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The band formerly known as Dio-fronted Black Sabbath introduce their first album under their new moniker (or if you're keeping score, their first album together in seventeen years,) and the result is so powerful and so malevolent, it's already being compared to Sab's 1970 masterpiece Paranoid. Having shed their Black Sabbath skin for this moment in their long, heavy history matches all too well with The Devil You Know's overall disclosure of a darker, more focused side for Tony Iommi's unearthly riffing, Geezer Butler's down-tuned bass mastery, Vinny Appice's pace-setting backend and Ronnie Dio's powerful, annunciated shouts. Opening with the wicked creepy-crawl of "Atom and Evil" before calculatedly plowing through the powerhouse benchmark "Bible Black", other highlights include the evil bass intro of the infectious galloper "Double the Pain," the sludgy, bluesy anthem "The Turn of the Screw," and the astounding thrasher (yes, thrasher) of "Eating the Cannibals." Housing all the classic Dio-Butler-Iommi-Appice elements while expanding upon their own bricklaying ideas, The Devil You Know demonstrates how these metal masons are not only still slaying; but still showing everyone how it's done right.

This man (on the silver mountain) has arguably some of the best and most recognizable pipes in metal. He has lent his powerful vocal prowess to Rainbow, Elf, of course Dio and even Black Sabbath (now Heaven and Hell). We got the chance to sit down with the masterful Ronnie James, who gave us a playlist of some of his favorite songs. "All of these things that I've chosen were because I like the song, not because there was any sort of inside meaning for me," says a relaxed, matter-of-fact Dio. "I just think [they are] great songs." Check out Dio's unusual picks, featuring artists like Jimi Hendrix, Soundgarden and even Ozzy-era Sabbath.

Founding Black Sabbath member and current Heaven and Hell bassist Geezer Butler has been an institution in metal music for nearly four decades. With his down-tuned bass and lyrical prowess, he helped change rock 'n' roll. So we were honored to talk music with him and were rendered nearly speechless by his diverse taste. Butler shares some of his favorites on this playlist, which features artists from Buddy Holly and Coldplay to The Sword, Kaiser Chiefs and Alison Krauss and Robert Plant.

Baroness' enigmatic frontman is not just a purveyor of organic guitar sounds and free-form stoner riffs, he's also the metal underground's most in-demand visual artist. Designing covers by hand since his own band's inception (and for every one of their albums thus far), John Baizley has lent his procured craft and put his blood, sweat and tears into the visual stimuli of bands like Torche, Darkest Hour, Pig Destroyer, Skeletonwitch, Magrudergrind, Cursed and Kylesa, just to name a few. So how does he do it? We asked the man himself for some insight on choosing projects and balancing his art with his music.

*Catch That Metal Show every Saturday at 11pm/ 10C on VH1 Classic*

With these garage-rocking, organ-playing, Seattle-based punks back together and touring once again, we tapped guitarist Nate Manny to talk about his favorite past stints on the road with some of his favorite bands.

And while we got funny, crazy (occasionally totally illegal) accounts of the Devils' various treks across the country with accomplices like Modest Mouse, Pearl Jam, Cypress Hill, At the Drive-In and many more, we also got a playlist of Manny's favorite tracks by the bands he mentions.

Check out the full stories here, and be sure to listen to the accompanying playlist while flipping through Manny's tour stories.

This thrashing four-piece from Kenosha, Wisc., are not your average resurgence band. Sure, they've got the skate-punk-meets-metalhead swagger in spades, plus a rep for total liver destruction like their hard-partying predecessors and contemporaries, but Lazarus A.D. -- Dan Gapen (guitars/vocals), Jeff Paulick (bass/lead vocals), Alex Lackner (guitars) and Ryan Shutler (drums) -- are leaving the thrash-by-numbers sound for other new schoolers.

Instead, these guys boast a modern inflection on a classic style, leaving pummeling thrashers like "Last Breath" to demonstrate their fealty, slow burners like "Absolute Power" to show their forward thinking, and juggernauts like "Forged in Blood" to see where they meet in the middle.

