THE GATE, the German metal band featuring former RUNNING WILD (1982-1985) guitarist Gerald "Preacher" Warnecke, will release its debut album, "Earth Cathedral", this summer via Rock It Up Records. The CD was recorded at Big Easy Studio near Hennef, Germany with producer Michael "Freio" Haas and features a guest appearance by Preacher's son Korbinian Warnecke on 12-string guitar on the song "1000 Miles Away".

"Earth Cathedral" track listing:

01. Through The Gate
02. Shout For Metal
03. Face your Fear (The Money Song)
04. Guy Anvil
05. 1000 Miles Away
06. Mountains
07. Hiding Where The Wolf lives
08. Into The Pit
09. Deliver From Sin
10. Earth Cathedral

THE GATE is:

* Gerald "Preacher" Warnecke (ex-RUNNING WILD) - Guitar
* Tino Weber (ex-INSOLENCE, SYSTEM FAILED) - Bass
* Peter "Unruh" Michels (ex-UNDERDOG) - Drums
* Guido Krämer (ex-THE COMPANY) - Vocals

Drummer Jeffrey McCormack has announced his departure from reunited '80s metal cult act FIFTH ANGEL.

Said McCormack in a statement: "I want to thank all of the incredible FIFTH ANGEL fans all over the world that were so accepting of me as I stepped into the huge gap left by the extraordinary Ken Mary when FIFTH ANGEL reunited in February of 2010.

"FIFTH ANGEL were my heroes since 1987, and it was an honor to be a part of their first-ever performance at Germany's Keep It True festival last year [see video below], but sadly, some things just aren't meant to be.

"It is extremely difficult to leave something I dreamed for many years of joining, but I believe it is for the best.

"I have no immediate commitments, but am definitely looking for the right opportunity to get back out there and rock with you all again [as soon as possible].

"My best wishes to FIFTH ANGEL in their future endeavors."

In addition to FIFTH ANGEL, Jeffrey McCormack was the drummer for HEIR APPARENT and NIGHTSHADE.

Bands interested in contacting Jeffrey McCormack can do so by writing to jeffreymcdrums@hotmail.com.

A new solo song from DEF LEPPARD/THIN LIZZY guitarist Vivian Campbell, entitled "Seems So Real", can be streamed using the SoundCloud player below. The track was written by Campbell and Robert Cosio and was produced by Cosio. Mixing duties were handled by Ronan McHugh.

"Seems So Real" recording lineup:

* Vivian Campbell: Lead vocals, Lead And Rhythm Guitars, Background Vocals
* Robert Cosio: Rhythm guitar, Slide Guitar, Electric Piano, Background Vocals
* Mark Schulman: Drums
* Lou Castro: Bass guitar

Polish technical death metal band DECAPITATED will release their fifth studio album, "Carnival Is Forever", in North America and Poland on July 12 via Nuclear Blast Records. The CD's cover art was created by Lukasz Jaszak and can be seen below.
"Carnival Is Forever" track listing:

01. The Knife
02. United
03. Carnival Is Forever
04. Homo Sum
05. 404
06. A View From A Hole
07. Pest
08. Silence

Fan-filmed video footage of SYSTEM OF A DOWN's May 12, 2011 concert at Rogers Arena in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada can be viewed below.

The band's setlist was as follows:

01. Prison Song
02. B.Y.O.B.
03. Know
04. Needles
05. Deer Dance
06. Attack
07. Radio/Video
08. Hypnotize
09. Question!
10. Suggestions
11. Psycho
12. Chop Suey!
13. Lonely Day
14. Soldier Side - Intro
15. Soldier Side
16. Kill Rock 'n Roll
17. Lost in Hollywood
18. Forest
19. Science
20. Holy Mountains
21. Aerials
22. Tentative
23. Cigaro
24. Suite-Pee
25. War?
26. Toxicity
27. P.L.U.C.K.
28. Sartarabad
29. Sugar

