Unearth
Photo: Metal Blade

Last month sources close to Unearth confirmed that the New England metallers would be one of the rotating co-headliners on the second stage at this summer's Ozzfest. But guitarist Ken Susi can't say for sure what his band's going to be doing ("I've heard rumors we may be attending, and it would be great if we're lucky enough to do it," he said). What Susi does know is that next week Unearth will board a plane bound for Seattle, where they'll spend the next two months recording their forthcoming, yet-untitled LP — which hits stores August 8.

Unearth chose producer Terry Date (Pantera, Deftones) to helm the project — a decision made over some of Susi's mother's home cooking.

"We had other producers in mind, and we'd locked in a producer who's an amazing talent and shall remain nameless," Susi explained. "But Terry stepped in at the right time and had the right things to tell us. He had dinner over my family's house, and we just sat around talking about music and life. He just seemed like he's laid-back enough to help us find what it is inside that needs to come out on tape, but he also has the type of stern attitude where he'll tell you if something's wrong."

Unearth have written 10 songs for the album and have assigned working titles — like "Circus Metal" and "Centrifigal Fist" — to most of them. Susi hopes to record at least 12 tracks in all and thinks, based on some of the other material the band's come up with, that shouldn't be too daunting a task.

When Unearth started writing the follow-up to 2004's The Oncoming Storm, "we just wanted to simplify a little bit," Susi said. "We wanted to do what we normally do, as far as writing intricate riffs and really hard things to play — things that come together really well. But we wanted to strip everything down and have a more organic record — just a more natural feeling, with fewer triggers and more power and realness. We've always been a live band more than a recorded band, and I think we need to start transporting what we do live onto record."

While in Seattle, Susi said the band plans to record a cover of "It's Clobberin' Time," which will appear on an upcoming tribute to New York hardcore legends Sick of It All. And for his part, Susi hopes he can continue racking up more producer credits of his own: He's twiddled the knobs for Burn in Silence and worked with Ligeia on that band's sophomore album, Your Ghost Is a Gift. But first things first — Unearth need to take care of their own opus before Susi can line up any side gigs.

"I'm a little nervous, man," he said about Unearth's upcoming disc. "It's like getting a science project together. You want do what you can to get an A. We're on our way, though — the general vibe of the band's pretty positive. I just hope [the record] doesn't suck."

The rest of the week's metal news:

Monster Magnet frontman Dave Wyndorf was hospitalized on February 27 following a drug overdose. Wyndorf, who has struggled with drugs in the past, but was clean for years, is expected to make a full recovery. "The battle with one's inner demons is the most personal fight any of us can undertake," read a statement from the band's management. "Wyndorf suffered a setback in his own fight. ... We ask that all those he has encountered over the years or simply [those] affected by his music take a moment to think good thoughts of and for him." Following the incident, Monster Magnet canceled their European tour. The band had been working on the follow-up to 2004's Monolithic Baby! at Paramount and Sound City studios in Los Angeles. The album, which is being produced by Matt Hyde, is tentatively scheduled for release this summer. ... German death-metal band Necrophagist will play their first-ever U.S. headlining tour starting April 28 at the New England Metal and Hardcore Festival. The tour will run through May 31 in Philadelphia. The band was originally scheduled to play an an additional 10 dates in Canada, but the shows were canceled because of a conflict with the tour producer. Necrophagist will be playing with new guitarist Sami Raatikainen, who replaced Christian Muenzner. The former axeman departed in early February due to "scheduling conflicts." The band's most recent record, Epitaph, came out in 2004. ...

According to a spokesperson for the band, Mastodon's forthcoming Warner Bros. debut, tentatively titled Blood Mountain, should surface in late May/ early June. ... The 10th annual Skylar Neil Memorial Golf Tournament has been set for May 5 at Lost Canyons Golf Club in Simi Valley, California. The event raises money for the Skylar Neil Memorial Fund for Cancer Research, which is named for Mötley Crüe frontman Vince Neil's daughter, who succumbed to stomach cancer in 1995. ...Soulfly's approaching trek with Incite, Manntis and A Perfect Murder will kick off April 21 in Anaheim, California, with dates running through April 30 in Boise, Idaho. ... Chimaira will hit the road with Arch Enemy for a co-headlining tour that launches April 3 in Denver. Hate Eternal have been named as one of the support acts for the trek; Nevermore will also be on the bill for the first half of the tour, with God Forbid confirmed for the remaining gigs. Dates run through April 30 in Washington, D.C. ... Orange Goblin, Scissorfight and the Capricorns will team up for a 12-date run that kicks off May 16 in Boston and wraps May 27 in Rochester, New York. ... Candiria have begun recording tracks for their forthcoming album, which could be released early this summer. According to the band's MySpace page, Candiria have about 16 songs written for the yet-untitled effort. ... Swedish death-metal pugilists Gadget have finished recording their third album The Funeral March, which comes out May 2. The follow-up to 2004's Remote includes "Day of the Vulture," "Let the Mayhem Begin" and "5HN1." ...

Loser, the new band featuring ex-Marilyn Manson guitarist John 5, are helping launch a contest to hook up the hottest chick and the biggest loser. The contest will be announced on LoserNation.com and contestants can sign up starting April 1. Applicants for both categories should submit a photo of themselves along with a brief description of why they should win. The hottest chick will win a trip to Hollywood and a professional photo shoot if she agrees to go on a date with the biggest loser, and both winners will be flown to Hollywood to attend an upcoming Loser concert. Loser's debut album, Just Like You, comes out June 13 and includes "Nobody Knows," "The First Time," "Away" and "Disposable Sunshine." ... German metalcore outfit Caliban have bumped the release date for their next album, The Undying Darkness, to April 4. The disc was recorded with In Flames singer Anders Fridén at Principal Studios near Munster, Germany. Tracks include "I Rape Myself," "It's a Burden to Bleed" and "My Fiction Beauty." ... Burbank, California noise quartet Bleeding Kansas will release their full-length debut, Dead Under Décor, March 21. "Retract the Altitude," "Drowning in a Sea of Sh--" and "Hypocrites, Be Alive Again" are among the 13 track titles. The band's debut EP, 1859, came out last year. ... Glendale, Arizona emo-metal band Desole will release their debut album, A Story to Tell, March 7. Tracks include "Personal," "Gossip" and "Shadow Girl." ... Belgian black-metal veterans Ancient Rites will release their fourth album, Rubicon, May 15. The disc was recorded at Spacelab Studio in Germany and produced by Oliver Phillips and Christian Moos. Tracks include "Crusade," "Mithras" and "Invictus." ...

Threshold of Revelation, the second album by Chicago power-metal band Twelfth Gate, will be released March 20. Songs include "Loyal," "Come Alive," "Critical Elements" and "Inner Core." The latter two can be heard on MySpace.com/TwelfthGate. ... Misery Index have chosen Discordia as the title of their forthcoming Relapse Records debut. The album, scheduled for a May 16 release, will boast 10 new tunes, including "Breathing Pestilence," "Sensory Deprivation" and "Dystopian Nightmares." ... I Killed the Prom Queen have recruited Ed Butcher as their new singer. He replaces Michael Crafter, who jumped ship in late January. ... Horse the Band, Gatsby's American Dream, Portugal. The Man and Forgive Durden will tour together this spring. So far just eight dates have been announced: the first will be May 23 in Boise, Idaho; and the final gig is set for June 13 in Huntington, West Virginia. ... One Dead Three Wounded will hit the road March 3 in Bordentown, New Jersey, for a three-week spate of East Coast dates set to conclude March 26 in Nashua, New Hampshire. ... The first California Metal Festival will take place May 13 in San Bernardino, California. Suffocation, Darkest Hour, Necrophagist, Caliban, Cattle Decapitation, From a Second Story Window, Sworn Enemy, Animosity and Job for a Cowboy are among the 20-plus acts that will take the stage. ... The Showdown, August Burns Red and Project 86 will hit the road come April 14 in Modesto, California. Dates thus far run through April 28 in Minneapolis. ... Goatwhore have christened their forthcoming, Erik Rutan-produced LP as A Haunting Curse. The album should be in stores sometime in September and feature "I Avenge Myself," "Alchemy of the Black Sun Cult" and "Bloodletting Upon the Cloven Hoof."

• Unearth
• Monster Magnet
• Necrophagist

Lindsay Lohan (file)
Photo: Jason Squires

There's nothing too dramatic about this week's new releases, unless you count the soundtrack to Lindsay Lohan's new movie, "Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen." The album features songs by Lohan herself, mostly, with additional tracks by A Simple Plan and Lillix.

In other soundtrack news, the music on the "Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights" album comes courtesy of Christina Aguilera, Wyclef Jean featuring Claudette Ortiz, Mya and Cuban rappers Orishas.

The Indigo Girls let out All That We Let In this week alongside Lambchop's internal argument played out on two albums — Aw, C'mon and No, You C'mon — and singer/songwriter Eamon's debut album, I Don't Want You Back, featuring the track "F--- It (I Don't Want You Back)." Why doesn't this guy just tell us how he really feels?

Out Tuesday, February 17:

• All Night Radio - Spirit Stereo Frequency (Sub Pop)
• Amps for Christ - The People at Large (5 Rue Christine)
• Bagheera - Twelves (Asian Man)
• Bark Psychosis - Replay (United States Dist.)
• Bruisers - Singles Collection (Taang)
• Casual Dots - Casual Dots (Kill Rock Stars)
• The Casualties - On the Front Lines (SideOneDummy)
• Challenger - Give People What They Want in Lethal Doses (Jade Tree)
• Chromatics - Plaster Hounds (Gold Standard Laboratories)
• Chromeo - She's In Control (Vice/Atlantic)
• Cinderella - In Concert (Cleopatra)
• Chris Difford - I Didn't Get Where I Am (Navarre)
• Eamon - I Don't Want You Back (Jive)
  Buy Now: I Don't Want You Back (Jive)
  
• Evergreen Terrace - Writer's Block (Eulogy)
• External Menace - The Process of Elimination (Dr. Strange)
• The Fall-Outs - Summertime (Estrus)
• The Faraway Places - Unfocus on It (Eenie Meenie)
• Get F---ed - Get F---ed (Level-Plane)
• John Wesley Harding - Adam's Apple (Navarre)
• Peter Himmelman - Unstoppable Forces (Navarre)
• Indigo Girls - All That We Let In (Epic)
  Buy Now: All That We Let In (Epic)
  
• Lambchop - Aw C'mon (Merge)
• Lambchop - No, You C'mon (Merge)
• Masterplan - Colossus of Destiny (Total Energy)
• Monster Magnet - Monolithic Baby (SPV)
• Noxagt - The Iron Point (Load)
• OOIOO - Kila Kila Kila (Thrill Jockey)
• Pilot to Gunner - Get Saved (Arena Rock)
• Preston School of Industry - Monsoon (Matador)
• The Proclaimers - Born Innocent (Persevere)
• Rag Men - Rag Men (Eulogy)
• Stan Ridgway and Pietra Wexstun - Blood (Sympathy for the Record Industry)
• Scarling - Sweet Heart Dealer (Sympathy for the Record Industry)
• Peter Searcy - Couch Songs (Initial)
• Ben Sidran - Nick's Bump (Nardis/Liquid 8)
• Garrison Starr - Airstreams and Satellites (Vanguard)
• The Swan Silvertones - I'll Keep Loving Him (Liquid 8)
• Trans Am - Liberation (Thrill Jockey)
• Trapist - Ballroom (Thrill Jockey)
• Willard Grant Conspiracy - Regard the End (Kimchee)
• Wolfe - Delaware Crossing (Valley Entertainment)
• Xiu Xiu - Fabulous Muscles (5 Rue Christine)
• Various artists – "Confessions of a Teenage Drama Queen" soundtrack (Hollywood)
• Various artists – "Dirty Dancing: Havana Nights" soundtrack (J)
• Various artists - A Guitar Tribute to Sting (Tribute Sounds)
• Various artists - Pickin' on Toby Keith, Vol. II (CMH)
• Various artists - The String Quartet Tribute to Incubus, Volume 2 (Vitamin)
• Various artists - A Tribute to Beastie Boys (Tribute Sounds)
• Various artists - A Tribute to Seal (Tribute Sounds)
• DVD: "War on Wax: Rivalries in Hip-Hop" (Image Entertainment)

• JC Chasez - Schizophrenic (Jive)
  Read: "JC Chasez Learns To 'Shake It' Like A Polaroid Picture On Schizophrenic"
  Buy Now: Schizophrenic (Jive)
  
• John Frusciante - Shadows Collide With People (Warner Bros.)
  Buy Now: Shadows Collide With People (Warner Bros.)
  
• Orgy - Punk Statik Paranoia (D1)
  Buy Now: Punk Statik Paranoia (D1)
  
• Rick Springfield - Shock Denial Anger Acceptance (Red Ink)

• Black Sabbath - Black Box: The Complete Original Black Sabbath 1970-78 (Rhino)
• Cee-Lo - Cee-Lo Green Is the Soul Machine (Arista)
• The Get Up Kids - Guilt Show (Vagrant)
  Buy Now: Guilt Show (Vagrant)
  
• Hootie and the Blowfish - The Best of Hootie and the Blowfish 1993-2003 (Atlantic)

• BT - Music From and Inspired by the Film "Monster" (Digital Sound)

• Janet Jackson - Damita Jo (Virgin)
  Read: "Janet Jackson Making Sexiest Album Yet, Producer Says"
  Buy Now: Damita Jo (Virgin)
  

April 6:

• Rahzel - Rahzel's Greatest Knockouts (Readyrock)
  Buy Now: Rahzel's Greatest Knockouts (Readyrock)
  

• Eamon
• Monster Magnet
• Lambchop
• The Indigo Girls
• Cinderella

Monster Magnet
Photo: A&M

Since Ice Cube's next movie, "Torque," is about motorcycles, madness and betrayal, director Joseph Kahn decided he needed an expert to work on the music. He called up Dave Wyndorf, frontman for the motorcycle-metal band Monster Magnet, and invited him to contribute a song.

Kahn had known Wyndorf since 1998 when he worked on Monster Magnet's "Powertrip" and "Space Lord" videos, which received considerable airplay. Since then, Kahn has shot videos for Moby, Britney Spears and countless others. "Torque" will be his first feature film.

When Kahn phoned, Wyndorf had been working on new Magnet material for months, so he grabbed a demo for a song called "Master Light" and sent it to the director, who played it for his cohorts.

"It's this huge, giant biker theme song," Wyndorf said Tuesday. "It doesn't have anything in particular to do with motorcycles, but it's reminiscent of a big '60s theme, except it's modern. We've got all kinds of polyrhythms going on and enormous chords. It's like a big f--- you to the world, which is kind of a biker thing."

Wyndorf's reverberations of grandeur were so well received that not only was the song immediately accepted, but Kahn also asked the band to appear in the film.

"We're in a big concert scene where everything goes wrong and people die," Wyndorf said. "Through all the chaos, there's Monster Magnet."

During the shoot, Wyndorf, who was impressed by Ice Cube's motorcycle skills, engaged the rap star in some small talk when there was downtime. But the rapper was not amused by one of Wyndorf's bandmate's antics.

"My drummer [John Kleiman] has been wearing the same Ice Cube shirt for five years," he explained. "His big thing is to pull the shirt over his head so the actual picture of Ice Cube becomes his head, so it looks like a mutant midget Ice Cube walking around. He wanted to get a picture of him like that with Ice Cube, but Cube didn't think it was that funny."

When Wyndorf received positive feedback about the "Master Light" demo, he sensed further opportunity. He asked Kahn if anyone was onboard to write the score for "Torque," and was told that no one had yet been hired. So late last year, when Monster Magnet recorded "Master Light" in the studio, Wyndorf took some extra time to score a musical passage for one of the film's murder scenes. Kahn liked the work, and after a little pleading, Wyndorf got the thumbs-up to score the whole film.

"I just kept saying, 'I can do it' until they said 'all right,' " Wyndorf said. "Since I had the material to back it up, they finally agreed."

Wyndorf is currently working on the music with producer Scott Humphrey (Andrew W.K.) and Tommy Lee, who will play drums on some of the material.

"[Tommy Lee is] a friend of Scott's," Wyndorf said. "He's a big drummer, and we've got drums bigger than human beings. We're using these big Japanese orchestral drums. So everything sounds really giant."

The psych-metal guitarist described the film music as a cross between Bernard Herrmann (Taxi Driver, Vertigo) and Sergio Leoni (A Fistful of Dollars) done in a psychedelic funk format, but emphasized that it's not a hard rock score at all.

"What we want do is construct tension through orchestration. It kind of sounds like Zeppelin if they had done something like this, because there are a lot of strings and guitars. I layer all this stuff from tiny little guitars to three pianos banging at the same time."

Wyndorf plans to wrap up the score for "Torque" in the next two weeks. Then he'll sit down with Kahn to edit and refine the material.

"This is something I've always wanted to do," Wyndorf said. "When you're a rock and roll singer and songwriter you gather up all kinds of material and ideas that there's no practical application for on a rock and roll album.

"But in movies you can just go berserk even though a lot of it ends up on the cutting-room floor. It's great. In the studio you can go insane with gongs and strings and anything. It's absolutely crazy."

• Monster Magnet
• Ice Cube

The Cult
Photo: Deluxe Management

The Cult have recruited Monster Magnet and Stabbing Westward for a summer tour of amphitheaters and arenas slated to kick off June 14 in Reno, Nevada.

The Beyond Good and Evil tour, which takes its name from the Cult's new album, their first since 1994, will keep on rocking until at least mid-August. Another to-be-determined band may join the bill, according to the Cult's management.

The Cult, who regrouped in 1999 after informally disbanding in 1995, are warming up for the trek with a series of club dates and radio festival appearances. The band's lineup for the roadshow features original vocalist Ian Astbury and guitarist Billy Duffy, longtime drummer Matt Sorum — who served as Guns N' Roses' drummer in the early '90s — and touring bassist Billy Morrison.

At one point former Porno for Pyros bassist Martyn Le Noble was expected to join the group on tour, but he is playing instead with the reunited Jane's Addiction. Le Noble joined the Cult in 1999 but left while the band was working on Beyond Good and Evil, due June 5.

He plays on a few of the album's tracks, while session musician Chris Wyse (Tal Bachman, Big Blue Missile) fills in for the remainder. "Rise," the LP's first single, went to radio early this month.

Space-rockers Monster Magnet are currently touring with Buckcherry in support of God Says No, which features the single "Heads Explode." Stabbing Westward are also on a national club tour and will release their self-titled fourth album, produced by Ed Buller (Suede, Crystal Method), on May 22. Their "So Far Away" is at #27 on the Billboard Modern Rock singles chart.

Cult solo and festival dates, according to thecultnet.com:

• 5/15 - Wichita, KS @ Rita's Little Uptown
• 5/16 - Columbia, MO @ Blue Note
• 5/18 - Omaha, NE @ Ranch Bowl
• 5/19 - Peoria, IL @ Madison Theatre
• 5/21 - Indianapolis, IN @ Egyptian Room
• 5/22 - Grand Rapids, MI @ Orbit Room
• 5/23 - Columbus, OH @ Newport Music Hall
• 5/25 - Saratoga Springs, NY @ Performing Arts Center
• 5/26 - Foxboro, MA @ Foxboro Stadium
• 5/27 - Washington, DC @ RFK Stadium
• 5/29 - Providence, RI @ Lupo's Heartbreak Hotel
• 6/2 - Toronto, ON @ Warehouse
• 7/8 - New Orleans, LA @ Radio Show

• 6/14 - Reno, NV @ TBA
• 6/16 - Santa Barbara, CA @ Santa Barbara Bowl
• 6/19 - San Diego, CA @ SDSU Open Air Theatre
• 6/21 - Phoenix, AZ @ Web Theatre
• 6/22 - Las Vegas, NV @ House of Blues
• 6/25 - Salt Lake City, UT @ TBA
• 6/26 - Denver, CO @ Magness Arena
• 6/28 - Kansas City, MO @ Uptown Theatre
• 6/29 - Chicago, IL @ Congress Theatre
• 6/30 - Chicago, IL @ Congress Theatre
• 7/1 - Saint Paul, MN @ Roy Wilkins Auditorium
• 7/5 - Detroit, MI @ State Theater
• 7/6 - Cleveland, OH @ Nautica Stage
• 7/7 - Philadelphia, PA @ Electric Factory
• 7/10 - Worcester, MA @ Palladium
• 7/11 - Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club
• 7/13 - Asbury Park, NJ @ Convention Hall
• 7/14 - New York, NY @ Hammerstein Ballroom
• 7/16 - Norfolk, VA @ NorVa
• 7/17 - Myrtle Beach, SC @ House of Blues
• 7/18 - Birmingham, AL @ Sloss Furnace
• 7/20 - Miami, FL @ Bayfront Amphitheatre
• 7/21 - Orlando, FL @ House of Blues
• 7/22 - Atlanta, GA @ DeKalb Atlanta Center
• 7/24 - Dalton, GA @ NW Georgia Trade
• 7/26 - Dallas, TX @ Bronco Bowl
• 7/27 - Austin, TX @ Austin Music Hall
• 7/28 - San Antonio, TX @ Sunken Gardens
• 7/29 - Houston, TX @ Aerial Theatre
• 7/31 - Lubbock, TX @ Fair Park Coliseum
• 8/1 - El Paso, TX @ County Coliseum
• 8/3 - Universal City, CA @ Universal Amphitheatre
• 8/5 - Portland, OR @ KNRK-FM Radio Show
• 8/7 - Vancouver, BC @ Plaza of Nations
• 8/10 - San Francisco, CA @ Warfield

• The Cult
• Monster Magnet
• Stabbing Westward

System of a Down
Photo: Sony/Columbia

System of a Down, Monster Magnet and Buckcherry will headline Des Moines, Iowa's inaugural Big Ass BBQ on May 27.

The festival is sponsored by Lazer 103.3 (KAZR-FM). The rock station, along with syndicated jock Mancow, had hosted a festival called the Lazer Luau in past summers, but the location and name were changed this year.

The Big Ass BBQ, which will also feature Days of the New, Kittie, Spineshank, Skrape and From Zero, will be held at Waterworks Park.

• System of a Down
• Monster Magnet
• Buckcherry
• Days of the New
• Kittie

Monster Magnet
Photo: A&M

Space-rock frontrunners Monster Magnet will hit the road in mid-April to support their new album, God Says No, and they're taking Sunset Strip act Buckcherry and techno-minded metalheads Professional Murder Music along for the ride. The tri-band battalion is scheduled to march across the U.S. beginning on April 15 in Old Bridge, New Jersey, according to a label spokesperson, and the six-week jaunt will keep the bands touring through the end of May.

Monster Magnet are high on the heels of God Says No's first single, "Heads Explode," which has been rising up rock radio charts in both Billboard and Radio & Records with a bullet, according to the trade magazines' latest reports.

Produced by lead singer Dave Wyndorf and Matt Hyde (Porno for Pyros), God Says No was originally scheduled for a late 2000 release, but was pushed back so as not to compete with big albums by labelmates U2 and Limp Bizkit (see "Monster Magnet: 'God Says No' Until Next Year"). The LP now carries a March 27 street date.

With the momentum of the single "Ridin'" at their backs, Buckcherry are touring in support of their second album, Time Bomb, due on March 27 (see "Buckcherry Take Time Out From Tour To Shoot Video"). Professional Murder Music, meanwhile, will unveil their self-titled debut in May, according to their spokesperson.

The first dates of Monster Magnet's God Says No tour, according to an Interscope/Geffen/A&M Records spokesperson:

• 4/15 - Old Bridge, NJ @ Birch Hill
• 4/16 - Plainview, NY @ The Vanderbilt
• 4/18 - Muskegon, MI @ Walker Arena
• 4/19 - Springfield, IL @ University of Illinois
• 4/20 - Huntington, WV @ Huntington Civic Center
• 4/27 - Charlotte, NC @ Center City
• 4/28 - Atlanta, GA @ The Masquerade

• Monster Magnet
• Buckcherry
• Professional Murder Music

The next album from Monster Magnet, "God Says No," is in the can, but don't expect to see it on this side of the pond until 2001.

According to the band's management, "God Says No" has been mixed and mastered and would have been ready to roll into stores late this year. However, with a glut of pending releases from the likes of Limp Bizkit, the Wallflowers, and U2 due out before the holidays from the band's label, Interscope, it was decided to move the disc's release date to next year, to keep the LP from being lost in the shuffle.

The album was recorded in Vancouver, British Columbia, and like 1998's "Powertrip," Matt Hyde and Randy Staub handled production duties, with Alan Moulder mixing the disc in London.

"God Says No" will hit stores overseas in November, however, and the group is likely to hit the road for a short European tour soon after its release there. A stateside tour in early 2001 is also in the band's sights.

The group plans to shoot a video for the new track "Heads Explode" around the end of this month with frontman Dave Wyndorf directing. Management promises the clip will have some similarities to the group's Vegas-style "Space Lord" video, boasting an even bigger production plan and even some Playboy playmates. It, too, will likely be held back from the North American market until the new year.

In other Monster Magnet news, rhythm guitarist Phil Caivano has produced the musical component of Electric Frankenstein's multimedia CD "Don't Touch Me, I'm Electric!" scheduled for release October 31.

• Monster Magnet

After assuming a supporting slot on Rammstein's recent U.S. outing, Max Cavalera and Soulfly are now hitting the road on their own headlining tour.

The Brazilian metal outfit, fronted by former Sepultura leader Cavalera, will team with Neurosis and Hatebreed for the dates, which kicked off over the weekend.

After the headlining stint, the band will meet up with Iron Maiden and Monster Magnet for a string of shows in late July.

The band is still making the rounds in support of its self-titled debut album, which hit stores in April of last year. While the group has no immediate plans to record new material, fans can sate themselves with an import-only digipak version of Soulfly's self-titled debut album. The release features the album's original track listing on one disc and a second disc full of live tracks and remixes.

If you want to catch the band live, here's where to look:

• 6/25 - Pomona, CA @ The Glass House
• 6/26 - Tucson, AZ @ The Rock
• 6/28 - Austin,TX @ The Backroom
• 6/29 - San Antonio, TX @ Odyssey
• 6/30 - Tulsa, OK @ Cains Ballroom
• 7/1 - Lawrence, KS @ Liberty Hall
• 7/2 - Columbia, MO @ The Blue Note
• 7/3 - St. Louis, MO @ Mississippi Nights
• 7/5 - New Orleans, LA @ House of Blues
• 7/6 - Nashville, TN @ The 8th Day
• 7/7 - Atlanta, GA @ The Tabernacle
• 7/8 - Spartanburg, SC @ Ground Zero
• 7/9 - Winston Salem, NC @ Ziggy's
• 7/10 - Atlantic Beach, NC @ Ziggy's by the Sea
• 7/12 - Providence, RI @ Lupo's Heartbreak Hotel
• 7/13 - State College, PA @ The Crowbar
• 7/14 - Washington, DC @ 9:30 Club
• 7/15 - Old Bridge, NJ @ Birch Hill
• 7/17 - Philadelphia, PA @ Trocadero Theatre
• 7/18 - Pittsburgh, PA @ Metropol
• 7/21 - Chicago, IL @ The Metro
• 7/23 - Minneapolis, MN @ The Quest
• 7/24 - Tea, SD @ Twisters
• 7/25 - Fargo, ND @ Playmaker's Pavillion
• 7/27 - Englewood, CO @ Fiddlers Green (with Iron Maiden and Monster Magnet)
• 7/29 - Las Vegas, NV @ Huntridge Theatre
• 7/30 - Los Angeles, CA @ Greek Theatre (with Iron Maiden and Monster Magnet)
• 7/31 - San Jose, CA @ San Jose Theatre (with Iron Maiden and Monster Magnet)

• Iron Maiden
• Monster Magnet
• Soulfly

The legendary animated feature "Heavy Metal," which spawned one of the most revered soundtracks of the AOR era, is being followed up with what looks to be a worthy successor. "Heavy Metal F.A.K.K. 2," produced by Kevin Eastman, is about to wrap up production and should be out later this year.

• Famous Monsters
• Guns N' Roses
• Monster Magnet
• White Zombie
• Rob Zombie

Monster Magnet completed its run as the opening act on the Marilyn Manson tour last night at the Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, New York. The band closed out its trek with a high-energy, old-school rock-and-roll set and left the stage on a (literally) blazing note.

After the band performed a blistering set of its own, which included Magnet favorites such as "Space Lord" and "Powertrip," lead singer Dave Wyndorf joined Manson on stage for the evening's final song, Monster Magnet's "Spine of God."

The Manson/Magnet duet, which also featured four scantily-clad female dancers grinding it out on stage, came to a close with Manson and Wyndorf setting the drums, guitars, amps, and an American flag (which Manson had been wearing at one point) on fire.

Just moments before hitting the stage last night, Wyndorf summed up the whole experience to MTV News. "This tour is the bomb," he said.

Monster Magnet was originally not even scheduled to be on the bill for the Uniondale date. The band stayed on to fill the slot left by Hole, who dropped off the tour after two weeks, citing "production" issues (see "Hole Walks Out On Tour, Manson Injury Postpones Several Dates").

The Manson tour continues on with Nashville Pussy moving up as the sole opening act. Monster Magnet is now getting ready to head to Europe to open shows for Metallica, which begin this weekend and continue through mid-July.

• Marilyn Manson
• Monster Magnet