If you're a die-hard thrash fan, you might remember Lazarus as the only unsigned band on Earache's kick-ass 2008 compilation Thrashing Like a Maniac. After being signed by Metal Blade Records, Lazarus A.D's debut The Onslaught is available exclusively here for streaming. You're welcome.

It's no secret these guys are huge Gojira fans, and they haven't gone full-on prog or anything like that, but the unbridled galloping speed and incessant violent chugs of former arrangements are hard to find on this record, making it oddly angrier. Like, Blythe isn't just pissed and letting you know it: he's at a Michael Myers level of hate, where he's slowly instilling the fear of god with his quiet confidence and methodical movement. That's what songs like "Fake Messiah" and "Broken Hands" do sonically. But not just because of Blythe -- because of the raw power, massive riffing and technical progression of the whole band.

If ever there were a chart-topping metal act since the days of Slayer and Pantera, this is it. If you're a metalhead, you're pretty familiar with the Virginia crew, and if you're not, you definitely know their name. With 2006's Sacrament landing in the Billboard top 10 and garnering a Grammy nod in 2007, big things are downright expected at this point, and as this band has only been growing and building since their start in 1990, it's nice to see that on Wrath they haven't choked under the pressure. From the understated intro of precise musicianship to powerful miscreants "Set to Fail" and "Everything to Nothing," Wrath has raised the bar of American death metal and emerges as one of the best metal records so far this year.

McKagan played bass in one of the most prolific rock bands to come off the Sunset Strip (ahem, Guns N' Roses) and one of the highest-profile rock supergroups ever (Velvet Revolver), in addition to collaborating with many punk musicians on fleeting side projects and cover bands over the years. He's now back again with alt-metallers Loaded, and we caught up with the legend on the set of That Metal Show and got the eccentric soundtrack to his pre-show, backstage antics.

Forget what you may have heard about black metal. Well, actually, keep that knowledge handy, because it's probably all true. But here's what you need to know about black metal as a sonic style owning both the underground and mainstream.

From the dawn of its inception in the early '80s, black metal's allure has lain in its evil infamy as much as -- if not more than -- its distinct sound. As the new wave of British heavy metal was invading the states, European bands Venom and Bathory were taking the same heavy blues-based rock 'n' roll templates in another direction, adding raw emotion, grueling speed and pagan/Satanic subjectivity. In 1982 Venom gave the dark genre its name with Black Metal, forging the schematics of what would later become death metal and go even further into the black.

Though associated with Satanism for shock value, black metal's salad days weren't as evil as its second wave. Then a violent counterculture in Norway became active in the genre, and church-burning, murder, suicide and other horrific crimes became notorious elements of the scene (see: Burzum and Mayhem for further reading). Corpse paint and spikes became black metal fashion around this time, making the malevolent music all the more frightening and its devotees easier to spot. Despite its history and headlines, black metal's sonic influence has reached every corner of the wide-spanning metal umbrella.

Cardinals vs. Steelers may not be the most blockbuster Super Bowl ever, but that didn't stop some of metal's die-hard football fans from sharing their predictions with Rhapsody. If you think these dark dudes are brutal on their instruments, just wait till you hear them slam the opposing team.

We asked some of our favorite musicians to tell us about some of their favorite artists, songs and moments from 2008. Here's what Swedish metalheads In Flames had to say about the year in music.

Favorite album:
Who the hell released albums this year?  [Laughs] I think, this is not a metal band but it’s a band called Glasvegas, from Scotland.  That is an amazing album.  I mean it’s kind of depressing in a way, but to me it’s in an uplifting way.  A lot of darkness and sadness in the songs and everything, but to me I find beauty in these things as well.  A lot of my friends were like “how can you listen to this stuff?”  I love when things go in a new, darker and more depressed stage.

