Veteran metallers OMEN have signed an exclusive digital distribution deal with DSN Music for the release of their new album, "Hammer Damage". The band's eleventh CD is scheduled for a summer release and will be available via online and mobile stores such as Amazon.com, iTunes, Rhapsody.com, Verizon, and hundreds more worldwide.

"We are extremely excited about signing with DSN Music," said OMEN's Kenny Powell. "This release will be a ride straight into the glory days of metal, no compromises, take no prisoners!"

MAN RAZE — the rock outfit featuring Phil Collen of DEF LEPPARD, Simon Laffy from GIRL and Paul Cook of THE SEX PISTOLS — will release a new single, "Over My Dead Body", on May 31 via iTunes worldwide through Rocket Science. The brand new song will be available as a double header, with both electric and acoustic versions.

A video message from MAN RAZE in which the guys discuss the arrival of their new album (currently untitled), due out this summer on Rocket Science, can be viewed below.

MAN RAZE's debut album, "Surreal", was re-released in June 2009 via VH1 Classic Records as a deluxe edition with five previously unreleased bonus tracks.

LEAVES' EYES — the German/Norwegian band formed by ex-THEATRE OF TRAGEDY singer Liv Kristine Espenaes Krull and members of ATROCITY — will be direct support for former NIGHTWISH singer Tarja Turunen on the following dates:

May 3 - Stuttgart, Germany - Longhorn
May 04 - Erlangen, Germany - E-Werk
May 06 - München, Germany - Backstage
May 07 - Karlsruhe, Germany - Festhalle Durlach
May 10 - Bonn, Germany - Brückenforum
May 11 - Osnabrück, Germany - Rosenhof
May 13 - Hamburg, Germany - Große Freiheit
May 16 - Leipzig, Germany - Haus Auensee
May 17 - Neu Isenburg, Germany - Hugenottenhalle
May 19 - Bochum, Germany - Matrix
May 20 - Hannover, Germany - Capitol

A video interview with Tarja and Liv Kristine can be seen below.

CANNABIS CORPSE — the Richmond, Virginia-based old-school death metal band featuring Philip "Landphil" Hall (bass) from MUNICIPAL WASTE and his brother Josh "HallHammer" Hall (drums) — has completed work on its brand-new full-length album, "Beneath Grow Lights Thou Shalt Rise". The CD will be issued on July 12 via Tankcrimes, the label that issued the band's "The Weeding" EP back in 2009.

On "Beneath Grow Lights Thou Shalt Rise", CANNABIS CORPSE has ventured even further down the left-hand path to pay homage to those other masters of death, MORBID ANGEL and DEICIDE. Tongue-in-cotton-mouthed-cheek titles like "Lunatic of Pot's Creation" and "Immortal Pipes" keep the party rolling, but don't be fooled: CANNABIS CORPSE is not a joke band. Sure, they'll fire up a bowl and chug a beer, but then they'll rip your face off with a brutal old-school death metal assault, the likes of which haven't been seen since the seeds of the genre first began to grow.

British producer Andy Sneap (MEGADETH, ARCH ENEMY, NEVERMORE, EXODUS) has revealed to Radio Metalthat he will enter the studio this summer with San Francisco Bay Area metal veterans TESTAMENT to begin work on the follow-up to 2008's "The Formation Of Damnation". A late 2011/early 2012 release is expected.

"The new album will most likely be a culmination of 'The Gathering' [1999] and 'The Formation of Damnation', but we're definitely not going to forget who we are or our roots. I think we've found a comfortable spot in our writing style," TESTAMENT vocalist Chuck Billy stated in a 2010 interview.

"Ordsmedar av Rang", the new video from Norwegian blackened punk metallers KVELERTAK, can be viewed below. The song comes off the band's self-titled debut album, which was released June 21, 2010 via Indie Recordings and continues to receive rave reviews from mainstream media and metal web sites alike for its unique TURBONEGRO/black metal/punk/classic rock/blues elements. Produced by Kurt Ballou and mixed by Alan Douches with artwork by John Baizley and guest appearances by Hoest (TAAKE), Andreas Tylden (JR Ewing and ALTAAR), Ivar Nikolaisen (SILVER), and Ryan McKenney (TRAP THEM), "Kvelertak" has been dubbed "the best Norwegian debut album of all time," and the band "the new MASTODON."

