Soilent Green
Photo: Metal Blade Records

It's been nearly three years since we've heard from Soilent Green, but on April 15, the Southern sludge stalwarts will make their return with Inevitable Collapse in the Presence of Conviction, the long-awaited follow-up to 2005's Confrontation. But don't just assume Soilent's members have been sitting around, twiddling their thumbs these last few years, because nothing could be further from the truth.

According to singer Ben Falgoust, he is often asked if the band has thrown in the proverbial towel, or if he ended up exiting the fold to focus full time on Goatwhore, the currently on-tour black-metal band he also fronts. But he claims the band has never once considered pulling the plug on Soilent — everyone's just been busy with other projects is all. Guitarist Brian Patton is also involved with Eyehategod, while guitarist Gregg Harney is a member of Spickle. Drummer Tommy Buckley is also a member of Crowbar, and bassist Scott Crochet plays in a band called Hostile Apostle.

"We all have other bands we need to devote time to," Falgoust explained. "While the rest of the guys are off doing other projects, I'll be home, writing. They'll write while I'm out with Goatwhore. We're not trying to put off one band in favor of another, but when a release hits, I'm obligated to go out with that band as much as possible. When April comes around, Goatwhore's tour with Exodus ends, and I'll be heading out with Soilent again."

That April tour, he said, will be a North American run featuring three other bands on the bill. Falgoust said he wasn't at liberty to discuss any details regarding the trek but that all would be revealed in the coming weeks. While fans have been made to wait three years for Inevitable Collapse — which was produced by Erik Rutan (Cannibal Corpse, Vital Remains), who also helmed Conviction — Falgoust said he's sure they'll find it was well worth it.

"Soilent is what Soilent is, but with each record, I think different angles are approached in writing and execution," he explained, saying that the new LP contains elements of the band's previous albums. "The guys [in the band] are really hard on each other about stuff. They'll get to parts in a song where they feel like they're repeating something from a past record, and they'll get into an argument about it, which basically forces us to break away from that mold.

"This record has something new to it — a new edge, I'd say," Falgoust continued. "I don't want to be the guy who says this is our best record yet — all I can say is, when it comes out, you'll just have to check it out, and everyone will have to judge it for themselves. The sound on this record is f---ing amazing; it's just all-out. The guitars sound so sick. I thought Confrontation was awesome, but I think we blew that record out. [This album] sounds ridiculous."

The singer said that, with Inevitable Collapse, Soilent Green wanted to create a guitar lover's wet dream. While some bands focus more on making the drum or vocal parts more prominent on their albums, Soilent wanted the guitars to stand out more.

"The defining feature of a metal band is the guitars — it's what metal is," he explained. "How many records have come out in the last few years that are supposed to be metal, and the guitars are wimpy and low in the mix, and the vocals and drums are overpowering? On a metal record, the guitars are supposed to stand out — and they do on this record. Patton's tone is really good, and Rutan brought that sh-- out. Don't get me wrong — you can hear the drums, and the flow of the bass underneath, and the vocals. But the guitars are just lethal and have that low-end bite to them. It just sounds awesome."

Since Falgoust and the rest of Soilent really wanted the guitars to take center stage, the singer had to take a different approach with his vocal performance on the LP.

"I'm a professional introvert," he confessed. "I deal with people, but in a way, I really don't feel like dealing with people. I like to be by myself. I stay home a lot and watch movies. A lot of the lyrics deal with hatred — I sort of have this obsessive compulsive kind of hatred in me. But before we started working on this record, I'd sing over a good bit of stuff. This time, I sat back and said, 'I think that part needs to flow — no vocals — like a jam part people can get into and have fun with.' Soilent's pretty crazy, but when [a song] gets to that element, where it just rocks out, I thought those parts needed to breathe a little more, so I backed off from smothering them in my vocals. I had to learn the art of actually rocking out to it."

Strangely, Falgoust said an outside force bled into the creative process for him and, in many ways, became an integral part of the entire ordeal.

"I started watching 'Squidbillies,' " an animated series that runs on the Cartoon Network's Adult Swim block. "I became totally addicted to it. Every day at the studio, I would watch one or two episodes, and it became part of the process for me. It was addictive."

