Greek melodic metal sensation FIREWIND has released the video for its new single "Breaking the Silence" in the following formats: Windows Media,

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 ...

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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 ...

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Finnish metallers KALMAH are currently writing material for their fifth studio album, tentatively due next spring. "Right now we have about seven songs ready and will enter studios in October to record the next swamp metal masterpiece. I guess the new material will represent heavier and even more riff-oriented KALMAH but the melodies and basic KALMAH sound has not been forgotten. The writing process has been firm and there has been no 'run-and-piss' hurry. There was a compulsory month break in the beginning of summer since Antti [Kokko, guitar] broke his wrist. The wrist has shaped up well and it seems there will be no permanent injury."

KALMAH's latest CD, "The Black Waltz", entered the Finnish national album chart in March 2006 at position No. 38.

The follow-up to 2003's "Swampsong", "The Black Waltz" marked the group's recording debut with keyboardist Marco Sneck (POISONBLACK).

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According to MelodicRock.com, VAN HALEN is preparing to hit the road in the U.S. beginning in September. The group's lineup for the trek is expected to include

San Francisco Bay Area metallers TESTAMENT have inked a worldwide deal with Nuclear Blast Records. The group will enter the studio late summer/early fall to record its long-awaited new album for a March 2008 release.

Original TESTAMENT members Alex Skolnick (guitar), Chuck Billy (vocals), Greg Christian (bass), and Eric Peterson (guitar), along with new drummer Nick Barker (ex-DIMMU BORGIR, CRADLE OF FILTH), have finished writing more eight or nine songs for the group's long-awaited follow-up to 1999's "The Gathering".

In a recent interview with ...

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SOILWORK guitarist Ola Frenning and drummer Peter Wildoer have finished mixing the group's new album, due later in the year via Nuclear Blast Records. "All I can say, it sounds excellent... great sound, great playing and a good mix of songs," Ola writes on the band's web site. "I'm very happy to have an album in my CD collection that no one else has... yet!"

The vocals for the new CD were recorded in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada with the help of STRAPPING YOUNG LAD mastermind Devin Townsend. Songtitles set to appear on the album include "Your Beloved Scapegoat", "Light Discovering Darkness", "The Snare Broken"

According to Brazil's Bizz magazine, the as-yet-unnamed new project featuring SEPULTURA founding members and brothers Max and Igor Cavalera will enter a Los Angeles studio in July to begin recording its debut album for a late 2007/early 2008 release via Roadrunner Records. Although it has not yet been confirmed, it is rumored that production duties on the CD will be handled by former MACHINE HEAD/SOULFLY guitarist Logan Mader, who worked with SOULFLY on their cover of

NEVERMORE frontman Warrel Dane is scheduled to enter the studio in early August to begin recording his solo debut, tentatively due in early 2008. "As of now I have written about eight [tracks] together [with Dane], and Warrel is also collaborating with Matt Wicklund [ex-HIMSA guitarist] for a few songs," former SOILWORK guitarist-turned-producer Peter Wichers says.

In a September 2006 interview with Metal-Rules.com, Dane stated about the upcoming solo CD, "I've been working on it for like the last year off and on, just writing songs with Peter Wichers, and at some point we'll finish them then go in the studio ...

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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