Swedish art-rock behemoth CULT OF LUNA has entered Tonteknik Studios in its hometown of Umeå, Sweden, to record its fifth full-length album.

The band has eight songs ready to commit to tape, having spent the preceding weeks fine tuning the material that will look to build further on the success of "Somewhere Along the Highway".

Although CULT OF LUNA is yet confirm the title, the CD will see the band attempt to adapt its sound, welcoming a harsher and more primal element to its already complex approach.

Guitarist/vocalist Johannes Persson comments cryptically: "As we close the doors of the Tonteknik studio and travel into unchartered musical ground, only one thing is sure; what will come out will have been born from pain and violence."

After issuing two critically acclaimed albums nearly a decade ago — "Domus Mundi" (1999) and "With Vilest Of Worms To Dwell" (2001) — Austrian symphonic extreme metal outfit HOLLENTHON is set to return this spring with the release of a new full-length CD. Entitled "Opus Magnum", the new effort will be made available via the Austrian record label Napalm Records will feature eight songs and a cover version, plus a video.

"Opus Magnum" tentative track listing (in no particular order):

01. Ars Moriendi
02. Of Splendid Worlds
03. Once We Were Kings
04. To Fabled Lands
05. Dying Embers
06. Misterium Babel
07. On The Wings Of A Dove
08. Son Of Perdition
09. The Bazaar (THE TEA PARTY cover) (limited edition only)
10. Son Of Perdition (video) (limited edition only)

Capitol/EMI has set an April 15 release date for "The Best Of UFO (1974-1983)", a new collection of the band's top tracks from the Chrysalis and Ariola Records vaults. The 19-track CD and digital album is chronologically sequenced with hits and other standout album cuts, as well as 7" single edits. Included are such hits as "Too Hot To Handle", "Lights Out", "Love To Love", "Only You Can Rock Me", plus songs from the "Phenomenon", "Force It" and "No Heavy Pettin'" albums. The CD also includes the song "Doctor Doctor" from the "Strangers In The Night" LP, which is considered to be one of the most significant and critically acclaimed live albums of the '70s.

"The Best Of UFO (1974-1983)" track listing:

01. Rock Bottom
02. Oh My
03. Let It Roll
04. Shoot Shoot
05. Can You Roll Her
06. I'm A Loser
07. Natural Thing
08. Lights Out
09. Love To Love
10. Too Hot To Handle
11. Only You Can Rock Me
12. Doctor Doctor
13. Lettin' Go
14. Young Blood
15. Lonely Heart
16. Chains Chains
17. Let It Rain
18. We Belong To The Night
19. When It's Time To Rock

UFO will embark on a U.S. to

ATROCITY's long-awaited new album, "Werk 80 II", which is scheduled for release in Europe on February 29 (March 4 in the U.S.), will be made available as a digipack deluxe edition, featuring different cover art from the regular version, along with the first "Werk 80" album and bonus tracks.

Like the first "Werk 80" release, which came out in 1997, "Werk 80 II" features ATROCITY's interpretations of hit songs from the '80s.

"Werk 80 II" digipack deluxe edition track listing:

CD 1:

"Werk 80 II":

01. People Are People
02. Smalltown Boy
03. Relax
04. Hey Little Girl
05. Don't You Forget About Me
06. Fade To Grey
07. Such A Shame
08. The Sun Always Shines On TV
09. Keine Heimat
10. Here Comes The Rain
11. Forever Young

Bonus (limited edition):

12. Feels Like Heaven

CD 2:

"Werk 80":

01. Shout
02. Rage Hard
03. Wild Boys
04. The Great Commandment
05. Send Me An Angel
06. Tainted Love
07. Der Mussolini
08. Being Boiled
09. Don't Go
10. Let's Dance
11. Maid Of Orleans

Bonus tracks:

12. Das Letzte Mal
13. Die Deutschmaschine
14. Verschwende Deine Jugend
15. Tainted Love (Albrin-Mix)
16. Shout (Edit)

Former MASTERPLAN vocalist Jorn Lande — who is performing/recording under the name JORN — has set "Lonely Are the Brave" as the title of his new solo album, tentatively due in early June via Frontiers Records. The CD was mixed at Tommy Hansen's Jailhouse Studio in Denmark.

