Professionally filmed video footage of LAMB OF GOD's June 1 performance at the Rock Am Ring festival in Nürburgring, Germany can be seen below.

Hal Leonard has released the official, note-for-note matching guitar tab book for "Resolution", the latest album from LAMB OF GOD. It is now available for purchase from MusicDispatch.com.

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

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

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

"Resolution" has sold 115,000 copies in the United States since its February release.

Swedish tech metal supergroup NONEXIST, featuring former ARCH ENEMY and current HEARSE vocalist Johan Liiva and ANDROMEDA/SKYFIRE guitarist Johan Reinholdz, has inked a deal with Pivotal Rockordings. The band's new full-length album, entitled "From My Cold Dead Hands", is currently being recorded at Multipass Studios and will feature nine blistering new tracks, to be released later this year through all major digital retailers. "From My Cold Dead Hands" will also be accompanied by cover songs that Pivotal Rockordings will release for free on YouTube. More information on the exact cover songs will be revealed shortly.

Commented Reinholdz: "I'm really excited about unleashing the second assault of NONEXIST! Even though 'Deus Deceptor' came out ten years ago, NONEXIST never died. It has always been alive in my heart and I've written songs for it every now and then. Because I love it, I love this kind of music which I grew up with. A couple of years ago, the NONEXIST songwriting became more frequent and I came up with the title — 'From My Cold Dead Hands' — and I started to focus on getting the album done. I also began dabbling with cover songs, something I've never really done before but it's great fun! Some of these song choices might surprise you — but they're all done NONEXIST style! I then asked Johan Liiva if he wanted to join NONEXIST again was pleased when he said yes. He is one the great singers in extreme metal and I'm proud to work with him again!"

Added Liiva: "It's been like 10 years now since the debut came out. I actually had this 'fantasy' ever since to make a sequel. For various reasons (like for example 'life,' haha) it took us all this time to finally get there. Thankfully, Johan and I stayed in touch every now and then… and now *kazaam!* — the time has come! Filled to the brim with new and fresh ideas — as well as retro ones, for sure! Let's hope you people out there who digged and asked for another one appreciates this new one. Hailz and salutes — it's time… metal to the very bone!"

NONEXIST's debut full-length record, "Deus Deceptor", was released in 2002 via Century Media/New Hawen Records and the lineup at the time included Liiva, Reinholdz and DEFLESHED/DARK FUNERAL drummer Matte Modin. The CD was produced by Tommy Tägtgren and Reinholdz at Abyss Studios and featured a musical direction described as a cross between early ARCH ENEMY and CARCASS (circa "Heartwork").

CALL ME NO ONE — the new project featuring SEVENDUST drummer Morgan Rose and guitarist Clint Lowery — will release its debut album, "Last Parade", on June 5. The CD's first single, "Biggest Fan", was made available to purchase on iTunes on April 24.

CALL ME NO ONE's lineup is rounded out by bassist Rek Mohr (HURT) and guitarist Alan Price (SOULS HARBOR, SHINEDOWN).

In a new posting on his official blog, Lowery writes, "[I am] sitting at home on my couch with the wife two days away from releasing the CALL ME NO ONE project.

"Been a long process getting this thing to happen. I believe the real work began after the actual record was recorded. The business end of music sucks the joy out of it sometimes. It becomes very cold and heartless after the recording process. All the excitement and creative thinking that goes on, the building of the songs, debating on what's gonna be the better part, overcoming fear of being able to beat your last effort. It's an emotional roller coaster for me, but all good. Then the process begins with release — the 'business people' take your music like a child out of your arms and have little to no emotional attachment; tell you which song should be released; what they don't like about or kinda like about this. There are some who give it praise one week and the next week not able to get them on the phone.

"We had a entire different management change right after the record was completed, which confused a lot of issues and switched up the game plan a few times. But regardless of what you have going on, there's some type of battle with 'the label' about the over all presentation of the record. How we want to deliver this to people, when we do, it's all a very intense game that everyone involved has all the answers but when it comes time for the answers to be gived, they're not around or they forget their idea or answers. I wouldn't have it any other way, though; I'm so used to it. There are are a few people who make the process enjoyable. The artwork, some of the label folk really get what it is you're trying to do, some teach me things I wasn't aware of and present great ideas and strategies. It's good, bad and, for sure, the ugly. The MONEY is always an issue. The amount people get from the record sales, the commissions, the 'hands in the pot' and — my favorite expression in the industry — 'this is industry standard,' when talking about their cut. It's funny to me.

"We have a good team I think behind this. Do I think they care about it as much as I do? Not even close. But I do believe in one thing: people's drive to make money. I don't trust many things in the music business, but I trust that people in this business want money and power. If your band is in the pipeline of that, you can also gain something.

"We all have different things that drive us; mine used to be money and fame. Now it's security, support and longevity. I want to make music and sell enough of it to survive, I want to be able to support my family doing what I love. I want to make honest music and grow as a musician. I don't really care about selling a bunch of records; I'd much rather people come to a show and connect that way. I'd be lying if I said I didn't want a ton of people to like it, because that's what I do it for. To do what so many other bands have done for me: provide an escape. A tunnel out of real life into some better mindset than I live in daily. I love being in a situation like the airport or DMV and putting earbuds in and listening to something that changes the environment completely. That's the goal.

"The best part, by far, of the record process is this time now, the few days before it comes out and the day it does. Finally sharing it with people who support what you do, hearing the good and bad about the music, lyrics and artwork. The people are so different in what they like or don't like. It's what it's all about.

"I care about what people at labels say because some of them are the vessels to get it to the people so I have to work with them and respect some of them in what they do. But if I could simply hand deliver each record to people and skip the process, I would. But on most records I've been a part of, I rely on that machine. Which can be great, or dilute the whole product I'm making.

"I can't wait to hear what people think about CALL ME NO ONE — Morgan and I worked hard on it, had a forth of the resources most bands have and a great creative team around us. I had the support of my family and friends and other bands and colleagues. I learned a lot about singing and can't wait to get out there and try this live. We pulled in Alan Price and Rek Mohr to play this stuff live with us and love these guys. Great players and positive cats, for sure.

