Soilent Green
Photo: Metal Blade Records

It's been nearly three years since we've heard from Soilent Green, but on April 15, the Southern sludge stalwarts will make their return with Inevitable Collapse in the Presence of Conviction, the long-awaited follow-up to 2005's Confrontation. But don't just assume Soilent's members have been sitting around, twiddling their thumbs these last few years, because nothing could be further from the truth.

According to singer Ben Falgoust, he is often asked if the band has thrown in the proverbial towel, or if he ended up exiting the fold to focus full time on Goatwhore, the currently on-tour black-metal band he also fronts. But he claims the band has never once considered pulling the plug on Soilent — everyone's just been busy with other projects is all. Guitarist Brian Patton is also involved with Eyehategod, while guitarist Gregg Harney is a member of Spickle. Drummer Tommy Buckley is also a member of Crowbar, and bassist Scott Crochet plays in a band called Hostile Apostle.

"We all have other bands we need to devote time to," Falgoust explained. "While the rest of the guys are off doing other projects, I'll be home, writing. They'll write while I'm out with Goatwhore. We're not trying to put off one band in favor of another, but when a release hits, I'm obligated to go out with that band as much as possible. When April comes around, Goatwhore's tour with Exodus ends, and I'll be heading out with Soilent again."

That April tour, he said, will be a North American run featuring three other bands on the bill. Falgoust said he wasn't at liberty to discuss any details regarding the trek but that all would be revealed in the coming weeks. While fans have been made to wait three years for Inevitable Collapse — which was produced by Erik Rutan (Cannibal Corpse, Vital Remains), who also helmed Conviction — Falgoust said he's sure they'll find it was well worth it.

"Soilent is what Soilent is, but with each record, I think different angles are approached in writing and execution," he explained, saying that the new LP contains elements of the band's previous albums. "The guys [in the band] are really hard on each other about stuff. They'll get to parts in a song where they feel like they're repeating something from a past record, and they'll get into an argument about it, which basically forces us to break away from that mold.

"This record has something new to it — a new edge, I'd say," Falgoust continued. "I don't want to be the guy who says this is our best record yet — all I can say is, when it comes out, you'll just have to check it out, and everyone will have to judge it for themselves. The sound on this record is f---ing amazing; it's just all-out. The guitars sound so sick. I thought Confrontation was awesome, but I think we blew that record out. [This album] sounds ridiculous."

The singer said that, with Inevitable Collapse, Soilent Green wanted to create a guitar lover's wet dream. While some bands focus more on making the drum or vocal parts more prominent on their albums, Soilent wanted the guitars to stand out more.

"The defining feature of a metal band is the guitars — it's what metal is," he explained. "How many records have come out in the last few years that are supposed to be metal, and the guitars are wimpy and low in the mix, and the vocals and drums are overpowering? On a metal record, the guitars are supposed to stand out — and they do on this record. Patton's tone is really good, and Rutan brought that sh-- out. Don't get me wrong — you can hear the drums, and the flow of the bass underneath, and the vocals. But the guitars are just lethal and have that low-end bite to them. It just sounds awesome."

Since Falgoust and the rest of Soilent really wanted the guitars to take center stage, the singer had to take a different approach with his vocal performance on the LP.

"I'm a professional introvert," he confessed. "I deal with people, but in a way, I really don't feel like dealing with people. I like to be by myself. I stay home a lot and watch movies. A lot of the lyrics deal with hatred — I sort of have this obsessive compulsive kind of hatred in me. But before we started working on this record, I'd sing over a good bit of stuff. This time, I sat back and said, 'I think that part needs to flow — no vocals — like a jam part people can get into and have fun with.' Soilent's pretty crazy, but when [a song] gets to that element, where it just rocks out, I thought those parts needed to breathe a little more, so I backed off from smothering them in my vocals. I had to learn the art of actually rocking out to it."

Strangely, Falgoust said an outside force bled into the creative process for him and, in many ways, became an integral part of the entire ordeal.

"I started watching 'Squidbillies,' " an animated series that runs on the Cartoon Network's Adult Swim block. "I became totally addicted to it. Every day at the studio, I would watch one or two episodes, and it became part of the process for me. It was addictive."

