Allen Panzeri of The Ottawa Citizen reports: About half of the Ottawa Senators went to the METALLICA concert on Tuesday night, led by one of the heavy-metal band's biggest fans, Jarkko Ruutu.

He "fell in love" with the band when he was in school in the early '80s and has seen them in concert probably 10 times since. It helped that Ruutu was high-school classmates with another noted heavy-metal fan, former NHL defenceman Janne Niinimaa, who owns a concert hall in Oulu, Finland. TWISTED SISTER was the first of numerous heavy-metal bands to play there.

So what is it with Finns and their love of heavy metal? Ruutu is not sure.

"Finland is a metal country, big time," he said. "A lot of bands come there because they sell out right away, every year. People just like it. I guess it's the darkness in it. I don't know."

Read more from The Ottawa Citizen.

Eddie Van Halen (VAN HALEN) appears with Tony Iommi (BLACK SABBATH, HEAVEN & HELL) on the cover of Guitar World's 30th-anniversary (2010) issue, available at newsstands November 17.

Catch up with two of rock's living legends and most admired musical pioneers inside this special collector's issue as they talk shop about the past and present, music, guitars and life.

Iommi told BBC News that he is making a good recovery after receiving stem-cell treatment on an injured hand.

"It's coming on alright actually," the acclaimed guitarist told the BBC at the Classic Rock Awards on Monday.

"I've already had the stem-cell treatment, so I've just got to wait now. It's been six weeks but it's feeling great."

Iommi had been in pain after problems with his right hand joints.

He told the BBC Radio 2 "Radcliffe and Maconie Show" in October that the cartilage had worn out between the joints.

"It was bone to bone and it was getting a bit painful," he said.

Eddie Van Halen told Rolling Stone that he underwent the hand surgery due to a bone spur, a twisted tendon, and a cyst in the joint of his left thumb. He explained that the hand problems first popped up during VAN HALEN's last tour, saying, "During the last leg of our tour, I started developing pain in my thumb and my pinky. I didn't think much of it at the time. It got progressively worse to the point that about three months ago I wasn't able to play at all. My pinky and my thumb were totally locked up and felt like there was something broken."

He sought help from hand specialists in Dusseldorf, Germany, who at first were treating him for arthritis before further examinations showed the extent of the problem: "They said the only way to fix it was surgery, which of course scared the shit out of me, but I was told it was the only way to fix it. Surgery was a success, now I just have to let it heal. I am totally jazzed that they found the problem, fixed it and in about four months my hand will feel like I am 18 again. Thank God."

Metal Mark of SkullsNBones.com conducted an interview with guitarist Alex Wade of Knoxville, Tennessee death metallers WHITECHAPEL before the band's October 29, 2009 concert in Atlanta, Georgia. Watch the six-minute chat below.

WHITECHAPEL's latest album, "This Is Exile", was released in July 2008 through Metal Blade Records. The CD was tracked by Jonny Fay (ex-guitarist of THE RED CHORD) of Backyard Studios in New Hampshire and was mixed by Zeuss, who has produced ION DISSONANCE, EMMURE, BLOOD HAS BEEN SHED, SHADOWS FALL and HATEBREED, among others. The cover artwork was handled by Colin Marks, who has previously worked with ABORTED, THE END, STRAPPING YOUNG LAD and THE RED DEATH). "He [did] a phenomenal job and we are extremely pleased with the outcome of his work," the band previously stated. "He has done a wonderful job of portraying the concept of the record through his artwork."

WHITECHAPEL's debut album, "The Somatic Defilement", was released in 2007 via Candlelight Records.

On November 1, 2009, singer Lacey Mosley of the Belton, Texas-based quintet FLYLEAF was interviewed on Santa Rosa, California's 101.7 The Fox radio station inside the "Less Is More Lounge" at the Great American Music Hall in San Francisco. Watch the eight-minute chat below.

Red 40 Productions, which is owned by Don Tyler, recently released the Tyler-directed video for FLYLEAF's next single, "Beautiful Bride". You can watch the clip at RockTube.us.

Don Tyler is the Cleveland-based music video director best known for his combined use of live action and animation. Tyler has also done videos for MASTODON, RINGWORM, TRIGGER POINT, EAGLES OF DEATH METAL and ALLELE, among others.

"Beautiful Bride" comes off FLYLEAF's new album, "Memento Mori", which 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."

TrashPit Records will release the debut album from ACEY SLADE & THE DARK PARTY in January 2010 through Cargo distribution.

New York-based musician Acey Slade (MURDERDOLLS, DOPE, TRASHLIGHT VISION) is set to unleash upon the world his new full-length solo/band project — THE DARK PARTY. Cleverly bringing together and stretching boundaries between both rock and electronic genres, Slade and his new band have produced a collection of songs that are both sonically and emotionally exciting, enabling him to smash open the doors to another blistering musical chapter in his already colorful career.

"There are so few artists who are really willing to put themselves out there and show other sides of their creativity," Acey explains. "As a guy who is known for doing three chords and a cloud of thunder type guitar rock, I really took a chance by doing this album. And what I'm most proud of is the fact that I took this chance. To take big risks means risking falling on your face. By just taking this risk, I've already accomplished what I wanted to do."

Produced by English drum-and-bass producer Shaun Morris (DJ Stakka), this is without a doubt the singer's most reflective and daring piece of work yet and one that will see him challenge himself from here forward. "The idea behind being a 'solo artist' is that I can change direction from album to album and that's what I intend to do! Each album should be bit different from the next," he says.

In today's download-friendly world, TrashPit Records was keen to hold onto excitement and pride of releasing the new album in physical format and create the full album experience! Acey quickly agrees, "This is for people who still believe that music is important enough to search out and take time to appreciate listening to. You don't get the same 'intimacy' from hearing a song on a MySpace page as you do from going to a store and buying it. When you go through the process of buying the physical CD and have all the art work, you invest in a friendship with both the band and the music."

