Mötley Crüe's Tommy Lee (file)
Photo: Bill McCay/ WireImage

Sevendust's Morgan Rose will sit in for Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee on the band's Crüe Fest Tour after the drummer burned his hand last week while playing with sparklers, according to Billboard.

Rose began subbing for Lee last Friday in Cincinatti, and appreciative Crüe bassist Nikki Sixx took to his MySpace page to say that Rose "came charging in like a knight in shining armor."

Lee hurt his left thumb and forefinger in the accident, but, with his hands in bandages, still managed to play piano for part of the show, on the songs "Home Sweet Home" and "Girls, Girls, Girls."

During a show on Saturday in Detroit, Lee told the crowd, "First of all, I suck. I was having fun and I burned myself."

In Sixx's MySpace message to his fans about the accident, he called Rose "the hero of the day." "Tommy messed up his hand pretty bad," the statement read. "Yes, accidents do happen, and yes, frustration does happen to everybody, including Tommy, who would rather play drums (even with a damaged hand) than just about anything in the whole world.

"But following doctor's orders for a few shows is what we have to do right now (or cancel shows). We all wanna say we're sorry Tommy has to sit out a couple shows, but we hope to have him back up on the drums ASAP ... I think Morgan needs a standing ovation for his dedication to kicking ass and helping not only Mötley Crüe out, but the road crew and everybody else out here whose lives would (have) been [affected] ... As for now, Mötley Crüe is a five-piece band — making history, one injury at a time."

No word yet on when Lee expects to be back behind the drum kit for the tour, which runs through September 2.

• Mötley Crüe
• Sevendust

Opiate for the Masses
Photo: Century Media

If you listen very closely to Opiate for the Masses' latest LP, Manifesto, which dropped this week, you may hear some slight snoring.

That's because the album, which is the band's first in three years, was tracked in guitarist Jim Kaufman's home studio. Kaufman is a dog lover, and his two bulldogs were a constant presence in the studio during the recording sessions.

"You can probably hear them on several of the tracks on the record, because they sleep all the time and snore, and the microphones picked that up all the time," explained Opiate's newest member, Anna Kjellberg, who has played bass for Drain STH, Hanzel und Gretyl and, for one tour back in '06, Ministry frontman Al Jourgensen's Revolting Cocks. "They're a pretty big part of the album, actually."

But the canines would never have made the record if Kjellberg had not replaced Ryan Head last year. Opiate for the Masses — who are on the road with the reunited Filter through August 8, and will join Sevendust, Drowning Pool, and Nonpoint for the GrindCo Tour on August 10 — had actually been sitting on the effort for several months before it was decided they'd update the opus, with Kjellberg rerecording all the bass parts.

"It was kind of a weird procedure to get this album together," she said of the set, which features a cover of Portishead's "Wandering Star" ("We thought it was a really cool song," she said, "and I think we did make it our own, even though it's still true to the original in many ways"). "When I joined the band, they basically had a finished album, and they all, including me, felt that we needed to update it a bit and add some songs and take others away. We basically ripped up the mixes and started over with a second producer. So we wrote three songs together that we added onto the album, and I retracked the bass on all of the songs, so, really, there were two editions of the album.

"I think the record is more solid and more uniform than the previous album," the bassist continued. "It is a lot more straightforward and more cohesive. All of the songs fit together really well. The melodies are still there. Opiate always had very melodic songs. It's still heavy, and there's still lots of guitars, but you still have the choruses and all that."

Kjellberg said she's looking forward to working on the follow-up to Manifesto so she can be there from start to finish. "I am very much a songwriter, and I love to be involved in the whole songwriting process," she said. "I'm glad I got a chance to be as involved as I turned out [being] on this record, because I came into the band at such a late stage. We actually have a studio in the back lounge of our bus. We're not jumping on it yet, but when the time comes, and the inspiration comes, we can start tracking those ideas."

For Kjellberg, the Opiate experience has been drastically different from those she'd had with her previous bands, because this time around, she's playing side-by-side with her husband of five years, drummer Seven Antonopolous.

"When Opiate decided to change bass players, it was [frontman Ron Underwood] and [Kaufman] who suggested they should bring me in," she said. "Seven and I discussed it thoroughly: Was it a good idea or not, to be married and be in the same band and be on tour together? But it's actually working out really well. He's my best friend, and we're lucky to be able to do this together. It's easier than I think we both thought it would be. We talked so much about it, because we didn't want to risk our marriage, and we didn't want to be that annoying married couple in the band. It would be a nightmare for the other guys, to have a married couple bickering at each other all the time. But we don't. It works really well."

But the couple's wedding rings do little to dissuade third parties from making their moves. "We know where we are in this relationship, and we're both very aware, of course, that there will be guys hitting on me and there will be girls who will hit on Seven," she said. "That's part of the job. As long as we don't do anything, there's no reason to get jealous that other people find my husband attractive. I can't blame them."

While Kjellberg gets her fair share of male groupies, she said they're not nearly as upfront as their female counterparts. "These girls come to a show with a purpose," she said. "They know which bandmember they want, and they go for it. They dress not-so-much and go for it, and they get it. Girls come more prepared for that. Guys are much more polite. They'll bring you gifts, flowers ... it's a different approach. They don't come up and suggest that you go to the back lounge with them — girls will. Guys send love letters, and they're more creepy about it, actually. I think that's because, for a guy, it's more intimidating to approach a girl who can play an instrument, goes out on tour, and does the things they wish they could do."

The rest of the week's metal news:

Sad news to report this week, as Paul Stitt, the former lead singer for 1990s metallers Angellic Rage, was shot to death during a liquor-store holdup in Las Vegas on July 8. Stitt was working as a clerk in the store when two men, wearing baseball caps, entered the business, guns drawn. Police believe the gun may have fired accidentally, striking Stitt in the head. Police are now reviewing surveillance footage of the murder and hope the tape will help lead them to the two gunmen. ... Opeth will be touring this fall, with High on Fire, Baroness and Nachtmystium along for the ride. That tour is set to commence September 16 in Buffalo, New York, and runs through October 26 in Baltimore. ...

Calling all Maggots! On July 18, MTV will be filming a new episode of "FNMTV," during which Slipknot's video for "Psychosocial" will make its world premiere. Interested in being part of the taping? Well, if you live in or around the L.A. area, head on over to 1Iota.com and sign up for free tickets. Make sure to enter "Slipknot" in the comments box when making your ticket request. ...

Did Lemmy Kilmister break a German law by wearing a Nazi cap? Seems there's an investigation into a picture of the Motörhead frontman that appeared in a German newspaper before the band's July 5 performance at "Wacken Rocks Seaside." In Germany, "anti-constitutional propaganda" is illegal. ... A September 30 release date has been set for Trivium's forthcoming album, Shogun. Look for the effort to feature 11 tracks, including "Torn Between Scylla and Charybdis," "Into the Mouth of Hell We March" and "Like Callisto to a Star in Heaven." Whatever. ...

Clutch will be teaming up with the Sword for a spate of gigs this fall. The first has been booked for September 19 in Jacksonville, North Carolina, and the trek is expected to wrap October 9 in Sacramento, California.

• Opiate for the Masses
• Opeth
• Slipknot
• Portishead
• Filter

Mary J. Blige
Photo: Astrid Stawiarz/Getty Images

Word to Mike Seaver and Boner: Mary J. Blige has some Growing Pains of her own. The singer has settled on that as the title for her new album — and has bumped its release by a week, from November 20 to November 27. The first single is called "Just Fine" and will be released to radio on Thursday (September 27). The track was produced by Jazze Pha and Tricky Stewart (Britney Spears, Mya), and is an uptempo party record with a dance/disco sound. On the track, Mary expresses the joy of having high self-esteem. "No time for moping around/ Are you kidding?" she sings. "And no time for negative vibes, 'cause I'm winning ... Got my head on straight, got my vibe right, ain't gonna let you kill it/ See, I wouldn't change, my life's just fine." ...

Is Kanye West the next MLK, Gandhi or Jesus? His mother, Donda West, didn't shy away from such comparisons in a recent interview with the Baltimore Sun — she was in town to promote her recent book, "Raising Kanye." "Kanye keeps it real," she said. "He touches the people. You never know how words can save a person's life, physically or otherwise. People like Martin Luther King or Mahatma Gandhi or, in my view, Barack Obama, or Jesus Christ — people whose job it is to tell the truth — I see that in Kanye. Now, people like you are gonna go, 'Oh, Kanye's mom said he's like Jesus!' but ... when you have a gift, you didn't get it by yourself. ... Your truth is your truth." ...

Amy Winehouse isn't one to hold back either — the troubled U.K. starlet has named her new DVD "I Told You I Was Trouble," according to Uncut magazine. Packed onto the disc is a documentary, a full concert she played in April at London's Shepherds Bush Empire, her "Rehab" performance from the Brit Awards, an early acoustic version of "There Is No Greater Love" and more. "I Told You I Was Trouble" will drop November 6, her publicist confirmed to MTV News. ...

Paul Wall's next album is going to have more of a rock edge, now that Travis Barker is producing it. "Paul usually stays around the same element," Barker told MTV News in Las Vegas while he was in town for the VMAs. "Most of the Houston stuff is slow and real feel-good. This has faster tempos. Still feel-good, but it'll be different for Paul." ... Before he took his wild imagination to the big screen with "Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind," French director Michel Gondry was best known for his frequent collaborations with Björk, perhaps most memorably on the video for her song "Human Behaviour." Now the two are at it again. Gondry revealed to MTV News that a month from now, he will be directing the music video for "Declare Independence," from the Icelandic singer's latest album, Volta. ... Dave Grohl is getting axed — Gibson Guitar has come up with a new specialized model, the DG-335, for the Foo Fighters frontman. The instrument — which has a rare Pelham blue finish and looks like Grohl's signature guitar — will be available October 4. The price tag for the blue model is $4,468, while the ebony version is a bit cheaper at $3,880. ...

Evan Rachel Wood apparently isn't too afraid of boyfriend Marilyn Manson's fans. "I do feel [some of] his fans like me," she told People for its new issue, which streets Friday. But the actress revealed that she was a little more nervous about Manson seeing her sing onscreen in the new flick "Across the Universe." "I was shy because I didn't want to scare him off," she said. "I'm a singer too! Listen to me! But he's been really supportive, it's great. He's encouraged me about my singing more than anybody." The shock-rocker wasn't the only one who inspired Wood to sing, however — she also name-dropped David Bowie and let it be known that she has a tattoo of his Aladdin Sane lightning bolt. She also has matching tattoos with Manson. "We both got black hearts," she said. "It represents mad love." ...

The Smashing Pumpkins have issued a statement regarding the death of a man at their concert in Vancouver, British Columbia, Monday night, in what police believe was a crowd-surfing accident. "The Smashing Pumpkins were deeply saddened to learn about the passing of a young man who attended their Vancouver show Monday night," read the statement, which was posted on their Web site. "As they and everyone else await news from the investigation into the nature of his passing, the band wants to express their sincerest condolences to his family and friends." ... Vivica A. Fox pleaded not guilty to two misdemeanor counts of drunk driving on Thursday, The Associated Press reports. The actress, who was arrested after being caught speeding in March, could face up to six months in jail and a $1,000 fine if convicted. ...

Paris in Rwanda: Hilton is making good on her promise to engage in philanthropic efforts by traveling to the impoverished African country, according to "Access Hollywood." The heiress will travel with a member of Playing for Good, a group that connects celebrities with charity organizations, and she is expected to make a financial contribution as well. According to TMZ.com, Hilton will go to Rwanda in November after she finishes filming her horror rock opera "Repo! The Genetic Opera." ... Will Ferrell's charity auction has been won by a Dallas man, and his 10-year-old son will get the chance to play an extra in Ferrell's upcoming "Step Brothers" flick, People reports. The man, who has chosen to remain anonymous, put in a winning bid of $47,000, which will go to the Cancer for College foundation run by Ferrell's friend Craig Pollard. ...

Looks like it's almost Tool time again: The indefatigable heavy-rock band is putting together yet another stretch of dates in support of 10,000 Days, which came out way back in May 2006. Dates have yet to be confirmed, but according to Tool's site, they're stirring up a stretch across the West Coast that will begin in mid-November and last until Christmas. ... Lollapalooza founder Perry Farrell recently told MTV News' Tim Kash that he wants to see the fest travel across the world "before I die," but while those plans haven't come about yet, the dates are in place for next year's annual Chicago installment. Lolla will go down August 1-3, once again at Grant Park. ...

Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band's Magic isn't happening until Tuesday, but they snuck out a vinyl version of the release on Wednesday that will allow it to be considered for the Grammys, according to the Los Angeles Times. ... The Wu-Tang Clan's Killah Priest has been added to several dates on Bury Your Dead's upcoming headlining run. Look for him to take the stage in Richmond, Virginia (October 17); Wilmington, North Carolina (October 18); Jacksonville, Florida (October 19); and Tampa, Florida (October 20). ... Bad news for fans of hardcore hip-hoppers Twiztid: The band's upcoming Toxic Terror Tour, featuring openers Mower, has been nixed following a recent car accident involving Twiztid's Monoxide. He suffered a torn ACL muscle in his knee, which will require he stays off it for the next month or so. ...

While System of a Down's members go off and do their own things — what with the band on hiatus — drummer John Dolmayan has firmed up plans for his new comic book site, TorpedoComics.com. The Internet retail shop goes live November 1 and will boast some 15 million items, including comics, toys, graphic novels, trade paperbacks, superhero action figures and other related memorabilia. Dolmayan has also teamed with guitarist Daron Malakian for a new project, Scars on Broadway. ... Former Mötley Crüe drummer Tommy Lee, former Anthrax frontman Joey Belladonna, ex-Megadeth bassist Dave Ellefson and Sevendust singer Lajon Witherspoon are among the celebrities who'll appear at the Morgan Rose Celebrity Golf Classic, scheduled for November 15-16 at the Heritage Golf Club in Tucker, Georgia. Proceeds from the event will help support the Atlanta Children's Shelter. ...

Mudvayne will release their latest LP, By the People, for the People, on November 27. The disc will boast several live recordings, rarities, demos and two new studio tracks, "Dull Boy" and a cover of the Police's "King of Pain." The album will be entirely fan-generated; the band is asking its fans to participate in creating the album's contents. Fans can visit the band's Web site and MySpace pageMySpace page to help pick the track list, submit fan-generated album artwork and participate in creating the video for "Dull Boy," the first single. ...

Al Gore's "An Inconvenient Truth," which has been shown in some college and high school classrooms, got blowback earlier this year when a Washington school put a moratorium on the global-warming movie. Now a British school governor is taking an even stronger measure by suing the British government for distributing the movie to more than 3,500 secondary schools, according to AP. Paul Downes, a lawyer for Stewart Dimmock, said, "Given the serious inaccuracies in the film and the misrepresentations it contains, the film is irredeemable." The lawyer added that even though the movie has already been shown to some students, the High Court could still rule that the government had acted unlawfully and cease distributing it. ...

There's no stopping the Martin Scorsese rock-doc train. The esteemed director, who has directed films about the Rolling Stones, the Band and Bob Dylan in the past, will focus his lens next on the life of George Harrison, according to Variety. Scorsese will produce the yet-untitled picture with Harrison's widow, Olivia, and the late guitarist's former Beatles bandmates Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr will also participate. The flick will revolve around Harrison's time in the Beatles and his later years, and also touch on his involvement with Eastern spirituality as well. In related news, McCartney and Starr are participating in Liverpool, England's European Capital of Culture celebration. Macca will perform at the Anfield soccer stadium on June 1. Starr will return to the city — where the Beatles hailed from — for a ceremony at St. George's Hall on January 11, and he will also appear at the Echo Arena on January 12.

09.26.07

Mariah Carey got a win in court last week when a federal judge decided that a copyright-infringement case against her had no merit. Singer Rachele Chafir had sued Carey in April 2006, claiming that Carey's hit "It's Like That" was copied from her song "Sexy" and lifted key pieces, including the music, for the chorus. Chafir, who copyrighted the song in 2004, claimed Carey had access to "Sexy" since it was available on a Web site, but U.S. District Court Judge Kimba Wood decided that wasn't proof Carey or her collaborators had gone to the Web site or lifted the material, which wasn't "strikingly similar" enough to be considered infringement. With "no genuine issues of material fact," Wood closed the case. "It was the right decision," Carey's lawyer Ilene Farkas told MTV News. "The record was clear in this case." Meanwhile, Carey is moving on with her yet-untitled follow-up to The Emancipation of Mimi, which her record label confirmed is now due December 4. ...

Going, going ... to Cooperstown. And with an asterisk on it. Baseball star Barry Bonds' record-breaking home-run ball, which was purchased two weeks ago in an online auction by hip-hop fashion mogul Marc Ecko, will be heading to the National Baseball Hall of Fame & Museum after all. Ecko bought the ball and launched a Web site giving fans the chance to vote on the ball's final destination: outer space or to Cooperstown, with or without an asterisk signifying Bonds' alleged steroid use in helping him become the all-time home-run king. The announcement was made Wednesday morning (September 26) on the "Today" show after a week of voting. According to Vote756.com, over 10 million votes were cast, of which 47 percent chose to send the tagged ball to the famed baseball museum. ...

