Music: December 2011

Former DEEP PURPLE keyboardist Jon Lord, who revealed this past summer that he was fighting cancer, has released the following statement:

"Happy New Year to all of you and thank you so much for your wonderful, kind and inspirational messages over these last few difficult months. I have been mightily sustained by reading them and will continue to be so. You are a very special lot indeed. I am doing well and I will be back with more news and updates in the next week or so. In the meantime, party hearty but look after yourselves. I wish you success and happiness, and above all, I wish you health."

Jon Lord is recognized for his Hammond organ blues-rock playing and unique sound and for his pioneering work in fusing rock and classical or baroque forms. He has most famously been a member of DEEP PURPLE, the band he co-founded in 1968.

Lord earlier in the year received the Honorary Degree of Doctor of Music from the University of Leicester.

According to People.com, jeweler Loree Rodkin has confirmed that AEROSMITH frontman Steven Tyler is engaged and will get married for a third time. Tyler reportedly proposed to longtime girlfriend Erin Brady over the holidays, with Brady wearing a new diamond ring on her finger when the couple were photographed in Maui on Christmas Day (December 25). The pair have been together since 2006. Tyler, who has four children, was previously married to the late Cyrinda Foxe from 1978 to 1987 and designer Teresa Barrick from 1988 to 2005.

A spokesperson for Rodkin told People.com that the ring is totally unique.

"It's one of a kind, like all of her pieces," the rep said. "Steven has been a client of Loree's for many years, and often wears rings by her, as well as other jewelry."

According to TMZ.com, the news of the 63-year-old Tyler and the 38-year-old Brady's engagement has apparently not gone over well with several unidentified members of Tyler's family.

The family members were said to be upset that they had not been told of Tyler's plan to pop the question beforehand.

Reps for Tyler have yet to issue an official comment or statement. Tyler returns for his second season as a judge on "American Idol" on January 18, while a new AEROSMITH album is due out sometime in 2012.

AEROSMITH guitarist Joe Perry took part in a Twitter question-and-answer session with fans earlier today (Thursday, December 29). You can check out the results on his official Twitter profile.

AEROSMITH recently landed at position No. 2 on the Billboard.com "Hot Tours" rankings with ticket sales counts reported from three venues on the Latin American leg of its "Back On The Road Tour" that launched in late October. The totals included grosses from Paraguay, Argentina and Brazil. The October 26 performance in Paraguay was an outdoor concert for 32,000 fans staged at the Jockey Club, a horseracing track in the city of Asunción. Two days later the band was in Argentina and played to a crowd of 38,000 at Estadio Único Ciudad de La Plata, a soccer stadium in the Buenos Aires market, grossing over $3.8 million (US$) from one performance. The last of this week's reported concerts was an October 30 event held at Arena Anhembi, an open-air concert site in São Paulo, Brazil. Attendance was just over 29,000 with a gross of $2.9 million (US$).

AEROSMITH celebrated the 35th anniversary of its iconic 1976 album, "Rocks", with a special-edition release, made available in Japan on November 23. The release coincided with AEROSMITH's fall tour through Japan, which kicked off on November 22 in Kanazawa.

AEROSMITH entered Joe Perry's home studio (The Boneyard) in suburban Boston and the Pandora's Box (the band's main studio) in early July with Jack Douglas to begin recording its long-awaited 14th studio album. The CD will be AEROSMITH's first set of original material since 2001's "Just Push Play" and first studio offering since 2004's covers CD, "Honkin' On Bobo".

AEROSMITH and singer Steven Tyler almost went their separate ways in late 2009, but reunited and toured last year. However, Tyler then stunned his bandmates by taking a job as a judge on "American Idol", which pushed back work on the already-delayed new record.

According to The Maui News, legendary rocker Alice Cooper and his band will perform at Mala Wailea, the famous oceanfront restaurant that is lobby level at Wailea Beach Marriott Resort & Spa, in Hawaii on New Year's Eve, on a bill that includes "Weird Al" Yankovic, Pat Simmons and Michael McDonald of DOOBIE BROTHERS and Bob Rock. Comedian Tom Arnold will act as emcee at the event, which benefits the Maui Food Bank and the Maui Arts & Cultural Center.

Alice performed in Hawaii last New Year's Eve as part of a band which also featured James Hetfield of METALLICA and Mick Fleetwood (FLEETWOOD MAC).

Last year, German hard rock band the Scorpions announced that 'Sting in the Tail' would be their final studio album with a farewell world tour to follow. Yet with the tour booked well into 2012 and 2013, the group led by founding guitarist Rudolf Schenker and singer Klaus Meine, recently managed to release another album called 'Comeblack.'

Some have criticized the group – garnering a surprisingly younger legion of fans lately – for releasing another album after proclaiming 'Sting in the Tail' to be the last, but Schenker is adamant it's not the case.

"We said it would be great to make a project because we see it as a project, not an album like a real Scorpions album," he tells Noisecreep. "We stayed true to our word saying that 'Sting in the Tail' is our last studio album. But this is a project for us because as a band we never went into cover versions so much."

'Comeblack' features 13 tracks, seven of the band's biggest hits re-recorded, plus a half dozen cover versions of songs by some of the artists who inspired the legendary German rockers.

"We started to work out the songs last year in January and February and we noticed that there was one idea from somebody in the band saying, 'Why are we not making it half and half, meaning Scorpions classics and then bands which inspired us like The Beatles, Rolling Stones, Yardbirds and the Kinks?"

The Scorpions tried between 20 to 25 different songs before choosing the final six. One of the highlights of the covers might be the band's rendition of The Beatles' 'Across the Universe,' something Schenker says was Meine's suggestion.

"Klaus was always a big Beatles fan, I'm more on the side of the Stones and Pretty Things," he says. "That's really a good situation for the Scorpions, give something a different vibe. I give the edge and Klaus gives the melody, that's the reason why we make for a great combination. 'Across the Universe' is not so well known but it's a fantastic song and Klaus sings the song fantastically."

Listen to 'Tainted Love' From the Scorpions

Perhaps the biggest surprise of the covers is 'Tainted Love,' the song written by Ed Cobb and originally recorded by Gloria Jones in 1965, but best recognized from Soft Cell's '80s synthpop rendition.

"I brought in 'Tainted Love' because I liked the song and it's also one of the oldest compositions," Schenker says. "I'm the guy coming in from Elvis and Little Richard and all the old rock and roll guys. For me 'Tainted Love' was always a song that I thought was a very good song to make a rock version out of it."

