Fu Manchu
Photo: Century Media

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

The rest of the week's metal news:

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

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

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

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

Ozzy Osbourne
Photo: MTV News

AUBURN, Washington — Ozzy Osbourne thought 10 Ozzfests were enough. He'd reached his limit. And so, before last year's Ozzfest — the heavy-metal festival's 10th rendition — concluded, Osbourne announced he'd be retiring from his namesake tour. He'd also be taking a break from the road for a while.

But here he is, standing at the foot of Ozzfest's main stage with the launch of this year's Ozzfest just 48 hours away. The music icon's surveying things — inspecting the lights, the monitors, the positioning of the amplifiers. In about 20 minutes, he'll be joined onstage by guitarist Zakk Wylde, drummer Mike Bordin and bassist Blasko for his first official Ozzfest rehearsal.

"I wanted to retire," he insisted. "But that lasted half a year. I was bored to death, and I wanted to come back on the road again. I'm not complaining about it, but the downside [to doing Ozzfest] is I never get a chance to go on vacation. Whenever we do go on vacation, it's winter. So this year, I tried to get off the Ozzfest, and [my wife and the festival's architect] Sharon said, 'OK.' But then one guy spoke to one guy and said it wouldn't be Ozzfest if Ozzy isn't there. So [we compromised]. Sharon's idea was to do a couple of headliners on the second stage, and I said, 'That's great. It's right in the midst of the audience.' "

This summer's Ozzfest, which wraps up August 13 in West Palm Beach, Florida, will make stops in 27 cities, with Osbourne scheduled to take the stage for 13 of them — four mainstage appearances and nine on the tour's smaller second stage. But might this — as the rumor mill suggests — be Ozzy's last Ozzfest?

"I will always be involved in it in some way, as long as it carries along — and as long as I'm alive," he said. "It's my wife and I's creation. People say to me, 'What's the trick? How do you do it?' And I can't answer that question. I'm just so grateful and happy [the fans] come out to see the show."

Talking to Ozzy, you get the sense that, after 11 years, he's sort of astounded at Ozzfest's mammoth growth. It has become an unstoppable force, surviving while other festivals have come and gone.

"I can't believe it's been 11 years," he said, reflecting on the tour's tradition. "I couldn't believe it was 10 years. You know, every year, I ask my wife, 'How long do you think this is going to go on for?' But it's out of my control now, and it's rolling along on its own. You know, I can't call this work. I love it. What I'm really happy about, what has happened from Ozzfest, is it's been a great diving board for other bands. I mean, Korn, System of a Down — the list goes on and on. And that's what my job is: to keep the machine rolling."

After this year's Ozzfest, Osbourne plans to start working on his 15th solo LP — his first record's worth of original compositions in five years. "We just started working on some ideas, Zakk and the boys," he explained. "We're putting a bunch of ideas together, and Zakk's playing is just unbelievable. His new album [Shot to Hell, which hits stores September 19] is fantastic. It is going to blow everything else off the face of the world. So when we finish Ozzfest, I'm going to start writing. It's going to be the first one I've written and recorded sober. That's weird. The one thing about having a swift drink is it gets the old imagination going, you know?"

Ozzy's mindset going into the sessions is a positive one, he said. "I'm 57 years of age, and I never thought I'd live this long," he joked. "I think I'm the luckiest man in the world. I've survived, both physically and professionally ... I think."

The rest of the week's metal news:

Lamb of God's forthcoming album Sacrament will feature 11 songs when it hits stores August 22 — including "Walk With Me in Hell," "Foot to the Throat" and "Beating on Death's Door." A deluxe version of the CD will be available to fans and contain a bonus DVD with two videos for the album's first single, "Redneck," and a making-of-the-album segment. ... Moody instrumental experimentalists Explosions in the Sky have been writing material for their forthcoming, yet-untitled LP. The record will boast six songs — with most clocking in at about 13 minutes. The band plans to hit the studio next month with the Paper Chase's John Congleton to record the tracks. ... New Jersey hardcore heroes Nora are hard at work writing material for their next album. According to Nora's MySpace page, they're going through the "weeding-out process for the stuff we've written, so ... there's a lot of arguing. That's normal, though — if there wasn't arguing, it wouldn't be Nora." The band is in talks with Rob Caggiano (Bleeding Through, Cradle of Filth) to produce the effort. ... Massachusetts hard-rockers Seemless — which boast former Killswitch Engage frontman Jesse Leach and ex-Overcast guitarist Pete Cortese — have finished working on their sophomore album, What Have We Become, which is set to drop September 5. Look for the disc to feature 10 tracks, including "Cast No Shadow," "Jaded" and "Things Fall Apart." ...

