Australian hard rockers AIRBOURNE are currently recording their second album for a tentative early 2010 release via Roadrunner Records.

The first in a series of video updates from the studio can be viewed below.

Regarding the CD's musical direction, drummer Ryan O'Keeffe previously stated, "I guess the best way to say would be, the first [album] was sort of left and right, and the second one's gonna take you further left and further right."

AIRBOURNE's video for the song "Runnin' Wild" — featuring a special cameo by MOTÖRHEAD mainman Ian "Lemmy" Kilmister — was shot with director Nathan Cox, who has previously worked with QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE, MARILYN MANSON and LINKIN PARK, among others. The track is the title cut of the group's debut album, which landed at No. 106 on The Billboard 200 chart in the U.S. after shifting 7,000 units in its first week of release.

Scott Alisoglu of MetalManiacs.com recently conducted an interview with SHADOWS FALL frontman Brian Fair. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

MetalManiacs.com: With the new album even though you never went away you still see folks saying things like "SHADOWS FALL is back." That may have more to do with the excellence of the new album than anything else. Have you gotten that vibe?

Fair: Yeah, from other people. We never feel like we ever went away [laughs]. I mean the last record ["Threads of Life"] sold like 120,000 copies, which for a metal band is pretty awesome. We went on tour for like a year and a half. We do feel like this record was a come-out-swinging record sonically. The first tune we wrote was I think "Public Execution" and it kind of set the tone of the whole record of just being a little bit more up-tempo than the last one, a little bit more thrash metal. We also felt like we pushed the melodic envelope pretty far with the last record, so we were trying to do something a little different.

MetalManiacs.com: Do you think some folks felt you went too far in the melodic direction with the last album?

Fair: It's possible because they may have only heard a couple of the video tunes. Like "Redemption" has a very melodic chorus even though it has a technical little breakdown. And "Another Hero Lost" is a straight-up power ballad, so if those are the two songs that people have heard then maybe, but with songs like "Failure of the Devout" and "Dread Uprising" they were as fast and heavy as anything we've ever done. So there may have been a perception based on a few of the singles or whatever. If you can call them singles [laughs].

MetalManiacs.com: Some of the perception too, ridiculously so, is fueled by your signing to Atlantic.

Fair: Exactly! That's always going to happen as well. Any time a band makes a change like that the expectations are going to be, "Oh, they're being forced by the label to do this and that." But with "Threads of Life", people at the label didn't hear it until it was mastered, so their input was completely nonexistent [laughs].

MetalManiacs.com: Let's go back to the Atlantic singing then and get up to date. You mentioned that "Threads of Life" sold 120,000 copies, but I think "The War Within" sold like 250,000 copies on Century Media.

Fair: Yeah, "The War Within", I think, was around 300,000, which was great, but it was also a time when people bought records. The industry, in general, has had such a huge percentage cut just across the board. You see like the number one album in the country now will be like 60 or 70,000, whereas back then it was 100 or 200,000. It's just a different time. Honestly, for a metal band, record sales are at a secondary kind of stage where things are at now. It's really about who is coming to see us play live. But with Atlantic, we had a great experience, but a lot of the people who we signed with were gone. Our A&R guy was no longer there, the president of the label was no longer there, so we kind of felt a little lost there because the people that were there that we felt confident with to put our name down on the contract were no longer there. So a way to change things up was instead of taking the option, we renegotiated for a buyout where we got a chunk of money up front and then we worked a distro deal with their parent company, which is Warner Bros., through their Independent Label Group. And that's honestly the way a lot of bands are trying to head anyway because you get control of the record now. You can figure out how to spend every dime, the royalty rate is in favor of the band; as opposed to the 10 or 12 percent you used to get, it's now like 75 to 80 percent. It's just a huge difference business model-wise. You flip the pyramid basically. With a traditional record deal the band gets paid last; it's a trickle-down effect and everyone takes their cut along the way. And trying to recoup is difficult because they'll spend money on things that you feel are unnecessary. So now that we're able to make those decisions and after 10 years of the band understanding what we need that works and what we don't need that's a waste we're able to keep a very tight grip on that. That's a great feeling. There are no excuses anymore like, "Oh, the label should have done this or done that." Well, now it's our fault. The responsibility is bigger too, a little but more daily work, but totally worth it.

MetalManiacs.com: To clarify, explain a bit more how all the pieces fit together, like the Independent Label Group, Everblack Industries, and Ferret.

Fair: Basically, the Independent Label Group is the retail force for us. They're the ones that are putting the records physically in the stores and doing all that, which is something we love having, the leverage of a major label doing that. We wouldn't be able to call up Best Buy and get ourselves in there and all that; that's what they do very well. But as far as the promotion of the band we just feel like the way a major label would do things were really unnecessary for a band like us. And also just waiting three weeks to get an answer sometimes because it had to get across six people down the line… We're used to a little bit more immediacy to get things done. So that's really where it changed. But they still have that leverage to get us in the stores the way we need. Then out of their percentage they hired Ferret Records to do the everyday kind of press and things like that. So we've got a forward thinking DIY kind of label doing all the everyday stuff, but a major label kicking down doors to get the album in the stores. So it's really a perfect situation.

MetalManiacs.com: And then Everblack…

Fair: That's like our imprint through them. Hopefully, in the future we do want to expand it beyond just the SHADOWS FALL realm. We would love to find other bands and try to work things out, but for right now it's just about getting our record out. In the future we'll see what happens.

MetalManiacs.com: You mentioned the Billboard chart too and "Retribution" landed at, like, number 35. Is that the highest chart position you've gotten?

Fair: "The War Within" might have been a little bit higher, but not by much. That's scary because it's a lot higher than the last one, even though the numbers of actual sales are relatively similar, even a little less. That again just shows you how much the industry has changed from year to year. You can chart higher by selling less [laughs].

MetalManiacs.com: We've seen a lot of that lately, whether it's THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER or CANNIBAL CORPSE or whomever. More metal bands are charting and, granted, it's because it doesn't take as many records to chart, but you wonder if it's also because metal fans still like to buy the CD.

Fair: Exactly. Pop fans don't need the cover art or the liner notes because there is not much to it. It is usually a picture of the person on the front and sometimes the lyrics aren't even in there. For a metal band you take the artwork a lot more seriously, you want fans to read the lyrics… Especially for me, you'd want to run out and read all this stuff and get the cool artwork and keep the CD. I think metal fans are still doing that more than other genres. Our release was such a huge week for metal bands. You had MEGADETH, ourselves, EVERY TIME I DIE, THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, and all of that on the same day. It was great to see everyone taking over the charts kind of. I think that's a sign that metal fans are one of the last bastions of actual record sales.

MetalManiacs.com: How do you feel overall that "Retribution" stacks up against your other releases?

Fair: Honestly, I know every band says they love their new record the most, but for us that's really how it should work. I feel like this is the best we've played in the studio, the best we've sounded in the studio, and the songwriting is a perfect balance of all our influences. At 10 years as a band, you start to read each other's minds, everyone understands their role, and what they do well and what they bring to the table. And also how not to step on each other's toes; when to let certain things to take the forefront. You also get a confidence where you're not worried about letting all the influences out. You're going to have all the melodic death metal and thrash metal influences, but we're not afraid to show the rock and roll side, we're not afraid to bring in those arena rock melodies and stuff like that too. I think as soon as you have that confidence you stop second guessing yourself and you really let the inspiration come out much more the natural way. So to me this is my favorite record that we've done and hopefully the next one will destroy it [laughs].

