LEAVES' EYES — the German/Norwegian band formed by ex-THEATRE OF TRAGEDY singer Liv Kristine Espenaes Krull and members of ATROCITY — has entered Mastersound Studio in Germany to begin recording its new album for a tentative late 2010/early 2011 release.

Commented drummer Roland Navratil: "It's done! After the European tour and a lot of festival shows, the drum recordings for the upcoming LEAVES' EYES record are done. Only the percussions and big drums are left to record.

"We had a lot of fun in the studio and the drums sound killer!

"There are new fresh elements and influences in the songs. It will be a very versatile album and I am sure you will like it as much as I do!"

KORN performed for an hour and twenty minutes inside the mysterious crop circle that was recently revealed in the final installment of a viral web campaign. The band worked closely with longtime U.K.-based circle makers, CircleMakers.org, on the shadowy design which features a series of intricate circles, one of which includes the iconic KORN logo, and stretches over 920 feet long and 350 feet wide. The concert event, which is a first for a rock band, takes inspiration from the eerie atmosphere of PINK FLOYD's legendary "Live at Pompei". The concert made its North American broadcast premiere on HDNet on Sunday, July 11 and had a worldwide online premiere on Monday, July 12 via MySpace in countries all over the world.

Check out footage of the performance below.

"The setting and the mood took us into a totally new direction musically. We took the opportunity to stretch out and experiment with the performance. I don't think we'll ever be the same," said frontman Jonathan Davis.

"I felt like we were on some new frontier musically for KORN," said guitarist James "Munky" Shaffer. "This is definitely going to add a new dimension to our live shows."

Over the last month, web watchers were exposed to mysterious, unexplainable footage shot from a wheat field near KORN's native Bakersfield, California. The viral series lead many to wonder what was going on and what exactly KORN had in store for their loyal fans. Well, the time has come to find out what is really going on with these ominous "signs." The band performed several songs from "Korn III - Remember Who You Are", their new album which is due out July 13. KORN also dipped into its beloved catalog and played numerous classics and fan favorites.

"We spent a lot of time fooling around in the wheat fields and corn fields surrounding Bako when we were kids, and it gets pretty spooky out there at night. That's where we got the inspiration for the whole thing, so we decided to have some fun with the viral videos," Davis also said.

KORN is one of the co-headliners of the third annual Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival.

DOWNSPIRIT, the German/Swiss blues/metal-oriented band formed by SYMPHORCE/ex-FREEDOM CALL guitarist Cedric "Cede" Dupont, recently inked a deal with Metalville, the band and label pool launched by the Cologne, Germany-based company Flying Dolphin Entertainment Group UG. The group's debut album, "Point Of Origin", will be released in Europe on July 23 and in the U.S. on August 17.

A five-minute trailer for the CD can be viewed below.

"Blending old blues roots with a modern, downtuned guitar-feel, [DOWNSPIRIT's] songs are a mixture of typical bluesy '80s hard rock and a contemporary metal sound, which also includes some electro loops," according to a press release.

DOWNSPIRIT is:

Cédric "Cede" Dupont - Lead Guitars
Steffen Lauth - Vocals
Axel "Aki" Reissmann - Rhythm Guitars
Sven Rakowitz - Bass
Sebastian Dunkel - Drums

The cover artwork for "Astron Black And The Thirty Tyrants", the new album from reformed Greek metallers NIGHTFALL — featuring frontman and lyricist Efthimis Karadimas alongside Evan Hensley on guitar, Stathis Kassios on keyboards and Jörg Uken on drums — can be viewed below. The CD is scheduled for release on August 31 (one day earlier internationally) via Metal Blade Records. The cover artwork was created by Travis Smith (OPETH, DEATH, NEVERMORE, KATATONIA).

Commented the band: "The front cover depicts the sea, the grand opposite of the sky-cum-space, and the means we humans are inventing to explore the unexplored. We are part of this universe and we use its planets to navigate, to tune our lives through the 'time' set by their motion, and who knows, may be to escape to some day in the future."

