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Large screen, professionally shot performances of the new Korn songs "Evolution" and "Ever Be," and new versions of "Blind," "Trash" and "Freak on a Leash" have been posted here, along with three interview segments with the band.

The Web site also features additional concert footage from The Cult, Smashing Pumpkins and numerous cool non-metal band such as White Stripes and Interpol (click on "Artists A-Z" and scroll down for full list).

For your further viewing pleasure, check out the video for "Twisted Transitor":

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The yuksters of Killswitch Engage have come up with a video for their cover of Dio's "Holy Diver" that's a little to faithful to be a mere spoof. The song was originally recorded for British magazine Kerrang! for the High Voltage compilation attached to its 25th anniversary issue in May 2006. But the track came out so well that Killswitch decided to shoot a Dungeons & Dragons-style video for the track.

To promote the clip, the band's label Roadrunner records has issued to following proclamation:

HEAR YE, HEAR YE: Roadrunner Records Royal subjects Killswitch Engage of Springfield, MA present herewith a theatrical debut: a classic pantomime of “Holy Diver,” its origins based in neighbouring province Portsmouth, NH penned by decorated yeoman Ronnie James Dio. Master drama instructor Brian Thompson (ye olde video director) humbly invites members of the Royal Court to enjoy his lively interpretation of the epic prose.

THE CAST:

FAIR MAIDEN : ADAM DUTKIEWICZ
IRONSMITH : HOWARD JONES
HIS ROYAL HIGHNESS: JUSTIN FOLEY
ADORNED KNIGHT: MIKE D ' ANTONIO
NECROMANCER: JOEL STROETZEL

Ladies and Gentlemen of the court, make haste to your seats, and heed the tale of the Adorned Knight (Mike D’Antonio), as he returns, fresh from battle, to find his Fair Maiden (Adam Dutkiewicz) under the death-like spell of an evil necromancer (Joel Stroetzel)! His Royal Highness (Justin Foley) and celebrated kinsmen: among them sergeants of law, millers, yeomen and friars alike raise goblets and dine on freshly slaughtered beast as thein Armour-Clad hero gallops forth into the eve…to fight spirits and forces unbeknownst, with hopes to release his betrothed from such black and unnatural alchemy. Eyes will refrain to blink as the sorcerer commands by ways of his all-seeing orb, and travels light as zephyr through the wood! Breeth will be held; gasps heard as the castle’s Rogue Ironsmith (Howard Jones) skulks whenceforth in the darkness of the dungeon, pensively waiting, with haste. Blood will be spilled anon, but who shall be slain?

Over 300,000 legions of commoners and peasants have been clamoring the castle walls in hopes of catching a glimpse of “Holy Diver.” The Royal Brigade has been ordered to ensure the ramparts hold, and with brute force send them back into pestilence with a proclamation decreed herein:

Okay, enough Medieval nonsense. Here's the vid:


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The video for "Nothing Left," the third song As I Lay Dying are previewing before the release of their upcoming album, will premiere right here on Friday. The next day, the song will debut on TV on "Headbangers Ball." The band's new disc An Ocean Between Us comes out August 21. Two other songs from the record, the title track and "Within Destruction," are currently streaming on the group's MySpace page.

On August 3, As I Lay Dying spoke about bassist Clint Norris' departure from the band. "Clint wanted to pursue a lifelong career that he could be passionate about, since he could not picture himself being in the band forever once he got married," said frontman Tim Lambesis in a statement. "His wedding was in March and he's now able to stay home with his wife."

The news isn't really news for anyone who has followed the band. As I Lay Dying isn't really news since the band has been without Norris since November 2006, when it began writing An Ocean between Us.

"It is important for our fans to know that this has not changed the band in any way and has ultimately put both As I Lay Dying and Clint in a better place," Lambesis said. "Our first recordings, Frail Words Collapse, and Shadows are Security, were all written and recorded without Clint, so the new CD isn't any different in that respect. Although Clint was in the band during Shadows are Security and we will always be thankful for his great live energy, he was not involved in the songwriting process. Therefore, he had a hard time learning the songs in short amount of time we had while recording. Phil ended up playing bass, and our friend Dave Arthur (who is in an amazing band called KINGS TO YOU) did a guest vocal appearance on all of the clean singing."

