THRESHOLD will release a new album, For The Journey, on September 19th through Nuclear Blast. It was self-produced once again.

Former FLYLEAF singer Lacey Sturm will release her memoir, The Reason: How I Discovered a Life Worth Living, on October 7th through Baker Books. She is a new Christian.

Swedish hard rockers NUBIAN ROSE have signed a deal with UK label Livewire/Cargo Records. Their sophomore album, Mental Revolution, is scheduled for a November release.

BANG TANGO, featuring singer Joe Lesté and former DIO guitarist Rowan Robertson is playing shows in the USA to celebrate the band's 25th anniversary.

BRITISH LION, featuring IRON MAIDEN bassist Steve Harris, is conducting ten concerts in Europe tour beginning July 8th in Norwich, England and ending at the annual International Motorcycle Convention at the Moto Clube De Faro, Portugal on Saturday, July 19th.

BURNING POINT has recruited singer Nitte Vänskä (ex-BATTLE BEAST) and keyboardist Jarkko Väisänen.

Marketing calls it KISS Rocks Vegas. KISS will have a nine-show Las Vegas “residency” this autumn at The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel & Casino beginning November 5. In the meantime, in an interview with The Tampa Tribune, bassist Gene Simmons has categorically rules out the reformation of the original line-up.

Vancouver Island (Nanaimo, BC) based prog metal band THE BODY POLITIC is releasing its new demo Egressor on September 16th to follow up the 2011 debut All Too Human. The band took its name from a Clive Barker short story.

Over 25 years after it was recorded, DEAF DEALER’s Journey Into Fear album is being issued on September 26th through Cult Metal Classics Records. The album was recorded at Toronto-area’s Metalworks with Dan Johnson and Scott Burns as producers. The group had a record through Neat.

UNLOCKING THE TRUTH is a rock and heavy metal band from Brooklyn comprised of three boys, 13-year-old guitarist Malcolm Brickhouse, 13-year-old bassist Alec Atkins and 12-year-old drummer Jarad Dawkins. The trio has signed a six-album deal with Sony worth approximately $1.7 million (US) subject to sales of 250,000 copies initially. UNLOCKING THE TRUTH is now managed by Welcome Back, Kotter co-creator Alan Sacks. The group had had to obtain a judge’s go-ahead before signing the recording contract.

Former W.A.S.P. guitarist Chris Holmes has moved to Cannes, France with his wife and is recruiting musicians for a new project called MEAN MAN.

All My People is the name of the single from DEVIL CITY ANGELS, which is the new band of singer and guitarist Brandon Gibbs (CHEAP THRILL), guitarist Tracii Guns (L.A. GUNS), drummer Rikki Rockett (POISON) and bassist Eric Brittingham of CINDERELLA.

ONKEL TOM, the project of Thomas "Angelripper" Such of SODOM, has signed a deal with Steamhammer/SPV. The new ONKEL TOM album H.E.L.D. will be released in September.

TITAN FORCE has signed a deal with Skol Records. The band and label will issue Force Of The Titan, which is a sampler of 12 rare tracks recorded in the '80s at a time when the band used the TITAN monicker.

Former MEGADETH members Nick Menza (drums) and James Lomenzo (bass) have banded together and are writing music.

Blacky a.k.a Jean-Yves Thériault has decided to leave VOIVOD for the famous “personal reasons.” He has been replaced by Dominic "Rocky" Laroche.

This October DORO will bring her 30 Years - Strong & Proud Anniversary Tour to Canada and the USA. Nuclear Blast will have the import version of DORO's Raise Your Fist - 30 Years Anniversary Edition available to coincide with the October tour.

Sensory Records has confirmed a late summer release for the live album from Los Angeles-based progressive/power metal group, REDEMPTION, which was recorded at ProgPower festival in Atlanta. Live From The Pit will see release on September 16th, 2014.

Hungarian progressive metal band MYTRA has a demo called Beta.

Norwegian heavy metal band STUDFAUST has a new recording called Where The Underdogs Bark out on Soulseller Records this month. With rock and roll and punk influences up front more than ever the band featuring Faust (EMPEROR, BLOOD TSUNAMI, etc.), Tore “Stud Bronson” Bratseth (OLD FUNERAL, THE BATALLION, etc.) and Pete Evil (MONGO NINJA, HELLRIDE, etc.) are releasing the recording as a MCD and vinyl EP.

