The Chariot
Photo: Tooth and Nail

Take a quick glance at the track list for highly technical, wholly unpredictable metalcore outfit the Chariot's latest LP, The Fiancée, and you'll notice the titles of the first eight songs — when linked together — form something of a paradoxical and rather morbid poem: "Back to Back," "They Faced Each Other," "They Drew Their Swords," "And Shot Each Other," "The Deaf Policeman," "Heard This Noise," "Then Came To Kill," "The Two Dead Boys."

If this poem sounds vaguely familiar to you, then congratulations — you actually do remember something from grade school.

Frontman Josh Scogin — who was Norma Jean's founding singer before he departed following the release of that band's sophomore set, 2002's Bless the Martyr and Kiss the Child — says he never heard the anonymously written limerick until his band started writing material for The Fiancée. That album is in stores now and follows 2004's Everything Is Alive, Everything Is Breathing, Nothing Is Dead, and Nothing Is Bleeding.

"Our bassist [Jon 'KC Wolf!' Kindler] just blurted out a part of it one day, and it intrigued me," Scogin explained. "I asked him what it was, and he told me he wasn't sure, that he'd heard it in elementary school, and so I did some research on it to make sure it wasn't in a book or something. ... There are hundreds of versions of it. I just kind of made up my own version of the poem so that each track would have its own title, and when reading it together, it would still make sense and keep in line with the original poem's story."

That doesn't mean The Fiancée is a concept record about the poem — none of the album's lyrics correspond with the song titles. But making the record was something of a different kind of experience for the Chariot — Scogin especially. Produced by Matt Goldman (Underoath, Cartel), The Fiancée was written and recorded under rather tight time constraints.

"It was actually a very easy record to write," he said. "It came more naturally to us. Sometimes with art, there's the art of, 'Well, I just created it because that's just what I wanted to do,' and then there's the art of, 'Well, we have a deadline, and we have to be done by this date — no exceptions.' This time the record was more the former — we wrote all of these songs within a week of each other and they all came very naturally, very fast and very easy. I like that process a lot better."

But that wasn't the sole difference between the recording sessions for Everything Is Alive and this latest studio offering. Scogin said he waited until all the music was finalized before even thinking about lyrics, which is something "I will never do again, because it was pretty challenging.

"A couple of weeks before we were in the studio, and even while we were in the studio, I was writing lyrics, so there was a lot of pressure [on me] in that sense," he continued. "Still, it came pretty naturally for me, but it was definitely one of those things where it had to get done, because ... we were in the studio and I just had to get them down on paper."

The Chariot — whose intense live gigs are the thing of metalcore legend — will hit the road Wednesday in Fayetteville, Arkansas, with Misery Signals, I Am Ghost, the Human Abstract and I Hate Sally for a tour that runs through June 27 in Cleveland. After that, the band will do a short stint on this summer's Warped Tour, starting July 18 in Atlanta and concluding July 25 in Washington, D.C. But not every gig's been a slam-dunk, Scogin admitted — in fact, one concert the singer wasn't too proud of inspired a track on The Fiancée.

"I knew I was going to name a song 'Forgive Me Nashville,' and the lyrics are based around a show we played there where I kind of let the business of rock and roll get in the way of true rock and roll," the frontman explained. "My mind was somewhere else — on managers, tour managers, lawyers and all that crap. It wasn't my best show, and I wanted to make sure I named a song after it, to just keep that there in the forefront of my mind.

"The whole reason we're in a band is for the fun part of the performance," Scogin continued. "I come from back in the day, when you'd pay $5 for a show. ... We just try to make it worth it to the person who paid that money to get into the show. We try to pull out all the stops and make sure that every show stands on its own. ... We keep it spontaneous. Our first love is the live show — recording records, that's all circled around hopefully bringing more kids to the live show so we can perform for them. The focal point of this band is the live show and to make sure if you paid money to come see us, when you leave, you feel it was worth the money you'd spent."

