Carcass
Photo: Nuclear Blast Records

The reunion metalheads never expected would happen is going down this fall, as influential metallers Carcass will be returning to North American for the first time in more than 15 years, starting September 5. That's when they'll be kicking off a 15-date reunion trek in Worcester, Massachusetts, with Necrophagist and Dying Fetus coming along for what could be a bumpy ride.

For longtime fans of the band, a Carcass reunion has always been something of a pipe dream — one fueled by innumerable rumors that only left them feeling cheated. But according to frontman Jeff Walker, the timing couldn't have been more right — or urgent — for Carcass' resurrection.

"If we don't do this now, Carcass will be erased from the history of rock, to a certain extent," he reflected. "There's so much access to information out there, [but] it seems to me that the new generation of kids just really don't know sh--. They don't really know who Black Sabbath is, never mind Carcass. There's definitely a generation of kids out there who are not aware of Carcass, because we haven't been around for 15 years. A year is a long time in metal these days."

While the band's members have been kicking around the idea of reuniting for years, Walker said he was reluctant, at first, to hop onboard. He credits guitarist Michael Amott, who went on to form Arch Enemy following Carcass' demise in 1995, as the driving force behind the reunion.

"I guess, over the last few years, we've kind of drifted into each other's circles again — myself, [guitarist] Bill [Steer], and Mike. And Mike's kind of — I don't want to over-exaggerate this — but, he's always been the keenest to do this, because since he formed Arch Enemy and has been out on the road again, he's kind of realized what kind of phenomenon Carcass is," Walker said. "Mike's always been kind of hassling me and Bill on the side about doing something, and so I guess the stars aligned at some point, because for years, I said I'd never do it. If [drummer] Ken [Owen, who suffered a brain hemorrhage in 1999] couldn't play, I thought it would be a bit like Led Zeppelin playing without [John] Bonham. How can you kind of find a way around that?"

But Carcass — like Led Zep — did find a way around it. They enlisted Arch Enemy kitman Daniel Erlandsson, and asked Owen if he had any objections, which he didn't. Then all of them agreed they'd give Owen a portion of whatever profits they made from a reunion.

"That made it morally justifiable for me," Walker said. "It seems, to me, nostalgia is the new rock and roll. Not to sound arrogant, but I'm well aware of the importance of this band, even if no one else is. There's a generation of people who were into Carcass who've grown up now, that never saw the band. And now they have some disposable income. They've created the demand for this reunion."

But don't expect this reunion to extend beyond this year. Walker said that, as it stands, the plan is there is no plan. Carcass aren't secretly writing a record, and after this tour, Walker's not sure what will happen.

"Never say never, but I can't see it happening — I can't see it working," he said. "For something like that to happen, everybody's head has to be on the same continent. It's different from when you're a kid. Now, you've got three guys in the band who've had their own bands and have either been frontmen or the main songwriters, so I think there would be a lot of arguing. Maybe we'd have to get that therapist in that was working with Metallica. With all the money we've made this summer, we could pay for a one-hour session with that guy.

"It would be sad, I think," Walker continued. "These bands that start playing again, some of them get carried away, and they write an album, and they start saying, 'It's the best thing we ever done.' And then it just isn't. We don't want to be one of those bands. We don't want to be doing this next year. I could maybe see us playing again in some of the countries that we're not touching this year, but let's see if we kill each other when we're in North America on a tour bus. We're getting on great, but we want to keep that chemistry and not get burned out. We don't want to be doing it just for the money, because it can turn into a chore — that's what happened the first time. It seemed like work, and it wasn't fun anymore, so I figured, 'F--- this, I'll go get a job.' If you're doing something just for the money, I think having a job is a bit more honest than playing in a band just for the money."

In Walker's opinion, Carcass couldn't be returning at a more apropos time, because he thinks the current metal scene is bordering on laughable. "I think it's depressing," he said. "It's like everything just merges into one nowadays. Everything's sounding the same. The problem with the modern metal scene is, people are too busy copying bands wholesale and not actually taking an influence and doing something new with it. I don't think it's laziness; I think it just comes down to imagination and intelligence."

