According to The Pulse Of Radio, SOUNDGARDEN's first-ever official concert album, titled "Live On I5", is streaming now in its entirety at the band's Facebook page. You must "like" the page in order to access the tracks. The set is compiled of live tracks from a 1996 West Coast tour by the band and is named after the Interstate 5. SOUNDGARDEN had intended to release the tapes of these shows as its first live album shortly after the tour, but the group ended up disbanding and the tapes were left in the studio, untouched for years.

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.

DIM MAK 2011 is:

Joey Capizzi - Vocals
Shaune Kelley - Guitar
Scot Hornick - Bass
John Longstreth - Drums

"Knives of Ice" was released in April 2006 via Willowtip Records. According to a press release, the CD "set a new standard for unrestrained musicianship that exposes the listener to a myriad of slithery Tetris-defeating rhythms, violent flurries of spitfire blast-beats, exotic, pyramid-melting leads, and infectious vocal lacerations. These elements combine to create an original, fluid songwriting style that actually means something and isn't afraid to flirt with some seriously skullcrushing slap-dash grooves."
DIM MAK had previously released material on Dies Irae Productions and Olympic/Century Media.

Former MEGADETH guitarist Marty Friedman, who moved to Japan in 2003, has released the following statement:

"Thank you all for your support and prayers. I am 100% fine, 100% healthy and in better shape than ever. However, there are many, many people here in Japan that are facing an unbelievable tragedy.

"It's time to go to the next step. I will be auctioning ALL of my guitars from the MEGADETH era and will donate 100% of the proceeds to the earthquake relief.

"I am going to L.A. right NOW to the climate controlled lockup where all the guitars have been in their cases since January 2000. All guitars I used on all the MEGADETH recordings, tours, videos, everything WILL be auctioned off.

"When I get to the lockup, I will do my best to sort out which was used for what (I suck at that...I'm sure many of you guys know better than I do) and notate as many details as possible. Pictures, descriptions and how to bid will all be up on my U.S. website as well as my Japanese website within 2-3 days.

"I have NEVER sold ANY of my guitars before; this is the only way these guitars will leave my possession. I urge you to please spread the word and most of all BID HIGH. You will be putting a huge deposit in the 'karma bank' and have some pretty cool guitars to show for it. DO IT!"

California-based Christian death metallers IMPENDING DOOM have inked a worldwide deal with eOne Music. The band is currently working on new material, to be released later this year.

"We're very excited to start a new chapter in our career on a label who has proven to be a staple in the metal community," says guitarist Corey Johnson.

"We're certain that with our new material, the touring plans we have on the horizon and having such a powerful label behind us there will be no stopping IMPENDING DOOM!"

IMPENDING DOOM is currently on tour with NORMA JEAN and STICK TO YOUR GUNS, with a few weeks left before they head over to Europe for the first time in their career alongside WHITECHAPEL.

IMPENDING DOOM is Brook Reeves on vocals, Cory Johnson on guitar, David Sittig on bass and Brandon "B-Town" Trahan on drums.

"There Will Be Violence", the latest video from IMPENDING DOOM, can be viewed below. The clip was shot in the middle of the desert in Arizona in 117-degree heat.

"There Will Be Violence" is the title track of IMPENDING DOOM's third full-length album, "There Will Be Violence", which was released on July 20, 2010 via Facedown Records. The CD was recorded at Lambesis Studios with Daniel Castleman (AS I LAY DYING, WINDS OF PLAGUE, WAR OF AGES) and it features guest appearances by Tim Lambesis of AS I LAY DYING and Vincent Bennett of THE ACACIA STRAIN.

According to TheNews.pl, BEHEMOTH's guitarist/vocalist Adam "Nergal" Darski dumped his fiancée Doda (26-year-old Polish pop singer Dorota Rabczewska; pictured below with Nergal) over the phone last Sunday, ending of the two-year romance between Poland's most unlikely showbiz couple. Apparently Nergal, who has just scored a victory over leukemia, didn't like some of Doda's friends, including one muscled fitness instructor from Berlin.

MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine has posted the following comment on the band's official forum regarding the March 16 show in St. Petersburg, which lasted only about 30 minutes and was cut short due to Dave having "a severe illness".

"Last night I was getting ready for the concert, and two hours before the show, I started to feel like I had a hernia, or more like I had been hit in the groin.

