Mike Jones, host of the night show on the X106.7 radio station in Columbus, Ohio, recently conducted an interview with EVANESCENCE singer Amy Lee. You can now listen to the chat below.

EVANESCENCE is headlining this year's edition of Carnival Of Madness, the annual touring rock extravaganza, with support from CHEVELLE, HALESTORM and NEW MEDICINE. The trek kicked off on Tuesday, July 31 in Springfield, Illinois and will hit major cities across the U.S. including Boston, Baltimore, Atlanta, Nashville, Detroit, Chicago, Milwaukee and Pittsburgh.

EVANESCENCE's self-titled third major label album came out last October, five years after the group issued its last effort, 2006's "The Open Door".

"Evanescence" sold 127,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 1 on The Billboard 200 chart.

Michael Christopher of The Boston Phoenix recently conducted an interview with MOTÖRHEAD mainman Lemmy Kilmister. A few excerpts from the chat follow below.

On his "legend" status:

Lemmy: "I'm pretty grounded — I don't believe any of that crap. You have to remember where you come from, which is exactly where they [the audience] come from; it's just the same, and I got lucky. I'm the one they're pointing at, at the moment; later on, one of them will be the one we're pointing at. It comes around."

On the recent passing of former DEEP PURPLE keyboardist Jon Lord at the age of 71:

Lemmy: "It's just a shame, because Jon Lord was, to a large extent, responsible for me being in rock and roll. He was in a band called the ARTWOODS years ago, with Ronnie Wood's brother Arthur. They were sort of a jazz-blues band, I guess. They played at the place in Wales where I was living, this dingy little boozer, and I was talking to Jon and, like an idiot, he gave me his address in London. So, of course, I went down there and he wasn't there, but he was living at Art's mother's house where Ronnie Wood, who was in a band called THE BIRDS, was living and they let me crash on the couch. I woke up and I've got all THE BIRDS standing around me going, 'What are you doing on Mom-mom's couch?,' all poking me with this terrible cockney rabble. I never forgot that Jon — a complete stranger, and I'm some kid — gave me his address to come down to London and see him. I often told him thanks for that. I saw him late last year in a hotel in Germany in Cologne. He was over there doing some orchestral stuff, and we talked in the bar for awhile. . . . I'm glad I saw him, since he's since departed."

On the Internet being used to promote new bands:

Lemmy: "The unfortunate thing about it is you give them the Internet, which is the greatest communication system known to mankind, and we use it for fucking child pornography, which is really encouraging, isn't it? You can rely on mankind; they always take it to the lowest common denominator and crap all over it."

On social media like Facebook and Twitter:

Lemmy: "I don't do those things, because I have enough hassle keeping up with what we've got without it, sitting on my ass doing 10 to 20 hours of that every day, twitting all my friends. Twitter? Not in my lexicon, sorry. I don't Twitter, man."

Read the entire interview from The Boston Phoenix.

Peter Hodgson of SeymourDuncan.com recently conducted an interview with former DIO and current DEF LEPPARD guitarist Vivian Campbell. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

SeymourDuncan.com: So DEF LEPPARD is re-recording more old material. Why?

Vivian: It's a long and complicated story as to why we've decided to re-record, but basically it involves our not being able to come to a financial agreement with our former record company as regards digital releases. We are continuing to re-record the biggest hits of the band's catalogue as, frankly, we see no signs that the label will come to an acceptable arrangement with us anytime soon and in the meantime we wish our music to be available to those who want to buy it in a digital format. Personally, I think they're pretty impressive versions! As we now live in an à la carte world when it comes to music purchases, we're concentrating on the most popular songs first. We have no plans to re-record entire albums at this stage.

SeymourDuncan.com: What's it like for you to revisit the DIO material [with your new band featuring original DIO members Vinny Appice (drums), Jimmy Bain (bass) and Claude Schnell (keyboards) along with singer Andy Freeman]? The crowd seemed to go insane when you played "Rainbow In The Dark" with STEEL PANTHER recently!

Vivian: I'm very excited about revisiting the DIO songs again, as are the other guys from the original band. It's been a long time since I was able to address that time in my life as there were a lot of bad memories that went along with all the great music. However, now I can focus on the positive again and I feel it's time to revisit the songs I wrote and the way that I played guitar back then. They were great records and we were all very much a part of making them.

SeymourDuncan.com: What do you think of the [DEF LEPPARD] album "Slang" these days? It seems to have held up very well and not dated like a lot of other bands' albums from that time have.

Vivian: I always had mixed feelings about "Slang", even while we were recording it. I do very, very much like the sonics of it, as we used real drums for the first time in many years and the guitar sounds are also much less processed and more direct. However, the issue I always had with the record was that I personally don't believe that we did ourselves justice in terms of the songwriting — I feel we could've fine-tuned them a lot more and that we were pandering too much to the then current trends in music. To me, DEF LEPPARD was always synonymous with well-crafted songs and big choruses and harmonies, and whilst there was an obvious shift in musical tastes going on at the time, I still felt that we could have remained more true to the principles that had shaped the band's success.

Read the entire interview from SeymourDuncan.com.

Some of the biggest names in rock contribute to a very special collection being released by Cleopatra Records on August 14, "Songs Of The Century: An All-Star Tribute To Supertramp". The record features members of ASIA, YES, KING CRIMSON, THE DOORS, DEEP PURPLE, XTC, TOTO, MR. MISTER, DREAM THEATER, NEKTAR, PORCUPINE TREE, GENTLE GIANT, RENAISSANCE, and RAINBOW.

SUPERTRAMP formed in 1970 in the U.K. While initially considered a progressive rock outfit, the incredible songwriting of Roger Hodgson and Rick Davies, coupled with Hodgson's unmistakable voice, moved the group into the pop and rock stratosphere by the 1980s. They amazingly straddled the line between expansive prog and commercial radio with unforgettable melodies, sing-along lyrics, a wizard-like Wurlizer, and the accent of the saxophone. They sold more than 60 million records, and hit singles from "Crime Of The Century", "Even In The Quietest Moments" and "Breakfast In America" are still played on radio stations, used in advertising, and etched in minds.

The recognizable and beloved SUPERTRAMP hit songs are reenvisioned on "Songs Of The Century", including "The Logical Song", "Take The Long Way Home", and "Goodbye Stranger", plus takes on gems like "Rudy" and "It's Raining Again". Producer Billy Sherwood enthuses, "There are some cool, unique moments like Annie Haslam singing 'Dreamer' and one of the other highlights for me is Rick Wakeman's piano playing on 'Crime Of The Century'. And Joe Lynn Turner singing 'Bloody Well Right' is just killer." Richard Page offers a delightful version of "Give A Little Bit" that exudes all the sweet charm of the original. The bonus track is a new piece from Chris Squire and Tony Kaye of YES.

The studio guest list also included John Wetton, Tony Levin, Robby Krieger, Colin Moulding, Steve Morse, Steve Porcaro, Roye Albrighton, Peter Banks, David Sancious, Gary Green, John Wesley, Geoff Downes, Jordan Rudess, Rod Argent, Mickey Thomas and more.