The rest of the week's metal news:

Last Saturday in Dallas, Ben Falgoust become the only other vocalist in Ozzfest history — after Ozzy Osbourne himself — to perform two sets with two different bands. At this year's one-day-only Ozzfest, the frontman first performed a set with Goatwhore, and two hours later, joined Soilent Green onstage for their set. Of course, Ozzy had done it back in 1997, when he performed with his solo band and Black Sabbath. But Falgoust said it was no big deal. "Ozzy did it, and even Zakk Wylde's done it, playing with Black Label and Ozzy," he said. "Other people have done it, but, as far as vocally, it's just me and Ozzy. It's good company to be in; he's the dude that basically created this niche. I think it would be pretty grueling to do it for a full tour." Soilent Green will be on the road through August 17 in Orlando, Florida, with Kingdom of Sorrow and Scum of the Earth. Then they head out in October with Testament. In the meantime, Goatwhore have been writing new material, with plans to hit the studio in early '09. The band is eyeing a May 2009 release date for its next LP. ...

Rumor alert: In Flames, All That Remains, 36 Crazyfists and Gojira will reportedly team up for a run of North American dates this winter. When this tour is finally confirmed, we'll be bringing you all the dates, so hold tight. ...

Five Finger Death Punch, In This Moment, Bury Your Dead and Another Black Day will be teaming up this October for a lengthy North American tour. It kicks off October 3 in St. Louis and and runs through November 22 in Fresno, California. ...

While Velvet Revolver continue their search for a new frontman, bassist Duff McKagan has been busy with his other band, Loaded, who have a five-song EP, titled Wasted Heart, on the way. It drops September 22 through Century Media, with a full-length to follow in early 2009. ...

Underoath, the Devil Wears Prada, P.O.S. and Saosin will also be hitting the road this fall, beginning October 15 in Buena Vista, Florida. That tour's booked through November 11 in Portland, Oregon. ...

Job for a Cowboy, Hate Eternal, All Shall Perish, Animosity and Annotations of an Autopsy will be touring together starting November 13 in Pomona, California. That tour wraps December 16 in Tucson, Arizona. ...

Vision of Disorder will release their DVD "Dead in NY" on November 11. The offering will feature live footage shot two years ago on Long Island. The band will be playing a reunion gig on August 16 at the Crazy Donkey in Farmingdale, New York. Be there. ...

New Jersey's own God Forbid are hard at work on their forthcoming studio set, which should land in stores early next year. Oddly enough, the disc will feature a cover of English alternative act Muse's "Stockholm Syndrome." Apparently, guitarist Doc Coyle is a big fan.

• Carcass
• Soilent Green
• Vision of Disorder

All That Remains
Photo: Prosthetic Records

All That Remains frontman Phil Labonte might give the impression that he's sort of on the fence, to some degree, when it comes to his band being part of the second-stage bill for this summer's Ozzfest.

Of course he's thrilled about hitting the road and ripping through dizzying, 25-minute sets in front of some of the largest crowds All That Remains have ever played for. He's feeling a little pressure too — but nothing he said he can't handle.

"The thing is, you're expected to be a headliner after Ozzfest and if you can't do it, people think you're not a good band," Labonte explained. "I think that's probably one of the coolest things about Ozzfest and one of the most daunting, because after Ozzfest, if you're not a headliner, what do you do? I'm really pumped to be a part of it, and I hope it introduces us to a lot of new people. We've got a new record coming out, and Ozzfest? Man I can't wait."

Earlier this month All That Remains entered Zing Recording Studios in Westfield, Massachusetts, to begin recording the yet-untitled follow-up to 2004's This Darkened Heart. At this point Labonte said the band's finished tracking drums and is days away from finishing up the guitar sections. Labonte said the disc should be mixed and mastered come mid-April and prepped for release either the first or second week of July — to coincide with the launch of Ozzfest.

