BackstageAxxess.com has uploaded video footage (see below) of TWISTED SISTER's July 12, 2009 press conference at the Rocklahoma festival in Pryor, Oklahoma (clip shot by Allan Robertson).

Rock My Monkey recently conducted an interview with TWISTED SISTER guitarist Eddie Ojeda. The chat is now available for streaming and/or download at this location.

TWISTED SISTER's 25th anniversary edition of "Stay Hungry" sold around 3,200 copies in the United States in its first week of release, according to Nielsen SoundScan. it includes the following:

* "Stay Hungry" remastered
* Ten never-before-heard songs originally demoed for "Stay Hungry"
* Five early demos of songs from "Stay Hungry"
* One brand new song
* One rare radio spot using "SMF" as the music bed

Video footage of acclaimed Canadian musician/producer Devin Townsend (STRAPPING YOUNG LAD, STEVE VAI, LAMB OF GOD, DARKEST HOUR, GWAR) laying down a guitar track for song called "Stand" — to be included on the third DEVIN TOWNSEND PROJECT record, "Deconstruction" — can be viewed below. Also available are a couple of clips from the recording sessions for "Ki", the first in a series of albums from Townsend to be made available under the DEVIN TOWNSEND PROJECT moniker.

"Ki" was released in Europe on May 25 in North America on June 19 via InsideOut Music.

In a world of increasing conformity and musical banality, Devin Townsend is among the few real personalities who have character, charisma and surprising innovative creativity. As a solo artist and producer, leader of the (by now disbanded) STRAPPING YOUNG LAD, with whom he played Ozzfest and the main stage at the Download festival, and vocalist on Steve Vai's album "Sex And Religion", Townsend has always inspired fans and critics alike.

Commented Townsend: "'Ki' is the first in a series of four albums under the moniker 'DEVIN TOWNSEND PROJECT.' Each album is essentially a different band or collection of session musicians playing my music. They were chosen based on what the theme of the album is and the vibe that the album is trying to project. The album 'Ki' is very specific in this quartet of albums in that it controls its anger throughout, barring one song — 'Heaven Send' — and really is an exercise in having little to prove."

Devin added, "'Ki' is a subtle, severe album. A challenge in some ways. As the 'intro' to the story (the story being the four records) it needs to set the stage. The point to the music is that the whisper is louder than the roar in many ways. 'Ki' is (on the surface) quiet and unassuming. Whenever it begins to lose its temper, it stops. It does not let it go, it is avoiding that temptation, as that sort of anger is really gratifying but ultimately just leaves me unhappy. 'Ki' is about control, and although it is not an overtly 'heavy' album, it is heavy thematically. On these four records, it starts with 'Ki', which is essentially a cross section of all the albums, but the idea is that it is not here to impose itself. It just does it's thing. Like a little a.m radio playing in the corner.

"Many folks have been waiting to see what I do next after SYL and 'Ziltoid', so after careful consideration, I wanted the first record to be quiet and subtle, however fear not chaos fans... the next two records in the quartet are progressively heavier, and the third album, 'Deconstruction', is the heaviest music I've ever created. So with 'Ki', I wanted to make it a bit of an appetizer. I know myself, that as I get older, a steady diet of chaotic music does little more than give me a headache. So with 'Ki', I wanted to re-introduce myself in a way that says, 'I can make chaos like you've never heard, but for starters, please get comfortable.' The common ground to my previous releases would be my voice, but even my guitar playing has changed. I use primarily a clean tone now (no distortion) and in terms of the sonics, I have used very little compression and it is not mastered very loud. The term 'Ki' loosely means 'life force' and, therefore, in almost the antithesis to my previous albums, there is no real editing or triggers on the drums. Much of the music was recorded 'live off the floor.' I wanted to preserve the energy flow without worrying so much about mistakes."







(Thanks: DeadSkin Mask)

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

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

(Thanks: ironman)

BLASPHEMY — Canada's "first black metal band" — will celebrate the 20th anniversary of its 1989 "Blood Upon the Altar" demo by preparing a few select concerts — the group's first anywhere in eight years.

The band — consisting of 3 Black Hearts of Damnation and Impurity (drums), Nocturnal Grave Desecrater and Black Winds (vocals), Caller of the Storms (guitar) and Deathlord of Abomination and War Apocalypse (guitar), and a session bass player to be announced soon — has confirmed two "live rituals" so far:

Oct. 03 - The Katacombes – Montréal, Canada
Oct. 24 - Dante's Highlight – Helsinki, Finland

The Montreal date will be an especially rare appearance in North America outside British Columbia.

BLASPHEMY played a handful of West Coast U.S. shows prior to 2001, but claims to have since been denied entry due to the band's "extreme nature."

Formed in Burnaby, British Columbia, Canada in 1984, BLASPHEMY released a demo, titled "Blood Upon the Altar", in 1989 and a debut album, "Fallen Angel of Doom", in 1990. The band's second — and so far final — full-length studio album, "Gods of War", came out in 1993 through Osmose Productions.

In 1993, BLASPHEMY took part in the "Fuck Christ Tour" and played throughout Europe with IMMORTAL and ROTTING CHRIST. The band's July 2001 concert in Vancouver was released as a live album, titled "Live Ritual: Friday the 13th", in 2002.

BLASPHEMY is now working on new songs.

For more information, go to www.blasphemymontreal.tk.

Black Market Activities has set a September 15 release date for "Bishop Kent Manning", the second album from the New Hampshire-based band THE_NETWORK.

Produced by Kurt Ballou (CONVERGE, TRAP THEM) at Godcity Studio and mastered by Nick Zampiello (TORCHE, UNSANE) at New Alliance, "Bishop Kent Manning" is a concept effort that follows the epic story of a corrupt televangelist's decline. Opening with the desperate cry, "I just got caught blood-redhanded selling absolution for a lion's share," the CD tells its tale through ten tracks that veer seamlessly from jagged aggro chaos to haunting melody and back again. Inspired by the likes of COALESCE and BOTCH, "Bishop Kent Manning" is an album of anthems — both complex and simplistic, atonal and melodic, it's all from the gut and it's all punk rock.

