Dutch progressive metallers CIRRHA NIVA have announced the addition of drummer Wiebe Slim (ex-MELORA RAIN) to the group's ranks.

Commented the band: "We already did one show with Wiebe while supporting THE 11TH HOUR, but at that time he was just doin' us a favour. Needless to say that there was a perfect match that day, which resulted in the fact that Wiebe joined the band.

"Wiebe will introduce himself further on this week, but let's reveal something already right now.

"As a drummer he is influenced by Virgil Donati, Thomas Lang, Marco Minneman, Dave Weckl, Steve Smith, Benny Greb, Gavin Harrison, Mike Portnoy and many more. So it's obvious he likes PLANET X, DREAM THEATER, PORCUPINE TREE and SYMPHONY X."

Drummer Tommy White recently left CIRRHA NIVA due to health problems. He said in a statement, "Eight months ago, the feeling in my hands started to disappear and slowly began to cause me problems while playing. In the months after it only got worse and I went from one doctor to another, but they could not find the problem. It became clear to me that the live concerts were in jeopardy as at one point I could not guarantee that I could play a full show."

CIRRHA NIVA's latest album, "For Moments Never Done", was released last September through the band's own independent record label Parnassus Records. The distribution of the album was handled by Suburban in the Benelux and The End Records in the USA/Canada.

"For Moments Never Done" was CIRRHA NIVA's first release with new vocalist Legrand and the group's first CD since the 2001 rock opera "Liaison De La Morte". The band has put aside its earlier theatrical and gothic influences in order to develop a more modern style and sound. According to a press release, "raw melancholic metal riffs, groovy drums and dark grunts will be enlightened with the powerful clean sometimes almost poppy and soulful, lead vocals of Legrand."

"For Moments Never Done" was produced by Jochem Jacobs and Bouke Visser at Split Second Sound Studio (TEXTURES, AUTUMN, STREAM OF PASSION) and Excess Recording Studio (AYREON, AFTER FOREVER, GOREFEST). It features seven songs with a total running time of approximately 47 minutes.

The CD features guest appearances by the following musicians:

Manda Ophuis (NEMESEA)
Joost van den Broek (AFTER FOREVER)
Yuval Kramer (AMASEFFER)
Robin de Groot (CHIRAW)
Bouke Visser

Singer Melissa Ferlaak (AESMA DAEVA, VISIONS OF ATLANTIS, ECHOTERRA) has joined VOIDWORK, the "dark, ambient" project featuring Xavier (vocals, lyrics and music) and Ann-Mari Thim (vocals and lyrics).

Melissa holds a Master's degree in "vocal performance with emphasis on opera" from Boston's New England Conservatory of Music, has performed many opera roles and is the current lead singer for symphonic metal band ECHOTERRA.

Commented VOIDWORK in a statement: "We warmly welcome Melissa and her amazing voice and look forward to the new dimension she will certainly add to our music. Together with Ann-Mari Thim (ARCANA, SEVENTH HARMONIC), she will be heard on the next release, 'Basement', which is scheduled for an autumn 2010 release."

Speaking about the project, Melissa had this to say: "I'm very excited to be working on dark, ambient music again with Xavier and Ann-Mari.

"When [Xavier] wrote me about singing in VOIDWORK, I was instantly charmed by what I heard. It will be a great complement to my work in ECHOTERRA and I can't wait to begin diving into these masterpieces."

VOIDWORK started in 2008 with the purpose of creating a haunting musical atmosphere. The concept is inspired by early 20th century supernatural literature and more recent horror cinema. In order to add a more diverse vocal sound, Ann-Mari Thim joined VOIDWORK in the spring of 2009.

VOIDWORK's debut album, "Asylum", was released in June 2009 through Essentia Mundi. The second album, "Forsaken", as well as the third release, "Horror", are available on one CD.

Few metal drummers have a name as recognizable as Herman Rarebell. And with good reason. After all, it was Rarebell's drumming that helped propel the SCORPIONS into one of the 1980s' most successful rock bands (as well as co-penning the all-time classic "Rock You Like A Hurricane"). And Herman is back once more with his latest album, "Take It As it Comes", which was recently released via Dark Star Records.

