AND THE NEW TOURING GUITARIST FOR GOD FORBID IS…
…Matt Wicklund, formerly of the now-defunct Himsa. He also played on Praises to the War Machine, the excellent solo album Nevermore’s Warrel Dane released last year.
Archive for July, 2009
ALBUMS WE WISH HAD MADE THE LIST: ANDREW W.K. – I GET WET
Andrew W.K., I Get Wet (Island, 2002)
Andrew W.K. – vocals
Jimmy Coup – Guitar
Erik Payne – Guitar
Frank Werner – Guitar
Gregg Roberts – Bass
Donald Tardy – Drums
Produced by Andrew W.K., John Fields, Scott Humphrey, TSD, Frank Vierti
It has been suggested by some of our commenters that I don’t belong here. Be it my distaste for deathgrind, my inability to appreciate the tr00 kvlt nature of Norwegian black metal, or the fact that I don’t give a flying fuck about Protest The Hero, I’ve always felt like an outsider around you people. Yet at no point did I feel so out of place than during the countdown of the 21 Best Metal Albums of the 21st Century… So Far. Sure, I participated. I submitted a list. I presumed many of my picks would never make the cut (Unsane’s Visqueen; Zozobra’s Harmonic Tremors), but also acknowledged less esoteric favorites of mine from the past nine-and-a-half-years (Boris Pink; Down’s III: Over The Under) that I thought had a shot. Still, nothing could have prepared me for the sheer disappointment these past few weeks when none of my favorite albums made the goddamn list.
Rather than be mature about this sad state of affairs, I am now going to explain why everyone who voted in this poll is a fucking butthole for not selecting Andrew W.K.’s 2002 masterpiece, I Get Wet.
Click to read more…
ALBUMS WE WISH HAD MADE THE LIST: ISIS – OCEANIC
Isis, Oceanic (Ipecac, 2002)
Aaron Turner – Vocals/Guitars
Michael Gallagher – Guitars
Jeff Caxide – Bass
Aaron Harris – Drums
Bryant Clifford Meyer – Electronics/Guitars/Vocals
Produced by Matt Bayles and Isis
Around three years ago, I reached a crossroads with metal. At the time, I was listening to Anaal Nathrakh, Vital Remains’ Dechristianize, and Guttural Secrete, and each of the three were the heaviest of their respective niche, in my opinion. But they were heavy to a degree where I genuinely couldn’t see music getting any heavier: where do you go when you’re already firing on all cylinders, and even in doing that, you’re firing more than most of your contemporaries? To be honest, with all three bands, a notch “heavier” would leave them as noise (in fact, listen to Anaal Nathrakh’s “Castigation and Betrayal” off of 2007′s otherwise un-noteworthy Hell is Empty and the Devils Are Here for proof), perhaps even so heavy they couldn’t support themselves. So it was from here that I went outward to see what bands could do with heaviness that didn’t involve trying to out-brutal or out-necro one another. It was here where I discovered drone doom, post-metal, and the like: bands that tested patience not by being loud and fast, but slow, bordering on meandering (and often crossing that border in the case of many lesser bands), creating soundscapes and spaces in lieu of obliterating them, focusing on building mood but not emotion. It was here I stumbled upon Isis, and specifically their perfect, still-career best album, Oceanic.
WHAT THE FUCK, DUDE FROM MALEVOLENT CREATION?
I don’t actually know very much about Malevolent Creation. For whatever reason, they just never came across my radar. I mean, I’ve heard of them, but I guess I never came to that point where a friend was like “Dude, check out this band!” or whatever, ’cause I never listened to them. I have no opinion about their music one way or the other.
But y’all have been e-mailing us all week about guitarist Phil Fasciana’s claim to Blabbermouth about being the next Bruce Willis n’ shit. In case you missed the whole story, Fasciana e-mailed “the CNN of heavy metal” and claimed to have kicked some ass and taken some names after walking in on a convenience store robbery in Ft. Lauderdale:
3 INCHES OF BLOOD WANNA BUILD SOME SHIT
Even without Jamie Hooper (who, I can assure you, is not returning to 3IOB anytime soon, if ever), 3 Inches of Blood has made another killer album with Here Waits Thy Doom. I mean, it’s just all the metal-as-fuck shit you’ve come to expect from 3IOB. It makes me wanna give a high-pitched scream just typing about it.
The album won’t drop ’til September 8 (one week earlier in Europe), but the band is streaming a new track, “Call of the Hammer,” here. In the words of some tool I used to know, check that shit out, yo. Then come back here and let us know whatcha think.
-AR
NEW SONG MARKS YET ANOTHER NEW ERA FOR CAVE IN
Yesterday I Tweeted thusly in a rage of excitement:
Holy crap new CAVE IN single available for purchase!!! http://tinyurl.com/nog86k
In April I reported the imminent Cave In reunion and wondered aloud what new material would sound like. Wonder no more. The new album Planets of Old will be released on 12″ only on July 28th via Hydra Head, and the new single “Retina Sees Rewind” is now available for purchase on iTunes.
So nevermind the facts; is it any good?
OH, KERRY KING. I EXPECTED BETTER FROM YOU.
