ILMOEntertainment conducted an interview with STATIC-X frontman Wayne Static and Wayne's wife, former adult film star Tera Wray, on August 7, 2009 in Moline, Illinois during the "Pedal to the Metal" tour with BLACK LABEL SOCIETY and MUDVAYNE. Watch the chat below.

STATIC-X is recording most of its live performances on the Pedal To The Metal tour and making them available to fans on a USB wristband for purchase at the STATIC-X merch booth right after the show. The USB sticks not only feature the night's performance audio but also a variety of exclusive bonus material put together by the band especially for their fans, such as a personal message to fans in the city of the show, a brand new picture gallery, several "Behind The Scenes – The Making of The Cult Of Static" video clips and links to related web sites.

"Cult of Static", the new album from STATIC-X, sold 19,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 16 on The Billboard 200 chart.

STATIC-X's previous CD, "Cannibal", opened with more than 30,000 copies back in April 2007 to land at No. 36. This represented a slight drop from the 35,000 tally registered by the band's "Start a War" album, which came out in June 2005 and debuted at No. 29.

As previously reported, STATIC-X has tapped drummer Will Hunt (EVANESCENCE, DARK NEW DAY, ex-SKRAPE, TOMMY LEE) to fill in for Nick Oshiro on the group's current tour. Hunt also appears in STATIC-X's new video for the song "Stingwray".

Oshiro is reportedly "taking a break" from STATIC-X, but has not officially left the band.

Leah Coppola of Swigged! conducted an interview with vocalist Trevor Strnad of Michigan's unstoppable sons of molten melodic death metal THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER on July 24, 2009 at the Atlanta, Georgia stop of this year's Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival. Watch the six-minute chat below.

THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER will release "Deflorate", the follow-up to 2007's "Nocturnal", on September 15.

30-second audio samples of all the tracks that are set to appear on the CD are available for streaming at Amazon.de.

An epic expansion of the stunning pitch-black cacophony that was "Nocturnal", "Deflorate" boasts THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER's brand of seamlessly mixed Swedish influenced blackened thrash and pounding American death metal muscle, and sees one of metal's most outstanding underground outfits at the peak of its unmitigated musical brutality.

"We're more confident than ever," declares Strnad of "Deflorate". "I think, as a band, we really found our footing on 'Nocturnal'. This time, we've taken this beast to the next level."

"Deflorate" was produced by THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, Mark Lewis (DEICIDE) and Jason Suecof (BENEATH THE MASSACRE, JOB FOR A COWBOY), with mixing duties handled by Suecof. The album's first single, "A Selection Unnatural", is now available for streaming exclusively on RevolverMag.com.

Strnad stated about the "A Selection Unnatural" song, "I was watching some crazy shit on birth defects on the health channel and I wanted to try to recreate the feelings of horror and repulsion that people react with when seeing these kinds of unfortunate images. 'A Selection Unnatural' is meant to be a science-fiction shocker about the short life of a terribly deformed mutant of a child. From the moment he is born he is kept in labs and is regarded as a living medical marvel, poked and prodded by scientific minds wondering how such a being could come to be. How could such a thing occur in nature? Is he a human being like you and I? I was trying to find a balance between completely describing the creature and leaving a bit up to the imagination and let the listener decide exactly what it would look like. The person telling the story is meant to sound disgusted, a voice of sheer cruelty and indifference to the child's life. He wonders what the boy's purpose was on this earth, scoffing at his plight. The title is obviously a play on Darwin's theory of natural selection."

"Deflorate" track listing:

01. Black Valor
02. Necropolis
03. A Selection Unnatural
04. Denounced, Disgraced
05. Christ Deformed
06. Death Panorama
07. Throne Of Lunacy
08. Eyes Of Thousand
09. That Which Erodes The Most Tender
10. I Will Return

Following a last-minute visa issue that forced the band to sit out the Blackenedfest tour earlier this summer, Swedish black metallers MARDUK were allowed to enter the U.S. earlier today ahead of their three-date East Coast tour.

Said guitarist Morgan Håkansson from Baltimore: "Finally, after so many problems and unforeseen difficulties, MARDUK has entered North America. We are excited to finally be here again. A long time has passed since our previous tour over here; the year was 2001! But now we are back and this is just the beginning of what's to come!"

MARDUK will play three shows with WITHERED and BLACK ANVIL and take part in an autograph signing and meet-and-greet at Duff's Brooklyn in Williamsburg, New York.

The group's schedule is as follows:

Aug. 12 - Sonar - Baltimore, MD
Aug. 13 - Johnny Brenda's - Philadelphia, PA
Aug. 14 - Duffs Brooklyn - Williamsburg, NY (autograph session)
Aug. 15 - Gramercy Threatre - New York, NY (with TOMBS)

MARDUK will release its eleventh album, "Wormwood", in the U.S. on October 13 via Regain Records. The CD, which will be made available in Europe on September24, was recorded at Endarker Studios in Norrköping, Sweden with engineer/producer Magnus Devo Andersson. The album's release will be followed by a world tour, dubbed "Funeral Nation 2009/2010", which will kick off in Europe.

"Wormwood" track listing:

01. Nowhere, No-One, Nothing
02. Funeral Dawn
03. This Fleshly Void
04. Unclosing The Curse
05. Into Utter Madness
06. Phosphorous Redeemer
07. To Redirect Perdition
08. Whorecrown
09. Chorus Of Cracking Necks
10. As A Garment

The CD artwork can be viewed below.

Check out photos from the "Wormwood" recording sessions at this location.

MARDUK's last CD, "Rom 5:12", was released in North America in May 2007 via Regain/Koch.

