All Dream Theater fans really should pick up a copy of the brand new Fireworks magazine, which not only offers a great in-depth interview with the band, but also gives you a free track on the CD!

Dream Theater's fantastic new album Systematic Chaos is out as both CD and CD/DVD packages on June 4th, and don't forget to see them shedding on the second stage on the Sunday of the Download Festival.

MACHINE HEAD frontman Robert Flynn has issued the following update:

“I write to you from the beautiful city of Cleveland, Ohio in the United States of muthafuckin' America. We have been out with the HEAVEN AND HELL and MEGADETH guys now for almost three weeks, and man, what can I say… it's pretty unbelievable. Huge dressing rooms, killer catering, every enormo-bottle of Grey Goose vodka the venue can muster up, huge stages, killer lights, killer monitors, killer sound… and, we're on tour with BLACK SABBATH and MEGADETH… life is fuckin' good man.

“It's crazy, we've been having a blast on this tour. Tony Iommi walks by, 'You enjoying the tour?'… Dio pops into the dressing room with expensive wine and talks sports… Vinny Appice gives you a few beers… Geezer cracks a joke at his assistant's expense… it's like being in some alternate universe.

“The HEAVEN AND HELL camp have been amazing, treating us really well, a lot of respect, lots of love from the crew. They've made us feel very welcome. Even when they're kinda mad at us for all of our drunken friends they still give us the benefit of the doubt. The other night after the Texas show, we had so many fuckin' people in our dressing room partying and raging that they literally had security form a line between our dressing room and theirs, because every time one of 'em would walk out of their dressing room, one of our dumbass friends would beeline toward them — zombie like — 'Rooooooooooonnnnnniie!… Bleargh!!' They're really cool about it though, their people said, 'Can you and all your drunk friends please just go to the green room and party?' We're like 'Uhh… okay.'

“You can't really blame our drunk-ass friends though, it's not often that you see Tony Iommi standing 20 feet away from you. I can totally relate, Christ, it took me a week and a half just to muster up the balls to say 'Hi.' I never get starstruck, I mean, I NEVER get starstruck, but man, I don't know what it is… I see Iommi and there's so many things I want to say, and then I think, 'Nooo… I don't want to say any of that!' I have to do it before the tour's over though, I'll kick myself for the rest of my life if I don't.

“And man… they sound un-fucking-believable too, 'Holy Diver'!!!! Dio's voice is unreal!!! The band sounds great, they've got a really loose feel to their songs, lots of jamming, extended parts; which I was surprised about, I assumed they'd be strict about staying true to the records but there's a lot of improv onstage, it's bad-ass to watch.

“MEGADETH dudes are super fuckin' cool, the Drover brothers pester us wildly with all kinds of insane metal trivia, but they're great dudes. Those fools know their Bay Area thrash!!! James Lomenzo is a solid as fuck bass player, and Dave Mustaine, what can I say… the metal world would not be the same without him, he's such a larger-than-life character… but you know, he's surprisingly friendly and social. They're fuckin' rockin' it too. Killer set-list… I forgot how many of those songs are just SO good, and Glen Drover is nailing the leads HARD YO!!!

“A lot of tour highlights so far, the banners have been kick ass, thanks you guys!!! Bay Area show — DAAAAAAAAANG!!!! It was pretty fuckin' sick, biggest and baddest turn out for The Head so far, fools were ROCKIN' OUT! Huge merch night for us. Albuquerque was really good, and was also a HUGE merch night for us. Chicago… OH FUCK!? Minneapolis… holy shit!! Dallas…?! …YEAH, even the usually-docile Dallas crowd rocked out. Hung out with Vinnie Paul, Rita and Co. and had a blast, good LORD did the booze flow… we all had a few really cool moments together, kinda heavy now that I think about it.

“Just watched an advance of the movie 'Get Thrashed', it's a really fuckin' cool movie, done very, very well, it's a really cool ride down memory lane. A couple of inaccuracies here and there, particularly about the Bay Area scene and — even though he had some really cool shit to say — waaaaaay too much Katon De Pena from HIRAX (?!), but overall man, two thumbs way, WAY up! Good shit!!!

“Definitely looking forward to hitting the U.K. and Europe in a few weeks… cannot wait, seriously, cannot WAIT to get over there, it's gonna be fuckin HUGE, holy crap!!! Supporting MAIDEN in Rome… holy crap!!! Download and Rock Am Ring… holy crap!!! Metal Hammer Awards… holy DIVER!!! Let the vodka warm our bitter hearts and explode our souls with heavy metal fury and reckless abandon!”

SOURCE: BLABBERMOUTH

SHADOWS FALL frontman Brian Fair has issued the following update:

“Greetings from Massachusetts, the land of Red Sox hats, thick accents and a Dunkin Donuts on every corner.

“SHADOWS FALL has just returned home from an amazing seven-week run with our friends in STONE SOUR and LACUNA COIL as part of this year's J

Blabbermouth reports Megadeth frontman Dave Mustaine recently appeared on the French TV channel Game One, where he was a guest host.

He talked about Megadeth’s latest release ‘United Abominations’ and played the classic Megadeth track ‘Hangar 18’ on ‘Guitar Hero II’. You can watch the whole performance on YouTube:

Interview
Playing the game

Check out the video for Megadeth’s new version of the track “A Tout Le Monde (Set Me Free)” at this location. Also online is a live clip of Megadeth performing ‘Washington Is Next’, you can view the clip at YouTube.com.

'United Abominations' is out now!

Megadeth will be gracing our telly boxes tonight

Triple J’s “Full Metal Racket” (based in Australia) recently interviewed Stone Sour/Slipknot frontman Corey Taylor recently, you can listen to the interview in streaming audio at the Triple J website: Windows Media, Real Media (NOTE: The Corey Taylor interview begins at around the one-hour, 42-minute mark).

The guys are set to release an expanded edition of their sophomore album “Come What(ever) May“. The digipak version will feature six acoustic tracks, a DVD containing all the videos from the release and Stone Sour’s first live performance in Russia.

SOURCE: BLABBERMOUTH

Blabbermouth reports metallic master weavers DevilDriver are to film a video for their track ‘Not All Who Wander Are Lost’, from their third Roadrunner release ‘The Last Kind Words’.

The guys are currently on tour with Dimmu Borgir, Unearth and Kataklysm until the end of May, they then will embark on a European tour starting on 1st June for just one month. Whilst in the U.K. they will be attending the Metal Hammer Awards on 11th June.

‘The Last Kind Words’ is due for release on 31st July 2007, check out the track listing below:

01. Not All Who Wander Are Lost
02. Clouds Over California
03. Bound By The Moon
04. Horn Of Betrayal
05. These Fighting Words
06. Head On To Heartache (Let Them Rot)
07. Monsters Of The Deep
08. Tirades Of Truth
09. Burning Sermon
10. When Summoned
11. The Axe Shall Fall

You can view the cover artwork at this location.

Blabbermouth reports a video of Dream Theater recording their song “The Dark Eternal Night” from the guys forthcoming album “Systematic Chaos“, you can view the nine-minute clip at YouTube.

Drummer Mike Portnoy has been interviewed by The Mirror, you can also watch this online at YouTube.

You can check out Dream Theater’s EPK (Electronic Press Kit) for this release, “Systematic Chaos“, by downloading it here (QuickTime, 38.5 MB).

“Systematic Chaos” is due to be released in June