DEFTONES are featured in this week's Kerrang! magazine podcast, which can be downloaded at this location. According to the magazine, this week's edition features Katie Parsons catching up with the DEFTONES at the Northampton Roadmenders and finding out what's on Chino Moreno's mind and getting the band's fans' reactions after the show. Plus there's music from LAMB OF GOD, MASTODON and OPETH as chosen by DREAM THEATER drummer Mike Portnoy. There's also a clip from the new RUSH single "Far Cry".

A brand new video interview with DEFTONES members Chino Moreno and Abe Cunningham, conducted recently by Holland's Toazted.com, has been posted online at this location.

DEFTONES recently rolled out the dates for the band's spring U.S. tour, which will begin on May 11 in Phoenix, Arizona. Shows are confirmed through late June so far, with THE FALL OF TROY and Japanese act DIR EN GREY coming along as support.

The California-based group has released "Mein" as the second single from its fifth album, "Saturday Night Wrist", which arrived this past October.

A video clip of Polish death metal veterans VADER performing a cover of SLAYER's "Raining Blood" Friday night (April 27) at The Gaelic Club in Sydney, Australia has been posted online at HailMetal.Com (free registration required). Photos from the gig can be found here.

VADER frontman Piotr "Peter" Wiwczarek was recently interviewed by Andrew Haug of Triple J's "Full Metal Racket" (based in Australia). Listen to the interview in streaming audio at the Triple J web site: Windows Media, Real Media (NOTE: The Piotr "Peter" Wiwczarek interview begins at around the two-hour, 11-minute mark). Check out the show's entire playlist at this location.

VADER entered Hertz Studio in Poland on March 15 to re-record 25 of the best songs from their entire discography for a 25th anniversary release, to be issued in 2008. The set will also include a DVD containing tons of bonus features, such as archival recordings, live shows, video clips and other special material.

VADER's "Impressions in Blood" album entered the Polish national chart at position No. 8. The band's video for the song "Helleluyah (God Is Dead)" has been posted online at YouTube.com. The clip was shot with director Andrzej Wyrozebski, who is said to be one of the leading movie producers in Poland. Janusz Król (known from the Polish fantasy movie "Wiedzmin") was responsible for all special effects and the whole set design. Slawomir Panasewicz (who has worked on over 140 video clips!) was a cameraman.

The surviving members of SALEM'S WYCH have commented on the passing of their singer Ron Johnson, who died this past Monday (April 23) in Lima, Ohio from injuries sustained in a motorcycle accident. Their statement reads as follows:

"All of the members of SALEM'S WYCH, past and present, deepest sympathy goes out to Ron Johnson's family, his two children, and his life partner Cindy. We would also like to thank everyone for their kind emails, calls and cards following Ron Johnson's passing . It is amazing to hear just how much of an impact Ron has left on the world through the people who have met him over the years, both on a personal level and from a musical influence side.

"Ron was never just the singer of SALEM'S WYCH, but our friend, brother, and master of ceremonies, with whom we set out to concur the world when it was still all about the music , and who made us laugh probably more than anyone has a right to. To our brother and friend we will miss you, but you will never be forgotten."

SALEM'S WYCH is known as one of the original '80s bands along with METALLICA, ANTHRAX, SLAYER and HELSTAR to usher in a style of metal blended with punk influences that went on to be known as thrash metal.

DARK FUNERAL vocalist/bassist Emperor Magus Caligula has released the following statement to BLABBERMOUTH.NET:

"The voices are back in my head, but now their anger point to a different direction than before.

"I think it's about time to come clean about what's going on with DARK FUNERAL, why a lot of shows have been cancelled lately and so on.

"A couple of weeks ago we were forced to cancel two shows in Russia and one in Ukraine because of our drummer's complaint of pain in one of his elbow. We (read Caligula, Ahriman, Chaq Mol and B-Force) was told that he needed rest and that his doctor had forbid him to play for at least 10 days. Unfortunately it gave us no other option but to cancel/postpone the shows with, regretfully, a very short notice.

"The result: Not only making lots of fans extremely disappointed, it also put us, the band, in financial debts to the promoters, who already had spent a lot of money on us and the event(s) itself. And one doesn't have to be a mathematical genius to understand the economical loss that is for us, first losing income for 5 shows. And on top of that, come in debts to several promoters. Well, it's really bad… But what is even more fucked up, is that everything Matte Modin had been telling us (and you) was all lies!!! Yeah, you heard it right. We are in this situation because of one man's greed and lies. He didn't have an infection in his elbow; he was on tour with another band, a punk band! I don't know what he told those guys, as I'm sure they must have known about OUR touring schedule, but I seriously don't think it was, 'Hey, fuck DARK FUNERAL, I rather play with you guys, and since I'm not man enough to tell them that, I will tell them I am sick, they will hopefully buy it.'

"All of us (again read Caligula, Ahriman, Chaq Mol and B-Force) feel so stupid. We bought everything he said, we even defended someone I used to call brother.

"DARK FUNERAL has always been like a band of brothers, helping each other in any way possible when needed. So when one guy inside the circle acts this incredibly selfish, it makes me mad.

