Finnish monster hard rock sensations LORDI will participate in an online chat at Habbo.com on November 2 at 3 p.m. EST.

Habbo Hotel is a richly colorful, multi-dimensional virtual community targeted to teens 13-17. Since its launch in 2000, Habbo Hotel has taken the world by storm. To date, Habbo Hotel sites have been introduced in 30 countries, with more than 80 million Habbo characters created and more than 6.5 million unique users each month. Boasting a user community evenly divided between male and female, Habbo Hotel combines the concept of simulation gaming with the camaraderie of a community — enabling teens and young adults to express themselves creatively. Music fans interested in becoming members of Habbo and participating in this exciting event should go to www.habbo.com and click on the "check-in" button. Alternately fans who want to listen to the interview can go to Habbo Radio and click on the link to launch the player.

A teaser trailer for LORDI's 24-hour "Halloween Extravaganza" to be broadcast on Woozyfly.com has been posted online at this location.

The 24-hour marathon will feature interviews with LORDI, videos and the world exclusive premiere of the LORDI concert at The Fillmore in New York City (shot on October 29, 2007).

"WoozyFly is all about new music discovery and making a human connection using video online. Halloween is all about grand theatrics and visual overload. Finland’s monster band LORDI is the perfect artist to represent WoozyFly's first premiere streaming video event on Halloween," said Jon Bomser, President and CEO of WoozyFly.

LORDI's new album, "The Arockalypse", has sold 24,000 copies in the United States since its March 20, 2007 release via The End Records, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

Irish doom titans MOURNING BELOVETH have issued the following update:

"We have just finished recording album number four, and first with bass player Brendan Roche. Recording sessions were held over two weeks in the now-familiar surrounds of Studio E with Markus Stock at the helm.

"The album contains five songs and has a running time of 56 minutes. The track list for 'A Disease for the Ages' is:

01. The Sickness
02. Trace Decay
03. Primeval Rush
04. The Burning Man
05. Poison Beyond All

"Sound-wise the album is similar to 'A Murderous Circus' but two extra guitar tracks this time has beefed the rhythm creating a huge wall of sound. Musically the songs are very direct and we have cut off the flab that appeared on 'A Murderous Circus'. Combining the organic feel of 'Dust' with the density of 'The Sullen Sulcus' and some of the experimentation of 'A Murderous Circus' along with an aggressive undertone only hinted at previously we feel we have come up with the sound track for our deconstruction.

"The album is due for a February release. Artwork will be completed by Lukasz ('A Murderous Circus') in the coming weeks.

"To follow the album in March we will have a ten day tour of Europe taking in three dates in Finland, Czech Republic, Holland, Germany, Belgium and France so check your local press for details. All of our live performances are now being booked through Lugga Promotions run by our friend and ex-bass player Adrian.

"As is the norm now during recording to break the monotony we played at the Way Of Darkness festival in Bamberg. The time slot of 3pm wasn't great as it was still daylight but we played a good 35-minute set considering the drunken excursions the previous night. It was also good to see some unsigned Irish bands, namely MASS EXTINCTION and GROUND OF RUIN, play at WOD and here's to seeing more Irish bands brave the European circuit before too long."

MOURNING BELOVETH's last CD, "A Murderous Circus", came out in 2005.

U.D.O. — the German band led by former ACCEPT frontman Udo Dirkschneider — will release its "best-of" album, "Metallized - 20 Years of Metal", on November 30 via AFM Records. The CD booklet will be filled with photos from the last 20 years and and will include liner notes written by Metal Hammer journalist Andreas Schöwe. The first 12 songs on the collection were chosen by fans via the official U.D.O. web site, while tracks 13 to 16 will consist of two unreleased songs, an acoustic version of the ACCEPT classic "Balls to the Wall", and a live version of "The Bullet and the Bomb".