We asked some of our favorite musicians to tell us about some of their favorite artists, songs and moments from 2008. Here's what San Fran thrash-metal band Testament had to say about the year in music.

Favorite album:
I like our record a lot of course and other than that the new Whitesnake record just was killer --  Doug Aldrich is one of my favorite guitar players and it’s very old school, I like that. The Avenged Sevenfold record, that’s pretty good too.

We asked some of our favorite musicians to tell us about some of their favorite artists, songs and moments from 2008. Here's what masked metal avengers Slipknot had to say about the year in music.

Favorite album:
My favorite album of the year is mine of course.  [Laughs] I mean because I’m on it [laughs]. It’s just the best record of the year.

We asked some of our favorite musicians to tell us about some of their favorite artists, songs and moments from 2008. Here's what the Austin metal band the Sword had to say about the year in music.

Favorite album
I'm gonna have to go with Torche, Meanderthal on that one. Torche is really one of my favorite bands.  They satisfy the seemingly impossible qualification of being "as heavy as the Melvins." Sorry, no other band in the world is that heavy. AND they understand how to use melodies to really engage you and demonstrate a pop sensibility that hardly anyone can match. They are like an elegant Giant that has turned total destruction into a breathtakingly beautiful form of art.

Before it was announced that metal it-band Torche's guitarist Juan Montoya would be playing his final show with the band at All Tomorrow's Parties' Nightmare Before Christmas Festival in England, Rhapsody spoke with an unaware Montoya about some of his best and worst moments and memories of 2008. In what became his last interview as a member of Torche, we learned about an altercation that took place between Montoya and singer/ guitarist Steve Brooks. As Brooks releases a statement saying "[Montoya is] no longer with us due to ongoing personal reasons," it seems the black-eye inducing altercation Montoya spoke of was the final deal-breaker.

For Gojira’s vocalist/guitarist Joe Duplantier, it’s been an exciting year. As the French quintet expand on their progressive death/doom sound on The Way of All Flesh, their fourth full-length, and tackle a world tour supporting In Flames, Duplantier has displayed another side of his musicality by playing bass for Cavalera Conspiracy. But with his primary focus being his own band, Duplantier and Gojira continue pushing metal's blackened boundaries with groove-oriented techniques, odd time signatures, sawing guitars and slow-burning, overcast tracks that discuss the inevitably of death. “Since the beginning, I write the lyrics and it’s always about questions I have about life," explains Duplantier. The more Rhapsody spoke to this progressive metal visionary, the more we learned about the spirituality behind the album’s concept, the band’s fascination with nature, and what it was like working with some special guests.

In 1978, one of the first all-girl bands known to heavy music formed in London, and now, as Girlschool's original frontwoman Kim McAuliffe puts it, “After 30 years, we are the longest running female rock 'n' roll band in the world!” McAuliffe, along with original bassist/vocalist Enid Williams, original drummer Denise Dufort and newest member (with 10 years of service) guitarist Jackie Chambers are still kicking out the hard rocking jams with a new album. Legacy is a diverse offering commemorating their anniversary and the death of original guitarist Kelly Johnson, who passed just last year. And they did it with a little help from friends like Motörhead's Lemmy Kilmister, Phil Campbell and Fast Eddie Clark, Twisted Sister's JJ French and Eddie Ojeda, and Black Sabbath/Heaven and Hell's Tony Iommi and Ronnie James Dio. See what Kim and Enid had to say about Legacy, their career highlights (so far) and their new outlook on life and music.

[Click the "Continue Reading..." link to listen to a playlist featuring the music discussed in this post.]

In honor of Headbangers Ball's 20th anniversary, we caught up with Hatebreed/Kingdom of Sorrow frontman and former host of the Ball, Jamey Jasta. "These were really hard to choose," said Jasta when asked to pick his favorite metal songs. "I wouldn't say these are my all-time faves or the order I would would list my top metal songs. This is what I would say right now off the top of my head and I included some metal-influenced hardcore songs, too. Here's my 15 jams. Enjoy and be inspired by them like I have!"

