Legendary hardcore band CRO-MAGS was forced to cancel its concert Friday night (July 6) at Webster Hall in New York City as part of the CBGB Festival after the group's former bassist, Harley Flanagan, assaulted two people, including at least one current member of the band.

The CRO-MAGS have since released the following statement on the matter:

"We as a band are truly sorry for the way it all turned out in every regard, even the ex-member whose family is now affected by his choices. Our prayers go out to them as well as Mike C. [Michael 'The Gook' Couls], and the others who were hurt, but it was 'his' choice to come to our concert with a hunting knife, standing by our dressing door. Who knows what his actual intent was?! Obviously he wasn't there with it to cut bread for a peace offering as he was heard saying outside he was putting an end to us playing without him. Let's move on now and stop the trash-talking. Keep that PMA — that's what we are all."

According to the Daily News, William Berario, 45, was slashed above the eye and bitten on his cheek, and Couls was cut on his arm and stomach during the incident, which happened around 8:30 p.m. Flanagan was seen in photographs posted on BoweryBoogie.com being wheeled from the venue by EMTs. He was reportedly taken to Bellevue Hospital to be treated for a broken leg and was charged with second-degree assault and criminal possession of a weapon.

The organizers of the CBGB Festival later released a statement, saying, "We are saddened to learn about the events that occurred at Webster Hall.

"Our primary concern is always the safety and experience of New Yorkers, music fans and the general public. Naturally, we will fully cooperate with law enforcement while hoping for the speedy recovery of those injured.

"Live music can be incredibly uplifting, empowering and positive. We don't feel the actions of one person should overshadow four amazing days and nights of events that include historic and unprecedented free concerts in Times Square and Central Park."

In a 2010 interview, Harley stated about CRO-MAGS singer John Joseph, "The guy has been pretty much a bullshit artist since the old days . . If John EVER actually has the balls to back up all the shit he talks, to step up, I'll beat his ass. Again... That is if he EVER has the balls to actually step up to the hundreds of times I've called him out, e-mailed him, called him, etc. . . Me and him both know the truth and we both know he's a fraud. A really fake motherfucker and all that 'spiritual' shit is just another smokescreen."

STATIC-X frontman Wayne Static 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 allegedly either pushed or struck a 19-year-old fan named Daniel N. — a guitarist in a local metal band — and that person died almost a month later of bleeding in the brain.

Randy has been charged with causing "bodily harm of the fourth degree, resulting in the death of a fan" and faces up to 10 years in prison if convicted.

Speaking to Loudwire, Wayne said, "I just heard about [Randy's arrest] actually, and I think it's pretty fucked up, man. I don't know all the details, obviously I wasn't there. But anytime at a metal show, fans are going to be going crazy. Apparently he pushed somebody off the stage and they got hurt and then died. It was an accident, man. That shit happens all the time. It's weird that they're trying to pin it on him."

When asked if bands have had to be even more careful since the onstage murder of PANTERA/DAMAGEPLAN guitarist "Dimebag" Darrell incident in 2004, Wayne replied, "We've always had to be careful. We had an incident back in 2001 where our drummer threw out a drumstick into the crowd and it hit someone in the eye and they were going to sue us. You just always have to be really careful with that kind of stuff. I know the LAMB OF GOD guys. They're way mellow. They're older guys like me and super mellow. They would never do anything to hurt anyone on purpose. It's just crazy."

According to Richmond Times-Dispatch , more than 100 LAMB OF GOD fans gathered on Brown's Island in Richmond, Virginia earlier today (Sunday, July 8) in support of the band's jailed singer Randy Blythe, who is being held on manslaughter charges in the Czech Republic.

"This really brings it home," said LAMB OF GOD guitar player Willie Adler, who made an appearance at the event. "It's nice to see all different walks of life here. It's not just long-haired metal fans."

Adler said the band wasn't ready to publicly discuss anything just yet but that its day would come soon.

"We're not quite sure what's happening now, so we don't want to do anything to jeopardize it," he said. "But we hope to know something, maybe in a week."

Adler's father-in-law, Harry Hopkins, told the Richmond Times-Dispatch that the entire band was met at the Prague airport by armed forces on June 27 and was taken into custody. After some discussion, U.S. embassy personnel were able to get four of them free. They were told to leave the country immediately.

"They're very upset about that," Hopkins said. "They would've wanted to stay with him."