Explains Brian Perera, President of Cleopatra Records, "SUPERTRAMP is pretty inactive, and there's a fan base out there that is just hungry for more SUPERTRAMP, and nobody can give it to them".

Sherwood (the producer of the groundbreaking PINK FLOYD tribute albums "Back Against The Wall" and "Return To The Dark Side Of The Moon", as well as supergroup THE PROG COLLECTIVE) was very pleased to be asked to oversee the task of celebrating SUPERTRAMP. He says, "SUPERTRAMP is a great band. They've written so many hits that you can't even count them all."

The song "Give A Little Bit" from "Songs Of The Century: An All-Star Tribute To Supertramp" is available for streaming at this location.

A one-and-a-half-minute trailer for JUDAS PRIEST's "Screaming For Vengeance – Special 30th Anniversary Edition" can be seen below.

A vital part of rock history, British heavy metal legends JUDAS PRIEST have spent four decades writing classic songs and putting on spectacular live shows. During this period, the band has sold in excess of 30 million albums, and played to countless millions of fans across the globe. In 1982, they released their eighth studio album, "Screaming For Vengeance", containing their hugely successful "You've Got Another Thing Comin'", the single which proved that metal could get mainstream radio airplay in the U.S. — leading the way for a whole generation of new metal bands.

To celebrate the 30-year anniversary of this epic release, JUDAS PRIEST present you with "Screaming For Vengeance – Special 30th Anniversary Edition", containing not only the remastered original album plus bonus tracks, but also a live DVD from the 1983 US Festival show, filmed in San Bernadino CA on May 29, 1983.

The US Festival was intended to be a celebration of evolving technologies; a marriage of music, computers, television and people — organized by Steve Wozniak, formerly of Apple.

The "Screaming For Vengeance – Special 30th Anniversary Edition" live DVD was filmed at the second, and what turned out to be last, US Festival in 1983. The Sunday was the Heavy Metal Day. "It was the day new wave died and rock 'n' roll took over." It set the single-day concert attendance record for the U.S. with an estimated 375,000 people.

JUDAS PRIEST had this to say about this memorable day in metal history: "On the day that we performed, we flew in by helicopter — and the first sight we saw was that of thousands of abandoned cars piled up around the crests of the hills that surrounded the festival arena, which as we went over took our breath away. For there below us, spread throughout hundreds of acres was a massive crowd — over three hundred thousand strong! The summer heat was raging and combined with the hot Santa Ana winds made for a scorching metal furnace on stage."

CD track listing:

01. The Hellion
02. Electric Eye
03. Riding On The Wind
04. Bloodstone
05. (Take These) Chains
06. Pain And Pleasure
07. Screaming For Vengeance
08. You've Got Another Thing Comin'
09. Fever
10. Devil's Child

Bonus tracks:

11. Electric Eye (live) *
12. Riding On The Wind (live) *
13. You've Got Another Thing Comin' (live) *
14. Screaming For Vengeance (live) *
15. Devil's Child (live)
16. Prisoner Of Your Eyes

* Live from the San Antonio Civic Center - September 10, 1982

DVD track listing:

US Festival Show - San Bernadino, California - May 29, 1983

01. Electric Eye
02. Riding On The Wind
03. Heading Out To The Highway
04. Metal Gods
05. Breaking The Law
06. Diamonds And Rust
07. Victim Of Changes
08. Living After Midnight
09. The Green Manalishi (with the two-pronged crown)
10. Screaming For Vengeance
11. You've Got Another Thing Comin'
12. Hell Bent For Leather

* Plus booklet featuring photos from Mark Weiss and sleeve notes written by Eddie Trunk (long-standing and well-respected U.S. rock journo, author, radio and TV presenter)

"Screaming For Vengeance – Special 30th Anniversary Edition" will be released on September 4 (one day earlier internationally) via Sony Music.

(Thanks: NJthrasher)

Rock quintet FLYLEAF will release a new single, "New Horizons", on August 21 via iTunes. The song is the title track of the band's third album, which will arrive this fall via A&M/Octone.

Bassist Pat Seals describes the tune to Loudwire as follows: "'New Horizons' expresses a feeling of looking toward the unknown future with hope. Definitely one of our best and most joyful songs — I am excited to see how our fans will receive it."

"New Horizons" was premiered earlier today (Wednesday, August 1) on the 89X radio station in Windsor/Detroit and can be streamed at this location.

FLYLEAF reportedly filmed footage for the "New Horizons" video this past May at the benefit show for Richard Caldwell at the Palladium Ballroom in Dallas, Texas.

The band's most recent relase was "Remember To Live", a seven-song album featuring new recordings of fan-requested tracks from FLYLEAF's catalogue. Recorded with Mark Lewis (CHIMAIRA, TRIVIUM, ADRIFT) while on the road during FLYLEAF's "Unite & Fight" tour, the effort was a rare collection of tracks that fans have been demanding for years.

Chicago doom-metal legends TROUBLE announced in February that they recruited Kyle Thomas as their new singer following the departure of their frontman of the past four years, Kory Clarke (of WARRIOR SOUL fame).

Thomas, former lead vocalist for EXHORDER, FLOODGATE and ALABAMA THUNDERPUSSY, was no stranger to TROUBLE as he previously fronted the band for four live shows between 1997 and 1999, including Stoner Hands Of Doom festival in Maryland (see video below) and Expo Of The Extreme in Chicago. Thomas has also collaborated on projects with members of SLIPKNOT, DOWN, OBITUARY and DEICIDE.

In a new posting on TROUBLE's Facebook page, the band writes, "Kyle has been writing [vocal melodies and lyrics to the new TROUBLE songs] and is just about ready to go [to begin laying down his vocals on the new TROUBLE album] (by the way, he sounds awesome). Friday we go back to the studio to start putting final guitar tweaks down. Almost there now..."

In a recent interview with Metal Kaoz, TROUBLE guitarist Bruce Franklin stated about Kyle's addition to the band, "We didn't need to change any of the [new] music [to suit Kyle's vocals]. He really knows how to sing to TROUBLE stuff because he was a fan from way back."

Added Kyle: "They had given me four songs to work on when I was jamming with them in anticipation of possibly doing the album that came to be 'Simple Mind Condition'. I did demo one song, but nothing I did ever made it to the album. Things turned out the way that they have between then and now, and here I am."

He continued, "Bruce and Rick [Wartell, guitar] have always been great to me as people and business partners. I was made to feel an equal back then, and the same goes for now. That is monumental for me — I grew up listening to these guys and now I am a member of one of my favorite bands. You can't beat that."