[Click the "Continue Reading..." link to listen to a playlist featuring the music discussed in this post.]

Ah, CMJ. Wherein the music industry converges on New York City with hopes, dreams and aspirations for the future, only to be crushed by the endless diatribes of the ruthless critics and hipster elite who are never impressed  and always too cool. That's pretty much the expectation, yet the excitement -- to be part of something, whether or not it's on the cusp of making a greater splash in the music wading pool -- is still in the air as the long, fashionable line outside of Rebel NYC moves a grueling two inches every five minutes. On Monday, October 20 -- the brisk eve of the festival's kick-off -- The Syndicate hosted its 10th annual Conflict of Interest party featuring, among others,  Rival Schools, and as I finally acquire a wrist band for entry, the fun has (unofficially) begun!

This week, MTV2's metal sanctuary Headbangers Ball is celebrating its 20th anniversary. To mark this momentous occasion, we caught up with Twisted Sister frontman Dee Snider, former host of Heavy Metal Mania -- the Ball's first incarnation in the '80s -- to talk about his top 15 metal songs. We'll let him tell you all about it:

"Top 15 Metal Songs? This is an impossible task. Why only 15? And how do I chose from the decades of great metal that I've lived through, loved and still love? This needs to be broken down into decades, then categories. Deep cuts and hits. THIS SUCKS!

"Alright, I've chosen these songs because of the effect they had on my favorite music. The fact that my list ends in 1985 doesn't mean I don't love a lot of the metal that's come out since then. I LOVE METAL. Don't know what my parents did to me when I was little to f*ck me up ... but I'm glad they did! Here are 15 metal songs that mattered and in my view effected the metal world more than others. I know they're mostly hits -- that's why they reached and affected the masses."

[Click the "Continue Reading..." link to listen to a playlist featuring the music discussed in this post.]

When the Judas Priest-worshiping Early Man emerged in 2004, combining New Wave of British Heavy Metal swagger with punk speed, no one could have guessed they'd be instrumental in bringing about a new retro-inspired direction in heavy music. But with the underground success of their 2005 debut album, Closing In, that's exactly what happened.

It hasn't been all smooth sailing since their debut, though. While vocalist/guitarist/bassist Mike Conte and drummer Adam Bennati have been constants (even performing as a duo for a time), it seems that the band's many lineup changes stifled their identity, while an indie label specializing in all things not-heavy may have stunted their potential.

Now, after recently relocating to Los Angeles  from New York City and signing with The End Records, Early Man resurface refreshed, embarking on a national tour and awaiting the release of their new EP. Here, Conte, aka “Early Mike,” takes us through what the last couple years have been like for these purveyors of vintage metal, and what’s on the horizon.

[Click the "Continue Reading..." link to listen to a playlist featuring the music discussed in this post.]

Modern metal machine Five Finger Death Punch have been riding high on their 2007 debut The Way of the Fist and the mainstream success of their single "The Bleeding." A staple in the hard rock/metal spectrum, FFDP are made up of former members of U.P.O, Motograter and W.A.S.P. They not only know a thing or two about music, but they've been in this game for a long time -- which is probably why when we caught up with lead axemen Zoltan Bathory and Darrell Roberts to talk music, we got one long list of their favorite songs to speed and geek out to. Check out the playlist on Rhapsody.com right here.

[Click the "Continue Reading..." link to listen to a playlist featuring the music discussed in this post.]

Despite having a career spanning three decades, Motörhead – vocalist/bassist Lemmy Kilmister, guitarist Phil Campbell and drummer Mikkey Dee – are still far from the finish line. A metal band’s metal band rooted in rugged, blues-based rock 'n' roll, Motörhead's appeal spans generations with their timeless, whiskey-soaked anthems. And in 2008, this Grammy-nodded power trio is breaking their own career records, charting in the top 100 of the Billboard 200 for the first time ever. Catching up with a laidback, lighthearted Lemmy in New Mexico “still on the Metal Masters tour,” Rhapsody learns a thing or two about the new album, the band’s history (so far), and the life of a rock legend.

