If this sounds strangely upbeat coming from the man whose legendary art-core band built its reputation on dysfunction, negative energy, and onstage violence, it shouldn’t. With only one member (drummer Nate “Jr.” Richardson) under 30, and 14 kids among them, Coalesce have long since outgrown their wilder years. That doesn’t mean OX is any less unhinged than previous releases, despite its newfound embracing of Old West-informed melodies and clean tones in Ingram’s vocals, Nathan Ellis’ bass lines, and Jes Steineger’s inimitably weird guitar figures. Recorded in stunning detail with longtime producer Ed Rose, OX is every bit the bone-crushing beast its title implies.

“We wanted to name the record like it was its own being,” Ingram explains. “Beast of Burden was the initial idea, and then we thought about what this record sounded like, and it’s just an ox, you know? It’s really powerful.”

Given how often Coalesce have split, reformed, and fallen apart again since forming in 1994, OX also seems a fitting metaphor for the band’s current status, which Ingram describes as stronger than ever. “I’ve never bought into the idea that the best heavy music has to come from dysfunction,” he says. “We’ve lived that dysfunction, and trust me: It’s highly overrated.”

Things first went awry for FF in 2002, when Bell briefly exited the band, citing personal and creative differences. Shortly thereafter, he, Herrera, and Olde Wolbers, reinstituted the group without Cazares, resulting in much public shit-talking between the guitarist and his former bandmates. The new FF went on to record two albums, 2004′s Archetype and 2005′s Transgression, while Cazares focused on long-running side projects Brujeria and Asesino, and new band Divine Heresy. Then in 2007 FF went on hiatus—Bell joined Ministry on their farewell tour, and Wolbers and Herrera founded Arkaea with Threat Signals frontman Jon Howard.

So how did Bell and Cazares end up kissing and making up? In a recent interview with Revolver’s sister magazine, Metal Hammer, the pair revealed that it was simply time that healed all wounds.

“You know, we were friends before we were in a band together,” said Bell, “The first time we saw each other in a long time was at a Ministry show in L.A., and we just started talking again. It was like, ‘I don’t really remember what it was all about!’ It’s like, good friendships will always return, basically.”

As for why Wolbers and Herrera are not involved this time around, the singer was less forthcoming. “It’s like a business, and I’m just reorganizing,” he explained.

At least, the reconstituted band’s bassist and drummer are beyond reproach: Stroud will stay on board and will be joined by former SYL bandmate Gene Hoglan of Death, Testament, and Dethklok fame. With plans to play gigs all summer and then start work on a new album, all the Fear Factory members are excited to be together—particularly Cazares. “For me,” he said, “it feels like home.”

★ Industrial-metal quintet POWERMAN 5000 are working on their first record since 2006′s Destroy What You Enjoy.

★ Electronic spazz-metal weirdos HORSE THE BAND are in the studio with XIU XIU member JAMIE STEWART working on the follow-up to 2007′s A Natural Death * Indianapolis doomsters GATES OF SLUMBER are working on their first album for doom label Rise Above, which will come out this fall.

The disc will be the band’s first since the mid-2007 departure of guitarist JONNY FAYE, whom the Massachusetts-based group chose not to replace. “With the economy being so bad, we figured it was time to downsize,” Kozowyk says, only half-joking. “Writing as a four-piece is actually more efficient because there’s one less opinion you have to deal with.”

While their former guitarist isn’t playing on the new record, he is producing it at his home studio in Milford, New Hampshire, having handled similar duties for Whitechapel. When the Red Chord are done, they’ll hand the songs to Zeuss (Hatebreed, Shadows Fall) for mixing and mastering.

Kozowyk says the new songs are more intense and mature than those on 2007′s frantic Prey for Eyes. “It’s faster and heavier, but it’s definitely groove-oriented and melodic where it needs to be.”

Georgia sludge-metal group BARONESS are in the studio with producer John Congleton, who’s best known for his work with non-metal outfits such as the Roots and the Polyphonic Spree. Congleton should help the band reach their goal for the new, as-yet-untitled album: avoid repeating themselves or sounding like fellow home-state heroes Mastodon and Kylesa, to whom they’ve been compared. “It was fun paying homage to the stuff we felt inspired by,” vocalist-guitarist JOHN BAIZLEY says. “But for the new songs, we paid more attention to the idiosyncratic things that we’ve done that have felt the most genuine and were the most captivating to us.” As a result, he says, the record will be “more melodic and not as ambient” than its predecessor, fled Album, which was .Revolver’s Album of the Year for 2007.

While most bands record the drums first when making an album, symphonic deathcore outfit WINDS OF PLAGUE began with guitars for their latest, The Great Stone War— and not by choice. “We went into the studio the day after we got home from a tour, and [drummer] ART CRUZ had zero time to learn the songs,” says vocalist JOHNNY PLAGUE. He insists, however, that the skinsman has since mastered the tunes and the new album is “way more structured and organized” than 2008′s Decimate the Weak.

Initially, the new album was going to be called This Is War, but ever-analytical Jared is unsure now—he doesn’t want the title to come off like an allusion to the band’s legal skirmish. “It’s not like it became our entire lives,” he says of the lawsuit. “There were days where it felt like that, but this isn’t a record that’s just written in reaction to being sued or feeling that we were treated unjustly.”

was going to be called This Is War, but ever-analytical Jared is unsure now—he doesn’t want the title to come off like an allusion to the band’s legal skirmish. “It’s not like it became our entire lives,” he says of the lawsuit. “There were days where it felt like that, but this isn’t a record that’s just written in reaction to being sued or feeling that we were treated unjustly.”

When Jared tries to explain what the album as about, he hesitates, still trying to get his head around the record’s themes. “It’s a religious record in some ways,” he says. “There’s something about this record that examines the idea of faith, consequence, and choices—how you live your life.” Jared also believes the album illustrates 30STM’s desire to expand beyond their earlier gloomy modern-rock sound.

“This record has a much more varied and disparate range,” he says. “There are stories of revenge and joy. Something I think was missing for 30 Seconds to Mars was a real spirit of optimism. We’re a rock band at our core, but this album reaches into different arenas. And that’s really exciting.”

Although Jared describes the working environment at his home studio, dubbed the Lab, as a “pressure-cooker factory” because of the tight deadline, he and his bandmates seem in good spirits. Jared razzes his brother about his dirty socks, while Milicevic shows off a new tattoo on his calf inspired by Tim Burton’s poem “The Boy With Nails in His Eyes.” Despite initial reports suggesting the album would come out in September, neither the group nor label could confirm a release date at press time. It’s just one more thing that’s still up in the air—while a much-blogged-about Kanye West collaboration will definitely make the album, another mystery guest’s appearance on the record has yet to be confirmed.