Earlier this year, guitarist Brian Tatler of legendary NWOBHM band DIAMOND HEAD took part as a judge and mentor in an Irish documentary following a number of bands.

Scrap Metal was Ireland's first-ever "battle of the hard rock tribute band tour." Kicking off on May 16 in Dolan's Warehouse, Limerick, the trek took in venues in Tullamore (May 17, Bridge House) and Mullingar (May 19, The Stables) before the final bands met in Dublin's Button Factory for the last live rock skirmish.

After each gig, a celebrity guest rock panel and fans decided which bands go through to the next night and, after the final gig, who gets crowned as the Scrap Metal champions and selected to headline the Glastonbudget festival, the world's premier festival for tribute bands.

In addition to Tatler, the show — dubbed "Scrap Metal: Karl Spain wants to Rock" — features Biff Byford (SAXON) and Brian Robertson (THIN LIZZY, MOTÖRHEAD). The first episode is scheduled for broadcast on October 26 (Bank Holiday Monday) at 10.30pm on RTE 2. There are four episodes in total running for four weeks. Brian is the main judge in episodes 2 and 3.

The five bands in the competition were METALLITIA, THE RUBBER PLANTS, USER ILLUSION, IRELAND MAIDEN and THUNDERSTRUCK.

Visit www.scrapmetalthetour.com for further details.

Dean Goodman of Reuters reports: The wife of AEROSMITH guitarist Joe Perry doesn’t particularly care for the band’s recordings, and has never listened to any of their albums in their entirety.

"I am not a fan of AEROSMITH's music without the live performance behind it," Billie Perry wrote on her Twitter page on Sunday.

"Honestly I have never listened to one CD all the way through. I listen in the studio when they record. I've never put an AERO CD on my player. I did order a few songs from iTunes, but have not listened."

Read the entire article from Reuters.

Video footage of CONTRIVE frontman Paul Haug singing the classic SLAYER song "Dead Skin Mask" with the legendary California thrashers this past Friday night (October 9) at Festival Hall in Melbourne, Australia can be viewed below.

SLAYER is currently touring Australia with MEGADETH, but on Friday, the band's vocalist, Tom Araya, was unable to speak, let along sing, during the group's entire set. Tom made several attempts at encouraging the rabid audience to step up to the mic, with little luck.

After Paul managed to find his way to the side of stage, Tom led him to the mic and Haug proceeded to belt out a "killer" version of "Dead Skin Mask".

CONTRIVE recently completed work on its second album. The follow-up to 2006's "The Meaning Unseen" was recorded at Toyland Studios in Melbourne with producer Adam Calaitzis and was mixed by Devin Townsend (STRAPPING YOUNG LAD, LAMB OF GOD, DARKEST HOUR) at Studio D in downtown Vancouver, Canada with the band's drummer Andrew Haug.

Currently unsigned, CONTRIVE is using the finished album to procure a new record deal.

"The Meaning Unseen" was mixed at Studio Fredman in Gothenburg, Sweden by Fredrik Nordström (OPETH, ARCH ENEMY).

Andrew Haug has been hosting Triple J's weekly national metal program "The Racket" (formerly "Full Metal Racket") since 2001. He is a longtime metalhead who has conducted interviews with such greats as METALLICA, TOOL, PANTERA, SLAYER, OZZY OSBOURNE and more.

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

Joe Elliott's ex-wife Karla Elliott recently spoke to Barry Egan of Indepedent.ie about her eight-year marriage (1989-1997) to the DEF LEPPARD singer, whom she began dating in 1986.

"I was madly in love with him," she said, "He was the love of my life." They married in his hometown in the late Eighties. "I remember coming out of the registry office in Sheffield and looking at the wall with all the graffiti on it and going: 'This is romantic!'" she laughed. "I think it was 1989? I'm not sure. I am brutal on remembering dates. I really haven't a clue what date I married Joe. That will tell you something."

She continued, "There were lots of private jets and it was great fun and everything but I think you are either the type of person that adapts to whatever is going on in your life at the time or you're not. I think that's when people run into problems: when they get so caught up in something and they believe it's real. For me, I adapt to whatever is going on in my world. I travelled as a child a lot and stayed in five-star hotels with my parents. So it didn't seem odd to me, that whole life."

She said initially neither Joe nor herself wanted kids. But once Karla was married, she started thinking: 'Maybe it would be nice.'

"That," she said, "is the natural progression of any relationship. But he was adamant that he didn't want any. I think he is very much a Peter Pan-type character," she theorized. "He wants to be young and the centre of attention all the time. And if you have kids you can't be like that. You have to be not selfish. It was interesting to see other band members were having kids and we were still touring. Maybe it is a lead singer thing. It is his choice and he is entitled to it."

Karla claims it was also her husband's choice to have an affair with another woman, Bobbie Tolsma. "I was broken-hearted," she said. "It was such a hazy time for me because I was in such shock."

"I don't want to look bitter," Karla continued. "I'm not. It is all water under the bridge... I don't give a shit about Joe.

"I don't want to drag those emotions up because it is in my past. I look forward. I don't look back and start dwelling on things. That's not the kind of person I am."

Read the entire article from Indepedent.ie.

A two-minute audio sample of the track "In The Silent Grave" from THE 11TH HOUR — the doom metal collaboration between Ed Warby (drums, guitar, bass, vocals, programming; GOREFEST, DEMIURG, HAIL OF BULLETS) and Rogga Johansson (vocals, additional guitar; RIBSPREADER, PAGANIZER, DEMIURG) — is available for streaming on the band's MySpace page. The song comes off THE 11TH HOUR's debut album, "Burden Of Grief", which will be released via Napalm Records on the following dates:

Oct. 28 - Finland, Spain
Oct. 30 - Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Sweden, Benelux, France, Italy
Nov. 02 - Rest of Europe
Nov. 03 - USA, Canada

"Burden Of Grief" track listing:

01. One Last Smoke (6:44)
02. In The Silent Grave (8:22)
03. Origins Of Mourning (11:13)
04. Weep For Me (8:52)
05. Atonement (7:44)
06. Longing For Oblivion (9:40)

Check out the cover artwork below.

According to the band's official bio, THE 11TH HOUR is "the wretched spawn of two kindred spirits' love for good old fashioned doom metal. In 2007 Ed and Rogga met on the Global Domination forums and made plans to do a doom project together. These plans were sidetracked when Ed joined Rogga's DEMIURG instead, but the seed was planted and every once in a while a nasty doomriff would find its way to Ed's fingers during one of his nocturnal writing and recording sessions. Slowly but surely these riffs were sculpted into six slabs of unbearable heaviness, as bleak and terrifying as the night that inspired them yet suffused with sadness and melancholy beauty. If all goes as planned these six entities will surface in the shape of a full-length album before the year is through."

Seattle progressive rock giants QUEENSRŸCHE have scheduled two "cabaret shows" at the Snoqualmie Casino in Snoqualmie, Washington on February 4-5, 2010

The following press release announcing the event has been posted on the band's web site:

Ladies and gentleman and "kids" of only adult ages, welcome to what promises to be the spectacle of all spectacles better known as the Queensrÿche Cabaret.

A fun-filled evening like no other full of freaks and shrieks.

What good is sitting alone in your room?

Come hear the music play.

Taste the wine and swing from a vine in a place that's only eclipsed by the echo in your mind.

It'll be Geoff Tate, Scott Rockenfield, Michael Wilton, Eddie Jackson and Parker Lundgren performing a show-of-shows with a bunch of their friends who have a tendency to only come out late at night.

The Queensrÿche Cabaret will be art, lust, dancing and naughty fun with the band performing their hits and never-heard-before selections accompanied by go-go dancers, burlesque dancers, drag queens, a juggler, ballet dancer, aerial artist, contortionist and much more.

Sit back and enjoy the music and theatrics or be a part of the stage show!

Audience members will have an opportunity to participate… but prior written consent will be required as it won't be for the faint of heart.

It'll be sights and sounds coming at you from all angles like never before!

See some evil, hear some evil, speak some evil and have some fun.

Be prepared… be very prepared.

Life is a Queensrÿche Cabaret, old chum, come to the Cabaret.

There will be fan-club-only parties and events Thursday Friday and Saturday nights, including a Super Bowl party on Sunday for those staying the weekend. Fan-club seats and passes to many, many events will be up in the next week.

Rock My Monkey recently conducted an interview with guitarist/vocalist Steve "Lips" Kudlow and of Canadian metal legends ANVIL. The chat can now be streamed using the audio player below.

ANVIL is set to launch its first major tour in more than a decade — "The Anvil Experience" — a full-on, 30-date North American trek in support of "This is Thirteen" and "Anvil! The Story of Anvil". The tour kicks off in earnest on January 7, 2010 in the city of rock 'n' roll, Cleveland, Ohio, will include dates in New York and Los Angeles, and will culminate in Vancouver on February 13.

But this will not be any ordinary concert tour, as audience members will be treated to a screening of "Anvil! The Story of Anvil", before the group will take the stage for a set of heavy ANVIL classics.

And if that's not enough metal for you, well, the lads are prepared. For the serious metalhead, a limited number of 50 "VIP Anvil Experience" packages will be made available for each show, which includes a ticket to the concert, a copy of the "This Is Thirteen" CD, a copy of the "Anvil! The Story of Anvil" DVD, a fanny pack (a constant fashion companion of Reiner's as seen in the film), and a meet-and-greet with the band.

For a list of dates, visit www.myspace.com/anvilmetal.

ANVIL's re-release of the group's latest album, "This is Thirteen", sold around 1,400 copies in the United States in its first week of release, according to Nielsen SoundScan. The CD landed at position No. 19 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.

"This is Thirteen" was finally given proper national distribution on CD and vinyl on September 15 via VH1 Classic Records. The collectible double vinyl LP boasts newly re-recorded versions of ANVIL classics "Metal on Metal" and "666". The album, originally recorded in 2007 and produced by Chris Tsangarides (JUDAS PRIEST, THIN LIZZY), was primarily available directly from the band via their web site and at their concerts.

Steve "Lips" Kudlow interviewed by Rock My Monkey (click on player below to launch audio):

METALLICA filmed its July 7, 2009 concert in Nimes, France for an upcoming DVD release, but the catch is that the disc will be available only in France and through METALLICA's official website, Metallica.com. Since it's a French product, you'll also need an all-region DVD player in order to watch it in North America. The DVD is expected to arrive in November.

13 of the 18 songs the band performed at the Nimes concert aired last night (Saturday, October 10) on the French TV channel Canal+ and can now be viewed below.

According to the MetOnTour.com web site, which is described as "your FREE virtual backstage pass to every METALLICA show," METALLICA's setlist for the Nimes show was as follows:

01. Blackened
02. Creeping Death
03. Fuel
04. Harvester Of Sorrow
05. Fade to Black
06. Broken, Beat And Scarred
07. Cyanide
08. Sad But True
09. One
10. All Nightmare Long
11. The Day That Never Comes
12. Master Of Puppets
13. Dyers Eve
14. Nothing Else Matters
15. Enter Sandman
- - - - - - - - - - - -
16. Stone Cold Crazy
17. Motorbreath
18. Seek and Destroy

METALLICA also documented its three shows in Mexico City for DVD, although that looks like it will be released in Latin America only.

METALLICA has added single-song downloads to the LiveMetallica.com web site. Instead of buying only entire concerts, fans can pick whatever individual songs they want from any concert they choose from. Every song that the band has recorded in concert since 2004, covering a span of 269 shows, is available for 99 cents per MP3. Full shows are still $9.95 as MP3 files and $12.95 as higher-quality FLAC files.

Frontman James Hetfield told The Pulse of Radio about deciding to release individual songs, "Yeah, I think the song-per-song vs. album is kind of a long lost battle, I think. You know, people in the fast-food world we live in want what they want, and want it now, and when they're done with it, they're done with it. So yeah, it's about time, and I think it's the right move."

LiveMetallica.com was launched in March 2004 and makes downloads available for purchase of every show the band has played since then, often within hours of the gig's finale.

More than 300,000 downloads have been purchased at the site since its launch.

The "Vault" section of the site offers free downloads of shows recorded before 2004.

More shows will crop up at the site in upcoming weeks, since METALLICA just launched a new North American tour last month. The band has dates booked through mid-December.

"Blackened":



"Creeping Death":



"Fuel":



"Harvester Of Sorrow":



"Fade To Black":



"Cyanide":



"Sad But True":



"One":



"The Day That Never Comes" Part 1:




"The Day That Never Comes" Part 2:



"Master Of Puppets":



"Nothing Else Matters":



"Enter Sandman":



"Seek And Destroy":

Bassist Tony Campos of Los Angeles metallers STATIC-X was recently interviewed by Road Crew Magazine. The chat is now available for viewing below.

After STATIC-X's Australian tour in November, guitarist/vocalist Wayne Static will focus on his PIGHAMMER solo project which will tentatively release its debut album sometime next year.

In a December 2007 interview with Ultimate-Guitar.com, Wayne stated about PIGHAMMER, "It is going to be a side project and I'm going to write with a whole bunch of different people and it is going to be heavy as fuck. And it will not have any boundaries as I'm not going to worry about who is going to play it or if we're going to play it live. I am just going to do it for fun. It is going to be very extreme and I'll be working with as many different people as I can. And I'll be doing all the vocals on it too. But beyond that, I'm going to try and get a bunch of different cool people. I'm going to be writing with John 5 [ROB ZOMBIE, ex-MARILYN MANSON], we've talking about working with Al Jourgensen [MINISTRY] too and Tony Campos [STATIC-X] is also going to help me out. Whoever wants to help out, I'd love for them to so. I'm even talking about working with Tommy Victor from PRONG. I want to write some music with these people but then make it my own thing too."

"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.

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 video for the song "Stingwray".

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

Portugal's Riff magazine conducted an interview with guitarist Greg Mackintosh of British gothic metal pioneers PARADISE LOST. Watch the chat below.

PARADISE LOST's new album, "Faith Divides Us - Death Unites Us", has registered the following first-week chart positions:

U.K.: #16 (Rock Albums)
Germany: #22
Finland: #22
Sweden: #29

The limited formats of this landmark gothic metal opus include two orchestral versions of the album tracks "Faith Divides Us - Death Unites Us" and "Last Regret", which were recorded by the City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra in July 2008.

The limited-edition deluxe two-CD includes special packaging (DVD-sized Mediabook with O-Card in a special leather look) and a bonus track, "Cardinal Zero", on Disc 1 plus a separate bonus CD featuring the "Lost In Prague" tracks. All vinyl lovers will be delighted to hear that the album is available as a limited-edition gatefold LP, including the bonus track "Cardinal Zero", the orchestra mixes on a separate bonus 7" EP, the entire album on CD (in a blank sleeve), and an exclusive poster.

The highly anticipated follow-up to 2007's "In Requiem", "Faith Divides Us - Death Unites Us" was recorded at Fascination Street Studios in Örebro, Sweden with producer Jens Bogren.

The album's artwork (see below), which is based upon a "Danse Macabre" woodcut by Hans Holbein the Younger (first published in 1538), was created by Stefan Wibbeke at Medialogistics (LACUNA COIL, POISONBLACK).

Finnish folk metallers KORPIKLAANI will embark on a North American headlining tour in January. Support on the trek will come from SWASHBUCKLE, TÝR and WHITE WIZZARD.

The dates are as follows:

Jan. 08 - Palladium - Worcester, Massachusetts
Jan. 09 - Club Soda - Montreal, Quebec
Jan. 10 - Opera House - Toronto, Ontario
Jan. 11 - Blondie's - Detroit, Michigan
Jan. 12 - Jaguar Club - Chicago, Illinois
Jan. 13 - Peabody's - Cleveland, Ohio
Jan. 14 - Gramercy Theater - New York, New York
Jan. 15 - The Sterling Hotel - Allentown, Pennsylvania
Jan. 16 - Jaxx - Springfield, Virginia
Jan. 17 - Volume 11 - Raleigh, North Carolina
Jan. 18 - Masquerade - Atlanta, Georgia
Jan. 19 - Czar - Tampa, Florida
Jan. 21 - Emo's - Austin, Texas
Jan. 22 - Ridglea Theatre - Ft. Worth, Texas
Jan. 23 - The Flytrap Music Hall - Tulsa, Oklahoma
Jan. 24 - Launchpad - Albuquerque, New Mexico
Jan. 25 - Club Red - Tempe, Arizona
Jan. 26 - Key Club - Hollywood, California
Jan. 27 - Ramona Main Stage - Ramona, California
Jan. 28 - DNA Lounge - San Francisco, California
Jan. 29 - Satyricon - Portland, Oregon
Jan. 30 - Studio Seven - Seattle, Washington
Jan. 31 - Rickshaw Theater - Vancouver, British Columbia

"Karkelo" (English translation: "Pleasure" or "Party"), the sixth album from KORPIKLAANI, was released on June 26 via Nuclear Blast Records. The CD was recorded at Petrax studio in Hollola, Finland.

KORPIKLAANI's previous CD, "Korven Kuningas", came out on March 21, 2008. The CD entered the album chart in the band's home country at position No. 16.

