Former CELTIC FROST and current TRIPTYKON frontman Tom Gabriel Fischer has issued the following update:

"This past Tuesday, I returned to Woodshed Studio in Bavaria, Germany, for the third time since we began studio work on TRIPTYKON's debut album, 'Eparistera Daimones', in summer. While briefly back in Zurich, I finalized the album's artwork, and we recorded the piano, violin, and female vocals that will be featured in some of the songs. As Nadine Rimlinger played the violin on Saturday, it was impossible not to feel transferred back to 1987, when we recorded the classical musicians for [CELCTIC FROST's] 'Into The Pandemonium'. Even though we are producing a much darker and heavier album this time around, some of the sounds created by Nadine were at times eerily reminiscent of such era past.

"The week in Zurich ended appropriately. Our friends in the incomparable PANTHEON I played in Zurich, and that same night, we made new friends in fellow touring act ZOROASTER, who sound much like a staggering, modern incarnation of HELLHAMMER.

"Now, back in Germany, we have commenced mixing the songs we recorded during prior sessions. It is a challenging and complex album to mix, not just because of its musical content. But this mixing session is at the same time also one of the most intriguing I have ever been a part of.

"This is an unusual album, for better or for worse, in a very distinctive context.

"It is winter here, cold, dark, and wet. An utterly perfect setting, then, for tomorrow's mixing session of 'The Prolonging', all 19 morbid, lumbering minutes of it."

"Eparistera Daimones" is being produced by Fischer and TRIPTYKON guitarist V. Santura. The album is currently scheduled for release in spring of 2010, through the group's own label, Prowling Death Records (home of HELLHAMMER and CELTIC FROST).

TRIPTYKON was created specifically to continue and further evolve the darkness invoked by its immediate precursors, seminal black/extreme metal pioneers HELLHAMMER and CELTIC FROST. Accordingly, TRIPTYKON's first album is a persistent development of the virulent and towering musical darkness perpetuated not only by Warrior's early work but also within his extensive contributions to CELTIC FROST's highly acclaimed "Monotheist" album. As expected, a significant part of the music on the album consists of material written by Warrior during the past few years and originally intended for "Monotheist"'s successor. This is balanced by new, original music written by Warrior and Santura since TRIPTYKON's inception.

Although the group has so far proceeded in virtual concealment, the music for "Eparistera Daimones" has been described as akin to a bleak, black ocean of heaviness, accentuated by moments of unexpected grace. Other songs tentatively set to appear on TRIPTYKON's debut album are, among others, "Myopic Empire", "Among Veiled Spirits", "Sepultus", "Abyss Within My Soul", "Goetia" and "A Thousand Lies".

TRIPTYKON will follow the release of "Eparistera Daimones" with a number of festival appearances and a full tour. The group's onstage debut is scheduled to take place as part of the renowned Roadburn festival in April 2010.

For further information, visit www.triptykon.net.

DENIM AND LEATHER, the Las Vegas-based metal tribute band that plays "true and classic metal cover songs," has parted ways with drummer Rob Daley and has replaced him with Matt Muntean. The group states, "Matt is a very skilled and exciting drummer and we are looking forward to doing great things with him on board. Be on the lookout for upcoming shows not only in the Nevada/California areas but Texas and Arizona as well."

DENIM AND LEATHER is:

James Rivera (HELSTAR, SEVEN WITCHES) - Vocals
Mark Simpson (FLOTSAM AND JETSAM, BEAUTIFUL CREATURES) Guitar
Jeremy Varao (MERCYKILL) - Guitar
Jeff Baker (KINGS CHAMBER, AGGRESSOR) - Bass
Matt Muntean - Drums

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

German gothic metallers CREMATORY are putting the finishing touches on a new studio album, "Infinity", for a February 2010 release. The CD will include one or two songs with German-language lyrics and a special cover version of DEPECHE MODE's "Black Celebration".

To celebrate its 20th anniversary, CREMATORY will in February 2011 release a "greatest-hits" CD and DVD featuring all of the band's "hits," promotional videos and other bonus features.

"Pray", the 2008 album from CREMATORY, entered the German Media Control chart at position No. 64. The CD was produced by the band itself at the Kohlekeller Studios with additional assistance from longtime collaborator Christian "Kohle" Kohlmannslehner.

Metal Injection recently conducted an interview with Brendon Small, co-creator of "Metalocalypse", the smash hit animated series on Adult Swim featuring the fictitious metal band DETHKLOK. Watch the chat below.

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

"Dethalbum II" was released on September 29 via Williams Street Records. The effort features 12 full-length tracks detailing DETHKLOK's exploits in murder, mayhem and all things brutal. Written by Small and recorded alongside legendary drummer Gene Hoglan, "Dethklok: Dethalbum II" was released as both a standard edition and a two-disc deluxe edition on CD and digital download. Additionally, a limited-edition vinyl of the album was released in to local record shops. The deluxe edition includes a bonus DVD with 52 minutes of never-before-released music videos featured in the 2008 DETHKLOK tour.

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

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

Kristen Dunleavy of myYearbook recently conducted an interview with MUDVAYNE bassist Ryan Martinie. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

myYearbook: What made you decide to release a self-titled album after all these years?

Ryan: Well, that's interesting. I think the feeling within the band is that this is a good representation of where we've come from. Historically speaking, I think we feel it's an important record for us. When we look back on this one, it will have something special for each one of us. It holds a lot of personal gravity to it.

myYearbook: This is the first album ever to black light reactive ink on the packaging. Whose idea was that?

Ryan: That was Mr. [Chad] Gray [vocals]; he's always full of shit and full of wonderful ideas.

myYearbook: Does that concept hold a deeper meaning?

Ryan: That's up for debate. That's for everyone else to decide. There's always a bit of that in all art. It's not about what it means to me or what it means to any of us; it's really about every single person's own interpretation of what it is. We've always tried to leave things pretty open-ended. We're not trying to tell you how to think or what you should do. Whether it's a painting or a movie or a song or a band, you have to build your own relationship with it. What anyone else thinks should have no bearing on what any individual thinks about this work or any other work of art for that matter.

myYearbook: How would you say this record compares to "New Game"?