American power metal band VAINGLORY, which features in its ranks vocalist Kate French (CHASTAIN) and lead guitar virtuoso Corbin King, has made a new track, "Ballistic", available via the group's ReverbNation TuneWidget. The song will appear on the follow-up to 2007's self-titled "Vainglory" album, entitled "Manifesting Destiny", which is expected before the end of the year. A video for "Ballistic" was recently completed and will make its online debut shortly.

U.D.O., the German metal band led by former ACCEPT frontman Udo Dirkschneider, will release its new album, b>"Rev-Raptor", which will be released on May 20 via AFM Records. The effort will be available in the following formats:

* CD (Jewel Case)
* CD (Digipak)
* CD (Japan)
* Vinyl black
* Vinyl green
* Limited Box (more details below)

The digipak contains the two bonus tracks "Time Dilator" and "Heavy Metal W:O:A" plus the videos for "Leatherhead" and the second single, "I Give As Good As I Get".

The Japanese version of "Rev-Raptor" includes the bonus tracks "Stormbreaker" and "Bodyworld".

The green-vinyl edition of "Rev-Raptor" is limited to 200 copies and available exclusively via Nuclear Blast mailorder.

Here are the details of the different "Rev-Raptor" versions:

CD Jewel Case:

01. Rev-Raptor
02. Leatherhead
03. Renegade
04. I Give As Good As I Get
05. Dr. Death
06. Rock'N'Roll Soldiers
07. Terrorvision
08. Underworld
09. Pain Man
10. Fairy Tales Of Victory
11. Motor-Borg
12. True Born Winners
13. Days Of Hope And Glory

CD DigiPak:

01. Rev-Raptor
02. Leatherhead
03. Renegade
04. I Give As Good As I Get
05. Dr. Death
06. Rock'N'Roll Soldiers
07. Terrorvision
08. Underworld
09. Pain Man
10. Fairy Tales Of Victory
11. Motor-Borg
12. True Born Winners
13. Time Dilator (Bonus)
14. Days Of Hope And Glory
15. Heavy Metal W:O:A (Bonus)
16. I Give As Good As I Get (Video)
17. Leatherhead (Video)

CD Japan:

01. Rev-Raptor
02. Leatherhead
03. Renegade
04. I Give As Good As I Get
05. Dr. Death
06. Rock'N'Roll Soldiers
07. Terrorvision
08. Underworld
09. Pain Man
10. Fairy Tales Of Victory
11. Motor-Borg
12. True Born Winners
13. Stormbreaker (Bonus)
14. Bodyworld (Bonus)
15. Days Of Hope And Glory

Vinyl:

01. Rev-Raptor
02. Leatherhead
03. Renegade
04. I Give As Good As I Get
05. Rock'N'Roll Soldiers
06. Terrorvision
07. Underworld
08. Pain Man
09. Motor-Borg
10. True Born Winners
11. Days Of Hope And Glory

There will also be a "Limited Box" edition (1,000 copies only) with the following content:

* "Rev-Raptor" digipak
* U.D.O. belt
* U.D.O. buckle
* U.D.O. flask with lasered logo

"Rock'N'Roll Soldiers" audio sample:

Californian rockers WARRANT will release their new album, "Rockaholic", in North America on May 17 via Frontiers Records. At the helm of the CD is mega-producer Keith Olsen (OZZY OSBOURNE, WHITESNAKE, SCORPIONS), with the mixing duties having been handled by Pat Regan (KISS, DEEP PURPLE, TED NUGENT).