The track list for Light This City's forthcoming record Facing the Thousand has been revealed, and a song from the effort, "Cradle for a King," has been posted on the band's MySpace page. The LP, which will be in stores September 19, will include a guest appearance by the Black Dahlia Murder's Trevor Strnad on "Fear of Heights." The record contains 10 tracks in all, including "The Unwelcome Savior," "Maddening Swarm" and "Like Every Song's Our Last." ... Wildman Glenn Danzig's long-awaited Black Aria II has been slated for release September 19. The disc will boast material the former Misfits frontman's been working on for more than five years. It's a classical, operatic work, inspired by Lilith, the mythological first wife of Adam. ... Montreal's Neuraxis will not be touring this summer with Beneath the Massacre and Victimas, according to the band's MySpace profile. "Earlier this year, [we] agreed to take part in a U.S. tour, which was to take place for late July/ early August." But late last month, "it was decided that we had to cancel our participation on this tour. With a month to go before [it] was to start, we had only received half of the confirmed dates. We felt this was not enough time to properly promote and spread the word about this tour." The bandmembers also lacked work permits, which would've prevented them from touring in the States. ...

New York death-metal mammoths Suffocation have unveiled the track list for their next LP, a self-titled offering due September 19. "Abomination Reborn," "Translucent Patterns of Delirium" and "Entrails of You" are among the album's 11 tracks. ... Orange County, California, hardcore-metal band Ignite have shot a politically charged video for "Bleeding" with director Chris Sims, who has previously worked with Lamb of God and As I Lay Dying. The clip features the band playing in the parched California desert interspersed with news footage of the war in Iraq and other intense imagery. Singer Zoli Teglas, whose brother is currently stationed in Iraq, wrote the lyrics for the song, which appears on the band's new record, Our Darkest Days. "[My brother] is forced to risk his life driving Halliburton execs to meetings that benefit the politicians and not the people," Teglas said in a statement. ... Los Angeles melodic punk-metal band 2Cents will put out their debut, Lost at Sea, September 26. The disc was produced by Matt Hyde (Slayer, Sum 41) and includes a tribute to the band's fallen hero, "A Song for Darrell Abbott." Other tracks include "The Mark of My Pen," "Wired" and "Victims of Pop Culture." In addition to playing conventional venues, 2Cents have made their mark by playing in unusual spots, including maximum-security youth correctional facilities. ...

Swiss extreme-metal forefathers Celtic Frost have announced the openers for their North American tour. Between the September 12 opening date in Springfield, Virginia, and October 2 in Portland, Oregon, Norwegian black-metal band 1349 and Norwegian doom group Sahg (which features ex-Gorgoroth members King and Kvitrafn) will carry out the bloodletting before Celtic Frost take the stage. And from October 13 in San Francisco to the final date, November 11 in Johnson City, New York, Goatwhore will open. Seismic drone band Sunn 0))) will also play the second leg of the tour but will drop off after the October 9 show in Las Vegas. ... Exodus drummer Paul Bostaph (ex-Slayer, Testament) has commented about replacing Testament drummer Louie Clemente for the band's current tour, which runs through July 16 in Victorville, California, before heading overseas and ending August 5 in Busan City, South Korea. "There will be plenty of time to rest when I'm dead," said Bostaph, who recently finished European dates with Exodus. "I dream in double-bass." Bostaph was a member of Testament for a short period in early 2004 and toured with them in 1992, a jaunt that included dates for their 1993 live EP, Return to the Apocalyptic City. "I'm stoked to hit the road with the Testament guys, especially since I've never played with guitarist Alex Skolnick before. It's as close to the original lineup as possible and I've always had fun with them.". Clemente, who had to bow out due to medical reasons, is expected to rejoin Testament after the dates. The band hopes to enter the studio before the end of the year. ...

