Danish metal band CHAINFIST will release its second full-length album Scarred on October 6th worldwide through Mighty Music/Target Group. The album contains 11 tracks, which are produced by Michael Hansen at Phon Studio.

KATATONIA will release a four-disc DVD/CD Last Fair Day Gone Night on September 15th. It was recorded during the band's 20th anniversary shows in 2011.

DEVILMENT, featuring vocalist Dani "Filth" of CRADLE OF FILTH, has signed with Nuclear Blast Entertainment. The band’s full-length The Great And Secret Show will be released this autumn.

CORROSION OF CONFORMITY’s 1991 Blind and 1994’s Deliverance albums will be reissued this November on vinyl by Prosthetic Records.

Eagle Rock imprint Armoury Records has confirmed the upcoming debut album from Germany's NEOPERA. It was founded by guitarist of German metal band DARK AGE, Joern Schubert, and features Dirk Schlaechter and bassist for German metal band GAMMA RAY. The album Destined Ways fuses hard rock with classical music.

Wonderful Race, the first full-length album by Italian hard rock band HIGHWAY DREAM, will be released on September 23rd through Street Symphonies Records. It was recorded at Atomic Stuff Studio by Oscar Burato.

ACE FREHLEY’s Space Invader has sold approximately 19,000 copies in the United States Of America in a week and landed at position Number 9 on The Billboard 200 chart.

Candlelight Records has announced October 7th as the North American release date for ORANGE GOBLIN's new album, Back From The Abyss. Recorded earlier this year in London, the album reunites the band with producer Jamie Dodd.

SATAN will release a live album in October called Trail Of Fire - Live In North America.

ANVIL has lost bassist Sal Italiano after a mere 18 months and replaced him with its crew member Chris Robertson.

Eagle Records will issue Live At Bush Hall 2007 album by GARY MOORE on September 23. This show was recorded at London's Bush Hall on May 17th, 2007 and broadcast by Planet Rock radio.

WHITESNAKE has recruited Joel Hoekstra of NIGHT RANGER on guitar following the departure of Doug Aldrich.

NIGHTWISH has signed a North American deal with Nuclear Blast Entertainment. The band's as-yet-untitled next album will feature Dutch vocalist Floor Jansen (REVAMP and ex-AFTER FOREVER). Simultaneously, drummer Jukka Nevalainen will go on hiatus in order to “deal with his health issues.” He claims he suffers from insomnia. Kai Hahto of WINTERSUN will play drums on the band’s next album.

British metal band FURYON has announced its second headline tour of Spain in September and October. The band is touring the UK this month with MORDRED. FURYON has recorded its second album, which is produced by Rick Beato (SHINEDOWN, FOZZY, etc.). FURYON looks to release it later in 2014.

UNISONIC sophomore full-length, Light Of Dawn, was released last month by Armoury Records. The band features former HELLOWEEN vocalist Michael Kiske, guitarists Kai Hansen (GAMMA RAY, also ex-HELLOWEEN) and Mandy Meyer (ASIA, GOTTHARD and KROKUS), bassist Dennis Ward and drummer Kosta Zafiriou (both of Germany's PINK CREAM 69).

NEVERWORLD’s Visions Of Another World album has been issued by Dream Demon Recordings. The band is being compared to SAVATAGE.

Armoury Records, in cooperation with earMUSIC, is has announced the release of Live At Wacken (Official Bootleg), the first live album from CIRCLE II CIRCLE featuring former SAVATAGE vocalist Zak Stevens. The recording stems from 2012.

Pulling a semi-LED ZEPPELIN Jesse Sky Kramer, the son of AEROSMITH drummer Joey Kramer, is filling in for his father on tour while Kramer Senior recuperates from surgery.

Following the departure of DISTURBED’s John Moyer ADRENALINE MOB has recruited Erik Leonhardt for bass guitar.

In support of SmashMouth Records’ release of Break The Silence by VOICES OF EXTREME the band is playing shows in Eastern United States this autumn. The band features Chris Risola of STEELHEART.

RATED X (formerly LEGACY X), featuring vocalist Joe Lynn Turner (RAINBOW, DEEP PURPLE, YNGWIE MALMSTEEN, etc.), guitarist Karl Cochran (JOE LYNN TURNER, NUCLEAR ASSAULT who replaced Jeff Watson), bassist Tony Franklin (THE FIRM) and drummer Carmine Appice (KING KOBRA, CACTUS, MOTHER'S ARMY, etc.), and will release its self-titled debut album on November 7th through Frontiers.

EVERGREY's new line-up features guitarist Henrik Danhage and drummer Jonas Ekdahl, who rejoined the band four years after leaving the group. Hymns For The Broken is out this month.

SANCTUARY will release its reformation album, The Year The Sun Died, on October 6th through Century Media. It was recorded in Seattle at Soundhouse Studios with producer Chris "Zeuss" Harris.

Cheap publicity hounds: following desperate bands announcing their retirements only to release albums and tour (JUDAS PRIEST, MOTLEY CRUE, STATUS QUO, OZZY OSBOURNE et al) SCORPIONS will be back next year cashing in on its 50th anniversary with a regular tour and studio album.

Self-cover band: Former SCORPIONS’ guitarist Uli Jon Roth will release a new double album, Scorpions Revisited - Volume 1, this autumn. A live DVD, featuring material from Scorpions Anniversary Tour is due next spring.

Following the pattern set by Nuclear Blast’s owner Century Media’s founder Robert Kampf has founded a new record label, Another Century. The new company will concentrate on rock and hard rock and has signed three bands, Los Angeles’ REV THEORY, Chicago's THE BLOODLINE and New Zealand's LIKE A STORM.

