Cellador
Photo: Tara Kearney

In May 2005, Black Dahlia Murder singer Trevor Strnad was hanging backstage at a venue in Omaha, Nebraska, before his band was to headline a gig. With nothing else to do, he waded through the crowd to catch the opening act, expecting yet another nameless metalcore group. What he saw, instead, blew his mind. The local band playing that night, a power-metal act named Cellador, were insanely tight and energetic, and their singer sounded almost exactly like Iron Maiden's Bruce Dickinson.

After the show, Strnad couldn't stop gushing to Cellador about their performance, and told them Black Dahlia's label, Metal Blade Records, was looking for a young melodic American metal group. So Cellador gave Strnad a copy of their demo, and within weeks they were signed to Metal Blade.

"We were so amazed because, from the beginning, we always thought that if we got signed it would be with some small European label, since that's where power metal is really popular," said guitarist and main songwriter Chris Petersen about three months after the late-June release of the band's debut Enter Deception. "Our perspective totally changed after that, and we realized that maybe there is a market in the U.S. for this style of music."

Strnad and Metal Blade were drawn to the band not only because of its epic songs, explosive guitar solos and dramatic vocals, but also by the black-metal beats and melodic death-metal elements Cellador weave into their music. Like Trivium — with whom Cellador are about to tour — and DragonForce, Petersen and his bandmates are part of a new generation of bands taking composition, melody and technical proficiency to new heights.

"I got into popular mainstream metal when I was about 11, but I soon discovered bands like In Flames, Soilwork and At the Gates — groups that could really play and were melodic, but still heavy," Petersen explained. "When I started playing guitar, that stuff had a big influence on me."

Petersen put together the first Cellador lineup in 2003 and quickly wrote a batch of songs, but within months, everyone quit — including his friend, who was the lead singer. Undaunted, Petersen placed a "musicians wanted" ad for players who were into melodic European metal, and 15-year-old drummer David Dahir was the first to respond. "At first I was like, 'I dunno, this guy is so young,' but then we started jamming and I realized he's an incredible drummer," Petersen said. "He's more of an extreme-metal-influenced dude, which is cool because it allows us to mix up the more aggressive, intense elements into my power-metal style."

Guitarist Bill Hudson, who relocated from Brazil, and Russian-born bassist Valentin Rakhmanov followed, as well as singer Michael Gremio, who cemented the band's soaring sound.

"He was a local singer here, and he was heavily influenced by Bruce Dickinson, Michael Kiske [formerly of Helloween] and Tony Kakko [of Sonata Arctica]. So I called him up and asked him to try out," Petersen said. "As soon as everyone heard him sing, he was in, and right away, he started recording vocals on our demo, which was already recorded."

Cellador entered a Tampa, Florida, studio with Erik Rutan (Goatwhore, Soilent Green) in December 2005 and recorded most of the main tracks by mid-January. In March, the bandmembers returned to finish the leads and record the vocals. But what they thought would be finished in 10 days wound up taking a month.

"Before we got out there, Mike was complaining that his throat hurt and he had a cough," Petersen said. "Sure enough, a day and a half later, he came down with the flu. So we took out time and waited for him to get completely better before we recorded the vocals."

With Enter Deception finally in stores, Cellador are making plans to storm shores east and west in search of recognition. On Sunday, they'll hit the road with Trivium, the Sword and Protest the Hero in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. But while the tour continues through November 5, Cellador are dropping off after October 9 in Toronto because ... well, some things are almost as important as rock.

"I'm finishing up college right now and I have obligations with my classes," Petersen explained. "But we're still super-excited about the tour, and there'll be lots of chances to play other shows after I finish school."

The rest of the week's metal news:

According to the Blackest of the Black tour site, this year's installment of Glenn Danzig's annual festival will feature Lacuna Coil, the Haunted and Belphegor, in addition to Danzig's own band, which will headline. Danzig told MTV News earlier this month that the tour would also feature Marduk, and though the tour's site does indicate that one additional act will be added to the bill, it has yet to be specified. Dates for the trek, which will hit cities along the West Coast over two weeks, have not yet been announced. ... In related news, Lacuna Coil, In Flames and Soil will hit the road for a string of dates in December. So far, it looks like the bands will embark on the trek December 5 in Norfolk, Virginia, and dates are booked through December 16 in Detroit. ... Bleeding Through, Saosin and Senses Fail will team up for a 19-date run launching November 24 in Boston and ending December 21 in Tempe, Arizona. ... Page Hamilton's Helmet have lost two members: guitarist Chris Traynor and drummer Mike Jost. Traynor released a statement on his departure, which, while gracious, failed to offer a reason for the move. Jost intends to focus on his home life. ...

Horse the Band frontman Nathan Winneke was arrested last weekend by police in Toronto following an incident that unfolded outside a gas station. According to the band, Winneke was booked on suspicion of "robbing a gas station and firing a pistol at a woman." The statement continues that the singer "drinks a bottle of whiskey a day and bought a cap gun, which he took the orange thing off of, and a 12-inch bowie knife, which he named 'Blue Duck.' " The gas station incident was a misunderstanding, according to the band, as a drunken Winneke fired the cap gun in the air twice outside the station before the band left in its van. "Two minutes later, [we were] lying face down in the middle of the freeway, handcuffed," with handguns and shotguns pointed at their heads. Close to 20 police officers closed down the road and detained the band following a complaint from a woman at the gas station who said Winneke "robbed the store and pointed the gun at her." The other members of the band were released, but the singer was held overnight. Winneke was freed the following morning, and the band didn't miss any of the stops on its current tour with DragonForce and All That Remains. ...