I told my tour manager that I needed a Doctor and that there was no way I was going to get through this on my own; that I thought it might be in my best interest to consider canceling the show.

Now I rarely, if ever cancel shows, and after 45 minutes of prayer with my loving wife and sweating like a dog, I was told to pee for the Doctors. They then explained that there was blood in my urine. I was mad; I would say pissed, but that is an obvious pun.

So they gave me an IV, and analgesic, and an anti-inflammatory injection. The next hour is kinda blurry, but I woke up and David was holding my hand and praying over me, and even Tom and Dave from Slayer came in to check on me, so I knew I was gonna be ok.

For now.

And to anyone that thinks Tom and I are still opposed, I feel sorry for you.

Anyway, when I woke up, they said that there was so many people outside of the venue still, that they could hold the show for 30 additional minutes, and I said, "Guys, I am ok, and we can do this."

Well, the Doctors were not amused at all.

But then again, they have never met the likes of one Dave Mustaine.

I told the band that I was "ok" going on for a few songs, to at least help the fans feel a teensy bit better, and that not to allow the promoter to cancel the show. Please don't get me wrong, the promoter did not want me to cancel, but he also was concerned with my health.

So what was said was this:

Dave Mustaine has become seriously ill (the kidney stone and the blood in my urine), and the Doctors are INSISTING he goes to the hospital.

The crowd immediately voiced their displeasure, and right then, perfectly timed, the promoter finished by saying, "But Dave Mustaine is refusing to go to hospital until he can play a few songs for you. So, stand by, because coming u next, MEGADETH!"

The fans lost it.

So we were going to play 4 songs and someone said, "Let's play 'Trust', 'Sweating Bullets', 'Symphony of Destruction', 'Peace Sells', and the 'Holy Wars' reprise" and I said, "We have to play 'A Tout Le Monde', and let's put that in before 'Sweating' and if I can't do it, then I will just skip it, and we can just go to 'Symphony'."

Well, it turns out that all of my friends were praying for me and when the lights went out the audience went off!

I ended up playing all 6 songs after all, and I truly believe it was the prayer that got that stone out of me.

I feel 95.7% better today, and I don't want anyone else to worry. I am a tough old skunk, and so I am taking this time to explain in more detail than I normally would about a physical matter.

Thank you to everyone who prayed for me, and for everyone that continues to pray for me.

And now, I have a concert I must go to. God bless you all, and now everyone who prayed for me, please pray for Jeff Hanneman of SLAYER."

British thrashers EVILE will enter the studio this weekend to begin recording their third album.

EVILE will be playing a show in London this Friday, March 18 with CHTHONIC before heading to Prestatyn, Wales on Saturday for a performance at Hammerfest. The band will then be heading into Parlour Studios on Sunday to begin recording the follow-up to 2009's "Infected Nations", and will once again be working with producer Russ Russell (NAPALM DEATH, DIMMU BORGIR).

Commented EVILE lead guitarist Ol Drake: "This has been one hell of a 2011 already. We've been working non-stop on the material for EVILE's third album since early last year, and the past few months saw the workload pile up drastically. We're on top of it though.

"Tomorrow we play London with our friends CHTHONIC from Taiwan, then we head over to Prestatyn for Hammerfest. Just like with 'Infected Nations', we're again heading to the studio shortly after playing Hammerfest, though this time it's the very day after. To the great Parlour Studios we will venture along with the even greater Russ Russell. He was at the helm/desk/brain for 'Infected Nations', and we see him as a member of the band, even more so on this third offering. We'll be in there for approximately a month, and we'll be focusing on roughly ten tracks to delight your ears.

"If I was to say what the direction of this third album would be, I'd have to say a mix of the approach to 'Enter the Grave', the ideas on 'Infected Nations' and an amalgamation of brand new ideas we can't wait to try out. We have to try out new things as artists; we don't ever ever want to stick to doing the same thing all the time. It will be aggressive yet mature, in my opinion, and before your ask — yes, fast."

Bassist Ben Bennett (ex-WARBRINGER, SMOG) has joined forces with New Jersey rock and roll thrashers LETHAL STRIKE to record a four-song EP. The CD will be tracked in April with Rob Moshettie (GENERATION KILL, ex-PRO-PAIN, M.O.D.) at the helm.