Read the entire interview from MetalManiacs.com.

Fan-filmed video footage of SHADOWS FALL's October 8, 2009 performance in Boston, Massachusetts can be viewed below (courtesy of "TripKore").

Mr. Drew of the horror-centric web site BloodyGoodHorror.com recently conducted an interview with vocalist Dani "Filth" Davey of British extreme metallers CRADLE OF FILTH about "The Gospel of Filth: A Black Metal Bible", the new book written by Dani and music journalist Gavin Baddeley.

"The Gospel of Filth: A Black Metal Bible" serves both as a chronology of the band and their influences, as well as a complete study of the occult and man's obsession with it throughout history.

Each chapter is filled with parallels between the occult and themes found in horror, heavy metal, black metal, comic books, literature, and just about every other facet of popular culture. Many luminaries in each field are showcased or interviewed. I recently had the opportunity to talk to Dani concerning the book, and his career as a whole.

A couple of excerpts from BloodyGoodHorror.com's interview with Dani Filth follow below.

BloodyGoodHorror.com: How did it feel to finally finish "Gospel of Filth" so many years after its inception? Did you feel it was complete?

Dani: It was on the cusp of massive relief even up to a few days ago when it finally managed to claw its way down to the printers! One of the main problems we had to face was the fact that each chapter adopts a CRADLE album as its initial springboard (so, for example, the chapter entitled "Cruelty and The Beast" concerns itself with crime and serial killer chic), so the longer the book was taking, the more chapters were being added to accommodate the next CRADLE OF FILTH excretion. We were writing albums quicker than chapters in the book at one laborious stage! That said though, the book is a literal tome. Serving as a modern day black grimoire, it covers all areas of the dark-side and the occult and infuses this with accounts from real life practitioners, be they musicians, actors, writers, historians, serial killers or real-life vampires, the grisly facts are always expertly corroborated and then fleshed out.

BloodyGoodHorror.com: Did Gavin approach you, or did you seek him out to help assemble all the pieces?

Dani: You know it's over five years ago now, down the long, winding road of painstaking research and too much absinthe, that, if memory serves me well, Gavin and I actually met at a very fruity Black Mass in Chelsea, London.

BloodyGoodHorror.com: You have a clear fascination and understanding of the occult and all the other subjects compiled in the book. But "Gospel of Filth" also had a kind of tongue-in-cheek view of the subject matter. Is occult study a simple curiosity for you, or is it something you regard very seriously?

Dani: I used to be very serious about the occult, sitting on the other side of the fence to the one I scratch my arse on now. As I've hit my thirties and now bedecked with family, I find myself exploring everything in life a little more vividly and with so much on one's (often busy and bloodstained) hands, there just isn't the time to indulge fully in the daily labors of magic and mind-play. I see myself as more of a Van Helsing-type character now, an obsessed vampiric good guy with inside information on the dark. Possibly with a cape. Haven't decided.

BloodyGoodHorror.com: There is a panoply of impressive accounts and interviews from celebrities, musicians, horror icons, and cultural authorities from all walks of life. Dario Argento, James Hetfield, Nick Holmes, Tom Araya, and countless others. How did these people come to be involved in the project? Did you go to them, did they come to you, or both?

Dani: A bit of both. For example, we have excerpts from possibly the last ever interview with Anton La Vey, which is something that Gavin undertook a few years back naturally, and in contrast with that, the Dario Argento interview came into existence due to me having sung the credit song on his recent "Mother Of Tears" movie.

BloodyGoodHorror.com: You've mentioned in the past that horror films occasionally serve as inspiration for CRADLE OF FILTH. What films stick out in your memory, and which are your favorites? Have you seen any recently that pique your interest?

Dani: Don't get me started! I don't really have an absolute favourite and there are just so many thousands I like. In fact that's my touring bad habit... buying DVDs, especially in the States on a day-off Best Buy and Wal-Mart run, to while away the lonely nights on the bus. Recent favorites however would have to be films like "Antichrist", "Martyrs", "District 9", "Pandorum", "Dead Snow", "Monsters Versus Aliens", "Coraline", "Dorian Gray", "Meatball Machine" and "Mum And Dad".

BloodyGoodHorror.com: You were in the horror film "Cradle of Fear" in 2001, and then were a voice actor in 2003's "Dominator", but haven't appeared since. You've said in prior interviews that you very much enjoyed acting. Have you closed the door on that part of your career, or can horror fans expect to see you again?

Dani: I was acting?!!!! We were actually due to undertake a sequel to "Cradle Of Fear", but seeing as the cast and crew all were on deferred payments until the film made money (to keep the outlaying costs low), and now that it's been done like that once it won't happen again and hefty investors have been a tad shy of late. I'd love to do something again, but it'd have to be done right. I've got some great ideas for scripts and the suchlike, however the band and subsequent career have kept me pinned to the wall for the past few years.

Read the entire interview from BloodyGoodHorror.com.

U.K.'s Bizarre magazine recently conducted an interview with Canadian musician/producer Devin Townsend (STRAPPING YOUNG LAD, STEVE VAI, LAMB OF GOD, DARKEST HOUR, GWAR) about "Addicted" and "Deconstruction", the second and third in a series of albums to be made available under the DEVIN TOWNSEND PROJECT moniker. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

Bizarre: Could you tell me a little about the third record? It'd be cool to know how things are going to progress with your character from here. It's called "Deconstruction", isn't it?

Devin: The character decides to deconstruct it after he's recognized that there's something underneath it all that needs to be dealt with. So he decides to take himself apart, every element of himself…from the booze, to the sex, to the religion… and just figure out why he does what he does. In some ways the character is convinced that he can figure it out. That he is more important or intelligent than every other human and he wants to try for a very selfish reason. But at the end of "Deconstruction" he realizes that what he's looking at is a cheeseburger, which is a metaphor for anything. By trying to figure out what it is, he's realized that what he's looking at is something really stupid and inconsequential and he doesn't even eat cheeseburgers so he's got a headache. And he realizes through that deconstruction that, no matter how far you go into reality or infinity, you're always in the middle. That's the nature of infinity — whatever direction you go in, you're always where you are. So by going in all these crazy directions you get all this information that ultimately just fills your head with noise.

"Deconstruction" is a really heavy record, a real symphony in a lot of ways, but with heavy musicians from the metal world — friends of mine. I love metal and have listened to it my whole life so I'm just involved with artists from other bands. Specifically death metal vocals, because I can't really do that. I can fake it, but I can't do the real guttural thing. So I'm trying to find friends from death metal bands who can play various characters on the album. It's going to be an absolutely mind-bendingly heavy record. And then, the last record, where the guy figures out that he doesn't have all the answers, features acoustic, pop sort of folk songs. Really beautiful mellow things.

Bizarre: So what kind of conclusion does he come to?

Devin: I think he realizes that the whole quest was sort of pointless, because he's back exactly where he started in the first place. A little worse for wear because my head's full of all this stuff, but now I've realized that I don't need to do any of that stuff. It's not really important at all. The things that are important are free. Maybe being an artist is really nothing to do with making a point or a statement. I'm just doing my thing, I'm accountable for it — for example, explaining it in interviews. I'm definitely into explaining what the project is about, but it's not about me. I'm not on some sort of quest or mission, it's just an art project.

