Testament announced on their official website and Facebook page that Greg Christian, the band's original and longtime bassist, has departed after a nearly-nine-year second term with them. The band's statement fortunately indicates that the split is mutual, and also saves us all the anticipation of waiting for the replacement. None other than Steve DiGiorgio has stepped in to fill Christian's shoes.

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Source:	testamentlegions.com
Band profile:	Testament

2013 has certainly been a rough year for Slayer. It began with Dave Lombardo being kicked off the band's Australian tour, with Kerry King and Tom Araya electing to replace him with Jon Dette for future shows. Mere weeks ago, we learned of Jeff Hanneman's tragic death. They say that bad things come in threes, and now the drummer issues have come to a head.

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Source:	facebook.com
Band profile:	Slayer

Iced Earth's drummer Brent Smedley has announced his departure from the band, owing to personal responsibilities. After recording three albums in his third, seven-year-long stint with Iced Earth, Smedley will be departing to devote more time to his older family members in Jacksonville, Florida.

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Source:	facebook.com
Band profile:	Iced Earth

Russian alternative metallers The SLoT have quite a lot to offer in the way of news. First and foremost, the band has started recording their next album, their eighth studio album overall and their sixth of new material. This still untitled follow up to 2011's F5 will be the product of an experiment conducted by The SLoT, who have decided to crowd fund the album. Donations can be made here (though users should be warned that the site is in Russian, naturally).

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Source:	slot.ru
Band profile:	The SLoT

In a statement on Korpiklaani's official website, Juho Kauppinen announced that he has stepped down as the band's accordionist. After eight-and-a-half years with Korpiklaani, during which he recorded six albums, Kauppinen has decided to leave, citing the difficulties of touring life and discomfort with his musical responsibilities. Kauppinen says that he has grown to prefer playing his music privately and free of stress, away from the obligations of performance.

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Source:	korpiklaani.com
Band profile:	Korpiklaani

Machine Head has announced on their official website that longtime bassist Adam Duce has left the band. No specific details have been revealed yet, but the band has made it clear that Duce parted on good terms. On their website, the band states that they "would like to wish Adam the best with his current and future endeavors." Duce, who had served as Machine Head's bassist since its inception in 1992, contributed to all seven of their studio albums to date. His departure leaves frontman Robb Flynn as the only remaining original member.

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Source:	machinehead1.com
Band profile:	Machine Head

The SLoT has announced via their Facebook page that Daria "Nookie" Stavrovich, one of their two lead vocalists, has begun work on a new body of material to be released under her stage name. The video for the first single, entitled "Fear," was released today, and can be found below or at Nookie's new YouTube channel.

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Source:	facebook.com
Band profile:	The SLoT