an angry song," explains lead singer and songwriter Pete Loeffler about the inspiration for "Face To The Floor". "The lyrics are about all the people who have been taken advantage of. I reference Bernie Madoff and his Ponzi scheme. He raked people over the coals, stole and is a terrible person. One day, these people have everything, and the next day it's completely gone."

"Face To The Floor" comes off CHEVELLE's sixth album, "Hats Off To The Bull", which sold 43,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 20 on The Billboard 200 chart. The CD was released on December 6 via Epic Records.

This past summer, CHEVELLE hunkered down in a Los Angeles studio with producer Joe Barresi (QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE, COHEED AND CAMBRIA). During the sessions, nothing was off limits, and boundaries were non-existent. Rather than simply subscribing to a tried-and-true formula, they made a conscious effort to incorporate new sounds and textures into their patented airtight anthems. As a result, "Hats Off To The Bull" is one of the group's most infectious and impressive offerings to date.

"We're a melodic hard rock band, but we wanted to expand on what that means. It's really important to be aware of what you've done already,” said drummer and Pete's brother Sam Loeffler. “We never want to write the same song twice. Pete writes 300 days a year. Joe encouraged us to try different instruments and techniques and he pushed us to continually play everything until it was right too. There are so many nuances as a result."

Legendary hard rock singer Jeff Scott Soto (YNGWIE MALMSTEEN, TALISMAN, JOURNEY) is putting the finishing touches on his new solo album, "Damage Control", for a tentative March 2012 release via Frontiers Records. The CD, which "promises to deliver a one-two punch in the standard that is expected from the artist who has mastered the world of melodic and hard rock music through the ages," features guest appearances by Dave Meniketti (Y&T), Jamie Borger (TALISMAN, TREAT), Casey Grillo (KAMELOT) and Joel Hoekstra (NIGHT RANGER). There will be an 11-song standard-CD release of the album, as well as a 14-track digipack version along with a bonus DVD which includes videos and an EPK (Electronic Press Kit).

Soto previously stated about "Damage Control", "I combined the best of my first two solo albums with Frontiers Records and also tapped into the spirits of TALISMAN, SOUL SIRKUS and then some on 'Damage Control'. I have recruited my solo bandmates, new and old, to co-write with me as well as Joel Hoekstra of NIGHT RANGER and Jamie Borger of TALISMAN/TREAT to write and play with me on this. The tracks are amazing and I am sure will please all Jeff Scott Soto fans alike."

Jeff Scott Soto's double live album, "Live at Firefest 2008", came out in December 2010 via Frontiers Records.

Frontiers Records released a live DVD and CD by Jeff Scott Soto on December 4, 2009 in Europe and January 12, 2010 in the U.S. Entitled "One Night in Madrid", the set was filmed at Sala Heineken in Madrid on April 18, 2009 in front of an intimate and enthusiastic audience.

DГјsseldorf, Germany-based metallers ELMSFIRE have inked a deal with Massacre Records. The band's full-length debut, "Thieves Of The Sun", will be released on February 24, 2012.

Formed in 1999, ELMSFIRE hit the stage for the first time in 2002. The band's bassist, Fritz, describes ELMSFIRE's music as "melodic heavy metal which is influenced by thrash and power metal." The group's songs are mostly "about situations and emotions they've experienced," according to a press release.

ELMSFIRE's name is based on the St. Elmo's Fire, which is a weather phenomenon.

The band has previously released two demos and an EP.

ELMSFIRE is:

Doro - Guitar
Fritz - Bass
Patrick - Drums
Morten - Keyboard
Germano - Guitar
Erdmann - Vocals

For more information, visit www.elmsfire.info.

TARJA TURUNEN (ex-NIGHTWISH) will wrap up her What Lies Beneath tour cycle in 2012 with the following shows:

January
13 - Euronics - Zlin, Czech Republic
14 - ?EZ Arena - Pardubice, Czech Republic
16 - Stodola - Warsaw, Poland
17 - Forum Palace, Club Galaxy - Vilnius, Lithuania
19 - Gasometer - Vienna, Austria
20 - Majestic Music Club - Bratislava, Slovakia
22 - Kino Siska Club - Ljubjana, Slovenia
23 - Boogaloo Club - Zagreb, Croatia
25 - Sala Palatului - Bucharest, Romania
26 - Arena Armeec - Sofia, Bulgaria
28 - Principal Club - Thessaloniki, Greece
29 - Fuzz Club - Athens, Greece
31 - Rock Cafe - Tallin, Estonia

