Jenn Selby of Terrorizer magazine conducted an interview with the Finnish rock cello quartet APOCALYPTICA prior to the band's performance at this year's Bloodstock Open Air festival, which was held August 14-16, 2009 at Catton Hall in Derbyshire, England. Watch the 10-minute chat below.

APOCALYPTICA is scheduled to enter the studio in the winter to begin recording its new album for a spring 2010 release.

APOCALYPTICA scored its first No. 1 rock radio hit in November with "I Don't Care", the latest single from the band's sixth studio album, "Worlds Collide". The disc has sold around a quarter million copies in the U.S. and marks the group's first significant success in this country in APOCALYPTICA's 15-year career. APOCALYPTICA's Paavo Lotjonen told The Pulse of Radio that their newfound recognition has been worth all the effort. "It's been really amazing, all the success we have got," he said. "Of course it has taken a lot of work and we have given our heart to this. But I feel that it's been worth that and we have reached something new."

"I Don't Care" features guest vocals from THREE DAYS GRACE frontman Adam Gontier.

SLIPKNOT's Corey Taylor contributed vocals to the CD's first single, "I'm Not Jesus".

Akseli Heikkilä of Domination TV conducted an interview with bassist John Calabrese of Canadian rockers DANKO JONES at the Jurassic Rock festival, which was held August 7-8, 2009 in Mikkeli, Finland. Watch the chat below.

DANKO JONES's new album, "Never Too Loud", was released in the U.S. on September 8 via Bad Taste Records/Caroline.

Hailing from Toronto, the group — Danko Jones (lead vocals/guitars), John Calabrese (bass), Dan Cornelius (drums) — teamed with Grammy Award-winning producer Nick Raskulinecz (RUSH, FOO FIGHTERS, COHEED AND CAMBRIA, STONE SOUR, VELVET REVOLVER) and recorded "Never Too Loud" at Dave Grohl's Studio 606 in Los Angeles. Ted Jensen (GREEN DAY, REM) came onboard for mastering duties. "We really wanted to step it up sonically on this album, and Nick was the perfect guy for that," explains Danko Jones, the band's lead singer and guitarist.

The group tapped John Garcia of KYUSS fame and punk legend Pete Stahl (WOOL SCREAM, GOATSNAKE) for the six-minute SABBATH-influenced epic "Forest For The Trees". From first single and album opener, "Code of the Road", to the infectious melodies of "City Streets", to the Bon Scott-channeling title track, "Never Too Loud" showcases the group's adrenalized, raucous garage rock that encompasses everything that's fun about hard rock past and present.

Metal Hangar 18 conducted an interview with OVER THE RAINBOW guitarist Jürgen "J.R." Blackmore after the band's September 5, 2009 concert at the city square in Kavarna, Bulgaria. Watch the chat below.

3,500 fans attended OVER THE RAINBOW's show in Kavarna, which featured the following setlist:

01. Tarot Woman
02. Kill the King
03. Street of Dreams
04. Man on the Silver Mountain
05. ("Over the Rainbow" intro) Death Alley Driver
06. (Keyboards intro) Eyes of the World
07. Ariel
08. Wolf To The Moon
09. I Surrender
10. Jam
11. Can't Happen Here
12. Jealous Lover
13. Drum Solo
14. Stargazer
15. Long Live Rock and Roll

Encore

16. Since You Been Gone
17. All Night Long

OVER THE RAINBOW is:

Joe Lynn Turner (RAINBOW 1980-1984) - Vocals
Bobby Rondinelli (RAINBOW 1980-1983) - Drums
Greg Smith (RAINBOW 1994-1997) - Bass
Jürgen "J.R." Blackmore - Guitar
Paul Morris (RAINBOW 1994-1997) - Keyboards

Paul Morris replaced Tony Carey, the original keyboardist for OVER THE RAINBOW, prior to the band's performance in front of 12,000 fans at the Sweden Rock Festival on June 4, 2009 in Sölvesborg, Sweden.

Like all members of OVER THE RAINBOW (with the exception of Jürgen "J.R." Blackmore), Paul Morris was also a member of RAINBOW. He recorded and toured with them from 1994 through 1997.

In the '70s, '80s and '90s, RAINBOW released over 20 albums (five gold, four silver), seven Billboard Hot 100 and Mainstream Rock tracks, six Top 75 U.K. songs and at least seven MTV frequently played videos. Since 1998, former members of RAINBOW and their respective management offices were overloaded with requests for RAINBOW to reunite. Rondinelli, Smith and Turner agreed that the only legitimate way to accomplish this was to employ a Blackmore on guitar.

Jürgen Blackmore is a critically acclaimed guitarist in his own right and agreed to join this endeavor after realizing how intense the demand was for a RAINBOW "reunion." OVER THE RAINBOW marks the first time that four members from three different eras of RAINBOW have taken the stage together along with J.R. Blackmore.

Former IRON MAIDEN singer Paul Di'Anno has tapped Canadian METALLICA tribute act DISPOSABLE HEROES as his backing band for his upcoming tour of Canada, which is scheduled to kick off tonight (Friday, September 11) in Red Deer, Alberta. DISPOSABLE HEROES will open each gig by playing a set of METALLICA songs and then come back and play the show with Paul.

For a list of upcoming concerts, go to this location.

When asked by Vue Weekly in a recent interview who will be playing with him on the Canadian tour, Di'Anno said, "You know what? I can't tell you. See, for me to keep ticket prices down and everything, we use different bands in different countries so we don't have to charge a fortune. We've got about 36 [bands that I use]. These guys from Calgary, I don't even know the name of the band yet — I'm going into rehearsal with them and we'll take it from there. They're all rehearsed up and it's like, 'Surprise me.' Sometimes that can fall flat on its face, but normally it's quite exciting getting to play with different musicians you haven't played with before. You get surprised, sometimes you get very shocked — sometimes they're awful. I mean if they're awful, I'm fucked."

