Vinnie Paul Abbott
Photo: Toby Canham/ Getty Images

On Monday, during an appearance on the nationally syndicated radio program "Rockline," Pantera and Hellyeah drummer Vinnie Paul Abbott was asked to respond to online criticism that he's been profiting from the death of his brother, Pantera guitarist "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott, who was killed onstage during a Damageplan gig in Columbus, Ohio, on December 8, 2004, by gunman Nathan Gale.

Since his brother's murder, Vinnie Paul has released several Dimebag-related items through his Big Vin Records label, including DVDs and the recently released paperback book "He Came to Rock." The book features more than 400 pictures of the guitarist, as well as personal tributes from the likes of Slayer's Kerry King, Anthrax's Scott Ian and Zakk Wylde.

The show's host asked Abbott about message board postings, questioning why the proceeds from these various posthumous releases weren't being earmarked for charitable causes, instead going to him.

"I don't even know where to go with that other than, you know, [my critics are] not in the same position I'm in or had to go through what I've gone through here," he said. "It's really none of their business where it goes, so I don't know how else to address it — I really don't even think about it. It doesn't cross my mind."

Abbott said he isn't trying to cash in on his brother's tragic end but rather trying to keep Dimebag's legacy alive and well.

"I'm doing this for the fans and for them to enjoy what Dime was all about and give them more than what they already had — to increase his legacy and to make him larger than life forever," Abbott explained. "And he'll outlive all of us. I'm beyond letting things like that pick at me or irritate me. I just have to look past them and keep rolling."

• Pantera

Five Finger Death Punch
Photo: The FIRM

Get a bunch of longhairs together, add beer, toss out the names of a few bands and, by golly, you'll have yourself a healthy — albeit profanity-filled — debate on the merits of what constitutes true, honest-to-goodness "metal."

It's something unique to the genre, because metal fans are among music's staunchest. They're the true definition of "dedicated," and when you enter such debates, you'd better come prepared. Metalheads — popular media portrayal aside — will back up their arguments with song titles, riffs, release dates, groupie names and analogies (i.e.: "They're metal like Godsmack are metal.")

Now, for some die-hards, but certainly not all, Five Finger Death Punch — which features former members of Motograter and W.A.S.P. — wouldn't quite make the metal grade. And that's fine. Everyone's entitled to an opinion — and Hungarian guitarist Zoltan Bathory, one of the band's founding members, has a couple of his own.

"We had a song ['The Bleeding'] that somehow touched so many people, and became really successful on the radio, but it's like a hate song, and it is pretty heavy," Bathory said of the single — which is hovering in the top 10 on the Active Rock chart — from their latest album, The Way of the Fist. "It's the lightest song on our record, but at the same time, we have really brutal pieces on this record.

"We have really heavy songs, and I think we're a straight-up heavy-metal band with a hint of thrash metal — maybe a hint of the Euro stuff in there, but that's pretty much what we are," he said, adding that mainstream rock radio shunned the band as "too brutal" for months before "The Bleeding" took off. "No one thought we'd have a chance for commercial success of any kind. For f---'s sake, guys, isn't that the plan? As a band, we are kind of walking the line, you know? If you're into Slayer, you buy this record, and you won't be disappointed, because we thrash pretty hard. But we have a [melodic] singer, so we please both worlds. I would hope that the real metalheads understand that and realize, 'Hey, this can be an opening for other bands to come,' and we can bring metal back to the mainstream."

The success of "The Bleeding" on commercial rock radio wasn't the work of a major label promo push, Bathory explained. Only a few jocks were spinning the record at first, and "it kind of spread like wildfire." People started calling in to request the track.

"No way I would ever compare us to Metallica, but it's kind of like when they did the black album, and then all of a sudden, everybody was like, 'Oh, it's not really Metallica,'" he said. "I admit I was one of the guys, but it was a moment of jealousy, because I thought, 'Now they will be really popular, and all the geeks will like them.' People can point at this band and say it's not 'real metal,' but I have confidence. A life's worth of work went into this record, and these are songs I've had forever. When I finished this record, I thought, 'I don't even care where this goes, because I love this record.' It's exactly what I wanted to say, and I'm really proud. There are Internet kids with lots of opinions — the dungeon dwellers that never left their bedrooms. If they're basing their opinion on ['The Bleeding'], yes, probably, people would say it's 'commercial rock.' "

It's been something of a crazy mercurial rise for Five Finger. Their debut album hit stores last July, and already they've done huge arena tours with the likes of Korn. Next up, the band will be touring with Disturbed before heading out with that band again on the inaugural Rockstar Energy Mayhem tour, with Slipknot and others.

"We have to be somewhat accessible," Bathory explained. "Disturbed is accessible to people. Korn is accessible to people. We are heavier than these bands. My crowd is people who love Pantera, Metallica, Maiden — all the Euro stuff; that's our crowd. If someone else doesn't like it, who cares?"

The guitarist said fans will need to wait some time for Five Finger's next opus, as he thinks they'll be out on the road for a while on this first release. But for now, before the guys head out with Disturbed, you can catch them on tour with Drowning Pool and Nonpoint, through April 23 in Norfolk, Virginia.

The rest of the week's metal news:

Death-metal legends Obituary have been forced to cancel their upcoming tour with Dying Fetus, Origin and Thy Will Be Done for "reasons beyond our control." They will reschedule the trek for this fall, the band said. ...

What better way to honor the memory of the great "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott than sporting duds he designed? Over on the Dimebag Hardware Web site, you can order threads created by the late Pantera shredder. It's been more than three years since Dime was gunned down at the Alrosa Villa nightclub in Columbus, Ohio. ...

Last week, we brought you news on In Flames, and the colorful cover of their new LP, A Sense of Purpose. But now you can actually listen to the whole record on their MySpace page, before you buy it on April 1 — and you will buy it. ...

Another week, another band biting the dust: Michigan metallers Still Remains. Yep, they're done. In a statement, the band announced that its swan song would be at this year's Cornerstone Festival. "No, we don't hate each other or want to punch each other in the face," the band assured us. "It's just time for us to move on to different things in our lives." ...

Death Angel? Check. God Forbid? Check. Soilent Green and Light This City? Check and check. Ah, yes, another kickass tour, which kicks off in Flint, Michigan, on May 1, and runs through June 11 in New York. Guest list, anyone? ...

There's more hardcore in the house over at Century Media, following this week's announcement that the almighty Terror have inked with the label. Terror's third LP, The Damned, the Shamed, will hit stores on June 10. ...

Two of Neurosis' masterminds are readying solo efforts. Frontman Scott Kelly's second solo recording, The Wake, will be released May 5, and guitarist Steve Von Till's latest, the awesomely titled A Grave Is a Grim Horse, comes out two weeks later.

• Five Finger Death Punch
• Obituary
• Dimebag Darrell
• Pantera

Big Boi
Photo: Bryan Bedder/ Getty Images

Big Boi is stitching together his upcoming album, Sir Luscious Left Foot, which will be released separately from Andre 3000's own new project and be followed by a proper Outkast release. Big Boi told Vibe.com that fans can expect to hear the first single from his effort at midnight on New Year's Eve. "I want all the stuff to be '08, everything to be brand new," he said. "I'm going to put 12 songs on [Sir Luscious Left Foot], I'm finished with like nine right now. Production is by Organized Noize." ...

The White Stripes trekked heavily in support of Icky Thump this year, but could those have been the band's final tours ever? "If we didn't ever tour again, it doesn't matter to me," Jack White told the Los Angeles Times in an interview that ran in the paper's Sunday edition. "There's so many different aspects to being creative that it doesn't matter if one component is changed. Because it's been changing all the time since the band started." The frontman insisted, however, that he will tour with his side project the Raconteurs for their yet-untitled second album, which he reportedly said is halfway done and due in '08. ...