"Metallized - 20 Years Of Metal" (cover artwork) track listing:

01. Holy
02. Heart of Gold
03. Animal House
04. Cut Me Out
05. They Want War
06. Cry Soldier Cry
07. In the Darkness
08. Man and Machine
09. 24/7
10. Trainride to Russia
11. Independence Day
12. Thunderball
13. Shadow Maker (prev. unreleased song)
14. Terror in Paradise (prev. unreleased song)
15. Balls to the Wall (acoustic version)
16. Bullet and the Bomb (live from St. Petersburg)

Norwegian black metallers DIMMU BORGIR were honored in the "Metal" category at Alarmprisen 2007 (Alarm Awards) on Saturday, October 27 at Sentrum Scene in Oslo, Norway. The group had finished performing at Nuclear Blast's 25 anniversary festival in Stuttgart, Germany and was backstage when it found out it had won the award for its most recent album, "In Sorte Diaboli". Also nominated in the "Metal" category were the latest releases from SATYRICON ("Now, Diabolical"), AUDREY HORNE ("Le Fol"), MAYHEM ("Ordo Ad Chao") and KEEP OF KALESSIN ("Armada").

"In Sorte Diaboli" has sold 51,000 copies in the United States since its April 2007 release, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

Finnish metallers KALMAH entered the studio on October 13 to begin recording its fifth full-length album. An early 2008 release is expected.

Commented KALMAH guitarist Antti Kokko: "Rhythm guitars recorded, melodies recorded and some of the solos recorded. I'm very satisfied with the result so far. Sound kicks ass even though it is pure sound and the songs, of course, sound good. Yesterday I recorded all the melodies and some of the solos. Now we have a month break and we continue with bass, keyboard, vocals and rest of the solos in December. Mixing will take place in January. During the pause we will concentrate on the shows here in Finland at the beginning of December."

KALMAH's latest CD, "The Black Waltz", entered the Finnish national album chart in March 2006 at position No. 38. The follow-up to 2003's "Swampsong" marked the group's recording debut with keyboardist Marco Sneck (POISONBLACK).

Italian power metallers KALEDON have parted ways with singer Claudio Conti due to "personal differences" and are currently seeking a replacement. The requirements are as follows:

* No older than 35 years
* Must speak perfect English
* Stage presence
* Must be serious
* Must be available to go on tour
* Cannot have any other bands

Submissions should be sent to contact@kaledon.com (subject: "New Singer Audition").

KALEDON will enter the studio in March 2008 to begin recording its fifth album.

Swedish doom metal band DRACONIAN have issued the following update:

"DRACONIAN's fourth album is now completed. It was born in Fascination Street studio (OPETH, KATATONIA) in Örebro, Sweden, during September. For this recording the band invited U.S. NOVEMBERS DOOM vocalist Paul Kuhr for the narrative parts of the album. The album, which will be entitled 'Turning Season Within', has just gone through the last stages of mixing and we can assure you; producer Jens Bogren did an amazing job in shaping DRACONIAN's so far heaviest and most reflective creation. The release is set for late January 2008.

"In other news, DRACONIAN part ways with keyboardist/session member Elena Andersson after 14 months of service. The band gives their thanks and wishes Elena the best of luck in her various musical projects and future endeavours.

"DRACONIAN also would like to take the opportunity to thank Yishai, Yuri and Raven Music for their amazing kindness and generosity for having us in Tel Aviv, Israel performing together with THERION and DISTORTED in late August. Also a big salutation to the Israeli fans for their compliments and incredible dedication. Also thanks to the promoters, crew and fans at the Metal Female Voices Fest for a great and rewarding experience."

According to a press release, "Turning Season Within" features "raw doom elements combined with the soft vocals of female vocalist Lisa (Johansson) and the ethereal melody lines well-known to fans of the band." Songtitles set to appear on the CD include 'Seasons Apart', 'The Failure Epiphany' and 'Morphine Cloud'."

DRACONIAN released its special "bonus" album, titled "The Burning Halo", in September 2006 through Napalm Records (October in the U.S.). The CD features three new songs, new versions of several demo songs and three covers.

Dutch female-fronted symphonic metallers WITHIN TEMPTATION have issued the following update:

"Great news! After winning a Belgian TMF Award two weeks ago, we picked up another two at the Dutch TMF Awards last night in the categories Best Live Act and Best Video! We got these thanks to your votes, so thanks a lot for that.

"2007 has been a great year for us, playing live is what we love the most, so receiving two awards for Best Live Act is a big honor. Thanks again, we hope to see you soon!"

A 30-second audio sample of former NIGHTWISH singer Tarja Turunen's cover version of the ALICE COOPER smash "Poison" is available for streaming at this location. The song, which will appear on Turunen's upcoming solo album, "My Winter Storm", was laid down at the same studio where the original track was recorded — The Village Recorder (a.k.a. The Village) in Los Angeles, California.

