Finnish metallers NORTHER will play two shows in Russia in November. Special guests will be DARZAMAT from Poland and ILLNATH from Denmark. The details are as follows:

Nov. 23 - RUS - Moscow - Tochka
Nov. 24 - RUS – St. Petersburg - Club Port

NORTHER will embark on a European headlining tour in October/November. Support on the trek will come from AMORAL and DRONE.

NORTHER's latest release, the "No Way Back" EP, entered the national single chart in the band's home country at position No. 1. A teaser medley for the EP can be found at this location.

NORTHER's video for the song "Frozen Angel" has been posted online at this location (MPG file, 41 MB). The track is featured on the soundtrack to the new Finnish film "V2: Jäätynyt Enkeli", which was released in Finland on January 5 via King Foo Entertainment. Also appearing on the soundtrack are AMORPHIS, KOTIPELTO and THUNDERSTONE, among other artists.

NORTHER's latest album, "Till Death Unites Us", was issued in Finland in January 2006 and the rest of Europe in March. The CD entered the official Finnish chart at position No. 6.

According to a posting on QUEEN guitarist Brian May's official web site, QUEEN's "Greatest Hits" album has surpassed one million units (14 times platinum) in Australia.

To put this into perspective, one in 20 Australians own a copy of this album. To further put this into perspective, officially recognised in the U.K. by Guinness World Records, QUEEN's "Greatest Hits" album is the U.K.'s biggest selling compilation hits album ever at over four million units so Australia isn't doing too badly!

Containing all their hits from 1974 through to 1980, QUEEN's monumental "Greatest Hits" album features "Bohemian Rhapsody", "Another One Bites The Dust", "Killer Queen", "Fat Bottomed Girls", "Bicycle Race" and many other songs.

Members of BLIND GUARDIAN, AFTER FOREVER and MERCENARY have contributed to the latest recordings from NEOSHINE, the German power metal project led by 24-year-old guitarist Flo Krause. The group's musical approach is described in a press release as a "blistering combination of speed, melodic and aggresive arrangements combined with high and soaring vocals."

NEOSHINE lineup:

Herbie Langhans (SEVENTH AVENUE) - Vocals
Frederik Ehmke (BLIND GUARDIAN) - Drums
Alex Schulz - Bass
Flo Krause - Guitar, Keyboards

Guest musicians:

Morten Sandager (MERCENARY) - Keyboards
Joost van den Broek (AFTER FOREVER) – Keyboards

NEOSHINE released a four-song demo EP, entitled "III", earlier in the year. A track from the effort, entitled "Book of Life", can be heard on the band's MySpace Page

Guitarist Frank Harthoorn of the reactivated Dutch metallers GOREFEST has issued the following update:

"Exciting times in GOREFEST land. Tue Madsen's finished mixing some of our finest songs ever, and an excellent job he did. He managed to make everything sound even heavier than we'd imagined. Which is quite a feat, actually, because boy, our imaginations can be all over the place, I'll tell ya! Anyway, I guess it's pretty obvious we're quite pleased with the whole thing and, indeed, ourselves.

"Now, for some even more exciting details: the title of this Headbanger's Delight will be 'Rise To Ruin'. Nuclear Blast will be releasing it throughout Europe on August 3rd, with a U.K. release following three days later. I have no idea why, but there you go. Details on the U.S. release date [to be announced]. As with our previous CD 'La Muerte', 'Rise To Ruin' will feature some wonderful artwork by British artist Rob 'Mid' Middleton."

"Rise To Ruin" track listing:

01. Revolt
02. Rise To Ruin
03. The War On Stupidity
04. A Question Of Terror
05. Babylon's Whores
06. Speak When Spoken To
07. A Grim Charade
08. Murder Brigade
09. The End Of It All

Harthoorn continues: "All this excitement will culminate in an undoubtedly quivering orgasm of aural glory at a listening session which will be held at Plein 79 in Den Bosch on Wednesday, May 9th. Lots of very important press will be invited for this, so to make sure there's actually some people there, I'll put the first ten fans that drop me an email on request@gorefest.nl on the list as well. Drinks are on us!"