(Thanks: Sheila)

Road Crew Magazine conducted an interview with drummer Tony Palermo of California hard rockers PAPA ROACH at the end of August when the band toured with NICKELBACK. Watch the chat below.

PAPA ROACH and JET will team up for a co-headlining tour of the U.S. The affordable and eclectic rock show with a festival feel starts off in late October through the end of November and offers four bands for less than forty dollars.

PAPA ROACH followed up its chart-topping single "Lifeline" with another song from its recent "Metamorphosis" album called "I Almost Told You That I Loved You". The group released a music video for the track and vocalist Jacoby Shaddix told The Pulse of Radio the story behind the song. "That song was born from a conversation that me and this fella Matt Zane — he's a musician but he also directs pornography films — and he was telling me about this girl. He was trying out the talent before he put her on camera, and he was like, 'Oh, Jacoby, man, the pussy was so good I almost told her that I loved her.' Me and Jay Baumgardner, the producer, looked at each other and we were like, 'Now that's a song title right there!'"

"Lifeline" was PAPA ROACH's second No. 1 hit, following its 2000 breakthrough single, "Last Resort".

"Metamorphosis", the band's fifth major label release, came out in March. The CD has sold 165,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

Karl Sanders, founder of the extreme technical death metal band NILE, will be offering guitar lessons across the U.S. during the group's forthcoming tour in January and February of 2010.

Lessons will include, but are not necessarily limited to:

* Extreme metal guitar techniques,
* Melodic guitar application within a death metal context,
* Warm-up routines,
* Chops-building exercises.

Sessions are intended for intermediate-to-advanced students.

Lessons will be at the show venues in the cities along the routed dates of the NILE tour, and are on a first-come-first-served basis. The cost of lessons is $100 per hour.

There will be a maximum of four students per day to insure that every student gets personal attention and a quality learning experience.

Students will be invited to stay to watch NILE's sound-check after the lesson, and all students will be put on the guest list for the show.

E-mail NileGuitarLessons@gmail.com for more information and to reserve a lesson.

A list of dates can be found at the band's MySpace page.

NILE recently released the first taste of its latest album, "Those Whom the Gods Detest". Produced and mixed by Neil Kernon (NEVERMORE, CANNIBAL CORPSE, QUEENSRŸCHE), along with a drum-recording job by Erik Rutan (CANNIBAL CORPSE, VITAL REMAINS, GOATWHORE), the CD features the band's strongest production and perhaps its best material to date. The cover artwork was created by Michal "Xaay" Loranc, whom NILE guitarist/vocalist Karl Sanders had previously worked with on his second solo album, "Saurian Exorcisms".

The song "Permitting the Noble Dead to Descend to the Underworld" is available for streaming at this location.

Sanders told Revolver magazine earlier in the year that the band's sixth full-length album will likely be NILE's most eclectic offering to date. "We're going to some very unexpected places," he said. "I've been listening to some oud music [the oud is a Middle Eastern lute — Ed.], Iranian music, and some Hindu stuff, and that stuff's definitely rubbing off on the new songs."

"Those Whom the Gods Detest" is scheduled for a November 3 North American release via Nuclear Blast Records.

FPE-TV has uploaded video footage of David Davidson of Boston's REVOCATION showing you how to play "Dismantle The Dictator" from the band's second full-length album, "Existence Is Futile".

"Existence Is Futile" sold around 440 copies in the United States in its first week of release, according to Nielsen SoundScan. The CD landed at position No. 148 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.

"Existence Is Futile" was released on September 29 in North America and October 5 internationally via Relapse Records. The follow-up to "Empire Of The Obscene" was recorded at Damage Studios in Southbridge, Massachusetts with engineer Pete Rutchko.

"Existence Is Futile" track listing:

01. Enter The Hall
02. Pestilence Reigns
03. Deathonomics
04. Existence Is Futile
05. The Brain Scramblers
06. Across Forests And Fjords
07. ReaniManiac
08. Dismantle The Dictator
09. Anthem Of The Betrayed
10. Leviathan Awaits
11. Tragedy Of Modern Ages

Part 1:



Part 2:

According to a posting on the Michael Schenker News And Tour Information web site, Japanese concert promoter Zak Corporation has announced the dates for MICHAEL SCHENKER GROUP's (MSG) 30th anniversary Japanese tour in January. They are as follows:

Jan. 12 - Tokyo, Japan - Nakano Sunplaza
Jan. 13 - Tokyo, Japan - Nakano Sunplaza
Jan. 14 - Nagoya, Japan - Diamond Hall
Jan. 15 - Osaka, Japan - Namba Hatch

The group's lineup for the shows will be as follows:

Michael Schenker - Guitar
Gary Barden - Vocals
Simon Phillips - Drums
Neil Murray - Bass
Wayne Findlay - Guitar, Keyboards

As previously reported, SCHENKER BARDEN ACOUSTIC PROJECT's October 12, 2009 concert at the Hard Rock Cafe in Cologne, Germany will be filmed/recorded for future release.

The band's lineup for the Cologne show will be as follows:

Michael Schenker - Guitar
Gary Barden - Vocals
Michael Voss - Guitar, Backing Vocals
Kai Luennemann - Drums, Percussion, Keyboards, Backing Vocals

Audio samples of all 12 tracks that appear on SCHENKER BARDEN ACOUSTIC PROJECT's first album, "Gipsy Lady", are available for streaming on Play.com.

"Gipsy Lady" was released on May 19 via Inakustik/MVD.

U.K.-based extreme metal veterans BOLT THROWER have issued the following update:

"BOLT THROWER are currently planning a short European tour in spring 2010. So far we are looking at playing shows in Holland, Belgium, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, France, and the U.K. As soon as the gigs are confirmed they will appear on the [band's official] website, so keep checking for more info."

Video footage of BOLT THROWER performing at the Rock Area festival in Loreley, Germany on August 22, 2009 can be viewed below (courtesy of "666maelstrom666").

