By an overwhelming majority, Headbangers Ball viewers have chosen Opeth's "Porcelain Heart" as the video from last week's show they'd most like to see again on Saturday night. Read more...

Today, we thought we'd give everyone a sneak peek at the artwork for Inhale/Exhale's new album, 'I Swear.'

Like every project we work on, we try and gather as much information on the album as possible. What is the meaning behind the title? Is there a theme? Is there a concept that the band has in mind? Is there an overarching emotion or feeling being conveyed? ie. depressing, positive, uplifting, dark, etc. In a nutshell: What is the album about?

Click "more" to see the cover art and details of the rest of the art on the record. Read more...

Here's the second and final part of our new exclusive Dream Theater interview. Check out guitarist John Petrucci and drummer Mike Portnoy talking about how they keep their vintage material exciting, their recent remixes and the pitfalls they've encountered over the years.

Click "more" to watch the three interview clips: Read more...

We're pleased to present the exclusive premiere of Pelican's "Dead Between the Walls" video, which comes from the band's 2007 album City of Echoes. Click "more" to hear guitarist Larent Schroeder-Lebec tell us all about it, then watch the video: Read more...

Our last indecipherable logo belongs to Cenotaph, a self-described "brutal gore-death" band from Ankara, Turkey, which currently features singer Batu Cetin, guitarist Basar Cetin, bassist Cihan Akun and drummer Caglar Yurut.

The group was formed by Batu Cetin in the summer of 1994. After going through various members, Cenotaph released their first demo Life Immortal in 1995. The recording featured Cetin, guitarist Coskun, bassist Bülent and drummer Bülent G. (ex-Suicide).

In 1996, Bülent G. was replaced by Goremaster and with the new lineup, Cenotaph recorded their second demo Promo Tape 96. That summer, the band entered Yesilkart Studios in Istanbul to record their eight song debut, Voluptuously Minced, which was released by Hammer Music. Read more...

Seeing that we're about to post two more days of interviews with Dream Theater, you might ask why we're paying so much attention to this year's Progressive Nation tour? It's a valid question.

There are lots of cool package tours launching this spring and summer, and while we've devoted plenty of coverage to Gigantour, and we'll be giving Masters of Metal and the Rockstar Energy Mayhem Festival some major play as well, the Progressive Nation is clearly a class act.

Dream Theater drummer Mike Portnoy has assembled a package that represents all corners of the progressive metal spectrum, and while Dream Theater are headlining the event, it's hardly one of those show-up-at-the-end-of-the-night propositions. Openers Between the Buried and Me, 3 and, especially, Opeth are representing themselves in fine fashion and by the time Dream Theater are a few songs into the set, a serious case of headspins kicks in -- even if you're stone-cold sober.

So, to keep the Progressive Nation fever burning, Headbangers Ball Blog presents two days of interviews with Dream Theater drummer Mike Portnoy and guitarist John Petrucci about the origins of the festival, the bands on the bill, Dream Theater's upcoming DVD their longevity as the band and much, more more. Click "more" to watch the first of two days of interviews: Read more...

photo by noqontrol, courtesy of flickr.com

Once again, we're putting the power in your hands.

Last week, we gave viewers the responsibility of choosing one video from the show that just aired, which they wanted to see on the next Saturday's edition of of Headbangers Ball. The majority of votes went to new thrash titans Warbringer and their video for "Combat Shock." So you can't vote for that one again. But there are lots of other clips to pick from, including 36 Crazyfists' "We Gave it Hell" and Danava's "Where Beauty and Terror Dance," both of which debuted on the last Headbangers Ball.

Also, be sure to let us know what rocked, what blew and what you could take or leave. Did anything waste great camera work on a crappy song? Or was there a killer cut that coulda looked a lot better had the director off his meds? Let us know.

Get ready to vote. Click "more" to see the list of what we played last week: Read more...

The letters in this logo kind of look like broken up bones pieced together in a graveyard in the dead of night. The off-green color is a bit nasty, reminding us of the gnarly poops that come from eating too much spinach and not enough red meat. Clearly, this isn't the most indecipherable thing we've ever posted, but the band is good and it has an interesting story. So check back for the answer to the logo and some cool live video from the band.

Recently, Swedish psychedelic, doom/death metal band Opeth embarked on the Progressive Nation tour with Dream Theater, 3 and Between the Buried and Me. The bill may seem strange and ill-fitting for Opeth, a band that's just as likely to burst into death growls as to soar into a classical-inspired passage or swirl into the a trippy, surreal melody. But Opeth have built up enough of a following to draw their own fans to the tour. Also, frontman Mikael Åkerfeldt says Dream Theater's audience has been surprisingly welcoming of the eclectic, extreme Swedes. Besides, he adds, performing with Dream Theater makes more sense than playing with a lot of the other bands with which Opeth have shared the stage.

"We don't fit in with anyone, which is the problem," Åkerfeldt says. "But we don't care because we love what we do and we love that nobody else sounds like us."

In addition to diversifying their fanbase on Progressive Nation, Opeth are gearing up for the release of their ninth studio album, Watershed, which comes out June 3. The disc is an logical progression from their 2005 album Ghost Reveries. The melodies are beautiful, the compositions adventurous and the rhythms are filled with passion and power. However, it's even more musically extreme than their last offering, attacking with feral blast beats and blowtorch guitar riffs between surreal excursions and sinuous hooks. And, while the band's previous music featured undeniably strong musicianship, the guitar work on Watershed is even more dynamic and technical thanks to the addition of Fredrik Åkesson (ex-Arch Enemy), who replaced longtime guitarist Peter Lindgren in May 2007.

In the Headbangers Ball Blog Opeth interview podcast, Åkerfeldt talks about his musical goals for Watershed, his personal approach to the lyrics and how having children has made him more angry and aware. He also addressed the musical changes Åkesson has brought to the band, the impact The Zombies and The Hollies had on the new disc and why he chose to cover songs by Pat Travers and Alice in Chains.

Click "more" for streaming and MP3 downloads of the podcast. Read more...

From Alaska with love, here comes the new 36 Crazyfists video for "We Gave it Hell." The clip was directed by Soren (All That Remains, Unearth) in the Hatcher's Pass region and comes from the band's new album The Tide and its Takers, which comes out May 27. Here's singer Brock Lindow's take on the clip:

Picture this. Clear skies, negative 30 degrees and mountains that brush elbows with god. Mix in the world's finest and most fearless professional snow mobilers, and you have the wildest adventure I could ever dream up. The video was a long time coming for me and the fine folks at Ferret delivered us the goods. We had A really great time collaborating with Soren on the visual concept. Basically, we all rode back into Hatcher's Pass and shot all the riders doing their thing as well as all our friends partying in the parking lot of the State park. Lyrically I took a fist-in-the-air approach to the song to express that never give in mentality. Definitely it was the greatest time we have ever had making a video.

Click "more" to watch "We Gave it Hell" Read more...