Earth Crisis
Photo: Mediaskare

For six long years, the members of Syracuse, New York, vegan straight-edge hardcore outfit Earth Crisis — which called it quits in 2001, only to re-form last year — have been busy doing other things.

Frontman Karl Buechner, for instance, has spent much of his time working with his other band, Freya, while guitarist Scott Crouse and drummer Dennis Merrick moved out to the West Coast to pursue new interests. But Earth Crisis have never forgotten about their ideals.

"I've never thought of us as a political band, because when people think of that term 'political band,' they either assume you're right-wing or left-wing — but we've always come from our own direction, more of a spiritual source," Buechner explained. "Personally, I'm not very impressed with either [political] party in the States right now. It seems like there are a lot of simple solutions, and neither side seems to be headed towards them."

Nonetheless, Earth Crisis' personal politics — on environmentalism, human rights, animal rights and sobriety — will likely shape Buechner's lyrics, as the reunited band continues to write songs for what will be its first new album since 2001's Last of the Sane. "But our message, it's one I feel all people can support, no matter what religion they follow or what side of the political spectrum they associate themselves with," he said.

So, for longtime Earth Crisis fans, this next album — which the band has yet to title — won't sound too far off from EC of old. "We've got six songs [written] so far, and hopefully, we'll record them this year," the singer said of the LP, which the band hopes to have in stores sometime in '09. "Hopefully, we'll be playing some of these new songs we've written on this tour we're on [with Sworn Enemy, Shai Hulud, Terror, Down to Nothing and Recon, which runs through March 23 in Albany, New York]. People ask me what the songs sound like, and the best way to describe it is it's a mixture between [1995's] Destroying the Machines and [1998's] Breed the Killers. Stylistically, it's most like songs from those albums."

For Earth Crisis, the timing is ripe for their return, and with any luck, the band will reinvigorate what's been something of a monotonous hardcore scene these last few years — and teach the young kids out there, trying to make it in the metal game, just how it's done. The reunion also has the band excited about catching up with old friends.

"We made some genuine friendships over the years with bands that we toured with and people we stayed with — scenes we played year after year," he said. "Now, a lot of these people we're going to be seeing are dads or moms and have legit jobs — people who are e-mailing us and telling us they're stoked to see us come out. I think that's going to be fun."

Admittedly, though, Buechner's not so sure younger audiences will be as enthusiastic about Earth Crisis' resurrection — but he's positive members of the bands that are popular today will be psyched.

"Our goal as a band was to write songs that appeal to our taste in music, and a lot of other bands, to an extent, will take elements from groups that inspired them and fuse it into their sound," the singer said, without naming names. "Certain bands will sound similar to bands they grew up listening to, and that's almost inevitable. Our goals are the same as they were back in 2001. Hopefully, we can make our old fans happy and get some of the younger guys into some of these ideas too."

Plus, today's hardcore scene isn't as vital as it was back when EC cashed their chips in. But Buechner believes there's still good hardcore groups to be heard — fans just need to find them.

"There's plenty of quality hardcore out there, but a lot of the bigger labels now are not supporting and nurturing the genuine hardcore bands," he said. "They're just going for the easy sell, for shock-value stuff, where these guys basically wear a costume and their music is pop — anything that will sell to seventh- and eighth-graders. Hardcore brought us up, it taught us a code of ethics, and it gave us a scene — a group of friends to unify with, to accomplish things with. I want us to be able to nurture that.

"Hardcore will last forever, but it's just not trendy, and it could never be trendy, because when it's genuine, it's substance," he said. "What's going to sell more: records with an 'X' on the cover or CDs with an inverted pentagram or a pot leaf on them? I think it's pretty obvious."

The rest of the week's metal news:

After waiting years for word on when we might be able to expect their new album, Metallica have finally revealed that they'll be finished tracking the effort in six weeks; the band would like to have the record in stores this fall. Drummer Lars Ulrich told Iron Maiden's Bruce Dickinson on his BBC6 radio program that he likes "what I've heard so far. I'm not one of the great sellers of 'the new record's the best thing we've ever done and it sh--s all over the last record and it's way heavier.' I'm not a great believer in all that horsesh--. I like it, and I'm one of Metallica's harshest critics. So far, it feels pretty good, but there's still plenty of time to f--- it up, so let's see what happens." ...

We here at Metal File don't usually go the "blind item" route, usually because it drives us mad when other news organizations do it. But we've heard a rumor that's too good to pass up — and we can't be more specific than that. Let's just say one of the country's best-known metal acts looks to be parting ways with its major label and plans to return to its original label home in the next few months. We'll keep you posted and bring you more as it's made official. ... The dates for this year's Summer Slaughter Tour — featuring the Black Dahlia Murder, Vader, Despised Icon, Aborted and Cryptopsy, among others — have been announced. The trek gets under way in Detroit on June 20 and will wrap July 28 in Chicago. ...

In other tour news, Overkill, Toxic Holocaust and Warbringer will be hitting the road together in the fall. The jaunt begins September 25 in Houston, Texas, and runs through October 18 in Sayreville, New Jersey. ... Sad news this week: Black Death drummer Phil Bullard reportedly died — way back on February 6 — after a long battle with colon cancer. He was 59 and is survived by two daughters, Philicia and Earlicia; four grandchildren; and two sisters. ...

A May 27 release date has been set for former Emperor frontman Ihsahn's debut solo album, which will be called angL. The nine-track offering will feature a special guest appearance by Opeth frontman Mikael Åkerfeldt, on the track "Unhealer." ... Floridian blackened metal outfit Kult Ov Azazel have updated fans on the progress they've been making on Destroying the Sacred, the band's forthcoming fourth LP. The band plans to record the effort this fall and claims the record will boast a Possessed cover. Other songs set to appear on the album include "Prelude to Holocaust," "The Plagues of Mankind" and "The Lucifer Principal."

• Earth Crisis
• Metallica
• The Black Dahlia Murder

Aborted
Photo: Gregory Lamache/ Century Media

To characterize Sven de Caluwé as a "busy dude" would be like calling Satan a "bad egg."

The frontman for Belgian death-grinders Aborted also moonlights as the drummer for grindcore group Leng Tch'e, which also features members of Permanent Death and Dark Ages. Both Aborted and Leng Tch'e released fresh material within the last month, so at the moment de Caluwé is a bit overwhelmed trying to get the word out about both offerings while maintaining some semblance of sanity.

"Both bands have toured together in the past, but only for a week and a half, and then I was about ready to go to a hospital," he joked. "If we decided to go out for month or more, I would need to rest a lot. But right now, this whole system kind of collapsed on me."

The "system," he explained, worked brilliantly for many years: Aborted would issue an album, then tour for several months, and the following year, the world would be gifted with some fresh Leng Tch'e to devour. Then that band would tour the world — that is, until it was time for de Caluwé to head back into the studio with Aborted. But it didn't work out that way this time around, and it's starting to take its toll on de Caluwé. Still, he admits, "I'd rather be busy than bored."

A band accustomed to chronic lineup shifts, Aborted's fifth album, Slaughter & Apparatus: A Methodical Overture, is a punishing, bona-fide face-peeler, de Caluwé said. The LP, which hit stores in late February, also signals a rebirth of sorts for the band, he said.

"The new lineup and the making of this record brought a lot of fun back to this band," he explained. "We wanted to have a more metal, more extreme-sounding record, and I think on many levels, we improved on what we had. It's not our most brutal record, but we definitely did want to make it a lot heavier-sounding than [2005's The Archaic Abattoir]. There were several things I wasn't really happy about with the last one, and we wanted this one to be more metal, more complicated. There's a lot more solos on this one, and we worked really hard to create a more diverse and aggressive record."

While the LP's drum tracks were recorded by Psycroptic's David Haley, Aborted have — after several months of auditions — recruited some new blood to take over behind the kit.

"Honestly, [drummer] Dan Wilding was the only one who was really able to play these songs at the level that we wanted them, and even more," de Caluwé said. "Musically, his brain is beyond impressive. We were pretty much floored by his abilities, especially when you consider he's only 18 years old."

Slaughter & Apparatus: A Methodical Overture was produced by Tue Madsen (Himsa, the Haunted) and features guest appearances by Hatesphere's Jacob Bredahl and former Carcass frontman Jeff Walker on "A Methodical Overture." De Caluwé said he e-mailed Walker, asked him to be on the album, and "a day later, he responded, 'If you want me to ruin your album, I'll do it.' And we were all screaming like little girls."

Leng Tch'e's latest full-length, Marasmus, was released Tuesday. It's an album that, to de Caluwé, "sounds completely different from anything we've done.

"With the previous album [2005's The Process of Elimination], we were kind of making a bridge of where we wanted to go with the music," he continued. "It's been very much evolving since then, and Marasmus is the first album where we've achieved what we wanted to with this band. There's a lot more variation — the songs are longer, there's a little rock and roll, there's death metal, hardcore, grind ... it's a good mixture of everything."

At the moment, Aborted don't have any U.S. tour plans, but the band's video for "The Chondrin Enigma" is attracting a considerable amount of attention. In the video, which was shot in Paris over two days by director Michaël Bernadat, a man is led away to a government-owned warehouse, where he's compressed into liquid sustenance.

"It pretty much sums up the lyrics of the song — we're turning some guy into jello," the singer said. "Chondrin is a substance you get from boiling or crushing bones, and the whole idea is that in a future situation, you've got way too many people on this planet, and governments decide that the best way to take care of it is to create these facilities to process the undesirable elements, and turn these people into food for the others."

Truly a disturbing thought, but as de Caluwé points out, Aborted aren't the types of guys "that would write about flowers." Touché.

The rest of the week's metal news:

3 Inches of Blood and Daath have been added to the second stage of this summer's Ozzfest. They will join previously announced acts Lamb of God, Lordi, Hatebreed, Ankla, the Showdown, Nile, Mondo Generator, Circus Diablo and, of course, Ozzy Osbourne. The 24-city trek launches July 12 in Seattle and runs through August 30 in West Palm Beach, Florida. ...

Two of metal's most recognizable siblings have reunited: Arch Enemy have announced the return of original guitarist Christopher Amott. The younger brother of guitarist Michael Amott (ex-Carcass, Carnage), Chris left the band back in 2005, taking some personal time away from music to see the world. "This is very exciting for me, returning as a full-time member," Chris Amott said in a press release about his rejoining Arch Enemy. "Right now we are working on our forthcoming album, and I'm very pleased about the way it's turning out. The new songs are fast and furious with lots of melody. After this (much needed) two-year break, I'm looking forward to getting back on the road." ... Detroit's the Black Dahlia Murder have ended a nearly five-month-long drummer search by hiring ex-All That Remains member Shannon Lucas. "He is an extremely sick player, and we can't wait to do the next album together," the band said in a statement. "We also would like to thank everyone that tried out for the band. We had the chance to jam with some amazing dudes throughout the process." The Black Dahlia Murder's first show with Lucas will be at the New England Metal & Hardcore Festival, which takes place April 27-28. The band is currently writing songs for the follow-up to its 2005 album Miasma. The new effort should be out this fall. ...

Horse the Band, Light this City, the Number 12 Looks Like You and So Many Dynamos will tour together starting March 30 in South Hackensack, New Jersey. Dates run through April 26 in San Francisco. Horse the Band's new album, A Natural Death, is scheduled for release June 26. "It's about the futility and arrogance of creation and destruction, the overwhelming scale of space and time, and the brutal majesty of nature, the horror of birth and the beauty of death," keyboardist Erik Engstrom said. "Everyone who will ever live will die a natural death and will soon after be forgotten for eternity. Hopefully, this album will serve as a warning to the human race to stop taking itself so seriously, as we have seen the dire consequences of its actions." Errr, yeah. ... Swedish black-metal veterans Marduk will release their new album, Rom: 5:12, May 22. The disc was recorded at Endarker studio and includes "The Levelling Dust," "Imago Mortis" and "Through the Belly of Damnation." The album features the last appearance of ex-drummer Emil Dragutinovic performing with the band. Dragutinovic, who quit in November, has been replaced by Lars B — no relation to Metallica's Lars U. ... Austin, Texas' At All Cost, which combine thrash, melodic metal and hard rock, have signed with Century Media. The group is currently working on its sophomore album, which should be released later this year. At All Cost's debut, It's Time to Decide, came out in 2005. ...

London metalcore press darlings Fightstar will drop their album Grand Unification April 17. Tracks include "To Sleep," "Waste a Moment" and "Open Your Eyes." ... Ion Dissonance have finished their third album, Minus the Herd, which is scheduled for release June 5. The Montreal band recorded the disc with producer Zeuss (Shadows Fall, Agnostic Front). "This is by far some of the best stuff we have ever written," singer Kevin McCaughey said in a statement. "There are some changes in direction with this new release, but I definitely think the die-hard Ion followers will still be into the new stuff. I guess the only word to describe this new album would have to be 'brutal.' Just plain heaviness." ... Swedish black-death-metal band Lord Belial's seventh album, Revelation, has been bumped from April 30 to May 8. Look for the disc to include "Unspoken Veneration" and "Vile Intervention." ... Apparently, death metal is so popular in Scandinavia that everyone wants a piece of the action. On May 8, Swedish singer/songwriter Tony Naima and his band the Bitters will release an album of Dismember covers simply called Dismember. The bizarre idea came together in February 2006 when, at a Dismember record-release party, Naima was asked to take the stage to perform interpretations of two of the band's songs. The gag went over so well that Naima, with full consent of the band, decided to record an entire record of covers. Selections from the disc can be heard at Tony Naima's MySpace page.

• Aborted
• Arch Enemy
• Marduk
• The Black Dahlia Murder
• Horse The Band

Black Dahlia Murder
Photo: Mark Coatsworth/ Metal Blade Records

"I think this third one's going to be a beast," Trevor Strnad, frontman for Detroit death-metallers the Black Dahlia Murder, recently proclaimed of the band's fresh material.

There was genuine excitement in Strnad's voice as he spoke about the yet-untitled album they'll record in March. Could it be that these tracks are just that good? Or could it be that he was actually excited about something else: making significant progress in the 1987 Nintendo game "Friday the 13th," based on the masked-murderer horror flicks? He's been playing the game for years but has yet to beat it. "Today I killed Jason's mom's flying severed head," he boasted.

But there's much more going on in Strnad's life these days than tracking down a hockey-masked psycho and sauntering around a virtual Crystal Lake. The first item of business for the Black Dahlia Murder — who fired former drummer Zach Gibson early last year — is finding a replacement to help them finish the LP they're nearly done writing.

"Writing and looking for a drummer simultaneously has been a pain in the ass," he said. "We're trying to keep things on schedule. We have the album written, largely. We just need to get the drummer in and work everything out with him."

Strnad said Black Dahlia have auditioned several hopefuls, like Nick Pierce of technical-metal outfit the Faceless, and that he wants the band to make a decision before the end of the month. But finding a new drummer has been tough "because we have a bad reputation now. When we lost Zach, he slandered us pretty bad" on his MySpace page, according to Strnad. Gibson wrote that the band was "nothing without me," "were nothing until I joined" and that some bandmembers didn't care "about anything accept making money."

"It's still hanging over us, kind of," Strnad said. "[The posts] went public, and it was all over the place. ... There are still people who talk about that, and we're trying to dispel those rumors."

So far the Black Dahlia have written eight cuts for the follow-up to 2005's Miasma and have been using computer programs to craft drum tracks for the songs. "It's going to be an impressive record," Strnad promised. "[Guitarist Brian Eschbach] is the songwriter usually, and we all help with arrangements, but that kid never ceases to amaze me. The longer we're together, the more that we play, and the more experience we have on the road, it all makes you into a better player. So, whenever it comes time to start writing, he's just full of surprises. He's really been blowing me away with the new sh--. It's definitely in the same vein as our older stuff. Nothing drastically changed. It's just more tasteful, and some of this new stuff will be faster than the last record."

When the band does enter the studio in March, it'll do so without the benefit of a producer. Instead, the Black Dahlia will record with Eric Rachel, who mixed Miasma. "There's going to be a lot more soloing than we've done previously," he explained. "This record's a bit more European-sounding, I think. More so than we already were, if you can imagine that. The solo stuff has a black metal-ish flavor to it. We messed around with that a little bit previously, but some of the songs have a major Dissection kind of feel to them."

Lyrically, Strnad said the record — due in the fall — will be "more horror-oriented" than Miasma. "As far as gore and death and stuff like that goes, I mean, that's all been done — into the ground," he said. "I am just trying to do something like that, but with my own flavor to it. There are still ways to repulse people out there — I just need to figure it all out."

The Black Dahlia Murder will preview several new tracks when they head out on a U.S. tour in April. Strnad can't say who they'll be touring with just yet, but he did confirm that his band will appear at this year's annual New England Metal & Hardcore Festival, which has been set for April 27-28 in Worcester, Massachusetts. He said the Black Dahlia are also working on their first DVD release, which he hopes will include footage documenting the making of their next record.

The rest of the week's metal news:

The debut album from Hellyeah — the new band featuring Pantera drummer Vinnie Paul Abbott, Mudvayne's Chad Gray and Greg Tribbett, and Tom Maxwell and Jerry Montano of Nothingface — will hit stores April 10. In the meantime, check out some song samples over at the band's MySpace page. ... Stone Sour, Lacuna Coil and Shadows Fall will tour together under the Jägermeister Music Tour banner. The routing has yet to be revealed, but the tour is expected to launch March 23 and hit St. Paul, Minnesota; Milwaukee; Chicago; Detroit; New York; Boston; and Atlanta. ... A compilation of post-'80s songs by Bay Area thrash-metal legends Testament will come out February 13. The Spitfire Collection will include newer tracks like "Careful What You Wish For" and "The Burning Times," as well as live versions of classics such as "Practice What You Preach" and "Souls of Black." ... Kittie will launch a North American tour February 9 in Hartford, Connecticut, with dates running through March 24 in Warren, Michigan. Support will come from Walls of Jericho, 36 Crazyfists and Dead to Fall. Kittie's new album, Funeral for Yesterday, comes out February 20 on their own X of Infamy label. ...

Job for a Cowboy have added drummer Jon "The Charn" Rice to the fold. "For me, it's a dream come true," he said via press release. "It's one of those things where you take a chance and send a demo over and then your life is changed. I'm really looking forward to living on the road." The band recently wrapped the recording of its Metal Blade Records debut, which is slated for release this spring. ... Metal-influenced prog band Porcupine Tree are wrapping up their new album, Fear of a Blank Planet, at Galaxy Studios in Belgium. The album is scheduled for release April 24. On March 6, a collaboration between Porcupine Tree frontman Steven Wilson and Israeli songwriter Aviv Geffen, Blackfield II, will also be released. ... Nora are expected to enter the recording studio this month to begin recording their next LP, Save Yourself. Frontman Carl Severson said there are 10 songs written and ready to be put to tape, and that the tracks "are definitely heavier, and we have our fastest songs on here and our most plodding and slow, sludgy material as well." ...

Obsessed Pantera fans A Perfect Murder will enter the studio January 29 to record their third album, War of Aggression. The disc will be produced by Pierre Rémillard (Cryptopsy, Gorguts) at Wild Studio in Quebec and is scheduled for a June 12 release. According to guitarist and songwriter Carl Bouchard, the disc will be "more structured and well-balanced. Having more experience as a performer has impacted my songwriting, but just growing up as a person has helped create a more mature sound in the band." The Canadians' new disc will mark the debuts of guitarist Kyrill Ducharme and bassist Francois-Michel Labrie. ... Lamb of God frontman Randy Blythe will assist A Life Once Lost with the recording of their forthcoming album, Iron Gag, which they'll start putting to tape February 8. Blythe will brainstorm with singer Bob Meadows on the album's vocal direction. ... Cory White, guitarist for the Esoteric, has left the band for personal reasons. His replacement will be announced shortly. In addition, drummer Marshall Kilpatric has been ousted and replaced by the group's old drummer, Adam Mitchell, who played on the Esoteric's early material but left after the release of their 2002 EP, A Reason to Breathe. "This band is a living, breathing entity, and in the life of a band that makes music for music's sake, change is an undeniable part of evolution," read a group statement. ...

Watain have posted some fresh darkness on their Web site, in the form of a track called "Sworn to the Dark." The song will be the title cut to the Swedish black metallers' forthcoming third LP, which lands in stores April 17. ... From a Second Story Window, Nights Like These and See You Next Tuesday will team up in February for a spate of gigs. The trek commences February 24 in Memphis and runs through March 4 in Columbus, Ohio. ... Hardcore metal/ screamo howlers Poison the Well will release their new album, Versions, in April. The disc is being produced in Umea, Sweden, by Pelle Henricsson and Eskil Lovstrom, who recorded 2003's You Come Before You. "It's going to be a really different sounding album in hardcore," frontman Ryan Primack said of the effort, which will feature slide guitar, horns and banjo. ... Finnish death-metallers Omnium Gatherum have put the finishing touches on their new one, Stuck Here on Snakes Way, which will be in stores April 3. The set will feature a dozen tracks, including "Dysnomia," "Undertaker" and "In Sane World." ...

Finnish heavy-metal cellists Apocalyptica will release the double-DVD "The Life Burns Tour" February 6. The package will include covers of Metallica's "Fight Fire With Fire" and "Master of Puppets," as well as Sepultura's "Refuse/Resist." Many of the songs feature guest vocalists too: Soulfly's Max Cavalera and Bullet for My Valentine's Matt Tuck perform on "Repressed"; H.I.M.'s Ville Valo and the Rasmus' Lauri Ylönen contribute to "Bittersweet"; and "Seeman" features Nina Hagen. Apocalyptica are currently working on a new album for release later this year. ... Angtoria singer Sarah Jezebel Deva and bassist Dave Pybus will perform on Cradle of Filth's upcoming U.S. tour. Dates run from January 23 in Sayreville, New Jersey, through March 4 in New York. Angtoria's critically acclaimed symphonic-metal album God Has a Plan for Us All came out in October. ... Frontman Ian Campbell has left Neuraxis and has been replaced in short order by Atheretic's Alex Leblanc.

