Es decir, vamos chicos: Maiden es genial. Acaso solo Ozzy o Metallica pueden disputarles el trono del heavy metal universal. Y ya tienen su propio documental a pura debacle metalera.

Producido por Banger Productions, los canadienses que ya hicieron cosas geniales como "Global Metal" o "Headbanger's Journey", "Flight 666" es la crónica loca del Somewhere Back In Time Tour, que los trajo a América Latina en marzo pasado.

Lo puedes ver a Dickinson piloteando el Boeing 757 del grupo, el Ed Force One, a Steve Harris jugando al fútbol, Janick Gers, Dave Murray y Adrian Smith con problemas de guitarras y a Nicko McBrain haciendo de Nicko.

Y si, como ya debes saber, vienen a América Latina: Monterrey, Guadalajara, DF en México, Venezuela, mucho Brasil, Colombia, Peru, Chile y Argentina, desde el 25 de febrero en Monterrey hasta el 24 de marzo, donde cerraran su tour latino número 7 en el estadio River Plate de Buenos Aires

Están avisados. ¡Up the irons!

• Iron Maiden

Arsis
Photo: Nuclear Blast

On Wednesday afternoon, at around 2 p.m. ET, Arsis frontman Jim Malone told MTV News that one of the toughest things about being in the technical death-metal outfit is the unpredictability of the road. Then, not even three hours later, while Arsis were on their way to Minnesota, the band's trailer flipped and settled deep in a snow bank alongside an ice-coated highway somewhere in Iowa.

"Everyone's fine," Malone reported from the scene of the accident. "The trailer flipped, broke loose of the hitch and is now stuck. Better the trailer and not us. We're waiting to get it towed, since it's unusable. It's lodged in ice, and we can't get to our gear, but we're sure it's all smashed."

As a result, Malone said that in all likelihood, the rest of the band's headlining tour — which had been scheduled to run through March 15 in West Springfield, Virginia — will be nixed, as Arsis won't be able to afford a new trailer.

For Arsis, Wednesday's incident was just more of the same bad luck they've been dealing with throughout their career. Take last summer, when Arsis had to drop off of the Summer Slaughter tour with Necrophagist, Decapitated, Cephalic Carnage, Cattle Decapitation and others.

"Our van broke down in Sacramento, and we were told it would be a day or two to fix," Malone recalled during his chat with Metal File. "We decided to wait it out in a motel, and soon, a day or two turned into two weeks. So, we were stuck in a motel for two weeks with no transportation. I think we drank the gas station down the street out of Natural Light — and I know that I personally drank them out of their cheap Merlot."

After two weeks, the band headed home to Virginia, and two months later, Malone got the call — their van had been fixed. He drove out to California, and ended up driving the van back home by himself.

Then there was last week, when Internet rumors of Arsis' demise caught steam and inevitably ended up being reported as actual news by several heavy-metal sites. But it wasn't true, and Arsis had to do some damage control.

"We were just having some difficulties on this Exodus tour, and a situation arose — getting into Canada is hard for us anyway, and I lost my passport on top of that," he said. "So, we decided to go home for a few days, to regroup and finish out our headlining dates. People make assumptions and whatnot. We did miss shows, and we didn't make the proper press statements to explain why we were missing these shows, I guess. So, people made their own conclusions. And that's fine."

But the rumor was actually the handywork of a jealous longhair.

"Essentially, there is a guy from the same area Arsis originated from, and he's currently in a band with a former member of Arsis," Malone confessed. "There was an issue with a girl that I think this guy was interested in, and she was paying me more attention. I don't think that helped the situation at all, and this guy went online and started these rumors. The thing is, playing eight-string metal is not the place for groupies. Girls that are at our shows are usually with their boyfriends, and if they're alone, they probably have issues."

With any luck, Arsis' bad-luck streak won't impact their upcoming tour with Death Angel and God Forbid, kicking off in early May. The band will be touring in support of We Are the Nightmare, which hits stores April 15.

"We all feel really amazing about the album," Malone said. "We wanted to raise the heaviness bar, but at the same time, we also wanted to have catchy songs. I think the songs are all technical and brutal, but they're still catchy and well-written at the same time. That's what we were trying to do, which is something Arsis has always tried to do, to a degree. We just took it up a notch, all the way around. I finally feel we have an album that has production, that really fits our sound. We didn't go into it thinking we'd make it crazy brutal, it just came out that way.

"Lyrically, it deals with my own life experiences — whatever emotions I'm feeling at that time," he continued. "I think when one's writing, they can write better about things they've experienced and what they know. We're not the death-metal band that's going to write about hacking up bodies. I've never done anything like that and don't plan on it. We'll leave that to Cannibal Corpse."

The rest of the week's metal news:

Metal File can exclusively reveal the details of the second annual Metal for the Masses tour, which kicks off on April 12 in Wilmington, Delaware. The lineup will feature As Blood Runs Black, Stick to Your Guns and Winds of Plague, along with openers Veil of Maya. Dates for the six-week trek are booked through May 25 in Fresno, California. ... At long last, reunited Swedish metal legends At the Gates have booked a U.S. gig. The band will perform at the Fillmore at Irving Plaza in New York on July 10, along with openers Darkest Hour and Municipal Waste. The show is believed to be the first of many the band will roll out over the coming weeks. ...

Iron Maiden are warning their fans not to believe everything they read. In a message on their Web site, the band said those unannounced tour dates that have made their way onto Maiden's Wikipedia page are bogus. "It's very much a work of fiction," the message says. "Dates aren't official until they are announced here on [IronMaiden.com]." ... This week, head on over to MTV's Headbangers Blog to catch a clip of 3 Inches of Blood frontman Cam Pipes and Slipknot kitman Joey Jordison — who produced 3 Inches' last LP — talking about the making of the band's video for the song "Trial of Champions." ...

The dudes from Belgian death-grinders Aborted have begun tracking their next album, which they've yet to christen. "Things are going very smoothly — we are scheduled to finish up all rhythm guitars, then go on to leads and finish up the bass," the band reports. "After that, vocals and samples." No word yet on when we can expect the record to hit stores. ... The lineup for this year's Dude Fest, set for Indianapolis on June 20-22, has been revealed. Set to take the stage that weekend are Demiricous, Lords, Nachtmystium, Plague Bringer, Skeletonwitch, Torche, Transistor Transistor and Weekend Nachos. ...

108 have a new member in Alan Cage, known for his work with both Seaweed and Quicksand. Cage replaces drummer Tom Hogan, who left the band for other musical pursuits. 108 are hard at work on their new album, which will be released later this year. ... Tennessee death metallers Whitechapel have booked studio time for next week. That's when they'll begin tracking their Metal Blade Records debut, which is being produced by former Red Chord guitarist Jonny Fay. ... French metallers the Old Dead Tree have found a new drummer: Raphaël Antheaume, who had been in French symphonic-metal band Penumbra.

• Arsis
• As Blood Runs Black
• Stick to Your Guns
• Winds of Plague
• At The Gates

Brain Drill
Photo: Metal Blade

You've got to admire a band like California death-metal deviants Brain Drill: Not only has Cannibal Corpse's Alex Webster given them his stamp of approval (he called Brain Drill "one of the most musically over-the-top bands I have ever heard" and praised them for "truly raising the bar for technicality, velocity and overall extremity in death metal"), but they have a name that's nothing if not utterly fitting — it accurately describes their punishing sound, to a friggin' T.

What's more, the band's appropriately titled, critically lauded, blastbeat-heavy debut LP, Apocalyptic Feasting, is basically a technical death-metal lover's wet nightmare.

Drawing influence from Cannibal as well as Spawn of Possession, Origin, Disgorge, Decrepit Birth and Necrophagia, guitarist Dylan Ruskin told Metal File that Brain Drill's origins date back to 2005, and a group of twentysomethings bent on pushing the genre's limits to the absolute brink.

"We were definitely inspired by all of those bands, and I always wanted to play technical death metal — but I wanted to take those influences and make sort of a musical collage, with elements from them all," said Ruskin, about Apocalyptic Feasting, which is in stores now. "We did not want this record to fit with any of the current trends. There's deathcore, and there's a metalcore scene out there, and it's a complete trend. I don't want anything to do with that. We just wanted to write the most crushing and technical death metal we could come up with, and make little metalcore kids sh-- their pants."

A lofty goal, to be sure — one Ruskin hopes the band will have no problem achieving, both with their record and with their wildly unpredictable live sets.