The third album from Insomnium, Above the Weeping World, will hit the streets October 17. The Finnish melodic death-metal band worked on the disc at Fantom and Finnvox studios, where they delved into new atmospheric shades and production techniques. "This is by far the best Insomnium album," said singer and bassist Niilo Sevanen. "It is the first time we feel we really succeeded in studio." The album will feature nine tracks, including "The Gale," "At the Gates of Sleep" and "Mortal Share." A video for the latter can be seen at Candlelight Records' MySpace page. ... Mushroomhead will grace the metal community with their sixth feral offering, Savior Sorrow, September 19. The disc was produced by Steve Felton and the band in Cleveland in April. "It's a new chapter in Mushroomhead's evolution," drummer Skinny said. "There are sounds on this album that are so brutal and huge. We focused on delivering some vicious hardcore mixed with heavy melodic hooks." Savior Sorrow will be the band's first album since 2003's XIII. ... French moshers Lyzanxia will unveil their third steely effort, Unsu, this fall. The disc was recorded and mixed by Fredrik Nordström and Patrick J. Sten at Studio Fredman in Gothenburg, Sweden. The album will be the follow-up to the band's 2004 album, Mindcrimes. ... Progressive quartet Minsk are in the studio working on their third album, tentatively scheduled for early 2007 release. The Chicago-area group will record the album at bassist and singer Sanford Parker's Volume Recording Studio, which has also served as an audio laboratory for Pelican and Unearthly Trance.

Where do your favorite metal bands rank on our list? Find out in the feature "The Greatest Metal Bands of All Time."

• Ozzy Osbourne
• Lamb of God
• Ignite
• Celtic Frost
• Suffocation

Bury Your Dead
Photo: Micah Smith / Fusemedia

Bury Your Dead sure are sick of eggs.

During last year's Ozzfest, the Boston hardcore quintet was unwittingly dragged into a feud between Sharon Osbourne and Iron Maiden, a conflict that resulted in the metal legends getting egged onstage by members of the crowd. Before Osbourne revealed that she orchestrated the incident, she used Bury Your Dead as a scapegoat, saying they were responsible for the egg-tossing.

But now Bury Your Dead are trying to put the ordeal — and ensuing death threats from Maiden fans — behind them. "I'm trying to forget about it," drummer Mark Castillo said.

Well, what better way to do so than with a new tour and LP, to boot? Instead of Ozzfest, Bury Your Dead will be back on the road as part of this summer's revived Family Values Tour, starring Korn and the Deftones.

"It's perfect timing, because we're coming out with a new album, and we're going on the biggest tour we've ever been on," Castillo said about the band's upcoming stint on the festival's second stage. "We're very excited about it, and hopefully, we'll go over well."

On July 11, Bury Your Dead will issue their third studio disc, Beauty and the Breakdown, which was recorded at Audiohammer Studios in Florida with producer Jason Suecof (Trivium, God Forbid). While 2004's Cover Your Tracks featured song titles inspired by Tom Cruise's résumé ("The Color of Money," "Mission: Impossible 2," etc.), Beauty's songs ("Mirror, Mirror," "House of Straw") were borrowed from fairy-tale elements and the LP artwork is laid out like a storybook.

Which is strange, considering Beauty's hands-down the heaviest thing Bury Your Dead have ever created.

"This record is what we've wanted to do, what we wanted to write, but we never concentrated on it," Castillo said. "We just sat down this time and did it, and got it done. And that's what came out, and we're psyched about it. This, in my eyes, is the make-it-or-break-it album. If this one doesn't do well, there's not much chance of putting a fourth album out and having it beat this one. If this one doesn't make it, I'm pretty sure [being a band is] just not meant for us.

