Norwegian/Spanish female-fronted gothic metal band SIRENIA has set "The 13th Floor" as the title of its new album, due on January 23, 2009 via Nuclear Blast Records. The group says, "Expect a melodic and powerful album in the typical SIRENIA vein. The album features guest appearances by Jan Kenneth Barkved (who also did some guest appearances on our debut, 'At Sixes and Sevens'), French violin player Stephanie Valentin adds to the sound along with the Sirenian choir that has been an important part of our sound since the very beginning."

"The 13th Floor" was tracked at Sound Suite Studios in France and Stargoth Studios in Norway while the mixing and mastering sessions took place at the Antfarm Studios in Denmark with Tue Madsen. The artwork is being created by Jan Yrlund.

Fan-filmed video footage of SIRENIA — featuring the band's latest addition, 25-year-old Spanish singer Ailyn (born: Pilar Giménez García) — performing the song "My Mind's Eye" on July 10, 2008 at the Masters Of Rock festival in Vizovice, Czech Republic can be viewed below (clip uploaded by YouTube user "budeto").

SIRENIA recruited Ailyn as the replacement for Monika Pedersen, who left the group last fall after only one album due to "musical differences."

Ailyn is best known as a member of the young team in the Spanish version of "The X Factor", the biggest television talent competition in Europe.

SIRENIA's latest album, "Nine Destinies and a Downfall", entered the German Media Control chart in March 2007 at position No. 54.

A new track from the Norwegian black metal band DARKTHRONE is available for free download by subscribing to the Peaceville Records mailing list at this location.

DARKTHRONE will release its new album, "Dark Thrones and Black Flags" (cover) on October 20 through Peaceville. The follow-up to 2007's acclaimed "F.O.A.D." LP will be made available in three formats: a regular edition in super jewel case; a vinyl edition; and a special edition in a slipcased super jewel case package with exclusive new video footage featuring DARKTHRONE in the studio — "Fucking Around Version 1" and "Fucking Around Version 2."

In a recent interview with UK's Terrorizer magazine, DARKTHRONE's Fenriz stated about the philosophy behind the band's deliberately underground sound, "Things changed around '89/'90 and especially in the mid '90s, where everyone could get, like, a pro sound. Our first album, we just paid 1,000 quid for that studio session, and then we had that ENTOMBED sound: that was like being professional. In the '80s, you had underground sound until you 'made it.' That all changed when you could get good sound for very little money. Once that happened, overground and underground became a choice, like you would choose to have underground sound, or you would choose to have overground sound. Then everybody could choose to be underground or overground sound. . . We're deliberate underground now. Basically, we just record in the way a demo would have been recorded in the '80s. Our albums now are just 35- or 40-minute long demos."

On the approach that other bands choose to take with their music, Fenriz said, "A lot of bands chose to think, 'Oh, 'Transilvanian Hunger'! If you play that twice the speed, with synthesisers, and a professional sound, it will be three times as good!' They make Disney version. When I first heard 'In the Nightside Eclipse' [EMPEROR's full-length debut], I was just like, 'Turn this off!' Everyone else was just like, 'What!? Don't you like this?' And I was just thinking to myself, 'Okay, we're on a different ballpark here.' And I just stick to myself and listen to thrash."

"The Last Alliance", the fifth album from the Finnish "fantasy metal" band BATTLELORE, has entered the official chart in Finland at position No. 26.

"The Last Alliance" will be released in North America on October 7 via Napalm Records. The CD was recorded at Sound Supreme Studios in Hämeenlinna, Finland, with producer Janne Saksa and was mixed and mastered by the Swedish multi-instrumentalist and producer Dan Swanö (EDGE OF SANITY, NIGHTINGALE, ex-BLOODBATH).

BATTLELORE released its fourth CD, "Evernight", in North America on March 13, 2007 via Napalm Records.

The Pulse of Radio reports that NINE INCH NAILS is planning to release its own branded version of the iPhone music game TapTap Revenge, according to Billboard.com. The special edition of the popular game will include 16 songs from the band's most recent albums, "The Slip" and the all-instrumental "Ghosts I - IV". Some of the tracks have been re-edited or remixed specifically for the game. A statement from developer Tapulous added that this edition of the game will have a "special NIN look and feel." The game will cost five dollars and be available at the iPhone App Store this month.

NINE INCH NAILS frontman Trent Reznor recently asked fans to take an online survey, saying, "As we've moved from the familiar world of record labels and BS into the unknown world of doing everything yourself, we've realized it would benefit us and our ability to interact with you if we knew more about what you want, what you like, what you look like naked, etc."

Reznor offered a video download of a live performance to everyone who completed the questionnaire, hinting at other prizes as well.

NINE INCH NAILS begins a three-week South American tour on Thursday (October 2) in Buenos Aires, Argentina, before resuming its North American trek on October 23 in San Antonio.

