Emigrate
Photo: Pilgrim Management / Motor Music

It was hard enough for Rammstein guitarist Richard Z. Kruspe to leave his friends and daughter in Berlin and relocate to New York to write an album for his side project, Emigrate. The last thing he needed was for the house he moved into to be haunted.

The residence, a former firehouse in SoHo, apparently revealed its spiritual energies to Kruspe soon after he set up his home studio there. He says the burglar alarm went off repeatedly without being triggered, tiny holes appeared in his window without explanation, and his girlfriend had to move out after just two weeks because she felt so unsettled by the house's vibe.

"I went online to research the history of the house, and I found a picture of it from 1874," Kruspe said a week before heading back to Germany to continue work on the next Rammstein album, which doesn't have a name yet. "I printed it up, and when I looked closely at it, I got goose bumps all over my body. The picture is of three guys standing outside the building, and one of them looks exactly like me."

While some of Kruspe's friends have found being in the house too unnerving, the former resident of East Germany has accepted the spirit and fed off its energy. "The house has a strange feeling to it, but that's why I love it," he said. "I made peace with the energy long ago, and now I'm basically talking to it, saying, 'Hello,' 'Good night' and 'What's going on?' But obviously, I'm doing that in my head — if I started talking out loud, I think I would have to check into a hospital."

Maybe some of the paranormal activity inspired Kruspe to write Emigrate's self-titled debut, which comes out January 28, but the songs on the disc are neither haunting nor ethereal. They're filled with feelings of loneliness, despair and rage that stemmed more from the isolation he felt in America.

"I moved here in 2001 because I needed a change in my life," he explained. "I had been living in Berlin for 18 years, and I was bored and wanted a new challenge. I felt I had to create something new, and one of the things you have to do as an artist is go the unsafe way, because this brings you into the suffering world, and if you're suffering, you can write good music. When I came to New York, I dealt with a lot of rejection and depression in the process of entering the new world and saying goodbye to the old one, and that was definitely inspirational."

Equally inspiring was Kruspe's desire to branch out from the sonic niche he had created with Rammstein. Before he moved to America, he was experiencing creative and personal friction with his bandmates. In the past, he had written nearly all the group's songs, and was extremely controlling about how the music was played and the role everyone served in the group. After years of putting up with his totalitarian perfectionism, his bandmates started to rebel.

"It got to the point where people couldn't be around me," Kruspe said. "If you want to eat a chocolate cake, one piece is nice, but if you eat the whole cake, you'll f---ing puke. And it was the same with me. It was too much to deal with, so I distanced myself from the whole situation and tried to find something else."

Kruspe found the outlet in Emigrate, a project that allowed him to explore new artistic avenues on his own and take on the role of lead singer as well as guitarist. While songs like "Emigrate," "Wake Up" and "My World" have elements in common with Rammstein — chugging metal guitars, ominous keyboards, militaristic percussion — other tracks, such as "In My Tears" and "Temptation," are softer, moodier and more subtle, interlaced with acoustic-guitar arpeggios, gloomy pop vocals and baleful samples of strings.

"At the time I did these songs, I felt like something was missing in Rammstein," Kruspe said. "To work for that band is almost like working for a soundtrack. You have to work with no vocals because those are the last things that will appear on the song. For Emigrate, I started to work more as a traditional songwriter. Also, I was singing and writing lyrics in English, which allowed me to experiment with all these things I had never explored before. Basically, that allowed me to balance myself out again so I could go back to Rammstein and be the happy guitar player."

Sometimes it's hard for musicians to return to their main bands after they get such a taste of freedom. But having complete creative control of Emigrate had the opposite effect on Kruspe. Rammstein are now working democratically, and Kruspe says he's coexisting with his bandmates more amicably than ever. So far, the group has written 30 basic tracks at a rental house near the Baltic Sea, and it plans to enter the studio in March and release the follow-up to 2005's Rosenrot sometime in 2008.

"It's looking like it will be the most heaviest record we ever did," Kruspe said. "The songs are faster, and it feels like we're really going back to our roots and rediscovering what we like and what Rammstein is all about. We're thinking of going to Los Angeles ... to record an album in America [for the first time]. And we're in a position right now where we don't have a contract with any record company, and that gives us peace of mind because there's no pressure from the outside."

For Kruspe, the only drawback about being back with Rammstein is he'll be unable to tour for Emigrate. After Rammstein finish their record, the band will embark on its first world tour in two years, which leaves no time for him to support his solo disc. But that doesn't mean he won't find time to write new Emigrate songs.

"Every time I'm in New York, I'm working for Emigrate," Kruspe said. "I'm trying to really separate the work I do by the city I'm in. It's almost like I'm living totally different lives. I never really believed in monogamy anyway, so I always like to live in a duality like that. And when the time is right, I'll take Emigrate on tour, also."

