According to WoW.com, Ozzy Osbourne's appearance at the upcoming BlizzCon convention in Anaheim, California will be available as a live broadcast on DirecTV pay-per-view.

DirecTV will bring over 16 hours of exclusive HD coverage from the BlizzCon 2009 show floor, including the opening ceremony, main–stage presentations, exclusive interviews, demos, tournament footage and more. And for the first time ever, you'll also be able to catch a live stream of the event at blizzcon.rayv.com — available at no extra charge only for DirecTV customers.

BlizzCon is a semi-regular convention held by Blizzard Entertainment to celebrate their major franchises: Warcraft, StarCraft and Diablo. This year's event will be held August 21-22 at the Anaheim Convention Center.

For more information, visit www.directv.com.

As BLABBERMOUTH.NET first reported on August 3, 28-year-old Greek guitarist Gus G. (FIREWIND) is rumored to have been tapped to play with Ozzy at the BlizzCon convention. It should be noted, however, that this information has not yet been corroborated by anyone in the Osbourne camp and should be treated as a rumor only.

In addition to his current axe-slinging duties with FIREWIND, Gus (real name: Kostas Karamitroudis) has played in MYSTIC PROPHECY, NIGHTRAGE, ARCH ENEMY and DREAM EVIL.

Ozzy told Classic Rock magazine in a June 2009 interview that he was on the lookout for a new guitar player, apparently to replace Zakk Wylde. He also indicated that he was auditioning a guitarist from Greece, but declined to give further details.

As for why he wanted to break away from Wylde, who has played with Ozzy on and off since 1988, Ozzy said, "I haven't fallen out with Zakk, but Zakk's got his own band, and I felt like my stuff was beginning to sound like (Wylde's band) BLACK LABEL SOCIETY. I just felt like I wanted a change, y'know?"

In an interview with a Eugene, Oregon radio station on July 29, Zakk slammed Ozzy over his Classic Rock comments, saying in part, "I've gotta be honest with you. The boss hasn't even given me a phone call, so I mean... I'm just like... I don't know what's going on over there. Are we doing this thing or are we not doing it? . . . I mean, it's like, dude, you don't wanna play with me anymore? Fine. Play with whoever the hell you wanna play with. I couldn't give a rat's ass. Like I'm gonna get all jealous or whatever. But you know what?! Man up and give me a phone call and tell me what the hell's going on."

Wylde's answer after that abruptly turned into an obscenity-filled rant directed at Ozzy that had to be heavily bleeped by the station.

The former BLACK SABBATH singer has been working on his latest solo album at his home studio in Los Angeles, He said that Wylde had recorded material for the project, but added, "I don't know if I want to use it."

Manassas, Virginia's ADVERSARY has issued the following update:

"ADVERSARY is very proud to announce the addition of our new bass player, Noamel Gonzalez! Noamel is a veteran of the East Coast metal scene and has played in bands such as BLACKBODY LOCUS (with ADVERSARY guitarists Brad Ryder and Kenny Harrison) and IT CUTS THE BODIES. Now he is bringing his considerable talents and charisma to the ADVERSARY family!"

Commented Noamel: "I didn't think twice about joining ADVERSARY when they asked me. I'm very excited to be playing music with my good friends again, and can't wait to see what the future will hold for us. ADVERSARY is back in business and ready to do the damn thing!"

"Singularity", the latest video from ADVERSARY, can be viewed below. The song is the title track of the band's debut album, which was released on November 11, 2008 via Trustkill Records. The CD was recorded at Assembly Line Studios in Vienna, Virginia with Kevin "131" Gutierrez (RAVEN, DYSRHYTHMIA) at the helm and contains "ten tracks of intense, riff-heavy, bone-crushing power," according to a press relase.

Check out a "Singularity" e-card at this location.

According to a press release, ADVERSARY "infuse a distinctly American sensibility into their groove heavy brand of metal. When the band was in the studio recording 'Singularity', Trustkill caught wind of them and without hesitation made them an offer, the band immediately inked the deal with the label. Together they plan to catapult this infectious, vitriolic sound into the consciousness of the heavy music adoring masses."

ADVERSARY is:

William Clapp - Vocals
Kenny Harrison - Guitars
Brad Ryder - Guitars
Noamel Gonzalez - Bass
Justin Green - Drums

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

Due to "family and work obligations," guitarist Dale Robertson has left DARK ARENA, the Cleveland, Ohio-based band featuring vocalist Juan Ricardo (ATTAXE, RITUAL), guitarist "Tall" Paul Konjicija (ANTITHESIS, RITUAL) and drummer Chris Stolle (SOMNUS).

DARK ARENA released its debut disc, entitled "Alien Factor", in May 2006. The CD was mastered by legendary producer Alex Perialas (TESTAMENT, ANTHRAX, OVERKILL) and features cover art by by Joseph Vargo at Monolith Graphics.

DARK ARENA is:

Juan Ricardo - Vocals
Paul Konjicija - Guitar
Allan Marcus - Guitar
Ryan Tyndal - Bass
Chris Stolle - Percussion
Ron George - Keyboards

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

DAMAGED, the new Montreal, Quebec, Canada-based band featuring former A PERFECT MURDER guitarists Carl Bouchard and Kyrill Ducharme, has posted an unmastered version of the track "Fallen Hero" on the group's MySpace page.

DAMAGED is self-described as "a straight-edge band" whose "main goal is to destroy a town near you!"

DAMAGED is:

Carl Bouchard: Lead Guitar
Kyrill Ducharme: Guitar
Luc Verville: Bass
Matt Broots: Vocals
Keven Michaud: Drums

Video footage of Swedish melancholic metallers IN MOURNING playing a new song, "Debris", live in their rehearsal room can be viewed below. The track will appear on the band's forthcoming second album, which IN MOURNING will begin recording on August 22 at Black Lounge Studio (SCAR SYMMETRY, CARNAL FORGE, STEEL ATTACK, etc.) with producer/engineer Jonas Kjellgren. An early 2010 release via Pulverised Records is expected.

