Manntis (file)
Photo: Century Media

Although Manntis didn't end up the big winners at "Battle for Ozzfest," Sharon Osbourne's "American Idol" meets "Heavy Metal Parking Lot" reality-television experiment, Jake Sirokman says the crushing Southern California quintet's doing just fine. The singer says it seems as though Manntis have been on the road ever since taking home the third-place ribbon in "Battle"; at the moment, they're tagging along with Otep on that band's U.S. tour. Plus, the furious act's Cameron Webb (Motörhead, Social Distortion)-produced Century Media debut, Sleep in Your Grave, hits stores June 28.

"We're happy we didn't win," Sirokman said bluntly. "I mean, we were bummed at first. But hey, we're f---ing signed. We're stoked. We knew there was no way we were going to win. The other two bands were a little more radio-friendly. But we're stoked."

The band — Sirokman, bassist Clint Gregory, drummer Jimmie Sanders, and guitarists Jeremy Swanson and Adair Cobley — even has a video on the way, for the track "Axe of Redemption."

Shot at the Poodle Parlor in downtown Los Angeles in late May, the video will feature Manntis playing before a rabid crowd of mosh-frenzied fans. And then it really gets good, as the pit's invaded by 20 dodgy-looking, tattoo-heavy Suicide Girls. Sirokman said the sexy punk pin-up chicks proceed to dispense a severe pounding on the windmilling, lawnmower-starting dudes.

Alas, there was no time for love after the shoot, Dr. Jones: "We've all got girlfriends, man," Sirokman explained, with a slight hint of regret in his voice.

The rest of the week's metal news:

Iron Maiden will release a dubiously titled double-disc, The Essential Iron Maiden, on July 5. Tracks include "2 Minutes to Midnight," "Brave New World," "The Klansman," "Aces High" and "Wasted Years," none of which will be performed during the band's jaunt on this year's Ozzfest since Maiden's set will only feature songs from their first four albums. ... Industrial black metallers Dimmu Borgir will start writing songs for their next record in August or September, according to the band's Web site; look for a mid-2006 release for the as-yet-untitled offering. ... This summer, W.A.S.P. headline American Metal Blast 2005, which will also feature L.A. Guns and ex-Ratt singer Stephen Pearcy. Metal Church and Twisted Sister will be added on select dates. The tour begins June 28 in West Hollywood and runs through August 20 in Dallas. W.A.S.P.'s last album, The Neon God, Pt 2: The Demise, came out September 28. ...

New England metal stalwarts Shadows Fall will headline a number of Ozzfest off-dates with Arch Enemy, In Flames, the Haunted and Trivium, among others. ... This year's Hellfest is starting to take shape and might end up being one of the darkest to date. The annual event, set for August 19 through August 21 at the Sovereign Bank Arena in Trenton, New Jersey, will feature close to 200 bands, including Between the Buried and Me, Bold, Converge, Curl Up and Die, Dead to Fall, the Early November, Hatebreed, Madball, Nile, Pig Destroyer, the Red Chord, Sick of It All, Suffocation, the End and a reunited Youth Of Today. ...

Rob Zombie's longtime guitarist Riggs is on tour with his new band Scum of the Earth. They'll play Chicago on Friday night (June 17), and dates run through July 21 in Columbia Heights, Minnesota. Riggs described the show as a "full carnival of carnage" and added, "I figured out more spots in the show where I could douse people in blood and still play the songs." Bring a raincoat. ... Finnish rockers Amorphis have begun writing and rehearsing new material for the follow-up to 2004's Far From the Sun, which could see release before the end of the year. A statement from the band characterized the new songs as "heavier than ever" and said there'd be an "epic theme through the album." ...

In one fell swoop, Swedish melodic-metal band Cipher System have lost their singer, Daniel Scholdstrom, and bassist, Henric Carlsson. "Due to lack of inspiration and fire, our friends Henric and Daniel have decided to quit," the remaining bandmembers wrote in a statement. They're currently seeking replacements. ... Crematorium's all finished with their next opus, The Process of Endtime; look for the record to hit stores on July 19 through Prosthetic Records. ... Post-hardcore Texans the Jonbenet have signed a deal with Pluto, which will release a compilation of previously released material from the band called The Plot Thickens in July. Look for its full-length debut to drop later this year. ...

Belgian grindcore quintet Leng Tch'e will release their third album, The Process of Elimination, on June 28. For those keeping score, the band's name is Chinese for "death by a thousand cuts," referring to an ancient execution ritual in which a victim is severely drugged and slowly cut to pieces. ... Hardcore band Terror have reissued their first album, 2003's Lowest of the Low, with three extra studio tracks and a full 10-song set recorded in Tokyo. The band will appear on the Sounds of the Underground tour, which launches June 25 in Lowell, Massachusetts, and runs through July 31 in Denver. ...

