Singer Robin McAuley will reunite with legendary guitarist Michael Schenker (SCORPIONS, UFO) for their first full together in almost 20 years.

The full band lineup for the trek will be as follows:

* Michael Schenker (SCORPIONS, UFO) - Guitar
* Robin McAuley (SURVIVOR) - Lead Vocals
* Elliot Rubinson (Dean Guitars) - Bass
* Wayne Findlay - Keyboards, Guitar
* Pete Holmes (BLACK 'N BLUE) - Drums

The dates are as follows:

Feb. 15 - San Francisco, CA @ Mezzanine
Feb. 16 - Santa Rosa, CA @ The Last Day Saloon
Feb. 17 - Portland, OR @ Dantes (w/ Anvil)
Feb. 18 - Tacoma, WA @ Backstage Live
Feb. 19 - Seattle, WA @ Studio Seven
Feb. 20 - Victoria, BC @ 9 One 9 Nightclub
Feb. 21 - Vancouver, BC @ Venue Nightclub
Feb. 23 - Orangevale, CA @ The Boardwalk
Feb. 24 - Corona, CA @ Marquee 15
Feb. 25 - West Hollywood, CA @ House Of Blues
Feb. 26 - San Diego, CA @ 4 Th And B Concert Theatre
Mar. 01 - Libertyville, IL @ Austins
Mar. 03 - Detroit, MI @ Harpos
Mar. 04 - Etobicoke, ON @ The Rock Pile
Mar. 05 - Cleveland, OH @ Peabody’s
Mar. 07 - Springfield, VA @ Jaxx
Mar. 08 - Foxborough, MA @ Showcase Live
Mar. 09 - Asbury Park, NJ @ The Stone Pony
Mar. 10 - New York, NY @ The Gramercy Theatre
Mar. 11 - Allentown, PA @ Crocodile Rock
Mar. 16 - San Antonio, TX @ Backstage Live
Mar. 17 - Dallas, TX @ Trees
Mar. 21 - Tempe, AZ @ Club Red
Mar. 22 - Las Vegas, NV @ Vamp'd
Mar. 23 - Agoura Hills, CA @ The Canyon Club
Mar. 24 - San Juan Capistrano, CA @ The Coach House

The first audio sample from DEDVOLT, the new San Francisco Bay Area rock/metal band featuring SKINLAB frontman Steev Esquivel on guitar, can be streamed using the ReverbNation TuneWidget below.

DEDVOLT is currently recording a five-song EP for an early 2012 release.

Commented Esquivel: "[I'm] really excited about this band. [It's] in the vein of [Steev's previous group] RE:IGNITION — just a little more metal... more distortion and heavy as hell!"

DEDVOLT is:

Brian Giguere - Vocals
Steev Esquivel - Guitar
Carlos Barrientos - Guitar
John Riggs - Drums
Slim Vengince – Bass

new trailer for "Resolution", the forthcoming album from Richmond, Virginia metallers LAMB OF GOD, can be seen below. Due in North America on January 24, 2012 via Epic Records (one day earlier internationally through Roadrunner Records), the CD was recorded at various studios in Virginia and New York with producer Josh Wilbur, who worked on the band's last effort, 2009's "Wrath".

"Resolution" will feature 14 songs and will com

ESP (ERIC SINGER PROJECT) — the band featuring Bruce Kulick (KISS, GRAND FUNK RAILROAD), Eric Singer (KISS, ALICE COOPER) and John Corabi (MÖTLEY CRÜE, RATT) — completed a short European "unplugged" tour in early December. The trek didn't include the group's regular bassist, Chuck Garric, who was busy touring with ALICE COOPER.

Journalist and musician Barbara Caserta of Italian web radio Linearock.it conducted an interview with ESP when they came through Italy. You can now watch the entire 27-minute chat below. Also available is footage of an entire ESP concert from the December 2011 unplugged tour.

The band's setlist was as follows:

01. Hard Luck Woman
02. Love (I Don't Need It Anymore)
03. Do You Love Me
04. Strutter
05. October Morning Wind
06. Hooligan's Holiday
07. If I Never Get To Say Goodbye
08. No Friend Of Mine
09. I Walk Alone
10. Loveshine
11. Every Time I Look At You/Forever
12. Hide Your Heart
13. Man In The Moon
14. Nothin' To Lose
15. Beth
16. Some Kind Of Wonderful
17. God Gave Rock'n Roll To You II
18. Home Sweet Home
19. Oh! Darling

After a highly successful run of European festivals and select club shows, Swedish melodic metal maestros SOILWORK have started writing music for the follow-up to 2010's "The Panic Broadcast".