TROUBLE's current lineup is:

Kyle Thomas (vocals)
Rick Wartell (guitar)
Bruce Franklin (guitar)
Shane Pasqualla (bass)
Mark Lira (drums)

GetYourRockOut.com conducted an interview with DJERV — the Norwegian band featuring singer Agnete Kjølsrud of ANIMAL ALPHA, drummer Erlend Gjerde of STONEGARD and WARDRUNA and guitarist Stian Kårstad of TRELLDOM — prior to the band's July 21 concert at the Academy in Manchester, England as the support act for MINISTRY. You can now watch the chat below.

DJERV's self-titled debut album entered the official chart in Norway at position No. 8. The CD was released in the rest of Europe in June 2011 via Indie Recordings (except in Poland and Czech Republic, where the album was made available through Mystic Production).

DJERV consists of the three core members — Agnete Kjølsrud, Stian Kårstad and Erlend Gjerde. The band uses session musicians for live performances.

DJERV spent most of the fall of 2010 working on its debut album, which was engineered by Daniel Bergstrand (IN FLAMES, MESHUGGAH) in Oslo, before the band traveled to Los Angeles to team up with Grammy Award-winning producer Matt Hyde (SLAYER, HATEBREED, MONSTER MAGNET) to work on the mix. The effort was mastered by Tom Baker at Precision Mastering, and it was written and produced in its entirety by DJERV.

DJERV's story is short but eventful. The first demos surfaced early 2010, and two weeks later they were booked for the most important festival in Norway, the Oya festival. They went on to tour Norway in June 2010 and played several of the bigger Norwegian festivals during the summer. In August 2010 they released the "Headstone" EP which basically is their first-ever recorded demo tracks made available as people kept demanding to get to hear them not only on MySpace. The release of the "Headstone" EP generated some good press for the band several key magazines featured them as one of the bands to keep an eye out for in 2011. In addition, DIMMU BORGIR helped promote DJERV when they invited Agnete to participate on no less than three songs for their latest album, "Abrahadabra". Among them the lead track of the album, "Gateways", the video for which also features Agnete.

Interview:



Performance (Hellfest in Clisson, France - June 2012):

MÖTLEY CRÜE frontman Vince Neil will headline this year's Tybee Island Pirate Festival, organizers announced Wednesday.

Neil will headline a live concert on Saturday, October 6 at 7 p.m.

Swashbucklers of all ages will converge on Tybee Island, Georgia, an island paradise located just 20 minutes east of historic Savannah, for the eighth annual Tybee Island Pirate Festival on October 4-7.

The festivities will kick off with the coronation at the King and Queen at the Buccaneer's Ball at the Crab Shack on Thursday, October 4. Friday evening entertainment will include live music by the Jimmy Buffett tribute band A1A, pirate performers, street performers, magicians, puppeteers, weaponry demonstrations and more. Eric and Susan Scites of Faire Wynds Historical Entertainment will demonstrate fire-eating and perform acts of magic throughout the weekend.

Additional highlights for the 2012 Tybee Island Pirate Festival include The Pirate Victory Parade, Scallywags Costume Contest, Little Matey's Cove, Thieves Market and the new Pirate Pub with live music.

"We invite everyone to get in touch with their inner pirate at this popular annual event," said Lindsay Fruchtl, director of marketing for the Tybee Island Tourism Council. "The Tybee Island Pirate Festival offers world-class entertainment with Vince Neil and family-friendly activities throughout the weekend at one of the liveliest celebrations along the coast."

The Tybee Island Pirate Fest originally began in 2005, attracting pirate enthusiasts from across the country. All 2012 Pirate Festival events will be held at the South Beach parking lot located at Tybrisa Street on Tybee Island, Georgia.

Organized by the Tybee Island Tourism Council, the Pirate Festival will showcase the best of Tybee Island, from award-winning restaurants to six miles of sandy beaches. Visitors are invited to escape the ordinary, if only for a weekend!

Pirate Festival weekend passes are $20 through August 31 and $22 after August 31. Children 12 and under are admitted free of charge.

For more information, visit www.tybeepiratefest.com.

"Dark Roots Of Earth", the new album from San Francisco Bay Area metal veterans TESTAMENT, is likely to sell between 15,000 and 18,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release, according to industry web site Hits Daily Double. The estimate was based on one-day sales reports compiled after the record arrived in stores on July 31 via Nuclear Blast Records.

TESTAMENT's previous studio CD, "The Formation of Damnation", opened with 11,400 units back in May 2008 to debut at position No. 59 on The Billboard 200 chart.

"Dark Roots Of Earth" 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.

"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)

The "Native Blood" video can be seen below.

TESTAMENT vocalist Chuck Billy collaborated with seasoned director Mike Sloat to put together a clip that is universal in message while bringing the spotlight to Billy's Native American heritage — The Pomo Indians.

The performance portion of the video was shot on the Billy Ranch in Hopland, California, where the flames were huge and the temperatures were high.

The "Native Blood" clip is about the growth a Native American youth throughout the years. When faced with hatred, racism, bullying, and harassment, he uses nature's sanctuary to recharge and meditate on the lessons he learned from his grandfather to handle these very tough situations in a way to honor and dignify himself and his people.

Billy previously stated about "Native Blood", "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."

"Native Blood" video:

Neuweltmusic conducted an interview with MINISTRY guitarist Sin Quirin before the band's July 18 concert at The Academy (moved from Vicar St) in Dublin, Ireland. You can now watch the chat below.

MINISTRY was forced to cancel a couple of shows on its current tour after the band's mainman, Al Jourgensen, collapsed onstage during the group's July 28 concert in Paris,France and was rushed to the hospital. According to a statement release by MINISTRY's management, Jourgensen "was examined by numerous physicians and diagnosed to have had a full-system collapse due to extreme dehydration and heat exhaustion intensified by the lack of ventilation on stage at the venue."

Jourgensen officially reformed MINISTRY last year after a three-year hiatus and released a new studio album, "Relapse", in March.

MINISTRY's current touring lineup:

* Al Jourgensen - Vocals, Guitar
* Mike Scaccia (RIGOR MORTIS) - Guitar
* Casey Orr (RIGOR MORTIS) - Bass
* John Bechdel (KILLING JOKE, FEAR FACTORY) - Keyboards
* Aaron Rossi (REVOLTING COCKS) - Drums
* Sin Quirin (REVOLTING COCKS) - Guitar

"Relapse", sold 3,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 193 on The Billboard 200 chart.

Interview:



Performance:

"A Toast To Romance", the new single from MELDRUM, the multinational hard rock/metal band formed by late ex-PHANTOM BLUE guitarist Michelle Meldrum, is available now as a digital download at this location. The song comes off MELDRUM's long-awaited third album, "Lifer", which will be released this fall via Reversed Records. The CD was produced by Rob Shallcross (STRAPPING YOUNG LAD, GWAR, ZIMMERS HOLE, WEST OF HELL) and Gene Hoglan (TESTAMENT, DEATH, DARK ANGEL, DETHKLOK).

Michelle Meldrum died in May 2008 as a result of a cystic growth that had restricted oxygen and blood flow to her brain, rendering her braindead. Since she passed away before any of her guitar tracks for "Lifer" were laid down, Laura Christine played the majority of the rhythm and bass guitars, as well as all the leads, on the album as a tribute to Michelle and her vision.

