A first for a hard rock band, MÖTLEY CRÜE is headed to Sin City - Las Vegas, Nevada - where they will hold court in The Joint at The Hard Rock Hotel for three weeks, performing a total of 12 shows starting February 3rd. Check out an official commercial for the event below :

Confirmed dates are February 3rd, 4th, 5th, 8th, 10th, 11th,12th, 14th, 15th, 17th, 18th and 19th. Tickets are on sale now for shows starting one week from tonight and are available at The Joint box office and Ticketmaster.

Bay Area death metal pioneers AUTOPSY have revealed the cover art and tracklisting for their upcoming 22-track collection, All Tomorrow’s Funerals. This historical album is set for a February 28th release on Peaceville Records, and will contain remastered versions of all of Autopsy’s past EP’s - everything from Retribution For The Dead to the now sold-out The Tomb Within - plus four brand new tracks.

Renowned artist, Matt Cavotta, has supplied the cover art, while all original artwork and liner notes will also be included in this monstrous collection.

The tracklisting for All Tomorrow’s Funerals is as follows :

’All Tomorrow’s Funerals’ (new track)
’Broken People’ (new track)
’Mauled To Death’ (new track)
’Maggot Holes’ (new track)
’The Tomb Within’
’My Corpse Shall Rise’
’Seven Skulls’
’Human Genocide’
’Mutant Village’
’Horrific Obsession’
’Feast Of The Graveworm’
’Funereality’
’Fiend For Blood’
’Keeper Of Decay’
’Squeal Like A Pig’
’Ravenous Freaks’
’A Different Kind of Mindfuck’
’Dead Hole’
’Retribution For The Dead’
’Destined To Fester’
’In The Grip of Winter’
’Sign Of The Corpse’

AUTOPSY have announced an exclusive US midwest appearance, the band’s first show in Chicago since 1993, on Saturday, March 5th at Reggies (2105 South State St., Chicago, IL).

Also on the bill are BONES (featuring former members of USURPER) and another act, to be announced. Further details at this Facebook event page.

Having spent the better half of the last year on the road supporting acts such as OF MICE AND MEN and AS I LAY DYING, IWRESTLEDABEARONCE has announced that they will be headlining their next US tour, Road To Metal Fest. Kicking off on April 16th in Oklahoma City, OK the string of dates will lead into New England Metal and Hardcore Festival on April 21st and continue on until wrapping up in Flagstaff, AZ on May 1st.

Alongside Iwrestledabearonce, the Road To Metal Fest tour features some of the quickest rising acts in the heavy music scene including MOLOTOV SOLUTION, GLASS CLOUD and THE GREENERY. A full list of dates are below and pre-order tickets are available Here.

"We’re super excited about this tour and the opportunity to play New England Metal and Hardcore Fest again !", says Iwrestledabearonce guitarist Steven Bradley.

The New England Metal and Hardcore Festival is the largest, longest running and most successful metal festival in the United States. It has presented some of the biggest and up-and-coming artists in the metal and hardcore music genres over the past 13 years.

"A lot of these shows are in venues we missed in 2011, so can’t wait to party with all you folks for the first time in a while. Come hang out with us and let’s make mistakes !"

Scott Lee, promoter for both the festival and the Road To Metal Fest tour adds, "I’m very proud of the line up for this tour and I feel very comfortable that this represents the festival at its core. I’m also excited to get the chance to extend this tour leading up to the New England Metal and Hardcore Festival."

For more information on the New England Metal and Hardcore Festival here.

Road To Metal Fest Tour dates include :

April
16 - Oklahoma City, OK - Conservatory
17 - Memphis, TN - New Daisy Theater
18 - Knoxville, TN - Valarium
20 - Springfield, VA - Empire
21 - Worcester, MA - The Palladium - New England Metal and Hardcore Festival
23 - Pittsburgh, PA - Altar Bar
24 - Evansville, IN - Boney Junes
25 - Bloomington, IL - The Castle Theater
26 - Des Moines, IA - Vaudeville Mews
27 - Iowa City, IA - Blue Moose
29 - Denver, CO - Marquis Theatre
30 - Albuquerque, NM - Launchpad

May
1 - Flagstaff, AZ - Cinnabar

Swedish rockers EUROPE will call their new album, Bag Of Bones. Due in April or May, Bag Of Bones will be the band’s ninth studio album. Sitting in the producer’s chair was Kevin Shirley (IRON MAIDEN, BLACK STONE CHERRY, JOURNEY).