"Will I be able to work a crowd, keep my voice, sing things right and good?? Who knows? I will find out shortly. I say this, though: I will give it the best I have and I have faith that we will be a great live band. I wanna make a statement for the under dog. The anti-rock star, the common man's rock band. Be honest with the crowd instead of saying things like, 'This is our favorite town ever' — unless it is.

"I just lost my father, Willie Lowery — the reason I do this in the first place. He played music his whole life, believed he was gonna make it to the next level his whole life. I watched him play his guitar in an assisted-living home as if he was playing to a sold-out crowd in a stadium. He never lost hope; he was on the sunset of his life and believed in music — it never abandoned him and he never stopped playing it.

"When I think about doing something else or getting jaded or bitter at this business, I think of him. He would have chewed this business' ass up if he could have. It certainly did a number on him. He never let the fact that he didn't break into the big time stop him from loving it all the same. It's what he did.

"I lost my dad, but I gained my drive back.

"I'm gonna do whatever it takes in music to survive — to provide for my family and help other bands achieve it. Period. He did it 'till the end, and so will I.

"I dedicate this record to him, my wife and son and to God for giving me life, love and music.

"I love whoever is reading this — yep, I said it. hope peace surrounds you and love finds you.

"God bless.

"P.S.: Go check out the record Tuesday — I promise you the people who made it will truly appreciate it."

"Last Parade" (song) audio stream:



"Biggest Fan" audio stream:

SEVENDUST's Morgan Rose will lay down the drum tracks on the forthcoming sophomore album from the Staten Island, New York- and Tom's River, New Jersey-based hard rock band THE INFINITE STAIRCASE.

THE INFINITE STAIRCASE members, brothers Lenny and Jeff Cerzosie, have been working pre-production at their home recording facility, Majickly Malicious Studios in Staten Island, New York, but will begin tracking the new album with Rose at Architekt Studios in Butler, New Jersey in the coming weeks.

THE INFINITE STAIRCASE released its debut album, "The Road Less Taken", in March 2009 before embarking on "The Black Label Bash" tour with BLACK LABEL SOCIETY, SEVENDUST and DOPE. The CD was mixed by guitar virtuoso Blues Saraceno (POISON) and featured guest appearances by Saraceno and Earl Slick (DAVID BOWIE). After a year-long hiatus following a much-publicized and still-ongoing dispute with former drummer Paris Bierk (son of ex-SKID ROW singer Sebastian Bach), and a few sporadic and special acoustic performances (including a 2010 performance with BLACK LABEL SOCIETY bassist John JD DeServio), this is the first official announcement of the band's continuity.

Professionally filmed video footage of MARILYN MANSON's June 1 performance at the Rock Am Ring festival in Nürburgring, Germany can be seen below.

MARILYN MANSON's new album, "Born Villain", sold 38,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 10 on The Billboard 200 chart. The CD arrived in stores on May 1 via Cooking Vinyl and Manson's own label Hell, Etc.

MARILYN MANSON's previous album, "The High End Of Low", opened with 49,000 units back in May 2009 to debut at position No. 4 on The Billboard 200 chart. This was roughly half of the first-week tally registered by 2007's "Eat Me, Drink Me", which landed at No. 8 after selling 88,000 copies.

MARILYN MANSON's 2003 album, "The Golden Age Of Grotesque", entered the chart at No. 1 with first-week sales of 118,000.

Marilyn Manson's new video, "No Reflection", was directed by Lukas Ettlin, who previously worked with Manson on the award-winning "Personal Jesus" clip.

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

Daniel Pavlica of The Rocktologist recently conducted an interview with GREAT WHITE singer Terry Ilous. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

The Rocktologist: There has been a lot of turmoil lately around the right to use GREAT WHITE name. How does that affect the guys in the band?

Terry: Well, Daniel, I have to tell you that everyone is a bit annoyed and upset… I don't want to get info controversy. All I want to say is that the history of the band is very simple. The history speaks for itself. Mark Kendall started the band in 1978 with a different singer, a different drummer and a different bass player. Then band was by then called DANTE FOX. This lineup toured for about two years before Jack Russell joined the band. Basically, the band then toured and changed the name, but the point is that the band was started by Mark Kendall back in 1978. At the time, in 1978, Jack Russell wasn't even around, Jack Russell was in jail. Now, how does he affect me and the band? It's really annoying, to be honest with you. I'm not saying anything bad about Jack whatsoever, but I'm starting to get annoyed. I've never heard of a singer leaving a band and taking the name with him. I mean, when Steve Perry left JOURNEY, he called himself Steve Perry formerly of JOURNEY, the same goes for Lou Gramm (FOREIGNER), Ozzy Osbourne (BLACK SABBATH) or David Coverdale (DEEP PURPLE). The bottom line is that when you leave the band… Let's not forget that Jack never got fired, he left the band of his own accord. So, once again, the situation is very annoying, to be honest, because it's affecting our shows, it's bothering our fans, not to mention that the fact that Jack is saying so many bad things about us is just wrong. You know, I wish Jack only the very, very best, success and health; whatever he wants, I'm good with that. Still, I don't thing that saying bad thing about his former bandmembers is right. I think he should be more of a gentleman. It's like a relationship with your ex-girlfriend or your ex-wife. When it's over, it's over, and you have to remember the good times and move on.

The Rocktologist: GREAT WHITE is now up against JACK RUSSELL'S GREAT WHITE. Are you confident in reaching the top spot?

Terry: Absolutely! (laughs)

The Rocktologist: No problem there, then?

Terry: No problem there! You know, Jack was a great singer, and he did wonderful things with the band. I would never criticize Jack. I'm not that kind of a person. If he can come back with a great album I would say good for him. All I want for us is to move on and be happy. I just want to be left alone and do my thing, that's all.

The Rocktologist: One more question about Jack. He in particular has an army strong pack of devoted fans. How does it feel stepping into his shoes — on stage, that is?

