Last week Brandon Schieppati -- who fronts Orange County, California's speedy death-metal sextet Bleeding Through -- was back in a recording studio with his bandmates tracking four new tunes. But only two were theirs.

The other pair were covers of Black Flag's "My War," which will appear on the Black on Black tribute due March 14; and Unbroken's "Proverb," which, according to Schieppati, will more than likely turn up in a video game or on a soundtrack. (Unbroken guitarist Steve Miller performed on the latter track.)

Schieppati said it was strange to be back in the studio, considering he'd just completed work on his band's forthcoming album, The Truth. The disc will land on record-store shelves January 10 and feature "Love in Slow Motion," "For Love and Failing" and "Dearly Demented."

"That's sort of been the theme of Bleeding Through," he said of last week's studio time. "We never could take even a week off. We just keep going and keep going."

For The Truth, the follow-up to 2003's This Is Love, This Is Murderous, Bleeding Through recruited producer Rob Caggiano (Cradle of Filth, Anthrax), because they'd heard "he has a really good vision with music, as far as arrangement and all that stuff." The bandmembers put the word out that they needed a producer for the new studio LP, "and there were producers who wanted to work with us. But Rob thought that, while we were a good band, we could be better, and he had ideas right away. We wanted someone who was going to act like this band was their own, and not do it to just have their name on the record."

One of the two originals recorded last week, "13 Scars," will be available as an exclusive bonus track to anyone who buys The Truth on iTunes. The band doesn't have any definitive plans yet for the other song, "One Last Second."

Schieppati, formerly of Eighteen Visions, said he and the gang will shoot a video January 12 with director Zach Merck (Lacuna Coil, Converge) for "Kill to Believe." Schieppati said the video's going to be story-based -- a sort of " 'Texas Chainsaw Massacre' meets 'The Devil's Rejects' " -- interlaced with performance footage of the band. Beyond that, he didn't want to reveal too much about the concept.

"All I can tell you is it will be filmed in the desert with really dirty, f---ed-up houses, and f---ed-up old cars," he said. "All that sh--."

The band will embark on a 37-date headlining tour of the U.S. with Every Time I Die, Between the Buried and Me, and Haste the Day on February 15 in Los Angeles. Dates run through April 1 in Anaheim, California.

The rest of the week's metal news:

Death-metal veterans Cannibal Corpse have chosen Kill as the title of their new record and set a March 21 release date. The disc will feature the band's latest full-time member, guitarist Rob Barrett, who played with Cannibal Corpse from 1993-'97 and returned to tour with them after Jack Owen quit in 2004. ... Having survived an onstage electrocution in September, former Mr. America Thor will return to the concert circuit for a brief stint starting Friday (December 9) in Eugene, Oregon. Dates are scheduled through December 14 in Seattle. ... Anthrax will be back on the road in 2006 with the They're Still the Law Tour, which will also feature God Forbid, Sworn Enemy and Manntis. The tour kicks off in Baltimore on January 6 and runs until January 21 in Hollywood. Sworn Enemy will be touring to support The Beginning of the End, which comes out January 24 and was produced by As I Lay Dying singer Tim Lambesis. God Forbid recently finished a video for "To the Fallen Hero," shot with director Shane Drake. The band's new disc, IV: Constitution of Treason, came out September 20. Manntis will shoot a video for "Weathered Soul" this weekend with director Rob Hall. ...

Hardcore-turned-metalcore outfit Himsa will release their fourth album, Hail Horror, February 7. The band shot a video for "Sleezevil" over Halloween weekend in L.A. with director Derek Dale. Hail Horror will be the follow-up to Courting Tragedy and Disaster, which came out in 2003. Himsa will launch a U.S. tour with Acacia Strain, Darkest Hour, A Life Once Lost and Dead to Fall from February 17 through March 20. ... Oregon's moody black-metallists Agalloch have entered the studio to begin pre-production on their third album, Ashes Against the Grain; recording will start December 10. The disc will be the follow-up to Agalloch's 2002 record, The Mantle. ... Daylight Dies' Dismantling Devotion will hit stores March 7 and include "A Dream Resigned," "Solitary Refinement" and the title track. ... Through the Eyes of the Dead will tour with Ed Gein from January 27 in Wilmington, North Carolina, through March 5 in Detroit. The band's full-length debut, Bloodlust, came out October 25. Ed Gein dropped their second disc, Judas Goats and Dieseleaters, November 1. ... Dutch gore-metal band Severe Torture will release their fourth album, Fall of the Despised, February 7. Tracks include "Unconditional Annihilation," "Endless Strain of Cadavers" and "Impulsive Mutilation." The album follows 2003's Misanthropic Carnage and the 2005 live disc Bloodletting. ...

Swedish melodic metal band Nocturnal Rites will release their seventh album, Grand Illusion, January 24. The disc was recorded and mixed at Toontrack Studio in Umea, Sweden, and includes "Fools Never Die," "Something Undefined" and "Still Alive." ... British doom-metal veterans Paradise Lost just released their 10th studio album in the U.S. The self-titled disc is the follow-up to 2002's Symbol of Life and includes "Don't Belong," "Close Your Eyes," "Forever After" and "Accept the Pain." The band has three Mexican dates scheduled in December, but no American shows have been lined up yet. ... Ion Dissonance will launch a tour with Dead to Fall on January 4 in Chicago. Dates run through February 3 in Iowa City, Iowa. Ion Dissonance are on the road to support their second album, Solace, which came out September 6. ... Ex-Kiss guitarist Ace Frehley's former label Megaforce will release the compilation album Greatest Hits Live on January 24. Frehley's first release since 1989's Trouble Walkin' will feature former members of Frehley's Comet, including drummers Anton Fig and Jamie Oldaker, bassist John Regan, and guitarist/singers Richie Scarlet and guitarist/singer Todd Howarth. Frehley was dismissed from the never-ending Kiss reunion in late 2002. ... Most Precious Blood, With Honor and the Distance launched a tour on December 1 in Seattle. The bands will remain on the road through December 16 in Lemoyne, Pennsylvania. Most Precious Blood's third album, Merciless, came out September 20. ...

Tennessee melodic death-metal band Epoch of Unlight are working on their fourth album, the follow-up to this year's The Continuum Hypothesis. The band's touring guitarist, Steve Blagburn, has joined full-time and is contributing to the writing process. So far the group has written three songs and hopes to have the album finished in time for a 2006 release. ... Chicago dark metal band Novembers Doom are hard at work on songs for the follow-up to The Pale Haunt Departure, which came out in March. So far the new material is heavily influenced by early Chicago death metal. The band hopes to start recording in April 2006. ... Belgian black-metal band Ancient Rites have been hard at work in the studio, which they entered on November 21 with producers Oliver Phillips and Christian Moos. The disc, which should be out by summer, will mark the return of guitarist Raf Jansen and keyboardist Domingo Smets, who left in 1997 and 2001, respectively. ... Italian black-metal band Aborym will release their fourth album, Generator, February 20. The disc features Emperor drummer Faust on all tracks and Mayhem vocalist Atilla on "Man Bites God." ... Massachusetts ambient jazz-metal band Kayo Dot will release their sweeping second album, Dowsing Anemone With Copper Tongue, January 10. Tracks include "Gemini Becoming the Tripod," "Aura on an Asylum Wall" and "Immortelle and Paper Caravelle." The band features ex-members of progressive metal-band Maudlin of the Well.