Skeletonwitch have tapped drummer Tony Laureano for their upcoming spring dates and to play on their upcoming as-yet-untitled new album, due out this fall.

Laureano, who's played for acts such as 1349, Nile, Dimmu Borgir, Massacre, Angelcorpse and more, will be replacing the recently departed, Derrick "Mullet Chad" Nau, who is returning to art school and further pursuing his art career.

Guitarist Scott Hedrick commented: "Our good friend Tony will be playing drums on our April tour, new album, and for the foreseeable future. We're fucking stoked to have a drummer of his caliber and experience on board. He's a beast behind the kit and a great fucking guy as well. You can't ask for more than that!

After our last tour Derrick informed us that he is putting down the drum sticks and picking up the paint brush. He is returning to art school and does not wish to be a musician anymore. We would like to thank Derrick for his years of dedication to Skeletonwitch. Though we will miss him, there is no bad blood. We will always remain great friends and wish him the best with his new endeavor."

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Source:	prostheticrecords.com
Band profile:	Skeletonwitch

Audio samples of all tracks set to appear on the new Scar Symmetry album The Unseen Empire are available on Amazon.co.uk.

The Unseen Empire will be released on April 15th through Nuclear Blast Records.

The Unseen Empire tracklist:

01. The Anomaly
02. Illuminoid Dream Sequence
03. Extinction Mantra
04. Seers Of The Schaton
05. Domination Agenda
06. Astronomicon
07. Rise Of The Reptilian Regime
08. The Draconian Arrival
09. Alpha And Omega

In other news, a song-by-song analysis with Scar Symmetry drummer Henrik Ohlsson can be watched below.

105265 for the news!]

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Source:	youtube.com
Band profile:	Scar Symmetry

As previously announced, Across Tundras have signed with Neurot Recordings for the release of their newest full-length opus.

The sprawling seven-song album, entitled Sage, is now officially confirmed for North American release on May 17th, 2011.

Source:

Neurot Recordings Newsletter

Due to the current situation in Japan following the earthquake and subsequent tsunami, Japanese neoclassical power metal/J-Rock outfit Versailles have postponed their previously announced spring tour dates till May.

The new dates are now as follows:

May 04 - Saitama - Heaven?fs Rock Saitama Shintoshin
May 05 - Saitama - Heaven?fs Rock Saitama Shintoshin
May 11 - Kanagawa - Yokohama BAYSIS
May 15 - Osaka - Esaka Muse
May 16 - Osaka - Esaka Muse
May 18 - Saitama - Heaven?fs Rock Kumagaya
May 20 - Aichi - Nagoya Electric Lady Land

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Source:	kamijo.syncl.jp
Band profile:	Versailles
Event:	Versailles: Spring Tour 2011

Feeding The Inevitable, the new album from Danish death metallers The Cleansing, will be released later this spring through Deepsend Records.

The album was mixed at CB studios in Denmark with producer Christian Bonde, and mastered by Bjørn Engelmann (Behemoth, Bloodbath) at the Cutting Room in Sweden. The cover artwork was created by Remy C. from Headsplit Design.

Feeding The Inevitable tracklist:

01. The Promethean Promise
02. Third Eye Starring
03. Your Flesh, Your Curse
04. A Cheating Progression
05. Hour Of Decadence
06. Processed For Contamination
07. Law Of Reciprocity
08. Two Days
09. Crossroads

41942 for the tip!]

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Source:

myspace.com

The Song Remains Not The Same, the new acoustic album from Black Label Society, will be released on May 3rd through Entertainment One Music.

The album will feature acoustic versions of tracks from the band's latest record, Order of the Black, along with other songs recorded during the Order sessions. One of the acoustic tracks, "Darkest Days," will feature an appearance by country star John Rich.

The Song Remains Not The Same tracklist :

01. Overlord
02. Parade Of The Dead
03. Riders Of The Damned
04. Darkest Days
05. Junior's Eyes
06. Helpless
07. Bridge Over Troubled Water
08. Can't Find My Way Home
09. Darkest Days
10. The First Noel

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Source:	blacklabelsociety.com
Band profile:	Black Label Society

A couple of days ago, Therion mainman Christofer Johnsson issued the following update:

"First the good news! Bassist Nalley Påhlsson has used his time well, sobered up and got his life back together. We're very happy to welcome him back and do all the upcoming shows with him again! A BIG THANX to Waldemar Sorychta (Enemy Of The Sun, ReVamp) for filling Nalley's duties meanwhile!

Second news will make many of you sad. Tour vocalist Katarina Lilja has decided to give it a second attempt to join the boring civil world and not be a cool rock star anymore. To sit at home with the boyfriend and just have a regular job.

