Since we gave extensive coverage last week to the court battle that granted Gorgorth guitarist Infernus ownership of the band's name, we must provide equal time to his ex-bandmembers, vocalist Gaahl and bassist King ov Hell's decision to change their name to God Seed.

"I am fully aware that this name will be made fun out of because of Gaahls sexual preferences," King ov Hell said in an interview with Norwegian Web site IMHOTEP. "I couldn’t care less about that part. People with a mind set of 13 year old kids would do that to him, anyway. God Seed represent a more spiritual side to us than what Gorgoroth would. God Seed is also the title of a track from our last album released under the 'Gorgoroth' banner, and in that respect it symbolizes what is brought from the past. God Seed represents the will to grow; the will to be the super man so to speak. I think it’s a suitable name for what we will represent in the future."

Click "more" to read to complete IMHOTEP interview with King ov Hell. Read more...

Even with their lead singer Gaahl out of the closet, Gorgoroth are still a scary band. But when push comes to spiked gloved punch, they're not as frightening as Swedish hellraisers Watain.

LIke Gaahl, Watain's vocalist Erik Danielsson and his band mates bathe in blood before taking the stage, but when they ran out of the slimy stuff in Canada, they decided to buy dogs from junkies and kill the creatures to satisfy their needs. And when they couldn't find even one needle-users willing to part with his pooch, they settled for cutting open pigeons they'd slain with slingshots. Don't believe us? Click "more" to listen to the Danielsson tell MetalKult.com the sordid tale. Read more...

Two legends of black metal, Darkthrone and Satyricon, have both made a track from their upcoming releases available to fans via the Internet. The former is offering an MP3 of "Hiking Metal Punks" from their new album Dark Thrones and Black Flags, which comes out October 20.

Meanwhile, Satyricon are streaming their new single, "Black Crow on a Tombstone" (out October 20) from their upcoming album The Age of Nero, out in Europe November 3 (no U.S. release has been announced.

Click "more" to check out both tracks. Read more...

No one has infiltrated the black metal community like Peter Beste and lived to tell about it.

For much of the past decade, the photographer has traveled through the cities, and villages of Norway taking pictures of extreme musicians, fans and the exquisite countryside. The Best of Beste's shots have been assembled in his book True Norwegian Black Metal, which comes out June 1. However, not all of Beste's breathtaking black metal photos are included in the mighty tome.

To celebrate the upcoming release of his book, Beste furnished Headbangers Ball Blog with a batch of exclusive shots that reveal his grasp of the black metal aesthetic and mastery of his craft. The photographer has also written captions that provide additional insight into his art and subject matter.

Click "more" to see the first batch of Peter Beste exclusives. And, check back next week for part 2. Read more...

British progressive black metal band Akercocke have the kind of name that makes you giggle. The first time we heard it we thought is sounded like the symptoms of a nasty venereal disease and reminded us of when we were in fourth grade and we were reading a "Dick and Jane" book aloud in class. For some reason, saying the sentence "a fly buzzed Dick's nose" seemed outrageously funny and, after being unable to control our laughter, we were sent to the Principal's office, where we were beaten mercilessly while he cackled hysterically.

Anyhow, the name Akercocke, according to bassist Peter Benjamin was the name of a Capuchin monkey in Robert Nye's 1981 novel "Faust." "He stinks and is thoroughly horrid just like us," said Benjamin. "So we took his name."

For you history buffs out there, Akercocke were formed in 1997 by frontman Jason Mendonca and drummer David Gray, who had previously played together in Salem Orchid. "I have only fond memories of Akercocke's birth, a time of re-discovery and great enthusiasm," writes Gray in the band's bio. "If memory serves me correct, we actually came up with the name Akercocke before we played a note or had the other members of the band."

Akercocke's initial lineup was completed with guitarist Paul Scanlan and bassist Peter Theobalds, and the band released its debut, Rape of the Bastard Nazarene, in 1999.The following year, they were signed by indie Peaceville Records, which put out their second disc, Goat of Mendes, in 2001. Since their earliest days, the band has performed in tailored suits to pay respect to the music they play -- and to the devil.

"To be a Satanist requires discipline," Mendonca told Chroniclesofchaos.com. "To be a musician at this level requires discipline. We practice four times a week, at least, every week. The suits are just like a visual representation of our discipline. We're not scruffy kinds of guys; we're not jeans and t-shirts kind of guys in day-to-day life. We're smart guys, we're gentlemen."

After the release of 2003's Choronzon, Scanlan quit the band and was replaced by Matt Wilcock (ex-The Berzerker). The hardest Akercocke (snicker, snicker) album, Words That Go Unspoken, Deeds That Go Undone, was released in the U.S. in February 2006. Almost a year later, Theobalds split the group because of personal differences and was replaced by Benjamin (ex-Corpsing).

Akercocke's fifth disc, Antichrist, comes out July 17.

Now that you've suffered through all that, we shall abuse you with the Akercocke video for "Horns of Baphomet":
Akercocke - Horns Of Baphomet

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Not since Mayhem started mounting pig's heads on sticks and Gorgoroth crucified blood-soaked models onstage has a black metal band courted as much controversy and attracted as much attention as Uppsala, Sweden's Watain.

With press photos that look like shots from a Lucio Fulci Zombie movie and blood-splashed concerts that leave venues looking like slaughterhouses, Watain are living up to the hype -- especially because their music is heavy, dynamic and well-constructed.

The band formed in1998 and has released three albums that meld the heretical styles of Mayhem, Emperor and Immortal -- 2000's Rabid Death Curse, 2003's Casus Luciferi and Sworn to the Dark, which came out in April.

From the early days, Watain have maintained a steady lineup, featuring singer and bassist Erik Danielsson (Cold Seed Creations), who also edits the fanzine "Hellish Massacre," guitarist P Forsberg bassist Tore Stjerna (who owns Necromorbus Studio) and drummer H. Jonsson.

On Sunday in Campinas, Brazil, Watain will complete their three month F--- the World Tour, which included 11 U.S. dates. Additional shows are expected to be announced shortly.

Recently, MTVnews.com's Chris Harris conducted an excellent interview with Danielsson about the bloody exploits of Watain.

Now check out this shaky recent hand-held home footage from Mexico.
FUCK THE WORLD TOUR MEXICO 2007

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