Dimmu Borgir Release Live DVD; Plus Led Zeppelin, Brujeria, & More News That Rules, In Metal File

'It shows the intense live side of the band, as opposed to the perfection and the cleanness of how we sound on our albums,' guitarist says.
By Chris Harris


Dimmu Borgir's Silenoz
Photo: Nuclear Blast

On October 14, Dimmu Borgir — who just happen to be Demi Lovato's favorite black-metal band — will release a a three-disc DVD/CD set called "The Invaluable Darkness," the band's first visual offering since 2002's "World Misanthropy." Boasting live footage shot last year, during gigs in Norway, Germany and England, "The Invaluable Darkness" demonstrates the unbridled furor of seeing Dimmu live, guitarist Silenoz said.

"It shows the honest rawness and atmospheric darkness of our concerts," the Norwegian told Metal File last week, after dismissing recent online rumors that his band's next LP would be coming out through Roadrunner Records. "Basically, it shows the intense live side of the band, as opposed to the perfection and the cleanness of how we sound on our albums. It's just a different side to the band, basically."

Dimmu Borgir began thinking about "The Invaluable Darkness" two years ago, but didn't start capturing footage until last summer, Silenoz explained, adding that the band will use its current stint on the Blackest of the Black Tour — which got underway Thursday night in Miami Beach, Florida, and also features the tour's founder, Danzig, along with Moonspell, Winds of Plague and Skeletonwitch — to promote the DVD. Dimmu Borgir will not, however, use the tour to write material for their next LP.

"It's our first time on Blackest, but Glenn [Danzig] had wanted to bring us out before [on the tour], but we weren't available until now," Silenoz said. "We've done Ozzfest before, but we're looking forward to this tour more. We did the main stage on Ozzfest, playing in f--_ing broad daylight. This tour will let us play in bigger places, but at the same time showcase more of what the band's about, visually. We are going to concentrate on the tour for now. Some years ago, we tried putting [material] together on the road, but once we got home, we listened back to it, and were like, 'What the f--- is this?' So, we just scrapped it all. We find it's so much better to totally focus on one thing at a time, and then, when that's over, you move on to the next [thing]. We don't really feel like we need to rush things, anyway, so we'll just take our time, and it's going to be what it's going to be."

Dimmu Borgir hope to reconvene in late December to begin writing the follow-up to 2007's diabolically titled In Sorte Diaboli. "We have some ideas floating around already, but we haven't arranged any material yet," he said. "We'll start doing that once the touring for this DVD is over." The band's frontman, Shagrath, is also due to marry soon — he's engaged to actor Nicolas Cage's ex-girlfriend, Christina Fulton, so that may have an effect on when Dimmu finish their next album, which Silenoz said could be out this coming spring.

"I'm sure [Shagrath] won't let anything get in the way [of] the band — I think, I hope," the guitarist said. "We don't need a Yoko [Ono] situation."

While Dimmu have been at it going on 15 years now, Silenoz said he doesn't think their forthcoming material will be much of a departure from their previous black-metal offerings.

"And we have always been about more than just that term, 'black metal,' " he said. "Luckily for us, the older you get, the less concerned you get with the categorization and putting labels on your music. Things start getting more and more limitless with us, and we know that we operate within certain frames. But we try not to analyze things too much, because it's just going to be working against you in the end. When we write new stuff, we don't think about what we should write — we just get together, and put material together, and if we like it, we keep it. That's the formula, if we even have a formula."

Dimmu Borgir are definitely getting older — guitarist Galder will be missing Blackest because of a recent addition to his family, and Susperia's Cyrus will be filling in for him; while former Vader drummer Dariusz Brzozowski takes over for Hellhammer, who had to leave the band in 2007 after sustaining a neck injury that's now limited the use of his right arm. As Dimmu has gotten on in years, Silenoz admits they have failed to keep pace with some of the more extreme black-metal acts that have followed in their wake.

