Music: December 2010

On March 12, 2011, MANOWAR promises to "crush all disbelievers" at the Agora in Cleveland, Ohio. This is the band's one and only scheduled appearance in North America. The group states, "After six years, the wait for true metal in America is over!"

Tickets go on sale January 7, 2011. Details to follow soon.

MANOWAR will play its classic debut album, 1982's "Battle Hymns", in its entirety during the band's headlining performance on March 27, 2011 at O2 Academy in Birmingham, England.

MANOWAR bassist and producer Joey DeMaio recently released a new video message in which he offered an update on the status of the songwriting and recording sessions for the band's next album, "Hammer Of The Gods". You can watch it below.

Stated DeMaio: "A couple of people were wanting to know what's going on with the new album, 'Hammer Of The Gods'. Well, the truth is this: [original MANOWAR drummer] Donnie Hamzik is officially back in the band, and that changed everything for us. So all the songs that were written have been completely fucking thrown out, completely ditched — gone, never to be heard from again. The writing has changed because Donnie's back in the band and he's burning like a mad motherfucking demon on drums. So this album is gonna basically sound like I told you before — like somebody put gasoline on your fucking balls and lit it. So it'll be worth the fucking wait, 'cause when it comes, it's coming back."

"Hammer Of The Gods" was previously described as the first installment of "The Asgard Saga", the band's unique multimedia fantasy adventure with best-selling author Wolfgang Hohlbein.

MANOWAR recently decided that its fans deserved to hear the songs from its debut album, 1982's "Battle Hymns", with the massive sound and production that has become the group's signature over recent years and records.

"Battle Hymns 2011" features two never-before-released live versions of "Death Tone" and "Fast Taker" recorded during the band's very first concerts in 1982. These are the rarest bonus materials ever released to date in MANOWAR's career.

MANOWAR's latest DVD in the "Hell On Earth" series was released on November 27, 2009. "Hell On Earth V" covers MANOWAR's recent world tours, including Germany, Norway, Spain, Finland, Russia, Romania, Turkey, USA and Canada. It features live performances of old and new classics such as "Gloves Of Metal", "The Crown And The Ring", "Hand Of Doom", "Hymn Of The Immortal Warrior", "Father", "God Or Man" and many others.

Lemmy Kilmister (MOTÖRHEAD), Gilby Clarke (GUNS N' ROSES, ROCK STAR SUPERNOVA), Billy Duffy (THE CULT), Steve Jones (THE SEX PISTOLS), Frankie Perez (SCARS ON BROADWAY), Cherie Curie (THE RUNAWAYS) and Steven Adler (GUNS N' ROSES) are among the guest musicians who will perform with CAMP FREDDY tomorrow night (Friday, December 31) at the world-famous The Roxy Theatre in West Hollywood, California.

CAMP FREDDY is the Los Angeles-based "jam" group featuring Dave Navarro (JANE'S ADDICTION, RED HOT CHILI PEPPERS), Billy Morrison (ex-THE CULT bassist, current CIRCUS DIABLO vocalist), Matt Sorum (VELVET REVOLVER, ex-GUNS N' ROSES), Donovan Leitch (son of legendary folk singer Donovan), and Chris Chaney (JANE'S ADDICTION, ALANIS MORRISETTE).

**Important Note**: CAMP FREDDY's lineup for tomorrow night's performance will include BILLY IDOL guitarist Steve Stevens and THE CULT bassist Chris Wyse due to Navarro and Chaney being out of town.

In a recent interview with Gibson.com, Navarro was asked if there will ever be a CAMP FREDDY album. "We talked about it for many, many years, but the logistics of something like that really doesn't translate to what we're about," he replied. "We're a live band and we're about the fun on stage and whoever's gonna get up with us — we don't know from night to night. And when you go into a studio to record songs that have already been recorded, it's difficult to recreate that kind of energy and spontaneity, so it's unlikely at this juncture."

CAMP FREDDY in 2008 parted ways with Los Angeles' acclaimed Indie 103.1 radio station, which has aired the band's weekly show every Saturday for nearly five years.

Since its formation seven years ago when they rocked the opening of The Standard Hotel in Downtown Los Angeles at the invitation of Brent Bolthouse, CAMP FREDDY has performed on both coasts of America and on national television shows ("The Tonight Show with Jay Leno", "Jimmy Kimmel Live!", "Late Late Show With Craig Kilborn", "Last Call with Carson Daly").

I have never been real big on New Year's resolutions--maybe because in my "sober life" I have strived for everything in moderation (food, buying too much material crap, or whatever). It goes without saying that I no longer have booze and drugs to swear off. But there are one or two things I am finally going to rectify after the first of the year . . . the things that perhaps plague us all: junk e-mail and sales calls.
I don't have the most public of phone numbers, but I have tried to hang onto the same cell number for quite some time now. I suppose I must have used it at some point when I bought something, because these days--and every business day--I get sales calls at 8 a.m. and 8 p.m. You know the ones . . . a robotic voice comes on and says "This call is intended for MICHAEL MCKAGAN. If this is not MICHAEL MCKAGAN, please disregard." I emphasize the "Michael McKagan" part because that is the part of the sentence where the robotic voice inexplicably gets somehow more robotic.
The e-mails, on the other hand, are indeed from things that I have over the years used, or people I have given my e-mail to. I would think that the nursery school Grace went to some NINE YEARS AGO! would get the fact that Grace and I would no longer be interested in the different programs they offer. Sorry, I guess that is just me using common sense.
Also, although I am a Seattle resident, I DO spend a lot of my time in L.A., and have given my e-mail address to a few managers and tour managers and promoters and what-not. What I have gotten in return from some of these sorts (but not all of them, by any means), is a maddening cavalcade of invites to this "club opening" or that "birthday bash" for still more people who I have no idea who they might be. I'm not trying to paint myself as some sort of fancy-pants scenester, and I am glad that people think I am somehow "cool" enough to invite to some of these events. I just still think it is a little gauche to just use my e-mail for this onslaught without asking me if it is OK first.
I have learned not to give out my e-mail address when I go to stores, though. That is a whole other conundrum in itself. I know that neither of these two above-mentioned things are all that bad in the whole scope of things--and they are indeed not--but I have made a promise to myself to "unsubscribe" to the sales e-mails, send a note back to the club promoters to take me off the list (probably a D list, anyway), and call back these 800 numbers and have a supervisor take me off the call list!
My Blackberry is basically attached to my hip, and with all the international traveling I do, just think of the money I'll save from these international text-charges that I accrue because of the e-pimping that is all up in my grill. In the old days, I would have said to you all "Just think how many cocktails I could've bought with that dough." These days, however, I suppose it is more like "Just look at how many more nerdy books I can buy!"
God, how things have changed.
Happy New Year's, All!
Audiotech Guitar Products artist relations rep Anne Thompson recently conducted an interview with MÖTLEY CRÜE/ROB ZOMBIE bass tech Darron Meeks. You can watch the chat below.

