If only Slipknot had campaigned more in the red states
It wasn't miscounted ballots in Broward County or anywhere else in Florida that lost Slipknot the top Billboard album slot to rapper The Game, it was overeager retailers and early Soundscan sales that forced Slipknot to settle for #2. Because these pre-release numbers were included in last week's chart, Slipknot were credited with selling 238,272 copies of All Hope is Gone, just 13 shy of The Game's total for LAX. But, taking into account last week's sales, Slipknot shifted, 239,213 total units -- 175 more than The Game. Slipknot's 2004 album, Vol 3: The Subliminal Verses, also entered the charts at #2, with sales of 254,000. Click more to see Slipknot at the Mayhem Fest. Read more...

Classic videos by Godflesh, Cathedral, Decapitated, Hate Eternal and more will be available on the single DVD reissue of "iCrusher" and "iCrusher 2," which comes out February 19. The original discs were released in 2001 and 2002, respectively.

"Earache iCrusher Complete" also features concert clips from Carcass, Napalm Death, Entombed and The Haunted, as well as audio tracks from numerous Earache artists past and present. In addition, the DVD will feature the following bonus footage: "Society 1 - Up Close & Personal with Matt Zane," Society 1 "Behind the Scenes Filming the 'Nothing' Clip" and "December - In The Studio Recording 'The Lament Configuration' CD."

And here's a video that's not from the iCrusher series -- Napalm Death's "Mass Appeal Madness":

For their seventh full-length studio album, Swedish melodic death metal/thrash band, Arch Enemy (Century Media), have taken a cue from their past. This may have nothing to do with the return of guitarist Chris Amott, since he left after the band's last album, 2005's Doomsday Machine. However, the emotional boost his bandmates (including his brother Michael Amott) received may have contributed to the more energized and melodic vibe of the songs. Not that Rise of the Tyrant sounds like Dokken. The songs are ferocious, raw and vital and singer/growler Angela Gossow is in peak form. But what makes the disc stick like an icepick to the forehead are the epic arrangements and blazing, intertwining guitar melodies. Stay tuned to Headbangers Ball Blog for a podcast with Gossow in the the next couple weeks.

Other new releases:
The Bled - Silent Treatment (Vagrant) -- Call them screamo, metalcore or mall metal, this Tucson, Arizona band rock. Silent Treatment is heavy, angular and edgy, converting pent-up aggression into a vicarious catharsis you can sometimes even hum.

Down - Down III: Over The Under (Independent Label Group) -- We've waited six years for this one, and, while we can't say we'd happily do it all over again, the band's third album doesn't disappoint. Combining the direct, throat-clenching riffs of their 1995 debut with the leaden, meandering grooves of Down II, Down III: Over the Under is a test of survival -- a harsh, visceral journey through a bleak, devastating landscape. If only these guys put out records more often.

We're totally stoked about new releases from High on Fire, Himsa, Black Dahlia Murder and Today is the Day. But we're even more excited about the new album by Ministry, The Last Sucker (Megaforce/13th Planet Records). Actually, it's a bittersweet release -- not because it isn't 100 percent brutal -- but because it signals the end of the industrial metal group's 20 year reign (we're not counting any of the wussy pop that came before 1988's In The Land of Rape and Honey. In any case, Ministry are going out with a mushroom cloud. The Last Sucker is an explosive amalgamation of everything they've done since frontman Al Jourgensen woke up from the heroin stupor of Filth Pig and started tearing stuff up again. Like 2004's Houses of the Mole and 2006's Rio Grande Blood, The Last Sucker combines high-octane thrash and storming metal with anti-government rants and soundbytes from President Bush to create a vicious, toxic and unerringly precise album, the brutality of which is only tempered by its dark humor. As those Bush-haters the French, say, Magnifique.

