Zane Lowe of BBC Radio 1 conducted an interview with SLIPKNOT frontman Corey Taylor on Tuesday, August 4. The five-minute chat is now available for streaming below.

SLIPKNOT recently announced a special-edition release on Roadrunner Records of its seminal self-titled debut album. This special CD/DVD piece will commemorate the 10th anniversary of SLIPKNOT's first album's release in 1999. Release is set for September 9, 2009 (9/9/09). The CD will feature 25 tracks, including the original album as well as rare demos, remixes, rare b-sides and more.

The companion documentary, entitled "of the (sic): Your Nightmares, Our Dreams", is packed with behind-the-scenes footage of SLIPKNOT from 1999. This never-before-seen hour-long piece was directed by percussionist M. Shawn Crahan, who combed through his vast archives to compile the definitive chronicle of this important time in SLIPKNOT's career. This inside look features both live and backstage footage from around the world. The DVD also features all the music videos from their debut cycle as well as other surprises.

In another first, SLIPKNOT will host a one-day festival in their hometown of Des Moines, Iowa on 9/9/09 (September 9, 2009). The show will feature two stages and a host of bands, with SLIPKNOT headlining. The second stage, sponsored by Jägermeister, will feature all local bands. An official announcement will be made soon.

"Slipknot" special-edition CD/DVD track listing:

01. 742617000027
02. (sic)
03. Eyeless
04. Wait And Bleed
05. Surfacing
06. Spit It Out
07. Tattered & Torn
08. Purity *
09. Liberate
10. Prosthetics
11. No Life
12. Diluted
13. Only One
14. Scissors
15. Eeyore
16. Me Inside
17. Get This *
18. Spit It Out (Hyper Version) *
19. Spit It Out (Stamp You Out Mix) *
20. (sic) (Molt-Injected Mix) *
21. Wait And Bleed (Terry Date Mix) *
22. Wait And Bleed (demo) *
23. Snap (demo) *
24. Interloper (demo) *
25. Despise (demo) *

* Bonus tracks

Bonus DVD:

* "of the (sic): Your Nightmares, Our Dreams": A short film by M. Shawn Crahan giving a peek into the surreal and complex time around the release of SLIPKNOT's debut album. Also includes an entire never-before-seen live concert from Dynamo Open Air 2000 and music videos.

Music Videos:

* Spit It Out
* Wait And Bleed
* Wait And Bleed (animated version)
* Surfacing

The expanded package artwork includes never-before-published photos and a new foreword from vocalist Corey Taylor.

A deluxe collector's edition of this package, "Slipknot - 10 Years Of Life Death Love Hate Pain Scars Victory War Blood And Destruction", will also be released. Contents will be packaged in a special steel box and include SLIPKNOT 10th anniversary CD/DVD, a T-shirt, patch, collector's cards, keychain plus a few more surprises.

Michigan's unstoppable sons of molten melodic death metal THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER will release "Deflorate", the follow-up to 2007's "Nocturnal", on September 15. In preparation of this behemoth release, Metal Blade Records is offering a pre-order to fans which includes a signed copy of "Deflorate" at a low price.

An epic expansion of the stunning pitch-black cacophony that was "Nocturnal", "Deflorate" boasts THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER's brand of seamlessly mixed Swedish influenced blackened thrash and pounding American death metal muscle, and sees one of metal's most outstanding underground outfits at the peak of its unmitigated musical brutality.

"We're more confident than ever," declares vocalist Trevor Strnad of "Deflorate". "I think, as a band, we really found our footing on 'Nocturnal'. This time, we've taken this beast to the next level."

A teaser clip taken from "Deflorate"'s bonus disc, which shows the band on its first-ever tour through Scandinavia and Russia can be viewed below.

"Deflorate" was produced by THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, Mark Lewis (DEICIDE) and Jason Suecof (BENEATH THE MASSACRE, JOB FOR A COWBOY), with mixing duties handled by Suecof. The album's first single, "A Selection Unnatural", is now available for streaming exclusively on RevolverMag.com.

Strnad stated about the "A Selection Unnatural" song, "I was watching some crazy shit on birth defects on the health channel and I wanted to try to recreate the feelings of horror and repulsion that people react with when seeing these kinds of unfortunate images. 'A Selection Unnatural' is meant to be a science-fiction shocker about the short life of a terribly deformed mutant of a child. From the moment he is born he is kept in labs and is regarded as a living medical marvel, poked and prodded by scientific minds wondering how such a being could come to be. How could such a thing occur in nature? Is he a human being like you and I? I was trying to find a balance between completely describing the creature and leaving a bit up to the imagination and let the listener decide exactly what it would look like. The person telling the story is meant to sound disgusted, a voice of sheer cruelty and indifference to the child's life. He wonders what the boy's purpose was on this earth, scoffing at his plight. The title is obviously a play on Darwin's theory of natural selection."

"Deflorate" track listing:

01. Black Valor
02. Necropolis
03. A Selection Unnatural
04. Denounced, Disgraced
05. Christ Deformed
06. Death Panorama
07. Throne Of Lunacy
08. Eyes Of Thousand
09. That Which Erodes The Most Tender
10. I Will Return

Video footage of LIFE OF AGONY singer Keith Caputo and his solo band rehearsing for their upcoming tour can be viewed below.

Caputo's latest video, "Bleed For Something Beautiful", was directed by William Rot and was shot in Malibu and in Silverlake, California with Julie Becker, "the brilliant and infamous tattoo artist," according to Keith.

"Bleed For Something Beautiful" comes off Caputo's latest solo album "A Fondness For Hometown Scars", which was released in Europe in April 2008 via Suburban Records. The CD was produced by Martyn Lenoble (JANE'S ADDICTION, DAVE GAHAN, PORNO FOR PYROS, THE CULT) and features the following band lineup:

Keith Caputo - Vocals
Jochem Van Rooijen - Drums
Marcel Signor - Guitars
Michiel Rietveld - Bass/Acoustic Guitar

Guest musicians include:

Zac Rae (PEDESTRIAN) - Keyboards
Gerry Leonard (DAVID BOWIE) - Guitars
Craig Ross (LENNY KRAVITZ, SHERYL CROW) - Electric Guitars/Acoustic
Flea (RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS) - Trumpet

"Fondness for Hometown Scars" was mixed by Vincent Jones (SARAH MCLACHLAN, DAVID GAHAN, MORRISSEY) and Martyn Lenoble and was mastered by George Marino at Sterling Sound in New York City.

Video footage of SLIPKNOT/STONE SOUR frontman Corey Taylor's new solo project, COREY TAYLOR AND THE JUNK BEER KIDNAP BAND, performing at this year's Sonisphere festival, which was held on August 1-2, 2009 at the legendary Knebworth Park, United Kingdom, can be viewed below (courtesy of "sneaklisneakli").

Taylor previously described COREY TAYLOR AND THE JUNK BEER KIDNAP BAND as "the first stoner rock disco funk band — basically a cross between SABBATH, PRINCE and ZAPPA." Members of the group include Fred Missouri and Ryan Berrier of FACECAGE, Thomas Doggett of ONE NITE STAND, Nik Sorak of the DEAD WAIT and Tyson Leslie.

Raz of ThrashHits.com conducted an interview with vocalist Biff Byford of British heavy metal legends SAXON at the Sonisphere festival, which was held on August 1-2, 2009 at the legendary Knebworth Park, United Kingdom. Watch the four-minute chat below.

SAXON's latest album, "Into The Labyrinth", sold around 1,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release, according to Nielsen SoundScan. The CD debuted at No. 29 on the Top New Artist Albums (Heatseekers) chart, which lists the best-selling albums by new and developing artists, defined as those who have never appeared in the Top 100 of The Billboard 200. The album was recorded at the Twilight Hall in Krefeld, Germany, under the direction of Charlie Bauerfeind. SAXON laid down 13 new songs at BLIND GUARDIAN's studio, starting with monumental opener "Battalions Of Steel" through "Demon Sweeney Todd" and "Valley Of The Kings", which both cover historic events, to the final slide guitar blues track "Coming Home" (fans are already familiar with the electric version of this track from SAXON's "Killing Ground" album).

Night Of The Vinyl Dead reissued SAXON's 1999 album "Metalhead" on limited-edition silver fold-out vinyl, featuring an eight-page booklet. The album is hand-numbered, with only 333 copies having been made.

For more information, click here.

According to Examiner.com, GODSMACK drummer Shannon Larkin will be signing autographs at Big Dude's Music City in Kansas City, Missouri on Monday, August 10 at 3:00 p.m. to promote his new clothing brand: Werd Wear.

Regarding how the Werd Wear idea came about, Larkin previously said, "I met Patrick Murillo (a.k.a Rillo) about nine years ago on the Faceless Tour, when I first joined GODSMACK. Rillo and I from that point became close friends fast — exchanging numbers and keeping contact with one another. Our main mode of communication was (and still is) text messaging. As a play of words, I would end my texts with 'Werd,' or 'Werd up,' or sometimes 'my werd is my bond,' et cetera. Rillo then had a Werd shirt made for me when I was on tour this past summer and I thought that was cool. Then Rillo came to me with the idea of starting a clothing line called 'Werd Wear,' and I immediately thought it was a million-dollar idea. With that said, I believe in our Werd and in Rillo as a fashion-minded go-getter that can make things happen. So my involvement in Werd will be as a the leading consultant to Werd Wear clothing (i.e. designs, fabrics, ideas for accessories, etc.), and to help promote the company as an endorsee who will proudly wear the gear in pics and on the stage on my upcoming tours and lend my name, Shannon Larkin, to all Werd designs that we create and I will oversee them all in order to give my fans the BEST product I can, so that we all can SPREAD THE WERD as far and wide TOGETHER. So, to ALL my fans, go to www.werdwear.com and let's get started."

You can catch Shannon sporting Werd swag throughout GODSMACK's summer tour with MÖTLEY CRÜE.

Fan-filmed video footage of GODSMACK's July 30, 2009 performance at the Shoreline Amphitheatre in Mountain View, California can be viewed below.

SYSTEM OF A DOWN frontman Serj Tankian's March 16, 2009 performance in Auckland, New Zealand, at the Auckland Town Hall with the city's philharmonic orchestra (Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra) was filmed and recorded for a live CD/DVD release, due in the fall. Tankian says, "It was a very special night for me and am very excited to share this with you."

A sneak peek at the event can be viewed below.

Tankian played songs from his 2007 debut solo album, "Elect The Dead", as well as "some unreleased extras."

A two-minute video report from David Farrier of New Zealand's TV3 featuring footage from the rehearsal sessions can be viewed below.

A review of the concert is available at Stuff.co.nz.

Tankian told The Pulse of Radio not long ago that he has wanted to work with an orchestra for some time, and has even considered doing so on his next solo effort. "What I was planning on doing is doing more of a jazz-orchestral second solo record, but I'm not exactly one hundred percent sure because until the songs come and you kind of look at the whole picture, you don't really know what you're gonna end up with," he said. "I've been really interested in working with an orchestra, 'cause I've been doing more scoring-type of, composing-type of things. I actually wasn't intending to make a rock record with 'Elect The Dead' originally. It just kind of ended up that way."

Respected New Zealand composer John Psathas worked with Tankian on the orchestral arrangements.

The singer lives part time in New Zealand and owns a house there.

Tankian issued "Elect The Dead" in late 2007 and toured extensively behind the disc with his backup band, THE FCC. He has also been working on songs for a new musical from the creator of the Broadway hit "Spring Awakening".

SYSTEM OF A DOWN went on indefinite hiatus in the fall of 2006 and there are no plans as yet for the group to begin working together again.





(Thanks: ZShaw the Metal Clarkie)

Piledriver and Rock Sound TV conducted separate interviews with Welsh metallers BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE at the Sonisphere festival, which was held on August 1-2, 2009 at the legendary Knebworth Park, United Kingdom. Watch the footage below.

BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE recently entered a Malibu, California studio with producer Don Gilmore (LINKIN PARK, LACUNA COIL) to begin recording the band's third CD for an early 2010 release.

