[HeavyMetalHeaven] New Therion cover

Hello MetalHeads, how the f$%¨are you doing? I hope that f*%¨#@# nice!!!

I would like to invite you to see my new video: Son of the Sun, by Therion.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0FieSDi1yHY

Hope that you like!

Daniel

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[HeavyMetalHeaven] Ac/dc Tribute - Feat: Members of Hell City Glamours, Warped, Devilrock 4, Blackl

Saturday Night 3rd October @ Spectrum on Oxford Street

Big BALLS - Bon Scott Tribute Night

We have

Bon Voyage: Featuring members of hell city glamours, blacklevel embassy, devilrock 4, warped and Spod

Hot Cakes - awesome new rock n roll band

Easy Company - great punk rock band

starts at 8pm

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[HeavyMetalHeaven] Re:Greetings Metal Heads

Hello everyone,
Just found the group. Glad to be here. Little background; I co- host a metal internet and radio show in NYC. Would love to have your support, in return I can play requests, send shout outs, and play un signed band music. Thanx for keeping Metal strong!
Rock on!
Mr. G

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[HeavyMetalHeaven] singer wanted

The new MEtal Band GodHammer is in search of a new singer...HElp Wanted!!!!!!Also rythm Guitar needed...check out myspace/GodHammer

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[HeavyMetalHeaven] Deep Purple, Ozzy Osbourne, AC/DC, Aerosmith, Kiss, Guns N Roses, Motorhead, MEgadeth, Exodus, Testament, Kreator, Danzig, Stone Temple Pilots, Hammerfest, Edguy, Fates Warning and tons more

On October 19, Poland's Metal Mind Productions will release the remastered recording of DEEP PURPLE's brilliant show in Katowice, Poland in 1996 as a live album entitled "Live Encounters" (East Europe and Greece only). The band performed all of its greatest hits with the following lineup:

Ian Gillan - Vocals
Roger Glover - Bass
Jon Lord - Keyboards
Steve Morse - Guitar
Ian Paice - Drums

"Live Encounters" will be available in two versions: a standard CD and a CD digipack with a bonus track.

"Live Encounters" track listing:

CD1:

01. Fireball
02. Maybe I'm a Leo
03. Vavoom: Ted the Mechanic
04. Pictures of Home
05. Black Night
06. Cascades: I'm Not Your Lover / Steve Morse Solo
07. Sometimes I Feel Like Screaming
08. Woman from Tokyo
09. No One Came (digipack bonus track)

CD2:

01. Rosa's Cantina
02. Smoke on the Water / Jon Lord Solo
03. When a Blind Man Cries
04. Speed King
05. Perfect Strangers
06. Hey Cisco
07. Highway Star

Ozzy Osbourne's long-awaited memoir will be published in the U.K. on October 1. The book, titled "I Am Ozzy", was originally slated to arrive almost two years ago but was delayed twice.

Ozzy will do a week-long publicity tour in England and Ireland upon the book's publication which will include the following book-signing events:

*** Oct. 02 - HMV 150 Oxford Street, London, U.K. (6:00 - 8:00 p.m.)

*** Oct. 03 - Waterstone's Bluewater, West Village, Greenhithe, Kent, U.K. (1:00 -3.00 p.m.)

*** Oct. 08 - WHS, 29 Union Street, Birmingham, U.K. (4:30 - 6.30 p.m.)

*** Oct. 10 - Eason, 40 Lower O'Connell Street, Dublin, IRE (11:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.)

*** Oct. 10 - Hughes & Hughes, St. Stephen's Green Shopping Centre, St. Stephen's Green, Dublin, IRE (3:00 - 5:00 p.m.)

Due to time constraints, access to the London event is limited. 300 wristbands will be available from the store on the day of the event from 9:00 a.m. on a first-come-first-served basis; one per customer only, no reservations.

"I Am Ozzy, The Autobiography" chronicles the star's humble beginnings in the U.K. to his current position as international music and TV celebrity.

In a statement, he revealed what fans can expect from the bio, explaining: "They've said some crazy things about me over the years. I mean, okay: 'He bit the head off a bat.' Yes. 'He bit the head off a dove.' Yes. But then you hear things like, 'Ozzy went to the show last night, but he wouldn't perform until he'd killed fifteen puppies…' Now me, kill fifteen puppies? I love puppies. I've got eighteen of the fucking things at home. I've killed a few cows in my time, mind you. And the chickens. I shot the chickens in my house that night.

"It haunts me, all this crazy stuff. Every day of my life has been an event. I took lethal combinations of booze and drugs for thirty fucking years. I survived a direct hit by a plane, suicidal overdoses, STDs. I've been accused of attempted murder. Then I almost died while riding over a bump on a quad bike at fucking two miles per hour.

"People ask me how come I'm still alive, and I don't know what to say. When I was growing up, if you'd have put me up against a wall with the other kids from my street and asked me which one of us was gonna make it to the age of 60, which one of us would end up with five kids and four grandkids and houses in Buckinghamshire and Beverly Hills, I wouldn't have put money on me, no fucking way. But here I am: ready to tell my story, in my own words, for the first time.

"A lot of it ain't gonna be pretty. I've done some bad things in my time. I've always been drawn to the dark side, me. But I ain't the devil. I'm just John Osbourne: a working class kid from Aston, who quit his job in the factory and went looking for a good time."

Publisher Antonia Hodgson called the book "fantastic," adding that it was "very much in the tone of his voice, very funny and a very full story."

Ozzy did a cover shoot for the book on June 17.

A U.S. publication date has yet to be announced.

Ozzy's wife and manager, Sharon Osbourne, published her own best-selling memoir in 2005, called "Extreme: My Autobiography". A second volume was rushed out in 2008 after Ozzy's book was delayed.

A documentary about Ozzy's life and career, called "Wreckage Of My Past", is due out in early 2010.

Newly sober, Ozzy has finally reached a point of clarity as he looks back on a lifetime of unresolved issues, unparalleled success, misdiagnosed diseases, severed ties, and a recurring dependency on drugs and alcohol. Due in theaters early 2010, this is a film about reconciling the past and looking toward the future.

Directed by Mike Piscitelli and written and produced by Jordan Tappis, "Wreckage Of My Past" will be the first release from Jacko Productions, a company started by Ozzy's son Jack.
Jack Osbourne is executive-producing "Wreckage Of My Past" along with his mother, Sharon Osbourne, Ozzy's longtime manager.

Jack and Sharon are financing the film themselves.

"Wreckage Of My Past" features interviews with all the principal members of BLACK SABBATH, the various incarnations of Ozzy's solo band, family and friends. But the trick, Jack says, is getting them to be truthful. "The hard thing is getting people to be honest and not have it be a fluff piece, because that's not what we're trying to do," he told RollingStone.com. "I'm trying to paint a realistic picture of who my father is. I think 'The Osbournes', to a degree, tarnished the public's perception of my dad as a bit of a senile, funny, bumbling guy. Yeah, my dad can be that guy, but it's not him. I think that almost discredited who he is as an artist. My dad's not an idiot — he's nothing short of a genius, in my opinion. He does have huge flaws, and we're trying to really paint an honest picture of that."

According to Variety, Jack Osbourne has filmed several of his father's concerts, is compiling early archive footage, and working on an interview with Ozzy's first wife. He'll put the footage together with Piscitelli and Tappis before talking to distributors.

"I want people to see John Osbourne as the guy I grew up with, the tormented, complex musician whose personal demons manifest themselves in so many crazy, unique ways," Osbourne said. "He's agreed to it but is putting up his guard, massively afraid of putting his true self out there on display for people to see."

A trailer for "Wreckage Of My Past" can be viewed below.

Ozzy is working on a new album that he expects to release next year.

LEGENDARY rockers AC/DC will play their Black Ice tour concerts at Etihad Stadium in February after the date was previously thrown into doubt because of AFL objections.
The recent signing of a new contract between the league and the stadium has allowed AC/DC to go ahead with the three Melbourne shows on February 11, 13 and 15.
The AFL had previously objected saying those dates would clash with a possible pre-season NAB Cup match.
The league and the stadium announced their new deal today, worth an extra $5.5 million to AFL clubs over a 15-year period.
The deal raised the minimum number of matches to be played at the venue but also gives the stadium's operators greater flexibility to stage non-football events, such as concerts like AC/DC.
The Aussie rockers have sold 180,000 tickets for their Melbourne shows.

StarBulletin.com reports that AEROSMITH will finally make good on playing two concerts in Hawaii next month, after cancelling a Maui concert two years ago that resulted in a class action lawsuit, then recently cancelling the remainder of their recent tour due to injuries to lead singer Steven Tyler.

Promoter Tom Moffatt announced late Monday afternoon (September 21) that the classic rock band will be performing Sunday, October 18 at the Blaisdell Arena and Tuesday, October 20 at the Maui War Memorial Stadium.

Tickets for the Honolulu show — ranging from $75, $95 and $195 — will go on sale Saturday starting at 9 a.m. at the Blaisdell Center box office, Ticketmaster outlets at all Macy's locations, charge-by-phone at (800) 745-3000, or online at Ticketmaster.com.

According to The National, AEROSMITH will perform in Abu Dhabi, capital of the United Arab Emirates, as part of the Formula One racing weekend. The band will play the grand finale for the Grand Prix event, following Formula One's first day/night race on November 1.

StarBulletin.com reported on Monday (September 21) that AEROSMITH will finally make good on playing two concerts in Hawaii next month, after cancelling a Maui concert two years ago that resulted in a class action lawsuit, then recently cancelling the remainder of their recent tour due to injuries to lead singer Steven Tyler.

Promoter Tom Moffatt announced late Monday afternoon that the classic rock band will be performing Sunday, October 18 at the Blaisdell Arena and Tuesday, October 20 at the Maui War Memorial Stadium.

Tickets for the Honolulu show — ranging from $75, $95 and $195 — will go on sale Saturday starting at 9 a.m. at the Blaisdell Center box office, Ticketmaster outlets at all Macy's locations, charge-by-phone at (800) 745-3000, or online at Ticketmaster.com.

According to The New York Times, KISS is among a dozen finalists for induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame . After being snubbed for years — the band has been eligible for the honor since 1999 — KISS has finally been nominated, along with ABBA, DONNA SUMMER, GENESIS, THE STOOGES, THE HOLLIES and, in the first year in which they qualify, LL COOL J and the RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS, the organization has announced. JIMMY CLIFF, DARLENE LOVE, LAURA NYRO and THE CHANTELS are also on the ballot, and votes will be cast by a group of more than 500 musicians and industry professionals; of the 12 nominees, the five that get the most votes will be announced in January and inducted into the Hall of Fame at its 25th annual ceremony on March 15 at the Waldorf-Astoria in Manhattan.

The Foundation determines which members of a band are inducted into the Hall, and the ballot lists the four founding members of KISS, including Ace Frehley and Peter Criss.

According to Billboard.com, KISS guitarist/vocalist Paul Stanley recently noted that a Rock Hall induction would cause he and his longtime KISS partner Gene Simmons to consider which of the group's members they'd like to have enter with them.

"There's been a lot of people who've been a part of this, some longer than others..and some who deserve recognition more than others," Stanley explained. "Even the non-makeup years produced some platinum and double-platinum albums, and we had some very healthy sales in terms of albums and concerts through the '80s and '90s. So if we should ever be asked to accept induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, it would be something to think about."

Acts become eligible 25 years after the release of their first record.

During a keynote address at the Billboard Touring Conference in November 2008, Simmons expressed his discontent with the fact that the band, which he co-founded in 1972, had not yet been inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. "A lot of those guys on the board can go and get my sandwich when I want, and I mean that in the nicest way," he said. "There are disco bands, rap bands, Yiddish folk song bands in the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, but not KISS. I believe we have more gold records in America than any other group, but it's OK."

Speaking to The Baltimore Sun in 2006, Stanley echoed Simmons' sentiments, stating, "Honestly, the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame is a joke, and it always has been. I think they should be ashamed and embarrassed by some of the people that they've inducted. It's a popularity contest for a small group of judges or whatever they want to call themselves. They induct bands that they like that have sold less albums in their careers than I've sold in a week, and that have influenced a handful compared to what KISS has done. KISS is a virus that has infected music from rock to country and back. So if they choose not to induct us, I'm not sure it's a club I want to be a member of."

Hector Saldaña of San Antonio Express-News recently conducted an interview with former VAN HALEN and current CHICKENFOOT bassist Michael Anthony. A few excerpts from the chat follow below.

On touring with CHICKENFOOT:

"It's been a fun party on the road and off the road. We're having a great time and it's because this thing all grew out of friendship. It just makes it that much more enjoyable."

"(Playing) in-between Chad [Smith, drums] and Joe [Satriani, bass], my jaw's on the ground every day, and of course, Sammy. He's gonna be 62 and the guy can still wail."

