MusicMirror.net recently conducted an interview with IRON MAIDEN frontman Bruce Dickinson. A few excerpts from the chat follow:

On the new IRON MAIDEN album, "A Matter of Life and Death":

"I think this is one of the finest MAIDEN albums we've ever done. I'm really proud of it. I think, sound-wise, it's probably the best album we've ever recorded. Obviously I'm a huge fan of Martin Birch and his work with us, but… you know, I think this is just a great-sounding record, and I don't think we've done as good as this, ever.

On why the new album is the best-sounding LP so far:

"I can't think of one other than that the sun and the moon and the planets were in the right place."

On how the new album compares to the previous CD:

"I think you could look at 'Dance of Death' as being a kind of preparation, stepping stone, if you like, towards this album. But I think this album has so much more than 'Dance of Death', and actually more than almost any other IRON MAIDEN record. Other IRON MAIDEN records up until this moment… there's a depth to some of the songs and there's depth of feeling to some of the lyrics on this album that I don't think we've managed to achieve for a long, long time. We've tried with other records, but this one, it's just… I mean, if you listen to a song like, say, 'Out of the Shadows', there's nothing about that song which sounds like we were making an effort to sound like that; it just sounds natural, and it's clear and natural. And so much of the album sounds like that. When it's getting complicated, it doesn't get out of control — it keeps the power. The intros, they are 'folkey', but without being kind of embarrassing. Everything is just pitched in the right place, and it's very rare that that happens. And it all happened very quickly."

On the songwriting and recording process for "A Matter of Life and Death":

"Well, it was three weeks to write it, three weeks to rehearse it, and three weeks to record it. The very shortest time was, actually, 'Number of the Beast', but we rehearsed this faster than any other album. I mean, we spent 15 days rehearsing it, we spent 15 days recording it, and then we spent an additional 15-20 days doing some overdubs and mixing. But to learn this album in 15 days and then go straight into the studio and play it live is incredible. I mean, for Nicko [McBrain, drums] alone to learn all the drum parts and then go and play them one by one and get it all done in 15 days is outstanding."

"We wrote some of the songs and everyone went away and had a think about their own parts individually and then we went into rehearsals. Every day we'd start with a rough tape and at the end of the day we had a song — written, run through, maybe some of the words finished, maybe not finished all the words, but we had the melodies and the arrangement. And then the next day we did a different song. So yeah, we rehearsed, learned each song, and then by the time we got to the end of three weeks, we just managed to learn all the songs, just managed to get through every song, and then we'd sort of forgotten the first one. But we had it on tape, so we went straight into the studio the first day, and went, 'Hey, let's listen to the tape. OK, it's coming back now.' Play it two or three times. Right, start recording. And that's how we recorded the album — each song at a time."

On the lyrical topics covered on the new album:

"It's not a concept album. But it doesn't mean that some of the subjects in the album aren't related — they are related, but they're related by the fact that we live in the world that we live in, and so, yes, there's a lot of songs about war, there's a lot of songs about religion, and things of that nature, because when we look at the world outside us, that's what's going on at the moment — there's lots of fear and paranoia about life and death and religion and war and things like that. So a lot of the album is about that."

"I think 'The Reincarnation of Benjamin Breeg' is gonna be the track we release, and if people say, 'Well, it's not a single,' we say, 'Well, we don't give a fuck.' 'Cause we wanna release something which is representative of the album, and that track, the first track ['Different World'], is really the odd man out of the album. It's the most normal sounding track on the album — probably my least favorite track on the album — so I think 'Benjamin Breeg' is such a great track — it's so heavy. What matters is what rock fans get when they listen to the track. We don't wanna appeal to… There's no point in playing to pop people, and expecting they'll buy an IRON MAIDEN album. Why bother? We're just going for the rock audience, because that's who our people are."

On how the IRON MAIDEN's sound has progressed since he rejoined the group:

"When I came back to MAIDEN, I was a very different singer to the guy that I was when I left. Having worked with a lot of different musicians, having done solo records — in particular, 'The Chemical Wedding' — I really expanded my range, not just vocally, but in terms of songwriting, and I brought that back, I think, into MAIDEN, and each album, I think, we've been moving towards really interesting territory. And I'm so pleased with this one. 'Brave New World' was good as far as it went. It didn't step into any really, really new territory. And then 'Dance of Death', yup, we tried a few things on 'Dance of Death' — some of them worked, some of them didn't work quite so good, but you know what? It gave us the confidence to do this album, and this album, I think, is really special. I think a lot of people are going to be, when they hear it, it's gonna take them a few weeks to get their heads around it. But that's all gonna be good."

On how the breaks between tours and recording sessions affect his passion for singing:

"The more I stay away from singing all the time, the more interest that I have when I sing. I'm one of these guys that if I do something absolutely every single day, I get bored very, very quickly. So to have a nice three- or four-month break from singing and then to go back to singing is to rediscover it every time, and I love that. The same with touring — to go on tour for two or three months is fantastic; it's like taking a holiday that you get paid for. But if you tour for much longer than that, I'm like, 'Oh, God. This is… I'm kind of bored now.' So it's just great to be able to create a record, to not be tired and bored while you're doing it, to make it, have fun, and then to go and tour it, it's great. It's a lovely, creative period."

On whether the recently issued "Anthology" set was his final solo release:

"No, absolutely not. I think the record company would be very disappointed 'cause they just signed a contract for another three records. [Laughs] The reason why we put the 'Anthology' out — the 'Anthology' was supposed to come out two years ago, but we kept putting it back because the MAIDEN thing came out, then 'Tyranny of Souls', and so this seems like a perfect time to put it out. It's a very interesting anthology — I mean, it's great value; it's nearly four hours of stuff. But I'm involved in a movie project which I am the writer of, and it appears that we might be involved in a movie in January. And so, if that happens, I will be doing the soundtracks, so, of course, there will have to be a solo album."