Regarding the possibility of a new studio album from Di'Anno, he said, "We did five new tracks in Germany last year — it's very industrialized — but we got in a bit of an argument with the record company and we told them to piss off, basically. So I kept them songs and a friend of mine where I am right at the minute in Salisbury down in Southwest England, has just handed me 16 pieces of music so I'm going to go away when I have a bit of time and see what I can come up with for that."

"Pregnant of Despair", the sophomore album of one of South Korea's most revered metal bands, DARK MIRROR OV TRAGEDY, is finally out now on the most avid purveyor of the New Wave of Asian Metal, Trinity Records Hong Kong. The CD is comprised of 10 tracks of what the band refers to as "Koreanized" symphonic/dark/black/gothic metal. According to a press release, "the said 'Koreanizing' of their brand of metal will surely sets them apart from the numerous black/gothic bands which are often undistinguishable from each others as you will surely be amazed on how they blended the Korean culture on their music and how it effectively morphed their music to be truly one of a kind and will prove to be a refreshing listen even to the jaded ears."

DARK MIRROR OV TRAGEDY vocalist Material Pneuma told U.K.'s Terrorizer magazine, "Fusion food is very popular in Korea, where one country's food is taken and made Korean-style for the Korean palate, so when asked what's fusion music is, that is metal combined with traditional Korean music." He added, "I don't want to play those instruments poorly. If I try new things, I would rather play Korean music with western instruments than play Western music with Korean instruments."

As the album title implies, DARK MIRROR OV TRAGEDY's very unique take on music is "replete with lyrical themes about desperation, sorrow, sadness that proves to be of cathartic essence rather making the listeners delve further into depression," according to press release.

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

"Retribution", the new album from Massachusetts metallers SHADOWS FALL, is being streamed in its entirety on the band's MySpace page.

The deluxe edition of "Retribution" is now in stock and available for pre-order at this location. Fans that pre-order the deluxe edition will receive a personal phone call from one of the guys in the band thanking them for their support. The deluxe edition comes in a limited-edition box with the CD, vinyl, T-shirt, laminate, poster, and patch.

Make sure you order now as there are less than 100 copies left!

"Retribution" is scheduled for release on September 15 via Everblack Industries, the label SHADOWS FALL created in conjunction with Warner Music Group's ILG, Ferret Music and ChannelZERO Entertainment.

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

"Retribution" track listing:

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

(Thanks: dvillero)

Tom Lipsky, who recently launched the Loud & Proud label (which is releasing new albums by RATT, METHODS OF MAYHEM and LYNYRD SKYNYRD through a marketing/distribution deal with Roadrunner Records), told Billboard.com that in marketing veteran acts, the key is "to go direct to the fans. Sometimes you don't have as much access to mass media outlets or extensive radio play so you have to a lot more direct marketing and retail marketing so that when people are shopping it is real obvious that there is new product available."

He said marketing around tour dates has always been a prime way to tout new product from veterans. "You can preach to the converted — 20,000 fans who have loved an artist forever so they are a captive audience," he told Billboard.com, adding that Twitter and MySpace, Facebook are valuable new tools. "Again you are preaching to the converted. Those outlets are great because it is not shotgun marketing. You are going directly to a specific group of people who you know love the artist."

Read more from Billboard.com.

On November 16, Danish rockers D-A-D celebrate their 25th anniversary by releasing their complete works in a box, "The Overmuch Box", containing 10 remastered studio albums:

* Call Of The Wild (1985)
* D.A.D. Draws A Circle (1987)
* No Fuel Left For The Pilgrims (1989)
* Riskin' It All (1991)
* Helpyourselfish (1995)
* Simpatico (1997)
* Everything Glows (2000)
* Soft Dogs (2002)
* Scare Yourself (2005)
* Monster Philosophy (2008)

The package will also contain D-A-D's first release ever, the EP "Standin' On The Never Never" (1985) — remastered and released on CD for the first time. "The Overmuch Box" will also contain the bonus album "Behind The Seen" (2009), featuring eight previously unreleased tracks plus 10 rare b-sides and bonus tracks. Also included will be a book in English about the life and times of D-A-D, based on a number of recent interviews with the band, by author Michael Valeur. The 160pages are generously illustrated by D-A-D bass player Stig Pedersen.

Besides the regular version, "The Overmuch Box" comes as a deluxe limited edition in a cow-skull-shaped metal box containing both "The Overmuch Box" and a cow-skull-shaped USB key. The 2GB USB contains all 10 studio albums, the "Standin' On The Never Never" EP, the "Behind The Seen" bonus album, plus ultra-rare live recordings, not available anywhere else!!!

D-A-D guitarist Jacob Binzer was interviewed by Rockalarm TV prior to the band's appearance at this year's Wacken Open Air festival, which was held July 30 - August 1, 2009 in Wacken, Germany. Watch the two-minute chat below.

"Monster Philosophy", the 10th studio album from D-A-D, was released on vinyl on December 1, 2008, featuring a double gatefold cover with heavyweight vinyl. The LP was made available in all good vinyl shops in Denmark, Finland, Sweden and Norway.

"Monster Philosophy" was produced by Jon "Joshua" Schumann, who has previously worked with MEW, KENT, KASHMIR and CARPARK NORTH, among others. The basic tracks were laid down in April in Long Branch, New Jersey and work continued at Mansion Studiet in Copenhagen, Denmark.

According to a posting on the LED ZEPPELIN fan site Lemon Squeezings, former ZEPPELIN singer Robert Plant performed "African-style" renditions of the band's classic songs "Black Dog" and "Whole Lotta Love" earlier tonight (Friday, September 11) at the Rockwell charity gig at London, England's O2 arena.

Fan-filmed video footage of Plant's appearance can be viewed below.

For one night only, Rockwell brought together some of the world's biggest bands and musicians. Performing never-to-be-repeated collaborations at the O2 were Plant, Ronan Keating, Lulu, Razorlight, Joss Stone, David Gray, Tom Jones, Gabriella Cilmi, Supergrass and many more.

