Icelandic death metallers BENEATH are putting the finishing touches on their new album, "Enslaved By Fear". The CD will contain nine songs and will be mixed by Daniel Bergstrand (MESHUGGAH, BEHEMOTH, IN FLAMES, DARK FUNERAL). The artwork will be created by Raymond Swanland (DEEDS OF FLESH, PSYCROPTIC).

According to a press release, BENEATH mixes "furious speed and technicality with song structures and melodies, resulting in a distinctively Icelandic brand of extreme metal. Not afraid to draw influences from other genres, BENEATH infuses old-school vibe into modern death metal while creating soundtracks to their apocalyptic and anti-religious lyrical content."

BENEATH's debut EP, "Hollow Empty Void", was released in February 2010 via Mordbrann Musikk. The CD was recorded, mixed and mastered by guitarist Johann Ingi Sigurdsson at Fossland Studio in Hafnarfjörður, Iceland.

BENEATH is:

Gisli Sigmundsson - Vocals
Johann Ingi Sigurdsson - Guitar
Unnar Sigurdsson - Guitar
Gisli Runar Gudmundsson - Bass
Ragnar Sverrisson - Drums

NIGHTWISH mainman Tuomas Holopainen has issued the following studio update:

"Petrax Studio, March 2011

A week or so ago I felt the Curse of the Mummy was cast upon us. The vocal recordings were set to begin on Monday, March 7th but Anette (Olzon; vocals) fell at her home just a few days before that and broke her rib. Thinking positive, luckily just that, from the sound of it it could've been much worse. So now she just needs to rest and heal well before we continue, the new vocal recording date set to the beginning of April. We'll take our time and do nothing half-way at this point.

So we called Marco to enter the studio for a couple of days before he left for winter holidays with his family. We figured we need to make the best of the booked studio time anyway. The first thing he told me on Tuesday was that he'd slipped on his front porch and hurt his rib, not sure if he'll be able to sing. At the same time Mikko (Karmila, the recording engineer) was lying in bed, sick to the core.

On Wednesday Marco was still hurting, Anette hadn't improved at all, Mikko was still sick in bed and Tero (Kinnunen, the other recording engineer) was run over by a horse and a cart (!)

There was three more weeks of studio time left and I was alone sipping some Shiraz by the studio's mixing console trying to come up with a counter - spell to put the poor mummy's soul to rest.

Now, a week later things are looking much brighter. Marco was actually able to sing a couple of tracks thanks to Mr. Burana, Tero hurt his pride worse than his body, Mikko is back from the dead, and I just heard Anette was able to go outside for the first time in two weeks. Wonderful news! I also got all my keyboard, piano & hammond - parts recorded, we got majority of the soundscapes a'la Mr. Jussi Tegelman put in place and Mikko already started the editing process. So no studio time wasted after all.

Now it's all about waiting for Anette to get well, getting Marco to record the rest of his vocals, and flying Troy over to record his pipes and show us some of his legendary magic.

In the meanwhile, a beautiful springtime to everyone. I'll write more soon."

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.

THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN frontman Greg Puciato is collaborating with Max Cavalera (SOULFLY, CAVALERA CONSPIRACY, SEPULTURA) on "an album of thrash brutality," according to a recent Facebook posting from the singer. Puciato took to Twitter yesterday to further tease the project, writing, "Just came back from [Cavalera's home base of] Phoenix. Max Cav and myself are both in possession of fifteen songs that nobody else has. Dark."

In a recent interview with Sweden's Metalshrine, Max stated about his collaboration with Puciato, "It's really in the beginning right now. Greg loves NAILBOMB and he's trying to get me to do a NAILBOMB kind of project. He's saying we can do something very similar to NAILBOMB where the both of us sing, like me and Alex [Newport of FUDGE TUNNEL did in NAILBOMB] and what we had and it will be what me and Greg have. We're gonna share the vocals and I think the drummer from MARS VOLTA might be the drummer and the bass player from CONVERGE might be playing bass and we're looking for a guitar player right now. But it's gonna be like a project, not a band like CAVALERA CONSPIRACY or SOULFLY. It's gonna be just a one-off album, something heavy to put out there. Something that me and Greg like to do. I had a great experience with him working on 'Rise Of The Fallen' [song from the latest SOULFLY album] and we became good friends and he started calling me about this 'NAILBOMB part 2' idea and I couldn't say no. I just thought it would be great and I'm really looking forward to it. I'd like to do as much music as possible, so he came with a new project for me."

