Polish extreme metal veterans BEHEMOTH will release a new EP, "Ezkaton", in North America on November 11 through Metal Blade Records. The EP will feature seven tracks, one brand new song titled "Qadosh", a live recording as well as a new studio version of "Chant For Ezkaton 2000 e.v.". Also included are live versions of "From The Pagan Vastlands" and "Decade Ov Therion" plus covers of THE RAMONES' "I'm Not Jesus" and the MASTERS HAMMER track "Jama Pekel". The EP will be made available as a limited edition box set that will include four picture disc seven inches, a BEHEMOTH pendant and the CD all packaged in a deluxe box.

"Ezkaton" track listing:

01. Chant for Ezkaton 2000 e.v.
02. Qadosh
03. Jama Pekel
04. I'm Not Jesus
05. From the Pagan Vastlands (live)
06. Decade Ov Therion (live)
07. Chant for Ezkaton 2000 e.v. (live)

Four vinyl picture discs:

LP 1:

Side I: Chant for Ezkaton 2000 e.v.
Side II: Qadosh

LP 2:

Side I: Jama Pekel
Side II: I'm Not Jesus

LP 3:

Side I: Devilock
Side II: From the Pagan Vastlands (live)

LP 4:

Side I: Decade Ov Therion (live)
Side II: Chant for Ezkaton 2000 e.v. (live)

German melodic metallers EDGUY have issued the following update:

"EDGUY have just returned from Belgrade [Serbia] where they have shot a video clip for the song 'Ministry Of Saints' from their forthcoming new studio album 'Tinnitus Sanctus', out on November 14th. As there will be no EP before the album release the video clip will be shown on this website during the next weeks."

The cover artwork for "Tinnitus Sanctus" can be viewed below. The CD was recorded at Gate Studios in Wolfsburg, Germany with producer Sascha Paeth.

In a recent interview, EDGUYfrontman Tobias Sammet stated about the group's new material, "We don't go back to the roots. We never denied who we are and where we come from, so I don't see a reason to go back to wherever. I go straight forward and follow my heart as I've always done, 'Tinnitus Sanctus' is exactly the music we wanna play, we are happy and I don't give a fuck if it's gonna be our biggest-selling album or not. It's so great, even if my career would go down the drain and this would be the last album, I'd be more than happy to be remembered as the guy who recorded 'Tinnitus Sanctus'. I'd rather ruin my carreer with a creative killer album like that than trying to play safe with a boring stereotype power metal stinker constructed on a drawing table. We have a couple of song titles such as 'Dragonfly', 'Dead Or Rock', 'Wake Up Dreaming Black' or 'Sex Fire Religion'. And we'll shoot a video for a very heavy midtempo anthem by the name of 'Ministry Of Saints'. And there'll be a bonus track called 'Aren't You A Little Pervert Too?' which is quite nasty."

Swedish metallers IN FLAMES will release their new digital single, "Alias", on Friday, September 26. The cover artwork for the single can be viewed below.

"Alias" is the second single from the band's latest album, "A Sense Of Purpose", which came out in April. The accompanying video, which can be viewed below, was filmed just outside Gothenburg, Sweden and was directed and produced by Patric Ullaeus (Revolver Film Company), who previously worked with the band on such videos as "Take This Life", "My Sweet Shadow" and "The Quiet Place".

Commented singer Anders Fridén: "Our aim with this video was to make a straight-up video with the feel/touch of our live shows to it! I think a lot of people who have seen us at the European festivals this summer will recognize themselves and maybe some of the people who will see us live this fall will recognize themselves from the video.

The video was shot in an old TV studio where a lot of famous Swedish TV shows have been recorded, just outside Gothenburg. It was shot in one, looooong, day but, at the same time, a very smooth one. I got the idea for this video from our live shows. I said, 'Take that concept and incorporate that feeling into it.' There is no real story or connection with the lyrics, just IN FLAMES doing our thing! Like I said, I think a lot of people who has seen us live the past year will recognize themselves in the video and also the people who will see us live in November/December will get the feel from the video."

A trailer for GAMMA RAY's long-awaited 2-DVD/2-CD DVD package "Hell Yeah! The Awesome Foursome (And The Finnish Keyboarder Who Didn't Want To Wear His Donald Duck Costume) Live in Montreal", is available at this location. Due on October 27 in Europe and November 4 in the U.S. via SPV, the set will feature a multi-camera recording of the band's May 6, 2006 show at Medley in Montreal, Quebec, several "road movies," promotional clips, and footage from the group's January 2008 concert in Barcelona, Spain.

