GUNS N' ROSES/SIXX: A.M. guitarist DJ Ashba revealed in a March 31 Facebook posting that he will have to undergo surgery for a nine-millimeter tear in his knee ligament.

A photo of Ashba having an MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) scan of his knee can be viewed below.

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a technique that uses a magnetic field and radio waves to create detailed images of the organs and tissues within the body.

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

Ashba joined GUNS N' ROSES in March 2009 following the departure of Robin Finck.

As previously reported, "Chinese Democracy", the 2008 album released by the current edition of GUNS N' ROSES after a 15-year wait, can now be purchased at BestBuy.com for $1.99.

Best Buy was the exclusive U.S. retailer for "Chinese Democracy", reportedly paying $14 million for 1.6 million copies. But the album was a major sales disappointment, moving just 614,000 copies despite the curiosity and hype surrounding its release.

Former OBITUARY/SIX FEET UNDER guitarist Allen West has launched a brand new Tampa, Florida-based death metal band called SOUTHWICKED.

According to the group, "It actually all started when Allen West and Marco Vreven [drums] on the LOWBROW 'Buried in Europe' tour decided to start a new band, and a couple of months later we were working on some songs and recorded a demo tape in the RedRoom [Recorders] in [Tampa]. It's still unfinished but the songs [that are streaming below] already give you an appetizer about which direction we want to go out with our music. Rock Rollain (KULT OF THORN) joined our forces and he placed some mighty fine bass lines on our songs. We asked Sven Poets from SHATTERED SKULL to join our forces. And SOUTHWICKED's lineup is now complete."

SOUTHWICKED is:

* Allen West (OBITUARY, SIX FEET UNDER) - Lead Guitar
* Sven Poets (SHATTERED SKULL) - Vocals
* Stef Mikolajczyk (SHATTERED SKULL) - Rhythm Guitar
* Rock Rollain (KULT OF THORN, LUSTMORD) - Bass
* Marco Vreven (EXTERMINATOR, THE QUIESCENT) - Drums

Former and current members of AC/DC, DIO, WHITESNAKE, RATT, DOKKEN, THIN LIZZY and MEGADETH are among the musicians who are scheduled to take part in the '80s Rockers For Japan benefit concert on Saturday, April 16 at Harper's in Reseda, California. Organized by singer Terry Ilous (XYZ, GREAT WHITE), the show will feature musicians from some of the '80s most popular rock and metal bands.

Ilous and Jeff Paris have written a song and are creating a video that will feature many of the participating musicians. The song will be recorded, and the video shot, live at the benefit event. It will subsequently be available on iTunes. Proceeds from the event and sales of the track and video will be donated to the American Red Cross Japan earthquake and Pacific tsunami relief efforts.

"Japan has always been very supportive of our kind of music, and this is our small way of giving back," says Ilous.

Musicians who are scheduled to appear (subject to change):

* Chris Slade (AC/DC, THE FIRM)
* Rudy Sarzo (DIO, QUIET RIOT, WHITESNAKE, OZZY OSBOURNE, BLUE ÖYSTER CULT)
* Brian Tichy (WHITESNAKE, FOREIGNER, BILLY IDOL)
* Richie Kotzen (POISON, MR. BIG)
* Juan Croucier (RATT)
* Jon Levin (DOKKEN)
* John Payne (ASIA)
* Teddy Zigzag (GUNS N' ROSES)
* James Lomenzo (MEGADETH, BLACK LABEL SOCIETY)
* Marco Mendoza (THIN LIZZY, WHITESNAKE)
* Robin McAuley (SURVIVOR, MSG)
* Simon Wright (DIO, AC/DC, UFO)
* Robert Sarzo (HURRICANE)
* Mitch Perry (MSG, ASIA, EDGAR WINTER)

Other vocalists contributing to the benefit song include Don Dokken and Paul Shortino. The show will also feature guitarist Michael Thompson, an American musician well known in Japan. Line6 will provide the backline and Spaun Drum Company will provide all drums.

A live streaming broadcast will be made available via Front Row Entertainment (Frontrowent.tv) and viewers will be able to watch the event for free online; a link to the Red Cross will be provided and the musicians who are participating request that those watching make a small donation.