IN MOURNING's 2008 debut album, "Shrouded Divine", gained a massive amount of attention and also very positive responses worldwide with the band's brand of heart-wrenching melodic passages entwined with progressive elements but yet still retaining all the brutality of death metal aggression.

IN MOURNING is:

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

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

DEF LEPPARD's Monday, August 10 and Tuesday, August 11 performances in Nashville and Birmingham, respectively, have been postponed due to the circumstances surrounding a band member's bereavement. No further specifics concerning the matter have been released. Ticket holders are asked to hold their tickets, pending further details of the concerts' rescheduling.

"We were looking forward to returning to Nashville and Birmingham," said the band in a joint statement. "So we're going to do all that we can to get back there soon."

DEF LEPPARD is currently on the road with POISON and CHEAP TRICK.

DEF LEPPARD recently released deluxe editions of its classic albums "Pyromania" and "Adrenalize". The albums feature never-before-released B-sides and live recordings as well as nine Top 10 singles from the legendary rock band. The deluxe edition of "Pyromania" features a 15-track live show recorded at The Forum in Los Angeles in 1983. The deluxe edition of "Adrenalize" features demo tracks, live tracks and acoustic tracks.

Video footage of the drum-tracking sessions for "The Great Misdirect" — the forthcoming album from the Raleigh, North Carolina-based progressive metalcore quintet BETWEEN THE BURIED AND ME — can be viewed below. The CD is scheduled for release on October 27 via Victory Records.

BETWEEN THE BURIED AND ME vocalist Tommy Rogers recently told Noisecreep about the group's upcoming effort, "A lot of the record deals with the human brain. There's definitely a lot to do with alien abductions, and one song is about a group of people who write music in the desert, because music is outlawed across the entire Earth. I get borderline obsessed with certain topics, and that bleeds into my lyrics. During the writing of this record, I got really obsessed with the human brain, magic and code, and wrote a song about all of that. I got obsessed with freaking alien abduction and stuff like that. It's basically what's in my head. I want to create stories and lyrics that go well with our music, because it is so dynamic. I want the lyrics to follow that."

On pushing the limits of musical expression:

"When we started this band, the big goal was not having limits as far as what we wanted to do musically, and as musicians, there's a lot of freedom in this band. We're not opposed to trying anything. And I love having that freedom, to know that the limits are endless, and that we won't be afraid to try anything. It's awesome. I hope we keep evolving as musicians, and writing better and better music."

"When you try to push the envelope, that's when things can go wrong. When you're, like, 'We gotta write something that's different, that stands out,' that's when you're forcing yourself to be weird or technical, just for the sake of doing it. The reason why our music is so unique is because all five of us write and in a lot of bands, it's not like that. We all write stuff on our own, and put it all together, and it's such a collaboration of ideas. It comes out sounding unique without really trying."

"We never go in and say, 'We need this kind of part' or 'We need this kind of part.' We just write, and see what happens. It's always a fun building process, because you feed off of each other, and you feed off of other peoples' ideas. The day we start forcing things out is the day we need to stop making music. Right now, it's fun to write because it's very organic, and we're really expressing what we're feeling."

Italian death metallers HOUR OF PENANCE will enter 16th Cellar studio in Rome on August 27 with engineer Stefano Morabito to begin recording their as-yet-untitled fourth album.

Commented guitarist Giulio Moschini: "After less than a year of songwriting, we're finally ready to hit the studio and record the new album. We're very satisfied with the results of the songwriting sessions; everything went smooth and all the songs came out in a spontaneous way. We have enough material to record almost two albums but as we did with the previous album, 'The Vile Conception', only the best 10 songs will appear on the new opus. This time we will work with Stefano Morabito to get a more 'live' approach and a more natural sound to the new album which will embrace a lot of new and different features from the past releases. I'm sure our loyal fans will not be disappointed when they hear the final result!"

HOUR OF PENANCE's current lineup:

Giulio Moschini - Guitar
Enrico Schettino - Guitar
Mauro Mercurio - Drums
Silvano Leone - Bass
Francesco Paoli - Vocals

HOUR OF PENANCE's latest album, "The Vile Conception", was released on February 23, 2008 via Unique Leader Records. The CD was recorded at 16th Cellar Studio in Rome with producer Stefano Saul Morabito and contains 10 songs of "insanely fast and twisted death metal," according to a press release. Artwork was handled by Pär Olofsson.

MEGADETH drummer Shawn Drover has posted the following message on the band's MySpace page:

"I thought I would get you up to speed on the status of my new ddrum Shawn Drover signature snare drum.

"The snare is at the final stages of production and will be made available for pre-order at www.ddrum.com within one month, and available at your favorite music outlet soon thereafter. I will have the ONLY finished product in my hands just in time for my drum clinic at Ponier Music in Kennesaw, Georgia on August 27 at 8:00 p.m.

"If you want to hear the loudest snare drum on the planet, drop by and say 'Hi.'

"I talked to Dave [Mustaine, MEGADETH mainman] a few days ago, to which he very happy about how well the new record has been received by the music press, etc. This certainly makes me happy as, of course, this is what I was hoping would happen. So far, so good on this, with hopes that our batting average here remains high."

MEGADETH's new album, "Endgame", is scheduled for release on September 15 via Roadrunner Records. The CD was recorded at the band's brand new, self-built studio in San Marcos, California — Vic's Garage — which was named after the legendary and iconic Vic Rattlehead character.

