Clutch, who this year released the song "When Vegans Attack."
Photo: DRT Entertainment

Like most of the media world, we here at MTV News obsess and argue relentlessly over our year-end top 10s. This year, we thought we'd share them! Our staff top 10s, along with several less conventional lists, will be rolling out all this week. Find out our picks for couples, guilty-pleasure songs, albums, hot messes, arrests and much more. Enjoy, and share your own top 10s in You Tell Us!

1. "Hell Toupée" from Turbonegro's Retox

2. "When Vegans Attack" from Clutch's From Beale Street to Oblivion

3. "Put All Your Eggs in One Basket and Then Watch That Basket!!!" from Marnie Stern's In Advance of the Broken Arm

4. "Anarchists Just Wanna Have Fun" from Hella's There's No 666 in Outer Space

5. "Let's Undress and Listen to CSS" from All Teeth and Knuckles' Club Hits to Hit the Club With

6. "Beneath the Wings of the Black Vomit Above" from Furze's UTD: Beneath the Odd-Edge Sounds to the Twilight Contract of the Black Fascist/ The Wealth of the Penetration in the Abstract Paradigms of Satan

7. "A Catastrophe of Epic Proportions" from Through the Eyes of the Dead's Malice

8. "Manager and Coordinator of Prostitutes" from Les Georges Leningrad (on the Worried Noodles compilation)

9. "Eyebrows Are Nature's Makeup" from Two Loons for Tea's Nine Lucid Dreams

10. "Stabbin' Daggers" from Sebastian Bach's Angel Down

For the rest of MTV News' year-end top 10s, check out our Best of 2007 page, where you'll find the hottest hip-hop, catchiest singles and more.

• Clutch
• Turbonegro
• Marnie Stern
• Hella
• Through the Eyes of the Dead

King Diamond
Photo: Metal Blade Records

In King Diamond's 1986 single, "Halloween," the Danish-metal prince shrieked about ancient rituals, torture and all things demonic: "Like in horror dreams, I want/ I command you to scream." A full 22 years later, Diamond — who released his latest album, Give Me Your Soul ... Please, in late June — is still doing plenty of screaming. Only lately, they've been screams of pain. And this Halloween he won't be stealing any souls — or even trick-or-treat candy. He'll be bedridden with a herniated disc.

"I can't sit down, even on my couch, for more than a few minutes," he said from his Texas home. "About a month ago I tried, and after 15 minutes, it started feeling like my left leg was getting set on fire."

Just six weeks ago, Diamond had to stand on one leg to brush his teeth and was unable to bend over enough to spit toothpaste into the sink. Now, as long as he eats standing up and walks for 90 minutes between four-hour intervals in bed, he can get through the day without any major attacks of pain.

Of course, that makes touring impossible, and in late June, Diamond postponed his entire European trek. While he hopes to heal in time for the U.S. tour, which is scheduled to launch March 23 in Lake Buena Vista, Florida, and run through May 8 in Houston, he's not entirely sure he'll be able to play those shows either.

"It can take up to a year and a half for a severe herniated disc to heal properly, but it varies from person to person," he said. "So, we are crossing our fingers and praying that we won't have to cancel the U.S shows. Right now there's not much more we can do."

Diamond got a taste of what might happen if he hits the road too soon in September when director Bill Schacht from video company Aestheticom — which has also worked with Amon Amarth — shot a video for "Give Me Your Soul," the first King Diamond clip in 17 years. "They limited what I had to do, of course, so I only did one day of shooting for 90 minutes, but just standing there moving a little bit in the full outfit was very difficult," he said. "And afterwards, I got one of those sharp attacks of pain that I hadn't had in a month and a half. The only thing I can compare it to is a really super-bad toothache or earache. And afterwards, I was like, 'OK, I'm not ready [to tour] yet.' "

So, how did the pioneer of demonic metal injure his back, anyway — painting pentagrams in blood around the altar, strapping virgins into the torture rack in his basement? Nope, the 51-year-old rocker hurt himself working in his home studio on Give Me Your Soul ... Please.

"I think the real damage happened mixing the record, because I did that three weeks straight for a minimum of 12 hours a day," he said. "One of the last nights, when I was going to bed, I felt these pains in the sciatic nerves on each side, and I thought, 'Oh what is this?' The next morning I woke up and I couldn't walk or stand. It was like being paralyzed. I can't begin to say how painful it was. They say that's the worst pain you can experience as a human being. Had I not lived on the ground floor in a house, I would have jumped out the window."

If, as his detractors claim, Diamond is damned to spend an eternity in hell, at least he'll have an idea of what it might be like. "In the beginning, these attacks were 15 minutes at a time, of unbearable pain. The first month after I had the accident, my left leg looked like I got out of a concentration camp. It was all thin and I lost all the muscle tone because I couldn't put any weight on it."

