The heavy metal circus of Slipknot will return to action on this summer's Rockstar Energy Mayhem festival following a lengthy hiatus, and percussionist Clown recently told MTVnews.com that the band is ready to hang, draw and quarter anyone who gets in their way -- and that includes the other bands on the bill. Mayhem may be the brainchild of Warped Tour founder Kevin Lyman, who strives to unite the metal community by filling the bill with a diverse array of bands (including Slipknot, Disturbed, Dragonforce and Mastodon). But to Clown, the whole event boils down to yet another headline tour for Slipknot.
"It's a bunch of bands opening for Slipknot," Crahan said. "We're headlining, as it should be. Sorry — it's a Slipknot show, kids. We've been gone for two years, and you've all had the chance to do what you're going to do. But now we're back; step in line. That's what's up. We're the DNA that keeps whatever cell this is moving. Period." Read more...
Congratulations to Nick Scott, who nailed this week's Indecipherable logo by commenting, "That is Discomformity, from Japan I believe."
Yes, indeed. Inspired by Suffocation, Immolation and Pyrexia, Disconformity play crushing, unrelenting death metal with ferocity and skill. Read more...
Any band that has been together for 16 years is bound to develop compatibility issues. So, when we heard that Korn frontman Jonathan Davis was playing his own shows and working on a solo album, and guitarist James "Munky" Shaffer was in the new band Fear and the Nervous System (with ex-Limp Bizkit guitarist Wes Borland, ex-Faith No More bassist Billy Gould and Bad Religion drummer Brooks Wackerman), we figured Korn might be reaching the End of Days -- especially since nearly half of the original lineup (guitarist Brian "Head" Welch and drummer David Silveria) have already left for greener -- or in Head's case, more Godly -- pastures.
Then, we heard the rumors that Korn was going to reunite with their entire original lineup for their next album. Confused, we decided to track down Davis and find out what the hell was going on. In our exclusive podcast interview, the singer explained that the band has no intention of breaking up and has already made plans to re-enter the studio in November with producer Ross Robinson, who worked on Korn's first two records, Korn (1994) and Life is Peachy (1996). Davis also filled us in on how he'd love to eventually work with Head again, how he may never again share the stage with Silveria, the progress he's making on his first solo album and his upcoming collaboration with Clive Barker.
Click more to stream or download the podcast: Read more...
Since we posted the video for Machine Head's "Halo," various readers have written in complaining about the edit, which cuts the song down from nine minutes in length to just about five. In response, Robb Flynn has written a lengthy explanation of the band's decision. He also explains what the band and director Mike Sloat were trying to accomplish with the clip and what happened during the shoot.
I write to you from the surprisingly frigid city of Madrid, Spain, where we are on tour as direct support to Metallica right now (woo-f--kin'- hoo!!!), and when we got the news about our video being premiered this Saturday, we were super stoked, to say the least!!! We are especially proud of this video, as it challenged us creatively and we feel it is completely unique to anything out there right now in metal or in mainstream music. Read more...
This one ain't really fair, but whoever comes out the winner, the legendary Max Cavalera will emerge triumphant, so we can live with that. The former frontman of Sepultura has formed two bands since his departure from that legendary thrash outfit. The first, Soulfly, has blended nu-metal, tribal sounds and thrash into a hateful and intoxicating cocktail of aggression and spite. More recently, however, Cavalera has reunited with his brother Igor after a silence of over 10 years and formed Cavalera Conspiracy. Read more...
The two samurai swords don't make up an inverted cross or anything, but this logo is still unquestionably bad-ass and brutal. Read more...
"Halo" is Machine Head's third video from their latest album The Blackening,. The band returned to director Mike Sloat ("Aesthetics of Hate," "Imperium," "Days Turn Blue to Gray") for the shoot, which went down on April 3 in San Francisco. The footage was all shot in front of a green screen, and later the background was digitally edited to look like the art work for The Blackening.
Click more to watch the video, then see it again on Saturday's "Headbangers Ball" on MTV2: Read more...
photo by Otep Shamaya
"... that the minority possess their equal rights, which equal laws must protect, and to violate would be oppression.” -- Thomas Jefferson
In order to scribe this weeks entry, I have had to remove myself from any source of news or interference. I believe it’s important to have the right kind of atmosphere when writing something this important that will undoubtedly evoke the biased and hateful to turn on me. So, here I sit, on a traditional bridal bed made of dark mahogany, draped in red curtains from India, fortified behind walls of giant harem pillows. In the deep darkness of 3 a.m., candles singe the exhausted air and lighten the ethers with their soft fragrances. Twisting and rooting all around me are the limbs of three sleeping furies, lost in the universal mind, their enervated bodies radiate a rainbow of halos that pinch and pull dark visions of sweet temptation. Yes, the mood seems right. My fingers are ready to focus on stroking the keys of this powerbook (and perhaps a leg or rib or nape of the neck or two). Okay, enough. To the meat. Read more...
photo by Jon Wiederhorn
Yesterday, we presented our first three video interview snippets with Children of Bodom, shot in Philadelphia during this year's Gigantour. Today, we offer you the last two clips and the band's new video, "Hellhounds on my Trail."
click "more" to see it all: Read more...
Dead Child in group hug after winning a return trip to "Headbangers Ball"
As much as they love metal icon, King Diamond, Headbangers Ball Blog readers voted for newbies, Dead Child as the winner of this week's "Your Vote Counts" contest -- despite the bandmembers' indie rock pedigree and the fact that they smile for press photos.
As victors of the week, Dead Child's rebel-rousing "Sweet Chariot" video will return next Saturday for a second "Headbangers Ball" screening. While most voters failed to provide much more justification than "Dead Child rule," a few concocted somewhat amusing -- if not entirely hysterical -- puns. Read more...
