BLABBERMOUTH.NET can reveal that former MEGADETH/ICED EARTH bassist James MacDonough will be joining SPEED\KILL/HATE for their upcoming Metal Crusaders North American tour with VADER, KATAKLYSM, DESTRUCTION, GRAVEWORM and THE ABSENCE. MacDonough will be filling in for regular SPEED\KILL/HATE bassist Derek Tailer, who is unable to do the tour due to "personal reasons." Also touring with SPEED\KILL/HATE as a session member will be drummer Tony Ochoa, who has previously played with cult metal band SINDROME (whose lineup also included current SOIL guitarist Shaun Glass).

SPEED\KILL/HATE is the "old-school thrash" project featuring OVERKILL (past and present) members Tailer, Dave Linsk (guitar), and Tim Mallare (drums). The band's debut album, "Acts of Insanity", was released in February 2005 via Listenable Records. A video for the song "Face the Pain" was filmed on April 6, 2005 with director Anthony M. Bongiovi of TBJ Entertainment, Inc., who has previously worked with SLAYER ("War at the Warfield" DVD), MARILYN MANSON ("Guns, God & Government" DVD), AC/DC and GODSMACK, among others.

MacDonough parted ways with MEGADETH in February due to "personal differences." His replacement in MEGADETH is James Lomenzo, who has previously played with BLACK LABEL SOCIETY and WHITE LION, among other bands.

KREATOR's video for their song "Enemy of God" has been posted online at this location. The clip was shot on February 6 in Berlin, Germany with director Jörn Heitmann, known for his work with RAMMSTEIN ("Keine Lust") and THE RASMUS. More information about Heitmann's work can be found at www.katapultfilm.de.

"Enemy of God" is the title track of KREATOR's latest album, available now on SPV Records. The follow-up to 2001's "Violent Revolution" was recorded and mixed at Backstage Studios in Derbyshire, England with producer Andy Sneap (MACHINE HEAD, SKINLAB, NEVERMORE). ARCH ENEMY guitarist Michael Amott makes a guest appearance on lead guitar on the track "Murder Fantasies".

A video for the first single, "Nothin' to Lose", from the upcoming self-titled debut from REBEL MEETS REBEL — the project featuring three of the founding members of PANTERA (drummer Vinnie Paul, guitarist "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott and bassist Rex Brown) together with legendary country singer/outlaw David Allan Coe — has been posted online at this location (Windows Media). The song starts off with the sounds of David and Dimebag playing slot machines, and then you hear the awesome crunch of that classic Dimebag groove.

Described as a unique crossover of country, metal and rock, REBEL MEETS REBEL's self-titled CD (cover) was recorded and mixed over a four-year period (1999-2003) at Chasin Jason studios in Dalworthington Gardens, Texas.

"DimeVision - Vol 1: That's The Fun I Have" (cover) will feature both performance footage and offstage antics from the legendary guitarist. Vinnie Paul recently told Launch that the disc captures the essence of Abbott's personality. "I think it's a really amazing tribute to my brother and it'll put a smile on your face," he said. "It'll make you laugh and there's stuff on there that people have never seen, and there's stuff on there I'd never seen, that just — I couldn't believe it. I was just like, 'Man, nobody could cut up like Dime.'"

Abbott was killed onstage in December of 2004 by a deranged fan during a DAMAGEPLAN concert in Columbus, Ohio.

Norwegian black metalers KHOLD have issued the following statement:

"We are sorry to announce that KHOLD has been put on ice for an undetermined length of time. The members of KHOLD feel they need a break to gather their thoughts about the future. The members will each have their own projects from this day on.

"Sarke [drums] and Gard [guitar, vocals] will continue with their pre-KHOLD project, TULUS. They will enter studio and record their fourth album. Rinn [guitar] is about to build his own studio and will start producing other artists as well as continuing a previous project, SENSA ANIMA. Grimd is proud to announce that he will be an organ donor. In order to keep his organs in the best possible condition he will make sure they're drenched with alcohol most of the time.