Regarding lyrical themes for the new material, guitarist/vocalist Matt Tuck previously told U.K.'s Metal Hammer magazine, "There's one song that's about not being able to have what you want. Being in the band, it doesn't happen much. When it comes to girls, you can have the pick of the bunch, but you always want what you can't have, y'know… but it's this one chick, man… so it's a song about obsession."

The upcoming CD will be the follow-up to "Scream Aim Fire", which has sold 319,000 copies in the United States since its January 2008 release, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

Full Metal Jackie of Altitude TV conducted an interview with vocalist Jonny Davy and guitarist Bobby Thompson of Arizona extreme metallers JOB FOR A COWBOY at this year's Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival. Watch the three-minute chat below.

"Ruination", the sophomore album from JOB FOR A COWBOY, sold around 10,600 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 42 on The Billboard 200 chart. The 10-song follow-up to 2007's "Genesis" was tracked and mixed at AudioHammer studios in Sanford, Florida with producer Jason Suecof (THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, DEVILDRIVER, TRIVIUM).

"Ruination" marks the JOB FOR A COWBOY recording debut of Rice, who has toured with the band since the release of "Genesis" and features ten tracks of state-of-the-art heavy metal music.

According to a press release, "Ruination" "sees JOB FOR A COWBOY advance by leaps and bounds; the record is a concentrated hotbed of astounding dexterity, scorching attack, sleek arrangement and thundering musical muscle. Infectious riffs, keen dynamics and the assertive vocals of rising star frontman Jonny Davy combine to produce an album that is at once powerful, expressive, confident and commanding."

"Unfurling a Darkened Gospel", the new video from JOB FOR A COWBOY, was shot on location in downtown Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and at the city’s distinguished music venue, The First Unitarian Church. The clip was lensed by Doug Spangenberg for Space Monkey Studios (LAMB OF GOD, MAROON 5) and features JOB FOR A COWBOY doing what the band does best; bringing its electrifying live show directly to a crowd of rabid music fans.

JOB FOR A COWBOY is currently on the road as one of the featured acts of the 2009 Rockstar Energy Mayhem Festival alongside SLAYER, MARILYN MANSON and more. The 27-date North American trek launched on July 10 in Sacramento, California.

LEAFBLADE, the Liverpool, England-based side project of Danny Cavanagh from ANATHEMA, will release its debut album, "Beyond, Beyond", on September 10 through Angelic Recordings.

According to a press release, "The band has implemented a sound mixing a variety of genres, maybe especially leaning towards the Celtic, folk and spiritual themes in their music. Or, as they like to say it, LEAFBLADE is music from the forest of the heart.

LEAFBLADE has already numerous tours under the belt, with the likes of ANATHEMA and ANTIMATTER.

Two tracks from the CD are streaming on www.myspace.com/leafblade.

Angelic Recordings is a co-operation between Danny Cavanagh and Aftermath Music.

Italian symphonic power metal band SECRET SPHERE has issued the following update:

"After ten years of SECRET SPHERE, we decided to change to members of the band: [Paolo] Paco Gianotti [guitar] and Antonio Agate [keyboards]. Antonio will continue to arrange the music for the new album but he is not a fixed member of the band.

"We wanna welcome two young talented guys: Marco Pastorino on rhythm guitars and Gabriele Ciaccia on keyboards. Some of you already saw them live with us in the last shows.

"We are already writing the new material absolutely more heavy always with the typical SECRET SPHERE touch! Soon we will post online the next live shows planned in some parts of Italy never played during these years and Europe for the next fall."

"Sweet Blood Theory", the latest album from SECRET SPHERE, was released in October 2008 via Dockyard 1. The CD was recorded between December 2007 and February 2008 at Authoma Studios by Federico Pennazzato and mixed in March 2008 at Germany's Indiscreet Audio by Achim Köhler (PRIMAL FEAR, BRAINSTORM).

According to a press release, "Sweet Blood Theory" is a concept album based on the novel "The Vampire", written by John William Polidori in 1814. The book is widely considered to be one of the earliest novels to include a vampire character.

To embrace the concept and create the music for this fantasy epic, the band took inspiration from the famous movie director Tim Burton ("Nightmare Before Christmas", "The Corpse Bride", "Edward Scissorhands" etc) in trying to re-create the typical atmospheres of his most famous movies in both the orchestral score (reminiscent of that of Danny Elfman, who did the music for the aforementioned Tim Burton movies) and for the artwork. The result is huge step forward for the band — the music is as aggressive as before yet keeping the typical SECRET SPHERE melodic touch.

For more information, visit the band's MySpace page.

New England metallers SHADOWS FALL will perform on NBC-TV's "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon" on Thursday, September 3.

LAMB OF GOD frontman Randy Blythe makes a guest appearance on "King Of Nothing", a brand new song from SHADOWS FALL, which is available for free download from Microsoft.

Commented SHADOWS FALL singer Brian Fair: "This song opens with my favorite riff on the record. It came out of Matt's [Bachand, guitar] late-night drunken riff bag, and the song built itself around the heavy vibe that it created. It is a four-minute beatdown!! The lyrics of this song are about the overwhelming self-medication of our world. There is a prescription for every mood these days, and people are turning into zombies. It's time to toughen up and face your reality, no matter how brutal it may be, otherwise you will just be reigning over a world of nothingness. The bridge features guest vocals from the one and only D. Randall Blythe aka Uncle Goddamn aka The Redneck Assassin of the mighty LAMB OF GOD. Randy came down to the studio in Virginia to cook us dinner, and we put him right to work behind the mic. We layered his voice with Matt's and myself to create the three-part harmony from hell!!"

SHADOWS FALL shot a video for the song "Still I Rise" on June 30 in Seal Beach, California. The track comes off the band's fifth full-length album, "Retribution", which is scheduled for release on September 15. The follow-up to 2007's "Threads of Life" will be made available on the band's own label, Everblack Industries, which was created in conjunction with Warner Music Group's ILG, Ferret Music and ChannelZERO Entertainment. The CD was produced by Chris "Zeuss" Harris (HATEBREED, MUNICIPAL WASTE), with vocal production by Elvis Baskette (INCUBUS, ALTER BRIDGE). The cover artwork (see below) was created by Sons of Nero (UNEARTH, EVERY TIME I DIE, BRING ME THE HORIZON).

