Amon Amarth
Photo: M. Johansson

Ours is an age in which nobody buys records anymore, so when an underground band like Amon Amarth — Sweden's Viking overlords of metal — releases new material, and that album manages to debut within Billboard's coveted top 50, people take notice. And when you release a blood-drenched video, depicting the violent pillaging of a small village, people also take notice.

While they've been a band for more than 15 years, it seems people are finally paying attention to Amon Amarth. Earlier this month, their latest studio set, Twilight of the Thunder God, sold more than 11,400 copies and entered the Billboard top 200 at #48 — besting the sales of such established mainstream artists as Tina Turner, Faith Hill, T.I. and Rage Against the Machine guitarist Tom Morello's solo project, the Nightwatchman — and no one was more shocked about that than frontman Johan Hegg.

"I think we were all actually kind of surprised we'd reached that high," he told MTV News last week; since the album's release, Twilight of the Thunder God has sold close to 25,000 copies, which, for a metal act, is quite an accomplishment. "We're happy we did, and I think one of the key elements that contributed to [the high debut], obviously, is building a fanbase. That's what we've been doing all these years as we've steadily grown as a band. The fact that we've had a couple of successful tours in the U.S. has helped, and the fact that this record actually is really good didn't hurt."

By now, Amon Amarth's fans know what to expect from the band: albums that focus on Norse mythology, the Viking age and the pre-Christian world. For Hegg, these are topics he's been fascinated with since his childhood, and themes that will no doubt saturate the band's future efforts.

"I've been interested in Vikings from the first time I read about them in school when I was 10 years old, so it's always been there for me," he said. "It's become almost like a mentality and a way to be that I think really fits my personality well and speaks to me in a good way. Vikings are misunderstood. They were very sophisticated people. Some people think they were brutal savages who just raped and killed, but that's not quite true. Obviously, they did stuff like that as well — but those were the days. That's what people did in those days, whether you were a pagan Viking or a Christian. But there's a certain code of ethics and a certain way of thinking that really appeals to me within the Viking heritage and history and mythology."

Not too long ago, Amon Amarth took over the old Viking site of Jomsborg, home of the Jomsvikings in Wolin, Poland, to shoot a video for the album's title track with director Dariusz Szermanowicz behind the lens. The band was forced to edit the clip twice because the original was too gory for public display.

"It's a pretty brutal story, actually," Hegg explained. "We did two versions because we knew no one would play it. It's a pretty bloody story. It's about a Viking raid on a village, so it's pretty simple and straight to the point, metaphorically talking about the lyrics in the song. It's hard to take for some people; there were blood splatters on the camera and stuff like that."

The band, fresh from wrapping a U.S. tour, will be heading overseas this week for the launch of this year's Unholy Alliance III Tour, which runs through November 27 in Helsinki and also features Slayer, Trivium and Mastodon. Hegg said the band plans to return to the U.S. in early '09 and would be open to playing one of the summer's traveling festivals. But don't expect to hear new music from Amon anytime soon.

"We're a band that put a record out, tour and tour until we drop, and then we start thinking about writing new material," he said. "We've never been good at writing on the road. Of course, you can get some ideas, but actually, writing songs on the road has never been our strong point."

The rest of the week's metal news:

According to Dillinger Escape Plan frontman Greg Puciato, the band is currently writing material for its next album, which it plans on recording in 2009. The band, he said, will also be playing several "random" gigs early next year, with a few possible for later this year. We'll keep you posted once those dates are official. ...

Isis have booked studio time for November, when they'll start recording their fifth full-length. Expect that set to be in stores sometime in early 2009. The band revealed that Joe Barresi (Tool, Kyuss) will be tracking the disc. "We could not be luckier than to have the one and only Evil Joe Barresi to be at the engineering helm," the band commented. "It's going to be great to have him on board, and [we] can't wait to hear the results." ...

Texas' own the Sword will be headlining a slew of off-dates, while on tour with Metallica. They've scheduled more than 20 gigs, the first being in Minneapolis on October 27. For a full list of dates, swing by the band's MySpace page. ...

Is a full-on reunion in defunct Brooklyn metal act Candiria's future? According to guitarist John Lamacchia, perhaps. In an online posting, he wrote that, while it's unlikely the band's fabled seventh LP, Kiss the Lie, will ever see commercial release, "There has been talk of new recordings, new ideas, possibly new releases in the not-so-distant future. Expect the unexpected, but expect to be pleasantly surprised. Stay tuned, folks. We are back on track ... officially." ...

