Hey and hello, metal children. How goes it? Iann Robinson here. Things are good: The hot grasp of summer is slowly choking the life out of me. It's tough wearing black all the time.

So I went to the Ozzfest in Dallas -- all hails and kudos to the Dallas metalheads. They were really great to me, and it was a good time. The second stage was really the place to be: lots of great bands coming out of there. Killswitch Engage, Shadows Fall, Voivod, Hotwire, even Cradle of Filth were amazing, especially playing in million-degree heat in all that vinyl. The main stage was good, but all stuff you'd expect. I must say Korn had a much more aggressive set than I was used to. Way less posturing, more rocking -- good for them. Ozzy was naturally amazing to watch, especially with Jason Newsted killing it on bass. They brought out older Sabbath stuff, the Ozzy classics -- the man never disappoints. Other than that, I've been jamming with the new Fu Manchu live record and, of course, Himsa and Black Dahlia Murder. Well, that's it for this week. Stay metal and I'll see you at the shows:

Body Count, M.O.D., Vital Remains (featuring Glen Benton) and Suffocation will headline the 17th annual Milwaukee Metalfest on July 25 and 26. Strapping Young Lad, Repulsion, Nuclear Assault, Lullacry, Macabre, the Mentors and Skinless are also on the bill. ...

Killswitch Engage have completed pre-production on two tracks for their next album, their first to feature Blood Has Been Shed vocalist Howard Jones, including their "Freddy Vs. Jason" soundtrack contribution "Darkness Falls." The band, currently playing on Ozzfest's second stage, will officially commence work on the album sometime later in the year. ...

Witchery, the Swedish metal supergroup featuring members of the Haunted and Arch Enemy, have announced plans to head into the studio in the fall to record a follow-up to 2001's Symphony for the Devil. ...

British doomsters Orange Goblin will enter the studio on July 14 to begin recording their fifth album, Progress Stops Here. ... Vehemence, the self-proclaimed "chaotic melodic death metal" band from Phoenix, have set Helping the World to See as the title for their next album. ...

Danzig is in negotiations to appear in the next Tobe Hooper feature and possibly score the soundtrack. ... Dillinger Escape Plan have released a limited self-titled 7-inch. The release only contains two songs, each the entire length of one side of the 7-inch. ...

Metal legends Cryptic Slaughter have released Convicted, the first of two reissues due from Relapse Records. The second, Money Talks, will hit on July 29. Fans who buy both get a limited-edition Cryptic Slaughter 7-inch called "Band in S.M." featuring covers Cryptic Slaughter has recorded. ...

The Plea for Peace Tour will include Poison the Well, Further Seems Forever, Dillinger Escape Plan, Shadows Fall and Eighteen Visions. The now annual trek, which this year runs from mid-September through late October, is designed to raise suicide-prevention awareness. ...

Orange County, California, metalcore merchants Bleeding Through will support AFI on tour beginning in September. The follow-up to last year's Portrait of the Goddess will see release through the Trustkill label later this year. ...

Overkill are planning a U.S. tour for September to support their 13th LP, Killbox 13, which dropped in March. Currently touring Europe, the New Jersey band has lined up four East Coast dates later this month to warm up for the full-scale trek. ...

A handful of bands are shuffling their lineups, so get out your scorecards. Founding Static-X drummer Ken Jay is now in Godhead. Jay's replacement as Static's skinsman is former Seether drummer Nick Ohiro. Oshiro's replacement is Kevin Soffera. Ill Nino's new guitarist is Machine Head's Ahrue Luster, who replaced Marc Rizzo. Machine Head's new album, Ashes of Empires, due October 13, will feature new guitarist Phil Demmel. ... Speaking of Ill Nino, their "How Can I Live" will serve as the first single to the "Freddy Vs. Jason" soundtrack and will also appear on their second album, Confession, due September 30. A video for the song will be shot Tuesday in Los Angeles. ...

HavocHate, Aesma Daeva, Cold Colours, Demonicon, Gee as in Jesus, God-Awful, Impaler, Salubrious Invertebrae, Teratism, Anal Blast, Apostle 13, the Bloodshot, Epicurean, Nymphotomy, Quincy Punks, Ripsnorter, Skrum and Zebulon Pike will converge on Minneapolis on July 22 to celebrate the 16th anniversary of the "Roots of All Evil" radio show. Advance tickets are $4, or $6 the day of the show. ...

-- compiled by [article id="1453177"]Iann Robinson[/article], Ryan Downey, Robert Mancini and Joe D'Angelo