CollegeHumor is a site which features enough distractions to get no work done all day (especially their Jake & Amir series). They do a monthly local show at the UCB Theater (the mecca of alternative comedy in NYC), recently having comedian Adam Newman giving the giggly hipsters in attendance a lesson about some of godfathers of black metal, Mayhem and how he feels they totally got shafted by VH1's Most Metal Moments. Check it out:

Look, not that we don't know already. This is pretty much non-news, but Kelly Osbourne was quoted after Ozzy's Blizzcon performance pretty much confirming that Zakk is out.

It's great because it's the first time that this band has all played together — because there's a couple of new members. It's great to kind of — especially for my dad — to test it out on an audience like this that is so willing to have fun. it's great. . . It's fantastic. Sometimes it even shocks me that he still does what he does, but I guess when you're willing to do something, you're willing to do it.

Believe me, Kelly. It shocks all of us that he's still doing it. Anyway, this has been said before, but can somebody please make an official statement here? Or, like call Zakk Wylde maybe?

Fresh off completing their video diary updates, BETWEEN THE BURIED AND ME have now posted a 6 minute audio teaser featuring snippets from the entire scope of their new album, The Great Misdirect (out October 27th). I don't even have to mention that it's awesome, because it's BTBAM! Check it out on their MySpace page. While it's hard to make a judgement call on what the new album will sound like, the teaser does have elements that sound like old-school BTBAM as well as their more modern proggy sound. Consider me fucking excited. How about you?

It's really hard to make fun of this endevour because it is for a good cause, but I couldn't resist posting that title. KORN bassist Fieldy Snuts got a bunch of musicians (a who's who of 90s rock radio favorites and uhh Adam from Killswitch Engage) to collaborate on a song that will be sold with proceeds donated to the large collection of medical bills Deftones bassist Chi Cheng is incurring after a tragic car accident in November. The song could be purchased here with more info on donating at oneloveforchi.com. The full list of contributors to the track (as seen above) are:

Jim Root (Slipknot)
Sid Wilson (Slipknot)
Ray Luzier (Korn)
Reginald "Fieldy" Arvizu (Korn)
Dave McClain (Machine Head)
Robert Trujillo (Metallica)
Clint Lowery (Sevendust)
Morgan Rose (Sevendust)
Brian 'Head' Welch (ex-Korn)
James 'Munky' Shaffer (Korn)
Wayne Lozinak (Hatebreed)
Wuv (P.O.D.)
Mike Wengren (Disturbed)
Adam Dutkiewicz (Killswitch Engage)

The power of the internet! It allows information to travel so fast, sometimes too fast. I was just browsing through Blabbermouth when I came upon the story of DIMMU BORGIR allegedly kicking out keyboardist Mustis and bassist/clean vocalist ICS Vortex. There was a part of this story that had me completely rotfl:

No further details are currently available, but it should be rather telling that Mustis has set the "mood indicator" on his MySpace page to "betrayed." (NOTE: Since this story was first published, Mustis< has changed his "mood indicator" setting to "creative.")

Expressing one's self through Myspace moods is usually reserved for 15 year old girls, not members of black metal bands. The best part is that he changed it after word got out. Did he just assume that people don't check the mood? Because they do, damn it!

We tried something new on this edition of the Livecast, a live chat as the show was going on. Whether it was a good idea or a bad one, we don't know yet. We get a few random callers including a dude holding a dolphin hostage, some party animals in Oklahoma, a young dude in India who listens to our show live on Saturday mornings and (completely randomly) Jonny from Job For A Cowboy. Also, we were joined by "Joey Jordinson" on Slipknot fame, we learn about Rob's teen years, Zakk Wylde's urination habits, ordering weed online and much much more. Here is this week's playlist:

NINE INCH NAILS – Piggy (Nothing Can Stop Me Now)
MORBID ANGEL – Dominate
SYLOSIS – Transcendance
EMPYREON – Beyond Perception

Podcast: Download

Ever since TRENT REZNOR indicated that NINE INCH NAILS are taking a break after their current run of U.S. shows, the media has been yipping about the man who forced industrial music onto the radio, defied MTV with his videos and politics, thrust JOHNNY CASH and DAVID BOWIE back into the spotlight, infuriated labels and retailers by giving away his music (or encouraging fans to steal it,) and of course, won a Grammy for a song with "fistfuck" in the lyrics. Some even mentioned being one of the most innovative and influential songwriters of the past 20 years. All of which takes a backseat to the fact that Nine Inch Nails put on an unbelievably spectacular live show, and the final New York stop of their "Wave Goodbye" tour at Terminal 5 proved as much. (more…)

MARDUK are coming! For real this time. They have their visas and everything. We are proud to be sponsoring this killer tour which will also feature one of our favorite bands around right now, the mega-epic NACHTMYSTIUM. Rounding out the lineup will be Mantic Ritual, Merrimack and on select dates, Brooklyn's own Black Anvil. This is yet another killer lineup. There seem to be a lot of really good shows happening during the remainder of 2009, so I suggest everybody start saving now. This is surely not one to be missed. Full dates after the jump… (more…)

Move over Heathenfest, you have some competition this Fall/Winter. Just announced is a new tour featuring ENSIFERUM (above) along with HYPOCRISY, EX DEO, BLACKGUARD and the thrashing pirates in SWASHBUCKLE on some dates. Are you excited? Full dates after the jump… (more…)

So this brings us to the conclusion of my 10 favorite drummers list, and it's been harder than you can ever imagine for me to narrow my giant list of awesome players. This is why I'm pulling the "I can do what I want on my site" card, and chose to provide you with several drummers I think you should check out in this last post. Up to this point I've only talked about metal drummers, but for this last entry you may notice some incredible non-metal players that are definitely worth watching. Like my other entries, these are in no particular order.