GOREFEST's last CD, "La Muerte", was released in October 2005 via Nuclear Blast Records.

Finnish melodic death/thrash metallers MORS PRINCIPIUM EST have issued the following update:

"Ok, let's start with some good news. We have found our new guitar players! Karri Kuisma is now our official member and our new solo guitarist is a dude called Tomy Laisto. Both Karri and Tomy already played with us at the show in Turku (April 11). Jarkko will still be a member of MORS PRINCIPIUM EST, but he will not play any live shows.

"And then some not so good news. We decided with Joona [Kukkola, keyboards], that it will be the best for everybody that Joona will not be a member of MORS PRINCIPIUM EST anymore. And the reason why is that Joona just simply doesn't have any time for MORS PRINCIPIUM EST. At the moment we are not looking for a new keyboard player."

MORS PRINCIPIUM EST current touring lineup:

Ville Viljanen - Vocals
Mikko Sipola - Drums
Teemu Heinola - Bass
Karri Kuisma - Rhythm Guitar
Tomy Laisto - Lead Guitar

MORS PRINCIPIUM EST's third album, "Liberation = Termination", was released in February via Listenable Records. The follow-up to "The Unborn" was recorded at Astia Studio in Finland and was mastered at Imperial Mastering in Concord, California.

NIGHTINGALE, the Swedish band featuring acclaimed musician/producer Dan Swanö and his brother Dag, will release its sixth album, "White Darkness", on June 4 via Black Mark.

The album was recorded at a big theater, with many of the songs having been tracked as live as can be in the studio, giving them that little extra spark of life often missing in modern productions.

The term "White Darkness" is an expression that lead singer and lyricist Dan Swanö used to describe the state of mind he was in during the aftermath of his divorce. Most of his lyrics on this album are diaries from months of soul searching. During this dark period Dan did not write much music, so his older brother Dag Swanö (formerly known as Tom Nouga) stepped in, armed to his teeth with killer songs from the past and the present.

"White Darkness" track listing:

01. The Fields Of Life
02. One Way Ticket
03. White Darkness
04. Reasons
05. Trial And Error
06. Hideaway
07. To My Inspiration
08. Wounded Soul
09. Belief
10. Trust

Download a "White Darkness" MP3 teaser at this location.

NIGHTINGALE is:

Tom Björn - Drums
Erik Oskarsson - Bass, Vocals
Dag Swanö - Guitar, Keyboards, Vocals
Dan Swanö - Lead Vocals, Guitar

Chicago-based based brutal death metallers GORGASM recently inked a deal with Shiven Records for a multi-project deal that will include a concert DVD, movie, re-releases from GORGASM's cellar and all-new merchandise. According to the label, "the DVD is going to have lots of extras, including footage from the actual recording of the new album, as well as live footage [from] European and U.S. fests! The guys are also going to be working on a music video soon! New bass player/vocalist will be announced soon."

Commented GORGASM drummer Tomasz Pilasiewicz: "We are very excited about our recent signing with Shiven Records. There's definitely going to be a lot of good things happening with GORGASM in '07. We are planning to enter the studio in July and have the album out by the end of October. We'll be appearing at couple of major U.S. and European fest and a full U.S./Canada/Mexico tour is being scheduled for the end of October — can't say with who at this moment, but it will be a kick-ass tour! New album is almost fully written. Personally, I think it will be the most complex, yet most 'catchy' GORGASM release so far. We have performed couple of new songs at some of our shows and crowd just went nuts!!! So, we will see if people will dig the whole alblum."

To check out two new tracks from the upcoming CD, go to the band's MySpace page

Florida death metal legends OBITUARY recently entered the studio to begin recording their new album, tentatively due on September 11 via the group's new label, Candlelight Records.

