3 Inches of Blood
Photo: Roadrunner Records

With swords held high and shields in position, 3 Inches of Blood have been waging a valiant battle against — well, anyone who doesn't have a soft spot for mythical beasts and medieval warfare. And, for the most part, their holy war has been a great success.

The Vancouver, British Columbia, power/classic-metallers' 2002 debut, Battlecry Under a Winter Sun, earned them a deal with Roadrunner, through which they issued their second disc, 2004's well-received Advance and Vanquish. And the band has wowed crowds on tour slots opening for Iron Maiden, Cradle of Filth and others. This summer, 3 Inches of Blood will play Ozzfest's second stage around the time they release their third disc, Fire Up the Blades, June 26.

Of course, there have been casualties along the way. Original drummer Geoff Trawick and his brother, bassist Rick, left the band in 2004, leaving 3 Inches scrambling to find last-minute replacements before recording Advance and Vanquish. Then, shortly after releasing the LP, guitarists Sunny Dhak and Bobby Froese quit the band and were replaced by Justin Hagberg and Shane Clark. After that, drummer Matt Wood quit in July 2005 because of personal and professional differences.

"War is never easy, but sometimes reinforcements are a necessity to make you stronger," singer Jamie Hooper shrugged. "I'm sure those guys think they're better off where they are, but we're definitely in a better place now, too. The new guys are more into what we're doing and they're better players, so there are skills there that weren't before. And with [newcomer] Alexei [Rodriguez] on the drums, we're able to play faster than ever."

The improvements are evident on Fire Up the Blades. Like its predecessor, the album is rooted in charging rhythms; thick, crunchy riffs that sound like a cross between Hammerfall and Judas Priest; and the shrill-yowl-meets-guttural-growl of dueling singers Hooper and Cam Pipes. But this time, the playing is sharper, the arrangements more multifaceted and the hooks more deeply embedded.

3 Inches of Blood started writing songs for the new album last fall at a house they rented in Tacoma, Washington. "We wanted to get away from Vancouver so we wouldn't be distracted by our drunken friends," Hooper said. "So we spent a few months there jamming eight hours a day and drinking even more than we would have back home."

The band entered Vancouver's the Armory and Mushroom Studios in October and spent two months tracking with producer and Slipknot drummer Joey Jordison. The oft-masked barbarian took a few turns at the drum kit and even recorded a few background chants.

"We were so stoked to find out he was a fan of our band," Hooper said. "We met him when we were on tour with Satyricon and he was playing drums with them. And that's where we really got to know him. He's an amazing producer and an even better beer drinker."

Amazingly, the partying didn't impair the band's timing or ability to groove. And, while 3 Inches of Blood have been known to argue with past members on previous occasions, this time they got along in the studio like frat brothers at a strip club. "The songs were so exciting and fun to record," Hooper said. "Nothing had to be forced and everything came out so easily."

As much fun as 3 Inches of Blood have when they're recording, they're pretty serious about the final musical results and redo anything they're the least bit unsatisfied with. The same can't be said for their lyrics, which are goofy as hell and inspired mostly by fantasy, horror and science fiction.

"We try to keep reality out of the lyrics as much as possible," Hooper said. "I like the idea of music being escapist fiction. I hate writing songs about how sh---y your day was or how sh---y the world is. Yeah, let's all get bummed out and cry. F--- that. I'd rather go off into a dream world. And, yes, we do play Dungeons & Dragons, and we're not ashamed to admit it."

The rest of the week's metal news:

Former Coal Chamber axeman Miguel "Meegs" Rascon has surfaced in a new project called Glass Pinata. The band has spent the last year recording tracks for its debut LP and plans to make its live debut April 19 at West Hollywood, California's Whisky a Go Go. Ozzfest 2007 metallers Ankla will also perform at the gig. ... The Red Chord are all set to headline a June tour with support acts Through the Eyes of the Dead, Despised Icon and All Shall Perish in tow. The trek kicks off June 1 in Philadelphia and runs through June 28 in Montreal. ... Hate Eternal have parted ways with bassist Randy Piro, frontman Erik Rutan confirms. "Randy and I both thought this was the right life change for him and I support everything he wants to do for his future," Rutan said in a statement. "Randy always gave 100 percent while in the band and I appreciate all he has done for me and Hate Eternal. I wish him nothing but the best." Piro, meanwhile, commented that his "reason for leaving Hate Eternal [was] to direct my focus and energy to" his new project, Gigan. ...

Pig Destroyer have put the finishing touches on their forthcoming LP, Phantom Limb. The follow-up to 2004's Terrifyer is set to drop June 12 and will feature "Deathtripper," "Heathen Temple" and "Girl in the Slayer Jacket." ... Light This City are in need of a new guitarist following the recent departure of Steve Hoffman. "It has come to a point where [Hoffman] feels he needs to personally and musically move in another direction," the band said in a statement. "We respect his wishes completely and thank him wholeheartedly for his time in Light This City." If you think you're up to the challenge, the band said all auditioning candidates should be between ages 18 and 25, have some touring experience under their belt, possess their own equipment, and must "be extremely comfortable playing thrash" and "melodic death metal." Check out the band's MySpace page for further details. ...