The rest of the week's metal news:

The team behind Metal File has come up with its Top 10 Metal Records of the Year lists, if you care. Here's writer Jon Wiederhorn's list: 1. Behemoth - The Apostasy; 2. Machine Head - The Blackening; 3. Down - Down III: Over the Under; 4. The Dillinger Escape Plan - Ire Works; 5. Every Time I Die - The Big Dirty; 6. Job for a Cowboy - Genesis; 7. Nile - Ithyphallic; 8. Ministry - The Last Sucker; 9. High on Fire - Death Is This Communion; and 10. Sigh - Hangman's Hymn. Next is writer Chris Harris' list: 1. The Dillinger Escape Plan - Ire Works; 2. The Number Twelve Looks Like You - Mongrel; 3. Watain - Sworn to the Dark; 4. Deathspell Omega - Fas - Ite, Maledicti, in Ignem Aeternum; 5. Chimaira - Resurrection; 6. The Red Chord - Prey for Eyes; 7. Opeth - The Roundhouse Tapes; 8. Behemoth - The Apostasy; 9. Xasthur - Defective Epitaph; 10. A Life Once Lost - Iron Gag. Lastly, Kurt Orzeck, who edits Metal File each week, submitted his own picks: 1. 3 Inches of Blood - Fire Up the Blades; 2. The Dillinger Escape Plan - Ire Works; 3. Baroness - The Red Album; 4. Big Business - Here Come the Waterworks; 5. Down - Down III: Over the Under; 6. Opeth - The Roundhouse Tapes; 7. Dethklok - The Dethalbum; 8. Yakuza - Transmutations; 9. Horse the Band - A Natural Death; and 10. Arch Enemy - Rise of the Tyrant. ...

Killswitch Engage, Every Time I Die, the Dillinger Escape Plan and Parkway Drive will hit the road next year for a spate of U.S. dates. The tour kicks off January 9 and runs through February 5, although the cities the band will perform on those two specific days have yet to be determined. A full list of the dates can be found on Killswitch's MySpace page. ... 36 Crazyfists have titled their forthcoming Ferret Music debut The Tide and It's Takers. Look for the record to drop March 4. ... Grindcore monsters Cephalic Carnage were robbed during a recent stop in Tulsa, Oklahoma, where they had to have their van worked on. "A backpack containing the recent earnings from the tour (close to $4,000), a laptop computer with over $2,000 in music-software programs loaded, an iPod and various personal items were among the items stolen," the band said in a statement. "We immediately called the police and suspected that an employee grabbed the backpack in the process of getting the work done. This could not have come at a worst time, as we were looking to use earnings from this tour to help cover the upcoming holiday expenses for our kids and families. As you might expect, we are extremely upset, as this tour was doing very well for us (both financially and morale-wise)." The band will continue with its tour and hopes to recover the pilfered items. On a related note, the Locust were also recently victimized, after a show in St. Louis over the weekend. The band's van was broken into, and "a large amount of personal possessions, including three computers, phone chargers, money and anything else you might think of" were pinched, according to a statement. ...

Bay Area metal vets Death Angel plan to release their upcoming LP, Killing Season, February 26. ... According to Nebula, the stoner rockers will be hitting the studio in the next few weeks to begin recording demos for the follow-up to 2006's Apollo. We'll keep you posted as more news becomes available. ... Firewind's Gus G. has offered an update on that band's forthcoming album. "Most of the recordings for the new album are done by now," he wrote in a post on the band's Web site. "We've been locked at Sweden's Studio Fredman for about a month now, and I'm super-excited with the way things are shaping up. Killer sounds on the drums, guitars and bass. We've recorded 12 original songs and a few covers, which will be revealed in time." No word yet on when the LP will hit stores. ... Gorgoroth-gate continues this week, as the bandmembers' feud rages on. Guitarist Infernus, now embroiled in a legal dispute with the rest of the group over the rights to the its name, has launched the "official" Web site and MySpace page for his version of Gorgoroth. According to Infernus, the band currently "consists of Infernus as the sole permanent member, which means that no live appearances are planned for the immediate future." Infernus said he's been working on material for Gorgoroth's next full-length, called Quantos Possund Ad Satanitatem Trahunt. ...

Swedish doom-metallers Eerie will release an LP in fall 2008 called As the World Comes to an End. The band claims in a statement that the set will feature "six to seven songs [that] will embrace your haunted and darkened lives." ... Doom-metal outfit the Gates of Slumber have announced that they, too, will have an active 2008. Next year the band will issue its next LP, Conqueror, which will boast "Black River," "Eyes of the Liar" and "Witch Throne." Look for it to hit store shelves in May. ... Swedish black-metallers Vanmakt have lost guitarist Satygh. The band's frontman, Gorgoth, said the rest of Vanmakt couldn't trust Satygh, and hence, they're now looking for a new guitarist. In the meantime, they've enlisted a substitute so that they can avoid missing any upcoming live gigs. ...

