The other day we watched "The Texas Chainsaw Massacre" -- the original 1974 version directed by Tobe Hooper, not the slick, crappy 2003 remake. About 25 minutes into the film, there's a scene where a tweaked out psycho redneck hitches a ride with some ne'er-do-well travelers, cuts his hand with a penknife, then slashes a wheelchair-bound dude with a straight razor. At this point, the vacationers wrestle him out of the their van, but before they have the chance to pull away, he smears blood from his dripping hand into a pattern on the side of their vehicle. Had the cut been deeper or if he had the chance to spend more time on his rendering it might have looked something like this logo. Leave your comments about the film and logo in the ordinary place.
Then watch the trailer of one of the most terrifying films of all time: Read more...
It's hard to believe that more than a decade has passed since Soulfly frontman Max Cavalera and his brother and drummer Iggor recorded together in Sepultura. Stranger still, during that time the brothers -- who were once closer than Eddie and Alex Van Halen -- didn't speak a word to each other. Fortunately, as the saying goes, time heals all wounds, and over the past 18 months, the Cavalaras have reconnected. (click read more to find out how in a video interview with Max and Iggor Cavalera). Read more...
Yeah, System of a Down were a cool band, no question. But if you’re waiting for singer Serj Tankian to get tired of his solo career and reconvene with guitarist and songwriter Daron Malakian, bassist Shavo Odadjian and drummer John Dolmayan, maybe you should stop taking those happy pills and confront the real world. System of a Down are over for now. They’ve been through since 2006 and very well may never get back together.
"There's no talk of System doing anything," Malakian told MTVnews.com with a hint of annoyance. “If anyone's holding their breath for a System record, they're going to turn blue and pass out. It's a long ways away, if it ever even happens. We don't even talk about it — none of us." Read more...
Seriously, Gene, don't flatter yourself
There was no way we were going to get through the day without talking about the Gene Simmons sex tape that's circulating around the internet (we'll get to the link later, but be advised, this s--t's totally NSFW).
If you haven't seen it, be advised that it might be more titillating to watch monkeys getting it on in the zoo. For real, the chick is hot and all, but even frickin' Rob Jeremy looks better in a horizontal position, and -- despite Gene's claims that he has slept with over 4,600 women -- he doesn't do anything on the video that leads us to believe all those girls walked away with their worlds rocked. And, from what we can see in the clip, it appears that his tongue is his only unusually large appendage. Read more...
"Res ipsa loquitur. Let the good times roll." -- Hunter S. Thompson
Dear friends, foes, and everyone in between. Greetings & Salutations. I am happy to report that I am safe and strong and securely restored to hero status. I appreciate all of the well wishes and sultry support as I climbed from the wretched stench of this subtle plague washing over our cities and villages in wave after wave of fever and fear.
To all those who were offended by my creative and imaginative writings the past two weeks (I am assuming some of you are still checking in and checking out the blog despite your holier than thou rants and tirades), I offer no apologies and wave goodbye, with one hand, and offer a one finger salute with the other, as you exit swiftly from our movement. There's an old saying my outlaw grandpa used to proclaim whenever he would throw back a pint of scotch (or two) and rail on about anyone he offended with his stance on politics and religion, "Otep, darling, f--- 'em if they can't take a joke." Right on Gramps. Right on. Read more...
This was one of the closest "Who Rocks Harder" contests we've had to date, and it elicited more viewer commentary than virtually any since Deicide Vs. As I Lay Dying (the poor Christian bastards didn't have a chance against the hordes of Deicide disciples). In the end, however, Dimmu Borgir edged out Cradle of Filth in the hard rocking department.
Dimmu supporters generally praised the band's symphonic arrangements, sophisticated songwriting and crushing rhythms, while Cradle devotees raised the devil's horns to the band's theatrics, musical diversity and sustained popularity.
However, there were also voters who denied the heaviness of either group, exclaiming that the blasts of true evil from outfits like Gorgoroth and Watain were enough to instantly snuff both watered down commercial metal titans.
Be that as it may, we have to give props to the winners, so here's live video footage of Dimmu from Ozzfest 2004:
What, no dismembered corpses or senseless acts of atrocious violence? Could graphic artist Mike Hrubovcak be losing his touch? Nah, he's still totally gifted at creating gory cover art that makes us squirm, but he's smart enough to give his clients what they ask for, and the frickin' sissies of Dallas death metal outfit, No Souls Lost, didn't want images of disemboweled women and decapitated children to grace the cover of their new album Hostis Humani Generis. We'll let Hrubovcac explain. Read more...
Anders Friden, the singer for Swedish legends In Flames may be a man of few words, but he knows what he likes. For his Bang of the Week, Friden, without pausing, chose Baroness' video for "Wanderlust" from the Savannah, Georgia band's 2007 full-length debut Red Album. Read more...
Some of you may see this guest blog as a shameless plug for our upcoming tour. But really, I'm just rambling about s--t that I always love to talk about -- kick-ass, good quality music.
Once upon a time, progressive music (or PROG) was a genre that was all about the best (or worst) excesses of music -- virtuoso musicianship, long, daring arrangements, over-the-top theatrics, etc. But within five or six years, the artsy-fartsy approach had blown up to Spinal Tap proportions, and soon PROG became a very dirty word in the industry (maybe Peter Gabriel dressing up as a giant sunflower on stage was a sign that things had been taken too far). Read more...
The bandmembers may not all be old enough to drink legally, but when it comes to old-school thrash metal, Warbringer are as fast and skilled as many of the veteran groups that inspired them, such as Exodus, Kreator and Testament. The band's full-length debut, War Without End — which came out earlier this month — is a hail storm of jagged riffs, jackhammer beats and caustic screams. And while the band is firmly entrenched in the new wave of American thrash metal — which includes Black Tide, Fueled by Fire and others — frontman John Kevill insists Warbringer have never been interested in capitalizing on any sort of musical trend.
"There's a lot of hype about it right now that makes it more of a novelty than I like," the singer tells MTVnews.com's Metal File. "But I think it's ultimately a really good thing that people are getting into metal that doesn't suck. There's no reason that old-school metal shouldn't be played anymore. I enjoy listening to that more than what's coming out today." Read more...
