SPV Records has set an October 30 German reelase date (November 2 in the rest of Europe) for "SPV- 25 & Alive", a special sampler for a special year.

In 1984, SPV and Steamhammer were founded. Steamhammer immediately signed two influential bands — SODOM and DESTRUCTION — and SPV finalized distribution deals with such labels as Metal Blade, Century Media, Roadrunner and Noise.

Oer the years, SPV and Steamhammer gained more and more success with signings like MOTÖRHEAD, DIO, HELLOWEEN, WHITESNAKE and ALICE COOPER and new distribution labels like InsideOut and Epitaph.

Times are hard and SPV had to suffer from an insolvency in May this year. But with a clever insolvency company, help from Sony Music and the power of the people working at the firm, SPV is getting back on its feet.

"SPV- 25 & Alive" track listing:

CD1

01. SAXON: Princess Of The Night (re-recording)
02. ACCEPT: Fast As A Shark
03. KREATOR: Warcurse
04. GAMMA RAY: I Want Out (live)
05. MOONSPELL: Scorpion Flower
06. ICED EARTH: Devide Devour
07. SODOM: Ausgebombt (live)
08. FREEDOM CALL: Queen Of My World
09. DEMONS & WIZARDS: Terror Train
10. EVERGREY: Fear
11. DESTRUCTION: Mad Butcher
12. TIM RIPPER OWENS: The Cover Up
13. ENGRAINED: Sweet Vampire Girl (previously unreleased)

CD 2

01. SAXON: Live To Rock
02. DORO: Burn It Up
03. MSG: Armed And Ready (live)
04. MAGNUM: Cry To Yourself
05. AXEL RUDI PELL: Rock The Nation (cover version)
06. DIO: Stand Up And Shout (live)
07. MOLLY HATCHET: Beatin..The Odds (re-recording)
08. STEELER: Chain Gang
09. UFO: Helldriver
10. ROSE TATTOO: Bad Boy For Love (live)
11. GLENN HUGHES: Highball Shooter
12. NASHVILLE PUSSY: Speed Machine

Canadian thrash metal veterans ANNIHILATOR will release their new DVD, "Live At Masters Of Rock", on the following dates:

Germany, Austria, Switzerland: October 30
Europe: November 2
Australia: November 2
USA, Canada, Asia: to be announced

The cover artwork for the set — which was filmed/recorded on July 11, 2008 at the Masters Of Rock festival in Vizovice, Czech Republic — can be viewed below.

A press release reads as follows: Prepare to experience Canada's ANNIHILATOR. Known as one of the premiere live metal acts for three decades now, ANNIHILATOR are captured live in the hot, Czech Republic summer of 2008. The band hits hard with mint, metal masterpieces, ranging from early metal classic records like 'Alice In Hell', 'Never, Neverland' and 'Set The World On Fire', to powerhouse records like 'King Of The Kill', 'Waking The Fury', 'Carnival Diablos' and from 2007’s acclaimed release 'Metal'. Performing live in front of 30,000 metalheads, this sold-out concert dvd is the purest example of why ANNIHILATOR are touted as one of the best metal bands of our time."

Lineup:

Dave Padden - Guitar, Vocals
Jeff Waters - Guitar, Vocals
Ryan Ahoff - Drums
Dave Sheldon - Bass

DVD:

01. Intro
02. King Of The Kill
03. Blackest Day
04. Operation Annihilation
05. Clown Parade
06. Set The World On Fire
07. I Am In Command
08. Never, Neverland
09. Fun Palace
10. Phantasmagoria
11. W.T.Y.D.
12. Wicked Mystic
13. Alison Hell
14. Shallow Grave
15. Credits

CD:

01. Intro
02. King Of The Kill
03. Blackest Day
04. Operation Annihilation
05. Clown Parade
06. Set The World On Fire
07. I Am In Command
08. Never, Neverland
09. Fun Palace
10. Phantasmagoria
11. W.T.Y.D.
12. Wicked Mystic
13. Alison Hell
14. Shallow Grave

ANNIHILATOR mainman Jeff Waters commented in May 2009 on the reports that the band's record label, the Hanover, Germany-based SPV, had submitted an application to commence insolvency proceedings on May 25 — roughly equivalent to Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection. He stated, "I wish them [SPV] all the best and they have given us metal fans some great releases for a long time.

"The good news is that I signed a deal with SPV, only a few weeks ago, releasing ANNIHILATOR from their contractual commitments to SPV, in return for a live DVD that we shot last [year] in the Czech Republic.