The vigil organizer Tommy Streat, a friend of Blythe, told WWBT, the NBC-affiliated television station for Richmond, Virginia, "I know in my heart of hearts that Randy should not be in jail and the way he helps other people beyond the means most would go. I think it's ridiculous that he's in jail and I think we need to get him back on this ground in Richmond. And until he's here, we're gonna be his voice. We're gonna talk. We're gonna get loud. . . Randy's voice has been lost and we're getting it back. If it was Justin Bieber, everybody would be talking about it."

Check out photos of today's "Free Randy Blythe Vigil" at this location.

LAMB OF GOD set up a fund to help pay Blythe's legal expenses. A statement on the band's Facebook page reads, in part, "As many of you know, Randy is being held in Czech jail for a crime we believe he did not commit. We are still learning about the legal system there and the situation is fluid. We have retained local legal counsel, have support from the U.S. embassy and we are flying over additional lawyers to try and assure that Randy has the best representation possible. As many of you have pointed out, the simple fact is that the legal fees are adding up very quickly."

Rustyn Rose of Metalholic.com conducted an interview with drummer Jon Larsen of Danish metal rock 'n' rollers VOLBEAT prior to the band's July 6 concert in Boise, Idaho with HELLYEAH and ICED EARTH. You can now watch the chat below.

On when fans can expect to hear a new VOLBEAT album:

Jon: "It kind of depends on when we think we're ready, actually. Once this tour is over, we're gonna go home and hide out in the rehearsal room for awhile and see what we can come up with. I know Michael [Poulsen, vocals/guitar] already, of course, has a lot of ideas, a lot of riffs, melody lines, ideas for everything from artwork to lyrics to themes, the whole thing, but, of course, everything needs to get done. And if we're ready, then maybe late October, mid-November we will go into the studio. And if we're not ready, then we won't do it until next year."

On the departure of guitarist Thomas Bredahl and VOLBEAT's search for a replacement:

Jon: "Being in a band, I guess, to use that cliché, it's a bit like a marriage. In a normal relationship, sometimes things work out and sometimes things don't work out. When we're together, we're together 24/7 for several months or for however long, and, of course, we're four very different people, always have been. Sometimes you need to change things. When things don't work out, you change things, like you do in a normal relationship. If you are unhappy about your day job, you might wanna change that. I don't think that we're any more difficult than any other people. Sometimes changes happen."

"There is something in the works [with regards to a new guitar player], [but we can't talk about it] yet."

On LAMB OF GOD singer Randy Blythe's arrest in the Czech Republic on manslaughter charges in connection with the death of a fan more than two years ago:

Jon: "First of all, I think it's terrible. We know Randy, we know the guys from LAMB OF GOD, because we toured with them, along with METALLICA. It's mind-boggling. And from what I hear — I haven't really read too much about it — it seems like it wasn't even Randy who was beating that guy up, it seems like it was more like the local security, actually, who was beating him up afterwards, from what I've heard. Somebody posted, I think on Blabbermouth, that there should be some footage available that will show that Randy definitely did not kill the guy, so to speak. But I think it's really, really terrible, and our thoughts are definitely with him. I really, really hope that he gets out of there as soon as possible and goes home."

On whether it scares him to know that musicians like him can now potentially be held liable for what happens when stage divers get injured at rock shows:

"Of course, it's scary. Everbody knows what happened to Dimebag [late PANTERA/DAMAGEPLAN guitarist 'Dimebag' Darrell Abbott who was killed by a crazed fan onstage in 2004). I mean, how was that possible? But it was, and now the same thing with Randy. Of course, it makes you think a lot — what can you do to prevent stuff like that? That's why we have — we always have, but now we definitely have to take better care of the barriers and make sure the security do their jobs and stuff like that. People can get hurt, but for what happened at that show, that's just terrible."

Dutch singer Floor Jansen (REVAMP, AFTER FOREVER) joined ADRENALINE MOB on stage last night (Saturday, July 7) at Matrix in Bochum, Germany. Fan-filmed video footage of her appearance can be see below.

Several days prior to the gig, Jansen stated about her guest performance with ADRENALINE MOB, "I will sing the DURAN DURAN cover 'Come Undone' with Russell Allen. On the [ADRENALINE MOB] album, the vocals are done by [HALESTORM] singer Lzzy Hale. She had the most amazing rock voice!!! I'm honored to sing it live!"

ADRENALINE MOB features in its ranks frontman Russell Allen (SYMPHONY X), 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.

"A Time Of Crisis", the comeback album from U.S. power/thrash metal act HERETIC, will be released on July 26 through Metal On Metal Records. The band stayed true to its roots and created a really solid CD in the best U.S. metal tradition: heavy, melodic and aggressive.

