White Noise: News on Megadeth, Van Halen, Guns N’ Roses, the Red Chord and More

If you're a regular reader of this site, then you probably already know we've been podcasting over here at Noisecreep. Last week, Shadows Fall frontman Brian Fair, fresh from performing on Jimmy Fallon's show, swung by the studios to hang with us during the taping and to talk about the band's new album, 'Retribution,' which hit stores on Tuesday. Today, we tape our fifth session, and we're all super excited for today's special guests: Anvil! Of course, we'll also be breaking down the week's big record releases and go over the week's most talked about news stories. We may even end up discussing some of these stories, but we won't make any promises. Welcome to White Noise, saving you the time and aggravation of looking at all those other metal websites. Let's begin.

+ Megadeth's forthcoming album, 'Endgame,' will be streaming in its entirety today over at the band's MySpace page. This way, you can hear the disc before you buy it on Tuesday. The set features 11 tracks, including '44 Minutes,' 'Bite the Hand That Feeds' and 'The Hardest Part of Letting Go ... Sealed With a Kiss.'

+ Godsmack frontman Sully Erna says being part of this summer's Crüe Fest 2 was awesome ... yet it sucked. "It's been the most dramatic tour we've ever been on," he claims. "I mean, talk about just craziness, man. Sometimes egos run high, man, and there's definitely been some rock-star garbage on this tour that [we] just have never seen in our career. I don't know who needs to live up to whose reputations and I don't know why some people consider music as a competition, but I will tell you that I have never been in a situation where I felt like I was out for blood, and honestly, this was the first time that I felt like, 'You know what?! If there's gonna be some people that are gonna treat other people a certain way, then I'm gonna go out there every night and f---ing crush you on stage...make sure that we make you look old and fat, and go home with a nice big fat paycheck. You can sit in your world and I'll sit in mine, and [I'll] see you at the top again, I guess, somewhere."

+ Van Halen will be touring next year. This, according to Pollstar.com, which is claiming the band's manager, Irving Azoff, revealed during an industry conference this week that the boys will hit the road in 2010.

+ Congrats to Chevelle, whose new album, 'Sci-Fi Crimes,' opened at #6 on the Billboard Top 200, selling close to 46,000 copies.

+ The Red Chord have released the details for their forthcoming album, 'Fed Through the Teeth Machine,' which drops Oct. 27. The disc boasts a dozen tracks, including 'Hymns And Crippled Anthems,' 'Tales of Martyrs and Disappearing Acts,' and 'Sleepless Nights in the Compound.'

+ Don't book that flight to India just yet. While reports are suggesting Guns N' Roses will be performing there in November, White Lion drummer Troy Patrick Farrell says it's not happening. "This rumor is the result of an overzealous promoter that mixed up information," Farrell says. "I have spoken [to] my direct contacts in India to confirm that they in no way, shape, or form alluded to the fact that Axl [Rose] or any version of GN'R would perform in India."

+ Zakk Wylde's wife has taken to her Twitter account again, telling fans that the Black Label Society frontman's still dealing with blood clots. "Calling this a roller coaster ride would be an understatement," she writes. "Zakk's still clotting and we just can't get the meds therapeutic."

+ Arsis has begun tracking their fourth studio LP, 'Starve for the Devil,' which should be finished in time for an early 2010 release. Vocalist James Malone said in a press release that the band is "making the Arsis album that [we] have always wanted to make."

+ We teased this last week, and now, we have dates for Norma Jean's upcoming trek with Horse the Band, The Chariot and Arsonists Get All The Girls. The tour kicks off Nov. 19 in New Orleans, and ends Dec. 19 in Atlanta.

+ Despised Icon, Through the Eyes of the Dead, Molotov Solution and ABACABB will be hitting the road starting Sept. 25 in Grand Rapids, Mich. Dates are booked through Oct. 25 in Knoxville, Tenn.