Throughout the ages, it seems that artists have been trying to connect with something bigger than themselves and so this project is just a rendezvous with that kind of energy. It's like, here's this metaphor — look at "Star Wars", "Lord of the Rings" or the "Divine Comedy". They're all basically the same, which seems to prove that humans are simple and very similar to each other. I get mails from people saying, "We're very much the same." And, you know what, all humans are the same so keep in mind that as a friend, as a person, there's a good chance that I wouldn't get along with ninety per cent of the people who think we're the same.

I have like three or four friends and am a very private person. As Devin, the person, I'm very different from my artistic self. Everything that I'm saying, in these song and records, as "I" isn't necessarily me — it's the character I've created. I mean, what do I do? I eat chips and watch TV. There's no profound anything. I like art, and I'm capable enough to do it the way I feel it needs to be done from my perspective and I'm not afraid to do that anymore.

Bizarre: Can you tell me which death metal artists you'll be working with on the next album?

Devin: I want people with established fans. I start touring in January so I'm going to see if anyone will be interested that. There's a lot of cool vocalists that do a lot of different styles and there are a lot of different characters on this record. So I'd like to be able say, "I know that your band are into this, so here's a character that personifies that."

The thing to keep in mind that I don't want to make a record that tries to haul people up on their beliefs. The characters are more observing the things around them and I don't want to create parodies of these high-profile metal musicians. I truly want to make a record that's crazy heavy and there are certain things I can't do. As a vocalist, I can scream and I've got a really good singing voice, but I can't do the really heavy vocals. When I write a song, I hear these monstrous death vocals, but every time I try to do it, I can't. So I want somebody who can shake the floor. I've got ideas but I haven't talked to anyone yet so I don't want to say anything.

Read the entire interview from Bizarre magazine.

Video footage of KISS' October 12, 2009 concert at the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania can be viewed below.

The band's setlist was as follows:

01. Strutter
02. Deuce
03. Modern Day Delilah
04. Hotter Than Hell
05. Come On And Love Me
06. Watchin' You
07. Got To Choose
08. I Love It Loud
09. She
10. Parasite
11. 100,000 Years
12. Black Diamond
13. Rock And Roll All Nite

Encore:

14. Shout It Out Loud
15. Lick It Up
16. Love Gun
17. Cold Gin
18. Detroit Rock City

According to Hits Daily Double, the companion web site of music industry tip sheet HITS, KISS' new album, "Sonic Boom", has sold around 104,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 2 on The Billboard 200 chart. However, these are **preliminary numbers** only and should not be treated as final until the official Nielsen SoundScan figures are released tomorrow morning.

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!"

Finnish gothic metallers TO/DIE/FOR will play in Lebanon on November 13 at Forum De Beyrouth. Vocalist Jape Perätalo states, "We still do not have a new guitarist, so we are using session guitarists [for] this show. There is one guy you already might know, and he is...dadadaaaa... Mika 'Alli' Ahtiainen. Another guitarist will be Toni Toikkanen from Helsinki. We are very thankful for their help with this show!"

TO/DIE/FOR's lineup for the Lebanon concert will be as follows:

Jape Perätalo - Vocals
Tonmi Lillman - Drums
Josey Strandman - Bass
Toni Toikkanen - Guitar
Mika Ahtiainen - Guitar

TO/DIE/FOR is putting the finishing touches on four new songs — "Angelica", "Unknown III", "My Hysteria" and "Sad" (working title) — which will be used to procure new management and a record deal. Perätalo previously stated that "most of the guitars [on the new album] will be played by Krisse. He is not a band member. He is doing this as a session musician and he is Tonmi's [Lillman; TO/DIE/FOR drummer] friend from Helsinki." He added, "We still do not know who will be TO/DIE/FOR guitarist in future, but now we have 'one' who could be."

TO/DIE/FOR's fifth album, "Wounds Wide Open", was released in Finland in October 2006. The follow-up to 2005's "IV" was recorded by Samu Oittinen at Fantom Studios and by Jari-Jukka Nippala at Sonic Image, and was mixed at Sweden's Abyss Studios by Peter Tägtgren (DIMMU BORGIR, CELTIC FROST).

On October 5, 2009, Belton, Texas-based quintet FLYLEAF visited the WJRR studios in Orlando, Florida for a private acoustic session and album listening party for a small group of contest winners.

Video footage of the performance and interview can be found at this location.

FLYLEAF's new CD, "Memento Mori", is scheduled for release on November 10 via A&M/Octone. For the follow-up to the band's hit 2005 self-titled debut, the band again teamed with producer Howard Benson, who is known for his work with PAPA ROACH, MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE and THE ALL-AMERICAN REJECTS.

"Memento Mori" track listing:

01. Beautiful Bride
02. Again
03. Chasm
04. Missing
05. This Close
06. The Kind
07. In The Dark
08. Set Apart This Dream
09. Swept Away
10. Tiny Heart
11. Melting (interlude)
12. Treasure
13. Circle
14. Arise

Disc 2 (Deluxe Edition):

01. Break Your Knees
02. Enemy
03. Have We Lost
04. Who Am I

The album's title comes from the well-known Latin phrase that, through the ages, has been uttered as a reminder of the mortality we all share. According to ancient texts, memento mori was historically acted out as a kind of ritual tableau in ancient Rome when a victorious general was welcomed back to the city with a parade: "Standing behind the victorious general was a servant, and he had the task of reminding the general that, though he was up on the peak today, tomorrow was another day. The servant did this by telling the general that he should remember that he was mortal, i.e. 'Memento mori."

According to a posting on MASTODON's official Twitter profile, the band's October 17, 2009 concert at the Aragon Ballroom in Chicago, Illinois will be recorded for future release. More information will be made available soon.

MASTODON recently confirmed that they are working with composer John Powell and director Jimmy Hayward on the score to "Jonah Hex", the comic-book Western/horror film starring Josh Brolin in the lead role, with support from John Malkovich, Megan Fox, Will Arnett, Michael Fassbender and Michael Shannon. The movie is based on the DC comic series about a horribly scarred antihero who is "a rough-and-tumble gunslinger and part-time bounty hunter whose adventures always ended in blood."

MASTODON guitarist/vocalist Brent Hinds makes a cameo appearance in the film, which is being directed by former Pixar animator Jimmy Hayward for a June 18, 2010 release.

British black metal pioneers VENOM will embark on a tour of Mexico and South America in December.

Commented the band's management: "We started looking into the possibility of organizing a VENOM tour in South America a couple of years back. VENOM have a massive following in Latin America, and now that the band's agent has organized a fantastic tour with the promoters, the band immediately agreed to take time out from recording the new album to start their rehearsals for the tour."

The dates are as follows (venue details to be announced):

Dec. 05 - Mexico, Mexico DF
Dec. 06 - Colombia, Bogota
Dec. 09 - Chile, Santiago
Dec. 10 - Argentina, Buenos Aires
Dec. 12 - Brazil, Sao Paulo

VENOM is currently in the studio laying down tracks for its next album. The band has been busy recording demos and rehearsing over the last few months with the new drummer Danté.

Commented VENOM bassist/vocalist Conrad "Cronos" Lant: "There's a fresh energy with the new lineup and the sessions are going great. Danté is a big hitter, which is fantastic.

"The new album is sounding killer and should be ready to be unleashed by the summer 2010."

Drummer Antony "Antton" Lant (who is also Cronos' brother) announced his departure from VENOM in April. He told BLABBERMOUTH.NET at the time, "I have left for various reasons and would like to concentrate on my own band called DEF-CON-ONE.