Debuting once again on the top 10 of the Billboard 200 with Lost in the Sound of Separation, Christian metal trailblazers Underoath have expanded upon their foundation and waged a sonic war on the lyrical search for self. With a darker, heavier record, the Adam D./Matt Goldman-produced album is a stylistic shift for the once-dubbed-screamo  Florida sextet. Rhapsody checked in with bassist Grant Brandell to learn about what went into the new record, and where these lost twentysomethings find themselves as a band in 2008.

by Jen Guyre

The Misery Signals may be considered math-core stalwarts, but when it comes to songwriting, mood matters as much as time signatures. Swiftly switching from crushing brutality to atmospheric breaks, their latest effort Controller has garnered them some serious buzz, including rotation on Headbangers Ball. When Rhapsody caught up with guitarist Ryan Morgan while on the Thrash and Burn Tour to put together a playlist, the moody mix that emerged provided insight into what these Wisconsin boys are all about. “The music we do is trying to be something really emotional, really melodic, but still heavy," explains Morgan. "I framed this playlist where the songs are dark and depressing, but create good vibes because that’s something I think is really powerful. If you can tell that music came from pain, it really translates well and makes for really good songs." Check out the full list of Morgan's cathartic song choices here, and read on for what he had to say about each one.

by Jen Guyre

Aside from being video game enthusiants and a freakishly talented powerhouse live act, Dragonforce also has an amazing sense of humor.Check out Theart and Leclerq's entertaining views on the new album, their contribution to gaming world, and their hopes for the future.

by Jen Guyre

When Rhapsody caught up with Slipknot percussionist Chris Fehn (#3) at the Rockstar Energy Mayhem Festival, things were looking up for the infamous metal collective. After nearly three years away, the nine masked members -- Sid Wilson (turnables), Joey Jordison (drums), Paul Gray (bass), Fehn (percussion), Jim Root (guitars), Craig "133" Jones (samples/media),  Shawn "Clown" Crahan (percussion), Mick Thomson (guitars) and Corey Taylor (vocals) -- were back out on the touring circuit with two singles dominating the airwaves and a new album in the pipeline. "You always wonder if you’re going to be able to keep up, but we’re a touring band," explains Fehn. "When we’re on the road is when we’re the best."

But since then, the title of their highly anticipated fourth full-length, All Hope Is Gone, has proven to be a bit of a bad omen. After Jordinson recently broke his ankle -- and with Wilson already nursing two broken heels in a wheelchair -- Slipknot had to cancel all of their European tour dates. However, according to Fehn, nothing can break this Iowa-born heavy metal machine. "Things are going to happen ... but the best part of being human is you can pick yourself up, dust off, and make it better." See what else Fehn had to say about the making of Slipknot's new album, new masks and new attitude.

by Jen Guyre

For Christian metalcore mainstays Norma Jean (vocalist Cory Brandan, guitarists Scottie Henry and Chris Day, bassist Jake Schultz and drummer Chris Raines), reinvention is not so much a planned process as it is a spontaneous one -- and some would say the key to survival in a scene currently overrun with mimicry. Their latest effort The Anti-Mother, featuring production by Ross Robinson  [Korn, Blood Brothers, At the Drive-In], songwriting by Chino Moreno of the Deftones, guest vocals from Cover Reber of Saosin and a collaboration with Page Hamilton of Helmet, shows the Atlanta-based band moving toward a mature sound and experimental vibe.

"We never really want to set a sound for ourselves [because] we never know what it’s gonna be like until we’re done – it just sort of happens," says Henry. Rhapsody caught up with Henry on the Warped Tour to find out more about what went into the making of the new album.

by Jen Guyre

(Photo by Christina Keller)

On a hot Saturday afternoon in New Jersey, the PNC Bank Arts Center resembled a scene straight out of Heavy Metal Parking Lot as the epic Metal Masters Tour, featuring Judas Priest, Heaven & Hell, Motorhead and Testament, descended upon it. The rabid fans outside behaved decadently while the bands inside  soloed indulgently, whether on drums, guitar, bass or even vocals. They pummeled the crowd with heavy standards aplenty, making it the only tour a classic metalhead would ever need.

by Jen Guyre

Of all the mammoth metal tours vying to fill an absent Ozzfest's spot this summer, none is more likely to dominate than the first annual Rockstar Energy Mayhem Festival. Organized by the same folks responsible for the Warped Tour, Mayhem features a well-stocked lineup of mainstays and underground heroes: Slipknot, Disturbed, Mastodon, Dragonforce, Machine Head, Red Chord, 36 Crazyfists, Underoath, Airbourne, Walls of Jericho and more. Plus, there's even a little X-Games action thrown into the mix. Not bad for an inaugural run, huh? Enjoy this Rhapsody photo gallery, Barrage of Bedlam, a blow-by-blow account of all the fest highlights as it hit New York on August 6.

More Rhapsody.com Photo Galleries:

Symphony of Destruction: The 10th Annual New England Metal and Hardcore Festival
Album Cover Smackdown
Tangled Up in Hues: Excellence in Rock Portraiture

by Jen Guyre

Dayton, Ohio, pop-punks Hawthorne Heights have survived a rough couple of years. After the release of their 2006 effort If Only You Were Lonely was marred by shady-business drama, the band filed a very public lawsuit against their label, Victory Records. The band -- JT Woodruff (vocals), Micah Carli (guitar), Casey Calvert (guitars, vocals), Matt Ridenour (bass) and Eron Bucciarelli (drums) -- cited damages to their reputation, financial mishandling and various forms of unethical behavior on the label’s part. Victory filed a counter-suit, citing libel. With no end to the litigation in sight, HH toured in support of their Billboard chart-topping album until tragedy struck in November of 2007. Guitarist Casey Calvert was found dead on the band’s tour bus outside the 9:30 Club in Washington, DC. An accidental overdose from incompatible prescriptions claimed the life of the 26-year-old and left the band devastated.

by Jen Guyre

Mötley Crüe has thrived for two and half decades of pure, uncut decadence. Now, Vince Neil, Nikki Sixx, Mick Mars and Tommy Lee have returned with Saints of Los Angeles, their first album of new material in 11 years, and a namesake summer tour Crüefest. Rhapsody caught up with Vince Neil, while at home in L.A., to find out about the inaugural fest, their autobiographical album, and what's on the horizon for "the world's most notorious rock band."   

by Jen Guyre

Metal music has always seen the passing of trends. Glam took over the '80s in an androgynous wave, '90s death metal drowned itself in gore, and now, with the advent of a cartoon metal band, a thrash resurgence and the rise of the metal opera, it’s a tough call whether heavy metal is growing, laughing at its clichés or buying into them. And that’s exactly what Chicago-based blackened experimental quartet Nachtmystium examined when they took a step back from their corpse-paint-wearing, stage-name-toting black-metal beginnings.

by Jen Guyre

There's no denying Michael Jackson's long-standing influence on all things pop. Despite his legal woes and personal troubles, his untouchable '80s songbook still stands as a beacon of what pop music is all about and what current artists aim to achieve. To pay homage to his forgotten legacy, pop-punk superstars Fall Out Boy recorded their own version of MJ's "Beat It," with John Mayer taking on the unaccredited Eddie Van Halen solo. And with major label backing and a new video in rotation on MTV channels, this cover is pretty hard to miss.

by Jen Guyre

by Jen Guyre

A show of photographer Peter Beste’s Norwegian Black Metal prints at New York City's Steven Kasher Gallery is a porthole into this under-documented sector of extreme music. Bogged down by violence and crime in the media, black metal has been the topic of much debate and scorn over the last two decades. But through the lens of documentary photographer Beste, members of Gorgoroth, Immortal, 1349, Dimmu Borgir and many other notorious bands are shown in and out of their satanic context, vulnerably and intensely depicted behind the scenes.