Singapore's The Strait Times reports that Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley of the legendary rock band KISS will make appearances in a Las Vegas live theatre extravaganza co-produced by Singapore entertainment company Storm Lion.

This was announced on Tuesday (August 11) by Storm Lion and its Los Angeles conference at The Arts House in Old Parliament Lane in Singapore.

Called "Kiss: Carnival Of Souls", the live show is a brainchild of Stanley and Simmons.

Simmons was in town to meet potential business partners to stage the show in the region.

Set against a dark carnival, the show, named after one of the group's albums, embarks on a journey seeking true love.

KISS will also be recording an all-new repertoire for this production.

Dressed in jeans and black jacket, Simmons, who is KISS' singer and bassist, said the upcoming production will be a "fantastic production of sounds, lights and fantasy."

Photo of Gene Simmons in Singapore (August 11, 2009) - Photo credit: Sonicfreakz

(Thanks: Sonicfreakz)

An audio sample of the THEM CROOKED VULTURES song entitled "Nobody Loves Me And Neither Do I" is available for streaming in the YouTube clip below.

THEM CROOKED VULTURES is the new supergroup consisting of FOO FIGHTERS frontman Dave Grohl, QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE singer/guitarist Josh Homme and LED ZEPPELIN bassist John Paul Jones. The band made its live debut late Sunday night (August 9) at the Metro club in Chicago, shortly after Lollapalooza closed its third and final day at nearby Grant Park. According to the Chicago Sun-Times, the trio performed a 75-minute, 12-song set for 1,100 people, with Homme singing lead, Grohl on drums and backing vocals, and Jones shifting between bass, keyboards and even keytar. QUEENS multi-instrumentalist Alain Johannes provided extra support on guitar.

Other songtitles included opener "Elephants", "Scumbag Blues", "Mind Eraser (No Chaser)", "Caligulove" and "Interlude w/Ludes".

Chicago Tribune music critic Greg Kot wrote: "The group made it very clear that it's not only for real, but also has the chance to be the exception to the super-group rule. Most of these Frankenstein projects usually end up being less than the sum of their parts, but CROOKED VULTURES sounded like it was on to something fresh, invigorating and just plain nasty."

THEM CROOKED VULTURES, which has been in the works for four years, will release an album and hit the road sometime later this year, but official details have yet to be announced. So far all the band has done is put up a web site as well as Twitter, Facebook, MySpace and YouTube pages.

FREE REIGN — the band featuring the Dallas Cowboys right tackle Marc Colombo on lead vocals and guitar, right guard Leonard Davis on bass, backup guard Cory Procter on drums, and newcomer Justin Chapman on guitar — has posted a new song, "Tragedy", on the group's MySpace page.

FREE REIGN recently inked a worldwide deal with Australia's Riot! Entertainment. The group's debut EP — which will include "Tragedy" — is scheduled for release in November 2009.

Colombo and Procter are the original members of FREE REIGN. Last year, they set up inside the team's locker room for a mini-set that prompted Davis to learn the bass his wife bought him a few years ago. Chapman came in after hearing them play over the winter.

"This is an amazing opportunity for Riot! and to further establish our name internationally," said Riot! owner/CEO John Howarth. "FREE REIGN is a band with massive potential. There has been an enormous buzz surrounding them since they appeared on the scene a few months ago. FREE REIGN has already been flooded with endorsements. Their marketing potential is limitless. These guys are already huge sports stars, but they have shown they have the talent to diversify. I am positive that metal fans will embrace FREE REIGN and see them take it to the next level. These are exciting times for Riot! and we are excited to see what the future holds. When the opportunity arose to work with FREE REIGN, I jumped to it! This is something that has never been done before and this band is a long-term project. It's also been great working with John Gomez of TQ Management putting this deal to bed."

"The members of FREE REIGN and myself are equally excited to be working with John Howarth and his team at Riot! Entertainment," said FREE REIGN manager John Gomez. "Riot! has a great track record and they work hard for their artists, we all look forward to a bright future together and are honored to call Riot! our new home."

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

Long-running U.K. rockers THE WILDHEARTS were interviewed by Iceman of More-Metal.com on August 5, 2009 in Berlin, Germany. Watch the nine-minute chat below.

THE WILDHEARTS will be IRON MAIDEN frontman Bruce Dickinson's guests on Friday, August 14 during Bruce's weekly BBC 6 Music radio program, dubbed "The Bruce Dickinson Friday Rock Show". Listen to the broadcast live via the Internet between 9:00 p.m. and 12:00 a.m. (midnight) U.K. time at BBC.co.uk.

THE WILDHEARTS will release their ninth studio album, "Chutzpah!", on August 31 via Backstage Alliance (distributed through Cargo).

Recorded in Denmark with producer Jacob Hansen (VOLBEAT, THE BRONX, THE STORM), "Chutzpah!" is described by lead singer Ginger as "unlike any [LP] that we've made so far." Bassist Scott Sorry added, "This album is not only my favorite WILDHEARTS record, but it's one of my favorite records to have ever been a part of."

"Chutzpah!" track listing:

01. The Jackson Whites
02. Plastic Jebus
03. The Only One
04. John Of Violence
05. You Are Proof That Not All Women Are Insane
06. Tim Smith
07. Low Energy Vortex
08. You Took The Sunshine From New York
09. Mazel Tov Cocktail
10. Chutzpah

THE WILDHEARTS have been busy booking a U.K. headline tour which will include a headline show at Shepherd's Bush Empire.