Jorn Lande is one of the guests on "The Scarecrow", the third installment of EDGUY frontman Tobias Sammet's AVANTASIA solo project. The album was produced by Sascha Paeth, who also played the rhythm guitar on the CD. The drums were laid down by KISS/ALICE COOPER drummer Eric Singer and the bass was handled by Tobias himself.

German power metallers HUMAN FORTRESS will release their third album, "Eternal Empire", on April 25 via Massacre Records. The first pressing will be available as a limited-edition double CD featuring a bonus disc containing two bonus tracks, a video clip, outtakes, pictures and much more.

"Eternal Empire" track listing:

01. Contrast
02. Borders Of Insanity
03. The Wizard
04. The Raven
05. When Love And Hate Collide
06. Under The Spell
07. Lions Den
08. Circle Of Flames
09. Falling Leaves

Audio samples of the tracks "Contrast" and "Falling Leaves" are available at this location. A video for the song "Contrast" was recently shot and will be released soon.

Check out the cover artwork at StayMetal.net.

HUMAN FORTRESS' last CD, "Defenders of the Crown", came out in 2003. The band has since parted ways with singer Jioti Parcharidis and drummer Apostolos "Laki" Zaios and has replaced them with Carsten Frank and Arndt Krone, respectively.

ASSAILANT, the Umeå, Sweden-based band featuring guitarist Oscar Norberg ("little brother" of Emil of PERSUADER/SAVAGE CIRCUS fame and Nils Norberg of NOCTURNAL RITES), has posted two songs from its sophomore album, "Wicked Dream", on the group's MySpace page. Check out the tracks "A Day Tomorrow" and "Wicked Dream" at this location.

Due on March 24 via Dockyard 1, the CD "is not only more mature than its predecessor but it shows a band that has clearly found its own path in metal, very melodic yet really hard, sprinkled with influences of rock, death metal and thrash," according to a press release. "Crown of the album is the ballad 'Eternal'."

Prosthetic Records will re-release TESTAMENT's "First Strike Still Deadly" album on March 18. Originally issued in 2001 on Spitfire Records, the updated version features new artwork.

"First Strike Still Deadly" is a compilation of early tracks re-recorded in 2001 by Chuck Billy (vocals), Alex Skolnick (guitar), Eric Peterson (guitar), Steve DiGiorgio (bass) and John Tempesta (drums) to give the songs a "modern, updated" feel. Also making an appearance on "First Strike Still Deadly" is the group's original vocalist — in the days when TESTAMENT was known as LEGACY — Steve Souza (EXODUS, DUBLIN DEATH PATROL), on "Alone In The Dark" and "Reign Of Terror".

"Serenity", the new video from KOTIPELTO — the band led by STRATOVARIUS singer Timo Kotipelto — can be viewed below. The performance footage in the clip was shot in Buenos Aires, Argentina on September 29, 2007.

KOTIPELTO's third album, "Serenity", entered the Finnish national chart at position No. 8. Released in Europe via AFM Records, the CD was recorded at Sonic Pump Studios in Helsinki, Finland and was mixed by Mikko Karmila. The album's first single, "Sleep Well", entered the Finnish chart at No. 5. The track is also included in the Finnish movie "Vares 2", which had its premiere in January 2007. "The song is a main theme and can be heard when the credits are scrolling at the end of the movie," said the band's leader, Timo Kotipelto. "The music video include[s] clips from the movie. Some of the actors who are playing the characters on these clips are my personal friends and are very well known in Finland."

