An archive of 700 unheard Thin Lizzy recordings has surfaced almost three decades after the band’s original split.

A huge selection of recordings which was reportedly given to a fan by Phil Lynott himself shortly before his death in 1986 is reportedly back in the hands of Universal Music, and plans are being made to release the best of these recordings as a box set at some point in 2012.

The recordings, dating from between 1971 and 1981 are said to contain verious alternate takes and demos of well known Thin Lizzy tracks as well as songs never before heard. Surviving Thin Lizzy members Brian Downey and Scott Gorham will supposedly have final say over which recordings from this colossal archive will get to be heard by the public.

At the end of 2011, various archive Thin Lizzy recordings made for the BBC saw release as an extensive box set.

REAL GONE says: Regarding these newly found tapes, assuming the whole thing isn’t a hoax set up by someone to tie in with the anniversary of Lynott’s death, let’s hope Downey and Gorham let us hear everything in relative demo form as intended. It wouldn’t be right if they insisted on finishing things up and adding modern overdubs, as The Rolling Stones have with some of the ‘Exile On Mainstreet’ demos and as Lizzy did themselves with the ‘Dedication’ demo twenty years ago.

It was recently reported that UK progressive metallers Threshold had planned to play a handful of gigs in April to help promote their upcoming 2012 release ‘March of Progress’.

These gigs have now been cancelled due to vocalist Damian Wilson having been taken ill. Since Wilson was also due to tour Europe with Maiden United – his acoustic Iron Maiden tribute act – in January, it should be assumed these gigs have also been cancelled, although no official statement has been made.

New England metallers Killswitch Engage have announced the departure of long-serving frontman Howard Jones.

Jones, previously of hardcore metal act Blood Has Been Shed, joined Killswitch in 2002 and made his vocal debut on their third album, 2004’s ‘The End of Heartache’. It is said Jones has left the band for “personal reasons”.

His place at recent live shows has been filled by All That Remains vocalist Jesse Leach, although the band have stated that Leach will not be joining Killswitch full time.

The band have posted an official statement, which can be read below.

“To our family, friends and fans: We have decided to continue on without Howard Jones as the singer of KILLSWITCH ENGAGE. We love Howard and are thankful for the nine years that we’ve had him in the band. Out of respect for everyone involved, we will not be discussing the specific reasons behind this decision. Howard is a part of our family and always will be, and we wish him well. He has left big shoes to fill, so we certainly have our work cut out for us to find the next singer of KILLSWITCH, something we plan on making priority #1 going forward. Most importantly, thanks to all of you for all the support throughout the years and for sticking by us for all this time. We really do appreciate it and we very much look forward to having a new record for all of you in the not too distant future that we can all be proud of.”

2012 brings another wave of US shows for retro rock band Corrosion of Conformity. To promote their 2012 self-titled album, Mike Dean and co will take to the road in March.

The confirmed dates are as follows:
Mar. 01 – Gramercy Theatre – New York, NY
Mar. 02 – Sonar – Baltimore, MD
Mar. 03 – Lincoln Theatre – Raleigh, NC
Mar. 05 – Grog Shop – Cleveland, OH
Mar. 06 – Pyramid Scheme – Grand Rapids, MI
Mar. 07 – Double Door – Chicago, IL
Mar. 08 – Triple Rock – Minneapolis, MN
Mar. 09 – Beaumont Club – Kansas City, MO
Mar. 10 – Downtown Music Hall – Little Rock, AR
Mar. 11 – Hi-Tone Café – Memphis, TN
Mar. 12 – Trees – Dallas, TX
Mar. 14 – SXSW – Austin, TX
Mar. 15 – SXSW – Austin, TX
Mar. 17 – One Eyed Jacks – New Orleans, LA
Mar. 18 – Zydeco – Birmingham, AL

Support at all dates will provided by A Storm of Light. Valient Thorr and Torche will also fill selected support slots.

‘Corrosion of Conformity’ will be released in the UK on 27th February.

After news in September that DevilDriver frontman Dez Fafara planned to reform his old band Coal Chamber to play shows in Australia as part of the Soundwave Festival, he has now confirmed the band will also make appearances in Mexico and South America.

Although it was initially only believed the band would only appear at Australian festivals in March, Coal Chamber will tour South America in September 2012. The dates and venues have not yet been finalised.

There are still no confirmed plans to play in Europe.

The dates for Soundwave are as follows:
Saturday 25th February – RNA Showgrounds, Brisbane
Sunday 26th February – Olympic Park, Sydney
Friday 2nd March – Showgrounds, Melbourne
Saturday 3rd March – Bonython Park, Adelaide
Monday 5th March – Claremont Showgrounds, Perth