MEGADETH drummer Shawn Drover has posted the following message in the "Forums" section of the band's official web site:

"To give a brief synopsis of this tour leg, it has been going very well. Each show has been sold out, with band and audience having a good time. We are really hitting a groove right now, and are still doing a big of 'tweaking' to make the setlist as tight as possible before we add/change a song or two into the list. We don't want to play something until it is 99.9999% ready, but it will happen, rest assured.

"On a different yet related front, my SayNow cell number is fully operative, so give me a call at 678-999-2215. This is a killer way for direct contact between band and fans, and nobody keeps in touch more with their fans than MEGADETH. This is just the latest avenue for us to prove this notion, and we are all over it, people.

"As well, it is that time of year once again where band/crew submit our picks for the NFL weekly football pool, which is a fun morale/good-vibe thing we like to do, with the winner being able to remind the losers that they are the champ of the week. I won last week (12 out of 16) and I am going on record now by saying that I will yet again win this week. Thank you and good night."

MEGADETH's September 22, 2007 concert at the Newport Music Hall in Columbus, Ohio will be streamed live via YeboTV.com. You will need to register at this location to catch this live event.

MEGADETH kicked off its U.S. headlining tour on September 4 in Anchorage, Alaska. The trek will take the band through 24 U.S. cites ending up in Norfolk Virginia on October 6. Support on the dates comes from IN THIS MOMENT and THE CONFESSION.

For a list of upcoming MEGADETH shows, click here.

The Pulse of Radio (formerly Launch Radio Networks) reports: Since he played almost every instrument on his debut solo album by himself, SYSTEM OF A DOWN singer Serj Tankian told The Pulse of Radio that his biggest challenge was making the record, titled "Elect The Dead", sound like there was a band playing on it. "That was the trick really, because usually with bands, you tend to record the drums first and then overlay everything on top of it," he said. "Since I was doing this mostly by myself, I kind of had to go the other route. The arrangement kind of just worked, and when I listened to it at the end I'm like, 'God, it sounds like the drums were there from the beginning. That's neat!'"

"Elect The Dead" arrives on October 23. The first single is "Empty Walls".

Tankian did enlist SYSTEM drummer John Dolmayan and former GUNS N' ROSES and PRIMUS drummer Brian "Brain" Mantia to play on the album. Mantia will also be part of Tankian's touring band.

Tankian begin his first solo tour on October 12 in Chicago, finishing up on October 28 in San Francisco.

"Empty Walls" video:

New York City/Long Island rock act DIRTY RIG has parted ways with singer Kory Clarke (WARRIOR SOUL) "as they couldn't see eye to eye on several important band issues," according to a press release. DIRTY RIG just returned home after their second UK tour supporting their Escapi Music release titled "Rock Did It".

"We wish Kory all the best in the world with his various projects," the band said in a statement. "Kory is a champ and a lifer in the music scene. He has spent nearly his first 50 years rocking out and we are sure he will be rocking for another 50 years."

Since returning from its UK tour, DIRTY RIG has auditioned over 60 singers and they now feel they are back to their fighting weight with the addition of Tom Morrissey as their frontman. "We are so fucking excited to have Tom leading this band now," says founding member and bassist Buckshot. "Tom can really sing his balls off and he writes some killer melodies. It's a true blessing."

DIRTY RIG will be in the September 22 issue of Classic Rock magazine that will feature the band's new singer on the magazine's upcoming CD sampler. The magazine wanted the band to cover a song that was in a movie so the members of the band decided to run a promotion/contest with MySpace and let the fans determine the outcome of the cover song.

"There are so many great songs out there and everyone in the band had a different idea of what song to cover," says guitarist Chris. "I wanted to do something by WAYLON JENNINGS or AC/DC, Dave wanted to cover a RUSH track, Tom wanted to do a CHEAP TRICK tune and Buckshot wanted to cover 'Cockroaches' from 'Killing Technology' by VOIVOD even though that song was never in a movie. So we just said let the fans on MySpace decide. We dont know how this particular song got picked but what ever. We said we would do what ever song was chosen and we did. We always keep our word If you don't keep your word, then you ain't worth squat."

Check out DIRTY RIG's MySpace page for the new demo version of "Kickin' & Screamin'" and the most voted MySpace cover song, SIMPLE MINDS' "Dont You".

The band has written and nearly completed recording all of the material for the follow-up to "Rock Did It". Look for DIRTY RIG's new release to hit record stores in April 2008.

Upcoming DIRTY RIG shows:

Oct. 12 - Dingbatz - Clifton NJ
Oct. 13 - Rex's Bar - West Chester PA
Oct. 14 - The Crazy Donkey - Farmingdale NY
Oct. 26 - Crash Manshion - New York NY

DIRTY RIG's video for the song "Rock Did It":

French black metallers NOCTURNAL DEPRESSION will have two new releases available on Friday, September 21 via Sun & Moon Records. Each of the two CDs contains older material, which was partly re-written, re-recorded and re-mastered.

The first CD will contain the band's first full-length "Nostalgia". Everything here was re-recorded, re-mastered and a few songs plus some parts in other songs were also re-made and re-written. The second CD will contain material which earlier was known as the "Four Seasons to a Depression" demo tape. This re-release will contain the same songs, but once again everything was re-mastered and these four long songs now can be truly considered as a full-length.

