IN OTHER NEWS...

BABYMETAL played with Metallica for the first time, warming up a crowd of 17,000 in Seoul, South Korea. They had met their heroes four years earlier at Japan’s Summer Sonic festival in Osaka, while wearing ‘And Justice For Babymetal’ tribute t-shirts. “Metallica are like gods to us!” smiled Su-metal.

THY ART IS MURDER reunited with frontman CJ McMahon, taking the stage at Australia’s Unify festival on January 14. A few days later, they released new song No Absolution. CJ had quit a year earlier in the midst of drug addiction. “I come back to the world a new man,” he proudly announced.

RAMMSTEIN announced their ambitious Rammstein: Paris concert film, shot across two nights with 35 cameras. Directed by the notorious Jonas Åkerlund, who worked on their explicit Pussy video, the trailer was an orgy of blood and fire. “It’s a very polarising movie. People either love it or they hate it!” guitarist Richard Kruspe told us later.

TRIVIUM confirmed new drummer Alex Bent (previously in Battlecross and Decrepit Birth) would play their European tour. He later became a full-time member and got behind the kit for their eighth album, The Sin And The Sentence. Alex replaced Paul Wandtke, who was in the band for 11 months.