King Diamond
Photo: Metal Blade Records

In King Diamond's 1986 single, "Halloween," the Danish-metal prince shrieked about ancient rituals, torture and all things demonic: "Like in horror dreams, I want/ I command you to scream." A full 22 years later, Diamond — who released his latest album, Give Me Your Soul ... Please, in late June — is still doing plenty of screaming. Only lately, they've been screams of pain. And this Halloween he won't be stealing any souls — or even trick-or-treat candy. He'll be bedridden with a herniated disc.

"I can't sit down, even on my couch, for more than a few minutes," he said from his Texas home. "About a month ago I tried, and after 15 minutes, it started feeling like my left leg was getting set on fire."

Just six weeks ago, Diamond had to stand on one leg to brush his teeth and was unable to bend over enough to spit toothpaste into the sink. Now, as long as he eats standing up and walks for 90 minutes between four-hour intervals in bed, he can get through the day without any major attacks of pain.

Of course, that makes touring impossible, and in late June, Diamond postponed his entire European trek. While he hopes to heal in time for the U.S. tour, which is scheduled to launch March 23 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, and run through May 8 in Houston, he's not entirely sure he'll be able to play those shows either.

"It can take up to a year and a half for a severe herniated disc to heal properly, but it varies from person to person," he said. "So, we are crossing our fingers and praying that we won't have to cancel the U.S shows. Right now there's not much more we can do."

Diamond got a taste of what might happen if he hits the road too soon in September when director Bill Schacht from video company Aestheticom — which has also worked with Amon Amarth — shot a video for "Give Me Your Soul," the first King Diamond clip in 17 years. "They limited what I had to do, of course, so I only did one day of shooting for 90 minutes, but just standing there moving a little bit in the full outfit was very difficult," he said. "And afterwards, I got one of those sharp attacks of pain that I hadn't had in a month and a half. The only thing I can compare it to is a really super-bad toothache or earache. And afterwards, I was like, 'OK, I'm not ready [to tour] yet.' "

So, how did the pioneer of demonic metal injure his back, anyway — painting pentagrams in blood around the altar, strapping virgins into the torture rack in his basement? Nope, the 51-year-old rocker hurt himself working in his home studio on Give Me Your Soul ... Please.

"I think the real damage happened mixing the record, because I did that three weeks straight for a minimum of 12 hours a day," he said. "One of the last nights, when I was going to bed, I felt these pains in the sciatic nerves on each side, and I thought, 'Oh what is this?' The next morning I woke up and I couldn't walk or stand. It was like being paralyzed. I can't begin to say how painful it was. They say that's the worst pain you can experience as a human being. Had I not lived on the ground floor in a house, I would have jumped out the window."

If, as his detractors claim, Diamond is damned to spend an eternity in hell, at least he'll have an idea of what it might be like. "In the beginning, these attacks were 15 minutes at a time, of unbearable pain. The first month after I had the accident, my left leg looked like I got out of a concentration camp. It was all thin and I lost all the muscle tone because I couldn't put any weight on it."

After undergoing an MRI, doctors determined that Diamond's herniated disc wouldn't require an operation but that he would have to undergo intensive physical therapy and plenty of rest if he was to properly heal. "Doing the exercises, at first, I would try to wiggle my left leg back and forth a little, but there was so much pain it was absolutely impossible. But gradually, I got to the point where I could move the leg pretty well and now I'm walking around and both legs are the same size again."

In addition to religiously following doctors' order, Diamond is now eating healthy and avoiding all medication — even Tylenol. "I take no painkillers whatsoever," he said. "That's the best way to heal fast, I think, because if my spine is in a slightly wrong position lying down, I feel the pain and I readjust the position of how I'm lying and then it slowly dies away. That way I know I'm not lying in a wrong position. If I feel the pain it's a signal that, 'Hey, you're doing something wrong.' "

But while he's being a good patient and focusing on his recovery, Diamond is itching to be able to get back onstage and perform songs from his new album, which he considers his greatest accomplishment yet as a solo artist.

"It's very frustrating to be stuck here and not be able to do what I do best," he explained. "I'd rather get shot in the leg because then I know I'd heal in a couple months and I'd be ready. I would love nothing more than to be able to play the U.S. shows, but of course, it's much better to postpone the tour and heal properly than to go out and play some stupid hero with your own health and then find out it didn't work. You got one week into the tour, and now you sit in a wheelchair and [your] career's over. So, this is the only way to do it. And afterwards we have many, many more good years ahead of us. I just have to get better first."

The rest of the week's metal news:

Norwegian black-metallers Zyklon are going on hiatus. According to guitarist Tomas "Samoth" Thormodsæter Haugen, the band's future plans are "up in the air at the moment," as all of its members live in different cities. "We're not always an easy band to manage," he said in a statement. "[We all] have multiple commitments on different fronts, thus it's often hard for all the [logistical] and practical things to work. This situation has especially come more into focus in the last year or so, where it has become harder and harder to get the band together when needed, with the spirit and excitement that one expects from a band like this. Basically, I don't feel that we as a band have the fire needed to start working on a new album right now. Therefore Zyklon are taking a break." Samoth, who is also known for his work with Emperor, also revealed that there are plans for an Emperor DVD with "a lot of cool material to be reviewed, mixed and edited." No word yet on when the effort will hit stores. ...

Turbonegro are down a member after the departure of rhythm guitarist Rune Rebellion, according to reports. But Rune isn't leaving the Turbonegro family — he'll continue running the band's label, Scandinavian Leather Recordings, and plans to manage the band's tour business. ... All That Remains, Shadows Fall and Killswitch Engage are among the artists who have been nominated in the Outstanding Metal/Hardcore Band of the Year category at this year's Boston Music Awards. We'll find out who takes the honor home on December 1, when the awards invade the city's Orpheum Theatre. The Red Chord, Unearth, Isis and Converge are also in the running for the award. Meanwhile, the Shad and Killswitch have also been nominated in the Album of the Year (Major) and Act of the Year categories. ...

Things are not well in the land of Gorgoroth. Gaahl, frontman for the black-metal masters, and guitarist Infernus recently had an undisclosed argument over the band's future and, via MySpace, had announced their dissolution. But on Monday, the band's Web site insisted Infernus left the fold, leaving Gaahl and bassist King ov Hell to continue on as Gorgoroth. Not so fast — Infernus, a founding member of the band, plans to file suit against his former bandmates, for use of the Gorgoroth name. Gaahl issued a statement explaining the mess. "It's the disrespect he has shown our working partners — record labels, session musicians, promoters (by sending unserious demands in riders, etc.) and producers we have worked with over the years — which has lead to this decision," he wrote. "In addition, he has not been a creative force for the last eight years. He has shown no interest in the art defining Gorgoroth during that same period of time. He has not shown up for rehearsals and has broken agreements on several occasions. It's gotten to a point were King and I can't create a fire as long as someone is there pouring water over it." He said he intends to continue crafting sinister metal, with or without the Gorgoroth name. According to Infernus, he's been meeting with his legal team and said "there is now Gorgoroth, and another fraction with a Gorgoroth name on it." ...

