Keith Sudano, founder of the prog metal pioneers ETERNITY X, will guest on "Raise the Horns" on Saturday, May 19 at 3:00 p.m. EST on www.dementiaradio.com. After the interview, Keith and the rest of the band will be joining the chat room to talk to fans.

The band known as ETERNITY X originally began their career as ETERNITY in 1985. As the band grew, so did the complexities in the music — a name change was imminent and unavoidable. In order to been seen as a portion of what they were, but with so much more added, they became ETERNITY X.

There were two EPs released as ETERNITY prior to the name change. As ETERNITY X, the first official release was "Zodiac", followed by "Mind Games" in 1995, and the critically acclaimed "The Edge" in 1997.

After the tour to promote "The Edge", the band had a fairly lengthy split.

In 2006, original vocalist and chief songwriter Keith Sudano felt the itch to return to his passion, the music of ETERNITY X. Keith Sudano once again began the process of searching out the best and brightest musicians that had the same creative desires, intensity and passion for music as he.

Keith then named Jerry Prater (guitars), Dusty Owens (guitars), Josh Starkey (drums) and Terry Richards II (bass), the new members of ETERNITY X.

Shortly after, Keith was able to locate a willing and talented keyboardist, Herc Dimitroglou from Greece, to complete the lineup.

You can check out ETERNITY X on their web site, www.eternity-x.com.

Shehzaad Jiwani of ChartAttack.com recently conducted an interview with former AUDIOSLAVE/SOUNDGARDEN singer Chris Cornell. A few excerpts from the chat follow:

On managing to release an album every year since 2005:

"I always felt, even in the early SOUNDGARDEN days, that bands should be able to put out a record every year or year-and-a-half. It shouldn't be this three-year period between records where people put so much importance on a record so you don't feel you can screw around and experiment and go far outside your norm.

"When I was a child, bands would really go out on a limb for a record, and some people wouldn't like it, but so what? They're gonna put another record out in eight months, it wouldn't matter. You could have a career where you could really play around with your personality and who you were, like THE ROLLING STONES could do 'Satanic Majesties Request', then 'Emotional Rescue'. All that had an effect."

On covering MICHAEL JACKSON's "Billie Jean" for his new solo album:

"I had a discussion with [my wife] about the art of choosing a cover song. It started on numerous occasions with her hearing a song that she likes and saying, 'You should do that song.'

"Now you can't just do any old song. If PEARL JAM does a song by THE WHO, that makes perfect sense for the band to do that song. SOUNDGARDEN would do like a medley that included an ALICE COOPER song, 'Working Man' by RUSH, and it went into a LED ZEPPELIN song, but it all made perfect sense for SOUNDGARDEN to do.

"There's the opposite way, where you couldn't imagine the coupling of the band with the artist. JOHNNY CASH doing 'Rusty Cage' or 'Hurt', that's the best example I could think of. It yielded something so unexpected, but it turned out really great. So then, as a challenge, she asked what I'd do. And off the top of my head, the least likely thing I could think of was MICHAEL JACKSON."

On AUDIOSLAVE's break-up:

"At the end of the last AUDIOSLAVE tour, before we started making a third record, we started running into issues, some arguments about business things. We were able to set that aside and make another AUDIOSLAVE record, which we were all ecstatic about. Once the record was done, we got into another list of issues that we were trying to sort out business-wise that we weren't seeing eye to eye on at all. I just said, 'OK, I'm gonna do this solo record. Maybe we need some time apart.'

"That's the key, I suppose. Time apart is going to yield one of two conclusions. The one it yielded for me was that I was having a great time making music on my own. That was the initial agreement in the first place when we started making music, that it was fun."

On how he is much happier as a solo artist:

"We said, 'As long as it's fun and not complicated and there's no drama, I'm into it.' Eventually, it became that. I'm very proud of the records we made. There was nothing we did that I'm not proud of. But I mean, if that does happen, and I've been in a band for 14, 15 years, I'm tired of that.

"I'm happy to go and have a solo career for the rest of my life. I'm just really happy to be on my own. I love the music I'm making now."

DISBELIEF and AGATHODAIMON are among the confirmed bands for the In Flammen Open Air festival, set to take place July 13-14 at Brückenkopf in Torgau, Germany. The festival billing is shaping up as follows:

DISBELIEF
AGATHODAIMON
DEATH REALITY
LIFTHRASIL
DAWN OF FATE
SAXORIOR
MOSHQUITO
MIGHT OF LILITH
BETRAYER
SILENTIUM NOCTIS
BGT
UNTAMED
INFECTED BRAIN
ARCHE:HAVOC
ABGROGATION
EXOTOXIN
DEATH EMBRACE

A poster for the event can be found at this location.

For more information, visit www.in-flammen.com.

STRATOVARIUS mainman/guitarist Timo Tolkki has issued the following update:

"Off to Japan to play some shows. It's gonna be my 18th time there. This time I'm gonna see some of the real Japan, especially Kyoto area. We are going to have some rehearsals before flying (we haven't really played in months), but that usually comes together pretty quickly. Thank God we can fly with Finnair directly to Osaka so it takes only nine hours instead of 14. I know a pilot of Finnair and he arranged me a place in the cockpit for take off and landing. I have been in the real simulators a couple of times flying the plane myself, so that's gonna be fun."