As for their own material, one track which was almost a glaring omission from 'Comeblack' was 'Wind of Change,' their 1991 politically charged ballad which has made a resurgence thanks to the Arab Spring uprisings and subsequent political changes. "Originally we said to ourselves that we wanted to have all of the stuff from the '80s," Schenker says. "Then people from the record company said, 'Look guys, people might be a little bit pissed off if 'Wind of Change' is not on it, there might be some confusion for people.' But we did it and it sounds good.

"And it's also important in that it's (being used in) the Arabian revolution, the North African revolution where you can see there's a new way, a new wind of change also in Russia. This kind of them is not running away, it's around us even 20 years after. You can see the wind of change in different places on earth."

Watch Scorpions' 'Wind of Change' Video

Besides the new release, the Scorpions are also issuing 'Get Your Sting and Blackout: Live In 3D,' a concert recorded last April in Germany featuring 20 songs. Schenker says the idea was on the backburner for a while regarding a 3D film but was well worth the wait.

Meanwhile Schenker says the group is enjoying the farewell tour, something they were initially hesitant in announcing but feel better now for proclaiming.

"Klaus and I are 63 now," he says. "Believe it or not it is true. After finishing 'Sting of the Tail' our manager said, 'Hey guys, this is a great album. I don't think you can beat this in your next 20 years. It would be a great time to do a farewell tour.' At first we were kind of shocked but after sleeping on the idea we said he's right. At the moment we can still jump and put on a hell of a show and to end the career on a high note would really be the best thing."

But don't expect the group to go away. The Scorpions have many plans on the horizon, including another North American trek this year. The first will be a film of their final concert already slated for the 2013 Berlinale (Berlin's International Film Festival). And then there's the "warehouse" filled with old concert footage and previously unreleased material – including songs from 1982's 'Blackout' and 1984's 'Love At First Sting' sessions -- the group intends to release.

"The Scorpions will not fall apart, we are not finishing the Scorpions because we want to break up, but we really want to deliver something else to the fans," Schenker says. "We have over 900 hours of film material, in front of the Pyramids, in the rain forest in Brazil, in front of Red Square and, and, and, and so on. We have so many possibilities to create great films and the bonus track thing.

"We're not thinking about the end because we're right in the middle of the party and we want to enjoy the party," he adds. "When it's sold out and the fans are really celebrating it's unbelievable. That's a fantastic way to finish your career. Forty years ago to now it's been amazing, it's better that than to fade away."

According to The Pulse Of Radio, most METALLICA fans may not have been happy with "Lulu", the band's collaborative album with Lou Reed, but at least one person was pleased with the results: Reed himself. In a new interview with M - Music & Musicians, Reed said that the idea of him and the world's biggest metal act working together was not as far-fetched as it seemed. He explained, "They're into heavy metal, I'm into heavy guitar, so it was no big stretch. They were so ready to go, it was thrilling. It's like someone gave you a Ferrari for free."

Reed said that the sessions for "Lulu" at METALLICA's studio in San Francisco were very improvisational in nature, recalling, "Nobody thought about anything. It was just a great opportunity to play together. I had a certain sound in my head that I wanted to try to get, and I got it. The way we did this is that if everybody didn't agree, we didn't do it. It wasn't majority rules — it was all together or nothing."

METALLICA frontman James Hetfield cited the album's closing number, "Junior Dad", as an example of the spontaneous way the songs came together. "There was some music that Lou had behind his lyrics before, and then we went out and played some stuff, and what they had done is they laid those two together, and without even knowing what the other stuff really sounded like, or timewise or when things would change, it lined up unbelievably perfect," he said. "It sounded really, really like they were meant to be."

Sadly for Reed and METALLICA, "Lulu" was the biggest flop of METALLICA's career. It sold just 13,000 copies in the U.S. in its first week of release to debut at No. 36 on the Billboard album chart, marking the band's lowest sales number and chart position since SoundScan began tracking album sales in 1991.

The album was almost universally panned by critics and fans as well, although the members of METALLICA went out of their way to reassure fans that it was not the band's next "official" album.

METALLICA just played a series of 30th anniversary concerts for fan club members in San Francisco earlier this month and has several plans on tap for 2012, including performing 1991's self-titled "black album" in its entirety at European festivals next summer.

VELVET REVOLVER will reunite with singer Scott Weiland for a short one-off performance at "Love You Madly: A Concert For John O'Brien" on Thursday, January 12 at the House Of Blues in West Hollywood, California. Also scheduled to appear are Adam Levine and James Valentine (MAROON 5), Sheryl Crow, Tom Morello (RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE), Stephen Stills and THE FOREST RANGERS.

It's been almost four years since VELVET REVOLVER parted ways with Weiland, and time appears to have healed all wounds. Although Scott and the band split on unfriendly terms, the vocalist told Classic Rock magazine earlier in the year, "We patched things up and we get along. I see them every now and again, we text each other. And you know, we can never say never. Who knows, maybe we'll do some shows some time."

According to The Pulse Of Radio, Weiland was reflective in the interview about his time in VELVET REVOLVER, which teamed him with former GUNS N' ROSES members Slash, Duff McKagan and Matt Sorum. He said, "That was right when I was getting off dope and those guys were all sober and clean, and I had a very special kind of kinship because we'd all experienced the same things . . . It was a great band to see live, and I think we made two exciting albums."

Weiland reunited with his original band, STONE TEMPLE PILOTS, just as his run with VELVET REVOLVER was coming to a close. STP has toured constantly since and recorded a new album last year.

VELVET REVOLVER has still not found a replacement vocalist and is more or less on hiatus, although it was recently revealed that the group recorded an album's worth of material with STONE SOUR and SLIPKNOT frontman Corey Taylor.

In a July 2011 interview with Brazil's "Lokaos Rock Show", VELVET REVOLVER drummer Matt Sorum said about the band's current status, "After [we parted ways with] Scott Weiland [in 2008]… We had such a great first record, especially. The second album is still a good album, but… It's hard to replace Scott for that particular band, I think.

"When we did VELVET REVOLVER, we wanted to make a modern rock album, and we had to figure out a way to make that work. We didn't wanna be like GUNS N' ROSES. We knew we had that in us anyway, especially the Slash and Duff sound was the initial sound of [GN'R's classic debut album] 'Appetite For Destruction', the way they played together and everything. Part of that chemistry was there, and when we added Scott, it brought it into a more modern rock element. He came more from grunge — the Seattle [sound like] SOUNDGARDEN, PEARL JAM and bands like that. So it took it sort of forward. We became more of a modern rock band and we were on modern rock radio."

