White Noise: News on Metallica, Poison, Fear Factory, Warrant, Oceana, and More

So, it was a long weekend for White Noise. We attended a barbecue in Atlantic City on Saturday, and then hit the casinos. Sunday brought another Father's Day. We're not sure about you, but we never know what to get dad for his birthday or on holidays... ever. And not once was the weather awesome. This weekend, we experienced the kind of weather that'd make an outdoor concert miserable... overcast, drizzly, and cool. But this weekend, while the weather may have been awful in New York, it was a good one for news. Tour dates, release dates, band splits - we've got it all for you right now, in White Noise.

+ Metallica have tapped our pals in Lamb of God as the main support act for the fall leg of their North American tour, which kicks off September 14 in Nashville, Tenn, and runs through the end of November. In related news, Metallica's online store is now selling "To Live Is To Die: The Life and Death of Metallica's Cliff Burton," which is the first biography on the fallen bassist. The book, written by Joel McIver, features a forward from Metallica guitarist Kirk Hammett.

+ So, Bret Michaels is still suffering post traumatic stress following Poison's June 7 performance at the Tony Awards, when a stage prop nearly took his headband off. Bret cancelled two more solo gigs over the weekend. Let's hope he'll be okay in time for the launch of the Def Leppard tour this week.

+According to a Blabbermouth report, the recently reunited band calling themselves Fear Factory - which features original members Dino Cazares and Burton C. Bell, with bassist Byron Stroud and drummer Gene Hoglan - have cancelled their first gig. It was scheduled to take place last night in Spain, and was cancelled, it seems, "due to legal issues surrounding the use of the Fear Factory name." In addition, it seems the band's entire German tour - which was supposed to take place between August 3 and August 12 - has been nixed.

+ Last week, Warrant's former frontman Jani Lane (at right) was popped for DUI. Now, the Detroit News is reporting that Lane owes a considerable sum to the U.S. government. The paper claims he owes $121,024 in federal income taxes, and that the IRS filed a lien against Lane and his ex-wife on April 4, 2005. That amount represents taxes Lane failed to pay on income earned between 1996 to 2003. In a statement released last week, the current members of Warrant said "Lane's actions should not be misrepresented as those of the lead singer of Warrant," and the band "wish to avoid any negative opinions and publicity that wrongful association to Mr. Lane might cause resulting from his poor judgment."

+ Living Colour will issue its first new studio album in five years on September 15. Called 'The Chair In The Doorway,' guitarist Vernon Reid says he feels "like this is the best record we've made yet." The disc will boast 11 tunes, including "DecaDance," "Behind The Sun," and "Out Of Mind."

+ There's been lots of speculation that Kiss would be selling its forthcoming album as a Wal-Mart exclusive, and now, bassist Gene Simmons is saying a deal with the mega-chain is in the works. The deal, he says, will result in an "entire section" of the store being dedicated to Kiss. The deal has not been officially confirmed yet, but we're sure it's just a matter of days before it is.

+ The formation of The Fallen, which features three former members of Evanescence, inspired Amy Lee, who fronts Evanescence, to remind people she's still alive. She released a statement late last week, saying that her band is "currently working on new material that I'm extremely excited about. I believe that to make great music you have to give yourself the freedom to evolve. I don't see the point in making the same record twice, so I always want to challenge myself to make something better, stronger, and more interesting than before. That takes time, but it's worth the wait for me. Hopefully, it will be for the fans too." She says the new stuff will be ready for release next year.

+ Swedish black metallers Marduk have booked three shows with Withered and Black Anvil. Those will happen August 12 in Baltimore,Md., August 13 in Philadelphia, Pa., and August 15 in N.Y.

+ It seems Florida's Oceana have broken up. In a statement, the band says the split "has nothing to do with any one member. We're all best friends and we all sat down and talked this through. It's not that we are not happy with the response from the new album. We knew the change would be a bit rocky and our kind of music isn't exactly what's popular right now. A lot of kids would rather listen to songs riddled with breakdowns and over auto-tuned vocals. That is exactly why we appreciate our fans so much, you guys aren't just going with the trend. We all decided that our hearts were in different places at this time in our lives. We're all young and we guarantee this won't be the last you hear of us. Maybe you'll get five new bands out of the deal."

+ Hatebreed inked a worldwide deal with Roadrunner Records for the release of their new album, which should be in stores this fall.