For those of you who aren't sure what the hell Trivium frontman Matt Heafy is talking about in the band's new single "Throes of Perdition," "hell" is the operative word. Throes of perdition literally means "struggle of eternal damnation," which is something of which Trivium seem to have been spared. Read more...

Slayer look forward to another bloodbath with Manson

While Ozzfest hasn't popped back out from the crypt in which it has been hiding, two major spring and summer festivals have announced the first set of acts on their lineups, and both bear striking resemblance to Ozzfests of old.

Music As a Weapon IV will be headlined by Disturbed and will also feature Killswitch Engage on the main stage and Chimaira and Lacuna Coil on the second stage. And Like past Ozzfests, the event will feature tattoo artists, extreme sports and videogames. Read more...

photo courtesy of www.photobucket.com

We've almost reached the end of 2008, and we gotta say it was a good year for metal. The genre continued to grow and diversify, as best exemplified, perhaps, by the top headbanging fest of the year, Rockstar Energy Mayhem. In a single day of Mayhem, fans could witness mainstream extreme metal (Slipknot), mainstream regular metal (Disturbed, Five Finger Death Punch), power metal (Dragonforce), lumbering prog/doom metal (Mastodon), contemporary thrash (Machine Head), deathcore (Job For a Cowboy), pre-deathcore/hardcore (The Red Chord), alt-metalcore (36 Crazyfists), female-fronted metalcore (Walls of Jericho) Christian metal/hardcore (Underoath) and hard rock (Airbourne, Black Tide). Read more...

Phil Demmel, lead guitarist for Machine Head, has issued a statement about passing out onstage in Bristow, Virginia on August 17 during the band's Rockstar Energy Mayhem set.

"I've suffered from episodes of Cardiogenic Syncope for the last 17 years or so," Demmel said. "But [doctors] ran a series of tests that came up inconclusive. I hadn't had it happen for awhile until last December in Italy, when I passed out roughly about the time my father passed away back in the States. The incident in Virginia felt similar to what has happened in the past. I have to thank my techs Alan, Brian and good friend Chief for catching me." Read more...

Screw Mayhem attractions like Slipknot, Disturbed and Dragonforce, MetalInjection.net have recruited the dudes from The Red Chord to provide semi-regular updates from the festival. Here, they film the autograph tent, a Jack and Coke fountain at a (not so) surprise backstage birthday party for organizer John Reese and a skinny dude dancing like an eel next to a set of free weights. The later sequence is looped over a soundbed of '70s porn funk. Click "more" to watch it all and get your groove on: Read more...

We were gonna write something snarky about the triumph of the lesser of two evils or some s--t like that, but we've gotta admit that Disturbed write some stompin' riffs and catchy hooks, and even if they're not as heavy as Nile, there's still a place for them in the kingdom of metal.

Also, we caught the band's Rockstar Energy Mayhem set the other day in Denver and frontman David Draiman did something we totally respected. No, it wasn't a cover of Genesis' "Land of Confusion" (that kind of sucked, actually), and it had nothing to do with theatrical command of the stage. It was an impromptu utteruance that took place when he saw a legless guy in a wheelchair near the front of the pit. Click more to hear what Draiman had to say and to watch Disturbed cover Metallica. Read more...

The Rockstar Energy Mayhem tour kicked off with a bit of mayhem on July 9 in Auburn, Washington when Slipknot DJ Sid Wilson jumped off one of the band's stage props and shattered bones in both heels, Roadrunner Records confirmed.

Wilson's legs have been placed in casts and the turntablist has been bound to a wheelchair. So, how many shows will he miss? Absolutely none, insists the spokeswoman. Wilson has played three gigs since the accident -- July 11 in Wheatland, California, July 12 in Mountainview, California and July 13 in Devore, California -- and unless something catastrophic happens, he'll be onboard the entire tour.

Does Corey Taylor want you to abandon all hope when you enter the domain of Slipknot's new album All Hope is Gone? Not really.

When the singer says "hope is gone" he doesn't mean everything is hopeless, he means all hope is lost for anyone who thinks they've got his band all figured out. Slipknot's new album doesn't just defy expectations, it sneeringly shatters them. Those expecting a continuation of the band's last disc Volume 3: The Subliminal Verses, will be surprised. Anyone hoping for a flashback to the brutal rancor of Iowa might be annoyed and fans anticipating a disc colored by Taylor and guitarist Jim Root's last album with Stone Sour will be sorely disappointed. Who will be happy? -- pretty much anyone who's ever liked Slipknkot because of their jarring artistry and striking sense of originality in a genre filled with predictability and cliches.

All Hope is Gone is musically revelatory, combining the acute melodies of Volume 3 with the savagery of Iowa and adding new elements that have blossomed from the band's growth as musicians, attention to detail and unhurried approach to songwriting. The disc is packed with conflict and juxtaposition. Taylor growls throughout instead of actually singing, yet the tracks are suffused with strong melodies. The guitar work and drum patterns are technical and complex, however the music isn't too challenging and the lyrics are rife with pain and rage, yet glimmer with hope.

Our exclusive Independence Day interview with Taylor was conducted in late June as Collin Richardson was mixing All Hope is Gone. And while the singer was swamped with meetings to finalize details for the record, last minute scheduling for the upcoming Rockstar Energy Mayhem tour (which they're co-headlining with Disturbed) and family obligations, he was focused, insightful and friendly during our 45-minute conversation, which alternately was laced with confessional sincerity and peppered with levity. In addition to discussing the creation of the new disc, he talked about: the ever-present studio tensions that allow Slipknot to create such explosive albums; the volatile political climate in America and why he's not voting in the 2008 election; the rewards and responsibilities of being a father and the personal hardships he was able to temporarily escape during the making of All Hope Is Gone.

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

The heaviest band on the Rockstar Energy Mayhem lineup is unquestionably Suicide Silence (though The Red Chord come in a close second). The Riverside, California musicians have developed quite a following over the past year. They've played Gigantour, and, with their soul-scorching full-length, The Cleansing, which has shifted over 40,000 units since its release last September, they've chalked up Century Media's best-selling debut album ever.

Aside from touring their asses off, which they've done pretty non-stop since the record came out, Suicide Silence have spent some time writing and recording new songs for their follow up, and according to singer Mitch Lucker, the new stuff blows The Cleansing away. Constant touring has made Suicide Silence better players and improved their musical chemistry. In addition, the next album won't be recorded live in the studio the way The Cleansing was, and the band will spend much longer in pre-production before they begin tracking.

Lucker shared these nuggets of wisdom with HeadbangersBlog.com during our exclusive podcast interview. In addition, he discussed the band's origins and history, his obsessive compulsive disorder, contempt for categorization -- especially deathcore -- and hopes for the Rockstar Energy Mayhem tour. Also, Lucker talked about the bands Suicide Silence have toured with and revealed some of the group's most extreme antics and puke stories. Click "more" to stream or download the podcast: Read more...