"The Fight Of Our Lives", the sophomore album from the Knoxville, Tennessee-based female-fronted metal/hardcore act STRAIGHT LINE STITCH, can be streamed in its entirety on AOL Music. Due on March 22 via eOne Music, the follow-up to 2008's "When Skies Wash Ashore" was produced and mixed by the Grammy Award-nominated producer Johnny K (DISTURBED, MACHINE HEAD, SEVENDUST) and includes eleven new songs. Additional work on the album was done by Ben Schigel.

"The Fight Of Our Lives" track listing:

01. Tear Down The Sky
02. Conversion
03. Laughing In The Rearview
04. Cold Front
05. No Tomorrow
06. Bar Room Brawl
07. One Reason
08. Never Surrender
09. Living Dead
10. Sound Of Silence
11. Ashes In The Wind

Commented singer Alexis Brown: "The only thing that comes to mind when I think of our new record is excitement! As a band, we've have grown leaps and bounds in comparison to our last release."

JOURNEY, one of the most popular American rock bands of all time, is gearing up to unleash its latest album of brand new material, "Eclipse". The effort will be released in the U.S. and Canada on May 24 exclusively at Walmart and beginning June 3 in Europe on Frontiers Records. The 12 tracks were written over the past 18 months by the core team of guitarist Neal Schon and keyboard player Jonathan Cain, with collaboration from singer Arnel Pineda.

"Eclipse" track listing:

01. City Of Hope
02. Edge Of The Moment
03. Chain Of Love
04. Tantra
05. Anything Is Possible
06. Resonate
07. She's A Mystery
08. Human Feel
09. Ritual
10. To Whom It May Concern
11. Someone
12. Venus

"I'm in love with this record, which I haven't said about one of our albums for a long time," says founding member and lead guitarist, Neal Schon. "It's a rock record and it sounds amazing." Commenting on the upcoming tour, Schon continues, "We've got a lot of hits to play and there's plenty of time to do some new stuff too, so we're gonna mix it up. We haven't toured with FOREIGNER for over 10 years, so we're really looking forward to this run."

ARKAN — the band featuring drummer Foued Moukid (THE OLD DEAD TREE), vocalist Abder Abdellahoum (DAWN OF DECLINE), guitarists Samir Ramila and Mus Elkamal (WORTH), and growler Florent Jannier (WHISPER-X) — will release its sophomore album, "Salam", on April 18 via Season Of Mist. The CD was recorded at Studio Fredman in Västra Frölunda, Sweden.

"Salam" track listing:

01. Origins
02. Inner Slaves
03. Deus Vult (feat. ORPHANED LAND's Kobi Farhi)
04. Blind Devotion
05. Jerusalem - Sufferpolis
06. Beyond Sacred Rules
07. Common Ground
08. Sweet Opium
09. Salam
10. Call From Within
11. Lightened Heart
12. The Eight Doors Of Jannah
13. Amaloun Jadid II

DEVILS WHOREHOUSE — the "horror-death rock" side-project of MARDUK guitarist Morgan Håkansson — has changed its name to DEATH WOLF because "the music and philosophy behind the orchestra has outgrown its name," according to a press release.

DEATH WOLF (symbolizing the strength, dedication and will shown in its creations) just finished recording its new album for a late spring/early summer release via Regain Records/Blooddawn.

Two songs from the CD — "Circle Of Abomination" and "Morning Czar Shineth" — can be streamed on the band's Facebook page.

UNITED, one of the forerunners of the Japanese thrash metal scene, will release its ninth album, "Tear Of Illusions", 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.

Commented the group: "It's definitely the best album we've made so far. We can't wait for the fans to listen to the album!"

Formed in 1981, UNITED has shared the stage with such genre leaders as SLAYER, MACHINE HEAD, EXODUS and TESTAMENT. In 2010, UNITED (minus Ken-Shin) served as the backing band for former IRON MAIDEN singer Paul Di'Anno.

