Metal Asylum is an American television program about heavy metal

Heavy metal music

Heavy metal is a genre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s, largely in the Midlands of the United Kingdom and the United States...

 on Fuse

Fuse TV

Fuse is an American national television network dedicated exclusively to music. It features original series and specials, exclusive interviews, live concerts and video blocks....

. Hosted by Mistress Juliya

Juliya Chernetsky

Juliya Chernetsky , is a television personality best known for her popularity on the music-themed network Fuse, formerly known as MuchMusicUSA. She is best known by her stage name Mistress Juliya. She hosted the heavy metal-themed program Uranium and a call-in and e-mail advice program called Slave...

, it served as a slightly more subtle incarnation of the popular Uranium

Uranium (TV series)

Uranium is an American television program about heavy metal which aired on Fuse TV in the early 2000s. After establishing herself as the host of MMUSA's Tastemakers program, Juliya Chernetsky, along with network producers, created Uranium as an outlet for the broad range of heavy metal subgenres...

 and even coexisted with it under the same host. Metal Asylum traditionally ran a half hour, typically on a nightly basis at 11pm ET, and deemphasized band interviews in favor of simply playing music videos, largely of the heavy metal genre. The show's production ended in 2006 due to Chernetsky's departure from Fuse TV.

Overview

In contrast to Uranium, interviews were rare. A typical episode of Metal Asylum would have Chernetsky standing solo in a shady lit studio, briefly discussing bands before playing their videos. As opposed to Uranium where Chernetsky could fly off the cuff most of the time, on Metal Asylum she read off a script on a teleprompter. The scripts were written by legendary metal TV producer Jason Haitkin (who also had a hand in Uranium and Headbangers Ball

Headbangers Ball

Headbangers Ball is a music television program consisting of heavy metal music videos airing on MTV2, MTV Australia, MTV Two , MTV Adria , MTV Brand New, MTV Portugal, MTV Finland, MTV Arabia, MTV Norway, MTV Sweden, MTV Denmark, MTV Greece, MTV Türkiye, MTV...

 and also directed videos for bands). The show's opening title sequence

Title sequence

A Title Sequence is the method by which cinematic films or television programs present their title, key production and cast members, or both, utilizing conceptual visuals and sound...

 featured Chernetsky pushing through twisted black graphics, and the intro guitar to Bloodsimple

Bloodsimple

Bloodsimple is an American heavy metal band from New York City that formed in 2002. They were signed to Warner Bros. Records.The band's name, Bloodsimple, comes from a term coined by detective novelist Dashiell Hammett. The term apparently describes the addled, fearful mindset people are in after...

's "What if I Lost it

A Cruel World

A Cruel World is the debut album by New York alternative metal band Bloodsimple, released on March 29, 2005.-Musical style:In broad terms, Cruel World's songs can be seen as falling into one of two categories: brutal but commercially digestible hardcore , or Alice...

" served as its theme music

Theme music

Theme music is a piece that is often written specifically for a radio program, television program, video game or movie, and usually played during the title sequence and/or end credits...

.

Metal Asylum did include exclusive videos and helped break out some underground bands like Municipal Waste and The Red Chord

The Red Chord

The Red Chord is an American grindcore band from Revere, Massachusetts, formed in 1999. The band is made up of vocalist Guy Kozowyk, guitarist Mike "Gunface" McKenzie, and bassist Greg Weeks. The band gained a fanbase with its 2002 debut album Fused Together in Revolving Doors. The second album,...

. Phil Demmel from Machine Head

Machine Head (band)

Machine Head is an American heavy metal band from Oakland, California. Formed on October 12, 1991, the group was founded by Robb Flynn and Adam Duce. There have been 4 member changes since their inception. The current lineup of the band comprises Flynn , Duce , ex-Vio-Lence guitarist Phil Demmel ,...

 confessed that he first found out about Municipal Waste from watching Metal Asylum. The program also interviewed veteran musicians like Geezer Butler

Geezer Butler

Geezer Butler is an English musician and songwriter. Butler is best known as the bassist and lyricist of heavy metal band Black Sabbath. He was also involved in Heaven & Hell from 2006 to 2010.-Career:Butler formed his first band, Rare Breed, with old friend John "Ozzy" Osbourne in the autumn of...

 and Pedro Howse

Pedro Howse

Peter Howse was born in Aston, Birmingham, UK, to Geezer Butler's sister, Maura. He was christened "Pedro" by Butler, from a character in the TV show Four Feather Falls....

 of GZR

GZR

GZR is a band led by Black Sabbath bassist/lyricist Geezer Butler. The band has actually been marketed with three different names on the three releases they've had. In 1995, the band was marketed as G//Z/R. In 1997, it was merely Geezer, and in 2005, it was GZR...

.

In September 2005, the show was guest hosted on two occasions while Chernetsky was on vacation. Mark Hunter

Mark Hunter (musician)

Mark Hunter is the singer vocalist and one of the main songwriters for the heavy metal band Chimaira.-Chimaira:Hunter co-founded the band with original Chimaira guitarist Jason Hager...

 of Chimaira

Chimaira

Chimaira is an American heavy metal band from Cleveland, Ohio. Formed in 1998, the group is a notable member of the New Wave of American Heavy Metal scene. The band's name is derived from the word Chimera, a monstrous creature in Greek mythology...

 and Howard Jones of Killswitch Engage

Killswitch Engage

Killswitch Engage is an American metalcore band from Westfield, Massachusetts, formed in 1999 after the disbandment of Overcast and Aftershock. Killswitch Engage's current lineup consists of vocalist Howard Jones, bassist Mike D'Antonio, guitarists Joel Stroetzel and Adam Dutkiewicz, and drummer...

 each hosted two shows. Jones also interviewed Throwdown on one episodes.

