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

Tripp Eisen
Photo: Getty Images/J. Emilio Flores

Erstwhile Static-X and Dope guitarist Tripp Eisen was released from a California state prison last week, a little more than six months after his arrest on a single crimes-against-children count, and is — for now — a free man.

Eisen's freedom could end up being short-lived, depending on what next week brings. He's due to stand before a judge in New Jersey on October 7 for arraignment on charges of sexual assault, criminal sexual contact, luring and endangering the welfare of a child.

The guitarist's troubles began on February 10, when Eisen, whose real name is Tod Rex Salvador, was arrested on a single felony count of crimes against children (see "Static-X Guitarist Charged In Two Separate Sexual Assaults"). Authorities from the Orange County (California) Sheriff's Department found the 39-year-old musician sleeping in a parked car with an underage female he was alleged to have had sexual intercourse with. He was booked but later released on $100,000 bail.

Two weeks later, Eisen was arrested by New Jersey police on charges of kidnapping, aggravated sexual assault, luring to entice a minor through the Internet and endangering the welfare of a child. The police claim Eisen had sex with a 14-year-old Sayreville girl he met online.

According to Steve Meister, Eisen's defense counsel for his California criminal case, the guitarist accepted the terms of a plea bargain on June 24. "He acknowledged his responsibility," Meister said, and pleaded guilty to two felony counts of engaging in unlawful sex with a minor. He was sentenced to a term of one year, but because he'd been in custody since late February, "[Eisen] had substantial custody credits" and wound up "serving just a couple of months."

Meister said that because Eisen pleaded guilty to felonies that weren't "as serious," he was only required to serve half of his one-year sentence. Eisen "made a mistake, he owned up to it, and he paid his penance," the attorney said.

According to Meister, the plea deal followed soon after "a preliminary hearing that substantially weakened the [prosecution's] case, but ultimately, we were not going to have the defenses available to us that we wanted, and so it became clear that we had to try to resolve it by way of a plea instead of a trial.

"The [California accuser's] credibility was very shaky," explained Meister. "She told people she was anywhere from 14 to 19. She told a cop one age, a detective another, [Eisen] another. She met him at an 18-and-older club, so she either had a fake ID or lied to the bouncers. We weakened the prosecution's case, but really, [Eisen] had a reasonable, good-faith belief that she was an adult."

According to Daryl Saunders, who'll represent Eisen in court next week, his client is obligated to appear at his New Jersey arraignment. Eisen was arrested in the midst of Static-X's recording of Start a War, which hit stores just 10 days before Eisen's aforementioned guilty plea. The band booted Eisen and replaced him with former guitarist Koichi Fukuda.

• Static-X
• Dope

Just when you thought Axl Rose was out of new tricks, the Guns N' Roses frontman has signed DJ Mix Master Mike (Invisibl Skratch Piklz, Beastie Boys) as one of the opening acts on the band's first North American tour in nine years, according to the DJ's rep. The outing kicks off on November 7 at General Motors Place in Vancouver, British Columbia. ... Lenny Kravitz, Denzel Washington, Kurtis Blow, Guru, Naomi Campbell, Tyson Beckford and director Little X were among those who came out to wish Wyclef Jean a happy birthday at a surprise party on Wednesday night at B-Bar in downtown Manhattan. Wife Clauden and sibs Melky and Sedeck were also on hand for the affair. ... Former Helmet frontman Page Hamilton will take his new band, Gandhi, on the road beginning October 24 in Cambridge, Massachusetts. The group has three other dates lined up, including October 30 at Irving Plaza in New York. ...

Elvis Costello, Lou Reed, Chuck D, Shawn Colvin, Bob Costas, Danny Glover and "Sopranos" star James Gandolfini will appear at the Creative Coalition's "Seconding the First" gala concert on October 29 at the Hammerstein Ballroom in New York. The performers will join other actors and singers in celebrating the First Amendment by reading "materials that have been considered offensive or caused controversy since the First Amendment was written over 200 years ago," according to the event's spokesperson. ... Dope will headline the low dough Jägermeister $12 Riot Tour, which is slated to kick off on October 31 with a show at Obsessions in New Jersey. The tour, which will also feature Primer 55, Skinlab and Society 1, will wind up on December 15 at the Oasis 160 in Chicago; Dope are in the studio now working on their third album. ...

You've got Britain's "Pop Idol," "American Idol," a "South African Idol" and a "Polish Idol," so why not a "Canadian Idol?" Canadian broadcaster CTV has announced plans to launch the great North's version of the popular reality show beginning early next year. Other "Idol" searches will launch soon in Germany, the Netherlands, Belgium and the Middle East, according to the show's producer. ... Black Eyed Peas, Red Hot Chili Peppers bassist Flea, former Police drummer Stewart Copeland and Sheila E will perform at the third annual Stanley Clarke Scholarship Concert in Los Angeles on October 24 to raise money for students who have applied to the Musicians Institute in Hollywood. Clarke, an esteemed jazz bassist, will also perform at the benefit. ...

Entombed will release the covers album Sons of Satan Praise the Lord on November 11. ... The debut album from a group featuring singer/songwriters Matthew Sweet, Pete Droge and Shawn Mullins, tentatively billed as the Thorns, is due next year from Aware Records, according to founder Greg Latterman. Described by Latterman as a "Crosby, Stills & Nash kind of thing that will blow people's minds," the album will be produced by Brendan O'Brien (Pearl Jam, Bruce Springsteen, Korn). ... Soft Cell, best known for their early '80s cover of "Tainted Love," will embark on their first U.S. tour in 18 years on November 30 at Washington, D.C.'s 9:30 Club. The 11-date outing, which marks the second time the duo have toured the U.S., will wind up at the Warfield in San Francisco on December 6. ...

Smarty pop duo They Might Be Giants are teaming up with author Dave Eggers and literati troupe McSweeney's for a series of four spoken-word and song sets that begin Saturday (October 19) in Philadelphia and end October 26 in Chicago. The Giants are promoting their "Dial-a-Song" anthology and are selling off a customized phone message in an eBay auction that ends October 27. ... In addition to producing and playing on Voivod's new album, ex-Metallica bassist Jason Newsted says he intends to tour with the cult Canadian act next year. Voivod's The Multiverse is due in early 2003. ... With both members set to drop solo albums, cracked anti-folk duo the Moldy Peaches will go on hiatus after their November 1 show at Irving Plaza. To commemorate the event, 400 copies of Moldy Peaches 2000 and the Moldy Peaches Unreleased Cutz and Live Jamz will be sold at the show, with the remainder available via their Web site, www.moldypeaches.com. ...

10.16.02

'NSYNC's Lance Bass has finally completed his training and received his cosmonaut certification from Russia's Star City training facility. He's since left Russia for some much needed R&R, while his backers continue to try to get him a seat on an April flight. ... Hank Williams Jr. announced to a Dallas concert audience last weekend that his pal Kid Rock and Pamela Anderson are set to get hitched next month at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, according to the Associated Press. Rock, who proposed to Anderson in April, is scheduled to perform at the MGM on November 9. ...

Puddle of Mudd will perform two dates on Nissan's free concert series, the Z Tour, Wednesday (October 16) and Friday in Houston and Phoenix, respectively. Recent Z Tour performers include No Doubt, Eve, Enrique Iglesias and Stone Temple Pilots. ... Despite last weekend's suspected Al Qaeda-linked bombing in a Bali nightclub that killed more than 180 people, the Red Hot Chili Peppers have announced a slate of December concerts that include stops in Bali, Singapore, Thailand and the Philippines. Prior to those shows, the Los Angeles funkers will hit Japan, New Zealand and Australia in November, then South America and Europe at the top of next year, with many dates featuring support from former At the Drive-In members Mars Volta. ...

Milwaukee emo foursome the Promise Ring announced at a Plea for Peace date last week that they would disband at the end of the tour. "I don't know the reasons yet and all I can say is, this is very sad news," Brett Gurewitz, owner of the group's Anti/Epitaph label, said in a statement. ...Ashanti is embarking on a promotional tour for her book "Foolish/Unfoolish: Reflections on Love." The R&B songstress will hit Borders Books in Westbury, New York; Paramus, New Jersey; and White Plains, New York, on November 12, 14 and 15, respectively. She will also appear at Hue-Man Bookstore in New York on November 13, the date of the book's release. ...

"I am getting so hot, I wanna take my clothes off": The woman who sings that hook for Nelly's "Hot in Herre," Dani Stevenson, made her solo debut Tuesday night at New York's Metronome. Among the songs she previewed off her February debut album, Is There Another?, was the first single, "Honk Your Horn," which was written and produced by Missy Elliott. ... 50 Cent will shoot the video for his smash "Wanksta" on October 21 and 22 in Los Angeles, according to Interscope Records. No director has been announced yet. ...

Silverchair, on touring hiatus due to singer Daniel Johns' battle with arthritis, gave their first performance since April at Tuesday's 16th annual Australian ARIA awards ceremony, playing the subdued "The Greatest View." The band was among the big winners at the event, taking home awards for Best Rock Album and Best Rock Group, bested only by Kylie Minogue, who snagged five awards, and Kasey Chambers, who took home three. The Vines got the trophy for Best New Artist – Single for "Get Free." ... The nominations for England's 13th annual Q Awards, which take place in London on October 21, are led by the Hives and Oasis, who nabbed a Best Act in the World Today nomination, where they're pitted against Coldplay, Radiohead, Stereophonics and U2. The Vines, Coldplay and Red Hot Chili Peppers are each up for two awards. ...

During a break from opening Korn's Pop Sux! Tour this past weekend, Trust Company met up in Los Angeles with director David Slade to shoot their latest video, "Running From Me." Singer Kevin Palmer said that the video will be "very abstract" and involved his bandmates getting "very wet" for dreamlike scenes. ... El-P's Fantastic Damage has been reissued as FanDam Plus, an enhanced double CD with El-P remixes of "Squeegee Man Shooting" and "Dead Disnee," RJD2's remix of "Lazerfaces' Warning," a video for "Deep Space 9mm," as well as an instrumental disc of the entire album. A FanDam Remix'd 12" adds three additional versions of "Lazerface" and "Squeegee.

• Guns N' Roses
• Black Eyed Peas
• Red Hot Chili Peppers
• Dope
• Helmet

Cold's Scoot Ward
Photo: Interscope

As if to prove that hard rock and geek rock don't mix, Cold have left the Weezer tour and will head out on their own trek that kicks off Tuesday in Allentown, Pennsylvania.

Cold had been heckled frequently during their opening sets, according to a Weezer band associate. Cold singer Scoot Ward came backstage after an abbreviated set Friday in Chicago and announced the band was leaving the tour, the associate said. Weezer fan Mike Lauber was at the United Center show and said that Cold were "mercilessly booed," and that fans were throwing things at Ward before he left the stage.

"Cold is exhausted," the band's label, Interscope, said in a statement. "They've been on the road non-stop for over a year and they wanted to take some time off and regroup before their upcoming headline dates."

The group was scheduled to open for Weezer until the tour wraps up in Wantagh, New York, on Saturday before heading to Europe. Electronic-punk band TheStart, which features former Snot drummer Jamie Miller, are opening for Weezer on the remaining stateside shows, according to that group's label.

Cold, who released their debut album, 13 Ways to Bleed on Stage, a year ago, will be joined on the road by speed metal outfit Dope, who will put out their second album, Life, on October 30.

Cold/Dope tour dates, according to Interscope Records:

• 10/2 - Allentown, PA @ Crocodile Rock Cafe
• 10/3 - Poughkeepsie, NY@ The Chance
• 10/4 - Portland, ME @ State Theatre
• 10/5 - Manchester, NH @ Chantilly's
• 10/6 - Hershey, PA @ Shakey's
• 10/8 - State College, PA @ The Crowbar
• 10/9 - Towson, MD @ Recher Theatre
• 10/10 - Norfolk, VA @ The NorVa
• 10/11 - Raleigh, NC @ Lincoln Theatre
• 10/12 - Charlotte, NC @ Tremont Music Hall
• 10/13 - Knoxville, TN @ Blue Cats
• 10/14 - Greenville, SC @ The Handlebar
• 10/16 - Atlanta, GA @ The Masquerade
• 10/17 - Jacksonville, FL @ Edge 2000
• 10/18 - Fort Myers, FL @ Neptune's of Boston
• 10/19 - Sunrise, FL @ Sunrise Musical Theatre
• 10/20 - Tampa, FL @ The Masquerade
• 10/21 - Orlando, FL @ Hard Rock Live
• 10/23 - Houston, TX @ Engine Room
• 10/24 - San Antonio, TX @ Sunset Station
• 10/25 - Dallas, TX @ Deep Ellum Live
• 10/27 - Tucson, AZ @ The Rock
• 10/28 - West Hollywood, CA @ Roxy Theatre
• 10/29 - San Francisco, CA @ Slim's
• 11/1 - Chico, CA @ Brick Works
• 11/3 - Seattle, WA @ Breakroom
• 11/5 - Portland, OR @ Roseland Theater
• 11/6 - Boise, ID @ Big Easy
• 11/8 - Denver, CO @ Ogden Theatre
• 11/13 - Omaha, NE @ Ranch Bowl
• 11/14 - Des Moines, IA @ Toad Holler
• 11/15 - Milwaukee, WI @ The Rave
• 11/16 - Green Bay, WI @ Riverside Ballroom
• 11/17 - Columbus, OH @ Newport Music Hall
• 11/19 - Indianapolis, IN @ The Vogue
• 11/20 - Chicago, IL @ Metro
• 11/21 - Detroit, MI @ St. Andrew's Hall
• 11/22 - Toronto, ON @ Opera House
• 11/23 - Buffalo, NY @ The Showplace
• 11/24 - Providence, RI @ Lupo's Heartbreak Hotel
• 11/27 - Hartford, CT @ Webster Theatre
• 11/28 - Old Bridge, NJ @ Birch Hill Nightclub
• 11/30 - New York, NY @ Irving Plaza
• 12/1 - Boston, MA @ Axis

• Cold
• Dope
• Weezer

Mudvayne pose with the Mudvayne NASCAR Modified
Photo: C.P. Ottaunick

When Mudvayne claim to be on the fast track, they're not kidding. Vehicles bearing the name and logo of the cosmetically enhanced rockers are headed toward a racetrack near you as part of Bucktown's Powered by Rock and Roll Racing Team, a 25-person squad that competes on the short-track circuit.

Incubus, Dope and the Union Underground are among the other acts finding their names and logos emblazoned across cars and trucks destined to race at venues such as New Jersey's Wall Stadium, Connecticut's Stafford Motor Speedway, and New Smyrna Speedway in Daytona, Florida. With racer Tommy Farrell III at the controls, the Mudvayne NASCAR Modified is scheduled to race frequently at Wall Stadium as well as take part in the SUNOCO Race of Champions Modified Tour and selected events of the NASCAR Featherlite Modified Tour. Last year, the car took sixth place in the Flemington (New Jersey) Speedway point race and finished eighth at the Thanksgiving Turkey Derby XXVII at Wall Stadium.

The Mudvayne Street Rocker, with rookie driver Mark Bartlett at the wheel, can be seen burning rubber on the weekly racing series at Wall Stadium from April to November. Three months ago, it finished fifth in its class at Wall Stadium's Turkey Derby.

Dope's racing truck, driven by Tim Buckley, was champion of the Wall Stadium weekly racing series two years in a row (1999-2000), though it shared last year's title with teammate the Union Underground's super-quick pick-up, manned by Chris Kilbride. Both plan on defending the title in 2001. (Before it was decorated after the Union Underground, the pick-up was decked out in System of a Down decals.) Incubus' NASCAR Modified car, known as the "Incu-Car," is currently being rigged to race on dirt this year, as opposed to the asphalt tracks on which it finished 11th overall in last year's Flemington Speedway weekly racing series.

When not on the track, the cars and trucks routinely make appearances at tri-state-area malls and concerts, as well as other events.

Avid racing fan Chuck Keck, an employee of Sony Music's payroll department, founded Bucktown's Racing Team two years ago, taking inspiration from his workplace. In return for the high-speed promotion, Sony Music subsidizes a portion of the racing costs for each car. Before any tires hit the tracks, every design on the vehicles and trailers are met with the respective bands' approval.

For schedules, photos of the vehicles, and other information, visit the team's Web site.

• Mudvayne
• Incubus
• Dope
• Union Underground

Static-X's<BR>Wayne Static
Photo: MTV News

Static-X are wrapping up their second album, tentatively titled Machine and recorded while the band was in between lead guitarists.

Tripp Eisen, formerly of New York metal band Dope, has signed on as the permanent replacement for guitarist Koichi Fukuda, who left in November. Static-X were in rehearsals for the album when Fukuda left, and they decided to move ahead with recording plans rather than hold off until they found a replacement. Frontman Wayne Static assumed lead guitar duties.

Static-X are currently mixing Machine in Los Angeles for a May release. They recorded the album in their practice space with Ulrich Wild (Powerman 5000, Apartment 26) aboard again as producer.

Static said the new disc doesn't stray far from the techno-metal thrashing of the group's 1999 debut, Wisconsin Death Trip. "We just tried to have a little more of everything — it's a little heavier, it's a little poppier and more melodic at times, and we tried to experiment a little bit more with layering guitars and texturing things." The singer said the album's most prominent theme is life on the road, with lyrics devoted to both the ups and downs of that lifestyle.

The band is choosing between "Permanence" and "Black and White" for Machine's first single.

Static-X plan to tour Europe in April, stage a U.S. headlining tour in May and then play on a package tour this summer — but they've ruled out a third run on Ozzfest. "As much fun as we had doing Ozzfest, I think it's good to try something else," Static said.

Though the band has yet to rehearse with its new guitarist, Static said he doesn't think Eisen will alter the group's sound. "He and I are really based in the same thing. We both grew up listening to Kiss and Rush, and we like a lot of the same stuff now — electronic/metal kind of fusion stuff — so I don't think it's really gonna change things. I just think he's gonna come and be an awesome player and make the band sound really tight and heavy." The members of Static-X became friends with Eisen when Static-X and Dope toured together several times in 1999 and 2000, including Powerman 5000's Rockets & Robots tour.

Meanwhile, Dope have named the New York guitarist known only as the Virus as Eisen's replacement.

Frontman Edsel Dope said Eisen's departure was ultimately for the best. "You can't be in a band for the wrong reasons, and you especially can't be in a band like ours with people you don't like. ... I made up my mind not to work with Tripp, and because of that decision all of the parties involved are happier people right now." Drummer Preston Nash also recently left Dope. The group has chosen a replacement but is not ready to name the new player, Dope said.

The new lineup will begin tracking their as-yet-untitled sophomore album early next month in a Los Angeles studio, the singer said.

• Static-X
• Dope