On whether he's really doing all those tequila and Jack Daniel's shots onstage:

"Oh, yeah. This isn't Vince Neil here. There's guys that say, 'Oh, that's iced tea.' I'm actually a 'Tennessee Squire' and own a chunk of land in Jack Daniel's (country). A Tennessee Squire is an elite group of people. They catch me putting iced tea in my Jack Daniel's bottle, that's it."

On Hagar (a tequila man) and Anthony getting into drinking contests onstage:

"Which was pretty whacked out for my liver, man. I drink Jack Daniel's. I drink tequila. But you do it in moderation. I'm trying to grow old gracefully. I've got to at least grow old."

On last year's VAN HALEN reunion tour, which saw Wolfgang Van Halen playing bass:

"I caught a little of it on YouTube and word of mouth. I found out they were doing that reunion like everybody else did. Eddie (Van Halen) would go, 'Oh, he's playing with Sammy now.' My phone's always here. I jammed with Sammy because I wasn't asked to do the reunion."

On how it got to that point:

"Why does a marriage get to a point? How come Jon and Kate plus eight? How come they're all (expletive)? After a while, it's a big corporate business.

"It's weird because it almost takes something like CHICKENFOOT to make me realize why I was playing music in the first place. And that's to have fun."

On whether there has ever been a sit-down with Eddie Van Halen :

"Unfortunately, with someone like him, you can't because he always has to have the last word."

On the fact that only he and Hagar showed up when VAN HALEN was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame :

"That was weird. You can't put your crap aside even for one evening? At this point in my career and my life, I want to have fun. I'm not 20 years old anymore. If I was still in my 20s, I'd say, 'Bring the fight on.' But I want to hang out with people that are positive and upbeat. Sammy? You don't get much more positive than this guy."

VELVET REVOLVER/ex-GUNS N' ROSES guitarist Slash is recording a song tonight (Tuesday, September 22) with Dave Grohl (FOO FIGHTERS, NIRVANA, THEM CROOKED VULTURES) and Duff McKagan (VELVET REVOLVER, GUNS N' ROSES) for inclusion on Slash's forthcoming solo album, tentatively due in early 2010. The axeman states, "It promises to be killer."

Slash tracked most of the CD with former NINE INCH NAILS drummer Josh Freese and ex-JANE'S ADDICTION bassist Chris Chaney. Confirmed guest singers so far include Ozzy Osbourne and AVENGED SEVENFOLD's M. Shadows. The CD was produced by Eric Valentine (GOOD CHARLOTTE, QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE) and features additional appearances by ex-GUNS N' ROSES drummer Steven Adler and RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS bassist Flea. Freese told MusicRadar.com that Iggy Pop, Fergie (a.k.a. Stacy Ann Ferguson) of the BLACK EYED PEAS and Chris Cornell (SOUNDGARDEN, AUDIOSLAVE) will also appear on the LP. Working songtitles include "We're All Gonna Die", "These Last Words", "Crucify The Dead" and "Beautiful, Dangerous".

Slash left GUNS N' ROSES in the mid-'90s, forming SLASH'S SNAKEPIT before later assembling VELVET REVOLVER with several other ex-members of GUNS N' ROSES and STONE TEMPLE PILOTS singer Scott Weiland (who was dismissed in April 2008).

Matt Sorum says drumming in Motörhead is "one of the most challenging things I've ever done" – and that includes working for Axl Rose!

Cult/Guns N' Roses/Velvet Revolver drummer Sorum stepped into the breach to help out on Motörhead's current US tour after it was discovered that the band's Swedish drummer, Mikkey Dee, was committed to take part in his country's version of TV's I'm A Celebrity… Get Me Out Of Here!
Speaking exclusively to Classic Rock after a recent Motörhead show in Austin, Texas, Sorum said:
"I was absolutely blown away and was very honoured to get the call. I got a text from [Motörhead bassist/vocalist] Lemmy and called him back right away and said: 'Why are you calling me?' [laughs]. I was at home by the pool, rubbing lotion on my lovely girlfriend, and now here I am. I manned up!"
"Matt was right up for it immediately," Lemmy told us. "That's really rare, a lot of guys wouldn't do it on short notice."
"It's been one of the most challenging things I've ever done," added Sorum. "It's the best tour I've ever done: I've lost a few pounds and got about 25 blisters, which is great!"
When did Matt first meet Lemmy?
"I first met Lemmy at the Ritz club, 1988 or 1989. I remember going up to him and saying: 'Hi, my name's Matt and I'm from The Cult.' Lemmy replied: 'You're blocking my view, I'm checking out that bird up there. You're in The Cult? Oh, I'm sorry…' [laughs]."
Lemmy: "Oh, you meant that Cult? I thought you ment The Friends Of Moonie Jesus Cult."
When Mikkey returns, is there any chance of incorporating the reality-show jungle theme into the stage show? Maybe a rainforest drum cage?
"I'm not swinging from ropes for anybody!" Lemmy exclaimed. "He might not make it out there; he might break some limbs or something. Fucking dangerous shit, there.
"But they never get Mikkey doing the dangerous ones. The other night they had this glass coffin and they locked this bird in it and they added snakes and bugs and shit. Then they started filling it up with water. In the end they were all crawling on her head. That's what I want to see Mikkey do."
Lemmy: The Movie is on the horizon. What was it like having a camera crew following you?
"They followed me for two years," Lemmy shrugged. "Sometimes it's a drag but mostly it's okay. Because they are doing it for me you don't want to bitch too much. It might end up to be something not for you. They might make a movie about Matt instead [laughs]."
Did Mikkey give Matt any advice for surviving on the road with Motörhead?
"No, he's a dickhead like that," said Lemmy, "he wouldn't tell Matt anything!"
"He took his fog machine with him, which really pissed me off!" revealed Sorum. "He said he's got one thing to take in the jungle so I think he took his fog machine [laughs]."
Lemmy: "No, it was his hair-curling tongs. Or maybe his hairbrush."
DFR, the band featuring Dizzy Reed and Richard Fortus (GUNS N' ROSES), Mike Duda and Mike Dupke (W.A.S.P.) and Todd Youth (DANZIG, D-GENERATION, THE CHELSEA SMILES), will perform this Saturday, September 26 at The Knitting Factory in Hollywood, California. Doors open at 6:30 p.m. Ages are 15 and up. Tickets are $18.00 in advance. Tickets will be $22.00 at the door. Also appearing on the bill is VAINS OF JENNA.

For more information, visit www.ClubVodka.com.
Former MÖTLEY CRÜE lead singer John Corabi has been forced to cancel his previously announced October 2 headlining appearance at a benefit concert for a Burlington, Iowa girl with cerebral palsy. His webmaster has issued the following statement on the matter:

"John would like to send an apology out to fans and those organizing the benefit show in Iowa. Due to a pre-existing date conflict, he will not be able to appear at the show. Rescheduling inquiries have been made, and we are waiting to see what can be worked out. These events are very close to John's heart, and he is upset that he cannot be there. Hopefully something will be worked out for a later date."

Organizers were hoping to raise $8,100 for an overhead track system in the Mark and Kim Edwards home.

The track was supposed to relieve the burden of having to physically lift the Edwards' 14-year-old daughter, Brooke, to place her in a wheelchair, so she can move her about the house.

Germany's Bonedo web site recently conducted an interview with MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine. The entire chat can be viewed at this location. It is also available below. A couple of excerpts from the interview follow (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET).

On how MEGADETH's sound has evolved over the years:

Mustaine: "We were trying to go back to our roots after Marty [Friedman; guitar] left. And it was a lot easier because you had one guitar player you were making happy, and that's me. And when Marty left, we had a guy named Al Pitrelli come in, and he was no replacement for Marty. But Chris [Broderick, current MEGADETH guitarist] is quite the replacement; Chris is probably twice the guitar player that Marty is.

"I like Marty; he's a good kid. He's a little strange, but he was a good guy. He helped me get to where I'm at, to a degree, and I wish him well."

On MEGADETH's new album, "Endgame":

Mustaine: "We are doing basically what we wanna do right now. I think the record is exactly what my career needed at this point. I think it's exactly what the music industry needs for a shot in the arm again.

"The heavy metal community's got so many talented people, and we needed someone like me or any of the other three of the 'Big Four' [of '80s thrash metal; a list that also includes METALLICA, SLAYER and ANTHRAX] to get out there and make a record like this. So I did my share. [laughs]"

On his guitar playing:

Mustaine: "I play a lot in the pentatonic scale, but I play a lot in minor scales, too. Some people will say that that's where my limitation is, and you know...

"I'm a very highly rated guitar player. Right now, there's a lot of charts out that are rating all the guitar players in heavy metal. I'm Number One for a reason. And if you read the latest book from Joel McIver ['The 100 Greatest Metal Guitarists'], I'm Number One in that book, too. Look at all the descriptions about it; it talks about everything that I do with a guitar.

"Now I don't have any one thing that I do too much, and I try and do a little bit of everything with the guitar, and I think that that's what secured that position for me.

"There's a lot more guitar players that are better than me — I know that — but as far as what the charts say right now, there's not."

On how drummer Shawn Drover came to join MEGADETH:

Mustaine: "Shawn Drover got into the band in a very peculiar way.

"I had asked Nick Menza [former MEGADETH drummer] to come back to MEGADETH [in 2004], and he'd come out and we were playing, and he kept disappearing. And it was really weird, because he would leave, he would go to the store, and sometimes he'd come right back, sometimes he would never come back. And his drum tech disappeared one day. So we said, 'The guy's gone. We've gotta get you another drum tech.' So Glen [Drover, then-MEGADETH guitarist] says, 'My brother's a drum tech.' So we call up Shawn. Nick's laying on the couch in the office at the studio [while we were calling Shawn on the phone]. And Glen goes, 'Hey, Shawn, it's Glen.' [Shawn] goes, 'Hey, Glen, it's Shawn.' [Glen goes] 'Here's Dave.' [I go] 'Hi, Shawn, it's Dave.' [Shawn goes] 'Hey, Dave, it's Shawn.' [I go] 'Here's Nick.' [And Nick says] 'I don't even wanna fucking know you.' And we were like, 'What did he just say?' He said, 'I don't even wanna fucking know you' to Shawn Drover while his
brother was standing right there. And [Glen] looked at me like Nick just clogged the toilet. And I went outside with [Glen] and [Glen] goes, 'I can't play with this guy.' And I said, 'I know. I fired him once already too. Don't worry, I'll fire him again.' And I fired [Nick]. He got sent home. His girlfriend tried to mount some huge campaign to smear us, but that doesn't work; the truth came out. And Shawn came out, 'cause Glen said he could play the songs. I said, 'OK, what have we got to lose?' And he came out and in four days, he had the whole set down, the fifth day we drove to Reno, the sixth day he was playing with MEGADETH, and the rest is history."

On MEGADETH's songwriting process:

Mustaine: "When you write songs, for some people there's two parts: there's the music and the lyrics. For other people, it's the music and the melody and the lyrics. And that's the difference between bands that are really simple bands and bands that are really complicated. One of the things that is a huge bone of contention is lyrics.

"We had a song called 'Reckoning Day' [on 1994's 'Youthanasia']; I wrote the entire song, and David Ellefson [former MEGADETH bassist], Junior, had said, 'Hey, why don't we call that song 'Reckoning Day'?' So, because of the way he is, I know if I would have said, 'I was gonna call it 'Reckoning Day',' he would have said, 'Well, I said it first'; this kind of childish crap. So I just said, 'Alright, whatever.' So I surrendered and let him call the song 'Reckoning Day'. The same thing he did to Nick Menza's song. Nick wrote the lyrics to 'Countdown to Extinction' [the title track of MEGADETH's 1992 album], I put them all in order, and Junior goes, 'Hey, let's call it 'Countdown to Extinction'.' 'Cause he started to develop this real uncanny knack for being like a vulture around us while we were songwriting. And he got credit for coming up with the title for 'Countdown to Extinction' too. And in print it looks like he did something. The truth is he was
digging through our lyrics and basically took the title out of our words. That's not cool. But you know what?! That's why he's in the little baby bands that he's in right now. He'll probably never be back in the level that he was."

On his current relationship with David Ellefson:

Mustaine: "I forgave him, but I have zero interest in ever seeing him again. He sued me; don't forget that. He tried to destroy MEGADETH. So as far as I'm concerned, as far as the fans are concerned, he should be persona non grata."

San Francisco Bay Area thrash metal veterans EXODUS have just completed a short tour of Japan as part of the "Thrash Domination 09" package with TESTAMENT, KREATOR and HEATHEN. EXODUS' frontman, Rob Dukes, has checked with the following update:

"Back again in Japan and having a blast.