The rest of the week's metal news:

Lamb of God frontman Randy Blythe recently checked in with Metal File about the Virginia metallers' next studio effort, which he said they'll embark on this year. "We're going to be writing a new record," he confirmed of the yet-untitled LP, adding that he's going to jet to Japan in February to "kick it with the wife" before putting his nose to the grindstone. "[I'm going to] try and take a deep breath for a few months before we start writing a new record," he said. "I figure we'll start heading into the ... practice space in late March or something." Blythe also pulled back the curtain on a side project, revealing that he's been ganging up with Steve Zing, a founding member of Glenn Danzig's Samhain act. "I saw him and Danzig recently, and I'm going to do something kinda creepy with [Zing]," Blythe said. Adding to what looks to be a busy '08, he added, "I'm working on a lot of different writing projects with different magazines. I'm working on a comic book now as well." Lamb of God recently launched a contest with Sirius Satellite Radio and GarageBand for a contest that asks fans to remix a song from the band's 2006 album, Sacrament. Winners of the contest, which ends February 21, will win a trip to NYC to meet the band at the premiere of its forthcoming, yet-untitled spring DVD. Go here for more info. ...

The long-awaited studio-album reunion between ex-Sepultura and Soulfly frontman Max Cavalera and ex-Sepultura drummer Iggor Cavalera is scheduled for release on March 25. The Cavalera Conspiracy's Inflikted marks the first time the two brothers have recorded together in over 10 years. "Cavalera Conspiracy is about a sense of being released," Max said in a statement. "You bottle [up] a monster for 10 years and then let it out. It's explosive, and we waited a long time for this beast to be set free." The album was recorded in July at Undercity Recordings in North Hollywood, California, and produced by ex-Machine Head guitarist Logan Mader and Lucas Banker of the Dirty Icon production team. Special guests include Down and ex-Pantera bassist Rex Brown, and Max's stepson Richie Cavalera (Incite). A tour is being planned for the spring. ... Testament singer Chuck Billy will perform at the Longest Walk Kickoff Concert on February 9 in Oakland, California. Billy will sing with his brother Andy and Grammy and Native American Music Award winner Star Nayea. The concert is a benefit for Longest Walk 2, a 4,400 mile trek across the U.S. that aims to draw attention to environmental issues. Testament's new album, The Formation of Damnation, comes out April 29. ...

Celtic Frost are putting together an album tentatively titled Monotheist Companion that will feature unreleased songs from 2006's Monotheist sessions and rearrangements of tracks from the album. The disc is scheduled for a summer release. In addition, Demon Entrails, a CD of raw, early-'80s demos by Hellhammer — the band fronted by Celtic singer and guitarist Thomas G. Warrior — comes out February 18. ... Japanese conceptual psychedelic doomsters Boris will release their new full-length album, Smile, April 29. The group will precede the release with a one-off show in New York on March 4. ... New York electro-metal renegades Mindless Self Indulgence will release their new album, If, on April 29. The first single, "Mastermind," will be issued digitally February 12. ...

God Forbid recently reached out to their fans to come up with a good title for the group's upcoming DVD, which is pegged for a May 27 release. After combing through the pile of submissions, the band chose "Beneath the Scars of Glory and Progression," which was submitted by David Cazares of Chino, California. "He made out jobs a lot easier," guitarist Doc Coyle said in a statement. "Maybe we'll have our fans name everything from now on." It's not clear if Cazares will receive some sort of reward for his effort aside from this extra praise from Coyle: "[The name] captured, in a statement, what this DVD really says about God Forbid. The concert and documentary featured on the DVD are positive forces in our band's movement from turbulence to continuous kinetic growth. It deserved a title that illustrated that, with all the bad things that have happened to us, even more good things happened, and we look forward to an even brighter future." God Forbid will enter New Jersey's Trax East Recording Studio later this month with producer Eric Rachel (Atreyu, In This Moment) to work on their sixth studio album. ...

Darkest Hour guitarist Kris Norris played lead guitar on the debut album by Fierce Allegiance, The Meaning of Sacrifice, which was produced by Ken Olden (Damnation AD). The melodic thrash/death-metal band from Washington, D.C., is currently in talks with several labels about releasing the disc. In the meantime, the tracks "No Way Out," "Crime and Passion," "Viking" and "Lost G'neration" can be downloaded on the band's MySpace page. ... Psychedelic stoner band Danava will release their second disc, UnonoU, February 19. The Portland, Oregon, group will support the disc with a North American tour with Acid Mothers Temple that starts March 13 in Los Angeles and runs through April 8 in San Francisco. ... Misery Signals have entered the studio with producer Devin Townsend (Strapping Young Lad, Soilwork) to record the follow-up to their 2006 sophomore disc, Mirrors. "I'm psyched about the new record," singer Karl Shubach said in a statement. "It's got a lot of elements that weren't in last one, a lot of parts that are just heavier with a lot of off-time polyrhythm, like Meshuggah." "This is going to be a record that brings the band to a new level," Townsend said. "The rock will continue to roll in a fastidious way." ...