Puciato joined SOULFLY on stage at the 14th annual "D-Low Memorial" on August 28, 2010 at the Marquee Theatre in Tempe, Arizona to perform the song "Rise Of The Fallen". Fan-filmed video footage of the performance can be viewed below.

Norwegian stoner rock combo LONELY KAMEL has inked a deal with Napalm Records. The quartet from Oslo is dedicated wholeheartedly to riffs and grooves. Fans of the genre may look forward to yet another deep and aromatic drag of pure stoner rock goodness.

Commented the band: "We are really stoked and happy for the opportunity to work with one of the biggest record labels of the independent scene and to be part of the label's impressive roster. We think this will help reach the next level.

"From being a one-man operation over 15 years ago, and having been able to expand during the difficult times in this industry shows their seriousness and ability.

"We have high expectations and are really looking forward to be part of the Napalm family, as well as to deliver some beautiful albums. Blues, grooves and a bottle of booze..."

LONELY KAMEL released its self-titled debut in December2008 on Little Bird Records and Kozmik Artifactz. A follow-up effort, "Blues For The Dead", was made available in October 2010 on Transubstans Records and Kozmik Artifactz.

THE DEVASTATED, the Southern California-based band featuring former members of IMPENDING DOOM and OBLIGE, has inked a deal with Century Media Records. The band is currently in the studio with young producer Chris Eck recording its debut album for a summer release. The CD will be mixed later this month with Daniel Castleman at Lambesis Studios in San Diego, California.

Commented THE DEVASTATED: "We are proud to announce our signing to Century Media Records. The backing and tremendous sense of family is that of which we have always hoped for in a label. We knew almost immediately that this was the perfect fit. We can't wait to release the record and get out on the road."

To get a taste of what THE DEVASTATED is all about, head over to the band's official Facebook page to hear a rough version of the song "Pseudo Smile Campaign".

THE DEVASTATED will hit the road with SUICIDE SILENCE as part of the "Black Dynamite Tour". Additional support will come from I DECLARE WAR.

SUICIDE SILENCE frontman Mitch Lucker had the following to say about THE DEVASTATED: "THE DEVASTATED is the heaviest thing to hit the Earth since the asteroids that killed off the dinosaurs."

THULCANDRA — the reactivated German black/death metal band featuring members of OBSCURA, DARK FORTRESS and HELFAHRT — has issued the following update:

"Today we finished laying the last guitar tracks for [our second full-length album] 'Under A Frozen Sun' at Woodshed Studios, Germany, alongside producer V. Santura [real name: Victor Bullok] (TRIPTYKON, OBSCURA, PESTILENCE).

"Seven songs, a few interludes, and a cover of UNANIMATED's timeless classic, 'Life Demise', were recorded within the last few weeks.

"The new material is even more epic and features more guitar tracks, much more attention to detail including the use of full choirs, acoustic guitars, and guest appearances that will be announced very soon. Kristian 'The Necorlord' Wåhlin will again take on the artwork.

"'Under A Frozen Sun', our second full-length album, was recorded in the vein of the death and black metal of the early '90s and inspired by DISSECTION, UNANIMATED, SACRAMENTUM and VINTERLAND."

Former DIO members Rudy Sarzo (bass), Simon Wright (drums), Craig Goldy (guitar) and Scott Warren (keyboards) will join forces with singers Tim "Ripper" Owens (YNGWIE MALMSTEEN, BEYOND FEAR, JUDAS PRIEST, ICED EARTH) and Toby Jepson (LITTLE ANGELS, GUN) to play a number of shows in Europe under the name DIO DISCIPLES.

Commented Ronnie James Dio's widow and manager Wendy: "There will never be another Ronnie, but we want to keep his music alive and hope you will support the band and become one of the DIO DISCIPLES.

"We will [announce] the U.K./European tour dates as they are confirmed, and we are planning some U.S. dates also.

"Hope to see you at one of the shows."