I just read this on the ol’ Bmouth:
SLAYER guitarist Kerry King, a close friend of the late “Dimebag” Darrell Abbott (PANTERA, DAMAGELAN), had the legendary axeman’s guitar in the studio during the recording process for SLAYER‘s new album, “World Painted Blood” (although he didn’t use it it during the sessions), still with the same strings that were on it the last time Dimebag played it. “The one thing that made me look at my lead playing a little differently was when Dimebag passed away,” revealed King. “Not that I’m going to fill Dime‘s shoes because nobody can do that, but I paid more attention to my leads while recording this album. I wanted to make them more memorable in memory of Dime.”
ARSONISTS GET ALL THE GIRLS – PORTALS EXCLUSIVE FULL ALBUM STREAM!
Wednesday, July 8th, 2009 at 1:00pm by MetalSucks
Arsonists Get All the Girls have been through a lot since the release of their last album, 2007′s The Game of Life. From various line-up changes to the tragic death of a bandmate, the last two years have most certainly been a struggle for the Santa Cruz outfit.
The sheer force of those travails – as well as the newfound maturity the band has achieved because of them – shine through on their third full-length, Portals. This album is a major evolution for Arsonists Get All the Girls – the band has created a record that’s angry, experimental, challenging, and, of course, heavy as a motherfucker.
Portals comes out July 14 on Century Media. In the meantime, you can stream the entire album right here! And if ya dig it, pre-order Portals, along with a groovy AGATG t-shirt, here.
[UPDATE: This exclusive promotion has now ended.]
THE RESISTANCE TO MUSE IS FUTILE
\M/etal? Probably not. Awesome? Absolutely. Muse are one of those bands that appeal to metalheads who lean toward the proggier, more experimental side of the spectrum, and one of those bands who absolutely repulse the tr00er than tr00. To the latter: ya’ll are missin’ out. Muse are making some seriously great tunes that anyone with an appreciation for complex music — and really, isn’t that why all of us metalheads are here? — should know how to appreciate.
So, Muse are finally following up their jizztastic 2006 masterpiece Black Holes & Revelations with a new album, The Resistance, set to be released on September 14th (in the U.K., we presume). Early reports suggest a more ambitious, progressive bent than the last album, with guitarist/singer Matt Bellamy going on record as saying there would be a symphony (which the tracklisting confirms). Get ready for awesome.
The complete album tracklisting, after the jump.
SLOUGH FEG GO APESHIT
A nearly twenty-year-old band with a disc called Atavism in its catalog on a label known for its pre-1985 metal jones releases another retro heavy metal record? Get outta here! Next you’re gonna tell me the new Hatebreed’s got breakdowns in it. As with every other album in their catalog, Slough Feg’s seventh, Ape Uprising!, defiantly bucks two decades’ worth of progress in the metal world. It’s even tough to reconcile the term “new album” with Ape Uprising!’s analog, leather-clad, early-80s swashbuckling sound. This is the hard rock/metal hybrid your older stepbrother would bump at a teenage sausagefest in his mom’s basement, singing “Never coming down from the trees! / Never bending down on my knees!” with fists shaking at the sky.
HEAVY METAL BORED GAMES
I’ve been meaning to mention this for a week. But I can already tell it’s gonna be a slow news day, so now seems like a good time to bring it up.
The lovely ladies at Reign in Blonde discovered that McSweeney’s has has a list of Heavy Metal Board Games. They have also added a few suggestions of their own. Here are a few that tickled me:
- Whitesnakes and Ladders
- Motley Clue
- Twister Sister
- Black Scrabbleth
- Crytopoly
- Dio’s and Dragons
Check out the rest of the list here. And, of course, I’m dying to see if y’all can come with s’more.
And if you really are bored, don’t forget that actually is a Heavy Metal Fun Time Activity Book.
-AR
THE 522 ALBUMS THAT DIDN’T MAKE THE LIST
Wednesday, July 8th, 2009 at 9:00am by MetalSucks
The list was never meant to be definitive – there would be no way to compile a so-called “definitive” list of the “best” metal albums anyways. We were just hoping to have some fun, and we’ve certainly had fun. And hopefully at least some of you have had fun, too.
But no matter which 21 albums our panel ended up selecting, there were always going to be hundreds – literally hundreds – of worthy records that just weren’t going to get the love they deserve.
To that end, throughout the remainder of the week, each MetalSucks staffer will be writing about one album that he wishes had made the list.
In the meantime, after the jump, you can check out all the albums our panelists voted for that didn’t make the list; in other words, these albums would be on a list of the 543 Best Metal Albums of the 21st Century… So Far.
We hope that it continues to provide fodder for your arguments.
THE REAL #1: MASTODON – LEVIATHAN
OH, C’MON. YOU KNEW IT WASN’T REALLY ICP.
We recently polled a wide array of musicians, managers, publicists, label reps, and writers from within the world of metal to find out what they thought the 21 Best Metal Albums of the 21st Century So Far have been. Eligible albums were released between January 1, 2000 and April 1, 2009. Each panelist turned in a ballot, with their #1 album worth 21 points, their #2 album worth 20 points, and so on and so forth. The ballots are now in and we’ll be counting down one album a day until we reach #1. Today we present the #1 album, coming in with a total of 320 points…
Mastodon, Leviathan (Relapse, 2003)
Troy Sanders — Bass, Vocals
Brent Hinds — Guitars, Vocals
Bill Kelliher — Guitars
Brann Dailor — Drums
Produced by Matt Bayles and Mastodon
“Deedily-deedily-doo” might be as instantly recognizable as any Mastodon riff, but the guitar riff that starts Leviathan album-opener “Blood & Thunder” is THE quintessential Mastodon riff. Riff; repeat; queue one of Brann Dailor’s graceful, rolling drumfills and it’s fucking ON. An album full of fire, fury, aggression; punk, metal; post-hardcore riffage, classic metal guitar leads; distinctly Mastodonian gruff vocals. On Leviathan, Mastodon infused their hardcore roots with more metal and more prog; it’s the album on which Mastodon became Mastodon.
#1: INSANE CLOWN POSSE, BIZZAR/BIZAAR
Tuesday, July 7th, 2009 at 5:00pm by Anton OyVey
We recently polled a wide array of musicians, managers, publicists, label reps, and writers from within the world of metal to find out what they thought the 21 Best Metal Albums of the 21st Century So Far have been. Eligible albums were released between January 1, 2000 and April 1, 2009. Each panelist turned in a ballot, with their #1 album worth 21 points, their #2 album worth 20 points, and so on and so forth. The ballots are now in and we’ll be counting down one album a day until we reach #1. Today we present the #1 album, coming in with a total of 420 points…
Insane Clown Posse, Bizzar/Bizaar (Island, 2000)
Violent J — Vocals
Shaggy 2 Dope — Vocals
Produced by Mike E. Clark and ICP
Twenty albums down and the anticipation has built for the #1 record. It looks like the panel pulled one out of left field here, as most of you probably forgot about this sleeper record that made such a big impact on metal for this new millennium. And the catch here is that it wasn’t just one record, but a DOUBLE album that takes the spot. Those records being Insane Clown Posse’s 2000 releases of Bizzar and Bizaar. Most of you have been fans of this duo since their major label debut in the mid-90s. Before there was Slipknot, before there was Mudvayne, and before there was the greatness that is Mushroomhead – there was ICP and their legion of “Juggalos.” Forget “maggots” – these fans connected with their band unlike anyone has since. Hell, what other band has had the balls to feud with Eminem, especially in such a “safe”city like Detroit?
DEVIN TOWNSEND: THE EXCLUSIVE METALSUCKS INTERVIEW
That my interview with Devin Townsend would be a good one was a no-brainer. The guy’s music just oozes with thought and complexity, so it wasn’t surprising at all that the brains behind the music were just the same. Townsend just released Ki, the first album in a 4-part series; we spoke about that record, what the other records in the 4-part series are like, his work in the producer’s chair over the past couple of years, the reactions of SYL fans to the new music, and of course what you’re all waiting to hear… why he shaved the skullet. Townsend also spoke at length about being true to oneself artistically as it relates to dispelling the myth of “Crazy Dev.” It was a great look into the mind of a twisted musical genius, or, as it turns out, a pretty normal, nerdy dude.
It also turns out he’s a big fan of MetalSucks and regularly enters our Funny Photo Caption Contest (though he hasn’t won yet)! So Devin, if you’re reading this… get crackin’ on this week’s contest.
Our full chat, after the fold.
AND WHILE YOU’RE AT IT, CHECK OUT THE NEW JFAC VIDEO
Job for a Cowboy’s latest, Ruination, is in stores today, courtesy Metal Blade. We’ll get around to reviewing it sooner or later, but in the meantime, here’s their clip for “Unfurling A Darkened Gospel.” Enjoy.
-AR
LET THE DEBATE RAGE ON: ALICE IN CHAINS RELEASE VIDEO FOR “A LOOKING IN VIEW”
This video harkens back to the days of weird, enigmatic, “creepy” alt-metal videos, but guess what? I still dig it.
Alice in Chains’ big comeback album, Black Gives Way to Blue, comes out September 29 on Virgin.
-AR
NEW INFO ON FINAL NIN SHOWS
The following comes directly from Mr. Reznor:
Wow. This sounds a) awesome, and b) like it’s going to fucking impossible to get into.
-AR
DEAD FROM THE BACK: JOHN TARDY, SANTOLLA DELIVER OBITUARY’S DARKEST
Up to this point, the Obituary that reunited in 2003 only bothered to resuscitate their exasperating tendencies. After two, um, unsatisfactory outings, a third post-reunion album must feel like a potential strike three to many. And like the ’05 and ’07 albums, 2009’s Darkest Day can be painfully simplistic and inattentively performed. But unlike those dull albums that preceded it, Darkest Day has stretches of greatness (at least 24 bars of most songs), a pair of classics (“Payback,” “Your Darkest Day“), their best-ever album closer (The Crown-hinted “Left To Die”), and brilliant performances from the inimitable John Tardy and frowny lead guitarist Ralph Santolla.
