Death Magnetic

Death Magnetic is the ninth album by American heavy metal band Metallica, released on September 12, 2008 through Warner Bros. Records. It is the band's first studio album to feature current bassist Robert Trujillo, as well as the first to be produced by Rick Rubin. Death Magnetic is also the band's first studio album released through Warner Bros., although they still remain with Warner Music Group, which also owns Elektra Records, their previous label (internationally they remain on Vertigo Records). The album is the band's fifth consecutive studio album to debut at number one on the Billboard 200 in the United States, making Metallica the first band ever to achieve five consecutive number one debuts


Metallica frontman James Hetfield revealed that the band had been playing new material during studio sessions, but that there was no mention of plans for a ninth studio album at that time. Select music from the jam sessions may be used on the album, as Ulrich stated, "I definitely look forward to sifting through some of that stuff when we get back to the studio in January. On that note, by October 2004 the band had already compiled nearly 50 hours of pre-set jamming, with hundreds of riffs, chord progressions and bass lines. On September 30, 2004, Launch Radio revealed from an interview with Hetfield that the band hoped to return to the studio in spring of 2005 to begin recording their ninth studio album for Warner Bros. Records.

The Showdown - Back Breaker

Back Breaker is the third album from the Tennessee heavy metal band The Showdown. It's their first album with Solid State Records.Footage from the band in the process of recording the album can be viewed on their YouTube channel. On June 27, 2008 The Showdown released the track listing. The band has posted the songs "Achilles The Backbreaker", "Prometheus The Fires Of Deliverance", "Aries I Am Vengeance" and "Hephaestus The Hammer Of The Gods" on their MySpace page from the album. The songs are heavier than the material on Temptation Come My Way . On August 19, 2008, the album was released in stores.

Slipknot - All Hope Is Gone

All Hope Is Gone is the fourth studio album by American heavy metal band Slipknot. Released on August 20, 2008 by Roadrunner Records, the album was published in two versions: the standard album in a Compact Disc case and a special edition packaged in a six-fold digipakcontaining three bonus tracks, a 40 page booklet, and a bonus DVD with a documentary of the album's recording.

Preparation for the album began in 2007, while recording started in February 2008 in the band's home state of Iowa. All Hope Is Gone is Slipknot's first studio album since 2004's Vol. 3: (The Subliminal Verses). Before the album's launch, Slipknot released a series of promotional images and audio samples from the album through various websites. All Hope Is Gone is considered the band's most eclectic-sounding album, incorporating elements from their previous three. All Hope Is Gone includes their "brutal" edge, reminiscent of songs such as "(sic)" from theirdebut self-titled album, slow burning, "trippy" elements such as that of "Skin Ticket" from their second album Iowa, and acoustics and guitar solos, which were first introduced on Vol. 3: (The Subliminal Verses). Lyrically, All Hope Is Gone centers on themes such as anger, disaffection, obsession, and the music industry. The album also features a more prominent focus on politics than their previous albums.Slipknot promoted All Hope Is Gone on a world tour and at the Mayhem Festival. Generally well received by critics, the album reached the top position on nine record charts worldwide, including the Billboard 200—the first Slipknot album to do so.