Flames, stuff dripping from the bottom, Medieval looking lettering -- what more could you want? This twisted tangle of a logo comes to us from a black metal supergroup based right here in the U.S. And that's a pretty big hint. Here are your choices:

a) Jezebel b) Iron Mist c) Terrify d) Trouble e) Twilight

Ready for the new Machine Head video? We'll get to it in a minute, but first a little history. The clip was shot in February and additional footage was filmed in August. Mike Sloat directed, working in various locations around San Francisco, but mostly in and around the Regency Center, a theater built in 1909. According to Roadrunner Records, "All of the backdrops of the play are original to the theater, close to 100 years old and include ornate images of hell, forest, and more.

As for the plot, the band's label says "the video is a play about a past time in which a strange and grotesque man, who is shunned by society and outcast, decides that he wants to know what it's like to die. He asks his lover, the only person who cares for him, to take his life. Reluctantly, she does. But then she becomes so distraught and miserable about losing her only love that she decides she must take her own life as well to be with him forever. The play ends with the two lovers together again, at last in the afterlife. The curtain drops and the entire cast bows to the audience."

Well, there you go. Now, lay this down:

The advertisements for harrowing psychological thriller "Bug" (Lionsgate) have been a bit misleading. There are no giant, man-eating bugs in the movie. There aren't even any "Creepshow"-style infestations. All of the bugs are in the character's heads, which is what makes the production so disturbing -- the idea that one person's paranoid delusions can infect the mind of another to the point where both are not only convinced they have government-bred insects coursing through their bloodstream, they actually bear the physical scars of the imaginary creatures.

Based on an off-Broadway play, "Bug" stars Ashley Judd as Agnes White, a blue collar woman with an abusive ex-husband, a missing child, a nasty coke habit and no hope for the future. One night a friend introduces her to the pleasant, polite and quirky Peter Evans (Michael Shannon), and White quickly becomes attached to him since he's the first person in ages that actually cares about her. As fate would have it, however, Evans is a dangerous schizophrenic who was booted from the army and harbors more conspiracy theories than Oliver Stone.

What follows is a nightmarish descent into paranoid psychosis that leaves both main characters completely out of touch with reality. And when outside forces try to intervene, the character's mental instability triggers a wave of violence and insanity. Filled with excellent acting, unconventional camera work, sharp editing and an unsettling soundtrack, "Bug" is director William Friedkin's creepiest movie since "The Exorcist" and will likely keep you itching hours after you've stopped watching. Read more...

Guest Blog by Paul Booth

I was out on Ozzfest maybe the second or third year in. News about me had traveled to Ozzy and he wanted to meet me. I was sitting backstage tattooing Mark Workman, an old friend that used to do the lights for Slayer. And, Ozzy’s manager came up and said, "Ozzy would like to meet you. Do you have a minute?"

I'm like, "Yeah, I think I do! Of course I do, who wouldn’t?" So, they brought me to Ozzy’s dressing room, walked me in, and then left me there. Ozzy came out of the back room and all of a sudden I find myself alone with Ozzy Osbourne! We sat down on the couch, I got my portfolio out and he started looking through it. We sat there for about 15 minutes together and he was asking me questions and talking about the work he wants to get. It was really cool. I mean, he had really intelligent and thought out questions.

Sitting with him one-on-one, it was nice to see that he really had it together — more so than he’s portrayed in the media. I was pretty impressed, not to mention just sitting alone with Ozzy Osbourne --- I mean, how cool is that?! After our little interview he said, “Maybe next week or over the next few days, I want you to finish sleeving my arm.” So, I was pretty f---in’ excited, obviously! Read more...

This is one e-mail we never expected to receive.

When HBB Blog asked to interview Philip Anselmo for a story about the new Down record, Over the Under, we were told that Phil wasn't doing any more interviews. However, they said he would answer a list of email questions for an exclusive online Q&A. We were skeptical, and we had every right to be. Historically, Anselmo has been a tough dude to pin down. He doesn't trust journalists, which has contributed to his antisocial tendencies. Of course, severe substance abuse issues haven't helped. A few years ago, we would have had a greater chance of winning the lottery than getting Anselmo to return a list of emailed questions. But this is a new Phil.

Today he's clean and sober, no longer plagued by crippling back pain or psychological baggage. And, he's excited about the new Down record Over the Under, which came out last week. But just because he's happy doesn't mean he has lost his edge. In the following email interview, Anselmo proves he's lucid, direct and as uncompromising as ever, exuding the confrontational spark that originally ignited his career.

Headbangers Ball Blog: What is Over the Under a reference to? Why did you choose it as the second part of your album title? (at the time of the interview, we were told the name of the album was Down III: Over the Under -- HBB Ed).

Philip Anselmo: Over the Under is the title of the record. As for its reference, it’s quite self-explanatory. (It’s not titled DOWN III).

This album seems to be all about overcoming obstacles and moving on following tragedy.

The answer lies in the question. You are correct.

Everyone knows about the recent low points in your life - the death of Dime, your agonizing back pain, Hurricane Katrina. But all too often, people dwell on the negative. Were there any highlights over the past two years? And if so, what were they?