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

"Get Into The Spirit", the new video from HALFORD — the band fronted by JUDAS PRIEST singer Rob Halford — can be viewed at www.MetalGodShop.com. It is also available below. The song comes off HALFORD's first holiday CD "Halford III - Winter Songs", which is being released via Rob's new label Metal God Records, distributed globally by ADA Global/Warner Music Group, Fontana/Universal Music Group, Conveyor/Universal Music Canada and Sony Music Japan.

"Halford III - Winter Songs" release dates:

North America: November 3
U.K. and European Union (except Germany): November 9
Germany: November 13

"Halford III - Winter Songs" is Rob's first solo release in more than seven years, and includes a collection of new Halford-penned tracks plus traditional holiday favorites presented with original arrangements by HALFORD (Rob Halford on vocals, Roy Z. on guitar, Metal Mike Chlasciak on guitar, Mike Davis on bass and Bobby Jarzombek on drums).

Written, arranged and recorded during 2008 and 2009, "Halford III - Winter Songs" celebrates one of the most exciting holiday periods of the year.

"Well, I've always said I wanted to produce a Christmas CD," commented Halford. "The HALFORD band has assembled a fantastic release, and we're excited to have produced a collection of holiday tracks which all of us have enjoyed from a very early age."

"Halford III - Winter Songs" debuts new HALFORD tracks "Get Into The Spirit", "When Christmas Comes For Everyone", "Light Of The World", "What Child Is This", "Oh Holy Night", "Come All Ye Faithful" and more.

HALFORD's last studio album, "Crucible", came out in 2002. "Metal God Essentials, Vol. 1", a 2007 collection containing 15 songs spanning Rob Halford's solo career, featured two new songs, "Forgotten Generation" and "Drop Out".

Halford was a guest on last week's edition of the "Maximum Threshold" show. The interview was recorded on October 26 and can be streamed using the audio player below.

"Maximum Threshold" is an Internet radio show dedicated to presenting up-and-coming hard rock bands and successful bands as well as interviews, news and music reviews.

For more information, go to MaximumThreshold.net.

Rob Halford interviewed on "Maximum Threshold" (click on player below to launch audio):

Former MEGADETH guitarist Marty Friedman and his solo band played live to a sold-out Makuhari Messe Arena for the hit TV program "London Hearts". The show is currently the highest-rated comedy/variety show in Japan. Marty wrote and arranged the song "Heavy Metal Station" for comedian Kono Eiko. Their performance was the climactic ending to the November 3 broadcast.

Watch a live performance of "Heavy Metal Station" at this location.

Friedman's ninth album, "Tokyo Jukebox", was released in Japan on May 20 via AVEX. It was produced and arranged by Marty and it reflects the chaotic lifestyle of Tokyo, its unique music and Marty's futuristic interpretation of it. According to a posting on Marty's web site, "Sonically, it goes from his 'Loudspeaker' lineup all the way to a 70-piece symphony orchestra. Marty covers the most unlikely artists to get his guitar heavy treatment, including PERFUME, MAXIMUM THE HORMONE, AI, NAKASHIMA MIKA, IKIMONO GAKARI and seven other staples in the world of current Japanese music."

Check out "Tokyo Jukebox" audio samples at this location.

Friedman commemorated "Tokyo Jukebox"'s release by taking part in a "secret live event" atop Tokyo Tower on May 19. There were two shows, both filled to capacity, and all who attended were treated to Marty's first time performing these new songs in public, high above Tokyo's night skyline. Autograph sessions were held after each show.

Former KYUSS/QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE bassist Nick Oliveri will embark on an extensive European tour this month in support of his new album, "Death Acoustic".

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

"Death Acoustic" was released on October 6 via Impedance and MVD Audio.

Oliveri spent the last twelve months in his home studio recording tracks for his solo album.

"Death Acoustic" track listing:

01. Start a Fight
02. Like the Sky
03. Dairy Queen
04. Gonna Leave You
05. Love Has Passed Me By
06. U Blow
07. Hybrid Moments
08. Unless I Can Kill
09. Follow Me
10. Outlaw Scumfuc

You may know him as the long-haired bass player on the early KYUSS albums or as the mysterious Rex Everything in THE DWARVES. Others will know him as one of the creative partners behind QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE and more recently the screaming front man of MONDO GENERATOR. He is, of course, Nick Oliveri... a man that should need no introduction to rock fans across the world.

Starting his musical career as a teenager with some friends from Palm Desert, California, Oliveri played bass and wrote a number of songs on the first two albums of desert rock pioneers KYUSS. The band would go on to establish them as a cult band worldwide and ensure high interest in all the members' future projects.

One of those projects became Oliveri's most successful commercial venture; it was, of course, QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE. Alongside song writing partner Josh Homme, Oliveri played on and co-wrote the bands two most critically acclaimed and successful albums, "Rated R" and "Songs For The Deaf".

After a split with the band in 2004, he focused his energies on his own band MONDO GENERATOR, while also being a part time member of THE DWARVES and playing bass in the very occasional band MOISTBOYZ alongside members of WEEN and BUTTHOLE SURFERS. Soon enough, he will also be a featured guest on the forthcoming solo album of Slash.

Throughout his career delivering audiences wild and loud rock shows with the aforementioned bands, Oliveri has found time to play intimate, solo acoustic shows. Just him and his guitar, blending songs he has written for the bands he has played in, specifically written songs for the solo shows, and well chosen covers. In this format he has further showcased what a great songwriter and musician he is.

Jason Saulnier of the "Good Time Metal Oldies" radio show conducted an interview with GWAR frontman Oderus Urungus on October 29, 2009 in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. Listen to the nine-minute chat below.

"Good Time Metal Oldies" airs Thursdays at 6:30 p.m. EST on CIFA 104.1 FM in Nova Scotia and Tuesday nights at 9:00 p.m. EST on 95X in the Republic of El Salvador.

As GWAR's 25th anniversary "Lust In Space" tour enters its third colossal month, GWAR — in an act of unassailable magnificence — proclaims a series of special "meat and beat" sessions to be held at a select number of venues on the remainder of the tour.

