One of the the highlights of the Epiphone Revolver Golden Gods Awards was Hatebreed, who performed four scorching songs that pumped up the crowd and set the bar for much of the the activity that followed. During their set, two of the members wore shirts promoting their upcoming covers album, For the Lions, which comes out May 5 and features of brutal versions of songs by Slayer, Metallica, Black Flag, Suicidal Tendencies, Sepultura, Cro-Mags and others. The album also marks the recording return of original guitarist Wayne Lozinak, who replaced Sean Martin in February.
During a podcast interview with frontman Jamey Jasta backstage at the Revolver Golden Gods Awards, we discussed the creation of For the Lions, plans for the next proper studio album, (due in September) and the trauma and sorrow that caused Jasta to mold the disc into what will be Hatebreed's "meanest and most negative record." We also discussed the future of Kingdom of Sorrow, Jasta's side project with Crowbar frontman and Down guitarist Kirk Windstein, the status of Jamey's label Stillborn Records and the current state of metal. Click "more" to stream or download the podcast. And catch the exclusive broadcast premiere of the Epiphone Revolver Golden Gods Awards on May 2 on MTV2. Read more...
There's something a little weird about going to see Kingdom of Sorrow with Gwar and Toxic Holocaust and finding out that guitarist and singer Kirk Windstein isn't there 'cause he's off touring with Down. It's kinda like buying a ticket to a Yankees game and discovering Derek Jeter's taken the day off to go fly fishing. You're still gonna get a hell of a game, but it's just not the same.
Of course, frontman Jamey Jasta's still a monster, and we're sure that Kingdom of Sorrow are
tearing it up with touring guitarist Kenny Hickey (Type O Negative), but there's something comforting about having the burly, belligerent and often drunk Windstein screaming and strumming away hard enough to sever fingertips as you drink enough to piss out a small fire. No such hiccup with the new Kingdom of Sorrow video for "Lead the Ghosts Astray," which features all of the members shouting away and rocking it up like a dysfunctional family. God bless America. Click "more" to see the sparks fly and read Jasta's comments about the video. Read more...
To promote their tour with Gwar and Toxic Holocaust, and maybe garner a few more sales of their self-titled debut album, Kingdom of Sorrow, -- the supergroup featuring Hatebreed frontman Jamey Jasta and Crowbar frontman Kirk Windstein -- have posted a widget featuring a free download of "Lead Into Demise," an exclusive cover of Motorhead's "No Class" and the album tracks "Begging For the Truth" and "Buried in Black."
The Kingdom of Sorrow tour launches October 2 in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, and runs through December 20 in Philadelphia. But keep in mind, until at least November 23, the role of Kirk Windstein will be played by Type O Negative guitarist Kenny Hickey since one of the other bands Windstein is in -- a little underground entity known as Down -- will also be on tour.
"Obviously, my commitment is to Down and I cannot wait for these Australian and Japanese dates as well as the Metallica shows in the U.S.," said Windstein on the band's MySpace. "Since Kingdom Of Sorrow has been confirmed on the Gwar tour for a while, I [insisted] they find a fill in for me and do the tour, but I will try and make as many shows as humanly possible. It looks likely that I will be able to finish the last few weeks of the tour with them."
And while we're in the Kingdom, here's another tidbit: HeadbangersBlog.com will premiere the band's new video "Lead the Ghosts Astray" on October 9. Okay, click "more" to check out that awesome widget: Read more...
photo by Kaila Moore, courtesy of www.flickr.com
Those of you who are old enough to remember National Lampoon's "...or we'll shoot this dog" advertising campaign might appreciate the promotional pitch for this week's "Your Vote Counts." And maybe some of the rest of you twisted f--kers will still think it's funny (if not, we welcome the hate mail).
When you get over your disgust or stop laughing your asses off, it'll be time to cast your ballot for this week's contestants. 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 The Gates of Slumber can't win and neither can Lair of the Minotaur or Terror.
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 and let's get rockin'. 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...