"Rockaholic" track listing:

01. Sex Ain't Love
02. Innocence Gone
03. Snake
04. Dusty's Revenge
05. Home
06. What Love Can Do
07. Life's A Song
08. Show Must Go On
09. Cocaine Freight Train
10. Found Forever
11. Candy Man
12. Sunshine
13. Tears In The City
14. The Last Straw

British metal legends JUDAS PRIEST have announced that original guitarist K.K. Downing has formally retired from the band and will therefore not be joining them on their forthcoming Epitaph Tour. The remaining members of the band respect his decision and naturally all wish him well. Having thought long and hard about how to proceed, singer Rob Halford, guitarist Glenn Tipton, bassist Ian Hill and drummer Scott Travis unanimously agreed that they should go ahead with the tour and not let fans around the world down.

Fate also stepped in and delivered the perfect replacement — 31 year-old British guitar player Richie Faulkner, He has blended into the band perfectly and is a great talent who is going to set the stage on fire, according to a press release.

The Epitaph Tour will include songs from every PRIEST studio album and also tracks that they have never before performed on stage plus all the old favorites.

With a new album due to be released next year, the "metal gods" are preparing to tour the planet once more. Heavy metal at its best complete with lasers, lights, bikes and hellfire! It's a show not to be missed!

When questioned about his plans for the future after PRIEST completes its previously announced farewell tour, Downing recently said, "To be perfectly honest I have not given any thought as to possible case scenarios after the final tour. At the moment though I feel that PRIEST has played its part in music history and feel very proud to have achieved what we have. So there is a good positive feeling inside me and, of course, I feel very indebted to the fans all over the world. As for the future, we probably need the help of Nostradamus."

ANGTORIA vocalist / ex-CRADLE OF FILTH backing vocalist Sarah Jezebel Deva, who recently completed work on her new solo album The Corruption Of Mercy, has announced that a July release is in planning. Label details will be revealed soon.

'No Paragon Of Virtue'
'The World Won't Hold Your Hand'
'A Matter Of Convenience'
'Silence Please'
'Zombie'
'Pretty With Effects'
'What Lies Before You'
'Sirens'
'The Eyes That Lie'
'The Corruption Of Mercy'

Norwegian gothic metal band THEATRE OF TRAGEDY's Last Curtain Call DVD/CD set and two-CD is due out on May 20th and features 18 tracks spanning the band's entire career. The concert film will have a running time of 94 minutes and will include a half hour On The Road movie from the last tour of the band, footage from the last ever rehearsal 01.10.10 (with fans attending) as well as in-depth interviews with all band members shot in January 2011. The concert film will feature both stereo and 5.1 surround sound. Audio was mixed by Alex Møklebust and mastered by Chris Sansom at Propeller Mastering. In addition there will be a live CD included with the bands pick of their live favorites.

A DVD teaser has been released and can be viewed below:

Reunited Los Angeles heavy metal legends MALICE have recruited journeyman metal lead singer James Rivera to front the band. James is the singer and driving force behind HELSTAR, and has been "the guy" for bands like VICIOUS RUMORS, SEVEN WITCHES and FLOTSAM AND JETSAM on numerous albums and world tours.

MALICE is currently rehearsing in Los Angeles and will soon to head to Europe in to co-headline the Keep It True festival in Germany on April 30 and play in Switzerland at Rock City (near Zurich) on May 1.

The band released an album titled "The Rare And Unreleased" last year on Retrospect Records in is hard at work on new material for its long-awaited new studio CD.

GUNS N' ROSES guitarist Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal recently told RockAAA that he believes there has never been a better time to be a musician and that the secret to success without the backing of a traditional record label lies in offering fans something different.

"I've been preaching that gospel since the '90s — labels can't survive without bands, but bands can survive without labels, so why would you want to sell your soul to the entity that needs you more than you need it?" he said. "Especially now when anyone can have worldwide distribution. You can do it all as simple as with a CDBaby.com account and a Facebook page. The Internet has levelled the playing field, we've all been given the same-size gun. The only that separates us now is how well you shoot.

"The album used to be the nucleus, now the parts have shifted — the music is still important but the personal connection is more central.