"I'm not going to say it's the heaviest thing you'll ever hear in your life, but it's up there," he continued. "I'm sure people who liked our last album or the album before that are going to be like, 'You know what? This sounds totally different, and I want nothing to do with it.' Along with the people who're leaving, there's going to be people coming in who'll go, 'While I didn't like the last album, this one's heavy as hell.' There's always a win-lose, you know? That's the way music goes."

The rest of the week's metal news:

Queensrÿche, masterminds of the 1988 epic Operation: Mindcrime, were accessories to a crime of sorts when their tour manager was arrested at an airport in Amsterdam for telling a ticket agent that the group had a gun in one of its suitcases. He was referring to the replica Glock .45 handgun the band uses onstage, but before he could clear up the matter, airport police descended and began questioning the band. Concerned that Queensrÿche might miss their flight, the tour manager told the authorities the fake gun was his, at which point he was taken into custody and the group was allowed to board the plane. After being detained and questioned further, the tour manager was fined and the fake gun confiscated. ... Lamb of God have scheduled a handful of Unholy Alliance off-dates, with Mastodon, Children of Bodom and Thine Eyes Bleed tagging along for most of them: Thursday (Oklahoma City, Oklahoma); June 26 (New Orleans); July 1 (Rochester, New York); July 10 (Saskatoon, Saskatchewan); July 17 (Boise, Idaho); July 18 (Sparks, Nevada); and July 25 (Salt Lake City). ... Brazilian thrashers Sepultura have lost drummer and co-founder Igor Cavalera, who ditched the band due to "artistic differences." The rest of the group — guitarist Andreas Kisser, frontman Derrick Green and bassist Paulo Xisto Jr. — plan to carry on despite Cavalera's unexpected departure. ...

Machine Head plan to start recording new material in August, according to a post by drummer Dave McClain on the band's Web site. "A few more songs to go until the writing process is completed," he wrote. "The freedom and drive we have on this album is far exceeding what we were doing on [2003's Through the Ashes of Empires]. Being able to take our time without a deadline ... has been priceless. If I could describe the songs in one word it would have to be 'angry.' I guess when you're living in times like these, it's hard not to be pissed off, and the music and lyrics are definitely a product of the anger we're all feeling." ... The Chariot recently lost guitarist Keller Harbin and bassist Joshua Beiser, who both quit for personal reasons. "In the early stages of every band, members often change due to whatever reason," frontman Josh Scogin said in a statement. Guitarist Jon Terrey and bassist Dan Eaton, two longtime friends of the band, have replaced them. "Everyone is eye-to-eye on the love of music, and the band is very much excited about the change," Scogin continued. "Obviously, the music will remain the same, and every show is still booked and ready to go." The group's first show with the new lineup is June 17 in Wilmore, Kentucky. ...

The Dillinger Escape Plan's "Miss Machine: The DVD" will land in stores June 27 and boast behind-the-scenes footage, studio footage from the Miss Machine recording sessions and live performance clips. In related news, Dillinger's June 10 performance in Fredericksburg, Virginia, ended on a sour note after someone shanghaied James Love's primary, customized Ibanez guitar (Love has been filling in for the injured Brian Benoit). The suspect was nearly apprehended thanks to several members of Cattle Decapitation, who hurled a hammer through the fleeing thief's windshield. ... Kiss will release "Lick It Up: The Definitive DVD" on August 15. The disc will feature 18 songs, including "Heaven's on Fire," "I Love It Loud," "Crazy Crazy Nights" and "God Gave Rock & Roll to You." The album Lick It Up came out in 1983 and was the last to feature guitarist Vinnie Vincent, who had replaced Ace Frehley for 1982's Creatures of the Night. ...

Norwegian black-metallers Dimmu Borgir will hit the studio with Fredrik Nordström (At the Gates, Arch Enemy) in October to start recording their forthcoming album, tentatively due in early 2007. Look for the disc to include a guest appearance by Mayhem's Hellhammer on drums. ... Influential New York death-metal band Suffocation have entered Full Force Studios in Long Island, New York, to record their sixth full-length album. Austin, Texas, tattooist Jon Zig will create art for the album, which is tentatively scheduled for release in September. ... While most bands are worried about how they're going to pay the bills next week, New Jersey power-metallers Overkill already know what they'll be doing in 2007, dude: Hitting the road January 19 in Lakewood, Colorado, for a string of U.S. dates. Thus far, just nine gigs have been booked through January 28 in New York, but an announcement on additional dates is expected in the coming weeks. ... Satyricon will reissue their 1999 album, Rebel Extravaganza, July 25. The record will be remixed and feature three bonus tracks: "Nemesis Divina (Clean Version Mix)" and "Blessed From Below (Melancholy Oppression Longing)," as well as a cover of Sarcofago's "I.N.R.I." ...