Soon, we'll have another Arsis album to feast on. The band recently completed work on the effort, titled We Are the Nightmare, under the guidance of producer Zeuss (Agnostic Front, Hatebreed). The LP is slated for release early next year and boasts 10 tracks, including "Shattering the Spell," "Failing Winds of Hopeless Greed" and "A Feast for the Liar's Tongue." ... Filipino-American thrash-metallers Death Angel have titled their forthcoming LP Killing Season. The record is slated for release early next year and is being recorded at a Los Angeles studio with producer Nick Raskulinecz (Shadows Fall, Velvet Revolver). ... Belgium grindcore specialists Leng Tch'e are in search of a new bassist, with usual player Nicolas Malfeyt having shifted to second guitar. The band had been looking for a second guitarist. Those interested in auditioning should contact the band via its MySpace page. ... Ever wanted to name a band? Well, here's your chance. Fear Factory guitarist Christian Olde Wolbers and drummer Raymond Herrera have teamed up with Threat Signal frontman Jon Howard to start a new project, but they haven't been able to come up with a name for it. Ideas can be submitted to Wolbers via his MySpace page. ...

Drummer Jeramie Kling has left Floridian metallers the Absence after five years with the band. According to a statement from the group, Kling said he felt he had "experienced 'repetitive, blatant dishonesty' from bandmembers that 'ultimately was taking away from the band's success and priorities.' At this point, Jeramie no longer wishes to be associated with the Absence due to their 'pretentiousness and disregard' on a personal level and to the fans who put them where they are." The band will honor all of its prior touring commitments, as soon as it tracks down a fill-in. ... Obituary and Merauder will join forces for a handful of gigs in December. Look for the bands to roll through Clifton Park, New York (December 7); Brooklyn, New York (December 8); and Sayreville, New Jersey (December 9). ... Experimental hardcore outfit Some Girls have thrown in the towel. There's no word yet on why the band split up. ... Remember Dub War, those Brits who forged reggae with metal and somehow pulled it off? Well, while the band has been inactive since 1999, two Dub War releases will be coupled together and reissued as an exclusive double-CD pack on Tuesday. The set will include 1995's Pain and 1996's Wrong Side of Beautiful.

• King Diamond
• Zyklon
• Turbonegro
• All That Remains
• Shadows Fall

Today Is The Day's Steve Austin
Photo: Wade Gosselin

If nothing else, Today Is the Day are an excellent breeding ground for up-and-coming musicians. Mastodon guitarist Bill Kelliher and drummer Brann Dailor played on Today Is the Day's 1999 album, In the Eyes of God — with Kelliher on bass — and Lamb of God guitarist Mark Morton guested on 2002's Sadness Will Prevail. Also, former Esoteric drummer Marshall Kilpatric rocked with the Nashville noise-metal group between 2001 and 2003.

But with Today Is the Day's upcoming album, Axis of Eden (scheduled for September 18), frontman Steve Austin hopes his band will finally be able to break out of the underground and spread its chaotic music and message to a larger audience.

"It seems to me like a lot of people are finding out about us through these other bands, and they're going, 'Wow, this seems like a seminal thing. I wonder what this sh--'s about?' " Austin explained. "So, maybe they'll check out our new record, which, in my opinion, is the best ... thing we've ever done. And, hopefully, it will blow these people away and open a new dimension for them."

Austin, who just finished mixing Axis of Eden, says the new material is eclectic and intense, incorporating elements of extreme metal, psychedelia and even world music. "No song is like the last, and it's a crazy sonic journey," Austin said. "It's really hard to pin down or describe, but I love it because it's like a big, wild art project."

Axis of Eden will be the first Today Is the Day album since 2004's Kiss the Pig, and a lot has happened in those three years. The group has been through four drummers: Mike Rosswog (ex-Circle of Dead Children), who played on Kiss the Pig, quit because he didn't want to tour; Jeff Lohrber played in the group for eight months but left in November 2005 because of "personal and music differences with Austin"; and Graham Leduc stayed just long enough to record demos for Axis of Eden before taking off. However, it's the band's newest drummer, Derek Roddy (ex-Hate Eternal, Malevolent Creation), who really has Austin jazzed.

"He does some of the most extreme and inventive extreme playing I've ever heard," Austin said. "His style is his own and you can't pin him down to one genre of music. He's so super-versatile it blows my mind and allows us to do things musically we previously couldn't do. And he's so dedicated. When he first contacted me, I said, 'Do you want to hear a copy of the songs before you commit to doing it?' and he said, 'No, are you kidding me? We're doing this. I'm down. I'm not just gonna play in the studio. I love Today Is the Day and I want to make it clear that I'm in this band and doing sh-- with you.' And I was like, 'Damn, that's exactly what I need.' "

Austin started writing songs for Axis of Eden three years ago and began tracking late last year. By January, the album was mostly finished, and he has spent the last seven months fine-tuning the songs, which include "No Lung Baby," "Free at Last," "If You Want Peace, Prepare for War" and "IED." While Today Is the Day delved into politics on Kiss the Pig, the new record is an even more scathing indictment of modern society and the current administration.

"This album definitely has a military and militant feeling to it," he said. "I'm just trying to expose what's really going on right now with planet Earth. The title is obviously a play on the term 'axis of evil,' and it's a reference to the religious right in America and the power and control they have over things that are going on within government."

For Austin, the jarring rhythmic changes, schizophrenic style shifts and overall intensity of Axis of Eden is a reflection not only of the turbulence and volatility he sees domestically and internationally, but also of the radical mood swings he undergoes on a daily basis.

"This album has some pretty brain-concussion-causing moments," he said. "It's disturbing but yet lulling at the same time, and that's because, pretty much, that's my life. It seems to run at either extreme highs or extreme lows. Even though things are good in the Austin camp, I still feel like we, as a family, are still fighting the struggle every day against 'The Man' and everything that's going on in the world. It seems like it never ends, but you've just gotta stay at the forefront and be honest and true with what you're doing and not give up the fight."

Having fulfilled Today Is the Day's contract with Relapse Records, Austin will release Axis of Eden on SuperNova Records, the label he launched in October. On August 7, the label will precede the new record with numerous releases: a reissue of the band's 1994 album, Willpower; a live DVD from the Willpower tour; a self-titled live DVD from a 1996 concert in New York; and an album by Austin and bassist Chris Debari's punk side project Taipan. Also that day, SuperNova will release the self-titled debut by New Jersey band Diesel Theory. Albums by SuperNova's other bands, Christine and Defcon 4, will follow, and on September 13 in Boston, the label will launch a tour featuring Today Is the Day, Taipan, Christine and Defcon 4. Dates are scheduled through October 16 in Nashville.

Even if Today Is the Day don't break into the mainstream with their new release, judging by the tour plans, Austin might have a promising future as a crafty label man. "Taipan's going to open the show and play a 25-minute punk-rock set, because we really want people to see Christine and Defcon 4," Austin said. "So, if people go, 'Hey, I gotta check out Taipan,' they'll already be there and they have to see the other two bands as well."