As I Lay Dying wrote An Ocean Between us as a quartet, then hired new bassist Josh Gilbert (ex-This Endearing, Gate City) in time to record. "He was able to make it to San Diego in time to record both bass and clean vocals on the new record," Lambesis said. "It feels good to know that the person recording bass and clean singing on our new record will be same person playing those songs live. Our guitar players have always played bass on every record... until now!"

Until Friday, here's the video for "The Darkest Nights":


By the late '80s, speed and thrash metal were becoming stale and tired. Major labels had jumped on the post-Metallica bandwagon, signing anyone with long hair, denim clothes and a drinking problem, and the caliber of artistry was going rapidly downhill as grunge and alternative rock began their upward ascent.

That said, the era did have some bright spots, one of which was Minnesota quartet Powermad. The group's catchy thrash riffs, forceful rhythms and shrill vocals even attracted the attention of oddball film director David Lynch, who included the band and their music in his movie "Wild At Heart." Powermad were the group onstage at the club, and their song "Slaughterhouse" was played in the film's explosive first scene, in which Sailor Ripley (Nicholas Cage) slams a dude's skull against the floor until he's dead. Then, Lynch gave the song an encore when Sailor and his girlfrield Lulu Fortune (Laura Dern) are flipping the dial on their car radio in search of something worth listening to. "Slaughterhouse" was also used for a while as the theme music for "MTV At the Movies."

Sadly, Powermad's success was shortlived and after the release of their 1989 album Absolute Power they faded into the ether for years. But now they seem to be back as Mad as ever. Powermad reformed to play the Bang Your Head!!! festival, which took place on June 22 and 23 in Balingen, Germany, and they're currently working on a new album, which they hope to finish later this year.

"Because of scheduling, I have been doing most of the coordinating and producing of the tracks on my own, with my great friend, Paul Ortiz (a.k.a. ChimpSpanner)," wrote singer and guitarist Joel DuBay on the band's MySpace, explaining the delay.

He added that he agrees with critics (like us) who feel Powermad were ahead of their time and thanks all of the group's fans for their continued interest. "I just want everyone to know just how much everyone's desire to stick with us for so long means to us," he said. "A band, artist, musician isn't owed sh-- by anyone, and needs to focus on one thing in order to succeed: making a connection with their audience. I think the next record is a perfect step toward proving we have not gone away or given up, and that Powermad is intact, and ready to bring you something you will love."

The group is currently without a label, but still hope to drop their new album before the end of the year. Until then, here's their video for "Nice Dreams":
Powermad - Nice Dreams


Add to My Profile | More VideosAnd here's a clip from "Wild at Heart" that features the band's music:
Wild at Heart Scene


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Back in May, modern thrash titans Unearth parted ways with drummer Mike Justian for personal and professional reasons. Since then, they've been relying on the talents of jack of all trades Gene Hoglan, who has played with Strapping Young Lad, Dark Angel and Testament, and who filled in for Pickles on some Dethklok sessions.

Hoglan's first show with the band was May 11 in Vancouver, British Columbia. Most recently, he finished a tour of New Zealand and Australia, during which he ran afoul of the law.

"I'm cruising through customs, when they throw up an X-ray machine upon exiting," he wrote in a statement. "Who does that? Anyway, they X-ray my stuff, see my contraband, and freak. Alarms, sirens, dogs, screaming guards, high-powered rifles all pointed at my head, the whole shebang."

So, what illicit substance was the speed-of-light drummer bringing into the country? Heroin? Crack? Cough medicine? Nope, it was an ethnic food substance, the consumption of which often yields (silent but) deadly results -- a common burrito.