STRATOVARIUS recently entered Sonic Pump Studios in Helsinki, Finland to begin recording its new album (the title of which consists of two separate words that both start with "R"). An early 2008 release is expected.

THE CULT has lined up the following European tour dates:

Jun. 05 - Rotterdam, Netherlands, Ahoy (w/ THE WHO)
Jun. 06 - Paris, France, Palais Omnisports de Bercy (w/ THE WHO)
Jun. 07 - London, England, CC Club
Jun. 09 - Fulda, Germany, Airfield (w/ THE WHO)
Jun. 10 - Torino, Italy, Colonia Sonora Festival
Jun. 12 - Zurich, Switzerland, Volkshaus
Jun. 13 - Munich, Germany, Olympiahalle (w/ THE WHO)
Jun. 14 - Rome, Italy, EUR Open Air
Jun. 16 - Leipzig, Germany, Messerhalle (w/ THE WHO)
Jun. 17 - Amsterdam, Netherlands, Melkweg
Jun. 19 - Oberhausen, Germany, Konig-Pilsner Arena (w/ THE WHO)
Jun. 22 - Zagreb, Croatia, Rokaj Festival
Jun. 24 - Bucharest, Romania, Coca Cola Festival
Jun. 25 - Budapest, Hungary Margareth Island Open Air
Jun. 26 - Vienna, Austria, Planet Music
Jun. 30 - Madrid, Spain, La Riviera
Jul. 01 - Valencia, Spain, America's Cup Auditorium

THE CULT is currently working on material for the group's first album since 2001's "Beyond Good and Evil". "We've got some ideas down, circulating," guitarist Billy Duffy told ChartAttack.com in Maarch. "Each album gets its own life and while it's early to really tell with this one because it's in the formative stages, it still feels trashy and sort of ramshackle, which I like. [Singer] Ian [Astbury] isn't singing with THE DOORS anymore and I think that's lifted his spirits for a CULT record, too."

THE CULT's current touring lineup includes principals Ian Astbury and Billy Duffy alongside bassist Chris Wyse, drummer John Tempesta (ex-WHITE ZOMBIE, TESTAMENT, EXODUS, HELMET) and rhythm guitarist Mike Dimkich.

Canadian metal veterans ANVIL last year re-teamed with producer Chris Tsangarides for the first time since 1983's classic "Forged in Fire" album to record their new CD. The recording sessions took place at Tsangarides' Dump Studios in England and were filmed for an upcoming feature drama-documentary covering ANVIL's return to the metal scene. The group's mainman Steve "Lips" Kudlow has issued the following update:

"The movie is being edited!!! I've seen a trailer for it and WOW!!!! Hollywood??? I'm still kind of weirded out seeing myself in a movie!! This isn't like being a movie star and acting as someone else. It's me starring as me. The brutal realities of the road are captured live and in colour. I have very strong intuitions that this will be a monumental success. If I was to see such a movie about someone else I would say the same thing. It is a diametric opposition of 'This is Spinal Tap'. The ANVIL movie is a true version , yet the true version is less believable than the fictitious version. It will leave you wondering what's next?? A true rollercoaster of emotion. Coming to a theatre near you!!!!! Hahahahahahaha."

Regarding the documentary footage — which was filmed and directed by Sacha Gervasi, who worked as writer on the Steven Spielberg-directed movie "The Terminal" (2004) — Lips told Total Rock in April 2006, "There's been some moments I wished that [the cameras] weren't there. I even had to say, 'You've gotta shut the thing off right now because I'm gonna lose my temper and I don't think that needs to be on film.' [Laughs] [It's very easy to forget that the cameras are there] and you could say things that you really shouldn't say. I went in and I started talking about my sister-in-law and I shouldn't have been — just making fun of her name and it went to film and I shouldn't have done that, 'cause if she ever sees that, she'll know that I said that. Just silly things that aren't gonna mean anything to anybody else but me."

Doyle Wolfgang Von Frankenstein, former guitarist for horror punk icons the MISFITS, will take part in a signing session at the Coffin Case booth tomorrow (Saturday, May 19) at the at Fangoria's Weekend Of Horrors at Burbank Airport Marriott (2500 Hollywood Way) in Burbank, California.

For more information, click here.

Doyle Von Frankenstein has been in the studio with his former MISFITS bandmate Glenn Danzig tracking instruments on Doyle's first solo project since leaving the MISFITS, GORGEOUS FRANKENSTEIN. Danzig is producing the effort, which is expected later in the year.

Finnish band BLOODPIT will support MÖTLEY CRÜE at the Helsinki Ice Stadium in Helsinki, Finland on Monday, June 4. The group's long-awaited second album, "Off the Hook", was produced by Janne Joutsenniemi and was issued via the Sony BMG/Bemeeves label. According to a posting on BLOODPIT's web site, the new CD "presents the band just as it is at the moment. The young musicians survived the mental circus of their first album almost undamaged and are now fighting off their addictions, and the band notes that the new album is about recovery as well as the entailing new demons."

For more information, visit www.bloodpitband.com.

DEVILDRIVER's Dez Fafara and John Boecklin will be the featured guests on Indie 103.1 FM's specialty metal program "Chaos" this coming Sunday, May 20 at 10:00 p.m. PST (1:00 a.m. EST Monday morning).

To listen to the program live via the Internet, go to this location.