DEF-CON-ONE's 10-track CD "Blood Soaks The Floor", is available from the band's MySpace page.

"Hell", the latest album from VENOM, was released in North America in September 2008 via Universal Music Enterprises.

The special-edition version of VENOM's "Black Metal" album came out in September. According to the band, the new set contains bonus tracks and a DVD of the "7th Date of Hell" video of VENOM performing live at the Hammersmith Odeon in London, England in 1984.

On October 22, 2008, a two-album Japan-only cardboard sleeve reissue series from VENOM was made available via Universal Music featuring the following LPs:

* "Welcome To Hell" (1981)
* "Black Metal" (1982)

Each cardboard sleeve reissue features the high-fidelity SHM-CD format (compatible with standard CD players).

Friends, fans and heavy metal rock and rollers around the world are mourning the death of BLUE CHEER bassist and lead singer Richard Allan "Dickie" Peterson (b. September 12, 1946) after a long fight against cancer.

Peterson, age 63, died in Erkelenz, Germany, where he lived, on the morning of October 12, 2009. He is survived by wife Ilka Peterson, ex-wife Marilyn (Peterson) Stephens, with whom he had a daughter, Corrina Peterson-Kaltenrieder, and a grandson. He was a founding member and leader of the San Francisco band BLUE CHEER; a group known to heavy metal fans for being louder and heavier than any band before them and for laying the blueprint for much of what would come after. The band debuted with a ground-shaking cover of Eddie Cochran's "Summertime Blues" on their 1968 album "Vincebus Eruptum". In the early days, the CHEER regularly played shows with their San Francisco peers, including such era luminaries as the GRATEFUL DEAD, JANIS JOPLIN, JIMI HENDRIX, BIG BROTHER & THE HOLDING COMPANY and CREAM.

BLUE CHEER's last U.S. tour (featuring Peterson, founding drummer Paul Whaley, and guitarist Andrew "Duck" MacDonald) was in support of their 2007 release, "What Doesn't Kill You…", and had the band playing shows with the fourth generation of bands to follow in their path. "He loved the younger musicians," said MacDonald of his bandmate. "He thought of all of them as his children." Zach Gabbard of the band BUFFALO KILLERS, one of Dickie's favorite new-generation rock bands, said, "You never know what it is going to be like to play with your heroes, but we walked into the club and Dickie stopped and said, 'BUFFALO KILLERS, cool name. We played and hung out with Dickie and the rest of the band all night. It was a gift. Dickie was worthy of his hero status and will be missed by many."

Plans were underway for the band to tour in support of the 2009 Rainman Records DVD release of "Blue Cheer Rocks Europe" when Dickie's cancer was found. Tour plans were put on hold, but the first full-length concert DVD in the band's more-than-forty-year history was released without delay. The DVD includes not only the concert footage with 5.1 audio, but also included a Peterson voiceover commentary and a complete interview with the late leader of the band.

Dickie and BLUE CHEER cherished their fans — the 1%ers, as they were called — and considered them the fourth member of their band. "Without you, what we do is completely pointless," Peterson said to an audience in 2006, continuing, "You've got to take care of each other, you're all you've got."

MacDonald says that Dickie believed in the best of people. "The people loved him and he loved them right back," he said. "It was the best relationship he had in his life."

BLUE CHEER live in Germany - April 2008:

Legendary rocker Ted Nugent was a guest on the October 7, 2009 edition of Dennis Miller's nationally syndicated show. A 10-minute audio excerpt from the chat can be heard below.

On September 29, Legacy Recordings released "The Music Of Ted Nugent" box set as part of "The Music Of" series, a specially priced line of three-CD releases packed with huge hits and top tracks by the biggest names in music history. For the first time, the classic recordings by these household names appear in a box set that virtually any household can afford.

For more information, visit Amazon.com.

Bob Nalbandian recently conducted an interview with MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine for Shockwaves/HardRadio Podcast #41. The entire 30-minute chat can now be streamed using the audio player below.

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 Mustaine and British producer Andy Sneap (EXODUS, NEVERMORE, ARCH ENEMY, MACHINE HEAD).

Dave Mustaine interviewed for Shockwaves/HardRadio Podcast #41 (click on player below to launch audio):



Photo below courtesy of Megadeth.com

Ohio extreme metallers SKELETONWITCH and Los Angeles' WINDS OF PLAGUE will be the special guests on this weekend's (October 16-18) edition of Full Metal Jackie's nationally syndicated radio show. In addition, Jackie will premiere a new song from THROWDOWN.

To see a full list of stations carrying the show and when it airs, go to FullMetalJackieRadio.com.

"Breathing the Fire", the new album from SKELETONWITCH, was released today (Tuesday, October 13) via Prosthetic Records. The CD's cover artwork was designed by Andrei Bouzikov, who has previously worked with MUNICIPAL WASTE and many others.

SKELETONWITCH began recording "Breathing The Fire" on June 14 in Seattle at both Studio Litho (owned by PEARL JAM guitarist Stone Gossard) and producer Jack Endino's own Soundhouse Recording.

SKELETONWITCH has just completed a tour with CHILDREN OF BODOM and THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER. The band will now head to Europe for a rotating co-headline run with TOXIC HOLOCAUST and GOATWHORE.

WINDS OF PLAGUE will embark on the "California Love Tour" in November with support from STICK TO YOUR GUNS, SLEEPING GIANT, OCEANO and CIRCLE OF CONTEMPT.

"The Great Stone War", the new album from WINDS OF PLAGUE, sold 6,300 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 73 on The Billboard 200 chart.

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).

"The Great Stone War" was released on August 11 in the U.S. via Century Media Records.

(Thanks: Andrew / The Space Lord)

Original KISS lead guitarist Ace Frehley was due in Australia next week for three shows. However, Australian promoters advised today that the tour will now be postponed until February 2010 in order to accommodate the artist schedule and the newly added tour dates. When the tour does reach Australia, it will be in an expanded format with extra dates being scheduled in Perth and Adelaide due to overwhelming demand from Ace fans in both of those cities.

Ace was due to perform at Melbourne's Palace October 19, Sydney's Enmore Theatre on October 20 and Brisbane's The Tivoli on October 21. Ticketholders can hold onto their tickets, which will be valid for the new dates — due to be announced shortly. Alternatively they can seek a refund from their ticketing agency.

For more information, visit www.redanttouring.com.

Frehley's new solo album, "Anomaly", sold around 17,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 27 on The Billboard 200 chart.

In addition to the standard CD release, unique "Anomaly" packages were made available at Wal-Mart and Best Buy locations. The Wal-Mart version includes an Ace autographed tattoo while the Best Buy edition is printed on silver stock, like the KISS "Double Platinum" album.

Released on September 15 via Ace's own Bronx Born Records, with Rocket Science providing a full label service platform in the U.S., "Anomaly" was produced and recorded in Westchester County, New York between 2007 and 2009 and was mixed in Los Angeles.

Frehley last year spent time on the road fronting a band that featured second guitarist Derrek Hawkins, drummer Scot Coogan (ex-BRIDES OF DESTRUCTION) and bassist Anthony Esposito (ex-LYNCH MOB).

Former HELLHAMMER/CELTIC FROST and current TRIPTYKON frontman Tom Gabriel Fischer will release a 288-page hardcover book, "Only Death Is Real: An Illustrated History of Hellhammer and Early Celtic Frost 1981-1985", in November through Bazillion Points Books.

