Keyboardist/mainman Tuomas Holopainen of Finnish/Swedish symphonic metallers NIGHTWISH was interviewed on the December 2, 2011 edition of the Finnish talk show "Korkojen Kera". You can now watch video footage of his appearance below (in Finnish, with English subtitles).

According to Rytmi.com, "Imaginaerum", the first album in four years from Finnish/Swedish symphonic metallers NIGHTWISH, sold 50,000 copies in Finland in its first two days of release. The band's first CD since 2007's "Dark Passion Play" — which was then-new singer Anette Olzon's debut — is due in North America on January 10, 2012 via Roadrunner Records.

Note: The International Federation of the Phonographic Industry (IFPI) in Finland has revised the sales requirements for albums to reach platinum status in the country from the pre-2010 level of 30,000 to the current 20,000.

The band examined its catalog when sitting down to write what would become "Imaginaerum". The songs for the album were written between 2008 and 2010, after the "Dark Passion Play" tour cycle ended.

NIGHTWISH's new single, "Storytime", recently topped the official chart in Finland.

"Storytime" was released as a single on November 11 via Nuclear Blast Records.

French tech-death metallers GOROD have begun mixing their new album with producer Frédéric "Elmobo" Motte for an early 2012 release.

Elmobo oversaw the recording of the drums, bass and vocals, while all guitars were tracked by GOROD's mastermind Matthieu Pascal at his Bud Records Studio.

The mix and the mastering are being done at Elmobo's Conkrete Studio by Pascal and Elmobo.

Mobo states: "The new album is fantastic, you guys should prepare yourselves for a blaaast!"

Dani Kammler of Neuweltmusic conducted an interview with guitarist Silenoz (real name: Sven Atle Kopperud) of Norwegian symphonic black metallers DIMMU BORGIR on November 29, 2011 at The Academy in Dublin, Ireland. You can now watch the chat below.

DIMMU BORGIR kicked off its "An Evening With Dimmu Borgir" tour on November 11 at the Patronaat in Haarlem, The Netherlands. The band perfomed its epic 1997 release, "Enthrone Darkness Triumphant", in its entirety during the first set, while the second set consisted of a number of DIMMU BORGIR classics.

High-quality photos from the show can be found at Metal-Experience.com.

DIMMU BORGIR's most recent touring lineup included Geir Bratland (APOPTYGMA BERZERK, THE KOVENANT) on keyboards and Terje Andersen (a.k.a. Cyrus; SUSPERIA) on bass.

"Abrahadabra", the ninth album from DIMMU BORGIR, sold 9,400 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 42 on The Billboard 200 chart. The band's previous CD, "In Sorte Diaboli", opened with 14,000 units back in May 2007 to debut at No. 43. This was more than double the 6,400 first-week tally achieved by its predecessor, "Death Cult Armageddon", which came out in September 2003 and landed at position No. 169 on The Billboard 200 chart.

The word "abrahadabra" (which roughly translates into "I will create as I speak") first publicly appeared in Chapter III of "Liber AL vel Legis" (commonly referred to as "The Book Of The Law") written by Aleister Crowley in Cairo, Egypt in 1904.

"Abrahadabra" was released in Germany on September 24, 2010, in the rest of Europe on September 27, 2010, and it was made available in North America on October 12, 2010 via Nuclear Blast Records.

DIMMU BORGIR will embark on a tour of South America and Mexico in February/March 2012.

NEUROSIS' two landmark records, "Souls At Zero" (originally released in 1992) and "Enemy Of The Sun" (originally released in 1993), will be made available on LP for the first time in nearly two decades and for the first time ever in their full form on vinyl, on February 14, 2012 via Relapse Records. Both albums have been fully remastered and presented with newly expanded artwork.

The initial pressing for "Souls At Zero" will be 1,000 180-gram black 2XLPs and 1,000 180-gram grey marble 2XLPs and the initial pressing of "Enemy Of The Sun" will be 1,000 180-gram black 2XLPs and 1,000 180-gram red/black marble 2XLPs. Each album comes packaged in a deluxe gatefold tip-on style jacket with a custom finish and two printed inner sleeves.

