"I Need You", a brand new solo song from DREAM THEATER singer James LaBrie, can be streamed using the audio player below (courtesy of Revolver magazine). The track comes off LaBrie's new solo album, "Static Impulse", which will be released on September 28 (one day earlier internationally) via InsideOut Music. The CD marks LaBrie's first solo effort in over five years and is sure to please his legion of diehard fans, as well as win over many new devotees in the process.

"Static Impulse" track listing:

01. One More Time (4:16)
02. Jekyll Or Hyde (3:46)
03. Mislead (4:18)
04. Euphoric (5:09)
05. Over The Edge (4:20)
06. I Need You (4:11)
07. Who You Think I Am (3:57)
08. I Tried (3:58)
09. Just Watch Me (4:18)
10. This Is War (4:30)
11. Superstar (3:32)
12. Coming Home (4:29)
13. Jekyll Or Hyde (demo) (3:48) *
14. Coming Home (alternate mix) (4:23) *

"Misled By Certainty", the new album from Denver, Colorado-based technical death/grind metallers CEPHALIC CARNAGE, is available for streaming in its entirety on the band's MySpace page. Due on August 31 via Relapse Records, the follow-up to 2007's "Xenosapien" was recorded at the band's own studio with longtime engineer/producer Dave Otero. The CD is described in a press release as a "50-plus-minute journey into metal's most extreme realms" which "see[s] these veterans takes it to edge before pulling it back with 'Repangea', perhaps their most sprawling and epic work to date."

DEICIDE/ex-CANNIBAL CORPSE guitarist Jack Owen has joined the Buffalo , New York-based death metal band GRAVE DESCENT. According to a press release, "Jack is still in DEICIDE; he is a member of both bands. Having his roots in Buffalo and being friends with the guys, it only seemed logical when Dennis John Glinski (vocals) contacted Jack about the second-guitarist opening. Jack will share leads with Mike Green as well as co-write songs. This, really, is a reunion of metal as these guys (including Rich Ziegler, bass) have all shared the stage together in the Buffalo bands: TIRANT SIN, BEYOND DEATH, LEVIATHAN."

GRAVE DESCENT will enter Watchmen Studios in September to record new original material for an upcoming CD release.

Formed in the summer of 2009, GRAVE DESCENT "combines horrific lyrics with a massacre of old-school riffs, death and doom to bring forth their brutal sound," according to a press release.

GRAVE DESCENT is:

* Dennis John Glinski (TIRANT SIN, MAYHEMESIS, CARNAL DISSECTION) - Vocals
* Mike Green (LEVIATHAN) - Guitar
* Jack Owen (CANNIBAL CORPSE, DEICIDE, BEYOND DEATH) - Guitar
* Rich Ziegler (TIRANT SIN, MAYHEMESIS, CARNAL DISSECTION) - Bass
* Dave Riccio (STONEHED, R.U.L.E.) - Drums

An e-card for "Sahg III", the third album from SAHG — the Norwegian heavy rockers who feature in their ranks current/former members of GORGOROTH, MANNGARD and AUDREY HORNE — is available at this location. The CD will be released on August 30 through Indie Recordings.

"Sahg III" track listing:

01. In Through The Eye
02. Baptism Of Fire
03. Mortify
04. Hollow Mountain
05. Mother's Revenge
06. Downward Spiral
07. Shadow Monument
08. Burden
09. Denier
10. Spiritual Void

Polish female-fronted traditional heavy metal act CRYSTAL VIPER will release its brand new studio album titled "Legends" on October 22 via AFM Records. As the title suggests, all the lyrics on the CD are based on the original Polish legends from the middle ages. The effort was recorded and mixed at the MP Studio in Poland, with engineer Mariusz Pietka and producer Bart Gabriel. The CD cover artwork, which can be viewed below, was painted by the French artist Chris Moyen, who has previously worked with SLAYER, TRIVIUM, BEHERIT and BLASPHEMY.

Just one day after confirming that he has been tapped by Norwegian symphonic black metallers DIMMU BORGIR to replace bassist/clean vocalist ICS Vortex on the band's upcoming ninth album, "Abrahadabra", and world tour, Swedish multi-instrumentalist Snowy Shaw (real name: Tommie Helgesson; THERION, DREAM EVIL, KING DIAMOND, MERCYFUL FATE, MEMENTO MORI, NOTRE DAME) has announced his departure from the group and return to Swedish progressive/experimental metallers THERION.