BOLT THROWER indefinitely postponed plans to record a new studio album after the band realized that the new stuff it had written "just doesn't match up" to the group's last CD, "Those Once Loyal". "We have a lot of pride in our back catalogue, and we refuse to turn into one of the many bands (like the ones we grew up listening to) who end up releasing crap, and we're also not prepared to compromise by instead releasing an album of cover versions or a 'best-of' album," BOLT THROWER explained in a statement.

BOLT THROWER in 2006 completed a European tour in support of "Those Once Loyal", which entered the German Media Control chart at position No. 76 — the group's highest-charting release in Germany so far. The follow-up to 2001's "Honour, Valour, Pride" was recorded at Andy Faulkner's Sable Rose studios and was the band's first album since the return of original vocalist Karl Willetts as a full-time member.

Swedish metal act STEELWING (formerly SCAVENGER) was awarded a record deal with Boomer Entertainment and Nuclear Blast Records as part of a band contest launched by the Austrian management and booking company Rock The Nation.

This unique competition was presented and promoted by all leading European metal magazines, including the German, Italian, Spanish and Greek editions of Metal Hammer; Terrorizer (U.K.); Metallian (France); Scream (Norway); Rock Tribune (Belgium); Spark (Czech Republic); and the Dutch webzine LordsOfMetal.nl.

Commented STEELWING: "There's a HUGE interest in our upcoming album, and getting such a great response from heavy metal fans all over the world makes us even more eager to make it a rock-solid debut!

"What's going right now is that we've been working our asses off, finishing all the tracks for the album. The songs are all written, and we're preparing to enter the studio in a couple of weeks. We'll be recording the album at Deep Blue Studios with our friend and longtime producer Nicko DiMarino."

For more information, visit the band's MySpace page

Don Decker, legendary lead singer and songwriter of ANAL BLAST and longtime Midwest promoter, died today (Sunday, October 11) at 2:17 a.m. According to his friends, the passing was "peaceful." He was 41 years old.

The cause of death has not been made public, but Decker reportedly received a liver transplant last year.

Decker will be remembered for his uncompromising adoration of heavy metal, his promotion business in Minnesota, which almost single-handedly jumpstarted the Minnesota metal scene, and his violently obscene lyrics for the group ANAL BLAST — which he said was "the most stupid band in the world."

(Thanks: Alfred a.k.a. SLAYERHOLIC666 / Nathan Block "The SwordLord")

Robert Williams of Metal-Rules.com conducted an interview with vocalist Sigurd "Satyr" Wongraven of Norwegian black metallers SATYRICON after the band's October 3, 2009 performance in San Antonio, Texas. Watch the chat below.

Satyr recently told AOL's Noisecreep that the group plans to halt all road activities after its current North American tour. "We started touring and haven't stopped," he said. "We did Japan and Australia, then the U.S. Then we did an extensive of the Nordic countries and had a few weeks off and then went right into festival season, which ran from May through September.

"We've been off for a week and we're going back on tour for a month. November is off, with only one show, so it'll be quiet. Christmas will be it for quite some time. It'll take something special for us to go out in 2010. We need a break, since we've been going for a long time. We feel motivated to do a full headline tour of the States right now."

SATYRICON released a special-edition, two-CD version of its critically acclaimed latest album, "The Age Of Nero", on September 29 via E1 Music (formerly KOCH Records). The bonus material on this special "The Age Of Nero" package has never been available in North America before. Featuring eight live and rare recordings, this set is a must-have for SATYRICON fans.

SATYRICON will take part in a signing session at Scrape Records in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada on Wednesday, October 14 from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m.

For more information, visit www.scraperecords.com.

Canadian hard rockers HELIX will release their new album, "Vagabond Bones", in Canada on November 17 via Universal/Fontana. Singer Brian Vollmer has been collaborating with Sean Kelly (CRASH KELLY) on material for the CD, which was mixed by engineer Aaron Murray.

Two songs from the album — "Vagabond Bones" and "Hung Over But Still Hanging In" — are available for streaming in the YouTube clips below. Vollmer says, "The soundtrack for 'Hung Over' [in the YouTube clip below] is not the finished master track. The mastered version is the one that has Russ 'Killer Dwarf' Russell singing a duet with me on the track."

"Vagabond Bones" tentative track listing (not final sequence):

01. The Animal Inside (Won't Be Denied)
02. Go Hard or Go Home
03. Vagabond Bones
04. Monday Morning Meltdown
05. When The Bitter's Got The Better Of You
06. Hung Over But Still Hanging In
07. Best Mistake I Never Made
08. Make 'Em Dance
09. Jack It Up

Vollmer's track-by-track description of "Vagabond Bones" can be found on the band's official web site.

The classic '80s lineup of HELIX — Brent "The Doctor" Doerner on lead guitar, Greg "Fritz" Hinz on drums, Daryl Gray on bass, and Brian Vollmer on vocals — recently reunited and is planning to hit the road throughout western Canada in November. Vollmer says, "We have dates coming up in the Canadian Maritimes (Moncton, Frederiction, Barrington, Chester) that fall the day after the official [CD] release date. We'll probably test drive a few of the new tunes while we're out there, as well as getting to know each other on the road again. After all, before our last two dates, the four of us haven't played together since the early '90s. This, coupled with more dates back in Ontario in December, will warm us up for next summer's festivals."

HELIX has been active in the past several years with several releases. The band's most recent collection of original material, "The Power of Rock and Roll", came out in 2007. Their latest CD, "A Heavy Mental Christmas", was made available in all Canadian Wal-Mart stores last November and received airplay worldwide. The CD also received great reviews from the critics.

"Vagabond Bones":



"Hung Over But Still Hanging In":

MEGADETH played a full set earlier tonight (Sunday, October 11) at the Thebarton Theatre in Adelaide, Australia after co-headliners SLAYER were forced to cancel their appearance due to vocalist Tom Araya suffering from severe laryngitis.