by Jen Guyre

Japanese experimentalists Boris have pushed noise rock and ambient drone into many different realms over their 16-year career, and with the addition of 2008’s Smile, they show how the possibilities are practically limitless. Floored by down-tuning master craftsmen The Melvins early on in their musical career, Boris, named after a song from Bullhead, set out to create music that defied standards in the name of originality. Vocalist/guitarist Takeshi, guitarist Wata and drummer Atsuo have garnered worldwide appreciation for their work and etched Boris' name in the experimental tablature with albums like Absolutego, Pink and numerous collaborations with Japanese musicians and drone-metal heroes. With the help of a translator, Atsuo tells us about Boris’ humble beginnings, philosophies and the delicate form of their impressive art.

by Jen Guyre

The 10th anniversary of the New England Metal and Hardcore Festival started with High on Fire's demonic doom and ended three days later with Ministry's industrialized rage. Droves of thrash, prog, folk, grind, death, black, crossover and straightedge fans converged on Worcester, MA's Palladium for the weekend-long assault. Headbanging, air-guitar playing, circle-pit starting, stagediving and crowdsurfing ensued as extreme music’s talented mainstays and capable upstarts unleashed an unrelenting soundtrack. Rhapsody experienced the ferocity firsthand. Witness it for yourself on the fourth installment of Rhapsody's photo essay series, Symphony of Destruction.

More Rhapsody.com Photo-Features:

Album Cover Smackdown
Rap's Come-Up Kids
Left in the Dark: Exclusive Kanye West Concert Pictures
The Rhapsody All-Stars
Tangled Up in Hues: Excellence in Rock Portraiture

by Jen Guyre

Former Cro-Mags and current Bloodclot! frontman John Joseph has overcome more hardship in his 45 years than most people know in their lifetime. After a childhood spent in an abusive foster home and, later, as a homeless teen on the streets of New York City's Lower East Side during the crime-ridden '70s, Joseph discovered salvation through punk rock (by way of Bad Brains) and spirituality, as an ardent follower of the Hare Krishna movement. His autobiography The Evolution of a Cro-Magnon tells the gripping tale of where he came from and how he turned his life around.

by Jen Guyre

For most bands with 20-plus years of experience, ten albums and legions of disciples, public appearances are a mere matter of maintenance. But not Neurosis, the Bay Area hardcore upstarts turned mood scientists, experimental metal trailblazers and East Bay doom-scene pioneers. Today, Scott Kelly (vocals, guitar), Steve Von Till (vocals, guitar), Dave Edwardson (bass), Noah Landis (keys) and Jason Roeder (drums) continue to expand their legacy and what heavy music means -- all for their own gratification. “Music is more important than anything to us," says Kelly. "It’s our church. It’s our religion.” For 22 years, Neurosis has remained faithful to their DIY ethos, protecting the purity of their emotionally raw, introspective prose for the sake of their souls and the origins of their livelihood. Each album along the way has been marked by both inner conflict and an outward struggle with the music industry. And their tenth album, Given to the Rising, released in 2007 to critical acclaim, once again proved their undying commitment to mystifying and untainted music.

Rhapsody caught up with Scott Kelly to explore the inner workings of Neurosis' philosophy and why they won't stop making music until they die.

by Jen Guyre

Sports aren't really Rhapsody's thing, we fancy ourselves more band geeks than jocks. But luckily we found some devout football fans who just so happen to moonlight in metal bands to give us their predictions for the big game. Because let's face it, football is a pretty extreme exercise in brutality, so who better to commentate than extreme musicians? In honor of the 42nd Super Bowl, here are some of the finest predictions from some of the darkest dudes we could find.

by Jen Guyre

by Jen Guyre

(PHOTO: Kate Glicksberg)

