SPV GmbH has announced a new distribution agreement in the U.K. with Plastic Head Music Distribution Ltd. The agreement, which covers HMV and other stores, is for the house owned labels Steamhammer, Synthetic Symphony, Oblivion and Red.

The first frontline titles in autumn on Steamhammer will be the new studio albums of ZODIAC MINDWARP, ANGRA, VIRGIN STEELE, KINGDOM COME, EVERGREY and SODOM as well as a best of CD of UFO and a live album/DVD by melodic rock icons FAIR WARNING. 2011 will start with new studio albums from English bombast rock heroes MAGNUM and JAG PANZER, as well as re-releases of VIRGIN STEELE, SODOM and DESTRUCTION. Frontline artists on Steamhammer are also AXEL RUDI PELL, MOLLY HATCHET, FREEDOM CALL, GLYDER, RAVEN, THUNDERSTONE, THE OTHER, STORMZONE and many more.

The first frontline titles in autumn on Synthetic Symphony will be new studio albums of COVENANT and FUNKER VOGT as well as re-releases of DIE KRUPPS. 2011 will start with the new studio album of EBM heroes SKINNY PUPPY and DIE KRUPPS.

SPV was established in 1984 and is one of the largest independent record companies in the world. With distribution all over the world, SPV has an unparalleled reputation for audio quality, archive research and visual presentation. Steamhammer, Synthetic Symphony, Oblivion and red holds a massive back-catalogue from artists like MOTÖRHEAD, SAXON, KREATOR, KAMELOT, ICED EARTH, HELLOWEEN, GAMMA RAY, TYPE O NEGATIVE, DIO, THE MISSION, FIELDS OF THE NEPHILIM, BAD ENGLISH, SUICIDAL TENDENCIES, PRONG and many others.

Frank Uhle (GM of SPV): "It´s great to be working with Plastic Head, a strong company that totally understands our artists and repertoire. We share the same visions and will forge a unique partnership with what we think to be the U.K.'s best rock distributor."

Steve Beatty (Plastic Head Director): "We welcome with open arms SPV to Plastic Head, SPV brings to PHD a super strong label roster that compliments us. SPV is a company that for over twenty-five years has been a major player in the European rock and metal scene. We look forward to a long and solid relationship."

BILLY IDOL / CAMP FREDDY guitarist Billy Morrison has checked in with the following update:

"What started out as a beautiful sunset, a nice quality meal at an oceanside restaurant, and a slow night walk into town quickly turned into multiple police cars, eleven Santa Barbara PD officers, cameras from the show COPS, and myself, drummer Jeremy Colson and band security Steve Vacarro getting the tried and true 'hands on the hood NOW!….turn around….face forward….spread your legs…NO TALKING!'

As we walked out of CVS, we noticed the camera first. My thought was maybe some Santa Barbara reality TV show was being filmed, but when the officers surrounded us, I realized – maybe not! At first we thought they were joking, but they weren’t.

'We need to search you for weapons.'

What’s really weird is that even though it’s been 15 years since I did anything remotely resembling this kind of over-reaction, my head started going. What if I’d forgotten something? Had I….dunno….done anything?? Maybe there’s a 15 year old bag of something wedged in my jeans (even though I only bought them six months ago!!). Old memories come flooding back and the adrenaline starts to pound. Jeremy starts getting into it with one of the cops and I demanding an explanation. At one point I suggest that the tattoos and spikey hair have something to do with it. This goes down like a lead balloon and gets flatly denied! Eventually, things calm down, the cops explain that it’s a case of mistaken identity, and we chill. By the time our details come back over the radio, it’s all cool, we’re chatting to the officers about the tour, and we’re on our way.

All I can think about on the way back to the hotel is the CVS store we were in. Twenty minutes wandering around the store waiting for Jeremy to buy a toothbrush, buying a bag of pretzels, using the rest room….and all the time, the staff of the store have called the cops, thinking we’re the bad guys! Never a dull moment around here!!"

"Reaping Death", the new CD single from Swedish black metallers WATAIN, which was exclusively distributed in Sweden via Sweden Rock Magazine, was certified gold in the band's home country on April 21 by the International Federation of the Phonographic Industry for sales in excess of 10,000 copies. (Note: Each copy of the magazine sold in Sweden counted towards the certification.)

Earlier this week, the members of WATAIN were presented with their gold award in Stockholm in the presence of press and various guests. WATAIN frontman Erik "E" Danielsson stated at the presentation, "'Reaping Death' is a song written as a tribute to the first murderer and Satanist, Cain. Through the murder of his brother Abel, he was the first to break the shackles of creation and went against the will of God. Therefore, he was pushed away and found his way to his true father, the serpent in the Garden of Eden, also known as Satan. To openly praise Cain, his origin, his works and his offspring is something that never would have been possible, say 300 years ago. 300 years ago they tied people such as us up and burned them alive. Now we are awarded gold discs and praise in the media. This is an encouraging proof that this road is leading to hell.