Amy Winehouse previously announced that she had scrapped her remaining concert dates and public appearances for the year, but a little thing called the Grammy Awards has changed all that. "Amy is grateful and excited about the nominations, and she is planning to attend [the ceremony]," her publicist, Tracey Miller, confirmed to MTV News on Monday (December 10). But while Winehouse may be all smiles over her six nominations, she probably isn't too pleased about an open letter her mother reportedly sent to the British tabloid News of the World. In the letter, Janis begged her daughter to come home and get some help. She explained why she hadn't gone public until now, writing, "People will wonder why I haven't run down to whatever hotel you're staying in, scooped you up and taken you home for a hot bath and a steaming bowl of chicken soup. It's because your father and I know what you're like, Amy. We want to help you, but we know that unless you want to be helped — unless you come to us — anything we tried would be in vain." And though she admitted she's not the #1 fan of Winehouse's troubled husband, Blake Fielder-Civil — currently in jail following an arrest last month on charges of allegedly trying to interfere with a trial on an assault charge — Janis Winehouse said she knows Amy has made her choice. "Blake your husband might not be my favourite person — you know that, Amy — but he's your choice, and I would never say anything about him to hurt you. ... If your relationship is meant to be, it will survive." Janis Winehouse wrote that she thinks early fame has overwhelmed her daughter and that it has "dizzied" and "muddled" her mind. "For a moment, forget you're a superstar. You're also young and vulnerable. Remember you're just an ordinary human being, not stronger than any of the rest of us. You think you're strong enough to get through this on your own, darling, but you're not." The letter comes less than a week after Winehouse was photographed walking through the streets of London in a bra and jeans in the early morning hours. "We were terrified after we saw those pictures of you earlier this week, wandering the freezing streets of London at dawn in your underwear. All I wanted to do was rush into those pictures and wrap you up in a big, warm blanket." ...

Good news for Bow Wow fans: The singer plans to return to his his tour with Chris Brown, Sean Kingston, Soulja Boy, Lil Mama and others starting Thursday in Memphis, Tennessee. According to a statement issued by his publicist, Bow Wow is still recovering and, as it turns out, his recent rush to the hospital didn't stem from exhaustion, as was previously thought, but rather an appendix infection. ... Jessica Simpson is ganging up with Stride Rite Children's Group for the design, development, manufacturing and distribution of a line of tween kicks. The footwear collection will debut in 2008 and feature current Simpson women's styles in youth sizes, as well as youth-specific silhouettes. The footwear will be available at major department stores and specialty retailers. ...

Green Day may have done it again. A '60s-inspired band called Foxboro Hot Tubs have posted a six-song EP on FoxboroHotTubs.com that bears all the hallmarks of the Green Day sound. Songs like "Stop Drop and Roll," "Mother Mary" and "Ruby Room" trade snarling political anthems for bouncy, poppy melodies and sweet "Ooh, ooh" and "Bah, bah, bah" backing vocals, with a lead singer who sounds like a cardigan-sweater-wearing Billie Joe Armstrong. Green Day have not officially confirmed that the six songs available for free download on the site are their handiwork, but four years ago they pulled a similar stunt with their side project the Network. ...

Led Zeppelin's wildly anticipated reunion show went down Monday night in London, but before it did came news of the band's backstage rider, which includes requests for tea, coffee and an ironing board, according to reports. Also, according to the Los Angeles Times, Randy Phillips, the chief executive of AEG Live, which organized the concert, said he'll head from Los Angeles to England to "meet with Bill Curbishley, the band's manager, and hand him a huge offer" for a possible tour. "The reality is, Zeppelin has not agreed to a tour," he told the paper. "They want to play this show and see how it goes, how it feels, and then go from there. There's nothing firm yet, but maybe afterward." ... Eric Avery, the bassist and co-founder of Jane's Addiction, will issue a solo LP, Help Wanted, April 8. The set will include guest spots by Garbage's Shirley Manson, Taylor Hawkins of the Foo Fighters and Red Hot Chili Pepper Flea. ...

Troubled ex-"American Idol" finalist Jessica Sierra wouldn't be able to perform at a holiday tribute to U.S. troops in Washington, D.C., on Friday, even if she wanted to. According to The Associated Press, organizers of the concert said the 22-year-old singer has been uninvited from the show, in light of her recent arrest and current jailing over charges of disorderly intoxication and resisting arrest after a scuffle at a Tampa, Florida, bar on December 1. "While we appreciate Ms. Sierra's past efforts to support U.S. troops, including performing for them in Iraq on Independence Day, it is quite obvious that Ms. Sierra needs to devote a great deal of time to putting her life back together," Retired Air Force Lieutenant Colonel Buzz Patterson said in a statement released Friday. ...

Members of DevilDriver, Lamb of God, Soilwork and Killswitch Engage honored the memory of late Pantera/Damageplan guitarist "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott on Saturday by performing a cover of Pantera's "Five Minutes Alone" during the bands' gig at the Nokia Theatre in Dimebag's hometown of Grand Prairie, Texas. The performance happened on the three-year anniversary of Dimebag's death. ... Marilyn Manson has unveiled the dates for his upcoming U.S. run. The trek is set to kick off January 19 in Orlando, Florida, and run through February 25 in San Diego. No support acts have been announced yet. ...

The Deftones have completed about six to eight songs for their next LP, according to an online post from the band. "We've taken a different approach to writing this record than we have the past few years, and so far it's been a lot of fun," the statement reads. "The material seems to be flowing freely, and each song is different from the other. We feel like we're accomplishing what we set out to do, which is to write a record that pushes boundaries for us creatively." ... The Mars Volta have lined up shows in support of their forthcoming LP, The Bedlam in Goliath. The band kicks off its tour December 31 in San Francisco and has dates booked through January 27 in Boulder, Colorado. ...

Perez Hilton wants Lindsay Lohan's friend Samantha Ronson to fork over $93,000 for attorneys fees after his lawyers successfully defended him in the Los Angeles DJ's lawsuit against the blogger, according to Los Angeles TV affiliate KNBC. In her suit, Ronson alleged Hilton defamed her when his site reported that she might have owned the cocaine discovered in Lohan's car when the singer was arrested. Ronson claims that Hilton's depiction of her as a "disloyal, dishonest friend who 'sold out' and 'set up' her friend Lohan for personal financial gain" was nothing but libel. ... Phil Spector's murder retrial is likely to be delayed until September because the only remaining Spector attorney from the original trial, a lawyer who is involved in two death-penalty cases, is unavailable until the fall. In a separate development, the music producer hired a new lawyer late last week. A mistrial in Spector's case was declared in late September after jurors failed to reach a unanimous verdict. ...

The Universal Music Group has become the final one of the four major labels to sign a deal providing its music to social-networking site imeem. Like the others, the home of Amy Winehouse, 50 Cent and U2 will allow free streaming of full songs in exchange for a cut of imeem's advertising revenue, according to Forbes.com. This gives imeem an advantage over sites like MySpace, where Universal has restricted its song and video streams to 90 seconds in length.

12.7.2007

You probably didn't take Ashlee Simpson as a fan of Salvador Dalí, but the famed artist's surrealism is exactly the look she went for in her new video, according to Billboard.com. The singer shot a clip for "Out of My Head (Ay Ya Ya)," the Timbaland-produced first single from her yet-untitled March album, on Thursday. "One of my favorite artists is Salvador Dalí," she told the site. "You'll see a little bit of that surrealism in [the clip]. There's a bit of 'Being John Malkovich' in there too. It's a little out there." Simpson also said she will title the album during the holidays and hopes to kick off a small-club tour in February. ...