"Love You Madly: A Concert For John O'Brien" pays tribute to award-winning ASCAP composer John O'Brien, who was found dead in his Chicago hotel room on August 20. He was 45 years old.

O'Brien's first prominent composing job came in 1997, when he provided music for the horror film "Nightwatch". He stayed active until his death, composing additional music for "Anywhere But Here", "Iron Man" and "Iron Man 2", "Pineapple Express", "Four Christmases" and "Couples Retreat". O'Brien also scored the ABC series "In Case Of Emergency" and "Detroit 1-8-7". He was most recently working as a music supervisor on the NBC sitcom "Up All Night".

GUNS N' ROSES guitarist Ron 'Bumblefoot" Thal has released a studio recording of "The Pink Panther Theme", as performed live during the band's 2009-2011 tours. Featuring members of GUNS N' ROSES, this song is the ninth in a series of singles released digitally by Thal in 2011. It will be available Friday, December 30 at Bumblefoot.com, iTunes and other digital stores.

"I never liked taking guitar solos," says Thal. "Ya wouldn't think so considering, but it's true. I always cared more about a song in its entirety, the musical aspect. I've never been comfortable with the 'attention' of standing on stage alone and noodling away. Maybe it's insecurity or lack of belief in myself, maybe it's obstinacy and an overly idealistic stance to my own detriment about the importance of a song, maybe it's just how I'm wired and I shouldn't psycho-analyze. Regardless, that's me. The 'song' is everything to me. I'm the anti-rockstar; I'd rather be heard than seen, I'm not about mystique or larger-than-life idol worship, although a good chunk of that philosophy goes out the window once I hit the stage and the switch is flicked. But ultimately I love music, making it, giving it, feeding souls, bringing smiles, it's that basic.

"It was November 2009, GUNS N' ROSES was rehearsing at the L.A. Forum for the start of the next year(s) of touring, and we were to come up with our own solo spots for the show. Richard [Fortus] had his James Bond inspired spot, DJ [Ashba] had a song he made specifically called 'Ballad Of Death' and I had nothing prepared, I had avoided it throughout the year, and was unwilling to bend on my anti-solo attitude. I'd spout off, 'People didn't come here to see me screw around, they came to hear GN'R songs... I'll walk before doing something I don't believe in...' Methinks I doth protest too much. Perhaps I read too many YouTube comments.

"Three days left of full-production rehearsals before we go home and our gear floats to Taipei for the start of the tour, and I give in. 'Has anyone done a version of the Charlie Brown theme?' I ask. 'Pretty much every kid in GIT [guitar school]' Fortus responds. 'OK, how's about the Pink Panther?' Nope, hasn't been done. 'OK, Frank, gimme a 'tsss, ts, t-tsss, ts, t-tsss' on the cymbals, Tommy, go 'dammmm, dommmm, dummmm' on the octave 5th and root, Rich, gimme the...' (Rich was already playing the part before I finished the sentence), 'Deej, hit the heavy 'duh-dah, duh dah!' and we quickly threw the song together. And that was my solo for the next two years of touring. And I enjoyed it! It was a *song*, and it was fun.

"I'd finish 'November Rain', the lights would go down, I'd carefully climb around the piano and swerve through the oncoming flurry of crew rushing to move the piano off-stage, McBob [my tech] would be meeting me half-way with my Vigier fretted/fretless double-neck and thimble in hand [thimble goes over my picking hand fourth finger for tapping high notes on the string past the fretboard], I'd be removing the single-cutaway guitar and he'd be strapping the 30-pound behemoth over my neck, and I'd get to the front the stage as Axl would be announcing me in an ever-changing amusing fashion, 'The one, the only...', or some twist on my name, 'Ron 'Thalshank Redemption'...'

"And half the time I'd be taking a solo Axl would be telling jokes into the band's in-ear monitors that only we hear. He'd do that to us all from time to time. So, if you ever see us bursting into a random laugh, shaking our head as we play, or looking behind us toward the side of the stage in mid-solo, that's why.

"'The Pink Panther Theme', written by Henry Mancini — featuring my GN'R bandmates Frank 'Thunderchucker' Ferrer on drums (recorded August 2011, while laying drum tracks for the debut album, 'Rise Above', of an artist I produced, 'Poc'), Tommy Stinson on bass, Richard Fortus and DJ Ashba on rhythm guitars and myself on lead (recorded September 2011 between rehearsals and the start of the 2011 tour of the Americas)."

The song is available in MP3 (320kps), AAC, and higher-quality formats FLAC, MP3 HD, Apple Lossless and WAV. For guitarists, there's a "Player Pack" that has a transcription of the entire lead guitar track as a PDF file — musical notation, TAB, fingers, picking, and helpful hints. Included with the transcription is a "Backing Track" mix and a "Boosted Lead Guitar" mix, in both WAV and MP3 formats.

The "Producer Pack" contains 48kHz/24-bit Stereo WAV files of the mix "stems" — individual files of drums, bass, rhythm and lead guitars in a bundle that you can load into your multi-track software to play with levels, make your own mixes, and hear every nuance of each instrument's performance on its own track.

Kick off the New Year with an official 2012 DEF LEPPARD calendar. This brand new calendar includes live shots from the "Mirror Ball" tour and new exclusive studio photos, plus all band member birthdays and other key calendar events.

Click here to purchase.

DEF LEPPARD's first coffee table book, "Def Leppard - The Definitive Visual History", featuring exclusive photos by legendary rock photographer Ross Halfin, was released in June.

DEF LEPPARD's unstoppable, anthemic hard rock has earned it sales of more than 65 million albums worldwide and a legion of dedicated fans. This fully authorized visual history of the band follows them from the New Wave Of British Heavy Metal to their massive "Pyromania" and "Hysteria" albums to the sustained power of their records and tours today.

Halfin has been shooting DEF LEPPARD since 1978, and his candid and definitive pictures have helped capture and shape the image of the band. "The Definitive Visual History" includes more than 450 classic and unseen photographs, along with text from Halfin and stories and commentary by the bandmembers and others.

http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/soulflypremiere/leppardcalendar.jpg

The web site of The Roxy Theatre, a famous nightclub on the Sunset Strip in West Hollywood, California, has been updated with the following message:

"For the past 2 months VAN HALEN has been rehearsing here 2-3 times a week!!!!!!

"Do you have any idea how hard that was to not tell you?? When you come in at 10:00 a.m. and David Lee Roth, Eddie Van Halen, Alex Van Halen, and Wolfgang Van Halen are on stage with three other people in the room playing 'Running With The Devil' and you can't say anything?! It's tough, to put it simply.

