World Under Blood frontman Deron Miller (also of CKY) recently checked in with the following update regarding the bands forthcoming Nuclear Blast debut.

“tonight i have finalized the song titles for our first album! i have finished the lyrics for all of the songs; i have a decent idea for what i am going to do vocally next week…some of what i have done is pretty disturbing…but i am satisfied. i fly out to tampa tomorrow to meet up with the legendary mr. murphy to complete this album once and for all!

this album is brutal. these days, a lot of bands are judged by their technicality, and often that is seen as “heavier”. i agree to an extent, but the only problem is that the more technical a band is lately, the more that specific “song” LOSES. we could have done a record that was 20 notes per second, because every member of World Under Blood is capable of that…but on this record, we pretty much said…”lets make sure the songs are amazing”…i know they are…i have made sure and WILL make sure that they all turn out the way they were meant to be and certainly nothing less.

my only regret is that i mentioned this project too prematurely…some of you have been waiting for this since as early as november 2006…back then i was very ambitious and i expected to have it out in due time…apparently in november 2006 i believed that there were many more hours than 24 in a single day. plain and simple, i was excited to release a metal record. finally….
this is the tracklisting, but NOT in order.

1. Dead and Still In Pain
2. Under the Autumn Low
3. A God Among the Waste
4. Pyro-Compulsive
5. I Can’t Stand His Name
6. Into the Arms of Cruelty
7. Revere’s Tears
8. Purgatory Dormitory
9. Wake Up Dead

*10. Alliance or War…(bonus)”

As seen above, the sessions for the album yielded covers of Megadeth’s “Wake Up Dead” and Malevolent Creation’s “Alliance Or War“.

Megadeth frontman Dave Mustaine recently commented further on the ‘top secret project’ he’s been working on as of late, he offered the following:

“We finally finished the top secret project I have been working on and let’s just say that I have no doubt that it will be in just about every Heavy Metal music fans’ hands, one way or another, within the next year. I am so thankful for the turnaround of events and for Megadeth being able to be a part of your music life for so many, many years.

From the moment we started working on this new track until just Monday, it was a nail-biting experience, but also from day one until its completion we were being challenged by the excitement of the project, keeping it up to the quality that they expect from us and that they deserve, all while trying to contain all of this good that has been happening for me and for Megs.”

Returning Megadeth bassist David Ellefson has addressed his reunion with the band via the following statement:

“Greetings Droogies, Rattleheads and Everyone Around the World!

It is great to be back in MEGADETH! As you can imagine, it’s been quite a week getting back in the saddle with a gazillion things to get a handle on before we hit the road.

We are rehearsing for the upcoming “Rust In Peace” 20th Anniversary tour this week at Vic’s Garage, and I must say, the songs are ripping! Dave and I sound like we haven’t missed a beat. We have a special style we’ve created together over the years and it just fell right back into place instantly. I’ve definitely missed his ferocious guitar playing….no one does it quite like him.

Chris Broderick is a fantastic player and Shawn Drover lays down a nice pocket that keeps the songs sounding like the records, which makes them a treat to play to. Overall, the studio is a great hang and kind of like a music boot camp with guitars, amps and drums at our disposal so we can always be playing and working on tunes.

As always, there are gear needs to sort out before a tour, especially with music this demanding and particular. The crew is working very hard to get the details in order now to ensure an amazing show.

I want to thank you all for your overwhelming support, congratulations and excitement on my return back with the band and I look forward to seeing you all at the upcoming shows. Be ready for “The Punishment Due”!

David Ellefson“

Megadeth have officially reunited with original bassist David Ellefson. The official press release on the matter can be found below:

Megadeth founder and frontman Dave Mustaine has announced the return of original bassist David Ellefson (1983-2002) to the iconic multi-platinum group. This reunion is appropriately timed to Megadeth’s upcoming historic month-long Rust In Peace 20th anniversary tour which launches March 1 in Spokane, WA. At these incredibly special shows, Megadeth will play their landmark, genre-defining 1990 album Rust In Peace in its entirety, in addition to other Megadeth favorites.

“This shows the power of brotherly love and forgiveness,” Mustaine says. “David Ellefson belongs in Megadeth. Next we are going to show you the power of getting your asses kicked…HARD!”

David Ellefson concurs: “This is a huge moment for all of us, band and fans alike. It is a great celebration of the music from one of the biggest landmark albums of our career.”

Ellefson will join Mustaine and Megadeth band members Shawn Drover (drums) and Chris Broderick (guitar) on tour in support of the group’s current CD Endgame, which has received some of the highest critical accolades of the band’s career.

“We’d like to thank James LoMenzo for several years of loyal service on the bass, and wish him the very best,” Mustaine adds.

Megadeth frontman Dave Mustaine has been writing a new song for an upcoming ‘huge project’ with more details to be made available shortly. For now, Mustaine offered the following on the project and more:

“For the last few weeks I have been telling you about a huge project coming up. Well, yesterday I submitted our work for approval and it was approved, so very soon we will be able to say ‘what’ this very big announcement is. Rest assured it involves a new song that I have just recently written, with more co-writing from Chris Broderick. It’s another aggressive, complicated Megadeth track, and I will give you more details as soon as I can.

I was looking at the top 100 albums on Amazon in the Thrash category and we have 16 records in the Top 100 on their site. What a great feeling!