Terry: I'd like for him to step into my shoes if he can do it! I'm a lead singer from XYZ and everybody knows that I have lots of chops. Singing my songs is not easy. Anyway, every time that I go onstage it's always a pleasure for me to sing songs that Jack and Mark have written or co-written… I know that Mark was mostly the writer in the band…it's always a pleasure to sing this songs. In a certain way, Jack will always be with me on stage, because I will be singing things like "Save Your Love" and "Lady Red Light". Every time I sing those songs, the fans would be singing thinking about him, and to be honest with you, they should think about him, because he was the voice in GREAT WHITE before. So I only have respect for him. Even my new fans should respect him as well. As far as going on stage and filling his shoes… Well, Jack was a great singer, and I'm also a great singer. It's not like, "Oh, my god, I don't know if I can do it!" The truth is that Jack and I are very similar but we are different also. I'm European so I'm very flashy on stage. My influences are Freddie Mercury and people like that, you know, people that put on a great show. So again, Jack and I are very similar. That's why I am the singer in GREAT WHITE now, because of the similarities, the blues, the rock, except that I'm a bit heavier that him. I grew up listening to Ronnie James Dio. My heart is into metal but also blues, because I'm very personal.

Read the entire interview from The Rocktologist.

Violin player Janne Liljekvist has left the Swedish "Viking metal" act MÅNEGARM "due to lack of motivation."

Commented the remaining members of the group: "It's of course unfortunate after almost 15 years together, but it's also an unsustainable situation if one out of five can't find the motivation and put the effort into the band that is needed to move forward. However, MÅNEGARM will definitely move on as planned and this will have no impact on our music at all. The work with the new album goes on as planned and we can promise you that it will be a killer! The mighty wolf WILL strike again, this time harder than ever before!"

MÅNEGARM last year inked a deal with Napalm Records. The band's new album is scheduled for release at the end of 2012.

MÅNEGARM's most recent CD, "Nattväsen", was released in November 2009 via Regain Records.

"Vetrarmegin" (English translation: Winter Force), the latest video from MÅNEGARM, was shot in a "Viking village" near the band's hometown, Norrtälje, with an "incredible pre-renaissance atmosphere." The clip was helmed by Sweden's Standard Film Team, which has previously worked with DARK FUNERAL, PLECTOR and ZONARIA.

A man was shot in the arm Saturday evening (June 2) during what was being billed as the first headlining show in 23 years for recently reformed thrash metallers MACE at the Northwest Metal Fest in Spanaway, Washington. The cancer fundraising event was being put on by a biker club called the Bandidos at Uncle Sam's American Bar & Grill.

According to Q13Fox.com, a dispute occurred "when a small group of members of another biker club, Ghostriders, showed up, [and] one of the members tried to enter the bar while wearing his jacket. The Bandidos asked him to remove his jacket so as not to disrespect their club. When he refused, a group of Bandidos surrounded him. The Ghostriders member felt threatened, and reportedly pulled out a gun and shot a Bandidos member in the arm. He was then tackled by a friend of the victim, disarmed, and held for police."

According to Northwest Music Scene, authorities are still sorting through conflicting accounts about what really happened and Ed Troyer of the Pierce County Sheriff's Office said that the shooter would also need medical attention because of the assault. Deputies were also looking for another man late Saturday that is also reportedly a member of the Ghostriders. That member is a 70-year-old blind man who fled the scene before officers arrived and he left his car at the event.

A two-minute video report from KomoNews.com can be seen below.

Jay Donovan of TechCrunch recently conducted an interview with MEGADETH bassist David Ellefson about the new David Ellefson Rock Shop app for iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch. You can watch the chat below.

The David Ellefson Rock Shop app brings David Ellefson's "Rock Shop" YouTube series to iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch with portable guitar and bass amp software tuned with David's signature sound.

The David Ellefson Rock Shop app works with Pocketlabworks iRiffPort Digital Audio Guitar Connection, providing everything guitar and bass players need for turning their iPad, iPhone, and iPod Touch into a portable practice guitar amplifier.

Pocketlabworks technology integrates an iTunes music player right into the David Ellefson Rock Shop app; with Speed, Pitch, and Loop controls for playing along with your iTunes music. The integrated music player makes it easy to zero in, and slow down guitar riffs for learning by ear. Real-time processing adjusts the pitch automatically to standard tuning for MEGADETH's hit record "Peace Sells… But Who's Buying?" from 1986, which was originally recorded slightly below standard guitar tuning.

Stated Ellefson: "The Rock Shop is an outlet for sharing my music and business experience with my fans and the music community. I am thrilled to bring this connection to the iOS mobile platform in partnership with Pocketlabworks."

Added Kevin Robertson, Pocketlabworks President and Lead Developer, "We are really excited to be working closely with David Ellefson on the new David Ellefson Rock Shop app. In addition to bringing David's signature sound to iOS, we are thrilled to offer David's fans an integrated experience for connecting to David's social media and David Ellefson's Rock Shop online."

The David Ellefson Rock Shop is available for sale from the Apple App Store.

Ellefson has become a mainstay in the rock and metal communities now for over 25 years. Internationally acclaimed as the bassist for thrash titans MEGADETH, he is known for his unique and hard-hitting style of bass playing, as well as his versatility in a wide variety of other musical settings across the globe.

David has carved a vast musical career as a bassist, songwriter, record producer, clinician, and author of the book "Making Music Your Business… A Guide For Young Musicians". David holds a Bachelor's degree in business and marketing and continues to lecture on a variety of music and business related topics in his online YouTube series "David Ellefson's Rock Shop".

Ellefson's seasoned experiences in the trenches of the music business have awarded him numerous Grammy nominations, countless gold and platinum records, and continued recording and world concert tour activity.

A preview of the official video for AEROSMITH's new single, "Legendary Child", is available below. The clip was filmed with director Casey Patrick Tebo, who also is helming a new concert film titled "Aerosmith: Rock For The Rising Sun". According to Tebo's official web site, the movie, which will focus on AEROSMITH's relationship with the group's Japanese fans, will be released later this year or in 2013.