The rest of the week's metal news:

Lamb of God frontman Randy Blythe recently checked in with Metal File about the Virginia metallers' next studio effort, which he said they'll embark on this year. "We're going to be writing a new record," he confirmed of the yet-untitled LP, adding that he's going to jet to Japan in February to "kick it with the wife" before putting his nose to the grindstone. "[I'm going to] try and take a deep breath for a few months before we start writing a new record," he said. "I figure we'll start heading into the ... practice space in late March or something." Blythe also pulled back the curtain on a side project, revealing that he's been ganging up with Steve Zing, a founding member of Glenn Danzig's Samhain act. "I saw him and Danzig recently, and I'm going to do something kinda creepy with [Zing]," Blythe said. Adding to what looks to be a busy '08, he added, "I'm working on a lot of different writing projects with different magazines. I'm working on a comic book now as well." Lamb of God recently launched a contest with Sirius Satellite Radio and GarageBand for a contest that asks fans to remix a song from the band's 2006 album, Sacrament. Winners of the contest, which ends February 21, will win a trip to NYC to meet the band at the premiere of its forthcoming, yet-untitled spring DVD. Go here for more info. ...

The long-awaited studio-album reunion between ex-Sepultura and Soulfly frontman Max Cavalera and ex-Sepultura drummer Iggor Cavalera is scheduled for release on March 25. The Cavalera Conspiracy's Inflikted marks the first time the two brothers have recorded together in over 10 years. "Cavalera Conspiracy is about a sense of being released," Max said in a statement. "You bottle [up] a monster for 10 years and then let it out. It's explosive, and we waited a long time for this beast to be set free." The album was recorded in July at Undercity Recordings in North Hollywood, California, and produced by ex-Machine Head guitarist Logan Mader and Lucas Banker of the Dirty Icon production team. Special guests include Down and ex-Pantera bassist Rex Brown, and Max's stepson Richie Cavalera (Incite). A tour is being planned for the spring. ... Testament singer Chuck Billy will perform at the Longest Walk Kickoff Concert on February 9 in Oakland, California. Billy will sing with his brother Andy and Grammy and Native American Music Award winner Star Nayea. The concert is a benefit for Longest Walk 2, a 4,400 mile trek across the U.S. that aims to draw attention to environmental issues. Testament's new album, The Formation of Damnation, comes out April 29. ...

Celtic Frost are putting together an album tentatively titled Monotheist Companion that will feature unreleased songs from 2006's Monotheist sessions and rearrangements of tracks from the album. The disc is scheduled for a summer release. In addition, Demon Entrails, a CD of raw, early-'80s demos by Hellhammer — the band fronted by Celtic singer and guitarist Thomas G. Warrior — comes out February 18. ... Japanese conceptual psychedelic doomsters Boris will release their new full-length album, Smile, April 29. The group will precede the release with a one-off show in New York on March 4. ... New York electro-metal renegades Mindless Self Indulgence will release their new album, If, on April 29. The first single, "Mastermind," will be issued digitally February 12. ...

God Forbid recently reached out to their fans to come up with a good title for the group's upcoming DVD, which is pegged for a May 27 release. After combing through the pile of submissions, the band chose "Beneath the Scars of Glory and Progression," which was submitted by David Cazares of Chino, California. "He made out jobs a lot easier," guitarist Doc Coyle said in a statement. "Maybe we'll have our fans name everything from now on." It's not clear if Cazares will receive some sort of reward for his effort aside from this extra praise from Coyle: "[The name] captured, in a statement, what this DVD really says about God Forbid. The concert and documentary featured on the DVD are positive forces in our band's movement from turbulence to continuous kinetic growth. It deserved a title that illustrated that, with all the bad things that have happened to us, even more good things happened, and we look forward to an even brighter future." God Forbid will enter New Jersey's Trax East Recording Studio later this month with producer Eric Rachel (Atreyu, In This Moment) to work on their sixth studio album. ...

Darkest Hour guitarist Kris Norris played lead guitar on the debut album by Fierce Allegiance, The Meaning of Sacrifice, which was produced by Ken Olden (Damnation AD). The melodic thrash/death-metal band from Washington, D.C., is currently in talks with several labels about releasing the disc. In the meantime, the tracks "No Way Out," "Crime and Passion," "Viking" and "Lost G'neration" can be downloaded on the band's MySpace page. ... Psychedelic stoner band Danava will release their second disc, UnonoU, February 19. The Portland, Oregon, group will support the disc with a North American tour with Acid Mothers Temple that starts March 13 in Los Angeles and runs through April 8 in San Francisco. ... Misery Signals have entered the studio with producer Devin Townsend (Strapping Young Lad, Soilwork) to record the follow-up to their 2006 sophomore disc, Mirrors. "I'm psyched about the new record," singer Karl Shubach said in a statement. "It's got a lot of elements that weren't in last one, a lot of parts that are just heavier with a lot of off-time polyrhythm, like Meshuggah." "This is going to be a record that brings the band to a new level," Townsend said. "The rock will continue to roll in a fastidious way." ...

