According to their record label bio, the motto of Kenosha, Wisconsin band Lazarus A.D. is "thrash or die." So, the dude's must be totally stoked that they're about to hit the road with thrash legends Testament and post-thrash demigods Unearth. The tour launches in Seattle on May 2 and runs through June 15 in San Luis Obispo, California. Lazarus A.D. are currently in the middle of a tour with Amon Amarth, Goatwhore and Skeletonwitch. Those dates run through April 29 in Raleigh, North Carolina.

To celebrate the band's road success and give props to their ripping debut The Onslaught, we're happy to premiere the band's video for "Thou Shall Not Fear." The clip was shot in Milwaukee, Wisconsin at the haunted venue Eagle's Ballroom and was directed by Jason Meudt and Emmet Austin. Click "more" to watch the vid and catch it again on this week's "Headbangers Ball," which runs from 2 to 3 a.m. on MTV2. Read more...

After listening to the soldiers in Queensryche's new video "If I Were King" talk about the horrors of war, it's refreshing to hear the Swedish Viking metal dudes of Amon Amarth proclaiming the glory of an era of swords, shields and battle in "Guardians of Asggard."

Of course, back in those days, soldiers weren't stepping on landmines, being killed by car bombs or getting riddled with terrorist bullets, so maybe there was more to celebrate. Then again, if you were one of the unfortunate ones whose head wound up decorating the spikes of a castle gate, you didn't have a whole lot to be thankful for. In any case, click "more" to check out the video. Read more...

photo by Jon Wiederhorn

If you didn't catch the last "Headbangers Ball," you missed video debuts by Static-X, Lamb of God and These Arms are Snakes. Whether you were there or not, here's your chance to vote the best of the batch back for next week's show. Choose ONE video and please include a comment about why it deserves the honor of returning to the ball. Remember, past winners of "Your Vote Counts" are ineligible, so only pick from our list. One vote is allowed per IP address. Polls are open until 3 p.m. Wednesday. Click more to see this week's choices and watch the videos. Read more...

"We have a long road ahead of us," writes Amon Amarth vocalist Johan Hegg in his guest blog, echoing the words of countless pundits who have weighed in on the world's economic crisis.

But wait, Hegg's not talking abound failing banks or floundering democracies, he's discussing the thorny path his band is taking to conquering Middle Earth and beyond. The Thunder God roars, now, listen up. Click "more" to read what Hegg says about tearing apart towns and villages and living the dream. Read more...

HeadbangersBlog.com readers have chosen Bleed The Sky's "Sullivan" over new videos by Trivium, All That Remains, Lordi and Amon Amarth to return for the next "Headbangers Ball," which will air from 2 to 3 a.m. EST on Saturday (next week HBB will return to its 11 p.m. EST time slot).

"This is one outstanding technical band," commented SomeWeirdGuy! "The drumming is so technical and so smooth, it makes other bands drop their jaws through the concrete and breaks every tooth inside their mouths." Read more...

Will it be All That Remains, Amon Amarth, Bleed the Sky, Lordi, Trivium, or someone else from last week's "Headbangers Ball" who returns for a second airing this week? It's entirely up to you.

You know how this thing works. Choose one video from the list below and include an explanation why the artist should receive a return trip to the "Ball." Remember, only new videos are eligible and past Your Vote Counts winners cannot win again. That's why you gotta listen to us and choose from our list -- which is a pretty good one.

Now here's the bureaucratic stuff. Anyone who votes for more than one act will be disqualified, each IP address is only allowed one vote and the polls are open between now and 3 p.m. on Wednesday. One more thing, Headbangers Ball's timeslot is changing once again to 2 a.m. to 3 a.m. EST. So either brew a lot of coffee, stock up on Red Bull or set your TIVO. Click "more" to see this week's choices and watch 'em again. Read more...

Forget Enslaved, nevermind Ensiferum or Turisas. At the moment, Amon Amarth are the only Viking warriors that matter, the only ones capable of writing songs that unravel like sections of a weathered text of Norse mythology. Their epic tales of brutal death, vengeful gods and fierce battles are both ancient and timeless, their music as dramatic and exciting as their evocative stories.

And the band's seventh full album, Twilight of the Thunder God (which came out Tuesday), is their bravest, best and most Vikingrific to date -- even better than 2006's With Oden on Our Side. Oden may be the god of wisdom, war, battle and death, but in the realm of Amon Amarth, his son Thor -- also known as "The Thunder God" -- kicks his motherlovin' ass. Twilight is rife with galloping rhythms, arrow-storming leads and vocals spat from the fiery bowels of an angry dragon, but it's the subtleties that make Amon Amarth shine -- the elongated guitar melodies layered over angular triplets, the sweeping strings juxtaposed against granite-solid riffs.

And anyone who thinks Amon Amarth are are at their Nordic best on CD hasn't seen them live. On stage, the quintet is an army of destruction, attacking like a barbarian horde, leaving no fortress unburnt and no enemy standing. Okay, even if you're annoyed by all the Viking analogies and power metal euphoria, you've got to be impressed by the group's synchronized helicopter headbanging. Even Behemoth can't match their headspinning grace. Amon Amarth are currently on tour with Ensiferum, Belphegor and The Absence, and will continue ravaging U.S. shores through October 21 in West Springfield, Virginia.

HeadbangersBlog.com recently tracked down Hegg to talk to him about the energy that powers the new record, guest musicians, Amon Amarth's eagerness to explore uncharted realms, their fascination with ancient myths and why they were almost booted from a tour with Brutal Truth.

Click "more" to stream or download the podcast. Read more...

"Sharon! They're r-r-r-r-ruining my f---ing song!"

The problem with most cover songs is when most bands play other groups' tunes, they do so almost note for note without adding anything creative or new. And when a band does decide to alter the equation, they're often too radical and wind up massacring the original. The Gauntlet has posted examples of both cases in a segment they've titled "Cover Wars." Click "more" to hear Amon Amarth and Bruce Dickinson play renditions of a song that would make Ozzy roll over in his grave -- if he was dead. Read more...