German metal masters Kreator are still alive and kicking, preparing to enter the studio this July to record a new album, the follow-up to 2005's well-regarded Enemy of God. The album - which will be recorded at Titonus studios in Berlin starting July 20 according to Blabbermouth - will be the thrashers' twelfth. The album, which is currently untitled, is expected to be released in January 2009.

According to reports from The Pulse of Radio, it appears as if Metallica will be departing from Warner Bros. Records following the release of their upcoming album. Their split with the label would mark the end of a remarkable era, as the band has been with the label in some form or another since 1984. Metallica were signed to Elektra, an imprint of  Warner's, shortly after the release of their second album, Ride the Lightning. Elektra took them from being an underground sensation to the international superstars they are today. The new album will make the final release required by the band's current contract with the label. But what if...

Believe it or not, NWOBHM stalwarts Saxon are reportedly back in the studio working on a follow-up to 2007's The Inner Sanctum, according to Blabbermouth. This is especially surprising because it took the band three years to release The Inner Sanctum after 2004's Lionheart. The forthcoming album will be the band's 18th. Yea, that's absurd. Big respect to some of the grandfathers of metal.

Opening for Iron Maiden is a big deal. Such a big deal, in fact, that Anthrax played a warm-up show in Chicago yesterday to prepare for their big weekend with Maiden in Irvine, California. The show was also used to acclimate new singer Dan Nelson, who performed with the band for the first time. Speaking of new, the band debuted three all-new songs - "Fight 'Em 'Til You Can't," "Revolution Screams" and "Vampyres" from their forthcoming, as-yet-untitled album. Check out their full set list:

Laaz Rockit is back together and they mean business. The band, who were one of the original acts during the explosion of the famous Bay Area thrash-metal scene back in the early '80s, have reunited and released two new songs on their MySpace page.