LETHAL STRIKE will play its first two shows with Ben on Saturday, March 19 at Liquid Lounge in Bayonne New Jersey and on Saturday, March 26 at Center City Mall in Paterson, New Jersey.

"My Life My Way", the new album from New York hardcore legends AGNOSTIC FRONT, is available for streaming in its entirety on the band's Facebook page. Released on March 4 in Europe and due on March 22 in North America via Nuclear Blast Records, the CD was recorded at Mana Recording Studios in St. Petersburg, Florida. The effort features 13 new powerful and anthemic songs laid down by Erik Rutan (MADBALL, GOATWHORE, CANNIBAL CORPSE, etc.) under the watchful guide of producer Freddy Cricien of MADBALL. The record was mastered by Alan Douches at West West Side Music (SEPULTURA, SUFFOCATION, UNEARTH) in New Windsor, New York.

CAVALERA CONSPIRACY — the project featuring former SEPULTURA members Max (guitar, vocals) and Igor Cavalera (drums) — will release its sophomore album, "Blunt Force Trauma", on March 28 not only as a standard CD but also as an "awesome" CD/DVD/LP package.

"Blunt Force Trauma" was once again tracked with Logan Mader (ex-MACHINE HEAD/SOULFLY guitarist), who co-produced the LP with Max. Logan also mixed the follow-up to the band's debut album, "Inflikted", which has sold less than 45,000 copies in the United States since its March 2008 release, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

The brothers Cavalera co-founded SEPULTURA, the Brazilian metal band that redefined and established the genre outside of the U.S. and Europe. After Max exited the band, there was a rift between himself and his brother, one that was eventually repaired through the redemptive power of music. Some time had passed and Max and Igor were unable to resist the musical pull in their magnetic fields and their musical collaboration was renewed. The duo are back for round two with CAVALERA CONSPIRACY.

CAVALERA CONSPIRACY's lineup is filled out by guitarist Marc Rizzo, who plays with Max in SOULFLY, and bassist Johnny Chow.

"Blunt Force Trauma" CD/DVD/LP track listing:

Vinyl:

01. Warlord
02. Torture
03. Lynch Mob
04. Killing Inside
05. Thrasher
06. I Speak Hate
07. Target
08. Genghis Khan
09. Burn Waco
10. Rasputin
11. Blunt Force Trauma
12. Psychosomatic
13. Jihad Jow
14. Electric Funeral (BLACK SABBATH cover)
15. Six Pack (BLACK FLAG cover)

CD:

01. Warlord
02. Torture
03. Lynch Mob
04. Killing Inside
05. Thrasher
06. I Speak Hate
07. Target
08. Genghis Khan
09. Burn Waco
10. Rasputin
11. Blunt Force Trauma
12. Psychosomatic *
13. Jihad Joe *
14. Electric Funeral (BLACK SABBATH cover) *

* Bonus tracks

DVD - Live at Les Eurockéennes Festival, Belfort, France - July 5, 2008 (except *):

01. Inflikted
02. Sanctuary
03. Territory
04. Terrorize
05. The Doom Of All Fires
06. Inner Self/Nevertrust
07. Arise/Dead Embryonic Cells
08. Desperate Cry/Propaganda
09. Wasting Away
10. Black Ark
11. Holiday In Cambodia/Biotech Is Godzilla
12. Hearts Of Darkness
13. Refuse/Resist
14. Troops Of Doom
15. Must Kill
16. Roots Bloody Roots
17. Sanctuary (music video) *

The song "Thrasher" is now available for streaming below.

Hamburg, Germany-based metal outfit THE RETALIATION PROCESS has just released the "Death Is A Gift" EP. The effort is available as free download at www.theretaliationprocess.tk and contains "four modern heavily grooving death-thrash-metal tracks."

"Death Is A Gift" was produced by the THE RETALIATION PROCESS bandmembers themselves. The band once again teamed up with Eike Freese (DARK AGE) for the drum-recording sessions at Hammer Recording Studios in Hamburg. The cover artwork was designed by Patrick Wittstock of Azraeldesign (SCAR SYMMETRY, CATARACT, MAROON) and can be viewed below.

THE RETALIATION PROCESS will support Swedish metallers THE HAUNTED on their only German date.