Ryan: Making comparisons is not something we do with our own records; I don't think that serves us very well. That gets into dangerous territory — maybe this won't be as good, or this one's way better. I don't think in those terms. This is an individual album that has its own space and its own vibe. Is it comparable? I don't know. Once again, that's up for everyone else to decide. This record has some things on it that we haven't done; I can say that with certainty. I'm very proud of the things that are on this record that I think pushed our band outside the box that is MUDVAYNE.

myYearbook: Jeremy Parker was your producer. What did he bring to the table?

Ryan: Jeremy's a friend, we've known Jeremy for years now and he's got a great creative mind. He's a sax player so he's got the musicality of an artist but also that technical side that can really make things happen in a studio setting. There's an exciting vibe for each member on any given song, any given situation, any given day. We're just normal people. We have our moods and are scared to death of recording certain songs. You're so nerved-out because you record something that stays forever, so you're overly concerned and neurotic about the process. He facilitates getting through all of that with each individual.

myYearbook: Did you do anything differently to prepare for this album?

Ryan: No, I don't think so. Our tried-and-true method is really that there is no method at all. Being open and honest and allowing the songs to decide where they want to go is the most important thing we do. Trying to control something — and even that word, control — I think that's a derogatory term when you're talking about art or songwriting. Allowing the songs to come forward and have a life of their own is how we approach every record, every song.

myYearbook: Did any events in your own lives influence this album?

Ryan: I don't think you can separate yourself from the experiences that you have. Our brains are like hard drives, I think. You can hit delete, you can do whatever, and it's still there. Whether we can access the information we've been exposed to or not, it's still imprinted on our brain. To say any one thing is more important, I don't know that our brains work that way. I'll speak for myself and say that mine doesn't.

Read the entire interview at myYearbook.

Oakland, California sludge metal trio HIGH ON FIRE has set "Snakes For The Divine" as the tentative title of its fifth studio album and follow-up to 2007's "Death Is This Communion". The CD was recorded with producer Greg Fidelman (METALLICA, SLAYER, JOHNNY CASH) at The Pass Studios in Los Angeles and is slated for a February 2010 release via E1 Music (formerly KOCH Records). The artwork is once again being created by Arik Roper.

"We went a little over-aggressive with the drumming, and me and [bassist] Jeff [Matz] collaborated a lot more throughout the songwriting process," HIGH ON FIRE frontman Matt Pike tells AOL's Noisecreep. "We went for a more aggressive approach. It's what we do well. We went for a heavier, ballsier, faster-paced sound that still has a lot of cleverness to it ... there are lots of stops and stalls, crazy licks. It's really heavy, a little more aggressive than our last album, a little less psychedelic. For the most part, the songs are amazing."

Working with Fidelman was a pleasure, says Pike. "He's a genius," the singer says. "He knows what he's doing. We thought we'd butt heads but we ended up seeing eye-to-eye on a lot of things."

Fan-filmed video footage of HIGH ON FIRE performing a brand new song, entitled "Frost Hammer", on October 6, 2009 in Calgary, Alberta, Canada can be viewed below.

HIGH ON FIRE is currently on the road with Atlanta's MASTODON and DETHKLOK — the animated death metal band from Adult Swim's "Metalocalypse". Hailed as "one of the most highly-anticipated tours of the year," the Adult Swim Presents trek kicked off on October 2 in Portland, Oregon and is bringing mayhem and destruction to local venues throughout the nation. Adding even more layers to this fall's top metal tour, CONVERGE is opening each show.

Vocalist Angela Gossow of Swedish/German extreme metallers ARCH ENEMY was recently interviewed by Andrew Haug of Triple J's "The Racket". Listen to the program in streaming audio at the Triple J web site: Windows Media, Real Media (NOTE: The first part of the Gossow interview begins around the one-hour, 39-minute mark). Check out the program's entire playlist at this location.

ARCH ENEMY's "The Root Of All Evil" album registered the following first-week chart positions:

Germany: #84
Sweden: #69
Japan: #7 (international artist chart)
Japan: #21 (combined chart)

"The Root Of All Evil" sold around 1,500 copies in the United Staes in its first week of release, according to Nielsen SoundScan. It features re-recorded versions of songs from the band's first three LPs — "Black Earth" (1996), "Stigmata" (1998) and "Burning Bridges" (1999). Acclaimed British producer Andy Sneap (MEGADETH, TESTAMENT, EXODUS) mixed and mastered the CD, which was recorded at a few different locations in Sweden and produced by ARCH ENEMY with Daniel Erlandsson and Rickard Bengtsson handling the engineering.

The Japanese edition of "The Root Of All Evil", which was made available on September 30, features five bonus tracks, including cover versions of "Wings Of Tomorrow" (EUROPE) and "Walk In The Shadows" (QUEENSRŸCHE).

ARCH ENEMY will embark on a European headlining run in December with support from DESTRUCTION, ABIGAIL WILLIAMS and TRIOSPHERE.

Fan-filmed video footage of ARCH ENEMY's October 10, 2009 performance at the Mass Deathtruction festival in Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium can be viewed below (courtesy of "letthemetalflow").

Last week, Scotty "Bunz Of" Steele of Spokane, Washington's Rock 94 1/2 radio station conducted an interview with vocalist Brian Fair of Massachusetts metallers SHADOWS FALL. The chat is now available for streaming in two parts below.

SHADOWS FALL's new album, "Retribution", sold around 13,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 35 on The Billboard 200 chart.

"Retribution" was released on September 15 via Everblack Industries, the label SHADOWS FALL created in conjunction with Warner Music Group's ILG, Ferret Music and ChannelZERO Entertainment. The CD was produced by Chris "Zeuss" Harris (HATEBREED, MUNICIPAL WASTE), with vocal production by Elvis Baskette (INCUBUS, ALTER BRIDGE). The cover artwork was created by Sons of Nero (UNEARTH, EVERY TIME I DIE, BRING ME THE HORIZON).