IN FLAMES, OPETH, ARCH ENEMY, GRAVEYARD and THE HAUNTED have been nominated for a P3 Guld award from Swedish radio station P3 in the "Best Rock/Metal Album Of The Year" category. The winners will be announced on January 21, 2012 during a live awards ceremony broadcast from the Lisebergshallen in Gothenburg, Sweden.

For first the first time in the eight-year history of the awards, it will be up to the public to cast their votes rather than industry professionals.

P3 Guld nominees in the "Best Rock/Metal Album of the Year" category are as follows:


* ARCH ENEMY - "Khaos Legions"
* GRAVEYARD - "Hisingen Blues"
* THE HAUNTED - "Unseen"
* IN FLAMES - "Sounds Of A Playground Fading"
* OPETH - "Heritage"

Christian hard rockers STRYPER have released short audio clips of "Bleeding From Inside Out" and "Blackened", the two new tracks which will be included on a collection of re-recorded versions of the band's classic songs, to be released in the summer of 2012. The CD will contain a total of 16 cuts — two from "The Yellow And Black Attack", six from "Soldiers Under Command", six from "To Hell With The Devil", as well as the two aforementioned new tracks.

In other news, STRYPER frontman Michael Sweet will enter the studio on December 18 to begin recording his new solo album. Sweet states, "Kenny Aronoff [CHICKENFOOT] will be drumming on the record, there will be a few 'guests' musicians/singers as well." Sweet is also writing his first "book/autobiography," which he promises "will outline my life and give you a page-by-page layout of the early years, the ups and downs of being in a Christian rock band, behind-the-scenes stories of what really goes on 'behind the scenes' of a successful Christian rock band (good and bad), getting through the toughest battle of all, joining the legendary classic rock band BOSTON, and much much more."

STRYPER's covers album, "The Covering", sold around 4,600 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 175 on The Billboard 200 chart. The band's previous CD, 2009's "Murder By Pride", opened with 5,900 units to land at No. 73.

Produced by frontman Michael Sweet, "The Covering" is unlike any previous STRYPER recording in that it's a collection of cover songs from bands that inspired them and helped to shape their sound and musical identity, including hits from JUDAS PRIEST, IRON MAIDEN, LED ZEPPELIN, KANSAS and many others. "The Covering" will also include "God", a new original recording from STRYPER.

Razor & Tie has announced the addition of newly formed Orange County, California- based act I AM WAR to its label and publishing rosters. The group, which is led by Alex Varkatzas (vocals; ATREYU) and Brandan Schieppati (guitar, vocals; BLEEDING THROUGH), joins Razor & Tie for an exclusive, multi-album, North American deal.

I AM WAR is currently writing and demoing material for its debut album, set for release in the spring of 2012.

"Transformis Ligeia", a brand new song from WILDESTARR, the band featuring guitarist/bassist Dave Starr (VICIOUS RUMORS, CHASTAIN) alongside world-class vocalist London Wilde, can be streamed using the ReverbNation TuneWidget below. The track, based on the Edgar Allen Poe short story "Ligeia", comes off the group's forthcoming sophomore album, "A Tell Tale Heart", which is described in a press release as "an epic collection of thundering metal full of power and passion, destined to please old fans and win over a legion of new ones as well."

Jason Newsted (METALLICA, VOIVOD, FLOTSAM AND JETSAM), John Marshall (METAL CHURCH, former METALLICA guitar tech and occasional James Hetfield fill-in), Sean Harris (DIAMOND HEAD), Brian Tatler (DIAMOND HEAD), Biff Byford (SAXON) and APOCALYPTICA joined METALLICA on stage last night (Monday, December 5) for the first of four intimate shows at the Fillmore in San Francisco as part of the week-long celebration of its 30th anniversary as a band for fan club members only.

After opening sets from THE SOUL REBELS brass band and Finnish cello rockers APOCALYPTICA, as well as a salute to Ray Burton, the 86-year-old father of late METALLICA bassist Cliff Burton, by the event's MC, Jim Breuer (comedian, SiriusXM host and diehard METALLICA fan), METALLICA rocked the capacity crowd with a 21-song set which featured selections from all periods of the band's career, including a previously unreleased track from the "Death Magnetic" sessions called "Hate Train".

