Dutch death/thrash metallers DEVIOUS have entered Soundlodge Studios in Rhauderfehn, Germany to begin recording their new EP, tentatively titled "Wolfhagen". Due on May 11, the seven-track effort will include five new songs and two previously unreleased bonus cuts.

The bass tracks on the new EP are being laid down by Alwin Zuur (ASPHYX) following the departure of Daniël Centiago.

"Wolfhagen" will mark the recording debut of DEVIOUS' new singer, Dennis Lusseveld, who joined the band in November.

DEVIOUS' third full-length album, "Vision", was released in December 2009 via Deity Down Records.

For more information, visit www.devious.nl.

Aniruddh "Andrew" Bansal of Metal Assault recently conducted an interview with vocalist Ralf Scheepers of German power metallers PRIMAL FEAR. You can now listen to the chat using the Mixcloud player below.

PRIMAL FEAR's new album, "Unbreakable", sold around 600 copies in the United States in its first week of release. The CD landed at position No. 44 on the Top New Artist Albums (Heatseekers) chart, which lists the best-selling albums by new and developing artists, defined as those who have never appeared in the Top 100 of The Billboard 200.

As previously reported, "Unbreakable" entered the German Media Control chart at position No. 31. The group's previous CD, 2009's "16.6 (Before The Devil Knows You're Dead)" , opened at No. 46, while 2007's "New Religion" premiered at No. 60.

Released on January 24, 2012 in the U.S. via Frontiers Records, "Unbreakable" was tracked in part at House Of Music studios in Winterbach, Germany with producer/bassist Mat Sinner and engineer Achim Köhler (EDGUY, MASTERPLAN).

According to a press release, "Unbreakable" "combines the skills of the strongest PRIMAL FEAR lineup ever with a well-balanced 'back-to-the-roots" vibe and an ambitious learning process during their longest tour so far. Classic and ultra-fresh PRIMAL FEAR riff-rockers like 'Strike', 'Give 'Em Hell' or the high-speed track 'And There Was Silence' will hit the bulls-eye, like the rhythm paced metal anthem, first single and new video clip 'Bad Guys Wear Black'. Less experiments, more rock! But there will be a nine-minute epic journey with a lot prog approach named 'Where Angels Die', a classic wonderful ballad 'Born Again' and the melodic power bomb 'Metal Nation'."

Commented singer Ralf Scheepers: "The plan was to record an album for the fans with rough metal riffs, screaming vocals and good melodies ...and finally it became a monster — a tough 'bang-your-head' metal album called 'Unbreakable'."

"Unbreakable" track listing:

01. Unbreakable (Part 1)
02. Strike
03. Give 'Em Hell
04. Bad Guys Wear Black
05. And There Was Silence
06. Metal Nation
07. Where Angels Die
08. Unbreakable (Part 2)
09. Marching Again
10. Born Again
11. Blaze Of Glory
12. Conviction
13. Night Of The Jumps (Bonus Track)*
14. Bad Guys Wear Black (Video)*

* Only available in the first pressing in digipak

The digital-only single "Bad Guys Wear Black" was made available for download on December 5. The single also includes "Metal Nation" in an exclusive single mix.



"Bad Guys Wear Black" video:

"Where Orchidectomy And Mastitis Street Meet Is Why I Will Die", the new video from Sydney, Australia-based metallers KUNVUK, can be seen below. This is the third and most ambitious music video from the independent metal band so far. Shot across eight different locations, stretching across thousands of kilometres, culled from over 200 individual clips and taking 10 months to compile, the epic nine-minute music video was directed by Luis Barra, the band's bass player.

KUNVUK is currently working on the follow-up to its debut album, "Immute:Jackals", which is expected to be released in May.

"Immute:Jackals" was recorded, engineered, mixed and produced by the band's lead guitarist/vocalist David Hart and mastered by Rick O'Neil (FAITH NO MORE, GRINSPOON, BOB DYLAN) at Turtlerock Mastering.

Recorded at the band's own Shadow Mekanik Studios, "Immute:Jackals" was released as a two-disc, DVD-sized, eight-panel digipack with 24-page booklet. The first disc contained 12 new compositions rallying from the brink of insanity to the pinnacle of clarity. Coupled with this was a second disc which contained the reconstructed, re-recorded, remixed and remastered version of the band's demo EP, "The Gone Mekanik Anticipation Demonstration".

For more information, visit www.kunvuk.com.

FOO FIGHTERS were honored with a Grammy in the "Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance" category in the pre-telecast ceremony at the 54th annual Grammy Awards, which are being held tonight (Sunday, February 12) at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. FOO FIGHTERS were nominated for the track "White Limo", from the band's 2011 album "Wasting Light".

The nominees in this year's "Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance" category were as follows:

* DREAM THEATER - "On The Backs Of Angels"
* FOO FIGHTERS - "White Limo"
* MASTODON - "Curl Of The Burl"
* MEGADETH - "Public Enemy No. 1"
* SUM 41 - "Blood In My Eyes"

To be eligible for nomination, an artist's work must have been released between October 1, 2010 and September 30, 2011.

The 54th annual Grammy Awards are once again being broadcast live in high-definition TV and 5.1 surround sound on CBS from 8 p.m. to 11:30 p.m. (ET/PT).