"Retribution" track listing:

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

SHADOWS FALL will take part in a signing session at the Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival on August 8 in Hartford, Connecticut. The signing will take place at the Comcast Theatre at 3:00 p.m.

"Threads of Life" was made available through Atlantic in the U.S. and Roadrunner Records in Europe.

(Thanks: ZShaw the Metal Clarkie)

Gary Graff of Billboard.com reports that the trio behind SPINAL TAP and the FOLKSMEN has set a Sept. 1 release date for a DVD of their recent concert tour.

"Unwigged & Unplugged: An Evening with Christopher Guest, Michael McKean and Harry Shearer" features an entire 35-track performance filmed at their May 31 show at the Riverside Theatre in Milwaukee. The show features SPINAL TAP material from the film "This is Spinal Tap" and the albums "Break Like the Wind" and this year's "Back From the Dead", as well as some of the FOLKSMEN tracks from the Guest-written and -directed "A Mighty Wind". Guest, McKean and Shearer were joined on the tour by "Back From the Dead" producer CJ Vanston as well as McKean's wife Annette O'Toole, who co-wrote "A Mighty Wind"'s Academy Award-nominated duet "A Kiss at the End of the Rainbow".

Read more from Billboard.com.

According to IGN, Activision (via MTV) has unveiled the complete song lineup for Guitar Hero: Van Halen. The fourth (and probably) Guitar Hero game of 2009 will hit shelves just in time for Christmas on December 22. David Lee Roth will be at the mic.

Songs from VAN HALEN will dominate the list, but other bands have snuck in as well.

The entire list is as follows:

VAN HALEN tracks:

* Ain't Talkin Bout Love
* And The Cradle Will Rock
* Atomic Punk
* Beautiful Girls
* Cathedral (solo)
* Dance The Night Away
* Eruption (solo)
* Everybody Wants Some
* Feel Your Love Tonight
* Hang 'Em High
* Hear About It Later
* Hot For Teacher
* Ice Cream Man
* I'm The One
* Jamie's Cryin
* Jump
* Little Guitars
* Loss Of Control
* Mean Street
* Panama
* Pretty Woman
* Romeo Delight
* Running With The Devil
* So This Is Love
* Somebody Get Me A Doctor
* Spanish Fly (solo)
* Unchained
* You Really Got Me

Tracks from other bands:

* ALTER BRIDGE - "Come To Life"
* BILLY IDOL - "White Wedding"
* BLINK-182 - "First Date"
* DEEP PURPLE - "Space Truckin"
* FOO FIGHTERS - "Best Of You"
* FOREIGNER - "Double Vision"
* FOUNTAINS OF WAYNE - "Stacy's Mom"
* JIMMY EAT WORLD - "Pain"
* JUDAS PRIEST - "Painkiller"
* KILLSWITCH ENGAGE - "The End Of Heartache"
* LENNY KRAVITZ - "Rock And Roll Is Dead"
* QUEEN - "I Want It All"
* QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE - "Sick, Sick, Sick"
* TENACIOUS D - "Master Exploder"
* THE CLASH - "Safe European Home"
* THE OFFSPRING - "Pretty Fly For A White Guy"
* THIRD EYE BLIND - "Semi-Charmed Life"
* WEEZER - "Dope Nose"
* YELLOWCARD - "The Takedown"

KAMELOT drummer Casey Grillo will be interviewed on tonight's edition of the "Texas Beth" radio show at www.infernalrockradio.com at 10:00 p.m. EST. He will discuss KAMELOT and the upcoming Triton Power Cruise where Grillo will conduct a drum clinic with Beatnik Rhythm Analyzers. Listeners can log in to the live chat at and ask Grillo questions.

KAMELOT is currently in recording mode at various studios — including the Gate Studio in Wolfsburg, Germany — under the watchful eye of Sascha Paeth and Miro as producers. A February/March 2010 release is being planned for the band's highly anticipated follow-up to "Ghost Opera".

"The new songs are really inspiring," stated guitarist Thomas Youngblood. "We feel the long touring and time away from writing has been perfect for new ideas and an aggressive approach to the new songs."

SPV/Steamhammer released KAMELOT's "Ghost Opera" (2007) and "The Black Halo" (2005) albums as gatefold double LPs. This marked the first vinyl releases for the band.

GUNFIRE 76, the new project featuring former MURDERDOLLS frontman Wednesday 13, has finished recording its debut album at a studio in Charlotte, North Carolina for a tentative fall release.

Commented Wednesday: "I'm really, really proud of the outcome and it really kinda got me out of a corner that I felt like I painted myself into over the years. I took a lot of chances on this CD, did some things I've never done before and really went out of my usual territory on the vocals. I really can't wait to for you all to hear it and to get out there and play it live!!!"

GUNFIRE 76's debut album will feature 11 tracks, including "Casualties And Tragedies", "Nothing's All I Need", "Los Angel-less" and "One More Reason To Hate You". The CD will be mixed by Brent Clawson, who is best known as the bassist for BULLETS AND OCTANE. Brent has produced, mixed and engineered "Dirty Angel" from Nick Oliveri's band THE KNIVES; engineered and mixed GUTTERMOUTH's "Eat Your Face"; and produced, engineered and mixed the last two CDs from BULLETS AND OCTANE — "Song For The Underdog" and "Bullets and Octane" — which are being re-released as a double-CD this October.

Although GUNFIRE 76's debut album was originally set to be recorded in Los Angeles with producer Howard Willing, setbacks and conflicting schedules resulted in a change of plans.

According to a press release, the album — which will feature material written by Wednesday and Todd Youth (DANZIG, D-GENERATION, THE CHELSEA SMILES) — will have "more of a rock sound."

"GUNFIRE 76 will be my extension into the rock world," said Wednesday. "After touring with THE CHELSEA SMILES, Todd Youth and I would find ourselves discussing the bands we grew up on and decided to put a band together that fits more of the rock and roll sound of KISS, DEAD BOYS, NEW YORK DOLLS, THE STOOGES and the in-your-face rock n roll sound. Not being signed to a record label allows me to create new projects and continue growing as an artist."

No official band members have yet been selected.

GUNFIRE 76 will spend November touring the U.S. and December touring the U.K., with BULLETS AND OCTANE acting as main support.