"Through black metal," he continued, "we now have a forum, in which we, without being persecuted and tortured, can celebrate the ancient ruin forces, revolutions and the gods of total liberation, and thus give them additional force. This gold disc is proof that the genre as such is one to be reckoned with, and with fire, fanaticism and passion as the driving force, we intend to take it even further, deep down in still unexplored abysses.We also would like to thank Sound Pollution, Season of Mist, Sweden Rock and 'Boss' at Black Mark."

A photo of Danielsson with the award can be viewed below.

"Reaping Death" comes off WATAIN's fourth album, "Lawless Darkness", which entered the official chart in Sweden at position No. 26 and dropped to No. 37 the following week.

"Lawless Darkness" sold around 1,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release. The CD landed at position No. 42 on the Top New Artist Albums (Heatseekers) chart, which lists the best-selling albums by new and developing artists, defined as those who have never appeared in the Top 100 of The Billboard 200.

"Lawless Darkness" was released in Europe on June 7 in a limited three-panel digipack edition with die-cut and a cover of DEATH SS' "Chains of Death" as a bonus track.

WATAIN will embark on a European headlining tour in the fall. Support on the trek will come from DESTROYER 666.

"We Rule The Night", the new album from the Swedish modern rock/metal act SONIC SYNDICATE, is available for streaming in its entirety on the band's MySpace page. Due in Europe on August 27 via Nuclear Blast Records, the CD was recorded at Bohus Sound studios in Kungälv, Sweden with producer Toby Wright, who has previously worked with KORN, SLAYER, MÖTLEY CRÜE, KISS, FEAR FACTORY, IN FLAMES, STONE SOUR and OZZY OSBOURNE, among others.

"We Rule The Night" track listing:

01. Beauty And The Freak
02. Revolution, Baby
03. Turn It Up
04. My Own Life
05. Burn This City
06. Black And Blue
07. Miles Apart
08. Plans Are For People
09. Leave Me Alone
10. Break Of Day
11. We Rule The Night

SLAYER drummer Dave Lombardo has contributed to the soundtrack of "9191", a sideways introspective into the bewildering snow-covered dreamscape of international time traveler and mystic of the shred — Gigi Rüf. Every year, Gigi circles the stratosphere in the name of snowboarding and "9191" is the accumulation of his visions from a season, documented in 16mm film, super 8, and highly defined video.

"9191" is a 22-minute film with an original soundtrack composed by Piers Baron. It is the first-ever snowboard movie to have an original score from start to finish and features many high-profile musical guests, including Lombardo, Oliver Ackermann (A PLACE TO BURY STRANGERS), Mike Conte (EARLY MAN), Hesta Prynn, and Jaime Lynn (KANDI CODED).

"9191" was filmed around the globe in New Zealand, Austria, Switzerland, Jackson Hole, Chile and Alaska. Throughout the film, Gigi was joined by friends and teammates: Wille Yli-Luoma, Bryan Iguchi, Luke Mitrani, Curtis Ciszek, Blair Habenicht, Nicolas Muller, Jake Blauvelt, Wolle Nyvelt and others.

The "9191" original soundtrack was produced and composed by Baron, exclusively for Volcom Entertainment.

Professionally filmed video footage of GRAVE's August 15, 2010 headlining concert at the Manizalez Grita Rock festival in Colombia can be viewed below. Filling in on bass for GRAVE's performance was DISMEMBER's Tobias Cristiansson.

Commented Cristiansson: "Last time I was in Colombia was when DISMEMBER did a South American tour in 2008. That was one of the best tours I've ever done and I sure have some great memories from there, so it [felt] great to come back there again with GRAVE to give the Colombians a lethal dose of Swedish death metal!"

Legendary rock band WHITESNAKE has announced the addition of bassist Michael Devin (pictured below) to the group's ranks.

Devin, 35, most recently played in LYNCH MOB alongside new WHITESNAKE drummer Brian Tichy (FOREIGNER, BILLY IDOL, OZZY OSBOURNE, VELVET REVOLVER).

Commented Michael: "It's an honor to be welcomed into the WHITESNAKE family. I'm a big fan.

"WHITESNAKE is notorious for exciting musicianship, David's [Coverdale, vocals] history is rich, and I'm very proud to be here."

WHITESNAKE's current lineup is rounded out by guitarists Doug Aldrich and Reb Beach, and keyboardist Timothy Drury.

DEMONICAL, the Swedish death metal band featuring past and present members from CENTINEX, GRAVE, REGURGITATE, INTERMENT, AMARAN, WORLD BELOW and DELLAMORTE, will enter Necromorbus Studio (WATAIN, UNANIMATED, DESTRÖYER 666) in Alvik, Sweden in mid-September to begin recording its as-yet-untitled third album for an April 2011 release via Germany's Cyclone Empire Records. The CD will be supported by a full European headlining tour and several summer festival appearances.

NORTHERN KINGS — the Finnish band consisting of four well-known metal musicians (Jarkko Ahola [TERÄSBETONI], Marco Hietala [TAROT, NIGHTWISH], Tony Kakko [SONATA ARCTICA], Juha-Pekka Leppäluoto [CHARON]) — played its first-ever full-length show last night (Wednesday, August 18) at the Tavastia club in Helsinki, Finland.

