Atreyu's new video for 'Becoming The Bull' is up on their myspace page. Becoming the Bull is the first single from Atreyu's new album Lead Sails Paper Anchor. In stores August 27, 2007!

Progressive metal trailblazers Dream Theater have launched a charity auction series in conjunction with Camp Good Days and Special Times. Camp Good Days and Special Times are non-profit organizations dedicated to improving the quality of life for children, adults and families whose lives have been touched by cancer, AIDS, and other life threatening challenges. Camp Good Days facilitates residential camping experiences at their recreational facility in New York and year-round support activities. All proceeds collected from these auctions will be donated to the charity and will be used to support the many programs and services offered. The band will continually donate a variety of memorabilia to the charity until June 2008 and the items will be available for auction via eBay.

The first item currently up for bid is a 30GB white iPod autographed by the entire band and loaded with the complete Dream Theater catalogue, as well as music from band members' multiple side projects. Dubbed the “Dream Pod” by world-renowned drummer Mike Portnoy, this iPod is autographed in silver and contains 950 Dream Theater and band related songs pre-loaded into the iPod by Portnoy himself. This one of a kind item will be up for auction until August 18th and 100% of proceeds collected from it will be donated to Camp Good Days. More items are scheduled to enter the auction block within the next months. All items can be accessed via the Dream Theater Charity Auction site page and the iPod is currently up for auction at: http://stores.ebay.com/Dream-Theater-Charity-Auction-Site.

Dream Theater are currently on a North American headlining tour. UK dates are scheduled for October 11-13 & November 9-11.

For more information on Camp Good Days and Special Times, please visit: http://www.campgooddays.org/.

Shadows Fall

Roadrunner Records are proud to announce the worldwide signing (ex-North America & Canada) of New Orleans-based sludge-doom supergroup DOWN. Their forthcoming third album, ‘DOWN III – Over the Under' will be released on September 24th.

To anyone who cares anything for classic rock and metal, despite only releasing two albums, DOWN are important. Semi-legendary. Almost mythical – rising every six years or so to deliver a benchmark album to the metal hoardes. Boasting an amalgamation of talent from the American South's most important, genre-defining metal outfits – Pantera, Crowbar, EyeHateGod, Superjoint Ritual and Corrosion of Conformity – and featuring one of the most charismatic and engaging metal frontmen of our time, Phil Anselmo, they push boundaries and play by their own rules. This time, it's different. This time, it's not a side-project. DOWN has become a full-blown project.

Roadrunner Records prides itself on a roster of bands that are the very best in their genre and DOWN fit that criteria perfectly. Derek Oliver & Dante Bonutto who brought their A&R skills to Roadrunner Records in November 2006 instigated the deal. They were thrilled to bring DOWN to the Roadrunner stable, stating: “Being involved with this new/third album from Down is something we're incredibly excited about. In many ways, 'Over The Under' represents a fresh start for the band; no more external politics, brand new teams taking care of business, nothing to hold the project back – and now of course former Pantera bassist Rex is involved with the set-up too. As for Phil Anselmo, he's truly the most iconic frontman in the hard rock & metal worlds, a performer totally loved by the fans, who hang on his every word – and he always has something to say! Quite simply, his influence on the scene (both musically & visually) is hard to overestimate.”

DOWN – Philip Anselmo (vox), Rex Brown (bass), Pepper Keenan (guitar), Kirk Windstein (guitar) and Jimmy Bower (drums) came together to begin work on album three just before Hurricane Katrina hit their hometown city of New Orleans in August 2005. Having released two records as a side-project from their ‘day jobs' in other bands, the band gathered to start work on new material. After the tragedy of the hurricane in which the members were displaced and separated for many months, the band reconvened. It was obvious then that this was no longer a side project. With everyone having honoured previous commitments with their respective bands, the NOLA natives were focused on DOWN and DOWN alone, having found new life and a new bond through the common tragedies they endured both separately and collectively, not only with Katrina but with the untimely passing of their friend, Dimebag Darrell. It was all fuel to the fire, culminating in the most definitive record of their career.