It's rare for indie-rock icons to have any affinity for heavy metal, but David Pajo is an unusual breed. The former guitarist of Slint and ex-member of Tortoise, Stereolab and Zwan has created the full-on metal band Dead Child with Michael McMahan (the brother of Pajo's ex-Slint bandmate Brian). The group's full-length debut, Attack — which combines elements of doom, thrash and NWOBHM on songs like "Twitch of the Death Nerve," "Battlesnake Chalice" and "Eye to the Brain" — is scheduled for release April 8. ... Our condolences to the family and friends of Gruntruck and Skin Yard singer Ben McMillan, who recently died from diabetes in his Seattle hometown. He was 46. McMillan suffered with the condition for eight years and succumbed to his illness after experiencing complications from a related blood-clotting disease. Skin Yard predated the grunge scene and featured producer Jack Endino on guitar. After the band broke up, McMillan formed Gruntruck with ex-Skin Yard drummer Norman Scott. The group released two albums, 1991's Inside Yours and 1992's Push, before calling it a day.

• Soilent Green
• Lamb of God
• Celtic Frost
• Testament
• God Forbid

Maylene and the Sons of Disaster
Photo: R. Russell

You might call Dallas Taylor a little ... well ... infatuated with the tale of Ma Barker. She was the legendary matriarch of the Barker/Karpis Gang, a band of outlaws whose criminal exploits across the Midwest during the Great Depression gripped the American public. It was a story the Maylene and the Sons of Disaster frontman first heard as a youth, growing up in Ocala, Florida; Barker and one of her sons, who've been called "some of the meanest examples of humanity ever known to exist," were shot dead when the FBI raided a cottage she was renting just outside of — you guessed it! — Ocala, Florida.

The legend of Ma Barker continues to haunt the hard-rocker. In fact, the tale even inspired his band's forthcoming conceptual sophomore LP, II, which hits stores March 20.

"I've always wondered what made Hitler tick — what made him think he was doing a good deed?" said Taylor, who was the original singer for Underoath but left that band's fold in 2003. "Serial killers too — it's always boggled my mind, and I've always wanted to know why they thought what they were doing was right? I've read up on Ma Barker, and she basically thought her family was doing a good deed," by committing a spree of robberies, kidnappings and other crimes between 1931-'35.

"We're a Christian band, but we're not a band that pushes our beliefs down people's throats," he continued. "We have a concept to our band that's really strange for Christians to grasp sometimes, because it's based on Ma Barker and her sons. It's basically us playing the roles of the sons, and our take on the whole thing is, if you live a life of wrongdoing and of hurting people, it's going to come back around on you — kind of like divine justice. This album's about the downfall of the family — about them coming to their deaths, and them narrating their own deaths."

But the concept is not restricted to Taylor's lyrics. The album's layout re-creates the fatal shootout that claimed Ma Barker's life, featuring images of the band, riddled with bullet holes, slumped over in chairs and spread out across a small cabin's floorboards. It's easy to understand why Maylene and the Sons of Disaster might be a tough pill for most Christians to swallow.

II, which was produced by Jason Elgin (Haste, Wayne), features 11 furious tracks, including "Memories of the Grove," "Darkest of Kin" and "The Day Hell Broke Loose at Sicard Hollow." The band wrote the material over the course of four months, both in the studio and on the road, inside Maylene's tour van. Taylor, who confirmed Maylene's appearance on this summer's Warped Tour, thinks the album's got something for everyone.

"Our old stuff was a bit heavier, I guess, because this time around we just went with it and did whatever we felt like doing," he explained. "We didn't have a set plan as to what the record was going to sound like — it just kind of came out. At first, we wondered how the fans we do have would respond to it, but I think it will open a lot more doors for us and get us out there more to people who might be a little closed-minded to our old stuff. Our first record [2005's self-titled effort] was more just really heavy and if you wanted to put it into a box, it would have been heavy Southern rock. This record, we took a lot of influences from like Led Zeppelin and AC/DC ... it just has a more grown-up feel to it."

Maylene and the Sons of Disaster are currently on the road with From Autumn to Ashes, Haste the Day, the Sleeping and Alesana through May 4 in Millvale, Pennsylvania. As far as his relationship with his former Underoath associates goes, Taylor said there's no animosity between him and the band — which asked him to quit, as he was dealing with relationship drama — and that he's rekindled his friendships with the bandmembers.

"It was a little weird at first, but we sit back and laugh about it now," he said. "They didn't know how to take it, and they saw me hurting. Instead of going with me through [relationship difficulties], it just put so much stress on them. But it's worked out for the best."