On whether he has a problem with former IRON MAIDEN singer Paul Di'Anno making a career out of singing MAIDEN songs:

"I'm not going to try and… I'm not going to annoy anybody by saying anything bad about Paul. He's trying to make a living like anybody else the best way he can, which is by singing, so good luck to him. People know the difference between Paul Di'Anno doing IRON MAIDEN stuff and IRON MAIDEN with me — it's not like he's pretending to be IRON MAIDEN or anything else like that, so I don't feel… I don't have any problem with him doing whatever he's doing."

On MAIDEN's future plans:

"2008 will be the big — probably the biggest — IRON MAIDEN festival tour that ever has been, and it will be the 'Powerslave' set. Whether or not we play all the same songs — because it will be the songs from the next four albums — but the actual stage set we're gonna rebuild, maybe even a bit bigger."

MusicMirror.net's entire interview with Bruce Dickinson can be downloaded as an 18-minute audio file at this location.

MTV2 will air "Iron Maiden Makes An Album" — a half-hour program where MTV goes behind the scenes of IRON MAIDEN's new collection, "A Matter of Life and Death" — on Saturday, August 26 at 11:30 p.m. EST. more information is available at www.vh1.com.

As previously reported, 30-second audio samples of all 10 tracks that are set to appear on "A Matter of Life and Death" have been posted online at this location. (Please note that the samples of "Different World" and "The Reincarnation of Benjamin Breeg" are the same [possibly due to a web site glitch]).

IRON MAIDEN fan site MaidenFans.com has uploaded the text version of the review of MAIDEN's new album, "A Matter of Life and Death", which was published in the current issue of Kerrang! magazine. Writer Steve Beebee gave the CD five K!s (the highest possible rating), commenting, "Although 'A Matter of Life and Death' perhaps may be too ambitious for some palates, this album keeps everything longtime fans loved about IRON MAIDEN alive. The bristling heaviness, the time changes, the astonishing musicalilty, the filmic grandeur." Read the entire review at this location. A track-by-track preview of the new MAIDEN album, complete with comments from the band (as originally published in Kerrang! magazine) can be found at this location.

"A Matter of Life and Death" was recorded at Sarm West Studios in London with producer Kevin Shirley, who also worked on the last two MAIDEN albums, 2000's "Brave New World and 2003's "Dance of Death". The CD is scheduled for release in North America on September 5 via Sanctuary Records.

(Thanks: Nick Marocco)

A full-length video clip of BLACK LABEL SOCIETY performing the song "Suicide Messiah" live in Paris, France in 2005 has been posted online at this location. As previously reported, a video of BLS playing "In This River" during the same concert can be viewed here. Both clips come off BLACK LABEL SOCIETY's new live DVD, "The European Invasion – Doom Troopin'", due on August 22 via Eagle Vision. An e-card for the release containing a preview clip and other information can be accessed at this location.

"The European Invasion – Doom Troopin'" captures BLACK LABEL SOCIETY live on their sold-out European tour last year. Witness the full Paris show as well as four tracks from the Astoria in London. Bonus footage includes an hour-long on-the-road documentary, three promo videos taken from the Billboard top 20 album "Mafia", and the making-of documentary for the promo video "Suicide Messiah".

"The European Invasion – Doom Troopin'" track listing:

Paris Chapter:

01. Stoned and Drunk
02. Destruction Overdrive
03. Been A Long Time
04. Funeral Bell
05. Suffering Overdue
06. In This River
07. Suicide Messiah
08. Demise Of Sanity
09. Spread Your Wings
10. Solo Acoustic Jam
11. Spoke In The Wheel
12. Fire It Up
13. Stillborn
14. Genocide Junkies

London Chapter:

01. Been a Long Time
02. Suicide Messiah
03. Stillborn
04. Genocide Junkies

Disc 2: Special Features

Additional Release Material:

* Documentary - Backstage Pass
* Making Of - The making of the "Suicide Messiah" promo video
* Music Videos - Promo videos

BLACK LABEL SOCIETY's new album, "Shot to Hell", is scheduled for release on September 12 through Roadrunner Records. Two songs from the CD — "Concrete Jungle" and "Black Mass Reverends" — are available for streaming at this location.

As previously reported, the cover artwork for "Shot to Hell" has been posted online at this location.

Produced by Zakk and Michael Beinhorn (OZZY, KORN, SOUNDGARDEN), and recorded with longtime pals Craig Nunenmacher (drums) and John "J.D." DeServio (bass), "Shot to Hell" takes the ferocious hard rock of such BLS albums as 2003's "Blessed Hellride" and 2005's "Mafia" to a whole new level of "brewtality."

(Thanks: KillEmAll1500)

COUNCIL OF THE FALLEN drummer Dave Kinkade (ex-DIVINE EMPIRE, MALEVOLENT CREATION) has sent the following message to BLABBERMOUTH.NET:

"I'm currently in Holland with my wife and just this evening, had the honor of seeing MORBID ANGEL on tour in Tilburg.

"I just want to say that I'm sick of this bullshit where drummers and death metal musicians in general sit here online talking shit and more shit about each other and other bands BUT really don't EVER pay fucking tribute to the guys who got them into this to begin with.

"I just introduced my wife to my longtime friend Pete Sandoval (MORBID ANGEL) and Nick Barker [CRADLE OF FILTH, DIMMU BORGIR, BRUJERIA, BENEDICTION], who have always been huge idols of mine. We watched Pete from behind all night murder the drums and it was fucking FLAWLESS. He not only played perfect, BUT played the set faster, tighter and sicker than ever before.

"I've been a fan of extreme death metal for years, even before I started playing it for a living, and I have to fucking say, I've seen everyone in the business play, but NO ONE gets me going more than watching Pete and MORBID EVERY FUCKING TIME. Erik Rutan (HATE ETERNAL) made his comeback after a few years with MORBID and completely fucking demolished. Headspin fucking galore from the first to the last song. I LOVE THIS FUCKING BAND.