It's rare for indie-rock icons to have any affinity for heavy metal, but David Pajo is an unusual breed. The former guitarist of Slint and ex-member of Tortoise, Stereolab and Zwan has created the full-on metal band Dead Child with Michael McMahan (the brother of Pajo's ex-Slint bandmate Brian). The group's full-length debut, Attack — which combines elements of doom, thrash and NWOBHM on songs like "Twitch of the Death Nerve," "Battlesnake Chalice" and "Eye to the Brain" — is scheduled for release April 8. ... Our condolences to the family and friends of Gruntruck and Skin Yard singer Ben McMillan, who recently died from diabetes in his Seattle hometown. He was 46. McMillan suffered with the condition for eight years and succumbed to his illness after experiencing complications from a related blood-clotting disease. Skin Yard predated the grunge scene and featured producer Jack Endino on guitar. After the band broke up, McMillan formed Gruntruck with ex-Skin Yard drummer Norman Scott. The group released two albums, 1991's Inside Yours and 1992's Push, before calling it a day.

• Soilent Green
• Lamb of God
• Celtic Frost
• Testament
• God Forbid

At All Cost
Photo: Century Media

When Century Media — home to the likes of Celtic Frost, Napalm Death and Satyricon — signed Austin, Texas, metallers At All Cost back in March, some fans questioned the move. After all, At All Cost aren't typical of what the label has been churning out the last 20 years.

"We're one of the lightest bands on the label, and we've always been one of those bands that were too light for the heavy tours and too heavy for the light tours," frontman Trey Ramirez explained. "I can't even think of a single other Century Media band we should hit the road with, but maybe that's the direction [the label wants] to go — maybe they're branching out."

You see, At All Cost are ... well ... eclectic. The band's recently released LP, Circle of Demons, is teeming with solid melodies, thrash-tastic riffage and the occasional breakdown. But there are poppy, electronic elements to AAC's sound too — and at times, Ramirez employs a vocoder to alter his voice. Standard metal fare, these boys ain't. So, where does the singer see his band fitting in with the rest of metal's current class?

"We're definitely part of the same class, but we don't get called upon that much," he cracked. "We kind of all revel in the fact that we're standing outside the box. It's kind of cool. You either get 100 percent positive attention from people or 100 percent negative. And negative people are easily persuaded. Most naysayers that have come to see our shows have actually come up to us and told us, 'I was totally wrong about you guys.' We like being different.

"We're just eye-openers, man," he continued. "We think that certain genres are stagnant, and we want to change things. Change isn't always necessarily good, unless you do it right, and we're still fine-tuning our sound. But we want other bands to come out and say, 'I know there's supposed to be a breakdown here ...' or, 'I know the song's supposed to fit this formula, but let's try something different. Let's dare to be different.' I think that when you stick to the metalcore formula, you're just so limited in what you can do. When you do something different, you get cheers and you get jeers. But we're in it for ourselves. Honestly. We're not in this to get rich."

At All Cost are comprised of a bunch of college dropouts who work small jobs to make ends meet. The band signed with Century Media after its former label, Combat Records — also home to Horse the Band and Look What I Did — imploded last year. AAC are known for their live sets, but much to their chagrin, they've never been asked to participate in summer festivals like Ozzfest and Sounds of the Underground.

"We've just never had the attitude of spending money to make money," Ramirez explained. "We'll road-dog it as long as we can, until we're invited — as opposed to paying the $75,000 to get on [a major metal tour]. There's no return from doing that, but it's not like we're seeing major returns doing it this way. It never has been about that — we don't mind touring with bands that have a fanbase that don't necessarily like our band. We're in the business of persuading people.

"If you leave our show saying, 'Oh my God, those guys were great — I'm going to go buy that record,' great," he added. "If you leave our show saying, 'What the hell did I just listen to?,' and we some how opened your mind a little bit, that's also equally great. We're in it to win it. It's pure energy when we take that stage, and that's our most fun of the day — that's our time. So, we have to have a blast during that time to make it worthwhile, and I think that transfers over."

Still, that doesn't mean being in At All Cost is easy. In fact, the band is known for its unusually bad luck.

"We've been the victim of multiple thefts," the singer said. "We've had our trailer stolen twice, our van broken into once. Luckily — and I use the term loosely — the trailer was only full of equipment one time. The other time, it was broken into on the side of the road, and then someone stole it. We've lost a couple of babies, let's put it that way."