Wendy Dio recently revealed to AOL's Noisecreep that Rob Halford (JUDAS PRIEST), Glenn Hughes (DEEP PURPLE, BLACK SABBATH, BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION), Dave Grohl (FOO FIGHTERS, NIRVANA), Lemmy Kimister (MOTÖRHEAD), Alice Cooper, Sebastian Bach (SKID ROW) and Chris Jericho (FOZZY) are among the artists who will appear on a forthcoming tribute album to Ronnie. Grohl will do the BLACK SABBATH hit "Mob Rules" and Halford will take on "Long Live Rock 'N' Roll". Cooper already has a song in mind, going back to the ELF days, according to Wendy.

"Rainbow In The Dark: The Autobiography Of Ronnie James Dio", the revealing memoir of the heavy metal master, will be published in the spring of 2012 via MTV Books.

With nearly five decades of worldwide success and album sales in the tens of millions as the front man of ELF, RAINBOW, DIO, BLACK SABBATH, and, most recently, HEAVEN & HELL, Ronnie James Dio grabbed the mic, took the stage, and led a movement whose influence resonates to this day. In "Rainbow In The Dark", Dio himself will introduce the reader to this incredible life and the over 50 photographs included will provide readers with an unprecedented all-access pass to the rock concert of a lifetime.

Israel-based old-school death metallers SONNE ADAM will release their debut album, "Transformation", on April 4 via Century Media Records.

The track listing for the CD is as follows:

01. We Who Worship The Black (05:56)
02. I Sing His Words (04:41)
03. Sonne Adam (04:29)
04. Solitude In Death (02:03)
05. Take Me Back To Where I Belong (04:12)
06. Shine (05:51)
07. I Claim My Birth In Blood (03:35)
08. Transformation (05:00)
09. Apocalypse (05:57)

The song "We Who Worship The Black" is now available for streaming on the band's Facebook page.

The band comments on the track as follows: "'God Of Emptiness' from MORBID ANGEL is a huge influence on my writing as it has the most mind-blowing riffs that I heard as well as well-crafted drums and amazing vocals, in my eyes. I can't count the number of time that I sat down to compose and said to myself, 'Oh yeah, man, this will be our 'God Of Emptiness' song,' hehe. It took us three months to write the whole piece. It was a short but very intense time that I wrote night and day every day of the week. I enjoyed every minute of it."

SONNE ADAM is:

Dahan: Vocals, Bass
Davidov: Guitar
Mayer: Guitar
Steel: Drums

The history of SONNE ADAM (which roughly translates into "hate humanity" in Hebrew) dates back to 2007 when a young Israeli duo consisting of Davidov (all instruments) and Dahan (vocals) started a musical project to create "death metal in the vein of early PARADISE LOST but with a more shamelessly evil and blasphemous touch and some MORBID ANGEL thrown in the mix." The band's first recording was an EP titled "The Sun Is Dead" (which so far remains unreleased), followed by another EP called "Armed With Hammers", which caught the attention of underground label Imperium Productions from Germany, which subsequently released it on seven-inch vinyl in 2010. The resulting underground buzz culminated in renowned German magazine Rock Hard naming it "Demo Of The Month" and predicting the band to become a hot topic among all death metal maniacs.

After seeing SONNE ADAM developing into an amazing, highly promising underground act, Century Media Records picked them up for the release of the band's debut album, "Transformation", in cooperation with Imperium Productions, which will handle the album's vinyl version.

The cornerstones of SONNE ADAM's sound are heavy, downtuned, diverse and all-consuming lava-esque riffs, unholy, triumphant vocals, thundering drums and a song-writing filled to the brim with fascinating twist and turns. Combined with metaphorical, dark and blasphemous lyrics, "Transformation" ultimately stands out from the mass as an authentic, occult and earnest metal opus that leaves nothing to desire and should find many new supporters among extreme metalheads worldwide. It's an album that propagates originality implying respect for the original precursors and creative ingenuity in equal measure. It's damn great dark death metal, plain and simple…

To celebrate POISON's 25th anniversary, 35 of the multi-platinum band's top hits and fan favorites have been gathered for "Double Dose Of Poison: Ultimate Hits", a new career-spanning 2CD and digital collection to be released May 3 by Capitol/EMI.

"Double Dose Of Poison: Ultimate Hits" features all of the band's charting singles, including the #1 smash ballad "Every Rose Has Its Thorn", Top 10 hits "Nothin' But A Good Time", "Unskinny Bop" and "Something To Believe In", and other big hits and fan favorites, including "Talk Dirty To Me", "I Want Action", "Your Mama Don't Dance", "Fallen Angel", "Ride The Wind" and many more, including standouts from the band's most recent album, 2007's "Poison'd!"

