photo by Jon Wiederhorn

Last night, we dreamed that Hellyeah drummer Vinnie Paul was a guest on a TV talk show, and was showing the audience how to projectile vomit at will. He'd kind of cough and spit, and a fountain of puke would spew onto the floor. Then everyone would cheer and a group of scantily dressed women who looked like cheerleaders would clean up the vomit with bar towels.

We're not sure if the dream was inspired by the prescription Tylenol with codeine we took or if it had more to do with Paul's comment to DallasObserver.com that Hellyeah will return to the studio on May 15 to record their second album. Read more...

Before we go making generalizations about the Irish or something else that might be perceived as offensive, we'll just say that Philly Byrne, frontman for retro-thrash Dublin band Gamma Bomb, is as bold and uncompromising as his music.

We've heard musicians admit that there's nothing that can be done about filesharing and that ticket sales and merch that are keeping them off wellfare, but this guest blog from Byrne marks the first time an artist has written us to support what many regard as illegal downloading. Read Byrne's blog and then leave your comments whether you agree with him or not:

Here's a confession: I download music.

I copy albums from my friends. I mess with my iPod's software to use it as an external hard drive. I use torrents. I scan blogs for rips of records. I cram my USB port with illicit musical booty and run cackling into the night. I, ladies and gentlemen, am the music fan of the 21st century.

Not only that, but I'm also a struggling musician, a fledgling recording artist on an indie label with only two albums to my name. I know as well as my friends at the label that record sales (both mine and those of other artists) keep the music industry show on the road, but still, I'm a filthy, swindling downloader. I'm fine with it though, because I believe that downloading music for free isn't thieving. And like it or not, I'm in step with most modern music fans when I say that. Read more...

With "Do What You Do," the first single from their new album, The New Game, Mudvayne aren't really doing anything that new, they're actually... well, doing what they do. To this, we have two things to say. 1) If you've already broken new ground and done something innovative and challenging, what more do you have to prove? 2) If it ain't broke, just do what you do. click "more" to watch the video and check out our video interview with the band. Read more...

On October 11, Mudvayne's new single "Do What You Do" debuted in the top 20 of Billboard's mainstream rock chart, suggesting the song will do what their last radio hit "Happy" did -- penetrate the masses with the kind of odd meters and progressive rhythms usually reserved for more of a niche crowd and reaffirm Mudvayne's dominion over most of their major label metal peers. To extend their reach over the masses, the band recently hired video director Frankie Nasso (All That Remains, Hatebreed) to shoot videos for "Do What You Do," "Fish Out of Water" and the title track for Mudvayne's new album The New Game, which drops November 18.

Click "more" to see our new video interview, in which Mudvayne discuss their title choice for the new record, the success of the first single, how they're gonna follow The New Game with a newer game and how singer Chad Gray and guitarist Greg Tribbett separate Mudvayne from their other band Hellyeah. And see more from Mudvayne and other metal marauders all this week on MTV2 as we celebrate the 20th Anniversary of "Headbangers Ball." Read more...

Various members of heavy metal's elite will perform an all-star tribute to the late Dimebag Darrell August 9 in Dallas Texas at Ozzfest 2008 at Pizza Hut Park. Participants will include Dime's brother and longtime bandmate Vinnie Paul, Metallica guitarist Kirk Hammett, Slayer guitarist Kerry King, Alice in Chains guitarist Jerry Cantrell and bassist Mike Inez, King Diamond, Anthrax guitarist Scott Ian and drummer Charlie Benante, Hatebreed frontman Jamey Jasta, Hellyeah and Mudvayne singer Chad Gray and Hellyeah and ex-Damageplan bassist Bob Zilla. Read more...