"We helped open doors for the more extreme bands out there," Silenoz said. "I'm sure we helped open doors for bands like Watain, [insomuch as] people that had maybe started listening to us first then went on to the more extreme stuff. Let's face it — we're not as extreme as Watain and other bands like that, but we're fine with that."

The Blackest of the Black Tour continues through November 10 in San Francisco.

The rest of the week's metal news:

Dimmu's tourmates on Blackest, Winds of Plague, have announced ex-Azusa drummer Art Cruz has joined their ranks — he replaced Jeff Tenney. According to the band's blog, "Art has already added a new spark to the band and has provided us with a solid backbone that will allow us to continue our rampage stronger than ever." ...

What the world really needs is another Led Zeppelin box set, so, on November 4, Rhino Records will issue the Led Zeppelin Definitive Collection Mini LP Replica CD box set. For just $200, you'll get 1969's Led Zeppelin, 1969's Led Zeppelin II, 1970's Led Zeppelin III, 1971's Led Zeppelin IV, 1973's Houses of the Holy, 1975's Physical Graffiti, 1976's Presence, 1976's The Song Remains the Same, 1979's In Through the Out Door and 1982's Coda, as mini-LP replicas, with artwork from the original U.K. LP sleeves. Now, you know what you can get your dad for Christmas. ...

Former Killswitch Engage frontman Jesse Leach and current Killswitch Engage guitarist Adam Dutkiewicz have teamed up for a new project they're calling Times of Grace, and they've already started working on material for their debut album. According to Leach, "We have two songs to go and we will be finished with all of the vocals. Adam has taken lead vocals in three songs as of yet and he is doing a great job. We also worked on a track yesterday that is so epic — we trade vocals and do two different melodies at the same time. This album went from a melodic metal album to an epic mix of metal/rock/pop/shoegaze and punk. So all of your metal expectations will be incorrect — we are pushing genre boundaries." To quote "Meet the Parents," we'll look forward to that, Greg. ...

The Funeral Pyre and Early Graves will be hitting the road together next month, starting November 7 in South Lake Tahoe, California. Dates are booked through November 21 in Hollywood. ...

The latest incarnation of Brujeria, which features Carcass frontman Jeff Walker and Napalm Death's Shane Embury, have lined up several U.S. dates for this winter. The band will begin its brief trek November 28 in Denver, and wrap things up in Dallas on December 7. ... Demiricous will be touring with the Gates of Slumber starting November 9 in Denver, for a jaunt that's scheduled to run through December 6 in Indianapolis. ...

Nearly three years after Roadrunner Records' Roadrunner United concert, which took over the Nokia Theater in New York's Times Square, the label is now releasing footage from that special night as "Roadrunner United: The Concert." The DVD, which hits stores December 9, will boast two discs and 24 live tracks, including Life of Agony's "River Runs Red," King Diamond's "Abigail," Killswitch's "My Last Serenade," Type O Negative's "Black No. 1" and Sepultura's "Refuse/Resist." ...

According to Blabbermouth, Verrot, bassist for Swedish black-metal outfit Elimi, committed suicide on October 3. In a statement, the band said, "Verrot was a very good friend, brother, an excellent bass player/musician and an important part of Elimi; we respect his decision and hope he'll find his way with the dark gods of Chaos. Let your black flame be a part of what brings forth the day of wrath."

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Justin Bieber Cancels German TV Appearance After Stunt Accident

Singer apologizes to fans for postponing after man was injured jumping over a car in stilts.
By Gil Kaufman


Justin Bieber (file)
Photo: Larry Marano/ Getty Images

A TV appearance in Germany by Justin Bieber was canceled on Saturday night after a stunt went drastically wrong during the live broadcast. Grammy nominee Bieber was slated to sing live on the popular German show "Wetten Dass..?" but had to pull the plug just before he took the stage because 23-year-old Samuel Koch was severely injured while attempting to jump over a moving vehicle.

Bieber tweeted to his fans about the incident, writing, "Just want to let my people in Germany know I won't be on 'Wetten Dass..?' tonight as an accident has taken place and we all don't think it is right to continue. ... Please pray for Samuel Koch & his family as we wait and hope for his health and safety. I'm sorry we couldn't perform tonight but some things are more important than putting on a show."

