French doomsters SURTR will release their debut album, "World Of Doom", on April 29 except in France, U.K. and Ireland, where it will arrive on May 2. The cover artwork and layout are being designed by Christoph "Stripe" Schinzel (ANVIL, COUNT RAVEN, SODOM, VICIOUS RUMORS).

According to a press release, SURTR unleashes a dark atmosphere of traditional doom metal on its debut CD. The band paints a gloomy picture of the world using the hallmarks of doom metal pioneers. They set up the basics of upcoming riots through a conceptual effort using an analogy between the giant SURTR's legend and modern societies.

Swedish death metallers SOULDRAINER have finished recording their sophomore album at Empire Studio for a late 2011 release. According to the band, 13 songs were laid down for the as-yet-untitled follow-up to 2007's "Reborn", which will be mixed during the coming weeks.

SOULDRAINER previously decribed the new material as "beautiful, evil, slightly more aggressive and heavier" than that on "Reborn". The band added, "Prepare for an epic death/doom album so heavy it will blow your face off."

In May 2008, SOULDRAINER announced its split with Mascot Records, the label which released "Reborn".

"Reborn" was recorded by SOULDRAINER and Marcus Edvardsson at Manic Motion Studio and was mixed and mastered by Marcus Edvardsson. The layout and artwork was handled by Daniel Dlimi.

Irish pagan metal masters PRIMORDIAL have revealed the artwork and track listing for their upcoming album, "Redemption At The Puritan's Hand", due on April 26 via Metal Blade Records.

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

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

Commented PRIMORDIAL vocalist Alan "Nemtheanga" Averill: "So it's finished, ready, done and dusted, as they say.

"The cover was done again by our by now resident art executioner Paul McCarroll from Unhinged Art. Simple, I think you will admit, but definitely one that we argued least about through all the years, dark, macabre and beautiful it perfectly portrays the themes of the new album, which I will get into shortly."

Nemtheanga about the recordings: "So how does it compare? For the first time I guess we felt a little pressure. Before 'To The Nameless Dead' we had always been a niche band, a critic's choice, but following 'To The Nameless Dead' we moved a little more centre stage.

"Expectations, my friends, expectations! Yes, it contains rabble-rousers and hooks and choruses, memorable themes and dynamics but also it has darkness in spades. It has grit, filth and foreboding. Dark sweeping tragedy as always mixed with blood stirring defiance!

"The recording, of course, was booked during what has turned out to be one of the worst winters in living memory in Europe. Leaving Ireland at -15 to travel to a -20 Wales, trudging through feet of snow, slipping on black ice and basically having our bollix frozen off for three weeks left me thinking next time I'm going to record in the Bahamas and fake all this grimness. For good measure, I got what looking back must have been swine flu recording the vocals. In fact, some I can't remember recording, I was so out of my head on painkillers and energy drinks. Suffering for your art is overrated, believe me."

"Complex Terms", a brand new song from California metallers THE HUMAN ABSTRACT, can be streamed at AltPress.com. It is also available for listening using the audio player below. The track comes off the band's third full-length album, "Digital Veil", which will be released on March 8 via eOne Music.

"Digital Veil" track listing:

01. Elegiac
02. Complex Terms
03. Digital Veil
04. Faust
05. Antebellum
06. Holographic Sight
07. Horizon To Zenith
08. Patterns

DEF LEPPARD, Britain's greatest arena rock band, is set to headline Download festival on Friday, June 10 at Donington Park, U.K. to kick off the band's world tour. The group is are also set to release a brand new live album, "Mirrorball", this summer, featuring a mix of live DEF LEPPARD classics, three brand new studio songs and a bonus DVD that contains energetic live performances and intimate backstage footage captured on the road. Also set for release this summer is LEPPARD's first coffee table book titled "Def Leppard - The Definitive Visual History", with exclusive photos by legendary rock photographer Ross Halfin.

DEF LEPPARD remain one of the world's biggest and most successful live acts. The band last played the U.K. in 2009 — headlining Download festival that year after a hugely successful sold out U.K. arena tour in 2008.

Tune in to Planet Rock tomorrow (Wednesday, February 23) at 8:45 a.m. GMT to hear an exclusive interview with DEF LEPPARD singer Joe Elliott on the breakfast show.

DEF LEPPARD is reportedly planning to embark on a two-month U.S. summer tour with HEART and KANSAS.