Here's the other new stuff that's out there:
A Life Once Lost - Iron Gag (Ferret) -- Vicious storming hardcore metal with vocal production by Lamb of God Frontman Randy Blythe.
The Black Dahlia Murder - Nocturnal (Metal Blade) -- More punishingly metallic than 2005's Miasma, this one marks a return to the death metal blast beats and graphically horrific lyrics of the band's early daze.
Christine - Badasser (Supernova) -- One of several ripping bands signed by, produced and released by Today is the Day frontman Steve Austin.
Defcon 4 - The Bad Road (Supernova) -- Here's another one of Steve Austin's discoveries.
High On Fire - Death Is This Communion (Relapse) -- Not as trippy as High on Fire's earlier offerings, this one is still no less destructive. Produced by Seattle soundsmith Jack Endino who keeps things savage and never resorts to Nirvana-style soft verses and loud choruses.
HIM - Venus Doom (Republic/Universal) -- More melodic gloom from Finland's finest flashy goth metal outfit.
Himsa - Summon In Thunder (Century Media) -- bludgeoning and raw, the band's new album combines the hardcore pummel of 2003's Courting Tragedy and Disaster with the thrash barrage of 2006's Hail Horror.
Roanoke - Stormbringer (Supernova) -- See previous Supernova entries.
Suicide Silence - The Cleansing (Century Media) -- Could this be the next extreme metal Job For A Cowboy or The Red Chord? They're certainly loud enough.
Today Is The Day - Axis Of Eden (Supernova) -- In addition to unveiling the new creations from his new label upon the world, gun-toting crazy man Steve Austin has graced us with his band's new album, which combines the atmospherics of 2002's Sadness will Prevail with the pulverizing jackhammer metal of 2004's Kiss the Pig. You'll bee spitting out your own teeth.

To celebrate the release of the new Full Blown Chaos album, Heavy Lies the Crown, we bring you the video for "Apocalypse" from the band's 2004 album Wake the Demons. Also out this week, new releases by As I Lay Dying, Through the Eyes of the Dead, Coliseum, The Devil Wears Prada, Madball and Ringworm, but you'll have to wait until another time to check out their videos. Now, here's Full Blown Chaos:

A batch of extreme metal DVDs are coming our way courtesy of Regain Records, one the labels that signs bands with the most indecipherable logos imaginable.

First off, Marduk’s “Blood Puke Salvation” DVD, which came out in Sweden in August 2006 will receive its North American release as a double DVD on August 14. The first disc was shot in December 2004 and features over 90 minutes of concert footage from Tillberg, Holland and Antwerpen, Belgium. Disc two includes: 21 hand-filmed live songs shot in 2004 and 2005 during the Deathmarch tour; videos for “Throne of Rats,” “Steel Inferno” and “The Hangman of Prague”; behind-the-scenes material and interviews with the band members.

Another long awaited black metal DVD, Dark Funeral’s “Attera Orbis Terrarum – Part 1” is scheduled for release on September 11. The disc features three full professionally filmed shows (March 5, 2006 in Tillberg, Holland, March 17 from Paris, France and March 12 in Katowice, Poland) as well as amateur fan footage shot throughout Europe that spans the band’s career from their first show in Oslo, Norway in 1994 through the present day.

Finally, Regain will issue its second extreme metal compilations, “La Loco X-Treme Metal Live Volume 1: 2003 – 2005” on October 9. The DVD features two videos each from: Dark Tranquility, Marduk, Samael, Krisiun, Immolation, Death Angel, Dew Scented and Loudblast. Regain’s first video comp, “Regain Records Compilation #1: Music with Impact,” came out June 12 and featured 23 videos from across the underground spectrum. Bands included recognizable names like Arch Enemy, Samael, Behemoth, Vader, Dimension Zero, Marduk, Dismember and Dark Funeral, as well as more obscure fare like Sargatanas Reign, Mustasch, Ragnarok and Totalt Javla Morker.

Here's a snippet from Marduk's "Blood Pain Salvation" DVD -- "Azrael" live from Tillberg, Holland:

There's a scene in Avenged Sevenfold's "All Excess" DVD where producer Mudrock talks about reports that frontman M. Shadows decided to sing on the group's last album City of Evil because years of screaming had injured his vocal chords, rendering him unable to howl. While the origins of the tale came from Shadows himself, Mudrock claims it's just not true.