"Metal drummers... Learn where your roots come from if you have the balls to play death metal. Forget this two-foot blast shit... if it was not for Pete and members of the old school, you would never be playing this shit. Hail the true... fuck the fake... Know your roots."

Visit Dave Kinkade's MySpace page at this location.

TalkingMetal.com visited the traveling exhibit "Six-String Masterpieces The Dimebag Darrell Art Tribute" at Ozzfest 2006 on Randall's Island in New York City. The exhibit, produced and curated by Curse Mackey, is a collection of over 40 Dean ML guitars that have been hand-painted, illustrated, and sculpted by top musicians and artists, including Zakk Wylde, James Hetfield, Kerry King, Ted Nugent, and Joe Satriani. This exhibit will tour throughout the year and then all guitars will be auctioned off to support a music and art education foundation in the name of "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott. Images of the exhibit can be viewed at this location.

Jason Abbruzzese of Sentinel & Enterprise reports that the brawl that erupted last week after a hardcore punk-rock show at a church in Leominster, Massachusetts reportedly began as a fight in the mosh pit in front of the stage, where the band CUT THROAT was playing.

One of many?

The fight, which resulted in three arrests, is just another example in a long line of altercations at these types of concerts, according to Justin Prokowiew, 19, of Shirley, who said he and friends attended the show on August 12.

"I hear a lot of that kind of stuff happens at the shows," said Prokowiew, who also works at a local Newbury Comics. "[At] local shows, a lot of fights break out. It's pretty much just local kids getting into fights with other local kids they know. No strangers are doing it."

Other local area youths say that moshing is a big part of the local music scene for teenagers.

Shane Caron, 15, of Fitchburg said he feels that 15- to 20-year-olds tend to do the most moshing.

"That's like the major age range for moshing," said Caron, who said he mostly listens to punk and heavy metal. "It's usually just the atmosphere — mosh pits everywhere."

New genres of rock have emerged with similar qualities to predecessors of metal and punk but with an extreme edge.

One of the most recognized movements, punk-rock music known as "hardcore," is closely associated with violence.

Michelle Shaughnessy, 18, of Fitchburg, said the most intense violence can usually be found at hardcore shows.

"At real hardcore shows there's a lot of fights," said Shaughnessy.

She said she has see her fair share of mosh pit injuries, including being hit in the head with a bottle at last year's Locobazooka concert at the Fitchburg Municipal Airport. "People get messed up."

Read more at www.sentinelandenterprise.com.

Laura McCutcheon of California's Ukiah Daily Journal reports that Ukiah, CA-based metal band DEFINITION UNKNOWN (MySpace) won round one in a national contest, but band members lost something near and dear to them in the process: their equipment.

About the same time the announcer of "Boot Camp" — also known as round one of the Bodog Battle of the Bands, held earlier this month at the 12 Galaxies in San Francisco — informed the group they'd won first place, their van, parked around the corner with $10,000 worth of musical equipment inside, was stolen, drummer Tommy Shannon said.

"We lost every single guitar, including the bass. We lost all of our guitar amplifiers, one speaker cabinet, my kick pedals, my snare drum, two snare stands, a Roland TD-6 drum machine, one drum pad trigger, two China cymbals, and two cymbal stands ... Dennis' guitar amplifier alone was worth $1,800," Shannon said, adding that most of the guitars were worth about $1,000 each.

"It's ridiculous how much they got," he said. "We can't even practice right now."

Read more at www.ukiahdailyjournal.com.

Justin Donnelly of Australia's The Metal Forge recently conducted an interview with legendary frontman Glenn Danzig (DANZIG, SAMHAIN, MISFITS). A couple of excerpts from the chat follow:

On his upcoming follow-up to 1992's "Black Aria", entitled "Black Aria II":

"It was supposed to come out last year, but I was switching distributors at the time, and I didn't want to give it to the old distributor. So basically I waited. Now that my distribution deal is done here in the U.S., it's finally on a release schedule. The album itself has been already been recorded for some time. I started recording it at the end of 2004, and into the beginning of 2005. But I've had the album written since 2000, or early 2001! (Laughs) Finishing it was really a matter of finding the time in-between tours, making other albums and all the other crazy shit that I do. I actually had to sit down and actually force myself to do it! (Laughs) That's really what I had to do. Once the album was finished, it was more the question as to whether or not I wanted to turn it in to my old distributors. I simply decided not to. But what I've since then was to spend a little more time refining it a bit more. I went back into the recording studio and recorded another track for it, which I would have to say is very creepy. It's all vocals. There's no music on it. There are so many layered vocals on it that it almost sounds like there's keyboards in there. It's just the way the vocals are layering and working with and against each other. It's a very creepy effect."

On the upcoming compilation album, "Lost Tracks of Danzig", which compiles a host of previously unreleased material from DANZIG's early beginnings through to the present day:

"'Lost Tracks Of Danzig' is old stuff that dates right back to the first Danzig album (1988's 'Danzig') right through to now. I was only able to start work on this album when the court case was finally sorted out. When I left American Recordings in 1994, Rick Rubin (label founder and renowned producer) sued me and I sued him. I ended up winning all my unreleased material back. Anything he never released, including any live shows we recorded that he never put out, I won back and own. There was some stuff that he has yet to turn over because he can't find them; well, he says that he can't find them, but I have most of the recordings. He still has the rights to the albums that were released through his label, but we're trying to get them back now because he hasn't been accounting back to us properly. So we're trying to get those back from him. But that's a whole other story. We actually just shot a video for one of the songs on this new album just last week. That's called 'Crawl Across Your Killing Floor'. That was a song that didn't make it onto 'Danzig 6:66 Satans Child' (1999). This album wasn't planned as a way of clearing out the vaults just for the sake of getting new material out there. It's something that fans have been asking me for. I always get questions from fans as to how they can get a hold of this track or that one. There are a lot of old second-rate demo cassettes of songs that were half finished floating around out there. So I just sat down and sifted through the songs and just seeing which ones were good enough to be on an album, and which ones weren't. So far there's about twenty-six or so songs."