"Between 'Double Dose Of Poison' and the 25th-anniversary tour, I honestly can't think of a better way to mark this major milestone," says POISON's singer Bret Michaels. "I'm so excited to get back out on the road with the band again to celebrate — and 'Double Dose' is going to be such a must-have collection: All the hits in one place. This is going to be really special for all of the fans — and especially for all of those who have been with us since Day One."

POISON's highly-anticipated tour with MÖTLEY CRÜE and the NEW YORK DOLLS kicks off June 7 at Dallas' Gexa Energy Pavilion, before continuing on to more than 30 other cities and major venues across North America, including Los Angeles' Hollywood Bowl on June 14, Toronto's Molson Amphitheatre on June 28, Detroit's DTE Energy Music Center on June 29, and Chicago's FMB Amphitheatre on July 1.

"Double Dose Of Poison: Ultimate Hits" track listing:

Disc One:

01. Talk Dirty To Me
02. I Want Action
03. I Won't Forget You
04. Cry Tough
05. Look What The Cat Dragged In
06. Nothin' But A Good Time
07. Fallen Angel
08. Every Rose Has Its Thorn
09. Your Mama Don't Dance
10. Unskinny Bop
11. Rock And Roll All Nite
12. Ride The Wind
13. Something To Believe In
14. Life Goes On
15. Stand
16. The Last Song
17. Shooting Star

Disc Two:

01. We're An American Band
02. So Tell Me Why
03. No More Lookin' Back [live]
04. Can't You See
05. Little Willy
06. Suffragette City
07. Look But You Can't Touch
08. Until You Suffer Some (Fire And Ice)
09. Bastard Son Of A Thousand Blues
10. Lay Your Body Down
11. Sexual Thing
12. (Flesh & Blood) Sacrifice
13. What I Like About You
14. Love On The Rocks
15. Face The Hangman
16. Livin' For The Minute
17. Cover Of The Rolling Stone
18. Poor Boy Blues

According to The Pulse Of Radio, newly inducted Rock And Roll Hall Of Famer Alice Cooper says that he understands the situation Charlie Sheen is in. Cooper, a longtime recovering alcoholic, told The Pulse Of Radio that he clearly sees similarities between himself and the troubled "Two And A Half Men" actor. "I relate to him on one level; When I was an alcoholic, I was the most functional alcoholic there was," he said. "In other words — I was drinking too much, everybody knew it, everybody saw that I was, y'know, getting sick — but, when it came to doing my job, I was dead on, when it came to doing a show. And so, I have to defend him on one level; If he's showing up to do his job on that show, and he's straight, and he knows his lines, and he's funny, and he's not a problem — I don't know how they can stop the show. He's actually fulfilling his contract."

Cooper is currently working on a sequel to his 1975 album "Welcome To My Nightmare" with producer Bob Ezrin. "Welcome 2 My Nightmare", which will feature three songs with the original ALICE COOPER band, is expected out in the fall.

Reactivated Massachusetts hard rockers EXTREME have released the following message to their fans in Japan following the 8.9-magnitude earthquake and subsequent tsunami that shook the country early Friday morning and left more than five thousand killed and many more missing:

"We are painfully shocked and devastated from the earthquake/tsunami disaster that has rocked your beautiful and precious country. The images we are seeing are heartbreaking. We hope that each and every one of you are OK and that your friends and loved ones are safe.

"EXTREME has always considered Japan our home away from home and we will remain united in support during this difficult tragedy."

METALLICA, JUDAS PRIEST, IRON MAIDEN and BLACK SABBATH are among the artists who have made Gibson.com's list of "Top 50 Metal Songs Of All Time".

