Eighteen Visions
Photo: Epic

Judging from the lyrics on Eighteen Visions' self-titled new album, it seems like frontman James Hart has had his heart broken, torn out, stomped on and consumed.

And now he's pretty mad.

In the band's new single "Victim," he shouts, "Give me one good reason I should be forgiving you," and on "Burned Us Alive," he declares, "You burned me once but you won't burn me again." But Hart's not griping about his shattered love life. It's everything else in his world that has left him seeing red.

"I was just going through a very dark period in my life, and that was when I wrote most of the lyrics," he said. "One of the worst things was I recently lost my grandmother, which was really hard to deal with. I've never had anyone die that I was close to for so long, and it made me question a lot of things and think about mortality."

Grandma isn't all Hart was thinking about when he worked on the band's third LP, which came out July 18 (see "Eighteen Visions Might Be Thanking Avenged Sevenfold In 2006"). He was also motivated by a friend who spiraled into the abyss of addiction; someone who unforgivably betrayed him; and the band's last two managers, who didn't see eye-to-eye with Eighteen Visions.

"When we released Obsession two years ago, we started off at a high point," Hart explained. "We had a few great support tours, and we had two managers. Then one of them left, and we were stuck with someone who wasn't on the same page with us. Everything went downhill from there. We didn't get as many tours as we wanted or the kinds of tours we wanted. We just needed to take some time and fix the machine."

Those were difficult months for Hart, and he found that the best way to cope with his misery was to write. "The record definitely has that feeling of emptiness and loneliness and despair and even hatred," he said. "Those were the emotions I was experiencing at that point, and I was able to get them all out through this record."

Anyone hoping Hart's woes and frustrations triggered a return to the harsh metalcore of the first two Eighteen Visions records will be disappointed by the anthemic verses and radio-ready refrains of Eighteen Visions. Those who enjoy the electrically charged melodies of Velvet Revolver and Def Leppard, however, will enjoy the mix of pop, hard rock and '80s metal.

"I guess we're more rock now and less metal, but that's the direction we really wanted to go in," Hart said. "It's not like we don't like to play metal anymore, we just feel like we can't do it as well anymore, so why should we try?"

Just because Eighteen Visions isn't metal doesn't mean it's not still heavy. The guitar fills are dissonant, the beats crash and there are even a few chugga-chugga breakdowns — they're just cushioned between layers of multitrack vocals, sugary melodies and '80s rock hooks.

"We all grew up in the '80s, so I'm big on GN'R, Skid Row and Def Leppard, and there are bits of that here and there," Hart said. "But what we really wanted to do was take some of those ideas, modernize them, and implant them into our songs to see if they would work."

The album is self-titled because, to them, it signals a rebirth. To Hart, it's the first album that really expresses the band's new, um, vision.

"It's kind of like opening a new page in the book and moving on with a different type of band," Hart said. "On Obsession, we changed our sound, but we played it safe at the same time. With this record, we wanted to go balls out. We didn't care about what people would think. I just know this record is leaps and bounds beyond the last one."

Eighteen Visions started writing the new disc two years ago, as soon as they finished tracking Obsession, and by November 2005 they had stockpiled 30 songs. They quickly narrowed the number down to 20 and then entered an L.A. studio in December with Machine, who has also worked with Lamb of God and Bloodsimple. The producer's perfectionist work ethic and over-the-top exuberance was an asset for the band.

"He's a maniac, which is awesome," Hart said. "He was literally bouncing off the walls in the rehearsal space and he was totally in your face, pounding his fists as we recorded. The energy was unreal, and it brought something special to the record."

Currently rocking the Warped Tour, Eighteen Visions will begin a solo jaunt August 15 before heading to Europe in September.

"Everything's going great," Hart enthused. "A lot of new people are checking us out and getting into us, and that's what we wanted. We're not necessarily leaving everything else behind, but we're kind of saying, 'Hey, this is who we are and what we're doing now, love it or leave it.' And that seems to be working."

• Eighteen Visions

The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus' <I>Don't You Fake It</I>
Photo: Virgin Records

Hold on to your allowance this week, kids: This latest batch of new releases has your parents' names written all over it (really — look in the liner notes). Billy Ray Cyrus, Bruce Cockburn, Steve Miller and a cavalry of other aging men you couldn't care less about are lumbering into the racks, and if that's not enough, they're joined by a couple of younger acts pining after the same demographic: Los Lonely Boys and Rodney Atkins.

