The new LV cd is now out on Telstar records in Holland. The cd has 11 tracks and should not dissapoint the fans of the band.

Watch for ICED EARTH's three-CD live set, Alive In Athens soon. The album was recorded at two sold out shows at the Rodon Club earlier this year. In the US, it will be released as a two-CD set, but the full three CD's will still be available directly from Century Media. The artwork is available on http://www.icedearth.com and there's a new interview with frontman Jon Schaeffer at http://www.metalmeltdown.com.

MESHUGGAH's Contradictions Collapse from 1991 has been reissued with all four cuts from their 1994 EP 'None' added as bonus tracks: 'Humiliative', 'Sickening', 'Ritual' and 'Gods Of Rapture'.

Vai's forthcoming album, Elusive Light And Sound is out in Japan at the end of July and it will contain a bonus track.

Strato's last Noise release will be a greatest hits record compiled by fans from all over the world.

Sinergy, fronted by female vocalist/keyboardist Kim Goss (AVERNUS/ANCIENT/DIMMU BORGIR/THERION) and featuring Alex Laiho (CHILDREN OF BODOM/IMPALED NAZARENE) and Jesper Stromblad (IN FLAMES/HAMMERFALL) has been released in Japan with the bonus track, 'Beware The Heavens' (Demo Version).

Klytaimnestra, which debuted recently in Memmingen, Germany, was a huge success. The show is complimented by modern scenery, good actors and last but not least the incredible soundtrack written by VIRGIN STEELE´s David DeFeis.

Kamnelot are already recording the pre-production for their next album with producer Sascha Paeth (ANGRA, GAMMA RAY, RUNNING WILD). The recordings for Kamelot 4 will begin August 1 at Heaven's Gate Studios in Wolfsburg, Germany. Some possible songtitles include 'Glory', 'Nights Of Arabia', 'Silent Goddess', 'The Inquisitor' and 'Existentialism' (instrumental).

Noise Records has signed the new act AFTERWORLD. Their debut, Dark Side Of Mind, will be out in July.

Former WORLD WAR III vocal demon, Mandy Lion, is getting ready to unleash his new goth metal project. Lion and his four-piece band recently showcased at the upscale New Century Club in L.A. and is already attracting major label interest. The vocalist is also still collaborating with former Ozzy/Badlands axewhiz, JAKE E. LEE, in WICKED ALLIANCE, whose debut album, Twisted Beauty, is due out later this summer on Pony Canyon.

DREAM THEATER have nearly finished work on their forthcoming album, due out this fall. The band plan to mix the record in July/August.

The official HELLOWEEN website (http://www.helloween.org) reported recently that the band's new covers album is not going to be called Dream Concert, but Metal Jukebox. Here's the complete tracklisting: 'Lay Your Love On Me' (ABBA), 'Space Oddity' (DAVID BOWIE), 'Saturday Night' (HERMAN BROOD), 'Locomotive Breath' (JETHRO TULL), 'Something' (THE BEATLES), and 'All My Loving' (THE BEATLES), 'Hocus Pocus' (FOCUS), 'White Room' (CREAM), 'Faith Healer' (ALEX HARVEY), 'Rat Bat Blue' (DEEP PURPLE) and 'Juggernaut' (FRANK MARINO). Rainer Laws (Better Than Raw) has already done the cover and it will be on the site soon. In related news, drummer Uli Kusch's RAINBOW Tribute album is in the mixing stages and he's already begun penning new material for the next Helloween album due for release sometime next year. The Rainbow tribute will contain the following tracks: 'Stargazer', 'Man On The Silver Mountain', 'Catch The Rainbow' (sung by Andi Deris), 'Kill The King', '16th Century Greensleeves', 'Rainbow Eyes', 'Still I'm Sad' (reprise des Yarbirds - sung by Ralf Scheepers), 'Eyes Of The World', 'I Surrender', 'Lost In Hollywood', 'Lady Of The Lake' and 'Spotlight Kid'. Henne Basse (BRAINSTORM) sings all of the songs apart from those noted. The full lineup for the album includes 'weenies Deris, guitarists Roland Grapow and Michael Weikath, bassist Markus Grosskopf, vocalist Ralf Scheepers (PRIMAL FEAR), keyboardist Ferdy Doernberg (ROUGH SILK), keyboardist Axel Mattenrock (PUNCH), bassist Jens Becker (GRAVE DIGGER), guitarist Henjo Richter (GAMMA RAY), bassist Uwe Wessel (ex-Gamma Ray), keyboardist Markus Glossner, bassist Frank Helmut, guitarist Guido Bungenstock and keyboardist Jorn Ellerbrook. As well, Roland Grapow's newest solo release, Kaleidoscope, is out in Europe and Japan now. Bassist Markus Grosskopf side project, SHOCK MACHINE, is out in Japan as well. Michael Weikath's solo project will be composed of a few local musicians, and for a singer. Weiki is toying with the idea of having Ralf "Fummel" Maurer sing - he did backing vocals on Better Than Raw, on Andi's first solo effort AND on the current one (currently being wrapped up). Weiki says "He sounds a bit like Freddy Mercury". Also, Uli will most likely play the drums on the album.