DEVILDRIVER is currently on the road with black-metal titans, DIMMU BORGIR, UNEARTH and KATAKLYSM until May 29, winning over audiences with brooding tenacity. DEVILDRIVER will then launch a month long European tour on June 1 and will also be attending the Metal Hammer awards in London on June 11.

DEVILDRIVER's new album, "The Last Kind Words", is set for release on July 31, 2007 and features 11 tracks of annihilating progression. "We wanted to do something that was different than we did on the first two records, and would stand out," frontman Dez Fafara declares. "The Last Kind Words" stands out and above, capturing DEVILDRIVER's unique fusion. The forthcoming album was mixed by famed producer, Andy Sneap (OPETH, EXODUS, AS I LAY DYING, MEGADETH) at Backstage Recording Studios in England. The band is also slated to film a music video for their first single, "Not All Who Wander Are Lost".

Check out the cover artwork at this location.

Video footage of DEVILDRIVER performing two brand new songs during their appearance at the New England Metal And Hardcore Festival on April 27, 2007 at the Palladium and Worcester, Massachusetts has been posted online at YouTube:

"Not All Who Wander Are Lost": Video
"Clouds Over California": Video

An audio recording of DEVILDRIVER performing the song "Clouds Over California" live on their current tour has been posted online at this location.

(Thanks: Andrew / The Space Lord)

According to KissNews.de, an Ace Frehley-painted guitar sold for $7,500 at the Six-String Masterpieces: The Dimebag Darrell Art Tribute auction in which 50 Dean ML electric guitars painted or otherwise customized by a variety of music, entertainment, and fine art celebrities were sold to benefit the Little Kids Rock project. Other participating celebs included METALLICA's James Hetfield and Kirk Hammett, whose guitars raised $4,500 and $7,500, respectively, Joe Satriani ($2,500), Billy Gibbons ($2,500), Marilyn Manson ($6,250), Tom Morello ($1,800), Otep ($1,700), Zakk Wylde ($6,250), and, Hank Williams III ($2,000).

The eBay item description for the Ace Frehley guitar reads as follows: "Ace Frehley, former guitarist for KISS, is recognized as the single most influential musician to inspire the career of Dimebag Darrell Abbott. Ace was definitely one of the first guitar heroes and was a major influence to many of the other musicians in this exhibit. This extremely valuable addition to the collection features a highly psychedelic, fractalized space theme that has a great photo of Dime and Ace integrated into the spiraling design. The design was created by Ace and then printed on thick photo paper that was template cut to the shape of the guitar and applied to the body. The backside of the guitar includes a heartfelt note and an actual print of the photo that Ace integrated into the front side design, as well as it is signed by the Spaceman himself in silver paint pen. One May 3 the hardware was applied, electronics installed and the lot photos were updated. This is a one-of-a-kind full playable and displayable Instrument of Art. Complete with electronics, pick-ups, strings and hardware installed at Dean USA. It is hand-painted or otherwise decorated by the artist whose name is associated with the guitar."

The Six-String Masterpieces project was produced and curated by Curse Mackey.

The Little Kids Rock project makes free music instruments and instruction available to public school students.

Six-String Masterpieces: The Dimebag Darrell Art Tribute auction results are currently available on eBay.com.

California-based instrumental rock guitarist Adrian Galysh has completed work on his new recording, entitled "Earth Tones". The new CD features Marco Mendoza (THINK LIZZY, WHITESNAKE, TED NUGENT) on bass and Joey Heredia (STEVIE WONDER, TRIBAL TECH) on drums. Also featured are special guest performances by guitarist Carl Verheyen (SUPERTRAMP) on "Terrestrial Races", bassist Chuck Wright (QUIET RIOT, HOUSE OF LORDS) and drummer Glen Sobel (GARY HOEY, JENNIFER BATTEN, GRAHAM BONNET) on the track "Planetary Cycle".

"I believe my new material is my best to date, and solidifies an identifiable style of composition, instrumentation, and guitar playing", Galysh says.

Adrian is currently seeking a suitable label to release the album, which is tentatively due in the second half of 2007.

For more information, visit www.adriangalysh.com.

Stuff.co.nz reports that a 27-year-old Finnish former heavy metal guitarist and footballer is the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra's new music director.

Pietari Inkinen (web site), who has replaced British conductor James Judd, conducted his first orchestra at the age of 14 and is the youngest person to hold the key NZSO position since the 1950s.

Inkinen, whose appointment was announced in Auckland yesterday, made it clear his heavy metal days were over.

"They were always activities at school — parties and discos — and it was my band that played. We played heavy stuff."

But Inkinen still plays football, which he has loved since he was a child - and found analogies between being a conductor and playing the game. For one, he did not believe conductors should behave like dictators but "like a good coach," he said.

NZSO chief executive Peter Walls said the appointment was part of a global trend for younger directors.

He said New Zealanders had been considered, but the orchestra needed the best it could get with international experience.

More video footage has been posted online from PANTERA/DAMAGEPLAN guitarist "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott's induction into Hollywood's RockWalk, which took place Thursday afternoon (May 17) in front of the Guitar Center at 7425 Sunset Boulevard in Hollywood, California). A bronze bust (photo) of Abbott was unveiled during the ceremony and later installed along the RockWalk posthumous inductee wall, which also includes Robert Johnson, Elvis Presley and Bill Graham among others. Attending yesterday's induction were current and former members of ALICE IN CHAINS, ANTHRAX, SLAYER, KISS, ROB ZOMBIE and BLACK LABEL SOCIETY. Guitar virtuoso Zakk Wylde (BLACK LABEL SOCIETY, OZZY OSBOURNE) also performed "In This River" — a song forever dedicated to his friend Dimebag Darrell.

