The scar-crossed logo you see before you, does indeed belong to Hinus Paganus, as Gvoltt wrote. There's not much information out there about these guys other than that they've from Brazil and their lineup consists of singer and guitarist Dismal, bassist Infernal Spectro and drummer Lusbel Vonlord.

To date, they've have released five songs on an 2003 split EP with Black Angel called Occult Eternal Mystery/Inferno: "Christ in Flames," "The Destruction," "Inferno," "Obscure" and "A Máscara."

Little is known about the current whereabouts of Hinus Paganus, however they are believed to still be active and creation blasphemous serenades somewhere in the jungles of Brazil.

Here's War of Ages singer Leroy Hamp talking about working in the studio with As I Lay Dying singer Tim Lambesis, who produced WOA's fifth album Arise and Conquer. The disc, which came out last week, is the follow-up to 2007's Fire From the Tomb:

"When I heard Tim Lambesis was getting into producing records, I wanted to work with him. I didn't think it would be possible for us, scheduling-wise, because of how busy he tends to be. We asked our label and management about the possibility and they contacted him. He said he would be stoked to make it happen! Read more...

Much of next week's "Headbangers Ball" is already programmed, but there's one slot that's open and it's up to you to decide what video gets played. Yes, it's time for you to take a stand and choose one new video from last weekend's show to return next week. As always, past winners are not eligible for your vote; that means last week's winner Terror can't win and neither can Whitechapel, so don't waste your time voting for either.

Still, we've got some pretty strong candidates remaining, including The Gates of Slumber with "Trapped in the Web," which we premiered last week, Slipknot's "Psychosocial," we received its Headbangers debut last week and the new one by Shadows Fall, "Forevermore."

The rules are simple. Only ONE vote is allowed for each IP address. It doesn't matter if you use a different screen name. If you vote twice from the same computer, you will be disqualified. Voting runs between now and 2 p.m. on Wednesday, so get crackin'. Click "more" to see the complete list, watch last week's winner for inspiration and let the voting begin. Read more...

It's not even the end of July, but we're pretty sure that at the end of the year when we're voting for our top albums, Nachtmystium's Assassins Black Meddle Part 1 will be right there near the top.

The extreme experimental band's sixth full-length expands upon the musical growth it displayed on 2006's Instinct: Decay. Now, instead of merely dabbling with psychedelic sounds, Nachtmystium has drawn inspiration from their old Pink Floyd, King Crimson and Neu! records to create a disc that's at times painfully claustrophobic, yet frequently rife with expansive textures. The apparent contradiction allows the band to breathe and explore like never before without losing the black metal minimalism it cultivated years ago from bands like Darkthrone and Mayhem.

As reflected in his music, which shatters boundaries and scoffs at convention, Nachtmystium frontman Blake Judd abhors the constrictive constructs and shallow content of much of today's black metal acts. Moreover, he despises the trendy and unimaginative developments of the scene and prefers to tour with audacious indie bands like Boris and Torche than go out on the road with a bunch of spike-wearing face-painted Norwegians.

To get to the bottom of Nachtmystium's blackened, ethereal souls we tracked down Judd at his home in Chicago and talked about his musical motivations, his label Battle Kommand Records, why his group signed to Century Media, the indulgences that color his brand of psychedelia and who a metal band has to sleep with to get a burger named after it.

click "more" to stream or download the podcast interview: Read more...

Unholy Hell. This mess of a logo looks like a mass of squirmy blood-sucking centipedes wriggling around an inverted cross. We know they suck blood because of the drippy trails coming off their bodies and falling below the horizontal rung of the cross. Read more...

Throwdown has always and will always be a band for our fans before anyone else.

So it is with great regret that we find ourselves in a situation where we are left with no alternative but to air out years of dirty laundry with Josh Grabelle of Trustkill Records for our fans to read and become as disappointed by as we are.

Several months ago we were forced to send Trustkill Records a "breach of contract" notice (despite the legal fees involved for us with such action) and our "breach of contract" was not cured within the 30 days legally allotted. Trustkill has been in this current breach with Throwdown (it's not the first time) since March 31, 2008. By his own accounting, Josh currently owes the band tens of thousands of dollars in unpaid royalties for CDs sold. We have not once in the history of our relationship with the label received a royalty payment on time. And now that our three album contract with him is fulfilled, we are not hopeful that will change. Read more...