Commented vocalist Björn "Speed" Strid: "It's been an intense summer and at this point, me and the boys are hibernating in pretty much every corner of the world and putting our next album together. Many songs are yet to be written but the inspiration is flowing! People can expect a continuation of the intensity and presence of 'The Panic Broadcast', only taken to a higher level. That's the mindset. We will do some touring next year as well, before we hopefully enter the studio sometime in the early fall. The album title is already set: 'The Living Infinite'. Chew on that for a bit and don't spit it out until the music is invading your ears, folks!"

Veteran Canadian hard rockers HELIX are talking to several record companies in various territories (Canada, U.S. and Europe) about the possibility of releasing a HELIX "anthology" CD. The collection would include about 20 tracks, covering all the HELIX LPs over the years plus a couple of songs from singer Brian Vollmer's solo album, "When Pigs Fly". Also included on the CD would be re-recorded versions of some of HELIX's biggest hits: "Rock You", "Heavy Metal Love", "Deep Cuts The Knife" and "Wild In The Streets".

Tentative track listing for HELIX "anthology' CD:

01. Billy Oxygen
02. It's Too Late
03. Heavy Metal Love
04. Rock You
05. Deep Cuts The Knife
06. Wild In The Streets
07. Dream On
08. Good To The Last Drop
09. Running Wild In The 21st Century
10. That Day Is Gonna Come
11. The Same Room
12. Wrecking Ball
13. Jaws Of The Tiger
14. I'm A Live Frankenstein
15. F.U.G.L.Y.
16. Six Feet Underground
17. Cyberspace Girl
18. Make 'Em Dance
19. Monday Morning Meltdown
20. Skin In The Game

Danish metal rock 'n' rollers VOLBEAT have tapped Hank Shermann of MERCYFUL FATE to play guitar on their their upcoming North American tour as part of "Gigantour".

Shermann most recently shared the stage with METALLICA at one of four intimate shows which took place at the Fillmore in San Francisco as part of the week-long celebration of METALLICA's 30th anniversary as a band for fan club members only.

"It's a true honor getting to work with Hank, whose guitar work has inspired all three bandmembers long before VOLBEAT was formed," says VOLBEAT frontman Michael Poulsen. "I'm very thankful that Hank has the time to join us on Gigantour in his busy schedule."

The multi-artist Gigantour bill — with metal heavyweights MOTÖRHEAD, VOLBEAT and LACUNA COIL all personally picked by Dave Mustaine of headliners MEGADETH — will kick off on January 26 in Camden, New Jersey.

Former HANOI ROCKS frontman Michael Monroe joined MOTÖRHEAD on stage last night (Sunday, December 18) at Cable Factory in Helsinki, Finland to perform the MOTÖRHEAD classic "Killed By Death".

Commented Monroe: "MOTÖRHEAD was brilliant [last night] in Helsinki, as expected! I had the great honour of being invited on stage to guest on 'Killed By Death'."

Lemmy makes a guest appearance on Michael's latest album, "Sensory Overdrive", which was released in the U.S. and Canada on August 23 via Spinefarm/Universal. The CD, which was released in Europe on March 14, features an additional appearance by three-time Grammy-winning country/folk singer-songwriter Lucinda Williams.

German modern metallers CALIBAN will release their eighth studio album, "I Am Nemesis", via Century Media Records on the following dates:

Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Norway: Friday, February 3
Spain, Italy: Tuesday, February 7
Sweden, Finland, Hungary: Wednesday, February 8
Rest Of Europe: Monday, February 6
Australia, New Zealand: Friday, February 10
U.S., Canada: Tuesday, February 28

The CD will feature guest appearances by Marcus Bischoff (HEAVEN SHALL BURN) and Mitch Lucker (SUICIDE SILENCE).

After spending 10 months writing new material, the band is very excited to get the record out to fans. "It was important to us to have an elaborate album without any fillers," says lead guitarist Marc Görtz. "Additionally, the sound of the album is the best we've ever had by far: it is heavy and brutal without being chaotic."

Lyrically, "I Am Nemesis" is a continuation of the band's last record, "Say Hello To Tragedy", and focuses on controversial and often overlooked world issues. Musically, Görtz says, "The album breaks new soil without forgetting our roots. There are new influences such as shimmering guitar melodies and technical grooves with MESHUGGAH-like heaviness."

"I Am Nemesis" track listing:

01. We Are The Many
02. The Bogeyman
03. Memorial
04. No Tomorrow
05. Edge Of Black
06. Davy Jones
07. Deadly Dream
08. Open Letter
09. Dein R3.ich
10. Broadcast To Damnation
11. This Oath
12. Modern Warfare

The "Memorial" video can be seen below.