THE RETALIATION PROCESS released its debut album, "Downfall", in February 2010 via Silverwolf Produktions.

AC/DC "Live At River Plate", a definitive live concert DVD documenting AC/DC's massive "Black Ice" world tour, will be available for purchase on Tuesday, May 10. Shot in December 2009, "Live At River Plate" marks AC/DC's triumphant return to Buenos Aires where nearly 200,000 fans, over three sold-out shows, welcomed the band back after a 13-year absence from Argentina. This stunning live footage of AC/DC underscores what Argentina's Pagina 12 newspaper reported by saying "no one is on the same level when it comes to pure and clear rock 'n' roll." Directed by David Mallet and produced by Rocky Oldham, "Live At River Plate" was shot with 32 cameras entirely in HD. The set features 19 songs (110 minutes) as well as behind-the-scenes footage of this massive production coming together among the excitement of anxious fans (see below for full track listing).

AC/DC "Live At River Plate" will be available on DVD, Blu-ray and limited-edition collector's edition with exclusive t-shirt. Additionally the DVD contains a bonus feature titled "The Fan, The Roadie, The Guitar Tech & The Meat," containing interviews with AC/DC, their crew and fans among the excitement of the shows and the city of Buenos Aires.

AC/DC "Live At River Plate" track listing:

01. Rock N Roll Train
02. Hell Ain't A Bad Place To Be
03. Back In Black
04. Big Jack
05. Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap
06. Shot Down In Flames
07. Thunderstruck
08. Black Ice
09. The Jack
10. Hells Bells
11. Shoot To Thrill
12. War Machine
13. Dog Eat Dog
14. You Shook Me All Night Long
15. T.N.T.
16. Whole Lotta Rosie
17. Let There Be Rock
18. Highway To Hell
19. For Those About To Rock (We Salute You)

Bonus features:

* The Fan, The Roadie, The Guitar Tech & The Meat
* AC/DC Tour Animation

"The Mechanics Of Annihilation", a brand new song from HATRIOT — the new thrash metal project led by veteran San Francisco Bay Area vocalist Steve "Zetro" Souza (TENET, DUBLIN DEATH PATROL, EXODUS, LEGACY) — is available for streaming at the band's Facebook page.

HATRIOT has completed work on a four-song demo and is currently seeking a record deal. The band's artwork and logo were created by Mark Devito, while Jim Willard did the photos.

Vocalist Hansi Kürsch of German power metallers BLIND GUARDIAN has issued the following update:

"Another year, another message. Here, as promised a little while ago, the ultimate report about what we were dealing with the past few months and what to expect for the upcoming year.

"I assume everyone reading these lines has had a chance to discover [the new BLIND GUARDIAN album] 'At The Edge Of Time' and hopefully still enjoys it as much as we do. The very positive feedback we have gotten worldwide is, of course, a strong motivation for us.

"As said at other places before, we consider this album as the perfect connection between new and old. It contains a little bit of everything but still has a strong musical thread running throughout and offers us many options for our next projects.

"It is no surprise when I tell you that the next journey will certainly lead us into an even more classical direction. There will be a few more trips to Prague necessary to finalize all orchestral recordings for our classical project, but all things must come to an end eventually. The result of the stuff we have already recorded keeps me in a very good and optimistic mood, even though I consider the wait until the project's completion very painful. [Producer] Charlie [Bauerfeind] and I, nonetheless, will start working on the first vocal recordings during the next days.

"Since we will be interrupted by quite a lot of upcoming shows, I would be happy if I were to find myself in a position to finish the first five songs vocal-wise before the year is over.

"It is challenging stuff for everyone. One fine day, all of a sudden, when no one expects it, I will announce its completion. Certainly not within the next twelve months, but one very, very fine day.

"From one long-term project to another.

"As we had time to share some serious moments with each other during the 70000 Tons Of Metal cruise (somewhere on the oceans of time), Jon [Schaffer; ICED EARTH, SONS OF LIBERTY] and I had finally found the chance to put our minds together for a possible next DEMONS & WIZARDS album. We cheerfully simultaneously announced our wish to start working on it as quickly as possible.