"There are no doubts about what feelings ALL of us (again read Caligula, Ahriman, Chaq Mol and B-Force) had after we found out about the lies, but to save the two shows we had confirmed for this weekend (Latvia and Lithuania), we decided to shut up until they were done. However, since all of us live in different cities, some very far from the airport, we didn't want to take any chances and go all the way to the airport not knowing whether Matte was going to show up or not. So yesterday we asked him straight out if he was going to show up at the airport or not. He said no! This time the story was that his son had his birthday and that he wanted to stay home. Can't really say anything about that, it is quite normal. But to forget your own son's birthday and remember it the day before a show, a show you have confirmed several months ago, I do NOT understand! Right there and then, I was so mad, so fucking angry. He fucking did it again! He must obviously have known about his son's birthday, so why did he even confirm the shows in the first place!? And he sure should have let us (and you) know about it in advance so that there was enough time to make proper arrangements and postpone the shows or something. Instead he put us in this nightmarish situation (again) when we have no other option but to cancel/postpone yet another two shows (Latvia and Lithuania) with such a short notice. I think you get the whole thing….

"To all our fans, to all the promoters and of course to Dragon Production, our booking agency; we (again read Caligula, Ahriman, Chaq Mol and B-Force) are VERY sorry for this situation and the problems it must have caused YOU! This is indeed a fucking nightmare for us as well. But we sure hope to get a chance to make it up to all of you. And we sure hope to be able to re-schedule all the shows we have been forced to cancel because of one man's lies ASAP!

"Lord Ahriman and I have been working together for over 12 years now, and during these years there has been A LOT of problems, many setbacks and so on, but we have NEVER let anything break us down. And we are sure as hell NOT going let a problem called 'Matte Modin' do it either! We will be back STRONGER than ever, mark my word, as our biggest problem now is solved!

"To 'him' I can only say this; DUCO ATE ABYSSOS!!!!!!!!!!

"P.S.: The shows we have confirmed from this time and forth will take place as announced!"

DARK FUNERAL is currently compiling footage for two double DVDs, the first one of which will surface on June 18 via Regain. More details will be made available soon.

DARK FUNERAL's official live video for the song "Atrum Regina" has been posted online on the band's YouTube channel.

DARK FUNERAL recently made its movie debut in "Club Satan: The Witches Sabbath", written and directed by Shane Bugbee, an actual priest in the Church Of Satan. The entire band appears in the film, which is being touted as "the first-ever Satanic porn," and is being released by the controversial Extreme Associates. DARK FUNERAL not only stars in "Club Satan: The Witches Sabbath", but also contributes its song "King Antichrist" to the movie soundtrack. The scenes featuring the band were shot before and during their show at the Key Club in Hollywood, California on January 21, 2007.

Kari Koskinen of Imhotep webzine recently conducted an interview with MORS PRINCIPIUM EST singer Ville Viljanen. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow:

On longtime guitarist and composer Jori Haukio's decision to leave the band almost immediately after the group's new album, "Liberation = Termination", was finished:

"It's hard to say what our situation currently is. In the past, Jori did practically all the composing for us, and I don't know if we are able to compose songs in the same vein anymore. It's not like our only member capable of composing has left, but how this is going to affect our style in the future. We are not going to continue under the name MORS PRINCIPIUM EST if our new songs are going to be very different compared to our past material. We don't want to play any humppa or power metal with this band — at least I am not going to do it."

Jori has since been replaced by Karri Kuisma, who is an old friend of the band. Since the songs were composed for two guitars, it was obvious that a replacement was in order.

"I think that Karri will eventually be our new guitarist in the future, but we haven't made it official just yet," says Ville. "This is because we aren't so sure about our future as a band, so at the moment we just need a session guitarist for the live shows. When we eventually start to write new songs, Karri will probably become an official member. Despite of this, we are still seeking another guitarist, since our current guitarist Jarkko can't do any live gigs, so we are actually looking for a third guitarist to help us out in the live situation. So any Finns interested about the job can visit our homepage for further information."

Read the entire interview at Imhotep.

Former MORBID ANGEL/TERRORIZER/MONSTROSITY guitarist Tony Norman has returned home to Charleston, South Carolina and has joined his longtime friends in the thrash/death metal band BELLIGERENT. He is joined by founding guitarist George Mackaris, former MONSTROSITY vocalist Bobby Earl, bassist Danny Carter and drummer Gary Blume. "Tony's the missing piece to the puzzle," says Mackaris. "Now we're ready for world domination!"

BELLIGERENT's debut album, entitled "Binded by Blood", was released last October.

For more information on BELLIGERENT, go to this location.

(Thanks: Handshakekiller)

Sweden's MORIFADE has posted a new song, entitled "Shadeless", at this location.

In a March 2007 online posting, the group wrote, "We have song material enough for an entire full-length album at this point and the only thing missing is money for the studio time and for the release, and that is a record label. If things goes our way, it's not impossible that a new MORIFADE album could be released during 2007 or early 2008, let's just hope!"

MORIFADE last year announced the addition of guitarist Mathias Kamijo to the group's ranks. The band parted ways with guitarist Jesper Johansson in October 2005 due to personal differences. The group is currently unsigned following a split with Holland's Karmageddon Media (formerly Hammerheart Records), the label that issued the band's most recent album, "Domi<>nation".