The rest of the week's metal news:

Megadeth have announced a May 15 release date for their upcoming album, United Abominations. An MP3 of the track "Sleepwalker" is available on the band's Web site, and a demo of "Gods of War" can be streamed at MySpace.com/Megadeth. The band will head out on a Canadian tour with Heaven and Hell and Down starting Sunday in Vancouver, British Columbia. Dates run through March 28 in Ottawa, Ontario. ... Montreal's Despised Icon will release their second, yet-untitled album on May 22. The disc was produced by ex-guitarist Yannick St-Amand (Beneath the Massacre, Ion Dissonance) and mixed by Andy Sneap (Machine Head, Megadeth). Along with director Jean-Philippe Bernier (A Perfect Murder), the band recently shot a video for "In the Arms of Perdition" that will debut in the spring. "We spent the entire weekend shooting [in] minus-40-degree weather on a secluded icy mountain near Quebec City," singer Alex Erian said in a post on the band's Web site. ...

Four of the five original members of influential San Francisco '80s thrash band Testament are back in the practice room working on songs for a new album. Singer Chuck Billy, bassist Greg Christian, and guitarists Alex Skolnick and Eric Peterson are being joined by ex-Dimmu Borgir and Cradle of Filth drummer Nick Barker, and so far they've got six new songs. Tracking is scheduled to begin in June. "Working hard with Nick on some new ideas and some cool old-school styles [that are] coming together really killer," Peterson said in a statement. "It's been a long time coming," Billy added. "This new album is like a good wine: You throw in the grapes and crush." As part of their current world tour, Testament will play five U.S. shows, starting March 26 in Dallas and ending March 31 in Santa Ana, California. ... Immolation, veterans of the New York death-metal scene, will release their seventh album, Shadows of the Light, May 8. The disc was recorded with longtime producer Paul Orofino in Millbrook, New York. "It's aggressive, emotional and haunting," guitarist Robert Vigna said. "And it's catchy as hell. It's a very complete record." The album track "World Agony" can be previewed at MySpace.com/ImmolationNY. ... Finnish folk/black-metal band Finntroll will release their next album, Ur Jordens Djup, in the U.S. on April 3. The disc was recorded by Nino Laurenne at Sonic Pump Studios in Helsinki, Finland, and marks the debut of singer Mathias Lillmans, who replaced Tapio Wilska last spring. Tracks include "Gryning," "Sang," "Nedgang" and "Ormhaxan." A sampler can be heard at Finntroll.net. ...

Cephalic Carnage are nearly done recording their fifth, yet-untitled album, which is tentatively due for release in May. The bandmembers are working with producer Dave Otero, who they've collaborated with in the past, and so far they've recorded "Endless Cycle of Violence," "Touched by an Angel," "G.lobal O.verhaul D.vice" and "Ov Vicissitude." ... After a long delay, Jesu have finally secured work permits and visas to enter the U.S. The band was originally scheduled to start touring with Isis on February 22, but there was an "unforeseen backlog at the U.S. embassy in London" that prevented Jesu from entering the country. The band's first show in North America will now be Sunday in Washington, D.C., with dates scheduled through April 8 in Los Angeles. Danny Walker, whose band Intronaut have been filling in for Jesu on the Isis tour, will replace Ted Parsons, who was unable to make the Jesu trek. ... Byzantine's "Salvation" DVD will be released April 17. The disc will feature live performances, interviews, tutorials and an extended version of the "Jeremiad" video. The band is currently in Sissonville, West Virginia, working with producer Charles A. Fisher on its next album, Oblivion Beckons. ...

New Jersey mathcore merchants the Number 12 Looks Like You have begun recording their next LP in Seattle with producer by Casey Bates (Heavy Heavy Low Low, Fear Before the March of Flames). The album should drop in June, although a definitive release date has yet to be announced. In the meantime, you can catch the band playing Brooklyn, New York, on Tuesday; Allentown, Pennsylvania, Wednesday; and Danbury, Connecticut, March 17. Starting March 30 in Hackensack, New Jersey, Number 12 will hit the road with Horse the Band for a trek that runs through April 26 in San Francisco. ... Hope you're prepared to bear the burden of His word? Nachtmystium, Angel Corpse and Watain will invade the U.S. in May to play mostly East Coast gigs. The trek commences May 9 in Minneapolis and will make stops in Chicago, Cleveland, Philadelphia, New York and Atlanta before wrapping up May 20 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. ... "Get Thrashed: The Story of Thrash Metal," a documentary about the evolution of the thrash-metal scene of the early '80s, will receive its North American premiere Sunday at the Wave in Austin, Texas, as part of the 2007 Texas Rock Fest. The film was directed by Rick Ernst, a longtime freelance producer for MTV who has worked on "Headbangers Ball" — he'll be on hand to answer questions following the screening. "Get Thrashed" features interviews with Metallica, Megadeth, Slayer, Exodus, Testament, Death Angel, Dark Angel, Kreator, Sodom, Lamb of God, Shadows Fall and a host of others.