Tarja previously stated about her decision to cover the track, "The original song has lots of backing vocals. I can say without a doubt that the song is a 'classic.' I decided to cover it after listening to it hundreds of times in the Finnish radio. I never performed the song before 'My Winter Storm' sessions."

The Pulse of Radio reports: NINE INCH NAILS frontman Trent Reznor is releasing the new album from hip-hop poet Saul Williams as a digital release, letting fans either download it for free or pay five dollars. Titled "The Inevitable Rise and Liberation of Niggyy Tardust", the record will be available for download starting on November 1. Unlike the recent RADIOHEAD download of the band's new "In Rainbows" album, which was done in a similar fashion, fans who pay the five dollars will get a higher quality audio file. Also unlike RADIOHEAD, everyone who downloads the album will get artwork and lyrics. Reznor said in a statement at NIN.com, "There are obvious similarities in how RADIOHEAD just released their new record and they way we've chosen to. After thinking about this way too much, I feel we've improved upon their idea in a few ways that benefit you, the consumer."

Serj Tankian, a friend of Williams', told The Pulse of Radio that he was aware of the new project and supported this kind of distribution. "You know, I think it's a great thing to be able to drive all of the traffic to your own web site and have that direct communication with your fans and friends, rather than going through a third party ultimately," he said. "I think over the next number of years, you're going to see a lot more established artists doing that."

Reznor said he's been working with Williams for a long time on the album, adding, "This is the most involved I've been with any project outside NIN since (MARILYN MANSON's) 'Antichrist Superstar'," for which Reznor contributed songwriting and producing duties.

The album can be pre-ordered now at NiggyTardust.com. The title is a satirical spin on the 1972 DAVID BOWIE album, "The Rise and Fall of Ziggy Stardust and the Spiders From Mars".

Reznor said about the Williams project, "You obviously will be the judge of this in the end. One thing that is very different in our situation is that Saul's not the household name (yet!) that RADIOHEAD is, and that means we need your support on this more than ever."

Reznor also plans to release NINE INCH NAILS music by himself, possibly online as well, following the recent end of his contract with Interscope Records.

Another new THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN track, entitled "Horse Hunter" (featuring a guest appearance by MASTODON's Brent Hinds), has been posted at this location. Also available is video footage of the band rehearsing a new song called "Party Smasher". Watch the clip below.

Both cuts come off THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN's new album, "Ire Works", due on November 13 through Relapse Records. The CD was recorded with long-time engineer Steve Evetts at his Omen Room Studios in Los Angeles, CA.

"Ire Works" track listing:

01. Fix Your Face
02. Lurch
03. Black Bubblegum
04. Sick On Sunday
05. When Acting As A Particle
06. Nong Eye Gong
07. When Acting As A Wave
08. 82588
09. Milk Lizard
10. Party Smasher
11. Dead As History
12. Horse Hunter
13. Mouth Of Ghosts

Swedish metallers IN FLAMES are currently at their own IF Studios in Gothenburg, Sweden working on the follow-up to last year's "Come Clarity". All drums have been recorded and most of the bass is done. Rhythm guitars are nearing completion and the group is about to start laying down the solos. This week the vocal-recording sessions will begin and IN FLAMES is receiving assistance from producer Daniel Bergstrand, who previously produced the vocals on "Reroute To Remain", "Soundtrack To Your Escape" and "Come Clarity".

BLACKMORE'S NIGHT's video for the song "The Village Lanterne", taken from the forthcoming "Paris Moon" DVD/CD, can be viewed below.

SPV will release "Paris Moon", a long-form concert DVD/CD shot September 20, 2006 at Paris, France's famed Olympia, on November 2 in Germany, November 5 in the rest of Europe and November 6 in the USA. An EPK (Electronic Press Kit) for the release can be viewed at this location.