After undergoing an MRI, doctors determined that Diamond's herniated disc wouldn't require an operation but that he would have to undergo intensive physical therapy and plenty of rest if he was to properly heal. "Doing the exercises, at first, I would try to wiggle my left leg back and forth a little, but there was so much pain it was absolutely impossible. But gradually, I got to the point where I could move the leg pretty well and now I'm walking around and both legs are the same size again."

In addition to religiously following doctors' order, Diamond is now eating healthy and avoiding all medication — even Tylenol. "I take no painkillers whatsoever," he said. "That's the best way to heal fast, I think, because if my spine is in a slightly wrong position lying down, I feel the pain and I readjust the position of how I'm lying and then it slowly dies away. That way I know I'm not lying in a wrong position. If I feel the pain it's a signal that, 'Hey, you're doing something wrong.' "

But while he's being a good patient and focusing on his recovery, Diamond is itching to be able to get back onstage and perform songs from his new album, which he considers his greatest accomplishment yet as a solo artist.

"It's very frustrating to be stuck here and not be able to do what I do best," he explained. "I'd rather get shot in the leg because then I know I'd heal in a couple months and I'd be ready. I would love nothing more than to be able to play the U.S. shows, but of course, it's much better to postpone the tour and heal properly than to go out and play some stupid hero with your own health and then find out it didn't work. You got one week into the tour, and now you sit in a wheelchair and [your] career's over. So, this is the only way to do it. And afterwards we have many, many more good years ahead of us. I just have to get better first."

The rest of the week's metal news:

Norwegian black-metallers Zyklon are going on hiatus. According to guitarist Tomas "Samoth" Thormodsæter Haugen, the band's future plans are "up in the air at the moment," as all of its members live in different cities. "We're not always an easy band to manage," he said in a statement. "[We all] have multiple commitments on different fronts, thus it's often hard for all the [logistical] and practical things to work. This situation has especially come more into focus in the last year or so, where it has become harder and harder to get the band together when needed, with the spirit and excitement that one expects from a band like this. Basically, I don't feel that we as a band have the fire needed to start working on a new album right now. Therefore Zyklon are taking a break." Samoth, who is also known for his work with Emperor, also revealed that there are plans for an Emperor DVD with "a lot of cool material to be reviewed, mixed and edited." No word yet on when the effort will hit stores. ...

Turbonegro are down a member after the departure of rhythm guitarist Rune Rebellion, according to reports. But Rune isn't leaving the Turbonegro family — he'll continue running the band's label, Scandinavian Leather Recordings, and plans to manage the band's tour business. ... All That Remains, Shadows Fall and Killswitch Engage are among the artists who have been nominated in the Outstanding Metal/Hardcore Band of the Year category at this year's Boston Music Awards. We'll find out who takes the honor home on December 1, when the awards invade the city's Orpheum Theatre. The Red Chord, Unearth, Isis and Converge are also in the running for the award. Meanwhile, the Shad and Killswitch have also been nominated in the Album of the Year (Major) and Act of the Year categories. ...

Things are not well in the land of Gorgoroth. Gaahl, frontman for the black-metal masters, and guitarist Infernus recently had an undisclosed argument over the band's future and, via MySpace, had announced their dissolution. But on Monday, the band's Web site insisted Infernus left the fold, leaving Gaahl and bassist King ov Hell to continue on as Gorgoroth. Not so fast — Infernus, a founding member of the band, plans to file suit against his former bandmates, for use of the Gorgoroth name. Gaahl issued a statement explaining the mess. "It's the disrespect he has shown our working partners — record labels, session musicians, promoters (by sending unserious demands in riders, etc.) and producers we have worked with over the years — which has lead to this decision," he wrote. "In addition, he has not been a creative force for the last eight years. He has shown no interest in the art defining Gorgoroth during that same period of time. He has not shown up for rehearsals and has broken agreements on several occasions. It's gotten to a point were King and I can't create a fire as long as someone is there pouring water over it." He said he intends to continue crafting sinister metal, with or without the Gorgoroth name. According to Infernus, he's been meeting with his legal team and said "there is now Gorgoroth, and another fraction with a Gorgoroth name on it." ...

Soon, we'll have another Arsis album to feast on. The band recently completed work on the effort, titled We Are the Nightmare, under the guidance of producer Zeuss (Agnostic Front, Hatebreed). The LP is slated for release early next year and boasts 10 tracks, including "Shattering the Spell," "Failing Winds of Hopeless Greed" and "A Feast for the Liar's Tongue." ... Filipino-American thrash-metallers Death Angel have titled their forthcoming LP Killing Season. The record is slated for release early next year and is being recorded at a Los Angeles studio with producer Nick Raskulinecz (Shadows Fall, Velvet Revolver). ... Belgium grindcore specialists Leng Tch'e are in search of a new bassist, with usual player Nicolas Malfeyt having shifted to second guitar. The band had been looking for a second guitarist. Those interested in auditioning should contact the band via its MySpace page. ... Ever wanted to name a band? Well, here's your chance. Fear Factory guitarist Christian Olde Wolbers and drummer Raymond Herrera have teamed up with Threat Signal frontman Jon Howard to start a new project, but they haven't been able to come up with a name for it. Ideas can be submitted to Wolbers via his MySpace page. ...