• Megadeth
• Cephalic Carnage
• Testament

Bloodsimple's Tim Williams
Photo: Robin Laananen

It was important for former Vision of Disorder frontman Tim Williams to establish his latest project, New York hard-rockers Bloodsimple, as a band with its own identity, and not just VOD: The Sequel. And thanks to Bloodsimple's 2005 debut LP, A Cruel World, they accomplished just that, Williams believes. These days, though, the singer is more concerned about longevity.

"In any standard career, the first record puts you on the map," he explained. The second one — which Bloodsimple have been working on since August and have tentatively titled Red Harvest — "is when the haters come out. That's the true moment of a band's career and determines whether a band makes it to that third record.

"This is the hump right here," he continued. "I do think a lot of people will see our sound has truly evolved into our own brand of heavy music with this record. That's what we set out to do. We really have come into our own on this record — that I can say with confidence. Whether or not it's going to blow us up, or take us to that next level, remains to be seen. But ... the band as a whole has really grown into a tight unit. It's a little bit different than what I think people are going to expect, which is always good."

Red Harvest, which is being mixed at the moment and was produced by Machine (Lamb of God, White Zombie), should surface before the summer, Williams said. The LP will contain around 11 tracks, including "Dead Man Walking," "Dark Helmet," the title cut and "El Myr" — the name of an Atlanta burrito bar the band loves to visit while on the road.

"With the first record, we really just had to get it out," he explained. "We put down some really amazing songs, too. But this record, we really purposely were like, 'Let's try not to do the run-of-the-mill Bloodsimple number two — let's focus on expanding our horizons.' We wanted to make a more organic record, rather than just a set, themed, heavy record. We wanted to bring out some different colors that are going to scare some fans away but bring in a whole new element of people. There are a handful of songs that are for the typical Bloodsimple listener, but there's a good five songs that are out there on the edge. They're still heavy, but they're different. ... We're really going to make our mark with this one."

Williams said the album title was inspired by Dashiell Hammett's 1929 novel of the same name. In that book, "blood-simple" is when, in a situation where a person is surrounded by murder, murder becomes a viable solution to practically any problem. Hence, life is devalued, and killing begets even more killing.

"I took the definition from the book and applied it to some of the lyrics, and it really started taking shape," Williams said. "We did a lot of different things in the studio this time around, and we wanted to try and tell more stories. We wanted to develop characters that would really pull the listener in and make them pay attention and wonder, when the next song comes, what it's going to be about. It's not a concept record at all, but we did dig into the lyrics to try and get people to want to know what happens next.

"I think anyone who listens to this record's going to go, 'Man, this is some sick, original sh--,' " he continued. "It's this new heavy — for me as a singer, for Bloodsimple as a band. It's still heavy as hell. It just sounds different."

Williams said Bloodsimple will release their first DVD, "Some Kind of Morons" — an obvious knock on the 2004 Metallica documentary, "Some Kind of Monster" — in March. The video will provide fans with a behind-the-scenes look at the making of A Cruel World and feature tons of live footage. The singer also said the DVD will let "people see we're just normal people — guys who like to drink a lot of beer and play heavy music."

And while the band has yet to firm up any solid touring plans around the release of Red Harvest, he's keeping his fingers crossed for an Ozzfest invitation. "Bloodsimple kind of has the VOD disease," Williams said. "We tour really well up until the summer, and then for some reason we don't ever land any of the big festival runs. The last two summers, we kind of slipped under the radar. We're hoping to get some love this time around, and I'm sure we will."

As for VOD, Williams said there's a DVD on the way that chronicles the group's string of 2006 reunion shows, which were shot by director Bill Yukich (Queens of the Stone Age, Marilyn Manson). Williams said the gigs "brought us down Memory Lane," and that the DVD will include a live CD as well.

"We just need to find a home for it, and I'd like to release it this spring," he said. "And then, if we have time, we're planning to do a week's worth of shows, just to promote the thing."

The rest of the week's metal news:

Bay Area bashers Testament have been out of the loop for a minute, but the band is working to change that. Guitarist and main songwriter Eric Peterson has recently been working in a Northern California practice space with ex-Dimmu Borgir and Cradle of Filth drummer Nick Barker on songs for the band's first album of original material since 1999's The Gathering. "It's feeling pretty good so far," Peterson told Metal File. "Nick's playing has sparked some fire in me like [Slayer drummer Dave] Lombardo did back in '99 when he played for us on The Gathering." Not only are Testament back, they're back with the crux of their powerhouse '80s lineup: Peterson, guitarist Alex Skolnick, bassist Greg Christian and singer Chuck Billy. Next week they'll leave for a tour of Australia but plan to resume work on the new album when they return. ...

