So, as Sabbath is off touring with Ronnie James Dio and Ozzy is too busy wearing cowboy boots and forgotten his metal roots, check out Swedish’s answer to stoner metal; Witchcraft.

Witchcraft will be playing at the Magic Stick on Friday, August 1^st. Tickets are $15 and are available at www.ticketmaster.com. Additional dates can be found at www.myspace.com/witchcraftswe.

MCB: As the release date of the album looms, what is the anticipation level for the new record?

JFY: Well, first off, I am anticipating they are gonna try and put me in some panties tonight or something so I am avoiding that. But as the album is getting closer to coming out, and I’m excited because we really worked hard on the new record and eager to show everybody our new stuff. The new single, “Blind Man,” is doing really well and moving up the rock charts, so this makes more excitement for the record as well.

MCB: Was there anything that you or the band wanted to get out on this new record?

The band has ventured out on the first tour for the new album, with Shinedown and Theory of a Deadman in tow. The tour started recently and will be heading to the Fillmore in Detroit this Saturday (July 26^th). Don’t be late, because the probable best of this lineup will be on first as Black Stone Cherry gives you a flavor that keeps the traditions of southern rock proud.

Black Stone Cherry opens for Shinedown and Theory of a Deadman at the Fillmore Detroit on Saturday, July 26^th. Tickets are $25 and are available at www.ticketmaster.com. Additional dates can be found at www.blackstonecherry.com.

The tracks on Inflikted are not a latter-era Sepultura retread, which the fans would wag their tongues for. The tracks, such as “Sanctuary” and “Black Ark” are more punk-rock infused in their delivery. It looks like the guys have taken some of their earlier influences in this latest record. But don’t think that the new record totally abandons the Sepultura sound. Songs like “Ultra-Violent” and “Hearts of Darkness” keep the old sound alive. But with bassist Joe Duplantier and Soulfly guitarist Mark Rizzo, the band mix the old with the new to create something fresh.

After initially not sure about if the project was going to tour or not, the band recently wrapped up a European tour and now have their sights set on their home turf. The band started a tour with Dillinger Escape Plan and Throwdown on July 17^th, and head to Pontiac for a show at Clutch Cargo’s on July 22^nd. The tour lasts through early August when the band is a part of the one day OzzFest in Dallas this year. Early set lists show that there is some Sepultura sprinkled through the list, so this will be a chance to see a good mix of new and old from Max and Iggor Cavalera.

Cavalera Conspiracy plays at Clutch Cargo’s on Tuesday, July 22^nd. Tickets are $25 and are available at www.ticketmaster.com. They also play the Orbit Room in Grand Rapids on July 24^th (Tickets are $25 as well). Additional dates are available at www.cavaleraconspiracy.com.

Wow, just holy jeez wow. The Dark Knight has exceeded any and all expectations that I had, which actually weren't that high because I avoided as much hype and spoilers as possible. My intrigue was only piqued by the trailers and some of the ingenious, if not overdone viral marketing. The best Batman film, if not the best comic book movie of all time. Scratch that, I'm sticking to my guns, The Dark Knight IS the best comic book movie ever, and this is coming from a guy with comic book character tattoo's and a closet filled with longboxes.

How can I convince you of that? Sadly, I don't think I can. This is one that you will just have to trust me on and see for yourself. The story has plenty of twists and turns that spin a web of a story that weaves tightly together and comes to a seat gripping climax. Everything builds up nicely, but not slowly. We start with a bang of a bank robbery that introduces us to the Joker and shows just how ruthless he is. And it only gets better. Even things from the trailer that didn't work for me redeem themselves. Take the Bat-Pod for instance. Stupid name, and with those huge tires it looks almost unbelievable, but when this thing bursts onto the screen and you really get to see it in action, it's pretty slick. We also get to see more of the evolution of the Batsuit itself. I won't say anything as I don't want to spoil anything, but it is an interesting thing to see that Batman doesn't know everything about everything even after doing this for a year or so.

Yes, it was a shame that Heath Ledger passed on shortly after completing filming, but we have heard all about that that we really need, or care to. I am only going to judge his performance based on his performance and he really does become the Joker. Not one single speck of Heath Ledger comes through here. He really is a psychotic mad dog that has been taken off his leash to wreak havoc. I can understand why he had issues sleeping during and after filming. Hell, I'm gonna have trouble sleeping after watching it! Christian Bale proves his worth once again both as Bruce Wayne and Batman. Both have grown in ways. We see Batman come to the realization and acceptance of just what his role as Gotham's “Dark Knight” truly needs to be. Watching Aaron Eckhart's Harvey Dent is just as awesome. His character's rise and fall really hits you because he truly is a hero in the true sense of the word, even Batman admits this at one point. And to see his fall from grace is just heartbreaking. Maggie Gyllenhaal is 100% stronger as Rachel Dawes than Katie Holmes was and that's all that really needs to be said about her, right? Gary Oldman gets a more interesting chunk of the story to work with this time as we see how he comes to be the Police Commissioner, team him with Harvey Dent and Gotham wouldn't need a Batman. Michael Caine and Morgan Freeman round out the cast but are little more than supporting characters this time around. It was also nice to see Scarecrow again, albeit only briefly, to help tie up one loose end from Batman Begins.

In a nutshell? The Dark Knight is the end all Batman movie, plain and simple. No real flaws to speak of. Great story, great pace, great acting, great action, just plain great.