Swedish/German extreme metallers ARCH ENEMY will release a new DVD+CD set, "Tyrants Of The Rising Sun: Live In Japan", in Europe on November 24 and in North America on November 25 via Century Media. The DVD contains a live show filmed in Tokyo earlier this year, an in-depth 40 minute road-movie feature, and all promotional videos that have been shot for the band's latest album, "Rise Of The Tyrant".

Commented ARCH ENEMY guitarist Michael Amott: "People are always asking us about Japan and the fans there… It is well known that ARCH ENEMY has been the most successful extreme metal band in the Japanese market for 10-plus years, so we thought it'd be cool to show the ARCH ENEMY fans worldwide what it's like when we tour there, this is your backstage pass to ARCH ENEMY, Nippon style! A lot of people felt that we raised the bar significantly with the quality of the 'Live Apocalypse' DVD — and I agree that was a great DVD, but I believe this monumental experience, [which] we are calling 'Tyrants Of The Rising Sun', filmed totally in High Definition, will leave you floored! With the metal world's #1 producer Andy Sneap mixing the audio and the brilliant Paul Smith editing and directing the visuals, the results are impressive! And Niklas Sundin of Cabin Fever Media bringing in some of the best artwork I've ever seen from him — we have a new DVD that we are very proud to present to our fans!"

Finnish metallers AMORAL have issued the following update:

"We're hard at work on the material for the fourth album, with a few songs ready and a bunch more in the works. So far so good! The songs are coming to us pretty easily and we're very happy with them, hopefully you guys will be too.

"As for the singer situation, we've received tons of applications from singers all over the world. We've listened to each and every one of you, and now have a couple of strong candidates. Hopefully we'll be able to make the important announcement in the near future.

"Thanks for everyone who applied for the job, it was nice to see so many interested in joining this band!"

Vocalist Niko Kalliojärvi recently announced his departure from AMORAL in order to focus on other projects. He made his final appearance with the band at the Thrashia Läpi Yön festival at Tammela, Finland on August 23.

AMORAL last year entered the album chart in Finland at position No. 5 with the band's latest effort, "Reptile Ride".

An e-card for "Reptile Ride", featuring clips of all the songs on the CD, can be accessed at this location.

"Reptile Ride" (view cover artwork by Aki Siltala at this location) was produced, recorded and mixed by Janne Saksa at Sound Supreme Studios in Hämeenlinna, Finland.

Spikefarm Records in June 2007 released the Internet-only "Leave Your Dead Behind". The bonus track for this release was a cover of Swedish pop star PANDORA's song "The Naked Sun". AMORAL's back catalogue has also gone digital: "Wound Creations" (2004) and "Decrowning" (2005) were released to digital music distributors in May 2007.

Steve Rowe of the Australian Christian metallers MORTIFICATION has issued the following update:

"It has been a busy time with new drummer Dave Kilgallon here as we rehearse for this week's 'Live Humanitarian' DVD launches in Melbourne and at the Black Stump Festival in Sydney. We have been practising the set list and also beginning pre-production for the new studio album which will be recorded between November and March. The 10 new songs are sounding brutal!

"Any day now the Nuclear Blast-released double DVD 'Live Humanitarian' will be in the Soundmass.com store; almost three hours of viewing all things MORTIFICATION. DVD 1 features a full production MORTIFICATION live concert in a theatre in Perth, Western Australia. DVD two features two segments at Steve's house, the 19 minute 'EnVision EvAngelene' film from 1996, highlights from the 2007 'Live Humanitarian' European tour and a section about my throwing hobby (seated discus, shot put and javelin).

"I recommend that you take the time to view 'At Steve's Place Part 2'. This segment gives a full overview of my musical history: band influences (both Christian and secular), my interests from a young age in classic rock, right through to what metal and rock I am into and why; the entire low-down on all things that make me tick artistically. The musical progressions in MORTIFICATION will make sense when you watch this section in particular."

MORTIFICATION's twelfth studio album, "Brain Cleaner" was released in 2004 through the Rowe Productions label. The follow-up to 2002's "Relentless" was described at the time as "the heaviest project the band has recorded in 10 years" and was said to be "a lot more of a death metal/grind-orientated album but with plenty of power and thrash metal mixed in to keep it interesting and multi-dimensional."

Polish extreme metallers DARZAMAT have tapped Jonas Kljellgren (SCAR SYMMETRY guitarist) of Black Lounge Studios in Avesta, Sweden to mix their new album, "Solfernus' Path", for an early 2009 release.

Commented DARZAMAT vocalist Flauros: "Our friend Marek Dobrowolski, the drummer of the band ONE MAN ARMY AND UNDEAD OUARTET, who perfectly knows Jonas' abilities, was the one who recommended us the cooperation with him. Already the first talks with the SCAR SYMMETRY's guitar player incline us in positive terms. Besides, Jonas has already initially mixed one of the numbers that will appear on the record and the effect made us fall to our knees. It only convinced us that there's noone else but SCAR SYMMETRY's guitar player who can take care of it. We're very much excited with this cooperation and we're looking forward to starting the work with Jonas."