Proceeds from the show will be donated to Nordoff-Robbins.

Nordoff-Robbins Music Therapy is the U.K.'s largest specialist music therapy charity, providing over 35,000 therapy sessions a year through its national centre in London and over 40 outreach projects nationwide. It also runs postgraduate training programs in music therapy and a research program with regular public courses and conferences.

"Hereditas", the new video from the São Paulo, Brazil-based grindcore band DESALMADO, can be viewed below. The song is the title cut of the group's latest EP, "Hereditas", which came out in 2008.

DESALMADO is currently writing material for the band's full-length debut, to be recorded in November. The group will also share the stage with Brazilian thrashers CLAUSTROFOBIA on October 2 (at Hangar 110) and open for Swedish metal veterans ENTOMBED, who are playing for the first time ever in Brazil on November 29 (at Hangar 110).

DESALMADO is:

Bruno Leandro - Guitar
Ricardo Nutzmann (ex-RHD) - Drums
Caio Augusttus - Vocals
Maria Piti (ex-CPL2, CAIXA PREGA) - Bass
Estevam Romera - Guitar

For more information, visit www.desalmado.com.br.

The video for "Check My Brain", the first official single from ALICE IN CHAINS much-anticipated new album, "Black Gives Way To Blue", will premiere this Monday, September 14 on MTV2 and MTVu. The clip, which was helmed by U2 and WHITE STRIPES video director Alex Courtes, will be shown on MTV2 at 6 a.m., and air again at 7 a.m., 8 a.m., 10 a.m., 3 a.m., 4 a.m., and 5 a.m.

The premiere starts on MTVu at 6 a.m. and continues throughout the day.

The video will also have homepage placement on MTV2.com, MTVu.com and MTVmusic.com on September 14 as well.

Regarding "Black Gives Way To Blue", new ALICE IN CHAINS singer William DuVall told The Flint Journal, "I think you can expect a really dense, really heavy but really ethereal and cathartic sonic experience.

"We took our time with this record. There was certainly no shortage of thoughts and feelings to address with everything that's gone down. It's a snapshot of our journey from early 2006 to this point right now. It's the story of our coming together. It's also the story of a band that is both celebrating its legacy but also opening the door to the future, and mourning the loss of a friend, one of the great singers of all time, Layne Staley. But it really is a testament to for every door that closes, there's another one that opens, if you chose to open it. They lost somebody but they also gained somebody."

On the topic of how he came to join ALICE IN CHAINS as the replacement for Layne Staley, who died of a drug overdose in 2002, DuVall said, "I've known [AIC guitarist Jerry] Cantrell for 10 years now. There's a long, long backstory that got us to that point. None of us saw this stuff coming. This is where it naturally evolved to, from even when I met him back in 2000. In the beginning of 2006, the four of us, Mike [Inez, bass], Sean [Kinney, drums], Cantrell and myself, we all came together and bonded on the road, in a way any real band should.

"This is the result. This is an honest look at our lives, unflinching look at a journey of personal growth and collective growth that it took for us to get here. Like I said before, I think it provides a lesson for people who want to see that lesson: You might get knocked down and from there you have a choice — you can lay there and die or you can get up and start walking. If you get up and start walking, life has a way of rewarding you. Even if you're walking through the desert, you're blind and you don't know where the hell you're going, you'll eventually come to an oasis if you keep putting one foot in front of the other. This is all that record has to say and more.

"Just the fact that we're putting it out at all, that it's seeing the light of day is the testament to how we feel about it," he added. "This was a totally self-funded, self-directed endeavor. At any point we could have pulled the plug. We weren't contractually obligated to anyone. There was no agenda being pushed from anyone on the outside. This was all us doing this thing for all the right reasons. Just the fact that it's coming out at all was a big thing."

Although there was no pressure from outside sources, ALICE IN CHAINS did put pressure on themselves to release a stellar record.

"We are our own worst critics," DuVall said. "We are gonna be harder on ourselves than anyone can possibly be on us. In that respect, certainly there was a lot of pressure. We want to do the best work we can. We only wanted to put something out that was going to add to the incredible legacy this group already has.

"In that respect there was pressure, but that's good pressure. That's the kind that makes you strive, and dig deeper and work harder. And we did. We put in the hours and we did the digging. It was painful sometimes. But I think the results are well worth it and I just mean that in terms of outside pressure. Had there been some label commissioning or demanding something from us, that would have tipped it over into something else that we wouldn't really want to be a part of. Luckily we are able to do this thing the way we wanted. It was that much more liberating and rewarding."

Read more from The Flint Journal.

Rob Zombie makes a guest appearance on "God & Guns", the new album from the legendary American rock outfit LYNYRD SKYNYRD, which is scheduled for release on September 29 via Loud & Proud/Roadrunner Records.

Regarding how the collaboration came about, LYNYRD SKYNYRD lead singer Johnny Van Zant told LiveDaily, "Rob Zombie, we met through John 5 [ROB ZOMBIE/ex-MARILYN MANSON guitarist] out at the Greek Theatre in Los Angeles. We were out there playing and just became friends. We had this crazy song called 'Floyd' that's on the album. We said, 'Man, that's kind of dark and mysterious; would Rob like to sing on the chorus?' Of course, he said yes. He just directed the new 'Halloween' movie. For him to take his time out of that was cool. Of course, he got paid a lot more for directing than singing on the LYNYRD SKYNYRD album. But it was quite an honor."

Zombie concurred: "It was an honor to be connected to this legendary band in any way. You all know how I love this band!"

"God & Guns" features 13 tracks embodying SKYNYRD's classic sound. It was recorded in Nashville, Tennessee with producer Bob Marlette (SHINEDOWN, OZZY OSBOURNE).