GUNFIRE 76's debut will be self-released in the U.S. and Wednesday will partner with a company for overseas distribution.

For more information, visit www.myspace.com/gunfire76.

Santa Cruz, California's over-the-top technical metal phenoms BRAIN DRILL have posted a brand new track entitled "Monumental Failure" on their MySpace page.

The band is currently writing material for its sophomore album with a new lineup featuring the group's latest additions, bassist Ivan Munguia and drummer Ron Casey.

BRAIN DRILL 2009 is:

Dylan Ruskin - Guitar
Steve Rathjen - Vocals
Ivan Munguia - Bass
Ron Casey - Drums

BRAIN DRILL's debut album, "Apocalyptic Feasting", was released in February 2008 via Metal Blade Records.

The new band calling itself FEAR FACTORY — featuring original FF members Dino Cazares (guitar) and Burton C. Bell (vocals) alongside bassist Byron Stroud (who played on the last two FEAR FACTORY albums in addition to touring and recording with STRAPPING YOUNG LAD and ZIMMERS HOLE) and legendary drummer Gene Hoglan (DETHKLOK, STRAPPING YOUNG LAD, DARK ANGEL, DEATH, TESTAMENT) — has tapped Greg Reely (PARADISE LOST, FRONT LINE ASSEMBLY, SKINNY PUPPY) to mix the group's new album, which is tentatively due in early 2010 via an as-yet-undetermined record label. Cazares says, "We are halfway done with the recording, [and] it's coming out better than I thought. We are going to take four weeks mixing with Greg Reely on a SSL [Solid State Logic mixing board] in L.A."

Regarding the new material's direction, Dino said, "It has a 'Soul Of A New Machine' [1992] and 'Demanufacture' [1995] feel to it."

In a June 14, 2009 appearance on the nationally syndicated radio program "Speed Freaks", FEAR FACTORY drummer Raymond Herrera — who is not part of the above-mentioned lineup — stated about the group's current status, "[Guitarist Christian Olde Wolbers and I are] actually still in FEAR FACTORY. There's a big legal battle going on right now. Essentially, what's happened is Dino and Burt have become friends again and they decided to start a new band, and furthermore, they decided to call it FEAR FACTORY. They never communicated with us about it, and they're acting like there was never any contract, but there's four members that are Fear Factory Incorporated — which is the four of us — so it's almost like them two against us two, so it's kind of a stalemate. Moving forward, I don't know what's gonna happen with the trademark, so to speak. It's kind of a weird situation, but it's not a situation that we created that was weird."

Regarding why Christian and Raymond aren't involved with the new FEAR FACTORY lineup, Bell told Rock My Monkey "The fact that I have not worked with Raymond and Christian for the past three years as FEAR FACTORY is for this one reason — it's that I did not want to be involved with their manager. Her name is Christy Priske and she happens to be Christian's wife. During the 'Transgression' mixing session, her and Raymond started a love affair that lasted for a couple years. As [she was the] manager of FEAR FACTORY, this was completely unacceptable to me."

Dino's tenure with FEAR FACTORY ended in March 2002 after Bell announced his departure from the group, allegedly telling his bandmates at the time, "Look, guys, I'm not into it anymore, I don't wanna play in the band anymore, I don't wanna play with you guys, and I especially don't wanna play with you, Dino."

FEAR FACTORY eventually reformed without Dino and released two more studio albums, 2004's "Archetype" and 2005's "Transgression".

ARKAEA — the new band featuring Wolbers and Herrera alongside vocalist Jon Howard (THREAT SIGNAL) and bassist Pat Kavanaugh (THREAT SIGNAL) — released its debut album, "Years In The Darkness", on July 14 via E1 Music (formerly Koch Records).

Pictured below is FEAR FACTORY's 2009 lineup (left to right): Burton C. Bell (vocals), Gene Hoglan (drums), Byron Stroud (bass) and Dino Cazares (guitar)

Rock Sound TV conducted an interview with Atlanta progressive metallers MASTODON at the Sonisphere festival, which was held on August 1-2, 2009 at the legendary Knebworth Park, United Kingdom. Watch the footage below.

MASTODON will team up with the lifesize version of DETHKLOK, the animated band from Adult Swim's "Metalocalypse", for a co-headlining tour in October/November. Also scheduled to appear are CONVERGE and HIGH ON FIRE. The 34-city trek will kick off October 2 and will scorch the nation coast to coast. General public ticket sales begin Friday, August 7, at 10:00 a.m.

MASTODON will perform live on "Late Night with Jimmy Fallon" on Thursday, October 29. Tune in 12:35 a.m. and 11:35 p.m. CT on NBC stations.

The band is currently touring Europe with METALLICA in support of its latest album, "Crack The Skye", which sold 41,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 11 on The Billboard 200 chart.

MASTODON fans have responded with manic enthusiasm to the band's new LP, snapping up every available copy of various limited edition artifacts including the deluxe tunnel book CD+DVD package, both color and double-disc 180 gm gatefold vinyl pressings, plus a pair of CD single/T-shirt bundles; all long gone. Act fast and you just might still find a pair of the "Blood Mountain" or "Blade Catcher" design MASTODON Vans shoes, available online and in Vans shops now.

The latest episode of "Talking Metal" features the first excerpt of host John Ostronomy's interview with legendary KISS guitarist Ace Frehley. In the excerpt, Ace recounts the recording of the cut "Ghengis Khan" from his new solo album "Anomaly" and how ROB ZOMBIE/ex-MARILYN MANSON guitarist John 5 tapped Pearl Aday (ANTHRAX guitarist Scott Ian's fiancée and daughter of legendary crooner Meat Loaf) to sing background vocals on the track.

The eight-minute podcast can be downloaded at this location.

"Anomaly" will be released in the U.S. on September 15 via Ace's own Bronx Born Records, with Rocket Science providing a full label service platform. The CD was produced and recorded in Westchester County, New York between 2007 and 2009 and was mixed in Los Angeles.