The band's setlist was as follows:

01. The Call Of Ktulu
02. No Remorse (full version)
03. The Shortest Straw
04. Leper Messiah
05. The Day That Never Comes
06. Carpe Diem Baby (first time performed live)
07. Hate Train (previously unreleased song from "Death Magnetic" sessions)
08. Please Don't Judas Me (acoustic; NAZARETH cover)
09. Wherever I May Roam (with fan-club member John Dent)
10. Sad But True (with John Marshall)
11. (Anesthesia) Pulling Teeth (impromptu jam by Robert Trujillo)
12. No Leaf Clover (with APOCALYPTICA)
13. One (with APOCALYPTICA)
14. Harvester Of Sorrow (with Jason Newsted)
15. Damage, Inc. (with Jason Newsted)
16. Motorcycle Man (with Biff Byford)
17. The Prince (with Sean Harris, Brian Tatler)
18. It's Electric (with Sean Harris, Brian Tatler)
19. Helpess (with Sean Harris, Brian Tatler)
20. Am I Evil? (with Sean Harris, Brian Tatler)
21. Seek & Destroy (with everyone)

Fan-flmed video footage and photos can be seen below (more clips will be added later today)

Frontman James Hetfield told The Pulse Of Radio that METALLICA hoped to make the shows special for the people attending. "It is a fan celebration — everyone who's come along the METALLICA ride for 30 years — and we're constantly wanting to give to the fans what they don't normally get from some other band or some other connection," he said. "So these four shows at the Fillmore are something like that."

The other three shows will take place on December 7, December 9, and December 10, with special guests and events, rare songs, varied set lists and more.

Hetfield told The Pulse Of Radio that he hoped Ozzy Osbourne and MOTÖRHEAD bassist/singer Lemmy Kilmister would be among the guests at the shows.

GWAR and the family of Cory Smoot have released a statement regarding the official cause of the guitarist's death. Cory had played the character of Flattus Maximus for over ten years, and was discovered dead on the band's tour bus on November 3 of this year. He was 34 years old.

Stated North Dakota coroner William Masselo, MD: "We have finalized the autopsy report and death certificate. I have determined that Cory died from a coronary artery thrombosis brought about by his pre-existing coronary artery disease."

The band, which will continue as a four-piece until the current tour schedule is complete, has officially retired the character of Flattus Maximus, and has announced no plans regarding a new GWAR-tarist.

Metal Blade and GWAR have since set up the Smoot Family Foundation to raise funds for Cory's wife, Jaime, and their unborn child. Donations can be made here.

SOULFLY has set "Enslaved" as the title of its eighth album, due on March 13, 2012 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.

Dutch female-fronted symphonic rock outfit DELAIN has set "We Are The Others" as the title of its third studio album, due next spring via Roadrunner Records. The CD was recorded at various studios in Stockholm, Sweden with producer Jacob Hellner, renowned for his work with RAMMSTEIN and APOCALYPTICA, alongside the Epicentre team of Fredrik Thomander and Anders Wikström (SCORPIONS, BACKYARD BABIES).

The official lyric video for "Ghost Walking", a brand new song from Richmond, Virginia metallers LAMB OF GOD, can be seen below. The track comes off the band's new album, "Resolution", which will be released 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 come in a digipack with artwork by longtime art director Ken Adams.

The "Resolution" cover artwork can be seen below.

"Resolution" track listing:

01. Straight For The Sun
02. Desolation
03. Ghost Walking
04. Guilty
05. The Undertow
06. The Number Six
07. Barbarosa
08. Invictus
09. Cheated
10. Insurrection
11. Terminally Unique
12. To The End
13. Visitation
14. King Me

GUNS N' ROSES has just passed the 13-million "like" mark on its Facebook page, making it one of the Top 100 Facebook pages (No. 99) in terms of followers.

Rapper Eminem is the top musical artist on the list, with over 49 million followers.

Other artists in the Top 100 include QUEEN at No. 100, BON JOVI at No. 85, PINK FLOYD at No. 79, AC/DC at No. 72 and THE BEATLES at No. 46.

In other GUNS N' ROSES-related news, the band has added a second show in Las Vegas on December 30 "due to popular demand."