A kick-ass, rockin' good time, the album is available as a standard version, as well as a limited-edition box set, which comes with two discs and a card autographed by Herman ze German himself.

The new single from "Take It As it Comes" is the appropriately-titled "Let Me Rock You", which has an add date at radio of June 3.

Herman will also be in the U.S. starting July 12 in New York City until July 30, ending in L.A., visiting radio and press nationwide supporting the new radio single. This will also tie in with a July 24 special appearance with the MICHAEL SCHENKER GROUP at this year's Rock N' America festival, at the Oklahoma City Zoo Amphitheatre in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

Commented Herman: "I guess most of you guys know me as the former drummer of the SCORPIONS. Together with my friends Rudolf, Matthias, and Klaus, I enjoyed twenty truly awesome years of exhilarating rock and roll. We went through thick and thin, toured the world a couple times, and were awarded over 70 gold and 30 platinum records in addition to a bunch of other awards and prizes.

"It is my pleasure to tell you that my new solo CD, 'Take It As It Comes', is now available on Dark Star Records."

Wendy Dio, wife/manager of late singer Ronnie James Dio (HEAVEN & HELL, BLACK SABBATH, RAINBOW, DIO, ELF), has released the following statement via Ronnie's official web site:

"Dear friends and fans of Ronnie, I have seen lately on BLABBERMOUTH.NET a lot of announcements of bands releasing 'so-called' Dio tribute CDs.

"Please do not be fooled by thinking they are doing this for the Ronnie James Dio Stand Up And Shout Cancer Fund; the money is going in their pockets and not to the Fund.

"I find this totally disgraceful and upsetting that they are trying to make money off of Ronnie's death."

Legendary Swedish doomsters CANDLEMASS will celebrate their 25-year anniversary as a band with an extra-long performance at Debaser Medis in Stockholm on December 18. The band's classic 1986 album, "Epicus Doomicus Metalicus", will be performed in its entirety for the first time with CANDLEMASS' original singer Johan Längqvist.

Commented the group: "[Current CANDLEMASS frontman] Robert Lowe will, of course, also be on stage this evening singing both old and new material at this mega-cool event!!"

"Epicus Doomicus Metallicus" will be re-released on fat 180-gram blood-red vinyl in numbered gatefold sleeve on June 28 via Peaceville Records. The gatefold sleeve features the original artwork (red text and skull not white as on the CD) on a matt-laminated sleeve with logo and text on front in spot varnish. It will also include new sleeve notes written by the band.

According to a press release, "Epicus Doomicus Metallicus" is a true classic. Every track is undeniably strong — heavy metal riffs blended with almost neo-classical touches, plus some theatrical elements bringing to mind bands like MERCYFUL FATE (thought to be another influence). This is one of the definitive doom metal releases, immortalizing the band, alongside early developers of the style such as the U.S. band PENTAGRAM.

"Epicus" was recorded at Thunderload Studios in 1986 and was released later that same year. The vocals for this, the band's debut album, were handled by Johan Längqvist, before the iconic vocalist Messiah Marcolin became a solid fixture in the band until the early Nineties.

CANDLEMASS instantly became a great inspiration to countless metal bands upon the album's release in 1986; a time when thrash metal, not doom, was fast becoming the dominant style in both Europe and the U.S. Bands such as PARADISE LOST and MY DYING BRIDE rate the album very highly to this day — PARADISE LOST particularly ranking "Epicus" among their favorite albums ever.

Los Angeles hardcore/metal band TERROR will release its fifth album, "Keepers Of The Faith", on August 30 in Europe and September 14 in North America via Century Media Records. Doom Patrol will issue the album in Japan on September 1. The CD contains 13 new tracks produced by Chad Gilbert of NEW FOUND GLORY at Buzzbomb Studios in Orange County, California. It was engineered by Paul Miner (DEATH BY STEREO, ADAMANTIUM) and mixed by Matt Hyde (SLAYER, HATEBREED).

Commented frontman Scott Vogel: "This is the record we put everything we have into — from the music to the lyrics, the layout to the title and to the direct hand to hand street marketing approach, we are putting it all on the line.

"We took all the rules of what's going on in the industry today and washed them from our minds.

"We wanted to capture those early days of hardcore.

"This is the record we were destined to make.

"This is TERROR at its best and I'm so excited to get this out and start touring surrounding its energy and passion."

Austrian blackened death metal outfit BELPHEGOR will enter Abyss Studios in Pärbly, Sweden on June 19 with producer Peter Tägtgren (IMMORTAL, CELTIC FROST, HYPOCRISY, DIMMU BORGIR) to begin recording the band's as-yet-untitled new album for an early 2011 release via Nuclear Blast Records.

Commented BELPHEGOR bassist Serpenth: "[The new material is] BELPHEGOR to the bone — nine monumental, epic arrangements. The sound collages have a haunting, ritualistic atmosphere. Werk IX will be the longest playing BELPHEGOR album yet."

Added mainman Helmuth: "Sunday we returned from the awesome Metal Gate Open Air we shredded in Czech, and went direct back in the rehearsal bunker.

"Fukking wicked!!!

"The last rehearsals turned out fantastic. We practiced day and night to get every level to the highest peak."

On Friday, Serpenth and session drummer Marthyn will fly over to Sweden and hit Abyss Studios to start the drum recordings.

The five recording sessions and mixing/mastering process should be completed by beginning of October.

"Walpurgis Rites - Hexenwahn", the eighth full-length studio album from BELPHEGOR, entered the official chart in the band's home country at position No. 60 and in Germany at No. 99. The follow-up to 2008's "Bondage Goat Zombie" was recorded at Andy Classen's (LEGION OF THE DAMNED, DEW-SCENTED, NEAERA, ASPHYX) Stage One Studios in Kassel, Germany.

According to TVGuide.com, MÖTLEY CRÜE drummer Tommy Lee will star in an episode of the Showtime hit TV show "Californication".

The 47-year-old drummer will play a singer who has an encounter with Hank (David Duchovny) while performing at a hotel bar.

Lee joins previously announced Season 4 guest stars Rob Lowe and Lenny Kravitz's daughter, Zoe Kravitz.

"Californication" returns to Showtime next fall.

The Pulse of Radio reports that a Massachusetts-based research company called Knome will use a blood sample taken from Ozzy Osbourne to map out his genetic code and attempt to figure out how he has survived after years of abusing drugs and alcohol. According to the U.K.'s Sky News, Ozzy is one of the few people in the world who will have his entire genome analyzed. Researchers at Knome hope that analyzing Ozzy's blood and DNA will give them insight into how drugs are absorbed in the body, and why some people can survive extreme substance abuse while others can't.

The company's director of research, Nathan Pearson, said, "Sequencing and analyzing individuals with extreme medical histories provides the greatest potential scientific value."

The testing will cost around $40,000 and is expected to take about three months to determine results.

Although he's sober now, Ozzy estimates that he took drugs and used alcohol for more than 40 years, according to Rolling Stone.

He also survived a 2003 bike accident in which he broke his neck and was diagnosed a few years back with a genetic disorder that is similar to Parkinson's Disease.

Ozzy recently started a new gig as a health columnist for England's Sunday Times. In the first installment of the column — which will be largely ghostwritten by his memoir co-writer, Chris Ayres — Ozzy admitted, "By all accounts, I'm a medical miracle. When I die, I should donate my body to the Natural History Museum."

German melodic death/thrash metallers BURDEN OF GRIEF will release their new album, "Follow The Flames", on July 2 in Europe via Massacre Records. The follow-up to 2007's "Death End Road" will contain 10 new songs. The limited-edition version of the CD will include a bonus disc featuring cover versions of eight metal classics. The album was mixed and mastered by Swedish producer/multi-instrumentalist Dan Swanö (EDGE OF SANITY, OPETH, DISSECTION, BLOODBATH). The cover artwork was created by Gustavo Sazes (ARCH ENEMY, SONIC SYNDICATE, GOD FORBID).

"Follow The Flames" track listing:

01. Ignition (intro)
02. Follow The Flames
03. Born In Fire
04. The Arms Of Death
05. Disruption Of A Confused Mind
06. Doomed To Fail
07. No Way Out
08. Mirror Of Truth
09. Burning Red Eyes
10. Fallen
11. Rise Like A Phoenix

Bonus CD:

01. Aces High (IRON MAIDEN)
02. The Four Horsemen (METALLICA)
03. Break On Through (THE DOORS) (feat. Dan Swanö)
04. Mouth For War (PANTERA)
05. Fool For Your Loving (WHITESNAKE)
06. Refuse/ Resist (SEPULTURA) (feat. Sabina Classen)
07. Hell Ain't A Bad Place To Be (AC/DC)
08. Valhalla (BLIND GUARDIAN) (feat. Gerre)

BURDEN OF GRIEF's cover version of BLIND GUARDIAN's Valhalla, featuring a guest appearance by Gerre, the singer of the German thrash metal band TANKARD, can be streamed on the BURDEN OF GRIEF MySpace page.

In July 2009, BURDEN OF GRIEF's debut album, "Haunting Requiems", was re-released by the Polish label Metal Mind Productions. This remastered re-release comes in a limited, hand-numbered digipack with a new 16-page booklet and four previously unreleased bonus tracks from the band's 1996 demo tape, "My Blood".

BURDEN OF GRIEF released its fourth full-length album, "Death End Road", in March 2007 via Remedy Records. The follow-up to 2004's "Fields of Salvation" was recorded at Krachgarten Tonstudio in Kassel, Germany and was mixed at Jailhouse Studios in Denmark with producer Tommy Hansen (HELLOWEEN, PRETTY MAIDS, HATESPHERE).

"My Dark Place Alone", a brand new track from the reactivated MURDERDOLLS — the band consisting of Joey Jordison (SLIPKNOT, ROB ZOMBIE) and Wednesday 13 — is available for streaming below (courtesy of Bloody-Disgusting.com). The song comes off the group's long-awaited sophomore album, "Women And Children Last", which will be released in August via Roadrunner Records. The CD was recorded at a studio in Hollywood Hills, California with producer Chris "Zeuss" Harris (HATEBREED, SHADOWS FALL, 3 INCHES OF BLOOD).

"Women And Children Last" track listing:

01. The World According To Revenge
02. Chapel Of Blood
03. Bored 'Til Death
04. Drug Me To Hell
05. Nowhere
06. Summertime Suicide
07. Death Valley Superstars
08. My Dark Place Alone
09. Blood-Stained Valentine
10. Pieces Of You
11. Homicide Drive
12. Nothing's Gonna Be All Right
13. Rock 'N' Roll Is All I Got
14. Hello, Goodbye, Die

THE RODS frontman/ex-ELF guitarist David "Rock" Feinstein, who is also a cousin of the legendary singer Ronnie James Dio' (DIO, BLACK SABBATH, HEAVEN & HELL), has released the following statement:

"I just found out that [the MANOWAR-owned company] Magic Circle Music stated on their site that I was contributing a song to their proposed tribute album to [Ronnie James] Dio. It also states that I specifically wrote this song for Ronnie. This is totally UNTRUE!

"The song is called 'Far Beyond' and was a cut on the FEINSTEIN 'Third Wish' album, released by Magic Circle Music (SPV) in 2004. The song was co-written by myself and John West eight years ago.

"I am NOT a part of this Magic Circle tribute album, and will ONLY be a part of any tribute to Ronnie that is sanctioned by Niji Entertainment Group and Wendy Dio."

"Outrage", the new video from the Swedish female-fronted heavy rock band SISTER SIN, can be viewed below (courtesy of Bloody-Disgusting.com). The clip was directed by Hammerstream Productions. The track comes off SISTER SIN's sophomore album, "True Sound Of The Underground", which will be released in North America on June 22 via Victory Records and in Europe on July 23 through Metal Heaven Records. The CD was produced by Henrik Edenhed (DEAD BY APRIL, ROBYN, LAMBRETTA, TEDDYBEARS, CHRISTIAN WALTZ, THE SOUNDS) in Stockholm at Studio 301 and Cosmos Studios.

"True Sound Of The Underground" track listing:

01. Sound Of The Underground
02. Nailbiter
03. The Devil I Know
04. 24/7
05. Built To Last
06. Heading For Hell
07. Outrage
08. I Stand Alone
09. Better Than Them
10. Times Aren't A-Changing
11. Beat 'Em Down

"Der Ewige Sieg", the new video from German pagan metallers EQUILIBRIUM, can be viewed below.

Commented mainman, songwriter and guitarist René Berthiaume: "We’re very proud of our new video! Compared to our video for 'Blut Im Auge', we decided not to use any kind of effects this time. Everything's been filmed like you can see in the video! Florian Puchert and his team did a great job and we had a bad-ass time while shooting this clip in the beautiful Bavarian mountains — not only because that kind barman who provided us with lots of booze!"

Veteran German thrashers SODOM will release their long-awaited new DVD, "Lords Of Depravity - Part II", via SPV/Steamhammer on the following dates:

Germany: June 25
Rest of Europe: July 12
USA: July 13

The double digipak DVD with o-card will contain the following:

* DVD 1: the complete history 1995-2009 (approximately 200 minutes)
* DVD 2: Live features, video clips, deleted scenes (approximately 160 minutes)
Track listing / content:

DVD1

The complete history 1995-2009

* Intro
* Onkel Tom
* Tom Is Looking For New Members
* Reunion Sodom
* Til Death Us Unite (Recordings)
* Endzeit Festival
* Til Death Us Unite (Promo And Release)
* Summer Metal Meeting
* Lauchhammer
* With Full Force 97
* Wacken 97
* Lieder Wie Orkane
* Südamerika 97
* USA 97
* Ein Tröpchen Voller Glück
* Code Red
* Ein Strauss Bunter Melodien
* Desperados (How This Developed)
* Dynamo 99
* With Full Force 99
* Fuck The Millennium Tour
* Desperados (Release)
* With Full Force 2000
* M16 (Recordings)
* Bangkok 2001
* Wacken 2001
* M16 (Release)
* Hell Comes To Your Town Tour
* Japan
* One Night In In Bangkok
* Summer Open Airs 2002
* Moskau 2003
* One Night In Bangkok (Release)
* With Full Force 2003
* Bang Your Head 2003
* Summer Open Airs 2002
* Sofia
* Greece
* Summer Breeze 2004
* Lords Of Depravity/Sodom Rehearsals
* Ankara
* South America 2005
* Metalcruise
* USA 2006
* Sodom (Recordings / Release)
* Rock Hard 2006
* Japan 2006
* European Tour with FINNTROLL and LEGION OF THE DAMNED
* Eastern European Tour
* Final Sign Of Evil
* Klassentreffen (All Ex-Members Under One Roof)
* Death Of Chris Witchhunter
* Australia, Indonesia, Thailand
* Wacken 2007
* Outro

Duration: more than 200 min
Format: 16:9 (NTSC)
Subtitles English/German
Audio: 2.0/5.1

DVD2

Complete 25th-Anniversary Concert at Wacken Open Air 2007 (featuring guest appearances by former bandmembers Grave Violator, Frank Blackfire, Michael Hoffmann, Andy Brings and Atomic Steif)

* Intro
* Blood On Your Lips
* Wanted Dead
* City Of God
* Axis Of Evil
* Blasphemer
* Proselytism Real
* Christ Passion
* Magic Dragon
* Tarred And Feathered
* One Step Over The Line
* Get What You Deserve
* Abuse
* Frozen Screams
* The Vice Of Killing
* Napalm In The Morning
* Sodomy And Lust
* Ausgebombt
* The Saw Is The Law
* Outbreak Of Evil
* Bombenhagel
* Outro

Video Clips:

* Fuck The Police
* City Of God

+ Deleted Scenes

Duration: more than 160 min
Format: 16:9 (NTSC)
Subtitles English/German
Audio: 2.0/5.1

Beyond The Dark Horizon recently caught up with DREAM THEATER vocalist James LaBrie. One topic of conversation was his forthcoming solo album:

Beyond the Dark Horizon: Aside from Dream Theater, you recently announced the release of your new solo album, any details on that?

