This has got to be one the most bad-ass logos we've ever seen. Nevermind that there don't seem to be any actual letters here, the image is like the crest of a shield for an army of demons hellbent on taking metal back from the pious Christians that sell more records. And it's unspeakably evil without resorting to genre cliches like inverted crosses and pentagrams. Despite the lack of anything resembling words, we're guessing a bunch of you will recognize the insignia cuz this notorious band has been around a while. Believers in the cross, cower in fear. And for the rest of you, let's get those comments rolling.

Toss that bag of popcorn in the microwave and crack a cold beer (or a Coke if you're straight edge or underage). It's time to dim the lights and watch the exclusive premiere of  As I Lay Dying's video for "The Sound of Truth."

The sci-fi clip, which was directed by Brian Thompson, is the sequel to the band's "Nothing Left" video, which Thompson also lensed. Read what AILD frontman, Tim Lambesis, has to say about the new video here then watch it again and again.

"The Sound of Truth" will debut on air Saturday night on Headbangers Ball on MTV2.

After considering numerous offers, Swedish melodic death metal legends, In Flames, have chosen Koch Records as their new North American label. Koch will release the band's new album, A Sense of Purpose on April 1. The record, the follow-up to 2006's Come Clarity (which came out on Ferret Music), will be released three days later in Europe on Nuclear Blast.

A Sense of Purpose was recorded at In Flames' IF Studios in Gothenburg with vocal assistance by Daniel Bergstrand. The album was mixed by Toby Wright (Metallica, Slayer).

"Adding a band at the level of In Flames to the KOCH roster shows our commitment to the metal genre," said the label's VP of Metal Scott Givens. "They are poised to be one of the biggest metal bands in the world and we are thrilled to be chosen to help them make it happen." Read more...

We've been pretty happy with the caliber of performs we've secured so far for our Headbangersblog.com podcasts, the list of which includes Heaven and Hell, Slayer, Motorhead and Dillinger Escape Plan. But as humble as we are, even we have to admit we've really outdone ourselves this time. On Friday we'll present a podcast interview with the biggest metal band of all time. No, not Black Sabbath, Metallica or Kiss, we've got a super-rare interview with heavy metal masters Dethklok, stars of the most-watched television series ever, "Metalocalypse."

We won't describe exactly how the interview was obtained, suffice it to say it was conducted for Revolver magazine and kept in a secure vault, meant never to see the light of day lest great misfortune befall those involved in its production. However, thanks to some pleading, bribing and questionably unethical maneuvering, we were able to snatch it from its hiding place and present it to you.

So for now, Here's a brief excerpt from the Dethklok interview with singer Nathan Explosion, guitarist Skwisgarr Skwigelf and drummer Pickles. The full 30-minute interview will be posted as an MP3 on Friday:

Do you ever feel guilty or responsible for all of your fans that have died in the name of Dethklok?
Pickles: No, we’re happy they got to go out the way they wanted. Plus, if they come to our show, they have to sign a pain waiver removing us from all responsibility.

Can you remember the first death that occurred in your honor?
Nathan Explosion: On the first day of our first tour, the audience killed the opening band by pelting them with dead fish.

Why haven’t any serial killers named you as the motivation for their acts? Why does Marilyn Manson get all the credit?
Pickles: Uhhh, maybe he has a better PR guy.
Explosion: Or maybe the killers are really big fans and they don’t want to get us in trouble.

"Well behaved women seldom make history." -- Laurel Thatcher Ulrich

So here it is, the inevitable of all inevitables -- the everlasting mystery that has stumped reporters, perplexed the experts, and mystified journalists of all shapes and sizes. Yes, I will boldly attempt to solve this paralyzing puzzle of powerful paradoxes, ridiculous riddles, crusty conundrums and queasy quandaries once and for all. Stay with me friends, for this is the question that snares the ages and tears at the minds of all those who perceive it. It is, by far, the question most asked of me since I began this band so many moons ago.

And what, you may wonder, is this quarrelsome question of untold perpetuity? I will give you a moment to prepare your minds to take it in. It's big, like a religious experience, and could wound the meek in ways only a true sadist would know. Besides, I am sure the fine folks at Headbangersblog.com would not want blood on their hands at my expense. And neither would I (*wink*).

Now I know, it seems I am taking all of this a bit lightly and poking fun. And I am. But I either fabricate a bit of self-amusement out of this or one day I might just snap and find myself using a finely polished spoon to carve out the eye of the next person that asks me this question. A bit excessive? Sure. But that's just how my head works. I am fan of excess, and, in the end, I think this jovial diversion is best for everyone involved, including me. But I will keep this spoon handy (just in case).

Okay, I am assuming you are as prepared as you will ever be, so let's get to the meat of this thing. The question of utmost importance that I am always asked is, "What's it like being a woman in a metal band." Read more...

...And some people think it's weird for a mainstream entity like MTV to cover extreme metal band The Dillinger Escape Plan.

Recently, PBS host and former "60 Minutes" staffer Charlie Rose gave the group some major play on "Charlie Rose Tomorrow." Here's the compete 5 minute, 31 second clip. Talk about subversion from within:

Whoa, this one totally took us by surprise. By a two to one margin, Headbangers Ball Blog readers have declared Atreyu a harder rocking band than Avenged Sevenfold. We had actually wagered on A7X winning by a slim margin, but it seems that, while many readers dug the Iron Maiden-meets-Guns N' Roses riffs of Avenged's 2005 disc City of Evil they were taken aback by the less bombastic style of the band's 2007 self-titled offering.

By contrast, metalcore fans appreciate that Atreyu singer Alex Varkatzas still screams his larynx bloody even though he's also singing a bit these days, and while some readers griped about Atreyu's sonic diversion on 2007's Lead Sails Paper Anchor, overall, they acknowledge the album as a musical progression, not a sell-out.

Of course, we also got a bunch of responses from people who hate both bands and wrote their own entries onto the ballot, including Mayhem and Symphony X.

As much as we'd love to offer a video clip of home cooking tips with Mayhem drummer Hellhammer (if such a thing existed), we must give this one to Atreyu and provide you with some of their goodies. But first, in case you missed them the first time, here are links to our exclusive podcast interviews with both Atreyu and Avenged Sevenfold.

And now, here's a bunch of Atreyu videos (don't forget to click on "Read More" (yeah, we know, but we don't have a "view more" tag. So, sue us):

Sevendust pray label doesn't go belly-up

Back in the day, Sevendust were a wild bunch of dudes who lived to raise hell and didn't look much past the tips of the joints they were smoking. Then they grew up -- at least a little. Today, drummer Morgan Rose is striving to think positive and listening to a bunch of Christian hardcore -- which explains his choice of Underoath's "A Moment Suspended in Time" video for Bang of the Week.

"They, along with Norma Jean could be my favorite bands at the moment," Rose says. "This video shows how intense of a band they are. It's craziness and that's always been what I'm into...I love it!!!"

Here you go, Morgan. Toke up... we mean, pray for a better tomorrow:

They may have named themselves after one of Spiderman's old flames, but there's nothing cartoonish about Gwen Stacy.

The Indianapolis experimental Christian metalcore band write serious, tumultuous tunes about inspiration and salvation, but with enough angst and volume to appeal to fans of secular metal. Sinners and saints alike will be able to judge the band's merits when it drops its full-length debut, The Life I Know, on February 5.

"It's a really, really passionate album," drummer T.J. Sego told MTVnews.com's Metal File. "There are entire songs in there that just flat-out explain my life. This album is our hearts on tape. We love to play and hang with our fans, and we love our Lord and Savior, and that's basically what the album is all about." Of course, as with most bands of faith -- from Underoath to Demon Hunter -- Gwen Stacy have taken flack for being so outspoken about their religious beliefs. And while they strive to appeal to believers and nonbelievers alike, they harbor no ill feelings about those who judge them not for their music, but for their beliefs.

"We have a little 15-second thing that we throw into our set each night, which lets kids know our stance — that we play because we love Jesus," explained Sego. "But we're not about to judge them if they don't believe the same thing. We make sure that kids know that we're not there to ram our beliefs down their throats. We have our beliefs, and anyone who wants to know about them, we are more than prepared to share what we believe, but we won't look down at them if they don't."

The gospel of Gwen Stacy will likely become more clear when they drop The Life I Know, on February 5 and the band will elucidate their message on a tour with Haste the Day, Scary Kids Scaring Kids and Drop Dead Gorgeous, which runs through February 17 in Gwen's home town.

For the complete interview with Gwen Stacy and more metal than you can fit in a really large garbage bin, check out this week's Metal File.

Headbangers Ball Blog is thrilled to announce nausea-inducing heavy metal screamer and artist, Mike Hrubovcak, as a regular contributor to our site. The above art was created for Harmonic Violence's Hangrope to Hell, and has definitely been out there. But staring next week, Mike will be providing us with a piece of previously unpublished metal art every week or two. In addition to crafting nasty goregrind covers by acts like XXX Maniac, Cephalotripsy and Pathology, Hrubovcak has designed art for the Relapse Slimewave Series, created t-shirts for artists like Cattle Decapitation and penned some pretty wild looking logos. He also replaced Jason Avery in Monstrosity (the stomping grounds for Cannibal Corpse growler George "Corpsegrinder" Fisher). Maybe he and that Demon Hunter art dude can square off one day in draw-off between good and evil. Until that happens, here's a few words from Hrubovcak. And until next week, you might wanna stock up on Dramamine.

I've been heavily involved in the underground Death Metal scene for about 12 years now. I'm mostly known for my artwork and album covers through my website, Visualdarkness.com, and also for being the vocalist for the bands Monstrosity and Vile.

This all started with one of my first bands, Divine Rapture, which I formed with my brother J.J. Hrubovcak. I did the vocals and artwork and he did all the music. It was my first real artistic outlet and a sign of things to come. Read more...