California metallers DEVILDRIVER have been forced to cancel their previously announced Australian tour with SIX FEET UNDER and DARKEST HOUR.

Commented DEVILDRIVER frontman Dez Fafara: "I've NEVER cancelled a tour before. EVER...

"I have pneumonia and I'm restricted from flying for at least two weeks. So, unfortunately, we have to cancel our Australian tour.

"I respectfully apologize to all our Australian fans, SIX FEET UNDER; DARKEST HOUR and the folks at Soundwave Touring, who worked so hard to put this tour together.

"Thank you for your support. We'll make it up to you on the next tour."

Ticket holders can go back to the point of purchase for a refund.

The DEVILDRIVER-headlined Metal Alliance Tour — which also featured THE FACELESS, DYING FETUS, JOB FOR A COWBOY, 3 INCHES OF BLOOD, IMPENDING DOOM and WRETCHED — kicked off on March 15 at the South By Southwest festival in Austin, Texas and concluded on April 21 in Houston, Texas.

When asked about the progress of the songwriting sessions for DEVILDRIVER's sixth album, Fafara told Peek From The Pit in a March 2012 interview, "We used to put a record every two years. I don't think it's gonna be [like that this time]. We are free agents right now, which means we're [no longer signed to Roadrunner Records and we're] talking to many record companies. It's gonna be a very critical record for us, when it does come out, and we're gonna take time to write it. I actually heard one track the other night that is incredible. We all started writing vocals to it right when we were sitting in the back [of the bus], so if it's gonna stay on that route, I think it's gonna be an incredible record."

Dez also spoke about the the musical direction of DEVILDRIVER's new material and whether the band will attempt to make the next record even more "brutal" than "Beast". "We continue to make our records diverse, which is cool," he said. "Every record is different with DEVILDRIVER, so I think we're gonna surpass what we've done in the past. And then going into the 'brutal' question, it's like, man, everybody is as brutal as everybody now. So we wanna have some diversity and we wanna have some moments and some clarity within the songs. I think the thing we're really focused on is songwriting. We don't have a producer chosen, we don't have the [studio] time [booked]. We don't even know if we're gonna release a record in 2013, maybe 2014, or maybe fall of 2013; we're not sure. So there's all this stuff up in the air. But what we do know is we're having a good time writing and exchanging feelings on the songs. . . Like I said, it's gonna be a very important record in our career, so we're gonna take time and we're gonna craft it."

As previously reported, DEVILDRIVER bassist Aaron "Bubble" Patrick sat out the Metal Alliance Tour after being diagnosed with Streptococcus pneumonia, an inflammation and swelling of the lung, caused by an infection with the bacteria. Filling in for Patrick was his former BURY YOUR DEAD bandmate Chris Towning.

Patrick joined DEVILDRIVER as the replacement for Jonathan Miller, who quit the band in March 2011, calling it "the most difficult decision of my life" but "something that I needed to do for myself."

Cobra Metal recently conducted an interview with guitarist Andreas Kisser of Brazilian/American thrashers SEPULTURA. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

Cobra Metal: How have fans been reacting to the new album ["Kairos"]?

Andreas: Great! Fucking great, man. Since the album came out last year, everything was very positive. Great reviews and we've been playing at least 5 songs in our set including the MINISTRY cover ("Just One Fix"). People are relating to the new lyrics very strongly; singing together and stuff. It's great. I wish we could play more, but slowly we'll put in some extra songs. We have Eloy [Casagrande], our drummer, who just joined the band last December pretty much to do the tour in Europe and we only did old stuff (up to the "Chaos A.D." album). So it was really cool to play all the old stuff but now we're playing the new material and slowly we'll change the songs up so it's cool. It's been great to jam the new stuff live.

Cobra Metal: "Kairos" is the first album released by Nuclear Blast. How is the relationship between you guys and your new label?

Andreas: It's great. I think Nuclear Blast has a lot to do with the success of the new album. The support and the belief that they have in SEPULTURA and the record "Kairos" and the momentum of the band. They are a part of that concept and they are like a metal bunch of guys. They are fans and they know the music and they are very happy to have SEPULTURA with them and we feel the same. We are very lucky to have such opportunities and we are very lucky to have a such a label with open arms. It's been working out fantastic.

Cobra Metal: SEPULTURA is in its 28th year of existence. Derrick [Green, vocals] has been in the band for 15 years now. Is the concept behind the new album a statement, “This is SEPULTURA, and there's no need to reunite with Max [Cavalera, guitar/vocals] or Igor [Cavalera, drums]?"

Andreas: People have a very hard time to understand that there's nothing dead growing. Like a reunion. We're going down a totally different path. That's what SEPULTURA is all about. That's our spirit. We started that way and we are keeping it that way. We're going after new things and enjoying learning new things.

Cobra Metal: "Kairos" has a very old school feel compared to other albums of the Derrick Green era. Was this a conscious effort or was it just a natural evolution from the last album?

Andreas: A little bit, yeah. Once we decided to talk about ourselves, obviously you go back and start really remembering where we came from and how things happened. You go places that you don't usually go in your memories and stuff. So we tried to remember the way we made albums and all the limitations of vinyl, we couldn't have too much space. That's why the classic albums have only 8 or 9 songs, which is fucking amazing, so that kind of concept came back. The way we did it with equipment was to use everything on stage and don't go crazy. Just use the sound that we know how to make on stage because the stage really works great and that's the place that we like to be the most. We tried to reproduce that in the studio. The thrash feeling is there as an attitude, not trying to copy riffs and stuff like that. Just trying to bring that vibe back and write with that in mind.

Read the entire interview from Cobra Metal.

"Superskum" (web site) has uploaded video footage of SEPULTURA's April 15 concert at the Gothic Theater in Englewood, Colorado as part of the band's North American tour with DEATH ANGEL, KRISIUN and HAVOK. Check out the clips below.

Chuck Armstrong of Free Gotham recently conducted an interview with former AC/DC bassist Mark Evans about Mark's new book, "Dirty Deeds: My Life Inside/Outside AC/DC". An excerpt from the chat follows below.

Free Gotham: What made you decide to write this book? You were with AC/DC in the '70s, thirty years later, why now?

Mark: I've been approached on a number of occasions to write a book. Obviously, at the outset, publishers wanted me to write basically a tell-all about AC/DC. But it's not a band that you would be in and do that, you know? The timing of the book is interesting. After publishers told me, "You should write about this," I just kept saying I don't think so. I came to a point, though, in my life where there were a couple of things that spun me around on a family level. It just seemed like the right time to sit down and draw a breath, not necessarily to write a book about AC/DC, but write a book, as you know, that is a memoir. It's an autobiography. If I write just about my time in AC/DC, it wouldn't make too much sense because a lot of the things I've done since AC/DC were actually influenced by when I was a kid.

Free Gotham: That makes sense. I mean, the title of the book is inside and outside of the band. It covers everything.

Mark: The majority of the story is with AC/DC. But I was very aware to write about my whole life so far. The timing was right. The time became right for me on a personal level to put my thoughts down on paper. The process was very interesting. When I was writing, man, I was cracking up laughing at some of the stories. We definitely got down to some interesting stuff. There are some great memories, man. I really cherish my memories from my time with the band. We really were a great band. We worked hard, we played hard. There was nothing to stop us. I would've loved to continue on with the band, but that's just the way life is.

Free Gotham: You say you laughed and there are obviously some great stories in the book. There are also some tough stories, though. What was the hardest part about writing the book?