While the Chariot have been tagged a "Christian" band, Scogin said he's not interested in force-feeding his beliefs on anyone else. To him, it's all about the music.

"I believe there are people in this world who have the exact opposite beliefs as me, and they hold firm to those just as strong as I hold to mine," he said. "When I was growing up, if I liked [a band], I listened to it — and I went to the shows. If I didn't, I didn't. It wasn't like, 'Oh, they don't believe the same thing I do,' or, 'They don't do drugs,' or, 'Oh, they do do drugs,' or, 'Their pants are too tight,' or, 'Their hair's too good.' ... What about just music — isn't that enough? People care too much about the fashion of it all. To me, a band's either good or they ain't, and that's the only thing that should matter."

The rest of the week's metal news:

Sikth frontmen Mikee Goodman and Justin Hill have taken leave of the British progressive metallers. The split is said to have been amicable. Goodman will pursue other musical activities, while Hill plans to focus on production work. The rest of the band is in the middle of writing new material for its forthcoming third LP but is in dire need of a new singer (or singers). Think you'd like to front Sikth? Applicants should e-mail the band at sikthmail@googlemail.com. Goodman and Hill will remain with Sikth through the end of their July tour. ... Zao need a drummer again. Josh Walters — who just joined the band earlier this year as the replacement for Jeff Gretz — has left the band, according to guitarist Scott Mellinger. "He is very involved in his work and doesn't have the time needed to do anything music-related," the guitarist wrote in a statement. "We do have a friend that will be learning some stuff and hopefully be playing with us very soon. Once we solidify the drummer position, we will be playing some shows in our area and possibly be playing Cornerstone, Illinois. Zao is not dead. We have every intention to do shows and records in the upcoming months." ...

Arsonists Get All the Girls will tour in June and July with Elysia, Knights of the Abyss, My Bitter End and Moria. The trek's first gig is set for June 1 in Anaheim, California, and dates are booked through July 21 in Santa Cruz, California. ... Ex-Snot and Soulfly guitarist Mikey Doling will co-produce the debut album by Unset along with Brad Dujmovic. The disc will be released late this year on Gridiron Records, the label Doling co-owns with Kansas City Chiefs offensive tackle Kyle Turley. "Every song we put together comes from an honest and — at most times — vulnerable place," Unset singer Frank W. Torres said in a statement. "In the end, we hope that the record will portray a sincerity that borders on confession, an emotion that borders on madness and an originality that borders on art." So long as it borders on rockin', we'll be happy. ... The Great Deceiver, which features ex-At the Gates singer Tomas Lindberg, will release their third album, Life is Wasted on the Living, later this year on their new label Deathwish. The disc will be produced and engineered by Berno Paulsson (the Haunted, Amon Amarth) and will be the band's first offering since 2003's Terra Incognito. ...

Judas Priest guitarist K.K. Downing and neoclassical guitar virtuoso Yngwie Malmsteen will guest on two songs apiece on the upcoming Violent Storm album Storm Warning, which comes out July 17. The band was formed by ex-Ritchie Blackmore and Malmsteen tourmate Mick Cervino and ex-Blackmore's Night drummer Mike Sorrentino. In addition to playing on the album, Downing executive produced the disc. "When I heard Mick's stuff, I thought, 'This is pretty cool — it has a freshness about it. Very classic metal,' " Downing said in a statement. "So, I played a couple of solos and things went on from there." ... Modern thrash revivalists Lamb of God have been nominated for "Ballsiest Band" at Spike TV's Guys Choice awards. They'll be up against Disturbed, who are kinda ballsy themselves, but c'mon. ... Fans can vote right here through June 1. The show will be taped June 9 and air June 13. ... Chris Cornell's brother Pete is the singer in a New York-based band called Black Market Radio, which was just signed to startup label, Slugfest Records. Singing is definitely in this boy's DNA, which explains why his band bears a striking resemblance to early Soundgarden. "We are really happy about our addition to the Slugfest family," Cornell said in a statement, avoiding any reference to his brother's legendary outfit. "The combination of our raw power as a band and Slugfest's long-term plans are perfect. We will see everyone on the road. ...

