Several students from the Aaron O'Keefe music-instruction school in Ohio recorded a cover version of the JUDAS PRIEST classic "Painkiller" in May 2011 at Starstruck Studios, a world-class recording studio owned by Reba McEntire, in Nashville, Tennessee. You can hear the track as well as watch the accompanying studio footage below.

Commented O'Keefe: "'Painkiller' is by far the most challenging song my students have covered.

"At the studio we decided to not record the song using a metronome, instead opting to have the song groove a little bit and get a more natural performance from the students. And for the credit sequence, we recorded JUDAS PRIEST's 'Cathedral Spires'.

"The vocals were recorded using a vintage AKG C12 microphone.

"Because we had to record 8 songs in a single day with 48 students, we had to save on setup time and record the electric guitars direct. Joe Hubbell used a Digitech RP500 and Drew Lowry used a Vox Tonelab SE. The bass was recorded direct and we used DW drums."

"Painkiller" and "Cathedral Spires" credits:

* Thunder: Kala Scarpinski and Auggie Huber (Age 11)
* Lead Vocals: Noah Stubenrauch (Age 11)
* Drums: Tyler Rogers (Age 13)
* Rhythm Guitar: Drew Lowry (Age 14)
* Bass: Aidan Higgins (Age 15)
* Credit Sequence Vocalist: Emily Leavengood (Age 16)
* Acoustic Guitarists: Robert Doughty and Nathan Clevenger (Age 16)
* Lead Guitar: Joe Hubbell (Age 17)

ALTER BRIDGE is gearing up to play what will be one of the biggest headline shows of its career and all of it will be captured live on DVD for anyone who can’t be there. The band's soon-to-be-sold-out performance at Wembley Arena in London, England on November 29 will be professionally filmed for release in 2012. Longtime ALTER BRIDGE director Daniel E Catullo III ("Live From Amsterdam", "One By One", "Isolation", webisodes, etc.) has been brought in to direct 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", will be producing with Catullo.

"I am excited to once again direct ALTER BRIDGE and I couldn't be more honored to be asked by the guys to once again capture their amazing live show," says Daniel E Catullo III. "Wembley is a special place and I know it has been a dream of the band to play there. I couldn't think of a better place to shoot this tour at."

ALTER BRIDGE has just released a special edition of its latest album, AB III". The special edition includes three additional songs — "Zero", "Home" and "Never Born To Follow" — making a total of 17 tracks on the album, as well as an extraordinary hour-long DVD documentary called "One By One".

Finnish death metallers TORTURE KILLER are putting the finishing touches on a new three-song EP entitled "I Chose Death". The effort will mark the recording debut of the group's new singer, Pessi Haltsonen (RETALIATORY MEASURES), who is described by his new bandmates as "a perfect fit" and "a human powerhouse."

"I Chose Death" will include a cover version of an old DEMIGOD song from the "Unholy Domain" demo and will feature artwork by Mark Riddick.

TORTURE KILLER's third album, "Sewers" came out in 2009 via Dynamic Arts Records.

Rome-based metallers KALEDON have released the artwork and tracklisting to their forthcoming best-of album Mightiest Hits out in January 2011 via Scarlet Records. Check them out below:

Disc 1
Steel Maker (Previously Unreleased)
In Search Of Kaledon
Desert Land Of Warriors
The New Kingdom
A Frozen Dawn
Mighty Son Of The Great Lord
Great Night In The Land
Clash Of The Titans
New King Of Kaledon
The End Of The Green Power
The God Beyond The Man
Surprise Impact
Demons Away

Disc 2
In search Of kaledon (demo)
Spirit Of The Dragon (demo)
Thunder In The Sky (demo)
God Says Yes (demo)
Army Of The Undead King (demo)
Desert Land Of Warriors (demo)
God Says Yes (demo)
Thunder In The Sky (demo)
Desert Land of Warriors (demo)
Home (demo)
New Soldiers For A New Army (demo)

Philadelphia black thrashing filthmongers INFERNAL STRONGHOLD will be joining the mighty ABSU on a string of exclusive East Coast shows in celebration of the Texas USBM institution's latest release, Abzu (Candlelight Records). The initial invocation will be held in Richmond, VA on November 10th, 2011, and take the demonic duo up the East Coast towards Canada, culimating in Montreal's Messe des Morts Festival.

