Legendary New York thrash act OVERKILL is streaming the new track "Electric Rattlesnake" from the band’s forthcoming new LP "The Electric Age." The album is scheduled for release on March 27, 2012 (North America) through eOne Music and March 30, 2012 through Nuclear Blast Records (EU).

FEAR FACTORY confirms the band’s first tour dates for 2012. Set to begin in San Antonio on May 1st, the tour’s initial dates include stops in Dallas, Philadelphia, New York City, Baltimore, and Denver among others.

Joining FEAR FACTORY for the tour is Boston’s Shadows Fall, Kansas City-based The Browning, Riverside, California’s The Devastated, and Legacy Of Disorder from New Zealand. The tour will precede the release of Fear Factory’s new album titled "The Industrialist."

FEAR FACTORY recently announced the addition of bass player Matt DeVries. The Ohio native previously noted, “I have been asked to join one of my favorite bands. I have been a fan of Fear Factory since 1992 and I could not be more excited to be part of this incredible band.” Guitarist Dino Cazares and vocalist Burton C. Bell noted, “we are very excited to have Matt playing bass for Fear Factory. We feel he is a great addition to our touring line-up. He has been a friend for a very long time and he is a great musician who will be a perfect instrument in the FF machine.”

With rehearsals for the tour expected to start soon, the members of FEAR FACTORY are finishing details on their forthcoming new album expected for release early summer. Greg Reely has now completed the album’s mix. All that remains is final artwork and packaging. Regarding the new material, Cazares and Bell affirm, “this album perfectly captures the true nature of Fear Factory. The industrial/metal blend is a strong return to our original concept for FEAR FACTORY."

Confirmed dates as of press time are :

5/01/2012 Backstage Live - San Antonio, TX
5/02/2012 Trees – Dallas, TX
5/03/2012 Scout Bar – Houston, TX
5/05/2012 State Theater - St. Petersburg, FL
5/06/2012 Culture Room - Ft. Lauderdale, FL
5/09/2012 Ziggy’s - Winston-Salem, NC
5/10/2012 Theater of Living Arts – Philadelphia, PA
5/11/2012 Wally’s Pub - Hampton Beach, NH
5/12/2012 Gramercy Theatre - New York, NY
5/13/2012 Sonar – Baltimore, MD
5/16/2012 The Crofoot Ballroom – Pontiac, MI
5/20/2012 Summit Music Hall – Denver, CO

In an interview that came out yesterday in L.A. Weekly, Dave Mustaine made some rather limiting comments about African women who have too many children. Below is an excerpt from that interview conducted by reporter Linda Leseman, the Megadeth frontman has the following comments :

"There’s so many houses without a dad that it’s just terrible. I mean, you know how they used to say there should be a license to have a baby ? Well, as far-fetched as that sounds, I really think that, if the parents aren’t going to stick together, they shouldn’t make that kind of commitment to life. I watch some of these shows from over in Africa, and you’ve got starving women with six kids. Well, how about, you know, put a plug in it ? It’s like, you shouldn’t be having children if you can’t feed them."

Mustaine also discusses how Bible prophecies are coming true, how he watches cooking shows and how Rick Santorum is the classiest of all the Republican candidates. Read the full interview by going here.

MORBID ANGEL is streaming 16 new remix tracks from the compilation album "Illud Divinum Insanus - The Remixes" (heard belo). The double compilation drops on February 24, 2012 (EU) and February 28, 2012 (North America) through Season of Mist and features remixes of songs from the band’s latest album "Illud Divinum Insanus" from 39 artists from the Electro/Indus/Dub scene.