Bury Your Dead singer Michael Crafter has decided to leave the band. "I wanted to prove myself so much and be a good frontman for [Bury Your Dead]," he wrote in a statement. "It's been two months since I got to the U.S.A. [from his native Australia], and all I have wanted is to be home with my friends and this stops me from giving my all. I met a lot of great people here. My time with the band was short and was a lot of fun and a great experience." ... Overkill's original drummer, Rat Skates, has just released his documentary film, "Born in the Basement." "This [movie] looks deep into the scene we came up in and should be required viewing for anyone starting a career in music," Anthrax guitarist Scott Ian said in a statement. Skates also served as associate producer of the upcoming Rick Ernst thrash-metal documentary "Get Thrashed," which is currently making the rounds at film festivals. ...

English doom band Orange Goblin will release their new album Healing Through Fire on June 26. The record is the group's first since 2004's Thieving From the House of God and includes "Vagrant Stomp," "Cities of Frost" and "The Ale House Braves." The first pressing of the album will include a DVD of a London show from 2006. ... Japanese black-metal trailblazers Sigh will play select U.S. shows with Israeli Mesopotamian black-metal band Melechesh starting July 6 in Brooklyn, New York, and running through July 14 in Montreal. Sigh will also open for Norwegian black-metal legends Mayhem July 16 in Santa Ana, California, and July 18 in West Hollywood, California. Sigh's tremendous new album, Hangman's Hymn, comes out June 12.

• Sikth
• Overkill
• The Chariot
• Zao
• Soulfly

In Flames
Photo: Patric Ullaeus

It wasn't playing in broad daylight that bothered In Flames frontman Anders Fridén during his band's stint on this summer's Ozzfest, where the Swedish metallers served as the mainstage openers. It wasn't even the fact that In Flames were restricted to 20-minute sets, or that those sets were performed in arenas teeming with metalheads sitting in plastic seats and downing hot dogs and jumbo pretzels.

That Fridén could deal with. But knowing In Flames had an entire album in the hopper, waiting to be unleashed upon the world, but no label deal that would get it out there on store shelves? That bothered him.

"It's been frustrating waiting this long to get an album out," he said of the band's eighth studio LP, Come Clarity, the cover art for which has already been illustrated by renowned metal and hardcore artiste Derek Hess. "It was finished in April [of 2005]. We wrote it at the end of 2004. And now it's going to be released on February 7. The songs still feel fresh to us and to our fans — no matter when it was recorded, it's a new album to them. I think it still represents In Flames and where we are. But it was hard."

Before signing with New Jersey's Ferret Music, In Flames spent the summer wondering just what would become of Come Clarity. Now that everything's in order and the brutal Swedes have a full U.S. tour planned with Trivium, DevilDriver and Zao (set to kick off in January), Fridén's trying to relax a bit. That, too, will be hard. In Flames need to devote loads of time to pre-tour rehearsals, as they'll be introducing a number of cuts they've never performed live — including material from 1994's Lunar Strain — into their set list.

On the topic of touring, was the Ozzfest gamble worth it for In Flames? The singer's not sure. "We saw it as a big promotional machine, and we got a chance to play in front of a huge crowd that doesn't normally listen to In Flames," he admitted. "But we won't know for sure until the album is out. I mean, looking back, I'd rather have been on the second stage."

Fridén considers Come Clarity "a bit more aggressive, and a bit more uptempo," but said it still possesses all the "elements of In Flames. It's always been about this balance between aggression and melody. It's just another step in our evolution. I don't know where we're going exactly. But I know where we've come from. We just try to top ourselves each time and be happy with the result. That's all we can do. Now it's up to the public to judge us."