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

Dutch death metal crew SEVERE TORTURE has confirmed a series of dates in Mexico. The band will make the long journey to play nine shows in advance of the new album "Sworn Vengeance". The details are as follows:

Oct. 03 - Laredo @ Escarabajo Bar
Oct. 04 - Tampico @ Club Golden Billar
Oct. 05 - Monterrey @ Factores Mutuos
Oct. 06 - San Luis Potosi @ Casino Stic
Oct. 07 - Queretaro @ Rush
Oct. 12 - Toluca @ Area Chica
Oct. 13 - Guadalajara @ El Oculto
Oct. 14 - Mexico City DF @ The Infernal Bar

SEVERE TORTURE will release its new album, "Sworn Vengeance", in Europe on November 12 via Earache Records. The CD was recorded at Excess Studios and Pit Studio in Holland during April, while the mixing sessions took place in June at Hertz Studios in Poland. The band enlisted the help of Jason Netherton (MISERY INDEX) and Che Snelping (ex-BORN FROM PAIN) for the track "Buried Hatchet" on which both contribute guest vocals. A new track from the album, entitled "Dismal Perception", has been made available here. A limited-edition first pressing of the album will contain cover versions of classic CRO-MAGS and ENTOMBED tracks.

"Sworn Vengeance" track listing:

01. Dismal Perception
02. Serenity Torn Asunder
03. Fight Something
04. Repeat Offender
05. Countless Villans
06. Dogmasomatic Nausea
07. Redefined Identity
08. Buried Hatchet
09. Sworn Vengeance
10. Submerged in Grief

Limited-edition CD bonus tracks:

11. It's The Limit (CRO-MAGS cover)
12. Eyemaster (ENTOMBED cover)

HeavyMetalSource.com has posted a video interview with OBITUARY drummer Donald Tardy. The 10-minute clip, which was recorded in Southbridge, Massachusetts on September 15, 2007, can be viewed below.

OBITUARY's new album, "Xecutioner's Return" (Candlelight) sold around 2,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release, according to Nielsen SoundScan — slightly less than the 2,400 opening tally registerd by its predecessor, 2005's "Frozen In Time" (Roadrunner).

This past Sunday's episode of "Rock of Love with Bret Michaels", starring Bret Michaels of POISON, landed the #1 spot among all cable shows (pay and basic) for the day. The premiere of the 9:00 p.m. episode scored a 2.4 rating in the 18-49 demo and reached a total of 3.5 million viewers. The episode was easily the most watched episode ever for the series.

In addition, "Rock of Love" continues to be the #1 most streamed content on VH1.com.

VH1's "Rock of Love with Bret Michaels" is created and executive produced by Mark Cronin and Cris Abrego for Mindless Entertainment and 51 Pictures, who also produce the record-breaking "Flavor of Love", "I Love New York", "Charm School" and "My Fair Brady". Ben Samek and Matt Odgers also serve as a series executive producers for 51 Minds. The production teams' programming launched VH1 into their highest ratings ever and their ratings continue to outperform their previous successes. Jeff Olde, Jill Holmes, Kristen Kelly, Leah Horwitz and Michael Hirschorn oversee the series for VH1.

Noisescape TV recently conducted a short video interview with WITHIN TEMPTATION vocalist Sharon den Adel. Watch the three-and-a-half-minute clip below.

In other news, WITHIN TEMPTATION's official French web site reports that the next single from WITHIN TEMPTATION's "The Heart of Everything" album will be "All I Need". The single will be available on November 2 as a premium and a basic version.

WITHIN TEMPTATION will be joined by the Dutch Metropole Orchestra for a special concert at the Ahoy Stadium in Rotterdam, the Netherlands on February 7, 2008.

"The Heart of Everything" sold 7,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 106 on The Billboard 200 chart. The band's first U.S. release for Roadrunner Records, "The Heart of Everything" also topped 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.

U.S. party-thrashers MUNICIPAL WASTE were the featured guests on BBC Radio 1's "Rock Show with Daniel P. Carter" this past Monday.

In case you missed the broadcast, you can still listen to it online and hear the band's bassist LandPhil revealing his version of the true art of having a good time and exclusive tips for ultimate partying. Check it out at this location.

MUNICIPAL WASTE heads out on tour tomorrow up the East coast of the USA with TOXIC HOLOCAUST and SKELETONWITCH.

MUNICIPAL WASTE's video for the track "Headbanger Face Rip" can be viewed below. The track, taken from the group's latest release "The Art of Partying", was filmed by the legendary '80s cult splatter/horror independent film company Troma Entertainment and features such Troma characters as the Toxic Avenger and Kabukiman.

Founded by Lloyd Kaufman in 1974, Troma is famed worldwide for its genre-defining B-movie style shock flicks that specialize in graphic violence, political satire and a bizarre sense of humour. Having produced classics such as "The Toxic Avenger", "Class Of Nuke 'Em High" and "Sgt Kabukiman, NYPD", Troma's splatter-style visuals fit perfectly alongside MUNICIPAL WASTE's colorful, high-energy thrash assault.

Speaking about Troma's take on "Headbanger Face Rip", MUNICIPAL WASTE bassist LandPhil states: "I am fucking stoked on the great job that Troma has done on 'Headbanger Face Rip'!! I think that it has a little something for everyone out there that likes to party — gore, tits and the fucking waste!"

Troma's Lloyd Kaufman commented upon the partnership between the Richmond thrashers and Troma's unique style: "It seems fitting that MUNICIPAL WASTE would ask the Troma team to make a video for 'Headbanger Face Rip' as we've been ripping faces off on film for over 30 years!"

"Headbanger Face Rip" TV version:

ISIS, the innovative Los Angeles-by-way-of-Boston-based band, is set to celebrate its 10th anniversary with a bi-coastal tour as well as the release of a pair of CD singles.