"Although time is an issue for both of us, we, nonetheless, decided to start songwriting together during the European summer festival season when Jon will be in Europe for ICED EARTH performances. During that season, we will use every possible moment to complete as much material as possible. To guarantee a good-mood-songwriting feeling, I have already saved some good bottles of red wine and a smaller amount of Johnny Walker black label in our studio. Things are still in the mist but we are about to recognize structures of a busy future.

"As for the people who have bought the limited edition [of 'At The Edge Of Time'] and may have started wondering about the promised additional stuff on the connected media page, I can, one more time, promise that your waiting will soon be over and all your doubts about the value of having such questionable access will be erased.

"We have several things we are about to accomplish during the next days. Once finished, we will make an official announcement telling you when the material will be available for download.

"Apart from having worked on some remixes of the new stuff, we obviously were able to catch a lot of impressions from our time on the road during the last months.

"Touring in all these European and Northern American venues was a definite blast and we cannot wait to hit the next countries and cities fairly soon.

"As we recorded most of the shows we have played so far, I can tell you that there have been a number of outstanding magic moments. I mostly was impressed by the great response the new stuff has gotten. Even when we toured in the early Nineties, it usually took one round to establish new material. But that is not the case with any of the new ones we played. They immediately got very significant responses each night. Another approval for their quality, I dare to say. Of course, we will try to come up with more new songs for the shows we are going to play during the next months.

"Since we have some time to waste until then, we have decided to work on even more songs to be performed for these shows. I will keep it a secret which songs we are working on… though it won't be many, I have to confess. Yes, I know how to spoil a story. It‘s one of my best qualities — apart from looking cool while sitting on a chair."

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.

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. The CD will be available as a CD-digi, regular LP and picture-disc 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."

Abbath and Demonaz formed IMMORTAL in 1990. In 1998 Demonaz stopped playing live with IMMORTAL due to a hand injury, "but writing and working fully with IMMORTAL has been important for us to continue," he said.

2007 saw the IMMORTAL reunion with 10 concerts. The new stage lineup with Abbath, Horgh and Apollyon perfomed the first gig of this journey headlining the Inferno Festival in Norway.

Santa Cruz, California-based progressive hardcore/death metallers ARSONISTS GET ALL THE GIRLS have set "Motherland" as the title of their fourth album, due on May 17 via Century Media Records. The CD was recorded at Castle Ultimate studios in Fremont, California with producer Zack Ohren (AS BLOOD RUNS BLACK, ALL SHALL PERISH)

"Motherland" track listing:

01. Rise to Fall
02. Neck of the Contrast
03. Gooseknuckle
04. It was a Memoir
05. Dr. Teeth
06. Avdotya
07. Waiting for the War to Die
08. West Cliffs
09. Hemlock Like This
10. Woebegone
11. Our Super Symmetry
12. Will Someone Please Turn Down the Ocean?
13. Tempest

Commented vocalist Jared Monnette: "This record is packed with a metric shit-ton of different sounds, directions, styles and grind. We've really tried to incorporate a new sound while keeping the important elements of ARSONISTS GET ALL THE GIRLS, while letting the past year and half's experience and stories of tour steer the rest of the album.

"We've been through quite a bit in the recent year, and it's almost impossible to not incorporate all of our travel tales into the new sound. Every song has something special to offer, or a new story to tell that allows anyone listening a temporary escape. If it's not the first song that you'll enjoy, then it will be the next.

"We've taken the next step in progressing our music, and it may be the first into a full sprint."

ARSONISTS GET ALL THE GIRLS will debut new music from "Motherland" when it headlines the "Return To The Motherland Tour" with A PLEA FOR PURGING, LIONHEART, THE CONTORTIONIST and VOLUMES starting on April 18 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

ARSONISTS GET ALL THE GIRLS' last album, "Portals", was released in July 2009 via Century Media Records.

For a list of upcoming ARSONISTS GET ALL THE GIRLS shows, go to www.myspace.com/agatg.

Midwest thrashers LAZARUS A.D. had their vehicle broken into and robbed while the band was in Southampton, England as part of a U.K. tour with BONDED BY BLOOD.

Commented LAZARUS A.D. guitarist/vocalist Dan Gapen: "We just want to personally say thank you to the fuck douche bags who smashed our van's window and stole $1500 and all our clothes and other personal items. All I can say is thank god we had the gear on stage or the fuckers would have stolen that as well. They got every cent of band money, Social Security cards and our birth certificates. Not to mention they took all of our clothes and hygiene items. Thank god we had our passports in our pockets."

