Metal musicians travel the world constantly leapfrogging from continent to continent on a blur of buses, planes and trains. But no matter how busy they are and how insane the lifestyle is, of course there's always some time for a little football -- especially with Super Bowl XLVIII between the Denver Broncos and Seattle Seahawks coming up this Sunday.

Philip Anselmo, former Pantera frontman and current Down leader, prides himself on his pigskin knowledge. So when we spoke with him during reversals at the recent metal Metal Masters 5 show in Anaheim, Calif., we just had to get his take on the big game.

"Dude, I know my football," Anselmo growled. "I LOVE my football. you wanna talk defenses? I know the 3-4. I know the 4-4. The 5-2. The 5-3.  I know 'em ALL. I grew up with football and it's a big part of my life. And so here's the deal. This is what I'm saying. Listen to me. I'm picking Denver. I've always said, if Denver advances to the final, it is Seattle's worst nightmare, because of that hurry-up offense. I don't see how the secondary can shut down Peyton Manning's attack. Not gonna happen. Peyton is playing out of his mind and he is a true leader. It is Denver, all the way."

Anselmo's former Pantera bandmate and current Kill Devil Hill member Rex Brown seems to agree.

"Hey man, I'm a Cowboys fan so yeah I've become a little bit jaded when it comes to Pro football," Brown told us. "I'm an NFC fan in general so at first I was thinking it's good to be Seattle. But I will tell you what. This is the best that Peyton Manning has played in a long, long time. He's got that weird look going on. He's got what I like to call "the hunger." So I say he'll do it. He's going to lead his boys on Sunday to the Super Bowl championship."

Megadeth bassist Dave Ellefson feels it can go either way. " Me, I think I would flip a coin on this one. Being from Phoenix, I'm a big Cardinals fan. But I grew up in Minnesota, so my heart will always be with the Vikings. But the way this game is shaping up, I'm calling it right down the middle. Two very strong teams playing at very high levels. It can go either way."

Drummer extraordinaire Mike Portnoy, who is currently in the Winery Dogs and Transatlantic, offered up perhaps the most rock 'n' roll answer of all. "Honestly man, I don't care who wins. Me, I'm pulling for the Red Hot Chili Peppers."

The Chili Peppers, of course, will be performing during this year's halftime show alongside Bruno Mars.

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