The twisted saga of the investigation into the unsolved 1997 murder of the Notorious B.I.G. took another turn this week when Waymond Anderson, an inmate serving life for murder, recanted testimony in which he had implicated the Los Angeles Police Department in the rapper's murder. The Los Angeles Times reports that Anderson said in a recent deposition that he lied about LAPD involvement as part of a "scam" cooked up with two other convicts to get a big monetary settlement from the city of Los Angeles. Most shockingly, Anderson accused the rapper's family — which has filed a wrongful-death suit seeking damages from the city — and its lawyer of taking part in the scheme and offering to pay him a percentage of the settlement for false testimony against the LAPD. In the August 20 testimony, Anderson said he had never met the officers he implicated, despite earlier statements in which he described conversations with the two disgraced ex-LAPD cops. A lawyer for Biggie's family, Perry Sanders, called Anderson's allegations "100 percent, demonstrably false," adding yet another twist to the already-knotted-up story by saying that Anderson appeared to be changing his story at the behest of Chuck Philips, a Times reporter who has written extensively about the murder investigation and has questioned the theory of LAPD involvement. Phillips and the Times dismissed the allegations. ...

In other Biggie news, the recently released documentary "The Notorious B.I.G.: Bigger Than Life" follows the rapper's life from his early days to his death with interviews from many of the behind-the-scenes music-industry figures and friends who watched the rapper rise from a street-corner hustler to one of the biggest rap stars in the world. The film also features several minutes of previously unreleased footage shot by a bystander of the scene on the night Biggie was gunned down. The fan's video — which director Peter Spirer ("Beef," "Tupac Shakur: Thug Angel") said has been reviewed by authorities — doesn't capture the moment Biggie's car was shot at, but it does have audio of the shots and shaky footage of the chaotic aftermath. ...

Embattled football player Michael Vick is facing stricter release conditions after testing positive for marijuana earlier this month, The Associated Press reports. On Wednesday, U.S. District Judge Henry Hudson imposed the new conditions, which include restricting Vick to his home between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m. with electronic monitoring and making him submit to random drug tests. He was ordered to continue participating in substance-abuse and mental-health counseling. Vick was put under pretrial release supervision in July, and the restrictions included refraining from the use of narcotic drugs or other controlled substances. The Atlanta Falcons quarterback, who pleaded guilty in August to federal dogfighting charges, is awaiting sentencing December 10 — and Vick's violation of the conditions of his release could be taken into consideration by the judge. He faces up to five years in prison for the federal charges, and has been indicted on additional state charges in Virginia as well. ...

A second woman has filed a lawsuit against Lil Wayne over a melee that broke out during one of his shows at Morgan State University in Baltimore in October. According to an AP story, Carlisa Dixon said she was impaled on a metal pole after the crowd surged to snatch up money that was being tossed from the stage. Dixon is seeking $1 million from Wayne's record label and touring companies, and another $1 million from the university, claiming she underwent surgery for a puncture wound as a result of the crowd surge. A lawsuit was filed in August by another woman who claimed she was trampled in the same money-throwing incident. A spokesperson for Wayne could not be reached for comment at press time. ...

A man died at a Smashing Pumpkins concert in Vancouver, British Columbia, on Monday night in what police think may have been a crowd-surfing or moshing accident. The Canadian Press reports that Vancouver police say the man was unconscious when he was dragged out of the crowd at the Pacific National Exhibition Forum during the show and worked on by first-aid personnel on site before being transported to a local hospital, where he was pronounced dead. Police have ruled out foul play. ... The Voodoo Music Experience is shifting locations, but just slightly. The fest, to take place October 26-28, has a new site in New Orleans City Park to accommodate ongoing restoration and improvement of the park. The shift brings the fest closer to Tad Gormley Stadium, where Voodoo was first held in 1999. ...

Do you march to Nelly's beat? The rapper is cobbling together a marching band for his performance at the BET Hip-Hop Awards on October 13. Auditions will be held Sunday starting at 11 a.m. in New York, Los Angeles, Atlanta, New Orleans and St. Louis, and Nelly is looking for girls who can play drums, tri-toms, bass drum, tuba or trumpet. Prospective players need to know how to perform his song "Grillz" and move to the beat of the song while playing their instruments. Final auditions will be held October 8 in Atlanta, and those who can't make the auditions in person can post a one-minute video clip on Nelly's drum-line-audition site. ... If you've been doubting Swizz Beatz's fashion sense, think again — Gap has tapped the hugely popular producer for its spring ad campaign. ...

VH1 Rock Docs picked up its first Emmy win on Monday as "DMC: My Adoption Journey" earned the award for News & Documentary Emmy for Outstanding Arts & Culture Programming. The program, which revolves around the Run-DMC member's search for his birth mother, premiered in February 2006 and will re-air on VH1 on Saturday at 10 p.m. ... Have you already imported Babyface's Playlist into your own playlist? Then mark you calendar — the singer is putting together a tour in support of his recently released LP. Babyface will play a gig in the Philippines on October 13, followed by a stretch in Japan; after that he'll hit Oakland, California, on November 23, and Sparks, Nevada, the following day. ...

During a recent visit to "The Howard Stern Show," Mötley Crüe bassist Nikki Sixx spoke out about drummer Tommy Lee and his apparent departure from the band. He told Stern that Lee quit, and Sixx blamed the current legal problems the band is having with one of its former managers for the turmoil. Sixx said that, since Lee isn't the Crüe's frontman or chief songwriter, the band should be fine without him. He added that he harbors no ill will toward Lee. ... Snow Patrol keyboardist Tom Simpson was expected to appear in court in Glasgow, Scotland, on Tuesday to answer to drug-possession charges filed against him this summer. While the charges weren't dropped, the prosecution doesn't intend on taking "further action," meaning the charges will either have to be re-raised again or dropped altogether. ...

Pearl Jam guitarist Stone Gossard's side project Brad are getting back together for a one-night-only show on October 17 at New York's Webster Hall. The benefit event will also feature Billy Bragg and be hosted by Tim Robbins. It is being held to support Woody and Marjorie Guthrie, and the 40th anniversary of the Huntington's Disease Society of America, which was founded by Marjorie. ... Puddle of Mudd aren't ones for Southern hospitality, apparently. Frontman Wesley Scantlin has been banned from Memphis' Graceland after hopping in the pool in Elvis Presley's mansion during a tour on Monday. ...

The Eagles will perform on an awards show for the first time when they take the stage at the Country Music Awards, which will air November 7 at 8 p.m. ET on CBS. Carrie Underwood is also slated to perform. ... The Rolling Stones' recent tour didn't just carry the band to the top of Forbes' list of biggest-earning music acts — it landed them in the Guinness World Records, according to Reuters. The classic-rockers' A Bigger Bang tour took $437 million dollars to give them a new record, for the world's most successful music tour. ...

Killswitch Engage and Lamb of God will be teaming up for a late-fall co-headlining tour, which is set to kick off November 28 in Lowell, Massachusetts, with dates booked through December 17 in Rio Rancho, New Mexico. DevilDriver and Soilwork will open on all dates. ... Chris Cornell has added another round of dates to his North American tour, which began in the spring. He has booked another 28 gigs, meaning the trek will continue through November 23, when he's expected to perform at the Pearl Concert Theater at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas. ...

A photo from Elton John's collection has been pulled from a British gallery where it was to be displayed over concerns by police that it might be child pornography. The photo — which was taken by award-winning American photographer Nan Goldin — shows two young girls, one with her legs spread apart, and was to be displayed at the Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art in northern England before it was seized by police, according to London's Times Online. John released a statement, explaining, "The photograph entitled 'Klara and Edda belly-dancing' (1998) is one of 149 images comprising the 'Thanksgiving' installation by renowned U.S. photographer Nan Goldin ... The photograph exists as part of the installation as a whole and has been widely published and exhibited throughout the world [and] has been offered for sale at Sotheby's New York in 2002 and 2004, and has previously been exhibited in Houston, London, Madrid [Spain], New York, Portugal, Warsaw [Poland] and Zürich [Switzerland] without any objections of which we are aware."