Christofer Johnsson, the creative force behind THERION, has released the following statement to BLABBERMOUTH.NET:

"We are very happy to announce that Snowy has rejoined THERION. We welcomed him back with open arms, and we will now be making a mix between the new show we had planned, and the last one which involved Snowy. We think the merger between the two concepts will be incredible, and we look forward to taking the band's live performance to the next level."

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

"From Bulgaria to your local theatre to your living room or wherever you might enjoy a little live metal on the screen...

"You may have heard us say something about a DVD at the end of the satellite broadcast or read it in the Internet rumor mill . . . It's true, there will be a DVD release of the 'Big Four' show from Sofia, Bulgaria!! We had such an awesome time hanging with ANTHRAX, MEGADETH and SLAYER and the cameras were already rolling, so why not?

"Here's the scoop: The DVD hits the streets on October 15 in Northern Europe, October 18 in most of the rest of the world, October 19 in North America and the full shows from all four bands will be included in the two-disc set along with behind-the-scenes and interview footage. In addition to the two-DVD set and the corresponding Blu-ray, there will be a limited-edition 'super deluxe' box set including the DVD set, five CDs with ALL the music, a 24-page booklet, a poster, photos of each band, and a 'Big Four' guitar pick.

"The clever title of the DVD is 'The Big Four: Live From Sofia, Bulgaria' (yes, that's really it!!) and you if you're interested in the box set, we'll have a pre-order in the METALLICA store for you shortly."

"The Big Four: Live From Sofia, Bulgaria" DVD and Blu-ray contains footage of the June 22, 2010 Sonisphere cinecast from the Sofia, Bulgaria leg of the touring rock festival featuring the "Big Four" of 1980s thrash metal — METALLICA, SLAYER, MEGADETH and ANTHRAX.

Norwegian gothic metallers TRISTANIA have issued the following update:

"Last summer, Østen [Bergøy, vocals] announced that he had decided to take some time off from TRISTANIA to devote his time and attention to the new family members expected in August. A year on, it has become obvious that the time, dedication and efforts of fatherhood makes it hard to continue as a full-time member. Due to this, Østen recently informed the band that he sees no other option than to make his decision a permanent one. TRISTANIA has asked Kjetil Nordhus (HEAD DISCO, ex-GREEN CARNATION, ex-TRAIL OF TEARS), who was engaged as Østen's temporary stand-in, to replace Østen on a permanent basis, and Kjetil has accepted the offer."

Commented Østen: "I think it was about a year ago I announced that I was taking a break from TRISTANIA to be with my girlfriend and the twins she was carrying. As some of you might recall, I promised that this break was just temporarily and that I would be back within a year or so.

"I am sorry to say that I have to break my promise. I never intended to, but the time I have spent with my family has made it obvious that it is impossible for me to combine playing an active part in TRISTANIA with playing an active part in my children's life. Based on these conclusions I have decided to leave the band. It has been the best ten years of my life, a wonderful experience.

"It is hard to write this without getting sentimental. I will miss you all.

"I do not feel that I am fleeing a sinking ship — the current lineup in TRISTANIA is the strongest ever in my opinion — the new album is a killer and with Kjetil and Gyri aboard — the band seems to have the motivation for serious touring to get the music out to stages all over the world.

"I want to wish TRISTANIA the best of luck in the future.

"Thank you all for your patience and your dedication and for the good times."

TRISTANIA guitarist/harsh vocalist Anders Høyvik Hidle ahd the following to say regarding Østen's departure: "It was with a great deal of sadness I received the news from Østen when he informed us that he'd realized it was impossible for him to return to the band.

"Østen has been one of my closest friends for the last 15 years and I love him as a brother. I was the one who asked him to work with us in the first place — first as a guest and later as a full member. The years we've shared together in the band have been amazing. At the same time I admire him for being true to himself and I completely understand that it would be impossible for him to combine his role as a father for his one-year-old twins with an active role in TRISTANIA, especially considering the extensive touring and other activities we are planning with 'Rubicon'.

"Even though it's a sad thing for us to know that Østen will stay home when we're doing tours in the future, it is great news that Kjetil has accepted to become a full-time member.

"Kjetil was the first person that came to my mind when Østen first told me about his babies, and I'm really glad he accepted our offer. In my eyes he is the perfect replacement for Østen."

"I've known Kjetil for almost ten years, and he truly is a great guy. As a singer he is impressively professional."

