Another day, another awesome death metal tour...NY legends Suffocation have just announced a North American tour for October and November, with support from The Faceless, Through The Eyes Of The Dead, Decrepit Birth (whose new album Polarity is mind-roasting) and Fleshgod Apocalypse. Here are the dates:

10/15-Worcester, MA @ The Palladium
10/16-New York, NY @ Gramercy Theatre
10/17-Quebec City, QC @ Imperial Theater
10/18-Montreal, QC @ Foufounes
10/19-Jonquiere, QC @ Place Nikitoutagan
10/20-Toronto, ON @ Opera House
10/21-Poughkeepsie, NY @ The Chance
10/22-Detroit, MI @ Harpos
10/23-Chicago, IL @ Clearwater Theatre
10/24-St. Paul, MN @ Station 4
10/25-Milwaukee, WI @ The Rave
10/27-Denver, CO @ Summit Music Hall
10/28-Salt Lake City, UT @ TBA
10/29-Las Vegas, NV @ The Farm
10/30-Pomona, CA @ The Glasshouse
10/31-Los Angeles, CA @ The Whisky 
11/01-Phoenix, AZ @ The Clubhouse
11/02-Albuquerque, NM @ Fusion Factory
11/03-Amarillo, TX @ Club Khaos 
11/04-Tulsa, OK @ Marquee Theatre  
11/05-Austin, TX @ Emo's
11/06-Ft. Worth, TX @ Ridglea Theatre 
11/08-Tampa, FL @ Brass Mug 
11/09-Jacksonville, FL @ The Pit
11/10-Raleigh, NC @ Volume 11
11/11-Philadelphia, PA @ Polaris
11/12-Springfield, VA @ Jaxx
11/13-Allentown, PA @ Crocodile Rock

If I wasn't a lazy old bastard, I'd totally go to this show. In the meantime, here's the video for "Cataclysmic Purification," from Suffocation's 2009 album Blood Oath.

 

Above: Nergal, pre-diagnosis

Adam "Nergal" Darski, the 33-year-old guitarist/vocalist from Polish blackened death metal band Behemoth, was recently diagnosed with a life-threatening form of leukemia, a cancer of blood-forming tissues of the bone marrow.

Nergal has issued the following statement in response to the outpouring of support from fans (including many who've requested information about setting up benefit shows, etc.):

"I haven't intended to manifest myself in any way and, especially at this stage, to share my feelings or any other news with the world for obvious reasons. It is simply too early for it. But it was you who provoked me to say a few words. 

"Regarding my personal low opinion of human kind, I'm shocked by the reaction to my illness. I actually expected nothing yet received feedback which surpassed all expectations. 

"I want to ensure you I read each mail I receive, although I'm unable to reply to all of them. 

"The power of your words is pure magic and I thank you all for it. You are a gigantic indestructible army that truly inspires me in this difficult time. 

"The fact is that a fight with this illness is going to last for many months. Most of this time I will spend in hospital and I will go through various psychophysical states.

"If you know the history of Behemoth you also know we achieved everything by hard work and a steely determination. The same goes for my private life. I happen to be a strong son of a bitch. I have no faith but rely on a 100% victory and I am sure I will get out of it stronger than ever. Sun Tzu in his Art of War said that if you know your enemy and yourself the result of a thousand battles will not surprise you… I enter the ring with this Nietzschean attitude and I will leave it as a winner, as usual. Just watch and see!

"So I want to emphasize that Behemoth will by no means goes through any hibernation state. Obviously all concert plans must be postponed until some unknown point in the future, but things are happening! 

...

"Finally, I want to comment on some opinions which, provoked by religious circles, lead to far-fetched and inaccurate interpretations. 

"I was surprised to hear my illness became a pretext for some people to embark on their own crusade. Opinions suggesting I might come closer to God or abandon my ideals and grovel to the only correct world view in this country not only surprised but also frightened me. This is a typical example of supporting one's own views by preying on someone's misfortune. 'He fell ill so he will convert to Christianity, he will discover the religion he fought against is actually close to him.' 

