Less than a year after he joined the band, bassist Hal Patino (KING DIAMOND) has announced his departure from Danish hard rockers PRETTY MAIDS. He tells BLABBERMOUTH.NET in an e-mail, "I want to thank everybody for their fantastic support in the past year. Further statement (explanation) on my leaving PRETTY MAIDS will be given shortly." He adds, "2011/2012, I will be busy working/playing with MARYANN COTTON [the band fronted by Hal's son. — Ed.] and KING DIAMOND. Next month I'll be doing four shows in New York and one in Gothenburg, Sweden."

In other news, Patino will perform with the KING DIAMOND tribute band THEM at the following shows:

May 13 - The Crazy Donkey, Farmingdale NY (supporting FASTER PUSSYCAT)
May 14 - Dingbatz, Clifton, NJ
May 19 - The Gramercy Theater, New York, NY
May 20 - The Chance Theater, Poughkeepsie, NY

Patino made his live debut with PRETTY MAIDS on May 8, 2010 in Aalborg, Denmark.

PRETTY MAIDS' latest album, "Pandemonium", was released on June 8, 2010 in the U.S. via Frontiers Records.

The second in a series of trailers for "You Only Live Twice", the seventh album from PAIN, the Swedish industrial metal outfit led by musician and producer Peter Tägtgren, can be viewed below. The CD will be released on June 3 via Nuclear Blast Records.

"You Only Live Twice" final track listing:

01. Let Me Out
02. Feed The Demons
03. The Great Pretender
04. You Only Live Twice
05. Dirty Woman
06. We Want More
07. Leave Me Alone
08. Monster
09. Season Of The Reaper

Multinational heavy metallers POWERWOLF have finished recording their as-yet-untitled fourth album. This time the pack invaded none less than five studios and two churches to get their latest metal hymns in shape!

In total, more than 70 people participated in the genesis of the follow-up to 2009's "Bible Of The Beast". Guitarist Matthew Greywolf comments: "Halelujah, it's done! After countless days of struggle, we have finally finished the work on the upcoming album. Still hard to believe the recording-crusade has come to an end — but holding the result in hands we feel more than proud and satisfied. We can promise you a goddamn great piece of wolfish metal insanity!"

The new POWERWOLF CD will be released in July — right in time for the band's live celebrations at Germany's Summer Breeze and Slovenia's Metalcamp festivals.

BLOOD MORTIZED — the Swedish death metal band featuring former AMON AMARTH guitarist Anders "Hansson" Biazzi (who played on AMON AMARTH's first two albums, 1996's "Sorrow Throughout The Nine Worlds" and 1998's "Once Sent From The Golden Hall") and CRYPT OF KERBEROS drummer Mattias Borgh — has inked a deal with Chaos Records for the release of the group's "Bestial" EP. The effort was recorded, mixed, mastered and produced by drummer Mattias Borgh at Underworld Recording in Sweden. The four-song EP features artwork by Thomas Kynst and Daniel Devilish and is slated for a June/July 2011 release on both CD and vinyl format.

Commented Borgh: "We are very pleased to work with Chaos Records on this release. They are the perfect label for this EP and we can't wait for the underground monsters around the globe to able to get their filthy hands on the equally filthy 'Bestial' EP!"

"Bestial" EP track listing:

01. Bestial
02. Of Dust and Doom
03. Shadows of the Quarter Sun
04. Rekviem

Seattle progressive rockers QUEENSRŸCHE will release their twelfth studio album, "Dedicated To Chaos", on June 28 in North America via Loud & Proud Records, a Roadrunner Records imprint focusing on established artists. The band is currently planning a tour in support of the new opus, which was recorded in the group's hometown and produced by Kelly Gray.

Check out the CD cover artwork below.

When asked about the overall musical direction of the material on "Dedicated To Chaos", Tate recently told Paul Anthony of U.K.'s Rock Radio, "It's kind of like an 'Empire' record set 25 years in the future. [Laughs] It's a very listenable record, I think. I think people will find it interesting to listen to on headphones, especially. There's a lot going on with it. And there's definitely an emphasis on the rhythm section. Eddie [Jackson, bass] and Scott [Rockenfield, drums] have written a lot of the songs on this particular record, so it really showcases what they do, which is something very special."