Certain specially selected (selected by them paying) GWAR fans will be presented with a commemorative tour program that shall be autographed in their worthless human presence by all five band members. Fans will then have an opportunity to "meat" the band, and be "beaten" by them.

Regarding the "meat and beat" sessions, frontman Oderus Urungus said, "This is actually an opportunity for GWAR to take the time to personally express all of our appreciation to our loyal fans who have kept us rocking for 25 years. And then beat off all over them."

Here are the selected venues where the "meat and beat" sessions will take place:

Nov. 14 - Tempe, AZ @ Marquee City
Nov. 16 - Los Angeles, CA @ The House of Blues
Nov. 24 - San Francisco, CA @ The Regency Center
Nov. 28 - Spokane, WA @ The Knitting Factory
Nov. 29 - Seattle , WA @ The King Cat Theater
Nov. 30 - Vancouver, BC @ Commodore Ballroom
Dec. 02 - Edmonton, AB @ Edmonton Events Centre
Dec. 03 - Calgary, AB @ MacEwan Hall Ballroom
Dec. 07 - Chicago, IL @ The House of Blues
Dec. 10 - Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club
Dec. 12 - Philadelphia, PA @ Electric Factory

Head over to the GWAR merch booth to claim your spot.

Video footage of powerhouse American vocalist Tim "Ripper" Owens (YNGWIE MALMSTEEN, BEYOND FEAR, ex-JUDAS PRIEST, ICED EARTH) performing a couple of JUDAS PRIEST classics on October 11, 2009 in La Plata, Argentina during his South American solo tour can be viewed below.

Owens' setlist for the trek was as follows:

01. Painkiller
02. The Ripper
03. Burn In Hell
04. Highway Star
05. It Is Me
06. And You Will Die
07. Electric Eye
08. Starting Over
09. Green Manalishi
10. Flight Of Icarus
11. Save Me
12. Grinder
13. Gates Of Babylon
14. Symptom Of The Universe
15. Believe
16. One On One
17. Breaking The Law
18. Living After Midnight

Owens this past summer completed a short European tour as the support act for HEAVEN & HELL. His backing band for the trek consisted of the following musicians:

Chris Caffery (SAVATAGE, TRANS-SIBERIAN ORHCESTRA) - Guitar
John Comprix (BEYOND FEAR, RINGWORM) - Guitar
David Ellefson (MEGADETH, F5) - Bass
Simon Wright (AC/DC, DIO) - Drums

"Play My Game", the first solo album from Owens, landed at position No. 66 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. The CD was released via SPV/Steamhammer. The offering consists of around a dozen brand-new tracks that Owens composed himself or together with renowned friends, such as Bob Kulick, Chris Caffery (SAVATAGE, TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA), Mike Callahan (ex-EARSHOT) and John Comprix (BEYOND FEAR, RINGWORM).

Owens' official Facebook page is www.facebook.com/timripperowens.

According to Gigwise.com, LED ZEPPELIN legend Robert Plant revealed last week that he was in talks with festival organizer Michael Eavis about performing at U.K.'s Glastonbury event next year but he wasn't sure who it would be with.

Speaking at last night's Classic Rock Awards at the Park Hotel in London, QUEEN guitarist Brian May ruled out a new guise of QUEEN performing at Glastonbury but said he'd be up for playing with Robert Plant.

He told BBC 6 Music: "I'd play with Robert any time and when we have played together he's wonderful. Robert is a rock god and an inspiration to us all, always will be. There's some people that remain your heroes which I rather feel good about. And Clapton and Page, Jeff Beck, those guys will always be heroes to me and that will never change, so yeah, of course I'd go at the drop of a hat."

Swedish death metallers HYPOCRISY have issued the following statement in regards to their upcoming North American tour with ENSIFERUM, which was scheduled to start on Friday, November 6:

"Due to circumstances beyond our control, we are forced to stay home until U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services process and authorize our working visas. This is the first time the band has faced a situation like this and it's extremely frustrating, as well as depressing, since the last thing we want to do is disappoint our loyal fans who have waited years to see us live in the U.S.

"We filed for our visas with plenty of time, but as some probably don't know, the US government has changed its rules when it comes to visas issued to artists so it's become tougher. Even if we have already toured the U.S. numerous times.

"As it stands now, we are on stand-by mode and waiting to receive the green light. We hope it's just a few days before that happens. In the meantime, we want to apologize to all the fans that planned on going to see us tear shit up live. We will do our best to rejoin the tour as soon as possible!"

HYPOCRISY has enlisted CHILDREN OF BODOM frontman Alexi Laiho to play guitar on the tour. Alexi will temporarily fill the currently vacant guitarist spot on the trek, which will also include headliners BLACKGUARD and SWASHBUCKLE.

"A Taste Of Extreme Divinity", the new album from HYPOCRISY, is being released in the U.S. today (November 3) via Nuclear Blast Records.

The North American mail-order version of "A Taste of Extreme Divinity" features three exclusive bonus tracks.

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

The 1986 five-song "S.O.D. F.O.A.D." demo cassette by groundbreaking Danish death metal act DESEXULT has been made available for download at the Bazillion Points metal demo blog.

According to a posting on the site, "The infamous 'S.O.D.F.O.A.D' cassette was the original European death metal dismissal of American braggadocio, a slow, lethal, and enthusiastic arrival by a bunch of die-hard tape-trading scenesters from Denmark. They absorbed every high-grade particle of underground metal in the atmosphere, and created this cool and unique deathly thrash sound."

The Bazillion Points Blog is the weblog of Ian Christe (publisher of Bazillion Points Books, author of "Sound of the Beast", and host of "Bloody Roots" on Sirius XM). The blog is dedicated to "the tradition of freely-traded heavy metal demo cassettes and preserving the pioneer spirit of the underground, one magnetic particle at a time."

'80s hard rock queen Lita Ford made surprise appearance on the October 24, 2009 episode of VH1 Classic's "That Metal Show". Watch the segment below.