Commented frontman Ginger: "It's always great to play to WILDHEARTS crowds; they really are the best crowd in the world. We are a very lucky band in that respect, and we never take it for granted. This time we'll be promoting the new album which has Scott and CJ singing lead vocals too, so I'll be in heaven being able to take a break from f***ing singing all the time. I can't wait to see people's reaction to the new material."

The song "The Butcher Strikes Back" from the forthcoming double live album from German thrash metal veterans DESTRUCTION, "The Curse Of The Antichrist - Live In Agony", is available for streaming on the band's MySpace page.

"The Curse Of The Antichrist - Live In Agony" is scheduled for release on September 25 via AFM Records.

The limited digipack edition of the album will feature the following track listing:

01. The Butcher Strikes Back
02. Curse The Gods
03. Mad Butcher
04. The Alliance Of Hellhoundz
05. D.E.V.O.L.U.T.I.O.N.
06. Eternal Ban
07. Urge The Greed Of Gain
08. Thrash Till Death
09. Metal Discharge
10. The Damned
11. Cracked Brain
12. Soulcollector
13. Death Trap
14. Unconscious Ruins
15. Life Without Sense
16. The 7 Deadly Sins
17. The Antichrist
18. Thrash Till Death
19. Reject Emotions (three drumkits Wacken Inferno version)
20. Total Desaster
21. Bestial Invasion

DESTRUCTION recently completed the "D.E.V.O.L.U.T.I.O.N. - 25 Years Of Total Destruction" North American trek with KRISIUN and MANTIC RITUAL.

"D.E.V.O.L.U.T.I.O.N.", the latest studio album from DESTRUCTION, last year entered the Media Control chart in the band's home country at position No. 65. The CD was released on August 22, 2008 via AFM Records and features guest appearances by Gary Holt (EXODUS), Jeff Waters (ANNIHILATOR) and Vinnie Moore (UFO).

Fan-filmed video footage of JACK STARR'S BURNING STARR performing the VIRGIN STEELE classic "Go Down Fighting" at the Magic Circle Festival III in Loreley, Germany on July 18, 2009 can be viewed below. The clip features guitarist Jack Starr (VIRGIN STEELE, DEVIL CHILDE, PHANTOM LORD, GUARDIANS OF THE FLAME) along with current BURNING STARR members Ned Meloni (DEVIL CHILDE, PHANTOM LORD, GHOST, GUARDIANS OF THE FLAME) on bass and Todd Michael Hall (HARLET) on vocals. Guest musicians for the performance include Lars Ramcke (guitar) and Alex Guth (guitar) from STORMWARRIOR and Bob Jonas (drums).

The latest BURNING STARR CD, "Defiance", was released via Magic Circle Music, the record label owned by members of MANOWAR, on June 5. Produced by Joey DeMaio of MANOWAR, the album includes such tracks as "Black Clouds Of Thanos", "The Beast Inside" and the title track, "Defiance". Check out audio samples in the 10-minute embedded clip below.

Live at Magic Circle Festival III:



"Defiance" audio samples:

WATCH ME BLEED, the German band featuring MYSTIC PROPHECY guitar player Markus Pohl and SYMPHORCE drummer Steffen Theurer, will release its debut album, "Souldrinker", on October 23 via Silverwolf Productions. A teaser for the CD can be viewed below.

"Souldrinker" was mixed by Christian "Moschus" Moos (DELAIN, C-187, EVERON) at Spacelab studios and was mastered by Eroc (SODOM, DELAIN) at the Mastering Ranch. It contains eleven songs with guest appearances by Andy B. Franck (BRAINSTORM), Nemesis (EIGENSINN) and Greek guitar wizard Constantine (MYSTIC PROPHECY, THE DESCENDING). According to Markus Pohl, the band "is extremely satisfied with the whole album, the sound and the songs." The end result is "pure metal, aggressive, in your face and heavy. Moschus and Eroc did a great job."

WATCH ME BLEED's CD features the band's first recordings with Markus Wenzel, singer of the Austrian deathcore act INZEST, who joined the group last fall as WATCH ME BLEED's second vocalist. With two aggressive singers, WATCH ME BLEED "expanded its sound to a new and diversified level," according to a press release.

For more information, visit www.myspace.com/watchmebleed667.

Jennifer Faith of Swigged! conducted an interview with drummer Michael "Moose" Thomas of Welsh metallers BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE on July 24, 2009 at the Atlanta, Georgia stop of this year's Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival. Watch the two-minute chat below.

Regarding how the new BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE song — which the band has been played at some of its recent shows — compares to the group's previous material, guitarist/vocalist Matt Tuck recently told the German edition of Metal Hammer magazine, "It's kind of completely new. I don't think it's like anything on 'Poison' [2005] or 'Scream Aim Fire' [2008], is it?" Moose concurred, "It's kind of more classic, if you ask me. It's not speedy, it's not thrashy." Tuck added, "It's not thrashy or really intense metal or anything. It's just like a mid-tempo kind of really nice, hard rock song. I don't even class it as metal, really. It's got metal influences and a really cool metal riff, but the song, as a vibe, is more hard rock."

BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE recently entered a Malibu, California studio with producer Don Gilmore (LINKIN PARK, LACUNA COIL) to begin recording the band's third CD for an early 2010 release. According to Tuck, the as-yet-untitled effort will mark a slight departure from the more aggressive sounds of "Scream Aim Fire", which has sold 319,000 copies in the United States since its January 2008 release. "On the last [album], we tried to be a bit more thrashy, and that was cool, but we just wanna go back to more kind of classic sound now," he said. "We want people to [think] it's a good blend of what we've done in the past.