"It all began with a three-day video shoot for their newest single that you don't know about yet (shhh) and we were all geeking out like never before. Little did we know, the guys had fallen in love with the room and decided to rehearse for their upcoming unannounced tour for the next two months!

"We couldn't film it for obvious reasons, so we've decided to share some of our favorite VAN HALEN moments that happened for the next two months."

"My favorite VAN HALEN moment was when I came out of the kitchen and they were doing 'Panama'. I was one of the only people standing in the room by the stage. David Lee Roth looked at me, smiled, and waved. I thought to myself that is the only time in life I will know David Lee Roth was actually singing to me." – @LizzyDStadler

"It was so nice being at my desk listening to 'Jump' and 'Panama', the songs I grew up with by the actual VAN HALEN. I mean, really — it's the actually f**king VAN HALEN!" – Tina

"Watching David Lee Roth film the opening part of this video was one of the most awesome things. He was standing there smiling with a gigantic grin on his face for at least five minutes and HeKo and I were standing off to the side trying not to laugh (or get in the shot), but it was incredible. The week they finally brough in the synthesizers and played the opening to 'Jump' over and over made it really difficult to not jump out of my seat accordingly with the song. JUMP!" – @toneyeah

"What was my favorite part about it? Everything. I know it sounds stupid, but I can't put it any other way. To walk through the club and have Eddie Van Halen smile at me or pat me on the back, the guys were so nice, it was unbelievable. In my nine years at the club, this is by far one of the best things that's happened." – Scotty

"The positive energy VAN HALEN brought to the daytime was fantastic. During the day, it's always so quiet and work, work, work and even when a band does rehearse, it's always so serious. VAN HALEN was having fun the entire time and we could feel it throughout the building." @Heko310

"I just loved the first time they played 'Running With The Devil' It sounded exactly like it did when I was working box office at The Whisky." – Kathy

Days after VAN HALEN confirmed that it will head out on a world tour in 2012, the Van Halen News Desk has posted more information regarding the tour and the band's first new studio album since 1998. Next Tuesday (January 3), the dates and venues for the tour will be unveiled, with tickets going on sale January 10. January 10 will also see the arrival of the first single and music video from the long-awaited album, which itself is set for release on February 7.

Although the rumored title of the record was "The Future", this is apparently not the case. The band has posted an image of a train, the VAN HALEN logo and the release date online, but the record's actual name remains a secret for now. The set will be the group's first all-new collection since "Van Halen 3" was issued 13 years ago, and its first with original singer David Lee Roth since 1984's "1984".

VAN HALEN posted a video trailer online earlier this week announcing the tour. The two-minute clip was shot on November 14 at the Roxy in West Hollywood, California during the shoot for the upcoming new music video.

VAN HALEN reunited with Roth in 2007 for a successful year-long world tour, minus founding bassist Michael Anthony, who was replaced by guitarist Eddie Van Halen's son Wolfgang.

JON OLIVA'S PAIN, the Florida-based band led by SAVATAGE mastermind Jon Oliva, will play SAVATAGE's classic 1987 album, "Hall Of The Mountain King", in its entirety at next year's Bang Your Head!!! festival, set to take place July 13-14, 2012 in Balingen, Germany. Joining JON OLIVA'S PAIN for the "Hall" 25th-anniversary performance will be Oliva's SAVATAGE bandmate Chris Caffery. Caffery and JON OLIVA'S PAIN are also expected to play several songs from DOCTOR BUTCHER, the early 1990s project created by Oliva and Caffery at a time when they were not active members of SAVATAGE.

"Hall Of The Mountain King" was the first SAVATAGE album to be produced by Paul O'Neill and it showed the beginning of the band's progressive tendencies as they explored new forms of expression in their music. Many fans consider this LP a turning point in SAVATAGE's musical identity. As the group's first concept effort, it had a constant tone and was more complex than their previous albums, with two entirely instrumental tracks that go beyond simple guitar riffs and solos, namely "Prelude To Madness" and "Last Dawn".

As previously reported, Caffery will join CIRCLE II CIRCLE — the band led by former SAVATAGE frontman Zak Stevens — for a performance of the classic 1997 SAVATAGE album "The Wake Of Magellan" (which featured both Stevens and Caffery) in its entirety at next year's edition of the Wacken Open Air festival, set to take place August 2-4, 2012 in Wacken, Germany.

MIDLAND – Kevin (James) LaBrie has spend the last 20 years touring with some of the world's most famous rock 'n' roll icons, selling millions of albums with his band Dream Theater and performing in front of thousands of fans.
But there's one thing that has always eluded the Midland rocker and his bandmates – a Grammy award.
That dream may now be within reach.
Dream Theater's song "On the Backs of Angels" will go toe-to-toe against works by the Foo Fighters, Sum 41, Mastodon and Megadeth for best hard rock/metal performance. The Grammy ceremony goes Feb. 12 in Los Angeles.
"It's the feather in our cap to be in that category with those nominees," said LaBrie, who learned of the nomination from bandmate John Petrucci while in San Diego.
"I was really taken aback. I just never thought that it was in the cards for us because our music tends to be left wing – it's not your typical music, (but) it's an amazing feeling and we're hoping for the best possible result and that is to win it."
LaBrie, who was born, raised and still lives in Midland, said he intends to head to L.A. with his wife and two children to attend the ceremony with his band.
Although the icing on the cake would be to win the Grammy, LaBrie said simply being nominated will help widen Dream Theater's audience.
"It will be an educational process for a lot of people who are going to ask, 'Who are these guys?'" he said. "We've sold 12 million albums, but there are still a lot of people who don't know we exist because we're not the typical band that's on radio, MTV or MuchMusic."
Since joining the band in 1991, LaBrie has toured with such greats as Elton John, Jimmy Page, the Black Crowes, Deep Purple, Rod Stewart and Pantera – to name just a few.
LaBrie – who lists Freddy Mercury, Robert Plant and Steven Tyler as some of his musical influences – said he always knew he wanted a career in music.
"From the age of five, I was singing around the house. I grew up in a musical family. My father was always singing and was in barbershop quartets," he said. "We had a piano and a stereo and, if the radio wasn't on, then records were being played."
Although he grew up listening to a variety of musical genres, LaBrie said it was around the age of 10 that he came down with the rock 'n' roll bug.
"Being a singer out in front of a band, and seeing guys like Robert Plant and Steven Tyler, hearing bands like Pink Floyd and Rush – which was a huge influence – I knew then," he said, adding he grew up playing the drums, but realized at the age of 17 that his strength was singing.
"I always knew it was definitely going to be rock 'n' roll…. I knew I wanted to have a combination of players that were great players and who could do epic or progressive music."
After several years playing in Toronto bands, his goal to find musicians interested in his type of music finally came about.
"When Dream Theater came around, it was hard for me to believe that these guys, (who were) only 22 years old, were playing like this," he said. "That was exactly where they wanted to go with the music – progressive hard rock angle – and that pretty much sold me as soon as I heard them."
The song "Pull Me Under" from their 1992 Images and Words album helped cement the group in the hearts and minds of progressive rock fans across the world, he said.
"It gave us a strong foothold and allowed us to be in the business as long as we have been," he said. "We've kept progressing, and I think what's been the godsend for us is we have an incredibly strong fan base around the world. Anybody that comes on board with Dream Theater stays. They're committed."
As the only Canadian in the band, LaBrie could have been tempted to stay in Toronto, or even move to New York, to be closer to the band. However, a desire to be close to friends and family kept him and his family in Midland all these years.
"My wife (and I) found ourselves coming up to Midland every weekend to get together with friends and family, so we thought it doesn't really matter where I live," he said, adding his wife is also a Midland native. "We met at Midland Secondary School and we've been married 22 years and were together nine years before that. We both grew up here and knew we wanted to be back in this area."
Living in his hometown, he added, has helped keep him grounded over the years – as has the help of his wife.
"My wife is very real, independent and strong, and she keeps everything in perspective for me," LaBrie said, noting his relative anonymity here also helps. "For the longest time, I could walk around here and nobody would even know I was in a rock 'n' roll band. It definitely is something that keeps life a little more simple."
While separating James LaBrie the rock star and Kevin LaBrie the father, husband and "normal guy" was tricky at first, after 20 years, he is pretty sure he's found a way to make it work.
"I live in two worlds. I live in the rock 'n' roll world where I go out on stage in front of thousands of people and it's very surreal," he said. "Then I come home and it becomes the real world for me. I am able to switch back and forth.
"It's like anyone else – doing a job, but doing a job I thoroughly love."

