Norma Jean
Photo: Solid State Records

AUBURN, Washington — Most of the bands that have worked with master metal producer Ross Robinson (Slipknot, Korn, At the Drive-In) characterize the experience as life-changing. And for GeorgiaGeorgia metalcore band Norma Jean, it was no different.

"I'd wanted to record with him for 10 years," explained drummer Daniel Davison, who tied the knot with his longtime girlfriend three weeks ago — a life-altering experience in itself. "His input and insight into the songs [that will appear on the band's fifth LP, Redeemer, due in stores August 15] was subtle — small things that gave the record a little more character. He was just the most positive and encouraging person I have ever met, and he had this way of bringing a lot out of us, emotionally, and he got the most intense sounds out of us."

Norma Jean — who, on Wednesday, were rehearsing for their summer appearance on Ozzfest's second stage — are still reeling from the Robinson experience, which began back in January. The band, which had spent most of 2005 on the road in support of its rabid O God, the Aftermath, considered the entire undertaking therapeutic, said Davison.

"We would talk about each song for, like, two hours," he recalled. "We'd talk about the lyrics and what certain lines meant and what they meant to each of us, where certain lyrics came from, what inspired the songs. And that's going to stick with us forever. This record just blows away anything we've ever done, and Ross captured all of the raw intensity of the entire recording process."

Before Redeemer's release in August, of course, there's Ozzfest, which kicked off here Thursday. Norma Jean are nervous about playing before some of the biggest crowds they've ever seen, but just because "we've only practiced once since we returned from the studio" earlier this month; Davison was on his honeymoon for two weeks.

"But we did play the Sounds of the Underground last year, which was a neat way to be introduced to summer festival tours — it was a good primer for Ozzfest," he noted. "I think we offer something a little different than the straight-up metal bands on the bill, so it should be awesome."

Norma Jean plan to spend the rest of the year promoting the album. This fall, they'll follow Ozzfest with a U.S. headlining trek, along with Between the Buried and Me, Fear Before the March of Flames and two other to-be-determined openers. The first single from the 11-track LP will be "A Grand Scene for a Color Film," but the band has no plans to shoot a video yet.

More news that rules:

The Haunted are currently mastering their new disc, the follow-up to 2004's rEVOLVEr. "I'm proud as f---," wrote singer Peter Dolving on the band's Web site. "It's bigger, better, madder and thicker. It rocks. Big time." While the album will likely be heavier than a suspension bridge, Dolving said it's not as fast as the group's other albums. "We were sick of the whole 900-[beats per minute]-chugga-chugga-AAARRRGGGGH-PUKE-end," he wrote. "This album is simply more diverse and dynamic. Bands like Trouble, Autopsy, G-Anx, Masters of the Universe, King Crimson and early Metallica have all had a great influence on us, and I think this album really draws a lot in color from those artists." ...

Motörhead's Kiss of Death will contain 13 new tracks, including a remake of the band's 1991 tribute to the Ramones, "R.A.M.O.N.E.S." The disc, which comes out August 29, will also feature "Sucker," "Trigger," "Devil I Know," "God Was Never on Your Side," "Sword of Glory," "Be My Baby," "Kingdom of the Worm" and similarly subtle titles. The album was produced by Cameron Webb, who also worked on the band's 2004 album, Inferno. And, yes, Motörhead still sound very much like Motörhead. ...

Chicago art-metal trio American Heritage will release their fourth album, Millenarian, September 19. The disc was recorded and mixed at Chicago's Volume Studios by Pelican and Yakuza engineer Sanford Parker. Tracks include "BrOOtal: Axxes of Evil," "Toilet Paper and Leotards" and "Spina Bifida." ...

Swedish death-metal vets Necrophobic will release their sixth album, Hrimthursum, August 22. The 60-minute-long record was produced by the band with engineers Anders Bentell and Fredrik Folkare, and will be Necrophobic's first new offering since 2002's Bloodhymns. The new track "I Strike With Wrath" can can be heard at MySpace.com/CandlelightRecordsUSA. ...

Walls of Jericho have confirmed August 22 as the release date for their third album, With Devils Amongst Us. The band recently shot a video for the first single, "A Trigger Full of Promises," with director Dale Resteghini (Hatebreed, Fall Out Boy). Walls of Jericho will be the only female-fronted group on the second stage of this year's Ozzfest. ...

After laying waste to North America, Slayer, Lamb of God, Children of Bodom, Mastodon and Thine Eyes Bleed will head to Europe for Unholy Alliance Chapter II: Preaching to the Perverted. The tour launches October 20 in Holland and runs through November 20 in London. The U.S. leg of Unholy Alliance wraps July 26 in Denver. ...

Swedish metal band Wolf are working on their fourth album, The Black Flame, with producer Fredrik Nordström at Studio Fredman in Sweden. The producer also worked with the band on its second full disc, 2002's Black Wings. The new record is tentatively scheduled for release this fall. ...

A DVD of Ronnie James Dio-era Rainbow titled "Live in Munich" will be released August 22. The recording is the only available live footage of the band's 1977-78 lineup, which featured Dio, drummer Cozy Powell, bassist Bob Daisley, keyboardist David Stone and, of course, guitarist Ritchie Blackmore. A double-CD of the performance came out June 13. ...

Look for the fourth album by experimental instrumental metal band Estradasphere, Palace of Mirrors, September 19. Tim Smolens, bassist for the Santa Cruz, California, outfit said, "The album distills the elements in the group that are clearly the strongest, while trimming the fat of our previous efforts. Expect to hear Romanian gypsy death metal, heavy doses of '60s foreign-cinema rock, expansive orchestrations, progressive spaghetti westerns, no lead vocals and even an automated calliope band that can be struck up for just a quarter." ...

All That Remains have posted their new video for the song "This Calling" at MySpace. The clip was directed by Frankie Nasso (Mudvayne, Hatebreed) and shot at the end of May at the decommissioned Hancock Naval Base in Sandy Hook, New Jersey. All That Remains' third album, The Fall of Ideals will be released on July 11. ...

Phoenix grindcore band Landmine Marathon will release their debut Wounded July 25. The group is largely influenced by early Earache Records acts, including Bolt Thrower and Napalm Death, and is fronted by dynamic she-beast Grace Perry. Tracks include "25th Hour," "Crisscross Thoughts" and "Thunder Blasted Bodies." ...