The new album will be recorded in Poland under the supervision of Jaroslaw Toifl, with whom the band had previously worked on 2005's "Transkarpatia" (Metal Mind Productions in Europe, MVD in the USA). The drums and guitars will be laid down at HH Poland studio in Gliwice, while the vocals will be tracked at Maq studio. The keyboard parts will be recorded at Spectre's (DARZAMAT keyboard player) home studio.

Added Flauros: "We do not look at saving but at the quality. For each instrument we have chosen the most optimal place for putting traces and we've spent a lot of time analysing each and every element of this jigsaw. We've been listening to various band's productions recorded in different studios and we've got no doubt that we've made a good choice. The only thing that counts is the final effect, which should please the biggest malcontents."

"Solfernus' Path" will include the following songs:

01. False Sleepwalker
02. Vote for Heresy
03. Final Conjuration
04. Pain Collector
05. Gloria Inferni
06. Solfernus' Path
07. Lunar Silhouette
08. King of Burning Anthems
09. Chimera
10. A Mesmeric Séance

Flauros previously stated about the upcoming CD: "For the first time in our band's history, we've decided to create a concept album. It is a certain sort of novelty for us, yet we've had such an idea in our minds for a long time now. The coherent story, which is to be told by both the lyrics and the music, is a hell of a greater challenge than composing ten pieces in the similar stylistics. As the action proceeds, the music must 'react' accordingly and suitably. It is as if a screenplay, which is to attract the viewer in an interesting way."

He continued, "The story contained on the record takes place in a mysthical set, indeed, which is created by the mansion of countess Josephine von Kuchmeister, the inspiration for which was the Villa Caro in Gliwice and the palace in Plawniowice. The action of 'Solfernus' Path' takes place at the beginning of XXth century. The main character is a medicine student who undergoes a spiritual transformation. He goes beyond the carnal world and he notices the 'other side.' Everything is dressed in fairy-like climate, full of the occult 'keys.' Nothing is obvious, nothing here is predictable.

"The title Solfernus is of course not the main character of the story, but it's eminence grise. The character of Solfernus derives from the play 'Dalliance with Devil' written by the Czech dramatist Jan Drda. It is only a tiny inspiration, an impuls where one should not seek any similarities. Drda's play is grotesque and humorous, while our story is of a completely different character, much closer to Stefan Grabinski's horror short stories than to the ones of the Czech playwright."

DARZAMAT released its first-ever live DVD, entitled "Live Profanity (Visiting the Graves of Heretics)", in North America in August 2007 via Metal Mind Productions (the DVD was released in Europe a month earleir). The disc was recorded at the 21st edition of the Metalmania Festival, which took place on March 24, 2007 in Katowice, Poland, and contains material comprised mostly of songs from the band's latest album, "Transkarpatia". Also included is the group's surprise performance of the song "Diabelski Dom" by the cult Polish metal band KAT, featuring a guest appearance by KAT leader Roman Kostrzewski. The DVD also includes additional footage from the Winternachtstraum Festival, which took place in February 2007 in Arnsberg, Germany, two unreleased tracks, video clips, and an interview with Flauros and Nera.

EPOCHATE, the new band featuring Victor Love (DOPE STARS INC.) and Noras Blake (SPINEFLESH, EDENYZED), will release its debut album, "Chronicles Of A Dying Era", this winter on Subsound Records. The CD was produced, recorded and mixed by Victor Love at the Subsound Studio and was mastered by John Golden. It will include "nine compositions and an evocative and deeply inspired artwork by Machine Room", according to a press release.

The group's music is described in a press release as "a mix of industrial rock with heavy and concrete orchestrations, cutting-edge guitars and killer vocals."

"Chronicles Of A Dying Era" track listing:

01. Chronicles of a Dying Era
02. 1600 A.D.
03. Substantia
04. The Flood
05. Creators
06. Needle Hive
07. Burning
08. Introspection
09. Of Shades And Light

For more information, visit www.epochate.com.

Legendary vocalist Jeff Scott Soto's (TALISMAN, JOURNEY, YNGWIE MALMSTEEN) new solo album, "Beautiful Mess", which was released this week digitally via Sewtoe Music through iTunes and CD Baby, will be made available as a separate CD/DVD package in January 2009. The new set will include unreleased songs, select live cuts from the Firefest 5 (which is scheduled to take place October 25, 2008 in Nottingham, UK) and at least four videos — "21st Century", "Gin And Tonic Sky" (studio and acoustic versions) and "Hey". The release will coincide with an extensive Jeff Scott Soto tour in early 2009 which will cover Europe, the Americas and much more.

