Coroner to Reunite for Hellfest 2011

Swiss technical thrash metallers Coroner have been unveiled as the surprise announcement for next year's edition of Hellfest. The festival will take place in Clisson, France from June 17-19, 2011. More details are to be revealed in the near future. (Read More)

Megadeth Guitarist Interviewed in Milan

Prior to Megadeth's June 5 concert in Milan, Italy, SpazioRock.it chatted with guitarist Chris Broderick. The interview can be streamed below.

The band's historic Rust in Peace 20th Anniversary Tour has been documented for an upcoming release. A Blu-ray, DVD, and CD - recorded on the final night of the tour - will be released as Rust in Peace Live on September 7 via Shout! Factory.

Rust in Peace Live also marks the return of original bassist David Ellefson after an eight-year absence. Ellefson played with the band from 1983 to 2002.

Megadeth's latest live recording will feature the entire Rust in Peace track listing as well as an array of bonus material. This material will take the form of fan favourites from other releases such as "Peace Sells," "Symphony of Destruction," and "Skin O' My Teeth."

Concerning the new release, founder/frontman/guitarist Dave Mustaine explains, "We are pumped to be able to share the RIP Live concert with you all around the world. The anniversary and David Ellefson coming back was better than a facelift and a bottle of Viagra for old [Megadeth mascot] Vic."

Rust in Peace Live has an 80-minute running time and is presented in 5.1 Dolby Surround 16:9 Widescreen in DVD format and 5.1 DTS Master Audio 1080p High Definition in Blu-ray format. Directed by Kerry Asmussen, both DVD and Blu-ray editions of the show will include behind-the-scenes footage, including clips of the band rehearsing in their dressing room before taking the stage.

Considered one of the best metal albums of all time by numerous fans and critics, Rust in Peace debuted on the U.S. Billboard Top 200 Album chart at #23 and came in at #8 in the U.K. Noted for showcasing a much tighter sound, the album saw Mustaine's writing style adopt a rhythmically complex and progressive edge - elements which caused All Music Guide to name Rust in Peace as "Megadeth’s strongest musical effort." The album also received Grammy nominations for Best Metal Performance in both 1990 and 1991. In the July 2010 issue of Guitar World, Richard Bienstock emphasized the massive impact of Rust in Peace, calling it "one of the pinnacles of the first wave of thrash metal." He continues, "A defining quality of Megadeth's sound - and the one that perhaps most sets them apart from their Big Four thrash brethren, Metallica, Slayer, and Anthrax - has always been the band's fiery mix of speed-metal ferocity and progressive instrumental virtuosity... nowhere has this combination been displayed better than on Rust in Peace."

The full track listing for Rust in Peace Live (including CD, DVD, and Blu-ray formats) is as follows:

01. Holy Wars...The Punishment Due
02. Hangar 18
03. Take No Prisoners
04. Five Magics
05. Poison Was the Cure
06. Lucretia
07. Tornado Of Souls
08. Dawn Patrol
09. Rust In Peace...Polaris

Bonus Content:

10. Skin O' My Teeth (Countdown To Extinction; 1992)
11. In My Darkest Hour (So Far, So Good...So What!; 1988)
12. She-Wolf (Cryptic Writings; 1997)
13. Trust (Cryptic Writings; 1997)
14. Symphony of Destruction (Countdown to Extinction; 1992)
15. Peace Sells (Peace Sells...But Who's Buying?; 1986)
16. Holy Wars – Reprise (Rust in Peace; 1990)

New Interview with Andreas Kisser

Sonic Excess recently conducted an interview with Sepultura guitarist Andreas Kisser. The interview touches on a number of topics, including the band's eleventh studio album, A-Lex. (Read More)

Conspiracy Reveals New Album

Conspiracy has returned with a third full-length album entitled Irremediable. The Dutch extreme metallers also have a new member joining their ranks: guitarist/composer/orchestrator Aryan Blaze. (Read More)

New Hail! Footage Available

New video footage of Hail! is now available. Videos of the supergroup's June 6, 2010 performance in Kiev, Ukraine can be streamed via Blabbermouth.net (Read More)

Previously Unseen Death Footage Released

Previously unreleased behind-the-scenes footage from Death's video shoot for "Lack of Comprehension" (a song featured on 1991's Human) is now available for streaming. The clip was compiled and edited by Eric Greif - the band's former manager and current legal representative. (Read More)

Guitarist Dan Spitz Discusses Anthrax and Deuxmonkey

In a May 30th interview with Radio Kol Halev, guitarist Dan Spitz chatted about Anthrax (with whom he formerly played) as well as his new Deuxmonkey project. The interview can be streamed below.