"Wicked Wonderland", the first album in 15 years from Lita Ford, sold around 2,600 copies in the United States in its first week of release, according to Nielsen SoundScan. The CD landed at position No. 31 on the Top Hard Music Albums chart.

"Wicked Wonderland" was released in Europe on October 2 via earMUSIC/Edel. The set was issued in the U.S. on October 6 through Lita's own JLRG Entertainment label as a regular CD and limited-edition vinyl with different artwork.

In an "innovative" music marketing move, Ford released a single from "Wicked Wonderland" on Stockroom.com, the world's leading fetish site. It is believed to be the first time a relatively high-profile music release has been launched through a web site catering to the alternative fetish lifestyle.

QUEENSRŸCHE and Ford have teamed up for over two dozen dates beginning October 15. Lita is hitting the stage during the QUEENSRŸCHE set to perform three songs, including "Close My Eyes Forever", which she is singing with QUEENSRŸCHE frontman Geoff Tate. For all songs, Lita is being backed by QUEENSRŸCHE — Geoff Tate on vocals, Michael Wilton and Parker Lundgren on guitars, Eddie Jackson on bass and Scott Rockenfield on drums.

Lemi, Finland-based heavy metal act STAM1NA has entered Astia Studios in Lappeenranta, Finland to begin recording its fourth full-length album, tentatively titled "Viimeinen Atlantis", for a spring 2010 release. The CD is being produced by Miitri Aaltonen, who helmed the first two STAM1NA albums. The group states, "The production plan states that the new album will have 25% more official band members, 54% more notes, 42% thicker sounds and 61,4% better song titles. The studies also predict that the sexual life of the album listeners will increase by 38% during the first two weeks of listening the CD version of the upcoming album."

STAM1NA recently announced the addition of keyboardist Emil Lähteenmäki to the group's ranks. The band says, "Emil has played all the keyboard parts for STAM1NA's records and has been playing live with STAM1NA since 2007. "

STAM1NA's "K13V" DVD topped the Finnish music DVD chart in May 2009. The set is said to be an overview of the band's entire career thus far — from the group's inception through the release of the band's last album, "Raja". The title of the DVD refers to the fact that this summer marks the 13th year of STAM1NA's existence.

"Raja" came out in February 2008 through Sakara Records and landed at No. on the Finnish chart. The CD was recorded at Purple Fly studio in the band's hometown. Production duties were handled by Janne Joutsenniemi, whose legendary band STONE was one of the STAM1NA's biggest influences. Miitri Aaltonen, who produced the first two STAM1NA albums, mixed the CD.

(Thanks: Melica / Night Elves)

Florida-based death metallers OBITUARY have scheduled the following South American tour dates:

Dec. 02 - Porto Alegre/RS, Brazil - Bar Opinião *
Dec. 03 - Brazil - [to be announced] *
Dec. 04 - São Paulo/SP, Brazil - Hangar 110 *
Dec. 05 - Belo Horizonte/MG, Brazil - Bar Brasil *
Dec. 06 - Brasilia / DF, Brazil *
Dec. 08 - Santiago, Chile - Teatro Teletón
Dec. 10 - Vaparaíso, Chile - El Huevo
Dec. 11 - Lima, Perú - Marina Park (with BENEDICTION)
Dec. 13 - Cuenca, Ecuador - Coliseo Benigno Malo
Dec. 16 - Caracas, Venezuela - Moulin Rouge
Dec. 18 - Medellín, Colombia - Auditorio UCC
Dec. 19 - Bogotá, Colombia - Teatro La Mama

* with BELPHEGOR

OBITUARY will release a new concert DVD, titled "Live Xecution - Party.San 2008", on November 19 via Regain Records. The footage for the disc was filmed at last year's Party.San Open Air festival, which was held August 7-9, 2008 in Bad Berka, Germany.

Commented bassist Frank Watkins: "We did over 30 festivals last [year] and the Party.San festival was the very last and best one for OBITUARY... Fortunately, the show was filmed."

The track listing is as follows:

01. Find The Arise
02. On The Floor
03. Chopped In Half
04. Turned Inside Out
05. Forces Realign
06. Insane
07. Face Your God
08. Dethroned Emperor
09. Evil Ways
10. Drop Dead
11. Contrast The Dead
12. Second Chance
13. Stand Alone
14. Slow Death
15. Slowly We Rot

Night Of The Vinyl Dead Records recently released a limited-edition vinyl version of OBITUARY's "Left To Die" EP. Only 500 hand-numbered copies were made available on hand-splattered bloody vinyl, including an insert.

"Left to Die" contains four songs: two new originals ("Forces Realign" and "Left To Die"), a 2008 studio recording of "Slowly We Rot", and a cover of "Dethroned Emperor" by CELTIC FROST.

For more information, go to this location.

"Darkest Day", the new album from OBITUARY, landed at position No. 32 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.

SLIPKNOT/STONE SOUR frontman Corey Taylor was the guest co-host on this week's "Taco Tuesday", ShockHound's weekly record review show. Watch the program below.

On the topic of SLAYER's new album, "World Painted Blood", Taylor said, "I was pulled aside on the [Rockstar Energy Drink] Mayhem [Festival] tour by a certain gentleman named Kerry King, who proceeded to sit me down and played it track for track — even the bonus stuff. And, dude, I was blown away. I love this album, and I love it for three reasons: It's got the ferocity of the older stuff, it's got the growth of the newer stuff, and it's razor-sharp; the production on it is really good, the performances are smokin', it's probably some of Tom's [Araya] best lyrics yet, and... I just couldn't stop listening to it, and it was fantastic top to bottom; I was really stoked. When you grow up a SLAYER fan, you expect certain things from a SLAYER album and this album had it all and I was really stoked about it. . . [The production's] almost got that old-school feel to it — nothing is wet, like the '80s. Everything is just reefed in the mix and raw. It's a great album. . . It's not just a collection of songs put under the heading of an album. You can listen to the songs and they're good, but then you listen to the album as a whole, and it's amazing. And I think it's just a lost art in this day and age, and this is like a true, true album, and I'm really stoked that it's SLAYER doing it."

