GWAR frontman Oderus Urungus is one of a number of musicians who have come out in support of LAMB OF GOD frontman Randy Blythe, who is facing manslaughter charges in the Czech Republic.

Blythe, 41, is accused of causing the fatal injury that occurred at LAMB OF GOD's May 24, 2010 show in Prague. The singer apparently either pushed or struck a 19-year-old fan named Daniel N. who had come on stage, and that person died 14 days later of bleeding in the brain.

In a series of tweets, Oderus wrote, "[I am] waiting anxiously to hear the fate of the human Randy. He is a honorary slave who has died for GWAR many times. [I am] alarmed by the lack of outrage in the entertainment community. If this was a pop artist, the media would be all over this. That's right — I am fucking appalled at the LACK of concern in the U.S. media for the fate of Randy Blythe… Naw, just because Randy is in a nasty metal band, you can just throw his ass in jail anytime you want. The whole of music media should come the fuck out and condemn this arrest and detainment. This whole thing stinks of a shakedown. And for all you Blythe haters, eat a bowl of dick. Randy is one of the coolest mofos on the planet. Don't be hating, that's my job. Where are the leaders of the American metal community voicing outrage about the idiotic arrest of one of our own… SHAME on you, rock star!"

Both GWAR and LAMB OF GOD hail from Richmond, Virginia and have toured together.

The crime of which Blythe is being accused is punishable by up to ten years in prison, according to popular Czech news web site Novinky.cz.

A two-camera video mix of RISE TO REMAIN's June 23 performance at the at AT&T Park in San Francisco, California during this year's Vans Warped Tour can be seen below.

"Heartless", a brand new song from RISE TO REMAIN, is available for free download at this location. The track is described in a press release as "a visceral, brutal statement of renewed intent that scorches its way firmly into your head, heart and soul."

"Heartless" is one of four tracks RISE TO REMAIN recorded for inclusion as bonus tracks with the U.S. version of their debut release, "City Of Vultures", which was released in America on June 5.

RISE TO REMAIN recently announced the full-time additions of bassist Connor O'Keefe and drummer Adam Lewin on drums to the group's ranks. Fans will recognize Lewin from RISE TO REMAIN's recent U.K. headlining tour.

RISE TO REMAIN features in its ranks singer Austin Dickinson, the son of IRON MAIDEN frontman Bruce Dickinson.

The latest installment of the "Iron City Rocks" podcast (web site) features an interview with ANTHRAX drummer Charlie Benante. The podcast is now available for streaming using the audio player below.

"Iron City Rocks" podcast (audio):



Last month, it was reported that ANTHRAX was recording several cover songs, to be issued in September to commemorate the one-year anniversary of the release of the band's latest album, "Worship Music". While the band does have plans to release an EP of covers that they've done, ANTHRAX guitarist Scott Ian made it clear to VH1 Radio Network's Dave Basner that they are "not working on a covers album." He said, "It's not at all what we're doing. [laughs] We just always record cover songs. They just happen when we're in the studio or when we're touring, we get bored of jamming on our own songs at soundcheck, so you end up jamming on cover songs and eventually we'll end up recording them and eventually, somehow, they end up getting released in some way, shape or form as B-sides, but we're definitely not working on a covers album."

Regarding ANTHRAX's plans to write and record new music, Ian told VH1 Radio Network, "We do already have two or three things kind of in the works as far as new music goes, so it's just a case of if you can get into that mode to start working on them. I can't even explain why or how it happens, but sometimes you'll just get into a mode and you're able to create and you're able to work on stuff and move stuff forward, new stuff, but sometimes you just can't. Sometimes you're on tour and there's just no spark, it's just not there, it's just all about what you're doing in the moment, playing those shows."

ANTHRAX has reportedly started recording the following cover songs for possible release:

* AC/DC - "T.N.T."
* BOSTON - "Smokin'"
* JOURNEY - "Keep On Runnin'"
* RUSH - "Anthem"

ANTHRAX also recorded a cover version of BLACK SABBATH's classic song "Neon Knights" for inclusion on the upcoming Ronnie James Dio tribute album which is being assembled by the singer's widow and longtime manager Wendy Dio.

Jason Roche of LA Weekly recently conducted an interview with SLIPKNOT mastermind/percussionist M. Shawn "Clown" Crahan. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

LA Weekly: During live performances, you often put yourself at risk of physical injury by doing insane stunts on stage. Has your recovery time gotten longer as you've gotten older?

Crahan: Oh, yeah ... I'm always injuring myself. I don't know if it's because I'm a klutz or an idiot, I don't know. I just had major knee surgery. I took a trip to Australia, and when I got back, I couldn't move my left leg. The normal healing time runs up to the exact date of our first show on Rockstar Mayhem. I'm not worried, though, about me. I'm worried about Clown. Clown will take the weakness of me, and tell me to deal with it. And then Clown gets to disappear after the show, but I am stuck with all of the damage. But I wouldn't have it any other way. I treat every show like it's the last. Since the beginning, every show we've told ourselves that this could be the last. My kids know that if I die on stage, that's where I should have gone. I don't want to, though. I want to live for a very long time. I'd like to retire and leave on a good note. Whenever SLIPKNOT calls it a day, I ain't coming back. I'm in Tahiti with my wife, wearing some stupid briefs on a beach with a Corona in my hand, while she is walking around topless.

LA Weekly: You mentioned some of the outside endeavors you want to pursue outside of music. What exactly are your goals with Living Breathing Films?

Crahan: I want to make psychological thrillers. I want to make you look at life differently. I remember seeing "Taxi Driver" while growing up, and my mom would explain how people were in an uproar about Jodie Foster being an underage girl portraying a prostitute. That excited me that you could have that effect on people through cinematography. I've been married 19 years. The first time I watched Stanley Kubrick's "Eyes Wide Shut", I got fifteen minutes into it, pushed "stop" and went upstairs and stared at my wife for half an hour. She looked up and asked, "What's up?" I asked, "Are we all good?" She said, "Of course we are." The next day, I turned the movie on again, I got about seven more minutes in, shut the fucker off until I was confident we were all good. That's the effect I want to have on people in everything I do with my art, my music, my films.

Read the entire interview from LA Weekly.

Niclas Müller-Hansen of Sweden's Metalshrine recently conducted an interview with guitarist/vocalist Matt Heafy of Florida metallers TRIVIUM. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

Metalshrine: You've toured for so long now, are you already planning new stuff, coming up with riffs for the next album?

Heafy: We have nine songs pretty much completely recorded as pre-production, recorded on our bass player's laptop, and it actually sounds better than our first record. Paolo's [Gregoletto] really good at recording shit. It's all programmed drums, but programmed in a way that Paolo programmed the bass part, like the underlying drum tracks and Nick [Augusto, drums] would sit with him and rewrite them, but on the computer. We tracked guitars, we tracked bass and we're gonna track vocals soon, we tracked solos and I've got an album title, album arts, song names. We've got about 15 songs and everything's planned out. Video ideas, photo shoot ideas, everything. But we just can't reveal anything.

