Mushroomhead
Photo: Megaforce Records

Steve Felton is sick of talking about Slipknot — but he can't help it. The subject inevitably comes up whenever the Mushroomhead drummer talks to a reporter.

"They're the 'NSYNC of heavy metal," Felton said, sighing. "They're a fabricated, label-made bullsh-- band. They're way more corporate than anyone knows."

For more than eight years, Felton — known as "Skinny" to fans of his Cleveland band — has been fielding questions about the Iowan mask-and-jumpsuit-sporting octet. And for eight years, the bands have been at the center of a fierce rivalry that's consisted mostly of insult-trading and has unfolded, largely, through the media. The only face-to-face confrontation that's gone down as a result of the feud occurred between Slipknot and a faction of Mushroomhead devotees in the Forest City several years ago — a fracas sparked when the 'Head fans hurled batteries at the 'Knot during a concert.

"They've done lots of sh-- talking in magazines, and I am still waiting for them to come beat my ass like they say they're gonna," Skinny said. "They think they own the 'mask rock' title, but Mr. Bungle was doing it back in the day. So was Kiss, the Residents, King Diamond. There are so many bands that don't get brought up — it's always Slipknot. And it's like, 'Wait a minute, are those guys the originators of this? No way.' Let's talk about some good bands that wore costumes and masks — like Alice Cooper. Hell, I've seen pictures of Jethro Tull wearing jumpsuits with little insignias. There are just so many talented bands who've done it before us and before [Slipknot]."

Of course, at the heart of the great debate is the question of who came first, Mushroomhead or Slipknot. And no, there's no straight answer: Mushroomhead nearly signed with Roadrunner, but pen never touched paper — a year later, Slipknot joined the label's roster.

Skinny's always ready to offer his thoughts on the matter. "We've been doing it longer than them, and we've been around way longer. It's just the rest of the world doesn't really know that. They broke into the spotlight before we did. That's just the luck of the draw, I guess. [But] musically, we're nothing like them. If we didn't wear the masks, there'd be no comparison ever."

Rather than spout off about Slipknot, Skinny says he would rather discuss topics like, say, Savior Sorrow, Mushroomhead's first album of fresh material in three years. It's also the band's first album to feature new frontman Waylon Reavis, who replaced J. Mann two years ago. Mann, the band's singer for 11 of its 13 years, quit due to an overloaded work schedule and his father's ailing health.

Savior Sorrow hit stores last month and debuted at #50 on the Billboard albums chart with 18,000 scans. Mushroomhead have been touring in support of the LP with Brand New Sin, Soil and the Autumn Offering; the trek runs through November 14 in Atlanta.

While on the Jägermeister-sponsored tour, Skinny said the Mushroomhead dudes have been filming around the clock, capturing the action on and offstage. The footage will be compiled into the band's second DVD, tentatively titled "Volume 2," which should be in stores this spring. "Volume 1" was released more than a year ago.

The effort should also include several Mushroomhead videos, including one they shot in Ohio last month — for "12 Hundred" — that probably won't be safe enough to air. "It's very, very horror movie-esque — really gory and bloody and pretty evil," Skinny explained.

"There isn't a treatment, so to speak, for '12 Hundred,' but there's a lot of performance footage. We shot it on the set of a horror movie that was being filmed outside of Cleveland called 'The Rage.' The guy who does our masks and makeup works on horror movies and was working on this one. They had this big outdoor rave party scene in the movie, and they asked us to be the band that performs at it."

Instead of negotiating a performance fee for playing in the movie, the Mushroomhead guys asked if they could shoot their own video using the film's sets once the movie wrapped.

"It's heavy-duty as far as the look [goes], but we did go overboard with the blood," said Skinny, who's also working on a still-animation clip for the song "Burn." "The back of [singer Jeffrey Nothing]'s head is all ripped up, and he's on a gurney, and there are jumper cables sticking out of the side of his head. It will probably be banned by MTV."

The rest of the week's metal news:

The Acacia Strain have been added to the bill for the Saints and Sinners Festival, which will go down in Asbury Park, New Jersey, October 28-29. The lineup boasts All That Remains, Killswitch Engage, Atreyu, Unearth and From First to Last, among others. ... In related news, more and more dates keep being added to Killswitch's upcoming trek with Shadows Fall, Bury Your Dead and 2Cents. At this point, the tour's slated to launch November 9 in Charlotte, North Carolina, and will hit Cincinnati, New Orleans, Baltimore and elsewhere before wrapping up December 20 in Providence, Rhode Island. ... Former Morbid Angel/ Hate Eternal bassist Jared Anderson died Saturday at age 30. The exact cause of death has not been released yet. ... Swedish goth-metallers Beseech have called it quits. "All of us in the band have come to the sad conclusion to put Beseech to rest for good," reads a statement from the band. "The decision has not been easy because this has been a really big part of our personal lives for many years. We have met so many great people through the music and really loved what we have done. We are proud of the work that we have achieved. However we cannot hide from the fact that we have grown apart from each other as persons and we have different views of how we want Beseech to work as a band. This has taken away all the inspiration to continue, and we see this as the only solution in the end. This way we can all part as friends and wish each other good luck with new endeavors that will follow." ...

Ion Dissonance have found a replacement for former frontman Gabriel McCaughry, who left the band back in June. The mathcore specialists have enlisted Kevin McCaughey (formerly of Shaolin) to take over behind the mic. According to a statement from Ion Dissonance, they have been working on material for their forthcoming third album, "and it's going really well so far. We have a lot of new stuff already and all we can say is that we feel it's some of the best stuff we have ever written." The band will hit the road with Necrophagist, Skinless and the Faceless starting December 8 in Jacksonville, Florida, with dates scheduled through December 16 in Louisville, Kentucky. ... Grind-metallers the County Medical Examiners have completed work on Olidous Operettas, the band's Relapse Records debut. The disc, due in January, will contain eight tracks, including "Morgagnic Anatomics," "The Virchow Postmortem Procedure" and "Maturating Decompositional Gas." According to the band's bio, TCME are a collective of "real-life pathologists with an unhealthy adoration of and fixation on Carcass." ... Fireball Ministry drummer John Oreshnick is sitting out the band's current six-week tour with Artimus Pyledriver and Vains of Jenna because of personal reasons. His temporary replacement is Yael, who is a friend of bassist Johnny Chow. Yael will play with the band through November 20 in Bakersfield, California. Fireball Ministry's upcoming video for "The Broken" was inspired by a fan's homemade video that was recently posted on YouTube. Fireball's clip can be seen at MySpace.com/TripleThreatTour. ...

Swedish traditional-metal warriors Dream Evil have posted the video for "Fire! Battle! In Metal!" here. The clip was directed by Patric Ullaeus (Dimmu Borgir, Lacuna Coil) and is filled with classic metal iconography — soldiers on horseback, medieval castles, dark woods, flaming torches. United, which features the song, comes out October 31 and also includes "Blind Evil," "Evilution" and "Doomlord." ... New Orleans sludge veterans Crowbar will release their first live DVD in early 2007. The concert footage was shot last summer at Germany's annual With Full Force festival at the airport Roitzschjora in Löbnitz. Crowbar's last album, Lifesblood for the Downtrodden, came out in 2005. ... Grindcore masters Napalm Death will headline the Death by Decibels tour, which starts November 24 in Levittown, New York. Dates run through December 21 in NYC, and A Life Once Lost, Dead to Fall, Animosity, Impaled and Arsis are also on the bill. ...

Ex-Savatage frontman and Trans-Siberian Orchestra contributor Jon Oliva will release Maniacal Renderings, the second album by his band Jon Oliva's Pain, November 7. The album was recorded at Audio Lab Studios in Tampa, Florida, and came out in Europe last month. Songs include "Through the Eyes of the King," "Playing God," "Push It to the Limit" and the title track. ... Ex-Crisis guitarist Afzaal Nasirudeen and drummer Justin Arman will perform with Son of the Soil at the World Performing Arts Festival in Lahore, Pakistan, on November 14, 16 and 18. Crisis released their fourth album, Like Sheep Led to Slaughter, in 2004 and are currently on indefinite hiatus. ... The first album in 14 years by "Beavis and Butt-Head" whipping post Winger will come out November 28. Winger IV includes "Right Up Ahead," "Four Leaf Clover" and "M16." "It mixes some classic hard rock, like Van Halen, and early Winger style [with] progressive and acoustic elements that may resemble Genesis, Mott the Hoople or King Crimson," frontman Kip Winger said in a statement. In other words, it just might not suck. Look for a full U.S. tour in early 2007. ... Japanese psychedelic-metal band Solar Anus have reissued their entire back catalog on the double disc Tumult. The dizzying, galactic sludge-scapes are just what you would expect from frontman Tankotu, an active martial-arts athlete who also happens to be one of Japan's leading fetish photographers.

• Mushroomhead
• Slipknot
• Beseech
• Crowbar

Ozzy Osbourne
Photo: MTV News

AUBURN, Washington — Ozzy Osbourne thought 10 Ozzfests were enough. He'd reached his limit. And so, before last year's Ozzfest — the heavy-metal festival's 10th rendition — concluded, Osbourne announced he'd be retiring from his namesake tour. He'd also be taking a break from the road for a while.

But here he is, standing at the foot of Ozzfest's main stage with the launch of this year's Ozzfest just 48 hours away. The music icon's surveying things — inspecting the lights, the monitors, the positioning of the amplifiers. In about 20 minutes, he'll be joined onstage by guitarist Zakk Wylde, drummer Mike Bordin and bassist Blasko for his first official Ozzfest rehearsal.

"I wanted to retire," he insisted. "But that lasted half a year. I was bored to death, and I wanted to come back on the road again. I'm not complaining about it, but the downside [to doing Ozzfest] is I never get a chance to go on vacation. Whenever we do go on vacation, it's winter. So this year, I tried to get off the Ozzfest, and [my wife and the festival's architect] Sharon said, 'OK.' But then one guy spoke to one guy and said it wouldn't be Ozzfest if Ozzy isn't there. So [we compromised]. Sharon's idea was to do a couple of headliners on the second stage, and I said, 'That's great. It's right in the midst of the audience.' "

This summer's Ozzfest, which wraps up August 13 in West Palm Beach, Florida, will make stops in 27 cities, with Osbourne scheduled to take the stage for 13 of them — four mainstage appearances and nine on the tour's smaller second stage. But might this — as the rumor mill suggests — be Ozzy's last Ozzfest?

"I will always be involved in it in some way, as long as it carries along — and as long as I'm alive," he said. "It's my wife and I's creation. People say to me, 'What's the trick? How do you do it?' And I can't answer that question. I'm just so grateful and happy [the fans] come out to see the show."

Talking to Ozzy, you get the sense that, after 11 years, he's sort of astounded at Ozzfest's mammoth growth. It has become an unstoppable force, surviving while other festivals have come and gone.

"I can't believe it's been 11 years," he said, reflecting on the tour's tradition. "I couldn't believe it was 10 years. You know, every year, I ask my wife, 'How long do you think this is going to go on for?' But it's out of my control now, and it's rolling along on its own. You know, I can't call this work. I love it. What I'm really happy about, what has happened from Ozzfest, is it's been a great diving board for other bands. I mean, Korn, System of a Down — the list goes on and on. And that's what my job is: to keep the machine rolling."

After this year's Ozzfest, Osbourne plans to start working on his 15th solo LP — his first record's worth of original compositions in five years. "We just started working on some ideas, Zakk and the boys," he explained. "We're putting a bunch of ideas together, and Zakk's playing is just unbelievable. His new album [Shot to Hell, which hits stores September 19] is fantastic. It is going to blow everything else off the face of the world. So when we finish Ozzfest, I'm going to start writing. It's going to be the first one I've written and recorded sober. That's weird. The one thing about having a swift drink is it gets the old imagination going, you know?"

Ozzy's mindset going into the sessions is a positive one, he said. "I'm 57 years of age, and I never thought I'd live this long," he joked. "I think I'm the luckiest man in the world. I've survived, both physically and professionally ... I think."

The rest of the week's metal news:

Lamb of God's forthcoming album Sacrament will feature 11 songs when it hits stores August 22 — including "Walk With Me in Hell," "Foot to the Throat" and "Beating on Death's Door." A deluxe version of the CD will be available to fans and contain a bonus DVD with two videos for the album's first single, "Redneck," and a making-of-the-album segment. ... Moody instrumental experimentalists Explosions in the Sky have been writing material for their forthcoming, yet-untitled LP. The record will boast six songs — with most clocking in at about 13 minutes. The band plans to hit the studio next month with the Paper Chase's John Congleton to record the tracks. ... New Jersey hardcore heroes Nora are hard at work writing material for their next album. According to Nora's MySpace page, they're going through the "weeding-out process for the stuff we've written, so ... there's a lot of arguing. That's normal, though — if there wasn't arguing, it wouldn't be Nora." The band is in talks with Rob Caggiano (Bleeding Through, Cradle of Filth) to produce the effort. ... Massachusetts hard-rockers Seemless — which boast former Killswitch Engage frontman Jesse Leach and ex-Overcast guitarist Pete Cortese — have finished working on their sophomore album, What Have We Become, which is set to drop September 5. Look for the disc to feature 10 tracks, including "Cast No Shadow," "Jaded" and "Things Fall Apart." ...

The track list for Light This City's forthcoming record Facing the Thousand has been revealed, and a song from the effort, "Cradle for a King," has been posted on the band's MySpace page. The LP, which will be in stores September 19, will include a guest appearance by the Black Dahlia Murder's Trevor Strnad on "Fear of Heights." The record contains 10 tracks in all, including "The Unwelcome Savior," "Maddening Swarm" and "Like Every Song's Our Last." ... Wildman Glenn Danzig's long-awaited Black Aria II has been slated for release September 19. The disc will boast material the former Misfits frontman's been working on for more than five years. It's a classical, operatic work, inspired by Lilith, the mythological first wife of Adam. ... Montreal's Neuraxis will not be touring this summer with Beneath the Massacre and Victimas, according to the band's MySpace profile. "Earlier this year, [we] agreed to take part in a U.S. tour, which was to take place for late July/ early August." But late last month, "it was decided that we had to cancel our participation on this tour. With a month to go before [it] was to start, we had only received half of the confirmed dates. We felt this was not enough time to properly promote and spread the word about this tour." The bandmembers also lacked work permits, which would've prevented them from touring in the States. ...

New York death-metal mammoths Suffocation have unveiled the track list for their next LP, a self-titled offering due September 19. "Abomination Reborn," "Translucent Patterns of Delirium" and "Entrails of You" are among the album's 11 tracks. ... Orange County, California, hardcore-metal band Ignite have shot a politically charged video for "Bleeding" with director Chris Sims, who has previously worked with Lamb of God and As I Lay Dying. The clip features the band playing in the parched California desert interspersed with news footage of the war in Iraq and other intense imagery. Singer Zoli Teglas, whose brother is currently stationed in Iraq, wrote the lyrics for the song, which appears on the band's new record, Our Darkest Days. "[My brother] is forced to risk his life driving Halliburton execs to meetings that benefit the politicians and not the people," Teglas said in a statement. ... Los Angeles melodic punk-metal band 2Cents will put out their debut, Lost at Sea, September 26. The disc was produced by Matt Hyde (Slayer, Sum 41) and includes a tribute to the band's fallen hero, "A Song for Darrell Abbott." Other tracks include "The Mark of My Pen," "Wired" and "Victims of Pop Culture." In addition to playing conventional venues, 2Cents have made their mark by playing in unusual spots, including maximum-security youth correctional facilities. ...

Swiss extreme-metal forefathers Celtic Frost have announced the openers for their North American tour. Between the September 12 opening date in Springfield, Virginia, and October 2 in Portland, Oregon, Norwegian black-metal band 1349 and Norwegian doom group Sahg (which features ex-Gorgoroth members King and Kvitrafn) will carry out the bloodletting before Celtic Frost take the stage. And from October 13 in San Francisco to the final date, November 11 in Johnson City, New York, Goatwhore will open. Seismic drone band Sunn 0))) will also play the second leg of the tour but will drop off after the October 9 show in Las Vegas. ... Exodus drummer Paul Bostaph (ex-Slayer, Testament) has commented about replacing Testament drummer Louie Clemente for the band's current tour, which runs through July 16 in Victorville, California, before heading overseas and ending August 5 in Busan City, South Korea. "There will be plenty of time to rest when I'm dead," said Bostaph, who recently finished European dates with Exodus. "I dream in double-bass." Bostaph was a member of Testament for a short period in early 2004 and toured with them in 1992, a jaunt that included dates for their 1993 live EP, Return to the Apocalyptic City. "I'm stoked to hit the road with the Testament guys, especially since I've never played with guitarist Alex Skolnick before. It's as close to the original lineup as possible and I've always had fun with them.". Clemente, who had to bow out due to medical reasons, is expected to rejoin Testament after the dates. The band hopes to enter the studio before the end of the year. ...

The third album from Insomnium, Above the Weeping World, will hit the streets October 17. The Finnish melodic death-metal band worked on the disc at Fantom and Finnvox studios, where they delved into new atmospheric shades and production techniques. "This is by far the best Insomnium album," said singer and bassist Niilo Sevanen. "It is the first time we feel we really succeeded in studio." The album will feature nine tracks, including "The Gale," "At the Gates of Sleep" and "Mortal Share." A video for the latter can be seen at Candlelight Records' MySpace page. ... Mushroomhead will grace the metal community with their sixth feral offering, Savior Sorrow, September 19. The disc was produced by Steve Felton and the band in Cleveland in April. "It's a new chapter in Mushroomhead's evolution," drummer Skinny said. "There are sounds on this album that are so brutal and huge. We focused on delivering some vicious hardcore mixed with heavy melodic hooks." Savior Sorrow will be the band's first album since 2003's XIII. ... French moshers Lyzanxia will unveil their third steely effort, Unsu, this fall. The disc was recorded and mixed by Fredrik Nordström and Patrick J. Sten at Studio Fredman in Gothenburg, Sweden. The album will be the follow-up to the band's 2004 album, Mindcrimes. ... Progressive quartet Minsk are in the studio working on their third album, tentatively scheduled for early 2007 release. The Chicago-area group will record the album at bassist and singer Sanford Parker's Volume Recording Studio, which has also served as an audio laboratory for Pelican and Unearthly Trance.

Where do your favorite metal bands rank on our list? Find out in the feature "The Greatest Metal Bands of All Time."

• Ozzy Osbourne
• Lamb of God
• Ignite
• Celtic Frost
• Suffocation

Robert Englund and Ken Kirzinger in "Freddy Vs. Jason"
Photo: James Dittiger

The horror-flick fan's dream come true, "Freddy Vs. Jason" not only looks scary, it sounds equally frightening.

New and previously unreleased tunes from Slipknot and Ill Nino, and a collaboration between Mike Patton and Sepultura lead the charge on the film's soundtrack, which is slated for release August 5, according to a Roadrunner Records spokesperson.

Slipknot's "Snap" was recorded during the sessions that yielded 1999's eponymous breakthrough LP but never saw the light of day until now, while Ill Nino's "How Can I Live" will serve as the soundtrack's single, and also appear on the band's second album, Confession, due September 30. A video for the song will be shot July 8 in Los Angeles.

Former Faith No More and current Fantômas singer Mike Patton recorded "The Waste" with Brazilian metalheads Sepultura during their sessions for 1998's Against, the band's first album without founding singer Max Cavalera.

Rare tracks on the LP include Chimaira's "Army of Me" and Stone Sour's "Inside the Cynic," both of which had only been available as imports. Former Coal Chamber frontman Dez Fafara's new band, Devildriver, makes its debut with "Swinging the Dead," which is also expected to appear on the group's first LP, expected this fall.

The "Freddy Vs. Jason" soundtrack will also be available in three versions: one for "Friday the 13th" fans, with Jason only on the cover; one for "A Nightmare on Elm Street" fans, featuring Freddy's burnt-up mug; and a third with both on the cover.

"Freddy Vs. Jason," which features Destiny's Child's Kelly Rowland as one of the female leads, hits theaters August 15 (see "Kelly Rowland Takes On Freddy Krueger, Jason Voorhees").

Track list for the "Freddy Vs. Jason" soundtrack, according to Roadrunner Records:

• Ill Nino - "How Can I Live"
• Spineshank - "Beginning of the End"
• Chimaira - "Army of Me"
• Type O Negative - "(We Were) Electrocute"
• Slipknot - "Snap"
• Stone Sour - "Inside the Cynic"
• Devildriver - "Swinging the Dead"
• Killswitch Engage - "Darkness Falls"
• Sepultura with Mike Patton - "The Waste"
• The Blank Theory - "Middle of Nowhere"
• Hatebreed - "Condemned Until Rebirth"
• Mushroomhead - "Sun Doesn't Rise"
• Motograter - "Down"
• Shadows Fall - "Deadworld"
• In Flames - "Trigger"
• Lamb of God - "11th Hour"

For a full-length feature on the movie, check out "Freddy Vs. Jason: A Match Made In Hell."

• Slipknot
• Sepultura
• Stone Sour
• Hatebreed
• Mushroomhead

Sevendust's Lajon Witherspoon
Photo: Jason Perlman

While the status of the granddaddy of summer package tours — Lollapalooza — is shrouded in mystery, don't be fooled by a tour with a similar-sounding name. Locobazooka is the one that's actually happening.

Filter, Sevendust, Fu Manchu, Nonpoint, Mushroomhead, Gravity Kills, Reveille and Earshot are set to perform on the summer trek, which begins June 27 in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, according to promoters. The music fest will visit a total of 16 smaller markets before wrapping up July 21. Two more bands are expected to be added to the bill, and a full itinerary should surface in the next two weeks.

Locobazooka launched a decade ago as a one-off show in Worcester, Massachusetts, sponsored by radio station WAAF, and continued as such until last year. For its 10th anniversary, organizers decided to take their show — which last year included Disturbed, Kittie and Rollins Band — on the road. The organizers' objective is to bring bands that individually would only play major markets to smaller cities. Tickets should cost approximately $20.

• Sevendust
• Fu Manchu
• Filter
• Nonpoint
• Mushroomhead

Mushroomhead's J. Mann and Skinny  
Photo: MTV News

WEST HOLLYWOOD — Mushroomhead wear masks and play earsplitting gothic metal, so they expect and welcome comparisons to Slipknot. Just don't call the eight-member rock orchestra a rip-off.

"The only thing that is frustrating is that people think that because our record just came out, that we are jumping on a coattail or we just decided to do this yesterday," vocalist J. Mann said last week. "That's not the case."

Mushroomhead formed in 1993, before Slipknot. Over the years, they have independently released three albums and toured around the Midwest and East Coast. However, it wasn't until Slipknot came to mass fame a few years ago that Mushroomhead began gaining national attention.

"They have helped open the doors a little bit, because when we were doing this earlier, people thought it was a gimmick or that it wouldn't last," Mann said. "When they came out of the gate as strong as they did, I think people realized, 'Hey, this is not just a passing fad. There might be something to this.' We definitely tip our hats to Slipknot."

Visually, Mushroomhead are quite similar to Slipknot, with each member except Mann (who covers his face in makeup) donning individually designed black leather masks. Instead of matching jumpsuits, Mann, vocalist Jeffrey Nothing, guitarist Gravy, guitarist Bronson, bassist Pig Benis, drummer Skinny, keyboardist Schmotz and sampler Stitch wear matching military garb.

Musically, though, there are vast differences in the two. While Slipknot's sound is a sonic assault built around four percussionists, Mushroomhead's is a more melodic mix emphasizing dueling vocals and keyboards. They also boast more of a melting pot of styles, since members came from hip-hop, funk, hardcore and techno bands.

"We all rehearsed in a big warehouse on the west side of Cleveland," Mann explained. "After practices, a lot of us would stick around and talk about music ideas together, so that's kind of how the band started. That is also the reason for the masks. Since we were from different bands and different projects, we didn't want the people in Cleveland to assume what we were going to sound like or have any preconceived notions of what Mushroomhead would be, since we are different from our projects in the past."

Mushroomhead first took the stage in the height of the grunge era and were hardly what the music industry was paying attention to. So the band continued on without the help of a manager or record label until late last year, when Universal Records signed them.

"This band has been sort of a do-it-yourself kind of band," Mann said. "We independently recorded and released our records, as well as did our own merchandising and booked our own shows. It just kind of got to a point where we couldn't take it any further on our own. So in order to carry on, we needed a label."

When the industry started showing interest in Mushroomhead, the band put together XX, a collection of their best tunes from their previous releases. Universal liked it so much that they brought in Toby Wright (Korn, Alice in Chains) to remix it but pretty much released it as is.

The album's first single, "Solitaire/Unraveling," was released in December. With its razor-sharp guitar hook and biting opening line — "Locked away in a cage/ My rage has got the best of me" — the song sounds like an angrier metal version of Smashing Pumpkins' "Bullet With Butterfly Wings."

"People think it's about a man in prison, and in a sense it is, but it's not a physical prison, it's more of an internal prison," Mann said. "It's about how everyone has got to look inside themselves and deal with their own demons."

"Before I Die" is penciled in as the second single and video, for which the group is currently looking at directors. Mann stressed that making the right video is important to Mushroomhead because of their emphasis on the visual elements of what they do.

"Our music is different because we have more of a cinematic appeal to it," he explained. "Even though we are a visual band live, I think there is a visual to the audio. And just by listening to the record, it plants visual thoughts in your head. We are very influenced by directors as well as musicians, and whatever we are doing we like to sound grand."

Mushroomhead are headlining a club tour that wraps up with a homecoming show April 5 in Cleveland. After that, they hope to join Ozzfest. "It is definitely the tour to be on," Mann said, before jokingly giving a shout-out to the tour's organizer, Ozzy Osbourne's wife. "Hi Sharon! We love you!"

After recently recording a new track with Wright for the upcoming "The Scorpion King" soundtrack, Mushroomhead are also anxious to begin recording songs they've written for their next album.

"You have these dreams of getting that record deal and going into an expensive studio, and then they put out the record that you had," Mann said with a laugh.

• Mushroomhead

MTV Exclusive: Mushroomhead Photos

• Mushroomhead