Eternal Ruin need a new singer following the departure of Chris Yuastella. "It seems the band and Chris have reached a plateau of complacency over the past few years," read the band's statement on the matter. "We firmly believe now is the best time to make this move based solely on the band's future. We've already begun working on the new stuff and [are] extremely pleased thus far. The new stuff will be a little more defined than previous efforts, plus will definitely have the brutality the band is known for." ... Matt Heafy is threatening to release another Trivium record. According to a post on the band's MySpage page, the singer/guitarist said, "it's [going to] be a very long while" before the band plays any more live gigs, as "[we've got to] take the time to go and make the greatest Trivium album ever (we have demoed [a lot of] tracks and so far ... it's already, in demo form, shaping up to be the best material we have ever created)." We'll take your word for it. ... Swedish melodic black-metal maelstrom Siebenbürgen have re-formed and crafting new material for an album that could drop sometime next year. According to a statement issued by frontman Marcus Ehlin, the band features several new members, but the "music is in the same vein as before: dark and atmospheric metal." ... XXX Maniak and Throatplunger have teamed up for a split 7-inch release that should be available in the next two weeks. The effort will boast "Golden Showers, Black Hearts," "Attending the Graduation of Someone I F---ed 10 Years Ago" and "Railing Lines at Ground Zero."

• Rammstein
• Killswitch Engage
• Behemoth
• Dillinger Escape Plan

Soilwork
Photo: Nuclear Blast Records

Back in 2002, Soilwork released the well-received Natural Born Chaos, a tight, ultra-intense LP that irrevocably altered the band's sound — and for the better. It's still regarded as a tremendous breakthrough for the Swedish melodic-death-metal merchants, thanks in large part to producer Devin Townsend's influence.

Unfortunately for Soilwork, the Strapping Young Lad frontman — who has also worked with the likes of Lamb of God and Gwar — was too busy with his own projects to assist the band on its subsequent releases (2003's Figure Number Five and 2005's Stabbing the Drama), much to Soilwork frontman Björn "Speed" Strid's chagrin.

"He's meant so much to Soilwork's music," the giant singer explained. "I don't think we'd sound the way we do without him. He's been such a huge inspiration through the years, and he creates music in such a unique way ... I could definitely see him doing the next record for us."

By "next record," Strid's referring to the one that will inevitably follow Sworn to a Great Divide, the band's latest studio outing, which hits stores October 23. While Townsend didn't produce Sworn in its entirety, he did free up some time to work with Strid on his vocals, which the producer was "really psyched to do," Strid explained.

Sworn was tracked in Soilwork's hometown of Helsingborg, at Not Quite Studios — which is owned by the band's friends in Darkane. The album, like Soilwork's other efforts, expands on the sound they've been developing since the release of 1998's Steelbath Suicide, and Strid believes it's the band's most diverse offering to date.

"We can't make the same album twice," he explained. "Our music, it comes out in a natural way. We want to top ourselves every time, and we learn from the previous recording and try to take it to the next level. I definitely think we have developed our own sound, which is kind of hard nowadays. We were one of the originators of this balance between melodies and intensity, and we've developed that through the years. In the beginning, it was mostly the guitars that took care of the melodies. Now, it's in a different shade — it's more like the vocals take care of some of that stuff."

Soilwork, who were one of the main attractions on Ozzfest's second stage back in 2005, plan to spend the next year or so on the road to promote Sworn, Strid said. They'll get started next month when they take part in one of the year's biggest metal tours: the Lamb of God/ Killswitch Engage co-headlining run, which is set to launch November 28 in Lowell, Massachusetts, and go through December 17 in Rio Rancho, New Mexico.

It will be the band's first arena trek — a welcome change, Strid said, from Ozzfest's outdoor amphitheaters. After that tour wraps, Soilwork plan to return to Europe for some gigs and then head back to the States sometime in early 2008. Strid said there are no solidified plans yet for any '08 tours but confessed that several things are "in the works."

The band shot a video back in July for the album's lead single, "Exile," which Strid said has an unusual plotline.

"This director [Daniel Larsson] contacted us, and he had a tricky concept for the video," the singer explained. "His idea was that the whole band would be locked inside these speakers and amps, and this girl's walking her dog and she finds the speakers and amps in the bushes. She gets addicted to the music that comes out, and she wants to present it to the world — but we're working against her, tumbling around in the speakers. It's actually quite cool."

Soilwork's music will be featured in the upcoming video game "Overclocked," a thriller about an Army psychiatrist who's called to evaluate five young patients who've lost their memories. The band wrote an exclusive song, also called "Overclocked," for the game. Strid said they also hope to issue a DVD next year, as it will mark the 10th anniversary of Steelbath Suicide's release.