As previously reported, MÖTLEY CRÜE has been confirmed for next year's edition of The Bamboozle festival, set to take place April 29 - May 1 at the New Meadowlands Sports Complex in East Rutherford, New Jersey.

Rob Zombie's fourth solo album, "Hellbilly Deluxe 2", debuted at No. 8 on the Billboard album chart on February 10, selling 49,000 copies in its first week of release. That total is less than 50 percent of the number of copies that his previous effort, "Educated Horses", sold in its first week back in April 2006, when it moved 107,000 copies to land at No. 5 on the chart.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DmZINPTlxdA&feature=player_embedded

Yahoo! Music's "Chart Watch" reports that the award-winning documentary about legendary Canadian trio RUSH, called "Rush: Beyond The Lighted Stage", was the No. 2 best-selling music video of 2010, according to Nielsen SoundScan, and the best-selling overall for a rock band, with 118,000 units sold.

"Rush: Beyond The Lighted Stage" was recently certified double platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) for shipments in excess of 100,000 copies. (Note: Due to the fact that the set consists of two discs, it was eligible for platinum certification after shipping 50,000 copies; platinum certification for a single-disc release is 100,000 copies.)

Guitarist Alex Lifeson told The Pulse of Radio that it wasn't until he saw the film himself that he thought there was actually an interesting story to tell about the band. "It's just kind of a, you know, a success story — kids from the suburbs have a dream and they live their dream," he said. "And everybody can relate to that. There's been quite a dynamic in the band, a lot of stuff has happened, so there was a story to tell there. And I don't think I really realized there was one until we actually saw a rough cut and how they pieced it all together and the chronology and the ebbs and flows of the story."

RUSH bassist Geddy Lee told RollingStone.com that the band was initially hesitant when approached by filmmakers Sam Dunn and Scot McFadyen about making a documentary, saying, "We thought, 'How foolish are these guys?' We're just this dull band. I remember [drummer] Neil [Peart] asked them rather pointedly, 'What's your angle? What's the story you want to tell?' They said, 'Well, to be honest, we don't know.' We liked that and said, 'Good luck, let you know what you want us to do.'"

"Rush: Beyond The Lighted Stage" won the Audience Choice Award at the 2010 Tribeca Film Festival this past April.

RUSH began a 40-date North American tour on June 29 in Albuquerque, New Mexico. The trek features the band's first-ever performance of its 1981 album "Moving Pictures" in its entirety.

The band recently released two new tracks, "Caravan" and "BU2B", online and will return to the studio after the tour to complete its next album, titled "Clockwork Angels".

TWISTED SISTER frontman Dee Snider tells Broadway.com that he will release and album called "Dee Does Broadway" on Razor & Tie Records in 2011. He says his personal hope for next year is "to bridge the gap between Broadway and rock 'n' roll and introduce the hard rock audience to the amazing music of the Great White Way!"

Snider joined the cast of the Tony-nominated musical "Rock Of Ages" this past October at the Brooks Atkinson Theatre.

The singer, who was recently seen in the A&E reality show "Growing Up Twisted", played nightclub owner Dennis for an 11-week engagement beginning Oct. 11 and continuing through Dec. 24. He also hosted "Rock Senate Hearings," a weekly Tuesday-night talkback series.

Snider recently spoke to MTV News about his stint as a cast member of "Rock Of Ages".

"The entire situation is completely surreal," Snider said. "Imagine an actual Tyrannosaurus on the set of 'Jurassic Park'. They've got an actual '80s guy in a show about the '80s. I know the people who sing those songs were a little uncomfortable the first few nights."

"The biggest difference between a concert situation and a theater situation is that you can't curse out the audience. I'm used to addressing situations. If something is going on in the house that I don't like at a concert, or if the audience is not energized or enthusiastic — or if they're particularly energized and enthusiastic — I will stop a song just to comment on what's going on. I quickly realized that was unacceptable on Broadway. I just have to stay in character and stay in the show."

"While it's a comedy, it's frighteningly accurate. Especially when it comes to frontmen, and how the rest of the band regards them as complete assholes. And I sit there and feel shame. I was a pompous ass. But I feel better now."

On how he landed the gig:

"I would love to tell you that somebody knocked on the door and said, 'We want you!' But the truth is: I was invited to the premiere of the off-Broadway production, where I saw my two songs in the show, and I turned to my wife and said, 'I want to do that. I could play Dennis Dupree.' So I let it be known, and it took two years to get asked out on that date."

TWISTED SISTER guitarist Eddie Ojeda's 2006 solo album, "Axes 2 Axes", has been made available on vinyl for the first time via Steel Legacy and Rockaholics Records. 500 hand-numbered copies of the LP were made (250 in black with pink bits configuration and 250 in a reddish/pink tint).

"Axes 2 Axes" features guest appearances by such acclaimed hard rock/heavy metal vocalists as Ronnie James Dio (DIO, RAINBOW, BLACK SABBATH), Dee Snider (TWISTED SISTER), and Joe Lynn Turner (RAINBOW, DEEP PURPLE, YNGWIE MALMSTEEN). Rudy Sarzo (QUIET RIOT, WHITESNAKE, DIO, YNGWIE MALMSTEEN) plays bass on two tracks, with Chris McCarvill handling the rest. Drummer Joe Franco (TWISTED SISTER, VINNIE MOORE, JACK BRUCE) plays on the entire record. The cover artwork for "Axes 2 Axes" was conceived by German artist Timo Wuerz.

For more information, visit www.rockaholicsrecords.com.

