photo by Jon Wiederhorn

Tonight at 11 p.m., MTV2 will start to ramp up for Saturday's exclusive telecast of the "Epiphone Revolver Golden Gods Awards" by presenting an hour-long episode of "Headbangers Ball" hosted by Dave Mustaine, the frontman of Golden Gods headliners Megadeth. Click "more" to watch interview clips with Mustaine about the awards show, the lack of respect given to metal by the Grammys, the next Megadeth album and more. And come back tomorrow for clips from Killswitch Engage, who will host tomorrow night's edition of "Headbangers Ball." Read more...

photo by Jon Wiederhorn

Testament squeaked by their Bay area neighbors Metallica as well as Opeth and Motorhead to earn an encore airing of their "More Than Meets the Eye" video on 'Headbangers Ball.' Tune in Saturday night at 2 a.m. to catch the killer clip, as well as new videos by Satyricon, Machine Head and Warbringer.

And in the week's ahead stay tuned for video premieres by Kreator, Dir En Grey and much, much more.
Click more to watch this week's winning clip and footage of Testament from the 2003 Wacken Festival. Read more...

Tech-death metal wunderkinds, The Faceless, are the latest act to be banned by the Anaheim House of Blues, a Disney-owned venue that in the past has also rejected Machine Head and Belphegor. Why The Faceless didn't meet the approval of Mickey and Minnie for the February 1 show is unknown -- especially since the other bands on the bill, Meshuggah and Cynic, both made the cut. Maybe it had something to do with discovery that if you descramble the letters in the song titles of their second album, Planetary Duality, it spells "Pluto pimps Daisy Duck for cheap wine and Goofy has anal wards and scabies."

In any case, The Faceless will take the night off, then rejoin the tour on February 2 at the San Diego House of Blues. Dates are scheduled through February 20 in Towson, Maryland. The Faceless' second album, Planetary Duality, features an impressive range of progressive arrangements, caustic vocals and speed-of-light guitar work, and was one of the highlights of last year. The disc was produced by axeman Michael Keene, who recently made an appearance at the National Association of Music Mercants (NAMM( convention in Anaheim). Click "more" to watch Keene shred like Satriani on crack. Read more...

You might think it takes a headbanger steeped in metal to write a book like "Time Files When You're in a Coma: The Wisdom of a the Metal Gods." Well, yes and no. A compendium of metal facts and nostalgia, the tome includes questions, daily affirmations, meditations, and anecdotes from a wide variety of metal bands. But it wasn't written by anyone you've likely heard of -- unless your guilty pleasure is alt-country. "Time Flies" is a labor of love by Mike Daly, who's best known for co-founding the band Whiskeytown with Ryan Adams, but who has a genuine fondness for metal and an even greater love of satire and irony. So, does that make Daly a poser, a dweeb or a false prophet? Read his guest blog about how he discovered metal and decide for yourself. Read more...

Dyin' to see another new video of a power metal band playing in a world engulfed by flames? Then look no further. Hammerfall's "Any Means Necessary" has arrived to satisfy your pyromania. The video was shot in Belgrade, Serbia with director Ivan Colic (i-Code), who has also worked with Hammerfall on their "Natural High" video.

"Any Means Necessary" is the first single from the Swede's eighth album, No Sacrifice, No Victory, which arrives on these shores February 20. The disc was CD was largely recorded at Sonic Train Studios in Varberg, Sweden. Click "more" to watch the video. Read more...

Typically, the metal world gets off to a slow start at the beginning of a new year. And while it has taken a while to shake of the hangover that was 2008, we're getting ready to swing into 2009 like a gladiator with a double-edged sword.

In the weeks ahead, we've got some sweet video premieres, but let's not get ahead of ourselves. For now, take a look at the vids from Saturday's show and let us know which you want to see again next week. Since we're starting anew for 2009, you can pick any of the new videos regardless of whether it won last year. Check the list below and make your choice. Remember, only one vote is allowed per IP address and choose only one band or be disqualified. Voting runs through Wednesday at 3 p.m. Click more to see this week's candidates. Read more...

To christen their press kit web site, the dudes behind the blog Talking Metal, John Ostronomy and Mark Strigl, have teamed up with God Forbid vocalist Byron Davis, Halford guitarist 'Metal' Mike Chlasciak and ex-Death and Iced Earth drummer Richard Christy to record a pretty authentic cover of Slayer's "South of Heaven."

Click "more" to download the MP3. Read more...

VH1Classic.com has posted streaming video of Rush frontman Geddy Lee and guitarist Alex Lifeson's appearance on "That Metal Show," which is hosted by metal guru Eddie Trunk. The interview was filmed last October and aired on December 27.

Click "more" to see the broadcast. Read more...

A couple of talented extreme metal musicians will be making a fresh start in 2009. Luciano Lorusso George, who was the vocalast for Italy's experimental, progressive metal band Ephel Duath from 2003 to 2003 has left because of financial reasons.

"The news about his departure has been shocking, especially for him as he had no choice -- and he never thought about his life without the band," said guitarist Davide Tiso in a statement. "I'm so sad he's no longer part of this project, especially after all the work he's put into [our upcoming album] Through My Dog's Eyes."

Ex-Mothercare singer Guillermo Gonzales will replace George. "Ephel Duath has always tried to surmount any obstacles put in its path and this is probably one of the most difficult we've ever faced," said Tiso. "But we will continue because challenges are the roots of this band and it's what makes us stronger."

Another experimental band starting the new year with a challenge is Brooklyn, New York's Behond... The Arctopus, whose drummer Charlie Zeleny has quit to focus on other projects.

"It's been five-plus years of crazy music, amazing fans and good times, but it's definitely time for us to part ways," Zeleny said in a statement. "These days I've been really into developing my career as a session drummer live and in the studio and as a drum solo artist. I'm also very excited to be working on some new projects with Jordan Rudess from Dream Theater and Terry Bozzio for the Drum Channel. I am really excited to focus more on my own online drum tracking business for artists all around the world which has already included Rudess, Blotted Science and Suspyre too. I wish the band the best of luck continuing on in the future without me and look forward to reconnecting with Arctopus fans on tour with other artists and bands soon."

The band has not yet announced a replacement for Zeleny.

Late Loudness drummer Muneteka Higuchi

Before we dive fistfirst into 2009 and the hidden treasures that await, let’s pause for a few minutes to remember some of our metal brethren that died in 2008.

Joey Hopkins (a.k.a. Nihil), 26, vocalist and programmer for Italian black metal project Alien Syndrome 777, died on December 31 of undisclosed causes. Hopkins also recorded with Joey Hopkins Midget Factory and Blackdrone Inc.

Metal publicist and journalist Adrian Bromley, 37, died in his sleep on December 7 of complications from pneumonia. Bromley worked for The End Records and later formed Ixmati Media. He also founded the underground extreme metal mag Unrestrained! In addition, his writing appeared regularly in Chart and M.E.A.T. magazines, and online at Chronicles of Chaos and Canoe.ca.

Longtime Twisted Sister bodyguard Salvatore Valvo, 53, died on December 1 of complications from leukemia and diabetes. Read more...