"This announcement does not mean that KHOLD is dead and buried. We all still keep in touch with each other. If the time is right KHOLD will once again rise from the icy north!

"We would like to thank all our fans for all your support through all these years!"

German death metallers DISBELIEF have re-signed with Massacre Records after issuing their last CD, "66 Sick" (2005), through Nuclear Blast Records. The band are planning on entering the studio in October with producer Michael Mainx to begin recording their seventh album, tentatively titled "Navigator", for an early 2007 release.

In other news, DISBELIEF have announced that guitarist Tommy Fritsch has joined the band as a full-time member following the departure of Olly Lenz late last year due to "health problems."

DISBELIEF have been confirmed for the Monsters of Rock festival, set to take place August 3-7 at the Black Sea resort of Varna in Bulgaria. Also scheduled to appear are ANNIHILATOR, ATROCITY, AXEL RUDI PELL, CELTIC FROST, EDGUY, FEAR FACTORY, GAMMA RAY, KREATOR, MASTERPLAN, METAL CHURCH, MICHAEL SCHENKER GROUP, MOTÖRHEAD, NEVERMORE, OPETH, ROSE TATTOO, SAXON, U.D.O., UFO and ULI JON ROTH, among many others.

DISBELIEF's sixth album, "66 Sick" was recorded at Antfarm Studio in Aarhus, Denmark with producer Tue Madsen (THE HAUNTED, HATESPHERE, MNEMIC).

According to a posting on SMASHING PUMPKINS' web site, the band have officially reformed and are currently writing songs for their upcoming album, their first since 2000. No release date has yet been set, but the group plans to begin recording this summer.

In early February, onetime SMASHING PUMPKINS bassist Melissa Auf Der Maur as well as an undisclosed source "close to the situation" confirmed to MTV News that PUMPKINS bandleader Billy Corgan has been working on material that will, at some point, surface in the form of a new SMASHING PUMPKINS album. "Everyone knows Billy doesn't need too many people to make a PUMPKINS record, other than Jimmy [Chamberlin, longtime PUMPKINS drummer] — who he has [on board]," Auf Der Maur said at the time. A spokesperson for Azoff Management also confirmed that Corgan and Chamberlin had signed on with the firm as SMASHING PUMPKINS, and that the two have been writing new music.

Auf Der Maur said she wasn't not sure whether Corgan had reached out to guitarist James Iha or bassist D'Arcy Wretzky to complete the band's original lineup, but she said she'd told Corgan that she'd be happy to pitch in if he needed her; Auf Der Maur replaced Wretzky in 1999 and worked with the group until it disbanded in 2000.

German power metallers PARAGON have set "Gangland" as the working title of their new album, which they expect to begin recording later in the year.

Songtitles set to appear on the CD include "Hammer of the Gods", "Souleaters", "Gangland", "Forgotten Prophecies", "Face of Death", "Halls of Doom" and "Agony". "We are in negonations with the next producer and hope we can announce it soon," bassist Jan Bünning writes on the group's web site. "Just a hint — it's also somebody from Hamburg."

PARAGON's latest album, "Revenge", was released in the U.S. in April 2005 via Magick Records. The CD was the follow-up to "The Dark Legacy", which was released in 2003 by Remedy.

A live video of NICKELBACK performing their track "Side of a Bullet" - featuring a solo by late PANTERA/DAMAGEPLAN guitarist "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott played over the speakers and a large screen with video footage of Dimebag going through the whole song - has been posted online at YouTube.com.

"Side of a Bullet", which was written by NICKELBACK frontman Chad Kroeger as a tribute to his fallen friend, was featured on NICKELBACK's most recent album, "All the Right Reasons", which came out last October via Roadrunner Records. Kroeger initially wanted Abbott's brother, PANTERA and DAMAGEPLAN drummer Vinnie Paul, to play drums on the track, but Paul didn't think he could improve on NICKELBACK drummer Daniel Adair's take. Kroeger told Launch that Paul put another idea in motion instead. "Darrell's wife, Rita, got in touch with us and just started sending us all this stuff, like, him playing so many different solos, and we pieced this solo together and it fits the song so well," Chad said. "And it's kind of spooky to be singing about him, you know, your friend who's gone, and then have him play this shredding, amazing guitar solo."

