Fu Manchu
Photo: Century Media

Fu Manchu frontman Scott Hill has never been a fan of the label "stoner rock." But that hasn't stopped scores of music journalists and metal fans the world over from ascribing said tag to his Southern California fuzz-rockin' combo.

Not that Hill minds being lumped together with like-minded rockers Queens of the Stone Age, Kyuss, Monster Magnet and Fireball Ministry. He just doesn't dig on labels, period. Fu Manchu, he claims, have always "done what we wanted," regardless of what anyone wants to call it.

"The first time I heard the phrase 'stoner rock' was in 1994," he recalled. "We were playing in Texas, and a journalist from England came over, and we're doing the interview, and he mentioned the term 'stoner rock.' ... To me, 'stoner rock' means, like, the Grateful Dead — hippie garbage. I've just never been into that mellow, hippie kind of stuff. But now it seems to be associated with a heavy guitar and fuzzy-sounding guitars, and in that respect, whatever, that's fine; it's kind of what we are. But it's kind of a lame term.

"You never want to get labeled anything," he continued. "But as long as it's not associated with hippie, mellow nonsense, we can deal with 'stoner rock.' It's better than a lot of the things we could be called."

Back in late February, Fu Manchu released their first album in three years, We Must Obey, which they co-produced with Andrew Alekel (Weezer, Rancid). Hill said the Fu began writing material for the effort in 2005, at the conclusion of the band's touring cycle in support of 2004's Start the Machine. The disc features 11 tracks, including "Knew It All Along," "Between the Lines" and a cover of the Cars' "Moving in Stereo."

To Hill, We Must Obey is pretty much typical Fu Manchu, but he does think the record sounds more aggressive than anything they've attempted before.

"I think people will be a little surprised by that," he explained. "I grew up as a kid listening to 1980 to 1985 punk rock and hardcore stuff — that's my main deal. I still listen to that stuff, every day, all day. I think some of those influences are coming out on this record. But people who have been into us for a while, they'll like the slower, heavier stuff on this album. The fuzz tone's in full effect, it's just a more aggressive record for us. But our sound is still there."

Earlier this year, Fu Manchu shot a video for "Hung Out to Dry" that will see the light of day once it's fully edited. Hill said the clip will feature Fu Manchu performance footage interspersed with "some old, '50s-type sci-fi mind-control stuff." Making the video, he said, was something of a challenge — as it always is.

"It's difficult to pretend like you're rockin' without the amps plugged in," he joked. "All you can do is think back to when you were a kid trying to play air guitar in your bedroom and capture that feeling."

After a successful headlining run — the band's first in three years — last month with Valient Thorr and Artimus Pyledriver in the support slots, Fu Manchu headed over to Europe, where they'll be gigging through June 3. After that, Hill's not so sure what the Fu will do — a spokesperson for the band's label said it will tour the States this summer but that those plans had yet to be finalized. Hill wants to spend the rest of the year on the road.

"We'll tour for as long as possible, and then we'll come home and record another one," Hill said. "We're always coming up with riffs and songs all the time, so as soon as we're done touring, I'd like to get back into the practice space, play, lose our hearing for five months, put out a record, and do it all over again."

The rest of the week's metal news:

Black-metal legends Emperor, who toured the U.S. last summer without guitarist Samoth (he couldn't get into the country because of visa issues) will return with their complete lineup for three final North American reunion shows: May 30 in Chicago, June 1 in New York and June 3 in Los Angeles. "The visa problems last year were a bummer," Samoth said. "Even though the U.S. dates last year were a success with massive support from our ever-loyal fanbase, we felt that we should return again as a full band to complete what we set out to do." ... After they return from their European tour, New York death-metal band Immolation will make another destructive round of their home continent. Dates start September 27 in Toronto and run through November 18 in New York. Suffocation and Skinless are also on the bill. ... Goofball Swedish grind band Birdflesh, who have been around in one form or another since 1992, will release their first proper studio disc, Mongo Musicale, July 17. The album track "Mongoloid Wannabe" can be heard on their MySpace page. And "After Ski Obliteration" can be downloaded right here. ...

The thrash-metal documentary "Get Thrashed" will make its West Coast premiere Saturday at the Silver Lake Film Festival in Los Angeles. Director Rick Ernst, associate producer Rat Skates — who used to play drums in Overkill — and former Exodus singer Zetro Souza will take part in a Q&A session after the screening. "I'm so excited to be a part of 'Get Thrashed,' " Souza said in a statement. "There's finally a film that makes you feel a part of that magical time. I'm psyched to see the film, interact with the fans and catch up with old friends." Members of Anthrax, Testament and Dark Angel are also expected to attend the screening. ... Alabama Thunderpussy found themselves with a bit too much downtime recently, so for some reason they worked out a cover version of Whitesnake's hideous hit "Still of the Night" and posted it on their Myspace page. What's next, Slayer covering "In-A-Gadda-Da-Vida"? Oh, wait, that already happened. ... Ex-Biohazard guitarist Billy Graziadei will produce the new album by Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania, hardcore-metal band Cold World. The record, Dedicated to Babies Who Came Feet First, will be recorded at Graziadei's Underground Sound Studios in South Amboy, New Jersey, this month and will include "BoomByeBye." ...

Sacramento, California, hardcore band Killing the Dream will enter a Baltimore studio May 28 to record the follow-up to their 2005 album, In Place Apart. Ex-Jawbox frontman J. Robbins will produce. ... Female-fronted Dutch goth-metal band Autumn will release their Metal Blade debut, My New Time, May 29. Arno Krabman produced the album at Graveland Studio. Tracks include "My New Time" and "Satellites," both of which can be previewed on their MySpace page. ... Boston metal band Till We Die will release their debut album, Pressing On, June 26. Tracks include "Ride," "UPS" and "Pressing On." The band's next tour will launch May 12 in Haverhill, Massachusetts, and run through June 8 in Springfield, Virginia. Till We Die will return to the road September 14 in Cedar Falls, Iowa, to begin a tour supporting Powerman 5000 through October 2 in Boston.

• Fu Manchu
• Immolation
• Suffocation
• Overkill
• Powerman 5000

DMX's <I>Year of the Dog, Again</I>
Photo: Sony Music

Should Kidz Beware of Dog?: All five DMX albums have debuted atop the Billboard albums chart, making the gravelly voiced rapper the Grand Champ of rap (as he titled his last LP). But while he edged past A Perfect Circle and Erykah Badu the last time around, he's locking horns with a wave of pint-sized pests for his latest effort, Year of the Dog, Again.

With four cuts spruced up by Swizz Beatz — plus one produced by Scott Storch ("Give 'Em What They Want") and an intro cut with Dame Grease — X also beckoned Busta Rhymes for "Come Thru (Move)," Jadakiss and Styles P. for "It's Personal," and Amerie for "Dog Love." Janyce also appears on the latter track, but she's not the only fresh Bloodline artist on the album, with Bzr Royale and Jinx also representing X's label.

DMX has some worthy teammates in his corner, but could he be toppled by a krew of karaoke-krazed kiddies? That's what indie label Razor & Tie is hoping for the 10th installment of its most successful venture ever, Kidz Bop. Being released barely five months after the latest entry, this one has the buggers brushing up Kelly Clarkson's "Because of You," Pussycat Dolls' "Stickwitu" and Nickelback's "Savin' Me" over the course of its 18 tracks.