German power metallers GRAVE DIGGER have issued the following update:

"We're very sorry to tell that GRAND MAGUS and SISTER SIN have been forced to cancel their attendance at the GRAVE DIGGER European tour.

"Because of deep vein thrombosis, GRAND MAGUS drummer Sebastian [Sippola] had to enter the hospital together with a strict stage veto. A substitute could not be found within this short period of time. And finally, two weeks before tour start, the financial tour calculation of SISTER SIN has been blown away as well ... So, until yesterday, we've been left alone without any tour support.

"But we're lucky to tell that we've found an equal value act named ORDEN OGAN, who will take the slot of GRAND MAGUS for the complete tour dates. The alternate for SISTER SIN will be the band DOWNSPIRIT, who will enter the stage for eight shows. Mastermind of this band is Cede Dupont, some of you might know his name by former activities with acts like FREEDOM CALL or SYMPHORCE. Some shows will be supported by local acts as well.

"We worked pretty hard to get the package together with GRAND MAGUS on the road, so you can imagine our disappointment regarding this sad news. But, of course, all of you, especially the lads and lasses who saw our performance at the Wacken Open Air 2010, know that GRAVE DIGGER is the pure force and a guarantor for teutonic German metal at its best!

"We'll stretch out set for a few more songs to give you the final smash, so nobody will return home disappointed."

Anglo-Chilean thrash masters CRIMINAL will enter HVR Recording Studios in Suffolk, U.K. in April to record their seventh studio album, the first since the departure of guitarist/founding member Rodrigo Contreras and the subsequent addition of Basque guitar wizard Olmo Cascallar.

"We know this is an important album for us, but we are definitely not overthinking it," says band leader Anton Reisenegger. "Most of the songs are quite simple in structure, very heavy, straight-ahead and in your face."

The choice of studio was pretty obvious, since HVR Studios are owned and run by CRIMINAL bassist Dan Biggin.

"Having your own studio to record is a real luxury, and we want to make sure we use it for the best," Reisenegger explains. "We are aiming to keep edits and other digital trickery to the minimum and have a massive natural sound instead."

Italian symphonic metal masters RHAPSODY OF FIRE will release their tenth studio album, "From Chaos To Eternity", on June 17 via Nuclear Blast Records. Described by the band as "the natural evolution" from last year's "The Frozen Tears Of Angels", the new CD marks RHAPSODY OF FIRE's final release based on the fantasy saga started in 1997 with the group's debut album, "Legendary Tales". As in the past, RHAPSODY OF FIRE founding members Luca Turilli and Alex Staropoli produced the effort, part of which (vocals and guitars) was laid down in their hometown of Trieste. The bass and drum recordings were completed in Wolfsburg, Germany at the Gate Studio under the supervision of RHAPSODY OF FIRE's longtime friend and collaborator Sascha Paeth (AVANTASIA, ANGRA, KAMELOT).

Commented the band: "It is the end of an era. This historical release will end the RHAPSODY's sagas once for all after 15 years of fantasy-oriented lyrics and for the last time we'll hear Sir Christopher Lee narrating in one of our albums the last dramatic events of a legendary tale started in 1997 and told through two different sagas and 10 full-length albums. We are surely very sad but we also know that for this same reason the upcoming release will remain in the history of the band for its artistic importance and unique epic!"

The "From Chaos To Eternity" album cover, which was once again created by Felipe Machado Franco, can be seen below.

"From Chaos To Eternity" track listing:

01. Ad Infinitum
02. From Chaos To Eternity
03. Tempesta Di Fuoco
04. Ghosts Of Forgotten Worlds
05. Anima Perduta
06. Aeons Of Raging Darkness
07. I Belong To The Stars
08. Tornado
09. Heroes Of The Waterfalls' Kingdom
I. Lo Spirito Della Foresta
II. Realm Of Sacred Waterfalls
III. Thanor's Awakening
IV. Northern Skies Enflamed
V. The Splendour Of Angels' Glory (A Final Revelation)

