SLIPKNOT drummer Joey Jordison joined SYSTEM OF A DOWN on stage this past Wednesday, February 29 at Rod Laver Arena in Melbourne, Australia to perform the song "Suite-Pee". Fan-filmed video footage of his appearance can be seen below.

During an interview with Brazil's Multishow after SYSTEM OF A DOWN's performance at the Rock In Rio festival last October in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, the band's drummer, John Dolmayan, was asked if SOAD fans can expect to hear a new studio album from the group following its current reunion tour. "We're gonna take it day by day," he said. "For the people who are waiting for an album — I know there's a lot of people waiting for an album; I'm waiting for an album just like they are. It's gonna happen when it's right and when we can make something that tops what we've done in the past. Because we don't really wanna rest on our laurels — where what you've done in the past is what you depend on. Well, I don't wanna do that, and I know the rest of the guys don't wanna do that. Instead of resting on our laurels, we wanna throw them away and create something new and specific for this generation that they can say that's their SYSTEM OF A DOWN."

Dolmayan previously told Straight.com about SYSTEM OF A DOWN's five-year hiatus, "I personally don't like breaks — I like to continue playing. But it was nice to go off and be John Dolmayan, as opposed to John from SYSTEM, for a while. I think everybody had similar feelings."

The drummer explained that a desire to pull off the road for a while and reconnect with their lives is what led SYSTEM to take an extended vacation from each other, saying, "When you're on the road and in the studio all the time, it's kind of like traveling at light speed. When you come back, it's like 20 years have passed by, and you're only one or two hours older . . . You're living a nomadic life, and you lose touch with people because they have grown away from you. People get older, get married, die — life is still going on."

SYSTEM's last two albums, "Mezmerize" and "Hypnotize", were released in 2005.

Total Guitar, which is said to be Europe's best-selling guitar magazine, recently conducted a "readers' questions" interview with MACHINE HEAD's Robb Flynn and Phil Demmel for the publication's March 2012 issue (issue 225). When asked by one reader if they heard METALLICA and Lou Reed's collaborative album, "Lulu", and what they honestly thought of it, Robb replied, "I think it's horrible. I don't get it. The METALLICA fan in me wants to think that there's this ulterior motive that none of us can see, and it's helping them branch out into something different. But I don't even get what's going on."

Added Phil: "I've heard, like, half of a tune. I don't like Lou Reed at all. I love METALLICA, but I don't like METALLICA with Lou Reed. It's not for me. I'll wait for the next METALLICA album."

Continued Robb: "It sounds like Grandpa Simpson rapping over fast thrash beats or something. We're huge fans of METALLICA and they'll always be my favorite band, but that record was bizarre. It was fascinatingly bad."

The whole interview is published in issue 225 of Total Guitar magazine. It can be purchased digitally via Apple Newstand and Zinio.

"Lulu" has polarized fans around the world and earned METALLICA some of the most scathing reviews of its career. The effort features the former THE VELVET UNDERGROUND frontman's spoken-word poetry and lyrics combined with METALLICA's musical assault for a jarring experience that doesn't sound like anything METALLICA has ever attempted before. A concept album based on two early 20th century plays by German author Frank Wedekind, the CD was co-produced by Reed, METALLICA, Hal Willner — who has produced albums for Reed, Marianne Faithfull, and Laurie Anderson, among others — and Greg Fidelman. Fidelman also mixed the record.

The collaboration between METALLICA and Reed was sparked by their performance together of Reed's "Sweet Jane" and "White Light/White Heat" at the 25th anniversary of the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame at Madison Square Garden in October of 2009.

The songs were all written by Reed with extensive arrangement contributions by METALLICA.

Only two songs on the album are under five minutes in length, while two are more than 11 minutes long and the closing cut, "Junior Dad", clocks in at 19 minutes.

Jorge Fretes of Spain's GoetiaMetal.com recently conducted an interview with DISTURBED bassist John Moyer about John's involvement with ADRENALINE MOB, the new band featuring Mike Portnoy (DREAM THEATER, AVENGED SEVENFOLD), SYMPHONY X frontman Russell Allen and guitar virtuoso Mike Orlando (SONIC STOMP). You can now listen to the chat in the YouTube clip below. A couple of excerpts from the interview follow.

On the differences between playing with DISTURBED and ADRENALINE MOB:

Moyer: "One of the great things about being in DISTURBED is we had a great run, a great history. We're a big band — we're a really big band in the United States, we're a really big band in Europe, we're a really big band in Australia. And so, obviously, it's something that we've worked hard for over the last ten years to build and to create this sort of massive thing, and we have fans all over the world. And that's a beautiful thing. And there's very few bands anywhere that can say that they've been able to achieve that kind of success. Now, on the flipside, ADRENALINE MOB is a brand new band and there's a certain excitement about that, too. Starting something new and fresh… To me, it's not always about the destination, it's about the journey. And that's the great part about what happened with DISTURBED — the journey, the building it up and seeing it grow, and seeing it become this huge thing. And I hope to repeat that success with ADRENALINE MOB."

On whether ADRENALINE MOB is a serious band or just a "fun" side project:

Moyer: "I take it very seriously. I'm not just playing for fun; I'm playing to make this band a success. I want this as big and as powerful and I want it to connect with as many possible. I'm not really treating this like a side project. I'm treating this like what I'm doing right now. My main musical aspiration right now is to make ADRENALINE MOB be as big and powerful a band as it can be. With DISTURBED, we're taking an extended hiatus, and I'm not sure when DISTURBED will be getting back together. So, in the meantime, I'm just staying very creative, I want to stay out there and play — it's what I do, it's what I love to do. Whatever project I do, I do one hundred percent. So, to me, this isn't a side project, this is something that I'm gonna put everything that I have into."

On whether he thinks there is any validity to the the musical comparisons between DISTURBED and ADRENALINE MOB:

Moyer: "I don't think so, honestly. It's funny. I mean, I guess ADRENALINE MOB sounds more like DISTURBED than it does sound like SYMPHONY X, or maybe it sounds more like DISTURBED than DREAM THEATER, but to me, ADRENALINE MOB sounds like the classic new metal, hard rock sound, where you have good songs and good hooks with great singing over it. It's not progressive, it's not screamo, hardcore metal or thrash. It's just that sort of hard rock, metal style with melodic vocals. So I think that there's a lot of bands out there that you could describe that way — not just DISTURBED. I mean, GODSMACK, FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH, even STONE SOUR or AVENGED SEVENFOLD… I do think that ADRENALINE MOB is definitely in the same genre as DISTURBED, but I don't think necessarily that we sound like DISTURBED."