"God & Guns" marks LYNYRD SKYNYRD's first set of new studio material since 2003’s "Vicious Cycle".

2009 marks a key point in LYNYRD SKYNYRD's storied career. The band has enjoyed continued success and visibility in the past few years including a recent Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction. Their American rock anthem "Sweet Home Alabama" has passed the 2 million mark in downloaded ringtones. Their last single, "Red White & Blue", reached #1 on the rock chart. Last summer, the band co-headlined one of the most successful tours of the year with their good friend KID ROCK. High-profile appearances, including the show closer at last year's VH1 Fashion Rocks helped to expose the band to a younger audience. With a catalog of over 60 albums and sales beyond 30 million, LYNYRD SKYNYRD remains a major cultural icon that appeals to all generations.

Vocalist Joey Tempest of Swedish hard rockers EUROPE was IRON MAIDEN frontman Bruce Dickinson's guest earlier tonight (Friday, September 11) during Bruce's weekly BBC 6 Music radio program, dubbed "The Bruce Dickinson Friday Rock Show". You can now listen to the program at BBC.co.uk.

EUROPE performed on the summer TV show "Sommarkrysset" on Sweden's TV4 channel on September 5, 2009. Watch video footage of their appearance below.

"Last Look At Eden", the new album from EUROPE, will be released in Germany on September 18 via earMUSIC/Edel Germany GmbH. The CD will be issued in the U.K. on September 14.

"Last Look At Eden" track listing:

01. Prelude
02. Last Look at Eden
03. Gonna Get Ready
04. Catch that Plane
05. New Love in Town
06. The Beast
07. Mojito Girl
08. No Stone Unturned
09. Only Young Twice
10. U Devil U
11. Run With the Angels
12. In My Time

From the epic title track to the melodic ballad "New Love in Town", this album is on another level, less extreme than previous offering, 2006's "Secret Society", and with matured sound, "Last Look at Eden" is a mix of all the elements that have made EUROPE famous the world over.

Commented singer Joey Tempest: "This time we're taking a new direction with our songs, and we're exploring different styles. There is a definite classic rock vibe on several tracks on this album — a tip of the hat to groovin', funkin' '70s rock songs, with a modern twist."

He added: "We've got a couple of great ballads, plus some thundering rock tracks that will put you flat on your ass! We've taken the best bits from our recent albums and taken it to a new level 'Last Look at Eden' is more of a EUROPE album than 'Secret Society' or 'Start From The Dark'. We had to make those albums in order to do this."

Keith Carman of ChartAttack.com recently conducted an interview with MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

On the band's new album, "Endgame", and upcoming tour:

"I'm quite happy. The chemistry in the band is really working. I'm particularly excited because James [Lomenzo, bass] just came over and I said that since we have such a varied catalogue, we should just pick our most mind-blowing songs (for our upcoming tour with SLAYER)."

"We couldn't perform some [of the] songs [from the band's early catalog] for the big arenas because (they're) so fast, by the time we start the song and the intro hits the back of the room, the song's over on the stage.

"We want to make sure the shows are as great sounding as possible, so we've had to forego songs we want to play in order to give a better example of how we sound, what our songs are like, 'cause this is the only chance we get to show people what MEGADETH is about.

"We're gonna be adding a lot of old songs to the set; stuff you haven't seen for a long time. To me, that kind of stuff is really fun. We might add, 'These Boots Are Made For Walkin''. It's simple but there's so much haulin' ass at the end that you really have to be prepared to do it. You gotta come ready to work."

On the possibility of MEGADETH performing a medley of covers during their set:

"James thought the idea was great. He thought it would be interesting to do 'I Ain't Superstitious'. He said, 'At the end of a set, it's always great to do a cover song.' I'm like, 'Well, yeah... if you're not playing a 60-minute set with SLAYER and trying to squeeze every second of space to get a song in! Why do I want to do a song by JEFF BECK and a song by WILLIE DIXON when I could be doing a song by me? Know what I'm saying?'"

MOTÖRHEAD drummer Mikkey Dee is one of the contestants on "Kändisdjungeln", the Swedish version of the popular U.K. and U.S. reality-TV show "I'm a Celebrity…Get Me out of Here!". The series' first episode, which aired earlier tonight (Friday, September 11), can be viewed in five parts below.

Dee, 45, is sitting out most of MOTÖRHEAD's current North American tour in order to take part in "Kändisdjungeln", which is being filmed in the jungles of Malaysia. Filling in for him on the dates that he will miss is former GUNS N' ROSES and current VELVET REVOLVER drummer Matt Sorum.

"There was a breakdown in communication, really," MOTÖRHEAD frontman Lemmy Kilmister told Noisecreep. "Our management didn't know that he'd signed up for this when they booked the tour. We didn't want him to have to cancel, they might have sued him or something."

A total of 11 celebrities are appearing in the inaugural season of "Kändisdjungeln", including Mikkey, Swedish wine expert Bengt Frithiofsson and actress Inger "Pippi Långstrump" Nilsson.

Consisting of 16 episodes, "Kändisdjungeln" is expected to be one of biggest shows of the fall for TV4, which is Sweden's largest television network. The program's format allows viewers to vote, by phone, text message or TV interactive service for the celebrity to complete a physical task usually involving snakes, spiders or other animals and for the celebrity they would like to see win. The last celebrity, after all the others have been evicted, is the winner and is named king or queen of the jungle.

"Kändisdjungeln" contestants:

* Ann Söderlund
* Bengt Frithiofsson
* Catarina Hurtig
* Inger Nilsson
* Jannike Björling
* Karl Petter Bergvall
* Katarina Hultling
* Kennet Andersson
* Mikkey Dee
* Rafael Edholm
* Torleif Torstensson

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Part 2:



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Part 5:

More video footage of HAIL!'s September 8 concert at Voxhall in Aarhus, Denmark can be viewed below.

