Hatebreed's Jamey Jasta
Photo: Universal Records

Hatebreed frontman Jamey Jasta will produce the next album by Agnostic Front. The renaissance metal man is working on pre-production at Planet Z studios in Massachusetts. Jasta will follow up that project by producing the debut album from the Autumn Offspring. ... Anthrax guitarist Scott Ian recently proposed to longtime girlfriend Pearl Aday, daughter of singer Meat Loaf, according to the band's Web site. Ian's fiancée recorded a duet with her father for his last album, which was co-written by Nikki Sixx, who once toured with Aday when she was a backup singer for Sixx's Mötley Crüe. ...

Lamb of God singer Randall Blythe has recorded guest vocals with Canada's female-fronted Bloodshoteye. Blythe will sing on "F.U.B.A.R.," from the group's album Without Any Remorse, due next month. ... Lubbock, Texas' Speedealer will launch a tour in Houston on February 6. Dates run through March 28 in Dallas. Bleed will support. ... Biohazard singer/guitarist Billy Graziadei and Kittie bassist Jennifer Arroyo have formed band called Rodek and recently recorded several demo tracks. Songs include "Undone," "Marching Backwards" and "Not My Year." ...

Brooklyn, New York's Life of Agony are set to embark on a monthlong trek with Flaw and Skrape beginning January 20 the state's capital, Albany Two dozen shows, though February 21 in Buffalo, have been scheduled thus far. ... Florida's Six Feet Under are set prove themselves King of the Roadkill with a three-week tour of the same name. The jaunt runs from January 31 in High Point, North Carolina, through February 17 in Louisville, Kentucky. ... Latin metal band Ill Niño will shoot a video for "This Time's for Real" next week in Spanish Harlem. The track is from the group's most recent album, Confession, which came out in September. ...

December have parted ways with singer/guitarist Mark Moots. His last show with the band was December 28 in Reno, Nevada. No reason was given for his departure. December, whose last album was 2002's The Lament Configuration, are seeking a replacement. ... England's Bolt Thrower are writing new songs for their yet-untitled eighth studio album, due by November. The band will support the release with its first U.S. tour in a decade. ... Fear Factory finished mastering their new Archetype this week in New York. Due April 2, the disc will be the group's first disc since the departure of founding guitarist Dino Cazares. ...

Even though Soilwork drummer Ricky Evensand has left his Swedish comrades to join Cleveland's Chimaira (who recently toured with Soilwork on the Pure Hatred Tour), there isn't any bad blood. "The guys in Soilwork gave me their blessing, so we will always remain good friends," he wrote on Chimaira's Web site. ... Haste have parted ways with singer Kelly Reaves, leaving co-vocalist Chris Mosley to handle frontman duties by himself. ... Converge will now release the tentatively titled You Fail Me, the follow-up to 2001's Jane Doe, through Epitaph and not Equal Vision Records. Vinyl will be handled by singer Jacob Bannon's Deathwish Inc. label. ... Scarlet's Cult Classic hits stores March 9 and will include the songs "Get Your Gun," "Suicide Soundtrack," "No One's Getting Out Alive" and "You're My Fix" among its 16 tracks. ...

Following reports of fisticuffs during a recent string of West Coast dates, Cleveland's Integrity have decided to go on indefinite hiatus. The band had been touring in support of To Die For, its first album of new material since breaking up a couple of years ago. ... Twelve Tribes have reinvented themselves as Prodigal Zoo and are working on an album called The Rebirth of Tragedy, due on Ferret Records in May. ... Most Precious Blood recently shot a video for "The Great Red Shift," from their newly released Our Lady of Annihilation, with director Dale Resteghini (Hatebreed). ... Dark Funeral will release a still-untitled live album March 29, their first release through a new deal with Regain Records, according to the band's Web site. ...

— compiled by Joe D'Angelo, Ryan Downey, Robert Mancini and Jon Wiederhorn

• Hatebreed
• Anthrax
• Lamb of God
• Six Feet Under
• Life of Agony

Hey, metallions. What's up? Iann Robinson here. This week I've spent most of my time listening to the Roadrunner two-for-one records, and they're killer. Exhorder, Annihilation, Gang Green, Suffocation, King Diamond, Mercyful Fate, Obituary and a bunch more. They sound and look amazing. All these albums are classics, so I'm stoked somebody's breathing new life into them. Nuclear Blast sent me the new Dew Scented album, and while I don't like the name of the band, the record is killer — really, really good stuff. Not much else going on right now. I'm trying to find out more about what's up with Soulfly, and when I have the full scoop I'll let you know. Enjoy Metal File, and I'll see you at the shows.