Mark: It surprised me, really. In the book there are a couple of family losses. The one that surprised me was writing about losing my father. I was prepared to write about the other stuff that happened later in life because I've grown to live with that stuff on a daily basis. But, writing about losing my father…you know, it's a memory you'll always have. You'll take that with you. I was 12 years old when I lost my father. But recounting, in detail, what happened say in the last four or five hours, I went right back into pretty sort of graphic detail. I got back into living that. It knocked me around. To go back and relive it, I could even smell things. Part of what caught me on it, though, was at that time my youngest daughter, Virginia, was 12 years old. Looking at that from my father's eyes, I thought about the effect it would have on Virginia. I found that very, very difficult to contend with. And to be quite honest, speaking about it now is not particularly easy. I can feel things welling up. You're writing with an adult sensibility and looking back at that 12-year-old kid and thinking, "Oh my God, what a terrible thing to happen." It was a terrible thing to happen, it's a terrible thing to happen to anyone. The end wasn't pretty, either, you know? In essence, that was the most difficult thing to write about.

Read the entire first part of the interview from Free Gotham.

GUNS N' ROSES, BEASTIE BOYS, Donovan, Freddie King, Laura Nyro, RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS and SMALL FACES/FACES are among the inductees on the exclusive HBO special "2012 Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Induction Ceremony", debuting saturday, may 5 (9:00-11:30 p.m. ET/PT). The 27th annual induction ceremony was conducted April 14 at Cleveland's legendary Public Hall, just steps away from the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame And Museum. The HBO special features long-awaited performances, momentous jams, reunions of former band members and moving speeches from both presenters and inductees.

HBO Signature will present a 24-hour marathon of the HBO special beginning at midnight the same day the special debuts on HBO, and concluding Sunday, May 6 at midnight.

Other HBO playdates:

* May 10 (7:30 p.m., 3:20 a.m.)
* May 13 (2:00 p.m.)
* May 15 (3:00 p.m., 12:30 a.m.)
* May 19 (5:15 p.m.)
* May 28 (12:10 a.m.)
* May 31 (1:30 p.m.)

HBO2 playdates:

* May 12 (6:00 p.m.)
* May 17 (11:45 p.m.)
* May 21 (9:30 a.m., 10:00 p.m.)
* May 25 (5:30 p.m.)
* May 30 (1:50 a.m.)

USA Today described the live event as "raucous" and "star-crossed," while AP deemed it a "rowdy celebration." The New York Times said the night featured "blistering jams and shaggy dog stories about rockers' early years" while the Cleveland Plain Dealer called it a "musical extravaganza."

GUNS N' ROSES were inducted by GREEN DAY, who performed to open the evening's festivities. Frontman Billie Joe Armstrong said in his induction speech, "The first time I saw GUNS N' ROSES on MTV I thought, one of these guys could end up dead or in jail . . . The thing that set them apart from everyone else is guts, heart and soul. And most importantly, they told the truth and painted a picture of the mad world that they lived in."

In addition to GUNS N' ROSES lead singer Axl Rose, who announced three days before the ceremony that he would not attend and was not accepting his induction, other missing members included original guitarist Izzy Stradlin and longtime keyboardist Dizzy Reed, who still plays in the current version of the band.

For the Rock Hall induction performance, McKagan, guitarist Slash and drummer Steven Adler were joined by guitarist Gilby Clarke and drummer Matt Sorum for three songs — "Mr. Brownstone", "Sweet Child O' Mine" and "Paradise City" — from the band's classic 1987 debut, "Appetite For Destruction". Providing vocals in the absence of Axl Rose was Myles Kennedy, the singer for ALTER BRIDGE and Slash's current solo band.

Sorum played drums for "Mr. Brownstone", while original drummer Adler took over for the other two songs.

Stradlin issued a statement the week before the induction, thanking his bandmates, the Hall Of Fame for "the acknowledgment of our works over the years," and the fans who "have supported GUNS N' ROSES from day one."

McKagan addressed Rose's absence during the bandmembers' acceptance speeches, saying, "I don't know if it matters who's here tonight because it's about the music that band created."

Slash admitted that all the drama almost stopped him from attending, saying, "The fans are the ones who made it possible for us to get together tonight with all the adversity and everything that was going on . . . I was like fuck it, but (my wife) said 'Go and do it with the guys,' and I said 'You're right.'"

The HBO special also features an all-star jam of Stevie Wonder's "Higher Ground" at the end of the show, featuring RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS with Billie Joe Armstrong, George Clinton, Slash and Ron Wood. Paul Shaffer and members of the CBS Orchestra served as back-up band for several of the night's performances.

The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Foundation was established by legendary record executive Ahmet Ertegun and a group of music business executives to honor the artists that have defined rock and roll and have inspired and continue to inspire a generation. The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame And Museum, Inc. is the nonprofit organization that exists to educate visitors, fans and scholars from around the world about the history and continuing significance of rock and roll music. It carries out this mission both through its operation of a world-class museum designed by I.M. Pei in Cleveland, Ohio that collects, preserves, exhibits and interprets this art form and through its library and archives as well as educational programs.

HBO presented the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame's 25th anniversary special in 2009 and a concert spectacular celebrating the opening of the museum in Cleveland in 1995.

A trailer for the HBO special "2012 Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Induction Ceremony" can be seen below.

Check out photos of the event:

* Wire Image - Inside
* Wire Image - Show
* Wire Image - Arrivals
* Wire Image – Press Room
* Film Magic - Show
* Film Magic - Press Room
* Getty Images - Show
* Getty Images - Press Room
* Getty Images - Arrivals

On April 15, D'Addario strings conducted an interview with HELLYEAH guitarist Tom Maxwell and bassist Bob "Zilla" Kakaha at the The Paramount in Huntington, New York during the band's U.S. tour with CLUTCH. You can now watch the chat in two parts below.

In addition to Maxwell and Kakaha, HELLYEAH features Vinnie Paul Abbott (PANTERA, DAMAGEPLAN), Chad Gray and Greg Tribbett (both of MUDVAYNE).

HELLYEAH's third album, "Band Of Brothers", will be released on July 17 via the band's new label home, Eleven Seven Music. The CD was recorded in Dallas, Texas at Vinnie Paul's home studio, VP's Upstairs Studio, and was produced by the band and Jeremy Parker (GODSMACK, EVANESCENCE), who also served as engineer.

"Band Of Brothers" track listing:

01. War In Me
02. Band Of Brothers
03. Rage/Burn
04. Drink Drank Drunk
05. Bigger God
06. Between You And Nowhere
07. Call It
08. Why Does It Always
09. WM Free
10. Dig Myself A Hole
11. What It Takes To Be Me

HELLYEAH last month released the "War In Me" digital single via iTunes.

Having produced track after track of heavy-hitting, in-your-face, feel-good rock and roll on their previous two albums (2010's "Stampede" and 2007's self-titled debut), HELLYEAH takes a slightly different musical direction on "Band Of Brothers". Drawing on their former bands' collective metal roots for inspiration, the influences and style of MUDVAYNE, PANTERA, DAMAGEPLAN and NOTHINGFACE are immediately recognizable in tracks such as "Band Of Brothers", "War In Me" and "Rage Burn", while the party anthem "Drink, Drank, Drunk" retains the essence of earlier HELLYEAH.

Commented HELLYEAH singer Chad Gray, "I'm really excited about what we've done on this new album. I've always separated MUDVAYNE and HELLYEAH as much as I could, even though it was my voice. Melodies, lyrics and just the overall style of writing were different. With 'Band Of Brothers', I just quit being afraid of who I am in relation to this band. I think we've all really gotten back to the original roots of what we've done individually and brought it together on this album. As an artist, as long as you're painting with your own brush, no one can compare or challenge you. I just painted with a bigger, heavier brush than I had with HELLYEAH in the past. I think this is what fans have always expected to hear from us, and now were giving it to them."

In a recent interview with Loudwire, Vinnie stated about "Band Of Brothers", "On our first two records, we were a new band. We really wanted to branch out and expand and experiment with all different styles. We all come from traditional metal bands and backgrounds, so it was a great breath of fresh air to play in a band that was rock 'n' roll, blues and Southern rock. We got that out of our system and got really focused on going back to our metal roots. It's heavy, focused, groove-oriented and I'm excited about it."

On April 28, Turbo from RSU Radio and the Metal Meltdown conducted an interview with vocalist George "Corpsegrinder" Fisher of Florida death metallers CANNIBAL CORPSE in Oklahoma City. You can now watch the chat in two parts below.

