Killswitch Engage (file)
Photo: Roadrunner Records

For those of you who just can't wait until New England metalcore brutalists Killswitch Engage release a fresh batch of thunderous tracks, we've got some bad news. Waiting's what you'll be doing a lot of, considering KsE plan on taking a break from writing until at least next summer.

Bassist Mike D'Antonio — the man behind Killswitch's engaging album art — said a vacation from his instrument's long overdue. After this summer's Ozzfest, Killswitch will head across the pond for the Taste of Chaos tour, and once that trek's in the bag, it's R&R time, kids.

There's also considerable work that needs to be done on the band's first-ever DVD, which KsE have yet to give a proper name to; if things move ahead with the retrospective project as scheduled, it could hit stores as early as this fall.

"We've been talking about it for about a year, and it's really something we wanted to take our time with," D'Antonio explained. "We didn't want to blow our load and put out a DVD that's total crap. So we've been talking about what makes DVDs suck so bad, and why they're so terrible. People just get bored with them, so we wanted to throw in all sorts of different comments by members of the band — but, again, have it move at a faster pace than most of these self-serving DVDs that're coming out, with these bands who've got diarrhea of the mouth, talking about how great they are and all this crap that doesn't pertain to what we're doing at all. Who cares what guitar your guitarist had when he was 10 years old?"

The bassist is completing artwork for the DVD and said the finished product will feature some of the group's earliest live footage — before the departure of original vocalist Jesse Leach, when they'd play to 30 people in some hole-in-the-wall pub — as well as extensive interviews with the entire band.

Killswitch will perform "Rose of Sharyn" for "Last Call With Carson Daly" on Monday, then it's off to Ozzfest, where they'll co-headline the second stage with Rob Zombie. But things could have been different.

"We were offered the main stage, but turned it down," D'Antonio said. "I'm not so sure we could blend with that 'sitting down' audience. We're more the type ... that needs a pit and likes to stand there and participate. We want to feel the emotion back from the crowd. I mean, main stage bands are treated a lot better, and there's a lot of stuff that would have made our lives a lot easier had we chosen that route. But the second stage is more fun — that's where we want to be."

The rest of the week's metal news:

Norwegian black metallists Dimmu Borgir have decided against hiring a full-time replacement for drummer Nick Barker, who left the band in 2004. But that's not gonna slow down the progress of two new projects, both of which will feature Mayhem drummer Hellhammer. In August the band will start writing material for the follow-up to 2003's Death Cult Armageddon, planning a mid- to late 2006 release. Dimmu are also planning sessions with producer Peter Tagtgren to re-record their 1996 album, Stormblast. The disc will include previously unreleased tracks. ... Blisteringly intense grindcore kings Drowningman are down a drummer. Brian Curry's departure has been characterized as "amicable" by the band, which is asking anyone who's interested in replacing him — and also lives or would like to live in the Burlington, Vermont, area — to e-mail them at drowningman@lawofinertia.com. Don't forget to attach an MP3 with a sample of just how badass you are. ... Swedish death metallers Dismember will start work on their seventh album August 15. Slated for an early 2006 release, the disc will feature "The God That Never Was," "Feel the Darkness" and "Through the Unbroken Black." ...

Blastcore baddies Flattbush have started recording their forthcoming disc, Seize the Time, at San Francisco's Hyde Street Studios. Former Faith No More bassist Billy Gould will produce the effort, which is slated for a fall release through his Kool Arrow Records. ... Jacksonville, Florida, punk metallists Evergreen Terrace will head to Michigan on July 16 for a two-day video shoot for their song "New Friend Request." Scrambled Visual, who have previously worked with AFI and Suicide Machines, will direct the video. Evergreen Terrace are on tour through July 30; their sixth album, Sincerity Is an Easy Disguise in This Business, was released in June. ... Danish thrashers Hatesphere will release The Sickness Within on September 26 through SPV Records. Produced by Tommy Hansen (Helloween, Pretty Maids), the disc will feature 11 tracks, including "Bleed to Death," "Marked by Darkness," "The Fallen Shall Rise in a River of Blood" and "Reaper of Life." ... Legendary metal Swedes Entombed are working on the as-yet-untitled follow-up to 2003's Inferno. Expected to drop early next year, the album will include "The Fiery Father," "I Need Hell" and "Burn the Flag." ...