Corey admitted in a new interview with Attitude TV that he tried out as lead singer for VELVET REVOLVER. Taylor said, "I had a meeting with those guys, we did some demos together, and it just didn't work — for whatever reason." He added, "It was just really cool. It was one of those things where it's like I could have got to jam with legends, man, in my opinion. But, you know, it was cool, and I still know those guys, I still hang out with them, and I still have nothing but respect."

VELVET REVOLVER has been searching for a new lead singer for more than 18 months since dismissing Scott Weiland in April 2008.

When Slash was asked about Taylor joining the group a few months ago at his official fan site, he reportedly said that "it looked like it for a minute, but (the band) had decided against it."

Taylor, who also sings in STONE SOUR, was reportedly thinking of taking the frontman spot in veteran thrash act ANTHRAX a couple of years ago.

SLIPKNOT just wrapped up a North American tour on Las Vegas on Halloween (Saturday, October 31) with a headlining gig at the Trinity Of Terrors horror convention.

Taylor next plans to work on the third STONE SOUR record, with sources telling The Pulse of Radio that the band has been meeting with producers in Los Angeles.

MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine has issued the following update:

"I want to inform you that it is indeed true, we are postponing our Canadian Carnage tour due to our tour mates in SLAYER needing some time off for frontman Tom Araya to address some personal matters with his health. We send our best wishes to Tom and look forward to his speedy recovery. Meanwhile, we will be rescheduling these dates in the near future, although that date is currently unknown, and contingent upon SLAYER's notifying us of Tom's progress. The most important thing is Tom's rehabilitation, and we will no doubt have good news for you all soon."

The "Canadian Carnage" tour — featuring SLAYER, MEGADETH, MACHINE HEAD and SUICIDE SILENCE — was called off after SLAYER frontman Tom Araya was ordered to undergo an immediate surgical procedure for a back injury, thought to be related to his on-stage activity.

Fortunately, MACHINE HEAD was able to reschedule its only United States headlining show at the Crazy Donkey in Farmingdale, New York. The concert is now set to take place Thursday, November, 12.

MEGADETH's new album, "Endgame", has sold around 80,000 copies in the United States since its release six weeks ago.

"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.

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).

Swedish metallers WARFECT have inked a deal with My Kingdom Music. The band's debut album, "Depicting The Macabre", will be released on November 16.

According to a press release. "WARFECT is an explosive mixture of hell-bent riffing inspired by giants from back in the day with the addition of a ravishing new trademark sound. 'Depicting The Macabre' is a collection of blazing solos in harmony with fast paced rhythm sections accompanied by crushing drum hammering and melodic choruses. A must-have for those into bands of the early days of thrash metal like SEPULTURA, PARADISE LOST, SLAYER and METALLICA."

"Depicting The Macabre" track listing:

01. Creation
02. Heathen Reigns
03. Depicting the Macabre
04. Symbol of Submission
05. I Factor
06. Supervised Life
07. Never to Return
08. Harvest of Trinity
09. Truth Untold
10. Atrocity

WARFECT is:

Håkan Karlsson (rhythm guitar)
Fredrik Wester (lead guitar and vocals)
Kristian Martinsson (bass)
Mattias Kern (drums)

WARFECT previously released two demos — 2006's "Beyond Control" and 2007's "In Command".

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

Nymag.com's Vulture blog recently conducted an interview with SLAYER's Tom Araya and Kerry King. An excerpt from the chat follows below.

Nymag.com: There are rumors that "World Painted Blood" is one of the last SLAYER albums.

King: That's nothing that any of us have talked about collectively. These things come out when we do press. I'm like, "Don't worry about it! We'll be done when we're done." When we have our farewell tour it's not gonna be like KISS, it's gonna be the last fuckin' one.

Araya: The fact is, this is our tenth album with Rick Rubin [producer and American Recordings head honcho] — our last album with him. What we do after this, I don't know, because we'd have to decide new details and do a new contract. How people do records and how people create has changed so drastically. After this, we gotta sit down and talk.

Nymag.com: SLAYER is approaching its 30th year. If you could go back in time and give yourselves some advice, what would it be?

King: Pay more attention to the mix in [1994 album] "Divine Intervention".

Araya: Don't forget the video camera! It would have been great to have documented this crazy ride.

Nymag.com: What's popular in metal right now that you wish would die?

King: There seems to be a plentiful amount of metal bands that are like, religious, so to speak. Personally, for me, it's an odd thing … bands that are doing metal, but they're singing, like, Jesus metal. And I don't mean STRYPER. When I hear them I'm like, "Oh they're one of them Jesus bands." It's enough of a distaste to me that I don't even want to hear it.

Araya: I don't watch anything that tells me what's going on today in the world as far as music goes. I don't care. I'm in SLAYER. I like SLAYER. And that's about it. SLAYER.

Read more at Nymag.com.

Video footage of former ANTHRAX frontman Joey Belladonna singing a karaoke version of the JOURNEY classic "Don't Stop Believin'" on October 10, 2009 at the Spooky Empire VIP party in Orlando, Florida can be viewed below.

Belladonna is currently writing material for a new solo album. Several demos are complete and will be posted on the vocalist's MySpace page soon.

Belladonna was the lead singer of ANTHRAX from 1984 to 1992, and was considered part of the band's classic lineup (alongside Dan Spitz, Scott Ian, Frank Bello and Charlie Benante), which reunited and toured during 2005 and 2006. His voice was featured on over 10 albums, which reportedly sold eight million copies worldwide.

After splitting with ANTHRAX, Joey continued to make music with a solo project called BELLADONNA, which released its first self-titled debut in the mid-'90s. A follow-up effort, "Spells of Fear", came out in 1998 and it was heavily criticized for bad production and sloppy musicianship. The third album, or rather the demo recordings for what was supposed to be the third BELLADONNA album that was never recorded in a real studio, was self-released by Belladonna in 2003. It was a return to better songwriting and musicianship and it was well received by the fans.

"Deathless", the new album from Orange County, California's hardcore/metal act THROWDOWN, is available for streaming in its entirety on the band's MySpace page.