"Astron Black And The Thirty Tyrants" track listing:

01. Intro
02. Astron Black
03. Astronomica / Saturnian Moon
04. Astra Planeta / We Chose The Sun
05. Ambassador Of Mass
06. The Criterion
07. Asebeia
08. I-I
09. Archon Basileus
10. Proxima Centauri / Dead Bodies
11. The Thirty Tyrants
12. Epsilon Lyrae

NAPALM DEATH's Mark "Barney" Greenway and KREATOR's Mille Petrozza have recorded guest appearances on "Beyond Hell/Above Heaven", the fourth studio album from Danish metal rock 'n' rollers VOLBEAT. "We were listening to those guys when we were 14, 15 years old, and we have definitely not forgotten them for inspiring us," VOLBEAT singer/guitarist Michael Poulsen told Revolver magazine. "They know VOLBEAT — they like our records. We had the opportunity to talk to those guys during the last three years touring around Europe. And to actually have them on the record is really a great compliment. What they did in the studio to the VOLBEAT sound is amazing."

"Beyond Hell/Above Heaven" will be released in Germany on September 10 and in most parts of Europe on September 13 by Vertigo/Universal. The CD was once again recorded at Hansen Studios in Ribe, Denmark with producer Jacob Hansen.

Professionally filmed video footage of MOONSPELL's performance at the Optimus Alive! 10 festival — which took place July 8-9, 2010 at Passeio Marítimo de Algés in Oeiras, Portugal — can be viewed at this location (the footage originally aired on the Portuguese cable television channel SIC Radical). A couple of the clips — featuring a special guest appearance by Dutch singer Anneke Van Giersbergen (AGUA DE ANNIQUE, ex-THE GATHERING — are available below.

As previously reported, the Portuguese Postal Service (CTT, Correios de Portugal) will issue a collection of stamps that represent the most significant rock moments and records from Portugal. MOONSPELL's 1995 album "Wolfheart" is included in the collection and will be represented in the form of an official stamp, which will be sold in every post office in Portugal starting on July 19. The stamp will cost one euro and it can be used towards national and international postage.

Commented MOONSPELL vocalist Fernando Ribeiro: "Being that the whole of our career kick-started as penfriends and tapetraders, we could not think of a more perfect and suitable distinction."

In other news, MOONSPELL is working on material for a new studio album, which it expects to release sometime in 2011. According to Fernando, the new songs are "the most exciting, sexiest, darkest, heaviest and catchiest stuff we've written in ages!"

MOONSPELL released a DVD, "Lusitanian Metal", in December 2008 in Europe via Century Media Records. The first disc features one complete live show recorded live in Katowice in 2004, all video clips (from "Opium" to "Everything Invaded"), an in-depth interview with all current band members and a detailed discography. The second disc offers a historical overview of the Portuguese metal group's period as a Century Media recording artist, with no less than 50 live tracks, starting with some very old-school live rehearsal recordings back in 1992 and ending with live footage from the "Spreading The Eclipse Tour".

The band's latest album, "Night Eternal", entered the national chart in Portugal at No. 3 and in Germany at No. 62. The follow-up to 2006's "Memorial" was recorded at Antfarm studios in Denmark with producer Tue Madsen (THE HAUNTED, DARK TRANQUILLITY, HALFORD).

Bassist Benton Wiberg has left the Swedish female-fronted heavy rock band SISTER SIN because he is unable to tour. His temporary replacement is Ricky from the BABYLON BOMBS.

SISTER SIN is currently seeking a permanent replacement for Wiberg. all applicants must:

* Have live and studio experiance
* Be between 22 and 32 years of age
* Live in Gothenburg, Sweden or be able to move
* Do backup vocals
* Be available to tour

Submission can be sent to sistersin_bassplayer@speedmail.com
along with a photo, link to MySpace and preferably a link to a video clip.

SISTER SIN will join the "Black Label Berzerkus" tour — featuring headliners BLACK LABEL SOCIETY alongside CLUTCH, CHILDREN OF BODOM and 2CENTS — for several shows in September.

"True Sound Of The Underground", the sophomore album from SISTER SIN, sold around 500 copies in the United States in its first week of release. The CD landed at position No. 97 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.

"True Sound Of The Underground" was released in North America on June 22 via Victory Records and will be issued in Europe on July 23 through Metal Heaven Records. It was produced by Henrik Edenhed (DEAD BY APRIL, ROBYN, LAMBRETTA, TEDDYBEARS, CHRISTIAN WALTZ, THE SOUNDS) in Stockholm at Studio 301 and Cosmos Studios.