The cover art for "A Time Of Crisis" was created by a tattoo artist Tom Berg and can be seen below.

"A Time Of Crisis" track listing:

01. The Divine Inquisition
02. Tomorrow’s Plague
03. Betrayed
04. Remains
05. A Time Of Crisis
06. For Your Faith
07. Raise Your Fist
08. Heretic
09. Child Of War
10. Police State
11. The End Of The World
12. Let Me Begin Again

Three songs from the album can be streamed below.

The band, formed in 1985 in Los Angeles, California, released an EP, "Torture Knows No Boundary" (1986), and a full-length, "Breaking Point" (1988), through Metal Blade Records before disbanding. Later on the founding member, songwriter and guitarist Brian Korban together with bassist Dennis O'Hara formed REVEREND, which featured the vocal talents of the late David Wayne (METAL CHURCH).

In 2011 Brian Korban reformed the band, recruiting Julian Mendez, the vocalist who sang on the band's first EP. Soon they were joined by the seasoned musicians, long-time friends and collaborators, guitarist Glenn Rogers (VIKING, ex-HIRAX, ex-DELIVERANCE, ex-STEEL VENGEANCE and others) and bassist Angelo Espino (BITCH, ex-REVEREND, ex-HIRAX, ex-ANGER AS ART, ex-UNCLE SLAM and others) and a young, but talented drummer Ignazio Coppola.

Dutch symphonic metallers DELAIN have uploaded a four-minute video clip featuring behind-the-scenes footage from the first leg of the band's "We Are The Others" European tour. Check it out below.

DELAIN's third full-length studio album, "We Are The Others", will be released in North America this summer via the New Jersey-based top-tier progressive metal label Sensory Records. CNR Entertainment is handling the release in The Netherlands and Roadrunner Records is issuing the CD in the rest of Europe.

"We Are The Others" track listing (North American version):

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

The lead single, "Get The Devil Out Of Me", hit stores on April 13 (April 15 for U.K.) to coincide with the start of the band's European tour.

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

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

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

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

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

Tour report:



"We Are The Others" samples:



"Get The Devil Out Of Me" video:

Photo credit: Sandra Ludewig

ORGY, the reactivated "death pop" band from California, has entered NRG Recording Studios in North Hollywood to begin tracking its long-awaited new album for a tentative late 2012/early 2013 release.

Several photos from the studio can be found at WireImage.com.

ORGY canceled the last five shows of its spring "Bad Blood Tour 2012" "due to high demand for new music."

Fan-filmed video footage of ORGY's March 6 concert at Irving Plaza in New York City can be seen below.

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

In a recent interview with Icon Vs. Icon, Gordon was asked what the catalyst was for rebooting and moving forward with the project. "Ya know, it had just been too long," he said. "I was really interested in getting back out on the road. That was the first thing I wanted to do. It had been so long, I just wanted to get out there, brush the rust off and roll with it to see what happens. To do that you have to have a band and start playing gigs right away and that is exactly what I did."

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

Performance:

"Insecticide", the new video from Stockholm, Sweden-based metallers STERBHAUS, can be seen below. The clip, which was filmed during the band's recent tour of Chile, was produced and directed by Carlos Toro of Abysmo Productions.

"Insecticide" comes off STERBHAUS' new album, "Angels For Breakfast ...And God For Lunch", which is scheduled for release on August 24. Recorded at Abyss studios with Tommy Tägtgren and mixed and mastered by Jonas Kjellgren at Black Lounge, it is the first CD to showcase STERBHAUS as a four-piece. The cover artwork was created by Gyula Hanvancák and can be seen below.

"Angels For Breakfast ...And God For Lunch" track listing:

01. Insecticide
02. Ripping the Pope
03. Absolutely do not Die!
04. The Great Dreamsmasher of Conformity
05. Tell Them I Hate Them
06. Retardival
07. Captain Bible in the Dome of the Dead
08. Faceplant Armageddon
09. Frogboiler
10. Deathwizz
11. Project S.A.T.A.N.
12. Ministry

STERBHAUS will perform at the Rock Harz festival in Germany on July 13.

Keyboardist Jordan Rudess of progressive metal giants DREAM THEATER recently spoke to AOL's Noisecreep about the band's current tour, the group's upcoming run in South America later this summer, and when work on the next DREAM THEATER album will begin. You can now watch the chat below.

