Vocalist Jakob Samuel of Swedish hard rockers THE POODLES will release his debut solo album, "Pastpresent", in the spring. A single, "Stars And Grace", will precede the full-length effort on February 20.

THE POODLES' fourth album, "Performocracy", entered the official chart in Sweden at position No. 1. Released on April 15, 2011 in Europe (May 5 in North America) via Frontiers Records, the CD was again produced by Mats Valentin, but this time Tobias Lindell (EUROPE, MUSTASCH) mixed the 12 outstanding tracks that make up the effort.

Drummer Tom Hunting of San Francisco Bay Area thrashers EXODUS was interviewed by "Metal Zone" host Nikki Blakk of the San Francisco, California radio station 107.7 The Bone about the upcoming special concert to mark the 10-year anniversary of former EXODUS singer Paul Baloff's passing. Dubbed "Bonded By Baloff: A Decade Of Remembrance", the event will take place on Saturday, February 4 at the Oakland Metro Operahouse and will feature "a mind-blowing lineup" — including EXODUS, POSSESSED, FORBIDDEN and HEATHEN — "that will rock your socks off!" according to a press release.

You can now watch the interview below.

Commented EXODUS guitarist Gary Holt: "With February 2nd being the 10-year anniversary of Paul's passing, the band knew it was high time we do something special to remember the legend of Paul Baloff, so we decided to put together a show the Bay Area will not soon forget. We've pulled some of the Bay's finest for this, bands who knew and shared many a stage and drink with Pavel. There are some nice surprises in store as well! It will be ten years and two days since the thrash world lost one of its greatest frontmen ever, and we will always make sure his memory lives on and is never forgotten. Long live The Destroyer!"

Added FORBIDDEN guitarist and founding member Craig Locicero: "Everyone in FORBIDDEN is honored to have been asked by Gary and EXODUS to play this show marking the 10th anniversary of Paul Baloff's crazy fucking life! I witnessed his insanity first-hand at the Mabouhay Gardens and Ruthie's Inn. As EXODUS got bigger, Paul got crazier — in a good way. It was genius at work. He was the mold that all thrash frontmen cut themselves from, but he was also a pretty damn sweet guy. Always kind to those he liked, he'd be in the front row at FORBIDDEN gigs screaming things like 'Why does it have to be so heavy?' and my favorite, 'Heavier than time!' I'm laughing just typing this!

"At his memorial, I saw people I hadn't seen in years. So much love, so many laughs. It made me happy in some strange way just to see that kind of respect displayed for Paul. We all really loved him. Luckily his legend has returned with a vengeance… and hey, Paul, you did it: You've become heavier than time!"

Scheduled performers:

Main Stage

EXODUS
POSSESSED
FORBIDDEN
HEATHEN
MAD AT SAM

Second Stage

ANGERHEAD
MUDFACE
THE VENTING MACHINE
HELLFIRE
HYSTERIA

You can purchase advance tickets at this location.

It was a decade ago — on January 31, 2002 — that Paul Baloff suffered a major stroke and was brought to Highland General Hospital in Northern California, where he remained in a coma until he was declared brain dead. On February 2, 2002, his doctors shut off his life support, leaving him to die in his sleep. He had no previous known health problems, and the stroke was a complete surprise to everyone around him.

On the fifth anniversary of Baloff's passing, Holt said, "[Paul's] contribution to metal lives on. How else can you explain how a guy can record one album (twice!) and still be remembered as a thrash legend to this very day? Raise those glasses high, and hide your wallets, because Paul might just be right behind you!"

"Let There Be Blood", the controversial re-recording of EXODUS' classic 1985 debut album, "Bonded by Blood", was issued in October 2008 through Zaentz Records.

Regarding the band's decision to re-record "Bonded By Blood", Holt previously said: "It is our way of paying homage to Paul Baloff by showing how relevant these songs we had written together still are. We aren't trying to replace the original; that's impossible anyway. We are just giving these songs the benefit of modern production. It's something we talked about before Paul's death and it's always been important to us to do. We were super-excited about entering the studio once again to record these classics." Current EXODUS vocalist Rob Dukes added, "Paul was rad, totally original. He was not like [METALLICA's James] Hetfield or [SLAYER's Tom] Araya. I think at times he wanted to be, but he was simply himself. He had a really cool way of going up with his voice in the weirdest spots. I, myself, find it cool and original."

Joe Bosso of MusicRadar.com recently conducted an interview with DEF LEPPARD guitarist Phil Collen. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

MusicRadar.com: You were on the ["Rock Of Ages"] movie set when Tom Cruise sang "Pour Some Sugar On Me". What was that like?

Phil: It was surreal. What happened was, we were in Florida on tour, and we got a phone call telling us that they were filming just up the road. They were literally shooting that sequence that day. We went to the set and met Tom Cruise, who was absolutely great. Brilliant! I really appreciate when other people do such hard work - it's inspiring. We were just knocked out by his singing, which he was doing for real. We said, "We didn't know you could sing." He smiled and said, "I couldn't — I just learned five months ago." He was having lessons and practicing five hours a day — crazy stuff. Extremely impressive. But you know, that's the kind of guy he is, swinging from cables and jumping off buildings. It's pretty nuts!

MusicRadar.com: OK, now you've seen people cover DEF LEPPARD songs on YouTube clips and on "American Idol" and the like. But what's it like when the biggest star in the world is singing your song?

Phil: You think about it in a totally different way. You get over the song and the subject matter, and all you can focus on is that somebody so iconic doing it. With a lot of people, their 'iconic-ness' gets in the way. Take Beyonce, for example: She's a really good singer, an amazing singer, but nobody even notices how good she is because they're so focused on her being Beyonce. Her whole aura gets in the way. It was a little bit like that with Tom Cruise. You're like, "Oh my God, it's Tom Cruise!" But he's got it down. He looked a little bit like Iggy Pop and some…I don't know, some cool rock star! [laughs] It was trippy. But what's great is that he can really sing. On his track, he sings the backgrounds, so he's doing my parts, as well.

MusicRadar.com: Any plans for the next DEF LEPPARD record?

Phil: Recording, yes, but it'll probably be a DEF LEPPARD song or two. We're going to go on tour this summer, so we're going to try to have a new song together. Coming up with material shouldn't be a problem — I wrote two new songs this week. A whole album won't happen this year, I can be pretty sure on that. There's so much involved with putting a record together, and the demographics for the people who buy albums is shrinking. We'll do a record next year, but it would be cool if we could do it differently. I'd love to do what we did with the MANRAZE album, recording the entire thing in two weeks.