Kanye West has backed out of what would have been his first concert on U.S. soil since the unexpected death of his mother, Dr. Donda West, last month. The Minneapolis Star Tribune reports that West dropped off the bill for the KDWB Jingle Ball at the Target Center slated for Friday night (December 7) in Minneapolis with only a few days' notice, due to an unspecified "family matter." "American Idol" runner-up Blake Lewis and Fabolous will fill in for West on the bill, which also includes Avril Lavigne, Timbaland, Good Charlotte and Jordin Sparks. "We tried to get [West] on the air to explain all this to fans, but he refused," said Rob Morris, the station's program director. "We did everything we could to save this thing." ...

West, Avril Lavigne, Common and Coldplay are just a few of the many celebs who have pitched in for Waxploitation's new Darfur Benefit Auction, which launched Thursday. Lavigne, Com, the Flaming Lips, Norah Jones, Nickelback and Deftones signed guitars for the auction; 'Ye, Coldplay, Gnarls Barkley, Bloc Party, TV on the Radio, Wilco, the Decemberists, Aesop Rock, Macy Gray, Thievery Corporation and Gorillaz signed other items; and there are additional items from Red Hot Chili Peppers, Lupe Fiasco, Don Cheadle, and Bam Margera. All proceeds will go to Doctors Without Borders, Human Rights Watch and Oxfam America. ...

Speaking of eBay charity auctions, Gorillaz's Damon Albarn, Robert Plant, Belle and Sebastian's Stuart Murdoch, PJ Harvey and others have written and signed postcards for a British one that's currently up. One of Plant's postcards quizzically has just two words above his John Hancock: "Mitigating circumstances." Daddy G of Massive Attack and actress Helen Mirren also pitched in for the effort, which is raising money for Carers UK, an organization that gives financial and emotional support to individuals who provide unpaid health and social care. ...

J.K. Rowling has posted a new entry on her Web site, calling out the launch of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows" at the National History Museum in London and insisting that the book is her fave of the series. "As for mourning Harry — and I doubt I will be believed when I say this — nobody can have felt the end as deeply as I did. The writing of 'Harry Potter' has been inextricably linked with my life for 17 years, and saying goodbye has been just as tough as I always knew it would be." Rowling also revealed that a documentary surrounding her is on the way. "J.K. Rowling - A Year in the Life," which will air later this month in the U.K., shadows the author working on "Deathly Hallows," on tour and at the launch. ...

After visa issues forced Velvet Revolver to cancel their tour of Japan, and "health issues" forced the band to postpone its Australian tour — a week after the DUI arrest of singer Scott Weiland — the group has announced a New Year's Eve show at New York's Hammerstein Ballroom. The band also said that part of the proceeds from a limited-edition T-shirt sold at its Wednesday benefit with Alice in Chains at Universal City, California's Gibson Amphitheatre will be donated to victims of the recent Southern California fires. Meanwhile, the Australian tour dates have been rescheduled for February and will kick off with a show on the 15th in Brisbane. ... It was a rare bit of good legal news for Kid Rock this week when a judge in New Orleans dismissed Louisiana musician Troy Landry's claim that the rapper's song "Somebody's Gotta Feel This" was too similar to one of his songs. According to The Associated Press, U.S. District Judge May Ann Vial Lemmon said the works were not "so strikingly or substantially similar as to preclude independent creation." Landry sued Rock (born Robert Ritchie) and Atlantic Records in 2004, claiming that an eight-second snippet of "Feel This" that was featured in a beer commercial was similar to a song Landry released on a 1994 record. ...

Madonna is suing the board and management company of her luxury New York apartment — which includes a 6,000-square-foot duplex, a gym and a beauty salon — for not allowing her to expand it into a neighboring apartment, according to the Daily News. In a recently filed summons, the singer reportedly accuses the board and management company of breach of contract for holding up the sale of the other apartment. ... In other Madge news, Billboard.com reported Thursday that her new album would be called Licorice and drop in late April, but her label is saying not so fast. "Wrong title. Release date wrong etc.," Warner Bros. spokeswoman Liz Rosenberg told Reuters. She did not, however, appear to deny the reported participation of Kanye West and Pharrell on the effort. ... Björk has reunited with director Michel Gondry — who got behind the camera for some of the singer's best-known videos, including "Human Behaviour" and "Army of Me" — for a new clip, RollingStone.com reports. The collaboration, for her song "Declare Independence," marks their first hookup in 10 years. ...

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band have lined up three gigs he'll play in the summer at Giants Stadium in East Rutherford, New Jersey, according to Billboard.com. Sixty-six Springsteen concerts have reportedly sold out at the venue in the past, and the upcoming gigs will be held July 27, 28 and 31. ... So is that much-rumored new studio album by the Pixies still in the works? "Helll no," Kim Deal recently told RollingStone.com about participating on a potential new effort. "Because I don't want to," she added. She said she didn't think her bandmates wanted to make one either. "I was kind of waiting for [Frank Black and guitarist Joey Santiago] to get together and do demos, and they never did." ... "Wire" fans, there's another reason to get psyched, beyond the upcoming launch of the show's new season: Two soundtracks are on the way, Pitchfork reports. ... And All the Pieces Matter - Five Years of Music From "The Wire" will include music and dialogue from the lauded HBO show; tracks by Steve Earle, Solomon Burke and others; as well as variations of Tom Waits' "Down in the Hole" theme sung by the Blind Boys of Alabama and others. Beyond Hamsterdam: Baltimore Club Tracks From "The Wire" will highlight underground B-More rappers like Rod Lee, Tyree Colion and Diablo. Both discs drop January 8, two days after the new season starts airing. ...

Will Smith, Ralph Macchio wannabe? Believe it or not, the "I Am Legend" actor is entertaining the idea of a "Karate Kid" remake, according to AP. While there aren't many more details yet on that shocker, there is some more news on the "I Am Legend" front: The flick's theatrical release in China is being held up due to the country's plan to temporarily ban American movies in an effort to help China's domestic-film industry. ... Kiefer Sutherland, who has served three of the 48 days he has been sentenced to spend in jail, is a "model prisoner," said Officer John Balian, a spokesman for the Glendale City Jail in California, according to People.com. Sutherland reportedly spent Thursday folding jail laundry and has been assigned to serve meals to the other inmates. "He's not happy to be here," Balian said. "But you can tell from his demeanor that he's sorry and takes responsibility for what he's done." ...

A fifth person has been charged with conspiracy to commit obstruction of justice in the case involving Amy Winehouse's husband, Blake Fielder-Civil, BBC News reports. James Kennedy is due in court Friday. ... Billy Joel has released a new anti-war song — though the piano man isn't heard singing on the track. Instead, 21-year-old New York singer/songwriter Cass Dillon handled the duties. Joel thought "somebody young, about a soldier's age," should be heard on "Christmas in Fallujah," he recently told AP. The track went on sale on iTunes starting Tuesday, and net proceeds are going to Homes for Our Troops, a charity group that constructs homes for wounded Iraq and Afghanistan vets. ...

Hip-hop icon MC Lyte is prepping the debut from her new group, Almost September, which also features producer/DJ Jared Lee and singer Whitey White. Manager "Blue" Williams said the trio have a "grown-up rap" feel that mixes Lyte's rhymes with soulful funk akin to the Brand New Heavies. The group's first single, "Beautiful," will be available on iTunes before the end of the year. ...

Drowning Pool bassist Stevie Benton has been diagnosed with Bell's Palsy, an often-temporary neurological disorder that causes paralysis of the face, after being rushed to the hospital Thursday. According to a statement from his publicist, Benton felt ill during the band's Wednesday night show in Eau Claire, Wisconsin, and has been ordered to stay off the road for at least six weeks. "I'm really bummed that because of this, we can't perform this last string of shows," he said in the statement. "I want to thank the fans for their continued support."