Early next year, Earache Records will reissue Napalm Death's debut, Scum, to commemorate the 20th anniversary of the LP's release. The disc has been remastered and will boast a bonus DVD featuring interviews with the grindcore gurus. Napalm will come together this winter with A Life Once Lost, Dead to Fall and Animosity for the Death by Decibels Tour. It kicks off November 25 in Buffalo, New York, and runs through December 21 in Asbury Park, New Jersey. ... Pre-production for From Autumn to Ashes' next LP has commenced with producer and engineer Brian McTernan — who has worked with Cave In and Bane — at his Salad Days Studio in Baltimore. Look for the disc to drop early next year. ... Stretch Arm Strong have returned from the studio after recording a cover of Sick of It All's "Busted." The track will appear on an upcoming tribute album, which is also expected to feature Unearth's take on "It's Clobberin' Time," Rise Against doing "Built to Last" and Sepultura's rendition of "Scratch the Surface." The effort is slated for release before year's end. ... Doom-metal specialists Khanate are no more. The band, formed six years ago by Atomsmasher's James Plotkin and Stephen O'Malley of SunnO))), have decided to call it quits. Still, they are planning to mix their yet-untitled swan-song release, which should surface this winter. ...

Botch have been working with producer Matt Bayles (Isis, Mastodon) to remix their 1999 debut, American Nervoso. The end result should surface early next year. ... Canadian post-grindcore extremists the End have wrapped the recording sessions for their forthcoming full-length, which remains untitled. The band's frontman, Aaron Wolff, said in a press statement that "this is definitely a huge step for us in so many different ways. We tried a lot of new things that we have stayed far away from in the past, and also expanded on the ground that we have laid out in the past. We are so happy with the sound of the record and totally excited about the new songs." Look for the disc to hit stores in February. ... Mushroomhead, Brand New Sin, Soil and the Autumn Offering are on the road together and will play Flint, Michigan, on Friday. The trek runs through October 30 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Mushroomhead's latest, Savior Sorrow, was released last week. ... Norwegian black-metallers Immortal, who split back in 2003, plan to reunite for two U.S. gigs — but fans will have to wait more than 10 months to catch them. Immortal will invade B.B. King Blues Club & Grill in New York on July 13 and Hollywood's Avalon on July 15. Tickets for both shows go on sale October 13.

• Cellador
• Napalm Death
• Immortal
• Horse The Band

Strapping Young Lad
Photo: Century Media

Devin Townsend's tired.

It's a recent Thursday afternoon, and he's just about to start mixing the forthcoming LP from shock-rock outfit Gwar. He produced the album, tentatively titled Go to Hell!, and he's talking, in between yawns, about Gwar's frontman, Dave Brockie — better known as Oderus Urungus.

"He's got one of the best voices I've ever worked with," said Townsend, the eccentric frontman for Strapping Young Lad, who'll spend the summer playing Ozzfest. "I hope that they're satisfied enough that it's true to their catalog, because it's definitely different for them. The music is pretty over the top, in a lot of ways. It's been an interesting experience trying to put it all together."

But again, Devin's drained — and the timing couldn't be worse. His band's forthcoming album, The New Black, comes out July 11, and he's got Ozzfest ahead of him. But he's hoping to take some time off this fall to recover from the last decade and to be a dad. Devin's wife and manager, Tracy, is pregnant; she's due to deliver the couple's first child in October.

"I'm going to take a hiatus from making records for a while," Townsend said. "In the past 10 years, I've put out 20 records." That includes Strapping, the Devin Townsend Band and his own solo projects, like 2001's Terria. "[It's been] bang-bang-bang-bang. As soon as I finish one, I'm writing another, and when that one's done, I'm writing another. I just don't want to write records right now.

"The records I make, I'm there from the writing of the first note through the click tracks to the miking of the drums to the editing of everything to the production to the vocals to the artwork," he continued. "And it's been so many years of doing it. I won't ever stop doing what I do, I just need a break so I can go sit on a beach somewhere and drink Corona after Corona and stumble back to a hotel."

Leave it to Devin to go out on a high note: The New Black, which features 13 cuts, is devastatingly brutal.

"With this record, we just set out to make a really good-sounding, riotous record to listen to, and we achieved that," Townsend said. "It's what it needed to be. Fans will like it. I mean, considering the amount of time we had to do it, I think we did a really good job."

The band will shoot a video for the first track, "Wrong Side," Sunday in Jersey City, New Jersey, with director David Brodsky (Diecast, God Forbid). The video's concept is hard to describe — just know that it involves three Devins ("Dreaming Devin," "Devil Devin" and "Angel Devin") who work against each other with ungodly results.

As for Ozzfest, Devin's too exhausted to be excited.

"I don't even know what the Ozzfest is all about. Everybody seems to be making a real big deal about it, and for me, it's just the next gig we're doing," he said. "People talk about the Ozzfest and what it can do for your career, and I guess I'm just oblivious to it. ... I'm in a weird position, because there's all this rock and roll stuff [that goes on backstage at Ozzfest], and everyone's really into putting their party pants on and getting liquored up and high. I just don't fit in as well as a lot of people."