Exodus have scheduled a batch of off-date shows in 2009 that will take place during the band's upcoming tour with Kreator; Warbringer have signed on as direct support. The first of the shows is set for March 28 in Reno, Nevada, and dates are scheduled through May 24 in Lubbock, Texas.

• Amon Amarth
• The Vikings
• The Sword

Norma Jean
Photo: Solid State Records

Artist collaborations can happen in a number of different ways. In the realm of pop, they're usually orchestrated by some crafty record-label executive operating on the assumption that if you double the artists, you'll double the album sales. In hip-hop, often it's some producer who'll get two rappers in the same room and press "record." When metal and hardcore acts team up, it's almost always born out of touring — two bands will head out together, strike up a friendship along the way over brewskies and, at some point, agree to hit the studio.

For the members of Christian metalcore outfit Norma Jean, who wrangled Deftones frontman Chino Moreno for a guest spot on the track "Surrender Your Sons" from the band's forthcoming LP The Anti Mother (in stores August 5), it wasn't touring together but at the same time that helped beget the collaboration of their dreams.

"The way it started was, we were on tour at the same time they were on tour, and we kept hitting the same clubs within like a day of each other," recalled frontman Cory Brandan, from the Charlotte, South Carolina, stop on this summer's Warped Tour. He said all of the members of Norma Jean are tremendous D-Tones fans. "So we started leaving stuff for them. We'd leave merch and CDs and notes for them, telling them how much we liked their band. I remember playing the Fillmore in San Francisco, and we left them more stuff."

Apparently, Moreno and the rest of the Deftones found the left-behind gifts and took an interest in Norma Jean.

"I think we were playing in Norfolk, Virginia, one night, and they'd played the day before and left us a bunch of stuff," the singer said. "We were like, 'Wow.' That was literally our relationship for months — leaving each other stuff at different venues. Then we just got ahold of Chino, and he was down to do it. He took some time off from recording with the Deftones, and he came in for a couple of days while we were in the studio, and we wrote two songs: 'Surrender Your Sons' and another we didn't use."

Later on, Norma Jean used one of their contacts to get ahold of Page Hamilton, Helmet's esteemed mastermind. After catching the band's live show, he was in. But Brandan said they didn't just want these two hardcore icons swinging by to track guest vocals. They didn't want to just hurl prepared lyrics at them, shove them into a recording booth and say, "Go." They took a different approach.

"We wanted to collaborate with these artists and have their personalities in the songs as well," he said. "Because their personalities fit with the vocals they'd be doing later, and it makes the songs cooler. The one we worked on with Chino, it sounds like a mix between the Deftones and Norma Jean, and the one we do with Page, same thing — it sounds like Helmet meets Norma Jean. We didn't want to just have guest vocalists come in, we wanted to collaborate with them and write songs — have them come in as if they were in the band. It was cool to see how others work within your own band."

Seeing as The Anti Mother is their final album for Solid State Records, the only label home they've ever known, Brandan said they "wanted to go out with a bang," and securing Moreno and Hamilton — as well as producer Ross Robinson — helped. Ultimately, the singer said he's confident that this is their best offering to date.

"We've been working our butts off on this record more than any other record we've done, and we put our souls into this record," he said. "It's a heavy record, and there's tons of melody throughout the record too. We've experimented with tons of melodies, mixed with chaos and heavy riffs, and I'm singing on some songs. There are songs on here that are that straight-up, classic Norma Jean sound, and there are songs on this record that we've always wanted to write but hadn't. We didn't want to pull any punches, musically."

The band began working on The Anti Mother last fall with new drummer Chris Raines and recorded the LP's final note just three days before they had to head out on Warped. For Brandan, who has two children (ages 14 and 9), a lot of the lyrics on the album were inspired by his own personal travails; he separated from his wife back in January and headed for his second divorce. Dealing with that pain helped shape the songs' meanings.

In addition to a headlining trek this fall with Haste the Day and Oh, Sleeper, Brandan said Norma Jean are mulling where they'll end up next, now that they've fulfilled their Solid State contract. While none of the majors have approached the band yet, the deluge of free dinners is just around the corner.

"We want to wait and be patient and not jump into something foolish," he said, obviously learning from the mistakes of other bands that have made the major-label jump, only to regret it. "I don't think, at this point in the music industry, that it's a bad idea to be a free agent. So we want to experiment and try some things out. We're just waiting to see what comes across the table."

The rest of the week's metal news:

The reunited Overcast, featuring Killswitch Engage bassist Mike D'Antonio and Shadows Fall frontman Brian Fair, has booked a handful of live gigs for next month. They'll play Hackensack, New Jersey, on August 21; Albany, New York, on August 22; Providence, Rhode Island, on August 23; South Burlington, Vermont, on August 24; Worcester, Massachusetts, on August 29; and Waterbury, Connecticut, on August 30. ...