NORTHERN KINGS' backing musicians at the Tavastia gig were as follows:

Erkka Korhonen (ARI KOIVUNEN) - Guitars
Erkki Silvennoinen (ARI KOIVUNEN) - Bass
Vili Ollila (ARI KOIVUNEN) - Keyboards
Kai Hahto (WINTERSUN) - Drums

For decades research has shown that listening to music alleviates anxiety and depression, enhances mood, and can increase cognitive functioning, such as spatial awareness. However, until now, research has not addressed how we listen to music. For instance, is the cognitive benefit still the same if we listen to music while performing a task, rather than before it? Further, how does our preference for a particular type of music affect performance? A new study from Applied Cognitive Psychology shows that listening to music that one likes whilst performing a serial recall task does not help performance any more than listening to music one does not enjoy.

The researchers explored the "irrelevant sound effect" by requiring participants to perform serial recall (recall a list of eight consonants in presentation order) in the presence of five sound environments: quiet, liked music (e.g., RIHANNA, LADY GAGA, STRANGLERS and ARCADE FIRE), disliked music (the track "Thrashers" by DEATH ANGEL), changing-state (a sequence of random digits such as "4, 7, 1, 6") and steady-state ("3, 3, 3"). Recall ability was approximately the same, and poorest, for the music and changing-state conditions. The most accurate recall occurred when participants performed the task in the quieter, steady-state environments. Thus listening to music, regardless of whether people liked or disliked it, impaired their concurrent performance.

Lead researcher Nick Perham explains: "The poorer performance of the music and changing-state sounds are due to the acoustical variation within those environments. This impairs the ability to recall the order of items, via rehearsal, within the presented list. Mental arithmetic also requires the ability to retain order information in the short-term via rehearsal, and may be similarly affected by their performance in the presence of changing-state, background environments."

Although music can have a very positive effect on our general mental health, music can, in the circumstances described, also have negative effects on cognitive performance. Perham remarks, "Most people listen to music at the same time as, rather than prior to performing a task. To reduce the negative effects of background music when recalling information in order one should either perform the task in quiet or only listen to music prior to performing the task."

Perham explained his reasoning for using DEATH ANGEL's song "Thrashers" as the "disliked" music in the study: "We needed a track that most participants would say they did not like. Having been a fan of metal music since my teens, I was pretty confident that a thrash metal song would do the trick as most people never seemed to like the music I liked. In choosing a thrash metal song, I needed a song that was heavy but also allowed the listener to hear many of the different components of the song — the acoustical variation between the successive sound items. We chose 'Thrashers'. Participants were only allowed to participate in the study if they disliked thrash metal as a musical genre.

"Personally, I have been a fan of DEATH ANGEL since 'The Ultra-Violence' and saw them at the Bristol Bierkeller around 1990 supporting the 'Act III' album."

This study is published in the September 2010 issue of Applied Cognitive Psychology.

Nick Perham is a lecturer in the School of Psychology at the University of Wales Institute, Cardiff. He has published and presented widely on the effects of auditory distraction on short-term memory and general task performance.

Composer and multi-instrumentalist Arjen Lucassen has firmly established himself worldwide as driving force in progressive rock. While best known for his rock opera project AYREON, the multi-talented Dutchman also regularly embarks on musical side projects, which explore different aspects of Lucassen's musical personality. As his previous project (GUILT MACHINE's "On This Perfect Day", 2009) was a relatively relaxed and subtle affair, Lucassen's muses responded by urging him to record something loud, heavy and anything but subtle for this new release. Thus it was a perfect opportunity to launch his musical spacecraft towards the galaxy of bombastic sci-fi rock by revisiting his STAR ONE project.

The result is the album "Victims Of The Modern Age", the follow-up to the STAR ONE debut album, "Space Metal" (2002). Compared to "Space Metal", the overall sound of "Victims Of The Modern Age" is darker, heavier, more guitar-oriented, and slightly less "spacey". Arjen has also raised the bar significantly when it comes to the album's sound. "I think it's my best sounding album to date; it's a huge difference compared to the first STAR ONE," he says. "For the guitars I spent weeks experimenting with different amps and settings in every combination imaginable — and it was worth it. The drums sound fantastic, and the vocalists all outdid themselves, putting in even stronger performances than they did the first time around."

"Victims Of The Modern Age" will be released on InsideOut Music in North America on October 26 . With its stellar musicianship, strong melodies, meticulous production and compelling concept, STAR ONE "Victims of the Modern Age" is yet another exciting project from one of rock's great visionaries.

Arjen's video message presenting the "Victims Of The Modern Age" cast of lead vocalists and album concept can be viewed below.