MusicRadar.com: Why couldn't you? Everybody in DEF LEPPARD must have laptops.

Phil: Yes, but not everybody in the band records that way. I'm the only one who does that. If they could do that, it would be killer. It'd be really good.

Read the entire interview from MusicRadar.com.

A trailer for "Valentine", the new video from German female-fronted symphonic metallers XANDRIA, can be seen below. The song comes off the band's new album, "Neverworld's End", which will be released via Napalm Records on the following dates:

Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Benelux, Italy: February 24
Spain, Finland, Sweden: February 22
Rest of Europe: February 27
USA, Canada: March 6

The "Valentine" video will make its online debut on February 14.


"Neverworld's End" track listing:

01. A Prophecy Of Worlds To Fall
02. Valentine
03. Forevermore
05. Euphoria
04. Blood On My Hands
06. Soulcrusher
07. The Dream Is Still Alive
08. The Lost Elysion
09. Call Of The Wind
10. A Thousand Letters
11. Cursed
12. The Nomad's Crown
13. When The Mirror Cracks (bonus track)

Commented the band: "Although the title may indicate it, this is not a concept album, but there is an overall theme threading its way through most of the songs."

XANDRIA last year took part in the "Out Of The Dark" European tour with VAN CANTO, TRISTANIA, SERENITY and AMBERIAN DAWN.

XANDRIA in December 2010 announced the addition of singer Manuela Kraller to the group's ranks.

Commented Manuela: "My musical life started very late, at the age of 23. In a choir in Finland I discovered singing for me and since then it became my passion. I began to take classical singing lessons, sang in church and gospel choirs and soon I was asked to be a solo singer in choirs, at churchly and also at private occasions. But as I have grown up with metal and rock music I soon wanted to combine it with my classical background. So I started singing rock and metal songs with a friend and also wrote own songs for the first time. Soon after that I joined a metal band called NAGOR MAR (Switzerland) and I also became a singer in the German band HAGGARD, where I had great experiences on stage and on tour. And now a 'new age' has begun for me and I am very pleased to be the new singer of XANDRIA!"

XANDRIA performed several concerts in 2009 with the band's former frontwoman, Lisa Middelhauve, filling in.

XANDRIA in February 2011 parted ways with its singer of one year, Kerstin Bischof. The group stated at the time, "Due to occupational and private reasons, [Kerstin] wants to concentrate on her non-musical career in the future and cannot support XANDRIA the way it would be necessary."

Bischof joined XANDRIA in February 2009 as the replacement for Middelhauve, who left the band in May 2008 for "personal reasons." Lisa stated at the time, "My exit has nothing to do with dispute or controversy within the band. It was just time to split."

XANDRIA's fourth album, "Salomé - The Seventh Veil", was released in May 2007.

"Valentine" video trailer:



"Valentine" performed live in October 2011:

Italian rock/metal band LACUNA COIL played a special acoustic set and took part in a question-and-answer session on January 24 at the acclaimed record store Vintage Vinyl in Fords, New Jersey. Quality multi-camera video footage of their performance can be seen below.

LACUNA COIL's new album, "Dark Adrenaline", sold around 20,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 15 on The Billboard 200 chart.

The band's previous CD, "Shallow Life", opened with 21,000 units back April 2009 to land at No. 16.

LACUNA COIL's 2006 album, "Karmacode", premiered with 34,000 copies back in April 2006 to enter the chart at No. 28. It has since sold more than 200,000 units in the U.S.

The band's 2002 album, "Comalies", has shifted more than 300,000 copies in the United States, according to Nielsen SoundScan.

"Dark Adrenaline" was released in North America on January 24 via Century Media Records. The CD was helmed by acclaimed producer Don Gilmore (LINKIN PARK, BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE) and "deliver[s] the melodic, sensual, metallic rush for which the band has come to be known," according to a press release.

Fans both old and new have a variety of options to choose from, as "Dark Adrenaline" was released in numerous formats, including standard-edition CD and vinyl, deluxe edition digipak with a bonus DVD, sticker, poster and guitar pick and as an iTunes LP with expanded packaging, five bonus audio tracks and video. The Metal Club edition features exclusive artwork designed by the band and will be limited to 3,000 units. The Hastings edition features a bonus 10-track LACUNA COIL sampler, and the Amazon digital edition comes with a free five-track sampler. Finally, for true fans of the band, is the "Darkest Adrenaline" box set, which includes both the digipak and vinyl versions of the album along with a hardcover photo book, a LACUNA COIL custom syringe pen and ink, a lyric pad, signed lithographs created by the band and more, all housed in a LACUNA COIL medical box. This box set is limited to 500 pieces and is available exclusively through CM Distro.

Richmond, Virginia metallers LAMB OF GOD took part in an in-store signing session on January 23 at Vintage Vinyl in Fords, New Jersey. Video footage of their appearance can be seen below.

LAMB OF GOD's new album, "Resolution", sold around 52,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 3 on The Billboard 200 chart. The band's previous CD, "Wrath", opened with around 68,000 units back in March 2009 to enter the chart at No. 2. This figure was roughly in line with the first-week tally registered by 2006's "Sacrament", which shifted around 63,000 units to debut at No. 8. It also represented almost double the amount of records sold by its predecessor, "Ashes Of The Wake", which premiered with 35,000 copies in September 2004.

"Resolution" was released in the U.S. via Epic and internationally through Roadrunner Records. The CD was recorded at various studios in Virginia and New York with producer Josh Wilbur, who worked on the band's last effort, 2009's "Wrath".

"Resolution" features 14 songs and comes in a digipack with artwork by longtime art director Ken Adams.

QUEENSRŸCHE lead singer Geoff Tate kicked off his acoustic solo tour, billed as GEOFF TATE AND FRIENDS, on Thursday, January 26 at Anthology in San Diego, California. According to Tate, he is "playing acoustic renditions of songs from my solo album as well as some of my favorite QUEENSRŸCHE songs."

Professionally filmed, multi-camera video footage of the San Diego concert can be seen below. Also available are several fan-filmed clips from the first two shows of the tour (San Diego on January 26 and Canyon Club in Agoura Hills, California on January 27).

In a recent interview with AnthologySD.com, Tate was asked if he is looking into any future solo projects. "I am!" he replied. "I'm actually working on one right now that I hope to have wrapped up pretty soon. This show that I'm doing [on the solo tour] is an acoustic show with some friends of mine who are fantastic acoustic players. We're doing kind of a blend of my last solo album, some QUEENSRŸCHE songs, and we'll toss in some new ones that haven't been released yet. It'll just be a really fun night. Very homey, intimate, we'll probably take requests, things like that."