Check out the entire list below:

01. "Master of Puppets" - METALLICA
02. "Ace of Spades" - MOTÖRHEAD
03. "Crazy Train" - OZZY OSBOURNE
04. "Iron Man" - BLACK SABBATH
05. "The Number of the Beast" - IRON MAIDEN
06. "War Pigs" - BLACK SABBATH
07. "Paranoid" - BLACK SABBATH
08. "One" - METALLICA
09. "Hallowed Be Thy Name" - IRON MAIDEN
10. "Breaking the Law" - JUDAS PRIEST
11. "Children of the Grave" - BLACK SABBATH
12. "Welcome to the Jungle" - GUNS N' ROSES
13. "Black Sabbath" - BLACK SABBATH
14. "Hells Bells" - AC/DC
15. "The Trooper" - IRON MAIDEN
16. "Painkiller" - JUDAS PRIEST
17. "Stargazer" - RAINBOW
18. "Enter Sandman" - METALLICA
19. "Back in Black" - AC/DC
20. "Runnin' with the Devil" - VAN HALEN
21. "The Hellion/Electric Eye" - JUDAS PRIEST
22. "Run to the Hills" - IRON MAIDEN
23. "Let it Go" - DEF LEPPARD
24. "Epic" - FAITH NO MORE
25. "Hangar 18" - MEGADETH
26. "Rime of the Ancient Mariner" - IRON MAIDEN
27. "You've Got Another Thing Comin'" - JUDAS PRIEST
28. "Fear of the Dark" - IRON MAIDEN
29. "Raining Blood" - SLAYER
30. "Walk" - PANTERA
31. "Holy Diver" - DIO
32. "Highway to Hell" - AC/DC
33. "Heaven and Hell" - BLACK SABBATH
34. "Bulls on Parade" - RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE
35. "Fade to Black" - METALLICA
36. "Angel of Death" - SLAYER
37. "Peace Sells" - MEGADETH
38. "Freak on a Leash" - KORN
39. "Them Bones" - ALICE IN CHAINS
40. "Cemetery Gates" - PANTERA
41. "Detroit Rock City" - KISS
42. "Devil's Child" - JUDAS PRIEST
43. "Run with the Wolf" - RAINBOW
44. "Would?" - ALICE IN CHAINS
45. "We're Not Gonna Take It" - TWISTED SISTER
46. "Hell Bent for Leather" - JUDAS PRIEST
47. "Beyond the Realms of Death" - JUDAS PRIEST
48. "Bomber" - MOTÖRHEAD
49. "Unchained" - VAN HALEN
50. "10,000 Days (Wings, Part II)" - TOOL

"Hemline (A Waste of Skin)", the new video from veteran hardcore thrashers THE ACCUSED, can be viewed below. The clip is a mini-splatter epic starring the lovely and terrifying Martha Splatterhead, which was shot in twp locations — Marysville, Washington and San Diego, California — and directed by Federico Aragon.

"Hemline (A Waste of Skin)" comes off THE ACCUSED's latest album, "The Curse Of Martha Splatterhead", which was released in August 2009 via Southern Lord Records.

Originally formed in 1981 near Seattle, THE ACCUSED released six LPs and several EPs over a period of 28 years. Having survived deaths, trends and severe obstacles, THE ACCUSED "has returned to rightfully reclaim the thrash metal throne," according to a press release. "'The Curse Of Martha Splatterhead' contains even more face ripping riffs, more brutal throat shredding and more intenstinal morbid devourement than ever before. 14 songs clocking in at 29 minutes. FASTER, MORE VICIOUS, MORE BRUTAL than you can handle! Crushing production courtesy of Billy Anderson (MELVINS, NEUROSIS, EYEHATEGOD, HIGH ON FIRE, SLEEP, etc.)."

"The Curse Of Martha Splatterhead" track listing:

01. The Splatterbeast
02. Stomped To Death
03. Bodies Are Rising
04. Festival Of Flesh
05. Elijah Black
06. Scotty Came Back
07. Hemline
08. Die Violently
09. By The Hook
10. Avenue Of The Dead
11. Fuck Sorry
12. Martha's Disciples
13. Seriously Dead
14. Splatter Rock II

THE SMASHING PUMPKINS have just released their ninth free track, "Lightning Strikes", via RollingStone.com. PUMPKINS leader Billy Corgan says the song is "dedicated with affection to Mark Tulin...and all our great Japanese fans who are in our prayers." Mark Tulin, the bassist and founding member of the pioneering psych-rockers the ELECTRIC PRUNES, died last month. Tulin played in the PUMPKINS and appears on tracks from the band's "Teargarden By Kaleidyscope" work. He also toured with Corgan in the band SPIRITS IN THE SKY in 2009.