"Halt! Why should the illness change my point of view? 

"It is true this is a difficult time for me and the thoughts of ultimate matters are hard to chase away. But the idea that I will change my opinions, priorities, and values as a consequence of my illness sounds as if someone regards my head, and not my body, ill. Suggesting I might convert are ridiculous. To what would I convert? After all, I know Christian mythology pretty well, not only in its literary version, and I find nothing good, creative or beautiful in it. I read books better and wiser than the Bible. War, blood, blackmail, rapes, incest, pedophilia, zoophilia, collaboration and treachery—each page emanates with evil. 

"Some may say I don't understand the message of the Bible. I'd rather say the Christianity is nothing more than a rusty and archaic structure that is going to fall down any moment. It lasts only because of the gullible that follow the shepherd blindly; without any questions, without any consideration, not to any promised land, but to an intellectual slaughter. So, I say to those, who see some chances to break my rules, and myself because of the illness: over my dead body!"

 

Effective September 1, 2010 (that's tomorrow, as I type this), Headbäng will be moving to a different wing of the vast MSN underground bunker. The two or three of you that have this site bookmarked should forget this URL (unless you feel like re-reading old stuff) and go here instead.

The "new" Headbäng will remain exactly the same in tone and general level of crappiness. In the next couple of weeks, we've got interviews with Phil Anselmo, Accept guitarist Wolf Hoffman, and maybe some other folks, too. Plus the usual album reviews, old-man grumbling about new bands, etc., etc. So stop on by!
 

On September 21, Opeth will release In Live Concert at the Royal Albert Hall, a multi-format live set documenting one of the dates on their 20th Anniversary tour, which took place this past spring. The London gig was April 5, and like every other night (they also played Stockholm, Sweden; Essen, Germany; Paris, France; New York; and Los Angeles), the first set was a complete run through their 2000 album Blackwater Park. This was followed by a second, longer set composed of one song from each of their other albums, in chronological order.

Complete set list:

Set 1

• The Leper Affinity
• Bleak
• Harvest
• The Drapery Falls
• Dirge For November
• The Funeral Portrait
• Patterns In The Ivy
• Blackwater Park

Set 2

• Forest Of October
• Advent
• April Ethereal
• The Moor
• Wreath
• Hope Leaves
• Harlequin Forest
• The Lotus Eater

Here's what they're offering, in order of price point:

• A two-DVD set with the concert, an interview and the documentary "On Tour With Opeth."
• A set that includes the DVD version and a three-CD audio version.
• A super deluxe version that includes the DVDs, the live audio on vinyl, a lithograph, a fancy 12" x 12" booklet, a download of the live audio, fancier artwork than the other versions, and a fancier box.

I haven't seen Opeth live since 2003 or 2004, I forget exactly when. At that point, it was kind of hilarious, not much like a metal show at all. The whole crowd was dudes as far as I could see, and they were barely headbanging; to do so would have distracted them from staring at Mikael Åkerfeldt's flying fingers. It was a lot like what I imagine seeing Rush or Yes must be like—serious music nerds gathered to worship at the altar of technique. Of course, I've got a strong prog-nerd streak in me, and/so I was just as captivated as my brethren. A few years later, in 2008, I was flown to Sweden to hear Watershed in advance of its release and interview all the members of the band, and I had a great time—they're incredibly nice guys, and it's a fantastic record. This live thing is a great package for fans of the band, and I am definitely looking forward to it.
 

The "Big Four" (Metallica, Megadeth, Anthrax and Slayer) concert from Sofia, Bulgaria that was broadcast to movie theaters in the U.S. this summer is being released on DVD in October. The U.S. street date is October 19, but you can preorder it now at Metallica's online store. There are two versions: the basic one is a two-DVD set with the complete sets by all four bands (including songs that weren't part of the theatrical show) and backstage/behind-the​-scenes and interview footage, while the deluxe edition includes the two DVDs, five CDs of all the music, a 24-page booklet, photos of each band, a poster, and a guitar pick.