The rest of the week's metal news:

We all know Metallica have been busy working on their next album with producer Rick Rubin (Red Hot Chili Peppers, Slayer), but little has been revealed about the thrash icons' first collection of new songs since 2003's St. Anger. But at least one dude outside the band has heard some of the fresh stuff: Velvet Revolver's Matt Sorum. In a recent RollingStone.com interview, Sorum said his good pal Lars Ulrich has played him some of the new songs. "I turned and looked at him and I said, 'Master that sh-- and put it out.' It's ridiculous," Sorum said. "The demos were sick. Eight-minute songs, all these tempo changes, crazy fast. It's like, 'Dude, don't get slower when you get older, but don't get faster!? How are you going to play this live?' I dig it. I'm really excited for them." ...

There's a whole heap of Ozzfest news to report this week. First off, Mondo Generator, the band fronted by former Queens of the Stone Age bassist Nick Oliveri, has dropped off the trek, citing "matters beyond the band's control." While he didn't get into specifics, Oliveri said in a statement that, "We tried everything in our power to make things work so that we could remain on tour, but it is impossible for us to continue touring at this time." He apologized for letting down the fans and thanked the Osbournes for giving the Generator a slot on the second-stage bill. Meanwhile, a broken-down bus prevented Nile from performing during Ozzfest's Tuesday stop in Phoenix. The band rejoined the tour Thursday in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Lastly, Warped Tour organizer Kevin Lyman has aired his feelings about the trek's free tickets, telling The Kansas City Star, "It allowed Ozzy Osbourne to get one more paycheck out of [Ozzfest], to be 100 percent honest." Lyman didn't hold back, going on to comment about tour founder Sharon Osbourne: "[She's] a smart person, but basically that's what it is. It's a ploy, straight-up. ... She was struggling to put [together a bill] because she keeps charging more and more and selling less and less tickets. The attendance of that tour has been dropping for many years, and she keeps having to spend more on the talent to get people to the shows." ...

Slayer's Kerry King plans to relaunch his clothing line, KFK Industries, but with a new name: KFK Ministries. He plans to release several T-shirts, stickers and skullcaps through the company. In related news, Slayer's entire catalogue will be reissued sometime in the near future, through Sony BMG's Legacy imprint. There's no word yet on when those LPs will be in stores, or what new material they might feature. ... Swedish metal merchants Soilwork have titled their next studio offering Sworn to a Great Divide. The October set, the vocals for which were produced by Strapping Young Lad mastermind Devin Townsend, will feature 11 tracks, including "Breeding Thorns," "I, Vermin" and "As the Sleeper Awakes." ... A severe neck prolapse that is causing numbing in his right arm has sidelined Dimmu Borgir drummer Hellhammer, who will miss the band's upcoming European festival appearances. Hellhammer is expected to seek treatment, which may involve surgery, for his condition. In his place will be Tony Laureano, who played for Dimmu during the band's Ozzfest 2004 stint. ...

All That Remains are putting the finishing touches on their first DVD. The release will boast footage from two of the New England metal outfit's live shows, along with music videos, fan and band interviews, and other leftover footage, some of which dates back to 2004. Expect the DVD in stores sometime in the fall. ... After five years, Abacus Records has officially ceased operations, and portions of the former Century Media imprint will now be folded back into the label, with some Abacus bands transferring over to the latter. Details regarding the shakeup are few, but we'll keep you posted as information is released. ... Dying Fetus have a new drummer in Trey Williams, who has worked with Covenance, Severed Head and Tortured in the past. He replaces Duane Timlin, who was fired due to unspecified "touring difficulties." ...

A Life Once Lost and August Burns Red will join forces in September for a run of U.S. gigs. So far, just 10 dates have been confirmed: The first is set for September 7 in Portland, Maine, and the jaunt runs through September 16 in Poughkeepsie, New York. ... Calico System have called it a day. Guitarist Rick Giordano said in a statement that it just "didn't make sense" for the St. Louis metallers "to remain a band anymore. Music rules, but the music business sucks and had taken its toll on all of us." He promises a farewell tour somewhere down the line but wasn't sure when the trek would commence — he mentioned fall as a possibility. Original guitarist Shawn Keith also got in his own two cents about the split. "When we got signed back in 2003, everything about the music and scene was completely different," he said in a statement. "You did not have MySpace to blow your band up and you actually had to have a record deal before any type of hype could be built around your band other than touring. We booked DIY tours early on before we were signed and put in the work. It was a lot of blood, sweat and tears, but at the end of the day, when everything is pointing against you, then you just have to simply say, 'It is time to move on.' " He added that he and drummer Erik Ramsier quit the band months ago to pursue other projects. ...

Fans of Florida death-metal extremists Hate Eternal will soon see a fresh face behind the drumkit. The band has added Jade Simonetto to the fold — he replaces Derek Roddy, who left the Hate more than a year ago because of internal strife within the group. Frontman Erik Rutan said in a statement that he's been working with Simonetto for six months now, "and his incredible skill and dedication to extreme drumming and groove has made him the perfect drummer for Hate Eternal. We jell on everything from all the old songs to the new, and the [creative] process has been amazing." Hate Eternal have been working on material for their next LP, which is being eyed for an early 2008 release. ... An October 9 release date has been set in stone for Overkill's forthcoming album, Immortalis. An announcement regarding an East Coast tour around the record's release is expected in the coming weeks. ...

The Henge, the debut solo album from Zombi's Steve Moore, will hit stores in October. Moore self-recorded the LP, which will feature "Infinite Resignation," "Dead Tide" and "Cepheid." "This album represents a turning point in my writing — a subtle shift in direction that is only apparent when considering the album as a whole," he said in a statement. "While no track is too far removed from the harmonic language I create through my work with Zombi, this album gives me a chance to expand my tonal palette by experimenting with different instrumentations." ... The lineup continues to take shape for next year's Maryland Deathfest, which is scheduled for May 24-25 at the Sonar in Baltimore. So far, the 'fest's organizers have booked Behold ... the Arctopus, Impaled, Squash Bowels, Coffins and the Day Everything Became Nothing. ... In other festival news, the Indianapolis Metal Fest has been scheduled for September 22 and will take over two venues in Indiana's capital: the KOC Grand Ballroom and Birdy's Bar & Grill. So far, Obituary, Full Blown Chaos, Daath, Beneath the Sky, Hemlock and Single Bullet Theory have been confirmed for the lineup.

• Today is the Day
• Mastodon
• Metallica
• Velvet Revolver
• Queens of the Stone Age

In This Moment
Photo: Century Media

There's no denying Maria Brink's a babe. The full-bosomed, pouty-lipped, heavily inked blond frontwoman for Southern California metallers In This Moment sort of gets that, too. That's not to say she isn't a modest lass, of course. But she's reminded on an almost daily basis just how striking she is.

"There's definitely a lot of marriage proposals," she confided, before guitarist Chris Howorth, who runs the band's MySpace page, chimed in: "Every day, there's like five or six marriage proposals that come in, and all of her picture comments — there's about a 1,000 posts for each picture — they're all like, 'You're hot,' 'Will you marry me?,' 'You're hot.' It's retarded."

At the same time, though, In This Moment — which formed in 2005 and will release their debut full-length, Beautiful Tragedy, March 20 — realize that having an attractive face behind the microphone can't hurt in a male-dominated genre. Gorgeous singers have helped the likes of Lacuna Coil and Arch Enemy get noticed, both onstage and off. One thing In This Moment fans may not notice, though, is the gash that graces the bridge of Brink's nose in the video for the first single, "Prayers."

