Gorgoroth guitarist Infernus is in stable but serious condition in a Bergen, Noway hospital this evening after having been brutally assaulted by the band's former vocalist Gaahl who is currently being held by police. Reports are still sketchy, but according to one source, Gaahl tracked down Infernus at an abandoned laundromat and, following a heated verbal confrontation, the vocalist removed a spiked club from a laundry basket and threatened to strike Infernus. At this point, Infernus allegedly began mocking the name of Gaahl's new band, God Seed, and called Gaahl a pansy. Enraged, Gaahl swung the weapon at his former bandmate so hard that the nails lodged in Infernus' abdomen.
"I think Gaahl only wanted to threaten Infernus," said the source. "I don't think he planned to hit him, but when Infernus insulted him, Gaahl couldn't help himself."
After being struck, Infernus collapsed on the ground, and in order to remove the club, Gaahl had to plant his boot on the black metallist's chest and yank the handle. Read more...
Just two days before launching a tour with Lamb of God, As I Lay Dying, Children of Bodom and Municipal Waste, God Forbid have announced that guitarist Dallas Coyle has quit the band. In a statement, his brother, guitarist Doc Coyle, said there was a "mutual disagreement" that "became angry on both sides, and [Dallas] decided to sit out the tour the day we were supposed to leave."
His ex-bandmates assumed the rift would be temporary, then, according to Doc, they "learned later he did not want to tour anymore at all." (Click "more" to read the rest of the story and listen to HeadbangersBlog.com's podcast interview with Doc Coyle, in which he described the musical differences he was having with his brother before the split.) Read more...
Offbeat stoner/hardcore metal band Big Business are now streaming their entire upcoming album, Mind the Drift, along with off-the-wall audio commentary from the band members. The disc, the follow-up to 2007's Here Come the Waterworks, comes out May 12 on Hydra Head. Click "more" to dance to the music. Read more...
The next episode of VH1 Classic's "That Metal Show" will feature a segment with veteran Canadian cult band Anvil, who are the subject of the critically acclaimed documentary "Anvil! The Story of Anvil." The movie hits theaters in New York and Los Angeles on April 10, with other cities to follow. VH1 will debut the movie this summer and will release the DVD shortly after.
Click more to watch a clip from the interview. Read more...
Our metal brethren at Revolver have recruited a bunch of icons to appear in a new advertisement for the first annual Epiphone Revolver Golden Gods Awards ceremony, which takes place at Club Nokia in Los Angeles on April 7. Click "more" to watch the promo spot and read more about the event. Read more...
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...
Susperia vocalist, Pal "Athera" Mathieson will undergo triple bypass heart surgery to repair a previously undetected genetic disorder. Doctors at Akershus Universitetssykehus Hospital in Lørenskog, Norway will replace three narrow arteries and three heart valves in the procedure. Read more...
Gaahl waves goodbye Gorgoroth name
If Gorgoroth member King of Hell was worrying that the worst PR nightmare was frontman Gaahl coming out of the closet, he was sorely mistaken. Today, word came down from the Norwegian courts that he and Gaahl would no longer be able to use the name Gorgoroth, since guitarist Infernus owns legal rights to the moniker even though Gaahl and King ov Hell trademarked the name right before they tried to kick out Infernus. Read more...
The vocalist for Norwegian band Susperia, Pal "Athera" Mathieson has suffered a heart attack caused by a damaged blood vessel and is currently in intensive care under close observation, HeadbangersBlog.com has learned. On March 9, Mathieson, suffering from acute stomach pains and heavy bleeding, was rushed to Akershus Universitetssykehus Hospital in Lørenskog, Norway and is awaiting the result of various tests. He is expected to remain hospitalized for the foreseeable future.
The band had decided to hold off on rescheduling future plans, including touring commitments, until a full diagnosis can be made. Mathiesen recently completed vocals on Susperia's fifth studio album, which is due for an early summer release on the band's new label Candlelight Records. The singer has described the music on the album as "going back to the early days with the melancholic riffing and dark emotional vocals and coming all the way through to today, with a perfect blend of everything Susperia has been and become."
HeadbangersBlog.com wishes Mathieson a speedy recovery.
Thrash legends Megadeth will headline the first annual Epiphone Revolver Golden Gods Awards, which takes place on April 7 at Club Nokia in downtown Los Angeles. The first ever metal awards show in the U.S. will be broadcast on MTV2 as a one-hour special starting Saturday, May 2. HeadbangersBlog.com will provide on-the-scene coverage of the event and MTV2 will feature special heavy metal programming leading up to the ceremony. Read more...