German thrash metal veterans SODOM have been forced to cancel their April 2, 2011 appearance at the Silesian Massacre Festival Vol. 2 in Katowice, Poland after the band's guitarist, Bernd "Bernemann" Kost, was rushed to the hospital. SODOM's booking agent, Fleisch, writes on the group's MySpace page, "We do not know what exactly has happened as I write this e-mail. [Kost] is currently under medical observation in the emergency section to discover exactly what the problem is.

"We feel very sorry, but unfortunately and obviously because of the situation as it stands at the moment the band cannot travel to Katowice on Saturday.

"I know it is not the best time and it is short notice, but the situation as it is with Bernemann leaves the band no choice. I hope for your understanding and I regret that this situation has come about. The band were looking forward to playing at [the] festival."

SODOM recently announced the addition of drummer Markus "Makka" Freiwald to the group's ranks.

Freiwald previously played for the German bands DESPAIR and FLAMING ANGER and was involved with the VOODOOCULT project. In addition, he played percussion as a session musician on the MOONSPELL album "Irreligious" and is featured on the 1996 LP "Triarchy Of The Lost Lovers" by Greek extreme metallers ROTTING CHRIST.

A photo of SODOM's new lineup can be found below.

SODOM in November parted ways with drummer Bobby Schottkowski due to "personal and private problems between Tom [bassist/vocalist Thomas 'Angelripper' Such] and Bobby," according to a statement released by the band.

SODOM's new album, "In War And Pieces", entered the German Media Control chart at position No. 64. The CD was released in North America on January 11, 2011 via SPV/Steamhammer.

Taiwanese metallers CHTHONIC have entered the studio to complete work on their new album, "Takasago Army", for a June release via Spinefarm Records.

Produced by Rickard Bengtsson (ARCH ENEMY, NEMESIS) at Sweet Spot Studios in Halmstad, Sweden, this 10-track outing completes a trilogy of CHTHONIC releases, telling a story that binds together the band's "Seediq Bale" and "Mirror Of Retribution" albums, released in 2007 and 2009, respectively.

Comments bassist Doris Yeh: "The Takasago Army was a Taiwanese troop of Japanese force/Axis powers that fought in the Pacific War/World War II between 1940 and 1944. The Takasago soldiers were descendants of a brave and powerful people from the mountains of Taiwan, people with a strong warrior tradition. They impressed their rivals with their cunning, tenacity and skill on the battlefield, and they became the most revered and most feared combat unit in the Japanese Imperial Army."

At its recent U.K. shows (a Hammerfest appearance plus a headline date at the Underworld in London), CHTHONIC announced that "Takasago Army" would not only see the band producing its most "brutal" compositions to date, but would also see it further exploring the concept of "orient metal."

"We have been categorized as black metal, death metal, melodic death, symphonic black metal and folk metal by different critics, and we appreciate that it's very hard to put us into a precise genre," says Doris. "On the one hand, we are inspired by some western metal music, but on the other, we are influenced by traditional Asian music forms, such as pentatonic scales, 'enka' music, and Taiwanese opera.

"When we were writing this new album, we tried to find the perfect balance between these two traditions, so that is why we’ve decided to use the 'orient metal' banner to define what we do. Plus, it provides a reference point for other Asian bands who want to head in the same direction…

"Take it from me, 'Takasago Army' is going to be epic!"

CHTHONIC is currently lining up festival shows for the summer, after which "Seediq Bale" will be reissued via Spinefarm in expanded form.

Italian female-fronted metallers MY BLACK LIGHT have inked a deal with Germany's Massacre Records.

MY BLACK LIGHT was formed in 2008 by keyboardist/vocalist Rodolfo Coda Bertetto and singer Monica Primo, both of whom shared a passion for metal, especially gothic metal.

Even though they had been playing this kind of music for years in different cover bands, it wasn't until early 2008 that they decided to try and write their own songs and bring them to light through a new project.

MY BLACK LIGHT's debut album, "Human Maze", was released digitally last November.