He said the clip for the album's first single, "Take This Life," has been shot. It'll feature performance footage of the band superimposed across billboards in Times Square, interspersed with scenes from the video's mysterious story line. Fridén wouldn't discuss the details, as director Patric Ullaeus (Lacuna Coil, Dimmu Borgir) was still working on the video's overall concept at the time of the interview.

As if In Flames isn't keeping him busy enough, Fridén's also working on the second album from his side project Passenger.

"It's in the works, but I don't have time," he said. "I would like to release [a Passenger LP] sometime [in 2006], because we've recorded 10 of the album's 12 songs already. It's been a very slow process." Fridén once again worked with guitarist Niklas Engelin, bassist Hakan Skoger, drummer Patrik Sten and keyboardist Pierre Sten on the outing, which has no definitive release date yet.

The rest of the week's metal news:

Florida death-metal demons Deicide will release the DVD "When London Burns" on March 7. The disc captures a 2004 show recorded at the club Mean Fiddler and includes "Dead by Dawn," "Lunatic of God's Creation" and "Scars of the Crucifix." The DVD also includes a 30-minute documentary called "Behind the Scars," which was filmed in 2003 during the making of the band's last disc, Scars of the Crucifix. ... Death-metal veterans Morbid Angel will launch a tour April 2 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Dates are scheduled through May 1 in Houston. Behemoth, Krisiun and Despised Icon will support. ... New York electro-metal outfit Genghis Tron will enter the studio in January to begin recording the follow-up to their Cloak of Love EP. The band will tour with Child Abuse starting January 2 in Atlanta and ending January 8 in Philadelphia. Genghis Tron will return to the road in March with Plot to Blow Up the Eiffel Tower and Akimbo. ... Drummer Dom Lizzio, who left Bodies in the Gears of the Apparatus two months ago, has thought twice about the move and returned to the band. "We're a f---ing family," a statement from the group read. "We've had a tight lineup with no problems for a good while now, and Dom loves this music as much as we do, so f--- it." BITGOTA's first full-length album's scheduled for an April release. ...

Buffalo, New York's Herod will release their new album Rich Man's War, Poor Man's Fight March 7. The disc is the follow-up to 2004's For Whom the Gods Would Destroy and is the first to feature singer Jason Russo, who replaced Judah Nero last year. Rich Man's War, Poor Man's Fight was recorded at Watchmen Recording Studios with producer Doug White and includes "Assimilation," "Lies and Betrayal" and "The Fire." ... The Black Dahlia Murder recently shot a video for the title track of their new album Miasma with director Joe Lynch. The group is still searching for a drummer to replace Zach Gibson, who was booted in November because he was unable to play the band's material, according to a post on the group's official Web site. The Black Dahlia Murder are scheduled to launch a European tour January 20 in Essen, Germany. ... Influential Pittsburgh math-noise band Don Caballero are working on their first album in five years for Relapse. The disc is being produced by Al Sutton at Rustbelt Studios in Detroit and will include "World Class Listening Problem," "And And And" and "He Lowered the Twin Down." No release date has been announced. ... Misery Index will issue a split 7-inch with Japan's Bathtub Sh--ter. The disc will hit stores early next year and include Misery Index's song "Conquistadores." Meanwhile the band will start working on its forthcoming second album in the middle of next month. ...

Soilwork guitarist Peter Wichers has left the band. In a statement he called it "one of [the] hardest decisions to make" and said he was "just worn out from all the touring and, I have reached a point in my life where touring is just not possible for me anymore. I need a break from the touring so that I can actually begin to build a more solid ground to stand on for the future." Soilwork responded by making session drummer Dirk Verbeuren a full-time member of the band. ... Providence, Rhode Island, mathcore band Daughters are writing and recording their upcoming album — their first for Hydra Head Records. The disc will be the band's first since the frenzied Canada Songs, which dropped in 2003. The band was formed in 2001 out of the ashes of As the Sun Sets. ... Georgia experimental band Kylesa are working on the follow-up to their critically acclaimed 2005 disc, To Walk a Middle Course. The band is also still looking for a drummer to replace Brandon Baltzley, who left in June. Auditions will be held through the end of January, and those interested in giving it the old metal try should check out the band's Web site, kylesa.com, for details. ... Witchery, the Swedish thrash/death group that features the Haunted guitarist Patrik Jensen and Arch Enemy bassist Sharlee D'Angelo, has signed a new deal with Century Media. "[We] are really glad that we will be handled by the same team that has done such a great job for our other bands," said the group on its Web site. The band's fifth album, Don't Fear the Reaper, was recorded at Berno Studios in fall 2004 and is scheduled for release in March.