Koch, who was wearing spring-powered stilts known as "powerbocks," failed in his attempt to jump over the car, which was being driven by his father, according to BBC News. The daredevil underwent surgery on Sunday after suffering multiple back injuries and fractures. While he was reported to be in an "extremely critical stage," his condition was not believed to life-threatening after the surgery.

"Wetten Dass..?" (which translates to "Wanna Bet?") has been on the air for nearly 30 years and draws an audience of about 10 million viewers a week. U.K. superstar Robbie Williams and former Genesis drummer Phil Collins were also slated to be on Saturday night's episode of the show.

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Usher Most Admires Justin Bieber's 'Excitement And Innocence'

Bieber's mentor tells MTV News the teen sensation has 'so much more in store for the future.'
By Jocelyn Vena, with reporting by Tim Kash


Usher and Justin Bieber at the 2010 AMAs
Photo: Jason Merritt/ Getty Images

With so much accomplished in 2010, Justin Bieber has certainly set the bar high for 2011. But the teen singer is already gearing up for next year. Bieber will not only release his much-anticipated 3-D flick, "Never Say Never", but he has also teased that he'd like to release an album of all-new material sometime later next year.

His mentor, Usher, thinks that at this point, the sky's the limit.

"As far as music and entertainment, that's the beginning," Usher told MTV News at Sunday's AMAs, where Bieber performed and took home four awards.

"There's so much more in store for the future, or at least there's a ton of things we can do and will, and with the support of his fans who will continue to just grow and grow and grow."

At 16, Bieber has accomplished what few manage with many more years in the music business, but Usher said he wants to ensure that Bieber doesn't stop enjoying it all as his popularity continues to grow and his schedule gets busier.

Asked what he admires most about Justin, Usher said, "His excitement and innocence in it. And I don't mean that in a light way because I think that he's absolutely enjoying every moment of it, as any young man his age would, but in a different way because [of] the hard work that has gone in and led to the dream that has become a reality. And every time you have an opportunity do something incredible, I tell him to do his best and be conscious that what you're doing today should last forever and eternity."

What did you think of Justin's AMA performance on Sunday? Tell us in the comments!

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Usher Promises An 'Incredible Tour'

'Incredible records go with incredible tours,' he tells MTV News of his string of hits.
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Usher
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Don't call it a comeback, but following a tumultuous 2009 that included a messy divorce, Usher could describe the past 12 months as his climb back to the top. Now, he's celebrating with a national tour.

"Been hard at work getting ready for this tour ... Man, ya'll are really in for a treat," the singer tweeted Monday. "I'm on. Twits back up."

Recently, MTV News caught up with Ursh about his upcoming national run.

"The tour starts November 13 in Seattle," Usher said. "[Producer] Max Martin made an incredible record with 'DJ Got Us Fallin' in Love,' but what would I expect: less? He's one of the best."

Racking up several hits on the Billboard chart this year, including "OMG" featuring will.i.am, his current single checks in at #5 on the Hot 100, and Usher couldn't be happier.

"[I'm] loving it. Just in time for an incredible tour," Usher said during a recent visit to New York. "I took a step away from L.A. tonight. My dancers and crew are real hot with me right now."

Earlier this week, the singer was nominated for four Soul Train Awards, along with Alicia Keys. Usher is up for Best R&B/Soul Artist Male, Song of the Year, Album of the Year and Best Dance Performance.

The singer was confident that his upcoming run will be memorable. "The tour's gonna be incredible," Usher said. "Incredible records go with incredible tours."

Will you check out Usher's tour? Let us know in the comments!

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Ronald Isley, Anita Baker Honored At Soul Train Awards

Rihanna, Eminem, Usher, B.o.B, Alicia Keys among winners at event celebrating 40th anniversary of classic music show.
By Joel Hanek and Gil Kaufman


Anita Baker at the 2010 Soul Train Awards
Photo: Moses Robinson/ Getty Images

Only at the Soul Train Awards could you have a tribute to R&B icons such as Anita Baker and Ronald Isley alongside a segment in which rap legend Doug E. Fresh attempts to teach CNN anchor Wolf Blitzer how to do the Dougie.