He added, "For the last couple of years, I've been doing more stuff outside of QUEENSRŸCHE in order to just stretch out. But I'll tell you, even though I've sang shows in front of hundreds of thousands of people and also intimate shows of a few hundred, but whenever I go out to an event or something and someone asks me to sing a song with them, I'm petrified! (Laughs) I don't know much material outside of my own material that I've written, and so if someone asks me to sing 'Danny Boy', I couldn't sing it! Not even if someone offered me a million dollars could I sing that song. So I'm trying to be a bit more versatile and learn more stuff."

When asked about QUEENSRŸCHE's plans following the band's most recent concert, which took place on January 13 at the Peppermill Concert Hall in Wendover, Nevada, Tate told the Seattle station KISW 99.9 FM last month, "Nothing. We're taking a year off and we'll be working on a new album. [We'll be going] back to the studio."

QUEENSRŸCHE is scheduled to perform in São Paulo, Brazil in April and at the Douglas County Fair in Rosenburg, Oregon in August.

Multi-camera, professionally filmed footage:



Fan-filmed footage:

New Jersey thrash metal veterans OVERKILL will take part in an in-store signing session on Tuesday, March 27 at 7 p.m. at Vintage Vinyl in Fords, New Jersey.

OVERKILL will release its new album, "The Electric Age", in North America on March 27 via eOne Music. The CD will be made available in Europe on March 30 through Nuclear Blast Records.

"The Electric Age" was recorded and mixed at Gain Studios in New Jersey, owned and operated by OVERKILL bassist D.D. Verni.

OVERKILL will embark on the "Killfest 2" headlining tour in April/May. Support on the trek will come from BELPHEGOR, BLACKGUARD and DIAMOND PLATE.

OVERKILL's latest CD, "Ironbound", sold 4,100 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 192 on The Billboard 200 chart. The effort landed at No. 4 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.

OVERKILL's previous album, "Immortalis", opened with 2,800 units back in October 2007.

"Ironbound" was released on February 9, 2010 via E1 Music (formerly KOCH Records). The CD, which was issued in Europe on January 29, 2010 via Nuclear Blast Records, was mixed by PAIN/HYPOCRISY mainman Peter Tägtgren and is described in a press release as "a true thrasher-piece."

OVERKILL is Bobby "Blitz" Ellsworth (vocals), D.D. Verni (bass, backing vocals), Derek "The Skull" Tailer (rhythm guitar, backing vocals), Dave Linsk (lead guitar, backing vocals) and Ron Lipnicki (drums).

(Thanks: NJthrasher)

JON OLIVA'S PAIN, the Florida-based band led by SAVATAGE mastermind Jon Oliva, will play SAVATAGE's classic 1987 album, "Hall Of The Mountain King", in its entirety during a 15-date European tour in June and July. The group will also perform songs from DOCTOR BUTCHER (the early 1990s project created by Oliva and guitarist Chris Caffery at a time when they were not active members of SAVATAGE) as well as other classic SAVATAGE and JON OLIVA'S PAIN selections.

Commented JON OLIVA'S PAIN lead guitarist Jerry Outlaw: "In my mind, this tour will be dedicated to the memory of the late, great Matt LaPorte as well as Criss Oliva. I will honor their memory with every note I play."

JON OLIVA'S PAIN will play warm-up show for its European tour on June 18 at the Ritz Theatre in Ybor City, Florida.

JON OLIVA'S PAIN's latest addition, guitarist Joseph Diaz, is also member of CEMETARY SLUTS (an original speed metal band) and FIGURE IN BLACK (a BLACK SABBATH tribute act). He has also played in DISASTERPEACE alongside former KING DIAMOND guitarist Pete Blakk and ex-CRIMSON GLORY singer Wade Black.

JON OLIVA'S PAIN 2012 touring lineup:

Jon Oliva – Vocals, Keyboards
Christopher Kinder - Drums
Jerry Outlaw - Guitar
Jason Jennings - Bass
Joseph Diaz - Guitar

"Hall Of The Mountain King" was the first SAVATAGE album to be produced by Paul O'Neill and it showed the beginning of the band's progressive tendencies as they explored new forms of expression in their music. Many fans consider this LP a turning point in SAVATAGE's musical identity. As the group's first concept effort, it had a constant tone and was more complex than their previous albums, with two entirely instrumental tracks that go beyond simple guitar riffs and solos, namely "Prelude To Madness" and "Last Dawn".

"Telling Ghosts", the new video from PUSCIFER, the eclectic music-meets-comedy troupe helmed by Maynard James Keenan (TOOL, A PERFECT CIRCLE), can be seen below. The clip was shot by Tim Cadiente (Barton Perreira) and Meats Meier (3D Art Space) and was edited by Mat Mitchell.

"Telling Ghosts" comes off PUSCIFER's sophomore album "Conditions Of My Parole", which was released last October via Puscifer Entertainment.

PUSCIFER will perform on the Thursday, February 16 episode of ABC-TV's "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" (which will actually air the morning of Friday, February 17).

PUSCIFER will return to the road on February 23 in support of "Conditions Of My Parole".

The band's live performances are not to be missed. Keenan brings the unconventional atmosphere of the Verde Valley to life with a musically driven evening that merges technology, quirky characters and comedy. The Boston Globe referred to the shows as "musical theater" and the Philadelphia Weekly described the set as an "engaging performance with hilarious pre-recorded between-song skits featuring MJK alter-egos Major Douche and white-trash hero Billy D."

The band celebrated the release of their sophomore album with an in-character Halloween performance on "The Late Show With David Letterman".

PUSCIFER's touring band members are Maynard James Keenan, Mat Mitchell, Josh Eustis, Carina Round, Matt McJunkins and Jeff Friedl.



Photo credit: Tim Cadiente

QUEENSRŸCHE guitarist Michael Wilton and bassist Eddie Jackson, along with female vocalist Pamela Moore (best known for her performance as Sister Mary on QUEENSRŸCHE's 1988 epic release "Operation: Mindcrime" and 2006's sequel "Operation: Mindcrime II"), joined WINDOWPANE on stage this past Friday (January 27) at the Neptune Theatre in Seattle, Washington. Wilton, Jackson and Moore performed the QUEENSRŸCHE classic "Jet City Woman" with the Seattle-based hard rock band whose sound is described in a press release as "unique, gritty and dark, tailored with an angry blues essence that dances with loose and powerful grooves worthy of the classic rock icons."