"I literally got my head split open during the shoot," she explained. "I have a big scar across my face. The [camera] dolly came a little close, and I was headbanging, and we just collided and my whole face split open. There was blood all over the place."

When the band's manager tried to call off the shoot, to let Brink recoup, she insisted In This Moment finish what they had started. "We just iced it and glued it shut," she said. "My hair's in my face for much of the video, to cover up the cut on my face." How much more metal does it get?

In This Moment are on tour with Kittie, Walls of Jericho, Dead to Fall and 36Crazyfists through March 24 in Warren, Michigan. After that, they'll head out with Lacuna Coil and Stolen Babies in May for a North American run that launches May 7 in Louisville, Kentucky. The trek's routing is still being finalized.

Howorth said there was a great deal of pressure on the band during the recording of Beautiful Tragedy, which has been in the bag since late August and was produced by Eric Rachel (Atreyu, Every Time I Die). "It's our first record, and we're trying to impress a lot of people," he said. "So we wanted everything to be perfect and sound great. Everything has worked out phenomenally for this band."

Brink — who sounds like a cross between Lamb of God's Randy Blythe and Evanescence's Amy Lee — shows a great deal of range on In This Moment's inaugural studio outing, which immediately differentiates the band from other female-fronted metal outfits. Lyrically, Brink was inspired by challenges she's faced throughout her life, as well as by her son.

"Whether or not it's the past or something more recent, each song's based on things I've been through in my life," Brink explained. "Some of it's heart-wrenching and torturous for me to sing or scream about. But it was also cathartic for me. I was crying in the studio and fully upset, at moments. I think it helps my performance sound real. You can hear the pain in my voice. One song I wrote about my best friend, who died two years ago. I would pull all of his pictures out, and it helped bring me to that place while I was singing. It's important that people can feel what I'm singing about."

In This Moment, while relatively new to the scene, have been making a name for themselves on the road, thanks to their intense, visceral live shows. And for the rest of 2007, Brink and Howorth expect they'll be living out of a van, traveling from one venue to the next, spreading the word about Beautiful Tragedy.

If all goes well, In This Moment would like to land a spot on either Sounds of the Underground or Ozzfest this summer. Ultimately, though, Howorth said they have a very important mission in mind: "We want to be the biggest band in the world. Like Metallica, only I don't want to kiss our bassist."

The rest of the week's metal news:

More details have emerged regarding this year's New England Metal & Hardcore Festival, which is set for April 27-28 in Worcester, Massachusetts. So far, the bill's shaping up like this: Bury Your Dead, Satyricon, Walls of Jericho, Kataklysm, Unearth, Cannibal Corpse, the Black Dahlia Murder, the Red Chord, Job for a Cowboy, Lizzy Borden, Goatwhore, I Killed the Prom Queen, Shai Hulud, Since the Flood, Demiricous, Hallows Eve, Cellador, Beyond the Embrace, the Architect, Animosity, Psyopus, If Hope Dies, Ed Gein, the Absence, Kylesa, Skinless, the Devil Wears Prada, All Shall Perish, 100 Demons, Nora, the Human Abstract, Still Remains, Thy Will Be Done, Nachtmystium, December Aeterali, Merauder, Death Before Dishonor, Suicide Silence, Beneath the Massacre, Skeleton Witch, Stick to Your Guns, the Faceless, Blood Runs Black, Dead Hearts, xDeathStarx, Palehorse, Bloodlined Calligraphy, the Funeral Pyre, Gaza, Forever in Terror, Apiary, Sons of Azrael, the Destro and the Network. ... Florida metallers Into the Moat would like you to know that, contrary to rumor, they're not disbanding. In fact, according to guitarist Kit Wray, the band hopes to record a new album later this year. Bassist Josh Thiel has once again left the group, to focus on school, but Into the Moat insist they're "not looking for a bass player. A longtime friend of ours will be lending his bass skills for this upcoming album. We are hard at work on our next album, The Campaign." The band said it would like to once again work with producer Erik Rutan (Cannibal Corpse, Goatwhore). ...

North Carolina metalcore maestros Between the Buried and Me have entered writing mode and are hard at work on the follow-up to 2006's The Anatomy Of, claiming in an online post that "things are coming along very well." The band plans to begin recording in May with producer Jamie King (Human Abstract, Far-Less). In the meantime, you can catch the band in Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania, March 30; Harrisonburg, Virginia, March 31; and Greensboro, North Carolina, April 1. ... Bled Fest 2007 has been set for May 5 at the Skateland West complex in Westland, Michigan. Animosity, the Faceless, As Blood Runs Black, Beneath the Massacre and At the Throne of Judgment have been confirmed for this year's lineup. ... A Life Once Lost have completed tracking their forthcoming album, Iron Gag. The effort was helmed by producer Eric Rachel (Atreyu, Every Time I Die) at Trax East Recording Studio in New Jersey, and the LP has now entered the mixing phase. No word yet on when the disc will drop, but we'll keep you posted. ... Los Angeles death-metallers the Funeral Pyre will launch a two-week West Coast tour with Cerberus March 29 in Canoga Park, California. Dates are booked through April 13 in San Diego. ... Montreal deathcore dudes Despised Icon have wrapped the recording of their forthcoming sophomore LP, with producer Yannick St-Amand (Beneath the Massacre, Neuraxis). The still-untitled disc is set for a May 22 release. ... South Carolina technical death-metal mammoths Nile are working on their next studio offering, the follow-up to 2005's Annihilation of the Wicked. The band has recruited Neil Kernon (Nevermore, Deicide) to produce the effort, which should land in stores later this year. ...

Experimental metal band the End have just finished their debut video, "Throwing Stones," from their just-released album, Elementary. The clip was shot in Toronto with director Jeff Scheven and producer Dallas Dyer. The End will play a week of Canadian shows with Cancer Bats, Johnny Truant and the Gorgeous starting Wednesday in Sudbury, Ontario, and running through March 13 in London, Ontario. Then they'll open for Poison the Well across the States beginning April 3 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and ending April 20 in Menomonee Falls, Wisconsin. Fear Before the March of Flames and Heavy Heavy Low Low are also on that bill. ... We'll tread carefully with this one since the great uncle of Blessed by a Broken Heart's new singer, Tony Gambino, was Carlo Gambino, a former boss of the Gambino crime family. Tony Gambino recently replaced Hugh Robbie for the Montreal band's upcoming album You Wanted the Best, You Got the Blessed: Greatest Hits. "Tony can do back flips and breakdance better than Turbo in 'Electric Boogaloo,' " the band enthused on its Web site. "We're psyched to have him on board." If Gambino were ever on the wrong side of the law, we're guessing he's clean now, since Blessed are widely considered Christian metal — but we'll refrain from one-liners just in case. Blessed by a Broken Heart will enter a studio with producer GGGarth (It Dies Today, Atreyu) March 19 to track the album. "It will be one of the best metal albums of all time," said the self-proclaimed "superheroes destined to save the world from nuclear annihilation with the power of metal." We couldn't agree more. ...

Metalcore fans will likely weep with joy when they find out Bullet for My Valentine and All That Remains will tour together starting May 2 in Philadelphia. Dates have been booked through May 10 in Toledo, Ohio, and the rest of the shows will be announced soon. Escape the Fate and the Confession will open. Bullet for My Valentine are currently at home in Wales working on their next album, and All That Remains are taking a quick break before heading to Europe, where they'll tour through April 21. ... Former Megadeth guitarist Marty Friedman will release his sixth solo album, Loudspeaker, March 13. The fast and furious disc features guest appearances by Steve Vai, Dream Theater shredder John Petrucci, ex-David Lee Roth bassist Billy Sheehan and ex-Michael Schenker drummer Jeremy Colson. "I wanted to get these guys to play the most aggressive way they could because, as a fan, I really wanted to hear them in a full metal context," Friedman said. Tracks include "Coloreas Mi Vida," "Black Orchid" and "Elixir." ... Widely hyped U.K. metalcore band Fightstar will release their U.S. debut, Grand Unification, in April. The record was produced by Colin Richardson (Bullet for My Valentine, Cannibal Corpse), and while it holds together as a concept album, that wasn't the band's original intention. "When I hear something is a concept album, I always think, 'I hope this isn't a load of pretentious bullsh--,' " singer/guitarist Charlie Simpson said in a statement. "But gradually, as we wrote more lyrics, everything seemed to link together." Bassist Dan Haigh added: "The songs are supposed to be key moments in people's existences during that last day of the world. A lot of the music is born of a desire to capture something epic." Fightstar will make their Stateside performance debut with two March 15 shows at South by Southwest in Austin, Texas. A full U.S. tour will follow. ...

Swedish doom-metal legends Candlemass will celebrate their 20th year anniversary with a March 31 concert in Stockholm. They'll be joined onstage for the first time ever by their original singer, Johan Lanquist, who left after the recording of their legendary 1986 debut, Epicus Doomicus Metallicus. The show will also mark the debut of the band's new singer, Robert Lowe (also of Solitude Aeturnus), who replaces Messiah Marcolin. Grand Magus will open the evening and Cathedral frontman Lee Dorrian and Witchcraft singer Magnus Pelander will DJ. ... New Jersey emo-metal band Bedlight for Blue Eyes have started tracking their second album, tentatively titled Whole Again. The band is recording in Atlanta's Tree Sound Studios with producers Zack Odom and Kenneth Mount, who also recently worked with Cartel. The disc will be the group's first to feature new singer Danny — original singer James quit in September to "pursue other interests." "The past year has been really rocky for the band and for us individually," guitarist Itzhak "Itchy" Bishburg said. "We thought we were on the verge of the end until we met Danny. So we took all of that energy and channeled it into the album." ... Polish black-metal band Behemoth are finishing up their new record The Apostasy, which is being produced by frontman Nergal and the band's longtime sound engineer, Malta. The album is tentatively scheduled for release in late July. "It is taking us much longer than we had originally expected but The Apostasy is technically the most demanding of all Behemoth albums thus far," Nergal said in a statement. "We are extremely proud of what we've recorded and the sound is just devastating."

• Behemoth
• Nile
• Bullet for My Valentine
• All That Remains

All That Remains' Phil Labonte
Photo: MTV News

New England metalcore champs All That Remains have become one of the standout acts on this summer's Ozzfest, decimating one sun-soaked crowd after another and delivering ferocious sets that obviously leave a lasting impression with the audiences at each stop on the tour.

The proof's in the pudding, as they say. All That Remains' latest, crushing LP, The Fall of Ideals, opened at #75 on Billboard's album sales chart two weeks ago, selling close to 13,000 copies its first week in stores. The following week, the disc took a bit of a slide, falling to #139 with around 6,000 units sold. The Fall of Ideals is on pace to outsell the band's previous offering, This Darkened Heart, which racked up first-week sales of 1,050 copies when it was released two years ago. The album failed to chart but has gone on to sell about 62,000 copies.

For frontman Phil Labonte, the album's got the potential to sell a lot more — and that's where the band's second-stage turn on this year's Ozzfest comes in.

"We did Sounds of the Underground last year, but still, there's a huge crowd of people out here who ... this is going to be the only show they go to all year," he said. "It's such a huge deal, and there's a huge percentage of people here who have never even heard of us, so it's a huge opportunity and we're coming in with a really solid foundation and really good groundwork from last year. Our last album sold 60,000-something copies without Ozzfest. So we're hoping this record does the same or more. With the help of tours like Ozzfest, maybe we'll do that."

Some of the material on The Fall of Ideals spotlights the band at its most brutal — with tons of double-bass and pummeling blast beats. But at the same time, the LP's also All That Remains' most accessible outing to date, thanks to Labonte's vocals, which, in keeping with the current trend, come across as much cleaner.

"There are more clean vocals on the record, but there's more vocal variety overall," he argued. "I do way more of the really guttural death-metal stuff than I've ever done. The song 'The Weak Willed' is the heaviest thing we've ever done — it's a death-metal song. But there's more clean singing on this one because I've gotten better at that. We're not that band that's like, 'Oh, here's a formula — let's go ahead and do it and write all our songs this way.' We've always been an extreme band, and certainly not something you could consider anything less than a metal band."

Of course, being on the Ozzfest — which wraps up August 13 in West Palm Beach, Florida — can obviously lead to bigger and better things for a band. And it seems the tour's already started paying off for All That Remains. In September, they'll head out with DragonForce and Horse the Band for a tour that's expected to kick off September 8 in Los Angeles. Just four dates for the trek have been announced, including September 9 in San Francisco, September 23 in Detroit and September 24 in Toronto. More dates will be unveiled in the coming weeks. Labonte said the band also plans on setting out on a headlining run this winter.

"We want to stay on the road as long as we can, because that's how you make fans and that's how you become successful as a band," he explained. "Being on Ozzfest is pretty humbling, because you have so many huge bands that are gigantic now that got their start on the second stage — Killswitch Engage, Shadows Fall, Hatebreed. It's a huge thing to be a part of it, and it's a huge thing to be able to say, 'Hey, we were on Ozzfest.' I couldn't be any happier."

The rest of the week's metal news:

Ozzy and Sharon Osbourne will appear Friday afternoon (July 28) at the Hard Rock Cafe in New York to unveil Hard Rock's latest Signature Series T-shirt — which was designed by Ozzy himself. Proceeds from the sale of the shirt will benefit the Sharon Osbourne Colon Cancer Program at the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles. The shirt — available in black for men and ivory for the ladies — features the hand-painted stick figure that's become Ozzy's signature logo. "Most people know Ozzy as the outrageous, envelope-pushing rocker, but underneath the wild exterior lies a heart of gold," Sharon said in a press release. "We contribute to several causes and Ozzy is extremely supportive of the mission of this Colon Cancer Program." ... The lineup for the inaugural Radio Rebellion Tour has been revealed. Norma Jean, who're on the bill for this summer's Ozzfest, will headline the run, with Between the Buried and Me, Fear Before the March of Flames, Misery Signals and revolving openers the Fully Down and the Confession. A full list of dates and venues for the trek will be revealed in the coming weeks, but the tour's expected to kick off October 6 in Nashville. In the meantime, fans can check out a track from Norma Jean's forthcoming album, Redeemer, called "Blueprints for Future Homes," over at the band's MySpace page. Redeemer is slated for release September 12. ...