"Watching Lee [Altus, EXODUS/HEATHEN guitarist] play with HEATHEN was awesome; those guys are great and their new record is fucking killer. It's one the best albums I have heard this year.

"KREATOR were killer, as usual. [I] always like hanging with those guys. I'm looking forward to our South American tour together next week.

"It was my first time playing with TESTAMENT and it was fun watching those guys, and they are all cool to hang with.

"Japan is one those exotic places that I love going to. The culture is amazing and everyone is so polite and very professional. The crowds are great; they hang on every word that you say and are very quiet between songs . They almost never have mosh pits, but for EXODUS they went absolutely nuts. The crowd was so nuts they tore out the metal barriers so they could make the pit bigger. They politely handed them to security but they tore them out nonetheless. It was awesome.

"After the show, I asked the promoter if that has ever happened before, and he said never, not for any band.

"The food is amazing in Japan. I had some of the best sushi I have ever had and Gary [Holt, EXODUS guitarist], myself and Big E, our lighting guy, ate crickets that I found in an outdoor market. They are crickets covered in a sugar coating. It was OK. It was teriyaki beef jerky with legs and a head.

"Having the legs in your teeth is a weird feeling, but we ate crickets.

"You only live once.

"We landed in Taiwan late last night and have a day off to travel around and do some sightseeing..."

DANZIG will perform at the Starland Ballroom in Sayreville, New Jersey on December 26. Tickets go on sale on Friday, September 25.

DANZIG's only other concert for the rest of 2009 will take place on November 8 at the Fun Fun Fun Fest at Waterloo Park in Austin, Texas. Other acts scheduled to appear at the two-day event include COALESCE, D.R.I., TORCHE and GORILLA BISCUITS.

STONE TEMPLE PILOTS has scheduled the following dates:

Oct. 02 - Mobile, AL - Bayfest
Oct. 03 - St. Augustine, FL - St. Augustine Amphitheatre
Oct. 04 - Orlando, FL - Hard Rock Live
Oct. 06 - Myrtle Beach, SC - House of Blues
Oct. 07 - Greensboro, NC - Memorial Auditorium
Oct. 09 - Portsmouth, VA - nTelos Wireless Pavilion
Oct. 10 - Reading, PA - Reading Eagle Theater
Oct. 11 - Columbus, OH - LC Ampitheatre
Oct. 13 - Denver, CO - Fillmore Auditorium
Oct. 15 - Fresno, CA - Fresno Fair
Oct. 18 - Phoenix, AZ - Veterans Memorial Coliseum
Oct. 20 - Oakland, CA - Fox Theatre
Oct. 22 - San Manuel, CA - San Manuel Bingo & Casino Hall
Oct. 23 - Primm, NV - Star of the Desert
Oct. 25 - Concho, OK - Lucky Star Casino
Nov. 07 - Victoria, BC - Save on Foods Memorial Centre
Nov. 09 - Kelowna, BC - Prospera Place
Nov. 11 - Edmonton, AB - Shaw Conference Centre
Nov. 14 - Regina, SK - Brandy Centre - Evraz Place
Nov. 15 - Winnipeg, MB - MTS Centre
Nov. 19 - London, ON - Labatt Centre
Nov. 21 - Kingston, ON - K-Rock Centre
Dec. 29 - Biloxi, MS - Hard Rock Live
Jan. 01 - Thackerville, OK - WinStar Casino

STONE TEMPLE PILOTS has spent the last few months working on a new studio album with producer Don Was. According to singer Scott Weiland , the CD should be ready for release sometime in early 2010.

The upcoming release of PILOTS' sixth studio album and first since 2001's "Shangri-La-Dee-Da" has been complicated by a contractual dispute between Weiland, drummer Eric Kretz and STP's label, Atlantic Records .

STONE TEMPLE PILOTS were reactivated in 2008 after a six-year layoff, during which time Weiland recorded two albums with VELVET REVOLVER before being dismissed in April 2008.

Weiland issued a second solo effort, called "Happy In Galoshes", last November and has been touring on his own behind that release.

ICED EARTH, DEVILDRIVER, SKINDRED, ATTICA RAGE and PANIC CELL have been confirmed for next year's Hammerfest II festival, set to take place March 11-13, 2010 at Pontins, Prestatyn Sands, North Wales, United Kingdom.

The original Hammerfest brought together some of the biggest names in metal for a truly memorable weekend at Pontins, Prestatyn Sands, North Wales. Headliners OPETH, SEPULTURA and SAXON were joined by the likes of HAMMERFALL, PARADISE LOST, SKINDRED, CATHEDRAL, ARCHITECTS and many more…

In addition to the usual Friday and Saturday night lineup, Hammerfest II will also feature an extra night's entertainment on Thursday, March 11. This comes included in VIP packages or can be purchased separately with Gold or Silver packages.

Hammerfest II is put together by Hard Rock Hell (the people behind the hugely successful Hard Rock Hell in 2007, Hard Rock Hell II in 2008 and forthcoming Hard Rock Hell III in December 2009) and the legendary Metal Hammer magazine.

Hammerfest II will be an event not to be missed. The festival will include a bumper lineup of established metal and rock acts — with celebrated veterans rubbing shoulders with the metal scenesters of today — alongside the future of metal's upcoming talent, as championed by Metal Hammer.

Hammerfest II is open to anyone aged 16 and over.

For further information and ticket sales, visit www.hammerfest.co.uk.

Direct Metal Music recently conducted an interview with guitarist Jens Ludwig of the German melodic metal band EDGUY. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

Direct Metal Music: You guys have been playing together for seventeen years now, and have put out fourteen records, which is basically an album a year are most of your career. How do you guys keep up with yourselves and stay motivated to keep on putting out new records?

Jens Ludwig: I don't know, we just enjoy it, you know? We don't do this because we have to do it, and you can't compare it with a regular job, you know, like something you would have to do,. It's just that we're really enjoy it, you know, and we're really look forward to all the aspects of what we do, like going to the rehearsal rooms and recording songs that will be on another album, or be it going on tour again. These are all the things that we really enjoy and we want to do. So, really, none of us consider it work, it's just entertainment to us and something that we really like to do. We never have to force ourselves to do anything, cutting another record, doing another tour, it's just what we want to do. The good thing about it is that we're all fairly young, I mean we're not that old (laughs), and we still have a lot of creative potential. You know all these years have proved us as songwriters, as musicians, and hopefully as human beings as well!
The whole band is living a dream come true, and this is true for all of us, so nobody has to force us to do anything. This is why we can keep up and continue to release good albums, and how we can keep up playing the shows, it is because we love what we are doing.

Direct Metal Music: It also says to me that you guys must be really close friends. Is that correct?

Jens Ludwig: Yes, and actually we've known each other for so many years that we probably know some things about each other that we honestly don't want to know! We have really grown together in the last few years. I can still remember our first European tour that we did. We didn't have any crew, we were just traveling by a caravan, driving ourselves from show to show, and being stuck together that little space [presumably the van] for six weeks really kept us together after surviving that. Everything after that has been luxury! So we really came up the hard way, and nowadays things are much easier for us! But all of these experiences and things we have gone through together have made us stronger and closer together.

Direct Metal Music: Shifting gears back to the last album, "Tinnitus Sanctus", it just seems like this album was put together in a different way, is that true and if so what was different about the way you put this album together?

Jens Ludwig: It was actually written in the same way we always write all of our albums, Tobi [singer Tobias Sammet] comes up with the main ideas, and then we work on the songs in the rehearsal space. But at some point I agree with you, because the "Rocket Ride" album, for example, was the first album that we worked with an external producer ever. On the previous ones, we also had songs that way into different directions but since we didn't have any producer and since the mix has been done in the same studios, at the end everything sounded all very similar. It all had the same sound, you know? Since Sascha (Paeth) is doing the production, we've tried to get every song what it needs. If it's a song that need some more hard rock direction, then we'll give it a whole or more hard rock sound. If it's a heavier track like "Sacrifice", for example, it's gonna get a different sound than some other song, and that's how it seems we have more diversity concerning
the songs on "Rocket Ride" than we had on the previous albums. It's just a matter of giving the songs the right sounds. But I personally feel that "Rocket Ride" was maybe a bit too ambitious, and that maybe we were moving it in too many different directions, even though it revealed a lot of fun experiments like adding reggae in there. But in the end, I can understand why people might think that it's going into too many directions. I think with "Tinnitus", we have the same diversity, and we still have different types of songs going in many different directions, but the whole album sounds like more of a unit than "Rocket Ride", and that's what I'm really proud of.

Direct Metal Music: How do you guys maintain your sense of humor, especially how dark and mystical metal is becoming recent years.

Jens Ludwig: It's a combination, I think, of a lot of things, but one thing that we talked about earlier that we're really enjoying what we're doing, and actually we've never tried to be something that we're not. If you see us acting a certain way onstage, making jokes and what-not, it's the same way we'd act backstage afterwards and when having a beer with you, you know? We don't try to be somebody else, we're just ourselves, and that has a lot to do with the personality of the band. There's definitely no reason why we should have any negativity onstage or in our music. Right now there's a lot of negativity going on in the world, and I think when people go to a concert, you shouldn't tell them how shitty that life in general is. You know what I mean? When they go the show, they should be able to just forget everything and have fun for two and a half hours. And the same is with us, as many problems as all of us might have, of course everyone has
problems, you know when we're on stage and we are performing, we forget about everything else and we just try to have a good time. There are plenty of people out there who will tell everyone about how shitty life is, but we don't see it that way, we just want to show people that there are still a lot of things that you can enjoy in your life.

The Art of Prog recently conducted an interview with singer Ray Alder of progressive metal legends FATES WARNING. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

The Art of Prog: What's the latest with FATES WARNING? I know you guys are playing ProgPower [festival in early September] and I hear from Glenn Harveston [ProgPower organizer] it's the only gig you're playing this year. But what's going on with the band? Are you guys going to do anything more?

Ray: Yeah, well right now we're in the middle of writing another record, which has been a loooong time coming, obviously. . . But the things that we do in our off time, our little other projects, other bands and things. They tend to get away from us, you know? Time just goes by so quickly, before you realize it. I was working in REDEMPTION, Jim [Mateos, guitar] was writing and recording OSI, and it takes time to get back together and do something. You know? But OSI's done now, and the focus is doing the [next FATES] record, and not really going on the road. We haven't had a record in so long, it doesn't make sense for us to really tour, you know? It's kind of like punk bands. Punk bands can just tour all the time, you know.

The Art of Prog: [laughs] So you're gonna be like THE BEATLES now, huh? You're going to put out albums with no tours anymore. [laughs]

Ray: Well, me and Jim actually had a big sitdown, over the phone, of course. But we were talking about our careers. We've been doing this for so many years. [We were] wondering whether or not it was time to throw in the towel. We had a good run. We had a good time and made a lot of fans and did some good music. But we just decided this is not the time for us to go quietly into the night. We're gonna make another record and see what happens. So we actually signed to a different label, the first time we're going to release a record that's not on Metal Blade. We signed with InsideOut [Music] in Europe.

The Art of Prog: When FATES started you started off with a sort of John Arch sound, with the really operatic, high vocals. As FATES progressed that quieted down. The music got less dynamic and flamboyant. And your voice mellowed a bit. Was that a conscious decision? Or was it just you guys getting older and you wanted to do something different?

Ray: I'm sure it had a bit to do with both. I mean, obviously, my voice isn't what it used to be. But, again, it was the style at the time to sing really, really high. As I got older, I realized I can do different things with my voice. You can actually emote more if you're not screaming. . . So you know, again, I'd only been singing for a few years when I joined the band. So I started finding myself, I think around "Parallels" time is when I really started figuring out what sounded good to me. And yeah, I was an adult, I'm not 20, I'm not saying anything about anybody else, because that's fine, whatever they want to do, because I did it. I'm saying personally, I just didn't like the high screaming any more, you know? It just sounded better singing. And somehow, my band mates agree. They said, "You know what? Yeah, let's not sing high anymore." "OK."

Las Vegas, Nevada's SIN CITY SINNERS — which consists of Brent Muscat (formerly of FASTER PUSSYCAT), Todd Kerns (AGE OF ELECTRIC), Mike Eliis, and Rob Cournoyer (RAGING SLAB) — is best known for having a special celebrity guest jam with the band each week.

The following guest musicians will perform with the group during the coming weeks:

* Kip Winger (WINGER)
* Vinny Appice (BLACK SABBATH , DIO, HEAVEN & HELL)
* Pete Loran (TRIXTER)
* A.J. Pero (TWISTED SISTER )
* Sylvain Sylvain (NEW YORK DOLLS)
* Bobbie Brown (WARRANT "Cherry Pie" girl)
* Sunny Leone (adult film star and former Penthouse "Pet Of The Year")
* Ted Poley (DANGER DANGER)
* Erik Turner (WARRANT)

SIN CITY SINNERS has been taking Las Vegas by storm in 2009. They were voted "Best Local Band," second only to THE KILLERS in the Las Vegas Review-Journal's "Best Of Vegas" readers' poll.