HAIL!'s current touring lineup includes guitarist Andreas Kisser (SEPULTURA), vocalist Tim "Ripper" Owens (JUDAS PRIEST, BEYOND FEAR, YNGWIE MALMSTEEN, ICED EARTH), bassist David Ellefson (F5, MEGADETH) and drummer Roy Mayorga (STONE SOUR, SOULFLY).

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

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

Encore:

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

Kisser recently stated about the band's Scandinavian tour, which kicked off in Trondheim, Norway on September 1, "We intentionally booked some shows in smaller cities because we realize that SEPULTURA and JUDAS PRIEST and MEGADETH could never play in some of these places, so we wanted to make the effort to give everybody a chance to come hang out with us and enjoy the show."

Due to previous touring commitments with ALICE COOPER, regular HAIL! drummer Jimmy DeGrasso was unable to make the Scandinavian trek.

Mayorga's ties to HAIL! run deep, having played with guitarist Andreas Kisser while filling in for the entire SEPULTURA 2006 European tour and also taking part in the Roadrunner Records 25th birthday bash in December 2005 with both Kisser and HAIL! frontman Tim "Ripper" Owens.

Commented Kisser: "I've known Roy for a long time and he's great, so when this situation came up to find a sub for Jimmy, we knew Roy would fit in perfectly."

Mayorga enthusiastically concurred: "When the guys asked me about playing these shows with them, I was thrilled! It is so cool what they are doing and to be able to help them out and fill in for Jimmy is truly an honor for me."

"Raising Hell", the new video from Miami, Florida's THICK AS BLOOD, can be viewed below.

Commented guitarist Randy Gonzalez: "For our 'Raising Hell' video, we decided to work with director Scott Hansen. Concept-wise, we went for something fun and crazy. Most bands in our genre always go for serious and evil videos so we decided to stray away from that. Filming the video was a blast, it was literally a party. Hopefully this shows everyone that THICK AS BLOOD is all about having a good time."

"Raising Hell" comes off THICK AS BLOOD's latest album, "Embrace", which was released on April 14 via Eulogy Recordings. The CD finds THICK AS BLOOD evolving into a much heavier, faster and more brutally honest band. The album was recorded, mixed and mastered at the infamous Machine Shop (LAMB OF GOD, EVERY TIME I DIE) in Weehawken, New Jersey. Drums were recorded at Nuthouse Studios in Hoboken, New Jersey. The track "Decimator" musically highlights their thrash/heavy metal influences while at the same time lyrically touching on their feelings toward deceivers. "Misery Loves Company" incorporates a whole new melodic side of THICK AS BLOOD while still bringing forth a new level of intensity and also lyrically dealing with envy and how pathetic it can make someone. "Embrace" also includes a special surprise that showcases another musical side of THICK AS BLOOD but still keepin' it street.

Formed in 2004, THICK AS BLOOD started out as a seven-man team but recently trimmed down their roster to five, bringing out a more focused sound. They released their debut album, "Moment Of Truth", in 2007, and toured the States numerous times, sharing stages with the likes of MADBALL, TERROR, BLEEDING THROUGH and many others.

Karl Sanders, founder of the extreme technical death metal band NILE, is offering one-on-one intermediate and advanced guitar lessons in Greenville, South Carolina.

Learn extreme metal:

* Techniques
* Theory
* Lead and Rhythm
* Advanced Harmonic Concepts
* Practice Techniques
* Band Dynamics
* Songwriting

The lessons are $35 for one half hour, and $60 for each full hour.

E-mail NileGuitarLessons@gmail.com for more information.

NILE is partnering up with longtime friends IMMOLATION and KRISIUN as well as ABIGAIL WILLIAMS and DREAMING DEAD for the first round of American tour dates in support of their new album, scheduled for worldwide release this fall on Nuclear Blast Records.

NILE's new CD was recorded at Mana Recording Studios in St. Petersburg, Florida with Erik Rutan (CANNIBAL CORPSE, MORBID ANGEL) and Neil Kernon (CANNIBAL CORPSE, NEVERMORE, DEICIDE).

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

Karl Sanders's second solo album, "Saurian Exorcisms", was released on April 14 via The End Records. The CD — which was recorded at Serpent Headed Studios, mixed by Bob Moore at the Soundlab in Columbia, South Carolina, and mastered by Juan Punchy Gonzalez at D.O.W. Studios in Tampa, Florida — contains nine carefully constructed dark cinematic songs that work in harmony to create a uniquely moving emotional experience.

NILE's fifth studio album, "Ithyphallic", came out on July 17, 2007 via Nuclear Blast. Engineered by Bob Moore and produced by Neil Kernon, the CD was recorded at Sound Lab Studios in Columbia, South Carolina.

Kansas City, Missouri hadrcore punk/metalcore band COALESCE will release the follow-up EP to its "Ox" album in November via Relapse Records. The "Ox" EP will include seven new tracks and will be available on CD and 12-inch vinyl.

In other news, COALESCE has announce a handful of U.S. shows, including two free shows with CAVE-IN. These Scion-presented dates will take place in Atlanta and Los Angeles on October 7 and October 8, respectively. COALESCE has also been confirmed for this year's The Fest in Gainesville, Florida as well as Austin, Texas' Fun Fun Fun Fest.

Terrorizer magazine's Jill Mikkelson conducted an interview with COALESCE vocalist Sean Ingram at this year's Hellfest, which was held on June 19-21, 2009 in Clisson, France. Watch the five-minute chat below.

"Ox", the first full-length album in 10 years from COALESCE, sold around 600 copies in the United States in its first week of release, according to Nielsen SoundScan. (Note: Internet/digital sales **ARE** included in the SoundScan totals.) The CD landed at position No. 95 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.

"Ox" was released on CD and LP on June 9 in North America and June 15 internationally via Relapse Records. The CD version is housed in a six-panel digipack with an embossed front cover and contains a 24-page booklet with seven distinctive die cuts. The LP comes in a gatefold jacket with embossed front cover and a custom-printed inner sleeve with a unique die cut center.