Drummer Jeramie Kling has left Floridian metallers the Absence after five years with the band. According to a statement from the group, Kling said he felt he had "experienced 'repetitive, blatant dishonesty' from bandmembers that 'ultimately was taking away from the band's success and priorities.' At this point, Jeramie no longer wishes to be associated with the Absence due to their 'pretentiousness and disregard' on a personal level and to the fans who put them where they are." The band will honor all of its prior touring commitments, as soon as it tracks down a fill-in. ... Obituary and Merauder will join forces for a handful of gigs in December. Look for the bands to roll through Clifton Park, New York (December 7); Brooklyn, New York (December 8); and Sayreville, New Jersey (December 9). ... Experimental hardcore outfit Some Girls have thrown in the towel. There's no word yet on why the band split up. ... Remember Dub War, those Brits who forged reggae with metal and somehow pulled it off? Well, while the band has been inactive since 1999, two Dub War releases will be coupled together and reissued as an exclusive double-CD pack on Tuesday. The set will include 1995's Pain and 1996's Wrong Side of Beautiful.

• King Diamond
• Zyklon
• Turbonegro
• All That Remains
• Shadows Fall

Iron Maiden's Bruce Dickinson (file)
Photo: Getty Images/Jo Hale

Devin Townsend's not crazy. It's not that he's defensive about it ("I'd like to say I'm fine," he said, "but then I listen to some of the music and I'm like, 'No, you're not' "), but the truth is he's not crazy in the purest sense of the word. However, the exalted, follicle-challenged Canadian guitarist behind Strapping Young Lad (as well as a host of epic-sized progressive solo projects he's released through his Hevy Devy label) is an insane musical genius — in much the same vein as Mozart.

Seriously.

Take his approach to writing lyrics. While there's no underlying theme to Strapping Young Lad's latest, Alien, a record that took a year to write and record, "if there is a message at all, it's I don't know what's going on," he said.

"With Alien, it was just random firings of information. I'm in the dubious position, as a singer, of having to write lyrics. So what am I interested in? Screaming, random thoughts, and I really like chaos. As opposed to having any theme, it's everything in the kitchen sink, and then put echo on it, and then put an explosion on that."

SYL's been around awhile, and for those in the metal know, they're almost a closely guarded secret. But this summer they'll get the kind of exposure only a festival tour can bring, thanks to the Sounds of the Underground. Townsend's excited about hitting the road: "I've got a new amp and a bunch of new guitars, so I look forward to getting out there and shaking my head and going 'RAAH' a lot."

Strapping recently shot a video for the track "Love?," and Alien hits stores Tuesday.

The rest of the week's metal news:

Roadrunner Records will mark its 25th anniversary with the tentatively titled Roadrunner All-Stars album, due this fall. To be produced by Slipknot's Joey Jordison, Fear Factory's Dino Cazares, Machine Head's Robert Flynn and one other yet-to-be-named Roadrunner alum, the disc will include original tracks written and performed by current and former members of Coal Chamber, Soulfly, Chimaira, Spineshank and Obituary. Each song will feature a different vocalist. ... According to Iron Maiden's Web site, the band will not be performing on the final seven dates of this year's "Longhairs Across America" tour — also known as Ozzfest 2005 — disappointing fans in New Mexico, Texas, North Carolina and Florida. Why? Previous touring commitments overseas conflict with the dates, according to informed sources. It's believed — but far from confirmed — that Ozzfest will soon add another high-profile band to this year's main-stage lineup. ...

Black Sabbath bassist Geezer Butler will issue Ohmwork, the second album by his solo band, GZR, on May 10. The release will be Butler's first solo album in eight years and will include the single "I Believe." Any touring in support of the release will have to happen after the completion of Ozzfest, which is once again being headlined by Sabbath. ... Ozzfest 2005 prog-metallers Mastodon recently shot a video with director Jonathan Rej for the track "Blood and Thunder" from the sludge purveyors' Leviathan. The band will kick off its U.S. headlining tour Wednesday at New Orleans' House of Blues. ... Anomalies, the next album from self-described "Rocky Mountain hydro-grind" specialists Cephalic Carnage, will drop March 21. ... Mathcore's finest, the Red Chord, will release Clients on May 17. They'll also shoot a video for the track "Lay the Tarp" just before hitting the road with Bury Your Dead, A Life Once Lost and If Hope Dies on March 27. ...