But if you're feeling adventurous or your tastes skew indie, you're in for some treats too. Here's a host of newcomers you oughta know about:

The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus: If you've heard their name, you probably haven't forgotten it. And if you haven't, you probably haven't been watching mtvU, catching Jared Leto's 30 Seconds to Mars on tour or monitoring our You Hear It First reports (shame on you). RJA look to make an indelible imprint with Don't You Fake It, which has their buzz cut, "Face Down," plus "Misery Loves Its Company," "Cat and Mouse" and "Seventeen Ain't So Sweet."

The Bronx: The punks have splattered many a Los Angeles club with their blood, sweat and beers, and now it's time for them to finally unveil their three-years-in-the-making major-label debut. Have no fear, fans — even though this record is also self-titled, it's not the same batch of tracks they put out in 2003. This Michael Beinhorn-produced set has "Transsexual Blackout (The Movement)," "White Guilt" and "History's Stranglers" and is also available as a digipak.

Feist: She birthed her debut, Let It Die, two years ago, but the Broken Social Scene singer is hoping to up the interest with a compendium of remixes and leftovers from the LP. The complementary Open Season features "Simple Story," with legendary singer and Serge Gainsbourg ex-wife Jane Birkin; "One Evening," featuring a piano solo by frequent collaborator Chilly Gonzales; and remixes by the Postal Service, Apostles of Hustle, K-os and more.

MSTRKRFT: Take one of the guys from Death From Above 1979, add DFA's producer and you've got — well, something pretty incomprehensible. The duo have already twiddled knobs for Bloc Party and Wolfmother, and by giving us The Looks, they've provided a handy guide on how to get indie rockers on the club floor. Don't miss "Neon Knights," "Bodywork" and "She's Good for Business."

French Kicks: The Freedom Sneakers have been skulking around Brooklyn, New York, since 1998, but with longtime label StarTime getting a boost from affiliate Vagrant, the refreshed group hopes to boost its album sales by at least Two Thousand. The band recently lost a founding member, the unfortunately named Matt Stinchcomb, but the Kicks have taken on guitarist/keyboardist/percussionist Kush El Amin to fill his seat. Take a stroll with "Basement: D.C." or "England Just Will Not Let You Recover."

More Than You Bargained For: Metalcore fans have been digging Orange County, California's Eighteen Visions for 10 years, but this time around, they have even more to rip into. The band's Machine (Lamb of God, White Zombie)-produced, self-titled LP endowed preorders with five trading cards, a sticker and a poster. In case you missed those goodies, you can still enjoy "Your Nightmare," "The Sweetest Memory" and "Last Night" all the same.

Fans of graphic-novel writer Neil Gaiman are also getting more bang for their buck with Where's Neil When You Need Him?, an unusual collection of songs inspired by Gaiman's stories and characters. Tori Amos, Tapping the Vein, Rasputina, Future Bible Heroes and others chalk up songs about Stardust, Coraline and more, while Gaiman writes the liner notes — alas, he doesn't sing or perform — and "Sandman" artist Dave McKean creates the artwork.

This week there's also more Particle than you could ask for. The L.A. jam band captures its recent reconfiguration with Transformations Live for the People, a two-CD set that immortalizes its February 28 gig at the Music Box at the Fonda in Hollywood. It was at that show that Particle introduced their new five-member roster, a milestone event for which they were joined by Blackalicious, DJ Logic and Joe Satriani. A DVD version of the show, which has three more performances but does not contain either CD, is also due.

Alien Ant Farm are taking a similar approach by putting out their new album, Up in the Attic, in conjunction with a fresh DVD, "Busted." The audio disc features "San Sebastian," "Consti2tion" and "Sleepwalker," while the DVD has 10 videos, a live set from Germany and a "60-minute nude and crude documentary." And if that's not enough, Circuit City's offering a free AAF tee with purchase of the new CD.

Last but not least, Counting Crows and Goo Goo Dolls tour partners the Working Title signed copies of their new release for fans who preordered the disc through Tower. About-Face was produced by Brad Wood (Placebo, Pete Yorn) and the Crows' own David Bryson.

Song Title of the Week:

"Senor Hombre de Tamale" from the Bronx's The Bronx.

Other Notables:

Golden Smog's Another Fine Day: Since 1992, this ensemble's provided an outlet for members of Wilco, the Replacements and Soul Asylum to decompress and mess around. Now they deliver their fourth disc and first for Lost Highway, Another Fine Day, which finds Jeff Tweedy joining forces with the Jayhawks' Gary Louris for a cover of the Kinks' "Strangers" and much more.

Helmet's Monochrome: After bouncing back with 2004's Size Matters on Interscope, the band is already getting another makeover with a new label, Warcon, and two new members, drummer Mike Jost and bassist Jeremy Chatelain. That's not to mention Helmet's unlikely stint on the Warped Tour, where you can expect to hear new config barreling through "Monochrome," "Gone" and other new tracks.