"SPV will be releasing the DVD soon (and it rocks; co-headlining in front of 30,000 metal maniacs!) but ANNIHILATOR are now free from the label and negotiating with others to release the new and finished 13th studio release."

ANNIHILATOR was honored in the "Favorite Metal Artist/Group" category at the 2009 Indie Awards (Independent Music Awards), which was held on March 14 at the Royal York Hotel (Canadian Room) in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Also nominated in the "Metal" category were BISON B.C., CRYPTOPSY, CURSED and FUCK THE FACTS.

The Indies celebrate the best in independent music. Nominees are selected by committees of industry professionals from all areas of the music scene and winners are decided by a combination of public and industry voting.

For more information on the 2009 Indie Awards, go to this location.

ANNIHILATOR released its latest album, "Metal", in North America in January 2008 via SPV. The CD's ten new tracks were recorded by Jeff Waters (guitar, bass and lead vocals on one song), drum legend Mike Mangini and Dave Padden (longtime vocalist and touring guitarist/vocalist). The album features sensational performances by some of metal's finest players and ANNIHILATOR's good friends, like Alexi Laiho (CHILDREN OF BODOM), Danko Jones, Michael Amott and Angela Gossow (ARCH ENEMY), Corey Beaulieu (TRIVIUM), William Adler (LAMB OF GOD), Jeff Loomis, Jesper Strömblad (IN FLAMES), Steve "Lips" Kudlow, Anders Björler (THE HAUNTED), Jacob Lynam (LYNAM) and more.

MEGADETH's "predictably unpredictable" Artist Personal Experience radio station, "Megadeth Radio", is now available for streaming online.

MEGADETH guitarist/vocalist Dave Mustaine has complete creative control in the programming of his 24-hour channel, which features interviews, news, personal commentary, and playlists of his favorite music.

The multi-platinum, Grammy-nominated rockers follow hot on the heels of A.P.E. stations "Radio Weezer", "Christina Aguilera Radio" and "Eagles Radio Hosted by Joe Walsh".

"Megadeth Radio" is set to become the destination of choice for both the band's fans as well as anyone who appreciates hard-rocking radio, and will be distributed across Clear Channel Radio's "iheartradio" network (www.iheartradio.com), which includes hundreds of local radio web sites; the popular iheartradio mobile app, which has been downloaded by 3.5 million people; widgets; and www.megadeth.com. Just like the other A.P.E. stations, fans can participate in "Megadeth Radio" by emailing their comments to megadeth@aperadio.com or calling 1-866-686-1010.

Says Mustaine, "MEGADETH has been on the forefront of music for over 25 years. Now we're breaking ground in radio. We're giving metalheads everywhere a look inside and an opportunity to see what influences our world and music."

When the public tunes into "Megadeth Radio", they'll hear selected playlists of some of the band's favorite songs, including artists such as AC/DC, ARCH ENEMY, BLACK SABBATH, SUICIDAL TENDENCIES, KILLSWITCH ENGAGE and many more. Interviews and eclectic stories told by the band members will punctuate the programming, including Mustaine talking about his younger days (and trading pot to a record store clerk for albums), METALLICA, his writing process and more. The station is a hard-rocking outlet unlike any other, and attractive to all fans of innovative audio entertainment.

Swedish death metallers HYPOCRISY have enlisted CHILDREN OF BODOM frontman Alexi Laiho to play guitar on their upcoming North American tour. Alexi will temporarily fill the currently vacant guitarist spot on the trek, which will also include headliners ENSIFERUM alongside EX DEO, BLACKGUARD and SWASHBUCKLE.

Commented HYPOCRISY mainman Peter Tägtgren: "We're very happy to bring Alexi along on this tour and that he's helping us out with filling the second guitarist position.

"Funny, the first CHILDREN OF BODOM show was a support gig for HYPOCRISY on the Nuclear Blast festival in '98. Since then, me and Alexi have become very good friends. I've helped him with producing and he's helped me by contributing a guitar solo on one of my records with my other band PAIN.

"There will be no shortage of alcohol on this tour, that's for sure."

HYPOCRISY's North American tour with ENSIFERUM, EX DEO, BLACKGUARD and SWASHBUCKLE is scheduled to kick off on November 6 in Springfield, Virginia. A list of dates can be found at this location.

"Hang Him High", a brand new track from HYPOCRISY, is available for streaming on the group's MySpace page. The song comes off HYPOCRISY's new album, "A Taste Of Extreme Divinity", which is scheduled for release in Europe on October 23 and in the U.S. on November 3 via Nuclear Blast Records.