Although the band is known primarily for its sets of cover songs, SIN CITY SINNERS has announced plans to release a CD of original songs in December, titled "Exile on Fremont St.".

For more information, visit www.myspace.com/scsinners.

Marilyn Manson has revealed his MySpace blog that he has contracted the H1N1 virus (commonly known as swine flu).

"So I have officially been diagnosed, by a real doctor, with THE SWINE FLU," wrote the shock rocker this past Monday (September 21). He then used the opportunity to make a dig at his ex-girlfriends.

"I know everyone will suggest that fucking a pig is how this disease was obtained," he continued. "However, the doctor said, my past choices in women have in no way contributed to me acquiring this mysterious sickness."

As of September, 1 million likely H1N1 infections were reported in the United States, according to the Sioux City Journal. Of those cases, 9,079 resulted in hospitalization and 593 in death.

Those who are not vaccinated have a 30 percent to 70 percent likelihood of contracting H1N1. Dr. Gregory Poland, professor of medicine and infectious diseases at the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine in Rochester, Minnesota, said 25 of every 100,000 people risk hospitalization and one of every 3,000 to 10,000 people who are infected risk death.

U.K. flamenco sleaze rockers GYPSY PISTOLEROS have inked a deal with Chavis Records for the U.S. release of the band's new album, "Welcome To The Hotel De La Muerte". Tentatively due on November 30, the CD will feature a total of 18 tracks: five new cuts plus 13 songs from "Para Siempre", remixed and remastered at Alpine Sound.

Lead singer Lee Pistolero states, "We are thrilled to sign with Chavis Records, one of the only record labels in the U.S that still has a real passion and drive for pushing real rock music in the States! It was a massive decision for us and we can't wait for our first U.S release."

"Welcome To The Hotel De La Muerte" will be released in Europe as a five-song EP on October 12 via Bad Reputation Records. The bulk of the recording sessions was completed at Robannas Studio in Birmingham with Miguel Seco while the main vocals and lead guitar were tracked at Mighty Atom Studio in Wales with producer Joe Gibb (JANE'S ADDICTION, CATATONIA, LEFTFIELD, THE KINKS, THE CURE, FUNERAL FOR A FRIEND). The cover artwork (see below) was created by Jo Burgon.

"Welcome To The Hotel De La Muerte" (European version) track listing:

01. Living Down With The Gypsies
02. Walk Through The Shadows
03. Sangre De Las Rosas
04. Welcome To The Hotel De La Muerte
05. Son Illusiones

Chad Bowar of About.com recently conducted an interview with SHADOWS FALL frontman Brian Fair. A few excerpts from the chat follow below.

About.com: What led you to release "Retribution" on your own label?

Brian Fair: A lot of things led that way. It began with us coming through every cycle of the music industry since our beginning. We self-released our first album, then we spent years at Century Media, which was a great independent label that was growing at the time. Then we had the major label experience with Atlantic. So we've pieced together through all our experiences how we want to do everything. Having the leverage of being a band for ten years with a decent track record and a good following, we were able to work the dream deal. We just found a distributor that had the major label strength to put the record in stores. Then we hired Ferret Records to do the promotions. But at the end of the day we had the final say and input on every decision made, from little things to big things. It's really to us how we've always wanted to work it. Also, at a time when record sales are diminishing and labels may be losing some of that traditional power they had,
it's easier for us to stay focused on having a peer to peer style in our approach, where we're reaching out to OUR fans, not trying to blanket things we know are unnecessary. And we are changing the business model of how we get paid and keeping ownership of the record and publishing so it's in our hands as opposed to being owned by a label.

About.com: Is this the first album where you'll own the masters?

Brian Fair: All of our deals had a clause where we do own the masters at some point in the future, but this is the first time where out of the gates it's our record. That's opposed to the traditional trickle down of royalties, where everything gets recouped, everyone else gets paid, and the fractions of cents left are sent to the band. We flipped that upside down since we are officially the label. Like any business, the labels have a bottom line and are trying to make a profit. Now us making a profit only benefits the band. None of those decisions will be in lieu of our career. That's a nice feeling. Of course, a label will always tell you they are doing things in your best interest, but now we actually know.

About.com: "Retribution" isn't a dramatic departure sound-wise for SHADOWS FALL, but it does seem a little more intense than the last album.

Brian Fair: It's more aggressive, maybe a little more immediate. The songs come right out of the gates and are unrelenting, where with "Threads Of Life" we had just come off tour with bands like IRON MAIDEN and JUDAS PRIEST and were in that very grandiose, big-hook songwriting stage, which was awesome. I think we're in more of a thrash metal, technical style. I think a lot of that had to do with us writing the songs in the practice space all together at full volume. It wasn't like we were sending audio files back and forth and messing around on computers and listening to each other's ideas. We were jamming them out, which probably added more energy out of the gate.

About.com: You went back to using Zeuss as your producer for this CD. What do you like about his producing style?

Brian Fair: Zeuss knows us and the bedrock of our sound better than anyone. He's been there since our earliest of days. Even though he didn't produce the last record he mixed it, so he was still involved in the process. He gets amazing guitar tones, great drum sounds, really knows how to get us to play our best because he knows everyone's skill level so well and knows what you can do and won't settle for any less than that. This is also the first record where we did vocals elsewhere. It originally came up as a time constraint thing, because Zeuss had signed on to do the MUNICIPAL WASTE record. We couldn't physically finish the record with Zeuss at his studio. So we went to Virginia and did vocals with Michael "Elvis" Baskette. It was amazing. He's got an incredible studio right on the beach, tucked away in this little spot. You're isolated and locked in with this amazing gear. He's listened to our band, but we've never worked together. He didn't know
where we thought our limits were, so he started thinking beyond them and pushing us to try things that we wouldn't have thought of, because you get stuck in a comfort zone. He's got a great ear for harmonies. I think having someone that understood our sound like Zeuss, and then bringing in a fresh set of ears as well, really gave us the best of both perspectives and added to a very cohesive record that helped us retain our identity, but pushed our sound to new places.

The 2009 Halifax Pop Explosion is about to get a lot louder as Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada-based, heavy metal label Diminished Fifth Records has announced its official showcase at the annual festival. The Diminished Fifth Showcase will take place Thursday, October 22 at the Toothy Moose and will feature local favorites BLACK MOOR and THY FLESH CONSUMED as well as Fredericton's WE, THE UNDERSIGNED and Charlottetown's UIGG.

"After the success of last year's showcase we are incredibly excited to be working once again, with the Pop Explosion," commented Josh Hogan, who runs Diminished Fifth Records. "Not only are we honored to be showcasing a style of music which is often overlooked by masses but this show will see the label's four most recent signings all sharing one stage for the first time!"

The showcase will also serve as the official Halifax CD-release show for the label's two upcoming albums: "Bleed the Constants", the debut full-length by WE, THE UNDERSIGNED (due October 13, 2009) and "Unrepentant" by THY FLESH CONSUMED (November 10, 2009).

NEVERMORE's Warrel Dane and Jim Sheppard are on their way to Nashville, Tennessee to finish recording the vocals and bass, respectively, for the band's new album, "The Obsidian Conspiracy", at producer's (and SOILWORK guitarist) Peter Wichers studio.

The drum tracks for "The Obsidian Conspiracy" were completed in the group's hometown of Seattle with Wichers, who previously worked with Dane on the singer's solo debut, "Praises to the War Machine". Longtime friend and collaborator Andy Sneap (MEGADETH , ARCH ENEMY, EXODUS, MACHINE HEAD) will once again be handling mixing duties.

Songtitles set to appear on the CD include "Emptiness Unobstructed", "And The Maiden Spoke", "Termination Proclamation" and "Without Morals". The band is also recording two cover songs during the current sessions: "The Crystal Ship" by THE DOORS and "Transmission" by THE TEA PARTY.

According to Dane, the song "And The Maiden Spoke" "is going to blow your minds; it's twisted, progressive lunatic fringe riffing with vicious hooklines."

The follow-up to 2005's "This Godless Endeavor" is tentatively due in early 2010 via Century Media Records.

Added Dane: "These songs are full of newfound rage, lyrically and musically. Jeff Loomis has come up with some amazing new riffs that will no doubt please old and new fans alike. Also, I think the combination of Peter and Andy will result in something very, very special."

EIGHTBALL CHOLOS, the band featuring Burrito (THE WARNING) and Tracy G. (GOAD-ED, DIO, SWIFT KICK, THE WARNING), has begun work on a new album, entitled "Church of Whores". This will mark the first time the band has recorded any new material since its 1996 LP "Satan's Whore".

"Church of Whores", which will feature a guest appearance by Mark Solomon (STAVESACRE, THE CRUCIFIED), is slated for a late summer 2010 release on Open Grave Records. "Satan's Whore" will also be reissued at the beginning of next year with all-new artwork.

For more information, visit www.myspace.com/8ballcholosmetal.

The recently reunited THORR'S HAMMER will play Tom Gabriel Warrior's (CELTIC FROST, HELLHAMMER, TRIPTYKON) Only Death Is Real event at next year's Roadburn festival on Friday, April 16, 2010 in Tilburg, Holland.

Having witnessed some downright incredible events in music this year, the recent THORR'S HAMMER reunion gigs at Birmingham's own Supersonic Festival and London were among the absolute highlights. For the first time in 15 years, THORR'S HAMMER treated audiences to live renditions of their monolithic, gut-wrenching, black-doom, originally created in the mammoth stoned winter of 1994-1995.

Personally invited by Tom Gabriel Warrior, THORR'S HAMMER — comprised of Stephen O'Malley (SUNN 0))); guitar ), Greg Anderson (SUNN 0))); guitar), Jamie Sykes (drums), long time cohort Guy Pinhas (THE OBSESSED, GOATSNAKE; bass) and original vocalist Runhild Gammelsæter — will play its first-ever show on the European mainland at Tom's Roadburn-curated event, Only Death is Real.

Warrior comments: "I am excited and very happy as a fan and I feel proud and honored as a curator that THORR'S HAMMER have accepted my invitation and have agreed to play next year's Roadburn festival. I greatly respect Stephen O'Malley both as a peer and a friend, and I have long regarded THORR'S HAMMER as pioneers in their field. Having them at Roadburn is a true privilege."

Runhild Gammelsæter adds: "I speak on behalf of all members of THORR'S HAMMER when I tell of the speechlessness, the thrill going down my back, upon the news that we have been invited by Tom Gabriel Warrior to play the Roadburn festival. Not in my wildest dreams as a teenage girl listening to CELTIC FROST and playing doom in Seattle did I imagine that THORR'S HAMMER would be appreciated 15 years later. We are awed of the recognition of our music and thrilled to have this opportunity. It is such a joy for us to play together again, and we look forward to share that joy with the audience. We are very thankful to our fans, old and new, and we are very excited to perform at Roadburn."

Stephen O'Malley comments: "With respect and honor THORR'S HAMMER accepts Tom Gabriel Warrior's invitation to perform at his Only Death Is Real night at Roadburn 2010. Warrior's guitar playing, HELLHAMMER and early CELTIC FROST were essential to the collaborative musical directions Greg Anderson and I were forging in the early days of making music together, and we remain faithful servants to this day. Even more essentially, THORR'S HAMMER was certainly a HELLHAMMER acolyte in the beginning, our direction nearly one of an attempt toward simulation of that acts primal aggressive modes. We are both proud and humbled to be the guest of one of our metal mentors, and to be given the first opportunity to play the original 1994 demo 'Dommedagsnatt' material in its entirety on the European continent for the very first time."

Headlining Only Death Is Real will be Warrior's new band, TRIPTYKON.

ARCH ENEMY's Angela Gossow will take part in a vocal workshop at the "Heavy Metal And Gender" international congress on October 8 at the Hochschule für Musik und Tanz in Cologne, Germany. She will also take part in the panel discussion on "Women In Metal" later the same day along with Doro Pesch (DORO, WARLOCK), Sabina Classen (HOLY MOSES) and Britta Görtz.

The "Heavy Metal And Gender" congress will discuss gender roles, differences and stereotypes in heavy metal culture from an interdisciplinary and international perspective involving scholars as well as musicians and fans. It brings into account the broad variety of heavy metal as it has developed over the last 40 years and its global dissemination manifested in a high amount of subgenres. It will be the first scholarly conference on heavy metal in Germany and the first metal conference worldwide which focuses on issues of gender.

For more information, visit www.metalandgender.de.

"Infected Nations", the sophomore album from British thrashers EVILE, landed in U.K. Top 100 chart at position No. 91 based on first-day sales. The CD was released in the U.S. yesterday (Tuesday, September 22) via Earache Records.