The follow-up to 1999's "0:12 Revolution In Just Listening", "Ox" was recorded with engineer Ed Rose at Blacklodge Studios and was mastered by Mike Fossenkemper at Turtle Tone.

Norway's TRAIL OF TEARS will support EPICA on the following Dutch dates:

Jan. 07 - Bibelot - Dordrecht, NETH
Jan. 08 - P60 - Amstelveen, NETH
Jan. 09 - Hedon - Zwolle, NETH
Jan. 10 - Tivoli - Utrecht, NETH

TRAIL OF TEARS will join forces with fellow Norwegian bands GOTHMINISTER and MAGENTA for the "Darkness, Bloodstains And Accidents" European tour in November/December.

TRAIL OF TEARS's sixth album, "Bloodstained Endurance", was recorded and mixed over a six-week period at Sound Suite Studio in Marseille, France with producer Terje Refsnes. Mastering duties were handled by Mika Jussila at Finnvox Studios in Finland. The cover artwork for the album, which was designed by acclaimed artist Travis Smith (AMORPHIS, OPETH, NEVERMORE), can be viewed below.

In 2007, TRAIL OF TEARS was rejoined by vocalist Cathrine Paulsen, who sang on the group's 2002 album, "A New Dimension of Might".

The Sunset Strip Music Festival kicked off last night (Thursday, September 10) at the House of Blues with a ceremony celebrating the legendary Ozzy Osbourne. Close friends like Billy Morrison, comedian Jim Norton, Henry Rollins, Tommy Lee, Slash, Billy Bob Thornton and, via video, Jimmy Kimmel and MOTÖRHEAD's Lemmy Kilmister all praised Ozzy's tremendous contributions as a member of BLACK SABBATH and solo artist, as well as a friend, husband and father. All had great Osbourne anecdotes to share, but perhaps Billy Bob Thornton said it best with his quip: "Who said the Prince of Darkness can't be a nice guy?" The ceremony concluded with Ozzy being presented with the Elmer Valentine award from Lou Adler, founder of The Roxy; yesterday was also proclaimed "Ozzy Osbourne Day" by the City of West Hollywood, which is hosting the three-day event. West Hollywood Council members on hand included Mayor Abbe Land, Mayor Pro Tempore John Heilman, Councilmember John J. Duran and Councilmember Lindsey Horvath.

Other guests on hand to honor Ozzy included past and present bandmates including close friend Bill Ward of BLACK SABBATH, along with Gabriel Byrne, David Spade, Michael Des Barres, THE DONNAS, SYSTEM OF A DOWN's John Dolmayan, CHELSEA GIRLS (Samantha Maloney, Corey Parks, Allison Robertson) and VAINS OF JENNA. The evening wrapped up a set from CAMP FREDDY and their special guests (Billy Morrison, Donovan Leitch, Chris Chaney, Mark McGrath, Kenny Aronoff, Steve Stevens, Corey Taylor, Steve Jones, John 5 and Franky Perez) performing songs that encompassed Ozzy's solo career ("Crazy Train") and BLACK SABBATH ("Iron Man").

In addition to The Strip's six signature music venues hosting diverse music lineups of 40 bands, the Sunset Strip (between Doheny Drive and San Vicente Blvd.) will be closed — for the first time ever — to host two concert stages on Saturday with performances from 10 acts, including a headlining set from Osbourne.

Check out pictures from Wire Image, Getty Images (Gallery#1, Gallery#2), Erik Voake.

Fangoria.com recently conducted an interview with Max Cavalera (SOULFLY, CAVALERA CONSPIRACY, SEPULTURA). A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

Fangoria.com: There was talk that SOULFLY was getting ready to do a new record, how's that coming along?

Cavalera: Little by little. Right now we're just getting some of the ideas together with some of the songs I composed while on tour over the past two years. We've got bits and pieces, lot's of riffs and things, but we'll begin seriously working on it at the beginning of November when we get off the road. We'll get right into the studio and start recording.

Fangoria.com: Will you be testing out some of the new ideas on the tour?

Cavalera: We might. It all depends on how much time we get for sound check during the first couple of shows. If we get enough time we can probably bash one out.

Fangoria.com: You're jumping right into this tour after coming out of a string of CAVALERA CONSPIRACY shows, and everyone is wondering if we'll see a second album come out of that project.

Cavalera: I don't have any plans right now, but maybe later on. I did some shows with that and they were awesome. We did some shows in Europe and Japan with really great crowd reaction. They were really into the album and they know it a lot more now. The way the CAVALERA operates is that we do some shows here and there — not often but for special occasions. We like to keep it like that, and it's cool to get together with Igor for awhile and then get right back to SOULFLY.

Fangoria.com: On the upcoming SOULFLY tour, you're bringing out some bands like PRONG for example. Did you have a hand in choosing who you'd be bringing out this time?

Cavalera: We had those bands come up in a list of bands we wanted to tour with, and I've always loved PRONG from back in the 90's and CATTLE DECAPITATION is one of the newer bands I've really been liking so they both accepted and I think we're going to have a lot of fun! I'm really looking forward to playing with them.

Fangoria.com: Back to music, you said that you'd be jumping back into the studio right after the tour. How long does it normally take you to track a new record, and when can we expect to hear some new SOULFLY?

Cavalera: Recording will be November and December, so it should be the beginning of next year. That's about how long it'll take to get the mixing, mastering, and artwork done. We're recording in California this time, and it will be mixed in England. Once all the parts are in place we'll set a release date. It's still a little bit of time.

Fangoria.com: Is the same lineup from the last album in place with Bobby, Marc, and Joe?

Cavalera: It's the same lineup. I actually didn't plan on it, but I've become really comfortable with those guys. Marc [Rizzo, guitar] gets better on each album, and there's a really good friendship within the band. It wasn't planned, but we're all friends now so it's the same lineup since 2005.