BIG NOIZE — the band featuring vocalist Joe Lynn Turner (DEEP PURPLE, RAINBOW, YNGWIE MALMSTEEN), bassist Phil Soussan (OZZY OSBOURNE), guitarist Carlos Cavazo (QUIET RIOT) and drummer Vinny Appice (DIO, HEAVEN & HELL, BLACK SABBATH; stepping in for Simon Wright) — has scheduled a one-off show on January 27 at Brixton in Redondo Beach, Califonia. Also appearing on the bill are rockers INTENSITY. Tickets for the event are $15 dollars.

In other news, BIG NOIZE is among the confirmed bands for the Motorcycle Rock Cruise, presented by Base2 Produções and CVC. Also scheduled to appear are SEPULTURA and HAIL! The four-day cruise will leave from Santos, Brazil on January 30, 2011.

Former SKID ROW singer Sebastian Bach has posted the following message on his Facebook page:

"For the record, my wife and I have decided to separate. In all but every way, we have actually been separated since last April. We have tried to work things out for the sake of our family, but it has become apparent that our differences at this point are irreconcilable. In 2011 we go our separate ways."

The couple has been married since 1992 and has three children: sons Paris and London and daughter Sebastiana.

Bach and his wife starred in the "I Married Sebastian Bach" reality show, which was reportedly the top-rated show on VH1 the day it premiered in September 2004. Furthermore, "I Married Sebastian Bach" was the highest-rated show ever in the "I Married…" series and was No. 7 on the Top 100 list of VH1 shows the week it aired.

Charges against Bach were dropped last month and he agreed to pay a $250 fine in connection with a 2004 incident when he allegedly trashed Filmores strip club in Toronto, Ontario, Canada after staff refused to give him a naked picture of his wife which was on display at the bar.

TESTAMENT guitarist Alex Skolick has added a new entry to the "Skonotes" blog section of his official web site. An excerpt follows below.

"It's not every day one reads a story about a positive experience dealing with an airline. However, I'm pleased to report that one does exist. Although believing in this outcome felt like believing in Santa Clause or The Tooth Fairy, this story has a happy ending in the tradition of a classic holiday tale.

"Many have heard the famous words, 'Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Clause,' right? Well, it gives me great pleasure to announce the following: 'Yes America, there is customer care at Delta Airlines.'

"Arriving home from tour the other week, I found, there in the pile of mail, a check from Delta covering the entire amount of a new Apple MacBook pro computer.

"I'd had to purchase this Mac immediately upon landing in L.A. after water had been spilled on mine by a flight attendant who, while pouring for a neighboring passenger, failed to take proper precaution. While this situation caused more internal stress than I can remember having in a long time, the outcome is a healthy reminder that the unexpected does happen and when it does, it's best to just stay calm and deal with it in as focused a manner as possible.

"I easily could have 'lost it' on that flight, but I'm glad I chose not to. The guy who spilled the water felt terrible and it wouldn't have helped if I blew up at him. I did, very firmly say, 'This is bad. I know it was an accident, I know you didn't mean for this to happen, but we have a big problem here. How are we going to deal with this?' I'm happy with how I handled it, and how he and the rest of the crew handled it, filing a report and giving me a reference number and phone number to call to determine the next steps to take.

"I can't say that the next phase was easy. There was a lot of work to do and time spent filing the claim, stating my case in a letter, gathering up the appropriate receipts, estimates and other documents. It was difficult to get someone on the phone to assist with the process. And then there was a long waiting period.

"So while I think Delta could really use some work fine-tuning its procedure for resolving incidents like this, not to mention its automated system and processing time, I'm pleased with the ultimate outcome. And I will say that whenever I was dealing with a live person I felt I was in good hands."

According to The Pulse Of Radio, QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE guitarist Dean Fertita told Billboard.com on Wednesday (December 29) that the band will begin recording its sixth studio album in January. The disc is the band's first since 2007's "Era Vulgaris" and follows an extended break during which frontman Josh Homme recorded and toured in THEM CROOKED VULTURES with Dave Grohl and John Paul Jones.

Fertita told The Pulse Of Radio that all the members of QUEENS are looking forward to getting back to work on what he thinks will be a very collaborative album. "Things are going really good," he said. "Everybody seems excited and ready to go. We've got so many ideas started already that I guess we'll kind of see what turns out to be everybody's favorite. I think all of us really feel like we've found our space in it and can contribute to it."

The QUEENS did play some European festival dates this past summer.

Fertita also plays guitar in THE DEAD WEATHER, which features WHITE STRIPES frontman Jack White on drums and vocals. While White is reportedly preparing a new STRIPES album for 2011, Fertita told Billboard that he expects more music from THE DEAD WEATHER, too. He explained, "Everything seems to happen by accident with that band so who knows — maybe we'll have a record together in another two weeks . . . I don't see any reason why we wouldn't try to keep it going at some point."

STARGAZERY, the Finnish hard rock band fronted by the ex-MICHAEL SCHENKER GROUP vocalist Jari Tiura, has inked a deal with Pure Legend Records, the new sublabel of Pure Steel Records. The group's debut album, "Eye On The Sky", will be released in the first quarter of 2011. The CD was recorded and mixed at the HellGate and Reindeer Horns studios in Oulu, Finland and was mastered at the Bazement Studios. The cover artwork was created by Felipe Machado, who has previously worked with AXEL RUDI PELL, BLIND GUARDIAN, ICED EARTH and BLAZE BAYLEY.

Commented the band: "We all are very excited and happy to sign to Germany's Pure Legend Records, an specialized sublabel of the well-known Pure Steel Records. We've seen that the label has been raising their profile year after year and we are really looking forward to work with them in the future."

Added Pure Legend Records: "It's a dream to release such a gem as first release. STARGAZERY are playing exactly the honest kind of music we want to support with Pure Legend Records. Anything (instruments, compositions and sound) can only be called excellent. You hear and practically feel the professionalism of the individual musicians. A perfect album in this genre!"