Check out video clips shot during yesterday's induction:

Zakk Wylde Performs "In This River": Video
Zakk Wylde Speaks About Dimebag: Video
Zakk Continues Speaking Then Ace Frehley: Video
Ace Frehley Continues To Speak About Dimebag: Video
Vinnie Paul And His Father Speak About Dimebag: Video
Scott Ian Speaks About Dimebag: Video

Dimebag Hollywood's RockWalk induction photos:

Wire Image
Film Magic
Getty Images

One of metal's finest guitar players, Dimebag Darrell Abbott was born on August 20, 1966 in Dallas, Texas. Born into a musical family, his father was a country and western songwriter and producer, Dimebag Darrell's interest in hard rock and heavy metal began to grow upon his discovery of KISS and their guitarist Ace Frehley. He entered numerous guitar competitions in the Dallas area which resulted in him winning an instrument that he would eventually become closely associated with, the Dean ML. In 1981, Dimebag Darrell along with his brother, drummer Vinnie Paul, formed what would turn out to be one of the most popular heavy metal bands of the 1990s. Beginning with "Cowboys from Hell", PANTERA touched off a string of classic metal releases; "Vulgar Display of Power" followed and with it, brought the band star status and domination in the hard rock/metal music community for a decade. The band received four Grammy nominations, platinum for "The Great Southern Trendkill", "Cowboys from Hell" and PANTERA's "Greatest Hits" and double platinum for "Vulgar Display of Power" and "Far Beyond Driven", which had its debut at No. 1 on the Billboard album chart. Released in 2000, "Reinventing the Steel" was the final studio effort from the band. Darrell and Vinnie went on to form DAMAGEPLAN, releasing "New Found Power" in 2004. During a DAMAGEPLAN performance in Columbus, Ohio, on December 8, 2004, Dimebag was fatally shot at the age of 38.

Dimebag Darrell Abbott will always be remembered as one of the most influential guitarists in modern metal music.

Reactivated San Francisco Bay Area metallers SKINLAB have set "Now That You're One of Us" as the title of their upcoming DVD. "If timing works out, we'll be doing the performance shoot at The Metro [in Oakland, Californa on June 3]," says bassist/vocalist Steev Esquivel. "So far we're trying to get things worked our with the production company and make sure everything is perfect so we can give you the best DVD possible. It only makes sense to do it in our hometown. Let's just hope things work out."

A video of SKINLAB performing in Maplewood, Minnesota on May 11, 2007 has been posted at YouTube.

SKINLAB 2007 lineup:

Paul Hopkins - Drums
Glen Telford - Guitars
Steev Esquivel - Bass/Vocals
Snake - Guitars

SKINLAB's last studio album, "ReVolting Room", came out in 2002. A double-disc set, entitled "Nerve Damage", featuring alternate versions of studio tracks, several live tracks recorded on the band's "ReVolting Room" tour, plus two new songs, came out in 2004.

RE:IGNITION — the band featuring Esquivel on guitar, Snake on bass, Dave Moore (ex-MINDBENDER) on vocals, Tim Howell (ex-FUELED, SACRILEGE B.C.) on guitar and Mark Hernandez (ex-TECHNOCRACY, TORQUE) on drums — released its debut album, "Empty Heart Loaded Gun", via Corporate Punishment Records.

"Empty Heart Loaded Gun" features guest appearances by guitarist Phil Demmel (MACHINE HEAD, ex-VIO-LENCE) and vocalist Brock Lindow (36 CRAZYFISTS).

A classic video clip of DEEP PURPLE members Ritchie Blackmore (guitar) and Ian Gillan (vocals) engaged in a war of words during separate interviews with the Swedish TV program "Metal Magazinet" in October 1993 has been posted at YouTube. A transcript of the three-minute segment follows:

Ritchie: "Ian and I, we're very strong-minded people, so I think we were, like, clashing a little bit at this point. A lot of drinking going down, a lot of… really, there wasn't too much music being played. So I said to the rest of the band, 'What's Ian doing other than drinking and getting crazy?' 'Well, that's really what he's doing.' So I turned around and said, 'I'd really rather not carry on this arrangement. Let's get somebody else in who's gonna sing something properly.' So they went along with that, and that's all. Ian seemed to fire himself [by] going his own merry way. I think he was… maybe he was being very antagonistic at the time because he wanted to be fired — he didn't want to say, 'I'm leaving.' Ian, being a very strong character, just wants to go his own way when he wants to. And he and I very rarely… We don't talk very often."

Ian: "I've never denied the fact that I could be, and probably am, as much, if not more, responsible for the breakups than Ritchie was by my attitude and the things that I wanted to say and the direction I wanted PURPLE to go in and the things I was excited for them to do and the frustrations I felt. And perhaps I pushed too hard — I think I probably did. But you're never able to be objective in the situation, so I was able to think of that when this whole project came up, and looking at it, I saw very clearly that Ritchie has had — for all his perceived faults and all his real faults — he has had a clear direction, undiluted. He's a giant amongst guitar players, and I don't think anyone would dispute that. But he's an intellectual dwarf. I didn't say that. I mean, what I'm saying is he's insecure. I didn't say that. I didn't say that. Yes, I did."