MEGADETH's setlist was as follows:

01. Set The World Afire
02. Wake Up Dead
03. Hangar 18
04. Skin O' My Teeth
05. She-Wolf
06. Kick The Chair
07. In My Darkest Hour
08. Devil's Island
09. Head Crusher
10. Washington Is Next
11. Rattlehead
12. Sweating Bullets
13. Tornado Of Souls
14. Symphony Of Destruction
15. Mechanix
16. Peace Sells
--------------------------
17. 1,320' (instrumental version)
18. Holy Wars

Fan-filmed video footage of the instrumental version of "1,320'", which was performed for the first time ever in Adelaide, can be viewed below.

The remainder of the MEGADETH/SLAYER shows will proceed as planned, with both bands performing at Challenge Stadium in Perth this Tuesday, October 13, and SLAYER performing a full set — including the classic "Reign in Blood" album in its entirety — at Luna Park Sydney this Thursday, October 15.

MEGADETH's new album, "Endgame", sold 45,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 9 on The Billboard 200 chart. The CD shifted 8,200 units in Canada to land at No. 4 on the country's official chart.

MEGADETH's previous CD, "United Abominations", opened with around 54,000 copies in the U.S. to debut at No. 8. This was more than the 46,000 first-week tally registered by its predecessor, "The System Has Failed" (which landed at No. 18 on The Billboard 200 chart), and was a bit less than the 61,000 opening number of 2001's "The World Needs A Hero" (No. 16).

"Endgame" was recorded at MEGADETH's brand new, self-built studio in San Marcos, California — Vic's Garage — which was named after the legendary and iconic Vic Rattlehead character. The CD was helmed by MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine and British producer Andy Sneap (EXODUS, NEVERMORE, ARCH ENEMY, MACHINE HEAD).

High-quality, multi-camera footage of KISS performing the song "Shout It Out Loud" last night (Saturday, October 10) at Madison Square Garden in New York City can be viewed below.

According to Billboard.com, KISS' new album, "Sonic Boom", may shift somewhere between 160,000 and 180,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release. If the set sells that much, it will also mark the group's best sales week since Nielsen SoundScan began tracking data in 1991.

KISS has notched seven Top 10 albums. Its highest charting set is 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" features three discs — a collection of all new material, a re-recorded greatest hits CD and a live DVD shot in Argentina during the band's recent Kiss Alive 35 South American tour. This marks the band's first set off all new material in 11 years.

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!"

Photos below courtesy of KissOnline.com.

Finnish power metallers KIUAS will enter the studio in November to begin recording their fourth full-length album. Guitarist Mikko "Ilmarinen" Salovaara states, "There are about 10 new masterpieces almost completely written, which we are polishing and fine-tuning as I write these words.

He adds, "The album is set to be released in March 2010 in Finland, other areas to be announced. Naturally, this is and has been the reason for not doing gigs for a while, since the writing, arranging and practicing of the songs demands our full focus.

"After the release, we will start touring, the dates will be announced once confirmed (but hold your horses until next year, kids!).

"As to what can you expect: expect nothing and everything! After all, making a KIUAS record is like pouring dragon egg yolk, absinth and Tabasco into Frank Zappa's mouth while his asleep and asking him to write a symphony about the dreams he had when he wakes up... although, ...well anyway... OR, going out with the members of KIUAS: you never know what's gonna happen."

KIUAS' video for the song "The Decaying Doctrine" can be viewed below. The clip was directed by Owe Lingvall of Village Road Film. The song comes off the group's third album, "The New Dark Age", which was released in the U.K. via Spinefarm Records, accompanied by reissues of the first two outings, "The Spirit of Ukko" and "Reformation". All three come with bonus tracks and expanded artwork.

"The New Dark Age" entered the official chart in the band's home country back in March 2008 at position No. 10.

An e-card for "The New Dark Age" is available at this location.

According to the band, "The [album's] cover art is the product of the visionary artist/musician Niklas Sundin (Cabin Fever Media). The picture is an original drawing in the style of renaissance woodcut illustrations, and portrays the members of KIUAS as the four — or in this case five — horsemen of the Apocalypse with a dismal landscape that combines ancient and modern times."



(Thanks: Melica / Night Elves)

Kingdom Extreme recently conducted an interview with guitarist Oz Fox of Christian hard rockers STRYPER. Oz talks about the band's new album, "Murder By Pride", and its 25th anniversary tour; his involvement with BLOODGOOD, GUARDIAN, and SIN DIZZY; his recent wedding ceremony and the special music provided by STRYPER frontman Michael Sweet; and he offers his thoughts on the history of the Christian music industry and STRYPER's place in it.

The entire chat is now available for streaming using the audio player below.

STRYPER bassist Timothy Gaines is posting regular updates from the band's 25th-anniversary tour exclusively at StryperForum.com. You can check out the blog at this location.

Bassist Tracy Ferrie is not performing on the U.S. leg of the STRYPER tour. Instead, original bassist Gaines is the sole bass player. What was originally planned to be a two-set performance has now turned into one full 90-minute concert consisting of all the greatest hits and new STRYPER material.

The band is wearing new yellow-and-black outfits designed by the original outfit designer. All original members — Michael Sweet, Robert Sweet, Oz Fox, and Tim Gaines — are performing on the 25th anniversary U.S. tour.

"Murder By Pride", the new album from STRYPER, sold 5,900 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 73 on The Billboard 200 chart.

"Murder By Pride" was released in Europe on August 28 via Frontiers Records. The CD was made available in the U.S. on July 21 through Big 3 Records.

STRYPER kicked off its 25th-anniversary tour on September 11 at the House Of Blues in Boston, Massachusetts. Quality video footage of the performance can be viewed at this location. One of the clips is available below.