"Dying Season", the new video from San Francisco Bay Area thrashers HEATHEN, can be viewed below. The clip was filmed in early April in Sacramento, California with Darin Wood, Christy Savage and Amy Slockbower of Trash Film Orgy Productions, a company that specializes in B-horror films. This is Trash Film Orgy's first foray into the metal video world. Also on the set was airbrush artist Alvin Petty, creator of HEATHEN's "Victims Of Deception" (1991) and "Recovered" (2004) album covers, as well as METALLICA's "Creeping Death" EP cover.

Finnish act CANTATA SANGUI has parted ways with vocalists Kari Husa and Anna Pienimäki and has announced the addition of Suvi Grym of VANGUARD/DEEPSNAKE fame. According to the band, Suvi "will take over the lead-singer duties while the rest of us will provide background chanting support."

CANTATA SANGUI released its debut album, "On Rituals and Correspondence in Constructed Realities", in January 2009 in Europe and March 2009 in the U.S. via Season of Mist.

According to the group's official bio, CANTATA SANGUI is "an avant-garde approach gothic/black/doom metal band with guitar parts played by variety of four-, five- and twelve-string bass guitars. Originally formed as a two-bass-guitar-and-drums fusion music trio, [the band] eventually reformed as a more gothic/metal group."

CANTATA SANGUI is:

Suvi Grym (female vocals)
Juha Vilhunen (bass)
Tuomas Tunturituuli (bass, backing vocals)
Black Bolton (drums)
Hanna Sirola (keyboards, backing vovals)

On August 20, Crash and LT of the Orlando, Florida radio station 101.1 WJRR conducted an interview with RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE guitarist Tom Morello. You can now listen to the 12-minute chat below.

When asked about a recent quote from RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE frontman Zack De la Rocha where the singer reportedly said that the chances of the band recording a new album are better now than they have been before, Morello replied, "I think that that is an inaccurate quote. There's no plans for that now." He added, "We're playing some shows in South America. The band gets along great, we're playing some of the best shows of our career over the last couple of years, and no one is ruling out that... [Zack's] been in the middle of making a ONE DAY AS A LION record, and he's been on tour with that, I have a STREET SWEEPER [SOCIAL CLUB] record coming out, and I'm working on he next THE NIGHTWATCHMAN record. So there's no plans to go into the studio and do that now, but as a band, I hope that we will continue to, at a minimum, play shows in the future."

Zack de la Rocha told NME.com on June 6 regarding the chances of RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE recording a new album, "I think it's a genuine possibility. We have to get our heads around what we're going to do towards the end of the year and finish up on some other projects and we'll take it from there."

RAGE's last set of all-new material was 1999's "The Battle Of Los Angeles". The band issued a collection of covers called "Renegades" in 2000 before splitting.

De la Rocha made his comments following a free show by RAGE at Finsbury Park in London for 40,000 fans.

Veteran producer/sound engineer Achim Köhler (PRIMAL FEAR, AMON AMARTH, BRAINSTORM) has finished mixing and mastering "Visions Of The Seeker", the sophomore album from Iranian power metallers ANGBAND.

Commented guitarist Mahyar Dean: “I know the album was delayed about a year but we care about the production so we worked with Achim to achieve a great sound”. the release date will be announces soon by Pure Steel Records."

ANGBAND released its debut album, "Rising from Apadana", in August 2008.

The band is believed to be the first Iranian metal act to release its work intenationally through a European label.

ANGBAND is:

Ashkan Yazdani (Vocals)
Mahyar Dean (Guitar)
Ramin Rahimi (Drums)
M. Halaji (Bass)

Italian progressive metallers DGM will celebrate their 15-year aniversary with the release of a "stunning" live DVD, "Synthesis", due next month via Scarlet Records. Recorded in April 2010 in Rome, Italy, the DVD will be made available in a special package containing extra material plus a bonus CD featuring the band's greatest hits, re-recorded specifically for this release, as well as two previously unreleased tracks, "Just Like Before" and "The Only One".

"It Never Ends", the new video from Sheffield, U.K. metallers BRING ME THE HORIZON, can be viewed below. The song comes off the band's third album, "There Is A Hell, Believe Me I've Seen It. There Is A Heaven, Let's Keep It A Secret", which will be released on the following dates:

Oct. 8 - Germany, Austria, Switzerland
Oct. 4 - Rest Of Europe
Oct. 5 - USA
Oct. 6 - Japan
Oct. 8 - Australia

From the progressive opening riff and digital manipulation of choristers in the epic "Crucify Me" to the violins of "Don't Go" to instrumental track "Memorial", it quickly becomes clear that this is an album like no other.