The singles, the original songs culled from the 2006 release of "In the Absence of Truth", are for "Holy Tears" and "Not In Rivers, But In Drops". The single for "Holy Tears" (Ipecac, November 21) features a live version recorded during the band's late 2006 outing with TOOL as well as a video directed by Dominic Hailstone ("Harry Potter & The Sorcerer's Stone", "The Eel") for the song as well as a remix of "Not in Rivers, But In Drops" by labelmates THE MELVINS and dark, experimental artist LUSTMORD. The single release of "Not In Rivers, But In Drops" follows in January of 2008 with more details to come as to the accompanying extras.

The setlist for the celebratory tour will feature songs spanning the band's ten-year discography which includes four full length albums and a number of EPs, singles and split releases. Openers for the full range of dates will be longtime friends and collaborators 27 as well as a variety of artists on different dates including BIG BUSINESS, OXBOW, and THESE ARMS ARE SNAKES.

Dates are:

Nov. 01 - New York, NY - Irving Plaza *
Nov. 02 - Philadelphia, PA - Trocadero *
Nov. 03 - Boston, MA - The Middle East *
Nov. 04 - Boston, MA - The Middle East **
Nov. 14 - Seattle, WA - Neumo's #
Nov. 15 - Vancouver, BC - Richards on Richards #
Nov. 16 - Portland, OR - Hawthorne Theatre
Nov. 18 - San Francisco, CA - Slim's ##
Nov. 20 - Los Angeles, CA - The Troubadour ##

* OXBOW & 27 open
** CLOUDS & 27 open
# THESE ARMS ARE SNAKES & 27 open
## BIG BUSINESS & 27 open

Watch fan-filmed video footage of ISIS performing the song "False Light" on June 10, 2007 at La Locomotive in Paris, France:

German metallers BRAINSTORM have finalized the track listing and cover artwork for their brand new single, "Fire Walk with Me", due on October 19 in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Italy and October 22 in the rest of the world via Metal Blade Records.

Asked why this song is so special for the band, singer Andy B. Franck stated, "This is BRAINSTORM… better then ever! Play it loud and find out yourself! This hits you right in your face!"

"Fire Walk with Me" single track listing:

01. Fire Walk With Me (single version)
02. Breathe
03. Worlds Are Coming Through (live)
04. Painside (live)
05. Fire Walk With Me (Firestarter mix)

BRAINSTORM's new, as-yet-untitled studio album is scheduled for release on January 25 in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and Italy and Janaury 28 in the rest of the world via Metal Blade Records. A European co-headlining tour with EVERGREY will kick off on February 29 in Gothenburg, Sweden.

Metal Blade in June released the first-ever BRAINSTORM DVD, "Honey from the B's (Beasting around the Bush)". The box set was released in digipack format "with special metal effect." The disc entered the Hungarian Music DVD chart at position No. 18.

BRAINSTORM recently parted ways with longtime bass player Andreas Mailänder and is currently seeking a replacement.

Watch BRAINSTORM's video for the song "All Those Words" (taken from 2005's "Liquid Monster"):

Greenville, South Carolina-based extreme metal band LECHEROUS NOCTURNE had its tour van and U-Haul stolen yesterday (Wednesday, September 19) from Edwards Theatre (IMAX) in Houston, Texas. The theft took place in the parking lot and it seems that the driver's side window was broken out to gain access.

The details are as follows:

* Silver/Grey - Stock Black/Dark Grey Pin-Stripe Ford E150 - Hightop Conversion Van
* 1991
* Plate: SC 517-VVY
* Had an attached U-Haul trailer - unknown tag

The following items are missing:

* (2) BC Rick neck-through V's
* (1) Dean V
* (1) Six-string Ibanez bass

* (2) Full stacks
- 4x12 Rivera straight cabs
- 4x12 Crate slant cabs
- Digitech 2112 Head
- Digitech 2120 Head
- Mackie 1400i Power Amp
- QSC E50
- Crown 602 Power Amp

LECHEROUS NOCTURNE recently inked a deal with Unique Leader Records.

The group's debut album, "Adoration of the Blade", was released through Deepsend Records.

LECHEROUS NOCTURNE was scheduled to shoot a video for the track "Kampagne" in April with director Garrett Williams (INSIDIOUS DEMISE). The song comes off "Adoration of the Blade", which was recorded at SoundLab Studio in Columbia, SC.

LECHEROUS NOCTURNE last fall announced the addition of drummer Jeremy Nissenbaum (DESPOTIC ROBOT, CYANIDE BREED) to the group's ranks. Nissenbaum replaced Dallas Toler-Wade, who left to focus on his duties as the guitarist in NILE.

LECHEROUS NOCTURNE features in its ranks Mike Poggione from MONSTROSITY/CAPHARNAUM on bass.

During some downtime before a show in California, Britain's BRING ME THE HORIZON decided to hop aboard a Hollywood tour bus and see the sights. Buzznet.com came along for the ride and now you can, too! Watch as BRING ME THE HORIZON encounters interesting characters and have some close calls with other moving vehicles in the road...all without getting off of the bus! Check out the second instalmment of BRING ME THE HORIZON's Hollywood tour below.

There will be many more installments of BRING ME THE HORIZON's Hollywood tour to enjoy as the videos are updated frequently. In-between updates, hang out on BRING ME THE HORIZON's Buzznet page to ead exclusive tour blogs and check out photos and videos taken by the band that you'll only find on Buzznet. You can get all that plus a chance to interact with other fans and even the band themselves on BRING ME THE HORIZON's Buzznet profile.

As previously reported, BRING ME THE HORIZON has been added to three dates on Australia's Gigantour featuring MEGADETH, STATIC-X, DEVILDRIVER and LACUNA COIL:

Nov. 13 - Melbourne, Australia @ Festival Hall
Nov. 15 - Sydney, Australia @ Luna Park Big Top
Nov. 18 - Brisbane, Australia @ Riverstage

BRING ME THE HORIZON will also announce several Australian headlining shows around the band's Gigantour appearances.