Former JUDAS PRIEST/ICED EARTH singer Tim "Ripper" Owens has commented on his latest gig as the frontman of the solo band of the legendary Swedish guitarist Yngwie J. Malmsteen. Speaking exclusively to D.X. Ferris of the Cleveland Scene, Owens said, "Yes, it is official, I will be singing on the next YNGWIE MALMSTEEN CD, and I couldn't be more excited about working with him. We have known each other for a while and we have never had the opportunity to work together (aside from the 'Mr. Crowley' song) until now. Back when I was in PRIEST, we had tried to get together to do something but we couldn't get our schedules to align."

In addition, Ripper told the Cleveland Scene that he'll just be singing for the project, and won't be writing material, but expects to tour behind the record. He says he's learning old and new material, including "You Don't Remember".

As far as his other band, Owens added, "I'm still doing BEYOND FEAR [which is signed to SPV Records], but not sure of the timing of everything. To all the fans who are writing in expressing their congrats and concerns, please know that BEYOND FEAR will always be a main focus of mine, but I now have a great opportunity to work with one of the greatest guitarists ever… I AM A VIKING…LOL!"

Owens first mentioned the possibility of Malmsteen's band during a live interview that took place on the January 11, 2008 edition of the "Friday Night Rocks" radio show on New York City's Q104.3 FM. While discussing his departure from ICED EARTH and the perception that guitarist and primary songwriter Jon Schaffer rules ICED EARTH with an iron hand, Owens said, "If I went out and joined somebody like YNGWIE MALMSTEEN, well, you know what you're getting into — you're not joining a band, you're just joining a project to jump in and sing with him real quick. It's a whole different experience. I thought I was getting into a band and I was promised different things, and it all worked out until now. And I think everybody does know that it's the Jon Schaffer thing. It's a revolving door with everybody, and that's a cool thing, and Jon has built this thing from the ground up."

German melodic black/death metallers SUIDAKRA will release their new DVD and "best-of" CD package, "13 Years of Celtic Wartunes", on April 25. The set will include the band's Wacken Open Air 2007 performance, an acoustic concert, and a best-of CD with remastered and newly recorded songs spanning the group's 13-year history.

Watch a trailer for the upcoming DVD here.

SUIDAKRA will make its U.S. debut at the Chicago Powerfest 2008, set to take place May 1-3 at The Pearl Room in Mokena, Illinois. The band will then join Paganfest USA (featuring ENSIFERUM, TURISAS, TYR and ELUVEITIE) as special guests on the six West Coast dates.

SUIDAKRA's latest CD, "Caledonia", was released in Europe in November 2006 via Armageddon Music. The follow-up to 2005's "Command to Charge" was recorded by Martin Buchwalter at Gernhart Records studio in Siegburg, Germany and features artwork by Kris Verwimp. The album photography was handled by Axel Jusseit, who previously worked with the group on 2003's "Signs for the Fallen". The mastering was done by Michael Schwabe at Monoposto Mastering (SUBWAY TO SALLY, DIE TOTEN HOSEN) in Düsseldorf, Germany.

According to the band, "'Caledonia' adopts the lyrical concept of ancient Scottish history, which explains songtitles such as 'Highland Hills', 'Forth-Clyde' and 'The IXth Legion'."

Canadian masters of brutality CRYPTOPSY are currently putting the finishing touches on their sixth full-length studio album, "The Unspoken King". The group recently announced the addition of new frontman Matt McGachy (3 MILE SCREAM) and keyboards/samplist Maggie Durand to its lineup.

Commented McGachy: "The studio process has been very fulfilling. We have just recently finished all of the vocal tracks and the samples are in the process of being completed. The songs are just as brutal as on the previous albums while being far more concise. We have even brought in ex-ION DISSONANCE vocalist Gabriel McCaughry to add some vocals to a track called 'Anoint the Dead'. Some of the other tracks on the album are called 'Worship Your Demons', 'The Headsmen' and 'Bemoan the Martyr'."

Regretfully, CRYPTOPSY has been forced to cancel its previously announced tour of South America in March after drummer Flo Mounier broke his knee cap. Mounier had completed the drum tracking process for the group’s new album prior to the incident, so it did not affect the recording. The tour of South America is expected to be re-scheduled later in 2008.