A number of Spanish heavy metal musicians — including members of such acts as VITA IMANA, VORTICE, THE EYES, CRISIX, GAUNTLET, CLOCKWORK, SOMA'S CURE and VIOLENT EVE — took part in the fifth annual Dimefest on December 2 at Razzmatazz 2 in Barcelona and December 3 at Marco Aldany in Madrid to help celebrate the life and music of "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott (PANTERA, DAMAGEPLAN).

"Dimebag" Darrell Abbott was co-founder and lead guitarist for PANTERA. When PANTERA broke up in 2003, Dimebag and his brother Vinnie Paul formed DAMAGEPLAN. On December 8, 2004, while performing with DAMAGEPLAN at the Alrosa Villa in Columbus, Ohio, Dimebag was shot and killed onstage by Nathan Gale. He was 38 years old.

Dimebag and Vinnie formed PANTERA in the mid-Eighties in Texas. The band recorded four independent albums before their 1990 major label debut, "Cowboys From Hell", introduced a heavier sound and made them a favorite with metal fans. 1994's "Far Beyond Driven" debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Top 200 without benefit of a commercial hit single. The group splintered in 2002 following the departure of volatile lead singer Philip Anselmo.

DAMAGEPLAN released is debut album, "New Found Power", in February of 2004. The group was touring in support of the record at the time of the shootings.

Brazilian/American thrashers SEPULTURA will return to Indonesia for the first time in 20 years to perform in five cities in February 2012. The band will play in Medan, North Sumatra, on Feb. 3; Makassar, South Sulawesi, on Feb. 4; Jakarta on Feb. 9; Surabaya, East Java on Feb.11; and finally in Bali on Feb. 12 as part of the "Asia Relentless Tour 2012". SEPULTURA will then continue its tour in the Malaysian cities of Kuala Lumpur and Kota Kinabalu.

"They will stay longer in Indonesia because they had canceled shows in Thailand and Singapore," promoter Sony Horizon said Wednesday, according to The Jakarta Post.

Sony Horizon is working with Malaysian promoter Netzah Production to bring SEPULTURA to the region.

SEPULTURA played its first show with new drummer Eloy Casagrande (GLÓRIA, ANDRÉ MATOS) on November 25 in Lichtenfels, Germany.

The band is touring in support of its 12th studio album, and Nuclear Blast Records debut, "Kairos", which hit stores in July.

Bassist David Ellefson (MEGADETH), drummer Ken Mary (ALICE COOPER, IMPELLITTERI, FIFTH ANGEL) and vocalist William King are among the guest musicians who appear on "Time To Rock", the debut album from KNIGHT FURY, the project led by former LIZZY BORDEN guitarist Chris Sanders.

Regarding the KNIGHT FURY sound, Sanders said in an early 2011 interview with Full Metal Review, "It's all about] great riffs, hooks and truly great music. The whole album [has] that sound, but there is variation. They really are all hit songs!

"The last several years I have been really disappointed with the way heavy metal and hard rock has gone off track.

"I'm really trying to keep a traditional true metal sound and stay away from what music has become."

He added, "KNIGHT FURY is my own production. The concept is the best musicians playing great metal music.

"It was great to have Ken Mary on drums and Dave Ellefson on bass. William King did the vocals and just nailed it. Everyone added the perfect blend to create a great record. These truly are the best musicians I have ever worked with. They are also my good friends. We [previously] worked together on the NORTHERN LIGHT ORCHESTRA album, 'The Spirit Of Christmas'."

When asked if KNIGHT FURY is strictly a studio project, Sanders said, "KNIGHT FURY will tour. That's the great thing about the band. It really is an all-star cast. You never know who will be out on the road.

"I want to bring in as many rock stars as possible to create a great sound. But at the same time I want people that believe in what they are doing."

JANE'S ADDICTION — frontman Perry Farrell, guitarist Dave Navarro and drummer Stephen Perkins, along with Chris Chaney on bass — will ring in 2012 with a special New Year's Eve show at the Belly Up in Aspen, Colorado (their third annual New Year's Eve show at this intimate venue). The alt-rock pioneers' intimate Rocky Mountain spectacular will be shared with music fans via a live broadcast on SiriusXM's Lithium Channel 34, starting tomorrow night (Saturday, December 31) at 11:15 p.m. MT sharp.

JANE'S ADDICTION recently tapped Robert Hales (STONE TEMPLE PILOTS, NINE INCH NAILS, BRITNEY SPEARS, MILEY CYRUS, KID ROCK) to direct the video for their song "Underground". The clip is expected to make its online debut during the coming weeks.