Ritchie: "One of these days when we're playing on the road, I'm going to attack Ian Gillan in the back alley. He's bigger than me, and he's probably a better fighter, so I'm gonna do it with a few friends of mine — probably Swedish. We'll beat him up. But he won't know it's me."

(Thanks: Jtull)

In a recent phone interview with Greg Burk of the Los Angeles Times, guitarist Silenoz, DIMMU BORGIR's main lyricist (in English and sometimes Norwegian), showed a thoughtful nature — and a sense of humor — about the mythic name he chose.

"Silenus was known for debaucheries when it comes to drink. He had a crooked nose and quite a beer gut, which I also have," Silenoz says. "The similarities are uncanny."

According to Silenoz, black metal's opposition to religion is actually a moral stance. "Most wars are directly connected to religious conflicts," he says. "Look at Africa, the Middle East, the Balkans. That's one of many reasons to go up against organized religion."

As for sound, DIMMU BORGIR had employed real orchestras on the last couple of albums, but keyboards create the illusion effectively on the group's new album, "In Sorte Diaboli", although no one in the group knows how to read music.

Does Silenoz listen to classical? "I really like Beethoven and Wagner — you know, the heavy composers — maybe because they're close to how some metal is built up," he says. "On my iPod, I have everything from bluegrass and country to the most brutal grindcore."

How about film scores? "Yeah, very much so. Especially the big theatrical movies like 'Lord of the Rings'. And when I saw 'The Red Dragon', I found a lot of killer stuff in that."

BUCKCHERRY's appearance on the nationally syndicated radio show "Rockline" — originally scheduled for June 18 — has been pushed back a week to Monday, June 25. The live show begins at 8:30 p.m. PT / 11:30 p.m. ET, and fans are encouraged to call in with questions during the program at (800) 344-ROCK (7625). To find a station near you, check out www.rocklineradio.com.

Two-time Grammy nominee and gold-certified rock underdogs BUCKCHERRY recently played its 200th show in support of its current record, "15" (Eleven Seven Music/Atlantic Records). The CD, which debuted at #2 on the Independent Chart before being up-streamed to Atlantic proper, has sold more than 1 million copies worldwide. BUCKCHERRY's smash-hit summer-of-2006-anthem, the Grammy-nominated Best Hard Rock Performance "Crazy Bitch" has passed the 1 million mark on downloads for ringtones.

On Tuesday May 22, MÖTLEY CRÜE bassist Nikki Sixx and UGO.com will premiere the video for "Life Is Beautiful". This is the first single from "The Heroin Diaries" soundtrack, which hits stores on August 21. The song is performed by Nikki Sixx, DJ Ashba (ex-BEAUTIFUL CREATURES), and James Michael who are collectively known as SIXX:A.M.

"The Heroin Diaries" CD is a precursor to Sixx's autobiography of the same name, which arrives September 25. The album's 12 tracks each match up with one chapter in the book; "Life Is Beautiful" can be streamed from the book's MySpace.com page.

"The Heroin Diaries: A Year in the Life of a Shattered Rock Star" offers an unflinching and utterly gripping look at Sixx's descent into drug addiction with a soundtrack, featuring James Michael and DJ Ashba (ex-BEAUTIFUL CREATURES), to match.

Few bands were as influential as MÖTLEY CRÜE in making the 1980s the heavy metal decade. Theirs is a cyclonic story of runaway success and its price, blending outrageous record sales and arena headline tours with smashed up cars, jail sentences, models, drugs, breakups, reunions and more breakups.

In this candid memoir, Nikki Sixx — MÖTLEY CRÜE's bassist and main songwriter — recounts the band's heyday. "The Heroin Diaries" takes readers along on one of the most breathless and harrowing roller coaster rides in the history of pop music. At its heart lies the author's nightmare come true: a punishing heroin addiction that brought him and the band to the edge of losing much more than just their spot on the charts. Serving up snapshots of rock culture at its most manic, this insider's look at triumph and tragedy is every bit as explosive as the musical odyssey it chronicles.

Nikki Sixx was born Frank Feranna in San Jose, California, in 1958 and grew up in Seattle with his grandmother. At the age of seventeen, he sold his guitars and took a bus to Los Angeles, where he began hanging out in local clubs and playing in bands. He founded MÖTLEY CRÜE in 1981 with friend Tommy Lee. Today he's a family man with numerous projects in the works, including songwriting for other artists, a movie, a new band, a clothing line, and ongoing work with the CRÜE.

"The Heroin Diaries: A Year in the Life of a Shattered Rock Star" will come out through MTV Books/Simon & Schuster. The accompanying original concept soundtrack will be released by Eleven Seven Music and distributed by ADA, with a portion of proceeds donated to Nikki's Running Wild in the Night, a fundraising initiative for Covenant House. The book is a tell-all covering 12 months in Sixx's battle against addiction, drawn from Nikki's 1986 and '87 journals, and reportedly makes CRÜE's celebrated "Dirt", now being made into a motion picture, sound like Mary Poppins.