"Paris Moon" track listing:

DVD (Running Time: 128 min.):

01. Introduction
02. Past Times With Good Company
03. Rainbow Blues
04. Play Minstrel Play
05. World Of Stone
06. Under A Violet Moon
07. Soldier Of Fortune
08. Durch Den Wald Zum Bachaus
09. Diamonds & Rust
10. Minstrel Hall
11. Home Again
12. Streets Of London
13. Renaissance Faire
14. Keyboard Solo
15. Ariel
16. Loreley
17. The Clock Ticks On
18. Fires At Midnight
19. St. Theresa
20. The Village Lanterne

CD

01. Past Times With Good Company/Rainbow Blues
02. Play Minstrel Play
03. World Of Stone
04. Under A Violet Moon
05. Minstrel Hall
06. Home Again
07. Ariel
08. The Clock Ticks On
09. Fires At Midnight

Bonus tracks

01. The Village Lanterne (studio version)
02. All Because of You (radio edit)
03. The Village Lanterne (enhanced video track)

Nick Barker (ex-DIMMU BORGIR, CRADLE OF FILTH, TESTAMENT) will play drums on GORGOROTH's upcoming tour across Europe beginning November 2007. In addition to Nick, guitarist Teloch (NIDINGR, UMORAL, 1349) will again return to GORGOROTH's live assault, while guitarist Sykelig completes the group's 2007 live lineup.

As previously announced, Hellhammer (MAYHEM) will join GORGOROTH on drums beginning in 2008.

Rehearsals for the European tour will begin this week in GORGOROTH's hometown of Bergen, Norway.

According to HEXUS.gaming, Ubisoft, one of the world's largest video game publishers, has announced that the multi-platinum selling, ground-breaking hard rock band KORN has written and recorded an original song inspired by Ubisoft's upcoming Haze video game. The song will be launched to radio and video in November 2007, to coincide with the launch of the Haze video game. The single, entitled "Haze", will be available for purchase via online music download sites.

KORN, who released their debut in 1994, has sold more than 30 million records worldwide, releasing seven consecutive multi-platinum selling albums. Their latest untitled album was released in July of this year, debuting at #2 on the U.S. album chart and #3 on the European album chart. Lead singer Jonathan Davis has often mentioned a love for video games, including games from Ubisoft like Tom Clancy's Rainbow Six Vegas and Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2.

"Gaming for me is a religion and Haze is the shit!" said Jonathan Davis. "I had to come up with a track that can hit up that kind of rush I get from the game and I think we really rocked it!!"

The deal with KORN is a first for Ubisoft and marks a new strategy of creative partnership with different figures in the music industry. "This partnership with KORN is original in the video game industry in that the song will be released and promoted as a full-fledged single, and not just as a download with the video game," stated Christian Salomon, vice president of worldwide licensing at Ubisoft. "It is a testament to the synergy possibilities between music and video games, which often share the same audience."

Contrary to the rumors that DROID has left KORN's Bitch! We Have A Problem tour, the Long Beach, California-based band continues to destroy the stage, and DROID guitarist Jamie Teissere has broken his silence to clear the air about rumors of his group being sent home.

"The rumors are not true," says Jamie. "We are on our way to Tucson, Arizona as we speak and will continue until the end of the tour."

KORN guitarist James "Munky" Shaffer got into a scuffle with Teissere last week at a stop in Little Rock, Arkansas on the Bitch! We Have A Problem tour. According to several reports, Shaffer was apparently drunk when the incident occurred and has taken "total responsibility" for the fight. KORN singer Jonathan Davis told The Pulse of Radio that Shaffer spoke about it himself the next night on stage. "That's how it all came out," he said. "He's all, 'Last night I got really drunk and one of my best friends kicked my ass and I deserved it, and that's why they're not here tonight, and that's that.' He just wanted to get it, so...everything's cool now."

DROID is signed to Shaffer's label, Emotional Syphon Recordings, and released its self-titled debut album earlier this year. Shaffer recently said that he and DROID guitarist Jamie Teissere have been "friends for a long time."

Munky could not be reached for comment, but Emotional Syphon representative Christy Priske had this to say: "The band and label bond is as strong as ever. The band has not been asked to leave the tour. Jamie and Munky have been best friends for years and the reported fight they got in was nothing more than a drunken scuffle that ended in apologies. All is well in both camps and DROID are moving forward to finish the tour."

HEAVEN AND HELL — the band featuring BLACK SABBATH guitarist Tony Iommi and bassist Geezer Butler, singer Ronnie James Dio, and drummer Vinny Appice (BLACK SABBATH, DIO) — is currently in discussions with various record labels about recording a brand new studio album in 2008, Butler has confirmed to Black-Sabbath.com. More information will be made available soon.