Someone hit the snooze button on the apocalypse. Slayer's Soundtrack to the Apocalypse box set has been pushed back to November 18. ... Slipknot are eying a mid-November release for their long-form video "Welcome to Our Neighborhood." ... Six Feet Under will hit the road October 16 in Tampa, Florida, to kick off the Unnatural Born Killers tour. Skinless, Behemoth and Black Dahlia Murder will also be on board. ... Anthrax have extended their North American tour. New dates start October 10 in Montreal and run through October 29 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. The band is touring for its latest album, We've Come for You All, which was released May 6. ...

You've heard what your favorite metal frontmen can write, but have you seen what they can scribble with a pen? Liner notes for a handful of classic metal best-of releases have recently been written by a current crop of headbangers. Anthrax guitarist Scott Ian wrote about Life of Agony, ex-Megadeth bassist Dave Ellefson praised King Diamond, Chimaira vocalist Mark Hunter spouted off about Mercyful Fate, Superjoint Ritual bassist Hank Williams III tackled Brujeria, Hatebreed frontman Jamey Jasta wrote about Madball, Slipknot drummer Joey Jordison honored Deicide, and CKY singer/guitarist Deron Miller wrote about Malevolent Creation. All titles are out this week. ...

Tampa, Florida's controversial piercing and performance-art metal band the Genitorturers will start a tour October 23 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. Dates run through November 20 in Springfield, Virginia. Ex-Morbid Angel singer David Vincent will play bass. His wife, Gen, is a genuine dominatrix. ... Snapcase will uncork an album of rarities, covers and B-sides in November, titled Bright Flashes. The collection will include covers of songs by Jane's Addiction, Devo and Helmet. ... Reunited death-metal legends Cancer are working on an EP titled Corporation$, which should come out early in November. The EP's release will be followed by a U.S. tour. ... Society's Finest vocalist Josh Ashworth has replaced Daniel Weyandt in the band Zao, who are preparing material for their first album since reforming. ...

Next month Hatebreed will shoot videos for the songs "Live for This" and "This Is Now" in New York City. Both songs will appear on their forthcoming The Rise of Brutality. ... Mushroomhead have chosen "The Sun Doesn't Rise" as the first single from their next album, XIII. Cleveland's masked metalmen have already shot a creepy, mostly animated video for the track, said to be in the vein of the movie "The Nightmare Before Christmas." XIII hits stores October 14. ... Vehemence have entered Porcupine Studios in Mesa, Arizona, to record their new album, Helping the World to See. ... Himsa will shoot a video for "Rain to the Sound of Panic" during the first week of October. ... Nile have completed work on two videos for songs from In Their Darkened Shrines. The clips, directed by Darren Doane (AFI, Deftones), include a concept video for the track "Sarcophagus" and a performance video for the song "Execration Text." ...

Melodic death metal band Trivium have added 19-year-old singer/guitarist Corey Beaulieu to their lineup. The band's debut CD, Ember to Inferno, which features former singer/guitarist Matt Heafy, comes out October 14. The band begins a European tour the next day. ... Experimental San Francisco noise band Neurosis have collaborated with ex-Swans vocalist Jarboe for the record Neurosis & Jarboe, due before the end of the year. The record, which combines tribal beats, crashing rhythms and haunting vocals, includes the tracks "Taker," "Receive," "Erase" and "Cringe." ... Short-lived Van Halen vocalist Gary Cherone (ex-Extreme) will star in a low-budget musical version of Pink Floyd's "The Wall." The performance will premiere November 29 at the Schauer Arts & Activities Center in Hartford, Wisconsin, and will be followed by a full run at the Scottish Rite in Milwaukee from January 22 to February 1. ...