As previously reported, DREAM THEATER's August 19 and August 20 concerts at Estadio Luna Park in Buenos Aires, Argentina will be professionally filmed and recorded for the band's next live DVD, to be released sometime next year.

DREAM THEATER — James LaBrie (vocals), John Myung (bass), John Petrucci (guitar and vocals), Jordan Rudess (keyboards and continuum) and Mike Mangini (drums) — launched a major North American headlining summer tour on June 15 in Rochester, New York. The tour includes stops at the Gibson Amphitheater in Los Angeles and the PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel, New Jersey plus a two-night engagement at the Paramount Theater on Long Island, New York. They are touring behind their 11th studio album, "A Dramatic Turn Of Events", which had 14 Top 10 debuts around the world. It also produced the band's first-ever Grammy nomination for "On The Backs Of Angels" in the "Best Hard Rock/Metal Performance" category.

"A Dramatic Turn Of Events", sold 36,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to enter The Billboard 200 chart at position No. 8. The band's previous CD, 2009's "Black Clouds & Silver Linings", opened with 40,000 units to land at No. 6. This was roughly in line with the first-week tally registered by its predecessor, "Systematic Chaos", which shifted 36,000 copies in 2007 to enter the chart at No. 19. 2005's "Octavarium" premiered with 27,000 copies to debut at No. 36.

The new touring lineup of the industrial metal band STATIC-X will consist of the following musicians:

Wayne Static - Guitar, Vocals
Sean Davidson - Drums
Ashes - Guitar
Brent Ashley - Bass

Speaking to Loudwire, Wayne stated about his new bandmates, "We all get along really good, actually. It's kind of a different vibe behind the scenes. As far as onstage, though, it's all business. We all have a great time as always and put on a great show. This tour in particular, we're playing a lot of old stuff off of the first two records."

Regarding his decision to resurrect STATIC-X, Wayne said, "I really just wanted to go back to old-school STATIC-X since the band has been gone for a few years. The last tour I was on I did a lot of my solo stuff, and I'm ready to get back to old-school STATIC-X stuff, which is actually new again."

STATIC-X's upcoming trek will mark the band's first outing since they announced a hiatus in 2009.

Athough none of the other original members — Tony Campos (bass), Koichi Fukuda (guitar) and Nick Oshiro (drums) — will be joining Wayne on this tour, Tony is supportive of his former bandmate's decision to reform the group, saying, "I'm proud of my years with STATIC-X, and want to see the name of the band stay alive and well. I hope that all of our fans will continue to support both Wayne and I in our individual endeavors."

"Cult of Static", the latest album from STATIC-X, sold 19,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 16 on The Billboard 200 chart.

STATIC-X's previous CD, "Cannibal", opened with more than 30,000 copies back in April 2007 to land at No. 36. This represented a slight drop from the 35,000 tally registered by the band's "Start A War" album, which came out in June 2005 and debuted at No. 29.

Fan-filmed video footage of SCORPIONS' July 7 concert at Nikon at Jones Beach Theater in Wantagh, New York can be seen below.

The band's setlist was as follows:

01. Sting In The Tail
02. Make It Real
03. Is There Anybody There?
04. The Zoo
05. Coast To Coast
06. Loving You Sunday Morning
07. Rhythm Of Love
08. Wind Of Change
09. Holiday
10. Raised On Rock
11. Tease Me Please Me
12. Hit Between The Eyes
13. Kottak Attack
14. Blackout
15. Six String Sting
16. Big City Nights

Encore:

17. Still Loving You
18. No One Like You
19. Rock You Like a Hurricane

SCORPIONS spent the first three months of this year in the studio with producers Mikael "Nord" Andersson and Martin Hansen resurrecting a dozen unfinished songs from what some people believe was the band's best and most creative period — leftovers from the albums "Blackout" (1982), "Love At First Sting" (1984), "Savage Amusement" (1988) and "Crazy World" (1990) — for an album that is tentatively scheduled for release in 2013.

"We will dig in again and maybe have a selection of 16 to 18 songs and pick the best 12 from those," Jabs tells Billboard.com. "It's actually very good material." He adds, "We're doing it the way we are recording albums today, but the basic ideas, the riffs, the feel, the way they were written and arranged, we try to keep as much from the old recordings as possible. Thirty years later no one would come up with these ideas we came up with when we were younger, so we want to keep that spirit in there."

According to Jabs, the idea for the project "came from the fans. They were the ones saying, 'There must be some extra material from those days,' and they were right," he says.