The rest of the week's metal news:

Motörhead have set Kiss of Death as the title of their forthcoming record, which is being eyed for an August 29 release. The album was produced by Cameron Webb (Manntis, Your Enemies Friends) and will feature "Kingdom of the Worm." ... British extreme-metallists Napalm Death have begun work on the follow-up to last year's The Code Is Red ... Long Live the Code. "This thing is already sounding totally immense," frontman Barney Greenway said of the new LP, which should be in stores before the end of the year. "It's fast and furious, as you'd expect, but we're also throwing a few curveballs in." The disc, tentatively titled Smear Campaign, will feature the title track, "Persona Nongrata" and "Call That an Option?" ... Some members of Norwegian black-metal incorrigibles Gorgoroth may have spent much of the past year in court or behind bars, but that didn't stop the infernal band from recording a new album. Ad Majorem Sathanas Gloriam was documented at Lydriket and Earshot Studios in Bergen, Norway, and is scheduled for release July 25. "Wound Open" is available for streaming at Candlelight Records' MySpace page. Gorgoroth's last album, Twilight of the Idols (In Conspiracy With Satan), came out in 2003. ... Bay Area thrashers Light This City, featuring the comely Laura Nichol, will tour this summer with Suicide Silence, All Shall Perish and others starting July 14. The band's finished recording the follow-up to 2005's Remains of the Gods and plan to have it ready for a September 12 street date. The disc will feature a guest vocal appearance by Black Dahlia Murder's Trevor Strnad. ...

After serving an eight-year murder sentence in Sweden, Dissection frontman Jon Nödtveidt re-formed the influential band and, last week, released their first studio album in 11 years, Reinkaos. But now Nödtveidt has announced that he's leaving the music industry for good. "I have reached the limitations of music as a tool for expressing what I want to express," he said in a statement. "With Reinkaos finally released, I realize that there is nothing left for me to do with Dissection. We have succeeded with our task to manifest, in essence, a truly satanic record blessed by the dark gods. ... It wouldn't even be desirable for me to follow it up since everything that I ever wanted to express is in there." Dissection's final show will be in Stockholm on June 24, and according to the band's Web site, the concert will be recorded and shot for future DVD and CD release. ... Dillinger Escape Plan, Necrophagist, Cattle Decapitation and the Number Twelve Looks Like You are among the bands that have been confirmed for Show of the Summer, which will take place June 10 in Fredericksburg, Virginia, and June 11 in Asbury Park, New Jersey. Haste the Day, Chiodos, Sworn Enemy, From a Second Story Window, Full Blown Chaos, Misery Index, Animosity and Arsis are also on the bill for the weekend festival. ...

Technical death-metal act Dying Fetus have found themselves a new drummer in Duane Timlin. The news comes after an exhaustive yearlong search for a replacement for Erik Sayenga, who quit the band last May "due to circumstances beyond his control." "We wanted to move forward in the certainty of having the right person for the group," the band said in a statement. "[He] has demonstrated to us that he has the skills and dedication we were looking for." The band has been writing material for its forthcoming, yet-untitled LP, which should surface later this year. Look for the disc to feature "Parasites of Catastrophe," "Unadulterated Hatred" and "Raping the System." ... German prog/power-metal virtuosos Blind Guardian have confirmed that they will tour North America in November and December to support their September release, A Twist in the Myth. "I think we have widened the range of the Blind Guardian universe more than we have ever done before," frontman Hansi Kürsch said. "We can't wait to hear and see your reaction." Tracks include "This Will Never End," "Otherland" and "Carry the Blessed Home." Blind Guardian will shoot a video for "Another Stranger Me" before the tour begins. ...

Former Mr. Universe Thor will release his next muscular slab of metal, Devastation of Musculation, July 25. The disc was co-produced by Thor and Mike Kischnick and recorded in British Columbia. The album title comes from a program Thor saw about a bodybuilder whose career came to a painful and premature end. "[He] wanted to have the biggest biceps in the world," Thor said in a press release. "He pumped himself up with so many steroids and oil injections that his arms reached 50 inches and actually exploded." Tracks include "Lords of Steel," "Lies of Eternity" and "Cold White Ghost." ... Veteran Swedish death-metal band Dismember will be on their first North American tour in more than five years from September 30 in Bedford, New Hampshire, through October in Montreal. Vital Remains, Grave, Demiricous and Withered will also perform. Dismember's seventh full-length studio album, The God That Never Was, came out earlier this year. ... Sahg, a new stoner/doom band in the tradition of Kyuss and Electric Wizard, will release their debut album, Sahg 1, July 25. The band's "Boundless Demise" can be heard on Candlelight Records' MySpace page.

• Strapping Young Lad
• Gorgoroth
• Napalm Death

Destiny's Child and Godflesh
Photo: Columbia/Koch

Some things in life just shouldn't be mixed — smoked salmon and, say, cotton candy, for example. Plaid shirts with paisley shorts. Arnold Schwarzenegger and the Queen's English. The music of death-metal mavens Carcass and the hip-hop flava of Missy Elliott. All are combinations that make little sense.

But when you're Chad Boltz, mixing and matching some of today's biggest pop stars with some of the earliest architects of grindcore and industrial metal makes perfect sense — you've just got to have the ear for it.

Boltz, a mash-ups aficionado who lives in Denver, said it dawned on him one afternoon while he was working at one of the Mile High City's independent record stores. He was listening to a Boom Selection compilation CD of mashes and figured if artists like Jay-Z and Linkin Park could be fused together, perhaps some of storied metal label Earache Records' catalog could be intertwined with pop acts like Destiny's Child and Sean Paul.

"I thought it would be kind of cool to remake some of the old-school Earache stuff that I listen to, like the old grindcore stuff, with pop, because they're just so different," explained Boltz, a guitarist who once played in defunct grind band Monistat 7, which released the album Now Available Without a Prescription in 1994. "I listen to a wide range of music, so I don't mind pop so much. I figured putting the vocals to metal songs might sound interesting."

His experimentation led to seven monstrosities that he posted online. Links to his Web site, xxx.reek.tv/x.htm, popped up on heavy-metal message boards, and in no time the elite were calling for his head. His site was ill-equipped to handle the increase in traffic, and Boltz's domain was crippled for more than month.

While he said there's no reliable method to measure just how many people downloaded the free tracks, Boltz said the songs continue to make the Internet rounds. While he's proud of all of the mash-ups — including Outkast's "Bombs Over Baghdad" crossed with Entombed's "Sinners Bleed," Shakira's "Whenever, Wherever" spliced with Napalm Death's "Suffer the Children," and 50 Cent's "In Da Club" paired with Terrorizer's "After World Obliteration" — his favorite is Destiny's Child's "Survivor" merged with Godflesh's "Dead Head."

"The industrial tracks are easier to swallow than the grindcore ones, because the tempo changes aren't as frequent," he surmised. "It turned out really well, but it's much harder than people think. I tried forever to do stuff with Bolt Thrower, but the tempos change too much. It's the same with most metal songs, actually."

Of course, not all of Boltz's experimentation yielded listenable results. One mash-up he thought for sure would come out superb was Beyoncé's "Naughty Girl" meets Korn's "Shoots and Ladders."

"It ended up sounding like two songs being played at the same time," said Boltz, who's putting the finishing touches on his latest musical Frankenstein's monster: Kelis' "Milkshake" bonded with Ministry's "Thieves."

Surprisingly, none of the labels for the pop star victims of Boltz's creations have contacted him about the mash-ups. But he did get an e-mail from Earache founder Digby Pearson. "He just said he doesn't understand why I did it," he said. "He told me it was a good idea that didn't work out, and that metal never needed to be fused with this music. But if any of the big labels [for some of the pop acts] have a problem with it, that's fine. I'm not making any money off of this. I just want people to download them — that's the spirit of mash-ups, really. But if they want them down, oh well."

• 50 Cent
• Terrorizer
• Missy Elliott
• Carcass
• OutKast

God Forbid
Photo: Century Media

When God Forbid started writing what would become their third album, the socially and politically charged IV: Constitution of Treason, they weren't intending to make a concept album. It just sort of happened.

"The concept was written to the material, as opposed to the other way around — having a story serve as the basis for the lyrics," said Doc Coyle, one of the New Jersey death-metal collective's guitarists. "We put the songs together in the order that we thought made sense musically, and I started to see all of these recurring themes. It started to make sense to me. So I decided to write a story that I think ties the entire album together and gives it a little more potency. Really, it gives people something to think about."

Inspired by the album title — which, according to Coyle, was itself inspired by "apathy in this country amongst the social ranks" — the three-chapter narrative is set in a world ravaged by nuclear war. "It's a post-apocalyptic story, similar to 'Mad Max' I guess," Coyle said. "Society's destroyed, and it's down to just a few people, and these people work to start rebuilding under this sort of religious oppressiveness. A leader emerges amongst the people to try and destroy this religious persecution and force more freedoms."

Eventually that leader's killed, crippling the wheels of change and stunting the revolution. "But life carries on as normal, society's eventually rebuilt, but it's almost worse than it is now," the axeman revealed. "It's all about learning from your mistakes."

Constitution's theme will even factor into the video for "Chains of Humanity," the first single off the album, produced by Jason Suecof (Trivium) and Eric Rachel (Atreyu, Dillinger Escape Plan). But don't expect any "Thunderdome" action. "We couldn't have a nuclear war in our video, or no one would play it," Coyle said. But the video, shot last month with director Eric Shamlin, will feature performance footage of God Forbid — rounded it by vocalist Byron Davis; Doc's bro, guitarist Dallas Coyle; bassist John "Beeker" Outcalt; and drummer Corey Pierce — with digitized apocalyptic elements serving as the grim backdrop.

God Forbid expect to spend the next year gigging. They'll be hitting the road this fall with Meshuggah, the Haunted and Mnemic, but would like to hop on at least one big tour in the near future.

"We'd love to go out with like a System of a Down, a Tool, just to expose ourselves to a more eclectic audience. This band touring with a band like System makes sense because they're a band we look up to, just being that they're a minority band, a politically conscious band," said Coyle, who is one of God Forbid's four black members. "We find a lot of parallels in that. If they can be successful, then so can we."

IV: Constitution of Treason, which will also be available in DualDisc form with a making-of documentary, hits stores September 20.

The rest of the week's metal news:

The Black Dahlia Murder, Between the Buried and Me, Cephalic Carnage and Into the Moat will hit the road this fall for a U.S. tour starting September 23 in Buffalo, New York. The first 18 dates of the trek have been announced and run through October 14 in Tempe, Arizona; additional dates are expected in the coming weeks. ... Norwegian black metallers Mayhem will release Ordo Ab Chao late this year or early next through Season of Mist; it will be the band's first LP featuring vocalist Attila Csihar since 1993's De Mysteriis Dom Sathanas. ... The Red Chord will shoot a video for Clients track "Black Santa" with director Dale Resteghini (Throwdown, Darkest Hour) sometime next month. The band's tour with Every Time I Die, High on Fire and the Chariot kicks off September 7 in Poughkeepsie, New York, and runs through October 7 in Rochester, New York. ... Corrosion of Conformity will serve as the opening act on the first leg of this fall's Jägermeister Tour, headlined by Disturbed. A rundown of dates is expected next week. ...

Oakland gorecore band Impaled have conjured a video for "Preservation of Death" from their latest album, Death After Life. The black-and-white clip, for which they allegedly unearthed footage shot in the '20s at the infamous St. Julien's Medical University, depicts the musicians as characters in an instructional silent film about inhumane medical experiments. The curious and foolhardy can experience the carnage here. ... Gothic metal band the Gathering will release the double DVD "A Sound Relief" on October 25. The package will include a concert recorded in Amsterdam last May, a documentary of the band and 3-D animated videos. ... British grindcore pioneers Napalm Death have shot a video for "The Silence is Deafening" from their latest album The Code Is Red ... Long Live the Code, which came out in April. The video was directed by Roger Johansson (Dark Tranquility, In Flames) and depicts political turmoil, cable-news screens and the band playing against a white backdrop. Check it out here. Napalm Death will tour with Obituary and Dead to Fall from September 1 in West Springfield, Virginia, through September 18 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. ... Dynamic underground-metal band Burst will release their next album, Origo, in early 2006. The follow up to 2003's Prey on Life was recorded at Gothenburg's Music-A-Matic Studios with producer Fredrik Reinedahl. ...

Norwegian black metalists 1349 will release their third album, Hellfire, on October 4. The disc was recorded in Hagen, Norway, and includes "I Am Abomination," "Nathicana" and "Sculptor of Flesh." ... Boston hardcore band the Unseen will launch a tour on September 7 in Buffalo, New York, with dates running through October 16 in Boston. The band's fifth album, State of Discontent, was released in May. ... Buffalo-based outfit Herod will take their new power- and thrash-metal stylings into the studio next month to record Rich Man's War with producer Doug White. The record is tentatively scheduled for release in January 2006. ... Swedish black-metal purists Dark Funeral will release their next album, Attera Totus Sanctus, on November 29. The disc was produced by Daniel Bergstrand and includes "666 Voices Inside," "King Antichrist" and "Angel Flesh Impaled." ... Parallax frontman Blake Donner was killed last week with three friends when they tried to swim to an underground chamber inside a Utah cave via an underwater passageway. Parallax had been working on the band's debut LP, which will still be released through Counterintelligence Recordings. There is no word on when the disc may surface. Donner was 24.

• God Forbid
• Dark Funeral
• Napalm Death
• The Unseen

Hey, what's up, metallions? How's everything been with you? Iann Robinson once again. Some pretty cool things are happening this week. First off is the Headbangers Ball Tour, featuring Lamb of God, Shadows Fall, Killswitch Engage, Unearth and God Forbid — that's an amazing lineup. Anybody who's seen any of those bands live knows that one-on-one they kill, so all together, man, it's gonna be nuts. I've also been getting into these two new albums I got, one is the Darkness record Permission to Land, and the other is Danko Jones' new one, We Sweat Blood. I know, I know, it's not 100 percent metal, but they are heavy-ass rock that totally kill. The Darkness sound like AC/DC smashing into Urge Overkill on the Cult freeway —good stuff. Danko is straight-up rock, like what would happen if James Brown started a band with AC/DC. Metalhead or not, I suggest checking them out. Well, that's it for this week. Enjoy Metal File, and I will see you at the shows.

Legendary New York art-rockers Unsane will release Lambhouse on October 21. The album is a greatest-hits collection that includes a bonus DVD of all their music videos. ... Six Feet Under are steering away from blood-slicked paths a little and singing about social issues on their new album, Bringer of Blood, due September 23. The disc features songs like "Amerika the Brutal," "My Hatred" and "Sick in the Head," which lambastes the Bush administration and the nation's policies concerning free expression. ...

Skinlab have signed on for part of the Jägermeister Tour, which features Slayer, Hatebreed and Arch Enemy. Dates kick off October 8 in St. Paul, Minnesota, with Skinlab joining on November 11. The band will be playing with guitarist Scott Sergeant, who played with the band on 1999's Disembody: The New Flesh. The band's B-sides album, The Nerve Damage Sessions, is due early next year and will include two new studio tracks, an acoustic version of "Purify" and previously unreleased songs. ...

Ex-Coal Chamber frontman Dez Fafara has commented on Sevendust drummer Morgan Rose's recent revelation that Sevendust's new single, "Enemy," is a scathing rant about Fafara. "I would like to say I am glad that I did not inspire a love song for their lite-rock ballad single, and for Morgan Rose to please grow up." In response, Rose quickly retorted, "If Dez Fafara thinks my comments were out of line and childish, it's interesting that he's calling up my wife crying for forgiveness while still talking sh-- on the Internet. The reason Coal Chamber isn't together anymore is because his bandmates hated him. And I think most people in my shoes would have taken harsher actions if their wife was treated the way Dez treated [my wife] Rayna [Foss-Rose] when she was in Coal Chamber." ...

Suffocation have signed a deal with Relapse Records and should have an album out by early next year. It will be their first full-length since 1995's Pierced From Within. ... New Jersey's God Forbid have finished recording their third full-length, Gone Forever. The record is also due in 2004. ... Napalm Death have pushed back the projected release date of the covers collection Leaders Not Followers 2 to early next year. Due on the band's own Feto label, it'll include 18 covers of bands including Die Kreuzen, Hellhammer, Cryptic Slaughter and Sepultura. ...

Morbid Angel will be releasing their new album, Heretic, in five different versions. One is a box set featuring the new album plus the 18-track CD Bonus Levels and a Heretic sticker; the second is a double-disc slipcase of both CDs; the third option features both discs in a double-CD jewel case; the fourth is a 12-inch picture disc with no bonus CD; and of course one version simply contains Heretic in a CD case. ... Burnt by the Sun's new The Perfect Is the Enemy of Good will hit stores on September 23. ...Mastodon will re-release their masterpiece Remission on October 21 with a bonus DVD. ...

—compiled by Iann Robinson, Robert Mancini and Jon Wiederhorn

• Morbid Angel
• Napalm Death
• Sevendust
• Six Feet Under
• Skinlab

Pantera
Photo: Elektra

Hey metalions, what's up? Iann Robinson here. It's been a busy-ass week for me. First up, I saw "Freddy vs. Jason" and let me tell you, you won't be disappointed. There's lots of blood, gore and everything else that makes those movies amazing, plus Freddy and Jason beat the hell out of each other.

I also got to bear witness to the greatness of the Iron Maiden, Dio and Motörhead show. All bands who think they're metal should fly their routines up these guys' flagpole and see how metal they are.

I guess the big news is that Immortal announced on their Web site that the band is done, no matter what their label, Nuclear Blast, says. I'm still waiting to talk to Abbath or Horgh. Hopefully I'll get them on the line soon. Well, enjoy Metal File, and I'll see you at the shows.

Pantera are packaging a DVD containing 12 of their videos with the upcoming The Best of Pantera: Far Beyond the Great Southern Cowboys' Vulgar Hits, which hits stores September 23. ... Sepultura will embark on their first tour of South Africa in early September in support of the already internationally released Roorback. The album, the band's third since replacing guitarist/vocalist and current Soulfly frontman Max Cavalera with Derrick Green, hits U.S. stores August 26. ...

Ministry's Al Jourgensen and Paul Barker along with original Dead Kennedys singer Jello Biafra are resurrecting Lard and have enlisted the help of Anthrax's Scott Ian and Charlie Benante. ... Anthrax have lined up 10 tour dates starting August 14 in Chicago Heights, Illinois, and running through August 29 in Philadelphia. The band's latest record, We've Come for You All, came out in May. ...

Orange County, California's Bleeding Through have chosen This Is Love, This Is Murderous as the title for their next album, due in September on Trustkill. Though this is the band's first LP for the label, vocalist Brandon Schieppati has worked with Trustkill before, during his former gig as guitarist for Eighteen Visions. ... Eighteen Visions will enter the studio in October to begin working on a follow-up to last year's Vanity, which spawned the "Headbangers Ball" staple "You Broke Like Glass." The band has also prepped a cover of the Beatles classic "A Hard Day's Night," which they'll unleash on tour with Strung Out. ...

Zyklon, featuring former members of Emperor, will release their album Aeon on August 3. ... In recent postings on their Web site, Underoath explained that a friend from the band Winter Solstice will fill in for ex-vocalist Dallas Taylor on the Christian metalcore band's upcoming tour with Atreyu. After the tour, Underoath will search for a permanent replacement for Taylor, who was recently asked to leave. ...

Ill Niño's second album, Confession, is due September 30. The band's song "How Can I Live" is the lead single on the "Freddy vs. Jason" soundtrack. ... Morbid Angel have posted the exclusive track "Heretic" on Earache.com. ... Himsa have found a replacement for their departed bandmates. Drum duties are now being handled by Steve Fournier, and Matt Wicklund will be holding down the guitar needs for the band. ...

Napalm Death will release their covers album Leaders Not Followers 2 through their own Feto label. Covers include: Cryptic Slaughter's "Lowlife," Agnostic Front's "Blind Justice," Sepultura's "Troops of Doom," Hellhammer's "Messiah," Kreator's "Riot of Violence," Discharge's "War's No Fairytale" and Die Kreuzen's "I'm Tired." Meanwhile on Earache, Napalm Death have released the two-disc greatest-hits album Noise for Noise Sake, which includes B-sides, rarities, live stuff and all their "hits." ...

Insane Clown Posse protégés Twiztid will hit the road with pornographer Matt Zane's Society One on August 13 in Las Vegas. Dates run through September 28 in Indianapolis. Bring rubber gloves. ... Black-metal fans, time to salivate over your inverted crosses. Chicago's Usurper will tour the U.S. with Norway's legendary Enslaved starting at the Milwaukee Metalfest on July 26 and ending August 3 in Chicago. ...

Skrape's second album, Up the Dose, is due September 23. The first single, "Summer Song," will hit radio August 19. ... Eighties thrash band Omen will release a 20th anniversary box set on September 8. The package will include remastered versions of their albums Battle Cry, Warning of Danger and Nightmares (all with bonus tracks) and a live DVD. ...

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

• Pantera
• Sepultura
• Napalm Death

What up, fellow metalists, how's it been going? Things are good here, lots of cool stuff to report here on "Metal File" this week. There's been so much going on that it's hard to figure out what to talk about first. I guess the biggest thing for me right now is that I'm going to listen to the new Metallica record, which by all reports is quite good — back to the old Metallica we all know and love. I'll fill you guys in on my feelings on it next week. As far as this week goes, I'm stoked on the new Cattle Decapitation album, that should be really good. I mean, with a title like "Humanure," how can you go wrong? The New England Metal and Hardcore Festival just added Superjoint Ritual and Meshuggah, kicking the festival up another notch. The whole thing will go down May 16-17, and it's gonna be huge. Definitely jump on over to www.metalandhardcorefestival.com and find out more about it. Another big tour to think about spending your hard-earned cash on is the North American Contamination Tour 2003, which kicks off May 2 in Memphis, Tennessee. This is the tour with Mastodon, Cephalic Carnage, Dysrhythmia and Uphill Battle — doubtful you'll find a more extreme tour happening this summer. Well, dig into the metal file and hopefully it'll turn you on to something cool. Remember, if metal for you is Linkin Park or Finch, this might be too extreme for you.

Napalm Death are putting together a two-CD set for release this summer on Earache. Noise for Music's Sake will feature one CD of tracks from the band's 10-album career with Earache and a second CD of rare recordings, including previously unreleased material from Napalm's early days. ... Swedish death/thrash metal outfit In Flames have finalized the track listing for their EP, Trigger, due June 17 on Nuclear Blast: "Trigger" (single edition), the new "Watch Them Feed," a cover of Genesis' "Land of Confusion," "Cloud Connected" (Club Connected Remix) and "Moonshield" (C64 Karaoke Version). In Flames are also gearing up to head out on a massive U.S. tour with Soilwork. ...

Killing Joke will now title their new album The Death and Resurrection Show. It's to be released on their own Malicious Damage label in June. As reported, Dave Grohl will guest on drums. ... Long-running Christian metal band Living Sacrifice have named Cory Putman as replacement for guitarist, vocalist and founding member Bruce Fitzhugh, who will exit amicably following a few more appearances. For touring commitments next month, the Blamed guitarist Bryan Grey will fill in for Rocky Gray, who is currently drumming for Evanescence. ...

Amorphis' long-awaited 10th anniversary CD, Chapters, will be issued by Relapse in deluxe packaging on June 3. In addition to the highlights of Amorphis' career, Chapters also contains some special surprises, extensive liner notes and a DVD-ROM. ... God Forbid have issued a statement saying that rumors about Byron Davis no longer singing for the band are false. God Forbid are currently writing new material for their next album. ... The two-day New England Metal and Hardcore Festival will be preserved for posterity on DVD and released later this year. Taking place May 16 and 17 in Worcester, Massachusetts, the fifth annual metal extravaganza features Superjoint Ritual, Meshuggah, the Haunted, Shadows Fall and Opeth. ...

Carnal Forge will release their new album, The More You Suffer, on April 22. ... In the wake of the successful inaugural Relapse Records Contamination Festival, the label has announced the North American Contamination Tour 2003, featuring Mastodon, Cephalic Carnage, Dillinger Escape Plan, Dysrhythmia and more. The 22-city tour kicks off May 2 in Memphis, Tennessee, and runs through May 23 in Lansing, Michigan. ... Following several dates with The Haunted and an appearance at the Syracuse, New York, Hellfest, Bleeding Through will enter the studio to begin recording the follow-up to last year's Portrait of the Goddess. The Orange County, California, metal band, which features former Eighteen Visions guitarist Brandon Schieppati on vocals, is eyeing an October release for the album, their first for the Trustkill label. ...

Almost a year after they were served with a cease and desist order from another band who shared the name, hardcore luminaries American Nightmare have changed their name to Give up the Ghost. Their 2001 album, Background Music, will be re-released this summer under the new moniker. ... Also on the name change front, Louisville, Kentucky's Black Widows — who count members of Endpoint, By the Grace of God and The National Acrobat among their ranks — have changed their name to Black Cross following a similar dispute with another band. The group recently completed its debut album with über-producer and former Jawbox frontman J. Robbins. ...

With their members now close to fully recovered from an early 2002 van accident, New Orleans metal merchants Soilent Green are kicking back into gear with newly added bassist Scott Crochet and second guitarist Tony White and hope to enter the studio by the end of the year to record a follow-up to 2001's A Deleted Symphony for the Beaten Down. ... In spite of last year's "farewell tour" in support of their Parade of Chaos album, the most recent lineup of the band Zao is discussing the possibility of recording at least one more album, as well as plans to appear at this summer's Cornerstone Festival. ... Veteran Seattle band Nevermore plan to mix Enemies of Reality,, the follow-up to 2000's critically well-received Dead Heart in a Dead World, next month for a late July release. The group enlisted Queensÿrche/ Dokken producer Kelly Gray for its latest effort. ...

—Compiled by Iann Robinson, Ryan Downey and Joe D'Angelo

• Metallica
• Napalm Death
• In Flames
• Killing Joke
• Living Sacrifice

Lance Bass has embarked on his second round of training, which finds the 'NSYNC singer joining his potential cosmonaut crew for joint sessions. In addition to further training in Russia's Star City near Moscow, the team is slated for a weeklong stint at NASA's Johnson Space Center in Houston starting August 26. Meanwhile, the date for the fall rocket launch has been pushed back to October 28. ... While Lance pursues outer space, his groupmate Chris Kirkpatrick will join pop starlet Willa Ford in co-hosting the Miss Teen USA pageant, which will be broadcast August 28 at 9 p.m. ET/PT on CBS. Once-lil' rapper Bow Wow will perform at the show. ...

Mario finally joined the Scream 2 Tour Wednesday night at New York's Madison Square Garden. The Baltimore teen titan made a guest appearance during Bow Wow's set, singing "Just a Friend (2002)." ... Fabolous also joined the fray at the MSG Scream Tour stop. The Brooklynite performed "Basketball" with Jermaine Dupri and Bow Wow. ... Tommy Lee proposed to girlfriend Mayte Garcia before a performance in Fort Wayne, Indiana, on Wednesday. Garcia is the ex-wife of Prince. ... The city of Cincinnati is lifting its ban on general admission seating for Bruce Springsteen's show there on November 12, according to the Associated Press. The show will mark the first general admission show in Cincinnati since 11 people were crushed to death at a Who concert there in 1979. ...

James Hetfield has been getting high on speed lately — he's racing cars. On Tuesday, Metallica and their families celebrated the frontman's 39th birthday at a closed-off racetrack in Sonoma, California, and got behind the wheels of some speedy vehicles, including the Chevy Camaro that appeared in the video for "I Disappear." ... Aimee Mann and Beth Orton have been booked for the first show of the Amnesty International benefit series, which begins August 21 in Los Angeles. Amnesty performances will continue through the spring, and other acts have yet to be announced. ...

Beastie Boys keyboardist Money Mark is launching a fall tour to promote his third full-length solo release, last year's Change Is Coming. The trek kicks off August 23 in Phoenix and wraps September 29 in Santa Ana, California. ... DJ Dan hooks up with Moby's Area2 Tour starting Thursday (August 8) in Tinley Park, Illinois. The West Coast house DJ's next mix album, the double-disc Round Trip, is due October 8 through Kinetic. ...

Napalm Death will release a live DVD called "Punishment in Capitals" on September 24. ... The brief Nuclear Assault reunion tour will lead to a live LP in early fall. ... Boston's Milligram have broken up after three albums. Their latest, This Is Class War, is scheduled to be out next month on Small Stone Records. ... Also calling it a day are Spirit Caravan, the band formed by former Obsessed/ Saint Vitus singer/guitarist Scott "Wino" Weinrich. Wino will be working in Place of Skulls with members of Pentagram. ...

08.07.02

In R. Kelly's first court appearance since his arraignment in June, the R&B singer attended a five-minute status hearing in his upcoming child pornography trial in Chicago on Wednesday (August 7). As part of the beginning process of discovery, the defense received seven tapes — including the alleged sex tape — and 73 pieces of evidence from the prosecution. Though it has yet to be copied for the defense, the court also received a videotape of the "Judge Mathis Show," which had been subpoenaed from Warner Bros. and features Kelly's brother, Carey Kelly. R. Kelly's next court date was set for September 20. ... In lighter R. Kelly news, the singer, along with Irv Gotti, Ja Rule, Jay-Z, Mario Winans and the Neptunes' Pharrell Williams, tied for Songwriter of the Year at BMI's 2002 Urban Awards on Tuesday night, because each artist had two songs that were played most often on American radio and television this year. Williams also took home the Producer of the Year Award, while Janet Jackson nabbed Song of the Year for "All for You." ...

Nonpoint, Blackalicious, Talib Kweli, Borialis and Camp Lo will perform on the second stage of the Sprite Liquid Mix Tour, which kicks off August 20 at the Tommy Hilfiger at Jones Beach Theater in Wantagh, New York. They join a previously announced mainstage lineup of Jay-Z and the Roc-A-Fella Family, 311, Nappy Roots, Hoobastank and N.E.R.D. ... Taproot will work with directing team the Brothers Strause (Linkin Park, Godsmack) on the video for their new single, "Poem," according to their publicist. The shoot will take place on Thursday (August 8) and Friday (August 9) in Los Angeles. ... Texas alt-rock darlings ... And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Dead spent their weekend shooting a video for their single "Relative Ways" in the Mayan ruins of Uxmal, Mexico. Singer/guitarist Conrad Keely directed the clip, which is inspired by Graham Hancock's book "Fingerprint of the Gods," according to the band's Web site. ...

The DVD of the Wilco documentary "I Am Trying to Break Your Heart" will feature an additional 72-minute movie, band photos and liner notes as well as 21 previously unreleased Wilco songs. The band has already recorded 26 new tracks for the follow-up to this year's Yankee Foxtrot Hotel. ... Raphael Saadiq will release "Still Ray" as the second single from his debut solo album, Instant Vintage. Saadiq will promote the album with a fall tour, which is expected to start in September. ... Boy George continues his career as a club DJ with the release of the mix album A Night Out with Boy George on August 13. Tracks from Christian Smith & John Selway, Jon Carter and the Gay and Lesbian Disco Association are featured on the record. ... A remix of Sacario, Angie Martinez and Fat Joe's "Live Big" will be included on the soundtrack for "The Transporter," due September 17. Previously released songs from Missy Elliott, Tweet, Knoc-Turn'Al, Nate Dogg and Keith Sweat are among the album's other tracks.

• *NSYNC
• Bow Wow
• Fabolous
• Tommy Lee
• Willa Ford