Remaining GUNS N' ROSES U.S. tour dates:

Dec. 07 - Youngstown, OH @ Covelli Center
Dec. 08 - Indianapolis, IN @ Conseco Fieldhouse
Dec. 11 - Denver, CO @ First Bank Center
Dec. 12 - Salt Lake City, UT @ Maverik Center
Dec. 16 - Seattle, WA @ Key Arena
Dec. 17 - Vancouver @ Pacific Coliseum
Dec. 21 - Los Angeles @ The Forum
Dec. 27 - Phoenix, AZ @ Comerica Theater
Dec. 30 - Las Vegas, NV @ The Joint / Hard Rock Hotel
Dec. 31 - Las Vegas, NV @ The Joint / Hard Rock Hotel

GUNS N' ROSES kicked off its first U.S. tour since 2006 on October 28 in Orlando, Florida.

In addition to sole original member Axl Rose (vocals), the current lineup of GUNS N' ROSES includes guitarists Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal, Richard Fortus and DJ Ashba, bassist Tommy Stinson, keyboardists Dizzy Reed and Chris Pitman and drummer Frank Ferrer.

"Chinese Democracy", the 2008 album released by the current edition of GUNS N' ROSES after a 15-year wait, was officially certified platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on February 3, 2009 for shipments in the United States in excess of one million copies. The long-in-the-making, 14-song CD finally arrived 17 years after the last full-length collections of original GUNS material, "Use Your Illusion I" and "II", were released, and nine years after the non-album track "Oh My God" surfaced on the soundtrack of the movie "End Of Days".

"Chinese Democracy" was made available exclusively through Best Buy.

METALLICA performed a previously unreleased song from the "Death Magneitc" sessions called "Hate Train" last night (Monday, December 5) at the first of four intimate shows at the Fillmore in San Francisco as part of the week-long celebration of its 30th anniversary as a band for fan club members only.

A rough-mix version of the studio recording of "Hate Train" has since been e-mailed to members of METALLICA's official fan club and can now be streamed in the YouTube clip below.

"Hate Train" lyrics:

Hate is a train
That thunders aimless through my head
And hate is the fame
Chained to the wheel until I’m dead

Rage is a flame
Creates a touch to boil the seas
And rage is to blame
Forever sorry I shall be

And from a darkness I descend
Clenching a torch of sweet revenge

You took away tomorrow, still I stand
I ride into the sorrow, still I stand
You took away tomorrow, still I stand
Straight down into the sorrow, but still I stand

Wrath is the name
Branding suffer onto you
And wrath takes the shame
And holds me down until its through

And from a darkness I descend
Clenching a torch of sweet revenge

You took away tomorrow, still I stand
I ride into the sorrow, still I stand
You took away tomorrow, still I stand
I sink into the sorrow, but still I stand

And hate is a train
A beast awakened by your call
And hate is a train
A beast that never slows at all

And from a darkness I descend
Clenching a torch of sweet revenge
Burst into flame, the bitter end
And shake the gates of hell again

I’m left to drown in sorrow…

You took away tomorrow, still I stand
I ride into the sorrow, still I stand
You took away tomorrow, still I stand
You left me here with sorrow, still I stand

"Bad Guys Wear Black", the new video from German power metallers PRIMAL FEAR, can be seen below. The clip was shot at an "amazing" location in Nürnberg, Germany.

"Bad Guys Wear Black" comes off PRIMAL FEAR'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).

According to a press release, "Unbreakable" "combines the skills of the strongest PRIMAL FEAR lineup ever with a well-balanced 'back-to-the-roots" vibe and an ambitious learning process during their longest tour so far. Classic and ultra-fresh PRIMAL FEAR riff-rockers like 'Strike', 'Give 'Em Hell' or the high-speed track 'And There Was Silence' will hit the bulls-eye, like the rhythm paced metal anthem, first single and new video clip 'Bad Guys Wear Black'. Less experiments, more rock! But there will be a nine-minute epic journey with a lot prog approach named 'Where Angels Die', a classic wonderful ballad 'Born Again' and the melodic power bomb 'Metal Nation'."

Commented singer Ralf Scheepers: "The plan was to record an album for the fans with rough metal riffs, screaming vocals and good melodies ...and finally it became a monster — a tough 'bang-your-head' metal album called 'Unbreakable'."