Zakk Wylde's Black Label Society will hit the road in October with Black Stone Cherry for a 36-date U.S. trek that's set to commence October 14 in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. The run, of course, will be in support of the band's forthcoming LP, Shot to Hell, which is set for release September 19. Dates are scheduled through December 8 in Los Angeles. ... On September 12, Roadrunner Records will release several best-of collections, featuring selections from the back catalogs of such metal heavyweights as Ill Niño, Sepultura, Fear Factory and Type O Negative. ... Starting August 1, Strapping Young Lad will be joined by onetime Megadeth bassist James MacDonough; he'll be replacing Byron Stroud, who'll be touring with Fear Factory overseas starting August 5. ... Unearth will head out on a headlining tour September 7 in Cleveland, with Bleeding Through and Animosity in tow. Fifteen dates have been announced thus far, with shows scheduled through September 25 in Atlanta. ...

Heaven Shall Burn will issue their forthcoming album Deaf to Our Prayers September 5. Look for it to include "Stay the Course," which has been posted on Lambgoat's Web site. ... The guys in Deicide have booted the band's booking agent — a move that's forced them to postpone their forthcoming Stench of Redemption Tour. The band plans to reschedule a full U.S. run for 2007, but The Stench of Redemption will be in stores August 22. ... Nemhain, which features Cradle of Filth drummer Adrian Erlandsson and his missis, fetish model Morrigan Hel, will hit the studio this weekend to record a five-song demo, featuring "Blood Runs Free," "Heroin Child" and "Honey." The band will make its live debut August 27 in London. ... Diecast's upcoming LP Internal Revolution will land in stores September 19 and feature 11 tracks, including "Fractured," "Out of Reach" and "Definition of a Hero." ... Swedish black-metallers Naglfar have begun writing new material for the follow-up to last year's Pariah. There's no word yet on when the LP might surface, but when it does, expect it to include "The Way of the Rope," "Odium Generis Humani" and "Prayer of Cain." ...

Pioneering death-metal outfit Necrophagia have replaced former guitarist/singer Frediablo with Diablos guitarist Undead Torment. Frediablo left the band last year to concentrate on his other band, Grimfist. "A true passion for horror and gore, plus his dedication to the metal scene, [made] Undead Torment a perfect fit," the band wrote on its Web site. ... Madball bassist Hoya Guerra has been cast as Louie Savage in the forthcoming film "Rapturious," which was written and directed by Kamal Ahmed of the Jerky Boys. It will be Guerra's first turn as a thespian. ... Bassist Michael Håkansson has left Swedish metallists Evergrey, saying he feels "a strong urge to do something different in music." He has been replaced by former Hammerfall bassist Fredrik Larsson. ... New Jersey's Knife the Glitter need some help. Stranded in California with a van in desperate need of an oil pump, the bandmembers have called upon their fans to float them some cash. They're hoping some of their 3,200 MySpace friends will donate a buck or two to their PayPal account so they'll "have enough to get our van fixed and going again. We all feel pretty crappy, having to beg for money, but we really don't know what to do." If you're feeling generous, you can check out the band's MySpace page for more information. ...

When post-hardcore metal warriors the Wayward aren't destroying their audience's eardrums, singer and guitarist Nick Skrobisz and his brother and guitarist Jesse work as sign-language interpreters. Both their parents are deaf, so they learned to sign as kids, and because of their experiences growing up, they decided to dedicate their non-rocking hours to helping others who are hearing impaired. While their folks had never heard a note of their two sons' bombastic music, last week in Baltimore their dad watched his kids perform onstage for the first time ever. And the guy takes pride in looking at the artwork of the Wayward's eponymous full-length debut, which came out June 6. ... Think the Sword are unique? Go back and listen to Chicago pioneer stoner-metal band Trouble, which Dave Grohl has listed as one of his all-time favorite metal bands. On September 26, Trouble's long-out-of-print first and second discs, 1984's Psalm 9 and 1985's The Skull, will be reissued, and doomsayers will rejoice — even if Satan cringes. As heavy and gloomy as they are, Trouble are actually a Christian band. But don't let that stop you: The desperation and pain in songs like "Pray for the Dead" and "Bastards Will Pay" are 10 times more intense than the sinister shtick of most Norwegian devil-lovers. ...

A new DVD series called Dynamo Classic Concert 1991 will launch this fall with a performance by Metal Church filmed that year at the Dynamo Open Air Festival in Eindhoven, Holland. Other bands that played Dynamo that year include Armored Saint, Morbid Angel, Extreme, Obituary, Primus and Saigon Kick. The Metal Church DVD is scheduled for release October 10. ... Less than two years after Nasum guitarist/singer Mieszko Talarczyk died in Thailand in the tsunami that devastated the region, Nasum drummer/singer Anders Jakobson has resurfaced in a new band called Coldworker. The group, which plays a combination of death metal and grindcore, will release its debut album, The Contaminated Void, this fall. The band also features singer Joel Fornbrant, guitarist Anders Bertilsson, guitarist André Alvinzi and bassist Oskar Pålsson. A composite of several songs from the release can be heard on Coldworker's MySpace page. ... Yngwie Malmsteen, Brian May, Slash, Vivian Campbell, Zakk Wylde, Ted Nugent, Mötley Crüe's Mick Mars and others have contributed guitar solos to the new Carmine Appice solo project Ultimate Guitar Zeus, which comes out August 15. Vocals were performed by Edgar Winter and Doug Pinnick (King's X). The disc — which includes "Gonna Rain," "This Time Around" and a new rendition of "Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?," written by Appice but made famous by Rod Stewart — was originally available for fan-club members on Appice's Web site. ...

Voivod will release their new album Katorz on vinyl in November. The record will feature new artwork and will be limited to 1,000 copies. The CD version of Katorz came out Tuesday. ... Every Time I Die recently shot a video for "The New Black" from their 2005 album, Gutter Phenomenon. The clip was directed by Dan Rush (Lamb of God) and depicts the bandmembers at a '70s party attended by Evel Knievel, go-go dancers, a half-naked man in rainbow suspenders and a guy playing with a Rubik's Cube (never mind that the Cube wasn't sold in America until 1980). In a somewhat nonsensical press statement, frontman Keith Buckley said, "In 1967, a man named Robert Patterson filmed the mythical beast Sasquatch as it strolled casually out of the woods and across an open field. Now set in 1972, director Dan Rush captures the existence of a musical beast called Every Time I Die as they partied poolside at an L.A. mansion." ... Polish death-metal pioneers Vader will release their new album Impressions in Blood on September 5. The disc was produced by Wojtek and Slawek Wieslawscy at Hertz Studios in Poland. Tracks include "Between Day and Night," "As Heavens Collide ...," "Field of Heads" and "ShadowsFear."

Where do your favorite metal bands rank on our list? Find out in the feature "The Greatest Metal Bands of All Time."

• All That Remains
• Ozzy Osbourne
• Necrophagia
• Trouble
• Norma Jean (Metal)

Ozzy Osbourne
Photo: Dave Hogan/Getty Images

Heavy metal icon Ozzy Osbourne's namesake festival's still seven weeks away from its June 29 launch in Auburn, Washington, but the 11th installment of the often-imitated mammoth known as the Ozzfest is already shaping up to be one highlighted by several firsts — most of which involve the Ozzman himself.

