Fear Factory suffered a major bus fire overnight while on tour in England. As guitarist Dino Cazares explains it on the band's MySpace page:

"We had just finished playing a sold out show in Sheffield and we were on our way to London. Everyone was asleep except for two of our crew. At about 3:30am the bus driver noticed smoke coming from the back right wheel. He stopped, jumped out and noticed a flame underneath the wheel well. He tried to extinguish it but the flames were too much. Everyone on the bus was woken up by one of our crew yelling 'Get everyone up and out of the bus.' Everyone grabbed their bags and ran off the bus. We stood on the side of the freeway going 'thank god we all made it out' until someone noticed our merchandise guy was still asleep on the bus. A good friend of ours ran back on the smoked-filled bus and got him out just minutes before the bus was completely in flames...our eyes are burning and we were all coughing from the smoke. Some of us lost wallets, money, computers but that's not important compared to our lives. It only took about 20 to 30 minutes for the bus to be completely covered in flames. The fire trucks and the police finally arrived but it was too late to save anything on the bus. A coach bus picked us up and brought us safely to a nearby hotel. We found out only a short while ago that the trailer was saved where all our gear was. But the bus is just a metal frame on the side of the road."

Fear Factory are currently on tour in the UK continuing performances in support of their latest album, Mechanize. The band completed their most recent American tour on July 27th in Allentown, PA. The following evening the band departed for an additional three weeks of dates in the UK and at various European festivals.
 

The new Iron Maiden album The Final Frontier will be released in just under two weeks, on August 17. It's been strictly embargoed—no review copies have been mailed to writers or anybody else. But the label's been playing it for journalists, and a couple of weeks ago, I went to Sony Music's offices in Manhattan to hear the thing—all 76 minutes and 35 seconds of it. Here are my notes, more or less.

1. "Satellite 15...The Final Frontier" (8:40): The first three minutes or so of this track are some of the weirdest music Iron Maiden's ever released. It's an abstract morass of roaring guitars and tribal drumming, with Bruce Dickinson carrying what little melody there is as the band crashes and rumbles behind him. When it shifts into "The Final Frontier," though, the impact is massive. The song's main riff is killer, as are the solos by Adrian Smith and Janick Gers. The song doesn't have the classic Maiden gallop; it's slower and more conventionally rockin', with a big chorus to shout along to. As you know if you've seen the awesome video (can't embed, sorry). If they tour again once the record's in stores, they'll absolutely be playing this one live.

2. "El Dorado" (6:49): This track, the only new one they played on tour, leads straight in from "Final Frontier" with no break, and it's got a huge riff and prominent bass line. The lyrics seem like a not particularly positive metaphor for the music business.

3. "Mother of Mercy" (5:20): This one starts off slow, with a jangling, almost acoustic guitar melody and gently ticking hi-hat, before another massive wall of guitar comes in. The lyrics are about how terrible it is that we have to fight wars, a theme Maiden have been working for decades at this point.

4. "Coming Home" (5:52): This is a ballad, at first anyway—the slow, gentle part doesn't last long. The lyrics, particularly the ultra-anthemic chorus, are all about space travel and coming home. There's a nice progressive break in the middle, and Dave Murray takes a killer solo that's very much in the post-blues spirit of David Gilmour of Pink Floyd. There's also a solo by Adrian Smith.

5. "The Alchemist" (4:29): This is the fastest song on the album, clearly co-written by Janick Gers as it reverts to the early '80s Maiden gallop and features a totally shredtastic solo from J.G.

6. "Isle of Avalon" (9:06): I don't remember much about this song, other than that it was very prog-rock and very long, and reminded me a lot of the stretched-out, more meditative material on A Matter of Life and Death. Which is a good thing in my book, but your mileage may vary.

7. "Starblind" (7:48): And we return to the sci-fi lyrical themes, and the AMOLAD style, with another long, slow song. These tracks aren't boring, they're just reminiscent of stuff Maiden's done before, so it's difficult to recall them.

8. "The Talisman" (9:03): This is the other song Janick Gers co-worte, but it's very different than "The Alchemist"—it's twice as long, and starts with an acoustic guitar intro before launching a galloping primary riff that's, again, very '80s (ironic how the one guy who wasn't in the band during those years tries the hardest to recall them in his songwriting), but which is welded to a chorus that reminds me in part of the song "Dance of Death" or "These Colours Don't Run." At its midpoint, the song breaks down almost completely, before a whole new, more conventionally hard rock riff appears. This track almost feels like a collage at certain points, and lacks the seamlessness of the rest of the disc, even the two-part opening track.

9. "The Man Who Would Be King" (8:28): This is another prog-rockin' epic. Note that the album concludes with three eight-minutes-or-mor​e songs in a row, and plan accordingly. Bring a snack.

10. "When the Wild Wind Blows" (10:59): Eleven minutes. The longest Iron Maiden song since "The Rime of the Ancient Mariner." (You could point out "Sign of the Cross," from The X Factor, but I would respond by explaining to you that Iron Maiden did not exist between 1994 and 1999.) Anyway, the song. It starts out in sort of folky/proggy epic territory, before building up and becoming a midtempo stomp. It's a perfect closer to the record, because by the time it's over, you'll need a nap.

Overall verdict: This is a very good album that will require multiple listens to really sink in, because it's so goddamn long that you're gonna forget how it started by the time it ends. But there are absolutely no "what the hell were they thinking?" tracks, and the hot streak they've been on since Dickinson returned continues unabated. Highly recommended.
 

There are no super-high profile releases this week, but there are some quality discs coming out that span various metal subgenres. Here's a brief rundown.

All Out War, Into the Killing Fields (Victory): These guys aren't the heaviest thing I've ever heard, but they do a pretty capable job of mixing hardcore, thrash and death metal, with a pretty unhinged vocalist who at times almost makes this disc sound like Mike Williams of Eyehategod fronting a Slayer cover band.

Blood Revolt, Indoctrine (Profound Lore): I wanted to like this record more than I do. It's sorta Swedish, sorta Bolt Thrower-ish old school death metal, but with unique (and not in a good way) vocals by Alan "Nemtheaga" Averill of Primordial. There are a few good riffs, but overall it's just buzzing retro death with an infuriatingly amelodic frontman. Profound Lore is an amazing label with a killin' roster, but every once in a while they drop a turd, and this is one such occasion.

Hammers of Misfortune, The August Engine, The Bastard, Fields/Church of Broken Glass, The Locust Years (Metal Blade): The entire back catalog of this awesome Bay Area classic-metal project, led by Ludicra guitarist John Cobbett, has been remastered and reissued. Hammers of Misfortune play old-school (as in early '80s) metal with no irony and a real appreciation for beauty. Every album is different, because they've been through a number of personnel changes over the years.

The Bastard is a concept album, practically an opera, in fact, as the lyrical perspective shifts among three characters. The music is power metal with some black and death metal elements in the rhythm section. The August Engine is more progressive and epic, with more acoustic elements that recall Opeth and even '70s prog acts like Genesis. The band's third album, The Locust Years, is possibly its heaviest, stomping across the back of the listener's neck even as the female vocals, flute and Hammond organ add grace notes. "War Anthem" totally lives up to its name, sounding like an outtake from a '70s Judas Priest album. And 2008's Fields/Church of Broken Glass brings all the elements of the band's style together into a seamless whole, despite being split between two EPs. The title track is a re-recording of the final track from The Locust Years. This is a great, ambitious band that's never gotten the recognition they deserve. Maybe Metal Blade can help fix that.

Wretched, Beyond the Gate (Victory): This is a melodic death metal record with occasional outbursts of guitar shred. Think Arch Enemy with a male vocalist and more breakdowns, and the guitarist from Revocation contributing solos. It's good, but it doesn't really vault out of the pack with true originality.
 

Rockstar Mayhem Festival tour host/comedian Big Jay Oakerson has sent us an email detailing some of the backstage goings-on. Enjoy!

Well, it’s week three of Mayhem Fest and all is going well! Jonathan Davis and I have rekindled our bromance and the crowds have been responding well to my deviant sense of comedy. Rob Zombie has spoken to me, but isn't really embracing a tour friendship the way I had hoped. Joey Jordison has been very nice as has John 5!

As the tour rolls on, I also seem to be clicking well with the guys from Five Finger Death Punch. Through a series of after parties and daytime hangs, several of the small stage bands have been cool and enjoying my show. I had a few friends come to shows recently, which was very fun, and my family came to the Philly show. My mom had the unique pleasure of watching a girl who claimed she could "queef" on demand approach me with this info. What a weird way to introduce yourself to someone, I thought; however, several hours later I brought her onstage in front of 20,000 people to display her rare talent. She proceeded to grab the microphone and give shout outs to her friends, at which point I grabbed it away again and told her, “Nobody wants to hear your face mouth talk”! She then guided my hand, still holding the microphone, to her crotch (above the clothes) and began making a sucking in, whooshing sound, followed by a sound similar to taking a wet crap! Needless to say it was hot, gross and intriguing all in one!

As far as bus life goes, everyone is really getting more comfortable and familiar. Friendships are forming and stories are being told. Two days ago, I realized I was missing two shirts from my bag. When I went to check the back lounge of the bus for them, I was surprised to find Kristina and Kat wearing my shirts, no pants and my shoes. They were sitting Indian-style and facing each other, holding hands and chanting something with the lights off and several candles strewn around the area. When I called their names out, they turned towards me and I noticed they had both fashioned mustaches out of some sort of hair. When I inquired where the hair was from, Kat pulled out scissors and Kristina pointed at me and they both began laughing crazily. I then noticed that a large lock of my hair had been cut in the middle of the night! Should I think about telling someone of authority about this? Or is it just a girl thing?...I’ll keep you posted!
 

(Early Graves circa 2008; Mahk Daniels is on the right)

TheGauntlet.com is reporting that Early Graves vocalist Mahk Daniels was killed last night when the band's van rolled over en route to a show in Reno, NV. The van was traveling on Interstate 5 in Central Point when the driver fell asleep, killing Daniels and injuring two other passengers just after 5:30 AM Monday. The driver and one other passenger were transported by ambulance to Rogue Valley Medical Center for treatment of non-life threatening injuries.

This really sucks. Early Graves had released two excellent albums on Metal Blade's Ironclad Recordings sub-label, 2008's We: The Guillotine and the brand-new Goner. Both discs offered a combustible blend of punk rock, noise and thrashy metal, and We: The Guillotine included a guest appearance from Oxbow vocalist Eugene Robinson on the song "Here There Be Monsters." If you like Converge, Coalesce, Trap Them and Today Is The Day (whose main dude, Steve Austin, produced We: The Guillotine; Tim Green of The Fucking Champs produced Goner), you should listen to Early Graves.
 

Derf Scratch, bassist for the hilarious, offensive and highly influential L.A. punk band Fear, has died after a long illness. Scratch was an accomplished musician—as were all the members of Fear, something that separated them from their peers in bands like Black Flag, the Circle Jerks, et cetera. Their debut album, The Record, is a punk rock classic, filled with songs like "I Don't Care About You," "Let's Have a War," "Beef Boloney" and "New York's All Right If You Like Saxophones." But their between-song banter onstage was even more offensive, and funnier, than their lyrics. They were infamous for baiting crowds into near-riots.

Here's some footage of the band playing "Beef Boloney" and "I Don't Care About You" live in 1980, from the movie The Decline of Western Civilization (warning, language is NSFW):


 

You read that right: We've got an exclusive contest going for the next seven days—correctly answer the five trivia questions below, and you could win a signed copy of Dave Mustaine's autobiography, Mustaine: A Heavy Metal Memoir, out August 3 from It! Books.

Here are the questions:

1. What brand of guitar does Dave Mustaine have an endorsement contract with?

2. Which professional wrestler used “Crush ’Em” as his entrance music?

3. Which avant-rock composer/guitarist is Vinnie Colaiuta (who drummed on 2004's The System Has Failed) best known for playing with in the late 1970s and early 1980s?

4. Not counting Dave Mustaine, how many guitarists has Megadeth had?

5. The Gigantour is named after Gigantor, a Japanese robot who starred in a 1960s cartoon show. Which punk band covered the “Gigantor” theme? (There are two possible answers; I’ll take either one.)

Email your answers to msnmetal@gmail.com between now and Friday, August 6, and I'll pick a winner. Good luck!
 

Armored Saint has made a video for "Left Hook From Right Field," a killer track from their amazing 2010 album La Raza (we talked to vocalist John Bush a while back; here's a link). Here 'tis.



And as a bonus, here's some awesome footage of the band performing the song "Underdogs" (from Raising Fear) live in 1987. Check it out—Bush had hair! (Thanks to MetalSucks.net for posting this clip first.)