Band leader Kai Hansen looks back at GAMMA RAY's first American tour with pride and great joy, saying: "We had played in the States only once before, so this was our first headliner tour of America. Of course we had no idea what exactly to expect, but the reactions were overwhelming. The tickets sold extremely well, and the atmosphere was amazing night after night. What you see on the footage from Montreal is what we experienced at almost every show."

He continued: "We had been thinking about releasing a live DVD for a long time, especially as our faithful fans had been nagging us about one for years. Unfortunately we'd never had the time to plan and realise such a large-scale project. Well, here you go! This is a DVD the way we like it: diverse and multi-faceted, featuring a musical cross-section of the GAMMA RAY albums recorded by the current line-up since 1998. The road movie speaks for itself, and those nice little extras are great mementoes of our band history to date."

The DVD's humorous subtitle "… And The Finnish Keyboarder Who Didn't Want To Wear His Donald Duck Costume…" refers to keyboardist Eero Kaukomies who plays in the GAMMA RAY cover band GUARDIANS OF MANKIND from Helsinki and who performed with GAMMA RAY during its entire American tour. Hansen explained: "During the tour, Henjo suddenly noticed that Eero has a somewhat duck-like walk. So the crazy idea developed to make him wear a Donald Duck costume at the show in Montreal and present him to the audience. Naturally, this great suggestion didn't meet with much enthusiasm from Eero, and the whole thing became a running gag." Hansen added with a wink: "By the way, the 'awesome foursome' refers to Henjo, Dirk, Daniel and myself, in case you were wondering."

GAMMA RAY will travel to Russia at the beginning of September and is scheduled to tour America and Canada this fall. And the rest of the year? "We are collecting ideas for our next studio album," Hansen revealed. "Quite a few of them have already piled up, so come autumn we will probably begin to sort through them and go to the studio in January 2009."

Track Listing – DVD:

DVD 1 – Montreal Show 2006

01. Welcome
02. Gardens Of The Sinner
03. New World Order
04. Man On A Mission
05. Fight
06. Blood Religion
07. Heavy Metal Universe
08. Dreamhealer
09. The Heart Of The Unicorn
10. Fairytale
11. The Silence
12. Beyond The Blackhole
13. Valley Of The Kings
14. Somewhere Out In Space
15. Land Of The Free
16. Rebellion In Dreamland
17. I Want Out
18. Send Me A Sign

DVD 2

Road Movie:

* Documentary from the Northamerican Tour

Video Clips:

* Space Eater
* One With The World
* Gamma Ray
* Rebellion In Dreamland
* Send Me A Sign
* Heavy Metal Universe
* Eagle
* Into The Storm

Live At Wacken Open Air 2003

* One With The World
* Last Before The Storm

Live At Wacken Open Air 2006

* Rebellion In Dreamland
* Heavy Metal Universe
* Somewhere Out In Space

Historay: Over the years private movies, backstage scenes and live performances
Unplugged: Kai and Henjo unplugged in Japan

DVD 3 (Bonus, only Europe)

Four songs from "Land Of The Free II" recorded live in Barcelona during the "Hellish Rock" tour with HELLOWEEN in January 2008:

01. Into The Storm
02. Empress
03. From The Ashes
04. Real World

Plus Backstage scenes, soundchecks, etc...

Track Listing CD:

CD 1

01. Welcome
02. Gardens Of The Sinner
03. New World Order
04. Man On A Mission
05. Fight
06. Blood Religion
07. Heavy Metal Universe
08. Dreamhealer
09. The Heart Of The Unicorn
10. Fairytale
11. The Silence

CD 2

01. Beyond The Blackhole
02. Valley Of The Kings
03. Somewhere Out In Space
04. Land Of The Free
05. Rebellion In Dreamland
06. I Want Out
07. Send Me A Sign

Bonus Tracks:

08. Into The Storm
09. Empress
10. From The Ashes
11. Real World

Finnish power metal band CELESTY has finished recording its fourth studio album and is scheduled to begin mixing the effort in November/December. Meanwhile, the band is intensively rehearsing the new material for its upcoming live shows.

Commented CELESTY drummer Jere Luokkamäki: "The recordings were completed without any major problems and we're happy to announce the new album will sound extremely massive and bombastic! The mixing process will be a serious challenge for Samu Oittinen of Fantom Studio since the songs have so many tracks — in fact, we're getting close to the Finnish record of amount of tracks on an album!"

CELESTY's new CD will feature eleven tracks and over sixty minutes of music.

The track listing is as follows:

01. Intro
02. Euphoric Dream
03. Greed
04. Like Warriors
05. Autumn Leaves
06. Feared by Dawn
07. Lord (Of This Kingdom)
08. New Sin
09. Dark Emotions
10. Fading Away
11. Legacy of Hate Pt. 3
- Candlelight
- Shadow Land
- Chaos and Destruction (instrumental)
- Feelings

The CD will feature guest appearances by Stephan Lill (VANDEN PLAS) and Elias Viljanen (SONATA ARCTICA). Suvi-Tuuli Dietrich (ESCAPE) has contributed female vocals to the album.

