CHIMAIRA: VIDEO INTERVIEW WITH ROB ARNOLD AVAILABLE

Todd Cardini of HeavyMetalSource.com recently conducted an interview with CHIMAIRA guitarist Rob Arnold. During the interview Rob discusses the band's new album, working with producer Jason Suecof, the group's current tour with KILLSWITCH ENGAGE and much more. The interview can be seen at YouTube.com.

CHIMAIRA's music video, 'Resurrection', the title track from the group's highly anticipated Ferret Music debut (due March 6), can be viewed online at YouTube.com. The video was directed by Todd Bell and features an appearance by Mixed Martial Arts fighter Mavrick.

CHIMAIRA recently released five ringtones from 'Resurrection', which are available from Ferret Music's web site. Tracks include 'Empire', 'Pleasure in Pain', 'Resurrection', 'Six' and 'Worthless'.

The 'Resurrection' single was made available for purchase last month. Fans can download/buy the single through various web stores like Napster and iTunes.
Courtesy of BlabberMouth.net

VAN HALEN'S ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME INDUCTION TO AIR LIVE ON VH1 CLASSIC

For the first time ever, VH1 Classic will air the 'Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony' LIVE on Monday, March 12 at 8:30 p.m. ET. Music fans will get to see and hear VAN HALEN, R.E.M., PATTI SMITH, THE RONETTES, and GRANDMASTER FLASH AND THE FURIOUS FIVE get inducted into this esteemed musical institution as the action and music unfolds.

For the first time, this year's induction ceremony will be telecast live from the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in New York City on VH1 Classic and MHD: MTV Networks' high-definition music channel on Monday, March 12 at 8:30 p.m. ET. In addition, a special two-hour highlight edition will premiere on VH1 on Saturday, March 17 at 9:00 p.m. ET.

The week leading up to the live special, VH1 Classic will air special programming to salute previous Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees including FLEETWOOD MAC, STEVIE WONDER, U2, BONNIE RAITT and more.

On Tuesday, March 6 beginning at 8:00 p.m. ET VH1 Classic will air a 'Classic Albums' marathon focusing on the work of former Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees including FLEETWOOD MAC, QUEEN, THE WHO, STEVIE WONDER, U2, THE SEX PISTOLS and PINK FLOYD. Each 'Classic Albums' episode tells the story behind the making of one of rock music's most seminal albums.

VH1 Classic will also present a special 'BBC Crown Jewels' marathon premiering on Thursday, March 8 at 8:00 p.m. ET. These rare performances from the BBC archives feature past Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductees such as AC/DC, LYNYRD SKYNYRD, TOM PETTY, STEVIE WONDER, THE POLICE, ROD STEWART and BONNIE RAITT.

Select 'Decades Rock Live' concerts featuring performances by LYNYRD SKYNYRD, ELVIS COSTELLO and THE PRETENDERS will air back-to-back on Saturday, March 10 beginning at 1:00 p.m. ET. 'Decades Rock Live' is a critically-acclaimed original concert series that pairs celebrated artists from rock to soul who have influenced popular music over the last 50 years with some of today's hottest recording acts who have been inspired by these legends.

Additional Rock Hall-themed programming to run throughout the week includes 'Prince: Prince of Paisley Park' airing on Sunday, March 11 at 5:00 p.m. ET and the 'Rock and Roll Picture Show' featuring LED ZEPPELIN's 'The Song Remains The Same' premiering on Monday, March 12 at 6:00 p.m. ET.
Courtesy of BlabberMouth.net

LORDI: 'THE AROCKALYPSE' CERTIFIED GOLD IN GERMANY

LORDI's 'The Arockalypse' album has been certified gold in Germany for sales in excess of 100,000 copies. The band performed on on 'The Ultimate Chart Show' and picked up its gold record in Cologne last week.

Since winning the 2006 Eurovision Song Contest in May, LORDI's dream has grown to gargantuan heights. Besides conquering numerous European charts the band has been given their own credit card though Finland's Sampo Bank, as well as their own softdrink (Lordi Cola), LORDI candy, LORDI kebab, and comic book.

As previously reported, LORDI has signed a North American deal with The End Records. 'The Arockalypse' will be released in North America on March 20, with bonus tracks and a DVD.

LORDI is currently planning its first-ever jaunt of North America this spring and is confirmed for a two-night stint at the annual Bamboozle festival, set for May 5 and 6 in East Rutherford, N.J.

LORDI will perform at the Emma Gaala (the Finnish Grammys equivalent) on March 10. LORDI is nominated for Band Of The Year, Album Of The Year ('The Arockalypse'), Song Of The Year ('Hard Rock Hallelujah') and Producer Of The Year (Jyrki Tuovinen). They are up for the Best Finnish Act award, as chosen by televoters.
Courtesy of BlabberMouth.net

THE STORYTELLER, KING DIAMOND MEMBERS JOIN FORCES IN KRYPTILLUSION

Fredrik Groth from the Swedish power/heavy metal act THE STORYTELLER has formed a brand new project called KRYPTILLUSION. According to Groth, KRYPTILLUSION is musically 'pretty far' removed 'from what I've done earlier,' being 'a melodic heavy/death metal band.' The group's current lineup consists of Groth on guitars and bass, Mike Wead (KING DIAMOND, MERCYFUL FATE) on lead guitar, Stefan Westerberg (CARNAL FORGE, ASPERITY) on drums and Kristofer Nilsson (UNDIVINE) on vocals. 'Right now I'm in the process of writing new songs and recording pre-production demos which will be used in the search for a record deal,' says Groth.

To check out a KRYPTILLUSION demo track, entitled 'Frozen', visit the band's official web site.
Courtesy of BlabberMouth.net

PERRIS RECORDS CELEBRATES 15-YEAR ANNIVERSARY

The label that many a metalhead holds near and dear to their heart — Perris Records — will be celebrating its 15th anniversary come this July. Perris has issued all-new studio albums by such renowned veteran hard rock/metal acts as STEPHEN PEARCY (formerly of RATT), BANG TANGO, L.A. GUNS, VAIN, ENUFF Z'NUFF, while also managing to introduce headbangers to newer acts, including 3 LEGGED DOGG, BLIND ALLEY, and BACKWASH, among others.

Perris has grown beyond just being a label, as they have launched their own music newspaper, Rocknation, which features both artists from the label as well as other notable names — including Rob Halford, Slash, AC/DC, and MEGADETH. Thus far, two issues have hit the streets, with the inaugural issue currently viewable at the Rocknation web site. Published by Perris label head Tom Mathers, the paper features such respected metal writers as Brian Rademacher, Chris Akin, Mitch Lafon, and Todd Newton. Additionally, the 'Rocknation' TV video show will be launched the same month as Perris' anniversary, which will be made available on both Time Warner and Comcast. The show will air weekly each Sunday night, and promises to be a prime source of hard rock videos for fans throughout the nation.

'I am very excited about the launch of Rocknation,' says Mathers. 'I believe that Rocknation will bring rock back into the mainstream, and will give bands a medium to promote their music nationwide.' Rocknation is also looking for local talent for nationwide concerts — contact rocknation@houston.rr.com.
Courtesy of BlabberMouth.net

RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE ADDS MORE DATES

Geoff Boucher of the Los Angeles Times reports that RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE will join the WU-TANG CLAN for three shows under the banner of Rock the Bells, the acclaimed hip-hop festival that kicks off in New York on July 28 and hits Southern California on Aug. 11.

The Southern California show will be at the National Orange Show Events Center in San Bernardino while the third show, on Aug. 18, will be in San Francisco. The sites of the New York and San Francisco shows as well as ticket sales information will be announced by organizers on Monday.

RAGE is already the closing-night headliner of the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival on April 29 in Indio, a festival that sold out 80 days in advance due to the pent-up fan demand for the Los Angeles band. RAGE played their last show in 2000.

That Coachella show was announced as a 'one-and-done' affair but the quick sellout and the harsh-priced ticket scalping already underway are among the factors in the added shows, according to sources close to the band. There's also the historical punch of performing with WU-TANG CLAN, one of the most ambitious and influential hip-hop outfits ever.

'RAGE will do four shows and just four in 2007,' said Chang Weisberg, the founder of Guerilla Union and organizer of Rock the Bells. 'Coachella is first, that's the granddaddy. And now these three with the WU-TANG CLAN represent a very, very special thing.'

Read the entire story at the Los Angeles Times.
Courtesy of BlabberMouth.net

FASTER PUSSYCAT FRONTMAN SLAMS BRENT MUSCAT'S 'TRIBUTE BAND'

FASTER PUSSYCAT frontman Taime Downe has issued the following statement:

'FASTER PUSSYCAT is NOT playing Europe in April and May. That is Brent Muscat doing his FP tribute band, playing my songs. We will be on tour in the U.S. in May and Europe in the summer. Sorry it you already bought tickets. See you soon, fuckers!

'P.S.: Message to Brent: Didn't want it to be this way.... but you have made ME your enemy... look out!!!!'

The FASTER PUSSYCAT version featuring original members Brent Muscat, Eric Stacy, and Brett Bradshaw alongside THE UNDERGROUND REBELS vocalist Kurt Frohlich, recently played a couple of dates in Las Vegas, Nevada. According to a press release, this version of the band — which does not include Taime Downe —performs 'all classic tracks, no remixes, no B.S.'

Muscat, Stacy, and Bradshaw played their first show together in 14 years on December 30, 2006 at the Dive Bar in Las Vegas. According to Stacy, the band is 'doing songs from all three [FASTER PUSSYCAT] records, and playing them the way they were written and recorded.'

FASTER PUSSYCAT was formed on the streets of Hollywood, California, with their name derived from Russ Meyer's movie 'Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!' The band was signed to Elektra Records in December 1986.

FASTER PUSSYCAT went on to record three studio albums, selling over two million records worldwide. The song 'House of Pain' was a Top 40 single and the #1 most requested video on MTV.

The band has toured the world over with the likes of GUNS N' ROSES, KISS, MOTLEY CRUE, DAVID LEE ROTH, ALICE COOPER, MOTORHEAD, OZZY OSBOURNE, WHITESNAKE, and POISON.