CRUCIFIED BARBARA will release its next album, In The Red, on September 15th through Despotz Records. The album was recorded at Music A Matic studio in Gothenburg with producer Chips Kiesby.

After divorcing his wife of 25 years, Julie Campbell, in November of 2012 DEF LEPPARD guitarist Vivian Campbell has married his girlfriend, Caitlin Phaneuf, who was a member of his band’s crew. Campbell has Hodgkin's lymphoma, which is a cancer. He has announced that the cancer is in remission.

Once More 'Round The Sun, the sixth album from MASTODON, has sold 34,000 copies in the United States of America in its first week of release to end up at position Number 6 on The Billboard chart. The band will be on US TV Show Jimmy Kimmel Live on September 15th.

Swedish AOR outfit HOUSTON will release its fourth album, Relaunch II, on September 8th worldwide through Livewire/Cargo Records.

Italian band RAFF has signed a deal with Jolly Roger Records for the CD edition of its first album, which will be out 8th September. The LP edition is available from Cruz del Sur Music. Many of the songs were originally recorded in 1983 and were supposed to be released by King Steve Records as a debut called Gates of Fortune. This was never released. The tracks have been re-recorded in 2013 and finally released 30 years later.

Birmingham NWOBHM group QUARTZ is writing music for a new album, tentatively due in 2015. The band is also releasing a compilation featuring previously unreleased material from the '80s, which will be issued through Skol Records.

Former ANTHRAX singer Neil Turbin and TREASURE LAND guitarist Jonas Hornqvist have a new project called BLEED THE HUNGER. The band is recording songs. To make money and commemorate the thirtieth anniversary of the release of ANTHRAX's debut album, Fistful Of Metal, the band's then singer, Neil Turbin, will perform the LP on an upcoming European tour.

AC/DC drummer Phil Rudd will release a solo album, called Head Job, on August 29th.

Previously unreleased as a package, Graz 1975 a DEEP PURPLE show near the Austrian city of the same name, will be released on September 23rd through earMUSIC / Eagle Rock Entertainment. It was one of guitarist Blackmore’ last shows with the act before his initial departure.

Inspired by KEEL? The reformed San Francisco Bay Area funk-metal band MORDRED will embark on a U.K. tour in August. The band will release a single, The Baroness and a video called In This Live culled from 1991 shows at the Marquee in London, England.

Hello OZZY OSBOURNE/SCORPIONS/STATUS QUO and more. Four years after announcing it is good-bye, JUDAS PRIEST's 17th studio album, Redeemer Of Souls, has sold around 32,000 copies in the United States in its first week of release to land at position number 6 on The Billboard 200 chart.

OZZY OSBOURNE will release a CD/DVD compilation called Memoirs Of A Madman CD in October.

Right-wing new age musician Varg Vikernes of BURZUM mastermind has been handed a fine and suspended prison sentence for inciting racial hate and glorifying war crimes following his anti-Muslim and immigrant statements. According to The Local, A French court has ordered him to pay a fine of $10,000.

Everyone is proud of signing every band they have signed and everyone is honoured by everything and everyone needed to let someone they fired to go and everyone has reunited because the fans wanted it.

THE BORIS KARLOFF SYNDROME or TBKS is a band founded by former CELTIC FROST and CORONER guitarist Oliver Amberg. The band is working on its concept demo, Kopophobia (a phobis of mental or physical exhaustion). It is due in late 2014.

It Books, an imprint of HarperCollins Publishers, has announced November 11th as the release date for the book Lita Ford - Living Like A Runaway: A Memoir.

Due to a torn rotator cuff, CORROSION OF CONFORMITY drummer Reed Mullin has been forced to sit out the band's upcoming live dates in North America. Eric Hernandez formerly of KYLESA is filling in.

HAZEXPERIENCE, featuring Y&T drummer Leonard Haze, is playing shows in the USA in support of the 2012 album, Not Purple. The band will soon record a new album.

