Cradle of Filth
Photo: Roadrunner Records

More than a decade ago, while researching the life of Hungarian blood countess Elizabeth Báthory for his black-metal band's 1998 concept LP Cruelty and the Beast, Cradle of Filth frontman Dani Filth happened to come across some literature about Gilles de Rais. He took a wealth of notes on the 15th-century French serial killer, sexual deviant and Satanist and, at the time, thought de Rais' life would make the perfect subject for his band's next concept release.

Years and years elapsed, and Filth eventually forgot all about his idea to put de Rais' days and nights to brooding, sonically brutal metal — well, at least until just recently, when Cradle of Filth began recording material for their eighth studio LP, Godspeed on the Devil's Thunder, which lands in stores October 28.

"When we came off of the Viva la Bands Tour last year, we were kind of fired up and went straight back into writing," Filth explained. "We tried to get as much writing done before we all went our separate ways for Christmas — bearing in mind that we all live all over the place now. And we came up with this material rather quickly. I suddenly sort of went, 'Oh sh--!' We'd written the skeletons of five or six tracks, but I was a bit stuck as to the direction I want the lyrics to go. I hadn't even given it any thought."

But the feel of the material reminded Filth of Cruelty and the Beast, which inspired him to refer to the copious notes he'd taken 10 years earlier.

"While I was skipping through loads of old books I keep with notes and stuff, I happened upon loads of notes about Gilles de Rais, because when you do a load of research like that, his name cropped up along the way as well," Filth explained. "I remember thinking at the time that this would be a great thing to undertake, but obviously 10 years ago, and right next to the Cruelty album, it would have been too similar a concept, really."

Filth began doing more research on de Rais and, in time, found out he was a much better subject for the concept-album treatment.

"I started investigating [him] more, and the more I read about it, the more I thought, 'Wow, this is even more perfect than the Báthory story, because there's trial documentation,' " Filth recalled of the man who was a onetime brother-in-arms of Joan of Arc. "After her death, everything took a slide for the worse, and in my opinion, it seemed that [de Rais] thought he got as close as he could get to God, bearing in mind that Joan of Arc was perceived to be a messenger for God, and he just went completely in the opposite direction, like a man of many extremes."

Filth was fascinated by de Rais' quick conversion to the dark side and how he'd squandered his vast fortune and later employed alchemists to locate the philosopher's stone so he could turn base metal into gold and replenish his fortunes. "It all just sort of went out of control," Filth said. "So the album tells his story, from his being a very pious man to mixing it up with the devil and, in the end, seeking clemency for his crimes from the Church, because at one point, he'd been excommunicated, which meant, in that day and age, you couldn't actually get into the kingdom of heaven, which would have been a bit of a worry back then. You couldn't really dream something up as severe as his tale."

Cradle of Filth, who will tour the States early next year with Septicflesh and Satyricon, embraced Filth's concept but wanted the effort to be cohesive and coherent. So the band enlisted American actor Tony Todd, who is perhaps best known for his title role in the 1992 thrasher flick "Candyman." Filth wanted Todd to come into their studio to narrate de Rais' story, using actual court transcripts he'd found through his intensive research.

"The narration of de Rais comes from the original transcripts, as he'd voiced it in court before his judges and peers, and it's interspersed throughout the record to give it a moving narrative," Filth said. But, a few lines in to reading de Rais' words, Todd bailed on the project, forcing the band to call on an old friend to fill in: Douglas Bradley.

Bradley, who will always be known to horror fans as Cenobite Pinhead, had worked with COF before, providing narration on three of the band's previous efforts: 2000's Midian, 2004's Nymphetamine and 2006's Thornography. Looking back, Filth said he wished he had some time to explain to Todd just what he'd gotten himself into — problem was, dude just took off and never turned back.

"There was an issue with him in the fact that, when he came into the studio, he just read a bit of what de Rais had said and suddenly walked out," Filth explained. "The thing was, he wasn't actually filled in on what it was all about. He'd obviously heard the band's name and knew that we were a black-metal band and all the horror stories that sort of surround that thing. But when he read some of Gilles' words, he probably thought, 'Oh my God — what is this band advocating?' He wasn't told that this is an in-depth, well-researched record and that we're not glorifying anything. It's just a dark fairy tale. He started reading stuff about beheading children and probably thought that we were advocating that."

The rest of the week's metal news:

Swedish metallers Soilwork have tapped Darkane, Warbringer and Swallow the Sun as support acts on their upcoming North American tour, which kicks off January 30 in Rochester, New York. Dates for that trek are booked through March 22 in Baltimore. ...

It appears those rumors about From a Second Story Window's demise are actually true. The band, which formed in 2002, said in a statement, "With this changing musical market and its inhabitants, it is simply our time to step aside and let the flow continue on without us. It is time for us to venture down new avenues of creativity and to find new things to enrich our lives fully. From a Second Story Window was something that gave us all hope and pride in our small part of the musical world, but with economical woes pulling us down, and changes in attitude towards the entire movement of 'heavy' music, it just seems right to call it quits and move on in our own ways." ...

Bury Your Dead have officially parted ways with guitarist Eric Ellis, claiming in a press release that his departure was due to "medical reasons and personality differences." The band went on to explain that "when a person's attitude and lifestyle change for the worse, there comes a time to let go and move on. A team is only as strong as its weakest link." ... Don't believe the hype. Dillinger Escape Plan apparently aren't looking for a new drummer. Guitarist Ben Weinman has, in his own way, denied recent rumors that kitman Gil Sharone had left the band to return to his former band, Stolen Babies. Weinman told Kerrang! that Sharone "didn't leave and we didn't kick him out. He will be busy, though, working with his other band a lot over the next year, so I am talking to other dudes, both for Dillinger possibilities and just for me to play with, on other creative projects. We still may be touring and writing with Gil, though. Kinda in the air. No big drama though or anything." Now we're even more confused. ...

It looks as though the Red Chord have dismissed guitarist Mike Keller. While the move hasn't been confirmed by the band, Keller, in a statement to Lambgoat said he received a phone call a few days ago "informing me [the band] made a mutual decision to become a four-piece. They offered little in ways of explanation, but I can admit that in the past few tours, I had grown apart from the rest of the band, both personally and musically." While "things ended abruptly, unexpectedly and weirdly," Keller said he's cool with going out on his own. He said he plans to release a solo project called Meek Is Murder in the not-so-distant future. ...

A tentative October 14 release date has been set for Dimmu Borgir's forthcoming live effort, The Invaluable Darkness. The set features two DVDs and one live CD. ... Long-dormant, highly influential hardcore outfit Far are planning two reunion shows — both on the West Coast. They'll be playing under the moniker Hot Little Pony on October 15 in Pomona, California, and October 16 in Los Angeles. It's shows like this that make me wish I lived in California. ... Young Widows will be playing a slew of gigs next month — the first on October 14 in Detroit. They have gigs booked through November 16 in Indianapolis. The band's new LP, Old Wounds, hits stores next week.

• Cradle of Filth
• The Red Chord
• Soilwork

Kittie
Photo: Kiss of Infamy

When London, Ontario, metal vixens Kittie titled their 2004 album Until the End, they had no idea how close they were to actually breaking up.

Eight months after its release, the band was without a label, and guitarist Lisa Marx and bassist Jennifer Arroyo subsequently quit because they were unable to pay their bills. They were the fourth and fifth musicians to leave the Kittie clan since the group's 1996 formation, and for six months, the future of the band was in limbo.

"It looked a little bleak when it was only [drummer] Mercedes [Lander] and I," frontwoman Morgan Lander admitted. "We're not the White Stripes. We can't get away with just guitar and drums. So we thought about leaving the band and getting an education or getting jobs. There was a lot of sadness and tears, but there was also a lot of creativity. And we ultimately decided that this is where our hearts lie and we couldn't do anything else."

Once they decided to persevere, the Lander sisters hired unsung local guitarist Tara McLeod and bassist Trish Doan, and spent 18 months writing over a dozen viciously melodic songs inspired by the stress and uncertainty they had endured with their former lineup. Funeral for Yesterday, which comes out February 20 on their own Kiss of Infamy Records (distributed through EMI), delivers on the promise Kittie first made 10 years ago, but never exactly kept. Gone are the rough edges and musical redundancies of former efforts, replaced by a new professionalism and a desire to put the past aside and move on.

"In order to have rebirth, you must have death," Morgan explained. "So, all of the songs are about the demise of the former band, the resurrection of something new. It's really about letting go of what's already gone and putting everything negative or unfortunate to rest."

Funeral for Yesterday was written and recorded without a deadline, and the extra time gave Kittie the opportunity to hone their arrangements and musicianship. It didn't hurt that the new members' skill levels dwarfed those of their predecessors. McLeod is equally capable of playing rapid Metallica-style chugs and textural Evanescence-esque washes — and she can also solo. And Doan's bass lines are tight and tasteful, straying just enough from the root rhythm to retain their own personality.

"They're both amazingly talented girls," Lander said. "And they're totally down to earth. Also, they've never experienced anything like this, so they have this naive excitement that Mercedes and I used to have. They're just thrilled to be here. They don't care about money or politics or the music business."

The new level of artistry and enthusiasm motivated Lander, whose vocals on Funeral for Yesterday are spiteful and soaring — simultaneously seductive and harsh. In addition, the minor-key backup harmonies are as sinister as those of Alice in Chains. And when she wants to, Lander can still spew death-metal vocal venom, as on "Never Again" and "Last Goodbye."

"On the last few albums we've had this strange divide where one song would be all full-out scary screaming metal and then we'd have a hard rock-ish ballad song," she said. "This time I wanted to blend the two styles together where you have the music of something really thrashy and heavy, but there's melody overtop."

Despite the obvious improvements, Kittie still face an uncertain future. Much has happened in metal since Until the End was released, and it's unclear if the band's former fanbase will still be there. It's also not yet known how well their label will be able to promote Funeral for Yesterday. Still, Lander looks to the days ahead with more enthusiasm than trepidation.

"Taking your future into your hands is very scary, but it's also really empowering," she said. "Yes, we've been out of the loop for a while, but I think the entire ordeal was a learning experience that allowed us to find ourselves. And now we're ready to come back with a vengeance."

The rest of the week's metal news:

Meshuggah have been writing material for their forthcoming, yet-untitled album. According to a statement from the band, Meshuggah are "putting together a kind of demo to see where we are at material-wise and basically give the studio, the songs and us a test run. We are swimming in dark waters that constitute putting an album together, and whatever we find beneath the surface is definitely gonna be interesting. Suffice to say that we're in a weird but inspirational period right now. It's all gonna be about the writing during November. The demo recording is hopefully happening in December. We've got no working title or concrete [album] cover ideas yet, but it's getting there." The LP could be out as early as the spring. ... The dates for Slayer's upcoming North American tour with openers Unearth have almost been finalized. The 22-date trek will kick off January 24 in Tucson, Arizona, and end February 24 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. One date, January 26, is still TBD. ...

Drummer Adrian Erlandsson has decided to leave Cradle of Filth in order to spend more time working on his two side projects, Needleye and Nemhain. According to a statement from Erlandsson, "I have enjoyed my time with Cradle but it is now time to move on. I feel I am going out on a high note, as Thornography is definitely our best album to date." In his place, Cradle have enlisted Martin Skaroupka, who the band says is "a fine gent whose skills are second to none." ... Mastodon's upcoming U.S. run with Priestess and Converge is starting to take shape. At this stage, the tour's set to launch January 26 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and stops are planned in 20 cities, including Nashville; Minneapolis; Washington, D.C.; and Providence, Rhode Island. The outing's set to wrap up February 18 in Norfolk, Virginia. ... Canadian power-metallers 3 Inches of Blood have begun work on the follow-up to 2004's Advance and Vanquish. The band has entered Armoury Studios in Vancouver, British Columbia, with producer Joey Jordison, better known as the drummer for Slipknot. ...

Byzantine are expected to hit the studio early next month to track the follow-up to 2005's ... And They Shall Take Up Serpents. The band will take a two-week breather from the recording of the LP to head out with God Forbid, Mnemic, Goatwhore and Arsis for a tour that gets under way February 2 in Atlanta and runs through February 17 in Rochester, New York. Then it's back to the studio to finish the effort, which is slated for release next year. According to frontman OJ Ojeda, "If this album doesn't kick our first two albums' asses, something is wrong! Some songs are pure thrash, some songs are off-time as hell and some songs are depressing and dark. This album will be our finest effort." ... Thrash-metal specialists Demiricous have been added to the lineup for this year's Chimaira Christmas 7, which will go down December 27 at the House of Blues Cleveland. Chimaira, of course, will headline the gig. Forever in Terror and Bowel are also on the bill. ...

Zombi will hit the road later this month for their first headlining run. The trek will be in support of Surface to Air, which was released back in May. Zombi have recruited Icy Demons, Maserati and an experimental jazz project featuring Dillinger Escape Plan's Ben Weinman and Chris Pennie to open. The trek kicks off November 29 in Washington, D.C., and concludes December 9 in Buffalo, New York. ... Deicide were victimized by a vandal during a gig in Santa Ana, California, on November 8. Someone — purportedly a member of opening act Amon Isis — entered Deicide's prep room and damaged some of the band's personal belongings, in addition to some of the club's property. Deicide are pursuing legal action against Amon Isis, according to a statement from the band. ... Poison the Well are in Sweden, where they've been working on their next album, which will be titled Versions. "Once again, [we] will be working with [producers] Pelle Henricsson and Eskil Lövström (Refused, Cult of Luna)," reads a statement from the band, who have just signed with Ferret Records. "We're pretty excited to finish this record up and expecting to have a release date early next year."

• The Great Metal Debate

• Kittie
• Cradle of Filth
• Meshuggah

It Dies Today
Photo: Jeremy Saffer

It Dies Today frontman Nick Brooks didn't mean to write a concept album — but his band's forthcoming album, Sirens, ended up being just that. The LP's title, he said, was inspired by the trio of Greek mythological creatures that were often portrayed as having the heads of women and the bodies of birds.

"The Sirens would call mariners to their death by singing songs," Brooks explained. "[The record is] all about temptation and how it affected everybody in our lives — between substance abuse, infidelity and stuff like that. And that's pretty much what every song on the record is about."

Some of the material, Brooks said, was inspired by his own struggles.

"My drinking was a problem," he said. "At one point, I lost my voice really bad because of it. I basically f---ed over my band because of all the crap I was into. I had just started drinking [at age 22] and it became quite a problem."

Brooks, who had been straightedge for the majority of his adult life, began drinking during 2005's Ozzfest. "I was drinking big time, because it's like, what am I supposed to do for 12 hours a day? After we play, I'm gonna get drunk and go watch [Iron] Maiden." At one point, during the recording of Sirens (due Tuesday), Brooks said he made "a huge ass" of himself during a party at producer GGGarth's house.

"There were all these actors there and the founder of [a large movie studio] there, and I got drunk, and I said a lot of very offensive things to certain people — a certain actor, the [studio boss] — and tried to fight his assistant," the singer said. But "it was a good night," he joked.

While Brooks says he's gotten his drinking under control, he did booze it up during the filming of the video for the first single from Sirens, "Sacred Heart [Sacre Coeur]." The clip was helmed by director Christoffer Salzgeber (Mudvayne, Soulfly) in downtown Los Angeles in the Poodle Parlor, a vintage warehouse that's served as the backdrop for several recent metal videos. The video, inspired by true events, involved loads of "hot girls," Brooks said. Oh, and alcohol.

"It's a very interesting video," he said. "[It's] a celebration of getting over a sh--ty relationship by parting with a bunch of hot girls. And we all went out and partied afterwards."

The Buffalo, New York, band began working on Sirens in December and wrote material for the effort over the course of six months. The album was originally intended for release last month, but the band's label, Trustkill, bumped it to next week so it could beef up promotion. And now "we're just honestly really excited to get it out because we're really stoked on it and couldn't be happier with what we've done.

"We wanted to write thrashier songs because there are only so many breakdowns you can just put in a song that don't need to be there," Brooks continued. "I think it's getting kind of redundant. As far as the more metal songs on the record go, we wanted to make them a lot thrashier and use a lot of melody too. There's something for everybody on this record. There are solos, thrash parts — I'm really happy with the way it came out. I think it's a different kind of heavy than our last record. I do think it's our smartest record and, with the amount of time and effort we put into it, if you aren't getting better with every record, you probably shouldn't be in a band."

Brooks said he's thrilled to be releasing an album like Sirens during what he feels is an "exciting time for metal."

"I am excited to be in a metal band now because, you look at Lamb of God and Avenged Sevenfold, and I mean, [Avenged are] on 'TRL' shredding solos," he said. "We kind of just do our own thing and hope for the best. We don't have any unrealistic goals of selling millions of records. It's just like, we love what we're doing, and if kids like what we're doing, that's fine."

It Dies Today will be on the road with Silverstein, Aiden, He Is Legend and Prom Queen through November 25 in Albany, New York. The tour rolls through Milwaukee Friday night (October 13).

The rest of the week's metal news:

While there's been no official confirmation from the band, erstwhile hardcore legends Earth Crisis have reunited — at least for one gig. The straightedge act has been added to the bill for the second annual Maryland Metal and Hardcore Festival in Baltimore on January 27. The event will also feature Sworn Enemy, Full Blown Chaos and Subzero, among others. Earth Crisis got back together in 2001 for Hellfest. ... It seems as though Life of Agony's hiatus is nearing its end. The band has booked three live gigs — LOA's first of 2006. On November 24, they'll play the Chance in Poughkeepsie, New York, and two days later, will take the stage inside the Starland Ballroom in Sayreville, New Jersey. The band will also play December 3 at the Crocodile Rock Cafe in Allentown, Pennsylvania. ... Cradle of Filth will launch a two-month U.S. tour in January to support their new album Thornography, which drops Tuesday. Exact dates will be announced soon. Finnish goth-metal band the 69 Eyes, who recently released the best-of collection Framed in Blood: The Very Blessed of the 69 Eyes, will open all shows. ... Cattle Decapitation have enlisted ex-Dying Fetus drummer Kevin Talley to pound the kit during the band's upcoming North American trek. Talley will be quite busy on the tour, pulling double duty with Cattle and openers Daath. Lair of the Minotaur and Goatwhore are also on the bill. The tour kicks off November 16 in El Paso, Texas, with dates booked through December 10 in Ogden City, Utah. ...

Austin, Texas, metallers At All Cost have made it through the writing phase for their forthcoming studio offering, which is slated for release in 2007. No additional information on the LP has been revealed, but in the meantime, fans can catch the Cost in its home state on October 14 (Houston), October 20 (Austin), October 21 and 22 (San Angelo) and October 23 (Corpus Christi). ... Seemless will replace Soil on In Flames' upcoming North American jaunt, also with Lacuna Coil, starting December 5 in Norfolk, Virginia. The run ends December 19 in Kansas City, Missouri. ... Diecast will hit the road with Sepultura, Sworn Enemy and Suicide Silence starting November 16 in Phoenix. Dates run through December 22 in Pomona, California. ... Swedish death-metal act Impious are nearly finished recording their forthcoming album, Holy Murder Masquerade. The effort will include "The Confession," "Bound to Bleed (For a Sacred Need)," "Death on Floor 44" and "Three of One." No release date has been set yet for the disc. ... Stoner metallers Fu Manchu will release Hung Out to Dry, a four-song EP, November 28. The effort will boast two tracks from the band's forthcoming 10th LP, as well as a cover of Van Halen's "D.O.A." Only 3,000 copies of the EP will be pressed. The band will take the stage for the first time in 10 months on November 16 in Costa Mesa, California, and plan to debut several fresh tunes during the gig. ...

And now for some news that begs the question "What the hell took so long?" Metalheads will soon get the chance to enhance their cellular phones with Manowar ringtones. The band is asking fans to submit a list of their 10 favorite Manowar tracks to frontrow@manowar.com, and the results will determine which ringtones will be offered, although there's no word yet on when they will be available for download. Manowar's new EP, The Sons of Odin, will be released October 24. The disc will feature the title track from the band's upcoming full-length, Gods of War, "The Sons of Odin," an orchestral version of the new song "Odin" and live performances of "The Ascension" and "King of Kings," recorded at Earthshaker Fest 2005. A bonus DVD will include 5.1 mixes of the songs plus a 30-minute Manowar fan-convention documentary and rehearsal footage. ... Ex-Snot and Soulfly guitarist Mikey Doling has founded GridIron Records, a new label with former Kansas City Chiefs offensive tackle Kyle Turley. "[Once] I was in New Orleans on the bus drinking beers and Kyle comes on the bus and says, 'Who's the guy from Snot?' " Doling said. "I raised my hand like a schoolboy, thinking he was gonna kick my ass for something, but he freaked because he was a huge Snot fan. From there on we've been really good friends." Also partnering in the label are former Snot manager Nic Adler and Max Harris. The first two offerings from the label will be the debut by Doling's new band Invitro and an album by psychedelic-rock group the Hairbrain Scheme. Both discs will come out in early 2007 and can be previewed at MySpace.com/GridIronRecords. The label is also in negotiations with Asesino, ex-Fear Factory guitarist Dino Cazares' new band, and Los Angeles thrash band Instinct of Aggression. ...

The Showdown, who will release Temptation Come My Way on February 20, have welcomed drummer A.J. Barrette into the fold. The death-metal squad will hit the road later this month with Pillar and Day of Fire. The trek kicks off October 26 in Minneapolis, with dates booked through December 17 in Wichita, Kansas. ... Swedish doom-rockers Witchcraft — not to be mistaken with Swedish thrash band Witchery — will support psychedelic-metal band Danava starting October 23 in Seattle. Dates run through November 16. Witchcraft's most recent album Firewood came out last year. This fall the band will re-release its 2004 self-titled offering. ... Australian band I Killed the Prom Queen's debut, Music for the Recently Deceased, will come out in North America on November 14, and U.S. audiences can see them open for It Dies Today, Aiden and Silverstein starting November 17 in Norfolk, Virginia. Dates run through November 25 in Albany, New York. The band may not have used a bullet for their valentine, but its style of melodic metalcore should strike a chord with anyone who considers Atreyu saviors of teen angst. ... Eighties metalheads and S&M aficionados might remember Bitch, the Betsy Bitch-fronted Los Angeles band that performed gritty songs like "Be My Slave," "Live for the Whip" and "Leatherbound" before fading into obscurity. Well, following a lengthy hiatus, Betsy returned Thursday with a whip-smarting set at the Roxy in West Hollywood, California. MTV News hasn't heard anything about a new album, but reissues can't be far off.

• It Dies Today
• Earth Crisis
• Cradle of Filth
• The 69 Eyes
• At All Cost

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

All That Remains' Phil Labonte
Photo: MTV News

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The rest of the week's metal news:

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Cradle of Filth's Dani Davey
Photo: Getty Images

British black metallers Cradle of Filth have spent the last month toiling the days away inside Lincolnshire, England's Chapel Studios, working on what will be the band's seventh LP — which is being slated for an early June release through Roadrunner Records. Somewhere, Bam Margera's smiling.

Before Cradle of Filth began working on the as-yet-untitled outing, frontman Dani Filth said the band recorded a cover of Samhain's "Halloween II," which will appear on the soundtrack to the forthcoming film "Underworld: Evolution." When the new disc arrives in stores, fans will hear two very interesting covers the Filth's been perfecting: U.K. techno-pop trio Heaven 17's "Temptation" and "Stay" by Shakespear's Sister.

"We picked those because they are interesting," Filth said. "It's going to be a challenge, and that's the whole point. If you're going to do something, don't just do it for the sake of doing it. It has to be something you can make your own."

The band's reunited with Rob Caggiano (Bleeding Through, Anthrax), who produced 2004's Nymphetamine and 2003's Damnation and a Day, and at this point in the process, Filth said "all the drum and bass tracks are pretty much done, and I've already started recording vocals." The Filth will work on the album until the end of the month before breaking for a two-week U.K. tour; they'll reconvene on the sessions in mid-January.

The album, he said, will end up containing about 10 tracks, including "Libertina Grim," "Lovesick for Mina," "The Byronic Man" and "Cemetery and Sundown."

"This record heightens our rhythm, and there are lots of cool off-beats. It's just as meandering as much of our stuff, but there are also some really catchy tracks there," Filth said. "I've introduced more sing-y type parts. It's a bigger, better-sounding Cradle of Filth, and more direct and to the point."

The band's DVD, "Peace Through Superior Firepower," which hits stores November 22, features Filth's #1 fan, Bam Margera, skating and causing his usual mayhem at the start of the "Postcards From Vulgaria" documentary. And Filth says he caught some slack from his peers for the move, as he does for the whole Margera connection. His response? "I just say, 'F--- you. We'll choose our bloody friends. I get on well with the guy — so what?' "

The rest of the week's metal news:

As I Lay Dying, Diecast, Between the Buried and Me, Underoath, Horse the Band, Avenged Sevenfold, Madball, Most Precious Blood and others have contributed tracks to Metal=Life, a CD/DVD compilation that'll be sold exclusively at Hot Topic. Proceeds will benefit the Hot Topic Foundation, which funds children's music and art organizations. ... The Black Dahlia Murder need a new drummer. Think you're up to the task of death-metal pounding? All you need to do is record yourself playing "Flies," a track from the band's latest album, Miasma, to a metronome, and then send it to blackdahliamurder@hotmail.com. If you're good, you might just be heading to Europe in January with the Dahlia for a full European tour with Liar. ... We Put Out Records will reissue God Forbid's first official recording, the Out Of Misery EP, December 6. The release will feature new album art along with five live bonus tracks, including a cover of Sepultura's "Propaganda." ... Scarlet, the Esoteric, Calico System and Fight Paris will hit the road together starting January 13 in Virginia Beach, Virginia. Dates run through February 25 in St. Louis. ... Opeth frontman Mikael Åkerfeldt hopes Leon Whitman, who served as the band's tour bus driver on its most recent North American tour, "will stay [behind bars] for a long time." According to the St. Petersburg Times, Whitman was arrested on November 13 in Tampa, Florida, for having sex with an underage girl, using a child for a sexual performance and computer pornography. Police confiscated Whitman's camera, camcorder and computer, and found pictures of the girl posing in a lewd manner, along with pictures of other girls. "We're appalled by the fact that we'd employed this bastard and even more disgusted by his deeds and obviously we will be much more detailed in our background check for future employments," Åkerfeldt wrote in a post on the band's Web site. "We feel genuinely happy that he is caught." ...

In other police news, Mortician vocalist and bassist Will Rahmer's being held in a Polish jail and faces robbery with a dangerous weapon, resisting arrest and assault on a police officer charges, all stemming from an incident over the weekend in the town of Krosno Odrzanskie. Rahmer was detained on November 13 for allegedly assaulting a taxi driver with a knife; he's also accused of stealing the taxi cab. According to Poland's Gazeta Wyborcza newspaper, he could remain behind bars for months as prosecutors build their case against him. Mortician were in the midst of a European tour with Blood Red Throne and Akercocke; the band will continue the trek, with members of both opening bands filling in on bass and vocals. ... Zao have been added to the forthcoming In Flames/ Trivium/ Devildriver North American tour, set to launch in late January. The itinerary's still being worked out. ... Brujeria have booked five U.S. dates for 2006, with Cattle Decapitation opening on three of them. The band performs in Houston on February 4; Santa Ana, California, on February 8; Hollywood the following evening; San Francisco on February 11; and Ventura, California, on February 12. ... Deicide frontman Glen Benton, Mayhem bassist Necrobutcher and members of Dissection will be featured in an hour-long BBC documentary called "Death Metal Murders," airing November 24 at 9 p.m. on BBC2. The program will explore the link between metal, Satanism and murder and will cover various acts of violence in which musicians were either involved or accused of influencing. The program is an episode of the station's series "This World." ...

Disgorge, Dr. Know, Impaled, Phobia and Anal Blast will play the Los Angeles Murderfest Version 2, which takes place February 18 and 19. Other bands confirmed for the show include Blow Your F---ing Brains Out, Crematorium, Immortality, Sepsism, Severed, the Faceless, Cerebus, Embrace the End and Nocturnal Altar. ... The Mercy Clinic, the new band featuring former Damageplan frontman Patrick Lachman, will play their first two gigs opening for Zakk Wylde's Black Label Society and Brand New Sin on November 19 at Los Angeles' Wiltern Theater and November 20 at the Fillmore in San Francisco. "Not a bad way to start," Lachman said. ... Former Kyuss bassist Scott Reeder will release his first solo album, TunnelVision Brilliance, January 24. The 13-track disc was written, performed, produced and engineered entirely by Reeder. An MP3 of the album track "The Day Of Neverending" is now available at his label's Web site, LiquorAndPokerMusic.com. ... Brooklyn, New York, hardcore band Most Precious Blood recently shot a video for "Shark Ethic" with Jesse Smith, who has previously worked with DMX, Redman and Lil' Kim. In the clip the band takes over a commercial radio station and punishes a fictional fashion-core pop band called the Soundscans. Sick of It All frontman Lou Koller plays a security guard in the video. Most Precious Blood's third album, Merciless, came out September 20. ...

Norway's Zyklon, which features Emperor guitarist Samoth and drummer Trym, will start recording their third album, tentatively titled Disintegrate, later this month in Norway. The disc, which will include "Wrenched," "Cold Grave" and "Skinned and Endangered," will come out in the spring. Zyklon will also release the DVD "Storm Detonation Live" in early 2006. ... Meanwhile, black-metal legends Emperor recently reunited after a four-year silence to play a surprise three-song set at a party to celebrate the 15th anniversary of Norwegian metal magazine Scream. At the October 2 show, Samoth announced that the band will headline next year's Wacken Open Air Festival in Germany and the Inferno Festival in Oslo, Norway. ... Finnish death-metal band Torture Killer will release their second album, Swarm, February 21. The new track, "Day of Cadavers," is available at MySpace.com/torturekiller. The band's debut, For Maggots to Devour, came out in March 2004. ... Leipzig, Germany, prog-metal band Disillusion are at Salvation Recording Studio in their hometown working on their second album, which should be ready for release by summer 2006. Disillusion's debut, Back to Times of Splendor, came out in April 2004. ... Massachusetts death metallers Beyond the Embrace need a new drummer following the departure of Kevin Camille. Those interested in auditioning and live in the vicinity of New Bedford should send a sample recording in MP3 form to mail@beyondtheembrace.com. The band is working on material for its forthcoming album, slated for an early 2006 release. ... Portland, Oregon, experimental post-hardcore outfit the Burning Room will start work on their full-length debut, We Invented Thunder!, next month. The album should surface in late February, preceded by a full U.S. trek featuring Inked in Blood, Countdown to Life and New Dead Radio.

• Cradle of Filth
• Opeth
• Emperor

Diecast
Photo: Century Media

Walk into the nearest record store, sift past the Dido and Die Toten Hosen discs and you might stumble across some Diecast titles. Look for the Boston hardcore heroes' 1999 EP, Undo the Wicked, or 2001's Day of Reckoning; if you find either, consider yourself fortunate — you live in a town with a pretty badass record shop. But chances are you'll find just one Diecast disc: 2004's Tearing Down Your Blue Skies. That's because for the last few years, the band's first two releases have been trapped in this strange state of limbo.

According to bassist Jeremy Wooden, Diecast, who wrap up their tour with Ill Niño on October 1, had spent years fighting with their former labels for the rights to those early masters so that they could start releasing the material again. But Wooden claims that finally, the band's current label, Century Media, has acquired the masters and plans to re-release them sometime next year. The label's also going to reissue Tearing Down Your Blue Skies early next year with a new track, "Tangled Web We Weave," and a cover of Slayer's "Reign in Blood."

"Tangled Web We Weave" is the first track the band's written with new vocalist and former Breeding Ground frontman Paul Stoddard, who joined the group after the departure of Colin Schleifer.

"For the last record, we had all of the music written without a singer yet, so it was tough for Paul — he came in, and we handed him 12 songs and said, 'Here you go. Write lyrics to 'em,' " Wooden said. "He ended up doing an amazing job. But our next record is going to be that much better, because Paul's a part of the team now and he has ideas for the writing and we have ideas for vocals. We've written a couple of new songs," like "Tangled Web We Weave," which he calls "one of the best songs this band's ever done."

For the Diecast's next outing, which should surface toward the end of next summer, they're aiming to work with a producer who can toughen up their already-callous sound. They've been talking to Jason Suecof (Trivium, Cannae), Zeuss (Shadows Fall, Hatebreed) and Eric Rachel (Nora, God Forbid).

"The last record ... we were very happy with the material, but it didn't come out as heavy as we would've liked it to," Wooden said, adding that the band plans to buckle down for intense writing sessions next week and after its tentatively scheduled six-week run with American Head Charge, which is set for sometime in November. Diecast will also be writing on the road, and after that tour, plan to finish a new album before spring's end.

The rest of the week's metal news:

Soil, Dope, Opiate for the Masses, Dog Fashion Disco and Dry Kill Logic have all been tapped to open various legs of the forthcoming Jägermeister Music Tour, featuring headliners Disturbed with Corrosion of Conformity. It kicks off November 4 in Minneapolis. ... Cannibal Corpse vocalist George "Corpsegrinder" Fisher will release the debut album by his side project, Paths of Possession, October 4. The disc, Promises in Blood, was produced by Erik Rutan; in addition to Fisher, the band features guitarists Jay Fossen and Jack Goodwin, bassist Randy Butman and drummer Nick Goodyear. While the album is aggressive and the vocals are throat-shearing, the music is far more melodic than anything by Cannibal Corpse, bearing more in common with Scandinavian death metal. Tracks include "Butcher's Bargain," "Heart for a Heart," "Bring Me the Head of Christ" and "Bleed the Meek." ... As I Lay Dying, who'll embark on their first U.S. headlining run in late November with Norma Jean, Madball and A Life Once Lost, shot a video for the track "Through Struggle" on September 18 with director Lex Halaby (Chimaira, Killswitch Engage) at the Morell Meats Lot, an abandoned meat locker close to downtown Los Angeles. ...

Cradle of Filth's forthcoming "Peace Through Superior Firepower" DVD, which features footage shot during the band's gig in Paris in April, is slated to land in stores on November 1. The package will also include a documentary with behind-the-scenes footage in addition to several of the band's music videos. ... Killswitch Engage's forthcoming "(Set This) World Ablaze" DVD will hit stores November 22 and feature live footage captured during the band's July 25 gig at the Palladium in Worcester, Massachusetts. ... Mushroomhead and Crossbreed have booked a Halloween tour consisting of four shows — none of which, ahem, is on Halloween. The bands play Lansing, Michigan, on October 26; Erie, Pennsylvania, on October 27; Toledo, Ohio, on October 28; and Cleveland on October 29. ... Instrumental Sacramento spazzcore duo Hella will release the double-DVD-and-CD package Concentration Face/ Homeboy, November 8. The band will be on tour with System of a Down and Mars Volta through October 11 in Fresno, California. Shows with Primus weirdo Les Claypool will follow. ... According to a post by drummer and running enthusiast Dave McClain on his band's Web site, Machine Head are "now officially in 'writing mode' for the next album." The band's been at it a few weeks now, and McClain's got " 'that' feeling again about some of the stuff we're working on." We'll assume "that" feeling's a killer one. ...

King's X will hit the road starting October 19 in Birmingham, Alabama; dates run through November 6 in Ferndale, Michigan. ... Connecticut's Hatebreed have been together for 10 brutal years, and to celebrate, they'll be hitting the road for the 10 Years of Brutality Tour, with Most Precious Blood, Full Blown Chaos, Gizmachi, If Hope Dies and Manntis in the warm-up slots. So far just 14 dates have been firmed up, and those start November 1 in Burlington, Vermont, and run through November 23 in Orono, Maine. ... Melodic Detroit street-metal band Abandon will enter the studio next week to start working on their second album, much of which is already written. The group's debut, In Reality We Suffer, came out in April. Abandon will open for recently resurrected Christian rockers Stryper October 1 in Mount Clemens, Michigan. ... Alaska's 36 Crazyfists are working on new material, which should surface in early 2006 in the form of the band's forthcoming, as-yet-untitled disc. ... Montreal deathcore sextet Despised Icon hit the road Thursday night in Nashville with Suffocation, Cryptopsy and Aborted; dates run through November 7 in New York. ... London death/black-metal band Akercocke have finished their fourth infernal album, Words That Go Unspoken, Deeds That Go Undone, which will come out in early 2006. ...

After 12 years in the band, Crisis bassist Gia Wang has left due to family commitments. Group pal Nick Weitzel will fill in for the Exodus tour, which starts October 1 in Bakersfield, California, and runs through November 5 in Santa Clara. In November, Crisis will hold auditions for their new full-time bassist. ... Grindcore veterans Bolt Thrower have named their eighth album Those Once Loyal. The disc hits stores November 15 and features "At First Light," "Entrenched" and "Granite Wall." ... German power-metal band Primal Fear's forthcoming Seven Seals will drop October 15 and include "Evil Spell," "Demons & Angels" and "The Immortal Ones." ... Hard-rock legends Deep Purple will release their next album, Rapture of the Deep, November 1. The follow-up to 2003's Bananas features "Back to Back," "Before Time Began" and "Money Talks." ... Italian black-metal mavens Aborym will release their fourth album, Generator, before the end of the year, according to the band's label, Season of Mist. Look for it to include "Suffer Catalyst," "Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea" and "Man Bites God."

• Diecast
• Hella
• Killswitch Engage
• Cradle of Filth
• Hatebreed

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Lamb of God
Photo: Prosthetic Records

Hello my fellow metalheads. Iann Robinson here, and I hope all is well with you. This week I'm pretty stoked for the opening of "28 Days Later," the English zombie movie. That should rule. Is it just me or has it been too long since the last really great zombie movie? I'm also gearing up to head to Canada to check out the set of the "Day of the Dead" remake, but I'll fill you in on that once I get back. This week I'll be checking out Ozzfest to bring you guys a full report on who's tearing it up on that bill. The second stage of Ozzfest seems really strong this year: Cradle of Filth, Killswitch Engage, Shadows Fall and the mightiest of mighty, Voivod. I don't see many other tours with that kind of strong lineup.

I'm still blasting the Himsa and Black Dahlia Murder CDs. I'm telling you, outside of Lamb of God's new one, these are the two best heavy records this year. Off the metal tip for a second, I found out that Canadian rock gods Danko Jones have finished their new album, so hopefully we'll hear more about that later on. Well guys and gals, enjoy Metal File this week:

The debut album by To My Surprise, a side project of Shawn "Clown" Crahan of Slipknot is scheduled to drop in September. The LP, which Clown said is a mix of '70s groove and psychedelia, was produced by Rick Rubin.... Lamb of God and E. Town Concrete will support Anthrax on the first leg of their upcoming North American tour, according to a recent post by Anthrax guitarist Scott Ian on the band's Web site. The trek begins July 29. ... An appeal filed by Jello Biafra against his former Dead Kennedys bandmates in the ongoing lawsuit over ownership of the band's name has been denied. A judge upheld a partnership that places ownership of Dead Kennedys in the hands of all four members, with each sharing equally sharing ownership and creative control. ...

Sevendust are done tracking their fourth album with producer Butch Walker, who was in the power-pop band Marvelous 3 and has worked on recent albums by Bowling for Soup and Injected. The band plans to road test some of the songs in late July or early August. The still-untitled disc is tentatively slated for release in late September. Tracks include "Disgrace," "Seasons," "Skeleton Song," "enemy (Pez)" and "Honesty." ... Kittens for Christian, the second band signed to Serj Tankian's Serjical Strike label, will release Privilege of Your Company on September 9. The album is heavy but reflects a range of influences including the Birthday Party, Wire and the Cure. ... Doom metal legends Cathedral will launch a U.S. tour on September 4 in Farmingdale, New York. The tour rolls through the end of the month, wrapping up in Philadelphia. ...

The Exploited will kick off their first U.S. tour in more than a decade on September 10 in Colorado. The tour is in support of their album F--- the System. ... My Dying Bride guitarists Andrew Craighan and Hamish Glencross have joined forces to form the record label Blackdoom Records. ... Integrity are currently finishing up To Die For, their first album for Converge vocalist Jacob Bannon's Deathwish label. The newly reunited Cleveland band's lineup includes founding members Dwid (vocals) and Chubby Fresh (drums). ... In related news, Converge will re-release two of their albums, Petitioning the Empty Sky and When Forever Comes Crashing, with digitally remastered sound, expanded liner notes and bonus tracks later this year. The Bostonian noisecore merchants' "The Long Road Home" DVD is in stores now. ...

Eighteen Visions, whose "You Broke Like Glass" video has become something of a "Headbangers Ball" staple, are currently demoing new material in their rehearsal space in Orange County, California. The band will join Strung Out on the road later this year. ... Demon Hunter, a Seattle metal band that consists of former members of Training for Utopia and a revolving cast of musicians, have embarked on their first tour in support of their self-titled debut. The trek runs through early July and includes support from Norway's Extol and the Agony Scene. ... Extol will release their third disc, Synergy, on August 12. The album title refers to the musical and spiritual unity between bandmembers. ...

Florida death metal heroes Morbid Angel have named their new album H2K3. ... Grimfist, a new Scandinavian black metal band featuring members of Immortal and Deride, will release their debut, Ghouls of Grandeur, on September 13. The disc was produced by Hypocrisy frontman Peter Tägtgren. ... The third album by Birmingham, Alabama, metalcore band Haste, The Mercury Lift, will be released July 2. The disc features guest appearances by Lamb of God frontman Randy Blythe and Codeseven singer Jeff Jenkins. ...

Italian melodic metal band Labyrinth get thrashy on their fourth record, Labyrinth, which comes out Monday. ... Finnish death metal band Kalmah will release Swampsong, the follow-up to last year's They Will Return, on July 29. The disc was produced by Ahti Kortelainen (Sentenced, Impaled Nazarene). ... Orange County, California, metalcore group Avenged Sevenfold will release their second disc, Waking the Fallen, on August 26. The album will feature "Eternal Rest" and "Chapter Four" and was produced by Mudrock, who has worked with Godsmack and Chimaira. ...

—compiled by Iann Robinson, Ryan J. Downey, Jon Wiederhorn, Robert Mancini and Joe D'Angelo

• Voivod
• Slipknot
• Cradle of Filth
• Killswitch Engage
• The Exploited