HELLYEAH and SEVENDUST have been confirmed for the Zippo Rock Stage during this year's Summerfest, which will run from June 28 to July 8 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The stage will feature the following headlining performers (all show times are 10:00 p.m. except where otherwise indicated):

June 28: FLYLEAF (9:00 p.m.), PUDDLE OF MUDD (11:00 p.m.)
June 29: FUEL
June 30: LIFEHOUSE
July 01: TBA
July 02: JACKYL
July 03: SKILLET (8:00 p.m.), FINGER ELEVEN
July 04: TBA
July 05: SEVENDUST
July 06: HELLYEAH
July 07: COLLECTIVE SOUL
July 08: THE GUFS

HELLYEAH, featuring members of MUDVAYNE, PANTERA and NOTHINGFACE, begins its first headlining tour on Sunday (May 20) in Baltimore. The group is touring in support of its self-titled debut album, which has sold 91,000 copies in the United States since its release five weeks ago, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

Earlier this week, HELLYEAH announced former DAMAGEPLAN bassist Bob "Zilla" Kakaha as the replacement for Jerry Montano, who exited the group in April.

HELLYEAH's debut disc landed at No. 9 on the Billboard album chart in its first week of release.

"Talking Metal"'s coverage of the 2007 edition of "VH1 Rock Honors" continues with exclusive video podcasts featuring Ozzy Osbourne and Zakk Wylde. The four-minute Ozzy episode includes excerpts from the 15-minute interview hosts Mark Strigl and John Ostronomy conducted with Ozzy in Las Vegas on May 11. Topics include the Moscow Music Peace Festival, BLACK SABBATH, Ozzfest, THE BEATLES, and Jack Osbourne. The Zakk Wylde episode, entitled "The Making of the Zakk Wylde Interview" marks Wylde's directorial debut on "Talking Metal". In this two-minute comedy skit, Wylde casts someone else to portray him in an interview about music and women. Also appearing in this "making-of" segment are host John Ostronomy and ALICE IN CHAINS bassist Mike Inez, who acted as one of the cameramen. Both videos can be downloaded at this location and the entire 15-minute audio version of the Ozzy Osbourne interview can be heard on "Talking Metal" episode #147.

Richmond's thrash monsters MUNICIPAL WASTE will release special, limited-edition versions of their new album, "The Art of Partying", in the U.K. and U.S.A.:

U.K.:

* 15-track regular CD
* 17-track CD with bonus tracks
* 17-track CD w/ bonus tracks and limited-edition patch
* 12-inch vinyl (15 tracks)

U.S.A.:

* 17-track CD with bonus tracks and limited-edition patch (limited to the first pressing)
* 15-track picture disc

A new MUNICIPAL WASTE track, entitled "Headbanger Face Rip", is available on on the band's MySpace page. The song comes off the "The Art of Partying", which is scheduled for release in the U.S. on July 31 (in Europe, the album will be released on June 11). A press release reads: "Sticking it in the face of depressing modern eyeliner fuelled rock with a blatant disregard for their own safety in honour of the thrash party gods and armed with an arsenal of nuclear beer, boogie boards, food fights and steaming riffs, MUNICIPAL WASTE have only one aim: to put the fun back into rock music. Offering lessons in how to party, the notoriously well-experienced beer mad Virginia based band, return with 'The Art of Partying' which is building up to be one of the most anticipated records of the year."

Fresh out of Zeuss' Planet Z studios in Massachusetts, drummer Dave Witte enthused: "We couldn't be more stoked with the outcome. Fast, furious and fun all rolled into one...a real animal."

MUNICIPAL WASTE is now a featured artist on Metal Injection's Overdose, the net's most extreme 24/7 metal video channel. Catch up with the band in their element, both on stage and off as they give Metal Injection a private lesson on what it's like to thrash, drink beer and do both at once in two brand new videos that you can find at www.metalinjection.tv.

Greg Prato of Classic Rock magazine (web site) recently interviewed LORDI mainman Mr. Lordi about his favorite rock album, and he chose KISS' "Destroyer". An excerpt from the article follows:

Mr. Lordi on KISS' "Destroyer": "It was the first KISS album that I owned. It wasn't the first KISS album that I heard, that was 'Creatures of the Night'. I was a little kid back then. I went to a record store and thought I'd buy just the KISS album — I didn't know that there were plenty of KISS albums. I was like, 'Whoah! So many to choose from.' I had no idea where to start. I made the decision from the picture on the cover — I thought 'Destroyer' was the coolest.

"It has so much nostalgia for me. It has 'God of Thunder' — my all-time favorite song from KISS; one of my favorite songs period. I remember the first time I was listening to the album, with all the theatrical parts, the few seconds of 'radio theater,' if you will, at the beginning [of 'Detroit Rock City']. I was scared shitless! It was terrifying. But I loved it!

"KISS have so many albums and so many different musical styles it's like a deck of cards. 'Destroyer' is different. I think it's the first big-sounding album KISS did. The first three albums are more like 'rock 'n' roll albums; 'Destroyer' is a huge album. It doesn't matter how low the volume, it sounds big. Of course, there are so many production tricks, with the piano powering up the chords, and the orchestrations and stuff. I think a lot of thanks goes to [producer] Bob Ezrin, because the next album that really sticks out in the KISS catalog is 'The Elder' [1981], which is Bob Ezrin again."

Glam-Metal.com has posted a review of the second annual "VH1 Rock Honors" show, which was taped Saturday night (Saturday, May 12) at the Mandalay Bay Events Center in Las Vegas. Read it in two parts: Part#1, Part#2. This year's celebration honored the music and influence of OZZY OSBOURNE, GENESIS, HEART and ZZ TOP.

These honorees performed live, along with tribute bands ALICE IN CHAINS (paying tribute to HEART), QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE (paying tribute to Ozzy with a rendition of the BLACK SABBATH classic "Paranoid"), NICKELBACK, GRETCHEN WILSON and KEANE.

Check out pictures from Wire Image (Show, Backstage, Green Room, Press Room, Afterparty), Film Magic and Getty Images.

Watch video footage from the "Press Room" at this year's "VH1 Rock Honors" event at YouTube.

Hosted by Bam Margera ("Jackass", "Viva La Bam"), "VH1 Rock Honors" will air on VH1 Thursday, May 24 at 9 p.m Eastern. Presenters include Billy Bob Thornton, Robin Williams, Criss Angel, Taylor Hawkins and more.

All ticket proceeds from the show and post party will benefit VH1 Save The Music.

Last year, VH1's inaugural show honored KISS, QUEEN, DEF LEPPARD and JUDAS PRIEST and was hosted by Jaime Pressly with tribute performances by FOO FIGHTERS, GODSMACK, THE ALL-AMERICAN REJECTS, Paul Rodgers, Tommy Lee, Slash, Scott Ian, Gilby Clarke, Rob Zombie and surprise guest Ace Frehley.

The new SMASHING PUMPKINS single, "Tarantula", has been posted online at Spinner.com. The song, which is expected to go for radio adds on Monday, will appear on the band's first album since 2000, titled "Zeitgeist", due July 10 via Martha's Music/Reprise.

SMASHING PUMPKINS earlier in the week revealed the cover art for "Zeitgeist" at both the band's official web site and its MySpace page. The cover, created by artist Shepard Fairey, features the Statue of Liberty drowning in a rising red-colored tide, with the sun either rising or setting behind her. PUMPKINS frontman Billy Corgan said in a statement, "Like a great artist can do, Shepard had summed up very simply a lot of complex themes. He also used the type font from our very first single, and I asked him about it and he had no idea. He was just on point."

Fairey has done anti-war posters as well as the poster art for the JOHNNY CASH biopic "Walk the Line". The artist said that the image was both a comment on global warming as well as the political situation in the U.S.

SMASHING PUMPKINS will play its first concert in seven years next Tuesday (May 22) in Paris, France.

The reactivated group will play two sets of residency shows this summer, in Asheville, North Carolina in late June and early July, and then in San Francisco in late July.

The latest volume in the DVD collection of horror music videos (horror films mixed with metal music) from obscure death, thrash and '80s metal bands, entitled "Horror Pain Gore Death", will be released on Tuesday, May 22. You can pre-order your copy of the DVD by going to this location.

"Horror Pain Gore Death: Vol. 4" DVD track listing:

01. MASSACRE - From Beyond (Zombie Lake)
02. NUM SKULL - Off With Your Head (Deliria)
03. SICKENING GORE - Covered In Blood (Color Me Blood Red)
04. ANVIL BITCH - Anvil Bitch (I Spit On Your Grave)
05. BENEDICTION - Violation Domain (The Headless Eyes)
06. DESTRUCTION - Mad Butcher (The Mad Butcher)
07. THE ACCÜSED - Grinning Like An Undertaker (The Undertaker And His Pals)
08. BLOODLUST - Chainsaw (Hollywood Chainsaw Hookers)
09. LORD GORE - Morgue Whore (Nekromantik 2)
10. NUCLEAR ASSAULT - Radiation Sickness (Nightmare City)
11. POST MORTEM - Ready To Die (Opera)
12. ZNÖWHITE - Sledgehammer (Rocktober Blood)
13. OPPRESSOR - As Blood Flows (Sleepaway Camp)
14. FORBIDDEN - March Into Fire (The Burning)
15. CELTIC FROST - Dethroned Emperor (Caligula: Untold Story)
16. OVERKILL - Death Rider (Don't Open Till Christmas)

For more information on the "Horror Pain Gore Death" DVD series, click here.

Swedish black metal band VANMAKT has uploaded video footage from its concerts last weekend in Nyköping and Linköping, Sweden. Check it out at YouTube.

VANMAKT recently posted the cover artwork for its upcoming debut album, "Vredskapta Mörkersagor", at this location (cover art created by Juanjo Castellano).

"Vredskapta Mörkersagor" will be released this spring/summer through Pulverised Records. The CD features guest appearances by Jonas Renvaktar (SPAWN OF POSSESSION) on the song entitled "Open the Gates" and Hebbe from SKALD on the track "En Mardröm, En Strid, Ett Helvete". VANMAKT also recently filmed a video for the song "My Darkest Hate" which will be included on the forthcoming album.

"Vredskapta Mörkersagor" track listing:

01. The First Key
02. Sanguine Craving
03. Förkastelse Av Jesu Tro
04. My Darkest Hate
05. Diaboli Iubeo
06. Para Vindicta
07. Open The Gates
08. Death Upon Death
09. En Mardröm, En Strid, Ett Helvete
10. Prince Mephisto
11. A New Satanic Era

Two songs from "Vredskapta Mörkersagor" — "Sanguine Craving" and "Death Upon Death" — are available for streaming at the band's MySpace page.

"Christine Sixteen 2: Another High School Tribute to Kiss" is now available. KISS fans will be able to buy it from Kiss Museum in the coming weeks.

The CD has been pressed at 600 copies this time around. The project, just like last year, is still a non-profit venture to encourage teenagers to experiment a style of music that they are not usually familiar with. It also gives them the chance to go to professional recording studio and experiment some media frenzy.

The disc features kid sensation drummer Angelo Coppola, who "rocks" on three tracks on the new CD, according to producer Patrice Beaudette.

"Christine Sixteen 2: Another High School Tribute to Kiss" track listing:

01. Jungle (Cassandra Goudreau)
02. Baby Driver (Jessica Scalabrini)
03. Love For Sale (Cassandra Markey)
04. War Machine (Jessica Scalabrini) *
05. Shock Me (Cassandra Markey) *
06. Deuce (Nadia Goudreau) *
07. God Of Thunder (Jessica Scalabrini)
08. Watchin' You (Jessica Dionne)
09. Master & Slave (Jessika Groleau)
10. Creatures Of The Night (Cassandra Goudreau)
11. Larger Than Life (Carolyne Bédard and Nadia Goudreau)
12. 100,000 Years (Cassandra Markey)
13. Dirty Livin' (Jessica Scalabrini)
14. Charisma (Jessica Dionne)
15. Into The Night (Nicolas Maurais)
16. Black Diamond (Cassandra Goudreau)
17. Gene Simmons Interview (1980)

* featuring Angelo Coppola on drums

For more information, visit www.highschooltributes.com.

Sweden's AEON recently entered Empire Studio to begin recording the follow-up to 2005's "Bleeding the False" (Unique Leader), due later in the year via Metal Blade Records. The band has since issued the following update:

"To celebrate the awesome outcome of our recently finished (yet-unreleased) album, we decided to arrange a killer evening here in Östersund, Sweden on June 2nd at Ga Tingshuset.

First up on stage is our dear friends THE EQUINOX OV THE GODS, who will give you something more than just an ordinary concert with their sick, twisted and grotesque stage appearance and evil gothic/doom metal music. After that, AEON will hit the stage with a setlist containing both new and old songs, and when this is over, we will move on and continue the night with a party at Hårdrocksklubben/Plaza — Nedervåningen. Down there, we will give you an exclusive preview listening of some songs from our upcoming album! See the poster for details."

AEON last year inked a multi-album deal with Metal Blade Records. The band also announced the addition of bassist Max Carlberg to the group's ranks.

THERION mainman Christofer Johnsson has posted the following message on the band's web site:

"It's not completely finished with all details yet, but as one of the promoters seems to have published the info already, we can reveal that in December we will celebrate 20 years of THERION by making a tour where we will:

* Perform the entire 'Theli' album
* Perform 'Adulruna Rediviva' and 'Wisdom of the Cage' from 'Gothic Kabbalah'
* Make a fan-chosen 'best-of' set 'Vovin' – 'Lemuria/Sirius B' for the rest of the evening
* Invite several special guests
* Make a stage show that will blow everyone away!
* 16 shows are planned.

"SIRENIA is confirmed to go with us (yes, we know what you guys want!). A second band you will also appreciate will be confirmed very soon. Reprinted 'Theli' merchandise is also gonna be available for the shows.

"There's more to it, but it's too early to reveal now. Stay tuned."

THERION recently announced the departure of vocalist Mats Levén (YNGWIE MALMSTEEN, KRUX, TREAT, AT VANCE) prior to the band's appearance at this year's Wacken Open Air festival in early August. His replacement in the group will be Thomas Vikström, who is best known to metal fans as the voice behind CANDLEMASS' "Chapter VI" album (1992).

THERION's latest studio album, the dual-disc "Gothic Kaballah", was released in North America on February 6 via Nuclear Blast Records.

Swedish melodic death metallers DARK TRANQUILLITY have issued the following update:

"As the picture implies, things are indeed looking victorious! 'Fiction' has been out for a few weeks now, and as no one can have failed to notice, the response has been truly phenomenal.

"In all fairness, we're used to our albums receiving rave reviews from fans and critics alike, but the reactions to our new little baby have exceeded everything we've experienced before — a lot of people even have dubbed it our best album (at last we could dethrone the 12-year-old 'The Gallery' from that spot).

"Here in Sweden, the feedback has been nothing short of fantastic. #1 and #2 in the soundchecks of the two leading metal magazines (Sweden Rock and Close-Up) and great reviews in all the major newspapers and tabloids — not to mention good chart positions, healthy sales and a general thumbs-up from the metal community.

"Promotion activities have been manyfold and weird. Apart from the usual tons of interviews, Mikael [Stanne; vocals] and Martin [Brändström; electronics] recently graced the premises of MTV Nordic to appear in the morning show 'Mycket Mer Än Müsli', in which they discussed the new album as well as playing some poker.

"Gig-wise, we'll have our busiest summer ever, playing the three most prolific Swedish festivals (Hultsfred, Arvika and Sweden Rock) as well as heading out all over Europe. Touring plans for the autumn are starting to take shape, and as soon as we know anything definite, we'll let you in on the information."

"Fiction" sold 3,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

DARK TRANQUILLITY's video for the song "Focus Shift" can be viewed on YouTube.com. The clip was directed by Roger Johansson, who previously worked with the group on the "Lost to Apathy" and "The New Build" videos from the 2005 release "Character".