She gave that a try before after the Gothic Kabbalah Tour and she therefore wasn't with us for the Adulruna Redviva 20 year anniversary Tour. Maybe it was the wrong boyfriend back then, or maybe it was the wrong job? Or both? Anyway, with a new boyfriend (and hopefully soon a new job), she's now up for giving BRLWBAR (Boring Regular Life Without Being A Rockstar) version 2,0 a try. But this time she have at least found a great boyfriend, so as much as we will miss her on stage and on the road, we wish her all the best and all the luck!"

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Source:	megatherion.com
Band profile:	Therion

Earlier this week, Megadeth only managed to play a six-song set in St. Petersburg, Russia. Apparently frontman Dave Mustaine collapsed (that was a lie, he didn't collapse, he only passed out for a while, our apologies for any confusion, ed.) before the European Carnage Tour show with Slayer (that other band full of old men), and was found to be suffering the effects of a kidney stone. Medical experts wanted to send him to the hospital immediately, but Mustaine insisted on playing at least a short show.

Mustaine issued the following long-winded message explaining the events: "Last night I was getting ready for the concert, and two hours before the show, I started to feel like I had a hernia, or more like I had been hit in the groin.

I told my tour manager that I needed a doctor and that there was no way I was going to get through this on my own; that I thought it might be in my best interest to consider canceling the show.

Now I rarely, if ever cancel shows, and after 45 minutes of prayer with my loving wife and sweating like a dog, I was told to pee for the doctors. They then explained that there was blood in my urine. I was mad; I would say pissed, but that is an obvious pun.

So they gave me an IV, and analgesic, and an anti-inflammatory injection. The next hour is kinda blurry, but I woke up and David Ellefson was holding my hand and praying over me, and even Tom Araya and Dave Lombardo from Slayer came in to check on me, so I knew I was gonna be OK.

For now.

And to anyone that thinks Tom and I are still opposed, I feel sorry for you.

Anyway, when I woke up, they said that there was so many people outside of the venue still, that they could hold the show for 30 additional minutes, and I said, "Guys, I am OK, and we can do this."

Well, the doctors were not amused at all. But then again, they have never met the likes of one Dave Mustaine.

I told the band that I was 'OK' going on for a few songs, to at least help the fans feel a teensy bit better, and that not to allow the promoter to cancel the show.

Please don't get me wrong, the promoter did not want me to cancel, but he also was concerned with my health.

So what was said was this:

Dave Mustaine has become seriously ill (the kidney stone and the blood in my urine), and the doctors are INSISTING he goes to the hospital.

The crowd immediately voiced their displeasure, and right then, perfectly timed, the promoter finished by saying, "But Dave Mustaine is refusing to go to hospital until he can play a few songs for you. So, stand by, because coming up next, MEGADETH!"

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Source:	rocknewsdesk.com
Band profile:	Megadeth
Event:	Slayer + Megadeth: European Carnage Tour

"Live To Fight Another Day", the new video from German symphonic gothic metal band Krypteria, can now be watched below, or at this location (Facebook login/email sign-up required).

"Live To Fight Another Day" comes off the band's upcoming new album All Beauty Must Die, which will be released on April 22nd through Roadrunner Records. More album details were previously reported over here.

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Source:	krypteria.de
Band profile:	Krypteria

Due to the current situation in Japan following the 9.0-magnitude earthquake and subsequent tsunami, Spiritual Beggars are forced to cancel both of their previously announced shows in Japan next week.

Spiritual Beggars's Japanese promoter Creativeman has issued a statement and ticket refund information in Japanese on their website here

Spiritual Beggars have issued the following statement: "As much as we were looking forward to playing these shows for our fans in Japan, the time is not right for this now. Our outbound flights got canceled by the airline and our promoter thought it best to pull the plug. We are deeply saddened by the recent events in Japan and we wish everyone there the best and hope they'll be safe moving forward. Donations that will help the situation in Japan can be made at this location."

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Source:	myspace.com
Band profile:	Spiritual Beggars
Event:	Spiritual Beggars: Japanese Tour [CANCELED]

Back Through Time, the new album from Scottish metal pirates Alestorm, will be released on June 3rd in Europe and June 14th in North America through Napalm Records.

The album will be available in Jewelcase, Digipak, Vinyl, and Epic Special Edition formats.

One of the new tracks, called "Shipwrecked", is still available for streaming over at SoundCloud.

Yes, that is a rat on a snowboard.