But if the kids want to pick on competitors their own size, they've chosen the right week to bop heads. The Doodlebops — who have a TV show on Playhouse Disney and made their live debut at the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus — have sketched out two DVDs and a CD for release this week, immortalizing such gems as "Wobbly Whoopsy," "Gibble Gobble," "Cauliflower" and "I Want to Be Bigger."

And there's yet another juvenile in the mix: Rachel Piña Trachtenburg, the 12-year-old brainchild (of sorts) who tours with her parents as the nomadic Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players. The "Off & On Broadway" DVD captures day-in-the-life and performance footage from the group, which crafts songs out of old slides they find at random yard sales.

Spider Men: On a related note, garage pop-punkers the Pink Spiders are a little older than the aforementioned competitors, but they're fighting wrinkles with their major-label debut, Teenage Graffiti. The "You Hear It First" artists — who recently played a show at Los Angeles' Dodger Stadium after a ballgame — worked with ex-Cars frontman/ Weezer production guru Ric Ocasek and pre-eminent mixer Tom Lord-Alge for the effort, which features "Saturday Nite Riot," "Little Razorblade" and "Pretend That This Is Fiction."

And Now for Something Completely Brutal: This week's remaining heavyweights will have kids, dawgs and insects alike ducking for cover. First up is Stone Sour, the Slipknot ancillary affair that puckers up with its first studio release in four years. The band's hoping for more Grammy nominations with Come What(ever) May, which features the first single "Through Glass," plus "30/30-150," "Reborn" and "Zzyzx Road."

Powerman 5000 have also been away for a while — about three years and two months — but with a new lineup and label, a rebirth could re-energize their fanbase. With guitarists Adam 12 and M.33 being replaced by former Alien Ant Farm-er Terry Corso and Johnny Heatley (Half Cocked), Spider One and the gang will surely deafen the Pink Spiders with Destroy What You Enjoy, which features "Return to the City of the Dead," "Murder" and "All My Friends Are Ghosts."

Also on the metal front, Ice-T is strapping on his armor again for Murder 4 Hire, the first album by his revived Body Count in almost a decade. T also revives his feud with the fuzz on "Invincible Gangsta," the leadoff track that features the phrase "F--- the Cops," but he also has a few things to say about "The Passion of Christ," "Dirty Bombs" and "Relationships."

Chicago's Kill Hannah keep up the violence with their Atlantic record Until There's Nothing Left of Us and the tracks "Black Poison Blood" and "Love You to Death," and if you're up for even more gore, don't miss Ollabelle's Riverside Battle Songs — which was crafted by Amy Helm, daughter of drum legend Levon Helm — the American Black Lung's ... And They Rode Their Weapons Into War and Towers of London's Blood Sweat & Towers.

Seeming violent but much more tame are Five for Fighting, which is actually just one dude: John Ondrasik. His Two Lights has already drawn some VH1 attention with "The Riddle," and while FFF are best remembered for the post-9/11 staple "Superman (It's Not Easy)" (which was actually written before those events), Ondrasik has a few things to say about the state of the nation on "Freedom Never Cries" and "Johnny America."

Song Title of the Week:

"George Romero Will Be at Our Wedding" from Showbread's Art of Reptiles

Other Notables:

Various artists' Monsieur Gainsbourg Revisited: Serge Gainsbourg is name-dropped left and right these days, but to many Americans, that's all he is: just a name. Michael Stipe, Franz Ferdinand, Cat Power and others are trying to change all that with this collection of reworked songs by the French neoclassical musician. Placebo, Tricky, the Rakes, the Kills and Marianne Faithfull also chime in on the disc, which has already been released overseas.

Poison vs. Journey reissues: The '80s titans go head-to-head this week with three and five revitalized albums, respectively. Poison's first three multiplatinum records — Flesh & Blood, Look What the Cat Dragged In and Open Up and Say ... Ahh! — arrive in 20th anniversary packages, with unreleased and rare bonus tracks. In the other corner, Journey's Departure, Escape and Greatest Hits also come with bonuses, while Infinity and Evolution are straight reissues.

TRS-80's Mystery Crash: The Chicago electro-rockers have been cranking out music for nearly 10 years — and hopping from label to label ever since — but they're hoping their music will get recognized beyond fleeting appearances in Coca-Cola and Nike commercials. The bandmembers — some of whom have been friends since high school — have also created tunes for NPR's "This American Life" and seen their songs used in "CSI."

New Releases:

• Peter Bradley Adams - Gather Up (High Wire/ Fontana)
  
• The American Black Lung - ... And They Rode Their Weapons Into War (Burning House)
  
• Body Count - Murder 4 Hire (Escapi)
  
• Caribbean Jazz Project featuring Dave Samuels - Mosaic (Concord)
  
• DMX - Year of the Dog, Again (Columbia)
  Read: "DMX Signs With Columbia, Will Release Long-Delayed LP This Spring"
  Buy Now: Year of the Dog Again (Sony)
  
• Doodlebops - Rock & Bop With the Doodlebops (Disney)
  
• Thomas Dybdahl - One Day You'll Dance for Me, New York City (Recall)
  
• Kahil El'Zabar - Deeper Soul Remix Project (two CDs; Deeper Soul)
  
• Five for Fighting - Two Lights (Columbia)
  Buy Now: Two Lights (Columbia)
  
• FM Static - Critically Ashamed (Tooth & Nail)
  
• G. Love - Lemonade (enhanced; Brushfire)
  Buy Now: Lemonade (Brushfire)
  
• Gasoline Heart - You Know Who You Are (Mono Vs. Stereo)
  
• Gisli - How About That? (Titan/ Pyramid)
  
• Grand Mal - Love Is the Best Con in Town (New York Night Train)
  
• Glenn Hughes - Music for the Divide (Frontiers)
  
• Kacey Jones - Kacey Jones Sings Mickey Newbury (Image)
  
• Kill Hannah - Until There's Nothing Left of Us (Atlantic)
  Buy Now: Until There's Nothing Left of Us (Atlantic)
  
• Mars Lasar - Yosemite, Valley of the Giants (Gemini Sun)
  
• John McLaughlin - Industrial Zen (Verve)
  
• Monty Are I - Wall of People (Stolen Transmission)
  
• Messer Für Frau Müller - Triangle, Dot & Devil (AeroCCCP)
  
• Ollabelle - Riverside Battle Songs (Verve Forecast)
  
• Jeannie Ortega - No Place Like Bklyn (Hollywood)
  Buy Now: No Place Like Bklyn (Hollywood)
  
• Kelly Joe Phelps - Tunesmith Retrofit (Rounder)
  
• Pink Spiders - Teenage Graffiti (Geffen)
  Read: "Upstaging Everyone: That's What Pink Spiders Are All About"
  Buy Now: Teenage Graffiti (Geffen)
  
• Powerman 5000 - Destroy What You Enjoy (DRT)
  Buy Now: Destroy What You Enjoy (DRT)
  
• Michael Schenker - Tales of Rock'n'Roll: 25 Years Celebration (Locomotive)
  
• Derek Sherinian - Blood of the Snake (Inside Out)
  
• Showbread - Art of Reptiles (Tooth & Nail)
  
• Stone Sour - Come What(ever) May (Roadrunner)
  Read: "Slipknot's Taylor Gearing Up For Stone Sour LP — And Tenacious D Tribute"
  Buy Now: Come What(ever) May (Roadrunner)
  