After announcing his retirement from the music business former IRON MAIDEN singer Paul Di'Anno has announced he is instead recording a new album with his new band ARCHITECTS OF CHAOZ.

Jake E Lee's former BADLANDS bandmate Greg Chaisson has joined RED DRAGON CARTEL following the departure of bassist Ron Mancuso from the latter band.

Ted Nugent: still crazy, but not as crazy as his fans!

HOLLOW – MORDRAKE
The cover artwork of a two-headed man each facing a different direction is appropriate. Here is a ‘metal’ band, whose elemental compositions are heavy drums and guitars, as well as heavy vocals, and then add synthesizers and gothic elements at the same time. Even the insert photograph of one of the members threatening to cut his own head with a knife seems appropriate. What else could this band be up to?
It is heavy and fast then it is weak and poppy. As the biography admits, Dimmu Borgir influences the group. It should bode well for the Montreal group’s commercialism. Heavy metal fans however…
It is a wasted effort because the band has the chops to cut it. The guitars and drums are well played and tight. The lead guitar is impressive and the vocals could be horrific. An instance of the well-played leads is on track seven, Vlad. This track is one of five originally stemming from the group’s earlier demo of 2010.
Cryptic Howling has deep vocals and the disc sounds promising at this juncture, but then come to synthesizers, clean vocals as on Iscariot (appropriate title) and the gothic take on Snow. This last track comes just before the three Mordrake songs, Birth, Hate and Death, which end the album. Do note that the album emphasizes the instrumental with long passages without vocals throughout Mordrake. The band’s website is at www.hollowofficial.com and could be reached through its publicist ashermedia@gmail.com. - Ali “The Metallian”

THREE SIXES – KNOW GOD, NO PEACE...
Three Sixes makes a great first impression. The obvious, which you can see, is the band’s unambiguous monicker and CD title. However, and additionally, the group has gone out of its way to create a compelling package including a book of Holy Bible, which houses the CD, biography, stickers and a poster-cum-lyric sheet. It is a creative and compelling package.
One must admit to being disappointed musically however. To be clear the group has lots of brutal underground metal under its hood, but there are several other diluting elements. Those were unexpected, as well as being unwanted of course. First, however, imagery and stance-wise Three Sixes could have and should have been a replacement for the wimped out Morbid Angel. Instead, the band is a cohort to the Floridians. A cryptic intro leads to the tight, swift and crushing brutality of Lead Winged Angel. This is an exemplary track. Synthesizers next interrupt the brutal vocals and growls and mighty rhythm. Darkside has a Slayer vibe and the vocalist begins rapping his lyrics. Truth comes next and is still the band with a more Napalm Death influence. Soul Destroyer picks even more influences and introduces some obvious Malhavoc and Ministry to the disc. The synthesizers and programming are disappointing to a metal fan, but especially so because this group’s metal is crushing and capable. The cover of AC/DC’s Thunderstruck is no different than other cover versions. It is not needed. Still, the band has gone to some length to replicate that song’s intricacies.
That is the deal with Three Sixes black/death metal combined with extraneous elements are nearly everywhere. A hidden ‘33’ track preaches its nonconformist worldview. It must be quite a feat in the land of self-righteous Christians and mediocrity. Find the band at www.threesixes.com or write to P.O. Box 753, Westminster, California 92684-0753, USA. – Ali “The Metallian”

UDI LEVY – A SUDDEN TRANSITION
Reading Udi Levy’s biography one encounters the word “jazz” as many times as Dave Mustaine cites a fantasy character he calls “god,” Ted Nugent utters “guns” (but not “writes” it) or Scott Ian name checks someone or something called “Lady Gaga.” The point is not to denigrate Mr. Levy with these comparisons, but to point out his forte and specialty.
Knowing this might indicate why this disc is entitled A Sudden Transition. This full-length is the guitarist’s self-described “rock” attempt, but in all honesty, what one hears most of the time is good old… jazz. As such, if complex riffs, seamless guitar runs and technical tempo changes sound remotely interesting this man has talent to spare. Having said that, how many Metallian visitors would be interested in an instrumental jazzy concoction? Frankly, not many.
What one does get is smooth lounge/jazz shredding with impressive strumming and a lucid sound. Better songs are the astonishing Back Atcha’ and the riffs on Amends. The disc’s sole unbridled metal cut is called Symmetrical Chaos. Levy is brilliant and one wishes he would do something like this ten times out of ten. As it stands… yeah… jazz…. Find the man’s website at the ironically named http://www.rockguitar-music.com/. Ali “The Metallian”

JAK FROST - Same
Jak Frost is a product of a project that goes back over a decade and features main man Michael De Laurentiis and two friends. This three song EP itself dates back to 2009. The listed influences are Randy Rhodes and Zakk Wylde. The Mighty One is raw and is simple rock or hard rock with little indication as to any particular influence one way or another. Tic Tac showcases some limitations with lines like "Tic toc time is ticking away ... Tic toc trying to find my way". There is little to the song other than De Laurentiis briefly showing off his musicianship. In Tempting Suicide the guitar is heavier and more at the forefront but the song lacks direction. More about the band at the Geocities like www.jakfrost1.com. – Anna Tergel

JAK FROST - 7th SOUL
7th Soul is another EP by the California trio. It takes off where the previous EP left off with it being a raw recording that is vocal dominated with flashes of guitar work appearing far less often than they need to be. The lyrics revolve around life and current events with loss and others like the environment seemingly occupying the song writer's mind. Screamin is an acoustic which, if nothing else, showcases another side of the band. Warrior is instrumental and the most hard rock-ish of the five songs. It sounds more professional with a clearer style. A video for Celestial Forces is available on YouTube. The band is at www.facebook.com/JAKFROST7777 – Anna Tergel