For the upcoming tour, the bands have self-released a split flexi disc that will only be available at these few shows. It will not be available for sale through other mediums whatsoever. This release features one new song from each band, and will be entombed on clear vinyl with 4 different colored silk-screened covers (featuring artwork by NYC artist Dilek). This insanely-exclusive release is limited to 250 copies - don't miss out.

In the cultural world of the Finnish Sami, Saivo is one of the realms of the dead where the departed continue their everyday life, content and in the company of their families and forebears. Saivo is also the title of the new album by Finnish gothic metallers TENHI, that will finally see its release after four years of painstaking work, on November 25th via Prophecy Productions.

With the two tracks, 'Saivon Kimallus' and 'Siniset Runot', the first audio samples for Saivo are made available. In addition, the musicians of Tenhi have created an elaborate video clip for both songs, enticing the viewer into the realm of Saivo with its powerful images. Check out the clip below:

HAIL! — the supergroup featuring a rotating list of musicians, including current and former members of SEPULTURA, JUDAS PRIEST, TESTAMENT and MEGADETH — will play nine shows in Russia in December. The dates are as follows:

Dec. 02 - Megapolis, Irkutsk
Dec. 04 - Che Guevara, Krasnojarsk
Dec. 05 - Moscow, Kemerovo
Dec. 06 - Che Guevara, Barnaul
Dec. 07 - Rock City, Novosibirsk
Dec. 09 - Tele Club, Ekaterinburg
Dec. 10 - DKZhD, Magnitogorsk
Dec. 11 - Xleb, Moscow
Dec. 12 - Planetaryi, Ryazan

German metallers RAGE entered Twilight Hall Studio in Grefrath, Germany last month to begin recording their 21st studio album, tentatively titled "21", for a March 2012 release via Nuclear Blast Records. The recordings are once again being helmed by Charlie Bauerfeind, who has previously worked with SAXON, BLIND GUARDIAN, HAMMERFALL and HELLOWEEN, among others. Songtitles set to appear on the 10-track CD include "Psycho Terror", "Forever Dead", "Twenty One" and "Serial Killer".

THE MAN-EATING TREE’s new video, 'Armed', was filmed by Mutant Koala Pictures, a production company based in the band'’s hometown, Oulu, Finland.

Tuomas Tuominen (vocals) on the song itself: “’Armed’ was one of the first songs written for Harvest. In essence, it's about how precious our time here is. How it sometimes feels as if hours and years could be seized into the wrong hands and pointed at you - as they were a weapon. A weapon that cannot be disarmed. Time is a weapon that will kill everyone. Mercilessly.”

After releasing their debut album, Vine, outside of Finland, Century Media Records signed The Man-Eating Tree - featuring Vesa Ranta (formerly in SENTENCED) and Janne Markus (ex-POISONBLACK) - worldwide.

The Man-Eating Tree recorded their new album, Harvest, with Hiili Hiilesmaa, but with some extra force injected by their additional guitarist Antti Karhu.

MEGADETH's new album, "TH1RT3EN", sold 42,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 11 on The Billboard 200 chart. The band's previous CD, 2009's "Endgame", opened with 45,000 units to debut at No. 9. This was slightly less than the 54,000 first-week tally registered by 2007's "United Abominations", which entered the chart at No. 8. 2004's "The System Has Failed" premiered with 46,000 copies (No. 18) while 2001's "The World Needs A Hero" moved 61,000 units in its first week (No. 16).