He continued, "It's a lot more mature-sounding. The record, as a whole, is a lot more mature-sounding, it's a lot more classic. It'll stand the test of time [more] than both the previous things we've done.

"I haven't done the vocal session yet, but it's something I'm really gonna put everything I have into. The last record was what it was 'cause I had loads of problems with my throat — I had an operation and all that shit. So that's why it kind of sounds a bit weird compared to the first one — 'cause I wasn't doing good. But this time, the voice is back, it's firing, it sounds like me again, and I'm really gonna make it a great vocal rock/metal album."

Guitarist Bruce Franklin of legendary Chicago doomsters TROUBLE was interviewed on this past Sunday's (August 9) edition of the "Heavy Metal Mayhem" show on Blogtalkradio.com. The program can now be streamed below.

TROUBLE recently debuted a brand new song, "Hunters Of Doom", from the group's forthcoming CD, "The Dark Riff".

TROUBLE previously stated that the material that is set to appear on "The Dark Riff" features "massive, killer riffs" that are "sure to please ANY TROUBLE fan . . . As you can tell by the [new album's] title, IT'S HEAVY! The band is resorting to the root of what made TROUBLE in the first place and what they are best at, DOOM! This will no doubt be the heaviest TROUBLE release since the mid-'80s when they crushed the masses with what is now known as 'Psalm 9' and 'The Skull'."

TROUBLE's recently released live album, "Live In L.A.", was recorded in Los Angeles and is available at NewTrouble.com.

Fan-filmed video footage of TROUBLE's performance at this year's Wacken Open Air festival — which was held July 30 - August 1, 2009 in Wacken, Germany — can be viewed below (courtesy of "metalwar71").

Philadelphian behemoth JAVELINA will release its sophomore album on September 29 via Translation Loss Records. The aptly titled "Beasts Among Sheep" boasts eight tracks of the band's ultra-brutal brew of sludge-inspired, streetfight gutter metal, as was witnessed on their 2008 debut self-titled release.

These rabid hymns were captured in March of this year at Volume Studios in Chicago by Sanford Parker, and mastered at the Boiler Room in Chicago by Collin Jordan. The cover art, as with the previous album, was handled by Jason Goldberg (Olde City Tattoo, The Bad Luck 13 Riot Extravaganza, etc.).

The track listing is as follows:

01. You're Going to Hate This
02. A Little Paranoia
03. Towers of Silence
04. Stepchild
05. Arcadia
06. Black Blizzard
07. The Nuclear Option
08. Beware the Wrath of the Patient Man

JAVELINA will rampage through the U.S. this October with an arsenal of local brutality joining them at every show.

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

Former MEGADETH and current F5 bassist David Ellefson has posted the latest episode in "David Ellefson's Rock Shop", an ongoing YouTube video series hosted by the bassist himself. The new clip features Ellefson discussing the topic of music publishing and the royalties surrounding this important issue for songwriters in the music business.

Commented Ellefson: "I'm always asked questions from fans and other musicians about playing the bass, the business side of our industry, and music in general. So, I decided to create these regular video webisodes as a way to inform and respond to many of those questions."

In addition to numerous gold and platinum records and seven Grammy-nominated works, David is the author of the book "Making Music Your Business" and has two metal bass guitar instructional DVDs through Rock House Method entitled "Metal Bass Vol. 1" and "Vol. 2". He is also a featured bass clinician, keynote speaker and panelist on the subject of music and the music industry.

Previous episodes can be viewed at this location.

Danish melodic black metallers ILLNATH have parted ways with drummer Danni Lyse Jelsgaard. The band states, "We wish him all the possible luck with his other band SVARTSOT and all other musical projects or bands he joins. He is a lovely chap and an amazing drummer, and we do part as the best possible friends."

The group adds, "We would all personally apologize to those fans and friends who are waiting for shows that now will be cancelled. We know you have been through this before, and We're truly sorry. The remaining members of the band are dedicated to the ILLNATH soul that lives on and we will never give up!

"So, we are once again back to looking for a drummer. If you or anyone you know are interested in playing for ILLNATH, please send a message or email to email@illnath.dk for arranging an audition. And we will be back!! OH, WE WILL BE BACK!!!"

ILLNATH's third album, "Three Nights in the Sewers of Sodom", was recorded at Borsing Studios.

"The Bringer of War", a brand new song from heralded Indianapolis, Indiana doom metal masters THE GATES OF SLUMBER, is available for streaming at DecibelMagazine.com. The track comes off the band's new album, "Hymns of Blood & Thunder", which is scheduled for release on September 13 via Rise Above Records.

THE GATES OF SLUMBER encapsulates the metal experience for true believers. Weaned on BLACK SABBATH, ST. VITUS, the melodic might of IRON MAIDEN and a host of classic bands from THIN LIZZY to RAINBOW to MERCYFUL FATE, THE GATES OF SLUMBER draws deep from heavy metal's most powerful blood and delivers doom metal in its purest form.

"Hymns of Blood & Thunder" drops on the heels of the brightest and busiest year in the respected power trio's history; one that saw THE GATES OF SLUMBER pack clubs during its first U.S. headlining tour and land atop many year-end media polls with "Conqueror", an album that was hailed as "a breath of fresh air within the doom / true metal underground." The record placed at the #5 position in Decibel's "Top 40 Albums of 2008" and made Village Voice Media's "Top 10 Metal Albums of 2008", joining an impressive list of some of the genre's finest including AC/DC, JUDAS PRIEST and METALLICA.