Fan-filmed video footage of the performance can be seen below.

WINDOWPANE supported QUEENSRŸCHE on their fall 2011 U.S. tour.

The band's latest album, "Daybreak", was produced by Brett Eliason (PEARL JAM, MAD SEASON, NEIL YOUNG, AUDIOSLAVE, R.E.M.).

A previously unreleased video for the song "99" from Swedish metallers THE HAUNTED can be seen below. Shot during the summer of 2004, the clip was filmed by Kim Lantto, Jonas Olsen and Sirnir Einarsson at Stengade in Copenhagen and at the Sweden Rock Festival.

"99" originally appeared on the 2004 album "rEVOLVEr" and was featured on the 2010 live CD "Roadkill".

THE HAUNTED's seventh studio album, "Unseen", landed at position No. 33 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.

"Unseen" was released on March 29, 2011 via Century Media Records. The CD was once again recorded with longtime producer Tue Madsen (MOONSPELL, DARK TRANQUILLITY, GOREFEST, SICK OF IT ALL) at his Antfarm Studio in Århus, Denmark.

Rock drummer Matt Sorum (GUNS N' ROSES, VELVET REVOLVER, THE CULT) is selling personalized VELVET REVOLVER drawing drumheads for $150 each via his official web site. Each drum head will include an original drawing by Matt like the one shown below personalized to any one name.

VELVET REVOLVER reunited with singer Scott Weiland for a one-off performance at the January 12 "Love You Madly: A Concert For John O'Brien" at the House Of Blues in West Hollywood, California. The band played a four-song set — including a cover version of the PINK FLOYD classic "Wish You Were Here" — at the event, which paid tribute to award-winning ASCAP composer John O'Brien, who was found dead in his Chicago hotel room last August.

Sorum achieved fame with GUNS N' ROSES, where he replaced Steven Adler in the band, who was fired because of drug addiction. While with the Los Angeles-based hard rock group (1990-1997), Sorum recorded the highly successful albums "Use Your Illusion I" and "Use Your Illusion II" (both 1991) and "The Spaghetti Incident" (1994). He also supported the group on the "Use Your Illusion" tour and can be heard on GUNS N' ROSES' "Live Era: '87-'93" (1999) and "Greatest Hits" (2004). Starting out as a season musician in Los Angeles in the 1980s, Sorum had his first taste with success as part of THE CULT in 1989. A decade later, after being fired from GUNS N' ROSES, he was reunited with the group and played the drums for their 2001 album "Beyond Good And Evil". Currently, Sorum is the drummer of VELVET REVOLVER, a group he founded in 2002 with former GUNS N' ROSES band members Slash and Duff McKagan. The band has released two albums, "Contraband" (2004) and "Libertad" (2007). On his own, Sorum released a solo debut in 2003 called "Hollywood Zen".

The reactivated ORGY, the "death pop" band from Bakersfield, California, will embark on a U.S. tour next week. The trek is scheduled to kick off on February 10 in Santa Ana, California and is expected to wrap on March 21 in Hollywood.

Joining vocalist and sole remaining original member Jay Gordon in ORGY's new lineup are Carlton Bost (DEADSY, THE DREAMING, LUNARCLICK) on guitar, Ashburn Miller (DEADSY) on guitar, Nic Speck (RUN RUN RUN) on bass and Jamie Miller (SNOT, THE START) on drums.

Gordon in November posted a message on Facebook announcing his plans to reform the group with a brand new lineup. He said, "I'm not saying I wouldn't consider playing with the all original lineup at some point, and there has been correspondence between the [other] original members and myself. This situation is a good thing, and not intended to piss anyone off or anything." He added, "I have spoken to [fellow original ORGY members] Amir [Derakh, guitar] and Bobby [Hewitt, drums] about the situation, and neither seemed to be angry in any way. Bobby is making movies, and Amir and Ry [Ryan Shuck, guitar] are doing JULIEN-K. I am friends with all of the ORGY cast, so please don't trip. I will keep everyone posted as I know more. Thanks for being UNDERSTANDING..."

About 12 hours later, Derakh responded to Gordon's comments with a statement of his own. He wrote, "Ryan and I have both discussed recently with a booking agent representing a possible ORGY tour that we wanted to be a part of it. We only had two conditions: 1) To have AS MANY of the original members involved as possible, and 2) That Lou Gordon [Jay Gordon's father] not be involved.

"We have always stated that we are only interested in doing a reunion under these conditions. We are all grownups here and can do this ourselves.

"Ryan and I have stated MANY times that we will MAKE TIME to do this! I don't understand why this is still being used an an excuse. If this is planned out properly, we can do it, people! Really!

"Honest truth is they don't want us to be a part of it."

Shuck also chimed in with a separate post, writing, "ORGY — the actual BAND ORGY — is NOT 'OK' with this 'new' ORGY 'thing.' We think it's ridiculous. Seems like an Axl Rose move to us, and we don't want to be associated with it at all.

"We have told Jay for five years that we would be happy to do the REAL ORGY — with ALL the original members, and all the original unique gear that makes ORGY such an amazing live act. NO — we are not 'too busy' to do ORGY. In fact, for the 20th time at least, our agent approached us to possibly do ORGY BEFORE THE END OF THE YEAR, and Amir and I said 'YES,' if it's the REAL ORGY. Not a hybrid, no impersonators — Jay, Paige, Bobby, Ryan and Amir. The real band. We have too much respect for what we all created TOGETHER to stand by and watch it turn into a COVER band that goes out and fools our fans into buying tickets thinking they are going to see the REAL band ORGY. ORGY is a BAND. That's why it's cool. It isn't a person."

ORGY was shot out of the hard-rock cannon in 1998 with the band's platinum album, "Candyass". Its ear-candy hooks, crushing riffs and razor-edge electronic sonics laid the scorched-earth groundwork for 2000's gold "Vapor Transmission" and 2004's "Punk Statik Paranoia". The videos for "Blue Monday", "Stitches" and "Fiction (Dreams in Digital)", meanwhile, created an indelible visual impression of post-punk artifice; the hair, the makeup, the costumes — all conspired to shroud the band in a cloak of dark menace.

After the release of 2000's "Vapor Transmission", ORGY left Reprise Records and had already severed ties with KORN's Elementree Records, which issued ORGY's first two albums. Gordon then started his own independent record label, D1 Music, which released the band's third album, "Punk Statik Paranoia", in 2004.