The wife of Divine Heresy's Dino Cazares (ex-Fear Factory) wrote on her MySpace blog that the couple was attacked over the weekend by former Divine Heresy frontman Tommy "Vext" Cummings, who was recently recruited to front the reunited Snot. While backstage, Jen Cazares claims Cummings chucked a beer at her head and then punched her in the face, before grabbing her husband by the hair. Security intervened, and the two men fell to the floor, where Dino cut open his head. It's the second time in recent months that the Cazares have alleged Cummings attacked them. ...

Amon Amarth will be joined this fall by Ensiferum, Belphegor and the Absence for a U.S. run that kicks off October 1 in Anaheim, California. Dates are scheduled through October 21 in Springfield, Virginia. Amon Amarth recently finished recording Twilight of the Thunder God, which will land on store shelves September 30. Look for the effort to feature 10 tracks, including "Where Is Your God?" "Tattered Banners and Bloody Flags" and "Embrace of the Endless Ocean." ...

Sweden's the Haunted have been working on new material, and now they've named their forthcoming effort Versus. It's set to drop sometime in October, according to a press release. ... Every Time I Die have completed their contract with Ferret Music and are currently entertaining offers from other labels. According to frontman Keith Buckley, "I think people will be very pleased to know that it looks like we will not be signing with a major. Some were interested, but I don't think we even got down to discussing deals." ...

In This Moment have completed the recording of their next LP, which they've dubbed The Dream. According to the band, they're "extremely excited with the results. We were all living and recording in the same house, and it has been such an awesome experience for us." The disc will feature 12 tunes, but no official release date has been cemented just yet. ...

Anal Cu--, Anal Blast and Infernaeon have rolled out a bunch of West Coast dates for next month, the first being August 22 in Hollywood. Nine gigs have been booked, and the run ends August 31 in Reno, Nevada. ... Children of Bodom and Between the Buried and Me will be heading out this fall for a U.S. trek that kicks off in Baltimore on September 11 and concludes October 10 in Worcester, Massachusetts.

• Norma Jean (Metal)
• Deftones
• Amon Amarth
• Every Time I Die

Soilwork
Photo: Nuclear Blast Records

Back in 2002, Soilwork released the well-received Natural Born Chaos, a tight, ultra-intense LP that irrevocably altered the band's sound — and for the better. It's still regarded as a tremendous breakthrough for the Swedish melodic-death-metal merchants, thanks in large part to producer Devin Townsend's influence.

Unfortunately for Soilwork, the Strapping Young Lad frontman — who has also worked with the likes of Lamb of God and Gwar — was too busy with his own projects to assist the band on its subsequent releases (2003's Figure Number Five and 2005's Stabbing the Drama), much to Soilwork frontman Björn "Speed" Strid's chagrin.

"He's meant so much to Soilwork's music," the giant singer explained. "I don't think we'd sound the way we do without him. He's been such a huge inspiration through the years, and he creates music in such a unique way ... I could definitely see him doing the next record for us."

By "next record," Strid's referring to the one that will inevitably follow Sworn to a Great Divide, the band's latest studio outing, which hits stores October 23. While Townsend didn't produce Sworn in its entirety, he did free up some time to work with Strid on his vocals, which the producer was "really psyched to do," Strid explained.

Sworn was tracked in Soilwork's hometown of Helsingborg, at Not Quite Studios — which is owned by the band's friends in Darkane. The album, like Soilwork's other efforts, expands on the sound they've been developing since the release of 1998's Steelbath Suicide, and Strid believes it's the band's most diverse offering to date.

"We can't make the same album twice," he explained. "Our music, it comes out in a natural way. We want to top ourselves every time, and we learn from the previous recording and try to take it to the next level. I definitely think we have developed our own sound, which is kind of hard nowadays. We were one of the originators of this balance between melodies and intensity, and we've developed that through the years. In the beginning, it was mostly the guitars that took care of the melodies. Now, it's in a different shade — it's more like the vocals take care of some of that stuff."

Soilwork, who were one of the main attractions on Ozzfest's second stage back in 2005, plan to spend the next year or so on the road to promote Sworn, Strid said. They'll get started next month when they take part in one of the year's biggest metal tours: the Lamb of God/ Killswitch Engage co-headlining run, which is set to launch November 28 in Lowell, Massachusetts, and go through December 17 in Rio Rancho, New Mexico.

It will be the band's first arena trek — a welcome change, Strid said, from Ozzfest's outdoor amphitheaters. After that tour wraps, Soilwork plan to return to Europe for some gigs and then head back to the States sometime in early 2008. Strid said there are no solidified plans yet for any '08 tours but confessed that several things are "in the works."

The band shot a video back in July for the album's lead single, "Exile," which Strid said has an unusual plotline.

"This director [Daniel Larsson] contacted us, and he had a tricky concept for the video," the singer explained. "His idea was that the whole band would be locked inside these speakers and amps, and this girl's walking her dog and she finds the speakers and amps in the bushes. She gets addicted to the music that comes out, and she wants to present it to the world — but we're working against her, tumbling around in the speakers. It's actually quite cool."

Soilwork's music will be featured in the upcoming video game "Overclocked," a thriller about an Army psychiatrist who's called to evaluate five young patients who've lost their memories. The band wrote an exclusive song, also called "Overclocked," for the game. Strid said they also hope to issue a DVD next year, as it will mark the 10th anniversary of Steelbath Suicide's release.

"It will be a live DVD," he said. "We wanted to do something special for our fans, and we've got lots of material already. We want to film some more shows soon — maybe even tape one show from each continent we hit on our tour."

Unfortunately, the yet-untitled disc will not feature footage from one of Strid's most memorable shows, which happened several years ago when the band was on tour with Brazilian death-metallers Krisiun.

"It was our first tour in Europe, and we were driving around in a house van that kept on breaking down," he explained. "We were playing in France at this restaurant, but the staff there thought they had booked a Brazilian samba band. You can image the looks on their faces when we all walked through the door. But actually, it was an unbelievable show. We still played, and the people there were really nice — they fed us and gave us red wine. It turned out pretty cool at the end."

The rest of the week's metal news:

Swedish band Sonic Syndicate will make their North American debut on an upcoming tour featuring Amon Amarth, Himsa and Decapitated. The tour launches November 19 in San Diego and runs through December 19 in Los Angeles. "We are excited and really looking forward to finally getting over there to see the American fans," guitarist Richard Sjunnesson said in a statement. "I have personally followed [Amon Amarth] since the early '90s, and touring with them makes me happier than words can express. It will of course also be an honor to share the stage with the brilliant metal acts Himsa and Decapitated. See you all soon!" ... West Virginia's Byzantine will drop their third album, Oblivion Beckons, at the end of January. The album was produced by Aaron Fisher and is the follow-up to 2005's ... And They Shall Take Up Serpents. "This is the first Byzantine album in which all four members have contributed songs," singer/ rhythm guitarist Chris "OJ" Ojeda said in a statement. "To my ears, it makes for a much more varied and interesting album from start to finish." Tracks include "Absolute Horizon," "Nadir" and "Expansion and Collapse." ...

Rammstein guitarist Richard Kruspe's side project, Emigrate, will bring their self-titled debut to the U.S. on January 28. The band's first single, "My World," was featured in the film "Resident Evil: Extinction." A video for the second single, "New York City," was recently shot in New York and can be seen on the Emigrate Web page. Emigrate — featuring Kruspe (vocals, guitar), Olsen Involtini (guitar), Arnaud Giroux (bass), Henka Johansson (drums) and Sascha Moser (programming) — recorded their album with longtime Rammstein cohorts Jacob Hellner and Stefan Glaumann. "At one point, I was asking myself, 'Does the world really need my record?' " Kruspe said in a statement. "[But I decided] I had to do it, simple as that." Kruspe is currently in Berlin with Rammstein recording the band's next album. ... Burnt by the Sun, From Autumn to Ashes and Schoolyard Heroes have been added to the lineup for this year's Saints and Sinners Festival, set for November 3 and November 4 in Asbury Park, New Jersey. Also slated to take the stage are Against Me!, Saves the Day, Horse the Band, the Number 12 Looks Like You, Glassjaw, Between the Buried and Me, From First to Last, Norma Jean and others. ...

Pig Destroyer frontman Blake Harrison and Misery Index bassist/singer Jason Netherton are now the hosts of a new two-hour show on XM Satellite Radio station Liquid Metal. Named "The Ultraviolence" after a 1987 Death Angel album, the program will debut Friday night (October 12) at 7 p.m. on Liquid Metal, XM channel 42. "We will play everything you may have missed, you have never heard of and/or you should know and [be] raising your illegitimate children to (preferably starting in the womb)," wrote Netherton in a release. "We will also be having guests and friends on regularly. The war starts now." ... Polish death-metal veterans Vader will release the live DVD "And Blood Was Shed in Warsaw" on November 20. The disc was shot at the Stodola Club in February on the last stop of the band's tour to promote its 2006 album, Impressions in Blood. The show features guest appearances by members of Behemoth and Vesania as well as the videos for "Helleluyah (God Is Dead)" and "Sword of the Witcher." ...

Tulsa, Oklahoma, metalcore band the Agony Scene will release their third album, Get Damned, October 23. The disc will be the band's first to feature drummer Ryan Folden, who replaced Brent Masters late last year. The band will launch a tour with A Life Once Lost, Suicide Silence and Walls of Jericho on October 30 in Rochester, New York. Dates run through November 14 in Lewisville, Texas. ... Psychedelic cult-metal band Bigelf will release their debut album, Hex, in North America on October 30. The disc was recorded in 2003 and released shortly after in Europe, but never came out Stateside. ... Long Island, New York, hardcore bludgeoners This Is Hell are in Full Force Studios with producer Joe Cincotta (Obituary, Suffocation) tracking the follow-up to their 2006 full-length debut, Sundowning. Drums for the yet-untitled new disc were recorded at Killingsworth Recording Company in Long Island with Tomas Costanza (Diffuser, Bedlight for Blue Eyes). The album is tentatively scheduled for release on February 19.

• Soilwork
• Lamb of God
• Killswitch Engage
• Sonic Syndicate
• Amon Amarth

From a Second Story Window
Photo: Jeremy Saffer

Ask Will Jackson and he'll tell you that the forthcoming sophomore LP by metal extremists From a Second Story Window isn't a concept album — it's more of a musical piece that a single word helped inspire.

That would be delenda, a Latin term that means "the promise to destroy everything," the frontman said. "The Greeks used the delenda campaign when they were destroying Carthage."

FASSW were so intrigued by the term that they're using it as the name of their new album.

"It's an inspiring word, because the promise to destroy everything means you understand there is an end to everything," he elaborated. "That's ultimately what this record is about: It's about the human understanding of an end and all the emotional stuff that goes along with that understanding. So each song is written from an emotional human standpoint, through some sort of scripted dialogue. This album delves into the idea that as humans we're all living everything day to day, but that we're all going to face a sudden end. A lot of people choose not to deal with that."

But not FASSW, who're on the road with Cattle Decapitation, Misery Index, Animosity and Job for a Cowboy through the end of next month. Delenda, the follow-up to 2004's Not One Word Has Been Omitted, lands in stores July 11.

"I would say it's the most accomplished thing we've put together," Jackson said. "It's leaps and bounds beyond the last record they'd done [Jackson joined the band in 2005 following the departure of Sean Vandegrift]. We put our minds together and we put everything we have into this record. We want to create music that will leave a lasting message and impact the music scene in general. The music that we've tackled on this new record is more approachable, more listenable than the last record, and we're trying to take this more extreme approach to music and apply it to the masses and make it to where everyone can get into it. The scene we're a part of has always been super-underground, and if we can do anything that's going to take it to more people ... that's what we're trying to do with this record."

But at the same time, Jackson said FASSW want to push the boundaries of musical experimentation and ingenuity because, "if you're not bringing something new to the table, you are just imitating or repeating," he said. "Taking ideas or being inspired by something is a lot different than regurgitating. Nowadays, it doesn't seem like a lot of people are thinking about the music they make, they just want to write songs with breakdowns, because kids are addicted to breakdowns. It's like we can't overcome that at all as a genre. Breakdowns are the new solo. But this record's one kids will have to read the lyrics to and sit down and listen to instead of just waiting for the breakdown."

In late August, FASSW will hit the road in Seattle with Darkest Hour, Misery Signals and Versus the Mirror for a string of dates that'll keep them busy through September 8 in Baltimore. Jackson said the band's got several irons in the proverbial fire for the fall but nothing's concrete yet. Within the next year, Jackson's hoping the band can elevate its profile enough to where it's fielding even bigger touring offers.

"We'd been approached for [this year's] Sounds of the Underground, but it was all booked up," Jackson said. "We've been very close to landing a lot of giant package tours, and I think that is definitely something that's going to happen for us more in the future."

The rest of the week's metal news:

Lacuna Coil have lined up seven off-date Ozzfest gigs just as "Enjoy the Silence," the second single from their latest offering, Karmacode, is set to impact commercial-rock radio. The Coil will perform with Disturbed, Avenged Sevenfold and Atreyu in Englewood, Colorado (July 5); Rob Zombie and Anthrax in Oklahoma City (July 12); DragonForce and Between the Buried and Me in Minneapolis (July 14); Atreyu in Grand Rapids, Michigan, (July 20); Avenged and Bleeding Through in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, (August 8); Atreyu in Nashville (August 10); and DragonForce and Between the Buried and Me in Atlanta (August 11). ... In related news, Between the Buried and Me and DragonForce are teaming for more off-dates: June 30 (Eugene, Oregon); July 5 (Colorado Springs, Colorado); July 12 (Fort Worth, Texas); July 13 (Columbia, Missouri, with the Red Chord and A Life Once Lost); July 17 (Traverse City, Michigan); July 24 (Louisville, Kentucky, with Bleeding Through); July 31 (Poughkeepsie, New York); August 2 (Burlington, Vermont); August 12 (Tallahassee, Florida); August 14 (Lake Buena Vista, Florida); August 15 (St. Petersburg, Florida); August 17 (New Orleans); and August 18 (Houston). ...

Soilwork will hit the road this fall with Mnemic, Threat Signal and Darkest Hour for a North American run that kicks off October 5 in Springfield, Virginia. The bands will make stops in Cleveland, San Francisco, Atlanta, New York and Philadelphia before winding down November 11 in Detroit. ... Speaking of Threat Signal, the Ontario technical thrashers will release their debut, Under Reprisal, August 22. The disc was produced by Fear Factory bassist Christian Olde Wolbers and includes "Counterbalance," "One Last Breath" and "Rational Eyes." Dave Brodsky (Bury Your Dead, God Forbid) shot a video for the latter in late April. ... All Shall Perish shot a video last weekend in California with Richie Valdez (Ed Gein, the Red Chord) for "Eradication," the first single off the technical death-metallers' August 8 release, The Price of Existence. ... Fear Factory's upcoming Machines at War Tour, featuring Suffocation, Hypocrisy and Decapitated, will launch October 26 in San Francisco. Dates are booked through December 9 in Albuquerque, New Mexico. ... The track list for Unearth's next album, III: In the Eyes of Fire, has been finalized. The LP will boast 11 tracks, including "This Glorious Nightmare," "The Devil Has Risen" and "Big Bear and the Hour of Chaos." The set hits stores August 8, as does a limited-edition version that will include a DVD containing a making-of segment and four live videos. ...

Two new tracks from Ozzfest second-stagers Full Blown Chaos have surfaced on — where else? — their MySpace page. "Chopping Block" and "Solemn Praise" come from the Connecticut metallers' upcoming disc Within the Grasp of Titans, which will be in stores July 11. ... Springfield, Massachusetts, hardcore-metal band the Acacia Strain recently shot a video for "Angry Mob Justice" with Dave Brodsky. The band will tour North America later this summer before heading to Europe in the fall. Before that, though, the Acacia Strain — whose second album, The Dead Walk, came out last week — will continue touring with Soilent Green through July 9 in New York. ... Ion Dissonance singer Gabriel McCaughry has quit the band to focus on other ventures. "It's time for me to concentrate more on different styles of music, different artistic mediums and more on personal issues," he said in a statement. "There are so many things I wanna achieve in life that were impossible for me to undertake and still be committed to the band." McCaughry's last show with Ion Dissonance will be July 9 in Ontario and, from July 15 to July 24, Despised Icon singer Alexandre Erian will fill in. Singers interested in filling the spot permanently should e-mail iondissonance@hotmail.com. ...

Pennsylvania's Circle of Dead Children have parted ways with drummer Mike Bartek. In a vague and angry statement, the band said, "He crossed way over the line and defecated on any concepts of friendship and respect possible and stooped lower than we thought even he would ever go. ... Mike's departure will be a huge blessing in disguise." The band is on indefinite hiatus while it searches for a replacement. Drummers wishing to try out for the position should e-mail salo120@circleofdeadchildren.net. ... Through the Eyes of the Dead are about to release their Jonathan Covert (Nine Inch Nails, Mortiis)-directed video for "Two Inches From a Main Artery" from their 2005 album, Bloodlust. TTEOTD are currently on tour with Terror and Death Before Dishonor and are gearing up for Sounds of the Underground, which launches July 8 in Cleveland with As I Lay Dying, In Flames, Gwar and others. ... Double CD and DVD packages of last year's Gigantour will be released August 22 and September 5, respectively. Expect to see footage of Megadeth, Dream Theater, Fear Factory, Nevermore, Life of Agony, Symphony X, Dry Kill Logic and Bobaflex. Both packages will feature performances by each band and the CD also includes two songs by Anthrax's reunited late-'80s lineup. Dave Mustaine is currently assembling Gigantour 2006 and plans to announce the dates and lineup in the coming weeks. ...

