Arch Enemy (file)
Photo: Century Media

Angela Gossow's having trouble adjusting to this American heat. Each morning, when she rushes Ozzfest's second stage with Arch Enemy to pummel the audience of moshing miscreants, dancing like stun-gunned cavemen over scorching, sun-baked asphalt, she's not only astounded by the crowd's vim and vigor, but her own. She's from Sweden, after all — it never really reaches a sweltering 100 degrees there.

On Sunday, when Ozzfest hit Bristow, Virginia, Gossow's band hit the stage at the profane hour of 9 a.m. "I was amazed that the pit can start that early," she said. "A mosh pit at 9 in the morning — that's not right. How do these kids make it through the day? F---ing hell. That's too early for rock and roll."

But those animals were throwing elbows at an hour when no one should be all because of Arch Enemy's thunderous songs. Many of the tracks from the band's set list appear on its new disc, Doomsday Machine, which hit stores this week. According to guitarist Michael Amott, Arch Enemy wanted to take what they'd done on previous efforts and build on that foundation.

"We wanted more of everything on this record," he said. "More melodies, more intricate guitar work. But we also wanted to make it catchy. So there's always that combination. That's what Arch Enemy's about: combining aggressive, extreme modern brutality with a classic-metal edge, as far as guitar work goes and the arrangement. We're just trying to write good songs within this style of music."

The blond, full-lipped, doe-eyed Gossow, whose guttural growls put other male metallers' to shame, is one of this year's only female forces (the other being Jada Pinkett Smith and her newbie band, Wicked Wisdom; see "Ozzfest Gets Jiggy? Jada Pinkett Smith's Band Added To Lineup"). She said so far the craziest thing about Ozzfest, for her, has been the number of marriage proposals she's fielded.

"I've stopped counting," she said, adding that the proposals are coming from both men and women. "People, when they come to the [FYE table] signings every night, they tend to go, 'Yeah, you rock. Finally, a chick that rocks.' It's very male-dominated this year, which I think is good for Arch Enemy, because we stand out for that [reason]. But they'll say, 'You're the coolest chick I've ever met — will you marry me?' I just tell them the band says no."

The rest of the week's metal news:

According to a Roadrunner spokesperson, Opeth drummer Martin Lopez has not been fired, but rather, went back to Sweden for treatment of a rare blood disorder he's had for most of his life. Until he returns, the band — currently on the Sounds of the Underground tour — has enlisted Strapping Young Lad drummer Gene Hoglan to fill in for him. ... Black Dahlia Murder guitarist Brian Eschbach was detained by police during Ozzfest's Pittsburgh stop and ticketed for obscenity. As the bearded axeman explained, "I was helping out someone else with a camera and a microphone and I got my towel taken [from me], which was the only thing I had on at the time, and I was apprehended." But he wasn't the only person busted by the authorities that afternoon. Bury Your Dead guitarist Slim B. was also arrested for crashing one of the Ozzfest golf carts. "I was too fast, too furious," he explained. "I shouldn't have been driving at all, and I made a boo boo. I took a hard right which happened to be a hard left and ended up eating sh--." Slim B. sustained facial and arm scrapes in the accident. ...

In related Bury Your Dead news, the band was joined onstage during Sunday's Ozzfest in Virginia by actor Will Smith and his wife, Wicked Wisdom frontwoman Jada Pinkett Smith. The Hollywood duo emerged for the Dead's set-ending chant, screaming "Bury your f---ing dead!" ... Shadows Fall had a shadow over the weekend at both the Pittsburgh and Virginia Ozzfest dates: a dude with a video camera, who was capturing footage for the band's forthcoming video for "Enlightened by the Cold." Frontman Brian Fair said the video will have a day-in-the-life feel and include some live footage of the band, shot over those same two days. ... Mudvayne recently shot a video for the "Forget to Remember" with director Frankie Nasso, who traveled to Mansfield, Massachusetts, to shoot the band's live set. ... Ambient doom-metal mystics Sunn 0))) will release their sixth album, Black One, on October 17. The droning disc is the follow-up to White 1 and White 2 and features more black-metal influences. Black One is self-produced and includes "Sin Nanna," "It Took the Night to Believe" and "Orthodox Caveman." ... San Francisco thrash-metal legends Exodus will tour the U.S. starting October 4 in Tempe, Arizona, and running through November 4 in San Marcos, California. The band will be supporting its new album, Shovel Headed Kill Machine, which comes out October 5. The band's last album, Tempo of the Damned, was released in 2004. 3 Inches of Blood, Crisis and Watch Them Die will join Exodus on all dates. ...

Dallas occult-metal extremists Absu will release Mythological Occult Metal: 1991-2001, a two-disc anthology of rare and previously unreleased material, on October 11. The package includes the band's first EP, The Temples of Offal; covers of "Swing of the Axe" by Possessed and "Bestial Invasion" by Destruction; and live recordings. The band is currently on hiatus and has no plans to record or tour before 2006. ... The second full album by Dutch melodic death-metal band Detonation, Portals to Uphobia, will be released on October 11. Tracks include "Chaos Banished," "End of Sight, End of Fears" and "The Loss of Motion Control." Detonation's debut, An Epic Defiance, came out in 2003. ... German power-metal veterans Helloween will release the career-spanning DVD, "Hellish Videos: The Complete Video Collection," on August 16. The 13 tracks include "Halloween," "Kids of the Century" and "Mr. Ego." The disc will also include a live version of "Hey Lord!," photo gallery and backstage footage. ... New Orleans extreme-metal band Soilent Green have shot a video for "Leaves of Three" from their new album Confrontation, which came out July 19. The clip was filmed in Atlanta and directed by Chad Rullman (Mastodon, the Agony Scene). The band is currently touring with A Perfect Murder, Into the Moat and Watch Them Die; dates run through September 8 in West Columbia, South Carolina. ...

Dale Resteghini (Trivium, Seemless) was tapped to direct two videos in New York for Ill Niño. The upcoming clip for "What You Don't Know" will consist primarily of a narrative, in which an aspiring Spanish Harlem hustler is beset by bad luck. There's no information yet on what the second video, for the track "This Is War," will look like. ... Socially aware '80s thrash band Nuclear Assault will release their first studio album in more than 12 years on August 30. Third World Genocide was co-produced by drummer Glenn Evans and Timothy Koukos, and includes the tracks "Defiled Innocence," "Whine and Cheese," "Price of Freedom" and "Long Haired A-Hole;" the band plans to shoot videos for the latter two songs. Nuclear Assault also announced a series of U.S. dates, starting August 27 in Poughkeepsie, New York, and running through September 25 in Spokane, Washington. ... Talk about type-casting: in August, Type O Negative frontman Peter Steele joins the cast of "Tao of M," a forthcoming vampire flick. According to the film's Web site, Pete will play Viktor Baine, "a vampire who sires Midael, another vampire who terrorizes New Orleans." Several members of Twisted Sister and a group of "false priests" who rub Midael the wrong way are also set to appear in the film.

• Arch Enemy
• Opeth
• Helloween
• Nuclear Assault
• Mudvayne

Hey, what's up fellow metallers, how goes it? Iann Robinson here, still in L.A. finishing up some work for "Headbangers Ball," which we all know hits this Saturday at 10 p.m. ET/ 7 p.m. PT on MTV2. Working Metallica's "mtvICON" was fun. They shredded through the old stuff and I gotta say, I thought Rob really brought it. I haven't had much time to listen to anything, but I'm hoping the new 16 record is waiting for me when I get back to New York. If you guys wanna do something cool for yourselves, then check out this month's Terrorizer magazine. It's the first magazine of two on the history of thrash metal, and it totally rules. Gotta give a shout-out to the Dark Realm record store in Downey, California (where James Hetfield once lived). They were really amazing to me when we shot some stuff there for "HBB." That is one of the greatest metal record stores ever. They have everything, so check it out if you're ever there or online. Well, enjoy this week's news, and hopefully I'll have some stuff to recommend to you next time. Stay metal and stay true:

In Flames will kick off their next North American tour, featuring Chimaira, metallic hardcore outfit Unearth and fellow Swedish metal merchants Soilwork as support, June 26 in Toronto. In July, In Flames will drop Trigger, featuring remixes, the video for "Cloud Connected," a new song called "Watch Them Feed" and a cover of the socially conscious '80s Genesis hit "Land of Confusion." ...

Skid Row bassist Rachel Bolan may be moonlighting as a 600 Racing Legends driver, but that's not gonna delay any of the band's summer plans. If anything, it'll mean they'll be able to get to their gigs faster. This summer the '80s metal band will release a new album, Thickskin, on their own Skid Row Records. The band will begin a tour with Poison and Vince Neil in Mankato, Minnesota, on May 23. ... Politically minded thrash metal band Nuclear Assault will release their first record in nine years, Alive Again, on July 1. The group is on tour through July 13 in Buffalo, New York. ...

Cattle Decapitation have parted ways with drummer Dave Astor, who was tired of touring. He has been replaced by Michael Laughlin from the group Creation Is Crucifixion. Cattle Decapitation will enter the studio at the end of May to work on a new song for the upcoming metal compilation album Uncorrupted Steel 2. ... Coal Chamber bassist Nadja is auctioning off several of her basses, including the one she played when she auditioned for the group. If you have the coin and the interest, head to nadjaonline.com. ...

Seattle's Himsa will support Courting Tragedy and Disaster (June 17), their first album through Prosthetic Records, with both their current tour with Bleeding Through and several dates with Eighteen Visions, Atreyu and Underoath. The metallic hardcore band will also appear at the New England Metal Fest in Worcester, Massachusetts, and the Syracuse, New York, Hellfest. ...

Dark Realm Records has announced plans to release several demos from Possessed on CD as well as a tribute record to the long defunct seminal California band, whose Seven Churches album helped shape the death, black and thrash metal genres. The tribute album will reportedly feature, among other artists, Cannibal Corpse, Vader, Marduk, Absu and Sadistic Intent with a guest appearance by Possessed's Jeff Becerra on vocals. ... Speaking of Sadistic Intent, they are in the studio working on The Second Coming of Darkness with Agent Steel's Bernie Versailles producing. ... Initial pressings of Arch Enemy's forthcoming Anthems of Rebellion will include a limited-edition bonus CD full of live songs recorded in 2002 and 5.1 surround sound mixes of album tracks. The album is scheduled for an August 27 release. ...

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

• Metallica
• In Flames
• Skid Row
• Nuclear Assault
• Cattle Decapitation

She's worked runways in Paris and Milan, but now supermodel Naomi Campbell will be donning a different kind of couture. Campbell has signed on to be a spokesmodel for Jay-Z's Rocawear urban clothing line and will appear in the company's upcoming ad campaigns. The British-bred model has been spotted backstage at Jay's recent New York City concert and at various celebrity-filled parties lately with Jigga and his Roc-A-Fella partner Damon Dash. ...

This New Year's Day, the Queen of Soul will be showing some r-e-s-p-e-c-t for Michigan's newly elected governor, Jennifer Granholm. Aretha Franklin will sing the national anthem in Lansing, Michigan, at the inauguration of her home state's first-ever woman governor. ... When the Who's bassist John Entwistle passed away earlier this year, many fans figured the tour that followed would be a genuine final farewell. Don't be so sure. On his Web site, guitarist Pete Townshend writes that he has decided to start working on new Who songs. "Expect some new music to arrive in about a year, maybe later," he said. ...

R.E.M. offer a message of peace on their latest release, a holiday two-track CD sent out to fan-club members. Besides offering an acoustic cover of Big Star's "Jesus Christ" and Badfinger's "No Matter What," in a video portion of the disc Michael Stipe reads two sections from Martin Luther King Jr.'s 1963 work "Strength to Love," in which the civil rights activist wrote that we should love our enemies, since only love and light can drive out hate and darkness. The R.E.M. holiday package also included a calendar, a patch and a card. ... English modern pop band Supergrass have scheduled a handful of U.S. dates to promote the February 11 release of their new album, Life on Other Planets. The band will play three New York shows and three Los Angeles shows, starting February 8 at South Paw in Brooklyn and ending February 15 at Spaceland of Dreams in Silver Lake. A more complete tour will follow. ...

Mötley Crüe singer Vince Neil had a pretrial motions hearing at the Beverly Hills Superior Court Thursday in his misdemeanor battery charge stemming from an altercation with a record producer in April. He's due back in court December 31. ...

On Christmas Eve at a private party at New York's Don Hill's, all-star New York Mets catcher Mike Piazza jumped onstage to sing with heavy metal band Nuclear Assault. Other guests that took the stage included Anthrax bassist Frank Bello, Trixter guitarist Steve Brown and bassist P.J. Farley, Monster Magnet guitarist Ed Mundell, Overkill vocalist Bobby "Blitz" Ellsworth, T.T. Quick singer Mark Tornillo and guitarist Dave DiPietro and Halford guitarist Mike Chlasciak. ...

12.26.02

Linkin Park have chosen a name for their next album, though they're not yet ready to reveal it, they announced on their official Web site. They have, however, disclosed that the creation of the album was documented by director Bill Berg-Hillinger, who shot the footage for the band's DVD "Frat Party at the Pankake Festival." The clips will be used in an upcoming series of online shorts called LPTV. "On a couple of takes he just happened to be filming during the second that we came up with a guitar or vocal idea," wrote MC Mike Shinoda. "For anyone who wants to see inside our creative process at work, it's a great thing to look for." ...

When your last free concert resulted in a violent spectacle because you hired the Hell's Angels to handle security, you might wait a while before staging another freebie. Now, 33 years after the tragedy of Altamont, where a young male concertgoer was killed by the biker gang as the Rolling Stones performed their track "Sympathy for the Devil," the Stones have announced plans to play a free concert on February 6 at Los Angeles' Staples Center, which seats 20,000 people. The show is being staged to raise awareness of global warning. ...

What does Billy Corgan's new band Zwan have in common with Eminem, Queens of the Stone Age and Primal Scream? They're the latest to add a bonus DVD to their new album. Limited editions of Mary Star of the Sea will include a 35-minute DVD of interviews and behind-the-scenes studio footage. ... The 1999 radio-juggernaut "Smooth" is the top rock and roll song of the last half century, according to a new book written by Billboard columnist Fred Bronson. The Rob Thomas/ Santana collaboration caps off a list of the 5,000 top songs of the rock era that was tallied with an inverse point system devised by Bronson and applied to the Billboard pop singles charts from July 1955 to June 2002 and published in the third edition of "Billboard's Hottest 100 Hits." ...

Garage rock kingpin Gearhead Records will unleash its first "budget sampler" next year. Smash-Up Derby will feature a track from all of its releases, which includes records from the Hives, the Hellacopters and New Bomb Turks, as well as "some great bonus stuff (that actually is a bonus)," according to Gearhead's Web site. ...

Interpol will begin a short U.S. tour on January 10 in Columbus, Ohio, that will conclude with an appearance on "Last Call With Carson Daly" before the group crosses the pond to take part in an NME magazine-sponsored U.K. tour with the Datsuns, the Polyphonic Spree and the Thrills. ... Following two performances at Los Angeles' Knitting Factory with his band X, punk icon John Doe will set out on a U.S. tour in February, according to thejohndoe.com. ...

• Jay-Z
• Aretha Franklin
• R.E.M.
• Nuclear Assault
• The Who