MY DARLING DISMAY, the new Swedish project featuring Olof Mörck (NIGHTRAGE, AMARANTHE, DRAGONLAND) and Johan Ericsson (DREAMLAND) has posted a new song on their MySpace page.

Commented singer Anna Mariann: "During the last months of silence we've been working very hard finishing up the new songs, and most of all, refining a sound that's instantly recognizable for MY DARLING DISMAY. The result is fusion of the '90s hard rock in which everyone in this band grew up with (and so many from our generation) along with the heavier sounds we find the most interesting in the current waves of powerful music. Relevant lyrics and musical passion is really what we wanted to communicate with the new song, 'Different Kind of Heartless Me', the first taster of what is to come — and more is to follow very soon. During the summer we have also recorded our first promotion video in Gothenburg, which will be uploaded in the near future. We are now ready to publicly share our songs and we have just started to prepare for upcoming shows — stay tuned and we'll keep you updated!"

Mörck previously stated about MY DARLING DISMAY: [The band] was born through the collaboration between myself and singer Anna Mariann, a fine singer that impressed me greatly when I first saw her sing at the Boulevard Theatre in Stockholm. We were both striving to recreate the glam/sleaze/hard rock that we grew up with during the '80s fused with a genuine metal sound, as we felt that there is both a passion and need for this music, as well as there is a strange lack of it. Eminent guitarist Johan Ericsson was soon added to this small, yet fast growing constellation."

22-year-old Greek guitarist Gus Drax (BIOMECHANICAL) has revealed the track listing and cover artwork for his upcoming solo album, "In Search Of Perfection". The CD will feature guest appearances by keyboardist/guitarist Bob Katsionis (FIREWIND, OUTLOUD) and Steve Smyth (FORBIDDEN, ex-NEVERMORE, TESTAMENT).

"In Search Of Perfection" track listing:

01. Kiss of Life
02. The End Of Innocence
03. Cerebral Chaos
04. In Loving Memory
05. Hourglass
06. 1000 Nights
07. In Presense Of The Dead
08. Abnormal Sequence
09. Vitality (bonus track)

Check out the cover artwork by Anestis Goudas below.

Gus Drax (pictured below) was born on September 21, 1987 in Larissa, Greece. He has been playing guitar since he was 14 years old and is now considered to be one of the most talented Greek guitar players.

Cleveland, Ohio metallers CHIMAIRA have issued the following update:

"We're so excited about the footage we shot with Todd Bell for our new DVD release (due out in 2010) that we couldn't wait to share it. Here [see below] is 'The Disappearing Sun' live from Helsinki, Finland."

CHIMAIRA rhythm guitarist Matt DeVries sat out the last few weeks of the band's European tour so that he could be home in time for the birth of his son. Filling in for him for the European dates was Emil Werstler of DAATH.

DeVries will be back on stage with CHIMAIRA for the band's U.S. tour with TRIVIUM, which kicks off on October 29.

CHIMAIRA will play its tenth annual Christmas show on December 27 at the House of Blues in the band's hometown.

The band will embark on a tour of Australia and New Zealand in January 2010. Support on the trek will come from DOUBLE DRAGON. This will be CHIMAIRA's first headlining Australian tour, having previously played the country as a support act for IN FLAMES, BIOHAZARD and KORN.

Sacramento's DEFTONES has issued the following update:

"On November 2nd, 2008 our bass player and brother Chi Ling Cheng was involved in a horrific car accident which has left him in a semi-conscious state. In his journey to recovery, the Cheng family has accumulated an overwhelming amount of medical bills that insurance does not entirely cover.

"As a result, we will begin our mission to raise significant funds to help ensure Chi's recovery by playing a benefit show at the Avalon in Hollywood, California on November 19. Tickets will go on sale for our fans this Wednesday, October 28, with a general on-sale to follow on Friday, October 30. All proceeds will go to the Chi Ling Cheng Special Needs Trust that has been set up by the Cheng family to help pay for the growing medical costs required for Chi's survival and recovery.

"In the event that you do not live in Los Angeles, or you don't end up getting a ticket for the show, we will be launching a series of online auctions, an online store and making available other opportunities for you to make a donation to the Trust. More details will come soon.

"We have the best fans in the world and Chi values all of you greatly. Please continue to show your unwavering support by helping with this very important cause."

KORN bassist Reginald "Fieldy" Arvizu recently joined forces with members of METALLICA, SLIPKNOT, MACHINE HEAD, DISTURBED, KILLSWITCH ENGAGE and HATEBREED to record an instrumental song to benefit DEFTONES bassist Chi Cheng.

Cheng's brother wrote in an online post that Chi's insurance company had stopped paying for his treatment in mid-January. His mother posted that Cheng's house was returned to the bank and his dog was given away.

You can support Chi and his family by heading over to the A Song For Chi site where you can download your free copy of the song, watch the music video and — most importantly — make a donation. 100% of the donations will go to Chi and his family to help cover his ongoing medical expenses.

The following musicians make an appearance on the recording:

Jim Root (SLIPKNOT)
Sid Wilson (SLIPKNOT)
Ray Luzier (KORN)
Reginald "Fieldy" Arvizu (KORN)
Dave McClain (MACHINE HEAD)
Robert Trujillo (METALLICA)
Clint Lowery (SEVENDUST)
Morgan Rose (SEVENDUST)
Brian "Head" Welch (ex-KORN)
James "Munky" Shaffer (KORN)
Wayne Lozinak (HATEBREED)
Wuv (P.O.D.)
Mike Wengren (DISTURBED)
Adam Dutkiewicz (KILLSWITCH ENGAGE)

The track was produced by Fieldy and Q (STILLWELL) and was engineered by Q and Ralph Patlan. It was mixed by Jim "Bud" Monti.

