Vinnie Paul with Hatebreed's Jamey Jasta
photo by Jon Wiederhorn

Between interviewing the Revolver Golden Gods Awards performers -- Megadeth, Killswitch Engage, Hatebreed and Suicide Silence -- posting entries about the event, reviewing the actual show and hanging with the heavies, we were able to shoot a couple dozen photos as the bangers walked the black carpet an hour or so before showtime. Click more to see close-up shots of members of Slayer, Megadeth, Alice in Chains, Motorhead, Bleeding Through, Job For a Cowboy and more. Read more...

Slayer look forward to another bloodbath with Manson

While Ozzfest hasn't popped back out from the crypt in which it has been hiding, two major spring and summer festivals have announced the first set of acts on their lineups, and both bear striking resemblance to Ozzfests of old.

Music As a Weapon IV will be headlined by Disturbed and will also feature Killswitch Engage on the main stage and Chimaira and Lacuna Coil on the second stage. And Like past Ozzfests, the event will feature tattoo artists, extreme sports and videogames. 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...

They were doing just fine before Megadeth invited them to tour on this year's Gigantour. Actually, Job For a Cowboy were initially reluctant to even accept the gig since they had received a hostile crowd reaction earlier when they played Europe with Megadeth, but something pushed them forward, even though they knew they would be the heaviest band on the bill. Now, they're glad they did.

In the end, Gigantour worked out well for Job For a Cowboy. They proved they could hold their own with more established acts, sold lots of merch and won over some new fans searching for louder music than that forged by Megadeth, In Flames and Children of Bodom. And now, the Glendale, Arizona deathcore band turned death metal concept rockers are preparing for whatever lies ahead.

Interestingly, they're not gunning to take over the death metal world, they just want a small piece of it. They're not striving for gold records, tours with Metallica and a line of Job For a Cowboy action figures. They'd rather sell fewer records and retain their underground cred. At least, that's what singer Jonny Davy says in our exclusive podcast interview.

One of the two original members still in the band (along with guitarist Ravi Bhadriraju), Davy is a fierce growler and a commanding onstage presence. Behind the scenes, he's a little quieter and more laid back. For the past couple weeks he's been decompressing from months of touring by doing... absolutely nothing. For a while that was cool, but now he's totally bored and can't wait to return to the road, which Job For a Cowboy will do June 13 when they fly to England to play European festivals including Donnington, and tour clubs with Throwdown.

In our exclusive podcast interview, Davy candidly addresses his upbringing as a bastard son, how he discovered extreme metal and the birth of the band. He also discusses Job's evolution from deathcore to death metal, the band's plans for the next album, conspiracy theories and his support for illicit music downloading.

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