Metalshrine: Next album then, when it comes to producing, same thing as the last one?

Heafy: We don't exactly know. We've got the plan, but we can't reveal. It's also kinda far to tell, but it will be different again. The new stuff sounds amazing and I know every bands says that, but yeah, it's really great. The fact that we're all working on it so much already, we know that it's something really special.

Metalshrine: Right. Do you ever get writer's block?

Heafy: With TRIVIUM, yeah, yeah. Luckily we're not on what needs to be considered writing time. We don't have to write for the new record but since creativity is popping up anyway we figured we'd take advantage of it. Whenever we're forced to write, I feel like, "Yeah, I can't write.", but if I don't have to write, then I'll write good stuff.

Metalshrine: Releasing a new album and the music industry being what it is, don't you ever fell like starting up a label of your own?

Heafy: Our initial contract with Roadrunner is, like, one [album] with a bunch of options, so we're still bound to them. We've always been partners with our label and they've always done a great job distributing us and spreading the word of our band. I don't know where it's gonna go. Every year that we release a new record, the music industry changes drastically. Every time we release a CD, it seems like the CD buying is 30 percent less. We just had 40 of our friends fired from Roadrunner international and that was a huge drag. I don't know what the result of it is. I'm sure it's a domino effect of people not buying music, people not putting value in music anymore, but it's hard to bring that up because people take a lot of offense of that, but it's true. Because there is no value in music for some people and they feel like it should be a free commodity, bands are disappearing. People can't argue that bands aren't disappearing, that bands aren't going away because they can't afford to exist. That's why we're so fortunate that we can tour this much. Everything is disposable and instantly accessible and it's sad that there isn't value in going to the CD store and waiting for the CD to come out. It's all about "I need this instantly and if I don't get if for free, that band's a dick!" I don't know when that sense of entitlement came around and I think it's mainly due to the Internet thing becoming such a huge thing. It's unfortunate but you have to adapt with the times. I mean, there isn't really a matter of changing it, but you have to adapt and make it work for you. We've learned that cool metal doesn't sell records, but I think it's because people weren't really buying music when we started releasing records and I guess there are 100 times more metal bands than there were back when TESTAMENT and MEGADETH were selling records. I don't know, but I know that touring and merchandise is the way for us to be able to stay alive, even though people get cuts of that that we do. I don't know if the kids know, but there are lots and lots of people getting cuts of every single thing that a band does. Their merchandising, their touring, their endorsements… people get cuts of all that.

Metalshrine: I don't think they see that. They only see all these rappers with the houses and the cars.

Heafy: Exactly! The kids go, "So what's it like being a millionaire?" and I'm like, "Are you kidding me? I'm trying to make my fucking rent, kid!" [laughs] But what I've learned too is that when touring in the U.S., there's a huge chunk that doesn't listen to the Internet or that doesn't download, but listens purely off the radio and still buys CDs, so there are portions of the world that are not connected to the Internet and that's also weird. There's no right way and there's no formula, you just gotta adapt.

Read the entire interview from Metalshrine.

BONZ, the new band led by original STUCK MOJO vocalist Bonz, has entered into an agreement with Virtuo Productions to record its upcoming EP at Virtuo Sound Studio in Canton, Georgia. The effort will be produced by Josh Hack and co-produced by Bonz.

"We are beyond excited to get into the studio with Josh," says Bonz. "We all connected on so many levels, and believe that he will get an incredible-sounding record out of us."

BONZhopes to have the EP finished before it heads out on "The Mouth Of Mojo" tour, which starts August 16 in Atlanta, Georgia and sees the band covering the United States and Europe in the coming months.

After years of speculation, and many rumors, regarding his musical career, Bonz is back on the scene with a new band and new music that is sure to excite fans and impress critics. The group's first single, "Broken Silence", includes some of the most insightful and poignant lyrics of his career, and he has assembled a band that enables him to explore avenues that he has wanted to go to for many years.

Bonz recruited his friend, Curt Taylor, formerly of PRIMER 55, as well as Erin Stagg and Troi Mosby to complete the lineup. The band also has a number of friends and surprises who make guest appearances on the recordings, truly making this a team effort.

After creating the first few demos, Bonz and his bandmates knew that something really new and invigorating was in store, and the music reflects that feeling. This is a "new" Bonz, with all of the flair and attitude that only he can bring, as part of a band that delivers the goods night in and night out, reiterating that the "Mouth Of Mojo" is indeed back in fine form.

Bonz in 2010 collaborated with former SOULFLY bassist Bobby Burns in the KILLER IN THE WORKPLACE project.

According to a posting on new QUEENSRŸCHE singer Todd La Torre's Facebook page, the band will headline the last day of this year's Halfway Jam, which is set to take place July 26-28 in Royalton, Minnesota. Also scheduled to appear at the three-day event are ENUFF Z'NUFF, LYNCH MOB, STRYPER, BANG TANGO, TRIXTER, JACKYL, BLACKFOOT, MOLLY HATCHET and .38 SPECIAL.

For more information, go to this location.

QUEENSRŸCHE members Michael Wilton, Eddie Jackson, Scott Rockenfield and Parker Lundgren announced on June 20 that they were parting ways with singer Geoff Tate and recruiting powerhouse vocalist Todd La Torre of CRIMSON GLORY as his replacement. The new QUEENSRŸCHE lineup has already performed live, having played two successful shows in their home city of Seattle under the name RISING WEST.

When asked in a recent interview with RollingStone.com if his former bandmates will be able to play shows as QUEENSRŸCHE before their legal dispute over the group's name is resolved, Tate said, "Well, they shouldn't. Definitely. It's a situation where, in my opinion, they're doing everything the wrong way. If there was a dispute over who is in the band, or who owns the band name, I think that stuff should all be worked out before they try to book gigs with the name QUEENSRŸCHE."

He added, "I'm forced to engage in a lawsuit with them now. This is not something I want to do at all. I want to make records and I want to tour and live a creative life. I don't want to be bogged down in some legal hassle. My God, but they're forcing me into it. I have no other way to go. I can't give up my life's work and walk away from it. These are my ideas, my concepts, my life, that I'm writing about. What are they gonna do — hand it to some kid to sing?"

The Metalluminati conducted an interview with bassist Josh Gilbert of San Diego metallers AS I LAY DYING on Sunday, July 1 at the Mountain View, California stop of the Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival tour. You can now watch the chat below.

The cover artwork for AS I LAY DYING's new album, "Awakened", was created by Metastazis with Tiffanie Uldry and can be seen below. Due on September 25 via Metal Blade Records, the CD was produced by Bill Stevenson, who has played drums for both the DESCENDENTS and BLACK FLAG and is one of the most highly renowned producers in rock. His production credits include work on records by RISE AGAINST, NOFX, PROPAGANDHI, THE CASUALTIES, ANTI-FLAG and many more. The album will be mixed by Colin Richardson (MACHINE HEAD, NAPALM DEATH, SLIPKNOT).