HEAVEN AND HELL played the final show of its U.S. tour with tour with ALICE COOPER and QUEENSRŸCHE on October 6 at the Verizon Wireless in Irvine, California. Before the encore, Indie 103.1's Full Metal Jackie presented the band with gold plaques on stage to honor U.S. sales in excess of 25,000 copies of the group's "Live at Radio City Music Hall" DVD. Vocalist Ronnie James Dio thanked the fans for their support, then dedicated the encore song ("Neon Knights") to veteran KNAC DJ Tawn Mastrey, who died in early October of liver failure brought on by hepatitis C.

AYREON, the brainchild of Dutch guitarist/composer Arjen Lucassen, has revealed the complete list of musicians who appear on the group's new album, "01011001", tentatively due in January 2008. It is as follows:

Vocalists:

Daniel Gildenlöw (PAIN OF SALVATION)
Tom Englund (EVERGREY)
Hansi Kürsch (BLIND GUARDIAN)
Anneke van Giersbergen (AGUA DE ANNIQUE, THE GATHERING)
Jonas Renkse (KATATONIA)
Bob Catley (MAGNUM)
Jorn Lande (MASTERPLAN)
Floor Jansen (AFTER FOREVER)
Steve Lee (GOTTHARD)
Magali Luyten (VIRUS IV)
Ty Tabor (KING'S X)
Simone Simons (EPICA)
Liselotte Hegt (DIAL)
Phideaux
Marjan Welman
Wudstik
Arjen Lucassen

Instrumentalists:

Arjen Lucassen: Guitar, Keyboards, Synths, Bass Guitar, Programming
Tomas Bodin (THE FLOWER KINGS): Keyboards
Derek Sherinian (PLANET X): Keyboards
Joost van den Broek (AFTER FOREVER, STAR ONE): Keyboards
Michael Romeo (SYMPHONY X): Guitar
Lori Linstruth (ex-STREAM OF PASSION): Guitar
Ed Warby (GOREFEST): Drums
Jeroen Goossens (FLAIRCK): Flute
Ben Mathot (DIS): Violin
David Faber: Cello

AYREON's last CD, "Ayreon: The Human Equation", was released in 2004. It contained guest appearances by a number of acclaimed vocalists, including James LaBrie (DREAM THEATER), Mike Baker (SHADOW GALLERY), Mikael Åkerfeldt (OPETH), Eric Clayton (SAVIOUR MACHINE), Devon Graves (DEADSOUL TRIBE, ex-PSYCHOTIC WALTZ) and Devin Townsend (STRAPPING YOUNG LAD).

RAGE guitarist Victor Smolski has issued the following update:

"The studio job for the new RAGE album 'Carved in Stone' is completed now, and finally I can listen to all tracks of the new CD by my HiFi rack with a quiet conscience, and I can say it has exactly become what we figured out before: STRAIGHT ON THE KISSER! (maybe you have to stop after 2-3 songs, getting a cold beer for a rest period...).

"From the beginning we decided to compose the songs for this CD more straight, concentrating on cool riffs and catchy melodies. Actually, with our new lineup it was easy to realize everything, as we pulled together with André [Hilgers; drums; AXXIS, SILENT FORCE] perfectly! All the recordings with our co-producer, sound engineer and almost fourth bandmember Charly Czajkowski runs perfectly, as well as the final mix with Charlie Bauerfeind. From my point of view I promise you brutal guitar riffs with fancy soli. In one song, I've hidden a modification of a real famous melody — the one who will first recognize this melody will get a present! At 'Open My Grave', my sitar guitar came into operation, at 'Lord of the Flies', I've contributed a phat keyboard arrangement."

"Carved in Stone" is scheduled for release in early 2008 via Nuclear Blast Records. Other ongtitles set to appear on the CD include "Carved in Stone", "Drop Dead", "Gentle Murders", "One Step Ahead" and "Without You".

RAGE is currently auctioning the band's original backdrop from the Black in Mind tour in 1995. The backdrop, which is 2 x 2.80 meters large, will go to the highest bidder at shop@rage-on.de. Deadline is November 11.

SIX FEET UNDER drummer Greg Gall is currently writing/recording material with a new, yet-to-be-named band. The guitarist spot has been filled by Gall's former CYANIDE bandmate Brian Loyd.