European CRYPTOPSY fans will be delighted to hear that the band will be touring Europe right on time of the release of their highly anticipated new effort in May-June 2008, supported by DECREPIT BIRTH and UNMERCIFUL.

Finnish "love metallers" HIM will release their new CD/DVD, "Digital Versatile Doom: Live at the Orpheum Theatre", on April 1 through Warner. The live portion of the DVD was recorded/filmed at the band's November 14-15, 2007 concerts at the Orpheum Theatre in Los Angeles. According to the HIM newsletter, "you'll go on stage and behind the scenes with Ville [Valo, HIM frontman] and the band as they give one of their most heartfelt shows to date. Also featured on the DVD, watch the journey of HIM's biggest fans as they go to Seattle to meet the band, see the heartagram photo gallery and watch as Ville recounts the journey that was 'Venus Doom'. 'Digital Versatile Doom' also features a second disc, with the full live performance from The Orpheum Theater and the package contains a 16-page booklet of original art and images."

An exclusive sneak peek at "Digital Versatile Doom: Live at the Orpheum Theatre" is available at this location.

HIM's latest video, "Bleed Well", which features footage for from the Los Angeles shows, can be viewed here.

Italian power metallers KALEDON will enter Outer Sound studios on March 10 with produceer Giuseppe Orlando to begin recording their fifth album, "Legend Of The Forgotten Reign Chapter 5: A New Era Begins", tentatively due in Europe in May/June via Hellion Records. The CD artwork will be designed by Fabrizio Galliccia.

"Legend Of The Forgotten Reign Chapter 5: A New Era Begins" track listing:

01. A New Man
02. A Wounded Friend
03. Mozul
04. Undeads Again
05. The End Of The Green Power
06. A Flash In The Sky
07. Great Mighty Light (instrumental)
08. The Greatest Heart
09. The God Beyond The Man
10. Return To Kaledon

The Japanese version of the CD will include "top-secret" bonus material, according to a posting on the band's web site.

KALEDON last fall announced the addition of singer Marco Palazzi to the group's ranks.

The band parted ways with vocalist Claudio Conti in October due to "personal differences."

KALEDON's latest CD, "Chapter 4: Twilight of the Gods", was released in Europe in December 2006 via Hellion Records. An MP3 of the track "Clash of the Titans" has been made available for download at this location.

KALEDON's first three full-length albums are now available in the United States through Mythic Silence Records.

KALEDON has been making noise in the Italian metal scene since the late 1990s. The band have released three full length albums of what will eventually be a six-part epic entitled "Legend of the Forgotten Reign".

World-renowned multi-instrumentalist and producer Dan Swanö (EDGE OF SANITY, NIGHTINGALE, ex-BLOODBATH) has finished laying down the vocal tracks for the upcoming OBLITERHATE debut album. Recorded at Unisound Studio (Sweden) in just two weeks, Dan's contribution on the vocals for OBLITERHATE is the first time in more than a decade that he has done vocals for a full-length intense death metal album.

Comments guitarist Calvin Chiang (also of the Singaporean death thrash metal band RASPATUL): "Dan is definitely one of the most down-to-earth and professional person I have ever worked with. He wasted no time in getting all the vocal tracks done and we all know how insanely busy he is. Once Dan got the lyrics from me, he did one track in just a few hours time and I can say that his death metal vocals have turned out to be even better than before! He kept getting better with each track and amazed me with how his vocal phrasings for each song have made the songs so much more enjoyable to listen to. I am really looking forward to get the OBLITERHATE album out as soon as possible!"

Added Dan: "I am ready happy with the way my growls sound and after a few days it felt like my throat surrendered and let me do this stuff without the throat pain and the blistering headaches, which is cool."

