Skinny Puppy will release their first full-length studio album in almost eight years on May 25th. The album is titled The Greater Wrong of Right is produced by Ken Marshall (Tool) and will included appearances from Tool’s Danny Carey as well as Wayne Static of Static-X. Skinny Puppy will launch a headlining tour in June.

Moments In Grace have set an August 17th release date for their debut album, Moonlight Survived Salad Days/Atlantic. Moments In Grace are out on the road now with Avenged Sevenfold and My Chemical Romance, and will join Van’s Warped Tour at the end of June. Check out MomentsInGrace.com for those tour dates.

Cannibal Corpse and Decapitated will be touring the US together this summer. Confirmed dates are as follows, with more to be added:

07/28/04 Denver, CO Climax Lounge
07/30/04 Milwaukee, WI US Cellular Arena
07/31/04 Des Moines, IA Hairy Mary
08/01/04 Minneapolis, MN Ascot Room
08/05/04 Reading, PA Soundwaves
08/06/04 Irvington, NJ Cricket Club
08/07/04 Poughkeepsie, NY The Chance
08/13/04 Portland, ME The Asylum

Crowbar - which now includes bassist Rex Brown (ex-Down and Pantera) - have a dozen or so gigs lined up in Europe with Kataklysm. Be sure to check out Crowbarmusic.com for those tour dates.

Sevendust will be releasing a collector’s edition CD/DVD on May 4th entitled Southside Double-Wide – Acoustic Live, which was recorded in Athens, GA in September 2003. For the tracklisting and bonus info, please check out Sevendust.com/ssdw.

04/27/04

Jag Panzer are currently working on their next studio album, titled Casting the Stones, and should be ready for release in October through Century Media.

Killswitch Engage’s latest album, The End of Heartache, will be released on May 11th through Century Media. You can check out samples of the album at KillswitchEngage.com.

Metallica and Slipknot have lined up gigs all over Europe this summer. For the full itinerary, check out Metallica.com.

Rob Zombie’s sequel to his horror flick, House of 1000 Corpses will be called The Devil’s Rejects. RobZombie.com states: “Yes, the rumors are true Ken (Dawn of the Dead) Foree has signed on the play Charlie Altamont aka Captain Spaulding's pimp brother. If that ain't enough for you horror fiends, Michael (The Hills Have Eyes) Berryman has signed to play Clevon, Charlie's dim witted sidekick.” It also says, “The most famous man to wear a hockey mask and weld a machete… Kane Hodder has signed on as stunt coordinator for the film. Kane has promised that these will be some of ‘the most hardcore violent and visceral stunts he's ever put together.’”

Skid Row recently wrapped up the European leg of their tour, and will head back to the US for some more gigs, hitting some lesser-toured cities even. Hell, they’re even going to play the West Indies on their way! The confirmed dates so far include:

05/08/04 Triniad West Indies Queens Park Oval
05/14/04 Orlando, FL House Of Blues
05/15/04 Tampa, FL Masquerade
05/19/04 Jonesboro, GA Breakers
05/20/04 Nashville, TN Boots Reverb
05/21/04 Charlotte, NC Amos Southend
05/22/04 Springfield, VA Jaxx
07/09/04 Gilford, NH Meadows Theatre
07/10/04 Bangor, ME Russells

04/09/04

From MotleyCrue.com: A misdemeanor battery case against former Motley Crue singer Vince Neil was dismissed Wednesday after he completed more than 100 hours of community service, prosecutors said. Superior Court Judge Richard Stone granted a March 26 request to dismiss the case against Neil, said a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles County district attorney's office. The charge stemmed from an April 2002 run-in outside a Sunset Strip nightclub. Separately, Neil, 43, is accused of battery last July on a prostitute at a Nevada brothel. Prosecutors allege Neil grabbed the woman by the neck and threw her against a wall. He is scheduled for trial April 22 on the misdemeanor battery charge, his attorney said Wednesday.

Crowbar, which now features in its ranks Rex Brown (Down, ex-Pantera), will be touring this summer in Europe with Kataklysm. Be sure to check out CrowbarMusic.com for those dates.

The Scorpions will be releasing their latest effort, Unbreakable, on April 19th through Asian Edition. The album will feature new bassist Pawel Maciwoda.

Behemoth are currently working on a double-disc DVD entitled CRUSH.FUKK.CREATE: Requiem for generation Armageddon as well as their CD, Demigod. No release dates have been confirmed at this time, but don’t expect either until much later in the year.

Ministry will release their latest effort, House of Molé on June 22nd through Sanctuary Records. As previously reported, John Monte (ex-MOD, ex-Dragpipe) has stepped up to the plate after the departure of longtime bassist Paul Barker.

04/08/04

Marilyn Manson gave guitarist John 5 the boot on his birthday just recently. Apparently, no reason has been given for the firing. However, John 5 has been writing with such artists as Lisa Marie Presley and Avril Lavigne, and is working on his own solo instrumental album, Vertigo, in which he was persuaded to do by his long-time buddy, Mr. Les Paul. The solo album will be released this fall.