• Mary J. Blige
• Travis Barker
• Paul Wall
• Marilyn Manson
• The Smashing Pumpkins

I Killed The Prom Queen
Photo: Metal Blade Records

Metalcore quintet I Killed the Prom Queen are big in Australia, as they well should be — after all, that's where they're from. But like most foreign metal bands that aren't from Sweden, it hasn't been easy for the group to make much of a dent in the U.S. metalhead contingent. It's been about a month since the release of IKTPQ's sophomore LP, Music for the Recently Deceased, and according to SoundScan, a mere 1,238 copies of the effort have been sold here in the States.

But guitarist Jona Weinhofen said he's confident his band can, in time, win American audiences over — and maybe even convert the faint-hearted.

"We want to bring metal to a different audience — to people who aren't into metal," he said. "We want to turn pop kids into metal lords, and hopefully, make [IKTPQ] the biggest band in the world one day."

And what sets IKTPQ apart from, say, the current class of American metalcore outfits? "I personally feel that a lot of the bands that are coming out of the States right now all kind of sound similar," Weinhofen explained. "It almost seems like they're influenced by each other. But we take our influences from everywhere. And the fact that we are Australian helps us stand out, as opposed to [being] just one of the thousands of American metal/hardcore crossover bands going these days."

But IKTPQ know that nationality alone isn't enough to win over new fans — which is why they're keeping their riffage fast and loud. "All the different aspects of our style and genre, we try to take to the extreme," he continued. "So, when we have a death-metal riff, we try and keep it really heavy. And when we go into a catchy hook, with a singing chorus, we really want kids ... to sing along with it. The fact that we aren't just writing formulaic songs — fast riff, hardcore breakdown, fast riff, hardcore breakdown — helps too."

Weinhofen said IKTPQ — fresh off a U.S. trek with Silverstein, the Sleeping, I Am the Avalanche and A Wilhelm Scream — just need to tour here more, and that they intend to jockey for a slot on either this summer's Warped Tour or Ozzfest. And if that's not in the cards just yet, he'd like to hit the road with a band like Killswitch Engage or Lamb of God — maybe this spring or summer. IKTPQ have only toured the U.S. three times.

"It has been pretty challenging for us, but at the same time, we haven't really fully pushed to break through to American audiences as much as we probably should have been," he admitted. "We have to be here a lot more and almost make this like our second home. And that's what we plan to do off this record."

Regardless, Weinhofen said IKTPQ will begin writing soon for album number three, in between tours in Australia and the United Kingdom. They'd like to track demo material in June at the latest.

IKTPQ are also counting on their recently completed video for "Say Goodbye" to make an impact. Weinhofen revealed that it was shot in Australia with one of the cameras that had been used to film scenes in both "Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones" and "Superman Returns."

"We shot it in an abandoned quarry, right near the ocean, so there's lots of dingy cliffs and rain involved," he said about the clip, which should begin airing by the end of the month. "There's a bit of a story line involving an attractive set of twin females who're chasing each other around. It's a very vague story line, so people can interpret it the way they'd like."

The rest of the week's metal news:

The Black Dahlia Murder tour train has been temporarily derailed — drummer Pierre Langlois has decided that touring for months at a time just isn't for him. "He wants to pursue a more secure lifestyle," the band said in a statement. This leaves the band in the unenviable position of seeking its fourth drummer in three years. Black Dahlia seek candidates who are "dedicated," "sure touring life is for them" and available "as soon as possible." Relocation to Detroit is a must, although it doesn't have to be immediate. Players can e-mail BlackDahliaMurder@hotmail.com to set up an audition. ... Metalcore Welshmen Bullet for My Valentine have posted the video for "All These Things I Hate (Revolve Around Me)" on the Trustkill site. (See it here.) The clip was directed by Scott Winig and Tony Petrossian and filmed in Los Angeles on the group's first North American tour. The band's debut, The Poison, was released in February and has sold 141,000 copies in the U.S. BFMV's first DVD, "Live at Brixton," comes out December 19 and includes all the group's videos, including "All These Things I Hate." One thing the band hated was having to cancel its December U.S. tour because singer Matt Tuck was suffering from laryngitis caused by a throat infection and fatigue. ...

Deftones singer Chino Moreno is in pre-production in Los Angeles with hardcore-metal band Will Haven. In February, the group will begin recording at Bieler Bros. Studios in Pompano Beach, Florida. The yet-untitled disc is due in late spring or early summer. ... Before Will Haven hole up in Bieler Bros. Studios, Welsh reggae-metal band Skindred will set up camp there in January with producer Matt Squire (Panic! at the Disco, the Receiving End of Sirens). The group plans to stay in the studio through February and its second album is due in the spring. Skindred's debut, Babylon, was released in 2004. ... Sevendust's sixth studio LP, Alpha, will come out on March 6 and receive distribution through the Warner Music Group's Independent Label Group. The band has signed a partnership for its label 7Bros. Records with Asylum Records, which is part of the Warner family. "Deathstar," a track from the new disc, is available for streaming at Sevendust.info. Sevendust's last album, Next, came out in 2005. ...

After 10 years with the band, Unexpect violinist Le Bateleur has decided to settle down. The group is currently accepting applications for his replacement at fix@unexpect.com. Interested fiddle players should be "absolutely devoid of any criminal records," "have some stage experience" and "be ready to tour extensively." Unexpect released their debut album, In a Flesh Aquarium, in August. ... Redneck metal band Alabama Thunderpu--- have posted the new track "Words of the Dying Man" at MySpace.com/atpva. The song will be featured on the group's new disc Open Fire, which comes out in March. The album was recorded at the Etching Tin Studios in Richmond, Virginia, with engineer Ian Whalen and is the band's first to feature singer Kyle Thomas. "Kyle did nothing less than knock our socks off on every track, and he's truly the singer that we have been wanting for a long time," drummer Bryan Cox said. "I can't express in mere words how happy I am with the way the record turned out." ...

Ian Gillan's bassist, Rodney Appleby, is in stable condition after being shot in the jaw by an unidentified man on November 25 in Buffalo, New York. Appleby was visiting a neighbor when he was shot once at close range with a .22-caliber pistol, police said. Doctors expect Appleby to make a full recovery in time for Gillan's Australian tour, which launches in January. ... Athens, Georgia, husband-and-wife duo Jucifer have posted the video for "Pontius of Palia" on YouTube. The video was shot in Athens by director Marc Pilvinsky (Red Animal War, Vigilantes of Love) of Bare Ruined Films. Jucifer will remain on tour through January 9 to support their new album If Thine Enemy Hunger. ... Indiana thrash band Year of Desolation have posted two songs, "The Economy of Excess" and "Erasing Your Existence," at MySpace.com/YearOfDesolation. The band's Jamie King-produced self-titled debut comes out January 23. ...

The Hidden Hand, which features doom-metal pioneer Scott "Wino" Weinrich (Spirit Caravan, the Obsessed), will release their next album The Resurrection of Whiskey Foote in February. The follow-up to 2005's Devoid of Colour will feature slide-guitar work by Weinrich and a previously untapped Southern-rock vibe. Soon after the record was recorded, drummer Evan Tanner left and was replaced by Matt Moulis. ... Novembers Doom will release their new album The Novella Reservoir on February 20. The disc was recorded with Chris Djuricic — who produced last year's Pale Haunt Departure — mixed by Dan Swanö and mastered by ex-Death member James Murphy. "We took a step forward in speed and aggression while maintaining the same sound we've had over all six CDs," singer Paul Kuhr said.

• The Black Dahlia Murder
• Bullet for My Valentine
• Deftones
• Skindred
• Sevendust

Ying Yang Twins' <I>U.S.A. (Still United)</I>
Photo: TVT

United They Stand: U.S.A. (United State of Atlanta) has racked up a platinum award and potential Grammy gold for the Ying Yang Twins, who are feeding off the success of their burgeoning hometown. Now they're spreading their pride with U.S.A. (Still United), an audio/visual combo package that lumps together 13 rare and remixed tracks with the videos for "Shake" and "Wait (The Whisper Song)," which will compete at the Grammys for Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group. Tracks include "Ms. New Booty" (Bubba Sparxxx featuring Ying Yang Twins and Mr. Collipark), "4 Oz" (featuring Three 6 Mafia) and a remix of "Shake" (featuring Pitbull and Elephant Man).

Has the Dust Really Settled?: Sevendust tried to put their acrimonious split with longtime label TVT behind them with the October release of Next, which reigned atop the Billboard Top Independent Albums chart for two weeks. But it looks like TVT is trying to have the last word with Best of Sevendust (Chapter One: 1997-2004), hitting stores just three months after the new studio record. "Bender" (featuring Deftones' Chino Moreno), "Follow" (featuring Staind's Aaron Lewis) and the Tom Lord-Alge mix of "Waffle" all make their way onto Chapter One, as do four hard-to-find tracks, including covers of Marvin Gaye's "Inner City Blues" and Alice Cooper's "School's Out."

Mo' Better Motown: Detroit's unsung hip-hop hero Trick Trick has already sold 4 million records on the indie circuit — that's right, 4 million. Now he's finally making the jump to a major with The People Vs. Trick Trick, which gets endorsements by Motown's not-so-unsung hero, Eminem ("Welcome 2 Detroit" and "No More to Say," also featuring Proof), Jazze Pha ("Attitude Adjustment") and Obie Trice ("War").

The Revolution Will Be Remixed: People-power post-punks From Monument to Masses are committed to getting their listeners to commit to social activism. A flurry of artists have signed on for the cause as well, culminating in the remix record Schools of Thought Contend. The album revisits tracks from FMTM's first two records, including "The Quiet Before (Thunderbirds Are Now! Remix)," "Comrades & Friends (Loquat Remix)" and "To Z (Repeat) (Last Defender of the One True Waveform Remix)." Schools of Thought Contend actually won't drop until New Year's Eve, so you lefties won't be able to ché-ck it out until then.

Getting Krafty: Kraftwerk didn't truly represent their visually intensive concerts with this summer's two-CD Minimum-Maximum, so the pioneering blip band issued a double-DVD set of the same name earlier this month. Fans who held out from buying either will be filled with glitch glee over a limited release housing both. The Minimum-Maximum box is also bolstered by an 88-page booklet with unreleased photos and techie instrument data, plus the notebook-style packaging has a "lenticular" image on the flipside of the lid, giving the box a laptop look. What will they come up with next?

Song Title of the Week: "Head Bussa" (From Trick Trick's The People Vs. Trick Trick)

New Releases:

• The Anti-Nowhere League - Kings and Queen (Captain Oi!)
• Chronic Generation - Chronic Generation (Captain Oi!)
• Delirious? - The Mission Bell (Sparrow)
• Plácido Domingo - From My Latin Soul, Vol. 2 (ANG)
• Dr. Strangely Strange - Heavy Petting (Repertoire)
• The Dynotones! - Beach Party a Go-Go (Split Seven)
• Felt - Goldmine Trash (Cherry Red)
• From Monument to Masses - Schools of Thought Contend (Dim Mak)
• Glaxo Babies - Dreams Interrupted (Cherry Red)
• Goapele - Change It All (Skyblaze/Columbia)
• Infa-Riot - The Best of Infa-Riot (Captain Oi!)
• John Howard - As I Was Saying (Cherry Red)
• Jonah33 - The Strangest Day (S/R/E/ Columbia)
• King's College Choir - Christmas From King's College Choir (three CDs; ANG)
• Mob Figaz - Animal Planet (Mob Figaz)
• Nucleus - Elastic Rock (Repertoire)
• Ruts - Grin and Bear It (Captain Oi!)
• Sevendust - Best of Sevendust (Chapter One: 1997-2004) (TVT)
  Buy Now: Best of Sevendust (Chapter One: 1997-2004) (TVT)
  
• Silverbullit - Arclight (Deaf & Dumb)
• Story Side B - Everything and More (enhanced; Gotee)
• Chris Tomlin - Live From Austin Music Hall (Sparrow)
• Toolshed - Toolshed (Twisted Nerve)
• Trembling Blue Stars - Her Handwriting (LTM/Boutique)
• Trick Trick - The People Vs. Trick Trick (Motown)
• Voltio - Voltio (Epic)
• Derek Webb - Mockingbird (Epic)
• Mark Whitfield - Mark Whitfield (Dirty Soap Entertainment)
• John Williams - "Munich" soundtrack (Decca)
• Doug Wilshire & the Capers - Love in Disguise (Rhythm Bomb)
• Wussy - Funeral Dress (Shake It/Hepcat)
• Ying Yang Twins - U.S.A. (Still United) (with DVD; TVT)
  Buy Now: Ying Yang Twins - U.S.A. (Still United) (with DVD; TVT)
  
• Various artists - Dispense This! (Cheapskate)
• Various artists - "Second Chance" soundtrack (Reunion)

Notable Reissues and Archival Material:

• Ambrosia - How Much I Feel & Other Hits (Collectables)
• Charles Brown - Black Night (Masked Weasel)
• Lori Burton - Breakout (Rev-Ola)
• Denver & The Mile High Orchestra - The Best of Denver & The Mile High Orchestra: Swing! (Reel Loud)
• The Exploited - Complete Punk Singles Collection (Captain Oi!)
• James Griffin - Break and Run (Lemon)
• Highway 101 - Highway 101 (Collectables)
• Albert King - Born Under a Bad Sign (Collectables)
• Kraftwerk - Minimum-Maximum (limited-edition box set with two CDs and two DVDs; Astralwerks)
• The Liverpool Echo - The Liverpool Echo (Rev-Ola)
• Ricky Nelson - Greatest Hits (Capitol)
• Little Richard - Get Rich Quick: The Birth of a Legend 1951-1954 (Rev-Ola)
• Menace - The Punk Singles Collection (Captain Oi!)
• Kenny Rogers & the First Edition - Something's Burnin' (Masked Weasel)
• Spinballs - Phreak-a-Billy (Collector's Choice)
• Spinners - I'll Be Around & Other Hits (Collectables)
• Zoe Girl - With All of My Heart: The Greatest Hits (Sparrow)
• Various artists - The Best of Coed Records (Collectables)
• Various artists - Chart Toppin' Doo Woppin', Vol. 1: Rock Me All Night Long (Rev-Ola)
• Various artists - The Encyclopedia of Doo Wop, Vol. 5 (Collectables)

DVDs:

• Air Supply - "All Out of Love: Ultimate Performance" (Hep Cat)
• Duke Ellington - "Live at the Tivoli Gardens" (Image Entertainment)
• Dean Martin - "Biography: Dean Martin" (A&E Home Video)
• Ricky Nelson - "Ricky Nelson Sings" (Capitol)
• Toyah - "Wild Essence: Live in the 21st Century" (Cherry Red)

Coming Attractions:

January 3:

• Nellie McKay - Pretty Little Head (Columbia)
  Buy Now: Pretty Little Head (Columbia)
  
• The Strokes - First Impressions of Earth (deluxe edition due same day; RCA)
  Read: "Secretive Strokes To Spread Love Over The Airwaves In 'Juicebox' Clip"
  Buy Now: First Impressions of Earth (deluxe edition due same day; RCA)
  
• Various artists - "Grandma's Boy" soundtrack (with Bloc Party, Futureheads and Kool Keith; Epic)

January 10:

• Morningwood - Morningwood (Capitol)
  Buy Now: Morningwood (Capitol)
  
• We Are Scientists - With Love and Squalor (Virgin)
• Bob Geldof - "Geldof in Africa" (two DVDs; Rhino)

January 17:

• Aaron Carter - Come Get It: The Very Best of Aaron Carter (Jive)
  Buy Now: Come Get It: The Very Best of Aaron Carter (Jive)
  
• Say Anything - Say Anything ... Is a Real Boy (J)
• Too Short - Pimpin' Inc. (with DVD; Up All Night)

• Ying Yang Twins
• Sevendust
• Trick Trick
• From Monument To Masses

Nine Inch Nails' Trent Reznor
Photo: Tim Mosenfelder/Getty Images

With most of New Orleans pumped dry and businesses beginning to clean up after Hurricane Katrina, one of the city's musical gems has decided to come back home ... for one day, anyway.

Last month, organizers announced that they would move the seventh-annual Voodoo Music Experience to Memphis' Tom Lee Park (see "Voodoo Music Experience Relocates From New Orleans To Memphis"). Now organizers say that they will split the festival into two parts, with the first night's show (October 29) taking place in New Orleans, and the second (October 30) in Memphis. The concert will be the first full-scale, large entertainment event within city limits since the disastrous hurricane and subsequent flood hit the city on August 29.

According to a message posted on the show's official Web site, the shows will be focused on "Two cities united with a common goal: to celebrate and renew the city of New Orleans. As a sign of support and rebirth as New Orleans begins to rebuild, this observance of music will bring together the diversity of culture that serves as the foundation for both cities."

The invitation-only New Orleans show at Riverview Park will celebrate the efforts of those who've worked on the cleanup and recovery efforts in the city for the past six weeks. Previous ticket holders will be welcomed to the New Orleans show, along with police, firefighters, National Guard, military and others who've worked on restoring the city.