"Endgame" track listing:

01. Dialectic Chaos
02. This Day We Fight!
03. 44 Minutes
04. 1,320'
05. Bite The Hand That Feeds
06. Bodies Left Behind
07. Endgame
08. The Hardest Part Of Letting Go... Sealed With A Kiss
09. Headcrusher
10. How the Story Ends
11. The Right To Go Insane

"Endgame" was helmed by MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine and acclaimed British producer Andy Sneap (EXODUS, NEVERMORE, ARCH ENEMY, MACHINE HEAD). Sneap also manned the boards for 2007's "United Abominations".

MEGADETH filmed a video for the song "Headcrusher" on July 28 in the Los Angeles area.

Italian melodic death metallers APEIRON have issued the following update:

"[At] this exact moment we're posting from Fear Studio in Alfonsine, where we're working on our first full length's mix and master! The tracks were recorded at Ironape Project Studio in Vigevano, and are now being taken care of by the expert hands (and ears) of Simone Mularoni, renowned for his works with EMPYRIOS, GORY BLISTER, THE MODERN AGE SLAVERY, etc. Up to now we're extremely satisfied with the results, and the past month's hard work is yielding excellent outturns. The track list and the title still remain a mystery, but you'll receive fresh news as the work will proceed."

APEIRON's "The Cruel Crime" EP was released last year.

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

Gigz Giger of Rock Circus conducted an interview with bassist Paolo Gregoletto of Florida metallers TRIVIUM at the Burgettstown, Pennsylvania stop of this year's Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival on August 1, 2009. The eight-minute chat can be viewed below.

TRIVIUM and Hot Topic have announced the "Into the Mouth of Hell We Tour", an extensive, 63-date trek which marks the band's first solo headline tour since 2006. WHITECHAPEL, DARKEST HOUR and DIRGE WITHIN serve as support for the first leg of the run. The tour kicks off in September and will run through October. More dates for the first leg will be announced in August, while additional dates and support for the second leg will be announced in September.

TRIVIUM are currently headlining the Jägermeister stage of the second annual Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival. They are known for being voracious road dogs, having toured America relentlessly, separately supporting SLIPKNOT and LAMB OF GOD. They have also appeared as part of KORN's "Family Values" package and have also supported IRON MAIDEN.

TRIVIUM has come up with a "brilliant" way to allow its live show be something that the fans are able to enjoy repeatedly. This tour will feature a special promotion, where at participating venues, each ticket buyer will be able to re-live their experience at the show, as they will have the option to use their ticket stub, via a unique code, to redeem a free, full digital soundboard recording of the TRIVIUM show that they attended. Fans will be able to use the bar code number on their ticket as their unique code to redeem their music at www.trivium.org.

Commented Heafy: "North American headline tour... we meet again. It's been far too long since we've toured North America as a headliner and we're back with a vengeance. It's our time to come in for the final waves of the 'Shogun' touring and party with our friends in the USA and Canada. Our live show, without a doubt in my mind, is now the strongest it has ever been; our sets are more diverse, tighter than ever and we've got some of the sickest current metal bands out with us to bring you one hell of a tour. This very well could be the last one for a while, so let's do this in style... we'll see you soon."

Fan-filmed video footage of Florida death metallers HATE ETERNAL performing at this year's Brutal Assault festival — which was held August 6-8, 2009 in Pevnost, Josefov, Czech Republic — can be viewed below (courtesy of "Zwierzak26").

"I, Monarch", the third full-length album from HATE ETERNAL, was reissued in January as part of the "Earache Records Classic Series."

The "Earache Classic Series" recognizes some of the most important, influential and groundbreaking albums to be released by Earache, with each reissued album including a bonus DVD full of extra content.

"I, Monarch" is the monolithic 2005 album from HATE ETERNAL, the brainchild of acclaimed producer and ex-MORBID ANGEL guitarist Erik Rutan. The "Classic Series" edition comes coupled with the awesome "The Perilous Fight" DVD, which includes an entire live show filmed on four cameras at The Garage in London, U.K. in 2006, three promo music videos, an interview with the band and an exclusive behind-the-scenes documentary from the recording of the album.

"Fury & Flames" sold 2,300 copies in the United States in its first week of release, according to Nielsen SoundScan. The follow-up to 2005's "I, Monarch" is said to be the band's most diverse and emotionally fuelled record to date, due mainly in part to the passing of bassist and good friend Jared Anderson.

According to a posting on producer Ross Robinson's Twitter profile, KORN has finished laying down drums for two new songs with Robinson at the helm.

KORN singer Jonathan Davis recently told The Pulse of Radio that the group intends to get back to the sound of its early CDs on the forthcoming album. "It's gonna be very raw, it's gonna be old school like the first KORN records," he said. "Basically, it's gonna be recorded as a four-piece band, with just Munky on guitars and Fieldy [bass] and Ray [Luzier; drums] and me. We really want to go back to that old-school vibe. It was just really intense and emotional and, you know, I have a lot of built-up aggression toward certain things that I need to get out for this record."

Davis said that many of the lyrics on the upcoming album will deal with the topic of organized religion.

Ex-KORN guitarist Brian "Head" Welch left the band after becoming a born-again Christian, and Fieldy discusses his conversion to Christianity in a memoir that was published in March.

The band will be looking for a home for the yet-to-be-titled disc since completing its two-album deal with Virgin Records in 2007.

A one-minute teaser video for KORN's forthcoming video can be viewed below.

According to a posting on the RUSH fan site RushIsABand.com, RUSH drummer Neil Peart's original Slingerland drum kit (which he used from "Fly By Night" through "2112") was put up for auction last week on eBay by owners Main Drag Music in Brooklyn, New York. The auction ended earlier today and the winning bid was $25,100!

