Releases
Reunited Italian thrash outfit Bulldozer will enter the studio this month for a 2009 release…. Philadelphia’s Rumplestiltskin Grinder has begun recording the follow-up to 2005’s Buried in the Front Yard, due later in this year through Relapse Records… Sweden’s Bloodbath (whose roster features members of Opeth, Katatonia and Genocrush Ferox) will release The Fathomless Mastery on October 6 through Peaceville Records… Venom’s latest effort. Hell, will be released in North America on Aug. 12 through Universal Music Enterprises… Exodus has completed work on a re-recording of their classic 1985 debut album, Bonded by Blood... Onslaught has started writing the followup to last year’s incredible thrash release Killing Peace… The new Obituary EP, Left to Die, will be released on Sept. 16, with their tour commencing the same day in Atlanta…
Finally, a release date has been set for Get Thrashed: The Story of Thrash Metal. It’s Sept. 16 through Lightyear Entertainment… Norway’s Dimmu Borgir will release a three-disc set, two DVDs plus a bonus audio CD in October titled The Invaluable Darkness…

Signings
Danish technical death metalist Scamp has signed a deal with Italy’s Scarlet Records… Canada death metal band Kataklysm has re-signed with Nuclear Blast Records, and Century Media has announced the signing of Unsun, which features Vader guitarist Maurycy “Mauser” Stefanowicz… Swedish death/black hopefuls Zonaria have inked a worldwide deal with Century Media and are recording their second full-length album, tentatively due later this year… Blood Stained Dusk has signed with Moribund…

Personnel
German thrashers Abandoned have parted ways with guitarist Holger “Holg” Ziegler. Fabian Schwarz has stepped in as his replacement... Los Angeles-based progressive thrash metal band Prototype has announced the addition of drummer Nic Ritter…

Tour Dates
Opeth teams up with High on Fire for a North American tour this fall, making a stop in Dallas in October.… Dates for reunited extreme metal pioneers Carcass have been surfacing but, at this time, no Dallas date has been announced… Belephegor will team up with Amon Amarth, Ensiferum and The Absence, with no Dallas date so far… Arsis is here in August.…

Gimme Back My Bullet… Belt
David Vincent of Morbid Angel had his fake bullet belt confiscated from his checked luggage by Italian airport security personnel and was arrested on a weapons charge. The belt was a gift from Earrache Records in 1989…

More Metal News
Earache Records has auctioned off the original Morbid Angel Blessed Are the Sick master tapes from February 1991 on eBay for approximately $654. According to a posting on the auction page, all copies of the CD ever made were spawned from this original master tape. Earache offered it to fans due to lack of storage space. The tape came with the original tape logs, handwritten corrections and times…
The casting producers for an Emmy Award winning, international TV show are seeking a “metalhead” for the program’s current season. If you are a vocalist, preferably in a band now, between the ages of 25 and 35, this is your opportunity to promote your death growl on a major TV show while teaching a young person what it means to be metal. The ideal candidate is to be enthusiastic and come across as a bit of a hard-ass when needed. This is a unique opportunity for someone to help make some else’s dreams of being metal come true, and a chance to promote your musical abilities and passion. This search is open to anyone in the continental U.S. Contact Rachelle.Mendez@mtvnmix.com or call 212-654-7612.

Middle East and Monk Metal
University of California, Irvine professor Mark LeVine has written Heavy Metal Islam. The book explores music scenes sweeping the region and bringing with it a new movement of peace and change in countries as diverse as Morocco, Iraq and Pakistan…

The Destro’s Nick Emde Photo: Travis Tutwiler

The Destro/Within Chaos/Jacknife - Ridglea Theater, 7/12/08
The Ridglea was filled to the brim with metal, as 17 bands graced the two stages. The Destro was the first of the heavy hitters on the main stage. The short set was enough to send the crowd into a frenzy with songs like the crushing “Rivers Bottom,” “Bridges Will Burn” and “Sever The Ties.” Eric Daughtry (vocals), Nick Emde (guitar), Jono Garrett (drums) and Chewy (bass) were in top form as they delivered the goods.
Within Chaos followed, tearing through favorites like “Buried Alive,” “What Doesn’t Kill You” and a new track “Never Again.” Vocalist Jay “JC” Childress sounded great on the Virulent tracks and two new ones.
Local favorite Jacknife also introduced several new songs. Their new disc A Plague Of People will drop August 15. They also treated fans a killer version of Iron Maiden’s “Run To The Hills.” (Travis Tutwiler)