"The impetus [for the book] is my life, and the events that took place during the past few, very intense years," Fischer tells AOL's Noisecreep. "I have always remained very closely connected, emotionally, to the early days of my career and the very drastic and unique circumstances of my existence at the time.

"Reforming CELTIC FROST, the group I originally founded all those years ago, provoked an even closer review of this intimate background of mine. Eventually, I had researched and collected so much material that the idea of a book began to materialize."

"Only Death Is Real" is the culmination of four years of research, writing, and design. All of the former main members of HELLHAMMER — Steve Warrior, Bruce Day, Martin Eric Ain, and Stephen Priestly — have contributed to this project, along with primary original HELLHAMMER/CELTIC FROST photographers Martin Kyburz, Andreas Schwarber, and Csaba Kézér.

"All of the photos published in the book represent deeply personal and important moments in my life," Fischer tells Noisecreep. "Many of the photos capture the unique energy that characterized our group of friends and musicians at a time when metal was experiencing a major rebirth and an infusion with previously unknown power and heaviness. It is thus utterly impossible for me to single out individual photos as favorites. I sometimes wish we would have had room for the other hundreds of unpublished photos still in my archive, but I am confident we selected the very best and most significant ones for the book."

For more information, go to www.bazillionpoints.com.

Baby Rock Records has set a November 10 release date for "Rockabye Baby! Lullaby Renditions Of Guns N' Roses". A product description reads as follows: "Is a sweet child o' yours trying your patience at bedtime? Do you have an appetite for noise reduction? Don't you cry tonight. Fire up these gentle renditions of GN'R's metal classics to rock your little devil to a peaceful sleep. Welcome to the nursery, baby. It's paradise city."

"Rockabye Baby! Lullaby Renditions Of Guns N' Roses" track listing:

01. Welcome To The Jungle
02. Sweet Child O' Mine
03. Paradise City
04. Live & Let Die
05. November Rain
06. You Could Be Mine
07. Mr. Brownstone
08. Estranged
09. Yesterdays
10. Don't Cry
11. Knockin' On Heaven's Door
12. Patience

Check out audio samples at this location. A couple of audio clips can be streamed below.

"Welcome To The Jungle":



"Sweet Child O' Mine":



"Paradise City":

"Silent Weapon (For A Quiet War)", the new video from DECADENCE — the Sweden-based melodic thrash metal quintet fronted by Kitty Saric (a.k.a. Metallic Kitty) — can be viewed below. The clip was shot earlier in the year with producer Helena Starenby.

"Silent Weapon (For A Quiet War)" comes off DECADENCE's fourth album, "Chargepoint", which will be released on October 14 via the Japanese label Spiritual Beast.

"Chargepoint" track listing:

01. Discharge
02. Silent Weapon (For A Quiet War)
03. Out Of Ashes
04. Point Of No Return
05. Strength Of Mind
06. Fast Forward
07. Challenge
08. Be Home When I'm Gone
09. The Demons Run (instrumental) (bonus track)

DECADENCE's third album, "3rd Stage of Decay", which was originally released in 2006 through HTI Records, was reissued on August 28, 2008 via Massacre.

For more information, visit www.decadence.se.

San Francisco Bay Area power/thrashers IMAGIKA have completed recording their new album, "Portrait Of A Hanged Man", at Fang Studios in San Mateo, California. Guitarist Steve Rice will head to KING DIAMOND guitarist Andy La Rocque's Sonic Train Studios on October 26 to mix the CD for an early 2010 release via Metalville. In addition to mixing the effort, La Rocque will make a guest appearance on the instrumental "A God No More".

Commented Steve: "After working with Andy on our two previous CDs, I thought it was time we got him to play a little something on this album. At first I thought about having him play a couple solos here and there, but I had this short instrumental song that I wanted to include on this release and decided it would be great for him to have a go at it. Since it's an acoustic track with fretless bass, etc. I imagined he'd be more into it than just doing the typical guest spot solo. The song has that creepy KING DIAMOND feel already and having Andy play on it will be perfect. It reminds me of the track 'Insanity' from 'The Eye'."

The final track listing for the CD is as follows:

01. Scared To Death
02. Keep The Wolves At Bay
03. Shadow Of The Cross
04. Portrait Of A Hanged Man
05. The Hit
06. My Final Hour
07. One Word
08. Simple Servant
09. GHB (Gamma-Hydroxybutyric Acid)
10. A God No More (feat. Andy La Rocque)
11. Halo Of Flies

Metalville is the band and label pool launched by the Cologne, Germany-based company Flying Dolphin Entertainment Group UG.

IMAGIKA's last album, "Feast for the Hated" was released in the U.S. on May 20, 2008 via Locomotive Records. The CD was mixed at Sweden's Sonic Train Studio with Andy La Rocque.

Disconcert Music has released the second full-length album from Stockholm, Sweden-based death metallers CANOPY, entitled "Will and Perception".

Strong from previous collaborations with Peter in de Betou (KATATONIA, MESSHUGAH, HYPOCRISY) and Swedish producer/multi-instrumentalist Dan Swanö (EDGE OF SANITY, BLOODBATH, NIGHTINGALE), "Will and Perception" presents incisive riffs mixed up with solid melodies, pounding drum beats, all encompassed in a dark and complex yet very melodic atmosphere. The CD also features a guest solo from Kristian Niemann (THERION) on the epic 10-minute song "Will".

An e-card for "Will and Perception" can be accessed at this location.

"Will and Perception" track listing:

01. Decipher
02. Perception
03. For The Sickened Voice To Hear
04. Councels And Maxims
05. Common Walls
06. Riddance
07. Void
08. Will

"Hang Him High", a brand new track from HYPOCRISY — the Swedish extreme metal band led by guitarist/vocalist Peter Tägtgren (also of PAIN) — is available for streaming on the group's MySpace page. The song comes off HYPOCRISY's new album, "A Taste Of Extreme Divinity", which is scheduled for release in Europe on October 23 and in the U.S. on November 3 via Nuclear Blast Records.

The North American mail-order version of "A Taste of Extreme Divinity" will feature three exclusive bonus tracks. A pre-order for the album is now available at this location in various formats and bundle packages.

"A Taste Of Extreme Divinity" track listing:

01. Valley Of The Damned
02. Hang Him High
03. Solar Empire
04. Weed Out The Weak
05. No Tomorrow
06. Global Domination
07. Taste The Extreme Divinity
08. Alive
09. The Quest
10. Tamed "Filled With Fear"
11. Sky Is Falling Down

Bonus tracks:

12. The Sinner
13. Taste the Extreme Divinity (2008 Demo)
14. Valley of the Damned (2008 Demo)

A third trailer for "A Taste Of Extreme Divinity" can be viewed below.

HYPOCRISY will kick off a U.S. tour in support of "A Taste Of Extreme Divinity" on November 5, with ENSIFERUM as the headliner.

HYPOCRISY reissued its 2002 album "Catch 22" under the title "Catch 22 V2.0.08" in May 2008. Peter Tägtgren re-recorded the guitar parts, his vocals and remixed and remastered the LP for the new version of the album, which featured bonus material.

The band previously stated about its decision to re-release the CD, "We still think it is a great fucking album but it got slammed and misunderstood because of the vocal style and the drum sound and so on."

HYPOCRISY's latest album, "Virus", came out in September 2005 via Nuclear Blast Records.