The guitarist recently told ArizonaRepublic.com about the project, "There's so much strong material, but it hasn't ever been finished, especially the lyrics. They're like 'Blah blah blah blah blah.' It was recorded like you would record a demo, no click track, anything. But the vibe is great because it's from the time when we were starting out. Everything I played back then, I remember when I found a new riff, I would get excited. It's slightly different today because I know it all. I've heard it all. So it's much harder to get excited about the simplest or sometimes half-genius riff. But there was a definite spark in those old recordings and the idea is to redo them with today's technology and take it further as a tribute to the fans."

Musica Metal conducted an interview with French progressive metallers GOJIRA after their May 14 performance at Stadio Friuli in Udine, Italy as the support act for METALLICA. You can now watch the chat below.

GOJIRA's fifth album, "L'Enfant Sauvage", sold almost 11,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 34 on The Billboard 200 chart. The band's previous CD, "The Way Of All Flesh", opened with 4,200 units back in 2008 to land at No. 138.

"L'Enfant Sauvage" entered the official chart in France at position No. 7 (No. 17 on the digital chart).

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

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

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

GOJIRA will release a new DVD/Blu-ray, "The Flesh Alive", in the U.S. on July 31 via Mascot. The set will be made available in the following formats:

* 2-DVD+CD
* Blu-ray+CD with free poster

The three-disc "The Flesh Alive" chronicles the making of GOJIRA's 2008 album, "The Way Of All Flesh", and the touring activity that followed the CD's release.

Kingsmen Media recently conducted an interview with former KORN guitarist and current LOVE AND DEATH frontman Brian "Head" Welch. Brian spoke about LOVE AND DEATH's new single, "Paralyzed", reaching the No. 1 position on the Gospel Rock chart; his battles with the "Flesh," fighting the Demon and giving his life to Jesus Christ. You can now listen to the chat in the YouTube clip below.

LOVE AND DEATH's debut EP, "Chemicals", was released on April 24.

"Chemicals" track listing:

01. Paralyzed
02. Whip It Feat. Matt Baird
03. Chemicals
04. Paralyzed (Har Megiddo Remix)
05. Chemicals (Har Meggido Remix)

Regarding his decision to call his group LOVE AND DEATH, Welch recently said, "I put this band together in 2009. Since then, we've experienced some very intense highs and lows. Michael Valentine, Dan Johnson, J.R. Bareis and myself have toured around the world playing a lot of killer shows, but we've also had some heart-shattering difficulties along the way. To us, the name LOVE AND DEATH symbolizes everything we've been through as a band over the last few years. We love this band so much and we'll go through hell to connect with our fans. We've proven that to ourselves over and over again."

With LOVE AND DEATH, the music now lives under its own banner.

"Many people have confused my speaking dates and our band dates because they were both being booked as Brian 'Head' Welch," said Welch. "I have wanted to use a band name for branding my music for a few years. It has been an ongoing discussion with my management, but we were just starting to tour and I was in the middle of supporting my third book and it seemed like a bad time to switch names. Now with the new music coming out, it's time to really separate the things I do. I want the music to be about music. I will still be doing public speaking under Brian 'Head' Welch. I am happy that all the confusion will be over."

LOVE AND DEATH formed when Welch decided to have open auditions on YouTube in 2009. "I picked the guys and then had a jam session in Phoenix," says Welch. "Over the last couple of years, there have been a few lineup changes as we went through normal growing pains. The current band has been together and touring for a while now and they are a big part of the new music and the future of LOVE AND DEATH."

The "Chemicals" video can be seen below. The intense, semi-animated clip was shot by POAB Designs/Martillo Pictures.

For more information, visit www.loveanddeathmusic.com.

Interview (audio):



"Chemicals" video:

FirewalkMetal.com conducted an interview with ICED EARTH vocalist Stu Block on March 17 in Joliet, Illinois. You can now watch the chat below.

To coincide with the current trek, ICED EARTH released a limited tour edition of its latest album, "Dystopia". Currently available only at the merchandise stands on the tour, the two-disc "Dystopia Tour Edition" contains the original full-length album, as well as B-side covers of IRON MAIDEN's "The Trooper" and BLACK SABBATH's "Mob Rules", as well as the classic 17-minute ICED EARTH track "Dante's Inferno", re-recorded with vocalist Stu Block. The bonus disc also contains both music videos from "Dystopia" — the title track and "Anthem" — as well as a "Making Of Dystopia" studio interview with the band, and exclusive cell phone skins and desktop backgrounds.

Bassist Freddie Vidales recently left ICED EARTH and was replaced by Luke Appleton of FURY UK.