ADRENALINE MOB's debut album, "Omertá" will be released in the U.S. on March 13 through the newly formed Elm City Music in conjunction with EMI Label Services and in Europe on March 19 in Europe via Century Media Records. The 11-song effort — which was produced by ADRENALINE MOB and mixed by Jay Ruston, who has previously worked on ANTHRAX's "Worship Music" and STEEL PANTHER's "Balls Out" — includes a blistering reinterpretation of DURAN DURAN's classic "Come Undone" featuring guest vocals by Lzzy Hale of HALESTORM.

"Omertá" track listing:

01. Undaunted
02. Psychosane
03. Indifferent
04. All On The Line
05. Hit The Wall
06. Feelin' Me
07. Come Undone (feat. Lzzy Hale)
08. Believe Me
09. Down To The Floor
10. Angel Sky
11. Freight Train

Moyer will make his live debut with ADRENALINE MOB on March 12 at Hiro Ballroom in New York City.

ADRENALINE MOB will perform at several European festivals this summer, including Graspop Metal Meeting (June 22-24 in Dessel, Belgium), Gods Of Metal (June 21-24 in Milan, Italy) and Sweden Rock (June 6-9 in Sölvesborg, Sweden).



Photo by Kellie Hoeke

(Thanks: Morpheus Misfit)

The first single and video from "Dee Does Broadway", the new solo album from TWISTED SISTER frontman Dee Snider, will be made available in early April. The full-length CD will follow a month later.

"Dee Does Broadway" will include guest appearances by Biff Byford (SAXON) and Sebastian Bach (SKID ROW), among others.

In a 2011 interview with Goldmine, Snider stated about "Dee Does Broadway", "I'll preface this by saying, no, it's not metal. I'm taking Broadway show tunes and I'm making them rock. It's sort of a 'Twisted Christmas' taken to Broadway. But there are some pretty metallic moments there, I'll tell you. 'Sweeney Todd' translates into a metal song amazingly — bass, drums, guitar — so some of the songs are really metallic, but it's a rock record. I'm doing it as a solo artist."

Snider joined the cast of the Tony-nominated musical "Rock Of Ages" in October 2010 at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre.

The singer, who was seen in the A&E reality show "Growing Up Twisted", played nightclub owner Dennis for an 11-week engagement beginning October 11, 2010 and continuing through December 24, 2010. He also hosted "Rock Senate Hearings," a weekly Tuesday-night talkback series.

During an interview with MTV News, Snider talked about the difference between performing in arenas and on Broadway. "The biggest difference between a concert situation and a theater situation is that you can't curse out the audience. I'm used to addressing situations. If something is going on in the house that I don't like at a concert, or if the audience is not energized or enthusiastic ... or if they're particularly energized and enthusiastic ... I will stop a song just to comment on what's going on. I quickly realized that was unacceptable on Broadway. I just have to stay in character and stay in the show."

Dee previously said that it was his personal hope for "to bridge the gap between Broadway and rock 'n' roll and introduce the hard rock audience to the amazing music of the Great White Way!"

A short video clip of SLIPKNOT frontman Corey Taylor playing with Mercy Reign, the daughter of an Australian SLIPKNOT fan, on February 23 at the Soundwave Festival in Brisbane, Australia can be seen below.

On September 17, 2002, Corey's then-fiancée, Scarlett Stone, gave birth to their son Griffin Parker. Taylor also has a daughter named Angie, born on October 29, 1992 from an earlier relationship. Taylor and Stone married on March 11, 2004, and divorced three years later. On November 13, 2009, he married Stephanie Luby.

Taylor has been ambivalent about working on new SLIPKNOT material following the death in May 2010 of the group's bassist, Paul Gray, although percussionist Shawn Crahan and drummer Joey Jordison have been much more confident about the band recording again.

SLIPKNOT completed a European festival run last summer, which marked the band's first live gigs since Gray's passing.

SLIPKNOT's last record, "All Hope Is Gone", was released in 2008.

The band will take part in the Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival this summer.

Brazil's "Stay Heavy" conducted an interview with ANTHRAX guitarist Scott Ian and vocalist Joey Belladonna when the band played at Best Buy Theater in New York City on February 8. You can now watch the chat below.

ANTHRAX's video for the song "The Devil You Know" can be seen below. The clip contains clips of all the band highlights of last year.

"The Devil You Know" comes off ANTHRAX's latest album, "Worship Music", which sold 28,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 12 on The Billboard 200 chart. The band's previous studio CD, 2003's "We've Come For You All", opened with just under 10,000 units to debut at No. 122.

The CD cover artwork for "Worship Music" was handled by renowned comic book artist Alex Ross, who has worked with Marvel Comics and DC Comics and is known for his "Marvels", "Kingdom Come", and "Astro City" illustrations. Ross also did the original artwork for ANTHRAX's "We've Come For You All" and "Music Of Mass Destruction" albums.

"Worship Music" was produced by ANTHRAX, Rob Caggiano and Jay Ruston and recorded over a four-year period at studios in New York, Los Angeles and Chicago. Singer Joey Belladonna's return to the band prompted some of the songs originally recorded with previous singer Dan Nelson to be re-crafted with fresh lyrics or tweaked to better suit his overall vibe and energy. Some of the songs were completely replaced with brand-new songs and, of course, all have Belladonna's inimitable vocal stamp on them.

ANTHRAX recently completed the second leg of its U.S. tour with TESTAMENT and DEATH ANGEL.

Interview:



"The Devil You Know" video:

Darryl Smyers of the Dallas Observer recently conducted an interview with MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson.

Dallas Observer: Both you and [MEGADETH mainman] Dave Mustaine are Christians. One wouldn't think too many of your fans are living a Christian lifestyle.

Ellefson: They are probably a lot like me. I grew up a confirmed Lutheran, but when I didn't have to go to church anymore, I didn't go. I was into playing rock and roll, but I had a good upbringing that steered me in the right direction at the times when I needed to be redirected. Rock and roll is about rocking out against the system and rocking out against the things that have authority over you. And years ago, the church had a very authoritative position over me. It's not so much like that anymore. A lot of corrupt people in the church got called out on it. It's a different time now. Those same rules don't apply today.

Dallas Observer: There are people, both back then and today, who don't think the words Christian and metal can go together.

Ellefson: There are a lot of artists who are very open about their faith. This has happened over the last 10 years. Nearly everyone comes from some sort of faith background, even if you don't have any faith at all. If someone wants to ask me about my personal life, I don't mind talking to them, but I am there to play a MEGADETH show. I am not out on a crusade.

Dallas Observer: Dave Mustaine has said there are certain songs that, as a Christian, he no longer feels are appropriate to play. Do you feel the same way?

Ellefson: Well, those are songs he wrote. Those lyrics were close to him and he decided he didn't want to play those for those reasons. I definitely stand by him.

Read the entire interview from Dallas Observer.