The cover art for "Infected Nations" was created by Michael Whelan, famous for his sci-fi artworks along with classic album covers from such bands as SEPULTURA and OBITUARY.

"Infected Nations" track listing:

01. Infected Nation
02. Now Demolition
03. Nosophoros
04. Genocide
05. Plague To End All Plagues
06. Devoid Of Thought
07. Time No More
08. Metamorphosis
09. Hundred Wrathful Deities

EVILE frontman Matt Drake previously stated about the CD: "When we did [2007's] 'Enter the Grave' two years ago, it was made up of songs we had been playing for a few years and some written in the excitement of actually getting to record an album. We were happy to just be making noise, but since then, we've learnt a few things and we're more interested in making music.

"EVILE fans can expect to hear a more mature offering, an album that concentrates on all aspects of what each member can do; it's a heck of a lot more focused, more satisfying and we're really proud of what we've achieved with it. Russ Russell has helped us to push ourselves to the next level and pull us out of the '80s. The whole retro thing has been cool but we feel it's time for us to leave that behind and stand up for ourselves and show people what we can really do, but fear not, it IS a thrash metal album, it is a 2009 thrash metal album, and we're dying to blow your minds with it."

Danish modern metallers MNEMIC have entered the studio to begin recording their fourth studio album, "Sons Of The System", for a January 2010 release via Nuclear Blast Records.

Commented the band: "After a minor two-year break from touring, we have returned to the studio to record 15 brand new tracks. Our batteries are recharged and we are extremely excited to let you all hear the new stuff. The material itself is a mixture of grind, rock, poly-rhythmics, and electronics, and represents the sound of a more mature MNEMIC — at least in our humble opinion.

"Compared to the last album, the recordings will be kept completely on Danish soil. This time, we are more within our own comfort zone and will be working with the same dude that made us two great sounding albums in the past, which is none other than [Danish producer] Tue Madsen [HALFORD, BEHEMOTH, KATAKLYSM, THE HAUNTED], who is a really good friend and a great producer.

"The drums will be tracked at [Tue's] Antfarm Studio [in Aarhus, Denmark], while guitars, bass and vocals will be immortalized at the band's own studio under Tue's supervision. At the end of the recording process, electronics, mix and mastering will then again be handled at Antfarm Studio.

"During the recording process, we will try to keep you all updated on the progress via SonsOfTheSystem.com. There will be tons of updates, pictures, videos and information directly from the band."

Several new promotional photos of MNEMIC can be viewed below.

Tue Madsen previously worked with MNEMIC on the "Mechanical Spin Phenomena" (2003) and "The Audio Injected Soul" (2004) albums.

The band's latest CD, "Passenger" (2007), was produced by FEAR FACTORY 's Christian Olde Wolbers at Track Record Studios (KISS, MEGADETH, AEROSMITH) in Los Angeles. The album featured artwork by Asterik Studios (ANTHRAX, UNEARTH) plus guest vocal appearances by Jeff Walker (CARCASS, BRUJERIA) and Shane Embury (NAPALM DEATH, BRUJERIA). MNEMIC also completed a video for the song "Meaningless" with Revolver Film director Patric Ullaeus.

Reunited seminal grindcore/extreme metal outfit BRUTAL TRUTH has scheduled the following tour dates:

With MUNICIPAL WASTE, PHOBIA, CAULDRON:

Dec. 04 - Detroit, MI - Magic Stick
Dec. 05 - Cleveland, OH - Grog Shop
Dec. 06 - Toronto, ON - Opera House
Dec. 07 - Montreal, QC - Foufounes
Dec. 08 - Worcester, MA - Palladium
Dec. 09 - New York, NY - Gramercy Theater
Dec. 10 - Philadelphia, PA - First Unitarian Church

With CONVERGE, VENOMOUS CONCEPT:

Dec. 15 - Tokyo, Japan - O East
Dec. 16 - Nagoya, Japan - Club Quattro
Dec. 17 - Osaka, Japan - Big Cat

With BLOOD DUSTER, CAPTAIN CLEANOFF:

Dec. 19 - Brisbane, Australia - The Hi-Fi
Dec. 20 - Melbourne, Australia - The Hifi Bar
Dec. 21 - Sydney, Australia - Manning Bar

"Evolution Through Revolution", the first full-length album in 10 years from BRUTAL TRUTH, sold around 1,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release, according to Nielsen SoundScan. The CD debuted at No. 65 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.

BRUTAL TRUTH released its first-ever DVD, "For the Ugly and Unwanted - This is Grindcore", in Europe on June 22 via Season of Mist (June 2 in the U.S.). The disc contains a full show shot with five cameras at the Obscene Extreme Festival 2007 in Czech Republic and four more full shows from the "Sounds of the Animal Kindgom" tour as extras.

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[HeavyMetalHeaven] Ozzy Osbourne, Zakk Wylde, Gus G, Joe Perry, Ace Frehley, Def Leppard, Cheap Trick, Manraze, Megadeth, Rob Zombie, and tons more hard rock and heavy metal news

During the recently completed second annual Sunset Strip Music Festival (SSMF), Artisan News Service asked Ozzy Osbourne about the departure of his longtime guitarist Zakk Wylde and Zakk's replacement, FIREWIND axeman Gus G. "I haven't fallen out with Zakk; he's a very good... Our relationship goes way beyond music," Ozzy said. "I just wanted to... He's got his own thing now, he's got his own band, he's got his own career — he don't need me anymore." He added, "I've a got a guy, Gus G., a guy from Greece — not the musical, the country of Greece."

Video footage of Ozzy talking to the Artisan News Service about Zakk Wylde can be viewed at this location.

Ozzy told Classic Rock magazine in a June 2009 interview that he was on the lookout for a new guitar player to replace Wylde, who has played with Ozzy on and off since 1988. Ozzy said, "Zakk's got his own band, and I felt like my stuff was beginning to sound like (Wylde's band) BLACK LABEL SOCIETY. I just felt like I wanted a change, y'know?"

In an interview with a Eugene, Oregon radio station on July 29, Zakk slammed Ozzy over his Classic Rock comments, saying in part, "I've gotta be honest with you. The boss hasn't even given me a phone call, so I mean... I'm just like... I don't know what's going on over there. Are we doing this thing or are we not doing it? . . . I mean, it's like, dude, you don't wanna play with me anymore? Fine. Play with whoever the hell you wanna play with. I couldn't give a rat's ass. Like I'm gonna get all jealous or whatever. But you know what?! Man up and give me a phone call and tell me what the hell's going on."

Wylde's answer after that abruptly turned into an obscenity-filled rant directed at Ozzy that had to be heavily bleeped by the station.

The former BLACK SABBATH singer has been working on his latest solo album at his home studio in Los Angeles, He said that Wylde had recorded material for the project, but added, "I don't know if I want to use it."

Zakk's wife Barbaranne revealed in a recent online posting the Wylde is suffering from "a rare genetic clotting disorder" for which he is currently receiving treatment in California.

Gus G. played his second concert with OZZY OSBOURNE on September 12 at the Sunset Strip Music Festival (see video below). Also returning to Ozzy's performing lineup was drummer Mike Bordin, who did not join the singer for the BlizzCon concert on August 22 due to Bordin's touring commitments with the reunited FAITH NO MORE.

Gus spoke out about getting the job with Ozzy in the new Greek edition of Metal Hammer magazine. Asked how he got the gig, Gus said, "I got a message on my MySpace page from Rob 'Blasko' (Nicholson), Ozzy's bass player, asking me what was doing, if I was living in America or not and saying that he wanted to talk to me. I never thought he'd want me for something like that (playing with Ozzy). I initially thought that maybe he wanted to talk to me about doing a project or something and then he told me that one of Ozzfest's managers was looking for me. The manager said that they wanted me to fly out to Los Angeles immediately for a show that Ozzy was about to do in Anaheim, California."

As for replacing Wylde, Gus said, "Zakk is a tremendous guitar player, just like all the guys that have played with Ozzy. In fact, Zakk is my favorite Ozzy guitar player ever and my biggest influence of them all! It's quite an honor for me to step into his shoes."

In addition to his current axe-slinging duties with FIREWIND, Gus (real name: Kostas Karamitroudis) has played in MYSTIC PROPHECY, NIGHTRAGE, ARCH ENEMY and DREAM EVIL.

AEROSMITH guitarist Joe Perry's solo band, dubbed THE JOE PERRY PROJECT, will perform an intimate gig on Saturday, September 26 at the 400-seat Fusion 5 club out on Route 1 in Foxboro, Massachusetts.

The group's schedule is now shaping up as follows:

Sep. 20 - Memorial Hall - Plymouth, MA
Sep. 26 - Fusion 5 - Foxboro, MA
Oct. 06 - Viper Room - West Hollywood , CA

Perry's fifth solo album, "Have Guitar, Will Travel", will be released on October 6 via Roman Records. The hard driving, ten-song, in your face, collection features Perry's trademark rock and blues ferocity, as well as the CD's first single, the blazing "We've Got A Long Way To Go", set for release later this summer. Recorded this past spring at the BoneYard, Perry's state-of-the-art home studio, where AEROSMITH's "Honkin' On Bobo" and "Just Push Play" were recorded, "Have Guitar, Will Travel" is entirely written and produced by Perry.

Still as scorching hot on guitar as he is preternaturally cool in his persona, "Have Guitar, Will Travel" is a departure for Perry in that the CD was conceived as a band recording. From start to finish it took only forty-seven days to complete. "Making this record in such a short period of time gave us a chance to capture an energy and flow that was very different from the last record," said Perry. "The way the players came together at a time when I had the music and lyrics in my head ready to go was pure synchronicity. The last record rocked, but this one rocks and then some. I'm really proud of it.

"We've Got A Long Way To Go", the CDs first single, showcases the voice of a young German singer known as Hagen, found completely by chance on YouTube by Joe's wife Billie. "I first called him from Cleveland when I went to perform at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame jam with Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page, Ron Wood, Flea and METALLICA," said Perry. "It took several minutes to convince him that it wasn't a prank call, but a true invitation to audition to sing on the CD." Hagen mans the microphone for five tracks, while Perry sings lead on four. The remaining tenth song is an instrumental entitled "Wooden Ships".

In addition, Perry attracted an esteemed roster of some of the best players that the music world has to offer; bassist David Hull, who played with THE BUDDY MILES BAND at 19 and was in THE JOE PERRY PROJECT in the '80s, drummer Ben Tileston, a Boston University percussion graduate, who plays drums with two of Perry's sons in TAB THE BAND, Paul Santo, who's played Hammond organ/pipe organ with the likes of Ringo Starr, Eric Clapton and Ozzy Osbourne, drummers Scott Meeder and Marty Richards and Willie "Loco" Alexander, Boston's "Godfather of Punk," who was part of the Bostown sound of the band THE BAGATELLE.

A six-week Twitter search was conducted to find the CDs title. The winner, out of nearly 2000 entries, was Joe Piscitelli, who used a play on the old CBS television program "Have Gun – Will Travel".

The release of "Have Guitar, Will Travel" follows self-produced solo releases including "Let The Music Do The Talking" (1980), "Once A Rocker, Always A Rocker" (1983), "I've Got The Rock 'N' Rolls Again" (1981) and 2005's "Joe Perry", which received universal critical praise and earned Perry his first solo Grammy nomination for "Best Instrumental Song" ("Mercy").

Original KISS guitarist Ace Frehley will perform with legendary rocker Alice Cooper on October 28 at the Nokia Theatre in Los Angeles. More information will be made available soon.

According to Hits Daily Double, the companion web site of music industry tip sheet HITS, Frehley's new solo album, "Anomaly", is on track to sell between 12,000 and 15,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release.

In addition to the standard CD release, unique "Anomaly" packages were made available at Wal-Mart and Best Buy locations. The Wal-Mart version includes an Ace autographed tattoo while the Best Buy edition is printed on silver stock, like the KISS "Double Platinum" album.

Released on September 15 via Ace's own Bronx Born Records, with Rocket Science providing a full label service platform in the U.S., "Anomaly" was produced and recorded in Westchester County, New York between 2007 and 2009 and was mixed in Los Angeles.

Frehley last year spent time on the road fronting a band that featured second guitarist Derrek Hawkins, drummer Scot Coogan (ex-BRIDES OF DESTRUCTION) and bassist Anthony Esposito (ex-LYNCH MOB).

According to Kewadin Casino's web site, original KISS guitarist Ace Frehley will play Kewadin Casino's 1,500-seat Dream Makers Theater in Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan, on November 13. (Note: Even though Lita Ford is also listed as playing the show on Kewadin Casino's ticketing web site, she is actually scheduled to perform with QUEENSRŸCHE on that date in Jacksonville, Florida as part of the "American Soldier" tour.)

