Tom Morello is 49 years old today. Well done, Tom! Please stop playing as The Nightwatchman and get back together with Zack and the boys to make a new Rage Against The Machine album before it’s too late, yeah?

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58 years ago today, Nathan Roth and Sibyl Roth celebrated the birth of their son, David. The young David would, in time, grow up to be one of the most important frontmen in American rock history. Okay, so the guitarist in his band is a more important figure in the overall history of rock, but Roth’s showmanship can’t be underestimated when it comes to the reasons how and why Van Halen became one of the biggest bands in the world during the 1980s. Anyway, it’s not his birthday today.

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Philip Hansen Anselmo, frontman of Down, former frontman of Pantera and Superjoint Ritual, and member of more side-projects and various guest-spots than we could concisely mention, is 44 years old today. And since Anselmo has spent more than half his life fronting some of the most influential metal bands of the last quarter-century, the least we could do to mark his birthday is to post a video of one of those bands, right?

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On 14 April 1980, Iron Maiden released their self-titled debut album. It was an album that marked the start of a career that would go on to change – and in some ways define – the very firmament of what we call heavy metal. Since it’s now 14 April 2012, we’re going to use this handy-if-irrelevant anniversary as an excuse to go back and watch the band playing a single from the album on the now-departed BBC institution that was Top Of The Pops.

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Ten years ago today, it is generally believed that Layne Staley, frontman with Alice In Chains, died as a result of injecting himself with a mixture of heroin and cocaine. He was juts 34 years old when he died. While Alice In Chains would later reform almost a decade later, it is their early albums with Staley on vocals that placed the band into the hearts of fans around the world. And it’s with one of Staley’s last ever recordings with the band that we’re choosing to remember him by on this, the anniversary of his death.

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As far as we’re aware, March 10 (that’s the day we’re publishing this, for anyone who’s late to this particular party) isn’t a particularly important date in the calendar for any of the four members of Slayer. It isn’t any of their birthdays. It isn’t the anniversary of the release of any of their records. As far as we’re aware, it isn’t the date of their wedding anniversaries, or their children’s birthdays, or the anniversary of the first time Kerry King realised that it’s better to shave your head entirely once you start going bald, rather than suffer through the ignominy of trying to maintain the long-hair look once male pattern baldness takes hold.

It is, however, the birthday of producer Rick Rubin, arguably Slayer’s most influential (and in their early days, most frequent) studio collaborator. Which from our perspective makes it the perfect opportunity* to look back at the video to one of Slayer’s more overlooked numbers.

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Once upon a time, a German industrial legends Rammstein worked as coal miners. After a good spanking from a giant Snow White, they brushed her hair and gave her a bath. Snow White took her own life and the loyal miners braved snow and cold to give her a funeral befitting a woman of her beauty and stature. Suddenly, and apple fell from a tree landing in Snow White’s dead hand… but she caught it! How could that be?

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Remember when Monster Magnet unleashed Powertrip? EVERYONE seemed to dig it. It somehow managed to be retro enough for the stoners yet glam enough for the hair metallers. Which is pretty impressive, right? This video of the title track summarises exactly what Monster Magnet were up to at that point of their career. Booze, bikinis… and white capes.

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Something of a classic this: The Bad Boys From Boston showed no hesitation at having a bit of fun with CGI back in 1997 for their video ‘Pink’. The track remains the biggest fan favourite from the Nine Lives album and this video went on to win an MTV Video Music Award for Best Rock Video. All factoids aside, its just a video that’s impossible not to smile at… go ahead, give it a try…

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‘Swallowed’ is Bush’s biggest UK hit as it reached #7 in the UK Singles Chart but came from their slightly less successful second album, Razorblade Suitcase which has “only” sold well in excess of three million copies worldwide. Their debut, Sixteen Stone has sold over six million – mostly in the US. Not bad for a grunge band from a part of west London noted for its fried chicken shops.

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