It's Friday, and you know what that means... we actually get to sleep past 6:30 tomorrow morning. Woohoo! It also means we're nearly through another exciting week here at Noisecreep. Ironically, the weather here in New York is awful. Rain, fog, cold... that's called pathetic fallacy, for you non-English majors. Anyways, enough of the literary devices... you're here for the metal, and the metal, we shall provide.

+ Some of us Noisecreepers couldn't live without the NBA. We have our favorite teams (just because we're based in New York doesn't mean we support those clowns who play at MSG), and those teams have already been eliminated from the playoffs. So, the only reason we'll be watching tonight's game six between the Denver Nuggets and the Los Angeles Lakers is for Zakk Wylde. The gruff guitarist will be performing 'The Star-Spangled Banner' before tonight's tip-off. Meanwhile, the MySpace page for Zakk's band, Black Label Society, claims the band will be hitting the road with Mudvayne and Static-X this summer. We know of another band who'll be on the trek... and we spoke to them recently. Want to wager a guess?

+ Guitarist Dino Cazares' band Divine Heresy is ready to unleash its latest masterpiece, 'Bringer Of Plagues,' on the world. The LP hits stores July 28 and according to Dino, every member of the band has "a collective desire to take our performances to the next level with this release to undoubtedly prove that we are one of the most devastating bands in the scene today." Bold statement there, Dino. "I know that my fans expect something special from me. And I would never let them down. With every project that I've done, what's been important is to ensure that I deliver music that doesn't just meet people's expectations, but goes beyond them."

+ Billboard.biz is reporting that German metal label SPV has filed for bankruptcy. The label, which has worked with the likes of Sepultura, Kreator, Angra, Alice Cooper, Whitesnake, Motörhead, Helloween, Iced Earth, Moonspell, and more, isn't folding, though. Normal business operations will carry on, the label promises.

+ Death Angel have parted ways with drummer Andrew Galeon, and have replaced him with Will Carroll for the band's summer tour in Europe.

+ Want to hear some new Job For a Cowboy? Well, now you can. The band's new album, 'Ruination,' won't be in stores until July 7, but you can listen to a song from that effort, called 'Unfurling a Darkened Gospel,' here.

+ In a recent interview with the Las Vegas Review-Journal, Stone Temple Pilots frontman Scott Weiland says the band has written about 18 songs for their next album, which they hope to have in stores sometime next year. He also revealed that the band is working with legendary producer Don Was on the record.

+ Otep Shamaya, who fronts Otep, is speaking out against the California Supreme Court's decision to uphold Proposition 8, the same-sex marriage ban that voters approved last November. The open lesbian took to her MySpace page to put the judges on blast. "Our system of law is designed to protect the minority from discrimination by the majority," she writes. "If this ruling stands unchallenged, what's next? Will some states repeal a woman's right to vote? Will some states (again) forbid interracial marriage? Will some states deny housing, or jobs based on religious preference?" Doubtful, but we see your point. "If they can legislate against what they call a 'sexual preference,' what is to stop them from legislating against religious preference? This is the civil rights battle of our generation. We must not back down."

+ Finnish folk metallers Finntroll have started working on the follow-up to 2007's "Ur Jordens Djup." The band have nine songs for the effort, and the dudes promise tons of riffs, and, of course, "the heaviest album we've done."

+ Unearth, For The Fallen Dreams, Woe Of Tyrants, and Starring Janet Leigh will be touring together in July. The trek kicks off in Bucksport, Maine, on July 10, and runs through July 18 in Providence.

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