"With this record, we wanted to show everybody that there's an underground genre of death metal that needs to be heard more," he continued. "It requires 20 million times more talent [than most subgenres of metal]. It's harder playing arpeggios and gnarly riffs than it is to just play two open notes on the E string. Our biggest intention with this record was to crush people with our music and expand their minds beyond the limits of metalcore."

While Brain Drill have only been around for a few years, chances are you've heard their music before — only, you may not have known it. Ruskin said that soon after Brain Drill were born, they recorded a six-song demo, which they'd hoped to release on their own. They even met a dude who promised them he'd press 1,000 copies of the effort.

"But he kept 900 for himself, and only gave us 100 copies," the guitarist explained. "He ended up selling all 900 copies on the Internet, and everybody leaked the songs online. This dude was calling it an EP, but it was never even an official release. So, that was circulating for a while before the actual full-length came out."

While Brain Drill are still a relatively new band on the scene, Apocalyptic Feasting has been generating some serious acclaim among metal critics. There are, of course, many naysayers out there too, but Ruskin said he tries not to let the criticism get to him.

"All you have to do is go to Google us, and you'll see we've been getting a lot of cool reviews," he said. "Then you go to some of these metal forums, and people are nonstop hating on the album. For the most part, we've gotten a lot of good feedback on the record, but on occasion, you'll see there's a bunch of nerds sitting around, bitching about bands they claim to despise but can't stop discussing, like us. I guess any feedback at all's good, because it means people are paying attention."

Ruskin is the first to admit that what his band does isn't for the weak-willed, but thinks fans of grindcore will quickly latch on to them.

"It's not officially grindcore, but it's like death metal at grindcore speeds," he said. "That requires a certain kind of audience ... but I do think it's possible for people to get into it."

In March, fans will be able to catch Brain Drill in the flesh, as the band hits the road with the Black Dahlia Murder and Animosity for an East Coast run that gets under way March 6 in Millvale, Pennsylvania, and runs through March 16 in Buffalo, New York. The guys' summer remains wide open, unless they're asked to hop on this year's Ozzfest — an invite they'd accept in a heartbeat ("I'd kill to be on that bill," Ruskin said, " ... not literally"). In early fall, the band will be back on the road, but with whom is the question. According to Brain Drill's label, those details are still being worked out.

Live, Brain Drill are at their bludgeoning best. Ruskin said sometimes the material they've recorded is difficult to recreate onstage — but not in the way you'd think. "We end up playing the songs twice as fast," he said. "Sometimes, we get so anxious to play heavier and faster live that we accidentally end up playing it all much faster than it is on the album."

And while Apocalyptic Feasting has been in stores just a few weeks now, Ruskin said Brain Drill are already thinking about their sophomore release. "We've been writing for it already," he said. "We have three songs done, and we want to get six or seven more together, so we can put out our next record by next year. We will keep putting records out, because we want to show as many people as we can that death metal still exists, and bands like us can still get signed — that there's a scene out there that has nothing to do with trends, that it's still going to be around for a while."

The rest of the week's metal news:

Walls of Jericho have been forced to pull out of the upcoming Bound by the Road Tour with DevilDriver, which was launched February 27 in Modesto, California, and also features Napalm Death, 36 Crazyfists and Invitro. DevilDriver frontman Dez Fafara told Metal File that Walls of Jericho are unable to make the journey because they lost support from their label, Trustkill Records; DevilDriver are currently looking for a replacement. According to Trustkill, though, "Walls of Jericho have decided to push up their recording session dates for their new album and are taking the time now to finish the writing process." ... Horse the Band drummer Chris Prophet has quit to "pursue other interests," the group confirmed in a statement. The Number Twelve Looks Like You drummer Jon Karel will fill in on Horse's upcoming Earth Tour, which launches March 5 in Sydney, Australia. "Mr. Karel is probably, like, one of the top 10 drummers who has ever lived," the band said in a statement. "It is thus fitting that he should now choose to play with Horse the Band. We are very grateful to him for agreeing to go on the hellish nightmare experience of seeing the world for free with us. We wish Mr. Prophet future endeavors, in general." ...

In addition to their shows in East Rutherford, New Jersey, and Toronto next month, Iron Maiden have announced that their Somewhere Back in Time World Tour 2008 will return to the U.S. in May for eight additional dates, starting May 21 in San Antonio and wrapping up June 2 in Seattle. "We are all greatly looking forward to getting back to see our fans in places like Texas, the Southwest and Seattle, where we haven't played for quite some time," singer Bruce Dickinson said in a statement. "And for this leg, we will be able to bring along all Eddie's toys, which we couldn't get on our plane during the first leg." ... Cryptopsy drummer Flo Mounier has broken a kneecap, forcing the Montreal extreme metal band to cancel their tour of South America next month. The dates will be rescheduled for later in the year. Mounier's injury will not delay the release of the band's sixth full-length album, The Unspoken King, since he had finished all his drum tracks before sustaining the injury. The album is tentatively scheduled for release this summer. ...

As I Lay Dying will launch a new tour April 22 in Santa Cruz, California. Dates run through May 23 in Sayreville, New Jersey. August Burns Red, Misery Signals and Evergreen Terrace will open. "It seems like we've played with every heavy band under the sun except Misery Signals, who are a pretty sick band," guitarist Nick Hipa said in a statement. "So, we figured it was about time. As for August Burns Red and Evergreen Terrace, we're all pretty much joined at the hip." ... Tampa, Florida, thrash/death-metal band the Absence have hired drummer Justin Reynolds to replace Jeramie Kling, who left the group late last year. "The kid is wicked good and keeps time very well without a click track," the band on said on its MySpace page. "That is a quality you don't find often in a drummer. So now that the drummer search is over, get ready for the Absence to start touring again and bringing head banging metal to your town." ...

Modern Life Is War have apparently decided modern life is too tough for their band. The Iowa hardcore group, which formed in 2002, has announced that its last-ever show will be on April 26. "There is no disaster or dramatic situation behind the breakup," the group said in a statement. "All past and current members of the band are still good friends and there is no bad blood. We just feel like it's the right time and would rather end things on our own terms than let our band become a ghost of what it was in the beginning, or to be ripped apart by outside forces." ... A thrash-metal documentary, "Aural Amphetamine: Metallica and the Dawn of Thrash," will come out on DVD April 15. The movie features interviews with members of Metallica, Megadeth, Machine Head, Diamond Head, Neurosis, Laaz Rockit, Sacrilege BC and many others. There is also plenty of performance footage, backstage clips and interviews with metal scribes Malcolm Dome, Lonn Friend and Joel McIver. ...

John Joseph, ex-frontman for metallic hardcore band Cro-Mags, has written the powerful autobiography "The Evolution of a Cro-Magnon," which is available exclusively on PunkHouse.org, a publishing company he formed with ex-Murphy's Law drummer Todd Irwin. The book covers Joseph's upbringing from the '60s through the '80s, during which time he survived an abusive foster home, juvenile detention centers, homelessness and a stint in the armed forces, from which he went AWOL. The story culminates on the Lower East Side of New York during the dawn of the American hardcore scene. Joseph is currently in the new band Bloodclot, which also features members of Biohazard and Pro-Pain. The group self-released its debut album, Burn Babylon Burn, last week.

• Brain Drill
• Iron Maiden
• Walls Of Jericho

Himsa
Photo: Century Media

There are three things Himsa frontman John Pettibone has always wanted to accomplish as a musician — he's been keeping a mental list ever since he started making music. So far he's checked off one of the goals, but he hopes Himsa's latest record, Summon in Thunder — which came out in mid-September — will help him with the other two.

"I always wanted to be on 'Headbangers Ball,' because I grew up watching Riki Rachtman," said Pettibone, who is also an avid fan of horror films and has been skateboarding the last 23 years. "We were on the show twice, so I was pretty excited about that. I would also love for Himsa to be on a horror-movie soundtrack. And I've always wanted to be in Thrasher magazine. So I've got one of the three done." For good measure, he added: "Oh, and if we ever toured or played a show with Slayer, I'd be set."

Those are modest goals for a band like Himsa, who have been around since 1998. But according to Pettibone, the Seattle-hailing metalcore madmen are prepared to take their career to the next level, as he says they did with their sound on Summon in Thunder.

"We've really progressed with this record, and we're all really proud of it," he said. "We've all been playing in bands for quite a lot longer than Himsa's been around, and it's one of those things where we're completely proud of what we've done, and we've gotten to a point where we have a definite sound. ... We've gone through all the struggles, and that's what keeps all of us sane. We've been on really bad tours, slept on floors for many years, and it's that drive and ethic that we've always kept in the band that makes it a little more special. We've seen the worst, and we've been through the worst, so any gain we're happy with."