25 years ago (1984), STRYPER broke onto the scene with its debut EP, "Yellow And Black Attack", and has since gone on to sell 8 million records worldwide and tour the world spreading an inspirational message through their branded sound of rock songs, heavy guitars, and pristine harmony vocals.

Oz Fox interviewed by Kingdom Extreme (click on player below to launch audio):

Rome, Italy-based band JUGGERNAUT will release its debut album, "...Where Mountains Walk", in November via Subsound Records. The CD was recorded, engineered and mixed by Valerio Fisik at HombreLobo studio in Rome and was mastered by Riccardo Pasini at Studio 73 in Ravenna. The artwork was created by Fabio Paciulli.

The track listing is as follows:

01. Of Snakes and Men
02. Flamingoes
03. Seven Companions and an Empty Chair
04. Ghostface
05. A Fish Called Atlantis
06. Nailscratched
07. Day of the Dances
08. Thank You for not Discussing the Outside World
09. The Bridge and the Shepherd
10. Diario

The CD features guest appearances by the following musicians:

* Marco Soellner (KLIMT 1918)
* Jimmy Bax and Valerio Fisik (INFERNO)
* Andrea Mancianti, Filippo Di Domenico, Giulio Maschio and Lorenzo Gabriele (ZEITLET X-EMBLE)

Commented the band: "We tried to mix flavors of Mediterranean music with grains of metal and hardcore grown on a gray field of doom. Devotion for having things down to a fine art suggested us a careful work of arrangement and filing, so that violence of form could contain a more refined expressivity, giving space to ethnic instruments and original colors. The results we got were extremely rabid and wistful works, dust and snow, overshadowing mountains and the ocean scent."

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

AYREON mastermind Arjen Lucassen recently spoke to Rock My Monkey about his new project, GUILT MACHINE. The chat can now be streamed using the audio player below.

GUILT MACHINE's debut album, "On This Perfect Day", was released in August via Mascot Records. The artwork was created by Christophe Dessaigne, a talented new artist whom Arjen discovered (quite by chance) while browsing Flickr. Coincidentally, it turned out that Chris is an AYREON fan, and was thrilled beyond belief when Arjen asked him to do the artwork! The GUILT MACHINE logo and packaging layout were created by Thomas Ewerhard.

"On This Perfect Day" was released in three different editions:

* Limited-edition 32-page digibook (CD + DVD)
* Special-edition digipack 24-page booklet (CD + DVD)
* Regular-edition jewel case, 24-page booklet (CD only)

As AYREON fans have come to expect from Arjen, the music of GUILT MACHINE ranges from dark and heavy to atmospheric and melancholic. But GUILT MACHINE introduces some new twists as well, particularly when it comes to the vocals. Rather than putting together an ensemble cast of vocalists from the prog, rock and metal scene, Arjen has enlisted the talents of a single alternative rock vocalist, Jasper Steverlinck.

How did Arjen get an alternative rock vocalist to switch genres and sing on a prog rock project? "In the beginning, it was hard to convince Jasper to sing on this album, because he comes from a completely different musical background," Arjen said. "He didn't even know what prog was, but we've made a believer out of him! What I admire about Jasper's voice, besides its beautiful clear timbre, is the emotion and credibility he puts into his performance and his enormous range. Because this project features just one singer I needed someone versatile enough to portray all of the different moods, and Jasper didn't disappoint. And he's a really nice and dedicated guy as well!"

For GUILT MACHINE, Arjen also chose to record with a different drummer, Chris Maitland (ex-PORCUPINE TREE). "Chris was the ideal choice this time, having both the power for the heavy sections and the subtle touch needed in the more atmospheric parts," Arjen said.

Rather than the explicit storyline you would expect in an AYREON release, the songs of GUILT MACHINE revolve around a central theme. Instead of looking outward into a world of fantasy or science fiction, the songs look inward, exploring the destructive psychology of guilt, regret and the darkest form of secret — the secrets we hide from ourselves.

"At first I asked my partner and personal manager Lori to quickly write scratch lyrics for one of the songs so I could record some guide vocals," Arjen said. "I was so impressed by what she produced that I asked her to write the lyrics for all the songs. I was unable myself to create the type of darkly enigmatic, open-ended lyrics I wanted for these songs, my specialty being sci-fi lyrics about sinister aliens. She definitely gave the songs an extra dimension with her lyrics, exorcising the demons we both had faced in the past few years. It's also no secret that I've always been a big fan of her melodic guitar style, so she also plays all the guitar solos on this album."

Despite these differences, GUILT MACHINE still has much in common with AYREON. The songs are mainly long, "epic" tracks that feature dynamic contrasts between softer, dreamy sections and powerful, heavy passages. There are intricate harmonies, complex rhythms, soaring melodies, and an eclectic selection of instruments — all what you'd expect from an AYREON release.

"In my view this is my best side project so far," Arjen said. "It comes completely from the heart, for it was written and recorded during a new inspiring phase in my life after my heavy depression. This being an entirely new project there were no expectations whatsoever, which enabled me to just let my inspiration guide me without any (outside) pressure."

Arjen Lucassen interviewed by Rock My Monkey (click on player below to launch audio):

DEAD BY SUNRISE — the new band fronted by LINKIN PARK's Chester Bennington — will perform on the October 13 edition of CBS-TV's "Late Show With David Letterman".

"Out of Ashes", the debut album from DEAD BY SUNRISE, is available for streaming in its entirety on the group's MySpace page. The CD is scheduled for release on October 13 via Warner Bros. Records.