Former SKID ROW singer Sebastian Bach recently entered a Los Angeles studio with his new, young, virtuosic guitarist Nick Sterling and producer Bob Marlette (BLACK SABBATH, SHINEDOWN, ATREYU, FILTER) to record Bach's next CD, tentatively due this summer via the Italian label Frontiers Records.

In a March 17 posting on his Facebook page, Bach writes, "Bass and drums are all finished for the record. Today Nick Sterling starts on guitar wizardry and he has already laid down two rhythm guitar tracks today. The tones are blaring, brutal and fresh with a hint of the 'Scooped' tone ala Dimebag Darrell. Nick is playing through a combo of Marshall, Bogner, and Diamond amps. He is playing one of Bob Marlette's beautiful guitars, a 1969 Gibson Les Paul gold top. Shredding will resume in the a.m.!"

Heavy music presenter Christina Rowatt of Soundwave TV conducted an interview with SLAYER guitarist Kerry King and drummer Dave Lombardo on March 4, 2011 at the Melbourne stop of Australia's Soundwave traveling festival. You can now watch the chat below. A couple of excerpts from the interview follow.

Q: Would you ever do some sort of crazy rock opera or anything really mental like that, or is that lame?

Kerry: "I think when you play with an orchestra, you're just masturbating yourself, and saying, 'We're king of the world. Let's go play with an orchestra.' Sorry, METALLICA, but, unfortunately, you did that. [Laughs] There's so many bands that do it just… It's just masturbation, man. It was good before that."

Q: How has [EXODUS guitarist] Gary [Holt] been to play with? (Holt is filling in for SLAYER founding guitarist Jeff Hanneman, who underwent emergency surgery on his right arm in January after contracting a serious infection, possibly caused by a spider bite.)

Dave: "He's amazing. He's been phenomenal. He's got the songs down, he's got the leads down. He's really tight. He stepped up."

Kerry: "He is awesome. I'm very, very excited. He was my first choice and he jumped right onboard and I don't know where I would go if I had to pick somebody else."

Q: If there was [a] "Big Five" [of 1980s thrash metal, alongside METALLICA, SLAYER, MEGADETH and ANTHRAX], would EXODUS be the fifth wheel, the fifth hand?

Kerry: "That's hard to say, 'cause you've got TESTAMENT. A little less history, you've got MACHINE HEAD, who are just gigantic. I mean, I wouldn't call ourselves the 'Big Four' now. I think [the term 'Big Four'] is dated, because at the time we were the 'Big Four,' and now to say it… It's like, 'Well, what about these other bands?' And I'm like, 'I didn't make this up. I'm just part of it."

KRYPTERIAs neues Album heißt "All Beauty Must Die" und wird am 22. April auf die Welt losgelassen. Zum ersten Mal in der über sechsjährigen Geschichte der Band werden Ji-In, Chris, Frank und Kusch auf "All Beauty Must Die" Gäste auf einem Krypteriaalbum präsentieren. Mit Doro Pesch, Eggi Exxel und Olli Singer gibt es also drei weitere erlesene Zutaten, die "All Beauty Must Die" zu einem absoluten Leckerbissen machen.

Danish death metallers THE CLEANSING will release their second album, "Feeding The Inevitable", in the spring via the U.S. label Deepsend Records. The nine-song CD was mixed at CB studios in Denmark with producer Christian Bonde. The mastering duties were handled by Bjørn Engelmann (BEHEMOTH, BLOODBATH) at the Cutting Room in Sweden. Remy C. from Headsplit Design created the artwork/cover, which can be viewed below. The band states, "[He] really did a great work delivering some really cool and brutal illustrations."

"Feeding The Inevitable" track listing:

01. The Promethean Promise
02. Third Eye Starring
03. Your Flesh, Your Curse
04. A Cheating Progression
05. Hour Of Decadence
06. Processed For Contamination
07. Law Of Reciprocity
08. Two Days
09. Crossroads

On April 8, Nuclear Blast Records will release a limited-edition picture seven-inch version of the HAMMERFALL single "One More Time" from the band's upcoming album "Infected". The vinyl is limited on 500 copies and sold through the Nuclear Blast mailorder only. On the B-side of the single there will be a live version of "Hallowed Be My Name" recorded at the Scandinavium in Gothenburg, Sweden in 2009. The digital version of the single will contain an additional instrumental version of "One More Time".