Soilwork have been writing material for their next album and plan to begin tracking the LP in March. No additional information has been offered about the follow-up to 2005's Stabbing the Drama. ... Cephalic Carnage are also in the studio, working on their next, yet-untitled full-length. Guitarist Zac Joe said the material "gives me that excited naughty little feeling in the pit of my stomach that can only be compared to the first time you make out with your best friend's girl." ... Since the Flood's sophomore album, No Compromise, hit stores January 23. Frontman Chuck Bouley told Metal File that the band "didn't try to do anything differently" in the studio but feels the LP shows the group's "natural progression." He added that he hopes "this is the album that helps us be seen by a larger fanbase, because we've done so many of the smaller underground tours, and now we're hoping that, if we sell enough [copies] of this album, we'll be able to create some mass appeal and work our way onto bigger stages." ...

Original Tool bassist Paul D'Amour is scoring the sinister soundtrack to the upcoming film "On the Doll." The dark drama — currently in post-production — was helmed by Thomas Mignone, who is best known for directing videos for the likes of System of a Down, Sepultura, Mudvayne and Slipknot. ... Philadelphian metallers Starkweather have begun writing material for their next studio offering, though there's no word yet on when it might surface. So far the band has composed about eight songs, including "Junkyard Jazz," "The Nightmare Factory" and "Drug Holiday." ... King Diamond is writing lyrics for his band's still-untitled 12th LP, the mixing of which will begin in early March. The frontman hopes to have the entire thing in the bag by April, for a tentative late-summer release. ...

Candlelight Records will release Carnal Forge's sixth album, tentatively titled Testify for My Victims, in May, according to the band's Web site. Look for the disc to feature "Numb" and "Burning Eden." ... Joey Kamka, drummer for Phoenix death-metal band Autumn's End, was severely injured when his motorcycle was hit by a drunk driver Sunday morning. Kamka flew into — and then over — the windshield of the truck, fracturing his skull and severing his right ear and brain stem in the process, according to a statement from the band's management. Three days after intensive surgery, Kamka was still in the hospital in grave condition. "He's fightin' hard right now and it's stacked against him," bassist El wrote on the band's MySpace page. "But if you know Joey like I do, you know he's one of the toughest SOBs around, and one of the most stubborn. He won't go down without a fight." ...

DevilDriver's forthcoming album The Last Kind Words will drop June 5, according to a spokesperson for Roadrunner Records. ... Neurosis have set Given to the Rising as the title of their next LP, which should surface in May. ... Total F---ing Destruction, the Philadelphia grind band featuring ex-Brutal Truth drummer Richard Hoak, will release Zen and the Art of Total F---ing Destruction this spring on Translation Loss Records. The release will consist of three pieces: The first is a shower of noise recorded at Super 8 Studios in Harleysville, Pennsylvania, and mixed by Dan O'Hare; the second features a series of unsettling acoustic songs recorded by the bandmembers in their house; and the third is Live From Hazel's, an enhanced CD that contains a concert performance. ...

Extreme noisemakers Pig Destroyer are in Rockville, Maryland's Omega Studios recording their new album Phantom Limb. The disc, the follow-up to 2004's Terrifyer, will be the band's first as a quartet, thanks to the recent addition of guitarist Blake Harrison. Tentative track titles include "Heathen Temple," "The Machete Twins" and "Rotten Yellow." "The songs feel great and we've been having a load of fun playing them for the last five months," singer J.R. Hayes said. "It's the 14 most deranged metal songs we could make up, so get ready to sink your f---ing teeth in." ... German melodic-metal band Masterplan will release their third album, MKII, March 20. The follow-up to 2005's Aeronautics will feature ex-Riot singer Mike DiMeo, who joined last year after Jorn Lande left due to "musical differences." The new album will also be the debut for drummer Mike Terrana (ex-Yngwie Malmsteen, Rage.) MKII was produced by guitarist Roland Grapow, formerly of Helloween. ...

Experimental San Francisco outfit Oxbow are in the studio finishing up their seventh album, The Narcotic Story, which is tentatively scheduled for June release. The band's first studio offering since 2002's An Evil Heat was engineered by Joe Chiccarelli, who has previously worked with such headbang-free acts as Tori Amos and Counting Crows. "It's quiet and creepy and desperate and successfully broken, like me when I wrote it," singer Eugene Robinson said of the new LP. Guitarist Niko Wenner added: "If I live through the making of this, I can die with a smile on my face." ... Ambient instrumental-metal band Pelican will release their new album, City of Echoes, May 22. The album was recorded in Chicago at Steve Albini's Electrical Audio studios last month with Andrew Schneider (Daughters, Cave In). Tracks include "Bliss in Concrete," "Lost in the Headlights" and "Dead Between the Walls." The disc will include a live DVD shot in London as well.