"I'd bought it at LAX, taken a bite, and shoved it down to the bottom of my bag, and promptly forgot about it," insists Hoglan. "Oh yeah, I'm kiddin' about the dogs and guards and the whole freak-out part, but it woulda made a way better story if it did happen. Anyway, they take me into the corner and start hittin' me with, 'This is food, you filled out the card that says you're not bringing in food, yet this is food.'"

Officials at the scene were both perplexed and outraged by Hoglan's gaffe. "The customs goof has apparently never seen a burrito before, 'cause he's lookin' at it like it's a Martian relic or something," says the drummer "Then he writes it up as a 'meat sandwich,' and I'm like, 'Hey! That's not a 'meat sandwich', it's a burrito!' And he's like, 'A baa…what? How do you spell that?' And I tell him, 'Hey, it ain't my job to teach you how to spell 'burrito.'"

The agents were not amused by Hoglan's insolence. They considered beating him senseless and locking him up for years without a fair hearing, but decided instead to fine him. "I did not get off lightly," says Hoglan. "They charge me two hundred dollars right then and there. Jeez! I told 'em, 'I can get rid o' this evidence right here and now, Customs Goof,' but they wanted my dough, not my satisfied belly. Bogus…so, that was the Most Expensive. Burrito. Ever. Damn, I shoulda keistered it.'"

Hoglan will hit the road again with Unearth in the States starting September 22 in Boston. The tour will run through October 28 in New Haven, Connecticut and he'll be allowed to travel with all the burritos he can carry. God bless America!

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When you’re an underground band, what better way to plug your new record than to have it include guest performances by legends of hardcore and metal. Often, these promotional efforts are purely opportunistic. Some are even orchestrated by label executives. But in the case of Oxnard, California hardcore metal band The Warriors, inviting other musicians to contribute is their way of paying tribute to the greats and, at the same time exercising the community spirit of punk rock. Singer Marshall explains:

To decide what guest vocalists we wanted to have on our new record, Genuine Sense Of Outrage, we simply listened to the songs and thought about what bands they reminded us of. On [our 2006 album] Beyond the Noise we had far too many guest vocalists and we wanted to limit it this time to people we really admired and respected instead of just throwing in all our friends.

There’s an unmistakable Sick of it Al feel to “Mankind Screams,” the breakdown of which immediately reminded me of “Just Look Around,” where the beat slows down and everything drops out but the bass. So I got stoked and hit up [Sick of it All] singer Lou [Koller] to ask if he could lend his pipes for a minute. I showed him the song and he was down; I couldn't be happier about it.

Since I was 16, I have been a big fan of [Canadian Christian hardcore band] Figure Four, so when Comeback Kid rolled through town at the same time we were recording, I had to hit up singer Andrew [Neufeld, who was also in Figure Four] to hang for a few. I felt “The Stone Grinds” needed that extra pissed off, relentless type of mayhem that Andrew was perfect for. The best part of recording with him was reminiscing about how we raged at this Canadian hotel complex with Comeback Kid and totally annihilated the place. Somebody even stole the TV. Complete ignorance!

On “Destroying Cenodoxus,” I had to get my boy Terrance in on the mix. I've known T since I was, like, eight or something. He sang in Tehachapi bands such as Monster Squad, The End, With A Vengeance and also played bass in Diehard Youth. Currently, he sings in Skare Tactic. He's got a unique tone and even though he was sick he still put it down.

We have always been big fans of Motörhead. My cousin Russ introduced them to me when I was 11. He gave me a tape of Ace of Spades and I listened to it in my Walkman all the damn time. “Jailbait” is great!! Anyway, we were listening to “The Price of Punishment,” and we felt like it needed more vice. We were actually just joking around about getting Lemmy to sing on the record, knowing it would be near to impossible -- especially for a band he's never heard of nor met. But our producer Cameron Webb also produces Motörhead, and he said, “Do you really want Lemmy? I can ask him for you.” We were like “Yeah, okay Camdawg. I'll believe it when I see it!" So, he made one call and, to our surprise, Lemmy was down after he heard the song! So we rolled out to Hollywood to meet up with the godfather of speed metal. I even brought a bottle of Jack with some coke as a gift.

