Man, Mnemic guitarist Mircea Eftemie really, really likes Nine Inch Nails. Three out of 20 tracks on his Random Shuffle list are by Trent Reznor. Of course it could just be a fluke of the shuffle, but it actually makes sense. Mnemic's music is fast and heavy, rooted largely in death metal and thrash, but there's an obvious industrial influence that shines through the crashing rhythms and crunching guitars. It's the same element Fear Factory tapped into so effectively before the departure of guitarist Dino Cazares -- which is why we're kind of surprised there's no FF on Eftemie's list.

As for his other Random picks, we dig most of the metal stuff -- which ranges from Monster Magnet to Morbid Angel -- and the industrial and electronic selections are pretty sweet -- NIN, Aphex Twin, Front Line Assembly. We're even okay with Muse, but we're not sure how Norah Jones and The Gypsy Kings got on there, but hey, at least he had the guts to be honest about what popped up -- even when it happened to be his own music -- which we're dyin' to hear. On a scale of 100, we give Eftemie's Random Shuffle an 88 for listenability -- mostly 'cuz we really like Nine Inch Nails and Aphex Twin, too. Click "more" to see the full list and to watch a video from one of the artists. 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...

In one of Megadeth's best songs, "Peace Sells," Dave Mustaine defiantly sings, "What do you mean I couldn't be the president of the United States of America/ Tell me something, it's still we the people, right?" Whoever thought Mustaine and president elect Barack Obama would have a lot in common?

Just two years ago, the thought of an African American becoming president was, sadly, unimaginable. The prevailing belief was that the people of the United States would support black actors, musicians and sports heroes, and they'd accept African Americans like Colin Powell and Condoleeza Rice as advisers to the president, but the top spot -- uh-uh, out of the question and almost as ridiculous as having a woman chosen as a party's Vice Presidential nominee. Thankfully, all of that's changed.

And "change" was the centerpiece of Obama's campaign. The same can't be said for John McCain. Though he tried to escape being connected to the current administration, to the people of this country, McCain meant more of the same, and the thought of continuing on the path we've been in for the last eight years was just unacceptable. African Americans unanimously voted for Obama, as did Latinos and other minorities, but so did the white working class and intelligentsia.

Obama's victory is a historic one and a breakthrough moment in African American history, but it's equally a great moment in American history. Now, let's hope that the next president will be able to repair the damage that's been done over the last eight years, unify and protect the country, heal our international image, fix the economy, keep our taxes from going up and keep his nose out of our First Amendment rights. And now that we've had our say, here's what some heavy metal artists have commented about the election. Read more...

One could convincingly argue that Morbid Angel are an army fighting those who oppose the forces of darkness. We'd even bet that frontman David Vincent has broken a beer bottle or ten over the noggins of dudes who have stood in his way. But we're quite sure he never used his bullet belt as a weapon.

Apparently, police at an airport in Milan, Italy thought otherwise. After flying into the city on his way to Greece, Vincent was arrested on weapons charges for owning a bullet belt. According to www.metalhammer.uk.co, authorities found the belt in Vincent's luggage, then between 15 and 20 armed officers escorted the bewildered singer into a holding cell and questioned him for two and a half hours. Read more...