During the band's recent tour with One Dead Three Wounded, Ramirez got even worse news.

"The first week of that run, I lost my glasses," he said. "Then, when I went to the doctor for replacements, I found out I was legally blind and had glaucoma. Then I got two staph infections — all in the first week. Then I come home from that tour and my dog ate my glasses. Them's the breaks. Sh-- happens to a lot of bands, but sometimes it happens to the same band a lot."

AAC are currently on tour with Vanna and Assacre and will hit the road again this fall with Vanna and Oh, Sleeper.

The rest of the week's metal news:

The Number Twelve Looks Like You will head out next month with At the Throne of Judgment, See You Next Tuesday and I Hate Sally. The trek kicks off September 28 in Kingston, Pennsylvania, and dates are booked through October 20 in Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania. ... Who said Himsa don't have a sense of humor? The Seattle hardcore-metal band recently shot a video for the track "Unleash Carnage" with director Ryan Short (Zeke) that features the members dressed conservatively and playing tennis. "It's really ridiculous," bassist Derek Harn said. "We're having a tennis match and we end up getting in a fight. Rackets are breaking and tennis balls are flying everywhere." The clip will be featured on the band's new e-card and will also be a bonus feature on its upcoming album Summon in Thunder, which comes out September 18. ...

Classic-metal vets Queensrÿche will release an album of cover tunes on November 13. Take Cover will feature a diverse range of songs by U2 ("Bullet the Blue Sky"), the Police ("Synchronicity II"), Pink Floyd ("Welcome to the Machine"), Peter Gabriel ("Red Rain"), Black Sabbath ("Neon Knights") and more. "During soundchecks, [guitarists] [Mike] Stone and Michael [Wilton] like to play 'name that riff,' and sometimes the whole band joins in," singer Geoff Tate said in a statement. "That's really the way this album came together too. We got together and started playing songs to each other, and then we picked our favorites." Queensrÿche will head out on tour with Heaven and Hell and Alice Cooper, starting Wednesday in Binghamton, New York. The tour runs through October 6 and will mark Heaven and Hell's last North American run before the bandmembers separate to fulfill other obligations. ...

Eclectic Ontario, Canada, band Protest the Hero will release their second album, Fortress, on November 13. The 10-song disc was produced by Julius "Juice" Butty (Alexisonfire, Sleeper Set Sail) and recorded at Silo Studios in Hamilton, Ontario. "This album is nothing to be intellectualized," singer Rody Walker said in a release. "I feel it's a very natural progression for us — a natural progression into further obscurity. I am of the belief [that] a lot of the people who work for us were hoping for a stab at a more commercially viable album. However we wrote what we wanted without linear boundaries and created something less commercial than ever. Some fans of the band will hate it. And some people who hate the band will love it. All others can rot." Protest the Hero will open for Shadows Fall and All That Remains for a handful of shows from September 11 in Portland, Maine, through September 16 in West Springfield, Virginia. After that, they'll be on the road with ATR, the Acacia Strain and Too Pure to Die through an October 10 show in Raleigh, North Carolina. The latter band just signed to Trustkill and will release its sophomore record in summer 2008. The album will mark the debut of new singer Paul Zurlo (ex-Beyond All Reason). Too Pure to Die's debut, Confidence and Consequence, came out in November. ...

The not-so-tastefully titled Pull the Trigger tour will feature Suicide Silence, Despised Icon, Winds of Plague and See You Next Tuesday and launch September 2 in San Antonio. Dates run through September 26 in Worcester, Massachusetts. ... Speaking of Despised Icon, the Montreal deathcore group recently shot a video for "Furtive Monologue" from its second album, Ills of Modern Man, which came out in May. Singer Alex Erian described it as "our darkest video yet. ... We're confident it'll f---ing slay." ... Georgian hardcore-metal band Norma Jean will launch a U.S. tour with Saosin and Alexisonfire on September 28 in Seattle. Dates run through November 7 in New York. ...

God Forbid will reissue their first two releases as a single disc on November 6. The CD will contain the band's 1998 EP, Out of Misery, and its 1999 album, Reject the Sickness. "I think Reject the Sickness is a classic in the metalcore genre that never really had its due," guitarist Doc Coyle said in a statement. "And Out of Misery really gives true God Forbid fans a raw look at the foundation where the band was birthed. For all those who've been bitching about the rarity of these albums, please enjoy." ... Progressive Woodstock, New York, metal band 3 will open for the Scorpions for a month of North American dates, starting September 9 in Edmonton, Alberta, and running through September 29 in Boston. ... Technical metal/hardcore/reggae legends Bad Brains have announced four West Coast shows in September to support their recently released album, Build a Nation: September 22 (San Diego); September 24 (San Francisco); September 25 (Anaheim, California); and September 26 (Los Angeles).