• Bloodsimple
• Starkweather
• Testament

Black Dahlia Murder
Photo: Mark Coatsworth/ Metal Blade Records

"I think this third one's going to be a beast," Trevor Strnad, frontman for Detroit death-metallers the Black Dahlia Murder, recently proclaimed of the band's fresh material.

There was genuine excitement in Strnad's voice as he spoke about the yet-untitled album they'll record in March. Could it be that these tracks are just that good? Or could it be that he was actually excited about something else: making significant progress in the 1987 Nintendo game "Friday the 13th," based on the masked-murderer horror flicks? He's been playing the game for years but has yet to beat it. "Today I killed Jason's mom's flying severed head," he boasted.

But there's much more going on in Strnad's life these days than tracking down a hockey-masked psycho and sauntering around a virtual Crystal Lake. The first item of business for the Black Dahlia Murder — who fired former drummer Zach Gibson early last year — is finding a replacement to help them finish the LP they're nearly done writing.

"Writing and looking for a drummer simultaneously has been a pain in the ass," he said. "We're trying to keep things on schedule. We have the album written, largely. We just need to get the drummer in and work everything out with him."

Strnad said Black Dahlia have auditioned several hopefuls, like Nick Pierce of technical-metal outfit the Faceless, and that he wants the band to make a decision before the end of the month. But finding a new drummer has been tough "because we have a bad reputation now. When we lost Zach, he slandered us pretty bad" on his MySpace page, according to Strnad. Gibson wrote that the band was "nothing without me," "were nothing until I joined" and that some bandmembers didn't care "about anything accept making money."

"It's still hanging over us, kind of," Strnad said. "[The posts] went public, and it was all over the place. ... There are still people who talk about that, and we're trying to dispel those rumors."

So far the Black Dahlia have written eight cuts for the follow-up to 2005's Miasma and have been using computer programs to craft drum tracks for the songs. "It's going to be an impressive record," Strnad promised. "[Guitarist Brian Eschbach] is the songwriter usually, and we all help with arrangements, but that kid never ceases to amaze me. The longer we're together, the more that we play, and the more experience we have on the road, it all makes you into a better player. So, whenever it comes time to start writing, he's just full of surprises. He's really been blowing me away with the new sh--. It's definitely in the same vein as our older stuff. Nothing drastically changed. It's just more tasteful, and some of this new stuff will be faster than the last record."

When the band does enter the studio in March, it'll do so without the benefit of a producer. Instead, the Black Dahlia will record with Eric Rachel, who mixed Miasma. "There's going to be a lot more soloing than we've done previously," he explained. "This record's a bit more European-sounding, I think. More so than we already were, if you can imagine that. The solo stuff has a black metal-ish flavor to it. We messed around with that a little bit previously, but some of the songs have a major Dissection kind of feel to them."

Lyrically, Strnad said the record — due in the fall — will be "more horror-oriented" than Miasma. "As far as gore and death and stuff like that goes, I mean, that's all been done — into the ground," he said. "I am just trying to do something like that, but with my own flavor to it. There are still ways to repulse people out there — I just need to figure it all out."

The Black Dahlia Murder will preview several new tracks when they head out on a U.S. tour in April. Strnad can't say who they'll be touring with just yet, but he did confirm that his band will appear at this year's annual New England Metal & Hardcore Festival, which has been set for April 27-28 in Worcester, Massachusetts. He said the Black Dahlia are also working on their first DVD release, which he hopes will include footage documenting the making of their next record.

The rest of the week's metal news:

The debut album from Hellyeah — the new band featuring Pantera drummer Vinnie Paul Abbott, Mudvayne's Chad Gray and Greg Tribbett, and Tom Maxwell and Jerry Montano of Nothingface — will hit stores April 10. In the meantime, check out some song samples over at the band's MySpace page. ... Stone Sour, Lacuna Coil and Shadows Fall will tour together under the Jägermeister Music Tour banner. The routing has yet to be revealed, but the tour is expected to launch March 23 and hit St. Paul, Minnesota; Milwaukee; Chicago; Detroit; New York; Boston; and Atlanta. ... A compilation of post-'80s songs by Bay Area thrash-metal legends Testament will come out February 13. The Spitfire Collection will include newer tracks like "Careful What You Wish For" and "The Burning Times," as well as live versions of classics such as "Practice What You Preach" and "Souls of Black." ... Kittie will launch a North American tour February 9 in Hartford, Connecticut, with dates running through March 24 in Warren, Michigan. Support will come from Walls of Jericho, 36 Crazyfists and Dead to Fall. Kittie's new album, Funeral for Yesterday, comes out February 20 on their own X of Infamy label. ...