Recorded in Chicago's Semaphore Studios with producer Sanford Parker (NACHTMYSTIUM, PELICAN), "Hymns of Blood & Thunder" is described in a press release as "a mighty document of both powerful songwriting and instrumental skull-crushing. . . the album is heavy and chillingly bleak; in an almost unrelenting way that hasn't been heard since JUDAS PRIEST's heyday ('Sad Wings of Destiny', 'Sin After Sin', etc.). Displaying a powerful focus and direction and demonstrating a very compelling emotional range, THE GATES OF SLUMBER have upped its levels of both technique and melody, resulting in an album that is at once frighteningly dark in its effect, tight in its grooves and unrivaled in its sheer power."

"Just prior to the band's 2008 U.S. headlining tour, I started working on songs for the new record with the goal in mind that it had to be a step forward for us compositionally as well as production wise," THE GATES OF SLUMBER frontman/guitarist Karl Simon remarks. "I knew that I personally wanted to work on more integrated and composed solos to allow for different sides of me to come out — sides that are more influenced by JUDAS PRIEST and the SCORPIONS, rather than the flurries of hammer-ons that I owe to Tony Iommi and Wino. The songs are more aggressive, more riff-y this time, but they also retain the musical elements that we've explored over the last couple of records. Lyrically it's a continuation of our obsession with war, and death and the fantasy worlds where those things are all so common and cool."

He continues, "I started working on 'Hymns of Blood & Thunder' almost immediately after the 'Conqueror' sessions. From the first moment I began work on the music for this record, I knew that it was going to surpass everything on 'Conqueror'; and it has. Each of the songs travels through its own movement. In place of 'the epic song' or 'the fast song,' each of these tracks takes its turn being that: 'Chaos Calling' is fast, but in the bridging mid-section you will be surprised by the feel change. 'Beneath the Eye of Mars' is a grinding death march, until we invoke the deep influence of classic '70s metal in the song's 'pause before the final fall.' The album has its lush surprises as well. We've grown, and being true to that are not forgetting all that we have learned."

"Hymns of Blood & Thunder" track listing:

01. Chaos Calling
02. Death Dealer
03. Beneath the Eyes of Mars
04. The Doom of Aceldama
05. Age of Sorrow
06. The Bringer of War
07. Descent Into Madness
08. Iron Hammer
09. The Mist in the Mourning
10. Blood and Thunder

San Francisco Bay Area metallers TESTAMENT performed yesterday evening (Monday, August 10) at the New York City studios of Sirius XM as part of the satellite radio service's "Artist Confidential" series.

Check out photos of the performance below (courtesy of Sirius XM and MetalInsider.net).

"Artist Confidential" features the most important and timeless artists in music sitting down for candid interviews, intimate conversations with fans and live performances.

The show is scheduled to air later this year on Sirius XM's Liquid Metal, Sirius channel 27 and XM channel 42.

TESTAMENT recently canceled its previously announced South American dates in September in order to focus on recording the follow-up to its acclaimed 2008 album, "The Formation Of Damnation".

TESTAMENT has been touring non-stop in support of "The Formation Of Damnation", including this year's Priest Feast tour in Europe with JUDAS PRIEST and a phenomenal run on the Metal Masters tour last summer with HEAVEN & HELL and MOTÖRHEAD.

Two classic albums by TESTAMENT — 1997's "Demonic" and 1999's "The Gathering" — were reissued on gatefold double vinyl by Prosthetic Records on February 3. Each features etched artwork on Side D and is limited to 1,000 copies worldwide. Additionally, 100 copies of "Demonic" feature red vinyl, while 100 copies of "The Gathering" feature gold vinyl.

Photos below courtesy of Sirius XM and MetalInsider.net

THEM CROOKED VULTURES, the new supergroup consisting of FOO FIGHTERS frontman Dave Grohl, QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE singer/guitarist Josh Homme and LED ZEPPELIN bassist John Paul Jones, made its live debut late Sunday night (August 9) at the Metro club in Chicago, shortly after Lollapalooza closed its third and final day at nearby Grant Park. According to the Chicago Sun-Times, the trio performed a 75-minute, 12-song set for 1,100 people, with Homme singing lead, Grohl on drums and backing vocals, and Jones shifting between bass, keyboards and even keytar. QUEENS multi-instrumentalist Alain Johannes provided extra support on guitar.

Songtitles included opener "Elephants", "Scumbag Blues", "Mind Eraser (No Chaser)", "Caligulove" and "Interlude w/Ludes".

SPINearth.tv has posted new feature highlighting some of the funniest quotes overheard at the show. Check it out at this location.

Chicago Tribune music critic Greg Kot wrote: "The group made it very clear that it's not only for real, but also has the chance to be the exception to the super-group rule. Most of these Frankenstein projects usually end up being less than the sum of their parts, but CROOKED VULTURES sounded like it was on to something fresh, invigorating and just plain nasty."

Homme, who leads the QUEENS, sometimes plays in the EAGLES OF DEATH METAL, and works on numerous other projects, told The Pulse of Radio a while back he enjoys working as much as possible. "A workaholic's work is never done," he said. "There's so many opportunities to be involved with some really great music, and play a different role in each of the things that I'm in, and I really enjoy that. The alternative would be not to do it, and I wouldn't enjoy that. I'd rather be really tired and have played in as much quality music as I can."

THEM CROOKED VULTURES, which has been in the works for four years, will release an album and hit the road sometime later this year, but official details have yet to be announced. So far all the band has done is put up a web site as well as Twitter, Facebook and MySpace pages.

Los Angeles metallers WINDS OF PLAGUE album recently shot a video for the song "Approach The Podium" with up-and-coming director Nic Izzy of Reconstructed Media (DESPISED ICON, PROTEST THE HERO).