Maxim magazine named FASTER PUSSYCAT the #1 'Most Metal Moment' and VH1 included the band twice in their list of '101 Metal Moments'.
Courtesy of BlabberMouth.net

YYRKOON FRONTMAN 'RECONSIDERING' HIS POSITION IN BAND

French thrash/death metallers YYRKOON appear to be on the verge of breaking up after guitarist/vocalist Stephane Souteyrand 'lost his motivation' for the group. In a statement released today (Wednesday, February 21), Souteyrand writes, 'Since [we came] back from European tour with NILE, I have to admit that I've lost my motivation for YYRKOON. I'm the first one to be surprised by this lack of enthusiasm, but [on the other] hand, I cannot continue to lie to myself; I need a pause to reconsider my position in the band...'

As a result of this development, YYRKOON has cancelled all previously scheduled gigs.

Commented the band: 'We would like to thank all fans for their support us and all the people who have contributed to our development.'

YYRKOON's fourth album, 'Unhearthly Opera', was released in February 2006 via Osmose Productions. The follow-up to 2004's 'Occult Medicine' was recorded at Hansen studios in Ribe, Denmark and features a guest appearance by KING DIAMOND guitarist Andy LaRocque on the song 'Horror from the Sea'.
Courtesy of BlabberMouth.net

OBITUARY: AUSTRALIAN DATES ANNOUNCED

Legendary Florida death metallers OBITUARY will play three dates in Australia in May. The details are as follows:

May 16 - The Manning Bar, Sydney, Australia
May 17 - The Prince Of Wales Hotel, Melbourne, Australia
May 18 - Club Phoenix, Brisbane, Australia

As previously reported, OBITUARY has posted its video for the song 'On the Floor' at YouTube.com. The clip, which was shot on December 9, 2005 at the Masquerade in Ybor City, Florida with video producer Michael Sarna (MEGADETH's 'Of Mice and Men'), can also be seen on the band's MySpace page. Also available at YouTube.com is a video clip of OBITUARY performing the CELTIC FROST cover 'Circle of the Tyrants' in 1990 in Tilburg, the Netherlands with James Murphy (DEATH, TESTAMENT) on lead guitar. Check it out at this location.

OBITUARY's first-ever DVD, 'Frozen Alive', was released in Europe on December 11 via Metal Mind Productions (it arrived in the U.S. today, January 16, through MVD Visual). The disc includes a seven-camera shoot of the Warsaw show plus the 'Insane' video, the previously unreleased 'On the Floor' video, interviews with Frank Watkins (bass), Trevor Peres (guitar), John (vocals) and Donald Tardy (drums), and three documentaries — the making of 'Insane', the making of 'Frozen In Time' album, and 'Backstage In Poland'. A video of OBITUARY performing the song 'On the Floor', taken from the 'Frozen Alive' DVD, has been posted online at YouTube.com.

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

SPV USA LAUNCHES YOUTUBE CHANNEL

After posting artists' videos exclusively on the SPV MySpace page for over a year, SPV has launched a YouTube channel which will feature all of the current roster's videos — including clips from SEPULTURA, MOONSPELL, METAL CHURCH, KREATOR, KAMELOT and BEYOND FEAR — and much more. SPV will also be doing world premiers of new videos, running contests, and constantly brining fans new material to the page.

To view, add, and share SPV's videos, go to the SPV USA YouTube channel at this location.
Courtesy of BlabberMouth.net

RICK RUBIN: 'I ASKED METALLICA NOT TO REINVENT THEMSELVES SO MUCH AS TO MAKE A DEFINING ALBUM'

Legendary producer Rick Rubin (SLAYER, SYSTEM OF A DOWN, AUDIOSLAVE, RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS), who was named 'Producer of the Year' at this past weekend's Grammy Awards, spoke to MTV.com about his work with METALLICA on their much-anticipated follow-up to 2003's 'St. Anger', tentatively due before the end of the year via Warner Bros.

'I saw [the warts-and-all METALLICA documentary 'Some Kind of Monster'], and it made me really nervous,' Rubin said. 'Then we started working, and it's the opposite direction of that. They're really productive, really communicative — it seems like they really like being in the room together. It's a great process. They say they're more excited than they have been in a long time about making music. We're going to start recording in March. I asked them not to reinvent themselves so much as to make a defining album, like the purest of what METALLICA is. That's the aim, so we'll see what happens.'

METALLICA drummer Lars Ulrich told Rolling Stone magazine that Rubin said that he wants to make the group sound 'like the METALLICA that made them METALLICA without going backward' — and that he's doing it by challenging old habits.

'He's questioning what key we should play in,' Ulrich told Rolling Stone. 'We've played in E flat since the beginning of the '90s. Nobody questioned it. All of a sudden, Rick is going, 'Maybe the stuff has more energy and Hetfield's voice sounds better in E.' He's forced us to rethink big-picture stuff, something we haven't done in years.'

Rubin also insisted that METALLICA rehearse and learn the material until, as Ulrich puts it, 'we can play these songs in our sleep, standing on our heads. 'With Bob [Rock, METALLICA's longtime producer], we'd go into the studio when we had some concrete ideas. But Rick wants us to take care of all the creative elements first. He wants us to capture these songs in a recording environment instead of creating them there.'
Courtesy of BlabberMouth.net

TESTAMENT FRONTMAN IS HOPING TO RECORD 'REALLY BRUTAL' NEW ALBUM

Peter Atkinson of KNAC.COM recently conducted an interview with TESTAMENT frontman Chuck Billy. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow:

KNAC.COM: How was the first show with [drummer] Nick [Barker, ex-DIMMU BORGIR, CRADLE OF FILTH]?

Billy: It went great. Sold-out show. A lot of energy. It was good, man. It was our first show since September or October, but it was killer, it sounded really good. It had a lot of energy, that's what I really took away from that show. And the stuff him (Barker) and Eric are writing is pretty extreme (laughs).

KNAC.COM: How did you come by him?

Billy: We've known Nick for quite a while. It's funny, we went out to dinner with the record company people and Nick was there and he was telling us how he was a TESTAMENT fan, he'd grown up playing the songs and if we ever needed a drummer to give him a call. And, of course, we thought it was just in good fun because we were drinking and having a good time. And when we came through where he was last year, we talked to Nick and said, 'Hey, why don't you learn 'Over the Wall' and you can come onstage and jam with us.' So he came down and played 'Over the Wall' and it sounded great. And at that point it was like, 'Man, that song sounded really good, it be interesting to see how the other ones sounded with him,' so that was when we decided Nick would be the drummer we worked on the new album with. And we're excited about incorporating his style of playing with us, and vice versa.

KNAC.COM: Was the idea to keep working with Louie [Clemente] and/or John [Tempesta] and they just couldn't or wouldn't do it?

Billy: Yeah, of course we wanted Louie to be here, but he has his furniture business and he has some health issues, so he wasn't able to be here. He has some arthritis issues, and if not he'd be right here with us. He did a great job with what he did with us last year, but I think playing again just kinda caught up with him. But we got to do it with the five guys, the 'classic lineup' (laughs), for a while and that was cool. It was a lot of fun. We'll have him come out and play a song or two when we're in the area, but doing a whole set is just too much for him, so doing a tour is definitely out of the question. And John Tempesta, he plays in THE CULT now, they hired him for a year or two years, so he has no time. We keep him tuned up for better, easier gigs (laughs).

KNAC.COM: When do you hope to get into the studio to record the new album?

Billy: The plan is to, hopefully, get in there in April. Nick's gonna be here up through there working with Eric. We've got probably four really great songs pretty much in the can and with a few months of writing we'll hopefully have it ready to go. Alex [Skolnick] has been out here working with the guys too, so the ball has started rolling. And as soon as they give me the music, I'll be listening to it in my car all the time until the words and melodies appear.

KNAC.COM: You mentioned what Nick and Eric had been working on was pretty extreme...

Billy: Yeah, one song they played me is really brutal, it is beyond like even 'The Gathering' stuff, like 'D.N.R.', it was really, really crushing, tight, heavy. It had everything, I loved it. If we can write 10 more songs like that, then we're going to have a fucking great record. So it's there, it's just a matter of bringing it out and getting it down on tape. We're due, and hopefully we'll have a good record out this year.

KNAC.COM: Do you have a label right now, or are you doing this on your own to shop around?

Billy: We'll, it's a bit complicated. We're still with Spitfire, but they've been sold to another company so we don't really know where we're at. So we're just forging on and writing the record and getting it ready. Someone's gonna come along and it's gonna happen.

KNAC.COM: But that's not stopping them from putting out that new greatest hits album ('The Spitfire Collection', due Feb. 13).

Billy: Yeah, that's weak. When Spitfire got sold, the company that bought it decided they needed to put out a 'best of TESTAMENT' album, and it's all the same shit that we have on the two other 'best of' albums, not to mention that album of songs we re-recorded. And these companies put them out without us letting us know or having any say into what goes into them or how they are packaged, but in the contract they have the right to do that, so what can you do? They just grab the songs and put 'em out, which I think kinda sucks.

KNAC.COM: Given all that the band has been through with the record company turmoil, the lineup changes, your illness, etc., was there a time when you thought 'let's just put TESTAMENT to rest and move on?'

Billy: Well when you're sick and you're looking at yourself bald in the mirror, yeah, it makes you wonder. I had to take these steroids as part of the treatment and gained a lot weight, really ballooned up. It was pretty rough. And during that whole process of a year, year and a half, I really didn't think of the band, talk about music, sing or any of that, really. We shut the studio down and put it all in storage and stopped. I just had to deal with what I had to do to get better. But once I was free and clear, and the doctor said I was back in good health, at that point it was like 'OK, let's think about playing music.' But me being native American (he's Pomo Indian) and always having my long hair, performing with short hair was a whole different thing for me (laughs), I would be banging my head and nothing was moving. It was weird. So that whole thing was the only hard thing about starting up. But after that it just felt great, and then Alex came back in the picture and everyone else in the band, so it was just timing I guess. And even though we've been through some rough patches, Eric and I were able to keep TESTAMENT going and maintain the spirit of what the band has always been about. I think as long as we have that, TESTAMENT will be around.

Read the entire interview at KNAC.COM.
Courtesy of BlabberMouth.net

KROKUS FRONTMAN TO GUEST ON METAL EXPRESS RADIO

Swiss hard rockers KROKUS will be the subject of a special feature on Norway's Metal Express Radio this Thursday, February 13. KROKUS frontman Marc Storace will talk about the highs and lows of the band's nearly 30-year existence.