"Deathless" will be released in the U.S. on November 10 through E1 Music (formerly KOCH Records). The CD, which will be made available in Europe on January 22, 2010 via Nuclear Blast Records, was produced by Mudrock (AVENGED SEVENFOLD, GODSMACK, POWERMAN 5000) and was mixed by Chris "Zeuss" Harris, who has previously worked with HATEBREED, THE RED CHORD and SHADOWS FALL, among others. The artwork was created by Ryan Clark of Invisible Creature and DEMON HUNTER and can be viewed below.

THROWDOWN will embark on "The Deathless Tour I" in November/December. Support on the trek will come from BURY YOUR DEAD, FOR TODAY, ABACABB and THE WORLD WE KNEW.

"Deathless" is the band's fourth album with Dave Peters as frontman and primary songwriter, its second with guitarist Mark Choiniere (who joined the band in 2005) and first with bassist Mark Mitchell. Drummer Jarrod Alexander (ex-DEATH BY STEREO), who performed on the band's breakthrough "Haymaker" album in 2003, returned to work on "Deathless".

THROWDOWN last year completed touring behind the band's last album, "Venom & Tears", which was produced by the group with Mudrock. The past two years saw them on the road with KORN (Australia), KILLSWITCH ENGAGE (Canada), CAVALERA CONSPIRACY (U.S.), MACHINE HEAD / ARCH ENEMY (U.S.), headlining the Ernie Ball stage on the Vans Warped Tour, hitting major European festivals like Download, and headlining a U.S. tour of their own.

Official Metallica.com footage from METALLICA's October 31, 2009 concert Colisée Pepsi in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada — including clips of the pre-show meet-and-greet and the actual performance — can be viewed below.

The band's setlist was as follows:

01. That Was Just Your Life
02. The End Of The Line
03. For Whom The Bell Tolls
04. Holier Than Thou
05. One
06. Broken, Beat And Scarred
07. Cyanide
08. Sad But True
09. Turn the Page
10. All Nightmare Long
11. The Day That Never Comes
12. Master Of Puppets
13. Damage, Inc.
14. Nothing Else Matters
15. Enter Sandman
- - - - - - - -
16. Breadfan
17. Phantom Lord
18. Seek and Destroy

METALLICA's two shows at the Colisée Pepsi in Quebec City, Quebec, Canada on October 31 and November 1 were filmed by the band's longtime friend and collaborator, famed video director Wayne Isham. It is not presently clear if there are any plans to release the footage.

Wayne Isham, 51, is an American movie director who has directed music videos of many popular artists such as MÖTLEY CRÜE, SIMPLE PLAN, AVENGED SEVENFOLD, PANTERA, 'N SYNC, SHANIA TWAIN, GODSMACK, BRITNEY SPEARS, LEONA LEWIS, PINK FLOYD, SHERYL CROW, JOSS STONE, MADONNA, AVRIL LAVIGNE, DEF LEPPARD and BON JOVI, among others.

Previous METALLICA videos that were directed by Wayne Isham:

* "Enter Sandman"
* "Wherever I May Roam"
* "Sad But True"
* "Fuel"
* "No Leaf Clover"
* "Nothing Else Matters" (from "S&M")
* "I Disappear"
* "Frantic"
* "Broken, Beat And Scarred"

METALLICA has set November 23 as the release date for "Francais Por Une Nuit", or "French For One Night", the full-length concert DVD that the band filmed in Nimes, France on July 7, 2009. The show took place at a historic Roman amphitheatre called the Arenes de Nimes. In addition to the band's complete 18-song set, the disc also includes interviews with the group and five video clips shot by members of the audience. Although initially announced as a France-only release, fan demand has led to Metallica also making the set available through their web site, Metallica.com, as well as the site of the French branch of the band's record company.

A statement posted on the band's web site said, "ALL aspects of the project are French as the show was filmed, recorded, and edited with French camera and recording crews, the artwork on the package and special box set (more on that in a minute!) were created by a French design team; even the credits are in French."

The DVD will come in three formats: standard DVD or Blu-ray in a digipack including a 16-page booklet, and a deluxe limited edition box set that includes the DVD, a copy of "Death Magnetic" on CD, a T-shirt, laminated pass, and five exclusive photos.

Mexico's Search & Destroy conducted an interview with vocalist Bobby "Blitz" Ellsworth of New Jersey thrash metal veterans OVERKILL when the band played Mexico City on October 24, 2009. Watch the chat below.

OVERKILL has inked a U.S. deal with E1 Music (formerly KOCH Records) for the February 9, 2010 release of its new album, "Ironbound". The CD, which will be issued in Europe on January 29, 2010 via Nuclear Blast Records, was mixed by PAIN/HYPOCRISY mainman Peter Tägtgren and is described in a press release as "a true thrasher-piece."

OVERKILL will tour in support of "Ironbound" beginning in February in Europe. South America dates will take place in March and a U.S. tour will kick off April 1 in Philadelphia and end on May 1 with a big 25th-anniversary show in New York City at the Nokia Theater. The band says, "We have lots of plans to make that a special celebration show for everyone. "

"Ironbound" track listing:

01. The Green And Black
02. Ironbound
03. Bring Me The Night
04. The Goal Is Your Soul
05. Give A Little
06. Endless War
07. The Head And Heart
08. In Vain
09. Killing For A Living
10. The SRC

* Limited digipak
* CD Jewelcase
* LP (180g vinyl) in gatefold
* LP (180g green vinyl) in gatefold (Nuclear Blast Mailorder exclusive)
* Strictly limited mailorder edition

On May 12, Megaforce Records reissued two classic OVERKILL albums on colored vinyl.

* "Feel The Fire" on red/orange marbled vinyl
* "Fuck You And Then Some" (first time on vinyl!!) which is a double LP set — one LP on regular black vinyl and the other on black/yellow marbled vinyl with a big fat middle finger etched into side D.

