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."