Jeff Scott Soto's video for the song "21st Century", which was produced and directed by longtime Jeff Scott Soto associate and fellow musician Gary Schutt, can be viewed below.

"Beautiful Mess" track listing:

01. 21st Century
02. Cry Me A River
03. Gin And Tonic Sky
04. Hey
05. Broken Man
06. Mountain
07. Our Song
08. Eye
09. Bring It Home
10. Testify
11. Wherever U Wanna Go
12. Kick It

After a two-year break, guitarist Ronald Bekking, pianist Hans Grotenbreg and bassist Jeroen Paul Thesseling (OBSCURA, ex-PESTILENCE) have resumed work on new recordings for their project ENSEMBLE SALAZHAR. "We received a lot of positive reactions on the demo recordings of 2006 — produced by percussionist Jaap Van Keulen — and are excited to write new songs for a possible EP album," the band says in a statement.

ENSEMBLE SALAZHAR was founded in 2005 by Ronald Bekking and Jeroen Thesseling with the intent to bring world music into dialogue with other modern styles.

Thesseling joined the German technical death metal band OBSCURA in late 2007. The group recently signed with Relapse Records and has completed the recordings for its second full-length album, to be released in early 2009.

"Eu Humano", a new track from SEPULTURA guitarist Andreas Kisser, is available for streaming on his MySpace page. The song comes off Kisser's long-awaited solo debut, entitled "Hubris I & II", which is scheduled for release on October 6 via Holland's Mascot Records. A two-disc set, the self-produced effort was recorded in part at A Voz do Brasil studio in São Paulo, Brazil.

Kisser previously stated about the album, "I'm very pleased with the result and I'm excited to hear it all done. It was a long process, a learning process and a great experience. It's a musical journey trough the influences I had for last 15 years of my life and at the same time it's very different from everything I did so far."

"Hubris" comes from Greek word "hybris," which means "excessive pride, wanton violence."

Check out the "Hubris I & II" artwork here.

"Hubris I & II" track listing:

I:

01. Protest!
02. Euphoria/Desperation
03. Eu Humano
04. The Forum
05. Virgulândia
06. God's Laugh
07. R.H.E.T.
08. Em Busca Do Ouro
09. Lava Sky
10. A Million Judas Iscariotes

II:

01. Sad Soil
02. Worlds Apart
03. Breast Feeding
04. Page
05. Domenicana
06. Vivaldi
07. 0120
08. Armonia
09. Hubris
10. Mythos
11. O Mais Querido

The official Ozzfest web site has been updated with a brand new photo gallery from this year's one-day event, which was held on August 9 at Pizza Hut Park in Frisco, Texas. Check it out at this location.

The AEG Live-promoted Ozzfest 2008 grossed nearly $3.5 million and almost 30,000 fans got to experience a 13-hour show filled with legends, cutting-edge acts and Ozzfest alumni who ignited three stages at Pizza Hut Park in the hard music-loving state of Texas, including one devoted to the state's bands.

"This year's Ozzfest was a huge success," said co-producer Sharon Osbourne, "and we couldn't be happier. There were so many great moments. We're looking forward to coming back to Dallas next summer and hopefully expanding it to a two-day event."

"Dallas was definitely the rock 'n' roll capital of the world last Saturday," said Randy Phillips, President and CEO of AEG Live. "Pairing OZZY with METALLICA, along with so many other great acts, was a match made in heaven for the 30,000 hardcore fans who were banging their heads at Ozzfest 2008. We can't wait to see what Ozzy has up his sleeve for 2009, as Ozzfest just keeps getting more exciting every year."

The official Ozzfest YouTube channel has been updated with a five-minute video clip featuring footage from this year's one-day stadium event. Watch it below.

Italian goth-metal icons LACUNA COIL have set "Visual Karma (Body, Mind and Soul)" as the title of their first-ever DVD, due in November via Century Media. The double DVD, which is a celebration of all things from the band's "Karmacode" album and subsequent touring cycle, will include:

Wacken Open Air 2007 in Wacken, Germany:

01. Intro
02. To The Edge
03. Fragments Of Faith
04. Swamped
05. In Visible Light
06. Fragile
07. Closer
08. Senzafine
09. What I See
10. Enjoy The Silence
11. Heaven's A Lie
12. Our Truth

Loudpark 2007 in Japan:

01. Intro/To The Edge
02. Swamped
03. Closer
04. Within Me
05. Daylight Dancer
06. Our Truth

Promotional Videos:

* Our Truth (Promotional Video)
* Enjoy The Silence (Promotional Video)
* Closer (Promotional Video)
* Within Me (Promotional Video)

Other features:

* The Band: Simple As Water
* Inside Milan
* The Leaning Journey Of Pizza
* 7-Seven... Strings Life
* The Real Thing
* Enter The Drummer
* Behind The Scenes: Australian Tour 2007
* First Time In Japan
* Making Of "Our Truth" Video
* Making Of "Closer" Video
* Fan Submissions (LACUNA COIL's Introductory Clip)
* Empty Spiral Interview
* To The Edge Remix Contest (Photogallery)
* Inside The Spiral (Link)
* Links

A limited-edition four-disc pakage will include:

* A 5.1 mix of the "Karmacode" album on audio DVD.
* A bonus CD with the Wacken Open Air audio live material.