Dream Theater will be recording their show at the Budokan in Tokyo, Japan on April 26th, 2004, for an upcoming Live DVD/CD release. Be sure to check out DreamTheater.net for details as they become available.

Alice Cooper will be touring Europe this summer, followed by Canada and the US. Check out AliceCooper.com for the initial tour dates, to be followed with more.

Dokken’s latest effort, Hell to Pay, will be released on May 18th through Sanctuary Records. It was originally slated for April. In case you haven’t been keeping up, guitarist Jon Levin (ex-Warlock) is the guitarist on this release.

Vocalist Ron Taylor has officially parted ways with Lillian Axe on good terms to pursue other musical interests. For a statement from Taylor as well as guitarist Steve Blaze, be sure to check out LillianAxe.com.

Machine Head’s latest CD, Through The Ashes Of Empires, will be released in the US on April 20th (yeah, that’s 4/20!) through Roadrunner Records. The band will host a free listening party at The Pound SF on Friday, April 16th in San Francisco, CA. They will also be at Rasputin Music in San Lorenzo, CA. on Tuesday, April 20th from 6-8PM for an in-store signing.

Expect a new DVD from Six Feet Under sometime in July. It is titled Live With Full Force. It was filmed last year at Germany’s With Full Force Festival in front of a crowd of 40,000 fans. SFU is still currently on tour. For more info, check out SFU420.com.

04/07/04

05/14/04 Sacramento, CA Roadhouse
05/15/04 San Diego, CA Brick By Brick
05/16/04 Los Angeles, CA Key Club
05/17/04 Santa Ana, CA Galaxy

Currently in the studio mixing the follow-up to 2002's, Damage Done, leading Swedish thrash metal band Dark Tranquillity has made available a collection of outtakes, rarities and live material sure to thrill fans worldwide. Almost 2 hours of material and 31 tracks, the collection contains 2CDs for the single release price. The first CD includes rare and long out-of-print cuts from the debut 7" single, A Moonclad Reflection (1992), tracks from the ground breaking demo, Trail Of Life Decayed (1991), bonus tracks from the Japanese editions of their last three albums, and three previously unreleased tracks. The bonus disk is the audio from the Polish show (19 songs) that was featured on their recent Live Damage DVD. Carefully remastered, the sound quality of the original recordings has been elevated to its full potential. The original booklet includes a slew of rare photos from the band's personal collection and liner notes on each song from the band. Keep a look out for the highly anticipated new release from Dark Tranquillity Fall 2004; Exposures: In Retrospect and Denial will be available from Century Media June 15, 2004.

Southern California Great White are performing two shows this April to benefit the victims and survivors of the Station Nightclub fire in Rhode Island. The objective is to create further awareness and financial assistance to those touched by the Rhode Island tragedy. Proceeds go directly to The Station Family Fund. The funds raised will be controlled and administered by The Station Family Fund. The confirmed shows are: 04/22/04 Ventura, CA Ventura Theatre
04/25/04 Whittier, CA Ibiza Nightclub

Quiet Riot vocalist Kevin DuBrow hits the road this week to begin his first-ever solo tour. He'll be performing all the Quiet Riot classics and songs from his soon to be released CD. He will be on tour all through the summer in support of his upcoming solo album titled In For The Kill, coming out on Shrapnel Records in May. Solo tour dates include:

04/09/04 Caledonia, OH The Wet Spot
04/10/04 Girard, OH The Dome
04/22/04 Hudson, WI Dibbo's
04/23/04 Hurley, WI Studio To The Stars
04/24/04 Lake Lillian, MN Horseshoe Bar
04/30/04 Watertown, NY Club 342
05/01/04 Buffalo, NY Rock And Roll Heaven
05/20/04 Worcester, MA Lucky Dog Music Hall
05/21/04 Orange/New Haven, CT Corner Pocket
05/22/04 Springfield, MA TBA
05/23/04 Hartford, CT Webster Theater
05/30/04 Toronto, ON Kool Haus
06/01/04 NY, NY Roseland Ballroom

Leatherwolf has a new lead singer… Jeff Martin (known as the lead singer of the band Racer X) is the new lead vocalist for Leatherwolf! Leatherwolf has written some new songs with Jeff Martin and have recorded a new 3-song demo. Check out Leatherwolfmusic.com for more info.

Aerosmith guitarist Joe Perry goes virtual. He is part of a free online game to promote his Boneyard Brew Hot Sauce called “Genie Joe and the Axeman.” Perry provides the voice of the genie as well as original music. Check out JoePerryRocksYourWorld.com.

Moments In Grace have been added to the PunkRocks.net stage at this summer's Warped Tour. The band will be performing on the stage June 25th to July 11th. The band will wrap up their tour with Thrice/Poison The Well/Darkest Hour on April 8th, then hit the road with Avenged Sevenfold beginning April 16th. The band will also be a part of this year's Surf & Skate Festival on April 17th.

Sweden’s Fatal Smile will be entering the studio to record their upcoming album Neo Natural Freak’s. The producer is once again HP Camper aka Jonas Östman (Yngwie Malmsteen) and the album will be mixed by Stefan Glaumann (Rammstein, Backyard Babies, etc.) The album will be recorded in studio Gig and Soundtrade studio in Stockholm. No date are set for the release yet, but in the late summer/ early fall should the album be available. Check out Fatalsmile.nu for details.