ICED EARTH's video for the song "Anthem" was filmed on December 7, 2011 at Essigfabrik in Cologne, Germany.

Produced and directed by Kosch Fabian Film, "Anthem" is the second music video from ICED EARTH's new album, "Dystopia", which sold around 6,100 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 67 on The Billboard 200 chart.

ICED EARTH's previous CD, "The Crucible of Man (Something Wicked Part II)", opened with 6,700 units in September 2008 to debut at No. 79.

ICED EARTH's 10th studio offering, "Dystopia", was released in Europe on October 17, 2011 and in the U.S. on October 18 via Century Media Records. Two bonus tracks were also recorded for inclusion on special editions of the album.

Aftonbladet journalist Mattias Kling conducted an interview with guitarist/vocalist Adam "Nergal" Darski of Polish extreme metal veterans BEHEMOTH at this year's edition of the Getaway Rock festival, which was held July 5-6 in Gävle, Sweden. You can now watch the chat below.

On how his battle with a life-threatening form of leukemia has changed him as a person:

Nergal: "I would say in many ways — too many to mention, actually… in numerous ways. It made me a better person, for sure. On a mental level, spiritual level… pretty much anything. Physically, I'm stronger than ever, too. It may sound controversial, but I would say that everyone should get cancer one day and learn from it, you know what I mean?! Obviously, I don't want anyone to get sick. It's more or less a metaphor for people to realize how much potential they can unleash if they want to, and [for them] to realize their potential."

On the progress of the songwriting sessions for the next BEHEMOTH album:

Nergal: "I can't tell you much, because there's not much done yet. There's definitely new ideas, and I would say we've got roughly five [song] skeletons ready. We wanna start working collectively [on new material] in the upcoming weeks. I'd say that September 2013 is a very realistic date for the release date for our next record."

On whether fans can expect to hear "the same BEHEMOTH" on the next album:

Nergal: "I don't know what you mean [when you say] 'the same BEHEMOTH,' because we've never really sounded the same on any record, you know what I mean?! Every time it was a huge challenge and every record sounds very much different, so I'm more than sure that this new one is gonna sound much more different than 'Evangelion' [2009] sounded from 'The Apostasy' [2007] and [on that album there] was already quite a difference, so I would say just be patient, wait and be surprised."

Metal Blast recently conducted an interview with SAVATAGE and JON OLIVA'S PAIN mastermind Jon Oliva. You can watch the chat below. A couple of excerpts from the interview follow.

Metal Blast: Why did you decide to do a tour focused on SAVATAGE's "The Hall Of The Mountain King", instead of playing material from JON OLIVA'S PAIN?

Jon Oliva: "It was an idea that Chris [Kinder; drums] and our tour manager came up with and they told me about it. I thought about it and I was, like, 'You know, that would be fun.' Because we haven't done a new JOP record since Matt [LaPorte, guitar] passed away. We really didn't know what we wanted to do, but we wanted to come out and play a little bit. I thought that since the old albums are just reissued by Edel, it would be good to give them a little kick in the butt. Plus I've never done it before. I've been doing this a long time, so it's something I've never done before, and that was kind of exciting to me. I was like, 'Wow, this is different.' And the fans have been loving it. It's been going over really good, so I'm really happy about it."

Metal Blast: Is SAVATAGE now really over?

Jon Oliva: "Everyone keeps saying that, but what I don't think people realize is that SAVATAGE is still really together, it's just a different band [TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA] with more people. But if you look at it, it's Jon Oliva, Paul O'Neill, Al Pitrelli, Chris Caffery, Johnny Middleton, Jeff Plate… I mean, everyone from SAVATAGE is there on all the records, and on the road, most of us are there. And [TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA] is doing so well, it just doesn't make sense to stop it to do a SAVATAGE thing. If you wanna hear SAVATAGE stuff, come see me, because I'm the original singer, so me doing SAVATAGE is gonna sound more like SAVATAGE than anybody but SAVATAGE. That's why I come out and do it; it's for the SAVATAGE fans. I play the SAVATAGE stuff because I love to play it, and don't really see a SAVATAGE thing happening, just because of how popular the [TRANS-SIBERIAN ORCHESTRA] has become and the time that it takes to do this stuff. It's just really not feasible. Unless you're gonna do an album and then do a tour, but there you're talking about a year. 'Cause we're not just gonna throw something together just for the money, because we don't need the money. SAVATAGE, believe me, was never about the money, and neither is JOP about the money. It's about the love of playing and for the people and playing the songs. I'm not making any money out here — I'm losing my ass. But I don't care — I'm smiling and I'm having a good fucking time.