"This is without doubt our best album!" explains Luokkamäki. "We're eagerly waiting to get it released, and after the release we're touring Finland the whole spring."

Paul Cashmere of Undercover News reports that METALLICA's "Death Magnetic" has topped the Australian album chart this week with sales of 55,877 units in the past seven days.

If you include one-day sales from the first day of release (September 12) last week, "Death Magnetic" has sold 60,726 units.

In Australia, "Death Magnetic" is now the fastest-selling album of the year.

METALLICA has no less than five LPs on this week's ARIA (Australian Recording Industry Association) chart:

01. Death Magnetic
24. Metallica
33. Master Of Puppets
36. …And Justice For All
38. Ride The Lightning

THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN guitarist Ben Weinman has told UK's Rock Sound magazine that he he recently did a remix of the LIL WAYNE track "Lollipop" but that he is "not sure if it is coming out." He added, "That beat got so played and remixed so his record label did not want to put out mine and it get lost. They are actually going to send me the JAY Z/LIL WAYNE track way upfront so I should be one of the first remixes of that track, hopefully. They want LIL WAYNE to get rock press, he loves rock, Kurt Cobain is his favorite artist. He loves to play guitar but he is horrible at it, another part of the deal is that I teach him how to play guitar.''

Reactivated Swedish metallers AT THE GATES have issued the following update:

"The reunion shows for 2008 have come to an end. We want to thank everybody involved for making them happen. A massive 'thank you' goes out to our partners in THE HAUNTED, DISFEAR, NEMHAIN, SLAKTATTACK etc. for understanding the importance of doing these last couple of closing shows.

"What happens now, you might ask? Well, we are currently working on collecting a bunch of filmed material and we will begin to film and edit some footage for an upcoming documentary. More news about this at a later date. In the meanwhile, please respect our current status, and try to understand that our main priority lies with our current bands and prior commitments.

"Thanks everybody for making this a memorable summer for us all."

New York death metal legends SUFFOCATION have confirmed that they have inked a deal with Nuclear Blast Records for the release of their new album, entitled "Blood Oath". The band most recently made the announcement during its appearance Thursday night (September 18) at the House of Blues in West Hollywood, California (where CARCASS was the headliner). The CD is expected in early 2009.

Roadrunner Records in January released a "best-of" collection from SUFFOCATION, appropriately titled "The Best of Suffocation".

German metalcore act CALIBAN has issued the following update:

"We are currently in the pre-production state and full speed working to move into the studio in a couple of weeks and record the successor of 'The Awakening'. Be curious for the new songs, they're going to turn out a lot more somber compared to the last album! And that won't mean the only improvement, for the upcoming record we are in the middle of negotiations with a few labels! We were able to get an idea of the offers we received so far, and we already picked a favourite. The release date for the finished disk is going to be in spring 2009, around March/April. The visual equivalent to the songs will be provided by Basti Basti of CALLEJON, who is going to add some dark touch to the album, he is responsible for the artwork of HEAVEN SHALL BURN and WAR FROM A HARLOTS MOUTH, just to name some.

"For all international fans of CALIBAN's live shows, there is some great news as well: We will visit Turkey, Belgium, Ukraine and Belarus in October and November for a couple of new shows, and we will definitely conquer the stage and make it tremble.

"You will be able to get a first taste of the new songs when we hit the road with the thrash metal legend KREATOR and ELUVEITIE. The tour starts in January and tourdates will spread all across Europe. The tour is going to be long and hard, but we're absolutely sure the shows are gonna be a blast and will make up for all effort they're causing! We're looking forward already to share the stage with such amazing bands. We can only deeply recommend this tour to you all, you shouldn't miss out on it!"

Scottish folk/power metal band ALESTORM has announced the addition of guitarist Tim Shaw to the group's ranks. The band states, "The more eagle-eyed watchers of the underground amongst you may know him as the mastermind behind the epic black metal project FYRDSMAN, and as the guitarist of the now-departed death metal titans PREMITHON. He's a beastly good guitarist, and a great lad to boot. It's gonna be a fucking blast when we get up on stage and in the studio."

ALESTORM adds, "Gavin's [Harper, former ALESTORM guitarist] shoes are going to be tough ones to fill, but that's OK, because Tim has big feet. And you know what they say about guys with big feet..."

ALESTORM was recently rejoined by drummer Ian Wilson.