PRIMEVIL — the new band featuring former VENOM members Jeff "Mantas" Dunn (guitar), Antony "Antton" Lant (drums; brother of VENOM frontman Conrad "Cronos" Lant) and Tony "The Demolition Man" Dolan (bass, vocals) — has inked a deal with Scarlet Records. The group's debut mini-album, "The Creatures Of The Black", will be released this summer. The CD will feature cover versions of four songs that influenced the members of PRIMEVIL ("Exciter" by JUDAS PRIEST, "God Of Thunder" by KISS, "Hell Ain't A Bad Place To Be" by AC/DC and "Motörhead" by MOTÖRHEAD) plus two brand new original tracks, "The Creatures Of The Black" and "Reptile". A full-length effort will follow sometime in September/October, with a full tour planned for 2012.

KILL RITUAL, the new band featuring former members of IMAGIKA, DARK ANGEL and ELDRITCH, will enter Fang Studios in San Mateo, California on June 13 to begin recording its debut album, "Serpentine Rituals", for a 2011 late release via a yet-to-be-determined label. Lead guitarist Steve Rice will engineer the recordings and co-produce/mix the CD with Andy La Rocque (KING DIAMOND) at Andy's Sonic Train Studios in Varberg, Sweden. La Rocque will also make a guest appearance on the album with his guitar playing prowess. Art design will be handled by Jobert Mello of Sledgehammer Graphix.

KILL RITUAL is looking for a suitable label to release "Serpentine Rituals". Interested parties can contact the band at killritualmetal@gmail.com.

Formed in late 2010 by former IMAGIKA lead guitarist Steven Rice and drummer Wayne De Vecchi, KILL RITUAL is completed by former ELDRITCH guitarist Roberto Proietti, former DARK ANGEL bassist Danyael Williams and Bay Area vocalist Josh Gibson.

Commented Steven: "After the demise of IMAGIKA, Wayne and I decided to form a new band that would bring life to the music we had been working on after IMAGIKA called it a day. We had a goal in mind of writing music that reflected our influences from thrash, classic, progressive, power, whatever-kicks-ass metal and this required bringing in experienced players that have been there and done that. We were lucky enough to come in contact with Roberto and Danyael, who had the kind of pedigree and experience we were definitely looking for.

"Having both been in bands that have released numerous albums worldwide and toured extensively, they are a perfect fit for this new band. The missing element was, of course, vocalist Josh, who came into the band with the work ethic, experience and attitude that is essential as a vocalist to help the songs take on a life of their own. His unique and identifiable vocal style is the change we needed from our past projects as we definitely had the idea of KILL RITUAL taking a new direction from our collective past bands and I think we have achieved that. I mean, what's the point of rehashing what you've already done? I feel the four rough demo tracks [we have released] show this and are only a hint of what's to come."

Auf der RHAPSODY OF FIRE Homepage http://www.rhapsodyoffire.com sowie unter http://listn.to/rhapsodyoffire und http://www.myspace.com/rhapsodyoffire gibt es im Player ab sofort den brandneuen Track “Tornado” zu hören. Die Tabulatur des Gitarrensolos von Luca Turilli auf “Tornado” wird es zusammen mit einem Bonustrack in der limitierten Ausgabe und dem Vinyl der kommenden CD “From Chaos To Eternity” geben. Die limitiere Version enthält zudem ein 48 Seiten starkes Booklet, sowie weitere Extras.


Ab sofort könnt ihr alle Versionen bei Nuclear Blast vorbestellen – klickt auf: http://www.nuclearblast.de/de/shop/artikel/gruppen/51000.1.nuclearblast.html?records_per_page=90&article_group_sort_type_handle=article_no_desc&custom_keywords=rhapsody%20of%20fire

Die norwegischen Progressiv-Metal’er von COMMUNIC haben den Song „Destroyer of Bloodlines“ ihres kommenden, atemberaubenden Albums "The Bottom Deep" via Facebook veröffentlicht.

Surft zu http://www.facebook.com/OfficialCommunic?sk=app_178091127385 und lauscht den neuen Klängen von COMMUNIC.

