Music can be a listening pleasure as well as a visual experience, and for the 2012 Rock Video of the Year honors, we’ve got five clips that truly embrace the art form to enhance the stories told in song. It was a pretty aggressive and dark year for our finalists, as we’ve got some brutal beatings, violent and bizarre demises and alternate realities providing a haven for the video stars. You can check out the nominated videos, then be sure to vote for your favorite in the poll below: Chevelle, ‘Hats Off to the Bull’ Forgive Chevelle is they seem a little punchy. The band members took a beating during the filming of ‘Hats Off to the Bull,’ where they’re at the will of an [mostly] invisible foe who is having their way with them. ? Marilyn Manson ‘No Reflection’ Take Marilyn Manson , put him in a darkly lit room at a dinner table with numerous scantily clad women and you’ve got the makings of an attention-grabbing video. As expected with a Manson video, it’s equal parts erotic, horrific and in this case, deathly. ? Slash, ‘Bad Rain’ Slash ‘s slinky single ‘Bad Rain’ has strip club written all over it, but in the animated video for the track we get to see a more sinister version of the temptress and her ultimate motivations for cozying up to the customers and it’s not pretty. ? The Sword, ‘The Veil of Isis’ Leave it to The Sword to provide a fantastical tale of a young woman bogged down by the reality of her poor downtrodden world who is transported a magical land with the help of a street prophet in ‘The Veil of Isis’ clip. ? The Used, ‘I Come Alive’ The Used tell a dark and violent tale with their ‘I Come Alive’ video, which follows a young boy who is first beaten by his peers and then roughed up at home by his abusive father. But rather than take the beatings, he exacts a violent revenge on his tormentors. Voting for the 2012 Loudwire Music Awards closes on Jan. 15 at 11:59 PM EST. Fans can vote once per hour, so keep coming back to make sure your favorite band wins! Sorry, you need to have javascript running to see this poll. [button href=”http://loudwire.com/metal-video-of-the-year-2012-loudwire-music-awards/” title=”Next Category: Metal Video of the Year” align=”center”] Get Notified When Winners Are Announced Enter your email address below to receive the daily Loudwire newsletter, which will include notification of our full list of winners in the 2012 Loudwire Music Awards, as well as the top stories in rock and metal. Email
Liz Ramanand, Loudwire Chevelle will finish out 2012 with their greatest hits collection, ‘ Stray Arrows: A Collection of Favorites ,’ and as with most hits compilations, there’s at least one or two new songs tacked on. In this case, fans will have a chance to check out ‘Fizgig,’ a track that upon first listen fits perfectly right alongside of the rest of the band’s favorites. The group just debuted the song via a theatrical lyric video posted at their website . What exactly does ‘Fizgig’ mean? It’s defined as a flirtatious or frivolous girl, but the word isn’t even uttered during the length of the song. However, the track itself is vintage Chevelle. It opens with a darkly haunting, industrial sound but picks up before the first words are sung. The end result is a trudging yet aggressive rocker that could have found itself just as comfortable in the grunge era of rock as it does today. With a lyric like, “ The past is on the phone. New roads don’t pave themselves ,” this may seem like the perfect bridge between the first portion of the band’s career and what’s to come, but the song isn’t so much about the group’s transition as it is an angsty ode about moving on from a relationship with Pete Loeffler deftly adding in the requisite emotion to the track. As for the lyric video, it’s equally dark and haunting as it takes place in a darkly lit abandoned theater with the lyrics precariously hanging from the rafters one by one as the song progresses. Some words take solace in the shadows while others move front and center, sharing the stage with an odd array of imagery. Chevelle’s ‘Stray Arrows: A Collection of Favorites’ arrives in stores this Tuesday (Dec. 4). Check out the ‘Fizgig’ lyric video below. Watch Chevelle’s ‘Fizgig’ Lyric Video [button href=”http://loudwire.com/chevelle-the-red-top-21st-century-hard-rock-songs/” title=”Next: Chevelle – Top 21st Century Hard Rock Songs” align=”center”]
Michael Scott Slosar, Wind-Up Records Oklahoma-based rockers Aranda unleashed their latest full-length album, ‘Stop the World,’ earlier this year. After touring with bands like Theory of a Deadman and Hinder and playing major summer fests, the guys are as busy as ever after inking a deal with Wind-up Records. Now, Aranda are premiering behind-the-scenes footage from their recent photo shoot exclusively on Loudwire (watch below). Aranda feature brothers Dameon and Gabe Aranda, who have been writing and playing music together since they were young lads. The two recently released their latest single, ‘One More Lie,’ and it’s already starting to climb the Active Rock songs chart. Aranda recorded ‘Stop the World’ with Chicago-based producer Johnny K, and earlier this year, Gabe told Loudwire it was a killer experience. “First of all, the facility he’s got is pretty amazing. It’s like an old six-story building so the ambiance there is just really cool, from a creative perspective it’s something else to draw from even if it’s subconsciously,” he said. “Johnny himself, I mean his work speaks for itself, the accolades that he has. “With us it was primarily more about honing us in on something real direct, stylistically we tend to be all over the place so on this record we tried to do something a little more straight ahead rock and stick with those roots. Overall, it really benefited us to work with him.” Pick up Aranda’s ‘Stop the World’ at iTunes , and check out video of their photo shoot below: Watch Behind-the-Scenes Footage from Aranda’s Recent Photo Shoot