Commented BRING ME THE HORIZON vocalist Oli Sykes: "We can't wait to get out to the Australia. We've done loads of touring this year, going to new places and meeting new people and it's been great. I actually used to live in Australia, but haven't been back for years. To be able to return to tour with MEGADETH is a dream come true."

BRING ME THE HORIZON's debut album, "Count Your Blessings", was released in North America on August 14 via Earache Records.

In the seemingly short span of three years since their formation, BRING ME THE HORIZON has "accomplished more in that time than most bands do in 10," according to a press release. "In 2006, BRING ME THE HORIZON was the recipient of a Kerrang! award for 'Best British Newcomer' and held steady on MySpace's top 100 list of most played bands. BRING ME THE HORIZON was only one of two U.K. acts to chart in the MySpace top 100 (the other being COLDPLAY). In addition, they've toured with bands such as BLEEDING THROUGH and KILLSWITCH ENGAGE and performed a show-stealing set at the U.K.'s Download Festival."

BRING ME THE HORIZON was licensed to Earache through the band's U.K. label Visible Noise.

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

HIM's new album, "Venus Doom", has entered the Finnish chart at position No. 2. View the chart at this location.

According to Helsingin Sanomat, "Venus Doom" is expected to land in the U.S. Top 10 when the first-week sales are revealed next Wednesday. HIM's last release, "Dark Light", entered The Billboard 200 chart at #18 back in October 2005. This time around, such numbers will not be regarded as doing the business.

HIM's frontman Ville Valo is quietly confident about the U.S. situation. "Advance orders for the new album are five times greater than for 'Dark Light'," he told Helsingin Sanomat.

According to Valo, the band wanted to make a more minimalist album this time out. Enough time has elapsed from the early '90s when Valo himself was absorbing influences from bands such as CATHEDRAL, PARADISE LOST, ANATHEMA, TYPE O NEGATIVE, MONSTER MAGNET, MY DYING BRIDE and others like them.

"There is no way we could have pulled off that sort of thing at the time when TYPE O NEGATIVE came out with 'Bloody Kisses' [released in 1993]. And you know, by the way, that there's plenty of people today who know nothing about that band, or about the Swedish band CANDLEMASS or PARADISE LOST, even. If we had come out with this sort of material at the same time as them, it would just have come across like a rip-off."

As previously reported, HIM's latest single, a track called "Kiss of Dawn", failed to crack the official British Top 40 chart the week of its release. The song entered the British chart at No. 59, outside the official Top 40 list.

"Kiss of Dawn" is the first HIM single in four years that has not made it to the Top 40 in Britain. So far the "love-metal" band's highest UK entries have been with "Solitary Man", which landed at No. 9 in 2004, and "Wings of a Butterfly", which came in at No. 10 in 2005.

"Kiss of Dawn" video:

ICED EARTH's new album, "Framing Armageddon - Something Wicked Part I", has entered the German Media Control chart at position No. 19. The CD sold 7,800 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 78 on The Billboard 200 chart. It is the follow-up to 2004's "The Glorious Burden", which has shifted 70,000 copies in the U.S. to date, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

A full-length version of the new ICED EARTH song "The Setian Massacre" has been posted on the group's MySpace page.

Audio samples of all the tracks that appear on "Framing Armageddon - Something Wicked Part I" have been posted at www.spv.de.

"Framing Armageddon - Something Wicked Part 1" (cover artwork) expands the "Something Wicked" storyline first introduced in the trilogy of the same name appearing on the 1998 release, "Something Wicked This way Comes". "Framing Armageddon" will be followed in February/March 2008 by the band's ninth full-length studio release, tentatively titled "Revelation Abomination - Something Wicked Part 2" , continuing where "Framing Armageddon" leaves off.

Video footage of ICED EARTH performing the song "A Charge to Keep" at this year's Wacken Open Air festival, which took place August 2-4 in Wacken, Germany, can be viewed below.

ICED EARTH will embark on a European headlining tour in October/November. A list of dates can be found at this location.

ICED EARTH will support HEAVEN AND HELL on a U.K. tour beginning on November 4 in Newcastle.

Mainman Jason Healey of the Australian black/death/thrash metallers ATOMIZER has issued the following update:

"During the making of ATOMIZER's final studio album, I have been making some videos about the recording etc. The most recent was posted this morning:

The album, which is to be ATOMIZER's final, is titled 'Caustic Music For The Spiritually Bankrupt'. It features Sean Cummiskey from ASTRIAAL on drums, and has guest appearances by Iscariah (DEAD TO THIS WORLD, NECROPHAGIA) and Yasuyuki (ABIGAIL, CUT THROAT, BARBATOS).

"The album will be mixed by Kurt Ballou from CONVERGE and will be released on 'special edition' CD and LP by Hells Headbangers in 2008."

For more information, visit www.myspace.com/atomizer666.

Watch the latest studio clip below.

Mikkel Elbech of the Danish music magazine Gaffa recently conducted an interview with GUNS N' ROSES guitarist Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow:

Gaffa: Can you describe the transition from being a solo musician to quite suddenly being a member of GN'R, playing venues for thousands upon thousands of people?

Thal: Oh man… How is it different... Strangely enough, it doesn't feel that different. You know, I've been asked this a lot — how does it feel to be playing in front of a hundred thousand people after playing in front of, maybe, a thousand? And the funny thing is that the whole idea of playing music — everything you do when you play, it comes from within, and that doesn't change. So, in a sense, it's like I'm just driving the same car on a bigger road. If anything, you drive a little faster! (Laughs) But yeah, it feels the same. It never felt unnatural to play with these guys, especially because they're a good bunch of people, and that's what makes the difference in the band you're playing with, whether you're playing in some local band or with GUNS N' ROSES or a band like that. If you genuinely enjoy being on stage with the people you're on stage with, everything is okay.