Municipal Waste - House of Blues, 7/19/08
Richmond-based Municipal Waste oozed into Dallas on the World Series of Metal tour and infected our fine city with some of the best radioactive crossover/thrash the world has to offer. Every song had the audience screaming the lyrics almost louder than Tony Foresta could belt them out. Drummer Dave Witte lived up to his legend status with drum fills so swift they hit like a tsunami, while guitarist Ryan Waste and bassist Land Phil wowed the crowd by tearing up their fretboards with lightning fast finger acrobatics.
“Sadistic Magician,” “Bangover,” “Minderaser,” all the great songs were delivered flawlessly. Each song is filled with hilarious lyrics about beer, monsters and more beer and served up at a whiplash tempo. Break out your beer bong, get ready for a circle pit and remember, as their song warns, “Municipal Waste is gonna f**k you up!” (Jesse Wilson)

Joey’s Birthday Bash (TMA, Demonseed) - Competition Music, Ft. Worth, 7/26/08
TMA/Demonseed drummer Joey Gonzales turned 18, and what did he want for his birthday? To play metal and sweat his arse off with 90 of his closest friends. Blood Stain Carpet and Fist Full of War were the openers, giving Joey time to sip on his juice box and relax.
Then TMA hit the stage in the usual pristine form, with the Perry/Shelby axe duo rousing a pit frenzy during “Unleashed” and pretty much throughout their entire set. “Ebonics” got some chuckles. On their last song, vocalist Bruce Corbitt turned the mic over to TMA fan, Zackery Taylor, for S.O.D‘s “March of the SOD.“
By the time Demonseed hit the stage- - the BYOB was getting to me, but I know “Chainsaw Sodomy” raised some fists. This was my fav. show of the month - great friends, great metal and no police! (Marissa Bruce)

American Lab Rat - Skillman Street Bar, 7/12/08
Few bands earn the badge of “a thinking band”, but ALR’s lyrics were formatted to easily understand. A few songs that spoke were “Religion is Rape”, “Don’t Tease the Weak” and their self-titled one, “American Lab Rat.” Their anthems were heard loud and clear through Jarod Hensel’s, (sometimes), Fred Durst (Limp Bizkit)-influenced vocals, but his yells came more from a Corey Taylor (Slipknot) origin. Accompanying the vocal clarity, the rest of the new metal influenced outfit sported a malicious, sometimes poly-rhythmic drummer (Aaron Stanfield), a muddy-thick bassist, (Aaron Harrison), and a quick- fingered creative guitarist (Geramy Mays). If you experience their live show, you’ll see they have a zealous presence that spills over through their effective crowd control. American Lab Rat isn’t just black and white, but a lot of gray is found when you put your listening ears on. (Misty Johnson)

TMA’s Rick Perry Photo: Tanya A. Cerno

Tolar - House of Blues, 7/19/08
Fort Worth natives Tolar delivered an aural assault of crust/metal at its finest. No rock star posturing or over-polished metalcore, these guys delivered the brutal goods the Dallas scene sorely needs. Vocalist Matteo, drummer Dan, guitarists Chris and Matt and bassist Finley looked uncomfortable on the HOB stage. They were plagued with technical problems and were just too good to be that far removed from their audience. This band is raw and real and should be experienced face to face. They tore through seven tracks of fury without a word between the songs, letting you know they were there to brutalize with songs like “In Silence,” “Unholy Raid” and “ Prayer to a Madman.” If you’re a fan of honest d-beat-inspired crust, check these guys out. If not, come see them for some education. (Jesse Wilson)

Dead Rising - Skillman Street Bar, 7/11/08
Dead Rising reincarnated death metal this night with four highly talented guys, - Brian (drums), Casey (guitar), Paul (bass), and Chicken (vocals). They attacked the bar’s den with the same intense, lethal, and raw ferociousness of the bear that mauled The Grizzly Man. On “Bloodshed,” Casey demonstrated the sweetest hook, line and sinker riff that wore a Yngwie Malmsteen effect (without the showboat factor). A parade of horses couldn’t equal the consistency of Brian’s beats. Then, like a well-trained jockey, Paul kept a death grip on the band’s reins, and Chicken exhaled guttural grumbles and screams that resembled a ring wraith snatched from the Lord of the Rings movies. Dead Rising could be any metal connoisseur’s next habit-forming tonic. Their CD will be available at its release at The Ridglea Theater on Nov. 8. (Misty Johnson)

At The Gates/Darkest Hour - House Of Blues, 7/19/08
It’s been 12 years since At The Gates last toured together. So 2008 has brought about one metal’s most anticipated tours, as one of the creators of the Gothenberg sound made their way to the States.
Darkest Hour was tapped as direct support on the Suicide Final Tour and did not disappoint. Their high octane set was kicked off by the guitar laden “Doomsayer” followed by other hits like “With A Thousand Words To Say But One” and “The Sadist Nation.”
Now it was time for At The Gates’ Tomas Lindberg (vocals), Anders Bjorler (guitar), Jonas Bjorler (bass), Martin Larsson (guitar) and Adrian Erlandsson (drums) to give the crowd what they had been waiting for. Spanning every album ,ATG served up “All Life Ends” from their first EP, the title track to their third full-length release Terminal Spirit Disease and a healthy dose from the critically-acclaimed Slaughter Of The Soul. This show was definitely worth the wait. (Travis Tutwiler)