As previously reported, DEF LEPPARD and HEART are confirmed for the 18th annual Rock Fest, which is scheduled to take place July 14-17 in Cadott, Wisconsin.

DOWN 'N OUTZ — a project fronted by DEF LEPPARD's Joe Elliott, backed by THE QUIREBOYS and playing rare tracks connected only by MOTT THE HOOPLE — will support Paul Rodgers (BAD COMPANY, FREE, QUEEN) on his U.K. tour in April.

STATE:CHAOS, the Dutch metal band featuring former members of CALLENISH CIRCLE and DESENSITISED, will release its debut album, "Chaos | Pain | Despair", March 7 via the British label Casket Music. The CD was recorded by Hans Reinders at PIT studios and was mixed and mastered by Jochem Jacobs (TEXTURES). The cover artwork was designed by Hellborn Design and can be seen below.

"Chaos | Pain | Despair" track listing:

01. Forbidden Ground
02. Bringing The Pain
03. Never Again
04. From The Grave
05. Ashes Of Misery
06. Everlasting Pain
07. Hybrid Breed
08. Fatal Destination
09. To Die Again
10. Destroy The Selfmade King

According to the band's official bio, "STATE:CHAOS' music is a mid-to-fast-paced adventure, with many elements from the modern Scandinavian death metal and the older Bay Area thrash metal working well together. Solid drumming and bass parts, insane tight riffing, solos that almost have the passion of Dimebag Darrell and a wide variety of grunts and screams makes STATE:CHAOS' chemistry one of a kind."

INGDOM COME's new album, Rendered Waters, will be released on April 5th in North America, March 25th in Germany and March 28th in Europe.

The album track 'Blue Trees' is streaming at this location.

It is not the success of the early days which Lenny Wolf associates Kingdom Come with, nor earlier hits from his long-standing career. What he really cares about is the present. Is this a contradiction in view of his new album Rendered Waters, which features eight old and three newly recorded songs? Certainly not.

All eleven tracks were cut at Lenny’s Two Square Noise Factory studio in Hamburg, Germany. In particular, the new recordings of old material show Kingdom Come’s vision of living in the here and now.

“I purposely chose tracks from the very early days to show how we play, hear and feel the songs nowadays,” says Wolf. “Listening habits have changed dramatically, especially among the younger audience, which made it exciting for me to breathe new life into numbers which have not been heard for a while.”

For example ‘Should I’, this time played more slowly giving it a heavier appeal. The drums are more open and the guitars, according to Lenny, feature a more tube-oriented sound and warmer, more driving tone: “Just to give it an overall 2011 vibe. Of course, you can only change songs to a certain extent if you don’t want to lose the character and central theme of the original version.”

The same goes for ‘I’ve Been Trying’, ‘Pushing Hard’ and ‘Living Out Of Touch’. None of them has been reinvented, but all three certainly have a noticeably new approach to them. On the other hand, Lenny changed the verse of ‘I’ve Been Trying’ completely, giving it a different arrangement, just like he transported the song ‘Seventeen’ into the year 2011.

“‘Seventeen’ has always been kind of a key song for Kingdom Come, yet it has never received much attention since it has a very non-commercial approach and is either loved or hated, but with the new version it will hopefully get the recognition it deserves.”

FOR ALL WE KNOW, the new project led by Ruud Jolie from WITHIN TEMPTATION, will release its self-titled debut album on April 25.

For the last four years, Jolie has been working on this music both when he was on the road with various bands (WITHIN TEMPTATION, AGUA DE ANNIQUE, DAMIAN WILSON BAND, MAIDEN UNITED) and in his own studio. He considers himself very fortunate to be able to work with some of the greatest musicians and people imaginable on this project.

"For All We Know", written and produced by Ruud himself, contains 12 original songs that range from very atmospheric and dreamily acoustic to heavy and pounding progressive metal tracks.

The track listing for the CD is as follows:

01. Blind Me
02. Busy Being Somebody Else
03. Out of Reach
04. When Angels Refuse to Fly
05. I Lost Myself Today
06. Keep Breathing
07. Down On My Knees
08. Save Us…
09. Embrace/Erase/Replace/Embrace
10. Tired And Ashamed
11. Open Your Eyes
12. Nothing More…

SARKE, the Norwegian band featuring Sarke (real name: Thomas Bergli; KHOLD, TULUS, OLD MAN'S CHILD, SENSA ANIMA) and Nocturno Culto (DARKTHRONE), will release its sophomore album, "Oldarhian", on April 15 via Indie Recordings.