"In the course of the past few weeks, the outpouring of support from not only the music industry, but from people from all walks of life, who want to come together to celebrate New Orleans has been tremendous," festival producer Stephen Rehage said in a statement. "The ability to move forward in two cities — with so much music history — is overwhelming to everyone involved with this year's event. We want to thank all the artists who have shown their support by honoring their commitment to this historic event. We all look forward to making this weekend one to remember."

The festival was originally scheduled to take place over Halloween weekend in New Orleans' City Park. When Katrina hit, organizers moved the entire show to Memphis, but they had a change of heart when community leaders in New Orleans approached them about moving the show back for a day as a tribute to the relief workers. Proceeds from the festival will benefit the New Orleans Restoration Fund as well as Mercy Corps, Habitat for Humanity and other local organizations working to restore the city's famed cultural heritage.

The New Orleans bill will feature Nine Inch Nails, Queens of the Stone Age, Digable Planets, the Bravery, New York Dolls, LCD Soundsystem, the Secret Machines, H.I.M., Sevendust, VHS or Beta, the Rebirth Brass Band and more than 20 other acts.

The Memphis show will take place at AutoZone Park and feature Cake, the North Mississippi Allstars, the Decemberists, New York Dolls, Better Than Ezra, VHS or Beta, Sevendust, Cowboy Mouth, H.I.M., World Leader Pretend and the Giraffes.

Memphis will also host a series of free downtown concerts beginning on October 27 and continuing through the weekend; lineups for those shows have not yet been announced. In addition, such New Orleans legends as Dr. John and the Neville Brothers will play special New Orleans-themed concerts on the city's Beale Street.

To find out what you can do to help provide relief to victims of Katrina, head to think MTV's hurricane relief page.

• Nine Inch Nails
• Queens of the Stone Age
• Digable Planets
• The Bravery
• The New York Dolls

Alicia Keys performs at "Unplugged"
Photo: Frank Micelotta/Getty Images

More Keys Please: Devout Alicia Keys fans will want to nab the CD+DVD version of Unplugged, which boasts two additional audio performances, "Goodbye" and "Butterflyz," on the CD, and behind-the-scenes action and a video for "Unbreakable" on the DVD. That's not to mention a booklet that has poems, a letter from Keys, liner notes, photos and info on Keep a Child Alive, a nonprofit she aligned herself with for a World AIDS Day benefit last year.

Leading a Double Life: DualDiscs are all the rage, and record companies usually send them to stores at the same time as the standard album in order to maximize sales potential. Not so with Ricky Martin's Life, which will come out in regular form Tuesday but won't see a DualDisc release until November 22. Tracks on both editions include: "I Don't Care" (featuring Fat Joe and Amerie), a Luny Tunes reggaeton remix of "Que Mas Da" and the Spanish track "Déjate Llevar (It's Alright)."

A New G Thang: G-Funk guru Warren G resurfaces after his longest solo hiatus yet — nearly four years — with the indie release In the Mid-Nite Hour. After spending time with 213 for last year's The Hard Way, Warren gets some help from his comrades on a few tracks: Snoop crops up on "Chronic Break" and "Garilla Pimpin," while Nate Dogg chimes in on "We Need Each Other." Raphael Saadiq, Bishop Lamont and Chuck Taylor also lend their skills.

Dive Right In: Originally called [Adult Swim] Presents DangerDoom, The Mouse and the Mask still realizes what Danger Mouse and MF Doom set out to do: high-five the animated-TV block with a set of inspired songs, plus character voices and skits from shows like "Aqua Teen Hunger Force" and "Sealab 2021." Cee-Lo and Ghostface Killah dip their toes into "Benzie Box" and "The Mask," respectively.

United They Stand: In addition to this week's two metal-champ collections — Numbers From the Beast: An All-Star Tribute to Iron Maiden and the Roadrunner Records 25th anniversary throwdown The All-Star Sessions — there's a spate of other kinetic alliances happening. Illinois punks Resident Genius jam along to a recorded phone conversation they shared with legendary Boston University prof/activist Howard Zinn for You Can't Blow Up a Special Relationship; elusive indie darling Chan Marshall (a.k.a. Cat Power) hops onto grimy Aussie instrumental trio Dirty Three's Cinder; and ex-Swans singer Jarboe duets with members of Low, Ministry and Bauhaus on her new one, The Men Album. (For three points: Blixa Bargeld of Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds also sings with Jarboe; her fellow Seed, Warren Ellis, is Dirty Three's violinist.)

SteEPed in EPs: Neo-goth dance punks American Eyes find an unlikely producer in Michael Patterson (Diddy, Notorious B.I.G.) for their first release, Never Trust Anything That Bleeds; likewise, chaotic London punks the Rakes make their debut with Retreat. Also, Lambchop pay Nashville neighbors Hands Off Cuba a visit with Colab; the country-rockin' Magnolia Electric Co. taped two of their Hard to Love a Man tracks at Steve Albini's, uh, Electrical Audio Studios; San Francisco solo artist Kelley Stoltz breaks bread with Sub Pop on The Sun Comes Through; and another solo artist, Amanda Rogers, goes even further out on a limb by covering At the Drive-In, among others, on Something Borrowed Something Blue.

Song Title of the Week: "Major Disappointment Reporting for Duty" (Drowningman's Don't Push Us When We're Hot)

Other Notables:

Sevendust's Next: After eight years and a bitter breakup with career-long label TVT Records, the metal squad is resurrecting itself with a fresh new label (the Universal-affiliated WineDark), single ("Ugly") and guitarist, Snot's Sonny Mayo. Keep an eye out for limited-edition copies of 'Dust's fifth studio record, which come with a bonus DVD.

Gang of Four's Return the Gift: The truly seminal U.K. dance-rock group initially decided to put out a batch of re-recordings of its classic songs as a stand-alone disc and hold off until 2006 for an equally tempting set of remixes by Hot Hot Heat, Yeah Yeah Yeahs, No Doubt's Tony Kanal and others. Now they've decided to simplify by melding the two into a 26-track, double-CD set.

Modest Mouse's Good News for People Who Love Bad News DualDisc: Humble-rodent connoisseurs probably have the bonus track "I've Got It All (Most)" — which previously appeared as a B-side but is tacked onto the Good News DualDisc for good measure — but they should take note of the many visual nuggets: two videos, behind-the-scenes stuff and an interview with main man Isaac Brock directed by — you guessed it — Isaac Brock.

New Releases:

• 31Knots - Talk Like Blood (Polyvinyl)
• Abel - Alegria Musica (Tommy Boy)
• Adult. - Gimme Trouble (Thrill Jockey)
• Agents of the Sun - Monarchs of a Fallen Society (DCide)
• Gary Allan - Tough All Over (MCA Nashville)
• Allister - Before the Blockout (Drive Thru)
• American Eyes - Never Trust Anything That Bleeds (EP; Side One Dummy)
• American Werewolves - 1968 (Fractured Transmitter)
• Apache Indian - Time for Change (Explorer)
• Barr - Beyond Reinforced Jewelcase (5 Rue Christine)
• Hudson Bell - When the Sun Is the Moon (Monitor)
• Boris with Merzbow - Sun Baked Snow Cave (Hydra Head)
• Peter Brötzmann & Han Bennink - Schwarzwaldfahrt (Atavistic)
• Jackson Browne - Solo Acoustic Vol. 1 (Inside)
• Castanets - First Light's Freeze (Asthmatic Kitty)
• Celebration - Celebration (4AD)
• Cheetah Girls - Cheetah-Licious Christmas (Disney)
• The Clientele - Strange Geometry (Merge)
• Company - Parallel Time (Jagjaguwar)
• Constantines - Tournament of Hearts (Sub Pop)
• Susan Cowsill - Just Believe It (Blue Corn)
• Jamie Cullum - Catching Tales (deluxe edition due same day; Verve)
• Danger Doom - The Mouse and the Mask (Epitaph)
• Deerhoof - The Runners Four (Kill Rock Stars)
• Default - One Thing Remains (TVT)
• Dios Malos - Dios Malos (Star Time)
• Dirty Three - Cinder (Touch and Go)
• Drowningman - Don't Push Us When We're Hot (Thorp)
• Early Man - Closing In (Matador)
• Explosions in the Sky - How Strange, Innocence (Temporary Residence)
• Gamma Ray - Majestic (Sanctuary)
• Gang of Four - Return the Gift (two CDs; V2)
  Read: "No Doubt, Beck, Yeah Yeah Yeahs Plan Gang Of Four Remixes"
• Mark Gardener with Goldrush - These Beautiful Ghosts (United for Opportunity)
• Great Lake Swimmers - Bodies and Minds (Misra)
• Hanson - The Best of Hanson: Live and Electric (limited edition; two CDs with DVD; Three Car Garage)
• George Huff - Miracles (Word)
• Jacob Fred Jazz Odyssey - The Sameness of Difference (Hyena)
• Jarboe - The Men Album (Atavistic)
• Jonathan Kane - February (Table of the Elements)
• Alicia Keys - Unplugged (special edition due same day; J)
  Read: "Alicia Keys Taps Mos Def, Common For 'Inspired' 'Unplugged' "
• Lambchop/ Hands Off Cuba - CoLAB (EP; Merge)
• The Living Blue - Fire, Blood, Water (Minty Fresh)
• The Long Winters - Ultimatum (Barsuk)
• The Magnolia Electric Co. - Hard to Love a Man (EP; Secretly Canadian)
• Ricky Martin - Life (Columbia)
• The Mass - Perfect Picture of Wisdom and Boldness (Crucial Blast)
• Joe McPhee and John Snyder - Pieces of Light (Atavistic)
• Minus Story - No Rest for Ghosts (Jagjaguwar)
• Mouse on Mars - Live04 (Sonig)
• New London Fire - I Sing the Body Holographic (Eyeball)
• Dolly Parton - Those Were the Days (Sugar Hill)
• Matt Pond PA - Several Arrows Later (Altitude)
• Daniel Powter - Daniel Powter (Warner Bros.)
• The Rakes - Retreat (EP; Dim Mak)
• Resident Genius/ Howard Zinn - You Can't Blow Up a Special Relationship (Thick)
• Roadrunner United - The All-Star Sessions (Roadrunner)
• Amanda Rogers - Something Borrowed Something Blue (EP; Immigrant Sun)
• Kate Rusby - The Girl Who Couldn't Fly (Compass)
• Saving Jane - Girl Next Door (Madacy)
• Sevendust - Next (WineDark/Universal)
  Read: "Sevendust Turn Up The Heaviness, Leave Beef Behind On Next"
• Kelley Stoltz - The Sun Comes Through (EP; Sub Pop)
• Story of the Year - In the Wake of Determination (Maverick)
• T.A.T.U. - Dangerous and Moving (Interscope)
• Susan Tedeschi - Hope and Desire (Verve)
• Warren G - In the Mid-Nite Hour (Lightyear)
• Paul Weller - As Is Now (Yep Roc)
• Nancy Wilson - "Elizabethtown" score (RCA)
• Woolly Bandits - Say Hello to My Little Friend (Dionysus)
• Young Playthings - Pick Up With the Young Playthings (Dionysus)
• Various artists - Numbers From the Beast: An All-Star Tribute to Iron Maiden (Restless)
• Various artists - One Million Strong Vol. 2: Love Peace & War (Bungalo)
• Various artists - "Dora the Explorer: Dance Fiesta!" (Nick/Jive)
• Various artists - "North Country" soundtrack (Columbia)
• Various artists - "Wallace & Gromit: The Curse of the Were-Rabbit" soundtrack (Varèse)

Notable Reissues:

• Johnny Adams - The Great Johnny Adams Blues Album (Rounder)
• Allman Brothers Band - Gold (Mercury/Universal)
• Bachman-Turner Overdrive - Gold (Mercury/Universal)
• Colosseum II - Strange New Flesh: Upgraded (Castle/Ryko)
• John Coltrane - One Down, One Up: Live at the Half Note (two CDs; Impulse)
• The Diplomats of Solid Sound - Instrumental Action Soul (Hammondbeat)
• Dru Hill - Hits (Def Soul Classics)
• Billie Holiday - Gold (Hip-O/Universal)
• Buddy Holly - Gold (Geffen/Universal)
• Holy Terrors - This Is What It Sounds Like When You're Dead (Eulogy)
• Shirley Horn - But Beautiful: The Best of Shirley Horn on Verve (Verve)
• John Legend - Get Lifted (Columbia)
• Don McLean - Rearview Mirror: An American Musical Journey (Hyena)
• Men's Recovery Project - The Very Best of Men's Recovery Project (5 Rue Christine)
• Modest Mouse - Good News for People Who Love Bad News (DualDisc; Epic)
• Nekromantix - Brought Back to Life Again (Hellcat)
• New Edition - Gold (Hip-O/Universal)
• Linda Perry - In Flight (enhanced; Kill Rock Stars)
• Nina Simone - The Soul of Nina Simone (DualDisc; RCA)
• Lyn Taitt & the Jets - Hold Me Tight: Anthology 65-73 (Trojan)
• Tigertailz - Banzai and Berzerk (Ryko)
• Tom Verlaine - Warm and Cool (with bonus tracks; Thrill Jockey)
• Johnny Guitar Watson - A Real Mother for Ya (with unreleased bonus tracks; Shout! Factory)
• Johnny Guitar Watson - Ain't That a Bitch (with unreleased bonus tracks; Shout! Factory)
• Johnny Guitar Watson - Funk Beyond the Call of Duty (with unreleased bonus tracks; Shout! Factory)
• Hank Williams - Turn Back the Years: The Essential Hank Williams Collection (Mercury Nashville)
• Bill Withers - Just as I Am (DualDisc; Columbia/Legacy)
• Yanni - Live at the Acropolis (with DVD; RCA Victor)
• Various artists - Sand & Steel: The Classic Sound of Jamaican Steel Drums (Trojan)
• Various artists - Southern Rock: Gold (Hip-O/Universal)

DVD:

• Terry Callier - "Live in Berlin" (Verve)
• Charlie Daniels - "The Kings and Friends: Live at the Gothic With Special Guest Hazel Miller" (Burnside)
• K-Ci & JoJo - "All My Life: Their Greatest Video Hits" (Universal)
• Alicia Keys - "Unplugged" (J)
• Machine Head - "Elegies" (Universal)
• Bobby McFerrin - "Live in Montreal" (Universal)
• Carmen McRae - "Live in Montreal" (Universal)

Coming Attractions:

October 18:

• Depeche Mode - Playing the Angel (Reprise)
• Ashlee Simpson - In Another Life
  Read: "Ashlee Remembers 'SNL' Incident But Forgets Boys On New LP"
• Thrice - Vheissu (Island)
  Read: "Thrice Going Underground — In A Sense — For Enigmatic Vheissu"

October 25:

• Chamillionaire - The Sound of Revenge (Universal)
• Destiny's Child - #1's (DualDisc; Columbia)
  Read: "Destiny's Child Look Back With #1's Before Going Their Separate Ways"
• Fefe Dobson - Sunday Love (enhanced; Island)

November 1:

• Nirvana - Sliver: The Best of the Box (Geffen)
• Ozzy Osbourne - Under Covers (DualDisc due same day; Epic)
• Santana - All That I Am (Arista)
  Read: "Guest List For New Santana LP: Big Boi, Mary J., Will.I.Am, Bo Bice And More"

• Alicia Keys
• Ricky Martin
• Warren G
• DangerDoom
• Gang of Four

Sevendust (file)
Photo: WineDark Records

When Atlanta's Sevendust began toiling away on their fifth disc, Next, more than a year ago, the recording process was unlike anything they'd ever experienced.

For starters, Sevendust were on its own. With no label support whatsoever, the quartet was left to either fund the entire record itself, or wait around for a label to do it. The band chose the first option, and to help keep costs at a minimum, Sevendust not only decided to self-produce Next, but record it in a house instead of a studio. That decision turned out to be the best thing the band could've done, according to drummer Morgan Rose.

"There was no one really to tell us what to do — and over the past few records, there had been a lot of opinions from a lot of people on a lot of different aspects of the records," he said. "We pretty much had the reins to do what we wanted on this record, so we really were able to not worry about any outside influences. I don't want to sound too cliché, but we went back to our roots, because we were able to do some stuff that hadn't been accepted very readily over the last few records."

Rose said Sevendust were pressured by their former label, TVT, into softening their sound, when all the band wanted to do was optimize the heaviness.

"Over the last few records, the powers that be were telling us that we didn't need to be doing what we were doing," Rose explained. "We were told, 'You need to be listening to the White Stripes and the Strokes' — we were told, point blank, to go buy White Stripes and Strokes records to see what they sound like. I almost fell out of my chair when I heard that. It was like, 'Houston, there's a major f---ing problem here.' "

Which might explain the ferociousness of some of Next's 11 tracks, which include "Hero," "The Last Song," "Desertion" and "Pieces," the latter of which is described by Rose as "the heaviest song we've ever done, by far."