In an effort to continuously evolve its Grammy Awards process, The Recording Academy announced in April 2011 that it had restructured the Grammy categories across all genres and fields, bringing the total number of categories to be recognized at the 54th Grammy Awards in 2012 to 78 from 109. As a result, instead of separate "Best Metal" and "Best Hard Rock" performance prizes, there is now a single "Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance" award.

For a complete list of nominees, go to this location.

On January 17, Aniruddh "Andrew" Bansal of Metal Assault conducted an interview with drummer Dave Haley of Australian technical death metallers PSYCROPTIC. You can now listen to the chat using the Mixcloud player below.

PSYCROPTIC's fifth studio album, "The Inherited Repression", was released on February 7 in North America and February 10 in Europe via Nuclear Blast Records.

Commented Joe Haley: "'The Inherited Repression' is far and away my favorite PSYCROPTIC record thus far — all of us in the band think this.

"It's the age-old cliché from bands when they talk about their new album as being the best of their career, blah, blah, but I have to say it because it's true. We wouldn't think there is a point of going on if we couldn't outdo each record prior. We are certainly not playing music for anything else than the love of creating it and performing it.

"'The Inherited Repression' is quite different from anything we have done in terms of songwriting and structure, and we spent a lot longer writing and demoing the songs before we recorded it, which you can tell. It's a very dynamic album — the fast elements faster, the slow elements slower, and a lot of light and dark binding it together. It's a very catchy album as well — you can tap your foot, bang your head or anything else you want. Basically, it has a lot of groove on it from start to finish."

"The Inherited Repression" was produced, engineered and mixed by Haley, while Alan Douches will handle mastering duties.

"We had the luxury of recording in my home studio without deadlines, so we spent a long time on getting it how we wanted," said Haley. "We can't wait for people to hear it, and get out and play the songs live!"

"The Inherited Repression" track listing:

01. Carriers Of The Plague
02. Forward To Submission
03. Euphorinasia
04. The Throne Of Kings
05. Unmasking The Traitors
06. Become The Cult
07. From Scribe To Ashes
08. Deprivation
09. The Sleepers Have Awoken

PSYCROPTIC is:

Jason Peppiatt - Vocals
Cameron Grant - Bass
Joe Haley - Guitar
Dave Haley - Drums



"Carriers Of The Plague" audio stream:

On January 28, The Score television network — a Canadian specialty television service providing sports, news, information, highlights and live event programming, available across Canada — conducted an interview with bassist Dan Kenny of California deathcore masters SUICIDE SILENCE about his #1 passion outside of music — NFL football. A native of San Francisco, Dan talks about the difficulties of growing up a Cowboys fan in 49ers territory. You can now watch the chat below.

SUICIDE SILENCE's new album, "The Black Crown", sold around 14,400 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 28 on The Billboard 200 chart.

The band's previous CD, "No Time To Bleed", opened with 14,000 units in July 2009 to land at No. 32 on The Billboard 200 chart.

"The Black Crown" was released in North America on July 12, 2010 via Century Media Records. The CD was recorded with heavyweight producer Steve Evetts (THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN, EVERY TIME I DIE, HATEBREED) and features guest appearances by KORN singer Jonathan Davis and SUFFOCATION frontman Frank Mullen.

The cover artwork for "The Black Crown" was created by the Delaware-based freelance graphic designer and illustrator Ken "K3N" Adams, who has previously worked with LAMB OF GOD.

Fan-filmed footage of TRIVIUM performing a cover version of METALLICA's classic track "The Four Horsemen" on February 10 at the Summit Music Hall in Denver, Colorado can be seen below. TRIVIUM played the song as a three-piece, with vocalist/guitarist Matt Heafy watching his bandmates — Corey Beaulieu (guitar), Paolo Gregoletto (bass) and Nick Augusto (drums) — from the side of the stage (Corey handled lead vocals in the track).

In a 2010 interview, Heafy was asked who inspired him the most when he was first starting out as a musician. "If it weren't for James Hetfield [METALLICA], I literally wouldn't be here," he said. "I mean, I know that there are a lot of other musicians, in that band as well, especially from the 'Black Album' era, but it was Hetfield who really brought me into metal. To see their live shows and see what a commanding presence he was, and to see how good of a guitar player he is. So, he got me into everything, then I bridged out from there."

TRIVIUM has joined forces with Swedish metallers IN FLAMES for a co-headining North American tour in January/February. Support on the trek is coming from VEIL OF MAYA and KYNG.

TRIVIUM's latest album, "In Waves", sold 22,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 13 on The Billboard 200 chart — the highest U.S. chart entry of the band's career. The group's previous CD, "Shogun", opened with just under 24,000 units back in October 2008 to debut at No. 23. The effort followed up "The Crusade", which registered a first-week tally of 31,000 copies in October 2006 to enter the chart at No. 25.