Commented Gall: "The entire recording is being done at John and Donald Tardy's (OBITUARY) studio in Tampa. So far, recording there has been a very stress-free experience. We've really had the luxury of time on our side. It's given us the ability to focus and really put everything we have into each song.

"John and Donald's input has been priceless in engineering and producing the effort to this point.

"We're working to record four songs prior to filling the bassist and vocal positions, which we look to do around November or early December. Then we'll spend some time shopping for label interest.

"This is going to be more than just a side project; it'll be something I think will really go a long way.

"We've spent a lot of time on this material and what Brian and I have written so far has me really looking forward to adding the remaining pieces of this band and the release of our inaugural CD."

SIX FEET UNDER filmed a video in August for the song "Doomsday", taken from the group's latest release, "Commandment". The band said, "We once again worked with director Mario D. Framingheddu, who also filmed our last video, 'Ghosts of the Undead'. The concept of the clip is pure fucking insanity on all levels. We were fortunate enough to work with Grady Stiles, a.k.a. Lobsterboy, who plays our main character. This has to be the creepiest clip we've ever filmed, from location, to storyline, to cast. It's totally fucked up! We are really proud of this vid and are really looking forward to the release."

"Doomsday" video credits:

* Director: Mario D. Framingheddu
* Director of Photography: Kyle Walling
* Producer: Rachel Murray
* Starring: Grady Stiles and Joe Paez
* PA's: Joe Mendez, Sarah Murray and Gian Framingheddu

Welsh metallers BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE have set "Scream, Aim and Fire" as the title of their new album, according to Revolver magazine. The follow-up to 2005's "The Poison" was recorded at Sonic Ranch studios near El Paso, Texas with producer Colin Richardson (MACHINE HEAD, FEAR FACTORY, NAPALM DEATH) and will contain 11 songs, all of which frontman Matthew Tuck describes as "really melodic heavy metal. It's not 'The Poison II'; but at the same time it's got everything that you'd expect BULLET to have — really catchy, hooky choruses and full-on vocals, and the music is very much in-your-face and heavy. We've still got songs that are like 'Tears Don't Fall', but they're much more '80s-arena influenced. It's stuff that in 10 years' time will probably be really uncool to listen to; but in 20 years' time it's going to be the best thing ever," he laughed.

Tuck added, "The majority of the album is in a totally new gear for us. We're a band that doesn't see the point in standing still or doing the same thing twice, you know? The only thing we could do was completely blow 'The Poison' out of the water, and we think we've done that."

BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE recently shot a video for the song "Scream, Aim and Fire" in Australia. Video director Frank Borin described the clip for "Scream, Aim, Fire" as "a social commentary about the facade of war and the deceitful tactics used to recruit the young men of our country."

"The Poison" has sold 336,000 copies in the United States since coming out in February of 2006 (the CD was issued in Europe in October 2005), according to Nielsen SoundScan.

CHILDREN OF BODOM frontman Alexi Laiho has told Revolver magazine that he plunged into an alcohol stupor that lasted several months following the completion of the band's two-year tour in support of 2005's "Are You Dead Yet?" "I was so tired of everything and everybody," he said. "I was just like, 'Fuck this, I'm going to get drunk."

CHILDREN OF BODOM recently entered Petrax Studio in Hollola, Finland with producer Mikko Karmila to begin recording its new album for an April 7, 2008 European release via Spinefarm Records. The CD, which will feature a guest appearance by Peter Tägtgren of HYPOCRISY and PAIN fame, will be preceded by a single on March 3, 2008. Songtitles set to appear on the album include "Pray for the Devil", "Good Morning Roadkill" and "Tie My Rope".

"I was in a really aggressive mood, so I think the songs are thrashier and faster than the ones on 'Are You Dead Yet?'" Laiho said. "It's a faster album, but some of it is more progressive. You'll just have to hear it."

NIGHTWISH: Take A Video Tour Of Band's Finnish Recording Studio - Oct. 27, 2007

A 10-minute video tour of NIGHTWISH's recording studio/headquarers in Kitee, Finland hosted by the group's new lead singer, Anette Olzon, can be viewed here (Note: The footage was originally included on a DVD that accompanied a recent issue of the German edition of the Metal Hammer magazine).

NIGHTWISH's new album, "Dark Passion Play", has been certified triple platinum in Finland for sales in excess of 90,000 copies. The CD has sold 20,000 copies in the United States since its October 2, 2007 release.