"Legendary Child" last week landed on Billboard's Mainstream Rock chart at No. 32 and the Hard Rock Digital Songs chart at No. 2. On the former chart, the song is the group's first entry since 2006, when "Devil's Got a New Disguise" reached No. 15.

"Legendary Child" will appear on AEROSMITH's 15th studio album, titled "Music From Another Dimension", which will arrive on August 28 via Columbia Records. The track was also supposed to be included in the upcoming summer film "G.I. Joe: Retaliation", but that movie was abruptly bumped from its June 29 release date to March 2013.

AEROSMITH premiered "Legendary Child"with a live performance during the season finale of "American Idol". It is a reworked version of a song originally written in 1991 during the sessions for the "Get A Grip" album.

"Music From Another Dimension" track listing:

01. What Could Have Been Love
02. Beautiful
03. Street Jesus
04. Legendary Child
05. Oh Yeah
06. We All Fall Down
07. Another Last Goodbye
08. Out Go the Lights
09. Love Three Times a Day (Hello Goodbye)
10. Closer
11. Shakey Ground
12. Lover A Lot
13. Freedom Fighter
14. Up On The Mountain

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.

"Music From Another Dimension" is being helmed by producer Jack Douglas, who previously worked with AEROSMITH on classic early albums like "Toys In The Attic" and "Rocks" as well as on 2004's "Honkin' On Bobo".

"This record is different from the recent past, say the last 20 years, where everybody is getting in the studio and throwing down their songs," guitarist Joe Perry recently told Billboard.com. "This record is a lot more band-written stuff than there has been in the recent past."

AEROSMITH's "The Global Warming" tour will kick it off on June 16 at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota and wrap up on August 8 in Tacoma, Washington.

"Legendary Child" video sneak peek:



"Legendary Child" audio stream:

Patrick Prince of Powerline magazine recently conducted an interview with THE CULT guitarist Billy Duffy. A couple of excertps from the chat follow below.

Powerline: The [new THE CULT] album ["Choice Of Weapon"] seems so spontaneous and raw. I mean, there's no fucking around. It's right to the point.

Duffy: Yeah, it kind of came out that way. It just sort of what turned out. The selection of tracks were written over different periods, so they kind of reflect different feels. They had been written in different places: New York, some were in the desert in California, some were right in West Hollywood. That was the initial phase and then it just started escalating from there, you know.

Powerline: With some bands, you hear five years off and you think there's gonna be a lot of tinkering, there's gonna be a lot of creative indecision on the album.

Duffy: Yeah, if you think that musicians, all they do is music. But if you think that we have lives and families and interests as well as music and the band … I think that's one of the changes that happens when you become a little older — you sort of generate a life that has more facets than music. The actual trick is to keep music as important and vital to you as it was, so you don't get distracted by stuff. You know, it wasn't like we were lollygagging. I mean, we toured every year since 2006. Not heavy like we used to. We tour more when we have an album but we've certainly done dates — 60-70 shows a year, maybe more. So the band's been … I wouldn't say inactive but I think we were just responding to the way the music business is now, and the fact that you don't really sell records. Nobody really buys them in sufficient quantities to make them cost-effective. I'm sure you talk to loads of guys who say the same thing, but the music's kind of vibrant and it's the lifeblood of a band, and certainly with HE CULT, that's really our main reason.

Powerline: THE CULT never fit into any particular genre, which is a good thing.

Duffy: It certainly gives you longevity and that's really the most important thing. Because we do it 'cause we enjoy it, and always have done. But, on the other end, you might say that if you don't particularly dominate one genre, you fall between two stools, and people don't quite now what you are. So there can be a little bit of possible confusion on how to market the band, if you will, when those things matter.

Powerline: And how has your relationship with Ian [Astbury, vocals] changed as far as songwriting?

Dufy: We just show up and get on with it. We're at a point in our relationship where we see each other for a few months and once we get down to business, it's business as usual. The only difference is, I say, is that me and Ian forensically go through all the guitar riffs that I write. Ian writes his own stuff. He writes his own songs and stuff. But the vast majority of THE CULT's music is guitar riff-orientated and it has been since day one in 1983. It's like the music suggests a certain feel, mood and emotion and Ian kind of goes into his lyric stuff and starts ramping on it, and luckily for me, we got a certain chemistry that works. We don't have to try too hard. And I know this because I tried working with other singers who are great friends of mine and very talented guys but … There's one song on the album, "The Wolf", where it took a long time to get that song together. I had that riff for a number of years. And it really took Ian to come in and nail it. He just proved to me that he has a special relationship to the music that I do. And no disrespect to the guys that I work with. It's just that that chemistry is very unique. Very hard to find. Anybody that knows anything about music history knows that. I've been blessed. But, yeah, since grunge, they don't want to do a lot of solos, and there's always that '90s kind of cookie-monster stuff where the guitar would be very clean and very linear and almost robotic and then they drop into the chorus and it's really like a heavy metal hip-hop vibe and then they go back to the clean. You know, the originator was "Smells Like Teen Spirit", really. But that stuff had a lot of real emotion, NIRVANA. What followed that was a little antiseptic and soulless, So, for me, I couldn't sense any of the blues in there. In any way, shape or form. It was all just from the head, and not from the heart. It was as it came across to me as a consumer. It didn't really resonate with me. I'm thankful that people have gotten back to possibly a more organic way of playing, and hopefully young guitar players won't be afraid to express themselves. There's a lot of savants that do meaningless guitar solos for hours. That really doesn't do anything that hasn't been done. But when people take the spirit of that [solos] and move forward with it, I think that's what's really exciting.

Powerline: You see a lot of kids today wearing the old-school t-shirts and really getting into the older stuff.

Duffy: I think people will always be drawn to quality and I think if people have to work a little bit harder to find some cool stuff it's all the better. I think everything's a little too instant, a little too easy right now. And I'm all for convenience and like my iThis and my iThat — I'm totally aboard — but I think in order to create a healthy musical environments going forward , it's great that people want to work a bit harder. I think they get the deeper rewards. And I am all for it. They [kids] go for those iconic images and I'm thankful once in a while I see a CULT shirt that's worn in the same way. And it either makes me feel great, or old. Or both.