Metal Blast: What's in the future now for JON OLIVA'S PAIN?

Jon Oliva: "We're gonna do an album, but I've got some weird ideas that I wanna try. I just don't wanna do 'another' JOP record, I've done four of those already. I wanna do something different. I've got some material that I've wanted to put out for a while that I'm gonna have a talk with the record company about, maybe putting something out quickly, like in the next four or five months, to give me more time to do this next JOP record, because I want that to be special, and I've got some guest friends from other bands that are gonna come in and play on certain [songs]. I'm gonna do a double… I'm gonna do a regular JOP record and then a bonus disc with guest stars, kind of like the AVANTASIA thing but not like a whole story and all that. [Tobias Sammet] does a magnificent job, but I don't have that much fucking time [laughs] to write a whole story, so I'm just gonna have some friends that I've talked to from various bands come in."

Read the entire interview from Metal Blast.

Rustyn Rose of Metalholic.com conducted an interview with HELLYEAH guitarist Tom Maxwell prior to the band's July 6 concert in Boise, Idaho with VOLBEAT and ICED EARTH. You can now watch the chat below.

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

"Band Of Brothers" track listing:

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

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

Interview:



"Band Of Brothers" video:

Rustyn Rose of Metalholic.com conducted an interview with San Diego metallers AS I LAY DYING on July 4 at the Nampa, Idaho stop of the Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival. 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.

Jo Schüftan of Horns Up Rocks! recently conducted an interview with former BIOHAZARD and current ATTIKA 7 frontman Evan Seinfeld . You can now listen to the chat in two parts below.

When asked about his decision to leave BIOHAZARD and join ATTIKA 7, Evan said, "BIOHAZARD was my thing — I founded the band, I started the band, I wrote the music, I wrote the lyrics, I named the albums, I did the tours. I always identified myself with it. But things change as you go on and things evolve and sometimes things stray from your original vision so far that it's no longer… it's not the same drug and it doesn't get you high anymore.

"I think [the latest BIOHAZARD album] 'Reborn In Defiance' was a really good record; musically, it was good, but I think lyrically, to be honest, it was a little bit uninspired, and I didn't know if realized it while I was doing it.

"The process of making that album was just long and tedious, and in the end, it's not even gonna come out in the USA.

"The way that went down for me was I put a lot of time and energy making that record and I don't know what I was expecting, it's just that this is who I am and this is what I do.

"When the opportunity came up to play with Rusty [Coones, ATTIKA 7 guitarist], for me…. I don't wanna go on and on about BIOHAZARD. For me, it was a long time coming. I really needed a change. It's something that I thought about every day: 'I would love to just start something new. I would love to just let this thing that I created kind of be remembered with dignity.'

"When I started playing with Rusty, I found something in my voice that I always knew was there but I didn't know how to get to. I think that's what I'm trying to say when I needed a change — I don't feel like I was reaching my full potential as a singer."

ATTIKA 7 recently announced the addition of guitarist Zach Broderick (formerly with NONPOINT), drummer Tommy Holt (ex-UPO) and former KYUSS bassist Scott Reeder to the group's ranks.

ATTIKA 7's debut album, "Blood Of My Enemies", will be released on July 31 via Rocket Science Ventures/THC:MUSIC in North America and Membran/Ninetone in Europe. The CD was recorded with producer Mudrock (AVENGED SEVENFOLD, GODSMACK). The bass and drum tracks on the effort were laid down by Tony Campos (SOULFLY, POSSESSED, STATIC-X, ASESINO, MINISTRY) and Devin Lebsack, respectively, but due to scheduling conflicts they were not able to make the required commitment to ATTIKA 7.

Riff-Mag.com conducted an interview with drummer Danny Schuler of New York hardcore/metal veterans BIOHAZARD at this year's edition of the Hellfest festival, which was held June 15-17 in Clisson, France. You can now watch the chat below.

BIOHAZARD's latest album, "Reborn In Defiance", was released in Europe on January 20 via Nuclear Blast Records.

Not only is "Reborn In Defiance" BIOHAZARD's first original lineup album in 18 years, but it also marks the last album recorded by the band before the departure of bassist and co-vocalist Evan Seinfeld. The effort remains a testament to the four founding members (Billy Graziadei, Bobby Hambel, Evan Seinfeld and Danny Schuler) and their unique chemistry.