UNITED is celebrating its 30th anniversary this year, and a lot of interesting releases and a series of gigs are currently being worked on.

UNITED's current lineup is as follows:

Ken-Shin - Vocals
Singo Otani - Guitar
Yoshifumi "Hally" Yoshida - Guitar
Akihiro "Yoko" Yokoyama - Bass
Akira - Drums

"Path Of The Beam, a brand new song from Atlanta, Georgia-based metallers BECOMING THE ARCHETYPE, can be streamed below (courtesy of AOL's Noisecreep). The track comes off the band's fourth album, "Celestial Completion", which will be released on March 29 via Solid State Records. The CD was produced by Matt Goldman (UNDEROATH, THE CHARIOT, COPELAND) and contains 11 tracks.

"Celestial Completion" track listing:

01. The Resonant Frequency of Flesh
02. The Magnetic Sky
03. Internal Illumination
04. Path Of The Beam
05. Music Of The Spheres: Requiem Aeternam Part I (instrumental)
06. Elemental Wrath: Requiem Aeternam Part II
07. Xenosynthesis: Requiem Aeternam Part III
08. Invisible Creature (instrumental)
09. Cardiac Rebellion
10. Reflect/Refract
11. Breathing Light

Californian brutal death metallers VILE have completed work on their fourth full-length album, "Metamorphosis", for a fall 2011 release. According to the band, the CD is "a concept album which contains a wide variety of styles, tempos and lyrical topics with an interlocking philosophical and lyrical concept."

The group adds, "We are confident that old-school VILE fans will love it and also that fans of other styles of metal, not only American death metal, will be quite pleased. The recording quality is the best we have released to date and we expect the album to be a standard raising release for the genre of extreme metal."

California's OTEP will release its new album, "Atavist", on April 26 via Victory Records. Former THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN drummer Gil Sharone laid down the drum tracks on the CD, which will be released in both standard and CD/DVD deluxe editions. The latter will feature expanded artwork and a poetry book, interviews, a poetry-reading montage, behind-the-scenes footage and music videos.

A 96-second preview of the new OTEP song "Drunk On The Blood Of Saints" — taken from "Atavist" — is available via the YouTube clip below.

OTEP frontwoman Otep Shamaya had the following to say about "Atavist": "This album is a return to the umbra, to the darkest parts of me. I am fortifying this fortress of sound with Cyclopean masonry.

"The language on my lips is forged from forbidden tongues 12 lifetimes old. I am the heart of the gorgon, the broken mind of the lunatic, the courage of the martyr, the voice of the insurrectionist, the agog of the alchemist, I am the defiance in the aching souls waiting for the flame, I am the mighty Minotaur raging against the labyrinths of isolation and sadness.

"There is a purposeful primal spirit to this record, a coded provocation to remember our connection to the infinite, to the mysterious, to each other."

OTEP's fourth full-length studio album, "Smash The Control Machine", sold around 10,400 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 47 on The Billboard 200 chart. The CD was released on August 18, 2009 via Victory Records.

Otep Shamaya was nominated for "Outstanding Music Artist" in the 21st annual Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) Media Awards.

An outspoken advocate of gay rights, Shamaya serves as a key figure in the movement to promote fair, accurate, and inclusive representation of people and events in the media as a means of eliminating homophobia and discrimination based on gender identity and sexual orientation.

Ohio metallers SKELETONWITCH have parted ways with drummer Derrick "Mullet Chad" Nau and have temporarily replaced him with Tony Laureano (DIMMU BORGIR, 1349, ANGELCORPSE, NILE).

Commented SKELETONWITCH guitarist Scott Hedrick: "Our good friend Tony will be playing drums on our April tour, new album, and for the foreseeable future.

"We're fucking stoked to have a drummer of his caliber and experience on board. He's a beast behind the kit and a great fucking guy as well. You can't ask for more than that!"