It hasn't been long since Spitz was released from the hospital. In early May, he received treatment for a heart attack suffered in 2009. He had undergone open-heart surgery on June 5, 2009 after doctors discovered that his heart's main artery had almost closed completely.

Spitz is now working on the debut album from Deuxmonkey - his latest project. The lineup includes vocalist Wade Black (Seven Witches, Leatherwolf, Crimson Glory), bassist Peter Baltes (Accept), and drummer Patrick Johansson (W.A.S.P., Yngwie Malmsteen). More information on the project can be found on the Deuxmonkey MySpace page.

In 2005 and 2006, Spitz participated in the Anthrax classic lineup reunion. However, he left the band after the recent split with vocalist Joey Belladonna.

During a 2007 radio interview with Eddie Trunk (of the Friday Night Rocks radio show on Q104.3 FM New York), Anthrax guitarist Scott Ian said of Spitz, "Whether people are aware or not, Danny's, like, a big deal in the really, really fancy, expensive watch world - like crazy, super-high-end watches - and he's got his own line of watches coming out. It's weird, because before the reunion I would read this stuff online, and I would just kind of be like, 'What the hell...?' But then like after hanging out with the guy for 20 months and you actually talk to him and see the watches and what-not, I was like, 'Holy crap!' It's a pretty big deal."

Halford to Release "The Mower" Single

Halford, the band fronted by none other than Judas Priest's Rob Halford, will officially release a new single - "The Mower" - via HalfordMusic.com tonight (June 25) at 7:00 p.m. PST. "The Mower" is the first single from Halford IV - Made of Metal, which is scheduled for an October 2010 release. (Read More)

Megadeth to Release Live Rust in Peace DVD/CD

Megadeth is scheduled to release a live DVD/CD that will capture the final night of their Rust in Peace 20th Anniversary Tour. The media combo, entitled Rust in Peace Live, is set to hit shelves on September 7 and will be distributed via Shout! Factory. (Read More)

Michael Wilton to Appear at Whip Ale Event

Michael "Whip" Wilton is set to appear at one more Whip Ale event in Washington. The guitarist will make his appearance prior to leaving for an overseas tour with Queensrÿche. (Read More)

Eddie Ojeda to Appear on Whole Lotta Love Tribute Album

Eddie Ojeda has been officially added to the list of musicians to be featured on the upcoming tribute album Whole Lotta Love: An All-Star Salute to Fat Chicks. The Twisted Sister guitarist will appear with his solo project, Eddie Ojeda's Band of Steel, and will contribute a cover of Spinal Tap's "Big Bottom." (Read More)

Paul Gray's Death Due to Morphine Overdose

Slipknot bassist Paul Gray, who was discovered dead in a hotel room on May 24, apparently died of a morphine overdose. Autopsy reports pinned the cause of death and police have confirmed that Gray did not have a prescription for the drug in question. (Read More)

Big Four Sonisphere Festival Tour Opens in Poland

The historic Big Four tour has finally come together, but the process has been a slow one. However, despite a number of setbacks, the tour has finally kick-started and on June 16 100,000 fans at Bemowo Airport in Warsaw, Poland witnessed history in the making as Slayer, Metallica, Megadeth, and Anthrax took to the same stage. (Read More)

Rotting Christ Forced to Cancel More Shows

After already cutting dates from the previously announced South American tour, Rotting Christ has cancelled even more show dates. The Greek extreme metallers were forced to make the cancellations after guitarist/vocalist Sakis Tolis injured his leg in a recent accident. (Read More)

Osbourne and Iommi Settle Black Sabbath Trademark Lawsuit

Recently, during an interview with Pulse of Radio, Ozzy Osbourne announced that a lawsuit between him and guitarist Tony Iommi had been settled. The suit dealt with the use of the Black Sabbath name. Osbourne added that everything is now fine between him and his former band mate.