February
2 - Cca Nau - Kiev, Ukraine
15 - Aula Magna, Alameda da Universidade - Lisbon, Portugal
16 - Sala Capitol - Santiago de Compostela, Spain
18 - Sala Heineken - Madrid, Spain
19 - Salamandra 1 - Barcelona, Spain
21 - Bikini - Toulouse, France
22 - Transbordeur - Lyon, France
24 - Laiterie - Strasbourg, France
25 - Effenaar - Eindhoven, Netherlands
27 - Ancienne Belgique - Brussels, Belgium
28 - Bataclan - Paris, France

March
1 - Komplex - Zurich, Switzerland
2 - Teatro della Luna - Milano, Italy
4 - Sport Palace - Minsk, Belarus
6 - MILK - Moscow, Russia
7 - Nizhny Novgorod Opera Theatre - Nijny Novgorod, Russia
9 - Tele-Club - Ekaterinbourg, Russia
10 - Kosmonavt - St. Petersburg, Russia
12 - Palace of Arts Premiera - Krasnodar, Russia

"Asphyxia", the second album from Serbian melodic death metallers SANGRE ETERNA, will receive a worldwide release on February 17, 2012 via the Canadian label Maple Metal Records. The CD features guest appearances by Aleksi Sihvonen (NORTHER), Tapio Wilska (ex-FINNTROLL, NIGHTWISH), Juha Kylmänen (FOR MY PAIN), Jarmo Kylmänen (ETERNAL TEARS OF SORROW) and Jovana Karajanov (TALES OF THE DARK…). The 11-track effort was recorded in late 2010 and was mastered in Germany by Stephan Fimmers (NECROPHAGIST).

"Asphyxia" track listing:

01. The End Of Beauty
02. The Masquerade
03. Confession And Death
04. Illusions Of Fate
05. Seventh Angel
06. The Echoes Of My Loss
07. Shattered Sun (Prologue)
08. Lut Gholein
09. Alessa's Dream
10. Asphyxia
11. Seventh Angel (radio edit)

The first Serbian band to tour Sweden, SANGRE ETERNA performed at the 2009 edition of the Exit Festival in Novi Sad, Serbia alongside such bands as KATAKLYSM, SABATON, DEATH ANGEL and KEEP OF KALESSIN.

SANGRE ETERNA is:

Ilija Stevanovic - Keyboards, Vocals
Bora Jovanovic - Guitar
Milos Armus - Drums
Zoltan Kovacs – Guitar
Davor Menzildzic – Bass

The video for the song "The End Of Beauty", which will appear on "Asphyxia", can be seen below.

SANGRE ETERNA's debut album, "Amor Vincit Omnia", was released in 2008 through Sleaszy Rider Records.

"Dead And Dying", a brand new song from Finnish dark metallers SOULFALLEN, can be streamed in the YouTube clip below. The track comes off the band's third album, "The Promise Of Hell", which will be released on January 18, 2012 via the band's own label, Grave New Music, with distribution from Inverse Records/Supersounds (Finland), Plastic Head (U.K.), Bertus (Holland), Sound Pollution (Sweden), Disk Union (Japan), The End Records (USA), Rebeat (Austria), Non Stop (Switzerland), and LSP/MetalZone (Belgium). The cover artwork was created by Maija Ranka and can be seen below.

Commented SOULFALLEN frontman Kai Leikola: "The new album will be the final part of a trilogy, the closing of a chapter. It will bear the trademark sound of SOULFALLEN with some new flavors directly from the ever-burning kitchens of Hell. The story will continue where 'Grave New World' left off: at the burial of the world. Something has gone terribly wrong and life has united with death in a way never seen before. Humanity is not allowed rest but trapped in a Hell where even death cannot save those already dead."

A video for the song "Scars Aligned" was filmed this past fall and will make its online debut next month to coincide with the album's release. The clip features a guest vocal appearance by Annika Jalkanen.

In other news, SOULFALLEN has parted ways with longtime guitarist Simo Rahikainen and drummer Matti Auerkallio " due to personal reasons." The band states, "There was no drama involved, but merely they felt they could not give the band 100 percent and decided it was their time to move on. These changes will not affect the release of the album nor our upcoming live shows in 2012 that will be played with a renewed lineup."

SOULFALLEN's second album, "Grave New World", was released in March 2009 via Off Records, distributed by Firebox.