"Outrage", the new video from the SISTER SIN, can be viewed below (courtesy of Bloody-Disgusting.com). The clip was directed by Hammerstream Productions.

SISTER SIN's debut album, "Switchblade Serenades", debuted at No. 107 on the Heatseekers chart.

MEGADETH frontman Dave Mustaine has checked in with the following update:

"Droogies!

Yesterday was such a great day for me, that I don't even know where to start.

First, y'all know how much I love the Latin based countries, South and Central America, and of course, the reason my family and myself fell in love with the Spanish speaking people of the world, and that is when we lived in Marbella, Spain. It doesn't matter what part of Spain I am in, it always, always brings a smile to my face; much like being in Argentina and Chile, and my new favorite neighbor to the South - Costa Rica!

The show yesterday was really smooth, like David Ellefson shared in his post, and after we were done we said, "hello" to several people, and even went to watch RAMMSTEIN. Too bad I could never do something like that. I just can't see me with a flamethrower on my face, and standing in the middle of enough explosives to Free Iran!!!"

We are just going through customs in Russia, so I have to go now, so for the first time in a long time, I can say Goodbye my Droogies, and someone will know what the heck a Droogie is."

Ken Kelly of The MusicNerd Chronicles recently conducted an interview with drummer Michel "Away" Langevin of Canadian metal innovators VOIVOD. A few excerpts from the chat follow below.

On remastering classic VOIVOD albums "Rrroooaaarrr", "Killing Technology" and "Dimension Hatross" for re-release, expanded to include a DVD which will feature material from the "Iron Gang Archives":

"I am actually in the process of finishing up the booklets and artwork for those albums. We had actually started the wheels turning on this back in 2006 but ran into some difficulty. . . It has only been in the last month that we were able to start the project again.

"I've been going through a lot of VHS tapes and cassette demos and converting that stuff to digital so that we can include it in this batch of remasters. It is a lot of work but very worth it."

On whether fans should anticipate new material from VOIVOD anytime soon:

"I don't think we've actually said this in public before, but we are writing new material as of last month. We want to give it a try and to see what we can do with this lineup and take it from there. We actually went into the studio, improvised what we were playing and recorded everything. We're picking bits and pieces that we like and will try to build a record from it. While it's going very well, I think it is too early to say whether it will turn into a full album for release."

On the possibility of a VOIVOD live record:

"Since reforming in 2008, we have recorded a lot of live material at European festivals we have played as well as the Christmas show we did in Montreal last year."

LION'S SHARE have posted footage of the band performing the BLACK SABBATH classic 'Heaven And Hell' and the DIO hit 'We Rock', filmed this past weekend. Check it out below.

As previously reported, some of Sweden's finest heavy metal musicians will gather to pay tribute to Ronnie James Dio during this fall's edition of the Sweden Rock Cruise, set to sail on October 7, 2010 from Stockholm, Sweden for Åbo, Finland and return the following day. There will be a long tribute concert with a number of guest musicians performing classic songs from Dio's career with a main band consisting of members of Lion's Share

So far the following artists have been confirmed to perform with Lion's Share at the event:

* Mikael Åkerfeldt (OPETH)
* Joacim Cans (HAMMERFALL)
* Björn Gelotte (IN FLAMES)
* Ian Haugland (EUROPE)
* Messiah Marcolin (ex-CANDLEMASS)
* Johan Edlund (TIAMAT)
* Mike Wead (KING DIAMOND, MERCYFUL FATE, BIBLEBLACK)

The show will end with all artists performing HEAR 'N AID's 'Stars'. Dio was behind the Hear N' Aid project, a collection of metal artists who recorded the track 'Stars' in 1985 to raise funds for African famine relief.

On the cruise, Sweden Rock Magazine will donate SEK 25,000 to the Stand Up And Shout Cancer Fund, set up by Ronnie James Dio's wife Wendy Dio. Everyone attending the cruise can donate money, which will be sent to this cancer fund.

According to Slayerized.com, SLAYER's classic first home video, "Live Intrusion", which was first released in 1995 on VHS, will finally be issued on DVD this summer. "Live Intrusion" is currently scheduled to be released in the U.K. on Monday, August 16 and in Germany on Friday, August 27.