The video clip below was directed by Sébastien Paquet.

For more information, visit the A Song For Chi site.

"A Song For Chi" audio stream:



"A Song For Chi" music video:

Jim Breuer, comedian, Sirius XM host and diehard METALLICA fan, sat down for a rare and hilarious interview with all the members of the legendary metal band for his weekly show on Sirius XM's Raw Dog comedy channel. The hour-long interview, taped before the band's performance at the Prudential Center in Newark, New Jersey on February 1, 2009, delved into rare subject matter and humorous hypotheticals, including which band member each would call to help hide a body and whether they would be OK playing a gay man in a movie role.

The ninth webisode featuring highlights from the interview sees Breuer attempting to find out if the bandmembers know anything about comedy.

***Note: Even though the above-mentioned interview was conducted back in February, and the audio version originally aired the same month, the video footage of this particular portion of the chat was not uploaded until this week.***

"Fridays with Breuer" is an intimate show hosted by Jim Breuer, one of the county's most outrageous and beloved comedians. Breuer invites millions of Sirius XM listeners each week into his life and brain, sharing hilarious anecdotes about his adventures as a family man, doing impressions of his favorite performers, riffing on his colorful experiences from performing around the country, and discussing his beloved New York Mets, his favorite rock legends and more.

Eleanor Goodman of Bizarre magazine recently conducted an interview with legendary heavy metal vocalist Ronnie James Dio (HEAVEN & HELL, BLACK SABBATH, RAINBOW, DIO). A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

Bizarre: Do you believe in ghosts?

Dio: When I was in RAINBOW, we were at a place called the Château, north of Paris. There wasn't a lot to do other than record, so one day we had a séance. We contacted this woman named Sarah who kept saying nothing but "Kill Thomas, kill Thomas, kill Thomas." This went on for a week. So we asked Sarah some questions, and found out Thomas was her son, who she wanted us to kill because he killed her, in childbirth. We asked if we could talk to someone else and the glass started to go everywhere. It said: "I am Baal. I create chaos. You will never finish this project." It got a lot more involved than that. That's the tip of the iceberg.

Bizarre: What's the closest you've come to death?

Dio: An automobile accident in the early days of ELF. Our driver was killed, as well as my best friend and lead guitar player. I went through the windscreen and then back, ripped a part of my scalp off, broke a leg and broke an arm. One of the guitar players in the back hit his face on the engine and had 16 stitches near his eye, and one almost had his legs amputated… it just went on and on. Just a horrible experience.

Bizarre: What does your orgasm face look like?

Dio: I don't know… I don't think I've ever really looked! Probably white and sticky.

Bizarre: Have you ever seen any quirky genitalia?

Dio: I had a guitar player who had a crooked cock. It was hard to miss; I guess he was proud of it. Sometimes we had to pee together and you know, you check it out.

Bizarre: I thought you weren't meant to!

Dio: Yeah, you can sneak a peek! You can look and go, "Holy, look at the size…" and then tell your friends, "Some guy was in the toilet with a knob like a bell!" But you don't give it a stare, for sure.

Bizarre: What's the oddest thing you've eaten?

Dio: I don't eat vegetables, because I can't stand the sliminess – like green beans. Or anything that looks like it's got something still growing inside it. I do eat potatoes, they're like a quasi-vegetable; and I'll eat tomatoes as long as they're crushed up in a sauce. Other than that, I only eat meat. So, kangaroo.

Bizarre: And now, the classic Bizarre challenge: choose between coprophilia, necrophilia and bestiality and explain your decision.

Dio: If I had to choose, bestiality. I certainly don't want to screw any dead people and I don't want to eat shit; at least there's some kind of sexualness going on in the other one that I can get a live perspective on, anyway.

Read the entire interview from Bizarre magazine.

The Metal Den recently conducted an interview with former MEGADETH and current F5/HAIL! bassist David Ellefson. A few excerpts from the chat follow below.

The Metal Den: What do you think is the biggest misconception people have about you?

Ellefson: Maybe that I should return back to my "former" band. Truth is when that ended, I moved on and am very happy with exploring new territory now. At the end of the day, my resume speaks for itself. You don't get that body of work unless you've actually earned that body of work. Nay-sayers be damned.

The Metal Den: Are you still doing work for Peavey as an artist relations representative?

Ellefson: Yes, I started that back in 2002 and it has been a really cool gig. I'm generally a pretty good people-person so it's been a good fit. I'd like to think I'm able to be very helpful to the company as well as many, many artists worldwide.

The Metal Den: You, like Dave Mustaine, are a committed Christian, right? Do you currently go to church?

Ellefson: I do go to church when I'm home but I rarely talk about it openly because so much antagonism surrounds the subject, especially in the metal community. For me, I'd rather "walk the talk" than always be out "talking the talk." I find the ones who poke fun at me for it are the very ones who probably need a little church in their lives!

The Metal Den: Let me ask , have you listened to MEGADETH's "Endgame" yet? If so, what did you think of it?

Ellefson: I have not heard it.

The Metal Den: Mustaine seems to really hate metal news sites like BLABBERMOUTH.NET and others. Do you enjoy these sites? Don't you think sites like The Metal Den do good to help promote metal music, whereas most music sites/magazines (Spin, Rolling Stone) don't even talk about metal music really?