• In Flames
• Morbid Angel
• Witchery
• Trivium
• DevilDriver

Brand New Sin
Photo: Century Media/Robert John

Starting next week, whenever the WWE's Big Show — a man infamous for finishing off the competition with his trademark "Chokeslam" move — enters the square circle, he'll do so to the Southern-influenced thrashing of Syracuse, New York's Brand New Sin. That's because the band, formerly known as God Below, was recruited a few weeks back to supercharge the 7-foot-plus, 520-pound behemoth's theme song by Vince McMahon's music director — who, coincidentally, was turned on to the Empire State metallers by Triple H.

"We went up to Stamford, Connecticut, [the home of the WWE's nerve center] and we spent the day there running around and looking at how they put everything together," frontman Joe Altier said. "And then we spent six, seven hours taking the song he's got now and taking it on, Brand New Sin style. Then on [November 7] we were invited to WWE Raw in Fort Wayne, Indiana, and we met Big Show."

And, not surprisingly, the dude was real big.

"To see someone who's 7'2", 520 pounds — I mean, it sounds big, but you cannot fathom it until the guy comes walking towards you," Altier said. "I'm 5'10", 230 pounds. I'm not a small guy. Our drummer's 6'3" — we're not a band of skinny little dudes. But we looked like little kids hanging out with him."

It turns out that Brand New Sin are just the first band to contribute a track to the WWE's forthcoming, tentatively titled Forceable Entry 2, which should hit stores sometime early next year. The first Forceable Entry compilation, released three years ago, featured Limp Bizkit, Rob Zombie, Marilyn Manson, Sevendust, Disturbed, Kid Rock and Drowning Pool.

Brand New Sin, who've been on the road with Zakk Wylde's Black Label Society since last month on a tour that wraps November 20 in San Francisco, are in the midst of planning a two-week headlining trek of the Northeast — and will be touring the States for much of 2006, too. So how's it been, touring with Zakk?

"He's calmed his ways down a little bit since the first time we went out with him, because I think after all the things that have happened to him in the past year, he was like, 'OK, I need to chill out a little bit,' " Altier said. "But him calming down, even a little bit — I mean, he still has more fun than 98 percent of the rest of the bands out there."

The rest of the week's metal news:

As soon as they're through road trippin' with Slipknot and Unearth, As I Lay Dying will launch a new tour with A Life Once Lost, Norma Jean and Madball. The jaunt runs from November 26 in Atlanta through December 21 in Hollywood. ... Shadows Fall will release the DVD "The Art of Touring" November 15. The nearly two-hour disc will include live performances, behind-the-scenes footage and all six videos from the band's last two albums, 2002's The Art of Balance and 2004's The War Within. The disc also features a special tribute to "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott, filmed during the Shad's tour with Damageplan. ... Trivium will start pre-production on their next disc, The Crusade, in January. The band will once again team with producer Jason Suecof (Capharnaum, God Forbid) for the outing, which is eyeing a fall 2006 release. ... Carcass frontman Jeff Walker will release an album of country and blues covers called Welcome to Carcass Cu--ry by March 2006. The disc will include versions of popular songs by Hank Williams, Johnny Cash, Connie Smith, Skeeter Davis and John Denver. Contributing to the odd project was ex-Carcass guitarist Bill Steer, ex-Carcass drummer Ken Owen, ex-Faith No More bassist Billy Gould, Amorphis guitarists Esa Holopainen and Tomi Koivusaari, and H.I.M. frontman Ville Valo and drummer Gas. ...