Filmed on SLAYER's "Divine Intervention" tour at the Mesa Amphitheater in Mesa, Arizona, on March 12, 1995, "Live Intrusion" features classic performances of "Raining Blood", "At Dawn They Sleep" and "Hell Awaits", as well as a cover version of the VENOM song "Witching Hour", performed by SLAYER with Chris Kontos and Robb Flynn of MACHINE HEAD.

SLAYER's latest album, "World Painted Blood", was recorded in Los Angeles over two time periods, during October 2008 and then between late January and March 2009. The CD was produced by Greg Fidelman, who's spent time in the studio with METALLICA, THE GOSSIP, THE (INTERNATIONAL) NOISE CONSPIRACY, SLIPKNOT and others, and executive-produced by longtime SLAYER colleague Rick Rubin, who suggested Fidelman for the project.

The CD initially shipped with four special collector's edition covers. Each of the four covers displayed one-fourth of a provocative continental map illustrated with human skulls and bones; when placed together, the four images form a complete and grisly map of the world. All four of the initial album packages included a special blood-red, see-through top panel with the map displayed beneath it.

SLAYER's track "Hate Worldwide" was nominated for a Grammy Award in the "Best Metal Performance" category. The award eventually went to British heavy metal legends JUDAS PRIEST, who were honored for the track "Dissident Aggressor", from the band's 2009 live album "A Touch of Evil: Live".

Reactivated seminal technical metal pioneers ATHEIST have set "Jupiter" as the title of their long-awaited fourth album, tentatively due in November. The CD is being recorded at LedBelly studios in Atlanta, Georgia with engineer Matt Washburn and will be mixed by Jason Suecof (TRIVIUM, CHIMAIRA, DEVILDRIVER).

Regarding the direction of the new material, Shaefer wrote in a recent online posting, "[We] have taken great strides to make this the record we, as fans, would want to hear from ATHEIST. It's ferocious, intelligent, and dead-balls heavy as shit!

"When people hear this, they're going to say, 'It's ATHEIST!'"

"There are so many twists and turns in the average ATHEIST song, and we felt like it was very important to have enough killer material written so as to make it the most interesting record we have ever created. We wanted to make sure we took the next logical step in the evolution of our music. According to the critics out there, it's a tall — almost impossible — order. However, we feel like we have done it."

"Our late and great friend and foundational element of the ATHEIST sound, Roger Patterson, was always with us in spirit in the process of writing," added Shaefer. "In fact, that frantic, technical Patterson spirit has come shining through once more in the form of Jonathan Thompson, our newest guitar player. 'JT' is a young-spirited multi-talented player — he also plays bass for Flynn's band GNOSTIC. As long-time ATHEIST fans, JT and Chris Baker understand what ATHEIST is at its core and what the fans expect. Both have proven to be invaluable in bringing out that classic ATHEIST sound and have been instrumental the course of writing this long-awaited record."

BLACK SABBATH guitar legend Tony Iommi spoke to Paul Cole from Sundaymercury.net about a number of topics including the HEAVEN & HELL one-off show - A Tribute to Ronnie James Dio, which will be held at the High Voltage Festival on Saturday, July 24th and will feature the vocals of Glenn Hughes (ex-DEEP PURPLE, BLACK SABBATH) and Jorn Lande (MASTERPLAN).

“This will be the very last gig we play as Heaven & Hell,” reveals Iommi. “We chose the name because the band comprised the Black Sabbath line-up that made the Heaven & Hell album. We couldn’t carry on under that name without Ronnie. It just wouldn’t be right, and none of us has the desire to do that. We wouldn’t call ourselves Black Sabbath either.”

When asked about what's next for Iommi he responds: “We’d like to do something, and carry on playing. But in what form – and with what singer – I don’t know. Geezer (Butler) is back in Britain this week so we can rehearse for the tribute. Maybe then we’ll have time to see what the future holds.”

So is a full-blown Black Sabbath reunion on the cards, or have too many harsh words been spoken? Tony is not ruling anything out.

“I spoke to Ozzy while I was in Los Angeles after Ronnie’s funeral, and he said he’d give me a call when he got to England on his own tour,” he reveals. "But I’ve not had that telephone call yet. Ozzy and I have a complicated relationship but we’ve always kept in touch, no matter what else might have been going on. Would I play with Ozzy again? Who knows? It’s weird with me and Ozzy. There can be all sorts of shit going on but when we talk, it’s like nothing bad has ever happened. Once the tribute is done, we can all sit down and decide what it is exactly that we’d like to do.”

