Sure, they've had their troubles over the years -- with record labels, drugs and personal loss -- but right now Sevendust feel like the luckiest band on the planet. What else but sheer luck can explain how the band's new upcoming album, Chapter VII: Hope and Sorrow, didn't wind up on the Internet after the recent mishap at the NAMM convention, which took place in Anaheim, California from January 17 to 20.

Before leaving Atlanta to head to the event, drummer Morgan Rose loaded the whole record onto his iPhone so he'd be able to play it for friends and endorsers. Then, at the convention, he lost his phone in a cab. "I didn't have a security code on the phone or anything," he told Headbangersblog.com. "I was freaking out and fully expecting to see the record online the following day."

That's probably what would have happened had the kindness of fate not intervened. Guitarist John Connolly is endorsed by Randall Amplifiers, and who should happen to see the phone in the cab the day before Rose flew back home, but one of the salesmen from Randall.

"My wife had text messeged the phone saying, 'If you find this, dial this number,'" explains Rose. "And the guy called her -- and he happened to be a Sevendust fan. There were 80,000 people there at the convention, and one of John’s people happens to find the phone. Everybody thought I should buy a lottery ticket because of my good luck."

While he knows just how lucky he was to get his phone -- and record -- back, Rose can't help but think that karma played a small role in the process.

"I think that whole story just sums up the vibe of things right now," he says. "I’ve been living right -- no drugs, very little alcohol and I quit smoking a month ago. Life is pretty clean right now and I'm super-motivated."

Unless Rose leaves his phone somewhere else, Sevendust's seventh studio record, Chapter VII: Hope and Sorrow, will come out April 1.

Hatebreed and Kingdom of Sorrow frontman Jamey Jasta recently told us that "New York Blood," the horror/gangster film executive produced by him and directed by Nick Oddo ("I Hate You," "Luscious Johnny: The Wrestler"), will debut on March 1 at the 2008 New York International Independent Film & Video Festival. A DVD release will follow in April.

"New York Blood" stars Agnostic Front guitarist Vinnie Stigma in his acting debut as a drug dealer and gangster who runs a New York whore house. The movie also features Marvin W. Schwartz ("I Hate You") and there are cameos by various members of the New York Hardcore community, including Sheer Terror singer Paul Bearer.

"It's low budget, but it's a cool movie to watch," Jasta says. "It moves good, it’s interesting and entertaining. And I think people will appreciate this as Vinnie’s first film of hopefully many."

Jasta co-produced the music for the production with Agnostic Front guitarist Phil Caivano (ex-Monster Magnet), who also scored the movie. Make up and special effects were tackled by Brian Spears. "Nick and I are going to make a bunch of other films," Jasta says, "and we're going to get the who's who of metal, hardcore and punk in there because I feel like we're at this really good time where these opportunities are available to us and we need to seize them. And a lot of these guys are good actors, especially Vinnie."

Well, maybe this one isn't truly indecipherable, but it sure is prickly. If the band has a copy of this logo carved in steel and uses it in their live set, we feel sorry for the poor guys who have to carry it on and offstage. Hopefully they wear industrial work gloves. And god help the band member who accidentally bumps into the edges of any of the letters while he's rocking out. Of course, god probably wouldn't go out of his way to help out any of these heathens and blasphemers from slashing themselves wide open as a result of their vain quest for the sharpest moniker around. Just looking at it makes us think of the last time we were bored and carved our name on our tongue with papercuts. But that's neither here nor there.

The votes are in, the results are tallied, and the winner, by a slim margin, is Machine Head. You, the people have voted Machine Head as a band that "rocks harder" than DevilDriver. Many of you commented that it was a tough decision and that both group's are worthy of great praise both in concert and on album. But when push came to shove, the determining factor was Machine Head's undeniable 2007 album The Blackening, which was widely favored over DevilDriver's The Last Kind Words.