"Side of a Bullet" was written three months after Abbott was shot to death by a disturbed gunman during a December 8, 2004 DAMAGEPLAN concert in Columbus, Ohio. Kroeger told Launch how he felt when he heard about Abbott's death and how he's dealt with it since. "I was very, very upset and really angry," he said. "I couldn't understand why somebody would do that. I stay in touch, I call Vinnie and just try and keep his mind off of things. It's nice to let him know that he could just call you up and talk about anything - it doesn't have to be about Darrell - and just be there for him."

German metallers SACRED STEEL will enter the Spiderhouse studio in Berlin on July 10 with legendary producer Harris Johns (VOIVOD, HELLOWEEN, ST. VITUS, DEPRESSIVE AGE, SODOM, KREATOR) to begin recording their sixth album, tentatively titled "Hammer of Destruction".

Mixing will take place at the Music Lab Studio at the heart of the German capital. Sontitles set to appear on the CD include "Where Demons Dare To Tread", "Impaled By Metal", "Children of the Spirit", "Pounding Inferno" and "Hell Insanity". A November 2006 release via Massacre Records is expected.

As previously reported, guitarists Oliver Großhans and Jörg M. Knittel left SACRED STEEL late last year in order to concentrate on their other projects MY DARKEST HATE and DAWN OF WINTER. Replacing them in the group's current lineup are Jonas Khalil (guitar) and Kai Schindelar (bass, also in LANFEAR). Jens Sonnenberg, who previously played bass in SACRED STEEL, has switched to guitar.

SACRED STEEL's most recent CD, "Iron Blessings", came out in July 2004 on Massacre Records.

CARNIVORE have now been officially confirmed for the Wacken Open Air festival, set to take place August 3-5 in Wacken, Germany. CARNIVORE's performance is slated for August 4, according to posting on the official Wacken web site. CARNIVORE are also expected to appear at the Monsters of Rock festival in Bulgaria on August 3. A possibility exists that the band will play some U.S. shows as well.

CARNIVORE 2006 lineup:

Peter Steele (TYPE O NEGATIVE) - Vocals, Bass
Paul Bento (METAL HEALTH ASSOCIATION) - Guitar, Vocals
Joey Zampela (LIFE OF AGONY) - Guitar, Vocals
Steve Tobin (METAL HEALTH ASSOCIATION, ex-DUST TO DUST) - Drums, Vocals

Natives of Brooklyn, N.Y., CARNIVORE spent their early years in the 1980s earning a reputation as one of the area's most dangerous bands. Dressed to the hilt in fur-covered shoulder pads, spikes, hockey equipment, nails and anything that gave them the appearance of flesh-eating monsters, CARNIVORE frequently drenched the front rows of their audiences with blood, brains, and innards, provoking a maniacal reaction like frenzied sharks being taunted with buckets of chum.

Original CARNIVORE guitarist Keith Alexander (later of the short-lived PRIMAL SCREAM project) was killed in a bike accident on July 11, 2005. In addition to playing with CARNIVORE, Alexander spent a three-year stint with Dee Snider of TWISTED SISTER, touring extensively throughout North America and Scandinavia, with some audiences numbering over 20,000.

Nebraska-based melodic metallers CELLADOR have completed the mastering process for their debut album, "Enter Deception", for a June 27 release on Metal Blade Records. The CD was recorded at Mana Studios in Tampa, Florida with producer Erik Rutan (MORBID ANGEL, HATE ETERNAL).