Heather Duby's Heather Duby: The Northwest songstress takes her time with her LPs, issuing one about every three or four years, and for her third she hooked up with one of the region's most vaunted producers, Steve Fisk (Nirvana, Low). Duby has a newcomer in the mix as well: Minus the Bear drummer Erin Tate, who brushes up "Never Even Made a Voyage," "A Sort of Flat Curve" and "Places Shape Lives."

New Releases:

• Alien Ant Farm - Up in the Attic (New Door)
  Buy Now: Up in the Attic (New Door)
  
• Rodney Atkins - If You're Going Through Hell (Curb)
  
• Shane Bartell - Too Soon to Say (Sarathan)
  
• Black Stone Cherry - Black Stone Cherry (Roadrunner)
  
• Bone Crusher - Release the Beast (Body Head Entertainment)
  Buy Now: Release the Beast (Body Head Entertainment)
  
• The Bronx - The Bronx (digipak also available; White Drugs/ Island)
  Read: "The Bronx Strive For Imperfection On Major-Label Debut"
  
• Michael Brook - RockPaperScissors (High Wire)
  
• Cactus - V (Escapi)
  
• Eric Church - Sinners Like Me (Capitol Nashville)
  
• Bruce Cockburn - Life Short Call Now (Rounder)
  
• The Coma Recovery - Drown That Holy End in Wine (Underground)
  
• Albert Cummings - Working Man (Blind Pig)
  
• Billy Ray Cyrus - Wanna Be Your Joe (New Door/ Universal)
  
• Heather Duby - Heather Duby (Sonic Boom)
  
• Eighteen Visions - Eighteen Visions (Epic)
  Buy Now: Eighteen Visions (Epic)
  
• End of a Year - Sincerely (Revelation)
  
• Feist - Open Season (Cherrytree/ Interscope)
  
• Kristy Frank - Freedom (Ruffnation)
  
• French Kicks - Two Thousand (Startime/ Vagrant)
  Buy Now: Two Thousand (Startime/ Vagrant)
  
• Neil Gaiman - Where's Neil When You Need Him? (Dancing Ferret)
  
• Lisa Germano - In the Maybe World (Young God)
  
• Golden Smog - Another Fine Day (Lost Highway)
  Buy Now: Another Fine Day (Lost Highway)
  
• Nicholas Gunn - Beyond Grand Canyon (Gemini Sun)
  
• Helmet - Monochrome (Warcon)
  Buy Now: Monochrome (Warcon)
  
• Hidden Cameras - The Arms of His Ill (EP; Absolutely Kosher)
  
• Joe Jackson - Body and Soul (Fontana)
  
• Janid - Goddess (Dead Ninja)
  
• Jil Station - Still Love (enhanced; Platform Group)
  
• Kokane - Back 2 Tha Clap (SMC)
  Buy Now: Back 2 Tha Clap (SMC)
  
• Los Lonely Boys - Sacred (deluxe edition with DVD also available; Or/ Epic)
  Buy Now: Sacred (Or/ Epic)
  
• Minders - Bright Guilty World (Future Farmer)
  
• MSTRKRFT - The Looks (Last Gang)
  
• Naked Rhythm - Frequency (Caravan)
  
• One Dead Three Wounded - Moving Units (1x1)
  
• Ozric Tentacles - The Floor's Too Far Away (Magna Carta)
  
• Particle - Transformations Live for the People (two CDs; Shout! Factory)
  
• Bill Perry - Don't Know Nothing About Love (Blind Pig)
  
• John Pizzarelli - Dear Mr. Sinatra (Telarc)
  
• The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus - Don't You Fake It (Virgin)
  Read: "The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus: You Can Call Them Sellouts"
  Buy Now: Don't You Fake It (Virgin)
  
• Sinking Ships - Disconnecting (Revelation)
  
• Sissy - All Under (Global Underground)
  
• Jeremy Spencer - Precious Little (Blind Pig)
  
• Stream of Passion - Live in the Real World (two CDs; Inside Out)
  
• Chip Taylor - Unglorious Hallelujah (two enhanced CDs; Back Porch)
  
• The Working Title - About-Face (Universal)
  Buy Now: About-Face (Universal)
  
• Various artists - "John Tucker Must Die" soundtrack (Wind-Up)
  
• Various artists - "The Lady in the Water" soundtrack (Decca)
  
• Various artists - "Monster House" soundtrack (Varèse Sarabande)
  
