Into Eternity
Photo: Century Media

For months, Tim Roth just couldn't sleep.

The guitarist for Canadian metal outfit Into Eternity would sit up at night — an acoustic guitar nestled in his arms — thinking about his two best friends, brothers Dave and Danny Stephenson. He'd sit there and conceive riffs. He'd write melodies and craft entire songs. It was his only release.

"It was very therapeutic for me," Roth said of the material he wrote for the band's fifth LP, The Incurable Tragedy, which was released last week. "For me, music is just an art form by which I can express myself. Looking back, I can see that it does seem kind of crazy, what I did."

Roth's whole world was upended by tragedy last year, when his two best friends — and roommates — both developed a rare form of stomach cancer. The disease claimed 36-year-old Dave's life on September 21, 2006, and claimed 34-year-old Danny's life little more than a month later.

"It was the worst time of my life, no question," Roth explained. "We're the type of band that always writes about real things. We don't write about demons or wizards but things that are happening in our lives, and that was obviously something we had to write about. I couldn't imagine writing about anything else."

The band decided that the riffs, melodies and material Roth had written in the wake of his friends' passing would be used to assemble The Incurable Tragedy and that the lyrics would be conceptual in nature. They'd focus on a man's struggle with cancer and, in essence, serve as a tribute to the Stephensons, who'd often join the band on tour and sell Into Eternity's merch.

"So I was writing the album, and my dad comes up to me and says, 'I have cancer now,' " Roth recalled. "Here we are, writing a concept record about cancer, and then, for that to happen while I'm writing it — for my dad to go through the exact same thing and die [nine days before Christmas] — was just unbelievable. Bad things happen in threes, I guess."

Surprisingly, The Incurable Tragedy isn't an angry album. If anything, it's a depressing one, and Roth admits as much. "There's one song about rage, specifically, but overall, it's more depressing," the guitarist said. "It's more about loss, but the melodies are still there. You can still sing along to them — you just may be in tears afterward."

Into Eternity, who begin a U.S. tour with Iced Earth and Saviours on September 21 in Detroit, employed piano and acoustic guitar for the first time on The Incurable Tragedy, which may shock some of the band's longtime fans. Roth also thinks fans will be surprised by how blunt the lyrics are. But the album wasn't designed to convey a message — it was supposed to help Roth heal.

That plan backfired, because now, Roth said he's reminded of all the pain he'd endured on an almost-daily basis.

"I never thought, 'OK, now I'll have to play these songs every night, and I'll be doing press and talking about it,' " he said. "At the time, I wasn't thinking of anything. Looking back on it now, I probably should have kept things private."

The rest of the week's metal news:

During last weekend's Carcass reunion gig in New York, death-metal outfit Suffocation gave fans a preview of their forthcoming LP, Blood Oath. The band played a new song from the effort, called "Mental Hemorrhage," and if that track is any indication, Blood Oath is going to be a monster. ... The reunited Earth Crisis have inked a deal with Century Media, which will be releasing the band's forthcoming self-produced LP. The band will begin tracking that effort next month, with Tue Madsen (the Haunted, Sick of It All) behind the boards. ...

Abigail Williams, Neuraxis, the Faceless, Decrepit Birth and Veil of Maya will be hitting the road next month for an extensive North American tour. The trek kicks off in Anaheim, California, on October 17, and dates are booked through November 22 in San Diego. ... New York metallers the Red Death have called it quits, as their members pursue different projects and pursuits. But before they put the band to bed for good, they'll be playing a trio of New York gigs — the first is set for September 13 in Binghamton, another scheduled for September 27 in Watertown, and the last is slated for Halloween night in Bath. ...

Every Time I Die, the Bronx and Stick to Your Guns will be hitting the road together in November. That tour will commence November 1 in Quebec City, Quebec, and dates are scheduled through November 23 in Syracuse. ... Fear Before the March of Flames decided to change their name; What to, you wonder? Well, oddly, they've renamed themselves Fear Before and are planning to release a self-titled album October 28. Guitarist Adam Fisher said they've changed the name of the band because, "In so many ways, we're a new band." Fear Before, huh? Yeah, that's a much better name, guys. ...

Swedish melodic-death-metal act Scar Symmetry parted ways with vocalist Christian Älvestam. "The reasons are mainly the clichéd 'business and creative differences' and lack of interpersonal chemistry," the band said in a statement. "We came to a point where the band's existence was in jeopardy because of these differences, and the only way for us to continue with an inspired state of mind was to go through with this change in the lineup." The band plans to reveal the name of its new frontman soon. In the meantime, Älvestam had this to say about the move: "After discussions between us in the band, I'm sad to say we've decided to part ways — mainly, for reasons of different outlooks on musical production and touring." ...