STARGAZERY is:

* Jari Tiura (MICHAEL SCHENKER GROUP, MASTERSTROKE, SNAKEGOD) - Vocals
* Pete Ahonen (BURNING POINT, GHOST MACHINERY) - Guitar, Backing Vocals
* Jukka Jokikokko (BURNING POINT) - Bass, Backing Vocals
* Marco Sneck (POISONBLACK, KALMAH) - Keyboards
* Jussi Ontero (BURNING POINT, GHOST MACHINERY) - Drums

01. Dying
02. Puppet On A String
03. I Am The Night
04. Eye On The Sky
05. How Many Miles
06. Judah
07. S.O.S.
08. Every Day I Dream Of You
09. Jester Of Kings
10. Headless Cross (BLACK SABBATH cover)

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

Brazilian/American thrashers SEPULTURA have been confirmed for the 2011 edition of the Rockharz Open Air festival, set to take place July 7-9 at Airport Ballenstedt in Harz, Germany.

The festival billing is shaping up as follows (in alphabetical order):

AMORPHIS
CALIBAN
EMIL BULLS
END OF GREEN
FEUERSCHWANZ
FREI.WILD
GRAND MAGUS
HACKNEYED
HAIL OF BULLETS
HAMMERFALL
HYPOCRISY
IN EXTREMO
LETZTE INSTANZ
ORDEN OGAN
PAUL DI'ANNO
SALTATIO MORTIS
SEPULTURA
STAHLMANN
TARJA
THE NEW BLACK
TURISAS
TÝR
U.D.O.

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

Nyna of MetalSickness.com conducted an interview with SOULFLY/CAVALERA CONSPIRACY mainman Max Cavalera on November 18, 2010 at Elysée Montmartre in Paris, France. You can now watch the chat below.

On the possibility of a reunion of the classic lineup of SEPULTURA, featuring Max on guitar/vocals and his brother, Igor Cavalera, on drums:

Max: "People are asking me about this reunion thing. I've said many times before that I'd like to do it and I don't even need to do it because both of my bands are doing really good — CAVALERA CONSPIRACY and SOULFLY are doing so good that I don't even need a SEPULTURA reunion for my life. But I'd like to do it for the fans because they're asking for it so much. But I think the person that they should ask is mostly Paulo [Xisto Pinto Junior, SEPULTURA bassist], because he's the one that's been telling people that it's not gonna happen. So, I don't know, really. If people want to know, they should ask him. They should ask him straight up, 'Why are you saying it's not gonna happen?' and get an answer from him. Because I can only do so much. I did try already. And, actually, I got my brother convinced to do it — Igor said that he would do it — and I talked to Andreas [Kisser, SEPULTURA guitarist] and Andreas was, actually, like, 'OK, I'll do it. Let's
do this reunion.' And then Paulo becomes the problem. It's kind of ridiculous, actually, 'cause... I mean, in that band right now, there's nobody original. I created that band, I gave the name. I started that band when I was still in school with Igor. Nobody from that time is in that band right now, from when we first started. I don't know... It's kind of weird to have them around carrying the name like it was theirs; they act like it was their band. Really, it's not. That was my and Igor's band in the beginning."

On the recent departure of SOULFLY bassist Bobby Burns:

Max: "Well, we're still friends. It was really a friendly split. SOULFLY is a very demanding band that demands of you to reall... You've gotta be some kind of soldier to be in SOULFLY and it's really not an easy band to be in, and I'll be the first one to say that. We go to places a lot of people don't go, and we play places a lot of people don't play. But on the side of the coin, we get to see the world and get to travel the world and meet many people and it's great life for a musician. It was my dream from the beginning to do this. And when somebody is not feeling the same way as us, I always said from the beginning: If you're not 100 percent here with us, then you should not be here at all. And Bobby wasn't like that anymore; he was, really... It was a situation where nobody was even talking to him in the end, and he was not talking to anybody. It was really strange. I never had that in a band before like that. It was really kind of, like, 'What's
going on with this guy?' And it got to the point where he started to drink a lot, too, and that was another problem. He started missing a lot of notes and not playing the bass so good live. That's another thing that cannot happen; we have to make sure that we play good at night — a lot of people want to see us, so we've gotta be... If there's 10 people at the show or 10,000, I want SOULFLY to perform the same; I always that to the other guys. Even though it's hard sometimes — if there's less people there, if there's no vibe, or the vibe sucks, you still [get into] it. Those people there are your hardcore fans because they came here. Maybe there's only 100 of them, they are 100 of your most hardcore fans that came to see you, so it's very special that you play the same. And Bobby was not feeling like that anymore, so it was better for us to say to him, 'We think it's better for you to go and we'll get somebody there that's gonna be hungry again to be
in the band,' and that's what we're looking for right now."

SOULFLY has just completed a U.S. tour with STRAIGHT LINE STITCH and INCITE.

Bassist Johny Chow, who has played with SOULFLY's Max Cavalera and Marc Rizzo (guitar) in CAVALERA CONSPIRACY and is a member of FIREBALL MINISTRY, is loaning his skills to SOULFLY tours for the immediate future until the position is filled.

SOULFLY's latest album, "Omen", sold 6,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 73 on The Billboard 200 chart.

SOULFLY's previous album, "Conquer", opened with 8,400 units back in August 2008 to land at position No. 66 on The Billboard 200 chart. This number was in line with the opening tally of the CD's predecessor, "Dark Ages", which shifted a little more than 8,000 copies during its first week of release in October 2005 to enter the chart at No. 155.

Former SOULFLY bassist Bobby Burns has slammed the band's mainman Max Cavalera for allegedly "talking shit" and "lying" to the press about the circumstances surrounding Bobby's departure from the group.

In a November 18, 2010 interview with MetalSickness.com (see video below), Max stated about SOULFLY's split with Burns, "Well, we're still friends. It was really a friendly split."

He continued, "SOULFLY is a very demanding band that demands of you to really... You've gotta be some kind of soldier to be in SOULFLY and it's really not an easy band to be in, and I'll be the first one to say that. We go to places a lot of people don't go, and we play places a lot of people don't play. But on the side of the coin, we get to see the world and get to travel the world and meet many people and it's great life for a musician. It was my dream from the beginning to do this. And when somebody is not feeling the same way as us...

"I always said from the beginning: If you're not 100 percent here with us, then you should not be here at all. And Bobby wasn't like that anymore; he was, really... It was a situation where nobody was even talking to him in the end, and he was not talking to anybody. It was really strange. I never had that in a band before like that. It was really kind of, like, 'What's going on with this guy?' And it got to the point where he started to drink a lot, too, and that was another problem. He started missing a lot of notes and not playing the bass so good live.

