Vinnie Paul with Hatebreed's Jamey Jasta
photo by Jon Wiederhorn
Between interviewing the Revolver Golden Gods Awards performers -- Megadeth, Killswitch Engage, Hatebreed and Suicide Silence -- posting entries about the event, reviewing the actual show and hanging with the heavies, we were able to shoot a couple dozen photos as the bangers walked the black carpet an hour or so before showtime. Click more to see close-up shots of members of Slayer, Megadeth, Alice in Chains, Motorhead, Bleeding Through, Job For a Cowboy and more. Read more...
Tags anthrax, Bleeding Through, dave-mustaine, Hatebreed, Jamey Jasta, Job For a Cowboy, Jonny Davy, Killswitch-Engage, Lemmy Kilmister, Machine-Head, Marta, Megadeth, Motörhead, Scott Ian, Slayer, Suicide Silence, Tom Araya, Vinnie-Paul
photo by Jon Wiederhorn
Anyone who has followed the Orange County metalcore scene knows that Bleeding Through were one of the progenitors of the movement along with Eighteen Visions, Atreyu and Avenged Sevenfold. And while each of the other aforementioned bands has gotten increasingly more mainstream over time, Bleeding Through have become heavier than ever. (click "more" to read the full show review and check out our accompanying photo essay). Read more...
photo by Jon Wiederhorn
Even if you didn't see our first video interview with Meshuggah guitarist Marten Hagstrom, in which he described how incredible the band's live shows with Cynic and The Faceless were, you can probably still get a sense of the intensity of last week's New York City concert from the above photo of singer Jens Kidman screaming his lungs out. The performance was one of several gigs filmed for Meshuggah's upcoming DVD, which will come out before the release of the band's next album.
While Meshuggah were incredible, Cynic were also great, performing a celestial, progressive and intoxicating set from their new album Traced in Air and their 1993 disc Focus. And The Faceless kicked ass as well, presenting a ferocious, technically complex batch of songs that belied their young age.
Click "more" to see our photo essay, and check back later for a full review of the show. Read more...
photo by Jon Wiederhorn
Last night, Slipknot stepped onstage and destroyed New York City. Of course, that's nothing new. The Des Moines, Iowa nine-piece have been doing just that on a regular basis since 1999. But this time they hopped on the shoulders of giants and proceeded to beat the looming bastards to the ground.
The Knot were performing in the legendary Madison Square Garden, they were headlining and the event was completely sold out. Check back Monday for a complete review of the show. For now, take a look at our photo gallery of Sliknot and opening band Coheed and Cambria. Sadly, by the time we received our photo pass Trivium had already left the stage. Sounds like a definite case of deja vu. Click "more" to check out our pics. Read more...
photo by Jon Wiederhorn
Last night we hauled ass out to The Nassau Coliseum, home of the New York Islanders, to catch the first of three New York-area shows by Metallica, Machine Head and The Sword. Unfortunately, we missed the Sword because we had to pick up our Metallica photo pass and once we had it we weren't allowed in the venue with our camera. But the upshot of having a photo pass is you get to be at the very front of the stage for three songs of each band's set, so, as much as we dig The Sword, the sacrifice was worth it. Click "more" to see a gallery of photos of Metallica and Machine Head. And check back later today for a full review of the show. Read more...
photo by P.R. Brown
As he proved yet again by co-directing the band's evocative new video "Dead Memories," Slipknot percussionist Shawn Crahan (a.k.a. Clown) isn't just good at hitting things, he's also got the mind of an artist and a keen eye for detail. In addition to expressing himself through videos, Crahan has taken thousands of creative photos over the years, and we're proud that he's chosen HeadbangersBlog.com as a platform to exhibit some of the shots in a weekly guest blog filled with candid commentary. Click "more" to see the second installment of "The Eye of a Clown." Read more...
photo by P.R. Brown
We couldn't be more thrilled to launch our new weekly feature from Slipknot percussionist Shawn "Clown" Crahan during our celebration of the 20th anniversary of "Headbangers Ball." As you may know, in addition to beating on stuff for the Knot and playing drums for Dirty Little Rabbits, Crahan is also a serious photographer.
When he's not writing or creating music, he's frequently manipulating high-tech cameras, Polaroid film, scanners and Photoshop to create images that are both haunting and beautiful. Whether shooting portraits, candids, still-lifes, landscapes or something else entirely, Crahan imbues his shots with his own fears, frustrations and fascinations with sex, death and dreams. Click "more" to view the first picture in our weekly series from Crahan and read his fascinating, bizarre and sometimes disturbing commentary. Read more...
Anthrax and Riki Rachtman in LA at Chateau Marmont
Photos by Nancy McDonald
When it comes to classic characters from "Headbangers Ball" history, few folks in the late '80s and early '90s were as animated and colorful as Anthrax. Click "more" to check out some vintage shots we plucked from our photo album: Read more...
Photos by Jon Wiederhorn
After the release of their emotional, aggressive and hook-filled album The Artist in the Ambulance five years ago, Thrice seemed to make a conscious effort to transform into something less definable. On their three studio releases since then (two of which have been double-CDs), the prolific Irvine, California group has been more impulsive and experimental, fusing elements of alt-rock, electronica, classic rock and even Britpop into their post-hardcore foundation.
In the process, they've bled themselves of much of their former metal punch, which is kind of a shame since singer Dustin Kensrue has a viciously painstricken scream, and, when he wants to, guitarist Teppei Teranishi can still rip like shredder from GIT. Fortunately, even without the pedal to the metal, Thrice can still rock -- especially live.
At a New York show last week opening for Alkaline Trio and Rise Against, Thrice shook the cage like a pack of enraged gorillas, but also impacted with the subtlety and finesse of sensitive poets without losing any of their punch. We would have loved to see them knock out a few more teeth with songs from The Illusion of Safety and The Artist in the Ambulance, but even without the thrash beats, chunky riffage and flailing fills, it was satisfying to watch them let loose. And their cover of The Beatles' "Helter Skelter" was way cooler than efforts by Motley Crue, Aersomith or Oasis. Click "more" for additional photos from the gig:
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Testament singer Chuck Billy surrounded by crowd devil horns
Photos by Jon Wiederhorn
On Thursday night, thrash metal veterans Testament were sandwiched into a bill that featured different faces from younger heavy metal scenes. Yet each of those bands -- Between the Buried and Me, Black Dahlia Murder and Children of Bodom -- owe at least a passing debt to the San Francisco musicians that have practiced what they've preached for more than 20 years.
Between the Buried and Me opened the show with a jittery set of experimental spazz metal that jolted between angular hardcore, challenging math metal and textural prog-rock. Not a whole lot of thrash in there, we gotta admit, but we're sure that at one time or another, these guys learned a thing or two from Testament's barreling thrash rhythms and classical and jazz-inflected guitar leads. Click "more" to read more of our recap and see lots of photos. Read more...