Guitarist Steve Stevens (BILLY IDOL) has confirmed via Facebook that he will take part in a South American tour dubbed "Titans Of Rock" featuring the following all-star lineup of musicians:

* Duff McKagan (GUNS N' ROSES, VELVET REVOLVER)
* Joe Elliot (DEF LEPPARD)
* Gilby Clarke (GUNS N' ROSES, ROCKSTAR SUPERNOVA)
* Ed Roland (COLLECTIVE SOUL)
* Steve Stevens (BILLY IDOL)
* Glenn Hughes (DEEP PURPLE, BLACK SABBATH, BLACK COUNTRY COMMUNION)
* Matt Sorum (GUNS N' ROSES, VELVET REVOLVER)
* Jason Newsted (METALLICA, VOIVOD, ROCKSTAR SUPERNOVA)
* Sebastian Bach (SKID ROW)
* Vince Neil (MÖTLEY CRÜE)

"Titans Of Rock" tour dates:

April 19 - Lima, Peru
April 21 - Sao Luis, Brazil
April 22 - Sao Paulo, Brazil
April 24 - Paraguay
April 26 - Buenos Aires, Argentina
April 28 – Santiago, Chile
April 30 - Guatemala City, Guatemala
May 02 - San Jose, Costa Rica

Former THE RUNAWAYS vocalist Cherie Currie has posted the following statement regarding the passing of legendary singer Whitney Houston:

"I am truly saddened this morning upon hearing of Whitney Houston's death. Her song 'The Greatest Love Of All' was so inspiring for me and many others in the mid-80s when we were battling our demons. It gave us strength and perspective. I loved her. My sadness gives way to anger because I know what caused her death. It almost took mine back then, but by the grace of God I'm still here. I would never have believed that the woman that gave so many hope with that voice and songs would lose the fight she helped so many to win.

"RIP, Whitney.

"What a talent. What a tragedy. You will be sorely missed.

Houston was pronounced dead at 3:55 p.m. PST on Saturday, February 11 at the Beverly Hilton hotel in Beverly Hills, California. She was 48 years old. Her string of Billboard No. 1 hits included "Saving All My Love For You", "How Will I Know", "The Greatest Love Of All", "Where Do Broken Hearts Go" and "I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)".

In 1992 she released the soundtrack to her movie "The Bodyguard", one of the top ten biggest-selling albums of all time.

Video footage of Canadian extreme metallers CRYPTOPSY practicing a brand new song from their forthcoming album can be seen below.

CRYPTOPSY last month tapped bassist Olivier Pinard (NEURAXIS, VENGEFUL) as the replacement for guitarist-turned-bassist Youri Raymond.

Raymond left CRYPTOPSY in December, explaining in a statement that "it's in the best interest of both the band and I to part ways." He added, "As a musician, moving from guitar to bass was a great challenge, but honestly, I never really felt comfortable in that position and my motivation in general was stagnating."

Lead guitarist and songwriter Jon Levasseur rejoined CRYPTOPSY in May 2011.

"The Unspoken King", CRYPTOPSY's sixth full-length and first to feature new vocalist Matt McGachy, was released June 24, 2008 to a wide array of reactions. Drummer Flo Mounier explained his intention in reshaping the dynamics of the band to Decibel magazine: "I'm a fan of different sorts of music, and I think it's most fun when a band puts out an album that has elements of everything; you get this thing called diversity, not boredom. That's what we're trying to do. Still, I think people are going to be surprised how brutal this album is."

LACUNA COIL singer Cristina Scabbia joined MEGADETH on stage on February 9 during this year's Gigantour at the Palace Of Auburn Hills in Auburn Hills, Michigan to perform the MEGADETH song "A Tout Le Monde".

Fan-filmed video footage of her appearance can be seen below.

MEGADETH's setlist for the concert was as follows:

01. Trust
02. Wake Up Dead
03. Hangar 18
04. She-Wolf
05. Foreclosure of a Dream
06. Dawn Patrol
07. Head Crusher
08. A Tout Le Monde (with Cristina Scabbia)
09. Public Enemy No. 1
10. Whose Life (Is It Anyways?)
11. Guns, Drugs & Money
12. Symphony of Destruction
13. Peace Sells

Encore:

14. Holy Wars... The Punishment Due

"A Tout Le Monde", which originally appeared on MEGADETH's 1994 CD "Youthanasia", created controversy in September 2006 because the song was cited in an online post by Dawson College killer Kimveer Gill as one of his favorites before his Montreal shooting spree. MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine contends that he wanted to give the song a second shot at success, as the original video for it had been banned by MTV, and most radio stations followed suit. The track ended up featuring Cristina Scabbia after "the first singer didn't work out," Mustaine told Straight.com. "The second one didn't work, and the third one was Lisa Marie Presley. She was on the way to the airport, and we had to call and say, 'Sorry, we changed our minds.' I would have loved to have heard what Lisa Marie Presley would have done, but because of the demographics of the LACUNA COIL fan base, and Cristina's reign in the heavy-metal business, it was the right thing to do."