In live news, Europe has the following shows booked :

May
17 - Bikers Festival - Wetzikon, Switzerland
25 - Metallsvenskan - Orebro, Sweden

June
24 - Graspop Festival - Dessel, Belgium
30 - Kirunafestivalen - Kiruna, Sweden

July
21 - Osla Live - Porvoo, Finland
27 - Rock Of Ages - Seebronn, Germany

KYUSS LIVES !, GRAND MAGUS, GRAVEYARD, ORANGE GOBLIN, WITCHCRAFT and MY SLEEPING KARMA are the latest acts confirmed for Metalfest 2012 which will hit the following countries next May and June : Austria, Germany, Poland, Croatia, Italy, Switzerland and the Czech Republic.

Confirmed to play Metalfest 2012 :

MEGADETH – exclusive festival shows 2012
IN EXTREMO
BLIND GUARDIAN
KREATOR – exclusive festival shows 2012
KYUSS LIVES !
W.A.S.P. 30th Anniversary Show !
BEHEMOTH
EDGUY
FEAR FACTORY
HYPOCRISY – exclusive festival shows 2012
LEGION OF THE DAMNED
DARK TRANQUILLITY
SALTATIO MORTIS
ENSIFERUM
POWERWOLF
MOONSPELL - Album Release Show Alpha Noir
ALESTORM
GRAND MAGUS
GRAVEYARD
EPICA
DEATH ANGEL – The Ultra Violence Set
TRIPTYKON
LAKE OF TEARS
VADER
ORANGE GOBLIN
SWALLOW THE SUN
WITCHCRAFT
SEPTICFLESH
MY SLEEPING KARMA
SKULL FIST
HATE
FLESHGOD APOCALYPSE
FEUERSCHWANZ
MYSTIC PROPHECY
NACHTBLUT

Notes :

- Blind Guardian will not play at Metalfest Dessau/Germany
- Orange Goblin, Witchcraft, My Sleeping Karma, Saltatio Mortis, Feuerschwanz, Mystic Prohphecy, Nachtblut will only play Metalfest Germany and Austria
- Megadeth and In Extremo will not play at Metalfest Switzerland
- W.A.S.P. will not play at Metalfest Loreley/Germany
- Lake of Tears will only play Metalfest Germany, Austria and Croatia
- Swallow The Sun will only play Metalfest Germany, Austria and Switzerland
- Epica will only play Metalfest Loreley
- Moonspell will only play Metalfest Germany, Austria, Croatia, Poland and Switzerland
- Edguy will only play Metalfest Germany (Loreley/Dessau)
- Kyuss Lives will only play Metalfest Germany, Austria, Italy and Switzerland
- Graveyard will only play Metalfest Dessau and Austria

An official trailer can be seen below :

Metalfest 2012 dates :

May 31 - June 2 : Mining - Metalfest Austria
May 31 - June 2 : Dessau - Metalfest Germany/East
June 1-3 : Jaworzno - Metalfest Poland
June 3-5 : Zadar - Metalfest Croatia
June 5-6 : Milan - Metalfest Italy
June 7-9 : Loreley - Metalfest Germany/West
June 7-10 : Pratteln - Metalfest Switzerland
June 8-10 : Plzen - Metalfest Czech Republic

For more details visit Facebook.

Swedish black metal horde MARDUK are confirmed for the Sweden Rock Cruise 2012. BLIND GUARDIAN are headlining the event which also includes SODOM, NOCTURNAL RITES and KRUX. One more band will be confirmed soon.

The ship Tallink Silja Galaxy departs from Stockholm, Sweden on March 29th and makes a round trip to Turku, Finland to return to Stockholm 23 hours later (March 30th). Tickets are on sale now.