"CD sales have declined due to technology mostly, there's more convenient ways to get your music and faster bandwidth is allowing for better quality. Although nothing beats having something real in your hands, something with printed art, something that opens, something like LED ZEPPELIN 'III' with the spinning wheel, 'Sticky Fingers' with the zipper, 'Magical Mystery Tour' with the booklet. Now those things come separate from the music, as merch, for those who want them. We have more options today, that's why CD sales have declined."

U.K. modern cutting-edge orchestral metal band XERATH will release its sophomore album, simply titled "II", in North America on May 3 via Candlelight Records. The follow-up to 2009's "I" is described in a press release as "a huge and fully refined slab of XERATH's unique sound from the production genius of Jacob Hansen (ABORTED, PESTILENCE, TYR, HATESPHERE) at Hansen studios [in Ribe, Denmark]. XERATH have combined the most brutal and technical elements of modern extreme metal to offer you something massive, cinematic, heavy, groovy and ultimately epic beyond compare."

"II" includes cover artwork by Colin Marks (STRAPPING YOUNG LAD, NEVERMORE, SCAR SYMMETRY). It features a guest appearance by Emil Werstler (DAATH).

You can now stream "II" in its entirety at this location.

XERATH's debut album was released on May 25, 2009 via Candlelight Records. The CD was mixed in France by Brett Caldas-Lima (CYNIC)

Former NIGHTWISH frontwoman Tarja Turunen will release a new digital-only single, "Underneath", on April 22. The three-song single will be made available Austria, Switzerland, Russia, Poland, Finland, Sweden, Ukraine, France and U.K. It includes two unreleased versions of the beautiful ballad "Underneath" plus a non-album track in Spanish language.

"Underneath" track listing:

01. Underneath (radio mix)
02. Underneath (orchestral mix)
03. Montañas De Silencio

In North America, the single will be released on May 24 as an exclusive limited edition seven-inch vinyl with two tracks: "Underneath" (radio mix) and "Underneath" (orchestral mix).

Paul Rodgers (BAD COMPANY, FREE, QUEEN) has been added to the list of artists who will contribute versions of songs by Paul McCartney for a new covers album.

THE BEATLES legend is putting together a compilation of his best-known tracks as performed by some of his favorite musicians, including Billy Joel, KISS, THE CURE, Garth Brooks and B.B. King. He has hand-picked the acts he wants to take part in the project and even reportedly arranged for his son James to duet on THE CURE's contribution to the record.

KISS recorded a version of "Venus And Mars/Rock Show" for the set, with the backing tracks all having been recorded by Paul McCartney's touring band. KISS said in a statement, "We consider it an honor to be asked to participate on a tribute to one of the most influential and greatest singer/songwriters of all time. Not to mention, a major force in the most important band of all time, THE BEATLES. Wow!"

"Madman", the new single from DJERV — the Norwegian band featuring singer Agnete Kjølsrud of ANIMAL ALPHA, drummer Erlend Gjerde of STONEGARD and WARDRUNA and guitarist Stian Kårstad of TRELLDOM — is available for free download at this location. The song comes off the group's debut album, which will be released in June via Indie Recordings (except in Poland and Czech Republic, where the CD will be made available through Mystic Production).

DJERV consist of the three core members — Agnete Kjølsrud, Stian Kårstad and Erlend Gjerde. The lineup is completed by guitarist Stamos Koliousis from MENCEA and bassist Victor Brandt from ENTOMBED, who join them for their live performances.

DJERV spent most part of the fall of 2010 working on its debut album, which is set to be released in the summer of 2011. The album was engineered by Daniel Bergstrand (IN FLAMES, MESHUGGAH) in Oslo, before the band traveled to Los Angeles to team up with Grammy Award-winning producer Matt Hyde (SLAYER, HATEBREED, MONSTER MAGNET) to work on the mix. The effort was mastered by Tom Baker at Precision Mastering, and it was written and produced in its entirety by DJERV.