Read the entire interview from Powerline.

TheBackstageBeat.com recently conducted an interview with SKID ROW bassist Rachel Bolan. You can now watch the chat below.

When asked what he has been up to lately, Bolan said, "We're starting work on our new album, so to speak. We're doing it a little different this time. We're doing [it in] three segments of five songs each. We have yet to come up with a title for it, but we have the concept and we have songs written. We hope to have something out — the first segment — by Christmas of this year, if all things go well with the studio [since] we all live all over the United States. We still haven't decided [where we will record the album], but we demoed at my house, which is kind of a makeshift studio in my basement. And it came out good enough to get us a record deal. So we're just doing that, and we're just gonna continue to write. And in the meantime, we're still touring quite a bit. We just got back from Sweden and did a bunch of shows in the United States. And on top of that, just out of nowhere, my phone rings one morning, and it's Corey Taylor from STONE SOUR, and he's, like, 'Would you be interested in playing bass on the new STONE SOUR record?' So, of course, I said 'Yes,' 'cause I'm a huge fan of the band and they're all really, really great guys. So I've been doing that in between the SKID ROW gigs. Actually, I'm going back up to finish up… 'Cause it's a double album. And I'm going back too finish up the last five songs. I've got 18 done and I've got five more to go."

SKID ROW's latest CD, "Revolutions Per Minute", was released on October 24, 2006 via SPV Records.

Bolan previously told Times-Standard.com about SKID ROW's forthcoming sixth album, "I think the next record, as far as what [guitarist Dave] Snake [Sabo] and I are writing, is going back to what people would expect from SKID ROW. We're looking forward to it."

SKID ROW in 2010 parted ways with drummer Dave Gara and replaced him with Atlanta native Rob Hammersmith.

Rob spent many years touring and recording with Atlanta-based rockers ROCKETS TO RUIN and has performed with GUNFIRE 76, the band featuring MURDERDOLLS frontman Wednesday 13.



Photo credit: Fran Strine

A four-minute video clip in which KING DIAMOND members Andy LaRocque (guitar), Mike Wead (guitar) and Hal Patino (bass) talk about the stage production for the band's performances at Sweden Rock Festival and Hellfest can be seen below.

As previously reported, KING DIAMOND will play only two shows in Europe this summer:

June 09 - Sweden Rock Festival – Sölvesborg, SWE
June 15 - Hellfest - Clisson, France

Legendary Danish heavy metal singer King Diamond (KING DIAMOND, MERCYFUL FATE) (real name: Kim Bendix Petersen), 55, underwent open-heart triple-bypass surgery in November 2010. He has since completed his cardiac rehabilitation program and has stopped smoking entirely, changed his diet and is getting regular exercise, according to his wife Livia Zita.

King Diamond made his long-anticipated return to the stage with his MERCYFUL FATE bandmates Hank Shermann, Timi Hansen and Michael Denner on December 7, 2011 at the second of four intimate shows at the Fillmore in San Francisco as part of METALLICA's week-long celebration of its 30th anniversary as a band for fan club members only.

King Diamond played a surprise three-song set on January 27 at Tree's in Dallas, Texas during the "5th Annual Nomad Recording Studio Throwdown". King, who appeared without his trademark makeup, was joined for the performance by Michael Harris on guitar, Neil Brincks on bass, J.T. Longoria on guitar and Matt Thompson (KING DIAMOND, SHAOLIN DEATH SQUAD) on drums. King also presented awards at the event, which featured additional performances by BORN & RAISED, SHAOLIN DEATH SQUAD, LOVE STRICKEN DEMISE and RIVETHEAD.

Panagiotis Karagiannidis of Greece's Metal Paths recently conducted an interview with SLAYER/PHILM drummer Dave Lombardo. You can now listen to the chat using the audio player below. A few excerpts from the interview follow.

Interview (audio):



Metal Paths: "Harmonic" is [PHILM's] debut album. How would you describe the music to a fan that has not listened to the album yet?

Lombardo: Well, the first thing I tell them is that it's different. It's different from anything I've done before. It's not heavy like SLAYER; it doesn't have that sound. It's a different sound. It's got an old, vintage sound. It has a sound of maybe like the '60s and '70s. And it's a trio, so there's only drums, bass and guitar, and the guitar player sings. My drum set is a very small drum set; I play only a four-piece. In SLAYER I play in nine-piece drum set. So this is a lot smaller and it helps me create differently. So you still have aggression, the same Dave Lombardo aggression at the drums, but it's a little different. It's aggression in a more punk way and the album is more extreme rock instead of extreme metal or thrash metal, speed metal, grindcore… whatever it is. It's not like that; it's more extreme rock.

Metal Paths: I think that you have already played a few shows with PHILM. What were the reactions of the fans on your live performances so far?

Lombardo: They love it! They really, really like it. Because they know that it's something different. You know, it's weird… People say, "Why would you make a band that's not like SLAYER or extreme thrash metal?" it's like, I don't want to follow what I already lead. If I am already leading with SLAYER, and we're, like, one of the the "Big Four" bands, why am I gonna try to create something else [just like it]? So what I do is something different. I don't create something [similar to SLAYER]. I'm already in one of the biggest metal bands.

Metal Paths: Tell me a few things about the composing process of "Harmonic" and the songwriting in general. Who writes the music and how long did it take you to finish the composition of the record?

Lombardo: Well, the music, it's been ongoing. We had some of the music ever since '95 or '96, and then some of the songs were written in 2004 and 2005, and then the rest of the material was written in 2011. So we all write the music collectively, we all do it together. What we do is we improvise when we create music. We get together and, you know, we have the recorder playing and we go into a room and we just start to write music.

Metal Paths: Do you think that SLAYER fans would like "Harmonic" or does PHILM [appeal] to a completely different group [of music fans]? Personally, I am a SLAYER fan and I really enjoyed PHILM.