For more information, visit www.metalexpressradio.com.

KROKUS's latest album, 'Hellraiser', entered the Swiss album chart at position No. 2. The CD, which was recorded with producer Dennis Ward (PINK CREAM 69), has already been certified 'gold' in the band's home country.

The KROKUS single 'Angel of My Dreams' has been made available for download at this location.

KROKUS's current lineup is completed by Stefan Schwarzmann (drums), Tony Castell (bass), Mandy Meyer (guitar) and Dominique Fave (guitar).
Courtesy of BlabberMouth.net

DIMMU BORGIR: NEW ALBUM TRACK LISTING REVEALED

Norwegian symphonic black metallers DIMMU BORGIR have finalized the track listing for their new album, 'In Sorte Diaboli', due in North America on April 24 via Nuclear Blast Records. The CD will arrive in Europe on April 30 (April 27 in Germany).

'In Sorte Diaboli' was recorded and mixed at Studio Fredman in Gothenburg, Sweden with producers Fredrik Nordstrom and Patrik J. Sten. A limited edition digipack version of the CD will include the bonus cut 'The Ancestral Fever', and a bonus DVD containing the video for the album's opening track, 'The Serpentine Offering', shot by director Patric Ullaeus of Sweden's Revolver Film Company. Ordering information on both the regular and digipack version can be found at www.cdon.com.

'In Sorte Diaboli' track listing:

01. The Serpenitine Offering
02. The Chosen Legacy
03. The Conspiracy Unfolds
04. The Ancestral Fever (bonus track)
05. The Sacrilegious Scorn
06. The Fallen Arise
07. The Sinister Awakening
08. The Fundamental Alienation
09. The Invaluable Darkness
10. The Foreshadowing Furnace

As previously reported,, Nuclear Blast Records has launched a special 'In Sorte Diaboli' news page at this location.

DIMMU BORGIR guitarist Silenoz previously told Revolver magazine that the songwriting and recording process for the group's long-anticipated follow-up to 2003's 'Death Cult Armageddon' involved none of the intensive pre-production of their last two discs, no demos, and no gallinvanting around with the Prague Philharmonic Orchestra. 'It's definitely going to sound way more epic and bigger than we thought, because Mustis [keyboards] has also contributed with his keyboard ideas,' said Silenoz. 'I have to admit that some of the keyboard things on 'Death Cult Armageddon' sound better on the demo version than [their symphony versions] on the album. I probably shouldn't say that, but it's true.'

This will be DIMMU's first 'concept album,' a story set in always-epic Medieval Europe that also serves as a treatise on the modern-day political and social abuses of organized religion. 'There's this dude that works as a priest's assistant, and after a while he just discovers that he has nothing to do with Christianity,' said Silenoz of the storyline, which he conceived in full before even a note of music was composed. 'He just sort of has this awakening and realizes that he has different abilities and different powers and is leaning more to the dark side.'

DIMMU BORGIR's current recording lineup is as follows:

Shagrath - Vocals
Silenoz - Guitars
Galder - Guitars
Vortex - Bass
Mustis - Keys
Hellhammer - Drums
Courtesy of BlabberMouth.net

GUNS N' ROSES PERFORMS AT RODEO DRIVE'S WALK OF STYLE; PHOTOS AVAILABLE

GUNS N' ROSES played a two-song set at the Rodeo Drive's Walk of Style ceremony, which was held Thursday night (February 8) in Beverly Hills, California. The band, which used a stand-in bass player (Tommy Stinson was apparently unable to make the gig) for the performance, blazed through 'Knockin' on Heaven's Door' and 'Sweet Child O' Mine' to close the event, which honored Gianni and Donatella Versace. The news of GN'R's performance was broken Tuesday (February 6) during Donatella Versace's appearance on the 'Jimmy Kimmel Live!' program where she called GN'R frontman Axl Rose a 'very elegant person' who loves fashion. Axl reportedly stayed after the band's set until the party ended shortly after midnight. Former SKID ROW frontman Sebastian Bach was one of Rose's guests for the evening. Check out pictures from Film Magic.

Donatella Versace was the first designer to accept the Rodeo Drive's Walk of Style award off the famed shopping boulevard. The Rodeo Drive Walk of Style honoring Gianni and Donatella Versace was held three blocks away on the steps of Beverly Hills City Hall at 455 Rexford Drive. The exclusive dinner and concert for 400 was hosted by Rupert Everett and boasted an illustrious guest list, including Elton John, who also played a short set.

Although Rose, who turned 45 on Tuesday (February 6), posted a message in December revealing a tentative release date of March 6 for the long-delayed GN'R album 'Chinese Democracy', there's been no further word on whether the CD will actually surface on that date.

'Chinese Democracy' is the first GUNS N' ROSES album since the 1993 covers collection 'The Spaghetti Incident'. In the ensuing decade, the group has lost every original member besides Rose and burned through a reported $13 million in recording expenses.

GUNS N' ROSES' 'Greatest Hits' collection, which was originally issued in March of 2004, was certified triple-platinum on April 11, 2006 by the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) for shipments in excess of three million copies. The CD sold 11,000 copies in the United States last week alone (week ending Feb. 4), bringing the total number of copies sold since its release to 3.45 million, according to Nielsen SoundScan.
Courtesy of BlabberMouth.net

MORGANA LEFAY, SACRED STEEL, CUSTARD TO TEAM UP FOR EUROPEAN TOUR

MORGANA LEFAY, SACRED STEEL and CUSTARD will team up for a European tour beginning late March. The dates so far are as follows:

Mar. 22 - Osnabruck (D) - Bastard Club
Mar. 23 - Bietigheim (D) - Farbstrasse
Mar. 24 – [to be announced]
Mar. 25 - Rotterdam (NL) - Baroeg
Mar. 26 - Hamburg (D) - Headbangers Ballroom
Mar. 27 - Darmstadt (D) - Bruchtal
Mar. 28 - Munchen (D) - Titanic City
Mar. 29 - Uster (CH) - Rock City
Mar. 30 - Villach (A) - Volkshaus Landskron
Mar. 31 - Berlin (D) - Kato

MORGANA LEFAY will release a new single, entitled 'Over and Over Again', on February 26 via Black Mark. Also included on the single will be the new cut 'Face of Fear'. Both tracks come off the band's new album, 'Aberrations of the Mind', due on March 19. Check out audio samples at this location. Two more songs from the CD — 'The Rush of Possession' and 'Reflections of War' — are available for listening on the band's web site, www.morganalefay.se.

According to a press release, 'Aberrations of the Mind' will contain 'a new level of aggression while still maintaining the traditional MORGANA LEFAY sound. The album will also feature the debut of the band's new skinbasher, Pelle Åkerlind (BLOODBOUND, LEDNOTE).

The band is gearing up for the Rock at Sea festival, scheduled to take place on March 10, which also includes BUDGIE, KRUX, BULLET, HAIRY BONER, THE QUILL and several noted cover bands. More information is available at www.julymorning.nu.

MORGANA LEFAY's latest album, 2005's 'Grand Materia', was a concept CD about Nicholas Flamel, a 14th-century alchemist who supposedly lived on forever.
Courtesy of BlabberMouth.net

BRET MICHAELS: NEW SOLO ALBUM SAMPLE AVAILABLE

POISON frontman Bret Michaels has posted an audio sample from his upcoming solo album at his MySpace page. A new video clip is also in the works.

To catch Bret and/or POISON on TV this week, be sure to check out:

* 'The Tyra Banks Show' on Feb. 07 at 9:00 a.m. ET

* 'The Greatest: 40 Hottest Rock Star Girlfriends and Wives' (20-1) on Feb. 14 at 9:00 p.m. ET on VH1

Michaels is among the artists that have signed on to serve as 'counselors' at this month's Rock 'n Roll Fantasy Camp. The cost of the five-day retreat, which will take place Feb. 15-19 in Hollywood, is $9,499, according to organizers. The camp culminates in a Battle of the Bands blowout at the House of Blues on Sunset in Hollywood, California. Other musicians scheduled to participate include Paul Stanley (KISS), Scott Ian (ANTHRAX), Bruce Kulick (KISS), Sully Erna (GODSMACK), and Mark Slaughter (SLAUGHTER).
Courtesy of BlabberMouth.net

ANTHRAX GUITARIST SHOPPING 'ROCK-THEMED' TV PILOT

ANTHRAX guitarist Scott Ian and New York City club owner Mike Diamond — who started Snitch, Pangaea and Vela, and who recently partnered with Ian to launch Retox — are shopping a rock-themed pilot to the networks, according to Michael Starr of the New York Post. No further information is currently available.

Scott Ian is scheduled to take part in the next Rock 'n Roll Fantasy Camp (RRFC), which will take place in Los Angeles Feb. 15-19, 2007 (President's Day weekend). Other musicians slated to participate include Paul Stanley (KISS), Mickey Hart (GRATEFUL DEAD), Bret Michaels (POISON), Steve Vai and Jane Wiedlin (GO-GO'S).

DEFTONES: LIVE VIDEO, INTERVIEW FOOTAGE AVAILABLE

Video footage of the DEFTONES performing the songs 'Change' and 'Be Quiet and Drive (Far Away)' has been posted online at the AT&T Blue Room. Also available at the same location is a video interview with DEFTONES turntablist/keyboardist Frank Delgado and guitarist Stephen Carpenter.

The DEFTONES are currently touring Mexico and South America in support of their fifth album, 'Saturday Night Wrist', which has sold 187,000 copies in the United States since its October 31 release, according to Nielsen SoundScan. The group will head to the Far East and Europe in the next couple of months before coming back to North America in the spring.

The DEFTONES were featured on the 'Family Values Tour 2006' CD and DVD, which are came out in December.

EVIDENCE ONE SIGNS WITH AFM RECORDS

German melodic metallers EVIDENCE ONE have signed a deal with AFM Records. The group's third album, entitled 'The Sky is the Limit', is scheduled for release on June 22. The follow-up to 2004's 'Tattooed Heart' (Nuclear Blast) was written and produced by songwriter Robby Bobel, who has quit his position as the group's guitarist but will continue to be involved with the band behind the scenes. A replacement axeman, Jorg 'Warthy' Warthmann, has already been recruited and will join the rest of the group for the 'The Sky is the Limit' video shoot with Holland's Lowlife Media (MASTERPLAN, PRIMAL FEAR, EXODUS).

