For his past few movies, Canadian filmmaker David Cronenberg has ventured away from the type of macabre sci-fi themes that marked his earlier work. Make no mistake, Cronenberg is still very much rooted in horror, but rather than explore the stuff of surreal nightmares, he's delving into the real life terror that lies under the veneer of civilized society. His latest movie, "Eastern Promises" (Universal), unflinchingly examines the cold arrogance and sheer brutality of the Russian mob operating in London.

Naomi Watts plays Anna, a midwife who finds the diary of a 14-year-old heroin addict prostitute who dies giving birth. To prevent the baby from going into foster care, she has the diary transcribed, hoping she can use the information within to track down the mother's family. What she finds instead is the ugly truth about the mobsters who had enslaved the young girl in a ring of prostitution and violence. And when the thugs learn that she holds incriminating evidence, they spare no effort to recover the diary and prevent the spread of information, imperiling the lives of Anna and her entire family.

The telling diary isn't all that threatens the reign of soft-spoken, dispassionate mob boss and restaurant owner Semyon, brilliantly played by Armin Mueller-Stahl. His son, Kirill (Vincent Kassel) is a violent, drunken loose cannon who wages war against a rival gang and his son's chauffeur/hitman Nikolai (Viggo Mortensen), develops a fondness for Anna and hides a secret that could undo his boss' entire empire.

Cronenberg relays screenwriter Steven Knight's tale of deceit and moral decay with an unbiased lens, and even though the camerawork is stylized and artistic, the direction makes the viewer feels like an invisible guest in an ugly and ruthless world of corruption, prostitution and savagery. Triumphant and searing. Read more...

photo by Jay West Photography, courtesy of flickr.com

We've still got two more podcasts to go before we close out 2007, but since everyone's getting ready to head off on vacation, we figured we'd pull out the big guns now (no offense to next week's podcast subject, Throwdown) and give you a year-end podcast interview with Slayer singer and bassist Tom Araya.

2007 was a pretty important year for Slayer. The band won a Grammy for "Eyes of the Insane" from their 2006 album Christ Illusion, and then reissued that record with a bonus track, "The Final Six," which earned them their second Grammy nomination in a row. They also embarked on a highly successful co-headlining tour with Marilyn Manson and released the explosive DVD, "The Unholy Alliance Live," which features 10 Slayer songs, and between one and three each by Unholy Alliance 2006 tour openers Mastodon, Lamb of God, Children of Bodom and Thine Eyes Bleed.

During Araya's conversation with the HBB Blog, the Slayer frontman discussed the importance of winning a Grammy, why Slayer were nominated for two Grammys from the same album, the meaning of "The Final Six," his hopes for 2008 and signs that the world will end in the next five years.

Click here for direct MP3 download of the podcast with Slayer's Tom Araya
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Everybody's favorite eighties metal transvestites, Twisted Sister, can't wait for Christmas; it's what helps pay the bills.

The band's 2006 album, Twisted Christmas, was, hands-down, the best selling item of their catalog this winter, and while their DVD, "A Twisted Christmas Live," which came out in September, hasn't exactly rivaled "Ratatouille" in seasonal sales, it's at least kept the Twisted legacy alive, and may continue to do so until "Stay Hungry: The Musical" makes it to Broadway.

To do our part for the cause, HBB Blog presents a couple of the band's Christmas vids that should spread some yuletide joy to dudes with glam metal hearts and graying mullets -- and, hey, it's a whole lot better than sitting through "A Charlie Brown Christmas" and that frickin' Grinch movie every year.

The first clip is a live recording of "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas" from the new DVD, and the second is an interpretation of "The 12 Days of Christmas" called "Heavy Metal Christmas," which was filmed last year for Gametap.com.
Twisted Sister - Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas

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Holy Hell. We've had bloody bowel movements that weren't as messy as this (which is probably more than you need to know about our gastrointestinal issues). If we didn't know any better, we'd guess this was a photo from one of the Manson crime scenes or a still from a George Romero movie. Because of the illegibility of this week's logo, we'll give you a hint: The band's from Mexico, but their name is in English. Check back tomorrow for the answer and we'll give you a video of the group in action.