CANNIBAL CORPSE's twelfth studio album, "Torture", sold 9,600 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 38 on The Billboard 200 chart. The band's previous CD, "Evisceration Plague", also opened with 9,600 units to land at No. 66. That was more than 50 percent higher than the opening tally of CANNIBAL CORPSE's 2006 CD, "Kill", which entered the chart at No. 170 after shifting more than 6,000 copies.

"Torture" was again produced by HATE ETERNAL's Erik Rutan at his own Mana Recording Studio in St. Petersburg, Florida as well as Sonic Ranch in Tornillo, Texas, and features the maniacal cover art by longtime CANNIBAL CORPSE artist Vincent Locke.

While "Torture" marks the latest progression in the band's sound, it also witnesses a return to what drummer Paul Mazurkiewicz accurately terms "the frenzied attack of 'Butchered At Birth' (1991) or 'Tomb Of The Mutilated' (1992)," infusing the band's advanced musicianship with the raw savagery that haunted their earlier releases, and in the process conceiving the definitive CANNIBAL CORPSE record.

Las Vegas rockers OTHERWISE will release their debut album, "True Love Never Dies", on May 8 via Century Media Records. The CD was recorded with producer Jay Baumgardner (BUSH, LINKIN PARK, PAPA ROACH, INCUBUS) at NRG Studios in North Hollywood, California.

"True Love Never Dies" track listing:

01. I
02. Die For You
03. Lighthouse
04. Scream Now
05. Don't Be Afraid
06. Vegas Girl
07. II
08. Silence Reigns
09. I Don't Apologize (1000 Pictures)
10. Crimson
11. Full Circle
12. Soldiers (2012 - Remaster)
13. III
14. Heaven (feat. Ashley Costello)

A five-minute "inside look" at the making of "True Love Never Dies" can be seen below.

OTHERWISE's "Soldiers" single became the first song by an unsigned artist to ever occupy the No. 1 spot on the SiriusXM satellite radio's Octane channel and has sold over 26,000 singles to date.

"'For the Warriors who fight and die... so the rest of us may fight to Live.' This quote, which preludes the video itself, is a direct dedication to the brave men and women who serve in the United States military," says OTHERWISE vocalist Adrian Patrick of the "Soldiers" video. "Their service allows our country's citizens to pursue their individual ideas of happiness... this song and video celebrate the beauty that is America. 'Soldiers' is an anthem for everyone living on the front-lines of life; every soldier is human, and we're all human... we are all fighting for something."

OTHERWISE recently toured with POP EVIL and joined Century Media labelmates LACUNA COIL on the 2012 North American "Dark Legacy" trek.

OTHERWISE features brothers Adrian and Ryan Patrick (guitars/vocals) alongside Flavio Ivan (bass/vocals), Corky Gainsford (drums/vocals) and Vassilios Metropoulos (guitar/vocals).

No stranger to the stage, OTHERWISE has honed its captivating live show playing with such acts as AVENGED SEVENFOLD, KORN, FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH, HOLLYWOOD UNDEAD, PUDDLE OF MUDD, PAPA ROACH, ROB ZOMBIE and the DEFTONES. In addition, Adrian Patrick appeared on IN THIS MOMENT's hit duet "The Promise" alongside Maria Brink and spent the summer of 2010 on the Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem tour performing the song with the band live.

For more information, visit www.facebook.com/otherwiseofficial.

Veteran San Francisco Bay Area thrashers EXODUS will be inaugurating their summer festival season with a performance at the Scion Rock Fest in Tampa, Florida on June 2. With Gary Holt still handling guitar duties for Jeff Hanneman on SLAYER's North American and European tour, EXODUS has invited out none other than former bandmember Rick Hunolt to fill in for the band's upcoming shows.

States Hunolt: "I'm ecstatic, I'm nervous, I'm psyched… all the emotions wrapped up into one! It's been years and I've been practicing hard. I CAN'T WAIT! I'm gonna rip it up!!!"

Longtime EXODUS fans will recall that Hunolt — the other half of the famed EXODUS "H-Team" who is on every studio recording from 1985 through 2004 and co-wrote some of the band's best-known songs such as "A Lesson In Violence" and "Deliver Us To Evil" — left EXODUS after the band's highly-acclaimed 2004 reunion album, "Tempo Of The Damned". "Murder In The Front Row", the recent photo book documenting the pinnacle of the Bay Area thrash scene, aptly documents Hunolt's tenure in the band.

Following his departure, Hunolt was replaced by HEATHEN guitarist Lee Altus.

Hunolt rejoined his former bandmates at a special concert in celebration of Holt and Lisa Perticone's wedding on September 24, 2011 at Avalon in Santa Clara, California (see video below). He also performed with them at "Bonded By Baloff: A Decade Of Remembrance", a special concert which marked the 10-year anniversary of former EXODUS singer Paul Baloff's passing. The event took place February 4 at the Oakland Metro Operahouse in Oakland, California.



Photo credit: Mike Vanek

Zach Loveless of Capital Chaos conducted an interview with Oakland, California extreme metallers ALL SHALL PERISH when the band performed at Ace Of Spades in Sacramento, California on April 28. You can now watch the chat below. Also available is performance footage from the Sacramento concert.

ALL SHALL PERISH has just completed a headlining U.S. tour, "Scion Presents: This Is Where It Ends" 2012, featuring an all-star cast of modern death metal acts, CARNIFEX, FLESHGOD APOCALYPSE, THE CONTORTIONIST and CONDUCTING FROM THE GRAVE in support.

ALL SHALL PERISH recently delivered a Scion A/V first: a song guaranteed to sear off your eyebrows and stir up the pit, en español. Unison deathcore riffage and multiple pummeling breakdowns make this one truly epic. If you're wondering what vocalist, Eddie Hermida, is saying, the title translates as "The Past Will Haunt Us." Download "El Pasado Nos Perseguira" for free or stream it in the YouTube clip below.

ALL SHALL PERISH's fourth full-length album, "This Is Where It Ends", sold around 8,400 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 50 on The Billboard 200 chart. The band's previous CD, "Awaken The Dreamers", opened with 5,000 copies back in 2008 to land at No. 126.

"This Is Where It Ends" was released last July via Nuclear Blast Records. The majority of the effort was recorded and mixed once again at Castle Ultimate Studios in Oakland with producer Zack Ohren (LIGHT THIS CITY, DECREPIT BIRTH, SUFFOCATION).

Interview:



Performance:

REVERENCE, the new power metal band featuring vocalist Todd Michael Hall (JACK STARR'S BURNING STARR, HARLET), guitarist Bryan Holland (TOKYO BLADE, ARREST), drummer Steve "Dr. Killdrums" Wacholz (SAVATAGE, CRIMSON GLORY), bassist Frank Saparti (TOKYO BLADE, OVERLOADED, MINDCANDY), and lead guitarist Pete Rossi, will release its debut album, "When Darkness Calls", later in the year via Razar Ice Records. The CD cover artwork was designed by renowned artist Jobert Mello of Sledgehamer Graphix (PRIMAL FEAR, SABATON, HYSTERIA) and can be seen below.

"When Darkness Calls" track listing:

01. When Darkness Calls
02. Bleed For Me
03. Phantom Road
04. Devil In Disguise
05. Too Late
06. Gatekeeper
07. The Price You Pay
08. Monster
09. Revolution Rising
10. After The Leaves Have Fallen
11. Vengeance Is Mine
12. Lost Generation (bonus track)

"When Darkness Calls" features a guest appearance by SANXTION drummer Tony Rossi.

REVERENCE will embark on a European tour in November. Exact citites and dates will be announced shortly.

For more information, visit www.ReverenceMetal.com.

STONE SOUR will release its fourth album in October via Roadrunner Records. The band has yet to reveal the title of the new CD, which is being recorded at Sound Farm Studios just outside of their native Des Moines, Iowa with producer David Bottrill (TOOL, MUSE, STAIND).