Here are the front and back covers:





 

So Dimmu Borgir's got a new album, Abrahadabra, coming out this fall, and based on early evidence, it doesn't seem like it's going all that well for them. (I was invited to hear the whole thing in New York on August 18. I passed, because I didn't like their last album, In Sorte Diaboli, very much at all.)

Their problems all started when bassist and clean vocalist ICS Vortex and keyboardist Mustis were fired last summer amid a cloud of online bitchiness. Then there were rumors, which the band initially denied, denied, denied, that Snowy Shaw of Therion and Dream Evil had joined the band, replacing Vortex. Now, the first "single" from the new album, "Gateways," has been released, and one fan is claiming that the "female" backing vocals on the song are in fact the voice of Vortex, artificially pitched upward in the studio. (YouTube clips presenting his case have been yanked after complaints from Dimmu's label, Nuclear Blast.) And yesterday, Shaw announced that he was leaving the group and returning to Therion. And after he'd gone and gotten his official Dimmu makeup job and everything!


UPDATE: The guy who posted the original YouTube video has posted another one, explaining the whole thing. Here it is, for as long as it exists:



In other news of costumed buffoonery, Finnish pop-metal band Lordi have a new album, Babez For Breakfast, coming out on September 14, and they've got new masks to go with the new music. So here's a photo of that.


 

Retro thrash band Bonded By Blood have released a new video, for the song "Prototype: Death Machine" from their new album Exiled To Earth. It's a decent album, and this is a pretty good song, all things considered. BBB aren't my favorite neo-thrash band (that would be Brazil's Violator, or maybe California's Merciless Death), but this is solid stuff.

It's also nice to see them getting strong support from their label, Earache. Some of these bands are already being dropped by their labels after disappointing sales of debut albums—Fueled By Fire (who've gone through membership upheaval, too) recently sold 200 CD-Rs of their new album on tour in Europe, something I don't think they'd be doing if they were still signed to Metal Blade. Similarly, Merciless Death, who were on Heavy Artillery for two albums, are currently seeking a deal. So it's good of Earache to pony up for a Bonded By Blood video. I guess it helps that the band is a touring machine; look at this list of tour dates!

With Exodus, Malevolent Creation & Holy Grail:

Aug. 25 - Foufounes Electriques - Montreal, QC
Aug. 27 - The Palladium - Worcester, MA
Aug. 28 - The Gramercy Theater - New York, NY
Aug. 29 - Polaris - Philadelphia, PA
Aug. 31 - Jaxx - W. Springfield, VA
Sep. 01 - Peabody's - Cleveland, OH
Sep. 02 - Phoenix Hill Tavern - Louisville, KY
Sep. 03 - The Masquerade - Atlanta, GA
Sep. 04 - The Social - Orlando, FL
Sep. 05 - Culture Room - Ft. Lauderdale, FL
Sep. 07 - The Door - Dallas, TX
Sep. 08 - Emo's - Austin, TX
Sep. 09 - The War Legion Underground - Amarillo, TX (BBB only)
Sep. 12 - The Avalon - Santa Clara, CA

With Early Man & Evile:

Sep. 30 - Marquee - Tulsa, OK
Oct. 01 - Walter's - Houston, TX
Oct. 02 - White Rabbit - San Antonio, TX
Oct. 03 - Emo's - Austin, TX
Oct. 05 - The Muse- Nashville, TN
Oct. 06 - Budda's Place - Newport News, VA
Oct. 07 - Sonar - Baltimore, MD
Oct. 08 - Championship Bar and Grill - Trenton, NJ
Oct. 09 - Rocko's Rock Club - Manchester, NH
Oct. 10 - Europa - Brooklyn, NY
Oct. 12 - Sneaky Dee's - Toronto, ON
Oct. 13 - Broadway Joe's - Buffalo, NY
Oct. 15 - Blondies - Detroit, MI
Oct. 16 - Mad Planet - Milwaukee, WI
Oct. 17 - Reggie's Rock Club - Chicago, IL
Oct. 18 - The Riot Room - Kansas City, MO
Oct. 19 - Larimer Lounge - Denver, CO
Oct. 20 - The Rox Tavern - St Cloud, MN
Oct. 22 - Dante's - Portland, OR