"It will be a live DVD," he said. "We wanted to do something special for our fans, and we've got lots of material already. We want to film some more shows soon — maybe even tape one show from each continent we hit on our tour."

Unfortunately, the yet-untitled disc will not feature footage from one of Strid's most memorable shows, which happened several years ago when the band was on tour with Brazilian death-metallers Krisiun.

"It was our first tour in Europe, and we were driving around in a house van that kept on breaking down," he explained. "We were playing in France at this restaurant, but the staff there thought they had booked a Brazilian samba band. You can image the looks on their faces when we all walked through the door. But actually, it was an unbelievable show. We still played, and the people there were really nice — they fed us and gave us red wine. It turned out pretty cool at the end."

The rest of the week's metal news:

Swedish band Sonic Syndicate will make their North American debut on an upcoming tour featuring Amon Amarth, Himsa and Decapitated. The tour launches November 19 in San Diego and runs through December 19 in Los Angeles. "We are excited and really looking forward to finally getting over there to see the American fans," guitarist Richard Sjunnesson said in a statement. "I have personally followed [Amon Amarth] since the early '90s, and touring with them makes me happier than words can express. It will of course also be an honor to share the stage with the brilliant metal acts Himsa and Decapitated. See you all soon!" ... West Virginia's Byzantine will drop their third album, Oblivion Beckons, at the end of January. The album was produced by Aaron Fisher and is the follow-up to 2005's ... And They Shall Take Up Serpents. "This is the first Byzantine album in which all four members have contributed songs," singer/ rhythm guitarist Chris "OJ" Ojeda said in a statement. "To my ears, it makes for a much more varied and interesting album from start to finish." Tracks include "Absolute Horizon," "Nadir" and "Expansion and Collapse." ...

Rammstein guitarist Richard Kruspe's side project, Emigrate, will bring their self-titled debut to the U.S. on January 28. The band's first single, "My World," was featured in the film "Resident Evil: Extinction." A video for the second single, "New York City," was recently shot in New York and can be seen on the Emigrate Web page. Emigrate — featuring Kruspe (vocals, guitar), Olsen Involtini (guitar), Arnaud Giroux (bass), Henka Johansson (drums) and Sascha Moser (programming) — recorded their album with longtime Rammstein cohorts Jacob Hellner and Stefan Glaumann. "At one point, I was asking myself, 'Does the world really need my record?' " Kruspe said in a statement. "[But I decided] I had to do it, simple as that." Kruspe is currently in Berlin with Rammstein recording the band's next album. ... Burnt by the Sun, From Autumn to Ashes and Schoolyard Heroes have been added to the lineup for this year's Saints and Sinners Festival, set for November 3 and November 4 in Asbury Park, New Jersey. Also slated to take the stage are Against Me!, Saves the Day, Horse the Band, the Number 12 Looks Like You, Glassjaw, Between the Buried and Me, From First to Last, Norma Jean and others. ...

Pig Destroyer frontman Blake Harrison and Misery Index bassist/singer Jason Netherton are now the hosts of a new two-hour show on XM Satellite Radio station Liquid Metal. Named "The Ultraviolence" after a 1987 Death Angel album, the program will debut Friday night (October 12) at 7 p.m. on Liquid Metal, XM channel 42. "We will play everything you may have missed, you have never heard of and/or you should know and [be] raising your illegitimate children to (preferably starting in the womb)," wrote Netherton in a release. "We will also be having guests and friends on regularly. The war starts now." ... Polish death-metal veterans Vader will release the live DVD "And Blood Was Shed in Warsaw" on November 20. The disc was shot at the Stodola Club in February on the last stop of the band's tour to promote its 2006 album, Impressions in Blood. The show features guest appearances by members of Behemoth and Vesania as well as the videos for "Helleluyah (God Is Dead)" and "Sword of the Witcher." ...

Tulsa, Oklahoma, metalcore band the Agony Scene will release their third album, Get Damned, October 23. The disc will be the band's first to feature drummer Ryan Folden, who replaced Brent Masters late last year. The band will launch a tour with A Life Once Lost, Suicide Silence and Walls of Jericho on October 30 in Rochester, New York. Dates run through November 14 in Lewisville, Texas. ... Psychedelic cult-metal band Bigelf will release their debut album, Hex, in North America on October 30. The disc was recorded in 2003 and released shortly after in Europe, but never came out Stateside. ... Long Island, New York, hardcore bludgeoners This Is Hell are in Full Force Studios with producer Joe Cincotta (Obituary, Suffocation) tracking the follow-up to their 2006 full-length debut, Sundowning. Drums for the yet-untitled new disc were recorded at Killingsworth Recording Company in Long Island with Tomas Costanza (Diffuser, Bedlight for Blue Eyes). The album is tentatively scheduled for release on February 19.

• Soilwork
• Lamb of God
• Killswitch Engage
• Sonic Syndicate
• Amon Amarth

Horse the Band
Photo: Koch Records

As far as heavy music is concerned, there are several active bands — like, say, Trivium — that take themselves way too seriously. Other bands just aren't serious enough. And then there's experimental-metalcore outfit Horse the Band.

Last month, in a press release regarding the June 26 release of their forthcoming album A Natural Death, the members of Horse the Band described the LP as an examination of "the futility and arrogance of creation and destruction, the overwhelming scale of space and time, and the brutal majesty of nature, the horror of birth and the beauty of death." The band hopes the set might serve as "a warning to the human race, to stop taking itself so seriously, as we have seen the dire consequences of its actions in the future."

Supposedly, Horse the Band "consists of five demigods, running from a haunted past they can't possibly remember." Of course, this is just shtick. After all, these are the same guys that, while tracking A Natural Death, launched a YouTube channel through which they intended to post a series of in-the-studio videos, updating fans on the recording process. But in no time, the channel was transformed into a forum for the band to post episodes of its own drama, "Lawrence and Friends" — the show revolves around a love triangle involving a sugar cube, a suicidal pencil and, inexplicably, singer/songwriter Carla Hassett.

This is a band led by a man named Nathan Winneke — who, as it just so happens, has a destructive alter ego named General Beam.

"He's like Jim Beam in my clothing, essentially," the singer said. "I flipped out for the first half of our tour with Heavy Heavy Low Low [back in March], and I destroyed their trailer, which is sad, because I really like those guys. But I lost a little control, and I caved in their entire roof while telling everybody it was science, and then I took a fish-scaling knife and cut a triangle in my arm. I was just being a total idiot, but when the General comes, I have no explanations."

Horse the Band, who've made a name for themselves touring with like-minded metallers the Dillinger Escape Plan and Hella, are heavy metal's version of "Airplane." The band's sound is a spastic, brutal mix of metal, fused with synth-produced blips and bleeps, and inspired by the video games of the 1980s and early '90s. The band's music is crafted to not only scramble your brains but tickle your funny bone.

For example, there's a track on A Natural Death called "Murder" that Horse the Band added to their set while on a recent headlining run with the Number Twelve Looks Like You and Light This City.

"The kids have been loving it," Winneke enthused. "I tell them it's a song about killing white people, and they go crazy." The lyrics were written from the perspective of an American Indian in 1847, "So it's OK."

Horse the Band began writing for A Natural Death — which also includes "His Purple Majesty," "Sex Raptor" and "I Think We Are Both Suffering From the Same Crushing Metaphysical Crisis" — back in the fall and finished recording it in February. The band took its time with the follow-up to 2005's The Mechanical Hand and the 2006 EP Pizza — which, yes, was a concept piece all about pizza.

"With Mechanical Hand, Koch [the band's label] was relaunching [the now-defunct] Combat Records, and we did it as fast as we possibly could, because they wanted to have an album to put out on Combat at the time of the relaunch," Winneke said. Combat folded again, and Horse the Band have since been absorbed by Koch.

"We're the heaviest band on the roster," Winneke said. "They did the soundtrack to the Barbie movies, and I loved those. They have a wide array of stuff, and we're the heaviest band I know of."

On A Natural Death, fans can expect more layers of sound, the frontman said. The band has incorporated more synth elements into its sound, and keyboardist Erik Engstrom found "this programming game ... where you can write tracks on the Game Boy, using sounds from the Game Boy, so this record has an extra, extra retro-awesomeness to it." Winneke added that, "If you thought we were chaotic before, we're, like, probably doubly chaotic now — in stranger and more unique ways, hopefully."

So, what does Winneke think of his own band? "We're very reckless and immature and have no idea what we're doing, and we should probably break up as a band, because all we're going to end up doing is killing ourselves," he said. "But hopefully, it will be funny."

The rest of the week's metal news:

Pyromaniacs and German-language students take note: Rammstein will unleash three different versions of their DVD and CD package "Völkerball" on July 17. All versions will feature a full 2005 concert recorded in Nimes, France, plus select footage from shows in London, Tokyo and Moscow. The standard two-disc set features a 140-minute DVD and a 75-minute CD of the concert. The special edition also features a second DVD with 90 minutes of content, including the documentary films "Reise, Reise: The Making of the Album" and "Anakonda Im Netz" (Anaconda in the Net). Finally, the limited edition includes a 190-page tour photo book, which contains everything in the three-disc set plus an additional CD capturing the remainder of the 140-minute France show. ... Dutch pagan black-metal band Grimm will release their new album, Heksenkringen, Tuesday. Tracks include "Witte Ruiter," "Als Wederganger Dwalend" and "Van Drakenbloed Fel." ...