"This album will be another progression for the band," STONE SOUR guitarist Josh Rand reecenetly said. "Musically, we have always challenged one another to push things to our limits, and this record is no exception." Rand also shared some details about the album's lyrical and storytelling narrative, saying, "Lyrically, the album follows one character to that complex moment in his life, when he finally has to decide which path to take. It's a spiritual and moral power play for control of what this man will be for the rest of his life. Each song will tell the story from different sides of the character's personality, with the listener ultimately deciding how the story ends."

STONE SOUR frontman Corey Taylor previously stated about the band's follow-up to 2010's "Audio Secrecy", "I am looking forward to basically becoming a mad scientist in the studio and creating an album that no one wants us to make. I pretty much got permission to do whatever I wanted, which means that I'm essentially going against the grain in an age where people are fucking trying to simply put out singles. We're looking to do a double concept album and really make it destructive."

He added, "Picture [PINK FLOYD's] 'The Wall' meets [ALICE IN CHAINS'] 'Dirt' on steroids, and that will give you a taste of what I'm shooting for right now. The stuff we have right now is nuclear. It's pretty much going to go all the way. It's dark as shit. There's so much balls out rock on it as well as some good headpunchers and some really cool fucking dark pieces. I'm really excited about it."

Taylor — who is also the frontman for SLIPKNOT — said about the storyline for the next STONE SOUR record, "It's basically the story of a man who's trying to figure it out. He can't figure out if he's happier when he's miserable, or if he's miserable about not being happy. It's almost like a mid-life crisis in a way. He's young enough that he knows that there's still a lot of life to live, but he's old enough to realize that he can't be hung up on the romance of teenage depression and youthful aggression."

On April 19, Jo Schüftan of Horns Up Rocks! conducted an interview with Karl Sanders of South Carolina-based extreme technical death metallers NILE when the band performed at Irving Plaza in New York City as part of a North American tour with THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, SKELETONWITCH and HOUR OF PENANCE. You can now watch the chat below.

NILE will release its seventh full-length album, "At The Gate Of Sethu", in Europe on June 29 and in the U.S. on July 3 via Nuclear Blast Records. The follow-up to 2009's "Those Whom The Gods Detest" was once again produced and mixed by Neil Kernon, who has previously worked with NEVERMORE, CANNIBAL CORPSE, QUEENSRŸCHE and DEICIDE, among many others. The CD artwork was handled by a true genius of darkened visuals, Seth Siro Anton (SOILWORK, PARADISE LOST, SEPTICFLESH).

Commented NILE mastermind Karl Sanders: "Seth Siro Anton has designed the cover. I have been a fan of SEPTICFLESH a long time, and as Seth expressed interest, I knew that he would deliver a great job. I would say his work is easily the best we've ever had. He has captured the darker side of the sound of NILE and reflected the music and ideas, the heart and soul of NILE are forming. Seth is a very talented man and understands exactly who we are."

Added Seth Siro Anton: "It is no secret that I admire the powerful stylistic lines of the magical symbols that still transmit the aura of ancient Egypt, preserving in time the ancient mysteries. Also, I am fascinated from the final frozen moment of the flesh captured in an eternal sleeping stasis, at the completion of the mummification process. So, with a great pleasure I accepted the challenge, to visualize the new masterpiece of NILE, 'At The Gate Of Sethu'."

In a recent interview with CobraMetal.net, Sanders stated about "At The Gate Of Sethu", "Well, we started [working on it] in May of last year (2011) after we finished our European tour. We worked on that fucking record for 10 months straight, to the exclusion of all else. (Laughs) Long hours, every day."

Regarding the new album's concept, Karl said, "It's in similar territory to other NILE records in that a lot of it stems from Ancient Egyptology and sort of has underlying modern themes tied in. We haven't abandoned our identity and I don't believe you should fuck over your fans. If your fans like what you do, and you change too much of what you do, fans don't like it. What matters to me is when I'm out on tour and I meet the actual fans and they share their thoughts…those are the people that I listen to. There's a lot of new ideas within the realm of what we do that we tried to incorporate. We studied real hard on the guitar and have lots of new riffs and musical ideas. There are a lot of surprises on the record."

When asked if fans can expect any guest appearances on the new NILE CD, Karl said, "Jon Vesano is all over this record. (Our former singer and bass guitarist who we're still good friends with.) Jon did some guest vocals on "Those Whom The Gods Detest" and it made us realize all over again all the things we really liked about Jon's vocals. We wanted to incorporate some of his insanity. [laughs] He's wicked, man. He knows how to channel that inner possession. He finds a way to summon it. It's great stuff."

Interview:

Performance footage of new song:

"Silver Candy", the new video from transgender singer Mina Caputo — once known as Keith Caputo, the front-person for the popular rock band LIFE OF AGONY — can be seen below. The clip was directed/produced by Dan Quigley, also known as Dan Beast.

This simple, "sober" take on such a gorgeous song from Caputo's 2008 record, "A Fondness for Hometown Scars", was filmed in glorious 1080p HD quality in less than a day.

These two lifelong friends used this filming as a creative experiment, if you will, to jump-start Dan in his future filming/directing endeavors.

In an October 2011 interview with Advocate.com, Mina stated about how becoming a "rock star" delayed her transition, "I was very boxed in that metal thing," she said. "The first album I've ever done was released and then it pretty much exploded in Europe and I kind of had no choice but to leave school. I didn't want to sing in a band. That wasn't really what I set out to do. I wanted to go to Julliard. I wanted to play the classics, get good grades… and I pictured myself living more of a feminine life then at 19 when this whole alpha male world just pretty much took over. I was in hell for years. . . It was more of a sense of responsibility and not getting labels down… the management, the band, and the fans. And I mean, we were a really, really really, really big band. We were doing concerts in Europe where 60 to 100 thousand people were showing up."

When asked whether she plans on having bottom surgery any time soon, Caputo said, "The whole penis… I'm OK with that down there, you know. Most people don't realize that there's more to being a woman than just, I guess, putting on dresses and wearing makeup and your genitals. [People think] you have a male body and a penis so that makes you the man. But they can't dig deep enough unless they really want to understand what's going on in the subconscious mind and what I like to call subconscious sex."

On the topic of how she's already faced discrimination Stateside, Caputo said, "I've had run-ins on the train, ignorant people, you know, calling me 'he-she' or 'he-man.' If anyone tries to screw with me, I will not hesitate to cut somebody up like a piece of meat. I will do anything and everything to protect myself. I mean I don't want to hurt anybody but if someone lays their hands on me, I'm going to shank somebody. My father's been in prison his whole life, so just because I'm wearing a skirt doesn't mean I don't got big balls, OK? Because I will not hesitate to do anything and everything to protect myself."

On January 21, Jo Schüftan of Horns Up Rocks! conducted an interview with Mina Caputo. You can now watch the chat below.

"Silver Candy" video:



Interview:

California death metallers COFFIN TEXTS will release their new album, "The Tomb Of Infinite Ritual", this summer via Dark Descent Records. The vinyl version will be released through Blood Harvest Records and the digital version on iTunes via Apparition Musick. The cover artwork was created by Danille Gauvin.

According to a press release, "The Tomb Of Infinite Ritual" "shows COFFIN TEXTS at their very best. While the musicians themselves have developed and perfected their skills, the same spirit and approach to death metal remains true and intact."

Commented the band: "It's finally here! Five years of blood, sweat and tears to get this completed. We want to thanks John Haddad for the great work producing this album and a 'horns up' to all our fans worldwide!!"

"The Tomb Of Infinite Ritual" track listing:

01. Atum (Into The Divine Sphere)
02. To Manifest
03. Final Transformation
04. The Sacred Eye
05. Divination
I. Soothsayer
II. The Invocate
III. Eternal Oath
06. Throne Of Genocide
07. Dieties Of The Prime Evil Chaos

COFFIN TEXTS released its debut CD, "Gods of Creation, Death & Afterlife", in 2000. Celebrated in the underground, this is a well-hidden gem and high-class, true death metal with its roots in the ancient Californian death metal style.