James LaBrie: "It’s going to be called, Static Pulse and there will be 12 songs, on the album. It’s very heavy and I’m really excited. I don’t want to say too much about it at this point but were in the mixing stages and all the artwork is being done. It’s a great band and we have fantastic players. It should be out by mid/late September."

Beyond the Dark Horizon: Do you plan to tour in support?

James LaBrie: "I’m planning on touring in support but not too much since I’m always touring with Dream Theater. I would like everyone to know that this is a band, a unit and everyone involved is very passionate and serious about this and I think it would be exceptionally cool to get out on the road and do stuff on our own, but at the same time it would be a great idea to open up for a bigger band. We would basically do an in your face, balls to the wall and see you later deal."

"She Destroys Again", the new video from the Icelandic metal band SÓLSTAFIR, can be viewed below.

Commented drummer Guðmundur Óli Pálmason: "It took me over a year, working on and off, to finish it. There is no digital post-processing, except that the photos were combined and arranged in Final Cut. All effects are 100% manual and handmade.

"When I was already half way through making the video, my computer crashed. Stupid me had no backups so I had to start from scratch. Luckily, I still had all the negatives, though."

ANTHRAX performed its 1993 song "Only" with vocalist Joey Belladonna first the first time ever during the band's appearance earlier today (Wednesday, June 16) in front of 81,000 fans at the Sonisphere festival at Bemowo Airport in Warsaw, Poland.

Low-quality fan-filmed video footage of ANTHRAX's concert can be viewed below.

In a recent interview with BLABBERMOUTH.NET, Belladonna was asked what his initial reaction was when he got that call to come back to the band. "Well, you know, I got an e-mail from Charlie [Benante, drums] saying that the management wanted to speak to me if I was available," he said. "So I called them and they asked if I was interested in rejoining the band. I said, 'Let's talk. Let's see if we can put this together again.' We just happened to be talking a little bit and it hadn't been very long before we said, 'Well, let's just give it a go.' I was just hoping that everyone was being sincere about wanting to carry it all out."

When asked if it feels any different this time around, Belladonna said, "Not really, you know?! I don't expect anything to be too different from when we went out on that reunion. It was good. We rehearsed once and went full steam ahead. I think maybe it happened so fast nobody got the chance to analyze what we were actually doing. It was natural for me then and it is again now. Now it'll be the day to day thing that determines how it will all unfold for us."

On whether there was any hesitation, on his part, about coming back again, Joey said, "Well, that's always expected. When you're joining and rejoining and stuff like that, you just want to know that everything is intact and it's sincere. That's all I can ask for and I just hope everything remains that way. I'm really not all that worried about it, though. Overall, I'm really just going in there focused like I always do as a musician and a guy in the band who does what he has to do to be in the band. I just want to make it work and not be foolish, which I never am. It's all about the music to me."

SLAYER's new video, "World Painted Blood", can be viewed below. The song is the title cut of the band's latest album, "World Painted Blood", which was released on November 3, 2009 via American Recordings.

According to frontman Tom Araya, he had "lyric ideas for a song ... not necessarily that song, but I had ideas for a song, and Jeff [Hanneman, guitar] ... I presented them to Jeff, to see if he could use them and he used them."

When drummer Dave Lombardo first heard what Hanneman had written, he was both excited and intimidated. "That drum pattern, when I heard it, I go, 'Jeff, what are you going to do ... you're going to kill me, by me having to perform this drum beat.' I thought it was going to be difficult, but it ended up being fairly easy."

Video footage of SLAYER talking about the "World Painted Blood" track can be viewed below.

"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".

METALLICA, SLAYER, MEGADETH and ANTHRAX — the so-called "Big Four" of 1980s thrash metal — are playing together for the first time in history tonight (Wednesday, June 16) at the Sonisphere festival at Bemowo Airport in Warsaw, Poland.