Yet some of the material is also lighter: The album's first single, "Ugly," is a mixed bag with a "huge chorus, broken-down verses and really heavy bridges," Rose said, and "Shadows in Red" shows Sevendust's softer side, and even features a viola.

"It's definitely a hybrid of heavy stuff and melodic stuff, but we don't leave much room for interpretation," he said. "It's a straightforward record."

Along with label woes, Rose is also leaving behind his feud with former Coal Chamber frontman Dez Fafara. "Enemy," one of the tracks on Seasons, lambasted Fafara for "f---ing over" Rose's wife, ex-Chamber bassist Rayna Foss-Rose (see "Rock And Roll Beef: Sevendust Rip Into Ex-Coal Chamber Frontman On 'Enemy' "). The track fueled a very public feud between the two dudes, one Rose regrets.

"I made a judgment call to acknowledge that I had been influenced to write a song about somebody, it was one of the most foolish things I've ever done," he said. "It didn't do any good. The whole mudslinging thing Dez and I did, I'll take a lot of the blame for that. I mean, I didn't want it to be out there, in the public, and there were people on the outside saying, 'This is good — it's controversy.' But ... I don't want to lay out a public apology, but I definitely should have thought twice about that. It was a pretty stupid thing to do."

Rose said Sevendust plan to tour extensively this fall, and will even make it over to Europe for the first time in the band's nine-year career, although none of those plans have been nailed down yet. The band's new label, the Universal-affiliated WineDark Records, will release Next on October 11.

"We're all excited," the drummer said. "This is the first record where we can really say, 'This is ours.' "

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Dark New Day (file)
Photo: Warner Music Group

Technically, Dark New Day are a new dream team, but the band was actually more than 12 years in the making.

The story began when guitarist Clint Lowery and his brother, bassist Corey, were in their teens jamming in rural North Carolina with their neighborhood friend, guitarist Troy McLawhorn. With dreams of stardom, they formed the melodic hard-rock band Still Rain and toured through the Southeast playing to dismissive crowds in divey clubs.

On the road, they bumped into singer Brett Hestla and drummer Will Hunt, who were playing in other bands, and they struck up fast friendships. "We used to say to each other, 'Man, we'd have a ripping band if we all played together,' " Clint said. "But we were all doing other things. Over the years, we'd get back together and jam and write stuff from time to time, but we were all committed to other groups."

These weren't just any groups. Clint was in Sevendust for almost 10 years, Corey co-formed Stereomud, Hestla sang for Virgos Merlot and then became Creed's touring bassist, McLawhorn played in Doubledrive, and Hunt performed in Skrape and contributed to Tommy Lee's solo project. But even when powering ahead with their main gigs, they were always looking over their shoulders to see what their pals were up to. "We remained friends and huge fans of each other's bands over the years," Clint said. "So that window to get back together was always open."

It was Corey Lowery who dragged his pals through that window a little over a year ago. At the time, Stereomud were disillusioned by their lack of success and basically on life support, and Sevendust were coming off the sales disappointment of their most mainstream offering, Seasons (see "Sevendust Sober Up, Emphasize Hooks On Seasons"). When Creed broke up (see "Creed Break Up") and Skrape fell apart, the members of Dark New Day were finally the displaced heroes they needed to be. The only big problem was Clint didn't want to quit Sevendust.

"I wanted to do both, but that just wasn't possible," he explained. "I didn't want to leave Sevendust because of the brotherhood I had with those guys. I wanted to do another record with them and continue on, I just knew I couldn't tour with both bands at the same time. And, in the end, Sevendust saw how much I wanted to do this project, and they wanted someone that was gonna be there for them 110 percent. So we both decided to end it."

With the Sevendust cord finally severed, Dark New Day started writing songs for their just-released debut, Twelve Year Silence, the title being a reference to how long the band remained in limbo before being conceived. To say it was worth the wait would be apocryphal, but songs like "Taking Me Alive" and "Brother" should make the heavy-rotation playlist of anyone that likes moody, anthemic metal with surging riffs and strong melodies.

"We called the band Dark New Day because the music pulls out emotions and topics that are generally pretty dark," Clint said. "It has this aggressive, sad nature to it, so you don't put it on when you want to clean the house. But it's not woe-is-me kind of music and it's not self-loathing at all. It's more about taking these difficult situations and dealing with them."

Much of Twelve Year Silence addresses missed opportunities, personal trauma and the sometimes hefty price of circumstance. Clint wrote "Brother" about how a career in music has distanced him from his loved ones, and "Lean," which was penned by Hestla, is about Clint's struggle with alcoholism. "I read the lyrics, and I was like, 'Huh, some of this is really familiar,' " Clint said. "Then, when we were in the control room, he said, 'This is about you.' I thought that was really touching. He was writing about being my friend through that experience no matter what happened."

The lyrical turbulence of Twelve Year Silence parallels the storms Dark New Day weathered in the studio — not the metaphoric type, but the kind that blow roofs off houses and send trees crashing through cars. "We did the record in Orlando [Florida], and there were five massive hurricanes when we were there," Clint said. "Corey and Troy would be driving from Atlanta to Orlando and everyone else would be driving the other way to evacuate the city. It looked like a nuclear bomb was about to drop or something and it really created this somber feel to everything."

While Dark New Day were in a rush to finish the album, they weren't that pressed for time, and many of their friends and peers were dumbfounded that they refused to leave the area. Looking back, Clint laughs at the band's stubbornness, but he still considers the decision more of a test of faith than an act of stupidity.

"The whole time the winds were kicking all around us and stuff was getting demolished, we were like, 'Hey man, should we be doing this?' But we kept going because we felt like, 'Well, if we get through it, maybe it's a sign that it will be worth it.' "

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Sevendust's Morgan Rose
Photo: Jason Campbell

In more than six years of heavy-duty rocking, Sevendust have learned how to craft tunes that are rhythmically complex and musically challenging. More importantly, they've finally learned that it's often better to take a simpler, more direct approach to songwriting.

Their fourth album, Seasons, is packed with a combination of teeth-gnashing riffs and commercial melodies that are varied enough to remain compelling, but rarely distracting or overindulgent. As effortless as the tracks on the record sound, the bandmembers had to exhibit great self-restraint to record such straightforward material.

"We're the type of band that plays a riff, and if it goes on too long we feel like monkeys with cymbals," drummer and songwriter Morgan Rose said. "It starts to bore us, and that's the problem that comes from worrying too much about being a decent player instead of just worrying about making songs as good as they can be. This time, we made sure that the fans know the choruses after playing the songs because they've heard it three times in three minutes."

The formula seems to be working. "Enemy," the first single from Seasons (see "Rock And Roll Beef: Sevendust Rip Into Ex-Coal Chamber Frontman On 'Enemy' ")is performing well at radio and the album has sold almost 100,000 copies in two weeks. Part of the credit for Sevendust's more streamlined, mainstream sound goes to producer Butch Walker, who previously played in the power-pop group Marvelous 3, and produced albums by Bowling for Soup and SR-71. Because of his experience as a songwriter, Walker was able to not only critique Sevendust's new material, but also offer practical suggestions.

"A lot of producers listen to something, then say, 'Nah, that's not good enough, try again," Rose said. "You're sitting there going, 'Well, what are you looking for?' and a lot of times they'll just say, 'Well, I really couldn't tell you, but it's not that.' And that sucks. So we purposely got someone who is very musically oriented and knows about song structure. He gave us a lot of practical suggestions and showed us where we were stomping on ourselves and how we could move parts around and simplify things to make the songs better."

Some of Sevendust's older, more stubborn fans were surprised by the band's choice of a producer, and hold Walker responsible for the album's emphasis on hooks. But that's oversimplifying the situation. Rose said Sevendust decided to turbo-charge their choruses before hiring a producer, and specifically chose to work with Walker because they had a history with him.

"Butch was really understanding of what our band is about because he was in the studio with us recording demos before we even got a record deal," Rose explained. "He's the guy who produced "Black," which is one of our biggest songs. He also did the heavy sh-- like "Born to Die" and "Wired," so we didn't even think twice about working with him again."

There's another major factor that may have contributed to the sense of clarity that echoes through Seasons. After years of dangerous partying, Sevendust have cleaned up their act — at least a little.

"We don't go running around saying, 'Yeah, we were Keith Richards last year and now we're Amy Grant,' " Rose said. "But we were a little out of control and we were able to dial it down a notch and focus on what was going on. It's pretty amazing to do a record sober. Of course, this leaves the door wide open for people who don't like the record to say, 'Go back to drinking' or 'Do drugs.' But I can tell you this — it was a lot easier to work without having to worry about where you were gonna get high."

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