Power-metal bands Hammerfall and Edguy will tour together starting August 10 in Toronto. Dates run through August 30 in Los Angeles. Hammerfall's Chapter V: Unbent, Unbowed, Unbroken was released in April, while Edguy's Hellfire Club came out in April 2004. ... Las Vegas metalcore band Curl Up and Die will launch a tour beginning July 18 in Lemoyne, Pennsylvania, and running through July 29 in Kansas City, Missouri. The band's new album, The One Above All, the End of All That Is, will be released on August 23. ... Thrash-metal veterans Exodus have titled their upcoming album Shovel Headed Kill Machine. Produced by Andy Sneap (Machine Head, Arch Enemy), the disc is scheduled for an October 5 release and is the band's first to feature ex-Slayer drummer Paul Bostaph and new singer Rob Dukes. ... Swedish melodic death-metal band the Duskfall will release their third album, Lifetime Supply of Guilt, on September 6. Tracks include "Trust Is Overrated," "Break the Pact" and "Going Down Screaming." ... Germany's progressive power-metal band Masterplan will release their second album, Aeronautics, on September 20. The band's self-titled debut came out in 2003.

• Killswitch Engage
• Entombed
• Exodus

Howdy metallions, what's up? Iann Robinson, back again. I guess the big news this week is all the stuff going down with Exodus. Now for those new to the scene, Exodus were part of the Bay Area thrash scene that exploded in the '80s. Metal suffered a serious blow when original Exodus vocalist Paul Baloff died of a stroke in February of 2002. Well Exodus are back now and going strong. They've signed to Nuclear Blast Records and have finished up an album titled Tempos of the Damned, which will hit stores in February on the two-year anniversary of Paul's death. The band is also planning to hit you with a DVD that traces the roots of Exodus, going back beyond the Bonded by Blood era.

It's also a big weekend for us wrestling fans, as current WWE champion Triple H takes on Goldberg at this Sunday's pay-per-view "Unforgiven." It's not exactly metal, but this will be a killer match, and if Goldberg loses he has to retire from wrestling forever, which would suck. Plus, you have Shane McMahon in a "Last Man Standing Match" with Kane — that'll be trouble. It's gonna be a killer card for everybody who loves wrestling like I do. Well that's all for me, enjoy Metal File and I'll see you at the shows.

Superjoint Ritual, Dimmu Borgir, Type O Negative, Morbid Angel and Cradle of Filth will headline the two-day New Jersey Metal and Hardcore Fest in Asbury Park, New Jersey, on November 14 and 15. Other confirmed acts are Nile, Nevermore, Children of Bodom, Hypocrisy, Strapping Young Lad, Deicide, Suffocation, Hate Eternal, Biohazard and Krisiun. Hundreds of other skull-crushing bands will play the event, which will take place at Asbury Park's Convention Hall complex. Tickets are $40 for Friday, $45 for Saturday and $75 for both days. ... Speaking of Nile, the acrobatic death metal band will embark on the Art of Noise II Tour on October 1 in Houston. Dates run through October 31 in Atlanta. Support acts will include Kreator, Vader, Amon Amarth and Goatwhore. The first Art of Noise Tour was last January, and featured Nile, Napalm Death and Strapping Young Lad. Nile's latest album, In Their Darkened Shrines, came out in August 2002. ...

Six Feet Under, Skinless, the Black Dahlia Murder and Behemoth with play the Un-Natural Born Killers Tour, which will launch October 16 in Tampa, Florida. Dates run through the end of November. Six Feet Under's new album, Bringer of Blood, comes out September 23. ... Meanwhile, the Black Dahlia Murder have run into more trouble. The band is now looking for a new vocalist. To expedite the search, Black Dahlia have put an instrumental MP3 for the song "Funeral Thirst" on their Web site. Hopefuls should go there, download the song and put their vocal stylings over it. ...