On the eventual follow-up to 2004's "Circle Of Snakes".

"We'll see. I mean, eventually there will be another album, but not right now. I've really been concentrating on releasing 'Black Aria II' and finishing up this 'Lost Tracks Of Danzig' compilation. I have to have this done by the end of August if I want it to come out in late November. That's what's really been taking up my time of late. I've also been writing scripts for movies and a few other things as well. So my life is a little crazy at the moment. I know that eventually I want to do this blues album that I've been talking about doing for a while too. I'm hoping to work with ALICE IN CHAINS guitarist Jerry Cantrell (who in the past guested on 'Danzig 5 – Blackacidevil') on that album when he gets back from tour. If that doesn't work out, then I'll talk to Hank Williams III about doing it with him. I just did a show with him, and we recorded the rehearsal at my friend's recording studio live, and it came out really good. We were both kind of really happy. Perhaps that's maybe the way I'll end up going. We'll just have to see what happens."

Read the entire interview at www.themetalforge.com.

U.K. satanic death metal act AKERCOCKE has been confirmed as last-minute support to MORBID ANGEL in London this coming Tuesday, August 22 at the Mean Fiddler.

AKERCOCKE released their fourth album, entitled "Words That Go Unspoken, Deeds That Go Undone", in October 2005 via Earache Records. The follow-up to 2003's "Choronzon" was recorded at the band's own Goat of Mendes studios in West London and was mixed by Neil Kernon (NEVERMORE, CANNIBAL CORPSE). "Words That Go Unspoken, Deeds That Go Undone" marks the recording debut with the group of new guitarist Matthew Wilcock, who replaced Paul Scanlan in 2005.

Jeb Wright of Classic Rock Revisited recently conducted an interview with ROB ZOMBIE/ex-ALICE COOPER drummer Tommy Clufetos. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow:

Classic Rock Revisited: Have you ever gotten philosophical about what makes you so special?

Tommy: The only thing that makes me special is that I am a hard worker and I get the job done. Last summer I got off tour with Rob Zombie and Alice called me. I had to fly in the next day and learn a whole new set in four days. An Alice Cooper set is not the easiest thing to learn. There are a bunch of musical interludes and long medleys so you have to learn it note-for-note. You either stay up all night and you learn it like you have been playing the songs for ten years or you walk away. Alice and his band had been on tour for an entire year and I had to walk in and fill in. I put the work in for the job. I saturate myself with the music until it is second nature.

Most guys are not willing to make the sacrifice and that is what sets me apart from them. I am willing to make the sacrifice in my personal life and my leisure life to make music possible and to be the best I can be in my craft. There are a lot of better drummers than me technically but they are not willing to put the work into it that I am. A lot of them are not willing to go to the gym seven days a week and eat right and not drink or drug. I am about doing everything possible to enhance my drumming.

Classic Rock Revisited: Is there any desire to go from being a hired gun to having a spot in a band?

Tommy: I have never worried about that. I have never planned anything that I have done in my career. People come up to me and ask me what it takes to be successful and the only advice I can give them is to tell them to play their ass off every time they get a chance to play. Ted [Nugent] saw me and he hired me. Alice saw me and he hired me. Zombie saw me and hired me. Each opportunity arose because I was playing and giving it my all. Things flourish out of that. When you ask me, "What are you going to be doing in ten years?" I can only say it will be more of the same. It could be with Sheryl Crow, Paul McCartney or Rod Stewart — if you want me to play drums then call me and I am there. I try not to complicate it. You can think too much and get too far away from just playing music and being a pro and it can get confusing.

Classic Rock Revisited: Would you be a total hired gun — would you play music you didn't like for the money?

Tommy: [pauses] I like all music as long as it is good music. I have never been put in that situation. I have been in every other situation you can think of. I have played barmitzphas and weddings and everything else. I have played music that I might not necessarily buy in a store but when I sit down and learn it then I find the technique and feel that it will take to play that style of music. I enjoy that type of challenge. If Christina Aguilera called and wanted me to play then I would admit that maybe I would never buy her record but I think I could find the good qualities in it and then encompass that and play my ass off. If it was playing with sub-par musicians and it was low quality music then I would not be into that but as long as they are great songs — even great pop songs — then I will be into it.

Classic Rock Revisited: I hear nothing but positive things coming out of you. Do you realize how lucky you were at age six to know what you wanted to do with your life? And being able to go for it with a positive attitude....

Tommy: It goes back to the early upbringing of my folks. They never told me to be quiet or not to practice. You go through a lot of ups and downs and people try to bring you down but you just have to have your head on your shoulders right. I think I would have been the same if I had been a fireman. If you are not going to be all encompassing and do everything it takes to be successful then you're not going to be successful. I learned that lesson very early on. I learned the harder you work then the more you get out of it.

Read the entire interview at www.classicrockrevisited.com.

WITHOUT END, the band featuring guitarist/vocalist Adam Tranquilli (BLOODFEAST, HEADLOCK) and bassist Tom Lorenzo (M.O.D., HEADLOCK), will enter Big Blue Meenie studio in Jersey City, New Jersey on September 25 to begin recording its second full-length album, entitled "Doctrine of Hate". Tentatively due in the spring of 2007, the album will contain 11 tracks, including remakes of two classic BLOOD FEAST songs written by Tranquilli. The CD will also contain two live videos from the band's show in Poland at the Woodstock festival in 2005 in front of an incredible audience of 350,000 people.