• Towers of London - Blood Sweat & Towers (enhanced; TVT)
  
• TRS-80 - Mystery Crash (One Cell)
  
• Vaux - Beyond Virtue, Beyond Vice (Outlook)
  
• Various artists - Kidz Bop 10 (Razor & Tie)
  
• Various artists - Monsieur Gainsbourg Revisited (Verve Forecast)
  
• Various artists - "The Ant Bully" soundtrack (Varèse Sarabande)
  
• Various artists - "My Super Ex-Girlfriend" soundtrack (Lakeshore)

Notable Reissues and Archival Material:

• Audio Adrenaline - Adios: The Greatest Hits (Forefront)
  
• Count Basie - One O'Clock Jump: The Very Best of Count Basie (Columbia/ Legacy)
  
• Eddie Boyd - The Sonet Blues Story (Verve)
  
• Brecker Brothers - Sneakin' Up Behind You: The Very Best of the Brecker Brothers (Arista/ Legacy)
  
• Rosemary Clooney - Come On-A My House: The Very Best of Rosemary Clooney (Bluebird/ Legacy)
  
• Johnny Copeland - An Introduction to Johnny Copeland (Fuel)
  
• Snooks Eaglin - The Sonet Blues Story (Verve)
  
• Dizzy Gillespie - Night in Tunisia: The Very Best of Dizzy Gillespie (Bluebird/ Legacy)
  
• Daryl Hall & John Oates - The Philadelphia Years (Varèse Sarabande)
  Buy Now: The Philadelphia Years (Varèse Sarabande)
  
• Billie Holiday - God Bless the Child: The Very Best of Billie Holiday (Columbia/ Legacy)
  
• Lightnin' Hopkins - An Introduction to Lightnin' Hopkins (Fuel) and The Sonet Blues Story (Verve)
  
• Journey - Departure, Escape, Evolution, Greatest Hits and Infinity (Columbia/ Legacy)
  
• Memphis Slim - The Sonet Blues Story (Verve)
  
• Ronnie Milsap - The Essential Ronnie Milsap (two CDs; RCA/ Legacy)
  
• Buck Owens - 21 #1 Hits: The Ultimate Collection (Rhino)
  
• Charlie Parker - Charlie Parker for Lovers (Verve)
  
• Poison - Flesh & Blood, Look What the Cat Dragged In and Open Up and Say ... Ahh! (Capitol)
  Buy Now: Flesh & Blood, Look What the Cat Dragged In and Open Up and Say ... Ahh! (Capitol)
  
• Elvis Presley - Elvis: Live, Elvis: Movies and Elvis: R&B (BMG Strategic Marketing)
  
• Otis Rush - The Sonet Blues Story (Verve)
  
• J.D. Short - The Sonet Blues Story (Verve)
  
• Steely Dan - The Definitive Collection (Geffen)
  
• Sunnyland Slim - The Sonet Blues Story (Verve)
  
• Allen Toussaint - Life, Love and Faith and Southern Nights (Water)
  
• Sarah Vaughan - Send in the Clowns: The Very Best of Sarah Vaughan (Columbia/ Legacy)
  
• Dinah Washington - Dinah Washington for Lovers (Verve)
  
• Robert Pete Williams - The Sonet Blues Story (Verve)
  
• Sonny Boy Williamson - The Best of Sonny Boy Williamson (Fontana)
  
• Various artists - The Best of Classic Country '70s (Time Life)
  
• Various artists - Billboard #1s: The '70s (Rhino)
  
• Various artists - No Limit Records: Greatest Hits (Priority)
  
• Various artists - Rap It Up (three-CD box set; Thump)

Music DVDs:

• Chris Botti - "Chris Botti Live With Orchestra & Special Guests" (with CD; Columbia)
  
• Jimmy Buffett - "Live at Wrigley Field" (Bayside)
  
• The Clash - "Rude Boy" (Epic/ Legacy)
  
• Alice Cooper - "The Nightmare Returns" (Geffen)
  
• Dissection - "Rebirth of Dissection" (Escapi)
  
• Doodlebops - "Dance & Hop With the Doodlebops" and "Rock & Bop With the Doodlebops" (Lionsgate)
  
• Pitbull - "Mr. 305: The Pitbull Story" (Clanagan)
  
• Elvis Presley - "Aloha From Hawaii" and " '68 Comeback" (BMG Heritage)
  
• The Trachtenburg Family Slideshow Players - "Off & On Broadway" (Sarathan)

Coming Attractions:

August 8:

• Lupe Fiasco - Food and Liquor (Atlantic)
  Preorder: Food and Liquor (Atlantic)
  
• Rick Ross - Port of Miami (Def Jam)
  Read: "A Newcomer 10 Years In The Making: Rick Ross Gets Help From Jay-Z, Akon On First LP"
  Preorder: Port of Miami (Def Jam)
  
• Slayer - Christ Illusion (Warner Bros.)
  Preorder: Christ Illusion (Warner Bros.)

August 15:

• Christina Aguilera - Back to Basics (two CDs; RCA)
  Read: "Christina Makes Her Comeback Twice As Nice By Expanding Basics Into Double LP"
  Preorder: Back to Basics (RCA)
  
• Obie Trice - Second Round's on Me (Aftermath)
  Preorder: Second Round's on Me (Aftermath)
  
• Various artists - Snakes on a Plane: The Album (enhanced; New Line)

August 22:

• Kelis - Kelis Was Here (Jive)
  Read: "Kelis Preparing To Get 'Bossy' With Her Next 'Strong Kind Of Girl Record' "
  Preorder: Kelis Was Here (Jive)
  
• Lamb of God - Sacrament (deluxe edition with DVD also available; Epic)
  Read: "Lamb Of God Ease Up On Bush But Get Deep Musically On Sacrament"
  Preorder: Sacrament (Epic)
  
• Method Man - 4:21 ... The Day After (Def Jam)
  Read: "Method Man Drops Diddy, Seeks Clarity On New LP, 4:21 ... The Day After"
  Preorder: 4:21 ... The Day After (Def Jam)
  
• Outkast - Idlewild (La Face)
  Read: "Missing Outkast? They've Already Lined Up Three 'Idlewild' Singles"
  Preorder: Idlewild (La Face)
  
• Paris Hilton - Paris (Warner Bros.)
  Read: "Paris Hilton's Debut Merges Hip-Hop, Reggae, Rod Stewart"
  Buy Now: Paris (Warner Bros.)
  

• DMX
• Stone Sour
• Pink Spiders
• Powerman 5000
• Body Count

Powerman 5000 (file)
Photo: Dreamworks

While not having a record deal would bother most musicians to their core, Powerman 5000's Spider isn't the least bit worried or distracted. Actually, the frontman says the freedom of having zero label ties gives him carte blanche to do what he wants.

And Spider — Rob Zombie's brother, don't you know — says it's been rather refreshing, from a creative standpoint, to work this way. He thinks that, to fans of the Boston band, it'll be obvious once they've had a chance to hear PM5K's as-yet-untitled fifth album, which they're hoping to release in early 2006.

Spider said the LP, which the band is self-producing, will have an "under-produced," stripped-down sound. "We're leaving in the mistakes," he said. "Kids aren't hearing those kinds of records any more — like the Sex Pistols — where things are out of tune, there are mistakes. Nowadays, everything's lined up to a grid on Pro Tools, and everyone's vocal is tuned to the perfect pitch. That's not what rock music should be."