'The Sky is the Limit' track listing:

01. Can't Fight The Past
02. Gallery Of Broken Glass
03. Into The Depths Of My Soul
04. Mindmines
05. Mr. Madness
06. Propaganda
07. Raging Winds
08. Rain Road
09. The Luxury Of Losing Hope
10. The Sky Is The Limit
11. Won't Sleep Alone

AS I LAY DYING'S MANCINO OFFERING PRIVATE DRUM LESSONS

For all the drummers, or aspiring drummers, AS I LAY DYING's Jordan Mancino will be giving private drum lessons at San Diego Drum and Percussion starting February 10. For scheduling and more information, please contact:

Todd @ San Diego Drum and Percussion
627 Escondido Ave
Vista, CA 92084
Phone: (760) 945-3935
Web site: sandiegodrum.com

Commented Jordan: 'I'm excited to hear from all of you that are interested, and hope to help you continue your passion for drums and music!'

AS I LAY DYING is currently writing material for its as-yet-untitled new album, tentatively due in the spring via Metal Blade.

AS I LAY DYING last year re-released their first two recordings, previously out on Pluto Records, via Metal Blade Records. The set includes both a re-recorded and the original version of the band's split CD with AMERICAN TRAGEDY (originally issued in 2002), plus their first album, 'Beneath the Encasing of Ashes' (2001).

AS I LAY DYING's last album, 'Shadows Are Security', was released in June 2005.

SLIPKNOT, SYSTEM OF A DOWN DIRECTOR COMPLETES FEATURE FILM

Award-winning director Thomas Mignone, who has helmed videos for SYSTEM OF A DOWN, SEPULTURA, MUDVAYNE, SLIPKNOT and SUPERJOINT RITUAL, has just finished directing the feature film 'On the Doll' starring Josh Janowicz ('The Chumscrubber'), Brittany Snow ('John Tucker Must Die'), Clayne Crawford, Eddie Jemison, and Angela Sarafyan. The film's dark and enigmatic soundtrack is now being scored by Paul D'Amour (original bassist for TOOL).

Mignone is a feature film and music video director whose strong suit is to develop and direct both high-concept music videos and also multi-camera live concerts through his production company Doom Incorporated. Thomas Mignone's videos often feature original, non-linear interpretations of artists' songs and lyrics. Directing credits include: MUDVAYNE's 'Dig', SLIPKNOT's 'Wait and Bleed', SEPULTURA's 'Roots' and SUPERJOINT RITUAL's 'Dress like a Target'.

VOIVOD WAITS FOR INJURED JASON NEWSTED

World Entertainment News Network reports that Canadian metal legends VOIVOD have shelved plans to begin work on a new album to allow bassist Jason Newsted to recover after hurting his arm in a freak accident.

Newsted reportedly tore his bicep and rotator cuff trying to catch a bass that had fallen off an amplifier last October, forcing him to pull out of a tour with supergroup ROCK STAR SUPERNOVA.

But he is on the mend and will record his bass lines separately to VOIVOD.

Drummer Michel 'Away' Langevin says, 'He needs time to recover from the surgery he had.'

As previously reported, VOIVOD's video for the 'Katorz' (2006) track 'The Getaway' has been posted online at YouTube.com. The clip was created by editing together footage from the album's recording session and the band's 2003 U.S. tour. Currently, the band is working on a clip for 'Polaroids' and will follow with a video for 'The X-Stream'. VOIVOD is also finalizing plans to re-release their early back catalog on The End Records. Langevin said the band will start with 1986's 'Rrroooaaarrr', the following year's 'Killing Technology' and '88's 'Dimension Hatross'. He said each LP will be remastered and upped with a bonus DVD.

MOTLEY CRUE BASSIST: 'MY LIFE IS SO FULL AND CONTINUES GO GROW'

MOTLEY CRUE bassist Nikki Sixx has posted the following message in his online diary:

'Sitting here soaking up the love of my kids, all I can think about is how everybody in the house laughs a lot, a lot more than i can remember in a long time. Yes, it's different being a single dad and having a career, but different in a better way. I have a lot more to do daily and I take it very serious. I've not found anybody worthy of really dating and that's OK by me… My kids come first, then my career and last my social life… I can live without the last two but not the first. So on I trudge.

'On the musical front, DJ Ashba [ex-BEAUTIFUL CREATURES guitarist], James Michael and myself are hard at work on the music and recording of 'The Heroin Diaries' [a book drawn from Nikki's 1986 and '87 journals, when he was in the throes of a heroin addiction]. The soundtrack for the book will come out at the same time as the book. No firm release date yet, but I imagine September (don't hold me to that). It is 'not' a solo album, but an experimental musical journey. It goes everywhere an anywhere. All I can say is expect the unexpected. The trip is weird, from Danny Elfman's ghoulish arrangements, singer-songwriter story-telling to open-ended rock… theatrical comes to mind.

'This is freedom and a journey with no real expectations… We don't talk radio, charts or boundaries… We just talk 'feel.' We are feeling our way through the project. There is one feeling I will share with you all, the feeling that I've fallen back in love with music…

'My life is so full and continues go grow…'

ROCK STAR SUPERNOVA IMPLODES; HOW TO AVOID THE 'ROCK STAR' CRASH AND BURN

Larry Getlen of the New York Post reports: ROCK STAR SUPERNOVA, the latest spawn of reality guru Mark Burnett's 'Rock Star' franchise, had all the earmarks of a true supergroup - members from MOTLEY CRUE, METALLICA and GUNS N' ROSES; a high-profile personality in drummer Tommy Lee; and a predecessor in INXS, whose 'Rock Star' success with lead singer, J.D. Fortune, garnered a Top 20 album and a sold-out tour.

But instead, their self-titled debut album failed to crack Billboard's Top 100, and as of this week, almost five months after tickets went on sale, good seats were still available for their shows in Worcester, Philadelphia and New York, including 11th row seats for this Wednesday's show at Radio City.

Go to www.nypost.com to read Getlen's tips on how to save future 'Rock Star' participants from becoming 'Rock Star: What the Hell Happened?'

BURY YOUR DEAD ACCEPTING SINGER SUBMISSIONS

Boston metal/hardcore outfit BURY YOUR DEAD is now accepting submissions for a new singer. 'If you think you can hack it, have touring experience, and want to try out,' send both audio and video of yourself to:

P.O. BOX 650
Marstons Mills , MA
02648

Contact buryyourdeadma@aol.com for any further information.

BURY YOUR DEAD parted ways with vocalist Mat Bruso late last month. According to the remaining members of the group, Bruso 'has decided that he has come to a point in his life where he must focus on more important things like going back to school to become a teacher and his upcoming marriage. You have to respect that and we are in no way mad. Just upset that were losing a piece of the family. We do however look forward to trying out new vocalist and finding our new frontman.'

As a result of Mat's departure, BURY YOUR DEAD was forced to cancel its European tour with KILLSWITCH ENGAGE and THE HAUNTED.

BURY YOUR DEAD's latest release, 'Beauty and the Breakdown' (Victory), charted at No. 129 on The Billboard 200, selling 7,000 copies in its first week back in July 2006.

BURY YOUR DEAD took part in last summer's Family Values Tour with KORN, DEFTONES, STONE SOUR and FLYLEAF.

REPORT: HOW ONE CALIFORNIA DEATH-METAL FAN BECAME AL QAEDA SPOKESPERSON

The article in the January 22 issue of The New Yorker magazine by Raffi Khatchadourian entitled 'Azzam the American' discusses Adam Gadahn (video of Adam describing the 9/11 pilots, photo) — a U.S. citizen from Southern California and a member of Al Qaeda's 'media committee' who wrote in a web posting that he was obsessed for a time with 'demonic heavy metal music' before moving to Orange County and discovering the Islamic faith. An excerpt from the story follows:

By the time he turned fifteen, [Adam] had found another way to reach out to people beyond the farm. It was through an obscure musical subculture called death metal.

Death metal is a severe offshoot of heavy metal, a reaction to the superficiality of Eighties popular culture. In the early Nineties, bands that played death metal considered themselves part of an élite vanguard. They tuned their guitars in unconventional ways, and some, influenced by classical musicians, composed songs that required high degrees of discipline and technical virtuosity to play. Onstage, artists often wore sweatpants to demonstrate their athleticism and lack of pretense; the genre's signature vocal style is a heavy growling chant. ('We like it when it's simply rotten,' one musician told me.) It is a subculture in love with its offensiveness, and obsessive about guarding its artistic purity.

Phil Gadahn [Adam's father] 'wasn't particularly crazy about it,' Rich Haupt [a record collector who became a friend of Adam's father in the Nineties] said, but had he been able to look past the dark aesthetic he might have understood his son's interest in the music. 'Death metal is an extremist movement,' Spinoza Ray Prozak, a former death-metal D.J. who knew Adam, told me. 'We're people who don't like modern society. We think it's a path to death, doom, destruction, horror; it is part of the moral way we view the universe. A lot of death-metal songs are about disease, especially the kind of disease that strikes from within, incapacitates you, and there is no way to fight it, and you have to wait for it to slowly absorb you. A lot of songs are about paralysis, injury, necrotic diseases.' Where Phil Gadahn in his music focussed on redemption, death metal focussed on decay. Members of the genre generally profess to reject Christianity, but they do so within a religious framework, using the language and imagery of paganism or Satanism, rather than of atheism. Fans who outgrow the music, as most do, often enough become religious.

It's unclear when Gadahn first encountered death metal, but by 1993 he had decided to learn as much about it as he could. Many of its followers, he found, were cerebral teen-agers like him. They were searching, not so much for a way to release their rage but for an experience that was authentic and powerful. 'Where heavy metal gets a lot of the guys who lift weights and punch out beer cans, death metal is a really interesting combination of people, but it's a lot of just nerd,' Prozak told me. Gadahn bought copies of small alternative magazines that included lists of fans who wanted to trade albums or mix tapes. He wrote to people on the lists, and the envelopes that came back were stuffed with cassettes and slips of paper containing the names and addresses of still more fans who wanted to correspond. 'He was probably in contact with, minimum, several hundred people worldwide,' Prozak said. 'He took it very seriously. He read up on the music, he researched it as best he could. And he went from a guy who had about ten albums and thought it was neat to a guy who had access to most of the genre.' At the time, the Internet was not yet in widespread use, and the death-metal underground must have seemed both exclusive and far-reaching. More important, its correspondence network made geography irrelevant. It was a world that Gadahn could belong to.