WITHOUT END's full-length debut, "Disease Is Man", was recorded in 2004 at Big Blue Meenie studios with producer Tim Gilles (AGNOSTIC FRONT, S.O.D., ALL OUT WAR) and was mastered at Euphonic Masters Studio in Tennessee with Brad Blackwood (EVANESCENCE, ALL OUT WAR).

For more information on WITHOUT END, click here.

Cláudio Mazoti of Brazil's Somber Music has issued the following statement regarding the passing of DISSECTION frontman Jon Nödtveidt:

"It is with enormous sadness that we receive the news of the death of Jon Nödtveidt. Recently he and the [rest of the] DISSECTION band were here in São Paulo, Brazil and [we spent] 11 days together, [during which time he] always demonstrated his devotion and professionalism.

"Somber Music had enormous pleasure to work with him — we released here in our land the classic [DISSECTION] albums 'The Somberlain', 'Storm Of The Light's Bane', 'Live Legacy' and the new album, 'Reinkaos', along with the reissues of 'The Somberlain' and 'Storm Light's Bane', both in double versions."

Jon Nödtveidt, 31, was found dead on Wednesday, August 16 at his apartment in Hässelby, a suburb of Stockholm, Sweden, the apparent victim of a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

AMERICAN HEAD CHARGE founder/guitarist Chad Hanks will be the featured guest on the "All Knowing Force" web-based interview show tonight (Sunday, August 20) at 6:00 p.m. EST / 3:00 p.m. PST.

For more information, visit www.allknowingforce.com.

AMERICAN HEAD CHARGE recently spent time compiling footage for a DVD with the working title of "Can't Stop the Machine". Also in the works is a new studio album, tentatively due next year.

AMERICAN HEAD CHARGE is seeking a new drummer and bassist following the departures of Christopher Emery and Karma Cheema (ex-bassist Chad Hanks has switched to guitar to take Karma's place). The band's sophomore release, "The Feeding", came out in February 2005.

HATEBREED will play a special free CD-release show on August 30 at CBGB in New York City. In order to get a free ticket to the concert, you must pre-order the album from Looney Tunes at this location.

On August 29, HATEBREED will be signing copies of their new album, "Supremacy", at Exile on Main St.'s Hamden, CT location. Go to either Exile on Main St. location and pre-order the record — or buy it on August 29 when it comes out — to gain entrance to this exclusive in-store and meet the band.

Exile on Main St
60 Skiff St, Hamden CT (in-store location)
267 E Main St.
Branford, CT

Pre-order HATEBREED's new album, "Supremacy", from FYE.com and get a free stream of the entire album before it hits stores.

HATEBREED will be doing a rare in-store performance and signing at Vintage Vinyl on September 10 at 2:00 p.m., before their Starland Ballroom show! Starting on street date, August 29, pick up the record at Vintage Vinyl and receive a wristband that will get you into this exclusive event.

Vintage Vinyl
51 Lafayette Rd.
Fords, NJ 732-225-7717

As previously reported, HATEBREED shot a video for the song "Defeatist" on July 31 in Naugatuck, Connecticut in an abandoned factory which was also used by Steven Spielberg and Tom Cruise for the end sequence of the film "War of the Worlds". The clip was helmed by acclaimed director Dale "Rage" Resteghini (TRIVIUM, MUDVAYNE, SHADOWS FALL, MADBALL), who stated before the shot, "What Spielberg and Cruise didn't get right, we will!!!"

Check out pictures from the shoot at this location.

"Supremacy" is scheduled for release on August 29 via Roadrunner Records. Check out the album artwork at this location. An e-card for the CD can be accessed by clicking here.

"Rock Star: Supernova" co-host Dave Navarro (JANE'S ADDICTION, THE PANIC CHANNEL) has shot down reports that Rob Zombie will be appearing on the show soon as a guest judge. Asked about a recent news story indicated Rob would be making his appearance on the program in the coming weeks, Navarro replied, "That is an old story that they chose to run pretty much out of nowhere. Originally, we were to have guest panelists come up for an outsider's perspective, but the SUPERNOVA chemistry on the couch worked out so well that we scrapped the idea... As cool as it would have been."

SUPERNOVA — the new all-star band featuring ex-METALLICA bassist Jason Newsted, MÖTLEY CRÜE drummer Tommy Lee and former GUNS N' ROSES guitarist Gilby Clarke — is using the "Rock Star" TV program to search for a lead singer from a pool of 15 contestants selected in auditions around the world.

The cover artwork for the new MY DYING BRIDE album, "A Line of Deathless Kings", has been posted online at this location. Due later in the year via Peaceville/Snapper, the follow-up to 2004's "Songs of Darkness, Words of Light" was recorded at Academy Studios and was mixed at Chapel Studios.

"A Line of Deathless Kings" track listing:

01. To Remain Tombless (6:06)
02. L'Amour Detruit (9:08)
03. I Cannot Be Loved (7:04)
04. And I Walk With Them (6:37)
05. Thy Raven Wings (5:22)
06. Love's Intolerable Pain (6:14)
07. One of Beauty's Daughters (5:40)
08. Deeper Down (6:28)
09. The Blood, The Wine, The Roses (8:21)

MY DYING BRIDE's second DVD, "Sinamorata", was released in August 2005 via Peaceville. The disc included a video for the track "The Blue Lotus" (directed and conceived by David Palzer), live footage (12 songs) shot on November 2, 2003 in Antwerpen, Belgium, as well as backstage extras, the "Prize of Beauty" promotional clip, two videos made by MY DYING BRIDE fans ("Hope the Destroyer" and "My Wine In Silence") and a photo gallery featuring fan-created artwork inspired by the band's music.

CHIMAIRA's Chris Spicuzza (electronics) has issued the following update:

"It's been a relaxing yet productive summer. This is the first summer CHIMAIRA hasn't toured. It's a nice change but we do miss sweating our balls off in 100-degree heat.