Rather than focus on going more heavy or finding a label to release the album, PM5K's concentrating on the music: "Every rock band comes out and makes that statement, you know, that this is going to be our heaviest album ever. I hate that. For me, I want to make the best record we can make — whether it's heavier or not, doesn't matter. Some of it will be supper-aggressive, some of it won't be."

The album, which is about halfway done and will be the band's first since 2003's Transform, will include "Heroes and Villains," "The Last Night on Earth" and "Treat Me Like a Stranger." Spider hopes PM5K can make a statement with the album and distance themselves from some long-term associations that he feels have hurt them.

"We came out during the nü-metal explosion, and now, people talk about us in the same sentence as Limp Bizkit and sh--," he said. "We sort of got trapped in a world that we didn't belong in. We were put in a category with bands that I never really felt comfortable being compared to. But sometimes you find you get on this path and it takes you somewhere you didn't necessarily ever expect to be. So for me, this new record is going to be a statement. It's probably the record I should have made 10 years ago, the one that says, 'This is who I am, musically, and this is where my head is at.' "

Powerman 5000 have spent much of their summer on the road, but have only 11 more dates remaining on their current U.S. tour, set to wrap up August 23 in Beaumont, Texas. Then it's back to the studio to finish the record, head back out in October — and find a label to distribute the disc. "There's already been some interest," he said. "For right now, we need to be the band that we are, and the rest will fall into place."

The rest of the week's metal news:

Glenn Danzig's Blackest of the Black Tour, featuring Chimaira, Behemoth, Himsa, Mortiis and the Agony Scene, will kick off September 30 in San Diego, with dates running through October 29 in Los Angeles. ... The second leg of Judas Priest's U.S. tour launches September 24 in Burgettstown, Pennsylvania. Eighteen gigs later, Rob Halford and his mates will wrap things up in Tucson, Arizona, on November 1. ... Killswitch Engage will take a break from Ozzfest on July 25 for a gig at the Palladium in Worcester, Massachusetts, which will be filmed for inclusion on the band's forthcoming DVD. Tickets will be $5; As I Lay Dying and Once Beloved will open. ... Actor Michael Madsen — he of "Reservoir Dogs," "Sin City" and "Kill Bill" — has been tapped to star in Every Time I Die's video for "Kill the Music," the first single off of their forthcoming Gutter Phenomenon. The record's scheduled for an August 23 release through Ferret. ...

Norma Jean will shoot a video for "Absentimental" in the coming weeks. The track comes from the band's O God, the Aftermath album. ... The Black Dahlia Murder, Between the Buried and Me, Cephalic Carnage and Into the Moat will hit the road together this fall, starting in Buffalo, New York, on September 23. So far, 13 gigs have been scheduled, running through October 26 in Indianapolis; a full list is expected next week. ... Dallas' own A Dozen Furies, the winners of MTV's "Battle for Ozzfest," will release their Sanctuary Records debut, A Concept From Fire, on September 13. The offering will boast a dozen tracks, including "The Everlasting Grudge," "Idea and Some Rope" and "Nightmare of a Martyr." ... Ministry and their alter-ego, Revolting Cocks, will launch the MasterBaTour 2006 in May, with dates running through July. The May 28 show in Seattle went on sale July 20. Spyder Baby will open. ...

Oakland power thrashers Watch Them Die will release their second album, Bastard Son, on September 6. The follow-up to their eponymous 2003 debut will include "On Slaught," "Throne of Lies," "Belials Path" and "Early Mourning." Watch Them Die are on tour through September 17 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. ... The second album from Brides of Destruction, Runaway Brides, will hit stores September 27. Since the departure last year of bassist Nikki Sixx, the band has hired ex-Amen member Scott Sorry. The Brides entered the recording studio early this year with producer Andy Johns, who has previously worked with Led Zeppelin and the Rolling Stones. New tracks include "White Trash," "Criminal" and "Lords of the Mind." ... Richmond, Virginia, crossover hardcore band Municipal Waste will release their second full-length album, Hazardous Mutation, on September 20. The group is reminiscent of DRI, Crumbsuckers and early Corrosion of Conformity, and features ex-Discordance Axis/ Burnt by the Sun drummer Dave Witte.

• Powerman 5000
• Brides Of Destruction
• Ministry
• Every Time I Die

We just got an album. We just got an album. We just got an album. Wonder who it's from?

Steve Burns, former host of "Blue's Clues," of course.

Newly minted indie rocker Burns delivers his debut record, Songs for Dustmites, which features a little help from his friends, members of the Flaming Lips and their producer David Fridmann. Songs like "Mighty Little Man," "What I Do on Saturday" and "Troposphere" showcase Burns' wide-eyed innocence with the Lips' penchant for the absurd.

Dashboard Confessional's Chris Carrabba, the reluctant emo poster boy, releases A Mark, a Mission, a Brand, a Scar. The critical consensus is that Carrabba finally exhibits his full power as a musician on songs like "So Beautiful," "Ghost of a Good Thing" and "Several Ways to Die."

Ben Lee tries hard to get your attention on Hey You. Yes You. Dan the Automator produces the Australian rocker's fifth album, and the combination makes for catchy pop songs and spaced-out sounds. According to Lee, "Chills," a power ballad co-written by Jason Schwartzman, was written with high-school proms in mind, with the aim being that the song be played at the pre-summer festivities for years to come.

State Property's Beanie Sigel Presents 2: The Album features Beanie, of course, as well as fellow Roc-A-Fellas like Freeway, Peedi Crakk and Young Chris. Broadcast release Haha Sound, the band's second, ethereal album, alongside Goodie Mob rapper Big Gipp's Mutant Mindframe and Pat Benatar's Go.

The soundtrack for the slasher buddy flick "Freddy Vs. Jason" features the aggro-rock of Powerman 5000, Stone Sour and Type O Negative, while a kinder, gentler compilation, Powerpuff Girls: Power Pop, features the Sahara Hotnights on "On Top of Your World," Cherish on "Power of the Female" and "Me and My Girls," and Shonen Knife's ode to the crankiest super heroine, "Buttercup (She's a Supergirl)."

Out Tuesday, August 12:

• Howard Alden and Bucky Pizzarelli - A Mellow Tone (Concord Jazz)
• Sherrié Austin - Streets of Heaven (BBR)
• Ballboy - A Guide for the Daylight Hours (Manifesto)
• Danny Barnes - Dirt on the Angel (Terminus)
• Martin Barre - Stage Left (Fuel 2000)
• Tywanna Jo Baskette - Fancy Blue (Sweet Tea/Terminus)
• Pat Benatar - Go! (Bel Chiasso)
• Big Gipp - Mutant Mindframe (Koch)
• Blusom - Go Slowly All the Way Round the Outside (Second Nature)
• Broadcast - Haha Sound (Warp)
• Steve Burns - Songs for Dustmites (PIAS)
  Read: "Ex-'Blue's Clues' Host Steve Burns An Indie Rocker At Heart"
• Calico System - The Duplicated Memory (Eulogy)
• Carbon Leaf - 5 Alive (two CDs, Carbon Leaf)
• The Cash Brothers - A Brand New Night (Rounder)
• Eva Cassidy - American Tune (Blix Street)
• Cat on Form - Structure and Fear (Southern)
• Eddy Clearwater with Los Straitjackets - Rock 'n' Roll City (Bullseye Blues & Jazz)
• Dashboard Confessional - A Mark, A Mission, A Brand, A Scar (Vagrant)
  Read: "Dashboard Confessional Singer Heals Scars, Stops Singing The Blues On New LP"
  Hear A Mark, A Mission, A Brand, A Scar first on MTV.com
  Buy Now: A Mark, A Mission, A Brand, A Scar (Vagrant)
• Jason Crosby - Four Chords and Seven Notes Ago (Artists House)
• Dapp Theory - Y'all Just Don't Know (Concord)
• Dead by July - Before Dishonor (Bockhorn)
• Disfear - Misanthropic Generation (Relapse)
• Dishwalla - Live ... From the Flow State (Immergent)
  Buy Now: Live ... From the Flow State (Immergent)
• DJ Craze - Rugged Radio Saturday (Audio Research)
• DJ Keoki - KeokiClash (Hypnotic)
• Dudoos - Kogidaso! Shura-Shu-Shun! (Sound Pollution)
• Extol - Synergy (Century Media)
• Béla Fleck and the Flecktones - Little Worlds (Columbia)
• Gene Loves Jezebel - Exploding Girls (Triple X)
• Scott Hamilton Quartet - Live in London (Concord Jazz)
• Inhuman - The New Nightmare (A-F)
• Alan Jackson - Greatest Hits 2 (Arista)
• The Joykiller - Ready, Sexed, Go! (Epitaph)
• Jude the Obscure - The Coldest Winter (One Day Savior)
• Ben Lee - Hey You. Yes You. (F2)
  Buy Now: Hey You. Yes You. (F2)
• Los Lonely Boys - Los Lonely Boys (Or Music)
• Low Flying Owls - Elixir Viritae (Stinky)
• Tom Mabe - A Wake-Up Call for Telemarketers (Megaforce)
• Marizane - Stage One (Vibro-phonic)
• The Mexican Blackbirds - Just to Spite You (Dirtnap)
• Mosquitos - Mosquitos (Bar None)
• Judy Mowatt - Sing Our Own Song (Shanachie)
• Ken Navarro - All the Way (Shanachie)
• Michelle Nixon - It's My Turn (Pinecastle)
• Tim O'Brien - Traveler (Sugar Hill)
• Pansy Division - Total Entertainment (Alternative Tentacles)
• Danilo Pérez - ... Till Then (Verve)
• Sarah Pierce - Love's the Only Way (Little Bear/Valley Entertainment)
• Pigface - Head (Invisible)
• Rap Mania - The Roots of Rap (X-Ray)
• Kurt Rosenwinkel - Heatcore (Verve)
• Arundhati Roy - Come September ... In Conversations With Howard Zinn (Alternative Tentacles)
• Diane Schuur - Midnight (Concord Jazz)
• Slack Family - Pickin' Up the Slack (Planetary)
• Smith, White & Fairchild - Love Never Fails (Skaggs Family)
• Smoo - Traffic in My Soul (Valley Entertainment)
• South Central Cartel - South Central Hell-A (D3)
• The Spotlight Syndicate - ... Forget the Static Past ... (Substandard)
• State Property - Beanie Sigel Presents 2: The Album (Def Jam)
• These Arms Are Snakes - This Was Meant to Hurt You (Jade Tree)
• Walter Trout - Relentless (Ruf)
• Truxton - Truxton (Substandard)
• Viki/Hair Police - Split (Load)
• Vortis - God Won't Bless America Again (Thick)
• Wehrwolfe - Godless We Stand (Magick)
• Robin Williamson - Skirting the River Road (ECM)
• World Inferno Friendship Society - Hallomas — Live at North Six (DCN)
• Various artists - 7Heads R Better Than 1, Vol. 1: No Edge Ups in South Africa (7Heads)
• Various artists - Boston Scene Report (TKO)
• Various artists - "Cheetah Girls" soundtrack (Walt Disney)
• Various artists - "Freddy Vs. Jason" soundtrack (Def Jam)
• Various artists - Fueling the Flames of Revolution (A-F)
• Various artists - "Grind" soundtrack (Atlantic)
• Various artists - An Irish Holiday (Eagle)
• Various artists - Japanese Assault (Relapse)
• Various artists - !K7150 (!K7)
• Various artists - Kids Bop Vol. 4 (Razor and Tie)
• Various artists - "The Last Great Wilderness" soundtrack (Domino)
• Various artists - Metamorphic: The String Quartet Tribute to Tool 2 (Vitamin)
• Various artists - "Open Range" soundtrack (Hollywood)
• Various artists - Powerpuff Girls: Power Pop (Kid Rhino)
• Various artists - Shout, Sister, Shout: A Tribute to Sister Rosetta
• Thorpe (M.C.)

• DVD Bloodhound Gang - One Fierce Beer Run (Geffen)
• DVD DJ Tiesto - Another Day at the Office (Black Hole)
• DVD Kottonmouth Kings - Endless Highway (Music Video Distributors/Suburban Noize)
• DVD New Order - 316 (Rhino)
• DVD Skid Row - Under the Skin: The Making of Thickskin (Music Video Distributors)

August 19:

• Kraftwerk - Tour de France Soundtracks (Astralwerks)
  Buy Now: Tour de France (Astralwerks)
• Neil Young - Greendale (Warner Bros.)
• Various artists - Neptunes Presents: Clones (Arista)
  Read: "Summer Music Preview: Neptunes' Star Trak Presents ... Clones"
  Buy Now: Neptunes Presents: Clones (Arista)
• Bow Wow - Unleashed (Columbia)
  Buy Now: Unleashed (Columbia)

August 26:

• Hilary Duff - Metamorphosis (Disney)
  Read: "Hilary Duff: Not Just For Kids"
  Buy Now: Metamorphosis (Disney)
  
• Peter Frampton - Now (33rd St.)
• Anthony Hamilton - Coming From Where I'm From (Arista) Read: "Eve, D'Angelo Can Testify: Anthony Hamilton Is 'Hellified Powerful' "
  Buy Now: Coming From Where I'm From (Arista)
• Outkast - Speakerboxxx/The Love Below (La Face)
  Buy Now: Speakerboxxx/The Love Below (La Face)
• Triumph the Insult Comic Dog - Songs in the Key of Poop (Warner Bros.)
  Read: "Eminem Enemy Triumph Previews LP; Beefs With Bow Wow, Benji"

September 2:

• Mariah Carey - Remixes (Sony)
• Raveonettes- Chain Gang of Love (Sony)

September 9:

• John Mayer - Heavier Things (Sony)
  Read: "John Mayer Tries Hip-Hop With Help From Roots' ?uestlove"
• Seal - Seal (Warner Bros.)

September 16:

• Elvis Costello - North (Universal)
• Bubba Sparxxx - Deliverance (Interscope)
  Read: "Bubba Sparxxx Softens Bumpkin Image, Teams Up With Justin For A 'Hootnanny' "
  
• Carnie Wilson - For the First Time (KMA)

October 7:

• Jin - Almost Famous (Virgin)
  Read: "Ruff Ryders' New Dog: Jin"

• Dashboard Confessional
• State Property
• Steve Burns
• Ben Lee
• Powerman 5000

Powerman 5000
Photo: Dreamworks

When Powerman 5000 frontman Spider scrapped his band's last album just weeks before its release, it was because he was certain he no longer wanted PM5K to be an angry nü-metal band that sounded like brother Rob Zombie's group.

Finding his true calling was another story.

Spider wanted to tackle lots of different styles, including new wave-tinged punk, poppy industrial rock and anthemic metal, but he wasn't sure it would work. So he turned to his idols the Clash for artistic and philosophical inspiration and threw caution to the wind when writing Powerman's new album, Transform.

"Before I saw the Clash, the idea of being in a band didn't seem all that cool to me," Spider said. "They changed my world. Their record London Calling is one of my favorite albums, and it was all over the place. So in the spirit of that, I felt like it was OK to not have focus and jump from one genre to another."

After Joe Strummer died of a heart attack in December (see "Joe Strummer Of The Clash Dead At 50"), Spider became even more convinced that his decision to go with his gut and present something different than everything else on the charts was the right move.

"The day he died, I was searching for information about what happened, and the top story musically was that Fred Durst was dating Britney Spears," griped Spider. "That only fueled the fire to expose just how incredibly backwards we all are."

The title Transform reflects how the band's sound has shifted. Spider, however, views the name more as a call to arms for a nation of apathetic sheep.

"I'm asking the listeners to transform and think about themselves in a different way and defy whatever expectations society has put upon them," he said, revealing his subversive punk-rock ethos. "I feel like the only way you can win the battle with the bullsh-- of the world is by confusing the people around you."

"Free," the first single from Transform, is enjoying strong radio play across the country (see "Powerman 5000 Bury The Zombie And Transform Their Sound"). The track addresses the need to question authority, a point Spider hammers home again and again on "A Is for Apathy," "Theme to a Fake Revolution" and "Action," which will likely be the record's second single.

"People are much more apprehensive to question anything these days," Spider said. "I just feel that people have become afraid to tap into the rebellious spirit of youth. I don't know if that's because people figure they've got it good and there's no reason to rebel or question what's around them, but I don't feel that punk-rock spirit — that feeling of 'I don't fit in and I'm gonna make sure you realize I don't fit in, and I'm gonna do something about it.' I miss that and I want to bring it back."

• Powerman 5000

Powerman 5000
Photo: Dreamworks

Success isn't always all it's cracked up to be. Nearly four years have passed since Powerman 5000 released their blistering Tonight the Stars Revolt!, which helped them scramble up the alt-metal scrap heap and, consequently, made their lives much more complicated.

Two years ago, frontman Spider tried to ignore his conscience and just ride the wave by writing an even heavier disc, Anyone for Doomsday?, but right before it was due to drop he shelved it because he felt like he was selling his creative vision short. The songs didn't represent his interests, he felt, and he didn't want PM5K to be pigeonholed as apocalyptic misanthropes who merely followed in the footsteps of his brother Rob Zombie's band.

"With the Doomsday record, I saw what was gonna happen with the music we created. I knew that we would be forever stuck in this mold of 'new metal/industrial/Rob Zombie thing,' and I really couldn't deal with that because that's not where my head is at musically," said Spider, whose favorite bands include the Clash, the Jam and Blur.

Returning to square one, Spider wrote Transform, a batch of 12 songs that are catchier and more musically adventurous than any of the group's previous material. "The real goal was just to strip away all of that [past baggage] and forget about any rules we had set for ourselves and just make a record that we liked," he said.

"Free," the disc's first single, is currently heating up at radio. The deceptively simple track features a gradually descending power riff that evolves into a rousing chorus treated with a spindly melodic guitar lick.

"Musically, that song was one of my favorites because it totally rocks but isn't heavy-handed," Spider said. "It doesn't even sound like it's trying that hard. It's just one of those songs that moves forward."

Like many cuts on the album, "Free" is about taking the reins and making your own choices. Or as Spider sings it, "Living so free is a tragedy/ When you can't see what you need to see."

"My mission this year is to give kids the ability to use their bullsh-- detectors again, which we've completely lost in the last few years," Spider said. "When somehow a nation is fooled that Avril Lavigne is actually a punk rocker, we've got some problems."

A performance video for "Free" was shot in late February in Los Angeles. The clip was co-directed by Spider and Vem & Tony (Hoobastank, Marah), and it captures a new no-frills, no-nonsense approach for Powerman.

"In the past, videos for us just started to get so over-the-top with digital effects and crazy characters with costumes," Spider said. "That's fun and cool to do, but I felt like if we were gonna rebuild this band we had to do it on all levels. So we said, 'Enough with the million dollar videos. Let's make something simple and cool and cheap and get back to basics.' "

• Powerman 5000

Philly hip-hop collective the Roots will be the first musicians to appear in a People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) campaign to promote vegetarianism. Images of group members Leonard "Hub" Hubbard, Ben Kenney, Black Thought and Kamal Gray will be plastered across the country on a series of posters set to launch this summer. ... A house in Cape Cod, Massachusetts, belonging to Aerosmith bassist Tom Hamilton was destroyed by a fire Saturday night. The home, which was under construction at the time, was empty when the blaze occurred. ... Powerman 5000 frontman Spider One announced the addition of Norwegian bassist Sigve, who'll pair with new drummer Adrian to replace Dorian Heartsong and Alan Pahanish, the rhythm section that left the band in November. There's still no official release date for the group's third album, Anyone for Doomsday?, which is still being worked on. ...

05.10.02

Mudvayne are hoping to enter a studio near Minneapolis by July with producer David Bottrill (Tool, Peter Gabriel) to record the follow-up to 2000's L.D. 50. The as-yet untitled follow up is expected to be released late this year or early next. ... Ricky Martin won the Spirit of Hope Award for his humanitarian efforts and Shakira nabbed the first-ever Viewer's Choice Award at the 2002 Billboard Latin Music Awards, held Thursday in Miami. Marc Anthony, Enrique Iglesias and singer/composer Juan Gabriel, the night's big winner, also scored trophies at the awards ceremony, which will be broadcast Sunday (May 12) on Telemundo. ... Gravity Kills were forced to cancel five shows after Doug Firley's spring-loaded keyboard came down on his right hand, shattering his ring finger during a May 3 show in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Firley returned home to St. Louis for treatment, and the band plans to resume touring in Boston on May 19. ...

For years, Ted Nugent has endorsed the sport of hunting, and now he's nurturing the art of gourmet cooking by issuing Kill It and Grill It, a practical guide to cornering, exterminating, gutting, cooking and eating wild animals. Recipes include maple-bourbon wild boar, barbecue black bear and sweet and sour antelope. ... Ozzy Osbourne will have a cameo role in the upcoming "Austin Powers In Goldmember," which hits theaters July 26. The omnipresent metal pioneer filmed his scene in his Beverly Hills residence last week. ... Gregory Dark, the ex-porn auteur who made a more mainstream name for himself directing videos for the likes of Britney Spears, Sublime, Mandy Moore and LFO, has signed on to direct a horror-action feature titled "Legion," according to The Hollywood Reporter. Casting for the flick has yet to be announced. ...

The first single from David Bowie's upcoming album, Heathen, will be "Slow Burn," which features guest guitar work by the Who's Pete Townshend and gloomy lyrics including, "Here shall we live in this terrible town/ Where the price for our eyes shall squeeze them tight like a fist." CD singles of the song will come out July 1 in various formats with the additional songs "Wood Jackson," "When the Boys Come Marching Home," "Shadow Man," "You've Got a Habit" and "Baby Loves That Way." ... Mali Music, the project recorded by Blur/ Gorillaz singer Damon Albarn in collaboration with a wealth of the titular country's top musicians, will be released in the U.S. on July 30 through Honest Jon's/Astralwerks. All of Albarn's royalties, along with a matching sum from sales proceeds, will go to Oxfam International (www.oxfam.org).

• The Roots
• Aerosmith
• Powerman 5000
• Ricky Martin
• Marc Anthony

Powerman 5000's Spider
Photo: Dreamworks

When Powerman 5000 frontman Spider One decided to name his third album Anyone for Doomsday? it seemed like he had unwittingly placed some wicked apocalyptic mojo on his own spikey-haired head.

The record was due in August, but it never came out. Three months later, bassist Dorian Heartsong (a.k.a. Dorian 27) and drummer Alan Pahanish (Al 3) left the band (see "Powerman 5000's Bassist, Drummer Split").

But now, having dug himself out from the rock and roll rubble, Spider has emerged with a clearer vision of what he wants from his group's next album. Following six months of conceptualizing and writing, Powerman 5000 have cobbled together 20 songs and are working with a new drummer named Adrian (Spider isn't yet ready to supply the musician's full name).

"The whole experience has been like trying to grow your hair long," said Spider on Friday. "At first it never seems to get any longer, and then one day you wake up and go, 'Sh--, my hair's long.' We were working and working and not sure where we were going, and all of a sudden it's like, 'Damn, we've got some good songs here.' "

Spider said he scrapped Doomsday because it wasn't creative or experimental enough and it lacked a danceable groove. In short, it was just too doomy.

"Every time I'd listen to it I'd think, 'This is a f---ing great, kick-ass modern rock record, which is as good or better than anything I'm hearing in the genre. But it's not good enough for me because it doesn't represent what I want to put out as a record.' To me, doing a straight-up kick-ass rock record just isn't enough. I'm not in the business to compete with Slipknot. It was never important to me to be as aggro as possible all the time. One thing we've always done that has made us attractive to a lot of people is we've made fun, danceable music underneath layers of screaming guitars. Doomsday didn't have that, and I really missed it."

The new album will likely incorporate new wave, punk and heavy metal styles, making use of varied instrumentation including horns and acoustic guitars. Spider said he hopes to have the disc out by summer and begin touring shortly thereafter.

Although most of the new songs are still untitled, the one that has a name, "Stereotype," succinctly sums up Spider's current frame of mind. The tune opens with a mellow acoustic guitar passage before blasting into a riff that's part Cars, part Ministry.

"It's kind of this desperate plea to somehow find a way to be original," Spider said. "There's one lyric in another song that goes, 'The opposite of bravery has always been conformity,' and that's really where I'm at right now. This is gonna be one of those records where you just make it for yourself and don't worry about what anyone else is gonna think."

But while the new Powerman 5000 album is being created to satisfy Spider's selfish desires, he insists it won't alienate longtime fans.

"You're gonna be able to tell who it is, because the essential songwriters are the same and my vocals are the same. It's definitely leaning towards a bit more melody, but it ain't f---ing Creed, that's for sure. For me, it's getting back to the reason why Powerman started, which is to throw all these different elements that seemingly may not go together into the pot and stir it up."

It's likely, Spider said, that some of the songs originally slated for Doomsday will make it onto the new LP. At this point, the most likely candidates are the more offbeat tracks like "Danger Is Go!" and the electronic-based "Megatronic."

In keeping with his nonconformist work ethic, Spider wants to work with a producer who's not known for manning the boards for alt-metal bands. His first choice is Gorillaz member Dan "The Automator" Nakamura, who has recently worked with Lovage, Zack de la Rocha and others.

"To bring that kind of a spirit to an aggressive rock record could be pretty fantastic," he said. "It's kind of fitting in my world that the most exciting record of the last year was an album by a bunch of cartoon characters."

Now that Powerman 5000 are back in ass-kicking gear and are actively auditioning bassists (they hope to announce their new full lineup by the end of the month), Spider said he's more excited about playing music than he has been in years. "It just feels like a brand new band," he said. "I feel like I'm back in Boston in 1996 in a rehearsal space creating this new monster and there are no rules."

• Powerman 5000

Jason Newsted
Photo: MTV

From Jason Newsted's jaw-dropping departure from Metallica to At the Drive-In going on an "indefinite hiatus" at the peak of their popularity, 2001 certainly had its share of personnel shakeups and band breakups.

Only time will tell if some bandmembers are as replaceable as dead batteries or whether they were, in fact, the real power source of the group. And sometimes retirement is only as long as a much-needed vacation, as the Breeders proved most recently when they regrouped for a new album and tour (see "Breeders Reunion Spawns Monthlong U.S. Club Tour").

So while there's no telling how permanent any of these changes may be, they were made, and the rest of us, like it or not, will have to live with the results.

Limp Bizkit Loses Wes Borland: In October, the often-costumed guitarist and rap-rock kingpins parted company in what the band's management called an amicable split (see "Limp Bizkit And Wes Borland Part Ways"). Just days later, Limp Bizkit announced their open-audition search for a replacement (see "Wanted Ill Guitar Player; Must Know Limp Bizkit Tunes"). Although a roving hunt was to commence in November, they've yet to hit the trail.

Meanwhile, Borland is working on an album with his new band, Eat the Day, composed of members from his Bizkit side project Big Dumb Face. Eat the Day's debut is expected to surface in mid-2002 (see "Ex-Bizkit Borland Digs In With His New Band, Eat The Day").

Metallica Bassist Newsted Bows Out: The year kicked off with some shocking news when Jason Newsted announced in January that he was leaving Metallica after 14 years with the group (see "Bassist Jason Newsted Leaves Metallica"). An article in the April edition of Playboy suggested that Newsted had always felt like an outsider, despite having a longer tenure with the band than original bassist Cliff Burton (see "Metallica Bares All In Playboy").

After leaving, Newsted worked with musical youths the Moss Brothers (see "Ex-Metallica Bassist Newsted Plays With Young Duo") and his new band EchoBrain and produced various projects (see "Jason Newsted Gets Buys After Metallica"). Meanwhile, Metallica began work on their new record in April (see"Shorthanded Metallica Enter Recording Studio"), and three months later singer James Hetfield entered rehab. He left the facility in December (see "James Hetfield Exits Rehab, Rejoins Metallica"), and a new album is expected soon, though a void in the bass slot remains.

Weezer's Bassist Goes AWOL: Bassist Mikey Welsh, who had replaced founding member Matt Sharp, left the company of Weezer in August rather mysteriously. After skipping out on a scheduled video shoot for "Island in the Sun," he went missing and later turned up in a psychiatric hospital (see "Weezer Bassist Checks Into Psychiatric Hospital"). The band named Scott Shriner of Los Angeles' Broken as a temporary tour replacement, and Weezer are now working on the follow-up to Weezer, a.k.a. the Green Album (see "Weezer Continue To Hammer Away At New LP").

Rage Against the Machine Working With Cornell: Following frontman Zack de la Rocha's departure in October 2000, the remaining members of Rage Against the Machine began working with former Soundgarden singer Chris Cornell in May (see "Chris Cornell To Rage With The Machine"). The group, which will not be called Rage Against the Machine, hopes its labors will come to fruition next year.