The band has just completed work on four-track EP, which will go on sale to coincide with the band's upcoming European tour with SVARTSOT, HOLLENTHON and TÝR. According to the group, "It's got one new awesome song, a cover, 'Wenches and Mead' in German (oh, yes), and a revamped version of 'Heavy Metal Pirates', available on CD for the first time."

"Leviathan" EP tentative track listing:

01. Leviathan
02. Wolves of the Sea
03. Weiber und Wein (German version of "Wenches and Mead")
04. Heavy Metal Pirates

ALESTORM released its debut album, "Captain Morgan's Revenge", in January through Napalm Records.

According to a press release, the quartet "plays Scottish 'pirate metal,' by their own definition, and musically resembles the great battle metal bands such as KORPIKLAANI or TURISAS, albeit with a unique touch and Scottish instrumentation."

On October 14, Armoury Records, distributed by Eagle Rock Entertainment, will release one mighty molten metal blast of good CD cheer: "We Wish You A Metal Xmas And A Headbanging New Year".

It's an all-star assemblage as members of such great hard rock bands as FOO FIGHTERS, QUEENSRŸCHE, DIO, ALICE COOPER, ZZ TOP, DOKKEN, KISS, L.A. GUNS, MARILYN MANSON, MOTÖRHEAD, BLACK SABBATH, KING'S X, JUDAS PRIEST, ANTHRAX, RATT, STYX, TOTO and more all jam out together on some of the most beloved holiday songs of all time (including "Grandma Got Ran Over By A Reindeer").

The kick is in the chemistry between the musicians as members of different bands perform together on the material to create a one-of-a-kind listening experience! MOTÖRHEAD's Lemmy, ZZ TOP's Billy Gibbons and FOO FIGHTERS' Dave Grohl, for instance, team up on "Run Rudolph Run", a song popularized by Chuck Berry. This is just one of 12 such irresistible pairings.

"This is a metal CD you will want to listen to all year round," says Wendy Dio, who put the project together with Bob Kulick and Brett Chassen. "It has been a very exciting and exhausting project, but we have managed to get an all-star cast together."

Ironically, the hardest person to get was Dio himself as he doesn't sing Christmas songs. Wendy hounded him for days, finally getting him to listen to Kulick's arrangement of "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen". Dio liked it, added a few bits, recorded it at Kulick's studio, and got Tony Iommi to add his signature guitar sound. The result is a very SABBATH Christmas song. Rounding out the circle of familiar characters on this track are DIO bassist Rudy Sarzo and drummer Simon Wright.

"The 'Metal Xmas' album was a great opportunity to pay homage to my least favorite holiday," says Dio, "and what a lineup of musicians to do it with! The arrangements of the classic noel songs are fresh and heavy with rock'n'roll, and the performances are equally classic. It's a magical way to change your holiday listening."

"We Wish You A Metal Xmas and a Headbanging New Year" track listing:

01. We Wish You A Merry Xmas

Jeff Scott Soto (TALISMAN, YNGWIE MALMSTEEN, JOURNEY)
Bruce Kulick (KISS, UNION)
Bob Kulick
Chris Wyse (THE CULT)
Ray Luzier (KORN, DAVID LEE ROTH, ARMY OF ANYONE)

02. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town

Alice Cooper
John 5 (ROB ZOMBIE, MARILYN MANSON)
Billy Sheehan (DAVID LEE ROTH, TALAS, MR. BIG)
Vinny Appice (DIO, HEAVEN AND HELL, BLACK SABBATH)

03. Run Rudolph Run

Lemmy Kilmister (MOTÖRHEAD)
Billy F. Gibbons (ZZ TOP)
Dave Grohl (FOO FIGHTERS)

04. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen

Ronnie James Dio (DIO, HEAVEN AND HELL, BLACK SABBATH)
Tony Iommi (HEAVEN AND HELL, BLACK SABBATH)
Rudy Sarzo (QUIET RIOT, WHITESNAKE, DIO)
Simon Wright (AC/DC, DIO)

05. Little Drummer Boy

Doug Pinnick (KING's X)
George Lynch (DOKKEN)
Billy Sheehan (DAVID LEE ROTH, TALAS, MR. BIG)
Simon Phillips (THE WHO, TOTO)

06. Santa Claus Is Back In Town

Tim "Ripper" Owens (YNGWIE MALMSTEEN, JUDAS PRIEST, ICED EARTH)
Steve Morse (DEEP PURPLE)
Juan Garcia (AGENT STEEL)
Marco Mendoza (WHITESNAKE, TED NUGENT)
Vinny Appice (DIO, HEAVEN AND HELL, BLACK SABBATH)