"There has been some big changes in the past year with this band: Andols [Herrick, drums] coming back and us leaving Roadrunner. I can definitely say this is the happiest and most excited I've ever seen this band. I guess you can say we are just getting old and have finally figured each other out.

"So... back to the album progress. This time we've done things a bit different. Mark [Hunter, vocals], Matt [DeVries, guitar], and Rob [Arnold, guitar] each bought recording gear (Mbox/Protools LE for those who care). Instead of trying to jam riffs out in a room to create a song, each guy has sat at home writing on their own. Once the songs are tracked, they're sent to the rest of the band. Once the song is approved, it's brought to our rehearsal space and the band learns it. From there, dudes make little changes and tweaks to improve the tune.

"As far as album direction, I won't say exactly what the album will sound like. I will say it doesn't sound like METALLICA in '88 or a Swedish band. (I can't wait to read the Blabbermouth bashing, don't disappoint me! If you don't mind, here's an example: 'FUCK THOSE NUMETAL MALL METAL FAGGOTS, THEY SOUND LIKE KORN. THOSE PUSSIES CAN'T PLAY, SKULL FARMER CRUSHES THEM, FEEEEEEEEEEEEEETUUUUUUUUUUSSSSSSSS, TALLEY IS BETTER OFF!!! KREATORRRRRRRRRRRRRRR')

"Right now we have about 6-8 songs written. We plan on signing a record deal soon, hitting the studio around October, and releasing this record early 2007. Things don't always go as planned, so don't be surprised if our plans change."

CHIMAIRA's last album, "Chimaira", was recorded at Spider Studios in Ohio with producer Ben Schigel. Mixing duties were handled by Colin Richardson (MACHINE HEAD, FEAR FACTORY, NAPALM DEATH).

DISSECTION frontman Jon Nödtveidt's suicide could have a profound effect on his fans, says psychologist Lisa Ineland in an interview in the Swedish newspaper Expressen.

"Research shows that these incidents have a copycat effect even if it's not a famous person who commits suicide," she says. "But obviously the impact is greater if the act is committed by a role model. That was apparent when Kurt Cobain killed himself."

The black metal culture often revolves around death and suicide, and as a faithful Satanist, Jon Nödtveidt often spoke in positive terms about suicide. According to Lisa Ineland, his suicide doesn't have to be related to Satanism or black metal.

"I believe there's a severe, underlying depression behind it," she says. "It's not rational behavior to do something like this. Very few people take their own lives because of their conviction. That type of act is not part of our culture. This is about him not getting the help he needed."

Concerned parents should make it a point to talk to their children.

"You could ask them, 'How do you [view Jon's suicide]?' and ask if they're discussing it with their friends," says Ineland. "You should try to be a part of your child's reality. You should always try to be a present role model and talk to your children about important and existential issues, what life is all about and how important children are."

The Swedish writer Mattias Pettersson is working on a book about the influence of Satanism in black metal and was preparing an interview with Jon Nödtveidt.

"I wanted to talk to him because he was unique in the genre," says Pettersson. "He was for real and really lived that way he taught. I think most people in black metal are just regular hard rockers to whom religion is not that important. It's easy to write a cliché lyric about murder and death, but if you read Jon's lyrics you notice that he became more and more serious."

Pettersson thinks it's tragic that Jon took his own life.

"He was a huge talent. For an outsider it might be difficult to come to terms with what has happened, but to me personally it was expected."

In the Sunday (Aug. 20) paper edition, Expressen published a couple of photos of Jon Nödtveidt after DISSECTION's final gig at Hovet in Stockholm on June 24. These are believed to be the last professionally shot pictures of him. One of them can be viewed here.

Sweden's TIAMAT has posted a number of photos from its recent live appearances at this location.

TIAMAT, whose last studio album, "Prey", was released in 2003 through Century Media, is currently unsigned. The band is in the process of demoing new material, which it will then present to interest record labels, with a view towards recording a new album before the end of the year.

TIAMAT's "The Church of Tiamat" DVD entered the Swedish Music DVD chart at position No. 5 back in early May. An e-card for the DVD is available at this location. The e-card contains several features, such as a streamable sample video of the DVD, the band's most recent tour dates, photos as well as detailed information on TIAMAT itself and the band's first official DVD release. The video teaser gives you the opportunity to check out the following songs: "Vote For Love", "Children Of The Underworld" and "Gaia".

SPHERE OF SOULS, the Dutch progressive metal formation featuring ex-SUN CAGED vocalist André Vuurboom and guitar virtuoso Anand Mahangoe, has replaced Bulgaria's PANTOMMIND on the billing of the ProgPower Europe 2006 festival, set to take place September 29 - October 1 at JC Sjiwa in Baarlo, the Netherlands. They will open the second day of this year's festival on Sunday, October 1. More information is available at www.progpower.com.

SPHERE OF SOULS released its debut album, "From the Ashes", through Lion Music in April. The album is of a conceptual nature and contains 13 tracks encompassing a wide range of influences and styles. Production, engineering, mixing and mastering duties were handled by Joost van den Broek (ex-SUN CAGED, STAR ONE, AYREON), who will also perform with the group at the ProgPower Europe 2006 festival.

ANGER AS ART guitarist William Rustrum (also of HANGAR 18 and RAVEN MAD) has posted the following message on the band's official web site:

"We performed a couple of shows in San Francisco. The first night was at the infamous Pound. The response was fantastic, and it was great to meet the guys in POTENTIAL THREAT who were so damn cool with us. The second day was at the Tidal Wave Festival. I met up with some friends of mine who live in that area, King Sideburns and Lynda and Eric Mortensen. Once again, we had a great response from the audience. During these two shows, we presented a lot of new material, and it went over quite well on both days. We can't wait to get back up there and present more ANGER for the masses.

