GRAVE DIGGER has picked Napalm Records as its next label. The band is currently in the studio working on a new album called Ballads Of A Hangman, which is out next February.

In the spirit of independence: TESLA ’s seventh studio album, Forever More is out on October 7th through Tesla Electric Company Recordings. The single is called I Wanna Live.

Wife and family win again. TIAMAT guitarist Thomas Wyreson has left the band in order to focus on his family.

Toronto’s long dormant PILEDRIVER is in Chicago mixing its new album, Metal Manifesto, with producer Neil Kernon. The CD is due in October through Northern Storm Records and was recorded at Metalworks studio in Toronto. Metal Manifesto is the project’s first release in 22 years.

The new KISS line-up has rerecorded 15 older KISS songs for a new sampler called Jigoku-Retsuden. A limited-edition version of the CD will also include a Kissology Special DVD from Japan, 1977. Songs included on the CD are, among others, Deuce, Christine Sixteen and Forever.

Frontiers Records will release a new HONEYMOON SUITE album entitled Clifton Hill on October 10th. The album is named after a Niagara Falls landmark in the band’s Canadian hometown.

Germany’s CUSTARD has left Mausoleum Records and signed with Dr. Music instead. The group's new album, Forces Remain, is out bow.

LORDI has picked Deadache as the title for its fourth album, which will be released in October through The End Records for North America.

San Francisco’s ANVIL CHORUS has reformed and is rerecording old demo tracks for a CD release. The band is singer and bassist Aaron Zimpel, guitarists Thaen Rasmussen and Doug Piercy, drummer Joe Bennett and keyboardist Phil Bennet.

Former CARNAL FORGE guitarist Jari Kuusisto has a new band, which is called SOUR SYSTEM.

THE ETERNAL will release its next album, Kartika, on November 12th through Firebox Records.

PARADISE LOST drummer Jeff Singer has quit the band in pursuit of a paying career and more time with his family. The British goth rockers have had to cancel all touring for the time being.

SOLITUDE AETERNUS’ drummer Steve Nichols has joined PHANTOM-X.

‘70s’ hard rockers MARSEILLE played a one-off show on September 1 at London’s Rock Garden.

GIRLSCHOOL has picked Legacy as the title for its 30th-anniversary album, which is out next month through Wacken Records (formerly Armageddon)/SPV. The album features guest appearances by Lemmy, Dio and Tony Iommi. GIRLSCHOOL is playing Spain’s Martohell Oktoberfest 08.

Bassist Michael Håkansson has left ENGEL.

MASTERS OF REALITY’s sixth studio album, Pine/Cross Dover, is due for release on October 20th through Brownhouse/Mascot Records.

SUSPYRE have recruited keyboardist April Sese. The band’s third album, When Time Fades…, is out on September 30th through Sensory Records.

SQUEALER (formerly SQUEALER A.D.) from Germany will release a new album, called The Circle Shuts, on September 12th through AFM Records.

Former ANNIHILATOR /LIEGE LORD /OVERKILL singer Joe Comeau is now also former TAD MOROSE. STEEL ATTACK’s singer Ronny Hemlin and bassist Tommi Karpanen (formerly of MORGANA LEFAY and also of SEFER JEZIRAH and GOD AWFUL MACHINE) have joined TAD MOROSE. Comeau only played three shows and recorded a demo with the band.

Chitral "Chity" Somapala — formerly of AVALON, FIREWIND , FARO and MOONLIGHT AGONY — has become the singer for DAVID SHANKLE GROUP.

Someone who has had a NIGHTMARE recently is guitarist Alex Hilbert. After being booted from the band his replacement is one JC Jess.

AXEMASTER has been unable to recover the crashed hard drive featuring music from its upcoming album. The band is rerecording most of its delayed album, The Inner Terror.

HELSTAR’s The King Of Hell album is out this month through AFM Records. The band is touring alongside SAMAEL, DISMEMBER, MONSTROSITY and others in the autumn.

LED ZEPPELIN guitarist Jimmy Page played an altered version of the band's song Whole Lotta Love with Leona Lewis, who was winner of the UK reality television show The X Factor, as a singer at the closing ceremony of the 2008 Olympics Games on Sunday, August 24th in Beijing. In a move of compromise, to not offend China or Ms. Lewis the lyrics were changed from “every inch of my love” to “every bit of my love!”

AC/DC ’s Black Ice is now due at the end of October. The album’s first single is called Rock 'n Roll Train and available now. The full-length is available with three different covers. Black Ice is slated to be available exclusively at Walmart! Chalk one up for corporatism.