On September 28, Metal Blade Records will re-release OSI's (OFFICE OF STRATEGIC INFLUENCE) self-titled 2003 album. The CD, which was recorded in June 2002 and mixed in August 2002 at the Carriage House Studios in Stamford, Connecticut, will contain the following tracks and a Multimedia section:

01. The New Math (What He Said)
02. OSI
03. When You're Ready
04. Horseshoes and B-52's
05. Head
06. Hello, Helicopter!
07. ShutDOWN
08. Dirt from a Holy Place
09. Memory Daydreams Lapses
10. Standby (Looks Like Rain)

* Limited Edition (CD above + extra CD with 3 more tracks and 3 videos)

01. Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun (08:49)
02. New Mama (02:22)
03. The Thing That Never Was (17:21)

* "Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun" is a PINK FLOYD cover performed by Kevin Moore and Mike Portnoy. "New Mama" is a NEIL YOUNG cover performed by Kevin Moore. "The Thing That Never Was" is the original "Looks Like Rain" demo performed by Jim Matheos and Mike Portnoy.

"Tres Brujas", the new video from Austin, Texas metal luminaries THE SWORD, can be viewed below. The track comes off the band's third full-length album, "Warp Riders", which was released today (Tuesday, August 24) via Kemado Records. The first of a trio of conceptually linked videos ("Tres Brujas", "Lawless Lands" and "Night City") that tie in themes of "Warp Riders" was filmed in the hot California desert with Artificial Army. It's described in a press release as "'Seven Samurai' crossed with 'The Magnificent Seven' meets 'Mad Max' filtered through the imagination of THE SWORD."

Bassist/vocalist Thomas "Angelripper" Such of veteran German thrashers SODOM has joined forces with longtime friend Detlef "Magic" Lauster in a brand new project called DIE KNAPPEN (old German word for "miner"). The group's debut album, "Auf Kohle Geboren", will be released at the end of October.

DIE KNAPPEN last year released a single, "Glück Auf", and made it available via the band's official web site.

According to Metalunderground.com, BEHEMOTH frontman and lead guitarist Nergal's illness has been confirmed to be leukemia. According to the Polish news site TVP, the disease has advanced to the point where chemotherapy can no longer be an effective treatment and can only be cured through a bone marrow transplant.

Within the country of Poland, there are only 100,000 donors out of a population of 38,192,000. Nergal's fiance Doda has already donated her bone marrow but it's unknown if her bone marrow will provide a DNA match.

Other Polish artists are currently organizing concerts to help raise awareness of Nergal's condition although no artists or concert dates have as yet been announced.

Nergal is currently undergoing a multi-stage, months-long treatment at Gdansk Medical University Hospital and all Behemoth tour dates indefinitely canceled for the foreseeable future.

Upscale publishing house Genesis Publications has set a September 27 release date for "Zoso", the new career-spanning pictorial autobiography of LED ZEPPELIN guitar legend Jimmy Page. According to the Lemon Squeezings web site, "Zoso", which is Page's first officially published work, will include more than 650 photographs and illustrations on over 500 pages. The number of photographs has increased by 50 since a June announcement that publication was being delayed three months so as to incorporate additional images and captions written by Page.

While all 350 copies of the deluxe edition were said to have sold out within two days of going on pre-sale in April, reservations are still being taken for the collector's edition. Page is signing and numbering every one of the 2,500 books in the limited run.

Check out the book's official microsite at www.jimmypagebook.com.

Page spoke to Mojo magazine, which previewed shots from the book in the February issue, and was asked whether he ever thought of taking the plunge and actually writing his memoirs. Page said, "I considered doing a posthumous book. And I'm not joking. I genuinely thought about doing one. As usual it seems like a silly idea, but it wouldn't have been a silly idea if John Lennon had done one, would it? You know what I mean?"

KYLESA, the psych-rock co-ed Georgians, have revealed the cover art (illustrated by Santos) and track listing for their fifth album, "Spiral Shadow".

The band, who recently wrapped up a European tour with CONVERGE, recorded the CD earlier this summer at the Jam Room in Columbia, South Carolina with band member and renowned producer Phillip Cope (BARONESS, WITHERED) once again at the helm.

Due on October 26 via Season Of Mist, "Spiral Shadow" will be made available as a regular CD as well as a limited edition digipak with 3D cover art packaged with a bonus DVD.

"Spiral Shadow" track listing:

01. Tired Climb
02. Cheating Synergy
03. Drop Out
04. Crowded Road
05. Don’t Look Back
06. Distance Closing In
07. To Forget
08. Forsaken
09. Spiral Shadow
10. Back And Forth
11. Dust