The cover artwork for METALLICA's new album, "Death Magnetic", can be viewed below.

In an interview conducted yesterday (Wednesday, July 16) by VG TV at the opening show of the second leg of METALLICA's European summer tour in Bergen, Norway, guitarist/vocalist James Hetfield stated about the new album title, "'Death Magnetic', at least the title, to me, it's… It had something to do with… It started out as kind of a tribute to people that have fallen in our business, like Layne Staley [ALICE IN CHAINS] and a lot of the people that have died, basically — rock and roll martyrs of sorts. And then it kind of grew from there. Th ...

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Norwegian old-school black metallers KAMPFAR have set "Heimgang" (said to be "the connection between the underworld and our own") as the title of their new album, due on September 26 via Napalm Records. The track listing for the CD is as follows:

01. Vantro
02. Inferno
03. Dodens Vee
04. Skogens Dyp
05. Antvort
06. Vansinn
07. Mareham
08. Feigdarvarsel
09. Vettekult
10. Vandring

Check out audio samples on the band's MySpace page.

A press release reads: "Refusing to follow in the footsteps of ...

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Swedish death metal "supergroup" BLOODBATH will release its new studio album, "The Fathomless Mastery", on October 6 via Peaceville Records. The band described the upcoming CD as representing "nothing but hateful brutality." Promising its "most crushing production yet," the group's lineup on "The Fathomless Mastery" is the same as that on BLOODBATH's "Unblessing the Purity" mini-CD, which came out in March:

Mikael Åkerfeldt (OPETH) - Vocals
Martin "Axe" Axenrot (OPETH) - Drums
Anders "Blakkheim" Nyström (KATATONIA) - Guitar
Jonas Renkse (KATATONIA) - Bass
Per "Sodomizer" Eriksson (ex-21 LUCIF ...

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According to a posting on UK singer Blaze Bayley's (ex-IRON MAIDEN, WOLFSBANE) official web site, Blaze's wife/manager Debbie "is in critical condition in hospital following a dual brain hemorrhage last week and has not regained consciousness." Blaze's bandmates write, "Understandably, Blaze will be staying at bedside for the time being and we as a band are not prepared to put ourselves too far from her under these circumstances. Due to this serious situation, Blaze cannot appear at the Easy Rider Bike Fest [in Italy] this coming weekend and the Brazil tour must be postponed until early next year. For the time being please contact serpe ...

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Few bands inspire such fanaticism among their fans as DREAM THEATER. The best way to satiate this dedicated legion is to provide them with even more material to devour and DREAM THEATER are doing just that this September. The band will release "Chaos In Motion 2007/2008", which documents their "Chaos In Motion" world tour, which kicked off June 3, 2007 at the Monsters of Rock festival in Milan, Italy and concluded almost a year to the day later on June 4, 2008 in San Juan, Puerto Rico. It's essentially a travelogue of their most recent touring experience and it hits shelves on September 23. "Chaos In Motion 2007/2008" will be available in two configu ...

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Kerrang! magazine recently spoke to DRAGONFORCE guitarists Herman Li and Sam Totman about the group's forthcoming album, "Ultra Beatdown". Watch the five-minute chat below.

DRAGONFORCE has posted a new song, "Heroes Of Our Time", on its MySpace page. The track comes off "Ultra Beatdown", which is scheduled for release on August 25 via Roadrunner Records.

"Ultra Beatdown" track listing:

01. Heroes Of Our Time
02. The Fire Still Burns
03. Reasons To Live
04. Scars Of Yesterday
05. Heartbreak Arma ...

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Brazilian thrashers SEPULTURA entered the studio last month to begin recording their new album, which is based on the Anthony Burgess novel "A Clockwork Orange" (later turned into the classic film by Stanley Kubrick). Bassist Paulo Xisto Pinto Jr. has issued the following update: "Tonight [June 27] is basically our last day of recording of the new material for the new album!!! So far we're very happy with the results!!! Tomorrow morning we will be coming back to the studio to listen to the whole material to make sure that everything is in the right place for the mixing that will be starting on the next July 12th!!! Hope to see all on tour before the end of ...

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Swedish Viking metallers AMON AMARTH have set "Twilight of the Thundergod" as the title of their seventh full-length album, due this fall via Metal Blade Records. The CD title was revealed by AMON AMARTH frontman Johan Hegg during an interview with the "Tinitus" radio show, which airs on Norway's P3.

"Twilight of the Thundergod" was recorded at Fascination Street Studio in Örebro, Sweden and will include such songtitles as "Guardians of Asgaard", "Live for the Kill" and "Tattered Banners and Bloody Flags".

The sixth part of the band's studio video diary — featuring the band packing up and he ...

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Radio Metal has posted a new interview with Aaron Rossi in which the MINISTRY drummer discusses the incident that took place on June 24, 2008 at the band's concert at Havana Café in Toulouse, France. According to the official explanation offered by the group and the venue, MINISTRY's show had to be stopped after a fan allegedly jumped up on stage and attempted to attack the band with tear gas. However, some fans that attended the concert allege that it was in fact the security personnel's attitude that led to the incident by using tear gas on the audience. An excerpt from the interview follows.

Radio Met ...

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Tarot Productions, the label run by Proscriptor McGovern (a.k.a. Russ R. Givens), leader of the Texas-based mythological occult metal outfit ABSU, has just released "726", the latest excursion from Proscriptor. According to a press release, "this is visionary esoteric music that remains unpredictable yet magic(k)al. Psychedelic and ethereal eccentricities merge against a fluent beat reminiscent of '70s krautrock, spacerock and new age. Unlike his occult metal commands in ABSU, Proscriptor pushes the threshold of eclectic music and expression and proves it through '726'. This is the first and only instrumental album by Proscriptor. Most ...

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