Professionally filmed video footage of GUNS N' ROSES performing the songs "Chinese Democracy" and "Welcome To The Jungle" live last night (Wednesday, December 21) at the Forum in Los Angeles, California can be seen below. The entire concert was streamed online via iClips as a pay-per-view event.

GUNS N' ROSES lead singer Axl Rose said that the last thing he wants to do is ruin the band's Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction for anyone — but that doesn't mean he's willing to perform with his former bandmates. In a rare new interview with the Los Angeles Times, Rose said about the group's upcoming induction into the Hall, "I've got mixed emotions about what the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame actually really is, but at the same time, there's a lot of people — the fans — that it just means something to them, and they're happy. It's like you won the Heisman or something."

He added that he doesn't want to see the induction turn into a scenario like what happened at the Oscars decades ago, when actor Marlon Brando sent a Native American to refuse his "Best Actor" prize for "The Godfather" and make a protest speech. Rose explained, "People don't want that associated with their awards shows, even if you have a big audience. In one way it might be right, but it usually backfires on whoever does it. So I really don't want to spoil it for everybody else — or take the beating."

As for whether there have been discussions of what will happen on the night the band is inducted, Rose said, "There is no plan yet. There really is no plan."

The eccentric singer says that the current lineup of the group, of which he is the sole original member, will be "busy all next year" and will put out new music "as soon as we can figure out what our deal is with labels, blah blah blah."

Rose has fired two managers in the past year and explained why he's had a hard time dealing with them, explaining, "All these managers, they all believe in one thing: sell a reunion tour and get their commission. It's just a phone call. It's a half a day's . . . work, or however long they want to keep the bidding war going. They get their commission and they don't care if it falls on its face."

Later in the interview, Rose made the odd statement that a reunion tour would only work if guitarist Slash and bassist Duff McKagan were involved, hinting that original guitarist Izzy Stradlin and drummer Steven Adler need not be there. He said, "The only thing that would make it would be Duff and Slash, really. It's nothing against Izzy and it's nothing against Steven, or anything like that . . . I've toured with the other guys and I've also seen what they've done since, and I just know the difficulties."
GUNS N' ROSES will be inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame on April 14, 2012 along with the BEASTIE BOYS, the RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS and others.

ALTER BRIDGE played one of the biggest headline shows of its career on November 29 at Wembley Arena in London, England and all of it was captured for the band's forthcoming DVD, "Live At Wembley". The 2D version (complete with a live CD) will be released everywhere in late March whiule the 3D version will come out in the summer of 2012. The 2D version will also air on TV all over the world in February. Longtime ALTER BRIDGE director Daniel E Catullo III ("Live From Amsterdam", "One By One", "Isolation", webisodes, etc.) was brought in to direct "Live At Wembley" by The Dude Films, a new production and distribution company with offices in Laguna Beach, California and Maui, Hawaii headed up by "One By One" executive producer Stuart Margolis and executive producer Chris LaBabera. Lionel Pasamonte, who produced the band's last DVD, "Live From Amsterdam", is producing with Catullo.

ALTER BRIDGE's setlist for the Wembley show was as follows:

01. Slip To The Void
02. Find The Real
03. Ghost Of Days Gone By
04. Before Tomorrow Comes
05. Come To Life
06. All Hope Is Gone
07. White Knuckles
08. Brand New Start
09. Metalingus
10. Broken Wings
11. I Know It Hurts
12. One Day Remains
13. Coeur D'Alene
14. Buried Alive
15. Blackbird
16. Wonderful Life (Acoustic Version)
17. Watch Over You (Acoustic Version)
18. Ties That Bind
19. Isolation

Encore:

20. Open Your Eyes
21. Dueling Guitar Solos - Mark and Myles
22. Rise Today

ALTER BRIDGE drummer Scott Phillips told Stereoboard that it's unlikely fans will hear from the band again until 2013, but that they shouldn't take that as a bad sign. Phillips explained, "We'll certainly be visible next year, but it'll be on various projects and then probably 2013 will be the reunion there of ALTER BRIDGE and we'll diligently get to work on a new record and tour as soon as we can."

ALTER BRIDGE spent much of 2011 on the road behind its last album, "AB III", but 2012 will see singer Myles Kennedy return to work as the lead singer in Slash's band, while the other three members of the group will reunite with vocalist Scott Stapp for a new CREED tour and album.