"That's another thing that cannot happen; we have to make sure that we play good at night — a lot of people want to see us, so we've gotta be... If there's 10 people at the show or 10,000, I want SOULFLY to perform the same; I always that to the other guys. Even though it's hard sometimes — if there's less people there, if there's no vibe, or the vibe sucks, you still [get into] it. Those people there are your hardcore fans because they came here. Maybe there's only 100 of them, [but] they are 100 of your most hardcore fans that came to see you, so it's very special that you play the same. And Bobby was not feeling like that anymore, so it was better for us to say to him, 'We think it's better for you to go and we'll get somebody there that's gonna be hungry again to be in the band,' and that's what we're looking for right now."

In a series of postings on his Facebook page from earlier today (Thursday, December 30), Burns took issue with Max's explanation for Bobby's departure from SOULFLY, writing, "Strike 2, Max... Strike 2. Take some more pills, man."

He added, "[Max is] a fucking idiot. If he keeps talking shit I'm gonna let the whole world know some shit about their cover band leader hero.

"We agreed to have a nice parting of ways and I'm the only one taking the high road, it seems. But I won't tolerate the lies for press. . . . He can bash me all he wants, but it's gonna hurt his fans' feelings if they ever find out how he really is."

SOULFLY has just completed a U.S. tour with STRAIGHT LINE STITCH and INCITE.

Bassist Johny Chow, who has played with SOULFLY's Max Cavalera and Marc Rizzo (guitar) in CAVALERA CONSPIRACY and is a member of FIREBALL MINISTRY, is loaning his skills to SOULFLY tours for the immediate future until the position is filled.

SOULFLY's latest album, "Omen", sold 6,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at position No. 73 on The Billboard 200 chart.

SOULFLY's previous album, "Conquer", opened with 8,400 units back in August 2008 to land at position No. 66 on The Billboard 200 chart. This number was in line with the opening tally of the CD's predecessor, "Dark Ages", which shifted a little more than 8,000 copies during its first week of release in October 2005 to enter the chart at No. 155.

KILLER IN THE WORKPLACE — the new project featuring former SOULFLY bassist Bobby Burns and ex-STUCK MOJO frontman Bonz — has scheduled the following dates:

Dec. 31 - Brewsters Pit - Jacksonville, FL
Jan. 06 - The Masquerade - Atlanta, GA
Jan. 07 - Ground Zero - Spartanburg, SC
Jan. 08 - Club Xscape - Fayetteville, Nc

In addition to Burns and Bonz, KILLER IN THE WORKPLACE features bassist Curt Taylor from PRIMER 55 and guitarist/vocalist Matty Time.

Burns previously stated about KILLER IN THE WORKPLACE's music, "It's the best stuff Bonz has ever done, I think, so I think everybody's gonna dig it."

KILLER IN THE WORKPLACE is:

Bonz - Vocals
Bobby Burns - Guitar, Vocals
Curt Taylor - Bass
Matty Time - Guitar, Vocals

Swedish metallers THE HAUNTED have set "Unseen" as the title of their seventh studio album, due late March via Century Media Records. The CD was once again recorded with longtime producer Tue Madsen (MOONSPELL, DARK TRANQUILLITY, GOREFEST, SICK OF IT ALL) at his Antfarm Studio in Århus, Denmark.

Commented THE HAUNTED vocalist Peter Dolving: "So the work's done. We hope to pour music and inspiration into your heads.

"We spent a month and a half with Tue Madsen, who brought out the best in everyone and did an incredible job mixing."

THE HAUNTED will perform at the "P3 Guld" (Swedish radio's annual music awards) live awards ceremony broadcast on January 22, 2011 from Lisebergshallen in Gothenburg, Sweden.

THE HAUNTED recently signed a new worldwide deal with Century Media Records for the release of the group's next CD.

THE HAUNTED's last three albums — "rEVOLVEr", "The Dead Eye" and "Versus" — were all issued through the German label.

THE HAUNTED released a live DVD/CD, "Road Kill", in North America on June 8 via Century Media. This crushing live release, which was issued in Europe on April 19, was made available as a DVD+CD as well as a stand-alone CD and digital download. The audio-only release contain the full live-show as well as five previously unreleased or rare studio tracks from the "Versus" recording sessions.

According to a press release, "Road Kill" features an in-depth, very unique on-the-road documentary, footage of THE HAUNTED's intense live performance and the band's recent promotional video clips. The live show was captured on February 13, 2009 at Melkweg in Amsterdam, Holland by Fabchannel and its sound was mixed and mastered by Tue Madsen.

"Road Kill" entered the official chart in Sweden at position No. 29 (album chart) and in Finland at No. 3 (Music DVD chart).

The Great Southern Brainfart conducted an interview with guitarist Mark Jansen of Dutch female-fronted symphonic metallers EPICA on December 17, 2010 at the Masquerade in Atlanta, Georgia. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

The Great Southern Brainfart: Since EPICA plays some bigger venues in Europe, how is it playing small clubs in the U.S. when you come here?

Mark: I love it because that's the variation which is so great. For example, in Brazil we have a venue with a capacity of 6,000 and 5,000 people in there going totally nuts. That's a great feeling but when you play a small club and you can see actually everybody who is in the venue that's also a more intimate feeling and I like both. I wouldn't like one of them to disappear. Playing only big shows that would bore me. It sounds maybe a bit silly, but it would bore me, so I like the variation.

The Great Southern Brainfart: That's really cool to hear because I've heard bands who play clubs say that they wish they were playing bigger places. I can't help but feel that they should be engaging the people they are playing to and be appreciative of where they are at.

Mark: Often musicians have their heads too much in the clouds and are fantasizing about what can happen in the future. We are living in the now, and when we play a show we enjoy every second of it. I think that's the reason why we are in a band because we enjoy being on stage. It doesn't matter if we play for 30 people or for 30,000. The fun is what matters, and if 30 people are happy afterward than we are happy, too.

The Great Southern Brainfart: That is such a great attitude to have and an audience can see that in a band.