I honestly didn't even think he would show up, and if he did I was sure he’d be late. But he was actually there waiting on us! So we all met, had a drink and then I showed him the song with lyrics. He didn't like one of the words ‘cause it was hard to say, so we changed it and he did his thing in his own legendary style. We had another drink and hung out for a few and then he went back to the Rainbow Room. It was nothing but pure pleasure having a living legend burn up our record like that. F---ing fantastic!

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Props to Blabbermouth.net for introducing us to Romanian Web site, MetalheadTV.com, which has posted professionally shot footage from 12 of the bands that played this year's Wacken Open Air Festival, which took place between August 2 and 4 in the town of Wacken in northern Germany.

Coverage includes three songs from Cannibal Corpse and two each from Destruction and Norther. Strange choice to offer Cannibal Corpse three times the amount of coverage as Type O Negative, but maybe they roll a little differently in Romania then they do here. The other bands on the site with one song from Wacken are: Iced Earth, Blind Guardian, Possessed, Dir En Grey, Moonspell, Schandmaul, Stratovarius and Turbonegro.

Elsewhere on the web site are concert clips from Blind Guardian (click TV2), Behemoth (TV4), The Artmania Festival featuring Anathema, My Dying Bride, Tarot, The Gathering, Within Temptation and After Forever (TV 6) Dismember and Atheist (TV7) and Sepultura (TV11).

Support worldwide metal.

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It’s kind of ironic that Drowning Pool have become one of the biggest poster boys for the USO considering the hit they took after 911. At the time, the public misinterpreted their song “Bodies” to be about death and murder. It was, in fact, a description of the mosh pits at their shows, but no amount of explaining could convince radio programmers to support the song again. Actually, it was never the U.S. soldiers that condemned the band, and, according to Drowning Pool, many members of the military would listen to Drowning Pool’s 2001 album Sinner to get them pumped for combat. In the years since, Drowning Pool have taken an active role in supporting the troops. They’ve performed at military bases in the Middle East numerous times and recorded and expressed the power of the shows in the song “Soldiers” which is included on new album Full Circle. You’d think Drowning Pool might be tired of talking about their involvement with the USO by now, but its just the opposite. And when Headbangersblog.com asked bassist Stevie Benton if he would write a guest blog about the significance of his experiences performing for the USO, he had the whole thing penned practically by the next time we checked out email. It seems even peripheral military involvement makes a guy nothing if not punctual.

My first exposure to the United Service Organization (USO) was as a child when my parents watched Bob Hope entertaining the troops overseas during the holidays. Back then, those USO TV specials played annually just like “Frosty the Snowman” or “A Christmas Story.” Being that I am a huge Dallas Cowboys fan, I was aware that the Cowboys’ Cheerleaders do a great deal of work with the USO, but up until 2005, that was my only exposure to the USO.

Drowning Pool released "Bodies" in 2001 and it became an instant hit with the U.S. military. While touring over the next few years, we met a lot of servicemen and women who expressed to us how important the song was to them. Whether on training videos or to keep them on their toes while on missions in Iraq or Afghanistan, “Bodies” was an integral part of keeping up troops’ morale.

We spent the next couple of years trying to make the necessary connections to be able to play for our troops stationed overseas. Every attempt was a dead end. That is, until August of 2005. Jessie Jessup, the afternoon DJ at KDGE in Dallas, invited us to be on her show to announce Ryan McCombs as our new singer. Unbeknownst to us, Jessie had spent the prior few months doing all the necessary work to go to the Persian Gulf to interview and entertain the troops. The band she had originally planned to take got cold feet and backed out. So there we were… right place, right time.

Of the thousands of shows we have played over the years, none come close to the enthusiasm and excitement of the USO shows for the troops in the Gulf. The tension in the air around a crowd of people who put their lives on the line every day is impossible to describe. The appreciation for having a little piece of home brought to them there in the desert is similarly impossible to explain. But the experience was unbelievable.