Phillips said, "Each of us have our own thing. I think we've got a lot of different paths we're heading on in 2012," adding that in addition to working with CREED, guitarist Mark Tremonti is prepping his first solo album for release.

Earlier this fall, ALTER BRIDGE released a special edition of "AB III" featuring three previously unheard songs and an hour-long documentary on the group's career.

New Orleans' GOATWHORE has set "Blood For The Master" as the title of its new album, due on February 14 in North America via Metal Blade Records. The follow-up to 2009's "Carving Out The Eyes Of God" was recorded at Mana Recording Studios in St. Petersburg, Florida with producer with Erik Rutan.

In a recent interview with Decibel magazine, GOATWHORE guitarist Sammy Duet stated that the band's forthcoming CD will feature "the same exact [guitar] sound I used on 'Carving Out The Eyes Of God'. We're just trying to improve on that sound — make it bigger and fatter. That 'Carving' guitar sound was fucking incredible, and that's why me and Rutan spent half the week trying to get it to sound even better, which I believe we achieved. It's gonna have that growly, sub-nuclear kind of sound, but I think it's gonna be almost more refined in a way — but still very nasty."

He added, "The drums are a lot more natural-sounding. A lot of producers today, I don't know; they make the drums sound fake. They sound good, but almost too good. We're just trying to make it sound real and not like a drum machine.

"There's the same amount of solos on 'Carving'; maybe a few more. But there's gonna be a lot of other… I wouldn't exactly call them guitar solos that are gonna be going on underneath the music, but there's gonna be certain things there that will be very different. There's definitely some shit I've never really done before ever that I've just been experimenting with. You have to hear it. It's hard to explain. It's like a solo and not a solo."

"I think a lot of people are expecting us to repeat ourselves, but it's not gonna be like that. We could have easily gone and written 'Carving Out The Eyes Of God Part II' because that album is such a natural feeling for us musically. But we didn't want to do that."

Drum-cam footage of GOATWHORE's Zack Simmons performing a new song, "Collapse In Eternal Worth", on November 12, 2011 in Baltimore, Maryland can be seen below.

Washington D.C. metallers DARKEST HOUR have parted ways with drummer Ryan Parrish and have temporarily replaced him with Timothy Java (DEAD TO FALL). The band states, "Tim did an amazing job on our recent European tour with MACHINE HEAD. As for the future, that's open for discussion — no permanent decisions have been made in any way."

Parrish is currently working with ex-DARKEST HOUR guitarist Kris Norris in a new band called A CANCEROUS AFFAIR.

DARKEST HOUR's sixth album, "The Human Romance", sold around 3,600 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 185 on The Billboard 200 chart. The CD landed at position No. 3 on the Top New Artist Albums (Heatseekers) chart, which lists the best-selling albums by new and developing artists, defined as those who have never appeared in the Top 100 of The Billboard 200.

DARKEST HOUR's previous album, "The Eternal Return", opened with 4,700 units back in July 2009 to enter the chart at No. 104.

"The Human Romance" was released in Europe on March 7 via Century Media Records. The CD was recorded at a North Carolina studio with producer (and SOILWORK guitarist) Peter Wichers.

Wichers previously helmed such acclaimed albums as ALL THAT REMAINS' "The Fall of Ideals" and SOILWORK's latest effort, "The Panic Broadcast".

An audio sample of the song "Daemons" from "White Ink", the forthcoming full-length album from Swedish melodic death metallers SATARIEL, can be streamed in the YouTube clip below. The band previously stated that the new CD would "continue in the sound of [the band's mini-CD] 'Chifra', which was released [in 2007], but probably will have a little more aggressivity and 'evil' added to it this time, as the lyrics pretty much demand that this time around."

"Chifra" was mixed by Daniel Bergstrand (IN FLAMES, MESSHUGGAH, STRAPPING YOUNG LAD) and Magnus Alakangas at Dug-Out Studios in Uppsala, Sweden and featured artwork and layout by Pär Johansson.

SATARIEL is:

Pär Johansson - Vocals
Magnus Alakangas - Guitar
Robert Sundelin - Drums
Mikael Granbacke - Bass

AVENGED SEVENFOLD frontman M. Shadows revealed to Kerrang! magazine that he underwent surgery earlier this year to correct a joint problem that left him in agony during the band's live performances. He said, "I had knee surgery because I was in pain all the time; I was wearing knee braces onstage. But finally it's fixed."