Mark: That's what they tell us as well. They come after the show and say, "You guys are smiling so much on stage and it gives us a good feeling too." I never understand when bands are looking like they are taking a dump on stage [laughs]. Then I think, "Why are you doing it? If you want to do something else in your life then do something else. Don't waste your time and the time of your fans."

The Great Southern Brainfart: 2010 has been a busy year for EPICA. What is in store for 2011?

Mark: 2011 is going to be a busy year as well. We are going to tour a lot until the end of the summer. We are going to do the 70,000 Tons Of Metal cruise which will be a good experience. It's really going to be fun. Then we are going to do a Latin American tour then we go back to Europe. We are going to do the U.K., Netherlands, Turkey and after that we are going to do the summer festivals. Right after the summer we go back into the studio to record the new album. I really look forward to going home after this tour. I'm going to write some new music for EPICA but over the last year I have been writing for my other band.

The Great Southern Brainfart: Oh, MAYAN, correct?

Mark: Yes!

The Great Southern Brainfart: What can you tell us about this band?

Mark: It started as just something for fun but soon it grew into something that had to be perfect as well. I thought it was just for fun to make music with old friends but now it's as serious for me as EPICA is. Of course, EPICA remains my priority band and that's the band that's doing the most of the tours but MAYAN will fill in the gaps and maybe we will do some touring with EPICA in the future.

The Great Southern Brainfart: Conceptually and lyrically will the MAYAN material be similar to EPICA?

Mark: Lyrically, you will find a lot of comparisons because it's my style of writing. I didn't attempt to write about completely different stuff. It could have been lyrics for an EPICA CD as well but music-wise it's completely different. It's way more grunge and way more heavy. It is still symphonic because I love that kind of music. It's like a mixture of SYMPHONY X and OPETH style. That kind of direction.

U.K-based metallers POWER QUEST have completed work on their new album, "Blood Alliance", at Foel Studios (PAUL RODGERS, NAPALM DEATH, THE WILDHEARTS) in Wales next for a late March European release via Napalm Records (early April in the U.S. and January 19 in Japan through Marquee/Avalon). Eleven songs were laid down for the follow-up to 2008's "Master Of Illusion", including one bonus track. The CD cover artwork was once again designed by Felipe Machado (BLIND GUARDIAN, SILENT FORCE) and can be viewed below.

Commented keyboardist Steve Williams: "Well, it has been a long time coming but finally the fifth POWER QUEST album is done and I don't think I have ever been so excited about releasing an album. All the guys have given 110% to this record and I'm proud of them all. It's without doubt the heaviest POWER QUEST album yet but without sacrificing the POWER QUEST melodic tradition. I just can't wait for you all to hear it!"

"Blood Alliance" track listing:

01. Battle Stations
02. Rising Anew
03. Glorious
04. Sacrifice
05. Survive
06. Better Days
07. Crunching The Numbers
08. Only In My Dreams
09. Blood Alliance
10. City Of Lies
11. Time To Burn (Japanese bonus track)

POWER QUEST is confirmed to play HardRock Hell Ibiza in June 2011 and will announced more U.K. festival appearances shortly.

POWER QUEST in May announced the addition of vocalist Chitral "Chity" Somapala and guitarist Gavin Owen (of Welsh metallers TRIAXIS) to the group's ranks. The band stated at the time, "Chity is well known and highly regarded worldwide in the rock and metal scene and has recorded, toured and made guest appearances with the likes of AVALON, FARO, FIREWIND and RED CIRCUIT, as well as fronting his own band CIVILIZATION ONE. His unmistakable style has been compared favorably with Ronnie James Dio, Klaus Meine and Johnny Gioeli."

POWER QUEST in March parted ways with singer Pete Morten and guitarist Ben Randall due to "musical differences."

POWER QUEST's last album, "Master of Illusion", was released in 2008 via Napalm Records/Avalon Marquee (Japan). Guest musicians on the CD include keyboardist Richard West from the U.K. progressive metal band THRESHOLD, Jorn Viggo Lofstad from the Norwegian power metal act PAGAN'S MIND and FOURWAYKILL singer Chris Neighbour.

POWER QUEST is:

Chity Somapala - Vocals
Steve Williams - Keyboards
Andy Midgley - Guitars
Gavin Owen - Guitars
Paul Finnie - Bass
Rich Smith - Drums

http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/reviewpics/powerquest2011cd.jpg

Swedish hard rockers BONAFIDE will release a new EP, "Fill Your Head With Rock - Old, New, Tried & True", on January 28, 2011. The band states, "[We] decided to go for a EP instead of the ordinary radio single format this time around. The reasons were many, but first and foremost it shows a band vitalized by the addition of drummer Niklas Matsson (RAGING SLAB, BACKDRAFT), and what better way to introduce a new member than to buy some studio time and record a couple of favorite tracks live in the studio!

"'Fill Your Head With Rock' and 'No Doubt About It' are both taken from [BONAFIDE's] second album, 'Something's Dripping'. We gave the opener, 'Fill Your Head…', a little 'haircut,' making it more representable for radio. This is a true anthem, and a song that has grown into a live favorite. 'No Doubt About It' was picked to be included in the new Atari game 'Test Drive Unlimited 2', released for various platforms early 2011.

"The six-track EP also includes the song 'Kick Me Out' that, for some unknown reason, was not included on the final version of 'Something's Dripping'. We feel this song is a fantastic representation of a band that for the last two years has gained an ever-growing audience around Europe by extensive touring. 'I Don't Need No Doctor', 'I Can't Explain' and 'Nice Boys (Don't Play Rock 'N' Roll)' sees BONAFIDE paying homage to some rock giants. THE WHO's 'I Can't Explain' is another live favorite, often played as an encore. HUMBLE PIE's 'I Don't Need No Doctor' lets singer and frontman Pontus Snibb show off his golden vocal cords, and 'Nice Boys', which was recorded in one take, is two minutes of pure adrenalin. Also included are two videos: 'Hard Livin' Man' and the brand new 'No Doubt About It'."

"Fill Your Head With Rock - Old, New, Tried & True" EP track listing:

01. Fill Your Head With Rock (radio edit)
02. No Doubt About It
03. Kick Me Out
04. I Dont Need No Doctor
05. I Cant Explain
06. Nice Boys (Dont Play Rock 'N' Roll)
07. Hard Livin Man (video)
08. No Doubt About It (video)

Danish metallers MERCENARY have been confirmed for the German, Austrian and Swiss editions of the Metalfest, set to take place May 27-29, 2011.