He added, "This record is definitely a boundary-pusher in a lot of respects, I think. It's always difficult to describe music; it's better to experience it. So I'll let people hear it and make up their own minds."

In a 2010 interview with Attention Deficit Delirium, QUEENSRŸCHE drummer Scott Rockenfield revealed that the band's upcoming CD is taking the quintet in some new directions.

"I add a lot of film score elements or sound effects [into my drum work], especially on the new thing we’re working on right now," Rockenfield said. "Geoff and I have really spent a lot of time together redesigning the QUEENSRŸCHE thing, which you're going to love. It's huge rock but with a great dance vibe to it, real modern dance. It's kind of like 'Rage' ['For Order'] through a time tunnel, bringing it into the now. There are a lot of electronic elements to it. It's a big rock thing that is going to have a lot of color to it — it's good and really intense."

Regarding whether the new QUEENSRŸCHE album is a conceptual effort, Tate said, "In a sense, it is. It's a very contemporary record.

He continued, "'Empire' was a record of the time. Rock music was really the music of the times in 1990. Unfortunately, rock music isn't the music of the times anymore — it's very underground.

"What we're doing with this record is we're taking the 'Empire' song structure, in a sense, where it's very strong songs, very melodic, but we kind of restructured the rhythm section, and Scott's done an amazing job on restructuring that — him and Eddie [Jackson, bass] have just really gone to town, and they've made it very contemporary-sounding.

"These days, in comparison to the old days, people used to sit in their houses and listen to music right in the front room on their stereo system. People don't do that anymore. They plug in and they're mobile and they're moving and they're doing stuff and the music, they're listening to it as they're doing stuff. This music has that feel. It's very contemporary in the sense that it's very rhythmatic. The rhythm structure kind of reflects the way modern life is — we're all busy, we're all doing stuff. And Scott being the incredible drummer that he is, the various time signatures, the feel of the record, it's now — it's very, very now."

Finnish metal/hard rock outfit AMORAL has completed work on its fifth studio album. "Beneath" was recorded at Sound Supreme studios in Hämeenlinna, Finland, and was produced by Janne Saksa and guitarist Ben Varon. The CD will be released in late 2011, with the first single out by the beginning of summer.

"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.

"Masi is such a talent, it would have been a crime to make him 'just' the rhythm guitarist," Ben explains. "It's been killer to be able to do lead trade-off for the first time in the band's history, for example. Masi is responsible for many of the guitar highlights of the album."

The band documented the recording of "Beneath" in their studio blog, which was updated daily during the session. You can check out the blog at this location.

AMORAL will end its months-long break from playing live by doing a one-off show at On The Rocks in Helsinki on June 3. The idea is to break in the new guitarist, as well as try out several brand new songs onstage for the first time.

PAUL McCARTNEY has hooked up his son JAMES with THE CURE in a dream collaboration for the lad.

That's got to make up for all those years of Macca saying "cool" and "man" in front of his son's mates.

The BEATLES legend is making a new album featuring covers of his own solo material and WINGS tracks.

Paul has been asking famous mates to contribute to the record, but is also keen to have the next generation of musical McCartneys on board.

A source said: "James was over the moon at playing with The Cure. He's always been a big fan. They all went into a studio in Sussex and hung out together.

"Over the years, ROBERT SMITH and Macca's paths have crossed countless times and he is chuffed having The Cure pay tribute to him."

Other artists contributing to the covers album include KISS and BILLY JOEL.

Veteran all-girl metal outfit KITTIE will enter Beach Road Studios in Goderich, Ontario, Canada next week to begin work on its as-yet-untitled sixth album for a summer release via eOne Music. The band will once again work with producer Siegfried "Siggy" Meier, who helmed KITTIE's last CD, 2009's "In The Black".

