The hoodie to end all hoodies? The Deciblog says so. And we can hardly disagree:

The hardcore scene is not exactly known for having remarkable fashion sense. But one item is required of all hardcore kids: the hoodie. Exhibit A. Exhibit B. Exhibit C. Exhibit D. It’s the equivalent of a ten-gallon hat on a cowboy, dredlocks on a Rasta, and boobs on a Hooters waitress. The hoodie-on-hoodie action is something forRené Descartes to figure out. “I wear a hoodie, therefore I am hardcore” seems to be the prevailing fashion philosophy among scenesters and bands alike. So if I wear a hoodie that displays a hoodie, does my hardcore quotient increase? Am I pushing the boundaries of what it means to BE hardcore? Am I pledging allegiance not to hardcore but to the humble hoodie itself? Or am I just a shmuck?

I NEED one! Anyone wanna buy me one? I’ll be your best friend. (Hey… it worked once…). I wonder what Beavis and Butthead would think of this? Ah, yes:

Butt Tattoo

-VN

First Kermit the Frog does NIN’s “Hurt,” now the Muppets are covering Cryptopsy. What is the world coming to?

-AR

[via Metal Injection]

If you don’t know who Amy Sciarretto is, well, ya should. She’s Roadrunner Records in-house PR goddess (and often writes the very funny “Ask Amy” column for the Roadrunner website) and also writes for NoiseCreep. She’s also written for Revolver, Kerrang!, Guitar World, and a butt load of other publications and websites. In other words, she knows her shit.

Now Amy has teamed up with Rick Florino – founder or Ruined magazine and a contributor to Inked, Revolver, Hit Parader, etc. – to write Do the Devil’s Work for Him: How to Make it in the Music Industry (and Stay in It!). Featuring interviews and music biz advice from members of System of a Down, DevilDriver, Dragonforce, Matt Sorum (current Velvet Revolver/ex-Guns N’ Roses drummer) and Roadrunner A&R guru/blade runner Mike Gitter, this promises to be much, much cooler than your average “how to” guide.

The book hits shelves on June 26. In the meantime, you can get more info here.

-AR

One NYC-area metal band will get the chance to play a special MetalSucks-sponsored set at the Tonesofdeath.com showcase in NYC this Thursday night! Post a comment below telling us why we should pick you to play, be sure to include your band’s MySpace link in the “URI” field, and we’ll notify a winner tomorrow morning. The show will be at Fontana’s in NYC’s lower east side on Thursday, June 4. The winner will play with Castevet and Relapse’s newest signing Revocation. Colt45 is sponsoring the show so that means free beer for all. And free Jager shots from 8:30-9:30 when you mention Tones of Death at the bar! (All band members must be 21+ with ID.) Remember to make your answer fun as this is MetalSucks, not your 10th grade Government class essay test.

Please note: DO NOT BOTHER COMMENTING IF YOUR BAND IS NOT ABLE TO PLAY THIS SHOW!!! Please don’t waste our time. Thanks!

Those not in bands who’d like to attend this show, be sure to RSVP here.

Obviously that’s not a bad thing. Honestly, for whatever reason I never got as into Obituary as I did other Floridian death metallers from the same era (Cannibal Corpse, Deicide, etc.), but it’s not like a new Obituary song is ever a bad thing.

The track is called “List of Dead” and you can check it out here. It comes off of Darkest Day, which Candlelight Records will release on June 30. Check out the song and then let us know what you think in the comments section below.

-AR

It’s, like, way early to be talking about “Best of ’09″ lists already, but ’09 is actually almost half-way through (wtf???) and I’d gander that Obscura’s excellent tech-death shred fest Cosmogenesis is gonna end up on more than a couple of year-end lists, including that of yours truly.

Check out this quality footage of Obscura shredding it up at the Neurotic Deathfest in The Netherlands this past weekend [sent in by Tim F.]. Ridiculous! We were super-bummed that the band’s MetalSucks-sponsored U.S. tour had to be cut short before it hit New York, but here’s to hoping they’ll come back soon.

-VN

Canadian metalers Bison B.C. and Wisconsin thrashers Lazarus A.D. have teamed up for the MetalSucks and MetalInjection-sponsored 2009 “Baptized in Beer Tour,” which kicks off July 8th in Vancouver, British Columbia. Support on select dates will come from Barnburner and Woe of Tyrants. The coming together of B.C. and A.D. means one of two things will happen when this tour hits the pavement: 1) the birth of Jesus Christ, 2) a giant fucking party. We’re hoping for the latter!

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