photo by Jon Wiederhorn

Get ready to take an active role in the democratic process. Just think about President Obama's "Oh, Yes We Can" speech and select the best video from last week's "Ball" for an encore appearance on the next show. Remember, just one vote per IP address and only choose from the videos on the list below, since old videos and past winners are ineligible. Voting runs through Wednesday at 3 p.m. Click "more" to see your choices: Read more...

We don't want to sway voters or anything, but we're pretty sure we're going through the motions with this week's "Your Vote Counts." Sure, Static-X's "Stingwray" video is kind of cool and it does feature a former porn star and all, but it would take a video on the level of Metallica's "Enter Sandman" to top Mastodon's new clip "Divinations."

So, we'll just declare Mastodon this week's winner now and encourage you to leave comments about why the band, the video and director Roboshobo deserve the frickin' Nobel prize of metal. Click "more" to watch the video and see the other contestants who don't have a chance of winning. Read more...

Deathcore fan Barack Obama learning to make devil horns

Hopefully, by now most of you have signed up to be part of the MTV Community. If you haven't, you might wanna get your ass in gear -- especially if you want to submit comments to HeadbangersBlog.com or take part in this week's "You Vote Counts" and help determine what video from the last "Headbangers Ball" returns for Saturday's show.

Just scroll to the bottom of the screen and sign up. It’s easy, and all submitted information is confidential. In addition to being able to post comments, MTV Community members will receive access to music and video premieres we can’t offer on the Blog. One thing about the sign-up sheet, though. People are getting a little tripped up by the box asking for the users “Profile URL.” So, here’s what to do.

Under "Profile URL" just type something to identify you — preferably some word that includes a couple numbers. That will then be attached to a long URL address that will be your private address for the site.

We now return to our regularly scheduled post -- "Your Vote Counts." On Saturday, we aired some pretty big premieres by Hatebreed, Underoath, The Sword and Carnifex. Choose one of them or someone else from the list below. The act with the most votes will win a return slot to Saturday's episode. As always, past winners are not eligible and neither are videos from old albums. In other words, only pick from our list. Voting runs between now and 2 p.m. on Wednesday. Click “more” to see the complete list.
Read more...

photo by Jon Wiederhorn

From now on, you gotta register as a part of MTV's Community to submit comments to HeadbangersBlog.com. And that means, if you wanna help choose what artist from the last "Headbangers Ball" returns for Saturday's show, you need to scroll to the bottom of the screen and sign up. It's easy and all submitted information is confidential. No one's gonna rob you of your identity or sell your email address to a third party. And, in addition to being able to comment on HeadbangersBlog.com posts (anonymous posts are no longer accepted), being part of the MTV Community will allow you to explore previously unexplored corners of the MTV.com community. That means you'll receive access to music and video premieres we can't offer on the Blog. One thing about the sign-up sheet, though. People are getting a little tripped up by the box asking for the users "Profile URL." So, here's what to do.

Under "Profile URL" just type something to identify you -- preferably some word that includes a couple numbers. That will then be attached to a long URL address that will be your private address for the site. Also, be sure to fill in all the required information on the form, and check the box verifying your interest in belonging to the MTV Community. Sounds corporate and all, but it's a good way to build a real metal community and minimize spam.

Okay, now on to this week's "Your Vote Counts." On Saturday's show we had premieres by Hatebreed and Cancer Bats. Choose one of them or someone else from the list below. Obviously, the act with the most votes will win a return slot on the next episode of "Headbangers Ball." As always, past winners are not eligible and neither are videos from old albums. In other words, only pick from our list.

Also, only ONE vote is allowed per IP address. It doesn’t matter if you use a different screen name. If you vote twice from the same computer, you will be disqualified. Voting runs between now and 2 p.m. on Wednesday. Click "more" to see the complete list. Read more...

The entire new Dragonforce album, Ultra Beatdown, (out August 26) is currently available for streaming. Click "more" to hear the record and watch exclusive interview footage with singer ZP Theart and bassist Frederic Leclercq. Read more...

Photo by Jon Wiederhorn

Okay, here's the deal. In order to participate in this week's "Your Vote Counts" -- which will give you the power to help choose which of last week's new artists will win a return ticket to next Saturday's "Headbangers Ball" -- you gotta register to be a part of the MTV Community. But don't worry. No one's gonna rob you of your identity or sell your information to a third party in China that will add you to thousands of calling lists, which will at least triple your unsolicited phone calls in the next three days. None of that's gonna happen since your responses are confidential.