Bone Gnawer have signed with Pulverised Records, which will issue the band's next album. The group is currently working on that effort. Those unfamiliar with the band can check out their MySpace page. ... Necrodeath have added guitarist Pier Gonella to their ranks. He's been touring with the band the last two years but was only recently made an official member. Meanwhile, the band is now down a bassist with the departure of John (apparently dude doesn't have a last name). John is said to have left for "personal reasons," and his replacement will be announced soon.

• Into Eternity

The Number 12 Looks Like You
Photo: Eyeball Records

It's impossible to compartmentalize a band as chaotic as the Number Twelve Looks Like You.

Hailing from the tainted soil of New Jersey's Bergen County, the frenzied six-piece — the masterminds behind Mongrel, which lands in stores June 19 — meld elements of extreme metal, death metal, jazz, grindcore and hardcore to create an unclassifiable sound that's poles apart from other bands'. And singer Jesse Korman says that's just the point.

"We don't want to sound like anybody else," he explained. "We stepped it up to the point where we've killed everything we've ever done previously, while a lot of bands that started out heavier have seemed to be going more melodic and easier on crowds — at least that's the trend. It seems to be the path a lot of these heavy bands are going these days, and we didn't want our fans to be like, 'Oh no, it's all just going to be melodic.' We wanted to make sure we really kicked some ass [on Mongrel]. I don't know where we fit in, genre-wise, but this record's definitely something you've never heard before. On top of being incredibly heavy, there's stuff in there that's just the catchiest stuff I've heard in so long."

The Number Twelve Looks Like You, who worked on Mongrel with producer Casey Bates (Heavy Heavy Low Low, Gatsby's American Dream) over a four-month period in Seattle, have attracted a wide array of fans since their formation in 2003. Lovers of many rock subcategories — including emo, metal, punk and hardcore — have fallen under the band's spell. And TNTLLY's fanbase is sure to swell this summer, as the band has been named as one of the acts for the third annual Sounds of the Underground Tour, along with Gwar, Shadows Fall, Chimaira and others.

"It's always funny to us, when we pull up to a show," Korman said. "We love looking forward to seeing who's going to show up, because we can never, ever figure out our fanbase — and when we think we have, we're just so wrong. It's a mutt of a crowd, but you never want to hold yourself back from more fans."

While there's no thematic link between the Mongrel and the LP artwork, Korman said the cover features a humanoid creature that suffers from schizophrenia and that it embodies the unruliness of the music.

"We tried to make every song as different as possible, so the whole theme behind the album is mongrel," he said of the album, which features 10 tracks in all, including "Jay Walking Backwards," "Alright, I Admit It ... It Was a Whore House" and "Paper Weight Pigs." "You can't really define what a 'mongrel' is — it's just a crazy mutt — and all of our songs are just all over the place. We wanted this album to be just complete chaos, with no direction at all. And I think people will be surprised that the songs are actually good. Musically, we've really touched upon some genres that have absolutely nothing to do with our scene at all. And it works, somehow."

Fans can catch the Number Twelve on the road with Horse the Band through Thursday in San Francisco.

The rest of the week's metal news:

Norwegian quartet Winds have finished mixing their fourth album, Prominence and Demise, which is scheduled for release later this year. The album is the follow-up to 2004's The Imaginary Direction of Time and features guest appearances by Dan Swanö (Edge of Sanity), Agnete M. Kirkevaag (Madder Mortem), Lars Nedland (Solefald) and Øystein Moe. ... Finnish folk-metal band Finntroll will release their next album, Ur Jordens Djup, Tuesday. The album was produced by Nino Laurenne at Sonic Pump Studios in Helsinki, Finland, and includes "Grynyng," "En Maktig Har," "Ormhaxan" and "Korpens Saga." The latter has been posted on their MySpace Page, and they'll release a video for the song in the coming weeks. ...

Still Remains have been added to this year's Warped tour. The band has spent the last 10 months writing and rehearsing their second studio album, The Serpent, and started recording the disc at a Los Angeles studio with producer Steve Evetts (Saves the Day, He Is Legend) on January 21. ... The third album by experimental grindcore band Pig Destroyer, Phantom Limb, is scheduled for release June 12. The disc, three years in the making, was recorded at Rockville, Maryland's Omega Studios, where Bad Brains previously recorded. Baroness singer John Baizley created the artwork. A series of East Coast record-release shows are currently being planned. ... Speaking of Baroness, the Savannah, Georgia, psychedelic-metal band has entered Jam Room studio in Columbia, South Carolina to record 10 tracks for their upcoming album. Kylesa guitarist Phillip Cope is producing. ...