AS I LAY DYING is taking part in the fifth annual Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival, the world's largest touring heavy music festival. The main stage is the strongest ever with the headlining slot occupied by Grammy Award winners SLIPKNOT. Next up are legendary metal acts SLAYER and MOTÖRHEAD. The main stage also spotlights a ferocious mix of today's best artists in a rotation, including THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA and ASKING ALEXANDRIA.

On May 25, Dani Buarque of the "Lokaos Rock Show" conducted an interview with former HANOI ROCKS frontman Michael Monroe at Inferno Club, São Paulo, Brazil. You can now watch the chat below.

Michael's latest album, "Sensory Overdrive", was released in the U.S. and Canada in August 2011 via Spinefarm/Universal. The CD, which was released in Europe in March 2011 via Universal Music subsidiary Spinefarm Records, features guest appearances by MOTÖRHEAD's Ian "Lemmy" Kilmister and three-time Grammy-winning country/folk singer-songwriter Lucinda Williams.

"Sensory Overdrive" was recorded in Los Angeles with legendary producer Jack Douglas, who has previously worked with AEROSMITH, JOHN LENNON, CLUTCH, SLASH'S SNAKEPIT and NEW YORK DOLLS, among many others.

Monroe in June 2011 recruited Dregen (real name: Andreas Tyrone Svensson) of Swedish sleaze rockers BACKYARD BABIES to be the guitarist of Monroe's solo band following the departure of Ginger (THE WILDHEARTS).

Interview:



Performance:

Josh Rundquist (a.k.a. That Drummer Guy) conducted an interview with drummer Jon Larsen of Danish metal rock 'n' rollers VOLBEAT before the band's June 26 concert at The Myth in Maplewood, Minnesota with ICED EARTH and HELLYEAH. You can now watch the chat below.

VOLBEAT recently parted ways with guitarist Thomas Bredahl, who had been a member of the band since 2006. He has since been replaced on the road by MERCYFUL FATE's Hank Shermann

VOLBEAT last year released "Live From Beyond Hell/Above Heaven" via Vertigo/Universal on double DVD, Blu-ray, limited double DVD + audio CD, CD, digital download and VOD. The set includes footage from VOLBEAT's sold-out show in front of 10,000 fervent fans at the Forum in Copenhagen, to the House of Blues in Anaheim, California and the Rock Am Ring show in Germany. It's VOLBEAT conquering performance territory Stateside and across Europe, showing fans that the band is just as comfortable, charged and throttled in front of an audience as intimate as 1,100 or as vast as 80,000.

Jose Mangin, host/producer MTV.com's web-only show "Headbangers Ball" (and program director/DJ on SiriusXM Octane and Liquid Metal), conducted an interview with Brent Hinds of Atlanta progressive metallers MASTODON at this year's Rock On The Range festival, which was held May 18-20 at Columbus Crew Stadium in Columbus, Ohio. You can now watch the chat below.

MASTODON is touring in support of its latest album "The Hunter", which was released by Reprise Records in September. The band's latest trek kicked off on April 4 in Portland, Maine, and visited more than 30 cities in the U.S. and Canada before wrapping up with a hometown show at Atlanta's Masquerade Music Park on May 12. These shows featured Swedish metal band OPETH as co-headliners, with special guest GHOST providing support on all dates.

MASTODON in April released a split seven-inch single with Canadian singer-songwriter Feist to celebrate Record Store Day. This very exclusive pressing features MASTODON covering the Feist song "A Commotion", while Feist covers MASTODON's "Black Tongue".

MASTODON was among the nominees for the 54th annual Grammy Awards, which was held on February 12 at Staples Center in Los Angeles. The band's Grammy nomination was for "Curl Of The Burl", the first single from MASTODON's new album, "The Hunter".

MASTODON received its first Grammy nomination in 2006 for the single "Colony Of Birchmen", from the band's Reprise Records debut album, "Blood Mountain".

Quality video footage of MASTODON's June 15 performance at the Copenhell festival in Copenhagen, Denmark can be seen below.

Interview:



Performance (June 15 at the Copenhell festival in Copenhagen, Denmark):

Loudwire recently conducted an interview with frontman Justin Hawkins and drummer Ed Graham of British rockers THE DARKNESS. You can now watch the chat in two parts below.

THE DARKNESS's third studio album, "Hot Cakes", will be released on August 21 via Wind-Up (North and South America) and PIAS (U.K. and rest of the world). After a seven-year wait, "Hot Cakes" — produced by the band's Justin and Dan Hawkins with longtime collaborator Nick Brine and mixed by Bob Ezrin — will deliver the epic rock anthems and infectious pop choruses the multi-platinum band has become renowned for worldwide.

Since THE DARKNESS — Justin Hawkins (vocals/guitars), Dan Hawkins (guitars/backing vocals), Frankie Poullain (bass) and Ed Graham (drums) — resumed active service a year ago on the main stage of 2011's Download festival with their original lineup, the British group have accomplished a lot. They've completed sold-out tours of the U.K. and North America; were featured in a Superbowl ad (broadcast to over 100 million viewers in the tense fourth quarter of the game); finished recording "Hot Cakes" and released a free teaser track and video, "Nothing's Gonna Stop Us".

THE DARKNESS made its U.K. live comeback in June 2011 in front of just 200 people at the Norwich Waterfront.

THE DARKNESS' first album, "Permission To Land", was released in 2003, hitting the No. 1 spot in the U.K. chart and winning "MasterCard British Album" at the 2004 Brit Awards (along with "Best British Group" and "British Rock Act").

Between 2003 and 2006, THE DARKNESS was honored with many awards and accolades; along with three Brit Awards, the band won an Ivor Novello in 2004 for "Songwriters Of The Year", four Kerrang! Awards, two Metal Hammer Awards, an MTV Europe Music Award and even an Elle Style Award in 2004 for "Most Stylish Band".

Interview Part 1:



Interview Part 2:

On August 7, Universal Music Enterprises (UMe) will release Rob Zombie's "Mondo Sex Head", featuring new and unique remixes of Rob Zombie classics by some of today's top DJs, including KORN's Jonathan "JDevil" Davis, Photek, the Bloody Beetroots, Drumcorps and Ki:Theory. "Mondo Sex Head" was curated and executive-produced by Jason Bentley, Music Director at L.A.'s influential KCRW and Electronic Dance Music expert. Richard Bishop, co-executive producer of RE:GENERATION music project and documentary film, supervised the project. Each track was hand-selected by Rob Zombie who road-tested many of the songs in his car, driving the L.A. streets.