Commented KITTIE guitarist/vocalist Morgan Lander: "We have been working exceptionally hard these cold winter months, crafting what is to be our six full-length release, and our second for eOne. In some cases these new songs are faster, darker and much more sinister than our previous release. It contains some of the most difficult and personal subject matter I have had the pleasure (or displeasure) of writing."

Added Meier: "The girls have written some incredible and personal songs this time around. They're heavy as shit and relentless. It's a pleasure and an honor to be doing another record with one of the best metal bands of our time."

KITTIE's performance video for the song "My Plague" can be viewed below. The track comes off "In The Black", which sold around 3,400 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 132 on The Billboard 200 chart.

Seminal grindcore/extreme metal outfit BRUTAL TRUTH (Kevin Sharp: vocals, Dan Lilker: bass, Richard Hoak: drums, Erik Burke: guitar) has completed work on its brand new full-length album, "End Time", with Doug White at Watchmen Studios in Lockport, New York. The self-produced CD was mixed by Jason P.C. at Goatsound Studios and is currently being mastered by Scott Hull at Visceral Sound. Songtitles set to appear on "End Time" include: "Celebratory Gunfire", "Crawling Man Blues", "Old World Order", "Killing Planet Earth", "Gut-Check", "Addicted", "Drink Up", and "Control Room". A late summer release via Relapse Records is expected.

"Evolution Through Revolution", the first full-length album in 10 years from BRUTAL TRUTH, sold around 1,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release, according to Nielsen SoundScan. The CD debuted at No. 65 on the Top New Artist Albums (Heatseekers) chart, which lists the best-selling albums by new and developing artists, defined as those who have never appeared in the Top 100 of The Billboard 200.

BRUTAL TRUTH released the "Evolution In One Take: For Grindfreaks Only! Volume 2" CD on December 22, 2009 via Relapse Records.

"Evolution In One Take…" is an audio recording of the band playing the "Evolution Through Revolution" album from beginning to end in one live take at Mark It Zero studios with engineer Dan O'Hare.

Irish pagan metal masters PRIMORDIAL will release their new album, "Redemption At The Puritan's Hand", on April 26 via Metal Blade Records.

"Redemption At The Puritan's Hand" track listing:

01. No Grave Deep Enough
02. Lain With The Wolf
03. Bloodied Yet Unbowed
04. God's Old Snake
05. The Mouth Of Judas
06. The Black Hundred
07. The Puritan's Hand
08. Death Of The Gods

The song "No Grave Deep Enough" is now available for streaming at this location.

According to Rockville Music Magazine, METALLICA has allowed the use of its music in "Hesher", the upcoming independent movie starring Joseph Gordon-Levitt, Rainn Wilson, and Natalie Portman. Avid METALLICA fans will also instantly take note of the font used on the "Hesher" movie poster. In addition, the trailer for the film, which is due on May 13, includes a snippet of METALLICA's song "The Shortest Straw".

Part drama and part dark comedy, "Hesher"'s storyline revolves around a father and son suffer a tremendous tragedy and struggle to heal. Their mourning period is interrupted by Hesher (Joseph Gordon-Levitt), a long-haired, havoc-wreaking stranger who infiltrates their lives in uncomfortable ways.

After playing at last year's Sundance Film Festival, "Hesher" — which was written and directed by Spencer Susser — made its way to the South By Southwest festival in Austin, Texas this past March.

Commented Gordon-Levitt: "I loved making this movie, and I love how it turned out. It's hilarious, but it's not just funny, it's smart, it's sad, it's hopeful, it's heartfelt, and it fuckin' rocks.

"Natalie decided to produce Spencer's script for a reason, and by the way her character's nothing like you've seen her.

"Devin, the protagonist, is a truly talented young actor.

"Rainn gave a legit no-joke badass dramatic performance.

"And, I'm humbled to say, METALLICA themselves liked it so much they gave us their music, they never give their stuff to movies!

"Now this really is an 'indie' film, meaning it's being independently released without any huge corporations behind the marketing and advertising and all that jazz. '500 Days Of Summer' had that 'indie' spirit, but it was put out by Fox Searchlight who has tons of resources to spread the word. 'Hesher''s just got us. So pass it around!"