In a recent interview with Ultimate-Guitar.com, Bennington stated about DEAD BY SUNRISE's highly personal lyrics (covering such topics as his divorce and alcohol addiction), "I think going through it was difficult, but I'm pretty good at writing about stuff. Once I came out with being abused as a child, a lot of those doors opened for me. Now I can write about anything I want. Nobody knew about it until that day. My parents were going, 'What?' It was like, 'Okay, if I can write about that, I can pretty much write about anything.' I would say that I wasn't writing songs about my particular problems while I was going through them during this record. I was writing songs about falling in love, and I was kind of skating around the subject a little bit. After I went through all of that, that's when I started writing very clear and very forward songs about what I went through. 'Crawl Back In' talks about relapsing and how hard that is. 'Condemned' is about that love affair with feeling like shit. It was very strange for me because these ideas just started coming. I don't know if I could have done it if I had was in the middle of it. I try not to change things that much in my songs. If it comes to me, then it comes to me. If it doesn't, then I'll wait a couple of days. After that, I'll just let it go. It's not worth it."

The band has announced three upcoming live shows to celebrate the release of "Out of Ashes". The group, which is Bennington on vocals, guitarists Ryan Shuck and Amir Derakh (from ORGY/JULIEN-K), bassist Brandon Belsky, drummer Elias Anda (also from JULIEN-K), and keyboardist Anthony Valcic, will perform at Wasted Space in the Hard Rock Hotel in Vegas on October 1, at The Gramercy Theatre in New York City on October 14, and at the Roxy in Los Angeles on October 19.

Fans attending these very special shows will be treated to songs from "Out of Ashes", which was produced by Howard Benson (MOTÖRHEAD, MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE). The album's first single, "Crawl Back In", continues its assault on rock radio, after being the most-added track for four consecutive weeks in September.

As previously announced, DEAD BY SUNRISE will perform also at MTV's first annual "Ulalume" Halloween festival on October 23, 2009, at Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, MD, alongside PARAMORE, AFI, and KID CUDI. Their performance will air during a Halloween-themed week on MTV, MTV.com, mtvU, and mtvU.com.

Guitarist Inge Rydal of EMMERHOFF & THE MELANCHOLY BABIES has recorded a guest appearance on the title track to the debut album from the Norwegian stoner metal band KRAKOW, entitled "Monolith". Due on October 26, the CD was recorded at Duper studio in Bergen, and was engineered and mixed by Iver Sandøy of MANNGARD, TRINACRIA, EMMERHOFF & THE MELANCHOLY BABIES, and JAZZKAMMER.

"Monolith" track listing:

01. Coronated King
02. Art Of Motion
03. Last
04. Lantern
05. Follow
06. Oblivious
07. Monolith

"Last" and "Art Of Motion" are available for streaming at this location.

Sandoy previously stated about working on the KRAKOW album: "First time I heard KRAKOW, I thought this is a band that's going somewhere! Their choice to go with stoner/classic metal/hard rock might not be ground-breaking in itself; it is how they do it — how they mix it up with elements from all ranges of the wondrous world of metal: the melodic, the extreme, the heavy, the powerful and the psychedelic foundations are all there. When they asked me to produce their debut album I immediately jumped on the chance to be a part of this band's evolution from the get-go!"

Formed in 2005, KRAKOW released an EP in 2008 titled "Dusty Roads".

The legendary MISFITS will return this Halloween with two brand-new songs, marking the first new original material from the horror rock icons in a decade! The release also marks their first new studio recordings since 2003's "Misfits Project 1950" covers album.

The limited-edition 12-inch LP maxi-single showcases a new cover painting rendered by Arthur Suydam (of Marvel Zombies fame) who has rendered the MISFITS world-famous "fiend skull" icon in homage to the zombie films of George A. Romero. The artwork is appropriately suited as both new songs ("Land of the Dead" and "Twilight of the Dead", written by MISFITS founding member Jerry Only), were inspired by the acclaimed director's living dead series.

The first pressing on clear red vinyl is a limited edition of 1,000 pieces, guaranteed to feed the collectible frenzy with MISFITS fiends while supplies last!

Look for the MISFITS (Jerry Only on bass/vocals, Dez Cadena on guitar and Robo on drums) on tour throughout North America between now and late December, where you can expect to hear both new songs performed live in concert. Starting October 30, "fiends" will have the chance to pick up a special clear orange vinyl tour edition of the 12-inch (also limited to 1,000 pieces worldwide), while supplies last. The clear orange vinyl pressing will be on sale exclusively at live MISFITS shows and will not be available in stores.

Both songs ("Land of the Dead" and "Twilight of the Dead") will be available individually for digital download ($0.99 per track) on iTunes and other digital music providers starting October 27.

(Thanks: NJthrasher)

Montreal extreme metallers DESPISED ICON have issued the following update:

"After relentlessly touring the U.S. and Europe from September 25 to November 21, playing 52 shows in support of our new record in the fall, we'll finally make our way back home and get ready for a few album launch shows in Canada. We'll be teaming up with CRYPTOPSY, THE ACACIA STRAIN, TRAPPED UNDER ICE and BLIND WITNESS during the first weekend of December.

"[We] can't think of a better way to finish off the year!"

The dates are as follows:

Dec. 03 - Ottawa, ON @ Babylon
Dec. 04 - Toronto, ON @ Opera House
Dec. 05 - Montreal, QC @ Medley
Dec. 06 - Quebec City, QC @ Imperial

"Day Of Mourning", the new album from DESPISED ICON, sold around 3,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 162 on The Billboard 200 chart. The CD landed at position No. 6 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.

"Day Of Mourning" was released on September 22 via Century Media Records. The CD was produced by Yannick St-Amand, while the mixing duties were handled by Andreas Magnusson (THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, THE AGONY SCENE, SCARLET, DUFRESNE, BECOMING THE ARCHETYPE, SPITFIRE, TWELVE TRIBES). The whole thing was mastered by Alan Douches (MASTODON, THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN, NILE).

DESPISED ICON earlier in the year released a DVD entitled "Montreal Assault Live". The disc features a "stellar" multi-camera shoot from the band's sold-out hometown show, alongside a new hour-long documentary and all of the band's promotional video clips.