According to The Pulse Of Radio, Slash recently teamed up with, of all people, veteran actress Betty White to film several short commercials for the Los Angeles Zoo's new attraction, called The Lair. The Lair is scheduled to open on March 8 and will feature what the Zoo described in a press release as "60 species of weird, rare and endangered amphibians, invertebrates and reptiles." Slash himself became well-known during his days with GUNS N' ROSES as the owner of numerous snakes, although he told The Pulse Of Radio he had to dial it down when he became a father. "I used to have a plethora of snakes, but we got rid of everything right before my first son was born because you have 80, you know, life-threatening snakes around and a baby, you know, who's going to grow up to be a toddler that's gonna get into everything," he said. "You know, I got sort of cold feet about the whole thing."

White and Slash have been longtime supporters of the Los Angeles Zoo, with White working on raising funds and awareness for it. She also serves on the board of the Greater Los Angeles Zoo Association.

Slash was honored last year by the Zoo for his contributions to the wildlife center and is also a trustee on the board.

The legendary guitarist and the equally legendary "Hot In Cleveland" star have filmed several Zoo commercials, of which this is the first.

Meanwhile, Slash's new single, "You're A Lie", hit the rock radio airwaves on Monday (February 27). The track is taken from his second solo album, "Apocalyptic Love", which is due out on May 22.

ROB ZOMBIE/ex-MARILYN MANSON guitarist John 5 will release his new full-length solo CD/DVD, "God Told Me To", on May 8 via Rocket Science Ventures.

"God Told Me To" was recorded and produced by John 5, Chris Baseford (ROB ZOMBIE, TOMMY LEE) and Bob Marlette (SEBASTIAN BACH, BLACK SABBATH) in 2011. The cover art for the album is illustrated by none other than Rob Zombie, who is also tapping John 5 to score the entirety of his upcoming film, "The Lords Of Salem".

The CD portion of "God Told Me To" features ten painstakingly handcrafted pieces transcending multiple styles — an equal combination of acoustic and electronically influenced tracks — each designed to gradually reveal John 5's innovative interpretation of his instrument. The orchestration of "God Told Me To" showcases John 5's ability to master the subtlety of dynamics, thus emphasizing the overall production value of this body of work.

The DVD portion of "God Told Me To" is hosted by retro-style horror-host Mike Odd and takes a look inside the world of John 5 during his terrifying trip into the realm of "God Told Me To". The DVD features footage of John 5 in the studio while working on the new album, exclusive videos taken on tour, a peek inside the photo shoot for his 2011 remix album "Remixploitation", and more.

In an interview with AOL's Noisecreep, John 5 stated about his new album title, "The title means more than what it sounds like. I wanted to do this so badly, to be a successful musician. Not even like a rock star. My dreams didn't go into that area. I want to make money playing guitar. I like prayed inside of my head as a little kid. I didn't grow up in a religious home, but we went to Midnight Mass. That was the only time I'd go to church, but when I did, I prayed that I wanted to be a successful musician. I got my wish. . . [The title is] a lot of things. Many serial killers will say 'God told me to.' It's a spin on it."

Regarding the "God Told Me To" album art, John 5 said, "It's funny. [Rob Zombie, I and the rest of the band] were on tour and I said, 'I need a great cover.' He is such a great artist. You know, he is so busy. Live shows, writing movies, but I said, 'Hey man, you want to do the album art?' He was like 'Sure.' He did it, and it's so incredible. It amazing what this guy can do. He nailed it."

On the topic of some of the songs that can be found on "God Told Me To", John 5 said, "'Beat It' is Michael Jackson's and it's instrumental and a tribute. And I tip my hat to Edward Van Halen. I wanted to say thank you to him, since he put an amazing solo in the original, and he was such an influence and epiphany. Also, 'Noche Acasador' means 'Night Stalker,' and it's about Richard Ramirez, and it is a Spanish style flamenco guitar piece. People will be surprised to hear it. Another one that I love is 'Welcome To Violence'. It starts the record with total brutality."

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.

"God Told Me To" trailer:



"Welcome To Violence" video:

"Over The Edge", the new video from the Milan, Italy-based female-fronted rock/metal act EXILIA, can be seen below. The clip was filmed in Berlin, Germany with director Oliver Sommer from Ava Studios. The video's concept is inspired by a weird surreal short tale from Roald Dahl.

"Over The Edge" comes off EXILIA's fifth studio album, "Decode", which will be released on March 30 via ZYX Music. Some great collaborations makes this album more special: an old friend, Stephan "Gudze" Hinz, bass player of the great crossover band H-BLOCKX, features on "Over The Edge", and Dave Pensado, who has mixed chart-toppers for some of the biggest names in the music business, such as DEFTONES, PINK and TOOL, mixed "Satellite" which will be the opening track.

According to a press release, "Decode" shows "a new creative side of EXILIA where they are challenging themselves in the realms of elegant songwriting and reaping the benefits incredibly, all songs provide intense and catchy chorus with rhytmic detonation interspersed with Masha's unique voice before exploding in an eruption of pounding guitars where she really shows her versatility."

Masha Mysmane, who is well respected for her lyrical content, dramatic and energetic live performances, describes the new music as "something real, something that cannot be contained in a commercial box."

"Music is my way to express myself and I get inspired by many music styles, writing and combining different genres to find the right code to decypher the sound I hear in my head," she says. "I can't put any limits to it, our music is universal and does not belong to any system."

EXILIA's last album, "My Own Army", was released in February 2009 via AFM Records. The CD was recorded at Principal Studios in Ottmarsbocholt (near Münster), Germany.

"Over The Edge" video:



Making of "Over The Edge" video:

Marilyn Manson spoke to Revolver magazine about his recently completed eighth studio album "Born Villain", which is due out this spring through Cooking Vinyl Records. The first single from the follow-up to 2009's "The High End Of Low", a song called "No Reflection", will be released in May.

"It doesn't really sound like any of my old records," Manson said about his new CD. "In fact it sort of sounds like what I listened to before I made records — KILLING JOKE, JOY DIVISION, REVOLTING COCKS, BAUHAUS, BIRTHDAY PARTY … It's very rhythm-driven. It's actually very bluesy. It's the first record where I repeat verses. I just sign the words in a different key, the next time. I've never done that before, because I've always felt like I needed to write a lot of words in the past … I think this will probably be the grandest concept record of all."

Manson, whose macabre lyrics and outrageous stage behavior have been controversial, also spoke about how he defines "shock rock." "People expect me to me a 'shock rocker,' but there's nothing you can do anymore to be shocking," he told Revolver. "All you can do is be confusing. Don't ever empty the bucket of mystery. Never let people define what you do. It's not about zigging when you should zag. It's not about doing something unprecedented and unpredictable. It's just about never being a word, or something that is not in the process of transformation."

Manson's U.S. theater tour is scheduled to kick off April 27.