In 2009, Bergli joined forces with Nocturno Culto and Anders Hunstad (EL CACO, AUTOPULVER) on keyboards to release the debut SARKE album called "Vorunah". It was a mesmerizing journey through dark and soothing soundscapes, musically inspired by the legends like MAYHEM, SLAYER, DARKTHRONE, CELTIC FROST, BLACK SABBATH, CANDLEMASS, DEATH, MOTÖRHEAD and KREATOR. "Vorunah" received great feedback from both press and the fans alike and Sarke thus decided to do live shows. He put together an impressive lineup, featuring Cyrus (SUSPERIA, DIMMU BORGIR) and Steinar Gundersen (SATYRICON, SPIRAL ARCHITECT) on guitars and Asgeir Mickelson (SPIRAL ARCHITECT, ex-BORKNAGAR) on drums. The band played successful shows at festivals like Inferno, Hole In The Sky, Party.San, Brutal Assault and Ragnarok, to name but afew.

On "Oldarhian" SARKE is still inspired by the great rock bands from the '70s, the death and thrash metal of the '80s, and the '90s black metal. The CD was recorded in Oslo at H-10 Productions the old-fashioned way, and continues the formula from the debut album: dark, epic and groovy.

Commented Sarke: "Our music is inspired by the great '70s rock bands, '80s speed metal bands and '90s black metal bands. Put this together with the creative mind of the band and your get pure dark rock music sounding is clear, raw and honest."

Added Nocturno Culto: "What an album! We can now act like six real rock stars and attention-seeking brats."

"Oldarhian" track listing:

01. Condemned
02. Pilgrim Of The Occult
03. Pessimist
04. Passage To Oldarhian
05. Flay The Wolf
06. Captured
07. Paradigm Lost
08. Novel Dawn
09. Burning Of The Monoliths
10. The Stranger Brew

Brazilian female-fronted metallers ECLIPTYKA wil release their debut album, "A Tale of Decadence", in March via Die Hard Records. The CD was recorded at Mark Studio and features guest appearances on vocals by Marcelo Carvalho (HATEFUL) and Danilo Herbert (MINDFLOW). The artwork was designed by João Duarte (ANGRA, ANDRE MATOS, HANGAR).

"A Tale of Decadence" track listing:

01. The Age Of Decadence
02. We Are The Same
03. Splendid Cradle
04. Fight Back
05. Dead Eyes
06. Echoes From War
07. Hate
08. Why Should They Pay?
09. Look At Yourself
10. I've Had Everything
11. Unnatural Evolution
12. Eyes Closed
13. Berço Esplêndido (bonus track)

Michigan's unstoppable sons of molten melodic death metal THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER have completed the songwriting process for their fifth album, tentatively due later in the year via Metal Blade Records. Vocalist Trevor Strnad told the Gun Shy Assassin web site, "Shit's going great… sounding killer so far. I just sang on my last two demo songs today… I'm finally done writing this bastard of an album."

France's BLUT AUS NORD will release their new album, "777 - Sect(s)" , on April 19 (one day earlier internationally) via Debemur Morti Productions. Recorded, mixed and mastered at Earthsound Studio, the CD represents BLUT AUS NORD's most nightmarish voyage yet . The amazing artwork was created by Chilean artist Daniel Valencia from Fenomeno Design and can be seeen below.

"777 - Sect(s)" track listing:

01. Epitome 1
02. Epitome 2
03. Epitome 3
04. Epitome 4
05. Epitome 5
06. Epitome 6

The effort will be made available in a six-panel digipack CD and noble 12-inch LP.

Originating in 1994 from the ashes of VLAD (who released two demos), BLUT AUS NORD are undisputable French black metal pioneers, always managing to progress and move forward, evolving in perpetual mutation, developing their own vision of black metal. Choosing, from the start, the total opposite path of regressive bands (who copy what others have done ten years earlier and ten times better), BLUT AUS NORD eschews all the inherent clichés belonging to the genre.

BLUT AUS NORD's black metal approach is a fist in the face of mainstream mediocrity, becoming more macabre and sinister through a blend of innovative musical research, subliminal mental manipulation, and an incredible haunted, nightmarish feeling based on disharmony. BLUT AUS NORD are creators of a hallucinogenic universe, erasing all preconceived ideas of black metal — and extreme music in general. They redefine the rules.

Debemur Morti Productions has reissued the BLUT AUS NORD classic "The Mystical Beast Of Rebellion". The album is available on vinyl through the label's web site. The 2xCD version of this black metal masterpiece, the second disc of which features brand new material.

Florida-based metallers WRITTEN IN BLOOD will release their debut EP, "We Are Divinity", on March 15 via Revenge Recordings. The effort was recorded, produced and mixed at Audiohammer Studios in Sanford, Florida with Mark Lewis (TRIVIUM, DEICIDE, ALL THAT REMAINS, THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER), with additional recording, producing and mixing done at The Basement Recordings NC in Winston-Salem, North Carolina with Jamie King. The drums on the EP were laid down by Kevin Talley, who has played with everyone from DYING FETUS and CHIMAIRA to HATE ETERNAL and DEVILDRIVER throughout his prolific career.

Two songs from "We Are Divinity" — "This Purpose Driven Life" and "In This Fire" — can be streamed in the ReverbNation TuneWidget below. Also available is the video for "This Purpose Driven Life", which was filmed in Charlotte, North Carolina with director Ramon Boutviseth (DREAM THEATER, BO BICE, TRIVIUM, INCUBUS).

"This Purpose Driven Life" serves as a platform where singer J.D Blood speaks to himself about following something that often seems unattainable: a dream. He says, "I tell myself no matter what happens in life, you can always believe that things will get better if you work hard to achieve your goals." This comes from the difficult things he went through while growing up. He continues, "This song is about growing up in a broken home or growing up having nothing, trying your best to believe in the most unimaginable thing: a dream. It is pretty much about me and every other kid out there who had a struggle growing up and the road to success or road to conquering depression. It is just my message to myself and every kid that with a little pain, heartbreak, blood, sweat and tears, dreams can be achieved. If I can conquer the past of a depressing childhood, anyone can." The vocalist claims that if it weren't for metal, he may never have conquered these vicious demons, but he did and he wants to give back. "I just want to give kids some music that will make them believe in themselves and show them with hard work you can conquer anything," the singer says.

"Disappear", a brand new song from Swedish metallers THE HAUNTED, was premiered on last night's (February 21) edition of BBC Radio 1's "Rock Show With Daniel P Carter".

The program is now available for streaming for the next six days at this location. The "Disappear" track can also be heard in the YouTube clip below.

You can check out the show's playlist at this location.

"Disappear" comes off THE HAUNTED's seventh studio album, "Unseen", which will be released in late March via Century Media Records. The CD was once again recorded with longtime producer Tue Madsen (MOONSPELL, DARK TRANQUILLITY, GOREFEST, SICK OF IT ALL) at his Antfarm Studio in Århus, Denmark.

Regarding the "Unseen" cover artwork, which can be seen below, THE HAUNTED said, "The artwork design was made by our friend Frode, who also did the art for [2004's] 'rEVOLVEr'. We really like his design aesthetic, and he seems to come up with something unique every single time."

"Unseen" track listing:

01. Never Better
02. No Ghost
03. Catch 22
04. Disappear
05. Motionless
06. Unseen
07. The Skull
08. Ocean Park
09. The City
10. Them
11. All Ends Well
12. Done

METALLICA's official web site has been updated with the following message:

"Last week we told you there would be a few more 'Big Four' shows and today's installment takes us to Milan, Italy. Look for more good times with ANTHRAX, MEGADETH, SLAYER, and yours truly at the Fiera Open Air Arena on July 6, 2011.

"Tickets will be available Friday, February 24 at 9:00 a.m. local time at Ticketone.it. MetClub members should check MetClub.com for more details on a special pre-sale for Clubbers only.

"One more on the docket . . . keep watching here!"

The so-called "Big Four" are arguably the biggest and longest-lasting acts to emerge from the thrash/speed metal underground of the late '80s, but never shared a stage together until last year.

The two-disc DVD release of "The Big Four: Live From Sofia, Bulgaria", containing footage of the June 22, 2010 Sonisphere cinecast from the Sofia, Bulgaria leg of the "Big Four" tour has been certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for shipments in excess of 100,000 copies. (Note: Due to the fact that the set consists of two discs, it was eligible for platinum certification after shipping 50,000 copies; platinum certification for a single-disc release is 100,000 copies.)

"The Big Four: Live From Sofia, Bulgaria" debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard "Top Music Videos" sales chart in November with first-week sales of 22,000 copies. The set also debuted at No. 1 in Canada, the U.K. and Austria, while entering at No. 4 in Germany.