OBLITERHATE's debut album, tentatively titled "Blessing In Disgust", will contain nine songs and will be released sometime in 2008 via Pulverised Records. The project, which is said to follow a "more brutal and intricate direction" than RASPATUL, features contributions from some of metal's legendary and highly renowned musicians:

Dan Swanö (NIGHTINGALE, ex-EDGE OF SANITY, BLOODBATH) - Vocals
Erik Sayenga (WARTHRONE, ex-DYING FETUS) - Drums
Derrick Ramirez (DRAGONLORD, ex-TESTAMENT) - Bass
Mirai Kawashima (SIGH, ex-NECROPHAGIA) - Keyboards
James Murphy (DISINCARNATE, ex-DEATH, TESTAMENT) - Guest guitar solo

The legendary Jeff Becerra from the mighty POSSESSED has penned down some lyrics for OBLITERHATE, and will appear on this debut album. The other part of the lyrical songwriting and vocal arrangements will be handled by Rogga Johansson, who is the mastermind behind PAGANIZER, THOSE WHO BRING THE TORTURE, RIBSPREADER and DEMIURG.

San Francisco Bay Area metallers MACHINE HEAD have issued the following statement:

"The MACHINE HEAD family wishes to extend our deepest condolences and sympathy to the McClain family for the tragic loss of Dave's mother, Mary Douglas. Dave was on the first flight to San Antonio, Texas yesterday so that he could be there with his sister. The resulting circumstances understandably but unfortunately forced the band to cancel Tuesday night's [February 12] performance on late notice, and MACHINE HEAD would like to sincerely thank all of the fans in Green Bay, Wisconsin for their understanding. The band were, however, able to perform tonight (Wednesday night), in La Crosse, WI, once again with the amazing help of their metal brothers, as Mark Castillo from BURY YOUR DEAD, Robb Rivera from NONPOINT and Vinnie Paul from HELLYEAH all stepped up to help MACHINE HEAD perform. Mark Castillo played drums on 'Imperium', 'Now I Lay Thee Down' and 'Davidian', Robb Rivera played drums on 'Aesthetics of Hate' and 'Old', and Vinnie Paul played drums on 'Halo'."

Says vocalist Robb Flynn, "Having just went through a similar situation not two months ago, it's really a testament to metal, to see guys and their crews come together like this for another comrade in need... they really fucking brought it tonight for Dave!" Adds guitarist Phil Demmel, "We'd like to thank our friends who filled in admirably in Dave's absence, on four hours notice they learned the songs and gave La Crosse a serious ass-kicking".

Dave McClain will rejoin his bandmates for the Davenport, Iowa show this Friday, February 15, and wishes to extend his sincerest apologies to the fans of Green Bay and La Crosse; he was incredibly moved by the support and wishes from everyone there.

5TH SONIC BRIGADE, the new Sweden-based band featuring former ALICE COOPER guitarist Ryan Roxie, has been joined by Henry Ranta (ex-SOILWORK) on drums and Richard Evenlind (ex-NOICE, CRISS '99) on guitar. A new single, "Kiss of Death", is available for streaming on the group's MySpace page.

5TH SONIC BRIGADE's first single, "If You Could Only See" (originally written and recorded by TONIC), was one of the most downloaded tracks on iTunes last June, according to the band's bio. It also made it to position No. 13 on the Swedish chart "Digilistan."

5TH SONIC BRIGADE is:

Marcus Öhrn - Vocals
Richard Evenlind - Guitars
Ryan Roxie - Guitars
Peter Samuelsson - Bass
Henry Ranta - Drums

Finnish metallers TERÄSBETONI are competing in the Finnish national pre-selection for the Eurovision Song Contest. Their chosen track is called "Missä miehet ratsastaa" and it was composed by the band's vocalist/bassist, Jarkko Ahola.

Listen to the song in streaming audio at this location.

In Finland there will be three semifinal rounds in the national pre-selection for the Eurovision Song Contest, including the third one on February 22, which will feature TERÄSBETONI. The songs to be performed in each round will be introduced for first time to the public on the preceding Monday on the radio station Radio Suomi. From the semifinals, eight songs will be selected to the Finnish finals, which will be held on March 1 at Kulttuuritalo in Helsinki. The winner will then represent Finland in the Eurovision Song Contest starting on May 20 in Belgrade, Serbia.

