Members:
- Brock Lindow - vocals
- Steve Holt - guitar/vocals
- Mick Whitney - bass
- Thomas Noonan - drums

Someone announced their wedding to Roadrunner Records, which of course triggered a hail of new In the Pit activity this week.

First, check out the Mail Bag where people asked for Slipknot backstage passes, I gave my best wishes to the newly-engaged, and someone complimented us on the new Black Stone Cherry album.

Sam Totman said there were too many dudes at Mayhem (what else is new?), but he did manage to get snapped with a cute redhead. Check her out in the Fan Photos section.

We're keeping our poll on which RR band would make the best name for a sex act open. VOTE HERE. Currently 36 Crazyfists is in the lead.

Finally, we've gotten a lot of email complimenting us on the Skull Sessions podcast, so we opened up a place for you to comment publicly in this week's Forum.

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MAYHEM FESTIVAL PRESENTED BY VAN'S WARPED TOUR/ROCKSTAR TASTE OF CHAOS FOUNDERS IN ASSOCIATION WITH LIVE NATION

ROCKSTAR ENERGY DRINK IS THE TITLE SPONSOR FUSE-TV AND REVOLVER MAGAZINE ANNOUNCED AS MEDIA PARTNERS; JÄGERMEISTER ON BOARD AS STAGE SPONSOR TOUR TO KICK OFF JULY 9 IN SEATTLE

BURBANK, CA (January 31, 2008) - In what's sure to be the hottest concert ticket of the summer, multi-platinum rock acts SLIPKNOT and DISTURBED will lead the first-ever ROCKSTAR ENERGY MAYHEM FESTIVAL, a riotous road show packed with some of hard music's most influential artists and a plethora of the genre's most exciting young voices. The tour is set to kick off July 9th at the White River Amphitheatre in Seattle and will hit 30 cities in the U.S. and Canada between early July and late August (a full itinerary will be announced in the coming weeks).

Joining Slipknot and Disturbed on the main stage will be DRAGONFORCE and MASTODON. In addition, the tour will have two second stages: one sponsored by JÄGERMEISTER and featuring SEVENDUST, AIRBOURNE, FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH, 36 CRAZYFISTS and the JÄGERMEISTER Battle of The Bands Winner. An additional second stage will feature MACHINE HEAD, BLACK TIDE, SUICIDE SILENCE, THE RED CHORD and WALLS OF JERICHO.

"This summer we are truly bringing Mayhem," says Corey Taylor from SLIPKNOT, who will close each show. "SLIPKNOT is excited to be a part of it, and to be able to bring the new chapter of our history to the masses. We are already working, building and designing a new show. We cannot wait. We cannot lose. Get ready for Mayhem!"

"We're really looking forward to being on the first Mayhem tour," adds DISTURBED vocalist David Draiman. "It's a great lineup, which should set a new standard for rock tours and we're excited to be a part of it!"

Adds Clown from SLIPKNOT, "The question is, are you ready for things to be real again?"

The Rockstar Energy Mayhem festival brings together the creative team that has founded many music tours including the highly successful Vans Warped Tour and the Worldwide Rockstar Taste of Chaos Tour. Kevin Lyman, John Reese and CAA's Darryl Eaton have partnered again to bring fans the next great music festival juggernaut, which will be MAYHEM! Following the proven model of utilizing sponsorship to deliver a lower ticket price and an enhanced concert experience the tour organizers have joined forces again with ROCKSTAR ENERGY DRINK as the Title sponsor.

Live Nation is set to promote the festival nationally.

Jason Garner, Live Nation's CEO of North American Music said, "Kevin, John and Darryl are the undisputed experts in creating fan friendly touring festivals that break new bands. So it's very exciting for us to be working closely with them to build a new touring brand that can not only be a great attraction for hard music fans, but also a launching pad for new bands as well."

"We wanted to create a traveling hard music festival that puts the fans first," says Lyman. "We're offering attendees an incredible value, one that features great bands, a plethora of music-related activities and a full day of fun at a very reasonable price of entry."

Adds Reese, "The Vans Warped Tour and Rockstar Taste of Chaos tours have proven that fans will come in droves if you give them quality entertainment at a fair price. The bands on this Festival all kick major ass! We want attendees to go home and say, ‘We can't wait for next year!'"