• At All Cost
• Himsa
• God Forbid

Into Eternity
Photo: Century Media

One recent morning while on Gigantour 2006, Stu Block realized he's got it pretty good. The frontman's band, Canadian melodic death-metallers Into Eternity, were on the road with the second annual installment of Dave Mustaine's traveling circus of brutality, which also features Megadeth, Opeth, Lamb of God and Arch Enemy. Every night, Block went to sleep on his band's tour bus with a stomach full of catered gourmet cuisine.

"It was like, 'Man, it can only go downhill from here,' " Block joked. "The Nevermore guys," who were on the first Gigantour in 2005, "told us it was an amazing experience, especially the catering. And it was amazing. How can you complain about going out with Megadeth and all these other awesome bands, doing arenas with catering? It was a super wicked experience on all levels."

Gigantour, which wrapped October 8 in Orlando, Florida, also helped Into Eternity get the word out about The Scattering of Ashes, their fourth, recently released LP. While Into Eternity have no additional touring plans at the moment, Block said it's possible they'll hit the road with Nevermore and Scar Symmetry in early 2007. Either way, next year will bring nonstop touring for the guys — or at least they hope.

"We'd love to be on Ozzfest, but we haven't taken steps towards getting on it yet," he said. "It would be a great opportunity for us, and it was so cool seeing [fellow Canucks] Strapping Young Lad on it last year. I was so stoked, because I have known those guys since day one, and it was a great thing for them. At this point, it's just a pipe dream [for us]. But who knows? These things sometimes come true. All I will say is ... we'd be more than happy to do it, for sure."

With Scattering — the first album to feature Block on vocals — in stores, and Into Eternity fresh from Gigantour, Ozzfest might be a perfect fit for them. And the album is a punishing triumph, considering the rapid-fire pace under which it was recorded.

"We did have a time restriction, so for a couple of songs, I'd go into the studio and I'd never even heard these tracks before, but I had to lay vocals over it," Block recalled. "It almost seemed more natural, and it was really good because I could do things on the fly and it was working, and we could get really creative with it. The main goal for us was to put together a record ... that could be reproduced live. Some of the older material is so complex, the material would sound just less full. On this record, we wanted to go more aggressive and stick to two-part vocal harmonies on the choruses and some of the verses in a couple of the songs that [guitarist] Tim [Roth] and I do. We just went into it with a real open mind."

While on the Gigantour, Block and the rest of Into Eternity forged close bonds with most of the bands on the bill — but walked away from the trek with a genuine friend in Lamb of God guitarist Will Adler. "At one point, while we were in the Midwest, he dressed up like Dave Mustaine and was walking around backstage with a red wig on, a house coat and a glass of wine," he said. "He was just acting like Dave and meeting people as Dave. It was hilarious. But then it would dawn on these people that he wasn't Dave, and they'd be like, 'Who the hell are you?' Will's just a funny guy. He has a tattoo on his stomach of a plate of chicken, grits and cornbread in gravy, so that whenever he's in a foreign country, he just has to point to his stomach when he wants to order food."

Next month, Into Eternity's video for "Severe Emotional Distress" will make its debut on MTV2's "Headbangers Ball." Directed by Kevin Wildt (Napalm Death, the Warriors), the clip features a gorgeous woman amid a complex and disturbing story line. While half the clip is just the band rockin' out in a bedroom, the rest of it focuses on "this girl and her mother, and they're going through lots of problems, and she has scars on her arms from cutting herself," Block explained. "The premise is self-mutilation as a means to relieve pain from their lives, and it's a very powerful song and an even more powerful video."

The rest of the week's metal news:

Machine Head frontman Robert Flynn spoke out recently about his band's forthcoming LP, The Blackening, which is being eyed for a spring release. "This is the most ambitious thing we have ever attempted," he said. "We all challenged ourselves and each other to write a record that pushed the boundaries of complexity and technical structure. The nature of what is happening in the world led to a darker, bleaker album in every sense." Look for the effort to feature "Clenching the Fists of Dissent," "Now I Lay Thee Down" and "Slanderous." The disc will also boast a tune called "Aesthetics of Hate," which attacks the author of an article about slain Pantera guitarist "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott's murder in which he bashed the metal community. ... According to Strapping Young Lad drummer Gene Hoglan, the band is "on this extended hiatus, and by 'extended' I mean we'll get back together if the time is right. It could be a few months or a year, or it could be never. I sure as f--- don't know. It ain't up to me. So don't ask." Hoglan also revealed that frontman Devin Townsend and his wife, Tracy, welcomed their first child recently. "He's an adorable-lookin' little boy. ... Dev is looking at his son like he's a bomb. The look on Dev's face! Man, oh man." ...