MY BLACK LIGHT is:

Monica Primo - Vocals
Rodolfo Coda Bertetto - Keyboards and Vocals
Emanuele Rossi - Guitar
Marco Peraldo - Bass Guitar
Edoardo Giordani - Drums

One of the greatest technical death metal bands ever assembled, New Jersey's DIM MAK is working on its new album, "Emergence Of Reptilian Altar", for a late 2011 release. The band recently finished tracking the bass and drums for the follow-up to 2006's "Knives Of Ice" and is scheduled to begin laying down the guitars the first week of April.

"Emergence Of Reptilian Altars" features stunning artwork by Alex Eckman-Lawn and marks the recording debut of the band's new vocalist — and longtime friend — Joseph Capizzi (ex-DYING LIGHT, CATTLEPRESS), following the departure of founding DIM MAK frontman Scott Ruth.

Commented guitarist Shaune Kelley: "I have known Joey for a couple of decades, so after being notified that Scott Ruth is stepping down, I am proud to say I have the best man for the job. I would like to also thank Scott Ruth for 25-plus years of amazing performances and lyrics in the extreme underground. You will be missed. But the time has come to usher in some new blood, fresh ideas, and new sounds. So fans of DIM MAK, please welcome to the mix on vocals, Mr. Joseph Capizzi."

"Emergence Of Reptilian Altars" tentative track listing:

01. Thrice Cursed
02. The Sounds Of Carnage
03. The Secret Of The Tides Of Blood
04. Between Immensity And Eternity
05. Through The Rivers Of Pestilence
06. Fully Disassembled
07. Kutulu
08. The Emergence Of Reptilian Altars

Swedish metallers CLOUDSCAPE will enter RoastingHouse Studios in Malmö, Sweden on April 11 with producer/engineer Micko Twedberg to begin recording their fourth album, "New Era", for a late 2011 release. One of the songs on the CD will feature a guest appearance by "longtime friend" Peter Wildoer (pictured below; DARKANE, JAMES LABRIE) on vocals. According to CLOUDSCAPE, "Peter's voice sounds really cool and fits this particular song along with Mike's [Andersson, CLOUDSCAPE singer] clean vocals."

Mike and Peter previously played together back in the late '80s in a local band called ZANINES. However, this will mark the first time they have officially collaborated on an album.

A video teaser for "New Era" can be viewed below.

CLOUDSCAPE last year announced the addition of guitarist Daniel Pålsson to the group's ranks.

The group's third album, "Global Drama", was released in 2008 in Europe through Goldencore/Roastinghouse Records and in North America through Nightmare Records.

CLOUDSCAPE previously described "Global Drama" as "the most varied and interesting album by CLOUDSCAPE so far. It contains a few really hard and raw metal songs and there will also be a few more atmospheric and dynamic songs progressively spiced."

Stockholm, Sweden-based hard rockers BACKDRAFT have just released their third album, "This Heaven Goes To Eleven", via GMR Music. The CD was recorded — just like its predecessor, 2007's "The Second Coming" — by the band itself in its own A.R.T. Studios in Stockholm, over the course of 2010 and then mixed by Jo E who also worked on "The Second Coming". The idea was initially to capture the live feel by doing a quick and dirty record. That idea quickly went out the window, and the result instead became BACKDRAFT's most layered and experimental album from a recording point of view.

According to a press release, "This Heaven Goes To Eleven" consists of nine quite diverse songs, from obvious four-on-the-floor rockers like opening track and first single, "Idiot", and the slide-driven "The King Of Diesel", to swinging tracks like "No Love", "Stand" and "Out Of Here". The latter is, in essence, a country song dressed in a hard rock arrangement, featuring drummer Niklas Matsson as co-lead vocalist alongside BACKDRAFT frontman and lead singer, Jonas Åhlén a.k.a. Revered Sorethroat.

"This Heaven Goes To Eleven" was made available on CD as well as a limited-edition gatefold 180-gram vinyl with a free CD included (with an exclusive bonus track: a cover of "Blue Sky" by THE ALLMAN BROTHERS BAND).

"Although 'Idiot' is perhaps our most radio-friendly song to date, the album as a whole is our most varied and eclectic so far," says bass player Mats Rydström. "While some of our earlier material certainly had its tongue firmly planted in cheek, new songs like 'Yesterdays & Tomorrows', 'E.C.G.T. Blues' and 'Wheel Of No Fortune' also deal with the rougher realities of life, which we have only touched on in the past. I'd say that 'This Heaven Goes To Eleven' is definitely our most honest record."