The finals and all of the semifinals will be broadcast on Finland's YLE TV2.

Warner Music Finland will release "Missä miehet ratsastaa" as a single on February 2. The single's cover artwork can be viewed at this location.

TERÄSBETONI's new album, entitled "Myrskyntuoja", is is scheduled for release on March 19 via Warner Music Finland. The CD was produced by Hiili Hiilesmaa (HIM, APOCALYPTICA, THE 69 EYES), who previously worked with TERÄSBETONI on the group's last album, the gold-certified (in Finland) "Vaadimme metallia", which came out in 2006.

EXTREME NOISE TERROR (often abbreviated to ENT), the legendary crust punk and extreme metal band from Ipswich, England, has inked a deal with Osmose Productions for the release of the group's forthcoming album. No further details are currently available.

Notable for their use of dual vocalists and for recording a number of sessions for BBC Radio 1 DJ John Peel, EXTREME NOISE TERROR initially started as a hardcore punk band. It became quickly evident from early shows that they were far more extreme than many bands of that genre. Together with NAPALM DEATH, ENT helped characterise the early, archetypal grindcore sound: fiercely political lyrics, grinding guitars, extremely fast tempo and often very short songs.

In 1992 EXTREME NOISE TERROR appeared live with dance music group the KLF at the Brit Awards. They also worked on the KLF's abandoned album "The Black Room".

EXTREME NOISE TERROR's last release was a split EP with DRILLER KILLER, which came out in 2006 via Osmose.

Swedish math-metal pioneers MESHUGGAH are streaming their entire new album, "obZen" on the group's MySpace page. Due in North America on March 11 via Nuclear Blast Records, the follow-up to 2005's "Catch Thirty Three" contains nine songs and has a running time of around 55 minutes.

MESHUGGAH was recently interviewed by Paolo Bianco of the Italian magazine Metal Shock about "obZen". The band explained both the album title (described as a play on words "obscene" and "zen"), and the CD cover (depicting a man meditating in the "zen lotus" position while covered in blood, explained as a metaphor for mankind finding peace of mind through acting obscene).

"obZen" (cover artwork) track listing:

01. Combustion
02. Electric Red
03. Bleed
04. Lethargica
05. ObZen
06. This Spiteful Snake
07. Pineal Gland Optics
08. Pravus
09. Dancers To A Discordant System

According to a posting on the DEEP PURPLE fan site The Highway Star, the band's recent visit to Moscow was not all glitz, glamor and rubbing shoulders with rich and powerful. Russian promoters SAV Entertainment and Russkij Show Center have announced that they have "reached an agreement" with PURPLE for another massive tour of Russia and Ukraine this October. The dates are very preliminary and the itinerary is very much subject to change:

Oct. 06 - Kiev, Ukraine
Oct. 07 - Odessa, Ukraine
Oct. 09 - Rostov-na-Donu, Russia
Oct. 10 - Volgograd, Russia
Oct. 12 - Voronezh, Russia
Oct. 14 - Kazan, Russia
Oct. 15 - Yekaterinburg, Russia
Oct. 17 - Novokuznetsk, Russia
Oct. 18 - Krasnoyarsk, Russia
Oct. 20 - Vladivostok, Russia
Oct. 21 - Khabarovsk, Russia
Oct. 23 - Irkutsk, Russia
Oct. 25 - Novosibirsk, Russia
Oct. 27 - Moscow, Russia
Oct. 29 - St.Petersburg, Russia

DEEP PURPLE played a gig on February 11 in Moscow as a farewell gift to Dmitry Medvedev, the chairman of gas giant Gazprom and almost certainly Russia's next president.

