In support of their sixth studio album, ‘Fallen Empires’ (released November 10th), Snow Patrol have announced a ten date run of arena gigs for the start of 2012.

You can catch the Belfast band at the following venues next January and February.  Support at all dates comes from Everything Everything.

Glasgow SECC (January 27)
Aberdeen Exhibition Centre (30)
Liverpool Echo Arena (31)
Nottingham Capital FM Arena (February 1)
Manchester Evening News Arena (3)
Birmingham LG Arena (4)
Newcastle Metro Radio Arena (5)
Sheffield Motorpoint Arena (7)
Bournemouth International Centre (8)
London O2 Arena (10)

Devin Townsend is about to release a new song.

The track, entitled ‘Terrorizer’, was partly written during the sessions for his ‘Deconstructed’ album.  During the early stages of recording Townsend laid down the guitar parts and Soilwork’s Dirk Verbeuren contributing other basic parts.

‘Terrorizer’ will be exclusively available on the ‘FEAR CANDY 100’ cover-mount CD, given away free with the November 2011 issue of Terrorizer magazine.

Read a review of Devin’s ‘Ziltoid The Omniscient’ here.
Read a review of Devin’s ‘Ghost’ here.

Judas Priest frontman Rob Halford is reportedly being sued for $50 million (approx £32.5 million) in damages by his ex manager.

John Baxter, who had managed “the Metal God” from 1982 until the summer of 2011, alleges that Halford and other members of Judas Priest and its management team “committed fraud, breach of contract and intentional interference with contractual relations”.

According to Rolling Stone magazine, Baxter is allegedly owed millions of dollars for contract breaches, including failure to pay commissions, salary and expenses, which date back to 1992. Baxter is also claiming that his August dismissal – the news broken via Halford’s lawyers’ letters – has no grounding.

An official statement posted on the Judas Priest website reads as follows: “There has recently been some nonsense and propaganda posted on the Internet including on Rob’s website, regarding the band and management. (Rob currently is not controlling his website and absolutely does not agree with the comments). We refuse to get drawn into any public arguments – it is below us and will be dealt with legally.”

Read a review of ‘Rocka Rolla’ here.
Read a review of ‘Sad Wings of Destiny’ here.
Read a review of ‘Painkiller’ here.

Reggae-metal crossover band Skindred have announced they are to play a short run of UK dates next April, taking in the biggest venues they’ve headlined at so far.

Still promoting their fourth studio album ‘Union Black’, you can catch the band at the following venues:

O2 Academy Leeds (April 10)
O2 ABC Glasgow (11)
O2 Academy Newcastle (12)
O2 Academy Brixton (13)
O2 Academy Bristol (14)

Irish alt-rock band Therapy? will provide support at all shows.

In a recent interview with Billboard magazine, Slipknot frontman Cory Taylor claims the band’s fifth album will be entirely inspired by bassist Paul Gray.

He told the US magazine “We know that everything we do on that album is going to be about Paul. It’s going to be very melancholy. It’s going to be a more saddened form of rage when it does happen, and it’ll be a whole path that we’ve never gone down before.”

It is not known when the band’s fifth record will materialise – and it may not be any time soon – but the band have said they’re all writing material.

Watch Slipknot’s complete live set from Rock In Rio 2011 here.