Since you chose Machine Head over DevilDriver, we now reward you with two rare video clips of Machine Head in action. Rather than post the band's music videos or footage of them performing their songs live, we present Machine Head collaborating on and covering the work of others.

The first is a dusty clip of Machine Head and Slayer onstage covering Venom's "Witching Hour" and the second is Machine Head's take on Metallica's "Battery":

machine head & slayer live

Add to My Profile | More Videos
Machine Head - Battery ( Metallica cover )
Uploaded by Duketrasher

On Friday, we'll post a podcast interview with Dave Mustaine of Megadeth. During the interview, we discussed the recent departure of guitarist Glen Drover, how he was replaced by Chris Broderick, the lineup for 2008's Gigantour, how Sounds of the Underground are taking the year off, the resurgence of thrash metal and much, much more. Here's a Q&A excerpt of what you'll hear on the podcast:

Headbangers Ball Blog: When did you start seeing signs that Glen Drover might not be happy with what he was doing in the band?
Mustaine: You know, out of respect for Glen, I’m not gonna really talk too much about that. He was having some stuff that he was dealing with, and we’re talking about someone who left for personal matters. He didn’t get into it, so why should I? I frankly don't know what [made him want to leave] other than what he told me, which is he wanted to leave to be with his family. Now, Glen is the brother of our drummer, and out of just sheer stupidity you would talk shit about an exiting member when he's got a sibling in your band, so I've got nothing to say. And even if I was mad a Glen, which I'm not, I wouldn’t say anything about it. Glen is a talented player, and he had given the thumbs up to Chris Broderick coming in, and [his brother] Shawn [Drover] is the one who even recommended Chris Broderick. So, I was really excited.

Glen was influenced a lot by Chris Poland, and we don’t play a lot of Megedeth from the Chris Poland era. Chris was totally influenced by Marty Friedman, who we play a lot of music from. It was the longest lineup, and for subsequent guitar players after Marty left, I tried to find people who sounded a little more like him than just kind of going in whatever direction I wanted to.

There was no real rhyme or reason between the choices of a player like Chris Poland, and then jumping to someone like a Jeff Young and then jumping to Marty Friedman. It wasn't like I was advancing or progressing or following any kind of educational graph to get from Chris to Marty. The good thing now is every song is ready to go. Chris has been down here playing the songs with me. We play them in slow-mo, we film them on video cameras and we’re going over every single note – so much so that we even corrected things that bass and drums were doing wrong while we were doing rehearsal here prior to leaving for the tour. We got deep down in there and found a bunch of stuff that made it even tighter. I loved playing with Glen. This is a new chapter. I think we've taken it up a level. I appreciate Glen helping me find Chris. Now it’s time to move on. Read more...

Dear Readers,

We regretfully report that this week's Might Makes Write blog (by Otep Shamaya) was effectively and efficiently dismissed and deleted due to graphic and ungodly content that did deliberately and decisively violate a surplus of Internet indecency laws and morality codes set forth by the Federal Commission on Proper Ethics and Acceptable Citizenship.

If we were to allow this blog to be viewed, it could cause all holy hell to break loose and become a flashpoint for a wave of riotous, obscene, possibly pornographic, arsons of the mind and soul. Indeed, this entry was so offensive and lewdly provocative that a few of our Commissioners had to be hospitalized from the shock and fear they felt after reading this salacious attack on organized religion and its followers.

For example, we would not want to be responsible for your actions if we were to allow you to read this portion of her entry:

Yes, friends, the mongrels I am referring to are the excrement-eating cowards from Westboro Baptist Church in Topeka, Kansas. These (alleged) children of God are notorious for picketing the funerals of U.S. soldiers who have died in Iraq and Afghanistan as a way of protesting our government, which they believe is much too tolerant of homosexuality. These deranged maniacs carry signs and placards reading, "Thank God for Dead Soldiers" and "Thank God for IEDs [improvised explosive devices]" and "God Hates America", while shouting curses and hurling insults at grieving parents. They also operate a detestable website that needs no explanation (www.godhatesfags.com). The Westboro Baptist Church (in Topeka, Kansas) is run by a diseased scarecrow-looking brute named Fred Phelps who believes that the soldiers deaths are God's prompt punishment for the collective sins of our nation.

Some of you might read this with disgust, but argue that they have a right to free speech. You would be correct. However, it seems only fair that I have the opportunity to exercise my right to take an aluminum bat to the kneecaps of these hate-mongers while singing "Amazing Grace." Read more...

Not every great horror story started with Steven King. True, the basic plot of the first and second part of the Danish supernatural saga "The Kingdom" (Koch Lorber) is the same as that of King's unappreciated series "Kingdom Hospital," but the European version actually came first -- and it's way better.

The story, conceived and directed by Lars Von Trier, is about a hospital staffed by eccentric doctors and filled with bizarre patients and restless spirits. In the first season, we meet the wonderfully compelling cast -- the arrogant and incompetent Swedish Doctor Helmer, the seemingly senile, but likable Dr. Moesgaard, the clairvoyant patient Sigrid Drusse, the unbalanced research surgeon Dr. Bondo and the mentally handicapped dishwashers who speak in crpytic riddles -- to name a few. Major points of conflict involve Helmer screwing up brain surgery, then scrambling to recover the paperwork that incriminates him; Drusse chasing a ghost named Mary and a female doctor becoming pregnant with a fetus that develops at an alarming rate.

The second season is where things really get weird. The doctor's baby continues to grow until it fills a room, the spiritualist crashes an airplane while searching for spectral disturbances in weather patters, Bondo replaces his own liver with one that's diseased so he can cultivate the world's largest cancerous growth. Stranger still, a medical student races an ambulance with soaped windows in an underground death pool and a summoned demon threatens to destroy the entire hospital and, perhaps, the planet.

"The Kingdom" is unceasingly entertaining and may well be the most surreal, funny, horrifying and captivating TV series since David Lynch's "Twin Peaks." No wonder it helped Von Trier establish himself as a force in filmmaking before he wrote and directed the excellent "Dancer in the Dark." The second season of "The Kingdom" ends kind of abruptly, and, at one point, it looked like Von Trier might put together a third season, however as the years passed several key actors died, and the director opted to let his creation rest in peace. Now all eight episodes live again on four DVDs. Read more...

photos by Jon Wiederhorn

When we heard Neurosis were headlining a show at the Brooklyn Masonic Temple, all we could think of was the surreal orgy scene in Stanley Kubrick's "Eyes Wide Shut." Unfortunately, there were no writhing naked bodies or ritual sacrifices on the second of two nights of Neurosis and Mastodon shows, however there was plenty of worship at the altar of mystical, mesmerizing metal.

Mastodon opened the event with a thunderous set largely drawn from the colossal Blood Mountain, but which also featuring songs from Leviathan and Remission. As always, the guitar interplay between Brent Hinds and Bill Kelliher was dynamic, however the temple acoustics were obviously designed for preaching -- and maybe moaning and grunting -- not the roar of metallic instrumentation, and as a result the complexities of Mastodon's music were somewhat lost in the din of the hall.

The same can sort of be said for Neurosis, however there was enough sonic variation in their set -- enough transitions between droning, crashing chords and eerie, ambient flourishes -- t0 make the sound problems less of a distraction. The band opened with the title track from their most recent album Given to the Rising, and then stormed through eight more visceral, darkly psychedelic songs, pausing for none of the promotional excesses ("How, you all doin' tonight!) that overload most metal shows.

As powerful as performances of "Distill (Watching the Swarm")," "At the End of the Road" and set closer "The Doorway" -- which ended in a lengthy shower of swarming feedback and tumbling drums -- were, the stage presentation was almost as captivating. Throughout the show, Neurosis were entirely lit by film projections on a circular screen -- including footage of burning crosses, wide open eyes, blooming flowers and decaying animals -- which significantly contributed to the cinematic, sometimes nightmarish, vibe of the show.

The only drawback to the unconventional lighting was the severe challenge it posed to photographers, who where strictly prohibited from using a flash since the concert was being filmed. And because Masonic worshipers don't seem to believe in photo pits, and the temple was filled to capacity, we were left clicking away from a seat our the shuddering balcony. But hell, we did our best.

And as we exited, our heads still vibrating, we walked by the social calendar listings and smiled as we saw the date for Neurosis and Masodon flanked by days booked for children's birthdays, weddings and other social engagements. Sadly, there were no orgies scheduled. Maybe next time.

One upcoming show we're really looking forward to at the moment is Exodus and Warbringer. Ever since 2004, when Gary Holt reformed Exodus and released Tempo of the Damned, the band have been on an upward success arc. Their most recent disc, The Atrocity Exhibition... Exhibit A was one of the best, most well-crafted metal albums last year and we're guessing Exhibit B is going to be even better. and Warbringer have got to be one of the most promising of the new breed of retro-thrash bands. They kind of remind us of a magical hybrid of Slayer, Dark Angel and, yes, Exodus, and we can't wait to see how they deliver onstage.

Anyway, in celebration of Exodus, we asked guitarist Gary Holt to come up with our new Bang of the Week. He eagerly accepted, and after a minute or two of thought chose Arch Enemy's video for "Revolution Begins."

"Michael Amott is not only a good friend, but, in my opinion, he is the best guitarist in metal. He's so good, it makes me angry; it's just sickening what he can do on his instrument. This is an awesome song from an awesome album."

Would Gary steer you wrong? Not a chance. For proof, check out the Exodus podcast here. And while you're at it, listen to the Arch Enemy podcast here.
Now, Here's Arch Enemy:

We've gotta say we were a bit surprised when a tiny comment we made about Dream Theater last week was perceived as an act of character assassination and prompted a slew of nasty comments from irate fans. One thing's for sure, those Dream Theater followers sure take their role as defenders of the Dream seriously.

But actually, their sabres were drawn pretty abruptly. We didn't really insult Dream Theater. All we said was that we were surprised Headbangers Ball viewers voted the band's video for "Constant Motion" the second best metal video of the year. We were even more shocked that the number one pick was Mushroomhead's "12 Hundred," but that's another argument entirely.

In our post, we pointed out that we "begged to differ" with the viewer's decision, then we premiered Dream Theater's new video for "Forsaken" on the blog because we believed strongly that the band's sizable fanbase wanted to see the clip. Two days later, we debuted the video on Heabangers Ball on MTV2. Pardon our hubris, but we don't see Fuse, VH1 or BET giving such love to Dream Theater.

Of course, there are two sides to every coin. Dream Theater are obviously ambitious, musically gifted and versed in a variety of styles. They're tighter than Barbie's ass and adventurous enough to improvise instead of always following their songs note for note. But that doesn't mean the "Constant Motion" video was more visually breathtaking than offerings by Mastodon, Machine Head or Down. There's a clear difference between sight and sound and sometimes the best songs are accompanied by some pretty crappy videos.

Now on to more inflammatory matters. While Dream Theater's legions obviously covet their favorite band above their own families, there are others who feel the group's endless soloing is self-indulgent, and that its complex arrangements don't hold together as well as simple, well-crafted songs. Also, while Dream Theater's songs obviously contain melodies, some argue that the emphasis on musicianship detracts from the tunefulness of the material. Even some fans of progressive metal groups such as Opeth, Mars Volta, Protest the Hero and System of a Down will argue that there's a big difference between experimentation and narcissistic showmanship, and that true musical revelation comes from an emphasis on art, not virtuosity.

That said, we'll continue to support Dream Theater as a valid force in hard rock/metal, however there are certainly plenty of other artists that are just as viable and to disregard bands such as Slayer, Killswitch Engage or Behemoth simply because they may lack Dream Theater's chops is as narrowminded as writing off Dream Theater as smarty-pants show-offs.

We await your invective.