What will happen?: Being a member of the MTV Community will entitle you to comment to HeadbangersBlog.com posts (anonymous responses are no longer accepted), and will allow you access previously unexplored corners of the the MTV.com community, in which you'll receive access to music and video premieres we can't offer on the Blog. All you gotta do is fill out a form. We gotta admit, the sign-up sheet is a little tricky and people are getting tripped up by the box asking for the users "Profile URL." If that's been a problem for you, here's what to do.

Under "Profile URL" just type something to identify you -- preferably some word that includes a couple numbers. That will then be attached to a long URL address that will be your private address for the site. Also, be sure to fill in all the required information on the form, and check the box verifying your interest in belonging to the MTV Community. Sounds corporate and all, but it's a good way to build a real metal community and minimize spam.

But enough propagandizing. On to this week's Your Vote Counts. On Saturday's show we had premieres by Inhale Exhale, Hatebreed and Misery Signals, which are all eligible to return next week if they receive enough votes. As always, choose one artist from the list below. The act with the most votes will win. Past winners are not eligible; that means that neither Meshuggah nor The Gates of Slumber can take the crown.

Also, only ONE vote is allowed per IP address. It doesn’t matter if you use a different screen name. If you vote twice from the same computer, you will be disqualified. Voting runs between now and 2 p.m. on Wednesday. Click "more" to see the complete list. Read more...

The headline for this post is not entirely false. If you vote for one of the band's that was played on last Saturday's show they might win enough votes to return for next Saturday's show. And if you're name is Nikki Sixx and you're the bassist for Motley Crue and you cast a vote for next week's show, you very well might receive an erotic massage from hot babe tattoo chick Kat Von D. Of course, you probably don't have to vote for anything to receive such honors, but Nikki, if you decide to vote we'll surely count it.

And now, onto this week's contest. Choose one artist from the list below. The act with the most votes will win an encore appearance on Saturday’s show. As always, past winners are not eligible for your vote; that means last week’s winner Meshuggah can’t win and neither can The Gates of Slumber.

Also, only ONE vote is allowed per IP address. It doesn’t matter if you use a different screen name. If you vote twice from the same computer, you will be disqualified. Voting runs between now and 2 p.m. on Wednesday. Click "more" to see the complete list. Read more...

In the last segment of our three-part interview with DragonForce singer ZP Theart and bassist Frederic Leclercq, the musicians admit that the video game "Guitar Hero 3," which features their song "Through the Fire and Flames," has done more for their career than being shot nine times did for rapper 50 Cent.

The DragonForce dudes also discuss how they've avoided feeling the pressure of their success, what they hate about recording albums, fighting in the studio, their new single "Heroes of Our Time," and their inclusion in the Rockstar Energy Mayhem Festival. Click "more" to see it all: Read more...

The name of DragonForce's new album, Ultra Beatdown (out August 26), reminds us of the old "ultraviolence" from Stanley Kubrick's classic film "A Clockwork Orange." Actually, half the time we type the name of the record, we write it as Ultra Violence. And when we do that, something goes off in our head that triggers the Overkill song "Electro-Violence" from their 1987 album Taking Over, from back when they still had guitarist Bobby Gustafson and before they started to sound -- well, not quite as cool.

But we're here to talk about DragonForce -- or rather, DragonForce singer ZP Theart and bassist Frederic Leclercq are here to talk about themselves. Click "more" to see Pt. 2 of our exclusive interview with the band and hear the members discuss Leclercq's contributions to the record, their writing process, liberating lyrics and, well, more. Read more...

Currently, DragonForce are battling to win over Slipknot and Disturbed fans on this year's Rockstar  Energy Mayhem Festival, but pretty soon the band's mettle will really be put to the test. On August 26 DragonForce's fourth album, Ultra Beatdown, will be released and the speed metal race will be on to see if the band members can maintain the breakneck pace of success of Inhuman Rampage and its "Guitar Hero 3" hit "Through the Fire and the Flames." So far, the group seem to be on course. The first single on Ultra Beatdown, "Heroes of our Time" is amping up the band's fans and raising the blood pressure of their detractors and the song's video -- which receives its "Headbangers Ball" debut on Saturday night on MTV2 -- has received more accolades than Pamela Anderson's last boob job (well, maybe that's stretching things a bit, but it's pretty rad).

We recently sat singer ZP Theart and bassist Frederic Leclercq in front of the camera and listened to them rattle on about the new album, their worst beatdowns and the differences between Beatdown and Rampage. Click "more" to see part one of three: Read more...