"Bishop Kent Manning" track listing:

01. From Holy Water To Holy Wars
02. Following And Failing
03. Your Own Personal Time Bomb
04. Service With A Smile
05. Telethons For The Rich
06. Paranoid Deserter
07. Easter Just Stopped Showing Up
08. Corpse Paint
09. You Fucking Fakes
10. Kent Manning

The song "You Fucking Fakes" is available for streaming on the band's MySpace page.

Look for THE_NETWORK on tour in the U.S. throughout the fall in support of "Bishop Kent Manning".

Renowned as champions of the "do-it-yourself, eat-shit mentality," THE_NETWORK has already toured Australia, England, Scotland, and Puerto Rico, all within the past year.

"Buried", the new video from the seminal Australian hard rock/metal band DREADNAUGHT, can be viewed below. The song comes off the group's new self-titled album, which was made available on May 1.

DREADNAUGHT's follow-up to the critically acclaimed 2006 Roadrunner release "Dirty Music" is the band's sixth studio LP in its 15-year history and it features the group's "heaviest production to date." According to a press release, "the addition of ex-ALARUM drummer Matthew Racovalis has helped shape a highly diverse-sounding record, more akin to the technical-thrash-styled DREADNAUGHT of the mid-Nineties; yet retaining the dynamic subtleties that has made DREADNAUGHT unique amongst their peers."

"Dreadnaught" track listing:

01. Tattooed Tears
02. The Push
03. Save Your Life
04. Collapse
05. Reflections (Part 1)
06. More Than One Way
07. Agony / Ecstacy
08. Reflections (Part 2)
09. 10x The Pain
10. Twist The Knife
11. Reflections (Part 3)
12. Buried

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

Guitarist Dino Cazares (FEAR FACTORY, DIVINE HERESY) will be interviewed by host Mike Z. on tonight's (Saturday, August 1) edition of "The Moshpit" show on Southern California's 96.7 KCAL FM. The rest of the country (and world) can stream the show live at www.kcalfm.com between 10:00 p.m. PT and 2:00 a.m. PT.

Commented Dino: "I will be promoting the new DIVINE HERESY CD and putting to rest all these rumors about FEAR FACTORY legal disputes."

DIVINE HERESY's sophomore album, "Bringer of Plagues", was released in North America on July 28 via Century Media Records. The band teamed up once again with acclaimed producing team Dirty Icon (Logan Mader and Lucas Banker) which has previously worked with CAVALERA CONSPIRACY, GOJIRA, FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH.

DIVINE HERESY recently shot a video for the track "Facebreaker" with renowned director Brian Thompson (KILLSWITCH ENGAGE). According to a press release, "the clip features the band's frenetic live performance surrounded by an apocalyptic background setting."

Check out photos from the video shoot at this location.

STEEL PANTHER — the '80s metal/hard rock tribute band formerly known as METAL SKOOL — has been confirmed for this year's installment of the Loud Park festival, set to take place October 17-18 at Makuhari Messe, a convention center in Japan located in the western region of Chiba Prefecture, close to Tokyo.

The festival billing is shaping up as follows:

Saturday, October 17:

JUDAS PRIEST
MEGADETH
ARCH ENEMY
DOKKEN
OUTRAGE
STEEL PANTHER
POISON THE WELL
LED ZEPAGAIN
HIROAKI TAGAWA
FADE

Sunday, October 18:

SLAYER
ROB ZOMBIE
FAIR WARNING
CHILDREN OF BODOM
PAPA ROACH
NAPALM DEATH
HATEBREED
STEADLUR
H.E.A.T
LAZARUS A.D.

For more information, visit www.loudpark.com.

(Thanks: WeROCK City)

GUNFIRE 76, the new project featuring former MURDERDOLLS frontman Wednesday 13, has tapped Brent Clawson to mix its debut album.

Best known as the bassist for BULLETS AND OCTANE, Brent has spent many years in the studio working as a producer, engineer and mixer. He produced, mixed and engineered "Dirty Angel" from Nick Oliveri's band THE KNIVES; engineered and mixed GUTTERMOUTH's "Eat Your Face"; and produced, engineered and mixed the last two CDs from BULLETS AND OCTANE — "Song For The Underdog" and "Bullets and Octane" — which are being re-released as a double-CD this October.

Although GUNFIRE 76's debut album was originally set to be recorded in Los Angeles with producer Howard Willing, setbacks and conflicting schedules have resulted in a change of plans and the CD is now being tracked with studio musicians in Charlotte, North Carolina. So far, seven of the 12 songs have been completed.

According to a press release, the album — which will feature material written by Wednesday and Todd Youth (DANZIG, D-GENERATION, THE CHELSEA SMILES) — will have "more of a rock sound."

"GUNFIRE 76 will be my extension into the rock world," says Wednesday. "After touring with THE CHELSEA SMILES, Todd Youth and I would find ourselves discussing the bands we grew up on and decided to put a band together that fits more of the rock and roll sound of KISS, DEAD BOYS, NEW YORK DOLLS, THE STOOGES and the in-your-face rock n roll sound. Not being signed to a record label allows me to create new projects and continue growing as an artist."

No official band members have yet been selected.

GUNFIRE 76 will spend November touring the U.S. and December touring the U.K., with BULLETS AND OCTANE acting as main support.

GUNFIRE 76's debut will be self-released in the U.S. and Wednesday will partner with a company for overseas distribution.

For more information, visit www.myspace.com/gunfire76.

HardTimes.ca conducted an interview with Jacksonville, Florida's EVERGREEN TERRACE when the band played in South Burlington, Vermont on July 29, 2009. Watch the 15-minute chat below.

EVERGREEN TERRACE's sixth studio album, "Almost Home", will be available everywhere on September 29 via Metal Blade Records. The follow-up to 2007's "Wolfbiker" was recorded in part at AudioHammer Studios in Sanford, Florida. with Jason Suecof (TRIVIUM, THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, JOB FOR A COWBOY) overseeing the vocal recording and mixing sessions and the rest of the recording taking place with Stan Martell at Martell Studios in Kingsland, Georgia.