The tracks streaming below are :

1. Laibach – i am morbid (wall of morbid mix)
2. Mondkopf – radikult
3. Brain Leisure – too extreme (black symphony edition)
4. Adrian – I am morbid
5. Evil Activities – radikult
6. Scott Brown – i am morbid
7. Chrysalide – nevermore
8. Project Pitchfork – destructos VS the earth
9. Metallizer aka John Lord Fonda – too extreme
10. Mixhell – too extreme
11. Synapscape – too extreme
12. The Horrorist – existo vulgore
13. Tek-One – ten more dead
14. Black Lung – i am morbid
15. cEvinKey – omnidead
16. HIV+ – too extreme (industrial version)

ARMORED SAINT have announced that they’ll be heading to Europe in July.

At Sonisphere in France, the Saint will be playing on the same day as GHOST, EVANESCENCE, WOLFMOTHER, SOULFLY, LACUNA COIL and more. Band Your Head’s list of confirmed band’s includes ARCH ENEMY, EXODUS, THIN LIZZY, PRIMORDIAL and more. Dong Open Air also features NAPALM DEATH, SEPULTURA, and many others. Along with the festival appearances, Armored Saint will be playing three headlining shows with UK’s COLLAPSE as the supporting act.

Armored Saint’s John Bush elaborates on the dates : "I’m very excited for our upcoming summer dates. First, Armored Saint has never played in France. Not only are we doing the awesome Sonisphere show, we are also doing a headline club show in Paris. About fucking time. Also, we’re extremely pumped to play the Bang Your Head festival again. It’s one of the best metal shows in Germany. Plus, we get to be part of the DONG festival. First time there. The tour wouldn’t be complete without playing in Holland, which is the first country Armored Saint ever played in Europe back in 1989 ; and Zurich, where it will be our first time to headline in the beautiful country of Switzerland. Armored Saint doesn’t tour all that often so come out and join us, cause you’re never sure when or if we’ll be touring again. We’ll be playing songs from our entire catalog as well as from our most recent record, La Raza, which we’re extremely proud of. See ya this summer."

Tour dates :

July
8 - Amneville, France - Sonisphere Festival
10 - Paris, France - La Maroquinerie (with Collapse)
11 - Kekrade, Netherlands - Rock Temple (with Collapse)
13 - Balingen, Germany - Bang Your Head Festival
14 - Neukirchen, Germany - Dong Festival
15 - Zurich, Switzerland - Dynamo (with Collapse)

Bay Area thrash veterans DEATH ANGEL have checked in with the following update :

"Gus Pepa came down to the rehearsal room last night to jam out a few tunes. It was great seeing him jam with the guys. He rocked it ! Gus will be playing tunes with the boys that haven’t been played in SF since 1990. So, get your tickets and come on out to Slim’s in San Francisco this Friday, Febtuary 24th."

In other news, DEATH ANGEL will serve as direct support to SEPULTURA on their upcoming North American Kairos Tour. Joining them will be KRISIUN and HAVOK. Confirmed dates include :

April
10 - Yost Theater – Santa Ana, CA
12 - Branx – Portland, OR
13 - Studio Seven – Seattle, WA
14 - In The Venue – Salt Lake City, UT
15 - Gothic Theatre – Englewood, CO
16 - Manny’s – Billings, MT
17 - The Exchange – Regina, SK
18 - Pyramid Cabaret – Winnipeg, MB
20 - Majestic Theater – Madison, WI
21 - Mojoe’s – Joliet, IL
22 - Water Street Music Hall – Rochester, NY
23 - The Opera House – Toronto, ON
24 - Imperial Theater – Quebec City, QC
25 - Club Soda – Montreal, QC
26 - Bogies – Albany, NY
29 - Higher Ground – South Burlington, VT

Having his American acoustic tour alongside Bob Wayne and Jay Munly in December, and just recently a trek through Australia and New Zealand alongside John Baizely, Scott Kelly’s newest U.S. solo tour with support from Eugene S. Robinson (Oxbow) is now underway. The following press release was issued about the tour :

"If there was ever a certainty of damage done, dealt and overcome, the SCOTT KELLY solo tour is an object lesson in the character building parameters of life’s grinding parade. Bringing equal parts sonorous weight and lambent beauty, the man, the guitar and the songs from a songbook heavy with NEUROSIS and SHRINEBUILDER antecedents, KELLY’s current tour sees him debuting unreleased songs from his upcoming solo record, as well as his previous solo LPs for a live show experience burnished by the acoustic and not diminished by it."