"Victims Of The Modern Age" guest singers:

* Russell Allen (SYMPHONY X)
* Damian Wilson (HEADSPACE, THRESHOLD)
* Floor Jansen (REVAMP, AFTER FOREVER)
* Dan Swanö (NIGHTINGALE, SECOND SKY, EDGE OF SANITY)

Next month's issue of Metal Hammer magazine will include a very special BLACK SABBATH tribute CD featuring cover versions of SABBATH classics performed by such artists as CAVALERA CONSPIRACY, AMON AMARTH, APOCALYPTICA and TURISAS. Each track was recorded especially for Metal Hammer and won't be available elsewhere.

The track listing for the CD is as follows:

01. TURISAS - "Supernaut"
02. ABSOLUTE POWER - "Hole In The Sky"
03. CAVALERA CONSPIRACY - "Electric Funeral"
04. AMON AMARTH - "Children Of The Grave"
05. APOCALYPTICA - "Spiral Architect"
06. KARMA TO BURN - "Never Say Die"
07. ORANGE GOBLIN - "Symptom Of The Universe"
08. TURBOWOLF - "The Wizard"
09. TED MAUL - "Killing Yourself To Live"

Bonus tracks:

10. MOURNING TIDE - "We The Creeple"
11. SPIRYTUS - "Bullet Ride"
12. WHAT THE NIGHT BRINGS - "Sewn Shut"
13. DEMAGOGUE - "Encounter"
14. THE BENDAL INTERLUDE - "Cat Spats"
15. RAVENFACE - "The Resurrection"

Finnish metallers CHILDREN OF BODOM have entered Finland's Petrax Studios to begin work on their as-yet-untitled seventh studio album. The band has enlisted famed rock producer Matt Hyde (SLAYER, MONSTER MAGNET) to oversee the new recording and will remain in the studio through late September. The new record will see release in early 2011.

"We're very excited to let everyone hear what we're creating with this new record," said the band in a statement. "Everything you love about CHILDREN OF BODOM has been magnified tenfold and we're pushing ourselves harder than ever before. Expect nothing less than 'the perfect storm!'"

MusicRadar.com recently conducted an interview with IRON MAIDEN drummer Nicko McBrain. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

MusicRadar.com: You've had No. 1 albums in the past in the U.K. and other countries, but it looks as though "The Final Frontier" could debut at the top spot in the U.S. What would that mean for the band?

McBrain: "It would mean that our American fans listened! [laughs] You know, [singer] Bruce [Dickinson] made it quite clear to all of our fans in America and Canada when we were on tour there during the summer that it would be great to go to No. 1, so hopefully everybody paid attention.

"Going No. 1 would be amazing, a great accolade, of course. Would it mean the same now as it might have 15 or 20 years ago? I can't say. But at the end of the day, I know we have a great album. I think it's a work of art. If it's not the No. 1 album the first week, then hopefully it will be the second or third week — once people give it a listen, you know? Obviously, it would be nice now that I'm…well, I'm not really a citizen. What am I, a 'legal alien' or something?" [laughs]

MusicRadar.com: Sounds about right.

McBrain: "People have called me that before I moved to America, so I'm used to it. Don't get me wrong — it would be great to go No. 1 in the U.S., and I hope it happens. Really, that would be amazing. If it doesn't, though, hey, it's not the end of the world."

MusicRadar.com: Musically, what were your goals on this record? There's so many unexpected moments, and many of them are prog rock in nature.

McBrain: "I would say my first and foremost goal was to finish the record without keeling over dead! [laughs] In all seriousness, though, we rehearsed seven tracks in Paris before we went to record them. Three of the other ones we had the sketches for, but we had to work them up once we got in the studio. For me, the big expectation was working on the three songs that we didn't rehearse; I wanted to get their vibe as quickly as I could and really nail them without taking a whole lot of time.

"In terms of figuring out the progressions on the album, it was very much like it was in the old days. It was us together in one room going, 'Okay, how are we going to get from this bit to that bit?' You know what I mean? It was natural, a band working as one. We were all looking at one another and communicating and feeling at home, if you like."

MusicRadar.com: What did you think when you got some of the demos, particularly the one for the song "When The Wild Wind Blows"? That song is quite an epic.

McBrain: "It sure is. That was one of the songs we did in the studio. When Steve [Harris] brought the song in, he showed it to us, gave the guitarists the chord progressions and everything. I could tell right off it was something special. Because of the kind of song it is, though, I looked at Harry [editor's note: the nickname for Steve Harris] and said, 'What do you want from the drums, busy or straight?' And he said, 'Let's have it straight. We need some real groove on this track.'

"That's all he needed to say. I told him, 'Let me have what you're playing on the bass,' and we worked that part out. Then we went for the second part, then we had the segue breakdown and it went from there. When we finished recording the song, I turned to Steven and said, 'Next to 'Hallowed Be Thy Name', I think this is the best song you've ever written.' And he went, 'Nahhh!' And I said, 'To me it is.' That's how I feel — I think it's just immense.

"The funny thing is, there wasn't a lot of preparation for that song or any of the other ones, really. It was just learn it, feel it and play it. That's what we did on this record. It was true to its form, without a lot of contrived pieces. And there's even a couple of mistakes on it, to boot, which I think is great."