Roadrunner Joe Duplantier is Gojira ‘s vocalist and rhythm guitarist, and his brother Mario is the band’s drummer. The two briefly switched roles at a recent show, and there’s video footage to prove it (watch below). A couple of weeks ago at the French band’s show at Exeter University’s Lemon Grove Club, the Duplantier brothers surprised their British fans by swapping instruments for part of a song. The video shows Mario playing guitar and delivering extreme metal vocals for about a minute and a half while Joe plays drums. Surprisingly enough, the band didn’t miss a beat. Mario’s guitar playing is decent (although he did break a string) and his guttural vocals are sufficiently evil. Joe seemed right at home behind the drum kit, as well. We know he can also play bass, as he did on Cavalera Conspiracy’s 2008 album ‘Inflikted.’ American fans will have a chance to see if the Duplantier brothers swap instruments again when Gojira kicks off a North American tour with Devin Townsend and the Atlas Moth in January 2013. In a recent interview with Full Metal Jackie about the trek, Joe Duplantier says the bands they have toured with over the years have influenced them. “They’ve had an influence on us – the way we behave onstage, the way we play, they way we approach the whole thing, sometimes it’s purely technical like the way they plug in their gear.” Duplantier continued. “So we always learn something from touring with people that’s why I’m so happy to tour with Devin, he’s such an incredible singer – one of my influences actually and he’ll be opening for us [Laughs] how crazy is that?” Gojira are touring in support of ‘L’Enfant Sauvage,’ which has been named one of Loudwire’s 10 Best Metal Albums of 2012 . Watch Gojira’s Joe and Mario Duplantier Switch Instruments
Quiznos What planet are we living on? Not only has metal music successfully taken over the underground music world, but the world of TV commercials, as well. In one of creative culture’s strangest dichotomies, metal has inspired memorable commercials for Google, ESPN Sportscenter, FedEx, Norton Antivirus, Kentucky Fried Chicken and many, many more. The newest heavy metal commercial, however, features a power metal parody band flying on a magic cookie for sandwich chain Quiznos. Once again, we need to give credit where credit is due, and this commercial is hilarious. The creators of all these different metal-inspired ads have been hitting home runs, so it’s no wonder why the theme has been popping up all over television. In this new Quiznos commercial, the first band name that comes to mind is DragonForce . The British princes of power metal seem to have been the basis for the ad, as a falsetto-singing frontman, who looks an awful lot like DragonForce guitarist Herman Li, provides vocals for the cookie-riding act. In another strange twist, the lead guitarist of the fictional band is sort of reminiscent of System of a Down / Scars on Broadway singer-guitarist Daron Malakian . The aforementioned in-flight pastry reaches its destination (a man’s mouth) with an explosive impact, leaving the befuddled gentleman’s palate vehemently satisfied through a melty chocolate cookie crunch. Although this commercial is a hilarious success, the title of greatest metal-inspired commercial ever remains with Suffocation and their History Channel ‘ Dark Ages ‘ ad. Watch the Quiznos Heavy Metal Commercial [button href=”http://loudwire.com/funniest-heavy-metal-commercials/” title=”Funniest Heavy Metal Commercials” align=”center”]
Liz Ramanand, Loudwire It still doesn’t seem real that Beastie Boys member Adam ‘MCA’ Yauch passed away earlier this year. As a part of one of modern music’s most definitive group, the man was an innovator of the highest order. There has been countless tributes paid to MCA since his death, and the latest homage was delivered with style by GWAR front-thing Oderus Urungus and current tourmates Cancer Bats , as they came together for a performance of the Beastie Boys classic ‘Sabotage.’ GWAR and Cancer Bats are currently on the road with Devildriver and Legacy of Disorder on the ‘Fate or Chaos’ tour. We were lucky enough to see the tour ourselves in New York, along with scoring a video interview with Oderus Urungus in the flesh. Tonight (Nov. 26), the ‘Fate or Chaos’ tour comes to an end in Millvale, Pa., but on Nov. 24 in Toronto, Oderus Urungus made a special appearance during Cancer Bats’ set to perform ‘Sabotage,’ a song the band has been performing throughout the string of dates. Along with a solid showing by the members of Cancer Bats, the voice of Oderus Urungus fit the song perfectly has he projected his trademark slimy yell. Believe us when we say the cover deserves an A+. Additionally, Sum 41 have been performing part of ‘Sabotage’ during their ‘Does This Look Infected?’ 10th Anniversary tour , which also deserves a mention due to its awesomeness. Check out both memorial covers of ‘Sabotage’ in the videos below. R.I.P. Adam ‘MCA’ Yauch. GWAR’s Oderus Urungus + Cancer Bats Perform ‘Sabotage’ Sum 41 Perform Part of ‘Sabotage’ [button href=”http://loudwire.com/gwars-oderus-urungus-pustulus-maximus-talk-writing-new-music-2012-election-more/” title=”Watch GWAR’s First Ever Interview with New Guitarist Pustulus Maximus” align=”center”]
Tim Whitby, Getty Images Jon Bon Jovi has not spoken publicly about his 19-year-old daughter Stephanie’s heroin overdose (and subsequent arrest ) in a dorm room on a New York college campus on Nov. 14 … until now. The rock singer opened up, briefly, during an interview with Fox 11 L.A., to thank people for their support of his family during this trying time and to admit that even a difficult situation such as this is part of the cycle of life. “It’s human,” the singer said, in a measured tone when asked about his daughter. “What I do for a living, it seems glitzy and glamorous, but if you don’t take it too seriously, it’s a great way to make a living. And then life goes on. Things happen. This tragedy is something… was something that I had to face too, so we’ll get through it.” The criminal charges of drug possession against Stephanie Rose Bongiovi were dropped, and she made a recovery at a local hospital, so she dodged two bullets. JBJ also made sure to thank those who were sending their good thoughts and prayers to his family. “And people’s incredible warm wishes for my family and I have been really reassuring. So, we’re good,” he finished. Watch Jon Bon Jovi Talk Daughter’s Heroin Overdose ?