In addition to catching their favorite bands live, fans can take part in a number of festival activities, including playing the newest video games, perusing vendors, attending autograph signing sessions and a slew of other interactive activities that will add to the festival experience.

ROCKSTAR ENERGY DRINK will be sampling their products and providing great surprises for attendees. Additional sponsors include Jägermeister, HOT TOPIC and The DiNGSTORE.com (Device Personalization Company).

FUSE Television and Revolver Magazine (who will produce the Official Tour Program) have signed on as official Rockstar Energy Mayhem Festival media partners. Additional sponsors will be announced soon.

"This festival will be our marquee music presentation for years to come," says Rockstar Energy Drink Marketing Director Mike Kelso. "We at Rockstar are excited to team up with our partners from Rockstar Taste of Chaos to launch an all-out summer tour that will blow you away!"

Adds JÄGERMEISTER Director of Strategic Marketing Rick Zeiler, "Jägermeister has long been looking for a tour like Mayhem. We have this beautiful new million-dollar Jägermeister Mobile Stage and see no better place to roll it out than Mayhem with some of the biggest rock and metal bands in the world. This tour has integrity, value and most importantly...loyalty! Working with Kevin Lyman and John Reese has been great."

Specific dates, cities and the tour's Internet pre-sale will be announced in the coming weeks. Fans can go to www.mayhemfest.com to keep up with details as they are released.

###

SLIPKNOT

Uncompromising. Intense. Chaotic. Unforgiving. Cathartic. Destructive. Dominant. These words barely scratch the surface in describing the multi-platinum, Grammy-Award winning hard rock enigma known as Slipknot. This groundbreaking nine-piece, born out of the desolate landscape of Des Moines, IA, have sold in excess of 10 million albums worldwide over the course of 3 studio albums. Their last studio album Vol. 3: (The Subliminal Verses) was released in May 2004, debuting at #2 on the Billboard Top 200 Chart and has sold over 1.5 million copies in the U.S. to date. The album broke new ground for the band, spawning a string of hit singles including "Duality," "Vermilion" and "Before I Forget." December 2006 saw the release of the DVD Voliminal: Inside the 9. Certified double-platinum, it's a vivid, brutally honest glimpse of the world inside the ‘Knot. Slipknot, along with their maggots, has forged their own path on their own terms.

This isn't a band. This is a way of life.

DISTURBED

Known for their punishingly powerful music and socially conscious lyrics, Disturbed has sold a collective 9 million copies worldwide of their three albums - 2000's RIAA-certified triple-platinum The Sickness, 2002's Billboard album chart-topper Believe, and in 2005 their second consecutive number one debut on the Billboard charts, Ten Thousand Fists - since forming in Chicago in 1996. The band, which is singer David Draiman, guitarist Dan Donegan, drummer Mike Wengren and bassist John Moyer, will release their self-produced forthcoming album titled Indestructible on Reprise Records in May. Get ready for what the band calls "a little bit darker, really complex and furiously paced record."

DRAGONFORCE

DragonForce are the next generation of guitar heroes. The lead single, "Through The Fire And Flames," is the massively popular breakout track from Guitar Hero III. Thanks to the superhuman guitar wizardry and soaring vocals on their most recent album, the jaw-dropping Inhuman Rampage, the DragonForce buzz has erupted from the underground and has escalated to a deafening roar. Headline tours always sell out. Heads are consistently turned. New fans are immediately made. Radio reacts. Sales continue to go up. The appetite for DragonForce is insatiable, and so is the band's desire to dominate the US tour market. Guitar virtuoso Herman Li says, "It's great for us to be back after a 16 month absence from touring the U.S. The demand from fans for DragonForce to return has been overwhelming, so we're very excited to be part of the biggest tour of the summer. Get ready for some serious Mayhem on and off stage. Don't blink or you'll miss something!" It's time to experience all that DragonForce have to offer!