High on Fire are scheduled to enter a Seattle studio in May with producer Jack Endino (Nirvana, Soundgarden) to record their fourth album. The yet-untitled disc is tentatively scheduled for release in September and will be accompanied by a headlining tour. ... Into Eternity have been handpicked by Dream Theater to open their monthlong summer U.S. tour. Dates have been announced from July 27 in Los Angeles through August 21 in Boston, and additional shows are forthcoming. "We are blown away to be going on tour with Dream Theater," guitarist/singer Tim Roth said in a press release. "There would be no Into Eternity without Dream Theater's influence on our music. The progressive sound that we have comes directly from them." Redemption, which features Fates Warning singer Ray Alder, are also on the bill. ...

Sludgy metal duo Jucifer will launch their spring tour Sunday in Lansing, Michigan. Dates are scheduled through June 22 in Johnson City, Tennessee. The group recently shot a video for "Hennin Hardine" with director Marc Pilvinsky of Bare Ruined Films. The clip is scheduled to go to video markets in the days ahead. Pilvinsky also shot the band's recent "Pontius of Palia" video. ... North Carolina's doom-metal outcasts Weedeater have signed to Southern Lord, which will release their next album, Good Luck and God Speed, this summer. The disc was recorded in January and February and produced by Steve Albini at Chicago's Electrical Audio Studios. The album has taken the band a while; Weedeater have long been under the watchful eye of the Lord, which placed them on the Southern Lord South by Southwest showcase in 2003 and featured them on the compilation Let There Be Doom in 2004. Weedeater launch a tour today in Raleigh, North Carolina, that runs through May 30 in Atlanta.

• The Number Twelve Looks Like You
• Still Remains
• Bad Brains
• High On Fire
• Into Eternity

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

Mastodon (file)
Photo: Relapse

When Lamb of God jumped from an indie to Epic Records a couple of years back, the results were mixed; Ashes of the Wake sounded somewhat watered-down, and inevitably, major-label influence was believed to be the culprit. But prog-metallers Mastodon — who became the latest addition to the Warner Bros. kith last month — claim they'll be different.

"It's a big step for a band like us that doesn't really have any radio hits or ... any plans to write any radio hits or anything like that," drummer Brann Dailor explained.

"We wanted to make sure that [Warner Bros.] knew that," guitarist Bill Kelliher added. "We told them, 'We're not going to change into a Backstreet Boys or anything like that.' We're not going to change our sound. If it ain't broke, don't fix it."

Mastodon say three major labels battled over them for more than six months. Dailor said they've already started working on new material for their Warner Bros. debut, which will actually be a joint release with Relapse, the indie imprint that issued the band's critically hailed Leviathan and Remission.

"Relapse feels more like a home, and it feels like we're flying the coop, so to speak," Dailor said, "but it was the logical next step. If we don't take the chance, what are we going to do?"

The band's been compiling footage for an in-the-works DVD for the past year, but its main focus right now is a prized spot on this summer's Ozzfest. Mastodon plan to write material while on tour and hit the studio in early fall.

Dailor said Mastodon will play three Ozzfest off-dates with Iron Maiden and a slew of others with Rob Zombie. A concrete list of those dates could come as early as next week.

"I'm looking forward to those Zombie shows as much as those Ozzfest shows," singer/bassist Troy Sanders said. "That's a no-brainer, because [those shows] will be [sold out] five minutes before tickets go on sale. That should have really good energy."

The rest of this week's metal news:

Hate Eternal — which features ex-Morbid Angel guitarist Erik Rutan — will release their third album, I, Monarch, June 28. Tracks include "Two Demons," "Behold Judas" and "To Know Our Enemies." The band will launch a North American tour with Krisiun, Incantation, Into Eternity and All Shall Perish on June 16 in West Springfield, Virginia. Dates run through July 23 in Tampa, Florida. ... Cephalic Carnage just completed a video for "Dying Will Be the Death of Me" with director Darren Doane (Deftones, Nile). In the clip, the band kidnaps a mall brat and gives him a lesson in unbridled metal. The song's from the band's fourth album, Anomalies. Cephalic will launch a North American tour with Suffocation, Cryptopsy and Aborted on October 6 in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and wind down at BB King's Blues Club in New York on November 7. ...