Chicago band Novembers Doom will issue The Novella Reservoir February 20. The follow-up to 2005's The Pale Haunt Departure will feature eight tracks, including "Drown the Inland Mere," "Twilight Innocence" and "Dominate the Human Strain." Frontman Paul Kuhr said the album's a "natural progression" for Novembers Doom. "This time we took a step forward in speed and aggression, while maintaining the same sound we've had over all six CDs." ... God Forbid, Goatwhore, Mnemic, Scar Symmetry and the Human Abstract will hit the road together for a North American trek that starts January 6 in Bedford, New Hampshire. As of right now, the tour runs through February 11 in Springfield, Virginia, but more dates will be announced as they're confirmed. ... Light This City, Through the Eyes of the Dead, the Acacia Strain and From a Second Story Window will launch a U.S. run starting November 16 in Richmond, Virginia. Dates are booked through December 17 in Wilmington, North Carolina. ...

If Hope Dies have decided to go on hiatus upon the advent of 2007. A statement released by the band claims "we are going on an indefinite hiatus after December. Some of our hearts just haven't been into this lately, and why keep touring if we're not going to give it our all every night? We have already talked about the future and recording another album, which we all agreed we want to do eventually." Several of the bandmembers have been working together on a "rock" project that should start touring in the coming months. They're also in need of a singer, so stop by If Hope Dies' MySpace page to learn more about auditioning for the new project. ... Norwegian symphonic black-metallers Dimmu Borgir have begun working with producer Fredrik Nordström (At the Gates, Soilwork) on their forthcoming LP, which will hit stores early next year. "We expect it to sound nothing less than grandiose once this beast is finished," guitarist Silenoz said in a statement. While the band has settled on a title for the effort, "we're not gonna announce it until the time is right." ... Montreal's Neuraxis have added guitarist Will Seghers to the fold. Seghers had just been the band's live guitarist, but "he is a very good guitar player" and "personally, we get along well and he's easy to work with," read a statement from the band. Neuraxis hope to begin working on new material with their newest member soon. ... The Nightmare Before Christmas fest will take place December 17 at Club Sonar in Baltimore. So far the festival's organizers have lined up Napalm Death, Skinless, Arsis, Dead to Fall, Animosity, Ion Dissonance, the Faceless and A Life Once Lost for the bill. ...

Municipal Waste, Destruction and Sadus will hit the road together in January. The trek launches in Seattle on January 20, and dates have been booked through February 17 in Hollywood. ... Vital Remains have once again recruited Deicide singer Glen Benton to sing on their upcoming album. The band is currently finishing writing songs and plans to enter the Mana Recording Studios with producer Erik Rutan (Cannibal Corpse, Goatwhore) in early 2007. "The place is so nice, and the gear they have is awesome," guitarist Tony Lazaro said. "There's not enough holy water to wash away the mess we are going to make." Benton worked with Vital Remains on 2003's Dechristianize after the departure of short-term singer Thorn. ... Following eight years in the trenches, Baltimore metalcore band Swarm of the Lotus have called it a day. "After [a long] struggle to even exist, I have come to the realization that it has always been somewhat of a broken project trying desperately to push forward," frontman Pete Maturi said on the band's Web site. "To try and maintain constant motivation and confidence that in the end everything will work out just fine can be taxing and finally started to affect me." The band's final performance was Wednesday in its hometown. Swarm of the Lotus' last album was 2005's The Silence of Sirens. ...

Prosthetic Records recently made ringtones available for some of its biggest artists. Fans can log on here and purchase songs by the Acacia Strain, Burn in Silence, Cannae, Light This City, Through the Eyes of the Dead and others for $1.99 per tone. ... Society One frontman and established pornographer Matt Zane recently directed the video for Abysmal Dawn's "Crown Desire." The clip features Lizzy Borden (a.k.a Janet Romano), who is the co-owner of the adult-film company Extreme Associates. The video can be viewed here, and you don't even have to be 18 to see it. ... Bilingual Latino metal six-piece Ill Niño will release The Under Cover Sessions EP on Tuesday. The disc, which is limited to 20,000 copies, will include covers of Peter Gabriel's "Red Rain," Nirvana's "Territorial Pissings," Faith No More's "Zombie Eaters" and the new original "Arrastra." "We wanted to bring an awareness of the importance of these artists to today's generation," Chavarri said. "We feel we've captured the artistry and originality of these songs by adding the Ill Niño Latin flavor." ... Crowbar will release the DVD "Live: With Full Force" on January 23. The video was shot at the Full Force Festival in Germany. Tracks include "Self-Inflicted," "I Am Forever," "The Lasting Dose" and "Burn Your World."