Gaffa: So did you know any of the members of the band personally before you joined?

Thal: I didn't know any of them personally. Surprisingly, because a lot of us have backgrounds where we have the same friends. I'll be talking to Frank's friends about people I hung out with 20 years ago that I still talk to, and they still talk to them. Frank was around back then in the same circle of friends, and it's funny that we never met before we were playing together in GUNS. It's strange how that worked.

Gaffa: Do you have a story of how you became a member of the band?

Thal: Actually, I got an e-mail from Joe Satriani saying, "Listen, I just recommended you to GUNS. They're looking for a guitar player — so if they get in touch, just so you know, it's not somebody playing a joke on you or anything." I was like, "Alright, cool." And Chris Pitman e-mailed me this funny e-mail, I gave him a call, we talked for a while, and he was a great guy. Started talking to management, and everything looked like it was on track. And then some Internet rumors came out that sort of delayed the process, haha.

Gaffa: What have been your highlights of touring the world with GUNS N' ROSES for well over a year now?

Thal: Things that stand out… First thing that popped into my head when you asked me that was when we were playing in Poland. It was a little Mexican restaurant across the street from the hotel, and me and Frank and a bunch of us went. We sat down at the table and they brought Frank a nice bowl of black beans, and usually black beans are just the beans in a little bit of sauce. But this time they pureed the beans, and it was the most delicious black beans I've ever eaten! And he was saying that's how his mom used to make them. That's the first thing that popped into my head — the pureed black beans at a Mexican restaurant in Poland. Next thing that pops into my head would be backstage when we were playing in Oslo, Norway. They had this salad that had cashews and hot red peppers in it. It was a spicy, Thai-style cashew salad. It was very good. That's the second thing that popped into my head. In case you're wondering, yeah — I am a little bit hungry!

Gaffa: So, how did it feel playing with Izzy, who's kind of a bridge between the two eras of GUNS N' ROSES?

Thal: Izzy's a sweet guy, I really enjoy spending time with him. He's a cool guy to hang with. We always had fun playing on stage. It was funny — one of the last shows that we were doing together, we were backstage and we were working out a song — "The Devil Went Down To Georgia". It's a southern song from the late '70s, and it has this really fast violin stuff in it, and we worked it out. I was doing the violin part, and he was strumming the chords. It was cool, but we didn't play it on stage. He's a real nice guy and I definitely enjoyed his company.

Read the entire interview at Here Today… Gone To Hell!

Watch Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal's guitar solo spot filmed on June 2, 2007 in Monterrey, Mexico (with GUNS N' ROSES):

Montreal, Quebec, Canada-based teenage death metal fury UNDER THE GRAVE has posted two songs from its forthcoming CD, "Until Death Takes Us All", on the band's MySpace page. The album was produced, engineered and mastered by Jef Fortin from ANONYMOUS, and the result is "a very solid and modern-sounding opus strongly rooted in classics such as MEGADETH, VEHEMENCE, SEPULTURA, EXODUS, KATAKLYSM and QUO VADIS," according to a press release.

"Until Death Takes Us All" is scheduled for release in early 2008. As with all Caustic Rhythms titles, it will be distributed across Canada by Fusion3, as well as the USA (Manic, The End, Very) and Europe (PHD).

California-based progressive/extreme music outfit INTRONAUT will head to Europe in November for a month-long tour with THE OCEAN, NAHEMAH, and WAR FROM A HARLOTS MOUTH. The band will also play two local shows prior to the European trek. These will be INTRONAUT's first shows with new guitar player Dave Timnick, who replaced Leon del Muerte earlier in the summer.

For a list of upcoming INTRONAUT shows, visit the band's MySpace page.

INTRONAUT recently posted a new song, entitled "The Challenger", at this location. The track is the title cut of the band's upcoming album, due on October 30 via Translation Loss Records. The CD will consist of three new tracks, a handful of live tracks and a remix, with a running time of over 40 minutes.

Australia's masters of metalcore PARKWAY DRIVE will release their new album, "Horizons", on October 9. Produced by KILLSWITCH ENGAGE's Adam Dutkiewicz (UNDEROATH, AUTUMN TO ASHES, EVERY TIME I DIE) and recorded at Zing Studios in Boston, "Horizons" awakens the inner-beast with an enthralling avalanche of sound. From grinding math riffs and palpitating blast beats to haunting death growls, "Horizons"' brutal mix of metal and hardcore excels with songs such as "Carrion" and "Breaking Point", which are enough to have anyone running for the circle pit.

"'Horizons' marks two years of refinement since our last release," says vocalist Winston McCall. "The songs, the sounds, the speed, the heaviness and the production has all been stepped up.

"Working with Adam again made our job super easy as well as highly enjoyable. I think the end result is by far the best record we've made so far, but I guess that's always for others to judge."

PARKWAY DRIVE will christen their new album this October with an Australian tour. Following their tour of Oz, the group will head to Europe in November for the Never Say Die Tour with COMEBACK KID, CANCER BATS, THE WARRIORS and THIS IS HELL.

"Horizons" track listing:

01. Begin
02. The Sirens' Song
03. Feed Them To The Pigs
04. Carrion
05. Five Months
06. Boneyards
07. Idols and Anchors
08. Moments In Oblivion
09. Breaking Point
10. Dead Man's Chest
11. Frostbite
12. Horizons

"Horizons" recording sessions:

Evolution Distribution has released its divergent heavy metal series entitled "Radium", which features the latest metal videos, band interviews, and "loads of hot and heavy porn" says director Matt Zane. "The combination of metal and porn has finally been linked within the mainstream world. Tera Wray was just on the entire Ozzfest tour. There is no one better to front this new video series."