Commented vocalist Johnny Plague: "On our one day off in between the 'Summer Slaughter' tour and the 'Decimation Of The Nation' tour, we took a 500-mile detour back up to Toronto, Canada for a grueling 14 hours of filming for our new music video. For this video effort, we decided to choose the song 'Approach The Podium'. We chose this song because we feel it best represents the band; it has all the elements that we use to create our songs. The concept of the song is betrayal by someone you hold close when you need them most. The setting used to depict this story is a great commander leading his die hard soldiers into battle. During combat, a traitor among the soldiers commits treason killing the heroic leader and leaving their people without guidance. This is only one chapter in the story of 'The Great Stone War', but I am glad we were able to bring a section of the story to life with this video."

WINDS OF PLAGUE's new album, "The Great Stone War", is being released today (August 11) in the U.S. and August 24 in Europe via Century Media Records.

"The Great Stone War" is available in a number of special editions, which are all detailed below.

* The standard CD edition
* Hot Topic edition that features an exclusive bonus DVD featuring the making-of-the-album and tour footage taken from this year's Atticus metal tour.
* iTunes digital download album with the exclusive bonus track "Halloween" originally done by the MISFITS.

The sextet kicked off a massive worldwide touring campaign for "The Great Stone War" in early June by taking part in the Summer Slaughter touring package, also featuring SUFFOCATION, NECROPHAGIST and DYING FETUS, among a slew of others. They followed this up with a lengthy North American run with HATEBREED and CHIMAIRA.

HardTimes.ca has uploaded video footage (see below) of WINDS OF PLAGUE's July 16, 2009 performance in Montreal, Quebec, Canada.

Jennifer Faith of Swigged! conducted an interview with bassist Mike D'Antonio of Massachusetts metallers KILLSWITCH ENGAGE on July 24, 2009 at the Atlanta, Georgia stop of this year's Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival. Watch the three-minute chat below.

The new, self-titled album from KILLSWITCH ENGAGE sold 58,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 7 on The Billboard 200 chart.

KILLSWITCH ENGAGE's third album, "As Daylight Dies", which was released in November 2006, has just been certified gold by the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) for shipments in excess of 500,000 copies). That album featured the group's highest-charting radio singles to date, including "My Curse" and the fan favorite, a cover version of DIO's "Holy Diver".

"As Daylight Dies" opened with just under 60,000 units to debut at position No. 32 on The Billboard 200 chart. The CD was the follow up to 2004's Grammy-nominated album "The End of Heartache", which was also certified gold.

KILLSWITCH ENGAGE's self-titled fourth album was released on June 30 via Roadrunner Records. The CD was produced by Brendan O'Brien (AC/DC, RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE) and co-produced by guitarist Adam Dutkiewicz.

KILLSWITCH ENGAGE will team up with IN FLAMES for a co-headlining tour of Canada in September. Support on the trek will come from PROTEST THE HERO and BETWEEN THE BURIED AND ME.

Absolute Radio conducted an interview with ALICE IN CHAINS at the Sonisphere festival, which was held on August 1-2, 2009 at the legendary Knebworth Park, United Kingdom. Watch the six-minute chat below.

Among the many highlights on "Black Gives Way To Blue", the highly anticipated new album from ALICE IN CHAINS, is a special guest performance by Elton John. The two rock legends collaborated on the album's stunning title track, "Black Gives Way To Blue", a heart-stirring tribute to ALICE IN CHAINS' late lead singer Layne Staley. The album arrives in stores September 29.

"Black Gives Way To Blue" is ALICE IN CHAINS' first new studio release in more than 10 years. The quartet (guitarist/vocalist Jerry Cantrell, drummer Sean Kinney, bassist Mike Inez and guitarist/vocalist William DuVall) recorded the album with producer Nick Raskulinecz (RUSH, FOO FIGHTERS) at Studio 606 in Northridge, CA and Henson Studios in Hollywood.

The track listing for the CD is as follows:

01. All Secrets Known
02. Check My Brain
03. Last Of My Kind
04. Your Decision
05. A Looking In View
06. When The Sun Rose Again
07. Acid Bubble
08. Lessons Learned
09. Take Her Out
10. Private Hell
11. Black Gives Way To Blue

ALICE IN CHAINS has tapped U2 and WHITE STRIPES video director Alex Courtes to shoot a clip for "Check My Brain", the first single from "Black Gives Way To Blue".

Fans and members of the press heard "Black Gives Way To Blue" in its entirety at a private listening party in Los Angeles on July 14, followed by a three-song acoustic set by the band in which it debuted two songs from the album live — the title track and "Your Decision".

On August 22, band will join TOOL and LINKIN PARK for the first-ever Epicenter show at the Fairplex in Pomona, CA, to be followed by a headlining tour set to kick off September 4 at the 9:30 Club in Washington, D.C.

ILMOEntertainment conducted an interview with vocalist Myke Terry and guitarist Brendan "Slim" MacDonald of the Boston, Massachusetts-based hardcore/metal act BURY YOUR DEAD on August 7, 2009 in Moline, Illinois during the "Pedal to the Metal" tour with BLACK LABEL SOCIETY and MUDVAYNE. Watch the chat below.

BURY YOUR DEAD's latest album, "It's Nothing Personal", sold around 3,250 copies in the United States in its first week of release, according to Nielsen SoundScan. The CD landed at position No. 2 on the Top New Artist Albums (Heatseekers) chart, which lists the best-selling albums by new and developing artists, defined as those who have never appeared in the Top 100 of The Billboard 200.

"It's Nothing Personal" was released on May 26 via Victory Records.

