Dozens of good zombie movies have been released since the 1968 George Romero classic "Night of the Living Dead." Romero, himself, directed the excellent sequels, "Dawn of the Dead" (1978), "Day of the Dead" (1985) and "Land of the Dead" (2005). Special effects wizard Tom Savini took a stab at a "Night of the Living Dead" remake in 1990. Then, there was Zack Snyder's stark, grisly 2004 revamp of "Dawn of the Dead." Then there are a slew of other directors from Lucio Fulci to Sam Raimi that have taken their own approach to the grisly zombie genre.

But there's something about the original "Night of the Living Dead," even after all these years, that makes our skin crawl. With no budget and no special effects, Romero created a stylized, original and still-frightening film that triumphed because of the strong storyline, creative cinematography and and a well-picked cast. See for yourself, and Happy Halloween.

Offbeat director David Lynch has created some of the most nightmarish and surreal films of the last 30 years, including "Eraserhead," "Blue Velvet" and "Lost Highway." But one of Lynch's most inspired and enjoyable offerings was "Twin Peaks (CBS DVD)," a TV series that lasted two seasons (1990 to 1991) before it was dropped by the network. Unlike some of Lynch's more bizarre films, which make about as much sense as a Pakistani game show without subtitles, "Twin Peaks" was rooted in reality, then laced with touches of the eerie, absurd and supernatural.

The series, which explores the sinister underpinnings of small town America, stars Kyle McLachlan as Special Agent Dale Cooper, an FBI man hired to investigate the mysterious murder of all-American high school girl, Laura Palmer (Sheryl Lee). It doesn't take long for McLachlan to realize that Palmer wasn't the good girl she was believed to be, and that Twin Peaks isn't the rural utopia he mistook it for.

During his misadventures, Cooper meets a cast of strange characters including: Pete Martel, a dim, scruffy lumberjack wonderfully played by the late Jack Nance (star of "Eraserhead"); the Log Lady (Catherne E. Coulson), a schizophrenic local who foreshadows events while talking to a log; protective local Sheriff Harry S. Truman (Michael Ontkean), Laura's neurotic father, Leland (Ray Wise) and psychic mother, Sarah (Grace Zabriskie); the malevolent spirit, Bob (Frank Silva) and a host of other eccentric, often amusing characters, whose lives create numerous subplots, that inject even more life into the spectacular, perplexing series. Confused? If not, you will be as soon as you start watching the groundbreaking show, in which nothing is as it seems and seemingly essential clues only lead to more questions.

The 10 DVDs in "The Twin Peaks Gold Edition" feature both seasons of the show, U.S. and international versions of the pilot episode, the full-length documentary "Secrets From Another Place," the documentary "A Slice of Lynch," a chronicle of "Peaks Freaks" at the 2006 "Twin Peaks" Festival called "Return to Twin Peaks" and lots of previously unavailable footage. For the uninitiated, "Twin Peaks" is essential viewing -- a new frontier for network television that, unfortunately, few have dared to follow. For the rest of us, there's finally a DVD box worthy of the stellar show. Read more...

"Neglect" painting by Paul Booth

Golden Showers
Here’s a quick story about some typical behind the scenes antics. While I can’t disclose which band did this, I can at least reveal what happened. I think it was on one of the Ozzfest tours. Anyway, I’m walking down the side area of the stage, and I see these four musician friends of mine standing in a circle pissing into two decent sized barrels of water.

I thought it was a strange scene, but I just chuckled and kept walking. I didn’t really get the joke, but since all of them were laughing, I figured something funny was going on that I’d hear about later. Well, I certainly did. Many of you may remember how Ozzy used to douse the crowd with water during his set. Well, those barrels were the ones he used on the crowd that night. So to all my friends in the first 10 rows, I hope Ozzy quenched your thirst. Read more...

We've got a treat for you to enjoy as you devour bulging bags of tiny Snickers, Milky Way and Three Musketeers bars. Check out these Halloween-themed videos from the October 28 edition of Headbangers Ball.

You can watch the clips as they aired or customize your own playing order. Highlights include: King Diamond's "The Family Ghost," Behemoth's "Prometherion," Cradle of Filth's "Temptation," Every Time I Die's "We'rewolf," Deicide's "Homage For Satan" and Dokken's "Dream Warriors (Theme From 'Nightmare on Elm Street Part 3')."

And remember, stay evil -- at least until November 1.

Two members of Polish technical death metal band Decapitated, singer Covan and drummer Vitek, were seriously injured in an bus accident while on tour in Russia, confirmed the band's North American publicist.

Decapitated were traveling to a show in Gomel Belarus (part of the former Soviet Union) when their bus collided with a truck carrying wood. The two musicians were rushed more than 340 miles to a hospital in Moscow for emergency treatment, and are currently in intensive care with serious head injuries. Few details are currently available, but the band' s spokeman said the injuries do not appear to be life-threatening.

The other members of Decapitated, guitarist Vogg and bassist Martin, were not seriously injured in the accident. The band was on tour and traveling with Polish extreme metal group Crionics. The condition of the members of Crionics is currently unknown, said the publicist.

We will update this story as more details become available.

Surprise, surprise. Droid didn't pick Korn as their Bang of the Week. Despite all the support Droid have received from Bakersfield, California's biggest export, singer James "Buddy" Eason chose to go with Unearth's video for "This Glorious Nightmare." Here's why:

"This video is what metal should be all about," he writes. "It's sheer intensity from beginning to end. I have seen Unearth many times and they are the real deal and this video is pretty much what every Unearth show is like. I think I need to go break something now."