METALLICA's collaborative album with Lou Reed, titled "Lulu", sold 13,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 36 on The Billboard 200 chart. By contrast, METALLICA's last studio effort, 2008's "Death Magnetic", sold 490,000 copies in just a three-day sales window after it came out on a Friday, with sales tracked through the following Sunday.

Even METALLICA's controversial 2003 set, "St. Anger", moved 363,000 copies in its initial week of release, which was also shortened to four days.

METALLICA's "Re-Load" album sold 435,000 units during its first week in 1997, while 1996's "Load" opened at 680,000. 1991's self-titled "black album" debuted with 598,000 and has since gone on to sell more than 15.7 million copies in the U.S., according to Nielsen SoundScan.

MOTÖRHEAD was forced to cancel tonight's (Tuesday, November 8) planned concert at Bristol, England's Colston Hall after the band's mainman, Ian Fraser "Lemmy" Kilmister (bass, vocals), suffered an injury to his left hand and was unable to play.

The date is part of "The Wörld Is Yours" tour, which featured ANTI NOWHERE LEAGUE and UK SUBS supporting.

"Due to injury, MOTÖRHEAD have cancelled their Colston Hall show tonight. Watch this space for returns/new date info," a message read on the Twitter feed for the venue. "We are working with Live Nation to try to reschedule… We'll let you know when we know what will happen re: rescheduling/refunds."

Remaining dates:

Nov. 11 - Norwich, UK - UEA
Nov. 12 - London, UK - Hammersmith Apollo
Nov. 14 - Newcastle, UK - O2 Academy
Nov. 15 - Glasgow, UK - O2 Academy
Nov. 17 - Nottingham, UK - Royal Centre
Nov. 18 - Manchester, UK- O2 Apollo

Finnish doom metallers SWALLOW THE SUN have set "Emerald Forest And The Blackbird" as the title of their fifth full-length album, due on February 1, 2012 via Spinefarm Records. The CD was recorded during September and October 2011 by Mikko Karmila (NIGHTWISH, AMORPHIS, CHILDREN OF BODOM) at Drumforest Studios in Viitasaari and Sonic Pump 2 in Helsinki, and by Hannu Honkonen at Noisework Studios in Helsinki. The effort was mixed by Hiili Hiilesmaa (HIM, APOCALYPTICA, AMORPHIS, MOONSPELL) and will be mastered by Mika Jussila (NIGHTWISH, AMORPHIS, SENTENCED) at Finnvox Studios. The artwork is once again being created by Rami Mursula.

"Emerald Forest And The Blackbird" track listing:

01. Emerald Forest And The Blackbird
02. This Cut Is The Deepest
03. Hate, Lead The Way
04. Cathedral Walls (feat. Anette Olzon)
05. Hearts Wide Shut
06. Silent Towers
07. Labyrinth Of London (Horror Pt. IV)
08. Of Death And Corruption
09. April 14th
10. Night Will Forgive Us

Anette Olzon of NIGHTWISH makes a guest appearance on the song "Cathedral Walls". Her recognizable voice gives the song the depth and the angelic character it demands. In addition, Aleah Stanbridge of TREES OF ETERNITY — whose ethereal voice is familiar from SWALLOW THE SUN's previous works — is featured on two tracks.

"When I got to listen to the rough demo of 'Cathedral Walls', I fell in love with the song immediately and I was so honoured to be asked to sing on this song," said Anette. "The melody and lyrics are truly beautiful."

Commented SWALLOW THE SUN's main songwriter Juha Raivio: "I found myself listening to an old Finnish lullaby called 'Sininen Uni' over and over again, and suddenly images started pouring into my mind of a dad reading a tale to his dying child, trying to explain where the child is going that night, the tale of Emerald Forest and the Blackbird. Finally this image lead me into a long journey through this night and got me trapped in the limbo between the dusk and the dawn. The place where you face your demons and angels, meet the souls of the ones you loved and lost.