Ellefson: I think when the general spirit is to promote the unity of metal, then it is good. However, when the spirit is to slag artists and entice the fans to throw us under the bus (hence cause division), then they are used with a wrong purpose.

The Metal Den: Did Dave Mustaine seem to always have a problem with his METALLICA days when you were around him in the past? He seems to dwell on it a bit still and blow up in interviews over the subject.

Ellefson: Not to dodge the question, but I think that is all pretty well documented now for quite a few years.

The Metal Den: Do you — like me — think heavy metal gets a bum rap for being this "Satanic devil-worshipping" music?

Ellefson: Well, rock n roll has by its very nature has always gone to the edges to rebel. That is probably why the church crowd and conservatives don't like it, because it is often directly opposed to how they view God, thus the "anti-Christ." Hence, rock 'n' roll being shunned by that legion of believers. To add fuel to the fire, certain metal guys rebel even further and take it out even more extreme and blatantly call themselves devil worshippers. I get the fun in that but at the same time when was the last time you heard someone at the Grammys or anyone in their life become hugely successful and give thanks to the devil?

The Metal Den: Let's change gears. How do you spend down time away from music?

Ellefson: I mostly spend time with my family. We're active in sports. I value my life as it is right now, in that I can choose the work and travel I want to do so I can be active with my kids growing up. I've had a great career and now I want to spend time with them so they are hopefully raised well.

The Metal Den: Do you watch reality television?

Ellefson: I hate that stuff. After a full day of reality, why would I come home and watch more of it?! I'm not mesmerized by watching train wrecks in people's lives, partly because I've worked really hard to get away from all of that myself over the last 20 years. I think most of them are sad and pathetic.

Read the entire interview from The Metal Den.

BOLT THROWER, DECAPITATED, EPICA and NEVERMORE are among the confirmed bands for next year's Metalfest Open Air, set to take place May 13-15 at Schloss Mamling in Mining am Inn, Austria. Three stages will feature 90 bands for only 59 euros.

The festival billing is shaping up as follows:

ALESTORM
BOLT THROWER
DECAPITATED
EPICA
HELLSAW
MILKING THE GOATMACHINE
MYSTIC PROPHECY
NEVERMORE
THE DEVIL'S BLOOD

For more information, visit www.metalfest.eu.

MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine has posted the following message in the "Forums" section of the band's official web site:

"I am so happy that you are digging the station [MEGADETH's radio station 'Megadeth Radio', which Mustaine has complete control over]. Hopefully a lot of the talk in between will keep you amused. And I know that the song selection is getting groomed and improved every day except Sundays, you know why, and because I think I am also going to see my hometown team the Chargers (you know, the ones without the ponytails and the players having a hard time deciding if they are football players or rock stars) take on my favorite team since I was a kid, the Raiders.

"This will be tough, but in a way kinda like watching two friends fight.

"Ever notice how chick fights are so much more vicious than dudes'? I remember watching some girls that appeared to be in some group, beat up a lone girl, and I was just a 12-year-old, but it was savage! Even while sitting on the ground in complete submission, this group of girls found it necessary to keep attacking this single girl, kicking her in the face and head.

"Life is so funny at times how quickly people can turn on something or someone. That is why I am so grateful right now for the success we have, and for the way that the band keeps growing in stature and status, but also how we continue to put great performances down, keep growing closer to you all, and continue to outlast the critics.

"Our next leg will be with SLAYER and people said 'it wouldn't happen, then they said, 'well, it won't last for long,' then they said, 'well, it won't happen again,' and we are heading back up to Canada to meet with them.

"I was in my dressing room with Dave [Lombardo, SLAYER drummer] and Kerry [King, SLAYER guitarist] hanging out and we were all celebrating our success, and I got to ask Kerry, 'What it was that I did that pissed you off so bad, so that I can fix it?' and of course we were interupted and the conversation stopped. So, I look forward to seeing the guys, and some of you don't know that when Tom [Araya, SLAYER bassist/vocalist] got sick, I actually invited Kerry to come play an old MEGADETH song, because he played in MEGADETH for a very short time, while helping me out because I was still looking for a guitarist and he was already in SLAYER.

"Now, I imagine they will be saying, 'Well, that's it, and those lucky f*ckers, we'll never get to see this event.' To this I say, 'Anything is possible!'"

Swedish metallers THE HAUNTED have cancelled their previously announced U.K. tour (October 29 - November 4) with CASINO BRAWL and ROMEO MUST DIE as a result of "some very special circumstances," according to a statement released by the band. "We are very sad about this, and wish to apologize beforehand for any inconvenience this will cause," the group adds.

No further information is currently available.

THE HAUNTED frontman Peter Dolving recently told the German edition of the Metal Hammer magazine that the band has commenced the songwriting process for a new album. "Looking at the ideas that we're coming up with, looking at the stuff that we're doodling around with, it's gonna be a very heavy and it's gonna be a very strange record," he said. "It's gonna be like a continuation of what we started experimenting with both on 'rEVOLVEr' [2004] and on 'The Dead Eye' [2006], so it'll be eclectic and hard. 'Cause around the time of 'The Dead Eye', we felt that we really needed to do something that we hadn't done that we really wanted to do, and we got a lot of critique for it; a lot of people didn't like it. We loved it, and the songs that we're playing off that record are going over really well with the audience and we're really enjoying to play them. So we figure, why the fuck shouldn't we play and continue to try and evolve as musicians and songwriters?! And that's what we'll do."