So far the following bands have been confirmed to appear next year:

AMON AMARTH
SABATON
CRADLE OF FILTH
ARCH ENEMY
WINTERSUN
SAXON
AMORPHIS
EQUILIBRIUM
ENTOMBED
SODOM
WATAIN
PRIMORDIAL
RAGE
EISREGEN
DESTRUCTION
ARKONA
BELPHEGOR
SUICIDAL ANGELS
KALMAH
MERCENARY
WHILE HEAVEN WEPT
MILKING THE GOATMACHINE
THAUROROD
KIVIMETSÄN DRUIDI
ALCEST
EXCREMENTORY GRINDFUCKERS
WE BUTTER THE BREAD WITH BUTTER (Austria only)
NEAERA (Austria only)

Metalfest Germany will take place at airport Dessau, Metalfest Austria will happen in Mining am Inn and Metalfest Switzerland will be held at Z7 in Pratteln.

For more information, visit www.metalfest.eu.

Swedish progressive metallers WOLVERINE recently finished mixing their long-awaited new album, "Communication Lost", with Danish producer Jacob Hansen at Hansen studios in Ribe, Denmark for a tentative early 2011 release. The band states, "The album is right now being mastered by Eroc. Because of administrative problems, from our label's end, the recording got stuck at Jacob Hansen's studio for quite some time so we didn't start mastering until December instead of September, which was the original plan.

"The actual mastering has been taking a while because we've been sending ideas back and forth on different approaches to the album's overall sound. We came to a conclusion about a week ago but then came Christmas and the holidays. We can only hope that you all understand we're taking this long because we want the album to be perfect when it finally does come out."

The "Communication Lost" cover artwork is being designed by Marcus Losbjer (drums) while Thomas Jansson (bass) is contributing to it with "great photos."

WOLVERINE's last album, "Still", was released in the U.S. in July 2006 via Candlelight Records. The CD was recorded in part at Spacelab studio in Tönisvorst, Germany. The follow-up to 2003's "Cold Light of Monday" was produced by Oliver Philipps, Christian "Moschus" Moos and WOLVERINE and was mixed at the end of August 2005.

Los Angeles, California-based guitarist Adrian Galysh will open for legendary ex-SCORPIONS axeman Uli Jon Roth and ALCATRAZZ (featuring Graham Bonnet) in January. Galysh will also perform in Uli Jon Roth's band for these Southern California dates.

The details are as follows:

* Jan. 18 - Brick by Brick - San Diego, CA (Uli Jon Roth only)
* Jan. 20 - Majestic Ventura Theatre - Ventura, CA (Uli Jon Roth, Alcatrazz, Adrian Galysh)
* Jan. 21 - Blue Cafe - Huntington Beach, CA (Uli Jon Roth, Adrian Galysh)

Adrian's third solo album, "Earth Tones", solidifies his compositional style and finds his guitar playing in top form. The new recordings feature the powerhouse rhythm section of Marco Mendoza (THIN LIZZY, WHITESNAKE, TED NUGENT) on bass and Joey Heredia (STEVIE WONDER, F. GAMBALE, S. HENDERSON) on drums. Special guests include Chuck Wright (QUIET RIOT, HOUSE OF LORDS) on bass and Glen Sobel (JENNIFER BATTEN, GARY HOEY, TONY MACALPINE) on drums on the track "Planetary Cycles", as well as Carl Verheyen (SUPERTRAMP) on second guitar on the track "Terrestrial Races".

For more information, visit www.AdrianGalysh.com.

Guitarist Uwe Lulis, drummer Gerd Lücking and guitarist Simone Wenzel have left the German metal band REBELLION.

Commented Uwe: "REBELLION was also my band and I would be pleased if Tomi [Göttlich, bass] and Micha [vocalist Michael Seifert] will continue successfully."

Göttlich and Seifert are currently contemptating whether and how they should carry on with the band.

Stated Tomi: "We ask ourselves whether REBELLION without Uwe can still be REBELLION. On the other hand, one always depends on their fans, [so] we would be pleased if our fans told us their opinion about it."

Added Michael: "Tomi and I wish Uwe, Gerd and Simone honestly all the best with their new projects."

Gerd and Uwe have plans to form a new band while Simone has joined VERNISSAGE.

REBELLION's latest full-length album (the third part of the "History of the Vikings" saga), "Arise: From Ragnarök to Ginnungagap - The History of the Vikings Volume III", came out in July 2009 via Massacre Records.

Spanish thrashers DESECRATION will release their debut album, "Lords Of Misery", on January 11, 2011 via the band's web site (online store) in jewel case and also in digital format. The artwork was created by Cesar Valladares and the photographic work was handled by Leandro García. The CD was recorded at Moontower Studios in Rubí (Barcelona) and was produced by Javier Félez. Two additional tracks were recorded by DESECRATION at the band's own home studio.

"Lords Of Misery" track listing:

01. Prelude To Depravity (2:10)
02. Molestation (1:27)
03. Lords Of Misery (5:32)
04. Mass Immolation (4:02)
05. Die Young (BLACK SABBATH cover) (2:54)
06. Face Your Fear (5:56)
07. Menthal Anesthesia (3:42)

DESECRATION will perform at its first-anniversary show on February 4, 2011 at Can Xic (Viladecans).

For more information, visit www.desecration.com.

The first studio material from the new lineup of the Croatian metal band RISING DREAM — featuring recently added female singer Ines Tanceva — will be made available as a free download via the group's MySpace page. The song "Religion For The Weak" will be released on Monday, January 10, 2011 at 6:00 p.m. CET.

Recorded at Megaphone Studio in Croatia, mixed at Sweetspot Studio in Sweden by Rickard Bengtsson (ARCH ENEMY, OPETH, TESTAMENT, FIREWIND) and mastered at Audio Harakiri Studio in Slovenia, "Religion For The Weak" will serve as a sneak preview of the next RISING DREAM album, according to a press release.

RISING DREAM's latest CD, "Failed Apocalypse", was released in July 2008 via Dallas Records. The album features a guest appearance by former VISIONS OF ATLANTIS singer Melissa Ferlaak on the song "Dreams Come True".