For those of you who haven't heard the new album yet, Pettibone says the album is a perfect mixture between their 2003 album, Courting Tragedy and Disaster, and 2006's Hail Horror.

"I think the aggression of the record will surprise people," he said. "There is melody there, but not like before. ... We steered clear of the way the metal scene has been going, with thick breakdowns and clean vocals — we didn't want to do what's popular right now. We went for more of that thrash sound that we love. We grew up in the '80s on East Bay thrash, and we took those elements and went the opposite way the scene's going, and people are digging it. So I can't complain.

"It's a record that, even if I wasn't in the band, I'd be like, 'God, I love these guys,' " he continued. "It sounds like a band I would truly follow."

So what exactly is the new Himsa sound?

"Honestly, we didn't change anything besides working with a new producer," the singer said, adding that he partnered with Strapping Young Lad frontman/producer Devin Townsend (Lamb of God, Soilwork) to work on his vocals. "It was great. Our intention was to try and get him for the whole record, but because of his schedule, we had about a [weeklong] span where he could fit us in. His specialty is vocals anyways, but I was a little nervous to work with him, because I work at a local club in Seattle, and Strapping always played there, and I'd see how manic he'd get. I didn't know what it would be like to work with him. But the first minute I met him, we were instant friends."

The band also worked with Steve Carter (Cradle of Filth, Alien Crime Syndicate), who helmed Courting Tragedy and Disaster, and reunited with Tue Madsen (Aborted, Suicide Silence), who mixed and engineered Hail Horror.

"All of us combined got us to that next level," he said. "We also had some more time to work on this record than we'd had before. We used to do tours, then come home, write for a month, record for a month, and then go back on the road. This time, we had about a year off. We were home for a while, and the creative juices just started flowing. Seattle's a very gray, somber city — even the look of it — and we were surrounded by forest. That environment plays a big part in how we write, too."

Pettibone said he pulled 12-hour days for an entire week while working with Townsend at his studio in Vancouver, British Columbia. "I've never felt more comfortable in any project I've ever done," he explained. "I'd definitely love to work with him again. We're all big fans of Devin's work. ... We'd like to nail him down as [our next] album's producer, but we'll see if that happens.

"The thing about Devin is, he didn't push me," Pettibone continued. "We kept doing take after take, but he's so focused on pronunciation, and I'd never had a problem with that before — people told me they could understand what I was saying, not like a lot of other bands these days. But with Devin, he'd tell me to give him more 'R' in this word, or more 'P' in that one, and slowly, I understood what he was getting at, and by the end of the week, I knew what he wanted."

Fans who pick up Summon in Thunder will find inside the package a DVD featuring a three-part segment on the making of the album. One segment, Pettibone said, was shot during his week with Townsend, and as you might imagine, hijinx definitely ensued.

"It's pretty hilarious — just me and Devin, messing around in Vancouver, filming people on the streets," he said. "It's pretty damn funny."

More craziness will likely ensue later this month, when Himsa launch a U.S. with Amon Amarth, Sonic Syndicate and, at least tentatively, Decapitated. The trek kicks off November 19 in San Diego and wraps December 19 in Los Angeles. According to the band's publicist, it's still unknown whether Decapitated will make the tour, considering two of their members are still in the hospital after sustaining serious head injuries during a car accident in Russia. The band hasn't been officially removed from the bill as of yet.

Himsa also have a pair of music videos that are making the rounds online — one for "Unleash Carnage," which features a faux heated tennis match inspired by Wes Anderson's 2001 film, "The Royal Tenenbaums," and another for "Big Timber," which also has an interesting concept.

"We're all sasquatches, and we're playing these instruments in the forest," Pettibone explained. "A friend of ours made it using puppets. In the video, we have to cut down this tree to make the instruments, and the tree seeks revenge on us. It's kind of cool."

The rest of the week's metal news:

There's some sad news to report Friday (November 2), as Decapitated drummer Witold "Vitek" Kieltyka died in a Russian hospital from injuries he'd sustained in a recent road collision. He was 23 years old. According to reports, Vitek underwent trepanation, a form of surgery in which a hole is drilled or scraped into the skull, and was due to be transported to a hospital in Krakow, Poland, for further treatment. ...

Opeth frontman Mikael Åkerfeldt has revealed that the Swedish metallers have started recording their next studio album, the follow-up to 2005's Ghost Reveries. "The album is now written and the demos sound fantastic," he wrote in a statement. "I don't wanna say too much but ... gee, it is so f---ing good — if I may say so myself." Åkerfeldt said fans can expect the album in stores in the spring. ... While System of a Down singer Serj Tankian revels in the success of his debut solo album, Elect the Dead, drummer John Dolmayan and guitarist Daron Malakian are knee-deep in writing and recording the debut album from their new band, Scars on Broadway, which is tentatively scheduled for release in the summer. But Dolmayan's got a solo venture of his own — and it's got nothing to do with music. On Thursday, Dolmayan launched the Web site TorpedoComics.com, an Internet retail store that carries more than 15 million items, including comic books, toys, graphic novels, trade paperbacks, superhero action figures and other comic book-related memorabilia that range in price from 99 cents to over $100,000. ...

"Fight: War of Words - The Film" will debut in select movie theaters before its DVD release on November 20. The movie chronicles the history of the band frontman Rob Halford formed after initially leaving Judas Priest in 1991, and features professional footage shot in the studio and on the road. Along with the DVD, Halford will release Fight K5 - The War of Words Demos, which includes original album demos and five new Fight tracks. ... Talk about DIY: Iron Maiden frontman Bruce Dickinson will be the one flying the plane when the band flies from city to city on its upcoming tour. Dickinson, a licensed pilot, will fly the band from Tokyo to Los Angeles for its February 19 show at the Forum, after which he will take Maiden to their next gig, in Mexico. Similarly, Dickinson will shuttle the group from Puerto Rico the day before its March 14 show in New Jersey, and leave for Toronto the day after. Traveling will be conducted on a specially commissioned and customized Boeing 757, with eager groupies likely to be among the passengers. ...

New York doom-metal band Unearthly Trance have finished their fourth full-length album, Electrocution, which is scheduled for a spring release. The disc was recorded with producer Sanford Parker (Rwake, Minsk) at Chicago's Volume Studios. Tracks include "Diseased," "The Scum Is in Orbit" and "Burn You Insane." ... Dynamic Canadian outfit Protest the Hero have settled on a January 29 release date for their second disc, Fortress. The album — constructed over the summer with producer Julius "Juice" Butty (Alexisonfire) at Silo Studios in Hamilton, Ontario — was originally scheduled for release this month but was bumped for logistical reasons. "Bloodmeat," "Bone Marrow" and "Limb From Limb" are three of the 10 tracks on the disc, which will be the follow-up to the band's 2006 debut, Kezia. ... The debut album by pummeling Swedish thrash-groove band Scarpoint, The Silence We Deserve, will be released Tuesday. The disc was produced by Daniel Bergstrand (Meshuggah, In Flames) and includes "Imposture," "Behind the Shadows" and "Disorder." ...

Las Vegas melodic thrash band Hemlock are hard at work on their fourth, yet-untitled album, which will be released on their new label, Blind Prophecy Records, in 2008. The group has scheduled a batch of shows starting November 10 in El Paso, Texas, and running through December 1 in Gallup, New Mexico. Hemlock's last release was 2006's Pigeonholed. ... A set of vinyl picture discs by late Swedish black-metal forefathers Bathory will be released November 27. The box will feature all 12 of the band's studio albums, each encased in a hardcover Bathory logo sleeve. Pre-orders begin November 13. The collection will be the first release in a distribution deal between Black Mark Records and Relapse Records. "Black Mark is glad to announce that we have become a part of the Relapse family," Börje Forsberg, father of Bathory frontman Quorthon and co-owner of Black Mark, said in a statement. "There is no doubt that Relapse and Black Mark work well together: Metal for the World!" ... French death/black-metal band Belphegor will release the follow-up to 2006's Pestapokalypse VI on April 15. Frontman Helmuth started writing the album in May 2006, and on November 9, the band plans to begin recording the disc's nine songs with producer Andy Classen at Stage One Studios in Kassel, Germany. The yet-untitled disc will be tracked in three sessions before being mastered in mid-January. "I'm so motivated, and it feels extremely good to be creative again," Helmuth said in a statement. "This album is the next logical chapter for the band's development. I would go into the deepest fire and give my last drop of blood for this work. Lemme tell you, the nine sound collages sound huge. It's f---ing TNT."