"Wolfbiker" was released in July 2007 via High Impact Recordings/Metal Blade Records. The follow-up to 2005's "Sincerity is an Easy Disguise in This Business" was recorded at Vision Sound in Florida and was mixed by Jason Livermore.

EVERGREEN TERRACE's drummer, Kyle Mims, was recently injured in a bike accident and suffered a broken collar bone. Caleb James is filling in on drums for the current "Summer Slob Tour" with THE ACACIA STRAIN, CRUEL HAND and UNHOLY.

Scott Less of Santa Rosa, California's 101.7 The Fox radio station conducted an interview with GODSMACK frontman Sully Erna backstage at Crüe Fest 2 on July 30, 2009 at Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View. Watch the seven-minute chat below.

GODSMACK kicked off its run on this summer's Crüe Fest 2 on July 19 in Camden, New Jersey, with the tour bringing the group's nearly two-year vacation to an end. Following this trek, the quartet will go into the studio to begin recording its fifth album. Although Erna has also been working on his first solo effort, he told The Pulse of Radio he's not sure when or how that will see the light of day. "It's very epic, it's very soundtrack-ish, and I think it's important that maybe we try to find a movie for it," he said. "So until I find what the right avenue is to release it, I don't know when it's coming out and how it's coming out. I was hoping to at least release that in the meantime while GODSMACK's writing a new record. GODSMACK goes in after Crüe Fest to record the record, probably sometime this fall, and we'll release early '10."

GODSMACK recently released a new single called "Whiskey Hangover" in conjunction with its appearance on Crüe Fest 2.

The next GODSMACK album will be the band's first collection of all-new material since 2006's "IV".

In late 2007, the band released a greatest hits collection called "Good Times, Bad Times - Ten Years of Godsmack" and announced that it was going on hiatus. Erna worked on his solo album during this period, while the other three members of the group started a side project called ANOTHER ANIMAL.

MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine has posed the following message on the band's official MySpace page:

"Well, I made it and day two of the procedure is almost over [referring to recent surgery for a neck injury — Ed.] . I wanted to take this time to thank you for all of your support. It was necessary for me to do this so that I could continue to operate at maximum potential for us all, and the timing was right, the doctor was right, and my mentality was prepared to have a long frikken needle stuck into my neck, just short of the brain stem.

"I am over any of the pain from the procedure and I thank you for the confidence to break free from this bondage. I am also starting to experience the effects of the cervical epidural that they did, and the medication that they inject into my spinal column. We are optimistic that this will eliminate any need for further procedures to address the bulging disks in my thoracic vertebrae.

"Meanwhile, I have had such a strenuous last few weeks. We had to finish the artwork for the [new MEGADETH] record, and then there was the fiasco that went along with that. Then next was making the merchandise line for the good people at our vendors like Hot Topic, and the mom-and-pop stores were next, and this damn near killed me because of the deadline from the record company, and then the deadline to do the merchandise, and oh yeah, there was that video we just did in-between all of the work I have been doing.

"Today Justis [Dave's son] did some interviewing of me at the studio, and I cannot wait for the MEGADETH girls, and the She Wolves get a look at my son. Of course I said he was handsome, so that means he doesn't look like me, but he does have my skill on guitar. He could be that good. In fact, we are now employing Justis and his schoolmate Skip Sellery (not a dietary suggestion) at the studio full-time. One of the perks of this is that I am reading the classic 'Frankenstein' by Mary Shelley. You see, I love my son so much that I wanted to read this story, so that we could go over it together; it is summer reading that they had to have done before school reconvened for 12th grade. This is an area that I am so proud of Justis; in that he has surpassed me in school and the fact that he is going to be even smarter than I am is frightening.

"On top of that, Justis' friend's family is on a bit of down luck and the son is going to work to help the family. I decided I am putting him through this tutoring each day too — thanks to your gracious support of our music and merchandise.

"Thank you so much for this.

"Tomorrow I am going to spend the day with an old friend and I just pray that I don't do anything too terribly dumb. I mean, it takes a 'certain type of stupid' to invite a friend out to hang and then ruin it, am I right? But this is an area that I do good in — messing up relationships.

"My wife is in Spain, my daughter is with her, my son is out on the town because he just got paid, and we are going to formally start several types of training for Justis and his work buddy; the aforementioned tutoring, money classes (taught by me, since I was licensed to work for Citigroup as a stockbroker), several studio courses — one of which will be teaching them how to assist in the Academy of Metal that we are starting up, and the fine art of audio engineering, which is a very heavy and expensive course, but one that I want to provide for my son, for his friend, and then to start a course facilitated by our studio and staff to teach from beginners on up to professionals (it helps if I am a little bigger than they are even if they are pro — that way they will listen).

"This is after I finish approving my autobiography, which I read over a dozen chapters today and I was really happy with it. Of course, there are a lot of harsh things that I say in the book, but at the end of each section, there is a tremendously human side of me that I haven't ever seen. It showed how even after I ruined so many relationships, it showed how a contrite heart, a humble spirit, a sincere apology and the effort not to do the same thing to the same person again, and you will be surprised at how forgiving people are. I WANT EVERY ONE TO KNOW THAT THE STORIES ARE TOLD AS THEY WENT DOWN, AND THE EPILOGUE IS THAT I AM TRULY GRATEFUL FOR MY NEW ATTITUDE, AND FOR ANY OF THE RELATIONSHIPS THAT WERE SALVAGEABLE.

"I got purdy damn adept at handing over those olive branches.

"So, until I get completely swamped again tomorrow morning, while trying to develop TheLiveLine [a service launched by Mustaine that enables musicians to connect to their audience over the phone], trying to grow my wife's coffee business, proofing my book, setting up my radio station, designing the stage for our next tour, and preparing for the next rehearsal which will no doubt involve a dump truck full o' problems all over again.

