Veteran San Francisco Bay Area thrashers EXODUS have set "Tempo Of The Damned" as the title for their upcoming CD, tentatively due to be recorded during May/June at Sonic Ranch studios (formerly Village Productions) in Tornillo, Texas.

The follow-up to 1992's "Force Of Habit", which is scheduled to be produced by Andy Sneap (MACHINE HEAD, STUCK MOJO, SKINLAB) and mixed at Sneap's Backstage Studios in Ripley, England, will contain 10 songs and will include freshly-recorded versions of early EXODUS classics "Death Row" and "Impaler", neither one of which had ever appeared on a studio album ...

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STEEL PROPHET - new lineup, new management.

After a long search STEEL PROPHET have finally announced that their new singer is Nadir D'Priest, who already made himself a name throughout the late eighties and the nineties with his involvement in LA's popular rock scene and the bands LONDON and D'PRIEST. Nadir's vocal power fits right in with the Steel Prophet sound, and his delivery of the older material is without a doubt up to par with what fans expect from Steel Prophet.

Also new on board is guitarist Pete Skermetta, who steps into the band after Jim Williams left in late 2002. With the 2 new guys on board - a management deal with Danish based Intromental Managem ...

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Italian power metallers LABYRINTH have inked a deal with Century Media Records. The group will issue their fourth full-length album, simply titled "Labyrinth", on June 30.

"Labyrinth", which features artwork by Travis Smith (NEVERMORE, OPETH, JAG PANZER, etc.), was recorded by Giovanni Spinotti and William Novati at Noise Factory Studio in Milano, Italy and mastered by Jürgen Lusky at House of Audio studio in Germany. According to an official press release, the album "offers 10 flawlessly executed new tracks of aggressively melodic metal in its purest form and should leave none of the band's loyal fans unimpressed."

The complete track listing for "Labyrinth" is as follows:

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Finally, the one wish of the die-hard fans of Twisted Sister has come true. The New York-based, multimillion-selling heavy metal band Twisted Sister is officially reuniting after more than 16 years apart.

The classic lineup of lead vocalist Dee Snider, co-lead guitarist/vocalist Jay Jay French, co-lead guitarist/vocalist Eddie Ojeda, bass guitarist/vocalist Mark "The Animal" Mendoza and drummer/vocalist A.J. Pero is ready to explode with a reunion tour. The band will hold a news conference to talk about the reunion on Tuesday, April 29, 2003, at 11:00 a.m. at the Intrepid Sea-Air-Space Museum, located at Pier 86 at 12th Avenue and 46th Street in New York City.

Twisted ...

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IMMORTAL leader Abbath will be adding his vocals to two tracks on the new DIMMU BORGIR record which is due out in September through Nuclear Blast. One of the songs is called 'Humanity Perverse' and features the Prague Symphony Orchestra String Section.

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Rock trio King's X is a putting a new twist on the practice of established bands releasing "pre-fame" material. The new studio album 'Black Like Sunday,' scheduled for release on May 20, 2003, on Brop! Records/Metal Blade Records, features freshly recorded songs written and performed live more than 20 years ago, well before the band changed its name to King's X and earned its first record deal. The band used two different names during this period.

NOTE: 'Black Like Sunday' is NOT an album of previously recorded but unreleased "vault" material. King's X recently recorded the songs in the studio; they are NOT live recordings.

Longtime fans had kept asking vocali ...

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QUEENSRYCHE have set a July 1 release date through Sanctuary Records for their new album, entitled "Tribe". Check out what appears to be the album's cover artwork at this location.

"Tribe" is being engineered by Scott Olson, who has previously worked as the "full-time right hand" to Terry Date (producer for such bands as the DEFTONES, PANTERA and LIMP BIZKIT, among others) and will be mixed by Adam Kasper, whose previous credits include PEARL JAM and the FOO FIGHTERS. The follow-up to 1999's god-awful "Q2K" marks the return to the group's recording lineup of original guitarist Chris DeGarmo, who has yet to officially rejoin the group as a full-time member. QUEENSRYCHE will embark on a North American tour in July with DREAM THEATER and FATES WARNING.

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METALLICA have firmly re-established their footing and recaptured the heavy metal throne at a time when bone-crunching rock is becoming stagnant, according to MTV.com writer Jon Wiederhorn, who has written a lengthy "St. Anger" album preview under the headline "Damage Inc. Is Back In Business". "Gone are the radio ballads, straightforward rock anthems, string-laden exorcisms and alternative experiments that many fans felt bogged down the band's music in recent years," he writes. "On 'St. Anger', the band resurrects the primal power, musical self-indulgence, whiplash-inducing tempos and red-eyed rage of their first three albums, 1983's 'Kill 'Em All', 1984's 'Ride the Lightning' and 1986's 'Master of Puppets'." Read the full article here.

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Official release details pertaining to David Lee Roth's new solo album have now been issued by Magna Carta Records. The details are as follows:

David Lee Roth became a household name in the 80's as the energetic and charismatic frontman of rock legends Van Halen, releasing a number of extremely successful records with that band and constantly popping up in magazines, on TV, and at the top of radio and video charts around the world. In 1985 he departed Van Halen and launched a wildly successful solo career, selling millions more records over the years and always remaining an irrepressible, undeniable Rock 'N Roll icon for millions of fans worldwide who have long know ...

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Three brand new HELLOWEEN tracks - "Just A Little Sign", "Never Be A Star" and "Do You Feel Good", have been posted online in streaming Real Audio at this location. All three songs come off the group's forthcoming full-length CD, "Rabbit Don't Come Easy", due on May 12 through Nuclear Blast Records. A video for the track "Just A Little Sign" can also be viewed at this location.

"Rabbit Don't Come Easy" was produced by Charlie Bauerfeind (BLIND GUARDIAN, RAGE, HAMMERFALL) and features a guest appearance by MOTORHEAD drummer Mikkey Dee who played on all but two tracks (which feature ex-drummer Mark Cross).

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