Hard rock enigma SlipKnoT has posted the 5th teaser photograph from a recent photo shoot on the splash page of its web site. Check out this teaser picture here:

Bob Suehs of Rock N Roll Experience recently conducted an interview with FEAR FACTORY/ASCENSION OF THE WATCHERS frontman and current MINISTRY touring singer Burton C. Bell. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow:

Rock N Roll Experience: Is this really MINISTRY's last tour?

Burton Bell: Yup!

Rock N Roll Experience: Not even a one-off show here or there?

Burton: No dude, he's (Al Jourgensen) done, he's done, and some fans have just got to let it go. Nothing lasts forever, but think of it as a new beginning for Al. MINISTRY is ending, but Al is doing some new stuff. He's talking about finishing off LARD with one more LARD record and finishing up PAILHEAD with one more PAILHEAD record, but he's gonna do soundtracks, working with his label, so he's still gonna be doing music, but MINISTRY is done and he's done. He's been doing it for almost 30 years...

Rock N Roll Experience: But Ozzy Osbourne said that too!

Burton: Al has more conviction than Ozzy.

Rock N Roll Experience: You don't think Al will get the urge to get back onstage again?

Burton: Nope...I sincerely believe that he is talking from his heart when he says that he is done. I say more power to it.

Rock N Roll Experience: As a MINISTRY fan though, aren't you a little bummed?

Burton: No, because I'm still working with him. (laughs) You know, some things must end. Sorry, Ozzy, he's writing shitty music. (laughs)

Rock N Roll Experience: But it's all about Zakk Wylde when it comes to Ozzy music for me.

Burton: I'm sorry... it sucks! That last song I heard from Ozzy just blew!

Rock N Roll Experience: You didn't like "I Don't Wanna Stop" from Ozzy?

Burton: Nahhhhh. Come on, dude!

Rock N Roll Experience: I liked what Zakk Wylde did on that song.

Burton: I don't know... I think it was just weak (laughs), but that's just my opinion and my opinion doesn't really mean anything.

Rock N Roll Experience: So what is going on with FEAR FACTORY?

Burton: Nothing.

Rock N Roll Experience: Is FEAR FACTORY over with?

Burton: We're taking some time off to figure some shit out. I ve been doing FEAR FACTORY for 17 years and I need to do something different for a while and everything comes to an end at some point.

Rock N Roll Experience: You were speaking recently with Dino [Cazares, former FEAR FACTORY guitarist]. Is there any chance you'll play with him again?

Burton: Dino and I were friends way before FEAR FACTORY, so he came to the L.A. [MINISTRY] show because Tony [Campos] is in ASESINO [with Dino], so they are friends and he showed up backstage and there he was and I said, "Hey," and it was like two old friends but I'm not talking any business with him. It felt good; it was cool.

Rock N Roll Experience: Did you see the last MINISTRY tour with Joey Jordison [SLIPKNOT] on drums?

Burton: Yeah, that was OK. He's (Joey Jordison) an OK drummer.

Rock N Roll Experience: Come on, Joey Jordison was good!

Burton: He's sloppy! Aaron [Rossi, current MINISTRY touring drummer] is way better! He's (Joey) good for SLIPKNOT, you know, but...I think Aaron is way better, he's tighter, he's more consistent.

Rock N Roll Experience: Have you ever met any rockstars who were a**holes?

Burton: A LOT! (laughs) Honestly, Chino [Moreno] from the DEFTONES. I remember, we toured with the DEFTONES and that guy never talked… I tried to go talking to that guy and he never talked to me, I even went up to him backstage after one of his shows in L.A. and I just tried to talk to him and he was like [does a shrugged off impression].

Rock N Roll Experience: It was probably drugs.

Burton: Or he's just a dick! But, he was always a dick to me... I'm probably talking way too much. Can I say this? I'm gonna erase this (points to mini-disc recorder) right now. (laughs)

Rock N Roll Experience: If you don't want me to use any of this interview, I won't...let me know

Burton: Well, I'm not lying, so... I'm telling the truth, so if he (Chino) tries to deny it, I'm like, well, "Fuck you." I'll never see him again anyway! I've met a lot of cool people on this current tour...I got to meet some of my heroes like Jello Biafra, got to meet Ogre, got to meet Billy Gibbons.

SlipKnoT has been confirmed as one of the headliners of the German AREA4 Festival, set to take place August 29-31 at the airport Borkenberge in Lüdinghausen (Lüdinghausen is located between Dortmund and Münster). The festival billing is shaping up as follows:

Slipknot
Plain White T's
Apocalyptica
The Subways
Pennywise
Millencolin
Die Ärzte
Gogol Bordello
Serj Tankian
Louis XIV
Madsen
State Radio
Kilians
aVid*
Playfellow
Less Than Jake

Hard rock enigma SlipKnoT has posted a new teaser photograph from a recent photo shoot on the splash page of its web site. Check out this teaser picture here:

Watch behind the scenes from recording of highly anticipated new Walls of Jericho EP, entitled "Redemption", below. Produced by Corey Taylor (SLIPKNOT, STONE SOUR), the CD may surprise some fans used to the band's brutal metal because it features a primarily melodic vocals and acoustic instruments.

Trustkill Records has set an April 29 release date for the highly anticipated new EP from Detroit's WALLS OF JERICHO, entitled "Redemption". Produced by Corey Taylor (SLIPKNOT, STONE SOUR), the CD may surprise some fans used to the band's brutal metal because it features a primarily melodic vocals and acoustic instruments.

"Redemption", recorded in Taylor's Iowa home studio, is a project that has been in the back of the band's minds for several years, and they are excited to get it out there.

"We're really looking forward to fans seeing a different side of us," vocalist Candace Kucsulain says. "For seven to eight years we've wanted to do it. I sang in the choir when I was young but this band never allowed for that kind of approach especially live." Adds guitarist Mike Hasty, "It's really different from what we do but at the same time I hear us everywhere in it."

In addition to the EP, the band promises a new full-length to follow this summer. The band is currently holed up in an abandoned house in middle-of-nowhere Michigan writing the full-length. The music will definitely follow the mesh of metallic venom and concrete fury of hardcore/punk that the band is known for.

Of the album, Candace says, "We've been trapped in this house together living and breathing music. We're literally in the middle of woods between two cornfields. We're putting all that we have into this new record, and trust me; it will be extremely heavy. Right now we're calling it a 'thrash metal delicacy.'"

After they finish writing, the members of WALLS OF JERICHO will head to Los Angeles to begin tracking at The Hobby Shop with producer Mudrock. The plan is for the full-length to be out in time for WALLS OF JERICHO's appearance on this summer's Rockstar Mayhem Festival tour, featuring SLIPKNOT, DISTURBED, MASTODON, DRAGONFORCE and more.

JUDAS PRIEST, IRON MAIDEN, MACHINE HEAD and SLIPKNOT are among the nominated bands at this year's Metal Hammer Golden Gods awards.

The monthly metal magazine's annual ceremony, now in its sixth year, takes place for the first time at London's 02 on June 16.

The complete list of nominations is as follows:

Best UK Band:

IRON MAIDEN
BULLET FOR MY VALENTINE
PARADISE LOST
SAXON
JUDAS PRIEST

Best Live Band:

GALLOWS
MACHINE HEAD
MEGADETH
ARCH ENEMY
TURISAS

Shredder:

Alexi Laiho (CHILDREN OF BODOM)
Dan Donegan (DISTURBED)
Jesper Strömblad (IN FLAMES)
Dino Cazares (DIVINE HERSY, FEAR FACTORY)
Mike Amott (ARCH ENEMY, CARCASS)

Best International Band:

NIGHTWISH
AVENGED SEVENFOLD
IN FLAMES
DOWN
DIR EN GREY

Best Metal Label:

Roadrunner
Metal Blade
Century Media
Nuclear Blast
SPV
Spinefarm

Best Album:

AVENGED SEVENFOLD – "Avenged Sevenfold"
DOWN - "Over The Under"
CHILDREN OF BODOM - "Blooddrunk"
ATREYU - "Leads Sails Paper Anchor"
TESTAMENT - "The Formation of Damnation"

Inspiration Award:

CARCASS
NINE INCH NAILS
KISS
MESHUGGAH
SLIPKNOT

Des Moines, Iowa-based metal giants SLIPKNOT have posted another teaser photograph from a recent photo shoot below. It is not presently clear if the picture in question is a preview of the new series of masks which the band will don on the upcoming Rockstar Energy Mayhem festival, set to kick off July 9 at the White River Amphitheatre in Seattle.

According to HMV.co.uk, Roadrunner Records has set an August 11 UK release date (one day later in the U.S.) for the much-anticipated new SLIPKNOT album. The as-yet-untitled follow-up to 2004's "Vol. 3: (The Subliminal Verses)" is being recorded with producer Dave Fortman, who has previously worked with MUDVAYNE and EVANESCENCE.