The singer last September unveiled a new music video for the song "Born Villain" directed by actor Shia LaBeouf.

Drummer Ginger Fish (real name: Kenneth Robert Wilson) quit MARILYN MANSON in February 2011 and has since joined ROB ZOMBIE. He has been replaced by the Los Angeles-based drummer Jason Sutter.

MARILYN MANSON in 2009 parted ways with longtime record label Interscope following the disappointing sales performance of "The High End Of Low".

"The High End Of Low" was Manson's first album with longtime bassist Twiggy Ramirez since 2000's "Holy Wood".

MARILYN MANSON live at Soundwave Festival on February 25, 2012 in Brisbane, Australia:

Icon Vs. Icon recently caught up with vocalist Jay Gordon of the reactivated ORGY, the "death pop" band from Bakersfield, California, to discuss the group's reformation, the status of new music and their current tour. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

Icon Vs. Icon: ORGY has been off the scene for a little while. What the catalyst for rebooting and moving forward with the project?

Jay: Ya know, it had just been too long. I was really interested in getting back out on the road. That was the first thing I wanted to do. It had been so long, I just wanted to get out there, brush the rust off and roll with it to see what happens. To do that you have to have a band and start playing gigs right away and that is exactly what I did.

Icon Vs. Icon: Did you have any reservations about making that move?

Jay: Sure, there were a few here and there at first. You are never truly sure about anything you do in this business. I was worried about how the fans would respond and if they would or wouldn't like it. I had my reservations but I just went ahead with it and it has worked out really well.

Icon Vs. Icon: I know there was a little controversy on the part of the other original members about you reviving the band with a new lineup. Were you surprised at their reactions?

Jay: Honestly, yeah, I was surprised. I think a lot of people are, because it is not like they are totally busy doing their JULIEN-K thing, so I don't really know what to say about that. I was surprised because I had been talking to those guys off and on about getting together to do shows and they were open to the idea, I believe. It just seemed to be taking so long. It seemed like it was never going to happen. I felt like I was getting blown off and nothing was getting done, so I decided to move on.

Icon Vs. Icon: How did you go about assembling this new lineup and what do they bring to the table?

Jay: The new lineup is amazing! I don't plan on looking back, let's put it that way, they are that good. They are all amazing artists. Both guitar players, Carlton Bost and Ashburn Miller, came from DEADSY. The bass player, Nic Speck came from RUN RUN RUN. The drummer, Jamie Miller, is from SNOT and THE START. He is an amazing drummer! All of the guys are truly amazing performers and we get along great.

Icon Vs. Icon: Where are you in regard to new music for ORGY?

Jay: We are doing really well. We are actually going to start with a couple of live mash-ups. We will be doing the Kill The Noise one in the next couple of days and then the Skrillex one after that. Then we will start adding new songs as the tour goes. We have already been writing a little bit for the EP but that probably won't be put out until after I get back home.

Icon Vs. Icon: Can we expect a full album of new music at some point?

Jay: I don't know that it doesn't make more sense just to keep putting out more EPs because they are faster and as you get a few songs done, you can put something out. I think it is a good model to use because you can gauge what you should be doing or what you shouldn't be doing. That isn't to say that there couldn't be a full-length album; there certainly could be.

On February 24, Dani Buarque of the "Lokaos Rock Show" conducted an interview with legendary bassist Rudy Sarzo (BLUE ÖYSTER CULT, OZZY OSBOURNE, QUIET RIOT, WHITESNAKE, DIO) prior to BLUE ÖYSTER CULT's concert at HSBC Brasil in São Paulo, Brazil. You can now watch the chat below.

When asked about the tragic 1982 airplane accident — a morning joy ride gone horribly wrong in Florida — that took the life of OZZY OSBOURNE/ex-QUIET RIOT guitarist Randy Rhoads, Sarzo said in an April 2011 interview with The Star-Ledger, "We all deal with grief in different ways. You're grieving and you learn to live with the passing of your friend — somebody who I owe my career to, someone who saved our lives by turning the plane from actually completely crashing into the bus where we were sleeping, and just clipping the bus instead."

On the topic of why he rejoined his and Rhoads' pre-Osbourne band, then a relatively unknown Los Angeles bar band by the name of QUIET RIOT, Sarzo said, "I left the biggest band in the world to join total uncertainty. I just needed some peace of mind. Thank God it turned out how it did. When we got to be No. 1 in 1983, we were competing with 'Thriller', we were competing with 'Synchronicity' — all great albums of that era. That was quite an honor. It was more than just selling records. It was what it meant to achieve that in the company of artists like Michael Jackson and Sting."

A collector's edition of Rudy's book, "Off the Rails: Aboard the Crazy Train in the Blizzard of Ozz", was released in August 2008 via TooSmart! Publishing. According to Sarzo, "The new edition is beautiful and includes many more pictures throughout the book as well as a 16-page glossy spread of Ross Halfin photos from the beginning of our tour."

"Off the Rails" includes a first-person account from Rudy's personal day-by-day diary of events while touring with Ozzy Osbourne and Randy Rhoads in the early Eighties. The book was originally due in 2005 but was delayed after Sharon Osbourne allegedly applied pressure to have it pulled.

Vans — one of the world's leaders in the shoe and apparel market — and Nice Kicks have teamed up to present Vulcanized Vinyl, a temporary pop-up shop in Austin, Texas during the SXSW (South By Southwest) Music And Media Conference, taking place March 9-18. The retail space will be open noon to midnight at 313 E. 6th Street.

As part of the promotion, Vans — for the first time ever — is reissuing five of its most popular band shoe projects in a first-come-first-served offering from March 13 to March 17.

Make sure you arrive early before store opening at noon so you can cop a pair of reissues from SLAYER (March 13), DESCENDENTS (March 14), BAD RELIGION (March 15), IRON MAIDEN (March 16) and SOCIAL DISTORTION (March 17).

As an added bonus to those who shop with us, Vans is offering a "Concierge Service" and will deliver your purchases to major hotels in Austin so you don't have to trek from venue to venue with your goods.

"Vulcanized Vinyl is a great opportunity to work together with a key boutique partner in Nice Kicks as we uniquely present Vans Classics and California collections and key apparel items in a way that underscores Vans long musical heritage," said Vans Vice President of Marketing Doug Palladini. "We think that SXSW's rabid music crowd will really love the band collaboration re-releases we have on tap."

Heavy music presenter Christina Rowatt of Soundwave TV conducted an interview with vocalist Michael Starr of Los Angeles glam metal jokersters STEEL PANTHER during the Soundwave Festival in Australia. You can now watch the chat below.