The North American mail-order version of "A Taste of Extreme Divinity" will feature three exclusive bonus tracks. A pre-order for the album is now available at this location in various formats and bundle packages.

"A Taste Of Extreme Divinity" track listing:

01. Valley Of The Damned
02. Hang Him High
03. Solar Empire
04. Weed Out The Weak
05. No Tomorrow
06. Global Domination
07. Taste The Extreme Divinity
08. Alive
09. The Quest
10. Tamed "Filled With Fear"
11. Sky Is Falling Down

Bonus tracks:

12. The Sinner
13. Taste the Extreme Divinity (2008 Demo)
14. Valley of the Damned (2008 Demo)

HYPOCRISY's last album, "Virus", came out in September 2005 via Nuclear Blast Records.

Seattle-based metallers NEVERMORE have been confirmed for next year's installment of the Rock Hard festival, set to take place May 21-23, 2010 at the Amphitheater in Gelsenkirchen, Germany.

The festival billing is shaping up as follows:

ARTILLERY
BLOODBATH
BULLDOZER
EVILE
KATATONIA
KREATOR
NECROS CHRISTOS
NEVERMORE
ORPHANED LAND
SABATON
SONATA ARCTICA
THE DEVIL'S BLOOD
VIRGIN STEELE

Swedish/German extreme metallers ARCH ENEMY will join forces with San Francisco thrash legends EXODUS for the "Tyrants of Evil" North American tour in January/February. Also appearing on the bill are ARSIS and MUTINY WITHIN.

Confirmed dates are as follows:

Jan. 20 - Towson, MD @ Recher Theatre
Jan. 21 - Philadelphia, PA @ Theatre of Living Arts
Jan. 22 - New York, NY @ Nokia Theatre
Jan. 23 - Worcester, MA @ The Palladium
Jan. 25 - Montreal, QC @ Le Medley
Jan. 26 - Quebec City, QC @ Theatre Imperial
Jan. 27 - Toronto, ON @ Phoenix Concert Theatre
Jan. 29 - Chicago, IL @ House of Blues
Jan. 30 - Minneapolis, MN @ The Rock
Jan. 31 - Winnipeg, MB @ The Garrick Centre
Feb. 02 - Calgary, AB @ MacEwan Hall Ballroom
Feb. 03 - Edmonton, AB @ Edmonton Events Center
Feb. 06 - Seattle, WA @ Showbox at the Market
Feb. 08 - San Francisco, CA @ Regency Center @ The Grand
Feb. 09 - West Hollywood, CA @ House of Blues

"The Root Of All Evil", the new album from metallers ARCH ENEMY, recently entered the Media Control chart in Germany at position No. 84. Released on October 6 in North America via Century Media Records, this special collection features re-recorded versions of songs from the band's first three LPs — "Black Earth" (1996), "Stigmata" (1998) and "Burning Bridges" (1999). Acclaimed British producer Andy Sneap (MEGADETH, TESTAMENT, EXODUS) mixed and mastered the CD, which was recorded at a few different locations in Sweden and produced by ARCH ENEMY with Daniel Erlandsson and Rickard Bengtsson handling the engineering.

Nuclear Blast Records has set a January 15 release date for "Shovel Headed Tour Machine (Live At Wacken And Other Assorted Atrocities)" from EXODUS. The package will contain the band's July 2008 performance at Germany's Wacken Open Air festival, plus a documentary following the band through the last five years of touring as well as bonus footage, with photo galleries and all of the group's promotional videos. The set will consist of two DVDs plus an audio CD of the Wacken performance.

The German edition of Metal Hammer magazine conducted an interview with EXODUS guitarist Gary Holt at this year's installment of the Graspop Metal Meeting, which was held on June 26-28, 2009 on the festival grounds of the Boeretang in Dessel, Belgium.

When asked about EXODUS' plans for a new studio album, Holt said, "Hopefully we're hitting the studio around November 1 with Mr. Sneap [British producer Andy Sneap; MEGADETH, NEVERMORE, ARCH ENEMY]. It's gonna be sick. We have four [songs] recorded [and left over] from the last session [for 2007's 'The Atrocity Exhibition... Exhibit A'], and I've got, like, nine [other tracks] I'm working on, and Lee [Altus, guitar] has a bunch of stuff. But this next album is gonna blow people's minds."