METALLICA's songs "Welcome Home (Sanitarium)", "Orion" and "The Call Of Ktulu" were prominently featured in the documentary film "Paradise Lost: The Child Murders At Robin Hood Hills", which marked the first significant use of the band's music in feature films. The follow-up film, "Paradise Lost 2: Revelations" also uses the song "Fixxxer". The group's music can also be heard it "Absent", a documentary film focusing on the worldwide crisis of absent fathers. In "Absent", METALLICA frontman James Hetfield provides an intimate look at the painful impact left on his life after his father, Virgil, abandoned his family when James was only 13.

"Fight Fear Kill", the brand new video from UNITED, one of the forerunners of the Japanese thrash metal scene, can be viewed below. The song comes off the band's ninth album, "Tear Of Illusions", which will be released on April 20 via Spiritual Beast. The group's first CD in almost six years was co-produced by UNITED's longtime collaborator Tetsuji "Tetsu666" Yamada and features the band's Kuwait-born trilingual singer Ken-Shin.

On May 31, music fans will have their first taste of reissues from rock icon OZZY OSBOURNE's catalog of work with the releases of two albums which form the cornerstone of Ozzy Osbourne's career as a solo artist: "Blizzard of Ozz" and "Diary of a Madman" (Epic Records/Legacy Recordings). Long revered by rock fans around the world, these two albums created a template for hard rock in the 1980s and beyond as they were marked by the ground-breaking and historic union of Ozzy and the late guitar hero Randy Rhoads. These definitive versions of 1980's "Blizzard of Ozz" (with previously unreleased bonus tracks) and 1981's "Diary of a Madman" are available individually on vinyl or CD, or together in a deluxe collector's box. All versions were restored and remastered from the original analog sources by George Marino.

The 30th-anniversary edition of "Blizzard of Ozz" CD includes the original album in its entirety, restored and remastered for this edition, with bonus tracks, while the new legacy edition of "Diary of a Madman" includes the original album in its entirety, restored and remastered for this edition, with a bonus second CD of previously unreleased live performances featuring Ozzy Osbourne and Randy Rhoads with rhythm section Rudy Sarzo (bass) and Tommy Aldridge (drums). A single-disc version of the remastered "Diary of a Madman" will also be available.

For serious fans and collectors, the limited edition 30th-anniversary deluxe boxed set houses the restored and remastered vinyl and CD editions of "Blizzard of Ozz" and "Diary of a Madman", the "Ozzy Live" compact disc. Beyond the music, the box set is highlighted by a variety of exclusives including an expansive 100-page coffee table book, a two-sided wall-size poster, a precise and detailed full-size replica of Ozzy's iconic gold cross that he has worn for 30 years, and "Thirty Years After The Blizzard" DVD.

This new "Thirty Years After The Blizzard" DVD chronicles Ozzy's years with Randy Rhoads features previously unseen footage of Ozzy and Randy filmed in 1981 and 1982; it incorporates rare archival photos and films; along with new and revelatory interviews with Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne, Lemmy (MOTÖRHEAD), Steve Vai, Nikki Sixx, Rob Halford, Zakk Wylde, Bill Ward and more. The DVD also contains over 70 minutes of additional rare live performances and interviews; included is the premiere of more than 30 minutes of newly-discovered never-bootlegged footage of Ozzy and Randy from the "Blizzard of Ozz" tour shot from the front of the stage at New York's fabled Palladium on May 2, 1981. This new feature is a must-see for aficionados of Ozzy's epic release "Blizzard of Ozz" and its pivotal effect on rock and roll history.