Ex-FAITH NO MORE singer Chuck Mosley has told Greg Prato of RollingStone.com that he almost shared the stage once more with his former band. "They actually invited me to come out [to Europe] and sing a duet with Mike Patton," he said. "But unfortunately, my passport expired and I couldn’t get it in time."

When asked if he would ever reunite with FAITH NO MORE on a more permanent basis, Mosley said, "Oh, totally! Especially with [guitarist] Jim Martin, because personally, I thought [firing Martin] was as big if not bigger a mistake than getting rid of me — just because he had a lot of pull with the big part of their crowd at the time. And he was 'the personality,' y'know? There was something people could identify to. After Jim, they were going through a string of different guitar players, and I couldn't name one of them. That Jagger/Richards, Plant/Page thing was gone."

Read more from RollingStone.com.

Guitarist Phil Campbell of MOTÖRHEAD was interviewed by Rockalarm TV prior to the band's appearance at this year's Wacken Open Air festival, which was held July 30 - August 1, 2009 in Wacken, Germany. Watch the one-and-a-half-minute chat below.

Bunch TV conducted an interview with drummer Mikkey Dee and guitarist Phil Campbell of MOTÖRHEAD when the band played the Rock Am Bach festival, which was held July 10-11, 2009 at the Zeltpalast in Merzig, Germany. Watch the chat below.

"Motörizer", the latest album from MOTÖRHEAD, sold a little more than 6,400 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 82 on The Billboard 200 chart. The follow-up to 2006's "Kiss of Death" was recorded in part (drums only) at FOO FIGHTERS frontman/ex-NIRVANA drummer Dave Grohl's Studio 606 in Northridge, California with producer Cameron Webb, who also worked on "Kiss of Death" and 2004's "Inferno".

Former BRITNY FOX frontman "Dizzy" Dean Davidson will release a new studio album, entitled "Sermons Of The American Tabloid", in late 2009/early 2010 via Greenplanet Records. Produced by Dizzy Dean, engineered by Phil Nicolo and mastered by Bob Ludwig, the CD features the following recording lineup:

Dizzy Dean - Lead Vocals, Electric Guitar, Acoustic Guitar, Piano
Johnny Dee (DORO, ex-BROTNY FOX) - Drums
Catherine Popper - Bass, Vocals, Pedal Steel
Jimmy Marchiano - Electric Guitar, Vocals

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

"Still I Rise", the new video from Massachusetts metallers SHADOWS FALL, can be viewed below. The clip was helmed by longtime SHADOWS FALL director Zack Merck at the Affliction warehouse in southern California, and was shot in the ring with actual Affliction fighters. Fans were invited to come down and rock out, and they received a special place as extras in the video.

"Still I Rise" comes off SHADOWS FALL's new album, "Retribution", which is scheduled for release on September 15 via Everblack Industries. The deluxe version of the CD will feature bonus covers of OZZY OSBOURNE's "Bark At The Moon", NUCLEAR ASSAULT's "Critical Mass" and CRO-MAGS' "Age Of Quarrel", along with a companion DVD, featuring making-of-the-album footage, live material, lessons, interviews and more.

SHADOWS FALL will make its network television debut on the September 3 episode of "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon". The program will air Thursday night/early Friday morning at 12:35 a.m. EST on NBC.

Commented singer Brian Fair: "We look forward to bringing a whole lotta metal to the late-night television schedule and into unsuspecting living rooms across America. Set your DVR and raise your horns."

SHADOWS FALL created Everblack Industries label in conjunction with Warner Music Group's ILG, Ferret Music and ChannelZERO Entertainment.

"Retribution" was produced by Chris "Zeuss" Harris (HATEBREED, MUNICIPAL WASTE), with vocal production by Elvis Baskette (INCUBUS, ALTER BRIDGE). The cover artwork (see below) was created by Sons of Nero (UNEARTH, EVERY TIME I DIE, BRING ME THE HORIZON).

"Retribution" track listing:

01. The Path to Imminent Ruin
02. My Demise
03. Still I Rise
04. War
05. King Of Nothing (feat. Randy Blythe)
06. The Taste Of Fear
07. Embrace Annihilation
08. Picture Perfect
09. A Public Execution
10. Dead And Gone

SOIL, ARKAEA and STRAIGHT LINE STITCH have been added to KITTIE's forthcoming U.S. headlining tour, which is scheduled to kick off on September 27 in New York City.

For a list of dates, visit KITTIE's MySpace page.

As previously reported, SOIL has inked a deal with Bieler Bros. Records for all territories except Europe, which will be handled by AFM Records/Soulfood. The band's new album, "Picture Perfect", will be released in the U.S. on October 20 (three days later in Europe).

"Picture Perfect" was created by the production team of Grammy-nominated producer Johnny K (DISTURBED, STAIND), Ulrich Wild (DEFTONES, INCUBUS) and SOIL, with Dave Fortman (MUDVAYNE, EVANESCENCE) handling mixing duties. Songtitles set to appear on the CD include "Like It Is", "Temptation", "Surrounded", and "Picture Perfect".

ARKAEA — the band featuring FEAR FACTORY members Christian Olde Wolbers (guitar) and Raymond Herrera (drums) —
recently filmed a video for the song "Gone Tomorrow" with Dale "Rage" Resteghini (HATEBREED, TRIVIUM, MUDVAYNE) and Dan Dobi (BLEEDING THROUGH, CANNIBAL CORPSE, WARBRINGER) at the helm. The clip is expected to make its online debut soon.