Commented band co-vocalist Andrea Ferro: "In the past, we've been asked a million times about when we were gonna put out a band DVD. Truthfully, we never felt like it was a priority, and we didn't want to release something just because the market was asking for it. The 'Karmacode' tour brought us to many different places around the world for the first time and we managed to record some of those great, outstanding shows, where the interaction with the people was just magic. This DVD is a beautiful reminder of where we have been in the past three years with all our body, mind and soul."

Dutch symphonic metallers AUTUMN have issued the following update:

"Last weekend we recorded the drums for our upcoming fourth studio album. Production of the new album will be, like with [2007's] 'My New Time' album, supervised by Arno Krabman, Jochem Jacobs and Bouke Visser of the Graveland Studio and the SplitSecondSound studio, respectively. We are already very excited about the drum recordings and can't wait to record the (bass) guitars, synths and vocals. More news about the recordings, the contents of the new album and the release of the album will follow soon!"

AUTUMN in February announced the addition of singer Marjan Welman to the group's ranks. She replaced Nienke de Jong, who left the band in January.

Within the Dutch rock scene, Marjan is considered to be a promising talent with her warm voice and perfect timing. Her vocal contribution on the AYREON album "01011001" received outstanding reviews and shows a singer who stands her ground between a selection of highly acclaimed international vocalists.

In the wake of the recent union tours of ANTIMATTER and ÍON, Mick Moss and Duncan Patterson will record new versions of select ANTIMATTER tracks for the forthcoming retrospective compilation "Alternative Matter", a planned 2CD/1DVD set. They will be joined by drummer/percussionist Colin Fromont (AVERSE, CINNAMON SCREEN). Also planned are some new remixes by both Moss and Patterson, as well as an in-depth interview/documentary for the DVD. A mid-to-late 2009 release is expected.

ANTIMATTER is the UK project whose recording/touring lineup has included current and former members of ANATHEMA. The group's fourth album, "Leaving Eden", was released in April 2007.

After Duncan Patterson left the band in 2005, Mick Moss gathered a number of guest musicians around him — among others Danny Cavanagh (ANATHEMA) — to record the most depressive and heaviest album of ANTIMATTER's discography. This is attested by the dynamics of "Leaving Eden", the increased use of electric guitars and forceful drumming.

RATT frontman Stephen Pearcy has announced a new project for 2009, TOP FUEL ALL STARZ. The new CD and touring band will consist of '80s, '90s, 2000 artists. Pearcy says he'll even have a couple influential '70s artists that he admired growing up on the CD, that there will be plenty of class musicians revolving on the tour. The band will perform material from the artists involved and the new music from TOP FUEL ALL STARZ. With songs already written, recording will begin January 2009 with a tour to follow.

In other news, Pearcy — who is the president and CEO of Top Fuel Records — will again be involved in sponsoring a Top Fuel Dragster 2009 with Top Fuel Records. The new CD and tour will follow the NHRA Drag Racing series thru out the season 2009. The new race team and TFR sponsor association will hopefully be announced at the world finals in Pamona, California in November where Stephen and his RAT BASTARDS will be laying it down at the races.

Stephen Pearcy recently released his third solo CD, "Under My Skin".

According to NME.com, VELVET REVOLVER and former GUNS N' ROSES guitarist Slash has revealed that he has demoed 14 songs for his forthcoming solo album.

He told NME Radio that he has recruited a slew of singers to appear on the album, but would not reveal who he has enlisted yet.

He added that he wasn't sure whether the album would be released before the next VELVET REVOLVER album. The band is currently in the process of recruiting a new singer, following the departure of Scott Weiland earlier this year.

"I've been carrying a tape recorder with me on the Velvet Revolver tour and putting down ideas," Slash explained. "When I got back from the UK at the beginning of the summer listened to what was cool on them, then elaborated and came up with new stuff."

German melodic hard rock masters JADED HEART are preparing to enter the studio to begin recording the follow-up to 2007's "Sinister Mind". According to the band, "The new material sounds very fresh. It embraces all the different trademarks of JADED HEART. It is a continuation of 'Sinister Mind' and 'Helluva Time'. It will also be more bombastic and heavier! We have almost all the songs ready now and we'll enter the studio within the next three weeks."