Swedish metallers WOLVERINE have cancelled their previously announced appearance at the Gothenburg Metal Festival, which is scheduled to take place April 29-30 at Musikens Hus in Göteborg, Sweden. "The reason is that Mikael [Zell] has injured his left wrist by playing indoor bandy three days ago and is unable to play the guitar," bassist Stefan Zell writes on the group's web site. "According to the doctor he's not suffered any fractures but he needs a few days rest to get his wrist working properly again.

"Because of the short notice it's impossible for us to get someone else to fill in. We were hoping all up until today that Mikael would get well enough to play but we have to realize now that that won't be the case.

"We were so much looking forward to playing Gothenburg again (we've only played there once) and it would also be the perfect moment for us to stir up some interest for our gig there in August. We do however have to accept our surrender to the circumstances this time around.

"I really hope that those of you who were going there mainly to see us play live, will go there anyway and support the metal community. It seems to be a great festival and there are plenty of great acts playing there. We need festivals like these to keep the music scene alive and well.

"WOLVERINE would like to wish the organizers all the best with the festival! To all of you that had bought tickets to see us we are very sorry for the inconvenience. Hopefully we can make it up to you in the near future.

"This whole situation confirms what I've always believed: Don't mix sports and music! The combination is lethal..."

WOLVERINE's latest album, "Still", was released in the U.S. in July via Candlelight Records. The CD was recorded in part at Spacelab studio in Tönisvorst, Germany. The follow-up to 2003's "Cold Light of Monday" was produced by Oliver Philipps, Christian "Moschus" Moos and WOLVERINE and was mixed at the end of August 2005.

Mike Lerner, guitarist for the New York City-based progressive/experimental instrumental metal band BEHOLD... THE ARCTOPUS, has officially released the debut CD from his long-awaited solo project, DIREWOLF. The album, entitled "Beyond the Lands of Human Existence", is now available on CD and can be purchased through Lerner's MySpace page.

"Beyond the Lands of Human Existence" is the first release from Lerner's newly formed Blastard Entertainment label, which was created to showcase a variety of Mike's solo works. The CD contains nine tracks of "an unusual blend of shred, prog, black metal, fantasy, and chaos," according to a press release. The track listing is as follows:

01. World War IV
02. Beyond The Lands Of Human Existence
03. 1,000,000 Enemies
04. Murder The Creatures Who Inhabit The Black Sun
05. Final Flight
06. The Prophet Failed Pt 1
07. The Prophet Failed Pt 2
08. The Prophet Failed Pt 3
09. Epilogue

QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE shot a video for its new single, "Sick, Sick, Sick" on Wednesday (April 25) in the Los Angeles area. According to the casting call sheet, the clip will feature footage of the band performing "at a dinner party audience of one."

QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE have set June 12 as the release date for the band's fifth studio album, "Era Vulgaris". The CD, which was previewed at the South by Southwest music festival in Austin, Texas last month, will feature 11 new songs and guest appearances from STROKES singer Julian Casablancas and former QUEENS vocalist Mark Lanegan. Check out the CD cover artwork at this location.

Michael Shuman of the Los Angeles act WIRES ON FIRE is the new QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE bassist. The band has been without a permanent bass player since the dismissal of Nick Oliveri in 2004. Also newly added to the band's lineup is keyboardist Dean Fertita. Check out a photo of the latest incarnation of QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE at Uncut.co.uk.

"Era Vulgaris" follows up 2005's "Lullabies to Paralyze".

"Era Vulgaris" track listing:

01. Turning on the Screw
02. Sick, Sick, Sick
03. I'm Designer
04. Into the Hollow
05. Misfit Love
06. Battery Acid
07. Make It Wit Chu
08. 3's & 7's
09. Suture Up Your Future
10. River in the Road
11. Run Pig Run

Another new QOTSA song, entitled "Era Vulgaris", was reportedly released in a special package sent to fans who won a secret competition on the QOTSA forum. The track, which will not appear on the group's upcoming full-length CD, features a guest appearance by NINE INCH NAILS frontman Trent Reznor.

The latest episode of "Talking Metal" features an interview host Mark Strigl conducted with former SURGICAL STEEL/current MESSIAH'S REIGN vocalist Harley Van Kirk. Topics include Rob Halford, the state of Arizona, Van Kirk's history and SURGICAL STEEL. Additional podcast topics covered by Strigl and co-host John Ostronomy include President Abraham Lincoln, BLACKLIST UNION and Bert Gabriel. The 60-minute podcast can be downloaded at this location. iTunes users can also subscribe to "Talking Metal" for free at this location.

MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine has posted the following message in the "Forums" section of the band's official web site:

"As I sit in my office, somewhere just before 7:15 a.m., I am preparing to leave San Diego County for Albuquerque, New Mexico. I have been really enjoying playing Arizona and California so far on this tour, but I am excited to see NM Droogies after the last two Gigantour visits there.

"What a metal city!

"I noticed some of you are happy with the current set list, and are enjoying yourselves with my/our newfound energy. Well, we feed off of you, so thanks!