DEVIN TOWNSEND hat jetzt die "Ghost" und "Deconstruction" Track List enthüllt! In den Handel sollen die beiden CDs am 20. Juni 2011 kommen!

"Ghost" Track List:

01. Fly (4:15)
02. Heart Baby (5:55)
03. Feather (11:30)
04. Kawaii (2:52)
05. Ghost (6:24)
06. Blackberry (4:53)
07. Monsoon (4:37)
08. Dark Matters (1:57)
09. Texada (9:30)
10. Seams (4:04)
11. Infinite Ocean (8:01)
12. As You Were (8:47)

"Deconstruction" Track List:

01. Praise The Lowered (6:02)
02. Stand (9:36)
03. Juula (3:46)
04. Planet Of The Apes (10:59)
05. Summera (6:37)
06. The Mighty Masturbator (16:28)
07. Pandemic (3:29)
08. Deconstruction (9:27)
09. Poltergeist (4:25)

"Dead Skin", the new video from DUFF MCKAGAN'S LOADED — the band led by VELVET REVOLVER/ex-GUNS N' ROSES bassist Duff McKagan — can be viewed below (courtesy of CraveOnline.com). The song comes off the group's new album, "The Taking", which will be released on April 19 via Eagle Rock Entertainment. The CD was recorded at a Seattle-area studio with veteran rock producer Terry Date (SOUNDGARDEN, PANTERA, DEFTONES). Two tracks from "The Taking", were previously made available digitally. Anthemic rocker "We Win" was played during the World Series and riled up football fans for McKagan's hometown Seattle Seahawks. "Fight On" draws inspiration from our military veterans, and proceeds from these downloads go exclusively to the Puget Sound Healthcare System.

"This record really sort of took a life of its own, and the songs really revealed themselves to us as we went along," says Duff.

"Terry Date came into the picture at a time when his genius ear helped to capture a sonic theme for the record.

"You can't underestimate what a guy like TD brings to the table.

"'The Taking' is the closest thing to a 'concept' record that I have ever been involved with. Pain, loss, triumph, and redemption. Life. Bring it."

"The Taking" track listing:

01. Lords Of Abaddon
02. Executioner's Song
03. Dead Skin
04. We Win
05. Easier Lying
06. She's An Anchor
07. Wrecking Ball
08. King Of The World
09. Cocaine
10. Your Name
11. Follow Me To Hell

A trailer for the upcoming feature-length film about Duff McKagan and LOADED can be viewed below. The movie is based on "The Taking" and is being helmed by Seattle filmmaker and documentarian Jamie Burton Chamberlin.

Eagle Rock Entertainment will re-release DUFF MCKAGAN'S LOADED's 2009 album "Sick" in May. This special reissue of the CD also packs a bonus DVD, featuring 11 tracks from a live set at The Garage in Glasgow filmed in December 2008.

"The Magnetic Sky", the new video from Atlanta, Georgia-based metallers BECOMING THE ARCHETYPE, can be viewed below. The clip is described in a press release as "an 8-bit fantasy adventure that finds the members of BECOMING THE ARCHETYPE wandering through a sci-fi landscape in the format of an old Nintendo game, fighting their way through a wasteland of terrifying creatures to fulfill an arcane mission." The track comes off the band's fourth album, "Celestial Completion", which was released on March 29 via Solid State Records. The CD was produced by Matt Goldman (UNDEROATH, THE CHARIOT, COPELAND) and contains 11 tracks.

Peaceville Records will celebrate the 25th anniversary of CANDLEMASS' classic debut album, "Epicus Doomicus Metallicus", by re-releasing it on May 14 as a special double-disc CD.

"Epicus Doomicus Metallicus" is a true classic. Heavy metal riffs blended with almost neo-classical touches, plus some theatrical elements bringing to mind bands like MERCYFUL FATE (thought to be another influence). All in all, this is considered one of the definitive doom metal releases.