"Sinister Mind" was released in the U.S. on February 12 via Locomotive Records. According to a press release, "the sound on the album is definitely heavier and more in your face, still keeping intact the elements that has created the recognizable and well-known JADED HEART sound. Production was handled by some of the most [in-demand] guys in the German hard rock scene: Michael Voss (MAD MAX, VOICES OF ROCK), Chris Lausmann (ex-BONFIRE, VOICES OF ROCK) and Dennis Ward (PINK CREAM 69) and you can definitely hear a sound that has the 'million-dollar-bucks' trademark!"

"Sinister Mind" was released in Europe in October 2007 via Frontiers Records.

Check out audio samples at this location.

A special DVD featuring RAGE guitarist Victor Smolski is available in the October 2008 issue of Japan's biggest guitar magazine Young Guitar. The workshop focuses on instrumental versions of RAGE and MIND ODYSSEY tunes and it contains lots of single riffs and scales which are played slow and fast, filmed using a fixed angle and shot from different points of view, similar to an instructional DVD. Victor also talks about his equipment.

The DVD footage was filmed in July 2008 at the Japanese MI guitar institute in Tokyo during RAGE's most recent tour of the country. You can also find tabs for every track featured on the DVD elsewhere in the magazine, just as was the case with Victor's last workshop for Young Guitar in May 2005, where he presented tracks from "Unity", "Soundchaser" and "Welcome To The Other Side".

Germany's atmospheric/death metal/rock band VALBORG, which will release its debut album, "Glorification Of Pain", on Vendlus Records this November, has already started to rehearse material for the follow-up, "Crown of Sorrow", due out sometime in 2009.

Commented the band: "We are rehearsing the new material for 'Crown of Sorrow' with Florian Toyka on drums. Florian is known for his drumming in WOBURN HOUSE, and he's also member of KLABAUTAMANN and ISLAND, both whom are on the Vendlus roster too.

"We've already written five new songs. Some titles include 'Wisdoms from the Vortex', 'Crying Under the Fortress of God' and 'I am Space'. In the middle of December we will head into the Stonehenge Studio to record the new songs the same way we recorded out upcoming album 'Glorification of Pain' — as a live recording on analog equipment."

While VALBORG's first album was more blast beats and the songs were a little bit more progressive, after six months of writing and working on "Glorification Of Pain", it was obvious that the band was coming into changes musically. The band's new approach was to record everything live in the studio and that allowed them to focus more on the rock side of things — reducing material to basics — and allow everything to be playable.

You can hear the new track "Chains Of Frost" at the band's official MySpace page.

The artwork for the album was created by Peter Boehme, a graphics artist had helped with the graphics for Enemy Territory: Quake Wars.

Two weeks ago Edguy have been to Belgrade to shoot a new video clip for their new mid tempo anthem "Ministry Of Saints" taken from their forthcoming album "Tinnitus Sanctus". While you read these lines the clip is being cut and finished and it's gonna be ready to be watched online here in a couple of days, so stay tuned. Here you find some pictures of the video shooting.

Here are some pics:

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A brand new UNEARTH song, "We Are Not Anonymous", is available for streaming at this location. The track comes off the Massachusetts metallers' new album, "The March", which is scheduled for release on October 14 via Metal Blade Records. The CD was recorded at Massachusetts' System Recording and Zing studios with producer Adam Dutkiewicz (KILLSWITCH ENGAGE) and is said feature UNEARTH's "most dynamic material to date," combining strong tension and release, abundant guitar solos and a bulldozing power-groove.

"The March" track listing:

01. My Will Be Done
02. Hail the Shrine
03. Crow Killer
04. Grave of Opportunity
05. We Are Not Anonymous
06. The March
07. Cutman
08. The Chosen
09. Letting Go
10. Truth or Consequence

Commented UNEARTH frontman Trevor Phipps: "'The March' symbolizes both the evil and hopeful sides of humanity. The Evil: With the constant balancing act of power within government, religion and our financial institutions, there lies the chance of those most hungry for power to alter and restrict our freedoms for their gain. The Hopeful: This represents the faith in mankind as the most powerful force on the planet. If we come together and do not fight over religion, class and borders then we hold the key to a peaceful world. There are two possible futures in store; either a March of power and greed or a March of a unified human race."

UNEARTH will launch a U.S. headlining tour on October 1 in Baltimore, Maryland. Presented by Live Nation, the four-week, 26-city trek will feature support from PROTEST THE HERO, THE ACACIA STRAIN, WHITECHAPEL and GWEN STACY.