Osbourne had sued Iommi for a 50% interest in the Black Sabbath trademark. He also sued for a portion of the profits made by Iommi from the use of the name. The suit charged that Osbourne's "signature lead vocals" are largely the reason for the band's "extraordinary success" and noted that popularity declined during his absence from 1980 to 1996. Lawyer Andrew DeVore responded with the argument that Osbourne had actually signed away his rights to the Black Sabbath trademark when he left the band in 1979. However, Osbourne's lawyer - Howard Shire - called DeVore's argument a "red herring" that was "repudiated" when the singer rejoined Sabbath in 1997. Shire argued that at that point, Osbourne took over "quality control" of all merchandise, recordings, and tours associated with the band.

Following Osboune's lawsuit announcement, Pulse of Radio asked the Prince of Darkness if there would be a chance of the original Sabbath lineup reuniting. "Well, I never say never," replied Osbourne. "I mean, I've got a few ideas, but we'll see what happens, you know. We did try and do another album, but we've all changed so much and it's - if you don't do an album that blows the doors off the last one that we did together, then it's gonna be looked upon as a joke, you know."

The original Sabbath lineup - consisting of Osbourne, Iommi, Geezer Butler, and Bill Ward - last toured together in 2005 and later reassembled in 2006 for their induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The group made an attempt at a new album some 11 years ago (which would have been their first since 1979), but the effort was abandoned after only a handful of songs.

That is not to say the four have not been keeping busy. Both Iommi and Bulter had been touring and recording with Ronnie James Dio and Vinny Appice (both latter-day members of Black Sabbath) since 2007 under the name Heaven and Hell. They remained active until Dio's death from stomach cancer in May 2010. In addition, Osbourne is set to release a new solo album, Scream, on June 22 and will also headline Ozzfest this summer.

Ozzy Fans Scream Their Way into the Guinness Book of World Records

On June 11, a stadium full of Ozzy Osbourne fans managed to break a Guinness World Record...by screaming. Ozzy himself convinced a crowd of 52,000 to scream louder than 127.2 dBA – the current record held by a group of Finnish Boy Scouts. (Read More)

Kreator Painting Part of German Art Exhibition

Kreator is now a part of an art exhibition in Essen, Germany. Guitarist Mille Petrozza is featured as the subject of an oil-on-canvas painting by renowned artist Oliver Jordan. (Read More)

White Wizzard Lose and Replace Guitarist and Singer

Los Angeles metallers White Wizzard recently parted ways with guitarist Erik Kluiber and singer Wyatt Anderson. However, the band didn't waste any time find replacements and, at last weekend's Download Festival, they debuted guitarist Lewis Stephens and singer Michael Gremio. (Read More)

John 5 to Make Guest Appearance on Nikki Sixx's Radio Show

John 5 - former Marilyn Manson/current Rob Zombie guitarist - is set to make an appearance on tonight's (June 14) broadcast of Sixx Sense, the new radio program hosted by Mötley Crüe bassist Nikki Sixx.

Listeners can tune in online via the program's official website.

John 5's new solo album, The Art of Malice, was released on May 11 sold roughly 1,200 copies in the U.S. during its first week of release. It also took No. 27 on the Top New Artist Albums (Heatseekers) chart - a chart which lists best-selling albums by new and developing artists who have never been listed on the Top 100 of the Billboard 200.

The Art of Malice was released via 60 Cycle Hum/Rocket Science Ventures and, according to a press release, "exhibits John 5's incredible diversity as a writer and guitarist pulling from the pages of his life." John 5 himself explained, "It is a completely different vibe than my other albums," adding that "the title is derived from the saying 'kill them with kindness,' like taking a good approach to still obtain a dark result."