Read the entire interview from Fangoria.com.

A teaser for "Taste Of Ashes", the new video from the Knoxville, Tennessee-based female-fronted metal/hardcore act STRAIGHT LINE STITCH, can be viewed below. The clip was helmed by famed music video director Dale "Rage" Resteghini and features a guest appearance by HATEBREED frontman Jamey Jasta.

STRAIGHT LINE STITCH's debut album, "When Skies Wash Ashore", was released in August 2008 via E1 Music (formerly Koch Records) under the newly created Raging Nation Records imprint. The CD was recorded at Millbrook Sound Studios in Millbrook, New York with producer Rob Caggiano (ANTHRAX, CRADLE OF FILTH, 36 CRAZYFISTS).

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

Guitarist Craig Goldy will be unable to join DIO — the band fronted by legendary heavy metal vocalist Ronnie James Dio (HEAVEN & HELL, BLACK SABBATH, RAINBOW) — on the road in Europe in November/December due to Craig's prior touring commitments with BUDGIE in Australia. Filling in for Goldy on the DIO trek will be WHITESNAKE/ex-DIO axeman Doug Aldrich.

Aldrich will join Ronnie James Dio, Rudy Sarzo, Simon Wright and Scott Warren for the following shows:

Nov. 21 - Glasgow, Scotland, Academy
Nov. 22 - Sheffield, UK, Academy
Nov. 24 - London, UK, Forum
Nov. 25 - Birmingham, UK, Academy
Nov. 27 - Manchester, UK, Academy
Nov. 28 - Lincoln, UK, Engine Shed
Nov. 30 - Bristol, UK, Academy
Dec. 01 - Antwerp, Belgium, Trix Hall
Dec. 02 - Tilburg, Holland, 013
Dec. 04 - Oslo, Norway, Sentrum Scene
Dec. 05 - Bergen, Norway, Peer Gynt
Dec. 07 - Gothenburg, Sweden, Tradgarn
Dec. 08 - Malmö, Sweden, Kulturbolaget
Dec. 09 - Stockholm, Sweden, Debaser
Dec. 12 - Tampere, Finland, Pakkahoune
Dec. 13 - Helsinki, Finland, Cable Factory
Dec. 16 - Bremen, Germany, Aladin
Dec. 18 - Nurnberg, Germany, Lowenssal
Dec. 19 - Reichenbach, Germany, H20
Dec. 20 - Munich, Germany, Tonhalle

More dates will be announced soon.

DIO's "Killing The Dragon" album from 2002 was released in June on limited-edition vinyl with a gatefold pop-up cover via Night Of The Vinyl Dead. Only 500 hand-numbered copies were manufactured.

"Killing The Dragon" was originally released by Spitfire Records.

DIO's "The Very Beast of Dio" was officially certified gold by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) on March 11, 2009 for shipments in the United States in excess of 500,000 copies.

Issued in October 2000, "The Very Beast of Dio" is the second greatest-hits collection CD — and the first to be released in the U.S. — from the Ronnie James Dio-fronted band.

DIO's last release was the "Holy Diver Live" CD, featuring a performance of the classic "Holy Diver" album in its entirety, from start to finish, recorded live for the very first time in 2005 in front of a sold-out London crowd. It also includes, among others, "Heaven & Hell", "Sign of the Southern Cross" and "Mob Rules" from vocalist Ronnie James Dio's BLACK SABBATH days, "Tarot Woman", "Man on the Silver Mountain" and "Long Live Rock 'N' Roll" from the RAINBOW era and "We Rock" from his solo career.

Video footage of DIO's May 30, 2008 performance in Oslo, Norway can be viewed below.

According to the SLAYER fan site Slayerized.com, SLAYER has scheduled the following shows in Japan and Germany:

Oct. 18 - Tokyo, JPN @ Loud Park / Makuhari Messe
Oct. 19 - Tokyo, JPN @ Studio Coast
Oct. 20 - Osaka, JPN @ IMP Hall
Nov. 28 - Hamburg, GER @ Docks
Nov. 29 - Wiesbaden, GER @ Schlachthof
Dec. 03 - Munich, GER @ Zenith
Dec. 05 - Berlin, GER @ Columbiahalle

More European dates in November and December are expected to be announced soon.

SLAYER will release its new album, "World Painted Blood", in the U.S. on November 3 (one day earlier internationally) via American Recordings/Columbia Records.

The final track listing for the CD is as follows:

01. World Painted Blood
02. Unit 731
03. Snuff
04. Beauty Through Order
05. Hate Worldwide
06. Public Display Of Dismemberment
07. Human Strain
08. Americon
09. Psychopathy Red
10. Playing With Dolls
11. Not Of This God

"As we're so excited about 'World Painted Blood'," said drummer Dave Lombardo, "we wanted to do something special for the packaging, and have been working with some really cool ideas. They've taken time to get just right, and with our headlining the Mayhem tour for most of the summer, it's just taken that much longer to get all these great ideas exactly the way we want them."

There will be three different editions of "World Painted Blood" —a limited-edition CD with multiple CD covers, a deluxe edition CD/DVD, and a high-quality, 180-gram vinyl edition; specifics for all editions will be detailed shortly.

"We hope our fans will like everything about 'World Painted Blood' as much as we do," Lombardo continued. "Recording this new album has been one of the greatest experiences we've had as a band. We were together during the writing process more than we had been for past albums, we worked more collectively, everyone's suggestions and ideas were heard and considered, and that camaraderie is definitely heard in the new album."

"World Painted Blood" was recorded in Los Angeles over two time periods, during October 2008 and then between late January and March 2009. The CD was produced by Greg Fidelman, who's spent time in the studio with METALLICA, THE GOSSIP, THE (INTERNATIONAL) NOISE CONSPIRACY, SLIPKNOT and others, and executive-produced by longtime SLAYER colleague Rick Rubin, who suggested Fidelman for the project.

