New INTO ETERNITY Singer On Her Audition: 'At First, I Was Pretty Intimidated'

Regina, Saskatchewan-based Canadian extreme progressive metallers INTO ETERNITY recently tapped Amanda Kiernan of the Edmonton, Alberta-based metal band THE ORDER OF CHAOS as their new touring vocalist. Kiernan takes over from Stu Block, who was hired away last year by American metallers ICED EARTH, leaving INTO ETERNITY without a full-time singer.

INTO ETERNITY founder and guitarist Tim Roth told the Regina Leader-Post that he invited Kiernan to Regina to try out for the band after hearing a tape of her performing his songs.

"I had all these guys who told me they could do the songs and hit the notes Stu could. So I had them try out and it was like, 'No way.' Nobody could do it," Roth said. "But Amanda's got this great voice … none of the dudes could hit the notes Stu could, so maybe it makes sense that only a chick can do it. Besides, she
already fits in like she's one of the guys."

Kiernan, who said she's been an INTO ETERNITY fan since she was in high school, told the Regina Leader-Post about her audition, "At first, I was pretty intimidated. These guys are rock stars to me. There were times when I was sitting around with the
guys, and then all of a sudden I'd get this little burst of energy
because I reminded myself that I was sitting with INTO ETERNITY."

RUSH: 'Time Machine 2011: Live In Cleveland' Nominated For JUNO Award

"Time Machine 2011: Live In Cleveland", the latest DVD from the legendary rock band RUSH, has been nominated in the "Music DVD Of The Year" category at this year's Juno Awards (the Canadian equivalent of the Grammy Awards), set to be held in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada March 26 - April 1.

Captured in April at Cleveland's Quicken Loans Arena during the renowned trio's extensive "Time Machine" world tour, "Time Machine 2011: Live In Cleveland" marks the band's first live effort recorded at a U.S show, a deliberate nod of gratitude to the first city to support RUSH on its radio airwaves. The wildly popular tour featured a set filled with classic hits, fan favorites, and a glimpse into RUSH's forthcoming 20th studio album, "Clockwork Angels". As a centerpiece for the concerts, the band performed their landmark album "Moving Pictures" in its entirety — a first in the band's long and illustrious career. Rave reviews of the tour included The Hollywood Reporter's declaration that "the 'Time Machine' jaunt is nothing less than a must see… for nearly three hours, with intermission, RUSH proved why it remains among rock's elite live acts."

Directed by Scot McFadyen and Sam Dunn of Banger Films, "Time Machine 2011: Live In Cleveland" features the following track listing:

Set One

* The 'Real' History of Rush Episode No. 2 "Don't Be Rash"
* The Spirit of Radio
* Time Stand Still
* Presto
* Stick It Out
* Workin' Them Angels
* Leave That Thing Alone
* Faithless
* BU2B
* Free Will
* Marathon
* Subdivisions

Set Two

The 'Real'' History of Rush Episode No. 17 "...and Rock and Roll is my name."

* Tom Sawyer
* Red Barchetta
* YYZ
* Limelight
* The Camera Eye
* Witch Hunt
* Vital Signs
* Caravan
* Moto Perpetuo (featuring Love For Sale)
* O'Malley's Break
* Closer To The Heart
* 2112 Overture/The Temples of Syrinx
* Far Cry

Encore

* La Villa Strangiato
* Working Man

Bonus Material

* Outtakes from "History of Rush, Episode 2 & 17"
* "Tom Sawyer" featuring the cast of "History of Rush, Episode 17"
* "Need Some Love" Live from Laura Secord Secondary School
* "Anthem" Live from Passaic New Jersey

STORM CORROSION Officially Signs With ROADRUNNER RECORDS

Roadrunner Records has announced the signing of STORM CORROSION.

STORM CORROSION is the long-discussed and highly anticipated collaboration between two
of the modern progressive rock scene's most innovative and
multi-talented artists: Mikael Åkerfeldt of OPETH and PORCUPINE TREE's Steven Wilson. The pair will release "Storm Corrosion" on April 24.

A little background information on the genesis of this project: Åkerfeldt and Wilson have been friends since the late '90s, when Wilson co-produced OPETH's revered "Blackwater Park" album. Over the years, they'd often spoken of working on a project
together, but it wasn't until recently that they managed to make
something happen, when Mikael flew over to visit Steven in the U.K. and they ended up in Wilson's home studio throwing ideas around. That visit was the nascence of a
whole self-titled album, written and produced by the pair, and mixed by Wilson.

The sound of STORM CORROSION can best be described as enchanting, orchestral, ambient, epic (half
the album's tracks clock in around the 10-minute mark) and nothing short of surprising to the new ear. However, the musicians' respective
fanbases will be primed to appreciate the new output, with Wilson's recent solo album, "Grace For Drowning", and OPETH's "Heritage" having brought them to a logical place to understand STORM CORROSION. This eponymous collection is almost viewed as one side of a musical triangle.