"We've got 11 new tracks, and we're going to go ahead and redo a track from our first release [2002's Behind Silence and Solitude] called 'Follow,' " the singer said. "We're going to take a fresh look at an old song. I'm not sure if that will be on the U.S. release — it could end up being an import track."

Like a lot of Massachusetts metal bands these days, All That Remains called on an old friend to help them produce the effort: Killswitch Engage guitarist Adam Dutkiewicz, who's worked with Underoath, Unearth and the Acacia Strain, among others.

"The bands that come from this area know him well, and we're all friends with him," Labonte reasoned. "They know he does great work and that they want their record to sound like what he's going to make it sound like. I mean, you can just call the dude up. So, on this record, the songs may be crap but at least the sound's going to be good."

So what can fans expect from the new material?

"We've got that blazing double-bass, that fast metal drumming and there will be a significant increase in vocal variety," Labonte said. "We're going to have more singing, but there's also going to be more of that death-metal, Cookie Monster growl — that old Cannibal Corpse, Tomb of the Mutilated stuff. There's going to be more of that shout, like the Haunted.

"There's a bunch of different things I want to try on this record," he continued. "It won't be just more singing, because singing sells records. It's more variety — there's a bunch of stuff we like that I can do. I'm sort of a master of none — I don't have the highest highs or the cleanest cleans, and I'm not the best singer in the world, but I can cover a lot of bases and do it well. We're also just trying to solidify what the All That Remains sound is — it's just going to be more of what we did last time."

The rest of the week's metal news:

Defunct Long Island hardcore heavyweights Vision of Disorder will reunite for the Superbowl of Hardcore 2006, which is set to infiltrate New York's Club Spirit April 23. Indecision, featuring original singer Tom Sheehan, will also be on the bill, along with Underdog, Killing Time, Shutdown, District 9, Crown of Thornz, Kickback and Murphy's Law. ... Satanic death-metal band Deicide have targeted a June 6 release date for their upcoming record, The Stench of Redemption, in order to capitalize on the demonic energy of the day (6/6/06, geddit). Their efforts will likely be thwarted, however, by that most unholy of beasts — record-label logistics. The company that handles distribution for Deicide's label only schedules releases for every other Tuesday of the month, and the dark day falls on one of their off-weeks. Deicide will start recording the unholy offering regardless later this month in Tampa, Florida. ... Chimaira and Arch Enemy will co-headline a 22-date trek that's set to commence April 3 in Denver, with dates running through May 6 in Millvale, Pennsylvania. Nevermore, Hate Eternal and God Forbid have signed on for support roles. ... Terror have wrapped up recording their forthcoming disc, Always the Hard Way. The July 11 release, produced by Zeuss (God Forbid, the Red Chord), will feature guest vocals from Leeway's Eddie Sutton and Aaron Butkus of Death Threat. ...

Thine Eyes Bleed want to make sure they're good and ready for their big-time spot on the Unholy Alliance Tour with Slayer, Lamb of God, Mastodon and Children of Bodom, so they've scheduled three smaller scale tours beforehand. The Canadian thrash/ death-metal band — which features Slayer frontman Tom Araya's little bass-slappin' brother, Johnny — will play stretches with Darkness Rites (March 13-27); Six Feet Under, Sworn Enemy and Animosity (March 28-April 8); Ringworm, the Absence and Jacknife (April 9-23); and Necrophagist, Arsis, Neuraxis and Alarum (April 30-May 8). ... Rare and previously unreleased tracks by Thine Eyes Bleed, Voivod, Dissection, Sadus, Impaled Nazarene, the Gathering, Agalloch and others will be available early next week on Alternate Endings, a free comp sent out with every purchase from the End Records' mail-order Web site. The disc is also being handed out as a freebie at South by Southwest and will be available for streaming starting March 23 at the End's Web site. Unholy Alliance Tour participants Children of Bodom will be this weekend's guests on MTV2's "Headbangers Ball." ...