"And we were given 5 extra minutes to play, and the show sometimes starts 5 minutes early, so when that happens (and it usually does), I get a chance to take a break, have a sip, and do an encore.

"We may change the setlist, but you know the saying, 'If it ain't broke, don't fix it,' unless you're a tweaker, and in that case you already fixed it ten times and it's still broken.

"I am not even going to try to explain about the single switch from 'A Tout Le Monde' to 'Washington Is Next!' I am just glad you like it; although the truth would '(Set Me Free)'.

"It's good seeing the MACHINE HEAD guys every day, and I am starting to see details of our Europe trip, which really excites me. I can't wait to play some new songs to our international Droogs!

"Well, my car is approaching and I should leave now, but I wanted to say thank you to my dear friend Andy Sneap. Andy, I hope you kept the dartboard. Great news on the EMI stuff, and I'll see you soon.

"I need to tell Elliot and Dean that nothing has ever made me this excited about a guitar! I can't wait to get my new models and watch Glen [Drover, guitar] and Shawn [Drover, drums] slobber! Yee-haw!!! And to DDrum! I have never seen a cooler drum kit in my life! Thank you guys!

"Lastly, it's 17 days to release (16 overseas) and I want to thank you all for your patience while I had to search inside me for this record. It may not completely fill you, because some of you still have holes like I once had (and . . . some you are just fat bastards!), but it certainly fills me . . . for now!"

As previously reported, the official MEGADETH "United Abominations" e-card has been updated to include the studio version of "Washington is Next!" in the media player at the end of the card. Click here to view it now.

MEGADETH's video for the new version of the song "A Tout Le Monde", now retitled "A Tout Le Monde (Set Me Free)", is available for viewing at this location. A video clip of LACUNA COIL's Cristina Scabbia — who makes a guest appearance in the song — talking about the video shoot for "A Tout Le Monde (Set Me Free)", which took place March 8-9 in Los Angeles, has been posted online at this location.

"A Tout Le Monde (Set Me Free)" will appear on "United Abominations", due on May 15 via Roadrunner Records. A professionally shot video clip of MEGADETH performing "Washington is Next!" on October 14, 2006 at the Loud Park '06 festival in Tokyo, Japan has been posted online at YouTube.com. A rough-mix version of "Gears of War", is available for download at this location.

(Thanks: Rattlehead HQ)

Louisville, Kentucky's The Courier-Journal reports that one lucky local band will open for GODSMACK on Derby Eve at the Louisville Palace — and the fans can play a part in picking the winner.

Bands have submitted video clips to 93.1 the Fox. Vote for your fave this weekend at www.foxrocks.com.

The top two vote-getters will be sent to GODSMACK's management Monday and a winner will be chosen to perform a 40-minute set at the show.

GODSMACK recently announced a number of new tour dates to tour in support of its latest album, "IV" (Four), which came out last year.

GODSMACK drummer Shannon Larkin, guitarist Tony Rombola and bassist Robbie Merrill's side project, called ANOTHER ANIMAL, is tentatively scheduled to release its debut disc in September.

Russia's Darkside e-zine has uploaded a number of photos of German power metallers RAGE performing last night (Friday, April 27) in Moscow with the the Belarus symphonic orchestra (Lingua Mortis Orchestra). Check out the pictures at this location.

RAGE's setlist for the performance was as follows:

01. Overture
02. From The Cradle To The Grave
03. Alive But Dead
04. French Bourree
05. Medley
a) Don't Fear The Winter (Instrumental)
Black In Mind
c) Firestorm (Instrumental)
d) Sent By The Devil
e) Lost In The Ice (Instrumental)
06. Turn The Page
07. Suite Lingua Mortis
a) Morituri Te Salutant
Prelude Of Souls
c) Innocent
d) Depression
e) No Regrets
f) Confusion
g) Black
h) Beauty
08. Fuga
09. Higher Than The Sky
10. Refuge

RAGE's new DVD, entitled "Full Moon in St. Petersburg", was released on February 23 via Nuclear Blast. The double DVD set was filmed in St. Petersburg, Russia last year in front of 15,000 fans. "Full Moon in St. Petersburg" contains the complete concert in St. Petersburg, Russia, plus a lot of behind-the-scenes footage and material from personal archives. A three-and-a-half-minute trailer for the DVD has been posted online at this location (Windows Media, 7.44 MB).

RAGE recently announced the addition of drummer André Hilgers (AXXIS, SILENT FORCE) to the group's ranks. "During [the recording sessions for] the Nuclear Blast anniversary album, we were very surprised how perfectly André's style matched our new song, 'Terrified'," the group wrote on its web site. "So it was obvious that we jammed through the RAGE classics and the sparks flew immediately. André had a lot of new ideas that fitted perfectly our style and the understanding among us was harmonically. He brings a lot of fresh blood and power to the band and we have loads of fun again playing our music."

PYRAMAZE guitarist/songwriter Michael Kammeyer will be this week's feature interview with Savadude on KWTF. This interview will air twice today (Saturday, April 28) — first at 10:30 p.m. EST and then again during Savadude's show beginning at midnight EST.