"Will we walk the night forever, or let the night forgive us and let us say a last goodbye? These are songs from the limbo, notes of sorrow, hate, love, darkness and light. The tale of Emerald Forest and the Blackbird."

25 years after the release of the legendary "Night Of Passion" album, German hard rock band MAD MAX returns with the original lineup — Michael Voss (lead vocals, lead guitars), Jürgen Breforth (rhythm guitars), Roland Bergmann (bass, vocals) and Axel Kruse (drums) — and a new studio album, "Another Night Of Passion", due at the end of March 2012 via SPV/Steamhammer. The CD was recorded at the Kidroom Studio, which is owned by Michael Voss and where albums from Michael Schenker, VENGEANCE and Gary Barden were previously produced. The cover artwork was designed by the Belgian artist Eric Philippe (RHAPSODY, TNT) and the photos were taken by the famous German photographer Martin Huch.

Commented Olly Hahn, A&R representative at Steamhammer: "I saw the band back in 1987 where they supported STRYPER and they blew me away.

"'Night Of Passion' is a hard rock gem and I'm sure that also 'Another Night Of Passion' will not disappoint any fan who likes classic melodic hard rock."

Added MAD MAX guitarist Jürgen Breforth: "Exactly 27 years ago we were close to sign a deal with SPV/Steamhammer and I'm totally glad that we could fix this now in 2011. With SPV on our side, the new studio album and the original lineup we are ready to burn the stage again!"

MAD MAX will support AXEL RUDI PELL on a European tour in April/May 2012.

German power metallers PRIMAL FEAR have completed mixing and mastering their new album, "Unbreakable", which is scheduled for a January 20, 2012 release via Frontiers Records. The CD was tracked at House Of Music studios in Winterbach, Germany with producer/bassist Mat Sinner and engineer Achim Köhler (EDGUY, MASTERPLAN).

"Unbreakable" will feature the following songs:

* Blaze Of Glory
* Marching Again
* And There Was Silence
* Night Of The Jumps
* Give 'Em Hell
* Born Again
* Where Angels Die
* Bad Guys Wear Black
* Strike
* Metal Nation
* Conviction
* Raise Some Hell

COLDWORKER — the Örebro, Sweden-based "blasting" death metal band consisting of current and former/current members of such acts as NASUM, RELENTLESS, RUIN and PHOBOS — will release its third album, "The Doomsayer's Call", this winter via Listenable Records. The CD was recorded in part at Soundlab Studios in the group's hometown and will feature 13 songs. Mixing took place at Unisound studios with Dan Swanö (OPETH, KATATONIA, DISSECTION).

The cover artwork for "The Doomsayer's Call" was created by the Swedish artist Pär Olofsson who has previously worked with such bands as MALEVOLENT CREATION, IMMOLATION, IMMORTAL, EXODUS and DYING FETUS.

Stated COLDWORKER: "The work Pär did for us followed our strict instructions and perhaps not his usual style, but we are all extremely happy with the result."

"The Doomsayer's Call" track listing:

01. A New Era
02. The Reprobate
03. The Glass Envelope
04. Flesh World
05. Murderous
06. Pessimist
07. Monochrome Existence
08. Vacuum Fields
09. Living is Suffering
10. The Walls Of Eryx
11. Violent Society
12. Becoming The Stench
13. The Phantom Carriage

Commented COLDWORKER drummer Anders Jackobson: "There's often talk about 'the difficult second album.' Well, history has told me time and again that the third album is usually the most memorable in a band's discography.

"We have all put more than 100% each into this album, writing songs that will stand out on their own as well as have a natural place on the album, spending many hours in three different recording studios just to get the best out of ourselves and so on.

"The album is definitively 'the next step' for COLDWORKER, with developed songwriting and performances that are the best we can muster. It's really a band effort as all five members of the band have written songs, and likewise all five of us have opinions about what the final album should be."