Pleasure Productions starlet and Kentucky native Tera Wray hosts this new series. Wray interviewed some of metal's hottest up-and-coming acts. She also plays a diverse mix of new metal videos, and addresses all things metal — culturally, musically and sexually on "Radium". Creating the perfect marriage of extremity, the premier episode of "Radium" features the entire Earache Records roster — including videos from MUNICIPAL WASTE, THE BERZERKER, MORTIIS, and WITH PASSION. This issue also includes a live interview with Tera Wray and WITH PASSION at the California Metal Fest, as well as Tera getting a drum lesson from SOCIETY 1 drummer Berzerk Kirk.

Matt Zane will be producing the series, firmly standing by the budding alt-porn industry, recognizing the relevance of this union stating "people always will want to see porn, and metal has been around since the '70s."

A very exclusive free download snippet for a limited period of time of two brand new songs from former NIGHTWISH singer Tarja Turunen's new solo album, "My Winter Storm", is available at www.mywinterstorm.com (free registration required).

Tarja Turunen's cover version of the ALICE COOPER smash "Poison". which will appear on "My Winter Storm", was laid down at the same studio where the original track was recorded — The Village Recorder (a.k.a. The Village) in Los Angeles, California.

Tarja previously stated about her decision to cover the track, "The original song has lots of backing vocals. I can say without a doubt that the song is a 'classic.' I decided to cover it after listening to it hundreds of times in the Finnish radio. I never performed the song before 'My Winter Storm' sessions. It is not a ballad…"

Tarja Turunen's video for the song "I Walk Alone", can be viewed below. The clip was shot in Berlin, Germany with director Jörn Heitmann, who previously worked with NIGHTWISH on the "Sleeping Sun" clip in 2005. The "I Walk Alone" single will be released on October 29 (October 26 in Germany) via Universal Music, to be followed by the full-length CD, "My Winter Storm", on November 19 (November 16 in Germany).

"My Winter Storm" was produced by Daniel Presley (FAITH NO MORE, JEWEL, THE BREEDERS), who has been joined in the studio by a truly stellar line-up of musicians: Doug Wimbish on bass (LIVING COLOUR, ANNIE LENNOX, JOE SATRIANI, JEFF BECK, MADONNA, ROLLING STONES), Alex Scholpp on electric guitars (FARMER BOYS) and Earl Harvin on drums (SEAL, PET SHOP BOYS, AIR), a player personally selected by Tarja after she saw him stealing the show at a SEAL concert. Keyboards and programming, meanwhile, are being provided by Torsten Stenzel, whose previous credits include NELLY FURTADO, MOBY, TINA TURNER, VANESSA MAE and more.

Tarja Turunen has scheduled the following shows in November/December:

Nov. 25 - Berlin, Germany @ Columbia Club
Nov. 27 - London, UK @ Electric Ballroom
Nov. 29 - Budapest, Hungary @ Petöfi Hall
Dec. 02 - Moscow, Russia @ Club B1
Dec. 10 - Köln, Germany @ Live Music Hall
Dec. 11 - Paris, France @ Elysee-Montmartre
Dec. 13 - Amsterdam, Holland @ Melkweg
Dec. 18 - Zürich, Switzerland @ X-Tra

Turunen has revealed the lineup of the backing band that will accompany her for the above-listed "warm-up concerts." It will be as follows:

Bass: Doug Wimbish
Guitars: Alex Scholpp
Drums: Mike Terrana
Keys: Maria Ilmoniemi
Cello: Max Silja and Markus Hohti
Lead and back vocals, guitars, additional electronic drums and keyboards: Toni Turunen
Lead vocals: Tarja Turunen

Released in 2004, the highly-acclaimed "Once" was Tarja's last studio outing with NIGHTWISH — an album that rose to the top of the charts around the world, from Mexico through to the European Billboard lists; the record picked up platinum awards in Germany and Finland, and turned gold right across Scandinavia, as well as in Brazil, Austria, Switzerland, Greece and Hungary.

For any musician or singer who has ever dreamed of living the life of a rock star, the ultimate chance to make that dream come true is finally here. Camp Jam Co., a leading producer of music experience programs that teach teamwork and enrich lives through rock and roll, announced today that it is teaming up with the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland, Ohio, to present the Ultimate Rock & Roll Getaway this October 24-27.

The first experience of its kind held at "The House That Rock Built," the Ultimate Rock & Roll Getaway will treat rock-loving musicians and singers of all skill levels, ages 18 and up, to four full days of the rock star life, including being whisked away in a limousine the moment they arrive, a four-night stay in a luxury hotel, private cocktail receptions and dinners, exclusive performances, a VIP guided tour of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum and three days of learning from and jamming on stage with many of rock and roll's most celebrated musicians.

Among the celebrity musicians who will serve as counselors and bandmates for Ultimate Rock & Roll Getaway participants include: Chuck Leavell (keyboardist for THE ROLLING STONES), Liberty DeVitto (drummer for BILLY JOEL, STEVIE NICKS), Rick Derringer (lead singer/guitarist for THE MCCOYS), Jeff Carlisi (guitarist/founder of .38 SPECIAL), Carmine Appice (drummer for ROD STEWART, JEFF BECK and VANILLA FUDGE), Ricky Byrd (guitarist for JOAN JETT AND THE BLACKHEARTS), Derek St. Holmes (vocalist/guitarist for TED NUGENT), Jimmy Hall (lead singer/saxophonist/harpist for WET WILLY, HANK WILLIAMS JR. and JEFF BECK) and Will Turpin (bassist for COLLECTIVE SOUL).