By viewing the bidding history, you can see that there were a lot of "2112"-inspired bids; one for $2,112, one for $12,112.12, and $21,121.12!

JUDAS PRIEST frontman Rob Halford was interviewed by Eric Blair of "The Blairing Out With Eric Blair Show" on August 5, 2009 at the Pacific Amphitheatre in Costa Mesa, California. Watch the chat in two parts below.

JUDAS PRIEST's August 17, 2009 performance at the Hard Rock Live at the Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Hollywood, Florida will be filmed for a DVD that will be included in a forthcoming expanded 30th-anniversary edition of their 1980 classic, "British Steel".

As they have done at all of their U.S. summer dates this year, PRIEST will perform the "British Steel" album in its entirety at the Seminole Hard Rock Arena.

Tickets for this show are now on sale via Ticketmaster.com.

JUDAS PRIEST kicked off its "British Steel" 30th-anniversary tour on June 29 at the Murat Theatre in Indianapolis, Indiana. Halford recently told Noisecreep, "It's like suddenly, thirty years have come upon us and we're about to celebrate. The album's technical anniversary is April of next year, but want to start the party early."

Halford added, "In today's economy, all artists have to think of something to do differently. We decided that this would be a great opportunity to do something that PRIEST has never done before, which is to play an album in its entirety. The band and the name 'JUDAS PRIEST' have both been around since 1969, so it is our fortieth anniversary, too. We seem to be in a constant celebration mode!"

Part 1:



Part 2:

NEVERMORE's Van Williams entered a studio on August 7 in the band's hometown of Seattle with producer (and SOILWORK guitarist) Peter Wichers (who previously worked with NEVERMORE vocalist Warrel Dane on Dane's solo debut, "Praises to the War Machine") to begin recording the drums for the band's new album, "The Obsidian Conspiracy".

Commented Van: "It is day 3 [of recording] and we are moving along nicely, I think. first day was all getting tones and setting up and yesterday I got two songs done. Today [Sunday, August 9], I will be shooting for three!"

In a posting on his Twitter profile, Dane revealed that NEVERMORE is recording two cover songs during the current sessions: "The Crystal Ship" by THE DOORS and "Transmission" by THE TEA PARTY.

Video footage of Williams and Gregg Keplinger — who came by to tune the drums for the sessions — can be viewed below. Van said, "Not only a fantastic drummer in his own right, [Gregg] can also come down to the studio and fine-tune drums!"

Williams added, "It was an honor for me to meet the man with many awesome stories from his time on the road and music in general. I urge you to do some Googling on him and visit his site if you do not already know who he is. And he makes snares!"

The rest of the instruments will be tracked at Wichers' studio in North Carolina. Longtime friend and collaborator Andy Sneap (MEGADETH, ARCH ENEMY, EXODUS, MACHINE HEAD) will once again be handling mixing duties.

The follow-up to 2005's "This Godless Endeavor" is tentatively due in early 2010 via Century Media Records.

Commented Dane: "These songs are full of newfound rage, lyrically and musically. Jeff Loomis has come up with some amazing new riffs that will no doubt please old and new fans alike. Also, I think the combination of Peter and Andy will result in something very, very special."

Songtitles set to appear on the CD include "Emptiness Unobstructed" and "Without Morals".

NEVERMORE's "The Year Of The Voyager" DVD last year entered the German DVD chart at position No. 82.

MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine recently spoke to U.K.'s Metal Hammer magazine about his love for AC/DC and how MEGADETH's live shows differ from those of the Anglo-Australian hard rock legends.

"I love AC/DC and I've always been a fan of AC/DC," Mustaine said. "Bon Scott was my frontman. I love and respect Brian, but it's the same record. They've been making the same record for 20 years. I love 'em, but it's the same stuff, so you don't need to buy the record, just go to the concert. With us, it's kind of like the concert's always the same, but the records change! Because we go out live and what do people want us to do?! They want to hear 'Holy Wars', they want to hear 'Rust In Peace', they want to hear stuff off of that record… guys, I've got 12 records and I can't fit all of that stuff into one hour! There's over 100 songs to play! 'Hey, play this song!' Yeah, like I'm gonna just remember that song out of the blue! Do I look like a fuckin' jukebox?

He continued, "I remember we were in Germany one time and it was the anniversary of Bon Scott's death and we said, 'Let's do an AC/DC song tonight!' and we did 'Problem Child'. About halfway through that song, I realized I'd forgotten how high his voice is when he's singing. So when I was done with that song, I went back and I told Shawn [Drover, MEGADETH drummer], 'Don't ever let me do that again!' [Laughs]"

Back in 2007, Mustaine spoke to Classic Rock magazine about AC/DC's classic "Let There Be Rock" LP for the magazine's "Every Home Should Have One - Albums You Should Own" feature. Read it at this location.

Reactivated New Jersey thrashers WHIPLASH will take part in a meet-and-greet and record-release party on Saturday, August 22 at Duff's Brooklyn in Williamsburg, New York beginning at 9:00 p.m.

***UPDATE: Due to a delay in the album's release, this event has now been postponed. A new date has not yet been announced.***

The address is:

Duff's Brooklyn
168 Marcy Avenue (between S 5th & Broadway)
Williamsburg, New York

**Note: This is a 21-and-over event.

For more information, visit www.duffsbrooklyn.com.

An e-card for "Unborn Again", the new album from WHIPLASH, can be found below. Released on August 5 via Pulverised Records, the CD was recorded at Mozart Studio with world-renowned engineer/producer Harris Johns (SODOM, KREATOR, HELLOWEEN, SEPULTURA). The band mixed and mastered the album at Spiderhouse Studio.

"Unborn Again" track listing:.