"Unbreakable" track listing:

01. Unbreakable (Part 1)
02. Strike
03. Give 'Em Hell
04. Bad Guys Wear Black
05. And There Was Silence
06. Metal Nation
07. Where Angels Die
08. Unbreakable (Part 2)
09. Marching Again
10. Born Again
11. Blaze Of Glory
12. Conviction
13. Night Of The Jumps (Bonus Track)*
14. Bad Guys Wear Black (Video)*

* Only available in the first pressing in digipak

The digital-only single "Bad Guys Wear Black" was made available for download on December 5. The single also includes "Metal Nation" in an exclusive single mix.

Regarding the musical direction of the new PRIMAL FEAR album, Ralf Scheepers told Greece's Rock Overdose, "You can really expect an album which is somehow skipping back again to the very basics of PRIMAL FEAR, with very rough metal riffs and screaming vocals and good melodies on it. So people can really expect a pure PRIMAL FEAR album with melody and beating drums and very harsh guitars."

He added, "Of course, every musician will somehow advertise his own album, but I'm really convinced that people will like this one, because it's got very catchy hooklines and it's a really 'bang-your-head' metal album.

"When you look back on the [PRIMAL FEAR] back catalog, from the very first album to this album now, I think there were quite some changes — on 'Seven Seals', for instance, and also when we came [out with] 'New Religion'. We somehow now have a combination in between a good, bombastic sound with more back-to-the-basics guitar riffing stuff. Also we have two ballads on it, which are not [really] ballads. There's one mid-tempo song with some acoustic guitars in it and one song which has a little bit more keyboards. It's still not an acoustic-guitar ballad— it's still with drums and stuff — so I think it's a pretty tough album [overall]."

PRIMAL FEAR recently asked fans to submit suggestions for the new CD title and received more than 500 responses.

Florida-based death metallers SIX FEET UNDER have demoed 26 songs for their forthcoming album, tentatively due in early 2012 via Metal Blade Records. According to singer Chris Barnes, "14 or 15" tracks will make the final cut for the follow-up to 2008's "Death Rituals", which will mark the recording debut of SIX FEET UNDER's current lineup — guitarist Rob Arnold (CHIMAIRA), drummer Kevin Talley (DAATH, MISERY INDEX, CHIMAIRA), Barnes and guitarist Steve Swanson. CHIMAIRA guitarist Matt DeVries is handling bass duties on the road, but it not expected to become an official member of SIX FEET UNDER.

When asked about the musical direction of the material SIX FEET UNDER has written for its next album, Barnes said in a recent interview, "The music is gonna be, really, kind of an accelerated version of what we were doing before — faster-paced, more interesting time signatures as well as really wild choruses and some heavy vocals. I think people are really gonna be interested in this album. It's something different, but it's something the same. The feel of it is SIX FEET UNDER, but we've pushed it and added some horsepower."

Bassist Terry Butler and drummer Greg Gall announced their departures from SIX FEET UNDER in January. Butler has since joined OBITUARY as a permanent member.

Capital Chaos has uploaded quality multi-camera footage of SIX FEET UNDER performing the song "Feasting On The Blood Of The Insane" at the July 28, 2011 Sacramento, California stop of the "Summer Slaughter Tour". Check out the clip below.

SIX FEET UNDER's "Wake The Night! Live In Germany" DVD was released on January 31 in Europe (three days earlier in Germany) and February 1 in North America via Metal Blade Records. The set consists footage of the band's August 8, 2009 performance at the Party.San Open Air festival in Bad Berka, Germany. The gig was filmed by Roax Films with nine cameras and recorded in 5.1 Surround Sound, picture size 16:9.

SIX FEET UNDER's current touring lineup is:

* Rob Arnold (CHIMAIRA) - Guitar
* Kevin Talley (DAATH, MISERY INDEX, CHIMAIRA) - Drums
* Chris Barnes (CANNIBAL CORPSE) - Vocals
* Steve Swanson - Guitar
* Matt DeVries (CHIMAIRA) - Bass

"For Today" and "Not For Nothing", two songs from STONES OF MADNESS, the Sarasota, Florida-based heavy rock project led by Kelly Shaefer (ATHEIST, NEUROTICA, PYROCLASTIC, BIG MACHINE, UNHEARD) can be heard using the ReverbNation TuneWidget below (click on "Songs" tab).