ORGY 2012 is:

Jay Gordon - Vocals
Carlton Bost (DEADSY, THE DREAMING, LUNARCLICK) - Guitar
Ashburn Miller (DEADSY) - Guitar
Nic Speck (RUN RUN RUN) - Bass
Jamie Miller (SNOT, THE START) - Drums

Chris Cornell of SOUNDGARDEN joined Triple M's Dave Gleeson for a chat during the band's comeback tour of Australia. You can now listen to the interview using the audio player below. A video clip from the chat is also available.

When asked how he would compare SOUNDGARDEN's new material to the group's previous efforts, Cornell said in a previous interview, "It sounds like SOUNDGARDEN, but I wouldn't say it's similar. I think there are parts of it that are gonna remind anybody of us, but we've always kind of progressed from album to album. So it's definitely not a throwback. It's not us getting back to our roots — it's not that — it's just kind of a natural progression, I think."

SOUNDGARDEN entered Cornell's studio in Los Angeles in March 2011 to begin recording the band's first album in 15 years.

Adam Kaspar, who co-produced SOUNDGARDEN's last record, 1996's "Down On The Upside", has been working with the group on the new effort as well.

SOUNDGARDEN's first-ever official concert album, titled "Live On I5", sold 11,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 47 on The Billboard 200 chart. The set is compiled of live tracks from a 1996 West Coast tour by the band and is named after the Interstate 5. SOUNDGARDEN had intended to release the tapes of these shows as its first live album shortly after the tour, but the group ended up disbanding and the tapes were left in the studio, untouched for years.

SOUNDGARDEN released a CD/DVD retrospective set in September 2010 called "Telephantasm", featuring singles, album cuts, live material and the previously unavailable "Black Rain", which has been nominated for a Grammy Award.

Full interview (audio):



Excerpt from interview (video):

Jo Schüftan of Horns Up Rocks! recently conducted an interview with singer Chuck Billy of San Francisco Bay Area metal veterans TESTAMENT. You can now listen to the chat in the YouTube clip below.

TESTAMENT will tentatively release its new album, "The Dark Roots Of Earth", on April 27 via Nuclear Blast Records. Due to a "serious injury," TESTAMENT drummer Paul Bostaph was unable to take part in the recording sessions for the CD and was replaced by Gene "The Atomic Clock" Hoglan (DARK ANGEL, STRAPPING YOUNG LAD, FEAR FACTORY, DETHKLOK). Bostaph has since announced his departure from the group.

When asked if Hoglan — who is currently touring with TESTAMENT — will become a permanent member of the band, Billy told Horns Up Rocks!, "We'd like him to be, but I think right now we're just taking it tour by tour. We don't know yet. We just kind of unexpected had to do this tour before the record came out, so we haven't really thought about it yet."

Regarding how different it is playing with Gene compared to working with Bostaph, Chuck said, "We played with Gene before on our 'Demonic' record [1997], so we knew exactly what Gene was capable of and what he would bring to the table. We knew that it would definitely bring a different style of drumming, 'cause Gene's a different player than Paul. I think it just worked out. Eric [Peterson, TESTAMENT guitarist] had a lot of the [basic drum patterns] already done [for the new album], and Gene just had to kind of put his style on it."

LAMB OF GOD drummer Chris Adler plays on one track on "The Dark Roots Of Earth", which was helmed by veteran British producer Andy Sneap (MEGADETH, EXODUS, NEVERMORE, MACHINE HEAD, ARCH ENEMY).

In a recent new interview with SoundSpike, Billy stated about the forthcoming CD's musical direction, "It's kind of like where we left off with the last record, except I think there are some more songs that aren't as thrashy. But they're definitely metal. I don't know how to describe it. I keep saying you don't really have to be a metalhead to enjoy some of these songs that we got. There's just really good songs on the record. It's a little different."

On the topic of the new CD's title, Billy said, "We've always been a planet-conscious band. Now that we have pretty close to the original lineup — with Alex [Skolnick, lead guitarist] and Greg [Christian, bassist] back in it — it's almost like going back to our roots. It's like all of us connecting, joining as one to the planet."

Three decades after beginning its iconic journey of debauchery and decadence, MÖTLEY CRÜE has announced plans to invade Las Vegas with the city's first-ever hard rock residency: "Mötley Crüe In Sin City". The world's most notorious band will he heading to the world's most notorious city where they will perform an extended run — starting February 3 through 19 — at The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas. The iconic band will perform four shows a week. Super Bowl, Valentine's Day and President's Day fall within these dates.

In honor of Las Vegas' first hard rock residency, "Mötley Crüe In Sin City", Las Vegas Mayor Carolyn Goodman has proclaimed Friday, February 3, 2012 as "Mötley Crüe Day."

Speaking to the Las Vegas Sun, MÖTLEY CRÜE singer Vince Neil said of the upcoming show, which will include an array of theatrics, pyrotechnics, aerialists, wild video displays, a rollercoaster drum set and even a "little people" version of the band, "It's pretty amazing. I think people are going to walk out of this show going, 'What the (heck) just happened to me?'

"We'll have a Little Crüe in there. We're going a little more than two hours. It's a long show, full of amazing visuals and stuff you would not expect from a rock concert.

"This isn't a thing where we just set up some amps and go out and play. The production is so over the top, man. It's a full-blown show. . . It's Cirque [du Soleil] meets rock. This is not a show where you just sit there and look at the stage. It's happening all around you. We're utilizing the whole place, the whole Joint, as the stage. We came up with some of the craziest ideas we could, then went to the engineers to see if it was possible."

"If you look at what was a smaller version of what we're doing now, it was the 'Carnival Of Sins' [2005-2006] tour. This is that show times 100."

"We're actually rehearsing now, doing all these different versions of old songs. We'll have an acoustic set inside the show that we rarely ever play. There will be a lot of stuff that, even if you've been to see MÖTLEY CRÜE a bunch of times, will be new for you."

To purchase tickets, go to Ticketmaster.com.

ROB ZOMBIE/ex-MARILYN MANSON guitarist John 5's sixth solo studio instrumental album, "God Told Me To", will be released on April 10. The cover art, which features a painting of John 5 by Rob Zombie, can be seen below.

According to John 5, "God Told Me To"will be "half acoustic and half metal and feature music that will blow you away." He has already whetted the fans' appetite by releasing four digital singles from the album: "Beat It" (MICHAEL JACKSON cover), "Welcome To Violence", "Noche Acosador" and "The Castle".

As well as the stunning cover art by Rob Zombie, art from the solo singles will also feature within the album. The single covers were created by ROB ZOMBIE bassist Matt Montgomery's (a.k.a. Piggy D.) and Emma (John 5's web manager) from Nineteen76-Designs.

In an interview with U.K.'s Kerrang! magazine, John 5 stated about his forthcoming CD, "I have an album called 'God Told Me To' [coming out] and it's half heavy and it's half acoustic, which I've never done before. I'm doing a cover of MICHAEL JACKSON's 'Beat It', an instrumental version of it. And it's gonna be amazing. I'm really excited about this record 'cause of the acoustic stuff, 'cause I've never done that before. And it's gonne be awesome. I'm so excited for this to come out. I think I'm gonna put a [making-of] DVD out with it. People always like to see how I do things and stuff."

"The Art Of Malice", the last solo album from John 5, sold around 1,200 copies in the United States in its first week of release. The CD landed at position No. 27 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.

Musik Universe conducted a rare video interview with two of the "Nameless Ghouls" from the mysterious Swedish buzz band GHOST on January 21 in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. You can now watch the chat below.

GHOST cult leader "Papa Emeritus" (rumored to be REPUGNANT/SUBVISION's Tobias Forge, who takes the stage in the form of "a satanic pope") and his anonymous ghouls have teamed up with doom rockers BLOOD CEREMONY and ANCIENT VVISDOM for a two-week trek dubbed the "13 Dates Of Doom" tour that launched on January 18 in New York City and is scheduled to wrap tonight (Thursday, February 2) in Los Angeles.

GHOST will support MASTODON and OPETH on a North American tour in April/May.

GHOST is continuing to support its debut album, "Opus Eponymous", which has been called "amazing" by Stereogum and "a primer on the creation of melodic hard rock" by The Big Takeover.

GHOST floored music fans with its first U.S. shows and served notice that it is not only a "band to watch" but will be a force to be reckoned with for years to come. In its live review of GHOST's New York City headlining show, the Village Voice called the group's performance "lurching and menacing", saying "GHOST's sound is like heavy metal trapped in a state of suspended animation since 1973."

GHOST's "Opus Eponymous" is a daringly fascinating combination of satanic rock music merged with an almost unthinkable pop sensibility. Enveloped in a shroud of mystery and standing anonymous beneath the painted faces, hoods and robes which their sect demand, the GHOST deliver litanies of pulsating heavy rock and stimulating lyrics which "glorify and glamorize the disgusting and sacrilegious." The music and philosophies of GHOST specifically target "individuals who have a void in their life perhaps caused by some form of emotional trauma or upset" (research suggests these are most likely adolescents); this dearth can then be alluringly filled by GHOST's music and philosophies.

Interview:

Performance:

MONSTROSITY drummer Lee Harrison will fill in on second guitar for OBITUARY at the Chas Metal Attack VI festival on Saturday, February 4 at Circo Volador in Mexico City, Mexico.

OBITUARY guitarist Ralph Santolla, who joined the band in 2007 as the replacement for Allen West, was absent from OBITUARY's U.S. East Coast tour in November (the group played as a four-piece).

OBITUARY is currently writing material for the follow-up to the "Darkest Day" full-length CD, released in 2009 via Candlelight Records.

"Darkest Day" landed at position No. 32 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.

Norwegian blackened metallers BYFROST have parted ways with Alkolust, their drummer since 2008. Frontman HeavyHarms commented, "We have had a great time playing with Alkolust over the years and we wish him the best with his other projects. And to all our fans out there, this is not the end, but very much a new beginning."

BYFROST's second full-length album, "Of Death", was released last June via AFM Records. The CD was recorded at the Conclave & Earshot Studios in the band's home town of Bergen, Norway, and was produced by ENSLAVED's Herbrand Larsen together with BYFROST, and co-produced by ENSLAVED guitarist Ice Dale. Mastering was carried out by Knut Fug Prytz at the Magica Mastering Studio. Artwork and design were once again in the hands of Christian Sloan Hall, known for his work with bands like DIMMU BORGIR and SLAYER.

Formed in 2007 by HeavyHarms and bassist R.I.P Meister, BYFROST's first release was the "Byfrostmetal" EP, which appeared in 2008 whilst the band was still a four-piece. The debut full-length album, "Black Earth", was released in 2010, by which time BYFROST had become a three piece, and had been joined on drums by Mads Liletvedt (HELLISH OUTCAST). "Black Earth" marked the continuing cooperation between the band and ENSLAVED members Ice Dale, who guested on the album, and Larsen, who, aside from producing both full-lengths, also features on two tracks on "Of Death".

A teaser for the upcoming tribute album to HELLOWEEN and GAMMA RAY is available in the YouTube clip below. The CD, entitled "HelloRay - A Tribute To Helloween & Gamma Ray", is due on March 26 via Epicus Records.

According to a press release, "HelloRay - A Tribute To Helloween & Gamma Ray" is a project made by bands who are fans and has been inspired by the music of these two great pioneers of melodic power metal. It will contain songs that were originally written and recorded between 1985 and 2007.

The final track listing is as follows:

01. Tribute To The Past (GAMMA RAY) - GUARDIANS OF MANKIND
02. Warrior (HELLOWEEN) - GAIA EPICUS
03. The Spirit (GAMMA RAY) - PARALLAX
04. Mr. Torture (HELLOWEEN) - AILLION
05. Anywhere In The Galaxy (GAMMA RAy) - OPERA MAGNA
06. Ain't Got Nothin' Better (HELLOWEEN) - KICKHUNTER
07. Last Before The Storm (GAMMA RAy) - SONEM
08. Where The Rain Grows (HELLOWEEN) - ARMORY
09. A Tale That Wasn't Right (HELLOWEEN) - DRACHEN
10. Just A Little Sign (HELLOWEEN) - RAMPART
11. Leaving Hell (GAMMA RAY) - ROTTEN
12. Judas (HELLOWEEN) - 5TH ELEMENT
13. Heaven Or Hell (GAMMA RAY) - BURN UNIVERSE
14. Before The War (HELLOWEEN) - ILUNGARA
15. Land Of The Free (GAMMA RAY) - DEIMOS

For more information, visit www.epicusrecords.com.

Warsaw, Poland's revolutionary grind/metal assassins ANTIGAMA have announced their return to Selfmadegod Records.

Following two full-length releases via Relapse Records over recent years, ANTIGAMA has re-signed with its longtime friends at Selfmadegod and is currently locked away in Warsaw's Progresja Studio with sound engineer Pawel "Janos" Grabowski. The band is in the process of recording several brand new tracks for two different upcoming releases — a three-way split with NOISEAR (USA, Relapse) and THE KILL (Australia), as well as a MCD tentatively entitled "Stop The Chaos". The session started on February 1, and final mixes and mastering duties will be completed by none other than the band's longtime friend and famous Polish music producer Szymon Czech (NYIA, THIRD DEGREE). Both releases are due this spring via Selfmadegod Records, and the band plans on recording a new full-length for the label later in the year as well.

ANTIGAMA has gone through several lineup changes over recent years. Founding guitarist Sebastian Rokicki remains, as always, joined once again by the band's original vocalist Lukasz Myszkowski. The lineup also includes new bassist Michal Zawadzki as well as new drummer Pawel Jaroszewicz (LOST SOUL, CHRIST AGONY, ex-VADER).

EVANESCENCE singer Amy Lee has been chosen as the recipient of the Luella Bennack award at United Cerebral Palsy's 11th annual Women Who Care luncheon on Thursday, May 3 at Cipriani on 42nd Street in Manhattan. The Women Who Care luncheon is a celebration of women who have blazed new paths, broken glass ceilings and inspired others through their professional and charitable endeavours.

Luella Bennack invested over 20 years of her life to helping disadvantaged children and adults with cerebral palsy, mental retardation, autism and related developmental disabilities and conditions by giving tirelessly of her time, efforts and contacts for United Cerebral Palsy Of New York City. Upon her passing in 2002, with the blessing of her husband Frank A. Bennack, Chairman and CEO of the Hearst Corporation, UCP Of NYC dedicated the marquee Women Who Care award in her honor. This award is presented annually to a high profile individual who has dedicated themselves in service to others at home and around the world.

Stated UCP of NYC: "The committee has selected Amy for this award for her commitment to bring attention to issues of education and personal dignity of people living with a disability by serving as the international spokesperson for Out Of The Shadows. Also, the message and integrity of Amy Lee's music has undeniably healed, inspired and transformed millions of women worldwide. Because of her personal pledge to making life more accessible and understood by everyone, we cannot conceive of a more interesting, motivated and deserving individual to honour on Luella's behalf.

"In our first ten years we have had the opportunity to pay tribute to many incredible women, including supermodel Petra Nemcova; philanthropist Lauren Bush; Anne M. Sweeney, president of Disney-ABC Television Group; trailblazing journalists Diane Sawyer and Ann Curry; Cosmopolitan magazine icon Helen Gurley Brown; actresses Marlo Thomas and Susan Lucci; and dozens more. We are delighted to be adding Amy's name to this list of extraordinary women."

UCP Of NYC is one of America's most established charities helping children and adults with disabilities throughout New York City. UCP Of NYC currently serves 14,000 individuals and family members through more than 75 programs. The mission of United Cerebral Palsy Of New York City is to create opportunities for people with disabilities to lead independent and fulfilling lives.

Legendary death metallers MASTER have set "The New Elite" as the title of their eleventh album, due later in the year via Pulverised Records. The CD, which was once again recorded, mixed and mastered at Shaark Studios, contains "11 tracks of unambiguous death metal in its wretched form, in perfect coalition with the offensive Paul Speckmann-spewed lyrical shitstorm," according to a press release.

The album artwork for "The New Elite" features a more concise, organic and symbolic concept, exclusively produced and designed by German graphic illustrator Mark Bridgeman.


"The New Elite" track listing:

01. The New Elite
02. Rise Up And Fight
03. Remove The Knife
04. Smile As You're Told
05. Redirect The Evil
06. Out Of Control
07. As Two Worlds Collide
08. New Reforms
09. Guide Yourself
10. Souls To Dissuade
11. Twist Of Fate

Commented MASTER mainman Paul Speckmann: "'The New Elite' deals with the problems we face in society at this current time. The rich are getting richer and the poor are starving on the streets all around the world while men battle each other for world dominance! Governments are grabbing the world by the balls and dictating the new rules of the soon-to-be New Elite, while the youth of today just sit down and take it. I really wonder if and when the youth of today will take a stand against these crazy fucked-up ruthless world leaders. The time has come to stand up and be counted!"

A brand new track entitled "Smile As You're Told" is now available for streaming below.

MASTER is:

Paul Speckmann - Vocals, Bass
Alex Nejezchleba - Guitar
Zdenek Pradlovsky - Drums

Adrien Begrand of MSN's metal music section Headbang recently conducted an interview with drummer Tomas Haake of Swedish Swedish experimental extreme metallers MESHUGGAH. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

Headbang: "ObZen" felt like a combination of everything MESHUGGAH had done prior to that, but the new album ["Koloss"] feels like you've deliberately tried to expand your sound even more. Was this the case?

Tomas Haake: We definitely pushed ourselves hard with "ObZen", too, but as you said maybe that one feels even more like a flirtatious thing with the stuff we were doing earlier on and the stuff we grew up with. I still feel there's some of that on this one too, with the different tunings, and a couple of the songs are actually written for six-string guitar and not all of them being really down-tuned eight-stringed stuff. That's definitely to get that old-school thrash vibe in there, even though the music is different, of course. There's definitely a little bit of that going on this album, too. But apart from that, we basically tried to create something that we find intriguing. We always try to find new ways of writing our own music, so to speak, to see if there's an additional lateral movement, a sideways step that we can take for ourselves to feel that we did something new with this one and that we pushed ourselves into doing something that came out cool and refreshing. That's kind of what we always aim for, and this time it came out like this.

Headbang: I remember hearing how you wanted to take a more organic approach with this one, rehearing your songs more beforehand. Did you actually wind up doing that?

Haake: We wanted to do it like that, definitely. We ended up not doing it like that after all, basically because it's so easy to fall back into the routines of the last two albums, how we're used to doing things. There was only one track on this album, I guess it's a step forward from some of the previous stuff, the track "Swarm", which was a track that we actually rehearsed as a whole band, where we came with suggestions and made changes to it as a band. We kind of feel like we want to do everything like that, but at the same time we're so accustomed to doing everything on computers. That is also a very fast way for us to do it, just because we're accustomed to doing it that way. But at the same time you can lose a little bit of that feeling of you actually being a band, from when you're out playing. So that was the attempt, to bring in more of that vibe back. We tried. And failed. [laughs] But it's all good, we were still able to put this thing together, and I think it came out pretty cool. The organic side of things is at least there sound-wise I think. It's definitely a warmer album. Even though it's very brutal, the drums sound more organic, the guitar tone is a bit less in the digital soundscape. It all depends a bit on what track you're listening to as well, but I definitely think that it sounds organic, more visceral. And for some weird reason that kind of makes it even more brutal.