"Lifer" stands as a proud tribute to Michelle, who wrote the material for the CD with Hoglan, along with Laura Christine (bass) and Michele Madden (vocals).

"Lifer" is sonically different in direction than anything previously released by the band. With new life, and new talent, this album has carried the talents these four have to a higher level.

Hoglan previously stated about the CD: "Let me say this: Never have I obsessed over the recording of any album I've been involved in as I have with MELDRUM's latest. The tragic circumstances that took Michelle from us also provided us with a laser-sharp focus to record the most amazing album we could. Michele Madden, Laura Christine, and hell, even Chicken, our engineer, put forth performances of a lifetime, with each member's full love and respect going into every nuance of every song. Not only to honor Michelle, but to also lay down some bad-ass music, which was ultimately what she stood for… what MELDRUM stands for. I think the songs speak for themselves, and I, for one, have never been prouder to be a part of a family, let alone a project such as this. Metal with balls. Crank it up, indeed."

Michelle Meldrum was born on September 28, 1968 in Detroit, Michigan to a family of musicians and actors, and moved to Los Angeles, California at the age of 13. She started her career in music by forming the thrash metal band WARGOD with drummer Gene Hoglan (DARK ANGEL, DEATH, STRAPPING YOUNG LAD), then moved on to become both co-founder and lead guitarist in PHANTOM BLUE. PHANTOM BLUE released its self-titled debut album on Shrapnel Records in the U.S. (Roadrunner in Europe and Japan) and eventually landed a major label deal with Geffen.

While her career flourished, Michelle married EUROPE guitarist John Norum and moved to Sweden to form MELDRUM. After many successful tours with such acts as MOTÖRHEAD and BLACK LABEL SOCIETY, she reunited with Gene in 2006 when he appeared as a guest on MELDRUM album and events. Inspired to once again collaborate, Michelle moved back to America where she and Gene began writing the third MELDRUM album together.

Partial proceeds from "Lifer" will go to Michelle's son Jake Thomas (father is John Norum), whom she left behind when she passed.

Rock My Monkey TV conducted an interview with San Diego, California metallers AS I LAY DYING at a recent stop on the Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival tour. You can now watch the chat below.

Speaking about AS I LAY DYING's forthcoming album, "Awakened", which is scheduled for release on September 25 via Metal Blade Records, guitarist Nick Hipa said in a recent interview, "I can't say that there's anything [on there] that's going to shock anyone. I mean, it sounds like AS I LAY DYING. We're really proud of it because I feel like this is the best 11 songs that we've [written]. It's a very well written record; it's so fast-paced. My way I describe it — it's jam after jam. There's no filler, so by the time you get through the album, you're like, 'Man, that was quick — I can listen it again.' Again, this is just my take on, so hopefully fans will be able to hear that as well."

The cover artwork for "Awakened" was created by Metastazis with Tiffanie Uldry and can be seen below. 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 was mixed by Colin Richardson (MACHINE HEAD, NAPALM DEATH, SLIPKNOT).

British heavy metal legends IRON MAIDEN this week landed at position No. 3 on Billboard.com's "Hot Tours" list of top-grossing tours this week with $4.8 million in ticket sales from seven performances on their 2012 tour through North America. The 34-date "Maiden England" trek is based on the band's "Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son Tour", with a setlist almost exclusively from the 1980s featuring all the classic songs and hits. The same spectacular stage set as was used on the original 1988 tour has been recreated, complete with a magnificent light show, pyro and a newly reincarnated Eddie.

Asked by AZCentral.com what inspired the "history of MAIDEN" series of tours, MAIDEN drummer Nicko McBrain said, "The primary reason is there were these new generations of fans. We thought, 'These kids weren't even thought about when we went out with this particular tour and that particular tour.' And that's how it all started. So it works out well for us. When you're doing a brand-new record, you've got to see how the sales go on that, you've got to go on tour and promote it, which we've always done a great job of in the past. But it's nice to not have to take that side of the industry with you every time you go out on tour."

Regarding whether re-creating what he did in 1988 stirred memories of that time in IRON MAIDEN's history for him, Nicko said, "I think if you ask everybody, we kind of just know we were there but we don't remember a bloody thing about it. [laughs] But going to these places we played in that period of our lives, you sometimes get these memories jogged. It's like when you sit around a table with your childhood mates, and somebody will say one little thing and it just conjures up this memory. For me, I find it more so when I'm actually playing a song at a particular venue. I might be halfway through a song, and I'll go, 'I remember what I did after the gig that night. This is where I took my wife out and whatever happened.' Well, she wouldn't have been my wife then. [laughs, and then in a much louder voice] It might have been someone else's. [laughs]"

McBrain, who joined IRON MAIDEN in 1982 as the replacement for drummer Clive Burr, tells AZCentral.com that he still think very highly of the "Seventh Son Of A Seventh Son" album, especially now that he has had to re-learn all the material from it. "It's a masterpiece," he said. "What I tended to do was listen to the 'Maiden England' video. And I'd go, 'Gosh, I can't believe we played that song that fast.' So what we've done is — we still have a lot of energy, but as a player, I've realized that we couldn't play these songs at that speed today and make it work. We were younger, and it was a lot more crazy. We're a bit more refined with where we go with the tempos now. There are still nights where I get a bit quick, and me and Steve [Harris, bass] get going together and the rest of the band moan and groan at us because we think we're young kids again up there. [laughs] But it was really nice listening back to the old stuff because I rarely revisit the older MAIDEN material when I'm listening in my car to music."

San Francisco Bay Area metallers EXODUS will headline the main stage at the third annual Slaughter By The Water festival, set to take place on August 25 on the USS Hornet Aircraft Carrier in Alameda, California. The main stage will also include performances by PHILM, SEVERED FIFTH, ABSU, WITCHAVEN, IMPALED, AUTOPSY, FOG OF WAR and ABYSMAL DAWN. The Pier stage will feature ENEMY IN PERIL, DESECRATOR, NECROSIN, HEMOTOXIN, ULYSSES SIREN, SCARS OF ENVY and ZH. The event will be hosted by TESTAMENT's Chuck Billy.

A video clip of Bay Area thrash legends TESTAMENT announcing EXODUS as the headliners of Slaughter By The Water can be viewed below.

Advance tickets for the main stage performances (general admission) are on sale now and are just $35.00. Tickets cost $45.00 at the door.

Main-stage performances begin at 5 p.m. and go until 12:30 a.m. From noon to 9 p.m., access to the entire pier, which includes Pier Stage entertainment, food vendors and retailers, is FREE to the public. The pier stage is powered by Rock The Bike and the bands performing will be announced soon.

All main-stage ticket purchases also entitle you to a discounted admission rate to freely roam the USS Hornet on the day of the event between the hours of 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Discounted admission is $12.00 per person in addition to the cost of the general admission ticket. Slaughter By The Water general admission tickets only get you access to the ship and private tours after 5 p.m.

