Lindsay Lohan on the cover of <i>New York</i> magazine
Photo: Bert Stern

Lindsay Lohan has done some racy photo shoots in the past, but she takes it to a whole new level in New York magazine to pay tribute to her idol. The recently rehabbed actress re-created Marilyn Monroe's famous "Last Sitting" nude pictorial for the mag's spring fashion issue with the shoot's original photographer, Bert Stein. So was she nervous about getting in front of the camera wearing nothing but a chiffon scarf? "I was comfortable with it," she told New York, though she admitted to doing "250 crunches" the previous night. On set for Lohan's revealing re-creation was a small entourage of her manager; her security guard; a makeup artist and assistant; a hairstylist and assistant; a stylist; a manicurist; a sentry posted to guard the on-loan diamonds; the photographer and his manager; two photo assistants; and the actress' younger sister, Ali. (By comparison, Stern's original shoot with Monroe was just him and his subject). "Here's a woman who is giving herself to the public," Lohan said of the original photos. "She's saying, 'Look, you've taken a lot from me, so why don't I give it to you myself.' She's taking control back." ...

After taking home five Grammys at least week's awards, Amy Winehouse will appear at the Brit Awards in London Wednesday night, her publicist confirmed. The performance will be Winehouse's first appearance on a British television program since she left a London rehab clinic two weeks ago. ...

Indie powerhouse TVT Records, home to rap stars Lil Jon and the Ying Yang Twins, will file for bankruptcy protection, label head Steve Gottleib announced Tuesday. According to Billboard, the New York company will continue to operate, but a number of staff members have been let go, and several acts, though not confirmed as of press time, will become free agents. The Gottleib-founded TVT rose to prominence in the '80s after releasing rock albums by Nine Inch Nails and made larger strides beginning in the '90s with its roster of hip-hop acts. Recent legal battles with Def Jam Records and Slip-N-Slide over projects by Ja Rule and Pitbull before each gained notoriety zapped TVT of millions of dollars. ... "Dancing With the Stars" typically appeals to an older demographic, but Mario hopes to bring his young fans to the competition. The R&B crooner will join "American Pie" star Shannon Elizabeth, Miami Dolphins defensive end Jason Taylor, Olympic gold medalist Kristy Yamaguchi and more on the reality show's new season, which kicks off March 17 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC. ...

The producers of "American Idol" have teamed up with Apple's iTunes Store, giving "Idol" fans the chance to purchase music by their favorite contestants before the show's winner is crowned. Starting this week, iTunes will offer downloads of every performance from the top 24 semifinalists, for 99 cents; full videos of the final 12 contestants will be offered for $1.99 beginning March 12. iTunes will also allow customers to pre-order tracks from a given contestant for automatic download the day after "Idol" airs. One-click access to the store is being made available from the show's official Web site. ... "American Idol" victor Jordin Sparks will be the opening act on Alicia Keys' upcoming North American tour, which kicks off April 19 in Hampton, Virginia. The tour concludes June 18 with a performance at New York's Madison Square Garden. ...

They haven't even been born yet, but Jennifer Lopez and Marc Anthony's twins might already be earning some cash. People magazine reportedly shelled out up to $6 million for the first crack at photos of the babies, while OK! struck an exclusive deal for international rights to the pictures, according to AdAge magazine. However, People and the stars' reps denied that these deals are final. ... Heidi Klum to the rescue! According to an AP report, the model and "Project Runway" host wants to help Britney Spears and said she'd be willing to open her home to the troubled pop star while she tries to put her life back together. "She can call me and come live in our house with us for a couple of months," Klum said. "I would help set her straight. I am sorry when a young person gets thrown so off-track. She has, of course, lived an extremely wild life." No word on whether Spears will take her up on the offer. ...

According to The Associated Press, the Spice Girls' tour-bus driver assisted police in the arrest of a Michigan man, who is the chief suspect in a carjacking. Police told the wire service that the bus driver called 911 to report a possible drunk driver weaving in and out of traffic on Interstate 75, just outside of Detroit, on Saturday. (The Spice Girls were performing that night in nearby Auburn Hills.) The motorist was arrested and turned over to police in the town of Burton in connection with a carjacking at a gas station. Police did not identify the Spice Girls' bus driver or the man who was arrested. ...

Pink's marriage might be ending, but her movie career is still moving forward. She shot "Catacombs" several years ago, and now the horror film will finally see the light of day — or, at least, the DVD shelf — when it is released in video stores Tuesday (February 19). "It takes place in Paris," Pink told MTV News when she first shot the movie. "I'm an expatriate who moved to Paris to study at the Sorbonne, but I dropped out, because I like to party, and my friends run all these underground parties in the Paris tunnels, where they have all these ancient remains of people. And people actually do party underground there. It's all true. It's pretty amazing and intricate, actually." Pink's character then invites her younger sister (played by Shannyn Sossamon) to come and visit, and because her sib is "very high-anxiety, an annoying nervous wreck," Pink decides to invite her to the catacomb parties to "mess with her a little bit. It's all about family ties and how evil we can be to our siblings and what we get for doing that," Pink said. Despite the film's locale, she only shot in the City of Lights for four days, and the rest of "Catacombs" was actually shot in Bucharest, Romania. "It's cheaper," she shrugged. ...

My Chemical Romance have revealed details of their upcoming tour. The trek will feature openers Billy Talent and Drive By, and get under way March 28 in Tempe, Arizona. Dates are scheduled through May 6 in Philadelphia. ... Green Jellÿ, that long-forgotten mock-metal outfit behind the infectious "Three Little Pigs," have reformed and are in the process of booking a national tour for this summer. The band will also re-release 1991's Cereal Killer and 1994's 333 LPs, along with a DVD of all their videos. For now, Green Jellÿ are scheduled to play the new Milwaukee Metalfest on June 7 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. ...

Camp Freddy, the cover band featuring Jane's Addiction guitarist Dave Navarro, ex-Cult bassist Billy Morrison and Velvet Revolver's Matt Sorum and Scott Weiland, will be taking over Los Angeles' Roxy Theatre "every Thursday night during the month of May for our very first residency," the band reports. "Each week we will perform a different set list, and the evening's performance will culminate with two or three songs featuring our very special guests of the night. We will not be advertising these guests in advance. The band will be joined each week by our good friend and longtime Camp Freddy cohort [Sugar Ray's] Mark McGrath." ...

On Saturday, Bury Your Dead guitarist Eric Ellis was attacked by six individuals following the band's performance at the Rave in Milwaukee. Ellis was held at gunpoint while the men hit him multiple times with a baseball bat and hammer. Local police have characterized the incident as a "gang initiation." Despite his injuries, Ellis and the rest of the band will continue on with their tour alongside Hellyeah. "It will take more than this to stop Bury Your Dead," the band said in a statement. ...

Ska-punk act Goldfinger will return April 22 with Hello Destiny, which will be issued by Side One Dummy Records. The album follows 2005's Disconnect Notice and will feature founding guitarist Charlie Paulsen, who parted ways with the band in 1997. ... Portland, Maine, rockers 6Gig will be reuniting for two hometown gigs. The shows are set for April 25 and April 26, at the Big Easy. ... Foxy Shazam will be hitting the road with Portugal. the Man starting March 17 in El Paso, Texas. The trek runs through March 27 in San Francisco. ...

Underoath have tapped Matt Goldman and Killswitch Engage's Adam Dutkiewicz to produce their forthcoming album, which they've written eight songs for so far and will begin recording in about a month. Meanwhile, the band's "Live" CD/DVD set will hit stores May 13.

2.15.08

Alicia Keys took home four trophies from the NAACP Image Awards, held at Los Angeles' Shrine Auditorium Thursday night. She won the Outstanding Album and Outstanding Female Artist prizes, as well as the top video and song awards. Other honorees included Chris Brown, Jordin Sparks, Denzel Washington and Janet Jackson. Washington and his "Great Debaters" co-star Jurnee Smollett won the Best Actor and Actress prizes for film, while Jackson received the Best Supporting Actress honor for her work in "Tyler Perry's Why Did I Get Married?" ...

As Britney Spears' father extended control over her affairs in Los Angeles on Thursday, a New York attorney attempted to undo them by taking the conservatorship to federal court. Claiming he represents the singer — despite a judge already deciding she's unable to retain counsel of her own just yet — attorney Jon Eardley filed a claim that the singer's conservatorship deprives her of her civil liberties, since she's been denied the right to meet freely with whom she chooses (as her father has the power to restrict visitors); make and receive phone calls (since a restraining order prevents manager Sam Lutfi from contacting her); drive a car (since her father hired security to do that for her); and gain access to money or credit cards (since her finances are being handled by her trust). "She is being confined ... to the private person of her own home," the suit reads. Eardley is represented by Lutfi's publicist, Michael Sands, who claims that the motion moves jurisdiction from Los Angeles Superior Court to the U.S. District Court, and voids the conservatorship: "Britney Spears has no conservatorship!" he said in a press release. However, the Los Angeles Superior Court responded, "This is an issue that will have to be litigated by the parties." ...

Paramore and Jimmy Eat World have rolled out dates for their much-anticipated co-headlining tour. The 20-date outing will take them from San Antonio on April 1 to Atlantic City, New Jersey, on May 2, with stops in California, Iowa, New York and elsewhere along the way. ...

Eddie Vedder has sketched out the itinerary for his first-ever solo tour, which he will stage in support of his Grammy-nominated "Into the Wild" soundtrack, according to Billboard.com. The Pearl Jam frontman will swing through Vancouver, British Columbia, on April 2, after which he'll play a smattering of shows in various California cities: Santa Cruz (April 5), Berkeley (April 7), Santa Barbara (April 10), Los Angeles (April 12-13) and San Diego (April 15). ... The Raconteurs are wrapping up their yet-untitled sophomore effort in Nashville, according to a recent post on their MySpace page. The post wasn't forthcoming with more details, although it did say, "They promise to release [the LP] as soon as they can." ...

U2 frontman Bono and British artist Damien Hirst raised $42 million for HIV/AIDS programs in Africa at a Sotheby's auction in New York on Thursday, according to The Associated Press. The (Red) Auction, co-organized by the Gagosian Gallery, sold pieces from some of the world's top contemporary artists. Sotheby's said model Christy Turlington bought a piece for $170,500. "We got serious about love, and not just the love of art, but the love of our brothers and sisters suffering from AIDS in the poorest places on the planet," Bono said, according to BBC News. ...

Coheed and Cambria, Incubus and Disturbed have been added to the roster for this year's Download Festival in England (June 13-15). They join a lineup that already features Kiss, Judas Priest, the Offspring, Motörhead, H.I.M, Children of Bodom, Rise Against, Lostprophets, Alter Bridge and In Flames. ... Aerosmith are starring in a new edition of "Guitar Hero" called, er, "Guitar Hero: Aerosmith." Due in the summer, the game will feature 30 or so songs by the Boston legends, as well as ones by bands that have opened for Steven Tyler's crew. ...

Chan Marshall — better known as Cat Power — has bulked up her tour schedule in support of her recently released album, Jukebox, according to Pitchfork. Following an April 10 show in Vancouver, British Columbia, she will hit up Seattle the following day and continue playing gigs through an April 20 show at Austin, Texas' South by Southwest fest. Two days later, she'll perform in Houston, after which she'll journey down to Mexico City for an April 23 performance. ... The National — whose last album, Boxer, made many critics' top 10 lists last year — have slipped out a live EP through Rhapsody, Pitchfork reports. The release, called Rhapsody Rocks NYC, contains four songs recorded at New York's CMJ Music Marathon last year. ...

Butch Walker has slapped together a new live album, but in case you're running low on funds these days, don't worry — he's posted the 24-track effort for free download at FriendsorEnemies.com. Devout fans can get the release with bonus tracks for $5.99. ... Portishead have firmed up their first album in 10 years. Third will drop April 29 and feature 11 songs, including "Nylon Smile," "Magic Doors" and "The Rip." ...

Yoko Ono has denied reports that she was planning legal action against singer Lennon Murphy, who has sought to trademark the name of her band, Lennon. In a letter to the technology blog BoingBoing, Ono explained that several years ago, Lennon Murphy sought Ono's permission to perform under her birth name, Lennon Murphy, which Ono did not object to. But later, without Ono's knowledge, the singer reportedly filed an application in the U.S. Trademark Office requesting the exclusive right to utilize the name "Lennon" for musical performances. Ono's attorneys asked Murphy's lawyers and manager to withdraw the registration, offering to cover all costs Murphy had incurred in filing for the trademark. When Murphy went ahead with the registration anyway, Ono said she did not sue Murphy, but had her attorneys notify the trademark office that Ono did not believe it was fair that Murphy be granted the exclusive right to the Lennon trademark for musical and entertainment services. Ono wrote, "I am really hurt if people thought that I told a young artist to not use her own name in her performances and had sought to sue her. I did no such thing. I hope this allegation will be cleared." ...

Borders Books is trying a new method to appeal to music downloaders. According to a press release, the retailer will roll out 14 new concept stores this year featuring "digital centers" that will allow customers to burn CDs and download music and books to most MP3 players, though not to iPods.

• Lindsay Lohan
• Amy Winehouse
• Britney Spears
• Spice Girls
• My Chemical Romance

A Life Once Lost
Photo: Tim Harmon

During last summer's Ozzfest, a disturbing yet somewhat amusing tradition of sorts was birthed — one several second-stage acts ritualistically ended their days with.

After the shows, some bandmembers would plop themselves down in a long line of lawn chairs situated across the street from the parking lot of whatever venue they'd just collectively rattled. There, the musicians would sit and chug cans of lukewarm beer while brutally taunting the hundreds of kids — who'd just paid good money to roast the day away in the blistering sun and take in the metal — as they returned to their cars.

The bands dubbed it "Lurker's Row." Bob Meadows, frontman for Philadelphia metalcore extremists A Life Once Lost, witnessed these nightly roasts from time to time — but as a spectator, he said.

"It was kind of funny, but really, I was always like, 'Dang — I can't believe we're sitting here, just belittling all of these people who came out to a festival that we just played. This is how we're treating our friends and new guests — let's just torment them and make fun of them while they're leaving,' " he said. "Don't get me wrong — I will make fun of someone if I know them. But I think that kind of stuff is a little weird. I was made fun of in school a lot, so I try to stay away from making fun of people I don't know. I need positivity in my life."

"Lurker's Row" was just one of the ways the bands battled the boredom that comes with touring. Whether it returns in '07 remains to be seen; its revival rests solely with Hatebreed, the one act that'll be coming back for this summer's rendition.

While A Life Once Lost don't condone such tomfoolery, on their forthcoming LP — the head-crushing, incredibly abrasive, self-produced Iron Gag — Meadows does call out a few of the people who've pissed him off in recent years. But not by name, of course.

"There's just a lot of things I've wanted to say to a lot of people on this record," he explained. "Even within a song, there could be two or three people I'm talking about. It was just inspired by a lot of things I've wanted to say but haven't because I had to watch myself. There are so many ugly things going on in the music scene and life, and I was just like, 'F--- it, if I say something that's going to piss someone off, then it wasn't meant to be anyway. Let me just get this all off my chest.' So, this album's just really pissed, and it's just very vicious."

The songs on Iron Gag — like "Ill Will," "Firewater Joyride" and "Worship" — take jabs at womanizers, racists, addicts and those who Meadows believes aren't living up to their full potential. The singer said Iron Gag "sounds nothing like [2005's] Hunter," adding that, "the recording quality, to my ears, is just a million times better.