Long Island screamo band Bayside will enter Phase Studios in College Park, Maryland, on October 7 to record their new album, Sirels and Condolences. Ex-Jawbox frontman J. Robbins will produce. After a month in the studio, Bayside will tour through the end of the year. The new album will be released early next year. ... The fifth studio album by hardcore metal band Speedealer, titled Bleed, will come out November 25. The disc was recorded on June 10 and 11 at Top Hat studios in Austin, Texas, by ex-Butthole Surfers bassist J.D. Pinkus. The band will launch a tour on September 20 in St. Paul, Minnesota. Dates run through September 28 in Springfield, Massachusetts. ... December are reissuing their album Praying, Hoping, Nothing on October 7 through Porn King Matt Zane's Inzane Records. ...

Brujeria's first show ever in the U.S. — which was supposed to take place at Allen's Theatre in Southgate, California, on September 27 — has reportedly been scrapped. No reason was given for the cancellation. ... Manowar are back in the studio recording a new album for release in 2004. … Seattle band Zeke are releasing a DVD called "Zeke You" to commemorate their 10-year anniversary. The DVD will hit stores November 18. ...

Russ Herpich from the band Watch Me Burn is directing the video for Cattle Decapitation's "To Serve Man." The clip is expected to surface in October. ... Vehemence recently hit the studio to begin recording their next album, tentatively titled Helping the World to See. The band hopes to have the album in stores early next year. ...

The recently reunited Cancer will release an EP titled Corporations in early November. ... Former Nile members Chief Spires and John Ehlers have joined forces in a new band called Shaitan Mazar. … And again, it ain't quite metal, but it's close: the movie "Bubba Ho-Tep," which stars Bruce Campbell and Ossie Davis as delusional retirees who think they are Elvis and JFK, respectively, battling a mummy, will be released Friday in Portland, Oregon, and will then slowly open in theaters through the States. ...

—compiled by Iann Robinson, Robert Mancini and Jon Wiederhorn

• Superjoint Ritual
• Dimmu Borgir
• Exodus
• Manowar

Paul Baloff
Photo: MTV News

Influential thrash metal vocalist Paul Baloff died Saturday at Highland General Hospital in Oakland, California, after suffering a major stroke Thursday. Baloff, who had no previous major health problems, was left in a coma, and after being declared brain dead, his life support was shut off by doctors, a spokesperson at his record label said. He was 41.

"His flame burned bright — so bright in fact that in hindsight it was all but impossible to have burned forever," Exodus guitarist Gary Holt said in a statement.

Baloff was the first vocalist for Exodus, a band he formed in 1981 with guitarist Kirk Hammett (who left to join Metallica in 1983), bassist Geoff Andrews and drummer Tom Hunting. The group was instrumental in pioneering thrash metal — a style of music that blended the fury of hardcore and the razor-edged precision of such British bands as Iron Maiden and Judas Priest — and soon became the toast of the Bay Area metal scene, which also included Metallica, Testament, Flotsam & Jetsam and Death Angel.

Exodus' 1982 demo, Whipping Queen and Death and Domination, became hugely popular amongst the underground tape-trading community. Two years later, the band recorded the seminal Bonded by Blood, which was released in 1985. Personal and musical differences led to Baloff's dismissal before the release of the group's second disc, Pleasures of the Flesh, which featured new singer Steve Souza. While Baloff didn't perform on that record, he received writing credits on the songs "Brain Dead," "Pleasures of the Flesh" and "Seeds of Hate."

After leaving Exodus, Baloff formed the speed metal combo Piranha (titled after the Bonded by Blood song of the same name), but while the group recorded a demo, it was never signed and soon split up. Exodus broke up in 1992 after their fifth disc, Force of Habit.

However, in 1997, 10 years after Baloff was ousted from Exodus, he reunited with his former bandmates for a commemorative concert in San Francisco. That show was released as the live album Another Lesson in Violence in 1997, and a full tour followed. The group had recently booked seven West Coast shows for February and March and was working with Baloff on demos for a new album.

"I just can't believe he's dead," Slipknot vocalist Corey Taylor said. "What's this world coming to?"

• Exodus