Lombardo: Well, there are a lot of SLAYER fans that are open-minded and they like different styles of music. Like myself, I'm a SLAYER fan — I love the SLAYER music — but I also like other styles of music, all kind of different heavy styles of music. So I think that there are the fans that don't listen to anything else but SLAYER, [or they listen to other] speed metal or thrash metal [groups], and they don't have an open mind yet, but they will grow up soon. But I think that a lot of SLAYER fans will enjoy it, because it has one common thread, and that is the aggression of the drums. There are songs that are aggressive, and there are songs that are very soft and very mellow, almost like PINK FLOYD.

Metal Paths: There are a couple of different elements in PHILM's music style. It seems like there are no borders and no rules in your music orientations. Is it really that free?

Lombardo: Let's see if I can explain this…No, there are no rules, I mean, we have influences from jazz; we have influences from hardcore punk and some funky roots. There are many influences and I think everybody brings that influence into the band, and I'm open to all of it. I can play all kinds of different drum beats. I don't just play fast — I play different speeds, including slow.

Metal Paths: Do you see PHILM as a chance to express different feelings than with SLAYER as a musician?

Lombardo: Yeah, because there's different kinds of heavy. I think SLAYER fans need to understand that there is heavy music or a heavy feeling — of course, in metal — certain riffs are very heavy, like [SLAYER's] "World Painted Blood"; for me, that song's very heavy. But there are other songs, there are classical songs, that I feel have a heavy feeling, a heavy sound. There are even funk songs that sound, to me, that are like, "Woah, that's kind of heavy." So heavy, to me, is not only thrash metal or speed metal. Heavy could be applied to all kinds of different styles. I even listen to some Cuban music, and I say, "Woah, that drum beat or that melody is heavy." Because it has a twisted element, it has minor chords. All kinds of music have heavy on it.

Metal Paths: So, Dave, could we maybe talk a little bit about SLAYER at this point of interview?

Lombardo: Yeah, but I don't have any information… Everything is already out. [Guitarist] Jeff [Hanneman, who contracted necrotising fasciitis, a flesh-eating disease, from a spider bite over a year ago] is getting better. [EXODUS guitarist] Gary [Holt, Hanneman's temporary replacement] is doing great…

Metal Paths: That was the first question I wanted to ask you, about Jeff's health and how is it going with Gary…

Lombardo: Gary is an amazing guitar player. We love Gary and we really appreciate all of the help he has given us while Jeff is getting better.

Metal Paths: When exactly do you think that Jeff is gonna be back?

Lombardo: I really don't know. Nobody knows… Until he feels better and the doctor says "go"…

Metal Paths: That's the most important, the fact that he feels better. So how has been touring with "Big Four" [METALLICA, MEGADETH and ANTHRAX] so far? Is there any special story you'd like to share with the fans?

Lombardo: I've just been having a really nice time with [METALLICA members] Lars [Ulrich] and James [Hetfield] and [Robert] Trujillo and Kirk [Hammett]. They visit us in our dressing room, I go visit them. It's a very, very nice friendship and relationship. Me and Lars, we get along great. And I don't like people talking shit about Lars. So they have to stop. There are a lot of fans out there, they like to say a lot of bad things about him and he's a really good friend of mine and I don't like it.

Metal Paths: You recently had a special show in London playing [SLAYER's classic 1986 album] "Reign In Blood" in its entirety. What were the fans' reactions?

Lombardo: They loved it! They loved it.

Metal Paths: And how has it been for you playing entire this album?

Lombardo: Oh, I love playing that album. I like playing it because I can play it really fast and I like to play fast, 'cause Kerry [King, SLAYER guitarist], he enjoys that album, too.

Metal Paths: Would you like to do something like that in the future with another album this time?

Lombardo: Well, we did "Seasons In The Abyss". I don't know if it'll ever happen with another record.

Read the entire interview from Metal Paths.

Swiss hard rockers GOTTHARD played a special invitation-only club gig on May 31 at Plaza in Zurich, Switzerland to celebrate the release of their brand new album, "Firebirth".

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

"Firebirth" was released on June 1 via Nuclear Blast/Warner Music. The CD was produced at the band's own Yellow House Studios in Lugano, Switzerland, with guitarist/songwriter Leo Leoni and Paul Lani (who has previously worked with GOTTHARD on several of their earlier albums, including "G-Spot" and "Homerun") at the helm.

"Firebirth" marks GOTTHARD's first release with new singer Nic Maeder, who was born in Lausanne, Switzerland, lived in Melbourne, Australia and grew up between Switzerland and "Down Under."

GOTTHARD vocalist Steve Lee was killed on October 5, 2010 in what has been described as a freak road accident in Nevada.

The "Firebirth" album cover depicts the firebird Phoenix, which symbolically rises "from the ashes to the sky" — this line expresses what each GOTTHARD fan feels and underlines the turbulent time that GOTTHARD has gone through in the past months.

GOTTHARD's first live shows with Maeder took place in South America before the band makes several European festival appearances. The new group's German live debut will take place on July 14 at the Bang Your Head!!! festival in Balingen.

GOTTHARD's "Starlight" video was filmed in an old animal food factory near Berlin, Germany where scenes from the Quentin Tarantino film "Inglorious Basterds" were previously shot.

OVERKILL drummer Ron Lipnicki has joined forces with HADES guitarist Scott LePage and two former members of '80s thrash band PROWLER (New Renaissance Records) in a new outfit called MINISTRY OF HATE.

MINISTRY OF HATE's debut album, "All Your Godz Are Dead", features 10 tracks and is available online as individual song downloads or in CD form from CDBaby and other well-known digital distribution outlets such as iTunes and Amazon.

According to a press release, MINISTRY OF HATE was formed after Mike Cusumano (vocals, guitar) and MJ Malinski (vocals, bass) from PROWLER began penning tunes on a whim in 2010. "After a couple of songs, we thought we had some good stuff and it became a realization that we should get some other talent involved and put out a record," said Cusumano.

He continued, "In the '90s, MJ and I both played in a local metal cover band with Scott, whom I stayed close with over the years and I gave him a call. Scott plays with a lot of feel and was great choice. Even though Scott lives in Texas now, the Internet makes recording pretty easy these days.