To listen to the program via the Internet, go to www.kwtfworldwide.com.

PYRAMAZE recently announced the addition of former ICED EARTH frontman Matt Barlow as the replacement for Lance King.

PYRAMAZE split with Lance King last November. The group is currently working on material for its third album, tentatively due next spring.

PYRAMAZE's latest album, "Legend of the Bone Carver", was released last year via Massacre Records (Europe) and Nightmare Records (USA and Canada).

ALICE COOPER has lined up the following tour dates during the coming months:

May 29 - Santiago, Chile - Teatro Caopoican
May 31 - Cordoba, Argentina - Estadio Juniors
Jun. 01 - Buenos Aires, Argentina - Estadio Luna Park
Jun. 03 - Sao Paolo, Brazil - [To Be Announced]
Jun. 05 - Belo Horizonte, Brazil - Chevrolet Hall
Jun. 06 - Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - [To Be Announced]
Jun. 08 - Curitiba, Brazil - Master Hall
Jun. 13 - Mexico City, Mexico - Plaza de Toros
Jun. 14 - Guadalajara, Mexico - Plaza Nuevo Progreso
Jun. 15 - Monterrey, Mexico - Arena
Jun. 21 - Athens, Greece Lycabettus Theatre
Jun. 23 - Huttwil, Switzerland Rock Sound Festival
Jun. 25 - Florence, Italy – [To Be Announced]
Jun. 29 - Borlange, Sweden Peace & Love Festival
Jul. 01 - Bucharest, Romania B'estival
Jul. 06 - Sydney, Australia - Enmore Theatre
Jul. 07 - Sydney, Australia - Enmore Theatre
Jul. 08 - Brisbane, Australia - Convention Centre
Jul. 11 - Adelaide, Australia - Thebarton Theatre
Jul. 13 - Perth, Australia - Burswood Theatre
Jul. 14 - Perth, Australia - Burswood Theatre
Jul. 18 - Wollongong, Australia - WIN Ent Centre
Jul. 19 - Canberra, Australia - AIS Arena
Jul. 21 - Launceston, Australia - Silverdome
Aug. 10 - Des Moines, IA - Iowa State Fair
Aug. 17 - Beaver Dam, WI - Dodge County Fair
Aug. 19 - Green Bay, WI - Radisson Three Clans Ballroom
Aug. 31 - Central Wisconsin, WI - Central Wisconsin State Fair
Sep. 14 - Hutchinson, KS - Kansas State Fair

Alice is scheduled to appear on NBC-TV's "The Carson Daly Show" on April 30 and CBS-TV's "The Late, Late Show with Craig Ferguson" on May 4.

Back in February, Alice Cooper's said his new album would be out in May, but it now appears that, while all the material is written, Cooper hasn't even started recording it yet. At this time, he's not expected to hit the studio until later this year, though nothing's set in stone — including the announced title, "Along Came a Spider".

Alice's annual world tour gets underway May 28 in Santiago, Chile, and he's got a U.K. tour in November. North American dates haven't been announced yet.

As previously reported, Cooper's autobiography, which is called "Alice Cooper, Golf Monster: A Rock 'N'Roller's 12 Steps To Becoming A Golf Addict", will be available on May 1.

With a title like that, it should be no surprise that Cooper told Launch his game is very strong. "Three handicap, and I play five times a week, and I play really good," he laughed. "Yeah, that's the one thing I can really do, other than Alice Cooper. That surprises people, I think. They just can't believe that Alice Cooper could be a three handicap, but I am." A three handicap means Cooper's score will be three strokes above whatever the course's par is.

Return to the Pit has uploaded several hundred photos from the first day of the New England Metal And Hardcore Festival, which kicked off last night (Friday, April 27) at the Palladium and Worcester, Massachusetts. Included in the batch are pictures from the following artists:

100 DEMONS (36 pics)
3 INCHES OF BLOOD (75 pics)
ANIMOSITY (32 pics)
BEHEMOTH (84 pics)
BENEATH THE MASSACRE (48 pics)
BLOODLINED CALLIGRAPHY (79 pics)
BURY YOUR DEAD (74 pics)
COLIN OF ARABIA (48 pics)
DAATH (64 pics)
DEATH BEFORE DISHONOR (50 pics)
DECEMBER AETERNALIS (37 pics)
DESPISED ICON (77 pics)
DEVIL WEARS PRADA (48 pics)
DEVILDRIVER (55 pics)
DIMMU BORGIR (132 pics)
KATAKLYSM (42 pics)
LIGEIA (56 pics)
MERAUDER (60 pics)
NACHTMYSTIUM (51 pics)
NORA (49 pics)
PALEHORSE (75 pics)
Random Shots (10 pics)
REVOCATION (73 pics)
SKELETON WITCH (48 pics)
SKINLESS (46 pics)
STICK TO YOUR GUNS (31 pics)
STILL REMAINS (47 pics)
SUICIDE SILENCE (61 pics)
THE FACELESS (61 pics)
THE FUNERAL PYRE (39 pics)
THY WILL BE DONE (34 pics)
WALLS OF JERICHO (97 pics)
XDEATHSTARX (38 pics)

Check out the photos at www.returntothepit.com.