For more details visit Sweden Rock Cruise.

Sweden’s DEATHSTARS have again been confirmed as direct support to RAMMSTEIN on their upcoming European tour.

The band commented : “We’re thrilled to be given the opportunity to join Rammstein again for the second leg of their tour, last run was amazing and this one will as well be filled with darkness !”

Furthermore the band has also confirmed a run of headlining shows. All tour dates can be seen below :

February (supporting Rammstein)
3 – Hannover, Germany - TUI Arena
6 – Kaunas, Lithuania - Zalgiris Arena
7 – Riga, Latvia - Arena (Latvia)
10 – Moscow, Russia - Sport Complex Olympiski
11 – Moscow, Russia - Sport Complex Olympiski
13 - St. Petersburg, Russia - Sport Concert Complex
15 – Helsinki, Finland - Hartwall Arena
17 – Stockholm, Sweden - Ericsson Globe Arena
19 – Oslo, Norway - Vallhall
21 – Copenhagen, Denmark - Forum
22 – Herning, Denmark - Jyske Bank Boxen
24 – London, UK - O2 Arena
25 – Birmingham, UK - LG Arena
27 – Dublin, Ireland -The O2
29 – Newcastle, UK - Metro Arena

March
1 – Manchester, UK - Men Arena
2 – Nottingham, UK - Capital FM Arena
4 – Rotterdam, The Netherlands - Ahoy
6 – Paris, France - Bercy
7 – Paris, France - Bercy
8 – Antwerp, Belgium - Sportpalais

February (headlining dates)
18 – Karlstad, Sweden - Nöjesfabriken
28 – Glasgow, Scotland - Cathouse Saint Barthelemy

March
3 – Southampton, UK - The Cellar
9 – Strasbourg, France - La Laiterie
10 – Köln, Germany - Luxor
12 – München, Germany - Halle / Backstage Club
13 – Budapest, Hungary - Dürer-Kert
14 – Vienna, Austria - Szene
15 – Ljubljana, Slovenia - Gala Hala
16 - Pinarella Di Cervia, Italy - Rock Planet
17 – Pratteln, Switzerland - Z7
18 - Esch-Sur-Alzette, Luxembourg - Rockhal
20 – Hamburg, Germany - Logo
21 – Berlin, Germany – Postbahnhof
22 – Warzaw, Poland - Progresja

The video for the band’s most recent single release ‘M.E.T.A.L.’ can be viewed below !

Metal legend King Diamond will return to playing concerts. The official King Diamond/Mercyful Fate Website, Coven Worldwide, issued a statement regarding new booking agents. King Diamond will use Nick Storch at ICM for booking concerts in North and South America, and Paul Ryan of the Agency Group to book Europe and the Rest of the World.

King comments :

“It is great to be in the top professional hands of Nick and Paul. They both come highly recommended by Brian Slagel of Metal Blade, who personally suggested the partnership that is now in effect. ICM and The Agency Group have so much combined experience, which will open new doors for us. When it comes to getting us back on stage again, we all agree on how to bring King Diamond to a whole new level. Within a few weeks, we should be able to announce the first part of our plan. WELCOME ON BOARD AND STAY HEAVY.”

King Diamond adds : “There’ll be a lot more great news coming the next couple of weeks. It’s been difficult keeping everything under wraps, but soon it will all be out in the open. I want to thank you for your amazing patience. We will get back to the Skype sessions in not too long as well.”

King Diamond last released "Give Me Your Soul" in 2007. Due to issues related to a herniated disc, he canceled a North American tour with Kreator and has not announced any new tour plans. King experienced further draw backs when he underwent Triple Bypas Surgery in December 2010.

Tonight (Friday, January 27th), vocalist SEBASTIAN BACH and guitarist STEVE STEVENS join Eddie Trunk live in studio for his Q104.3 NYC/syndicated show. It airs live from 11:00pm - 2:00am EST on Q104.3 in the New York City area and can also be heard for free online via the iheartradio app (here).

For more info follow Eddie on Twitter @eddietrunk.