Brian Fair interviewed by Scotty "Bunz Of" Steele of Rock 94 1/2 radio station (click on player below to launch audio):

Part 1:



Part 2:

Director Peter M. Margolis of Dakota Pictures is rapidly approaching the final stages of editing and post-production on "Randy Rhoads: Last Train Home" (working title), the long-awaited documentary film on the life of celebrated rock guitarist Randy Rhoads (OZZY OSBOURNE, QUIET RIOT). Margolis is reaching out to anyone who may have a candid photo of Rhoads to contribute to the film. He seems to have an abundance of photos of Randy on stage but would love to have some more off-stage photos of Randy, such as Randy in a hotel lobby, at a record signing or backstage at a concert. Anything in focus would be greatly appreciated.

If you have anything similar to what is described above, e-mail Peter at his MySpace page.

Margolis and his crew started filming on March 19, 2007, when hundreds of fans gathered at Rhoads' grave in San Bernardino, California to commemorate the 25th anniversary of his death. Since then, Margolis has filmed more than 100 interviews, with Rhoads' family and friends and people who worked with him. The list of names includes Kelli Garni, the original bassist in QUIET RIOT; Carlos Cavazo, the guitarist in the "Metal Health" line-up of QUIET RIOT; Sarzo and his brother Robert, who was considered as a replacement for Rhoads in Ozzy's band; Jodi Raskin, Rhoads' girlfriend at the time of his death; Grover Jackson, whose company made Rhoads' signature guitars; Randy's brother Kelle, who's wearing the silver "RR" ring Rhoads had on when he died; and MOUNTAIN guitarist and '70s legend Leslie West, one of Rhoads' idols.

A number of photos taken at Randy Rhoads's gravesite at the Mountain View Cemetery in San Bernardino, CA on March 19, 2007 have been posted online at this location.

In 1982, Rhoads, the then-lead guitarist for OZZY OSBOURNE, and two others were killed at Flying Baron Estates, just outside Leesburg, Florida, when their small plane struck Osbourne's tour bus, then crashed into a mansion.

(Thanks: Fullshred)

"The World Outside", the new video from Arizona's EYES SET TO KILL, can be viewed below. The clip was directed by Black Fawn Films' Chad Archibald (ARISE AND RUIN, FAREWELL TO FREEWAY) and Philip Carrer in Los Angeles.

"Shooting the video brought the song to life for me personally since the song is about being overwhelmed with change," says EYES SET TO KILL's Alexia Rodriguez. "It was cool too express it through visual media, which allowed for a dramatic performance with zombies and violence."

"The World Outside", the sophomore album from EYES SET TO KILL, sold 2,400 copies in the United States in its first week of release, according to Nielsen SoundScan. The CD landed at position No. 9 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.

Written and recorded by the band in Los Angeles with producer Dave Aguilera (ex-OTEP, BLEED THE DREAM) and mixed by Thom Flowers (THE ATARIS), "The World Outside" showcases the band's evolution from their screamo beginnings into powerful songwriters that resonate raw emotion.

"There were things that I put into this record that I've never told anyone before, not even my sister or some of my best friends," said Alexia. "Writing was like therapy to me, because there are times when I feel so alone that I don't know how to express myself other than through music. This is who I am and what I do."

Fan-filmed video footage of SCAR SYMMETRY's November 3, 2009 performance at Atak in Enschede, Holland can be viewed below (clips uploaded by Erhan Düzey).

SCAR SYMMETRY's latest album, "Dark Matter Dimensions", came out on October 2 via Nuclear Blast Records.

The song "Noumenon & Phenomenon" was released as a digital download single on September 18, backed by "Nonhuman Era".

For "Dark Matter Dimensions", SCAR SYMMETRY wanted "more of an in-your-face and organic-sounding album this time around, and I think we managed to create an album like that," drummer Henrik Ohlsson told AOL's Noisecreep. "We kind of lost some of the edge and aggression on the previous album and now we've taken it all back! I mean, we've kept all the key ingredients of our sound on 'Dark Matter Dimensions', but we've taken it all one step further by writing better songs than ever and bringing in some cool stuff that you haven't heard before in SCAR SYMMETRY."

SCAR SYMMETRY parted ways with singer Christian Älvestam last year due to "business and creative differences and lack of interpersonal chemistry." The band explained at the time, "We came to a point where the band's existence was in jeopardy because of these differences, and the only way for us to continue with an inspired state of mind was to go through with this change in the lineup."

Christian has since been replaced by Roberth Karlsson (lead growl vocals and backing clean vocals) and Lars Palmqvist (lead clean vocals and backing growl vocals).

SCAR SYMMETRY's previous album, "Holographic Universe", debuted at No. 33 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.

SPIRALARMS, the San Francisco Bay Area-based band featuring Craig Locicero (FORBIDDEN, ex-MANMADEGOD) on guitar, Tim Narducci (ex-SYSTEMATIC) on vocals, Chris "Cornbread" Lombardo on bass, and Brad Barth on keyboards, has scheduled the following dates:

Nov. 06 - Modesto Virtual - Modesto, California
Nov. 07 - Time Out - Concord, California
Nov. 20 - The Blue Lagoon - Santa Cruz, California

Commented Locicero: "I want to invite anyone who's even remotely close to SPIRALARMS first two Bay Area gigs in a long, long time, to get off your collective asses and be a part of something special.

"A lot of crazy things happened to us in the last couple of years. Tim and Cornbread made a record and toured the U.S. with WHITE WITCH CANYON, twice. I've been getting my metal on and have toured Europe, the States and Japan with FORBIDDEN. Brad has been gettin' his shit kickers out jamming with PAUL TOLLE AND THE DEAD MAN BAND. We have two new members in Greg Narducci (sound like somebody's bro?) on rhythm guitar and Ron Redeen [who has previously played with THE ESSENESS PROJECT, the band featuring former NEVERMORE/TESTAMENT and current FORBIDDEN guitarist Steve Smyth] on drums. And we almost tumbled out of existence before we took a good look at what we had. Something we believe to be very cool.