01. Swallow The Slaughter
02. Snuff
03. Firewater
04. Float Face Down
05. Fight Or Flight
06. Pitbulls In The Playground
07. Parade Of Two Legs
08. Hook In Mouth
09. I've Got The Fire
10. Feeding Frenzy

The cover artwork was created by Ed Repka (DEATH, ATHEIST, MEGADETH, NUCLEAR ASSAULT, POSSESSED, etc.). The LP was made available in digipack CD + DVD format, which documents the making of "Unborn Again".

WHIPLASH is a three-piece power trio hailing from New Jersey. The band was assembled back in 1984 when Tony Portaro (guitar, vocals) and Tony Scaglione (drums) joined forces, recruited Tony Bono on bass and released their first CD, "Power and Pain", in 1985 on Roadrunner Records. The debut CD was followed up by their first live performance at Ruthie's in Berkley, California with POSSESSED and DEATH ANGEL.

WHIPLASH's current lineup:

Tony Portaro - Guitar/Vocals
Joe Cangelosi (ex-KREATOR) - Drums
Rich Day Bass (ex-PRIMAL SCREAM) - Bass

GameDaily.com has revealed the complete track listing for the Brütal Legend video game, whcih will be available for the Xbox 360 video game and entertainment system and the PlayStation computer entertainment system on October 13 in North America and on October 16 in Europe.

"This soundtrack took years to put together as we wanted to represent every genre of metal, and also have the perfect music for every epic moment in the game," Tim Schafer, president of Double Fine Productions development studio, tells GameDaily.com. "It's designed to be loved by metal fans, and for those who are not, it will either convert them or make their heads explode ... or both."

"What can I say?," Emily Ridgeway, Brütal Legend's music director, adds. "It's metal. It's the best. It'll kick your fucking teeth in."

Brütal Legend is a third-person action game rich in combat, imagery and storytelling, delivering lighter-flicking fun sure to melt your face off.

Brütal Legend tells the tale of Eddie Riggs, played by Jack Black. The ultimate roadie, Eddie is the first person anyone calls when they need guitars tuned or stages rigged, and has a love for hot rods and a photographic memory for every heavy metal album cover, and the lyrics those albums contained. One night, a stage accident knocks Eddie unconscious, and he awakens in a world that looks very strange yet oddly familiar, a world where every heavy metal album cover and lyric Eddie knows has come to life, and where the evil emperor Doviculus and his demon army, The Tainted Coil, have enslaved the last remaining humans. When an oppressed people request Eddie's knowledge of modern warfare, he pulls from his own experience in the only occupation he's ever had, a roadie for a heavy metal band, and under his command, this barbaric force of hot-rods, Marshall stacks, leather, and chrome will bring this ancient world into the age of metal.

A trailer for Brütal Legend, featuring the voice and likeness of BLACK SABBATH vocalist Ozzy Osbourne as The Guardian Of Metal, can be viewed below.

Brütal Legend track listing:

* 3 INCHES OF BLOOD - Deadly Sinners
* 3 INCHES OF BLOOD - Destroy The Orcs
* ACCEPT - Fast As A Shark
* ANGEL WITCH - Angel Witch
* ANTHRAX - Metal Thrashing Mad
* ANVIL - March of the Crabs
* ANVIL - Tag Team
* APOSTASY - Sulphur Injection
* BISHOP OF HEXEN - A Serpentine Grave
* BISHOP OF HEXEN - The Somber Grounds of Truth
* BLACK SABBATH - Children of the Grave
* BLACK SABBATH - Symptom of the Universe
* BLACK SABBATH - Never Say Die
* BROCAS HELM - Cry of the Banshee
* BROCAS HELM - Drink the Blood of the Priest
* BUDGIE - Breadfan
* BUDGIE - Zoom Club
* CANDLEMASS - Witches
* CARCASS - No Love Lost
* CLOVEN HOOF - Nightstalker
* CHILDREN OF BODOM - Angels Don't Kill
* CORONER - Skeleton on your Shoulder
* CRADLE OF FILTH - Her Ghost in the Fog
* CRIMSON GLORY - Queen of the Masquerade
* DARK FORTRESS - Insomnia
* DARK TRANQUILITY - Cathode Ray Sunshine
* DEATHSTARS - Blitzkrieg
* DEF LEPPARD - Rock of Ages
* DETHKLOK - Mermaider
* DIAMOND HEAD - Am I Evil?
* DIMMU BORGIR - Progenies of the Great Apocalypse
* DOKKEN - Mr. Scary
* DRAGONFORCE - Through the Fire and Flames
* EMPEROR - Thus Spake The Nightspirit
* ENSLAVED - Frost
* ENSLAVED - Loke
* FIREHOUSE - Overnight Sensation
* GIRLSCHOOL - Bomber
* ICED EARTH - When the Night Falls
* ICED EARTH - Pure Evil
* IN FLAMES - Goliaths Disarm Their Davids
* JUDAS PRIEST - Battle Hymn
* JUDAS PRIEST - The Hellion/Electric Eye
* JUDAS PRIEST - Leather Rebel
* JUDAS PRIEST - One Shot At Glory
* JUDAS PRIEST - Painkiller
* KABBAGE BOY - Girlfriend
* KMFDM - Free Your Hate
* KMFDM - Rip The System
* KING DIAMOND - Cremation
* KING DIAMOND - Welcome Home
* KISS - God of Thunder
* LITA FORD - Betrayal
* MARILYN MANSON - Beautiful People
* MANOWAR - Die For Metal
* MANOWAR - The Dawn Of Battle
* MASTODON - Crack the Skye
* MASTODON - Oblivion (instrumental)
* MEGADETH - High Speed Dirt
* MEGADETH - Tornado of Souls
* METAL CHURCH - Metal Church
* MICHAEL SCHENKER GROUP - Assault Attack
* MINISTRY - Stigmata
* MINISTRY - Thieves
* MIRRORTHRONE - So Frail
* MÖTLEY CRÜE - Dr. Feelgood
* MÖTLEY CRÜE - Kickstart My Heart
* MÖTLEY CRÜE - Live Wire
* MOTÖRHEAD - Back at the Funny Farm
* MOTÖRHEAD - In the Black
* MOTÖRHEAD - Marching Off to War
* MOTÖRHEAD - We Are the Road Crew
* NITRO - Machine Gun Eddie
* OMEN - The Axeman
* OSTROGOTH - Queen of Desire
* OVERKILL - World of Hurt
* OZZY OSBOURNE - Believer
* OZZY OSBOURNE - Mr. Crowley
* OZZY OSBOURNE - Diary of a Madman
* PRONG - Snap Your Fingers, Snap Your Neck
* QUIET RIOT - The Wild and the Young
* RACER X - Technical Difficulties
* RACER X - Y.R.O.
* RATT - Lay It Down
* RIOT - Road Racin'
* RIOT - Narita
* RIOT - Swords and Tequila
* ROB ZOMBIE - Superbeast
* ROTTING CHRIST - Ad Notics
* RUNNING WILD - Riding the Storm
* SANCTUARY - Battle Angels
* SAVATAGE - Hall of the Mountain King
* SAXON - Wheels of Steel
* SCORPIONS - Blackout
* SCORPIONS - Holiday
* SKELETONWITCH - Soul Thrashing Black Sorcery
* SKID ROW - Youth Gone Wild
* SLAYER - Metal Storm/Face The Slayer
* SLOUGH FEG - Warriors Dawn
* STATIC-X - Love Dump
* TENACIOUS D - Master Exploder
* TENACIOUS D - The Metal
* TESTAMENT - For The Glory Of
* TESTAMENT - More Than Meets The Eye
* TVANGESTE - Birth of the Hero
* UFO - Rock Bottom
* WHITESNAKE - Still of the Night
* WRATH OF KILLENSTEIN - Ignisis Dance