• Himsa
• Opeth
• System of a Down
• Iron Maiden

Lil Wayne (file)
Photo: Kevin Winter/ Getty Images

Lil Wayne made a brief appearance in an Atlanta courtroom on Wednesday (October 31) for an arraignment in connection with the year-old drug-possession charge that recently landed him in an Idaho jail on a fugitive warrant. According to Wayne's lawyer, William Head, the rapper was only in court for about 20 minutes during the nearly three-hour preliminary hearing and will return on November 20, when a judge could rule on defense motions questioning whether the hotel search that originally resulted in Wayne's arrest on drug charges was legal. The defense also filed a motion requesting to examine the evidence in the case in order to have a fingerprint analysis done on the objects, which Head said were found in a room that the rapper was not staying in. ...

Cynthia Reed, mother of the 14-year-old son of Game manager Jimmy "Henchman" Rosemond, spoke out Tuesday about Tony Yayo's pending trial, in which he is accused of having roughed up the boy. "I am looking forward to a trial, and it is important that justice be done," she said in a statement. "Trials bring out facts, and I know the facts will expose the cowardly act of G-Unit's member Yayo of assaulting my 14-year-old son." Leemon responded to Reed's statement by saying, "At trial, I am confident the evidence will show that Tony Yayo did not hit anyone. These baseless allegations against Yayo are nothing more than an attempt by a bitter business rival to disparage and embarrass him. Our investigation has uncovered more than one witness to the incident who will testify that Yayo did not hit 'Lil Henchmen.' This is nothing more than an attempt at legal extortion." The trial begins January 10. ...

In yet more legal-oriented rap news, Game went to court Wednesday for a brief pre-trial hearing, according to TMZ. The hearing pertained to allegations that the rapper (real name: Jayceon Taylor) threatened a person with a gun during a pickup basketball game at a park in Los Angeles earlier this year. Game's spirits were high, according to a TMZ video in which he rants about everything from dressing up like 50 Cent for Halloween to helping out Britney Spears — "I'll shampoo your hair, rub your feet, watch your kids and be your bodyguard," he said. He's due back in court November 14. ...

Britney Spears hasn't had much to say to the media lately — save some choice words for the paparazzi, that is — but she broke the brief silence by going on Ryan Seacrest's radio show Wednesday morning. When asked about the recent media coverage of her child-custody battle with ex-husband Kevin Federline, Spears replied, "People say what they want and do what they do. It's sad how people ... how cruel our world can be. But at the end of the day, you gotta know in your heart that you are doing the best that you can." When Seacrest asked Spears if she is in fact doing the best she can with her kids, she reassured him: "Oh God, yeah, yeah." Spears also talked about the Tuesday release of her new Blackout LP, saying she spent the day watching movies. Seacrest also asked her about her rumored romance with Dallas Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo. Spears, who was on a speakerphone with Alli Sims and Sam Lufti, replied, "Who?" ...

Ashley Tisdale, Good Charlotte, Jordin Sparks, Corbin Bleu, the Jonas Brothers and more will hop aboard the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade when it snakes its way through the streets of New York on November 22. Catch the show from 9 a.m. to noon in all time zones on NBC. ... The American Music Awards are shaping up to be a night for the ladies — Alicia Keys, Avril Lavigne and Nicole Scherzinger have joined previously announced performers Fergie, Rihanna, Celine Dion (and Daughtry) for the ceremony, which will air live November 18 at 8 p.m. ET on ABC. ...

The new season of "American Idol" is still a few months away, but that's not stopping the juggernaut's presence on TV. Former contestants Clay Aiken and Kellie Pickler will be celebrity contestants on "Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?" on Thursday and November 15, respectively, while judges Simon Cowell, Randy Jackson and Paula Abdul will crop up in animated form in the November 11 "Family Guy" episode, in which Stewie auditions for the judges. And in yet more TV news, the "Simpsons" episode featuring Jack Black — who voices the owner of a new comic book store — will air November 18. ...

The ink has dried on Radiohead's deal to distribute its In Rainbows album — well, outside North America, at least. Billboard.com reports that the band has finalized a deal with XL Recordings — which released Thom Yorke's solo album, The Eraser, last year — that would entail the international distribution of the album but allow the band to cut a different deal in North America. The New York Times previously reported that the band had been planning to sign with Coran Capshaw's Side One Recordings to distribute Rainbows domestically, although Radiohead's U.S. publicist, Steve Martin, later told MTV News he could "neither confirm nor deny" the story. The album doesn't have an international release date yet, but according to Billboard.com, it will likely coincide with the Radiohead.com deluxe Discbox release on December 3. Sales figures for the album — for which the band allowed fans to name their own price — have not been released, but Radiohead manager Bryce Edge recently said reports of 1.2 million being sold were "exaggerated," according to Billboard. ... Lupe Fiasco and industry heavyweight Steve Stoute were on hand at the Bowery Hotel in New York on Tuesday night as Bitter: Sweet performed as part of a T-Mobile Shadow launch party. ...

A Maryland couple have dropped their lawsuit alleging Wal-Mart deceived customers by selling copies of Evanescence's Anywhere but Home LP containing explicit lyrics without parental-advisory labels. Trevin and Melanie Skeens had sued the department-store chain back in 2004 after they purchased the album for their daughter's 13th birthday. The news comes nearly 22 months after a judge refused to certify the complaint as a class action, which would have allowed anyone who bought the record in Maryland to hop onboard and collect compensation. ... Van Halen have booked their first gig of 2008, which could be an indication of a second leg being added to the band's current reunion run. The only show that's confirmed for next year so far will go down March 30 in St. Louis. ...

Coldplay have been teasing fans in recent months with updates on their next studio album, and now, in a new post on their site, they say they're almost done with the effort. The band revealed that two new songs, "Famous Old Painters" and "Glass of Water," have come into play for the album, which was already poised to include "Cemeteries of London," "Poppy Fields," "42," "Yes!," "Lost," "Violet Hill," "Rainy Day" and "Leftrightleftrightleft." "It feels like a very dense record," read the post. "There are so many melodies and colors packed into a relatively short space (42 minutes)." Regarding the album's producer, the post continued: "As you'd expect with Brian Eno, there's experimentation and exploration. But the music still has integrity. It's real and honest. There's no posturing or bombast. When the deadline comes and the work is done, this will be the album I always dreamed we'd make." Coldplay were more specific about the yet-untitled 2008 album in a previous post, saying the effort would have a "Hispanic theme." ...

Want to party with Ozzy Osbourne? Want to get arrested? Approximately 40 of his fans in Fargo, North Dakota, got a very unpleasant surprise on Monday when they received invitations to a supposed pre-gig bash that turned out to be a police sting operation, according to The Associated Press. Fans — who happened to have outstanding warrants — were reportedly told about a party to be held at the Venue at Playmakers before the metal legend's show with Rob Zombie at the Fargodome. The bash was sponsored by PDL Productions, a fake company made by Cass County Sherriff Paul D. Laney as part of an effort to crack down on scofflaws who had ignored court summons and failed to pay fines. "It was more of a warrant party," Laney told AP. "Some actually thought it was pretty funny. I think they were upset with themselves for being had." The security staff, which wore PDL Productions shirts, turned out to be deputy sheriffs, North Dakota probation and parole agents, and members of the local drug-enforcement task force. Laney got even more creative with the sting by adding a subtle clue into the mix — each "security" T-shirt also featured a festive Halloween skull, and the image of a sheriff's-badge star could be seen in its right eye socket. ...

Lordi's manager was shot at following their Friday gig in Louisville, Kentucky, according to EscToday.com, Web site for Eurovision. (The monster-themed Finnish metal outfit created a stir when it won the broadcasting group's famed Eurovision Song Contest in 2006.) Rikk Scholvinck was reportedly with his bodyguard at the time of the incident, and although neither was struck by gunfire, one of the band's fans was robbed at gunpoint. According to Scholvinck, after the gig, a van appeared next to Lordi's bus, and four or five teens jumped out. "One of the men with a gun took a fan, a girl, put the gun to her head and forced her to lie down on the ground," said band frontman Mr. Lordi (real name: Tomi Putaansuu), according to the site. "Also, one of the boys froze on the spot while the others fled away, including Rikk and the bodyguard, while another man started shooting at them. Luckily, he missed and no one was hurt. Rikk ran to the bar and called the police, who arrived soon. In a moment we were surrounded by like five police cars, but the guys managed to escape. They were a group of drug addicts that had stolen the [van] earlier that night, and police were already looking for them but have still not managed to catch them." Lordi handed the assaulted fan a lifetime all-access pass to their shows worldwide. ...