New Jersey thrashers God Forbid will play a benefit concert on June 4 at the Wayne Firehouse in Wayne, New Jersey. Proceeds from the gig will support their friend Frank Piegaro, former guitarist for the Degenerics and Ensign. Piegaro has been battling a rare skin disease for several years, and money raised during the show will help fund his recovery. Nora, the Number Twelve Looks Like You, Fanshen and Hot Cross will also perform; tickets are priced at $15. ... Founding Exodus drummer Tom Hunting has been forced to leave the veteran thrash band because of a serious but undisclosed illness, which has required several hospital stays over the past two months. In a post on their Web site, Exodus write that Hunting's ailment is not drug-related, and that he kicked his addiction more than a year ago. The band has recruited ex-Slayer/Forbidden drummer Paul Bostaph to replace him and is currently working on a new record due in September. ...

In Flames' main man, Anders Fridén, announced on the band's Web site that its forthcoming album will be titled Crawl Through Knives. The disc will feature 13 tracks, including "Dead End," "Reflect the Storm" and "Take This Life." ... Peter "Peavey" Wagner, singer for '80s German power-metal band Rage, suffered a broken elbow last week when he was hit by a car while riding his bicycle. He underwent a two-hour operation to repair the broken bones and will remain in a splint for six to eight weeks and then undergo intensive physiotherapy. He hopes to return to the stage in time for the band's June 4 show at the Tradate Iron Fest in Tradate, Italy. ... Glenn Danzig is organizing his own summer metal festival (think of it as Ozzfest lite). At this point, it appears that all Danzig's solidified is the name: the Blackest of the Black. All-important details like the lineup and dates are still being ironed out. ...

Tucson, Arizona, metalcore rookies the Bled have Found in the Flood set for a late summer/ early fall release through Vagrant. Tracks will include "Gutter Shark," "Listen for the Flood," "Daylight Bombings" and "I Don't Keep With Liars Anymore." ... Canadian muscleman Thor will release his seventh studio album, Thor Against the World, July 12. Recorded in Los Angeles in April and May 2004, the album includes "Megaton Man," "Creature Feature" and "Serpent's Kiss." Before testing his mettle with heavy metal, Thor was a professional bodybuilder and was elected both Mr. Canada and Mr. U.S.A. ... Seattle power-metal band Nevermore will release their seventh album, This Godless Endeavor, July 26. Produced by Andy Sneap (Arch Enemy, Opeth), the LP features the recording debut of Steve Smyth, who previously acted as the group's second guitarist in concert and was a member of Testament before that. Nevermore will travel this summer as part of Megadeth frontman Dave Mustaine's Gigantour, which will also feature Megadeth, Dream Theater, Fear Factory and Dillinger Escape Plan. ...

English power-prog gods Biomechanical will release their second disc, The Empires of the Worlds, June 28. Tracks include "Enemy Within," "Assaulter" and the four-part epic "Absolution." ... New Jersey metalcore outfit SoIHadtoShootHim have entered Atomic Studios in Brooklyn to work on their first record, Alpha Males and Popular Girls, due November 22. ... Maryland's Recourse will issue their first disc, Weakening the Structure, on July 12. The album was produced by Dying Fetus singer/guitarist John Gallagher. ... Denver's Fear Before the March of Flames have joined the Sounds of the Underground tour, which launches June 25 in Lowell, Massachusetts. ... Sydney, Australia, metal band Daysend will launch their first U.S. tour May 12 in Pomona, California, and wind down June 25 in Detroit. All dates also feature Otep, Gizmachi and Devilinside. ...

A DVD of 2004's Metalmania festival, one of the biggest headbanging soirees in Eastern Europe, will be released June 21. The disc includes performances by Soulfly, Moonspell, Tiamat, the Michael Schenker Group, Enslaved and Krisiun. ... Some Girls, a San Diego underground ensemble featuring members of the Locust, the Plot to Blow up the Eiffel Tower, Give up the Ghost and Unbroken, have signed to Epitaph. The band will release an LP this fall. ... Ex-Kyuss bassist Scott Reeder has joined Butcher. The group's debut, Auricle, comes out in June. Reeder also recently finished producing an album by the Whores of Tijuana. ... Floridian hardcore crew Remembering Never's been busy writing God Save Us, which will be released early next year through Carl Severson's Ferret Records. ... Finnish thrashers Am I Blood have signed with A1 Metal LTD. The band just put the finishing touches on its long-awaited new disc, The Truth Inside the Dying Sun, slated for a late summer release. ...

• Mastodon
• The Bled
• Cephalic Carnage
• Thor
• Glenn Danzig