Read the entire first part of the chat at Headbang.

The release date of the deluxe 35th-anniversary edition of KISS' classic fourth album, "Destroyer", has been pushed back to April 17. The two-disc set will feature remixes of the original LP by producer Bob Ezrin, outtakes from the 1976 album sessions as well as the LP's original cover art.

Ken Kelly's original version of the album cover for "Destroyer" was rejected by the record company because they felt the scene was too violent-looking. Also, the original version had the members of KISS wearing the "Alive" costumes.

Released in March 1976, "Destroyer" was the second consecutive KISS album to reach the Top 20 in the U.S. The LP was certified gold by the RIAA on April 22, 1976. It was certified platinum on November 11, 1976, the first KISS album to achieve that distinction.

Vocalist/guitarist Michael Sweet of Christian hard rockers STRYPER has released instrumental audio samples (no lead vocals) of three songs — "Unsuspecting", "All That Left (For Me To Prove)" and "Taking On The World Tonight" — that will appear on his forthcoming solo album, tentatively due this summer. You can now check them out below.

Sweet entered the studio on December 18 to begin recording his new solo CD. He previously revealed that Kenny Aronoff (CHICKENFOOT) would be drumming on the record and that there would be a few "guest musicians/singers" as well.

Sweet's last solo album, "Touched", was released in December 2007 exclusively through Michael's official web site, MichaelSweet.com. The CD, which included reworked versions of four STRYPER songs, was not made available in stores.

Writing on Facebook, Sweet stated about reaction to the solo album sampes, "First, thank you for all the amazing comments on the solo record samples! I can assure you that this record will be the best solo record to date and that you (at least most of you) won't be disappointed.

"Second, to the handful of people who think it sounds like STRYPER — well, earth to moon, I am the singer/guitarist/songwriter for STRYPER so there is the remote chance that their will be similarities right? Maybe you can't comprehend that but I think most people here do.

"For those of you who wonder why it isn't a STRYPER record, the truth is that I had the opportunity to make a record and I took it. It's been almost 12 years since my last solo release and I felt it was long overdue. There is a lot of down time with STRYPER and life goes on, you've got to do what you've got to do. This doesn't mean that STRYPER is going to take a backseat. We have big plans for the band as well including a re-record record with two new songs, touring throughout 2012 and eventually a new, all original STRYPER record.

"We all have done solo projects over the years and it's a great way for all of us to be artistic and express our musical ideas individually. I love what I do and I hope it shows!

"For the 99.9% of the people who do get it, you advance to the head of the class. To the 0.1% of the people who don't get it, you're in detention for the rest of the year :-)

"Seriously, thank you all for the incredibly positive feedback/comments on my new solo project and I can't wait to release it so you can hear the songs in their entirety. You'll hear similarities (duh) and yet you'll also hear me. God Bless you guys and see you out on the road."

Sweet is currently writing his first "book/autobiography," which he promises "will outline my life and give you a page-by-page layout of the early years, the ups and downs of being in a Christian rock band, behind-the-scenes stories of what really goes on 'behind the scenes' of a successful Christian rock band (good and bad), getting through the toughest battle of all, joining the legendary classic rock band BOSTON, and much much more."

STRYPER recently released short audio clips of "Bleeding From Inside Out" and "Blackened", the two new tracks which will be included on a collection of re-recorded versions of the band's classic songs, to be released in the summer of 2012. The CD will contain a total of 16 cuts — two from "The Yellow And Black Attack", six from "Soldiers Under Command", six from "To Hell With The Devil", as well as the two aforementioned new tracks.

Michael Sweet will perform his faith-based "storytellers" solo acoustic show in churches around the world this year. The performances are a combination of STRYPER classics, new solo material, and notable praise and worship songs.

If you are interested in Michael Sweet performing at your church, please have your church leaders contact Dave Rose at Dave [at] DeepSouthEntertainment.com.

"Unsuspecting" audio sample:



"All That Left (For Me To Prove)" audio sample:



"Taking On The World Tonight" audio sample:

Roadrunner Records conducted an interview with MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine on Saturday, January 28 at the third show of this year's Gigantour at the 5,600-seat Theater At Madison Square Garden in New York City. You can now watch the chat below.

Gigantour — the critically acclaimed package festival founded in 2005 by MEGADETH — is making its highly anticipated return for the first time since 2008. The multi-artist bill — with metal heavyweights MOTÖRHEAD, VOLBEAT and LACUNA COIL all personally picked by MEGADETH frontman Dave Mustaine — kicked off on January 26 in Camden, New Jersey. Before wrapping February 28 in Denver, Colorado, the tour will make stops all across the U.S. and Canada, including a February 24 show in Los Angeles.

MEGADETH is among the nominees for the 54th annual Grammy Awards, which will be held on Sunday, February 12 at Staples Center in Los Angeles. The band's tenth Grammy nomination is for its new single, "Public Enemy No. 1", off MEGADETH's latest album, "TH1RT3EN", which came out on November 1.

"Public Enemy No. 1" actually marks the second Grammy nomination for music from "TH1RT3EN", as the song "Sudden Death" was first unveiled in the 2010 video game "Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock" and received a "Best Metal Performance" nod.

Pomona, California thrashers BONDED BY BLOOD will enter the studio this weekend to begin recording their as-yet untitled new album, due later in the year via Earache Records. The follow up to 2010's "Exiled To Earth" will be tracked with producer and former MACHINE HEAD/SOULFLY guitarist Logan Mader (DEVILDRIVER, FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH) at Silver Sound and Mt. Olympus Studios in Los Angeles. It will be the band's first album to feature vocalist Mauro Gonzalez and bassist Jessie Sanchez.

"We can't wait for everybody to hear what the new album has in store. It's definitely more diverse and we all had a blast writing it," states BONDED BY BLOOD guitarist Juan Juarez. "It'll be the first record with Mauro and Jessie, who have been great additions to the lineup, and the four of us really connected well during the writing and rehearsing of this album. The playing on this album will be top-notch. We're glad to be recording in Los Angeles, and excited to work with Logan. We can't wait to get started and we hope everybody enjoys it as much as we do."

BONDED BY BLOOD's latest album, "Exiled To Earth", sold around 600 copies in the United States in its first week of release. The CD landed at position No. 86 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.