"Blizzard Of Ozz" (30th Anniversary Expanded Edition)

01. I Don't Know (5:13)
02. Crazy Train (4:51)
03. Goodbye To Romance (5:33)
04. Dee (0:49)
05. Suicide Solution (4:17)
06. Mr. Crowley (5:02)
07. No Bone Movies (3:52)
08. Revelation (Mother Earth) (6:08)
09. Steal Away (The Night) (3:28)

Bonus tracks

10. You Looking At Me, Looking At You (Non-LP B-Side, Previously Unreleased in the U.S.) (4:15)
11. Goodbye To Romance (2010 Guitar & Vocal Mix, Previously Unreleased) (5:42)
12. RR (Previously Unreleased – Randy Rhoads guitar solo) (1:13)

"Diary Of A Madman" (Legacy Edition)

Disc 1:

01. Over The Mountain (4:31)
02. Flying High Again (4:44)
03. You Can't Kill Rock And Roll (6:59)
04. Believer (5:15)
05. Little Dolls (5:39)
06. Tonight (5:50)
07. S.A.T.O. (4:07)
08. Diary Of A Madman (6:14)

Disc 2:

Ozzy Live (recorded on the "Blizzard of Ozz" tour)

01. I Don't Know
02. Crazy Train
03. Believer
04. Mr. Crowley
05. Flying High Again
06. Revelation (Mother Earth)
07. Steal Away (The Night)
08. Suicide Solution
09. Iron Man
10. Children Of The Grave
11. Paranoid

"Diary of a Madman"/"Blizzard of Ozz" 30th Anniversary Deluxe Box Set

Box Set Includes:

* "Blizzard Of Ozz" (30th Anniversary Expanded Edition)
* "Diary Of A Madman" (Legacy Edition)
* "Blizzard Of Ozz" (180-gram LP — original album only)
* "Diary Of A Madman" (180-gram LP — original album only)

DVD — contains "Thirty Years After The Blizzard" documentary — and additional rare and unreleased performances and interviews.

An Ozzy Osbourne interview snippet taken from the "Thirty Years After The Blizzard" documentary can be seen below.

Bob Daisley, who played bass on the first two solo albums by Ozzy Osbourne, said in a 2010 interview with his web site that he has not been contacted about the 30th-anniversary editions of those records. The tracks played by Daisley and drummer Lee Kerslake on both albums — 1980's "Blizzard Of Ozz" and 1981's "Diary Of A Madman" — were replaced on a previous reissue after Daisley and Kerslake sued Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne over royalties.

Daisley told the web site, "Neither Lee nor I have been contacted, considered or consulted in the decision to re-release the original recordings. I haven't a clue as to what the 'bonus material' might be. As for royalties, we have not been approached for a reconciliation and have been offered and promised nothing."

Ozzy told The Pulse of Radio he was against the idea of replacing the original tracks when he found out about it. "Believe me, it wasn't my doing," he said. "I mean, I didn't know that was being done, 'cause Sharon was fighting all the legal things that were going down at the time. I said, 'What did you do that for?' And she said, 'The only way I could stop everything was if it went to that level.' And I said, 'You know what, whatever the circumstances were, I want the original thing back.' I mean, I wouldn't have done that."

The replacement tracks were played by current METALLICA bassist Robert Trujillo and FAITH NO MORE drummer Mike Bordin.

Daisley says that he and Kerslake were fired because of disagreements with Sharon over a number of things, including refusing to do two shows in one day out of worry that Ozzy would blow out his voice.

Ozzy's latest solo album, "Scream" came out at the end of June 2010.

The short version of a trailer for the upcoming reissues of "Blizzard of Ozz" and "Diary of a Madman" can be viewed below.

NIGHTWISH mainman Tuomas Holopainen has issued the following studio update:

"Time to add the final touches for Imaginarium while waiting for Anette to get well. This means the celtic magic of Mr. Troy Donockley with his pipes and bodhran, the smoking fingers of Mr. Pekka Kuusisto with his violin and some additional percussion & tribal drums.

I picked up Troy at the airport on Saturday night while Jukka and Kai (Hahto) were generating some new percussive ideas and boozing at Petrax. When we returned they had already nailed all tambourines, shaman drums etc. Satisfied with the day`s work we celebrated the Cumbrian - Carelian Dead Poets` reunion by entering the realm of the ultimate alchemic magic potion called Salmari. Jari (Sinkkonen of Kotiteollisuus) also joined us during the night to do a new tattoo for Jukka.