GuitarWorld.com has the exclusive premiere of the new track "With Our Love" from legendary vocalist Paul Rodgers. Check it out using the SoundCloud player below. The song was co-written and performed by Perry Margouleff, whose friendship with Rodgers goes back more than 20 years when they met in the U.K. while Margouleff was performing with THE PRETTY THINGS.GuitarWorld.com has the exclusive premiere of the new track "With Our Love" from legendary vocalist Paul Rodgers. Check it out using the SoundCloud player below. The song was co-written and performed by Perry Margouleff, whose friendship with Rodgers goes back more than 20 years when they met in the U.K. while Margouleff was performing with THE PRETTY THINGS.

Legendary hard rock vocalist Mark Boals (YNGWIE MALMSTEEN, ULI JON ROTH, ROYAL HUNT) makes a guest appearance on "Time Of The Equinox", the new album from the Lebanese guitarist Amadeus Awad.

Due on January 13, 2012, the CD will feature Boals in the progressive metal trilogy "Paper Dreams", which consists of the following movements:

I - Requiem
II - Dies Irae
III - The Tempest

Check out two teaser tracks ("Spiritus Devi" and "The Origins Of Light") from "Time Of The Equinox" below.

"Carriers Of The Plague", a brand new song from Australian technical death metallers PSYCROPTIC, can be streamed using the SoundCloud player below. The track comes off the band's fifth studio album, "The Inherited Repression", which will be released on February 7 in North America and February 10 in Europe via Nuclear Blast Records.

Commented PSYCROPTIC guitarist Joe Haley: "'The Inherited Repression' is far and away my favorite PSYCROPTIC record thus far — all of us in the band think this.

"It's the age-old cliché from bands when they talk about their new album as being the best of their career, blah, blah, but I have to say it because it's true. We wouldn't think there is a point of going on if we couldn't outdo each record prior. We are certainly not playing music for anything else than the love of creating it and performing it.

"'The Inherited Repression' is quite different from anything we have done in terms of songwriting and structure, and we spent a lot longer writing and demoing the songs before we recorded it, which you can tell. It's a very dynamic album — the fast elements faster, the slow elements slower, and a lot of light and dark binding it together. It's a very catchy album as well — you can tap your foot, bang your head or anything else you want. Basically, it has a lot of groove on it from start to finish."

"The Inherited Repression" was produced, engineered and mixed by Haley, while Alan Douches will handle mastering duties.

"We had the luxury of recording in my home studio without deadlines, so we spent a long time on getting it how we wanted," said Haley. "We can't wait for people to hear it, and get out and play the songs live!"

Finnish gothic metallers TO/DIE/FOR released their sixth album, "Samsara", on December 14. In the U.S. and Canada, the CD will be made available on January 17, 20120, and in Mexico on January 19, 2012.

"Samsara" track listing:

01. Kissing The Flames (4:49)
02. Damned Rapture (5:12)
03. Cry For Love (IGGY POP cover) (4:21)
04. Death Comes in March (3:13)
05. Folie á Deux (7:11)
06. Hail Of Bullets (4:25)
07. Love's A Sickness (5:54)
08. Raving Hearts (3:48)
09. Oblivion: Vision (6:13)
10. Someday Somewhere Somehow (6:38)

A video for the song "Hail Of Bullets" can be seen below.

FInnish hard rockers HUMAN TEMPLE are releasing their new album, Halfway To Heartache, on February 24th via Escape Music.

According to a press release, the album "is an extension of the Human Temple sound, and they bring us 11 tracks of brilliant tunes that range from quirky rockers to powerful ballads. Songs like 'Run Away', 'Misery' and 'Bleeding Through' just ooze with class. This is a new age in the history of Human Temple and its going to set 2012 off with a bang."

Halfway To Heartache features NIGHTWISH guitarist Emppu Vuorinen as a guest.

IN FLAMES, HAMMERFALL, OPETH and THE HAUNTED are among the five final nominees that are competing for the "Best Hard Rock/Metal" honor at the Swedish Grammis awards (Swedish Grammy equivalent), which will be held February 14, 2010 at Kungliga Operan in Stockholm. The bands are all nominated for their most recent releases, all of which came out during 2011.