You also no doubt saw all of the tour dates coming in for 2010, which promises to be an extensive touring year. We are planning on (in no particular order – but this is close) doing the R.I.P. tour all of March with our dear friends in Exodus and Testament, which is progressing, then to South America in April, then Europe in June and early July, then Canada in late July, then the States in August with Slayer, then back to the Pacific Rim after that and HOPEFULLY Australia and New Zealand again. We are trying to make our “Pac Rim Tours” always include New Zealand, Australia, Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand, Japan, South Korea.

Hopefully we will soon be playing in China (and surrounding areas like Hong Kong, Taipei, and Taiwan), and also in Malaysia (of course we would need the government’s permission because we have been banned from playing in Malaysia because of a Satanic ritual where someone painted Megadeth at a crime scene and the government blamed us and banned us).”

Dates have been officially rescheduled for the “American Carnage Tour” which will see Slayer, Megadeth and Testament team up for an extensive North American trek, they run as follows:

July 23rd Quebec City, QC – Pavillon de la Jeunesse
July 24th Montreal, QC – Parc Jean-Drapeau
July 26th Halifax, NS – Metro Centre
July 27th Moncton, NB – Moncton Coliseum
July 29th Toronto, ON – Molson Amphitheatre
July 30th London, ON – John Labatt Centre Center
August 11th Glens Falls, NY – Glens Falls Civic Center
August 12th East Rutherford, NJ – Izod Center
August 14th Boston, MA – Tsongas Arena
August 15th Camden, NJ – Susquehanna Bank Center
August 16th Wallingford, CT – Chevrolet Theatre
August 18th Cleveland, OH – Tower City Amphitheatre
August 19th Detroit, MI – Joe Louis Arena
August 20th Chicago, IL – UIC Pavillon
August 21st Minneapolis, MN – Roy Wilkins Auditorium
August 23rd Kansas City, KS – Cap Fed Park @Sandstone
August 25th Denver, CO -Magness Arena,
August 26th Albuquerque, NM – Tingley Coliseum
August 27th Phoenix, AZ – Dodge Theatre
August 29th San Diego, CA – Cricket Wireless Amphitheatre
August 30th Long Beach, CA – Long Beach Arena
August 31st San Francisco, CA – Cow Palace
September 01st Sacramento, CA – Arco Arena
September 03rd Seattle, WA – Wamu Theatre
September 04th Portland, OR – Washington County Fairgrounds

The tour was originally postponed as a result of Slayer frontman/bassist Tom Araya suffering from Cervical Radiculopathy. He has since underwent a surgical procedure known as Anterior Cervical Disectomy with Fusion and is well on his way to recovery. Band manager Rick Sales offered the following to that end:

“The doctors said that Tom’s surgery went very smoothly and was a resounding success. He’s home now, doing really well, and he said the numbness in his fingers had already diminished considerably.”

Furthermore, the official press release for the tour had the following caveat:

“Due to venue availability and other conflicts, the shows originally scheduled in El Paso, Houston, Nashville, Duluth, and Louisville cannot be rescheduled at this time, and ticket holders may obtain refunds at point of purchase. However, new cities have been added to the American Carnage itinerary, with dates now scheduled in Cleveland, Kansas City, San Diego, and Sacramento.”

Megadeth frontman/guitarist Dave Mustaine recently checked in with the following update regarding the bands rehearsals for their upcoming “Rust In Peace” 20th anniversary tour:

“RIP rehearsal are going pretty good. We are sorting out some new gear, organizing the stuff we’ve got, hot-rodding everything, and deciding on several aspects of the show. Of course we realize that RIP was approximately 45 minutes long, and our show is longer than that, that we are going to need to keep several other classics in the show as well as our favorite new songs too.

So far we went over Holy Wars, Hangar 18, Tornado of Souls, Take No Prisoners, Five Magics, and Poison Was The Cure. I am letting a DAT run in the background for serendipity in case I have a moment where I come up with something new and it doesn’t slip away if I don’t record it.

It may sound strange to hear that we are going over the songs that we already know, but this is a pivotal record in Heavy Metal and it didn’t become that way by playing what we think is right. We have all been under the microscope and we have found several things that we have improved on, as well as learning the new RIP songs, and I can’t stop smiling while we are playing.

Its kinda cool too to be brainwashing myself with RIP before we get ready to go into the studio for our ultimate Roadrunner record. I am not going to go on record and say anything yet until I can sing over these songs, but for now, watching Chris play these solos is mind-blowing. Its just like Marty was here again.

When you guys ’see’ Shawn you are going to be blown away, as well as how ferociously he is playing right now. Speaking of Shawn, we are getting ready to go with James up to the Grammys today, and do some pre-lim stuff. Shawn and I wrote “Head Crusher,” and the funny thing is that this is my eight nomination and I have never won.

I think what’s the use going, but then I see Shawn’s enthusiasm for his first time ever being nominated, and I am actually excited for our chances and for him. Of course we are nominated in a category with formidable competition, and they are all of our friends. I actually joked with Kerry King and said, “Can ya let us win it this year?”

Honestly, I don’t think I was ready to fully appreciate what this all means the previous times. I know that we may win, and that we may not. I know what it feels like to lose, and I would like to know what it feels like to win. I mean I would really be excited if Shawn and I won, but either way we have been recognized by our peers to be one of the best and I am proud to be back in the finals for the Grammys.”

Initial bands have been announced for this years edition of the annual “Download Festival” which will take place at Donington Park in the UK from June 11th through to June 13th. Groups tapped to play so far include

AC/DC
Megadeth
Deftones
Motorhead
Stone Temple Pilots
Wolfmother
Them Crooked Vultures
Bullet For My Valentine
Volbeat

More details on the festival can be found at www.downloadfestival.co.uk.