Catch 33, the latest from experimental Swedish metallers Meshuggah, will see the light of day May 31, according to the band's American label, Nuclear Blast. The album's going to feature one uninterrupted track that clocks in at 47 minutes but is broken into 13 distinct parts. ... Guitarist Rob Barrett will once again be teaming up with Cannibal Corpse next month for the death metal collective's headlining gig at the Northwest Death Fest in Seattle, according to a posting on the band's Web site. It is unclear whether Barrett, who was with the band from 1993 to 1997, will continue on with the Corpse after this one show. Metal File will keep you posted. ... Following numerous show cancellations and the departure of their two guitarists, Eric and Brian Hoffman, Deicide will return to the road May 26 in Ottawa, Ontario. Frontman Glen Benton and drummer Steve Asheim will be joined by touring guitarists Jack Owen (ex-Cannibal Corpse) and Dave Suzuki (Vital Remains). Dates run through June 22 in San Antonio, Texas, with Skinless, Misery Index and With Passion opening all shows. ...

Six Feet Under, the death metal band fronted by ex-Cannibal Corpse singer Chris Barnes, will release their new album, 13, on Tuesday. The disc follows up 2003's Bringer of Blood and will include the tracks "Decomposition of the Human Race," "Somewhere in the Darkness" and "Shadow of the Reaper." The band recently shot a video for the latter with director Gary Smithson. In addition, Six Feet Under filmed their March 16 concert in Berlin for possible inclusion on their box set, due later this year. ... Throwdown have finished recording "Vendetta," the follow-up to 2003's Haymaker, with producer Zeuss (Hatebreed, Shadows Fall) at his Planet Z Studios. The album is due in July and will include a guest appearance from Killswitch Engage vocalist Howard Jones, who joined the band onstage at a couple of Ozzfest stops last year. ... Evanescence drummer Rocky Gray, better known in metal circles as guitarist for the defunct Christian bands Living Sacrifice and Soul Embraced, has formed a side project called the Burning, who are busy demoing material. In related news, Solid State Records will release the Living Sacrifice best-of collection In Memoriam, which includes a handful of newly recorded songs, on March 29. ...

As I Lay Dying singer Tim Lambesis has formed an imprint through Pluto Records called Clockwork Recordings, which will release the debut album from Arizona's Life in Pictures on April 19. ... Terror will head out on a U.S. tour with Remembering Never and the Acacia Strain in April. ... D.C. thrashers Darkest Hour have been hard at work in the studio in recent weeks with producer Devin Townsend (Lamb of God, Soilwork), recording the follow-up to 2003's Hidden Hands of a Sadist Nation. So far, the band's written 10 songs. Darkest Hour's new DVD, "Party Scars and Prison Bars - A Thrashography," is now available and features live footage, music videos and behind-the-scenes hilarity. Yes, hilarity. ... Canadian deathcore six-piece Despised Icon will embark on a massive Canadian tour alongside Ion Dissonance and Premonitions of War later this month. In addition, the band will be making its first U.S. appearance during the Maryland Deathfest, which will rattle Baltimore's House of Rock May 28 and 29; the group's latest, The Healing Process, will be in stores April 5. ...

Everyone's favorite Norwegians Turbonegro will release their latest gem, Party Animals, on May 9. Alas, American fans of punk metal's answer to the Village People will be sad to learn the album, featuring tracks titled "Wasted Again" and "Blow Me (Like the Wind)," will only be available in Europe — initially, anyway. ... Sludgy doom merchants Eyehategod's tour will kick off May 15 in Lake Charles, Louisiana, and wrap up June 18 in Kings Fort, Tennessee, at the Tennessee Metal and Hardcore Fest. Grindcore pioneers Napalm Death are getting ready to return with their first studio album in nearly three years. The Code Is Red ... Long Live the Code, due April 19, features their fastest and most political songs since 1992's Utopia Banished. "The title is a play on the phrase 'The king is dead, long live the king,' " explains guitarist Mitch Harris. "It's about the color code system that went along with the terrorist activity in the U.S., and the viciousness of the record is really a reflection of the political climate." ...

Canadian death metal band Cryptopsy won't release their next album until the end of the year, but they're offering fans a teaser now. The group has posted a pre-production version of "Carrionshine" on its Web site, cryptopsy.net. The track features the return of original vocalist Lord Worm, who quit after 1995's None So Vile. Cryptopsy will tour with Cattle Decapitation, Devilinside and the Autumn Offering thru April 22. ... Energetic Canadian riff-rockers Danko Jones will release their third album, We Sweat Blood, on April 19. Six days later, the group will launch a North American tour in New York that will circle the country before returning to wrap up in Brooklyn on May 24. ...

• Iron Maiden
• Mastodon
• Cannibal Corpse
• Turbonegro
• Strapping Young Lad