SLIPKNOT headlined the annual Download festival in the U.K., performing in front of 80,000 of their rabid fans. The performance was absolutely electric, in typical SLIPKNOT fashion, especially since it came hot on the heels of one of the strongest years in SLIPKNOT's illustrious career.

It was indeed a year of "firsts" for a band that was a decade-deep into their hard rock superstardom and dominance.Their latest album, 2008's "All Hope is Gone", debuted at #1 on The Billboard 200 chart — the first time in their history. SLIPKNOT embarked on a two-year touring trek that was globally successful, playing to packed houses across continents, including their headlining stint at New York City's legendary Madison Square Garden, which was stacked to the rafters and chronicled by Rolling Stone.

It makes perfect sense that the band, known for their eclectic DVD collection, ranging from multi-camera angle concert documents to arthouse-style films, would release "(sic)nesses", which captures a special performance at Download. All SLIPKNOT shows are memorable, but this one is particularly memorable, as the band blasted through hits from all of their platinum albums. On stage is SLIPKNOT in its most natural state and "(sic)nesses" will put you in the front row.

30 cameras were on hand to capture every possible angle of the band as they motored through their parade of hits; the cameras also caught the fans on tape, as they are just as crucial an element of a SLIPKNOT show as the band members themselves.

Perhaps most importantly, "(sic)nesses" is one of the final major performances for founding member Paul Gray, who tragically passed away in May 2010. While initially unintended, the concert is a testament to the legacy of Gray, where fans can enjoy a lasting glimpse of the bassist doing what he loved most.

Additionally, the DVD also includes a 45-minute behind the scenes documentary created by band percussionist Clown, as well as all four music videos from the "All Hope Is Gone" cycle.

Lastly, "All Hope is Gone" has gained platinum status, capping off a passionate, turbulent and ultimately unforgettable album cycle.

"(sic)nesses"track listing:

01. 742617000027
02. (sic)
03. Eyeless
04. Wait and Bleed
05. Get This
06. Before I Forget
07. Sulfur
08. The Blister Exists
09. Dead Memories
10. Left Behind
11. Disasterpiece
12. Vermilion
13. Everything Ends
14. Psychosocial
15. Duality
16. People=Shit
17. Surfacing
18. Spit it Out

* "Audible Visions Of (sic)nesses" - 45-minute film directed by M. Shawn Crahan that captures SLIPKNOT on the road during the "All Hope Is Gone" cycle

Music Videos:

01. Psychosocial
02. Dead Memories
03. Sulfur
04. Snuff

Making Of:

01. Snuff

Video footage of AEROSMITH frontman Steven Tyler accidentally hitting guitarist Joe Perry with his mic stand at the end of the band's performance of the song "Sweet Emotion" on August 12, 2010 at Nikon at Jones Beach Theater in Wantagh, New York can be viewed below.

As previously reported, there's controversy surrounding what appears to be footage of Perry bumping Tyler offstage on Tuesday night (August 17) at Toronto's Air Canada Centre. TMZ.com posted the fan footage shot during "Love In The Elevator" when Tyler and Perry were performing on an extended stage ramp. After Tyler playfully bumps a soloing Perry, Perry — who was not facing Tyler — bumps him back, sending Tyler head-first into the crowd. Perry eventually helps Tyler back on stage and Tyler gives him a playful twirl.

Tyler will apparently be among the judges for season 10 of Fox's "American Idol". Despite no official announcement from either Fox or Tyler's management, AEROSMITH bassist Tom Hamilton confirmed the long-rumored deal, telling the New Jersey Star-Ledger, "Steven is doing 'American Idol'. The ink is dry on that. So, we'll have to work around his schedule for a new record."

KISS' Paul Stanley spoke with Eric R. Danton from Ctnow.com recently about a number of topics.

"I was adamant that Psycho Circus wouldn't be the last KISS album," he says. "If there had to be a last album, we should end on a higher note than that. It was difficult to make an album with two band members and two lawyers. Those lawyers didn't play instruments very well, and the guys who could have been in the studio weren't."

This time, all four members were involved in writing songs for the album, which Stanley produced. They recorded quickly, keen on capturing the spark of early takes before the songs got rehearsed to death.

"What you may gain later on in perfection, you lose in feel," Stanley says. "I'm a big believer that all the music I loved growing up was made by people who were trying to document passion, rather than perfection, whether it was THE BEATLES, or LED ZEPPELIN or JAMES BROWN. All that music was made with mistakes, but with incredible feel."

A lot of artists who have been around as long as KISS talk about the difficulty in concert of balancing old material with new, but Stanley rejects the premise.

"It's all KISS," he says. "So what we try to do, particularly in the concerts, is celebrate all the eras of the band. It's no secret that there are certain songs that are must-plays, and funny, over the years, it just becomes more and more. We found ourselves ultimately making the show a little longer and squeezing in as much as we can. We can play 'Delilah' and that'll sound great whether it's next to 'Love Gun' or 'Crazy Nights.'"

Legendary British power metal mercenaries TANK — featuring Mick Tucker and Cliff Evans on guitar alongside three new recruits, ex-RAINBOW/YNGWIE MALMSTEEN frontman Doogie White, ex-BRUCE DICKINSON bassist Chris Dale and ex-ZODIAC MINDWARP drummer Dave "Grav" Cavill — are putting the finishing touches on their new album, "War Machine", for an October 25 European release via Metal Mind Productions (December 7 in the U.S. through MVD). The production was handled by Pedro Ferreira (THE DARKNESS, THERAPY?, MEAT LOAF) and the recording was done at Steve Harris' (IRON MAIDEN) Barnyard Studios.

A demo version of a new track, "Judgement Day", is available for streaming on TANK's official web site. Other songtitles set to appear on the album include "War Machine", "Phoenix Rising" and "Great Expectations".

Due to the changed lineup, "War Machine" will combine all the influences and experience of individual band members. Cliff Evans states, "We intend to make this a classic British rock/metal album that every fan should have in their collection."

Adds the band: "We think it's going to be our best album so far."

The current TANK formation last year commented on a statement issued by the group's founding bassist/vocalist Algy Ward, in which he slammed his former bandmates for taking a version of the band out on the road in Europe without him.

Ward told Classic Rock magazine that the group "playing various European festivals [last] summer under the name of 'TANK'" was doing so "without my consent." He added, "The band name TANK, associated logos and images are my sole intellectual property and copyright."

Danish black metallers HORNED ALMIGHTY will release their new studio album, "Necro Spirituals", in Europe on October 25 via Candlelight Records. Recorded in May-June 2010 and mixed and mastered by Jacob Bredahl (HATESPHERE, KOLDBORN) at Dead Rat Studios, the CD is "comprised of the strongest and most fierce material written in the band's eight-year existence," according to a press release. "Yet again, crushing all doctrines and rules with their 'don't-give-a-shit' take on black metal, as a testament to all that is extreme."

"Necro Spirituals" track listing:

01. Necro Spirituals
02. Fountain of a Thousand Plagues
03. Sworn Divine Vengeance
04. Age of Scorn
05. In Jubilation and Disgust
06. Blessing the World in Pestilence
07. The Illuminated Void
08. Blasphemous Burden
09. Absolved in the Sight of God

HORNED ALMIGHTY's third album, "Contaminating The Divine", was released last year via Obscure Abhorrence Productions and Art of Propaganda. The CD was recorded with Bredahl at Smart'n'Hard Studios.

Joe Satriani, one of rock music's most renowned electric guitarists, has announced details of his highly anticipated 14th studio album, "Black Swans And Wormhole Wizards". The album will be made available in the U.S. on October 5 (one day earlier internationally) via Epic Records.

On "Black Swans And Wormhole Wizards", Satriani's classic sound is accompanied by a surprisingly rich new texture. The first single, "Light Years Away", is destined to be a hit, alongside several other high energy offerings, like "Wormhole Wizards" and "Premonition".

"Black Swans And Wormhole Wizards" track listing:

01. Premonition
02. Dream Song
03. Pyrrhic Victoria
04. Light Years Away
05. Solitude
06. Littlleworth Lane
07. The Golden Room
08. Two Sides To Every Story
09. Wormhole Wizards
10. Wind In The Trees
11. God Is Crying

Satriani joined with former VAN HALEN front man Sammy Hagar, former bassist Michael Anthony, and RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS' drummer Chad Smith to form the stand-out rock collaboration CHICKENFOOT. After a highly successful world tour, their self-titled debut album was certified gold in the U.S. by the Recording Industry Association of America for shipments in excess of 500,000 copies.

Over the last two decades, Joe Satriani has traveled the world, playing to sold-out crowds as both a headliner and as founder of the all-star "G3" guitar extravaganza. As one of the world's most renowned instrumental artists, Satriani recorded "Live in Paris: I Just Wanna Rock!" in 2008 at The Grand Rex Theater in Paris, France. The live two-disc CD and DVD was released in February 2010 through Epic Records and contained such memorable songs as "Surfing With The Alien", "Flying In A Blue Dream", along with recent hits like "Super Colossal" and "I Just Wanna Rock". Of his many solo albums, two have gone platinum and four others went gold, with 15 Grammy nominations between them.

Hellbound.ca recently conducted an interview with legendary bassist Geezer Butler (BLACK SABBATH, HEAVEN & HELL). A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

Hellbound.ca: When you look back at your recording career and all the albums you have been a part of, is "Paranoid" the album you would pick as the classic BLACK SABBATH album?

Geezer: I suppose it is, but I always liked the first album. "Paranoid" was the first album that was 100 percent written by the band. The first album had "Warning", which was written by somebody else on it. So, yeah, "Paranoid" was the first completely written by us and it is probably still the biggest album that we did.

Hellbound.ca: I think the last number that I saw was four million sold in the USA.

Geezer: Yeah, and I think that it has done well over that now too.

Hellbound.ca: Does it surprise you looking back now some 40 years later of "Paranoid"'s longevity? Could you have ever imagined when writing and recording those songs of their importance?

Geezer: No, not at all. We all thought that we'd be able to do this for two or three years and then go get proper jobs. I mean, that is what bands did back then. You know, I'd go and see lots of bands and think that they were good and then they wouldn't get a record deal and so you would never hear of them again. Or you'd see a band and they'd get a one-record deal and they wouldn't sell anything so you'd never hear of them again. That is what we thought would happen with BLACK SABBATH. We were lucky to do a second album, we were hoping that it would do well and then eventually we'd disappear. Nobody ever dreamt that any band would last this long, still being popular some forty years later.

Hellbound.ca: Is there a song off "Paranoid" that resonates as the most important?

Geezer: For me, probably "War Pigs". The lyrics will always stand up.

Hellbound.ca: That was one thing I wanted to ask you about. Those lyrics are as important today as they were the day you wrote them.

Geezer: Absolutely. The one thing that human kind always seems to have is war. They never learn.

Hellbound.ca: What do you think of the chances are of BLACK SABBATH ever playing again with Ozzy?

Geezer: I don't know. You know it would be nice to finish the whole thing off with one last tour, I suppose. We're all getting a bit old now, so time is running out. It would be nice. I wouldn't say no!

Now you can acquire your very own stunning replicas of the of the amazing oil paintings by Ken Kelley for the legendary MANOWAR album covers. According to the band, "These reproductions taken from the original art are simply beautiful and are now available to you as giclée prints. A giclée print is, without a doubt, the next best thing to an original painting."

Giclée (from the French verb gicler meaning "to squirt, to spray") is the use of the ink-jet process for making fine-art prints (first done in the early 1990s).

The term "giclée" (or the anglicized "giclee") is frequently used to describe any high-resolution, large-format ink-jet printer output with fade-resistant dye or pigment-based inks. It is common for these printers to use between seven- and twelve-color inks.

Though originally intended for proofing, many artists and photographers use ink-jet printers as an alternative to lithography for limited editions or reproductions.

Each print is carefully protectively sprayed, then final varnished, then mounted on wood stretchers and shipped ready for framing.

From "Fighting The World" to "Magic - A Tribute To Ronnie James Dio", imagine hanging any of these classics on your wall! It will look like you own the original oil painting!

German melodic metallers SYMPHORCE, who feature in their ranks guitarist Cédric "Cede" Dupont and singer Andy B. Franck (BRAINSTORM), will release their new album, "Unrestricted", on Septemebr 24 via AFM Records.

Check out the cover artwork below.

Commented the band: "The [new SYMPHORCE] album recordings have been finished, the whole thing is mixed and mastered and what can we say? It sounds FUCKING AWESOME!

"There's no doubt that the small break we had turned out to be good for us, and we'll be back with the best SYMPHORCE record for sure. It's what we believe at least.

"We're absolutely excited, and so will you be when the album's out, we're pretty damn sure about that!"

Madrid, Spain's HAEMORRHAGE has entered the studio to begin recording its new full-length album for an early 2011 release via Relapse Records.

Video footage from the recording sessions for the follow-up to 2006's "Apology For Pathology" can be viewed below.

HAEMORRHAGE has been confirmed as one of the headliners at this year's NRW Deathfest being held next month in Germany. HAEMORRHAGE will headline the Saturday (Sept. 18) date of fest, with MALIGNANCY closing out day one (Sept. 17).

HAEMORRHAGE's classic "Grume" album as well as "Apology For Pathology" were recently reissued via Relapse.

ProgRock Records and Reingold Records are proud to announce their new strategic partnership where ProgRock Records will distribute Reingold Records' new solo release from Hasse Fröberg, the vocalist of THE FLOWER KINGS, Future Past..

Shawn Gordon, President of ProgRock Records had this to say: "Jonas Reingold is an icon in our progressive community and someone I’ve been a fan of musically for many years. I was excited last year when he announced his new label and recently approached him about this partnership idea, he was immediately interested in the idea and we quickly came to an agreement. As the music market continues to change, we all continue to look for creative ways to stay successful and by working together, we are able to do that. I’m very pleased to have forged this new friendship and business relationship with Jonas.".

Jonas Reingold, President of Reingold Records adds: "This is a great opportunity for Reingold Records to expand our distribution possibilities and reach the audience in a better way. ProgRock Records is well established and is one of the
leading companies within this genre and is a natural partner for us.".

Future Past is available for immediate pre-ordering with a $2 discount during the pre-sale period at this location and will ship in early September 2010.

Audio samples can be found here.

Norwegian cult black metal band FURZE will issue their new album, Reaper Subconscious Guide, on November 23rd via Agonia Records on CD and limited edition vinyl.

The official press release reads:

All music and lyrics are written and performed by Furze mastermind Woe J Reaper. Recorded and mixed in Silver Tone Studio the 100% analogue way on high-quality equipment from the late '40s to the late '70s (mainly '60s/'70s equipment). Reaper plays the trad instruments - drums, guitar, bass and vocals - as well as the ghastly Glockenspiel thru the album… Says Reaper, "The lyrics deal with the subconscious aspects. Death contributes as to the condition of the Individualist, religionist or the human mind(s). Not to forget its results… The lyrics puts in perspective; these results, so to say..."

Reaper continues to explain Reaper Subconscious Guide: "This album is dedicated to the memory of the ‘70-‘75 era of BLACK SABBATH - without whose existence, the dark Masterflame of Metal would not Reality see … NOTE: this is not a tribute album, but it's our sincere 40th anniversary birthday card (since their debut LP) to the band which we feel added THE best to the rock and metal scene... also to Furze. It was no coincidence that we covered 'Electric Funeral' in 1998 on our 2nd demo, y'know... Fanatic fans we may be, but that doesn't subtract from the lyrical and musical originality we're Urged to write. As blues influenced Sabbath - Sabbath influenced Furze; needless to say, Furze are not even near the immense writing power of Geezer/Iommi/Ward... The lyrical content of Sabbath had/have a far weaker influence on us, though. After all, its not about mathematics... well, at that time, it's about having had a good listen to The Reaper! PolyTriad Fingerprints ? You bet..."

"This album is foremost a new dimension," concludes Reaper. "This is the start-album on the focus on sound/production for Furze! The idea is to really get all the atmosphere delivered, get it all to really fit and raise each song's potential. The flow, the production, everything was better planned this time; yet some troubles were popping up of course and craved it's bonus work. I'm really proud of the album and I hope you will experience something out of it - I surely did!"

Last month, Surf Skate Supply announced that they had teamed up with legendary extreme metal icons KING DIAMOND and MERCYFUL FATE for a line of shoes - four designs being available at this location.

Coven Worldwide has now issued the following "important notice" in response to an upset fan/shoe buyer:

"“King Diamond and Management regret to hear this, and are in no way affiliated with or endorsing any retail supplier of the shoes. We merely intended to point fans to at least one way of locating a retail supplier. The shoes are really hard to find, and we are working on that issue. Any further information on this subject please go to The Forum.”

The above mentioned letter reads:

"Hi, I really want you to know that Surf Skate Supply is run by arrogant, rude people who have screwed me over when purchasing a pair of King Diamond shoes. I came to your site to find them and went through the link you provided and I can't regret it more.

Here's the deal: I ordered a pair of these shoes August 6th and chose the 3 day UPS shipping option that cost $25.53. I got an email on AUGUST 11TH, telling me they were just then shipped out. (I ordered these for my husbands birthday which happened to be the 11th) When I emailed them about this, they were in no way apologetic and even went as far as telling me, "Good luck finding these shoes somewhere else." They haven't offered to reimburse me for the shipping charges. It turns out that they are using drop shipping for these shoes through Circa. So how on earth can they offer a 3 day UPS shipping service when they don't even have them there to ship out themselves?? I did a little bit more investigating and found this website has the Abigail shoes for about $15.00 CHEAPER and FREE SHIPPING! This is the site your site should be promoting!! Don't let others get screwed by these guys. So when I emailed SSS back saying I did find them elsewhere and for cheaper, etc., all they emailed me back was, "Have a nice weekend!!!"

9 days later... I still don't have the shoes, no offer for reimbursement, nothing! Please do not endorse these people.

Beth H."

On September 28th, Seattle's SOUNDGARDEN will be releasing a new two-CD/one-DVD retrospective called Telephantasm. It includes songs from all of their albums and EPs, including 'Black Rain', an unreleased track from the Badmotorfinger sessions. Check out the track at this location.

Telephantasm tracklisitng:

Disc: 1
'All Your Lies'
'Hunted Down'
'Fopp'
'Beyond The Wheel'
'Flower' (BBC Session)*
'Hands All Over'
'Big Dumb Sex'
'Get On The Snake' (Live)
'Room A Thousand Years Wide' (Single Version)*
'Rusty Cage'
'Outshined'
'Slaves & Bulldozers'

Disc: 2
'Jesus Christ Pose' (Live)
'Birth Ritual
'My Wave
'Superunknown
'Spoonman
'Black Hole Sun
'Fell On Black Days (Video Version)
'Burden In My Hand
'Dusty
'Pretty Noose (Live on SNL)*
'Blow Up The Outside World (MTV Live `N' Loud)*
'Black Rain'

Disc: 3
'Flower'
'Hands All Over'
'Loud Love'
'Jesus Christ Pose' (Original Version)
'Outshined'
'Rusty Cage'
'My Wave'
'Spoonman'
'The Day I Tried To Live' (Uncensored)
'Black Hole Sun'
'Fell On Black Days'
'Pretty Noose' (Uncensored)
'Burden In My Hand'
'Blow Up The Outside World' (Uncensored)
'Spoonman' (Mash-up Version)
'The Day I Tried To Live' (European Version)
'Superunknown'
'Pretty Noose' (International Version)
'Pretty Noose' (Alternate Ending)
'Blow Up The Outside World' (Censored)