In the summer of 2006, DOWN embarked on a six week European headline tour with no opening band, no product and a strictly ‘word of mouth' ethos, yet proceeded to sell out all 21 shows. Off the back of this success, the band were invited to play the ‘secret guest' slot at the UK's mammoth Download Festival at Donington Park and were one of the talking points of the weekend. Inspired by the response, the band reconnected in New Orleans to start work on this, their most ambitious record to date. Having already tapped the Grammy Award winning producer Warren Riker, who worked with them on their second release, ‘DOWN II – A Bustle in Your Hedgerow', the band demoed 18 songs in Nodferatu's Lair, Philip Anselmo's studio in the swamps of Folsom, LA, with engineer David “Puma' Troia. In February 2007, the band began tracking on their third and most committed record to date. Recorded in Los Angeles between February and July, with a Canadian tour with Heaven & Hell thrown in for good measure, 15 songs were ultimately cut for the release. The result is over 60 minutes of genre-defying music further solidifying their place at the forefront of heavy rock. A step up and beyond what they've ever achieved before.

To chronicle the last five years leading to the release of ‘DOWN III – OVER THE UNDER', Philip Anselmo will be placing periodic updates on the band's websites over the course of the next month, leading into release. This is Philip's personal communication to the band's loyal fanbase and gives a first hand account the tragedy, isolation, rebirth and ultimate triumph of one of the most important band' of our time. The first instalment appears on Friday August 17th on http://www.down-nola.com and www.myspace.com/downnola

Expect a European tour later this year.

www.BornInBlood.co.uk has teamed up with LiveNation to give away one pair of tickets to the Black Crusade show taking place on the 23rd November at the Birmingham NEC. Confirmed bands for the show are – MACHINE HEAD, TRIVIUM, DRAGONFORCE, ARCH ENEMY & SHADOWS FALL.

To win these amazing tickets you have to send in an email with your favourite joke ever. The top 5 jokes will be voted upon in a public forum and the winner of the vote will get the tickets.

The closing date for the jokes is going to be August 31st. Voting will take place throughout September and the winner will receive their tickets in the post in October.

Send emails to webmaster@borninblood.co.uk with the title BLACK CRUSADE JOKE.

Paramore have filmed a relaxed

Metal Mind Production are releasing Roadrunner catalogue albums in a limited edition digipak format. These releases can be found in specialist rock and metal stores.

Below you can click to view some of the albums covers which are being released

Trojan Chasing the Storm
Shelter Mantra
Quick Change Circus of Death
Blessed Death Destined for Extinction

Below are the Albums and Issue dates for the work Metal Mind are releasing

To be released 30.07.2007

Shelter Mantra (remastered + bonus tracks)
Shelter Beyond Planet Earth (remastered + bonus tracks)
Karma To Burn Mountain Mama's (remastered + bonus tracks)
Defiance Insomnia (remastered + bonus tracks)
Blessed Death Destined For Extinction (remastered)
Amen Amen (remastered + bonus tracks)
Front Line Assembly Millenium (remastered + bonus tracks)
Front Line Assembly Monument (remastered)
Front Line Assembly Reclamation (remastered)
Optimum Wound Profile Lowest Common Dominator (remastered)
Optimum Wound Profile Silver or Lead (remastered)
Trojan Chasing the Storm (remastered)
Quick Change Circus of Death (remastered + bonus tracks)
Artillery Through the Years (remastered + bonus tracks)

To be released 06.08.2007

Kinetic Dissent I Will Fight No More Forever (remastered)
Paradox Heresy (remastered + bonus tracks)
Paradox Product of Imagination (remastered + bonus tracks)
Treponem Pal Furytales (4CD + 1 DVD) (remastered + bonus tracks)

Roadrunner TV have released the first installments of two fascinating interviews with Madina Lake and Divine Heresy.

Amazon.co.uk is offering for one week only Madina Lakes ground breaking album 'From them through us to you' at an incredibly low price as part of its Deal of the Week promotion.

To make the most of this unbeatable offer CLICK HERE.

The third out of five webisodes has been posted online documenting the recording process of Atreyu’s forthcoming album ‘Lead Sails Paper Anchor’ due for release on 28th August. Check it out in the media below:

Real Media

Windows Media

Quicktime

The guys have been previewing some tracks while on the Family Values Tour in the US – one of those tracks is ‘Becoming the Bull’ which is the No.1 most added song at Active Rock Radio and is featured in EA Sports Madden ’08 video game.

SOURCE: BLABBERMOUTH