French extreme-metal band Blut Aus Nord will release their previously unavailable back catalog in the U.S. on June 28. Both 1995 albums, Ultima Thulée and Memoria Vetustae, will be remastered. The group is currently working on songs for its next record, MoRT, which is scheduled for release in early 2006. ... Scars of Life will release their new album, What We Reflect, on August 9. The band's songs have previously been heard in numerous pay-per-view shows, commercials, video games and other "Ultimate Fighting Championship"-related media. New tracks include "Alone Inside," "Lost Years" and "Away From Me."

• Manntis
• Dimmu Borgir
• W.A.S.P.
• Terror
• Crematorium

They say time heals all wounds, and to some degree that seems to be the case as Tipper Gore accompanies her husband Al on his march to the presidency.

In the mid-'80s, Tipper was one of the founding members of the Parents' Music Resource Center, a cultural watchdog group that set its sights on the music industry and "objectionable" lyrics. A lengthy campaign yielded Congressional hearings and eventually the "parental advisory" stickers that record labels now voluntarily place on potentially offense albums. It also yielded charges of censorship and a great deal of animosity among artists deemed "obscene."

Tipper has since apologized to many of those affected by the PMRC, and now, some 15 years later, Al Gore stands as the Democratic presidential nominee facing Republican hopeful George W. Bush in this fall's election. Gore's nomination also finds many artists mulling the possibility that their former nemesis may become First Lady.

Twisted Sister guitarist Jay Jay French, one of the many musicians who saw his music slammed by Tipper and the PMRC during the '80s, admits that he will now likely vote for Gore come November. French called Tipper's PMRC past "a non-issue" and told MTV News, "I would have any Democrat over a Republican any day."

Twisted frontman Dee Snider offered more support for Gore, and some rather backhanded compliments, in a recent Associated Press article. Snider noted that he is supporting Gore, telling the AP, "I don't trust the guy as far as I can throw him. He's a conservative liberal, but I think he's going to chew up George W. and spit him out. He's an old-school, dirty-fighting politician." Snider also told the AP that he supports Gore's views on the environment and abortion.

While the men of Twisted Sister have tempered their ire over Tipper, W.A.S.P. frontman Blackie Lawless still faces nagging doubts over both Al and Tipper. Lawless told MTV News. "It makes no sense, I have nothing to gain by it. If he does get elected, I can't get this old [Who] Pete Townshend line out of my head, when they sing 'Meet the new boss, same as the old boss.'" [RealAudio]

Lawless, who still refers to the PMRC as the "Washington Wives Clan," argues that those involved used the PMRC and its movement to further their own political aspirations. "They were never about censorship. Don't give a damn about censorship, and never did," Lawless said.

"I remember when it first started happening and I thought to myself, 'What's the big deal all about? Why are they attacking us? Why are they coming after a bunch of people like myself?,'" Lawless explained. "We represent a sub-genre. All the kids already knew who we were. They were making us a household word to people's grandmothers in Wisconsin who don't buy the records anyway. 'What's it all about? This doesn't smell right to me.'"

"He doesn't bother me, but there's something kind of eating away at me," Lawless said. "What's going to happen if they get in and she starts believing in her own self-importance? That's what that little man on my shoulder is talking about right now."

• Twisted Sister
• W.A.S.P.

Both System Of A Down and W.A.S.P. were forced to cancel tour dates this past week due to injuries to band members.

-- Sorelle Saidman

• System of a Down
• W.A.S.P.

W.A.S.P. has pulled out of their scheduled road trip with Iron Maiden and Dio citing their need to continue working on their new album. The band was due to start the "Metal Mania" tour June 26 in Chicago, and was booked up until August 2 in New Jersey.

W.A.S.P. leader Blackie Lawless said in a statement that the band had not finished the record as early as expected, and that to abandon it and come back to the project later would disturb the creative process. The album is expected out before the year's end at this point, and it would have been delayed until 1999 had they taken the time to tour. Lawless apologized to Steve Harris and the rest of Iron Maiden.

A spokesperson told MTV News that both Iron Maiden and Dio would play longer sets to make up for the loss. Also on the bill is Dirty Deeds, the first band signed to Harris' Beast Records. Dio is not on all the dates, however. They drop off the schedule after July 29.

• Dio
• Iron Maiden
• W.A.S.P.

Just when you thought it was safe to return to your local amphitheater...