Former NIGHTWISH vocalist Tarja Turunen has added shows in Luxembourg, Bulgaria, Israel, Russia and the Ukraine to her touring itinerary. Her schedule is now as follows:

Oct. 18 - Oktoberhallen - Wieze, Belgium (Metal Female Voices Fest)
Oct. 19 - Rockhal Club - Esch sur Alzette, Luxembourg
Oct. 21 - Hala Folimanka - Prague, Czech Republic
Oct. 22 - Bonver Arena (Hala Tatran) - Ostrava, Czech Republic
Oct. 24 - Incheba Expo Arena - Bratislava, Slovakia
Oct. 25 - Cassosport Hall - Kosice, Slovakia
Oct. 27 - SKC - Belgrade, Serbia
Oct. 28 - Universiada Sports Hall - Sofia, Bulgaria
Oct. 31 - Exhibition Grounds Hall - Tel Aviv, Israel
Nov. 03 - CKM Nau - Kiev, Ukraine
Nov. 04 - Sport Palace - Minsk, Belarus
Nov. 06 - B1 Club - Moscow, Russia
Nov. 08 - MTL Arena - Samara, Russia

A new audio interview with Tarja Turunen conducted by Vassil Varbanov of Bulgaria's Tangra Mega Rock is available for download at this location (MP3, 4 MB).

On the subject of her current touring lineup, Tarja said, "Alex Scholpp (FARMER BOYS), who played guitar on my record and on the two European tours, couldn't come to South America, so I was having Kiko Loureiro. You know, all these musicians that are playing with me are session musicians, so I have to give them time to do their own business with their own bands... Now in Europe there will be Oliver Holzwarth from BLIND GUARDIAN playing the bass instead of Doug Wimbish, who is touring with LIVING COLOUR. The rest of the band will be the same — Alex will be again on guitar, Mike Terrana (ex-RAGE) on drums, Maria Ilmoniemi on keyboards and Max Lilja (ex-APOCALYPTICA) on cello."

Asked if she is going to record her next album with the same musicians, Tarja replied, "Yes, but you know, when I'm writing songs or selecting material, it's always up to the feeling I have about what kind of musicians I'm going to work on each song. I have very different kinds of songs — there are these film-music-type of songs, and then metal, metal, metal, ha-ha! These are differend kinds of styles, so not every musician can play both types of music. The musician has to be an open-minded person. Doug Wimbish, for example, is a great man for this job, because he can play various music styles. However, I can't tell you for sure which musicians are going to be part of my next album, because it depends a lot on the songs."

German thrashers KREATOR will release their new album, "Hordes Of Chaos", in Europe on January 19, 2009 via SPV Records (except in Germany, where it will be issued on January 16). The CD will arrive in the U.S. on January 13.

The new album will be available in three different versions. The jewel case edition includes the ten regular album songs, and the deluxe version features an additional bonus DVD with an atmospheric making-of in super-8 quality courtesy of a Berlin filmmaker. As a third option, the ultra-deluxe version comes with a t-shirt, a worthwhile photo book and an extended version of the bonus DVD, as well as the CD.

"Hordes Of Chaos" track listing:

01. Hordes Of Chaos (A Necrologue For The Elite)
02. Warcurse
03. Escalation
04. Amok Run
05. Destroy What Destroys You
06. Radical Resistance
07. Absolute Misanthropy
08. To The Afterborn
09. Corpses Of Liberty
10. Demon Prince

A teaser for the CD can be viewed here.

According to a press release, "Hordes Of Chaos" is "a powerhouse featuring rigorous thrash attacks and KREATOR's familiarly intelligent lyrics about self-determination and the dangers of contemporary war propaganda."

"Hordes Of Chaos" was recorded at Berlin's Tritonus studios under the direction of producer Moses Schneider. Schneider is renowned for his fresh and exceptionally dynamic working methods with bands and artists such as BEATSTEAKS and TOCOTRONIC.

"We consciously decided on Moses as our producer for the live recording of the basic tracks at the studio," band mastermind Mille Petrozza explains. "This was the first time since 'Pleasure To Kill' that we worked in this way. The new album is a 100% realistic reflection of KREATOR's live qualities. Instead of exploring every little detail to sterile perfection with the help of computer technology, this time around we wanted to deliver as dynamic a production as possible. There can be no doubt that we've achieved our target in 'Hordes Of Chaos'." The album was mixed in London by Colin Richardson (SLIPKNOT, BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE, CRADLE OF FILTH).

As early as January, KREATOR musicians Mille Petrozza (guitar, vocals), drummer Jürgen "Ventor" Reil, bassist Christian Giesler and guitarist Sami Yli-Sirniö will embark on their two-month European tour alongside CALIBAN and ELUVEITE.

Lauri Ylönen, the singer of the Finnish rock band THE RASMUS, was recently interviewed by the Italian news blog Musica Metal about the band's latest CD, "Black Roses", and the duet he recorded with Anette Olzon of NIGHTWISH. Lauri had previously stated that the idea for the song came to him eight years ago when Tarja Turunen was still the lead singer of NIGHTWISH, but he only got around to recording the track now. "I actually asked Tarja, but she said no!" Lauri revealed. "Then I called Anette, she was like, 'Yeah, I would love to sing a song with you, I'm a big RASMUS fan, actually two years ago before I joined NIGHTWISH, I was singing THE RASMUS songs in karaoke bars!' so we went with her."