New Jersey's the Number Twelve Looks Like You have completed work on their highly anticipated new album, Mongrel, which is set to drop June 19. Look for the set to feature 10 tracks, including "El Piñata de la Muerte," "Alright, I Admit It ... It Was a Whore House" and "Sleeping With the Fishes, See?" ... Rhode Island chaos kings Daughters have booked a slate of gigs to follow their current road trip with Cattle Decapitation and the Locust. The band will play April 30 in Colorado Springs, Colorado, and tour through May 6 in Hudson, New York. ... The Chariot, Misery Signals, the Human Abstract and I Hate Sally will be spending a large chunk of May together. The bands will head out on an eight-gig tour starting May 17 in Oklahoma City, and so far, dates are booked through May 26 in Anaheim, California. Additional shows will be announced in the coming weeks. ... Bloodjinn, Vanna, Twelve Gauge Valentine and the Silent Escape will team up for a run of May shows starting in Baltimore on May 9. The brief tour is expected to wind down May 29 in El Paso, Texas. ...

Swedish death-metal act Insision's forthcoming opus Ikon will not be in stores in April as originally planned. No definitive release date has been confirmed yet, as the band's label, Dental Records, is dealing with distribution dilemmas. When the album is released, expect it to feature nine tracks, including "A Ravenous Discharge," "Depleting the Non-Being" and "Breathing the Black Dust." ... Speaking of Swedes, black-metal heavyweights Dark Funeral are planning to make a return to North America this fall, following a successful run of the continent earlier this year. The band has lined up Naglfar and Daath as support acts for the tour, which kicks off October 11 in West Springfield, Virginia, and runs through November 2 in Detroit. ... Yet another Swedish band, Disfear, will begin recording their next LP this summer with Converge guitarist Kurt Ballou at his studios in Salem, Massachusetts. Look for the yet-untitled effort to include "In Exodus," "The Cage" and "Testament."

• 3 Inches Of Blood
• Slipknot
• Coal Chamber
• The Red Chord
• Through the Eyes of the Dead

DragonForce
Photo: Roadrunner Records

In two months U.S. record stores will, at long last, be able to stock an album by British power-metallers DragonForce. While the band's been around since 1999, the sextet's presence in the U.S. hasn't been felt much, considering DragonForce's three albums — 2003's The Valley of the Damned, 2004's Sonic Firestorm and 2006's Inhuman Rampage, which was issued four months back — haven't been released here. Hell, the band has yet to set foot on American soil, so DragonForce fans here have been deprived to say the least.

But that's all about to change, guitarist Herman Li said. Visa problems kept DragonForce from performing at New York's CBGB club back in November, but Li said that's not going to happen again on April 30, when the band plays its first U.S. gig at the New England Hardcore and Metal Festival. But he did warn fans that DragonForce shows aren't like most metal shows.

"We're famous for accidents onstage now," he said. "We have trampolines we jump on and four different boxes of different heights, which allow us to jump in the air and spin around. Even though the music is really fast and complicated, we're jumping in the air, playing the guitar upside down ... it's fun. We finish each tour with bruises on our legs and everything."

Eight additional U.S. club dates have been lined up: May 2 (New York), May 3 (Philadelphia), May 4 (West Springfield, Virginia), May 5 (Cleveland), May 6 (Chicago), May 8 (Denver), May 10 (San Francisco) and May 11 (West Hollywood, California), with Protest the Hero and Sanctity. Most of those shows have already sold out, but Li did mention that the band's working on securing a spot on an American festival tour, like Sounds of the Underground or Gigantour 2 — so fans who miss them this time around might be able to catch the 'Force this summer. But Li said the band hopes, in time, to be headlining tours in the U.S.

First, though, there's the matter of getting an album on store shelves. On June 20, Roadrunner Records will release Inhuman Rampage in the U.S., but DragonForce have already begun writing new material for that record's follow-up. Fans, Li said, can expect the new stuff to be just as fast, frenetic and technically perverse.

Most of Li's guitar stylings have been inspired by video game music, he said. In fact, on Inhuman, he tweaked and scratched the strings to create sounds he claims he borrowed from "Pac-Man." And those sounds are difficult to replicate live.

"When we finish an album, it's like, 'Whoa — we've got to learn these songs? It's going to be tough,' " Li said of the recording process. "But it's better that way because it makes you a better player afterwards."