Following the departure/firing of Hal Patino KING DIAMOND has recruited Swedish bassist Pontus Egberg (THE POODLES, LION'S SHARE and ZAN CLAN) for the group’s next concerts. The new band played its debut live show in Stockholm last month. Patino and Diamond have been accusing one another of lying and whether the bassist departed or left after disagreements over the man’s salary.

STARDUST CIRCUS – MONKEYS OF XXI
When The Metallian handed me this disc it looked like it would be an industrial album for me to review. The type font, image and album’s colours somehow hinted at such a sound. It was much better than that. This is music. Putting the band’s name into the search engine field would take one to a bunch of animal terrorists. This band has nothing to do with those criminals.
Let me get it out of the way only one of the guys has long hair and looks hot, but what’s a girl to do, it is glam metal and hard rock anyway and it rocks. Two months ago it was the Ukrainian band John Galt and its Served Hot album that was blowing me away and now, from the same region, is the Belorussian band Stardust Circus that is delivering the goods.
It is an impressive demo disc with no less than eleven tracks of consistent hard rocking glam brilliance. The intro, War Overture, does go industrial and electronic, but that is where that stops and the power starts coming at you. Dave Loretti (the handsome one) has a sleazy voice with variety and attitude to spare. The music goes into a Heavy Pettin/Ratt/London Quireboys direction with some of the wildness of Love/Hate. The instruments have a sharp sound, rocks hard and the riffs are edgy. The rhythm section is heavy and pounding yeah it is great all-around. Strangely, the production is damp though. The instruments sound right, but the overall sound is choked under a blanket for some reason. The band’s rocking power (Perfect Killer for example) or variety and talent (Heaven No1 is an example) do come out. Just get a better production and ditch the background electronics next time, boys.
By the way, these boys have a curious political/Soviet imagery going on this thing. Perhaps Soviet era military uniforms are cheap over at good old Minsk, who knows? Head over to http://www.last.fm/music/Stardust+Circus/+wiki - Sheila Wes Det

PROTOKULT – NO BEER IN HEAVEN
Here is a demo CD from a Toronto-based band and it is awful. The full-length nature of the recording, the sound, the complete packaging and the biography hint that the effort is not made in jest – despite the disc’s title – but otherwise one would be liable to believe the quintet is doing its utmost to take the piss out of metal. Well, in fact, they are attempting to mock metal with this mess, but apparently the band is not doing so deliberately.
One supposes because a bunch of Euro-trash are frolicking around that continent drinking beer and cashing in from feeble fools Canada must get a couple of copycats as well, but Protokult is beyond the pale. Dressed ready to dance the folklore bonfire away somewhere the group lists instruments like darbuka, jaw harp, synthesizer, psaltery and more as its tools of the trade. The chanting vocals, dark vocals and soprano singing are also present of course. It is silly and abusive from the start, but let us pick on song number seven Sanctuaries where the female lead sounds as if she is engaged in transcendental sex. It is significant because on the following song Desert Scourge she moans as if she found out the guy she was dating has no money (yes, he did drive a BMW but so do all construction workers) since his first wife took all the money.
Whatever the case, this things just gets worse with passages and entire tracks dedicated to folk, techno, reggae, calypso and chanting. This is a very bad joke. The band’s website is at www.protokult.com. – Ali “The Metallian”

Руян - Лебедь Белая
The band is Ruyan and the album is White Swan. This is a follow-up to the Heritage debut for the female fronted Tatarstan, Russia based quintet. The 10 songs are 55 minutes long and sung in Russian. The style fits the so-called pagan folk metal mold that seems to be a trend in Russia and Eastern Europe. Fast black metal-ish parts are mixed with vocal dominated acoustic, slow and ambient sections. The songs keep moving in all the directions possible. Blast beats to flute and other folk instruments and back, screams and growls to clean female vocals and back. Song titles include Oblivion, Sleep and Queen Of Sorrow and vary from three to nine minutes long. Not the most accurate statement but for the sake of finding a more famous comparison perhaps it is possible to call Ruyan a blackened early Tristania or Epica. Contact the band at char-ruyan@yandex.ru – Anna Tergel