There is free parking at this event.

On July 27, NextMosh.com conducted an interview with the Knoxville, Tennessee death metallers WHITECHAPEL at the Camden, New Jersey stop of the Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival. You can now watch the chat below.

The new self-titled fourth album from WHITECHAPEL sold around 9,200 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 47 on The Billboard 200 chart. The band's previous CD, "A New Era Of Corruption", opened with around 10,600 units back in June 2010 to land at No. 43.

"Whitechapel" was released on June 19 via Metal Blade Records. The CD was engineered and mixed by Mark Lewis (THE BLACK DAHLIA MURDER, DEVILDRIVER), who also handled production duties alongside the band. The artwork was created by Aaron Marsh of Forefathers Group with art direction provided by WHITECHAPEL.

The first single from "Whitechapel", entitled "Hate Creation", is available for streaming below.

Photo credit: Adam Elmakias

DOWN's new song "Witchtripper" is now available for purchase from iTunes. The track comes off the band's first in a series of four EPs to be released over the next few years (with a year between EPs), each touching on a different aspect of the band's sound.

The first six-song EP, "Down IV Part I - The Purple EP", which heralds the sound of DOWN going back to its roots, with influences from BLACK SABBATH, SAINT VITUS and WITCHFINDER GENERAL, will be released on September 18. It will be followed by the second collection of songs early next year, around the time of a planned U.S. tour. EPs three and four are scheduled for later in 2013.

The cover artwork for "Down IV Part I - The Purple EP" can be seen below.

"I have not really put too much pressure on myself with DOWN, and I think that's the best approach," vocalist Philip Anselmo tells RollingStone.com. "Right now I'm looking forward to the public's consumption and letting them hear it. I'm not sure if it's gonna break any ground. I never put any expectation on any friggin' record I do. We didn't overanalyze anything. We just let the songs kind of unfold, and once it felt right, there was no reason to go back."

"I do believe that we have delivered a record that will be accepted and hopefully enjoyed by the DOWN horde — if you will," says Anselmo. "If you're looking for a DOWN record, it's very pure and real."

Lyrically, the EP goes beyond just personal experiences, and explores themes that include the faith of mankind, the imperfection of mankind and cultural belief systems.

"DOWN gives me the platform to be poetic and paint imagery with lyrics," says Anselmo. "That's the approach I took. They complement the music and create an ominous feeling. Ultimately, when people consume the words, it's always their interpretation that matters. I could be image-conscious though when I wrote. It's not so gut level or street. The darker shit is some of my favorite."

When asked about DOWN's plans to release four separate EPs, Anselmo recently said, "That's the idea right now, but I think that after you work on a body of music, you need to reload, you need to refresh, you need to clear your head. Get that, digest it, get it out of your system, and then decide what direction you're going to go. It's a good idea and I think we should see it through. But there's no way we can rush it. Because I think if it is a series of four, each one should be unique, and that… We've shown flexibility — we have songs like 'Bury Me In Smoke' and then we have songs like 'Stone The Crow'… acoustic pieces and what-not… We have all that. So we've touched on many, I guess, dynamics, so… I would expect each EP to have its own life."

Anselmo previously described DOWN's new EP as "very stripped down. Nothing flashy. Straight to the point… really just DOWN music. If you liked the first record, the demos… something like that… This record, we're pretty dead straight and honest and on the money as far as making it as simple and direct as possible and I think we did that. . . It has that practice-room vibe to it. We didn't really try and fucking slick it out and anything. We went the more raw route, as far as an approach."

"Down IV Part I - The Purple EP" track listing:

01. Levitation
02. Witchtripper
03. Open Coffins
04. The Curse Is A Lie
05. This Work Is Timeless
06. Misfortune Teller

"Witchtripper" audio stream:



"Misfortune Teller" audio stream (taken from SiriusXM broadcast):

Century Media has announced the signing of the Serbian band DESTINY POTATO. The group is currently putting the finishing touches on its debut album, to be released in early 2013.

Commented DESTINY POTATO: "Just a few months after we officially formed the band we got an opportunity to play our first show at Euroblast 2011 where we met some boys and gals from Century Media as they came to hear/see us play. Not long after the fest we got in touch with them and after months of negotiations we are finally here and really looking forward to an amazing collaboration with all the great people in and around this label."

Officially formed in the spring of 2011, DESTINY POTATO mastermind David Maxim Micic and singer Aleksandra Djelmas have been writing and recording songs together since they were 16. Maxim and Djelmas attended the same high school and both their fathers played in one of Serbia's most popular progressive rock bands, YU GRUPA.

"I officially met Alex in a music class," says Maxim. "We knew our father's played together so we first started talking about that, then we realized we both loved pop music and would get together after school and write lots of piano based tunes with dreams of one day having a number one song on the pop charts."

Following high school, Maxim attended the prestigious Berklee College of Music. It was there a friend introduced him to some heavier sounds, namely the U.K.-based tech metal band, SIKTH. "From there, I just started discovering so much more metal music," he says. "I decided to do a solo album inspired by these bands as well as Serbian and other Eastern European music (Maxim has self released 2 solo albums thus far, the Bilo series, volumes 1.0 and 2.0) though some of the heavier sounds also started to be incorporated into the music Alex and I were working on."

Maxim and Djelmas worked with a few other people during this time and began uploading songs and clips online. When deciding on band name, they wanted to come up with something light-hearted to fit their personalities, yet something that everyone would remember. DESTINY POTATO was chosen.

"I really have no idea what it means or where it actually came from," comments Maxim.

When the organizers of the annual Euroblast festival reached out to Maxim about playing the 2011 edition of the fest, they originally wanted him to perform solo, but he convinced them to add DESTINY POTATO instead. What he didn't tell them was there was no actual band. When the organizers agreed to add them, Maxim and Djelmas assembled one, featuring a popular Serbian singer Ana Maglica as a second vocalist and drummer Milan Yeqy, and performed their first ever show in front of a sold-out crowd. In attendance were representatives of Century Media Records, who spoke to the band and later signed them to a worldwide deal.

"I guess not much has changed with Alex and I over the years," says Maxim. "We are still best friends and I guess would still love to have a song on top of the charts, maybe not the pop charts, though. Do they have a metal/pop chart? If so, that would be our great. I want to hear that famous American DJ say 'you've just heard DESTINY POTATO, now onto our long distance dedication...haha'"

DESTINY POTATO will play this year's Euroblast festival, set to take place October 19-21 in Cologne, Germany.

DESTINY POTATO is:

Aleksandra Djelmas - Vocals, Piano
Ana Little Fog Maglica - Vocals, Violin
David Maxim Micic - Guitar, Keyboards and Production
Milan Jejina Yeqy - Drums
Bojan Kvocka - Bass
Dusan Vanja Andrijasevic - Guitar

The infamous New York City street punks THE CASUALTIES will release their new album, "Resistance", on September 25 via Season Of Mist. The effort will be available on CD, limited-edition LP (with bonus track and download card) and limited-edition digibox, including the CD with a bonus track, bandana, bottle opener and patch.