"We've been working very hard and put ourselves back together stronger than ever!

"SPIRAL is almost done with the recording process of our first full-length record, 'Highest Society'. It is, simply, a motherfucker! The record that Tim and I have been trying to make since we started playing together in 2004. Just too many bumps in the road to ever get done properly, until now. This is our baby. More straight-ahead and raw then anything recorded previously by the band. And there was some really great stuff in that catalogue of material. But we've moved on from those early days and refined our sound.

"So, back to the dirty, dank, beer- and vomit-stenched clubs for us! Maybe it's not the dream setting for us and our arena rock hooks, but we've gotta re-start it up all over again just like this. Playing in front of human beings with a heartbeat and soul will be massively gratifying! In other words, we couldn't be happier!"

"Highest Society" will be released through Luxury Buzz, the new label started by Narducci and Barth. Songtitles set to appear on the CD include "Blood And Wine", "Later On", "Live Another Day", "Scorpio", "Sleep Of The Just", "Silver Sky", "All That You Seek", "Dirty Bomb" and "Got It All Wrong".

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

Norwegian thrashers MANIFEST entered Trøndertun Studio on August 8 with producer Knut Prytz to begin recording their new album. 11 tracks are being recorded for the CD, which is tentatively due in early 2010.

New video footage from the recording studio can be viewed below.

MANIFEST in March announced the addition of bassist Johnny Wangberg (GRIFFIN, WATTAMEZZ) to the group's ranks.

Johnny made his live debut with MANIFEST on March 7 in the band's hometown of Trondheim.

MANIFEST's most recent album, "Hedonism", came out in Norway on December 3, 2007 via Morningstar Records. The follow-up to 2005's "Half Past Violence" was recorded at Spiren Studio with producer Knut "Fug" Prytz. Audio samples from the CD are available for streaming on the band's MySpace page.

According to Hits Daily Double, the companion web site of music industry tip sheet HITS, SLAYER's new album, "World Painted Blood", is on track to sell between 35,000 and 40,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release.

SLAYER's last CD, "Christ Illusion", opened with more than 62,000 units to debut at position No. 5 on The Billboard 200 chart. This was the highest position ever on the chart for SLAYER, who previously reached No. 8 with their 1994 release "Divine Intervention" after moving 93,000 copies of that album in its first week.

SLAYER's 2001 album, "God Hates Us All", registered a first-week tally of 51,000 to land at No. 28, while 1998's "Diabolus In Musica" opened with 46,000 units, debuting at No. 31.

"God Hates Us All" and its predecessor, "Diabolus In Musica", have each sold more than 300,000 copies so far. Several of the earlier SLAYER albums have been certified gold for sales in excess of 500,000 copies in the United States, including "Divine Intervention".

For the fourth time, Close-Up Båten will sail from Stockholm, Sweden to Finland on February 25, 2010 and return the following day.

Confirmed acts so far:

DARK TRANQUILLITY
CULT OF LUNA
BULLET
DEATHSTARS
TRIBULATION

One more major act will be announced for Close-Up Båten, once again packed with 2,000 partying metalheads.

Close-Up Båten will mark the first show of DARK TRANQUILLITY's next world tour.

"It will definitely be the very first time we play songs from our forthcoming album, which will probably be released on February 22," says vocalist Mikael Stanne. "We absolutely view this as a release gig and start of our next world tour. The timing is perfect as the album's being released right around that time. We had such a blast the last time we played on Close-Up Båten in 2007 and thought it would be perfect to return to live action there."

CULT OF LUNA is currently taking an extended break from touring, but will make an exception for Close-Up Båten.

"I don't see a tour in the foreseeable future," says guitarist Johannes Persson (also of KHOMA). "We've done quite a lot of touring in support of 'Eternal Kingdom'. There won't be a European tour for quite some time and that's a promise."

For more information, go to www.closeupmagazine.net.

Swedish melancholic metallers IN MOURNING recently entered Black Lounge Studio (SCAR SYMMETRY, CARNAL FORGE, STEEL ATTACK, etc.) with producer/engineer Jonas Kjellgren to begin recording their second CD for an early 2010 release via Pulverised Records.

Commented the band: "The new album is completed, it's mixed, it's mastered and it's sounding nice! Artwork is in the making, so things are moving in the right directions. We hope to reveal more detailed information about the album soon, so keep patient!"

Check out a few photos from the studio at this location.

"Shrouded Divine", the 2008 debut album from IN MOURNING, will be released on vinyl on November 20 via Kolony Records. Limited to 500 copies worldwide, it will come with new exclusive artwork for this version only and inner sleeve containing all lyrics and info.

The album is available for pre-order at this location.

The band will present the LP in advance during their show at Kolony Metal Fest in Lonato del Garda (BS), Italy on November 28.

"Shrouded Divine" gained a massive amount of attention and also very positive responses worldwide with the band's brand of heart-wrenching melodic passages entwined with progressive elements but yet still retaining all the brutality of death metal aggression.

IN MOURNING is:

Tobias Netzell - Vocals, Guitar
Pierre Stam - Bass
Björn Pettersson - Guitar
Tim Nedergård - Guitar
Christian Netzell - Drums

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

Atlanta progressive metallers MASTODON will guest on "Headbangers Ball" on Saturday, December 19.

"Headbangers Ball" airs Saturday nights/Sunday mornings at 2:00 a.m. ET/PT on MTV2.

MASTODON performed the song "Divinations" live on the October 30 edition of NBC-TV's "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon". Watch video of the performance below.

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

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

As MASTODON bassist Troy Sanders told Paste magazine, creating a film score wasn't entirely different from the band's usual songwriting process. "Since day one, we've always written albums thinking the music was the score of a movie," Sanders said. "Then we'll create the lyrics or story line on top of that, as if we're writing the dialogue to match the movie's cinematography."