STEEL PANTHER's sophomore album, "Balls Out", sold nearly 12,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 40 on The Billboard 200 chart. Released on November 1 via Universal Republic Records, the follow-up to 2009's "Feel The Steel" contains 14 soon-to-be classics such as "Just Like Tiger Woods", "Gold Digging Whore" and "Weenie Ride". The album also features cameos by Dane Cook on the album opener "In The Future" and NICKELBACK frontman Chad Kroeger and EXTREME axeman Nuno Bettencourt show up on an instant classic "It Won't Suck Itself". "Balls Out" was produced by Grammy-nominated producer/mixer Jay Ruston who produced the band's "Feel The Steel" debut and is known for his work with ANTHRAX, MEAT LOAF, THE DONNAS and MORRISSEY, to name a few.

STEEL PANTHER is Michael Starr (vocals), Satchel (guitar), Lexxi Foxx (bass) and Stix Zadinia (drums).

Former KREATOR/SODOM guitarist Frank "Blackfire" Gosdzik will lay down the guitar tracks on the debut CD, "Proliferation Day", from BROOKLYN MILITIA, the new "aggressive thrash metal/punk/hardcore" band featuring Joe Cangelosi (WHIPLASH, KREATOR, MASSACRE) and Glenn Hansen (WHIPLASH).

BROOKLYN MILITIA has been in the studio this month recording 12 brand new tracks and Blackfire will take over the guitar duties. The group states, "We are excited to have Frank aboard and we know this stuff is going to be explosive."

Hansen previously stated about his involvement with BROOKLYN MILITIA, "I guess it all comes down to honesty. When you take this band, you're taking guys that have been in bands together since we were kids. We are like brothers. When we play, the songs just flow naturally. It's just brutal musical honesty."

BROOKLYN MILITIA is:

* Rich Day (PRIMAL SCREAM, WHIPLASH, DEATHCORPS, BURN VICTIMS) - Bass
* Joe Cangelosi (WHIPLASH, KREATOR, MASSACRE) - Drums
* Glenn Hansen (WHIPLASH, MOONDOG) - Vocals

"Anywhere But Here", a brand new solo track from STAIND frontman Aaron Lewis, can be streamed using the SoundCloud player below. The song comes off his full-length solo album, to be released in June via R&J Records. The the follow-up to Lewis's acclaimed 2011 country EP, "Town Line", which debuted at #1 on the Billboard Country Albums chart and #7 on The Billboard 200 chart, was recorded in Nashville with Grammy award-winning producer James Stroud.

Aaron Lewis recently received two Academy Of Country Music nominations for his debut country single, "Country Boy", continuing his breakthrough year as a solo artist. The singer, songwriter and guitarist was nominated in the "Vocal Event of the Year" category for the song — which features George Jones and Charlie Daniels — as both the artist and co-producer, along with co-producer James Stroud.

The Academy Of Country Music Awards will take place at MGM Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas on Sunday, April 1.

Lewis told the Dallas Observer that he doesn't see himself giving up country music now that he's started, explaining, "It's the first music that I was ever exposed to . . . Country music is a part of me. It certainly reflects my lifestyle. I live out in the middle of nowhere in a town of 1,200 people. I've got chickens and a house pig. I deer hunt and I fish. I really don't do many things that require a city."

STAIND's self-titled seventh album arrived in September and debuted at No. 5 on the Billboard album chart.

On February 23, Philip of Freethinkers' Blog conducted an interview with Dennis Bradley and Elliot Desgagnés of Montreal's monsters of tech-death mayhem BENEATH THE MASSACRE before the band's concert in in Vienna, Austria. You can now watch the chat in two parts below.

BENEATH THE MASSACRE's new album, "Incongruous", was released in the U.S. on February 14, in the U.K. on February 20, in mainland Europe on February 24 and in Canada on February 28 via Prosthetic Records. The CD was produced and mixed by Chris Donaldson (CRYPTOPSY) and mastered by Alan Douches (HATEBREED, SHADOWS FALL, CONVERGE).

"Incongruous" track listing:

01. Symptoms
02. Hunted
03. Left Hand
04. Hopes
05. It
06. Light
07. Incongruous
08. Pedestal
09. Grief
10. Damages
11. Unheard

BENEATH THE MASSACRE is taking part in Europe's "Bonecrusher Fest" tour in February and March alongside CARNIFEX, WITHIN THE RUINS, MOLOTOV SOLUTION and BETRAYING THE MARTYRS.

BENEATH THE MASSACRE's "Marée Noire" EP was released in mid-2010.

The band's last album, "Dystopia", came out in 2008. Since then, the group has toured extensively throughout North America (including Summer Slaughter Canada 2008 and Sumer Slaughter 2009) and Europe.

In 2009, BENEATH THE MASSACRE was nominated for in the for "Best Underground Band" category at the Metal Hammer Golden Gods Awards.

Steve Patrick of Hardrock Haven recently conducted an interview with drummer Andy Parker of British rock legends UFO. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

Hardrock Haven: How did the band want to follow-up 2009's "The Visitor"?

Andy: That's kind of a tough one. It's pretty much as always, you know. We weren't absolutely sure we'd get another album because SPV had gone through some changes, but once they decided they were going to keep going and that they wanted us to do another album. Then it's just basically pitching the ideas and getting on with it.

Hardrock Haven: Can you describe how the UFO of today typically writes a new album?

Andy: Well, normally it would be Vinnie Moore [guitar] and myself…and Pete [Way, bass] when he was in the band. Obviously, we don't have a full-time bass player right now, so the writing process is pretty much left down to the rest of us. This time around I didn't really do much. I had kind of a busy year. My kid was getting married and stuff, so… yeah, we were on the road a lot, so it was kind of just when it came time to do the album the guys pitched in their ideas. Traditionally, what happens is we pitch in the ideas and Phil [Mogg, vocals] listens to them, decides which ones he can kind of feed off of, and we come down to a short list. Then we go into the studio and record those as backing tracks and he works on his vocals from there. I mean, quite often he'll give us kind of a lyric idea or a hookline or a melody… some kind of phrasing ideas, but we don't normally hear the finished product until it is actually finished. I did the drums… the drums and bass were done in Germany at Area 51 with Tommy Newton [producer]. Phil worked there, too… Phil did his vocals. He tends to work out of his home studio in Delaware. He feels more comfortable there… he's got all his stuff there. Paul [Raymond, keyboards/guitar] kind of worked between London at a studio he likes in London and Area 51. It's not that far for him…from London to Hanover so it's a pretty close commute. I think the only reason he doesn't do everything in Hanover is he likes to use a grand piano and a B3, so Tommy doesn't have those there…so Paul found a studio in London that did.

Hardrock Haven: Who performed the bass parts on "Seven Deadly"?

Andy: By this time, if you remember last time around it was a German bass player, Peter Pichl, that we used. This time around, it's another German bass player named Lars Lehmann and he was a buddy of Vinnie's. Vinnie had used him in some solo stuff and suggested that he was a great bass player, which he is…and a great guy. He was available and he was in Hanover, so that made things easier because at least he was around when I put the drum tracks down, which was nice. We got to do the bass and drums together.