In a brand new interview with ChartAttack.com, NIGHTWISH keyboardist and main songwriter Tuomas Holopainen broke down why so many people have embraced NIGHTWISH's music like this:

"Our music is very diverse," he said. "There's the real heavy stuff, there's a lot of ballads as well, and the hybrid of orchestra with guitars, so it's a little bit for everybody, I guess.

"I think it's the honesty of the music. We've never followed any trends. We've always done things our own way. People have inner feelings when they sense what's real and what's not. Even though we are kind of childish and kind of a naive band, there is a lot of honesty, and that's what people can appreciate."

A mini-site for the new NOVEMBRE album "The Blue" — featuring the brand new video for "Anaemia" (directed by Tobias Martinsson), desktop downloads, banners, plus audio previews of songs from the new album as well as a free MP3 download of the song "Bluecracy" (available only for a limited period) — can be accessed at this location.

"The Blue" will be released on November 5 via Peaceville Records. The CD was recorded at Finnvox Studios in Helsinki, Finland with producer Mikko Karmila (NIGHTWISH, SENTENCED, AMORPHIS).

"The Blue" track listing:

01. Anaemia
02. Triesteitaliana
03. Cobalt of March
04. Bluecracy
05. Architheme
06. Nascence
07. Iridescence
08. Sound Odyssey
09. Cantus Christi
10. Zenith
11. Argentic
12. Deorbit

Check out audio samples at Amazon.com.

NOVEMBRE's latest album, "Materia", came out in 2006. It was the group's first release for the Peaceville label. The group's last CD for Century Media, "Dreams d'Azur", came out in 2002.

An eight-minute EPK (Electronic Press Kit) for the forthcoming six-track albums from EDGUY frontman Tobias Sammet's AVANTASIA project — "Lost in Space Part 1" and "Lost in Space Part 2" — can be viewed here. Apart from the identical title track, both releases (which are due on November 16) will feature completely different, exclusive songs plus videos, a poster, studio reports, a "making-of," a slideshow, and loads of enhanced bonus material, each for the price of a CD single.

The track listing for the two EPs is as follows:

"Lost in Space Part 1":

01. Lost In Space
02. Lay All Your Love On Me
03. Another Angel Down (feat. Jorn Lande)
04. The Story Ain't Over (feat. Bob Catley & Amanda Somerville)
05. Return To Avantasia
06. Ride The Sky (feat. Eric Singer on vocals)
07. Lost In Space (video clip)
08. Lost In Space (making of the video clip)
09. Photo Gallery + Poster

"Lost in Space Part 2":

01. Lost In Space
02. Promised Land (feat. Jorn Lande and Michael Kiske)
03. Dancing With Tears In My Eyes
04. Scary Eyes
05. In My Defense
06. Lost In Space (alive at Gate studio, feat. Amanda Somerville)
07. The Road To Avantasia (studio report with interview)
08. Slideshow

According to Tobias, the material on the two EPs is top notch and could have easily made it to the album as well. But because there is so much material they have decided to put out those two releases instead of a regular single or EP.

AVANTASIA's full-story album, "The Scarecrow", will be released at end of January next year via Nuclear Blast Records. The CD is expected to feature guest appearances by the following artists:

Alice Cooper (vocals)
Amanda Somerville (vocals)
Bob Catley (MAGNUM; vocals)
Jorn Lande (ex-MASTERPLAN; vocals)
Kai Hansen (GAMMA RAY; guitar)
Michael Kiske (ex-HELLOWEEN; vocals)
Oliver Hartmann
Roy Khan (KAMELOT; vocals)
Rudolf Schenker (SCORPIONS; guitar)

"The Scarecrow" track listing:

01. Twisted Mind
02. The Scarecrow
03. Shelter From The Rain
04. Carry Me Over
05. What Kind Of Love
06. Another Angel Down
07. The Toy Master
08. Devil In The Belfry
09. Cry Just A Little
10. I Don't Believe In Your Love
11. Lost In Space

AVANTASIA will perform at next year's Wacken Open Air festival, set to take place July 31 - August 2, 2008 in Wacken, Germany. Also scheduled to appear are IRON MAIDEN (headliners), CHILDREN OF BODOM and KREATOR.

In a recent interview, Sammet described the music on the new AVANTASIA CD as "diversified, pomp metal with some classic rock elements, Classic orchestrated moments and Celtic stuff, a big timeless production and so on and so forth. It's going to consist of many different elements. Bombastic kick-ass music with a lot of heart and depth."

Check out photos from the recording sessions at this location.

The new AVANTASIA album will be a concept album featuring different singers singing different characters in a story. But the concept itself won't be a sequel to the first two AVANTASIA albums.

AVANTASIA's last release was the two-part epic called "The Metal Opera" (issued in 2001 and 2002), which featured an impressive array of guest vocalists playing the various characters of the opera, including Michael Kiske (ex-HELLOWEEN), David DeFeis (VIRGIN STEELE), Sharon Den Adel (WITHIN TEMPTATION), Kai Hansen (GAMMA RAY), André Matos (ANGRA, SHAAMAN), Timo Tolkki (STRATOVARIUS), Rob Rock (WARRIOR), and others.

DISTURBED has set "Indestructible" as the tentative title of its new album, which is slated for release in the spring. According to frontman David Draiman, the follow-up to 2005's "Ten Thousand Fists" — which has sold close to 1.5 million copies in the U.S. alone — is "dark, very dark," lyrically as well as musically. In fact, Draiman believes it's much more complex and foreboding than anything they have done during their 10 years together.

"Dude, I've had a fucked-up couple of years," he said. "All kinds of horrible stuff went on. Bad breakups; I've had my garage burn down with all of my vehicles in it; I had a bad motorcycle accident that took off a whole bunch of skin from my forearm — just bad luck. It's been a fierce past couple of years, and all kinds of shit has gone down. This is therapy, man — I need to get this shit out of me."

Regarding the new album's lyrical direction, Draiman said, "This record, it's kind of all over the place, stylistically. There's a good amount of material on this record that's very reminiscent of [2000's] 'The Sickness'. There's also probably an equal part, or maybe a little less than equal part, of material on the record that has those elements that [2002's] 'Believe' and 'Ten Thousand' brought into the picture — the more intensely melodic stuff, the guitar solos. [Guitarist Dan Donegan is] just shredding, and [drummer Mike Wengren] is doing stuff on this record, and I can't even figure out how he does it. It's really a complex, dark and very fast and furiously paced record.

"These songs, to me, are a lot more interesting than anything we've done in a while," he added. "Just very, very cool, very different, very aggressive, with a lot of that very syncopated vocal style that I kind of took a turn from for a while — that's really come back very prominently on this record."

Former NIGHTWISH singer Tarja Turunen's new song "The Reign" is available for streaming on YouTube. The audio track includes a commentary by Tarja on how the track was conceived and the inspiration behind its lyrics.

"The Reign" comes off Turunen's new solo album, "My Winter Storm", which will be released on the following dates:

Nov. 14 - Finland
Nov. 16 - Germany, Switzerland, Austria
Nov. 17 - Australia
Nov. 19 - Iceland, Netherlands, UK, France, Malaysia, Russia, New Zealand, Spain, Belgium, Czech Republic, Slovakia, Hungary, Norway, Portugal, Central America, Denmark
Nov. 20 - Canada
Nov. 21 - Sweden, Israel
Nov. 25 - Argentina

The cover artwork for "My Winter Storm" has been posted online at this location. The CD was produced by Daniel Presley (FAITH NO MORE, JEWEL, THE BREEDERS), who has been joined in the studio by a truly stellar line-up of musicians: Doug Wimbish on bass (LIVING COLOUR, ANNIE LENNOX, JOE SATRIANI, JEFF BECK, MADONNA, ROLLING STONES), Alex Scholpp on electric guitars (FARMER BOYS) and Earl Harvin on drums (SEAL, PET SHOP BOYS, AIR), a player personally selected by Tarja after she saw him stealing the show at a SEAL concert. Keyboards and programming, meanwhile, are being provided by Torsten Stenzel, whose previous credits include NELLY FURTADO, MOBY, TINA TURNER, VANESSA MAE and more.

The behind-the-scenes footage shot during the making of Tarja's video for the song "I Walk Alone" can be viewed here. The clip was shot in Berlin, Germany with director Jörn Heitmann, who previously worked with NIGHTWISH on the "Sleeping Sun" clip in 2005. The "I Walk Alone" single will be released on October 29 (October 26 in Germany) via Universal Music.