Regarding how much the band was paid to contribute to the film, Sanders revealed it was "basically nothing."

"[The movie budget] covered our studio fees, but it was a break even deal," he said. "Malkovich, Brolin and Megan Fox all took pay cuts to be a part of this movie — that alone speaks volumes about how much people care about this film."

"I guarantee an incredibly popular misconception will be, 'Oh my god, they're selling out doing a fucking comic-book movie. They probably got a huge paycheck and don't give a shit about integrity,'" Sanders continued. "The fact is the exact opposite. We sacrificed another two weeks away from home to give away an album's worth of material for nothing in return but satisfaction in being a part of something incredible."

MASTODON wrote about an hour's worth of music, all instrumental, including five full songs and many smaller musical themes adapted throughout. Some of the material, Sanders said, will likely be adapted for the London Orchestra for particularly epic scenes. "We wrote variations on themes for each character, different variables for a bunch of riffs: faster, slower, heavier, lighter," Sanders said. "It's the Darth Vader approach."

Read more from Paste magazine.

GWAR will perform the song "Let Us Slay" on Fearless Music TV this Saturday, November 7. The show will air at 12:30 a.m. on Fox 5 in New York City.

If you are not in New York City, check out the time and channel listing at the Fearless Music web site to find out when and where else the program will air.

Before and after the episode airs, go to the Fearless Music web site and vote for GWAR! The band that receives the highest amount of votes will be featured again on next week's episode.

"Let Us Slay", the new video from GWAR, can be viewed below. The clip was shot in Richmond, Virginia by director David Brodsky (SUICIDE SILENCE, THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, WHITECHAPEL) and his MyGoodEye crew.

GWAR's new album, "Lust In Space", sold around 5,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 96 on The Billboard 200 chart.

Connecticut hardcore/metal masters HATEBREED will take part in a signing session at Scrape Records in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada on December 2 from 5 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.

For more information, visit www.scraperecords.com.

The new self-titled album from HATEBREED sold 15,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 37 on The Billboard 200 chart.

HATEBREED's last collection of new material, "Supremacy", opened with around 27,000 copies back in September 2006 to land at No. 31. This number was roughly in line with the first-week tally registered by its predecessor, "Rise Of Brutality", which shifted more than 32,000 copies back in November 2003 to debut at No. 30.

HATEBREED's covers album, entitled "For The Lions", sold around 10,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release back in May 2009 to debut at position No. 58 on The Billboard 200 chart.

"Hatebreed" was released in North America on September 29 via E1 Music (formerly KOCH Records). The effort was made available on CD, digital download, vinyl and special edition with a bonus 65-minute DVD. The follow-up to 2006's "Supremacy" was issued on Roadrunner in all other territories.

"In Ashes They Shall Reap", the new video from HATEBREED, can be viewed below.

BLACK SABBATH/HEAVEN & HELL guitarist Tony Iommi will be interviewed on BBC Radio 1's "Rock Show With Daniel P Carter" this coming Monday night, November 9 between 12 midnight GMT (7:00 p.m. EST) and 2:00 a.m. GMT (9:00 p.m. EST). The program will also be available for seven days at this location.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Iommi had his hand strapped up at the rock awards, but said he was still able to pick up his guitar.

"No, I can play! " he said. "I'm just wearing this now because if people shake your hand I don't want to push it, I want to take it easy for a bit.

"But it's been really good, and I'm glad I went that route before having any kind of operation."

Photo below: Tony Iommi and Daniel P. Carter

Canadian musician/producer Devin Townsend (STRAPPING YOUNG LAD, STEVE VAI, LAMB OF GOD, DARKEST HOUR, GWAR) will release "Addicted", the second in a series of albums to be made available under THE DEVIN TOWNSEND PROJECT moniker, on November 17 in North America via InsideOut Music.

A song from the "Addicted" CD, "Bend It Like Bender", is available for streaming at this location.

Townsend, easily one of metal's most intriguing, ominous and immensely talented figures, is taking this project to the masses as he will join genre visionaries BETWEEN THE BURIED AND ME, CYNIC and SCALE THE SUMMIT for a massive North American trek which kicks off January 8.

Commented Devin: "So I'm starting to tour again, officially. I have a great team together, and we are performing selections from all my solo albums. However, I will not be playing STRAPPING material. I love that band and everyone involved and respectfully leave the legacy. However, through all of my solo albums (and the current DEVIN TOWNSEND PROJECT with the next record 'Deconstruction') you can count on there being a ton of heavy material. From 'Ziltoid', 'Physicist', 'Deconstruction' etc, mixed with 'Addicted', 'Ki', 'Terria', 'Infinity', 'Ocean Machine' etc.

"The first tour I'm doing to get my sea legs back is with BETWEEN THE BURIED AND ME, who I met on Ozzfest and are a FANTASTIC band, CYNIC, who I have been a fan of for many, many years and are masters, and SCALE THE SUMMIT, a really cool new instrumental band. I am playing second, and it's a relatively short set, but for my first tour back it's a total honor. It will be a different style of performance for me, as there is no 'mask.' However, this incarnation is very different from the DTB (DEVIN TOWNSEND BAND); this is definitely heavier...somewhere between SYL and DTB. And in truth, that's pretty much where I feel I was meant to be all along.

"I'm honored to be invited on such a GREAT bill for the first tour back. Hopefully see you all then.

"The plans for the video for 'Bend It Like Bender' are currently underway, the director is none other than the mighty Konrad Palkewicz, who directed 'Almost Again' by STRAPPING YOUNG LAD, and 'Coast' off of 'Ki'. It's an all animated affair that is not nearly as 'puffy' as the song, it's a mini-movie with his incredible skills once again making my music seem much more poignant than it really is. I've seen some clips and it's crazy good."