Perennial headbangers Iron Maiden, Dio, and WASP have teamed up for a summer tour that kicks off next week and promises to bring old fashioned, high-shrieking heavy metal to the U.S.

Iron Maiden, who will be touring behind the recently released "Virtual XI," say that this time out they will be packing a stage show suitable for a tour being dubbed "Metal Mania," and they are promising that this time their longtime mascot Eddie will be along for the ride (for more on the legacy of Eddie, see our Blowhard archive).

"We're ready to bring metal back to our North American fans," Maiden bassist and founding member Steve Harris said of the tour in a prepared statement.

Harris will be joined by guitarist and Maiden co-founder Dave Murray, drummer Nicko McBrain, guitarist Janick Gers, and frontman Blaze Bayley (who replaced Bruce Dickinson in 1993).

"The last time we toured here almost three years ago was the first tour with Blaze and we made a point of playing intimate venues that allowed the fans to get to know Blaze but didn't allow us to bring our full production," Harris said. "This time around we'll be largely in amphitheaters with the full in-your-face metal show that fans have been waiting for. Eddie is back in all his glory."

In addition to Maiden, Dio, and WASP, the tour will also feature a turn from Dirty Deeds, the first band signed to Harris' Beast Records. The tour will not feature UFO or Yngwie Malmsteen, as had been indicated as the tour was coming together (see "Iron Maiden, W.A.S.P., Dio, Deep Purple, More For Metal Tours").

Here's where the Metal Mania tour will stop (Dio will drop off the tour after July 19):

• 6/26 - Chicago, IL @ Aragon Ballroom
• 6/27 - Columbus, OH @ Brewery District Ballroom
• 6/28 - Hamilton, ON @ Copps Coliseum
• 6/30 - Kalamazoo, MI @ Wings Stadium
• 7/1 - Clarkston, MI @ Pine Knob Music Theatre
• 7/2 - Cleveland, OH @ Nautica Stage
• 7/4 - Montreal, QUE @ Stade Du Maurier
• 7/5 - Quebec City, QUE @ L'Agora
• 7/7 - New York, NY @ Roseland
• 7/10 - San Antonio, TX @ Blue Bonnet Palace
• 7/11 - McAllen, TX @ McAllen Speedway
• 7/12 - Dallas, TX @ Starplex Amphitheater
• 7/14 - Phoenix, AZ @ Club Rio
• 7/15 - Las Vegas, NV @ The Joint
• 7/16 - Los Angeles, CA @ Universal Amphitheater
• 7/18 - San Diego, CA @ Open Air Theater/SDSU
• 7/19 - San Francisco, CA @ Maritime Hall
• 7/22 - Denver, CO @ Paramount Theater
• 7/24 - Minneapolis, MN @ TBA
• 7/25 - Milwaukee, WI @ Riverside Theater
• 7/26 - Cininnati, OH @ Bogarts
• 7/28 - Washington, DC @ The Ballroom
• 7/29 - Baltimore, MD @ Michael's
• 7/31 - Philadelphia, PA @ Electric Factory
• 8/1 - Hartford, CT @ Webster Theater
• 8/2 - Asbury Park, NJ @ Tradewinds

• Dio
• Iron Maiden
• W.A.S.P.

There's no dates booked as yet, but a rep from The Agency Group has confirmed that a heavy metal tour package headlining Iron Maiden is being pitched to promoters.

"There's no order confirmed or dates," says Steve Ferguson, "but I can say that Iron Maiden is headlining the tour and that W.A.S.P., Dio, UFO and Yngwie Malmsteen are also part of the package." Ferguson says they're looking at dates in June and July.

Iron Maiden sees vocalist Blaze Bayley in the spotlight these days instead of Bruce Dickenson. The band is releasing a new studio album, "Virtual XI," in March.

Another tour being put together by the agency will include Deep Purple and Dream Theater with a third middle act still pending. A spokesperson says contrary to a report in Performance magazine, Ted Nugent is not confirmed for the bill, although his participation has been under discussion, as has the inclusion of Joe Satriani. That tour is scheduled for August.

Deep Purple will be debuting their new album, "Abandon," May 22 at a party in Monte Carlo. The current Deep Purple line-up consists of 4/5ths of their most famous lineup: Ian Gillan on vocals, keyboardist Jon Lord, bassist Roger Glover and drummer Ian Paice, with the addition of guitarist Steve Morse of the Steve Morse Band in the place of in-again, out-again former bandleader and guitar hero Ritchie Blackmore, who most recently quit the band in 1993.

• W.A.S.P.

July 2 [16:00 EDT] -- The trouble on the road between W.A.S.P. and Motörhead has gotten even worse.