Special episodes

On August 16, 2005, Fuse TV announced its selection to become the exclusive cable television broadcast partner for the 10th anniversary of Ozzfest

Ozzfest

Ozzfest is an annual festival tour of the United States featuring performances by many heavy metal and hard rock musical groups. It was founded by Ozzy Osbourne and his wife Sharon Osbourne, both of whom also organize each yearly tour with their son Jack Osbourne...

. As such, Metal Asylum would feature the "Ozzfest Video of the Day" on a nightly basis during the tour. On August 19 at 9pm ET, Fuse also premiered Ozzfest 2005: Uranium Invasion followed by Ozzfest 2005: Fuse's Metal Mayhem at 9:30pm ET, which provided coverage of second stage acts. Bands interviewed included Mastodon

Mastodon (band)

Mastodon is an American heavy metal band from Atlanta, Georgia, formed in 1999. The band is composed of bassist/vocalist Troy Sanders, guitarist/vocalist Brent Hinds, guitarist Bill Kelliher and drummer/vocalist Brann Dailor...

, Black Label Society

Black Label Society

Black Label Society is a heavy metal band formed by Zakk Wylde, with nine studio albums, one live album, two compilation albums, one EP, and three video albums released since formation of the band.-Formation and Sonic Brew :...

, In Flames

In Flames

In Flames is a Swedish heavy metal band from Gothenburg, formed in 1990. Since the band's inception in 1993, they have released ten studio albums and one live DVD...

, and As I Lay Dying

As I Lay Dying (band)

As I Lay Dying is an American metalcore band from San Diego, California. Founded in 2000 by Tim Lambesis and having completed their first Line-up in 2001, the band consists of vocalist Tim Lambesis, drummer Jordan Mancino, lead guitarist Nick Hipa, rhythm guitarist Phil Sgrosso, and bassist Josh...

.

On November 14, 2005, the 100th episode featured interviews with Strapping Young Lad

Strapping Young Lad

Strapping Young Lad was a Canadian extreme metal band formed by Devin Townsend in Vancouver, British Columbia, in 1994. The band started as a one-man studio project; Townsend played most of the instruments on the 1995 debut album, Heavy as a Really Heavy Thing...

, Suffocation

Suffocation (band)

Suffocation is an American death metal band that was formed in 1989 in Long Island, New York. The band comprises vocalist Frank Mullen, guitarists Terrance Hobbs and Guy Marchais, drummer Mike Smith and bassist Derek Boyer. Suffocation rose to prominence of death metal and created a blueprint for...

, and the first North American television interview of Decapitated

Decapitated (band)

Decapitated is a death metal band that formed in Krosno, Poland in 1996. The group comprises guitarist, founder and composer Wacław "Vogg" Kiełtyka, vocalist Rafał Piotrowski and Austrian drummer Kerim "Krimh" Lechner. Decapitated have gained recognition as one of the genre's most widely respected...

. It also featured their live performance of "Spheres of Madness" at B. B. King

B. B. King

Riley B. King , known by the stage name B.B. King, is an American blues guitarist and singer-songwriter.Rolling Stone magazine ranked him at No.3 on its list of the 100 greatest guitarists of all time. According to Edward M...

's in New York City. It is one of the only available American television interviews with Vitek from Decapitated before he died in a van accident in 2007.

A Christmas episode, known as the "lost episode," was filmed but never aired. This edition featured mostly Satan

Satan

Satan , "the opposer", is the title of various entities, both human and divine, who challenge the faith of humans in the Hebrew Bible...

ic videos such as Deicide

Deicide (band)

Deicide is an American death metal band formed in 1987. Their first two albums, Deicide and Legion, are ranked second and third place in best-selling death metal albums of the SoundScan era.-As Amon/Carnage :...

's "Scars of the Crucifix." It never aired due to a miscommunication about being pre-empted for Christmas.

Cancellation

In February 2006, Metal Asylum disappeared from the air without any explanation from the network or Chernetsky herself. In early March 2006, the Fuse TV website was redesigned and Chernetsky along with fellow Fuse VJ Adonis Thompson were not on the list. Broadcasts of the F-List were played in Metal Asylums timeslot during the month of February, and on the Fuse message board, it was stated that her contract had not been renewed which irked many loyal viewers. Previous rumors had stated that Chernetsky's absence was due to her recovering from surgery; however, Chernetsky confirmed her exit from Fuse via her MySpace page and details the fact Fuse wanted to become more family friendly and none of her programs exhibited that quality, and she was then removed.

Despite legal conflicts between Chernetsky and Fuse, she later rejoined the network and went on to host the Rock edition of No. 1 Countdown

No. 1 Countdown

No. 1 Countdown is a program originated by the American television network, Fuse. The show usually comes on one or two times per day. There are 10 or 11 videos per episode.No. 1 Countdown has three different types of episodes...

.