Where do you think Coheed and Cambria ranks on this list?

By: Adam Steininger

Geeks love metal more than the computers on which they listen to it. They yearn for heavy metal that was forged by Orcs in the mountains of Mordor, smuggled halfway across the universe on Serenity and then discovered by Silver Surfer while scouting for delicious planets. These bands aren't necessarily geeks themselves -- many could rip the head off a vile beast with their bare bear hands. They are just universally beloved by geek mortals of Earth because of their diction and artistic execution. These ten metal brethren will get thee mentally armored for the battlefield that is Comic Con. So take up arms, climb upon that faithful steed and unsheathe thy reading glasses for this deciphered binary code of the best geek-metal bands of all time.

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Cannibal Corpse lineup from 1988-1995

I have been a heavy metal fan for over 50 percent of my existence on this planet. But when you're talking about the all-encompassing musical genre known as "heavy metal," you might as well be talking about something as infinitely complicated as the Universe. It's that vast, and the amount of territory to cover is limitless, especially for the uninitiated.

From traditional heavy metal, to the many sub-genres of metal--black metal, thrash, death metal, grindcore, etc.--there seems to be an eternity of music out there, from the younger up-and-comers, to old-school favorites that stand the test of time. Coming up with a list of the Top Ten Albums to Listen to Before You Die was not as easy a task. After hours upon hours of listening, serious contemplation and flipping of a coin, I managed to come up with a list that, although definitely biased towards a more aggressive and extreme forms of heavy metal, still highlights some amazing albums that contain solid musicianship and above all great songs.

See Also:
*10 Jazz Albums to Listen to Before You Die
*10 Punk Albums to Listen to Before You Die

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Mathias Blom

By: Alex Distefano
Sweden is well known for producing some of the darkest, gloomiest metal bands on the planet--from Bathory, At The Gates, Entombed, Amon Amarth, Meshuugah Ghost, Opeth and many more.

Katatonia is no exception. Formed in 1991, the band launched into a sound that was a more melancholy doom/death metal vibe. Katatonia would come to be a band that would help to usher in a sensible mix of Swedish metal that was distinctly its own, even though it has been duplicated by many but replicated by few. With nine studio albums, and two decades worth of touring all around Europe, North and South America, Katatonia are ready to tour in America again, as the band just initiated the first show of a tour with fellow metal band Opeth.

Anders Nyström, Katatonia's guitarist and co-founding member, took time to speak with the OC Weekly about how the band chooses a set list for each tour, how he plans to bring Katatonia to Japan soon, for the first time ever, and the possibility of performing old songs with Opeth singer Mikael Akerfedlt, (the vocalist appeared on the 1996 Kataonia release, Brave Murder Day).

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Zakk Wylde's gut punching distortion and furious guitar solos have caused plenty of irreparable damage to our ear drums in the name of metal since his days touring with Ozzy Osbourne. Even after the heyday of old-school metal, his riffs remain savage, his leather jacket game always on point. These days, this father of four is still dedicated to passing on the glory days of metal on to future generations of head banging Hessians. You could say it was his key motivation for writing his newly released book Bringing Metal To The Children: The Complete Berzerker's Guide to World Tour Domination. In it, Wylde delivers hilarious rants, stories from the road, and hygiene tips (or at least advice on what to do after infection sets in). Right now, there's a special giveaway on our Heard Mentality Facebook page for anyone who wants to get into the show tonight!

Unlike most authors, his idea of a book tour still involves him strapping on a guitar instead of standing at a podium. So for the purpose of translating some of his stories for a live audience, Wylde has swapped his trademark black and white Bulls Eye Les Paul for an acoustic axe in an effort to sit down with you, campfire style, and share a few depraved tales in between tunes. Before the book tour ends tonight at the Coach House down in San Juan Capistrano, we talked with Wylde some of the rules of the road while on tour, including the most important one: Never take a shit on the bus.

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Black Sabbath

By: Nicholas Pell
Ok, we get it. You like Sabbath. Everyone does. But there's a whole big world out there of '70s metal bands that goes beyond Sabbath -- even beyond Sir Lord Baltimore, if you can believe that. The '70s offered so much in the way of doom-and-gloom heaviness that it's criminal so many stop with Ozzy, Tony, Geezer and that other guy. If you're out of high school and still think Vol. 4 is the pinnacle of human heavy metal achievement, it's time to get with the program.
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Gary Holt of Exodus

If you were at the March 22, stop of the 3rd annual Metal Alliance Tour, you might have noticed that one thrash metal band was not the bill at the House of Blues in Anaheim. As it turns out, we can blame the Disney Corporation for that. 
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Do you want a list of every stupid thing Dave Mustaine has ever said? It exists.

By Jason Roche

Next time you find yourself in a shouting match with a metal head about what band's penultimate album had the best guitar solo on the third track (it happens) you'll probably find yourself thinking 1) What have I done with my life? B) How drunk am I? Or III) Are there online resources I could pore over that would help me when I get into these inevitable pissing matches? The answers to the first two questions lie within. Dig deep. The answer to the third, though, is a resounding FUCK YES. Here, we've rounded them up for you. Use the following websites to brush up on your metal knowledge, and never be wrong about anything ever again.

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Mary Bell / OC Weekly

Imagine this scene in a smaller, sweatier room with a few extra rib-eyes floating around

We all know that in addition to aged steaks and lobster tail, La Cave serves up a variety of musical genres under the guise of Costa Mesa's favorite burgundy-brown den of decadence. But while indie bands and trance DJs have done well on the calendar alongside Phil Shane, 80s flashback night and legendary Frank Sinatra impersonator David Kinwald, one style of music is always conspicuously left out. Sure, you might not automatically be able to imagine heavy metal, filet mignon and vintage 60s décor all in that same bar, but one skull bashing band from Newport Beach is trying to change that. It's been a little over a month since singer Kevin Havic and his band Beneath the Buried signed on to play a metal residency that they vowed to turn this restaurant into thriving headbanger's refuge every Tuesday night.

See Also:
*Slidebar Puts the Kibosh on Metal Mondays After Rwody Exhumed Show

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Alex Distefano

Jill Janus of Huntress showing her enthusiasm for the Mayhem fest lineup

A motorcycle caravan of dozens of Hells Angels and other bikers rumbled up to the Whiskey A GoGo on the Sunset Strip yesterday to kick off a party for the announcement of the lineup for the sixth annual Rockstar Energy Mayhem Festival. Hundreds of fans and members of the press gawked and took pictures of bands playing this year, including headliners Five Finger Death Punch and Rob Zombie and side stage bands Butcher Babies and Huntress. The traveling metal circus begins on June 29 at San Manuel Amphitheater in San Bernardino. Due to the crowd gathered outside to celebrate the actually caused a portion of Sunset Blvd. near the Whiskey to be closed down due to safety concerns.
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Photo by Calle Stoltz

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