The all-star band HAIL! is at it again. Fresh off their tour of Scandinavia, they have announced the that heralded drummer Paul Bostaph (SLAYER, TESTAMENT, EXODUS, FORBIDDEN) will join them for their upcoming dates in November and December.

Bostaph will perform alongside bassist David Ellefson, singer Tim "Ripper" Owens (JUDAS PRIEST, YNGWIE MALMSTEEN, ICED EARTH) and guitarist Andreas Kisser (SEPULTURA) in what could be the most iconic metal lineup ever.

Asked how Bostaph came to play with HAIL!, Ellefson replied, "After Jimmy DeGrasso became unavailable due to his touring commitments with ALICE COOPER, Roy Mayorga came aboard and just slammed for us. His playing throughout the Scandinavian dates was unbelievable, but now he's heading back into the studio with STONE SOUR, so he's unavailable for the next round of shows. We immediately thought of Paul. With Alex Skolnick out playing with TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA a small window opened in the TESTAMENT schedule where Paul became available and we jumped at the opportunity."

Kisser chimed in, "Come on, he's Paul Bostaph! Think about it, he's played with three of the greatest thrash bands of all-time, SLAYER, TESTAMENT and EXODUS. What symbolizes more of the spirit of HAIL! than that?! It's an honor to play with him."

Ripper added, "Our goal is to make every HAIL! show a special once-in-a-lifetime event. We strive to make every show different and no two shows have been the same. Look at our set lists on this last run; we must have played 15-20 new songs and half of them we never even rehearsed! I even played a guitar solo one night! We had guest jams with friends from DIMMU BORGIR, MERCYFUL FATE, GORGOROTH, MESHUGGAH, DRAIN STH, KING DIAMOND and we want every fan to know that what they experience at a HAIL! concert will never happen again. We will continue to keep it fresh and exciting and playing with Paul will certainly do that."

Bostaph shared his excitement: "To play with Tim, Andreas and Dave? Talk about an honor, these guys are metal gods! I thought it was super-cool when I first heard about HAIL! and what they were doing. Now to be a part of it is amazing. I'm really looking forward to it and can’t wait."

HAIL! plans to announce more tour dates shortly. Stay tuned.

Video footage of HAIL!'s September 7, 2009 concert at the Rock in Copenhagen, Denmark can be viewed below (courtesy of "Metalex1982").

The group's setlist for the Scandinavian tour consisted of the following classics:

01. Ace Of Spades (MOTÖRHEAD)
02. Territory (SEPULTURA)
03. Symphony Of Destruction (MEGADETH)
04. Grinder (JUDAS PRIEST)
05. Stand Up And Shout (DIO)
06. Walk (PANTERA)
07. Balls To The Wall (ACCEPT)
08. Neon Knights (BLACK SABBATH)
09. Wrathchild (IRON MAIDEN)
10. Run To The Hills (IRON MAIDEN)
11. Black Metal (VENOM) (with Andreas on vocals)
12. Green Manalishi (JUDAS PRIEST)
13. Burn In Hell (JUDAS PRIEST) / Symptom Of The Universe (BLACK SABBATH)
14. South Of Heaven (SLAYER)
15. Peace Sells (MEGADETH)
16. Paranoid (BLACK SABBATH)

Encore:

17. Refuse/Resist (SEPULTURA)
18. Whiplash (METALLICA)

KORN frontman Jonathan Davis has told AOL's Noisecreep that the band's forthcoming follow-up to 2007's untitled effort is something of an unintended return to the group's roots, and not a concept, as initially planned.

"It's really like the old-school stuff ... like the first two records," Davis tells Noisecreep. "It's just going back to our roots, working with [producer] Ross [Robinson, who helmed the band's first two albums, 1994's 'Korn' and 1996's 'Life is Peachy']... it's just been amazing, and it sounds like nothing we've ever done. It's more in the vein of the first two records, and we're really excited about it. And working with Ross, it just sort of evolved out of us, naturally. He's got us going back to the old school-style of how we were writing, and how we all just sat in a room together and did all this stuff so. We're excited ... it's just how it's been taking shape."

Regarding the new album's lyrical concept — which Davis previously identified as the five symbols he feels will be the downfall of man: drugs, religion, power, money and time — the frontman said, "It's turning into something else. I was going for that, and I was writing lyrics and stuff around that vibe. And other stuff started coming out, and I can't control what's coming out on my inside. So, the music's ... it always changes. I can start out with a plan, but it's just turning into different stuff. We've got 13 or 14 songs, and the guys are taking turns doing bass and guitars. The drums are all recorded. It's our most diverse record, and I think it's going to make all of our fans happy, and they'll all be very surprised."

"Storm to Pass", the new video from Orange County, California's ATREYU, can be viewed below. The clip was shot September 22-23 in the desert near Palm Springs, California and was directed by Sean Stiegemeier, who has worked with the band on clips for "Falling Down", "Doomsday", "The Crimson" and "Lip Gloss and Black".

"Storm to Pass" comes off the band's new album, "Congregation of the Damned", which is scheduled for release on October 27. The CD follows up the Southern California act's 2007 major label debut, "Lead Sails Paper Anchor", and contains songs such as "Bleeding Is A Luxury", "Black Days Begin", "You Were King Now You're Unconscious", and "Insatiable". Frontman Alex Varkatzas told The Pulse of Radio what fans can expect from the album. "It's gonna be awesome," he said. "It's gonna be a little more eclectic, I think a lot heavier, and my vocals especially are gonna be a lot more aggressive on this record. I think we've learned a lesson over the course of our four full-lengths, and I think this is gonna be the perfect blend of all of them."

"Congregation Of The Damned" track listing:

01. Stop! Before It's Too Late and We've Destroyed it All
02. Bleeding Is A Luxury
03. Congregation Of The Damned
04. Coffin Nails
05. Black Days Begin
06. Gallows
07. Storm To Pass
08. You Were King Now You're Unconscious
09. Insatiable
10. So Wrong
11. Ravenous
12. Lonely
13. Wait For You

The CD cover artwork can be viewed below.

A video game on ATREYU's web site gived fans a sneak preview of the track Gallows". In the game, which was influenced by George Romero's classic movie "Night of the Living Dead", players battle a variety of zombies — some of whom resemble powerful political figures — in an attempt to stay alive. The third in a series of ATREYU games was designed by Jason Oda, who has also a designed hit game for FALL OUT BOY and conceived the classic "Dropkick the Faint".

(Thanks: fixxxer3838)

About.com's Justin M. Norton chatted with MARDUK founder/guitarist Morgan Håkansson from Sweden recently during a slate of practices preparing for European shows. They discussed the meaning of "Wormwood"; vocalist Mortuus' contributions to the band; the beginning of the black metal scene in Sweden and the release of BURZUM mastermind Varg Vikernes from a Norwegian prison. Excerpts follow below.

About.com: Is there a concept or a story behind "Wormwood"?

Morgan: The title has nothing to do with drinking absinthe. It comes from the Book of Revelations where it says that the stars fall from heaven to earth and poison one third of the water to make it bitter for humans to drink. And if you translate the word "wormwood" to Russian you get "Chernobyl." You know, that was the place of a big nuclear disaster in 1986. A lot of Christians foresaw that as the Book of Revelations taking form and predicted it as the beginning of the end of the world. So, the meaning of this album is a doomsday celebration.

About.com: Considering that your song "Untrodden Paths" was included on the famous "Nordic Metal" tribute compilation for [late MAYHEM mainman] Euronymous, how do you feel about Varg Vikernes being released from prison this year?