According to Hits Daily Double, the companion web site of music industry tip sheet HITS, Frehley's new solo album, "Anomaly", is on track to sell between 12,000 and 15,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release.

In addition to the standard CD release, unique "Anomaly" packages were made available at Wal-Mart and Best Buy locations. The Wal-Mart version includes an Ace autographed tattoo while the Best Buy edition is printed on silver stock, like the KISS "Double Platinum" album.

Released on September 15 via Ace's own Bronx Born Records, with Rocket Science providing a full label service platform in the U.S., "Anomaly" was produced and recorded in Westchester County, New York between 2007 and 2009 and was mixed in Los Angeles.

More shows have been announced for the third leg of DEF LEPPARD's highly successful 2009 tour, which will feature support from CHEAP TRICK and MAN RAZE, the rock outfit featuring Phil Collen of DEF LEPPARD, Simon Laffy from GIRL and Paul Cook of the SEX PISTOLS.

So far the following dates have been released:

Oct. 22 - Reno, NV - Events Center
Oct. 24 - Boise, ID - Idaho Center
Oct. 25 - Spokane, WA - Spokane Arena
Oct. 27 - Vancouver, BC - Pacific Coliseum
Oct. 31 - Edmonton, AB - Rexall Place
Nov. 02 - Calgary, AB - Pengrowth Saddledome
Nov. 04 - Winnipeg, MB - MTS Centre
Nov. 06 - St. Paul, MN - Xcel Energy Center
Nov. 12 - Ottawa, ON - Scotiabank Place
Nov. 13 - Hamilton, ON - Copps Coliseum
Nov. 18 - Montreal, QC - Bell Centre

DEF LEPPARD recently released deluxe editions of its classic albums "Pyromania" and "Adrenalize". The albums feature never-before-released B-sides and live recordings as well as nine Top 10 singles from the legendary rock band. The deluxe edition of "Pyromania" features a 15-track live show recorded at The Forum in Los Angeles in 1983. The deluxe edition of "Adrenalize" features demo tracks, live tracks and acoustic tracks.

MAN RAZE, the rock outfit featuring Phil Collen of DEF LEPPARD, Simon Laffy from GIRL and Paul Cook of THE SEX PISTOLS, has been added as the opening act on the final leg of DEF LEPPARD's 2009 tour. Also scheduled to appear is CHEAP TRICK.

So far the following dates have been announced (with more to be added):

Oct. 22 - Reno, NV - Events Center
Oct. 24 - Boise, ID - Idaho Center
Oct. 25 - Spokane, WA - Spokane Arena
Nov. 06 - St. Paul, MN - Xcel Energy Center

MAN RAZE's debut album, "Surreal", was re-released on June 9 via VH1 Classic Records as a deluxe edition with five previously bonus tracks:

01. You're So Wrong
02. Low (live in Burbank '08)
03. Turn It Up (Deep Dub)
04. Runnin' Me Up (instrumental)
05. Can't Find My Own Way (live acoustic version from Gary Crowley Show)

MAN RAZE released "Surreal" in the U.K. on November 17, 2008 through Surrealist Records. The U.K. version of the CD came with a special European-edition bonus disc.

Mixing the raw energy of the PISTOLS mixed with the immaculate pop rock of DEF LEPPARD, MAN RAZE is a unique clash of '70s simplicity with '80s excess, punk clubs with stadium rock.

"The fun part about MAN RAZE is that musically we can go off in any direction from rock to alternative the next," Phil Collen previously said.

With regards to the band's sound, Collen — who also handles lead vocals — told Rolling Stone magazine, "It's a mix. We go from really hard rock, with obviously big guitars, to dub. I was always into the alternative stuff, a very big fan of THE POLICE. And this is edgy — a lot more aggressive than DEF LEPPARD."

Before joining DEF LEPPARD, London born Phil Collen played in GIRL, who were one of the great unsung U.K. rock acts of the early 80's (singer Phil Lewis would later front L.A. GUNS — who were at the vanguard of the L.A. sleaze rock scene that eventually produced GUNS N' ROSES). While Phil went on to join DEF LEPPARD he maintained a strong friendship with Simon Laffy, GIRL's bassist. Reconnecting in 2004, and joined by SEX PISTOLS drummer Paul Cook, MAN RAZE was born. Eschewing their illustrious past, the band have spent the past two year getting back to basics, writing and recording — they also played a sold-out show at London's Spitz Club and released a limited-edition EP "Skin Crawl" in October 2005 on their own label, Surrealist Records, in the U.K.

Former GUNS N' ROSES and current VELVET REVOLVER guitarist Slash has posted a short message on Twitter regarding the new MEGADETH album, "Endgame", stating simply that it "sounds killer!"

MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine was clearly flattered by Slash's remarks, writing in an online post, "Slash and I have been friends for a really long time. I have played in concert with his band, and jammed with him in a cover band once. We used to hang and party, true, but I dug Slash the most for his amazing talent on guitar. I am honored he said that he likes it."

According to Hits Daily Double, the companion web site of music industry tip sheet HITS, "Endgame" is on track to sell between 40,000 and 45,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release.

MEGADETH's previous album, "United Abominations", opened with around 54,000 copies to land at position No. 8 on The Billboard 200 chart. This was more than the 46,000 first-week tally registered by its predecessor, "The System Has Failed" (which debuted at No. 18 on The Billboard 200 chart), and was a bit less than the 61,000 opening number of 2001's "The World Needs A Hero" (No. 16).

"Endgame" was recorded at MEGADETH's brand new, self-built studio in San Marcos, California — Vic's Garage — which was named after the legendary and iconic Vic Rattlehead character. The CD was helmed by MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine and British producer Andy Sneap (EXODUS, NEVERMORE, ARCH ENEMY, MACHINE HEAD).

MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine will guest on "Eddie Trunk Live" tonight (Monday, September 21) on Sirius (channel 19) / XM Radio (channel 53). The program airs from 6:00 p.m. until 10:00 p.m. EST, but Mustaine is expected in around 8:15 p.m.

In related news, Mustaine and MEGADETH guitarist Chris Broderick will be featured on Liquid Metal's "Thrash Attack" week this week. "Thrash Attack" on Sirius XM features half-hour blocks of thrash metal every hour for seven days straight! You'll hear stories and music from the legends of thrash and those that are helping to push the genre today.

According to MEGADETH drummer Shawn Drover, the band's new album, "Endgame", has registered the following first-week chart positions so far:

Australia: #11
Germany: #21
U.K.: #24

Drover says: "For Canada, we are receiving word that 'Endgame' will be a Top 20 record, which, of course, please me greatly (I am hoping for a single-digit chart position, just as 'United Abominations' was — we'll see).

"We have to thank all of YOU who support the cause, and get out there to purchase the record (what a concept, eh??). Without your support, these chart positions simply cannot happen, so we are grateful, believe me.

"By week's end, we should receive a lot more information on other chart positions throughout planet earth.

"With all this said, keep at it, people. Your help here is proof positive that spreading the word is making a difference. So many of you here on the boards are stepping up and making a big difference. When the other chart numbers come in, you will see it for yourselves. Again, a big THANK YOU!!!"

According to Hits Daily Double, the companion web site of music industry tip sheet HITS, "Endgame" is on track to sell between 40,000 and 45,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release.

MEGADETH's previous album, "United Abominations", opened with around 54,000 copies to land at position No. 8 on The Billboard 200 chart. This was more than the 46,000 first-week tally registered by its predecessor, "The System Has Failed" (which debuted at No. 18 on The Billboard 200 chart), and was a bit less than the 61,000 opening number of 2001's "The World Needs A Hero" (No. 16).

"Endgame" was recorded at MEGADETH's brand new, self-built studio in San Marcos, California — Vic's Garage — which was named after the legendary and iconic Vic Rattlehead character. The CD was helmed by MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine and British producer Andy Sneap (EXODUS, NEVERMORE, ARCH ENEMY, MACHINE HEAD).

Rob Zombie will release his fourth solo studio album, "Hellbilly Deluxe 2: Noble Jackals, Penny Dreadfuls and the Systematic Dehumanization of Cool", on November 10. "Hellbilly Deluxe" was the name of Zombie's first and most successful solo outing, issued back in 1998.

"Hellbilly Deluxe 2" track listing:

01. Jesus Frankenstein
02. Sick Bubble-Gun
03. What?
04. Mars Needs Women
05. Werewolf, Baby
06. Virgin Witch
07. Dream Factory
08. Burn
09. Cease to Exist
10. Werewolf Women of the SS
11. The Man Who Laughs

Check out the cover artwork below.

Rob Zombie will kick off his upcoming North American tour on October 29 in Phoenix, Arizona, according to a press release. he will hit the road with the same band that toured behind his 2006 CD, "Educated Horses", consisting of guitarist John 5, bassist Piggy D. and drummer Tommy Clufetos. Although Zombie is also busy these days directing movies, he told The Pulse of Radio he can always count on his current bandmates to return. "Whenever I'm making a movie they go off and do whatever they want, but they're all part of this band," he said. "We just did all of our photos for the tour and stuff. It's the same band, it's just that I know those guys get itchy to play."

Support on the tour will come from NEKROMANTIX and CAPTAIN CLEGG & THE NIGHT CREATURES. The latter band appeared in Zombie's latest film, "Halloween II ".

The trek will include a very special Halloween event on October 31 in Hollywood, California hosted by Uncle Seymour Coffins, also seen in "Halloween II".

The "Hellbilly Deluxe 2" tour will mark Zombie's return to the road after moderate box office success as the writer and director of "Halloween II" (Dimension). His R-rated, animated feature, "The Haunted World Of El Superbeasto", will be available everywhere on DVD and Blu-ray September 22.

Zombie will return to the stage on October 18, when he co-headlines Loud Park festival in Japan with SLAYER that will also feature PAPA ROACH.

"Halloween II", the follow-up to Zombie's successful 2007 remake of the original 1978 horror classic, came in at No. 3 in its opening weekend, earning $17 million at the box office. That's far less than the $31 million his first "Halloween" flick did two years ago.

Zombie's next film will be a remake of "The Blob", which he is slated to begin shooting in the spring of 2010.

http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/reviewpics/zombienewcd.jpg

Road Crew Magazine conducted an interview with SIXX: A.M. members James Michael (vocals) and DJ Ashba (guitar) during a recent stop on the Crüe Fest 2 tour (which was once again headlined by MÖTLEY CRÜE, the band featuring SIXX: A.M. bassist Nikki Sixx). The chat can be viewed below. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow.

On the progress of the songwriting sessions for the new SIXX: A.M. album:

James: "The new SIXX: A.M. record, it's kind of gonna be a long time coming, just like the first one was. We have gone through a lot of different stages of it, ever since we got off Crüe Fest last year. And I think we finally, this week, have honed in on what this record needs to be. In fact, today we wrote what is probably gonna be the first single. And it's an amazing song. I think that because the three of us are obviously so busy doing other things — I mean, Nikki is out on stage right now with MÖTLEY — it's taken awhile for us all to be able to get our heads back on the same page and figure out what SIXX: A.M. should do next, and I think we finally honed in on it, and it's gonna be an incredible record"

On whether the upcoming SIXX: A.M. record will be based on a yet-to-be-released Nikki Sixx book?

James: "At this stage, no, it's not. But we have talked about a lot of different concepts. What I can tell you is that it's gonna be more than just a record full of songs; it is gonna be attached to some other things, and they are things that are really inspiring to all of us. And that's really all I can say at this point."

On whether the forthcoming CD will be more about all three members of the band as opposed to focusing primarily on Nikki:

James: "Yeah. In fact, I think that the last record ended up being about all three of us in different ways. A lot of the songs even were written before 'The Heroin Diaries' book came about, but they all just fit in so well, and we kind of adjusted them to work. I think that's why 'The Heroin Diaries' soundtrack so well — we were all sharing our personal experiences with it, and we found a universal theme that kind of worked. Nikki's book happened to be the catalyst for that and happened to be the guiding force, and I think that's kind of what we're doing on this one. Because for three songwriters to be in a room writing, it can't just be about one of those songwriters; I think that it has to be about shared experiences."

What is the songwriting process with the three of you?

DJ: "It's like it was on the first one. It's three friends getting together, usually in a hotel room, sitting on a floor, eating some pizza and just brainstorming and coming up with stuff that's very real, subjects that are very serious and cool that we feel, as artists, need to be talked about a little more."

Has it been hard with Nikki having to [go out and tour] and then coming back and writing?

DJ: "No. we're used to that."