Portuguese goth-metal vets Moonspell will launch a North American tour with Swedish doom band Katatonia and Raleigh, North Carolina, gloomsters Daylight Dies on October 20 in Poughkeepsie, New York. Dates run through November 11 in San Antonio, Texas. Moonspell's seventh album, Memorial, came out April 25. ... Gwar will release a new DVD, "Blood Bath and Beyond!," on June 20. The disc features more than 90 minutes of rare and previously unreleased footage as well as mini-movies, lost demo recordings and bootleg video spanning the band's 20-year career. In addition, Gwar have recorded a cover of Alice Cooper's "School's Out," which is available for download at the band's Web site and will be the first single from the band's next album, Beyond Hell, which is due later this summer. ... Goat Horn have disbanded. Frontman Jason Decay said in a statement that "after years of working together, the obstacles in our path to our goals has brought everything to a standstill. It was not an easy decision to make." He equated the split to "sort of like breaking up with a really hot chick that's a psycho. Like, she's so hot and you [love her], but in the end, you hate the person she is or the person you have become."

• Bury Your Dead
• Dillinger Escape Plan
• Suffocation
• Goat Horn

Mötley Crüe's Vince Neil (file)
Photo: Getty Images/Donald Weber

The last seven months have been rather eventful for Mötley Crüe, and with a 55-date North American summer expedition — with openers Sum 41, the Exies and Silvertide — set to kick off July 24 in Colorado Springs, Colorado, it's only going to get more hectic for the ripe hair-metal legends.

The Crüe — who'll get their star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 2006 — couldn't be more excited to get back on the road. "My bags are packed," frontman Vince Neil said. "I'm standing by the door."

According to bassist Nikki Sixx, the second time around the continent's going to similar to their last outing. "We'd initially planned on changing the show quite a bit and then, in just talking to fans, and knowing that we're going to so many cities we haven't been to, we decided that we're going to keep it pretty much the same," he said. Once again, they'll mix older material and newer stuff and, of course, killer clowns and almost-naked aerialists. "We might play some different songs here and there, but at this point, it's a pretty labor-intensive show, and we decided to just take it around one more time."

Response to the Crüe's first spate of dates was so overwhelming that they just had to give it another go. "Vince has said over and over again, 'Rock and roll never really goes away,' " Sixx said. "Pop artists come and they go, but they never really come back. Rock bands, we go through phases of being more or less popular. ... We've been discovered by a new audience, a younger audience."

But those who missed the band's most recent reunion trek — and, for some inexplicable reason, commit the ungodly gaffe of missing the guys on this forthcoming tour — will still be able to experience the madness of the Crüe live. Carnival of Sins, a special double-disc DVD, hits stores October 4 and features footage from a concert in Grand Rapids, Michigan, along with behind-the-scenes footage, in-depth interviews, a Claymation film, music videos and more.

"We shot it in high-def, we had 18 cameras, and it has a lot of the behind the scenes, putting together of the show," Sixx said.

"It shows every guy doing their, like, ritual or whatever, like [drummer] Tommy [Lee] blasting music, or me kicking back or meditating or whatever — how each of us prepares to go onstage," guitarist Mick Mars added. "Me putting on makeup and all that kind of crap. I'm the only guy who wears makeup. The rest of the guys have natural beauty."

The Crüe are even planning to record new material soon.

"We look forward to creating some new songs," Sixx said. "It won't be this year. We're definitely going back to do an album. The hard part is finding the time. This tour keeps adding dates and adding dates, so it's hard to pinpoint when people ask, 'When are you going into the studio?' The only thing you can say is 'When the tour ends.' We don't know when it will end yet. It's more important to have a great record than to rush getting it out. It's important for us to put a great record out."