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

• Slayer
• Hatebreed
• Slipknot
• Megadeth
• Six Feet Under

Hey, what's up, metallions? How's everything been with you? Iann Robinson once again. Some pretty cool things are happening this week. First off is the Headbangers Ball Tour, featuring Lamb of God, Shadows Fall, Killswitch Engage, Unearth and God Forbid — that's an amazing lineup. Anybody who's seen any of those bands live knows that one-on-one they kill, so all together, man, it's gonna be nuts. I've also been getting into these two new albums I got, one is the Darkness record Permission to Land, and the other is Danko Jones' new one, We Sweat Blood. I know, I know, it's not 100 percent metal, but they are heavy-ass rock that totally kill. The Darkness sound like AC/DC smashing into Urge Overkill on the Cult freeway —good stuff. Danko is straight-up rock, like what would happen if James Brown started a band with AC/DC. Metalhead or not, I suggest checking them out. Well, that's it for this week. Enjoy Metal File, and I will see you at the shows.

Legendary New York art-rockers Unsane will release Lambhouse on October 21. The album is a greatest-hits collection that includes a bonus DVD of all their music videos. ... Six Feet Under are steering away from blood-slicked paths a little and singing about social issues on their new album, Bringer of Blood, due September 23. The disc features songs like "Amerika the Brutal," "My Hatred" and "Sick in the Head," which lambastes the Bush administration and the nation's policies concerning free expression. ...

Skinlab have signed on for part of the Jägermeister Tour, which features Slayer, Hatebreed and Arch Enemy. Dates kick off October 8 in St. Paul, Minnesota, with Skinlab joining on November 11. The band will be playing with guitarist Scott Sergeant, who played with the band on 1999's Disembody: The New Flesh. The band's B-sides album, The Nerve Damage Sessions, is due early next year and will include two new studio tracks, an acoustic version of "Purify" and previously unreleased songs. ...

Ex-Coal Chamber frontman Dez Fafara has commented on Sevendust drummer Morgan Rose's recent revelation that Sevendust's new single, "Enemy," is a scathing rant about Fafara. "I would like to say I am glad that I did not inspire a love song for their lite-rock ballad single, and for Morgan Rose to please grow up." In response, Rose quickly retorted, "If Dez Fafara thinks my comments were out of line and childish, it's interesting that he's calling up my wife crying for forgiveness while still talking sh-- on the Internet. The reason Coal Chamber isn't together anymore is because his bandmates hated him. And I think most people in my shoes would have taken harsher actions if their wife was treated the way Dez treated [my wife] Rayna [Foss-Rose] when she was in Coal Chamber." ...

Suffocation have signed a deal with Relapse Records and should have an album out by early next year. It will be their first full-length since 1995's Pierced From Within. ... New Jersey's God Forbid have finished recording their third full-length, Gone Forever. The record is also due in 2004. ... Napalm Death have pushed back the projected release date of the covers collection Leaders Not Followers 2 to early next year. Due on the band's own Feto label, it'll include 18 covers of bands including Die Kreuzen, Hellhammer, Cryptic Slaughter and Sepultura. ...

Morbid Angel will be releasing their new album, Heretic, in five different versions. One is a box set featuring the new album plus the 18-track CD Bonus Levels and a Heretic sticker; the second is a double-disc slipcase of both CDs; the third option features both discs in a double-CD jewel case; the fourth is a 12-inch picture disc with no bonus CD; and of course one version simply contains Heretic in a CD case. ... Burnt by the Sun's new The Perfect Is the Enemy of Good will hit stores on September 23. ...Mastodon will re-release their masterpiece Remission on October 21 with a bonus DVD. ...

—compiled by Iann Robinson, Robert Mancini and Jon Wiederhorn

• Morbid Angel
• Napalm Death
• Sevendust
• Six Feet Under
• Skinlab

Hello Metalions, Iann Robinson here. It's that time of the week again, the big Metal File report. Lots happening since we last spoke: First and foremost let me extend my pride and admiration to all the true believers out there who keep metal alive despite lack of interest by the corporate machine. A report recently released by USA Today states that metal-album sales are up by 232 percent, while everything else is failing or having a hard time moving forward. That's not only great news for the bands and labels who've worked so hard to make this scene what it is, but also for us, it proves that dedication to a lifestyle and belief in the scene and music you're about will always triumph over shelf-life music, no matter how popular it gets. We knew this all along, but it's good to see others forced to recognize it as well.

In other fun stuff, I got to hear the new Iron Maiden record, and, unlike some recent bands that have released albums that destroy their once-great legacy, Iron Maiden are still in full, true form. Like the new record or not, it's totally Iron Maiden; no attempts to be hip or cool to try to sell records here — just true Maiden in Maiden form. OK gang, be proud of yourselves and I'll see you at the shows:

Black Label Society will release their live DVD, "Boozed, Broozed & Broken-Boned," on August 12. The DVD was recorded live at Harpo's in Detroit. ...