The show was part of a two-week European tour featuring the four biggest names from the Eighties thrash metal era. The idea first came up last year and Ulrich told The Pulse of Radio he was glad to finally see it happen. "It's pretty amazing if you think about it, that it's the first time basically in 25 years or 30 or whatever that the four of us have actually played shows together," he said. "So it was a lot of fun, a lot of memories, a lot of fun times — new fun times, and fun times talking about the old fun times. So it sort of was a, it was a winner on every front."

Greek/German heavy metallers MYSTIC PROPHECY are preparing to enter Prophecy Music Factory studios with singer/producer Roberto Dimitri Liapakis (MYSTIC PROPHECY, SUICIDAL ANGELS, VALLEY'S EVE, INSIDEAD) to begin recording their seventh album, "Raven Lord", for an October 28 release via Massacre Records. The CD will contain 11 tracks and will mark the recording debut of the band's new drummer, Claudio Sisto, who joined MYSTIC PROPHECY last June. The artwork will be created by Jonas Kawalek, who previously with the band on their fifth album, "Satanic Curses".

Commented MYSTIC PROPHECY mainman Roberto Dimitri Liapakis: "MYSTIC PROPHECY is now more than ever in a turning point in their history. 'Fireangel' overcame our expectations and our fans have shown us their support in the best possible way. The tour we did with STRATOVARIUS gave the band the chance to get a very good sense of unity and groove which is generated by every member contributing to whole which finally is presented to the fans. This is what will make a difference in our upcoming album. The feeling of unity, amongst us, enhances the effect we bring out. More power, more feeling, more combined ideas, more diversity, but all in the thread that goes through it all which is MYSTIC PROPHECY. Two minds work better than one, so imagine all five of us contributing equally to the final result. I am confident that we'll do our best to express what's in our souls and hope the fans like it. Up 'till now we seem to have a common ground so this album will only enforce this bond with our fans and help us create new ones."

"Fireangel", the sixth album from the MYSTIC PROPHECY, entered the German Media Control chart at position No. 77. Released on May 22, 2009 via Massacre Records, the follow-up to 2007's "Satanic Curses" was recorded at Prophecy Studios and was mixed in Sweden under the direction of Fredrik Nordström (DIMMU BORGIR, ARCH ENEMY, IN FLAMES) and R.D. Liapakis (FIREWIND, CHASTAIN, ELDRITCH).

Reactivated late '80s/early '90s technical-thrash metallers BELIEVER will release their new album, "Transhuman", in Europe on April 11 via Metal Blade Records. The CD was produced by Trauma Team Productions and was mixed by Kevin Gutierrez (RAVEN, PROJECT: FAILING FLESH, DECEASED, DYSRYTHMIA, GARDEN OF SHADOWS) at Assembly Line Studios in Virginia. The mastering duties were handled by Maor Appelbaum of Maor Appelbaum Mastering in Los Angeles.

"Transhuman" track listing:

01. Lie Awake (5:03)
02. G.U.T. (3:39)
03. Multiverse (4:44)
04. End Of Infinity (4:12)
05. Transfection (3:55)
06. Clean Room (4:50)
07. Currents (2:50)
08. Traveler (4:23)
09. Ego Machine (4:29)
10. Being No One (4:47)
11. Entanglement (4:15)
12. Mindsteps (6:52)

The "Transhuman" cover artwork can be seen below.

Commented the band: "We decided early on in project that we wanted an outside person to mix the record so we could spend more time writing and recording. Kevin Leaman (BELIEVER guitarist) recommended Kevin Gutierrez from Assembly Line Studios for mixing this record. Leaman had worked with Gutierrez previously and said that he was really easy to work with.

"From the first telephone conversation it was clear that Gutierrez understood exactly what we were looking for sonically and he seemed really interested in helping us achieve that.

"We let Kevin know we wanted this album to sound very musical; not just be heavy. We wanted to use the whole frequency range and not have all the mids scooped out so that everything going on in the tunes was audible. Most importantly, we wanted to keep the dynamics.

"We were a little nervous about not being there physically for the mix, but we spent so much time tweaking in the sounds for tracking that we were confident he had good stuff to work with. The rough mixes we made for ourselves already sounded pretty decent.