John Gammon of Pollstar reports that the organizers of the Bilbao BBK Live Festival — which is scheduled to take place June 21-22 and June 28-29 in Bilbao, Euskal Herria, Spain — are expecting IRON MAIDEN's headline day alone to attract a sellout crowd of 35,000.

Bilbao BBK Live Festival added a fourth day and cut itself in half to fit around the tour schedules for IRON MAIDEN, RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS, and METALLICA.

"We couldn't miss the opportunity to have those artists on the same festival," said Ibai Villapún, communications manager for promoter Last Tour International, explaining why the formerly three-day event now stretches across two weekends.

Last year, the first time Bilbao Live was staged, it attracted 43,616 people, but Villapún is expecting this year's longer bash to pull a total approaching 90,000.

Read more at www.pollstar.com.

Bilbao BBK Live Festival 2007 billing:

Thursday, June 21:

IRON MAIDEN
WITHIN TEMPTATION
JULIETTE AND THE LICKS
STONE SOUR
BLOODSIMPLE
VHÄLDEMAR

Friday, June 22:

RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS
BERRI TXARRAK
FERMÍN MUGURUZA
MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE
FISHBONE
ONE DIRECTION DRIVE
KULA SHAKER
BILLY TALENT

Thursday, June 28:

FITO Y LOS FITIPALDIS
THE KNACK
MUCHACHITO BOMBO INFIERNO
NUN
PINKERTONES

Friday, June 29:

METALLICA
INCUBUS
BIOK

RAMESSES, the British band featuring original ELECTRIC WIZARD members Mark Greening (drums, piano) and Tim Bagshaw (bass), will release its debut album, "Misanthropic Alchemy", in Europe on April 30 via Feto Records. The limited double LP version of "Misanthropic Alchemy" will only be available in the fall on Leaf Hound Records from Japan.

"Misanthropic Alchemy" was recorded by Billy Anderson at State of Art Studios. The track listing for the effort is as follows:

01. Ramesses Part 1
02. Ramesses Part 3
03. Lords Misrule
04. Coat of Arms
05. Terrordactyl
06. Before the Jackals (featuring guest vocals by Billy Anderson)
07. Earth Must Die

RAMESSES will embark on a European tour with UNEARTHLY TRANCE in September. Confirmed dates are as follows:

Sep. 06 - Antwerp, Belgium - Scheld'apen
Sep. 07 - Hoogeveen, Netherlands - Het Podium
Sep. 08 - Spremberg, Germany - Jc Erebos
Sep. 09 - Copenhagen, Denmark - Loppen
Sep. 10 - Oslo, Norway - Garage (with SUMA)
Sep. 11 - Stockholm, Sweden - Debaser (with SUMA)
Sep. 12 - Malmo, Sweden - Knaster@inkost (with SUMA)
Sep. 13 - Rostock, Germany - Jaz (with SUMA)
Sep. 14 - Leipzig, Germamny - Zoro
Sep. 16 - Paris, France - La Gambetta
Sep. 17 - Cherbourg, France - L'epicentre
Sep. 18 - Colchester, UK - Arts Centre
Sep. 19 - Manchester, UK - Star & Garter
Sep. 20 - Newcastle, UK - Trillians
Sep. 23 - London, UK - The Barfly (with GALLHAMMER)

For more information, visit www.myspace.com/ramesses666.

DARKEST HOUR guitarist Kris Norris has issued the fourth installment of his solo series but this time it's an old band with a familiar face. DISINTERMENT was a group Norris started in 1996 with drummer Ryan Parrish in an effort to do something "different" in the style of IN FLAMES and DARK TRANQUILLITY. An album was recorded but never released — until now.

Commented Norris: "After numerous talks of reunion shows [and] putting this record out officially finally, whatever, I'm fed up with it. I'm sure the other dudes will be pissed, but fuck it — I just want people to hear it, so here it is. Yeah, it sounds horrible — we were like 16-17. And it was done in one-day, one-take situation."

The lineup for the DISINTERMENT recording was as follows:

Jason Mincz - Bass/Vocals
Ryan Parrish - drums
Kris Norris - Guitar/Vocal/Acoustic/Piano
Tommy Lythgoe – Guitar
Chris Barron - Guitar/Acoustic

Check out the DISINTERMENT recordings at this location.

DARKEST HOUR's long-awaited follow-up to 2005's "Undoing Ruin" was recorded at the Warehouse in Vancouver, Canada. The new effort, to be called "Deliver Us", is expected to be released July 10 on Victory Records.

"It's the crispiest, most savory DARKEST HOUR to date," producer Devin Townsend (STRAPPING YOUNG LAD) recently stated. "We turned up the monitors and my head exploded."

Last seen picking up stray pieces of Devin's cerebellum was guitarist Mike Schleibaum, who added, "Working with Devin this time has been sick as hell. We have worked long hours on these songs and, honestly, our hands, legs and bodies haven't hurt from playing so much since we can remember. We are truly stoked to present these songs on this record. It is some of our most complex, melodic, brutal, and aggressive songs to date. There's some punk, metal, thrash, shred, prog, and even a little of Devin Townsend's special sauce mixed in this metal gumbo!"

