Armoury Records, distributed by Eagle Rock Entertainment, has releaseed one mighty molten metal blast of good CD cheer: We Wish You A Metal Xmas And A Headbanging New Year - a new e-card can be viewed here.

The album sees an all-star assemblage as members of such great hard rock bands as FOO FIGHTERS, QUEENSRŸCHE, DIO, ALICE COOPER, ZZ TOP, DOKKEN, KISS, L.A. GUNS, MARILYN MANSON, MOTÖRHEAD, BLACK SABBATH, KING'S X, JUDAS PRIEST, ANTHRAX, RATT, STYX, TOTO and more all jam out together on some of the most beloved holiday songs of all time (including 'Grandma Got Ran Over By A Reindeer').

The kick is in the chemistry between the musicians as members of different bands perform together on the material to create a one-of-a-kind listening experience! Motörhead’s Lemmy, ZZ Top’s Billy Gibbons and Foo Fighter Dave Grohl, for instance, team up on 'Run Rudolph Run', a song popularized by CHUCK BERRY. This is just one of 12 such irresistible pairings.

“This is a metal CD you will want to listen to all year round,” says Wendy Dio, who put the project together with Bob Kulick and Brett Chassen. “It has been a very exciting and exhausting project, but we have managed to get an allstar cast together.”

Ironically, the hardest person to get was Dio himself as he doesn’t sing Christmas songs. Wendy hounded him for days, finally getting him to listen to Kulick’s arrangement of 'God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen'. Dio liked it, added a few bits, recorded it at Kulick’s studio, and got Tony Iommi to add his signature guitar sound. The result is a very Sabbath Christmas song. Rounding out the circle of familiar characters on this track are Dio bassist Rudy Sarzo and drummer Simon Wright.

“The Metal Xmas album was a great opportunity to pay homage to my least favorite holiday,” says Dio, “and what a lineup of musicians to do it with! The arrangements of the classic noel songs are fresh and heavy with rock’n’roll, and the performances are equally classic. It’s a magical way to change your holiday listening.”

The tracklisting:

'Run Rudolph Run'

Vocal/bass: Lemmy Kilmister (MOTÖRHEAD)

Guitar/vocals: Billy F. Gibbons (ZZ TOP)

Drums/vocals: Dave Grohl (FOO FIGHTERS)

'Santa Claus Is Coming To Town'

Vocal: Alice Cooper

Guitar: John 5 (MARILYN MANSON/ROB ZOMBIE)

Bass: Billy Sheehan (MR. BIG/ NIACIN)

Drums: Vinnie Appice (HEAVEN AND HELL/ BLACK SABBATH)

'God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen'

Vocal: Ronnie James Dio

Guitar: Tony Iommi (Heaven And Hell/ Black Sabbath)

Bass: Rudy Sarzo (WHITESNAKE/DIO)

Drums: Simon Wright (AC/DC/DIO)

'Little Drummer Boy'

Vocal: Dug Pinnick (KING's X)

Guitars: George Lynch (DOKKEN)

Bass: Billy Sheehan (Mr. Big)

Drums: Simon Phillips (THE WHO/TOTO)

'Santa Claus Is Back In Town'

Vocal: Tim Ripper Owens (YNGWIE MALMSTEEN/ex-JUDAS PRIEST)

Lead Guitar: Steve Morse (DEEP PURPLE)

Rhythm guitar: Juan Garcia (AGENT STEEL)

Bass: Marco Mendoza (Whitesnake/TED NUGENT)

Drums: Vinnie Appice

'Happy Xmas (War Is Over)'

Vocal: Tommy Shaw (STYX)

Guitars: Steve Lukather (TOTO)

Bass: Marco Mendoza

Drums: Kenny Aronoff (TONY IOMMI/SMASHING PUMPKINS)

'Grandma Got Ran Over By A Reindeer'

Vocal/Guitar: Ace Frehley (ex-KISS)

Bass: Billy Sheehan

Drums: Greg Bissonette (DAVID LEE ROTH)

'Rocking Round The Xmas Tree'

Vocal: Joe lynn Turner (RAINBOW/Deep Purple)

Guitars: Bruce Kulick (KISS/GRAND FUNK)

Bass: Rudy Sarzo

Drums: Simon Wright

'Silent Night'

Vocal: Chuck Billy (TESTAMENT)

Guitar: Scott Ian (ANTHRAX)

Lead Guitar: Jon Donais (SHADOWSFALL)

Bass: Chris Wyse (Ozzy/THE CULT)

Drums: John Tempesta (ROB ZOMBIE)

'Silver Bells'

Vocal: Jeff Scott Soto (Yngwie Malmsteen/JOURNEY)

guitar: Carlos Cavazo (QUIET RIOT)

Bass: James Lomenzo (MEGADETH/DLR BAND)

Drums: Ray Luzier (KORN/DAVID LEE ROTH)

'Deck The Halls'

Vocal: Oni Logan (LYNCH MOB)

Guitar: Craig Goldy (Dio)

Bass: Tony Franklin (THE FIRM)

Drums: John Tempesta

'We Wish You a Merry Xmas'

Vocal: Geoff Tate (QUEENSRŸCHE)

Guitars: Doug Aldrich (Whitesnake)

Bass: Chris Wyse

Drums: Ray Luzier