Iron Maiden have announced a pair of shows in the U.S. as part of their Somewhere Back in Time world tour. The metal gods will play at the Forum in Los Angeles on February 19 and at the Izod Center in East Rutherford, New Jersey, on March 14. ... Speaking of Iron, Iron and Wine only played four shows in the U.S. after releasing their latest album, The Shepherd's Dog, in late September — but thirsty fans shouldn't worry, as more Stateside gigs are on the way. After finishing a two-week run of shows in the U.K. on Sunday, the band will return to America, rest a little, and then head out for another string starting November 27 in Tucson, Arizona. That tour will end December 11 in Austin, Texas, and will be followed by another European trek starting January 14. ...

According to a statement from Earache Records, two members of Polish death-metal band Decapitated were seriously injured in a car accident involving their tour bus and a truck carrying wood in Gomel — which is on the Russian-Belarus border. Frontman Adrian "Covan" Kowanek and drummer Witold "Vitek" Kieltyka sustained serious head injuries as a result of the accident and were taken to a hospital in Moscow for treatment. No additional information on the accident has been made public. ...

The Mars Volta-affiliated indie punk label Gold Standard Laboratories shut down this month, according to a letter founder Sonny Kay posted on the GSL site. Over its 14-year span, GSL released material by the Rapture, !!!, the Locust, Melt-Banana, the Faint and Mars Volta guitarist Omar Rodriguez-Lopez, who co-owned the label. The post reads: "We've experienced the onset of factors that have seriously limited our ability to maintain what we feel is the essence of the label; the experimental attitude and artistic freewheeling of times past are simply no longer sustainable. Rather than compromise our goals and beliefs, or allow our course to be charted by financial constraint and an industry in flux, we've decided the time has come for GSL to cease releasing new music, and to close this chapter of our story."

10.30.07

Vincent "Don Vito" Margera's fate on two counts of sexual assault is in the hands of the jury. Tuesday saw the presentation of closing arguments, during which Pamela Mackey, an attorney for Margera — Bam's uncle — argued that he had been in his "goofy, outrageous and vulgar" persona during his August 2006 Colorado mall autograph signing, during which he is accused of having groped three young girls. ...

Tony Yayo will stand trial beginning January 10 in connection with the case in which he is alleged to have roughed up the 14-year-old son of Game manager Jimmy "Henchman" Rosemond in March. According to Yayo's lawyer, Scott Leemon, the judge combined the cases of Yayo (born Marvin Bernard) and a man known as an "honorary" member of the G-Unit, Lowell "Lodi Mack" Fletcher, who was also allegedly involved in the assualt, but whose relationship to Yayo Leemon declined to discuss. ...

Big brother and little brother teamed up Monday night: Jay-Z made a surprise guest appearance at the TD Banknorth Garden in Boston during Kanye West's set at the JAMN 94.5 Monster Jam Concert. Kanye also brought T-Pain — who played his own set earlier in the night — for "Good Life." Lil Wayne, Fabolous, J. Holiday, MIMS and Akon also performed at the concert. ...

Fall Out Boy's Pete Wentz broke his foot during the band's performance Sunday night at the Voodoo Music Experience festival in New Orleans. Wentz uploaded a gory close-up photo of his severely bruised and swollen foot to his profile page on FriendsorEnemies.com. "For anyone who was at the Voodoo Fest in New Orleans, you got to see me jump around," he wrote. "Ended up breaking the bone that connects my shin to my foot; no shows will be cancelled. I am currently trying to get a 'rocker' boot so I can have a walking cast. Currently, my foot is the size of a small car. If you see me at a show, come sign my cast." ...

Don't expect to see Britney Spears gracing the cover of Maxim anytime soon — the magazine has ranked her #5 on its list of the Five Unsexiest Women Alive. One slot ahead of her is Madonna, who Spears seems to be emulating these days, and they're followed by Sandra Oh, Amy Winehouse and the list-topper, Sarah Jessica Parker. ... Some people might not find Madge too sexy these days, but according to a new tome, "Madonna: Like an Icon," Tupac Shakur was more than just hot for her in the past — they actually dated. The book's author, Lucy O'Brien, claims the Material Man dated 'Pac for one year in her mid-30s before the rapper's untimely death. O'Brien quotes a friend close to the singer, saying ultimately, the rapper's friends quashed the fling. "She was going out with him," one of Madge's friends said. "But homegirls were saying to [2Pac], 'I can't believe you're going out with a white girl.' " Madonna was then subsequently dumped, according to the book. ...

Linkin Park's outreach project, Music for Relief, has set its sights on a new challenge: helping Southern California recover from the devastating wildfires. The band has contributed $50,000 to Direct Relief International — a Santa Barbara nonprofit that has been providing medical supplies to victims — and the donation was matched by SanDisk Corporation, a flash-data-storage-card company. "The wildfires are an unfathomable tragedy," LP bassist Dave "Phoenix" Farrell said in a statement. "Being able to help victims of a natural disaster like the wildfires is exactly why Music for Relief was founded." The band is also encouraging its fans to make their own contributions through the Music for Relief Web site. ...

Common's still riding strong with his latest album, the recently released Finding Forever, but while he's looking forward, his former label is looking backward with a new compilation of early cuts. ThisIsMe Then: The Best of Common, being issued by Relativity/ Sony Legacy, compiles 15 songs from 1992-'97 — but the enhanced disc has four video extras too: for "Take It EZ," "I Used to Love H.E.R.," "Retrospect for Life" (featuring Lauryn Hill) and "Invocation." It's set to street November 27. ... The Roc is in the building: Freeway hosted a listening session at S.O.B.'s in New York Monday night for his sophomore set, Free at Last, due November 20. The Philadelphia rapper previewed collaborations with 50 Cent, Rick Ross and Jadakiss, before Beanie Sigel hit the stage with him to perform their Just Blaze-produced classic, "Roc the Mic." ...

Reggae singer Beenie Man was released from a Kingston, Jamaica, jail on $21,000 bail on Monday after appearing in court on tax-evasion charges, according to The Associated Press. Authorities say the singer (born Anthony Moses Davis) owes about $661,000 in overdue taxes in Jamaica. He's due back in court December 3. ... The estate of late rapper Notorious B.I.G. filed a federal court motion on Monday claiming that prison inmate Waymond Anderson, who once implicated a former police officer in the killing of the rapper, was lying when he recently recanted his testimony. AP reports that the motion seeks access to phone and prison visitation records for Anderson, who is serving a life sentence for murder in a separate case. In an August 20 deposition Anderson said he lied about the alleged police involvement as part of a scam involving the slain rapper's family members and attorneys to win a monetary settlement from the city. The estate argued in its filing that the records will discredit Anderson's story and reveal who was behind his "wholesale assault on the truth." ...

A 20th-anniversary edition of the A Very Special Christmas album — featuring performances by No Doubt, Wyclef Jean, Sting, Run-D.M.C., Jon Bon Jovi, Stevie Wonder, Sheryl Crow and U2 — will be released November 20. The package benefiting the Special Olympics will also feature the first-ever DVD collection of videos in the series' history, including performances from the 1998 and 2000 Christmas at the White House specials. ... Two anti-poverty groups co-founded by Bono, the ONE Campaign and Debt AIDS Trade Africa, will merge their operations in the U.S. to create a single organization that will be known as ONE. Reuters reports that the organization will continue to focus on poverty-relief efforts in Africa and the U.S., according to a statement from Bono, in which he said, "ONE and DATA are two organizations with the same outrage: Extreme, stupid poverty in the 21st century makes no sense when the resources and technology exist to do something about it. ... What makes sense is to harness these two forces into a single organization and redouble our efforts. One goal. One team." And in yet more U2 news, National Geographic Cinema Ventures will release a new film, "U2 3D," in late January. The movie will play in 3-D only, in select theaters worldwide. Filmed in South America during a series of U2 concerts on their Vertigo Tour, the film is the first live-action movie ever shot, produced and exhibited in digital 3-D, and strove to capture the intimacy between the band and its audience. ...