"Kevin was fast and efficient. He'd send us reference mixes as he completed each song and we'd be emailing/texting comments back and forth at all hours of the day and night. He was very responsive to our change requests and was really helpful in setting up the mastering session and communicating what we wanted to Maor Appelbaum of Maor Appelbaum Mastering.

"Maor also understood what we were trying to achieve with the dynamics and the overall listening experience we wanted to create on this album.

"Sonically we're extremely happy with this album and can't wait for other people to hear it. We feel like this is a really strong and unique album in the BELIEVER catalog and it's something we're definitely proud of.

"So what will you hear? As we mentioned, we focused more on the overall musicality which included more instrumental layers than we used before. The vocals were also more of a focus as we have had much feedback throughout the years, specifically to get out of the one dimensional realm. Kurt [Bachman] wanted the vocals to be more complimentary to the overall tune feel, so he used many facets of his vocal abilities.

"As with all BELIEVER albums, this one is definitely unique."

BELIEVER performed live for the first time in 16 years on September 25, 2009 at Sterling Hotel in Allentown, Pennsylvania.

The band's fourth album, "Gabriel", was released in March 2009 through KILLSWITCH ENGAGE frontman Howard Jones's new imprint label Cesspool Records via Metal Blade. The CD featured guest appearances by Jones, Joe Rico (SACRIFICE), CKY/WORLD UNDER BLOOD guitarist/vocalist Deron Miller and Rocky Gray (EVANESCENCE, SOUL EMBRACED, LIVING SACRIFICE).

Raleigh, North Carolina-based progressive rock/cutting-edge metal band BETWEEN THE BURIED AND ME has inked a worldwide deal with Metal Blade Records. The quintet will kick off the partnership with the April release of its new album, "The Parallax: Hypersleep Dialogues".

"We are delighted in the opportunity to join the Metal Blade family," commented BETWEEN THE BURIED AND ME guitarist Paul Waggoner. "Their commitment to heavy music over the years is inspiring and we look forward to becoming a part of the ever-growing legacy of the label.

"Our new release, titled 'The Parallax: Hypersleep Dialogues', will hit the streets in April. We are confident that our dedicated fans will appreciate it and hopeful that we will gain the attention of some new ears as well.

"In closing, I'd like to reference a quote from the illustrious Joe Dirt: 'Life's a garden, dig it.'"

"The Parallax: Hypersleep Dialogues" will contain the first new music from BETWEEN THE BURIED AND ME since the release of 2009's "The Great Misdirect", which sold 13,400 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 36 on The Billboard 200 chart. The CD was released on October 27, 2009 via Victory Records.

BETWEEN THE BURIED AND ME supported "The Great Misdirect" with a full-scale North American headlining tour and live dates across Europe, Australia and Japan as well as a U.S. tour as hand-picked support for like-minded rockers MASTODON.

POISONBLACK — the Finnish band featuring former SENTENCED frontman Ville Laihiala — will release a new single, "Mercury Falling", on March 7. The track is the first single from the group's forthcoming fifth album, tentatively titled "Lead & Roll Vol. 5", which will be released this spring via Hype Records. The CD was recorded at Antfarm Studio in Århus, Denmark with producer Tue Madsen (THE HAUNTED, MOONSPELL, DARK TRANQUILLITY, GOREFEST).

The documentary about legendary Canadian trio RUSH, called "Rush: Beyond The Lighted Stage", was honored in the "Documentary In Feature Film" category at the MPSE Golden Reel Awards Sunday night (February 20) in Los Angeles.

The MPSE Golden Reel Awards acknowledge the year's best work in the various areas of sound editing.

RUSH lost in the "Best Long Form Music Video" category at the 53rd annual Grammy Awards on Sunday, February 13 to THE DOORS film "When You're Strange".

The two-disc DVD release of "Rush: Beyond The Lighted Stage" was certified double platinum last fall by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for shipments in excess of 100,000 copies. (Note: Due to the fact that the set consists of two discs, it was eligible for platinum certification after shipping 50,000 copies; platinum certification for a single-disc release is 100,000 copies.)

Guitarist Alex Lifeson told The Pulse of Radio that it wasn't until he saw the film himself that he thought there was actually an interesting story to tell about the band. "It's just kind of a, you know, a success story — kids from the suburbs have a dream and they live their dream," he said. "And everybody can relate to that. There's been quite a dynamic in the band, a lot of stuff has happened, so there was a story to tell there. And I don't think I really realized there was one until we actually saw a rough cut and how they pieced it all together and the chronology and the ebbs and flows of the story."