[This story was originally published at 1:17 pm E.T. on 12.10.2007]

• Big Boi
• Amy Winehouse
• Led Zeppelin
• Green Day
• Foo Fighters

HELLYEAH
Photo: Chad Lee

At first, Vinnie Paul Abbott wasn't at all interested in making music again.

Not even two years had passed since the onstage assassination of his brother — and Pantera/Damageplan confederate — "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott (see "Dimebag Darrell, Four Others Killed In Ohio Concert Shooting"), and really, much of his spare time was being spent running his label, Big Vin Records (see "Vinnie Paul Ready To Release Dimebag's Rebel Music"). Committing himself to a new band was just something he couldn't bring himself to do. But that didn't stop Nothingface bassist Jerry Montano from trying.

"Since May of last year, I started getting phone calls from Jerry, who I've known for a long time, just saying that they planned on putting something together and they needed a heavy hitter — they needed me," the drummer explained. "And I was like, 'Man, I'm so busy with my record company, and I don't know if I'm really ready to do this again' and all that. And after about seven or eight calls, he finally caught me one night when I was in the right frame of mind. I had been drinkin' and listening to some music, and I said, 'You know what? Let's give this thing a shot.' The next day, I talked to everybody in the band, and everyone was so super cool and had the same mindset."

Abbott invited the rest of the group that would inevitably become Hellyeah — Montano, Nothingface's Tom Maxwell and Mudvayne's Chad Gray and Gregg Tribbett — down to his Texas abode, and within eight days, the band had written seven complete songs. The guys jammed inside the same studio where Abbott had worked with Dime on the final few Pantera LPs, Damageplan's debut offering and the Rebel Meets Rebel album.

"It was just magic, man," Abbott recalled. "It was like it was meant to be. I think, just given everything I've been through, it's something that, if it hadn't fallen into my lap, I may not have ever been a part of again. It just sorta came to me."

And truth be told, Abbott's impressed with the final results: Hellyeah's self-titled debut, which drops April 10.

"I honestly think it's the best record I've been a part of since [Pantera's 1992 classic] Vulgar Display of Power," he said. "The thing that makes me feel that way about it is, when we made Vulgar, it was just magic. It happened. Everybody's mindset was in the right place. After that record, we never had that same vibe. We still made amazing records, but there were all these forces pulling us in different directions. So when we made [the Hellyeah] record, I had that same kind of feeling. It was just too easy. Everybody was into it. And I feel these songs are that strong, and I think everybody brought something special to the table.

"It's just a special record," he added, "and I really believe we're gonna be f---ing kick-ass live. We haven't done any live shows yet, but I know that everybody comes from a band that's been known as a kick-ass live band. So I know the five of us together are going to make some hellacious noise."

The upcoming album took the band about a collective month — spread out over several months — to write and record. When it hits shelves, it will boast a dozen brutal tracks, including "You Wouldn't Know," "GodDamn," "Rotten to the Core" and "Alcohaulin' Ass," which Abbott said is "a good song about drinking and something that all guys kind of tend to like, and that's ass."

Abbott thinks some fans will be surprised by Hellyeah's tracks, and he said the entire LP is a "very song-oriented record." To him, "it's music with an attitude. It's like a familiar groove but with a new sound. I really don't think it sounds anything like the bands that any of us are from. I think it has its own sound, its own identity, and it's special in that aspect."

While its members consider Hellyeah a bona fide band, its formation will not impact either Mudvayne — who are working on the follow-up to 2005's Lost and Found — or Nothingface's future. "The way that all of us talk about approaching this thing is being able to be in two bands and have 'em both function — kind of like Stone Sour and Slipknot," Abbott said. "This is a real band; it's no side project."

Hopping on the Hellyeah boat has been instrumental in helping Abbott heal and come to terms with his brother's death. It's also returned him to one of his first loves: making music.

"I didn't know if it was ever gonna be in the cards for me to do again," Abbott said. "It's a big step, and it's only been two years, but to me, it feels like a whole 'nother lifetime. And I just have to say, I give credit to these guys for making me feel comfortable and enjoying doing what we did and making it fun again. It's been a blast. So, I am glad I went ahead and did it. I knew I loved it, and I knew I missed it. I knew I wanted to get back to it, but it was just a matter of learning how to do it without Dime. It brings me back to what I love, and it's a new life, but it's something I'm going to embrace, and I'm going to go at it just as f---ing hard as I did with anything else.

"I'll never be the same, but I've kinda learned that this is my life now, and this is the way it is, and I've got to do the very best I can or Dime's gonna kick my ass one way or another sooner or later," he continued. "I've done my best to carry the torch, because he always used to say, 'You have to keep on keeping on.' So I am doing what I think he wants me to do and what I've got to do to stay sane."

Abbott said Hellyeah will tour extensively this year but that they're still mapping things out. Playing this summer's Ozzfest would make perfect sense for Hellyeah, considering all the bandmembers have taken the festival's stage before. And if Sharon Osbourne extended an offer, the band would gladly take her up on it, Abbott said.

"We will definitely be on tour all summer, and we're definitely looking forward to it," he said. "Ozzfest would be awesome. That's all I can say about that. I'm a veteran of Ozzfest. Everybody knows it's the premier summer tour, so if we were offered to be a part of that, that would just be super, man."

• Vinnie Paul
• Pantera
• Damageplan
• Mudvayne
• Nothingface

Tito Ortiz and Chuck Liddell
Photo: Zuffa LLC

The sky drapes over the hills of California's wine country like an infant's pristine blue blanket. A trio of cats tumble through a patch of dry leaves and the sun beats down as if no one bothered to mention that it's now December. It's about as idyllic a scene as you could imagine.

Suddenly, the chop of Pantera's "Walk" tears the air like a rusty razor, surging over the surrounding hills and, not surprisingly, scattering the cats. The song is barking from an iPod docking station perched next to a mat surrounded on eight sides by chain-link fence (an Octagon, to those familiar with mixed martial arts) which has been plunked down, almost impossibly, on the side of a sloping, wooded hill.

Inside, one of the world's most dangerous men — Ultimate Fighting Championship light heavyweight champ Chuck Liddell — is bouncing around the cage, spitting out Phil Anselmo's lyrics and shadowboxing in a way that makes you feel sorry for the air that surrounds him. He pushes hard, Pantera seemingly coursing through his veins and fueling his brutal dance. The song drives him — and frankly, he can use the help.

That's because some 300 miles away, the incongruous sounds of Kid Rock's "I Am the Bullgod" roar from a red barn that sits beyond the tony ski lodges and tourist traps of Big Bear, California. Inside, Tito Ortiz — a UFC legend and the man who intends to take Liddell's championship from him in just a few short weeks — is prowling his own Octagon, honing his craft against a constantly rotating cast of five different sparring partners. One man challenges Tito; they tangle and sprawl across the mat, trading fists, knees and elbows. Soon, without pause, another fresh fighter takes his place. The grueling pace goes on for 45 minutes — and this is just one slice of his eight-hour training session today. There will be more sparring, there will be weightlifting and, of course, there will be running ... miles and miles of running. Fortunately for Tito, he'll get energy boosts along the way from Kid, Korn and Eminem.

THE WORK

Most of us turn to music to help push us over our daily humps: Getting out of bed, getting to work, getting through spin class. It's no surprise then that the same strategy (and in many cases, the very same music) drives men who push themselves to the limit in a sport that demands knowledge of disciplines from kickboxing to jujitsu, and everything in between. Exactly how tough is this sport, you ask? Chuck and Tito's fight on December 30 will be the culmination of weeks of conditioning, months of training and years of study.

"In the beginning, the guys who used to fight were just jujitsu guys like Royce Gracie or punchers like Tank Abbott," Ortiz explained. "They didn't understand the whole Rubik's Cube of mixed martial arts, where you have to know jujitsu, you have to know kickboxing, you have to know wrestling. You need the cardio and the weight training. It's like a recipe. You have to put it together in the right ways and do the right things at the right time."

