Here are some of the latest sales figures for various current and catalog metal/hard rock releases in the US (in total units sold to date since the albums were issued), as reported by Soundscan for the week ending February 24th, 2002:

AMEN - Amen: 16,353
AMEN - We Have…: 15,789
ANTHRAX - Sound Of White Noise: 511,105
ANTHRAX - Stomp 442: 114,974
ANTHRAX - Volume 8: 77,858
BIOHAZARD - Urban Discipline: 204,799
BIOHAZARD - State Of The World Address: 198,663
BIOHAZARD - Mata Leao: 51,377
BIOHAZARD - New World Disorder: 50,936
BIOHAZARD - Uncivilization: 18,835
C.O.C. - Wiseblood: 141,383
C.O.C. - America's Volume…: 52,170
CANNIBAL CORPSE - Gallery…: 51,164
CANNIBAL CORPSE - Bloodthirst: 36,128
DESTRUCTION - All Hell Breaks Loose: 3,080
DESTRUCTION - The Antichrist: 1,692
DREAM THEATER - Awake: 272,044
DREAM THEATER - Falling Into Infinity: 142,167
EXODUS - Force Of Habit: 52,262
EXODUS - Another Lesson In Violence: 7,241
GLASSJAW - Everything You Ever…: 35,306
HALFORD - Resurrection: 60,275
HALFORD - Live Insurrection: 24,478
JUDAS PRIEST - Jugulator: 108,009
JUDAS PRIEST - Demolition: 40,945
ICED EARTH - Something Wicked…: 40,336
ICED EARTH - Horror Show: 29,838
IRON MAIDEN - Brave New World: 233,706
KING DIAMOND - Spider's Lullaby: 29,214
KING DIAMOND - Voodoo: 32,785
MERCYFUL FATE - Dead Again: 22,195
MERCYFUL FATE - 9: 20,729
KREATOR - Violent Revolution: 2,351
MACHINE HEAD - Burn My Eyes: 144,465
MACHINE HEAD - The More Things Change…: 114,648
MACHINE HEAD - The Burning Red: 133,421
MACHINE HEAD - Supercharger: 41,622
MEGADETH - Youthanasia: 890,015
MEGADETH - Risk: 303,472
MEGADETH - The World Needs A Hero: 191,852
MORBID ANGEL - Formulas…: 42,819
MORBID ANGEL - Gateways…: 30,372
SEPULTURA - Chaos A.D.: 450,365
SEPULTURA - Roots: 355,471
SEPULTURA - Nation: 54,160
SKINLAB - Bound, Gagged…: 14,756
SKINLAB - Disembody…: 35,324
SLAYER - God Hates Us All: 170,411
SOIL - Scars: 112,614
TESTAMENT - Low: 112,365
TESTAMENT - Gathering: 50,301
VOIVOD - Outer Limits: 21,355
VOIVOD - Negatron: 8,044
VOIVOD - Phobos: 3,687

FOO FIGHTERS mainman Dave Grohl (ex-NIRVANA) recently posted a message on the band's site describing the experience of working with MOTORHEAD mastermind Lemmy on a song called "Shake Your Blood", which will appear on an upcoming album by Grohl's metal side-project PROBOT. In his diary message, Grohl makes obvious his clear admiration for the rock'n'roll elder, referring to him as "the coolest person I've ever recorded with in my entire life…He is God. He is the reason. He is the last man standing and no one even comes close. That guy is a true rock 'n' roller. Everyone else is just trying. I can't even begin to explain how f.cking life-altering a day in the studio with Lemmy really is. He walks in, kicks the sh.t out of a song and then he's gone… like the goddamned Lone Ranger."

As previously reported, PROBOT's upcoming CD will include a dozen-or-so tracks featuring some of metal's most celebrated and respected vocalists, including Lemmy, Cronos (VENOM), King Diamond (MERCYFUL FATE/KING DIAMOND), Tom G. Fischer (ex-CELTIC FROST), Snake (VOIVOD), Eric Wagner (TROUBLE), Tom Araya (SLAYER), Max Cavalera (SOULFLY), Mike Dean (C.O.C. ), Wino (ex-THE OBSESSED) and Lee Dorrian (CATHEDRAL). Among the tracks that are set to appear on the effort are the following:

01. Dictatorsaurus (feat. Snake)
02. Centuries Of Sin (feat. Cronos)
03. Access Babylon (feat. Mike Dean)
04. Sweet Dreams (feat. King Diamond)
05. Ice Cold Man (feat. Lee Dorrian)
06. My Tortured Soul (feat. Eric Wagner)
07. Big Sky (feat. Tom G. Fischer)
08. Emerald Lies (feat. Wino)
09. Shake Your Blood (feat. Lemmy)

In related news, FOO FIGHTERS are scheduled to perform at the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, which starts February 8th and runs through February 24th. The FOOs will be making their appearance on February 11th.

Swedish metal godz WITCHERY have launched their own website to promote their forthcoming and long awaited third full length album for Necropolis Records. Their domain, www.witchery.org, launched today as part of the promotion since the band have recorded their newest album. Band leader, and brand new Swedish grammy winner, Patrik Jensen (also of THE HAUNTED) said that drummer Mique left the band. A permanent replacement has been found in Martin Axe (of Nifelheim/Satanic Slaughter fame). Patrik Jensen: "Ah...yes....a new full length album from Witchery. We entered Berno Studio on January 29th and we finished it up on the 10th of February. We're aiming for a release early this summer. There's no definite album title yet, but we are using the name "It's an Early Grave..." at the moment. This specific title refers to how incredibly hard it is to get everyone together to pull off a new album or to tour... So, to get this new album done we've been forced to work around the clock during the few days we had at our disposal... and we are VERY happy with how it turned out and we're very anxious to get this album into YOUR HANDS...!"

The tentative songtitles are as follows for WITCHERY's third album...(in no specific order):
Wicked
Omens
None Buried Deeper
Inquisition
Called for by Death
Bonemill
The Storm
Shallow Grave
Unholy Wars
Hearse of the Pharaohs (Guest appearance by Hank Sherman, Mercyful Fate)"