• The Black Dahlia Murder
• Stone Sour
• Lacuna Coil
• Shadows Fall
• Testament

I Killed The Prom Queen
Photo: Metal Blade Records

Metalcore quintet I Killed the Prom Queen are big in Australia, as they well should be — after all, that's where they're from. But like most foreign metal bands that aren't from Sweden, it hasn't been easy for the group to make much of a dent in the U.S. metalhead contingent. It's been about a month since the release of IKTPQ's sophomore LP, Music for the Recently Deceased, and according to SoundScan, a mere 1,238 copies of the effort have been sold here in the States.

But guitarist Jona Weinhofen said he's confident his band can, in time, win American audiences over — and maybe even convert the faint-hearted.

"We want to bring metal to a different audience — to people who aren't into metal," he said. "We want to turn pop kids into metal lords, and hopefully, make [IKTPQ] the biggest band in the world one day."

And what sets IKTPQ apart from, say, the current class of American metalcore outfits? "I personally feel that a lot of the bands that are coming out of the States right now all kind of sound similar," Weinhofen explained. "It almost seems like they're influenced by each other. But we take our influences from everywhere. And the fact that we are Australian helps us stand out, as opposed to [being] just one of the thousands of American metal/hardcore crossover bands going these days."

But IKTPQ know that nationality alone isn't enough to win over new fans — which is why they're keeping their riffage fast and loud. "All the different aspects of our style and genre, we try to take to the extreme," he continued. "So, when we have a death-metal riff, we try and keep it really heavy. And when we go into a catchy hook, with a singing chorus, we really want kids ... to sing along with it. The fact that we aren't just writing formulaic songs — fast riff, hardcore breakdown, fast riff, hardcore breakdown — helps too."

Weinhofen said IKTPQ — fresh off a U.S. trek with Silverstein, the Sleeping, I Am the Avalanche and A Wilhelm Scream — just need to tour here more, and that they intend to jockey for a slot on either this summer's Warped Tour or Ozzfest. And if that's not in the cards just yet, he'd like to hit the road with a band like Killswitch Engage or Lamb of God — maybe this spring or summer. IKTPQ have only toured the U.S. three times.

"It has been pretty challenging for us, but at the same time, we haven't really fully pushed to break through to American audiences as much as we probably should have been," he admitted. "We have to be here a lot more and almost make this like our second home. And that's what we plan to do off this record."

Regardless, Weinhofen said IKTPQ will begin writing soon for album number three, in between tours in Australia and the United Kingdom. They'd like to track demo material in June at the latest.

IKTPQ are also counting on their recently completed video for "Say Goodbye" to make an impact. Weinhofen revealed that it was shot in Australia with one of the cameras that had been used to film scenes in both "Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones" and "Superman Returns."

"We shot it in an abandoned quarry, right near the ocean, so there's lots of dingy cliffs and rain involved," he said about the clip, which should begin airing by the end of the month. "There's a bit of a story line involving an attractive set of twin females who're chasing each other around. It's a very vague story line, so people can interpret it the way they'd like."

The rest of the week's metal news:

The Black Dahlia Murder tour train has been temporarily derailed — drummer Pierre Langlois has decided that touring for months at a time just isn't for him. "He wants to pursue a more secure lifestyle," the band said in a statement. This leaves the band in the unenviable position of seeking its fourth drummer in three years. Black Dahlia seek candidates who are "dedicated," "sure touring life is for them" and available "as soon as possible." Relocation to Detroit is a must, although it doesn't have to be immediate. Players can e-mail BlackDahliaMurder@hotmail.com to set up an audition. ... Metalcore Welshmen Bullet for My Valentine have posted the video for "All These Things I Hate (Revolve Around Me)" on the Trustkill site. (See it here.) The clip was directed by Scott Winig and Tony Petrossian and filmed in Los Angeles on the group's first North American tour. The band's debut, The Poison, was released in February and has sold 141,000 copies in the U.S. BFMV's first DVD, "Live at Brixton," comes out December 19 and includes all the group's videos, including "All These Things I Hate." One thing the band hated was having to cancel its December U.S. tour because singer Matt Tuck was suffering from laryngitis caused by a throat infection and fatigue. ...

Deftones singer Chino Moreno is in pre-production in Los Angeles with hardcore-metal band Will Haven. In February, the group will begin recording at Bieler Bros. Studios in Pompano Beach, Florida. The yet-untitled disc is due in late spring or early summer. ... Before Will Haven hole up in Bieler Bros. Studios, Welsh reggae-metal band Skindred will set up camp there in January with producer Matt Squire (Panic! at the Disco, the Receiving End of Sirens). The group plans to stay in the studio through February and its second album is due in the spring. Skindred's debut, Babylon, was released in 2004. ... Sevendust's sixth studio LP, Alpha, will come out on March 6 and receive distribution through the Warner Music Group's Independent Label Group. The band has signed a partnership for its label 7Bros. Records with Asylum Records, which is part of the Warner family. "Deathstar," a track from the new disc, is available for streaming at Sevendust.info. Sevendust's last album, Next, came out in 2005. ...

After 10 years with the band, Unexpect violinist Le Bateleur has decided to settle down. The group is currently accepting applications for his replacement at fix@unexpect.com. Interested fiddle players should be "absolutely devoid of any criminal records," "have some stage experience" and "be ready to tour extensively." Unexpect released their debut album, In a Flesh Aquarium, in August. ... Redneck metal band Alabama Thunderpu--- have posted the new track "Words of the Dying Man" at MySpace.com/atpva. The song will be featured on the group's new disc Open Fire, which comes out in March. The album was recorded at the Etching Tin Studios in Richmond, Virginia, with engineer Ian Whalen and is the band's first to feature singer Kyle Thomas. "Kyle did nothing less than knock our socks off on every track, and he's truly the singer that we have been wanting for a long time," drummer Bryan Cox said. "I can't express in mere words how happy I am with the way the record turned out." ...

Ian Gillan's bassist, Rodney Appleby, is in stable condition after being shot in the jaw by an unidentified man on November 25 in Buffalo, New York. Appleby was visiting a neighbor when he was shot once at close range with a .22-caliber pistol, police said. Doctors expect Appleby to make a full recovery in time for Gillan's Australian tour, which launches in January. ... Athens, Georgia, husband-and-wife duo Jucifer have posted the video for "Pontius of Palia" on YouTube. The video was shot in Athens by director Marc Pilvinsky (Red Animal War, Vigilantes of Love) of Bare Ruined Films. Jucifer will remain on tour through January 9 to support their new album If Thine Enemy Hunger. ... Indiana thrash band Year of Desolation have posted two songs, "The Economy of Excess" and "Erasing Your Existence," at MySpace.com/YearOfDesolation. The band's Jamie King-produced self-titled debut comes out January 23. ...

The Hidden Hand, which features doom-metal pioneer Scott "Wino" Weinrich (Spirit Caravan, the Obsessed), will release their next album The Resurrection of Whiskey Foote in February. The follow-up to 2005's Devoid of Colour will feature slide-guitar work by Weinrich and a previously untapped Southern-rock vibe. Soon after the record was recorded, drummer Evan Tanner left and was replaced by Matt Moulis. ... Novembers Doom will release their new album The Novella Reservoir on February 20. The disc was recorded with Chris Djuricic — who produced last year's Pale Haunt Departure — mixed by Dan Swanö and mastered by ex-Death member James Murphy. "We took a step forward in speed and aggression while maintaining the same sound we've had over all six CDs," singer Paul Kuhr said.

• The Black Dahlia Murder
• Bullet for My Valentine
• Deftones
• Skindred
• Sevendust

• The Black Dahlia Murder
• Lacuna Coil
• Shadows Fall
• Cephalic Carnage
• Overcast

Overcast
Photo: overcast.cc

Killswitch Engage bassist Mike D'Antonio remembers the exact moment when Overcast — his influential, erstwhile Massachusetts metal band that counted among its members Shadows Fall frontman Brian Fair — ended. It was a week or so after the band's first U.S. tour (with Disembodied and Shai Hulud) had concluded, and the guys in the band returned from a six-week road trip with about $500 to their names.

"We were all just kind of beaten to death," D'Antonio recalled. "We had worked so incredibly hard to get the band to where it was, with little or nothing to show for it besides just fans coming out and seeing us and being really into the band. We just needed to cut our losses and go home, and unfortunately, that was the way most of the people felt in the band. We had gotten done with a practice, and everyone told me how they were feeling. [That band] was my baby — something I cared about more than almost anything else in the world at that point. So when people were telling me they didn't want to do it, I didn't want to face reality. It really bothered me."

He said the bandmembers sold off the remaining Overcast merchandise, split the proceeds and that was that. D'Antonio, in time, assembled Killswitch, while Fair was asked to join Shadows Fall — two bands that've amassed more than 1 million in combined album sales in the U.S. alone. Years later, in 2003, both bands would hit the road together (along with Lamb of God) for the Headbangers Ball Tour.

"I started talking to John Dudeck," who released Overcast's LPs on his Edison Recordings label, "and we were talking about doing a box set," D'Antonio explained. "During that tour, it just seemed to make sense to put something out of Overcast, knowing that it would actually be a little bit more in the public eye."

Then last summer, when Killswitch and the Shad played the 10th installment of Sharon Osbourne's Ozzfest, D'Antonio and Fair discussed re-releasing Overcast's material. "We didn't really want those recordings re-released, though," he said. "They're not the greatest recordings in the world. They're not tight. They were done with no budget at all."

In fact, 1994's Expectational Dilution was recorded and mixed in just four days, and Fair had just three hours to nail all his vocals for the disc. "Needless to say, not the best we could have done," D'Antonio said. "So we thought it would be cool to get back into the studio and throw everything down again and get it right the right way, with no pressure. So we started calling around to all the other guys" — current Seemless guitarist Pete Cortese, guitarist Scott McCooe and drummer Jay "Hurricane Jake" Fitzgerald — "and they were really excited to do it."

Before year's end, D'Antonio said he hopes to release Reborn to Kill Again, an album featuring more than 10 classic, revisited Overcast tunes and two previously unreleased cuts the band wrote before disbanding but never recorded. Neither song has a title, D'Antonio said, and for one of them, Fair "actually took the lyrics and used them for a Shadows Fall song" called "Root Bound Apollo," from the 2000 album Of One Blood; Killswitch guitarist Adam Dutkiewicz (Unearth, Underoath) will helm the new Overcast project. The band's recorded all the drum tracks so far and will start working on the guitar parts next week. The plan's to finish the LP by the end of May. D'Antonio said several labels are vying for the disc, but not Killswitch's label, Roadrunner — they've passed on it.

"We're so stoked that Adam could do it because I hold that guy in high regard as far as being able to produce things and take turds and shine them up real nice and make diamonds out of them," D'Antonio said. "In his hands we can make this Overcast record something bigger and better. It's awesome to be able to mend the different things that happened throughout the years and have fun. We knew we could go into the studio and pull it off, and everyone's head is in the right spot. We're just having a blast."

Overcast will perform this weekend in Worcester, Massachusetts, during the New England Hardcore and Metal Festival. The band's also booked a gig at Club Hipnotic in New London, Connecticut, for June 3 and is in talks to take the stage inside New York's CBGB next month.

In addition, Killswitch Engage will begin writing fresh material in July for the follow-up to 2004's The End of Heartache — an album Roadrunner hopes to be able to release in November, D'Antonio said. He added that the band's also just recorded a cover of Dio's "Holy Diver" for a forthcoming Kerrang! magazine-commissioned compilation. That disc is going to feature some of today's heaviest metal acts tackling a number of genre classics.

"[Frontman] Howard [Jones] sang in falsetto," he said. "It came out super good. Everyone's really excited about it. The guitar riffs are definitely modified to sound way, way heavier."

The rest of the week's metal news:

Black Dahlia Murder have started practicing new material with their recently revamped lineup. The band's new bassist is Bart Williams, who worked with the band on its first album, 2003's Unhallowed. Williams replaces David Lock, who was fired in November because he "couldn't actually play our material," frontman Trevor Strnad said at the time. In addition, Canadian drummer Pierre Langlois has sorted out his immigration paperwork and is now a full-time member of the band. He replaces Zach Gibson, who was also let go in November because of "playing issues." "Pierre's unbelievable," Strnad said. "Zach was more into groove stuff, so we had chunkier guitar parts that would go along with that. Pierre's more about sheer speed, so we'll probably be doing stuff that's a little bit more black metal." The band is filming the creation of its next album and plans to use the footage on a behind-the-scenes DVD that will come out at the same time as the release. "It'll be mostly us hanging out rather than show footage," Strnad said. "There's a lot to this band that people don't really know that we'd like them to see. We're kind of like a brotherhood and we have a blast on the road." ... Nevermore bassist and founding member Jim Sheppard is taking a few weeks away from the band to undergo a medical procedure for Crohn's disease, which he has been battling for 15 years. Ex-Megadeth/ Iced Earth bassist James MacDonough will fill in for 10 shows, starting May 5 in Buffalo, New York, and running through May 18 in Spokane, Washington. Nevermore's tour with In Flames, Throwdown and Evergrey runs through May 28 in Tallahassee, Florida. ... Shatter Messiah, which features former Nevermore guitarist Curran Murphy and Annihilator drummer Robert Falzano, will issue their debut album, Never to Play the Servant, in late August. Look for the disc to include "Your God's Demise." ...

Going forward, Shai Hulud will be known as ... um, Shai Halud. The revived hardcore band had been toying with the idea of adopting the new moniker the Warmth of Red Blood, what with the departure of singer Geert Van der Velde a few years back. But they've abandoned the name and added new singer Eric Dellon, who's done time with both Zombie Apocalypse and Shallow Water Grave. Look for the band to hit the road next month with the Red Chord. ... Thrash legends D.R.I. have been forced to cancel their upcoming U.S. tour with Subzero, as guitarist Spike Cassidy's been diagnosed with colon cancer and was operated on three weeks ago, according to a statement from the band's manager. "Sadly, the concern is that [the cancer] spread and the medical treatment is [required immediately] and it prohibits any touring for the remainder of the year at least." The trek was expected to launch in Seattle May 22. ... The Esoteric are back in work mode. The innovative metallers have begun writing their next release, Subverter, and plan to hit Black Lodge Recording in Eudora, Kansas, on May 8 with producer and engineer Paul Malinowski (The Life and Times, Open Hand). The record's set for a tentative fall release and will include "Science Is Sexy," "Clone Culture and the Cut-Up Method" and "We Will Not Be Convinced That Now Is Not Our Time." ...

You smell that? It's some delicious metal beef — being served up by Opeth frontman Mikael Åkerfeldt. The singer has clarified statements he made during an interview with an Australian magazine — but hasn't gone out of his way to patch up the wounds. When asked about the current state of metal, he told the magazine that he didn't care for most of today's bands, and that "when I grew up it was like heresy to compare [labelmates] Killswitch Engage and whatever you got going with [Iron] Maiden and [Judas] Priest. The bands feel manufactured, almost like boy bands with guitars. I don't want my bands to be f---ing pretty." On Opeth's official forum, Åkerfeldt said the article was "a bit misleading," and that while he doesn't "particularly like Killswitch," he has nothing "against them really. All I was saying [is] that I don't see the same quality in them as I do in Priest or Maiden. [Killswitch] to me sounds like a rehashed version of what's been going on in Sweden for 16 years or more. The boy-band comment ... was not addressed to [Killswitch] but an observation of the overall 'nu' or whatever metalcore scene [there is] in the U.S. All of you gotta understand that out of the zillion interviews I do, some will take the so-called 'good stuff' and put it forward and make me seem like a pr---." ...

Springfield, Massachusetts, metalcore band Ligeia have shot a video for "Household Stereotypes" from their new album Your Ghost Is a Gift. The clip was helmed by "Law & Order" director Frank Nasso in New York. "We are playing in an empty apartment with light bulbs swinging all around us," the band said in a press statement. Ligeia will headline a North American tour with Flee the Scene, Across Five Aprils and A Perfect Kill starting May 9 in Miami and ending May 28 in Nashville. ... Hugh Mingay, the bassist for Norwegian black-metal band Arcturus, was in a motorcycle accident last week and damaged his vertebrae. He is expected to recover fully but will have to rest for three weeks before picking up his instrument again. ... Chicago power-metal band Twelfth Gate have announced Brent "Red" Erickson as their new singer. He replaces Scott Huffman, who quit the band due to musical differences and will continue with his new group, Mindwarp Chamber. ... Grindcore band Agathocles will release Mincer, their first CD in almost five years, May 2. The album was recorded at Soundshape Studios in Arendonk, Belgium, and includes "Yuppie Career Freak," "Diary of White Trash," "Carved Face Fashion" and "Forced to Masturbate." ... Terror and Death Before Dishonor will tour together in June. Just 11 dates have been firmed up so far, but more should be announced in the coming weeks. The run kicks off June 19 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and, at this point, runs through July 5 in Buffalo, New York. ... Swedish death-metal outfit Godhate have lost founding member and drummer Roger Sundquist. "Roger has left the band for good," reads the band's official statement on his departure. "It's not an easy thing to find a good drummer who can replace such a good musician as Roger. And as he was the one who formed the band, it's even harder to just say goodbye like that. He has meant a lot to the band and each member, even though we have had different opinions on how to run the band."

• Overcast
• The Black Dahlia Murder
• Nevermore
• D.R.I.
• Killswitch Engage

As I Lay Dying
Photo: MTV News

The second installment of the Sounds of the Underground Tour — which rivaled Ozzfest in its successful first year of existence — is set to launch July 8 in Cleveland and wrap on August 27 in Los Angeles. The organizers behind the traveling metal-and-hardcore circus have enlisted special guests to help bolster the lineup during three of the tour's 27 stops.

As I Lay Dying top the bill, which also features In Flames, Trivium, Cannibal Corpse, Gwar, Terror, the Black Dahlia Murder, Behemoth, the Chariot and Through the Eyes of the Dead (see "As I Lay Dying, In Flames Confirmed For Sounds Of The Underground").

The special guests include New England metal stalwarts Killswitch Engage (who'll perform only at the July 14 show in Mansfield, Massachusetts); Shadows Fall, It Dies Today and Still Remains (who will augment the bills in Mesa, Arizona, on July 26 and San Diego two days later); and hardcore champions Evergreen Terrace will hop on the Sounds express on July 19 and remain on board for the rest of the tour.

This summer's trek hits the road one week after this year's Ozzfest kicks off in San Francisco (see "System Of A Down, Disturbed To Headline Ozzfest").

The festival organizers are taking a different approach to this year's festival by having fewer bands on the bill and extending the set times for each group. Last year, most bands got no more than 30 minutes to play.

Presale tickets will be available starting April 11 but will officially go on sale April 15; more information on where concertgoers can score tickets is available at the Sounds of the Underground Web site.

The 2006 Sounds of the Underground tour dates, according to the festival's publicist:

• 7/8 - Cleveland, OH @ Plain Dealer Pavilion
• 7/9 - Chicago, IL @ First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre parking lot
• 7/11 - Toronto, ON @ Molson Amphitheatre
• 7/12 - Montreal, QC @ Metropolis
• 7/13 - Poughkeepsie, NY @ Mid-Hudson Civic Center
• 7/14 - Mansfield, MA @ Tweeter Center parking lot
• 7/15 - Sayreville, NJ @ Starland Ballroom
• 7/16 - Camden, NJ @ Tweeter Center at the Waterfront
• 7/17 - Columbia, MD @ Merriweather Post Pavilion
• 7/19 - Orlando, FL @ Tinker Field
• 7/21 - Houston, TX @ Verizon Wireless Theater
• 7/22 - Corpus Christi, TX @ Concrete Street Amphitheatre
• 7/23 - Selma, TX @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre parking lot
• 7/26 - Mesa, AZ @ Mesa Amphitheatre
• 7/27 - Las Vegas, NV @ House of Blues
• 7/28 - San Diego, CA @ TBA
• 7/29 - Mountain View, CA @ Shoreline Amphitheatre Parking Lot
• 7/31 - Denver, CO @ City Lights Pavilion
• 8/2 - Sauget, IL @ Pop's Nightclub
• 8/3 - Sterling Heights, MI @ Freedom Hill Amphitheater
• 8/4 - Milwaukee, WI @ Eagles Ballroom
• 8/5 - St. Paul, MN @ Roy Wilkins Auditorium
• 8/6 - Winnipeg, MB @ Convention Centre
• 8/7 - Saskatoon, SK @ Credit Union Center
• 8/8 - Edmonton, AB @ Northlands Agricom
• 8/10 - Vancouver, BC @ PNE Forum
• 8/12 - Universal City, CA @ Gibson Universal Amphitheatre

• As I Lay Dying
• Cannibal Corpse
• GWAR
• Terror
• The Black Dahlia Murder

As I Lay Dying
Photo: Metal Blade Records

Last summer Ozzfest — the Goliath of metal and hardcore carnivals — faced, for the first time since its debut, some serious competition. The David, in this case, was the Sounds of the Underground tour. The inaugural run lived up to its name, with unorthodox acts like Lamb of God, Clutch, Opeth, Poison the Well, Strapping Young Lad, Gwar and Unearth rounding out the bill, along with a dozen other black-, death- and thrash-metal stalwarts.

The trek was such a success that the organizers are returning this year with the second installment of SOTU, which will feature headliners and Ozzfest 2005 vets As I Lay Dying.

The SoCal metalcore unit — which is spending the spring with the Deftones on the Taste of Chaos tour (see "Taste Of Chaos '06 Tour Dates Revealed") — will be joined by several of the genre's other big names for SOTU. Confirmed so far are Gwar, Swedish melodic death-metallers In Flames, Florida's Trivium and Cannibal Corpse, Californian hardcore band Terror, Detroit death-metal troupe the Black Dahlia Murder, Polish power-metal trio Behemoth, the Chariot and South Carolina death-metal collective Through the Eyes of the Dead.

The Sounds of the Underground organizers are taking a different approach to this summer's festival by keeping the number of bands on the bill down and extending the length of set times. Last year most bands got no more than 30 minutes to play.

While dates for the trek — including the official launch date — are still being worked out, SOTU will return to Denver, St. Louis, Chicago, Detroit, Toronto, Philadelphia, San Francisco and Los Angeles, as well as cities in Texas, New England and western Canada. Tickets will go on sale in late March.

More bands will be announced in the coming weeks.

Get your MTV News fresh daily as a podcast — in video or audio. Click on Mac or PC for more info.

• As I Lay Dying
• The Black Dahlia Murder
• Behemoth
• Trivium

Between the Buried and Me
Photo: www.betweentheburiedandme.com

In comparison to their beer-swillin', hard-livin' contemporaries, the dudes from Between the Buried and Me are fairly tame. After all, this is a band that counts the Counting Crows as one of its guiltiest pleasures (its name was actually inspired by a lyric in the Crows' "Ghost Train," and the band contributed to Dead and Dreaming: A Counting Crows Tribute). When BTBAM are on tour, they're all business: they hit the stage, play their gigs and turn in early.

"We're a pretty boring band," frontman Tommy Rogers said. "We get good sleep. Eat well. We don't really party at all, which is going to make our tour with the Black Dahlia Murder pretty interesting. I hear they're pretty 'party hard' guys." (BDM will be fresh off their summer stint as one of Ozzfest's second-stage attractions.)

The tour kicks off September 23 in Buffalo, New York, and runs through October 14 in Phoenix; Cephalic Carnage and Into the Moat are also on the bill. The Raleigh, North Carolina, grindcore band's third disc, Alaska, will hit stores Tuesday.

Formed in 2000, Between the Buried and Me have endured numerous lineup shifts, with six different members coming and going within the last two years alone. Rogers and guitarist Paul Waggoner are the only original members; drummer Blake Richardson and guitarist Dusty Waring, who're also members of Glass Casket, and bassist Dan Briggs round out the current roster. Rogers, though, thinks this lineup's solid — at least for a while.

"The band, as it is right now, is the best we've ever been," he said. "I know that, just with the writing of Alaska and the touring we've done with this lineup, that this is what we really needed; this is the band we needed to be. I'm just pleased with the personalities, the musicianship, and just what we've done with this record. It's like we're all on the same page."

It's a rather unique experience for Rogers and Waggoner, who've clashed with past BTBAM members over creative issues as well as personality differences. "We have three new guys that came into the writing process, which was amazing because in the past, it was just me and Paul writing everything," Rogers explained. "Now we have three guys who are really eager to put a lot of input into the songs. It brought so many different ideas to the mix, things we never would have come up with. It's a big group record, which we'd never done in the past.

"I think this record is a step ahead for us, from what we've done in the past," he continued. "It's a good mix of both of our previous records, and then some. On this record, we went back to some of the melodic death metal ideas that we'd had going on with the first record. We also experimented with different elements."

The band recently shot a video in Los Angeles for the album's title track with director Shane Drake (Trivium, Chimaira). "It's the first video we've been involved with, as far as filming," he said of the performance-based clip. "With videos, our big thing is, everything out there today looks the same. So we wanted to make something different. No big shots of how cool our hair looks, but lots of close-up shots of the instruments instead because, I mean, we don't have an image."

Look for Alaska on September 6.

The rest of the week's metal news:

Krzysztof "Doc" Raczkowski, former drummer of Polish death-metal band Vader, has died from an undisclosed ailment. The 35-year-old Raczkowski was buried in his hometown of Korsze. After attending his funeral on August 25, the band said in a statement: "Goodbye to our friend and great musician. We accompany him on his last journey with great sadness, pain and sorrow." Raczkowski played with Vader from their 1992 debut until he was fired in March because of a serious drinking problem. He was replaced by ex-Vesania drummer Daray. ... The Crown's posthumous triple-DVD set will be released January 10. The package will trace the band's history from its inception in 1990 to its breakup in March 2004. On the Crown's Web site, the band called the as-yet-untitled box "a colossal damage to head and eyes," adding, "this magnificent hail to the fans will take you on a dangerous roller-coaster ride deep within the halls of hell." Where do we sign up? ... Founding Crown guitarist Marko Tervonen has built himself a new recording facility called Studio MT in Trollhattan, Sweden. He's about to start recording there with his new thrashy death band Angel Blake. The group features Tervonen on all instruments and Transport League singer Tony Jelencovich. ... The benefit release Friend in Need Benefit Compilation, Vol. 1, a double 12-inch colored vinyl and DVD package, will include tracks by Cattle Decapitation, Winter Solstice, Curl Up and Die, Norma Jean, From a Second Story Window, Cursed and Underoath. The set will be released in October and all proceeds from sales of the disc will go to cancer awareness and treatment programs. ...

Drowningman, Vermont's grind-inclined mathcore band, will shoot a video this weekend in Washington, D.C., with director Joseph Pattisall for "White People Are Stupid." The track is from the band's forthcoming disc, Don't Push Us When We're Hot, which hits stores on October 11. ... The latest offering from Norwegian black-metal act Carpathian Forest will surface on January 17 through Season of Mist. According to their site, they've "almost finished with all recordings" and have "only a few details left." ... Combat Records will released Austin's At All Cost's first full-length, It's Time to Decide, September 20. The disc will feature "Death to Distraction," "Polish the Nightmare" and "It Burns Black." ... The second album from Los Angeles post-hardcore band From First to Last will be produced by Ross Robinson (Korn, Slipknot). He'll join the band at its studio in Albany, Georgia, this week to begin preproduction and start tracking the album September 12 in California. ... Fort Lauderdale, Florida's Into the Moat were forced to cancel a week of dates with Soilent Green after Hurricane Katrina wreaked havoc on their hometown. The band was unable to get its van out of the shop, which was closed in the wake of the storm. Into the Moat will return to the tour, which also features Watch Them Die, on September 3 in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and will remain on the road through October 3 in Kansas City, Missouri. ...

Melodic Floridian death-metal band the Absence will tour with Chicago metallers Dead to Fall starting September 19 in Orlando. Dates run through September 29 in Fargo, North Dakota. The Absence's debut album, From Your Grave, comes out September 19. ... Wilmington, North Carolina, alt-metal band Sourvein will release their second album, Emerald Vulture, this fall. The group's first disc, Will to Mangle, came out in 2002. ... Ultralord, an underground sludge group featuring members of Fistula and Rue, are currently in the studio with Beaten Back to Pure frontman Vince Burke. Expect a new album in early 2006. ... Also scheduled for early next year is a new album from Long Island, New York's Negative Reaction. It's titled Under the Ancient Penalty.... Christian right-wing metalcore band Winter Solstice have lost founding guitarist JT Turner, who quit the band to pursue other career ventures. Jeff Cohn of If the Accident Will is filling in temporarily, but the band is currently looking for a full-time replacement. Interested Christian Bush-supporting axemen should e-mail WSGuitaristSearch@yahoo.com. ... Texas hyper-metalcore band Losa will launch a tour with Jacknife starting September 15 in Beaumont, Texas. Dates run through October 2 in Fargo, North Dakota.

• Crown
• Vader
• Absence
• The Black Dahlia Murder

What up, metallions? How the hell have you been? Yeah, I know I've been away a long time, but I'm back. My band's tour was really good, so much thanks to all who came out.

I guess the big jam to talk about right now is that I spent some time in L.A. with the Slipknots, and the new album is coming along amazingly. I heard a couple of the new songs and they totally shred. I can't wait for the finished record.

Another good thing this week is that the original members who'd left Black Dahlia Murder have decided (smartly, I might add) to return to the band and forge ahead into the metal world. Being that they're one of my favorite new bands, this is amazing news. Hopefully they'll be out on the road soon.

The other killer news is that Fireball Ministry's video for "Flatline" is going to debut this Saturday on "Headbangers Ball," and the band is going to hit Europe soon with Blue Öyster Cult. I just toured with those guys and BÖC has their work cut out for them.

Oh yeah, one other thing: for you horror buffs, they just released the "Texas Chainsaw Massacre" special edition on DVD and it's really good. Some cool extras and a great print of the film. Well, my friends, that's it for me. I'll see you at the shows.

Slayer fans can look forward to many rarities on the band's box set Soundtrack to the Apocalypse, which comes out November 25. Tracks include the band's first recorded offering, "Aggressive Perfector," collaborations with Ice-T ("Disorder") and Atari Teenage Riot "No Remorse (I Wanna Die)," demo versions of "South of Heaven," "Raining Blood" and "Piece by Piece," rehearsal tapes of "The Antichrist" and "Fight Till Death" and 11 live recordings made between 1983 and 2002. In addition, the package will include a DVD of live footage from the band's personal collections and the deluxe edition of the box will feature a 14-song 2002 concert from Anaheim, California. Oh, yeah, the set will also include about 30 tracks you probably already have in your collection. ... Long-running death metal staple Cannibal Corpse have chosen The Wretched Spawn as the title for their next album, due in February. Predictably colorful song titles include "Severed Head Stoning," "Frantic Disembowelment," "Nothing Left to Mutilate" and "Festering in the Crypt," according to a posting on the Metal Blade Records website. ... On November 8, Black Dahlia Murder will play Detroit at the Idle Kids Community Center, which seems like a perfect location for a Spinal Tap residency. A full tour will follow, beginning December 4 in Marietta, Georgia, and running through December 20 in Chicago. ...

P.O.D. were forced to nix a surprise concert in Siegen, Germany on Tuesday after the venue's ceiling threatened to collapse. The band were scheduled to play at the Siegerlandhalle for an audience of radio contest winners, but as soon as they started their afternoon soundcheck, parts of the ceiling became loose and crashed to the ground. While it would have been a feather in their halo to be able to say their concert leveled the venue, the show was called off for security reasons before it began. P.O.D. made up the show yesterday in a different venue. ... Two denizens of the dark, England's Cradle of Filth and Brooklyn's Type O Negative will begin their Blood For the Blood Gods Tour on November 13 in Latham, New York. Dates run through December 19 in Toronto. Moonspell will open all shows. Type O Negative is touring to support their last record, Life is Killing Me, which was released June 17. Cradle of Filth are still plugging their Damnation and a Day, which dropped March 25. On December 2 the band will release the DVD EP Mannequin, which features the Thomas Mignone-directed video "Mannequin," the "Babylon A.D." video directed by Wiz, a live performance video of "The Promise of Fever and the animated featurette "Serpent Tongue," which were both directed by Cradle guitarist Paul Allender. ...

Testament's Steve Smyth will fill the long-vacant second-guitar slot in Nevermore when the Seattle-based band hits the road with Dimmu Borgir, Children of Bodom and Hypocrisy on November 7. Nevermore has been a four piece since the 1999 departure of Tim Calvert and, like others before him, Smyth has reportedly been recruited for touring purposes only. ... Uprising Records label founder Sean Muttaqi and his Pressure bandmate Chuck Treece (who has played with McRad, Underdog and Bad Brains over the years) will fill in on bass and drums, respectively, for all of Canadian political rockers Rogue Nation's shows outside of their home country. ... Alabama metalcore band Haste has lined up several tours in support of their latest effort, The Mercury Lift. Next month they'll hit the road with hardcore heroes Stretch Arm Strong and With Honor, followed by a three-week jaunt with Hopesfall, the decidedly more indie-rock leaning Hey Mercedes and the newly reunited Zao. The band recently shot a video for the song "Stutter" with director Zach Merck (Shadows Fall, Blindside). ...

Integrity, perhaps the first group to draw equal inspiration from Slayer, the Cro-Mags and Samhain, will tour the U.S. next month and through December in support of their newly released "comeback" album To Die For. They'll be joined by On Broken Wings and The Agony Scene. ... Kid Gorgeous has decided to call it a day. The Buffalo, New York based metalcore band — whose last full-length release was this year's This Feeling Gets Old — will play their final show November 1 in their hometown. ... Remembering Never has entered the studio with producer Jeremy Staska (Poison the Well) to record Women and Children Die First, the follow-up to their 2002 debut album She Looks So Good in Red. The album is tentatively scheduled for a February 2004 release. ... Mastadon will have music featured in the forthcoming Tony Hawk video game, "T.H.U.G.," according to a posting on the band's Web site. The band hopes to begin recording their second full length early next year. ...

Blood and Time, which features Neurosis' Scott Kelly (guitars, vocals) and Noah Landis (keyboards, backing vocals) alongside Scott Kelly solo project veterans Anthony Nelson (bass) and Stephen Garrett (drums), will unleash their debut album At the Foot of the Garden through Neurot Recordings. The album is scheduled for a November 4 release. ... 100 Demons will enter Planet Z Studios next month with producer Zeuss (Hatebreed, Shadows Fall) to begin work on their first album since joining the roster of Deathwish Recordings, the label founded by Converge vocalist Jacob Bannon. ... Chief Spires and John Ehlers, former bassist/vocalist and guitarist, respectively, with ancient-Egypt-obsessed death metal band Nile, have resurfaced in a new outfit called Shaitan Mazar. The new band's four-song demo is available for download at their website, ShaitanMazar.com. ...

Orange County, California's Eighteen Visions has enlisted producer Mudrock (Godsmack, Powerman 5000, Chimaira) and begun pre-production work on the follow-up to their 2002 album, Vanity. In related news, Dave Peters, current vocalist and former guitarist for Eighteen Visions guitarist Keith Barney's other band Throwdown, has started a new project called Medic. Peters plays guitar in the group, whose new three-song demo is very much in the vein of A Perfect Circle and Tool. ... Norwegian black metallurgists Ancient have nearly finished their writing new album, the follow-up to 2001's Proxima Centauri. The new disc, which is still untitled, will feature 10 new tracks. Three were penned by keyboardist and guitarist Jesus Christ, and the others by guitarist and vocalist Aphazel, drummer Grom and bassist Dhilorz. Ancient will begin recording in January and will mix in early February. Look for the disc next spring. ... Polish experimental death metal band Decapitated will release their third album The Negatron in February. The disc was recorded at Hertz Studio in Poland with Slawek and Tojtek Wieslawski engineering. Tracks include, "The Fury," "Calling," "Long-Desired Dementia," and "The Empty Throne."

—compiled by Iann Robinson , Ryan J. Downey and Jon Wiederhorn

• Slayer
• Cannibal Corpse
• Cradle of Filth
• The Black Dahlia Murder

New England Metal & Hardcore Fest: The Visuals

• The Black Dahlia Murder
• Overcast
• Lacuna Coil
• Dragonforce
• God Forbid