Back Through Time tracklist:

01. Back Through Time
02. Shipwrecked
03. The Sunk'n Norwegian
04. Midget Saw
05. Buckfast Powersmash
06. Scraping The Barrel
07. Rum
08. Swashbuckled
09. Rumpelkombo
10. Barrett's Privateers
11. Death Throes Of The Terrorsquid
12. I Am A Cider Drinker
13. You Are A Pirate

Said vocalist Christopher Bowes about the bonus tracks: "For those who don't know, "I am a Cider Drinker" is a cover of a song by The Wurzels, an English Scrumpy n' Western band. I think it was a big pop hit in the 70's, teaching children about the joys of alcohol abuse. We've metalled it up just for a wee laugh. And of course "You are a Pirate"... well... the less said about that the better."

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Source:	facebook.com
Band profile:	Alestorm

"Warriors Ride On The Chariots", a brand-new Metalucifer cover song by Polish heavy metal band Crystal Viper, has been made available for streaming below or at MySpace.

"Warriors Ride On The Chariots" comes off upcoming new Metalucifer tribute album Heavy Metal Hell - A Tribute To Metalucifer, which will be released on April 29th at the Keep It True XIV Festival.

Heavy Metal Hell - A Tribute To Metalucifer tracklist:

01. Metalucifera - Heavy Metal Hell (Intro)
02. Crystal Viper - Warriors Ride On The Chariots
03. Axevyper - Heavy Metal Is My Way
04. Skelator - Northern Heroes
05. Dantesco - Warriors Again
06. Guerra Total - Soul Of Warriors
07. Rosae Crucis - Heavy Metal Samurai
08. Steelpreacher - Heavy Metal Hunter
09. Deathhammer - Fallen Angel
10. Satanika - Heavy Metal Bulldozer
11. Lethal Saint - Heavy Metal Drill
12. Split Heaven - Wolf Man

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Source:	facebook.com
Band profile:	Crystal Viper

Put down your keyboards, the competition is over! The correct answer to the question is of course Andy Sneap, who mastered and produced the album Blood Of The Nations.

The lucky winners are:

Andy Hill

and

Michael Kissane

These two will receive an email with instructions for the day.

Thank you to all who entered, and better luck next time!

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Band profile:

Accept

Official press release

Evile are set to enter the studio this weekend to begin recording their third album.

Evile will be playing a show in London this Friday, 18th March with Chthonic, before heading to Prestatyn, Wales on Saturday for a performance at Hammerfest. The band will then be heading into Parlour Studios on Sunday to begin recording the follow-up to 2009's Infected Nations, and will once again be working with producer Russ Russel (Napalm Death, Dimmu Borgir).

Evile guitarist Ol Drake commented: "This has been one hell of a 2011 already. We've been working non-stop on the material for Evile's third album since early last year, and the past few months saw the workload pile up drastically. We're on top of it though. Tomorrow we play London with our friends Chthonic from Taiwan, then we head over to Prestatyn for Hammerfest. Just like with Infected Nations, we're again heading to the studio shortly after playing Hammerfest, though this time it's the very day after. To the great Parlour Studios we will venture along with the even greater Russ Russell. He was at the helm/desk/brain for Infected Nations, and we see him as a member of the band, even more so on this third offering. We'll be in there for approximately a month, and we'll be focusing on roughly ten tracks to delight your ears.

If I was to say what the direction of this third album would be, I'd have to say a mix of the approach to Enter The Grave, the ideas on Infected Nations and an amalgamation of brand new ideas we can't wait to try out. We have to try out new things as artists; we don't ever ever want to stick to doing the same thing all the time. It will be aggressive yet mature, in my opinion, and before your ask - yes, fast."

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Source:	evile.co.uk
Band profile:	Evile

Gore-metal originators Exhumed have completed work on their brand new full-length album All Guts, No Glory, due in July through Relapse Records.

All Guts, No Glory, the follow-up to 2003's Anatomy Is Destiny, was recorded at Arcane Digital Recordings in Arizona with engineer Ryan Butler (Misery Index) and at Trench Studios with John Haddad (Abysmal Dawn, Intronaut). All Guts, No Glory was mixed and mastered at Mana Recording Studios by Brian Elliott (Graves Of Valor) and has been set for a July 5th North American release date via Relapse Records.

The album will also be available on deluxe, saw-blade shaped vinyl and as a limited edition 2-disc set. Additional release information will be posted shortly.

All Guts, No Glory tracklist:

01. All Guts, No Glory
02. As Hammer To Anvil
03. Your Funeral, My Feast
04. Through Cadaver Eyes
05. Death Knell
06. Distorted And Twisted To Form
07. I Rot Within
08. Dis-assembly Line
09. Necrotized
10. Funereality
11. So Let it Be Rotten... So Let it Be Done

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Source:	shop.relapse.com
Band profile:	Exhumed