"Enter Deception" (view cover artwork here) final track listing:

01. Leaving All Behind
02. A Sign Far Beyond
03. Never Again
04. Forever Unbound
05. Seen Through Time
06. Wakening
07. Releasing the Shadow
08. No Chances Lost

Bonus Tracks:

09. Forever Unbound (demo version)
10. No Chances Lost (demo version)

Commented the band: "As some of you have noticed from our last update, our original second track, 'The Final Regret', didn't make the final tracklist purely due to issues of time schedules and most definitely not due to issues of song quality. It sucks because the song was 230 BPM and was probably our most extreme. The song will be released at a later time."

In a recent interview Phil Collins spilled the beans on the meeting Collins had with Mike Rutherford, Tony Banks, Peter Gabriel and Steve Hackett on November 19th 2005. According to Collins the band discussed taking out "The Lamb Lies Down On Broadway" for a short run of shows, and filming it for DVD release. He also emphasised that there would be no extensive touring.

However, don't rush out to the booking office just yet, as some three weeks earlier Peter Gabriel already said in an interview in Germany that though a reunion had been discussed, he prefers to focus on new projects rather than reliving the past.

Meanwhile, Steve Hackett had the following to say on the subject on possible reunion of GENESIS:

"Unfortunately I'm not in a position to...I comment on things and I think that masses of the stuff has had a fantastically good job done on it and one or two things are still in a state of conjecture but I have no idea when that stuff is to be released......and of course the ideal time would be if there was a band reformation but I don't think anyone is any the wiser. The band isn't any the wiser than the fans are and so with regards to that we have all given our pitch and let's just say that most of us are hoping it is going to come off. I would love to be able to say 'Yes, I'll be there on Thursday!' It is the question on everyone's lips, including mine. If it doesn't happen, I won't be to blame."

Amazon.com has released more information about KORN's upcoming DVD, "Live on the Other Side", due on June 20. The set features KORN's performance at the "intimate" Hammerstein Ballroom in New York city, shot last fall as the band launched their new record, "See You on the Other Side", for a group of their closest fans.

"Live on the Other Side" (view cover here) track listing:

01. Intro
02. Here to Stay
03. Twist
04. Got the Life
05. A.D.I.D.A.S.
06. Coming Undone
07. Dirty
08. Falling Away From Me
09. Twisted Transistor
10. Did My Time
11. Shoots and Ladders/One
12. Freak on a Leash
13. Another Brick in the Wall
14. Blind
15. Somebody Someone
16. Hypocrites
17. Y'all Want a Single

Century Media recording artists Angela Gossow (ARCH ENEMY) and Barney Greenway (NAPALM DEATH) have been nominated for PETA's (People For The Ethical Treatment Of Animals) sexiest vegetarian of 2006. Interviewed in 2005 for the PETA web site, vocalist Barney Greenway and NAPALM DEATH will be the first band to lend their image to PETA's new anti-vivisection campaign, "Save #99". Calling vivisection "the ultimate act of disrespect," Barney was honored that the band was chosen to pioneer this campaign.

Former SKID ROW frontman Sebastian Bach will enter the studio on May 7 to begin recording his long-awaited second solo album, tentatively titled "Angel Down", for a September 2006 release through Spitfire Records. "We are recording the CD in Los Angeles and are putting together tour plans right now beginning with [an appearance at the Rock In Kavarna festival in] Bulgaria [on July 15]," Bach writes on his web site.

Bach's current touring/recording lineup consists of the following:

Sebastian Bach - Vocals
Metal" Mike Chlasciak (HALFORD, PAINMUSEUM) - Guitar
Steve DiGiorgio (SADUS, ex-DEATH, TESTAMENT) - Bass
Bobby Jarzombek (ICED EARTH, HALFORD) - Drums
Johnny Chromatic - Guitar

Floridian death metallers HATE ETERNAL have posted the following message on their official web site:

"[We] wanted to let you all know we have finally secured European dates that will not get cancelled. We want to apologize to all our European fans for the delay and cancellations due to problems within the band. We are ecstatic about touring Europe and proud to announce Reno Kiilerich [ex-DIMMU BORGIR, DEW-SCENTED, VILE, PANZERCHRIST] as our drummer for this European tour. Reno has done tremendous things in the genre and we are very excited to welcome him to the fold. He will do an amazing job and we are very eager to tour together.