RISING DREAM has previously opened for such bands as IRON MAIDEN, HELLOWEEN, AMON AMARTH and DEEP PURPLE, and has played at major European open air festivals.

Polish extreme metallers BEHEMOTH have been named "Artist Of 2010" by the readers of one of the biggest Polish portals, Onet.pl.

Commented BEHEMOTH's leukemia-stricken guitarist/vocalist Adam "Nergal" Darski: "Well, let me start with saying that most probably no one takes such polls very seriously. However, it is always great to see the commitment of people, fans, who vote with such intensity and support their favorite artist.

"Thank you very much for this! : )

"I would also like to comment the presence of my fiancée Doda [26-year-old Polish pop singer Dorota Rabczewska; pictured below with Nergal] in the front ranks... If you sum our votes you will see that we have the monopoly and nobody can win with us! Apart from that — all stays in the family, doesn't it? Haha.

"Someone asked me today: 'What would you do if Dorota wins?' Well, to lose with her is to win in fact : ) ...

"Once again, regards to all the involved! Horns up!"

According to reports in the Polish media, Darski underwent a bone marrow transplant procedure on December 17, having found a donor that was a genetic match. He will spend the next couple of weeks in an isolation room at the hematology division of Uniwersyteckie Centrum Kliniczne (UCK) in Gdansk to avoid any infection while his immune system is low.

BEHEMOTH's "Evangelia Heretika" DVD was released in the U.S. on November 9 via Metal Blade Records, in Poland via Mystic Records, and in the rest of Europe through Nuclear Blast. It contains three discs featuring two full shows ("Live In Paris 2008" and "Live In Warsaw 2009"); every BEHEMOTH music video ever made; "Evangelion" tour documentary featuring band interviews plus tons of backstage footage; and a bonus "Live in Warsaw" audio CD.

IN EXTREMO, INTERMENT, DEMONICAL, SWASHBUCKLE, ENGEL and NEAERA have been confirmed for next year's installment of the Summer Breeze festival, set to take place August 18-20, 2011 in Dinkelsbühl, Germany.

The festival billing is shaping up as follows (in alphabetical order):

9MM ASSI ROCK'N'ROLL
A PALE HORSE NAMED DEATH
ARCH ENEMY
BOLT THROWER
CALIBAN
CORVUS CORAX
CRIMINAL
DECAPITATED
DEMONICAL
DER WEG EINER FREIHEIT
DESTRUCTION
DEVIL SOLD HIS SOUL
ENGEL
EXCREMENTORY GRINDFUCKERS
FACEBREAKER
FARMER BOYS
HAIL OF BULLETS
HATEBREED
HAYSEED DIXIE
IMPERIUM DEKADENZ
IN EXTREMO
INTERMENT
J.B.O.
KALMAH
KAMPFAR
KVELERTAK
MARDUK
MELECHESH
MOONSORROW
NEAERA
PRIMORDIAL
REVAMP
SALTATIO MORTIS
SCAR SYMMETRY
SKELETONWITCH
SMOKE BLOW
SODOM
SONIC SYNDICATE
SWASHBUCKLE
SYLOSIS
TARJA
THE HAUNTED
THE SORROW
TRIGGER THE BLOODSHED
TURISAS
TÝR
VADER
VOMITORY
VREID
WITCHERY
WOLF

Tickets can be purchased for 72 euros (excluding pre-sale fees, including parking/camping) at Silverdust-Shop.de. The first 10,000 tickets get a free DVD with live footage and impressions from the 2009 edition of the festival.

TRIGGER THE BLOODSHED, CRIMINAL, SMOKE BLOW, FACEBREAKER, DER WEG EINER FREIHEIT and IMPERIUM DEKADENZ have been confirmed for next year's installment of the Summer Breeze festival, set to take place August 18-20, 2011 in Dinkelsbühl, Germany.

The festival billing is shaping up as follows (in alphabetical order):

9MM ASSI ROCK'N'ROLL
A PALE HORSE NAMED DEATH
ARCH ENEMY
BOLT THROWER
CALIBAN
CORVUS CORAX
CRIMINAL
DECAPITATED
DER WEG EINER FREIHEIT
DESTRUCTION
DEVIL SOLD HIS SOUL
EXCREMENTORY GRINDFUCKERS
FACEBREAKER
FARMER BOYS
HAIL OF BULLETS
HATEBREED
HAYSEED DIXIE
IMPERIUM DEKADENZ
J.B.O.
KALMAH
KAMPFAR
KVELERTAK
MARDUK
MELECHESH
MOONSORROW
PRIMORDIAL
REVAMP
SALTATIO MORTIS
SCAR SYMMETRY
SKELETONWITCH
SMOKE BLOW
SODOM
SONIC SYNDICATE
SYLOSIS
TARJA
THE HAUNTED
THE SORROW
TRIGGER THE BLOODSHED
TURISAS
TÝR
VADER
VOMITORY
VREID
WITCHERY
WOLF

Tickets can be purchased for 72 euros (excluding pre-sale fees, including parking/camping) at Silverdust-Shop.de. The first 10,000 tickets get a free DVD with live footage and impressions from the 2009 edition of the festival.

Lebanese extreme black/death metal band KAOTEON has inked a deal with Osmose Productions. The group's full-length debut, "Veni Vidi Vomui" (which translates to "I came, I saw, I vomited"), was recorded and mixed inside the bullet-scarred walls of Beirut at Mixdown Studios while the mastering was handled by Dan Swanö (BLOODBATH, DIABOLICAL MASQUERADE, EDGE OF SANITY, KATATONIA, NIGHTINGALE, PAN.THY.MONIUM, UNICORN).

According to a press release, "Veni Vidi Vomui" is "a statement of anger and disgust towards civil wars, terrorism, invasions, sectarianism, and deceit. These themes are dissected throughout their lyrics to project Lebanon's daily life.

"Several bands wrote about the ripping political and religious instability in the Middle East but KAOTEON lives it to this day. From shrieks, low grunts, and high-pitched vocals to fast and mind-blowing blasts, this is a not to miss record for every extreme metal fan that enjoy uncompromising metal riffs."

The CD version of "Veni Vidi Vomui" will be made available on February 21, 2011.

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