Northern California experimental doom band Giant Squid will reissue their self-released debut, Metridium Field, in spring 2006. The band is currently writing songs for its sophomore offering, which it plans to unveil later in the year. ... Zao will enter Chicago's Electrical Audio Studio in two months with producer Steve Albini (Helmet, the Pixies), to record the band's as-yet-untitled seventh album. Zao's two-DVD set, "Zao: The Lesser Lights of Heaven," hits stores November 15. ... Drummer Jeff Lohrber has left Today Is the Day, thanks to "personal and musical differences with [frontman] Steve Austin." Lohrber, who was in the band for just eight months, will return to Harlots full-time. ... Stoner drone band Earth — whose frontman, Dylan Carlson, bought Kurt Cobain the shotgun he used to kill himself — will emerge from hiding to play a rare run of shows. Dates run from November 17 in Baltimore to November 21 in Boston, providing Carlson doesn't get arrested for something before then. ... South American black-metal band Goat Semen have finished writing and rehearsing tracks for their upcoming full-length and plan to begin recording in early 2006. ... Rumors of Infinited Hate's demise have been greatly exaggerated. While vocalist Rachel Kloosterwaard-Heyzer has left the band, the singing slot has been filled by ex-drummer Aad Kloosterwaard. The band's currently writing material for its third album, the follow-up to 2005's Heaven Termination. Drums on the album will be handled by Dirk Verbeuren (Soilwork, Aborted). ...

Animosity are set to shoot a video for "The Black Page" November 26 in San Francisco; director Richie Valdez (Taste of Blood, Contra) will helm it. ... xBishopx's forthcoming debut, Suicide Party, will surface January 10 through Ferret. Look for the album to contain "xBishopx Basically Owns Your Face," "Hookers & Blow" and "Go F--- Yourself." ... High on Fire will perform "Devilution" and "Brother in the Wind" during a taping of the Discovery Channel program "Monster Garage" Friday night (November 11). No word yet on when the episode will air. In the meantime, High on Fire will hit the road in January for a North American tour with the Bronx, Big Business and Buried Inside. The 29-date trek kicks off January 18 in San Francisco and winds down February 19 in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. ... Setherial will begin work on their fifth disc November 21; no word yet on album or song titles, but the band promises the tracks will be "more technical than previous albums — but the aggression still remains." ... Portuguese metal act Moonspell have signed with SPV/Steamhammer Records and are hard at work on Memorial, what will be the band's first post-Century Media release. The album will contain up to 10 tracks, including "Blood Tells," "Upon the Blood of Men" and "At the Image of Pain." ...

Faster Pussycat guitarist Brent Muscat underwent surgery on November 8 to remove oral cancer; he was diagnosed just a few weeks ago. In an online posting, Muscat's wife, EJ, wrote that that the surgery "went very well" and that "the doctors were very satisfied with the surgery. He's doing very good and everything seems [to be] going well so far." ... Thrashin' Swedes Raise Hell will release City of the Damned early next year through Black Lodge Records. ... Hate have a new guitarist: Hellbeast. That's all. ... Chilean thrash band Ammit will release their third album, Hammer of Darkness, November 28. The disc features a cover of Accept's "Fast as a Shark" and is the follow-up to 2003's Extreme Speed Satan. ... Lecherous Nocturne — which features Nile axeman Dallas Toler-Wade behind the kit — will issue their debut LP, Adoration of the Blade, early next year; look for the album to include "Release in Flame," "Singe Este Viata" and "Whorrified." ... Connecticut hardcore dudes the Distance have signed with Abacus Recordings. In two months the band will hit the studio with Shep Goodman (Bayside, Mandy Moore) to begin recording their debut, The Rise, the Fall, and Everything in Between. ... Love in the Time of Cholera have officially shortened their name to Time of Cholera. The Virginia metalcore band's forthcoming EP, Collapse of the Forsaken, hits stores December 6.

