photo by Maia Larsen

We all knew Enslaved guitarist Ivar Bjørnson had a blackened soul and an icy heart, so it's no surprise that the dude's iPod is filled with the Norwegian metal of Darkthrone, Mayhem, Dødheimsgard and Ulver. There's also plenty of progressive, experimental stuff like Shining, Isis and Tool, which makes sense considering how psychedelic and jazzy Enslaved's last album Vertebrae was. However, we were a little bit surprised by the inclusion of Rolling Stone's radio hit "Brown Sugar," and Elvis Presley's "Return to Sender." We guess everybody needs some classic rock in their lives from time to time. Conclusion: Either this guy totally walks the walk and talks to talk, or he's lying through his teeth and trying to make us think he does. For black metal fans, we give Bjørnson's list a 90 for listenability. For mainstream metal fans, it's more like a 50. And to those people, Bjørnson would say in Norwegian, "F--k off and die you f--king posers!" Click "more" to read Bjørnson full iPod Random Shuffle list and watch an extreme metal video. Read more...

When we were young, we once saw an advertisement for a concert featuring Slayer, Venom and Exodus at the disco club Studio 54 in New York City. At the time we thought this was the heaviest, most insane metal bill ever conceived. Of course, that was 1985, and since then band after band have redefined the very definition of heavy, Since then, we've seen Possessed rip it up with Dark Angel, and we've watched Napalm Death, Carcass and Morbid Angel tear it up together on an Earache showcase, not to mention Deicide sharing a bill with, Obituary, Malevolent Creation and Cannibal Corpse. Read more...

Avant-garde vocalist Jarboe has recruited Down singer Philip Anselmo, Mayhem growler Attila Csihar and others to contribute to her new album MahaKali, which comes out October 14. Click "more" to hear an audio stream of the full record. Read more...

Before you plan your next vacation getaway to Norway, head on over to Metalkult.com to see a black metal travelogue featuring Mayhem's late guitarist Euronymous' former record store Helvete (now a bakery); one of the churches burned down by the Inner Circle in 1992; and the studio where Satyricon are recording their new album. And that's just part one. In the other three segments, members of 1349 take journalists to Oslo's most happening metal bars, Emperor/Zyklon drummer Trym lays down some ink at his tattoo place Imperial Tattoo and ex-Emperor frontman Ihsahn shares recording tips at Symphonique Studios.

click "more" to see all the footage: Read more...