The rest of the week's metal news: Cradle of Filth's forthcoming album, Thornography, will hit stores September 19. Look for it to include "Libertina Grim," "Tonight in Flames," "Cemetery and Sundown," "I Am the Thorn," "The Byronic Man" (featuring guest vocals from H.I.M.'s Ville Valo) and "Temptation." ... Arch Enemy's Angela Gossow will lend her pipes to Demonized, the forthcoming LP from Greek female metallers Astarte. The disc should be in stores before year's end. ... Fear Factory's late-fall headlining trek with Suffocation, Hypocrisy and Decapitated will launch October 26 in San Francisco. Dates thus far run through November 26 in Saginaw, Michigan. ... Slipknot's Joey Jordison has signed on to produce the forthcoming, yet-untitled 3 Inches of Blood album, which should feature "Night Marauders," "Goatriders' Horde" and "Black Spire" when it's released early next year. ... Devin Townsend-led Canadian extremists Strapping Young Lad have revealed the tentative track list for their forthcoming opus, The New Black, which will hit stores July 11. The album will feature 11 cuts, including "You Suck," "Far Beyond Metal" and "Almost Again." ...

Ill Niño, God Forbid, Eyes of Fire, Silent Civilian and Bleed the Sky will hit the road together under the tour banner One Nation Undivided. The trek kicks off May 10 in New York and will pass through 25 cities. Dates so far are booked through June 1 in Chicago, with additional gigs to be announced in the coming weeks. ... It Dies Today, Haste the Day, the Showdown, Chiodos and Flee the Seen will tour together starting June 1 in Syracuse, New York. Dates run through June 26 in Memphis, Tennessee. ... San Diego gore-grinders Cattle Decapitation have found someone to fill the void left behind the kit with the departure of Michael Laughlin: ex-Unholy Ghost drummer J.R. "Kid Gnarly" Daniels. ... DevilDriver will be this weekend's guests on MTV2's "Headbangers Ball." The band launches a U.S. tour May 8 in San Diego with Bury Your Dead, Remembering Never, If Hope Dies and Artimus Pyledriver, with dates running through June 2 in Sayreville, New Jersey. ...

Grind specialists the County Medical Examiners — "a collection of real-life pathologists with an unhealthy adoration of and fixation on Carcass," with one member who's said to be 63 years of age — have signed with Relapse Records. They'll release Olidus Operattas, their first album in three years, this fall. ... Brooklyn's Made Out of Babies will begin recording Coward, their second full-length LP, next month in Chicago with Steve Albini (Nirvana, Mono). ... North Carolina vegan metallers Undying have parted ways. "As is always the case, we have our reasons for the breakup — some petty, some great, none of which we will go into here," the band said in a post on its MySpace page. "Suffice to say that for the past eight years we have had the rare opportunity to travel the world, have more than a few interesting experiences and make friends, too many to be counted here, who we will hold heart-close and dear for a lifetime and more. Be kind, live well, go vegan." ... The Vows — a new hardcore band featuring John Pettibone (Himsa, Undertow), Rob Moran (Unbroken, Some Girls), Ryan Murphy (Undertow, Ensign), Aram Arslanian (Champion) and Chris Williams (Champion) — will issue its debut EP later this spring. ...

Finnish black-metal outfit Horna's next offering, Ääniä Yössä, will land in stores June 6. The epic record features four tracks and runs about 40 minutes. ... Live In: Nerd Rage, the debut CD by comedian Brian Posehn, will be reissued July 11. The record features Anthrax guitarist Scott Ian, Shadows Fall guitarist Jonathan Donais, Armored Saint bassist Joey Vera and ex-White Zombie drummer John Tempesta. It also has the cut "Try Again, Again" by the mock metal group Titannica, which were featured on the HBO cult-classic comedy "Mr. Show." ... Richmond, Virginia, crossover metal band Municipal Waste have posted a gory, uncensored live music video for "Unleash the Bastards" on Earache's Web site. The clip depicts fans in the crowd tearing stage divers limb from limb and eating their body parts "Dawn of the Dead"-style. Not a great incentive to attend their gigs, if you ask us. ... Slipknot and Korn producer Ross Robinson is in the studio with Norma Jean working on the band's follow-up to 2005's O God, the Aftermath. The team entered the studio April 7 and hopes to finish by the end of May before embarking on Ozzfest. "We are thrilled to an insane degree," singer Cory Brandan said in a press statement. "We really think Ross Robinson will be able to bring something out in us and our music." ...

Grindcore band F--- the Facts are working on their debut album, Stigmata High-Five, in Montreal. The disc is slated for a late summer release and includes "The Wrecking," "Carve Your Heart Out" and "The Sound of Your Smashed Head." The Ottawa band begins a monthlong Canadian tour April 14. ... Longtime Origin drummer John Longstreth has rejoined the Kansas technical metal band. He replaces James King, who left in October due to personal and creative differences. The group starts a tour July 19 in Oklahoma City with dates running through August 26 in Milwaukee. ... Two classic melodic death/black-metal albums by Sweden's Dissection will be reissued June 27 as double-CD sets. The Somberlain, which originally came out in 1993, will be resurrected with the 1991 EP Into Infinite Obscurity, previously unreleased live recordings, demos and rehearsal room tapes. Storm of the Light's Bane (1995) will re-emerge with an alternate mix of the full album, demos and the 1996 EP Where Dead Angels Lie. Dissection's long-awaited new album, Reinkaos, comes out May 16.

• Dragonforce
• Cradle of Filth
• Anthrax
• Horna
• Fear Factory