RUSH bassist Geddy Lee told RollingStone.com that the band was initially hesitant when approached by Sam Dunn and Scot McFadyen about making a documentary, saying, "We thought, 'How foolish are these guys?' We're just this dull band. I remember [drummer] Neil [Peart] asked them rather pointedly, 'What's your angle? What's the story you want to tell?' They said, 'Well, to be honest, we don't know.' We liked that and said, 'Good luck, let you know what you want us to do.'"

"Rush: Beyond The Lighted Stage" won the Audience Choice Award at the 2010 Tribeca Film Festival last April.

Former SKID ROW singer Sebastian Bach joined forces with Jim Breuer, comedian, Sirius XM host and diehard heavy metal fan, to perform cover versions of the HALFORD songs "Locked And Loaded" and "The One You Love To Hate" during Breuer's December 3, 2010 tribute to Rob Halford (JUDAS PRIEST) on his "Fridays With Breuer" show on Raw Dog Comedy, Sirius channel 104 and XM channel 150. Video footage of the performance has just been posted on YouTube and can be viewed below.

"Fridays with Breuer" is an intimate show hosted by Jim Breuer, one of the county's most outrageous and beloved comedians. Breuer invites millions of Sirius XM listeners each week into his life and brain, sharing hilarious anecdotes about his adventures as a family man, doing impressions of his favorite performers, riffing on his colorful experiences from performing around the country, and discussing his beloved New York Mets, his favorite rock legends and more.

AEROSMITH guitarist Brad Whitford joined Slash (VELVET REVOLVER, GUNS N' ROSES) on stage this past Thursday, February 17 at the Fillmore in Charlotte, North Carolina to perform the AEROSMITH classic "Walkin' The Dog". Fan-filmed video footage of his appearance can be viewed below.

Slash's setlist was was follows

01. Ghost
02. Mean Bone
03. Night Train
04. Been There Lately
05. Rocket Queen
06. Civil War
07. Nothing to Say
08. Back From Cali
09. Starlight
10. Always On The Run
11. We're All Gonna Die
12. Walkin' The Dog (with Brad Whitford)
13. Jizz Da Pit
14. Just Like Anything
15. Mr. Brownstone
16. Sweet Child O' Mine
17. Rise Today
18. Slither

Encore:

19. By The Sword
20. My Michelle

Dutch/Norwegian goth metal band IMPERIA — which is fronted by Norwegian singer Helena Iren Michaelsen (the original vocalist of the Holland-based band SAHARA DUST, which later changed its name to EPICA) — will release its new album, "Secret Passion", on March 25 via Massacre Records. The CD was recorded at Spacelab studio in Germany. The album's first single, "Let Down", features a guest appearance by cellist Tina Guo.

"Secret Passion" track listing:

01. Touch Of Your Hand
02. Secret Passion
03. Fragile
04. Out Of Sight
05. Let Down
06. Violence
07. Like Rain
08. Suicide
09. Hold On
10. Greed
11. Missing It All
12. My Sleeping Angel
13. Mistress (digipak bonus track)

Singer/guitarist Kenn Nardi of reunited St. Louis, Missouri-based progressive/melodic thrash metallers ANACRUSIS have issued the following update:

"Bassist John Emery, drummer Mike Owen and I have been working on some new material and though there are no definite plans for a new album at this time, we thought we'd share a new song with you. We have several new songs already recorded and many more in the works and plan to have new material available in some form before summer."

This new song is called "This Killer In My House" and can be heard or downloaded here. It is also available for streaming using the audio player below.

Danish extreme metallers ILLDISPOSED will release their new album, "There Is Light (But It's Not For Me)", on April 1 via Massacre Records. The band recorded the CD at Antfarm Studio in Århus, Denmark with producer Tue Madsen (MOONSPELL, DARK TRANQUILLITY, GOREFEST, SICK OF IT ALL).

The "There Is Light (But It's Not For Me)" artwork was created by Lasse Hoile, who previously worked with ILLDISPOSED on the "1-800 Vindication" and "Burn Me Wicked" releases.

"There Is Light (But It's Not For Me)" track listing:

01. Your Own Best Companion
02. Heaven Forbid
03. Our Words Betrayed
04. The Taste Of You
05. As The Day Rottens
06. Reality To Fall
07. Step Into My Winter
08. Rape
09. Sunday Black
10. We
11. Alone (digipak bonus track)