• Brand New Sin
• Zao
• High On Fire

Christmas came a bit early around these parts, with the recent arrival of AC/DC's "Live At Donington" DVD. Recorded live during the band's August 1991 set at the legendary English venue, the DVD captures a ton of the band's classic anthems (no "Sin City," but we're not going to get greedy) and adds audio commentary from Angus and Malcolm Young. Hopefully the holiday season will deliver plenty of gems like this. Until then, we have a fistful of metal news to stuff in your stocking:

On Saturday (December 7), four contest winners were blindfolded and whisked to the Houdini Mansion outside Los Angeles where Slipknot are wrapping up work on their new album. The fans got to sample a handful of new tracks; the rest of the world will have to wait until the spring. ... After several years away from the band, original Cryptopsy singer Lord Worm has returned. The band is hard at work writing material for its fifth album, which will be recorded in March. ... Haste the Day's Burning Bridges, the Indianapolis Metalcore band's first release on Solid State, hits stores March 23. ...

The new full-length studio album from black metal architects Mayhem, Chimera, is due in March. ... Mastodon have completed a video for the track "March of the Fire Ants" and plan to begin recording the follow-up to last year's Remission in January with producer Matt Bayles (Botch, Burnt by the Sun). ... Crisis are finishing up their new album, Like Sheeps Led to the Slaughter, with producer Billy Anderson (Neurosis). The disc is due in the spring on The End Records. ... Viking-obsessed black metal band Enslaved's Below the Lights has been nominated in the Norwegian Music Awards' Best Album category. ...

Three members of Orange County's Throwdown have formed side projects: the Lost, a band in the vein of HIM and Mötley Crüe, features bassist Dom Macaluso and guitarist Tommy Love, while the a Perfect Circle-inspired Medic includes singer Dave Peters on guitar. Following an appearance at a Syracuse, New York, Hardcore Festival on New Year's Day, Throwdown will embark on tours of Japan and the U.K. ... Texas' Embodyment have called it a day. The group leaves behind three albums on Tooth & Nail/Solid State and last year's Songs for the Living, released on XSRecords. ...

Solid State Records is releasing a best-of collection from Zao, who split from the label for Ferret Records this year. Due December 23, Legendary will contain 14 songs from six of the band's seven releases on Solid State as well as a three-song demo recorded when singer Corey Darst was fronting the band. ... Meanwhile, in the wake of their singer's split to join Zao, the remaining members of Society's Finest have formed the Kinetic Sense and are looking for a singer in the Dallas area. ...

Grotesque Swedish death metal band Deathwitch will release their latest slaughterfest, Violence, Blasphemy, Sodomy, on February 24. Track titles include "Blood Sucking F---," "Abhorrent Sadistic Tormentor" and "Coffin Fornicator." ... Disfear, another group of Swedish metal merchants, have hired Entombed guitarist Uffe Cederlund as the band's second guitarist. Cederlund will perform double duty on the Entombed, Disfear and Raised Fist European tour, which began December 3. ... Bleeding Through frontman Brandan Schieppati and guitarist Brian Leppke have formed a new project with members of the defunct Sante Sangre called Unholy. The band will record a demo in January following Bleeding Through's current round of touring commitments. ...

Ex-Dream Theater keyboardist Kevin Moore recently recorded the soundtrack for a Turkish horror spoof called "Okul" ("The School"). After finding out that Moore was on hiatus in Istanbul, Turkey, the film's director and producers tracked him down, and Moore delayed the recording of his third Chroma Key album to work on the project. "Okul" will be released in Turkey on January 9, but there are no plans for a U.S. showing. ...

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

• Slipknot
• AC/DC
• Mayhem
• Mastodon
• Enslaved