Before Avenged entered the studio with him to record their second album, 2003's Waking the Fallen, Shadows told Mudrock he was tired of screaming, but that he wanted the Waking record to be half screamed, half sung. Then, for the follow-up, he wanted only to sing. So, claims Mudrock, Shadows knew what direction he wanted to take Avenged two years before the band started working on 2005's City of Evil.

That's pretty much how Avenged Sevenfold roll. They may act like drunk, retarded juvenile delinquents who were lucky to ever land a gig let alone a record deal, but behind the scenes, Avenged are meticulous forward-thinking and extremely serious about their music. From the look of "All Excess," it looks like the band also knew exactly what it wanted to present on its DVD two years before it came together.

The disc features an hour-long documentary packed with behind-the-scenes footage that's pretty forthright about the drunken revelry, the tomfoolery and the sometimes mean-spirited nature of the band and their crew. At one point, the members talk about picking on bassist Johnny Christ when he first joined and beating him up for the hell of it.

In another scene, someone makes a sandwich out of bread and human excremement and puts it on the restaurant table of the opening band. But the DVD also documents the group's professionalism with revealing interviews, and reveals their rigid work ethic both on and off the road. Still, fans of Pantera's "Vulgar Videos," won't be disappointed because when the work day is done, Avenged like to throw down and whenever drummer the Rev throws a beer in his own face, frontman M. Shadows chugs Jagermeister or Christ pretends to mount his bandmates, they make sure there's a video camera to document the stupidity.

Aside from the documentary, "All Excess" includes four of the band's videos and a four-song live set as well as outtakes that exhibit even more shenanigans. The only real oversight is that there's not nearly enough live footage, so we did some digging and found this ripping 35-minute set from the 2006 Grasspop Festival in Belgium. Enjoy.

On Given to the Rising (Neurot), Neurosis continue their quest for the perfect metallic mantra. While 2004's The Eye of Every Storm, relied heavily on ambience to reach a higher state of consciousness, Neurosis are now blending the thunderous, aggressive riffs of days past with progressions that meander like sunbaked stretches of empty desert. This is mean psychedelic metal -- heart-racing hallucinatory stuff awash with arresting sounds and vibrant, terrifying imagery. Forget all those trendy, droning, post-rock- influenced metal bands that think they're cutting edge, Neurosis are the real deal -- a legendary group that has followed its twisted muse for nearly 20 years and can still find ways to make our skin crawl.

Ion Dissonance -- Minus the Herd (Abacus) This Montreal band's technical hardcore death metal hits you when you least expect it. Like a suckerpunch to the jaw, Ion Dissonance are tight, arresting and as jarring as Dillinger Escape Plan. Minus the Herd, the band's third album, was produced by Zeuss (Hatebreed), who emphasizes the groups low-end attack without drowning out the guitar squeals or cymbal hiss. A must for fans of meticulously constructed chaos.

Nocturnal Rites -- The Eighth Sin (Century Media) Blending elements of industrial, commercial metal, and pop, Nocturnal Rites play a nagging style of bubblegum metal that has a bit of bite, but focuses mostly on syrupy melody. Think Journey with a drum machine or Linkin Park without any rapping.

Caliban - The Awakening (Abacus) One of the few metalcore bands with genuine integrity, this Essen, Germany band adheres to all the traditional elements of the genre -- corrosive verses, hook-filled choruses -- but somehow pulls it off without seeming like it's trying to tap into some happening sound. Maybe it's because Caliban's chugging rhythms have enough melody to segue smoothly into the refrains, which are, themselves, heavy enough feed right back into the verse. Call us suckers, but we've got a soft spot for these angry Krauts.

Paradise Lost -- In Requiem (Century Media) On album number 11 these doom metal oldtimers straddle the line between melodic tuneage and b0ne-snapping metal as well as ever. In Requiem has enough crunch-n-chug to be heavy as iron, yet the songs are interwoven with as many vocal melodies as Evanescence, making them instantly memorable. Paradise Lost may have lost their fear factor, but they sure know how to write a fist-in-the-sky anthem.