JUDAS PRIEST guitarist K.K. Downing and BULLETBOYS frontman Marq Torien will guest on "Uncensored Net Noise" on Friday, August 14 beginning at 9:00 p.m. EST.

You can listen to the program live via the Internet at this location. (Note: Both interviews are pre-taped.)

JUDAS PRIEST's "A Touch of Evil: Live" live album sold around 5,300 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 87 on The Billboard 200 chart.

PRIEST chose 10 songs not previously released in live album form for "A Touch of Evil: Live", which was released on July 14, in the midst of the band's U.S. summer tour.

"A Touch of Evil" includes live renderings of longtime fan favorites such as "Painkiller", "Dissident Aggressor", "Riding on the Wind", "Between the Hammer & the Anvil" and "Eat Me Alive", as well as "Hellrider" from "Angel of Retribution", the group's 2004 reunion album with frontman Rob Halford, and two tracks — "Death" and "Prophecy" — from last year's rock opera "Nostradamus".

Recorded by Martin Walker and Brian Thorene during JUDAS PRIEST's mammoth 2005 and 2008 world tours, "A Touch Of Evil: Live" marks the first PRIEST album that producer Tom Allom has worked on since 1988 (co-producing along with the band). It was such Allom-produced albums as the aforementioned "Unleashed In The East", as well as "British Steel" and "Screaming For Vengeance" (among others) that made PRIEST not only one of the premier metal acts, but one of the leading global rock acts.

BULLETBOYS' long-awaited new album, "10c Billionaire", was released on July 7 via Chavis Records. After several delays, mixing and mastering for the CD were completed and the final touches were applied by producer/guitarist Brent Woods (VINCE NEIL, WILDSIDE).

"10c Billionaire" was written by original founding member and flamboyant frontman Marq Torien. Having reinvented the band and composed one of the most sonically superb and relevant rock and roll records to date, the revitalized BULLETBOYS — featuring Torien, Ryche Green, Stephen Allan, and Tory S. — are a hard rock force majeure delivering non-stop music mayhem that is winning over new audiences with every performance.

SLIPKNOT/STONE SOUR frontman Corey Taylor will be IRON MAIDEN frontman Bruce Dickinson's guest on Friday, August 28 during Bruce's weekly BBC 6 Music radio program, dubbed "The Bruce Dickinson Friday Rock Show". Listen to the broadcast live via the Internet between 9:00 p.m. and 12:00 a.m. (midnight) U.K. time at BBC.co.uk.

As previously reported, Corey will get hitched to his fiancée Stephanie in November 2009. This will be Taylor's second marriage.

Taylor, 35, has two children: A daughter named Angie, born in 1992, and a son named Griffin, born in 2002, whom he had with his first wife, Scarlett.

Taylor divorced Scarlett — whom he married on March 11, 2004 in a small ceremony at the Botanical center in Des Moines, Iowa — in early 2007. In the November 2008 issue of Revolver magazine, he is quoted as saying, "After I got sober, I realized my relationship wasn't right for me. My wife and I had damaged each other too much."

Professionally filmed video footage of FAITH NO MORE's August 8, 2009 concert at the Festival Sudoeste in Zambujeira do Mar, Portugal was aired on the Portuguese cable television channel SIC Radical. Watch five of the songs below.

FAITH NO MORE kicked off its reunion tour on June 10 with a headlining performance at the Brixton Academy in London, England.

Original guitarist Jim Martin is not part of the reunion. Performing in his place is Jon Hudson, who played with FAITH NO MORE during the latter stages of its initial run after Martin departed.

The rest of the band's best-known lineup — singer Mike Patton, Gould, drummer Mike "Puffy" Bordin and keyboardist Roddy Bottum — is intact.

