YouTube Down ‘s video for ‘Witchtripper’ is more like an old school, black & white, occult horror movie than it is a music video. You know what that means? It’s much more fun than your average metal video. The clip opens with a coven of cloaked ladies aka witches tossing eyeballs and other items like chicken feet into a cauldron and then burying nooses, hands and more in the sand. We’re not sure what they are doing or why, and it’s probably best not to ask. It’s intriguing nonetheless and we couldn’t look away. Overall, the video has a bit of a ‘Night of the Living Dead’ vibe with the grainy way it’s filmed. The fact that a muscular metal song provides the sound, as opposed to dialogue, makes it that much more ominous. But it also has a bit of camp to it, too. The Down boys are having fun while paying homage to a genre they clearly love. Several occult symbols, like pentagrams, are featured, throughout, too. The entire band factors into the plot, with frontman Philip Anselmo as Magus, wearing eyeliner and a wig. We can’t do it justice, especially if you a horror buff (like Anselmo is) with an eye for detail. Just watch it and come up with your own conclusions about the plot and the nefarious goings on! ‘Witchtripper’ appears on the just-released ‘Down IV, Part 1 – The Purple EP.’ You can read our review of the EP here . Watch Down’s ‘Witchtripper’ Video [via Fuse] [button href=”http://loudwire.com/down-perform-with-former-bassist-rex-brown-in-dallas/” title=”Next: Down Perform With Ex-Bassist Rex Brown in Dallas” align=”center”]
Cooking Vinyl Rock icon Marilyn Manson has been riding high since the release of eighth album and self-professed “comeback” record, ‘Born Villain.’ After already unleashing videos for the singles ‘No Reflection’ and ‘Slo-Mo-Tion,’ Manson has brought us his third visual offering from ‘Born Villain’ with a new video for the album’s opening track, ‘Hey, Cruel World…’ One interesting aspect of the video that should be pointed out is that ‘Hey, Cruel World…’ has been released entirely in black and white. When Manson set out to write the ‘Born Villain’ album, the musician chose to isolate himself in a small apartment, bringing only a few possessions with him into a room with white walls and a black floor. Either purposely or subconsciously, perhaps the video is a representation of that starting point. “It took me completely stripping my life away,” Manson told us in an interview shortly before the release of ‘Born Villain.’ “Moving into a place with black floors and white walls, putting all my things in storage and just taking my movies, my instruments, my cats and realizing, ‘I don’t need anything else. All I need to do is fill this [room] full of something.’” ‘Hey, Cruel World…’ is what fans have come to expect from a Manson offering; unnerving imagery, extreme close-ups and epileptic transitions, with a strange sense of hypnotic fascination. The video’s director, Tim Mattia, says of the clip, ”We shot over four nights in the UK, Italy and America, capturing what I think is one of the world’s most exciting live performers at his best.” Be sure to check out Marilyn Manson’s new video for ‘Hey, Cruel World…’ in the player below. Marilyn Manson, ‘Hey, Cruel World…’ [button href=”http://loudwire.com/marilyn-manson-slo-mo-tion-video/” title=”Next: Watch Marilyn Manson’s ‘Slo-Mo-Tion’ Video” align=”center”]
Megaforce For a long time, Anthrax guitarist Scott Ian has sported one of metal’s most celebrated beards. Once predominantly black, these days Ian has taken a more natural approach to the beard, allowing some gray into the mix. Ian’s beard deserves a prominent spot in some sort of Rock and Roll Facial Hair Hall of Fame next to James Hetfield’s goat-like chin-plant and Kerry King’s whimsical bristles. Few possess the pure manliness to grow such a beard. The dedication involved is staggering in itself, no doubt taking many months or even years to cultivate. But what if everyone was able to grow a beard like Scott Ian? Obviously we would all grow one, but what would it look like on some of the world’s most recognizable faces? A beard of this stature deserves the upmost reverence, so we’ve decided to attach Ian’s breathtaking chin-locks to various lucky recipients. So, what if everyone had Scott Ian’s beard? They’d look something like this: Dave Mustaine Lars Ulrich Marilyn Manson Smashing Pumpkins Axl Rose Jay Leno Barack Obama
Photos: Warner / Erik Weis Avenged Sevenfold beat out Marilyn Manson in the last Cage Match, but will they be able to beat today’s competition? Danish band Volbeat heat up the Cage Match with their brand new single ‘Heaven Nor Hell’ off of their latest album ‘Beyond Hell / Above Heaven.’ Volbeat have had a busy year in support of the new album such as playing Wacken Open Air 2012 and being a part of this year’s Gigantour along with Motorhead, Megadeth and Lacuna Coil. So will Avenged Sevenfold continue to ‘Carry On’ with another win or will Volbeat get a victory here on earth with ‘Heaven Nor Hell.’ (This Cage Match will run until Monday, Oct. 1, at 8AM ET. Fans can vote once per hour! So come back and vote often to make sure your favorite song wins!) Avenged Sevenfold, ‘Carry On’ Volbeat, ‘Heaven Nor Hell’ ? Sorry, you need to have javascript running to see this poll. ? Email Me When Cage Match Winners Are Announced Enter your email address below to receive the Loudwire newsletter, which will include notification of the daily winner of the Cage Match, as well as our top stories of the day. Email Rules of Cage Match: Fans can vote once per hour for their favorite song. If a song remains the reigning champ for five straight cage matches, it is retired to the Loudwire Cage Match Hall of Fame. With so many great songs out there, we have to give other bands a chance!