Former RIOT and Deep Purple singer Mike DiMeo has a new project called TENPOINT.

SEPULTURA has picked A-Lex (which means ‘no law’) as the title for its new album, which is based on the Anthony Burgess novel A Clockwork Orange. It is due in November through SPV. The band’s drummer is one Jean Dolabella.

Former QUIET RIOT guitarist Carlos Cavazo has joined RATT as the replacement for rhythm guitarist John Corabi. The departure of the singer-turned-guitarist was rumoured for weeks and earlier denied by RATT.

HELLOWEEN and GAMMA RAY are touring North America together next month.

Former TROUBLE singer Eric Wagner (who was replaced by former WARRIOR SOUL man Kory Clarke) has a new psychedelic band called BLACKFINGER.

Former MEGADETH and CACOPHONY guitarist Marty Friedman has launched a new band in Japan called LOVEFIXER.

After losing Scott Headrick AGE ETERNAL (earlier known as MIDDIAN) is throwing in the towel. As a result, YOB may reform permanently, although the band will begin with a few concerts first.

October 14, 2008 is the release date for the next YNGWIE MALMSTEEN album Perpetual Flame through Rising Force/Koch Records. The album features former JUDAS PRIEST and ICED EARTH singer Tim Owens.

The new AVIAN album, Ashe And Madness will take flight this month through Nightmare Records. It features Nightmare Records’ own Lance King as singer and producer.

Northern Ireland’s HONEY FOR CHRIST has a 7” single out now called All Hope Was Strangled through Rundown Records.

AEROSMITH singer Steven Tyler will join trumpet player Chris Botti for a special performance with Keith Lockhart and the Boston Pops as part of a PBS (USA public television) Chris Botti Live In Boston show between September 18 and 29.

DANGER – FIRST TOUCH
This is indeed the first time I am touched by Swedish bad boys Danger, but I am going to make sure it isn’t the last. Rev up your engines, ‘cause Danger is back to the future glam metal goodness. Too bad I am seeing someone right now. These guys look hot. Just look at the long hair, the outfit, the get-up, the make-up, the pro photography; Danger is not a bunch of lazy losers doing it on the cheap. Danger rocks and, boys will notice, so does the chick on the cover.
First Touch comes with three new songs (the title track, Miss Money and Hey You) and re-releases three older tracks (California Red, Shove it and On The Run) and let me tell you glam maniacs that every song rocks, but it is the opener and the closer that take the cake. First Touch has the album’s best riff as it explodes right inside you and is a hell of a huge song. This is what Danger stands for: being true to its name. The song has an edge. These Swedes have not forgotten how to make wild noise. Miss Money is more pop and is unabashedly Poison-ous. The mid-section melody is catchy. Hey You is more akin to old Def Leppard; but with all of the band’s personality intact. The bonus track is the one heavy metal fans would probably repeat again and again though. This is a cool metal song, full of brazen power, screams of banshee, a real attitude and a wallop of a riff. Great production adds to the ingredients and shows how this band is serious about it all. Crashdiet has found its match and more, dare I say! Please don’t change, don’t do ballads, don’t get a keyboardist and definitely do not slow down.
Danger is hot, dangerous, loud, really well made and well dressed and has the chains, the lace and the songs to make it. More please! Write to marjo@metalrevelation.com or info@danger.se right now. – Sheila Wes Det

GROSS MISCONDUCT – THE PROCESS OF INDOCTRINATION
Vancouver’s Gross Misconduct is the kind of band one does not expect from or hear of from Canada’s West. The band is equal parts Gorguts, equal parts Death – only after hearing this did someone mention that the band indeed cover Death regularly earlier - with a dose of thrashing riffs and while singer David London does not have the world’s deepest grunts his gargling is severe enough to push Gross Misconduct into the ‘extreme’ category.
So, bands like this exist in that part of the world, but how many of them work this hard? The disc is a full-length pro affair, the quartet has achieved distribution through PHD Canada and the biography lists several opening slots the band has managed to acquire. It is hardly revolutionary or superlative, but a few very good riffs like the beginning of Driven Fanatic and challenging guitar parts may give credence to the group’s very apt demo title. – Anna Tergel