John 5 has a list of famous credentials, including a stint with Marilyn Manson and a current gig with Rob Zombie. In addition, his portfolio includes diverse work with names such as David Lee Roth, Lynyrd Skynyrd, Lita Ford, Salt-N-Pepa, k.d. lang, and a number of others. He is a self-described "Fender fanatic" and has gone on record saying that they are "the greatest guitars ever built, by far, hands down." In 2004, Fender introduced the J5 Telecaster and J5 Special Edition acoustic, followed by the J5 Triple Tele Deluxe in 2007.

Surviving Heaven and Hell Members to Pay Tribute to Ronnie James Dio

Earlier this evening, whilst accepting the award for Best Album at the Metal Hammer Golden Gods awards, guitarist Tony Iommi announced a tribute to Ronnie James Dio. According to Iommi, the tribute will be performed by the surviving members of Heaven and Hell at the High Voltage on June 24. (Read More)

Lemmy Visits Slash Onstage

Whilst playing the Download Festival this afternoon (June 13), guitarist Slash was paid a visit by Motörhead’s Lemmy Kilmister. The pair performed a rendition of "Doctor Alibi" for the multitude of festival-goers. (Read More)

Slayer on AOL Sessions

Despite vocalist/bassist Tom Araya's recent string of health problems, Slayer is still on top of its game. The band proved it was back in business with a performance on AOL Sessions. The set can be viewed via Noisecreep. (Read More)

Evile Interviewed on Hard

U.K. thrashers Evile were recently interviewed during an episode of Hard (which was featured on the Canadian music channel Aux). The interview is now available for streaming. (Read More)

Ex-Dio Guitarist Interviewed on Good Time Metal Oldies

On June 3, Jason Saulnier of the radio show Good Time Metal Oldies, interviewed former Dio guitarist Rowan Robertson. The interview is now available for streaming at Blabbermouth.net. (Read More)

Exodus to Join Ozzfest

It's official: Exodus will play this year's Ozzfest. The California thrashers will join the tour as a one-off during the August 14 stop in San Bernardino, CA. The band is set to play the second stage between Drowning Pool and Goatwhore. (Read More)

Sevendust to Play ShipRocked Cruise

Sevendust recently released an update about its inclusion in this year's ShipRocked cruise lineup. The cruise, which will feature performances by the likes of Cinderella, Vince Neil, Hail!, and Tesla, departs from Fort Lauderdale, FL and ports in various locations in the Bahamas. (Read More)

Members of Dio, Rainbow, and Quiet Riot to Pay Tribute to Ronnie James Dio

A group of musicians - which includes Craig Goldy, Craig Gruber, Frankie Banali, and Jeff Fenholt - are scheduled to pay tribute to metal legend Ronnie James Dio. The tribute is slated to take place at The Market Block Party on June 24. (Read More)

Interview with Kerry King

Just in time for International Slayer Day, Metal Hammer has published an interview with Kerry King. In it, the guitarist goes into detail about his "life story." (Read More)

Eclipse Eternal Recruits New Guitarist

Canadian band Eclipse Eternal has announced the addition of a new guitarist. In a recent statement, the epic black metallers unveiled Count Vain (of Vampire Vain) as the band's new rhythm axeman. (Read More)

Testament Announces Austrian Tour Dates

Testament has announced an Australian headlining tour that will kick off in August 2010. The San Francisco Bay Area thrashers will be supported on the tour by Dreadnaught. (Read More)

Horse the Band Head to Russia (Despite Town’s "Metal Ban")

It has been reported that the Russian city of Belgorod has enforced a ban on metal shows in an effort to stop supposed Satanic activity from spreading amongst young people. Despite this, Horse the Band has embarked on a two-week Russian tour. (Read More)

Ace Frehley and Zakk Wylde to Appear at Les Paul Birthday Performance

In commemoration of Les Paul's 95th birthday, Jeff Beck will host a special intimate performance at the Iridium Jazz Club in New York, NY on June 9. Special guests include Ace Frehley, Zakk Wylde, and a number of others. (Read More)

Bonded by Blood Announces European Shows

Bonded by Blood have confirmed tour dates in Europe and the U.K. The Californian thrash act is set to appear on August 12 at the Brutal Assault festival in the Czech Republic before heading to the U.K. (Read More)