With Overkill, Forbidden, Evile & Gama Bomb:

* w/Evile & Gama Bomb
** w/Overkill, Forbidden & Gama Bomb
*** w/Forbidden, Evile & Gama Bomb

Oct. 23 - Seattle, WA - El Corazon***
Oct. 24 - Vancouver, BC - Red Room***
Oct. 27 - Regina SK - Exchange***
Oct. 28 - Winnipeg, Manitoba - Royal Albert Arms***
Oct. 29 - Thunder Bay, ON - Crocks***
Oct. 30 - St. Cloud, MN - The Rox Tavern*** (w/Abigail Williams)
Oct. 31 - Indianapolis, IN - The Dojo***
Nov. 01 - London, ON - Music Hall***
Nov. 02 - Buffalo, NY - Broadway Joe's***
Nov. 03 - Trenton, NJ - Championship Bar and Grill***
Nov. 04 - Springfield, VA - Jaxx ***
Nov. 05 - Rochester, NY - Montage Music Hall**
Nov. 06 - Farmingdale, NY - Crazy Donkey**
Nov. 07 - Providence, RI - Club Hell**
Nov. 08 - Baltimore, MD - Sonar**
Nov. 09 - Virginia Beach, VA - Gil's**
Nov. 10 - Charlotte, NC - Amos'**
Nov. 11 - Raleigh, NC - Volume 11**
Nov. 12 - Jacksonville, NC - Hooligans**
Nov. 13 - Orlando, FL - Club Firestone**
Nov. 14 - Ft Lauderdale, FL - Culture Room**
Nov. 15 - Atlanta, GA - The Masquerade**
Nov. 16 - Cleveland, OH - Peabody's**
Nov. 17 - Columbus, OH - Newport Music Hall**
Nov. 18 - Pittsburgh, PA - Diesel Nightclub**
Nov. 19 - Manchester, NH - Rocko's**
Nov. 20 - Sayreville, NJ - Starland Ballroom**
Nov. 21 - Ottawa, ON - Mavericks*
Nov. 22 - Montreal, QC - Foufounes Electriques***
Nov. 23 - Toronto, ON - MOD Club***
Nov. 24 - Detroit, MI - Blondies***
Nov. 25 - Nashville, TN - The Muse*
Nov. 26 - Louisville, KY - Phoenix Hill Tavern***
Nov. 27 - Chicago, IL - Reggie's***
Nov. 28 - Milwaukee, WI - The Rave***
Nov. 29 - St Paul, MN - Station 4***
Dec. 01 - San Antonio, TX - Scout Bar***
Dec. 02 - Austin, TX - Emo's***
Dec. 03 - Houston, TX - Scout Bar***
Dec. 04 - Ft Worth, TX - Trees***
Dec. 05 - Amarillo, TX - The War Legion Underground*
Dec. 06 - Tucson, AZ - The Rock***
Dec. 07 - Mesa, AZ - U.B.'s***
Dec. 08 - West Hollyood , CA - Whiskey a Go Go***
Dec. 09 - Ramona, CA - Ramona Mainstage***
Dec. 10 - Sparks, NV - New Oasis***
Dec. 11 - San Francisco, CA - DNA Lounge***
Dec. 12 - Anaheim, CA - Chain Reaction***
Dec. 13 - Las Vegas, NV - Cheyenne Saloon***
 

Disturbed are offering fans a free download of the song "Never Again," from their fifth album Asylum, which hits stores in just under a week. All you have to do, apparently, is go to http://neveragain.di​sturbed1.com and share the link on Twitter.

"Never Again" is vocalist David Draiman's response to those who have denied or minimized the Holocaust, particularly Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad; he talked about it in our interview the other week, which you can watch here: