According to the New York Post, Shanna Spalding — the 28-year-old lead singer in the New York City-based death metal band DIVINE INFAMY (in which she performs under the stage name of Purgatory) — was arraigned in a Manhattan courtroom Thursday night (August 26) on two counts of robbery. She is suspected of being the so-called "cat woman robber" — a serial stick-up artist who dons clever disguises, including a cat mask, to rob high-end boutiques around the city

Spalding reportedly told police that she was "drunk" during the April 23 robbery of a Nine West shoe store in Forest Hills, Queens, and that the cat mask she wore was from a costume party the previous night.

She is being held in lieu of $75,000 bond or $25,000 cash bail.

Police sources told the New York Post that Spalding also confessed to two additional heists, in Queens, that authorities plan to charge her with next.

According to DIVINE INFAMY's MySpace page, Lord Draconia and Gengis Khan play guitar and Ruin plays drums in the band that plays black metal or death metal music. The band, which is not currently signed to a label, is scheduled to play at the Water Grill in Bay Ridge, Brooklyn Saturday night (August 28).

Read more from the New York Post.

Veteran German thrashers SODOM have completed work on their new album, "In War And Pieces", for a November 23, 2010 release (one day earlier internationally) via SPV/Steamhammer. The CD was produced by Waldemar Sorychta, who has previously worked with TIAMAT, MOONSPELL, LACUNA COIL and SENTENCED, among many others.

In a recent interview with Mattowarrior's Metal Madness, SODOM bassist/vocalist Thomas "Angelripper" Such stated about the upcoming album, "We have a new producer, Waldemar Sorychta of GRIP INC. He's like a fourth bandmember. I told him I wanted SODOM to go back to our roots, and it's important to create an album with an old sound. I don't like productions where the bands sound like all the others. He ha[d] many ideas on how to arrange the album, and vocal lines, etc."

Such previously stated about the group's new material, "There has never been a SODOM album which is so wide-ranged, as powerful and as typically SODOM as this one."

SODOM released its long-awaited new DVD, "Lords Of Depravity - Part II", in July via SPV/Steamhammer.

"Agent Orange", the classic 1989 album from SODOM, was re-released on February 1 (Germany: January 29) via SPV/Steamhammer. The CD comes in a high-class digipack and will include a bonus disc. The extensive booklet contains rare photos and liner notes by bassist/vocalist Thomas "Angelripper" Such. The LP comes as a double gatefold album with printed inner sleeves and three bonus live tracks.

The band's latest album, "The Final Sign of Evil", was released as a double vinyl package on February 1, 2008 via SPV Records. The LP features re-recordings of the material from the German thrashers' classic first EP, "In the Sign of Evil", plus no less than seven bonus tracks, all of which were originally written during the "In the Sign of Evil" era or earlier but were never officially released. As a special bonus, the album featured return appearances by drummer Chris Dudek (a.k.a. Witchhunter) and guitarist Josef "Peppi" Dominic (a.k.a. Grave Violator), both of whom were featured on the original 1984 EP.

SODOM issued the "Lords of Depravity - Part I" DVD in the U.S. on February 21, 2006 via SPV. The first of two double-DVD sets contained the SODOM history from 1982 to 1995 plus live footage from concerts in Sofia and at the With Full Force, Wacken Open Air and Rock Hard festivals.

Legendary Swedish guitarist YNGWIE MALMSTEEN is back in the studio recording a brand new album for a late 2010 release. More information will be made available soon.

Malmsteen released the "Raw Live" DVD on June 29. According to a press release, the set "provides an unprecedented and unique look at the rise of a guitar god. Spanning from 1981 through 1999 and encompassing extremely rare footage of Yngwie's early years in Sweden, this video displays the infancy of Yngwie's prodigious skills well prior to his first worldwide album and travels through Yngwie's masterful career, including his masterful performances from his first solo albums, 'Rising Force', 'Marching Out', and 'Trilogy'. Also included in this unique video are never-released behind-the-scenes footage of Yngwie and newly shot personal touches of Yngwie which open up the viewer to a side of the guitar maestro which is rarely seen by the public."

Yngwie Malmsteen donated his guitar to the city of Bologna during the inauguration of Music Italy Show — Italy's most important trade fair featuring musical instruments, publishing, backstage equipment, DJ and discography — on May 15. The Commissariat of Bologna (Mayor) was present to accept this honor, along with the President of BolognaFiere. Multiple local authorities from the Emilia Romagna region and province and city of Bologna were also in the audience.