"Underground" comes off JANE'S ADDICTION's new album, "The Great Escape Artist", which sold around 24,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position No. 12 on The Billboard 200 chart.

"The Great Escape Artist" is JANE'S ADDICTION's first all-new studio effort since 2003's "Strays", which opened with more than 110,000 units to enter the chart at No. 4.

"The Great Escape Artist" is only JANE'S ADDICTION's fourth album of original material in 20 years. Like other bands that have reunited in recent years such as BLINK-182, the members of JANE'S ADDICTION recorded a lot of the album in separate studios. Drummer Stephen Perkins told The Pulse Of Radio why this worked in JANE'S' favor. "Back in the day, we spent all our time together playing," he said. "Now we have a big pie. JANE'S is just a slice of that pie. But we still want to work and be efficient musicians, so hey, you can't make it to Burbank, you're in Santa Monica? I'll send you the tracks, let's get to work. So it is still just as raw and as emotional as being in the same room together, but it also lets, I guess, a more efficient way of making the record nowadays that we have different things going on in our life."

The current JANE'S ADDICTION lineup features original members Stephen Perkins, Perry Farrell on vocals and Dave Navarro on guitar.

Although founding bassist Eric Avery initially returned to the band when it reactivated in 2009, he quit the following year.

Dave Sitek of TV ON THE RADIO played bass on and co-produced the new record, while Chris Chaney has returned as touring bassist.

Ex-GUNS N' ROSES bassist Duff McKagan also contributed to the album and has songwriting credits on three songs.

COAL CHAMBER, the reformed '90s alt-metal band fronted by current DEVILDRIVER singer Dez Fafara, will play a series of shows in Mexico and South America in September 2012.

As previously reported, COAL CHAMBER first reunion dates will take place in late February and early March as part of Australia's Soundwave Festival.

When asked by Full Metal Jackie in a recent interview how he feels about the return of COAL CHAMBER, Dez said, "Unbelievable. Full circle. I mean, to get those guys back in my life and clean off hard drugs and want[ing] to do shows, it's incredible. The feeling is incredible and the love had been just incredible as well. I woke up at 4:30 the other morning with my phone ringing off the hook and my Twitter, everything going crazy, it's so good to see. After all these years, we haven't played together in 10 years. . . We've been going over the setlist and it's been nothing but fun right now. I mean, going back and forth about a setlist with these guys just turns into jokes and hours of e-mails of jokes and we forget what we're doing. So you realize that these guys are a big, big part of my life and I don't even know if I'd be here with DEVILDRIVER for Meegs [guitar] and Mikey drums], so it's good to have them back in my life and getting ready to go do COAL CHAMBER shows."

Regarding why neither of the two former COAL CHAMBER bassists — Nadja Peulen or Rayna Foss — is involved in the band's reunion, Dez said, "Rayna was not [asked to be a part of it]. Rayna has been out of the band for a very long time. We did speak to Nadja. She has other things going and it wasn't really in the headspace where we were at as a band. We found Chela; she's Canadian and she's a bad-ass player. She's been playing for nearly 12 years. She plays five-string and it's going to be good to have her on bass. She grew up with COAL CHAMBER. She's only 26-27 years old. She knows the songs, and just hearing her on the phone, the excitement [in her voice], that's really what I wanted brought to the table. Where Meegs and Mikey and I am right now, we're really excited so we needed someone that filled that excitement drawer and she did for sure; she's stoked."

THE GATES OF SLUMBER's "Suffer No Guilt" album will be reissued in a glorious six-panel, matte-finished digipak through Deep Send Records.

THE GATES OF SLUMBER should be a household name to all lovers of true doom metal. To the uninitiated, their magnum sophomore album, "Suffer No Guilt", is the perfect place to start your journey.

THE GATES OF SLUMBER started in 1998 as a backlash against the stoner rock trend prevalent at the time and with their mixture of BLACK SABBATH, SAINT VITUS, PENTAGRAM, and prime-era CELTIC FROST, the band has crushed or converted unbelievers ever since. Considered by many to be their most powerful and crushing opus, "Suffer No Guilt" features stunning artwork by Ken Kelly (KISS, MANOWAR, RAINBOW) that perfectly illustrates this totalitarian doom metal crusade!

For more information, visit www.deepsend.com.

THE GATES OF SLUMBER' latest album, "The Wretch", was released in May via Rise Above/Metal Blade. The CD was recorded at England's Orgone Studios with producer Jaime Gomez Arellano (GHOST, ANGEL WITCH).

http://www.roadrunnerrecords.com/blabbermouth.net/soulflypremiere/gatessuffer.jpg

Norwegian progressive extreme metallers VULTURE INDUSTRIES will be joined by TAAKE frontman Hoest for two special performances in February. The first of the two dates will take place on February 3 at Dirty Skunks, in the Kino Siska, an old movie theatre in Ljubljana, Slovenia. Entrance to this show will be free, as the venue will be celebrating its tenth anniversary. The second date will be on February 4 at Blue Hell in Budapest, and will mark VULTURE INDUSTRIES' first-ever appearance in Hungary.

Based in Bergen, and with two critically acclaimed releases on Dark Essence Records under their belts, VULTURE INDUSTRIES' lineup is composed of Bjornar Nilsen (BLACK HOLE GENERATOR) on vocals, keyboards and programming, Øyvind Madsen (SULPHUR, ex-ENSLAVED) and Eivind Huse (SULPHUR) on guitar, Kyrre Teigen on bass and Tor Helge Gjengedal (ex-TAAKE) on drums.

Nilsen, who also happens to be TAAKE's producer, is known for his highly theatrical on-stage performances, and the additional appearance of Hoest, one of black metal's most dynamic frontmen, is an indication that these two shows promise to be something very special.

Guitar virtuoso Joe Stump (HOLYHELL, REIGN OF TERROR) has completed work on his new instructional DVD, entitled "Shred Guitar 101". He says, "I think it'll be very useful learning tool for players on many levels and it'll be released by the Shred Academy early next year."

In other news, Stump has finished recording his new solo record, to be released in 2012. He states, "It's all recorded, mixed, and I'll be sending it off to be mastered within a week or so. It came out killer — my best-sounding record, both sonically and playing-wise."

Over the next few months, Stump will begin recording guitar for the new HOLYHELL album.

Three-camera video footage of Joe Stump shredding the axe at a guitar showcase at Sam Ash in Cincinnati, Ohio in June 2010 can be viewed below.