MiamiHerald.com recently conducted an interview with AEROSMITH frontman Steven Tyler. The brief question-and-answer session follows below.

MiamiHerald.com: What has it been like to play with the band after the tumultuous last year?

Tyler: "It's been a great tour. You know it's a little hard for me. Being in AEROSMITH is like living on the tail of a comet. I've had a lot of injuries over the last couple of the years. I had ACL reconstruction on my knee. . .operations on my feet, my mom passed away. A lot of things came into play that made it easy for me to abuse some things."

MiamiHerald.com: There has been tension in AEROSMITH throughout the years. Are you still able to be friends as well as bandmates?

Tyler: "I'm doing a book called 'Does The Noise In My Head Bother You?', and I will be speaking about what it's like to be married to four other guys and what I've had to put up with. There will never be another band like AEROSMITH, and I just don't want to do anything to hurt that. I love the band so much."

MiamiHerald.com: How do you prevent yourself from falling into past patterns on this new tour?

Tyler: "I realize that the best part of me is who I am sober so that's all there is to it. . . . I don't know whether I will use tomorrow, but today I'm happy. There's a 500-pound gorilla on my back, waiting in the parking lot for me that wants to take me down, and I won't for any reason go out there and deal with that."

ALCATRAZZ featuring Graham Bonnet will play in the Voices Of RAINBOW special live in Japan, with JOE LYNN TURNER (ex-DEEP PURPLE) and DOOGIE WHITE (EMPIRE, TANK, ex-RITCHIE BLACKMORE’S RAINBOW, YNGWIE MALMSTEEN). The dates are as follows:

September
27 - Big Cat - Osaka, Japan
29 - Bottom Line - Nagoya, Japan
30 - Shibuya C.C. Lemon Hall - Tokyo, Japan

Bonnet comments: "I'm looking forward to seeing the enthusiastic and loyal fans in Japan again!!! See you there!"

The reunited classic "Animosity" lineup of CORROSION OF CONFORMITY — Mike Dean (bass, vocals), Woody Weatherman (guitar) and Reed Mullin (drums) — will release a seven-inch single, "Your Tomorrow (Parts 1 And 2)", via Southern Lord Records. The single will include an exclusive brand new song and will be available at the band's upcoming shows and via Southern Lord mailorder and fine independent record stores everywhere. The single was recorded a few weeks ago and is currently in the process of being pressed onto black 180-gram wax. It will feature artwork (see below) by John Moore.

CONVERGE veröffentlichen die neue 7" EP "On My Shield", Aufgenommen wurde die EP in den Godcity Studios. Die EP enthält den neue Song "On My Shield" auf der A-Seite, während die B-Seite einen Laser-Etching enthält. "On My Shield" ist auf insgesamt 3000 Exemplare begrenzt, und kommt in drei verschiedenen Farbvarianten (jeweils limitiert auf 1000 Exemplare) in den Handel.

Jede Kopie der neuen EP (mit Ausnahme der Euro Tour Kopien, sorry Leute) wird ein kostenloser Digital Download Coupon beigelegt (Befindet sich innerhalb der physischen 7 "EP-Verpackung).

As previously reported, Christian rockers STRYPER have been busy in the studio working on their brand new covers record, The Covering, which is due out this fall. As described by frontman Michael Sweet, this record is a collection of songs from "bands like JUDAS PRIEST, IRON MAIDEN, LED ZEPPELIN, KANSAS and many others, who helped shape our sound and make us who we are today, musically speaking."

The Covering will include the following tracklisting:

SWEET - 'Set Me Free'
SCORPIONS - 'Blackout'
BLACK SABBATH - 'Heaven and Hell'
UFO - 'Lights Out'
KANSAS - 'Carry On Wayward Son'
DEEP PURPLE - 'Highway Star'
KISS - 'Shout It Out Loud'
OZZY OSBOURNE - 'Over The Mountain'
IRON MAIDEN - 'The Trooper'
JUDAS PRIEST - 'Breaking The Law'
VAN HALEN - 'On Fire'
LED ZEPPELIN - 'Immigrant Song'
'God'