Morgan: It was a dispute between them and it wasn't20part of my business. Of course, it was a big thing when it happened. But he was released and that's the way the system works in Scandinavia. I don't really care at all. I haven't even sat down and thought about it. I'm fully occupied with my own business.

About.com: This is Mortuus' third album with the band but he seems to have given his most fierce performance since joining MARDUK. Do you agree?

Morgan: I agree. He's grown a lot into the band. His voice is like an instrument — it's so powerful. This time we used different vocal arrangements to suit his voice. It was a great pleasure to work with him again in the studio. He really paints a picture of what the lyrics are about with his voice. He's the perfect vocalist for what we're doing.

About.com: What happened with the Blackenedfest over the summer?

Morgan: We were all set to go. Everything was set and prepared. Three of us got our visas in time and Mortuus didn't get it in time. And all of the sudden they wanted his papers translated into English even though they didn't want our papers translated. So it was delayed and delayed and when we finally got the visa there were three days left on the tour. So, it was a big disaster. But we were happy to come and do three shows and it was a blast to be in the country after so many years. Now we have a full tour coming up for November and December.

Read the entire interview at About.com.

"Axe To Fall", the new album from the Massachusetts-based hardcore/metal band CONVERGE, is available for streaming in its entirety on the group's MySpace page. The CD is scheduled for release on October 20 through Epitaph Records.

In August, CONVERGE released the first track from "Axe To Fall", "Dark Horse", which Stereogum praised as having "everything you could want from a CONVERGE song — knotty guitars, deep hardcore breakdowns, gnarled howls, and a triumphant blast of a finish — along with an updated dark-progressive feel you'll find threaded throughout." Since its release the Internet was set ablaze with swirling speculation of metal album of the year and mass critical acclaim.

Last month, CONVERGE unveiled the teeth-gnashing title track from "Axe To Fall" on SPIN.com, who said "this foursome smash, crash, and destroy with foot-stomping appeal: Like a dropping guillotine, a screeching guitar riff falls into a cacophony of heavy guitar distortion, swelling bass, breakneck drum fills, and the hardcore screams of frontman Jacob Bannon."

Produced by guitarist Kurt Ballou at his Godcity studios in Salem, Massachusetts, "Axe To Fall" features guest appearances from Steve Brodsky (CAVE IN), Adam McGrath (CAVE IN), J.R. Connors (CAVE IN, DOOMRIDERS), Uffe Cederlund (DISFEAR, ex-ENTOMBED), John Pettibone (THE VOWS, HIMSA), Steve Von Till (NEUROSIS) and Mookie Singerman (GENGHIS TRON).

"Axe To Fall" track listing:

01. Dark Horse
02. Reap What You Sow
03. Axe To Fall
04. Effigy
05. Worms Will Feed
06. Wishing Well
07. Damages
08. Losing Battle
09. Dead Beat
10. Cutter
11. Slave Driver
12. Cruel Bloom
13. Wretched World

The "Axe To Fall" video can be viewed below. From the dark recesses of director Craig Murray's mind comes this horror-inspired clip. Capturing the song's break-neck speed and ferocity perfectly, the short follows excruciating scenes of torture and masochism that give birth to an awe inspiring bio-mechanical abomination.

A new interview with California rockers STEEL PANTHER conducted by Billboard.com can be viewed below.

STEEL PANTHER's first collection of original material, "Feel The Steel", was produced by Jay Ruston and was officially released in the U.S. on October 6.

STEEL PANTHER is the '80s metal/hard rock tribute act formerly known as METAL SKOOL. The four-member band, known for its outrageous stage presence and gargantuan guitar riffs, has been entertaining fans and scores of rock and entertainment VIPs with its raucous antics via L.A.'s longest-running heavy metal show on the Sunset Strip for nearly a decade (now running at the infamous Key Club every Monday night). The band also holds residencies at the Green Valley Resort and Casino on Friday and Saturday in Las Vegas and the Typhoon Saloon in San Diego every Wednesday.

Matt Becker of Melodic Rock Concerts recently conducted an interview with DOKKEN mainman Don Dokken. A few excerpts from the chat follow below.

Melodic Rock Concerts: Now on this [upcoming DOKKEN] greatest-hits album, Don, it's two covers and two new tracks?

Don Dokken: Yeah, two covers and two new tracks. We have a cover song called "Lies" by THE KNICKERBOCKERS and also "Bus Stop" by the HOLLIES. Mick [Brown, drums] sang live as a duet on that and it came out really cool. And then two new songs, one is called "Magic Man", it's about drug dealers.

Melodic Rock Concerts: Which label is handling the release? Is Rhino out of the picture?

Don Dokken: Cleopatra. Yeah, Rhino is out of the picture.

Melodic Rock Concerts: There are a lot of rumors about a DOKKEN/LYNCH MOB tour. Do you know how those got started?

Don Dokken: It's a possibility. I talked to George [Lynch; LYNCH MOB/ex-DOKKEN guitarist] about it, they're going to see if they can put dates together. I threw it out there, and we'll know in 10 days.

Melodic Rock Concerts: Speaking of George Lynch, I heard that you recently had an encounter with his SOULS OF WE project. You actually ended up on stage at one point?

Don Dokken: Yeah, I just walked up and told him to tune his guitar. I mean, it's the SOULS OF WE. It's a very strange band; you know, it's dark music and he's just doing his thing. George is doing a spin-off and I get it, you know. But it's not my style.

Melodic Rock Concerts: So my question is when does the Don Dokken reality show start? Would you ever do something like that?

Don Dokken: Never. My life is private and I want to keep it that way.

Melodic Rock Concerts: You got a point, I mean, Bret Michaels is out there…

Don Dokken: And he's made millions God bless him. It was fun. But, to keep his private life private, he was in a rented house with a bunch of bimbos, so it wasn't really his private life. But I'm not down with that, those aren't the kind of girls I like. I'm not into strippers and I'm not into sluts, you know. I'm not into sport screwing.

Melodic Rock Concerts: Have you always steered clear of that stuff?

Don Dokken: Yeah. I mean, I had my day in the '80s, you know? I had my binge. It's kind of hard to say no when a runway model walks up and says, "All I'm wearing is a trenchcoat." (both laugh)

Melodic Rock Concerts: Are there any crazy stories from the road over the last few years? You've been doing a lot of shows.

Don Dokken: No, things are mellow. All we do is hang out and go to the show, go to the movies. I'm over 50 now, things have slowed down. There is no craziness backstage. I'll leave that for Bret Michaels.

Melodic Rock Concerts: I made a special note to touch on the solo album that you did last year — "Solitary". Are there any plans to make that available again or are the copies all gone?

Don Dokken: Yeah, I mean, I haven't released it yet, I just put it out privately. But I'm trying to get a record deal with people who seem to get it. The labels go, "Oh, it's not rockin', it's too mellow." I'm like, tell that to Robert Plant who's sold two million copies with Alison Krauss. I don't know what to tell you. I like the album, I'm proud of it. Maybe Starbucks will pick it up, I don't know.

Melodic Rock Concerts: Looking back a little bit to the "Back for the Attack" era when the infighting reached a peak. Do you think that putting George on a separate tour bus would have solve the problem, or would that have been too little too late?