The track in question did not make the final album because "Black Roses" is a concept effort and the song didn't fit in with the overall idea for the CD, but it will be published as a stand-alone single at some point in the future.

To full interview is available at this location.

SAXON fans have a lot of things to look forward to in the coming months: to start off with, the British metal legends will release their new download single, "Live To Rock", followed by the arrival at the stores of their current studio album, "Into The Labyrinth", as well as major tours to support both releases. So a hot autumn is about to start in a few days' time!

SAXON's new single, "Live To Rock", will be available as an Internet download from October 17, and SAXON will present the track live for the first time during the tour which will take Biff Byford and company alongside MOTÖRHEAD and DANKO JONES through England and Germany in November/December 2008. SAXON's new studio album, "Into The Labyrinth", will be out on January 12, 2009 (Germany: January 9; USA: January 13). February 2009 will see the band embark on another major world tour, only one month after the album release.

"Into The Labyrinth" was recorded at the Twilight Hall in Krefeld, Germany, under the direction of Charlie Bauerfeind. SAXON laid down 13 new songs at BLIND GUARDIAN's studio, starting with monumental opener "Battalions Of Steel" through "Demon Sweeney Todd" and "Valley Of The Kings", which both cover historic events, to the final slide guitar blues track "Coming Home" (fans are already familiar with the electric version of this track from SAXON's "Killing Ground" album).

SAXON is currently still working on an additional 14th track, which will be available exclusively as a download on iTunes from the release date.

"The new material was written in England and at my house in France," Byford explains. "Stylistically, I would describe the album as an even balance between 'Lionheart' and 'The Inner Sanctum', a mix of powerful, in-your-face rock songs and pure heavy metal tracks. We're very happy with the production and proud of 'Into The Labyrinth'."

Aestheticom's Bill Schacht, who has previously directed music videos for DIO, KING DIAMOND, AMON AMARTH, FATAL SMILE, LIBERTY X/REV RUN, ZAKK WYLDE and SISTER SIN, among others, recently completed filming footage for the "Live To Rock" clip.

"Into The Labyrinth" track listing:

01. Battalions Of Steel
02. Live To Rock
03. Demon Sweeney Todd
04. The Letter
05. Valley Of The Kings
06. Slow Lane Blues
07. Crime Of Passion
08. Premonition in D Minor
09. Voice
10. Protect Yourselves
11. Hellcat
12. Come Rock Of Ages (The Circle Is Complete)
13. Coming Home (Bottleneck Version)

According to ARCH ENEMY's French fan club The Dark Enemy Fan Club, ARCH ENEMY will release a new DVD+CD set, "Tyrants Of The Rising Sun: Live In Japan", in Europe on November 7 via Century Media. The package will include the following:

DVD:

I. Main Live Show (approx. 95 minutes)

01. Intro / Blood On Your Hands
02. Ravenous
03. Taking Back My Soul
04. Dead Eyes See No Future
05. Dark Insanity
06. The Day You Died
07. Christopher Solo
08. Silverwing
09. Night Falls Fast
10. Daniel Solo
11. Burning Angel
12. Michael Amott Solo (incl. "Intermezzo Liberté")
13. Dead Bury Their Dead
14. Vultures
15. Enemy Within
16. Snowbound
17. Shadows And Dust
18. Nemesis
19. We Will Rise
20. Fields Of Desolation / Outro

II. The Road To Japan (Interviews / Road Movie) (approx. 45 minutes)

III. Promo Videos

01. Revolution Begins (Original Version) (4:24)
02. Revolution Begins (Band Performance Version) (4:14)
03. I Will Live Again (3:34)

CD1:

01. Intro / Blood On Your Hands (5:37)
02. Ravenous (3:55)
03. Taking Back My Soul (5:16)
04. Dead Eyes See No Future (4:22)
05. Dark Insanity (3:59)
06. The Day You Died (4:55)
07. Christopher Solo (2:32)
08. Silverwing (5:26)
09. Night Falls Fast (3:37)
10. Daniel Solo (3:30)

CD2:

01. Burning Angel (4:40)
02. Michael Amott Solo (incl. "Intermezzo Liberté") (3:24)
03. Dead Bury Their Dead (4:57)
04. Vultures (6:51)
05. Enemy Within (4:29)
06. Snowbound (2:14)
07. Shadows And Dust (5:12)
08. Nemesis (5:04)
09. We Will Rise (4:33)
10. Fields Of Desolation / Outro (3:14)

According to Yahoo! News, New Jersey Turnpike Authority officials are having a hard time keeping up with the constant thefts of mile marker 66.6 along the New Jersey Turnpike and Garden State Parkway.

The latest theft involved someone swiping the 66.6 mile marker sign on the Garden State Parkway's northbound lanes in a sparsely populated section far from any entrances or exits.

The sign is stolen four or five times a year, according to NJTA spokesman Joe Orlando, who adds, "Maybe it's just some kids with a Devil-may-care attitude."