Hardrock Haven: That kind of leads into the next question: how is Pete doing?

Andy: Eh, well I mean I haven't seen him probably in little over a year. Last time I saw him he was pretty much the same, as usual. That's a tough one. I mean, you know, the story with Pete is he's basically on hiatus from the band because of his lifestyle choices. It was really starting to affect his performance and the band in general, although it really fell on Phil's shoulders to make the decision… that he kinda needed to sit out and pull himself together. Poor old Pete. He started off with a good attitude, but he kind of fell by the wayside, so I don't see him returning anytime soon. I mean, obviously we're all hoping that he will be back and that he will sort himself out, but the last time I saw him he was still pretty much in the state that he had been for a while. Now, funny enough, he's actually been doing some stuff with Michael [Schenker], which I can understand, from a fan's point of view, is pretty confusing, you know? Why is he out there with Michael and not with us? It's just a matter of degrees with Pete. I think the deal was with Michael is that Michael had him along, but he also had another bass player along to cover the playing duties… which works fine for Michael, but we won't do that. If he's going to be in the band then he has to step and play, too, so… like I said, we love him to death.

Read the entire interview from Hardrock Haven.

VAN HALEN performed the song "The Full Bug" (from the "Diver Down" album) live for the first time since 1983 last night (Thursday, March 1) at Madison Square Garden in New York City. Fan-filmed video footage of the performance can be seen below.

The band's setlist was as follows:

01. Unchained
02. Runnin' With the Devil
03. She's The Woman
04. The Full Bug
05. Tattoo
06. Everybody Wants Some!!
07. Somebody Get Me A Doctor
08. China Town
09. Hear About It Later
10. Oh, Pretty Woman (ROY ORBISON cover)
11. Drum Solo
12. You Really Got Me (THE KINKS cover)
13. The Trouble with Never
14. Dance The Night Away
15. I'll Wait
16. Hot For Teacher
17. Women In Love
18. Outta Love Again
19. Beautiful Girls
20. Ice Cream Man (JOHN BRIM cover)
21. Panama
22. Guitar Solo (including "Eruption" and "Cathedral")
23. Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Love
24. Jump

VAN HALEN's new album, "A Different Kind Of Truth", sold 187,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 2 on The Billboard 200 chart.

"A Different Kind Of Truth" is the band's first full-length offering with original singer David Lee Roth since "1984" was released in January 1984.

Roth exited the group in 1985, a year after its "1984" album was released. According to Billboard.com, "1984" spent five weeks at No. 2 on The Billboard 200 — VAN HALEN's highest charting set with Roth. (1996's "Best Of Volume 1" hits album, which included two new songs with Roth, debuted at No. 1 with 233,000 sold in its first week.)

VAN HALEN's other four other No. 1s were their four studio albums with Roth's replacement, Sammy Hagar: "5150" (1986), "OU812" (1988), "For Unlawful Carnal Knowledge" (1991) and "Balance" (1995).

VAN HALEN's previous all-new album, 1998's "Van Halen III", debuted at No. 4 on the Billboard chart and was certified gold for sales of 500,000 copies, a disappointment compared to their previous platinum efforts.

Kamelot Norway recently conducted an interview with KAMELOT guitarist Thomas Youngblood and keyboardist Oliver Palotai. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

Kamelot Norway: KAMELOT has been growing on an enormous scale ever since the release of "The Black Halo". Are you satisfied about where band stands today if you look back on the days when the band was still fresh in the music industry?

Youngblood: Absolutely. The band is still growing, too, both in terms of fanbase as well as record sales. Our live shows have been a big factor as well since we invest in bringing the fans something unique every time we visit.

Kamelot Norway: Finding a new vocalist seems to be a very tough decision. What would you say are some of the biggest attributes the future vocalist of KAMELOT should have?

Youngblood: Great voice, great stage presence, ability to travel and also getting along with the other members. There are a lot of great singers out there; I've heard so many. But when you dig deeper into their personal situations, it becomes a bit more complex to see them in a professional working band like KAMELOT. Some have a nagging wife, some may be addicted to something, some may not like flying in an airplane. If you want to be in a band, then you cannot have those hang-ups.

Palotai: [It] would be great if he could pass by the keyboards on stage without throwing them off the stand, haha! [I have] had some problems with that in the past. Besides that, I find it important that they are teamworkers. No ego crap. Musicians are always strong individuals, but you have to put some of that aside to be successful.

Kamelot Norway: You have been teasing us all an awful lot about the new singer, and you'll be recording the new album soon. How is the process going?

Youngblood: New songs are going great!! I am in Florida at the moment with Oliver and we are really happy with the results. We will be in Germany soon to start recording the new album. Vocals will be the last thing we do, which is always the case.

Palotai: It will be a real KAMELOT record, that is for sure. Of course, there will be again new things to discover, but I know our fan base would be disappointed if it would be any different. So far I can say there is a killer record coming up! It is only the early production I am listening to right now, but that alone makes us working even harder to deliver it to our fans as soon as possible. I am just looking forward to the feedback from the people who love our music.

Kamelot Norway: The old-school KAMELOT is recognized by the medieval myths and themes. Will these aspects remain in the past of KAMELOT, or do you think that there is still room for these themes in the future?

Youngblood: Those themes came and went with the release of "The Fourth Legacy". From the next album onward, we have kept our ideas and topics varied and modern. At the time, it was fun but we will not return to swords and dragons, that's for sure. I see the next album a mix of "The Black Halo" with new and dark elements and ideas.

Kamelot Norway: It seems that you're a very busy man as you work on several projects outside KAMELOT; do you ever feel that you're running dry on ideas?

Palotai: No. I am a pretty conservative worker regarding that. I get up early, and compose and produce all day until late. I feel more related to the composers of the Baroque era and before, when musicians were considered being more craftsmen or working in the same area like mathematicians or physicians. That whole image of the musical genius is actually a construction of later eras. Which doesn't mean there's no magic in music, though. I am still surprised that of the little steps I do every day there's a finished song or album at the end. Many processes run on a subconscious level; I guess that is what is called musical talent, which is just hard to define.

Kamelot Norway: There have been some changes to the overall sound of KAMELOT these past seven years; how do you keep fresh and adapt your signature style into these changes?

Palotai: Luckily I can do whatever I want — in the end it mostly has that specific personal sound, which is just part of my playing or composing. For me it is just fantastic being in a band like KAMELOT which is reinventing itself again and again, instead of playing it safe. Actually once I quit a band after years because it basically played the same old stuff for years and years. KAMELOT is always keeping its character, but never standing still either.

Read the entire interview from Kamelot Norway.

