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:


 

On Friday, it was announced that Cradle of Filth will be releasing a new album, Darkly, Darkly, Venus Aversa, on November 1 in Europe (through Peaceville Records on the band's own AbraCadaver label) and November 9 in North America via Nuclear Blast. This is their ninth studio album, plus a few EPs, live releases, etc., etc. And I just don't get it. Who still likes this band?

I admit it; Cradle of Filth had one album, 2003's Damnation and a Day, that I kind of enjoyed at the time. The production was so over the top—the band was backed by a full orchestra and choir—that it was an impressive achievement on sonic grounds alone. Just turning all those competing frequencies into something halfway coherent was worthy of acknowledgement, if not celebration. But much of the credit for that should go to Rob Caggiano, who mixed the record, not necessarily to the band themselves.

Looking back at Damnation and a Day now, I can't remember what I liked about it. It's absurdly long, and it suffers from all the same flaws as the rest of their catalog. Dani Filth's vocals are among the worst in music history, and every single song sounds the same—an extended riff salad with no choruses to speak of, no memorable breaks or instrumental interludes, just saw saw saw, blast blast blast, orchestral crescendo, repeat several times. Plus, their attempts at "conceptual" storytelling are an absurd hash of literary name-dropping, stupid puns, and desperate/clumsy attempts to be "shocking" and "sacrilegious" and "perverse."

And yet this band has a fairly sizable and devoted fan base. I don't get it. Their music seems like it would appeal only to those with deep emotional problems, crippling sexual inadequacies and a burning need to be seen by others as literate and iconoclastic, while not actually being aware of the hundreds of years of better, more thoughtful work that's been done on these same subjects outside the realm of metal music. I suppose ignorance is bliss—both my ignorance about just how many people are messed up enough to like Cradle of Filth, and the fans' ignorance about art and culture.

Perhaps I'm being too harsh. If you're a Cradle of Filth fan, please speak up in comments. I really want to know what the appeal is. In the meantime, here's the cover art for their new album.


 

Soundgarden will release the compilation Telephantasm on September 28 in the U.S. and one day earlier internationally. It's a best-of that also includes one previously unreleased (and pretty damn good) track, "Black Rain", taken from the Badmotorfinger recording sessions, when the band was at its peak, as far as I'm concerned. I thought the slide began with Superunknown, which was both too long and too experimental, and Down on the Upside was—well, I don't even remember what it sounded like at this point; the single, "Pretty Noose," was so boring I had almost no enthusiasm to listen to the whole record.

Anyway, it's 2010, so in addition to selling it in record stores, Soundgarden and their label will stuff copies of the album inside a million copies of the new videogame Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock. The tracks will also be available as downloadable content for the game.

And of course, there will also be multiple versions of Telephantasm, as follows:

• a 2CD set with 12 additional tracks, five of which are previously unreleased, and a DVD containing 20 videos, 13 of which have never been released
• a 3LP vinyl edition (probably containing the same tracks as the 2CD set)
• the inevitable super-deluxe collector's edition (2CD set, 3LP set, a poster, lithographs, and a lock of Chris Cornell's chest hair (or Kim Thayil's beard, depending on availability)

Here's the track listing, broken down by level of super-deluxe-ness:

Cheap single CD version:
01. Hunted Down
02. Hands All Over
03. Outshined
04. Rusty Cage
05. Birth Ritual
06. Black Hole Sun
07. Spoonman
08. My Wave
09. Fell on Black Days
10. Burden in My Hand
11. Blow Up the Outside World
12. Black Rain (previously unreleased)

2CD/DVD version (the one I'll probably be buying):
Disc One:
01. All Your Lies
02. Hunted Down
03. Fopp
04. Beyond the Wheel
05. Flower (BBC session)*
06. Hands All Over
07. Big Dumb Sex
08. Get on the Snake (live)
09. Room a Thousand Years Wide (single version)*
10. Rusty Cage
11. Outshined
12. Slaves & Bulldozers

Disc Two:
01. Jesus Christ Pose (live)
02. Birth Ritual
03. My Wave
04. Superunknown
05. Spoonman
06. Black Hole Sun
07. Fell on Black Days (video version)
08. Burden in My Hand
09. Dusty
10. Pretty Noose (live on Saturday Night Live)
11. Blow Up the Outside World (MTV Live 'N' Loud)
12. Black Rain

DVD:
01. Flower
02. Hands All Over
03. Loud Love
04. Jesus Christ Pose (original version)
05. Outshined
06. Rusty Cage
07. My Wave
08. Spoonman
09. The Day I Tried To Live (uncensored)
10. Black Hole Sun
11. Fell On Black Days
12. Pretty Noose (uncensored)
13. Burden In My Hand
14. Blow Up The Outside World (uncensored)
15. Spoonman (mash-up version)
16. The Day I Tried To Live (European version)
17. Superunknown
18. Pretty Noose (international version)
19. Pretty Noose (alternate ending)
20. Blow Up The Outside World (censored)

How 'bout that, huh? Three versions of "Pretty Noose"!!!

Seriously, though, the track listing for the 2CD version is pretty great. Lots of album cuts and alternate versions. I'll almost certainly be buying this.

Shame about the cover art.



Seriously, what the hell is that? It looks like it took longer to spell check the album title than to design the image. It makes me wonder if the super deluxe version comes with this T-shirt:



(If you're not familiar with the legendary wolf shirt, click the image to go to Amazon and read the customer reviews. They're hilarious.)
 

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