MASTODON

Hailing from Atlanta, Georgia, Mastodon have been critically acclaimed by almost every publication in the US and UK. "Late Night with Conan O'Brien" took note of this and put them on his show, which set a precedent and paved the way for more metal acts to be considered on NBC. Their Grammy nominated album, Blood Mountain, the group's third release, isn't just unconventional, it's surreal, progressive and unrepentantly heavy. Mastodon combined their favorite musical styles, including thrash, doom, prog and psychedelic metal to concoct something utterly original, undeniably devastating and irrefutably entrancing. The band might as well be from Texas as you don't want to mess with them!

MACHINE HEAD

With virtually no mainstream radio or video play whatsoever the San Francisco Bay Area's 2nd biggest metal band Machine Head have become one of the most credible and influential metal bands of all time, and their unique brand of bludgeoning metal has gone on to sell over 1.8 million records throughout the world. Recently nominated for a Grammy, Machine Head's latest album The Blackening was in the #1 or top 5 "Album of the Year" spot in nearly every single metal magazine throughout the world, and shocked the mainstream press at the 2007 Kerrang! Awards ceremonies, where The Blackening was named "Album Of The Year" over My Chemical Romance and Fall Out Boy.

SEVENDUST

Sevendust are set to release their seventh studio album, Chapter VII: Hope & Sorrow, April 1st, 2008. Hope & Sorrow was produced by Sean Groove, Morgan Rose & John Connolly in Atlanta, GA at Tree Sounds Studios. The release will be their second on the band's wholly owned record label, 7Bros. Records through Warner Music Group's Independent Label Group. For the first time since Animosity (2001), the band has collaborated with outside artists. As the record gets finalized over the next few weeks, identities of the guest appearances will surface -Sevendust felt bringing in some outside friends added a healthy dynamic for the project. Additionally, the band has signed on new management and feels like is a fresh new beginning for 2008!

BLACK TIDE

Fresh off their now legendary Ozzfest stint, Avenged Sevenfold dates and a forthcoming tour with All That Remains, Black Tide are set to take the world by storm with their debut album Light From Above, produced by Johnny K (Disturbed, Staind). Revolver Magazine dubbed them the "Future of Metal" and Spin called them "a combination of Megadeth riffage, Metallica brutality, and Guns N' Roses melodicism." They not only embrace the charisma, character and unwavering attitude of those who shredded before them, but they do so in a manner that would make the virtuosos that inspired them proud. Black Tide is not only bringing music back from the dead, but they're returning the power to metal. The meltdown is long overdue.

WALLS OF JERICHO

Detroit's hardest, Walls Of Jericho, have been described as "Murderous Metal-core" by Alternative Press in their recent feature for the "Most Anticipated 2008" issue. With Candace Kucsulain, who is arguably the most energetic and courageous front-woman in all of metal and a twin guitar attack, Walls Of Jericho have won over audiences worldwide. WOJ have an EP due out Spring 2008 produced by and featuring Corey Taylor (Slipknot), and a new album due Summer 2008. Other recent touring credits include Ozzfest 2006, Family Values 2006 as well as Devil Driver, Stone Sour, Unearth, Bullet For My Valentine, and Mastodon.

36 CRAZYFISTS

After three critically acclaimed records, 36 Crazyfists switches labels to Ferret Music for their new album, The Tide and Its' Takers due out April 29th, 2008. Still the only hard rock band to build a career from Alaska, 36 Crazyfists has built an international following by doing extensive touring around the world from appearing on the mainstage of UK's Download Festival, to a sold-out European/UK and Australian tour with co-headliners Atreyu. 36 Crazyfists is poised to finally break the US market with the new album produced by guitarist Steve Holt and mixed by legendary hard rock mixer Andy Sneep.

FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH

Five Finger Death Punch has been pummeling audiences since the release of their critically acclaimed debut album, The Way of the Fist. With their hit single "The Bleeding" pulverizing the Active rock charts and MTV2's Headbanger's Ball, the album has been called a "Cowboys from Hell for this millennium (Outburn)." The band has already toured with the likes of Korn, Hellyeah, Flyleaf, Trivium, and Atreyu in the short time since their album debuted in the Billboard Top 200. Five Finger Death Punch features an all-star gang of musicians, including vocalist Ivan Moody (formerly of Motograter), Darrel Roberts (W.A.S.P.) and Zoltan Bathory (UPO). This summer audiences will see why Metal Edge calls Five Finger Death Punch "the sound of violent exhilaration, giving contemporary metal a belligerent shove in an exciting direction."