Slayer and Halloween are a match made in hell, and this year the metal titans have partnered with MySpace to spook fans into buying their new concert DVD, "The Unholy Alliance - Chapter II: Preaching to the Perverted," which also features performances by Lamb of God, Mastodon and more. One of the clips from the DVD, Slayer's performance of their Grammy-winning song "Eyes of the Insane," will stream all day on MySpace TV on Wednesday. ... SoLow.com, which rewards visitors for making the lowest unique bid for prizes it offers, is giving one lucky fan a chance to spend Thanksgiving with the Osbournes. The winner will also get tickets to Ozzy Osbourne's concert in San Diego, as well as a few hundred bucks in cash and a hotel room in Los Angeles. ... Tom Cruise, meet the Sex Pistols. The actor and the notorious punk-rock legends are both slated to appear — and perform, in the case of the Pistols — on "The Tonight Show With Jay Leno" on Tuesday night (October 30). Republican presidential hopeful Representative Ron Paul rounds out the odd lineup. ... Forbes has released its list of the top-earning dead celebrities, and Nirvana's Kurt Cobain no longer sits at #1 — that spot now belongs once again to Elvis Presley — the King's estate generated $49 million in the past year, while Cobain's name doesn't even make the list. At #2 is John Lennon, whose drew $44 million in 2007, while fellow Beatle George Harrison takes #4 with $22 million. Other musicians on the list include Tupac Shakur at #8 with $9 million and James Brown at #11 with $5 million. Bob Marley is at #12, having made $4 million this year. ...

In the end, nobody at the University of Florida got zapped. Andrew Meyer, of "Don't tase me, bro" fame, will not face any criminal charges for disrupting an appearance by Senator John Kerry at the university, according to AP. And the two police officers suspended while state officials investigated the incident — which became an instant viral phenomenon that spawned remixes, T-shirts and a short-lived cultural catchphrase — have been reinstated after the Florida Department of Law Enforcement concluded that they acted properly when they tased the 21-year-old. ... If it's good enough for Radiohead, it's good enough for Paste. For the next two weeks, the music magazine will be offering one-year subscriptions to readers for whatever price they decide to pay. There's a minimum payment of $1, but anyone who ponies up more than the $19.95 the magazine typically charges for a year will be thanked in print in a future issue. ...

It's a long way from "Gangsta's Paradise" to "Oh!" but Coolio is willing to make the trip. The rapper has signed on to appear in a reality show called "Coolio & the Gang" for the women's cable network Oxygen that will begin airing in the second quarter of 2008, according to The Hollywood Reporter. The program will follow the Grammy-winning MC as he raises six teens by himself while trying to maintain his rap career and launch a clothing line in what is described as a real-life version of "My Three Sons." ... The Who are about to launch a subscription service for serious fans, who will get access to a huge library of video and audio content for $50 a month. According to a post on the band's Web site, beginning Monday, superfans will get a free, exclusive double-CD (View From a Backstage Pass) of live performances from 1969-'76 that will not be available in stores, a personalized Who e-mail address, discounts in the Who store, exclusive full-length videos, and streaming and paid download access to every Who song ever recorded.

Pierce Brosnan is being investigated by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department for alleged battery stemming from an incident that happened at a mall in Malibu, California, on Friday, TMZ reports. Robert Rosen, a photographer, claims that after he complimented Brosnan on his James Bond films, the actor began cursing and hit Rosen in the ribs. In response, Rosen kicked the actor, he claims.

Entertainment legend Robert Goulet died Tuesday morning in a Los Angeles hospital, AP reports. Goulet, who was 73, had been awaiting a lung transplant after discovering last month that he had acquired a rare form of pulmonary fibrosis. The self-deprecating Goulet was a Broadway star, Grammy Award-winning singer, TV show host and actor, appearing toward the end of his career in films like "The Naked Gun 2 1/2: The Smell of Fear," "Beetlejuice" and "Toy Story 2" (he voiced Wheezy the Penguin).

• Britney Spears' Ongoing Saga: What's Next?

• Lil Wayne
• Tony Yayo
• Game
• 50 Cent
• Britney Spears

Beyoncé's <i>B'Day</i>
Photo: Columbia

What birthday gift does one get for that pop star who seemingly has everything? Beyoncé's fans came through with something that she can't buy herself: a Billboard-topping debut.

Last week, Beyoncé celebrated her 25th by dropping B'Day, the former Destiny's Child member's second solo LP. And 541,000 copies of the LP were purchased its first week in stores, scoring the singer her second #1 debut on Billboard's albums chart. Dangerously in Love opened at #1 back in 2003, selling close to 317,000 units its first week in stores and going on to move more than 4.3 million copies since its release.

Nearly 400,000 copies behind Beyoncé are Audioslave, who posed the closest threat to her throne. The rockers' third studio offering, Revelations, opens this week in the #2 slot, with close to 142,000 copies sold. Sales of Revelations didn't live up to the band's two previous discs — Audioslave's 2002 self-titled debut bowed at #7 with 162,000 scans, while 2005's Out of Exile took #1 with 263,000 copies sold — though the first-week showing isn't bad considering the band has yet to tour in support of the disc.

B'Day and Revelations were among seven new releases to crack Billboard's top 200, and two of three newcomers to make the top 10. Iron Maiden's latest, A Matter of Life and Death, claimed the #9 spot with sales just shy of the 56,000 mark.

The remainder of the top 10 is teeming with regulars, including the previous week's #1, Bob Dylan's Modern Times. That record slips to #3, selling 128,000-plus units. Danity Kane's self-titled debut falls from #2 to #4 with more than 82,000 scans, and the soundtrack to "Cheetah Girls 2" is in at #5 with 68,000 copies sold. Christina Aguilera's Back to Basics follows at #6 with 64,000 scans, while Jessica Simpson's A Public Affair slips two spots to #7 with 60,000 second-week sales.

Nickelback's All the Right Reasons climbs two positions to #8, thanks to another 58,000 scans that bring the disc's 49-week total to nearly 3.5 million. Nickelback fans have apparently taken to tour openers Hinder, whose Extreme Behavior — which has been steadily climbing the chart for months — makes its first appearance in the top 10, taking #10 with sales of more than 53,000.

Jars of Clay's Good Monsters opens at #58 with sales of 15,000 and change, while Essential Alice in Chains, a retrospective release chronicling the career of the Seattle grunge act, claims the #139 spot with 6,000 scans. Javier Solís' La Historia De Javier Solís comes in at #148 with 6,000 sales, and Aaron Tippin's Now & Then opens at #163 with nearly 5,000 copies sold.

The 2006 MTV Video Music Awards were kind to at least two artists during the subsequent sales week. Panic! at the Disco's A Fever You Can't Sweat Out jumped from #21 to #15, thanks to a 13 percent boost that amounted to more than 37,000 sales. Panic claimed the Video of the Year prize for "I Write Sins Not Tragedies" and also performed the track during the ceremony. And OK Go, who stole the show with their onstage re-enactment of the treadmill-enhanced clip for "Here It Goes Again," soared from #118 to #69 with Oh No, which surged 66 percent, from 8,000 to 14,000 sales.

Check out "All Eyes On Beyoncé" for a closer look at B'Day.

• Beyoncé
• Audioslave
• Iron Maiden
• Bob Dylan
• Danity Kane

Beyoncé's <i>B'Day</i>
Photo: Columbia

Attack of the Killer B: What does Beyoncé want for her B'Day? How about a #1 album? And with the Labor Day weekend leading to a serious lack of competition, it's extremely likely she'll get what she wants. On the topic of gifts, she's been passing out a few herself to the ardent fans who preordered her LP. Those who relied on Sony Music's online store got a limited-edition hologram photo; people who bought it through Wal-Mart's music-download vehicle were presented with an exclusive remix of "Deja Vu"; and those who went the iTunes route got an exclusive song called "Lost Yo Mind" plus a "Deja Vu" download. If you didn't preorder, want some extra goodies and are willing to shell out a little more cash, the international version has four bonus tracks, including "Check on It" featuring Bun B and Slim Thug and three hidden songs: "Encore for the Fans," "Listen" (from the "Dreamgirls" soundtrack) and an extended mix of "Get Me Bodied." The Japanese pressing has those tracks plus "Creole." Now that's what you call generous.

Book of Revelations: Audioslave have been doing the preorder thing too, treating fans who bought Revelations at Sony Music's online store to a download of "Original Fire" and a coupon, and presenting those who shopped at iTunes with even more bonuses: a live video for "Show Me How to Live," a track-by-track description of the LP, the "Original Fire" video and a digital booklet. Best Buy will offer a deluxe edition of the LP that's upped with a bonus DVD containing a 16-minute film by Danny Clinch. But everyone will have a chance to check out "Wide Awake," about the Hurricane Katrina aftermath, "Jewel of the Summertime" and "Sound of a Gun," all of which appear on the regular edition.