Divine Heresy - The Door, 6/05/08
Divine Heresy took the stage and declared war. The machine gun snares and mortar shell bass drums of Tim Yeung (ex-Hate Eternal) proved why he won the World’s Fastest Drummer competition in 2006. Former Nile bassist Joe Payne provided crushing low end to add more artillery in this metalcore salvo. Dino Cazares (ex-Fear Factory) buzz-sawed through the ears of the stunned crowd with his “guitar from hell,” an eight stringed monster. Jake Veredika replaced ex-frontman Tommy Vext after his late April split following a confrontation with Cazares. The addictive and brutal “This Threat is Real” was delivered with fury and aggression. During “Failed Creation,” Veredika divided the audience in two for the ultimate in moshing brutality - the wall of death. If you get the chance to see them live, go get bloody in the pit and bang your head, -if you can scrape it off the back wall of the club! (Jesse Wilson)

Can we say angry! Chimaira’s Mark Hunter Photo: Travis Tutwiller Dethklok — visual journey with neck-breaking rhythms Photo : Travis Tutwiler

Dethklok/Chimaira – House Of Blues, 7/5/08
For fans of the popular cartoon series Metalocalypse, this was a dream come true. The world’s most dangerous animated band, Dethklok, made its way across the U.S. supporting their full-length Dethalbum. Soilent Green kicked off the mayhem delivering a sludge-filled set. The power surge continued as Chimaira pulverized the sold out crowd with hard hitting tracks like “The Flame,” “Pure Hatred” and “Powertrip.”
Dethklok’s performance was a visual journey that brought Nathan Explosion (vocals), guitarists Toki Wartooth and Skwisgaar Skwigelf, Pickles (drums) and William Murderface (bass) to life on the big screen. The live band consisted of Metalocalypse creator Brendon Small (vocals/guitar), Gene Hoglan (drums), Mike Keneally (guitar) and Bryan Beller (bass) as they played on the dimly lit stage below the massive screen. Tracks like “Thunderhorse,” “Castratirkron” and “Hatredcopter” were filled with neck-breaking rhythms and adrenaline-fueled guitar shredding. It was definitely a unique night of metal. (Travis Tutwiler)

Whitechapel - This Is Exile, Metal Blade Records
This Is Exile is a blistering display of utter deathcore brutality. Phil Bozeman (vocals) alternates between a gut-wrenching growl and scathing scream, as evident on the title track. Drummer Kevin Lane adds machine-gun double bass and mixes in blast beats to compliment the chaotic rhythm he and Gabe Crisp (bass) lay down on “Father Of Lies” and “To All The Are Dead.” A nice surprise with Whitechapel is the triple guitar threat of Ben Savage (lead), Zach Householder and Alex Wade. There are plenty of moving guitar lines and lead runs on “Eternal Refuge” and “Exalt.” This Is Exile is a brutal masterpiece combining thunderous, pounding breakdowns, supersonic rhythms and plenty of pulverizing grooves. Get off yer ass and pick up a copy.
(Travis Tutwiler)

Behexen - My Soul for His Glory, Moribund Records
Torog (vocals),Gargantum (guitar), Reaper (bass) and Horns (drums) drag your ears over razors with eight tracks of hatred infused black metal. Blasphemous lyrics dripping with rage are layered over straight-ahead black metal riffs with pounding drums driving the nails of heresy into your aural coffin. If you’re a fan of no-frills fast beats and double-picked riffs interlaced with screeching vocals and the occasional down tempo doom break, this is your demonic feast. None of that keyboard heavy, over produced crap here, just evil-sounding black metal defiling your senses. Tracks like “Let the Horror and Chaos Come” and “My Stigmas Bleeding Black” are soul-wrenching masterpieces of desolation and carnality. I have to go sacrifice something now.
(Jesse Wilson)

Celestial Bloodshed - Cursed Scarred and Forever Possessed, Moribund Records
This album is not for the uninitiated. Featuring Steingrim Torson (vocals), Luctus (bass, guitar) and Tiller (drums), this band has no myspace page, no Wikipedia page and only a one page website with their logo and an email address. They truly hide in the shadows of self-imposed obscurity. Each track is an exploration of sonic blasphemy. The song structures are impossible to follow, the production value is dodgy at best and the sounds these madmen create are nothing less than genius. Random tempo changes and atmospheric heavy guitars mix with haunting vocals to create a dark landscape of tortured and twisted souls reminiscent of early Mayhem or Ancient albums. Favorites are “Gospel of Hate” and “The Demon of Old.”
(Jesse Wilson)