In a 2008 interview Cristina stated about her collaboration with MEGADETH, "[Dave Mustaine] actually asked me to be part of this duet, and I was really surprised about it because 'A Tout Le Monde' is a song that I've always loved, even if it's not like the new [version] because [the original song] [was released on] the album 'Youthanasia'. It was a big surprise for me to get this invitation — I was really honored to be part of it. And seriously, when I heard the final result, I was awesomely surprised 'cause I think that the two voices are fitting incredibly [well together]. I think that the version of 'A Tout le Monde' 2007 has a stronger attitude. If the original version was for the mellow mood, this one is way more rock, way more powerful. I totally love it. I was surprised myself, and I think that a lot of people will be pleasantly surprised. It was recorded, like an hour from Birgmingham [England]. So I flew in and recorded my parts with Andy Sneap [producer]. He's [Andy] an amazing guy — super professional — and the atmosphere in the studio was so relaxed. It was like a family vibe, and I think that's the most amazing thing when you have to work. You can work and still smile, you know, and be relaxed. I tracked the entire song because we weren't really sure what we had to do, so we just wanted to be totally sure, so we recorded all the parts that Dave sung with some improvisation with it, double vocals. We basically made anything possible, so they could pick up whatever they wanted to."

"A Tout Le Monde (Set Me Free)" appeared on MEGADETH's 2007 album "United Abominations", which was released via Roadrunner Records.

Michael Deeds of Macon.com recently conducted an interview with keyboardist Janne Wirman of Finnish metallers CHILDREN OF BODOM. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

Macon.com: Extreme metal bands from Scandinavia often sound much more melodic than U.S. bands. Why do you think that is?

Janne: I seriously don't know. That's something that I get asked a lot in interviews. We were trying to think about it, and then we come up with funny answers like, you know, it's so cold and dark.

Macon.com: You started playing piano when you were 5 and played a lot of jazz before you joined BODOM. Your frontman, singer-guitarist Alexi Laiho, took violin lessons as a kid. Is Finland a musical place for children?

Janne: I think it is. Or just who I grew up with. All my friends played something, and already when we were 15, we were playing in bands and all that kind of stuff. I think Finland, they put a lot of (importance) into the whole musical education thing. I think even the government somehow is endorsing the whole thing. When I joined BODOM, I was still sure that I was going to become an architect. But then after a few years, I became a rock star. (Laughs) When we started, obviously, we didn't know what was going to happen. The music was very extreme. But nowadays, we are really happy and really fortunate to have been able to do this for 15 years.

Macon.com: You guys are still young, in your early 30s. But you probably don't party quite as hard as you did a few years ago, do you?

Janne: (Chuckles) No, which is a good thing, because we partied pretty (expletive) hard for some time. I'm just glad nobody got hurt or killed. Yeah. Somehow for me, it's funny but when you turn 30, somehow, like, I started taking a little bit more responsibility about things I do. We still party, but not that hard.

Macon.com: Did playing in BODOM force you to develop a different skill set? There's the pitch-bend wheel you use a lot.

Janne: Definitely, I had to learn, like, (a) whole new way of playing, basically. Because classical or whatever piano you studied — even keyboards and piano are different instruments even though they kind of look the same. And then the whole, like you said, the whole metal way of that thingy. So you pretty much have to learn a whole new thing.

Read the entire interview from Macon.com.

Kelly Dearmore of DallasOberserver.com recently conducted an interview with guitarist/vocalist Steve "Lips" Kudlow of Canadian metal legends ANVIL. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

DallasOberserver.com: When ANVIL started, metal was new. Now, there are so many different types of metal. What do you think of that evolution?
Lips: Initially, it was all hard rock or heavy rock. Around 1980, it started getting called metal and heavy metal. At that point, there was really only that one kind of heavy metal, and it encapsulated a wide range of sounds. As time went along, a hundred different types of metal popped up. At one point, you could put a ballad on a metal album, along with a fast, brutal song and also a bludgeoning, slow stomper and it was all cool. Now, it's really uncool to do that. Now, so many records sound the same, every song is the same, the singing is often the same. There's no bloody melody, no real rhythm. Why is that? It's like, if you get commercial success, you can't be metal anymore. If a song gets popular, it's no longer metal - you sold out. It's just human nature to try and categorize and pigeonhole everything. That's all it is.

DallasOberserver.com: In the documentary ["Anvil! The Story Of Anvil"], both you and Robb [Reiner, drums] worked day jobs. When you're recovering at home between tours, you don't still have to go punch in somewhere, do you?

Lips: No day jobs, man. That finished a couple of years ago. We've been so busy touring, what job would keep us around? We had the material for the [2011 album] "Juggernaut Of Justice" ready for two years before we got around to recording it, because of our busy tour schedule. The essence of what we do points towards playing live. I play gigs.That's what I do. If I'm not playing gigs, I feel awful. After coming home from a tour, sure, I'm tired. But after a night or two of sleeping in my own bed, I'm ready to go again. I'm addicted to the endorphins that are released when I play live. I need that and I get used to that after a month of playing live on the road.

DallasOberserver.com: Could there be an ANVIL without you and Robb together?

Lips: No. The simple answer is no. It will always have to be both of us, and there are a hundred and one reasons why. We started to play together in 1973, and we were inseparable. Also, I have a complete love and understanding for the drums. I'm the perfect guitar player for a drummer because I know what he's always doing. Robb always knows what I'm doing, too. Our musical vocabulary is virtually identical. We'll put songs together by simply discussing them. We've written songs on the way to rehearsal before, just by talking about it. Only we understand that vocabulary. How do you separate that? If I go anywhere, I take my voice and guitar with me and I'm still the guy from ANVIL. Why bother leaving where I came from, because it will always be me. Robb will never have a circumstance where he can have the influence and understanding that I provide for him.The main currency of ANVIL is drumming. ANVIL is about drumming. I write songs to accentuate drums, because I've got a great drummer. It's about acceptance. Acceptance of the good and the bad.