"Our USA tour [with CHIMAIRA and ARCH ENEMY] has been incredible, close to 1,000 people a night and has been one of the best tours we have ever done. [Stand-in drummer] Kevin Talley [ex-CHIMAIRA, MISERY INDEX] is doing an incredible job and tearing it up every night. We really feel rejuvenated and this tour has been truly amazing. Look forward to seeing you all out there soon!"

HATE ETERNAL's last album, "I, Monarch", was released in June 2005 via Earache Records.

MelodicRock.com has uploaded sound clips of all 11 tracks on the new solo album from former HELLOWEEN singer Michael Kiske, simply entitled "Kiske". Check out the audio samples at this location.

Featuring Karsten Nagel — Michael's old schoolmate — on drums and Sandro Giampietro and Fontaine Burnett on guitars and bass, respectively, "Kiske" is said to be a very personal statement — from the beginning to the end. "The best way of describing what this record stands for in my mind and personal world would be: it's a health-careless and musically free!" said Kiske in less-than-perfect English. "I somehow managed to break down or overcome more subconscious barriers as a songwriter this time. I was able to write and produce a record that could either be a nice ending or beginning for a new career.'

"Kiske" track listing:

01. Fed By Stones
02. All-Solutions
03. Knew I Would
04. Kings Fall
05. Hearts Are Free
06. The King Of It All
07. Sing My Song
08. Silently Craving
09. Truly
10. Painted
11. Sad As The World

"Kiske" is scheduled for release on May 19 via Frontiers Records.

Along with the release of the new studio record, Michael Kiske has worked out a deal with Frontiers Records to reissue his first solo album, "Instant Clarity", which originally came out in 1996. This 2006 reissue will be sold as part of a mid-price series and will include three newly recorded bonus tracks and the original Japan-only bonus track.

Legendary death metallers AUTOPSY will release their long-awaited posthumous double-DVD, "Dark Crusades", on May 22. "Unfortunately, due to length problems, we have had to trim some of the content," reads a Peaceville press release. "It still runs at 3 hours and is filled to bursting with almost everything they ever filmed — a must for fans!"

"Dark Crusades" tentative track listing:

Disc 1:

01. 1988 Rehearsal, San Francisco Show,br>
02. Nighttown, Rotterdam Show
03. San Pedro, California Show
04. Hong Kong Cafe, L.A. Show
05. July 29, 1994 Ruthless Inn, San Francisco Show (last-ever gig)

Disc 2:

01. Stone, San Francisco Show
02. Tour Diary and behind the scenes footage
03. "Tortured Moans of Agony" - video clip

AUTOPSY's lineup included drummer/vocalist Chris Reifert, who played on DEATH's seminal debut, "Scream Bloody Gore". The band broke up around the time of their fourth and final album, "Shit Fun" (1995), with Reifert and guitarist Danny Coralles moving on to ABSCESS.

Italy's THY MAJESTIE have parted ways with singer Giulio Di Gregorio (IRENCROS). "There are a lot of personal reasons for this choice, but it had to be done," the band write on their web site. "It will be really difficult to find a replacement here in Sicily, so at the moment THY MAJESTIE's future is uncertain. We hope to come back soon with good news.

"We have posted on our site a .Zip file with some mp3s of our latest album, if you think that you are a professional singer and you would like to join THY MAJESTIE, please download the file from here: MP3s, add your voice and then send back the mp3 to our official address. We will let you know."

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

Massacre Records has set an August 4 European release date for the new album from the German gothic metallers CREMATORY, entitled "Klagebilder". The LP will be available as a limited digipak, jewel-case CD and big-sized box set including a bonus CD.

CREMATORY's live DVD/CD package, entitled "Liverevolution", was released last summer via the group's own label, CRC. The package contained the show from 2004's Wave Gotik Treffen festival, three clips from the band's comeback CD, "Revolution", and loads of private and backstage behind-the-scenes material.