Throughout his career, iconic music artist and auteur filmmaker Rob Zombie has continuously challenged audiences as he stretches the boundaries of music, film and publishing. Zombie, who has sold over fifteen million albums worldwide and has earned seven Grammy nominations, is no stranger to repurposing his work, cross-fertilizing his fan base and generally pushing the limits of modern-day art. Over the years he has worked with outside DJs, remixers and producers starting with the 1992 remix of WHITE ZOMBIE's first-ever, MTV-fueled hit "Thunder Kiss '65".

"I like the idea of taking songs and reconfiguring them," says Zombie about the album, who is taking an alternative approach in the digital retail space. The album will be preceded by two separate, digital-only EPs, with tracks taken from "Mondo Sex Head" and exclusive bonus tracks.

Rob Zombie's sound and style have always lent themselves to the dance and DJ culture, and he has previously released two remix albums — including 1996's "Supersexy Swingin Sounds", which featured songs from WHITE ZOMBIE's previous albums as re-envisioned by the Dust Brothers, John Fryer, P.M. Dawn, Mike "Hitman" Wilson and Praga Khan, and others. Another collaborator on that album, Charlie Clouser, evolved into the band's producer. "American Made Music To Strip By" came out in 1999, featuring remixes from Zombie's ground-breaking "Hellbilly Deluxe" by RAMMSTEIN, Oliver Adams, DJ Lethal, NINE INCH NAILS' Chris Vrenna and Clouser.

With Electronic Dance Movement (EDM) and rock rapidly banging heads together, Universal Music Enterprises' "Mondo Sex Head" couldn't arrive at a better time, featuring remixes by the likes of KORN's Jonathan "JDevil" Davis ("Thunder Kiss '65"), Photek ("Living Dead Girl"), Document One ("Let It All Bleed Out"), Ki:Theory ("Foxy Foxy" and "Pussy Liquor"), Big Black Delta ("More Human Than Human"), ††† a.k.a. Chino of DEFTONES ("Dragula"), Das Kapital ("Lords Of Salem"), Drumcorps ("Never Gonna Stop"), former GLITCH MOB member Kraddy ("Superbeast") and the BLOODY BEETROOTS ("Burn"), among others. Zombie credits the idea for the album to a conversation with his manager, Andy Gould, who told him he was constantly hearing DJs incorporate samples of Zombie's music into their performance sets.

Rob Zombie's "Mondo Sex Head" finds its creator returning to claim his legacy in the burgeoning EDM world. By bringing together music and film, rock and dance, arena mosh pits and dance club floors, Rob Zombie is proving a cultural phenomenon, with a fan base that is constantly growing.

"Mondo Sex Head" track listing:

01. White Zombie - Thunder Kiss '65 (JDevil Number Of The Beast Remix)
02. Living Dead Girl (Photek Remix)
03. Let It All Bleed Out (Document One Remix)
04. Foxy Foxy (Ki:Theory Remix)
05. White Zombie - More Human Than Human (Big Black Delta Remix)
06. Dragula (††† Remix)
07. Pussy Liquor (Ki:Theory Remix)
08. Lords of Salem (Das Kaptial)
09. Never Gonna Stop (Drumcorps Acid Remix)
10. Superbeast (Kraddy Remix)
11. Devil's Hole Girls (Tobias Enhus Remix ft. The Jane Cornish String Quartet)
12. Burn (The Bloody Beetroots Motherfucker Remix)
13. Mars Needs Women (Griffin Boice Remix)

Check out the "Mondo Sex Head" cover artwork below.

Swedish death metal masters DIABOLICAL have entered Necromorbus Studio (WATAIN, UNANIMATED, DESTRÖYER 666) in Alvik, Sweden to begin recording their fifth album, "Neogenesis". The CD is once again being produced by the band's vocalist/guitarist Sverker Widgren.

DIABOLICAL guitarist Carl Stjärnlöv explains the album title: "Apart from being a physiological term, the title 'Neogenesis' translates to 'new beginning.' The word originates from greek and latin and it marks a new beginning for DIABOLICAL in many ways. Furthermore the title has a much more profound significance to the theme and concept of this album."

Regarding the recording process and musical direction of tne new material, he added, "The drum tracks laid down are amazing, and we are all very excited about continuing to work on 'Neogenesis'. There are definitely some new flavors to our sound, and most importantly, the song material of 'Neogenesis' is by far the greatest we've done."

"Neogenesis" track listing:

01. Into Oblivion
02. Metamorphosis
03. Oracle
04. Ex
05. World in Silence
06. Reincarnation of the Damned
07. Fields of Nihil
08. Dialogue with the Dead
09. Wolves' Choir
10. The Age to Come
11. Humanitas

The second in a series of video reports featuring behind-the-scenes footage from the making of "Neogenesis" can be seen below.

DIABOLICAL's latest album, "Ars Vitae", came out in February 2011 via Abyss Records.

The band's third full-length CD, "The Gallery of Bleeding Art", was released in November 2008 through ViciSolum Productions.

Legendary rockers AEROSMITH announced today that their previously announced performance at Jiffy Lube Live in Bristow, Virginia on July 3 will be rescheduled. Singer Steven Tyler is under doctor's orders to refrain from performing to provide vocal rest. The concert will now take place on August 12.

AEROSMITH regrets any inconvenience and looks forward to returning to Jiffy Lube Live.

Tickets purchased for the July 3 show will be honored on the August 12 date.

AEROSMITH has pushed back the release date of its new album, "Music From Another Dimension", to November 6 from its original date of August 28.

All the recording has been completed for the disc, which will be AEROSMITH's first set of all-new material since 2001's "Just Push Play".

The first song to be heard from the album, "Legendary Child", is a reworked version of a track originally written during the sessions for 1993's "Get A Grip".

The track will also be included in the upcoming film "G.I. Joe: Retaliation", which was supposed to come out last Friday (June 29) but has now been pushed back to March 2013.

AEROSMITH began work on "Music From Another Dimension" last year, with the band laying down music tracks while Tyler made his debut as a judge on "American Idol".

"Lament Code", the new video from Las Vegas-based traditional/epic doomsters DEMON LUNG, can be seen below. The song comes off the band's debut EP, "Pareidolia", which was released March 20. The clip was directed by Dustin Mills, the mastermind behind "The Puppet Monster Massacre", the low-budget, '80s-style horror comedy with an all-puppet cast.

"Pareidolia" is a 22-minute blend of traditional and epic doom metal, rife with horror imagery and lyrics, and influenced by the likes of BLACK SABBATH, CANDLEMASS, and vocalist Shanda Fredrick's worship of COVEN's Jinx Dawson. Physical copies are available for purchase for $5 through the band's web site and digitally for $4 via Bandcamp. Hex Records will soon be issuing a limited cassette release of "Pareidolia".

"Pareidolia" track listing:

01. Lament Code
02. Sour Ground
03. Death Mask
04. Pareidolia

Having formed only two short years ago, DEMON LUNG hit the ground running and demoed over 20 songs, choosing four of the best for inclusion on "Pareidolia". The band played its first show in March 2011 andquickly became the top doom act in the Las Vegas scene, sharing the stage with such doom heavyweights as HIGH ON FIRE, JUCIFER and PENTAGRAM.