Former GUNS N' ROSES and current ROCK STAR SUPERNOVA guitarist Gilby Clarke will be today's (Saturday, April 28) special guest on Camp Freddy Radio, which airs on Indie 103.1 FM in Los Angeles, California. To listen to the show, tune in to Indie 103.1 FM Saturday between 6:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. PST (between 9:00 p.m. and 11:00 p.m. EST) or log on to www.indie1031.fm.

Clarke recently shot down reports that he has left ROCK STAR SUPERNOVA, the band he formed with Tommy Lee (MÖTLEY CRÜE), Jason Newsted (VOIVOD, ex-METALLICA) and Canadian vocalist Lukas Rossi.

ROCK STAR SUPERNOVA's self-titled debut album has shifted less than 60,000 copies in the United States since its November 2006 release, according to Nielsen SoundScan. The CD was certified gold in January for Canadian sales in excess of 50,000 copies.

San Francisco Bay Area's DEKAPITATOR has parted ways with guitarist D. Attacker and is currently seeking a replacement.

"After [D. Attacker contributed] some killer leads to the forthcoming 'The Storm Before The Calm' record, we have decided that it'll work better going forward for us to look for a new guitarist," the band writes in a statement. "We're looking for a killer thrash guitarist with experience, gear, stage presence, dive-bombs, and balls to fill out the lineup. We have some backup plans for a fill-in guitarist going forward, so we will be ready to thrash at full strength regardless.'

As previously reported, Relapse Records has set a July 24 release date for DEKAPITATOR's new album, entitled "The Storm Before The Calm". Songtitles set to appear on the CD include "Toxic Sanctuary", "Run With The Pack", "Earthscorcher" and "Screams From The Holocaust". The cover artwork can be viewed at this location.

DEKAPTATOR previously released a split 7" with NUNSLAUGHER (1996) and debut album "We Will Destroy… You Will Obey" (1999) that was recorded with James Murphy (DEATH, OBITUARY, DISINCARNATE).

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

(Thanks: Hellthrasher)

Gary Graff of Billboard magazine reports: Thirty-three years into its recording career, Canadian hard-rock trio RUSH is finding it easier to make music together.

"You can argue that we don't have much to prove at this point," guitarist Alex Lifeson said. "We're in our 50s now. Geddy (Lee) and I have been doing it 40 years, as a band with Neil (Peart) for 33 years.

"But this was maybe the most fun record I think we've ever made. It just feels different somehow. It's very positive, very forward, all fresh and new to us for some reason."

He was referring to "Snakes & Arrows", which comes out Tuesday (May 1) on Anthem/Atlantic and as an expanded set with a 43-minute video on June 5.

It's RUSH's first set of all-new material since 2002's "Vapor Trails". But unlike the six-year hiatus before that album, the trio has been busy in the intervening years. It has toured twice, released a covers EP, "Feedback", a live album and two concert DVDs — "Rush in Rio" and "R30".

"At no time do we feel like we're retired or not functioning," singer/bassist/keyboardist Lee said. "We were just waiting for the right moment to get back together and write."

Read the entire article at www.reuters.com.

TITAN FORCE, the Colorado-based band fronted by JAG PANZER singer Harry Conklin, will headline the warm-up show (on April 4) for Germany's Keep It True X festival, which is scheduled to take place April 5 at Tauberfrankenhalle in Lauda-Königshofen, Germany. Also newly confirmed is the classic French metal act DEMON EYES, which will play its first German show ever at the festival.

Keep It True X billing:

JAG PANZER
MANILLA ROAD
PHARAOH
CRESCENT SHIELD
DEMON EYES
BATTLE RAM

Four more bands, including one more co-headliner, will be announced.

A warm-up show will take place on April 4 at Sporthalle in Dittigheim, Germany, featuring TITAN FORCE, ATTACKER along with other acts yet to be announced.

Tickets will go on sale at the Keep In True IX festival in November.

For more information, visit www.keep-it-true.de.

CRUNCH, which features Jamie Rowe (GUARDIAN, ADRIANGALE), Vic Rivera (POLEY/RIVERA, ADRIANGALE) and Eddie Campbell (ADRIANGALE), will make its live debut on July 28 at the Cup complex in Linden, New Jersey before they jet off to play the Firefest in the U.K. Also on the bill are THE RAY WEST BAND (featuring SPREAD EAGLE vocalist), UNTIL DESTINY (whose debut CD is being produced by John Macaluso of YNGWIE MALMSTEEN/TNT fame), LOWBUZ and TWITCH.

For more information, contact rockeyez@comcast.net.

According to SanLuisObispo.com, classic rock band AEROSMITH made history before they even got to the California Mid-State Fair to perform.

The band is the first-ever musical group coming to the Paso Robles fair to sell out in a single day.

The 14,661 tickets for the July 25 concert, the most expensive in the fair's history, were gone in a matter of hours Friday (April 27) after going on sale at 10 a.m.

Ticket outlets, phone lines and online sites were jammed immediately, and some people waited in line overnight to get tickets.

