The U.K. ‘Record Of The Year’ voting is now open… and Nickelback’s How You Remind Me is up against the likes of Ronan, S Club Juniors, and Holly Valance. If you would like to vote, the telephone number to call for ‘HYRM’ is 09011 980104! Calls cost just 10p and lines close at 9am THIS Friday 29th November. Best of luck to Nickelback, and thanks for voting.

Make sure to make your way over to the Slipknot VIDEO page – scroll to the bottom, and there are four video pieces for you to catch – Parts I and II of the Maggot March On NYC, video of Clown’s speech introducing the DVD at the NYC screening, and “The Heretic Anthem,” as directly taken from the ‘Disasterpieces’ DVD. Speaking of the DVD, last night was the special midnight opening of the Virgin Megastore on Oxford Street, London. Not only did we give away a personalised Slipknot double gold disc, a framed and signed Slipknot poster, and a pile of goodie bags, we have photos! You can check them out in the Slipknot PHOTO GALLERY. Slipknot ‘Disasterpieces’ DVD in stores NOW.

As promised back on Wednesday when we first welcomed Roadrunner’s newest signing, Red Tape, here is some music to get you a bit acquainted. The song, “Stalingrad.” And as their A&R Rep Mike puts it, “I had been a fan of Red Tape since I heard an earlier recording two years back. Each song fired like a friggin’ howitzer – the musical equivalent of a dirty nuke loaded with aggression, melody , steel nails and rocks.” “The version of ‘Stalingrad,’ recorded here by Orgy guitarist Amir Derakh was where it made sense. The aggression was there but so were the melodies. And when that bass comes rumbling in up front, you know this band means business. This is the same sort of stuff people like Dave Grohl have in their musical DNA. Music that’s as catchy as it is an all-out assault.” Check out our MUSIC section for an MP3 download of Red Tape’s “Stalingrad”

Roadrage 2002. Killswitch Engage, 36 Crazyfists, and Five Pointe O ripping up towns across the UK – only Manchester, London, and Brighton shows remaining. If you haven’t made one of the shows, here’s the songs you’ve been missing: Set List – Five Pointe O: Double X Minus Art of Cope Breathe Machine The Infinity Purity 01 Sympathetic Climate Control Syndrome Down Freedom King Of The Hill Untitled Set List – 36 Crazyfists: One More World Ceramic Slit Wrist Theory Eight Minutes Upsidedown Two Months From A Year Digging The Grave Turns To Ashes Dislocate Set List – Killswitch Engage: Numbered Days Life To Lifeless To The Sons Of Man Fixation Vide Infra In The Unblind Rise Inside Self Revolution Element Of One My Last Serenade More to come…

Sacramento’s Red Tape have inked with Roadrunner Records. It was a demo cut with Orgy guitarist Amir Derakh earlier this year that sealed the proverbial deal. “We told him to make it bump like it was being played in a low-rider,” beams guitarist/mainman Jeff Jaworsky. Known for a caustic, extremely high-energy punk-metal clusterbomb sound as well as gigs round the West Coast with the likes of Snapcase, Will Haven and Revolution Smile, Red Tape has established a fervent US West Coast following. An extremely rough and extremely limited debut LP, High Revoltage, hit stores shortly before its label New Age Records called it quits. Those who have the record – recorded in a mere two days – swear by it. The band’s Roadrunner debut, due in 2003, promises volumes more. In a time when pop is punk (and vice-versa), Red Tape is the real deal. Pure energy put to tape. Ferocious melodies and fiercer guitars. “We didn’t fit in,” says Jaworsky, also joined by bassist Twig Von Wussow and drummer Tim Davis. “But isn’t the point of making music to put your own stamp on things? Hell, if I was going to do that, I might as well be playing cheap hotels in Vegas in an NWA tribute band!” Straight outta Sacto, welcome Red Tape to the Roadrunner family…music from the above mentioned demo coming over the weekend…

Duly note: Slipknot’s Clown will be fielding questions for a chat on USAToday.com this upcoming Monday (Nov 25). Click that there above link to start sending in questions (however, you probably will not be able to send anything in until the weekend). What else ado about Slipknot? On this fine day (and for the rest of the week), make sure to check out Launch.com for “The Heretic Anthem” video, as taken directly from the upcoming ‘Disasterpieces’ DVD release. Check it out. And, make sure to check out our VIDEO section for upcoming Slipknot pieces around the weekend… Slipknot ‘Disasterpieces’ DVD in stores Nov 25.

Did You Know? November 20th was opening night for Nickelback and their 11 date tour run in Europe. First stop, das Sporthalle nach Hamburg, Germany. Ist gut, ja? Coming to the UK from this Saturday, Nov 23rd. And as for the point of this news update, Nickelback have received an American Music Awards nomination in the Pop/Rock category for “Favorite Band, Duo or Group” alongside Creed and Linkin Park. The American Music Awards will be hosted by the Osbournes, and be held on Monday, January 13, 2003 at the Shrine Auditorium in Los Angeles, CA. And yes, this award will be televised. Congratulations to team Nickelback.

What’s the latest word from Spineshank in the studio? Drummer Tommy Decker tells the following: I just wanted to let you guys know what has been going on lately. We have been working 12 hours a day and things are moving along. We have 17 drum & bass tracks done. We should be done tracking in about 3 weeks. Mike is doing about a song a day, and the tracks are coming out awesome. We just started working on loops and weird sounds today, although most of the songs are gonna stay pretty raw and “live.” We are really concerned with making this album “rock”…like I have said before, most of the shit coming out lately is just that, shit! Im sick of bands mellowing out for radio. These new songs are definitely energetic, pissed off and heavy! – TOMMY

Chimaira will start recording their new record – titled The Impossibility Of Reason – on November 25th with producer/frontman of Sw1tched, Ben Schigel. Ben is responsible for producing Chimaira’s EP This Present Darkness. Frontman Mark Hunter is eager to work with Ben again, saying, “working with Ben is what this band needs. We get to create something we want with someone who knows us inside out, and we get to deliver a record that our fans will love sonically. Not only do we love the sounds we get out his studio, but all of our fans love the recordings of our demos, and our EP, so this just makes sense. The record has a very old school vibe and we can’t wait to start tracking it.” Old school? Mark continues, “and I don’t mean 1995 old school, we are talking 1982-1992, when metal was good, fast, and loaded with ripping solos.” Chimaira also plan on videotaping the entire recording process…Godspeed. And the other good news? Chimaira just launched a new website, an online studio documentary…It is already filled with loads of great studio shit, and they have yet to officially start recording. Keep an eye on this site, starting now – www.Chimaira.com.

Many Happy Birthday wishes going out to Nickelback’s Chad Kroeger today. We hope you have a fabulous day! Some of you also knew it was Chad’s birthday today… and we thought we’d share one such Happy Birthday email we received today with you. Dear Chad. I do hope you had a good time and a good rest on your birthday. I’m so looking forward to the M.E.N. U.K. gig that I’m almost at the point of exploding!!! You know that Nickelback have ‘older’ ‘more mature’ fans so why not give us a shout out at the gig ‘GIVE IT UP FOR THE JUBILEE GIRLS’ Happy birthday!! Love from Edna XXXX Thanks for the email Edna.. and all the rest of you who emailed in your Birthday greetings. Let us not forget to mention that it is Static of Anyone’s birthday as well! Static is spending tonight in Louisiana, USA, on tour… acting as tour manager in fact. Static, have a truly fantabulous day… Happy Birthday.