Torturous CDs: Heavy-rock vets Iron Maiden and Alice in Chains have touring in their sights, but they'll be going head-to-head this week in the record racks. Maiden's ridiculously epic A Matter of Life and Death has only 10 tracks but clocks in at a CD-bending 71:52, and the limited deluxe edition is even heftier with a bonus DVD featuring interviews and a pair of in-the-studio performances. The Essential Alice in Chains is pretty chunky too, outdoing 2001's 10-track Greatest Hits with 29 songs splayed over two CDs. Highlights on the set, which was initially announced in 2004, include "Get Born Again" and "Died," the two songs the band recorded for its Music Bank box set, and remixes of "What the Hell Have I" and "A Little Bitter," which appeared on the "Last Action Hero" soundtrack when Governor Schwarzenegger was still busting up the big screen.

Deep Freeze: Speaking of Ahnold, who also played Mr. Freeze in "Batman & Robin," poet Black Ice slips up the racks this week with his CD debut. A mainstay on Russell Simmons' "Def Poetry Jam," the spoken-word prince increases his vocabulary with The Death of Willie Lynch, getting a boost from Musiq ("Takeyatime"), Floetry's Natalie Stewart ("Shine") and Chyna Black ("Lone Soldier"). Black Ice has an even bigger heavyweight in his corner in Mary J. Blige, with whom he's been touring this summer.

This week's remaining releases are a little thin, but even so, there's plenty of random trivia to be aware of: Eric Clapton, Mark Knopfler, JJ Cale and Waylon Jennings all contribute to Uncovered, the latest effort by Southern songwriter Tony Joe White. ...The big Boss man himself, Bruce Springsteen, gives his pal Joe Grushecky a boost by piping up on "Code of Silence," a track that appears on the ex-Iron City Houserocker's A Good Life. ... Yes, that really is Colin Hay from Men at Work joining Latin electro-rockers Kinky on their third LP, Reina. ... Also spotted: Afro-beat creator Fela Kuti, cropping up on "In Africa," a DVD by ex-Cream and Blind Faith member Ginger Baker. ... George Winston's Gulf Coast Blues and Impressions - A Hurricane Relief Benefit is pretty self-explanatory and has 100 percent of proceeds going to relief organizations. Dr. John, Allen Toussaint, James Booker and others help further the effort. ... Rex Moroux also has his mind on New Orleans, as his LP Royal Street Inn is named after a hostel in the city, as does folk singer David Rovics, whose Halliburton Boardroom Massacre features "New Orleans," "Paul Wolfowitz" and "Song for Cindy Sheehan." ...

Honkytonk Homeslice and Zilla are both String Cheese Incident side projects, and they'll be competing for jam-band attention with the digipak Honkytonk Homeslice and two-CD All Iz, respectively. ... Massachusetts hard-rockers Seemless recorded their What Have We Become at Longview Studios, the same studio that's been graced by Aerosmith and the Rolling Stones. ... It's been 10 years since NYC underground heroes Alice Donut recorded together with their original lineup, but that streak is being broken with Fuzz. ... Roman Numerals, who log a self-named LP this week, feature guys who used to be in Dirtnap, Shiner and Season to Risk. The latter band was featured in 1995's Ralph Fiennes-starring "Strange Days." ... Threatening duo Jucifer have put out three LPs, but each one has dropped on a different label. This week's If Thine Enemy Hunger comes courtesy Relapse. ... Vader's Impressions in Blood is the 18th item the 20-year-old metal band has logged in its catalog.

Song Titles of the Week:

The track list to Horse the Band's Pizza EP: "Anti-Pizza," "Crippled by Pizza (Pizzarrhea in the Pizzeria)," "Werepizza," "Pizza Nif," and, of course, "T.M.N.T."

Other Notables:

Grizzly Bear's Yellow House: Christopher Taylor has blossomed his formerly one-man, field-tape-dependent project into a four-piece act that will be opening for TV on the Radio for a handful of October gigs. Grizzly Bear now employ woodwinds, effects pedals and four-part harmonies, a new blend they show off on "Central and Remote," "On a Neck on a Spit" and "Colorado."

Sebadoh's III reissue: Widely considered to be essential indie-rock listening, the 1991 release is bolstered by a 17-track bonus disc chock-full of rarities. That includes the band's Gimme Indie Rock! EP from the same year, four-track demos of "The Freed Pig" and "Never Jealous" and more.

Made Out of Babies' Coward: This New York loud-rock foursome earns the honor for most unsettling album cover of the week: It features the up-close image of a kid who's been beaten to a pulp. Don't expect the music itself, documented by noise guru and noted engineer Steve Albini, to be any sweeter. Tracks include "Mr. Prison Shanks," "Gunt" and "Proud to Drown." Yikes.

New Releases:

• A Love Ends Suicide - In the Disaster (Metal Blade)
• Alice Donut - Fuzz (Howler)
  Buy Now: Fuzz (Howler)
• Criss Angel - "Mindfreak" soundtrack (Koch)
• Dave Aude - Audacious (Koch)
• Audioslave - Revelations (Epic)
  Read: "New Audioslave LP: 'Led Zeppelin Meets Earth, Wind & Fire' "
  Buy Now: Revelations (Epic)
• Beyoncé - B'Day (Columbia)
  Read: "Beyonce's Triple Threat: New Album, Film, Fashion Line Before Year's End"
  Buy Now: B'Day (Columbia)
• Black Ice - The Death of Willie Lynch (Koch)
• Blind Guardian - A Twist in the Myth (Nuclear Blast America)
• Kate Campbell with Spooner Oldham - For the Living of These Days (Large River)
• Dawn of Azazel - Sedition (enhanced; Ibex Moon)
• Dead Hearts - Bitter Verses (Ferret)
• Ecstatic Sunshine - Freckle Wars (Carpark)
• Elin - Lazy Afternoon (Blue Toucan)
• Billy Gilman - Billy Gilman (Image)
• Goatwhore - A Haunting Curse (Metal Blade)
• Grizzly Bear - Yellow House (Warp)
• Joe Grushecky - A Good Life (Schoolhouse)
• Robin Guthrie - Everlasting (EP; Darla)
• Hell-Born - Cursed Infernal Steel (Ibex Moon)
• Hem - Funnel Crowd (Nettwerk)
• Honkytonk Homeslice - Honkytonk Homeslice (digipak; Sci Fidelity)
• Horse the Band - Pizza (EP; Koch)
• Incantation - Primordial Domination (Ibex Moon)
• Iron Maiden - A Matter of Life and Death (limited-edition version with bonus DVD due same day; EMI)
  Read: "New Iron Maiden LP Is So Deep That Even The Band Doesn't Get It"
  Buy Now: A Matter of Life and Death (EMI)
• Jars of Clay - Good Monsters (Essential)
• Libby Johnson - Annabella (Wrong)
• Jucifer - If Thine Enemy Hunger (Relapse)
• Kinky - Reina (Nettwerk)
  Buy Now: Reina (Nettwerk)
• The Klezmatics - Woody Guthrie's Happy Joyous Hanukkah (JMG)
• Lakes - Photographs (EP; Militia Group)
• Lantana - Unbridled (BGM)
• Los Amigos Invisibles - Superpop Venezuela (Gozadera)
• Made Out of Babies - Coward (Neurot)
• Mark Mallman - Between the Devil and Middle C (Badman)
• Rex Moroux - Royal Street Inn (333)
• The Polyphonic Spree -
• Roman Numerals - Roman Numerals (Anodyne)
• David Rovics - Halliburton Boardroom Massacre (digipak with DVD; Mi5 Recordings)
• Seemless - What Have We Become (Equal Vision)
• Strike Anywhere - Dead FM (Fat Wreck Chords)
• Tall Paul - The Beat Technique (Koch)
• Teitur - Stay Under the Stars (digipak; Equator)
• Trainwreck Riders - Lonely Road Festival (Alive)
• Vader - Impressions in Blood (Candlelight)
• Tony Joe White - Uncovered (Swamp)
• George Winston - Gulf Coast Blues and Impressions - A Hurricane Relief Benefit (RCA Victor/ Windham Hill)
• Zilla - All Iz (Sci Fidelity)
• Various artists - "Phat Girlz" soundtrack (Lakeshore)

Notable Reissues and Archival Material:

• Alice in Chains - The Essential Alice in Chains (two CDs; Columbia/ Legacy)
  Buy Now: The Essential Alice in Chains (Columbia/Legacy)
• Michael Bolton - The Essential Michael Bolton (two CDs; Columbia/ Legacy)
• Miles Davis - Cool & Collected (Columbia/ Legacy Jazz)
• Kinky Friedman - Last of the Jewish Cowboys: The Best of Kinky Friedman (Shout! Factory)
• Laurent Garnier - Retrospective 94.06 (two CDs; Mute)
• Lowlife - Godhead (LTM)
• Yves Montand - Unreleased, Rare & Essential (DRG)
• Sebadoh - III (Domino)
• Aaron Tippin - Aaron Tippin: Now and Then (Rust)
• Joy Williams - Every Moment: The Best of Joy Williams (Reunion)
• Various artists - Sundown: A Windham Hill Piano Collection (Windham Hill/ Legacy)