As we reported previously, Motörhead had quit the cross country excursion two weeks into the tour, but agreed to finish out the week. It turns out they didn't make it to the end of the fight shortened run without further incident. The second to last show, in the Detroit suburb of Roseland, saw fisticuffs between Motörhead Lemmy Kilmister and W.A.S.P.'s Blackie Lawless.

Motörhead has now issued a stinging condemnation of W.A.S.P. in the form a of a press release containing a blow-by-blow of the tour's disintegration, even broken up into rounds. And they make it pretty clear they consider W.A.S.P. the Mike Tyson of rock n' roll.

In a nutshell, Motörhead says that W.A.S.P. took unfair advantage of Motörhead logistical decision to go on first even though they were the bigger draw of the two acts, by "a litany of dirty deeds," including: delaying their soundcheck until it was too late for Motörhead to have theirs; throwing all of Motörhead's personal belongings out of a shared dressing room; and generally acting arrogant.

Motörhead say they issued the press release because when they pulled out of the tour, so did most of the promoters, canceling most of the remaining dates in spite of W.A.S.P.'s decision to carry on solo. But some dates do remain, and, says Motörhead, W.A.S.P. are continuing to include them in their advertising, thus the band felt it necessary to warn their fans.

W.A.S.P. could not be reached for comment. Repeated calls to their publicist were not returned. Poor guy.

• Motörhead
• W.A.S.P.

June 30 [12:00 EDT] -- Motörhead has canceled their cross-country jaunt with W.A.S.P., and while some sources say it was due to poor ticket sales, most say it was poor relations. The two bands were not getting along.

"I apologize for the f**king sh** W.A.S.P. just pulled," said Motörhead's Lemmy on stage a week ago Saturday night (June 21) at Bogart's in Cincinnati. That sentiment was echoed by the venue - the show had started two hours late and the blame was put squarely on W.A.S.P. "Everybody got really drunk and decided they were still superstars and that they would hold up the whole thing," explains a club employee.

The tour began June 8 in Connecticut. W.A.S.P. and Motörhead were co-headlining but due to the nature of W.A.S.P.'s elaborate stage set up, not to mention the mess they leave after a (faked) live pig sacrifice and a mass release of feathers among other gimmicks, W.A.S.P. performed last.

Motörhead's stature was balanced by a longer set and an encore. The Impotent Sea Snakes were the tour openers. Ticket sales for most markets had not been strong.

Sources say the tour almost didn't make it past New York's Irving Plaza - Motörhead at that time threatened to go home, but they soldiered on.

Cincinnati appears to have been the final straw. Promoters across the country were called with the cancellation news following that performance.

The three bands finished off a few more shows then folded their tents following final performances at the Vic in Chicago Thursday night. Motörhead flew home. W.A.S.P. are continuing to tour on their own - the agents have been offering promoters a revised deal with just W.A.S.P. but the majority haven't been biting. The tour had been scheduled to wrap up in mid-July.

MTV News was unable to contact Motörhead and calls to W.A.S.P.'s publicist were not returned. However, a source close to W.A.S.P. said that Motorhead pulled out because they were losing money.

• Motörhead
• W.A.S.P.

May 27 [10:00 EDT] -- W.A.S.P. and Motörhead will launch and all-out assault on eardrums and delicate sensibilities when the two bands kick off a U.S. tour next week.

Lemmy Kilmister and his fellow metal journeymen in Motörhead will headline the tour, which comes out of the gate June 6 in Philadelphia.

Lemmy recently traded in his bass and trademark growl for a stint on the big screen, turning up as the narrator of "Tromeo & Juliet," a big screen adaptation of Shakespeare's "Romeo and Juliet" produced by the same folks who brought the world "The Toxic Avenger" and "Class of Nuke 'Em High."

If you want to see Lemmy in natural environment, here's where he'll be:

• 6/7 - Philadelphia, PA @ Electric Factory
• 6/8 - Danbury, CT @ Tuxedo Junction
• 6/10 - Boston, MA @ Axis
• 6/11 - Providence, RI @ Strand Theatre
• 6/13 - New York, NY @ Irving Plaza
• 6/14 - Springfield, VA @ Jaxx
• 6/15 - Pittsburgh, PA @ Metropol
• 6/18 - Atlanta, GA @ Masquerade
• 6/20 - Memphis, TN @ 616 Club
• 6/21 - Cincinnati, OH @ Bogart's
• 6/24 - Cleveland, OH @ Odeon Concert Club
• 6/26 - Roseville, MI @ Palladium

• Motörhead
• W.A.S.P.