Commented Luca: "Musically, expect something really special out of the ten album titles. A song like 'Ghosts Of Forgotten Worlds', with its rageous and hypnotic guitar riff, will make you breathe the dusty atmospheres of the southern ghostlands. 'Aeons Of Raging Darkness' is pure melodic chaos translated into music, 'Tornado', the greatest technical challenge for each single bandmember, and 'Tempesta Di Fuoco', the first speed track completely sung in Italian language. For my song, 'Fantasia Gotica', I wrote and finalized the cinematic orchestral arrangements inspired by the visionary genius of Tim Burton, while 'The Splendour Of Angels' Glory (A Final Revelation)' is Alex's choral and majestic track for the perfect finale of the dark secret saga. Our bass player, Patrice Guers, and our drummer, Alex Holzwarth, did their best job so far in a RHAPSODY OF FIRE album. One more word is needed to underline the excellent performance of our singer: in this new release, Fabio Lione will present himself definitely as one of the best and most versatile singers, being able to pass with unique ability and talent from the most aggressive vocals, to clean angelic voices and powerful operatic parts. Once more, you are going to be really surprised."

Added Staropoli: "As always, the cinematic elements that defined our style will enrich each track, but the guitar work will be again very important too. What is sure is that for such an album Luca and I composed our best solos ever!"

In the wake of vocalist Matt Barlow's retirement, dozens of demos and resumes flooded ICED EARTH's management team. But one name kept popping up — INTO ETERNITY vocalist Stu Block (pictured below), who has been named the new lead singer for ICED EARTH.

According to Schaffer, Robert Kampf, CEO of Century Media, early on suggested Block, whose band INTO ETERNITY was previously on the CM label. That reminded Schaffer of one night in September 2008 when INTO ETERNITY opened for ICED EARTH.

"ICED EARTH was backstage waiting to go on," said Schaffer. "We heard one of Stu's incredible wails. I remember turning to Matt and saying, 'Damn, that dude has serious range.'"

So while ICED EARTH's management team sifted through the growing number of prospective vocalists, Schaffer got in touch with Block.

After several phone conversations with the then-prospective ICED EARTH vocalist, Schaffer asked his manager to e-mail Block several key ICED EARTH songs, with the vocals stripped. Block went into his studio and recorded himself singing, then sent the files back to the team.

The result landed Block an intense two days at Schaffer's studio where the two musicians hit it off.

"I felt a lot of chemistry between us, we knocked out a couple of great original pieces of music in no time," said Schaffer. "He's very good at coming up with catchy melodies, and will help with lyrical duties as well. There's no doubt Stu has an amazing vocal range and a lot of energy, but he also has the touring experience, which is a big plus for our plans of performing in all corners of the world."

In addition, Schaffer said Block has what ICED EARTH needs in a front man: "stage presence that includes high energy, passion, and focused rage."

Schaffer added, "Stu is charismatic and understands the depth and varying emotions in ICED EARTH's music. So he will embody not only the emotion of our songs, but he will be able to perform them in a dynamic way. I believe fans are in for some incredible records and live shows in the coming years."

New ICED EARTH vocalist Stu Block concurred: "ICED EARTH fans are wonderful, wonderful people," he said. "The music is so passionate. So they're passionate, and very loyal to the band. I am, too. I'm a huge fan of ICED EARTH myself. So I share that same passion, and I will show it on stage. I think the fans are really going to dig it."

Block continued: "It's a huge honor to be doing this, to be part of this team. It's a dream come true, for sure.”

Schaffer is totally stoked. "This is a new beginning," he said. "It's game-on time. ICED EARTH is going to record and tour like it never has before. The band is really amped-up and ready to hit the ground running in November."

And to prove it, ICED EARTH has released the European leg of a world tour that will take the band to countries it has never previously played. All told, the 2011-2012 ICED EARTH world tour will be the largest the band has undertaken since its inception.

"Nascent", the new video from U.K. progressive metal hopefuls TESSERACT, can be viewed below. The clip was directed by Tim Fox of cultlovesyou. The song comes off the band's debut album, "One", which is scheduled for release on March 22 via Century Media Records. The follow-up to last year's "Concealing Fate" EP includes a bonus DVD that features "Concealing Fate" being performed live in the studio — no overdubs, no re-recording, just pure and raw; the way music was meant to be. The audio for the DVD will be available in stereo and a 5.1 Surround Sound mix. The DVD also features interviews and footage from the band's recent U.S. tour.