Three songs from Paradise Lost's upcoming album In Requiem — "Never For the Damned," "Ash & Debris" and "The Enemy" — are available on an e-card that can be found right here. The e-card also features the video for "The Enemy," which was shot by Ukrainian director Edward 209 in March on the Crimean peninsula in Yalta. In Requiem is scheduled for release June 5. ... Messy Peruvian black-metal band Goat Semen will release the live album En Vivo en Lima Hell May 8. The disc includes "Sodom Graves," "Madre Muerte," "Rotten Messiah" and "At Luzbel's Behest," as well as bonus rehearsal material. ...

For the first time in years, there's a reason to look forward to September 11. On that date, death-metal veterans Obituary will release their yet-untitled new album. The follow-up to 2005's Frozen in Time will also be the band's first for Candlelight Records. Obituary are currently hard at work on the disc and scheduled to complete tracking by June 1. "We are really looking forward to having a record company that wants to work with us," singer John Tardy said in a statement. "We feel rejuvenated, and this new album is gonna be sick." "This will mark a new chapter in death-metal history," bassist Frank Watkins added. Obituary will launch a U.S. headline tour the week the album is released. ... Voivod have finished the video for "Polaroids." The clip was created with Banger Productions and Ottoblix and includes some of drummer Michel "Away" Langevin's artwork. The same team is also working on a video for "The X-Stream." According to a recent update by Langevin, the band will start recording the follow-up to 2006's Katorz in the fall. ...

Technical Florida death-metal band Atheist, which reunited last year for a batch of reunion shows, are calling it quits for good. On Friday (April 27) and Saturday, the band will play two dates in its home state. The coup de grace will come at an unscheduled final show in New York. "It's very hard to just walk away from this music that is having its day in the sun," guitarist/singer Kelly Shaefer said in a statement. "The shows keep getting better. But the best and most important thing to us has been the outpouring of brand new people who have embraced our music. We will wrap this all up with one final show in New York that will be filmed for a DVD." ... Seattle noisemongers Himsa have entered the studio to start recording their fourth album. The band will track the drums, bass and guitars with Steve Carter. Strapping Young Lad's Devin Townsend will track vocals and Tue Madsen will handle mixing duties. The disc is tentatively scheduled for a late August release. ... Three noteworthy underground-metal albums are coming on Candlelight on May 22: New York metal vets Pro-Pain will release Age of Tyranny - The Tenth Crusade, Octavia Sperati will unleash Grace Submerged, and Carnal Forge will test their fans' mettle with Testify for My Victims.

• Horse The Band
• Rammstein
• Obituary
• Voivod
• Himsa

Rammstein (file)
Photo: Republic

The message posted in an Internet chat room read, "Seeking well-built man, 18-30 years old for slaughter." A few months later, a user responded: "I offer myself to you and will let you dine from my live body. Not butchery, dining!!"

It wasn't a joke, and what followed was far more gruesome and bizarre than the plot of nearly any horror film. In March 2001, Armin Meiwes, a 42-year-old computer technician in Hesse, Germany, killed, dismembered and ate 43-year-old microchip engineer Bernd Juergen Brandes. While Brandes was still alive, the two dined on parts of his flesh together, then Meiwes stabbed him to death.

The incident captivated the European media, and provided East German industrial metal band Rammstein with some ripe new material with which to return from a three-year self-imposed exile.

"I was really interested to find out about why he would want to kill a man and eat [him]," guitarist Richard Kruspe said in a strong German accent. "What I figured out from some research was that Meiwes' mother totally destroyed all kinds of relationships he had in his childhood. So, he felt that if he did this, his victim would stay with him forever. It was just a really interesting story, so we decided to make a song about it."

The track about the cannibal, "Mein Teil," was released as a single in Europe last year, and will be the second single in North America, following "Amerika." Since Meiwes videotaped his entire grisly encounter with Brandes, Rammstein initially wanted to use some of the footage for the song's video. But the tape was in police custody. So instead, the band and director Zoran Bihac shot a stark, contrast-y clip in Berlin that had nothing to do with cannibalism.

"The director had everyone in the band come into the room for two hours and do anything he wanted. And nobody knew what the other guys were doing. It came out even darker than I thought it would. But I'd still like to see the police video."

The subject matter for "Mein Teil" is perhaps a crude metaphor for Rammstein circa 2001. Following their third album, Mutter, the bandmembers were tearing each other apart and consuming their collective creativity. It was only through intense self-examination and interpersonal reconstruction that the band was able to heal and record its fourth album, Reise, Reise.

"I'm such a control freak, and I definitely had a vision of where I wanted Mutter to go, so I was dictating the whole thing and didn't listen to anyone else's opinion," Kruspe said. "The guys were so mad at me, we were not talking at all. With all the flamethrowers that we use, I'm lucky I didn't go to sleep one night and then wake up with my bed burning."