"I love you guys all so very much and thanks again for the prayers, thank for the positive thoughts, even thank to the f*ckers who wanted me to stay hurt — I am healing to spite you, ya bastards!

"So until next month, meaning tomorrow..."

METALLICA played "The Ecstasy of Gold" live for the first time ever this past Tuesday night (July 28) at the Forum in Copenhagen, Denmark.

Professionally filmed video footage of the performance (courtesy of Metallica.com) can be viewed below.

"The Ecstasy of Gold" is the song from the classic film "The Good, the Bad and the Ugly" which has been opening METALLICA live shows since 1983.

METALLICA's cover of "The Ecstasy of Gold" was released in February 2007 via Sony Classical as part of a tribute to composer Ennio Morricone, also featuring some of the greatest names from the worlds of contemporary pop, rock, jazz, and classical music.

METALLICA's setlist for last night's Copenhagen show was as follows:

01. That Was Just Your Life
02. The End Of The Line
03. Disposable Heroes
04. Of Wolf and Man
05. Fade To Black
06. Cyanide
07. My Apocalypse
08. Sad But True
09. One
10. The Thing that Should Not Be
11. The Day That Never Comes
12. Master Of Puppets
13. Battery
14. Nothing Else Matters
15. Enter Sandman
- - - - - - - -
16. The Ecstasy of Gold
17. Whiplash
18. Seek and Destroy

METALLICA filmed its July 7, 2009 concert in Nimes, France for an upcoming DVD release, but the catch is that the disc will be available only in France and through METALLICA's official website, Metallica.com. Since it's a French product, you'll also need an all-region DVD player in order to watch it in North America. The DVD will arrive on October 19. METALLICA also documented its three recent shows in Mexico City for DVD, although that looks like it will be released in Latin America only.

METALLICA will be touring Europe through early August. The band starts a North American trek on September 14 in Nashville as it continues supporting 2008's "Death Magnetic" album.

MACHINE HEAD frontman Robb Flynn has vowed to "crush" LIMP BIZKIT when the two bands share the stage tomorrow (Sunday, August 2) at the Sonisphere festival at the legendary Knebworth Park, United Kingdom.

The San Francisco Bay Area metallers, who announced on July 7 that they were pulling out of the U.K. Sonisphere because the event's promoter "placed, unbeknownst to us, LIMP BIZKIT in our third slot on the festival," are back on the bill as the top-secret "special guests" (as first reported by BLABBERMOUTH.NET on July 29). They will perform right before LIMP BIZKIT and are due to hit the stage at around 2:45 p.m.

Without confirming the band's participation in tomorrow's event, Flynn posted a brief message on the official MACHINE HEAD message board "The Frontlines", stating simply, "We're going to fucking CRUSH LIMP BIZKIT!!!!"

In a recent Twitter update, LIMP BIZKIT frontman Fred Durst claimed that he was "shocked" when he first heard that MACHINE HEAD was pulling out of the U.K. Sonisphere because of a dispute over LIMP BIZKIT's slot at the festival. However, he was quick to add, "[I] love MACHINE HEAD [and] always will."

As previously reported, MACHINE HEAD guitarist Phil Demmel collapsed on stage on July 25 during the band's set at the Sonisphere festival in Pori, Finland. Although Phil had to be helped off stage, he quickly regained consciousness and issued an apology to the fans "for cheating them of their last song." He told Team Sonisphere a short time later, "I feel I short-changed the fans and really want to make it up for them. Thanks for all the concern."

MACHINE HEAD is continuing to tour in support of its Grammy-nominated album "The Blackening", which was re-released as a "special edition" last October via Roadrunner Records.

Hailed unanimously as the best metal album of 2007 by journalists, metal radio stations and fans alike, "The Blackening" earned a Grammy nomination for the fan-favorite track "Aesthetics of Hate".

"The Blackening Special Edition" is two-disc CD/DVD set that features an assortment of extras, including rare bonus tracks such as covers of IRON MAIDEN's "Hallowed Be Thy Name", over an hour of live performance footage from With Full Force, Download and Rock in Rio festivals, three uncensored music videos for "Aesthetics of Hate", "Now I Lay Thee Down" and "Halo", a "making-of" featurette on each video, "The Making of The Blackening" and expanded artwork. There's also what many hardcore fans have been rabidly waiting for: four never-before-seen performances of MACHINE HEAD celebrating the 10th anniversary of their debut album, "Burn My Eyes", captured in Philadelphia in 2004.

Florida-based "shock-rock" band GENITORTURERS, featuring MORBID ANGEL frontman David "Evil D" Vincent on bass, will release the first in a series of limited-edition, colored vinyl collectible seven-inch singles featuring select songs from the group's upcoming "Blackheart Revolution" CD. Each colored vinyl has "over-the-top packaging and insane themed layouts, pressed on high-grade 43 G virgin vinyl," according to a posting on the GENITORTURERS MySpace page. These will only be manufactured in limited runs.

The A side of the first seven-inch single, "Cum Junkie", includes the studio album version of that title cut that is set to appear on "Blackheart Revolution", while the B side features a "totally bangin', brand-spankin' new" "Let's Go Cum Junkie" Gen-xx-style remix by Jackal of JACKAL & HYDE.

Commented the band: "We received a ton great feedback about this song as it was on our recent 'Live! In Sin' DVD, and decided this had to be the first 7" single, so we came up with a twisted little concept and put together a special photo shoot with our favorite resident photographer Dan Santoni especially for this release."

For more information, visit www.genitorturers.com.

Finnish gothic metallers TO/DIE/FOR will enter the studio on August 6 to begin recording their sixth album, tentatively due in early 2010. Drums tracks for a total of 15 new songs are expected to be laid down during the initial sessions, which will last four days.

Regarding the new material's musical direction, vocalist Jape Peratalo recently said, "We are not gonna fill new songs with guitars! (Which does NOT mean that there is not guitars at all!) This time we will create something new, but it will sound as TO/DIE/FOR, for sure. Main idea is that it MUST be fresh!"