Seinfeld left the band in June 2011 after the band's new CD was completed and was replaced by Scott Roberts, who played on the band's 2005 "Means To An End" album and has been part of the BIOHAZARD extended family since.

Brazil's Stay Heavy conducted an interview with guitarist Leo Leoni of Swiss hard rockers GOTTHARD after the band's May 18 concert at HSBC Brasil in São Paulo with UNISONIC. You can now watch the chat below.

GOTTHARD's new album, "Firebirth", entered the chart in the band's home country of Switzerland at position No. 1 — the 14th time that a GOTTHARD CD has topped the Swiss chart in the group's career so far. In addition, the album landed at No. 9 on the German Media Control chart.

"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 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.

On July 6, GetYourRockOut conducted an interview with former BLACK SABBATH singer Tony Martin. You can now watch the chat below.

BLACK SABBATH released six albums with Tony Martin on vocals: "The Eternal Idol" (1987), "Headless Cross" (1989), "Tyr" (1990), "Cross Purposes" (1994), "Cross Purposes Live" (1995) and "Forbidden" (1995).

TONY MARTIN'S HEADLESS CROSS, the touring project led by Tony Martin, will make its live debut on Friday, July 27 at The Asylum in Birmingham, England. Tickets are £10 in advance and £12 at the door.

HEADLESS CROSS, whose live set celebrates the SABBATH album "Headless Cross", consists of the following musicians:

* Tony Martin (BLACK SABBATH, THE CAGE) - Vocals
* Danny "Danté" Needham (VENOM) - Drums
* Geoff Nicholls (ex-BLACK SABBATH) - Keyboards
* Dario Mollo (VOODOO HILL, THE CAGE) - Guitar
* Magnus Rosén (ex-HAMMERFALL) - Bass

A slightly different lineup of HEADLESS CROSS — with Martin, Nicholls and Needham as the only holdovers — was scheduled to tour the U.S. in 2009 to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the release of "Headless Cross", but was forced to cancel the trek at the last minute, reportedly due to promoter issues.

In a 2011 interview with CriticalMass.se, Martin made it clear that he was not interested in reuniting with BLACK SABBATH again. "Not the band," he said. "But I don't have any problems with the people, though. For example, I would work with Tony Iommi, maybe. It's just that I wouldn't like to do the same thing that I did before. Just singing Ozzy songs, Dio songs and all the rest of it and my music being pushed aside. That was my issue."

Martin also revealed that made fans will, unfortunately, not see him on tour that much anymore. "It's just too hard," he explained. "Every time we go out on the road, we lose money. They expect us to play for free or for less and less each time and we can't run an operation like that. It's just not possible. That's disappointing, 'cause I want to be out on the road! It's a natural place for a musician to be. Playing gigs is part of the fun. But you can't do it for nothing, and if you have to sell your house or your car or have to get a day job as an electrician or something to pay to go and play, then that's no fun and it's also damaging to your family and your life."

Martin's last solo album, "Scream", was released in November 2005 via MTM Music. The CD featured legendary drummer Cozy Powell (BLACK SABBATH, RAINBOW, WHITESNAKE) on the track "Raising Hell" as well as songwriting contributions by another SABBATH member, Geoff Nicholls.

WHITESNAKE frontman David Coverdale has issued the following update:

"We are busily mixing and editing a live album and a separate in-concert DVD from the 'Forevermore' world tour, plus mixing an special expanded editions of 'Into The Light' and 'Restless Heart'. Plus archiving so much audio and visual material and content from so many years. But [we're] definitely not [working on] a whole new studio album at this time. Quite simply we wouldn't have time to write and record a new studio album. It was never on our agenda for 2012."

WHITESNAKE's new album, "Forevermore", sold around 12,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 49 on The Billboard 200 chart. The CD was recorded, produced and mixed by Los Bros Brutalos (Coverdale, Doug Aldrich and Michael McIntyre).

WHITESNAKE's "Live At Donington 1990" DVD/live double CD set was made available on June 3, 2011 in Europe and June 7, 2011 in North America via Frontiers Records.

WHITESNAKE 1990 featured guitar greats Steve Vai and Adrian Vandenberg, bassist Rudy Sarzo, drummer Tommy Aldridge and, of course, incomparable frontman David Coverdale. The "Live At Donington" 1990 DVD also includes a substantial gallery of never-before-seen stills of the band on the "Liquor & Poker World Tour 1990", plus an intimate behind-the-scenes documentary of the making-of the "Slip Of The Tongue" album.