Commented Shaefer of these new works: "They are just demos, and rough sketches of future works, but a good song is a good song, so If you like it, download it for free and turn someone on to it as well."

You may think you know what to expect from singer songwriter/guitarist Kelly Shaefer, but as the many projects in the last 10 years have shown, diversity is a card held high on the deck for Shaefer. Fans know him best for being a founding member of technical metal pioneers ATHEIST, releasing three albums from 1988 and 1993 and reforming in 2005 for classic shows at Wacken Open Air and Hellfest, as well as 2010's "Jupiter", the band first new CD in 17 years.

In 1995 Shaefer led NEUROTICA for two full-length records and a well-recieved slot on the 2002 Ozzfest tour across North America, which was hailed by Rolling Stone magazine as a reason to get to Ozzfest early. NEUROTICA's first album was produced by Brian Johnson of AC/DC and the band signed a worldwide deal with Vince McMahon's Smackdown Records.

German thrash metal veterans EXUMER have signed a worldwide deal with Metal Blade Records. The band's first album in 24 years, "Fire & Damnation", will be released in the spring. The 10-track CD, which was recorded with renowned producer Waldemar Sorychta (GRIP INC., THERION, SODOM, MOONSPELL), "combines a punishing production with aggressive songwriting," according to a press release. "EXUMER manages to capture the intensity and feel of the 1980s thrash metal gems and yet sound up to date on their latest output."

Comments singer Mem V. Stein: "We are extremely happy and proud to have found a home with Metal Blade Records, a label that has the 'know-how,' integrity and appreciation for what EXUMER is about and stands for.

"We tried to do everything 'right,' with this album, from writing the new material to working with Waldemar Sorychta as our producer. Hence, Metal Blade Records as a label is the most logical choice for the band, in order to be represented globally and reach every fan that is interested in what EXUMER has to offer in 2012, and beyond."

EXUMER is:

Mem V. Stein - Vocals
Ray Mensh - Guitar
T. Schiavo - Bass
H.K. - Guitar
Matthias Kassner - Drums

Formed in 1985 by Mem V. Stein and guitarist Ray Mensh, EXUMER went on to release two albums (1986's "Possessed By Fire" and 1987's "Rising From The Sea") that are regarded as some of the most cult thrash metal releases ever to come out of Germany. EXUMER was also one of the first thrash metal acts to capture exotic, foreign markets like Poland and Brazil, where their albums were domestically released in the 1980s. The subsequent tours that followed those releases secured the band live shows in front of thousands of fans and an unusually large following outside of Germany.

Plagued by lineup changes and internal turmoil, the band broke up in 1990, and did not perform live, with the exception of 2001 appearance at the prestigious Wacken Open Air festival, until 2009.

Mem and Ray decided to re-activate EXUMER in 2008, and the band embarked on their first tour since 1988. The "5 Nights of Fire Tour", took the band through Europe (Germany, Holland, Greece), and the USA, where they headlined the "Thrasho de Mayo Festival" in front of 1,300 fans in Los Angeles.

EXUMER returned to Europe in spring and the fall of 2010, where the band appeared at Norway's Inferno Festival, among other stops in Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Poland and Bulgaria during the "European Ignition Tour Part I & II".

"Flame Of The Tyrants", the new video from Swedish metallers RAM, can be seen below. The song comes off the band's third album, "Death", which will be released on January 30, 2012 via Metal Blade Records. The CD was recorded at Welfare Sounds Studios in the group's hometown and was mastered by Dragan Tanaskovic at Bohus Sound.

"Death" track listing:

01. Death...
02. ...Comes From The Mouth Beyond
03. I Am The End
04. Release Me
05. Defiant
06. Frozen
07. Under The Scythe
08. Hypnos
09. Flame Of The Tyrants
10. 1771

"Defiant" is available for streaming in the YouTube clip below.

"Death" features a guest appearance by Swedish multi-instrumentalist Freddie Wadling who has had a very successful solo career in addition to having played with such cult acts as THE LEATHER NUN, BLUE FOR TWO and FLÄSKKVARTETTEN.