He added, "Most of the gothic rock scene is so fucking boring that we do not see any reason to continue on that road! So many bands sounds almost same. There is no new ideas. I do not mean every gothic rock band, but anyway... That is something we are gonna change! We will be melancholy and everything we have been before, but we will renew our music and ways to handle it."

Currently unsigned, TO/DIE/FOR plans to release its next album through the band's own company. Peratalo explained, "We are not gonna look for any record label for releasing this album! All we need is find right labels which we could sign license deals with. Now it seems that licenses for Russian, Japan and Finland are already in our hands. And I am looking for new license deals all the time. So... things will happen mainly through our own company."

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).

Original KISS guitarist Ace Frehley will perform at the Viper Room in West Hollywood, California on Saturday, September 12 during the Sunset Strip Music Festival.

Tickets are $25 and can be purchased via TicketWeb.com.

As previously reported, Frehley has inked a European deal with Season Of Mist for the release of his fifth solo album, "Anomaly". Due in the U.S. on September 15 via Ace's own Bronx Born Records, with Rocket Science providing a full label service platform, the CD was produced and recorded in Westchester County, New York between 2007 and 2009 and was mixed in Los Angeles.

"Anomaly" official track listing:

01. Foxy & Free
02. Outer Space
03. Pain In The Neck
04. Fox On The Run
05. Genghis Khan
06. Too Many Faces
07. Change The World
08. Space Bear
09. A Little Below The Angels
10. Sister
11. It's A Great Life
12. Fractured Quantum
13. The Return of Space Bear (Dedicated to Tom Snyder) (iTunes exclusive)

The track "Outer Space" is available for streaming at this location.

Frehley, a longtime Gibson artist, will launch his second Gibson Ace Frehley Signature Les Paul guitar with the musical instrument giant later this year. His first signature Gibson guitar (in 1997) was one of the best-selling signature models of all time.

In an early 2008 interview with Billboard, Frehley stated about the CD, "Basically, I'm trying to get back into the mindset I was in when I did my first solo record [1978's 'Ace Frehley']. That record seemed to have all the elements everybody liked — a real cool instrumental, a hit single, some real heavy rockers, a nice variety of different genres of music."

Among his favorite new tracks are "A Little Below The Angels", hard-rocking "Pain In The Neck" and an instrumental called "Fractured Quantum", which is a follow-up to his previous instrumentals "Fractured Mirror" and "Fractured Too". Another favorite is "groove song" titled "Genghis Khan", which he likens in tone to LED ZEPPELIN's "Kashmir".

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).

WOLFMOTHER guitarist/frontman Andrew Stockdale recently spoke to MTV News about the band's forthcoming second album, "Cosmic Egg" — the group's first since the departure of drummer Myles Heskett and bassist/keyboardist Chris Ross. Due in October, the CD showcases the added punch of three new musicians (rhythm guitarist Aidan Nemeth, bassist/keyboardist Ian Peres and drummer Dave Atkins) and features such tunes as "California Queen", "Sundial", "Far Away" and "Pilgrim".

"I used to think musicians were like monks ... and music was like a religious path, because it tests you. It tests your ego, your jealousies, your competitiveness — all those things. How it's going to consume you. If you can keep writing songs. It tests you in so many ways," Stockdale told MTV News. "I decided to answer those challenges, for one, because I can't help myself, but also, because I'm the WOLFMOTHER guy all the time. I'm the dude from WOLFMOTHER. It confronts me all the time. I didn't want to justify myself to the press, or explain what happened, or what didn't happen, or who said what, or why. ... I didn't want to get involved in all that. So I thought the best thing to do was just make music and let that speak for itself."

He continued, "For a while, I was thinking of not going forward as WOLFMOTHER ... but then, eventually, I decided just to do it. It's a bizarre situation, because you're making new music, but you're also connected to the first record, and the new people are replacing people. It's not a new band with a fresh slate. But once we got started making this record, I thought, 'It's more of a challenge to continue as WOLFMOTHER,' because there is a first record, there is something to compare it to ... and that makes you push yourself."

Read more from MTV News.

HardTimes.ca conducted an interview with vocalist Sean Z of Atlanta's DAATH when the band played in Montreal, Quebec, Canada on July 26, 2009. Watch the 15-minute chat below.

"Day Of Endless Light", the new video from DAATH, was shot in March in the band's hometown with director Robin Fuller (GHOST OF A THOUSAND, SHAPED BY FATE
Commented guitarist Eyal Levi: "I hate music videos. Always have. There's been a few exceptions over the years like the old TOOL videos or WHITE STRIPES videos but for the most part they suck. Especially metal videos. How many times can we watch a group of burly dudes throwing down in a warehouse or abandoned building? With this video, that was the LAST thing I wanted for us.

"I set out to find a team that would give us an actual work of art which could be watched and enjoyed regardless of the music. We ended up with Robin Fuller directing. We chose him because of his amazing animation skills and overall enthusiasm for the vision.

"The vision was to have a video shot in the style of a Frank Miller film ('Sin City') and have those shots interwoven with the art and design that Jorden Haley has created for us with [the new DAATH album] 'The Concealers'.

"This [is] not your typical metal video."

"Day Of Endless Light" comes off DAATH's sophomore album, "The Concealers", which sold around 1,300 copies in the United States in its first week of release, according to Nielsen SoundScan. The CD debuted at No. 35 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 Concealers" was released on April 20 in Europe and April 21 in the U.S. through Century Media Records (via a partnership with Roadrunner Records). The album was produced and mixed by Jason Suecof and Mark Lewis (TRIVIUM, ALL THAT REMAINS, DEVILDRIVER).

POWERMAN 5000 has set "Somewhere On The Other Side Of Nowhere" as the title of its new album, due on October 6. Three songs from the CD — "Timebomb", "Make Us Insane" and "Show Me What You Got" — can be streamed below.

POWERMAN 5000 were the featured guests on the nationally syndicated radio show "Rockline" with host Bob Coburn on Monday, July 27. The program is now available for streaming at this location.

