Following the terrible tragedy of Denis "Piggy" D'Amour's passing, the remnants of Voivod were left with a grab bag of puzzle pieces by Piggy, which they assembled into two farewell salutes, Katorz and Infini. Almost unanimously it was assumed the band would never continue on from this point.

Flash forward three years after Piggy's death and nobody in their right minds could've foreseen the legendary Voivod back on a stage in their first-ever Japanese appearance. After a 17-year hiatus, original bassist Jean-Yves "Blacky" Theriault returned to the fold (despite helping his crew out with session work on The Outer Limits). Buzzworthy enough, as Blacky remains today the only bassist truly able to match Piggy note-for-note in linear progression.

The bigger newsbyte of course, is the addition of Martyr mastermind and guitarist Dan Mongrain to the band. Bearing more hair than Troy Polamalu and danged near the entire arsenal of his predecessor, Mongrain achieves what no one would assume possible: the full-on replication of Piggy's position in Voivod.

Read the complete Voivod - Tatsumaki: Voivod Live Japan 2008 DVD Review

(DVD cover courtesy MVD Visual)

Swedish melodic death metal pioneers Dark Tranquillity have released a live DVD Where Death Is Most Alive, which was filmed in Milan, Italy. They've also just finished their next studio CD, set for a February, 2010 release. DT vocalist Mikael Stanne fills us in on the DVD and all the extras, the next album, tour plans, and what he'd do if he was put in charge of the music business.

Chad Bowar: You've had a lineup change recently. What led to bassist Michael Niklasson's departure, and how did you decide on Daniel Antonsson as his replacement?
Mikael Stanne: After ten years in the band, Michael felt that he needed to go on to do different things, and we agreed. It was very much a natural thing where we basically grew apart and it came to an end. Daniel has been a friend of ours pretty much since we started doing gigs in Gothenburg and we´ve hung out over the years. We toured together when he played for Soilwork.

We had started considering replacements when Daniel called and told us he was not in Soilwork anymore, and if we still needed a bass player. We hesitated for half a second and then he was in. We have a history of adding old friends into the DT camp, so this was another case of that. And it has worked out amazingly well. He fits right in and we have all felt energized since he joined. We feel like a complete unit now more than ever.

What was the response to this year's Yesterworlds compilation release?
Since this release was mainly for the die-hard fans who already have all the other releases, it received great response from the fans. There is stuff on there that no one has heard before, as well as the best sounding versions of the old and rare material. It was interesting to go back and listen to these songs, and I feel I have a new found appreciation for the madness we were up to back then.

Read the complete Dark Tranquillity Interview

(photo courtesy Century Media Records)

Hatebreed brought their Decimation Of The Nation tour to Amos' Southend in Charlotte, NC on November 13, 2009. Openers Hate Eternal, Born Of Osiris and Cannibal Corpse got the crowd energized, but when Hatebreed took the stage it went to an even higher level. From the opener "Destroy Everything" to the end of the set, Jamey Jasta and company had the crowd in the palm of their hand. Playing songs from their new CD Hatebreed along with classics from the past, Hatebreed gave everyone their money's worth.

Hatebreed Concert Photo Gallery

(photo courtesy Chad Bowar/About.com)

The Finnish band Sonata Arctica will be returning to North America with a Spring 2010 tour. The tour kicks off April 10, 2010 in Philadelphia, and features supporting acts Mutiny Within and Powerglove. Sonata Arctica is touring in support of their 2009 release The Days Of Grays.

Sonata Arctica, Mutiny Within and Powerglove Tour Dates:
04/02/10 The Trocadero - Philadelphia, PA
04/03/10 The Palladium - Worcester, MA
04/05/10 The Blender Theater @ Gramercy - New York, NY
04/06/10 Imperial de Quebec - Quebec City, QC - CANADA
04/07/10 Club Soda - Montreal, QC - CANADA
04/09/10 The Opera House - Toronto, ON - CANADA
04/10/10 Blondie's - Detroit, MI
04/11/10 House of Blues - Chicago, IL
04/12/10 Station 4 - St. Paul, MN
04/13/10 The West End Cultural Center - Winnipeg, MB - CANADA
04/15/10 Warehouse - Calgary, AB - CANADA
04/16/10 Starlite Room - Edmonton, AB - CANADA
04/18/10 The Venue - Vancouver, BC - CANADA
04/19/10 El Corazon - Seattle, WA
04/20/10 Peter's Room - Portland, OR
04/23/10 The Galaxy Theatre - Santa Ana, CA
04/24/10 House of Blues - Hollywood, CA
04/25/10 U.B's Bar - Mesa, AZ
04/27/10 Emo's - Austin, TX
04/28/10 Meridian - Houston, TX
04/29/10 The Marquee - Tulsa, OK
04/30/10 The Masquerade - Atlanta, GA
05/01/10 Volume 11 - Raleigh, NC
05/02/10 Jaxx Nightclub - W. Springfield, VA

Tour Dates For Other Heavy Metal Artists