"Normally we put the set together about half an hour before we go on, but for this one we've done it earlier," explained METALLICA bassist Robert Trujillo. "Everyone is really excited about this."

Commented MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson: "Just finished our first 'Big Four' show here in Warsaw, Poland.

"Simply amazing!!

"ANTHRAX sounded great with Joey Belladonna back on vocals. SLAYER did their usual thing of annihilating the place. METALLICA are taking the stage now and with about 100,000 people in attendance it's flat-out mind-blowing and huge to be here. Vibes are great amongst all of us and this is a dream come true for the bands, too."

These four legendary acts broke out of the underground thrash movement to dominate the metal world in the 1980s, selling millions of records and packing arenas across the globe. The metal giants have never before all shared the same stage, despite huge demand.

A second "Big Four" appearance is planned for Sonisphere Switzerland two days after the Warsaw concert, with more Sonisphere shows featuring the awesome combo to follow.

The "Big Four" concert on June 22 in Sofia, Bulgaria will find its way to the U.S. via a satellite broadcast. That day's show, as part of the Sonisphere festival, will be beamed to more than 450 movie theatres in more than 140 markets in the U.S., along with cities in Europe, Canada and Latin America.

The concert will be broadcast to theatres in high definition. Delayed screenings are planned for Australia, South Africa and New Zealand.

METALLICA's Lars Ulrich said in a statement, "Who would have thought that more than 25 years after its inception, thrash metal's 'Big Four' would not only still be around, be more popular than ever, playing shows together at stadiums all over Europe, and on top of that, coming to a movie theater near you in high definition (for better or worse??!!). Bring it on!"

STONE SOUR frontman Corey Taylor played an emotional version of the group's hit song "Bother" at this year's Download festival on June 13 at Donington Park, United Kingdom as a tribute to his fallen SLIPKNOT bandmate, bassist Paul Gray. Watch fan-filmed video footage of the performance below.

Private funeral services for Gray were held on May 28 in Des Moines, Iowa.

Paul was found dead in a hotel room in a Des Moines suburb on May 24. The cause of Gray's death has not been determined, although according to a 911 call, a hypodermic needle and pills were found near the 38-year-old musician's body.

The eight surviving members of SLIPKNOT held a news conference on May 25 at Wells Fargo Arena in the band's native stomping grounds of Des Moines, Iowa to address Gray's death. Also present at the event was Gray's brother Tony and widow Brenna, who spoke briefly at the end of the conference.

"He was everything that was wonderful about this band and about this group of people," Corey Taylor said. "The only way I can sum up Paul Gray is 'love.' Everything he did, he did for everyone around him whether he knew you or not ... and that's what he's left behind for us: absolute love. I will miss him with every fiber of my heart, as will everybody at this table and everyone who knew him. He was the best of us."

"It's very important that everybody on the outside of us understands that Paul Gray was the essence of the band SLIPKNOT. ... Paul was there from the very, very beginning, and none of us would be on the path that we're on now in life or have the sorts of life that we have without him," percussionist Shawn "Clown" Crahan added. "Paul loved the fans. He was kind of the person in the band that really wanted everybody in the band to always get along and just concentrate on the band. He was a really great friend and a really great person. He's going to be sadly missed, and the world is going to be a different place without him."

"It's very hard for me right now," added drummer Joey Jordison. "I just want to say that I love you, Paul, very much. You'll be sorely missed by the world over."

Sid Wilson, the band's DJ, credited Gray with introducing him to the band, which he described as a family.

"To me, that's the most important thing," Wilson said. "That in everyone he met there was a change in their life. He was so good at giving everyone a different perspective, and I love him for that."

Percussionist Chris Fehn said when Gray called "you just felt good," and he remembered the bass player as giving "the best hugs out of everyone I ever hugged. When he grabbed on to you, you could feel the love he had for you."

Brenna Gray spoke last, mentioning the couple's unborn child while discussing her husband.

"Paul was my husband, an amazing person, and I want people to remember him for that," Brenna said. "And his daughter will remember him for the way he was."

Paul and his wife were reportedly expecting their first child in September.