AVENGED SEVENFOLD's headlining "Buried Alive" tour launched in Ft. Meyers, Florida on November 23 and concluded this past weeked in California. HOLLYWOOD UNDEAD, ASKING ALEXANDRIA, and BLACK VEIL BRIDES were also on the bill, offering fans an incredible value with four of the hottest bands in rock today.

The tour took its name from "Buried Alive", the fourth single from the Huntington Beach, California rock band's gold album "Nightmare". All three previous singles from "Nightmare" — the title track, "Welcome to the Family" and "So Far Away" — have peaked at No. 1 on the Active Rock chart. Released worldwide in July 2010, "Nightmare" earned AVENGED SEVENFOLD its highest-ever debut on the Billboard album chart when it bowed at No. 1 and topped Billboard's Rock, Hard Rock, and Digital charts. The title track was the most played song at Media Base Active Rock for 2010.

Finnish/Swedish symphonic metallers NIGHTWISH recently spent time not only putting finishing touches to their new album, "Imaginaerum", but also planning a movie of the same name.

"Imaginaerum" is one of the projects which recently received grants from the Finnish government institution called the Finnish Film Foundation. The movie, directed by Stobe Harju, about an old man on his deathbed who glimpses a childhood dream in which he refuses to grow old, and fights aging with his imagination, reportedly got $575,000 toward its $3.7 million budget.

During a September interview with Petri Silas of Finland's Soundi magazine, NIGHTWISH mainman/keyboardist Tuomas Holopainen revealed that all the filming for the "Imaginaerum" movie was done in Canada with mostly Canadian actors/actresses. Post-production is taking place in Canada and Finland. He aso revealed the names of the actors who have two of the main roles in the film: Marianne Farley and Quinn Lord.

Stobe Harju has now issued the following update on the "Imaginaerum" film:

"As most of you may know, we finished the director's cut for the film. Everyone involved in the screening sessions were very happy and gave precious feedback that made the director's cut.

"I can say this now, we are very, very, very happy with the cut.

"There are many people who deserve our appreciation, they are fellow directors, co-writers, actors and producers.

"There is still editing required for the visual effects to make us stay in the budget. This phase eventually makes the film and is crucial to the success of the final movie. Again, we are living exciting times.

"Now, filmmaking is mostly about letting go. Besides the editing, I had to say farewell to my very good friend and the editor of the film, Mathieu BГ©langer, and his fantastic family who joined me in Finland for couple months. The heart and soul Mathieu put into this film cannot be described by words and I'm sure, our paths will cross in the future and in another project.

"Now, the film is in the good hands of another friend of mine Joshua Sherrett, his Workshop and the great team of Vision Global in Montreal. Their visual effects and their early concept sketches have blown us away several times already, and finally, they get to show us the meaning of the word 'magic.' Believe me when I say we've seen some pretty exciting stuff so far.

"As my work continues with them, it also continues with Petri Alanko and the soundtrack he's producing with Tuomas. It's miraculous how these guys can pull off something completely different but at the same time similar with the 'Imaginaerum' album songs. Well, it must be the 350 tracks per song on the album that give that possibility for the variations. Those crazy bastards.

"It's just a matter of time when we have got something new and special to show you. We hope it's quick because we can't wait either."

"Imaginaerum" film cast:

* Francis X. McCarthy
* Quinn Lord
* Marianne Farley
* Joanna Noyes
* Ilkka Villi
* Keyanna Fielding
* Ron Lea
* Victoria Jung
* HГ©lГЁne Robitaille
* Stefan Demers
* Anette Olzon
* Marco Hietala
* Tuomas Holopainen
* Emppu Vuorinen
* Jukka Nevalainen

Several photos from the "Imaginaerum" movie shoot can be found at this location. A couple of the pictures are also available below.

The "Imaginaerum" album will be released in the U.S. on Tuesday, January 10, 2012 via Roadrunner Records.

NIGHTWISH will kick off the "Imaginaerum" world tour in Los Angeles. The very first show of the trek will take place at the Gibson Amphitheatre in Universal City, California on Saturday, January 21. This will be the biggest NIGHTWISH show production ever on North American soil and strictly a one-off — there will be no U.S. tour until later in 2012.

Frontiers Records has set a February 28 North American release date (four days earlier in Europe) for MR. BIG's new acoustic live album, "Live From The Living Room".