To the teen-agers in the metal underground who got to know Adam Gadahn, he remained an elusive figure. As one friend recalled, he was 'a voice on the phone, a couple of tapes in the mail, some letters.' A few of his pen pals remember that he was overly earnest; others said that he was goofy. He talked about social issues, or about the Disney comic books featuring Scrooge McDuck, and Huey, Dewey, and Louie, which he loved. He sometimes kept friends on the telephone for so long that they wondered how he could pay for the call. In all his conversations, Gadahn came across as soft-spoken, polite, highly literate, and passionate. He befriended college students who were years older than he was. 'Adam was really intelligent and a really nice guy,' said John E. Brown II, who was a student at the University of Wyoming when Gadahn first wrote to him. Chris Leffler, who had a band in Kentucky called CATACLYSM, exchanged several letters with Gadahn and 'never realized how young he was.' Jeff Hayden, the guitarist of TIMEGHOUL, a band from Missouri, remembered him as 'a personable, comedic young man.'

Read the entire four-page article at www.newyorker.com.

FURZE TO APPEAR ON 'WINE OF SATAN 2' COMPILATION

Norwegian black metal band FURZE has issued the following update:

'FURZE will participate on the 'Wine of Satan 2' compilation LP/CD later in 2007. Those of you old enough might remember this Greek output 'Wine of Satan' from 1993. The original label passed the rights on to Necroterror Records and FURZE is the only Norwegian band they wanted to have on this Vol. 2.....

'The [new FURZE album] 'UTD' will be released on limited deluxe 1500 [copies] digipack (black embossed logo etc). Only the European version will be digi. Preorder the CD from Candlelight now!

'The 'UTD' LP was delayed by the not-so-happening Pirates Press USA. Worship Him Records paid all pressing, gave pressing details and delivered the files allready in early November but somehow they managed to promise a release in good time before X-mas BUT waited till one week before X-mas before checking our file info and the files themselves!! GREAT WORK, GUYS !!! Pirates... the name says it all, I should've known! We now hope to ship the records within a couple of weeks but I won't promise anything.'

A brand new FURZE track, entitled 'A Life About My Sabbath', has been posted online at the Candlelight Records MySpace page. The song comes off the band's third album, 'UTD', due in the U.S. on February 20 (February 5 in Europe). 'UTD' is the Candlelight debut from FURZE and it features guest drumming from Frost (SATYRICON, 1349) on two of the album's eight punishing tracks.

'UTD' track listing:

01. A Life About My Sabbath (feat. Frost)
02. Demonic Order In The Eternal Fascist's Hall
03. Beneath The Wings Of The Black Vomit Above (feat. Frost)
04. The Deeds That Grasp To The Candle's Shade
05. Mandragora Officinarum
06. Goatbreath
07. Deep In The Pot Of Fresh Antipodal Weave
08. Djerve Djevel

Last fall, Candlelight U.K. reissued the band's previously unavailable early recordings, 'Necromanzee Cogent' and 'Trident Autocrat' (originally released in 1999 via Norway's Apocalyptic Empire Records).

MACHINE MEN: 'NO TALK WITHOUT THE GIANT' ENTERS FINNISH CHART AT NO. 2

MACHINE MEN's new single, 'No Talk without the Giant', has entered the Finnish chart at position No. 2. View the whole chart here. A video for the song can be viewed at this location. The track is taken from the Finnish melodic metal act's upcoming album, 'Circus of Fools', due in February via Century Media Records. The exact release dates are as follows:

Finland: Wednesday, February 14, 2007
Germany / Austria / Switzerland / Benelux: Friday, February 16, 2007
U.K. / France / Spain / Denmark / Norway : Monday, February 19, 2007
Sweden / Hungary: Wednesday, February 21, 2007.
Italy: Friday, February 23, 2007

Vocalist Antony recently had the following to say about the 'No Talk without the Giant' video shoot: 'The other guys woke up 3:00 a.m. on Sunday morning — I didn't sleep at all 'cos I was on the road with some Satanic Christmas band. I sat two hours in a train and the guys drove 300km from our hellish hometown Suolahti to Helsinki. The shooting place was a really big and old train hall — really cool and cruel place. I think my neck is broken 'cos we banged our heads about 10 hours and we really hope you'll enjoy the video.'

MACHINE MEN will team up with FINNTROLL, TAROT, DIE APOKALYPTISCHEN REITER and AFTER FOREVER for the Earthshaker Roadshock tour in April/May 2007.

EUROPE: THE SPANISH CONNECTION

Singer Joey Tempest of the reactivated Swedish hard rockers EUROPE has posted the following tour diary entry on the group's official web site:

'Mic's [Michaeli, keyboards] passport and his ID was gone...... had it been stolen by someone that wanted to sabotage the band's European tour?

'Over the years the band had made a lot of friends but also a lot of enemies. Could he have misplaced the passport himself? Last night was a blur. A combination of wine, women and song made the whole thing difficult to make out.

'Now the airline wouldn't let him board the plane. Were they also in on the plot? He had to say goodbye to the rest of the band and travel by himself on a bus to Madrid where he could get the right papers to travel to Switzerland.

'After he arrived in Madrid he was sure someone was following him..... He walked into a tappas bar to hide out. His mood was lifted when he found out they had some single malt whiskey on offer. He had to gather his thought and figure out what was going on.

'A few days ago they had been to a restaurant in Granada where there had been an attempt to poison the band with 'uncooked chicken.' Was it the same people that had stolen his passport and ID?

'All the hotels he visited in Madrid refused to let him stay because he did not have an ID. There was only one thing left to do. He went to a pay phone and called the former Albanian Prime Minister ask him to send over some of his security people. A few days ago the band had played in Tirana, Albania and made some very important friends in high places.

'He managed to survive the night in Madrid and went to get a temporary passport at the Swedish embassy the following day. He made it just in time for the sound-check in Zurich. We were all glad that he made it back safe.

'....But there was something suspicious about the whole affair.'

EUROPE's latest music video, 'Always the Pretenders', has been posted online at YouTube.com. The song comes off the band's new CD, 'Secret Society', which was released in the U.S. on November 7 via Sanctuary Records. An e-card for 'Secret Society' is available here. An audio interview with EUROPE frontman Joey Tempest has been posted online at this location. The interview was conducted with an Italian journalist on October 5 and covers a variety of topics, including the group's new album, 'Secret Society', the 'secret' formula for the band's success, and EUROPE's legacy.

CATTLE DECAPITATION TO EMBARK ON FIRST-EVER TOUR OF MEXICO

San Diego extreme metallers CATTLE DECAPITATION will embark on their first-ever tour of Mexico in February. Also appearing on the three-date trek, dubbed 'Chas Metal Attack Tour 2007', are MARDUK, MONSTROSITY and SETHERIAL. The details are as follows:

Feb. 09 - Leon, MEX @ Madeiras
Feb. 10 - Mexico City, MEX @ Circo Volador
Feb. 11 - San Luis Potosi, MEX @ Huerta del STIC

CATTLE DECAPITATION was honored in the 'Best Hard Rock Band' category at the 2006 San Diego Music Awards, which took place on Sept. 18, 2006. The band's latest album, 'Karma.Bloody.Karma', was released in July 2006 via Metal Blade Records. The CD was produced by Billy Anderson (SWANS, MR. BUNGLE, SLEEP) and features guest appearances by Joey Karam (THE LOCUST) and John Wiese (SUNN0))), BASTARD NOISE).

CRASHDIET: BAND PHOTOS FEATURING NEW SINGER POSTED ONLINE

Swedish 'glam rockers' CRASHDIET have uploaded several photos of the band's new lineup, featurng the group's latest addition, singer H. Olliver Twisted (photo) of the Finnish hard rock act RECKLESS LOVE (as BLABBERMOUTH.NET first reported yesterday). Check out the pictures at this location.

H. Olliver Twisted joins the group as the replacement for David Hellman (a.k.a. Dave Lepard), who committed suicide in January 2006. Twisted made his live debut with CRASHDIET last night (Sunday, January 21) at the Rest in Sleaze festival at Debaser in Stockholm, Sweden. Also scheduled to appear at the event were CRUCIFIED BARBARA, ZAN CLAN, STARLET SUICIDE and PP7 GAFTZEB.

In his online bio, H. Olliver Twisted states, 'I have always been an Eighties fanatic but when I realized why, I just began to blossom. It all goes back to my rosy childhood. As a kid, I was kinda quiet and pretty much allowed to be in my own world but when I became a superstar in my own dream reality, I began to speak and I haven't stopped ever since, unless I sing. So I wasn't even a youngster in my heart anymore when I discovered that singing and performing is my calling. I jumped onstage and like a squirrel pumped with a litre of speed I began to take over the real world. Since then I've been destined to become the ultimate rock frontman of the future who will make your chin drop through the floor with an explosively energetic stage persona and a voice reaching from low tones to high screams.'

It should be noted that H. Olliver Twisted will remain a member of RECKLESS LOVE while occupying his new position in CRASHDIET.

For audio samples of H. Olliver Twisted's vocals, visit the official RECKLESS LOVE MySpace page.

As previously reported, CRASHDIET has uploaded a couple of teasers for its upcoming DVD at www.crashdiet.org. The disc is expected to be released in February.

Hellman was found dead on January 20, 2006 at his apartment in the Swedish city of Uppsala, north of Stockholm. It was reported in several places that he hanged himself, although this was never officially confirmed.

CRASHDIET is a Stockholm, Sweden-based Eighties hard rock-style band whose debut album, 'Rest in Sleaze', entered the Swedish national album chart at position No. 12.

CRASHDIET is reportedly the first 'sleaze rock' band in over 10 years to be signed directly to a major company — Universal Music. The group, whose members are said to be in their early 20s, were scheduled to make their U.S. debut in March 2006 at the South by Southwest music conference/festival in Austin, Texas.

For more information on Dave's passing, click here.

WHITESNAKE: NEW DAVID COVERDALE AUDIO INTERVIEW AVAILABLE

A 12-minute audio interview with WHITESNAKE/ex-DEEP PURPLE frontman David Coverdale, conducted in December 2006 by Deep-Purple.net, has been made available for download at this location.