Die Musik der Ausnahmeband aus Norwegen vereint Elemente aus vielen verschiedenen Metalgenres. Ihr Gespür für die Vielfalt an Power, Melodie und intelligenten Texten gepaart mit ihrer höchst progressiv-musikalischen Einstellung machten COMMUNIC zu einem der besten Newcomer der letzten Jahre. Wenn man auf Progressiv Metal steht, kommt man an COMMUNIC nicht vorbei.

Gitarrist und Band-Mastermind Oddleif Stensland kommentiert das neue Album wie folgt:
„Das Album zu schreiben und aufzunehmen war eine fantastische, aber auch seltsame Erfahrung. Dieses Mal hatten wir selbst die Kontrolle bei der Produktion, daraus resultiert ein echter und natürlicher klingendes Album. Niemals zuvor habe ich soviel persönliche und private Einflüsse in die Texte und Songs gepackt wie dieses Mal. Im Augenblick habe ich ein gemischtes Gefühl aus Angst und Aufregung. Ab jetzt gibt es kein zurück mehr. Ich habe mich noch nie auf diese Weise geöffnet und meine tiefsten und innersten Gedanken auf diese Art dargestellt. Es ist ein sehr seltsames Gefühl, denn es kommt mir vor, als würden diese Texte und Songs von einem Teil von mir stammen, den ich selbst nicht kannte. Das ist „The Bottom Deep“. Das ist das Album, von dem ich nie im Leben gedacht hätte es zu schreiben – aber nun weiß ich, dass es ein Meilenstein in meinem Leben ist – für immer!“

Das Album „The Bottom Deep“ wird am 22. Juli 2011 via Nuclear Blas

Finnish metal/hard rock outfit AMORAL will release the first single from its new album, "Beneath", on May 17. "Same Difference" gives a little taste of things to come on the upcoming CD, due for release in October.

"'Same Difference' is one of my favorite tracks off the new album," guitarist Ben Varon says of the new single. "Ari [Koivunen, vocals] sounds better than ever on it, and the back-to-back leads with our new guitarist Masi Hukari are something new for us. Hard rockin', lots of riffs and big choruses, just like we like it!"

"Same Difference" will be available as a digital single from the iTunes Store. The song will make its debut on Finnish radio station Radio Rock on May 16 at 18.00 CET. You can listen to the station online at www.radiorock.fi.

"Beneath" was recorded at Sound Supreme studios in Hämeenlinna, Finland, and was produced by Janne Saksa and guitarist Ben Varon.

"I'd describe the album as 'three steps forward, one step back,'" says Varon. "There are several nods to our past in form of long songs, intricate riffs and growling vocals. But the main focus is still on the strong melodies, big choruses and catchy riffs, just as was on our last album, 'Show Your Colors'."

"Beneath" marks the recording debut of AMORAL's new guitarist Masi Hukari. Hukari — who joined the group late in the songwriting process — immediately wrote two songs together with Varon, both which ended up on the album. Another first is that, from now on, AMORAL has two lead guitar players.

AEROSMITH frontman Steven Tyler's first-ever solo video, "(It) Feels So Good", can be viewed below. The singer debuted the tune on Ryan Seacrest's radio show and premiered the music video last night (Thursday, May 12) on "American Idol", where Tyler is serving as a judge this season. Tyler told The Pulse Of Radio why he thought the time was right to strike out with a solo number. "I just wanted to do something on my own that I didn't have to filter anything through the band," he said. "I could be my own critic, you know, I could be my own worst enemy on this. Just wanted to see what I could do, you know, with my own song. God knows [AEROSMITH guitarist] Joe Perry did it enough times. It's just fun."

The video for "(It) Feels So Good" was shot on April 25 with the Norwegian-born, Los Angeles-based director and photographer Ray Kay (real name: Reinert K. Olsen) and is described by an observer as "everything you would expect to get from a classic AEROSMITH video. Without giving too much away, think: pure, classic Steven Tyler in all of his rock star glory."

AEROSMITH is set to begin work on a new studio effort later this year, after Tyler completes his "Idol" duties. The band had a weeklong songwriting session earlier this spring in Los Angeles.

Tyler released a memoir called "Does The Noise In My Head Bother You?" last Tuesday (May 3). The book chronicles his struggles with addiction, his feelings about his family and friends, his early life and his more than 40 years with AEROSMITH.