Six Feet Under have settled on 11 tracks for their upcoming Bringer of Blood album, due September 23. The CD will include "Sick in the Head," "My Hatred," "Murdered in the Basement," "When Skin Turns Blue," "Bringer of Blood," "Ugly," "Braindead," "Blind and Gagged," "Claustrophobic," "Escape From the Grave" and the album's first single, "Amerika the Beautiful," for which a video is in the works. ...

Early reports that Immortal have called it a day may be a little off, according to Nuclear Blast, which claims the band is taking an extended break but not officially breaking up. ... Mayhem are going to record their new record, Chimera, in a mobile studio tucked away somewhere in the Norwegian mountains with the help of technician Børge Finstad. … Morbid Angel are filming a video for the track "Enshrined by Grace" from their upcoming Heretic album, due out in September. ... Helloween, Beyond the Embrace and Jag Panzer will team up for a tour kicking off on October 1 in Tempe, Arizona. So far, the bands have two weeks' worth of dates lined up. ...

A best-of series from Roadrunner Records hits stores on September 22. The first seven releases include Deicide, Life of Agony, Brujeria, King Diamond, Mercyful Fate, Madball and Malevolant Creation. ... Speaking of Brujeria, the band is gearing up for its first live show on September 4 in Bellflower, California. The group's current lineup includes Dimmu Borgir drummer Nick Barker, vocalist El Brujo, guitarist El Asesino (a.k.a. Dino Cazares, ex-Fear Factory) and Napalm Death bassist Shane Embury replacing ex-Faith No More bassist Billy Gould. ...

On August 12, Georgia sludge giants Harvey Milk will release The Singles through Relapse Records. The collection includes 13 rare tracks. ... God Forbid will enter Trax East Studios this week to record their new full-length album. Look for an EP, titled Gone Forever, in August. ...

Anathema, whose sound over the years has run the gamut from glacially paced death metal to progressive Pink Floyd and Radiohead-inspired rock, has entered the U.K.'s Parkgate Studios to begin work on the follow-up to 2001's A Fine Day to Exit. "It's fair to say you can expect a variety of songs and soundscapes on this one, peaceful and ambient tones to sonically massive great noises that we are barely able to control," guitarist Daniel Cavanagh recently posted on the group's Web site. ...

In the middle of August, Ministry will re-enter the studio to work on the follow-up to this year's Animositisomina. Frontman Al Jourgensen also plans to release albums by his side projects Revolting Cocks and Lard next year. The last Cocks album, Linger Ficken' Good ... came out a decade ago and the last Lard disc, Pure Chewing Satisfaction, hit shelves in 1997. ... Swedish girl-fronted melodic death metal band Arch Enemy will kick off a 12-date U.S. tour on August 25 in Springfield, Virginia. Shows run through September 8 in Los Angeles. Hate Eternal, Evergrey and Black Dahlia Murder will support. ...

Dream Theater drummer Mike Portnoy, ex-Racer X guitarist Paul Gilbert, former Dixie Dregs bassist Dave LaRue and Pain of Salvation vocalist Daniel Gildenlow have formed the Led Zeppelin tribute band Hammer of the Gods, which will play November 7 at the Montreal Jazz Festival. ... Influential '80s German thrash band Kreator will launch a tour October 1 in Houston. Dates run through Halloween in Atlanta. The band has just released a double live CD, Live Kreation, and the DVD "Live Kreation - Revisioned Glory." ...

Napalm Death are finishing up a covers album, Leaders Not Followers 2, which will come out by year's end. The disc will feature versions of songs by Cryptic Slaughter, Offenders, Devastation, Agnostic Front, Attitude Adjustment, Sepultura, Hellhammer, Kreator, Discharge, Massacre and others. ... On August 26, thrash band Pro-Pain will release the covers album Run for Cover, with songs by Slayer, Agnostic Front, Motorhead, Sepultura, Discharge, Operation Ivy, Black Flag and others. ...

—compiled by Iann Robinson, Robert Mancini, Ryan Downey and Jon Wiederhorn

• Iron Maiden
• Six Feet Under
• Immortal
• Mayhem