Later this month, God Forbid will release a video for the song "War of Attrition," from their new album Earthsblood. Click "more" to watch a teaser of the clip: 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...

Last week, Doc Coyle, guitarist for God Forbid, told us that his band was lined up for what he called "one of the biggest tours this year," but he wouldn't tell us the other groups involved. And when we asked if the headliner rhymed with Slam of Mod he said, "I have no idea what you're talking about." Liar, liar, pants on fire!

Starting April 2, God Forbid will, indeed, hit the road with Slam of Mod -- err, Lamb of God. God Forbid will actually be in a rotating support slot with Municipal Waste. Direct support on the bill will come from As I Lay Dying and Children of Bodom. Not a bad way to spend a romantic spring evening.

The No Fear Energy Music Tour will launch April 2 in Phoenix, Arizona and will run through May 15 in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. Click "more" for dates and videos. Read more...

For the second time in HeadbangersBlog.com history, we've got a two way tie for Your Vote Counts. Instead of demanding a recount and spending the rest of the day counting hanging chads we've declared a tie between Five Finger Death Punch's "The Way of the Fist" and Children of Bodom's "Smile Pretty For the Devil." Both will return for the next edition of MTV2's "Headbangers Ball" on Saturday night at 11 p.m. EST. Read more...

photo by Jon Wiederhorn

Okay, boys and girls -- or as Brooklynites like Pete Steele put it, goyels -- it's time to vote for your favorite new video from last week's show to return this week. Or as we like to say in campaign land, your vote counts.

On our last show, we had some pretty-bad-ass premieres including Children of Bodom's "Smile Pretty For the Devil," "Avenged Sevenfold's "Unholy Confessions" (from their new DVD and CD combo "Live at the LBC & Diamonds in the Rough") Five Finger Death Punch's "The Way of the Fist" and Unleashed's "Black Horizon."

Chose one or pick another new video from last week. Remember, if you don't pick from the list below, your vote won't count. Also, only one selection per IP address. Voting runs from now until Wednesday afternoon at 3 p.m. EST. Click "more" to see all of this week's choices: Read more...

Let's start the morning with a cup of coffee and the brand new video by Children of Bodom, "Smile Pretty For the Devil." What a cool title. Makes us think of a four year old girl we know who wears flowery dresses all the time and flashes the devil's horns and a winning grin to anyone who aims a camera her way. The song comes from the band's latest album Blooddrunk, and the clip was directed by Sandra Marschner. "Smile Pretty For the Devil" will premiere on-air on Saturday's "Headbangers Ball," which starts this week at its new time, 11 p.m.

Click "more" to read what frontman Alexi Laiho and the director have to say about the video, then watch the damn thing. Read more...

photo by Jon Wiederhorn

On Thursday, HeadbangersBlog.com will debut the new Children of Bodom video for "Smile Pretty for the Devil." The clip was shot by Sandra Marschner and is the band's first video shot in a remote outdoor location. The track is from the band's 2008 album Blooddrunk. For more insight and inside information, click "more" to watch "The Making of Children of Bodom's 'Smile Pretty for the Devil.'" Read more...

There aren't too many bands as engagingly uncategorizable as North Carolina's Between the Buried and Me. One minute, they're writing dizzying prog rock songs full of unconventional rhythm and tempo changes, and the next they're unleashing a series of dissonant, chugging chords and crashing beats as jarring as a wrecking ball through your living room window. The band's eclecticism appeals equally to fans of death metal, prog-rock, metalcore, hardcore and even deathcore.

Because of this, Between the Buried and Me have played some wildly divergent bills since releasing their fifth album, Colors, last September. This spring they were on Dream Theater's Progressive Nation tour package along with Opeth and 3, and they're currently wrapping up a European tour with Meshuggah and Dillinger Escape Plan. Once they get back from Europe at the end of the month they'll be done touring for a while, but in September they'll head out again for a U.S. tour with Children of Bodom.

While they're off the road, Between the Buried and Me will begin working on the follow-up to Colors, which they hope to release in early 2009. For fans who can't wait that long, the band will release a live DVD in October featuring two sets -- one of Colors material and one of older songs.

While Between the Buried and Me were in Europe, we talked to guitarist Paul Waggoner about the band's efforts to remain original, the difference between experimentation and self-indulgence, the upcoming DVD and the next studio record, which just might be the group's first full-fledged concept album. Waggoner also filled us in on the final show shenanigans on the Progressive Nation tour and his favorite prog and metal bands.

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

photo by Jon Wiederhorn

Q: Did you hear about the heavy metal player who locked his keys in the car?
A: He had to break the window to let the drummer out.

Now that we have your attention, we'd like to secure your vote -- not for us -- for the artist from last week's "Headbangers Ball" that's gonna make a return appearance on Saturday's show. Some of our prime contenders are Cryptopsy, Kingdom of Sorrow and Kataklysm, but we're not ruling out Machine Head, whose new animated video for "Halo" is still in the running; or deathcore demolitionists Suicide Silence, who have garnered the top selling debut (nearly 40,000 copies) in their label's history, and whose video for "Bludgeoned" is, well, bludgeoning.

Remember, once an artist wins Your Vote Counts, it is no longer eligible for your vote. That means no bringing back Dead Child, Opeth, Danava or Otep or Pelican. Voting runs between now and Wednesday at 3 p.m. Anyone who votes more than once will be disqualified. Comments included with your vote may be published along with your name on Wednesday's post announcing the winner. Click "more" to your this week's choices: Read more...

Those dedicated Otep fans -- the same ones who post gushing comments about frontwoman Otep Shamaya's weekly "Might Makes Write" column -- have done it again. This week, Otep's faithful swarmed in and delivered spam-like levels of comments electing the band's "Crooked Spoons" video for a return trip to Headbangers Ball. Read more...