The ceremony opened with a performance by the 65-piece Giuseppe Verdi marching band followed by Yngwie signing and presenting his guitar to the city of Bologna.

Yngwie Malmsteen headlined "The Ultimate World Guitar Exhibition" at this year's Music Italy Show, which was held May 15-17, 2010 in Bologna, Italy. Malmsteen also took part in an exclusive clinic on May 18 at Castlebrando in Treviso, Italy — considered to be one of Italy's most impressive medieval castles. Fans got a chance to experience Yngwie's wizardry playing up close and personal.

Swedish progressive/experimental metallers THERION have issued the following update:

"The tour schedule has changed: The shows in Caracas (Venezuela), Chihuahua and Puebla (both Mexico) have to be cancelled and the show in Santiago de Chile has moved to the Teatro Caupolican. In Europe there will be an additional show — on the 11th of December THERION will play in Istanbul, at Refresh the Venue (which is really named like that).

"We are very sad to announce that the shows in Chihuahua and Puebla in Mexico have been cancelled. The situation with the drug cartels is becoming worse and worse in the north and the local authorities strongly advise against playing concerts in Chihuahua (and, of course, Monterray which also has been rumored we would be playing), so the national promoter in Mexico has decided to cancel Chihuahua as the safety of the band, crew and fans cannot be guaranteed at this point. The Puebla festival has also been cancelled due to some sort of drug cartel-related civil unrest problems. There seems to be no risk for the remaining shows in Mexico and the band hope that there will be other shows to replace the cancelled ones in other parts of the country.

"Seems like the world is going crazy at the moment, as the Caracas show in Venezuela will be cancelled as well. Local promoter is having economic problems and didn't want to risk fucking everything up from what I've heard. So better to cancel and try to replace it with another show in some other country than to risk standing there with thousands of fans buying tickets and maybe making a long journey from another city just to end up with no show happening.

"We hope we will be able to do Venezuela some time in the future; we were really looking forward to playing there."

Just one day after confirming that he has been tapped by Norwegian symphonic black metallers DIMMU BORGIR to replace bassist/clean vocalist ICS Vortex on the band's upcoming ninth album, "Abrahadabra", and world tour, Swedish multi-instrumentalist Snowy Shaw (real name: Tommie Helgesson; THERION, DREAM EVIL, KING DIAMOND, MERCYFUL FATE, MEMENTO MORI, NOTRE DAME) announced his departure from the group and return to THERION.

Christofer Johnsson, the creative force behind THERION, released the following statement to BLABBERMOUTH.NET:

"We are very happy to announce that Snowy has rejoined THERION. We welcomed him back with open arms, and we will now be making a mix between the new show we had planned, and the last one which involved Snowy. We think the merger between the two concepts will be incredible, and we look forward to taking the band's live performance to the next level."

Shaw has been a member of THERION for four years, two studio albums, live DVDs and numerous tours around the world.

Snowy has written and co-written songs for the forthcoming THERION album, "Sitra Ahra", which is scheduled for release this fall through Nuclear Blast Records.

As a graphic designer and artist, Snowy was hired to oversee the visual aspects and help improve THERION's stage act and performance for the "Gothic Kabbalah" world tour 2007 and the band's 20th-anniversary tour.

"Sitra Ahra" will be released in North America on October 26 via Nuclear Blast Records. The CD was mixed at the legendary Polar Studios in Stockholm by Lennart Östlund (LED ZEPPELIN, ABBA). The cover artwork was created by Thomas Ewerhard, who worked on all of the band's most recent releases in addition to collaborating with EDGUY, AVANTASIA, RAGE and HAMMERFALL, among others.

"Sitra Ahra" was mastered in New York and it features the following track listing:

01. Sitra Ahra
02. Kings Of Edom
03. Unguentum Sabbati
04. Land Of Canaan
05. Hellequin
06. 2012
07. Cu Chulain
08. Kali Yoga III
09. The Shells Are Open
10. Din
11. After The Inquisition: Children

THERION recently recruited Christian Vidal from Argentina as the band's new guitarist.

Vidal made his live debut with THERION on June 4, 2010 in Mexico City.

Christofer Johnsson announced in May 2009 that vocalist Thomas Vikström (ex-CANDLEMASS) had become a permanent member of THERION.

THERION's latest CD/DVD, "The Miskolc Experience", was released in June 2009 via Nuclear Blast Records.