Megadeth's forthcoming album, Risk, will now be released on August 31. 'Crush 'em' is the first single, which will also appear on the soundtrack to Universal Soldier: The Return, set for release on July 13. A video will be filmed in Los Angeles on Friday, June 4th with WCW champion Bill Goldberg and film star Jean-Claude Van Damme joining Megadeth in what promises to be an explosive production. Set in an industrial wasteland, much like where the video for Megadeth's song 'Hangar 18' was filmed, the video will feature the band's live performance of 'Crush em'' and interaction with the pair. Frontman, Dave Mustaine commenting on what appears to be a strong match, says "wrestling is aggressive much like our music, especially in its presentation and the fans are equally fanatical - I think we will all like each other. As a martial artist, I respect Van Damme and Goldberg's athletic abilities and look forward to working with them." Risk was produced in Nashville with Dan Huff, who produced Cryptic Writings. For all the latest Megadeth News check out http://hollywoodandvine.com/megadeth.

Out Of The Dungeons - A Tribute To SAVATAGE is a new tribute album due out through Progressive Arts/Conquest Music this fall. The band/track listing is as follows: CIVILIAN ('Prelude To Madness'), DOFKA ('Hall Of The Mountain King'), CAGE ('The Dungeons Are Calling'), OPPOSITE EARTH ('Of Rage And War'), PREMONITION ('White Witch'), DIVISION ('Power Of The Night'), CIPHER ('Chance'). More bands will be added. Contact conrecords@aol.com for more info.

ANDRE ANDERSEN, who just released his solo album, Changing Skin, is currently in the studio working on the new ROYAL HUNT album. In RH news, there have been a couple of changes in the band recently. Drummer Allen Srrensen became an official member of the band and they are currently auditioning vocalists to replace the departed D.C. Cooper. That's not stopping the band from working on their new studio album, in fact it's already written and the band is preparing to enter the studio to record. The working title is Fear. The band are still accepting demos of vocalists interested in the gig and they can send them to: Royal Hunt, c/o Majestic Entertainment, 5 Dakota Drive, Suite 305, Lake Success, New York 11042. Attention: New Vocalist.

Destiny have now completed the recording of 'Into The Nightmare' by the NWOBHM band DEMON. The track will be featured on the Demon Tribute, Day Of The Demon, scheduled for release in Germany in July. Destiny has also recorded 'Anguish And Fear' for the upcoming YNGWIE MALMSTEEN tribute album, A Guitar Odyssey. The band have now decided to also re-record Atomic Winter as well as Beyond All Sense and Nothing Left To Fear, scheduled to be released next year as a trilogy with the working name Millennium Trilogy.

Songwriting for KAMELOT's upcoming fourth album is almost finished. HEAVEN'S GATE guitarist Sascha Paeth will produce, with pre-production and recording slated for July/August - October, respectively. In Kamelot-related news, Youngblood plays on two tracks on ELEGY vocalist Ian Parry's upcoming solo album.

According to OPETH vocalist/guitarist Mikael Akerfeldt, the follow-up to My Arms...Your Hearse is "Fucking brilliant! You can't imagine just how satisfied we are. It came out the way we wanted and more. I have no title for the album yet, but I can tell you that it will be seven tracks in total, and a total running time just above 60 minutes or so. One track, 'Face Of Melinda' is maybe, just maybe, the best track we've ever recorded in my opinion." The album is due out through Peaceville before the end of the year.

Guitarist Sven Fischer and brothers Chris (dr) and Spiros Efthimiadis (g) have all left RAGE forcing mainman Peavy Wagner to cancel all further live activities. Wagner is in the process of putting together a new line-up and is hopeful to have the band up and running again in time for the Wacken Festival in early August. Rage's European tour, which had to be postponed along with all the other dates, will get under way in November. The tracklisting for their forthcoming Ghosts album is as follows: 'Beginning Of The End', 'Wash My Sins Away', 'Back In Time', 'Fear', 'Ghosts', 'Love After Death', 'Tomorrow's Yesterday', 'Spiritual Awakening', 'Vanished In Haze', 'End Of Eternity', 'Love And Fear Unite', 'More Than A Lifetime', 'The Past Means Nothing' and the Japanese bonus track '6 Feet Under Ground'.

Italy's progressive heroes LABYRINTH will be issuing a new EP called Timeless Crime this summer. A full-length is due out in October and will feature some live tracks, some re-recorded songs from the band's first demo and a cover of SANCTUARY's 'Die For My Sins'.

Megace's Inner War opus features GAMMA RAY's Dirk Schlachter and BLIND GUARDIAN's Charlie Bauerfiend.

The title of FATES WARNING guitarist JIM MATHEOS' new solo CD is Away With Words.