Sacramento's DEFTONES has tentatively set October 9 as the release date for its seventh album, which will follow up 2010's "Diamond Eyes". That disc was the group's most successful and acclaimed outing in years, and lead singer Chino Moreno told Billboard.com why the band got back to work faster than usual. "It was important that we wanted to not drag it out," he says. "We have a well-documented history of taking forever to make records. But with our last record, we did it in a really short, good amount of time, probably four or five months from the time we started writing until we finished it. For us, that was record time, so this time the idea was, 'Let's go in and start a record on this date and let's try to be finished by summertime and keep this work ethic we kind of stumbled upon on the last one,' and we did."

DEFTONES worked again with producer Nick Raskulinecz, who produced "Diamond Eyes" and has also worked on albums by RUSH and FOO FIGHTERS.

The new disc is currently being mixed and the band has yet to decide on a title. Asked how it sounds, Moreno told Billboard.com, "It's not a super fast or slow record. It's very dynamic. Some of my favorite things about DEFTONES are the dynamics. Yes, we're a heavy band, but we're not just in-your-face aggro the whole time, punching you in the face. There's a lot of aggression in some of the music, but there's also this very soothing element where there's a lot of soundscapes rather than attack, attack, attack the whole time. I understand that's a big part of our sound, but I really feel like we reached a peak on our dynamics on this record with those two qualities — the beauty of something and just straight, ruthless aggression."

The group also intends to continue their tradition of recording several cover tunes that could end up as B-sides, with Moreno revealing that they've been toying with songs from ELVIS PRESLEY and EARTH, WIND & FIRE, among others.

DEFTONES will promote the new CD's upcoming release with a string of tour dates with SYSTEM OF A DOWN, beginning on August 2 in Camden, New Jersey.

"Diamond Eyes" debuted at No. 6 on the Billboard album chart when it came out, making it the band's highest charting effort since 2003's "Deftones".

"Diamond Eyes" featured two Top 20 rock hits in the title track and "You've Seen The Butcher".

The album was written and recorded after the late 2008 auto accident that left bassist Chi Cheng in a semi-comatose state. An album completed before Cheng's accident, titled "Eros", remains unreleased.

Cheng remains in a semi-comatose state although he has been showing gradual signs of consciousness and recovery for the past year. His replacement on "Diamond Eyes", Sergio Vega, also plays on the new DEFTONES disc.

TRUJILLO TRIO, the band consisting of METALLICA bassist Robert Trujillo, American skateboarder Tony Trujillo (who is apparently unreleated to Robert) and Tony's wife, Ashley "Trixie" Trujillo, played a short set at the Vans "Off The Wall" tent during METALLICA's two-day festival Orion Music + More which took place on June 23-24 at the popular Atlantic City, New Jersey concert venue Bader Feld. You can now watch fan-filmed video footage of the performance below.

Orion Music + More featured multiple live music stages plus a lifestyle element that reflects each of METALLICA's bandmembers' many personal interests.

When asked why METALLICA would want to do their own festival, guitarist/vocalist James Hetfield said in a recent interview, "First of all, because we can. Why wouldn't you? We're just trying to bring a little more of a mix to what is going on. . . . I think the Europeans are able to look at a festival more as an event than 'my favorite band is playing.' We're not necessarily trying to reproduce that in the States, but we'd like to bring a little taste of that here."

In the largest-ever protest against Walmart, thousands of Southland residents marched through L.A.'s Chinatown to call for an end to the "Walmartization" of L.A.

Chinatown residents, community organizations, faith and labor leaders, musicians Tom Morello and Ben Harper, civil rights leader Dolores Huerta, U.S. congresswoman Judy Chu, L.A. labor leader Maria Elena Durazo and union workers stood with Walmart associates and warehouse workers to call on the retailer to change the way it treats workers and communities.

"Our demands are clear. Walmart must provide a living wage, quality health care, demonstrate respect for local communities, and uphold workers' rights here and around the world," said Joe Hansen, president of the United Food And Commercial Workers international union.

Marchers passed through the streets of Chinatown as they made their way from Los Angeles State Historic Park (the Cornfield) to the intersection of Broadway and Cesar Chavez Blvd. — the proposed site of a controversial new Walmart store. Speakers called on Walmart to stop its cycle of impoverishing communities and on city officials to reject Walmart's proposal for a store in Chinatown.

"We don't want Walmart to destroy Chinatown and unique neighborhoods across L.A. and the United States just to make a few executives in the Walton family richer," said Tom Morello, guitarist with RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE. Morello, performing under his folk rock moniker THE NIGHTWATCHMAN, sang his popular "Union Song" and what he called the "uncensored version" of Woody Guthrie's "This Land Is Your Land".

Fellow Grammy winner and singer-songwriter Ben Harper showed up between touring gigs to play "We Can't End this Way". Harper, a downtown Los Angeles resident, spoke powerfully about how Walmart would negatively affect his community.

In the run-up to the massive rally, local and national momentum continued to build as thousands united to call on Walmart to improve its treatment of workers and communities. Grammy winner Steve Earle released a song urging Angelenos to come to today's rally and all three major Los Angeles mayoral candidates — City Controller Wendy Greuel, City Councilmember Eric Garcetti and City Councilmember Jan Perry — pledged their support for the rally and promised not to take money from Walmart.

"For far too long corporations like Walmart have been getting special treatment, while middle-class families have been struggling in this tough economy and bearing the brunt of the tax burden. Let's send a message that our city needs responsible development that builds our middle class and encourages the growth of a thriving small business sector," said Greuel.

New energy has been building for months as Walmart associates, warehouse workers and community supporters have denounced the retailer's alleged Mexican bribery scandal and cover-up, labor violations at warehouses that move Walmart goods in Southern California and the company's aggressive efforts to open a Chinatown store against the wishes of local residents.

Controversy continues to swirl in Los Angeles around the proposed Chinatown Walmart and questions are growing about how the company may have manipulated the building approval process. Permits were approved with little oversight and public input in the dead of night — before the L.A. City Council could vote on an ordinance that would have potentially impacted the chain's ability to build a store in Chinatown.

Chinatown residents decried Walmart's attempts to locate a store there. "We don't want to see a Walmart in our historic community," said King Cheung, a Chinatown resident and member of the Chinatown Community For Equitable Development. "When Walmart comes to town, mom-and-pops are forced to close, people lose their jobs and livelihoods, and the jobs Walmart creates keep people in poverty and force them to rely on public assistance for basic needs like health care. Chinatown is not the first community to fight to keep Walmart out — and unless the company changes, we won't be the last."