"The Ultimate Rock & Roll Getaway is the chance for anyone who has ever dreamed of being a rock star to getaway and truly experience what it is like to live, breathe and play rock and roll 24 hours a day while also playing a concert in one of rock's most esteemed venues. It's a rock and roll dream come true at the house that rock built — the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum," said Jeff Carlisi, co-owner of Camp Jam Co. "Our all star rockers are eager to share tricks of the trade, stories from the road and a piece of the stage with musicians regardless of their experience."

For Ultimate Rock & Roll Getaway participants, the experience begins as soon as they land in Cleveland, as a limo awaits their arrival at the airport and drives them to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum for a private cocktail reception hosted by Terry Stewart, President of the Rock Hall. Camp Jam's celebrity musicians will then give an intimate, up-close performance and share candid stories of their careers. On the following day, participants will reconvene at the off-site rehearsal facilities to begin working with their bands and the celebrity musicians, who will serve as personal counselors throughout the experience.

On Friday, October 26, participants will receive specialized instrument instruction and insider tips from the celebrity counselors and that afternoon will be guided by Stewart on a rare, behind-the-scenes tour of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum followed by a special dinner. Camp Jam's Ultimate Rock & Roll Getaway culminates on the final day with a full-blown concert held at the Rock Hall featuring attendees performing alongside the celebrity musicians.

"We are excited to partner with Camp Jam and some of rock music's most talented musicians to create a special rock and roll experience for both the serious musician and novice alike," said Terry Stewart, president and CEO of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum. "Together, we will provide a once in a lifetime event that participants will never forget."

Founded in 2004, the Camp Jam Ultimate Rock & Roll Getaway was created by Carlisi and business partner Dan Lipson following their success with the rock 'n' roll summer day camp, Camp Jam, which provides young rockers in 15 cities nationwide the opportunity to hone their musical chops over the summer months while also learning the ins and outs of the music business directly from the pros themselves. Camp Jam's programs for kids and adults are just two of the unique music-experiences offered by Camp Jam Co., an Atlanta-based company created by Carlisi and Lipson with the mission of teaching teamwork and enriching lives through rock 'n' roll.

The four-day, getaway experience costs $5,500 and includes hotel accommodations for four nights, ground transportation, meals, cocktails at Camp Jam receptions, guided tours of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Rocker Membership to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum, a DVD of the concert performance, commemorative merchandise and more.

For more information and to register, call 1.800.513.0930 or visit www.CampJamGetaway.com.

Andi Deris, singer of the power metal band HELLOWEEN, was interviewed yesterday (Wednesday, September 19) by the Italian news blog Musica Metal. Among the many topics discussed was how HELLOWEEN came up with the idea of joining forces with the other leading German power metal band GAMMA RAY (featuring former HELLOWEEN frontman Kai Hansen) for the Hellish Rock world tour, which will kick off in November in Hungary. The vocalist said that it was the Wacken Open Air festival promoter who put the idea in the back of their heads five years ago, and now the time is right for the bands to embark on the fans' dream tour. Deris also ruled out the possibility of Kai Hansen rejoining his former bandmates as a member of HELLOWEEN.

Listen to an audio clip from the interview at this location.

HELLOWEEN's twelfth studio album, entitled "Gambling with the Devil", consists of eleven songs (plus an intro, spoken by SAXON's Biff Byford) with a total playing time of 57 minutes and 40 seconds. For their many faithful fans, there will also be a limited first edition (40,000 units in a digipak with an embossed and stamped slipcase to be released in Europe, and 10,000 units in a jewel case in the U.S.) with a bonus CD featuring two extra tracks, the video for the first single "As Long As I Fall", and a "making-of" of the video, including interview sequences. As a special highlight, the first edition includes a scratch ticket with an exciting puzzle, as described in detail on the HELLOWEEN homepage. The solution to the puzzle allows you to register at Helloween.org and take part in a draw with a sensational first prize: The lucky winner will receive a trip for two to a HELLOWEEN show in America — including flight, accommodation at the band hotel, backstage tickets, and, of course, a personal meeting with the band! There are also signed Gibson/Epiphone guitars and great fan packs to be won.

HELLOWEEN is currently on a promotional tour to launch their new album and will soon start preparations for their extensive world tour, which will take them through the whole of Europe, Southeast Asia and the U.S. from November 2007.

A few days ago, the impressive video clip for the song "As Long As I Fall" was shot at Munich's AVA studios (who previously worked with the group on the "Light the Universe" clip).

The audio version of "As Long As I Fall" (including the cover) will be available for download beginning on September 28, 2007.

HELLOWEEN — Andi Deris (vocals), Michael Weikath (guitar), Sascha Gerstner (guitar), Markus Großkopf (bass) and Dani Löble (drums) — will release "Gambling with the Devil" on October 23, 2007 (USA), October 26, 2007 (Germany) and October 29, 2007 (rest of Europe).

According to the Focus News Agency, Bulgarian philologist Vera Evtimova from Veliko Tarnovo has penned a book about QUEEN frontman Freddie Mercury. Entitled "Freddie Mercury – More Alive Than Ever", book was written over a three-month period and is dedicated to the thousands of innocent victims of AIDS.

Vera Evtimova has been writing for more than 10 years. Her new book about the late Princess Diana is expected on the market soon.

According to QUEEN guitarist Brian May's official web site, this year's Vodafone Live Music Awards will see the presentation of the second Freddie Mercury Lifetime Achievement Award to punk-rock veteran Iggy Pop. The awards ceremony will take place on September 19 at Brompton Hall, Earls Court, London, and will be televized in the UK on Channel 4 at 11 p.m. the same evening. Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor will not be attending the event.