"Resistance" was recorded at Planet Z Studios in Massachusetts with producer Chris "Zeuss" Harris (MUNICIPAL WASTE, MADBALL, HATEBREED). The cover artwork can be seen below.

THE CASUALTIES are currently on the road co-headlining the "Tonight We Unite!" tour alongside the NEKROMANTIX. The tour also includes DOWN BY LAW, LOWER CLASS BRATS, and more.

THE CASUALTIES (Jorge Herrera - lead vocals, Rick Lopez - bass/vocals, Jake Kolatis - guitar/vocals, Meggers - drums) combine influences from the classic punk sound of GBH, THE EXPLOITED, ENGLISH DOGS, DISCHARGE and UK SUBS with modern extreme sounds and a thrash/crossover edge.

THE CASUALTIES have released five acclaimed records on Side One Dummy, and toured to almost every corner of the globe in clubs and on festivals alongside giants like BAD RELIGION, GWAR, HATEBREED, FLOGGING MOLLY, MUNICIPAL WASTE, TSOL, AGNOSTIC FRONT and more.

Guitarist Nuno Bettencourt of reactivated Massachusetts hard rockers EXTREME has issued the following update:

"I know it's been a while since we have given any updates… I have been touring non-stop for the last few years and finally have some time off! But I wanted to fill you in on everything EXTREME.

"We had a great time performing 'Pornograffitti' in Japan. The shows were very special. It felt good to play some of the deep cuts. We also had a chance to play some new markets this summer such as Russia and China. We didn't know what to expect, but the fans were incredible!

"Don't worry, Brazil… we did not forget about you. we are still planning on coming there soon and are just working out the details with the promoter.

"Lastly, I have been working on a lot of new material for EXTREME and we are looking at our schedules now, so hopefully we can start working on the new EXTREME record before the end of the year. We will fill you in as things progress. Until then..."

EXTREME's "Take Us Alive" live CD and DVD came out on May 4, 2010 in the U.S. via Frontiers Records.

In 2008, following a 13-year hiatus, EXTREME returned to the stage for its "Take Us Alive" world tour, which encompassed 75 cities and multiple continents in support of the band's latest record, "Saudades de Rock".

This brilliant performance was recorded on the last night of their tour at the House of Blues on August 8, 2009 in EXTREME's hometown of Boston.

On July 29, Rusty Rokit of the 94.1 The Rock radio station in Aberdeen, South Dakota conducted an interview with HALESTORM drummer Arejay Hale and bassist Josh Smith in Fargo, North Dakota. You can now watch the chat below.

HALESTORM frontwoman Lzzy Hale recently told Black Velvet magazine that more and more women are turning up at rock shows. She explained, "These girls that we see need to be there and some of them cry and they're screaming every word and there's such passion that I see. They're definitely making a statement of independence as well by going to these shows, 'cause it's not something you just go to with your girlfriends, you know, have a few drinks, or not if you're underage, but it's definitely a different breed of girl."

Regarding the inspiration for the HALESTORM song "Rock Show", Lzzy said, "'Rock Show' was inspired by a little girl we know in the States. She's a 13-year-old little guitar player and she wrote me this letter. It's a beautiful letter about the first time she came to our show and it was her first show and then she got her a guitar and long story short, she's got a little band now and she can play Eddie Van Halen's 'Eruption'. It's amazing what she's been able to accomplish in the last couple of years, but she wrote me this letter about how much just going to that show changes the course of her life and inspired her to carve out her own path for herself and have the confidence to do so."

A new video interview with VISION OF DISORDER conducted in the offices of SiriusXM satellite radio studio can be seen on the band's Facebook page.

Candlelight Records has revealed the artwork and track listing for VISION OF DISORDER's new album, "The Cursed Remain Cursed". Set for release on September 18 (one day earlier in Europe), it is the first new album from the New York-based hardcore band in over ten years. A working collaboration between VISION OF DISORDER, producer Will Putney (SHADOWS FALL, SUICIDE SILENCE), and mixer Cameron Webb (MOTÖRHEAD, SOCIAL DISTORTION), "The Cursed Remains Cursed" is eagerly anticipated, with the album's lead single, "Loveless", already Top 20 on CMJ's Loud Rock Album chart.

Several artists were considered for "The Cursed Remain Cursed"; the band looking for images that would reflect the near four years of intense work that comprised the making of the album. It was the vision of East Anglia-based illustrator Tom Bates that struck the right chord with the band in making the final selection. Guitarist Mike Kennedy says, "Some of the best album covers, like SOUNDGARDEN's 'Badmotorfinger' and FAITH NO MORE's 'Angel Dust', say everything and nothing at the same time. We felt like Tom's art really impacted us profoundly in that way. None of us were thinking in that direction yet as soon as we saw it, the band unanimously wanted it on the cover."

Lyrical inspiration for "The Cursed Remain Cursed", as detailed by vocalist Tim Williams, came from a personal place. "There was a lot going on in my life at the time we began writing songs for the record and I had a lot to reflect upon," he reveals. "Looking back over the past few years, I have had to make some difficult decisions. There were things that needed to change. Some things die quietly, while other things take years to pass.. Your life is what you make of it, to live is to learn." He adds, "Some songs came very easy, like 'Skullz Out'. Songs like 'Loveless' and 'Set To Fail' took a little bit more effort because they were already saying something musically, so I had to work extra hard to push the vocal over the top."

With creative detail now complete, the band is preparing for the album's early autumn release and upcoming live appearances. Reflecting the extensive process, guitarist Matt Baumbach says, "In my opinion 'The Cursed Remain Cursed' is our band's finest achievement. We are proud to have written something that represents the next level of V.O.D. It is never easy to make one of our records; it's long, arduous, and at times maniacal. This record bleeds from the band's heart and it survived hell and back to get here. Roll the dice one more time because we are all in with this one." Kennedy adds, "We feel we accomplished a very unique, vicious and exciting record without compromising the V.O.D. brand of hardcore."

"The Cursed Remain Cursed" track listing:

01. Loveless
02. Set to Fail
03. Blood Red Sun
04. Hard Times
05. Annihilator
06. Skullz Out (Rot In Pieces)
07. The Enemy
08. The Seventh Circle
09. New Order of Ages
10. Be Up On It
11. Heart And Soul

VISION OF DISORDER's current lineup includes singer Tim Williams, guitarists Matt Baumbach and Mike Kennedy, Fleischmann and drummer Brendon Cohen.

The band's last studio album, "From Bliss to Devastation", came out in 2001 via TVT Records.

VISION OF DISORDER toured with some of metal's biggest names during the late 1990s — including PANTERA, BLACK SABBATH, TYPE O NEGATIVE, ANTHRAX and BAD BRAINS — before calling it quits in 2001, and then reuniting in 2008.