"Anomaly" official track listing:

01. Foxy & Free
02. Outer Space
03. Pain In The Neck
04. Fox On The Run
05. Genghis Khan
06. Too Many Faces
07. Change The World
08. Space Bear
09. A Little Below The Angels
10. Sister
11. It's A Great Life
12. Fractured Quantum
13. The Return of Space Bear (Dedicated to Tom Snyder) (iTunes exclusive)

The track "Outer Space" is available for streaming at this location.

Frehley, a longtime Gibson artist, will launch his second Gibson Ace Frehley Signature Les Paul guitar with the musical instrument giant later this year. His first signature Gibson guitar (in 1997) was one of the best-selling signature models of all time.

Frehley last year spent time on the road fronting a band that featured second guitarist Derrek Hawkins, drummer Scot Coogan (ex-BRIDES OF DESTRUCTION) and bassist Anthony Esposito (ex-LYNCH MOB).

ThrashHits.com and Rock Sound TV conducted separate interviews with THE WILDHEARTS frontman Gunger at the Sonisphere festival, which was held on August 1-2, 2009 at the legendary Knebworth Park, United Kingdom. Watch the footage below.

THE WILDHEARTS will release their ninth studio album, "Chutzpah!", on August 31 via Backstage Alliance (distributed through Cargo).

Recorded in Denmark with producer Jacob Hansen (VOLBEAT, THE BRONX, THE STORM), "Chutzpah!" is described by lead singer Ginger as "unlike any [LP] that we've made so far." Bassist Scott Sorry added, "This album is not only my favorite WILDHEARTS record, but it's one of my favorite records to have ever been a part of."

"Chutzpah!" track listing:

01. The Jackson Whites
02. Plastic Jebus
03. The Only One
04. John Of Violence
05. You Are Proof That Not All Women Are Insane
06. Tim Smith
07. Low Energy Vortex
08. You Took The Sunshine From New York
09. Mazel Tov Cocktail
10. Chutzpah

THE WILDHEARTS have been busy booking a U.K. headline tour which will include a headline show at Shepherd's Bush Empire.

Commented Ginger: "It's always great to play to WILDHEARTS crowds; they really are the best crowd in the world. We are a very lucky band in that respect, and we never take it for granted. This time we'll be promoting the new album which has Scott and CJ singing lead vocals too, so I'll be in heaven being able to take a break from f***ing singing all the time. I can't wait to see people’s reaction to the new material."

"De Oppresso Liber", the new video from Los Angeles-based black metallers SOTHIS, can be viewed below. The clip was shot in Los Angeles with director Joe Suarez, who had previously worked with KILLSWITCH ENGAGE, AS I LAY DYING and EVANESCENCE, among others.

"De Oppresso Liber" is the title track of SOTHIS' new album, which was mixed by KING DIAMOND guitarist Andy La Rocque at his Sonic Train Studios in Varberg, Sweden.

SOTHIS drummer Dross says of "De Oppresso Liber", "If you are into aggressive, polished black metal that is well executed then you're going to love 'De Oppresso Liber'. We've been able to capture some incredible performances and couple them with some very talented engineers. We wanted to make a record that we would be genuinely proud of and we've accomplished that."

A fixture on the Los Angeles area, SOTHIS released through independent channels its four-song mini-album in late 2004. A regional tour was set up with performances throughout the Southwest; the shows inspiring two limited-release DVDs that capture the band's impressive stage personnae.

For more information, visit www.sothis.us.

Mark Thompson of SMNnews conducted an interview with guitarist Mike Martin of Massachusetts metallers ALL THAT REMAINS on July 12, 2009 at the San Bernardino, California stop of this year's Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival. Watch the chat below.

ALL THAT REMAINS will film footage for the "Forever In Your Hands" video at the August 9, 2009 stop of the Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival at the Nissan Pavilion in Washington, D.C. According to singer Phil Labonte, the clip will feature "tons of footage of us on tour, behind the scenes, and other stuff."

ALL THAT REMAINS has just released a two-song "Forever In Your Hands" digital EP via iTunes, Amazon, etc. Labonte says, "It [has] the radio edit of the song, plus an acoustic version that Oli [Herbert, guitar], Mike [Martin, guitar] and I laid down in the studio a couple weeks ago."

ALL THAT REMAINS drummer Jason Costa broke his hand last month and is unable to play the band on the Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival , which kicked off on July 10. Temporarily replacing Costa on the trek is Tony Laureano, who is best known for his work with such bands as DIMMU BORGIR and NILE.

ALL THE REMAINS had its first Top 10 hit at rock radio with "Two Weeks", from the band's fourth album, "Overcome".

"Overcome" has sold 186,000 copies in the United States so far, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

Rocker-turned-writer-producer-director Rob Zombie will be interviewed on ABC-TV's "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" on the Tuesday, August 25 episode (which will actually air the morning of Wednesday, August 26 beginning at 12:05 a.m.).

Following the success of Rob Zombie's initial reinvention of John Carpenter's smash cult horror film "Halloween" which premiered number one at the box office breaking all Labor Day Weekend 2007 records, comes the sequel, "Halloween II", hitting theatres nationwide on August 28, 2009 from Dimension Films. The enormously popular horror movie series is back and so too is Rob Zombie, who once again puts his own twisted twist on the soundtrack. "Halloween II - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack" (Hip-O/UMe), released August 25, 2009, and co-produced by Zombie, manages to bring together dialogue from the film as well as music from MOTÖRHEAD, THE MOODY BLUES, SCREAM (sans future member Dave Grohl), ROD STEWART, the MC5 and FOGHAT, alongside new psychobilly band CAPTAIN CLEGG AND THE NIGHT CREATURES.

Frightmaster Zombie helmed 2007's ninth installment in the "Halloween" franchise that began in 1978. "Halloween II", which debuts August 28, picks up where "Halloween" left off, and focuses on the struggles of Laurie Strode (played by Scout Taylor-Compton) and killer Michael Myers (played by Tyler Mane).

The new recordings on "Halloween II - Original Motion Picture Soundtrack" include "Transylvania Terror Train" and "Honky Tonk Halloween" from CAPTAIN CLEGG AND THE NIGHT CREATURES, who appear in the film. The band's leader, Jesse Dayton, an Austin, Texas-based singer-guitarist who has played with Johnny Cash, Waylon Jennings, and Willie Nelson, was part of the duo BANJO & SULLIVAN that performed in Zombie's 2005 flick "The Devil's Rejects" and simultaneously released an album. Similarly, "Rob Zombie Presents Captain Clegg And The Night Creatures" (Stag/Zombie A Go Go) will be issued August 28.