FAITH NO MORE released "The Very Best Definitive Ultimate Greatest Hits Collection" on June 8 in the U.K. via Rhino Records.

This double disc set contains the band's greatest hits on the first CD, while the second CD features b-sides and rarities.

So far, no North American appearances are on the radar, but according to Gould, "U.S. shows are not out of the question."

French KISS fan site Diamant Noir has uploaded photos of original KISS guitarist Ace Frehley and ex-GUNS N' ROSES drummer Steven Adler rehearsing with kid rockers from Paul Green's School Of Rock for the special charity event which was held on July 25 at The Music Box at the Henry Fonda Theatre on Hollywood Boulevard in Hollywood, California.

Video footage of Frehley and Adler performing the KISS classics "Rock And Roll All Nite" and "Shout It Out Loud" with the School Of Rock kids can be viewed below.

Other musicians who were scheduled to take part in the event included Mike Starr (ALICE IN CHAINS), Kyle Gass (TENACIOUS D) and Seth "Shifty" Binzer (CRAZY TOWN).

PRIMAL FEAR's Mat Sinner and Henny Wolter will take part in the upcoming "Rock Meets Classic" concerts in Germany and the Netherlands. 14 shows have been booked for January 2010 and will feature FOREIGNER's Lou Gramm, NAZARETH's Dan McCafferty and TOTO's Bobby Kimball backed by the "Rock Meets Classic" band and choir, which will consist of Wolter on guitar, Jimmy Kresic on keyboards, and Martin Schmidt on drums, plus Amanda Somerville (EPICA, AVANTASIA), Verena Schock and Tiffany Krikland on backing vocals. Maestro Philipp Maier from Dubai will write the arrangements and conduct the Prague Symphonic Orchestra while Sinner will direct the "Rock Meets Classic" band and choir. Mat says, "Look out for an exciting evening and songs like 'Cold As Ice', 'Juke Box Hero', 'Hold The Line', 'Africa', 'Love Hurts' and 'This Flight Tonight' with a brand new vibe!" He adds, "We're already in negotiations for more concerts and to continue the project in 2011."

A new ILLDISPOSED song entitled "For The Record" is available for streaming on the band's MySpace page. The track comes off the Danish extreme metallers' new album, "To Those Who Walk Behind Us", which will be released on August 28 via Massacre Records. The CD was recorded at AB Studio in Aarhus, Denmark and was mixed at Fredman Studio in Sweden with Fredrik Nordström. 11 tracks will appear on the new ILLDISPOSED LP (out of a total of 16 that were completed during the songwriting sessions), which will be available as a jewel case CD, limited digipack with bonus material and strictly limited box set with exclusive t-shirt. The group says, "We guarantee you won't be disappointed!"

"To Those Who Walk Behind Us" track listing:

01. Blood On Your Parade
02. For The Record
03. Just Come And Get Me
04. Seeking Truth - Telling Lies
05. Sale At The Misery Factory
06. To Those Who Walk Behind Me
07. If All The World...
08. My Number Is Expired
09. Johnny
10. This Unscheduled Moment
11. Nu Gik Det Lige Så Godt

The limited digipack edition will include two bonus tracks.

The cover artwork for "To Those Who Walk Behind Us", which was created by by René Asmussen (EVERGREY), can be viewed below.

ILLDISPOSED will be signing copies of "To Those Who Walk Behind Us" at the following Stereo Studio locations in the band's home country:

Friday, September 4 - 16.00 (4:00 p.m.)
Odense
Vestergade 82

Saturday, September 5 - 13.00 (1:00 p.m.)
Aarhus
Ryesgade 8

ILLDISPOSED recently inked a new publishing deal with Warner Chappell. The band was previously partnered with EMI Music Publishing.

"The Prestige", the last album from ILLDISPOSED, was released in North America on July 29, 2008 via Locomotive Records. The CD, which entered the album chart in the band's home country at position No. 44, was mixed at Studio Fredman in Gothenburg, Sweden with Fredrik Nordström and features cover artwork by Mattias Norén.

Canadian concert promoters Gillett Entertainment Group have announced the first Canadian show of KISS' upcoming fall 2009 tour in support of the band's new album, which is scheduled for release this fall. The "hottest band in the world" will perform at the Bell Center in Montreal, Quebec on Thursday, October 1.

Tickets go on sale on Saturday, August 29. Prices range from $65 to $125 (tickets subject to all applicable facility fees and service charges).

For more information, visit www.geg.ca.

Rumored to be entitled "Sonic Boom", KISS' much-anticipated new album has a tentative release date of October 6. In addition, an update on MelodicRock.com's Twitter account states that the effort will be issued as a triple-disc set through Wal-Mart featuring the new album, a CD of re-recorded KISS hits (which was recently released in Japan), and a DVD. However, it should be noted that none of this information has yet been corroborated by an official source and should be treated as a rumor only.

The editor of Guitar Player magazine, who had a chance to preview five songs off the LP last month, wrote about the new KISS material, "Paul [Stanley, KISS guitarist/vocalist] sings his ass off. Eric [Singer] plays some amazingly powerful drums. Gene [Simmons] was finally made to play all of his bass parts (apparently, in the past, if someone had a cool bass idea, he let them play it), and he DOES have a pretty driving sound. Finally, Paul and Tommy's [Thayer] guitars sound HUGE — with some fab riffs and '70s-style solos."

Songtitles set to appear on the new KISS CD include "Russian Roulette", "Modern Day Delilah" and "Stand".

Thayer wrote and sang his first song on the album, while Singer also got his first opportunity to sing a lead vocal on an original song.

Simmons recently told The Canadian Press that there were no outside writers working on the Paul Stanley-produced disc. He also described the album's sound as "no strings, no keyboards, no synths, no tambourines, no nothing — just meat and potatoes."