According to KissOnline.com, KISS members Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons appeared yesterday (September 19) at the Power Tour Electric Guitar launch party at the Hard Rock Café in New York City. The Tiger Electronics and Gibson Guitars party was an invitation-only event to celebrate the introduction of the Tiger Electronics Power Tour electric guitar, an authentic-sounding guitar featuring touch sensors instead of strings that teaches tweens to pound out power chords and shred leads.

Tiger Electronics is a division of Hasbro, which released the hugely successful KISS Tooth Tunes Toothbrush. Hasbro is also planning to introduce several new KISS items early next year. Paul and Gene were on hand to promote the Tooth Tunes and the Power Tour guitar. The guys did many press interviews, including USA Today and a lively interview with TV show "Extra".

To close the event, Paul and Gene performed "Rock And Roll All Nite" on stage with the help of several audience members. Paul actually played a Power Tour electric guitar as Gene sang with the crowd joining in! Ever the rocker, Paul tried over and over to smash the guitar at the end of the song, and when the guitar would not break in two Paul joked that the guitars are indestructible!

Check out photos at this location.

GOON MOON, the group featuring Chris Goss (MASTERS OF REALITY, QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE), HELLA's Zach Hill and Jeordie White (NINE INCH NAILS, MARILYN MANSON, A PERFECT CIRCLE), is set to make its live performance debut on October 25 at The Echoplex in Los Angeles. One additional date is scheduled for October 26 at Mezzanine in San Francisco. For both dates the band will join UNKLE's already slated tour (Chris Goss recently produced UNKLE's latest album, "War Stories").

GOON MOON released its full-length debut, "Lickers Last Leg", on May 8 via Mike Patton's (FAITH NO MORE) Ipecac Recordings. According to a press release, the CD is "an eclectic mix of stoner rock, jams and freak-outs. There's no denying the recognizable sounds of both NIN and QOTSA, but also the influences of the new folk scene such as DEVENDRA BANHART and JOANNA NEWSOM, with a lot of the weirder stuff being directly influenced by DEERHOOF. There's even a great BEE GEES cover ['Christian Lion Hearted Man Will Show You'] in there."

Check out the album's first single, "An Autumn That Came Too Soon", in Windows Media format at this location. A lo-fi video for the song, created by Jeordie, is available for viewing below.

"Lickers Last Leg" features twelve songs that can only be described as "a collage of hippie/goth/retro sounds, covering a period from the '70s through the early '00s. Guest musicians on the CD include Josh Homme (QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE), Josh Freese (A PERFECT CIRCLE, NINE INCH NAILS), Dave Catching (EAGLES OF DEATH METAL, MONDO GENERATOR), Whitey Kirst (IGGY POP), and Peter Perdichizzi (THE FLYS).

GOON MOON's 10-track EP, "I Got A Brand New Egg Layin' Machine" (whose title comes from an episode of the TV show "Green Acres"), was released in June 2005 on Sucide Squeeze.

Jeordie White talking to Artisan News Service about GOON MOON:

English progressive doomsters THE PROPHECY have posted a pre-production track from their forthcoming album, "Into the Light", on their MySpace page. The track, entitled "Dont Forget", will be played at dates on their upcoming European tour in October.

Recently back from their tour of Portugal where the band had a number of misadventures culminating in them being stranded in Portugal with fellow British band HONEY FOR CHRIST, THE PROPHECY has been working hard to complete the rest of the tracks for the album and plan to begin recording early next year for a summer 2008 release.

Former BLACK CROWES guitarist Marc Ford is heading out on tour in support of his new solo album "Weary and Wired" on Blues Bureau Records. "Weary and Wired" features Ford on guitars and vocals, Mark "Muddy" Dutton on bass and Doni Gray on drums.

Ford's new CD is described in a press release as "an extraordinary album full of classic rock-soaked riffs, bluesy based crunch with southern rock twang.' "My influences go way beyond as I do not play nor do I listen to rock," explains Ford. "What influences my playing is folk, blues, jazz, gospel, country, reggae and the list goes on..."

Marc Ford tour dates:

Sep. 22 - Cleveland, OH - The Winchester
Sep. 26 - Allston, MA - Harpers Ferry
Sep. 27 - Plains, PA - River Street Jazz Cafe
Sep. 28 - New York, NY - Knitting Factory
Sep. 29 - Teaneck, NJ - Mexicali Blues
Oct. 01 - Annapolis, MD - Ram’s Head Tavern
Oct. 04 - Raleigh, NC - Pour House Music Hall
Oct. 05 - Charleston, SC - Pour House
Oct. 06 - Atlanta, GA – Smith's Olde Bar
Oct. 10 - Auburn, AL - War Eagle Supper Club
Oct. 11 - Birmingham, AL - Zydeco
Oct. 12 - Macon, GA - 550 Blues
Oct. 13 - Athens, GA - Georgia Theatre

BBC News reports that more than one million fans have applied for tickets to see LED ZEPPELIN reunite on stage for the first time since 1988.

Just 20,000 tickets are available for November's show at London's O2 arena, which is being held as a tribute to Atlantic Records founder Ahmet Ertegun.

Tickets are being issued by ballot for the show, which also features Pete Townshend, Bill Wyman and Paolo Nutini.

Promoter Harvey Goldsmith said he was "overwhelmed" by the demand. Fans who have tickets will be told by October 1.

Entries to the ballot have now closed. Winners will have to pay £125, plus booking fees, per ticket.

Goldsmith added: "This response is amazing. We would like to thank all the fans for their support and we hope that all those fortunate to be successful will keep the tickets out of the hands of touts."

Read more at BBC News.