Says Wilson, "If you'd asked me three months ago about the music, I would have said, 'Expect the last thing you would expect.' But actually, now that 'Heritage' and 'Grace For Drowning' have come out, I don't think it's going to be that much of a shock to
people, because it's almost like a third part of the trilogy, in a way. If anything, it's even more orchestral, even more stripped down, even
more dark, twisted and melancholic… but it certainly feels like it comes from the same place as 'Heritage' and 'Grace For Drowning', which indeed it does because it was written during the same period.”

"Some of the music on this record I think is the most beautiful music I have participated on ever," adds Åkerfeldt. "There's some magical sections on there. Musically, I think we've
created something earthy, a bit frightening, exhausting, profound and
rather intense. All at the same time. I can safely say I don't know
any other band or artist that sounds anything like STORM CORROSION. I guess that was also one of our goals, so to speak."

Roadrunner Senior VP of A&R, Monte Conner, welcomed STORM CORROSION to the Roadrunner family, commenting, "I am honored to have the Roadrunner logo on the STORM CORROSION album. Steven Wilson and Mikael Åkerfeldt have demonstrated time and time again that they are two of the truest
and most important artists working today, and it is not often that I get to work with musicians of this caliber. This album is a beautiful
piece of work that will appeal to fans of Steven and Mikael's past records, while at the same time exploring new avenues for both artists."

SPIRITUAL BEGGARS Working On New Material

SPIRITUAL BEGGARS — the Swedish band featuring ARCH ENEMY guitarist Michael Amott and bassist Sharlee D'Angelo, along with vocalist Apollo Papathanasio (FIREWIND) — is busy in the studio all this week, writing "new riffs" and coming up with "new songs," according to Amott.

SPIRITUAL BEGGARS last year released a live CD entitled "Return To Live: Loud Park 2010" in Japan via Trooper Entertainment. The disc features eight songs, capturing the bands high-energy performance at Loud Park 10 at Saitama Super Arena, Japan on October 17, 2010. The live recording was mixed in Sweden by Staffan Karlsson and Rickard Bengtsson at Studio Landgren 5.3 and The Sweet Spot Studio in December 2010. The artwork and design was handled by Hippograffix.

The new lineup of SPIRITUAL BEGGARS made its live debut on October 1, 2010 at Kyttaro club in Athens, Greece.

SPIRITUAL BEGGARS's seventh studio album, "Return To Zero", was released in Japan on August 25, 2010 via Trooper Entertainment Inc. — the label founded by legendary Japanese heavy metal music industry guru Tetsu Miyamoto. The Japanese special edition comes in a glossy paper box with a poster
and a sticker of the CD front cover. The Japanese edition also features a bonus track, a thunderous cover of URIAH HEEP's "Time To Live" off the legendary U.K. band's 1971 "Salisbury" record.

"Return To Zero" was released in North America on October 12, 2010 via InsideOut Music. The follow-up to 2005's "Demons" was recorded at Sweetspot Studio with producer Rickard Bengtsson.

SPIRITUAL BEGGARS 2012 is:

Michael Amott (ARCH ENEMY, CARCASS) - Guitar
Ludwig Witt (FIREBIRD) - Drums
Per Wiberg (OPETH) - Keyboards
Sharlee D'Angelo (ARCH ENEMY, MERCYFUL FATE) - Bass
Apollo Papathanasio (FIREWIND) – Vocals

Tonight's OPETH Concert In Maldives Canceled

Swedish progressive metallers OPETH have issued the following update:

"Due to reasons beyond our control, tonight's [Tuesday, February 7] OPETH show in Maldives has been cancelled. We are hopeful that the show will be able to go ahead tomorrow, [February] 8th, and the band are already in the country and ready to play for their fans. We'll keep you updated
of any further developments as they happen."

WatchMojo.com recently conducted an interview with vocalist/guitarist Mikael Åkerfeldt of Swedish progressive metallers OPETH. You can now watch the chat below.

OPETH will team up with MASTODON for a spring North American co-headlining tour. The trek kicks off on
April 4 in Portland, Maine, and visits more than 30 cities in the U.S.
and Canada before wrapping up at Atlanta's Masquerade Music Park on May
12.

OPETH's new album, "Heritage", sold 19,000
copies in the United States in its first week of release to debut at
position No. 19 on The Billboard 200 chart. The band's previous studio
CD, 2008's "Watershed", opened with more than 19,000 units to land at No. 23.

"Watershed" was the follow-up to the band's acclaimed "Ghost Reveries" CD, which debuted at No. 64 on the Billboard chart back in September 2005 with first-week sales of just under 15,000.

OPETH's 2003 album, "Damnation", premiered with a little over 5,000 copies.