COFFIN TEXTS is:

Robert Cardenas - Vocals, Bass
Emilio Marquez - Drums
Richard Gonzales - Guitars

Brazil's Wikimetal podcast conducted an interview with ANTHRAX guitarist Scott Ian ahead of the band's April 27 concert at HSBC Brasil in São Paulo with MISFITS. You can now stream the second part of the interview in the podcast using the Mixcloud player below. (Note: The Ian interview begins around the 11-minute mark.)

As previously reported, ANTHRAX will support MOTÖRHEAD on their annual fall U.K. tour in November.

ANTHRAX's sold-out March 15 concert at O2 Islington Academy in London, England was filmed for an upcoming DVD.

ANTHRAX's latest album, "Worship Music", 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.

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

According to Entertainment Tonight, AEROSMITH guitarist Joe Perry has composed two instrumental tracks for this Wednesday's episode ("Dune And Gloom") of the CBS-TV show "CSI".

Commented Perry, "It was really exciting that 'CSI' gave me this opportunity to contribute to the show. The first piece is pure adrenaline rock 'n' roll. The second gave me a chance to work for my DJ son Roman, who contributed some of his electronic dance music."

A sample of Perry's work can be heard in the video below.

"CSI" airs Wednesdays at 10:00-11:00 p.m. ET/PT on CBS.

French progressive metallers GOJIRA played the title track of their forthcoming fifth album, "L'Enfant Sauvage", last night (Monday, April 30) at Rockstore in Montpellier, France. Fan-filmed video footage of the performance can be seen below.

Due on June 26 via Roadrunner Records, "L'Enfant Sauvage" (which translates to "The Wild Child") features 11 tracks of mind-bending, thunderous metal. The CD was recorded at Spin Recording Studios in Long Island City, New York with co-producer Josh Wilbur (LAMB OF GOD).

In a recent interview with Metalshrine, GOJIRA guitarist/vocalist Joseph Duplantier stated about the new album title, "We couldn't call it 'The Wild Child', because it's hard to translate 'L'Enfant Sauvage'. It's not really the wild child as understood in English, because a wild child for me, has an aspect like someone out of control somehow. 'L'Enfant Sauvage' in French… 'Sauvage' is something that is not educated or something that is like free and completely free in nature. A wild flower that goes wherever she wants and becomes something beautiful. The idea with 'L'Enfant Sauvage' is like with a human that would grow up in nature, raised by wolves, for example, without the influence from others and the influence from institutions or society in general. Without a social security number. [laughs] Not even a name. This is what you are and I am on the inside, right? How much the education and the culture, emotions and the guilt are interacting with us and it changes us and how far are we from this pure child inside? That's the question we had on this album."

A special collector's package of "L'Enfant Sauvage" will feature two bonus tracks and a double-colored vinyl version of the record, along with an exclusive t-shirt.

"L'Enfant Sauvage" track listing:

01. Explosia
02. L’Enfant Sauvage
03. The Axe
04. Liquid Fire
05. The Wild Healer
06. Planned Obsolescence
07. Mouth Of Kala
08. The Gift Of Guilt
09. Pain Is A Master
10. Born In Winter
11. The Fall

"L'Enfant Sauvage" performance:



"L'Enfant Sauvage" studio version:

ATTIKA 7 (formerly ATTIKA) — the Los Angeles-based heavy metal/hard rock band featuring Tony Campos (SOULFLY, POSSESSED, STATIC-X, ASESINO, MINISTRY) on bass; Evan Seinfeld (BIOHAZARD) on vocals; and songwriter and famed motorcycle builder Rusty Coones on guitar — will release its debut album, "Blood Of My Enemies", on July 31 via THC: Music/Rocket Science Ventures. The CD was recorded with producer Mudrock (AVENGED SEVENFOLD, GODSMACK).

Commented Seinfeld: "As I embarked on my journey of musical and personal reinvention, the first step was to put together a band of incredible players, with diverse styles and a unified vision to write, record and perform timeless heavy metal, backed by an authentic outlaw lifestyle.

"After 10 albums and probably around 4000 concerts with BIOHAZARD in over 90 countries, all I can say is that the only thing constant in life is change, and without it, things can become stagnant and repetitious. The creative situation for me playing with Rusty and Tony in ATTIKA fosters my genuine creativity to flow, and allowed us to build something heavy, authentic, new and exciting from the ground up; more than music, but real camaraderie."

The ATTIKA7 sound "boasts very heavy, down-tuned and melodic harmonies, all the while boasting brutal hooks and grooves," according to a press release. "The band draws from several musical influences, including their own additional projects, and has been compared to the likes of BLACK SABBATH, METALLICA, GODSMACK, PANTERA, and WHITE ZOMBIE. The timeless no-frills songwriting of ATTIKA 7 is set apart from today's homogenized, derivative copycat bands by so many things, but above all: authenticity."

The majority of the ATTIKA7 album was written by lifetime biker and ATTIKA 7 lead guitarist Rusty Coones while serving a seven-year federal prison sentence for a false conviction. Rather than rat on his friends, Rusty used the tension to teach himself how to play guitar in solitary confinement. The passion and street credibility in his lyrics and riffs speak to the underdogs of the world who will not break, will not bend, but stand against forever.

When Rusty called best friend and riding buddy Evan Seinfeld to check in on whether he knew of a singer who could join his band, Evan immediately jumped in without hesitation. Since then, Rusty and Evan have been writing, recording, living and breathing ATTIKA 7 and haven't looked back.

"Kill That Bitch", the new video from Washington D.C.-based female-fronted heavy metallers A SOUND OF THUNDER, can be seen below, The song comes off the band's second full-length album, "Out Of The Darkness", which was released on March 27 via Nightmare Records. The follow-up to last year's "Metal Renaissance" was produced by Kevin "131" Gutierrez (SHINEDOWN, WHILE HEAVEN WEPT, DECEASED) at Assembly Line Studios in Virginia. According to a press release, "the 10-track album plays like a love letter to all that is metal, encompassing traditional heavy metal, modern power metal, prog and classic rock, with timeless songs that could have been written in 1971, 1991 or 2011."

The material on "Out Of The Darkness" was composed by Josh Schwartz and the rest of A SOUND OF THUNDER, with lyrics written by Nina Osegueda and Chris Haren. Legendary RAVEN frontman John Gallagher makes an appearance on the album, performing a duet with Nina on the CD's title track.

"John Gallagher was so awesome to work with," says Nina. "I learned a lot from him in the short time we were in the studio together, and I really respect his skills and experience which shine through on this track."

"Out Of The Darkness" track listing:

01. The Day I Die
02. The Night Witch
03. Kill That Bitch
04. Murderous Horde
05. A Sound of Thunder
06. Out of the Darkness
07. Calat Alhambra
08. Fight Until the End
09. This Too Shall Pass
10. Discovery

A SOUND OF THUNDER is:

Nina Osegueda - Vocals, Lyrics
Josh Schwartz - Guitars, Keyboards
Chris Haren - Drums, Lyrics
Jesse Keen - Bass, Keyboards

For more information, visit www.asoundofthunderband.com.

Kscope has uploaded a new video interview with Kristoffer Rygg, frontman of the Norwegian band ULVER. The acclaimed vocalist, musician and producer sat down to discuss his early introduction to psychedelia, the philosophy behind creating an album of classic psychedelic covers, how he personally views ULVER's current musical direction and more. Watch the interview below.

"Childhood's End", a collection of classic psychedelic tracks recorded by ULVER in late 2011, is due out in North America on June 5. The set sees the band re-interpret classic psychedelic tracks from the late 1960s. The album includes ULVER's unique versions of tracks from THE 13TH FLOOR ELEVATORS, ELECTRIC PRUNES, JEFFERSON AIRPLANE, THE PRETTY THINGS and more.

Early pioneers of Norwegian black metal, ULVER have continually evolved throughout their career and now stand as living legends of the dark music industry, blending rock, electronica, symphonic and chamber traditions along with noise and experimental music to create groundbreaking material.

