photo by Jon Wiederhorn

Mushaggah's last U.S. tour -- which was documented for an upcoming DVD -- was bludgeoning and mindblowing, but considering how amazing the opening band Cynic were, it would be hard to say Meshuggah stole the show.

And that's just fine. Most concert packages deliver a killer headliner (if you're lucky) and a bunch of decent  opening acts (if you're also lucky). The Meshuggah tour with Cynic and The Faceless was a total face-shredder from soup to nuts (And Meshuggah have got some big nuts). But Cynic's performance was just as earth shattering as that of the closing act.

The tour is the group's first in 15 years, and during the show, frontman Paul Masvidal mentioned that the final Cynic show in 1994 before the members went their separate ways was at the Limelight in New York City, so it felt like they had come full circle. And when the lights dimmed and Cynic started to play it seemed as if they decade-and-a-half gap between the deathprog masterpiece Focus and the new Traced in Air never happened. (Click "more" watch our video interview with Masvidal). Read more...

photo by Jon Wiederhorn

Shortly after finishing their tour with Meshuggah and Cynic, The Faceless hit the road with Arsis, Misery Index and The Tony Danza Tapdance Extravaganza. As soon as they're done with that, they'll embark on a bill with Cannibal Corpse, Neuraxis and Obscura. Read more...

photo by Jon Wiederhorn

Even if you didn't see our first video interview with Meshuggah guitarist Marten Hagstrom, in which he described how incredible the band's live shows with Cynic and The Faceless were, you can probably still get a sense of the intensity of last week's New York City concert from the above photo of singer Jens Kidman screaming his lungs out. The performance was one of several gigs filmed for Meshuggah's upcoming DVD, which will come out before the release of the band's next album.

While Meshuggah were incredible, Cynic were also great, performing a celestial, progressive and intoxicating set from their new album Traced in Air and their 1993 disc Focus. And The Faceless kicked ass as well, presenting a ferocious, technically complex batch of songs that belied their young age.

Click "more" to see our photo essay, and check back later for a full review of the show. Read more...

In the second part of our video interview with Mårten Hagström, Meshuggah's guitarist talks about playing on Ministry's farewell tour, the rise of girlie-pop metal, pagan metal and deathcore and his eternal fondness for weird electronic music. Click "more" to watch the interview.
Read more...

Before Meshuggah took the stage last night in New York City for the second to last show of their U.S. headline tour with Cynic and The Faceless, HeadbangersBlog.com pinned down guitarist Mårten Hagström for a brief on-camera interview about the highlights of the tour, the concert DVD on which the band is currently working and preliminary plans for the next studio opus. Click more to watch part one of the interview. Read more...

This week's episode of "Headbangers Ball" features no video premieres, no exclusive live footage, nothing you haven't seen before if you're a regular viewer. So why should you tune in? 'Cuz this is the show you dudes programmed all on your own. We've tallied your votes for best videos of the year, and on Saturday we'll run your top 10 choices from 2 to 3 a.m. EST, ending the show with your favorite metal vid of 2008.

Due to the diverse demographics of our viewers, your final 10 doesn't exactly mirror ours, which is why we've included a separate list of our own favorite videos of 2008. If you can't wait until tomorrow night to see who won, click "more" to read both lists and watch the top five vids on each. Read more...

We The People (ie: viewers) have chosen Meshuggah's "Bleed" video for the encore slot on Saturday's "Headbangers Ball." It was close contest, but in the end the band that recently toured the U.S. with Ministry outdistanced the good, the bad and the ugly (in no particular order: Shadows Fall, Impending Doom and Slipknot) to win the coveted spot. "Bleed" comes from Meshuggah's latest record obZen. Click "more" for a stream of the full album. 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...

Dying Fetus -- War of Attrition (Relapse) On their seventh disc, this Baltimore grindcore band belches and vomits about war, corruption and hypocrisy, while laying down a fortress of jackhammer blast beats and buzzsaw riffs. Vvvrrrrrooooommmmm!!!!

Binea Reach -- Monument Bineothan (Candlelight) They're from Oslo, Norway, but, surprise, surprise, they're not a black metal band. This sextet plays crushing music that's reminiscent of Mastodon or even Meshuggah. Check out their debut before everyone else discovers ‘em.

Korn — MTV Unplugged (Virgin) You've watched the show, now check out the record. In a transformation that's gotta be heard to be believed, these nu metal pioneers perform radically different versions of all their hits, as well as Radiohead's "Creep." Special guests include the Cure, Evanescence singer, Amy Lee and Al Gore. Just kidding about that last one.

Sevendust -- Alpha (Asylum) Atlanta's finest are no longer writing songs for Creed fans. Instead, they've returned to the kind of soulful, melodic thrash that made their first two discs so damn good. Catch them on tour, through April 29 in Pt St. Lucie, Florida.

Chimaira -- Resurrection (Ferret) Many critics insist the fourth record by this Cleveland outfit lives up to its name. We'd have to agree. Gone are the experimental musings of their last album, replaced by short-sharp bursts of chaos that leave little room for overthinking. And that don't mean they're dumb, neither.

Alabama Thunderpussy — Open Fire (Relapse) They're not from Alabama, but don't let the lie scare you off. This Richmond, Virginia band delivers greasy, garagey metal that makes the perfect soundtrack for truck and tractor pulls. This, their sixth disc, marks the debut of new vocalist Kyle Thomas. Let ‘er rip!

Stooges — The Weirdness (Virgin) The band that predated punk and metal returns almost 25 years after their disbanded to deliver a new disc of thundering, sneering rock. The album features bassist Mike Watt (ex-Minutemen, Firehose) and was produced by Steve Albini, who'll pretty much produce anything for five bucks and a bottle of cheap wine.