He added, "After our last tour, Derrick informed us that he is putting down the drum sticks and picking up the paint brush. He is returning to art school and does not wish to be a musician anymore.

"We would like to thank Derrick for his years of dedication to SKELETONWITCH. Though we will miss him, there is no bad blood. We will always remain great friends and wish him the best with his new endeavor."

SKELETONWITCH's latest album, "Breathing the Fire" (2009), debuted at No. 151 on The Billboard 200 chart and No. 2 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. It was SKELETONWITCH's second full-length release for Prosthetic Records, with whom the band recently extended its recording deal.

Mit dem Song „Leatherhead“ geht heute die erste Hörprobe des am 20. Mai über AFM Records erscheinenden neuen Albums von U.D.O., „REV-Raptor“ online. Unter afm-records.de/de/news/news-639-U1001D1001O1001.html kann die Nummer ab sofort von jedermann angetestet werden.

Bei dem Track handelt es sich zudem um die erste Single-Veröffentlichung aus dem Album, die bereits am 8. April die Rockwelt beglücken wird. „Leatherhead“ ist eine Hymne für alle „echten“ Rockfans dieses Planeten und für ihren unverkennbaren Lifestyle.

Denmark's melodic doom metal masters SATURNUS have parted ways with Firebox Records and are currently seeking a new label home.

The band's current lineup still includes Thomas A.G. Nielsen (vocals), Brian Hansen (guitar) and Rune Stiassny (lead guitar). A new drummer and rhythm guitarist were recently added in the shape of Henrik Glass and Mattias Svensson, respectively.

Commented Nielsen: "SATURNUS has been through a major transition due to a necessary lineup change arising from different views on how things needed to be run. This put the brakes on the bands progression for so long that eventually something had to break or otherwise we would inevitably have split up.

"We love playing live whenever we can and right now we want to do it more than ever to follow on and raise our profile once again to echo the success of our last album, 'Veronika Decides to Die', and previous efforts.

"The new lineup is just perfect. All the things I have been looking for in musicians has been delivered perfectly; the creativity, the lust for playing live, the understanding of the universe of SATURNUS and the way to compose is just perfect. I could not wish for better.

"Leaving Firebox Records was necessary for SATURNUS and even with one contractual album left to be fulfilled, both parties amicably decided to annul the contract we had and go our separate ways.

"So now the future lies open for SATURNUS. We need a record label to fully get the ship back out to sea again, and believe me, we are hungry like never before."

Former members of IMAGIKA, DARK ANGEL and ELDRITCH have joined forces in a new brand new project called KILL RITUAL. The band will enter Fang Studios this summer to record its debut album, "Serpentine Rituals", for a 2011 release on a yet-to-be-determined label.

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

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

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

British doom/goth metal pioneers PARADISE LOST kicked off their "Draconian Times" tour 2011 this past Friday, March 18 at the Fuzz club in Athens, Greece.

The band's setlist was as follows:

01. Enchantment
02. Hallowed Land
03. The Last Time
04. Forever Failure
05. Once Solemn
06. Shadowkings
07. Elusive Cure
08. Yearn For Change
09. Shades Of God
10. Hands Of Reason
11. I See Your Face
12. Jaded

Encore 1:

13. Faith Divides Us - Death Unites Us
14. True Belief
15. One Second
16. Say Just Words

Encore 2:

17. Sweetness
18. As I Die

WHITESNAKE has tapped 49-year-old Brian Ruedy (pictured below) from Orange Country, California to play keyboards on the band's upcoming tour.

Ruedy has worked in a succession of bands through the years, including Bret Michaels (POISON) and Brian "Head" Welch (KORN).

Brian recently reconnected with guitarist Doug Aldrich which led to him becoming involved with WHITESNAKE.