"During the writing process, the drums were done with either drum loops or midi drums and sounded out of control, like no human could do it. We knew we needed someone kick-ass for that!

"I played with Ron in different metal cover bands [between] 2008 [and] 2010 and didn't hesitate to see if he would be into it.

"Ron's performance, in my opinion, made the record.

"This side project won't affect Ron's road schedule with OVERKILL. If we do any shows, they will be local… unless the demand is high!"

Lipnicki added, "I'm excited about the album and I am real proud of the drumming and love the songs. I can't wait to see what everyone thinks."

"All Your Godz Are Dead" track listing:

01. Rise To The Bottom
02. 912
03. Blood of Achmed
04. Bagged
05. Prelude To Hate
06. Threads Of Hate
07. Painmaker
08. Thrash & Bang
09. Machine Gun Serenade
10. Ballad Of Charlie Sheen

For more information, visit www.mohate.com.

Niclas Müller-Hansen of Sweden's Metalshrine recently conducted an interview with former MEGADETH guitarist Marty Friedman. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

Metalshrine: Have you stayed in touch with [MEGADETH mainman] Dave Mustaine and the other guys through the years?

Friedman: Not all that much. Not really that much, but not zero. We've been in touch a few times and it's very friendly and I have no problem in the world with them and wish them nothing but success and hopefully they feel the same.

Metalshrine: Have you listened to any of the stuff they did after you left?

Friedman: Actually, I heard the one record they made right after I left and that's the last most recent thing I heard of theirs. That's about it, really.

Metalshrine: I read that one of the reasons that you left was that MEGADETH wasn't aggressive enough. Is that true?

Friedman: Oh yes, that's totally true. Totally, totally true. At the time when I left it was the beginning of 2000, but I actually told the guys that I was gonna leave in the middle of '99, but that's another story. I left in 2000 and at that time every other band was just about a thousand times more aggressive than we were. At the time you had, I guess, KORN and MARILYN MANSON and even LIMP BIZKIT had stuff that was deeply heavy and our stuff just sounded thin and small and to my ear it just sounded really dated and very old-fashioned and traditional. There's absolutely nothing wrong with any of those things and in fact a lot of people who are into heavy metal really like that traditional sound and don't want it to change, so that's a very valid point and I understand it, especially since I've been a RAMONES fan since I was a baby. When they changed just the slightest thing, I got all crazy, so I understand that, but with a name like MEGADETH and all the other bands are just blowing you away with this big deep heavy sound that is way scarier and way harder and more aggressive than a band called MEGADETH, it was not turning me on anymore. I was like, "Let's do one thing or the other! Let's either get friggin' heavier or let's just be a little bit more marketable, because right now, we're kind of an underground band and we shouldn't be. We've got so much great potential within the four members of the band that we shouldn't be an underground traditional metal band." That's not where I wanted to go, but maybe that's where they wanted to go. It was just a completely musical decision why I left the band and it had absolutely nothing to do with any personal problems. I was just seeing all these other bands and I love aggressive music, but it's gotta be really fucking aggressive. I hear stuff now like DECAPITATED and stuff like that. I would've wanted to play stuff more in that vein than what we were doing. I thought, maybe our first couple of records when I joined the band were kind of aggressive for that time, but there was so much stuff after it that I would say was trumping us in that department. I know music's not a competition and I wasn't competing, but I just thought that other bands were doing what I thought we should do better. I don't know why we were always in the mid-tempo kind of '80s thrash metal zone and we were all beyond that, but that's really what I meant back then and I totally meant it.

Metalshrine: About doing something different, did you listen to METALLICA's "Lulu" project?

Friedman: Ahhh, I think I heard one song where Lou Reed is, like, talking or something. I didn't listen to it thinking that I was gonna be asked about it, I just remember, "What's this?" Was he rapping or was it spoken-word?

Metalshrine: Yeah, I guess it's more like spoken-word throughout the album.

Friedman: Yeah, I don't know. I have no idea.

Metalshrine: But as a musician, could you see yourself doing something that's totally different from what you've done before in a way to push things forward?

Friedman: I absolutely believe it and I absolutely get it and I understand it. The thing with METALLICA is that they're such a great band and they've got so much great stuff already in their history, that they could just like fart on a record and people would at least wanna see why they're doing it, you know. They've got so much great stuff and they're allowed to be experimental if they want. I have a lot of weird trippy stuff that I haven't released that maybe if I was in a band like METALLICA, I would have the opportunity to release it, but I kinda keep my stuff a little bit more to how I'd like to represent myself, but I think all musicians have a lot of experimental stuff and that's how you grow. I give them total props and total credit for always being experimental and that's why they're always one step ahead of the curve in the world of heavy metal and that's why they're like THE ROLLING STONES of heavy metal. They've always continued to reinvent themselves while keeping that great sound, but I can't really speak for that whole "Lulu" album. I don't think they're gonna lose fans with it, but they have fans of their old stuff who are not gonna like it as much most likely, but if they like it, that's all that matters. It really is. Especially when you have a history of success behind you. It takes balls to do something that you know your hardcore fans are not gonna like. It's easy to preach to the converted. It's easy to do that and it's fun to do it because everyone's gonna love you and it's great, but it takes balls to take a risk and even more balls to do it in public and release it so I give them credit.

Read the entire interview from Metalshrine.

Former DIO and current DEF LEPPARD guitarist Vivian Campbell performed two songs — "Rock Of Ages" (DEF LEPPARD) and "Holy Diver" (DIO) — with Los Angeles glam-metal jokesters STEEL PANTHER on Monday, May 28 at the House Of Blues in West Hollywood, California. Fan-filmed video footage of his appearance can be seen below

Vivian previously performed "Rock Of Ages" and DIO's "Rainbow In The Dark" with STEEL PANTHER at the House Of Blues in Anaheim, California in January.