Rebuilding our lives through a positive placement of the human experience. I have very little back pain. We four New Orleans boys live there. [Bassist] Rex [Brown] is in Texas. I can’t speak for anyone else, but I think of Darrell everyday. He comes up in conversation constantly, and it always puts a smile on everyone’s face. There was only ONE Darrell, none better before nor after, as a person first and a guitarist first as well. Also, making this record was insane. Literally. We pushed each other to a higher plane. It was beautiful. It was true, the best therapy of all. Read more...

Maybe it's a mistake telling guest bloggers that they can write about anything (within reason). But we stand by our promises, so here's Between the Buried and Me singer and keyboardist Tommy Rogers offering up some cooking tips. One is for brownies, and there's not even anything illegal in 'em! Hope you're hungry.

f you are looking for a very delicious companion to our new album "Colors,” then look no further. I’m going to share with you the most amazing meal you'll ever eat -- Vegan lasagna and vegan chocolate chip brownies... I would not recommend this meal unless I stood behind it 100 percent... it’s that good. Yes, this will make you fart and s--t, but every bubble and thump that rumbles out your ass will just be a reminder of the amazing eats you shoved down your throat. Normally the lasagna will last about a week (my studies involve myself and my lady) and the brownies will last about three days, considering you eat about three pieces a day like I do. Eat up!!

P.S.. I didn't make up these recipes... I’m no chef, but I learned how to follow instructions fairly well.

Brownies:
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 cup sugar
One 12 oz. pkg. of soft or silken tofu
1/2 cup oil
1/2 cup water
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup vegan chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350*F. Lightly oil an 8x8 inch pan and set aside. In a medium bowl stir together the flour, baking soda, salt, cocoa powder, and sugar, and set aside. In a food processor, or blender, blend together tofu, oil, water, and vanilla. Add tofu mixture to flour and mix together gently until "just mixed". Pour into pan and sprinkle with chocolate chips. Bake for 45-50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Read more...

On Thursday, the HBB Blog will post the exclusive world premiere of the new Machine Head video for "Now I Lay Thee Down."

The song was originally scheduled to be the first video from the band's newest album, The Blackening, but Machine Head went with "Aesthetics of Hate" instead. Actually, according to a statement frontman Robert Flynn made in February, the band originally wanted to go with "Halo" or "Clenching the Fists of Dissent," but both songs were way too long.

"We tried editing them, [but] both [are] 10 minutes, and it was just WACK," Flynn said. "I mean where do you start? You literally have to cut out half the song. It just didn't make sense as a song anymore."

Until Thursday, here's an oldie, but goodie -- "Davidian":

We really expected Nate from Through the Eyes of the Dead to give props to Cannibal Corpse or Black Dahlia Murder or something. But the dude's a big fan of Maylene & the Sons of Disaster, so he named "Dry the River" as his Bang of the Week.

Here's why:

"This band RIPS, and this is one of my favorite songs from their latest CD. There's a huge place in my heart for some southern rock, especially when you throw a SUPER heavy twist on it. If their riffs get any bigger, I won't be able to control my bowel movements. I really hope these guys stick around for a long time."

Now, hold onto your bowels Here's the video:

Art-damaged math-metal freaks, The Dillinger Escape Plan, began shooting two bizarre videos from their upcoming album, Ire Works, on Friday, September 28 with proudcer/director Ilan Sharone (Stolen Babies, Zebrahead).

But the shoot went sour when guitarist Ben Weinman broke his foot in a freak accident, forcing the band to cancel its upcoming tour plans. "I managed to break my foot pretty severely," he said. "After two doctor's visits, it is clear that we will have to postpone our U.S. and European tour until a later date. New dates will be posted soon and we promise to come back bigger and better then ever."

The Dillinger Escape Plan will now finish the videos at a later date. The less complex of the two will be "Milk Lizard," a bizarre hybrid of performance video and surreal concept clip, in which an ordinary bar fight turns into the oddest ride of a chair’s life. "I wanted to leave the bar environment by shooting what the viewer thinks is a normal looking performance video," Sharone told HBB Blog. "Once the fight breaks out, a chair is thrown at a guy and flies out of the bar, taking on a life of its own. We see the chair go through the streets and town until it finally comes to the aid of an elderly lady who desperately needs a chair to sit on." Read more...

When asked to compare their new album to their last disc, nine our of 10 bands will cough up the stock reply: "The heavy parts are heavier and the softer bits are even more melodic." But in the case of Arch Enemy, whose new album, Rise of the Tyrant, came out last week, the description applies. In fact, the disc is the band's most focused, intelligently assembled record since 2001's Wages of Sin. And it's clearly the one the members are most excited about.

"It's just got the whole spectrum of our influences in there," guitarist Michael Amott told MTVnews.com's Metal File. "It's got the speed, it's got the heaviness, and it's also got tons of melody — lots of guitar melodies. We just decided to put everything into it and hold nothing back. It's very-action packed, with more intricate arrangements than on our previous couple of albums. It's a little bit faster, a little bit more uptempo. It's extreme, down-tuned metal with lots of guitar solos, fast drumming and a German woman [lead singer Angela Gossow] screaming all over it." Read more...