• The Great Metal Debate

• Into Eternity
• God Forbid
• Strapping Young Lad

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

Motörhead's Lemmy Kilmister (file)
Photo: Louise Wilson/Getty Images

Can there ever be too much metal in one's life? Well, that depends. When that metal is served up with foul language and eventually tops out at an ear-splitting 100 decibels — setting off feline vomiting — perhaps. That was enough for the peaceful denizens of Pinellas Park, Florida, to call for an end to metal concerts.

Hard music befell the otherwise tranquil settlement of Pinellas Park for the first — and last — time on October 1, with the appearance of Hatebreed, Meshuggah, Devildriver, God Forbid and Motörhead for the appropriately monikered Hellraiser's Ball, staged in the placid suburb's Town Square Plaza Park. But Pinellas Park was apparently ill-prepared for such a brutal dose of metal and, according to the St. Petersburg Times, has opted to quash all prospects for additional metal concerts in the town for the foreseeable future.

And all it took was five e-mails, five telephone calls and a sick cat to provoke that decision from local politicians.

An estimated 3,500 people turned out for the Hellraiser's Ball, which began at 11 a.m. and raged until 10 p.m., the Times reports. But it wasn't the sheer volume of the gig that prompted Pinellas Park residents to complain — it was what they'd heard between the bands' songs that set them off.

"No, we won't be doing that type of event again," Pinellas Park spokesperson Tim Caddell told the paper this week. "As soon as [the music would] stop, [the performers on stage would] go, 'F---!' You could hear that clear as anything, all the way through town. It was clear, I've got to admit. I heard every single one of them."

One town resident who e-mailed a complaint noted that he could forgive the concert's earth-rattling din, but "the strong language that was used ... Even several blocks away it was very clear what was being said."

Pinellas Park police, who made a single arrest during the event on charges of trespass after a warning, disorderly conduct and resisting arrest without violence, measured the concert's noise level throughout the day. According to the Times, the sound ranged from 92 to 118 decibels — the latter surpassing noise levels typical of jet takeoffs. Pinellas Park's zoning code defines allowable noise levels as 72 decibels during the day and up to 55 at night.

Most complaints were lodged by folks who, admittedly, weren't fans of the genre. One called the event "a horrible nerve-grating racket. The repetitive screaming through the microphone and the incessant drumming was not to be believed."

The same resident claimed her cat was "so upset" by the music, the animal "actually vomited."

When asked whether it was the cat's hurling that delivered the final blow to metal in Pinellas Park, Caddell explained to the Times that the town is "an animal-loving community, [so] when poor, defenseless animals get sick ..." His voice then trailed off.

• Hatebreed
• Meshuggah
• DevilDriver
• God Forbid

God Forbid
Photo: Century Media

When God Forbid started writing what would become their third album, the socially and politically charged IV: Constitution of Treason, they weren't intending to make a concept album. It just sort of happened.

"The concept was written to the material, as opposed to the other way around — having a story serve as the basis for the lyrics," said Doc Coyle, one of the New Jersey death-metal collective's guitarists. "We put the songs together in the order that we thought made sense musically, and I started to see all of these recurring themes. It started to make sense to me. So I decided to write a story that I think ties the entire album together and gives it a little more potency. Really, it gives people something to think about."

Inspired by the album title — which, according to Coyle, was itself inspired by "apathy in this country amongst the social ranks" — the three-chapter narrative is set in a world ravaged by nuclear war. "It's a post-apocalyptic story, similar to 'Mad Max' I guess," Coyle said. "Society's destroyed, and it's down to just a few people, and these people work to start rebuilding under this sort of religious oppressiveness. A leader emerges amongst the people to try and destroy this religious persecution and force more freedoms."

Eventually that leader's killed, crippling the wheels of change and stunting the revolution. "But life carries on as normal, society's eventually rebuilt, but it's almost worse than it is now," the axeman revealed. "It's all about learning from your mistakes."