SUICIDE SILENCE

Suicide Silence's rise through the ranks of extreme metal saw them headline full-scale tours in both the US & UK in the Summer/Fall of 2006 while still an unsigned band. Upon finally finding a home with Century Media Records, the band's debut full-length impacted the Billboard 200 at #94 cementing them as the highest selling debut artist in Century Media history. According to Revolver Magazine, "The Cleansing was well worth the wait" and as the band continues to shatter the boundaries of conventionality with a uniquely devastating live show & rigorous commitment to touring, it comes as no surprise that Suicide Silence has been cited by Alternative Press as one of the 100 bands you need to know about in 2008.

AIRBOURNE

"Stand Up For Rock n' Roll."

It is as clear a statement of intent as you're ever likely to hear. One verse that says everything you need to know about Melbourne, AU four piece Airbourne and their debut album, Runnin' Wild: forget your worries, get down to the front of the stage and lose your mind to some ear-bleeding, sweat-soaked rock n'roll. Or, as the song continues, "Drink your beer/Drink your wine/Let's have a good time." Stand up for rock n' roll indeed. From the album's fist-pumping title track to the anthemic "What's Eatin' You" and the self-explanatory rock explosions of "Too Much, Too Young, Too Fast" and "Diamond In The Rough," Runnin' Wild is an exercise in booze-and-sweat soaked rock n' roll that isn't looking to change the world by abolishing Free Trade, but simply provide the ultimate soundtrack to the biggest all-night rock party there is.

THE RED CHORD

The Red Chord have been crafting intriguing heavy music since their independent debut Fused Together in Revolving Doors in 2002. Combining elements of grindcore, death metal and hardcore, that release established them as one of the premier Massachusetts extreme metal acts. In 2005, Metal Blade released the follow-up Clients, a tortured concept album about mental patients, drug addicts, the homeless, the desperate and downtrodden. While they decimated crowds worldwide touring with the likes of Gwar, High On Fire, Unearth, Every Time I Die and Hatebreed, as well as stints on Ozzfest 2006 and Sounds of the Underground 2005, Clients established The Red Chord as innovators in the burgeoning underground metal scene. By staying away from the cliché trappings that crippled some of their contemporaries, 2007's Prey For Eyes hit Metal Maniacs' "Critics Picks" Top 10 Albums of 2007, Revolver's Top 20 Albums of 2007 and Decibel's Top 40 Albums of 2007, further solidifying The Red Chord as a force at the top of their game.

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Tune into this week's Headbangers Ball, which airs at 10pm EST, Saturday night on MTV2, to watch Roadrunner videos of both recent (Slipknot, Trivium, 36 Crazyfists) and classic (Type O negative, King Diamond) vintage - plus many others. Here's the complete playlist:

Mushroomhead - Simple Survival
The Human Abstract - Crossing The Rubicon
Nevermore- Born
Sevendust - Driven
Sevendust - Denial
Dir En Gray - Clever Sleazoid
Type O Negative - Black No. 1
Slipknot - The Blister Exists
Exodus - The Toxic Waltz
Trivium - Anthem
36 Crazyfists - I'll Go Until My Heart Stops
Priestess - I Am The Night, Colour Me Black
Firewind - Falling To Pieces
Gojira - To Sirius
All That Remains - The Air I Breathe
Iron Maiden - The Trooper
Into Eternity - Severe Emotional Distress
King Diamond - The Family Ghost
Brand New Sin - Motormeth

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Tune into this week's Headbangers Ball, which airs at 10pm EST, Saturday night on MTV2, to watch videos from Killswitch Engage, Black Label Society, Black Stone Cherry, and others. Here's the complete playlist:

Black Label Society - Concrete Jungle
Lacuna Coil - Closer
My Dying Bride - Deeper Down
Disturbed - Down With The Sickness
Ministry - Lies, Lies, Lies
36 Crazyfists - I'll Go Until My Heart Stops
Killswitch Engage - My Curse
Bury Your Dead - House Of Straw
Goatwhore - Alchemy Of The Black Sun Cult
Deftones - Hole In The Earth
Type O Negative - Cinnamon Girl
Black Stone Cherry - Hell And High Water
Hammerfall - Natural High
Misery Signals - The Failsafe
Mushroomhead - Simple Survival
Judas Priest - Painkiller
Demon Hunter - One Thousand Apologies
Scars Of Tomorrow -The Unwinding
System of A Down - Sugar
Suicidal Tendencies - Trip At The Brain
Faith No More - Ashes To Ashes

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On the verge of releasing their third album, Rest Inside the Flames, 36 Crazyfists singer Brock Lindow was interviewed by his home state paper, the Anchorage Daily News.

You can check out part I of the interview HERE, listen to 36CF's explosive new single, "I'll Go Until My Heart Stops," on their MUSIC page, and catch them on the following TOUR dates.

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Saturday July 1st is the first show on a month long headlining tour of the United States for 36 Crazyfists. Catch them in your town on the following dates:

36 Crazyfists Headlines with Falling Closer and Trigger Point supporting on all dates. Re:Ignition will also be support on select dates.

07/01/06 - The Boulevard *ALL AGES* - Spokane, WA
07/03/06 - Club Vegas *ALL AGES* - Salt Lake City, UT
07/04/06 - Iliff Park Saloon *ALL AGES* - Aurora, CO
07/05/06 - JC's House of Rock *18 and over* - Wichita, KS
07/06/06 - The Beumont Club *ALL AGES* - Kansas City, MO
07/07/06 - Star Central *18 and over* - Columbia Heights, MN
07/08/06 - Buster's *18 and over* - Mankato, MN
07/09/06 - All-Star Bowl *ALL AGES* - Moorhead, MN
07/11/06 - Peabody's *ALL AGES* - Cleveland, OH
07/12/06 - Al Rosa Villa *ALL AGES* - Columbus, OH
07/13/06 - Oscar's Bar & Grill *ALL AGES* - Louisville, KY
07/15/06 - Backbooth *ALL AGES* - Orlando, FL
07/17/06 - Thee Imperial *ALL AGES* - Jacksonville, FL
07/19/06 - The Engine Room *ALL AGES* - Houston, TX
07/20/06 - The Galaxy Club *ALL AGES* - Dallas, TX
07/23/06 - The Venue of Scottsdale *ALL AGES* - Scottsdale, AZ
07/24/06 - The Knitting Factory *ALL AGES* - Hollywood, CA
07/25/06 - The Pound *ALL AGES* - San Francisco, CA
07/26/06 - Rock N Roll Pizza *ALL AGES* - Portland, OR

Rest Inside The Flames will be available in the US this fall! For now, check out their E-CARD

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Sirius subcribers, take note. On Saturday, 10 June 2006, at 3 PM ET, I will be co-hosting an hour with Hard Attack's own Jose. I spin new 36 Crazyfists and new Stone Sour tracks and give the lowdown on all the new Roadrunner signings, like Hatebreed, Megadeth and Black Label Society. So make sure to crank those satellite radios to Hard Attack 27 tomorrow! If you wanna hear exclusive sneak previews of Stone Sour's "Hell & Consequences" and "Reborn," then you know what to do. I'm out. -Amy

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Kerrang!, the much beloved 'bible of heavy metal, will be celebrating its 25th birthday by giving away a CD with its 06.06.06 issue (in stores by Wednesday May 31st).

Entitled High Voltage the 15-track disc is made up of classic rock and metal songs covered by contemporary bands, with 10 of the tracks recorded exclusively for the CD.

"After the phenomenal response we got from our Re-Mastered album, we knew we had to put together an equally special CD for our 25th birthday," says K! editor Paul Brannigan. "The songs you'll hear on High Voltage are the foundations upon which Kerrang! built its reputation as 'the rock bible'. This CD is our way of uniting Kerrang!s past, present and future."