Said Ruedy: "I am honored and privileged to be part of the WHITESNAKE family. It's an incredible opportunity. I am excited to bring new sounds and flavors to WHITESNAKE. I look forward to expanding on the already great WHITESNAKE material."

Brian is already immersing himself in the catalogue of WHITESNAKE songs in preparation for the band's upcoming rehearsals for the "Forevermore" world tour 2011.

Keyboardist Timothy Drury left WHITESNAKE last September in order to "pursue a solo career."

Finnish metallers CHILDREN OF BODOM kicked off their "The Ugly World Tour 2011" on Saturday, March 19 in Oulu, Finland.

CHILDREN OF BODOM's setlist for the second gig of the trek — which took place last night (Sunday, March 20) at Pakkahuone in Tampere, Finland was as follows:

01. Not My Funeral
02. Bodom Beach Terror
03. Needled 24/7
04. Ugly / Roundtrip To Hell And Back
05. Living Dead Beat
06. Children Of Bodom
07. Hate Me!
08. Blooddrunk
09. Shovel Knockout
10. Angels Don't Kill
11. Follow the Reaper
12. Downfall

Encore:

13. Was It Worth It?
14. Hate Crew Deathroll

Current/former members of AFTER FOREVER, PAGAN'S MIND and DEATH ANGEL will participate in the third "Winter Metal Symphony" show (formerly "Christmas Metal Symphony"), which will now take place September 16, 2011 (originally January 22) at 013 in Tilburg, The Netherlands. As was the case with the last two editions of the event, the singers will be backed by a six-piece band and a 30-piece classical orchestra as they perform some of the finest heavy metal and hard rock songs of all time. This unique show will contain songs from all metal genres — from prog-metal to rock, from death to speed and from industrial to symphonic.

Confirmed musicians:

* Floor Jansen (REVAMP)
* Mark Osegueda (DEATH ANGEL)
* Nils K. Rue (PAGAN'S MIND)
* Anna Phoebe (TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA)

Tickets are on sale now and cost €28.00 (pre-sale) or €32.50 (show day).

Viceland Magazine recently conducted an interview with former GORGOROTH frontman Gaahl (Kristian Espedahl). In the interview Gaahl talks about his past involvement in the fashion world, his love of young boys, his music, and more. Read excerpts from the interview below:




Viceland: OK. What is the relationship between your musical projects and aesthetic?

Gaahl: “In Gorgoroth we had a lot of chaotic ideas. It all depended on what was practically doable. During the final years we were able to do much more of what we wanted. At the concert in Cracow, for example, we were able to outline a consistent use of symbols. Most of the symbols we’d used earlier, on a smaller scale, but we hadn’t gotten around to assembling the models on the crosses. In addition to the sheep’s heads on poles, it was beautiful—aesthetically brilliant.”

Viceland: Why did you choose to leave black metal behind?

Gaahl: “Gorgoroth had to die. I had to crush it. I had nothing more to offer. You’re onstage, not moving, just regurgitating the same thing again and again. The growth had ended. The way I work demands isolation. When things become business, with large amounts of interviews and attention, there’s no time for content. It destroyed the art. It also makes people take advantage of their positions. I can’t work under those conditions.”

Viceland: OK, no more Dan questions. When it comes to boys you’ve been quoted as saying that you’re more interested in the aesthetics than the physical parts.

Gaahl: “I guess I’m somewhat of an ephebophile. I don’t really understand the physical contact. It’s an element that’s foreign to me.”

Viceland: You’re saying you prefer boys in their mid - to late teens, aka ephebes.

Gaahl: “When it comes to the ephebe as a symbol, I’m more into the aesthetics of it all. Also, there’s something about the gaze and the will. The will to discover the individual, to become something unique, that I think is very strongly present in the young man, prior to being colored by his surroundings—when you’ve exited the fantastic universe of childhood and are in the finishing stages of the hardest and most chaotic transitional period. I can’t explain why, but I know that this is something I’m deeply captivated by. I love it: the unlimited will to be.”

