The new Iron Maiden documentary "Iron Maiden: Flight 666" will surely be available on DVD later this year, but if you wanna be one of the first to see it, you'll have to head over to your local cinema when it debuts on April 21. Read more...

Last week, we debuted new live Machine Head videos for "Davidian" and "Aesthetics of Hate." Both are featured on the bonus DVD for the expanded edition of the band's last album, The Blackening. The disc also features a cover of Iron Maiden's "Hallowed Be Thy Name," which originally appeared on the tribute album, Maiden Heaven, which was included with a special edition of the British magazine Kerrang!. Click "more" to see a live video of the song. The clip was directed by Mike Sloat, who has filmed the band's clips for "Halo," "Now I Lay Thee Down" and "Aesthetics of Hate." Read more...

In part two of our exclusive new interview with Avenged Sevenfold about their new DVD and CD set, "Live in the LBC & Diamonds in the Rough" (out today!), we talk to the boys about touring with Iron Maiden, their cover of Pantera's "Walk," the b-side "Tension" and the tours they'll embark upon when singer M. Shadows' voice is fully healed. As widely reported, Avenged Sevenfold were recently forced to cancel a co-headlining tour with Buckcherry because Shadows was suffering vocal fatigue. Click "more" to watch the interview clips: Read more...

The band name Hellsongs is more than a bit deceptive. So is the title of their debut album, Hyms in the Key of 666. But don't let that stop you. And don't be put off by the fact that there's not a single distorted guitar, screamed vocal or aggressive drum volley in any of their songs. Actually, these Swedes don't exactly have their own songs. They're a metal cover band, and they contort the music of Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath, Megadeth, Slayer, Metallica, Twisted Sister and others into melancholy lounge music. It's actually pretty hard to tell what song they're singing until you hear the lyrics. And, amazingly, it works. Click "more" to stream Songs in the Key of 666. Read more...

photo courtesy of festivals2go.com

Between July 31 and August 2 more than 75,000 people descended in the German town of Wacken to witness one of the largest and most illustrious summer gatherings, the Wacken Open Air Festival. The festival, which was launched in 1990 has grown exponentially since its first year, which featured the obscure local acts 5th Avenue, Axe 'n Sex, Motoslug, Sacret Season, Skyline and Wizzard.

This year Wacken featured Iron Maiden, Avenged Sevenfold, Carcass, At the Gates, Children of Bodom, Exodus, Gorgoroth, Watain, Kreator, Killswitch Engage, Opeth, Obituary, Warbringer, Mortal Sin and many more performing on multiple stages. Click more for a professional slide show of the event. Read more...

There are some pretty cool metal magazines in the U.S. catering to every taste from pop metal to black metal. Sometimes the publications come with fold out posters or codes that allow you to download previously unreleased songs from the mags' Web sites. But when it comes to value-added packaging, America's got nothing on the Brits.

In the UK, magazines frequently come with bonus CDs or DVDs, and they're usually not just compilations of pre-existing stuff. Often, they're so good they could have been released on their own without the magazine. Case in point: On July 16, Maiden Heaven - A Tribute to Iron Maiden will hit British newsstands bundled with the latest issue of Kerrang! The disc features top-name bands, including Metallica, Machine Head, Trivium, Avenged Sevenfold and Black Tide covering tracks by Iron Maiden. To hear 30 second snippets of each and rate them from "one" to "ten" click "more". Read more...

Ever wonder what Iron Maiden's heralded mascot Eddie might have looked like had Spongebob Squarepants existed in 1980? Us neither, but some artist dude named Hans Claesson did, and he has posted a bunch of his imaginative renderings here.

The animating staff of Kewabe.com created the site, and Blabbermouth points out that the domain also includes a "Create Your Own SpongeEd" Flash game.

As for Iron Maiden, the band's long-awaited live DVD, "Death on the Road" was finally released in the U.S. on January 30. Shot at the Westenfalenhalle Arena in Dortmund, Germany, the show was edited by band bassist Steve Harris.

image: Kawabe.com