Craig Owens, the singer for hardcore/emo band Chiodos has been discharged from a mental health facility he entered after a suicide attempt at his home in Michigan on July 20, reports Alsolutepunk.net.

"On Sunday, July 20th, I attempted to overdose on prescribed Xanax at my home here in Michigan," Owens said in a statement. "Flash ahead 12 hours later, I woke up in the emergency room surrounded by my family and best friends, with an IV in my left arm, and hooked up to machines. I felt confused, angry, selfish, and completely embarrassed. After being admitted to the hospital for a couple of days, I made my way to recovery and built up enough strength and courage with the support of my loved ones enough to make it back home. I am okay, though. Thankfully, I had no permanent physical damage to myself from this."
Read more...

Nicholas Cage's ex with future husband, Dimmu Borgir frontman Shagrath. photo by Kristian Helgesen, courtesy of VG.no.

The Norwegian black metal community may be more mainstream than you think. Over the past week, a couple of announcements have been made concerning major players in the genre that seriously shake out faith in the ultimate power of the black.

First, word gets out that Dimmu Borgir frontman Shagrath (a.k.a. Stian Tomt Thoresen) is going to marry Nicholas Cage's 41-year-old ex-girlfriend Christina Fulton in September, according to Norwegian newspaper VG. Shagrath met Fulton on June 6, 2006 at a Pagan bloodletting ritual... just kidding. The couple actually met four months ago through one of the singer's "associates," and were reportedly hooked from the start. Will the wedding will be held in a damp cave in Bergen? Nope. The happy couple will marry in Prekestolen, a site popular amongst tourists because of its sweeping panoramic views.

So, what does Fulton and Cage's 17-year-old son Weston Coppola-Cage think of all this? Well, since he has his own black metal band, Eyes of Noctum, in LA, he's probably giving thanks and praises to Beelzebub on a daily basis. Thanks to his stepdad to be, his band is currently recording is debut album with producer Fredrik Nordström (Dimmu Borgir, In Flames) at Studio Fredman in Gothenburg, Sweden. The album will feature an appearance by Mayhem drummer Hellhammer (who has also played with Dimmu).

Equally, if not more appalling, Gorgoroth singer Gaahl (a.k.a. Kristian Espedal) is apparently launching a women's clothing line with modeling agent Dan DeVero, who says the two developed "a close relationship" after they met 18 months ago. "He often told me he had strong feelings for me," DeVero allegedly told iBergen.no.

The pair's company will be called Wynjo, which is an ancient Norse word for -- not Valhalla, not Almighty Satan -- but "the search for happiness." The outfits will be designed by Sonja Wu and will be presented at a preview in Bergen in September. Maybe Shagrath's babe, Fulton, should get Gaahl's peeps to design her a blood-spattered wedding outfit.

So, what does Shaggy's coven think of his dalliances in ladies clothing? "Those who know me in private didn't think it was particularly strange," he told iBergen.No. "I do not care about what people in general think. It's not as if I'm going to change as a person just because suddenly there are some dresses out in the world. Besides, I like confusing people."

Consider us confused... and nauseated.

What happens when you grow up in Indianapolis, Indiana, a city whose greatest claim to fame is a yearly car race that millions of people watch just to see the fiery collisions that sometimes take place? Well, we wouldn't know since we're tried and true Noo Yooakas, but we're guessing you grow up a little twisted. Maybe you harbor fantasies of working in a chocolate factory by day and hacking up and skinning cheerleaders at night. Or maybe you really withdraw into the recesses of imagination and form a lumbering doom metal band like The Gates of Slumber.

Click "more" to hear from the Sabbath and Tolkien-loving Earthdwellers and watch their new video. Read more...

Various members of heavy metal's elite will perform an all-star tribute to the late Dimebag Darrell August 9 in Dallas Texas at Ozzfest 2008 at Pizza Hut Park. Participants will include Dime's brother and longtime bandmate Vinnie Paul, Metallica guitarist Kirk Hammett, Slayer guitarist Kerry King, Alice in Chains guitarist Jerry Cantrell and bassist Mike Inez, King Diamond, Anthrax guitarist Scott Ian and drummer Charlie Benante, Hatebreed frontman Jamey Jasta, Hellyeah and Mudvayne singer Chad Gray and Hellyeah and ex-Damageplan bassist Bob Zilla. Read more...