As previously reported, Bach and Stevens will be holding a three night stand at the Iridium Jazz Club in New York City from January 27th - 29th. In addition, Stevens will play a one-off show at the club with the LES PAUL TRIO on January 30th

There will be live webcast at 8:00pm and 10:00pm for the January 28th show. Go to www.iridiumlive.net for details and to tune in.

Bach’s upcoming Kicking & Screaming & Touring 2012 dates are as follows :

February
1 - Ziggy’s - Winston Salem, NC
2 - Ram’s Head Live - Baltimore, MD
3 - The Omni - Toledo, OH
4 - Emerald Theatre - Mt Clemens, MI
7 - Peabody’s Cleveland, OH
8 - Cubby Bear - Chicago, IL
10 - The Venue At The Hub - Fargo, ND
11 - Deerfoot Inn and Casino - Calgary, AB

April
12 - Teatro Caupolican - Santiago, Chile
13 - Teatro Flores - Buenos Aires, Argentina
14 - Carioca Club - São Paulo, Brazil
15 - Opiniao Porto - Alegre, Brazil

June
7 - Sweden Rock Festival - Norje, Sweden

METALLICA will headline the fourth edition of Sonisphere Festival Finland which is taking place June 4th at Kalasatama in Helsinki. Other acts scheduled to perform include MACHINE HEAD, AMORPHIS, GOJIRA and GHOST.

Tickets go on sale on Monday, February 6th at 9:00 AM. For more details visit this location.

METALLICA, SOUNDGARDEN, SLAYER, WITHIN TEMPTATION, GOJIRA and MASTODON are among the acts confirmed for Sonisphere Festival Spain which is being held in Madrid on May 26th at Getafe Open Air. Metallica will headline that Saturday and will perform the Black Album in its entirety to celebrate the 20th anniversary of its release.

Confirmed acts include : METALLICA, SOUNDGARDEN, SLAYER, WITHIN TEMPTATION, MASTODON, CHILDREN OF BODOM, KYUSS LIVES !, GOJIRA, CLUTCH, ORANGE GOBLIN, SKINDRED, GHOST and more !

Tickets go on sale Tuesday, January 31st at 10:00 AM. For more information, head over to this location.

JON OLIVA’S PAIN have checked in with the following update :

"Going to have some serious Euro tour news in the next few days. All those available with not want to miss this 25th Anniversary tour of the Hall Of The Mountain King record. It will be epic... and there will be a Tampa show prior to our leap across the pond. You stay heavy, USA !"

SAVATAGE’s metal masterpiece Hall Of The Mountain King was released in 1987. Then came the brutal debut release from DOCTOR BUTCHER in 1995. Now after 25 years, JON OLIVA’S PAIN will bring both these albums to the Europe Festival/venue stages in 2012 as they perform an anniversary assault of music from both iconic records.

Along with Hall Of The Mountain King and Doctor Butcher, the band will perform additional Savatage and JOP songs and continue to celebrate the life and work of JOP’s recently departed guitarist and brother, Matthew LaPorte.

The lineup will consist of Jon Oliva (vocals and keys), Christopher Kinder (drums), Jerry Outlaw (guitars), Jason Jennings (bass) and a very special guest guitarist to be announced soon.

Confirmed shows so far are listed below. More shows to be added in the coming weeks. A Florida date will kick of this tour in June.

Graspop Metal Meeting : June 22nd - 24th in Dessel, Belgium Bang Your Head Festival : July 13th - 14th in Balingen, Germany

The Mountain King returns once again for this once in a lifetime show. Don’t miss it !

David Ellefson and Shawn Drover of MEGADETH have checked in from Camden, NJ with a Gigantour video blog update. Check out the footage below !

India’s BLACKHEART has checked in with the following brief announcement about releasing the new EP "Anti-Corruption" as a free download online :

"The thing that you people have long awaited for ! Many changes came in the release date ! Blackheart’s debut E.P ’Anti-Corruption’ is finally out here !"

BORN OF OSIRIS, which split with guitarist Jason Richardson earlier this month, has now posted a new official music video online for the track "Follow the Signs." Check out the Andrew Pulaski directed music video below !