03/18/04

Eclectic guitarist Buckethead has parted ways with Guns N' Roses. He will be releasing his own solo album, Cuckoo Clock of Hell, as well as touring. Check out Bucketheadland.com for more details.

System of a Down have organized a benefit show on April 24th in Los Angeles at the Greek Theater in order to raise public awareness of the Armenian genocide. The proceeds will benefit the Armenian National Committee of America to lobby the US Congress to officially recognize the Armenian genocide, in which the Ottoman Turks killed as many as 1.5 million Armenians between 1895 and 1915.

This year’s Prism awards, which are given out to actors, musicians and comic book artists for accurately depicting the dangers of drugs, alcohol and tobacco, include nominees such as Metallica (“Frantic”), Jane’s Addiction (“Suffer Some”) and Johnny Cash (“Hurt” written by Trent Reznor, Nine Inch Nails).

Radiation 4 have several gigs lined up, in which April 9th through 11th will include Darkest Hour, Curl Up and Die and Watch Them Die. The confirmed shows are as follows:

03/24/03 Long Beach, CA Koos
03/28/04 Tucson, AZ Skrappy’s
04/09/04 San Francisco, CA The Pound
04/10/04 Anaheim, CA Chain Reaction
04/11/04 Hollywood, CA The Troubadour

Brides of Destruction, who unleashed their debut album Here Comes the Brides last week, will co-host MTV’s Headbangers Ball on March 20th. In other news, the band recently filmed a video for their first single, “Shut the Fuck Up.”

Clutch will be releasing their latest effort, Blast Tyrant, on March 30th through DRT Entertainment. They also shot the video for their first single from the album, “The Mob Goes Wild.” You can preview 3 new tracks at TotalAssault.com.

Drummer Matt Byers has decided to part ways with Baltimore's Death metallers Misery Index. "Matt has decided himself to move on and do other things in life, and we respect his decision, metal will miss yet another great drummer," the band commented on the split. Misery Index are seeking a new drummer immediately to join them on their tour from May to August; ambitious drummers with the right skills and touring experience are asked to mail the band under [email protected].

03/08/04

Machine Head, Arch Enemy and God Forbid will be hitting the road together this Spring for the ‘Weapons of Mass Destruction’ tour, a monster outing that is currently set to attack most major U.S. cities in its path starting this April and continuing on into May. Machine Head will be out in support of their forthcoming release, Through the Ashes of the Empire, due out on April 20th through Roadrunner Records. Stayed tunes for dates and venues to be announced!

Prior to joining the Ozzfest tour in July, Judas Priest will first reunite on stage at a variety of festivals in Europe. Be sure to check out JudasPriest.com for the exact dates and venues.

Soilwork will head over to Australia with Anthrax and Killswitch Engage, then onto Japan to headline, with Dark Tranquillity in tow:

04/23/04 Adelaide, AUS Heaven
04/24/04 Brisbane, AUS The Arena
04/26/04 Sydney, AUS The Metro
04/27/04 Sydney, AUS The Metro
05/01/04 Nagoya, JAP Club Quattro
05/02/04 Osaka, JAP Big Cat
05/03/04 Tokyo, JAP Shibuya Ax

Zakk Wylde’s Black Label Society will release their next album, Hangover Music Vol. I, on the very appropriate date of 4/20! There will be a listening party at The Stone Pony in Asbury Park, NJ on 04/14/04. Check out ZakkWylde.com for the details.

The Genitorturers will be included in the upcoming May issue of Hustler Magazine’s “music” issue. Additionally, they are confirmed as the headliner for this years annual ‘Vampires Ball.’ The event will take place Saturday, May, 1st at the Ogden Theater in Denver, Colorado. Look for more regional U.S. dates and European shows to be announced for May and June 2004.

The third annual ‘Projekt Revolution’ tour will be headlined by founders Linkin Park, along with Korn, The Used and Snoop Dogg. The tour kicks off on July 23rd in Cincinnati, OH.

Fu Manchu will perform live a new song, “Written in Stone,” on the Monster Garage show on the Discovery Network. Airdate has yet to be announced.

Sammy Hagar’s Cabo Wabo Cantina, in Cabo, Mexico, will now place another tequila-infested watering hole in Lake Tahoe at Harvey’s. To celebrate the opening, Hagar has announced the ‘Cinquo de Cabo Blowout’ bash, which is to take place Friday, April 30th through Sunday May 1st. Be sure to check out RedRocker.com for more details.

Sepultura will be performing a gig in their hometown in Brazil, and then head to Latin America for a few shows:

04/01/04 San Salvador, El Salvador Stadium Cuscatlan
04/02/04 Guatemala City, Guatemala Stadium del Ejercito
04/03/04 Quito, Ecuador Plaza de Toros Monumental
04/04/04 Lima, Peru Univ. Ricardo Palma

Havochate will begin recording with new vocalist Tim Bouchee (ex-U.P.). The band will try out a few new tunes this weekend at the March Metal Meltdown in New Jersey.