Both albums are limited to 500 hand-numbered copies

OVERKILL's second DVD, "Live at Wacken Open Air 2007", came out in February 2008 via Bodog Music. The 50-minute disc was shot during the band's headline set at the festival in front of an audience of 40,000, and features songs that span OVERKILL's 28-year career, including "Walk Through Fire" from the group's latest disc "Immortalis", "Rotten to the Core", "Elimination", "Fuck You", "In Union We Stand", "Necroshine", "Skull and Bones", "Old School" and "Wrecking Crew".

The cover artwork for "Strings To A Web", the forthcoming album from veteran German metallers RAGE, can be viewed below. The artwork was created by Thomas Ewerhard (AVANTASIA, THERION), and it shows the soundchaser as a spider, caught in a web. RAGE guitarist Victor Smolski is currently working on the bonus material for the CD, which will include footage from festivals like Wacken Open Air in Germany and Masters Of Rock in the Czech Republic.

"Strings To A Web" is scheduled for release on February 5, 2010 via Nuclear Blast Records. The CD was recorded at Twilight Hall Studio and was produced by Charlie Bauerfeind (BLIND GUARDIAN, HAMMERFALL).

"I am really proud of the album, we hardly ever sounded more inspired and it is an absolute highlight in our career," says bassist/vocalist Peavy Wagner. Drummer André Hilgers adds, "This albums show all the different faces and characters and I call it the most enormous and multifarious record I ever recorded."

"Strings To A Web" includes melodic and anthemic tracks such as "Into The Light" and "The Beggar's Last Dime", as well as powerful thrashers like "Purified" and "Tomorrow Never Comes". But the heart of the record comes in the shape of the 16-minute masterpiece "Empty Hollow", a progressive fairytale that unites everything RAGE is about.

"You can compare 'Empty Hollow' to our 'Lingua Mortis Suite' from the 'Speak Of The Dead' record," says Smolski. "This song was recorded with an orchestra and is divided into five parts.

"As a band we have discovered a lot of new possibilities and elements, even in Peavy's vocals, my way of playing guitar or the arrangements in André's drumming."

Dayal Patterson of the English magazine Metal Hammer decribed the record as an "intense, frantic and technical assault tempered by clean sung choruses and harmonies!" His spanish collegue Sergi Ramos of Metal Hammer stated, "Everything you love about today's RAGE sound plus a dose of old-school thrown in for good measure."

"Strings To A Web" will be released on vinyl, jewelcase and a special limited digibook with bonus material.

Desislava Zaharieva (a.k.a. Braindead) of Metal Hangar 18 conducted an interview with Wagner when RAGE played Sofia, Bulgaria on October 17, 2009 with Sweden's SABATON. Watch the chat below.

A brand new guitar instructional DVD called "Phrase By Phrase Guitar Method: Classic Van Halen" is available from the Van Halen Store.

In "Phrase By Phrase Guitar Method: Classic Van Halen", you'll learn what it's really like to play guitar like Eddie Van Halen. Mark John Sternal at MJS Music Publications dissects Eddie Van Halen's inventive guitar style which redefined how rock guitar was played. Learn to play all of the leads, rhythms, and fills to popular songs from the albums "Van Halen", "Van Halen II", "Women and Children First", "Fair Warning" and "1984".

A five-hour-long instructional DVD that breaks down the radical guitar methods of Eddie Van Halen in an easy-to-play format, "Phrase By Phrase Guitar Method" explores some of the greatest guitarists of all time, breaking their complex styles into simple, recognizable phrases. Thorough, easy-to-understand tutorials teach proper finger placement and techniques, followed by half-speed practice tempos and combined sections that are played at full speed.

Features:

Song lessons:

* "Ain't Talkin' ‘Bout Love"
* "Runnin' With The Devil"
* "Somebody Get Me A Doctor"
* "Beautiful Girls"
* "Everybody Wants Some"
* "Romeo Delight"
* "Unchained"
* "Panama"

Bonus guitar solo lessons:

* "Eruption" (Complete Guitar Parts)
* "Hot For Teache" (Intro Guitar Solo)

If you're interested in learning to tear up the fretboard like Eddie Van Halen, then this is the DVD for you.

List price: $24.95. Just $19.95 at Van Halen Store.

Two brand new songs from the French heavy metal squad LONEWOLF — "Legacy Of The Wild" and "Hail Victory" (both taken from the band's forthcoming studio album "The Dark Crusade") — are available for streaming on the band's MySpace page.

"Legacy Of The Wild" is the group's personal tribute to RUNNING WILD, the German heavy metal legends that had the biggest influence on LONEWOLF.

"The Dark Crusade" will be released on November 11 on both CD (Karthago Records) and vinyl (Killer Metal Records). The CD version will include bonus track "The Hour 0" while the vinyl version — which will be available in 500 copies (100 on green vinyl, and 400 on black vinyl) — will include a different bonus cut, "Burning The Icons".

"The Dark Crusade" was mixed and mastered by the Grammy-nominated guitarist Andy La Rocque of KING DIAMOND and was produced by Bart Gabriel (editor-in-chief of the biggest Polish rock/metal magazine Hard Rocker, who also helmed albums from such groups as CRYSTAL VIPER, SABBAT and KAT). The front cover artwork was painted by Chris Moyen, the legendary French artist who has previously worked with SLAYER, TRIVIUM, BEHERIT and BLASPHEMY. Guest musicians on the CD include Majk Moti (ex-RUNNING WILD, now in WILD KNIGHT), Jan Bünning (PARAGON) and Marta Gabriel (CRYSTAL VIPER).

According to a press release, "The Dark Crusade" is being promoted with the slogan "The Reaper has returned to the Black Hand Inn", as it was strongly inspired by classic albums from such cult acts as RUNNING WILD, GRAVE DIGGER, X-WILD, U.D.O. and ACCEPT.

A video for the song "Viktoria", which was filmed at the Hard Rocker Festival 2 in Poland, can be viewed below.