"There’s fear everywhere," Kelly says. "In moments both quiet and small. And there’s surviving them all. And we are."

Eugene S. Robinson supports with a brand of storytelling that draws from his previously published work, as well as stories from the beast that has driven OXBOW for the past two decades.

Remaining dates on the tour are as follows :

2/21/2012 Record Bar - Kansas City, MO
2/22/2012 Fubar Lounge - St Louis, MO
2/23/2012 MOTR Pub - Cincinnati, OH
2/24/2012 Intersection Front Bar - Grand Rapids, MI
2/25/2012 Lager House- Detroit, MI
2/26/2012 Rockstar Pro Arena - Dayton, OH
2/28/2012 Now That’s Class - Cleveland, OH
2/29/2012 Ace Of Cups - Columbus, OH
3/01/2012 Mohawk Place - Buffalo, NY
3/02/2012 Cafe Nine - New Haven, CT
3/03/2012 Church of Boston - Boston, MA w/ Marc Pinansky
3/04/2012 Knitting Factory - Brooklyn, NY
3/06/2012 Johnny Brenda’s - Philadelphia, PA
3/07/2012 Golden West Cafe - Baltimore, MD
3/08/2012 Strange Matter - Richmond, VA
3/09/2012 The Pinhook - Durham, NC
3/10/2012 Snug Harbor - Charlotte, NC

AOL Music is streaming CORROSION OF CONFORMITY’s self-titled new studio offering in its entirety. Set for North American release on February 28th, 2012 via Candlelight Records, Corrosion Of Conformity was recorded at Dave Grohl’s Studio 606 in Los Angeles, the 11-track offering was produced by the band in cooperation with long-time collaborator John Custer, mixed by John Lousteau (Foo Fighters) and features artwork by Seldon Hunt (Melvins, High On Fire).

Featuring the esteemed "Animosity" line-up of vocalist/bassist Mike Dean, guitarist Woody Weatherman, and drummer/vocalist Reed Mullin, the album’s release closes a six year recording gap and completes over a year of concentrated writing and recording for the band.

To hear the record, head over to AOL Music Here.

German power metal band RAGE posted a new music video for "Twenty One" the title track from the band’s forthcoming eighteenth studio album. The album is set for release on February 24, 2012 through Nuclear Blast Records.

Australian speed metal band ELM STREET has posted a new music video for the song "Elm St.’s Children. The song appears on the band’s debut LP "Barbed Wire Metal" album. The clip, directed by Gareth McGilvray at McGVideoCore, can be viewed below. "Barbed Wire Metal" is out now via Massacre Records.

Check out "Elm St.’s Children" below !

German hard rockers DEVIL’S TRAIN, the project featuring Mystic Prophecy frontman Roberto Dimitri Liapakis, drummer Jörg Michael (Ex-Stratovarius) and bassist Jari Kainulainen (Ex-Evergrey/Ex-Stratovarius), have posted a new music video for the band’s cover of The GUESS WHO’s "American Woman." The track appears on the band’s debut self-titled album, which is scheduled for a North American release on March 13, 2012 through earOne Music. The video was directed by Jon Simvonis for Magnum Production Studios.

Check out "American Woman" below !

U.K. NWoBHM band ANGEL WITCH, who was activated again in 2008, is streaming the new song "Dead Sea Scrolls." The song appears on the band’s first full length LP since the 1986 release "Frontal Assault" entitled "As Above, So Below", which is scheduled for release on March 12, 2012 through Rise Above Records (Europe) and on March 27, 2012 through Metal Blade Records (North America).