"Back here in Southern California, we also performed a couple of shows with our legendary roommates, AGENT STEEL. The first show was in Hollywood at a venue called Safari Sams. The second show was at the Burning Star Metal Festival in the city of San Marcos. The headliner of the festival was HELSTAR. Both shows were great, but the vibe at the festival was definitely something special as you could just feel the passion for metal from both the bands and the audience. A big thank you goes out to Joe Troutman for putting on a great festival and including us. Once again, it was apparent at these shows that our new material is well liked.

"Speaking of new music, the upcoming album, 'Callous And Furor', has been completed. We are soooo very excited that it is done. It was a bit grueling, but it was worth it as the songs came out even better than we had expected. We can't thank our producer/engineer Chris Trent enough for all of the work he put into making our vision of ANGER AS ART come to fruition. The album's artwork and lyric sheet will be done by Eddie Mize. The album should be ready for release by the last week of September on OSM records.

"Upcoming gigs: We will be traveling to Phoenix on September 23 to infiltrate Arizona. And our next show here in Los Angeles will be October 28 at Zen Sushi in Los Angeles. This will be the official 'Callous and Furor' record release party. Details forthcoming."

"Callous And Furor" track listing:

01. Catharsis
02. Anger Is Rising
03. Bane Of My Existence
04. Gnashing Of Teeth
05. No Seed Of Mine
06. Callous And Furor
07. Watch Me Suffer (Watch Me Die)
08. Race For The War
09. Invaders From Within
10. All That Is Mine To Avenge
11. Self Destructing Man
12. HypoChrist
13. Still I Hate

ANGER AS ART features in its ranks Steve Gaines (ABATTOIR, BLOODLUST, PAGAN WAR MACHINE, DREAMS OF DAMNATION).

Florida-based death metallers OBITUARY are currently rehearsing for their upcoming DVD shoot, which is scheduled to take place August 24 at the Stodola Club in Warsaw, Poland. They will also perform at the the Up From The Ground festival, which is set to take place August 25-26 in Gemünden, Germany. Check out pictures from the band's recent rehearsal sessions at this location.

OBITUARY are continuing to promote their latest CD, "Frozen in Time", which was released in July 2005 via Roadrunner Records. The group's first collection of new songs since 1997's "Back from the Dead" was self-produced by the band, with Mark Prator and Scott Burns engineering, and was mastered by Tom Morris at Morrisound.

Finnish atmospheric doom metallers SILENTIUM have uploaded two video clips from their August 12 "semi-acoustic" performance at Bar68 in Jyväskylä, Finland. Check them out: "Unbroken" (video) and "Parisienne Moonlight" (video).

SILENTIUM released its latest album, "Seducia", in January via Dynamic Arts Records. The CD was the sequel to the "Frostnight" single, which came out in October 2005. According to a Dynamic Arts press release, the album "delivers bombastical, cold atmospheres" with a total running time of 48 minutes.

"Seducia" is the group's first full-length release to feature vocalist Riina Rinkinen, who joined the group in July 2004.

Upcoming SILENTIUM shows:

Aug. 27 - Bar-15 - Seinäjoki, FIN
Sep. 21 - Sputkin - Tampere, FIN

According to KissKollector.com, the October issue of England's Mojo magazine features an article of just over a page on KISS' unmasking back in 1983. The article, titled "KISS Come Clean", also details some other bits and pieces from the band's long history and includes one of the last pictures of KISS in makeup, the "Lick It Up" album cover plus a photo of KISS without makeup.

Video clips of DEEP PURPLE frontman Ian Gillan performing on August 16 at the Town Ballroom in Buffalo, New York at the opening night of his "Gillan's Inn" solo tour have been posted online at YouTube.com. Check them out: "Smoke on the Water" (video) and "Bluesy Blue Sea" (video).

Ian Gillan's setlist for the August 17 show at the Phoenix Concert Theatre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada was as follows:

01. Second Sight
02. No Laughing In Heaven
03. Into The Fire
04. Hang Me Out To Dry
05. Have Love Will Travel (Michal Lee Jackson song)
06. Wasted Sunsets
07. Not Responsible
08. No Worries
09. Unchain Your Brain
10. (Band Jam)
11. Bluesy Blue Sea
12. Moonshine
13. Texas State Of Mind (Michael Lee Jackson song)
14. Sugar Plum (with Jeff Healey)
15. When A Blind Man Cries (with Jeff Healey)
16. Men Of War
17. (Drum Solo)
18. Smoke On The Water
Encore:
19. Trouble
20. Knockin' At Your Back Door

Gillan's five-week North American run is in support of his solo album "Gillan's Inn", which he released to celebrate 40 years in the music business. Gillan told Launch that he was really happy to start things off in Buffalo, for a few different reasons. "Buffalo's a great music town," he said. "It's got a lot of great music bars and musicians, and a great feeling for rock-and-roll. My friend and manager Michael Lee Jackson lives there. My producer Nick Blagona lives just across the border in Toronto — so it gives us a good excuse to visit 'the ballet.' That's a euphemism, of course, for a strip joint, but we call it 'the ballet.'"

Gillan will wrap things up September 21 in Medina, Minnesota.

DEEP PURPLE is currently on a break from a planned two-year-long world tour behind their latest album, "Rapture of the Deep". The band goes out again starting October 3 in Salzburg, Austria.

(Thanks: The Highway Star)

According to a posting on The Rainbow Fanclan Legacy, RAINBOW's entire catalog will be re-released in two different versions in Japan in August and September. First there is the re-release of the regular CDs on August 30 featuring: "Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow" (1975), "Rainbow Rising" (1976), "On Stage" (1977), "Long Live Rock N Roll" (1978), "Down To Earth" (1979), "Difficult To Cure" (1981), "Straight Between The Eyes" (1982), "Bent Out Of Shape" (1983) and "Final Vinyl" (1986). On September 20, "The Very Best Of Rainbow" (1997) will also be re-released. On September 27, there is then re-releases of the same CDs as limited-edition versions with cardboard sleeves.