Mary Ouellette, SheWillShootYou.com In this week’s edition of Loudwire’s Top 20 Countdown, Three Days Grace remain steady at the top spot with their single ‘Chalk Outline’ off of their upcoming album ‘Transit of Venus.’ Halestorm come in at No. 2 for the second week in a row with their single ‘I Miss the Misery’ off of their latest album ‘The Strange Case Of…’ Papa Roach move up a spot to come into third place with their single ‘Still Swingin,’ while Seether rise to No. 4 on the chart with ‘Here and Now.’ P.O.D round out the top five in this week’s list with their latest hit ‘Lost In Forever.’ Shinedown land at No. 17 with their new single ‘Enemies,’ while the lads of Volbeat also make it on the tally with their new track ‘Heaven Nor Hell’ off of their latest album ’Beyond Hell / Above Heaven.’ Check out the Top 20 songs below and be sure to tune in to Loudwire Radio this weekend to blast these tracks at full volume. Loudwire Radio Top 20 Songs of the Week: 20. Volbeat, ‘Heaven Nor Hell’ 19. Pop Evil, ‘Purple’ 18. Gaslight Anthem, ‘45’ 17. Shinedown, ‘Enemies’ 16. The Black Keys, ‘Little Black Submarines’ 15. Aranda, ‘Satisfied’ 14. Five Finger Death Punch, ‘Coming Down’ 13. 10 Years, ‘Backlash’ 12. In This Moment, ‘Blood’ 11. Adelitas Way, ‘Criticize’ 10. Rise Against, ‘Wait For Me’ 09. Green Day, ‘Oh Love’ 08. Stone Sour ‘‘Absolute Zero’ 07. Slash, ‘Standing In The Sun’ 06. Linkin Park, ‘Lost In The Echo’ 05. P.O.D, ‘Lost in Forever’ 04. Seether, ‘Here and Now’ 03. Papa Roach, ‘Still Swingin’ 02. Halestorm, ‘I Miss the Misery’ 01. Three Days Grace, ‘Chalk Outline’ [button href=”http://loudwire.com/loudwire-radio-station-list/” title=”See Which Stations Air Loudwire Radio” align=”center”]
Bradley Kanaris / Frank Micelotta (2), Getty Images There may be no stranger experience than putting on an album, letting it play through, forgetting to hit stop and suddenly finding yourself face-to-face with a hidden track. Secret tracks can be unsettling, comedic or even terrifying. If a band comes up with something weird in the studio, you just might find it concealed within one of your favorite records. Secret tracks are prevalent on hundreds of albums, but we’ve picked out our personal favorites and compiled them into this list. For truly fascinating and addictive pieces of classic releases, from bands such as Nirvana , Alice in Chains , Tool + more, check out our picks for rock’s Best Hidden Tracks: [button href=”http://loudwire.com/nirvana-endless-nameless-best-hidden-tracks” title=”Click to Check Out the Best Hidden Tracks” align=”center”]
Photo by Danny Clinch It’s been a long three years for Pearl Jam fans since the band’s last album of original material, ‘Backspacer,’ was released — but it looks like some new music is finally on the way. Grunge Report points out an excerpt from the latest issue of Rolling Stone in which bassist Jeff Ament reveals the band’s plans to finish its next record in early 2013. Asked to compare the new material’s sound to ‘Backspacer,’ Ament responded, “Hopefully the next thing is something more out there. I think we’re about due for some songs that are way outside of where our comfort level is.” Speaking of going outside one’s comfort level, drummer Matt Cameron — who’s been with the band since 1998 and is currently pulling double duty with the reunited Soundgarden — was asked during a recent interview about the possibility of having the two bands tour together. “After I play like, I don’t know, two hours with Soundgarden, my day is done,” chuckled Cameron. “When we did the PJ20 show, Chris [Cornell] came out to that and we played some Temple of the Dog stuff, and it was awesome. Maybe there might be a one-off where that could happen, but I’m not 25 anymore.” [button href=”http://loudwire.com/upcoming-grunge-albums-readers-poll/” title=”Readers Poll: Most Anticipated Upcoming Grunge Album” align=”center”]