Oakland, California's modern-death-metal mavens All Shall Perish will release their second album, The Price of Brutality, August 8. The band will preview material from the disc on its upcoming tour, which runs from July 14 in Ogden, Utah, to September 6 in Sacramento, California. ...

Following two weeks of rehearsals and pre-production, Mnemic have started tracking drums for their new album in a California studio with Warren Riker and Fear Factory's Christian Olde Wolbers. The upcoming disc will be the first to feature new singer Guillaume Bideau, who replaced Tony Jelencovich in late May. "Things are sounding great and we're just getting started," the band said in a statement.

• Norma Jean (Metal)
• Motörhead
• Necrophobic
• Walls Of Jericho
• Estradasphere

Lemmy Kilmister (file)
Photo: Getty Images

Ian "Lemmy" Kilmister, the single driving force and only remaining original member of British metal patriarchs Motörhead, rocks hard and lives hard — a little too hard, German doctors say.

The bassist and raspy vocalist behind one of rock and roll's most bombastic acts, known to produce no less than 126 decibels during its live shows, was hospitalized Saturday, forcing Motörhead to cancel a handful of European gigs. German physicians diagnosed him with "extreme dehydration, leading to exhaustion." Amazingly, Lemmy's obeying his doctors' orders, taking it easy and getting rest.

"When you're dealing with a warhorse like Lemmy, it's not easy to discuss typical normal healthy things, such as a balanced diet and proper fluid intake," Motörhead manager Todd Singerman explained in a statement issued Tuesday afternoon (July 5). "Look, one time when I spoke to him about the importance of vegetables in a diet, he looked me straight in the eye and said, 'What are you talking about, Todd? These [potato chips] here are part of the vegetable food group.' So imagine telling him he needs to drink more water because it's a crazy hot summer in Europe — although in fairness to Lemmy, he did start making an effort by adding extra ice cubes to his Jack and Coke."

The band's drummer, Mikkey Dee, said Motörhead have been playing in 100-plus degree heat during some of their most recent gigs, but you wouldn't have known it by the way Kilmister's been acting.

"I'm having to drink eight bottles of Gatorade as well as water just to get through these shows. I'm close to passing out," he said in the statement. "And there's Lemmy sweating his ass off, drinking his Jack and Coke."

The statement denies there's anything more serious to Lemmy's physical health than exhaustion brought on by ... well ... partying like a rock star.

"The simple truth is Lemmy's the classic rock-and-roll juggernaut who has proudly defied human logic for decades," the band's manager stated. "But even juggernauts need a bit of maintenance once in a while."

In late 2000, Motörhead canceled a number of shows so Lemmy could recover from exhaustion, flu and a lung infection. Kilmister was hospitalized in Italy and remained under care for about two weeks (see "Motorhead Cancel European Dates As Lemmy Recovers").

• Motörhead

Life of Agony's Keith Caputo (file)
Photo: Epic Records/Dan DeVita

Life of Agony had been making brutal Noo Yawk hardcore since the days when George W. Bush was busy mismanaging the Texas Rangers, but sometime around 1997, frontman Keith Caputo lost the fire and decided to ditch the band.

Fast-forward six years — past an aborted solo career — and Caputo was taking the stage with his former mates at New York's Irving Plaza for the first of two sold-out reunion shows. Suffice to say, his fire was about to be relit.

"We had two fabulous evenings of celebrating love, music and our fans," he said. "The relentlessness, the drive, the love, the family that never really left me, but it had to be brought back to the forefront. And those shows did it. It just felt right. How could it not?"

After those Irving shows — and the tour that followed — Life of Agony decided it was time to hit the studio. The result is Broken Valley, their first album in almost a decade. It's 10 tracks of the NYC thuddery they're known for, but with something extra: a maturity born of nearly 20 years in the game, of loss and of brotherhood.

"It's called Broken Valley because it's what Brooklyn [LOA's hometown] means in Dutch," Caputo said. "And because it works for this record. Our music has always been about struggles and stuff like that, but with these new songs, so much went into them. Everything leading up to this record was like walking through a broken valley of life."

Broken Valley hits stores May 31.

The rest of this week's metal news:

Look out, Ozzfest, because for the first time in 10 years, you'll face some stiff — scratch that, actual — competition from an impressive roster of beloved underground acts led by Clutch, Lamb of God, Opeth and Strapping Young Lad. The Sounds of the Underground festival takes to the blacktop June 25, with the last stop on the trek scheduled for August 1. More concrete dates are still being finalized, but sources said it will hit "all the usual cities." While organizers expect to add one more "heavyweight" headliner to the bill later this month, they have secured the likes of Poison the Well, High on Fire, Norma Jean, From Autumn to Ashes, Unearth, Every Time I Dieand Gwar for the tour's inaugural run. Tickets will set you back $30. ...

In related news, scheduling conflicts have forced the cancellation of an Ozzfest 2005 press conference tentatively planned for Tuesday, according to a publicist for the perennial summer metal festival. Official details on the tour's dates and lineup could emerge as early as next week. ... The Black Dahlia Murder's Miasma, which the technical death metal merchants began recording in Richmond, Virginia, with producer (and Scarlet drummer) Andreas Magnusson on Thursday, will be in stores July 12. According to singer Trevor Strnad, Miasma will feature nine or 10 songs, including "I'm Charming," "Miscarriage" and "Statutory Ape." The Dahlia will take 20 days to record Miasma, after which they'll load up the van for the upcoming King Diamond, Nile and Behemoth jaunt. ...

Southern noisecore veterans Soilent Green recently put the finishing touches on the long-awaited follow-up to 2001's A Deleted Symphony for the Beaten Down. The Eric Rutan-produced Confrontation will feature 15 brutal tracks, including "Leaves of Three," "Forgive and Regret" and "A Permanent Solution to a Temporary Problem." Look for it June 7. ... Ozzfest veterans Shadows Fall are touring the nation's sports arenas with Slipknot (whose album Vol. 3: The Subliminal Verses - will be re-released April 12 with two new songs and six live tracks). The Massachusetts metalheads will make "a major summer tour announcement" in the next few days (wink, wink), according to a Century Media press release. The band just shot a video for the track "Inspiration on Demand" in Puerto Rico that will debut on MTV2's "Headbangers Ball" this Saturday. ...

Metal's "it" band of the moment, As I Lay Dying, will join forces with Throwdown and All That Remains on March 24, the first of 19 dates on the band's upcoming North American Minions of Mosh run. The AILD boys recently finished tracking Shadows Are Security — one of the most eagerly awaited metal discs of 2005 — which should see the fuzzy fluorescent glow of retail June 14. On a related note, AILD's Tim Lambesis has signed Life in Pictures to his newly founded Pluto Records imprint, Clockwork. ... A week after confirming their split with guitarist Tripp Eisen — who was recently arrested on charges of kidnapping, sexual assault and endangering the welfare of a minor — Static-X leader Wayne Static announced on the band's Web site Monday that former guitarist Koichi Fukuda has rejoined the fold. ...

Seminal British metallers Motörhead — fronted by the always charming, always leather-clad Lemmy Kilmister — have teamed up with speed-punkers Zeke and American thrashers Corrosion of Conformity for a 16-date, high-octane American outing that commenced Wednesday at New Jersey's Starland Ballroom. The tour makes stops in New York, Philadelphia, Chicago, Los Angeles, Las Vegas and Seattle before screeching to a halt in Spokane, Washington, April 11. ... Metal experimentalists Nile have hired bassist Joe Payne to play their European tour, which started Wednesday in Manchester, England. The group will tour with King Diamond in the U.S. starting April 14 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. The 19-year-old bassist replaced Jon Vesano, who quit in February due to personal and professional differences. Nile's fourth full album, Annihilation of the Wicked, is due May 27. ...

Ex-Deicide guitarist Eric Hoffman has joined Tampa, Florida, death metal band Unholy Ghost. The group is currently in pre-production for its second album, tentatively titled Blasphemy of the Grand Devine. Hoffman left Deicide in November following several no-shows for various tours. He was replaced on tour by former Cannibal Corpse axeman Jack Owen. ... Sevendust have hired ex-Snot and Amen guitarist Sonny Mayo to replace Clint Lowery, who quit the in December to join Dark New Day, which also features, ex-Creed bassist Brett Hestla on vocals, ex-Scrape drummer Will Hunt, former Stereomud bassist Corey Lowery and Double Drive guitarist Troy McLawhorn. Mayo's first show with Sevendust will be April 6 in Tampa, Florida. The band is currently at work on the follow-up to 2003's Seasons. Dark New Day's debut, Twelve Year Silence, is due this summer. ...

Korn and rapper Xzibit have recorded a cover of Public Enemy's "Fight the Power" for the soundtrack for "XXX: State of the Union." The album will hit stores April 19, and the film, which stars Samuel Jackson, Ice Cube and Willem Defoe, comes 10 days later. ... German metal legends Accept will reunite this summer for a series of festival performances. The lineup will feature original members Udo Dirkschneider on vocals, Wolf Hoffman and Herman Frank on guitars, and Peter Baltes on bass. They will be joined by drummer Stefan Schwarzmann. The band will begin rehearsals later this month in Hanover, Germany, and its first show of the year is scheduled for April 25 in St. Petersburg, Russia. ...

Acrobatic extreme metal band Dillinger Escape Plan will join Slipknot for five shows, starting April 19 in West Valley City, Utah, and running through April 24 in St. Paul, Minnesota. Dillinger Escape Plan will also take part in this year's Warped Tour, which kicks off in June. Other bands recently added to Warped include MxPx, Gogol Bordello, My American Heart and Dead 60's. Pre-sale for the event starts Tuesday. ...

• Korn
• Motörhead
• Black Dahlia
• Life of Agony

The Flaming Lips (file)
Photo: Warner Bros

Not since Elvis Costello crossed preppy with punk in the early '80s has it been so hip to be down with someone so square.

A range of artists from music's hipster elite have made contributions to the soundtrack to the upcoming "The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie." The Flaming Lips lead the pack with the first single, "SpongeBob and Patrick Confront the Psychic Wall of Energy," which will appear alongside tunes from Wilco, the Shins, Ween, Prince Paul and one half of the Dust Brothers.

Flaming Lips frontman Wayne Coyne was even a bit surprised to discover the company he keeps on the album, set for release November 9.

"I actually suggested that maybe I could try to get Justin Timberlake to do a duet with us, as an off-the-cuff idea," Coyne said. "But [Nickelodeon series creator Stephen Hillenburg] said, 'I don't want any of those sort of commercial weirdos on there. I don't like those commercial people. I like you guys, and Wilco and Ween.' "

Using Hillenburg's criteria, the biggest "commercial weirdo" on the soundtrack must be Avril Lavigne, though her version of the "SpongeBob SquarePants" theme song ("Who lives in a pineapple under the sea? ... SpongeBob SquarePants!") is fathoms away from anything on her two hugely successful albums. Non-commercial-weirdos Wilco perform "I'm Just a Kid," backed by singer Jeff Tweedy's 8-year-old son Spencer's band, the Blisters. Mike Simpson, one half of production duo the Dust Brothers (Beck, Beastie Boys), lends "The Goofy Goober Song" and Motörhead re-recorded their 1992 song "You Better Run" as "You'd Better Swim."

"It's what we call 'reasonably weird adult music,' " Coyne explained of the flavor of the soundtrack. "I don't think a lot of people consider Wilco weird — well, maybe a few of their records are weird. There's kind of that post-Radioheadishness that goes on now that people accept as being weird, or sophisticated or something, and Wilco definitely falls into that."

Unlike some of the other soundtrack participants, Coyne wasn't that familiar with the world of SpongeBob SquarePants. A few episodes later, he realized the show isn't entirely kid's stuff.

"Hillenburg wanted people who liked SpongeBob, who felt some kinship with the characters, and the absurdness and surreal-ness of it, and I truly think the show is clever and funny and sick."

Once tapped to pen the soundtrack's single, Coyne watched the film but swore most of the details to secrecy — except for the one that inspired the inspirational and extensively titled "SpongeBob and Patrick Confront the Psychic Wall of Energy."

"There's a scene in the movie where they confront this psychic wall of energy, and I thought, 'Whoa, that sounds like a great metaphor for the idea of being trapped inside your own life and wanting to break free from the restrictions of your own identity to become something new and different," Coyne said. "I thought that sounded like a very Flaming Lips-ish metaphor."

While working on the Flaming Lips' new album, At War With the Mystics, at longtime producer Dave Fridmann's studio in upstate New York, Coyne is also devising a concept for the "SpongeBob and Patrick Confront the Psychic Wall of Energy" video. Naturally, all the descriptors Coyne had used thus far in the conversation — weird, absurd, surreal — will apply to the song's visual companion.

"I'm trying to come up with a concept that lets us be the Flaming Lips in SpongeBob's world," Coyne explained. "So I'm trying to think of scenarios where we can be pirates, really dirty and grimy. There might be a part where we'll be in space bubbles, like the kind I walk around in in concert. And what I think is the most inspired idea is ... whenever there's a shot [in the series] that shows SpongeBob's leg or arm, it'll zoom in and you see a few big hairs or a few pimples. I want to build a set where there's a giant elbow or arm or wrist, and when you look in close, there are pimples. Even closer and you'll see that the Flaming Lips are these singing, playing pimples on SpongeBob's arm. I think we can do that."

"The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie" opens in theaters November 19.

Track list for "The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie" soundtrack, according to Warner Bros. Records (not final order):

• Avril Lavigne - "SpongeBob SquarePants Theme"
• Flaming Lips - "SpongeBob and Patrick Confront the Psychic Wall of Energy"
• Wilco - "Just a Kid"
• Mike Simpson - "The Goofy Goober Song"
• Electrocute - "Bikini Bottom"
• SpongeBob SquarePants - "It's the Best Day Ever"
• The Shins - "They Will Soon Discover"
• Ween - "Ocean Man"
• Tom Rothrock featuring Jim Wise - "Goofy Goober Rock"
• Motörhead - "You Better Swim"
• Prince Paul featuring Wordsworth - "Prince Paul's Bubble Party"
• Patrick - "Under My Rock"
• The cast of the film - "Now That We're Men"
• Plus Tech Squeezebox - "The Jellyfish Song by the Jellyfish Band"
• The Pirates - "The Spongebob SquarePants Theme"

• The Flaming Lips
• Wilco
• Avril Lavigne
• Motörhead
• Prince Paul

Jadakiss (file)
Photo: Appio

In this week's batch of new releases, an experimental rock group gives birth to a ghost, a rapper plants a deadly smooch on the shelves of record stores, and a couple of hard rock groups hurl the metal at their fans with full force.

Given all the excitement and anticipation surrounding the release of Wilco's new album, it's hard to believe that the band was dropped by its label in 2001 after handing in what would become 2002's Yankee Hotel Foxtrot. Wilco's newest effort, A Ghost Is Born, hits stores Tuesday (June 22).

Rapper Jadakiss really wants to make sure you remember his name when you pick up one of his albums. In 2001, he released Kiss Tha Game Goodbye, and on Tuesday he puts out Kiss of Death. Moving from rap to R&B, newcomer JoJo releases her self-titled debut this week, fueled by the single "Leave [Get Out]."

On the harder side of things, Ministry, Motörhead and the Scorpions all have albums hitting stores this week. After having allowed a few years to pass between past records, Ministry accelerate the process with Houses of the Molé, the follow-up to 2003's Animositisomina. Motörhead heat it up with Inferno, while the Scorpions put out Unbreakable, the band's first studio release in four years.

File under fusion: Los Angeles' Ozomatli combine salsa, hip-hop, rock, jazz and funk on Street Signs, while Red Hot Chili Peppers guitarist John Frusciante releases his fifth solo album (and second this year), The Will to Death.

Beach Boys member Brian Wilson releases his solo effort Gettin' in Over My Head, and Morris Day, a founding member of Prince's band the Time, drops his first solo album since 1992, appropriately titled It's About Time.

Out Tuesday, June 22:

• Age of Ruin - Tides of Tragedy (Eulogy)
• The Album Leaf - In a Safe Place (Sub Pop)
• Bobby Bare Jr.'s Young Criminals' Starvation League - From the End of Your Leash (Bloodshot)
• Belles - Idle Acres (Second Nature)
• David Benoit and Russ Freeman - Benoit/Freeman Project 2 (Peak)
• BoDeans - Resolution (Zoë/Rounder)
• Trina Broussard - Same Girl (Motown)
• Chronic Future - Lines in My Face (Interscope)
• Consequence - Take Em to the Cleaners (Sure Shot)
• Morris Day - It's About Time (Hollywood)
  Buy Now: It's About Time (Hollywood)
  
• Despistado - The Emergency Response (EP, Jade Tree)
• DJ Spooky - Celestial Mechanix: The Blue Series MasterMix (Thirsty Ear)
• Nick Drake - Made to Love Magic (Island)
• Fourplay - Journey (Bluebird)
• John Frusciante - The Will to Death (Record Collection)
• Benny Golson - Terminal 1 (Concord Jazz)
• Rachel Goswell - Waves Are Universal (4AD)
• Benny Green and Russell Malone - Bluebird (Telarc Jazz)
• Mark Holland - For Such a Time as This (Cedar n Sage)
• Jadakiss - Kiss of Death (Interscope/A&M)
  Read: "Nate Dogg, Neptunes, Kanye West On New Jadakiss LP"
• Jahsir - Stress Free (X-Ray)
• JoJo - JoJo (Blackground)
• Keoki - The Great Soundclash Swindle (Hypnotic)
• Lit - Lit (DRT/Nitrus/Dirty Martini)
  Buy Now: Lit (DRT/Nitrus/Dirty Martini)
  
• Lynyrd Skynyrd - Lyve (Sanctuary)
• Miriam Makeba - Reflections (Heads Up)
• Maroon 5 - 1.22.03 Acoustic (RCA)
  Read: "Maroon 5 Plan To Keep It Hot And Steamy In Next Video"
• Edwin McCain - Scream & Whisper (DRT)
• Ministry - Houses of the Molé (Sanctuary)
  Read: "Ministry Visited By Aliens While Making Killer Mole"
  Buy Now: Houses of the Molé (Sanctuary)
  
• Motörhead - Inferno (Sanctuary/Metal-Is)
  Buy Now: Inferno (Metal-Is)
  
• Mystic Chords of Memory - Mystic Chords of Memory (Sanctuary/Rough Trade)
• Ozomatli - Street Signs (Concord)
• Paulson - Variations (Initial)
• Elvis Presley - Elvis at Sun (BMG Heritage)
• Pretty Boy Floyd - Size Really Does Matter (Deadline)
• Qntal - Qntal III (Noir)
• The Race - If You Can (Flameshovel)
• Jonathan Richman - Not So Much to Be Loved as to Love (Sanctuary/Vapor)
• Robots in Disguise - Robots in Disguise (Recall)
• Salvatore - Tempo (Racing Junior)
• Scorpions - Unbreakable (Sanctuary)
• Erick Sermon - Chilltown New York (Universal)
• Ravi Shankar & Gingger - Celestial Body (Ark 21)
• Sonia Dada - Test Pattern (Calliope/Razor & Tie)
• Sweetback - Stage 2 (Epic)
• Tilly and the Wall - Wild Like Children (Team Love/Saddle Creek)
• Toy Crayzy - She So Crayzy (X-Ray)
• McCoy Tyner - Illuminations (Telarc Jazz)
• Bebo Valdes and Diego Cigala - Lagrimas Negras (Bluebird)
• Wilco - A Ghost Is Born (Nonesuch)
  Read: "Wilco: Ghost Stories"
  
  
• Brian Wilson - Gettin' in Over My Head (Rhino)
• Various artists - America Will Always Stand (Time-Life Music)
• Various artists - Bombay Beats (Varese Sarabande)
• Various artists - Electro Cured: An Electro Tribute to the Cure (Cleopatra)
• Various artists - Mento Madness (V2)
• Various artists - "Queer as Folk - 4th Season" soundtrack (Tommy Boy)
• Various artists - "Spider-Man 2" soundtrack (Columbia)
  Read: "Hoobastank, Jet, Yellowcard Spin Songs For 'Spider-Man 2' Soundtrack"
• Various artists - "Two Brothers" soundtrack (Decca/Universal Classics)
• DVD: Flotsam & Jetsam - Live in Phoenix (Deadline)
• DVD: KMFDM - WWWIII Tour 2003 (Sanctuary)
• DVD: Bernie Williams - The Journey Within (GRP/Verve)
• DVD: Various artists - Toronto Rocks (Rhino)
• DVD: Various artists - Vans Warped Tour '03 (Kung Fu/Image Entertainment)

June 29:

• Lloyd Banks - Hunger for More (Interscope)
  Read: "G-Unit's Lloyd Banks, Young Buck Recording Solo Albums"
• Brandy - Afrodisiac (Atlantic)
  Read: "Brandy On Growing Up: A Candid Chat"
• The Cure - The Cure
  Buy Now: The Cure (Geffen)
  (Geffen)
• Dave Matthews Band - Live at the Gorge (RCA)
• Lil Wayne - Tha Carter (Cash Money)
• The Tragically Hip - In Between Evolution (Zoe)
• Uncle Kracker - 72 & Sunny (Lava)

July 6:

• Ray Manzarek - Golden Scarab (Lemon Records)
• Poco - Indian Summer (Lemon Records)
• Angie Stone - Stone Love (J Records)

July 13:

• Jimmy Buffet - License to Chill (RLG)
• Roots - Tipping Point (Geffen)
• They Might Be Giants - Spine (Zoë)

• Jadakiss
• Wilco
• Ministry
• Motörhead
• Ozomatli

Fresh off their stint at Coachella, the Pixies have announced they'll be jumping aboard the Lollapalooza trek, though only for the Los Angeles area and New York dates. The recently reunited group will play the Ventura County Fairgrounds in Ventura, California, on July 22, and Randalls Island in New York on August 17. ...

The Supreme Court announced on Monday it will not hear a case filed against Ozzy Osbourne in 1998 by his former bassist Bob Daisley and drummer Lee Kerslake, who played on Blizzard of Ozz and Diary of a Madman. The two were seeking royalties for songs from those albums that were used in television commercials and during NFL games. A California judge had previously dismissed the suit. In 2002, the two albums were reissued with overdubbed bass and drum parts by Robert Trujillo and Mike Bordin, respectively. ... Disturbed have hired former Union Underground bassist John Moyer to replace Steve "Fuzz" Kmak, who was let go in December due to personality conflicts. Moyer tried out during an open audition on April 4 in Chicago. Moyer's first appearance with Disturbed will be at the Rolling Rock Town Fair on July 31 at Westmoreland Co. Fairgrounds in Greensburg, Pennsylvania. ...

Paris Hilton's next video will show her caught up in the rapture — but not in the way you might think. The hotel heiress will be featured in the new clip for Haitian rapper Won-G's "Caught Up in the Rapture," a remake of Blondie's 1981 chart-topper, "Rapture." ... Metallica won a Music Video Award for "Frantic" at the eighth annual Prism Awards Thursday night at the Hollywood Palladium. The honor for the most accurate depiction of drug, alcohol and tobacco use within entertainment programming was presented by the Entertainment Industries Council Inc. along with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse/National Institutes of Health. The other Music Video Award winner was Johnny Cash for his cover of Nine Inch Nails' "Hurt." ...

Speed metal forefathers Motörhead's new album, Inferno, the follow-up to 2002's Hammered, is set for a June 22 release. Guitar whiz Steve Vai adds a bit of flash to "Terminal Show"; other titles include "Smiling Like a Killer," "In the Name of Tragedy" and "Whorehouse Blues." ... Ex-Clash singer and guitarist Mick Jones and former Generation X bassist Tony James have formed the new group Carbon/Silicon. The band plays classic rock in the vein of the Rolling Stones blended with electronic beats and samples. ...

Gene Simmons isn't the only member of Kiss recording a solo album. Guitarist and singer Paul Stanley has been working on a disc in Los Angeles with producer Bob Kulick. In a phone interview with New York radio station Q104.3, Kulick said the material sounds different than anything fans have previously heard from Stanley. No release date has been scheduled. ... Former Cult frontman Ian Astbury is recording a solo album. He's currently working with producers such as Gordon Raphael (the Strokes) and U.N.K.L.E. member James Lavelle on demos. ...

04.30.2004

Don't fret, devastated John Stevens fans, you can see your favorite polite redhead again this summer — in the flesh, no less. All 12 "American Idol" finalists will hit the road for a 48-date tour beginning July 14 in Salt Lake City. Tickets for the outing, which wraps September 26 in San Jose, California, go on sale May 22. ...

Celia Cruz kept shining Thursday night at the Billboard Latin Music Awards. The late singer was nominated in seven categories and won three awards, as did Ricky Martin. William Hung's muse's nods included Top Male Latin Pop Album for Almas del Silencio. ...

Cats, dogs and a variety of wildlife walk, talk and frolic around Incubus in their new video for "Talk Show on Mute," the second single from their latest album, A Crow Left of the Murder. A first glimpse of the clip, which was directed by Floria Sigismondi earlier this month, is available on the band's Web site, www.enjoyincubus.com. ... The idyllic Malibu, California, rented home studio used to record Incubus' 2001 LP, Morning View, will soon house the Deftones as they create their follow-up to last year's self-titled effort. The bandmembers have spent the last few months writing their fifth album in their hometown of Sacramento, California. ...

Michael Jackson wasn't the only celeb in trouble having a second arraignment on Friday. Courtney Love appeared in a Beverly Hills, California, courtroom to enter a plea — for the second time — to felony drug-possession charges. This time, as last time, she pleaded not guilty. She's due back in court on June 4 for a pretrial hearing. ... Meanwhile, her alter-ego Japanese anime character, Princess Ai, will have her first adventure come July 6. Love's character, a royal princess from a magical kingdom caught in modern-day Tokyo, is featured in the first of a series of gothic shojo comic books, now available for preorder at http://store.comicfusion.net. ...

What better way for fans to prepare for this summer's Vans Warped Tour than by remembering the good times of last year's trek? Featuring backstage interviews and performances from Rancid, Pennywise, Sum 41, Simple Plan and others, the "Vans Warped Tour '03" DVD, boasting Dolby 5.1 digital sound, is scheduled for release June 22, three days before this year's tour kicks off in Houston. ... Revolutions, the latest album by the X-ecutioners, has been rolled back two weeks to a June 8 release. The group will hit the road to support their fourth album, which features such guests as Rob Zombie and Fat Joe, beginning June 2 in New Haven, Connecticut. ...

Al Green's "Let's Stay Together" must be playing somewhere in the Primus camp. After reuniting for a fall tour that carried over through spring, original members Les Claypool, Larry LaLonde and Tim "Herb" Alexander have extended their tour through June 26 in Chicago. Beginning May 29 in Irvine, California, the new leg, dubbed the Hallucino Genetics Tour, will feature a complete rendition of 1990's Frizzle Fry following a conventional set. The left-field trio's last outing, the Tour De Fromage, included a performance of 1991's Sailing the Seas of Cheese. ...

• The Pixies
• Ozzy Osbourne
• Disturbed
• Metallica
• Motörhead

Dave Grohl at the "Shake Your Blood" video shoot
Photo: MTV News

HOLLYWOOD — Half-naked girls, covered in tattoos and sporting multi-colored hair, writhe to the beat. Some of them are chained down as their friends whip them. Two dance in cages. They're entranced by a giant rotating stage, with Dave Grohl planted firmly in the middle.

Is this the video for the next Tenacious D anthem, or a satirical Foo Fighters clip? Not quite.

It's the set for "Shake Your Blood," the first video from Grohl's long-discussed side project, Probot. And with Motörhead's Lemmy Kilmister striking his traditional poses, stoner-rock architect Scott "Wino" Weinrich banging both his head and his guitar, and the ladies from SuicideGirls.com cavorting about, there's not a trace of irony to be found.

(Click here for exclusive photos from the video shoot.)

"We're just kind of making rock music, and having a good time," said Grohl, with grave understatement, between takes.

The Probot album was recorded by Grohl, who wrote all of the music and played most of the instruments, together with his friend Matt Sweeney from the bands Chavez and Zwan. After completing the instrumental tracks, Grohl dug up singers from the metal bands he worshipped when he was playing in pre-Nirvana bands like Scream and had each of them contribute lyrics and vocals to separate songs (see "Dave Grohl Sees A Fortune In Video Directing, Not Probot" ).

The result is an eclectic but consistently pummeling slab that features the vocal talents of Lemmy, Snake (Voivod), Cronos (Venom), Max Cavalera (Soulfy/ ex-Sepultura), Tom G. Warrior (Celtic Frost), Eric Wagner (Trouble), King Diamond (Mercyful Fate), Lee Dorrian (Cathedral/ ex-Napalm Death), Mike Dean (Corrosion of Conformity), Kurt Brecht (D.R.I.) and Wino, a member of seminal bands the Obsessed and Saint Vitus and more recent acts like Spirit Caravan, Place of Skulls and the Hidden Hand.

The album also features a guitar solo from ex-Soundgarden axeman Kim Thayil, an appearance by Void's Bubba Dupree and a "surprise" hidden track fronted by an as-yet-unnamed fellow celebrity metal fan.

"It's been about three-and-a-half years for this record to really happen," said Grohl, clad in a now sweaty Motörhead T-shirt. "The logistics were nuts, getting all the different vocalists in the studio. ... Meanwhile, I was out on tour with the Foo Fighters and coming home after eight months, the last thing I wanted to do was get on the phone and start rounding up tapes."

The album will finally surface in February, and will be preceded by a 7-inch (limited to 6,666 copies) featuring the Cronos and Wino tracks.

After several meetings with higher-profile labels, Grohl ultimately decided to go underground and release the album with stoner-rock kingpin Greg Anderson's Southern Lord, home to releases from bands like Goatsnake, Pentagram and Thorr's Hammer.

"This whole project has a certain vibe and spirit," Grohl explained. "There are certain boundaries that you have to stay within. The vocalists are all from a specific era. I found myself having to explain to people at record companies [why these singers are cool]. I realized that if I have to explain it to someone, they are just not going to get it. It's just not going to work."

Grohl was also hesitant to work with anyone who would market Probot as a nostalgia trip or for its potential "comedic" value. "A lot of people don't know how to take it," Grohl said. "Like, 'Do we take it seriously? What's Dave doing? Is he really into this music?'

"I grew up listening to hardcore and underground metal," he continued. "That's how I learned how to play the drums. Those are the shows I would go see when I was 14. My hardcore band, Mission Impossible, opened up for the Obsessed."

And here on the set for "Shake Your Blood," where Southern Lord's Anderson stood with the extras during the break, Grohl is just as jazzed as anyone else in the room to see Wino and Lemmy sharing a stage together.

"I am paying tribute to these people," he said, just before being called back to pound his kit — its bass drum emblazoned with the Suicide Girls "SG" logo — for another trip on the spinning stage. "But beyond anything, I just wanted to make a record with some great songs, with some great singers."

• Foo Fighters
• Motörhead

What up, fellow metallions? Iann Robinson here. Well, there's a lot going on in the metal world right now, including the announcement that a new Motörhead box set, called Stone Deaf Forever, is on the way. This thing is gonna be a killer, with classic stuff, rarities and 19 unreleased Motörhead songs, plus all the extra crap you get with a box set: booklet, poster, button and on and on. If you worship Motörhead, as I do, prepare for it on October 7.

Well, enjoy Metal File this week and I'll be back next week with some cool stuff on Drowning Pool.

Eternal Aussie rock horses AC/DC have started writing songs for their 14th record in England. The band plans to enter the studio sometime next year. The album will be their last for current label Elektra. Much of their back catalog was recently reissued by Epic, which will handle the band's next two studio albums once the Elektra deal expires. ...

System of a Down's Daron Malakian has signed Norwegian black metal trio Satyricon to his EatUrMusic imprint and has a finished album he hopes to release later this year. "They're one of the bands in the scene who are keeping the torch lit, and I respect what they do," Malakian said recently. "And the album I'm going to put out is really powerful. It's more accessible than the last Satyricon stuff. It's got a lot of just regular, traditional metal-type things going on." ...

Hatebreed, the band fronted by the new host of "Headbangers Ball," Jamey Jasta, will launch the Rise of Brutality 2 Tour with Cephalic Carnage, Madball and Terror on September 10 in State College, Pennsylvania. Shows run through October 6 in Springfield, Missouri. ... Fireball Ministry's new album, The Second Great Awakening, will hit stores on October 7 on Nuclear Blast Records. The band recently shot a video for the album's first single, "Flatline," in Los Angeles with director Dylan Carter. ...

Clutch will be forced to use a replacement guitarist for their upcoming U.S. tour because Tim Sult has injured his wrist. ... Helmet's Helmet Unsung: The Very Best of Helmet (1991-1997) is expected late next month from Interscope. ... New York hardcore veterans Subzero are back with a new album, Necropolis: City of the Damned, the follow-up to 1997's Happiness Without Peace. ...

Former Judas Priest frontman Tim "Ripper" Owens has officially joined Iced Earth as the band's new lead singer. ... Fantômas (featuring Mike Patton and Dave Lombardo) will release their new album, Delirium Cordia, on October 13. ...

San Francisco Bay Area noise metallists Neurosis and ethereal ex-Swans singer/keyboardist Jarboe will release the experimetal bone-rattler Neurosis & Jarboe on October 21. Tracks include "Within," "His Last Words," "Taker," "Receive" and "Erase." Neurosis also plan to hit the studio next month with producer Steve Albini to begin work on their next album. ... Killing Joke have returned to stores with a new self-titled album. The collection features Dave Grohl on drums. ...

Female-fronted Swedish death metal band Arch Enemy will tour North America with Hate Eternal, Evergrey and the Black Dahlia Murder starting August 25 in West Springfield, Virginia. Dates run through September 9. Meanwhile, the Black Dahlia Murder have released a statement calling rumors of their split "definitely not true," explaining: "Some changes are just being made." One change is the addition of Set Ablaze bassist Joe Boccuto. ...

King Diamond will kick off a tour on October 18 in Los Angeles to support the new album The Puppetmaster. ... Endorsers of evil Morbid Angel will release their eighth album, Heretic, on September 23. The disc, composed by guitarist Trey Azagthoth, features such tracks as "Cleansed in Pestilence (Blade of Elohim)," "Place of Many Deaths," "Curse the Flesh" and "Victorious March of Reign the Conqueror." ...

Triumph — not the Insult Comic Dog, the Canadian power trio — will celebrate the 20th anniversary of the Us Festival with a CD and DVD called, surprisingly enough, "Live at the Us Festival," on September 23. Tracks include "Allied Forces," "A World of Fantasy," "Fight the Good Fight," "Lay It on the Line" and "Never Surrender." ... Viking-obsessed Norwegian metal band Einherjer will unleash Blot on September 15. The album was mixed by Børge Finstad (Mayhem, Borknagar). ...

Former Guns N' Roses drummer Steven Adler and some of his '80s metal cronies have been playing the Los Angeles circuit with his new band, Adler's Appetite. The group, fronted by ex-Love/Hate singer Jizzy Pearl, performs songs from the Guns album Appetite for Destruction and the Lies EP. Also playing with Adler are ex-Ratt bassist Robbie Crane, ex-L.A. Guns and Slash's Snakepit guitarist Kerri Kelli, and ex-Faster Pussycat axeman Brent Muscat. ...

— compiled by Iann Robinson, Ryan J. Downey, Robert Mancini and Jon Wiederhorn

• AC/DC
• Motörhead
• Helmet
• System of a Down
• Fireball Ministry

• Motörhead

Iron Maiden's Bruce Dickinson performs at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday
Photo: MTV News

NEW YORK — Before Iron Maiden played the only new song of their 90-minute set on Wednesday night (July 30) at Madison Square Garden, frontman Bruce Dickinson offered a little sociology lesson.

Dickinson spoke of how 10 years of vapid trends and media manipulation have resulted in legions of manufactured, uninspiring hard rock bands with two good songs per album and careers that last no longer than two records. Then Maiden blasted into "Wildest Dreams" — a galloping track from their upcoming disc, Dance of Death — and it was as if the past decade never happened.

"Out on my way, out on the road again," wailed Dickinson before guitarists Dave Murray, Adrian Smith and Janick Gers traded deft, galvanic solos while bassist Steve Harris and drummer Nicko McBrain kept the rhythms pounding.

Sadly, time only really stands still in intensely boring classroom lectures — or, as Groucho Marx once said, "Time wounds all heels." The members of Iron Maiden are in their mid-to-late 40s now. Their faces are lined with wrinkles, their hair is growing grayer by the day, they all have families and they're not as freewheeling or impulsive as they once were. But they still have the energy, enthusiasm, agility and musical chops to win over an arena crowd.

One of the keys to Maiden's longevity is devotion. Through thick and thin, the band has never strayed from its epic metal course, and its fans have rewarded it with undying loyalty. That's why Maiden are still able to sell out Madison Square Garden and other large venues without the aid of radio or video exposure.

Fans at the Garden had plenty to be excited about. Iron Maiden were loud, dramatic, and looked so metal. Dickinson ran a marathon from side to side and across a platform at the back of the stage, vaulted monitors like an Olympic long jumper, threw his fists in the air as if slaying giant dragonflies and waved a giant Union Jack flag. Yet he never got too winded to sing with accuracy, passion and authority.

While the frontman led the crusade, the band's guitarists put on kinetic displays of six-string precision, and each sported trademark moves that helped establish their identity. When he wasn't navigating the stage, Smith stood stoic, knees bent, legs wide apart, and threw his head back when he ripped through speedy, melodic leads. Murray was less mobile, often looking down at his guitar as he played, though he frequently arched his back at the string-bending apex of his screaming solos. Gers, with his flowing blond hair, was the band's most acrobatic and hyperactive axeman. As he played he jogged in place, whipped his instrument in circles around his body, windmilled, hoisted his guitar against his outer thigh and kicked his monitor with his heel.

Such gestures would seem absurd from Nickelback, but Maiden fans expect nothing less than overblown showmanship. They screamed with joy when a giant metal robot version of the band's mascot, Eddie, ascended during the set closer, "Iron Maiden." As the creature's head opened on a hinge, a car-sized brain descended from the rafters and landed in the gleaming skull, causing the torso to wiggle and the metal jaws to make chewing motions.

	"Iron Maiden Drummer Arrested After Allegedly Driving Into Lot Attendant". Related Artists Iron Maiden Motörhead Dio ]]> http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1475142/20030731/iron_maiden.jhtml News Article http://www.mtv.com/news/articles/1475142/20030731/iron_maiden.jhtml 31 Jul 2003 03:51:00 EDT Motörhead - Ace Of Spades (Live) Ace Of Spades (Live) Artist: Motörhead Label: SPV America Album: Better Motorhead Than Dead: Live at Hammersmith ]]> Videos http://www.mtv.com/overdrive/?artist=1108&vid=319731 http://www.mtv.com/overdrive/?artist=1108&vid=319731 19 Nov 2008 12:00:00 EST Motörhead - Rock Out Rock Out Artist: Motörhead Label: SPV Director: Greg Olliver/Wes Album: Motorizer ]]> Videos http://www.mtv.com/overdrive/?artist=1108&vid=290890 http://www.mtv.com/overdrive/?artist=1108&vid=290890 23 Oct 2008 12:00:00 EDT Motörhead - I'm So Bad (Baby I Don't Care) I'm So Bad (Baby I Don't Care) Artist: Motörhead Label: WTG/Epic Records Album: 1916 ]]> Videos http://www.mtv.com/overdrive/?artist=1108&vid=163881 http://www.mtv.com/overdrive/?artist=1108&vid=163881 20 Jul 2007 12:00:00 EDT Motörhead - Hellraiser Hellraiser Artist: Motörhead Label: WTG Records Album: March or Die ]]> Videos http://www.mtv.com/overdrive/?artist=1108&vid=115378 http://www.mtv.com/overdrive/?artist=1108&vid=115378 24 Oct 2006 12:00:00 EDT Motörhead - Ramones Ramones Artist: Motörhead Label: Epic Records, WTG, SMV Home Video Director: n/a ]]> Videos http://www.mtv.com/overdrive/?artist=1108&vid=303597 http://www.mtv.com/overdrive/?artist=1108&vid=303597 10 Oct 2005 12:00:00 EDT Motörhead - Brave New World Brave New World Artist: Motörhead Label: Unknown Director: n/a Album: Hammered ]]> Videos http://www.mtv.com/overdrive/?artist=1108&vid=310070 http://www.mtv.com/overdrive/?artist=1108&vid=310070 9 Apr 2002 12:00:00 EDT Motörhead - God Save The Queen God Save The Queen Artist: Motörhead Label: CMC International Records Director: Vanessa Warwick, Justin B. Murphy Album: We Are Motörhead ]]> Videos http://www.mtv.com/overdrive/?artist=1108&vid=309373 http://www.mtv.com/overdrive/?artist=1108&vid=309373 16 May 2000 12:00:00 EDT Motörhead - Angel City Angel City Artist: Motörhead Label: Epic Records, WTG Director: n/a Album: 1916 ]]> Videos http://www.mtv.com/overdrive/?artist=1108&vid=303799 http://www.mtv.com/overdrive/?artist=1108&vid=303799 26 Feb 1991 12:00:00 EST Motörhead - No Voices In The Sky No Voices In The Sky Artist: Motörhead Label: Epic Records, WTG Director: n/a Album: 1916 ]]> Videos http://www.mtv.com/overdrive/?artist=1108&vid=303515 http://www.mtv.com/overdrive/?artist=1108&vid=303515 26 Feb 1991 12:00:00 EST Motörhead - Eat The Rich Eat The Rich Artist: Motörhead Label: Profile Records, GWR Director: n/a Album: Rock 'N' Roll ]]> Videos http://www.mtv.com/overdrive/?artist=1108&vid=299629 http://www.mtv.com/overdrive/?artist=1108&vid=299629 1 Jan 1987 12:00:00 EST Motorhead And Iron Maiden Live At Madison Square Garden, 07.30.2003 Related Artists Iron Maiden Motörhead ]]> Photos http://www.mtv.com/photos/?fid=1475186 http://www.mtv.com/photos/?fid=1475186 31 Jul 2003 12:00:00 EDT