Scotland’s MAN MUST DIE have posted the second preview track, “This Day Is Black”, from their brand new album No Tolerance For Imperfection online now via the band’s MySpace page along with “Kill It, Skin It, Wear It” and a preview of the album’s artwork. The follow-up to their Relapse debut The Human Condition, No Tolerance For Imperfection is set for an August 4th North American release date (August 10th internationally) and is available for pre-order here.

Additionally, MAN MUST DIE have added a second guitar player to ranks; Renne Hauffe from German grinders JAPANISCHE KAMPFHÖRSPIELE. The two bands have recently completed a European tour together, along with MACABRE, where Hauffe began learning the new material. MAN MUST DIE’s Danny McNab commented on the new addition: “Renne brings a wealth of experience to MMD along with a ferocious playing style and live performance. He just slotted right in, he’s a fast learner and a super cool guy. He was able to play with us during some of the recent dates in Europe, learning the tunes in the back of the tour bus! We are all really excited about our new future, it will make a huge difference to MMD’s live performance and we can’t wait to get out with our new lineup and play the new songs!”

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In a metal world full of dark wizards, bloody hillside battles, succubi, satyrs, dismemberment, tearing flesh, blood, binge drinking, and more blood, one band has found a different topic over which to get their anger out. This topic has more realism, immediacy, focus, and care than your typical dirge about burning churches. The topic? Our planet. The band? Gojira.

Currently wrapping up their first headlining tour in the U.S., in support of their latest jaw-dropping album The Way of All Flesh, Gojira are a powerhouse of originality. They hail from Bayonne, a commune on the Southwestern side of France. Anyone who has heard of Gojira probably knows about their reputation as being an earth-friendly metal militia. Given the generally over-the-top nature of metal, it’s easy to jump to the negative stereotypes of the “green” world: Extremists, people chaining themselves to trees, not bathing, etc. There is a lighter side to the green world, though. Oddly enough, that lighter side is accentuated by a band full of brutality. It only took 20 seconds of being around the good natured Frenchmen at the pre-show meet and greet at the Logan Square Auditorium to show me that.

While shaking hands with the fans, it seemed almost as if the band was just as excited to meet the fans as the fans were to meet them. Organic smiles adorned the faces of vocalist/guitarist Joe Duplantier, brother/drummer Mario Duplantier, guitarist Christian Andreu, and bassist Jean-Michel Labadie as they shook hands, engaged in conversation, and posed for pictures. With pens flicking and conversations aplenty, the vibes in the room couldn’t have been friendlier. It wasn’t until I was able to personally sit down with Joe Duplantier, though, that I was able to get the full scope of just what kind of people the members of Gojira are.

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For many Porcupine Tree fans, 2002’s ‘In Absentia’ was perfection. It was one of those rare albums you can listen to all the way through, without skipping over a single track. Frontman Steven Wilson freely admits ‘In Absentia’ may very well be the band’s crowning achievement, but thinks ‘The Incident’ (which is subtitled ‘After This, Things Will Never Be the Same Again’) gives ‘Absentia’ a run for its money.

“I’m aware that ‘In Absentia’ probably is, in many respects, a watershed record for us,” he reflected during a recent interview. “It was the first record we made that had metal as part of its DNA … The first time metal came to the forefront. So, there was definitely a sense that the record was in the right place at the right time. Its like anything, though. I wasn’t aware, at the time particularly, that it was any better than any other record we’ve made. In retrospect, I can say it was probably the best … possibly even still the best record we’ve ever made.”

“I like to think this record competes with it, but the thing is, only time will tell,” he continues. “Usually, when I’ve finished a record, I think it’s probably the best record I’ve made and six months later, you have more of an objectivity about it. ‘In Absentia’ was a really good bunch of songs. It felt fresh because we were bringing in metal for the first time, and I think that did freshen up the sound of the band, and it brought us to a whole new audience of younger people.”

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Bassist Jason Newsted, who made a guest appearance on SEPULTURA’s 1998 album “Against”, believes that it’s not “proper” for the Brazilian metal band to carry on without either of the founding Cavalera brothers (Max and Igor; on guitar/vocals and drums, respectively).

During a guest appearance this past Friday night (June 26) on the “Bone Metal Zone” show on the San Francisco radio station 107.7 FM, Newsted was asked by host Nikki Blakk about his involvement with SEPULTURA. “Yeah, I did one song on the ‘Against’ album with them,” he replied. “I played a six-string bass on it. We recorded it at The Chophouse [Newsted's home studio]. They came and stayed for a few days, and we rocked out, and that came of it.”

He continued, “I’ve played a lot of music with Andreas [Kisser, SEPULTURA guitarist] over time — I’ve done real projects with him that we released to people and all that kind of stuff.

“Andreas is one of my very, very favorite people.”

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BLABBERMOUTH.NET can reveal the track listing for MEGADETH’s twelfth studio album, “Endgame”, which is due on September 15 through Roadrunner Records. The CD was recorded at the band’s brand new, self-built studio in San Marcos, California — Vic’s Garage — which was named after the legendary and iconic Vic Rattlehead character.

“Endgame” track listing:

01. Dialectic Chaos
02. This Day We Fight!
03. 44 Minutes
04. 1,320
05. Bite The Hand That Feeds
06. Bodies Left Behind
07. Endgame
08. The Hardest Part Of Letting Go… Sealed With A Kiss
09. Headcrusher
10. How the Story Ends
11. Nothing Left To Lose

MEGADETH’s brand new track entitled “Headcrusher” will be made available for free download on Tuesday, July 7 at 11:00 a.m. EDT at the Roadrunner Records web site.

As previously reported, the studio version of “Headcrusher” is available for listening by calling MEGADETH mainman Dave Mustaine’s number (866.597.6342) at TheLiveLine, a service he launched that enables musicians to connect to their audience over the phone.

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