CBS News chief foreign affairs correspondent Lara Logan's profile of AEROSMITH for "60 Minutes" will air on Sunday, March 11 at 7 p.m. on CBS. The segment will include an interview Laura conducted with the band on their last tour.

AEROSMITH began work on its first all-new album since 2001 last year, with the rest of the band working on music while singer Steven Tyler made his "American Idol" debut.

The band has been working with producer Jack Douglas, who collaborated with them on classic early albums like "Toys In The Attic" and "Rocks".

In a recent interview with RollingStone.com, AEROSMITH singer Steven Tyler stated about the band's forthcoming CD, "We're gonna have a vintage sound, 'cause we're going to tape and a lot of good things like that. We're keeping tracks lean, not a lot of overdubs, and like I said, we're using Jack to his fullest. So you're gonna hear some stuff where you might think AEROSMITH's back."

He added, "I'm having such a good time writing again. You got the songs right now where they're like shells, with no lyrics and no melody, and I get to fill in the blanks like I did with 'Back In The Saddle' when it was just a track."

AEROSMITH guitarist Joe Perry recently revealed via Twitter that the band will embark on a U.S. tour in June. Tickets will go on sale in March. Exact cities and dates will be announced during the coming weeks.

In a recent interview with the QMI Agency, Perry stated about AEROSMITH's new material, "It definitely has a feel like some of the early stuff. We've tried to bring that back. People are always asking for something that sounds like the old stuff, but you can't rewrite 'Mama Kin' or 'Same Old Song And Dance'. All you can do is go in and start from the same place you started when you made those records. So we just went in with (producer) Jack Douglas and we all worked on the record. There's a song or two that the band helped write, and Tom (Hamilton, bass) wrote and Brad (Whitford, guitar) has a track on there. So from that point of view, it's a lot more like an early AEROSMITH record. We were all in the room when we were pulling these songs together and recording them. Every way that we used to make our records, that's what we did to get this to where it is. Right down to what we're doing now, which is going over the tracks and bringing them up to speed. Steven [Tyler] is finishing up the lyrics and we're just going to put the finishing touches on it."

Tyler said at a recent press conference that sales of AEROSMITH's back catalog were up 260 percent since he began appearing on "Idol".

The 11th season of the series began with its two-night premiere on January 18.

Video footage of LYNCH MOB performing during the new metal cruise Monsters Of Rock - The Voyage, which set sail on February 25 and returned three days later via Ft. Lauderdale / Bahamas / Key West, can be seen below.

Vocalist Oni Logan recently rejoined LYNCH MOB and will sing on the band's upcoming album and tour.

Former DOKKEN guitarist George Lynch revealed at the NAMM show in January that he had tapped VAINS OF JENNA frontman Jesse Forte to handle the lead vocals for LYNCH MOB for the foreseeable future.

A short time later, the members of VAINS OF JENNA — who had relocated back to their native Sweden after spending several years in Los Angeles — announced that they were calling it quits.

Forte, who was born in Arkansas but moved to the West Coast at a very young age, has now revealed that he is no longer working with Lynch and will instead move on with a new project.

Said Forte, "I actually won't be working with George on LYNCH MOB. He informed me over the phone that he and Oni have reconciled and have decided to continue on. I wish them the best. Stay tuned for my next project."

Lynch and Logan reformed LYNCH MOB in 2008 and released a comeback album, "Smoke And Mirrors", the following year, but had a falling out in July of 2010 when Logan failed to show up for Houston, Texas gig. "Oni let the band and our fans down," Lynch stated at the time. "He quit the band at 5:30 a.m. before our 7:30 a.m. scheduled flight. He left us high and dry and did not fulfill his commitment. We are saddened and disappointed — but as a band, we are committed to honoring our obligations."

An unknown singer by the name of Chris Romero was recruited for the first two shows of that tour, while Chaz West of BONHAM handled the vocal duties on the rest of the dates.

In a January 2010 interview with PureGrainAudio.com, Oni stated about his return to LYNCH MOB, "I never thought it would happen, honestly. I am glad that it did happen, and now that it has, it is like going back in time and visiting an old friend and kind of just picking up where we left off. This is such a natural thing for me and George. Our chemistry is great, he does the music and I do the lyrics and what you have is 'Smoke And Mirrors'."

When asked how he prepares for the physical demands of a tour, Oni said, "Well, we try to do some different things as opposed to years ago when we were younger. We are pretty level-headed guys and I think we have a way of dealing with touring, for sure. I try to stay fit as much as I can. Obviously, when you are out on the road, you do not get to eat quite as well and you are pretty much sleep-deprived at times. It is all a matter of trying to find ways to keep yourself happy and sane. It is a pretty crazy rock and roll world out there, you know. Fans come out to have a good time, which is great, but there are a lot of things that come along with that as well. We try to keep level-headed and press on, because it is all about the music and nothing else."

Kentucky rockers BLACK STONE CHERRY stopped by the studios of WIIL (95 Rock) in Chicago recently to performed an acoustic version of their latest single, "In My Blood", sign autographs for fans, and answer a few questions about their latest album, "Between The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea", and what they're up to lately. Check out the footage below.

BLACK STONE CHERRY recently released a new music video for their current Top 15 rock radio single "In My Blood", taken from the band's third album, "Between The Devil And The Deep Blue Sea". The documentary-style video follows Private First Class (PFC) Randy Hirneisen, a 20-year-old U.S. Army soldier stationed in Europe, as he is deployed in Afghanistan, redeployed back to Germany, and finally sent home to Augusta, Georgia, where his wife Cindy Torres introduces him to their two-month-old son Randy Hirneisen Jr. for the first time.

As part of the celebration surrounding Hirneisen's homecoming, BLACK STONE CHERRY played a special surprise six-song acoustic set on January 16 for the soldier, his family and friends.

Although BLACK STONE CHERRY has a number of family members and friends who are or have been in the military, singer Chris Robertson told The Pulse Of Radio that the song "In My Blood" itself is open to interpretation. "When you write a song, you write it for what you feel, but you hope people interpret it to how they feel," he said.

BLACK STONE CHERRY has also kicked off a new online campaign called "What's In Your Blood?" in which they invite fans to share their stories of what's in their blood — whatever that means. Fans can submit stories through the band's YouTube channel and a winner will be chosen on March 31. The band will play a private acoustic set for the winner and his or her friends in their hometown.

BLACK STONE CHERRY will tour Europe through the end of March before returning to the U.S. for a new round of dates beginning on April 12 in Nashville.

Pennsylvania's WAR OF AGES will release its fifth album, "Return To Life", on April 24 via Facedown Records. The CD was recorded with producer Chris "Zeuss" Harris at Planet Z Studios (SHADOWS FALL, CHIMAIRA, HATEBREED) and it features some of the band's "most personal material," according to a press release.