SOLAR FRAGMENT werkeln an ihrem zweiten Album: Die Aufnahmen sind vorüber, der Mix ist fertig und die ganze verdammte Mannschaft ist schon wieder zuhause. Das zweite Solar Fragment Album, "In Our Hands", ist so gut wie fertig und kommt am 19. April 2011 via Scarlet Records in den Handel. Als Gastsänger ist Hansi Kürsch (Blind Guardian) im Song "Inside The Circle" zu hören.

"In Our Hands" Track List:

01. In Our Hands
02. With Empty Eyes
03. Inside The Circle feat. Hansi Kürsch (Blind Guardian)
04. At The Harbor
05. Race The Seas
06. Come Hell Or High Water
07. Homecoming
08. Moana’s Return
09. The March Of The Golems
10. Once Again

Die Deutschen Power Metaller CIRCLE OF SILENCE haben im Januar einen Vertrag bei Massacre Records unterschrieben. Das neue Album mit dem Titel "The Blackened Halo" kommt am 29. April 2011 in den Handel. Aufgenommen wurde das Album mit Vagelis Maranis (FALLEN YGGDRASIL, NOCTE OBDUCTA, WINTER'S VERGE) in den Maranis Studios! Nach dem Cover Artwork und dem neuen Song "Left To Die" wurden jetzt auch die "The Blackened Halo" Track List online gestellt.

"The Blackened Halo" Track List:

01. Synthetic Sleep
02. Left To Die
03. Exception
04. 21 Grams
05. The Blackened Halo
06. Take Your Life
07. Never Forget
08. Reflections
09. Redesign
10. The End
11. Until The Worlds Collide

PARADISE INC., featuring Brazilian musicians Rick A. (bass), Allan Juliano (drums), Marcos Peres and De Grigo (guitars), and German vocalist Carsten Schulz (EVIDENCE ONE, MIDNIGHT CLUB), is putting finishing touches on the production of their debut album.

After many years playing in cover bands, the Brazilian musicians decided to get together to compose their own music, with a courageous proposal embracing hard rock in a country like Brazil, playing a sound that has direct references to names like EUROPE, BON JOVI, HAREM SCAREM, JADED HEART, and DANGER DANGER.




"We recognize that the Brazilian scene is full of good extreme metal bands of thrash, death and black metal, but almost nothing related to hard rock, AOR and melodic rock, something that is so big in Europe", says Rick A., bassist.

Musically, the album shows that Paradise Inc. would not venture out or stay away from the "magic formula" that works so well with the hard rock/AOR and melodic rock from the 70s.

"Our goal is to please the audience that likes that kind of sound. So we do what we feel and what we like, without worrying about competition or market adjustment to play what we do not feel in the heart and soul", says guitarist De Grigo. “We are giving our best on the production of this CD and soon we will reveal some interesting surprises", notes drummer Alan Julian.

Metal Mad Music have welcomed the Greek melodic, progressive power metal band FORTRESS UNDER SIEGE to the their roster.

The band's new album, The Mortal Flesh Of Love, will be released through Metal Mad Music during summer 2011 and official release date announcement will follow soon.

Within the next few days a full track from the new album will be available for streaming through band's official ReverbNation page here.

Personal Assistant to MEGADETH leader Dave Mustaine, Rikki Cameron, has issued the following update:

"Time to check in from Oslo, Norway from the European Carnage tour. We've got this well oiled machine up and running again and are happy to be back out on the road.

I don't normally do this, but I want to take this opportunity to address some very serious LIES that are being spread right now. I'm going to say this as emphatically as I can, DAVE MUSTAINE NEVER COLLAPSED IN RUSSIA. Not ON stage, not back stage, not ever. He was NOT rushed to the hospital.