At the end of January 2011, during a week-long promotion trip to promote for its latest reunion album, "What If", and tour, MR. BIG was invited to the WOWOW TV studios in Tokyo to perform a special show in an intimate setting.

When the talk of a broadcast first came up, the band wanted to present something different from what they've ever done before. Thus the idea of an acoustic show came about and a string quintet was brought in to enhance the project even more, with arrangements provided by Takashi Miyazaki. Although Paul Gilbert and Billy Sheehan hooked up electric on a few songs, the show was still very much acoustic in nature throughout. Pat Torpey played various acoustic percussion instruments during the gig.

Commented Eric Martin: "The idea for the show came out of a quick conversation the four of us had after a day of interviews promoting the new 'What If' CD.

"We did an acoustic show at the Hard Rock CafГ© in Singapore in 1996 that, to this day, is one of my favorite live recordings. It had a stripped down, up-close and personal feel to it.

"If we were going to do something like that again it would have to be extra special.

"We were talking about the old days when musicians used to live together in a band house and practice day and night. Our favorite rock band posters and tapestries adorning the walls, family hand-me-down furniture, amps that doubled as lamp stands, friends hanging out and the usual cluttered mess on the floor, lyric sheets, guitar cases and chords, music stands, beer cans, pizza boxes, wine bottles etc. 'Live From The Living Room' was born out of that.

"We wanted to recreate a harmonious atmosphere and treat our fans to an informal jam session of songs from the past and present while throwing in a few surprises from our wish lists (strings, Japanese taiko drums)."

The result from that magic night in Tokyo is now here: 10 MR. BIG classics in a completely new and fresh dress and a portrait from the very first ever acoustic show from the band.

"Live From The Living Room" will be exclusively released in a glossy digipak and will include the following songs:

01. Undertow
02. Still Ain't Enough For Me
03. As Far As I Can See
04. Voodoo Kiss
05. Take Cover
06. Around The World
07. Stranger In My Life
08. All The Way Up
09. To Be With You
10. Nobody Left To Blame

"What If…" was released in Europe on January 21 via Frontiers Records. The North American release, also on Frontiers Records, followed on February 8.

"What If…" is MR. BIG's first "all-original" album since the reunion of the four original members, Eric Martin, Paul Gilbert, Billy Sheehan and Pat Torpey, back in early 2009. Sixteen years after the release of "Hey Man", the new recording is set to bring back MR. BIG on the height of the current hard rock scene. The CD was produced by Kevin Shirley (AEROSMITH, RUSH, IRON MAIDEN).

Formed in 1988, MR. BIG forged its place in hard rock history by combining trademark "shredding" musicianship with awesome vocal harmonies. The original lineup produced numerous hit songs that ranged across a wide array of rock genres, be it ballads, heavy metal, or blues rock. Their hits included "To Be With You" (Billboard Hot 100 number one single in 15 countries for weeks, in 1991, propelling the band the band to huge international success and record sales in the multi-millions), "Wild World", "Green-Tinted Sixties Mind", "Just Take My Heart", and a host of heavy metal songs that were played mostly during their live performances: "Daddy, Brother, Lover, Little Boy", "Addicted to that Rush", "Colorado Bulldog", and "Take Cover".

A six-minute video clip in which ANTHRAX guitarist Scott Ian takes fans deep inside his set of Jackson guitars can be seen below.

Ian is a veritable thrash godfather who has made a living out of pummeling audiences worldwide for decades with his huge sound and formidable chops.

Jackson honored the longtime ANTHRAX axeman with the Jackson Select Series Scott Ian T-1000 Soloist model.

Designed by Ian himself and acclaimed master builder Mike Shannon, the neck-through-body guitar is based on Ian's '87 Soloist (the one with the New York Yankees logo on it). It has a super-sized mahogany Soloist body with 1/8-inch maple top and Quicksilver finish, and it comes in single and double humbucking pickup configurations.

Features include an oil-finished maple neck, compound radius ebony fingerboard (12- to 16-inch) with 24 jumbo frets and "High Boltage" lightning bolt inlays designed by Shepard Fairey, Ivoroid neck and headstock binding, Seymour Duncan Scott Ian El Diablo bridge pickup and Seymour Duncan '59 neck pickup (two-pickup model only), original Floyd Rose bridge (two-pickup model only) or TonePros Tunamatic bridge (single-pickup model only), black hardware, Schaller strap locks and G&G case.

ANTHRAX last month completed a U.S. tour with TESTAMENT and DEATH ANGEL. The trek kicked off on October 14 in Grand Rapids, Michigan and concluded on November 19 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

ANTHRAX's new album, "Worship Music", sold 28,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 12 on The Billboard 200 chart. The band's previous studio CD, 2003's "We've Come For You All", opened with just under 10,000 units to debut at No. 122.

Joel Peresman, president and CEO of the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Foundation, was interviewed by "That Metal Show" co-host Eddie Trunk on yesterday's (Monday, December 19) edition of "Eddie Trunk Live" on SiriusXM satellite radio.

After Trunk tweeted that Peresman indicated during the interview that "all [members of GUNS N' ROSES] have RSVP'd that they will show" at their upcoming Rock Hall induction in April, former GN'R guitarist Slash responded with the following message: "For the record, I didn't RSVP, or in any way commit to attending the RRHF. I don't appreciate people putting words in my mouth."

GUNS N' ROSES will be inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame next April in Cleveland, prompting speculation about whether the event could lead to a reunion of the band's original lineup.

Former GN'R bassist Duff McKagan admitted last month in an interview that he had a hard time imaging such a possibility, saying, "I can't. I can't picture it. Your guess is as good as mine. There is no picture."

In his latest SeattleWeekly.com column, McKagan addressed the upcoming induction, writing, "Music to me has never been a competitive sport. We do what we do, and if you connect with an audience and write the songs that feel good to you in the process, that is reward enough. Getting a Grammy or an American Music Award seems a little bit weird in this whole context. I mean, are you BETTER than all those other bands? No. You are just doing YOUR thing, and they theirs. It's not a competition.

"But it became very apparent to me that fans of GN'R felt very motivated for our band to 'get into the Hall.' All of those fans ARE very important to me, and thus getting this Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame nod was a victory for them. And so I am deeply honored and feel very good about this whole deal. Thank you all.

"I spent a lot of time revisiting my past in the book I just wrote. Living in the past, or just revisiting it, is something I hadn't done until I was in the process of writing that book. The process became personally poignant in how much I appreciated and loved most of the characters in my past, especially the guys in that little band from Hollywood that we formed just after I moved there in 1984.

"I've done my best to avoid doing any interviews that pertain to our induction, and maybe this column will serve as all I really need to say for now. I am a grown-up now, and hope that we can achieve some grace and class when that ceremony comes. But in the end, I am only responsible for myself."

Singer Al Rose was ambivalent in a recent interview about the Hall Of Fame, and told Billboard.com in 2009 that he could never see himself playing with original GUNS guitarist Slash again, saying, "One of the two of us will die before a reunion. However sad, ugly or unfortunate anyone views it, it is how it is."

MANOWAR bassist Joey DeMaio spoke to the Swedish TV channel SVT about the organizational difficulties encountered by the promoters of the 2012 edition of the Getaway Rock Festival, which MANOWAR is scheduled to headline.

Joey was alerted to problems with the festival last month and flew to Sweden to sort them out.

This year's Getaway Rock festival is set to take place July 5-7, 2012 in Gävle, Sweden.

DeMaio appeared onstage at this past summer's Getaway Rock festival to announce MANOWAR's appearance at the event as next year's headliners.

This will be the fulfillment of MANOWAR's promise to return in triumph to the Swedish festival scene after 12 years.

"The Swedish fans have won; their belief, shown by their non-acceptance of false metal is the reason we will finally return," said DeMaio after the announcement. "There was no compromise in their voices, nor in our resolve; we promised each other that it's all or nothing.

"It is no secret that there was a war between promoters as to who would bring MANOWAR back to Sweden and finally give the fans what they want and Getaway won.

“We played our last festival in Sweden in 1999 and we promised we would not return until we could give our fans what they deserve and next year that promise will be fulfilled. We vow to crack the earth with power and might.

"This will be a show which no true metal warrior will want to miss. We are calling all Manowarriors not only from Scandinavia, but from all over the world to join us for earth-shattering, face-melting metal..

"The voice of the fans in Sweden has been heard, many other countries will also take heed and their voice, too, will be the reason MANOWAR will appear in their country next."

Added Getaway Rock festival organizer Tomas Gernberg: "This is a major step for us and naturally we are honored that we could secure MANOWAR as headliners for Getaway Rock festival 2012. MANOWAR have a strong and loyal following in Sweden, Scandinavia and all over the world. We are proud to be the ones to bring the band back to Sweden."