Being able to give something back to the people that do so much for all of us was the most rewarding undertaking of my life. It was this initial USO tour that led us to write our current single “Soldiers” as a tribute to the troops we met along the way.

One show in particular was special for the band. It came during our second tour in the Gulf. After the tragedy of September 11, "Bodies" was banned on radio stations across America. A song written about a mosh pit was suddenly associated with the most horrible event in our nation’s history. Members of the US military, however, made the song their anthem for getting through a time of war. So, on the fifth anniversary of 911, we were doing a show for the troops in Iraq, playing the very song that had been banned. And that's why we decided to cal our new CD Full Circle.

Our next USO tour will take place during the Christmas holidays. By being so vocal about our participation, we hope to encourage other rock bands to get involved with the USO. The troops are real men and women and they need our support. Also, anyone can support the troops by going to thisisforthesoldiers.org and signing an online petition to speed up a bill to provide funding for mental health care for returning vets. From there, you can link to the USO or the IAVA and find out what else you can do to help out the troops.

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After enduring two other films about the Zodiac killer, Alexander Bulkley's mediocre 2005 flick "The Zodiac" and Ulli Lommel's atrocious 2007 cash-in "Curse of the Zodiac," we were pretty Zodiac-ed out by the time David Fincher's "Zodiac" (Paramount) was finally released on DVD. But five minutes into the picture it was clear that this was no sleazy slasher flick or overbearing documdrama. Instead, "Zodiac" is sobering and thought provoking, relying on the basics of good moviemaking -- strong story, great acting, effective pacing and creative cinematography -- instead of cheap thrills.

The film -- based on the book of the same name by Robert Graysmith -- explores the crimes of a cryptic killer, largely from the perspective of journalist Paul Avery (Robert Downey Jr.) and Graysmith, a newspaper cartoonist Graysmith (Jake Gyllenhall). For those unfamiliar with the Zodiac, he was a California serial killer in the late '60s and early '70s that became notorious for leaving messages in code at the crime scenes of his victims. His legendary messages included demands to three San Francisco papers to print his code in its entirety of the front pages of their publication in order to avoid further bloodshed.

Surely, "Zodiac" is a movie about victims, suspects and the people whose job it is to examine both. And the film succeeds in part by creating a high level of tension and suspense before and during the manhunt. But it's also a story about obsession and the sacrifices abnormally motivated individuals make to pursue their goals.

When the killings start, Avery is an ambitious writer in search of a good story, but as the case progresses, he gets sucked into the whirlpool of drama and intrigue and eventually receives a death threat from the Zodiac, himself, which triggers his rapid downward spiral. But as he becomes a gun-toting, antisocial alcoholic, cartoonist Graysmith develops his own fixation with the Zodiac and, after the killings end, decides to write a book about the murderer. Graysmith fancies himself as much an investigator as investigative reporter and chases down lead after lead years after everyone around him seems to have forgotten about the Zodiac. While these folks have moved on with their lives, Graysmith seems intent on destroying his in the pursuit of an ideal and the quest for a missing conclusion.

The Number 23 (New Line) -- Speaking of books that drive people crazy, The Number 23 is a bizarre story about dog catcher Walter Sparrow (Jim Carrey) whose wife Agatha (Virginia Madsen) gives him a murder mystery as a gift, and as he reads it, he discovers that the characters bear striking resemblance to people from his own life. At first, everyone around him blames his imagination, however, as he delves further into the novel it becomes clear that the similarities are no mere coincidence. And when the main character Fingerling learns that the number 23 is, in some way, tied in to everything sinister and evil in the world, Sparrow, too, is consumed by the numerical conspiracy. So, when Fingerling goes crazy and kills the one he loves, Sparrow becomes convinced he'll fall prey to the same fate. In addition to being original, the plot of "The Number 23" is fairly unpredictable and is full of fascinating twists. Yet, for such a great storyline, the movie inexplicably drags. The numerical quandary is interesting, but the characters aren't developed enough to really care about. And when they open up nightmarish doors of discovery, the scares are dulled by general ambivalence. On the whole, "The Number 23" doesn't quite work, but director Joel Schumacher sure deserves credit for trying.