Also out this week:

Calico System - Outside Are The Vultures (Eulogy)
Marilyn Manson - Eat Me, Drink Me (Interscope)
Pelican - City Of Echoes (Hydra Head)

One of the heaviest and most consistent extreme metal bands, Cephalic Carnage delivers album number five with zero concessions to anything popular or trendy. Xenosapian (Relapse) is a brutal manifesto of nonconformity and rage delivered through the artistic lens of skilled musicians who know as much about jazz and prog-rock as grindcore and death metal. Yet somehow, even with all the impossible time signatures and unearthly rhythm shifts, the music isn't the least bit alienating, as witnessed by insanely enjoyable and crushing trakcs like "Endless Cycle of Violence" "Divination and Volition" and "Touched by an Angel."

Autumn - - My New Time (Metal Blade) Another chick-fronted European gothic metal band, Autumn write catchy pop songs glazed with buzzing, downtuned guitars and sturdy rock beats. Comparisons to Evanescence and Lacuna Coil are, perhaps, inevitable, but these Dutch musicians are unabashed about their commercial influences and don't feel the need to embellish their songs with harrowing howls. Energy, not anger fuels the tracks, which should appeal to fans of upfront melodies well-crafted harmonies, and swirling keyboards. Autumn should be bigger than Linkin Park.

Circa Survive -- On Letting Go (Equal Vision) Featuring ex-Saosin singer Anthony Green and emo guitarist Colin Frangicetto (ex-This Day Forward), Circa Survive play elliptical, progressive rock/metal in the vein of Coheed and Cambria. The band's second album, On Letting Go, is more developed and free-spirited than their 2005 debut Juturna, combining high, melodramatic vocals, guitars that chime as often as they rip and syncopated drumming into a multifaceted, enthralling journey. Dream Theater who?

The basic message of Ozzy Osbourne's ninth studio album, Black Rain (Epic), is illustrated by the song "I Don't Wanna Stop": ("All my life I've been over the top/ I don't know what I'm doing/ All I know is I don't wanna stop.") For those who didn't get grasp the tricky concept, Ozzy reiterates on "Not Going Away." The veteran rocker's declarations not to disappear are accompanied by a renewed energy and hunger that make Ozzy's first album in six years a welcome return. Black Rain is filled with triumphant fist-raising songs colored by guitarist Zakk Wylde's crunchy riffs and sqealing pinch harmonics. And the aggression of the disc is enhanced by songs about war ("Countdown's Begun") and consumerism ("The Almighty Dollar"), making it seem more timely than some of Ozzy's past solo albums. But the bottom line is this: No matter how much mainstream exposure he receives on television and in the tabloids, Black Rain is proof that, for Ozzy, the music still matters most.

Carnal Forge -- Testify For My Victims (Candlelight) It may mark the debut of new vocalist Jens C. Mortensen, but Testify For My Victims isn't a radical departure for Sweden's Carnal Forge. The band's sound is still anchored in melodic death metal and thrash rhythms and fleshed out by hardcore-style vocals. Sure, there's some melodic singing here and there, but for the most part, the Forge's mission is to keep in brutal.

The Dead See -- Through The Veil (Pluto) -- From the blackened heart of Lubbock, Texas comes The Dead See with a barrage of textural down-tuned stoner sludge that sounds like an agonized hybrid of Eyehategod and Neurosis. The band's debut, Through the Veil, is probably also inspired by recreational pharmaceuticals and horror films, and the combination yields songs that are dark, ominous and entrancing. Come See.

Despised Icon - The Ills Of Modern Man (Century Media) -- The third album by Montreal technical grind band Despised Icon is as musically accomplished as it is heavy. The band's abrupt tempo shifts are impressive and unsettling and the many melodic guitar runs between bludgeoning rhythms are jarring enough to sustain listener's interest far beyond the next bout of sadistic hammering.

Death Before Dishonor - Count Me In (Bridge Nine) -- Boston-based hardcore metal band, Death Before Dishonor don't believe in subtlety. Like their idols Hatebreed, the group tempers scalp-ripping riffs with aggressive mosh passages that'll leave many a pit slippery with blood.