Read the entire interview from DallasOberserver.com.

Swedish death/black metallers APOSTASY will enter the studio on March 30 to begin recording their fourth album for a late 2012 release. The drums will be laid down at Studio Seven Studio with Ronny Milianowicz at the helm.

APOSTASY's third album, "Nuclear Messiah", was released last August 24 via Gothenburg, Sweden's Rambo Music, a division of Gain Music Entertainment (which is distributed and partly owned by Sony Music).

Vocalist Fredric Edin previously stated about "Nuclear Messiah", "It's been a rocky road for us when we lost [guitarist] Henrik [Johansson], but now we are stronger than ever and can guarantee you folks that this will surely be the most brutal and most technical we have ever made, so what I want to say is: We don't slow down like everybody else does, we just accelerate and make it more brutal. It is worth waiting for!"

APOSTASY made national headlines in Sweden in 2006 when the group's guitarist, Henrik Johansson, was stabbed to death by his girlfriend. At 3:55 a.m. on March 9, 2006, the 19-year-old woman dialed 112 (the Swedish equivalent of 911 in the U.S. or 999 in the U.K.) and said that her boyfriend was lying bleeding on the floor in the couple's apartment in Kramfors, Sweden. When the paramedics and police arrived, Johansson was already dead.

22-year-old Norwegian seven-string guitarist/singer/songwriter The Commander-In-Chief will release her debut EP, "Evolution", digitally on February 15 via Commander Records/The Commander-In-Chief Ltd. The effort was produced by Sterling Winfield (PANTERA, HATEBREED, HELLYEAH), who previously mixed The Commander-In-Chiefs' "brutal, adrenalin-fueled" cover version of the BLACK SABBATH classic "Paranoid" (audio stream avialable in YouTube clip below).

According to a press release, "the recording process of the EP was very different from what normally happens in studio these days, so Sterling Winfield made a statement about it.

He said, "I would first like to say thank you again to 'The Commander' and Elisabeth Hagen for giving me the opportunity to work on such an original project. It is refreshing to work on a recording that is nothing like everything else that is going on in music currently. Furthermore, as a producer and engineer for the last twenty-one years, I feel that the following needs to be said for many reasons: I am very proud to acknowledge the fact that what you are hearing is all 100 percent musician-played performances! During the course of listening to these songs, you will NOT hear one drum hit that was moved around, placed on a grid, 'sound replaced' or augmented in any way whatsoever. You will also NOT hear Auto-Tune, Melodyne or any other vocal-tuning software of ANY kind!

"That being said, I will answer the burning question looming in your minds… Yes, The Commander-In-Chief played ALL of the guitars you're hearing and sang every single note. Not only did she do all of this, but she did it all with more great attitude, and professionalism than a lot of the veteran musicians I know that have been doing this almost longer than she has been alive. All of the musicians that played on this project were truly great! They all performed above and beyond the call of duty and I was proud to be a part of it. I think that it is important to mention these things so that listeners and musicians alike can see that music can be made without all of the trappings or abuse of digital recording tools. This experience was also proof to me that there are musicians out there that still take pleasure in playing/singing and relying upon the discipline it takes to do so."

"Evolution" track listing:

01. Thou
02. Famous
03. Evolution
04. Let It Go

In a 2010 interview with Metal Express Radio, The Commander-In-Chief stated about her music, "I used to call it hybrid rock; the power of rock with the message of punk, and the catchiness of pop inspired by metal techniques. NOW my music has taken a more heavy direction than last year, so it's less punk and more metal."

Regarding her name, The Commander-In-Chief, she said, "I wanted a powerful artist name, since I've always been doing my own thing and still am. I do all the songwriting, guitar playing, singing and I write all the lyrics. For the first demo I made in Chicago I also made my own animated music video which generated quite a buzz on MySpace and gave me all my first fans. I also created illustrations for all my songs, mixing the music with visual arts. I don't do that anymore though, as I just don't have the time."

For more information, go to this location.

Denver, Colorado-based metallers ARCANIUM have entered Mercenary Studios in Zion, Illinois with producers Scott Creekmore and Shaun Glass (SOIL, DIRGE WITHIN) to begin recording their sophomore album, to be released later in the year via an as-yet-undetermined record label.

The first in a series of video blogs featuring behind-the-scenes footage from the new studio sessions can be seen below.

Originally formed in March 2007, ARCANIUM set forth to unleash an unabashed musical barrage on unsuspecting hard rock and metal fans worldwide.

In their relatively short existence as a band, ARCANIUM has toured with such bands as MEGADETH, MACHINE HEAD and BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE and has earned a respectably loyal fan base throughout the state of Colorado.

ARCANIUM released a self-titled EP in 2008 and followed it up with a debut album, "The Architects", in 2009.