WAR OF AGES has toured with AS I LAY DYING, DEMON HUNTER, SOILWORK, NORMA JEAN, BETWEEN THE BURIED AND ME, and more, and will be headlining this year's Facedown Fest on April 7 in Pomona, California.

Commented the band: "We are extremely excited about our 'Return To Life' release in every way. Musically, we stuck to our roots, brought back the heavy rhythmic style and mixed it with the maturity of having four previous albums under our belts. We also joined forces with producer Zeuss, who boasts a catalog with names like TERROR, EMMURE, HATEBREED, etc... Not only is this album instrumentally rhythmic, it is also vocally rhythmic. Leroy [Hamp, vocals] stepped out of his comfort zone and ventured into the realms of RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE, COMEBACK KID, and DARKEST HOUR, and mixed each with his own style. We plan to continue in this direction lyrically, vocally, and musically for our future albums.

"Return To Life" will be released on CD, LP and digital formats.

"Servitude Of Souls", the new lyric video from Swedish tech-death assassins SPAWN OF POSSESSION, can be seen below. The track comes off the band's third full-length album, "Incurso", which will be released in North America on March 13 via Relapse Records. The CD, which will contain nine tracks plus an instrumental intro, was recorded at Pama Studios in Kristianopel, Sweden with engineer Magnus "Mankan" Sedenberg.

According to a press release, "devastating riffs, jaw-dropping time-signatures and improbably complex songwriting coalesce to create an opus of next-level death metal on 'Incurso', which the band promises to be their most supreme work to date, and more devastating than ever."

The "Incurso" cover art was created by graphic artist Pär Olofsson (IMMORTAL, IMMOLATION, DYING FETUS) and can be seen below.

"Incurso" track listing:

01. Abodement
02. Where Angels Go Demons Follow
03. Bodiless Sleeper
04. The Evangelist
05. Servitude Of Souls
06. Deus Avertat
07. Spiritual Deception
08. No Light Spared
09. Apparition

The song "Where Angels Go Demons Follow" can be streamed using the SoundCloud player below.

As previously announced, SPAWN OF POSSESSION will embark on a month-long European tour in March as the support act for labelmates OBSCURA. Also scheduled to appear on the bill are GOROD and EXIVIOUS.

SPAWN OF POSSESSION (Jonas Bryssling: guitar, Dennis Röndum: vocals, Erlend Casperson: bass, Henrik Schönström: drums, Christian Münzner: guitar) formed in 1997 and has previously released two full-length albums. The band's latest CD, "Noctambulant" (2006, Neurotic Records), received international critical acclaim for its blend of musical chops and unfettered extremity.

"Servitude Of Souls" lyric video:



"Bodiless Sleeper" audio stream:



"Where Angels Go Demons Follow" audio stream:

The official lyric video for "Sedition Through Scorn", a brand new song from Italian death metallers HOUR OF PENANCE, can be seen below. The track comes off the band's fifth album, "Sedition", which will be released on March 27 in North America, April 2 in the U.K. and April 6 in mainland Europe via Prosthetic Records. The follow-up to 2010's "Paradogma" (Unique Leader) was recorded at Cellar Studio in Rome with producer Stefano Morabito.

The band will hit North American shores for the first time the week of release, to support THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, NILE and SKELETONWITCH on a full U.S. tour, which includes a stop at the New England Metal & Hardcore Festival.

HOUR OF PENANCE's fourth album, "Paradogma", came out in March 2010 via Unique Leader Records. The CD cover art was created by Gyula Havancsàk, who has previously worked with such acts as ANNIHILATOR and DESTRUCTION.

"Paradogma" was recorded at 16th Cellar studios in Rome with producer Stefano Morabito and was mastered at Hertz Studios in Poland.

HOUR OF PENANCE's current lineup:

Giulio Moschini - Guitar
Simone Piras - Drums
Silvano Leone - Bass
Paolo Pieri - Vocals

Video footage of John Corabi — former lead singer of MÖTLEY CRÜE, THE SCREAM and UNION — performing the MÖTLEY CRÜE song "Hooligan's Holiday" during the new metal cruise Monsters Of Rock - The Voyage, which set sail on February 25 and returned three days later via Ft. Lauderdale / Bahamas / Key West, can be seen below.

Corabi originally joined CRÜE in 1992 as the replacement for the group's original singer, Vince Neil, who was fired due to personal differences. With Corabi on vocals, MÖTLEY CRÜE released one critically acclaimed full-length CD, which ended up being a commercial failure in the wake of grunge despite a Top-Ten placing on the album chart. When Neil returned to the fold in 1997, Corabi was left on his own and formed the band UNION with ex-KISS guitarist Bruce Kulick.

Corabi recently completed work on an acoustic album which he says will include "old songs, new songs and just a sample of things to come." Tentatively due in the spring, the set will contain two versions of the MÖTLEY CRÜE's song "Hooligan's Holiday" — a stripped-back acoustic version and a more elaborate but still acoustic-based band arrangement — as well as a version of the CRÜE's "Loveshine" and even a song by Corabi's first band, ANGORA, which was originally produced by Steve Vai.

MusikUniverse.net conducted an interview with guitarist/vocalist Alexi Laiho of Finnish metallers CHILDREN OF BODOM when the band played at Metropolis in Montreal, Quebec, Canada on February 27 as part of a North American tour with ELUVEITIE, REVOCATION and THREAT SIGNAL. You can now watch the chat below.

CHILDREN OF BODOM is scheduled to commence the songwriting sessions for its next album this fall for a 2013 release. "I have ideas, but I haven't done anything about it," Alexi said. "'Cause the thing is, I can't write when I'm touring; it's not the right kind of environment for me. I know a lot of people do it, but I just can't. And it's OK, 'cause I build a lot of ideas in my head, and my memory sucks, but one thing that I never forget is the riffs; they're always in my head somehow. So it's really not a problem."

CHILDREN OF BODOM's last album, "Relentless Reckless Forever", sold nearly 11,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 42 on The Billboard 200 chart. The band's previous CD, 2008's "Blooddrunk", opened with 19,000 units to land at No. 22. This number was roughly four times the opening tally of "Blooddrunk"'s predecessor, "Are You Dead Yet?", which premiered with 5,000 units back in October 2005 to enter the chart at No. 195.

"Relentless Reckless Forever" was certified gold in the band's home country for first-day sales of over 10,000 copies. The CD was recorded in Finland's Petrax Studios with famed rock producer Matt Hyde (SLAYER, MONSTER MAGNET).

InvertedMag.com conducted an interview with vocalist Andrea Ferro and guitarist Cristiano Migliore of Italian heavy rockers LACUNA COIL when the band played at Shaw Conference Center in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada on February 17 as part of this year's Gigantour. You can now watch the chat 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.