German industrial metal powerhouses, Rammstein, have announced the release of their new DVD V?lkerball on September 18th. The DVD features performances from France, England, Japan and Russia. Rammstein has a stage show that is unlike any other artist and this DVD captures all the excitement of the live show. Germany’s #1 music export and 2 times Grammy Nominee (Best Metal Performance ’99 and ’05) have racked up combined sales of 14 million albums which puts them amongst the most successful and influential rock acts today.

The DVD will be released in three different packages. The Standard 2 disc DVD/CD package will contain 140 min live video and 75 min live audio. The Special Edition package will also include a documentary on the tour and a behind the scenes look at the “Making of ‘Reise, Reise’.” Finally, the Limited Collectors Edition contains 4 disks packaged in a 190 page book with photos from the tour.

Brian Benoit has left The Dillinger Escape Plan on an indefinite hiatus. Read his farewell below:

Fallen comrade. After more than two years and counting, the hiatus continues. My name is Brian, some know me as Benoit, others don’t know of me at all. To those who have been along the ride with us for a while (thank you), I don’t think I need any kind of introduction, but to those who are asking the question “who the hell is this guy,” I play(ed) guitar for Dillinger dating back to 1998. I suffered a nerve related injury in April of 2005 which has affected the use of my left hand, and has sidelined me from remaining in the starting lineup ever since. Apparently, with the news of Chris’ departure, the questions have been increasing regarding my situation that the rest of the guys felt I needed to give an update personally to provide the answers concerning my condition and whereabouts or lack thereof. So, shall we…

April 28, 2005…Memphis, Tennessee…the Hi Tone. This is the show that will go down in infamy as far as my future with the band, my ability as a guitarist, and the use of my left hand in day-to-day life for years to come…maybe forever. Everything was a-okay through the halfway point of the set…full throttle, balls to the wall, all systems go. A song or two later however, my neck was giving me a sensation like no other I had ever experienced with all the sore neck issues that come with the trade. I didn’t find out until we came home a couple of weeks later (missing all but two of the the shows on the rest of the tour) that I had ruptured a disc in my lower neck, and this was only the tip of the iceberg. We were only about a week into the US tour that included the show above, and as always a good number of the band/crew were sick with the typical ‘colds’ from traveling to different climates and working on little rest. Like clockwork, my cold progressed to bronchitis, which eventually led to pneumonia, and again I didn’t realize the severity until we finally came home from the tour. Well, let this be a lesson to everyone reading this (especially guys in the 30ish range). Since I took so long to finally get treated, my immune system went berserk trying to beat the pneumonia on its own without the help of antibiotics, and it actually started to attack the good stuff as well, in my case my nervous system. This is actually a rare condition, but when it occurs, it happens mostly with men in their late 20s/early 30s. It’s called neuritis, specifically brachial plexus neuritis with me, which is medical terms for in the shoulder blade. There is a network or cluster in the shoulder blade area which connects the nerves from the neck to the nerves which continue down through the shoulder, arm, and hand. So, basically I now suffer from mild nerve damage (non-permanent I’m told by multiple neurologists) which stems from mostly my shoulder blade and upper back on my left side down my arm and into my hand. With the addition of the ruptured disc in my neck, this is not helping the healing factor progress as fast as I’d like, and what was originally supposed to take about 18 months to heal, is now taking 24+. Consequently, I had another nerve related injury in my left elbow that I was dealing with for over a year which I eventually had surgery for a couple months prior to the mess above. Some of you might have witnessed my freak episodes of hand cramping preventing me from playing parts of songs, whole songs, even full sets (sorry) and as luck would have it , this all correlates with one another. I’m still trying to remain positive throughout this whole disheartening ordeal, hoping that one day my situation will improve, but unfortunately for now I still can’t do what I truly love…which is to play an instrument that has been a part of me for a better part of my life, and to perform with my friends…that is the Dillinger Escape Plan. If anyone knows George Lucas, or can resurrect Miles Dyson from Cyberdyne/Skynet to create an artificial hand for me, I would greatly appreciate it…

My time in Dillinger began in the fall of 1998, and ended abruptly in May of 2005. I was the blonde whirlwind, the stage slasher, but most of all a guitar player who was fortunate enough to play with four truly phenomenal musicians, and who is honored to be (once) one-fifth of the Dillinger Escape Plan. I’ve been a part of both Chapter’s 1 and 2 (Dimitri and Greg), but unfortunately Chapter 3 will consist of different pages…pages which now won’t include me. That is probably the hardest thing I’ve ever written. In the past 9 years, the Dillinger Escape Plan has been my life, my every waking moment, and even now with what is keeping me from it, I can’t seem to move on thinking I’m no longer a central part of it…this absolutely kills me everyday. This band has made me who I am, and that might seem like a steaming hot corn dog smothered in mustard, but with what we’ve all gone through to get this far (good and bad), the experiences teach you a lot about yourself and what you can endure and overcome as an individual as well as within a band of brothers. It’s been the most fun a person could ever dream of in a lifetime, and also the largest sacrifice in the same breath, but i would do it all over again if the circumstances permitted. I’ve made friends with some amazing people, played with some amazing bands, and traveled to places I never even thought I’d step foot on let alone perform in. Most of all, I’ve been part of a group of musicians who has defied the odds, pushed the envelop to its limits, has never given up on a conquest, and whose respect and friendship I will always have for each and every member past and present of this band for the rest of my life…my hat’s off to all of you. I will be forever indebted to Ben, whose phone call in late summer of 1998 changed my life…no words can begin to describe the thanks for the opportunity to be a part of this entity and family. My thanks and gratitude goes out to all who has helped us along our journey to get the band where it is today. Obviously, to the fans (old and new) who have expressed their devotion to our music and what we’re trying to accomplish, you’re the reason why it was all well worth it. To those who have raised questions about my current condition and whereabouts, I sincerely appreciate your concern and support. I would like to give a huge thanks to James Love for allowing the band to continue in my absence, making sure that there was no momentum change and that the touring aspect could continue on smoothly. Of course, I wish the band all the success in the world, despite the ‘Curse of John Dillinger.’ Maybe one day I’ll be able to reclaim my thrown, and occupy stage left once again (if the option is open), or to at least recover to the point of being able to perform in the future to some extent on a different avenue. Until then, please welcome Jeff Tuttle who will be taking over for me on a non- or permanent basis. As a buddy once said…switch off goodbye.

-Brian Benoit

Serj Tankian, frontman to System Of A Down will be releasing a solo album titled Elect The Dead on October 22nd. The album was entirely self produced and recorded in Tankian’s home studio in 2006. Guest appearances on the album were made by former Primus and Guns N’ Roses drummer Bryan Mantia and System Of A Down’s John Dolmayan.

Tankian had the following to say about his solo album, “I was writing more traditional type songs on my piano and acoustic guitar, but low and behold, it ended up being a rock record. There is more instrumental depth – more pianos, acoustics and string arrangements. Stylistically it touches upon classical music and Spanish gypsy vibes while still remaining schizophrenic and dramatic within a single song. There are political songs, funny songs, love songs, songs about painful experiences, vanity, and the environment, it has a deep melancholy that runs from the personal to the global, with a glimmer of hope in the solidarity of spirit.”

Elect The Dead will start with a digital download single, Unthinking Majority, on August 7th and followed by a physical single, Empty Walls, on October 15th. The album will be released through Serjical Strike/Warner Bros. records.

Fall Out Boy‘s Patrick Stump que’s in Billboard.com about new songs that he has been working on. Stump stated, “I’ve got a bunch of songs written, but I think I’m going to wait a while before we release it, because I’m still really proud of this record and I want to kind of give it some space.” Their latest release, Infinity On High has only been out for nearly six months, so I’m sure we can expect still some time before the next release. It’d be interesting to see where they plan to go with their new music, considering all the collaboration they did on the latest release. I guess only time will tell…

Victory recently signed Secret Life Of The Freemasons. The sound very similar to bands like Emery, Glassjaw, Boys Night Out. Check them out and look for material by them.

Their myspace: myspace.com/secretlivesofthefreemasons

Drummer, Matt Sorum of Velvet Revolver, is good friends with Lars Ulrich and is one of the first to get an inside listen to Metallica‘s new album. Here is what Matt had to say about what he’s heard so far:

Lars [Ulrich] is a good friend of mine. He played me the demos from San Francisco, and I turned and looked at him and I said, ‘Master that shit and put it out.’ It’s ridiculous. The demos were sick. Eight-minute songs, all these tempo changes, crazy fast. It’s like, ‘Dude, don’t get slower when you get older, but don’t get faster!? How are you gonna play this live?’ And then me and Lars were out partying all night, and he had to go in the studio the next day and do this stupid like nine- or ten-minute song, and I was laughing at him ? because he played me the demo of it, and it was [sings really fast drum part], so fast. I called him, and said, ‘Dude, how are you feeling?’ He was like, ‘Dude, I’m hurting.’ They’re cutting everything to tape, no fuckin’ ProTools ? live, no clicks. Bitchin’. I dig it. I’m really excited for them.

I’ve been a big fan of Incubus for quite a number of years now and I finally made it to my first Incubus show. I had the exclusive privelage to meet the band, each member individually. The guys are an awesome group and talented graphically just as well as musically. Check out Brandon Boyd’s artwork and books at www.brandonboydbooks.com, some amazing stuff. After meeting with the band I was blown away with the performance. They played for nearly 2 hours and covered songs of nearly every album, including the cover song “Stand By Me”. I took quite a few pictures that I felt necessary to share with you. If you’re a fan of Incubus and have never seen them live, do make sure you do. Simply amazing.

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And now, here are the pictures:

Kid Rock announced that his new album entitled, “Rock and Roll Jesus”, is set to drop September 25th. His new single off his forth coming album, “So Hot”, will be released on the radio August 13th.

It appears that Pete Wentz, renowned bassist for Fall Out Boy, has proposed to his girlfiend, Ashlee Simpson. Sources say that Wentz proposed to her after Fall Out Boys performance at Live Earth on July 7th, 2007.

A close friend to the couple said, “Ashlee and Pete are desperate to keep the engagement quiet for as long as they can so they can make wedding plans in peace. She definitely doesn’t want a big circus wedding like [her sister] Jessica [Simpson] had when she married Nick [Lachey]. All she wants is a simple ceremony with her family, his family, and a handful of people.”

Ashlee Simpson’s press officer has denied this being true, so I guess it’s going to remain quiet, or is this just a rumor?

After the success of Atreyugame.com, the band has now posted ?Becoming the Bull? on their Myspace. ?Becoming The Bull? is the first single off the new album, Lead Sails Paper Anchor, which hits stores on August 28th. The band kicked off the Family Values tour in St. Louis July 20th. For more information on the Family Values tour and to check out ?Becoming The Bull? go to www.myspace.com/atreyurock