"Epicus" was recorded at Thunderload Studios in 1986 and was released later that same year. The vocals were handled by Johan Längqvist, before the iconic vocalist Messiah Marcolin became a solid fixture in the band until the early Nineties.

CANDLEMASS instantly became a great inspiration to countless metal bands upon the album’s release in 1986; a time when thrash metal, not doom, was fast becoming the dominant style in both Europe and the U.S. Bands such as PARADISE LOST and MY DYING BRIDE to this day rate the album among their favorite albums ever.

This edition of "Epicus" includes a special commentary disc with founding member Leif Edling, recorded early 2011, discussing his memories and inspirations of the writing and recording process whilst the tracks play. The booklet also contains liner notes from the band, including an introduction from Aaron Stainthorpe of MY DYING BRIDE.

CD Disc 1

01. Solitude
02. Demon’s Gate
03. Crystal Ball
04. Black Stone Wielder
05. Under The Oak
06. A Sorcerer's Pledge

CD Disc 2:

All above tracks with commentary by Leif Edling

SOLSIKK, the new U.K. "groove metal" band featuring ex-BIOMECHANICAL members Chris Webb (guitar) and Matt C. (drums), will release its self-titled debut album on May 2 via Femme Metal Records.

The track listing for the CD is as follows:

01. Relish in Nervous Delights
02. Viridescere
03. Keep Pushing Me
04. Freefall
05. Cut a Little Deeper
06. Your Blistering Tongue
07. Needles and Pins
08. Razored Cell
09. Volatile Territory
10. Bloodlust

Demonaz Occulta (real name: Harald Nævdal), the once-guitarist and chief lyricist for the Norwegian black metal veterans IMMORTAL, will release his first solo album, "March Of The Norse", on April 1 in Europe and May 17 in North America via Nuclear Blast Records. It will be available as mail-order edition (limited and numbered to 500 lush box sets including poster-flag), CD-digi, LP (blue), LP (black) and picture LP.

"March Of The Norse" track listing:

01. Northern Hymn
02. All Blackened Sky
03. March Of The Norse
04. A Son Of The Sword
05. Where Gods Once Rode
06. Under The Great Fires
07. Over The Mountains
08. Ode To Battle
09. Legends Of Fire And Ice
10. Dying Sun (bonus track)

Check out the song "All Blackened Sky" in the YouTube clip below.

Back in 2007, Demonaz released demo versions of two songs — "Over The Mountains" and "Dying Sun" — via MySpace. Both tracks were recorded in 2007 at Soundsurf studios in Bergen, Norway.

DEMONAZ lineup on the demos was as follows:

Demonaz (Vocals, Music and Lyrics)
Abbath (Bass, Backing Vocals)
Ice Dale (Guitars)
Armagedda (drums)

Demonaz previously desscribed his solo material as "another cold dimension in my musical and lyrical world."

Swedish/German extreme metal metallers ARCH ENEMY will release their ninth studio album, "Khaos Legions", on May 30 in Europe and June 7 in the U.S. via Century Media Records. The CD will mark the band's return to new, original material, after the release of the "Tyrants Of The Rising Sun - Live In Japan" live DVD/CD (2008) and the re-recordings album, "The Root Of All Evil" (2009). The effort was tracked at Sweet Spot Studio in the south of Sweden with engineer Rickard Bengtsson (who produced 2005's "Doomsday Machine").

The "Khaos Legions" artwork, which comes courtesy of renowned artist Brent Elliott White (MEGADETH, DEATH ANGEL), can be viewed below.

"Khaos Legions" track listing:

01. Khaos Overture (instrumental)
02. Yesterday Is Dead And Gone
03. Bloodstained Cross
04. Under Black Flags We March
05. No Gods, No Masters
06. City Of The Dead
07. Through The Eyes Of A Raven
08. Cruelty Without Beauty
09. We Are A Godless Entity (instrumental)
10. Cult Of Chaos
11. Thorns In My Flesh
12. Turn To Dust (instrumental)
13. Vengeance Is Mine
14. Secrets
15. The Zoo
16. Snow Bound (acoustic)

The song "Yesterday Is Dead And Gone" is available for free download at this location.

QUEEN guitarist Brian May recently answered a number of reader-submitted questions for the April 2011 issue of U.K.'s Uncut magazine. When asked how he got involved in the making of GUNS N' ROSES "Chinese Democracy" album (in 1999, May recorded a guitar solo for GN'R track "Catcher N' The Rye", which appears on "Chinese Democracy", but his efforts were subsequently removed from the final album version of the song), May replied, "I can't remember when I first met Axl [Rose, GN'R frontman], but we invited them to play the [1992] Freddie [Mercury] tribute. They did a fantastic job, and also donated a lot of money to the Mercury Phoenix Trust. Subsequent to that, my solo band supported GN'R on tour and we got on very well."

He continued, "People think of Axl as difficult, but he was always very attentive to me.

"When they were making that album, after God-knows-how-many years, he was talking to [QUEEN's old producer] Roy Thomas Baker, who was doing some production for them at the time, and they came up with the idea of contacting me to help them work out a direction. I flew out to meet him and he played me pretty much the whole album. We had a long night, talking, thinking, figuring out potential directions, and then I had a couple of days just trying things out. I think I played on two-and-a-half tracks, but they didn't end up using my parts. They used about 10 guitarists subsequent to that! I have rough mixes of these tracks somewhere in my archive, but I'm not going to let anyone listen to them, out of loyalty to Axl.

"It was fun, to throw something in there to help out a friend."

Rose explained the decision to keep Brian's track off the album by saying, "There's a few reasons, and none of them all that big and definitely not in spite or to slight anyone. First off, obviously I knew people liked the song, but the Brian appreciation really only showed up in force publicly after we had moved on in GUNS. In fact, not many seemed to care and most comments were aimed at why Slash, in their opinions, should be here. Brian's solo itself is a personal fave of mine and I really couldn't understand, as he's such a rock legend, why it wasn't openly appreciated more at the time. In actuality, all that feel and emotion referred to now had a lot to do with Sean [Beavan, one of the producers who worked on 'Chinese Democracy'] and I and the parts I chose out of Brian's different runs, versions, practice runs, etc., to make sure we had those elements in one version. It's entirely constructed from edits based around one specific note Brian hit in a throwaway take. And though Brian seems to have warmed a bit to it, at least publicly, he was unfortunately none too pleased at the time with our handiwork. I remember looking at Brian standing to my left and him staring at the big studio speakers a bit aghast saying, 'But that's not what I played.' Sean Beavan and I were not in any way trying to mess with Brian, we just did what we do and then try and do our best to stand up for our decisions."

The remaining members of Santa Barbara, California's DEVILDRIVER have released the following statement regarding the departure of bassist Jonathan Miller:

"Everyone in DEVILDRIVER wishes Jon Miller the best in the future!!!

"Thank you for everything you have done for the band in the past eight-plus years. Much happiness and success to you, Jon."

Miller quit DEVILDRIVER earlier this week, calling it "the most difficult decision of my life" but "something that I needed to do for myself."

Lead singer Sharon den Adel of Dutch symphonic metallers WITHIN TEMPTATION gave birth to a beautiful baby boy yesterday (Wednesday, March 30). Logan Arwin Westerholt, who weighed in at five pounds, 8.7 ounces and measured 47 centimeters long, came into the world a little over five weeks early but both mother and son are doing fine.

After taking time to recuperate and get to know her new son, Sharon will begin preparing to get back on stage in August, when WITHIN TEMPTATION will start its extensive tour with a special performance at Holland's Huntenpop Festival, after which the band will be visiting the U.S., Canada and Europe.

Logan is the third child of Sharon den Adel and WITHIN TEMPTATION guitarist Robert Westerholt. The couple has a one-year-old son, Robin Aiden Westerholt, and a five-year old daughter named Eva Luna den Adel.

WITHIN TEMPTATION's fifth studio album, "The Unforgiving", was released on March 29 via Sony Music in Continental Europe and Roadrunner Records in the U.S., U.K. and Ireland, Japan and Australia. The CD was produced by Daniel Gibson and is based on a comic book story written by script writer Steven O'Connell (BloodRayne, Dark 48).

DEFTONES frontman Chino Moreno recently spoke to AOL's Noisecreep about a new project he's working on with FAR guitarist Shaun Lopez. "Shaun [has] been a good friend of mine since we were kids," he said. "He's my neighbor and we've done stuff together before. But just recently, during these little breaks that [DEFTONES has] had, we've been recording this real minimal project where it's just me and him and another buddy of mine, Scott Chuck, and we're just writing these little pieces of music, whether it starts with piano or some down tempo beats. It's really minimal and soothing and it's sort of like the stuff I like listening to when I'm not screaming my head off. The tentative name for the project is CROSSES and we have 16 tracks that are almost done. We'll usually work four or five hours a day. I'll go over to Shaun's and sing a bunch of stuff and we'll edit some stuff together. I'll just write lyrics really quickly and it'll be done."

When asked if CROSSES has any releases planned or gigs scheduled, Moreno said, "We don't have any plans to play live, but we might release a series of EPs on our own on the Net. I don't want to talk about it at all — which I'm doing right now. The main thing about it is, I don't want to hype it up and give people all these expectations. To me, that's what made TEAM SLEEP [Moreno's other side project] so hard to do. It was supposed to be this underground thing that would happen whenever, and it developed so much hype around it that it kind of ruined the whole thing for me. Our idea for this is to just put it out there and whoever likes it, cool. I talked to the guitar player of TEAM SLEEP, Todd [Wilkinson], the other day and we want to do the same thing — record music when we can and not have it be such a structured thing where you have to meet deadlines and tour. We just want to make music because we like to do it, just doing it ourselves and utilizing the Internet. That's the plan for those two things within the next year."

According to The New Age, German hard rock legends SCORPIONS played their global hit "Wind of Change", which captured the spirit of the times as the communist bloc fell apart, at former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev's 80th birthday at a charity gala event in London on Wednesday.

A host of stars from the world of politics, music and film gathered at the Royal Albert Hall for the party to celebrate Gorbachev's achievements, hosted by Hollywood stars Kevin Spacey and Sharon Stone.

The event was aimed at raising millions of dollars for cancer charities, including The Raisa Foundation, named in honor of the 1990 Nobel Peace Prize winner's late wife.

"This gala has been organized to honor Mikhail Gorbachev, a man who truly changed the world for the better through his actions and example," said Leonid Shlachover, the event's general producer.

"This event will celebrate his achievements by bringing together major artists from East and West in a night of celebration."

Organizers told The Times the event cost between $3.2 million and $4.8 million to stage.

Longtime DISFEAR bassist Henrik Frykman passed away last week after a battle with cancer. The surviving members of the band — Björn Pettersson, Marcus Andersson, Ulf Cederlund and Tomas Lindberg — have released the the following statement regarding the matter:

"It is with heavy hearts we inform you that on Friday the 25th of March Henrik Frykman passed away in his home after a long battle with cancer. Henrik will be greatly missed by family and friends."

Frykman joined ANTI-BOFORS in 1990, a year before the band underwent a name change to DISFEAR. The group morphed and evolved over the past 20 years into an internationally recognized and respected act.

DISFEAR has toured the world over and released a number of acclaimed full-length albums, including 2008's "Live The Storm".

MetalSucks.net spoke with guitarist/vocalist Adam "Nergal" Darski of Polish extreme metallers BEHEMOTH earlier this week — the first interview he has given since being diagnosed with leukemia last August. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

MetalSucks.net: It's great to hear your voice again! How are you feeling these days?

Nergal: Actually, I'm doing pretty fine, thanks. It's developing. It's not like I'm completely healthy or something. But I got new bone marrow and the transplant went totally fine. The new bone marrow is accepted by my organisms. It's not [fighting] against my organisms, which happens very often in such cases. But in my case, everything is going according to plan. There have been no delays. My blood was checked every week, and now every two weeks, so actually I reduced the amount of blood tests that they've been taking. Everything is going almost perfect and in the direction that it should. There is no reason to be worried. Physically I'm getting better. Obviously my muscles are not the same, not as strong. I get tired quite easily still. It's still getting better. For example, [laughs] three weeks ago, I tried to do push-ups; I did three. Today, I did 11. That should tell you how it's improving all the time, and every next push-up makes me happy. [laughs]

MetalSucks.net: [laughs] What a relief.