300 (Warner Bros.) -- Lots of movies have been based on graphic novels; "300" actually becomes one. The film doesn't just follow the plot of Frank Miller's comic, it completely captures the look and vibe without being animated. Shot with real actors against a blue screen, the performances are striking and inspiring, yet it's the CGI that makes "300" a visual spectacle. The story revolves about a standing army of 300 Greek Spartans -- including King Leonidis (Gerard Butler) -- who valiantly take on a battalion of thousands of Persians, and are determined to defeat them all or die trying. Not only do the special effects allow director Zack Snyder to capture the scope of a massive military campaign that swarms with raining arrows, violent decapitations and all manner of steel on steel combat. They also enable to movie to visually duplicate the graphic novel. Backgrounds and buildings appear drawn, mud and dirt fly through the air as soldiers combat and stabbings are accompanied with showers of blood that look like scenes from a videogame. "300" may be a simple tale about honor and freedom, but with the help of a thousand fight scenes and a million computer effects it becomes the kind of tour de force movies like "Excalibur" and "Braveheart" could never truly be.

Bloodlines (ThinkFilm) -- Gritty, brutal and unapologetically sadistic, "Bloodlines" is a troubling tale about the exploits of an inbred family like comparable to the ones in "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" and "The Hills Have Eyes." These troglodytes kidnap young women and subject them to humiliation, degradation, impregnation and, of course, death. We'll start from the top. After abducting their prey, the family lock the ladies in a cell for a while, then throw them in a ring and force them to engage in "Gladiator"-style fights to the death. Finally, the head of the household (Jason Padgett) rapes the winner in an effort to extend his family's bloodline. Sound unbearable? Well, we didn't even mention the incest scenes or the close-ups of necks snapping like chicken wings. Fortunately, there's a heroine (Grace Johnston) who's not about to die lying down, and she manages to substantially whittle down the bad guys' numbers. As creatively vicious as the story is, "Bloodlines" is fairly predictable and the acting is sub-par. What makes the movie at all arresting is the sheer nastiness of its presentation. If "The Last House on the Left" is your idea of popcorn-munching fun, this one might also get your blood pumping.

Night Junkies (Allumination) -- There seems to be no shortage of vampire films recently. But in the case of Lawrence Pearce's "Night Junkies," there's room for one more. As its title implies, the story is one of addiction, but also deals explicitly with sex and sacrifice. The plot revolves around a London strip club that encourages its dancers to engage in acts of prostitution. Unfortunately, for the manager/pimp Max (Jonathan Coyne), the best performers keep falling prey to a sadistic killer. Pretty soon if becomes clear that vampires with a penchant for hot women have infested the city. But not all the bloodsuckers are so eager to feed, and when guilt-ridden blood junkie, Vincent (Giles Alderson) turns exotic dancer Ruby (Katia Winter) into a vamp, the movie turns into a love story in which both try to cure their hunger by going cold turkey. Suspenseful and exciting, "Night Junkies" is a triumph in low budget moviemaking.

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The correct answer is b) Doominhated

The Italian black metal band is composed of frontman Lord Cabal, who plays all instruments and his wife Liv, who sings. The couple formed the bandi n 1998 and released their first demo 6 Tears of Pleasure in 2004. Two years later, Dominhated release the songs on the demo as 6 Tears of Pleasure/Tales From Middle Earth on a split LP with Lord Cabal's other project Ringwraith. Doominhated recently released their debut full-length,  Inferno Caput Mundi.

Blackmetal.com descibes the release as "a blend of gothic, melodic death, and powerful Nordic-influenced epic pagan black metal inspired by Dark funeral, Emperor, Bathory and Borknagar. Featuring some atmospheric medieval keyboards and ethereal female vocals ('whispers') by Liv (similar to early Weltenbrand), Lord Cabal expands on the Tolkien-based developments of the previous split-album to unleash a new mythology based on the legend originating from the magical land of Grishell."

So there you have it.