Now, here's Eason's Bang of the Week:

For winning our "Good Vs. Evil" contest by rocking harder than As I Lay Dying, Deicide shall hereby be honored with a metal video block. Where is your God now, As I Lay Dying fans?

In addition to the three Deicide videos in our blood-spattered vault, we present the 40 minute documentary "Behind the Scars."

Even after he started rocking with A Life Once Lost, screamer, Robert Meadows, says he was still lost. But recently he reevaluated his priorities and rediscovered why he started screaming into a mike in the first place. And he wants to share with all the bands he feels are as adrift as he once was:

There's something that's really been bothering me recently about a lot of the bands I have booked, seen or played with. I feel like people are turning into products. Instead of playing shows for the spirit and love of music, they are performing without souls and basically existing to sell merchandise. And I feel like the infection is spreading.

To all of these lost musicians, I say step aside and reinvent the feeling that brought you here in the first place. Let the kids see, feel and hear it all through the music and lyrics. We are the influences and the idols and the heroes and the study hall daydreams for the same kinds of kids that we once were. What you do, wear and say influences them the same way your favorite bands once inspired you. In past, I have been just as guilty as those I chastise, but I learned the error of my ways and decided to make the change. I will take my role as an influence on these kids.

I’m not sure what else to say to everyone, and, at times, it still seems like I am wasting away into the routine of “normal life.” But even when these moments arrive, I still know that I have seen and traveled all of North America, written and recorded five records, played hundreds of shows, and met and befriended countless people. And I'm not about to stop.

Here's evidence of Meadows' dedication -- the video for A Life Once Lost's "Firewater Joyride":

As anyone that has kept up with the comments section of the HBB Blog surely knows, Deicide obliterated As I Lay Dying in last week's good vs. evil edition of Who Rocks Harder? Later, we'll feature a block by Glen Benton and Co. to celebrate the slaughter. But for now, we've got a more traditional match up for you -- Metallica Vs. Megadeth -- a heavy metal rivalry to equal Tupac Vs. Biggie (only without the drive-by shootings).

In their prime (1983 - 1991), Metallica were untouchable. The band pioneered thrash in an era of hair metal, then rose to the top of the heavy metal hierarchy through a combination of stellar songwriting, uncompromising perseverance and incredible live shows. 1983's Kill 'Em All was a landmark recording, combining the metallic edge of Judas Priest and other groups from the new wave of British heavy metal with the speed and aggression of hardcore. It didn't just raise the bar for metal, it forged the furnace for thrash, and without it, Slayer, Exodus and Anthrax might have had entirely different sounds.

In fact, Metallica first four albums feature some of the best and most influential metal ever recorded, and their fifth record, 1991's far more commercial "Black Album," sold over 14 million copies, making it one of the most popular rock albums of all time.

It would be pretty near impossible to top that, so Metallica didn't even try. Instead, they headed off in new sonic directions. And while the metal world hasn't universally praised 1996's more experimental and groove-saturated Load or 1997's similarly structured Reload -- not to mention the largely reviled 2003 album St. Anger, Metallica still destroy live, and many fans are hopeful that the band's next record will be a return to their former glory.

Few metal bands can compete with Metallica in terms of global popularity, however when it comes to metallic cred Megadeth certainly have a shot. In part, that's because Metallica and Megadeth started in the same place -- literally. As everyone knows, Megadeth frontman Dave Mustaine was a co-founder of Metallica, but was booted from the band for being a belligerent drunk before Metallica recorded their 1983 debut Kill 'Em All.

In less than two years, Mustaine bounced back and released the first album by his new band Megadeth, Killing is my Business... And Business is Good. The album was jazzy and technical, and established Mustaine as more than "the guy who was booted from Metallica." Megadeth's 1986 follow-up, Peace Sells... But Who's Buying? was even more impressive -- simultaneously catchier and heavier without being less complex. It's this musical proficiency and commercial appeal that propelled Megadeth through their next three albums, culminating with 1992's Countdown to Extinction.

But around the same time as Metallica were struggling to find a new creative path, Megadeth made some similarly questionable career moves. Striving for a broader audience, the band started writing poppier, less challenging tunes that paled in power to their earlier output. The band's St. Anger. was 1999's Risk, which, in an effort to keep up with the times, featured an abundance of misguided electronic and alternative rock arrangements. But while Metallica haven't yet bounced back in the eyes of many metalheads, Megadeth have clearly made amends for their past, cranking out a succession of increasingly thrashy post-Risk albums that culminated with 2007's United Abominations.

Place your vote in the comments box bellow. This could be a close one.

We meant to get this up earlier, but it's been a busy week, which included:

video premiere of Behemoth's "Prometherion"
the King Diamond Halloween podcast
All That Remains' guest blog about the erosion of freedom and liberty
HORSE the Band Guest Blog about how technology is destined to kill us all
and a week of exclusive Serj Tankian interview footage, including this

Now, however, the weekend is here and it's time to celebrate with a metal block of 11 Pantera videos, since you voted for the Cowboys From Hell over Slayer in last week's "Who Rocks Harder" contest. Here ya go (be sure to click the "read more" button if you want the full list):