When he's teamed up with his bandmates in technical death metal band Nile, Karl Sanders relies on spine-snapping speed and unconventional death metal arrangements to create maximum devastation. Oh, and there are also a bunch of lyrics about ancient Egyptian mythology and Lovecraftian imagery to provide a theme.

Sonically, Sanders' solo work is worlds apart from Nile, but conceptually and spiritually he draws from the same ancient well. Click "more" for a free exclusive download of "Rapture of the Empty Spaces" from his second solo album, Saurian Exorcisms, which comes out April 14 on The End Records. Read more...

Overkill's ex-guitarist Bobby Gustafson

Something we wrote in yesterday's Dragonforce post got us thinking. While free-associating about the title of the band's new record, we mentioned Overkill's former guitarist Bobby Gustafson, who we feel was one of the band's greatest strengths between 1984 and 1989, when he left the band. Read more...

Ozzfest has done it again.

For a while it looked like Ozzy Osbourne would be the only marquee act to tour with the first free Ozzfest, but today event organizers revealed that the bill will also feature Lamb of God, Hatebreed and Lordi, and more major acts will be announced soon, some of which will likely play select dates.

Lordi will open the main stage this year and Lamb of God will be on before Ozzy. Hatebreed will headline the second stage, which will also feature Nile, Mondo Generator, Ankla, Circus Diablo and The Showdown.

"When we left Ozzfest three years ago, that was a mantra that burned itself into our collective subconscious, one that we repeat to this day in an almost autistic manner," says Lamb of God singer Randy Blythe. "To know once the power, the glory, the sheer brutality of the parking lot circus stupidity that is Ozzfest is to be destined to repeat it. The fangs are out- our souls (and livers) needed three years to recover from the last run, but we are back and couldn't be more excited."

"For us, the idea of playing Ozzfest is still hard to believe," adds Lordi frontman, Mr. Lordi. "I'll believe it when we're there. It's going to be a great opportunity for us to show people in the U.S. what we can do."

For Hatebreed frontman Jamey Jasta, returning to Ozzfest is especially exciting because he feels more at home on the second stage than he does on the main one.

"We had a great time on the main stage last year but it was obvious that our fans wanted to see us in the setting that they know and love," he says. "Having co-headlined the second stage twice in the past -- once with Down in 2002 and again with Slipknot in 2004 -- it's a great achievement for us to now be able to close the show on the second stage and truly make Ozzfest history with our fifth appearance on the world's best tour."

Ozzfest launches July 12 in Seattle. The event was originally scheduled to start July 7 in Southern California, but the extension of Ozzy's European tour caused the run to be bumped five days.

To get passes for this year's free Ozzfest, fans will log onto www.ozzfest.com or www.livenation.com to find links that will direct them to special sponsor sites where tickets can be secured. Tickets will be available for download on June 12. Stay tuned to www.ozzfest.com and www.livenation.com in the coming weeks for more ticketing information.

To see the complete Ozzfest press release click here.