• Various artists - "You, Me and Dupree" soundtrack (Varèse Sarabande)

Notable Reissues and Archival Material:

• A Flock of Seagulls - We Are the '80s (Arista/Legacy)
  Buy Now: We Are the '80s (Arista/Legacy)
  
• Johnny Adams - The Greatest Johnny Adams R&B Album (Rounder)
  
• Mose Allison - Mose Allison Sings: Rudy Van Gelder Remasters (Prestige)
  
• Bangles - We Are the '80s (Columbia/Legacy)
  Buy Now: We Are the '80s (Columbia/Legacy)
  
• Bow Wow Wow - We Are the '80s (RCA/Legacy)
  Buy Now: We Are the '80s (RCA/Legacy)
  
• Crosby/ Nash - Highlights (Sanctuary)
  
• Richard "Groove" Holmes - Soul Message: Rudy Van Gelder Remasters (Prestige)
  
• Lakeside - Fantastic Voyage (Capitol)
  
• Yusef Lateef - Eastern Sounds: Rudy Van Gelder Remasters (Prestige)
  
• Loverboy - We Are the '80s (Columbia/Legacy)
  Buy Now: We Are the '80s (Columbia/Legacy)
  
• Midnight Star - No Parking on the Dance Floor (Capitol)
  
• Steve Miller Band - Fly Like an Eagle (with DVD; Capitol)
  
• Eddie Money - We Are the '80s (Columbia/Legacy)
  
• Thelonious Monk/ Sonny Rollins - Thelonious Monk/ Sonny Rollins: Rudy Van Gelder Remasters (Prestige)
  
• Mott the Hoople - An Introduction to Mott the Hoople (Fuel)
  
• Oliver Nelson - Screamin' the Blues: Rudy Van Gelder Remasters (Prestige)
  
• The Original Five Blind Boys of Mississippi - An Introduction to the Original Five Blind Boys of Mississippi (Fuel)
  
• Emitt Rhodes - The American Dream (Lilith)
  
• Scandal - We Are the '80s (Columbia/Legacy)
  
• Shalamar - Ultimate Collection (Capitol)
  
• Rick Springfield - We Are the '80s (RCA/Legacy)
  
• Third Eye Blind - A Collection (Rhino)
  Buy Now: A Collection (Rhino)
  
• Venom - Cast in Stone (Castle/ Ryko)
  
• XTC - Apple Box (four-CD box set; TVT)
  
• Various artists - Billboard #1s: Classic Country (Rhino)
  
• Various artists - Dave Hamilton's Detroit Funk - Rare and Unreleased Twisted Funk 1967-1973 (BGP)
  
• Various artists - Doo-Wop Forever, Volume 2 (Empire Musicwerks)
  
• Various artists - Funk N' R&B (three-CD box set; Thump)
  
• Various artists - Playboy Cocktail Mix (Playboy Jazz)
  
• Various artists - Soul Sistas (three-CD box set; Thump)

Music DVDs:

• Alien Ant Farm - "Busted - The Definitive DVD" (New Door)
  
• Anathema - "A Moment in Time" (limited edition comes with CD; Music Video Distributors)
  
• Jeannie Bryson - "Live at Warsaw Jazz Festival" (Music Video Distributors)
  
• Chic - "Live in Amsterdam" (Music Video Distributors)
  
• Del the Funky Homosapien - "The 11th Hour" (Hieroglyphics)
  
• Fatboy Slim - "The Greatest Hits - Why Make Videos" (Astralwerks)
  
• H20 - "One Life, One Chance" (Music Video Distributors)
  
• Neal McCoy - "Live!" (903 Music)
  
• Particle - "Transformations Live" (Shout! Factory)
  
• Stream of Passion - "Live in the Real World" (Inside Out)
  
• Various artists - "Best of Bang Your Head!!! Festival" (two DVDs; Locomotive)
  
• Various artists - "Hot in Here, Vol. 3" (DJ Vlad)
  
• Various artists - "Kung Fu Vs. Hip Hop" (Cleopatra)

Coming Attractions:

July 25:

• Flogging Molly - Whiskey on a Sunday (DualDisc; Side One Dummy)
  
• Jurassic 5 - Feedback (Interscope)
  Preorder: Feedback (Interscope)
  
• Pharrell Williams - In My Mind (Star Trak/ Interscope)
  Read: "Pharrell Williams: Fired Up"
  Preorder: In My Mind (Star Trak/ Interscope)

August 1:

• DMX - Year of the Dog, Again (Sony)
  Read: "DMX Signs With Columbia, Will Release Long-Delayed LP This Spring"
  Preorder: Year of the Dog Again (Sony)
  