Amon Amarth have decided to name their sixth album With Oden on Our Side. The disc, produced by Jens Bogren (Opeth, Katatonia) and tentatively scheduled for a fall release, will include "Gods of War Arise," "Prediction of Warfare" and "Hermod's Ride to Hell (Lokes Treachery Part 1)." ... Straight-edge metalcore band If Hope Dies need a new guitarist. Interested players must be willing to tour for seven to 10 months out of the year and preferably be straight edge. Applicants should download "Burned Out," "Anthem for the Employable" and "Death of a Salesman" on the band's MySpace page and learn the songs. For more information, e-mail band@ifhopedies.com. ... Daughters, the Number Twelve Looks Like You, Premonitons of War and See You Next Tuesday are among the more than 50 acts confirmed for Dirt Fest, set to take place August 19 in Birch Run, Michigan. ... Mikoto have replaced drummer Dan Tracy, who left the group in April, with Mike Trevino, formerly of Vela. ... Nevermore will tape their August 25 gig at Studio Seven in Seattle for a forthcoming live DVD, which should be in stores sometime next year. ...Walls of Jericho's next LP, With Devils Amongst Us All, has been scheduled for an August 22 release. ... Deicide, Jungle Rot, Hurtlocker and Desolation will tour the continent this fall starting September 20 in Huntington, West Virginia. Dates are scheduled thus far through September 31 in Cudahy, Wisconsin, with more to be announced shortly.

• From a Second Story Window
• Soilwork
• Daughters
• Circle Of Dead Children
• Lacuna Coil

Children of Bodom
Photo: Spinefarm Records

Finnish black-metal outfit Children of Bodom will launch a North American headlining trek on November 9 in Quebec, one that'll grind to a halt in New York on December 14. Bodom have recruited Trivium, fresh from this summer's Ozzfest, and Amon Amarth to open the tour's 27 dates. According to frontman and guitarist Alexi Laiho, Bodom had no involvement in setting things up. In fact he can't even recall what either band sounds like.

"To be honest I've heard [Trivium and Amon Amarth's] albums one time all the way through, and I was pretty drunk at the time," he confided, saying Bodom's management handled the tour's orchestration. "So I don't remember the music. I do remember it sounding cool. I'll wait to see what I think of them when I first see them live. Apparently Trivium's a lot bigger than we are in the States. So it feels a little weird that we're the headliners."

Bodom's fifth studio LP, Are You Dead Yet?, landed in stores this week; the album's been available in Europe and Japan for more than a month. It features 10 tracks, including a cover of the Ramones' "Somebody Put Something in My Drink."

"I've always been a big fan, and this track was recorded three years ago or something like that," Laiho said. "Back then it was like kind of shocking for people that we would cover something like the Ramones, because it's so different from Children of Bodom. But we thought the message of the song fits the band pretty well."

The record also features the first single, "In Your Face," a video for which debuted last week on MTV2's "Headbangers Ball." The video was shot in East Berlin "in some abandoned industrial settlement that looked like some f---ed up sh-- happened there 40 years ago," Laiho said. Bodom plan to release the video as a DVD single on November 23 with two bonus clips.

Laiho said Bodom will shoot a second clip at some point after the North American tour, but he's not quite sure for what track — that's a decision the band still needs to make.

Once Bodom have been up, down and across North America, Laiho said they'll head to Europe, Japan and then back to the U.S. for a second headlining tour, which should take them through the spring. Then there's the summer, Laiho said, which he hopes the band will be spending as part of Ozzfest 2006.

"We've been talking about it, but I don't know if it's going to happen," he said. "It would be a really good thing to do, because it does a lot of good things to a lot of metal bands. I don't know if we'll get on it. It's really a question of money. The promotional value's really good. It seems like a lot of bands — Lamb of God, Shadows Fall — really broke through after the Ozzfest. I think it would be good for us."

The rest of the week's metal news:

The third album from speedy death metallers Bleeding Through, The Truth, will hit stores January 10. Look for the disc to include a dozen tracks, including "For Love and Failing," "Kill to Believe" and "Dearly Demented." The band's West Coast tour with Day of Contempt kicks off November 11 in Petaluma, California, with dates running through December 4 in Flagstaff, Arizona. ... NYHC legends Sick of It All will release Death to Tyrants, the band's ninth studio LP, early next year through new label home Abacus. Dean Baltulonis (Madball, Most Precious Blood) has signed on to produce the effort. ... Floridian hardcore band Remembering Never's next album, God Save Us, should surface in February. The band's holed up in Planet Z Studios in Hadley, Massachusetts, with producer Zeuss (Shadows Fall, Hatebreed) working on the new material. ... New England hardcore act the Acacia Strain will start working on the follow-up to 2004's 3750 this December; the boys have reunited with producer — and Killswitch Engage guitarist — Adam Dutkiewicz (Cannae, All That Remains) for Victims, which will hit stores this spring. ... Unearthly Trance were added to the Relapse Records roster this week. The band's forthcoming disc, The Trident, will see the light of day this spring. ... Swedish metallers Khoma have signed with Roadrunner Records. Look for new stuff from them in April. ...