Relapse Records will release a collection of recordings from the Swedish death metal outfit NIRVANA 2002. The highly underrated yet influential band only released a series of demos and splits during their existence through the late '80s and early '90s. This collection, "Recordings 89-91", will compile almost all of the band's recorded works onto one disc, including previously unreleased songs and a brand new remix of their legendary demo "Disembodied Spirits".

NIRVANA 2002's vocalist/guitarist Orvar Säfström (who later joined ENTOMBED) commented on "Recordings 89-91": "It's been 20 years since the first recordings on this CD were made. Last summer three middle aged guys sneaked into an old rehearsal space in Edsbyn, Sweden. They shared a quart of rum and played old school death metal all night. That night I felt it all coming back to me. The excitement and the all-out exhilarating fury of playing in a death metal band. I felt alive. I felt like a kid again."

"Recordings 89-91" features extensive liner notes from Säfström in addition to an introduction from Tomas Lindberg (AT THE GATES, DISFEAR). This collection will be available on CD and a limited run of LPs.

"Recordings 89-91" is set for a November 10 North American release, November 16 internationally, and is available for pre-order at this location.

NIRVANA 2002 audio samples can be heard online now via the band's MySpace page.

KISS guitarist/vocalist Paul Stanley was interviewed on today's edition of "The Morning Show" on Chicago, Illinois' WGN-TV. Watch video footage of his appearance below.

KISS' new album, "Sonic Boom", will be released in Europe on October 5 via Loud & Proud/Roadrunner Records. The CD will be made available on October 6 in the U.S. and Canada exclusively via Wal-Mart, Walmart.com and Sam's Club retail locations.

"Sonic Boom", produced by guitarist/vocalist Paul Stanley in Los Angeles, is the centerpiece of a three-disc set that also features a completely re-recorded greatest hits CD (previously available in Japan) as well as a live DVD shot in Argentina during the band's recent, record-breaking KISS Alive 35 South American tour. The CD set will retail for $12, with pre-orders starting in September on Walmart.com.

Wal-Mart, one of America's largest music retailers, is finalizing its exciting plans now for its in-store and online destinations for KISS fans surrounding the launch of the new album and tour, and will host various KISS products in addition to their music in its stores this fall. More details on Wal-Mart KISS activity, announcements regarding album pre-sales, sweepstakes and KISS appearances will be shared shortly.

The "Sonic Boom" cover art was created by Michael Doret, who also designed the band's classic "Rock And Roll Over" album cover.

ALICE IN CHAINS has scheduled the following dates:

Nov. 19 - Tilburg, Holland - 013
Nov. 20 - Antwerp, Belgium - Trix Zaal
Nov. 21 - Weisbaden, Germany - Schlachthof
Nov. 24 - Prague, Czech Republic - Lucerna
Nov. 25 - Warsaw, Poland - Stodola
Nov. 27 - Budapest, Hungary - Petofi Csarnok
Nov. 29 - Vienna, Austria - Gasometer
Nov. 30 - Munich, Germany - Thearterfabrick
Dec. 02 - Milan, Italy - Alcatraz
Dec. 03 - Fribourg, Switzerland - Fri-son
Dec. 04 - Paris, France - Bataclan

ALICE IN CHAINS will be IRON MAIDEN frontman Bruce Dickinson's guests on Friday, September 25 during Bruce's weekly BBC 6 Music radio program, dubbed "The Bruce Dickinson Friday Rock Show". Listen to the broadcast live via the Internet between 9:00 p.m. and 12:00 a.m. (midnight) U.K. time at BBC.co.uk.

As previously reported, ALICE IN CHAINS will celebrate the release of its highly anticipated new album, "Black Gives Way To Blue", with an outdoor mini-concert on ABC-TV's "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" on Tuesday, September 29 (which will actually air the morning of Wednesday, September 30).

If you pre-order ALICE IN CHAINS' new album, "Black Gives Way To Blue", via iTunes, you will receive two exclusive bonus tracks: "Your Decision" (live) and "Black Gives Way To Blue (Elton John Piano Mix)".

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

"Black Gives Way To Blue" arrives in stores on September 29 and is the first all-new ALICE IN CHAINS album in 14 years.

The disc features the recording debut with the group of singer and guitarist William DuVall. Original frontman Layne Staley died in 2002.

Singer Shmoulik Avigal (THE RODS, JACK STARR, PICTURE) has completed work on the new AVIGAL album titled "Gates of Hell", featuring Dick Reome on guitar, Carl Canedy (THE RODS) on drums and Mark Denson on bass. The band is currently in the rehearsal studio working very hard on building a killer live set.

Due to a prior commitment to THE RODS, Canedy could not join AVIGAL in the rehearsal studio. A new drummer, Chad Turtur from the band SEPTEMBERS ASH, was brought in to join the band permanently.

Shmoulik stated: "I'm done with the mixing and it's great. I am also negotiating with few record labels to get the best deal I can get for the release of the CD."

Two songs from the forthcoming CD — "Unbroken" and "Gates of Hell" — are available for streaming at this location.

For more information, visit www.shmoulik.com.

(Thanks: Metalrockx)

SKINDRED's video for song "Stand For Something" can be viewed below. The track, which is available for streaming on the Welsh ragga-metallers' MySpace page, comes off the band's new mini-album, "Shark Bites and Dog Fights", which is scheduled for release on September 22 via Bieler Bros. Records. The record will contain eight songs, including "Who Are You?" and "Calling All Stations". It was produced by Matt LaPlant (SIKTH) at Bieler Bros. Studios in Pompano Beach, Florida.

Check out the cover artwork below.

SKINDRED released "Electric Avenue", a cover of the classic EDDY GRANT song, through MySpace in January 2009.

"Electric Avenue" became a cross-Atlantic smash, topping the charts in both the U.S. and U.K. The original most recently gained notoriety by being prominently featured in the hit Seth Rogen comedy "Pineapple Express".