"Years In The Darkness", the debut album from ARKAEA sold 980 copies in the United States in its first week of release, according to Nielsen SoundScan. The CD landed at position No. 39 on the Top New Artist Albums (Heatseekers) chart, which lists the best-selling albums by new and developing artists, defined as those who have never appeared in the Top 100 of The Billboard 200.

"Locust", the debut video from ARKAEA can be viewed below.

GOD FORBID guitarist Doc Coyle has revealed to EMG TV that he will fill in for LAMB OF GOD's Mark Morton on the Richmond, Virginia metal band's upcoming U.S. tour with METALLICA (as well as LOG's headlining "off" dates), which is scheduled to kick off on September 14 in Nashville and conclude on November 15 in New York City.

Morton did not perform with LAMB OF GOD at the last six shows of the group's recently completed European tour as his wife was expecting a baby. UNEARTH six-stringer Buz McGrath stepped in for these dates, which included an appearance at U.K.'s Sonisphere festival.

EMG TV's interview with Doc Coyle, which was conducted on July 10, 2009 at the Mountain View, California stop of this year's Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival, can be viewed below.

For a list of the LAMB OF GOD dates with METALLICA, go to this location.

As previously reported, LAMB OF GOD, GWAR and JOB FOR A COWBOY will play around two dozen shows in the U.S. this fall on "off" days during LOG's tour with METALLICA.

Former ALICE IN CHAINS bassist Mike Starr will perform live at the Dragonfly in Los Angeles, California on Friday, August 28, 2009 at 9:00 p.m. Starr will appear with his VH1 "Celebrity Rehab"/"Sober House" band, which he has dubbed SUPPASTARR. The music will consist of ALICE IN CHAINS hits.

SUPPASTARR performed at The Henry Fonda Music Box Theater in Hollywood, California on July 25, 2009 for a live taping of "Sober House", in which Starr was an active/successful participant. The show, which is expected to begin airing in January/February 2010, will reach 35 million viewers per episode in the United States alone.

SUPPASTARR is:

Mike Starr - Bass
John Kosco (SAINT CAINE, GODSMACK unplugged) - Vocals
Mike Suppa (FACELIFT) - Guitar/Vocals
Chris Jurebie - Drums

This show will be filmed live on and off location for a documentary by critically acclaimed film director Brian Butler. There will also be a scheduled "meet-and-greet" with Starr and his band on the night of the performance and merchandise. More details will follow.

The Dragonfly is located at:

6510 Santa Monica Blvd.
Los Angeles, California
323-466-6111

Starr is also said to be working on recording new original material.

Starr joined the New York City-based ALICE IN CHAINS tribute band FACELIFT on stage on May 9, 2009 at Sullivan Hall in New York City to perform three songs — "Man In The Box", "Would?" and "Them Bones" (see video below). According to the members of FACELIFT, Starr "was in great shape and form. [His] performance was flawless and this just about squashes all rumors of his prior poor health condition. The crowd response was amazing as crowd-surfing and high-decibel applause was present."

Back in April 2005, Seattle's KIROTV.com reported that Mike Starr was arrested in Seattle for vandalizing a car.

A man named Phillip told KIROTV.com that he spotted a man pulling the hood ornament off his vehicle.

He said he recognized the man as Michael Christopher Starr and called police. Starr was arrested for "investigation of property destruction and theft."

Starr, 43, a founding member of ALICE IN CHAINS, had been in legal trouble before in Seattle, Los Angeles, and Salt Lake City. His past charges include DUI, reckless driving, and various drug charges.

Back in April 1994, Starr was sentenced to 30 days in the Houston jail for
misdemeanor drug possession. Starr was arrested at Houston's Intercontinental Airport while trying to check in for a flight to Los Angeles with a suitcase he had stolen from the baggage claim area. Authorities searched him and found he was carrying marijuana.

Video footage of Starr's May 9, 2009 performance with FACELIFT can be viewed below.

Ozzy Osbourne and Ace Frehley made surprise appearances with CAMP FREDDY — the Los Angeles-based "jam" group featuring Dave Navarro (JANE'S ADDICTION, RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS), Billy Morrison (ex-THE CULT, CIRCUS DIABLO), Matt Sorum (VELVET REVOLVER, ex-GUNS N' ROSES), Donovan Leitch (son of legendary folk singer Donovan), and Chris Chaney (ex-JANE'S ADDICTION, ALANIS MORRISETTE) — during the August 1 ESPN/X-Games party at the House Of Blues in West Hollywood, California. Osbourne performed four songs with the band — "I Don't Know", "Iron Man", "Crazy Train" and "Paranoid" — while Frehley made an appearance for the KISS classics "Cold Gin" and "Rock And Roll All Night". Other guest musicians at the concert included Steve Stevens, Billy Duffy, Steve Jones, Duff McKagan, Justin Hawkins, Franky Perez and Naveen Andrews.

The band's setlist was as follows:

01. Highway Star
02. Jean Genie
03. Highway To Hell
04. Firewoman
05. Surrender
06. Cold Gin
07. Rock And Roll All Night
08. It's So Easy
09. Brand New Cadillac
10. White Wedding
11. God Save The Queen
12. Fat Bottomed Girls
13. I Believe In A Thing Called Love
14. I Don't Know
15. Iron Man
16. Crazy Train
17. Paranoid

Check out video footage of the event below.

Photos of Frehley's appearance with CAMP FREDDY can be found at this location.

"Iron Man" with Ozzy Osbourne, Matt Sorum, Dave Navarro, Billy Morrison, Steve Stevens and Chris Chaney:



"White Wedding" with Billy Morrison, Duff McKagan, Matt Sorum, Steve Stevens, Chris Chaney and Steve Jones: