Diecast
Photo: Century Media

When a woman rips a guy's heart out of his chest, tosses it into a blender and presses "frappe," he either falls in love with his depression or does something practical with the pain — just ask any emo fan. So when Diecast singer Paul Stoddard sat back and witnessed the recent collapse of his own relationship, one that had lasted more than four years, he took his pain and channeled it into his lyrics. The result, he said, is the Boston metalcore band's fourth LP, Internal Revolution, which is set to drop Tuesday.

"Any time you can take any emotion — whether it's anger, sadness, even happiness — if you can take that emotion and squeeze it for all its lifeblood, you're going to get amazing songs," Stoddard explained. "Initially I was toying with the idea of maybe doing a theme record this time around. But when it came time to start writing these songs, I had so much stuff inside that I wanted to get out and write about, I just said, 'Forget it — I'm going with this.' "

Not that the inspiration behind his words will be blatantly obvious to the casual listener. But while Diecast's frontman uses some symbolism on the record, he didn't exploit it to make his point.

"I try not to hide things too much," he explained. "I think people can pretty much get the point of where I'm going with a lot of the songs. I don't want it to be too clear and come off cheesy: 'I loved her. She's gone. Boohoo.' I think you have to have some fun with it and be artistic with [music]. People will always identify with it in their own way."

Heartbreak aside, the road to Internal Revolution was riddled with numerous obstacles, Stoddard said. Within the last year, Diecast have lost — and replaced — two of their members, sidelining them for a spell from touring and recording the follow-up to 2004's Tearing Down Your Blue Skies. Drummer Jason Costa left in November, following a heated argument concerning Brendan Fraser's acting prowess, and in May, the band announced that bassist Jeremy Wooden, the band's only remaining original member, had split. Dennis Pavia and Brad Horion were later named as their respective replacements.

A scheduling conflict delayed the effort even further. The band had recruited producer Zeuss (Shadows Fall, Hatebreed) to helm Internal, but he had to pull out at the last minute. Instead, Diecast turned to Tearing Down's producer, Paul Trust.

"Jason was an absolutely incredible drummer," Stoddard said. "He was something Diecast had become known for, and so you tended to write songs that really showcased his abilities. And then you'd write good songs around that. But this time around, we started without a drummer, and we just wanted to write the best songs possible. We tried to eliminate all of the walls. We just wanted to make the best record we could, and get the best songs possible. We didn't want to set any boundaries, which is what the scene tends to do. If it makes sense, it will be there. If it doesn't make sense, we're going to replace it with something that does.

"I feel like my vocals have come a long way too," he continued. "We went the extra mile on this record, and I'm so excited about it. I'm ready to start writing and recording the next one, because we're in such a good zone and we're just connecting so well that I don't want to stop."

The album's theme comes through in several of Internal Revolution's tracks, but none more so than the first single, "Fade Away." Diecast recently shot a video for the tune in a vacant building in Brooklyn, New York, with director David Brodsky (God Forbid, the Red Chord).

"It has to deal with breakups, and everybody in the band was involved in different relationship scenarios," Stoddard explained. "I got to smash some windows and break through a wall like the Kool-Aid man. For my part, there's this woman on the other side of the glass, and I break through it to get to her. It's symbolic."

Diecast will spend much of next year on the road but have no concrete touring plans just yet. The band will play a semi-acoustic record-release gig at Newbury Comics in Nashua, New Hampshire, on Tuesday, and a headlining show in Bedford, New Hampshire, the following evening.

Really, what Stoddard wants is what most metal and hardcore bands want: an Ozzfest slot.

"I've been to every single Ozzfest, except for 2005's," he said. "For the last 10 years, I would go to that festival, and my dream has been to make it onto one of those stages. I'll feel like I've made it if that happens. We were up for it last year, but it didn't work out. But it would be great to do Ozzfest. That would be a dream come true, and we hope the stars align, and this time, it will be our turn."

The rest of the week's metal news:

Despite reports that they'd be touring this fall as one of the support acts on Avenged Sevenfold's upcoming North American tour, set to kick off in November, Killswitch Engage will not be on the bill. ... Technical death-metal stalwarts Suffocation shot a performance video last weekend for "Abomination Reborn," from their self-titled album, dropping Tuesday. The video was filmed in Brooklyn with director Frankie Nasso (Mudvayne, Hatebreed) and producers Dale Resteghini and Melissa Manousos of Raging Nations Films and will be sent to video outlets at the end of the month. ... An October 24 release date has been set for the soundtrack to the forthcoming film "Saw III." The disc will include tracks from several heavy hitters, including Slayer, Mastodon, Lamb of God, All That Remains, DragonForce, As I Lay Dying, Every Time I Die and more. ... Cartoonish metal legend King Diamond will play a role in an upcoming episode of Cartoon Network's "Deathklok Metalocalypse." Diamond recorded his part for the program on August 21, joining a short legacy that includes Metallica guitarists James Hetfield and Kirk Hammett, Arch Enemy guitarist Michael Amott and three members of Nevermore. ...

Several major metal bands have been nominated for this year's San Diego Music Awards, the winners of which will be announced September 18. As I Lay Dying are vying for the top award, Artist of the Year, and are up against Jason Mraz, Louis XIV, Pinback, Slightly Stoopid and Switchfoot. "I love awards like this because they're not political, and it's about the fans being there for us," As I Lay Dying singer Tim Lambesis said in a statement. In other categories, Cattle Decapitation, Divided by Zero, Mower, Underminded and Media Lab are up for Best Hard Rock, and ex-P.O.D. guitarist Marcos Curiel's new band the Accident Experiment are nominated for Best Hard Rock Album along with Goblin Co--, Divided by Zero, Mower, Earthless and Nihilist. ... Melodic death-metal band If Hope Dies have officially hired guitarist Naren Ananda, who started working with the band after the departure of Thad Jackson this spring. "We're all really excited to have him with us and are looking forward to getting back on the road very soon," the band said in a statement. The band will hit the road in October as part of the Radiotakeover Tour, which starts October 7 in Albany, New York. Dates are currently scheduled through November 11 in Akron, Ohio, with additional shows to be announced soon. ...

Full Blown Chaos, Remembering Never and War of Ages will head out together in late October for a U.S. run that'll conclude on November 7 in Oklahoma City. The trek launches October 20 in Cleveland. ... Bleed the Sky is down a guitarist. Kyle Moorman left the Orange County, California, metallers to "pursue other elements of the music business," according to frontman Noah Robinson. "He has plans to be involved in studio production and engineering and we wish him the best of luck in his future endeavors. We are in the midst of looking for a new lead guitarist and are accepting open submissions." Those interested in trying out should e-mail the band at bleedtheskytryouts@yahoo.com. ... More dates have been added to the upcoming Gwar tour, which will include dates with the Red Chord and Municipal Waste. The tour now launches October 13 in Philadelphia, and dates are scheduled through December 1 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. Gwar's latest album, the Devin Townsend-produced Beyond Hell, came out August 29. ... The first SoCal Deathfest has been set for October 14 in Riverside, California. Look for the bill to boast Cattle Decapitation, Condemend, Cryptic Gallbladder Splatter, Horseman of the Apocalypse and Super.Ninja.Robot.Fighter. ...

Want to ring in '07 with Clutch? You can on December 31 (duh!) at Rams Head Live in Baltimore; the Sword and William Elliott Whitmore are also on the bill. Clutch will begin recording the follow-up to 2005's Robot Hive/Exodus next month, with a tentative spring release in the works. ... Entombed, Dismember, Grave and the Absence will hit the road together for a U.S. run that kicks off in Hollywood on December 1. Gigs are booked through December 16 in San Marcos, California, with more to be announced in the coming weeks. ... Generations will be spanned when Facedownins--- release their cover of Chuck Berry's "Johnny B. Goode," which they recorded with drummer Don Bolles, a member of the legendary '80s L.A. punk band the Germs. Facedowninsh-- tracked the tune on Wednesday in Los Angeles and have been playing it live on the Relapse Records Contamination Tour, which runs through September 28 in Baltimore and also features Unearthly Trance, Jucifer, F--- the Facts and Hex Machine. ... Looking for something sicker and heavier than black and death metal? Check out Skullflower, whose latest album, Tribulation, has just been released on Crucial Blast. The band's sonic architect, Matthew Bower, has been crushing skulls since 1992 with deafening washes of feedback, grinding sound effects, crashing percussion and harrowing howls. Test your mettle — if you dare.

• Diecast
• Killswitch Engage
• King Diamond
• GWAR
• Avenged Sevenfold

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