THE LIMIT – REINVENTING THE SUN
There are often times when this writer is handed a CD by The Metallian himself to review for the site that upon first listen the question of whether the music belongs or not to Metallian comes to mind. The Limit, whose name is surprisingly not before taken that I know of, is a band that lives somewhere on the border of rock and hard rock. The full-length album has a blandish cover artwork, but the meat of the matter is the music which in fact is so-so. While goldilocks singer Mark Daniel looks different from the pack his voice doesn’t have much of a range and is often flat. The music, upon repeated listens, does have a bite here and there, but is muffled by the production. If one listens with concentration then one hears the guitars attempt to rock out but the CD sound just doesn’t get it across. If the singer focuses on the guitar and the band gets a person with more of a range then a better production will make the next batch of songs a much better proposition. Either write to mcpromotion@gmail.com or visit www.thelimitmusic.com. - Anna Tergel

BLOODY SLAVE – END OF PROPHECY
There is some interesting stuff going on with this young Italian heavy metal band. The music has a reasonable production and some strong moments where the metal and, in particular, the guitars shine through. As boring as intros have become the one here, called My Profile, is also an impressive piece. The band’s Achilles heel is the singing of Riccardo Sardini. His voice is a mixture of whining and begging for help. I am not certain what effect he was going for. Nonetheless, he does try some growls as well. Bloody Slave has a few good ideas, an intriguing approach and even artwork that is worthy of note, but the vocals need to be figured out. This disc is available for 5 Euros by writing to band@bloody-slave.com. - Anna Tergel

THE HOLLOW EARTH THEORY – HANGING OF THE FOLLOWERS
Hanging Of The Followers is another professional demo that looks better than some record company products. With five tracks on it and a brilliant sound, it is obvious that the band is serious. The production is expensive and professional. The Hollow Earth Theory means business and is out to get signed. Too bad about the music. It is the same old emo-meets-Tool with a touch of the Deftones later on that metal fans dislike. This should not be a problem really because this type of music is big in the UK where for years trend whores like Hammer and Kerrang have conspired with MTV, etc to define a commercial sound and steer the kids away from metal. Too bad because the four gents don’t even have long hair to look good. At least, there is a guitar solo to be had and Nathan James Biggs has an impressive vocal range. That is something, I guess. Visit www.thehollowearththeory.com. – Sheila Wes Det

SYN:DROM – BIRTH OF A DARK EMPIRE
Syn:drom cite Vader, Decapitated and Behemoth among their inspirations. But the quintet is not Polish, but Swedish. The band’s bio also claims that they are not about ‘mass-producing’ songs but are more concerned about getting it right. This five song demo/EP doesn’t waste time and Hands Of Vengeance jumps straight into the action quickly. The sound and music are chaotic with drums, vocals and riffs all coming out one after another. Deathlike Silence follows and is probably best described as an unstructured or perhaps unpolished versions of the aforementioned bands. Madness is of the same vein and does not let up and is sometimes like a cross between Behemoth and Morbid Angel, another of their stated influences. Human Harvest and Black Crown don’t deviate much and both pack a punch and are only limited by the production. Intensity and brutality is not a missing ingredient here and that makes Birth Of A Dark Empire worth a listen. Check them out at www.syndromweb.net. – Anna Tergel

APEIRON – THE CRUEL CRIME
This is the sophomore demo/EP from this Italian quartet formed back in 2001 and their first release since 2002’s Endternity. As in the debut this also contains four tracks. Musically this is melodic, somewhat technical and gloomy metal. Reminiscent of the likes of Insomnium, this is not really always death metal but certainly in the shade of their Nordic and Scandinavian colleagues. The musicianship is solid and the production befitting the style but neither is groundbreaking by any means. Song titles like Scavenging Thoughts, The Crossing, Clutches Of Despair and the ‘bonus’ The Chant give a good indication of the direction of Apeiron as does the cover art which features a man covering his ears and seemingly screaming in agony. One suggestion to the band is to get rid of the out of place screams like the ones featured on Clutches Of Despair. Contact the band at info@apeironet.it. – Anna Tergel

GRAVEYARD DIRT - SHADOWS OF OLD GHOSTS
These Irish guys have been around well over a decade and have split up and reformed once. This EP has three songs but is 34 minutes long. Rise...Fallen Skies is nearly 12 minutes of slow but heavy doom with clean narrating vocals popping up in the middle and throughout. A Tearless Lament is more of the same doom but a slightly more commercial version and in the vein of early Anathema. Gathering Storm, the longest of the three songs at about 14 minutes, moves between doom riffs, pianos and many melancholic moments that have nothing to do with metal and if anything are just aids in telling a story. This quintet certainly knows the genre well and more often than not manages to capture the emotions that go with it. – Anna Tergel