In a recent interview with AOL's Noisecreep, Townsend stated about the musical direction of "Addicted", "Every time I put something out, folks are like, 'Oh well, that's the direction you're going in,' or, like, 'That's your identity now.' I'm just trying shit out. I've always been into easy music. When I was 15, the record for me was 'Hysteria' by DEF LEPPARD. I loved it, dude. But we go through our adult life, and it becomes a little less en vogue to state your appreciation for pop music.

"But at the same time, this isn't the last record I'm going to ever do. I wanted to do a record like this, and during the process of this whole DEVIN TOWNSEND PROJECT thing, and putting together all these songs, there was a record full of that shit."

"Addicted" features vocals from both Townsend and Anneke van Giersbergen, who is best known for her work with THE GATHERING.

"I've always loved the sound of female vocals," Townsend told Noisecreep. "Not only was it DEF LEPPARD I was into when I was 15, but 'Watermark' by ENYA. I loved it. I remember when I was a kid, I was like, 'Man, if I could make, like, heavy ENYA. That would be awesome. Anneke just kind of came into my life and the thing about her is, we're kind of the same age, and we both have a kid, and...I guess I'm not really into female vocals that sound masculine, I guess. A lot of times, the heavy female vocalists always end up sounding like they're screaming or whatever. Anneke has a really solid voice, but its clear and straight-up feminine, but it can totally cut through heavy music, and for me, that was ideal."

"Ki", the first in a series of albums from Devin Townsend to be made available under the DEVIN TOWNSEND PROJECT moniker, was released in Europe on May 25 in North America on June 19 via InsideOut Music.

BigMusicGeek.com recently conducted an interview with SEVENTH VOID/TYPE O NEGATIVE drummer Johnny Kelly. Several excerpts from the chat follow below.

BigMusicGeek.com: Stylistically speaking, how would you describe the music SEVENTH VOID creates? Do you feel that the doom metal or even doom rock monikers properly identify the true nature of the group's musical aspirations?

Johnny: "Somebody at a show recently was talkin' to our merchandise guy and he coined the phrase 'new classic rock,' which I thought was pretty appropriate, ya know? It's not completely doom and gloom. The lyrical content can definitely lend itself to that. It's not a happy band. …That seems to be one of the parallels between SEVENTH VOID and TYPE O NEGATIVE. The subject matter still deals with chemical dependency, death and things like that. But at the same time, when I think of doom bands, I think of bands like BLACK SABBATH, TROUBLE and ST. VITUS, ya know? It doesn't strike me as being that much like that type of music. It's like doom with hooks. I think there's strong melodies and strong choruses, things that stay in your head a long time after you hear it. Doom, a lot of times, is really heavy riffs and stuff, but it'll be like, 'Okay. Where's the chorus?' or 'Where's the key change?'. The song structures are a little bit different. Some of the groove is there and we definitely want that heaviness that comes from that type of music, but I think it's a little bit different. I don't think a band like TROUBLE would hear our record and go 'Oh, yeah. They're a doom band.'"

BigMusicGeek: Did you ever feel that it was important that SEVENTH VOID be noticeably different from TYPE O NEGATIVE?

Johnny: "It wasn't really important, but the goal really was to do something different. Why would we put together another band that sounds like what we do with TYPE O NEGATIVE? You're not really branchin' out. You're not spreadin' your wings and trying something different, ya know? If we're doin' the same thing, why don't we just do it with (TYPE O NEGATIVE vocalist/bassist) Peter (Steele) and (TYPE O NEGATIVE keyboardist Josh (Silver)? To me, it would be redundant to do that. I play with DANZIG, but DANZIG isn't exactly like TYPE O NEGATIVE. It's more of a rock-based style of music. To go play with another band like TYPE O NEGATIVE wouldn't really move me. We're very good at what we do, so it wouldn't have any sense of purpose."

BigMusicGeek: Have you or Kenny ever felt pigeonholed or restrained by the trademarks of the TYPE O NEGATIVE sound?

Johnny: "No. As a band, I think one of the hardest things you can do or one of the biggest chores you can have is to have your own sound and have your own identity. I've always thought that about TYPE O NEGATIVE even before I joined the band. The minute you heard a TYPE O NEGATIVE song, you always knew exactly who it was. If you put on the radio right now, I wouldn't be able to tell Eve from Adam with most of the stuff, ya know? There aren't too many bands that have a strong identity. And it's not even just this genre. Back in the '80s and '90s, there were a ton of bands that all sounded exactly the same. There wasn't anything particularly unique about that large group. With TYPE O NEGATIVE, it's always been about trying to fit a square peg into a round hole, ya know? We never really fit into anything and we've always just done what we do. It's always been important to us. We've obviously done a lot of cover songs and thing like that over the years, but it was always important to the band that whatever we do sound like TYPE O NEGATIVE, and not us trying to sound like somebody else. We wear our influences on our sleeves, but at the same time, we're not just copying someone."

BigMusicGeek.com: At this point, how well do you feel "Heaven Is Gone" has been received within the hard rock and heavy metal communities? In general, have the reviews been more or less favorable than you would have anticipated?

Johnny: "We're not really sure. Right now, it's hard to gauge because the climate is so turbulent. It's hard for established bands to sell records right now unless you're LINKIN PARK, SLIPKNOT or another band that's a consistent strong seller. I probably couldn't think of a worse time to break in a new band (laughs). (Former PANTERA/DAMAGEPLAN drummer) Vinnie Paul and everyone with the label (Paul's recently launched Big Vin Records) and distributor believes in the record and everyone believes the record has potential to be very successful, but in this day and age, it's still very hard to sell records. What we need to do is get the band in front of people and the most effective way to do that is to get on a pretty good tour. If that happens, I think the band can reach high. I think it has that kind of potential. I get the reports from the radio station guy and I've been reading the reviews of the record. The record is getting great reviews, even on Blabbermouth. The haters on Blabbermouth like it. (laughs) There should be a trophy for that. (laughs) Forget about getting a gold record, ya know? You should get an award because the readers on Blabbermouth didn't shred it to pieces. I love it. I even laugh when they're rippin' on us by shreddin' TYPE O NEGATIVE and things like that. I get a charge out of it. I was really shocked to see that we got their seal of approval. I was totally not expecting that."