WHITESNAKE's video for the new studio song 'Ready to Rock' has been posted online at this location (Real Media). The track is one of four previously unreleased cuts that appear on WHITESNAKE's new live record, entitled 'Live… In the Shadow of the Blues', which was issued in Europe in November via Steamhammer/SPV Records. The set includes almost all the remarkable hits from WHITESNAKE's career, as well as two timeless DEEP PURPLE classics in 'Burn' and 'Stormbringer'. Other previously unreleased tracks that appear on 'Live ... In the Shadow of the Blues' are 'If You Want Me (I'll Come Running)', 'All I Want Is You' and 'Dog'. The strictly limited version of the double album is available in a top-quality digipack, featuring a number of surprises, among them the bonus track 'Crying in the Rain', including a haunting drum solo by drum legend Tommy Aldridge.

WHITESNAKE has set 'Good to be Bad' as the title of its forthcoming studio album, tentatively due next summer. A 20th anniversary reissue of the multi-platinum '1987' album (featuring a bonus DVD) is expected in the spring.

SHEAVY TO ENTER STUDIO NEXT MONTH

St. John's, Newfoundland 'stoner' rockers SHEAVY will enter the studio on February 16 to begin recording their new album, tentatively due later in the year. The band has written 12 new songs from the follow-up to 'Republic?', which came out in 2005 via Rise Above Records.

Upcoming SHEAVY shows:

Feb. 03 - St. John's, CAN @ The Spur
Feb. 10 - St. John's, CAN @ Junctions

SHEAVY last year announced the addition of guitarist Tommy Boland to the group's ranks. A live DVD, entitled 'Sheavy at the Masonic Temple', was filmed on May 10, 2005 at the Masonic Temple Ballroom in St. John's.

EDDIE VAN HALEN APPEARS AT FENDER'S WINTER NAMM RECEPTION: VIDEO AVAILABLE

Legendary guitarist Eddie Van Halen spoke and played guitar at Fender's Winter NAMM 2007 Global Dealer and Distributor Reception, held yesterday (Friday, January 19) at the Marriott in Anaheim, California. Watch video footage of Eddie's appearance at YouTube.com:

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There have been a lot of rumors that singer Dave Lee Roth is back in VAN HALEN for a summer tour, with Eddie's 15-year-old son Wolfgang on bass instead of Michael Anthony, though nothing's been confirmed yet.

VAN HALEN will be joined by R.E.M., PATTI SMITH, the RONETTES, and GRANDMASTER FLASH & THE FURIOUS FIVE at the annual Rock and Roll Hall of Fame ceremony, which takes place March 12 at New York City's Waldorf Astoria Hotel.

HEAVEN AND HELL: MORE TOUR DETAILS REVEALED

HEAVEN AND HELL members Ronnie James Dio (DIO, BLACK SABBATH, RAINBOW) and Geezer Butler (BLACK SABBATH) were interviewed by radio personality/VH1 Classic VJ Eddie Trunk on his 'Friday Night Rocks' radio show on New York's Q104.3 FM last night (Friday, January 19). According to Joe Siegler of the BLACK SABBATH fan site Black-Sabbath.com, the following topics/points were covered on the show:

* The first U.S. gig for the HEAVEN AND HELL tour will be March 30 at Radio City Music Hall in New York City. There will be no opening act for this show; it's just HEAVEN AND HELL. The band is expected to play an extra-long set at this concert. Tickets are priced between $54.00 and $74.00 and go on sale Friday, January 26 at 10:00 a.m.

* There will be other U.S. dates, but not before August. No further information is currently available on which cities they might hit.

* After the Canadian tour and the New York City date, HEAVEN AND HELL will play South America before heading over to Europe for the summer festival run. A full U.S. tour will take place in August, to be followed by U.K., Japan and Australia.

* Both Geezer and Ronnie said that it is pretty likely there will be no Ozzy-era tracks played during the HEAVEN AND HELL shows. The setlist will consist exclusively of material off the 'Heaven And Hell', 'Mob Rules' and 'Dehumanizer' albums, plus the three new songs written and recorded for the upcoming compilation CD, 'Black Sabbath: The Dio Years'.

* Tour rehearsals start roughly two weeks from now.

* 'Black Sabbath: The Dio Years' will be released April 3 through Rhino.

* All three newly recorded tracks ('Shadow of the Wind', 'Devil Cries' and 'Ear in the Wall') will be on the 'Black Sabbath: The Dio Years' album. It was previously reported that only two of the songs would make the final cut, but Geezer confirmed that all three will now be included on the collection.

* There are no keyboards on the newly recorded tracks.

* Keyboards on the HEAVEN AND HELL tour will be handled by Scott Warren from the DIO band.

* Geezer did not contribute to the songwriting for any of the three new songs, and neither did Bill Ward and Vinny Appice; these tracks were written by Tony and Ronnie. Side note: DIO bassist Rudy Sarzo said in a recent interview that two of the three new SABBATH tracks contain ideas Ronnie had put forth for the next DIO album, but which ended up being used for the SABBATH collection instead.

* According to Ronnie, this was never intended to be a full-fledged reunion when it started; it was only supposed to result in a couple of new tracks being written and recorded for the upcoming compilation. He did say, however, that the opportunity to dust off the old Dio-era SABBATH tracks in a live environment was too great to pass up. Finally, he said that history has shown they can't plan too far ahead for this, and that they do not intend at this point to carry on past the tour. However, he left open the possibility for further activity once they have fulfilled their touring obligations.

* Part of the reason this project is being called HEAVEN AND HELL and not BLACK SABBATH is that they all felt that the original SABBATH (with Ozzy Osbourne) has been 'back together' for awhile now, and since they were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with that lineup, they wanted to avoid any confusion and decided to call this something else instead.

* Ronnie also said that after the HEAVEN AND HELL touring cycle is finished, he will go back into the studio with DIO to record 'Magica II' and 'III' and then tour 'with a stage show worthy of the story.'

HEAVEN AND HELL, OZZY OSBOURNE, MEGADETH TO PERFORM AT ITALY'S GODS OF METAL FESTIVAL

This year's Gods of Metal festival will take place in two separate installments at Idroscalo in Milan, Italy. The first part of the festival will be held on June 2-3 and will feature the following artists (with more to be confirmed):

Saturday, June 2:

SCORPIONS

Sunday, June 3:

HEAVEN AND HELL
DREAM THEATER (co-headliner)
BLIND GUARDIAN
DIMMU BORGIR

The second installment of Gods of Metal will take place June 30 and will feature OZZY OSBOURNE (headliner), MEGADETH and BLACK LABEL SOCIETY, among others.

There will be eight bands performing each day (a total of 24 artists over the three days). Tickets go on sale January 26.

SWALLOW THE SUN: 'DON'T FALL ASLEEP' SINGLE ENTERS FINNISH CHART AT NO. 3

SWALLOW THE SUN's new single, 'Don't Fall Asleep (Horror Pt. 2)', has entered the Finnish national chart at position No. 3. View the entire chart at this location. The single features two versions of the title cut (the video version and the album version), and 'These Low Lands', which is a cover version of the TIMO RAUTIAINEN AND TRIO NISKALAUKAUS song 'Alavilla Mailla'. 'These Low Lands' features a guest lead vocal appearance by Tomi Joutsen of AMORPHIS. A video for 'Don't Fall Asleep (Horror Pt. 2)' can be found at YouTube.com. Produced by Medialouhos and directed by Antti Hyyrynen, the clip was shot in November 2006.

'Don't Fall Asleep (Horror Pt. 2)' comes off the group's forthcoming third album, 'Hope', due on February 7 via Spinefarm Records. Audio samples of three songs from the CD — 'Hope', 'These Hours of Despair' and 'Too Cold for Tears' — are available at this location.

The follow-up to 2005's 'Ghosts of Loss', 'Hope' was recorded at Seawolf Studios in Helsinki and was mastered on Oct. 16 at Finnvox studios with Minerva Pappi.

'Hope' track listing:

01. Hope
02. These Hours of Despair
03. The Justice of Suffering
04. Don't Fall Asleep (Horror Pt. 2)
05. Too Cold For Tears
06. The Empty Skies
07. No Light, No Hope
08. Doomed to Walk the Earth

According to the band, the album will feature a vocal appearance by Jonas Renkse of KATATONIA on the song 'The Justice of Suffering'.

'Ghosts of Loss' entered the official Finnish album chart at position No. 8.

SWALLOW THE SUN has been confirmed for this year's installment of the Wacken Open Air festival, set to take place August 2-4, 2007 in Wacken, Germany.

THE ACCIDENT EXPERIMENT TO RELEASE EP IN APRIL

Southern California hard rock quartet THE ACCIDENT EXPERIMENT — featuring P.O.D. guitarist Marcos Curiel — will release an EP on April 10 in both CD and digital-distribution formats. Entitled 'Arena', it is actually a re-release of their first EP (originally released in 2004), with the addition of two previously-unreleased tracks. A full track-listing will be announced soon. Fans can also look for a video for one of the EP tracks, 'Song for You', at video outlets very soon.

AEX's first full-length album, 'United We Fear', which was released in 2006, is still generating heat. At least two more singles from the album will go to radio starting in early April — 'Inside' and 'Lost Kisses'.

Curiel recently rejoined his former band, P.O.D.; however THE ACCIDENT EXPERIMENT will also continue to tour and record. Says Curiel: 'You all may have heard the good news…I'm back in P.O.D. This is great news, but this does not mean the end of THE ACCIDENT EXPERIMENT. AEX is currently on hiatus; AEX hasn't broken up. Me, Pete, Tony and Ernie will be back, just not sure when since I can't be in two places at once. Please continue to spread the word about THE ACCIDENT EXPERIMENT.'

In addition to Curiel on guitar, THE ACCIDENT EXPERIMENT is rounded out by Ernie Longoria (drums), Tony DeLocht (bass), and Pete Stewart (vocals). THE ACCIDENT EXPERIMENT has already toured extensively in the past, opening for the likes of FOO FIGHTERS, KORN, DAMAGEPLAN, DROWNING POOL, SEVENDUST, STAIND, and others. Metal Edge magazine named the group one of its '20 Bands To Watch in 2005.'

For more information, visit www.theaccidentexperiment.net.