POWERMAN 5000's current lineup:

Spider One (Michael Cummings) - lead vocals
Velkro (Dave Pino) - lead guitar
Evan 9 (Evan Rodaniche) - rhythm guitar
X51 (Gustavo Aued) - bass
GFlash (Gordon Heckaman) - drums

POWERMAN 5000 released a new digital single, "V Is For Vampire", on April 16 via iTunes, Amazon and other digital music outlets.

The band's last album, "Destroy What You Enjoy", was produced by Mudrock (AVENGED SEVENFOLD, GODSMACK), who also co-produced POWERMAN 5000's major label debut, "Mega!! Kung Fu Radio". The CD was recorded at the Hobby Shop in Eagle Rock, California and was mixed by Dave Schiffman (AUDIOSLAVE, JOHNNY CASH, SYSTEM OF A DOWN).

HardTimes.ca conducted an interview with Ben Falgoust (vocals) and Sammy Duet (guitar) of GOATWHORE when the band played in Montreal, Quebec, Canada on July 26, 2009. Watch the 37-minute chat below.

GOATWHORE's new album, "Carving Out The Eyes Of God", sold around 2,700 copies in the United States in its first week of release to enter The Billboard 200 chart at position No. 190. The CD landed at No. 67 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.

"Carving Out The Eyes of God" was released in the U.S. on June 23 via Metal Blade Records.

For the follow-up to 2006's "A Haunting Curse", GOATWHORE headed back to St. Petersburg, Florida to record with producer Erik Rutan at Mana Recording Studios, with mastering being handled by Alan Douches of West West Side.

Falgoust commented on the direction of the new album: "I don't really know how to explain this. I don't want to come off with the typical speech about how this record is our best yet and all of that. I will say that I am quite pleased how it has turned out and all parts relating to it. I feel every member put a great deal of effort into their part of the project. I even feel Erik Rutan busted his ass even more this time to make us feel that we didn't take any steps backwards in the recording and production of this release… I don't even really care what the critics say. I think the end result is basically coming up with something you have put a lot of work into and the satisfaction achieved in completing it. I will say that the new material is ripping metal and we still have that 'GOATWHORE' sound, whatever that may mean for each individual that enjoys or hates what we do. Just look at it as another step in the evolution of this band. Each person that hears it will have his or her own perception of it. Like it or not, we don't have a say in it. The only thing we can do is just keep writing the way we do and accept the criticism. Doesn't mean we are gonna listen to the criticism and change. Just give it an honest listen and if you dig it, awesome! If you don't, then pass it on to a friend or use it as a new drink coaster."

A two-minute audio sample of the new THEATRE OF TRAGEDY song "Hide and Seek" is available for streaming on the band's official web site. The track comes off the group's seventh album, "Forever Is The World", which is scheduled for release in the U.S. on October 13 (the CD will be issued in Europe on September 18 via AFM Records).

The follow-up to 2006's "Storm", "Forever Is The World" was recorded at Room 13 studios in Oslo with producer Alexander Møklebust, who has previously worked with ZEROMANCER, SEIGMEN, GÅTE, MONOMEN and DELAWARE, among others. The mastering was handled by Bjørn Engelmann at the Cutting Room in Sweden.

"Forever Is The World" will be available in three different versions: a limited digipack with one bonus song, a very limited double vinyl version with two bonus tracks (one exclusive to the vinyl edition!) and a regular jewelcase.

The band says, "[The cover artwork] was once again made by the ingenious artwork wizard Thomas Ewerhard. Following up his excellent work on 'Assembly' and 'Storm', Thomas has once again managed to amaze us with his skills. The album artwork is also an challenge to the die-hard THEATRE OF TRAGEDY fan. Somewhere inside this cover there is incorporated elements from all six studio album covers for the band. See if you can find it."

"Forever Is The World" track listing:

01. Hide and Seek
02. A Nine Days Wonder
03. Revolution
04. Transition
05. Hollow
06. Astray
07. Frozen
08. Illusions
09. Deadland
10. Forever is the World

THEATRE OF TRAGEDY's last album, "Storm", was released in March 2006 via AFM Records. The CD was produced by Rico Darum and mixed by Greg Reely (PARADISE LOST, FEAR FACTORY, FRONT LINE ASSEMBLY, SKINNY PUPPY, etc.) at The Green Jacket studios in Richmond, B.C., Canada. The album was the group's first to feature singer Nell (THE CREST), who replaced Liv Kristine Espenaes Krull (currently in LEAVES' EYES) in early 2004.

KISS guitarist Tommy Thayer was interviewed this past Friday (July 31) on the "AM Northwest" morning show on Portland, Oregon's KATU-TV. Watch the eight-minute interview below.

The editor of Guitar Player magazine had a chance to preview five songs off the new KISS album, which is scheduled for release in early October. He writes on the publication's Facebook page, "Paul [Stanley, KISS guitarist/vocalist] sings his ass off. Eric [Singer] plays some amazingly powerful drums. Gene [Simmons] was finally made to play all of his bass parts (apparently, in the past, if someone had a cool bass idea, he let them play it), and he DOES have a pretty driving sound. Finally, Paul and Tommy's guitars sound HUGE — with some fab riffs and '70s-style solos."

Songtitles set to appear on the new KISS CD include "Russian Roulette", "Modern Day Delilah" and "Stand".

Thayer wrote and sang his first song on the album, while Singer also got his first opportunity to sing a lead vocal on an original song.

Simmons recently told The Canadian Press that there were no outside writers working on the Paul Stanley-produced disc. He also described the album's sound as "no strings, no keyboards, no synths, no tambourines, no nothing — just meat and potatoes."

Simmons confirmed that a deal is in the works with Wal-Mart that will result in an "entire section" of the giant retailer's stores across the country (apparently dubbed "Kiss Korner") being dedicated to KISS.