Stump's last solo album, "Virtuostic Vendetta", was released in April 2009 via Lion Music.

WJCU 88.7 FM and Auburn Records hosted a food drive for the Cleveland Foodbank and Friends Of The Cleveland Kennel on December 23 at The Saw Concert Club in Cleveland, Ohio.

Fans attending the third annual Iron Ingo Cleveland Metal Holiday Food Drive were encouraged to bring canned or non-perishable foods to help those in need this holiday season. A donation was made from the Cleveland metal community to the Cleveland Foodbank and Friends Of The Cleveland Kennel.

This year's donation totals were as follows: 2,159 lbs. of food collected (1,825 lbs. for the Cleveland Foodbank and 334 lbs. for the Friends Of The Cleveland Kennel) and $872.76 of cash collected ($391.39 for the Cleveland Foodbank and $481.38 for the Friends Of The Cleveland Kennel).

"The support from the Cleveland metal community is unprecedented and unbelieveably amazing!" says festival organizer, Auburn Records president and WJCU "Metal On Metal" host Bill Peters. "We completely shattered last year's totals, which were over triple the amount we had collected in 2009. I did not think it was possible, especially considering the difficult economic times we are still experiencing in this region. We've taken this event to a whole new level. Our food donations increased significantly by 72% and our cash donations increased by an astounding 310%! We filled two vans and three large containers at the Foodbank with food. Cash donations were received both at the concert and online from fans and radio listeners as far away as Germany and England. The club was at full capacity with close to 500 in attendance and the bar had record sales, selling completely out of alcohol by the end of the night! It was our biggest turnout yet."

This year's festival included performances by ETERNAL LEGACY, SOULLESS, SHOK PARIS, CRYPTKICKER, GROUND ZERO, BORROWED TIME and ALTERNATE REALITY. Admission to the concert was free. All production and marketing costs were covered by Peters and his sponsors The Exchange and Production Assistance. The bands and The Saw Concert Club donated their time and venue, respectively.

The benefit was co-hosted by Dave Overkill (DESTRUCTOR) and Aurora Sans (RED HOT HEATHENS).

Iron Ingo Stührenberg is a writer for the popular German underground heavy metal webzine Metal Rules. He has traveled to Cleveland from his home in Wiesmoor, Germany, at his own expense, to host the previous two food drive benefit concerts. His first visit to Cleveland was in 2009.

Stührenberg was unable to attend this year's event due to work commitments.

Pictured below: Bill Peters stands by one of three large containers filled with food donations being checked in and weighed at the Cleveland Foodbank.

Uppsala, Sweden-based classic rock band STALLION FOUR has inked a deal with Pure Rock Records (a division of Pure Steel Records). The group's debut album will be released soon.

Commented the label: "STALLION FOUR are one of the hottest newcomers of powering hard rock/metal. The boys from Sweden convince with their totally energetic debut. Not only us! Check it out and be suprised! We love this fuckin great mixture from hell."

STALLION FOUR's video for the song "Madness", which will appear on the band's upcoming CD, can be seen below.

Formed as a four-piece act in mid-2008, STALLION FOUR has recorded and released three demos and a vinyl seven-inch single, "Devil In Me", through the independent label S.M.P. Records in June 2009. In November 2010, guitarist Markus Berg joined the band to complete the lineup and the sound of STALLION FOUR.

Canadian label War On Music Records will issue several albums by Regina, Saskatchewan-based Canadian extreme progressive metallers INTO ETERNITY for the first time ever on vinyl. "Dead Or Dreaming" (2001), "Buried In Oblivion" (2004) and "Scattering Of The Ashes" (2006) will be made available, each as a limited LP release, starting in early spring 2012.

INTO ETERNITY's signature sound has often been described as a hybrid of latter-day DEATH and CONTROL DENIED, combined with the technical stylings of DREAM THEATER. INTO ETERNITY vocalist Stu Block was recently recruited by power metal giants ICED EARTH, with whom he recorded the band's latest CD, "Dystopia".

Commented INTO ETERNITY singer/guitarist Tim Roth: "Things are getting busy again for the band. Our drummer, Bryan Newbury, flies down on January 3, 2012, so we'll be putting in long days rehearsing old and new INTO ETERNITY material. The new songs are coming along quite well and we'll have two new songs finished and mixed in the upcoming weeks. So far five songs have been recorded (30 minutes) and we are looking forward to get working on the next batch of new INTO ETERNITY songs.

"2012 also brings some great news for vinyl-loving fans. Century Media contacted us about releasing our albums on vinyl. It has always been a dream of ours to have our collection put out on vinyl. Thanks to Charley at War On Music Records for finally making this dream a reality. I know a lot of fans have asked us over the years for vinyl, so this is really great news!"

INTO ETERNITY is among the confirmed bands for the 11th edition of the Manitoba Metalfest, set to take place February 24-25 at The Zoo in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada

Watch www.waronmusic.com for details and pre-orders for the the upcoming vinyl releases.

INTO ETERNITY recently released its first new material since 2008 in the form of a new song called "Sandstorm". The track, which is available on iTunes and Bandcamp, features guest death vocals by Rob Doherty and marks the recording debut of Newbury, who was previously known in the western Canadian metal scene as a member of Edmonton, Alberta-based group DEATH TOLL RISING.

"Sandstorm" was written the day the USA took out Osama Bin Laden, and is inspired by the events that transpired.

INTO ETERNITY's last album, "The Incurable Tragedy", came out in 2008 via Century Media.

Former INTO ETERNITY guitarist Rob Doherty has released the long-awaited debut album from FINAL DARKNESS. The project was put on hold when the label it was originally to be released under changed priorities and decided to go in a different direction, but Rob remained determined to push forward and bring FINAL DARKNESS to life.

Doherty rewrote and reworked some of the songs from the original project and began recording the new music earlier this year at Touchwood Studios. The recording was engineered by Justin Bender (INTO ETERNITY), who also provides additional guitars on the track "Memories". The album also features guest performances from Tim Roth (INTO ETERNITY) on the songs "Kill Room", "Memories" and "Darkness Falls".

A big break came when legendary producer/engineer Neil Kernon (NILE, NEVERMORE, CANNIBAL CORPSE) agreed to do the final mix for the project. Neil also helped hook Rob up with mastering engineer Alan Douches from West West Side Music in New Windsor, New York to help give the album a killer sound.

The video for the song "Memories" can be seen below.

