Ozzy-Sabbath wrote the book and Dio-Sabbath penned the worthy sequel. And for bands whose members came of age in the early '80s, Dio-Sabbath might actually have been more influential. "When they reunited last year I was overjoyed," says 3 Inches of Blood bassist Nicholas John Cates. "And when I heard they were writing a few new tunes for a greatest hits album, I was even more excited."

In that case, Cates must be besides himself now that Heaven and Hell (aka Dio-Sabbath) have announced that Ronnie James Dio is in England right now working with the band on their next record. The group will fly to Los Angeles in April to continue working and plans to be pounding away through May. A full album of new Dio-Sabbath is enough to render Cates speechless, but for now there are just three new songs and the bassist has no trouble talking about those. Read more...

One of the godfathers of black metal's image and content (if not necessarily the sound), King Diamond chose Dimmu Borgir's "The Serpentine Offering" as his Bang of the Week. Makes sense to us. Diamond's music is theatrical, epic and rooted in darkness. The same can certainly be said for Dimmu Borgir. Now, if only the King would use more blast beats and Dimmu singer, Shagrath, would wail in a multi-octave falsetto then we'd really be styling. Oh, well. There ain't nothing wrong with dreaming. Now here's Diamond: Read more...

Even if Exodus hadn't taken Warbringer under their wing and showed 'em the ropes on tour we've got a feeling that Warbringer guitarist Adam Carroll still would have chosen Exodus' "Riot Act" video as his Bang of the Week. Just listen to the dude's playing. There's no question that those chainsaw riffs and flailing solos were largely influenced by Exodus axeman Gary Holt, ex-guitarist Rick Hunolt and current shredder Lee Altus. Sure, Warbringer were also inspired by Slayer, early Metallica, Sodom, Kreator et al., but the most pungent flavor in their sound in Exodus, and it's something they're hardly ashamed of, as they revealed in an interview story earlier this year. Click "read more" to hear from Carroll and watch the video. Read more...

For his Bang of the Week, it might have been a good business decision for Hate Eternal frontman Erik Rutan to pick an artist whose album he produced, but Rutan ain't about nepotism (look it up), so he chose Nile's "Papyrus Containing the Spell to Preserve Its Possessor Against Attacks," which was produced by Neil Kernon. Read more...

When it comes to extracurricular activities, we're sure Saviours have a lot in common with High on Fire, but that's not the main reason why Saviours frontman Austin Barber made High on Fire's "Rumors of War" his Bang of the Week.

“I chose it because it classically beats your head like Motorhead's 'Overkill' did when it first came out," he says. "Des [Kensel's] drumming is unrelenting on this one, and after the break, when Matt's solo kicks in, it continues getting more and more bad-ass. With [bassist Jeff] Matz now in the mix, it feels like High on Fire is truly complete and where they're going with the new tunes is a rad place.”

Now, let's watch:

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...

Prong have never been the most decisive band in the world. So, when we asked them for a Bang of the Week they couldn't decide who to plug or even who should plug it. Finally, they decided to send us two, one from frontman Tommy Victor and another from drummer Aaron Rossi. Since we've got no real space limitations, we'll give 'em both to you. Read more...

For his Bang of the Week, '80s theatrical metal dude Lizzy Borden actually did something predictable. He gave props to another dramatic, horror-themed rock band, Lordi, and their monster movie homage "Would You Love a Monsterman?"

"They took a classic scene from 'Frankenstein' and turned it into a video; great idea," enthuses Borden. "I really like the set. The shadows are great, very reminiscent of Tim Burton, and they help create the perfect world for Lordi. I like the twist at the end where the seemingly innocent little girl either turns into a monster or already was one all along. I Love the song as well, especially the catchy chorus."

One upcoming show we're really looking forward to at the moment is Exodus and Warbringer. Ever since 2004, when Gary Holt reformed Exodus and released Tempo of the Damned, the band have been on an upward success arc. Their most recent disc, The Atrocity Exhibition... Exhibit A was one of the best, most well-crafted metal albums last year and we're guessing Exhibit B is going to be even better. and Warbringer have got to be one of the most promising of the new breed of retro-thrash bands. They kind of remind us of a magical hybrid of Slayer, Dark Angel and, yes, Exodus, and we can't wait to see how they deliver onstage.

Anyway, in celebration of Exodus, we asked guitarist Gary Holt to come up with our new Bang of the Week. He eagerly accepted, and after a minute or two of thought chose Arch Enemy's video for "Revolution Begins."

"Michael Amott is not only a good friend, but, in my opinion, he is the best guitarist in metal. He's so good, it makes me angry; it's just sickening what he can do on his instrument. This is an awesome song from an awesome album."

Would Gary steer you wrong? Not a chance. For proof, check out the Exodus podcast here. And while you're at it, listen to the Arch Enemy podcast here.
Now, Here's Arch Enemy:

Protest the Hero play jarring, progressive metal full of mindbending solos and impossible musicianship, so it's no surprise that singer Rody Walker reached out to a similarly gifted outfit for his Bang of the Week. No, Walker didn't give props to Dream Theater or Dillinger Escape Plan, he screamed praise to a band that seems to be the hottest dark horse contender to come along since Horse the Band. We're talking, of course, about Symphony X, whose video for "Set the World on Fire" received such strong feedback on the Headbangers Blog it was subsequently aired on MTV2's Headbangers Ball. Power to the people, and all. Keep setting the world on fire, guys.

"I picked that because I've never seen a Symphony X music video, and from what I've seen in pictures of them, they're pretty hilarious looking guys," Walker said. "Beyond that, It's also a f--king awesome song. And also, Russell Allan is pretty much the greatest singer ever."