Canada's pioneering metal band VOIVOD have set July 25, 2006 as the North American release date (via The End Records) for their much-anticipated new album, "Katorz".

As previously reported, VOIVOD recorded and mixed the album with producer Glen Robinson (ANNIHILATOR, TEA PARTY, GWAR) at Multisons studio in Montreal, Quebec, Canada and mastered the CD in New York.

The follow-up to 2003's "Voivod", "Katorz" is the first album in the band's 20-plus-year career that did not feature founding guitarist Denis "Piggy" D'Amour working alongside his bandmembers in the studio. D'Amour died August 26, 2005 in a Montreal hospital from complications of advanced colon cancer. In order to record "Katorz", singer Denis "Snake" Belanger, drummer Michael "Away" Langevin, and bassist Jason "Jasonic" Newsted utilized all of the guitar parts that Piggy had recorded for the record on his laptop with ProTools before his death.

Check out the track "The X-Stream", taken from the upcoming CD, in streaming audio format at MP3.com.

CRADLE OF FILTH have set "Thornography" as the title of their new album, due on September 19 via Roadrunner Records. Songtitles set to appear on the CD include "Libertina Grim", "Tonight in Flames", "Cemetery and Sundown", "I Am the Thorn", "The Byronic Man" (featuring guest vocals from H.I.M.'s Ville Valo) and "Temptation".

The follow-up to 2004's "Nymphetamine", "Thornography" was recorded at Lincolnshire, England's Chapel studios with producer Rob Caggiano (BLEEDING THROUGH, ANTHRAX).

"I'm not saying it's 'experimental,' but we're definitely testing the limits of what we can do," CRADLE frontman Dani Filth recently told Revolver magazine about the new CD. "This is our sixth or seventh record, so we're trying to spice things up to keep the marriage going!"

"We were hungry to write again," Filth added. Once we finished all our tours [in 2005], we spent the summer just writing. Nobody really throught about where it was going, which is why I think it's really fresh sounding. A lot of the songs are really rhythmical — thrashy, almost — but they're all also really catchy."

With their 10th studio album, the German rock band BONFIRE and its original members, singer Claus Lessmann and guitarist Hans Ziller, celebrate the band's 20th anniversary. The new album "Double X" takes you back to Bonfire's roots. Thus, one may be tempted to call it the follow-up to their bestsellers "Fireworks" or "Strike Ten".

"Double X" impresses with powerful, pumping and transparent melodic hard rock. With uptempo tracks such as "Day 911" or the double bass shuffle "Bet Your Bottom Dollar", the rockers from Ingolstadt show that they still know how to kick ass. But also the committed "Cry For Help" and the monumental "Blink Of An Eye" will immediately touch the listeners. In the controversial "Rap Is Crap!", singer Claus Lessmann critically and sarcastically deals with this kind of music.

Even after 20 years, BONFIRE still represent an extremely creative team. The band's current line-up is completed by bass player Uwe Koehler, drummer Juergen Wiehler as well as guitarist Chris Limburg. "Double X" delivers great rock. With "Right Things Right" and "But We Still Rock" BONFIRE fortify their claim to leadership as one of the best German bands of their genre. To quote one of their older song titles “Hot To Rock“: The boys are still hot and rock big time!

"Double X" tracklisting (cover here):

1) Day 911
2) But We Still Rock
3) Cry For Help
4) Bet Your Bottom Dollar
5) What's On Your Mind
6) Blink Of An Eye
7) Rap Is Crap!
8) Nation Of Love
9) Right Things Right
10) Hard To Say
11) Wings Of Fly
12) So What

MEGADETH commenced the recording process for the follow-up to 2004's "The System Has Failed" on Wednesday (April 19) in a studio outside of London, England with producer Jeff Balding. Recording is planned to continue over the next two weeks with director Michael Sarna (who directed the band's "Of Mice And Men" video) filming the process. Exclusive clips will be available to MEGADETH Fan Club members.

In a recent interview with About.com, MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine stated about the upcoming CD, "We're going to take a different approach to this record. I'm not going to say any more than that. I know what we're capable of doing. 'The System Has Failed' was a great comeback record, and I think this is going to continue claiming new fans and reintroducing ourselves to some old fans who may have gone to listening to other music."

MEGADETH's last CD, "The System Has Failed", has sold more than 175,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan. The group, who were most recently signed to Sanctuary Records, were joined by bassist James Lomenzo (ex-BLACK LABEL SOCIETY, WHITE LION) in February following the departure of James MacDonough (ex-ICED EARTH).

Norwegian black metallers SATYRICON were in London earlier in the month to film the video for their new single, "K.I.N.G." (mp3).

"The cast was a gathering of some of the most bizarre people from London's underground club scene that were to inflict pain upon each other, themselves and the band," frontman Satyr said. "The video has all the ingredients of a good rock and roll video and sets a new metal video standard for good photography and clever editing." Watch the clip online at this location.

SATYRICON's new album, "Now, Diabolical", was released in most European countries on April 17 through Roadrunner Records. The U.S. release will follow on June 13 via Century Media. The band's upcoming North American tour will be announced soon.

As previously reported, SATYRICON entered the national chart in their home country at position No. 7 with the "K.I.N.G." single.

Guitarist Sathonys of the German black metallers AGATHODAIMON has issued the following update:

"Our bass player, Darin 'Eddie' Smith, recently left, so we're looking for a replacement and are testing some potential candidates currently. If you have a professional attitude and would like to apply for the job (area MZ/DA/FFM preferred), send a mail to: management@agathodaimon.de along with further info about you and your musical background.

"Besides, the new website will be relaunched early next month. Meanwhile, check out the new page at myspace: www.myspace.com/agathodaimon and join our friends list if you like. Of course, we're also working on the yet untitled successor [to] 'Serpent's Embrace'. A release date is set to November 24th. More news soon!"

"Serpent's Embrace" was released in June 2004 through Nuclear Blast Records.

Syndicated newspaper columnists Marilyn Beck and Stacy Jenel Smith are reporting that POISON lead singer Bret Michaels — who's gearing up to head out on the group's "20 Years of Rock Tour" next month — will go before the cameras by year's end in a film based on his own life if all goes as planned.

"I've been working on this for two years. It's a true dramedy, and we're going to start shooting after I finish the 20th anniversary of POISON tour," said Michaels, who overcame juvenile diabetes to become a world-famous rocker. But, he said, "I'm not going to play the star. I'm going to play the personal assistant who watches this guy's life. When people see what I wrote they'll see it's like nothing else out there. It's a combination of funny and real and sad and hilarious." Michaels, who's emoted in a few projects, says he decided to write and produce the film, tentatively titled "Between a Rose and a Thorn", because "otherwise they're just going to typecast me. I get offers for the same part ... It's always the tattooed biker rocker bad guy. And they're fun to do, but after a while you have to take a chance and step out."

"The Best of Poison: 20 Years of Rock" was released earlier this month, and on May 23, Capitol/EMI is releasing the expanded, limited edition CD/DVD "The Best of Poison — Deluxe Tour Edition". The fan-friendly group has included a code in the CD/DVD package for POISON fans to log online and buy one concert ticket and get one free.

Sweden's GRAND MAGUS, who feature in their ranks current SPIRITUAL BEGGARS frontman Janne Christoffersson, have announced the addition of drummer Sebastian to the group's ranks. Sebastian joins the band as the replacement for Fredrik "Trisse" Liefvendahl, who left the group in March. The new GRAND MAGUS will make their live debut on May 13 at Mosebacke in Stockholm, Sweden.

GRAND MAGUS' third album, "Wolf's Return", is available now on Candlelight Records (via a licensing deal with Rise Above). The band recorded the CD in Stockholm with producer/engineer Oneman.