THE HAUNTED is continuing to tour in support of its latest album, "Versus", which entered the Swedish chart at position No. 14 and the Finnish chart at No. 12.The CD was recorded in part at PUK studio in Denmark with producer Tue Madsen (HEAVEN SHALL BURN, DARK TRANQUILLITY, MOONSPELL, etc), who previously worked with the group on its two previous LPs, "rEVOLVEr" and "The Dead Eye".

Sonic Excess conducted an interview with SOULFLY/CAVALERA CONSPIRACY frontman Max Cavalera on October 9, 2009 in Denver, Colorado. Watch the chat at this location. It can also be viewed below.

As previously reported, Max can now be reached via TheLiveLine, a service launched by MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine that enables musicians to connect to their audience over the phone. Get updates on Max and leave messages for him by calling (888) 716-5450.

For more information, click here.

Regarding the songwriting process for the next SOULFLY album, Max said in a recent interview, "I am working on new songs with Marc [Rizzo, guitar], a little bit. We're thinking about making the songs a little shorter, so if you can imagine maybe a little bit like MINOR THREAT mixed with [SLAYER's] 'Reign In Blood' mixed with SOULFLY, with still some world music, but much smaller, and the songs not so long — shorter. It'll be more aggressive than [last year's] 'Conquer' [album] even, because it'll be shorter — it'll be like when SLAYER did 'Reign In Blood', [that] kind of thing. I don't know why some interviewers talked to me and said that they thought that the album was gonna be less aggressive, more like [2000's] 'Primitive', which I don't know where it came from, because I never said that. It's gonna be more aggressive, faster, shorter."

"Conquer" sold around 8,400 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 66 on The Billboard 200 chart This number is in line with the opening tally of the CD's predecessor, "Dark Ages", which shifted a little more than 8,000 copies during its first week of release in October 2005 to enter the chart at No. 155.

Austrian extreme metallers MASTIC SCUM will release their new album, "Dust", on November 13 via Twilight Distribution. 12 songs were recorded for the effort, which was mixed at Grindlab Studio and mastered by Jacob Hansen (HEAVEN SHALL BURN, ABORTED, HATESPHERE). Artwork for the CD (see below) was created by Killustrations (SIX FEET UNDER, KATAKLYSM, AMON AMARTH).

"Dust" track listing:

01. Ashes To Dust
02. Construcdead
03. The Consciousness In A State Of Mind
04. Regression
05. Dead Remains
06. The Sufferage
07. Blood For Blood
08. Revelation Of Mankind
09. A Life For A Lie
10. Adrenaline 2.0
11. The Will To Kill
12. Extinction

The song "Construcdead" is available for streaming on the band's MySpace page.

MASTIC SCUM recently parted ways with vocalist Will due to "musical differences" and replaced him with Maggo Wenzel (INZEST, TRISTWOOD, WATCH ME BLEED).

In 2007, MASTIC SCUM celebrated its 15th anniversary by issuing "The EPs Collection 1993-2002" via Power It Up/Twilight. This CD includes all of the band's vinyl releases plus two bonus tracks. This was MASTIC SCUM's 17th release since the band's inception in 1992.

For more information, visit www.myspace.com/masticscum.

Danish melodic progressive power metal band ANUBIS GATE has issued the following update:

"We have started writing new material. All songwriters have a lot of material that needs to be put together to form real songs. The plan is to enter the studio during the summer of 2010, but before that we have a lot of demoing the new material, writing lyrics and generally coming up with something spectacular for our coming album."

ANUBIS GATE's latest album, "The Detached", was released in February via Locomotive Records. According to a press release, the CD features "12 amazing songs" based on a story by renowned game play writer Martin Rauff and set to lyrics by ANUBIS GATE's own Henrik Fevre. The album, like its predecessor ("Andromeda Unchained"), was produced by Jacob Hansen and Kim Olesen, and sees the band "further developing its unique style of progressive power metal with new twists and turns, but as always with the songwriting taking the high seat."

Check out audio samples on the ANUBIS GATE MySpace page.

ANUBIS GATE's previous album, "Andromeda Unchained", was released in August 2007 via Locomotive Music. The CD was recorded at Hansen Studios and Sphere Music with producers Jacob Hansen and Kim Olesen and mixed and mastered by Jacob Hansen at Hansen Studios.

TOXIC HOLOCAUST and tour partners THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER are at the center of a heated debate amongst Nashville, Tennessee's most conservative residents about the bands' performances tonight (Tuesday, October 27) at the Christian-run Rocketown venue.

A news segment from Nashville's ABC network affiliate WKRN Channel 2 reporting on the controversy can be viewed below.

TOXIC HOLOCAUST's Joel Grind commented on the situation: "Unfortunately, the protesters here don't see the tongue-in-cheek aspect of any of this, and are taking everything at face value. What else is new? Whatever you do don't look into or research anything, and don't, god forbid, think differently. Fuck it, while we're at it, don't think at all.

"To clear a few things up, there was a news clip that showed our video 'Nuke the Cross' and then directly cut to lyrics for a song called 'Hang the Pope'. Even though we did record a cover of that song on our first demo, that song is actually by NUCLEAR ASSAULT. I think that was done intentionally to make the story have more impact and more shock value.

"Secondly, I want to thank the people running Rocketown for allowing this show to go on despite the protests. It just proves that being Christian and being closed minded doesn’t have to be synonymous with each other.

"Everyone has a right to believe in whatever they want. If it empowers you and doesn't infringe on anyone else, then I'm all for it. Sadly the herd mentality of organized religion doesn't work like that. It's too much of a threat to the very foundation on which it’s based. Let's end organized religion and stop the real evil in this world."