Also new are "Laurie's Theme" from John 5 produced by Bob Marlette (ALICE COOPER and OZZY OSBOURNE); "Nurse Killa" from score composer Tyler Bates ("Watchmen", "300", "Halloween", "The Devil's Rejects"); and a cover of NAZARETH's 1976 hit "Love Hurts" from singer Nan Vernon, who covered "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" and "Mr. Sandman" for "Halloween".

The classic tracks range from THE MOODY BLUES' 1966 psychedelic gem "Nights In White Satin" and 10CC's cheery 1977 hit "The Things We Do For Love" to ROD STEWART's 1972 cover of THE TEMPTATIONS' "(I Know) I'm Losing You", FOGHAT's 1972 take on WILLIE DIXON's "I Just Want To Make Love To You" and the MC5 proto-punk masterpiece "Kick Out The Jams", which was recorded live in Detroit on Devil's Night/Halloween 1968. The lesser-known vintage tracks hail from the early '80s: "Amerarockers" by hardcore punkers SCREAM, "The Chase Is Better Than The Catch" by metal's MOTÖRHEAD and "Time To Die"by hardcore/metal band VOID.

Prior to entering the film world, hard rocker Zombie scored a series of multiplatinum albums — 1992's "La Sexorcisto", 1995's "Astro-Creep: 2000", and 1998's "Hellbilly Deluxe" — as well as platinum with 2001's "The Sinister Urge" and 2003's greatest hits collection "Past, Present & Future".

In addition to his recording career, Rob Zombie has written and directed several successful feature films, including "House of 1000 Corpses", the sequel, "The Devil's Rejects", and is the is the producer, writer and director of the forthcoming animated film "The Haunted World of El Superbeasto", based on his comic book series, "The Adventures of El Superbeasto".

A new INSOMNIUM track entitled "Where The Last Wave Broke" is available for streaming on the band's MySpace page. The song, which features clean vocals by Jules Näveri (PROFANE OMEN, ENEMY OF THE SUN), comes off the Finnish metal group's fourth album, "Across The Dark", which is scheduled for release on September 7 via Candlelight Records. The CD was recorded at Fantom studio (where the group recorded its 2006 LP, "Above the Weeping World").

"Across The Dark" track listing:

01. Equivalence (03:18)
02. Down With The Sun (04:22)
03. Where The Last Wave Broke (05:03)
04. The Harrowing Years (06:39)
05. Against The Stream (06:11)
06. Lay Of The Autumn (09:08)
07. Into The Woods (05:08)
08. Weighted Down With Sorrow (05:51)
09. The New Beginning *
10. Into The Evernight *

* Bonus track (limited-edition only)

An e-card for "Across The Dark", which contains audio samples of three new songs — "Equivalence", "Down With The Sun" and "Where The Last Wave Broke" — is available at this location.

Guitarist Ville Friman previously described the new songs as follows: "One is really epic one with clock ticking almost over 10 minutes. Great song with vibe of last two AMORPHIS albums with more heavier edge and INSOMNIUM style of lead work. The second new song turned out to be quite long one as well but in my opinion this one holds more 'hit' potential in it, mainly because of simple arrangement and catchy melodies. Could be maybe described as being somewhere between 'Bereavement' and 'Last Statement'?!? Or what the hell I know; sounds good though. Third song sounds bit like a tribute to SENTENCED because the melodies bear similarity to the melancholy heard in 'Amok' or 'Down' albums. Otherwise the song is pretty slow, depressing and quite doomy. Just the way we like it. Fourth song ready is bit faster and riff-orientated. Composed partly in the last North American tour. Potentially a good live song. We'll see."

(Thanks: fireangel / Night Elves)

Austrian blackened death metal outfit BELPHEGOR has completed work on its eighth full-length studio album, "Walpurgis Rites - Hexenwahn", on October 9 in Europe and October 20 in North American via Nuclear Blast Records. The follow-up to 2008's "Bondage Goat Zombie" was recorded at Andy Classen's (LEGION OF THE DAMNED, DEW-SCENTED, NEAERA, ASPHYX) Stage One Studios in Kassel, Germany.

"Walpurgis Rites Hexenwahn" track listing:

01. Walpurgis Rites
02. Veneratio Diaboli - I Am Sin
03. Hail The New Flesh
04. Reichswehr In Blood
05. The Crosses Made Of Bone
06. Der Geistertreiber
07. Destroyer Hekate
08. Enthralled Toxic Sabbath
09. Hexenwahn - Totenkult

Check out the cover artwork below.

The digipack version will include the video for the track "Der Geistertreiber" as well as making-of material.

Commented frontman Helmuth: "With these nine compositions/arrangements, we continue to piss on the damn mainstream. It's BELPHEGOR to the highest; the hymns are extremely varied, more intense and epic than ever, [and] there are new elements and structures added. Also, we used some haunting samples here and there, to give the album a cold and ritualistic feel."

He continued, "On 'Walpurgis Rites - Hexenwahn', you will hear my most fucked up vocals to date; also the lyrical content is offensive and insane. The witch/devil concept is amazing to work with and we used alot of original chants/ incantations from archaic scripts."

BELPHEGOR has tapped Brazilian artist Marcelo Hvc to handle the graphics for the new album.

Added Serpenth: "The idea is to capture the okkultic orgiastic processions from the Broken Mountain, the Walpurgis night in the images."

Check out photos from the recording sessions at this location.

"Bondage Goat Zombie" entered the Austrian album chart at position No. 42 upon its release in early 2008. The CD also landed on the German chart at No. 81.

BELPHEGOR's video for the CD's title track can be viewed below. The clip was shot with acclaimed Austrian director Florian Werner.

Rock Sound TV conducted an interview with vocalist Randy Blythe of Richmond, Virginia metallers LAMB OF GOD at the Sonisphere festival, which was held on August 1-2, 2009 at the legendary Knebworth Park, United Kingdom. Watch the four-minute chat below.