The track listing is as follows:

1. Fall Out Boy "Start Today" (originally by Gorilla Biscuits)
2. Aiden "Die, Die My Darling" (originally by The Misfits)*
3. Avenged Sevenfold "Walk" (originally by Pantera)*
4. Killswitch Engage "Holy Diver" (originally by Dio)*
5. Biffy Clyro "Buddy Holly" (originally by Weezer)*
6. Fightstar "My Own Summer (Shove It)" (originally by Deftones)*
7. The Dillinger Escape Plan "Jesus Christ Pose" (originally by Soundgarden)*
8. Still Remains "Head Like A Hole" (originally by Nine Inch Nails)*
9. Deftones "Simple Man" (originally by Lynyrd Skynyrd)
10. The Answer "Sweet Emotion" (originally by Aerosmith)*
11. Bullet For My Valentine "Crazy Train" (originally by Ozzy Osbourne)*
12. 36 Crazyfists "Digging The Grave" (originally by Faith No More)*
13. Arch Enemy "Symphony Of Destruction" (originally by Megadeth)
14. Atreyu "You Give Love A Bad Name" (originally by Bon Jovi)
15. NOFX "Straight Edge" (originally by Minor Threat)

* Recorded exclusively for Kerrang!

We here at Roadrunner want to wish all our friends at Kerrang! at least another 250 years of head-banging, and let you know that the Killswitch, Still Remains and 36CF covers are all killer!

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Believe it or not, there were as many people who thought we were April Fooling about the launch of our new Bulletin Board as did the Avril Lavigne gag!

Yeah, yeah, we know a RR BB upgrade was long overdue, but what do y'all take us for? Never mind, don't answer, just get on over there and sign up already, will ya?

You may also have noticed we have an outrageous number of incredible contests (free iPod, free PSP, free V-Cast cellphone, etc.) going on in our Free Shit section, so if you feel lucky (well do ya...punk?) sign up now!

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Roadrunner is proud to announce the imminent arrival of MTV2 Headbangers Ball: The Revenge - the 3rd compilation/collaboration between these two hallowed heavy metal institutions.

Arriving in stores on April 11, the two-disc extravaganza will collect 38 songs by the best of today's heavy metal talent - so you better be ready to be avenged, like, 38th-fold!

Track listing will be as follows:
Disc 1:
1. Slipknot - Before I Forget (Exclusive mix never commercially released)
2. Korn - Liar
3. Iron Maiden - The Trooper (live)
4. Hatebreed - To The Threshold (Brand new exclusive song)
5. Mudvayne - Forget To Remember
6. Avenged Sevenfold - Burn It Down
7. HIM - Vampire Heart
8. Trivium - A Gunshot To The Head Of Trepidation
9. Lamb Of God - Now You've Got Something To Die For (live)
10. 10 Years - Wasteland
11. Disturbed - Guarded
12. As I Lay Dying - Through Struggle
13. Lacuna Coil - Our Truth
14. Underoath - It's Dangerous Business Walking Out Your Front Door
15. Mastodon - Blood & Thunder
16. Killswitch Engage - A Bid Farewell (live) (Unreleased on CD)
17. Black Label Society - In This River
18. Bleeding Through - Kill To Believe
19. In Flames - Take This Life

Disc 2:
1. Chimaira - Nothing Remains
2. Bullet For My Valentine - Suffocating Under Words of Sorrow (What Can I Do)
3. Arch Enemy - Nemesis
4. It Dies Today - Severed Ties Yield Severed Heads
5. Opeth - The Grand Conjuration (Exclusive edit)
6. Norma Jean - Liarsenic
7. DevilDriver - Hold Back The Day
8. Still Remains - The Worst Is Yet To Come
9. God Forbid - The End Of The World
10. Throwdown - Burn
11. From First To Last - The Latest Plague
12. 36 Crazyfists - I'll Go Until My Heart Stops (Previously unreleased)
13. Dragonforce - Through The Fire And Flames (Previosuly unreleased in US)
14. A Life Once Lost - Vulture
15. High On Fire - Devilution
16. Bloodsimple - Sell Me Out
17. Haste The Day - When Everything Falls
18. Walls Of Jericho - A Trigger Full Of Promises (Brand new exclusive song)
19. Kingdom of Sorrow - Buried In Black (Brand new exclusive song featuring Jamey Jasta of Hatebreed, Kirk Windstein of Crowbar/Down & Derek Kerswill of Seemless)

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