Read the entire interview at BigMusicGeek.com.

WRIC-TV8 reports that Virginia State Police announced a community search for Morgan Dana Harrington — the missing 20-year-old junior from Virginia Tech who was last seen at METALLICA's October 17, 2009 concert at the John Paul Jones Arena in Charlottesville, Virginia — planned for this Friday.

State Police and Harrington's parents announced the new search effort for Morgan Harrington during a news conference Wednesday (see video below) in Charlottesville, where Harrington was last seen in mid-October. Three days of searches will be held in Charlottesville starting this Friday through Sunday.

Also attending the news conference was Ed Smart, father of Elizabeth Smart, the victim of a high-profile missing persons case.

METALLICA and State Police and Harrington's family and friends have combined to offer a $150,000 reward for info leading to the missing girl.

Anyone with information is asked to call (434) 352-3467.

Egyptian-born/New York-based visual artist Nader Sadek (known for his onstage creations for Mayhem's 2009 tour and SUNNO)))'s recent live events) will bring his latest work, "B'doun O'mr (Ageless)" to the stage of Santo's Party House in New York City on Saturday, November 21 (doors at 7:00 p.m., show at 9:00 p.m.). Joining Sadek for an exclusive 30-minute performance written specifically for the event will be former MORBID ANGEL vocalist/bassist Steve Tucker, CRYPTOPSY's drummer extraordinaire Flo Mounier, and guitarist Mike Lerner from BEHOLD...THE ARCTOPUS.

"B'doun O'mr (Ageless)" is the culmination of Sadek's previous projects, "Faceless" and "B'doun Wag'h", which explored the concepts such as intimidation, fear and prejudice contextualized within the underground death metal lifestyle and strict Middle Eastern society.

Sadek explained the genesis of the project prior to the first installment: "For a while now, I've been interested in exploring what different cultures perceive of as extreme. It grows out of years of walking the crowded streets of downtown Cairo dressed as a full-on death metal fan. Then, in a sort of twisted reversal, I decided to walk the streets of New York's Times Square in the black garb of a fully veiled woman. The intense reactions I got in each case confirmed for me the potential of this project. I hope that by reflecting back to the audience their paranoid fantasies, which totally oversimplify the reality of Middle Eastern and death metal culture, that my work will get them to question their own prejudices and sense of the extreme."

The many questions raised in those first two presentations have forged the path to "B'doun O'mr (Ageless)". "Now, I'm suggesting an amalgamation of two extremes, creating one creature from these two disparate cultures," says Sadek. "But while there are some parallels between those extremes, the project, to me, has now become about how the comparison is impossible. The absurdity of the perception of peripheral cultures has now fused and become one. It is a play on the misperceptions of cultures in the first two projects. Everything has been deconstructed from two and reconstructed as one."

While new creations will be visible at the "B'doun O'mr (Ageless)" performance, elements from the previous two installments will also reappear in their raw, base form and take on new contexts.

For more information on this exclusive performance, visit www.nadersadek.com.

Reactivated '80s Sacramento, California thrashers SENTINEL BEAST have cancelled their appearance at the at the Thrash Assault 4 festival, which will be held on November 14, 2009 at Posthalle in Würzburg, Germany. According to the festival organizers, the band was forced to call off its performance due to "the departure of one of their guitarists. Since we couldn’t get a real cult act as replacement in this very short time we decided to give two great newcomers a chance. It will be Italian NATIONAL SUICIDE and German newcomers IRON KOBRA."

The final lineup is as follows:

SODOM (D)
LEGION OF THE DAMNED (NL)
DARKNESS (D)
NECRONOMICON (D)
ROOT (CZ)
PARADOX (D)
NATIONAL SUICIDE (I)
VERDICT (D)
BAPHOMETS BLOOD (I)
IRON KOBRA (D)

For more information, go to this location.

Former METALLICA bassist Ron McGovney (who was in the band before Cliff Burton) is selling the Fender Precision bass guitar that he purchased in 1985 and used in his post-METALLICA band PHANTASM. He writes on the eBay auction page, "I am including the original sales receipt which has my address that I lived at in Norwalk , California until 1987. The phone number on the receipt is the same as the one most METALLICA collectors will recognize as being the same as the number on the original METALLICA business cards. The photos in this listing include gigs I played with PHANTASM, as well as a photo of a plaque in the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame with my name on it. There is a photo of Robert Trujillo, Jason Newsted, and me taken in Cleveland before METALLICA was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. That was three out of four METALLICA bass players together, and, of course, we all miss the late great Cliff Burton.

"The bass is a 1985 USA made Fender p-bass ivory in color. The only things ever changed on it were the strings. It is all stock. It is in great condition , and has not been used very much at all since I was in PHANTASM in 1987. I plugged it in yesterday , and it still has that great p-bass punch. It comes with a hard shell case that is kinda worn and the latches are a little rusty, but they still work.

"This was a bass that was used live and in the studio when PHANTASM recorded our demo called 'Wreckage'. This demo is available from other sellers on eBay.

"If you would like to see the bass in a video, you can find them on YouTube. Just look for PHANTASM or my account Metal1982."

The current bid is $835.

The auction ends on November 6 at 7:03:44 PST.

(Thanks: Scott the Hoople)

Scotty "Bunz Of" Steele of Spokane, Washington's Rock 94 1/2 radio station recently conducted an interview with drummer Morgan Rose of Atlanta's SEVENDUST. The chat is now available for streaming in two parts below.

SEVENDUST recently entered Groovemaster Studios in Chicago, Illinois with producer Johnny K (DISTURBED, STAIND, MACHINE HEAD) to begin recording its new album for an early 2010 release.