"Normally it takes me like 30 seconds to figure out how to mix an album, to decide what sound I'm going for, as the inspiration of the band is so obvious to spot out. But when listening to the DJERV album, I had no obvious direction on the mix as their music is truly unique. It's absolutely awesome and it's totally different from anything else I've heard in a long, long time. Working with a singer at Agnete's level is truly rewarding and something one very rarely get to do. Her control, range and performance is stunning — not to mention the great lyrics! She is definitely one of THE best singers I've had the pleasure working with, and I really hope I get to do it again."

Drummer Erlend Gjerde comments: "We tried to explore the borderlines between rock, metal and on some tracks there are more or less obvious black metal references. The overall sound is quite stripped down, groove-oriented and melodic, yet it has those cold black metal-influenced riffs accompanying the dark moods of the music . We are very happy with the way it turned out, now it's just the painful wait of hearing what everybody else thinks. Fingers crossed it go down well."

DJERV's story is short but eventful. The first demos surfaced early 2010, and two weeks later they were booked for the most important festival in Norway, the Oya festival. They went on to tour Norway in June and played several of the bigger Norwegian festivals during the summer. In August they released the "Headstone" EP which basically is their first-ever recorded demo tracks made available as people kept demanding to get to hear them not only on MySpace. The release of the "Headstone" EP generated some good press for the band several key magazines featured them as one of the bands to keep an eye out for in 2011. In addition, DIMMU BORGIR helped promote DJERV when they invited Agnete to participate on no less than three songs for their latest album, "Abrahadabra". Among them the lead track of the album, "Gateways", the video for which also features Agnete.

Brazilian/American thrashers SEPULTURA were joined by the Orquestra Experimental de Repertório (conducted by Jamil Maluf) during their appearance this past Saturday night (April 16) at the Virada Cultural festival in São Paulo, Brazil. Special arrangements were made and songs that were never played before by SEPULTURA were performed at this concert. The band appeared at 11 p.m. on a stage located right in front of 110-year-old Luz train station in downtown São Paulo.

Video footage of the "Roots Bloody Roots" performance from the Virada Cultural concert can be viewed below.

SEPULTURA's management has informed BLABBERMOUTH.NET that the band's Virada Cultural show was professionally filmed and recorded for a forthcoming CD/DVD release.

Multinational heavy metallers POWERWOLF will release a deluxe vinyl box set entitled "Trinity In Black" on May 6 via Metal Blade Records. The box set includes the three albums "Return In Bloodred", "Lupus Dei" and "Bible Of The Beast" on black 180-gram vinyl; a bonus 10-inch red 180-gram vinyl with four rare tracks; exclusive A2 poster; eight-page full-size booklet; hand numbered collector's certificate; and exclusive woven patch.

SKYFORGER was honored in the "Best Rock Album" category at the 15th annual Gada Balva ceremony (the Latvian equivalent to the Grammy Awards) for the band's "Kurbads" album, originally released on Metal Blade Records in April 2010.

The largest and oldest Latvian music awards show was held February 22, 2011 at the National Theatre in Riga, Latvia and was broadcast live on the Latvian channel TV3.

This marked the first time when a metal band was given this prestigious Latvian music industry award.

In other news, SKYFORGER was honored in the "Best Metal Album" and "Best Metal Band" categories on March 18 at the Latvian Metal Music Awards, organized by the local metal community, with the results determined via an online vote by Latvian metal fans .

Also on the SKYFORGER front, the band has parted ways with guitarist Martins, who has been busy with a new job and could not make the band a priority. His replacement is Egons, who is also member of world famous Latvian post-folk band ILGI. Egons is said to be a professional musician who also works as a producer and recording studio engineer. SKYFORGER states, "Egons has great work attitude and band is already busy working on a new songs."

Danish metal rock 'n' rollers VOLBEAT have issued the following update:

"Due to recent developments, our bassist and friend Anders Kjølholm has taken a necessary break from the U.S. tour and returned home to Denmark to be with his family. Everyone is doing well, and we ask that you understand this is a personal matter and give Anders and his family the privacy they need. Filling in for Anders and pulling double duty will be our good friend Josh Newton from THE DAMNED THINGS (and EVERY TIME I DIE). We want to thank Josh and THE DAMNED THINGS camp for stepping up and helping us out."