Sweden's PAIN has issued the following update from its European tour as the support act for NIGHTWISH:

"Here we go again. We left Frankfurt [Germany] around noon today 'cause we had to wait for a new driver first. The new driver arrived and our 200-kilometer journey towards Bamberg began. After two hours of driving with only 20 minutes to go, we got pulled over by the police who ordered us out of the bus and had us sit in a line at the sidewalk. They searched us one by one and had us remove socks and shoes for about 40 minutes while they searched the whole bus and turned all of our bags upside down. When they were finished, they came out with a camera case and asked us who it belonged to. It contained a small plastic bag with a suspicious white powder and was owned by our new driver who, of course, claimed he never seen it before. Well... to make a long story short, we're stuck somewhere on autobahn without a driver, it's pitch black and raining outside. We're trying to enjoy ourselves [photo] watching 'Terror on Elm Street' on a laptop eating cold can food with piss-warm red wine. Another day off well spent. Everything taste better with Freddy Krueger."

As previously reported, PAIN members Peter Tägtgren (guitar/vocals), Johan Husgafvel (bass) and David Wallin (drums) were assaulted Friday night (February 22) in Leipzig, Germany during a day off on the band's European tour as the support act for NIGHTWISH. As a result, the group was forced to cancel Saturday's concert in Leipzig, but the bandmembers quickly picked themselves up and were back on stage on Sunday.

According to a posting on YNGWIE MALMSTEEN's official web site, the legendary Swedish guitarist's long-awaited new CD is now in its final stages of creation, with a tentative release date of July 2008. The new lineup that will take Yngwie's upcoming album on the road is as follows:

Yngwie Malmsteen - Guitar
Tim "Ripper" Owens (ex-JUDAS PRIEST, ICED EARTH) - Vocals
Bjorn Englen - Bass
Michael Troy - Keyboards
Patrik Johansson - Drums

Yngwie Malmsteen will attend the Musikmesse Frankfurt 2008 fair in Germany, which runs from Thursday, March 13 to Saturday, March 15.

Yngwie will take part in clinics and autographs at the Fender Booth in Hall 4 / Booth E08, and he will also play a concert on Friday night with the entire YNGWIE MALMSTEEN'S RISING FORCE band at the Agora Stage.

Yngwie's clinics are open for the general public as well as VIP musicians. You will need to buy a ticket to get into the Musikmesse, but once you're in, all clinics at the Fender booth are free.

The Associated Press reports that a woman who stalked LINKIN PARK lead singer Chester Bennington was sentenced Wednesday to two years in prison for using her work computer at Sandia National Laboratories to track and harass him and his wife.

Devon Townsend has 60 days to surrender to a minimum-security prison in Phoenix, where she is expected to receive mental health care. She had pleaded guilty to stalking and other counts.

Townsend, who worked in Sandia's technology and manufacturing group, used lab computers to illegally access private information about Bennington and his wife, Talinda, in 2006.

According to a plea agreement, Townsend said she obtained family photos, monitored voice messages and traveled to Arizona to meet Bennington, using information she learned about his travel plans. She also obtained correspondence between Warner Bros. Records and LINKIN PARK's business attorney, including a copy of a check made to Bennington from the record company and a copy of the band's recording contract.

Investigators said Townsend also hacked into the e-mail of Bennington's wife and at one point called the former Playboy model and threatened her.

Tampa, Florida-based melodic thrash metal band THE ABSENCE has issued the following update:

"Well, a lot of people have written us asking how the drummer search is going. We had some good drummers show up to the audition on [February] 3rd. We video taped all of them and watched the videos. After all the auditions we found a guy who just nailed the songs very well and we have been rehearsing with him every week since. His name is Justin Reynolds. The kid is wicked good and keeps time very well without a click track. That is a quality you don't find often in a drummer.

"So now that the drummer search is over, get ready for THE ABSENCE to start touring again and bringing headbanging metal to your town! We are all excited and feel like a huge weight has been lifted off our shoulders. We can't wait to hit the road soon.

"Thanks to all the drummers who came out to the audition. We appreciate your efforts."