"That Metal Show" Season 11 is back on VH1 Classic and is jam-packed with a star-studded lineup of the "who's who" in heavy metal. "That Metal Show" hosts Eddie Trunk, Don Jamieson and Jim Florentine are the only trio on television ready to discuss, dissect and debate all things hard rock and heavy metal. Metal enthusiasts will delight in watching Eddie, Don, Jim and their guests dish on all things rock, music and mayhem.

"That Metal Show" Season 11 is not only bringing the drumsticks, guitar picks and ear-shattering music riffs, it's also coming with exclusive, behind-the-scenes gritty stories from the road for metalheads alike. With 10 seasons behind them, Eddie, Don and Jim are back with a few new faces and some returning crowd favorites.

Season 11 of "That Metal Show" kicks off on Saturday, August 11 and featured guests include AEROSMITH's Joey Kramer and Brad Whitford, IRON MAIDEN's Steve Harris, CHICKENFOOT's Sammy Hagar and Michael Anthony, Zakk Wylde (BLACK LABEL SOCIETY, OZZY OSBOURNE) and former QUEENSRŸCHE singer Geoff Tate.

Scheduled guests:

Episode #1 - August 11 premiere date:

(Note: This episode was taped in March 2012, but did not air as part of the last season of "That Metal Show".)

* David Draiman (DISTURBED)
* Russell Allen, Mike Orlando (ADRENALINE MOB)
* Mike Portnoy (ADRENALINE MOB, DREAM THEATER) (guest drummer)

Episode #2 - August 18 premiere date:

(Note: This episode was taped in March 2012, but did not air as part of the last season of "That Metal Show".)

* Bobby Blotzer (RATT)
* Steve Riley, Phil Lewis (L.A. GUNS)
* Steve Stevens (BILLY IDOL) (guest guitarist)

Episode #3 (to be taped later this month) - premiere date to be announced:

* Geoff Tate (QUEENSRŸCHE)
* Zakk Wylde (BLACK LABEL SOCIETY, OZZY OSBOURNE)

Episode #4 (to be taped later this month) - premiere date to be announced:

* Joey Kramer, Brad Whitford (AEROSMITH)
* Tom Petersson (CHEAP TRICK)

Episode #5 (to be taped later this month) - premiere date to be announced:

* Steve Harris (IRON MAIDEN)

Episode #6 (to be taped later this month) - premiere date to be announced:

* Ann, Nancy Wilson (HEART)
* Lita Ford

Episode #7 (to be taped later this month) - premiere date to be announced:

* Sammy Hagar, Michael Anthony (CHICKENFOOT, VAN HALEN)

Episode #8 (to be taped later this month) - premiere date to be announced:

* King Diamond (KING DIAMOND, MERCYFUL FATE)
* Mark Tremonti (ALTER BRIDGE, CREED)

In addition, three guitar greats will return to play in the above-mentioned six new shows: John 5 (ROB ZOMBIE, MARILYN MANSON), Doug Aldrich (WHITESNAKE, DIO) and George Lynch (LYNCH MOB, DOKKEN). Former BIOHAZARD frontman Evan Seinfeld will also appear in a Guest Top 5.

"That Metal Show" is a production of VH1 Classic. Lee Rolontz and Keshia Williams serve as executive producers and Jeff Baumgardner serves as producer for VH1. Adam "Hate" Heydt is the director of the series.

(Thanks: NJthrasher)

According to The Pulse Of Radio, Rob Zombie's sixth film as a writer and director, "The Lords Of Salem", will premiere this September at the Toronto International Film Festival. The movie will screen as part of the event's "Midnight Madness" series of genre films. The movie, about a 300-year-old coven of witches seeking revenge on the modern-day town of Salem, marks Zombie's first collaboration with the producers of the "Paranormal Activity" franchise and his first live-action film since 2009's "Halloween 2". The film does not yet have a release date.

Zombie told The Pulse Of Radio he's making a different type of horror movie this time around. "It's strange, I don't think it's scary necessarily, that's not even the way I look at it," he said. "It's a different type of a movie 'cause it's a slow sort of mindfuck of a movie. The few people that have seen it, it's not like, 'Oh, I'm jumping in my seat, I'm scared, ha ha.' You can see it messes with them, it's just a slow torture. Even when the movie would end, people wouldn't really say much. Then they would call me the next day and they'd go, 'I was so in shock by that point in the movie, I didn't know what to say.'"

Zombie began shooting the film earlier this year, taking time off between filming and post-production to tour and start work on a new record.

Zombie has also been working on his first new album since 2010's "Hellbilly Deluxe 2". The new, yet-to-be-titled CD is set for a late 2012 release.

The singer will also release a collection of remixes of various Zombie tracks on August 7 called "Mondo Sex Head". The remixes feature some of the hottest names in the growing electronic dance music scene, along with contributions from Jonathan Davis of KORN and Chino Moreno of DEFTONES.

Fritz of AxisOfMetal.com recently conducted an interview with guitarist Trevor Peres of Florida death metallers OBITUARY. You can now listen to the chat using the audio player below.

During a recent interview with MetalBlast.net, Peres revealed that OBITUARY was in the process of recording a three song EP, to be released as a picture disc and as a digital download. He said, "Before this [most recent European] tour, we started recording an EP. We were hoping to be finished recording before this tour, but a bunch of different personal things happened and we just didn't have time to finish it. But I've got all the guitar scratch tracks done and Donald [Tardy, drums] started doing scratch drum tracks. But when we get home from this, in one or two weeks we finish recording. It's like three new songs; it's an EP we're gonna do. We're actually gonna do a seven-inch picture disc — no CDs at all; just picture disc only. But then you [will be able to] download it from iTunes or Google Music and stuff. But then we've got another 10 songs we're gonna record after that. So, hopefully, by the end of the year — January, maybe — [there will be] a brand new full-length album."

Regarding how the new OBITUARY music is sounding, Trevor said, "It's pure OBITUARY. In fact, we've got some of the catchiest hooks on this album. These songs are so amazing. In fact, one of the first songs [we wrote] for it I'm always humming in my head. It pisses me off because it's stuck there all the time. So it's a good thing; it's, like, really catchy, groovy OBITUARY."

On the topc of OBITUARY's current record label situation, Trevor said, "We're between labels. We were hoping to do our own record label. We have a person who we're friends with who is interested in investing. I don't think it's gonna happen soon enough for us to be able to [release the next CD on our own]. So we're actually talking with Century Media. They're very interested. Without saying it's happened, [or that] it's done, 'cause we haven't signed a contract with them, [but] they've offered us a deal and they're really interested in OBITUARY."

On July 27, NextMosh.com conducted an interview with the Dayton, Ohio Christian metalcore band THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA at the Camden, New Jersey stop of the Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival. You can now watch the chat below.

THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA released a live CD/DVD, "Dead & Alive", on June 26 via Ferret Music.

