Former X Japan bass player Taiji died after a suicide attempt in Saipan jail, where he landed after a commotion during an air flight. Discovered by warders he was rushed in intensive care where he was declared brain dead. Taiji died on July 17 at 11 a.m. after his fiancée and mother agreed with his doctor to turn off his life support system.

R.I.P. Taiji

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"The Blackmobile", a brand new song from Norway's ICS VORTEX, the project led by the former DIMMU BORGIR and current BORKNAGAR member, can be streamed in the YouTube clip below. The track comes off the band's debut album, "Storm Seeker", which will be released on August 22 in Europe and August 23 in North America via Century Media Records.

Commented ICS Vortex: "This song was written way back when I still felt black metal was dangerous. Now, totally untrue to all that, it's a tribute to the only beast I ever loved."

"Storm Seeker" will be released in Europe as initial limited-edition digipak, 180-gram LP and as a digital download. According to a press release, the CD "t ...

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Legendary Italian industrial/post-black metallers ABORYM have inked a worldwide deal with Agonia Records. The band's sixth album will be released in 2012 and it will coincide with the group's 20th anniversary.

Commented singer/bass player Fabban: "I know this label very well.

"We decided to sing up with Agonia Records exactly because we need to be followed and supported in a more careful and precise way, something that is sometimes quite hard to have if you're part of a major label with hundreds of other bands.

"There's a crisis in the air, especially in the music industry, reason why we're betting everything on quality.

"What we will release in ...

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"On The Backs Of Angels", a brand new song from progressive metal giants DREAM THEATER, is available for streaming at the Roadrunner Records YouTube channel. The track comes off the band's new album, "A Dramatic Turn Of Events", which is scheduled for release on September 13 via Roadrunner Records. The CD was mixed by Andy Wallace, who has previously worked with AVENGED SEVENFOLD, WHITE ZOMBIE, RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE, SEPULTURA, SLAYER and NIRVANA, among many others.

"On The Backs Of Angels" lyrics (not official):

Standing on the backs of angels
Destined to create
Mounting th ...

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"Jade", the new video from X JAPAN, one of the most influential rock bands in Japanese history, can be viewed below.

The "Jade" single will be released in North America, Europe and Latin America on Tuesday, June 28 in all digital formats. "Jade" is the first track from the band's English debut album, currently in the final stages of recording.

A "Jade" full-length ringtone will be made available exclusively in Japan on June 28, and the single will be released there and in Southeast Asia two weeks later on July 13.

"This is a years-long dream of X JAPAN's, to release a record in the Americas and in Europe," said Yoshiki, X JAPAN's leader/producer/songwriter/ ...

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"Takao", the new video from Taiwanese metallers CHTHONIC, can be viewed below. The single was digitally released with a bonus track that features special English-language choruses sung by members of Finland's ENSIFERUM.

"The original version of this chorus is totally Taiwanese folk style, but the version that ENSIFERUM's singing sounds so Finnish folk! So amazing, we definitely want to share this version with our fans!" said by Doris Yeh, leader and bassist of CHTHONIC.

Yu Tien, a popular Taiwanese Enka singer, can be heard on the original version of "Takao".

"Takao" is a song about the Taiwanese soldiers recruited from the Takao harbor to fight in the Pacif ...

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Progressive metal giants DREAM THEATER have set "A Dramatic Turn Of Events" as the title of their new album, tentatively due in early September via Roadrunner Records. The CD is currently being mixed by Andy Wallace, who has previously worked with AVENGED SEVENFOLD, WHITE ZOMBIE, RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE, SEPULTURA, SLAYER and NIRVANA, among many others.

"I'm incredibly psyched with the way this album came out and can't wait to share it with everybody," guitarist John Petrucci, who also serves as the producer for "A Dramatic Turn Of Events", said. "We are currently in the mix stage with the great Andy Wallace and it's all sounding amazing!"

"We have poured our hearts a ...

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Swedish progressive metallers OPETH will release their tenth album, "Heritage", on September 20 via Roadrunner Records. The CD was produced by OPETH vocalist/guitarist Mikael Åkerfeldt and was recorded earlier this year at Atlantis studios (formerly Metronome studios) in Stockholm. Mixing duties were handled by Steven Wilson (PORCUPINE TREE) and Åkerfeldt. Longtime collaborator Travis Smith also worked with Åkerfeldt to create, design and execute the album's artwork.

"Heritage" will be released in several configurations that will certainly incite the interest of OPETH's legion of fans, known for their passion for collecting and collectibles. The album will be released as a stan ...

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Mike Mangini, the 48-year-old session artist who has played for ANNIHILATOR, EXTREME, JAMES LABRIE and STEVE VAI, has officially joined DREAM THEATER as the replacement for the recently departed Mike Portnoy.

Commented Mangini: "The day that I got the phone call to be in DREAM THEATER, it took my brain a minute to assemble what was going on, and when it sank in, the feeling was just of tremendous relief.

"It means so much to me, I almost felt like crying a couple of times. [Laughs] I didn't know what to do.

"What it means to me to be part of not only such a legendary band, but this band, is a sense of fulfillment and purpose. I feel like a puzzle piece, and w ...

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The first in a series of webisodes in which progressive metal giants DREAM THEATER share with their fans some of the intense process, along with the musical joy, that went into choosing a new drummer can be viewed at this location. (Note: The video stream may not be available to some non-U.S. residents.)

A little more than a month after original drummer Mike Portnoy's sudden departure from DREAM THEATER, the band held three days of auditions in New York City. Over an amazing and productive three-day period, the band played, jammed and spoke candidly with seven of the world's greatest drummers, learning about the ...

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