• Stone Sour - Come What(ever) May (Roadrunner)
  Read: "Slipknot's Taylor Gearing Up For Stone Sour LP — And Tenacious D Tribute"
  Preorder: Come What(ever) May (Roadrunner)
  
• Various artists - Kidz Bop 10 (Razor & Tie)

August 8:

• Lupe Fiasco - Food and Liquor (Atlantic)
  Preorder: Food and Liquor (Atlantic)
  
• Rick Ross - Port of Miami (Def Jam)
  
• Slayer - Christ Illusion (Warner Bros.)
  Read: "New Slayer Album Might Be Their Fastest Yet"
  Preorder: Christ Illusion (Warner Bros.)

• The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus
• The Bronx
• Feist
• Alien Ant Farm
• Eighteen Visions

Eighteen Visions
Photo: Epic

It's been three long years since Eighteen Visions defined themselves as a hardcore band with Vanity — a brutal album packed with driving metalcore. Since then, the Huntington Beach, California, band has traded in its abrasive style for a more straight-ahead rock sound and, after dropping 2004's Obsession, even signed a major-label deal with Epic.

Like so many groups that've made the move from the underground scene to the corporate machine, Eighteen Visions have "evolved," in the words of frontman James Hart. The self-titled LP they'll issue in June should serve as the next step in what's been "the natural progression of the band," the singer said.

"We've kind of been on the more melodic page for the last few years now," Hart said. "For anybody that knows the band and the last couple of records, or just the last record, they're going to get it. It's not going to be a complete 180 or something out of left field, to where people are going to be like, 'Oh, wow — they did this with their music. I can't believe that.' There's some unpredictable stuff still, and we like to keep people guessing with the songs and keep things fresh."

So what will Eighteen Visions' next album, which they're toiling away on in Los Angeles under the guidance of producer Machine (Lamb of God, Rob Zombie), sound like? "Well, picture Stone Temple Pilots with Def Leppard, maybe," Hart explained. "And maybe Marilyn Manson. One song, 'Truth or Consequence,' has an AFI feel to it. But we wrote a song that sounds like it could've been on [Def Leppard's] Hysteria."

Eighteen Visions wrote more than 30 songs for the album and plan to record 13 — 11 will make the LP's final cut and two stragglers will be set aside as potential B-sides or video game or soundtrack contributions. Along with "Truth or Consequence," Hart said the album will feature "Black and Bruised" and "Last Night" (a "classic-rock ballad"). Dissolved relationships and generalized angst and apathy notwithstanding, Hart said the bulk of the album's material goes deeper and was inspired by life's darkest facets.

"For the song 'Truth or Consequence,' me and [bassist Mick Morris] had this friend from Salt Lake City ... he was a good friend of mine ... unfortunately, he ended up in a car accident that paralyzed him pretty much from the neck down," Hart explained. "He also needed a liver transplant. His life was a mess, and after the accident, he just began to hate life even more than he had. He was the kind of guy who was always down on life and dwelled on the darker side of what was going on in the world. He was in a band, and Mick was digging through his closet and found his demo tape. We put it on and it brought back all these memories. This guy wrote about taking his own life, which a lot of people sing about. Usually they don't go through with the act. He did, three years ago. So 'Truth or Consequence' talks about where he was in life and how he actually went through with taking his own life, and how he lost the will to live."

On a more uplifting note, Hart said being on Epic has afforded his band more time in the studio and working with Machine has opened up the group to more experimentation. "We've been writing more drum'n'bass and dirty, synthesized stuff — what you'd hear on a Nine Inch Nails record," he said. "We get bored just having guitar bits and being a straightforward, average guitar-rock band. We will add some synthesized strings and other electronic elements to some of these songs too."

The timing for Eighteen Visions' next vision couldn't be better. With Avenged Sevenfold — who Hart said the band was supposed to tour with in 2006, but had to finish the album instead — dominating the countdown on "TRL" and a possible stint on this summer's Warped Tour on the table, Hart said Eighteen Visions are primed for whatever comes next.

"The album's still heavy, and it's still rock, but its more song-y," he said. "With bands like Avenged Sevenfold opening the door for heavier rock, it's a great time for us to step up to the plate and try to hit a home run with this thing. There's nothing like this out there right now."

• Eighteen Visions
• Avenged Sevenfold

2006: The Best of Studio Photos

• Lil Jon
• Yeah Yeah Yeahs
• Kelis
• Beck
• Nelly Furtado

MTV.com Exclusive: Eighteen Visions Photos 05.19.2006

• Eighteen Visions