"Walmart's chief product is poverty. Walmart gets rich by keeping its employees poor; however, Walmart workers are organizing for decent wages and affordable benefits. They have the right to dignity and respect and Walmart can afford to do better. Until Walmart stops selling poverty, we don't want it in Los Angeles," said Maria Elena Durazo, Executive Secretary-Treasurer of the L.A. County Federation of Labor. This march marked the largest mobilization of rank-and-file union members in support of Walmart associates and warehouse workers, who are organizing to improve conditions.

The demonstrators announced specific demands, which they said Walmart must meet in order to restore trust among workers, communities and customers. "I work hard at Walmart's Crenshaw store, but even with a promotion, I still have to rely on public health care for my kids," said Girshriela Green, a Walmart associate and member of OUR Walmart, a growing organization of Walmart associates nationwide. "Working hard should mean getting ahead — but it doesn't at Walmart. If we don't put an end to the Walmart model of making a few people rich and keeping the rest of us struggling, we are going to live in a country with no middle class at all. For my kids and for my community, I'm speaking out for change at Walmart."

Walmart has had a recent string of setbacks in its efforts to build new stores in urban areas as communities push back against the company. Walmart recently abandoned plans to develop two stores in the Boston metro area after local residents voiced strong opposition to the planned stores. The company's New York efforts have been stalled as the New York City Comptroller filed a lawsuit in connection with the recent bribery scandal.

According to The Pulse Of Radio, STAIND frontman Aaron Lewis has pushed back the release date for his first full-length solo album, "The Road", to September 11. The disc was originally supposed to arrive last Tuesday (June 26). No explanation has been given for the delay. "The Road" follows up Lewis' 2011 debut solo EP, "Town Line", which entered the Billboard Country Albums chart at No. 1 and featured the hit single "Country Boy". The new album, produced by Nashville hitmaker James Stroud, is likely to follow in the same musical vein as the EP.

The first official single and video from "The Road", titled "Endless Summer", has been out since late April.

Lewis wrote nine of the 10 songs on the CD, with the exception of "Grandaddy's Gun". That was composed by Nashville songwriters Dallas Davidson, Rhett Akins and Bobby Pinson, marking the first time Lewis has ever recorded another artist's music for an album.

Lewis is also embarking on a string of summer solo dates that began over the weekend in Texas and will take him into mid-August, when he'll reconvene with STAIND for the Rockstar Energy Uproar Festival tour, alongside GODSMACK, SHINEDOWN, PAPA ROACH, ADELITAS WAY, REDLIGHT KING and others.

"The Road" track listing:

01. 75
02. The Road
03. Endless Summer
04. Red, White & Blue
05. Lessons Learned
06. Forever
07. Grandaddy's Gun
08. State Lines
09. Anywhere But Here

Official Metallica.com footage of METALLICA's pre-show tuning-room jam and "One" performance at the Download festival on June 9 at at Donington Park in Leicestershire, United Kingdom can be viewed below.

METALLICA performed its top-selling 1991 LP, "Metallica", a.k.a. "the black album," in its entirety at the Download 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. The Four Horsemen
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. Battery
19. One
20. Seek & Destroy

One of the most intriguing and mysterious projects on METALLICA's upcoming schedule is the band's 3D movie, which begins filming later this summer and will mix concert footage with a storyline. Drummer Lars Ulrich spoke with Rolling Stone about the project for the magazine's METALLICA cover story, saying, "This has been circling for two years. It's time to life-size it, get it out of our minds and on the screen. And if it's done right, it can be sensational. You're not watching METALLICA onstage. You're onstage with METALLICA. In IMAX, James Hetfield is 38 feet tall, snotting on you, spitting on you. It's 2,000 decibels. If there is an earthquake outside, you wouldn't notice."

Ulrich explained that the sheer power of presenting a METALLICA concert that way forced the group to add more to the movie, saying, "You can't do that for 100 minutes. It loses its appeal. There is another element in there — intimate, small, a story that takes place over the same trajectory as the concert. The question is, 'Where do they weave in and out of each other?'"

METALLICA is financing the project itself and has hired "Predators" director Nimród Antal to get behind the camera. Antal will film the band's August 24 concert in Vancouver, Canada for use in the movie.

The show will feature a brand new 140-foot-by-50-foot stage that will include what a post at the band's web site called "colossal components and striking visual elements spanning METALLICA's entire 30-year career."

Video footage of SIX FEET UNDER's June 24 performance at Whisky A Go Go in West Hollywood, California can be seen below.

SIX FEET UNDER last month announced the addition of Swedish rhythm guitarist Ola Englund (FEARED, SCARPOINT) to their legendary ranks. Englund, who made his first official appearance with the band on the "18 Nights Of Blood Tour" earlier this month, takes the place of Rob Arnold (CHIMAIRA).

SIX FEET UNDER's new album, "Undead", was released on May 22 through Metal Blade Records. The 12-track CD was produced by Mark Lewis (DEICIDE, DEVILDRIVER) and mixed by Jason Suecof (WHITECHAPEL, JOB FOR A COWBOY), at AudioHammer Studios in Sanford, Florida.

SIX FEET UNDER's European tour will kick off on August 11 in Jaromer, Czech Republic and will conclude on August 18 in Hamburg, Germany. Support on the trek will come from DEW-SCENTED.

SIX FEET UNDER recently parted ways with bassist Matt DeVries and replaced him with Jeff Hughell, formerly of the Santa Cruz, California technical death metal band BRAIN DRILL and Concord, California death metal group VILE, and currently of RECIPROCAL.

Bassist Terry Butler and drummer Greg Gall announced their departures from SIX FEET UNDER in January 2011. Butler has since joined OBITUARY as a permanent member.

Barbara Caserta of Italian web radio Linearock.it conducted an interview with ADRENALINE MOB/SYMPHONY X frontman Russell Allen before ADRENALINE MOB's June 21 concert at the Gods Of Metal festival in Milan, Italy. You can now watch the chat below.

ADRENALINE MOB features in its ranks Allen, drummer Mike Portnoy (formerly of DREAM THEATER), bassist John Moyer (also of DISTURBED) and guitar virtuoso Mike Orlando (SONIC STOMP).

ADRENALINE MOB's "Indifferent" video was filmed in March in the desert in California and throughout Los Angeles with director Scott Hansen, who has previously worked with A DAY TO REMEMBER, UNEARTH and WILLIE NELSON, among others.

"Indifferent" comes off ADRENALINE MOB's debut album, "Omertá", which sold around 6,600 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 70 on The Billboard 200 chart. The CD was released in Europe on March 19 in Europe via Century Media Records and in the U.S. on March 13 through the newly formed Elm City Music in conjunction with EMI Label Services.

The 11-song effort — which was produced by ADRENALINE MOB and mixed by Jay Ruston, who has previously worked on ANTHRAX's "Worship Music" and STEEL PANTHER's "Balls Out" — includes a blistering reinterpretation of DURAN DURAN's classic "Come Undone" featuring guest vocals by Lzzy Hale of HALESTORM.

"Make Total Destroy", the new video from Maryland-based experimental, progressive metallers PERIPHERY, can be seen below. The song comes off the band's highly anticipated sophomore album, "Periphery II: This Time It's Personal", which is due in North America on July 3 via Sumerian Records and in Europe on July 16 through Century Media Records. The CD features guest appearances by John Petrucci (DREAM THEATER), Guthrie Govan (THE ARISTOCRATS) and Wes Hauch (THE FACELESS).

In a recent interview with Metal Assault, PERIPHERY guitarist Misha Mansoor stated about the band's musical progression since its debut record, "Our first album was pretty diverse, and with that we created a framework so that we could kind of experiment and push in any one of those directions, and not have it be something weird or something that sounds forced, you know. There's always been an aspect of that sound and we're just expanding on it further. And I think very true to that, that's what we did on this album. We're still kind of going in all of those directions, but a little bit further, and with a little bit more experience, you know."

He added, "This album is PERIPHERY the band as opposed to my project with a bunch of dudes. This is really the first time we've been able to work together as a band and write an album together. I think that's really cool because it's not just me. You're hearing so much more, you're hearing something that's greater than the sum of its parts."

When asked about the bonus material that will be included with special editions of "Periphery II: This Time It's Personal", Misha said, "That's going for the European release only, and it's something we'll release in other territories a little bit later. We did this track, it was Spencer's [Sotelo, vocals] idea. He really likes SLIPKNOT, and we were so tired in the studio that we wanted to break the pace and do something different. Spencer wanted to do this cover of 'The Heretic Anthem' by SLIPKNOT, and I actually played drums on it. I wanted to do it so differently that the engineer played guitar, and it was just a fun little thing. But we decided to put it up as a bonus track and I think it actually came out really cool. I'm really happy with the way it came out. And the other one is this instrumental track that I had to put together at the last minute. It's a track we've been wanting to put out for a while now, and it worked out well. This is a good way to put it out. It's an instrumental that we used to play live, called 'Far Out'. So that's how we compiled the bonus material for some of the territories."

"Periphery II: This Time It's Personal" track listing:

01. Muramasa
02. Have A Blast (feat. Guthrie Govan)
03. Facepalm Mute
04. Ji
05. Scarlet
06. Luck As A Constant
07. Ragnarok
08. The Gods Must Be Crazy!
09. Make Total Destroy
10. Erised (feat. John Petrucci)
11. Epoch
12. Froggin' Bullfish
13. Mile Zero (feat. Wes Hauch)
14. Masamune

Nikki Sixx and "Sixx Sense" have teamed up with Best Buy to host "Sixx On The Sixth", a live chat with fans on Friday, July 6 from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. PST. The chat will be hosted on Best Buy's Facebook page. Taking time away from his duties as founder/bassist/songwriter of the world-renowned band MÖTLEY CRÜE and chart-topping band SIXX: A.M. (Sixx, DJ Ashba and James Michael), two-time New York Times best-selling author, clothing designer, philanthropist, photographer and father, will interact directly with fans.

Each night on "Sixx Sense", Nikki Sixx discusses music and lifestyle topics as he gives listeners a backstage look at the world and mind of a rock star. Joined by co-host Kerri Kasem, Sixx provides his unique perspective and attitude as the duo welcomes celebrity guests, recording artists and fascinating characters from all walks of life. All this and more are coupled with the radio station's playlist.

"Sixx Sense" celebrated its two-year anniversary in 2012 and is currently heard on nearly 100 affiliates nationwide, reaching 2.5 million weekly listeners. The show is complemented by "The Side Show Countdown With Nikki Sixx", which is available for air on weekends between 6 a.m. and midnight local time. Each weekend, the radio host and tastemaker introduces his personal new music picks, plays an array of what's happening on the rock charts, and shares his own special brand of talk radio with celebrities and other guests. "The Side Show Countdown" airs on nearly 50 stations worldwide. In addition, the "Sixx Sense With Nikki Sixx" channel is available on Clear Channel Radio's digital platform iheartradio and XM Channel 164.

RockNLive.org has uploaded video footage of CHILDREN OF BODOM's press conference at this year's edition of the Hellfest festival, which was held June 15-17 in Clisson, France. Check it out below.

CHILDREN OF BODOM recently inked a worldwide deal (excluding Japan) with Nuclear Blast Records. The band, which kicked off a year-long celebration of its 15th anniversary with a successful North American tour alongside labelmates ELUVEITIE, has a new studio album planned for release in 2013.

"Holiday At Lake Bodom (15 Years Of Wasted Youth)", a very special CD+DVD career retrospective in celebration of CHILDREN OF BODOM's 15th anniversary, sold around 600 copies in the United States in its first week of release.

"Holiday At Lake Bodom (15 Years Of Wasted Youth)" spotlights specially selected tracks from every one of CHILDREN OF BODOM's critically acclaimed albums (1997's "Something Wild", 1999's "Hatebreeder", 2000's "Follow The Reaper", 2003's "Hate Crew Deathroll", 2005's "Are You Dead Yet?", 2008's "Blooddrunk" and 2011's "Relentless Reckless Forever"), plus two newly recorded (and undeniably fun) cover songs and detailed liner notes penned by the members of CHILDREN OF BODOM themselves. The DVD portion of the package includes "candid touring and backstage footage from around the world”, plus the "Shovel Knockout" video.

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

This morning (Monday, July 2), Daveman of the 105.7 The Brew radio station in Columbus, Ohio conducted an interview with DEF LEPPARD guitarist Phil Collen. You can now listen to the chat below.

DEF LEPPARD recently joined the long list of rockers who have re-recorded their biggest hits in note-perfect renditions. Frontman Joe Elliott shed some light on the new "2012" versions of "Pour Some Sugar On Me" and "Rock Of Ages" now available at various digital retailers. Elliott told MTV, "How can I put this politely? We were having a major disagreement with our ex-record label about the digital rights for our back catalog. We couldn't come to a mutual understanding that seemed fair for both sides. So we finally just decided to re-record all our hits. We started with 'Sugar' and 'Rock Of Ages', and I think we did a pretty good job. It's hard work trying to recreate something you did 30 years ago."

When pressed on the fact that despite all the care taken, re-recordings never seems to sound identical to the original release, Elliott said: "We got the same sounds, the same key, the same tempo. It was a 100 percent forgery. That was the idea, anyway. . . [We were] very conscious of the fact that when people download our songs from iTunes, they want it to sound like they remember it."

The official lyric video for the 2012 version of "Rock Of Ages" can be seen below.

Elliot told The Pulse Of Radio that he feels lucky about DEF LEPPARD's continued success, especially with the current state of the record industry, as well as the struggles many new bands face. "Nowadays record labels — what's left of them — are trying to actually get half of merchandise when they tour," he said. "It's like, 'How dare you?' It's like two separate things. I can't see Roger Waters willingly giving up 20 percent of his T-shirts. Luckily we're not in that kind of bag. I just feel bad for the new bands. I mean, there's the old acts that can sell records these days. But most people, if they don't have a second record or profit, they don't make a third record."

DEF LEPPARD is currently on tour with POISON and LITA FORD.

Interview:



"Rock Of Ages" lyric video:

"True American Hate", a brand new song from San Francisco Bay Area metallers TESTAMENT, is available for free download using the Nuclear Blast Records widget below (e-mail sign-up required). The track comes off the band's new album, "Dark Roots Of Earth", which will be released in North America on July 31 via Nuclear Blast Records. The CD was produced, mixed and mastered by acclaimed British producer Andy Sneap (ARCH ENEMY, NEVERMORE, ACCEPT, EXODUS). Special bonus tracks were recorded, mixed and mastered by Juan Urteaga (MACHINE HEAD, EXODUS, TED NUGENT, NIGHT RANGER) at his Trident Studios. The cover artwork for the effort (see below) was painted by Eliran Kantor, who has previously worked with ATHEIST, SIGH, ANACRUSIS and GWAR, among others.

In a recent interview with Decibel magazine, TESTAMENT frontman Chuck Billy stated about "True American Hate", "[It] was kind of inspired by when we sent all our troops overseas, and we were just seeing in the news when all that was going on a lot of young kids, under 10 years old, out there with their families burning American flags. And that was a pretty shocking thing to see, to see that generation, a kid that young being taught to hate that much. It makes you think what's going to happen, 10 to 15 years from now, when the majority of these kids have just been raised to hate. It struck me as a little odd."

"Dark Roots Of Earth" jewel case CD track listing:

01. Rise Up
02. Native Blood
03. Dark Roots Of Earth
04. True American Hate
05. A Day In The Death
06. Cold Embrace
07. Man Kills Mankind
08. Throne Of Thorns
09. Last Stand For Independence

"Dark Roots Of Earth" CD/DVD track listing:

01. Rise Up
02. Native Blood
03. Dark Roots Of Earth
04. True American Hate
05. A Day In The Death
06. Cold Embrace
07. Man Kills Mankind
08. Throne Of Thorns
09. Last Stand For Independence

Bonus:

10. Dragon Attack (QUEEN cover)
11. Animal Magnetism (SCORPIONS cover)
12. Powerslave (IRON MAIDEN cover)
13. Throne Of Thornes (extended version)
+ Bonus DVD

"Dark Roots Of Earth" vinyl track listing:

Side A:

01. Rise Up
02. Native Blood
03. Dark Roots Of Earth

Side B:

04. True American Hate
05. A Day In The Death
06. Cold Embrace

Side C:

07. Man Kills Mankind
08. Throne Of Thorns
09. Last Stand For Independence

Side D (Bonus):

10. Dragon Attack (QUEEN cover)
11. Animal Magnetism (SCORPIONS cover)
12. Powerslave (IRON MAIDEN cover)

Last week, TESTAMENT shot a video for the song "Native Blood". Guitarist Eric Peterson told Greece's Rock Overdose webzine that the clip was going to be filmed "on an Indian reservation." He added, "It's about people who were oppressed in life. We haven't done [a video] in a while, so we're kind of excited about that."

Billy previously stated about "Native Blood", "[It's] basically a song about my Native heritage. It's almost like a protest song, that the Native Americans have a voice that needs to be heard — that's the chorus of the song."

Regarding the recording processs for "Dark Roots Of Earth", Billy said, "We [recorded] it at our place in Oakland and at Trident Studios and Andy [Sneap, producer] came out and did all the recordings with us — as much as he could — and then we finished off some vocals and guitars at Trident studios. I think over the years Andy really knows the sound of this band, and kinda knows what we want. We've mixed stuff with Andy, so I think he knows without has having to be there physically with him what we are looking for. And I just haven't heard anybody in metal come out with any better mixes! Honestly!"

On the topic of some of the other tracks that will appear on "Dark Roots Of Earth", Billy said, "There's a song called 'Cold Embrace', which we kinda hoped we'd be able to pitch the song into one of the 'Twilight' series movies; it's a song about a girl becoming a vampire and never being able to see the sun again. 'Dark Roots Of Earth' is kind of a play on the band we have together, just like a metaphor, like TESTAMENT is a tree and all of us in this group are really embedded in the planet, in the earth, the environment and our surroundings. It was kind of a play on that. 'Rise Up' is more of a war song, like you're preparing yourself for war, going into battle. There is a lot of cool stuff there."

Due to a "serious injury," TESTAMENT drummer Paul Bostaph was unable to take part in the recording sessions for the CD and was replaced by Gene "The Atomic Clock" Hoglan (DARK ANGEL, STRAPPING YOUNG LAD, FEAR FACTORY, DETHKLOK). Bostaph has since announced his departure from the group.

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

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

Photo credit: Dean Karr

Sutro eyewear has announced the launch of the Hetfield, a limited-edition sunglass frame that is the product of a design collaboration with James Hetfield of METALLICA.

The Hetfield is a classic shape with a rock-star edge. This frame is as smooth and as fast as James' Lincoln Zephyr v12. Using Zeiss optics and the Sutro stainless steel 3Click hinge, this frame is designed to take whatever a 24-stop Eastern European tour can throw at it. It will not lose screws, is 10 times stronger than a traditional hinge and gives the frame a structure that stays tight over time. Zeiss polycarbonate lenses block 100 percent of both UVA and UVB sun rays and provide the ultimate in impact resistance with the industry's toughest hard coating for superior scratch resistance. These limited-edition frames are road-worthy and built to last!

"Built to look faster than a speeding riff and to handle the life of a road dog like me," says James.

"James was very particular in what he was looking for and he just wasn’t finding it out there, so we sat down and after extensive prototyping we put his vision into this frame," says designer Jeff Sand.

Founded in 2006, Sutro produces durable luxury eyewear in both sunglass and optical frames.

Sutro eyewear is currently available through boutiques and specialty retailers in the U.S., Japan and Germany.

For more information, visit Metallica.com.

Sweden's TIAMAT recently completed work on its tenth studio album, "The Scarred People", at Woodhouse Studios in Hagen, Germany with producer Siggi Bemm. An October release via the band's new label, Napalm Records, is expected.

More video footage of TIAMAT mainman Johan Edlund working on the "The Scarred People" album cover can be seen below.

TIAMAT's latest CD, "Amanethes", was produced by Johan Edlund and was recorded mainly at The Mansion in Greece, with additional recordings taking place at Studio Mega in Sweden and Cue in Greece. The album was mixed and mastered by Siggi Bemm in Woodhouse Studios, Germany in January 2008.

Century Media Records released a limited-edition collector's box from TIAMAT entitled "The Ark of the Covenant - The Complete Century Media Years". Limited to 3,000 copies worldwide, this noble box set also includes two exclusive audio CDs, a numbered authenticity certificate, as well as a comprehensive 74-page booklet with all lyrics, terrific artwork, rare photos and extensive liner notes by Anders Iwers.