For Tito, fight preparation means sequestering himself in Big Bear (the thin mountain air enhances his conditioning) and pushing himself for eight hours of running, weightlifting, boxing, kickboxing and wrestling a day, six days a week. "To put a whole game plan together is really a physical challenge," Ortiz added. "The mental side of it, waking up every day, knowing what do I have to do ... To put my body through a grind session, it's painful — it's a mental torture."

Liddell, however, takes a "less is more" (yet still daunting) approach. "Honestly, I work out two to three times a day; each workout is about an hour and a half," he explained. "I've heard a lot of guys saying they train eight hours a day, but I've been with some of those guys and unless they count puttin' on their clothes and driving to the gym and talking to their friends afterward, they don't train eight hours a day. I think it's more about quality than quantity."

And for Ortiz and Liddell — two of the biggest names in a sport rapidly surging in popularity — the unique pressures are even greater. While their December 30 main event will undoubtedly be a battle, it is also expected to be the biggest mixed martial arts event in history, a new watershed for a sport that recently has been drawing more young viewers than the NBA or Major League Baseball. No pressure there, right?

"You can't really explain the energy at a place like the MGM [Grand Garden Arena in Las Vegas, where the fight will be held] when it's sold out and it's a big fight night," Liddell said. "You can't transfer it to a TV."

"I guess it's like a cross between a boxing match and a rock concert. There's no energy like it," Ortiz agreed. "Some people do skydiving, other people get in bullrings and fight. Some people play in the World Series or the Super Bowl. I get in the Octagon and compete to see who is the toughest man in the world. Ultimate Fighting is what I do ... and I've been doing a very good job up to this point."

THE PLAYLIST

Until the moment when the crowd roars and the Octagon door swings shut, the key for both men is to remain focused and motivated. And for both, that means tucking in their headphones, picking a playlist and shutting out the world. Whether it's Liddell's morning sprints in the thick sands of Pismo Beach, Ortiz's afternoon runs through the hills of Big Bear, or either man's extended gym sessions, their music always close at hand. "There are times when I'm pushing myself and I don't think I can go harder, but then a good song comes on and I get a huge adrenaline rush and my endorphins kick in," Ortiz explained.

There's a good deal of overlap between Liddell and Ortiz's iPods, not surprising given that both deal in bold, naked aggression: You'll hear DMX and 50 Cent in both men's respective gyms. But the deeper you dig into their playlists, the more clear the distinction between the two becomes. Liddell — a soft-spoken and seemingly single-minded fighter — rocks a catalog that plays like a roadside jukejoint dream, where George Strait sits side-by-side with Suicidal Tendencies. There's the ballsy blues-rock of George Thorogood, the heartland rock of Staind, the unholy whirl of Slayer and the proud twang of Travis Tritt.

Liddell puts together a fresh playlist for each of his fights, and while the details may change, it's usually raw and aggressive. "It really helps when I'm training. It gets you fired up," he said. So as Liddell prepares to return to the Octagon, he loads his iPod with Slayer ("Angel of Death" is a favorite), Pantera (Vulgar Display of Power is in heavy rotation), Nickelback, Rancid and Lars Frederiksen & the Bastards (hang around Liddell long enough and eventually you'll hear "Skunx"). Then there's his love of country. "It's fun for me to put on a few country songs while we're training because I'm one of the few people [at the gym] who likes them," Liddell laughed.

Chances are, no one's going to challenge his monopoly of the sound system, no matter what he's playing. Much like the music on his playlist, Liddell is straight-shooting, hard-hitting and rock-solid. Unlike his music, however, he is also soft-spoken, a genial man but one who would seemingly rather be fighting than doing just about anything. His soundtrack — much like his focus — is all about the ring.

Meanwhile Ortiz — the brash character whose larger-than-life image is outsized only by his accomplishments — seems drawn to stirring and boastful anthems, hip-hop and otherwise. Where Liddell shuffles, Ortiz swaggers with the aid of Ludacris, Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg and his longtime friends in Korn. The soundtrack of Ortiz's youth came courtesy of the Led Zeppelin and Black Sabbath his troubled parents gravitated toward, and the Cali punk that surrounded him in Huntington Beach, California. But he would eventually draw inspiration in the bold boasts and high living of hip-hop, fixating on the better life he dreamt of for himself.

He can vividly recall a college trip to Lake Havasu, Arizona, where a promise was made over Tupac's "Picture Me Rollin'." "I remember looking at [a friend] and saying, 'Watch, dude, I'm gonna make it and you're gonna listen to this song and remember me because you're going to close your eyes and picture me rolling,' " Ortiz recalled. "It's funny because it's just little things like that, like 'Rollin' in My 500 Benz' ... it's money, it's all material things. But when you come from a poor family and you don't have anything and you see everyone having all that stuff, you get really jealous of it. I had to pretty much put on an act in front of people because I didn't want them to know that I was poor. I couldn't bring them to the motel that we were staying at because my parents were drug addicts. I couldn't show them my parents because I was very embarrassed by it — I'd say, 'My parents aren't here today, they're out of town.' So I look at those kinds of things in music, and they kind of inspire me to be a better person."

For Tito, the drive he finds in his music is about more than the fight; it's about the life. He's a mogul in training, a man who can clearly see Jay-Z's blueprint ... and 50's and Eminem's. There's the fighting, but there's also the clothing line (Punishment Athletics), the lust-worthy girlfriend (Jenna Jameson) and the Hollywood aspirations (he's pondering his own reality show). "If you have the charisma to hold a camera, you're going to go far," Ortiz said. "If you're just going to fight for the rest of your life, all of a sudden you'll be 40 years old, teaching karate classes at your local dojo."

His first taste of stardom came early, courtesy of his friends in Korn as he watched them rise from backyard gigs to the multiplatinum lifestyle. "I envied them, because they had all the cars. They were making all the money. That's what drove me to get where I am, because that's what I wanted for myself," Ortiz said.

But beyond the flash and cash, the band's powerful emotional core also resonated with Ortiz, speaking to deeper themes that fuel the challenger. "I'm built on emotions, and the stuff Jonathan Davis would sing about and the emotions he would bring out ... I pretty much just fell in love with the music," Ortiz said. "When I do my runs or my training, you have to find that aggression and intensity to push yourself."

It's what drew him to his other muse, the man whose "Mosh" ushers Ortiz into the ring before every fight: Eminem. "He never took the easy way out. He always had a challenge during life ... So many people were hating on him because he was doing stuff that no one would expect him to be doing. I would see myself in that, because when I started in the UFC, I was doing a lot of sh-- that no one wanted me to do. I mean, flipping off the other guy's corner, wearing T-shirts that said some gnarly things. I was the bad boy. It was just a given that I had something in common with him. He came from a trailer park, he didn't have a father. I had parents, but they were on drugs all the time."

THE MOTIVATION

Despite their differences — in both playlists and personality — both men dig through their songs to find fire in the lyrics. "It's got to mean something to you," Liddell said. "It's got to talk to you a little bit. That's what makes music kick ass."

"There has to be some type of motivation behind it, some type of story that motivates a person," Ortiz said. "And it has to have hostility in it, because I'm about as hostile as a person gets when I step in the Octagon."

The music and the motivation reach a crescendo on fight day. In those last few moments before the Octagon door swings open, both men shut out the world and bury themselves in their music: When the going gets tough, the tough crank up their iTunes.

"If you walk with me from my hotel room down to the locker room, you've got to listen to me sing — which is probably the biggest torture anyone gets before a fight," Liddell joked. "I'll come down with my headphones and I'm usually singing along with whatever I'm listening to. I can't hear me sing, but everyone else has to listen to it."

Meanwhile, Ortiz spends the last few moments before a fight finding his emotional peak and getting ready for his "Mosh" moment. "I just want to get in the right mental mode," Ortiz said. "Physically, I've done all the work. [At that point,] it's about emotions and the mental side of it... I listen to the lyrics [to 'Mosh'] really, really closely ... about being a leader in what he believes in.

"I'm being a leader in what I believe in with this ultimate fighting," he continued. "There were people that were never going to accept us. They were saying, 'It's a brutal sport, you guys are never going to go anywhere.' I thought different. I was like, 'This sport is going to get awesome. People are going to pick it up. People are going to get educated on it. They're going to know how hard we work, and know that it is a true sport and know where we came from and where we began.' "

He pauses for a moment. "When I walk out to [that song], I have a tear that comes to my eye. It just gets me right in the heart. There's nothing more intense than just listening to that."

And that, after all, is everything you could want from your playlist.

The Essentials

Chuck's most played artists: Rancid, Lars Frederiksen & the Bastards

Tito's most played artists: Korn (old friends), Eminem

Chuck's playlist surprise: A wealth of country and a smattering of "goofy pop songs" ("That's my daughter," he laughs. "She can download whatever she wants.")

Tito's playlist surprise: Oddball reggae sing-jay progenitor Eek-A-Mouse ("Back in the day, when he used to play in Orange County at Club 5902, I went and watched — and it was awesome," he recalls.)

Chuck's training playlist
Pantera - "Walk"
George Thorogood - "Who Do You Love"
Travis Tritt - "Here's a Quarter (Call Someone Who Cares)"
DMX - "One More Road to Cross"
Staind - "It's Been Awhile"
Hank Williams Jr. - "Whiskey Bent and Hell Bound"
Yung Joc - "It's Goin' Down"
Lars & the Bastards - "Skunx"
Slayer - "Angel of Death"
Suicidal Tendencies - "Controlled by Hatred"
50 Cent - "If I Can't"
T.I. - "Bring Em Out"

Tito's training playlist
Eminem - "Mosh"
Korn - "Good God"
Ludacris - "Move B---h"
DMX - "Damien"
Rage Against the Machine - "Know Your Enemy"
Fieldy's Dreams - "Ortiz Anthem"
Korn - "Ass Itch"
Snoop Dogg - "Murder Was the Case"
Metallica - "Enter Sandman"
Bob Marley - "Get Up, Stand Up"

• Ultimate Fighters: Fueled By 50 Cent

• Eminem
• 50 Cent
• Korn
• T.I.
• Staind

• Black Sabbath
• Metallica
• AC/DC
• Pantera
• Slayer

/content/news/features/m/metal/greatest_metal_bands/feature.xml

• Slayer
• Iron Maiden
• Black Sabbath
• Kiss
• Pantera

Vinnie Paul
Photo: MTV News

Launching his own record label and releasing an album's worth of material that had been in the can going on three years was imperative for former Pantera/ Damageplan drummer Vinnie Paul.

Big Vin Records and the upcoming self-titled debut from Rebel Meets Rebel restored meaning to his life. The album is a dozen tracks of countrified metal featuring controversial country singer David Allan Coe and the guitar prowess of Paul's late brother, "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott.

It has eased some of the pain Paul's been grappling with since his brother's onstage slaying at an Ohio nightclub in December 2004 (see "Dimebag Darrell, Four Others Killed In Ohio Concert Shooting").

"It's something that me and Dime really wanted to do a long time ago, but we were so busy with everything, we never could," Paul explained. "When Atlantic [Damageplan's label] passed on the Rebel Meets Rebel record because they didn't know what to do with it, I was like, 'I'm not gonna go shop this. This just fell right in my lap, and it's time for me to start this record label that I've been thinking about and, you know, put it all together.'

"It is a lot of work, trust me," he continued. "Getting on a tour bus and riding around the United States and playing for an hour and a half a night is a lot easier than this stuff. But it's fun to be able to learn both sides of the business."

There was also Dimebag's legacy to consider. His work on Rebel Meets Rebel isn't merely a footnote — it's yet another chapter in the life of one of the guitar's greatest advocates, Paul said.

"His guitar playing on this record is incredible," Paul said. "The cool thing about this record is, a lot of times when you're making metal, everything operates kind of like a machine. It's like chung, chung, chung — it's just power. And with this kind of record, it has a Rolling Stones vibe. Everybody can kind of cut loose, play what they want, and all the people really interact instead of it all kind of being one big gigantic tank moving in one direction.

"So [there was] a lot of freedom involved in making this record," Paul said. "And it gave me something to look forward to and to live for because I've never done anything without Dime. ... It's been a long road for me to get to this point where I feel I can move on in my life. And that's what I'm doing, man."

Rebel Meets Rebel, which also includes Paul behind the kit and erstwhile Pantera member Rex Brown on bass, will hit stores May 2, as will "Dimevision, Volume 1," a DVD culled from footage Dimebag had shot with a camcorder over several years on the road and at home. Paul said there will be other "Dimevision" releases down the road — it's just a matter of sifting through the tapes and organizing the material.

"It's in the total spirit of the Pantera videos," Paul said. "I mean, he's the dude that pretty much — in my opinion, a lot of people's opinions — created 'Jackass.' He never got any credit for it, but it's him, his stellar guitar playing and just being the clown that he is."

Rebel Meets Rebel and "Dimevision, Volume 1" are only the beginning for Big Vin Records. Paul said he has about 5,000 demo tapes to listen to. "I haven't really heard what I'm looking for yet," he said. "I want something that's out there. I want something that's different."

For now, though, he's focused on Rebel Meets Rebel, the closest fans are going to get to another Pantera record.

"This record, when you put it on, there's a lot of fun there. And with Rex, it has our trademark [Pantera] sound. When the three of us get together and play, there's no other band that sounds that way. It's just us performing with a different singer, especially not only a different singer but a different genre totally," he said. "It's out there, but it's cool. I don't think hard-core country fans are going to like it. I don't think hard-core metal fans are going to like it. But I think anybody that listens to a wide variety of music will totally dig it. ... I think all of our Southern roots really came together on it."

Even without Dime around to play guitar, Paul said there's a chance Rebel Meets Rebel could tour — so long as he can tap someone gifted enough to tackle the riffs. "I have a couple of people in mind that were really close to Dime and would be perfect for it," he said. "But we're just going to put out the record first and see how that goes. And then if the fan response was really, really good, I think it'd be fun to go play those songs live because they'd be killer songs live."

At the time of Dimebag's death, Paul said Damageplan had finished recording the band's sophomore disc — it sits in his house, mixed, but still needs vocals. The drummer said he has no intention of letting the songs collect dust. He's just not sure what to do with the tracks next.

"What we recorded was really, really kick-ass," Paul said. "With every band, their first record is kind of them getting settled, and their second record becomes the one that really blows up. Me and Dime just recorded all those songs ourselves. He played bass on them and guitar, and I played drums. We produced them together. They're really kick-ass. I really haven't decided what I want to do with them. I've thought about having a bunch of Dime's favorite singers sing on all the songs, which would be really cool. Or have Pat Lachman sing on them and have them be the [second] Damageplan record."

Paul said he's also looking forward to "Six-String Masterpiece: The Dimebag Darrell Art Tribute," which is being sponsored by Dean Guitars, "the kind of guitar my brother made famous."

More than 50 musicians and artists — including Marilyn Manson, Derek Hess, the Deftones, Alice in Chains guitarist Jerry Cantrell, Linkin Park's Chester Bennington and Mike Shinoda, Dave Grohl, Slayer's Kerry King, Moby, James Hetfield of Metallica, Billy Corgan, Audioslave's Tom Morello, Zakk Wylde, Rob Zombie, Tommy Lee, Ted Nugent, Sum 41, and various members of Korn and Slipknot — were presented with a Dean Guitar and asked to paint it. The finished guitars will go on tour as a mobile exhibit, and next year they'll be auctioned off, with the proceeds earmarked for charity. One of the guitars even features the artwork of Kelly Clarkson.

"A lot of people went, 'How does she fit into this picture?' " Paul said. "True story: She used to wait on me and Dime at a comedy club in Fort Worth, Texas, back in the day before she made it on 'American Idol' and all that. So we didn't really know her, but we had met each other, and it was really cool that she did a tribute."

For more on the life of "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott, check out the feature "Remembering Dimebag."

• Dimebag Darrell
• Vinnie Paul
• Damageplan
• Pantera

UGK's Pimp C
Photo: MTV News

Pimp C, one half of the influential Houston rap duo UGK, has been released from the Texas Department of Criminal Justice's Terrell Unit, where he'd been serving an eight-year prison term since 2002 on an aggravated assault charge. According to The Associated Press, Pimp C (real name Chad Butler) served half the time, and became a free man on Friday. C's partner in UGK, Bun B, told the wire service he's anxious to hit the studio with his comrade. "The album is probably going to be one of the most anticipated projects in rap," he said of the next UGK LP. ...

Former Pantera/ Damageplan drummer Vinnie Paul performed with his band Gasoline in Arlington, Texas, on New Year's Eve, and was joined onstage by former Pantera bassist Rex Brown. The band, with Brown, performed two Pantera cuts: "Walk" and "Cowboys From Hell." The gig marked the first time the two former bandmates had shared the same stage in five years. ... White Stripes drummer Meg White will be the face of an upcoming ad campaign for fashion designer Marc Jacobs. The ads will be shot by famed photographer Juergen Teller. It's not the first time Jacobs has dipped into the musical well to find models: Past campaigns have featured artists like Sonic Youth and Stephen Malkmus. ...

Kevin Federline clearly isn't going to be stopped by the universal disdain heaped on his first leaked song, "Ya'll Ain't Ready." Britney Spears' husband has begun offering his first official single, the rump-shaker "PopoZao," for download on music.yahoo.com. The song, built on a whining keyboard and spare drum-machine beats, has K-Fed rapping the song's title repeatedly, followed by the verse "In Portuguese it means bring your ass/ On the floor and move real fast/ I want to see your kitty and a little bit of t---y/ Wanna know where I go when I'm in your city/ Girl, don't you worry about all the dough." Clearly those trips to the strip clubs were not in vain. ... Madonna's not the only one saying "Sorry" — now the Pet Shop Boys are joining in on Madge's second single from Confessions on a Dance Floor. Neil Tennant added some vocals to the track when the Pet Shop Boys had their way with it in December, remixing it for a maxi single due in February. The remix was premiered last week at Beige in Los Angeles. ...

Patrick Cranshaw, the actor who portrayed elderly fraternity brother Joseph "Blue" Palasky in the 2003 comedy "Old School," died of natural causes Wednesday at his home in Fort Worth, Texas, according to The Associated Press. He was 86. A veteran character actor, Cranshaw's career spanned more than 50 years, though he is probably best known for his turn as Blue, the senior citizen who joins Luke Wilson, Vince Vaughn and Will Ferrell's fraternity in "Old School" and eventually expires just as he's about to wrestle a pair of topless coeds. ... Coheed and Cambria singer/guitarist Claudio Sanchez recently broke his hand while sparring with his brother, boxer Matthew Sanchez. The injury, known as a "boxer's fracture," involves the ring finger and pinky of the right hand. He'll be sidelined for at least a month — three weeks in a cast, and one or two undergoing physical therapy. Unfortunately, the break has forced the band to postpone its upcoming European tour with Thrice for about a month. ... The title track from Kittie's forthcoming EP, Never Again, has made its way online. A link to the song has been posted on the band's MySpace page. The all-female Canadian metallers will release the EP digitally on February 7. ...

Sony BMG has tentatively settled more than a dozen consumer class-action suits brought against the company over its use of copy-protection software on its CDs. The company is awaiting the approval of the settlement of the 15 suits, which is expected on Friday. "Sony BMG is pleased to have reached this agreement with the class-action plaintiffs and we look forward to the court approval process," a spokesperson said in a statement. As part of the settlement, the company has offered to add an incentive of $7.50 cash and a free album download to consumers affected by the XCP software, or three free downloads in place of the cash. Sony BMG has also pledged to stop manufacturing CDs with the XCP and MediaMax software and agreed to clearly label any anti-piracy measures it uses in the future. The settlement does not cover a suit by the Texas attorney general alleging violations of that state's anti-spyware law. ... Motorola is planning to roll out a subscription music service this year called iRadio that could rival satellite radio providers XM and Sirius. The service is expected to first launch on the Rokr E2 phone and hold about 70 hours of music culled from iRadio's 435 commercial-free radio channels, which have names like Angry Women, Feeling Punkish, One-Hit Wonders, Jerry's Psychedelic Circus, When Grunge Was King and Rockin' Cowboys. Users download the channels on their computer and transfer them to play on the phones or on their car or home stereos for about $7 a month. They will also have the ability to turn their own personal music collections into programmed radio stations. ...

12.31.2005

Shady Records rapper Obie Trice was shot and wounded early Saturday morning while driving on a Detroit highway. He was taken to a hospital where he was treated for his wound and released, according to The Associated Press. State police in Michigan say Trice was driving with his girlfriend in Southfield when a shot was fired at them from another car. There are no suspects in the shooting at this time. ...

Sure, she's not one of the winningest coaches in college football history, but FedEx Orange Bowl organizers are still stoked that Ciara will be sharing the field with Joe Paterno's Penn State Nittany Lions and Bobby Bowden's Florida State Seminoles. The "1, 2 Step" singer has been confirmed to headline the Orange Bowl halftime festivities, which promise to be the biggest ever for a college sports event. To stage the performance Bowl bigwigs have recruited ACT Productions, which has organized a number of Miami-based events in the past, including Kanye West's 2005 VMA party. The game airs live on ABC on Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET. (Our money's on Joe Pa.) ...

Blink-182's Travis Barker and wife Shanna Moakler welcomed their second child, Alabama Luella, into the world at 12:22 p.m. on December 24. The Barkers have a 2-year-old son, Landon, together; Moakler also has a 6-year-old daughter, Atiana, with former fiance Oscar De La Hoya. "It's been amazing," Barker said. "I've been staying at the hospital and hanging out with her, and then coming back home and putting my son to sleep every night. It's so crazy having a little girl — everything from the way she cries to the way she looks at you is so different." The second season of the couple's reality series, "Meet the Barkers," premieres Tuesday on MTV and chronicles the nine months leading up to Alabama's birth. ... Hawthorne Heights, the All-American Rejects, Thursday, Every Time I Die, From First to Last, Say Anything, It Dies Today, the Bled, Circa Survive, Senses Fail, Mae, Armor for Sleep and Streetlight Manifesto have all been added to the lineup for Bamboozle 2006, which already included headliners Fall Out Boy and Taking Back Sunday. The festival's booked for May 6-7 at the Meadowlands Sports Complex in East Rutherford, New Jersey. ...

The man who stole Will Smith's identity and ran up fraudulent charges of more than $32,000 has been sent back to prison for two years for violating his probation. According to The Associated Press, Carlos Lomax, 45, who in 2002 was sentenced to 37 months in prison after pleading guilty to opening 14 bogus credit-card accounts in Smith's name, was released from a halfway house in June, but failed to rehabilitate himself and make restitution to his victims. ... William Orbit, best known for producing Madonna's Ray of Light album, has a new album of his own on the way. Hello Waveforms, due February 7, features guests Sugababes, Kenna and Finley Quaye. Song titles include "Humming Chorus," "Who Owns the Octopus?," "You Know Too Much About Flying Saucers," "Bubble Universe," "Spiral" and "Sea Green." ...

Michael Vale, the actor best known for the five-word phrase uttered by his character Fred the baker — "Time to make the donuts" — died on Saturday at age 83, according to The Associated Press. For 15 years, Vale put on his droopiest look for more than 100 Dunkin' Donuts commercials in which he wearily mumbled the line. He retired from the role in 1997. ... Mike Peters, 46, frontman for 1980s rockers the Alarm ("Sixty Eight Guns," "Rain in the Summertime"), has posted a letter on the band's Web site announcing that he's begun chemotherapy treatments for chronic lymphocytic leukemia. He was diagnosed on December 8 and wrote, "The good news is that although my illness is not curable, it is treatable." The singer said his doctor's prediction was that "it is a disease I will probably die with, rather than of." Peters was diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma more than a decade ago. He quit the Alarm in 1991 and has toured with other side projects since and said he plans to keep touring during treatment. ...

A CD chronicling the early years of grunge, Sleepless in Seattle: The Birth of Grunge, will hit stores on February 7. The 20-track compilation will feature seminal recordings from a number of the acts that helped birth the genre, including Green River, the Melvins, Malfunkshun, U-Men, Screaming Trees, Mudhoney, Babes in Toyland, Tad, Skin Yard and more. ... Muse plan on issuing the follow-up to 2003's Absolution sometime this spring, the band revealed on its Web site. The group is also looking forward to touring in support of the as-yet-untitled LP. ...

Who guitarist Pete Townshend has announced on his Web site that the group will tour in 2006. "I have said many times, repeated up until a few days ago, that I am reticent about committing to a tour without a completed new Who album under my belt," Townshend wrote in a Christmas Eve diary entry entitled "I will go on tour." He explained, "As things stand I am still pushing to produce some more songs. So the announcement may seem premature. It is not." Townshend said the band's manager has come up with a "great scheme" that would allow the band — whose only other original member is singer Roger Daltrey — to avoid releasing a full new CD before the tour, but did not elaborate on what that plan was. The guitarist also did not say when the tour would begin. Townshend has been working on songs for what would be the group's first studio album since 1982's It's Hard. ...

According to Sonic Youth's Web site, the avant-garde rockers are plugging away on new material, which should surface sometime in 2006. Precious few details have been revealed about the as-yet-untitled LP, beyond four tracks likely to make the final cut: "Pink Steam," "Do You Believe in Rapture?," "Or" and "Sleeping Around." ... Pennywise will ring in 2006 with a 14-date tour, and have tapped No Use for a Name to handle opening duties. The punks will get things started in Los Angeles with three shows set for January 11, 12 and 13 and will wrap things up January 29 in San Francisco. ...

On February 28, Victory Records will release a live CD and DVD by recently reunited Chicago punk-pessimists the Smoking Popes. Just last month, the Popes thrilled fans with a set at Chicago rock club the Metro during the Flower 15 festival, and have recently announced plans to tour again. The still-untitled live album will be the first Smoking Popes release since they called it quits back in December 1998. ... The Minus 5 will release a self-titled album on February 7 that will feature two tracks cut in Chicago with the members of Wilco and guest spots from John Wesley Harding, Kelly Hogan and members of the Decemberists. The group, which features R.E.M.'s Peter Buck, will tour with Robyn Hitchcock beginning in February. ...

Mest, fresh from performing on Social Distortion's fall run, will launch a 17-gig headlining tour of their own on January 31 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Dates run through March 8 in Chicago. ... G. Love and Special Sauce have lined up a 24-date tour that will kick off on January 12 in Memphis, Tennessee, and wind down March 11 in Jacksonville, Florida. The band's also been working on material for its next studio LP, which will be the Sauce's follow-up to 2004's The Hustle. ...

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"Dimebag" Darrell Abbott
Photo: Vaughn Youtz/Getty Images

On the one-year anniversary of the shooting spree that took the life of Damageplan/ Pantera guitarist "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott and four others, Abbott's family has filed a lawsuit against the Columbus, Ohio, club where he was killed.

The suit against the Alrosa Villa nightclub was brought on behalf of the Abbott family by Dimebag's brother/bandmate, Damageplan drummer Vinnie Paul, and by Damageplan tour manager Chris Paluska and drum tech John Brooks, who were injured in the shooting, according to the trio's lawyer, Gerald Leeseberg.

"The central allegation of the lawsuit is that there was inadequate security provided at the music venue given the nature and size of the crowd and previous incidents at the club involving criminal activity," Leeseberg said. The lawyer cited police and media reports about earlier incidents at the metal club involving criminal activity, fighting, handguns and the firing of weapons.

On December 8, 2004 ex-Marine Nathan Gale rushed the stage at the club and opened fire with a 9mm gun, killing Dimebag, Damageplan bodyguard Jeff "Mayhem" Thompson, fan Nathan Bray and club worker Erin Halk, and injuring two — Paluska and Brooks (see "Dimebag Darrell, Four Others Killed In Ohio Concert Shooting").

Leeseberg said one of the other claims in the suit is that the security that was provided performed "horribly" in that they were aware of Gale's suspicious behavior prior to the shooting. "They watched him scale the security fence and gain access to the club and for reasons to be determined, he was allowed to go through the crowd and begin firing a weapon," Leeseberg said. "He was carrying a weapon and 50 rounds of ammunition, all of this with the knowledge of security that this individual was behaving strangely and they did nothing to stop him."

Leeseberg said the suit cites an incident eight months earlier in nearby Cincinnati in which security at a venue where Damageplan were playing identified Gale as a suspicious person and subdued him. In that incident, at the venue Bogart's, Gale was dragged off the stage during a Damageplan show on April 8, 2004 after he caused nearly $2,000 in damage to stage lights and other equipment during a struggle with police.

At the Alrosa Villa, eyewitnesses said Gale had been acting strangely before the show, first blocking the club's parking lot exit with his car, then pacing back and forth on the Villa's front lawn as the opening act played.

Leeseberg said the suit argues that steps could have been taken to intervene and stop Gale and that a metal detector at the front door would have deterred people with guns from coming into the venue. "If you have a gun, you wouldn't go through a metal detector," he said. "And if you are mentally ill and don't appreciate that if you have a gun it will go off, you will get caught."

However, Gale, who had a history of mental illness, did not enter the club through the front door, where a metal detector might have been placed. He jumped a low wall near the back and entered through a stage door after rushing by security guards. Leeseberg said that in allowing Gale to illegally enter the club, security failed to do its job. "They are supposed to stop that because security guards saw him do that [climb the fence]," he said. "One of the security guards said that he didn't want to mess with him [Gale] because he was a big dude."

Because of Ohio laws governing civil damages, the lawsuit seeks more than $25,000 in damages, though Leeseberg speculated that the actual amount of compensatory damages a jury could award the Abbott family and Paluska and Brooks for economic losses and pain and suffering would likely be "substantially" higher. In addition to waiting for the final, 600-page police report on the incident, Leeseberg said December 8 was also chosen as a date to file the suit for symbolic reasons.

Alrosa owner Eric Cautela could not be reached for comment, but in an earlier interview with local station WBNS, he reportedly admitted his security force wasn't prepared to stop a man bent on killing.

"My security guards aren't supposed to stop a bullet. They get paid $10-$12 an hour. They aren't paid to take a bullet," Cautela told the station last June.

The Alrosa will be closed on Thursday and Friday in honor of the anniversary of the murders.

For an in-depth interview with Vinnie Paul, see "Dimebag Darrell: A Brother Remembers." For a feature where Dimebag's friends and peers remember the good times and great shreds, see "Remembering Dimebag."

Click here for more on the tragic death of Dimebag Darrell and the Ohio club shooting.

[This story was originally published at 8:13 am E.T. on 12.08.2005]

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