James: "I think that that was something that, when we finished the tour last year, and when 'The Heroin Diaries' soundtrack kind of finished its run, because 'Life Is Beautiful' had so much success and did so well at radio, there was definitely a lot of pressure, 'What's SIXX: A.M. gonna do next?' And I think that what we all needed to do was just fend that off, not give in to that pressure, because then I think we would have very easily fallen into that rat race — follow-up record and follow-up single, and get it there within the amount of time that the audience is gonna remember who you are. And I think that we all kind of just pushed that back and said, you know what?! SIXX: A.M. was never about that. SIXX: A.M. was never about radio or anything. It was about doing something that the three of us really believed in."

DJ: "It's really a labor of love. As long as it becomes that and stays that, that's pretty much what me and James and Nikki always looked at SIXX: A.M. being — kind of our artistic outlet."

James: "I think that we all had to resist the urge to just jump right back in and make one right away so that we could fit into that time window and we could get our new record out by a certain time, and I'm glad that we did. We resisted that urge and we waited until we were all inspired by something new."

On James' work as a producer and what it is like being behind the scenes and then having to go back out on stage:

James: "Being behind the scenes is my comfort zone. Being the lead singer of SIXX: A.M. is kind of an anomaly for me; it's been a blast, but I'm comfortable behind the mixing board, writing songs, working with other artists, bringing the best out of them, and I love that. Right now, I'm just finishing up a record with Taylor Momsen, who is one of the stars of the TV show 'Gossip Girl', and it's an amazing record. She just turned 16 years old, and I know that when we think of 16-year-old artists, we think of Disney, we think of Hilary Duff — who I've also written with — but this is something different. She is the second coming of Deborah Harry or Courtney Love; it's so heavy and so beautifully written. I'm incredibly excited about that record; it's gonna be coming out on Interscope, I think, early next year. But right now, I think that the three of us have just been finally sharing that excitement again. I would say that in the last couple of days of
writing the SIXX: A.M. record, it's started to feel like it did when we first sat down and started writing 'The Heroin Diaries' soundtrack, and we were all waiting for that — we were all waiting for that moment when it all kind of hit us and we went, 'OK, it's time.' And I would say it's time."

SIXX: A.M. is the project Sixx started a couple of years ago whose debut disc acted as a "soundtrack" to Sixx's memoir, "The Heroin Diaries". Sixx revealed earlier in the year that the second SIXX: A.M. effort is also a concept album, but that's about as far as he would go. "I can't really tell you what the concept is, because I think I'd just be kind of blowing the surprise, like telling what you're getting for Christmas before it comes," he said. "But it's gonna be a pretty powerful record. You know, sonically it does fall in line with the 'Heroin Diaries' record, but I think we're stretching out in certain ways where we can take in other styles of music and expand upon them."

Although SIXX: A.M. was initially just a studio project, a touring lineup did go on the road last year as part of the first Crüe Fest package,

SIXX A.M.'s debut featured the hit "Life Is Beautiful".

Road Crew Magazine's interview with James Michael and DJ Ashba:

NWOBHM heavyweights JAGUAR have scheduled the following dates:

Sep. 25 - Kutten Festival, Hannover, Germany
Sep. 26 - Taken By Force Festival, Vroomshoop, Holland
Oct. 09 - Met Bar, Lenzburg, Switzerland
Sep. 10 - Rock City, Uster, Switzerland

In January 2007, Majestic Rock issued the first in a series of Internet-only archive releases containing a 1982 soundboard recording of JAGUAR performing in Hengelo, Holland. Entitled "Holland '82", the CD was strictly limited to 1,000 copies and featured sleeve notes from JAGUAR guitarist Garry Pepperd. It was only available from the Majestic Rock web site.

JAGUAR's most recent studio album, "Run Ragged", was released in July 2003 through Angel Air Records.

JAGUAR is:

Nathan Cox - Drums
Jamie Manton - Vocals
Simon Patel - Bass
Garry Pepperd - Guitar

For more information, visit www.jaguar-online.com.

TMZ.com reports that STONE TEMPLE PILOTS/ex-VELVET REVOLVER singer Scott Weiland experienced a mild seizure during an American Airlines flight earlier today.

Sources close to Scott tell TMZ.com he suffered the seizure while flying from Los Angeles to Miami. The plane was forced to make an emergency landing at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport.

UPDATE: A rep traveling with Weiland tells Rolling Stone that the airplane staff called for medical assistance over the loud speaker and had to administer oxygen to Weiland. Shortly after, Weiland had come to and was "in good spirits" as was taken off the plane for the hospital.

According to the report, Scott has a history of seizures and was taken to the hospital for precautionary measures.

Weiland is scheduled to promote the launch of his new men's clothing line, Weiland For English Laundry, on Saturday, September 19 at Miami Beach, Florida's Mansion with a live performance and fashion show.

Weiland for English Laundry, a collaboration with English Laundry designer Christopher Wicks, debuted at the MAGIC trade show August 31-September 2. The collection features rock-inspired wovens, vests, t-shirts, pants, hats, ties and scarves. Weiland for English Laundry blends the classic style and high quality of English Laundry with the design flare of the iconic, fashionable STP frontman.

STONE TEMPLE PILOTS has spent the last few months working on a new studio album with producer Don Was. According to Weiland, the CD should be ready for release sometime in early 2010.

ALICE IN CHAINS will appear on the iconic "Later ... With Jools Holland" BBC television show in the U.K. this November to coincide with a European tour taking place during that month.

"Later ... With Jools Holland" is a contemporary British music television show hosted by Jools Holland. A spin-off of "The Late Show", it has been running without a break since 1992 and is a part of BBC Two's late-night lineup. It is usually recorded on a Tuesday for Friday broadcast and features a mixture of both established and new musical artists, from solo performers to bands and larger ensembles.

If you pre-order ALICE IN CHAINS' new album, "Black Gives Way To Blue", via iTunes, you will receive two exclusive bonus tracks: "Your Decision" (live) and "Black Gives Way To Blue (Elton John Piano Mix)".

ALICE IN CHAINS recently tapped U2 and WHITE STRIPES video director Alex Courtes to shoot a clip for "Check My Brain", the first official single from "Black Gives Way To Blue".

"Black Gives Way To Blue" arrives in stores on September 29 and is the first all-new ALICE IN CHAINS album in 14 years.

The disc features the recording debut with the group of singer and guitarist William DuVall. Original frontman Layne Staley died in 2002.

At the end of this month, ALICE IN CHAINS will perform three special shows in Los Angeles to celebrate the release of its new album, "Black Gives Way to Blue". The first is a very rare and exclusive 11:00 a.m. performance and interview for KROQ hosted by Kat Corbett at the Whisky A Go Go in Hollywood on September 29. The second is their "Jimmy Kimmel Live!" appearance that evening, and the third is their sold-out show at The Avalon on September 30.

According to a posting on ALICE IN CHAINS' MySpace page, the band "will be giving away a pair of tickets and VIP passes to each of these events, but you have to find them.

"Here's your first clue to find the KROQ event tickets: On Monday (September 21), a man in black holding a package will appear in front of the Whisky A Go Go at 6:00 p.m. He will give the tickets to the first person to find him and tell him the name of the fifth song the band played at the third stop of their current U.S. club tour. Do not arrive until exactly 6:00 p.m. though, because anyone he sees before exactly that time will be automatically ineligible to receive the tickets."

ALICE IN CHAINS will be IRON MAIDEN frontman Bruce Dickinson's guests on Friday, September 25 during Bruce's weekly BBC 6 Music radio program, dubbed "The Bruce Dickinson Friday Rock Show". Listen to the broadcast live via the Internet between 9:00 p.m. and 12:00 a.m. (midnight) U.K. time at BBC.co.uk.

If you pre-order ALICE IN CHAINS' new album, "Black Gives Way To Blue", via iTunes, you will receive two exclusive bonus tracks: "Your Decision" (live) and "Black Gives Way To Blue (Elton John Piano Mix)".

ALICE IN CHAINS recently tapped U2 and WHITE STRIPES video director Alex Courtes to shoot a clip for "Check My Brain", the first official single from "Black Gives Way To Blue".

"Black Gives Way To Blue" arrives in stores on September 29 and is the first all-new ALICE IN CHAINS album in 14 years.

The disc features the recording debut with the group of singer and guitarist William DuVall . Original frontman Layne Staley died in 2002.

GODSMACK frontman Sully Erna has released the following statement:

"As some of you may or may not know, I have recently gotten engaged to the love of my life, Jennifer Cabezon. After eight years of being together and living through the ups and downs of life, we have finally reached a place where we've decided to spend our lives together as husband and wife.

"I can't say our road has always been the easiest of roads in a relationship, but then again, what in life ever comes easy? We've separated numerous times and tried to move on in our lives, yet we always seem to find a way back to each other again. Which says to us that it's time to take our commitment to the next level. I think we both understand now that some of the best relationships have been built off of hard work and many, MANY mistakes. (and a few hundred hours of therapy doesn't hurt either… Hahahaha!!)

"I will definitely confess to my share of wrong in this relationship. Not to justify why or what I've done was right in any way, but being in the profession that I'm in, I've been subject to a lot of craziness in a very fast-paced lifestyle that they call 'rock 'n' roll.' And not always knowing how to balance it in the past has made me make some very bad decisions from time to time.

"But through these ups and downs, I've learned that I love Jen and my daughter more than anything… And to have an opportunity to put my family back together and start our life over again is truly a blessing.

"For us this is a time of celebration and happiness. And we look forward to years of good times ahead. And for all of you, (my friends and fans) I hope this letter finds you well, because I wish you all nothing but health and happiness.

"We haven't settled on a date just yet, but once we do, we'll fill you in [as soon as possible].

"Thank you for always being there for me and GODSMACK. I look forward to seeing you on the road sometime in 2010."

GODSMACK recently released a new single called "Whiskey Hangover" in conjunction with its appearance on Crüe Fest 2.

The next GODSMACK album will be the band's first collection of all-new material since 2006's "IV".

In late 2007, the band released a greatest hits collection called "Good Times, Bad Times - Ten Years of Godsmack" and announced that it was going on hiatus. Erna worked on his solo album during this period, while the other three members of the group started a side project called ANOTHER ANIMAL.

Los Angeles metallers FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH have released the following statement:

"We have not been able to locate Zoltan [Bathory, guitar] from FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH since Friday night's [September 18] show in Las Vegas. He has not responded to calls, text messages, or emails, and he was last seen around 2:00 a.m. Friday night at Wasted Space in the Hard Rock Casino, taking tequila shots at the bar with a group of guys from a bachelor party who came to the show.

"If anybody has any information as to the whereabouts of Zoltan, please email ffdp@prospectpk.com immediately. This is not like him and the band needs to prepare for the upcoming tour. We have already notified the appropriate authorities, but any help Vegas fans might be able to provide is very much appreciated."

It should be noted that someone logged in to Zoltan's personal MySpace profile earlier today (Sunday, September 20), which makes the entire story a little suspect.

FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH is scheduled to begin "The Shock And Roar Tour" on Tuesday (September 22) in San Francisco, finishing up sometime in early November. Joining them on the bill will be SHADOWS FALL, OTEP and 2 CENTS.

Seminal doom legends GOATSNAKE will reunite for an appearance at next year's Roadburn festival, set to take place April 15-17, 2010 at the 013 venue and Midi Theatre in Tilburg, Holland.

GOATSNAKE — featuring the original lineup of Greg Anderson (SUNN 0))) on guitar, Guy Pinhas (THE OBSESSED) on bass, Greg Rogers (THE OBSESSED) on drums and Pete Stahl (SCREAM, WOOL, EARTHLINGS?) on vocals — will headline the Thursday Roadburn date (April 15).

With two classic-albums under their belts ("I", re-released on Southern Lord and "Flower of Disease"), GOATSNAKE have forged a considerable niche in the heavy rock underground over the last decade with their signature guitar sound. Pete Stahl's clean, soulful vocals have always been at the heart of GOATSNAKE's low and slow bulldozer rock as well, setting them apart from their peers. GOATSNAKE's influence can still be heard and felt throughout the current stoner and doom scene, even after such a long hiatus.

Greg Anderson comments: "Roadburn is hands down the only festival that consistently has a lineup that I personally would like to see. Being asked to perform with GOATSNAKE is an honor and a privilege. I'm really fucking stoked to play music with Greg, Guy and Pete again. We will do our absolute best to kick as much ass as possible!"

In other news, reunited doom metallers YOB will make their European live debut with two different shows at next year's Roadburn.

Even during their hiatus, YOB have maintained their position in the vanguard of contemporary doom because of the quality and originality of their mind-bending doom-metal. Now they have returned and are prepared to reach even greater heights (and doom depths). The band's latest album, "The Great Cessation", is definitely YOB's finest hour. Led by Mike Scheidt's crushing doom riffage and relentless stomp, YOB have easily reclaimed their rightful cosmic doom throne while generating new fans and momentum.

Roadburn will celebrate YOB's return to the fold by offering the band the opportunity to play different shows at both the 013 venue and the Midi Theatre during the festival.