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

Lemi, Finland-based metallers STAM1NA will release their fifth album, "Nocebo", on February 8. The CD was recorded at Petrax studios with producer Joe Barresi (TOOL, BAD RELIGION, APOCALYPTICA, QUEENS OF THE STONE AGE, WOLFMOTHER).

"Nocebo" track listing:

01. Pirunpaska
02. Valtiaan uudet vaateet
03. Tavastia palamaan!
04. Puolikas ihminen
05. Aivohalvaus
06. Rabies
07. Lepositeet
08. Nomad
09. Ei encorea
10. Arveton on arvoton

The digipack version of "Nocebo" will come with an extended booklet and a DVD containing a half-hour "making-of" documentary, filmed at Petrax studios and produced by STAM1NA's bassist, Kai-Pekka Kangasmäki.

STAM1NA will promote the release of "Nocebo" by embarking on a spring 2012 tour of Finland, dubbed "Irti arjesta".

Guitarist Mitch Harris of British/American grindcore pioneers NAPALM DEATH has posted the following message on the band's Facebook page:

"I'm selling my custom Moser Flying V guitar, handmade by Neal, designer of the B.C Rich Mocking Bird. Guitar is in pristine condition, and I used it on [NAPALM DEATH's] 'The Code Is Red, Long Live The Code'. Anyone interested, please make an offer to my inbox. I will ship anywhere in the world."

NAPALM DEATH recently completed work on its 14th studio album (excluding the cover album "Leaders Not Followers"). This new piece of brutality is entitled "Utilitarian", and it will hit stores on February 27 in Europe and February 28 in North America via the band's longtime partner, Century Media Records. The cover artwork perfectly fits the album's theme and was created by the Danish artist Frode Sylthe, who is also responsible for THE HAUNTED's "rEVOLVEr" artwork.

Kevin Hufnagel (DYSRHYTHMIA, GORGUTS) has just released his second solo guitar album, "Transparencies", via his own imprint, Nightfloat Recordings. The effort can be streamed in full and purchased at BandCamp.com, along with Hufnagel's past recordings, including a rare, self-released cassette demo from 1997, titled "While I Wait".

An album preview trailer for "Transparencies" — created by Romanian artist Costin Chioreanu and using photography taken by Hufnagel — can be viewed below.

For "Transparencies", Hufnagel decided to work primarily with electric guitar as opposed to his last release "Songs For The Disappeared", which was entirely acoustic-based. The concept this time was to create dark and lush tapestries of sound, rich with texture, but without forsaking melody and detail to composition. Recorded at home by Hufnagel himself, the album displays his knack for using experimental guitar ideas and minimal recording techniques to craft strangely beautiful soundworlds.

"Transparencies" track listing:

01. Sunshower (02:48)
02. Ever Rest (05:10)
03. Arferno (05:12)
04. Slow Motion Return (03:59)
05. Passing On (02:46)
06. Static Aquarium (04:26)
07. Early Light (05:12)
08. The Bell Garden (04:19)
09. Station Hum (03:35)
10. Seen From A Distance (03:41)
11. Aftermath (03:31)

Texas crossover thrashers BIRTH A.D. will enter Pyramid Sound on January 3 to begin recording the full-length follow up to their critically acclaimed "Stillbirth Of A Nation" EP. Titled "I Blame You", the album will be engineered and produced by Alex Perialas (S.O.D. , TESTAMENT, OVERKILL, CARNIVORE, NUCLEAR ASSAULT).

"We chose Alex not only because he presided over many releases that allowed BIRTH A.D. to exist," explains vocalist/bassist Jeff Tandy, "but also he is still a commando producer of the highest order. He is very hands-on, and sometimes his enthusiasm exceeds our own. With his direction the new album will be amazing no matter what!"

"I Blame You" will be recorded, mixed and mastered in the space of 12 days and will feature a guest appearance by ROTTING CHRIST frontman Sakis Tolis.

"Sakis has already been a strong supporter of the band," says Tandy. "The fact that he offered to appear on the new album is a huge honor. He knows his metal, so we couldn't ask for a better endorsement."

BIRTH A.D. is currently seeking a suitable record label to release the upcoming CD.

Swedish dark rockers KATATONIA have issued the following update:

"The first couple of months of 2012 will see us hard at work on the recording of our ninth album, and if everything goes according to plan, the album will be out before summer. We're also busy on a double duty finishing up the 'Last Fair Day Gone Night' anniversary DVD."

KATATONIA played four shows in Scandinavia earlier this month, hitting the capital cites of Copenhagen, Oslo, Helsinki and, of course, the band's hometown of Stockholm. The concerts, which were part of the 20th-anniversary "Last Fair Day Gone Night Tour 2011", saw the band perform two sets. The first set consisted of a performance of the entire "Last Fair Deal Gone Down" album front to back. The second set was a mixture of carefully picked songs from the band's extensive catalogue.

KATATONIA's May 6, 2011 concert at Koko in London, England was professionally filmed/recorded for a future DVD release.

KATATONIA released special editions of the critically acclaimed albums "Last Fair Deal Gone Down" and "Night Is The New Day" on April 25. The 10th-anniversary edition "Last Fair Deal Gone Down" was presented in deluxe mediabook packaging, as a two-disc edition containing tracks from the now hard-to-find singles "Teargas" and "Tonight's Music". The reissue of 2009's "Night Is The New Day" includes bonus tracks from the "The Longest Year" EP. Both titles were presented with newly updated cover artwork courtesy of original artist Travis Smith.

Swedish black metallers MARDUK have issued the following update:

"After over 220 shows in support of the hightly acclaimed 'Wormwood' album and the 'Iron Dawn' EP, the touring cycle has come to an end with the participation of the Hatefest tour.

"MARDUK is currently in the studio recording the next album set for a spring release through Blooddawn/Century Media. The album will be followed by a massive touring campaign.

"We are proud as a goat to announce the three first dates for 2012 as the band will be doing the three date Extremefest festival dates in Europe during July.

"Further updates will be brought forth as we march according to unshakable laws into the coming year.

"All hail the worldwide MARDUK legion!!"

MARDUK and the band's record label, Blooddawn Productions, recently announced a partnership with Century Media Records.

The group's latest EP, "Iron Dawn", was made available at the Maryland Deathfest on May 27 (May 30 in the rest of the world via Regain Records) and at the six North American shows that followed.

According to a press release, the songs included on "Iron Dawn" differ from the concept that is being created for the next full-length album. Therefore this EP was made available as a special treat for all MARDUK legionaries out there.

"Wormwood", the eleventh album from MARDUK, sold around 650 copies in the United States in its first week of release. The CD landed at position No. 99 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.

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