The dudes in Trivium dig director Dale Resteghini's work — which is why they've asked him to direct the third video from the band's disc Ascendancy. The clip for "Dying in Your Arms" will feature frontman Matt Heafy in a perverse re-enactment of "Andrew Lloyd Webber's Phantom of the Opera." ... Two ex-members of defunct industrial-techno/alternative-metal troupe Crossbreed — bassist Bishop Dolarhyde and touring drummer Chris Morris — have teamed up in a new project, Cry Havoc. The band's booked its first live gig at Boomerz Boiler Room in Seminole, Florida, November 19. ... My Son My Executioner, HeavyHeavyLowLow and Texas Is on Fire will hit the road together starting November 3 in Bakersfield, California. Nineteen days later, they'll wrap things up with a November 23 gig in Wheeling, Illinois. ... Ohio's Symphony in Peril are through. The band, which released two discs over its four-year existence, issued a statement calling the split "a completely mutual decision." No specific details on what provoked the disbanding were offered. ... Nevermore, Behemoth, Watch Them Die and Manntis will headline Century Media's second-annual Christmas BallS, scheduled for December 7 at Hollywood's Key Club. ...

Norwegian thrashers She Said Destroy are putting the finishing touches on their debut disc, Time Like Vines. The outing's slated for release in early 2006. ... Reunited Brit metal legends Cloven Hoof will release Eye of the Sun, their first LP in more than 15 years, next week. The disc will boast 10 tracks, including "Whore of Babylon," "Angels in Hell" and "Golgotha." ... Late-'80s thrash band Annihilator will release their 11th album, Schizo Deluxe, November 8. The disc, produced and engineered by frontman Jeff Waters, will include "Maximum Satan," "Like Father, Like Gun" and "Something Witchy." ... Swedish death-metal band Vomitory is looking for a new guitarist after the departure of Ulf Dalegren earlier this month. Ex-God Among Insects axeman Lord K. Philipson will fill in until a replacement can be found. Dalegren left the band after 15 years for "personal reasons." ... Ex-Dokken guitarist George Lynch will release the career-spanning double-disc retrospective The Lost Anthology November 29. In addition to tracks with Dokken, Xciter and Lynch Mob, the album will include covers with Mötley Crüe vocalists Vince Neil (Black Sabbath's "Paranoid") and John Corabi (Scorpions' "He's a Woman, She's a Man"), Ratt singer Stephen Pearcy (Ratt's "Round and Round") and Icarus Witch (Ozzy Osbourne's "S.A.T.O."). ...

Swedish guitar virtuoso Yngwie Malmsteen will release "Concerto Suite for Guitar and Orchestra in E Flat Minor With the New Japan Philharmonic" November 1. The DVD captures 17 songs performed in 2001 with the Tokyo orchestra. Tracks include "Trilogy Suite Op. 5," "Icarus Dream Fanfare" and "Prelude to April." ... English industrial-rock pioneers Killing Joke will release the DVD "XXV Gathering: The Band That Preys Together Stays Together" November 1. The video captures the band's February 24 25th anniversary show at London's Shepherds Bush Empire. The concert united original members (singer Jaz Coleman, guitarist Geordie Walker and bassist Paul Raven) with new recruits (drummer Ben Calvert and keyboardist Nick Walker). ... Geneva corrosive metal band Knut will release their third album, Terraformer, November 8. Tracks include "Kyoto," "Seattle" and "Bollingen." ... San Francisco grindcore band Vulgar Pigeons will release the three-inch clear EP Burning Episode November 8. The disc will feature seven untitled songs, all of which were recorded earlier this year at House of Faith Studios in Oakland, California. ... Zach Nelson, the original drummer of Richmond, Virginia, hardcore band Ten 33, has returned following the departure of James O'Neil. In addition, ex-the Success Story guitarist Joey Russo has replaced Billy Mutter, who also recently left the group. Ten 33 plan to return to the road after Christmas to continue supporting their album Nightmare on Grace Street.

• Children Of Bodom
• Bleeding Through
• Trivium
• Amon Amarth
• Day of Contempt