MANOWAR LOOKING FOR GIRLS TO JOIN CD-RELEASE 'PARTY CREW'

MANOWAR has scheduled release parties for its new CD, 'Gods of War', in 10 German cities in February and is seeking girls to be part of the 'MANOWAR party crew.' Interested girls need to do the following:

* Dance to a MANOWAR song, videotape it, and upload your video on www.myvideo.de or send it via mail to:

Circle Song Music
'Be a Manowar Girl'
Theodorstr. 41 b-z, Haus P
22761 Hamburg

* Length: 30-40 seconds
* Deadline: February 9

The best female dancers will be invited to a MANOWAR release party in Germany 'to put all metalheads into a good vibe!' And on top of that, they will also win a 'mega MANOWAR package with cool merchandise.' Additionally, the top three entries will win a backstage pass for a MANOWAR concert in Germany during their 'Demons, Dragons and Warriors Tour' in March.

For more information, visit www.manowar.com.

MANOWAR has started to reveal parts of the cover artwork for 'Gods of War', which is set to be released on February 23 in Germany (February 26 for the rest of Europe and April 3 for the USA/Canada).

In addition to offering this first taste of what the album cover will look like, the band has revealed a bit more information about the CD concept, including two more songtitles.

'Gods of War' is MANOWAR's first entry in a cycle of concept albums; each a tribute to a different war god. Opening with the epic piece 'Overture to the Hymn of the Immortal Warriors', the tone is set for an album beyond anything MANOWAR has done before. This album honors Odin — almighty father of the Norse gods — and details the history and exploits of this storied character. His power and wisdom were unmatched among the gods and he is paid tribute with human sacrifice on the battlefield, as heard in the song 'The Sons of Odin', the stomping title track 'Gods of War' and the storytelling 'The Blood of Odin'.

Besides the normal jewel-case version, 'Gods of War' will also be released as a limited edition in an embossed metal slipcase containing a high grade mediabook bound in leather. Furthermore, this limited edition will feature a bonus DVD with unreleased material detailing the making of this album and some special behind-the-scenes footage. A double-vinyl LP in a gatefold sleeve will also be available.

SOLITUDE AETURNUS, BENEDICTUM, THURISAZ CONFIRMED FOR CHICAGO POWERFEST

Texas doom legends SOLITUDE AETURNUS, San Diego female-fronted metallers BENEDICTUM and Belgium's up-and-coming death/doom metallers THURISAZ have been confirmed for Chicago Powerfest 2007. The fifth annual metal festival will take place on Friday, April 20 and Saturday, April 21 at The Pearl Room in Mokena, IL.

SOLITUDE AETURNUS will be playing in support of their critically acclaimed new album, 'Alone', and will be making their first Midwest performance in almost three years. BENEDICTUM, who are coming off their European tour with DORO, will be promoting their latest album, 'Uncreation'. THURISAZ, who recently completed a European tour with NOVEMBERS DOOM and AGALLOCH, will be making their U.S. debut.

Commented co-promoter and TWELFTH GATE bassist Rob Such: 'While on my recent trip to Europe with friends NOVEMBERS DOOM, I was able to watch openers THURISAZ kick ass every night...and I really felt that they deserved a chance to leave the same lasting impression on this year's Powerfest audience just as they did on me & the audiences throughout Europe.'

Current Powerfest lineup:

SOLITUDE AETURNUS
MARTYR
NOVEMBERS DOOM
BENEDICTUM
SHATTER MESSIAH
THURISAZ

The remaining four bands, which also include both headliners, will be announced in the upcoming weeks as they become confirmed. Ticket information will also be made available once the lineup is complete.

For more information regarding the festival, go to this location.

REPORT: CHARGES DROPPED AGAINST OFFICER WHO ARRESTED HARDCORE BANDMEMBER

J.J. Huggins of Sentinel & Enterprise reports that Police Officer Michael DeLuca is no longer facing an assault and battery charge in connection with the arrest he made of a member of a hardcore punk-rock band in August.

'I understand the charges have been withdrawn, and that's great,' Police Chief Peter Roddy said Friday.

Police arrested three band members after a brawl at a concert by the Boston hardcore band CUT THROAT in a rented hall at the Unitarian Universalist First Church in Leominster, Massachusetts on Aug. 12.

DeLuca arrested Joseph Barrett, 22, and Barrett later claimed the officer used too much force.

DeLuca's report from the incident said he 'used the force necessary' to apprehend Barrett.

An assistant clerk magistrate at Leominster District Court had issued the charge against DeLuca after a show-cause hearing, and DeLuca was scheduled to be arraigned this week.

But the charge was withdrawn beforehand, Roddy said.

Tim Connolly, a spokesman for Worcester County District Attorney Joseph Early Jr., said late Friday afternoon that he did not know why the charge was withdrawn.

The court documents pertaining to the case never became public record because DeLuca was never arraigned.

Read more at www.sentinelandenterprise.com.

FORMER YOB LEADER TO RELEASE MIDDIAN DEBUT IN MARCH

MIDDIAN, the band featuring former YOB leader Mike Scheidt, will release its debut album, 'Age Eternal', in Europe on March 26 via Metal Blade Records (March 23 in Germany, Austria and Switzerland).

MIDDIAN is

Mike Scheidt - Guitar and Vocals
Will Lindsay - Bass and Vocals
Scott Headrick - Drums

'Age Eternal' track listing:

01. Dreamless Eye
02. The Blood Of Icons
03. Age Eternal
04. The Celebrant
05. Sink To The Center

Check out the song 'The Celebrant' at the band's MySpace page.

Mike Scheidt on the end of YOB:

'After YOB got back home from our last tour in 2005, it became very obvious that our individual goals in the band had changed. Travis Foster and Isamu Sato both left the band after we explored options for keeping YOB together. Neither of them had the stomach for touring anymore, and I knew I wanted to keep touring and moving forward. After about eight months of thought as whether to continue with what would be YOB's fifth lineup after Isamu and Travis left, and after trying out some fine musicians, I decided to let YOB go.'

Mike Scheidt on MIDDIAN:

'So I decided to start a new band: very much in the vein of YOB, but more angry and mid-paced on average, but still with roots in slow doom and the cosmic vibe that was a part of YOB. MIDDIAN is that band. In my mind I was already thinking about who I was going to approach for a rhythm section: my friends Will Lindsay on bass and Scott Headrick on drums. They are both very experienced musicians who, while having roots in extreme music, neither had played doom-influenced music before. I wanted a fresh take on the riffs I was writing. Luckily, they were both into it, and we have been having a blast ever since.'

Mike Scheidt on 'Age Eternal':

''Age Eternal' is our first album together, and we are very happy with it overall. It is a solid first album for us and is setting the blueprint for what we do: doom and stoner-influenced heavy music without it being either. It has lots of lurching faster riffs and chord melody not unlike YOB, but yet it is different. It is more urgent, straight-forward, and punk-influenced in many ways, and our bassist Will shares vocal duties with me. The band is extremely collaborative even though I write the tunes thus far. We all have strong ideas and opinions that mesh very well and it culminated in 'Age Eternal'. Plus there is guest vocals from Ben Ward of ORANGE GOBLIN on the last song, 'Sink To The Center', and noise samples from The Monsters Of Pot from Minneapolis, Minnesota. We are very proud to have our first album released by Metal Blade Records.'

EX-LYNCH MOB SINGER ONI LOGAN: 'WALKING THROUGH A WINTERLAND' VIDEO POSTED ONLINE

Former LYNCH MOB singer Oni Logan has released his brand new video for the song 'Walking through a Winterland'. Check it out at YouTube.com. The track comes off Logan's long-awaited solo album, 'Stranger in a Foreign Land', which was released last year. The set sees Logan in new musical territory — a mix of stripped-back pop/rock and West Coast-style AOR with even a touch of country thrown in.

Logan, whose musical journey has taken him from from South America to Hollywood to Switzerland, where he now resides, has lined up the following solo dates:

Jan. 19 - Alpen Rock House - Zurich Airport, SWI
Feb. 24 - Baraca - St. Gallen, SWI
Mar. 03 - Rock City - Uster, SWI
Mar. 10 - Kammgarn - Schaffhausen, SWI
Mar. 30 - Eintracht – Kirchberg, SWI

REPORT: MARILYN MANSON DATING ACTRESS EVAN RACHEL WOOD

According to People.com, shock-rocker Marilyn Manson is romantically involved with 19-year-old actress Evan Rachel Wood (photo).

People's sources say his relationship with the 'Thirteen' actress was a factor in the Dec. 29 divorce filing by Dita Von Teese (photo), 34, Manson's wife of one year.

'Dita is heartbroken, she didn't see this coming,' a source close to the burlesque dancer and MAC cosmetics model tell People. 'His partying contributed to the split as well.'

Manson, 38, and Wood have been friends for some time. According to his official web site, Manson first met Wood when he asked her to be in his upcoming horror film, 'Phantasmagoria: The Visions of Lewis Carroll'.

In addition, she posed for a watercolor that he painted, and attended the opening of his new Hollywood art gallery, the Celebritarian Corporation Gallery of Fine Art, last Halloween.

'It came as kind of a shock,' Wood told Rolling Stone about being asked to pose. 'I was beyond flattered.'

GREAT WHITE: MORE DETAILS ANNOUNCED ABOUT BABY HARP SEALS BENEFIT CONCERT

GREAT WHITE will play a benefit concert for Canadian baby harp seals on Saturday, January 27, 2007 at the Key Club in Hollywood, California. Proceeds will be used to oppose the largest slaughter of marine mammals on the planet and to raise funds and awareness to end the horrific and bizarre annual massacre.

This year in Canada over 335,000 defenseless Canadian baby seals were brutally clubbed or shot to death for their pelts, their bodies left on the ice to rot. Over 42% are horrifically skinned alive. The goal in planning a benefit concert is to first raise funds to help Harpseals.org continue their efforts to rescue the baby harp seals in Canada.

Hosting the benefit concert will be Southern California's Harpseals.org, with many celebrity supporters and attendees expected. Confirmed music performances are Grammy-nominated rock band GREAT WHITE, Hot AC Breakthrough Artist of 2006 (NMW) JAK PARIS with special guest 'Reba' star Scarlett Pomers and NBC's 'Star Tomorrow' Top 5 finalist, rock singer/songwriter of the year (LAMA), Bob Gentry. A celebrity host and MC for the show will be announced soon and more performers will be added to the show lineup. There will also be a silent auction.