"Dead & Alive" was filmed and recorded last year during THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA's hugely successful "Dead Throne Tour: North America" tour. The collection includes performances of songs spanning THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA's career, including "Dead Throne"'s "Born To Lose", "Mammoth" and "Kansas", among others, as well as other notable fan favorites, including "Danger: Wildman", "Assistant To The Regional Manager" and "Outnumbered". "Dead & Alive" also features a wide array of behind-the-scenes footage shot and edited by the band's own Jeremy DePoyster. Highlights include exclusive backstage glimpses of THE DEVIL WEARS PRADA in action from the studio to the stage, unveiling the day-to-day reality of the on the road.

MÖTLEY CRÜE singer Vince Neil was recently interviewed for "The Vegas Issue" of Grammy magazine, discussing his ties to the city. A couple of excerpts follow below

Grammy: How long have you lived in Las Vegas?

Vince: Seventeen years. And it's funny — every time I tell people I live in Vegas, they're surprised. They always think I still live in L.A. They'll ask me, "Do you like it?" Well, yeah I like it — it's why I live there.

Grammy: You are from L.A. What brought you to the land of slot machines and 10-buck prime rib?

Vince: I loved the clubs and the cool people and the weather and the vibe — it's almost like the Wild West.

Grammy: What about the music in Vegas?

Vince: Well, for one thing, it's getting a lot cooler. [In 2012] MÖTLEY CRÜE [became] the first hard rock band to have a residency at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino. Usually when you think of residencies, you think of Elton John or Celine Dion. Not MÖTLEY CRÜE.

Grammy: So overall, Vegas is becoming a more rock and roll city?

Vince: Yeah. I mean, Santana has a residency at the [House of Blues]. It's just started opening up more and more. We've been asked to do another residency next year.

Grammy: Will you do it?

Vince: I'd like to. Every night sold out. We'd have 4,000 people every night. I started asking, "Who's here from out of town?" And 90 percent of the people were. There's just so much stuff to do here if you're a rock fan. There's great shopping, great strip clubs, great restaurants. And the restaurants have gambling

Read the entire interview from Grammy magazine.

"Few Against Many", the new album from Greek melodic metallers FIREWIND — who feature in their ranks current OZZY OSBOURNE guitarist Gus G. — has spent two weeks in the top position on the official chart in the band's home country.

Commented Gus: "This is a historical moment for FIREWIND, as it's our first No. 1 album and a historical moment for the Greek metal scene, as we're the first metal band from this country to achieve this. Our legions of fans have only been growing in our homeland and together we prove that heavy metal music is strong despite mainstream media's ignorance all these years! Many thanks to everyone for supporting us and catapulting 'Few Against Many' to the top!"

He added, "2012 is the 10th year of FIREWIND in discography. To celebrate this, we will end our touring activities this year with some very special and intimate shows in Greece and more specifically with two shows in Athens and two shows in Thessaloniki. We plan to play different setlists each night and perform several songs of ours we've never done live before. Stay tuned as more info on the dates will be revealed soon!"

FIREWIND's new single, "Wall Of Sound", was certified gold in Sweden by the International Federation Of The Phonographic Industry for sales in excess of 10,000 copies.

"Wall Of Sound" was exclusively distributed in Sweden via Sweden Rock Magazine and each copy of the magazine containing the digipak CD — including the album tracks "Wall Of Sound" and "Few Against Many" as well as a previously unreleased demo version of "Wall Of Sound" — was counted towards the certification; the single itself was **not** sold separately.

The members of FIREWIND were presented with "Wall Of Sound" gold plaques by Sweden Rock Magazine correspondent Daniela Pilic on July 18 during their hometown concert in Thessaloniki, Greece.

"Few Against Many" sold around 1,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release. The CD landed at position No. 28 on the Top New Artist Albums (Heatseekers) chart, which lists the best-selling albums by new and developing artists, defined as those who have never appeared in the Top 100 of The Billboard 200.

"Few Against Many" was released in Europe on May 21 via Century Media Records and in North America on May 22 through DisManic, Inc. via eOne Distribution. The CD was mixed by Jason Suecof and Eyal Levi at Audiohammer Studios (TRIVIUM, ALL THAT REMAINS, DEATH ANGEL) in Sanford, Florida.

Produced by Gus, "Few Against Many" was recorded with his longtime bandmates, vocalist Apollo Papathanasio, keyboardist/guitarist Bob Katsionis and bassist Petros Christo, at Valve Studio in Greece as well as the Sweetspot Studios in Sweden and sees the band expanding on its signature melodic sound with some of its most aggressive songs to date. The CD also marks the recording debut of new FIREWIND drummer Johan Nunez (NIGHTRAGE).

"Wall Of Sound" video:

Southern California's IN THIS MOMENT took part in an interview and acoustic performance yesterday (Tuesday, July 31) on K2TV's "Good Morning Wyoming" show. You can now watch video footage of their appearance below.

IN THIS MOMENT's fourth album, "Blood", will be released on August 14 via longtime label Century Media Records. The CD was once again produced by Kevin Churko, who has previously worked with OZZY OSBOURNE and FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH, among others.

IN THIS MOMENT began work on the new album just a few months following the departures of drummer Jeff Fabb and guitarist Blake Bunzel, who left the band late last year in order to join the backing group of "American Idol" finalist James Durbin. Fabb and Bunzel have since been replaced by Tom Hane (THYATEIRA) and Randy Weitzel (FLATLINE, 3/13, AMERICAN MASSACRE), respectively.

"Blood" track listing:

01. Rise With Me
02. Blood
03. Adrenalize
04. Whore
05. You're Gonna Listen
06. It Is Written
07. Burn
08. Scarlet
09. Aries
10. From The Ashes
11. Beast Within
12. Comanche
13. The Blood Legion
14. 11_11

Interview:



Acoustic performance:

Photo credit: Robert John Kley

"Torpedo Of Truth", a brand new demo song from Los Angeles-based traditional metallers WHITE WIZZARD, can be seen streamed below. The track was recorded in early May and it features "beastly rhythm, thunderous melodic bass and some serious shred at a whole new level," says the band. "Anybody that was whining about the lack of more shreddy leads on the 'Flying Tigers' album better get ready to get an injection of some serious shit. A 'Torpedo Of Truth' right up your ass!" the group adds.

WHITE WIZZARD recently confirmed a special show in Tokyo, Japan in support of their latest album, "Flying Tigers".

WHITE WIZZARD's latest album, "Flying Tigers", was released last September via Earache Records. The CD features twelve new tracks and expands on the band's traditional heavy metal blueprint, with songs ranging from fist-pumping NWOBHM-style anthems, through the arena rock power of "Starchild", to a six-track epic concept piece featuring science-fiction and philosophical elements tied together with a progressive vibe.

"Flying Tigers" features the core WHITE WIZZARD lineup of bassist, songwriter and founding member Jon Leon, drummer Giovanni Durst and studio vocalist Wyatt Anderson, who featured on the band's debut album, "Over The Top". The album was once again recorded with producer Ralph Patlan in Phoenix, Arizona.

WHITE WIZZARD recently recruited Jake Dreyer as the band's new second guitarist.