07. Silent Night

Chuck Billy (TESTAMENT)
Scott Ian (ANTHRAX)
Jon Donais (SHADOWS FALL)
Chris Wyse (THE CULT)
John Tempesta (ROB ZOMBIE, THE CULT)

08. Silver Bells

Geoff Tate (QUEENSRŸCHE)
Carlos Cavazo (QUIET RIOT, RATT)
James Lomenzo (MEGADETH, WHITE LION)
Ray Luzier (KORN, DAVID LEE ROTH, ARMY OF ANYONE)

09. Deck the Halls

Oni Logan (LYNCH MOB)
Craig Goldy (DIO)
Tony Franklin (THE FIRM)
John Tempesta (ROB ZOMBIE, THE CULT)

10. Grandma Got Ran Over By a Reindeer

Stephen Pearcy (RATT)
Tracii Guns (L.A. GUNS, BRIDES OF DESTRUCTION)
Bob Kulick
Billy Sheehan (DAVID LEE ROTH, TALAS, MR. BIG)
Greg Bissonette (DAVID LEE ROTH)

11. Rockin' Around the Xmas Tree

Joe Lynn Turner (RAINBOW, DEEP PURPLE)
Bruce Kulick (KISS, UNION)
Bob Kulick
Rudy Sarzo (QUIET RIOT, WHITESNAKE, DIO)
Simon Wright AC/DC, DIO)

12. Happy Xmas (War Is Over)

Tommy Shaw (STYX)
Steve Lukather (TOTO)
Marco Mendoza (WHITESNAKE, TED NUGENT)
Kenny Aronoff (TONY IOMMI, SMASHING PUMPKINS)

Multinational metalheads POWERWOLF are currently in pre-production for their third album which they plan to record beginning in November at Studio Fredman in Sweden with producer Fredrik Nordström (DIMMU BORGIR, IN FLAMES, HAMMERFALL).

Commented singer Attila Dorn: "We're currently sweating blood and incense creating new anthems. We can hardly tame our enthusiasm about the stuff we have written yet. Expect a goddamn mighty third strike that will be heaven in hell for all you wolfmaniacs!"

POWERWOLF's second album, "Lupus Dei", was released in May 2007 via Metal Blade Records. The CD was mixed at Studio Fredman in Gothenburg, Sweden.

Austrian black metal mongrels HELLSAW are the latest addition to Napalm Records' ever-growing roster. The band, fronted by the charismatic Aries (ex-SANGUIS), offers "an unholy blend of dark melodies, pitch-black vocals, and infernal drums," according to a press release.

The new HELLSAW opus, "Cold", will be released in the spring of 2009.

Commented Aries: "We are very proud to be a member of the Napalm family. Not only is it proof of our hard work, but also a major sign that Napalm Records return to their roots and put their faith in a fucked-up Austrian black metal band. We honor this sign of trust and in return will unleash our album, 'Cold', early next year. Fans can expect a composition of hate and brimstone, all-crushing blastbeats, and raw guitars filled with deep melancholy."

Long-running Israeli extreme metallers SALEM have been hard at work on material for a new album, tentatively due in 2009. One new tune in particular, called "Heartbeat", is described by the band as "a 13-minute long percussive ordeal that our drummer cannot yet play from start to finish in one take." Consequently, "he thought it would be interesting to let you try to nail down a song that has not yet been recorded so drummers worldwide; follow this link, download the drum chart PDF and have a go at this tune."

SALEM released its latest album, "Necessary Evil", in June 2007 via Season of Mist. The follow-up to 2005's "Strings Attached" includes a 27-minute piece entitled "Once Upon a Lifetime Parts I - V".

R&B songwriter/performer Ne-Yo, whose "Year of the Gentleman", is set to debut at position No. 2 on The Billboard 200 chart next week (behind METALLICA's "Death Magnetic"), has told UK's Daily Star that he is preparing to collaborate with shock-rocker Marilyn Manson. "We're about to go into the studio together," he said. "I've wanted to work with him for ages and his people reached out to me when they heard. I have no idea what the music will sound like or what direction we'll take, but it will be really cool. We're obviously two separate sides of the musical extreme but that's what makes it exciting. People might think it’s a strange collaboration, I don't. But don't worry — you won't see me adopting his style. I don't think you'll ever see me in make-up."

In a recent interview with Rolling Stone magazine, METALLICA drummer Lars Ulrich was asked how long he thinks METALLICA can continue to make music and tour. "METALLICA will go on forever," Ulrich declared, "bar the $64,000 question. "The physical part."

He continued, "THE ROLLING STONES, BLACK SABBATH, AEROSMITH — I have nothing but respect for their longevity, but Charlie Watts is not playing 'Damage, Inc.' three times a week or playing 'Whiplash' every night. This has the potential to go on for a long time. But if somebody's arm, back or neck just says, 'Fuck this,' and quits, I don't know.

