Paul Stoddard, singer for metal rippers Diecast doesn't have a lot in common with Dimmu Borgir singer Shagrath vocally, but that didn't stop him from picking the Norwegian black metal band's song "The Serpentine Offering" as his Bang of the Week.

"I love the cold medieval feel of the video," Stoddard says. "I also really dig the original clean vocals of bass player ICS Vortex. I think they really compliment the very brutal and legible vocals of lead vocalist Shagrath. Combined with some really eerie orchestral backgrounds this video perfectly showcases Dimmu's dark, mysterious flavor."

And if you don't believe him, see for yourself:

Every Time I Die are currently on tour with Underoath plugging their new album, The Big Dirty, which came out September 4. Now, here's singer/lunatic Keith Buckley's witty repartee about picking HORSE the Band's "New York City" as the Bang of the Week:

"Here is my story about why I love HORSE the Band's video for 'New York City.' We would not be a band if it weren’t for these guys. Their wildly uninteresting and self proclaimed innovation is what keeps us going. As thought provoking as the golden girls -- HORSE the Band: call us!"

We really expected Nate from Through the Eyes of the Dead to give props to Cannibal Corpse or Black Dahlia Murder or something. But the dude's a big fan of Maylene & the Sons of Disaster, so he named "Dry the River" as his Bang of the Week.

Here's why:

"This band RIPS, and this is one of my favorite songs from their latest CD. There's a huge place in my heart for some southern rock, especially when you throw a SUPER heavy twist on it. If their riffs get any bigger, I won't be able to control my bowel movements. I really hope these guys stick around for a long time."

Now, hold onto your bowels Here's the video:

We left it up to Trivium guitarist Corey Beaulieu to pick our new Bang of the Week, and we've not surprised by his choice. Actually, it's a good one. Sure, having his band tear it up on tour with Machine Head didn't discourage Corey's decision, but there are other reasons he selected their scathing track "Aesthetics of Hate." First, it's a brutal, storming song filled with great guitar work, vicious vocals and a classic metal structure. But perhaps more importantly, the song is a rant against a right wing, conservative elitist who wrote an article on the Web that slammed Dimebag Darrell and his passionate fans mere hours after the death of the guitar hero. Since then, Beaulieu has become close friends with Dime's ex-wife Rita Haney and brother Vinnie Paul, which is all the more reason for his decision. But let's hear what Corey has to say:

"Trivium are all big fans of Machine Head, and earlier this year when we toured with them, they asked us to take part in the video shoot with a bunch of fans, which was a really fun thing to do. If you pay attention, you can see drummer Travis Smith crowd surfing somewhere in the video."

Beaulieu is not the first one to praise "Aesthetics of Hate" and he won't be the last. Rock:

Leave it to Canadians to turn "Bang of the Week" into a game of nepotism. Mathcore demolitionists The End might have earned some points with a high profile band had they chosen to plug it instead of their neighbors, Ion Dissonance. Not that ID don't rock, they just won't be much help when The End try to land a big tour with someone like All That Remains... What? They're hitting the road together this weekend. Ummm, nevermind. For now, we'll let The End do the talking.

"There is a long list of great bands, but we're going to have to pick our French Canadian mates," said the group in a statement. "This band tears so hard, they will rip your face off. One of the tightest live bands out there."

Okay, now that we've got that taken care of, watch the video for Ion Dissonance's "Kneel":

HORSE the Band are almost as well known for horsing around as they are for their acrobatic time shifts and brain-toasting music. So we kinda figured they'd waste their "Bang of the Day" plug on something like Poison or Faster Pussycat.

But guitarist David Isen is pretty serious about his feelings for As I Lay Dying's "Nothing Left."

"I play that main riff on my guitar during soundcheck every night," he insists. "It sounds like Metallica's 'Blackened,' but it still rules. Watching this video is purifying because it makes you realize the emptiness of life on earth. Once you see that you have nothing left, you can move on to something more -- something eternal."

There's that life-affirming metal spirit we rely on to make it from one day to the next. Now, where did we leave our box of razorblades?

The Red Chord are best known for creating torrential tornadoes of noise that could strip the graffiti off a subway car. So, it may seem kinda strange that bassist Greg Weeks is choosing ultra-melodic thrash/metalcore band Still Remains for Bang of the Week. But there could be more going on here than meets the eye -- call it a nepotistic case of I'll-slash-your-back-you-slash-mine."

As our investigative research revealed, Still Remains chose The Red Chord's "Fixation on Plastics" to be Bang of the Week back on August 21, so perhaps the Chord are returning the favor. Still, Weeks articulately supports his decision to tout Still Remains' "Stay Captive."

"We toured with Still Remains last year and at first I didn't know how to take them," he begins. "They're style of music was not my cup of tea. After several shows it clicked, a band that has clean vocals that can actually pull them off live was a first for this genre. After that, I made it a point to catch them every night. Also, how can you go wrong when your drummer's name is Bone? Still Remains rules. Go buy their record or remain dumb."

We'll leave further arbitration up to the fans and just do what we do best. So, here's Still Remains with "Stay Captive."

Since there are nine guys in Slipknot, it would be unfair to let just one of them represent for Bang of the Week, so we asked percussionist Shawn Crahan (a.k.a. Clown) and bassist Paul Gray to deliver the goods. Their answers were so lengthy and profound that they took hours to type let alone understand them...

Just kidding. The guys were pithy and to the point. Clown's choice was something that's totally Slipknot. Actually, it was Slipknot, and his reasoning for picking "The Blister Exists" was, "You can't touch the 'Knot."

As for Gray, at least he picked another band, the raging San Francisco metal titans Machine Head. "Mr. Lucky rules," he wrote cryptically for his endorsement of the "Aesthetics of Hate" video.

Good thing we didn't ask these guys to contribute a guest blog. It would've only been three sentences long.

Clown's pick:

Gray's pick:

When we handed the Bang of Week voting honors to melodically gifted Grand Rapids, Michigan metalcore band Still Remains, we figured they'd plug one of the Swedish bands that have so influenced them, so imagine our surprise when they sent the love to Boston noisemongers The Red Chord, who wouldn't know a melodic hook if it poked out one of their eyeballs.

"This band deserves Bang of the Week because they are one of the fastest, heaviest and most technical bands around right now," said Still Remains singer TJ Miller. "And aside from that, their new album Prey for Eyes Rules."
Okay, get ready, here's The Red Chord with "Fixation on Plastics":

Last week we heard from 3 Inches of Blood singer Cam Pipes about his obsession with Dungeons & Dragons. Now, for our Bang of the Week, guitarist Shane Clark speaks out about his obsession with Clutch and their video for "Electric Worry."

I'm a big fan of Clutch and this powerful video was made for a killer song. I love how there are a lot of awesome camera angles that take a less-is-more perspective by focusing on the band close up. It's very simplistic and showcases the band the way Clutch should be. Towards the end, after you think they've been shooting in a small room, the camera backs up to show that they are on a large stage in a huge theater and it really makes you appreciate the band's intensity.

By now you should be getting pretty used to this clip; Darkest Hour plugged it just three weeks ago. But we aim to please. Here's "Electric Worry":