Nergal: It sounds funny maybe, but when you watch movies like "Rocky" or "The Wrestler", you see the guy going down and then he still gets up and gets stronger — it's pretty much the same. It's starting from zero, from the very foundation. It keeps me striving.

MetalSucks.net: That is awesome news. Back when your diagnosis was first made public, metal people sprang into action and staged bone marrow drives worldwide. Was it gratifying to have reached a lot of people about this illness?

Nergal: First of all, I never expected such massive feedback, to be honest. Not only from friends and [BEHEMOTH supporters], but people who haven't been in touch for years. They were like, "Is there anything we can do to help?" There were plenty of people applying for bone marrow tests — you have to be tested first — and these people were trying to contribute. Which was awesome. And the metal community reacted continuously and immediately; it was massive. I've received, like, thousands of emails when the news got out, and the response to this news… there was not a single comment that was negative. I didn't really expect the extreme metal community to be very sympathetic, to be this empathetic, to be this [pauses]… caring. But they were totally into it; they were all ready to stand behind me and help me out. I didn't really need money; my health insurance covered pretty much everything. But I'd get offers from people, like "We'll collect money and send you cash." And I was like, "I don't need money, guys. But what you can do is talk to other people and raise awareness of what leukemia is. Talk to them about bone marrow donations and about [getting registered to donate.]" That's all I needed. I can tell you this now [pauses]… that it was very early after I got sick that the foundation found a perfect donor match. But we didn't want to reveal this to the public because of [the movement to help] was so awesome. The ball was rolling! And everyone was into it, so I was like, "Fuck, no! I don't want to fucking stop this!" It was madness to me! People went crazy doing anything to help. It was just awesome. I can tell you — not just to make people fuckin' cry — but there were times that I'd be reading comments and emails from people, and there were tears in my eyes. It was very humanitarian. Shit, I don't know what you call it, but it was awesome. There are lots of people who appreciate what you do musically, they fuckin' appreciate you as a person and individual, and they have faith in you. That is awesome. [laughs] It really brought back a lot of faith in human beings after what happened. I'd been very skeptical about the whole human race; I still am. There is more that pisses me off and makes me [pauses] pessimistic about the future of the human race. But now it's like, fuck, it's not all lost! There are still real humans out there that feel, that are real. That's a lesson that I'm very thankful for.

Finnish rock/metal act SUBURBAN TRIBE has announced plans to disband this year. The group, which formed 20 years ago (summer 1991), will hold a celebration party on July 30 at Tavastia in Helsinki as a way to thank its fans and everyone who was part of the band's story. According to SUBURBAN TRIBE, the decision to call it quits involves no drama, only that the bandmembers' "hearts say that this is where the road ends."

SUBURBAN TRIBE bassist Janne Joutsenniemi was previously a member of the legendary Finnish thrash band STONE alongside guitarist Roope Latvala, who is now in CHILDREN OF BODOM.

Swedish melodic metallers ASTRAL DOORS have issued the following update:

"The work with the upcoming album continues. Even though we're not even
halfway through the process, we can already feel that this release will be
something special. This time around we deal with religion, and all the shit it
has brought to the world, once and for all and the working title of the album
is 'Jerusalem'. Our intention is that the album will be released in October in connection with a European tour. The first DVD from the band is also in the making. Some additional material will be filmed this summer and we're talking about a winter release."

ASTRAL DOORS' "Testament Of Rock - The Best Of Astral Doors" collection was released on November 19, 2010 via Metalville, the band and label pool launched by the Cologne, Germany-based company Flying Dolphin Entertainment Group UG. The compilation contains 14 classics picked by ASTRAL DOORS. The booklet features "a two-page history-lesson about ASTRAL DOORS; a summary of the first decade with ASTRAL DOORS" written by Erik Thompson of Sweden Rock Magazine.

Guitarist Martin Haglund left ASTRAL DOORS in April 2010 in order to focus on his family life. The band has opted to remain a five-piece, with founding member Joachim Nordlund handling all guitars himself.

ASTRAL DOORS released its fifth album, "Requiem Of Time" in Europe on January 29, 2010 and in North America on February 16, 2010 through Metalville.