"I could be content without it when it's time to say, 'Dude, that was crazy, now it's getting a little silly.' I know some people already think it's a joke. We don't — yet."

METALLICA guitarist/vocalist James Hetfield: "I don't know what the future holds. The fact that we've been together this long — there's a meaning behind that. We willed this to happen. It was a combination — the drive, the smarts, the right people."

He added, "Listen, what else am I going to do? That's a scary thought. I think we'd all be OK if we ventured out on our own. But I don't want to lose this."

According to RollingStone.com, new JOURNEY singer Arnel Pineda isn't finding the band's current North American tour nearly as fulfilling as his bandmates are. He misses his girlfriend and son, and the grueling pace is grinding him down. "It's very, very sad," he tells RollingStone.com. "There are days I just break down and cry. This is a job I'm doing for my family. That's all the consolation I'm getting." Traveling around America isn't what he expected. "It's all buses, stage, microphone," he says. "I never really get to go around and walk. They wake me up for soundcheck, then I wait until the show at nine. It's a fantastic job, but at the same time it's a curse. . . . I told Neal [Schon, guitar] that the only thing that will make me quit this is if I get sick. I guess that's the same reason Steve Perry [former JOURNEY singer] bailed out."

Finnish metallers BURNING POINT have finished recording their fourth album, "Empyre", for a late 2008 release via Metal Heaven. A total of 17 songs were recorded for the effort — 11 brand new originals, new versions of "Black Star" and "Lake of Fire" from the band's debut, "Salvation by Fire", and four cover songs featuring "great guests":

* Vocalist Jonathan K (ex-Q5, NIGHTSHADE) can be heard on the Q5 cover "Let Go" from the album "When the Mirror Cracks".

* Guitarist Majk Moti (ex-RUNNING WILD) guests on the RUNNING WILD cover "Gods of Iron" from the "Branded & Exiled" album.

* Vocalist David "Rock" Feinstein (THE RODS, FEINSTEIN) makes an appearance on THE RODS cover "Nuclear Skies" from the "Let them Eat Metal" album.

* Finnish singer Taage Laiho (KILPI, ex-ALTARIA) and Riku Kukkonen (ex-KIRKA) can be heard on "I'll Be Yours", a cover of a song by the very famous Finnish artist KIRKA (from his album "R.O.C.K.").

The "Empyre" artwork will be handled by Felipe Machado Franco who has previously worked with such artists as ICED EARTH, AXEL RUDI PELL and BLAZE BAYLEY.

"Empyre" track listing (not final):

01. Empyre
02. Manic Merry-Go-Round
03. Face The Truth
04. Was It Me
05. Fool's Parade
06. Blinded By The Darkness
07. Walls Of Stone
08. Remains Of My Broken Dreams
09. Sacrifice
10. Cruel World
11. Only The Wrong Will Survive
12. Lake Of Fire 2008
13. Black Star 2008
14. Let Go (Q5)
15. Nuclear Skies (THE RODS)
16. I'll Be Yours (KIRKA)
17. Gods Of Iron (RUNNING WILD)

BURNING POINT is also planning to release its first DVD in 2009.

BURNING POINT's third album, "Burned Down the Enemy", was released last year via Metal Heaven Records. The mixing sessions for "Burned Down the Enemy" took place at the Tonebox studio in Oulu. Kari "Kakke" Vähäkuopus, who handled the mixing process for the previous albums, "Salvation by Fire" and "Feeding the Flames", once again helmed the sessions. The CD was mastered at Finnvox studios in Helsinki.

Dutch guitarist/composer Arjen Lucassen has completed work on a new AYREON 3CD + DVD compilation album entitled "Timeline".

"I've been asked many times before to release an AYREON compilation album, but it just didn't feel right to present fragmented bits of story by lifting individual songs out of their greater contexts," Arjen explains. "However, my attitude changed after I completed my 2008 album '01011001' in which I connected all the previous AYREON releases, musically as well as lyrically. Having completed the circle, so to speak, it seemed like a fitting time to put all things AYREON into perspective and create an AYREON timeline outlining the entire story."

"Timeline" follows the thirteen-year evolution of the AYREON sound from the 1995 debut "The Final Experiment" to the release of "01011001" in 2008. In addition to selecting tracks from the existing AYREON discography, Arjen has also written and recorded a new AYREON song exclusively for "Timeline". Titled "Epilogue: The Memory Remains", this previously unreleased nine-plus-minute track introduces AYREON fans to the clear, powerful voice of Jasper Steverlinck (ARID). Lyrically, "The Memory Remains" provides further insight into the final chapter of the AYREON saga and what the future might hold for its characters.