A brand new MOB RULES song entitled "Trial By Fire" is available for streaming on the band's MySpace page. The track comes off the German metallers' sixth album, "Radical Peace", which is scheduled for release on November 13 via AFM Records. The CD was recorded at Bazement Studio with longtime engineer Markus Teske (VANDEN PLAS, SPOCK'S BEARD, OASIS). A single, "Astral Hand", preceded the full-length CD on October 9.

"Radical Peace" track listing:

01. Children Of The Flames
02. Trial By Fire
03. Warchild
04. Astral Hand
05. The Oswald File (Ethnolution II - A Matter Of Unnecessary Doubt)
- Chapter I (Prologue)
- Chapter II (Desperate Son)
- Chapter III (11:30 AM)
- Chapter IV (Unnecessary Doubt?)
- Chapter V (A Dead Man's Face)
- Chapter VI (Did You Reach The Sun?)
06. Waiting For The Sun
07. The Glance Of Fame

"Astral Hand", the new video from MOB RULES, can be viewed below. The clip was filmed on April 18 at Jahnhalle in Nordenham, Germany. Directing the video was Ronald Mattes from ROAX Film, who also worked with the band on the "Black Rain" and "Last Farewell" clips.

MOB RULES will support DIO on the following dates:

Dec. 16 - Bremen, Germany - Aladin
Dec. 18 - Nürnberg, Germany - Lowenssal
Dec. 19 - Reichenbach, Germany - H20

New York Hard Rock Examiner conducted an interview with Zakk Wylde (BLACK LABEL SOCIETY, OZZY OSBOURNE) prior to BLACK LABEL SOCIETY's October 31 concert at the Hard Rock Café New York in Times Square to promote Zakk's new limited-edition Epiphone Graveyard Disciple guitar. Watch the chat below.

In addition to the concert performance, Zakk hosted a special "meet-and-greet" at New York's renowned 48th street Sam Ash music store on October 30.

Designed by Zakk in cooperation with Epiphone, the new Graveyard Disciple combines killer sound with equally killer looks. Shaped like a coffin, the edges of the body are tapered and pin-striped in silver giving it a striking visual appearance and depth while providing for a comfortable feel.

As with most all Zakk's guitars, the neck is made of Hard Maple for bright attack and glued into a solid Mahogany body adding a touch of warm and of course, sustain. The neck features a "D" profile, SlimTaper neck with a smooth, satin finish for fast and effortless lead work. It is topped off with a bound, Ebony fingerboard and medium-jumbo frets with easy access to all 22 frets.

Zakk Wylde's wife Barbaranne revealed in a Twitter update that the BLACK LABEL SOCIETY frontman had been 63 days sober as of Wednesday, October 28.

Wylde is reportedly suffering from "a rare genetic clotting disorder" for which he is currently receiving treatment in California.

Zakk stated in an August 2009 Twitter message that he "was given a CT scan where they found three clots. I was then told each one of the clots passed through my heart. . . My left leg has a clot above the side and behind my knee, my calf and running into my heel. My right leg has a clot in between my calf and ankle."

BLACK LABEL SOCIETY was forced to drop off the "Pedal To The Metal Tour" due to Zakk's condition. The rest of the bands on the trek — MUDVAYNE, STATIC-X, SUICIDE SILENCE and BURY YOUR DEAD — carried on with the remaining dates on the tour after BLS's departure.



(Thanks: Fullshred)

Golf365 recently conducted an interview with JUDAS PRIEST guitarist K.K. Downing. An excerpt from the chat follows below.

Golf365: Is it true DEF LEPPARD got you into golf?

Downing: Yeah, kind of. They challenged us to a game of golf and we challenged them to tennis. That sort of got us back into golf, because I'd played before but after that we started playing on tour a lot. It made sense because we had the time. We'd get in a cab, me and Glenn (Tipton; fellow JUDAS PRIEST guitarist), didn't know where we were going, didn't care, we'd just ask the driver which was the best course in the area, he'd take us and we'd end up playing some great courses. One time we were in Denver and asked for the top course, ended up at Arrowhead. The memories of that course and to think I played there — it was a special place.

Golf365: You've been on tour in the States this summer. Did you get to play much?

Downing: Only twice — we played Harding Park and then in Florida. They were getting Harding Park ready for the Presidents Cup, putting the bleachers up behind the greens. It was nice but not specced up for a tournament then though. The greens were good but it's a public course and has a lot of traffic so they were full of pitch marks. It was like a leopard skin. You could tell it would scrub up nicely though.

Golf365: What have been the best courses you've played in the States then?

Downing: I think maybe Jack Nicklaus' Desert Highlands resort in Arizona. That was, like, wow! It was the first time I saw round tees as well which blew me away. But then I just love Arizona for golf. I've played plenty of other great places: Doral, LaCosta, Torrey Pines, Cherry Hills ...

Golf365: Pebble Beach?

Downing: No, never played Pebble Beach. Royal Quebec, Cog Hill. I tell you, for years that was the best I had played. It was like: "How come no one talks about Cog Hill?" This summer we stayed at Las Colinas where they play the Byron Nelson but I didn't get to play it. I've played there before. We always stay there actually, played there when Alice Cooper opened for us. I lived in Hawaii for a while and I played all the courses there including Waialae and Kapalua; I love Hawaiian golf. But even some of the no-name courses are great. You know, up in the north — Dakota, Idaho, getting up into those Canadian pines. The drama is fantastic. I reckon you can never build enough drama into a golf course.

Golf365: How do you find the differences between the U.S. and British golf?

Downing: Golf is much more welcoming in the States and I think that's where I got it from, my vision for this place. But then, whenever you are an entertainer in the States they love it. Over here they worry a bit about your reputation.

Golf365: Tell us about your early experiences of playing golf in the UK.

Downing: Well, golf's moved on a long way since I first thought about it. Coming from the Black Country, I know that it used to be a sport for people of a certain class. It wasn't that working class people didn't want to play because you'd see them knocking a ball around in the park. But where could they play? It reminds me of the way things are in Japan now. I don't know what the stats are but I've played there and I've felt guilty playing — yeah, guilty! It's something like 9 out of 10 Japanese golfers won't get to see a course!

Read more from Golf365.