Guns N' Roses Reload With New Lineup: Although a new GN'R lineup was cemented in early 2000 (see "GN'R: Buckethead In, Freese Out"), it took some nine months before fans could see the result. Axl Rose was the only original member to hit the stage on New Year's Eve in Las Vegas, joined by guitarists Buckethead, Robin Finck and Paul Tobias, keyboardists Dizzy Reed and Chris Pittman, former Primus drummer Brian "Brain" Mantia, and former Replacements bassist Tommy Stinson (see "Rose's New Guns Unveiled In Vegas").

The group, minus Pittman, was said to be readying its long-awaited new album, Chinese Democracy, for a June release (see "Guns N' Roses To Release New Album In June"), but perhaps not surprisingly, the date has been pushed back indefinitely. A European tour was also in place, but that, too, was scrapped (see "Guns N' Roses Cancel European Tour — Again"). Next year will bring everything full circle, as the band will once again toast the new year in Las Vegas (see "Guns N' Roses Ante Up For Another New Year's Eve In Vegas").

Powerman 5000 Lose Some Juice: While retooling their new album, which once bore the title Anyone for Doomsday?, the rhythm section of Powerman 5000 pulled the plug. Bassist Dorian Heartsong (a.k.a. Dorian 27) and drummer Alan Pahanish (Al 3) announced in November that they were splitting with singer Spider One and guitarists Adam 12 and M.33 (see "Powerman 5000's Bassist, Drummer Split"). And though Spider said the split was amicable, he confessed that "Powerman 5000 will never be the same — it will be better!" The follow-up to 1999's Tonight the Stars Revolt! is still without a release date.

Slayer Drummer Gets Elbowed Out of Job: Slayer's Paul Bostaph, the band's drummer since 1994, was forced into retirement by a chronic elbow injury in late December, leaving the slot behind the kit open for original drummer Dave Lombardo to return. Lombardo's stint is temporary, however — he's on board only for the next leg of Slayer's God Hates Us All tour, which begins in January. A permanent replacement has yet to be named (see "Original Slayer Drummer Dave Lombardo Back For Tour").

Methods of Mayhem Rapper Departs: TiLo, one of the two principals behind Methods of Mayhem with former Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee relinquished his post in February to pursue other interests (see "Methods Of Mayhem Un-Rapped: TiLo Leaves Band"). Lee, meanwhile has been working on the follow-up to MoM's eponymous 1999 debut, which he hopes to have out in May (see "Tommy Lee Pulls In Incubus, Cypress Hill Members For More Mayhem").

Kittie Guitarist Goes Astray: Guitarist Fallon Bowman was unceremoniously removed from Kittie's lineup in August without any explanation from the band's camp. A statement issued by their label announced that Kittie are now a trio while emphasizing that sisters Morgan and Mercedes Lander were always the creative force anyway (see "Kittie Guitarist Scratched From Lineup"). Guitar tech Jeff Phillips rounded out the group for live performances to support Kittie's latest album, Oracle, released in November.

At the Drive-In Take a Back Seat: The members of El Paso, Texas, rock group At the Drive-In, together since 1994, announced their indefinite hiatus in March, so that they can pursue other projects, such as DeFacto, a dub project consisting of guitarist Omar Rodriguez and singer Cedric Bixler (see "At The Drive-In Suspend Activity, Cancel April Dates"). Their last album together was 2000's Relationship of Command.

Static-X Score Some Dope: In January, techo-metal group Static-X replaced guitarist Koichi Fukuda, who announced his departure in November 2000, with former Dope guitarist Tripp Eisen (see "Static-X Finishing Album, Hire Dope Guitarist"). Eisen's handiwork can be heard on the band's latest album, Machine, released in May.

New York rap-rockers Dope then recruited guitarist Virus and drummer Sketchy Shay while moving bassist Acey Slade to guitar and filling the void with original bassist Sloane Jentry. They released their second album, Life, in October.

Bad Religion Reunite With Gurewitz: Original Bad Religion guitarist and Epitaph Records founder Brett Gurewitz re-entered the band's lineup in May to write and record the two-decade-old band's twelfth album, The Process of Belief, scheduled for a January release (see "Bad Religion Reunited With Brett Gurewitz"). Drummer Bobby Schayer was permanently sidelined by a shoulder injury in June (see "Bad Religion Drummer Forced Into Retirement"), and Suicidal Tendencies drummer Brooks Wackerman replaced him behind the kit.

Savage Garden No Longer Growing: The harvest month of October yielded no crop from Savage Garden, as the pop duo of Darren Hayes and Daniel Jones went their separate ways after five years together (see "Savage Garden Grow Permanently Apart"). Jones is pursuing a nonmusical career, while Hayes is preparing to release his solo debut, Spin in the spring.

Wilco's Tweedy Weeds Out Members: The only members left from Wilco's original lineup are frontman Jeff Tweedy and bassist John Stirratt after two torches were passed to successors. Drummer Ken Coomer was replaced in January by Glenn Kotche, and multi-instrumentalist Jay Bennett quit the band in July, allowing Leroy Bach to climb aboard. After being dropped from longtime label Reprise, the quartet streamed their new album, Yankee Hotel Foxtrot, online while searching for a new home (see "Wilco Stream New Album Online While Shopping For Label"), which they found at Nonesuch. The group's fourth album is due in April.

Fu Manchu Drummer Hits the Road: After receiving some mainstream recognition with last year's King of the Road, Fu Manchu said goodbye to drummer Brant Bjork, who quit the stoner-rock quartet in November to pursue other endeavors. Before leaving, he had already recorded his parts for Fu's forthcoming seventh album, California Crossing, due February 5. A replacement drummer has been selected but not yet announced.

Our Lady Peace Guitarist Departs: Canadian rockers Our Lady Peace got a little less tranquil when founding guitarist Mike Turner announced his departure in December, citing musical and creative differences. The band has been working on its fifth album, the follow-up to the conceptual Spiritual Machines, in Maui, Hawaii, with producer Bob Rock, and will continue to labor away in January. A six-string successor has not been named.

You Tell Us:

What shakeup or breakup will have the most lasting effect on music? Voice your opinion in You Tell Us.

• Metallica
• Limp Bizkit
• The Breeders
• Weezer
• Rage Against the Machine

Powerman 5000's Spider One
Photo: Hollywood/Dreamworks

Powerman 5000 are down two of their five musical generators with the departure of bassist Dorian Heartsong (a.k.a. Dorian 27) and drummer Alan Pahanish (Al 3), but singer Spider One promises to deliver just as much juice on the band's next album.

The rhythm section's exodus was amicable, according to the group's DreamWorks publicist.

"I can't really say why they made the choice that they did. That is something only they can tell you," Spider wrote on his band's Web site. "As you know, I have been in this band for [more than] 10 years with those guys and always thought they would be in it until the end. They will be greatly missed. That said, I can tell you that there is no way PM5K is breaking up!"

Spider and the band's remaining members, guitarists Adam 12 and M.33, continue to revamp the follow-up to 1999's Tonight the Stars Revolt! After their third LP, which once bore the title Anyone for Doomsday?, was completed this summer, Spider felt the finished product was rushed and decided to re-enter the studio for some retooling (see "Doomsday Delayed As Powerman 5000 Head Back To Studio"). The redux record, which doesn't have a release date yet, will carry a new title, artwork and songs.

"I suspect that because of all this going down, the new album will be even more different than I had planned," Spider's post said. "The only thing I can say is: Powerman 5000 will never be the same — It will be better! I guarantee it."

• Powerman 5000

• Powerman 5000