Fresh off the email this morning… thanks for the line Jen. Did you “know”(tice)? “I don’t know if anyone else has mentioned this but in “The Rules of Attraction” (film with Dawson from Dawsons Creek, that’s an adaptation of a Bret Easton Ellis book) one of the characters has a RR themed room! The whole scene he has a Chimaira poster right beside his head and every other band poster he has up is a RR band!”

“You guys gotta really stop playing Nickelback every time you put me on hold,” starts off Chimaira frontman Mark Hunter over the phone earlier this afternoon. Yes, if you call the Roadrunner US office and are put on hold, you will hear a mix CD of RR music being played…Mark’s luck of the draw today, he got put on hold whilst Nickelback was a crankin’. As for a bad luck of the draw, we have confirmed reports that the “Chimaira Curse” has struck yet again. First, the set for the band’s video shoot catches fire, and then a month later – after just a week’s worth of tour dates in support of their upcoming The Impossibility Of Reason release – crash. Earlier on April 21, Chimaira’s bus slid out of control crashing into construction barricades. Somewhere outside of Pittsburgh – en route from the tour’s sixth show (Showplace Theater in Buffalo, New York) to the next in Springfield, Virginia – in heavy rain, Chimaira’s bus hit oil causing a chain reaction of events: loss of control, brakes locking, skidding into a construction barricade, getting airborne, and all windows exploding. Recalls Mark, “at around 5:00 in the morning, for some reason I woke up and grabbed onto my bunk, grabbed onto anything I could hold. (It just) felt like something was gonna happen, like I subconsciously knew, and then all the sudden…” And then all the sudden the slip, crash, wheelie. “With so much weight in the back of the (45 foot) bus including a fifteen foot trailer, the bus did a wheelie at one point and the front end clipped a barricade coming down, taking some of the concrete with it,” Mark continues. And apparently ‘said’ concrete jammed the door, leaving the new exit/entrance point of the bus being the front window. Thankfully, nobody was hurt and no other cars were involved in the wreck. All are just a bit shaken up… But there is a lighter side as Mark goes on, “Funniest thing, right after it happened was seeing everyone’s head pop out of their bunks in unison.” Oh, and about a half hour after the fact, one of the band members questioned, “What should we do now?” The answer? “Two chicks at the same time, man,” replied Chimaira’s drum tech in the unmistakable voice of Lawrence from the movie ‘Office Space.’ But of course! At last word, somehow the bus was able to carry on, and the band was heading towards Butler, Pennsylvania in the jalopy with no windows. The bus was then to be dropped off for repairs and the band would jump into a van in order to try and make the show in Springfield. No confirmation they will make the show. “(Will) do our best to make it to the show, should be there…will be there for the rest of the tour.” “The Chimaira Curse strikes again,” concludes Mark. “We’ve never done a tour without some huge vehicle fiasco yet.” For all upcoming Chimaira tour dates, check our TOUR section. New album The Impossibility Of Reason in stores May 12th.

Hey everyone, we’ve just finished mastering the new Spineshank record and I have the final track listing for you… 1. Violent Moodswings 2. Slavery 3. Smothered 4. Consumed (Obsessive Compulsive) 5. Beginning Of The End 6. Forgotten 7. Self-destructive Pattern 8. Tear Me Down 9. Stillborn 10. Falls Apart 11. Fallback 12. Dead To Me We are also shooting a video for “Smothered” which will also be on the record. That’s all for now- TOMMY

doubleDrive is five dates into their US tour with Seether and Trapt. So how have the first few dates on the tour been going? í¢ä‰åñGoing good,í¢ä‰åŒ tells frontman Donnie from outside of Bugaboo Creek. The bands are getting along, including a body slamming contest with Seether in the hotel just the other night. This tour run started off with a 18-20 hour drive to the first show, and since then has featured drives late at night after each show until 5, 6am the next morning. Some words from along the way: Show 1 í¢ä‰åäóì The Chance in Poughkeepsie, NY. Poughkeepsie was great. Rock is ALIVE. Show 2 – Clarkston University in Pottsdam, NY. Played inside their hockey arena…actually surprised to see so many doubleDrive fans…people singing alongí¢ä‰åŒ_ Show 3 í¢ä‰åäóì Mulcahy’s in Wantaugh, NY. Just us and Seether that night, very enjoyable show and pizza. Looser kinda show for both bands…chilled and hung out with crowd a lot. A lot of drinks. Show 4 í¢ä‰åäóì Crocodile Rock in Allentown, PA. Club owner was amazing, fed everyone a 2, 3 course meal. Now that’s down home… Show 5 í¢ä‰åäóì Lupo’s Heartbreak Hotel in Providence, RI. Providence last night…why can’t I see that club? I was just there last night? í¢ä‰åŒ_some more thinking… Ahhh, Lupo’s was great. They (the fans) all wanted to rock pretty good. They (the fans) brought a good thing into the room with them. Great time with that last night… í¢ä‰åñI think we’ll be coming back to all these places,í¢ä‰åŒ Donnie adds. í¢ä‰åñThis tour has a great vibe to it.í¢ä‰åŒ That brings us to today. After a morning doing some press via phone with a cat in Italy (with hoarse morning voice), the band went over to WAAF for an on air interview with Mistress Carrie. They played some acoustic tracks (í¢ä‰åñImprint,í¢ä‰åŒ í¢ä‰åñBig Shove,í¢ä‰åŒ and í¢ä‰åñFreightrainí¢ä‰åŒ í¢ä‰åäóì the last song which they just worked up the acoustic version earlier in the day)… í¢ä‰åñCarrie accommodated us and our desire to hear some Priest (Judas Priest), playing ‘The Hellion’ and ‘Electric Eye’ back to back on the airí¢ä‰åŒ…And at some point during the on air interview, apparently Donnie was singing W.A.S.P. acapello, and he and Troy (guitar) even played the beginning of Queensryche’s í¢ä‰åñTake Hold Of The Flame.í¢ä‰åŒ At the end of it all, they were on the air for 2 hours. A day that started with morning voice and culminating with Geoff Tate’s (Queensryche) í¢ä‰åñTake Hold Of The Flameí¢ä‰åŒ scream. doubleDrive Blue In The Face in stores April 28th

At some point during the very wee hours of this very early morning, the boys from camp Chimaira hit the road…their first tour travels with their new album – the upcoming The Impossibility Of Reason – under the belt. First stop on this first tour for the new album, Albany, New York. And this tour be rounded out by headliner Lamb Of God and openers 18 Visions and Atreyu. Back to Chimaira…the first tour is now happening for this new album, so how about the first review of this new album? It’s in…and courtesy of the folks at www.HitThePit.com, it is as follows…read on: Artist: Chimaira Album: The Impossibility Of Reason Label: Roadrunner Records Reviewer: Derek Mark Hunter – Vocals, Matt DeVries – Guitars, Rob Arnold – Guitars, Jim LaMarca – Bass, Chris Spicuzza – Electronics, Andols Herrick – Drums Slayer’s Kerry King recently said “Yes it’s that %$#^&%& hard! No rapping! No guest appearances! Just 100% undiluted heavy metal”. And as you might guess he was indeed talking about Cleveland’s own Chimaira! Ok, reviews over…go buy the CD! If Kerry likes it, then you should like it! Ok…I’ll tell more! All I can say is wow!!! I have been sleeping, cumin, and poopin with the CD for the last 3 days. The best way to describe this metal masterpiece is to say it is Mark Hunter and Rob Arnold’s coming out party. Vocally Mark expands his vocal extravaganza to include a lulling voice in the vein of Layne Staley, while Rob has been taking notes in class from Kerry King himself. Both band members have stepped up their game to the point where you could classify Mark as the head of the class. The means by which all modern day front men should be judged. As for Arnold, he could be positioning himself as heir apparent to the likes of King and Dime! That is right kiddies, the changing of the guard is upon us metal minions, and the new ruler is Chimaira! I feel like I am forgetting an old warhorse is not mentioning the fury of Herrick. He is lights out as always, and his precision skill is never more apparent then on the diabolical “Cleansation”. In your face and loud, the track rips at a tiring pace. Hunter mouths off in a variety of ways. At times it is a low end death metal growl, and at other times he takes a raspy hardcore approach to hammering his point through your skull. After a short build up Arnold makes his statement with his strings. Can you say Slayer…holy 1988 guitar solo! Fuckin A! The chants that follow from Hunter is full out death metal vocalization……. tremendous! “The Impossibility Of Reason” falls somewhere in-between old Pantera (Vulgar Display Of Power & Far Beyond Driven years), Slayer, and Fear Factory! Hit someone’s grandma! Once again I thought of old Pantera and Slayer at the beginning of “Power Trip”. Herrick unleashes blast beats and speed like a winged demon behind the kit. The annihilation is unyielding….think Pantera’s “Slaughtered” meets Slayer’s “Dittohead”. Mad fast! I wasn’t sure what I thought of “Down Again” when I first listened to it. The track starts off with a piano, and then leads to the usual Chimaira face smashing! But then Mark breaks out a lulling voice that is eerily like Layne Staley from Alice In chains. Even the structure of the song takes on a heavy AIC feel. At first it threw me for a loop, but after getting used to it I think it adds to the listening experience! And the piano piece functions as the oasis of pretty naked women surrounded by blood shed. An interesting track…and Alice in Chains fans will either love it or be offended by the effort. Either way it signifies growth musically! “Pure Hatred” is the crowning moment of the record. This track will forever be filed away as one of my favorite songs! From the first scream to the last beat of the drum…. the guitars, drums, bass, vocals play at a blinding speed with little disregard for the destruction the track will cause. When Hunter screams “And I hate everyone” repeatedly, you will pump your fist and scream right along! Yet again, think of Slayer meets Pantera from their hay day! I guarantee you will listen to this track repeatedly. Play it for Dad…he will hate it! When I first heard “The Dehumanizing Process” I thought of stop and go NASCAR. Speed stops at a split second, only to be reignited and flying…only to stop instantly again! The result of the this masterful display of musicianship is one of the heaviest, and brooding tracks ever. I want to see Mark stand over a pool of kid killing each other and bark this track out….fucking bad ass! This is like old Napalm Death heavy at times! Chimaira has graduated from “the future band” to “the band” with The Impossibility Of Reason. It is one of those few record you can’t wait to get out of work and pop in your CD player for your drive home. Every track has its own identity, message, while still giving honors to the band’s forefathers! Amazing effort! Whether you like Metal, Hardcore, Swedish, or Death…The Impossibility Of Reason covers all of those subgenre’s……and is one of the strongest releases of 2003. Pit Scale: 10, masterful production, amazing musicians, destructive song writing. Everything in one package! Spin it! Suggested Tracks: All 12! Track Listing: 1) Cleansation 2) The Impossibility Of Reason 3) Pictures In The Gold Room 4) Power Trip 5) Down Again 6) Pure Hatred 7) The Dehumanizing Process 8) Crawl 9) Stigmurder 10) Eyes Of A Criminal 11) Overlooked 12) Implements Of Destruction Chimaira The Impossibility Of Reason in stores May 12th

“This band is very much no nonsense,” tells vocalist Dez Fafara of his new project Deathride. The band – the whole band – is currently holed up together in one hotel room out in L.A. whilst tracking the tunes that will become their debut release. No nonsense, indeed. Well, many a photo has been taken over the course of this project thus far, with many more to come. In fact, they have been put to words in a QuickTime slideshow. Very cool piece, showing this band as they are…no nonsense. Please do check out the Deathride slideshow (just click on that there link). Enjoy.

SPINESHANK are set to return to the UK for a 7 date UK tour in support of their new album ‘Self-Destructive Pattern’, out June 14th. Last seen in the UK two years ago Spineshank can’t wait to deliver their explosive new material to Britains metal kids.. expect the most full on live sonic assault yet! In support are stable mates CHIMAIRA. Dubbed the figureheads of ‘The New Wave Of American Metal’ and heavily endorsed by Slayer legend Kerry King, this tour will showcase the killer new album ‘The Impossibility of Reason’, out May 12th. Expect fury, speed, aggression, monster riffs & metal!!! 16th June – London, Astoria (퉌£12.50 0870 400 0688) 17th June – Manchester,MDH II (퉌£10.00 0870 400 0688) 18th June – Glasgow, QMU (퉌£10.00 0870 169 0100) 20th June – Dublin, Music Centre (14 Euro 1890 925 100) 21st June – Derry, Nerve Centre (퉌£8.00 1890 925 100) 23rd June – Cardiff/MS1 (퉌£10.00 02920 301 000) Also.. check both bands out at the hottest event of summer – the Download Festival! Catch Chimaira on the 31st May & Spineshank 1st June!

“Hey Roadrunner. Here’s a review I wrote of the Killswitch Engage Bristol show, 8th April 2003… I’d been waiting to see Killswitch again since I saw them last October at Roadrage- all 3 bands put on a great show, and it was the first time I’d heard Howard’s vocals- very impressive indeed. Anyway back to the April 8th showí¢ä‰åŒ_ About ten to four I got the bus into the city centre for the signing at replay. As it pulled up, I spotted some tall dude with dyed black hair and glasses crossing the road- I immediately knew it was Adam from Killswitch Engage with the rest of the band! It was so weird seeing my favourite band just strolling through the centre of my hometown! I leapt off the bus and made my way to replay for the signing. I met the band and they signed some stuff that I’d brought along- it was weird though, cos I’d planned out some questions to ask them, but when the time came I blanked- meeting them was such a shock. I couldn’t believe I was meeting these guys who I’d looked up to for so long. They were really cool guys as well, really normal, grounded people which was cool. I had a few hours to kill before the show so I chilled with some of my mates and we got there early. The actual venue was quite small, but totally packed out: it was great to see so much support for the band, support they deserve. I secured my spot right up at the front, and there was no barrier which was awesome, you could get right up close to the bands. First up was a band from the UK called Beecher, who have been described as hardcore/noisecore. They played quite a short set, I think their singers voice was playing up- it was a shame cos I found I enjoyed the set more towards the end, as the crowd were getting warmed up. Next up were the main support- Poison the Well, who were truly awesome. They really got the crowd going, it seems as if they were highly anticipated by most people there. I got into them a few months back and I was pleased they played my favourite songs, Botchla and Slice Paper Wrists, a track from their previous album. But now onto the band I was there for… the mighty Killswitch Engage. The reception they got was phenomenal- they couldn’t even appear at the side of the stage without huge roar from the crowd. At last they took to the stage, with Adam sporting what looked like a Hitler moustache and a pipe in his mouth! Immediately they stormed into Numbered Days, my personal favourite, and the crowd went insane. This was followed by Life to Lifeless, another classic, which went down a treat live. Howard was amazing on vocals, even better than last time I saw them- if you’ve heard the hype about this guy, then believe it, he really can cut it live. He has the stage presence of a tank- it almost scares you having this huge guy growling his lungs out in front of you. He even did a bit of crowd surfing! Next came To the Sons of Man, Fixation on the Darkness and Vide Infra. Joel kicked ass on lead guitar, pinch harmonics galore, and Adam was in a world of his own on the left of the stage, just going crazy. He was right up in the faces of us in the front half the time. They played In the Unblind, which I was pleased about, cos its such a wicked song and its off their previous album. After that they played Rise Inside and Self Revolution, two more awesome songs, especially live. I think it was around this time that someone chucked some brown sauce onto the stage, and there was only one solution- Adam picked it up and took a huge swig- ‘I got me some Brown Sauce!’ Next up was the Element of One, a more mellow song, which made a good contrast to the heavier songs they played. Mike started throwing out some free stuff into the crowd as well- tshirts, keyrings, what a nice guy! I was impressed with Tom’s drumming too, he truly is a drumming machine. They finished up with temple from the within, sparking a huge cheer and chants of ‘killswitch, killswitch’ seeing them off the stage- but you just knew these guys were gonna come back out and seal the deal with My Last Serenade. And boy they did just that. It was intense to say the least. It seemed like it was over so quickly, I just didn’t want it to end. The crowd finally saw the band off with numerous chants and cheers. As the crowd dispersed, we went outside, and I seized the opportunity to sneak past security and congratulate Mike on the show- and he gave me his set list! He was a real nice guy, we found Adam lurking around too, and got him to take a picture of me and Mike, before I got ushered outside by some big dude. It was an amazing way to finish the evening, and if any of you guys read this then cheers Killswitch for a such a cool day! I cant wait till the new album is out!” thanks for sending that in, Sam

MACHINE HEAD have officially recruited ex-VIO-LENCE/TECHNOCRACY axeman Phil Demmel as their new full-time guitarist. Phil joins the band as a replacement for Ahrue Luster, who amicably left the group last May due to “creative differences.” The San Francisco Bay Area band are thrilled to welcome Demmel to the camp, as he brings along exceptional guitarist skills and an extremely positive vibe. “It just feels like MACHINE HEAD jamming with Phil,” bassist Adam Duce said in an official press release. Demmel’s addition to MACHINE HEAD marks the reunion of one of the more explosive guitar teams in metal history. The Robert Flynn/Phil Demmel partnership was first cemented in seminal Bay Area thrashers VIO-LENCE when the two axemen were barely out of their teens. “I don’t know why we have a chemistry together, but man, I’m telling ya, when the four of us jammed together the other day, there was sparks flyin’ out of the practice room,” Flynn explained. “It was electric!” Phil’s decision to join MACHINE HEAD as a full-time member will also mark his departure from the recently-reunited VIO-LENCE, who are a set to perform their final gig with Demmel as the headliners of the 420 Musik Conspiracy festival in San Francisco on April 19. To honor the occasion, Flynn will be joining VIO-LENCE on stage for the first time since he left the band in February 1992 to form MACHINE HEAD. Demmel has previously filled in on second guitar for MACHINE HEAD’s summer 2002 European dates, and has made a guest appearance on two tracks on the group’s new live CD, “Hellalive”, released last month through Roadrunner Records. MACHINE HEAD are currently writing and demoing material for their fifth studio album, tentatively due in late 2003/early 2004. Among the tracks set to appear on the as-yet-untitled follow-up to 2001’s “Supercharger” are “All Fall Down”, “Pins And Needles”, “Descend The Shades Of Night”, “Bite The Bullet” and “Left Unfinished”. taken from blabbermouth

What’s up, this is Joel from Killswitch Engage. Just wanted to answer those questions for you… Date of birth: July 24, 1980 A tour story: We had been having some rough days on our tour last summer. It was the icing on the cake when we arrived at a show in Florida to find the club flooded with sewage. Not the most positive little tale… but the first that comes to mind. 5 words that describe you: Drink beer and rock, man! One album you think everyone should own: I have a tie, between Carcass-Heartwork and the soundtrack to Purple Rain. Everyone should own both of these records… tis the beginning of the long road to enlightenment. What famous person would you invite over for dinner, and why them? I’d like to have dinner with Madonna. I imagine she’s one of those people who could be standing right in front of you… and yet still, it would be hard to believe she really exists. That’s metal, dude. Best advice you’ve been given: Don’t over-think things. I’ve been reminded many times… but I still often forget. If I wasn’t in this band I would be… Finishing up college, maybe playing in a Dokken cover band…