It was that kind of night at the 2010 Soul Train Awards, as rookies, veterans and legends came together in Atlanta for the second annual event — which was taped November 10 and aired Sunday night on BET. The show, hosted once again by Terrence Howard and Taraji P. Henson, featured a night of performances from some of the biggest names in soul and R&B.

Host Howard told MTV News that the show is meant to be an extension of the long-running and legendary '70s TV series that brought soul, disco, R&B and rap stars into viewers' living rooms. "It reminds me of the advancement black people have made over the years because 'Soul Train' really was the beginning of that Black Power movement when we could actually see ourselves — and to have an awards show based upon that 'Soul Train' — it's headed somewhere," Howard said. "We have a black president now. The country seems to be more tolerant towards the diversity inside of it so it seems like the train is moving well down the tracks."

The awards show marked the 40th anniversary of the classic music showcase hosted by Don Cornelius, and celebrated the careers of Baker and Isley, while handing out trophies to such contemporary stars as B.o.B (Song of the Year for "Nothing on You"), Melanie Fiona (Best New Artist), Eminem and Rihanna (Best Hip-Hop Song of the Year for "Love the Way You Lie"), Usher (Album of the Year for Raymond vs. Raymond) and Alicia Keys (Record of the Year for "Unthinkable [I'm Ready]" and Best Female R&B Soul Artist).

Though top winners such as Trey Songz, Usher, Ciara, Eminem and Rihanna were not in the house, Blitzer graciously agreed to accept Slim Shady's award for him, joking, "Who better to accept this award on behalf of Eminem ... I know he's thrilled."

Weaving through a series of skits involving magic tricks and jovial bickering by the hosts, the performance-heavy program delivered on talent. R. Kelly opened by teasing the crowd with his classic "Bump n' Grind," then diving into his new single "When a Woman Loves" — transforming the song from a slow jam into an all-out '50s rock-and-roll epic. Ne-Yo kept the show moving with a showcase of his singles from this year, including "Champagne Life" and "One in a Million."

The tribute to Baker featured an all-star cast, with artists like Chrisette Michele, Goapele, Lalah Hathaway, Dionne Farris, Kem, Tamia, Faith Evans and El DeBarge covering a medley of the singer's greatest hits. Baker told the crowd that the biggest honor of the night for her was that real musicians were performing live with an actual band. "It's amazing because you've got children behind you singing 'Rapture' — it's lovely," she said, adding, "Let's do it again!"

Ronald Isley, co-founder and lead singer of the Isley Brothers, also received a special homage that featured Jeffrey Osborne, Freddy Jackson, DeBarge, Tank, Eric Benet, Bilal and Peabo Bryson. Isley also came out to perform his own medley of hits and was joined onstage by Chanté Moore and R. Kelly for a rendition of "Contagious," their 2002 single that featured the Isleys. In addition, Cee Lo Green closed the show with a duet on the Isleys' classic 1959 hit, "Shout."

Among the event's other highlights was Cee Lo's performance of his smash "Forget You," which took place on a golden stage that resembled a cross between Kanye's Egyptian fusion and an OK Go video, and found the singer gliding down conveyor belts while belting his number.

Erykah Badu delivered a stripped-down version of her 2010 breakout "Window Seat" that featured the singer perched on the floor over a web of lights while appearing to orchestrate the vibrations of light flickers with her hands.

Soul singer Eric Benet performed "Sometimes a Cry" — a song that Lil Wayne cited as one of his favorites while in prison — bringing down the house with a soaring falsetto that bested his studio rendition of the track.

The evening's other performers included Bruno Mars, who sang his new hit "Grenade," and Jazmine Sullivan, who did a medley of "10 Seconds" and "Holding You Down (Goin' in Circles)."

Did you watch the 2010 Soul Train Awards? Tell us about your favorite highlights in the comments.

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