It took one and a half days for Troy to record his pipes and bodhran. He even ended up doing some singing in one of the songs, which was a killer of a last-minute-idea. This particular tune has grown up to be one of the highlights of the whole album. Saturday evening was filled with the much anticipated Troy`s magic show, sauna and a Youtube medley consisting some of our all-time faves like the ultimate tenor fail, cat vs. printer with translation, Sony releasing a stupid piece of shit that doesn`t f...ing work, etc.

Pekka`s violin virtuosity stunned us once again when he joined us on Monday night to play a couple of leads. His hand-written notes make medical doctors` prescriptions look like Rembrandt`s art. A true genius of a musician with a big heart.

A huge thanks and eternal gratitude to all of you fellow imagineers contributing to this album! A special appreciation goes to Tiina and Petri, our studio hosts, caretakers and dear friends at Petrax.

At the moment we are recording Anette`s vocals, seven songs done so far. She hasn`t quite cured from her broken ribs yet but fortunately it doesn`t affect her singing at all. She`s never sounded better. Time to enter the lair of Mr. Karmila now and start devouring song number eight."

Holed up in Finland's Petrax Studios for the better part of this spring, Nightwish's' new album, Imaginarium, is scheduled to be released early in 2012, followed by the movie after an indefinite time. The first single off the album as well as the trailer for the movie should appear well before the end of the 2011.

Former DREAM THEATER drummer Mike Portnoy recently spoke to AOL's Noisecreep about new projects, including new band with SYMPHONY X's Russell Allen on vocals, Mike Orlando on guitar, and Paul DiLeo on bass; his work with Steve Morse, Neal Morse, Casey McPherson and Dave LaRue; and his involvement with Neal Morse's latest solo album, "Testimony 2".

"[This] has been an unbelievably productive year for me so far," Portnoy told Noisecreep. "It's only April and I've already recorded three different albums with three different projects and artists, as well as having done a string of U.S. shows with my BEATLES tribute band with Paul Gilbert. I'm enjoying spreading my musical wings and collaborating with so many talented friends and musicians that I admire. My musical taste has always been so broad, and I'm loving tapping into so many different areas and styles."

On his new band with SYMPHONY X's Russell Allen on vocals, Mike Orlando on guitar, and Paul DiLeo on bass:

"[It's] something I'm very excited about. It's super hard-hitting, with strong, slamming tunes, with riffs as big as Zakk [Wylde] and Dime, and vocals as big as Dio. I think this album can make a huge splash in the hard rock and metal scene! I can't wait to hit the road with this baby!"

On his work with Steve Morse, Neal Morse, Casey McPherson and Dave LaRue:

"[It] is filled with some great pop/alternative/singer-songwriter influences, but, of course, rounded out with great playing and musicianship."

On other projects he has planned for the rest of the year:

"I also have a few other exciting things in the works for the summer and beyond. I will continue to plant all of these musical seeds and watch them all grow like a proud farmer."

AOL's Noisecreep recently spoke with guitarist/vocalist Adam "Nergal" Darski of Polish extreme metallers BEHEMOTH about his health issues, his experiences battling leukemia, and how that has influenced the writing of his forthcoming record. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

Noisecreep: So how did you originally discover something was wrong with you? Do you remember the first signs of the illness?

Nergal: I found out that I was sick in the hospital when the diagnosis came. It was in August [2010], but the symptoms came approximately two months prior to when I was diagnosed with leukemia. The symptoms were I had bumps all over my head. Everywhere where my hair was I has like this skin infection or something underneath my fingers. I thought it was a skin infection or skin disease or allergy or something. I had no clue. I left for a tour and it wouldn't disappear. It was still there. I felt fine but I was playing shows every day. I was drinking alcohol. Everything was fine. This time, I would have diarrhea pretty much all that time. I would lose weight but I was in good spirits all the time. It was weird. After that, because of the concerts starting, I started having breathing problems and started sweating like a pig. Two days before I officially got to the hospital it was pretty disastrous.

Noisecreep: Does this whole experience seem surreal to you, that you got a clean bill of health while other patients may not?

Nergal: To be honest, for some reason, I was aware. Everything was so great [for me]. I know there were people dying and people leaving in black body bags. I saw that. With the others being there, it could happen to anyone there, but everyone else's health cases are different. For some reason, I had to find strength, and in my case it's going to be not as heavy and not as dangerous as others. I had this faith and I never questioned it. I never doubted that. On one hand, I'm relatively young when this happened to me. I was in really good shape because my whole life I've been taking good care of myself. I was never a heavy drinker or doing drugs. I was doing sports. Probably if it had been a different person, [there may be] more damage and may go probably the other way. I'm saying I had one hundred percent faith and I was aware that everything was so great. I was making plans for BEHEMOTH. I've been working... not every day... but constantly I've been working on new projects... a DVD and a book and doing some interviews here and there. I tried to make plans. That's me thriving through the whole process. Stay there and be decadent. Stay there in the hospital and go, "Let's see what happens. Let's see what doom brings." No fuckin' way! It's myself who determines my doom. That's how I see it.

Noisecreep: During this time, your fanbase really came together for you.

Nergal: It was crazy. I never expected that. I don't expect massive feedback from people. I'm not that egotistic like when I get sick, everyone's going to help me out. Let's see what happens. If I mean something to people, they're going to help me out. They're going to give me support. I'm not that arrogant to say that everyone's going to support me. I was fucking shocked! All the metal community would help me out and gave me strength. It definitely kept me motivated during this hard time. It meant a lot.

Noisecreep: When do you resume playing shows?

Nergal: We're doing some shows in Poland in October. I'm excited about it. We're probably doing some Asian and Australian dates around December. Full-on European and U.S. headlining tours are planned for spring 2012. Get ready. It's going to be a full-on tour. We need to complete the "Evangelion" cycle and then we start recording the next record. We're not rushing. We want to make sure that the comeback tour is planned with pyro and the craziness. BEHEMOTH is better than before!

Polish musician Pawel Maciwoda, who has been the bassist for German hard rock veterans SCORPIONS since 2003, revealed during a brand new interview with the "Dzien Dobry TVN" show on Polish TV (see video below) that the band will enter the studio in the fall to record a collection of re-recorded versions of SCORPIONS classics. The CD is tentatively due early next year.

"Sting In The Tail", the latest album from SCORPIONS, sold 18,500 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 23 on The Billboard 200 chart. This marks the band's highest chart debut in over 20 years. The CD also landed at No. 6 on the Rock Albums chart.

"Sting In The Tail" was released in North America on March 23, 2010 via Universal Music Enterprises. The CD was recorded at a studio in Hannover, Germany with Swedish producers Mikael "Nord" Andersson and Martin Hansen (the team behind THE RASMUS' "Dead Letters" CD).

SCORPIONS bassist Pawe? M?ciwoda was interviewed by Polish morning show Dzie? Dobry TVN (Good Morning TVN) recently. The interview can be viewed below on YouTube. An english translation follows:

Dzie? Dobry TVN: The Scorpions are on a massive Farewell Tour right now.

M?ciwoda: "Yes, we play concerts in the whole world so we need a lot of time to visit these all continents. The Scorpions never played in Australia and I guess it's every member's of the band dream to visit this continent."

Dzie? Dobry TVN: At the beginning of 2010 you announced your retire. Some bands make it to attract fans to the shows and I think there's something about it because it's rumored that the next album is ready.

M?ciwoda: "Yes, the album will be recorded in the autumn and will be released this year. It's the album with the old Scorpions's hits that we're recording anew. This is the plan."

Dzie? Dobry TVN: So is it the end or not?

M?ciwoda: "Generally yes, but as I have already said we need the time, a year or two, to visit these all countries and We want to visit the countries, where we have already played, once more."




Dzie? Dobry TVN: You were at Gorbachev's birthday party. Well, the Russians like hard rock bands.

M?ciwoda: "Scorpions was one of the first rock band from the West that did a concert tour of USSR. We opened the door of the rock music in the East."

Dzie? Dobry TVN: Was the direct cause of this invitation 'Wind Of Change' song?

M?ciwoda: "Yes, Gorbachev invited Scorpions to Kremlin and they played for him privately. It was a big event because no band played there before."

Dzie? Dobry TVN: What will you do if Scorpions stops to exist?

M?ciwoda: "I work on my own project STIRWATER what means M?ciwoda in English. I collaborate with my friend Efrem Wilder who comes from New York. He is a vocalist, a poet and a painter. We write the music together. The concert album is ready. It was recorded in Cracow."

Dzie? Dobry TVN: What kind of music is it? Is it a little quieter?

M?ciwoda: "Yes, we made it in an acoustic climate. I think it's a good opposite of electric guitars. When I got to know Efrem, he played guitar for me and his voice with this guitar made such an impression on me ... It was enough, I didn't need more."

We are sorry for keeping the lid on during the writing and recording process of this album. It has been a quite hard route, at least for me, to get things right and in order. I guess, most art is flowing without restraint and changes during the time of its construction, and sometimes even the artist him/herself needs time to comprehend it.
Jens Bogren of Fascination Street sprinkled his magic over the songs during the production- and mixing process and each and every song found its way. We are grateful to have such a committed producer and we can only feel blessed by the experience to once again have made another album reality at Fascination Street.

The new album is called A Rose for the Apocalypse and deals with a vast dilemma we’re all facing as one species; the horrors and contradictions we’ve created in our ‘nature-divorced’ system. The title refers to the collapse of this structure, built by mindless human opinion. It also refers to the necessity of its demise. We are trying to capture the gloom of its realization. I don’t know if we’d want to call this a conceptual album, but most songs certainly deal with the same topic in one way or the other. I’ve reached a point in my life when my eyes remain open.

To most of you A Rose for the Apocalypse might appear a darker, more threatening album compared to the previous Turning Season Within. And yes, it is different in several ways, but Draconian remains the same. I have often said that our new work resembles a mix between the old and the new Draconian and will unite fans of both preferences. While listening to this album I feel a lot of history comes together in one place, at least sound-wise.

Our old friend Olof Göthlin contributes with some of his excellent violin skills on the album. Cover and layout is created by the amazing Seth Siron Anton (Paradise Lost, Kamelot, Rotting Christ, Moonspell etc). We sincerely hope we’ve created an album that will make impact on our beloved fans. Thank you for keeping up, sticking by us and maintained your faith in Draconian.

Anders,
DRACONIAN

A Rose for the Apocalypse will be released through Napalm Records at June 23rd. A limited beautiful digi-pack version with one bonus song will be available.

LEAVES' EYES — the German/Norwegian band formed by ex-THEATRE OF TRAGEDY singer Liv Kristine Espenaes Krull and members of ATROCITY — recently spent time in Gothenburg, Sweden filming a video for its cover of the MIKE OLDFIELD classic "To France" with director Patric Ullaeus of Revolver Film Company, who has previously worked with DIMMU BORGIR, LACUNA COIL, IN FLAMES, SONIC SYNDICATE and KAMELOT, among others. You can now watch the clip below.

American metallers KAMELOT kicked off their South American tour last Thursday night (April 7) at Teatro Teletón in Santiago, Chile. Simone Simons (EPICA) and Elize Ryd (AMARANTHE) made guest appearances during the show, which marked KAMELOT's first-ever performance with singer Fabio Lione (RHAPSODY OF FIRE).

Fan-filmed video footage of the third show of the tour — which took place last night (Saturday, April 9) at Espaço Lux in São Bernardo do Campo, São Paulo, Brazil — can be viewed below.

KAMELOT's setlist for the São Paulo show was follows:

01. Rule The World
02. Ghost Opera
03. The Great Pandemonium
04. The Human Stain
05. Center Of The Universe
06. Nights Of Arabia
07. A Sailorman's Hymn
08. When The Lights Are Down
09. Soul Society
10. Keyboard Solo
11. Hunter's Season
12. EdenEcho
13. Necropolis
14. The Haunting (Somewhere In Time) (with Simone Simons)
15. Drum Solo
16. Forever

Encore:

17. Bass Solo
18. Karma
19. Don't You Cry (with Simone Simons)
20. March of Mephisto