Last year Paul and Heather McCartney brought media attention and made international headlines after they visited the seals in Canada and spoke up on the Larry King show about this needless brutality.

DEICIDE TO BE JOINED BY DISSENTER FRONTMAN FOR REMAINING EUROPEAN TOUR DATES

Massive Music, the organizers of DEICIDE's current European tour, have issued a statement explaining the reasons behind bassist/vocalist Glen Benton's absence from the trek and the status of the remainder of the tour. It reads as follows:

'On Friday (January 5) kicked off their European tour without frontman Glen Benton, who was forced to stay in the U.S. due to some family problems. The decision was actually made in the very last moment, when the band arrived in Europe. DEICIDE in agreement with Massive Music decided to not cancel the tour and Glen Benton consented to his replacement. Hope Glen will join the tour after solving his problems (all the best for him!) The more so because so far the tournee has been going great! First two gigs in Eindhoven and Nijmegen were sold out! During the first four gigs Seth [van Loo] (SEVERE TORTURE, NOX, CENTURION) is handling vocal duties. In Manchester [beginning on January 9] Garbaty 'Yaha' (from Polish death metal band DISSENTER) will join DEICIDE, taking care of bass and vocal duties as long as necessary. Every night DEICIDE is going to play a killer 75-minute live set (17 songs!). New merchandise featuring new t-shirts, longsleeves, zippers, girly, stickers from band's latest album 'Stench of Redemption' is available during the tour.

'Remember, DEICIDE, VISCERAL BLEEDING, PSYCROPTIC in cooperation with Massive Music are going to play this tour till the last gig. There's no plan to cancel any show, now it all depends on local promoters. Hope this situation won't lead to any cancellations!'

A bunch of high-quality pictures from DEICIDE's headlining concert Saturday night (January 6) at Doornroosje, in Nijmegen, Holland have been posted online at Metal-Experience.com (NOTE: DEICIDE photos appear on pages 2-3). Support at the show came from PSYCROPTIC and VISCERAL BLEEDING.

DEICIDE's setlist for Saturday night's concert was as follows:

01. Dead by Dawn
02. Scars of the Crucifix
03. Stench of Redemption
04. Death to Jesus
05. Serpents of the Light
06. When Satan Rules his World
07. Bastard of Christ
08. They Are the Children of the Underworld
09. Desecration
10. Dead but Dreaming
11. Christ Denied
12. Behind the Light Thou Shall Rise
13. Walk with the Devil in Dreams You Behold
14. Homage for Satan
15. Lunatic of God's Creation
16. Kill the Christian
17. Sacrificial Suicide

DARK FORTRESS: OFFICIAL BACKDROP FOR SALE

German black metal outfit DARK FORTRESS is selling its official backdrop banner, which the band used at its concerts during 1999-2006. The backdrop, which contains autographs from all the bandmembers, is being auctioned via eBay.

DARK FORTRESS is currently working on material for its fifth album, entitled 'Scum'. Songtitles set to appear on the CD include 'Abhorrence vs. Scum', 'Cold', 'A Sickening World's Protagonist', 'The Anti-Life Doctrine' and 'Scumshot Orgasm'. The band is also planning several festival appearances during 2007.

DARK FORTRESS' fourth full-length CD, 'Séance', was released in Europe in January 2006 via Century Media Records.

SOULBENDER FEATURING QUEENSRYCHE GUITARIST, NEVERMORE DRUMMER: SEATTLE SHOW CANCELLED

SOULBENDER — the band formed by QUEENSRYCHE guitarist Michael Wilton, ex-MY SISTER'S MACHINE singer Nick Pollock, ex-TIN PAN/FALLEN ANGEL guitarist Dave Groves, ex-ASSAULT/FALLEN ANGEL drummer Wes Hallam, and bassist Chuck Miller (PEACE AND SILENCE, DR. UNKNOWN) — has been forced to cancel its previously announced show in Seattle tonight (Saturday, January 6) at Studio 7. According to NEVERMORE drummer Van Williams, who was supposed to fill in behind the kit for the gig, 'the singer is sick and will not be able to perform. I've been learning the music and have had a few rehearsals with the rest of the band and things have been going really great but his illness prevents us from putting on the show.'

SOULBENDER — featuring Williams on drums — is still scheduled to play the following dates:

Jan. 25 - Stars Cabaret – Salem, OR
Jan. 26 - Rock and Roll Pizza - Portland, OR

SOULBENDER's self-titled debut album was released independently in 2004. A new rough-mix demo track, entitled 'Chisel and Hammer', can be heard on the band's MySpace page.

QUEEN NAMED GREATEST BRITISH BAND OF ALL TIME

BBC News reports that rockers QUEEN have beaten THE BEATLES to be crowned greatest British band of all time by BBC Radio 2 listeners.

They pipped the Fab Four in a live contest, trouncing other finalists THE ROLLING STONES, OASIS and TAKE THAT.

The bands were judged on songwriting, lyrics, live performances, originality and showmanship.

More than 20,000 listeners voted by email, text and phone. The five finalists had been selected over the previous week by Radio 2 listeners.

DJ Mark Goodier then hosted a three-hour live New Year's Day show in which a host of celebrity guests, including boy band MCFLY, joined listeners in debating who should win the title.

Read more at BBC News.

AFTER FOREVER CONFIRMED FOR PROGPOWER USA VIII FESTIVAL

Dutch female-fronted symphonic metal outfit AFTER FOREVER has been confirmed for the ProgPower USA VIII festival, set to take place October 5-6, 2007 at Center Stage Atlanta in Atlanta, Georgia. The final festival billing is as follows (in alphabetical order):

AFTER FOREVER
COMMUNIC
FIREWIND
PAGAN'S MIND
PRIMAL FEAR
RAINTIME
REDEMPTION
SONATA ARCTICA
THRESHOLD
VIRGIN STEELE

Advance gold badges are sold out and only 900 tickets will be made available to the public.

As previously reported, Germany's progressive metal icons VANDEN PLAS and Sweden's FREAK KITCHEN have been confirmed to co-headline the ProgPower USA VIII Showcase on Thursday, October 4, 2007.

Ticket information for both the main festival and the Showcase will be released via the festival web site (www.progpowerusa.com).

AFTER FOREVER's new, self-titled album is scheduled for release on March 23 via Nuclear Blast Records. According to an article on the Dutch web site Metalfan.nl, the song 'Discord' will feature the Prague Symphonic Orchestra, while vocalist Doro Pesch can be heard dueting with AFTER FOREVER frontwoman Floor Jansen in the track 'Who I Am'. ANNIHILATOR guitarist Jeff Waters reportedly makes an appearance on a track with a working title of 'De-Energized'. Other songs set to appear on the CD include 'Evoke', 'Transitory', 'Equally Destructive', 'Withering Time', 'Cry With A Smile', 'Envision', 'Who I Am' and 'Empty Memories'.

AFTER FOREVER's last album was 'Remagine', which came out in 2005. The follow-up to 2004's 'Invisible Circles' was recorded at Excess studio in Rotterdam, Holland and was mixed by Sascha Paeth and Philip Colodetti at the Gate studio in Wolfsburg, Germany.

AFTER FOREVER's former record label, Transmission Records, recently issued a two-disc compilation album containing the best songs from the band's first ten years of existence, plus previously unreleased material, non-album tracks, alternate takes, rarities and previously unreleased remixed versions. The set, which includes collaborations with such guest musicians as Sharon den Adel (WITHIN TEMPTATION), Arjen Lucassen and Damian Wilson (AYREON) and Marco Hietala (NIGHTWISH), entered the Dutch national album chart at position No. 69 upon its release in June.

HEIR APPARENT PARTS WAYS WITH MEMBERS OF 2006 TOURING LINEUP

HEIR APPARENT members Bobby Ferkovich (bass), Peter Orullian (vocals), Op Sakiya (keyboards) and Jeffrey McCormack (drums) have issued the following statement:

'We would first like to take the opportunity to thank all of the fantastic friends and fans of HEIR APPARENT that we have had the privilege to meet this last year in person or via email. You have all been wonderful and made us all feel extraordinarily welcome, encouraged us from the start, and we are forever grateful.

'Secondly, we have the unfortunate task of informing you that the four of us will no longer be affiliated with HEIR APPARENT.

'When we returned from our amazing shows in Europe, we were asked of our interests in potentially writing and recording another HEIR APPARENT album, only to have the idea withdrawn due to our inability to participate in a five-day-a-week writing/rehearsal regimen set by Mr. Gorle [guitarist Terry Gorle] as part of the agreement. Each of us has families, day jobs and other musical projects which will not allow us to maintain such a rigorous endeavor, so we all have agreed to step aside and allow Mr. Gorle the freedom to continue the HEIR APPARENT legacy on his own, with wishes of good luck for the future.

'We thoroughly enjoyed our time playing this music, and consider ourselves deeply honored to have had the opportunity to play for the fans in Germany snd Greece. It is our hope that our other musical projects will again take us to see you and many others in the near future.

'As to our other projects:

* Peter Orullian is currently the vocalist for LYRANTHE (www.lyranthe.com), and is also working on a new album with INNER RESONANCE.

* Bassist Bobby Ferkovich and drummer Jeffrey McCormack (www.jeffmc.com ) are working with former FIFTH ANGEL guitarist Kendall Bechtel and guitarist Paul Borm on THE DEAD PRJCT (www.myspace.com/thedeadprjct)

* Keyboardist Op Sakiya is finishing work on the sophomore album from Thai pop group VACATION.

'Blessings to you all, and here's to the future!'

SPHERE: DEBUT ALBUM SAMPLE AVAILABLE FOR DOWNLOAD

Polish technical death metal newcomers SPHERE — featuring ex-members of HATE and PYORRHOEA — have posted an MP3 of the song 'Next Morning's Mass' at this location. The track comes off the group's debut album, 'Damned Souls Rituals', due mid-January via Empire Records, attached to Thrash 'Em All magazine.

'Damned Souls Rituals' track listing:

01. Vomit The Soul
02. Saved From Heaven
03. Greed
04. Why Don't You Just Kill Yourself?
05. Next Morning's Mass
06. Sin Of 17
07. Invincible Majority
08. Ritual Of Rotten Flesh
09. Hate Legalised Inside
10. Grandnekromother
11. Ultimate Saviour
12. Damned Souls Rituals

Check out cover artwork at this location.

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