Job for a Cowboy have added drummer Jon "The Charn" Rice to the fold. "For me, it's a dream come true," he said via press release. "It's one of those things where you take a chance and send a demo over and then your life is changed. I'm really looking forward to living on the road." The band recently wrapped the recording of its Metal Blade Records debut, which is slated for release this spring. ... Metal-influenced prog band Porcupine Tree are wrapping up their new album, Fear of a Blank Planet, at Galaxy Studios in Belgium. The album is scheduled for release April 24. On March 6, a collaboration between Porcupine Tree frontman Steven Wilson and Israeli songwriter Aviv Geffen, Blackfield II, will also be released. ... Nora are expected to enter the recording studio this month to begin recording their next LP, Save Yourself. Frontman Carl Severson said there are 10 songs written and ready to be put to tape, and that the tracks "are definitely heavier, and we have our fastest songs on here and our most plodding and slow, sludgy material as well." ...

Obsessed Pantera fans A Perfect Murder will enter the studio January 29 to record their third album, War of Aggression. The disc will be produced by Pierre Rémillard (Cryptopsy, Gorguts) at Wild Studio in Quebec and is scheduled for a June 12 release. According to guitarist and songwriter Carl Bouchard, the disc will be "more structured and well-balanced. Having more experience as a performer has impacted my songwriting, but just growing up as a person has helped create a more mature sound in the band." The Canadians' new disc will mark the debuts of guitarist Kyrill Ducharme and bassist Francois-Michel Labrie. ... Lamb of God frontman Randy Blythe will assist A Life Once Lost with the recording of their forthcoming album, Iron Gag, which they'll start putting to tape February 8. Blythe will brainstorm with singer Bob Meadows on the album's vocal direction. ... Cory White, guitarist for the Esoteric, has left the band for personal reasons. His replacement will be announced shortly. In addition, drummer Marshall Kilpatric has been ousted and replaced by the group's old drummer, Adam Mitchell, who played on the Esoteric's early material but left after the release of their 2002 EP, A Reason to Breathe. "This band is a living, breathing entity, and in the life of a band that makes music for music's sake, change is an undeniable part of evolution," read a group statement. ...

Watain have posted some fresh darkness on their Web site, in the form of a track called "Sworn to the Dark." The song will be the title cut to the Swedish black metallers' forthcoming third LP, which lands in stores April 17. ... From a Second Story Window, Nights Like These and See You Next Tuesday will team up in February for a spate of gigs. The trek commences February 24 in Memphis and runs through March 4 in Columbus, Ohio. ... Hardcore metal/ screamo howlers Poison the Well will release their new album, Versions, in April. The disc is being produced in Umea, Sweden, by Pelle Henricsson and Eskil Lovstrom, who recorded 2003's You Come Before You. "It's going to be a really different sounding album in hardcore," frontman Ryan Primack said of the effort, which will feature slide guitar, horns and banjo. ... Finnish death-metallers Omnium Gatherum have put the finishing touches on their new one, Stuck Here on Snakes Way, which will be in stores April 3. The set will feature a dozen tracks, including "Dysnomia," "Undertaker" and "In Sane World." ...

Finnish heavy-metal cellists Apocalyptica will release the double-DVD "The Life Burns Tour" February 6. The package will include covers of Metallica's "Fight Fire With Fire" and "Master of Puppets," as well as Sepultura's "Refuse/Resist." Many of the songs feature guest vocalists too: Soulfly's Max Cavalera and Bullet for My Valentine's Matt Tuck perform on "Repressed"; H.I.M.'s Ville Valo and the Rasmus' Lauri Ylönen contribute to "Bittersweet"; and "Seeman" features Nina Hagen. Apocalyptica are currently working on a new album for release later this year. ... Angtoria singer Sarah Jezebel Deva and bassist Dave Pybus will perform on Cradle of Filth's upcoming U.S. tour. Dates run from January 23 in Sayreville, New Jersey, through March 4 in New York. Angtoria's critically acclaimed symphonic-metal album God Has a Plan for Us All came out in October. ... Frontman Ian Campbell has left Neuraxis and has been replaced in short order by Atheretic's Alex Leblanc.

• The Black Dahlia Murder
• Stone Sour
• Lacuna Coil
• Shadows Fall
• Testament

MTV's Artist of the Week 05.19.08: Testament

• Testament