Paul Stenning — author of the GUNS N' ROSES book "The Band That Time Forgot", the AC/DC book "Two Sides to Every Glory", and the recently released 130,000-word biography on IRON MAIDEN, entitled "30 Years of the Beast - The Complete Biography 1976-2006" — is offering ten signed and numbered copies of his new 224-page biography on former GUNS N' ROSES and current VELVET REVOLVER guitarist Slash, entitled "Slash: Surviving Guns N' Roses, Velvet Revolver and Rock's Snake Pit" (cover). "These are the first pressings and mine are the first to go out," Stenning writes on his MySpace page. "They are priced at £25 each."

Matthew Flamm of Crain's New York Business reported in February that Slash sold his autobiography to HarperCollins. The British born, California-raised axeman will work with writer Anthony Bozza, who helped MÖTLEY CRÜE drummer Tommy Lee pen his memoir, "Tommyland". The manuscript is due to be delivered in the fall.

A HarperCollins spokeswoman confirmed Slash's deal, according to Crain's New York Business.

Slash, born Saul Hudson, left GUNS N' ROSES in 1996 following a rift with frontman Axl Rose. He went on to form the band VELVET REVOLVER with fellow ex-GN'R members Duff McKagan (bass) and Matt Sorum (drums).

Also in the works is "W.A.R.: The Unauthorized Biography of W. Axl Rose", by British rock writer Mick Wall. The book is due out in Britain in the fall and is currently making the rounds of New York publishers.

Slash is not the first member of VELVET REVOLVER to land a publishing deal for his memoir. A year ago, it was announced that the group's lead singer, Scott Weiland (ex-STONE TEMPLE PILOTS) had inked a deal with Scribner to release his autobiography, which will include stories about his rise to rock stardom, his battles with drugs, and his life now that he's sober.

Guitarist/vocalist Anders Lundemark of the Danish extreme metallers KONKHRA has issued the following update:

"Today I'm calling Tue [Madsen, producer] about mixing the first half of the [new KONKHRA] record next week. We are leaving for the states on May 17th, and what's pimary on the agenda is getting to Florida to cut the leads for the record. James [Murphy; TESTAMENT, DEATH, OBITUARY] is on, and we can't wait to hear everything come together finally. This one will definately show both old sides and new sides to the band. We are faster than we have ever been. Probably also a lot tighter (except for the guitars, hehe...).

"A quick thanks for the interest to the 5+ labels that have been getting in touch about releasing the new one. We will be getting back to you [as soon as possible]. And now we will actually have some new music to play for people soon."

A new KONKHRA instrumental demo track, which has the working title "Killswitch One", has been posted online at the band's MySpace page.

KONKHRA released its latest CD, "Reality Check", in May 2003 through Code666 Records. The album was recorded at guitarist/vocalist Anders Lundemark's own Starstruck Studio and was the group's first since their split with longtime label Diehard Records.

Mike Gonzales, former bassist for legendary thrashers DARK ANGEL, will join Progmetal Angel on "Raise the Horns" this afternoon (Saturday April 28) at 3:00 pm EST on www.dementiaradio.com. They will discuss the band's history and rumors of a possible reunion.

DARK ANGEL was a thrash metal band from Los Angeles. Their over-the-top style (extremely fast, heavy and lengthy songs with lots of tempo changes, lyrics and extended instrumental parts) earned them the nickname "the L.A. Caffeine Machine" and the motto "too fast, my ass." They released several demos before their full-length debut, "We Have Arrived", was released in 1985. In 1986, DARK ANGEL released its album "Darkness Descends" which joined "Master of Puppets" (METALLICA), "Reign in Blood" (SLAYER), "Peace Sells... But Who's Buying?" (MEGADETH), and "Pleasure to Kill" (KREATOR) as highly important thrash metal releases of the year and is now considered by many to be a seminal 1980s extreme metal album. Two more studio albums followed, "Leave Scars" (1989) and "Time Does Not Heal" (1991), showing increasingly progressive song structures (the latter album famously containing 246 riffs) and drummer Gene Hoglan's lyrics dealing with (especially for thrash metal) serious subject matter, often concerning psychological issues and traumas.

After breaking up in 1992, DARK ANGEL briefly reunited in 2002. However, singer Ron Rinehart's injury forced them to cancel tour plans and the band is presently on hold. Rinehart also formed the band OIL in 1997 after converting to Christianity.

According to BrandonSun.com, RUSH's Alex Lifeson and Geddy Lee are scheduled to sit down for an interview on CBC's "The Hour" on Thursday, May 3. It should be noted, however, that the Canadian program's web site lists SYSTEM OF A DOWN drummer John Dolmayan as being the featured guest that day.

For more information on CBC's "The Hour", which is hosted by George Stroumboulopoulos, click here.

Due on May 1 via Anthem/Atlantic Records, "Snakes & Arrows" is RUSH's first album of original material in nearly five years. The CD was recorded in the fall of 2006 with Grammy Award winner Nick Raskulinecz (FOO FIGHTERS, VELVET REVOLVER) and RUSH co-producing. The album's recently released first single, "Far Cry", was the #1 most added song at rock radio and already Top 10 on the rock radio charts with airplay on over 100 stations in the U.S.