RAM vocalist Oscar Carlquist previously stated about the band's new album, "Again we are pushing the envelope of the RAM sound.

"This album differs quite a bit from our 2009 release, 'Lightbringer'; the sound is rawer and has a strong nerve and honest live-like feel, but still it is extremely powerful. It was produced by me and Harry Granroth (guitars) and Per Stålberg and Olle Björk and recorded at Welfare Studios here in Gothenburg. Dragan Tanaskovic is also a huge part of this by contributing massive power in the mastering process. Song-wise, we are showing new sides of the band.

"The album is a 10-song sonic rollercoaster displaying an array of different styles, emotions tempos and aggressions, but all within the concept of traditional heavy metal, of course.

"In all honesty, I can't choose one single song that is representative of the sound of the album as a whole. We are really pleased with this album that feels like a really cool direction to take from 'Lightbringer' and we can't wait to blast these new song live!"

RAM last year parted ways with bassist Christian Strömblad and replaced him with Tobias Pettersson from the underground black metal band VORNTH.

RAM is:

Oscar Carlquist - Vocals
Morgan Pettersson - Drums
Harry Granroth - Guitar
Daniel Johansson - Guitar
Tobias Petterson - Bass

SIXX: A.M. — the band consisting of Nikki Sixx (also of MÖTLEY CRÜE), DJ Ashba (also of GUNS N' ROSES) and James Michael — will release a new EP, "7", on December 13. The effort, which contains acoustic versions of songs from the group's first two albums — 2007's "The Heroin Diaries" soundtrack and 2011's "This Is Gonna Hurt" — is available for streaming in its entirety at AOL Music.

"7" track listing:

01. Lies Of The Beautiful People (acoustic)
02. This Is Gonna Hurt (acoustic)
03. Life Is Beautiful (acoustic)
04. Help Is On The Way (acoustic)
05. Sure Feels Right (acoustic)
06. Pray For Me (acoustic)
07. Accidents Can Happen (acoustic)

Commented Michael: "A couple of months ago, I asked all of you what songs from [the first two SIXX: A.M. albums] 'The Heroin Diaries' soundtrack and 'This Is Gonna Hurt' you would want to hear stripped down, pulled apart and reconstructed from a different perspective... your response was amazing and passionate... as a result, '7' was born.

"This was an incredible experience for the three of us because it caused us to explore way beyond the initial creations and rediscover the songs in a light that you helped us find.

"We are so excited to share this with you.

"Thank you for all of the love and support.

"By the way... '7' isn't the only SIXX: A.M. surprise coming your way!

"Oh, shit... just when you thought you had it all figured out!"

SIXX: A.M. recently revealed plans to film a video for the song "Skin" in the Los Angeles area. The band put out a casting call for people whom the song has affected personally because of their own scars — whether physical or under the surface.

"Skin" comes off SIXX: A.M.'s sophomore album, "This Is Gonna Hurt", which sold 30,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 10 on The Billboard 200 chart. Released on May 3, the 11-track CD is a companion piece to Sixx's "This Is Gonna Hurt: Music, Photography And Life Through The Distorted Lens Of Nikki Sixx" book, a follow-up to his New York Times bestseller, "The Heroin Diaries".

"This Is Gonna Hurt" is part photo, part journal — but all Nikki Sixx. It is a collection of compelling snapshots and stories that capture the rage, love, optimism, darkness, and determination that shape his work. Told with the raw authenticity that defined his New York Times bestseller "The Heroin Diaries", "This Is Gonna Hurt" chronicles Sixx's experience, from references to his early years filled with toxic waste to his success with MÖTLEY CRÜE, his death from an OD and rebirth to his addictions to music, photography, and love along with the journey of photographing these images over the past couple of years.

The "This Is Gonna Hurt" album as a whole deals with many raw, human issues. Nikki talks about the CD as "pulling back the veil on your internal truth," saying, "We are who we are… Either poisonous and evil or honest and willing… Willing to make a difference… I haven't led the life of a saint nor do I intend on it now." The album — produced entirely by James Michael with writing credits going to Sixx, Michael, Ashba and band friends John William Lowrey and Blair Daly — dives deep into meandering emotions through epic melodies. The resulting work is a deep, dark and intoxicatingly addictive mix of sounds and passion.