"Things are moving along nicely in the studio and we are really happy with the way the new songs are sounding," the band writes on its web site. "We got a lot done over the last couple of weeks and should finish up most of the tracking by tomorrow [Wednesday, May 2]."

Check out pictures from the studio at Obituary.cc.

Gerry Gittelson of DailyNews.com reports that EVANESCENCE guitarist John LeCompt said Friday (May 4) he's been fired from the band, and he also said drummer Rocky Gray has quit.

"I'm done, and I'm pretty upset about it," LeCompt said, calling from Little Rock, Ark., the band's home town. "(Singer) Amy Lee called and fired me today. There's absolutely no loyalty in this band."

EVANESCENCE, touring in support of its second major release "The Open Door", is on a short break after returning from South Africa. The group has two dates scheduled later this month before plans to tour Europe, beginning in Paris on May 25.

LeCompt, 34, said he and Gray, 32, plan to pour all their energy into a new band, MACHINA, managed by Chris Long (CROSSFADE). Gray wasn't available for comment.

STRATOVARIUS guitarist Timo Tolkki has posted the following message on his personal MySpace page:

"I am getting lot of wishes for whatever particular feast is going on in whatever country. Let it be known that I don't celebrate birthdays, Christmas, any Finnish feast (juhannus etc) or any traditional feast at all. So please do not send me wishes like that. Most of the big feasts are just fed by the society and tradition and being followed by like a dog on a leash by the masses enslaved by the capitalistic machinery. Consume consume!!

"Tradition is a real enemy of freedom and creativity. I refuse to be a prisoner of that. I live my life completely outside society and I am only in minimum contact with any part of it. It's a beast that is in no control of itself no more, although its participants think it's under control.

"I dislike neurotic people who hide their true face behind the mask and cover it with meaningless chit chat. You can tell a lot about a person when you listen to how she/he laughs. Very seldomly you come to a contact with a person who is not scared. Everybody is so scared these days. And rightly so. But our basic nature, our basic core is not scared, it is at peace. Our organisms are just polluted by centuries of brainwashing from different kind of authoritatrian institutes and family systems that don't allow ourselves to think freely. For any kind of revolution to take place, it starts on an individual level. From yourself.

"I am sick and tired of watching the present system systematically destroying healthy life by distorting backwards everything that is healthy. For sure, the only way to save this planet would be a massive global revolution by people who care about the future. The present countries and governments will not do anything to prevent the catastrophe that is happening."

STRATOVARIUS recently entered Sonic Pump Studios in Helsinki, Finland to begin recording its new album (whose title consists of two separate words that both start with "R"). An early 2008 release is expected.

BLOODBOUND's new album, "Book of the Dead", will be available for streaming all day on Monday, May 7 at тут

A four-minute promotional video clip for BLOODBOUND's new album, "Book of the Dead", has been posted online at YouTube.

BLOODBOUND is the Swedish/German metal band featuring Fredrik Bergh (STREET TALK; bass, keyboards and backing vocals), Tomas Olsson (lead and rhythm guitars) and Michael Bormann (JADED HEART, BONFIRE, J.R. BLACKMORE, RAIN; vocals).

Finnish metallers AMORPHIS have set "Silent Waters" as the title of their upcoming album. Prior to its release, the title track will be issued as a CD single in Finland and as a download single worldwide. Like its predecessor "Eclipse", the new CD will be thematically based on an episode from Finland's national epic, the "Kalevala".

The new CD was recorded at Sonic Pump studios in Helsinki, Finland. Mixing duties were handled by Mikko Karmila (NIGHTWISH, STRATOVARIUS) at Finnvox studios.

"Silent Waters" track listing:

01. Weaving The Incantation
02. A Servant
03. Silent Waters
04. Towards And Against
05. I Of Crimson Blood
06. Her Alone
07. Enigma
08. Shaman
09. The White Swan
10. Black River
11. Sign (bonus track on digipak)

The album will be released on August 29 (Finland)/August 31 (other countries).

Due on June 27, the "Silent Waters" single will contain the following tracks:

01. Silent Waters (edit)
02. Sign
03. Silent Waters (album version)

As previously reported, The final instalment of the three-part "Eurovision Countdown" will focus on the Finnish metal scene and feature an interview with AMORPHIS' Esa Holopainen. The show will be aired on Finland's Yle TV2 on Sunday, May 6 at 18:20 (rerun: May 10, 15:35).

"Eurovision Countdown" is a collaboration between the Finnish and Swedish offices of Nordisk Film & TV, commissioned by the European Broadcasting Union. The show will be made available free of charge to all EBU-affiliated broadcasters in 42 European countries, so if you're living in Europe, check your national TV stations for a possible airing.

Throughout the summer months, AMORPHIS will be busy touring festivals home and abroad. In addition to a number of Finnish dates, several appearances in Germany and Belgium are already confirmed.

AMORPHIS' last album, "Eclipse", was issued in a limited vinyl edition in a deluxe gatefold sleeve by Black Lodge Records under worldwide license from Nuclear Blast Records. The follow-up to 2003's "Far from the Sun" was recorded at Sonic Pump studios with engineer Nino Laurenne (THUNDERSTONE). The production duties were handled by the band and Marco Hietala (NIGHTWISH) for vocals. The mixing was taken care of by Karmila (who previously worked with the group on their "Am Universum" CD) at Finnvox in Helsinki.

WELTENBRAND will present itself in the future with no less than 3 singers. Manja "Tyrae" Guckel will form an extraordinary vocal trio with Dina Falk and Ritchie Wenawasser. Furthermore, the band is already working on new material, which willl be heavier than that heard on The End of The Wizard, but continue to omit the use of electric guitars. A string ensemble and a few experimental arrangements will add to the unique sound. The lyrical subject matter will find its inspiration in both Glarner?s Book Of Sagas and the last European witch burnings that took place in the band?s hometown. Expect this release in early 2008.

НА протяжении четырех лет, коллектив ERBEN DER SCHOPFUNG практически пребывал в бездействии, но сейчас, можно сказать, kept a low profile, but now the band formed by Oliver Falk returns with new material and a new line-up. "The new songs are much heavier and we have focused much more heavily on the guitars, as well as in using more digital effects. The new material moves in the direction of Electro/EBM Dark Metal. Plus, we have added quite a few surprises," says Oliver. The yet untitled album is currently being recorded in the band?s very own studio and scheduled for a late 2007 release.

Find the latest video to the track "New Found Land", which documents parts of their European tour with FAIRYLAND and KAMELOT here (http://www.leaveseyes.de/UserFiles/Media/new_found_land_s.wmv). Alex Krull: " We are really looking forward to the upcoming concerts in Germany, the Netherlands, Scandinavia and the Baltic States. We will visit some places where we have never played before with LEAVES' EYES, and are really excited about that. We should start working on our new record in the summertime, before playing in the United States and Canada again. The release of the upcoming CD is planned for 2008, but we will be releasing the DVD before the new record comes out."

After the success of their chart album Des Konigs Henker, SALTATIO MORTIS is finally back in the studio under the supervision of producer Thomas Heiman-Trosien (In Extremo, Schandmaul). Heavy guitars in combination with Medieval sounds will define SALTATIO MORTIS? next release. Musically and lyrically, the new, untitled album (Release Date: 31.08.2007) will perfectly fuse modern times with the Dark Ages.

ary Graff of Billboard.com reports that SYSTEM OF A DOWN frontman Serj Tankian is planning a fall release for his first solo album, "Elect the Dead", telling Billboard.com it's "a rock record, but it's pretty progressive. It's very wide sounding — lots of different sounding instruments. The excitement I had making this record was the same excitement I had making the first SYSTEM record."

Tankian will release the "Elect the Dead" on his own Serjical Strike label but partner with an as-yet-unnamed major label for distribution. He says the album is a "very homemade" project, recorded mostly in his own studio in Los Angeles.

He played most of the instruments himself but did get help from SOAD drummer John Dolmayan and former PRIMUS skin-pounder Bryan "Brain" Mantia, along with Dan Monti on guitar and bass, opera singer Ani Maldjian and some string players.

"There's a very classical music vibe to this record, an operatic kind of vibe in a sense," Tankian says. "I'm now looking at whether I should mix it myself or have someone else do it. It's kind of my baby. I've done almost everything from the first piano strike to the last touches. I'm very happy with it. It's a rockin' record."

ENGEL — the Gothenburg, Sweden-based quintet featuring guitarists Marcus Sunesson (ex-THE CROWN) and Niclas Engelin (PASSENGER, ex-GARDENIAN, IN FLAMES), drummer Mojjo (RELEVANT FEW, DRACENA), vocalist Mangan Klavborn, and bassist Michael Håkansson (ex-EVERGREY) — has posted a video clip of a recent recording session at Dug-Out studios in Uppsala, Sweden. Watch it at YouTube.

Commented the band: "We have — believe it or not — been recording some stuff. Again. And again we have recorded some insanely cool stuff. We've learned a couple of new tricks and we've unchained a couple of old wolves."

In other news, "ENGEL will NOT be included in the videogame 'The Darkness', which we bragged about in the last update," the group writes on its web site. "But hey, you can still watch the video — which, by the way, was supposed to be hooking you videogame nerds on to some decent moshing — at the YouTube channel we've got going. The address is www.youtube.com/engelpropaganda and the video is called 'Calling Out'. Go watch. Good video. Not like the other crap you see here and there."

According to a posting on Ronnie James Dio's web site, Rhino has officially set August 28 as the release date for the HEAVEN AND HELL "Live from Radio City Music Hall" DVD and two-CD set. As the title implies, both the DVD and CD packages will include HEAVEN AND HELL's (the band featuring BLACK SABBATH guitarist Tony Iommi and bassist Geezer Butler, singer Ronnie James Dio, and drummer Vinny Appice) performance on March 30, 2007 at the Radio City Music Hall in New York City. The group's setlist was as follows:

01. [E5150 Intro]
02. After All (The Dead)
03. The Mob Rules
04. Children of the Sea
05. Lady Evil
06. I
07. The Sign of the Southern Cross
08. Voodoo
09. The Devil Cried
10. Appice Solo
11. Computer God
12. Falling Off the Edge of the World
13. Shadow of the Wind
14. Iommi Solo/Die Young
15. Heaven and Hell
Envore:
16. Lonely is the Word
17. Neon Knights

Polish label MetalruleZ Productions will release a VENOM tribute album, entitled "Gods of Goats", on May 14. The track listing for the CD is as follows:

661. MACHETAZO - "Black Metal"
662. STURMGEWEHR666 - "In League with Satan"
663. HANGMAN - "Raise the Dead"
664. EMPHERIS - "Lady Lust"
665. CREMASTER - "Acid Queen"
666. AQUER - "Countess Bathory"
667. BASTARD - "Mystique"
668. HEKSERI - "Don't Burn The Witch"
669. CHAOSPHERE - "Leave Me In Hell"
670. FROSTMOON ECLIPSE - "1000 Days In Sodom"
671. ARMINIUS - "The Evil One"
672. MORD'A'STIGMATA - "Resurrection"
673. TURIN TURAMBAR - "Black Fucking Medley"
674. SPINAL CORD - "Live Like A Angel (Die Like A Devil)"
615. CEREMBRUM - "Countess Bathory"
616. LUX FERRE - "Black Metal"

DIMMU BORGIR's new album, "In Sorte Diaboli", has sold 14,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 43 on the Billboard chart. This is more than double the 6,400 first-week tally achieved by its predecessor, "Death Cult Armageddon", which came out in September 2003 and landed at position No. 169 on The Billboard 200 chart.

In other news, DARK TRANQUILLITY's new album, "Fiction", has sold 3,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release.

HEED, the new Swedish band featuring former LOST HORIZON members Daniel Heiman (vocals) and Fredrik Olsson (guitar), has just completed work on a new four-song demo at Studiomega with Christian Silver and Johan Örhnborg at the helm. The tracks that were laid down are as follows:

01. Corona
02. Remembered
03. Running from the Shadows
04. Faith and Blood

HEED's debut album, "The Call", was released in Europe in June 2006 via Metal Heaven Records. Available in Japan since October 2005, "The Call" features a special guest appearance on backing vocals by former YNGWIE MALMSTEEN frontman Göran Edman.

Finnish hard-rockin' and turbo-lovin' quintet AMORAL has posted the cover artwork for its upcoming album, "Reptile Ride", at this location (artwork created by Aki Siltala).

Spikefarm Records has set a June 6 release date for the Internet-only single from AMORAL, "Leave Your Dead Behind". The bonus track for this release will be a cover of Swedish pop star PANDORA's song "The Naked Sun". AMORAL's back catalogue is also about to go digital: "Wound Creations" (2004) and "Decrowning" (2005) will both be released to digital music distributors on May 23.

AMORAL's third album, "Reptile Ride" will be released by Spikefarm Records on August 15. The CD was produced, recorded and mixed by Janne Saksa at Sound Supreme Studios in Hämeenlinna, Finland. The track listing is as follows:

01. Leave Your Dead Behind
02. Nervasion
03. Hang Me High
04. Mute
05. Few and Far Between
06. Snake Skin Saddle
07. D-Drop Bop
08. Apocalyptic Sci-Fi Fun
09. Pusher

Swedish death metallers NOMINON have posted audio samples of the songs "Release in Death" and "Life Extinct" on their official website. Both tracks comes off the group's third album, "Terra Necrosis", due late spring/early summer. The CD was recorded, mixed and mastered over a two-week period at Necromorbus Studio in Stockholm, Sweden by owner and mastermind Tore Stjerna. The 43-minute album will contain the following track listing:

01. Release in Death
02. Arcanum
03. Black Chapel
04. Ebola
05. Among the Beasts & Ancient Slumber
06. Life Extinct
07. Tabula Rasa
08. Hell Above
09. Bane Appetite
10. The Infernal Voyage

Check out the cover artwork at this location

Italian "symphonic power epic" metal band THY MAJESTIE has parted ways with guitarist Giovanni Santini and vocalist Dario Grillo. Replacing Santini in the group's lineup is Simone Campione, "a very good guitarist from Palermo is to perform at our gigs in Holland [in May] and he's also going to record the next THY MAJESTIE album," according to a posting on the group's web site.

Regarding Grillo's split with the band, the remaining members of THY MAJESTIE write, "It was a mistake to believe that with Dario Grillo the things might have run easily. We already got it four years ago when there was some communication problem. And so it was after a hard struggle to make his mind up about our gigs in Holland we decided to leave him with his troubles that may have thwarted the smooth running of our work. Good luck to Dario. This time we're sure we won't get any relationship anymore."

THY MAJESTIE has yet to announce a replacement vocalist but "we've got some interesting stuff and we'll show you it up soon," the group promises on its web site.

THY MAJESTIE's latest album, "Jean D'Arc", was in 2005 via Scarlet Records. The follow-up to 2002's "Hastings 1066" was mastered at The Mastering Room in Sweden by Goran Finnberg.

IcedEarth.com checked in with Tim Owens this week to get a brief update on the current events taking place in the ICED EARTH world including the U.K. fall tour in support of HEAVEN AND HELL as well as his comments on news this week that former ICED EARTH vocalist Matthew Barlow has returned to metal as the new frontman for Danish band PYRAMAZE.

IE.com: The forthcoming [ICED EARTH EP], "Framing Armageddon", is due for release in late August or early September which is before you tour to support HEAVEN AND HELL in the UK but not before the summer festivals (Sweden Rock, Rockwave, Wacken Open Air). Will you be playing new material from "Framing Armageddon" at the festivals? If so, roughly how many songs will you perform from that record?

Tim: Well, we haven't even talked about the songs yet, one step at a time. I would think that for the summer we will play the single but not sure if anything else off "Framing Armageddon". I wouldn't think anything else! Gotta lot of tunes to chose from…with a back catalog as big as it is!

IE.com: Mixing for "Framing Armageddon" is scheduled for early May. The tracklist contains a whopping 18 songs. Do you have any personal favorites among them?

Tim: Man, I love 'em all…I love the track "Framing Armageddon", It is heavy and I like the heavy stuff. But really they all sound great, a lot of light and shade on it, and that is what you want if you like ICED EARTH.

IE.com: "Framing Armageddon" marks your second tour of studio duty with Jon Schaffer and Jim Morris. On your ICED EARTH debut, "The Glorious Burden", you arrived at Morrisound after the entire album had been written and actually recorded. What did you learn from your first studio experience with Jon and Jim that helped you prepare for the recording of the new material, knowing now that you will be the voice of ICED EARTH for many years to come?

Tim: Well, It is a good time in the studio with them, we laugh a lot! The new stuff just sounds great, I love it, and it has been a good time doing it. I think we all know a little more what to expect on this CD.

IE.com: Former ICED EARTH vocalist Matt Barlow announced this month his return to metal with the Danish band PYRAMAZE. Have you had an opportunity to meet or converse with Matt since you joined ICED EARTH?

Tim: Man, I think it's great, Matt is a great guy and a great singer — I'm glad he is back in the metal game. I met Matt years ago, I think around '97 at a JUDAS PRIEST show. I saw Matt and Jon standing somewhere by the merchandise booth so I talked with them and got them backstage to hang out after the show. I stayed in touch with Jon after that. But I would say Matt is a friend, I have nothing but kind words and respect for him.

IE.com: Any comments on your upcoming tour in support of HEAVEN AND HELL this November in the UK? Given the relatively short history of the Dio-era BLACK SABBATH lineup, touring with them is a rare opportunity for any band which may never happen again.

Tim: This will be a blast. Ronnie is a great guy and with Wendy [Dio] being the manager of BEYOND FEAR [Owens' side project] and knowing how they run their operation, this should be killer! My favorite SABBATH was with Ronnie at the helm, however I did love SABBATH with Ozzy as well, and Ian Gillian…But Ronnie is the man! Maybe I will get up and sing a little "Neon Knights" with them…hahahahah!

Launch Radio Networks reports: NINE INCH NAILS has posted three songs from the band's new "Year Zero" album onto a file-sharing network based on the popular BitTorrent software, which has quickly become the most frequently used method of illegally sharing and downloading large files, especially music and movies. The tracks appeared on a Swedish torrent site called Pirate Bay, which bills itself as the world's largest BitTorrent tracker. The songs are available for fans to either listen to or remix. NINE INCH NAILS has also hinted that the entire "Year Zero" album will soon be available on torrent networks.

Since leaking songs has been part of the marketing campaign for "Year Zero", it seems likely that NINE INCH NAILS put the three tracks on Pirate Bay with the cooperation of the group's record label.

"Year Zero" debuted at No. 2 on the Billboard album chart last week, selling 187,000 copies in its first week of release. The group's previous effort, 2005's "With Teeth", moved 272,000 copies.

The new CD's much-talked-about marketing campaign has involved cryptic voicemails and a maze of eerie web sites in addition to leaked music.

NINE INCH NAILS will visit Australia and Japan next month. North American tour plans are still to be announced.