Rob Zombie
Photo: Kevin Winter/ Getty Images

There are a lot of words you could use to describe Rob Zombie, but "indolent" isn't one of them. The shock rocker's always got a full plate, and is constantly working. Whether he's thumbing through scripts or writing riffs, Zombie is always thinking about the next project. At the moment, it's the follow-up to 2006's Educated Horses that's taking up most of his time.

"We're almost finished," Zombie told Metal File this week, about his forthcoming, still-untitled solo LP. "We'll probably finish with the record completely before Christmas, and it's great. The unique thing about this record is, it's the first time since White Zombie broke up [in 1998] that I've actually recorded with a band, in the sense that these are the guys that I tour with, that I hang out with, and we're a band, and we'll record as a band."

Zombie said he's been working on his next album — which he hopes to release this spring and which will feature the tracks "Jesus Frankenstein" and "Sick Bubblegum" — for the last few months, alongside guitarist John 5, drummer Tommy Clufetos and bassist Piggy D.

"The record's hard to describe, but it's just got a much more solid vibe, and it's going to be a much more intricate, interesting record just due to the fact that we have four people that are in the room all the time, contributing and working on it," he explained. "For me, it's great, because my solo records have been somewhat disjointed because there's always a changing roster of people. Great things usually come out of situations where you have a great vibe and you can usually feel it. And that's what's going on here."

The feel of the album, according to Zombie, is "all over the place." He said he didn't head into the studio with any specific goals in mind, other than to evolve his sound naturally.

"We just go into the studio and let it happen," he said. "Having a band helps because we change things at the spur of the moment. We'll start with something in the morning, and by the end of the day, it's morphed into something completely different. The lyrics — I'm pretty loose with that, in how I approach it. You just bang your head against the wall until something comes out. But I'm always trying to do something [with my records] that sounds fresh without making it so different that it's not you anymore. That's the problem with anything you do, as time goes on. If it's too different, everybody complains, and if it's too much of the same, everybody complains. So I'm always trying to find that tight rope, that middle ground, where it's your vibe and your thing, but it still sounds fresh."

On November 25, Zombie releases Let Sleeping Corpses Lie, a career-spanning five-disc box set, featuring everything White Zombie ever recorded. Zombie said he compiled the entire package on his own, not seeking the help of any of his former bandmates, whom he said he hasn't even spoken to since the group's last gig. But putting the box set together was an interesting exercise that made Zombie appreciate his current setup that much more.

"It made me appreciate the new band more, because going back and putting the box set together brought up a lot of things that I had forgotten about, and unfortunately, some of it was negative," he said. "So you really appreciate when you're in a good situation with a good group of musicians and a good group of guys. It took 20-something years, but I feel like I've finally found the three perfect people to work with."

Zombie, who claimed he'll be touring the States after next summer, said the time was right to release a White Zombie box set, and that it's been a project he had wanted to wrap up for years. "I would let everything take precedence over it — movies, records," he said. "I'm not big into revisiting the past. I like to move forward all the time, so whenever anything else would come up, [the box set] would go on the backburner. I had a little bit of a window and just knocked it out, and I also figured, 'If not now, when?' If I'd waited any longer, CDs aren't even going to exist."

He said that, with Let Sleeping Corpses Lie, he's essentially closing the door on White Zombie for good.

"There's really nothing more to be done," he said. "There's other crappy demos and stuff we could release, but they're probably not worth listening to. This is the last thing that will come from the band.

"The funny thing was, when I was putting it together, it seemed so long ago," he explained. "It felt like I was putting together a box set of somebody else's band, because even though it's not that long ago, it just seemed like forever ago, and some of the early songs are 20 years old. It seemed weird. Most of the really old tracks I hadn't listened to since we recorded them. It was just kind of weird. I found a lot of old flyers and junk. I was just happy I had saved a bunch of that stuff, because I was saving it for no apparent reason. Now, there's a reason, so I can throw it all away."

Zombie said he doesn't really miss the White Zombie days at all, and is glad that this chapter in his life has finally reached its end.

"When the band started, everyone was so young, and then you go through a lot of changes," Zombie said. "You start a band when you're 18, and I don't remember how old I was when it ended, but you're basically right out of high school. So you're not in a mind frame to sometimes handle what it takes to put that together, and then you do mature, and being in a band becomes a weird situation, because it's almost like the situation hasn't matured with you. So that band had a lot of growing pains and a lot of baggage all the way through. I think we did a lot of good stuff, and we were kind of ahead of the curve in the beginning, and we did some groundbreaking stuff. But it was a painful situation most of the time."

The rest of the week's metal news:

Deftones bassist Chi Cheng remains in a coma after sustaining injuries in a car accident two weeks ago. "Chi's condition remains the same — serious, but stable," the Deftones said in a statement. "He still lies in a coma, however his vitals (heart, lungs and blood pressure) all exhibit very stable functions and doctors have begun removing much of the excess monitoring equipment. Chi remains strong in his fight to recover." ...

The Dillinger Escape Plan are putting the finishing touches on a new DVD, as well as their next album. "We're wrapping up a DVD — a documentary on early-years Dillinger, from the beginning, all the way through the end of the Calculating Infinity cycle, which is going to be really cool for the 10 of you out there who weren't in elementary school when this band started," the band said in a statement. "For everyone else, it'll be a history lesson well worth watching, to see how this beast got started." ...

Is anyone else tired of these incessant Chimaira updates? The band's been hard at work on their new album, and it feels like every week, they're posting information about how that's been going. According to the most recent update, they're almost 40 percent finished with tracking the record, which will hit stores April 28. Hey, guys — how 'bout you save the next update for when the record's actually finished? ...

At last weekend's Vision of Disorder reunion show, the band revealed that they're eyeing a fall 2009 release for their next studio effort. Sweet! ...

Unearth will be hitting the road early next year with Emmure, Impending Doom and Born of Osiris. The F--- School, F--- Work, Let's Rage! Tour kicks off January 9 in Detroit, and dates are booked through January 30 in Portland, Maine. ...

God Forbid will release their forthcoming album Earthsblood on February 24 through Century Media. Metal File has heard some of the disc, and it's beyond brutal. ...

Cattle Decapitation, Psyopus, Book of Black Earth and Gigan will be hitting the road together starting January 21 in Santa Barbara, California. Gigs are scheduled through February 13 in San Marcos, California. ...

Extreme black metal outfit Satyricon have signed a North American recording deal with Koch Records. The band's forthcoming seventh studio album, The Age of Nero, lands in stores January 13, and will feature the tracks "Black Crow on a Tombstone," "My Skin Is Cold" and "Last Man Standing."

• White Zombie
• Rob Zombie
• Dillinger Escape Plan
• Chimaira

Chimaira
Photo: Roadrunner Records

What many consider to be one of the best metal albums of 2005, Chimaira's self-titled third offering sounded fist-tight, innovative and hungry.

Made after the 2004 departure of drummer Andols Herrick, who had grown tired of touring and wanted to return to school, the album was recorded in an atmosphere of discord, animosity and depression. And while Herrick's replacement, ex-Dying Fetus member Kevin Talley, was musically proficient, he and frontman Mark Hunter didn't get along on tour.

"Something didn't feel right, and we always wished Andols never left," explained Hunter. "It was like having a girlfriend leave you. There were a couple guys, including myself, who wanted to leave the band because we felt like we were out there killing ourselves for nothing, and it didn't look like anything was going to change."

Then came the Roadrunner United concert in New York at the end of 2005, an event that not only brought together past and present artists from Roadrunner Records, but also reunited Chimaira with Herrick. The drummer took the stage for two songs, and by the end of the night any thoughts of ditching the band for his degree had vanished in the din. "When he was up there, his face lit up like a kid at a birthday party," Hunter said. "Right after that, he said to me, 'This is what I need to be doing in my life.' He rejoined the band soon after."

With Herrick back in the fold, Chimaira negotiated their way off Roadrunner, because they weren't seeing eye-to-eye with the label. Then the musicians sat down for a heart-to-heart to air their grievances and hatch a plan for the future. Realizing they all still shared the same vision and goals, Chimaira returned with renewed enthusiasm and a new level of determination, and started writing their fourth album Resurrection, which comes out March 6 on their new label, Ferret Music.

"We named the album Resurrection because that's exactly what it was," Hunter said. "When we talked, we got everything off our chests and out of our systems, and now we're friends again. And we're writing and playing better than ever."

While Chimaira was mostly written by guitarist Rob Arnold, this time Hunter and guitarist Matt DeVries shared the songwriting duties, resulting in a far more eclectic album that ranges from simple and driving to complex and meandering. "It's a bit all over the place in a good way," Hunter said. "I think it's a good combination of [2003's] The Impossibility of Reason and the self-titled record. But I think that there's so much more energy behind it because everyone was so excited to be back together."

In addition to being more diverse, many of the songs are also longer. Hunter said the average track length is six minutes, and one number clocks in at 10 minutes. At the same time, he insisted that the progressive arrangements don't detract from the hookiness of the album.

"It's super-catchy without being Fall Out Boy or something," Hunter said. "There are really fantastic hooks that people are gonna latch onto right away as opposed to the last album where it might take you a few listens to get what we were doing. And it's not one of those records where you get it right away, and then three days later you're done with it. This is something you're gonna want to listen to over and over again. I say that because I don't listen to our records, but this record is still in my CD player."

Chimaira recorded Resurrection in October and November with producer Jason Suecof (Trivium, God Forbid) and Andy Sneap (Machine Head, Arch Enemy). Even though they didn't have a record contact when they started, for the first time ever they felt no pressure.

"It seemed like these songs took minutes to write," Hunter said. "We'd come in with a riff and the song would be done that day. We weren't over-analytical about anything. We just went for it and it was lots of fun. Me and Andols were making jokes because we were really into lifting weights, so, if a riff wasn't heavy enough, we would start pretending we were doing yoga. And once the riff got heavy, we would start doing some skull-crushers. We just had to get rid of what we called the estrogen riffs, and keep the stuff that really wrecked."

The band's jocularity continued outside of the studio. At one point, Hunter even pushed the wheelchair-bound Suecof into a swimming pool — not that he didn't ask for it.

"He's so talented and he has a great ear and a gift for getting sh-- out of you that you didn't know you had, but he has really bad ADD," Hunter explained. "The dude would say, 'OK, we're gonna start at 1,' then he'd roll in at 4 o'clock and go, 'Oh, I didn't even know we were recording today. OK, we'll I'm just gonna go make some food, smoke a cigarette and sit on MySpace for a while.' And we'd be like, 'Are you f---ing kidding me? Get to work, a--hole.' So, we had to wheel him into the studio more than we'd wanted to, but it was all worth it for what he brought out of us."

The rest of the week's metal news:

Arch Enemy have begun writing material for the follow-up to 2005's Doomsday Machine. At this stage, the band has written about eight tracks, and guitarist Michael Amott claims the songs are "life-changing and ridiculously huge metal hymns. This is all my own not-so-humble opinion, of course. You'll see." The group will start tracking the LP in March, and the album could be out this coming summer. ...Animosity have entered writing mode and titled their forthcoming album Animal. The band will begin recording the effort in April; its last album, Empires, was released in 2005. ...Next month, New York hardcore legends Madball will begin drafting material for their next full-length. "We've already got some basic ideas down, and this promises to be our hardest record to date," claimed the band in a statement. The outing is expected to hit stores this spring through Ferret Music. ...

The Acacia Strain are one member shy following the recent departure of guitarist Daniel Daponde. The split was described as amicable, and due to unspecified "health problems." The band has yet to launch a search for Daponde's replacement. According to a statement issued by frontman Vincent Bennett, "We miss [Daponde] a whole bunch, and we are sure you all do as well. Wish him luck in his future endeavors." ...Machine Head's forthcoming album, The Blackening, has been given a tentative release date of March 27. Look for the disc to feature the tracks "Halo," "Aesthetics of Hate," "The Beautiful Mourning" and "Now I Lay Thee Down." ...Sludge-metal specialists Neurosis began tracking their next album on Wednesday with Steve Albini (Nirvana, Zao). ...

Post-hardcore outfit Silent Drive have been writing songs for what will be their next album, and plan to enter the studio this spring to put them down on tape. In the meantime, you can catch them next month with FC Five and Crime in Stereo from Tuesday in Albany, New York, through January 7 in Pittsburgh. ...Threshold have wrapped the recording of Dead Reckoning, which is slated for a March 23 release. The album will boast nine tracks, including "This Is Your Life," "Pilot in the Sky of Dreams" and "Fighting for Breath." ...Project 86 have recruited Ulrich Wild (Deftones, Taproot) to produce the band's forthcoming LP, which it will begin tracking in Los Angeles next week. Expect the yet-untitled set to drop in late spring. Frontman Andrew Schwab said, "We want people to feel a little unsettled when they put on this record. This album will both fulfill and destroy previous expectations. We want to balance our staple sound, memorable songwriting and patented energy with a lot of experimentation. I think old fans will still have enough to grab a hold of, but those who think they know what a Project 86 record is supposed to sound like will be surprised." ...

The Red Chord plan to spend the next four months hammering away on the follow-up to 2005's Clients, which will be produced by Zeuss (Shadows Fall, Hatebreed) and will be titled Birdbath. ...

Danish thrash titans Hatesphere will hit the studio next week to start recording the still-untitled follow-up to 2005's The Sickness Within. An April 30 release has been set for the band's forthcoming opus. ...Caught in a Trap have settled on Rats Get Fat as the title of their forthcoming debut full-length, which is expected to surface in April. The disc was produced by Don Fury (Quicksand, Gorilla Biscuits), and features 14 cuts, including "Nothing's Free," "Summer's Eve" and "All Out of Tomorrows." The band plans to launch a full U.S. trek within the next few months. ...Floridian death-metal masterminds Monstrosity have set Spiritual Apocalypse as the title of their next album, which should be out early next year and feature 10 to 11 tracks.

• Chimaira
• Arch Enemy
• Madball
• Project 86
• The Red Chord

Brand New Sin
Photo: Robert John

It's a good thing Syracuse, New York, sludge-rockers Brand New Sin aren't huge cupcake fans.

Following the band's run last fall with Zakk Wylde's Black Label Society, frontman Joe Altier and the rest of Brand New Sin crawled into their practice space to start thinking about their next LP — the inevitable follow-up to 2005's Recipe for Disaster.

"It just seemed like everyone was bringing a bottle of tequila in every night, so we started seeing what would happen with us pouring tequila down our throats and writing songs," Altier explained. "And, lo and behold, this album came out of us."

The crushing LP, which they've admirably called Tequila, hit stores on Tuesday — a week after the band headed out with Mushroomhead, Soil and the Autumn Offering for a Jägermeister-sponsored tour that runs through December 2 in Utica, New York. And yes, the tour's organizers did give Brand New Sin hell for the booze-fueled outing's title.

"We actually told them ahead of time that we were calling the record Tequila," the singer said. "And they kind of busted our balls a little bit, but they all know that we support the Jägermeister pretty damn well."

But the bottle wasn't the sole source of inspiration behind Tequila. Lyrically, Altier said he tried to exorcise several personal demons that he'd developed between the release of Recipe and the writing and recording of the band's third opus.

"This record deals with a lot of what's happened in the last two years of my life," he explained, adding that he went through a period of heavy drug and alcohol use that took a serious toll on various relationships. "My world went from being one way to the complete opposite. When we did Recipe, I was still married. Now, two years later, a divorce has happened. I moved. I had gone through a rebound relationship that f---ed me up in a lot of senses. I spent a lot of time soul-purging and soul-searching, as to where my life was going. The only thing I knew was right in my life was my music. So these lyrics were a way for me to heal and put those demons I have been battling to rest. Bad things in a musician's life aren't that bad, because we get to write great songs about it."

Brand New Sin recorded the LP with producer and Life of Agony guitarist Joey Z. Altier says he feels the album's not as formulaic as the band's previous two outings.

"We've always been known as a live band, so I guess for this record, we were really going after something different," he said. The band recorded every Tequila track live, in one room and in one take. "We wanted to have the element of bleed going on — guitars bleeding into the snare-drum mic, the bass bleeding into the kick-drum mic. That's how bands did it in the '70s, and so there's a very raw, dry feeling on the album. And since we had to nail these songs in one take, it was very challenging for us. We had to be real prepared when we got into the studio, and we had to be real focused."

The Sin shot a video last month for Tequila's first single, "Motormeth." The performance-based clip was shot in the band's hometown during a free benefit concert that drew a crowd of more than 3,000. Look for it to begin airing on MTV2's "Headbangers Ball" this month.

The rest of the week's metal news:

Want to catch a sneak preview of "Living Dead Beat," the first single from Children of Bodom's forthcoming Chaos Ridden Years: Stockholm Knockout Live? Starting Tuesday, fans will have two weeks to download the track exclusively through MTV's Urge, the sole online digital music store that houses a metal genre page. The Chaos album and DVD will hit stores October 24. ... New York hardcore heathens Kill Your Idols are calling it quits. According to a statement from the band, "there is no bad blood, no drama, no in-fighting, no record-label problems or legal battles, no sickness or death or anything of the usual breakup sort. It's time to move on. Most of us will still be involved in music — hardcore, most likely. Some of us will not. Maybe we will be involved in some way or another." ... So, what does one do when they've dropped trou in front of a live audience and the cops are about to toss them in the old Paddy Wagon? If you're Daughters frontman Alexis Stephen Francis Marshall, you hightail it out of there. The singer cut his band's opening set for Pelican short last week at Hollywood's Knitting Factory and bolted after being informed the police were coming to handcuff him for indecent exposure. He jumped offstage and hid at the nearest local bar until the dust settled, upon which time the band headed north to perform in San Francisco; Portland, Oregon; and Seattle. ...

Chimaira have signed with Ferret Music following the band's departure from the Roadrunner Records roster. A spring release is planned for its forthcoming album, Resurrection. ... Arizona metallers Job for a Cowboy are down a drummer. Elliott Sellers is out, and according to the band, "It was a mutual agreement that ended on a good note." The band's now searching for Sellers' replacement. Interested parties must be willing to tour incessantly. More information on how one can audition for the group is available at Job for a Cowboy's MySpace page. ... Through the Eyes of the Dead, the Acacia Strain, From a Second Story Window and If Hope Dies will team up next month for a monthlong trek that kicks off in Richmond, Virginia, November 16. Dates are booked through December 9 in Houston. ... TTEOTD are also gearing up for this year's Saints and Sinners Festival, for which Unearth and Bleeding Through have also recently been tapped. More than 40 bands will take the stage at the Asbury Park Convention Hall Complex in Asbury, New Jersey, on October 28-29. The roster includes Killswitch Engage, Every Time I Die, Nora, A Life Once Lost, All That Remains and God Forbid. ... Panzerchrist's Roomservice (2003) and Soul Collector (2000) will be reissued with tons of previously unreleased material in December. There are also plans to release the band's 1995 demo on vinyl. ...

Disincarnate's classic 1993 debut Dreams of the Carrion Kind will be re-released on January 21. The reissue will boast three recordings from the band's 1992 demo, Soul Erosion: "Stench of Paradise Burning," "Soul Erosion" and "Confine of Shadows." ... Deathcore demons All Shall Perish will hit the road with Arsis and the Faceless come October 27 in Atlanta. Dates run through November 26 in Hollywood. ... Trivium have posted the video for "Anthem (We Are the Fire)" on RoadrunnerRecords.com/Video. The clip depicts the band and its fans gate-crashing a highbrow yuppie party and getting crazy with a swimming pool and pyro. The video was shot in Agoura Hills, California, on August 11 at the house of an established TV and movie producer who wished to remain anonymous. Director Nathan Cox — who has previously worked with Korn, H.I.M., Marilyn Manson and others — supervised the proceedings. The day before, Trivium shot the video for "Entrance of the Conflagration" in Los Angeles with director Dale Resteghini (Hatebreed, If Hope Dies). ... Following several months of pre-production, black-metal veterans Dimmu Borgir are about to start recording their new disc at Studio Fredman in Gothenburg, Sweden, with producer Fredrik Nordström. "It will be a story-based album with lyrics written accordingly," the band said in a statement. ...

German thrash kings Destruction will release their re-recorded greatest-hits album January 23. The disc will feature songs from the '80s — including "Mad Butcher" and "Thrash Attack" — and songs from Cracked Brain, which featured short-lived singer Andre Grieder. Destruction will tour with Sadus and Municipal Waste from January 20 in Seattle through February 15 in San Antonio. ... Mnemic have named their new album Passenger after a 1908 work by Franz Kafka. The disc, which is scheduled for release February 6, is lyrically rooted in existential ideas and includes "Psykorgasm," "Humanaut" and "Shape of the Formless." "There are several philosophical positions," guitarist Mircea Gabriel Eftemie said in a statement, "one of them being the value and meaning of the world around the individual. ... The other is that existentialism is often associated with anxiety, dread, awareness of death and freedom." The band's U.S. tour with Soilwork, Threat Signal and Darkest Hour started Thursday and will run through November 11 in Detroit. Check your PHDs at the door. ... Eighties thrash-metal band Hirax will return to the road in November for a tour that lasts from November 10 in Philadelphia to December 16 in Hollywood. The band's most recent album, The New Age of Terror, came out in 2005.

• Brand New Sin
• Children Of Bodom
• Hirax
• Chimaira

Cradle of Filth
Photo: Roadrunner Records

After Cradle of Filth recorded all the material for their new album, Thornography, Dani "Filth" Davey ran into a major obstacle: He could growl and scream as well as ever, but no matter how hard he tried to hit a pitch or sing a passage, he sounded completely tone-deaf.

Discouraged and depressed, he started drinking heavily, but that only made him feel sicker than ever. He saw doctors, vocal coaches and dieticians, all to no avail. Davey was starting to think he was suffering a mental breakdown until the band's producer, Rob Caggiano, recommended a homeopathist who had cured Caggiano's life-threatening stomach parasite when he was working with Bleeding Through.

"The first thing the doctor told me was that I was going to die if I carried on with my lifestyle," Davey said. "Then he found that I have this weird disease called candida, which sits down low in your system so it's hard to detect, then acts as a springboard for other illnesses."

The doctor also determined that Davey was allergic to alcohol — more than a minor inconvenience for a touring musician with a strong appetite for beer. "I had to take 49 tablets made of plants for six months, and I had to limit my diet to rice cakes and mineral water."

At first, Davey ignored the prescribed treatment and started drinking heavily again. After that spell, he decided to follow his doctor's advice — but promised to reward himself for his efforts. "I said, 'If I get over this, I'm going to [drink again] and eat loads of cake.' And I did. And now I can just live my life. I've decided that I'm keeping to this diet and once a week, I'm going to splurge and have sugar or something bad."

While he desperately missed not being able to eat and drink like a normal heathen, Davey soon regained his health, and with it, his voice. So he flew to Millbrook Studio in upstate New York and easily recorded all the vocals for the album. "We did it [near] Alfred Hitchcock's estate, so you can imagine how excellent the vibe there was," Davey said.

He named the album Thornography due to the ever-present religious overtones of the disc, and also because the implied imagery reminded him of his ordeal. The LP drops October 17.

"Thornography implies a self-hurt," Davey explained. "Mankind's will to hurt God. It's like being an alcoholic and knowing you're not supposed to drink but you enjoy it so much so you do it anyway. Everything on the record has got a religious edge to it in a good or bad way. And it's not overtly satanic because sometimes you find that the darker stuff in life exists within the people who wield the power, who are supposedly in the light."

Sonically, Thornography strays little from Cradle of Filth's established brand of symphonic metal. Tempos vary from the slow, cinematic chug of "Rise of the Pentagram" (which features a spoken introduction by Doug Bradley, who plays Pinhead in the "Hellraiser" films) to the hellfire blaze "I Am the Thorn."

"Much of this album is traditional Cradle of Filth, just better," Davey said. "It's like Slayer meets Napalm Death in a vat of acid."

The rest of the week's metal news:

New England metalheads Shadows Fall have switched coasts, setting up camp in California to record their Atlantic Records debut. The band is holed up in Studio 606 in Northridge and, with producer Nick Raskulinecz (Foo Fighters, Stone Sour), hammering out the follow-up to this year's Fallout From the War. Look for the Shad's yet-untitled LP to hit stores early next year. ... According to an interview with As I Lay Dying's Tim Lambesis that ran in San Diego State University's The Daily Aztec, the metalcore lads have been writing and recording material for their forthcoming fourth album. "The new album will definitely be faster," Lambesis told the paper. "We like to challenge ourselves and create songs people remember. We're going to have a few songs that catch people by surprise." A spokesperson from the band's management confirmed that As I Lay Dying are hard at work on new material, but no release date has been set for the effort yet. ...

Lacuna Coil have scrapped plans for a U.S. headlining run with Soil, 36 Crazyfists and 69 Eyes that was scheduled to kick off November 15 in Tempe, Arizona. No reason for the cancellation has been offered. ... On October 3, Victory will reissue Between the Buried and Me's 2003 LP, The Silent Circus, with a bonus DVD. The revitalized effort will feature live footage as well as the music video for "Mordecai" and an interview with the Ozzfest 2006 veterans. ... Ohio hardcore cretins Chimaira are continuing to work on material for the follow-up to 2005's self-titled effort. The band, which is said to be on the verge of announcing a new label home, has tracked seven new songs, with vocals, and has another four waiting to be completed. "Musically, this record reminds me a lot of [2003's] The Impossibility of Reason," frontman Mark Hunter said. "I don't think the songs are similar, I just have the vibe of intensity that I did back then." The band parted ways with Roadrunner Records earlier this year. ...

Indiana thrashers Demiricous have found a permanent replacement for drummer Chris Cruz in Dustin Boltjes, who has been touring with the band for more than a year. Boltjes is also a member of the Dream Is Dead and plans to remain in that group as well. Demiricous are on the road with Byzantine through October 13 in Boston and have commenced writing the follow-up to 2005's One (Hellbound). ... Children of Bodom, Amon Amarth, Gojira and Sanctity will hit the road in late November. So far, just 15 North American dates have been confirmed, with more to be announced in the coming weeks. The trek will kick off in Philadelphia on November 29, and dates run through December 18 in Montreal. ... Maryland grindcore ghouls Magrudergrind will be in the studio December 8-10 to record Blasting Sessions, their forthcoming LP. Look for the disc to drop in the spring. ...

Sworn Enemy and Bloodlined Calligraphy will team up for a brief run next month — prior to Sworn's Canadian trek with Hatebreed. Dates are scheduled from October 6 in Rochester, New York, through October 17 in Spokane, Washington. ... The bill for the Colorado Winter Metal Chaos Festival keeps growing more and more brutal. Entombed, Grave, Dismember and Cattle Decapitation are among the most recent lineup additions. The festival is booked for December 9 at Hubba's House of Rock 'N' Roll in Aurora and will also feature the Absence, Daath, Dog Fashion Disco and Lair of the Minotaur, as well as several others. In related news, Cattle Decapitation were named Best Hard Rock Band at the San Diego Music Awards, which were held on Monday. The band will tour with Dog Fashion Disco and Daath from November 17 in Austin, Texas, through December 7 in St. Paul, Minnesota.

• Cradle of Filth
• As I Lay Dying
• Chimaira
• Magrudergrind

Walls of Jericho
Photo: Trustkill Records

Candace Kucsulain isn't a morning person — not in the slightest. So this summer's Ozzfest should be interesting for the tattoo-veneered singer who fronts Detroit metalcore collective Walls of Jericho.

It's bad enough Kucsulain's going to have to get up at the crack of dawn — she'll also be expected to scream at the top of her lungs for hundreds if not thousands of rabid metalheads trying to pound enough brewskis to get them through the morning. But it's not as though she's complaining — she's more than willing to adjust her snoozing schedule for the greater good. It is Ozzfest, after all. "You've gotta do what you've gotta do," she said, with a hesitant laugh.

"It's such a huge step for us," she added. "We have to get up there and give it our all. We have to prove ourselves [to the crowd] because there are so many great bands on Ozzfest this year. You know whoever's playing after you will show you up, so you have to make sure you hold your own out there" — even if you're taking the second stage at the profane hour of 9 a.m.

But a huge step it is. Walls of Jericho, she said, are used to rattling the walls of nasty dives in front of 300 kids (tops). They're used to hitting the road crammed in rundown vans (this summer they'll share a bus with All That Remains) and crashing on strangers' couches. They're all still working full-time jobs to pay the bills.

"It's nice to think you might be able to go out, play to more kids and do this on a regular basis without worrying about those bills," Kucsulain said. "We never even thought we'd get on Ozzfest. We've been together eight years, and all we want to do is make music and have people like it. Ozzfest is perfect for us, and it's a great time to be doing it, with our record coming out — a record that we know is one of our most important, and what we've been putting everything we have into."

That album, With Devils Amongst Us All, will be in stores June 27 — two days before Ozzfest kicks off in Auburn, Washington. Produced by Ben Schigel (Chimaira, Zao), it will feature about a dozen tracks, none of which have official titles yet. The band started recording the disc March 6 and wrapped things up April 4.

Before Ozzfest, the band will do a run of shows with Bullet for My Valentine and Roses Are Red as part of the Trustkill Takeover Tour. It kicks off May 12 in Tulsa, Oklahoma, and winds down May 28 in Sayreville, New Jersey.

The rest of the week's metal news:

Alien splatter metal band Gwar will release their new album, Go to Hell, August 6. The band is currently in the studio with producer Devin Townsend (he of Strapping Young Lad fame) and claim the disc will be their "sickest effort yet." For those who crave more bloodletting, Gwar will release the DVD "Blood-Bath and Beyond" June 20. The DVD will chronicle the band's 20-year career and include previously unseen footage of frontman Oderus Urungus attempting to direct the adult film "Filthy Chunks." "Blood-Bath and Beyond" will be a spectacle that, according to a press statement, "will have even the most pimply Gwar fan saying, 'Huh?' " ... Speaking of SYL, the Canadian extreme-metallists have begun mixing their forthcoming release, The New Black, which will hit stores this July. Townsend promises it will be the group's definitive release. ...Shadows Fall will headline the 2006 Strhess Tour, which should kick off in July — the scheduling is still being finalized. Poison the Well, It Dies Today, Still Remains, Darkest Hour, Bury Your Dead, Himsa and Suffocation are also on the bill. ... The reunited Overcast — which features Killswitch Engage bassist Mike D'Antonio and dreaded Shadows Fall frontman Brian Fair — have commenced recording their forthcoming Reborn to Kill Again, which is being produced by Killswitch guitarist Adam Dutkiewicz. The band's lined up a gig in Chicopee, Massachusetts, April 23 — that should act as a fine primer to this year's New England Metal and Hardcore Festival April 29. ...

Chimaira and longtime label home Roadrunner Records have parted ways. The band has described the divorce as amicable. "We asked to be let out of the contract and [Roadrunner] graciously agreed to our request," the band said in a statement. "We (the band and the label) had not been seeing eye to eye on some key issues and came to a mutual agreement to end our relationship." ... Polish death-metal masters Vader need help coming up with a new logo, and they want fans to help. More information on the contest can be found at the band's Web site. Entrees must be submitted by April 25, and the winner's art will be featured on the group's next LP, Impressions in Red, which is due in stores in September. ... Norwegian black-metal kingpins Satyricon were in London last week to film the video for their new single, "K.I.N.G." "The cast was a gathering of some of the most bizarre people from London's underground club scene that were to inflict pain upon each other, themselves and the band," frontman Satyr said. "The video has all the ingredients of a good rock and roll video and sets a new metal video standard for good photography and clever editing." Satyricon's new album, Now Diabolical, has been scheduled for release June 13, and the band's upcoming North American tour will be announced soon. ...

One of the forefathers of the hardcore-metal movement, Starkweather, will release their new album, Croatoan, May 2. The disc will be the band's first offering in 10 years and their third studio album overall. ... Serjical Strike Records, the label owned by System of a Down frontman Serj Tankian, has signed Dallas quintet Fair to Midland to a record deal. "They are one of the best live unsigned bands I have ever seen," Tankian said in a statement. "Their songs are moody and dynamic, not dependent on one catchy beat or emotion to present their art." ... The release date for the fourth Cult of Luna record, Somewhere Along the Highway, has been bumped two weeks to July 11. Tracks include "Marching to the Heartbeats," "Finland" and "Dim." ... More than two years since the release of the scathing That Within Blood Ill-Tempered, math-metal provocateurs Shai Hulud are rehearsing for select dates with the Red Chord, which will be announced shortly. Bandmember Double L said of the gigs: "Don't call it a comeback. We haven't gone anywhere, just been here in Poughkeepsie [New York] with our slide rules, protractor and complete works of Shakespeare working on new material, inaugurating singers, craving curries and what have you." ... Hipster Montreal metal band Priestess will release their first album, Hello Master, June 13. The group recently toured with the Sword and Early Man and is currently planning upcoming dates with Dinosaur Jr. and Dead Meadow. ...

The eighth album by Norway's the Carpathian Forest, lovingly titled F--- You All, comes out May 22. Tracks include "The Frostbitten Woodlands of Norway," "Submit to Satan" and "Start Up the Incinerator (Here Comes Another Useless Fool)." ... Prog-metallers Halcyon Way have signed a deal with Bombworks Records, which will release the band's debut album, Manifesto for Domination, later this summer. ... Kamelot and Epica will team up for a North American tour this fall. So far they've lined up 18 gigs in all — the first being in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, September 15. Dates run through October 11 in Los Angeles. ... Macabre's "Live in Holland - True Tales of Slaughter and Slaying" DVD will be in stores June 2. The outing includes footage captured during the band's Murder Metal gigs last summer. ... Norwegian industrial-tinged metallists Theatre of Tragedy will release their new album, Storm, in North America June 27. The disc came out in Europe on March 24 and is the band's first not to feature singer Liv Kristine. She was fired in 2004 due to musical differences and replaced by ex-Crest singer Nell Sigland. ...

French underground blasphemers Blut Aus Nord are in the studio working on their new album, M.o.R.T. (Metamorphosis of Realistic Theories), tentatively scheduled for release this fall. Working titles include "Ruins of the Genesis (Antiparticles)," "Dis-Harmonization of All Visual Echoes" and "Samsaric Ocean." In related news, Blut Aus Nord's Appease Me Records will release The Near Death Experience, the second album by industrial black-metal duo Spektr, June 13. ... The Minor Times are hard at work on the follow-up to 2004's Making Enemies and expect to enter the studio in July. The upcoming disc will be the Pennsylvania band's first to feature guitarist Lou Millinghausen, who replaced Chris Masciotti. ... U.K. stoner-metal vets Orange Goblin will return to North America for a brief tour that starts May 16 in Boston and runs through May 26 in Youngstown, Ohio, at the Emissions From the Monolith festival. The four-day festival will also feature Scissorfight, Stinking Lizaveta, Kylesa, Facedowninsh--, Atomic Bitchwax, Boris, SunnO))), Rwake and many others.

• Walls Of Jericho
• Shadows Fall
• Chimaira
• Starkweather
• GWAR

Ol' Dirty Bastard (file)
Photo: Evan Agostini/Getty Images

Ol' Glory: Ol' Dirty Bastard may be gone, but in this post-Tupac world, that doesn't mean he can't still make some moves. A Son Unique is not only his first release on Def Jam, it's also the first to attribute the music to "ODB," not "Ol' Dirty Bastard," on the album art. Songs include a cover of "Don't Go Breaking My Heart" with Macy Gray, "Intoxicated" and "Skrilla."

Five — And Still Alive: Bewildered by the title of Staind's Chapter V? Time to hit the bins. While many thought 2001's Break the Cycle was their debut, and those who looked a little deeper unearthed 1999's Dysfunction, Tormented, an independent album from 1996, actually began the band's cycle. Chapter V might sound like a turning of the page, but Aaron Lewis seems as tormented as ever with "Cross to Bear," "Runaway" and "King of All Excuses."

A Motley Crew: Tommy Lee's invited some major — and majorly bizarre — guests to his TommyLand: The Ride, including Nick Carter, Good Charlotte and Slash, but by releasing the record through a tiny Michigan-based distributor, sales could be a challenge. Then again, Lee has drawn plenty of attention in the past by slipping out his stuff through, uh, less traditional means. Songs include "Makin' Me Crazy" with Dirty Harry, "Sister Mary" and "The Butler."

The Search Is Over: More than three years after it was first announced, D12's Proof is finally dishing up Searching for Jerry Garcia, a follow-up to 2002's Electric Cool Aid: Acid Testing EP. He's tweaked the original concept, which was for each song to be named after a musician or icon ("Janis Joplin," "Billie Holiday," etc.), although he did retain "Kurt Kobain." He's also padded the LP with some red-hot guests: 50 Cent ("Forgive Me"), D12 ("Pimplikeness"), Obie Trice ("72nd & Central") and Nate Dogg ("Sammy Da Bull").

Chopped & Served: Swishahouse Records owner Mike "5000" Watts is fine-tuning his chopped-and-screwed skills for retouched versions of Lil Jon & the East Side Boyz's Crunk Juice and the Ying Yang Twins' U.S.A. (United State of Atlanta).

Stones Galore: Keith Richards, Charlie Watts and Ron Wood roll onto Tim Ries' The Rolling Stones Project and contribute to the album design; Wood also surfaces on the Jones Gang's Any Day Now, a record he also did the cover art for; and a reissue of the Blasters' 4-11-44 includes a bonus video of "Daddy Rollin' Stone."

Around the World in Six Albums: We Will Take You With Us (Epica), Made in China (Juliana Hatfield), East/West (Bill Frisell), Underneath a Brooklyn Moon (JC Hopkins Biggish Band), Let Me Come Home (Limbeck).

Song Titles Of The Week:

"There's a Coldest Day in Every Year" (Cursive's The Difference Between Houses and Homes: Lost Songs and Loose Ends 1995-2001)

"Twelve Years on Tour and All I Got Was This Lousy T-Shirt" (Suicide Machines' War Profiteering Is Killing Us All)

"Women Turn on Your TV" (Kool Keith's Lost Masters: Volume 2)

Other Notables:

Backandtotheleft - Obsolete (Metropolis): The Seattle band's moniker is a tip to the famous "magic bullet" line quoted by JFK conspiracy theorists, hence joining the ranks of Dead Kennedys, Texas Is the Reason (whose own "Back and to the Left" came out in 1996), Kennedy, Bay of Pigs and Jackie O Mother------.

Chimaira - Chimaira (Roadrunner): Hardcore heroes Chimaira pay tribute to a fallen comrade, Dimebag Darrell, on "Nothing Remains," one of 10 tracks featured on their self-titled fourth record. "Lazarus" is another tribute, this time to a friend who committed suicide, while "Left for Dead" and "Comatose" deepen the somber mood.

Tremolo - Love Is the Greatest Revenge (Flagship): The Bay Area band is putting its money where its mouth is — literally. The benevolent bunch — which has been heard on numerous MTV shows — is donating 50 percent of the proceeds from its debut to the Love>Revenge Fund, a site that, through online voting, allows fans to decide where the trust fund money should go to.

Various Artists - Def Jazz (Verve): Yup, you guessed it: a collection of smooth-jazz versions of rap faves commemorating the 20th anniversary of Russell's baby. Unlike the ever-present Pickin' On tributes, however, this endeavor brings in veritable talent like Roy Hargrove and Gerald Albright — and tosses in a version of "Bring the Pain" with flute and Moog to boot.

Out Tuesday, August 9:

• Backandtotheleft - Obsolete (Metropolis)
• Big Blue Hearts - Here Come Those Dreams Again (Adrenaline)
• Bottom of the Hudson - Holiday Machine EP (Absolutely Kosher)
• Kaci Brown - Instigator (Interscope)
• Chimaira - Chimaira (Roadrunner)
  Buy Now: Chimaira (Roadrunner)
• Day of Contempt - The Will to Live (EP, Epitaph)
• Epica - We Will Take You With Us (The End)
• Fleshtones - Beachhead (Yep Roc)
• Bill Frisell - East/West (live, 2 CDs) (Nonesuch)
• Eliza Gilkyson - Paradise Hotel (Red House)
• Gogol Bordello - Gypsy Punks Underdog World Strike (SideOneDummy)
• Groovie Ghoulies - Berry'd Alive (EP, Green Door)
• Hail Social - Hail Social (Polyvinyl)
• Juliana Hatfield - Made in China (Ye Olde)
• Holopaw - Quit +/or Fight (Sub Pop)
• Ellis Hoojeks - Godson of Soul (Evidence)
• JC Hopkins Biggish Band - Underneath a Brooklyn Moon (featuring Queen Esther) (Evidence)
• Hootie & the Blowfish - Looking for Lucky (Sneaky Long Records)
• J-Henry - Another Long Day (Rockview)
• The Jones Gang - Any Day Now (Reality/AAO)
• The Juan MacLean - Less Than Human (Astralwerks)
• Kill Your Idols - Live at CBGB's July 30th 2000 (Blackout)
• Earl Klugh - Naked Guitar (Koch)
• Koufax - Hard Times Are in Fashion (Doghouse)
• Tommy Lee - Tommy Lee Presents: TommyLand the Ride (Rocket Science)
  Read: "Tommy Lee Parties With Good Charlotte, Slash And, Er, Nick Carter on Tommyland"
  Buy Now: Tommyland: The Ride (Rocket Science)
• Lil Jon & the East Side Boyz - Crunk Juice - Chopped & Screwed by Michael (TVT)
• The Life and Times - Suburban Hymns (DeSoto)
• Limbeck - Let Me Come Home (Doghouse)
• Lunascape - Reminiscence (Noir)
• Mad Ro - The Foul Stench of Something Good (Noc on Wood)
• Pat Metheny - Song X (Nonesuch)
• Minotaur Shock - Maritime (4AD/Beggars)
• Mobius Band - The Loving Sounds of Static (Ghostly International)
• Moggs - The White Belt Is Not Enough (Absolutely Kosher)
• Carrie Newcomer - Regulars and Refugees (Philo/Rounder)
• Nickel Creek - Why Should the Fire Die? (Sugar Hill)
• ODB - A Son Unique (Def Jam)
  Read: "ODB Album Preview: Star-Studded A Son Unique Is Radio Ready"
  Buy Now: A Son Unique (Def Jam)
• David Pack - The Secret of Movin' On (Peak/Concord)
• Pennywise - The Fuse (Epitaph)
  Buy Now: The Fuse (Epitaph)
• Proclaimers - Restless Soul (Persevere)
• Proof - Searching for Jerry Garcia (Iron Fist)
  Read: "D12's Proof Readying Solo LP With 'Kurt Cobain' On It"
• Tim Ries - The Rolling Stones Project (Concord)
• Poncho Sanchez - Do It! (Concord)
• Scars of Life - What We Reflect (Sixthman)
• Shelby - The Luxury of Time (Gigantic)
• Sons and Daughters - The Repulsion Box (Domino)
• Staind - Chapter V (Elektra)
  Read: "Staind Pushing Hard To Put Grey Days Behind Them"
  Buy Now: Chapter V (Flip/Atlantic)
• Suicide Machines - War Profiteering Is Killing Us All (SideOneDummy)
• Swarmy, Astro & Glide - Le Souk Sunday Sessions (Aurora Music Group)
• Richard Thompson - Front Parlour Ballads (Cooking Vinyl)
• Tremolo - Love Is the Greatest Revenge (Flagship)
• Ying Yang Twins - U.S.A. (United State of Atlanta) - Chopped & Screwed by Michael (TVT)
  Buy Now: USA (United State of Atlanta) [Chopped & Screwed] (TVT)
• Various artists - American Folk (Putumayo)
• Various artists - Dance 2 This Volume 2 (Thump)
• Various artists - Def Jazz (Verve)
• Various artists - "Heights" soundtrack (Tommy Boy)
• Various artists - Killer Queen: A Tribute to Queen (Hollywood)
• Various artists - Ministry of Sound Clubber's Guide Vol. 1 (Ultra)
• Various artists - Pure Chill (Water Music)

Notable Reissues:

• Bardo Pond - Selections: Volumes I-IV (unreleased and rare tracks, ATP)
• Blasters - 4-11-44 (bonus video, Rainman)
• Chin Up Chin Up - Chin Up Chin Up EP (three bonus tracks and a bonus video, Flameshovel)
• Cursive - The Difference Between Houses and Homes: Lost Songs and Loose Ends 1995-2001 (two unreleased songs, 10 rarities and a 24-page booklet by written by frontman Tim Kasher and illustrated by Eastern Youth's Yuriko Yoshino; ATP)
• Kool Keith - Lost Masters: Volume 2 (Dmaft)
• Pat Metheny and Ornette Coleman - Song X: 20th Anniversary (six unreleased bonus tracks, Nonesuch)
• Michael McDonald - The Ultimate Collection (Rhino)
• Mouse on Mars - Autoditacker (Too Pure/ Beggars)
• Orange Juice - The Glasgow School (two unreleased bonus tracks, Domino)
• Sloan - Smeared and Twice Removed (Koch)

DVDs:

• "The Muppets' Wizard of Oz" (featuring Ashanti)
  Read: "Ashanti's Muppet Co-Stars Pull Back The Curtain On 'Wizard' "
• Jerry Garcia Band - "Live at Shoreline 9/1/90" (Rhino)
• Chris Isaak with Raul Malo - "PBS Soundstage Presents: Chris Isaak Live in Concert" (Koch Vision)
• Steve Winwood - "PBS Soundstage Presents: Steve Winwood Live in Concert" (Koch Vision)
• Yes - "Songs From Tsongas: Yes 35th Anniversary Concert" (Image)

Coming Attractions:

August 16:

• 311 - Don't Tread on Me (Volcano)
• The Click Five - Greetings From Imrie House (Lava)
  Read: "Click Five Winning Over Soccer Moms On Ashlee Simpson Tour"
• Killers - Hot Fuss (limited edition, Island)

August 23:

• Björk - "Drawing Restraint 9" soundtrack (One Little Indian)
• Jim Jones - Harlem: Diary of a Summer (Koch)
• Kurupt - Against the Grain (Death Row)

August 30:

• Death Cab for Cutie - Plans (Atlantic)
  Read: "Death Cab For Cutie Living Up To The 'Death' Part On Next LP"
• Rihanna - Music of the Sun (Def Jam)
• Kanye West - Late Registration (Def Jam)
  Read: " 'Can He Do It Again?' — Kanye West Says New LP Backs Up His Bragging"

• Ol' Dirty Bastard
• Staind
• Tommy Lee
• Proof
• Pennywise

Chimaira (file)
Photo: Roadrunner Records

It's been two years since Cleveland's Chimaira released The Impossibility of Reason, and according to frontman Mark Hunter, the band spent most of that time on the road and in the studio, working on its upcoming self-titled third disc, set to hit stores on August 9.

For Chimaira — who are playing both this summer's Sounds of the Underground Tour ("It's been awesome; the first night, everyone was hanging out, barbecuing") and Trenton, New Jersey's Hellfest — there was a decision to be made before they could embark on this latest brutal journey.

"We could make The Impossibility of Reason part two, which would have been absolutely no challenge whatsoever, or there was option two: totally reinvent ourselves," Hunter said. "That seemed more challenging, and at the same time, more fun. We didn't want to put out the same record over and over again, and I think this album is such a breath of fresh air — especially considering what's going on with heavy music right now."

With none of the album's 10 tracks — which include "Nothing Remains," "Inside the Horror," "Left for Dead" and "Bloodlust" — clocking in at less than five minutes, Chimaira is an epic release. But the band didn't set out to record mammoth songs — they just sort of happened.

"We didn't want to have any restraints or follow any specific guidelines," Hunter said. "We wanted the songs to play out for as long as they needed to, and have peaks and dynamics rather than doing the standard 'verse/chorus/verse/chorus/bridge/end.' If a chorus was great, we wanted to make you wait for it."

The band's European fans will be able to score a limited-edition, double-CD rendition of the new disc when it hits stores in August; the special version will boast nine additional tracks, seven of them live, and covers of two songs from guitarist Matt DeVries' former band, Ascension: "Clayden" and "Malignant."

The rest of the week's metal news:

The generously sideburned, leather-lovin' Glenn Danzig has unveiled the lineup for his Blackest of the Black Tour, which is set to kick off in San Diego in late September and end on the West Coast on Halloween. Danzig has secured some support acts since Metal File first reported on his plans: Chimaira, Behemoth, Himsa, Mortiis and the Agony Scene. Danzig, who will cap off every show on the tour, will once again be bringing former Misfits guitarist Doyle Von Frankenstein on the road with him — this time, for a special 30-minute set of Misfits classics. ... After not seeing or hearing from him for more than a few weeks, Morbid Angel's David Vincent has filed a missing-persons report with Florida authorities for Angel/ Monstrosity axeman Tony Norman. The band contacted Norman's friends and family before going to police; the guitarist's girlfriend is also missing. Vincent and the rest of the band are hoping that anyone who's seen Norman will come forward. Monstrosity have been working on the follow-up to Rise to Power, with an anticipated 2006 release. ...

Emotive Australian hardcore band I Killed the Prom Queen will be heading to Sweden, heavy metal's capital, in August and September to start work on their next record with At the Gates producer Fredrik Nordstrom. Look for a mid-winter release. ... Members of grindcore outfits Napalm Death and Nasum are assembling tracks for a live split CD that will be released next year. The songs were recorded in Japan during a 2004 tour and will likely be the last recordings Nasum will release. The band broke up in May after singer Mieszko Talarczyk, who was vacationing in Thailand, was killed by the tsunami that devastated the South Asian coastline. ... Thrash band Arch Enemy have posted the new song "Nemesis" on their Web site. A video for the track will be shot this week with director George Bravo, who also worked with the group on its video for "We Will Rise." Arch Enemy's new album, Doomsday Machine, will be released July 26. The disc was co-produced by the band and Rickard Bengtsson at Slaughterhouse Studio in Sweden. ...

Veteran progressive-metal group Kings X will release a three-disc box set on September 20. The package will include their albums Manic Moonlight, Please Come Home ... Mr. Bulbous and Tape Head, which were originally released between 1998 and 2001. ... California thrash metallers the Black Dahlia Murder recently shot a video with director Matt Bass (Skindred, Nonpoint) for the track "A Vulgar Picture." ... Australian hardcore bashers Day of Contempt will release their first North American offering, The Will To Live, on August 9. Josh Abraham produced the disc. ... Chris Broderick, guitarist for '80s power-metal band Jag Panzer, is giving guitar lessons over the Internet. The classically trained axeman currently has 11 students. Players wishing to join Broderick's school of hard rocks should check out the "lessons" page on his Web site, ChrisBroderick.com.

• Chimaira
• Danzig
• Monstrosity
• Morbid Angel

Slipknot's Corey Taylor performs in New York on Monday night
Photo: Amy V. Cooper

NEW YORK — Slipknot's lighting guy deserves a raise. His chaotic visual display so accurately complements the band's turbulent music that even with the sound turned off, Slipknot's punishing assault would come across loud and clear.

At Monday's stop of the Jägermeister Music Tour, which began March 30 in Orlando, Florida, whirring red emergency lights translated the dizzying guitar lines of Jim Root and Mick Thompson. Blinding white strobes pulsed in time with Joey Jordison's unrelenting bass drums. The sickly green hues that backlit the nine masked bandmembers manifested the music's creepy, menacing tones, while reality-distorting black lighting frequently bathed the stage, suggesting a horrific nightmare. (Click for photos from the show.)

Hundreds of maggots (read: Slipknot fans) packed the Roseland Ballroom to reacquaint themselves with a band that for two years has left a void in their heavy-loving hearts by working on side projects (Stone Sour, Murderdolls, To My Surprise) and a third full-length album, Vol. 3: (The Subliminal Verses), due May 25 (see "Slipknot Ready To Unveil New Masks, Subliminal LP").

The fans got a nostalgic blast from old songs like "Wait and Bleed" from 1999's self-titled LP, and "Disasterpiece" and "The Heretic Anthem" from 2001's Iowa. The four new songs Slipknot performed, including the single "Duality," marked the roads that pave the band's future.

The combination of the crowd's audible excitement and the band's sheer gut-rumbling volume made it difficult to pick up the new songs' subtleties — but simply the fact that there were subtleties offers some indication of the band's new material. As unbelievable as it seems, individual guitar lines distinctively pierced the songs' otherwise muddy surfaces, and melodies even provided backbone to otherwise unwieldy clashes of sound.

"The Blister Exists" could be the soundtrack to war. A marching beat in the bridge threatened with impending doom while Jordison's drums mimicked the sound of Uzi fire and programmer Craig Jones dropped rib-rattling bombs from his 808. In "Three Nil," the call-and-response interplay between singer Corey Taylor and percussionist Clown provided the backdrop for one shirtless fan to toe the ledge of Roseland's mezzanine-level VIP area and bang his head wildly for the few seconds before security evicted him.

Alongside "Duality," which surfaced at New York radio on Friday (and was already the most requested tune by Monday), the fans equally reveled in the new song "The Pulse of the Maggots," a ferocious show of gratitude many were already familiar with after hearing it stream on Slipknot's Web site. To show their appreciation for "their song," the entire floor transformed into a throbbing mass of bodies.

The enthusiasm of the band, which has retired its coveralls for matching black separates, was just as obvious. When he wasn't pounding on his three-piece kit (two kettledrums and an empty beer keg), Clown climbed atop the spidery, scrap-metal construction that housed it like he was about to launch himself into the pit. The two guitarists and bassist Paul Grey roamed freely about the stage, their pace increasing with the music's tempo. And when he wasn't manipulating his turntable decks, DJ Sid Wilson thrashed his head and raised his fist to rally the crowd.

Fear Factory drew from throughout their 14-year career for their set, playing "Martyr" from their debut, Soul of a New Machine, and "Slave Labor" off the forthcoming Archetype, due April 20. The double-bass-drum assault of Raymond Herrera provided a punishing backdrop for a set that sounded slightly muddled but painfully loud. Singer Burton C. Bell agonizingly emoted his lyrics, half the time doubled over in mock pain, as guitarist Christian Olde Wolbers spewed forth an endless barrage of riffs.

Openers Chimaira controlled of the crowd with both their blistering, short set and the specific instructions of frontman Mark Hunter. Showing how he earned the nickname Metal Moses, Hunter co-opted an old hardcore trick that involves parting the audience in half, then crashing them together upon his command to create a pile of bodies. When not choreographing the crowd, Hunter led his band in unified headbanging. The image of five long-haired guys swinging their locks like a Vegas showgirl's tassles, then stopping to rock their guitar necks back and forth, momentarily presented the image of a death-metal version of 'NSYNC.

The night's festivities, which also included local hardcore quintet Sworn Enemy, were hosted by the Jim Rose Circus' Lizard Man, who stuck power drills and condoms up his nose and served as a human dartboard between sets. The Jägermeister Music Tour continues through May 14.

For more sights and stories from concerts around the country, check out MTV News Tour Reports.

• Slipknot
• Fear Factory
• Chimaira

Slipknot guitarist Mick Thompson (file)
Photo: Scott Gries/Image Direct

After months of silence and speculation, Slipknot fans will get the first taste of the band's new album in March when the nine-piece cacophony crew headlines its first tour in nearly two years.

Slipknot will top the bill for the fourth installment of the Jägermeister Music Tour, beginning March 30 in Orlando, Florida, according to a Roadrunner Records spokesperson. Fear Factory and Chimaira are also onboard for the five-week trek, which wraps up May 4 in Denver. Tickets for the tour go on sale February 13.

A variety of Jägermeister-sponsored bands will assume the fourth spot on the bill.

Slipknot drummer Joey Jordison, in the studio with producer Rick Rubin, described the follow-up to 2001's Iowa as darker and more melodic than its predecessor (see "Same Masks, New Sounds On Slipknot's Next Album"). Slipknot's third album, scheduled to drop May 25, still lacks a title.

Fear Factory will tour to support their fifth album, Archetype, due in April; while Chimaira, who replaced departed drummer Andols Herrick with Ricky Evensand last month, will be promoting their May-released The Impossibility of Reason.

Last fall's Jägermeister Music Tour featured Slayer and Hatebreed. Saliva and (Hed) Planet Earth headlined last spring's trek while Coal Chamber and Drowning Pool launched the inaugural tour.

Jägermeister Music Tour dates, according to Roadrunner Records:

• 3/30 - Orlando, FL @ Hard Rock Live
• 3/31 - West Palm Beach, FL @ Sound Advice Amphitheatre
• 4/2 - Birmingham, AL @ Sloss Furnace
• 4/3 - Atlanta, GA @ Tabernacle
• 4/4 - Myrtle Beach, SC @ House of Blues
• 4/9 - Washington, DC @ Nation
• 4/12 - New York, NY @ Roseland
• 4/13 - Philadelphia, PA @ Electric Factory
• 4/14 - Rochester, NY @ ESL Center
• 4/16 - Detroit, MI @ Harpo's
• 4/23 - Chicago, IL @ Congress Theatre
• 4/24 - Milwaukee, WI @ The Rave/Eagles Club
• 5/4 - Denver, CO @ Fillmore Auditorium

• Slipknot
• Chimaira
• Fear Factory

While the new album opens by saying, "Everything's been said before/ There's nothing left to say anymore," Marilyn Manson manages to squeeze out 13 more songs on the sleazy The Golden Age of Grotesque. The first single, "mOBSCENE," utilizes the classic cheerleading lilt for what is usually "be aggressive, b-e aggressive," but Manson twists it for his purposes into "be obscene."

Also on the album are other smirking song titles like "Slutgarden," "Use Your Fist and Not Your Mouth" and "Doll-Dagga Buzz-Buzz Ziggety-Zag."

While Manson is busy in the Golden Age, Cold think it's the Year of the Spider. The album, more melodic than efforts past, finds Scooter Ward singing about being a loner, a loser, a winner in his own mind, a good one, a bad one and a sick one with a smile.

Alkaline Trio use their emo-punk to say Good Mourning while Third Eye Blind release their third album, Out of the Vein, whose primary function is emotional bloodletting. The lyrics on the record stay pretty intently focused on a relationship gone wrong. Note: "Pretty intently" means 12 out of 14 songs.

Out Tuesday, May 13:

• Affair - No Substitute (MTM)
• Matti Alfonzetti - Machine (MTM)
• Alkaline Trio - Good Mourning (Vagrant)
• Bill Anderson - Classics (Varese)
• Aria - Soldier Boy (Oh)
• Alex Bach - Miles to Go (Orchard)
• Beavershot - Beavershot (Raucous)
• Biloxi - Right the Music (MTM)
• Black Tape for a Blue Girl - With a Million Tear Stained Memories (Projekt)
• Blue Epic - Love and Hate (EP, TVT)
• Milton Brown and His Musical Brownies - Daddy of Western Swing (Proper Box)
• Chimaira - Impossibility of Reason (Roadrunner)
• Lucia Cifarelli - From the Land of Volcanos (Universal)
• George Clinton - Six Degrees of P-Funk: The Best of George Clinton (Sony)
• Cold - Year of the Spider (Interscope)
  Hear: The Leak: Cold - Year of the Spider
  Buy Now: Year of the Spider (Interscope)
• Rusty Cooley - Rusty Cooley (Lion Music)
• Paul Craver - Let the Music Play (Ripete)
• Deadbolt - Haight Street Hippie Massacre (Headhunter)
• Deadline - Back for More (Captain Oi!)
• Sir Bald Diddley & His Wigouts - Man With Two Left Hands (Raucous)
• The Duece Project - Stone Cold (Warner Bros.)
• Dying Fetus - Stop at Nothing (Relapse)
• Dysrhythmia - Pretest (Relapse)
• John Eddie - Who the Hell Is John Eddie? (Universal)
• Empire - Trading Souls (Lion Music)
• FBC - Born to Hustle (Shot Callin)
• Fiend - Can I Burn 2 (Fiend Entertainment)
• Eternal Flame - King of the King (MTM)
• The Forgotten/The Headaches - Split (People Like You)
• Frantic Flintstones - EP Collection (Raucous)
• Frolic - Beaten: The Black and Blue Album (Orchard)
• Hirsh Gardner - Wasteland for Broken Hearts (MTM)
• Dana Gillespie - Staying Power (Ace)
• Griffin - Turn the Light On (Orchard)
• The Guild League - Private Transport (Matinee)
• Cornell Hurd - Live at Jovita's: Don't Quit Your Night Job (Behemoth)
• Hybrid Freak Division - Non Conformative (Lion Music)
• Ignition - Ignition (MTM)
• Jadis - Fanatic (Inside Out Music)
• King Drapes - King Drapes Stomp (Raucous)
• Kuprij/Ferrigno/Leal - Promised Land (Lion Music)
• The Liberty Ship - Northern Angel (EP, Matinee)
• Love and Rockets - So Alive (Psychobaby)
• Marilyn Manson - The Golden Age of Grotesque (Interscope) Read: "Marilyn Manson Hits Below The Belt On Grotesque New LP"
  Buy Now: The Golden Age of Grotesque (Interscope)
• Marcel - You, Me and the Windshield (Universal)
• Lars Eric Mattsson - Power Games (Lion Music)
• Melodie Group - Updownaround (Matinee Recordings)
• The Meteors - Psychobilly (People Like You)
• Nasum - Helvete (Relapse)
• Ohm - Ohm (Lion Music)
• Franky Perez - Poor Man's Son (Atlantic)
• Jeff Potter & the Rhythm Agents - Rhythm Riot (Raucous)
• Reckless Kelly - Under the Table and Above the Sun (Sugar Hill)
• Ritual - Think Like a Mountain (Inside Out Music)
• Lee Rocker - Upright and Kickin' (Raucous)
• Ruthless - Ruthless 4 Life (Dirty South)
• Slur - Independence (Tarpit)
• T-Rock - Defcon, Vol. 1: Lyrical Warfare (Secret Service Ent.)
• Todd Snider - Near Truths and Hotel Rooms Live (Oh Boy)
• Street Talk - Restoration (MTM)
• Sweet Jimmie - I Still Got It (Orchard)
• Los Tahures - Mi Borrachera (Sony)
• Tennis - Laundromat (Sound Gizmo Audio)
• Third Eye Blind - Out of the Vein (Elektra)
  Buy Now: Out of the Vein (Elektra)
• 1349 Rykkinn - Brown Ring of Fury (Jester)
• Pat Travers - P.T. Power Trio (Blues Bureau)
• Deanna Varagona - All the Goodbyes Have Been Taken Hello (Gadfly)
• Joop Walters - Workshop (Lion Music)
• Weak - Weak (Orchard)
• Lizz Wright - Salt (Verve)
• Yo Gotti - Life (TVT)
• Various artists - 26 Tracks (Ninth World Music)
• Various artists - Hits of 1952 (Memoir)
• Various artists - Circuit Party, Vol. 8 (SPG)
• Various artists - Drew's Famous Big Country Hits (Turn Up The Music)
• Various artists - Old School Jams, Vol. 4 (SPG)
• Various artists - Lowrider Oldies, Vol. 7-9: Cruisin Chrome Series (Thump)
• Various artists - It'll Come to You: The Songs of John Hiatt (Vanguard)
• Various artists - Sk8erboy Rock, Vol. 1 and 2 (Critique)
• Various artists - Xtasy: The First Roll (KMJ)

May 20:

• Deftones - Deftones (Warner Bros.)
  Read: "Deftones Almost Done With Deftones — For Real This Time"
  Buy Now: Deftones (Warner Bros.)
• Less Than Jake - Anthem (Warner Bros.)
  Buy Now: Anthem (Warner Bros.)
• Live - Birds of Pray (MCA)
• Staind - 14 Shades of Grey (Elektra)
  Read: "New Staind LP Marked By Grey Matters"
  Buy Now: 14 Shades of Grey (Elektra)
• The Thorns - The Thorns (Sony)

May 27:

• Lillix - Falling Uphill (Warner Bros.)
  Read: "Lillix Pair Angelic Voices With Rock Sensibilities On Debut"
• Local H - No Fun (Thick)
• Vince Neil - Live One Night Only (Image)

June 3:

• Jewel - 0304 (Atlantic)
  Read: "Jewel Bites Into A Musical Pickle-And-Peanut Butter Sandwich"
  Buy Now: 0304 (Atlantic)
• Monica - All Eyez on Me (J)
  Read: "Monica Revises Leaked LP With Help From Missy Elliott"
• Sugar Ray - In Pursuit of Leisure (Atlantic)
  Read: "Babies, Marriage Somehow Lead Sugar Ray To Write A Club Song"
• Train - My Private Nation (Sony)

June 10:

• Duran Duran - Singles Box Set 1981-1985 (Capitol)
• Justin Guarini - TBD (RCA)
• Metallica - St. Anger (2 CDs, Elektra)
  Read: "Metallica Album Preview: Damage Inc. Is Back In Business"
  Buy Now: St. Anger (2 CDs, Elektra)
• Radiohead - Hail to the Thief (Capitol)
  Read: "New Radiohead Album, Hail To The Thief, Due In June"
• Luther Vandross - Dance With My Father (J)

June 17:

• Petey Pablo - Still Writing in My Diary: 2nd Entry (Jive)

June 24:

• Gang Starr - The Ownerz (Virgin)

July 8:

• Beyoncé - Dangerously in Love (Sony)
• Triumph the Insult Comic Dog - TBD (Warner Bros.)
  Read: "Eminem Enemy Triumph Previews LP; Beefs With Bow Wow, Benji"

July 15:

• Macy Gray - The Trouble With Being Myself (Sony)

• Marilyn Manson
• Cold
• Alkaline Trio
• Third Eye Blind
• Chimaira