"Walls Of Secrets", the new video from FULLFORCE — the new Swedish melodic metal outfit featuring Mike Andersson (CLOUDSCAPE, SILENT MEMORIAL, PLANET ALLIANCE) on vocals, Stefan Elmgren (HAMMERFALL) on guitar, Anders Johansson (HAMMERFALL, YNGWIE MALMSTEEN) on drums, Carl-Johan Grimmark (NARNIA) on guitar, and Tommy Larsson (HEED) on bass — can be viewed below. The clip was directed by Rainer Holmgren (PAIN OF SALVATION). The track comes off the band's debut album, "One", which will be released on June 20 in Germany, June 23 in the rest of Europe and July 26 in USA/Canada via SPV/Steamhammer.

According to TMZ.com, Sebastian Bach was arrested for marijuana possession in New Jersey. The former SKID ROW singer was pulled over for "failing to keep right" on a highway in Monmouth County, New Jersey at 3:32 a.m. on Tuesday, and during the stop, the officer conducted an investigation and discovered weed.

The 43-year-old Bach was arrested for possessing less than 50 grams of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia.

Sebastian was hauled in to a local jail and was eventually released pending a future court hearing.

Bach was charged assault, possession of marijuana and mischief on November 15, 2010 after he allegedly bit the hand of a bartender trying to throw him out of Riley's Olde Towne Pub in Peterborough, Ontario, Canada.

A surveillance video posted on TMZ.com showed the singer smashing his wine glass on the ground morning and walking towards the entrance of the establishment after he was asked to the leave the bar due to his allegedly rowdy behavior.

A staff member reported Bach bit him on the hand while he was trying to restrain Bach until police arrived.

Bach was in Peterborough dealing with the estate of his father who passed away.

Legendary rock band THE CULT has inked a deal with Cooking Vinyl Records. The group, which took part in the "Love Live Tour" last year and also recorded a four-track release with Chris Goss (QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE, MASTERS OF REALITY), is back in the studio with Goss recording a new album.

"I feel we have reached our zenith in terms of our writing and performing skills," singer Ian Astbury recently said. "We intend to deliver on all levels."

THE CULT's "Capsule 2: New Blood Deep Cuts" featured new songs "Embers" and "Until The Light Takes Us", live recordings of some of the band's huge hits and an intimate look into THE CULT's rehearsal space, with a never-before-seen warm-up performance of "Black Angel".

Rather than revisit the traditional method of releasing a long form CD, the band pioneered a new way of providing material. Capsules span multiple media formats including vinyl, digital, USB, CD and DVD formats, and can be purchased at CultCapsuleStore.com.

THE CULT is Ian Astbury (vocals), Billy Duffy (guitar), Chris Wyse (bass), John Tempesta (drums) and Mike Dimkich (rhythm guitar).

According to DOWN's official Facebook page, the acclaimed New Orleans band — which features in its ranks CORROSION OF CONFORMITY guitarist/vocalist Pepper Keenan, drummer Jimmy Bower (EYEHATEGOD, SUPERJOINT RITUAL guitarist), bassist Rex Brown (ex-PANTERA), guitarist Kirk Windstein (CROWBAR), and vocalist Philip Anselmo (SUPERJOINT RITUAL, ex-PANTERA) — has begun demoing material for its next release at Anselmo's home studio/rehearsal facility. Windstein writes, "Great jam with DOWN [Wednesday] evening [May 11]!!! Demoed a brand new tune, and it rocks!"

Swedish industrial metal icons led by legendary producer/musician Peter Tägtgren just released the first part of a video track by track commentary for the bands upcoming album "You Only Live Twice"!

Check out the clip at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TbcG1HmVfo8

"You Only Live Twice" will be released June 3rd, 2011 via Nuclear Blast!
The band will also embark on an extended European run soon
PAIN ON TOUR
2011-05-26 Bingo club Kiev UKR
2011-05-27 P!pl Club Moscow RUS
2011-05-28 Glav Club St Petersburg RUS