Simmons confirmed during a recent radio appearance that a deal is in the works with Wal-Mart that will result in an "entire section" of the giant retailer's stores across the country (apparently dubbed "Kiss Korner") being dedicated to KISS.

There has been no official announcement of a KISS deal with Wal-Mart for the band's next CD, although artists such as THE EAGLES and AC/DC have both issued recent albums exclusively through the giant retailer. In addition, AEROSMITH guitarist Joe Perry may have inadvertently let it slip that the band's next studio album will come out exclusively through Wal-Mart.

Mexico's metal podcast Familia Perro recently conducted an interview with bassist Mat Sinner of German melodic metallers PRIMAL FEAR. The chat can now be streamed using the audio player below. (Note: The program is in Spanish, but the actual interview was conducted in English.)



"16.6 (Before The Devil Knows You're Dead)", the new album from PRIMAL FEAR, was released in Europe on May 22 and was made available in the U.S. in early June via Frontiers Records.

"16.6 (Before The Devil Knows You're Dead)" was recorded at House Of Music studios in Winterbach, Germany with Dennis Ward and Achim Köhler. The CD marks the group's first release with Magnus Karlsson (ALLEN/LANDE, STARBREAKER), who replaced Stefan Leibing last year. Returning guitarist Henny Wolter and Karlsson participated in the songwriting and pre-production, which took place at Karlsson's Stuntguitar Studio in Sweden. The band spent four weeks at House Of Music recording the effort, which was mastered by Ted Jensen at the Sterling Sound in New York City.

Several audio samples from "16.6: (Before The Devil Knows You're Dead)" are available for download at Frontiers.it.

THE ORDER, the project featuring former GURD guitarist Spring and PURE INC. singer Gianni Pontillo, will release its third album, "Rockwolf", on September 18 via Dockyard 1. The band states, "We are very happy about that since we have had some bigger problems the last few months: For a while it was even unsure if our new album will be released at all. Just as our label wanted to start with the promotion, the worldwide licensee (SPV) went bankrupt. In the following weeks and months, our label worked really hard and got finally a new worldwide setup that will make Dockyard 1 stronger than ever. A big thanks goes out to our label manager Christine for her commitment, her honesty and especially for her belief in THE ORDER. We're glad to work with you!"

Upcoming THE ORDER shows:

Sep. 04 - Back To Rock Festival, CH-Reiden
Sep. 05 - Downstairs, CH-Worblaufen
Sep. 26 - Creepers, CH-Mellingen
Nov. 14 - Mischus Rock & Blues, CH-Utzenstorf
Nov. 28 - Sommercasino, CH-Basel
Dec. 18 - Weihnachtsrock, CH-Geuensee
Mar. 06 - Rock One World, D-Esslingen

THE ORDER's second album, "Metal Casino", was released in August 2007 via Dockyard 1. The CD was recorded and produced by V.O. and Franky at the Little Creek Studios.

VELVET REVOLVER/ex-GUNS N' ROSES guitarist Slash has issued the following update:

"I don't know how I'm supposed to wait until next year to put out [my recently completed solo] record! It is so fucking cool and I am so anxious to get it out already. We start mixing soon and that will be that, ready to go. But I have to wait, there's no way around it, for all kinds of logistic reasons and that's the reality.

"My VELVET REVOLVER bandmates and I had a meeting a couple of weeks ago and although the search for a [new] singer will continue, I am going to tour on my solo record most likely through next summer starting in March or April. We (VELVET REVOLVER) will keep the word of mouth system going and listening to submissions from singers and checking out different singers' sites etc. We know the right guy is out there somewhere. It's possible somebody could turn up before I do my tour and we could start working on new material sooner than later, in a perfect world.

"As far as my tour is concerned, I have already started to put together ideas for a kick-ass band and the plan is to perform some new stuff, [SLASH's] SNAKEPIT, VELVET REVOLVER and GUNS stuff. The new album is really great and deserves that I should support it. Plus, I'm really looking forward to getting out there and doing some gigs; it's been more than a year since I was on a proper tour and all these one-off jams are basically just a tease.

"So, there's the update for now. I'm still tinkering away on the solo record, but there really isn't much left to do on it but mix it, which starts in September."

Slash tracked his solo record with former NINE INCH NAILS drummer Josh Freese and ex-JANE'S ADDICTION bassist Chris Chaney. Confirmed guest singers so far include Ozzy Osbourne and AVENGED SEVENFOLD's M. Shadows. The CD was produced by Eric Valentine (GOOD CHARLOTTE, QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE) and features additional appearances by ex-GUNS N' ROSES drummer Steven Adler and RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS bassist Flea. Freese told MusicRadar.com that Iggy Pop, Fergie (a.k.a. Stacy Ann Ferguson) of the BLACK EYED PEAS and Chris Cornell (SOUNDGARDEN, AUDIOSLAVE) will also appear on the LP. Working songtitles include "We're All Gonna Die", "These Last Words", "Crucify The Dead" and "Beautiful, Dangerous".

Slash left GUNS N' ROSES in the mid-'90s, forming SLASH'S SNAKEPIT before later assembling VELVET REVOLVER with several other ex-members of GUNS N' ROSES and STONE TEMPLE PILOTS singer Scott Weiland (who was dismissed in April 2008).

Long-running U.K. rockers THE WILDHEARTS will be IRON MAIDEN frontman Bruce Dickinson's guests on Friday, August 14 during Bruce's weekly BBC 6 Music radio program, dubbed "The Bruce Dickinson Friday Rock Show". Listen to the broadcast live via the Internet between 9:00 p.m. and 12:00 a.m. (midnight) U.K. time at BBC.co.uk.

Rock Sound TV conducted an interview 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 chat 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."