There has been no official announcement of a KISS deal with Wal-Mart for the band's next CD, although artists such as THE EAGLES and AC/DC have both issued recent albums exclusively through the giant retailer. In addition, AEROSMITH guitarist Joe Perry may have inadvertently let it slip that the band's next studio album will come out exclusively through Wal-Mart.

LINKIN PARK singer Chester Bennington's side project, DEAD BY SUNRISE, performed a three-song set as part of LINKIN PARK's show on July 30 in Stuttgart, Germany.

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

DEAD BY SUNRISE recently finished filming videos for the songs "Crawl Back In" and "Let Down". with director P.R. Brown (SLIPKNOT, MÖTLEY CRÜE, KORN, GODSMACK, AVENGED SEVENFOLD). Both tracks will appear on the group's debut album, titled "Out Of Ashes", which is tentatively scheduled for a September release.

DEAD BY SUNRISE recently launched its MySpace page and posted a song there called "Morning After". With its keyboards and layered guitars, the song is reminiscent of what HardDrive Radio calls "the early days of DEPECHE MODE."

Bennington began working on DEAD BY SUNRISE back in 2006, explaining, "I came up with a few songs that felt and sounded really good, but I knew they weren't right stylistically for LINKIN PARK. They were darker and moodier than anything I'd come up with for the band. So I decided to work on them on my own rather than turn them over and have them transformed into LINKIN PARK tracks."

The band, which is Bennington on vocals, guitarists Ryan Shuck and Amir Derakh (from ORGY/JULIEN-K), bassist Brandon Belsky, drummer Elias Anda (also from JULIEN-K), and keyboardist Anthony Valcic, recorded "Out Of Ashes" in Los Angeles with producer Howard Benson (MOTÖRHEAD, MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE).





Photo credit: Travis Shinn

Michael Roberts of Westword.com recently conducted an interview with AEROSMITH guitarist Joe Perry. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

Westword.com: You guys have had a series of health-related issues over the past year or so. For one thing, you had knee-replacement surgery. How long was the recovery time for that?

Joe Perry: I've been putting that off for the last three tours, and it was pretty rough. It was really badly damaged. It actually started almost twenty years ago. I jumped off a platform on stage, and it's just been getting worse. I've done one band-aid operation after another, and finally, they said, "Look, if you don't get this done, it's going to go out on you." So I went in going on a year and a half ago, and it was almost healed. And then around Thanksgiving, it got infected and I had to go back in and they had to do the whole thing over again. So I had a pretty lousy winter. At least I was able to be in the studio after they'd let me get up and move around. But that's nothing now. I'm fine, I'm moving really well. It was Brad who really blew our minds. He never gets sick, and for him to have that thing.... Again, it's just one of those things. It can happen to anyone.

Westword.com: From what I've read, his injury was so fluky. Did he really hurt himself that badly from hitting his head getting out of his car?

Joe Perry: Yeah, that's pretty much what he can remember. He doesn't really remember any other time when he did anything. You bump yourself how many times a day? Everybody does that, and you don't remember every one of them. But that one, I guess it hit him just right, and when they checked him out, they said, "Get in there." He was in the hospital that afternoon, and luckily, he came out of it okay. It's just a matter of resting. I know he was probably up and around like a week after it happened, but they really wanted him to lay back until they were sure it was fixed. But he's back now. He's ready to go. When we start the tour back up, he's going to be back on stage with us.

Westword.com: Well, you've got both an AEROSMITH album that I know has been delayed because of health issues, too, and also a solo album on the way. So you had to come up with a lot of new material.

Joe Perry: Yeah, but I'm always coming up with new material anyway. I'm always in the studio. That's why I built it in the house. I don't have far to go, and I was totally focused on working on the AEROSMITH record. And again, there were some health things, and finally, when we were just about ready to go, Steven got pneumonia, and they said, "You won't be able to sing for three weeks." And that was at the worst time. We had the songs all rehearsed and we were ready to go. That was really a drag, because we had it all set up to do the record and have a record under our belts before the tour. But I had so much pent-up energy, studio energy, that I just went in and started finishing up the solo record. I didn't have any plans of doing one for a while, but I had all the AEROSMITH stuff in a pile, and stuff for future use in another pile. And the future is now, so I went ahead. Aside from auditioning drummers, the whole thing took about 47 days from front to back. We worked around the clock, through the weekends, and we're mastering it now, as we speak. I get the songs over the Internet, listen to them, make comments, and then my engineer tweaks it and we'll have the thing ready to go probably in the next couple of weeks.

Westword.com: How do you decide what's an AEROSMITH song and what's a song for a solo project?

Joe Perry: There are some things I write lyrics for right away and they're just too close to my heart to have anyone else sing them, and then there are others.... I don't know, there are only so many records you can put out, and so many songs. And we had a ton of AEROSMITH songs ready to go for the record. Like I said, I had a pile of things, and I suppose some of them could be massaged into AEROSMITH music. It's not much of a jump. After all, I write how I write on the guitar, and stuff comes out pretty raw. Like I said, because we had so much stuff ready to go for the AEROSMITH record, it was pretty easy to pick some other ones and write some lyrics and have it go. This'll be the second solo record in two years, I think.

Westword.com: Another way things have changed is doing exclusive deals with major retailers. And there was one comment you made in an interview that made people think AEROSMITH might be going into business with Wal-Mart like AC/DC did with "Black Ice". Is that the case?

Joe Perry: We've talked about it, we've definitely talked about it. And it's not just AC/DC. It's become pretty common for bands to do that. So I don't know. Who knows? The way the business is now and the way it's changing from month to month. Even three years ago, this Guitar Hero thing.... I don't know when it came out, but before then, who would have thought of it. When I walked by my son playing it, it was actually in Phoenix, in the hotel, and I think he was playing a JIMI HENDRIX song. I walked by and saw the controller and the whole thing was like, "This is amazing. We've got to get a couple more of our songs onto one of these games." And as it turned out, we got our own game. A whole game (laughs).

Read the entire interview from Westword.com.

