NAMM International has announced its tenth outing to find the "World's Fastest Drummer." This highly charged interactive event is a feature at this year's summer NAMM Show in Austin, TX. The contest, which consists of two categories — "Fastest Hands" and "Fastest Feet" — will be held each day on The NAMM Fastest Drummer 4th. Street Lobby Stage at the Austin Convention Center starting at 11:00 a.m. Friday, July 27, with "heats" continuing through Saturday until 5.00 p.m. The top ten "Fastest Hands" and top ten "Fastest Feet" will compete in a "Finals Battle" of both categories held Sunday, July 30.

Included in this year's event will be technical demonstrations, insig ...

---

Belgium's Studio Brussel conducted an interview with METALLICA drummer Lars Ulrich on Sunday (July 1) prior to the band's appearance at the Rock Werchter festival. In regards to METALLICA's new studio album, Lars said the backing tracks were done in May and that the band will start laying down vocals and overdubs in August in hopes of finishing the CD by October or November. Lars predi ...

---

Garry Sharpe–Young's latest book "Thrash Metal" is being readied for publication this September. In addition, Zonda Books will publish Garry's "Death Metal", "Black Metal" and "Power Metal", all before the end of the year. These titles replace the 2001 editions, which have consistently ranked No. 1 on their Amazon.com searches for five years and more.

Thrash metal. At first mocked by

In a move that will surprise many who bought into the rumours that there is no love lost between the two, current MAYHEM vocalist Attila Csihar has joined former MAYHEM vocalist Maniac to record vocals for a track on the debut album from Maniac's new band SKITLIV. Commented Maniac, "Contrary to what a lot of people either say or believe, Attila and I are actually very good friends, and always find rumors about how we are supposed to resent each other quite amusing."

The track, entitled "Amfetamin", also has SHINING's Niklas Kvarforth on guitar. Kvarforth, a close friend of both

According to Reuters, Universal Music Group has agreed to buy struggling British rival Sanctuary for 44.5 million pounds ($88 million) to develop its merchandising, live agency and artist management businesses.

Artist management, live booking and merchandising is a growth area within the industry and the acquisition wil ...

---

According to Roadrunner Records, Guinness Book of World Records has rejected DEVILDRIVER's proposal for a "Largest Circle Pit" record, which the band attempted to achieve at this past weekend's Download festival in England.

Here is what Guinness told Roadrunner in response to DEVILDRIVER's proposed "Largest Circle Pit" world record:

"Thank you for sending us the details o ...

---

Pollstar.com reports that the U.S. Air Guitar Championships tour bus is currently making its way around the country looking for the next virtual axe virtuoso.

The 14-city tour kicked off June 6 at the 9:30 Club in Washington, D.C., and will hit clubs around the country through the end of June, including the Cambridge Room at House of Blues Cleveland (June 13), Chicago's Metro/Smart Bar (June 15), The Parish in Austin, Texas (June 21), The Independent in San Francisco (June 28), and the Key Club in Los Angeles (June 29).

The regionals will consist of two rounds. In the first, each contestant wi ...

---

According to Finland's MTV3, the new NIGHTWISH single "Eva" is currently under investigation by Teosto, the Finnish RIAA equivalent whose task it is to promote the rights of composers, lyricists, arrangers and music publishers, and to strengthen the diversity of Finnish composition. The chorus of the song is allegedly very similar to a track called "Whirlpool" by Jukka Reinivuo, a relatively unknown Finnish artist. In fact, the similarities are so great that allegations of plagiarism have already been thrown around.

NIGHTWISH keyboardist and com ...

---

An action figure of MOTÖRHEAD's Lemmy Kilmister is tentatively due in November via a company called Locoape. The six-inch figure comes with what appears to be one of four random backgrounds and one of three random guitars. Check out a picture of the action figure at Action-Figure.com.

A nine-minute audio interview with Lemmy Kilmister, conducted on May 13, 2007 at Peabody's in Cleveland, Ohio by Ken of Metal Fanzine, has been posted online at

A classic — and hilarious — video clip of legendary Swedish guitarist Yngwie Malmsteen attempting to set his guitar on fire with no luck at a 1981 concert in Sweden has been posted at YouTube.

As previously reported, Malmsteen's "Fire & Ice" album (1992) will be reissued on June 26 through Noble Rot, the new label launched by Collectors' Choice. A press release reads: "By the time he released 'Fire & Ice' in 1992, Yngwie Malmsteen was established as one of heavy metal's reigning guitar gods, and was considered by many to be the most technically accompl ...

---