LAMB OF GOD, GWAR and JOB FOR A COWBOY are teaming up for a tour of the U.S. this fall. The dates are being scheduled on "off" days during LAMB OF GOD's tour with METALLICA, which will kick off on September 14 in Nashville and conclude on November 15 in New York City.

As previously reported, LAMB OF GOD guitarist Mark Morton did not perform with the band at the last six shows of the group's European tour as his wife was expecting a baby.

UNEARTH six-stringer Buz McGrath filled in for Morton on these dates, which included an appearance at Sonisphere.

For a list of the LAMB OF GOD dates with METALLICA, go to this location.

LAMB OF GOD's new album, "Wrath", has sold more than 165,000 copies in the United States since its February 24 release, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

"Wrath" was produced by Josh Wilbur and was recorded in studios in New York, Virginia, and New Hampshire.

The "Wrath" album was released in four configurations: an LP, a CD, a deluxe-edition CD with bonus disc — which contains isolated recording parts — as well as a super-deluxe version featuring a limited-edition box containing an LP, deluxe-edition CD and USB drive containing two exclusive bonus tracks.

According to Entertainment Weekly's Hollywood Insider, legendary guitarist Eddie Van Halen will play himself in an episode of "Two and A Half Men" when the CBS comedy returns September 21, executive producer Chuck Lorre confirmed. Lorre approached the guitarist after learning he was a big fan of the sitcom. "He was gracious enough to do a cameo, which is really cool," Lorre said.

Van Halen's scene is expected to tape this week in Burbank, California. And yes, promises Lorre, Van Halen will play the guitar.

Eddie Van Halen revealed to Rolling Stone that he is recovering from delicate hand surgery due to a bone spur, a twisted tendon, and a cyst in the joint of his left thumb. He explained that the hand problems first popped up during VAN HALEN's last tour, saying, "During the last leg of our tour, I started developing pain in my thumb and my pinky. I didn't think much of it at the time. It got progressively worse to the point that about three months ago I wasn't able to play at all. My pinky and my thumb were totally locked up and felt like there was something broken."

He sought help from hand specialists in Dusseldorf, Germany, who at first were treating him for arthritis before further examinations showed the extent of the problem: "They said the only way to fix it was surgery, which of course scared the shit out of me, but I was told it was the only way to fix it. Surgery was a success, now I just have to let it heal. I am totally jazzed that they found the problem, fixed it and in about four months my hand will feel like I am 18 again. Thank God."

The stitches came out within a few days, and so far Van Halen's hand has regained its full reach. His recovery will be complete in four-to-six months. "In the meantime I am able to write a bit, but cannot overexert my hand because it needs to heal properly," he said.

Van Halen says that like all of VAN HALEN's albums, the seeds to all great material stems from jam sessions with brother Alex. "What I do on any record is I basically lock myself up in the studio with my brother, and we jam, and whatever comes out is what we (laughs) use," he said. "And a lot of the stuff we, we don't use, 'cause it's not good (laughs). But the good stuff we keep, and we just carry on from there."

VAN HALEN — featuring brothers Eddie and Alex, Eddie's son Wolfgang, and David Lee Roth — are expected to record a new album and tour sometime in 2010.

"Born Again", the Crucial Blast Records debut from France's OVERMARS, will be released in the U.S. on September 22. According to a press release, the CD "descends deep into themes of self-immolation, horror, and rebirth, and becomes a harrowing narrative as it moves through a series of different musical moods."

OVERMARS had already established its atmospheric, electronically-tainted sludge-metal sound on the band's 2005 album "Affliction, Endocrine...Vertigo" and all of the previous split releases with DONEFOR, ISCARIOTE, FUGÜE and ICOS, but "Born Again" is something new from the band; this forty-minute epic moves from pulverizing industrial dirge blanketed with heavily textured layers of processed guitar and fearsome guttural roars intermixed with captivating female vocals, to passages of haunting dark ambience and bottom-heavy churn, and a magisterial finale that stretches gloom-ridden moody riffage, vaporous electronics and dramatic male/female singing across the song's final fifteen minutes, a tense, slow buildup that erupts into an earth-shaking crescendo of super heavy riffage. Immensely bleak and heavy, "Born Again" brings together elements of GODFLESH's industrial pummel, black metal, tribal dirge , the violent nihilism of SWANS, doomy death metal, and even some black strains of psychedelia into a monumental metallic black hole.

Check out audio samples at this location.

In support of this colossal release, OVERMARS will tour the U.S. for the first time this month. The band will hit the road alongside Translation Loss Records artists BATTLEFIELDS from mid-August through early September.

Video footage of THE GATHERING's recent trip to Prague, Czech Republic to play the Sazava festival can be viewed below.

Commented the band: "The festival was outside the city in a little village, really pretty with lots beautiful nature in the surroundings. We had a great time there and the gig went very well! We also had a few days in Prague relaxing and doing some nice walking in the streets of the old town and it all amazed us with its beauty and atmosphere! We wanted to share some moments with you so we’ve made a little video from the weekend you can watch."

THE GATHERING's new album, "The West Pole", was released in North America on June 2 via Season of Mist. The CD was issued in most of Europe on May 4 via the band's own label, Psychonaut Records. More information is available here.

"The West Pole" marks the recording debut of THE GATHERING's new singer, Silje Wergeland, from the Norwegian band OCTAVIA SPERATI. Drummer Hans Rutten says, "Silje [had] been the singer of OCTAVIA SPERATI for eight years, including several other projects. She did a superb job [on 'The West Pole']. This album also includes two very talented guest singers: the Dutch Anne van den Hoogen and Mexican Marcela Bovio (from STREAM OF PASSION), and some other guest musicians."

Hans continued, "What can we say about 'The West Pole'? It's a very vital, atmospheric and extravert rock orientated album, with all the quality and power THE GATHERING is so famous for, also with many new elements. The sound is guitar driven, alive and urgent; a strong and beautifully coloured album with haunting female vocals. It's produced by guitar player René Rutten and mixed and mastered by Zlaya Hadzich (who also did the production of 'Souvenirs') and René."

Singer Anneke van Giersbergen announced her departure from THE GATHERING in 2007. She has since launched a project called AGUA DE ANNIQUE, which released an album called "Air" in October 2007.