In addition to "The Memory Remains", "Timeline"'s three audio CDs comprise 32 essential AYREON tracks (almost four hours of music), all carefully remastered specifically for this release. The accompanying DVD features nearly two hours of released and unreleased video clips, behind-the-scenes featurettes, 5.1 mixes, and live performances of AYREON tracks (STAR ONE and STREAM OF PASSION versions). To illuminate the AYREON story further, a timeline poster illustrating the AYREON universe and 56-page booklet containing many new photos, all lyrics, and notes on the story are included in the "Timeline" package. The cover is a specially commissioned painting by traditional AYREON cover artist Jef Bertels (see below).

"Timeline" will be available from InsideOut Music on November 7 (Germany, Austria, Switzerland), November 10 (rest of Europe), and early 2009 (North America).

When asked what the release of "Timeline" means for the future of AYREON, Arjen explains, "I don't see this as the end of AYREON, but rather as a new beginning. I'll definitely be recording some side projects before I even start thinking about re-inventing AYREON. To keep things fresh for myself I've got to come up with a completely new concept for both the music and the lyrics. I hope I can do it...it will be definitely be quite a challenge!"

Tracklist:

CD1

1995: The Final Experiment

1) Prologue 3:17
2) The Awareness 6:36
3) Eyes of Time 5:05
4) The Accusation (acoustic version taken from the Special Edition) 3:43
5) Sail Away to Avalon (single version) 3:40
6) Listen to the Waves 4:40

1996: Actual Fantasy (Revisited)

7) Actual Fantasy 1:31
8) Abbey of Synn 9:25
9) Computer Eyes 7:17 10]
10) Back on Planet Earth 7:04

1998 Into the Electric Castle

11) Isis and Osiris 11:09
12) Amazing Flight 10:21

Total time CD1: 73:53

CD2

1998 Into the Electric Castle

1) The Garden of Emotions 9:40
2) The Castle Hall 5:48
3) The Mirror Maze 6:23
4) The Two Gates 6:23

2000: The Universal Migrator parts I and II

5) The Shooting Company of Captain Frans B Cocq 7:42
6) Dawn of a Million Souls 7:44
7) And the Druids Turned to Stone 6:32
8) Into the Black Hole 10:17
9) The First Man on Earth 6:54

2004: the Human Equation

10) Day Two: Isolation 8:46

Total time CD2: 76:14

CD3

2004: The Human Equation

1) Day Three: Pain 4:53
2) Day Six: Childhood 5:04
3) Day Twelve: Trauma 9:23
4) Day Sixteen: Loser 4:47
5) Day Seventeen: Accident? 5:41

2008: 01011001

6) Age of Shadows (edit) 5:39
7) Ride the Comet 3:39
8) The Fifth Extinction 10:27
9) Waking Dreams 6:23
10) The Sixth Extinction 12:16

2008: New previously unreleased Ayreon track

11) Epilogue: The Memory Remains 9:16

Total time CD3: 77:23

DVD

1] The Stranger from Within (5.1, available on Actual Fantasy Revisited)
2] Valley of the Queens (available on Star One – Live on Earth)
3] Isis and Osiris (available on Star One – Live on Earth)
4] The Two Gates (available on Star One – Live on Earth)
5] Teaser: The Human Equation (available on the special edition of The Human Equation)
6] Day Eleven: Love (5.1, available on the special edition of The Human Equation)
7] Come Back to Me (available as CD ROM track on the EP Come Back to Me)
8] Loser (Star One version, previously unreleased)
9] Farside of the World (5.1, available on Actual Fantasy Revisited)
10] Back on Planet Earth (5.1, available on Actual Fantasy Revisited)
11] Featurette Actual Fantasy (available on Actual Fantasy Revisited)
12] Computer Eyes (available on Stream of Passion – Live in the Real World)
13] Day One: Vigil (available on Stream of Passion – Live in the Real World)
14] Day Three: Pain (available on Stream of Passion – Live in the Real World)
15] The Castle Hall (available on Stream of Passion – Live in the Real World)
16] Release Party 01011001 (previously unreleased)
17] Beneath the Waves (5.1, available on the special edition of 01011001)
18] Teaser 01011001 (available on the special edition of 01011001)
19] Featurette Epilogue: The Memory Remains (previously unreleased)

Total time DVD: approx 2 hours

Finnish folk metallers KORPIKLAANI have posted the instrumental song "Kipakka" on their MySpace page. The track was originally released as the bonus cut on the Japanese version of the band's latest album, "Korven Kuningas", which came out on March 21, 2008 via Nuclear Blast Records. The CD entered the album chart in the band's home country at position No. 16.