Check out "Dead Sea Scrolls" below !

DRAGONFORCE has premiered the new song "Fallen World" today by streaming it over at Metal Hammer’s YouTube channel. The song appears on the band’s forthcoming album "The Power Within," which is scheduled for release on April 15, 2012 through the band’s own label Electric Generation Recordings.

The band also recently announced that DRAGONFORCE will kick off the U.S. Tour with an appearance at the New England Metal & Hardcore Festival at The Palladium in Worcester, Mass on April 21, 2012. The festival runs from April 20-22, 2012. Dragonforce will be one of the headlining acts on Saturday with All That Remains and Overkill.

Check out "Fallen World" below !

GOD FORBID is gearing up to release a sixth full-length album and Victory debut titled "Equilibrium" on March 26th, 2012. Footage from the making of the album can be viewed below. Victory Records commented on the clip :

"In part 1, we check in with God Forbid drummer Corey Pierce while tracking drums with producer Mark Lewis in the studio. Corey gives us a little taste of what EQUILIBRIUM will bring to the table and we see first hand what it’s like recording an album with the masters of metal, God Forbid. Subscribe to VicTorVTV to stay updated on what’s going on with the guys and keep a look out for Part 2 !"

ENTHRONED’s new album "Obsidium" will see release via Agonia Records this coming March, 2012. In anticipation of the upcoming release, the label has now posted a track from the album online. Check out the song "Nonvs Sacramentum" in the player available below !

THE DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN frontman Greg Puciato tackled the subject of homophobia in metal on his official website following a question submitted by a fan. Check out the Q&A below :

Q : Greg, I am a huge fan of your work with Dillinger and a metal fan overall. I am also homosexual. Whoa, right ? My question is this - metal fans seem to pride themselves on being outsiders and letting anyone into their fold, yet homophobia is still huge in metal. Why is this exactly ? It seems in this day and age especially, this mentality would have dissipated but sadly, it hasn’t. What is your take on this ?

Puciato : "I really think masculinity insecurity issues are the problem, and listening to testosterone charged music and putting on a tough guy front enables the people with those issues to live in a sort of constructed ’man suit,’ helping them to feel more adequate in their gender/sex role confusion. It masks the fact that they probably need therapy to deal with whatever went wrong in their transition from boyhood to manhood. Combine that with lack of education and culture, two things that we have a massive problem with in the US, and there you have it. It grosses me out. I think the younger generations are obviously progressing, everything progresses with time, but it’s annoying to wait for the world around you to play catch up when you’re already on that level.

Understanding of homosexuality is one of the largest humanist issues of our time. Well, that and educating people about the evils that organized religion have perpetuated in society. Those two things go hand in hand really. It’s frustrating that the United States leans so much on Christianity politically, a religion that teaches at its fundamental core complete intolerance toward homosexuality. Every time a candidate endorses Christianity or uses it as a tool to get votes of bible belt states, he’s saying ’go fuck yourselves’ to all of the gay population. The problem needs to be dissolved through different angles. Proper education and culture exposure will catch everyone up, but again, waiting is annoying….and I totally see what you are saying about the comical false masculinity that is unfortunately prevalent in metal and hip hop and country music.

It’s not a coincidence that homophobia is most rampant in those three genres, and that those genres are primarily embraced by low income groups, groups that have low exposure to quality education, and almost no exposure to travel or different cultures. Punk and hardcore ethics have always been more refreshing and progressive, however, which is partly why we as a band feel more aligned with those movements than with ’metal’ as far as mindset. The real movements, not the ’check it out I’m wearing a CBGB’s shirt I bought at Nordstroms’ mall versions.