Classic Rock Revisited editor Jeb Wright conducted an interview with JUDAS PRIEST guitarist K.K. Downing on July 31, 2009. The 17-minute chat is now available for streaming at this location.

JUDAS PRIEST's "A Touch of Evil: Live" live album sold around 5,300 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 87 on The Billboard 200 chart.

PRIEST chose 10 songs not previously released in live album form for "A Touch of Evil: Live", which was released on July 14, in the midst of the band's U.S. summer tour.

"A Touch of Evil" includes live renderings of longtime fan favorites such as "Painkiller", "Dissident Aggressor", "Riding on the Wind", "Between the Hammer & the Anvil" and "Eat Me Alive", as well as "Hellrider" from "Angel of Retribution", the group's 2004 reunion album with frontman Rob Halford, and two tracks — "Death" and "Prophecy" — from last year's rock opera "Nostradamus".

Recorded by Martin Walker and Brian Thorene during JUDAS PRIEST's mammoth 2005 and 2008 world tours, "A Touch Of Evil: Live" marks the first PRIEST album that producer Tom Allom has worked on since 1988 (co-producing along with the band). It was such Allom-produced albums as the aforementioned "Unleashed In The East", as well as "British Steel" and "Screaming For Vengeance" (among others) that made PRIEST not only one of the premier metal acts, but one of the leading global rock acts.

"A Touch Of Evil: Live" track listing:

01. Judas Rising
02. Hellrider
03. Between The Hammer & The Anvil
04. Riding On The Wind
05. Death
06. Beyond The Realms Of Death
07. Dissident Aggressor
08. A Touch Of Evil
09. Eat Me Alive
10. Prophecy
11. Painkiller

Texas black metal trio AVERSE SEFIRA has issued the following update:

"Due to scheduling issues on behalf of the band, AVERSE SEFIRA must postpone their performances in Central America. We hope our supporters in the region will not be too disappointed. We appreciate the efforts of the promoters of Guatemala, Honduras and El Salvador in working with us, and we are sorry that we could not honor the original dates as planned. AVERSE SEFIRA will endeavor to come to return to the region in early 2010!"

AVERSE SEFIRA is continuing to promote its latest album, "Advent Parallax". Released last year, the CD was produced by Tore Stjerna (WATAIN, IN BATTLE) and features original artwork from celebrated artist Jos A. Smith (BATHORY). On release, the band toured the U.S. with ROTTING CHRIST and friends IMMOLATION; their second tour of the country since signing with Candlelight Records.

A two-minute German-language report on this year's Wacken Open Air festival, which is being held July 30 - August 1, 2009 in Wacken, Germany, can be viewed below.

According to Reuters, fans attending this year's Wacken Open Air were asked on Thursday (July 30) to avoid "hugging, kissing on the cheek, and shaking hands" lest they spread the H1N1 influenza. On its web site, the health ministry of Germany's northern Schleswig-Holstein region optimistically advised revelers to restrain from any such sociable behavior so as to minimize the infection risk at the festival, which runs until August 1.

It also recommended fans did not share bottles of beer.

"We know that kissing and what have you can't be ruled out," said ministry spokesman Oliver Breuer. "They're just tips."

MOTÖRHEAD, HEAVEN & HELL and SAXON are among the bands that were scheduled to perform at the three-day festival, which organizers expected to attract about 75,000 fans.

The original lineup of THE RODS — the classic '80s metal band led by Ronnie James Dio's (DIO, BLACK SABBATH, HEAVEN & HELL) cousin, guitarist David "Rock" Feinstein — will headline the first annual BAM! (Binghamton Area Metalfest), set to take place September 12 at The Country Pines (Summer Stage) in Endicott, New York.

The festival billing is shaping up as follows:

THE RODS (Headliner)
CAGE (Co-Headliner)
ELEVATOR DEATH SQUAD
SINNER (JUDAS PRIEST tribute)
TITANIUM BLACK
RAVAGE
BEYOND FALLEN
JANE EVIL
CURSED FROM BIRTH
THIS CITY NEEDS A HERO

Fan-filmed video footage of THE RODS performing at the South Texas Rock Fest in San Antonio, Texas on May 23, 2009 can be viewed below (courtesy of "JohnEbrownTX").

THE RODS was scheduled to shoot its very first HD-DVD at the legendary The Haunt nightclub in Ithaca, New York on May 16. This performance was in support of THE RODS' forthcoming CD, "Vengeance", which features Ronnie James Dio's vocals on selected tracks. The show was also a precursor to the band's appearance at Headbangers Open Air in Germany.

THE RODS' lineup includes Feinstein on guitar/vocals, Garry Bordonaro on bass and Carl Canedy on drums.

The "Turn It Up" radio show will interview guitarist Warren DeMartini of Californian rockers RATT tonight (Saturday, August 1) at approximately 7:00 p.m. EST. The program can be streamed live via the Internet at www.wscafm.org.

"Turn It Up" is a two-hour radio show on WSCA 106.1 FM in Portsmouth, New Hampshire that focuses on new and classic hard rock and heavy metal.

RATT recently entered the studio to start recording its first studio release in 10 years. The CD is being produced by Michael "Elvis" Baskette, whose credits include PUDDLE OF MUDD, CHEVELLE, SALIVA, LIMP BIZKIT, ALTER BRIDGE and THREE DAYS GRACE, to name a few.

RATT was scheduled to spend a month or so recording the new album in Mathews, Virginia — the first time the band has steped outside of Los Angeles to track a new CD in 20-plus years. An early 2010 release via Loud & Proud/Roadrunner Records is expected.

Over the past two years, RATT has toured the world in support of their releases "Tell The World - The Very Best Of Ratt" and their first-ever DVD, "Videos from the Cellar - The Atlantic Years". During this time, the current lineup of Stephen Pearcy, Warren DeMartini, Bobby Blotzer, Robbie Crane and Carlos Cavazo played shows in Australia, Colombia and Peru for the first time in their careers.

DeMartini was interviewed on July 24, 2009 when the band performed at the House Of Blues in Chicago, Illinois. Watch the 10-minute chat below.