Commented Mike Scheidt: "YOB is quite thrilled to announce our first European trip to play the most excellent Roadburn festival in 2010. We have wanted to come over to Europe to play for many years and to have our first show be at Roadburn is beyond incredible for us. We are looking forward to sharing in the atmosphere of the fest with all of the excellent bands and fans that will be in attendance. April will not get here soon enough! DOOM!!!"

Roadburn 2010, including Tom Gabriel Warrior's special event entitled Only Death Is Real and CANDLEMASS' 25th anniversary show, will run for three days. There will be an additional afterburner event on Sunday, April 18, 2010.

FLOTSAM AND JETSAM and HELSTAR are among the confirmed bands for the third installment of the Gates of Metal open-air festival, set to take place May 21-22, 2010 at the Recreation Plantation Camprounds in Dripping Springs, Texas (30 miles outside of Austin).

The festival will feature over 40 metal acts encompassing every metal genre, (classic, true, power, thrash, black, and death metal) on two outdoor stages in a European-style, camping, open-air setting.

The festival billing is shaping up as follows:

FLOTSAM AND JETSAM
HELSTAR
RUTHLESS
RESISTANCE

For event information, performance schedule, sponsorship or vendor booth sign-up, contact Paul at themetalmachine2003@yahoo.com.

For more information, visit www.myspace.com/gatesofmetalfestival.

Reunited Phoenix, Arizona-based hard rockers ICON have been confirmed for next year's edition of the Headbangers Open Air festival, set to take place July 29-31, 2010 in Brande-Hörnerkirchen, Germany.

The festival billing is shaping up as follows:

AMULANCE
ASKA
BATTLEAXE
BLOODFEAST
CULPRIT
DER KAISER
GREG LINDSTROM & FRIENDS
ICON
JAG PANZER
JAMESON RAID
OMEN
RAVEN
ROCK GODDESS
ROXXCALIBUR
TRENCH HELL
VIRGIN STEELE
WARBRINGER

For more information, visit www.headbangers-open-air.de.

ICON's current lineup consists of original members Dan Wexler (guitar), John Aquilino (guitar), Pat Dixon (drums) alongside new members Scott Hammons (lead vocals) and Dave Henzerling (bass).

Last year, ICON, in conjunction with Epicenter Multimedia, released "1984: Live Bootleg" for the first time on DVD. This enhanced multimedia disc features interviews with Dan Wexler and John Aquilino and contains live footage of one of the last concerts with the complete original ICON lineup of Stephen Clifford, Dan Wexler, John Aquilino, Tracy Wallach and Pat Dixon. The band performs in front of a sold-out crowd in Albuquerque, New Mexico in 1984. This is the only known footage of an entire concert by the original band.

Swedish progressive metallers OPETH have scheduled the following Japanese tour dates:

Nov. 17 - O-East - Tokyo, Japan
Nov. 18 - Club Quattro - Osaka, Japan

OPETH guitarist/vocalist Mikael Åkerfeldt recently revealed to Holland's FaceCulture that he is contemplating recording a singer-songwriter acoustic solo album.
"My views [regarding songwriting] have broadened a little bit," Mikael said. "I guess when I discovered Nick Drake, that's when I really got into that whole simplistic type of music that really needs something strong — strong material in order to make it come across with so little."

He continued, "I've always been wanting to do a thing like that. I've got a bunch of lovely acoustic guitars back I wanna use more. Even though OPETH could probably do an album like that, I wanna do it on my own, and in that sense, I wanna record it on my own — in my house, basically. I think I can do it well. I think I can do a good album like that.

"I'd like to maybe simplify it even more [than the OPETH acoustic stuff], and have it just chords playing, and maybe some finger-picking stuff, so I could be able to perform it if I would wanna do that. So I don't want it to be lots of tracks, like overdubbing guitars with lots of melodies; I want it to be fairly simplistic so if I wanted to, I could play it live on my own... on a stool. [laughs]"

For now, the plans only exist in Åkerfeldt's head. No songs have been written or recorded yet, but Mikael is certain the singer/songwriter solo album will see the light of day. "I'm getting ready to write because every time I sit down and play, I come up with something that I like," he said.

OPETH will take part in the European installment of DREAM THEATER's Progressive Nation tour, set to take place throughout September, October and November 2009. Also appearing on the bill are UNEXPECT and BIGELF.

The OPETH three-CD box set called "The Candlelight Years", featuring the band's first three albums, was released in Europe on July 13 via Candlelight Records.

BONHAM, the band led by drummer Jason Bonham (LED ZEPPELIN, UFO, FOREIGNER) — son of the late LED ZEPPELIN drummer John Bonham — has scheduled the following dates:

Oct. 14 - Revolution Live - Ft. Lauderdale, FL
Oct. 15 - House of Blues - Orlando, FL
Oct. 16 - State Theatre - St. Petersburg, FL
Oct. 29 - Coach House - San Juan Capistrano, CA
Oct. 30 - The Canyon - Agoura Hills, CA

BONHAM will perform selections from LED ZEPPELIN, UFO, FOREIGNER "and a whole lot more."

BONHAM released its first record, "The Disregard of Timekeeping", in September 1989, which was eventually certified gold, and featured the single "Wait For You". A follow-up album, "Mad Hatter", was released in 1992.

BONHAM singer Daniel MacMaster, 39, died unexpectedly on March 16, 2008 in Thunder Bay, Ontario, Canada following complications from pneumonia, after a strep A infection entered his bloodstream.

BONHAM, the band led by drummer Jason Bonham (LED ZEPPELIN, UFO, FOREIGNER) — son of the late LED ZEPPELIN drummer John Bonham — has scheduled the following dates:

Oct. 14 - Revolution Live - Ft. Lauderdale, FL
Oct. 15 - House of Blues - Orlando, FL
Oct. 16 - State Theatre - St. Petersburg, FL
Oct. 29 - Coach House - San Juan Capistrano, CA
Oct. 30 - The Canyon - Agoura Hills, CA

BONHAM will perform selections from LED ZEPPELIN, UFO, FOREIGNER "and a whole lot more."

According to Classic Rock magazine, Bonham is doing these gigs by way of tribute to Daniel MacMaster, the Canadian fronmtman who sang on the two albums from BONHAM (1989's "The Disregard Of Timekeeping" and 1992's "Mad Hatter"). MacMaster died on March 16, 2008, from a Group A streptococcal infection. He was 39 years old.

Jason explains: "Tragically, Daniel passed away and I always regretted the fact that I didn't do more for him during his lifetime. Just like myself, Daniel struggled with his addictions so that's something I know all about.

"2009 is the 20th anniversary of 'The Disregard Of Timekeeping', so I called up Ian [Hatton, guitarist] and John [Smithson, bass] and suggested we bring in Kelly Keeling [BATON ROUGE, MICHAEL SCHENKER] on vocals to pay tribute to what was a great period in all our lives. Whether anything new will come out of it, I don't know. It's all about having fun."

DIVINE HERESY — the California-based band featuring FEAR FACTORY guitarist Dino Cazares — has been confirmed as direct support to MOONSPELL on the Portuguese group's upcoming North American tour, which kicks off on October 14 in Tampa, Florida. Also appearing on the bill are BOOK OF BLACK EARTH and SECRETS OF THE MOON.

Commented Cazares: "We have been waiting patiently for the perfect touring opportunity to present itself and we couldn't possibly be more pleased to be direct support to the mighty MOONSPELL this fall. This North American tour is exactly what we were looking for as we wanted a chance to perform in front of a lot of new faces that might not have been exposed to our band. This tour marks the kick-off of a massive worldwide touring campaign to support the new 'Bringer of Plagues' album.

"DIVINE HERESY is better than ever and we are embarking on this tour with only one, simple goal in mind: to annihilate everything in our path. Expect an unrelenting set and if your jaw isn't on the floor when we finish, then we haven't done our job, but that won't be the case. Be sure to come by the merch booth each night to say hello to us all and we look forward to seeing everyone soon. It's certainly been way too long."

The dates are as follows:

Oct. 14 - Tampa, FL - Czar
Oct. 15 - Atlanta, GA - Masqueerade
Oct. 16 - Springfield, VA - Jaxx
Oct. 17 - Allentown, PA - The Sterling Hotel
Oct. 18 - New York, NY - B.B. King Blues Club
Oct. 19 - Montreal, QC - Les Foufounes Electriques
Oct. 20 - Toronto, ON - The Mod Club
Oct. 21 - Cleveland, OH - Peabody's
Oct. 22 - Detroit, MI - Blondie's
Oct. 23 - The Pyramid Club – Chicago, IL
Oct. 24 - Kansas City, MO - Beaumont Club
Oct. 25 - Denver, CO - Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom
Oct. 27 - Vancouver, BC - The Venue
Oct. 28 - Seattle, WA - Studio Seven
Oct. 29 - Portland, OR - Satyricon
Oct. 30 - San Francisco, CA - Thee Parkside
Oct. 31 - San Marcos, CA - The Jumping Turtle
Nov. 01 - Hollywood , CA - The Roxy
Nov. 02 - Tempe, AZ - The Clubhouse
Nov. 03 - Albuquerque, NM - The Launchpad
Nov. 04 - Tulsa, OK - The Marquee
Nov. 05 - Dallas, TX - The Ridglea Theater
Nov. 06 - San Antonio, TX - Warehouse Music

Taiwanese metallers CHTHONIC have announced the following U.K. dates:

Oct. 31 - London, UK - Garage
Nov. 01 - Oxford, UK - Zodiac
Nov. 02 - Stoke, UK - Sugar Mill
Nov. 03 - Sheffield, UK - Corporation
Nov. 04 - Nottingham, UK - Rock City
Nov. 06 - Glasgow, UK - King Tut's

"Mirror of Retribution", the new album from CHTHONIC, was released in the U.S. on September 1 via Spinefarm Records.

The track listing for the CD is as follows:

01. Autoscopy
02. Blooming Blades
03. Hearts Condemned
04. Venom in my Veins
05. The Aroused
06. Sing Linng Temple
07. 1947
08. Forty Nine Theurgy Chains
09. Rise of the Shadows
10. Bloody Waves of Sorrow
11. Spell of Setting Sun
12. Unlimited Taiwan

CHTHONIC (pronounced "Thonic") is:

Freddy Lim - vocals
Doris Yeh - bass
Jesse Liu - guitar
Dani Wang - drums
CJ - piano/synthesizer

CHTHONIC's "49 Theurgy Chains" video can be viewed below.

CHTHONIC (pronounced "Thonic") is:

Freddy Lim - vocals
Doris Yeh - bass
Jesse Liu - guitar
Dani Wang - drums
CJ - piano/synthesizer

In a recent interview with Speed Beaver Music, CHTHONIC vocalist Freddy Lim stated about the band's new album title and lyrical theme, "A mirror of retribution is the first thing you will meet when you are in hell, the Taiwanese, Oriental hell. Through the mirror, you see all the bad things you and your relatives have done in your lifetime. Each spirit has to face the mirror of retribution then the ghost king will send him to the specific level of hell that he deserves. In the Oriental hell, there are ten ghost kings in ten courts and there are 18 levels of hell and hundreds of small levels. So it takes millions of years for you to serve your sentence. So the original idea is to show this philosophy of hell. All the Asians, Hong Kong, Singapore, China, Vietnam, share the same philosophy.

"No other metal band has tried to do this. It's too big! So the question is how to do it. It not just like Satan and one burning hell. So in Taiwanese temples, there are some mediums there are people who can travel through heaven and hell and find people, find dead relatives and talk with them. So we needed a story, not just the facts. The story should be in Taiwanese history, so where is the crossover point between Taiwan and hell? So we found the point is the 228 incident which happened in 1947.

"It's not just because it's the biggest massacre that happened in Taiwan, but that the last battle happened in front of a very important Taiwanese temple. So it makes sense that someone in the temple who is a medium would try to save his people, save the Taiwanese from the tyrannical KMT army. So he travelled to hell to try to rewrite the book of life and death. So the original idea is to write about the philosophy of hell and then we found the right story to link Taiwan to hell. That's the basic idea of the story.

"The first half of the story is how he went to hell and how level by level he tried to find the book of life and death and tried to rewrite it. But then the ghost kings, wizards and monsters in hell found out that he is not a normal spirit, he's still alive, his spirit just left his body, so they, in the 6th song, all the spirits and ghost and monsters, they came from hell to the temple to try to put some seals on his body and suck his spirit back to his body and not allow him to escape from his body again. Then, he decided to kill himself as the only way to go back to hell. But he failed. The end of the story is that he is locked in front of the mirror of retribution for a billion years as his sentence. I think the most interesting part of this album is that we tried to group the same kinds of hells and put them together in one song. There are the mountain of knives and sword forests, different kind of sharp hells all grouped together."

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