On January 24, over four years since they last played New York, Neurosis and their apocalyptic sounds bellowed deeper and louder than anything that had previously crossed the threshold of Brooklyn’s Masonic Temple, frequent host to baby showers and community events. The church of a secret society was an appropriate venue for doom metal’s enigmatic elder statesmen, not to mention a most popular group of their disciples, Mastodon. It was unfortunate then that Mastodon's lengthy set signaled the exodus of much of the crowd. Those who stayed however witnessed one of the most captivating and personal live shows of their lives: a powerful set  loaded with signature, wounded introspection, and immaculately crafted, boding walls of sound.

by Jen Guyre

The past few years have been momentous for the hard and heavy, and 2007 was no different. Before we dive into the headlines, tours, trends and MASSIVE reunions this year has shown us, first, we must thank the dark lord for bestowing upon us five phenomenal releases from Dillinger Escape Plan, Baroness, Pig Destroyer, Down and High on Fire, in that order. Secondly, no small children were harmed, nor were any animals sacrificed to make this all possible – a notable feat for this group of nihilists and/or Satanists. And lastly, if these past 365 days of heaviosity are any indicator of the ferocious headbanging to come, 2008 will surely be the year of the beast. Behold the top 10 heaviest moments of 2007.

by Jen Guyre

Quiet Riot frontman Kevin DuBrow, who was still rocking at the young age of 52, was found dead in his Las Vegas home on November 25.  Bandmates, family members and fans are still waiting for answers; the cause of his death has yet to be determined.

by Jen Guyre

Every year the Radio Rebellion Tour packs venues across the nation with kids eagerly waiting to have their hearing annihilated. On November 17, in the city of Brotherly Love, they got more: Souls were slaughtered when Polish black-metal vets Behemoth, French doom mavens Gojira and Arizona’s own death-metal massacrists Job for a Cowboy teamed up for an installment of crushing antics and unsuitable subject matter.

by Jen Guyre

The slow, evil sludge of stoner-metal staples High on Fire is just as likely to induce goose bumps as it is hearing loss. Aside from laying the foundation for metal toke-fests, Matt Pike (vocals, guitar), Jeff Matz (bass) and Des Kensel (drums) are no strangers to hitting the sauce. Rhapsody caught up with a very hungover Pike, who proceeded to kick out the band’s favorite beer-guzzling jams, the ones in heavy rotation on the jukebox at the Silver Lion, Oakland, California’s toughest punk bar. “Oakland is like a big ghetto, so that’s the one [place] the punk rockers took over and stuck their flag in,” he says. “The Silver Lion is kind of our church. [There’s only] good music in the jukebox there. Its music I grew up on and consider to be classic; all of these bands are like the earliest [incarnations] of heavy music. Every band on [this] list has been a big influence on us.”.

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by Jen Guyre

The jury will always be out as to who is the definitive heavy metal band: Led Zeppelin or Black Sabbath. But it can not be denied that Zeppelin’s bludgeoning interpretation of the blues, fantasy-/myth-fueled lyrical concepts, occult fascinations, and hard-partying lifestyle have become a cornerstone of metal’s livelihood. Maybe even its foundation.

by Jen Guyre

Sunday's Bon Jovi show, night three of a 10-night run that marks the opening of Newark's Prudential Center (a.k.a. "The Rock" and the new home of the NJ Devils hockey team), was categorically unreal. Not only was it safe to drive into the former car-theft capital of the United States, but while Jon, Richie, Dave and Tico rocked like it was 1983, the die-hards in attendance seemed equally frozen in time. Wading through a sea of denim jackets, puffed-up bangs, original Slippery When Wet tour T-shirts and leather pants was bizarre in its own right. Hearing housewives, mothers, daughters, grand-daughters and sorority sisters singing in unison to every classic (and current) Jovi hit was beyond inspirational -- though my poor, plugged ears suffered every time JBJ got a close-up on the big screen, inciting glass-shattering shrieking arena-wide.