Constitution's theme will even factor into the video for "Chains of Humanity," the first single off the album, produced by Jason Suecof (Trivium) and Eric Rachel (Atreyu, Dillinger Escape Plan). But don't expect any "Thunderdome" action. "We couldn't have a nuclear war in our video, or no one would play it," Coyle said. But the video, shot last month with director Eric Shamlin, will feature performance footage of God Forbid — rounded it by vocalist Byron Davis; Doc's bro, guitarist Dallas Coyle; bassist John "Beeker" Outcalt; and drummer Corey Pierce — with digitized apocalyptic elements serving as the grim backdrop.

God Forbid expect to spend the next year gigging. They'll be hitting the road this fall with Meshuggah, the Haunted and Mnemic, but would like to hop on at least one big tour in the near future.

"We'd love to go out with like a System of a Down, a Tool, just to expose ourselves to a more eclectic audience. This band touring with a band like System makes sense because they're a band we look up to, just being that they're a minority band, a politically conscious band," said Coyle, who is one of God Forbid's four black members. "We find a lot of parallels in that. If they can be successful, then so can we."

IV: Constitution of Treason, which will also be available in DualDisc form with a making-of documentary, hits stores September 20.

The rest of the week's metal news:

The Black Dahlia Murder, Between the Buried and Me, Cephalic Carnage and Into the Moat will hit the road this fall for a U.S. tour starting September 23 in Buffalo, New York. The first 18 dates of the trek have been announced and run through October 14 in Tempe, Arizona; additional dates are expected in the coming weeks. ... Norwegian black metallers Mayhem will release Ordo Ab Chao late this year or early next through Season of Mist; it will be the band's first LP featuring vocalist Attila Csihar since 1993's De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas. ... The Red Chord will shoot a video for Clients track "Black Santa" with director Dale Resteghini (Throwdown, Darkest Hour) sometime next month. The band's tour with Every Time I Die, High on Fire and the Chariot kicks off September 7 in Poughkeepsie, New York, and runs through October 7 in Rochester, New York. ... Corrosion of Conformity will serve as the opening act on the first leg of this fall's Jägermeister Tour, headlined by Disturbed. A rundown of dates is expected next week. ...

Oakland gorecore band Impaled have conjured a video for "Preservation of Death" from their latest album, Death After Life. The black-and-white clip, for which they allegedly unearthed footage shot in the '20s at the infamous St. Julien's Medical University, depicts the musicians as characters in an instructional silent film about inhumane medical experiments. The curious and foolhardy can experience the carnage here. ... Gothic metal band the Gathering will release the double DVD "A Sound Relief" on October 25. The package will include a concert recorded in Amsterdam last May, a documentary of the band and 3-D animated videos. ... British grindcore pioneers Napalm Death have shot a video for "The Silence is Deafening" from their latest album The Code Is Red ... Long Live the Code, which came out in April. The video was directed by Roger Johansson (Dark Tranquility, In Flames) and depicts political turmoil, cable-news screens and the band playing against a white backdrop. Check it out here. Napalm Death will tour with Obituary and Dead to Fall from September 1 in West Springfield, Virginia, through September 18 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. ... Dynamic underground-metal band Burst will release their next album, Origo, in early 2006. The follow up to 2003's Prey on Life was recorded at Gothenburg's Music-A-Matic Studios with producer Fredrik Reinedahl. ...

Norwegian black metalists 1349 will release their third album, Hellfire, on October 4. The disc was recorded in Hagen, Norway, and includes "I Am Abomination," "Nathicana" and "Sculptor of Flesh." ... Boston hardcore band the Unseen will launch a tour on September 7 in Buffalo, New York, with dates running through October 16 in Boston. The band's fifth album, State of Discontent, was released in May. ... Buffalo-based outfit Herod will take their new power- and thrash-metal stylings into the studio next month to record Rich Man's War with producer Doug White. The record is tentatively scheduled for release in January 2006. ... Swedish black-metal purists Dark Funeral will release their next album, Attera Totus Sanctus, on November 29. The disc was produced by Daniel Bergstrand and includes "666 Voices Inside," "King Antichrist" and "Angel Flesh Impaled." ... Parallax frontman Blake Donner was killed last week with three friends when they tried to swim to an underground chamber inside a Utah cave via an underwater passageway. Parallax had been working on the band's debut LP, which will still be released through Counterintelligence Recordings. There is no word on when the disc may surface. Donner was 24.

• God Forbid
• Dark Funeral
• Napalm Death
• The Unseen

New England Metal & Hardcore Fest: The Visuals

• The Black Dahlia Murder
• Overcast
• Lacuna Coil
• Dragonforce
• God Forbid