Demon Hunter, Zao, August Burns Red, Becoming the Archetype and Spoken will kick off a 19-city run June 14 in Portland, Oregon, and wrap it up July 3 in Grand Rapids, Michigan. ... Before heading out on this summer's Ozzfest, A Life Once Lost will headline a 24-date North American tour with Cephalic Carnage, Through the Eyes of the Dead and Scarlet. The road trip begins April 19 in Virginia Beach, Virginia, and winds down May 14 in Baltimore. ... Skinless have put the finishing touches on Trample the Weak, Hurdle the Dead, the band's first LP featuring fresh frontman Jason Keyser. Look for the June 13 release to feature eight cuts, including "A Unilateral Disgust," "Deviation Will Not Be Tolerated" and a cover of Black Sabbath's "Wicked World." ... Ozzfest 2005 veterans It Dies Today will go out on a U.S. headlining run June 1-28 with Haste the Day, Chiodos and the Showdown in the support slots. The tour's routing is still being fleshed out. In the meantime the band continues to hammer away at the follow-up to 2004's The Caitiff Choir with producer GGGarth (Bloodsimple, Mudvayne). The yet-untitled LP is due September 5. ... Spastic grindcore duo Plague Bringer have signed with Seventh Rule and will issue their self-produced debut, As the Ghosts Collect the Corpses Rest, in late May or early June. ...

The bill for this year's Macrock festival — set for April 7 and 8 in Harrisonburg, Virginia — is taking shape. Thus far it'll feature Spitfire, All Else Failed, Hell Within, Human Abstract, Call Me Lightning, the Number Twelve Looks Like You, Municipal Waste, Valkyrie, Backstabbers, Triac and Down to Nothing. ... Floridian spazzcore act Bodies in the Gears of the Apparatus have disbanded. "We're all very upset to see this band go, but for now this is the best decision we could decide on," singer Josh Vitale said of the split. "We will all be in other bands, most likely not with each other." ... Dodge City hardcore kings Let It Die are throwing in the towel too after just three years as a band. "It's been a blast, but it's time for us to go our separate ways," the band said in a joint statement. Let It Die will play their last gig April 27 at the Magic Stick in Detroit, and the bill will also feature Scars of Tomorrow, Bloody Knuckle Combat and, fittingly, Embrace the End. ... Self-described "cobra-core" outfit Dim Mak — which features former members of Ripping Corpse — will issue Knives of Ice April 23 through Willowtip Records. Look for the effort to include "Great Worm of Hell," "Incident at the Temple at Leng" and "Perpetuating Corpses." ...

Thunderous grindcore dudes Daughters have entered Mad Oak Recording Studios in Allston, Massachusetts, with producer Andrew Schneider (Cave In, the Red Chord) to begin tracking their forthcoming sophomore LP. A July release is being eyed through Hydra Head Records. ... Los Angeles thrash/black-metal band Abysmal Dawn will release their debut album, From Ashes, April 4. The disc was recorded at Shiva Industries in Santa Ana, California, late last year and engineered by John Haddad (Eyes of Fire, Phobia). ... Eighties Canadian thrash band Sacrifice will reunite for one day to headline the Day of the Equinox II festival September 23 in Toronto. The band will play tracks from 1986's Torment in Fire, 1987's Forward to Termination and 1990's Soldiers of Misfortune — the first two of which were recently reissued by Brazil's Marquee Records as a single CD. ... Hirax will release a two-hour DVD "Tharsh 'Til Death" April 25; the DVD includes a complete set captured during Minneapolis Mayhem 2 in 2005, as well as bonus footage shot at festivals in Europe and San Francisco. The band's most recent album, The New Age of Terror, came out in 2004. ... Orange County political hardcore band Ignite will release their seventh album, Our Darkest Days, May 16. Tracks include "Fear Is Our Tradition," "Poverty for All" and "Bleeding."

• All That Remains
• Vision of Disorder
• Sacrifice