Regarding the upcoming CD's musical direction, Holt said, "There's a couple of twists on this. I try not to repeat every album. I mean, we did 'Tempo Of The Damned' [2004], [which was] a little more old-school, and we did 'Shovel Headed Kill Machine' [2005], which was really brutal and fast, and then 'The Atrocity Exhibition... Exhibit A' [2007], [which] was, like, longer and more epic songs. So this album's gonna have some different stuff to it. Maybe a little more dual-guitar stuff, 'cause I've been playing with Lee for quite awhile now — a little more dual-guitar harmony shred stuff. "

German metal veterans RAGE entered Twilight Hall Studios (where the band's "Unity" CD was previously tracked) in Grefrath, Germany on August 20 to begin recording thier new album for a tentative February 2010 release via Nuclear Blast Records. Charlie Bauerfeind (HAMMERFALL, HELLOWEEN) once again produced the CD, which "contains progressive [elements] and an orchestrated song," according to a press release.

Commented RAGE guitarist Victor Smolski: "After months of work in studio for the upcoming RAGE album, 'Strings To A Web', I slowly begin to enjoy our new work as finished product! It is such a great feeling to see how few small ideas develop and become something really big.

"After so many albums, for me it is still some sort of miracle seeing short melodies inside my mind becoming a realistic great song. I have the feeling that we discovered again something new that brought a lot of fun to us in studio.

"On the highway, there has never been a RAGE album that brought so much fun by listening — either you want to go at full throttle or you start dreaming away. The mix of catchy riffs, sometimes down tunings on the guitars and very interesting harmonies, which connect with the voice melody to something that you immediately want to sing along causes that you want to listen right from the beginning as soon as the record is finished playing.

"On these 14 tracks I have done the most interesting and incredible with different tricks and sounds within my whole career I think and this made me be able to express all my emotions. Thanks to the further development of ENGL amps, like, for example, the new Fireball model, which I used additional to my invader in studio, I tried to bring my guitar sound to another level.

"'Strings To A Web' is definitely a CD, which I think, will last in my CD player for some years longer. From bombastic orchestral parts with fat choir backings on 'Empty Hollow' to progressive parts during 'Strings To A Web' up to heavy moving riffs on 'Saviour Of The Dead', this RAGE album leaves no further requests up to the listeners! The only thing is that you have to be patient until the release in 2010.

"This album is the greatest one I've ever produced!"

Photos from the recording studio can be viewed below.

RAGE's "Gib Dich Nie Auf" EP was released on January 16 as part of a box set including the band's latest album, "Carved In Stone". The EP is also available separately via Nuclear Blast mailorder.

"Carved in Stone" entered the German Media Control chart at position No. 24 back in March 2008.

The official CD-release and listening party for SLAYER's new album, "World Painted Blood", will be held on Friday, October 30 at Duff's Brooklyn in Williamsburg, New York beginning at 9:00 p.m. Free "World Painted Blood" merchandise and autographed copies of the best-selling Decibel magazine to date — the SLAYER issue — will be given away at the 21-and-over event, for which there is no cover.

The address is:

Duff's Brooklyn
168 Marcy Avenue (between S 5th & Broadway)
Williamsburg, New York

For more information, visit www.duffsbrooklyn.com.

"World Painted Blood" is scheduled for release on November 3 via American Recordings. The CD will initially ship with four special collector's edition covers. Each of the four covers will display one-fourth of a provocative continental map illustrated with human skulls and bones; when placed together, the four images form a complete and grisly map of the world.

All four of the initial CD packages will include a special blood-red, see-through top panel with the map displayed beneath it.

The "World Painted Blood Deluxe Edition" will have its own special layout of the map cover art and will be in a double-digipak housed in a blood-red, see-through plastic sleeve. The "Deluxe Edition" will include the "World Painted Blood" CD, the "Playing With Dolls" DVD, a 20-minute animated graphic novel featuring music from the album (including part of a new non-album song), and an expanded booklet.

"World Painted Blood" track listing:

01. World Painted Blood
02. Unit 731
03. Snuff
04. Beauty Through Order
05. Hate Worldwide
06. Public Display Of Dismemberment
07. Human Strain
08. Americon
09. Psychopathy Red
10. Playing With Dolls
11. Not Of This God

"World Painted Blood" was recorded in Los Angeles over two time periods, during October 2008 and then between late January and March 2009. The CD was produced by Greg Fidelman, who's spent time in the studio with METALLICA, THE GOSSIP, THE (INTERNATIONAL) NOISE CONSPIRACY, SLIPKNOT and others, and executive-produced by longtime SLAYER colleague Rick Rubin, who suggested Fidelman for the project.