Last April saw the re-release of "Stranger In Us All" (1995) in a cardboard sleeve.

DEICIDE will embark on a North American headlining tour in October. Support at the dates will come from DESOLATION. So far the following dates have been released:

Oct. 15 - Springfield, VA @ Jaxx
Oct. 20 - Brooklyn, NY @ North Six
Nov. 03 - Aurora, CO @ Hubba's Pub
Nov. 08 - Santa Ana, CA @ Galaxy Theatre

DEICIDE's brand new brutal offering, "The Stench of Redemption", can now be downloaded at the MP3 download site www.metaltracks.com. This also includes the hard-to-find bonus track "Black Night" (DEEP PURPLE cover). This precedes the release date of the album, which is due in stores on Tuesday, August 22 (one day earlier internationally) via Earache Records.

The follow-up to 2004's "Scars of the Crucifix", "The Stench of Redemption" was recorded at Morrisound in Tampa, Florida and marks the first recording with the new DEICIDE lineup following the departure of the Hoffman brothers. Joining frontman Glen Benton and drummer Steve Asheim in the new formation are guitarists Jack Owen (ex-CANNIBAL CORPSE) and Ralph Santolla (ex-ICED EARTH, DEATH).

SOULFLY's official web site was updated with the following message:

"The 10th annual D-Low Memorial show is over and we thank you all for making it a huge success. The show, which was opened by NORTH SIDE KINGS and INCITE, sold out and it was a very historic night for SOULFLY. The band was joined on stage by many friends from their past including Danny Marianinho of NORTH SIDE KINGS (on 'Defeat U'), Richie Cavalera of INCITE (on 'Bleed' and 'Stay Strong'), [former MEGADETH bassist] Dave Ellefson (on 'Prophecy' and 'Defeat U'), and their former longtime drummer Roy Mayorga (on 'No Hope = No Fear') who currently plays with STONE SOUR. But most importantly, Max was reunited onstage for the first time in 10 years with his brother Igor Cavalera. Max and Igor formed SEPULTURA together in the early 1980s, but have not played together since the band split in 1996. Igor joined the band mid-way through the set for a jam on the drums and stayed onstage to play the SEPULTURA classics 'Roots Bloody Roots' and 'Attitude' with the guys!"

SOULFLY bassist Bobby Burns previously told BLABBERMOUTH.NET: "The show was fuckin' insane! Roy Mayorga came out and did 'No Hope = No Fear' with us. Dave Ellefson did 'Prophecy' and 'Defeat U'. And the one and only Igor Cavalera came out and did 'Attitude' and 'Roots' with us!!! It was far beyond badass, trust me... Best D-Low show yet..."

Also, SOULFLY have been confirmed as the direct support for MEGADETH on the upcoming Australian leg of the Gigantour. ARCH ENEMY and CALIBAN will also be playing before SOULFLY, and tickets go on sale on Tuesday (August 22) at 9:00 a.m." The dates for the shows are:

Oct. 21 - Brisbane, Australia - The Riverstage
Oct. 22 - Sydney, Australia - Hordern Pavilion
Oct. 24 - Melbourne, Australia - Festival Hall

CANNIBAL CORPSE's video for the song "Death Walking Terror" has been posted online at Yahoo! Music. The track comes off "Kill", the band's 10th studio LP, which came out late March. The album debuted at No. 170 on The Billboard 200 chart, selling more than 6,000 copies in its first week. It was the second time in the band's career that one of its albums breached the mostly pop-friendly list; in 1996, "Vile" opened at No. 151, with more than 6,100 copies sold.

Regarding the band's song choice for the new video, CANNIBAL CORPSE bassist Alex Webster previously told MTV.com, "Every one of our songs has some kind of violent or dark imagery in it, but we have to look for songs that are a little less graphic. We only have a couple of songs on each record where the lyrics aren't more or less R-rated for violence. We have to carefully choose what songs we do videos for, because otherwise it won't make it passed the censors. The song 'Murder Worship', I think all of us would have liked to have done a video for that. But there's no way, with the decapitated heads and all."

In other news, more dates have been released for CANNIBAL CORPSE's headlining North American tour, with support from DYING FETUS, NECROPHAGIST and UNMERCIFUL. Tentative dates so far are as follows:

Nov. 10 - Springfield, VA @ Jaxx
Nov. 11 - Philadelphia, PA @ The Trocadero
Nov. 13 - New Haven, CT @ Toad's Place
Nov. 14 - Montreal, QC @ Le Medley
Nov. 15 - Toronto, ON @ The Opera House
Nov. 16 - Buffalo, NY @ The Buffalo Icon
Nov. 17 - Detroit, MI @ Harpo's
Nov. 21 - Englewood, CO @ Gothic Theatre
Nov. 24 - Seattle, WA @ El Corazon
Nov. 26 - San Francisco, CA @ Slim's
Nov. 29 - Tempe, AZ @ Marquee Theatre
Dec. 06 - Lake Buena Vista, FL @ House of Blues
Dec. 07 - Ft Lauderdale, FL @ Culture Room

The special limited-edition version of INTRONAUT's "Void" album, packaged in a shiny metal tin with silk-screened graphics, is now available for sale only through the Goodfellow online store. Limited to 200 copies, individually numbered, it can be ordered at this location.

The California-based progressive metal/rock band recorded "Void" at Shiva Industries (ABYSMAL DAWN, WINTERTHRALL, NOCTUARY, EYES OF FIRE, DREAMS OF DAMNATION) with John Haddad. The album was mastered by Alan Douches (MASTODON, THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN, MISFITS, RUN DMC, CLUTCH, BAD BRAINS, etc.) at West West Side Music. The CD version of the album will be released by Goodfellow Records on August 22.