Music DVDs:

• Ginger Baker - "In Africa" (Eagle Vision)
• Gary Burton and Makoto Ozone - "Live at Montreux 2002" (Eagle Vision)
• Jeff Healey - "Live at Montreux 1999" (with CD; Eagle Vision)
• Peggy Lee - "In Concert Series" (Passport)
• Roger Whittaker - "Roger Whittaker in Concert: Greatest Hits" (Foreign Media Group)
• The Who - "Music Box Biographical Collection" (Music Video Box)
• Various artists - "Gigantour" (two DVDs; Image)

Coming Attractions:

September 12:

• John Mayer - Continuum (Columbia)
  Preorder: Continuum (Columbia)
• Mastodon - Blood Mountain (Reprise; limited-edition version with DVD due same day)
  Read: "Mastodon LP Tackles Auto-Cannibalism, One-Eyed Sasquatch"
• N.O.R.E. y la Familia - Ya Tú Sabe (Roc-A-Fella)
• Justin Timberlake - FutureSex/LoveSounds (Jive)
  Read: "Justin Previews New Tracks At Hollywood Show With Help From Will.I.Am, Timbaland"
  Preorder: FutureSex/LoveSounds (Jive)
• TV on the Radio - Return to Cookie Mountain (Interscope)

September 19:

• Clay Aiken - A Thousand Different Ways (RCA)
  Preorder: A Thousand Different Ways (RCA)
• Fergie - The Dutchess (Interscope)
  Read: "Fergie's Split-Pea Soup: Reggae, Jazz, Ludacris, B Real On 'Crazy' Solo LP"
  Preorder: The Dutchess (Interscope)
• Jesse McCartney - Right Where You Want Me (Hollywood)
  Read: "In September, Get Jesse McCartney Right Where You Want Him"
  Preorder: Right Where You Want Me (Hollywood)
• New Found Glory - Coming Home (Geffen)
  Read: "New Found Glory Unveil Track List; New LP Is 'Different From Everything Out There' "
  Preorder: Coming Home (Geffen)

September 26:

• Janet Jackson - 20 Y.O. (Virgin)
  Preorder: 20 Y.O. (Virgin)
• Ludacris - Release Therapy (Def Jam)
  Read: "Therapy Is In Session: Kanye, Pharrell, R. Kelly Hop On Luda's LP"
  Preorder: Release Therapy (Def Jam)
• Mewithoutyou - Brother Sister (Tooth & Nail)
  Read: "Mewithoutyou Confront Rock's Limitations: 'You Can't Give People Hugs In A CD' "
  Preorder: Brother, Sister (Tooth & Nail)

• Beyoncé
• Audioslave
• Iron Maiden
• Alice in Chains
• Black Ice

Iron Maiden's Bruce Dickinson
Photo: Karl Walter/ Getty Images

Since 1999, when longtime singer Bruce Dickinson returned to the fray after an eight-year absence, Iron Maiden have striven to write the ultimate metal album — one that was complex without being overindulgent and memorable without being predictable. Now, following 2000's ambitious but spotty Brave New World and 2003's titanic but overblown Dance of Death, Iron Maiden have achieved their goal with their new album, A Matter of Life and Death. And, compared to previous efforts, they barely even tried.

"We did the whole thing in just a shade under four months," said Dickinson of the LP, due September 5. "We don't get together to make records that much anymore, so when we finally did, we were really excited, and that excitement turned into this really productive period."

The band started writing in late 2005, and right away the machine clicked. There was a complete absence of the types of arguments that used to hamstring the bandmembers.

"In the past we may have been a bit more uptight, but we're all just seriously relaxed and chill about things now, so we're able to work well together and not get worked up," Dickinson said. "Ideas were just buzzing through the air, and everybody was listening to each other and feeding off the energy."

Iron Maiden rehearsed the new songs at home in early 2006, then entered Sarm West Studios in London with producer Kevin Shirley, who has worked on their last three records. But while they had booked three months, they were done in two.

"We haven't worked that fast since we did Number of the Beast and Piece of Mind in the early days, and back then we didn't have a choice," Dickinson said. "We were just having a great time, writing really good music, and then all of a sudden we were like, 'Wow, we're done!' "

Nothing about A Matter of Life and Death sounds rushed. Most of the songs are more than seven minutes long, and the album is packed with complex rhythms, sudden tempo shifts and acrobatic musicianship. Vocals soar from a whisper to a wail; keyboards swell through atmospheric interludes before being trampled by clattering drums and rabid bass lines. And buzzing guitars gallop, stop, saunter, then gallop some more.

"We are still getting to grips with the album ourselves, and we made it," Dickinson laughed. "It really is tremendously deep. There's a huge amount of stuff on it because we just didn't see any point in trying to make an album that was just like all the others. There's lots of bands making albums with five-minute pop-metal songs, so we thought, 'Let's do something really extraordinary.' "

Many of the songs address various aspects of war. "Brighter Than a Thousand Suns" chronicles life in the shadow of the atomic bomb, "The Longest Day" is about the World War II D-Day invasion, and "These Colours Don't Run" confronts patriotism in times of combat.

"There's a business of soldiering, and it has always run the same way, no matter what war we're talking about," Dickinson said. "It's guys whose fathers and grandfathers were soldiers, and some father is kissing his family goodbye and going off to war, and no one knows if he's going to come back in six months alive or in a body bag."

On the surface, Life and Death might seem political, but Dickinson said it's not.

"We make observations because we like to use our brains," he said. "But I think we shy away from political statements because that implies you're picking one side over the other. We try to look at the human side behind what's going on. One of the things that happens during wars is people get dehumanized. Whole nations become dehumanized. If you say, 'Mr. and Mrs. Hussein used to live in this house, but then a bomb landed on them by mistake and killed all their children,' you think, 'Oh, that's tragic.' But when you just reduce them and call them 'Iraqis,' it's easy to forget the human tragedy."

The band, whose last U.S. jaunt was a controversial stint on the 2005 Ozzfest (see "Iron Maiden Pelted With Eggs At Final Ozzfest Performance" and "Sharon Osbourne Admits Cutting Iron Maiden's Power, Says To 'Move On' "), will launch a comparatively brief North American tour that begins on October 4 in Hartford, Connecticut, and winds down October 21 in Irvine, California. Then the band will launch a lengthy European tour and may not return to North America before its next album.

"We have no interest in hitting dozens of cities in America, because let's be honest — there probably aren't enough Iron Maiden fans to justify an extensive tour on the scale we like to play. Do we think Iron Maiden could sell out a 20,000-seat arena in Iowa? Probably not. So we'll do these big shows on our terms indoors and then see what happens with the record."

Iron Maiden's North American tour dates, according the band's management:

• 10/4 - Hartford, CT @ New England Dodge Music Center
• 10/6 - Boston, MA @ Agganis Arena
• 10/7 - Camden, NJ @ Tweeter Center at the Waterfront
• 10/9 - Quebec City, QC @ Colisée Pepsi
• 10/10 - Montreal, QC @ Bell Centre
• 10/12 - Uniondale, NY @ Nassau Coliseum
• 10/13 - East Rutherford, NJ @ Continental Airlines Arena
• 10/16 - Toronto, ON @ Air Canada Centre
• 10/17 - Auburn Hills, MI @ Palace of Auburn Hills
• 10/18 - Rosemont, IL @ Allstate Arena
• 10/21 - Irvine, CA @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheater

Where does Iron Maiden rank in the Greatest Heavy Metal Bands of All Time? Look here and see!

• Iron Maiden

• Black Sabbath
• Metallica
• AC/DC
• Pantera
• Slayer

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• Slayer
• Iron Maiden
• Black Sabbath
• Kiss
• Pantera

Artists Who've Never Been #1: Ozzy, Kiss, The Cure, More

• David Bowie
• Lemmy Kilmister
• The Smiths
• Morrissey
• The Who

Ozzfest: A Look Back

• Rob Zombie
• Mudvayne
• Iron Maiden
• Black Label Society
• Andrew W.K.

Motorhead And Iron Maiden Live At Madison Square Garden, 07.30.2003

• Iron Maiden
• Motörhead