Last year they released the critically acclaimed "War Of The Roses" album which was described by Zero Tolerance as "a quite beautiful record of startlingly powerful depth."

"Childhood's End" track listing:

CD:

01. Bracelets Of Fingers (originally recorded by THE PRETTY THINGS)
02. Everybody's Been Burned (THE BYRDS)
03. The Trap (BONNIWELL'S MUSIC MACHINE)
04. In The Past (CHOCOLATE WATCHBAND)
05. Today (JEFFERSON AIRPLANE)
06. Can You Travel In The Dark Alone? (GANDALF)
07. I Had Too Much To Dream Last Night (ELECTRIC PRUNES)
08. Street Song (THE 13TH FLOOR ELEVATORS)
09. 66-5-4-3-2-1 (THE TROGGS)
10. Dark Is The Bark (LEFT BANKE)
11. Magic Hollow (BEAU BRUMMELS)
12. Soon There'll Be Thunder (COMMON PEOPLE)
13. Velvet Sunsets (MUSIC EMPORIUM)
14. Lament Of The Astral Cowboy (CURT BOETTCHER)
15. I Can See The Light (LES FLEUR DE LYS)
16. Where Is Yesterday (UNITED STATES OF AMERICA)

Vinyl:

Side A

1. Bracelets Of Fingers
2. Everybody's Been Burned
3. The Trap
4. In The Past
5. Today

Side B

01. Can You Travel In The Dark Alone?
02. I Had Too Much To Dream Last Night
03. Street Song
04. 66-5-4-3-2-1

Side C

01. Dark Is The Bark
02. Magic Hollow
03. Soon There'll Be Thunder
04. Velvet Sunsets

Side D

01. Lament Of The Astral Cowboy
02. I Can See The Light
03. Where Is Yesterday

"Repossession", the new video from the Virginia crossover thrash metal band MUNICIPAL WASTE, can be seen below. The clip was directed by David Brodsky of MyGoodEye, who has previously worked with THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, GOATWHORE, HELLYEAH and SUFFOCATION, among many others.

Commented MUNICIPAL WASTE vocalist Tony Foresta: "We've been wanting to play in a junkyard for a really long time and felt the video for 'Repossession' was the perfect oportunity. This video is kind of sad for us, though, because we we say goodbye to our old tour van Pablo in it. We thought to have it imortalized in our video would be a cool way to see it go. RIP, Pablo!"

"Repossession" comes off MUNICIPAL WASTE's fifth album, "The Fatal Feast", which sold around 2,700 copies in the United States in its first week of release. The CD landed at No. 3 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. The band's previous effort, "Massive Aggressive", opened with around 2,100 copies back in September 2009 to debut at No. 10 on the Heatseekers chart.

"The Fatal Feast" was released on April 10 in North America and April 13 in Europe via Nuclear Blast Records. The cover artwork for the CD was created by Justin Osbourn of Slasher Design and can be seen below.

"The Fatal Feast" track listing:

01. Waste In Space
02. Repossession
03. New Dead Masters
04. Unholy Abductor
05. Idiot Check
06. Covered In Sick/The Barfer
07. You're Cut Off
08. Authority Complex
09. Standards And Practices
10. Crushing Chest Wound
11. The Monster With 21 Faces
12. Jesus Freaks
13. The Fatal Feast
14. 12 Step Program
15. Death Tax
16. Residential Disaster

Both the digipack and vinyl editions include the bonus track "Eviction Party".

"The Fatal Feast" features guest appearances by John Connelly (guitarist and vocalist for NUCLEAR ASSAULT), Steve Moore (who plays bass and synthesizers for ZOMBI), and vocalist Tim Barry (ex-AVAIL).

On April 27, QUEENSRŸCHE singer Geoff Tate and his solo band played an acoustic version of his song "Hopeless" at the studios of the Las Vegas, Nevada radio station KOMP 92.3. You can now watch video footage of performance below.

Tate entered the studio on February 29 to begin recording his second solo album.

Tate released his first solo CD in 2002 on Sanctuary Records. Self-titled, the LP was a huge departure from the work he had previously done with QUEENSRŸCHE.

Geoff played a handful of acoustic solo dates, billed as GEOFF TATE AND FRIENDS, beginning on January 26 at Anthology in San Diego, California. According to Tate, he performed "acoustic renditions of songs from my solo album as well as some of my favorite QUEENSRŸCHE songs."

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."

Fan-filmed video footage of JUDAS PRIEST's April 25 concert at Hovet in Stockholm, Sweden can be viewed below.

The band's setlist was as follows:

01. Rapid Fire
02. Metal Gods
03. Heading Out to the Highway
04. Judas Rising
05. Starbreaker
06. Victim of Changes
07. Never Satisfied
08. Diamonds & Rust (JOAN BAEZ cover)
09. Dawn of Creation
10. Prophecy
11. Night Crawler
12. Turbo Lover
13. Beyond the Realms of Death
14. The Sentinel
15. Blood Red Skies
16. The Green Manalishi (With the Two Pronged Crown) (FLEETWOOD MAC cover)
17. Breaking the Law
18. Painkiller

Encore:

19. The Hellion (taped intro)
20. Electric Eye

Encore 2:

21. Hell Bent for Leather

Encore 3:

22. You've Got Another Thing Comin'

Encore 4:

23. Living After Midnight

"The Chosen Few", the recently released compilation album from JUDAS PRIEST, sold 1,300 copies in the United States in its first week of release. The collection, which came out on October 11, 2011 via Legacy/Sony, contains songs that were selected by some of the biggest names of the hard rock/heavy metal world, including KISS' Gene Simmons, Ozzy Osbourne, Slash, METALLICA's James Hetfield and Lars Ulrich, Alice Cooper and SLIPKNOT's Corey Taylor.

Regarding JUDAS PRIEST's farewell world tour, singer Rob Halford previously said, "We're pulling out all the stops. We've built a brand new stage set, we've got all the effects that people love us for — the lasers, the fire, the bombs, the smoke, new costumes, and the bike. It's just a full-on metal extravaganza."

As for whether this is really the end of JUDAS PRIEST's touring days, guitarist Glenn Tipton said, "We don't plan on retiring. We've said that this is our last world tour. It takes a chunk out of your life — 18 months. We won't be doing any more world tours as such and in many parts of the world, it will be the last time people will get a chance to see us. But we're not gonna stop. We've got an album in the can now, we will start to write with [new guitarist] Richie [Faulkner], there will be more albums, and who knows?! There might be a string of dates that we can manage to do. We're just not gonna do another major world tour. We've been doing it for 40 years and it's time to let the younger bands have the chance."

Few heavy metal artists have built as stellar a discography as JUDAS PRIEST over the years. And now, fans have a chance to acquire all of PRIEST's classics in one fell swoop. On January 24, Columbia/Epic/Legacy released the 17-CD box set, "The Complete Albums Collection", which contains every studio and live album that featured the classic line up of Rob Halford, Glenn Tipton, K.K. Downing and Ian Hill. Included are brand new remasters of PRIEST's first two albums, 1974's "Rocka Rolla" and 1976's "Sad Wings of Destiny" (which have never been released before as authorized remasters by the band), in addition to each individual album being packaged in a replica mini-LP sleeve reproducing that album's original cover art. And although the 2009 live compilation, "A Touch of Evil…Live" is included; no other compilations are present. Also featured in the set is a 40-page booklet with photos, album credits, and liner notes by rock journalist/PRIEST fan Greg Prato.

"The Complete Albums Collection" is available for purchase exclusively via Popmarket.com.

The "Pedal To The Metal" metal show, which airs on Bridgewater State University's student-run radio station, 91.5 WBIM, in Bridgewater, Massachusetts, recently conducted an interview with GREAT WHITE guitarist Mark Kendall. You can now listen to the chat in three parts below.

GREAT WHITE — Mark Kendall (lead guitar), Scott Snyder (bass), Audie Desbrow (drums), Michael Lardie (guitar, keyboards) and Terry Ilous (lead vocals) — filmed a video for the song "(I've Got) Something For You" on Friday, April 27 in Tujunga, California. Photos from the video shoot can be found at this location.

"(I've Got) Something For You" comes off GREAT WHITE's new studio album, "Elation", which is scheduled for a May 22 North American release (four days earlier in Europe) via Frontiers Records. The 12-song CD will mark GREAT WHITE's first effort with Ilous following the band's split with founding singer Jack Russell.

"This is a new birth of the band," Desbrow said. "I wanted to call the album 'Tabula Rasa', which means rebirth, but we went for 'Elation' because of the euphoria in the atmosphere. It's a fresh and healthier start than ever before. I'm like a kid in a candy store."

Kendall, one of rock's most notable guitarists, echoed Desbrow's pure excitement. "The energy in the studio [was] amazing," Kendall said. "This is the most excited I've been since I was nine years old and got my first guitar. It's remarkable to be doing our third record with Frontiers Records and to feel the love and support from Serafino and his team. They are truly part of the GREAT WHITE family."

Lardie, who also served as "Elation"'s producer, applauded the band's teamwork in the studio. He was struck by the group's songwriting approach and enthusiasm, and is certain that fans will embrace the record.

"The difference in this studio experience was simple," he said. "Everyone was completely present and contributed to the making of this album. As a producer, I feel my part is to get the best out of each of us and I got better than anyone's best!"

"Elation" track listing:

01. (I've Got) Something For You
02. Feelin' So Much Better
03. Love Train
04. Heart Of A Man
05. Hard To Say Goodbye
06. Resolution
07. Shotgun Willie's
08. Promise Land
09. Lowdown (bonus track)
10. Just For Tonight
11. Love Is Enough
12. Complicated

This version of GREAT WHITE is not to be confused with JACK RUSSELL'S GREAT WHITE, which features Russell alongside Robby Lochner (FIGHT) on guitar, Matthew Johnson (DOCTOR M, JACK RUSSELL) on guitar, Dario Seixas (FIREHOUSE, STEPHEN PEARCY) on bass and Derrick Pontier (GREAT WHITE, SAMANTHA 7) on drums.

Russell filed a lawsuit against his estranged bandmates last month claiming that they fired him and stole the group's name while he was recovering from surgery to repair a perforated bowel. Named in the complaint were Kendall, Desbrow, Lardie and talent agency Bigg Time Entertainment. Kendall, Desbrow and Lardie responded with a 30-page counterclaim, filed on April 24 in a federal court in Los Angeles, accusing their former frontman of, among other things, "miss[ing] 80 performances in 18 months" before leaving the band; "irreparably damag[ing]" their "market reputation" by putting on performances that "are not up to the standard of GREAT WHITE; and misleading the public by stating that the musicians in Jack's new band "were once full members of GREAT WHITE." They also accuse Russell's new bandmates of "profit[ing] from their wrongful affiliation with the GREAT WHITE brand."

GREAT WHITE's last studio album, "Rising" (featuring Russell on lead vocals), was released in North America in April 2009 via Shrapnel Records. The CD was issued in Europe in March 2009 through Frontiers Records.

Part 1:



Part 2:



Part 3:

On April 26, Cornel Bogdan of the "Tangled Up In Blues" show, which airs on the Youngstown, Ohio radio station WNCD 93.3 FM, conducted an interview with DEF LEPPARD guitarist Phil Collen. You can now listen to the chat in the YouTube clip below.

DEF LEPPARD will make a return to the United States this June with a massive summer tour which will include fellow rockers POISON and LITA FORD.

DEF LEPPARD's influential career includes numerous hit singles and ground-breaking multi-platinum albums — including two of the best-selling albums of all time, "Pyromania" and "Hysteria". Most recently, the band released their first live album, "Mirror Ball: Live & More" last summer, which rose to the Top 20 on The Billboard 200 chart. The album captures the group's legendary concert experience, bringing together live versions of classic LEPPARD hits such as "Rock Of Ages", "Pour Some Sugar on Me" and "Foolin'".

With 100 million records sold worldwide and two prestigious Diamond Awards to their credit, DEF LEPPARD — Joe Elliott (vocals), Vivian Campbell (guitar), Phil Collen (guitar), Rick "Sav" Savage (bass) and Rick Allen (drums) — continues to be one of the most important forces in rock music. Over the course of their career, the band has produced a series of classic groundbreaking albums that set the sound for generations of music fans and artists alike. The group's spectacular live shows, filled with powerful melodic rock anthems, have become synonymous with their name. For the past thirty years the band's concerts have become must-see events and have quickly made them an institution in the touring industry, as they continue to sell out arenas worldwide.

"Harakiri", the new studio album from singer, songwriter, multi-instrumentalist, poet and political activist Serj Tankian, will be released July 10 on Reprise Records/Serjical Strike. The official lyric video for the first single, "Figure It Out", is available below.

"Harakiri", a Japanese word meaning ritual suicide, is the follow-up to 2010's critically acclaimed "Imperfect Harmonies", and the third solo release from the SYSTEM OF A DOWN frontman. As with 2007's "Elect The Dead" and "Imperfect Harmonies", Serj produced "Harakiri" himself at his home studio in Los Angeles. He tried to approach writing a little differently this time around. "I used the Apple iPad as a songwriting instrument to sketch out three of the songs on the record," explains Serj. "We must trick ourselves into writing in different ways to get unexpected results." The album will also feature performances by Serj's touring band, THE F.C.C. — Dan Monti on guitar, Mario Pagliarulo on bass, and Troy Zeigler on drums. Dan Monti is also co-mixing and co-engineering the album with Serj. The album was mastered by Vlado Meller (METALLICA, RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS, KANYE WEST, BEASTIE BOYS).

Serj reveals each of the songtitles in a statement describing "Harakiri" below. The song names are in order and in bold:

"The Cornucopia of love/hate affairs with Gaia have made us scream 'Figure It Out! CEOs are the disease." Where abusive capitalism's only fate is human/environmental devastation. The Ching Chime, diminutive drama of a gangsta Butterfly revealed that humanity's tears actually outweigh yearly rainfall on the planet.

"We have witnessed Harakiri on a grand scale tearing out the Occupied Tears of victims preyed on by victims turned aggressors creating a Deafening Silence through which we hear a voice plead, 'Forget Me Knot, my child.'

"Reality TV has become the searing indictment of a society best described as the Uneducated Democracy. The daughters of the evolution Weave On with blood dripping down their guilty hands onto the flag as the word republic is replaced by empire."

Much of the new record was written in 2011, which was an incredibly busy year for the diversely talented musician and what Serj describes as "the busiest, most productive year of my life so far." In February, the rock musical "Prometheus Bound", which he composed all of the music for, opened at the Oberon Theater at Harvard in Boston to rave reviews. 2011 also saw Serj release his second poetry book, "Glaring Through Oblivion". He toured with SYSTEM OF A DOWN across three continents, performed with the Opera Orchestra in Yerevan, Armenia, where he also had political meetings with heads of state and hosted non-profit events. He then performed his first ever concert in Lebanon, the place of his birth, with the Lebanese National Symphony Orchestra. When he returned to the U.S., he finished writing four records: a jazz record, an electronic record he wrote with his friend Jimmy Urine of MINDLESS SELF INDULGENCE, a full classical symphony called "Orca", and the new solo rock record that he is currently mastering.

"The year 2011 started with a fire. Some kids in Piha, New Zealand were setting off fireworks that landed on my neighbor's property and lit the whole hill on fire. I knew it was going to be a hell of a year and it certainly was," says Tankian. "Within five days of that, reports came out about birds and fish dying in massive numbers globally. The omen was not lost on me. Varied creatures on earth were committing massive hara-kiri (the Japanese term signifying ritualistic suicide.) Do they know something we don't about the coming times or the sustainability of the environment? That is the day I started writing this record."

The symbolism of entire species eradicating themselves on a large scale struck Serj emotionally, and is an underlying theme on the entire record. He took that idea and went to work writing, incorporating all of the experiences of his chaotic year to make a different kind of record. "The record is different than any I've made as a solo artist," he says. "It is much more driving and punk-oriented, with influences ranging from goth to electronic to '80s vibes, dynamically heavy rock to epic melodic songs. Lyrically, it spans the gauntlet of themes from personal, political and philosophical to spiritual, humor and love."

He also tried to approach writing a little differently this time around. "I used the Apple iPad as a songwriting instrument to sketch out three of the songs on the record," he says. "We must trick ourselves into writing in different ways to get unexpected results."

Josh Rundquist (a.k.a. That Drummer Guy) conducted an interview with vocalist/guitarist Morgan Lander of Canadian metallers KITTIE before the band's April 18 concert at Station 4 in St Paul, Minnesota. You can now listen to the chat in the YouTube clip below.

KITTIE recently parted ways with bassist Ivy Vujic and was rejoined by Trish Doan. Doan was previously with the band from 2005 to 2007, appearing on the band's 2007 release "Funeral For Yesterday".

KITTIE's new album, "I've Failed You", sold 3,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 178 on The Billboard 200 chart.

The band's previous CD, "In The Black", opened with around 3,400 units back in 2009 to land at No. 132.

KITTIE's fourth album, "Funeral for Yesterday", registered a first-week tally of 9,000 in February 2007 to enter the chart at No. 101.

"I've Failed You" was released on August 30, 2011 via eOne Music. The CD was recorded at Beach Road Studios in Goderich, Ontario, Canada. The band once again worked with producer Siegfried "Siggy" Meier, who helmed KITTIE's last CD, 2009's "In The Black".

Interview (audio):



Performance (April 27 at The Grove Of Anaheim in Anaheim, California):

Swedish hard rockers FATAL SMILE will release their new album, "21st Century Freaks", on May 14 via FS Records/GMR Music Group. The CD was produced by Mr. Y, engineered/recorded by Philty and mixed by the two of them together. The mastering duties were handled by Mats "Limpan" Lindfors at Cutting Room Studios.

"21st Century Freaks" track listing:

01. Welcome To The Freakshow
02. Nailed To The Wall
03. Raisning Hell In Heaven
04. Judgement Day
05. Broken Heart
06. My Private Hell
07. Scarecrow
08. Innocent
09. Break This Chains
10. Take It To The Limit
11. For The Last In Line

Check out audio samples at FatalSmile.com.

You can pre-order signed copies of the album and get a free poster at this location.

The "Welcome To The Freakshow" video can be seen below. The clip was directed by Owe Lingwall, who has previously worked with KAMELOT, MESHUGGAH and THE RASMUS, among others.

After playing 350 shows internationally during their "World Domination Tour" with such bands as DIO, W.A.S.P., QUEENSRŸCHE, DORO and LORDI in support of their last album, "World Domination", FATAL SMILE spent over a year writing and recording songs for the follow-up effort. Entitled "21st Century Freaks", the new CD was recorded in the tour buses, hotel rooms and studios all over the world before eleven songs were singled out and re-recorded during 2011.

Ten top names tried out for the mixing job, all mixing the song planned as the second single of the album. The band put together a jury of friends to pick out their favorite mix, which turned out to be mix No. 5, not knowing it was mixed by FATAL SMILE's own drummer Philty and guitarist Mr. Y!

According to a press release, "this time [the bandmembers] have done everything on their own to make it the ultimate FATAL SMILE album, from recording and engineering to producing and mixing the album and the result is massive, with 'in-your-face' songs and a 'larger-than-life' sound!"

FATAL SMILE is:

Mr. Y - Guitar
Blade - Vocals
Alx - Bass
Philty - Drums



Photo credit: Tallee Savage / www.savagebeauty.se

The second in a four-part video series — a journey through SOULFLY's eight-album discography with the band's mainman, Max Cavalera — can be seen below. In the second clip, he tells stories from the making of 2002's "3" and 2004's "Prophecy".

SOULFLY's eighth album, "Enslaved", sold 5,900 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 82 on The Billboard 200 chart. The band's previous CD, "Omen", opened with 6,000 units in June 2010 to land at No. 73.

SOULFLY's 2008 album, "Conquer", premiered with 8,400 copies to enter the chart at No. 66. This number was in line with the opening tally of the CD's predecessor, "Dark Ages", which shifted a little more than 8,000 copies during its first week of release in October 2005 to debut at No. 155.

"Enslaved" was released on March 13 via Roadrunner Records. The CD was recorded at TallCat Studios in Phoenix, Arizona and was produced by Chris "Zeuss" Harris, the seasoned knob twiddler behind some of the most notable bands in metal today, such as SHADOWS FALL, HATEBREED, THE RED CHORD and more.

SOULFLY's video for the song "World Scum" was conceptualized by SOULFLY mainman Max Cavalera and director Thomas Mignone (MUDVAYNE, SLIPKNOT, AVENGED SEVENFOLD, MORBID ANGEL) and produced through Mignone's production company Doom Incorporated. Mignone filmed the video in and around Los Angeles. Various scenes depicting humanity's perspectives of some of the world's significant historical — such as the attack on the Russian Czar by nihilists, the mass production of Zyklon B poisons, the Gulag prisons, the assassination of the president, and a final showdown between Jesus and the Anti-christ — are seen and reflected in the song's lyrics. The cinematography is by Peter Leininger; the special EFX makeup is by Maggie Hunter, the production design is by Hanna Dryland, and digital compositing and post-production is by editor/visual EFX artist Christopher Neil.

SOULFLY's current lineup features Kinkade, Max and guitar dynamo Marc Rizzo, with STATIC-X's Tony Campos taking up the bass.

France's Hard Force TV recently conducted an interview with singer Charlotte Wessels of Dutch symphonic metallers DELAIN. You can now watch the chat below.

DELAIN will release its long-awaited third album, "We Are The Others", on June 1 in the Benelux and Germany; and on June 4 in the U.K. and France through CNR Entertainment and Roadrunner Records. The lead single, "Get The Devil Out Of Me", hit stores on April 13 (April 15 for U.K.) to coincide with the start of the band's European tour.

The "Get The Devil Out Of Me" video can be seen below. The clip features footage from the recording sessions for the new CD and live material, including footage from the Sonisphere festival in the U.K. (used with kind permission of BlinkTV).

Described as "the band's most powerful, most atmospheric and intoxicating album to date," "We Are The Others" was helmed by producer Jacob Hellner — renowned for his work with RAMMSTEIN, CLAWFINGER and APOCALYPTICA — while the vocals were tracked with the Epicentre team of Fredrik Thomander and Anders Wikström (SCORPIONS, BACKYARD BABIES).

"We Are The Others" track listing:

01. Mother Machine
02. Electricity
03. We Are The Others
04. Milk And Honey
05. Hit Me With Your Best Shot
06. I Want You
07. Where Is The Blood (feat. Burton C. Bell)
08. Generation Me
09. Babylon
10. Are You Done With Me
11. Get The Devil Out Of Me
12. Not Enough

At first glance, some songtitles on "We Are The Others" may sound mysterious and conspiratorial, but there is a very serious background: The lyrics to the title track were inspired by the hate crime against a British girl named Sophie Lancaster in 2007. She and her boyfriend were beaten comatose by a gang of youths, because of their goth looks, and Sophie later died from her injuries. This tragedy sent shockwaves throughout the world.

Commented Charlotte: "Sophie's story hit close to home for us, being part of a subculture ourselves but it's in no way an individual case; people are discriminated against — all the time, to the point of violence — based on their cultural or ethnic background everywhere.

"'We Are The Others' is our own 'outsiders anthem' for everybody who, deliberately or not, diverts from the norm. Whether it's by looking different, acting different, or choosing a different path in life then is expected from you."

Interview:



"Get The Devil Out Of Me" video:

Photo credit: Sandra Ludewig