Dave addressed his health issues himself, and I have no idea where anybody got the idea that there was a collapse because simply put, it is NOT TRUE. Anybody who was at that show can verify that, and as his personal assistant, as his right hand out here on the road, I want to testify to anybody who doubts it, this never happened.

It's really pathetic that people have to play the telephone game and spread bulls*&t rumors to trump up some fantasy that they have played out in their heads. Please pass the word along to anyone who may say other wise, and to fellow Megadeth fans, and to people who claim to know otherwise.

I have never worked for an artist who is so candid and honest with his fans and in the press as Dave Mustaine, and he told you all, in very great detail, exactly what happened to him that day. Kidney stones are quite a normal thing, and extremely painful. There was no lies from him, no covering it up, he was open and honest and still went out on stage and tore it up for his fans.

All of us out here are proud and inspired to work for a leader like him who has such a never say die attitude. This is just another smear campaign by some bad tabloid media. Get your facts straight folks, choose your wording very carefully.

Something as strongly worded as "collapse" can come across as way more dramatic and blown out of proportion than you may realize. It is very poor form to create worry and panic where there is none needed. You heard it here first: Britney Spears does NOT have 2 heads (though Charlie Sheen, I'm not so sure), Ozzy does not eat bats for breakfast on a daily basis, and Dave Mustaine did NOT collapse in Russia.

Otherwise, this tour is going great. Dave's not quite 100% yet, but he's doing well. Thank you all for the well wishes and prayers. Every little bit helps. It's great to be back out here with our SLAYER family and getting to bring this show to the European fans. For me, it's so great to do these Scandanavian shows early on in the tour. I absolutely love this part of the world and the fans are always so great.

Dave's book just got released in Finland last week. Dave Mustaine: A Heavy Metal Memoir got released by Paasilinna Publishing and it looks absolutely incredible. We just got the news that the book is going to be released in Germany soon, so I'll send the details over to our beloved webmaster as soon as I have them.

So thank you, Megadeth fans, for being the best fans in the world, for being so loyal to Dave and Co for all these years, and for helping to set the record straight here. We know the truth, YOU know the truth, and in the scheme of things, none of those other idiots even matter. See you down the road!!"

Mainman Erik Ravn from Danish symphonic metallers WUTHERING HEIGHTS has issued the following update:

"As some of you know, the reason for the current inactivity of Wuthering Heights is my bad health. For more than a year I have suffered from serious back pain. I have had surgery twice, but so far my condition has not improved. My situation leaves me no energy for creative production. Also, as I am currently unable to hold a day job, I have no financial basis for the recording or performing of my music. Therefore I am forced to put Wuthering Heights on hold for the time being.

Writing music and playing in a band has been the center of my life for more than twenty years so this is not something I take lightly. I want to be honest with the fans - I don't want them holding on to false hope for new music from Wuthering Heights in the near future. I would rather everyone be pleasantly surprised when we (hopefully) do something again further down the line.

You will still be able to contact the band via our website and email address, courtesy of Intromental Management.

Finally, let me take this opportunity to thank everyone involved in the amazing rollercoaster ride that has been the history of Wuthering Heights - most importantly our fans, without whom none of this would matter anyway."

Wuthering Heights released their last album, Salt, via Scarlet Records last spring.

"Musical open-mindedness turns to a plague only when one have shitty taste", once said the prophet. You guess that's not the case with THE PHANTOM CARRIAGE, who dare to assemble, in a total presumptuousness, the jazz-tainted black metal of DEATHSPELL OMEGA, the technical yet suffocating chaos of COMITY, added to their ORCHIDesque experience in TACITURN ( R.I.P ).




For now way more loquacious than with their last embodiment, these five too bipolar butchers will be delighted to smash your cortex with their receding riffs and vicious throat scrapings.

New Thing may just be their first offering, this porky half-hour may make a lot of their peers look elsewhere.

The track 'The Horses Feed Their Birds' is available for free download at this location. Pre-orders can also be made at that page.