For instance, this summer's tour will be the first in the festival's history that Ozzy doesn't plan on closing out each night; he's committed to headlining just 10 of the tour's 24 stops, leaving System of a Down and Disturbed to handle the rest of the trek's dates (see "System Of A Down, Disturbed To Headline Ozzfest"). What's more, Osbourne revealed late Thursday night that, for the first time since Ozzfest launched in 1996, he'd be closing out not the fest's main stage, but it's much smaller — and generally much dingier — second stage.

Osbourne plans to headline the second stage during the festival's July 8 stop at San Bernardino, California's Hyundai Pavilion of Glen Helen. For each of the last ten years, Ozzy has headlined the main stage either as a solo artist or with Black Sabbath.

Over the course of the last decade, several lesser-known and up-and-coming metal acts have graced Ozzfest's second stage, which is often erected in a dusty field or parking lot adjacent to the amphitheater housing the main stage. It's become a much-coveted gig for the members of metal's newest class, and has helped catapult a handful of bands into the mainstream's consciousness — including System of a Down and Incubus (who graced the second stage in 1998), Disturbed (2000), Mudvayne (2001) and Chevelle (2002).

Ozzy announced late last summer, toward the end of Ozzfest 2005, that he wouldn't be returning for the 2006 installment (see "Ozzy Retires As Ozzfest Headliner: 'It's Time For Me To Move On' "). But between then and this March, Osbourne had a change of heart, revealing that he'd be popping up on 10 dates this year: the June 29 kickoff, July 1 (San Francisco), July 16 (Chicago), July 22 (East Troy, Wisconsin), July 29 (New York), August 1 (Boston), August 4 (Camden, New Jersey), August 6 (Bristow, Virginia) and the tour's August 13 finale in West Palm Beach, Florida, as well as July 8's second stage appearance.

Ozzy is scheduled to headline the main stage at his other nine Ozzfest performances. During each of Ozzy's solo sets, he will be accompanied by longtime guitarist Zakk Wylde, marking the duo's 20th anniversary together. Wylde's band, Black Label Society, is the second stage's proper headliner, along with Atreyu, Unearth, Norma Jean, and Bleeding Through.

Strapping Young Lad, A Life Once Lost, Full Blown Chaos, the Red Chord, and All That Remains are among the other acts booked for this season's second stage. Lacuna Coil and Hatebreed will be joining Disturbed and System on the main stage; later this month, Ozzfest's organizers are expected to announce a "major" mainstage act's addition to the bill.

"After 10 years of headlining Ozzfest's main stage, I think it's time for a change," Osbourne said, in a written statement. "I haven't had a chance to play this close to an audience in years, and I can't tell you how much I'm looking forward to it."

• Ozzfest: A Look Back

• Ozzy Osbourne
• Strapping Young Lad
• A Life Once Lost
• Full Blown Chaos
• The Red Chord

All That Remains
Photo: Prosthetic Records

All That Remains frontman Phil Labonte might give the impression that he's sort of on the fence, to some degree, when it comes to his band being part of the second-stage bill for this summer's Ozzfest.

Of course he's thrilled about hitting the road and ripping through dizzying, 25-minute sets in front of some of the largest crowds All That Remains have ever played for. He's feeling a little pressure too — but nothing he said he can't handle.

"The thing is, you're expected to be a headliner after Ozzfest and if you can't do it, people think you're not a good band," Labonte explained. "I think that's probably one of the coolest things about Ozzfest and one of the most daunting, because after Ozzfest, if you're not a headliner, what do you do? I'm really pumped to be a part of it, and I hope it introduces us to a lot of new people. We've got a new record coming out, and Ozzfest? Man I can't wait."

Earlier this month All That Remains entered Zing Recording Studios in Westfield, Massachusetts, to begin recording the yet-untitled follow-up to 2004's This Darkened Heart. At this point Labonte said the band's finished tracking drums and is days away from finishing up the guitar sections. Labonte said the disc should be mixed and mastered come mid-April and prepped for release either the first or second week of July — to coincide with the launch of Ozzfest.

"We've got 11 new tracks, and we're going to go ahead and redo a track from our first release [2002's Behind Silence and Solitude] called 'Follow,' " the singer said. "We're going to take a fresh look at an old song. I'm not sure if that will be on the U.S. release — it could end up being an import track."

Like a lot of Massachusetts metal bands these days, All That Remains called on an old friend to help them produce the effort: Killswitch Engage guitarist Adam Dutkiewicz, who's worked with Underoath, Unearth and the Acacia Strain, among others.

"The bands that come from this area know him well, and we're all friends with him," Labonte reasoned. "They know he does great work and that they want their record to sound like what he's going to make it sound like. I mean, you can just call the dude up. So, on this record, the songs may be crap but at least the sound's going to be good."

So what can fans expect from the new material?

"We've got that blazing double-bass, that fast metal drumming and there will be a significant increase in vocal variety," Labonte said. "We're going to have more singing, but there's also going to be more of that death-metal, Cookie Monster growl — that old Cannibal Corpse, Tomb of the Mutilated stuff. There's going to be more of that shout, like the Haunted.

"There's a bunch of different things I want to try on this record," he continued. "It won't be just more singing, because singing sells records. It's more variety — there's a bunch of stuff we like that I can do. I'm sort of a master of none — I don't have the highest highs or the cleanest cleans, and I'm not the best singer in the world, but I can cover a lot of bases and do it well. We're also just trying to solidify what the All That Remains sound is — it's just going to be more of what we did last time."

The rest of the week's metal news:

Defunct Long Island hardcore heavyweights Vision of Disorder will reunite for the Superbowl of Hardcore 2006, which is set to infiltrate New York's Club Spirit April 23. Indecision, featuring original singer Tom Sheehan, will also be on the bill, along with Underdog, Killing Time, Shutdown, District 9, Crown of Thornz, Kickback and Murphy's Law. ... Satanic death-metal band Deicide have targeted a June 6 release date for their upcoming record, The Stench of Redemption, in order to capitalize on the demonic energy of the day (6/6/06, geddit). Their efforts will likely be thwarted, however, by that most unholy of beasts — record-label logistics. The company that handles distribution for Deicide's label only schedules releases for every other Tuesday of the month, and the dark day falls on one of their off-weeks. Deicide will start recording the unholy offering regardless later this month in Tampa, Florida. ... Chimaira and Arch Enemy will co-headline a 22-date trek that's set to commence April 3 in Denver, with dates running through May 6 in Millvale, Pennsylvania. Nevermore, Hate Eternal and God Forbid have signed on for support roles. ... Terror have wrapped up recording their forthcoming disc, Always the Hard Way. The July 11 release, produced by Zeuss (God Forbid, the Red Chord), will feature guest vocals from Leeway's Eddie Sutton and Aaron Butkus of Death Threat. ...

