photo by Jon Wiederhorn

Last night, we dreamed that Hellyeah drummer Vinnie Paul was a guest on a TV talk show, and was showing the audience how to projectile vomit at will. He'd kind of cough and spit, and a fountain of puke would spew onto the floor. Then everyone would cheer and a group of scantily dressed women who looked like cheerleaders would clean up the vomit with bar towels.

We're not sure if the dream was inspired by the prescription Tylenol with codeine we took or if it had more to do with Paul's comment to DallasObserver.com that Hellyeah will return to the studio on May 15 to record their second album. Read more...

A year before ex-Pantera drummer Vinnie Paul Abbott (Hellyeah, ex-Damageplan) was emotionally ready to put together a book about the life of his slain brother, guitar hero "Dimebag" Darrell Abbott, his dad, country & western songwriter and producer, Jerry Abbott, was collecting hundreds of photos from Dime's life.

Then, in late November 2007, Vinnie decided enough time had passed since the December 8, 2004 Damageplan show in which Dime was shot and killed onstage that he could pitch in to a Dimebag book with his dad and rejoice at the great memories instead of sinking in depression.

"Dimebag Darrell: He Came to Rock!" is a 188 page book stuffed with pictures from Dime's childhood, adolescence and every phase of his professional career, (including the hair metal era!). While there's some text, mostly it tells the story of his life through vivid, colorful and sometimes amusing photos and snapshots.

The book is packaged with an updated version of the DVD "DimeVision Vol 1: That's the Fun I Have," which originally came out in 2006. Vinnie is currently on a press campaign to promote "Dimebag Darrell: He Came to Rock!" but by no means is he stuck in the past. When Mudvayne are finished touring their new album The New Game, Vinnie will rejoin their guitarist Greg Tribbett and singer Chad Gray, as well as Nothingface guitarist Tom Maxwell and ex-Damageplan bassist Bob Zilla, to write and record the second album by groove metal band Hellyeah. Vinnie will also be releasing the debut album by Seventh Void, which features Type O Negative guitarist Kenny Hickey and drummer Johnny Kelly, on his label Big Vin, and he'll be working with writer and ex-Grim Reaper guitarist Nick Bowcott on the first authorized biography of Dime.

In our podcast interview, Vinnie talked about how he assembled "Dimebag Darrell: He Came to Rock!" the legacy of Pantera, how label reps used to try to convince the bandmembers and producer, Terry Date, to integrate alternative and industrial styles within their songs and how Damageplan were misunderstood for most of their short career. He also recalled the time Dime met Eddie Van Halen, and he broke the news about the Nick Bowcott book and announced plans to broadcast his cover band Gasoline's 2009 New Years show over the Internet.

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

Before we go making generalizations about the Irish or something else that might be perceived as offensive, we'll just say that Philly Byrne, frontman for retro-thrash Dublin band Gamma Bomb, is as bold and uncompromising as his music.

We've heard musicians admit that there's nothing that can be done about filesharing and that ticket sales and merch that are keeping them off wellfare, but this guest blog from Byrne marks the first time an artist has written us to support what many regard as illegal downloading. Read Byrne's blog and then leave your comments whether you agree with him or not:

Here's a confession: I download music.

I copy albums from my friends. I mess with my iPod's software to use it as an external hard drive. I use torrents. I scan blogs for rips of records. I cram my USB port with illicit musical booty and run cackling into the night. I, ladies and gentlemen, am the music fan of the 21st century.

Not only that, but I'm also a struggling musician, a fledgling recording artist on an indie label with only two albums to my name. I know as well as my friends at the label that record sales (both mine and those of other artists) keep the music industry show on the road, but still, I'm a filthy, swindling downloader. I'm fine with it though, because I believe that downloading music for free isn't thieving. And like it or not, I'm in step with most modern music fans when I say that. Read more...

With "Do What You Do," the first single from their new album, The New Game, Mudvayne aren't really doing anything that new, they're actually... well, doing what they do. To this, we have two things to say. 1) If you've already broken new ground and done something innovative and challenging, what more do you have to prove? 2) If it ain't broke, just do what you do. click "more" to watch the video and check out our video interview with the band. Read more...

On October 11, Mudvayne's new single "Do What You Do" debuted in the top 20 of Billboard's mainstream rock chart, suggesting the song will do what their last radio hit "Happy" did -- penetrate the masses with the kind of odd meters and progressive rhythms usually reserved for more of a niche crowd and reaffirm Mudvayne's dominion over most of their major label metal peers. To extend their reach over the masses, the band recently hired video director Frankie Nasso (All That Remains, Hatebreed) to shoot videos for "Do What You Do," "Fish Out of Water" and the title track for Mudvayne's new album The New Game, which drops November 18.

Click "more" to see our new video interview, in which Mudvayne discuss their title choice for the new record, the success of the first single, how they're gonna follow The New Game with a newer game and how singer Chad Gray and guitarist Greg Tribbett separate Mudvayne from their other band Hellyeah. And see more from Mudvayne and other metal marauders all this week on MTV2 as we celebrate the 20th Anniversary of "Headbangers Ball." Read more...

After putting their fourth record on hold last summer so singer Chad Gray could tour with his other band Hellyeah, Mudvayne are finally wrapping up the disc with producer Dave Fortman (Slipknot, Evanescence). The band has completed tracking drums and guitars and is about to start recording bass. Vocals will follow and mastering should be completed by October 1 for a late November release, Fortman tells HeadbangersBlog.com. The album is tentatively called The New Game and will be followed six months later by a second full record.

As for the first disc, Fortman says Mudvayne fans should be pleased, but at the same time, the band has dug into its arsenal and pulled out some new weapons. "It's heavy and has great hooks, but it also has some moments that are a little more rock n’ roll that are really cool," Fortman says. "It's not anything drastic, but every now and then you’ll catch a little hint of old-school rock. Also, the tones are a little more earthy sounding and a little warmer than [2005's] Lost and Found." Read more...