TOXIC HOLOCAUST is in the middle of a month-long U.S. tour with THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER. The band will then head to Europe for a three week co-headlining tour with SKELETONWITCH and GOATWHORE. This run of dates kicks off on November 27 in the Netherlands.

SLAYER will take part in a signing session at the Hollywood & Highland Hot Topic (located at 6801 Hollywood Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90028) on Wednesday, November 4 at 3:30 p.m.

Want to meet them? Beginning Tuesday, November 3, purchase SLAYER's new CD, "World Painted Blood", or any SLAYER T-shirt from the Hollywood & Highland Hot Topic location ONLY to receive a wristband that guarantees the opportunity to meet the band on November 4.

Need more info? Call the Hollywood & Highland Hot Topic at 323.462.2590.

***Available while supplies last. Space is limited. Offer not valid online. Limit one wristband and one autograph per person. No cameras will be allowed.

The official CD-release and listening party for SLAYER's new album, "World Painted Blood", will be held on Friday, October 30 at Duff's Brooklyn in Williamsburg, New York beginning at 9:00 p.m. Free "World Painted Blood" merchandise and autographed copies of the best-selling Decibel magazine to date — the SLAYER issue — will be given away at the 21-and-over event, for which there is no cover.

The address is:

Duff's Brooklyn
168 Marcy Avenue (between S 5th & Broadway)
Williamsburg, New York

For more information, visit www.duffsbrooklyn.com.

Alan Cross of ExploreMusic.com conducted an interview with METALLICA guitarist Kirk Hammett yesterday (Monday, October 26) prior to the band's concert at at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Watch the chat in two parts below. A couple of excerpts follow.

On METALLICA's October 30, 2009 performance at Madison Square Garden as part of the 25th-anniversary celebration of the Rock And Roll Hall of Fame:

Hammett: "The people behind the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame were so impressed by our induction and our attitude toward the induction and all the good, positive things we had to say about the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame that they actually asked us back to participate in this benefit. And I'm all for it, because I'm a big supporter of the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame and keeping the memory of rock and roll through the years alive. Being acknowledged by the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame means a lot to me, so when they asked us to do this, we said, 'Oh, yeah. Absolutely.' So exactly what we're gonna do is... it's gonna span the history of rock and roll and what it's attempting to do — this benefit — is to put together current artists with Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame inductees from past years. And so there's these collaborations that are gonna be [taking place]. We're gonna be playing with Ray Davies [from THE KINKS] — we're gonna be playing 'You Really Got Me' with him; we're gonna be playing with Lou Reed, we're gonna be playing a Lou Reed song; and then we're gonna be playing with Ozzy, we're gonna be playing a BLACK SABBATH song. And it should be a lot of fun. It's a two-day thing. On our day, it's ARETHA FRANKLIN, JEFF BECK, us and U2. So it's gonna be a pretty interesting show altogether, as far as the audience is concerned. It's gonna be a big mash-up of talent."

On Morgan Dana Harrington, the missing 20-year-old junior from Virginia Tech who was last seen at METALLICA's October 17, 2009 concert at the John Paul Jones Arena in Charlottesville, Virginia:

Hammett: "I can only tell you what everyone knows, really. She went to the show in Charlottesville, got separated from her friends, never really got reunited with them, and later on they found her purse and cell phone, but not her person. So there's been a missing person report filed and there's been a reward put out by the family and we decided to contribute to that reward, 'cause we would like to see — as parents and just of our own good nature — we would like to see her found and reunited with her family. It's a very sad thing to hear about. We're just trying to do what we can to help her and help her family out. It's a pretty intense, screwed up thing that's happened, and I really hope that she's found and that she's OK."

Part 1:



Part 2:

For SPIN magazine's November issue, readers are given a glimpse inside the phantasmagoria that is GWAR frontman Oderus Urungus's normally private "slave pit." But even alien thrash metal maniacs like to get out sometimes — and when the codpiece-wearing cretin took a stroll through the streets of Richmond, Virginia, SPIN was there, filming.

"Cars were stopping and people were coming up and asking to have their photo taken with him," says SPIN associate photo editor Jennifer Edmondson, who shot the footage. "After about ten minutes we had to go back inside because the attention was getting overwhelming."

Watch the footage at SPIN.com.

SLAYER members Kerry King (guitar) and Dave Lombardo (drums) were interviewed by Andrew Haug of Triple J's "The Racket" when the band was on tour in Australia earlier this month. Listen to the program in streaming audio at the Triple J web site: Windows Media, Real Media (NOTE: The first part of the SLAYER interview begins around the 44-minute mark). Check out the program's entire playlist at this location.

The official CD-release and listening party for SLAYER's new album, "World Painted Blood", will be held on Friday, October 30 at Duff's Brooklyn in Williamsburg, New York beginning at 9:00 p.m. Free "World Painted Blood" merchandise and autographed copies of the best-selling Decibel magazine to date — the SLAYER issue — will be given away at the 21-and-over event, for which there is no cover.

The address is:

Duff's Brooklyn
168 Marcy Avenue (between S 5th & Broadway)
Williamsburg, New York

For more information, visit www.duffsbrooklyn.com.

"World Painted Blood" is scheduled for release on November 3 via American Recordings. The CD will initially ship with four special collector's edition covers. Each of the four covers will display one-fourth of a provocative continental map illustrated with human skulls and bones; when placed together, the four images form a complete and grisly map of the world.

All four of the initial CD packages will include a special blood-red, see-through top panel with the map displayed beneath it.

"World Painted Blood" track listing:

01. World Painted Blood
02. Unit 731
03. Snuff
04. Beauty Through Order
05. Hate Worldwide
06. Public Display Of Dismemberment
07. Human Strain
08. Americon
09. Psychopathy Red
10. Playing With Dolls
11. Not Of This God

"World Painted Blood" was recorded in Los Angeles over two time periods, during October 2008 and then between late January and March 2009. The CD was produced by Greg Fidelman, who's spent time in the studio with METALLICA, THE GOSSIP, THE (INTERNATIONAL) NOISE CONSPIRACY, SLIPKNOT and others, and executive-produced by longtime SLAYER colleague Rick Rubin, who suggested Fidelman for the project.

Swedish melodic death metallers DARK TRANQUILLITY have scheduled two Russian dates in December:

Dec. 18 - Club Tochka - Moscow, Russia
Dec. 19 - Glavclub - St. Petersburg, Russia

DARK TRANQUILLITY released the "Where Death Is Most Alive" CD/DVD on October 26 in Europe and November 17 in the U.S. via Century Media Records. The footage was filmed on October 31, 2008 in Milan, Italy — a concert which makes up the upcoming DVD's main feature. Disc 1 contains 20 tracks recorded at the Milan show while disc 2 offers the "Out Of Nothing" DARK TRANQUILLITY documentary, another 21 rare live videos and all of the band's previously released promotional clips.

Germany's Metal Hammer magazine has posted a new exclusive preview of the "Where Death Is Most Alive" DVD, including a personal introduction by vocalist Mikael Stanne. Check it out at this location.

"Where Death Is Most Alive" was released as limited kingsize mediabook 2DVD/2CD, 2DVD, 2CD and digital download. The audio formats consist of the main show's material, mixed by Tue Madsen.

DARK TRANQUILLITY has announced a special 20th-anniversary party in its hometown of Gothenburg, Sweden. On October 30 at Bio Roy, the "Where Death Is Most Alive" DVD will be screened for the first and only time. Opening act SLAUGHTER OF THE BLUEGRASS will play its first-ever gig and all attendees will also receive a "The Dying Fragments" special CD with ultra-rare live material featuring never recorded songs. This will only be given out on this day and is limited to 333 copies.

KISS performed the new song "Say Yeah" (from the "Sonic Boom" album) for the first time last night (Monday, October 26) in Atlanta, Georgia.

Watch video footage of the performance below.

"Sonic Boom" sold 108,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 2 on The Billboard 200 chart. This marks the band's highest-charting LP ever.

KISS has notched eight Top 10 albums, according to Billboard.com. Its previous highest-charting set was 1998's "Psycho Circus", which debuted and peaked at No. 3 with 110,000 copies in its first week, according to Nielsen SoundScan. The group's other high-charting sets include 1975's "Alive!" (No. 9), 1977's "Love Gun" (No. 4) and 1992's "Revenge" (No. 6).

"Sonic Boom" was released in Europe on October 5 via Loud & Proud/Roadrunner Records. The CD was made available in the U.S. and Canada on October 6 exclusively via Wal-Mart, Walmart.com and Sam's Club retail locations.

KISS filmed footage for the "Modern Day Delilah" video during the band's private warm-up show at Cobo Arena in Detroit, Michigan on September 24. Over 1,500 lucky fans attended the event, where the group also previewed its new stage and taped two songs for an episode of "Jimmy Kimmel Live!"

Pulverised Records has announced the signing of Ukrainian black metallers BALFOR.

Describing its music as "Barbaric black metal" that explores themes from its country's warrior past, the band's full-length debut, "Barbaric Blood", will be released in early 2010.

Comments Pulverised Records A&R manager Calvin: "BALFOR are one of those bands that has pretty much the whole package; top-class musicianship and excellent songwriting prowess that perfectly describes their brand of darkened black metal. It is our pleasure to be working with BALFOR on their debut album, so expect nothing short of killer headbanging riffs blending together with the atmospheric feel that is ever so essential in black metal."

BALFOR lead singer/guitarist Thorgeir states: "We are really excited to be working with a label with the reputation and experience of Pulverised Records for the release of our first full-length album, 'Barbaric Blood', and we are very much looking forward to our collaboration. As a band, BALFOR always gives 101% of itself in terms of commitment and this is what we will bring to Pulverised."

The band recently announced the addition of second guitar player Agnarr to the group's ranks. Thorgeir states, "Agnarr is a highly trained and skilled guitarist, with a real instinct for music, so he got the feel of what we wanted straight away. When we were recording material for our new album, we realized that the fuller sound we had developed was going to need an additional guitarist in order for us to be able to reproduce it live. It also takes some of the pressure off me on stage. Singing and playing at the same time is one thing, but when you want to give the audience a less static show, and communicate with them at the same time, it doesn't always work too well, so a second guitarist is the perfect solution for us."

Two new tracks — "Behold My Hate" and "The Perfect Fire" — taken from the upcoming debut album are now available for streaming on the BALFOR MySpace page.

BALFOR is:

Thorgeir - Vocals/Guitar
Agnarr - Lead Guitar
Berowar - Bass
Erland - Drums

According to FMQB.com, Explore Music's Alan Cross has revealed that some Canadian music types have been reworking the tracks from former AUDIOSLAVE/SOUNDGARDEN singer Chris Cornell's latest solo album, "Scream", into rock songs.

Michael Friedman, who works in Los Angeles in music licensing and placement, told Cross, "I heard some 'Black Hole Sun' greatness deep within some of the songs. I also got to know Chris as a friend. I ended up calling Jordan Zadorozny [of the Canadian indie band BLINKER THE STAR, who co-wrote for HOLE's 'Celebrity Skin' album and more]. I flew him down to L.A. and had him listen to some of the tracks in hopes that he could remix them somehow."

Friedman received permission from Cornell to pass Zadorozny's re-done version of the song "Never Far Away" along to Cross, which you can hear below. Friedman says the track is "a total re-recording, not a remix."

Cornell recorded "Scream" with R&B/hip-hop hitmaker Timbaland. Critical and fan response to the disc has been less than enthusiastic, with Rolling Stone magazine calling it "a strange mutation."

"Never Far Away" reworked "rock" version:



"Never Far Away" original Timbaland version from "Scream":

RUSH guitarist Alex Lifeson will make an appearance on tonight's (Tueday, October 27) edition of the "Rick Mercer Report" at 8:00 p.m.

"Rick Mercer Report" is a Canadian television comedy series which airs on CBC television. Launched in 2004 and hosted by comedian Rick Mercer, the weekly half-hour show combines news parody, sketch comedy, visits to interesting places across Canada, and satirical editorials, often involving Canadian politics.

According to the Niagara Falls Review, Rick Mercer and Lifeson were in Niagara Falls, Canada earlier this month filming a segment for the show, donning flappy flight gear to tackle the Niagara Freefall Indoor Skydiving. With cameras rolling, the duo floated atop 140 mp/h winds generated by a jet engine at the Stanley Avenue attraction.

"All we've been told is that it's harder than it looks," said Lifeson, who co-founded RUSH more than 40 years ago with bassist Geddy Lee (drummer Neil Peart joined in the mid '70s). "It's the string that's over the jet engine that's disconcerting."

"I just find standing over a jet engine disconcerting," added Mercer.

The segment finds Mercer and Lifeson hitting the town for a guys night out. Mercer had heard about the Niagara attraction from a coworker, and decided to freefall with the guy who riffed on "Freewill."

"Alex is apparently up for anything ... or crazy, I haven't determined yet."

The crew arrived in town just before noon and quickly shot the segment before either RUSH or Mercer fans got wind.

(Thanks: NJthrasher)

AVA INFERI, the Portugal-based band whose lineup includes Norwegian guitarist Rune Eriksen (a.k.a. ex-MAYHEM guitarist/songwriter Blasphemer), has issued the following update:

"We are now searching for a guitarist who can fill in as a live member (and then see where it goes from there) when we have shows and tours on the agenda. Must be willing to step in at any time required, have his (or her) own equipment, and be an experienced and a hard working individual willing to sacrifice his (or her) sanity for the band. Preferred from the Lisboa/Centro Sul area due to periods of immense rehearsals (unless you love to travel long distances several times a week, of course...)

"If you know you have what it takes and are ready and willing to surrender to the coven, let us know at ava.inferi@yahoo.com."

AVA INFERI's third album, "Blood Of Bacchus", was released in Europe on May 25 via France's Season Of Mist (July 14 in the U.S.).

The track listing is as follows:

01. Truce
02. Last Sign of Summer
03. Colours of the Dark
04. Black Wings
05. Appeler Les Loups
06. Be Damned
07. Tempestade
08. Blood of Bacchus
09. Memoirs

The album features guest appearances by Kristoffer Rygg (ULVER), Live Kostöl (PANTHEON I), Fredrik Söderlind (PUISSENCE) and the "amazing piano talent" Arne Martinussen.

The "Colours of the Dark" song can be streamed using the audio player below.

Napalm Records has announced the signing of Danish metallers THE KANDIDATE (formerly THE DOWNWARD CANDIDATE). The band's new album, "Until We Are Outnumbered", will be released in early 2010.

Commented THE KANDIDATE in a statement: "It's a great honor to announce that we have signed with Napalm Records, who will now be in charge of spreading THE KANDIDATE disease throughout the world. We have, of course, been a lot in contact with Napalm for the last several months and the impression we get is that they are extremely dedicated to what they do, very professional and really believe in what we are doing and that 'Until We Are Outnumbered' will take a strong position in the modern metal scene.

"In a time of recession where lots of labels are cutting down on new signings and releases, Napalm have shown that they have the guts and the capabilities to grow and focus on their beliefs. We are looking very much forward to what the future will bring for our cooperation."

THE KANDIDATE is:

Allen Tvedebrink (WITHERING SURFACE, THORIUM) - Guitar
Jacob Bredahl (HATESPHERE) - Vocals
Dennis Buhl (EVIL MASQUERADE, SINPHONIA, HATESPHERE) - Drums
Kasper Boye Larsen (WITHERING SURFACE, KILLAMAN) - Bass

For more information, visit www.myspace.com/thekandidate.

Scott Less of Santa Rosa, California's 101.7 The Fox radio station conducted an interview with SLIPKNOT frontman Corey Taylor before the band's October 23, 2009 concert at the Event Center in San Jose, California. Watch the chat in two parts below.

"I think SLIPKNOT is the best therapy I could ever have wanted in my whole life," Taylor recently told Straight.com. "It continues to allow me to really figure out things about myself. You know, get really macro and let a lot of stuff go. In a lot of ways, the insanity of SLIPKNOT allows me to have the humanity of my real life."

Taylor currently has three projects in the works, including the alt-rockish STONE SOUR, and the JUNK BEER KIDNAP BAND, a roots-oriented outfit that made its live debut this past summer.

"We just wrapped up a couple of shows on the West Coast that were really fun," Taylor told Straight.com of JUNK BEER KIDNAP BAND . "I'm just kind of getting out there and doing my thing. I write so many kinds of different music that if I don't find a way to get it all out there, then I'm limiting myself. At the end of the day, it [writing] is just what I love to do. There are no ulterior motives other than just getting the music out. And as a songwriter and lyricist, I'm constantly trying to find a way to push the boundaries of what I know, instead of just falling back on what I'm comfortable with.

"So many people only know me for SLIPKNOT or STONE SOUR. This is a way to throw another wrench in there — to go, 'Hey, just when you thought you knew what I was all about, here's this whole other brand of music that I really love doing.'"

Regarding why SLIPKNOT continues to have a large and devoted fan base more than a decade since the release of the band's self-titled debut, Taylor said, "Too many bands are willing to sell their fan base out to get what they want, monetarily speaking. Too many bands are willing to destroy the foundation of their career just to have a little scratch upfront. And that's just fucking sad. To me, the great thing about having our feet in two worlds is that we never left our original fans behind. We never sold them out — we took them with us. And in doing that, we showed them respect. They were the ones that kept us here when things were dark, when nobody else gave us a chance."

Part 1:



Part 2:

Former THE GATHERING and current AGUA DE ANNIQUE vocalist Anneke van Giersbergen played a short acoustic set at the release party for AGUA DE ANNIQUE's new album, "In Your Room", on October 15 at Backstage hotel in Amsterdam, Holland. Watch video footage of the performance below.

Three songs from "In Your Room" are available for streaming at AGUA DE ANNIQUE's official web site.

"In Your Room" will be released on October 30. The 12-song effort was written entirely by Anneke except for two tracks: "Just Fine" was co-written with Devin Townsend and "Adore" was composed by AGUA DE ANNIQUE bassist Jacques de Haard and Cyril Crutz.

The "Hey Okay!" single was made available on October 6.

Upcoming AGUA DE ANNIQUE shows:

Nov. 12 - Oosterpoort - Groningen, NL
Nov. 13 - Doornroosje - Nijmegen, NL
Nov. 14 - Melkweg - Amsterdam, NL
Nov. 15 - Effenaar - Eindhoven, NL

Long-running German death metallers RESURRECTED will release their sixth album, "Fierce", before the end of the year via Metal Age Productions. The CD was recorded at Soundlodge studios in Rhauderfehn, Germany with Jörk Uken (GOD DETHRONED, OBSCENITY). The band states, "We're overwhelmed by the result. Expect the most varied and vital RESURRECTED album so far embedded in an awesome production including some guest vocals of Christoph Mieves from GRIND INC."

The "Fierce" cover artwork was created by Björn Gosses of Killustrations (VOMITORY, LAY DOWN ROTTEN, SEVERE TORTURE) and can be viewed below.

"Fierce" track listing:

01. New Reign Rising
02. Gun Shot Victim
03. Tortured By Deities
04. Mental Retardation
05. Urge To Murder
06. Slumdog...
07. Perverse Consecration
08. Divine Masturbation
09. Day Of Suffering (MORBID ANGEL cover)
10. Hindsight

The track "Slumdog" is now available for streaming on the band's MySpace page.

RESURRECTED's fifth album, "Endless Sea of Loss", was released in October 2006 via Morbid Records. The follow-up to 2003's "Blood Spilled" was recorded at Soundlodge Studio in Germany and was mastered at Megawimp Mastering Studio in Berlin.

"To The Wolves", the new video from the Long Island's straight-edge metalcore powerhouse THE WORLD WE KNEW, can be viewed below. The song is the title cut of the band's sophomore album, which was released on June 30 via Stillborn Records. According to a press release, the CD "further emphasizes their continuing intentions of giving their fans and future fans aggressive and relentless metal. It's pure and it's honest and is just another chapter to add to the ambitious epic of this distinguished metal act."

Stillborn label owner and HATEBREED/KINGDOM OF SORROW frontman Jamey Jasta previously stated about THE WORLD WE KNEW, "These guys have been paying their dues for quite some time and have made a really killer album that I am excited to put out on Stillborn."

Swedish powerhouse GRAND MAGUS has issued the following update:

"Ever since the release of 'Iron Will', we have been on what seems like and endless roller coaster ride, filled with great gigs, awesome response from magazines and most importantly from you, our listeners. We never knew there were so many of you out there. Especially gratifying is the fact that you all seem to fucking understand what we want to put across, which makes it worth so much more. It has been a fantastic year and a half! Our goal now is to top this for 2010. We aim to make an even better album and gigs. We can't wait to get the metal out there to you.

"At the moment we are writing new songs and generally spending a lot of time locked in our rehearsal space. The atmosphere when we get together is electric and we have already come up with some killer stuff. We feel strong and confident."

Germany's StreetClip.tv conducted an interview with GRAND MAGUS frontman Janne Christoffersson at this year's Sweden Rock festival, which was held June 3-6, 2009 in Sölvesborg. Watch the chat below.

GRAND MAGUS released its fourth full-length album, "Iron Will", in June 2008 in Europe via Rise Above Records and in the U.S. via Candlelight Records. The CD was once again recorded in Stockholm with Oneman acting as engineer and co-producer.

Janne Christoffersson's track-by-track breakdown of the album has been posted on the web site of the German edition of Metal Hammer magazine. Check it out in English or German.