Campbell revealed in April month that he is planning to join forces with three other original DIO members to play "some gigs" that will see the musicians performing material from the early DIO records that Campbell appeared on. Campbell, Vinny Appice (drums), Jimmy Bain (bass) and Claude Schnell (keyboards) will be accompanied by singer Andrew Freeman, who has previously fronted HURRICANE and LYNCH MOB.

Guitarist Christian Hector of the German funeral doom metal band AHAB was interviewed on the latest edition of "Rich Davenport's Rock Show". The program can be streamed using the Mixcloud player below. (Note: The Hector interview begins around the 38-minute mark.)

AHAB's third album, "The Giant", was released on May 25 via Napalm Records. The CD features cover artwork (see below) by acclaimed artist Sebastian Jerke (LONG DISTANCE CALLING) and a guest appearance by ENSLAVED vocalist/keyboardist Herbrand Larsen.

"The Giant" track listing:

01. Further South
02. Aeons Elapse
03. Deliverance (Shouting At The Dead)
04. Antarctica The Polymorphess
05. Fathoms Deep Below
06. The Giant
07. Time's Like Molten Lead (digipak and vinyl bonus track)
08. Evening Star (vinyl-only bonus track)

AHAB's sophomore album, "The Divinity Of Oceans", was released in July 2009 via Napalm Records. The follow-up to 2006's "The Call of the Wretched Sea" contains seven songs and is based on the wreckage of the Essex.

AHAB is named after Captain Ahab, a character in the novel "Moby Dick" by Herman Melville. Along with its name, the band also draws thematic and lyrical inspiration from "Moby Dick" — some songs even feature direct quotations from the book.

AHAB is:

Daniel Droste: Guitar, Voices, Synths
Christian Hector: Guitar
Stephan Wandernoth: Bass
Cornelius Althammer: Drums

Interview:



"The Giant" (song) audio stream:

Former SKID ROW singer Sebastian Bach's video for the song "I'm Alive" will make its online debut this coming Monday, June 4. The clip is one of three videos (alongside "Kicking & Screaming" and "TunnelVision") that the singer filmed on June 28, 2011 in Hollywood, California with director Devin DeHaven of Fortress Entertainment (PAPA ROACH, WHITESNAKE, METHOD MAN, TALIB KWELI).

Commented Bach: "This song is more of a ballad than the first two and I am excited for you all to see it!" He added, "We are sending the video to TV channels such as VH1 and Fuse, etc., but the Internet is king, so look out for the premiere this Monday on all of my websites."

"I'm Alive" comes off Bach's new album, "Kicking & Screaming", which sold 6,600 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 73 on The Billboard 200 chart. The singer's previous CD, "Angel Down", opened with 6,400 units back in November 2007 to debut at No. 190.

Bassist Jason Christopher — who filled in for Shawn Economaki during STONE SOUR's spring 2011 tour and who previously played with SLIPKNOT/STONE SOUR frontman Corey Taylor in the JUNK BEER KIDNAP BAND — recently joined Bach's solo group.

Professionally filmed video footage of METALLICA's entire June 2 performance at the Rock Am Ring festival in Nürburgring, Germany can be seen below.

METALLICA performed its top-selling 1991 LP, "Metallica", a.k.a. "the black album," in its entirety at the Nürburgring concert. As they have done on all the shows on their current European tour, the band played the LP backwards, starting with closing number "The Struggle Within" and ending with "Enter Sandman".

The band's setlist was as follows:

01. Hit The Lights
02. Master Of Puppets
03. Ride The Lightning
04. For Whom The Bell Tolls
05. Hell And Back
06. The Struggle Within
07. My Friend Of Misery
08. The God That Failed
09. Of Wolf & Man
10. Nothing Else Matters
11. Through The Never
12. Don't Tread On Me
13. Wherever I May Roam
14. The Unforgiven
15. Holier Than Thou
16. Sad But True
17. Enter Sandman

Encore:

18. Blackened
19. One
20. Seek & Destroy

Asked whose idea it was for METALLICA to play the "black" album in reverse on the current tour, the band's drummer, Lars Ulrich, told Rolling Stone magazine, "If you like the idea, it was mine. If you don't, it was James' [Hetfield, guitar/vocals]. For better or worse, I'm the setlist guy. This is all subject to change if it doesn't work. But the idea of starting off with the lesser-known songs buried down there and ending up with 'Sad But True' and 'Enter Sandman' seems like a winner. You finish with the money shot, which is the first song."

On the topic of the "black" album's shift away from sped metal to shorter, simpler songs, which set the tone for the rest of METALLICA's career, Lars said, "I'm a big believer that the records all thread together. That straighter, four-on-the-floor thing was present on earlier records, in 'Harvester Of Sorrow' and 'Ride The Lightning'. But we went all-out because there was nowhere else to go. Where do you go after 'Dyer's Eve'? You can't get faster. You can't get more pissed off than Hetfield barking at his parents. That was the end of the Eighties for us."

He continued, "We played a show with AEROSMITH in the summer of 1990, right at the time we started writing the 'black' album. I remember sitting under the grandstand with [co-manager] Cliff Burnstein. He said, 'The MISFITS are a huge part of your influence — 'Last Caress' is a minute and a half long, [THE ROLLING STONES'] 'Jumpin' Jack Flash' is part of who you are. You just haven't released it yet.'

"I went back to San Francisco and there was a riff on Kirk's [Hammett, guitar] on tape [hums the 'Enter Sandman' lick]. The whole thing is just that riff. 'Enter Sandman' was the blueprint. The rest of the record appeared over two months."

METALLICA will play the complete "black album" at its own Orion Music + More festival, scheduled for June 23-24 in Atlantic City, New Jersey. METALLICA is headlining both days and will perform its entire 1984 album "Ride The Lightning" for the first time ever on the other day of the festival.

"Metallica" in 2009 surpassed SHANIA TWAIN's 1997 record, "Come On Over", as the best-selling CD of the SoundScan era. To date, the black album has sold more than 15.7 million copies in the United States.

Although METALLICA had scored their first radio and video airplay with their previous effort, 1988's "...And Justice For All", the black album was the band's biggest commercial breakthrough, producing five singles and making them into one of the most popular rock bands in the world.