"Best Hard Rock/Metal" nominees:

* GRAVEYARD - "Hisingen Blues"
* HAMMERFALL - "Infected"
* IN FLAMES - "Sounds Of A Playground Fading"
* OPETH - "Heritage"
* THE HAUNTED - "Unseen"

Legendary British power metal mercenaries TANK — featuring Mick Tucker and Cliff Evans on guitar alongside ex-RAINBOW/YNGWIE MALMSTEEN frontman Doogie White and ex-BRUCE DICKINSON bassist Chris Dale and drummer Dave "Grav" Cavill (ZODIAC MINDWARP) — will have their March 9, 2012 at Stodola in Warsaw, Poland professionally recorded and filmed for future release.

Commented Evans: "We're really looking forward to making our first-ever official TANK live DVD. It's something we've wanted to do for a long time and gives us the chance to show our fans around the world what a TANK show is all about. The DVD will include old favorites such as 'This Means War', 'Echoes Of A Distant Battle' and 'Power Of The Hunter' plus future classics such as 'Judgement Day' and 'Phoenix Rising' plus many more. Get ready for 'War Machine Live!' DVD."

Ex-METALLICA guitarist and current MEGADETH frontman Dave Mustaine joined his former bandmates on stage this past Saturday night (December 10) for the fourth and final intimate show at the Fillmore in San Francisco as part of METALLICA's week-long celebration of its 30th anniversary as a band for fan club members only.

When asked by Music Radar if it "felt nice to have mended all fences with" METALLICA, Mustaine said, "You know, there's still going to be some dumb fucker who says to me, 'So, do you guys get along?' [laughs] I just know it. The world is full of idiots, and I seem to run into a lot of them. It does feel good, though.

"It was very cathartic to go up there last weekend. I was pretty unsure of what was going to happen. I wasn't nervous; I just didn't know what to expect. Those guys are a lot different from MEGADETH. We like to know what songs we're going to do. They play pretty loose from the hip — which is cool.

"I was trying to figure out, 'Do I learn the demo versions of the [METALLICA] songs or the 'Kill 'Em All' versions of the songs?' Well, I found out it was the 'Kill 'Em All' versions. OK, 'Do I learn my solos from the demos, or Kirk's [Hammett] solos? What solos should I play?' Then, when I got there, Kirk said, 'You know, why don't you play all the solos?' And I was like, 'Oooh!' [laughs] I had to quickly go through my bag of tricks. In the end, I got up on stage, and everything came together. I was making it much too difficult for myself.

"It was fun, I had a good time, everybody smiled a lot. Gave out a bunch of high-five knuckles and hugs. Lars [Ulrich, METALLICA drummer] kissed me a couple of times...[laughs]

"It's neat that people are able to see what this whole thing is about.

"The media made this so ugly for so long.

"We all still really care about each other.

"Everything has come full circle. It's 30 years later, and here we are. It's really weird, the whole mythology to this."

Mustaine, who was one of the original members of METALLICA, was fired from the band by drummer Lars Ulrich in 1983. He was replaced by Kirk Hammett and went on to form MEGADETH and achieve worldwide success on his own.

CHICKENFOOT performed at this year's Mark And Brian Christmas Show on Thursday (December 15) at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles, California. Singer Sammy Hagar kicked things off with a rousing rendition of "Santa's Going South For Christmas" with the MARK AND BRIAN ALL-STAR BAND. Guitarist Joe Satriani later teamed up with the ALL-STAR BAND to perform "Satch Boogie" before Sammy and bassst Michael Anthony took the stage to play "Poundcake" and "I Can't Drive 55". CHICKENFOOT then hit the stage together, performing a four-song set that had the crowd at the sold-out theater on its feet and pumping its fists.

ORANGE GOBLIN, the heavy-hitting British metal band, will release its brand new studio album, "A Eulogy For The Damned", on February 14 (one day earlier internationally) via Candlelight Records. The ten-track offering was recorded at The Animal Farm studio in South London, produced and engineered by Jamie Dodd and mastered two-time Grammy-nominated PINK FLOYD engineer Andy Jackson at Tube Mastering.

"A Eulogy For The Damned" will be released on CD and limited-edition colored vinyl in gatefold sleeve.

"A Eulogy For The Damned" track listing:

01. Red Tide Rising
02. Stand For Something
03. Acid Trial
04. The Filthy & The Few
05. Save Me From Myself
06. The Fog
07. Return To Mars
08. Death Of Aquarius
09. The Bishops Wolf
10. A Eulogy For The Damned

"Metal Nation", a brand new song from German power metallers PRIMAL FEAR, can be streamed in the YouTube clip below. The track comes off the band's's new album, "Unbreakable", which will be released on January 24, 2012 in the U.S. via Frontiers Records. The CD was tracked in part at House Of Music studios in Winterbach, Germany with producer/bassist Mat Sinner and engineer Achim Köhler (EDGUY, MASTERPLAN).