Sorry I’m rambling…too much caffeine to type this very coherently, but it is something I actually feel fairly passionately about so I’m glad you brought it up. I scroll through most of these but this I felt I needed to say something about. If we ever do a show that I feel is gonna have an overtly high level of homophobes in the audience, I promise to wear a shirt that has a picture of a dude sucking a cock on the front of it or something. Funny how the same people who would act violently offended by that would probably cheer if there were two girls making out or going down on one another onstage. Like I said, fucking insecure babies trapped in man bodies. Masculinity insecurity issues. Hopefully they’ll all have gay kids.

Let me also throw in how proud we are as a band that our fans appear to be accepting and tolerant and progressive as well. Haven’t met a DEP fan ever that didn’t seem like a quality human being. I’m pretty sure that we turn everyone off that isn’t that way. I’d like to at least. Don’t come in here with that shit.

As for you, the person who submitted this question….don’t let that shit get you down. Feeling ostracized may sting at times, but the truth is that you’re a forward person in a primitive time. Moving at a faster speed than others. Being ahead of the pack ? That’s called being a leader. Embrace it."

LAMB OF GOD frontman Randy Blythe was recently interviewed by Kory Grow at Spin magazine, an excerpt follows :

Anybody who gets into music to make a million dollars is in it for all the wrong reasons.

"I’m not a millionaire and that’s not a goal of mine and I don’t give a fuck. Even if I’m playing to, say, five kids in the middle of nowhere, it’s a very visceral moment of connection that most people don’t get to experience in their lives. If you want to be what you are, truly, then you have to be patient. And you have to be willing to put up with some unpleasant things and suffer. I did."

I am a bona fide, dyed-in-the-wool, hard-core, cutthroat alcoholic.

"I drank for a good 20 years. A year or two ago, I’d had enough and got sober. I always thought nothing could ever beat me. But drinking beat me into a state of submission. I tend to think of drinking like this : If my neighbor was a 14-foot-tall giant ninja, and I woke up every morning, walked outside, and said, ’Hi, Fred the ninja, how are you doing ?’ And he’s like, ’Oh hey, Randy, how are you doing ?’ And then if I rear off and kick him right in the balls, he’s going to beat my fucking ass. I did that every single day — I fought the 14-foot ninja every day — and I got my ass kicked every day. I can tell you from personal experience, if you’re an alcoholic, you are most definitely fucked. It’s never gonna get any better. Talk to somebody else who got sober. That’s what I did. I wouldn’t go to an orthodontist for back surgery, and I’m not going to go to someone who’s never been an alcoholic to ask for advice on how to quit drinking."

To read the article in its entirety, click here.

U.K. grindcore band NAPALM DEATH posted the third part of a track-by-track video series for the forthcoming LP "Utilitarian." The album is due out via Century Media on on February 27, 2012 (EU) and February 28, 2012 (North America).

Check out the video below !

Track-By-Track videos part 1 and 2 can be seen below !

EASTERN FRONT has checked in with the following announcement about upcoming festival appearances and working on new material :

"We are very pleased to announce, we shall be taking the band into Europe this year. We have been confirmed to play the all day black metal Festival in the North of France called Rising of the Damned. we will be playing alongside : Seth, Glorior Belli, Belenos, Handful of Hate, Moonreich and many others. The festival is on Saturday 19th May and as soon as we get more info we will keep you all updated.

"Some more exciting news to announce, we have also just been confirmed to play the German festival Dong Open Air 2012 on Friday 13th July. The festival runs from 12th to the 14th July and we will be playing alongside some amazing bands. Bands announced so far are Sepultura, Napalm Death, Rage and many more. For more information go to the official website here.

"We are also currently writing new material for the second album, some of the tracks we have played live to you and others may be aired at these summer festivals. More news to announce soon. You can find us on Twitter and Facebook to interact with us and keep up with all the latest news."

Spanish metal act In Vain (not to be confused with the Norwegian band of the same name) has now self-released a second album, titled "In Death We Trust." To get a taste of the new album, check out the song "War Machine" in the player below.

Further details on In Vain can be found via the band’s Facebook profile, while songs from previous releases are available for free download at this location.