Thine Eyes Bleed want to make sure they're good and ready for their big-time spot on the Unholy Alliance Tour with Slayer, Lamb of God, Mastodon and Children of Bodom, so they've scheduled three smaller scale tours beforehand. The Canadian thrash/ death-metal band — which features Slayer frontman Tom Araya's little bass-slappin' brother, Johnny — will play stretches with Darkness Rites (March 13-27); Six Feet Under, Sworn Enemy and Animosity (March 28-April 8); Ringworm, the Absence and Jacknife (April 9-23); and Necrophagist, Arsis, Neuraxis and Alarum (April 30-May 8). ... Rare and previously unreleased tracks by Thine Eyes Bleed, Voivod, Dissection, Sadus, Impaled Nazarene, the Gathering, Agalloch and others will be available early next week on Alternate Endings, a free comp sent out with every purchase from the End Records' mail-order Web site. The disc is also being handed out as a freebie at South by Southwest and will be available for streaming starting March 23 at the End's Web site. Unholy Alliance Tour participants Children of Bodom will be this weekend's guests on MTV2's "Headbangers Ball." ...

Demon Hunter, Zao, August Burns Red, Becoming the Archetype and Spoken will kick off a 19-city run June 14 in Portland, Oregon, and wrap it up July 3 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. ... Before heading out on this summer's Ozzfest, A Life Once Lost will headline a 24-date North American tour with Cephalic Carnage, Through the Eyes of the Dead and Scarlet. The road trip begins April 19 in Virginia Beach, Virginia, and winds down May 14 in Baltimore. ... Skinless have put the finishing touches on Trample the Weak, Hurdle the Dead, the band's first LP featuring fresh frontman Jason Keyser. Look for the June 13 release to feature eight cuts, including "A Unilateral Disgust," "Deviation Will Not Be Tolerated" and a cover of Black Sabbath's "Wicked World." ... Ozzfest 2005 veterans It Dies Today will go out on a U.S. headlining run June 1-28 with Haste the Day, Chiodos and the Showdown in the support slots. The tour's routing is still being fleshed out. In the meantime the band continues to hammer away at the follow-up to 2004's The Caitiff Choir with producer GGGarth (Bloodsimple, Mudvayne). The yet-untitled LP is due September 5. ... Spastic grindcore duo Plague Bringer have signed with Seventh Rule and will issue their self-produced debut, As the Ghosts Collect the Corpses Rest, in late May or early June. ...

The bill for this year's Macrock festival — set for April 7 and 8 in Harrisonburg, Virginia — is taking shape. Thus far it'll feature Spitfire, All Else Failed, Hell Within, Human Abstract, Call Me Lightning, the Number Twelve Looks Like You, Municipal Waste, Valkyrie, Backstabbers, Triac and Down to Nothing. ... Floridian spazzcore act Bodies in the Gears of the Apparatus have disbanded. "We're all very upset to see this band go, but for now this is the best decision we could decide on," singer Josh Vitale said of the split. "We will all be in other bands, most likely not with each other." ... Dodge City hardcore kings Let It Die are throwing in the towel too after just three years as a band. "It's been a blast, but it's time for us to go our separate ways," the band said in a joint statement. Let It Die will play their last gig April 27 at the Magic Stick in Detroit, and the bill will also feature Scars of Tomorrow, Bloody Knuckle Combat and, fittingly, Embrace the End. ... Self-described "cobra-core" outfit Dim Mak — which features former members of Ripping Corpse — will issue Knives of Ice April 23 through Willowtip Records. Look for the effort to include "Great Worm of Hell," "Incident at the Temple at Leng" and "Perpetuating Corpses." ...

Thunderous grindcore dudes Daughters have entered Mad Oak Recording Studios in Allston, Massachusetts, with producer Andrew Schneider (Cave In, the Red Chord) to begin tracking their forthcoming sophomore LP. A July release is being eyed through Hydra Head Records. ... Los Angeles thrash/black-metal band Abysmal Dawn will release their debut album, From Ashes, April 4. The disc was recorded at Shiva Industries in Santa Ana, California, late last year and engineered by John Haddad (Eyes of Fire, Phobia). ... Eighties Canadian thrash band Sacrifice will reunite for one day to headline the Day of the Equinox II festival September 23 in Toronto. The band will play tracks from 1986's Torment in Fire, 1987's Forward to Termination and 1990's Soldiers of Misfortune — the first two of which were recently reissued by Brazil's Marquee Records as a single CD. ... Hirax will release a two-hour DVD "Tharsh 'Til Death" April 25; the DVD includes a complete set captured during Minneapolis Mayhem 2 in 2005, as well as bonus footage shot at festivals in Europe and San Francisco. The band's most recent album, The New Age of Terror, came out in 2004. ... Orange County political hardcore band Ignite will release their seventh album, Our Darkest Days, May 16. Tracks include "Fear Is Our Tradition," "Poverty for All" and "Bleeding."

• All That Remains
• Vision of Disorder
• Sacrifice

Electro chanteuse Björk will release a yet-untitled greatest hits collection on September 3. The disc will span her entire solo career since leaving the Sugarcubes in 1992. ... A pair of Rollins Band shows recorded at Chicago's Metro in March will surface on a double-live album titled The Only Way to Know for Sure, which hits shelves June 25. The 28-track LP also includes three videos and photos as bonus material. ...

Todd Baechle, singer for synth-pop band The Faint, was arrested for public nudity Monday night in Albuquerque, New Mexico after hopping onstage during No Doubt's set and yanking off a napkin loincloth to reveal the letters "ND" on his buttocks. Police confronted him in his hotel room after the show, dragged him back to the station and held him overnight. ... DJ Spooky's Optometry, the latest album in Thirsty Ear Recording's experimental jazz Blue Series, is due July 9. The turntablist will promote the album with a July and August tour. ... All that remains of All That Remains are vocalist Philip Labonte, guitarist Oli Hebert, bassist Dan Egan and drummer Mike Bartlett, since guitarist Chris Bartlett recently quit the experimental metal band to pursue bleaker and blacker pastures. Axe grinders interested in auditioning are asked to e-mail drectasslt@aol.com. ...

"24 Hour Party People," a movie about the formation of Britain's Factory Records, is due in Stateside theaters August 9. Several bands are portrayed in the film, including Joy Division, New Order and the Happy Mondays. ... Journey, Tim McGraw and Ted Nugent will gather in Atlanta on July 20 and 21 to headline the first weekend of the Open Road Tour, a traveling music festival sponsored by Harley-Davidson in honor of their 100th anniversary. Bob Dylan, Billy Idol, Lynyrd Skynyrd and Hootie & the Blowfish are among the headliners of the other festivals, for which tickets can be purchased at www.harley-davidson.com. ...

05.13.02

Philly hip-hop collective the Roots will be the first musicians to appear in a People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) campaign to promote vegetarianism. Images of group members Leonard "Hub" Hubbard, Ben Kenney, Black Thought and Kamal Gray will be plastered across the country on a series of posters set to launch this summer. ... A house in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, belonging to Aerosmith bassist Tom Hamilton was destroyed by a fire Saturday night. The home, which was under construction at the time, was empty when the blaze occurred. ... Powerman 5000 frontman Spider One announced the addition of Norwegian bassist Sigve, who'll pair with new drummer Adrian to replace Dorian Heartsong and Alan Pahanish, the rhythm section that left the band in November. There's still no official release date for the group's third album, Anyone for Doomsday?, which is still being worked on.

• Björk
• Rollins Band
• No Doubt
• The Faint
• DJ Spooky