"The songs are just way more fierce," he continued. "There's just an element about it that Hunter didn't have, and I think maybe that was just us doing it ourselves. It was us learning from [Hunter producer and Anthrax guitarist] Rob Caggiano how to actually approach the songs and my working with [Lamb of God's] Randy Blythe on the vocal production, which taught me how to approach the songs well. And with all of that working together, we've definitely put out a record that's going to move a lot of heads — make people turn around and be like, 'Holy sh--.' It's a monster of a release."

The band spent four months — or more specifically, six hours a day, five days a week — working on Iron Gag, and Blythe's guidance helped Meadows turn in what he says is the best performance he was capable of.

"Randy came in, and I would say it was more like he helped me with certain accents on the words — certain ways of approaching my delivery," he said. "The lines and the phrasing, that was already done before we met up. To me, to come into the studio and to have him sitting in there and never hearing the songs before and being like, 'Dude, that's pretty sick. I never would have thought of that,' or, 'I like what you're doing there, but how about you bring that word up a little higher at the end, to give it that extra oomph.' "

The band also benefited from Blythe's past work with the producing likes of Machine and Devin Townsend. "You can just hear it coming out of him," Meadows said of the noticeable influence the producers have had on the Lamb of God frontman. "This guy's been wrapped up in it for years, and he really knows what he's talking about. I knew exactly how I wanted it to sound like, and how pissed I wanted it to be, but having someone like Randy come in only adds so much more intensity to it."

Look for Iron Gag to land in stores in August, Meadows said.

The rest of the week's metal news:

Necrophagist have a new drummer in Marco Minnemann. He replaces Hannes Grossmann, who left the band earlier this year. "The band is absolutely stoked to announce that Minnemann will be drumming on the new Necrophagist album, due in 2008," read a statement from the German technical death metallers. "We can't wait to work on arranging the new songs with such an incredibly talented, proficient and complete musician." ... Behemoth's forthcoming LP The Apostasy is in the bag. Recorded in the Polish band's hometown of Gdansk with frontman Nergal and longtime sound engineer Malta behind the boards, the disc is due in July. ... Swedish metal titans Soilwork continue to work on their next opus, which should surface later this year. Frontman Björn Strid is currently in Canada tracking vocals for the yet-untitled LP with producer Devin Townsend, who helmed 2002's Natural Born Chaos. The band does admit, though, that it's still got "a long way to go" before the album is completed. Look for the disc to include "Your Beloved Scapegoat," "Light Discovering Darkness" and "The Pittsburgh Syndrome." ...

Nile, who'll spend this summer playing Ozzfest's second stage, have entered the mixing phase for their forthcoming LP, Ithyphallic. "There are nine songs and one short acoustic piece," writes the band, "yet overall, a wide range of tempos, some doomy, exotic elements as well as some unbelievably fast and catchy metal." The record will boast "Language of the Shadows," "Even the Gods Must Die" and the brevity-challenged "Papyrii Containing the Spell to Preserve Its Possessor Against Attacks From He Who Is in the Water." ... If you're craving something more extreme and violent than Sounds of the Underground or Ozzfest, you might wanna check out the Summer Slaughter tour. The gore-drenched traveling fest features Necrophagist, Decapitated, Cephalic Carnage, Cattle Decapitation, Beneath the Massacre, the Faceless, As Blood Runs Black, Arsis and Ion Dissonance. Dates run from June 1 in Clifton Park, New York, through July 8 in New York. Careful in the mosh pit: Spilled blood is way slippery. ... Thine Eyes Bleed, the Canadian thrash band featuring bassist Johnny Araya (brother of Slayer frontman Tom), are hard at work on their second full-length album. The band tracked the disc at Beach Road Studios in Goderich, Ontario, with producer Siegfried Meier and are getting ready to mix. "Things couldn't have been better this time around," singer Justin Wolfe said. "We were able to listen and create without the pressures of budget and time and it's really going to show." The yet-untitled album is scheduled for release this summer. ...

Austin, Texas, black-metal band Averse Sefira will remain on tour with 1349 through Monday in Albuquerque, New Mexico, then they'll return home to continue working on their next album. While the release of the disc is still many months away, the band has already hired Jos. A. Smith — best known for painting the goat on Bathory's 1984 self-titled debut — to create the cover art. Earlier this month, Averse Sefira reissued their long-out-of-print debut album, Battle Clarion. ... Riverside, California, hardcore-metal band Suicide Silence have just finished recording their debut album, which was produced by John Travis (Static-X, Zebrahead) and mixed by Tue Madsen (Witchery, Kataklysm). The yet-untitled disc will be released this summer. "Working with John Travis was definitely an amazing experience," singer Mitch Lucker said. "He had us track everything live in order in order to capture the intensity we were aiming for." The disc will feature guest vocals by new Through the Eyes of the Dead singer Nate Johnson. Suicide Silence are on tour with Stick to Your Guns through Wednesday in Chattanooga, Tennessee. Two days later they'll launch a tour with Bury Your Dead in Rochester, New York, with dates running through June 3 in Chicopee, Massachusetts. ...

Terror have been added to the Monsters of Mayhem II tour, which also features Hatebreed, God Forbid, Evergreen Terrace and the Acacia Strain. "Overall, this tour has a great lineup," Terror frontman Scott Vogel said. "For starters, we are very excited to be going out with Hatebreed again. They are influential and inspirational, and there is no other band we would rather tour with. And God Forbid is a band we always thought we should tour with, so we are glad to finally be going out with them." The tour launches May 18 in Rochester, New York, and runs through June 7 in Omaha, Nebraska. ... Lacuna Coil have posted the new video for "Within Me" on their MySpace page. The clip was shot in February in Italy. The band will remain on the road with the Jägermeister Music Tour, which also features Stone Sour and Shadows Fall, through May 4 in Des Moines. On May 7, Lacuna Coil will launch a headline tour in Louisville, Kentucky, with Within Temptation, In This Moment and Stolen Babies. Stolen Babies will support LC throughout, while the other bands will only play select shows — as will the Gathering and Kylesa. For the tour, Lacuna Coil are inviting fans to choose the set list — right here. Voting ends April 20. ...

Industrial-metal band Hardwire: The Industrial Hardcore Tech will write a song for an upcoming horror film tentatively titled "The 3rd Night on Winter Drive." Guitarist/singer Mike Marsh is currently scoring the film, which he also co-produced, co-wrote and acted in with costar Patti Tindall ("Machined"). "The film centers on a paranormal investigator who is hired to investigate a house where an upstanding religious family lived and was murdered," Marsh said. "It's like a cross between 'The Amityville Horror' and the television show 'Ghost Hunters.' " Postproduction is expected to be completed in May in time to submit the movie to film festivals. ... Testament singer Chuck Billy, ex-Exodus singer Steve "Zetro" Souza and Laaz Rockit's Willy Lange have re-formed their '80s Dublin, California, outfit Dublin Death Patrol. Over the past six months, the guys have been rearranging and restructuring old songs and working on new material. An album recorded with Vinnie Wojno is forthcoming. "This is what we have to give to the metal world," Souza said, "a kick-ass, straight-up, aggressive and in your f---ing face album of music by guys just from Dublin, California."

• A Life Once Lost
• Lamb of God
• Behemoth
• Soilwork
• The Acacia Strain

Daath
Photo: Roadrunner Records

Daath guitarist Eyal Levi is issuing a stern warning to those planning to attend this year's free Ozzfest, which his six-piece death-metal outfit will be playing with the likes of Ozzy, Hatebreed, Lordi and Lamb of God: "No one better f--- with us."

You see, Levi supports the old maxim that the best defense is a strong offense, and after the kind of tour the band shared this winter with Goatwhore, the Acacia Strain and Job for a Cowboy — the theme of which, he said, was "staying alive" — Daath are in dire need of a strong offense. Not that they're proponents of rampant acts of violence — it's more about protection, Levi explained.

"I don't like getting into fights — it's not what I'm into," he said. "But that last tour was so crazy, as far as violence goes, I just figure we've got to be ready. ... After this last tour ... I mean, there were fights every single night. One night, there were nine fights — nine f---ing bloody fights."

During one gig, Levi said, an audience member tried to attack frontman Sean Farber after he drenched the crowd with water.

"I guess some dude didn't like it, and he told us to stop — in the middle of a song, mind you," the guitarist recalled. "First of all, we're not going to stop. Secondly, how do you expect a band to hear that? So he charged the stage and spit in Sean's face. Sean saw him rushing towards the stage and hit him in the face with his microphone. After the show, the dude jumped our merch guy because he thought it was Sean. So let's just say I'm going to be ready next time."

Daath — which translates to "knowledge" in Hebrew — released their Roadrunner Records debut, The Hinderers, March 20. The Atlanta act's material is heavily influenced by Da'at and Kabbalah, although the band does not identify a direct religious affiliation in its music. Daath explore esoteric themes associated with the Qabalistic Tree of Life and Death — a mystical-belief system that describes imbalances in areas of the brain — and use it as a framework for psychological exploration, Levi said.

"We've been into this kind of stuff as long as we've been working together, which is since I was 12 years old," he explained. "We always kind of had a fascination with the occult, and when we were putting this project together, we were researching names and themes and one that really stuck out to us was the Tree of Life and Death life concept. We feel it maps out the human mind very precisely, and we use it as a roadmap to explore the negative sides of the human mind."

The Hinderers was produced by Daath along with Testament guitarist James Murphy, who also makes a guest appearance on the LP. The album marks the first time most metalheads will have heard them, which doesn't worry Levi.

"I'm not losing sleep over it," he said. "I lost enough sleep while we were making it. It is a bit of a departure for Roadrunner these days, and I know that we have a slightly different sound, so I'm just curious to see what happens. I am ready for whatever. We always envision the worst-case scenario, as well as the best-case scenario, so we're ready for anything. I think we have some pretty catchy music, and I think that people will dig it. We're a grower kind of band — people will need to listen to us 50 times before they get what's going on, since there are so many layers to our music."

But Levi also says the time couldn't be better for an album like The Hinderers to hit the metal scene. "I think we're the first really extreme band to be on [Roadrunner's] U.S. roster in 10 years — with the exception of two bands that were already established: Cradle of Filth and Opeth," he said. "A band like us, a startup band, it's a new thing for the label. Maybe it's an experiment. Maybe they want to see if this style of music can do what it did in the early '90s. It kind of already is, when you see bands like Lamb of God on ['Late Night With Conan O'Brien'], and Slayer's out there winning a Grammy. The time for this style of music has come back around. We're just going to have to wait and see what happens."

The rest of the week's metal news:

Behemoth have been added to the bill for this summer's Ozzfest, which will also feature Nile, In This Moment, the Showdown and others. Ozzfest kicks off July 12 in Seattle, with dates scheduled through August 30 in West Palm Beach, Florida. ... Bury Your Dead have enlisted former I Killed the Prom Queen frontman Michael Crafter as their new singer; Crafter replaces Mat Bruso, who left the band late last year. He'll be making his live debut with the band on the upcoming Don't Call It a Comeback Tour — with support acts Suicide Silence, Stick to Your Guns and Since the Flood — which launches April 20 in Rochester, New York. ... Through the Eyes of the Dead have recruited singer Nate Johnson to replace former frontman Anthony Gunnels. Johnson will soon enter Mana Recording Studio in St. Petersburg, Florida, with producer Erik Rutan to track vocals for the band's forthcoming LP, Malice, which should be in stores late this summer. ...

A May 22 release date has been set for Strapping Young Lad frontman Devin Townsend's latest solo effort, Ziltoid the Omniscient. The album, recorded entirely by Townsend, follows the story of Ziltoid, a four-dimensional, coffee-loving alien who comes to Earth to prove he's the universe's finest guitar player — which he hopes will land him lots of honeys. ... Hell Within will release their second album, Shadows of Vanity, May 15. The Massachusetts band recorded with producer John Ellis (Godsmack, American Hi-Fi) and mixed with Mark Lewis of Audio Hammer Studios. The disc will mark the debut for new drummer Derek Jay, who replaced Brian "Bubba" Joyce late last year. Hell Within were formerly called Twytch and released an EP and album under that name before switching their moniker in time for 2005's Asylum of the Human Predator. ...

Lots of things delay black-metal albums from getting in the hands of fans. Sometimes it's too much partying, other times it's federal shipping laws. But once in a while, product just gets lost in the mail. That's what happened to Full Moon Productions band Velvet Cacoon, whose double-CD Dextronaut was misplaced by the U.S. Postal Service. The label sent out 200 copies of the record, which disappeared for over a month before someone in Alabama contacted the company after purchasing all of the discs in a USPS lost-goods auction. "We were able to recover them after a lot of stress and bitterness," said a statement from Full Moon. ...

West Virginia modern-thrash band Byzantine are in the studio working on their third album, Oblivion Beckons, which is tentatively scheduled for release late this summer. The disc will be mixed by Drew Mazurek at High View Studios and mastered by Alan Douches at West Side Music. "The record is coming along really well," bassist Skip Cromer said in a statement. "The sound is really good. We tried some redneck experiments to get some slamming tones and they ended up working. The majority of the songs definitely fall into the thrash vein of things." Byzantine will release their "Salvation" DVD on April 17. The disc, which is nearly four hours long, features a six-song live set, including the otherwise-unavailable "Cradle Song," as well as behind-the-scenes footage, interviews, the video for "Jeremiad," tutorials and bootleg concert footage. ...

Los Angeles extreme-metal band Abysmal Dawn have officially hired new bassist Mike Cosio (ex-Excretion, Grave Desecration) following a monthlong trial period and are now hard at work on their next album. "Our only scheduled performance at the moment is the recently added Emperor reunion show on June 3 at the Key Club in [West] Hollywood [California]," the band wrote on its Web site. "We feel very privileged to be supporting such a legendary entity and hope you will come out and show your support for some black/death-metal art." Abysmal Dawn's debut, From Ashes, came out in 2006. ... All That Remains. are shuffling through footage for their first DVD, which should be out later this year. "It looks amazing. I can't wait until we get this thing together for you guys," singer Phil Labonte said in a post on the band's Web site. "I think we'll see some more stuff once we get back from Europe, so I'll give you another update then." All That Remains return to the U.S. May 2 for six dates with Bullet for My Valentine. ...

Bay Area thrash band Dekapitator have signed to Relapse and are currently working on their second full-length, The Storm Before the Calm, which is due this summer. Tracks include "Earthscorcher," "Screams From the Holocaust," "Toxic Sanctuary" and "Run With the Pack"; the latter two can be previewed at MySpace.com/Dekapitator. "We're highly psyched about unleashing The Storm Before the Calm through Relapse," singer/guitarist Matt Hellfiend said in a statement. "We're looking forward to thrashing as much as we can this year, so bring your denim and your beer and let's f---in' rage." Dekapitator's debut, We Will Destroy ... You Will Obey, came out in 1999 and was produced by ex-Death and Obituary guitarist James Murphy. ...

Chicago hardcore-metal band Yakuza have entered the studio to record their third album, Transmutations, which is tentatively scheduled for release this fall. "We had jazz percussionists Michael Zerang and Hamid Drake come in for a few songs," frontman Bruce Lamont said. "It was a serious honor. I can't even tell you how happy we are with the results." The album is being produced by Sanford Parker, who has worked with Pelican, Minsk and Rwake. "He brought the sonic continuity we have been striving for since day one," Lamont said. ... In May, God Forbid will take part in the Monsters of Mayhem 2 tour along with Hatebreed, Evergreen Terrace, the Acacia Strain and After the Burial. The tour will be God Forbid's last to support their latest album, IV: Constitution of Treason. Dates run from May 18 in Rochester, New York, through May 26 in Orlando, Florida.

• Daath
• Behemoth
• Yakuza
• Bury Your Dead
• Strapping Young Lad

Dark Tranquillity
Photo: Lindor Tidang

For the past 14 years, Dark Tranquillity have been at the forefront of Gothenburg, Sweden's melodic-death-metal scene. But as bands there began copping the style, it became harder for the pioneers to remain ahead of the pack.

On past efforts, such as 2002's Damage Done and 2005's Character, Dark Tranquillity trumped their peers by making their songs as multifaceted as possible. Guitar riffs were stacked to the sky, synth breaks abounded and melody splashed through the bludgeoning constructions like hot fudge through a banana split. But for their upcoming album Fiction, which comes out April 24, the band has taken a different approach.

"We wanted to take a step back and not focus on making things as involved or complicated as they could be," singer Mikael Stanne said. "We thought, 'Let's experiment more with each song instead of trying to make each song chock-full of things.' "

The technique worked. Fiction is eclectic, immediate and enticing. It's still musically accomplished, with finely honed riffs and well-crafted arrangements that veer from sweeping classic metal to pummeling black metal, but the constructions on songs like "Nothing to No One," "Terminus" and "Icipher" remain coherent, no matter how many pinch harmonics or goth keyboards swim through the mix.

"We really didn't want to do the same thing over and over again," Stanne said. "Rather, we wanted to focus on what felt important in each song and to focus on each individual emotion and feeling. So, when we started making a really heavy song, we put all our effort into making it as heavy as possible instead of mixing it up with all the fast stuff and technical stuff. It was fun and it was actually very liberating to work that way."

In addition to embracing a different music-writing technique, Stanne approached his lyrics differently as well. Instead of addressing the frustrations in his own life, as he had in the past, he wrote about imaginary scenarios — hence the album title.

"I came up with fictional characters and put all my feelings and problems on these individuals," he explained. "And I was actually able to be more personal and honest than ever before because I could get everything out without getting too close."

While Dark Tranquillity had the skeletons of four songs together early last year, they switched into serious writing mode in April 2006 and spent the ensuing five months writing and fine-tuning. "We wanted to make sure everything was perfect before we entered the studio in October," Stanne said.

Once the songs were written, the bandmembers entered keyboardist/ electronics manipulator Martin Brändström's studio to record. Since there were no studio expenses and the bandmembers handled the initial production work, they could spend as much time as they wanted on the songs. "We really deconstructed and reconstructed the songs over and over so we could explore them from all angles," Stanne said.

By the end of 2006, Dark Tranquillity were happy with all 10 songs on Fiction, but when they listened back to the recordings, they couldn't believe what they heard. The songs that sounded so good while they were jamming didn't translate, and for a while, they wondered if they were going to have to redo the entire album.

"It was so depressing," Stanne said. "The songs had no effects and no compression and were totally flat-sounding. And we were like, 'This is horrible.' It sounded like crap. So we were really nervous when we gave the files to our producer, Tue Madsen."

There's a saying that everything can be fixed in the mix. Usually that's not true — as many bands will attest — but in Dark Tranquillity's case, the axiom was proven correct: Once Madsen finished tinkering and tweaking, Fiction sounded as epic and resounding as any of the band's releases.

"When we got the actual mix, we were so happy it was ridiculous," Stanne said. "Tue Madsen is definitely the star player on this one."

The rest of the week's metal news:

Black Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi and bassist Geezer Butler, along with former members Ronnie James Dio and drummer Vinny Appice — the four musicians who comprise the new band Heaven and Hell — will sign copies of the new Black Sabbath collection The Dio Years April 3 at the Best Buy on 44th at Fifth Avenue in New York. The signing will take place between 6 and 7 p.m., so get there early, folks. ... After months of writing, Meshuggah have finally begun recording their forthcoming album, which, they assure, "will rock your flea-ridden socks off." The band is hoping to have the disc finished in time for a September release. ... Soil, Seemless and Ligion will hit the road together this May for the True Rock Tour, a 17-date trek that kicks off May 1 in Cudahy, Wisconsin. Dates are scheduled through May 27 in Evansville, Wisconsin. ...

Dates for Bury Your Dead's upcoming spring run with Suicide Silence, Since the Flood and Stick to Your Guns have been announced. The trek will launch April 20 in Rochester, New York, and run through June 2 in Asbury Park, New Jersey. ... South Carolina's Through the Eyes of the Dead need a frontman. While the departure of singer Anthony Gunnells remains something of a mystery, the band — which is currently working on its next album, Malice, with producer Erik Rutan (Goatwhore, Cannibal Corpse) — is in desperate need of a "professional, dedicated vocalist willing to tour the world and able to relocate immediately." Sound like you? Contact the band through its MySpace page for more information on how to audition. ... Season of Mist Records has signed German black-metallers Naer Mataron. In a statement, the bandmembers said they've "composed the harshest and most extreme music [we] ever had for our new album. We are more strong and enthusiastic than ever before and feel that we are also supported henceforth in the same spirit. To this point, we wish to extend our salute to the hordes that supported our black-metal war machine throughout the last 13 years." There's no title or release date for the album yet. ...

Clutch will load up the van this spring to tour in support of their forthcoming From Beale Street to Oblivion. The road trip will commence May 11 in Washington, D.C., and crisscross the U.S. before winding down May 26 in San Diego. ... Black-metal maelstroms Angelcorpse have finished recording their fourth studio LP, Of Lucifer and Lightning. Look for the effort to feature "Antichrist Vanguard," "Machinery of the Cleansing" and "Saints of Blasphemy" when it hits stores in the coming months — a firm release date has not been revealed yet. In the meantime, East Coast fans can catch the 'Corpse in May on tour with Watain and Nachtmystium. ... Norwegian extreme-metallers Manngard have begun tracking their yet-untitled sophomore album. According to the band, this next one "promises to be even more massive, twisted and evil than the debut," last year's Circling Buzzards. ...

Overkill frontman Bobby "Blitz" Ellsworth and Hades axeman Dan Lorenzo have teamed up to form a new band, the Cursed. The band's inaugural offering, Room Full of Sinners, will land in stores May 22. Look for the set to feature "Evil, in the Bag," "Serpentine Slither" and "Leven Als God in Frankrijk." ... Thrash dudes Thine Eyes Bleed have started working on their next album. "We are now a few days into the drums and they sound amazing," the band said in a statement. "The tracking room is nice and spacious with high ceilings and pine walls creating great acoustics. [Drummer] Darryl [Stephens] has been shredding his drum tracks so far, letting us know this is gonna be some brutal sh--. As for the rest of us, 'Guitar Hero' has been the main focus so far, enhancing our hand-eye coordination." No word yet on when the LP might see the light of day, but we'll keep you posted. ... Vital Remains, Light This City and With Passion will join forces for a spate of spring North American gigs. The tour is tentatively set to kick off May 23 and conclude June 24, but exact cities and dates will be announced soon. Vital Remains will issue their next one, Icons of Evil, April 24. ...

Drummer Tom Hunting has returned to Exodus. According to a band statement, "it was always understood that when and if Tom was ever ready to resume his drumming duties for the band, his seat would be waiting." Hunting left Exodus in 2005 and was replaced by legendary drummer Paul Bostaph — who, incidentally, had recently left Slayer when Dave Lombardo rejoined that fold. "Paul always knew this and was the first to say it upon joining the band. Paul and Tom have always been good friends and we, as a band, cannot thank Paul enough for his services on [2005's] Shovel Headed Kill Machine and all the subsequent tours he did to support that album. We had a great time and kicked many asses along the way. Paul has given this reunion his whole-hearted endorsement with no mixed blessings and is happy to see Tom back in the fold." Exodus are "hard at work on new songs, and this sh-- is the best and heaviest music we've ever written." The boys plan to begin tracking in May. ... Norwegian black-metallers Mayhem will tour the States this summer. So far just six dates have been confirmed for the run: July 17 (Santa Ana, California); July 18 (West Hollywood, California); July 20 (Seattle); July 22 (Chicago); July 23 (New York); and July 24 (Springfield, Virginia). More shows are expected to be announced soon. On April 24, Mayhem's new album Ordo Ab Chao will be in stores. The LP features eight songs, including "A Wise Birthgiver," "Psychic Horns" and "Anti."

• Meshuggah
• Clutch
• Soil
• Seemless
• Bury Your Dead

Bury Your Dead
Photo: Micah Smith / Fusemedia

Bury Your Dead sure are sick of eggs.

During last year's Ozzfest, the Boston hardcore quintet was unwittingly dragged into a feud between Sharon Osbourne and Iron Maiden, a conflict that resulted in the metal legends getting egged onstage by members of the crowd. Before Osbourne revealed that she orchestrated the incident, she used Bury Your Dead as a scapegoat, saying they were responsible for the egg-tossing.

But now Bury Your Dead are trying to put the ordeal — and ensuing death threats from Maiden fans — behind them. "I'm trying to forget about it," drummer Mark Castillo said.

Well, what better way to do so than with a new tour and LP, to boot? Instead of Ozzfest, Bury Your Dead will be back on the road as part of this summer's revived Family Values Tour, starring Korn and the Deftones.

"It's perfect timing, because we're coming out with a new album, and we're going on the biggest tour we've ever been on," Castillo said about the band's upcoming stint on the festival's second stage. "We're very excited about it, and hopefully, we'll go over well."

On July 11, Bury Your Dead will issue their third studio disc, Beauty and the Breakdown, which was recorded at Audiohammer Studios in Florida with producer Jason Suecof (Trivium, God Forbid). While 2004's Cover Your Tracks featured song titles inspired by Tom Cruise's résumé ("The Color of Money," "Mission: Impossible 2," etc.), Beauty's songs ("Mirror, Mirror," "House of Straw") were borrowed from fairy-tale elements and the LP artwork is laid out like a storybook.

Which is strange, considering Beauty's hands-down the heaviest thing Bury Your Dead have ever created.

"This record is what we've wanted to do, what we wanted to write, but we never concentrated on it," Castillo said. "We just sat down this time and did it, and got it done. And that's what came out, and we're psyched about it. This, in my eyes, is the make-it-or-break-it album. If this one doesn't do well, there's not much chance of putting a fourth album out and having it beat this one. If this one doesn't make it, I'm pretty sure [being a band is] just not meant for us.

"I'm not going to say it's the heaviest thing you'll ever hear in your life, but it's up there," he continued. "I'm sure people who liked our last album or the album before that are going to be like, 'You know what? This sounds totally different, and I want nothing to do with it.' Along with the people who're leaving, there's going to be people coming in who'll go, 'While I didn't like the last album, this one's heavy as hell.' There's always a win-lose, you know? That's the way music goes."

The rest of the week's metal news:

Queensrÿche, masterminds of the 1988 epic Operation: Mindcrime, were accessories to a crime of sorts when their tour manager was arrested at an airport in Amsterdam for telling a ticket agent that the group had a gun in one of its suitcases. He was referring to the replica Glock .45 handgun the band uses onstage, but before he could clear up the matter, airport police descended and began questioning the band. Concerned that Queensrÿche might miss their flight, the tour manager told the authorities the fake gun was his, at which point he was taken into custody and the group was allowed to board the plane. After being detained and questioned further, the tour manager was fined and the fake gun confiscated. ... Lamb of God have scheduled a handful of Unholy Alliance off-dates, with Mastodon, Children of Bodom and Thine Eyes Bleed tagging along for most of them: Thursday (Oklahoma City, Oklahoma); June 26 (New Orleans); July 1 (Rochester, New York); July 10 (Saskatoon, Saskatchewan); July 17 (Boise, Idaho); July 18 (Sparks, Nevada); and July 25 (Salt Lake City). ... Brazilian thrashers Sepultura have lost drummer and co-founder Igor Cavalera, who ditched the band due to "artistic differences." The rest of the group — guitarist Andreas Kisser, frontman Derrick Green and bassist Paulo Xisto Jr. — plan to carry on despite Cavalera's unexpected departure. ...

Machine Head plan to start recording new material in August, according to a post by drummer Dave McClain on the band's Web site. "A few more songs to go until the writing process is completed," he wrote. "The freedom and drive we have on this album is far exceeding what we were doing on [2003's Through the Ashes of Empires]. Being able to take our time without a deadline ... has been priceless. If I could describe the songs in one word it would have to be 'angry.' I guess when you're living in times like these, it's hard not to be pissed off, and the music and lyrics are definitely a product of the anger we're all feeling." ... The Chariot recently lost guitarist Keller Harbin and bassist Joshua Beiser, who both quit for personal reasons. "In the early stages of every band, members often change due to whatever reason," frontman Josh Scogin said in a statement. Guitarist Jon Terrey and bassist Dan Eaton, two longtime friends of the band, have replaced them. "Everyone is eye-to-eye on the love of music, and the band is very much excited about the change," Scogin continued. "Obviously, the music will remain the same, and every show is still booked and ready to go." The group's first show with the new lineup is June 17 in Wilmore, Kentucky. ...

The Dillinger Escape Plan's "Miss Machine: The DVD" will land in stores June 27 and boast behind-the-scenes footage, studio footage from the Miss Machine recording sessions and live performance clips. In related news, Dillinger's June 10 performance in Fredericksburg, Virginia, ended on a sour note after someone shanghaied James Love's primary, customized Ibanez guitar (Love has been filling in for the injured Brian Benoit). The suspect was nearly apprehended thanks to several members of Cattle Decapitation, who hurled a hammer through the fleeing thief's windshield. ... Kiss will release "Lick It Up: The Definitive DVD" on August 15. The disc will feature 18 songs, including "Heaven's on Fire," "I Love It Loud," "Crazy Crazy Nights" and "God Gave Rock & Roll to You." The album Lick It Up came out in 1983 and was the last to feature guitarist Vinnie Vincent, who had replaced Ace Frehley for 1982's Creatures of the Night. ...

Norwegian black-metallers Dimmu Borgir will hit the studio with Fredrik Nordström (At the Gates, Arch Enemy) in October to start recording their forthcoming album, tentatively due in early 2007. Look for the disc to include a guest appearance by Mayhem's Hellhammer on drums. ... Influential New York death-metal band Suffocation have entered Full Force Studios in Long Island, New York, to record their sixth full-length album. Austin, Texas, tattooist Jon Zig will create art for the album, which is tentatively scheduled for release in September. ... While most bands are worried about how they're going to pay the bills next week, New Jersey power-metallers Overkill already know what they'll be doing in 2007, dude: Hitting the road January 19 in Lakewood, Colorado, for a string of U.S. dates. Thus far, just nine gigs have been booked through January 28 in New York, but an announcement on additional dates is expected in the coming weeks. ... Satyricon will reissue their 1999 album, Rebel Extravaganza, July 25. The record will be remixed and feature three bonus tracks: "Nemesis Divina (Clean Version Mix)" and "Blessed From Below (Melancholy Oppression Longing)," as well as a cover of Sarcofago's "I.N.R.I." ...

Portuguese goth-metal vets Moonspell will launch a North American tour with Swedish doom band Katatonia and Raleigh, North Carolina, gloomsters Daylight Dies on October 20 in Poughkeepsie, New York. Dates run through November 11 in San Antonio, Texas. Moonspell's seventh album, Memorial, came out April 25. ... Gwar will release a new DVD, "Blood Bath and Beyond!," on June 20. The disc features more than 90 minutes of rare and previously unreleased footage as well as mini-movies, lost demo recordings and bootleg video spanning the band's 20-year career. In addition, Gwar have recorded a cover of Alice Cooper's "School's Out," which is available for download at the band's Web site and will be the first single from the band's next album, Beyond Hell, which is due later this summer. ... Goat Horn have disbanded. Frontman Jason Decay said in a statement that "after years of working together, the obstacles in our path to our goals has brought everything to a standstill. It was not an easy decision to make." He equated the split to "sort of like breaking up with a really hot chick that's a psycho. Like, she's so hot and you [love her], but in the end, you hate the person she is or the person you have become."

• Bury Your Dead
• Dillinger Escape Plan
• Suffocation
• Goat Horn

DragonForce
Photo: Roadrunner Records

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Hatebreed
Photo: Universal Records

Rumors have been swirling for weeks that Hatebreed are now part of the Roadrunner Records kith. But while a deal has yet to be inked, a source said the band's been in continuing negotiations with the label — and is close to signing the proverbial dotted line.

"We ended up doing two records with Universal, and our time at that label was killer," frontman Jamey Jasta explained when asked about the talks. "We sold over 300,000 on [2002's] Perseverance and 200,000 on [2003's] The Rise of Brutality. We got a Grammy nomination. But we feel we need to be at a label that deals with more metal bands and is more involved in the whole grand scheme of metal and hardcore."

Jasta added that Roadrunner's long tradition of fostering acts such as Madball, Biohazard and Sepultura is also appealing. "It [would] just [be] the right home for us," he said.

There's a lot going on in Hatebreed's world these days. They've just finished recording Supremacy, which Jasta calls an "all-out onslaught of completely adrenaline-charged, in-your-face brutality." Due in early August, the album will feature 13 tracks of Hatebreed's "best material yet."

"This album's just more charged, more focused," he added. "There are classic Hatebreed songs on here — ones I can see being in our set for years to come. I really set out when writing these songs with these guys [that] if it didn't make my hair stand up or give me chills down my spine, I didn't use it. I wanted to tap into pure adrenaline — the speed, the brutality, the breakdowns. I wanted to make a crushing record that was going to have a memorable impact on people."

He said Supremacy will include the first single, "To the Threshold," and the second single, "Never Let It Die," which the band is shooting a video for in May. Also expect it to have "Defeatist," "Spitting Venom," "As Diehard as They Come," "Mind Over All" and "The Most Truth."

At the end of April, Hatebreed will head to Australia, where they'll open gigs for Korn. A Canadian run is scheduled to precede the band's mainstage slot on this summer's Ozzfest, as will several European festival bookings. The Connecticut hardcore dudes will also headline a number of club shows this summer — on Ozzfest off-dates — with Strapping Young Lad.

Fans will see a new face onstage this summer, as Hatebreed have welcomed guitarist Frank "3 Gun" Novinec (Terror, Ringworm, Integrity) into the fold on second guitar. "This album is really involved with second guitar, and that was my original vision [for the band] — I always wanted it to be a five-piece," Jasta said. Novinec replaces Lou "Boulder" Richards, who departed the band in 2002.

Jasta says Hatebreed will pack a lot of hardcore into their Ozzfest sets, promising that half the songs they play will come from their catalog. The rest will be Supremacy selections. "I'm really psyched we're able to do [Ozzfest] again because for a while there, we didn't even know if there were going to be anymore Ozzfests," he said. "Even though Ozzy's only doing 10 shows, it's obviously a huge honor. We will have enough time to get some of the new songs on there and play all the classics too. We're just looking forward to getting back on the stage. It's been a while."

The rest of the week's metal news: All That Remains have chosen The Fall of Ideals as the title of their forthcoming album, which is slated to hit stores July 11. ... Full Blown Chaos, who are signed to Jamey Jasta's Stillborn Records, will release their second disc, Within the Grasp of Titans, July 11. The band will tour with Exodus from April 15 in Concord, California, through May 19 in San Francisco. ... Ozzfest 2006 second stagers Unearth have decided upon III: In the Eyes of Fire as the title of their forthcoming disc. According to a statement released by the band's publicist, the album contains the "angriest, darkest, fastest and heaviest" material Unearth have ever composed. "The title is a reflection of a couple different things for us," the band wrote. "For starters, it puts us in the place of our current worldly events. Last record we wrote about things brewing all around us in politics, environmental issues and war — but this record deals with the effects of those very things and the consequences we are all dealing with right now and will continue to deal with until changes are made. We are in our nation's most critical point since the '60s and more importantly, devastation looms in the near future if we continue to make mistake after mistake with unjust wars and environmental disregard. The title also represents the personal struggles we all face, day to day, and our constant battles to overcome adversity." Um, sure. ...

Zakk Wylde's not exactly known as a fashion plate. The dude wears a lot of leather and denim — actually, that's pretty much all he wears. But for those who've been longing to replicate the Wylde look, Red Monkey's here to help. The leather purveyors are issuing a limited run of leather vests worn by Wylde and Black Label Society, which have previously been available "only to a select few in the BLS inner circle." One can be yours for $350, but the vests do not feature the BLS patches that adorn all of Wylde's accoutrements — those'll set you back another $75. More information's available at RedMonkeyDesigns.com. ... Deicide frontman Glen Benton should be exhausted after the band's upcoming trek with Vital Remains, as he'll be fronting both sets during the God Killers Tour, Part 2. The run launches April 5 in Santa Ana, California, with Desolation and Crematorium opening. Dates are booked through April 17 in Las Vegas. ...

Losa have parted ways with Metal Blade Records, and drummer Dave Hall and guitarist Kory Koch have both left the band. The group hasn't offered an explanation for either the label split or the unexpected departures. ... Lair of the Minotaur and Unearthly Trance will hit the road together for an East Coast jaunt that kicks off April 14 in Bowling Green, Ohio, and winds down April 28 in Pittsburgh. ... After barely surviving Ozzfest 2005, Bury Your Dead headed to Florida's Audio Hammer Studios to begin working on their next LP with producer Jason Suecof (If Hope Dies, Trivium). Tentatively titled Beauty and the Breakdown, the record's nearly complete, and Suecof declared it "the heaviest f---ing album I've ever gotten to work on." The band has also announced it's found a new bassist in Aaron Patrick, who'll take the stage with Bury Your Dead this spring during their upcoming run with DevilDriver, Remembering Never, If Hope Dies and Southern metal groovers Artimus Pyledriver. ... Pyledriver will release their new album June 6. "This is the sh-- that bridges the gap between David Allan Coe and Black Flag," singer Dave Slocum said. A video for the first single, "Swamp Devil," will be filmed later this month. ...

Hate Eternal drummer Derek Roddy has jumped ship. "Real-life situations have forced me to resign," he said in a statement, adding that he "can no longer afford the expenses of touring." In his place the band's Kevin Talley will man the kit during Hate Eternal's upcoming trek with Chimaira and Arch Enemy. Frontman Erik Rutan said he learned of Roddy's departure when he spotted the announcement online. "Anyone and everyone in this business knows if you think you are going to make tons of cash playing metal, then you are in it for the wrong reasons," he wrote in a separate statement issued later this week. "What band has not had financial woes?" ... Seminal hardcore act Lifetime have signed a deal with Decaydance, Fall Out Boy bassist Pete Wentz's imprint label through Fueled by Ramen. The band's working on new songs but there's no word yet on when they might surface. ...German death-metal outfit Fall of Serenity have put the finishing touches on their forthcoming LP, Bloodred Salvation. Look for it to include "A Piece of You," "Raise Your Remorse" and "Swallowed Lies" when it surfaces in mid-May. ...

Eclectic doom-metal band Kylesa have hired two drummers to replace Brandon Baltzley, who left the group in June. Detroit resident Jeff Porter and Savannah, Georgia, native Carl McGinley are currently helping the band write material for the follow-up to its 2005 album, To Walk a Middle Course. Kylesa will take a break from writing to carry out a spring tour that starts April 13 in Jacksonville, Florida, and runs through May 31 in Charleston, South Carolina. ... The Receiving End of Sirens guitarist and singer Alex Bars was badly injured in a fall down a flight of stairs last week in Boston. Bars was taken to Brigham and Women's Hospital and treated for a fractured left scapula, three fractured ribs, a punctured lung and a few damaged vertebrae. He is currently at home and expects to fully recover. The band has decided not to cancel or postpone any dates on the New Hope Tour, which starts March 31 in Providence, Rhode Island, and runs through May 10 in Poughkeepsie, New York. A replacement for Bars has not been announced. ...

Swedish atmospheric voyagers Cult of Luna will release their fourth album, Somewhere Along the Highway, June 27. Recorded by Magnus Lindberg in northern Sweden, the LP includes "Marching to the Heartbeats," "And With Her Came the Birds" and "Back to Chapel Town." ... Chicago experimental extremists Yakuza have shot a live video for their nine-minute epic "Back to the Mountain," which can be viewed at MySpace.com/Yakuza . The track closes the band's second album, Samsara, which came out March 21. Yakuza will launch tours with Deadbird and Ringworm in April. ... Dayton, Ohio, metallers the Devil Wears Prada have signed with Rise Records. The band's forthcoming LP, which will feature tracks from a previously released EP, will be in stores in July. ... Metalcore group Phoenix Mourning will release their debut, When Excuses Become Antiques, April 18. The band recently shot a video for the single "Across Twenty-Six Winters" with director Adam Grabarnick (Cattle Decapitation, Some Girls). ...

• Hatebreed
• Bury Your Dead
• Lair of the Minotaur
• Hate Eternal

Devin Townsend
Photo: Metal Experience

Exalted guitarist and musical visionary Devin Townsend — respected on even terms as Strapping Young Lad's outlandish frontman and as Hevy Devy, the revered solo artist and creative force behind the Devin Townsend Band — is, as he explained, "in a pretty cool place," and he's "really savoring it." Come this time next week, he'll have finished the Devin Townsend Band's forthcoming disc, Synchestra — 13 tracks of which he's calling "sunshine metal."

"Strangely enough, this is the first record I've done that was made to [be] enjoyed," Townsend said. "I'm expecting people to hate [this music], because it's really sensitive and heavy and epic, and everything's really pleasing about it. I don't know how many people want to listen to pleasing music. A lot of people are still into being assaulted every time they turn on their stereo. Those people will think it's a wussy, pain-in-the-ass record. People who're sick of dudes yelling at them will love it."

Synchestra, which will include the songs "Let It Roll," "Hyper-Geek," "Notes From Africa," "Judgment," "A Simple Lullaby" and "Sunshine and Happiness," is even completely devoid of curse words. It should surface in either February or March, he said, and will be distributed throughout the U.S. by Inside Out; he'll also be selling it through his own label's Web site at HevyDevy.com.

Six of the album's 13 cuts, Townsend promised, will clock in at or just under 10 minutes. One even features a guest appearance by imperious guitarist Steve Vai; Townsend wielded the mighty ax and handled backing vocals on Vai's 1993 album, Sex & Religion, and later toured with the virtuoso. So Synchestra's the first time the two have worked together in 12 years.

"I love writing music and songs, but I'm getting more and more tired of playing guitar and singing," he said. "There's this big long part I'd written for this solo, and sometimes, I'm in the headspace for guitar and other times, I'm just not. Right now I'm not. I just couldn't give a f---. So I gave [Vai] a call."

But don't be fooled by Townsend's shiny, happy mien; Synchestra's still going to sound like a true metal record.

"It's super f---ing heavy — like bludgeoningly heavy," he said. "But they're all bludgeoningly heavy lullabies. This is a record you can put on that'll make you feel good. It's like a celebration — something you put on in the morning, or when you want to sing along and laugh and smile, but still have it so heavy that when you crank it up, it will level any of your death-metal competition."

The rest of the week's metal news:

Iron Maiden will release the triple-DVD set "Death on the Road" in February. The package will be a companion to the band's career-spanning double live CD, which came out October 4. ... The ink dried this week on In Flames' contract with Ferret Records. The label will release the band's forthcoming disc Come Clarity on February 7, 2006. The album will contain 13 tracks, including "Pacing Death's Trail," "Crawl Through Knives" and "Your Bedtime Story Is Scaring Everyone." ... Bury Your Dead have filmed a clip for "Magnolia" with director Dale Resteghini (Shadows Fall, Unearth); look for it to start airing next month. ... Allele, the band featuring ex-Cold guitarist Kelly Hayes and ex-Otep guitarist Lane Maverick, will release their debut album, Point of Origin, October 25. The disc was produced by Ben Schigel and features the songs "Fake," "A Different Someone" and "Closer to Habit." ... Director Joe Lynch (Strapping Young Lad, Devildriver) will soon follow the members of the Black Dahlia Murder around with a camera as they storm Las Vegas for an evening of debauchery. The footage will be compiled for a video for the band's track "Miasma." ... Mucus Membrane guitarist Jared Deaver has left the Sacramento, California, band because of family commitments. Between the time he joined in March 2005, Deaver has gotten married, had a child and was accepted to the police academy. The group is currently searching for a second guitarist, and interested players should e-mail mucusmembrane@blast7.com. ...

Canadian progressive power trio Rush will celebrate their 30th anniversary with the November 29 release of the double-DVD "R30." One disc will feature a Frankfurt, Germany, concert from September 24, 2004, and the second contains archival interviews, videos, performances and behind-the-scenes footage. A second edition of the package will feature two audio discs of the concert. ... German melodic death-metal band Fragments of Unbecoming will release their second disc, Sterling Black Icon, January 10. Tracks include "Scythe of Scarecrow," "Breathe in the Black to See," "Of the Darkest Dye" and "Stand the Tempest." ... The Red Chord have hired ex-Dead Water Drowning guitarist Jonny Fay to fill in for their upcoming tours. Fay replaces Kevin Rampelberg, who left the group in late July to pursue other ventures. The band will tour with Converge starting November 4 in Latham, New York; dates run through November 20 in Asbury Park, New Jersey. ... 3, a progressive-metal band from Woodstock, New York, that once featured Coheed and Cambria drummer Joshua Eppard (and still includes his brother, singer/guitarist Joey Eppard), will release their fourth album, Wake Pig, November 1. The disc includes the tracks "Alien Angel," "Dregs" and "Bramfatura." ... German metalcore band Caliban will reissue their third album, Shadow Hearts, November 15 with bonus material. The group is currently in Principal Studios near Munster, Germany, finishing up its next album, The Undying Darkness, with producer/ In Flames frontman Anders Fridén. Look for it early next year. ...

Syracuse, New York, political punk-metal band Ed Gein will release their second album, Judas, Goats and Dieseleaters, November 1. The record features "Small Towns, Small Minds," "Killing a Co-Worker" and "The Wool Is Pulled." ... Ohio and Pennsylvania-based From a Second Story Window have decided to name their second album Delanda. The disc will be finished by year's end, for release early next year. ... California's Will Haven have reunited after a three-year hiatus. According to the Sacto band's official statement, the original lineup's working on new material and will release a five-track EP with some B-sides, including the cut "Sammy." ... Reflux have been working on their next album, which will surface this spring through Prosthetic Records (Devin Townsend will produce the effort). The band's booked a spate of fall shows, too: October 28 in Lynchburg, Virginia, October 29 in Fredericksburg, Virginia; October 30 in Virginia Beach; October 31 in Harrisonburg, Virginia; and November 19 in Terre Haute, Indiana. ... Tomas Naslund, who plays bass for Swedish metallers Blindside, fractured his skull last month in a skateboarding mishap. He's expected to make a full recovery, according to the band's Web site; in the meantime, the band's recruited Aphasia's Will Peng, who's filling in for Naslund on Blindside's tour with Trapt. ... Power-metal menaces Silent Force have started writing for their next disc; no release date's been set for the as-yet-untitled outing. ... London extreme metallers Dragonforce will play their first U.S. gig on November 22 at New York's CBGB. The band's third disc, Inhuman Rampage, will hit stores January 9 and contain eight tracks including "Through the Fire and Flames," "Storming the Burning Fields" and "Trail of Broken Hearts."

• The Devin Townsend Band
• Ed Gein
• Caliban
• Iron Maiden
• In Flames