Prior to hooking up with Johnny K for the new album recording sessions, SEVENDUST spent time writing and recording demos with Corey Lowery (former member of DARK NEW DAY, STEREOMUD and STUCK MOJO and brother of SEVENDUST guitarist Clint Lowery) engineering.

Regarding the band's producer choice and new material, SEVENDUST said in a statement, "We've enjoyed [Johnny K's] work over the years and believe he is the guy for the job.

"This record is VERY important and we have some of the best songs going into this process than we ever have.

"We read [the fans'] comments [online] and we believe [they] will not be disappointed. We still have a ways to go but we hope to have [the new CD] out by spring next year."

SEVENDUST released a very limited-edition box set in November 2008 entitled "Packaged Goods". Each five-disc set was personally autographed by the entire band. The box set included SEVENDUST's 2005 release "Next", 2007's "Alpha", 2007's "Retrospective 2" (CD + DVD), and 2008's "Chapter VII: Hope & Sorrow".

SEVENDUST's last album, "Chapter VII: Hope and Sorrow" (7Bros/Asylum), came out in April 2008. The CD sold 25,000 copies in the United States during its first week of release to land at position No. 19 on The Billboard 200 chart.

Morgan Rose interviewed by Scotty "Bunz Of" Steele of Rock 94 1/2 radio station (click on player below to launch audio):

Part 1:



Part 2:

The remastered edition of SACRED REICH's classic 1992 album "Independent" will be released as a digipack and jewelbox on March 15, 2010 via Displeased Records. The first 2,500 copies will contain a free SACRED REICH patch.

Bonus tracks:

* "A Question" (from "A Question" EP)
* "Let's Have A War" (FEAR cover from "A Question" EP)
* "Who's To Blame" (from "A Question" EP)
* "The Big Picture" (MDC cover from "Open Book" EP)
* "Crawling" [radio edit] (from "Crawling" EP)

MACHINE HEAD drummer Dave McClain rejoined his former SACRED REICH bandmates on stage at the Hellfest in Clisson, France on Saturday, June 22 to perform the classic SR song "Independent". Fan-filmed video footage of the performance can be viewed below (clip uploaded by Dave Ingham a.k.a. YouTube user "triptykon").

McClain was a member of SACRED REICH from 1991 to 1995. He played on the "A Question" EP (1991) and the "Independent" (1993) and "Heal" (1996) albums before leaving to join MACHINE HEAD.

Displeased Records' reissue of SACRED REICH's classic album "The American Way" came out in February. With upgraded layout, to-the-point remastering plus unreleased pre-production demo bonus tracks and a video clip, this new and improved CD reissue is an essential addition to every thrash metal collection!

"The American Way" was made available in a limited digipak version and standard jewel case version. The first 2,500 copies come with a free logo patch.

Metal Blade Records released a three-disc deluxe reissue of SACRED REICH's "Ignorance" and "Surf Nicaragua" in June 2007. Two CDs are included in the package (both remastered!) as well as a bonus DVD. The package, which was made available in Europe only, includes liner notes by Rind and Malcolm Dome (Classic Rock, Metal Hammer, Total Rock Radio) and an extensive booklet with loads of previously unpublished photos.

For more information on the reissues, click here.

Christian hard rockers STRYPER have postponed their concerts scheduled for tonight (Wednesday, November 4) in Dallas at the House of Blues and tomorrow night (Thursday, November 5) in Houston at the House of Blues due to artist illness.

The rescheduled dates are

Dec. 21 - Houston, TX @ House of Blues
Dec. 22 - Dallas, TX @ House of Blues

The rescheduled shows will include a special Christmas segment and will include the fan favorite "Reason for the Season", never before performed live at a STRYPER show.

Tickets purchased for each concert will be honored on the rescheduled dates.

Fan meet-and-greet purchases will also be honored on the rescheduled dates.

Singer/songwriter Michael Sweet comments: "I've come down with a horrible case of the flu and now it seems to be spreading throughout the bus. I see reports all over the nation where bad cases of the flu are hitting America and had hoped we could make it through this entire tour without it affecting us, but unfortunately it has. It's really bad and I wish our friends and fans all the best with their health during this season. I have seen a doctor and am on medication and anticipate a speedy recovery. My sincerest apologies to all the fans for this inconvenience but I look forward to seeing you all in December when we return. Just for these two shows we will be putting together a special Christmas segment of the show. It'll be great to spend the holidays with our friends and fans in Dallas and Houston."

Ulterium Records (through an arrangement with the Italian label Frontiers Records) will release a limited 12" picture-disc edition of the latest STRYPER album, "Murder By Pride", in Europe on December 4. The LP will be strictly limited to 500 copies, and will come with a full color poster inlay.

Side A:

01. Eclipse Of The Son
02. 4 Leaf Clover
03. Peace Of Mind
04. Alive
05. The Plan
06. Mercy Over Blame

Side B:

01. Murder By Pride
02. I Believe
03. Run In You
04. Love Is Why
05. Everything
06. My Love (I'll Always Show)

The LP is available for pre-order at the Ulterium Records store.

"Murder By Pride" sold 5,900 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 73 on The Billboard 200 chart. The CD was released in Europe on August 28 via Frontiers Records. It was made available in the U.S. on July 21 through Big 3 Records.

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

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

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

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

AEROSMITH frontman Steven Tyler has confirmed to U.K.'s Classic Rock magazine that he will pursue solo projects during the coming months.

"Once the band hit the final note and I walk off stage — then I'll tell you the whole story," an exuberant Tyler announced to Classic Rock minutes before AEROSMITH played a triumphant set to a crowd of over 50,000 adrenalized punters at the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix on November 1.

"I don't know what I'm doing yet, but it's definitely going to be something Steven Tyler: working on the brand of myself — brand Tyler," he added.

According to Classic Rock, on stage there was no sign of any acrimony — just the smiles, banter and the general bonhomie that is associated with Boston's premier good-time band.

But off stage the story was much different.

As with the last three shows, none of the band saw Tyler until the opening number and his dressing room was located quite a distance from the rest of the group.

Read more from Classic Rock.