"Korven Kuningas" was released as a limited first edition with bonus tracks and on white colored vinyl. There is also a strictly limited digipak version (limited and numbered to 500 copies) which includes a drinking horn on a wall holder.

KORPIKLAANI, BATTLELORE, KIVIMETSÄN DRUIDI and FALCHION will team up for the "Finnish Fire" tour in November/December.

San Diego metallers AS I LAY DYING were honored in the "Artist Of The Year" category at this year's San Diego Music Awards. The band also performed at the 18th annual awards ceremony, which was held September 17 in the beautiful outdoor setting of Viejas' Concerts in the Park.

This year's "Artist Of The Year" nominees were as follows:

* ANGELS & AIRWAVES
* AS I LAY DYING
* B-SIDE PLAYERS
* GRAND OLE PARTY
* GREG LASWELL
* PETER SPRAGUE
* SWITCHFOOT
* TRISTAN PRETTYMAN

"Crawl", the new video from Swedish metallers STEEL ATTACK, can be viewed below. The track comes off the group's new album, "Carpe DiEnd" (cover artwork), which was released on February 22, 2008 via Massacre Records. The CD was recorded at KING DIAMOND guitarist Andy La Rocque's Sonic Train studio and it was mixed at Solnasound by Mike Wead (MERCYFUL FATE, KING DIAMOND).

"Carpe DiEnd" track listing:

01. Carpe DiEnd
02. The Evil in Me
03. I Keep Falling
04. Holy is Evil
05. Perpetual Solitude
06. For Whom I Bleed?
07. Angels
08. Entrance to Heaven Denied
09. Crawl
10. Never Again
11. Beyond the Light
12. Angels (video clip)

STEEL ATTACK last year parted ways with Anden Andersson (bass), Tony Elfving (drums) and Johan Jalonen Penn (guitar) and replaced them with Johan Löfgren (LACK OF FAITH), Peter Morén (TAD MOROSE) and Simon Johansson (MEMORY GARDEN, ABSTRAKT ALGEBRA), respectively.

According to a posting on QUEEN guitarist Brian May's official web site, Latvia's Prime Minister Ivars Godmanis invited QUEEN + PAUL RODGERS yesterday to his official offices yesterday to welcome them to his country but also to converse on one of his favorite subjects — rock music.

Prime Minister Godmanis, now serving his second term as the country's leader, further revealed during the encounter that as a hobby he relaxes by beating out his favorite rock rhythms on his personal drum kit.

The unlikely outcome of this official meeting is that Prime Minister Godmanis will take over Roger Taylor's famed QUEEN drum kit at tonight's Riga Arena concert for a performance with the band of singer Paul Rodgers' classic hit "All Right Now".

Norwegian/Spanish female-fronted gothic metal band SIRENIA has issued the following update:

"The new album is now completed. We just received the finished mastered product from Antfarm Studios, and we have to admit we are mighty proud of the result. Expect a release in February next year. Next thing coming up now is photo sessions with photographer Emile M. E. Ashley, while the cover artwork will be done by Jan Yrlund."

The new SIRENIA CD 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.

UK progressive metallers THRESHOLD have reissued their rare 2003 acoustic CD "Wireless - Acoustic Sessions", available exclusively at the band's web site. THRESHOLD recorded this collection of acoustic songs at Karl Groom's Thin Ice Studios (DRAGONFORCE, TRIGGER THE BLOODSHED) in January 2003. The selection of material spans the band's entire back catalog, including two previously unreleased songs written before THRESHOLD signed its first recording contract. The album also includes a multimedia section featuring a video of the acoustic version of "Fragmentation".

HELLOWEEN Checks In From The Road - Sep. 22, 2008
German melodic metallers HELLOWEEN have issued the following update:

"Canada started off with some difficulties, but the the fans made up for it: Due to a delay at immigration, HELLOWEEN accompanied by special guest GAMMA RAY lost the connection flight from Montreal to Quebec City. Since all later flights were booked, bands and crew had to hire a bus to get people and gear to Quebec. Finally the hotel was reached at 10 pm with 7 hours delay. A very tiring journey, but the next day the Canadian fans made up for it: They welcomed both bands with a frenetic atmosphere at the sold out Salle Albert Rousseau and put up a very high level for the first show in North America! Next day's show in Montreal also was a highlight for both, fans and bands — only overshadowed by a car accident which happened right outside the club and delayed the departure for several hours.

"HELLOWEEN performed the first show on U.S. ground since five years — and the fans loved it!

"The next show on the schedule was the historical stage of New York City's BB Kings club. The sweaty atmosphere in the sold-out legendary club was a very special night for fans and bands!"