The continued band discord and palpable tension that resulted forced Kruspe to leave Germany and move to New York, where he worked on some solo material and tried to mend his failing marriage. It was only after he agreed to a write in a more democratic fashion with his bandmates that Rammstein got back together in the studio. "I had to let go of saying everything has to be so perfect," he said. "Sometimes people have to make mistakes to finally feel good about what they're doing. It was more important to enjoy being together. So, we were much more relaxed and open to trying new things."

Filled with raw, chugging guitars, precise beats and deep quavering vocals, Reise, Reise is heavy, epic and operatic, and while it includes an abundance of claustrophobic samples, it's Rammstein's most unified and natural-sounding effort since their 1998 breakthrough, Sehnsucht.

"Mutter was mostly written by me on computer, so for this one we decided to write it all together," Kruspe said. "We went back to the rehearsing room, and started playing around to get back this energy we had before. It really brought the band back together stronger than ever."

Being more cohesive and committed will probably make it easier for Rammstein to weather the storm of controversy that will likely hit when "Mein Teil" is released domestically. But for now, the group is getting some practice with the mini-squall it's summoned with "Amerika," an anthemic track about capitalism and greed. The song has already been yanked from at least one station in Texas after a serviceman who spoke German called up and complained about the lyrics.

"It's really just sarcastic, so it's not that political, and New York is one of my favorite places," Kruspe said. "But for me, the most important thing for every human being to be complete is balance. When I watch America right now, it's not a balance. If you love strawberry cake, one piece is fine, but if you have to eat the whole cake it's too much."

• Rammstein

Mary J. Blige
Photo: MCA

"No More Drama" queen Mary J. Blige, Jay-Z and Scottish rockers Travis have signed on to perform at next month's MTV Europe Music Awards.

They join previously announced performers Basement Jaxx, Blink-182, Craig David, Depeche Mode, Dido, Kylie Minogue, Rammstein and R.E.M.

Confirmed presenters include Nelly Furtado, the Corrs' Andrea Corr, Kelis, Alicia Keys, Samantha Mumba, Pink, Christina Ricci, Bush's Gavin Rossdale, Shaggy and Ben Stiller.

Gorillaz, Limp Bizkit, U2 and Craig David lead the list of nominees (see "Gorillaz, Bizkit, U2 Nab Most Noms For MTV Europe Music Awards").

The show will air live on MTV from Frankfurt, Germany, on November 8.

• Mary J. Blige
• Jay-Z
• Travis
• Basement Jaxx
• blink-182

Rammstein's Till Lindemann  
Photo: MTV News

Possibly inspired by their recent single, "Links 2 3 4" ("Left 2 3 4"), the German industrial soldiers of Rammstein will march into North America later this month for an 18-date tour. While the new song hasn't blown up quite as big as 1998's "Du Hast" ("You Have"), you can still expect plenty of flames and thunder when these metal men arrive. (How explosive are they? See our 1998 feature "Rammstein: The New Gods of Hellfire.") Rammstein will tour North America through August, though a spokesperson for the band could only confirm dates up to July 19 in Philadelphia. More shows will be announced later this month.

"Links 2 3 4" is the first single from Rammstein's April album Mutter (Mother), the follow-up to 1999's Live Aus Berlin and 1998's Sehnsucht (Longing), which featured the breakthrough single "Du Hast." Rammstein's tour dates, according to Universal Records:

• 6/29 - San Antonio, TX @ Verizon Wireless Amphitheatre
• 6/30 - Dallas, TX @ Smirnoff Center
• 7/1 - Albuquerque, NM @ Journal Pavilion
• 7/3 - Las Vegas, NV @ House of Blues
• 7/4 - Los Angeles, CA @ The Palace
• 7/5 - San Francisco, CA @ The Warfield
• 7/6 - Portland, OR @ Roseland Theater
• 7/7 - Seattle, WA @ Moore Theatre
• 7/8 - Boise, ID @ Big Easy
• 7/10 - Denver, CO @ Fillmore Auditorium
• 7/11 - Kansas City, MO @ Uptown Theatre
• 7/12 - St. Louis, MO @ The Pageant
• 7/14 - Gilford, NH @ Meadowbrook Farm Musical Arts Center
• 7/15 - Montreal, QU @ Metropolis
• 7/16 - Toronto, ON @ The Docks
• 7/18 - New York, NY @ Hammerstein Ballroom
• 7/19 - Philadelphia, PA @ Electric Factory

• Rammstein

Rammstein's<BR>Till Lindemann
Photo: MTV News

Bored? You won't be, now that Rammstein's returned.

Germany's fire-wielding industrial collective has set April 3 as the North American release date for its new album, Mutter, with the first single, "Links 2 3 4," shipping to U.S. radio on March 6.

As its title suggests, "Links 2 3 4" ("Left 2 3 4") features the sounds of marching feet and a military-inspired refrain. Sources close to the band said the lyrics indirectly address Rammstein's politics and the past right-wing controversy surrounding them, with passages specifying that the group's heart beats on the liberal "left" of the title.

The band is appearing on the Big Day Out festival tour in Australia and New Zealand (see "Limp Bizkit, Rammstein Set For Aussie "Big Day Out"), to be followed by a few dates in Japan taking them through to mid-February. A video shoot for "Links" is expected to be shot later in February, and a tour of Europe is scheduled for May.

A source confirmed that Rammstein have been in talks with Ozzfest organizers but are unlikely to be included on that bill due to scheduling problems. The band's dramatic and often fiery stage show requires an after-dark slot, and that is not looking likely. Tour-wise, the band isn't expected to hit the U.S. until the summer, though some promotional dates are possible before then, the group's publicist said.

Meanwhile, Rammstein are releasing "Sonne" ("Sun") in Europe on February 12. The band has already shot a video for that track, which can be viewed by subscribers to the fan area of the group's official Web site. The song is unlikely to get the single treatment in the U.S, however, as its softer, ballad-like presentation and fairy-tale narrative will not translate well to an audience weaned on Rammstein's power tracks, a label rep said. Mutter (Mother) is the follow-up studio effort to 1998's "Sehnsucht," which spawned the single "Du Hast." The album was again produced by Clawfinger's Jacob Hellner (see "Rammstein Mixing Mutter Album").

• Rammstein

Germany's Rammstein is currently mixing a "Mutter" of a new album in Sweden.

A spokesperson for the band's label in Hamburg told MTV News that a worldwide release for "Mutter" (German for "Mother") is tentatively set for early April.

The spokesperson confirmed that the group is also trying to ready a single for a pre-Christmas release, but added that those plans are also tentative.

The industrial, prog-metal outfit is hoping to equal or better the success of its last studio effort, 1998's "Sehnsucht," which spawned the single "Du Hast." The bandmembers previously told MTV News to expect a harder sound this time around (see "Rammstein Promises 'Harder' New Album").

The group is again working with its regular producer, Jacob Hellner (Clawfinger), who was at the console for "Sehnsucht" as well as its 1999 "Live Aus Berlin" album. Stefan Glaumann (Clawfinger, Drain STH) is handling mixing duties.

Rammstein, known for its fiery stage show, also has extensive tour plans in the works, with the most likely scenario seeing the group tour Germany in May with a U.S. trek to follow. Dates in Japan are also under consideration.

As previously reported by MTV News, Rammstein is set to headline Australia's Big Day Out festival in January (see "Limp Bizkit, Rammstein Set For Aussie "Big Day Out"), although the band will not be debuting any new material at that time.

• Rammstein

Limp Bizkit, PJ Harvey, and Roni Size & Reprazent are among the acts heading to the land down under in January and February as part of the "Big Day Out" festival tour of Australia and New Zealand.

Rammstein, Carl Cox, and Placebo have also been confirmed for "Big Day Out," which kicks off on January 19 in Auckland, New Zealand and ends with a February 4 concert in Perth, Australia.

In addition to the international acts, Aussie faves such as The Go-Betweens, Killing Heidi, Powderfinger, and 28 Days have also signed on for the trek, with additional artists expected to be announced in the next few weeks.

The tour tends to be a favorite of U.S. and European artists because of the brief respite it provides from the dropping mercury back home, as "Big Day Out" falls in the middle of the summer season for Australia and New Zealand.

The relaxed scheduling of the "Big Day Out" shows is also a big attraction, and past artists have told MTV News that the outing has unofficially been dubbed the "Big Day Off" by those gracing the stage.

Next year's "Big Day Out" is currently scheduled to play only six concerts over a 17-day stretch, with the built in "dark" days needed in order to move the necessary stage gear and equipment from city to city across Australia's expansive geography.

For more information and updates regarding "Big Day Out," check out the festival's official Web site at www.bigdayout.com.

Dates and cities for "Big Day Out" 2001:

• 1/19 - Auckland, NZ @ Ericcson Stadium
• 1/21 - Gold Coast, AU @ Parklands
• 1/26 - Sydney, AU @ Showground
• 1/28 - Melbourne, AU @ RAS Showgrounds
• 2/2 - Adelaide, AU @ HS Showgrounds
• 2/4 - Perth, AU @ Basseddean Oval

• Limp Bizkit
• Rammstein

Rammstein frontman Till Lindemann is currently recovering from a car accident last weekend in his native Germany that left him with minor injuries.

• Rammstein

Pledge of Allegiance Tour Photos

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