A memorial concert for David Gold — a founding member of the Ontario, Canada-based black and doom metal band WOODS OF YPRES, who was killed in December in a car accident near Barrie, Ontario — will be held on Thursday, April 5 at The Annex WreckRoom in Toronto, Ontario., The event, which will also double as the release party for WOODS OF YPRES' new album, "Woods V: Grey Skies & Electric Light", will feature a headline performance by Chicago's NOVEMBERS DOOM, as well as tribute performances by ECLIPSE ETERNAL, EMPYREAN PLAGUE, GYPSY CHIEF GOLIATH, HALLOWS DIE, KITTIE, PAGAN RITUAL, PANZERFAUST and more. Admission is solely by donation, and proceeds will be given to the Gold family to help cover the expenses of David's final arrangements, and to support the annual David Gold Music Scholarship made available to Sault College students.

An e-mail address will be established if anyone has photos they would like to contribute to a multimedia display that will be running through the evening.

For more information, go to this location.

"Woods 5: Grey Skies & Electric Light" was recorded with producer Siegfried Meier (KITTIE) at Beach Road Studios in Ontario, Canada, and was mixed by John Fryer (NINE INCH NAILS, PARADISE LOST).

Formed in 2002, WOODS OF YPRES has earned critical acclaim for its ever-evolving, envelope-pushing mix of blackened doom metal. Most often compared to bands such as AGALLOCH and TYPE O NEGATIVE, WOODS OF YPRES toes a thin line between the catchy, the artistic and the extreme to create an unmistakable signature sound.

Metal Nation TV recently conducted an interview with Canadian musician/producer Devin Townsend about Devin's production style, home studio and opinion on the current state of the music industry, among other topics. You can now watch the chat below.

Townsend played four shows in London in November 2011 dedicated to his tetralogy album concept — a great journey through Devin's different states of musical moods — which he started in 2009 with the albums "Addicted" (2009) and "Ki" (2009) and finished with last year's "Deconstruction" and "Ghost". The concerts were professionally recorded and filmed for a unique four-disc DVD release, which is tentatively due in July. Devin states, "I love being able to make huge projects. In this age, it's essential."

DEVIN TOWNSEND PROJECT released "Contain Us", a special tribute box set for its epic quadrology ("Ki", "Addicted", "Deconstruction" and "Ghost") on November 29 in North America. "Contain Us" was designed and created by Man Alive's Tom Bejgrowicz (who also conceived the classic and must-have MISFITS "Coffin" box-set) and is the ultimate collection for every diehard Devin fan. The standard box-set is priced at $80.00 while the hand-numbered box with the 10" and a lithograph drawn and autographed by Devin is $100.

WATCH ME BLEED — the German death/thrash metal band featuring MYSTIC PROPHECY guitar player Markus Pohl and ex-SYMPHORCE drummer Steffen Theurer — has inked a deal with the "label alternative" SAOL/H'art. The band's new album, which was produced by Eike Fresse (DARK AGE, CALLEJON, GAMMA RAY), will be released in late spring.

Commented WATCH ME BLEED vocalist Chris Roden: "We are very happy and proud to join the SAOL family. This is a new way of distributing our music, an alternative to the 'normal' label structure. We are convinced that this collaboration is for us a unique chance to work in the best conditions with experienced and passionate people."

WATCH ME BLEED's "Bloodred Rain" video can be viewed below. The song comes off the group's debut album, "Souldrinker", which was released in October 2009 via Silverwolf Productions.

"Souldrinker" was mixed by Christian "Moschus" Moos (DELAIN, C-187, EVERON) at Spacelab studios and was mastered by Eroc (SODOM, DELAIN) at the Mastering Ranch. It contains eleven songs with guest appearances by Andy B. Franck (BRAINSTORM), Nemesis (EIGENSINN) and Greek guitar wizard Constantine (MYSTIC PROPHECY, THE DESCENDING).

For more information, visit www.myspace.com/watchmebleed667.

ArmyOfOneTV conducted an interview with guitarist Anton Reisenegger of the extreme metal supergroup LOCK UP on February 9 at Bogies in Albany, New York. You can now watch the chat below.

LOCK UP bassist Shane Embury was unable to make the band's current North American trek and is being temporarily replaced by Dan Lilker (NUCLEAR ASSAULT, BRUTAL TRUTH, S.O.D., VENOMOUS CONCEPT).

Originally formed by Shane Embury (NAPALM DEATH, VENOMOUS CONCEPT), Nick Barker (ex-CRADLE OF FILTH, DIMMU BORGIR) and Jesse Pintado (NAPALM DEATH, TERRORIZER) to blast out the most caustic, skin-flaying brand of deathgrind, LOCK UP was joined by the raw throat of Peter Tägtgren (HYPOCRISY) for its debut album, 1999's fearsome "Pleasure Pave Sewers", and Tomas Lindberg (AT THE GATES, DISFEAR) for 2002's "Hate Breeds Suffering", touring Japan and then falling into inactivity.

Now joined by guitarist Anton Reisenegger (Chile's PENTAGRAM, CRIMINAL) in place of the late Jesse Pintado, LOCK UP is back in the most uncompromising style possible.

Commented Barker: "After many attempts in the past, sadly to no avail, LOCK UP finally gets to make it stateside for a string of shows with our good friends from Louisiana, GOATWHORE. For us in LOCK UP, to play with GOATWHORE in the U.S. is like a dream tour, as they are one of our favorite bands — and being good friends with them too only makes this package even more special to us. Be prepared North America 'cause we're coming over to blast your minds into deathgrind oblivion!"

Remaining LOCK UP dates are as follows:

Feb. 12 - Tortonto, ON @ Wreck Room
Feb. 13 - Chicago, IL @ Reggie's
Feb. 14 - Columbus, OH @ Alrosa Villa
Feb. 15 - Baltimore, MD @ Sonar
Feb. 16 - Brooklyn, NY @ Europa

LOCK UP's third studio album, "Necropolis Transparent", the was released in North America on July 12, 2011 via Nuclear Blast Records. The CD was recorded in November-December 2010 at HVR Studios in Ipswich, United Kingdom and was mixed in January.

"Necropolis Transparent" features guest appearances by HYPOCRISY/PAIN mainman (and one-time LOCK UP vocalist) Peter Tägtgren along with Jeff Walker (CARCASS, BRUJERIA).

Fan-filmed video footage of LOCK UP's February 8 performance at Club Infinity in Clarence, New York can be seen below.

Interview (Albany, New York):



Performance (Buffalo, New York):

Two original members of Chicago doom legends TROUBLE — vocalist Eric Wagner and drummer Jeff "Oly" Olson — have joined forces with the band's longtime bassist Ron Holzner in a new heavy rock/doom metal act called THE SKULL.

When asked why they decided now was the right time for THE SKULL to come together, Ron told Metal Kaoz, "The 'TROUBLE jam' set at last year's Days Of The Doomed Fest [in Kenosha, Wisconsin] was the catalyst for this whole thing. Eric and Oly hadn't had the chance to talk much before [Days Of The Doomed Fest], and then when I got there the next day and we all got to hang out and talk... it was really nice! Playing 'End Of My Daze' with the whole fucking crowd singing... that's what it's all about! We all looked at each other on stage and simply went, 'Wow!'"

He added, "All of us have our [respective] bands that are doing well, but the fans really want to hear the old [TROUBLE] songs the way they're meant to be heard.

"After the [Days Of The Doomed] fest, Eric basically said to me, 'Let's start a band!', and after that night the three of us thought, 'That would be cool.' We want to give the fans to the best of our ability what they deserve. When people speak loud enough, you hear it. Well, we hear it! We're doing this because we want to, and because the fans want us to. It's all about the fans. The fans spoke out, and the fans have been heard.

"The thing is, we can't just sit back and not listen to the fans. We want to go out and have fun and play the old songs. We don't have to go out and do this because we all have our own bands that are doing well with records coming out. We're doing this because we want to, and because the fans want us to."

Olson was equally enthusastic about the formation of THE SKULL, telling Metal Kaos in an e-mail, "[I'm] excited to jam some TROUBLE again! [I] was a little worried there would be some drama with the fans, like with the two L.A. GUNS bands performing the same material, but there is nothing I want more than a reunion with all TROUBLE members. For now, this will do."

Wagner, Olson and original TROUBLE bassist Sean McAllister shared the stage for the first time since 1986 during Olson's RETRO GRAVE set on June 18, 2011 at the Days Of The Doomed Fest in Kenosha, Wisconsin.

Video footage of Wagner, Olson and McAllister performing the song "Victim Of The Insane", which was written by Olson for TROUBLE's full-length debut "Psalm 9" (1984), can be viewed below.

TROUBLE formed in 1979 and released several classic albums like "Trouble", "Manic Frustration" and "Plastic Green Head".

Eric was one of the guest singers on Dave Grohl's (NIRVANA, FOO FIGHTERS) heavy metal side project PROBOT, whose 2004 album featured heavy metal vocalists from the '80s and '90s. Wagner also makes a guest appearance in the forthcoming horror film "Jezebeth" (written and directed by Damien Dante of Satania 6 Films), to be released on Blu-ray in early 2012.

Eric Wagner left TROUBLE in April 2008, citing his disdain for the touring life as the main reason for his departure.

DOWN, the acclaimed New Orleans band which features in its ranks CORROSION OF CONFORMITY guitarist/vocalist Pepper Keenan, drummer Jimmy Bower (EYEHATEGOD, SUPERJOINT RITUAL guitarist), bassist Patrick Bruders (CROWBAR), guitarist Kirk Windstein (CROWBAR), and vocalist Philip Anselmo (SUPERJOINT RITUAL, PANTERA) — entered the studio in October to begin recording the first in a series of four EPs, to be released over the next few years (with a year between EPs), each touching on a different aspect of the band's sound.

The first six-song EP, which heralds the sound of DOWN going back to its roots, with influences from BLACK SABBATH, SAINT VITUS and WITCHFINDER GENERAL, is described by Anselmo as "a very pure doom metal record."

The track listing for the effort is as follows (in no particular order):

01. Levitation
02. Witchtripper
03. The Misfortune Teller
04. The Curse Is A Lie
05. Open Coffins
06. This Work Is Timeless

Speaking to Jerel Johnson of Target Audience this past week, Bower stated about DOWN's new EP, "We finished last night [February 9 at time of interview] with the mixing and everything. So, all we have to do now is get it mastered and the artwork is all done. So I think maybe early May. It takes a while to get everything together; it took us a little longer with the recording process so it's done. We finished it last night. It sounds killer."

He added, "We went for a really raw sound and went back to [the sound of the first DOWN album] 'Nola'. The songs are really SABBATH-ed-out. I'm really happy the way it came out. It's really aggressive and raw. All them rock n' roll adjectives in there, bro. It's doomy!"

He continued, "The idea is we're doing four EPs and the first one is pretty much cut-throat. The third one is supposed to be the acoustic one. But we're releasing four EPs within the next year and a half. They all coincide with one theme. Like the artwork and everything. It's like a big story. . . It was recorded at the Lair again (Anselmo's his barn studio, Nodferatu's Lair. The studio's name is a play on classic horror film vampire Nosferatu, altered to reflect certain musicians' tendency to nod off.), the same place we did 'Down II' and recorded it at a New Orleans studio. The last record, 'Over The Under', we recorded in L.A. because a lot of the studios weren't up and running after Katrina. So it was really nice to stay home and have that New Orleans vibe in the record to as well. Makes a difference, man."

When asked if there are any songs on the new EP that stand out, Bower said, "'Witchtripper'. It sounds like DOWN, and I'm really excited about it. I'm more excited about it than 'Over The Under'. 'Over The Under' was a great record, but I think the production was a little too much, and this takes us back to the raw roots and the songs are good. But 'Witchtripper' is my favorite one. We were in Spain for a festival, and walking around and we kept seeing rocks on people's doors. We were like, 'Dude, it must be to trip a witch.' At first, it seemed kind of silly, but once we wrote the song and lyrics — Philip wrote the lyrics — it was really cool. Hopefully we'll make a video for it, too."

Read the entire interview from Target Audience.

Photo credit: Kate Richardson

Rolling into today's Super Bowl festivities where they were featured in the KIA Optima commercial airing during the third quarter, the world's most notorious band took the world's most notorious city by storm. MÖTLEY CRÜE — vocalist Vince Neil, guitarist Mick Mars, bassist Nikki Sixx and drummer Tommy Lee — launched Las Vegas' first-ever hard rock residency with "Mötley Crüe In Sin City" at The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino with the first two rapturously received sold-out shows.

A two-minute video report from FoxNews.com's Fox411 can be seen below.

The "Mötley Crüe In Sin City" experience got underway on Friday, February 3 — also declared "Mötley Crüe Day" by Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman — as The Joint transformed into a rock 'n roll carnival extravaganza bringing in elements of MÖTLEY CRÜE's arena show, including Tommy Lee's 360 drum coaster and the biggest lighting and sound production ever brought into The Joint, including their over-the-top signature pyrotechnics which fittingly incorporated a Vegas feel. The shows are produced and promoted by AEG Live.

From costuming — which included Vince Neil's illuminated poker-hand belt buckle and rogue carnival styled seat ushers -- to showgirl dancers, female aerialists, little people, macabre clowns and stilt walkers, each element dazzled the eye throughout. In addition to MÖTLEY's high-octane numbers, which included "Kickstart My Heart", "Shout At the Devil", "Saints Of Los Angeles", "Same Old Situation" and "Girls, Girls, Girls", the band also dedicated a portion of the show to an acoustic performance. High above the audience on a floating circular platform, they performed stunning renditions of "Without You", "On With the Show" and "Don't Go Away Mad (Just Go Away)". Other songs in the set included rare live gems "Piece Of Your Action" and "Afraid", which haven't been performed live in over 10 years.

On February 4, MÖTLEY was joined by their friend Jacoby Shaddix of PAPA ROACH who jumped on stage for "Smokin' In the Boys Room". Rumor has it that there will be more guests jamming with MÖTLEY CRÜE throughout the residency.

"The 'Mötley Crüe In Sin City' residency transformed the town, not only the Hard Rock Hotel," states Paul Davis, Vice President of Entertainment, Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. "It's never been done like this before." Billboards on the world-famous Sunset Strip in Los Angeles and the 15 Interstate upon entering Vegas beckoned fans to the Hard Rock. Upon entering the casino lobby, Vince Neil's custom 1932 Ford Coupe hot rod was displayed and poker players found themselves gaming on MÖTLEY CRÜE-branded tables. Even maid service signs for hotel guest rooms indicated cleanup for "Home Sweet Home".

On February 5, the quartet returned for the third night of the run which lasts through February 19. Leading up to it, fans experienced the band's current KIA automotive TV commercial during the third quarter of the Super Bowl. The 60-second spot, titled "Drive The Dream", stars Vince, Mick, Nikki and Tommy in a race car dream sequence performing their 1989 smash hit "Kickstart My Heart". Victoria's Secret Angel Adriana Lima, mixed martial arts legend Chuck Liddell and champion bull rider Judd Leffew are also featured in the commercial.

Don't miss "Mötley Crüe In Sin City" at The Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Las Vegas now through February 19:

* Sunday, February 12
* Tuesday, February 14
* Wednesday, February 15
* Friday, February 17
* Saturday, February 18
* Sunday, February 19

Tickets, starting at $45 (plus applicable service fees) are available at the Hard Rock box office.