Jon Wiederhorn

Trent Reznor is known to many as the generally brooding frontman of Nine Inch Nails, but the rocker seems pretty content these days. “I’m not at war with myself as I once was,” he says in an interview with UK newspaper The Guardian. “Life isn’t miserable. I don’t miss that.”

Down frontman Phil Anselmo has recorded a 45-second video message updating fans on the band’s upcoming, yet-untitled EP and wishing fans happy holidays.

If you’ve been hoping and praying that the Big 4 will soon be playing a full U.S. tour, you might want to lower your expectations and be happy with that DVD of the Sonisphere show from Sofia, Bulgaria. In a recent interview with UK’s Classic Rock magazine, Slayer guitarist Kerry King said he can’t imagine Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth and Anthrax will stage any more Big 4 shows.

Less than a week after stumping fans and journalists with a cryptic Web site statement that was erroneously deciphered to mean Tool were back in the studio working on a new album, news has surfaced that the psychedelic, prog-metal masters will play their first U.S. shows in almost 18 months.

A cause of death has been determinged for GWAR’s late guitarist Cory Smoot (a.k.a. Flattus Maximus). According to North Dakota coroner William Masselo, Smoot died from a coronary artery thrombosis caused by a pre-existing coronary artery disease. He was discovered dead on GWAR’s tour bus on Nov. 3 at the age of 34.

Nine Inch Nails mastermind Trent Reznor has scored the soundtrack to the English-language remake of the Swedish film ‘The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo,’ and his version of Led Zeppelin’s ‘Immigrant Song’ with Yeah Yeah Yeahs singer Karen O has surfaced.

Fans of the Red Hot Chili Peppers have waited patiently for news about a new North American tour since before the summer release of their 10th album, ‘I’m With You.’ Finally, the first half-dozen dates have been announced.

The late, great Jimi Hendrix was voted No. 1 by a panel of professional guitarists and other experts in a new Rolling Stone poll of the 100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time. Two other hard rocking trailblazers ranked in the Top 10 were Eddie Van Halen at No. 8 and Led Zeppelin legend Jimmy Page at No. 3.

Marilyn Manson drummer and keyboardist, Chris Vrenna, has left the band to spend more time working on his band Tweaker, scoring music for films and video games, DJing and producing other artists.

Time will tell whether Rage Against the Machine vocalist Zack de la Rocha’s involvement with the Occupy Movement will find its way into any of his future song lyrics. But for now, the rapper and rocker has written a poem for those who have been motivated into action by corporate greed and the division between those who have and those who have not.

Hiring a clown for a university functions is a little absurd — unless the clown is Slipknot percussionist M Shawn ‘Clown’ Crahan.

To commemorate the 10th anniversary of the England’s Download festival, Metallica will play their mega-selling 1991 self-titled disc (aka ‘The Black Album’) in its entirety.

We’re still a long ways away from a full-scale Guns N’ Roses reunion, since Slash would still rather stomp on the olive branch than hand it to frontman Axl Rose, but some factions of the Guns camp are making nice. Rose will be sharing stages in the near future with former Guns N’ Roses bassist Duff McKagan, revealed Rose in his interview with ‘That Metal Show’ set to air Nov. 11.