Don Dokken: Yes, looking back, if we would have put him on a different bus, we could have survived. But whatever, that's coulda, woulda, shoulda. It's like looking back at old girlfriends saying I should have done this. Look — Ghandi, Buddha, they all say don't live in the past. Live in the future, because that's where you're going to spend the rest of your life. So I don't dwell on that, it's just a waste of time.

Melodic Rock Concerts: Why do you think it is that quality vocalists like yourself, Rob Halford, and David Coverdale are so hard to come by today?

Don Dokken: Because Pro Tools and Autotune, and all of these programs can make you in tune. It makes you lazy. We come from the days where an A was an A, an E was an E. You're either flat or you're sharp. We were trained to sing on key. But now it doesn't matter if you're flat, doesn't matter if you're sharp. You can sing, bark, and then walk out of the room and the engineer fixes it. You can come back and it's all perfect.

Melodic Rock Concerts: You've talked before, and said a few different things about what will be next for DOKKEN. Because of the good sales figures on "Lightning Strikes Again", are you going to record another album, or was "Lightning Strikes Again" the curtain call?

Don Dokken: Yeah, we're going to do another studio album. I don't care about sales figures. I don't make records because of sales figures anymore — I make records because I love to do it, it's fun. It's art. People don't create paintings to become millionaires - they do it because they love to paint. The great painters of the 1800s died poor, but they still painted. Monet, all of them. They were poor, living in little apartments in Paris. They didn't paint because they had to, they painted because they had to because they loved it. That's why I make music, I don't care about record sales. 20 million records sold, who cares anymore.

Read the entire interview from Melodic Rock Concerts.

Brendon Small, co-creator of "Metalocalypse", the smash hit animated series on Adult Swim featuring the fictitious metal band DETHKLOK, has revealed to MetalSucks that Steve Vai, Joe Satriani, Slash and members of MASTODON will all have speaking/voiceover roles in the series' next season. "We just recorded MASTODON in the upcoming episode and they were… we were blown away," Small (who is also the frontman of DETHKLOK) said.

"We get a lot of people and we're always surprised that they have this kind of other talent or can do voiceover stuff. MASTODON surprised us more than anybody else — they were really funny. Just hanging out with those guys on [the DETHKLOK/MASTODON] tour has been really fun. They have a very good sense of humor.

He added, "A lot of people in rock and roll, metal and all that stuff spend all their time on the bus just watching comedy and 'Monty Python' and stuff like that.

"We have members of IN FLAMES coming this season. I have some of my guitar heroes playing parts on this season, doing voiceovers, like Satriani, Vai, and Slash. I'm a guitar nerd so I had to reach out to those guys to see if I can get them on the show. They were great too."

"Dethalbum II", the new album by DETHKLOK, sold 45,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 15 on The Billboard 200 chart.

"Dethalbum II" was released on September 29 via Williams Street Records. The effort features 12 full-length tracks detailing DETHKLOK's exploits in murder, mayhem and all things brutal. Written by Small and recorded alongside legendary drummer Gene Hoglan, "Dethklok: Dethalbum II" was released as both a standard edition and a two-disc deluxe edition on CD and digital download. Additionally, a limited-edition vinyl of the album was released in to local record shops.

Created by Small and Tommy Blacha ("Da Ali G Show"), the "Metalocalypse" television series launched in 2006 and is on its third season on Adult Swim. One of the most popular series on the cable network, "Metalocalypse" portrays DETHKLOK as a Norwegian band with unheard-of popularity, even ranking them as the seventh-largest economy on earth. In 2007, this phenomenal virtual success transformed into real-life success with the CD release of "Dethalbum". Constructed of full-length songs only partially heard during the show's episodes, "Dethalbum" took audiences by storm and has seen unparalleled success. Performed by a commanding assemblage of renowned metal musicians, the album debuted at No. 21 on The Billboard 200 and sold more than 33,000 copies within its first week, making "Dethalbum" the highest-selling death metal album ever, with more than 270,000 copies sold to date.

DETHKLOK has teamed up with Atlanta's hard rock icons MASTODON for a co-headlining tour in October/November. Also appearing on the bill are CONVERGE and HIGH ON FIRE. The 34-city trek kicked off October 2 and will scorch the nation coast to coast.

Italian news blog Musica Metal recently conducted an interview with guitarist/vocalist Mark Jansen of the Dutch female-fronted symphonic metal band EPICA. The entire 20-minute chat can now be streamed using the audio player below.

EPICA performed the band's new album, "Design Your Universe", in its entirety at the sold-out record-release party this past Saturday night (October 10) at Paradiso in Amsterdam, Holland. The group will also play all of the new CD on November 6 at the first of two shows at Élysée Montmartre in Paris, France.

Fan-filmed video footage of the Amsterdam concert can be viewed below.

"Design Your Universe" is scheduled for release in Europe on October 16 . The follow-up to 2007's "The Divine Conspiracy" was recorded at Gate Studio in Wolfsburg, Germany with producer Sascha Paeth.

"Design Your Universe" track listing:

01. Samadhi (prelude)
02. Resign to Surrender (A New Age Dawns - Part IV)
03. Unleashed
04. Martyr of the Free Word
05. Our Destiny
06. Kingdom of Heaven (A New Age Dawns - Part V)
07. The Price of Freedom (interlude)
08. Burn to a Cinder
09. Tides of Time
10. Deconstruct
11. Semblance of Liberty
12. White Waters
13. Design Your Universe (A New Age Dawns - Part VI)

EPICA will return to North America for a headlining tour in the beginning of 2010, with DAATH and BLACKGUARD as support. EPICA will offer fans a special VIP ticket which will grant them access to the venue an hour before door times, a pre-show meet-and-greet with EPICA and a event poster customized for the city of the show. Fans are urged to purchase these VIP tickets as only 50 are being allotted for each show.

Musica Metal's interview with Mark Jansen (click on audio player below to launch audio):

Legendary heavy metal guitarist Tony Iommi (HEAVEN & HELL, BLACK SABBATH) will be interviewed on BBC Radio 2's "The Radcliffe And Maconie Show" on Tuesday, October 20 between 9 and 10 p.m. (U.K. time). The program will be available to listen to for a week after the broadcast date.

For more information, go to this location.

As previously reported, Iommi will be IRON MAIDEN frontman Bruce Dickinson's guest on Friday, October 23 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 management for HEAVEN & HELL vocalist Ronnie James Dio released a statement to BLABBERMOUTH.NET on August 27 in an attempt to "quash any rumors that [the group] have broken up." The statement read in part, "Tony Iommi has to have surgery on his hand and [needs] some down time for recovery. Therefore DIO [the band] will be performing some dates in the U.K. and Europe in November/December during this time off. HEAVEN & HELL are already making plans for dates next year."

In a recent interview with The Aquarian Weekly, Iommi stated about his surgery, "I've got to have an operation on my hand, and that's sort of a major thing I need to get done and I've been putting it off now. So we're going to have some time off while I get that done. That'll be a bit of a break, I think. Not for everybody, but it'll be some time off from touring for me for sure."

When asked what happened to his hand, Iommi replied, "The cartilage is gone from the thumb in my fingering hand. It's been like that now, to be honest, for a year and I've been taking anti-inflammatories and all sorts of stuff to try and calm it down, but it's inevitable I've got to have the operation because the bone is rubbing on the bone. Funny enough, I talked to Eddie Van Halen this morning, because he's had the same sort of problem, so I'm seeing him to have a chat about what happened to him. He thinks it's very successful, so we'll see."

Photo below courtesy of Tony Iommi's MySpace page.