The rest of the week's metal news:

"Viva La Bam" and "Jackass" cast members Don Vito and Ryan Dunn have assembled a new tour that will wed extreme antics with extreme-metal performances. Open Hand, Fight Paris and Disengage will play sets during shows that will also feature acts of self-abuse and other tomfoolery. The tour launches August 3 in Austin, Texas, and runs through September 11. ... Thine Eyes Bleed, a thrash/death-metal band that features John Araya (brother of Slayer singer/bassist Tom Araya) and ex-Kittie touring guitarist Jeff Phillips, will kick off their summer North American tour on July 19 in Rimouski, Quebec. Dates run through August 5 in Ottawa. ... Swedish death-metal veterans Hypocrisy will release their 10th studio album, Virus, on September 19. The disc was produced by frontman Peter Tagtgren in his Abyss studio and includes the tracks "Warpath," "Let the Knife Do the Talking" and "Blooddrenched." ...

The fifth album by Soulfly, Dark Ages, is due October 4. The disc was produced by frontman Max Cavalera, mixed by Terry Date and includes embellishments by musicians from Serbia, Turkey, Russia and France. Tracks include "Inner Spirit," "Corrosion Creeps," "Stay Strong," "Fuel the Hate" and "Molotov," which features guest vocals by M.O.D. frontman Billy Milano. ... Finnish melodic death metallers Omnium Gatherum have booked studio time for next spring to record their third album. ... Swedish operatic metal marauders Therion will invade North America this fall for the first time in more than a decade. The band will begin the crusade August 29 in Portland, Oregon, pillaging and plundering through October 6 in Utica, New York. ...

French-Canadian extreme death-metallers Cryptopsy are nearly finished with their still-untitled fifth album, which will come out in October. The band entered Vortex Studios near Montreal on May 16 with producer Sebastien Marsan. Cryptopsy will tour with Suffocation and Aborted starting September 28 in Farmingdale, New York. ... Rollins Band drummer Jason Mackenroth will release the eponymous debut from his new band Mack on September 13. The power trio features Mackenroth (drums/vocals), Jacques Wait (guitars/vocals) and Dan McNay (bass/vocals). Mackenroth has played on seven Rollins Band albums and was also in Mother Superior. ... Guitar virtuoso Yngwie Malmsteen and his Rising Force will issue their new album, Release the Fury, on July 26. ... Speedy death-metal merchants Nile recently filmed a video for "Sacrifice Unto Sebek," a track from the band's recently released Annihilation of the Wicked. Shot on location in Atlanta with director Chad Rullman (Mastodon, the Agony Scene), it features the band rockin' hard inside an Egyptian burial chamber, "replete with actual design motifs of ancient Egyptian culture," according to a press release. ...

The Number Twelve Looks Like You hit the road on August 1 in Topton, Pennsylvania, for a 14-date tour that wraps on August 31 in Wilmington, Delaware. ... Blessing the Hogs' forthcoming opus will boast ex-Coalesce vocalist Sean Ingram's pipes on at least two songs — covers of Quicksand's "Fazer" and the Melvins' "Hog Leg." Called The Twelve Gauge Solution, the July 26 release will feature "Let's Play Doctor ... Kevorkian," "That New Car Smell," "Chemical Equalizer" and "Selficide." ... Floridian hardcore act Until the End have lined up two September shows, which will be the band's last. Both will go down in the Sunshine State (in Miami and West Palm Beach) and will feature both current vocalist James McHugh and original singer Mean Pete. ... Dutch death metallers Gorefest will start recording their reunion album soon at Excess Studio in Rotterdam, Netherlands. The group, which broke up in 1998 following the release of Chapter 13, have written 15 songs for the effort, 10 of which will make the disc, which Iis due for release by year's end. On August 23, the band's entire back catalog will be re-released on three double-disc sets with bonus tracks.

• Mötley Crüe
• Soulfly
• Yngwie Malmsteen
• Open Hand
• Fight Paris