Last weekend, Christian metalcore masters, Demon Hunter, shot a video for the song "Carry Me Down," from their latest album Storm the Gates of Hell, which came out November 6.

The video was directed by Zach Merck -- who shot the band's "Fading Away" vid and has also worked with Shadows Fall and Atreyu -- at Whidbey Island, about 90 minutes north of Seattle.

"Although it was freezing cold and windy, we had an amazing time," Ryan Clark tells HBB Blog. "The weather was brutal, but it really made for some killer footage. You can't beat the look of an overcast Washington sky. I think it's really going to be our best video yet -- very artistic and moody."

Look for the clip in the weeks ahead right here and on Headbangers Ball on MTV2.

Now watch "Fading Away":

On Friday, Headbangers Ball Blog will present an exclusive podcast interview with Slayer singer and bassist Tom Araya. To whet your appetite for the complete conversation, here’s a sample of what we discussed. In addition to responding to Slayer’s Grammy nomination for “The Final Six” after winning last year’s Metal Grammy for “Eyes of the Insane,” Araya discussed how “The Final Six” came together, the meaning of the lyrics, and how the tune could wind up being a fatal prophecy.

Be sure to come back Friday to hear the full podcast, in which Araya discusses the highlights of 2007, his hopes for the new year, his belief in a higher power, the resurrection of thrash and why Slayer won’t be doing a Led Zeppelin-style reunion show in 2028 – if there’s still a planet, that is.

Headbangers Ball Blog: Tom, what was the highlight of 2007?
Tom Araya: I guess the highlight for me was the Grammy nomination. We won the Grammy this year and that, to me, was awesome. We got nominated a second time and then, to actually win it, that blew my mind.

Many people regard 1986’s Reign in Blood as Slayer’s best album, but back then it would have been ludicrous to think you would be nominated for a Grammy.
To me, that makes this even a prouder moment because it involves industry people. It’s everyone within the industry voting as to what they think is good. To actually get nominated you have to be written in. It’s a lot of the higher up industry people that literally do the nominations. So, for us to get nominated again, I just think it’s cool that they’re listening.

Last year, you won the Grammy for “Eyes of the Insane,” which is from Christ Illusion, the same album as “The Final Six.” That’s quite a coup.
The new one is one that we went back a year later, exactly to the day, and finished recording what we would have done in the first place had I not had my [gall bladder] surgery. That was amazing because there we were in May, and I was flying to LA to finish the vocals on the last song I didn’t do. And that was because Sony wanted to reissue the album. And here we are nominated again, which is awesome. That’s a great song. That’s an awesome song in my opinion.

Were you disappointed it didn’t make the original release?
Kind of, but under the circumstances it was okay because when we were working on it, we knew it was a good song, so when it didn’t get put on the album we were like, “Well, that’s fine. At least we have a song,” which is something we normally don’t have after a recording session. We had something that we could work on and do something with. So we put it on the shelf for whatever else is gonna come our way.

What is “The Final Six” about?
Me and [guitarist] Jeff Hanneman wrote that song. It’s a doomsday song. But it’s a song that pretty much paints a picture of the end of time, the apocalypse. It’s very basic and simple. Me and Jeff had worked on it, and then I had my surgery. It didn’t change much from the way it was originally written. Read more...

There are two things pretty much all metalheads like: Spongebob SquarePants and metal. So, thanks to the editing wizards at Stupidvideos.com we bring you both together. All we ask in return is that you name the band and song.

Spongecore Metalpants

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Since August, tattoo demon, Paul Booth, has provided the Headbangers Ball Blog with column (first weekly, then bi-weekly) about his adventures tattooing musicians and touring with rock festivals. Sadly, the lifespan of "Thrashin' Ink" has reached its end. Paul hasn't exactly run out of stories, but he's determined that anything else he has to say will either land him or someone close to him in jail or betray confidences and destroy relationships. So, like a serial killer with a a circular saw, Booth is murdering his column with no guilt and no hesitation. After today, BZZZZZZZZZWWWWHHHHRRRRRR! It's gone.

However, we've prepared for Booth's demise by securing another guest columnist, Otep's charismatic, opinionated and literate frontwoman, Otep Shamaya, who will take over in the first week of 2008. So, here are the final words of Paul Booth, after which, with the kindest regards, we say farewell Paul and rest in pieces. 

I’ve been fortunate enough to build quite a collection of strange and cool things, over the years. A lot  have come to me, not only from friends, but through tips from clients. And a lot of times, I will get a cool gift when I am travelling through other countries. The problem is, it’s always a bitch getting them home.

Sometimes “cool” can also be “illegal." Once I  was tattooing at a convention in Sweden, and spent the entire day working on a piece for a grave digger (something I would probably be if I was not a tattooer). We hit it off and spent the day talking about corpses. The next day he came back with a burlap sack and handed it to me as a thank you gift. I opened it and saw two human skulls. These weren’t typical, bleached white, medical specimens, these were right out of the ground. Of course, to a freak like me, these are great gifts. But there as a major problem.  They were covered with dirt and hair. Now that may sound cool, but imagine trying to walk through customs with those babies.

So, before I left Sweden, I went to a post office, bought a box and threw in the skulls with a bunch of newspaper. Then I pulled a random business card out of my pocket from the convention and wrote on the back, “Dear Paul, I’m your biggest fan and I hope this gift will perhaps get me in for an appointment someday. Signed, the Skull man from Sweden.”

I threw the card in the box and sent it home. I figured this way I would play dumb and pretend like I knew nothing about it if I got in trouble. Oh, did I mention the box smelled like death? Anyway, it never made it to my door.

photo by Ryan Onan, courtest of ugo.com

We’re not trying to advocate violence or anything, but there was a time when extreme music and insanity were synonymous: Morbid Angel guitarist Trey Azagthoth used to cut himself onstage and drink his own blood; Slayer fans would carve the band’s name in their flesh and dive from second floor balconies; and Scandinavian black metallers in Mayhem and Dissection took lives like vengeful, Satan-loving gangsta rappers. Even the nu-metal Korn fans would sometimes go at it with the old-metal guard.

Then things changed. Musicians became more career-oriented, venues got more lawsuit-conscious, metal got more predictable and, well, safer. Now, even the most outrageous bands (Watain, Gorgoroth) substitute shock value for danger. But once in a while, a group comes along that reaffirms faith in the chaos and violence of metal, and even more occasionally, someone delivers mayhem and gripping music in equal measure. And that's why Dillinger Escape Plan are on the verge of something truly explosive.

Not only is their new album, Ire Works, a stunning showcase of blunt ferocity, unerring precision and inhuman lunacy -- one that blends hardcore, technical metal and angular jazz like no one since John Zorn’s Naked City -- Dillinger’s live show echoes their studio spirit with a jawdropping display of precarious rollercoaster thrills and musical perfectionism. Read more...

Here's a Bang of the Week from Pig Destroyer, one of the bands of the year. But first, a few words on the artist whose newest record, Phantom Limb, was declared the best album of 2007 Decibel, which rewarded them with a cover story.

Sure, there were many bands that put out more extreme albums this year (Watain, Dillinger Escape Plan, Behemoth and Nile to name a few), but few captured the muddy, delusional and sociopathic vibe of Pig Destoyer's Phantom Limb. So, now that we've established their absolute cred, you should give extra credence to their recommendation: Aborted's "The Chondrin Enigma."

"The Aborted video is actually a good example of a horror-related video that's not silly," says Pig Destroyer guitarist Scott Hull. "[It is really] well executed and actually disturbing. Good video by a killer band."