Hopefully this has been a learning experience, and who knows, maybe you'll walk away with some new favorites. The important message I hope to convey with all of this is to trade in your judgmental nature for one of appreciation. I often find myself looking for qualities within a band or player that I can respect, opposed to ones I can ridicule as I think any respectable musician, music appreciator, or human being should. (more…)

It's safe to say EMMURE have a certain reputation in the metal community. Either you like them or you really really hate them. But, really, what the fuck do boxing gloves have to do with metal? On top of that, what sort of idiot would pay $40 for a pair of them, and then, lug them around, and put them on right as the band goes on. Seriously, this has to be the dumbest idea ever. I am almost speechless. Thankfully, this product seems to be out of print and was only out for a short time after the release of their previous CD, The Respect Issue.

My favorite acoustic duo, RODRIGO Y GABRIELA is set to release a new CD entitled "11:11", on September 8 through ATO Records. This gets me quite excited. The band just posted a tribute song they wrote for Dimebag Darrell and features a special appearance by TESTAMENT guitarist Alex Skolnick. The band released this quote about the song…

Alex came to our studio in Mexico to lay down his incredible solo on 'Atman'. Atman is a Sanskrit word meaning the only deathless part of the human being. This song is for 'Dimebag' Darrell — metal guitar god and former member of PANTERA. Dimebag was shot dead on stage while performing with his last band, DAMAGEPLAN, at a venue in Columbus, Ohio in 2004. He influenced and inspired a whole new generation of guitarists around the world — his legacy is as endless as his memory is within us.

Check out the acoustic shreddage below…

Ok, maybe I've been talking a bit too much about the DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN's upcoming 2010 release, Option Paralysis, but I don't care. I love that fucking band and any news is good news. Vocalist Greg Puciato issued a long blog post on the band's Myspace blog, going over a bunch of topics including a one-off LA show, but it was one paragraph in particular that induced a music-geek-wood:

I can't believe that we start actual tracking in less than two weeks! This time two years ago we were mixing Ire Works. Time flies, and things are way different than they were back then. Two years is a relatively short period of time, but things were literally on the brink of destruction at that time and now they are stronger than ever. Crazy. Wait 'til you hear what we've got for you now. The vibe when we recorded Ire Works was defined by a feeling of struggle and hope and just staying alive in the face of almost falling apart, feeling triumphant in making it through the previous couple of years, and now the vibe is "ok now we're just gonna fuck everyone up." As always, we love you guys for being here through it all, through our evolution over the last decade, and we look forward to and get off on interacting with all of you in every way. The Dillinger Escape Plan is like a living entity to us, a cell of sorts, of which you are all a part. We're psyched to bring in 2010 and the next decade of our existence with a total motherfucker of a record.

Fuck yes!!! Is it 2010 yet?

Being a drummer myself, I'd have to admit I tend to hone in on his business more so than the rest of the band. It's a well known saying that "the drummer can make or break any band", but there is a lot more to it than hitting things as fast as you can to be amongst the top metal drummers of today. Much consideration went into the following list including: Agility, Diversity, Endurance, Style, Precision, Embellishment, & Showmanship.

Now, I'm not a big fan of "Top 10" lists, I personally feel there is no place for competition in music, but when Rob approached me with the idea of talking about my favorite drummers, how could I decline? I now present my 10 favorites in no particular order. (Give me a break! it was hard enough to narrow a list down to 10.)

Opeth has always been one of my favorite bands in the world, I've truly never heard such a unique group capable of writing compositions that defy the laws of metal music. Moving through the lightest of folk and the heaviest of metal within a single song is no easy task, likewise a drummer capable of keeping this essence together requires tons of skill, precision, soft hands, strong limbs, and comprehension of music composition in whole. Martin Lopez has always provided us with incredible phrasing we cant help but tap along and bang our heads to. He knows exactly when to rock, and when to keep it cool and has proven himself over the span of 7 Opeth LP's in the past 10 years. Apparently now working with a project called Fifth to Infinity, I cant wait to see Lopez behind a set once again in the future.

If this was a movie advertisement, it would read "From the people that brought you Paganfest, comes the folksiest event of the Fall." That's right, another folk tour featuring ELUVEITIE, BELPHEGOR, ALESTORM, KIVIMETSAN DRUIDI & VREID. I don't really know how well BELPHEGOR fit in but it is an interesting lineup nonetheless. Check out the full itinerary: (more…)

When GWAR and JOB FOR A COWBOY are not on the road with LAMB OF GOD, they will be taking THE RED CHORD with them for a massive Metal Blade tour party! All three bands have new releases, and no doubt new songs to perform from those CDs. The Red Chord of course have been submitting video studio updates to our site for their upcoming release, Fed Through the Teeth Machine. Check out the full itinerary for both tours mentioned in this post after the jump… (more…)