I’ve never been into Brain Drill before. Not because I actively disliked them or wasn’t interested, but because no one ever sat me down and said, “DUDE, you HAVE to listen to Brain Drill!” But this morning I clicked the linky-dink in a press release announcing the new Brain Drill track “Monumental Failure” currently streaming on the band’s MySpace page, and I’m wondering why the 1′s and 0′s of their 2008 debut Apocalyptic Feasting weren’t nestled neatly betwixt my Obscura and Origin mp3s in the tech death section of my iTunes library. I guess it’s because there are a helluvalotta tech death bands on the radar these days, but Brain Drill fucking kill and are highly worthy of a listen, as I just learned today.

The band limped through some well-documented lineup drama last year (I’m not even sure who’s in the above photo), but they’re currently working on their sophomore effort with a new lineup surrounding bassist Ivan Munguia and drummer Ron Casey. Let’s hope the new record hits by year’s end.

-VN

I’m extremely pleased that Skunk Anansie have reunited. I wish they were making a new full-length album instead of just doing three songs for a greatest hits package (Smashes and Trashes, out November 9), but I also understand their desire to make money ASAP. So there’s that.

Here’s the video for the first of the new tracks, “Because of You.” I know a lot of you have expressed a dislike for this band; I invite you all to take over MetalSucks for a day and write about terrible they are. Anton OyVey and I will still be rockin’ out to Skunk over in the corner.

-AR

Here’s a video of a kid playing Ozzy’s “Mr. Crowley” at the “expert” level on Guitar Hero… while solving two Rubik’s Cubes at the same fucking time. There’s clearly no practical use whatsoever for this skill and I’d seriously question whether or not this kid has ever seen the sun and/or will ever get laid… but at the same time, I kinda feel like someone should just give him a scholarship to Harvard or something. ‘Cause clearly, if this little dude puts his mind to it, he’ll put a stop to cancer, AIDS, the fighting in the Middle East, world hunger, and whatever the fuck else he pleases.

-AR

[via Topless Robot]

Insect Warfare, the great, no-bullshit, fuck-you-poseurs grindcore band that split up in ’07, has announced a string of reunion shows in the UK and Ireland later this year. The press release I received announcing said tour featured no quotes from anyone in the band, so here are my thoughts:

1. I’m jealous of everyone who lives in the UK and Ireland and can only hope these shows are followed by some US dates.
2. The fact that the band is playing thirteen shows in as many days with no breaks whatsoever is metal as fuck. ‘Cause we all know days off are for sissies.

Here’s some footage of Insect Warfare killing it, in case you’re not familiar with ‘em. You can get tour dates after the jump.

Click to read more…

The MetalSucks co-sponsored Thrash & Burn Tour is currently about half-way through with its month-long U.S. trek. Those in California and the South have already gotten their Thrash on with MetalSucks faves Devildriver, Despised Icon, Veil of Maya, Periphery and Thy Will Be Done (among others), while those in the East and Midwest will get their chance in the coming weeks. After playing Baltimore last night, the tour picks up again tomorrow in New York City and then works its way through the Midwest, wrapping up August 24th in Minnesota. Is the end of August / summer really that close? FUCK!

Check out the full list of tour dates on the Thrash & Burn MySpace, and be sure to pick up your tickets in advance.

When Oxbow first released its debut album Fuckfest back in 1990, most of you were listening to Vanilla Ice and MC Hammer (Lord knows I sure was!). So it’s almost forgivable nearly 20 years later if you still haven’t heard this cathartic, manic, and, yes, bluesy noise rock record. Thankfully, the dudes at Hydra Head Records will give us all a chance to redeem ourselves when they rerelease this filthy beast on September 15. I got my first crack at Fuckfest this morning, and it’s even better than I had expected, from the twisted classic rock of “30 Miles” to the sprawling cacophonous discord of “Hunger”.

Oxbow doesn’t seem to like updating its official website very much, but fortunately the band has a more active Twitter account packed with rumors (what’s this about a tour with Shrinebuiler and Dillinger Escape Plan?), new album updates, and UK dates for November. West Coasters may want to get themselves over to San Francisco this month, where the band will play two shows (August 20 at The Eagle; August 31 at The Victoria Theater).

-GS

[Gary Suarez sings songs for the French. He usually manages the consistently off-topic No Yoko No. Say, why don't you follow him on Twitter?]

Oh, snap. We’re used to Slayer’s Kerry King picking fights in the press. But now Gwar’s Oderus Urungus, perhaps eager to throw down with the legendary guitar player, has brought the mountain to Mohammad by talking some shit of his own.

In an exclusive video interview with Dave “I’m Not Really Just Oderus Without the Mask” Brockie for NoiseCreep, Oderus has this to say about Mr. King:

“He’s fat and ugly and stupid. Y’know, I’ve supported Slayer my whole life, they’re probably the greatest metal band ever. In fact, I personally gave Kerry King, fat little bald Napoleon with swagger that he is, The [Metal Hammer] Golden Gods Award for Most Awesome Metal Artist, and I didn’t even anally violate him, and he still couldn’t find it in himself to acknowledge.”

Ouch. Harsh words. If you know me but at all, you know I can’t wait to hear King’s retort. I’m sure it will have something to do with costumes. Which would be kinda ironic.

Here’s the video of Oderus smacking King with the proverbial glove:

Speaking of Oderus: you can still ask him a question right here. Hopefully he’ll answer a few more in the coming weeks.

-AR

[via SMN]

Metal Legacies is an ongoing memorial to extreme music pioneers who kicked the proverbial bucket way too soon.

Try and pin down a description of Øystein Aarseth, AKA “Euronymous,” of Norwegian black metal stalwarts Mayhem and you are likely to contract a new disease called “Renaissance Listophobia.” Guitarist and founder of what many argue is the pinnacle black metal act, Aarseth wore more hats in his 25 years than most people do in a lifetime: guitarist, record store owner, record label owner, brain eater, God of extreme metal, extreme dickhead, theistic Satanist, dead friend corpse photographer, teddy bear, gay pro-Communist, lethargic anarchist — he’s been called it all.

One hat he did not wear, however, was that of ”knife deflector.”

Click to read more…

I’m all for break-up sex. Yeah, the relationship is over, and yeah, it might be kinda bittersweet, but you were into each once, so why not enjoy one last fuck, right?

To that end: I really appreciate it when a band announces that they are going to break-up, and plays a few last shows to give the fans a chance to say good-bye. Burst have done it, and now another long-standing MetalSucks favorite are doing it: At All Cost.

Click to read more…

While we were at the Mayhem Festival on Friday, the Internet metal community collectively shit its pants over the brand new Baroness track the band posted on their MySpace page. The “track,” which is in fact the first and second track of their new album Blue Record combined into one, is the first we’ve heard from Baroness since 2007′s Red Record, but it seems like it’s been much longer than two years — amirite? It feels like we’ve been waiting for new Baroness forever.

So head on over to the Baroness MySpace page and get some “Bullhead’s Psalm” and “The Sweetest Curse.” It’s what you’ve come to expect and hope for from Baroness; circular, major-key riffs fueled by down-tuned punk ferocity, stoner metal noodling with prog overtones, and John Baizley (whose beautiful album artwork, previewed at right, you can see in full here) screaming his lungs out on top of it. Not for nothing, it sounds a whole lot less like Mastodon, which I think is a good thing for Baroness.

The record drops October 13th. Pre-order it at the Relapse Shop.

-VN

No, we are not fucking around. If you’ve ever thought you could do better than us, well, here’s your chance. Complete details after the jump.

Click to read more…

It’s 4 pm, and right about now we’re either interviewing someone or other or watching Job for a Cowboy. Either way, I hope we’re having a fun time.

Here’s what happened in MetalSucks Land this week:

• We’re streaming Iron Age’s The Sleeping Eye in its entirety!
• Current Coheed & Cambria/former Dillinger Escape Plan drummer Chris Pennie discussed metal with us.
• Daath’s Eyal Levi is home for tour and very busy blogging for us.
• Our girl Grim Kim visited Birmingham, England, the birthplace of metal.
• We checked out the latest releases from Assjack and Dysrhythmia.
• It looks Ozzy has hired Firewind’s Gus G. to replace Zakk Wylde. And that got us thinking about the legacies of former Ozzy axe slingers Jake E. Lee and Joe Holmes.

Have a good weekend, everybody. I know I will.

-AR

I haven’t smoked weed in about three weeks now. I haven’t wanted to. Getting sick kind of took that wind out of my sails and then I had no choice but to abstain in the hospital. Two nights ago I was at my girl’s place watching her and her roommate spark joint after joint after joint, and the craving came back. I didn’t partake. And I’m not going to for awhile, but I wanted to. And I still kinda do.

Click to read more…

Not that it would wake him from his creative stupor (although it would be awesome if it turned out that all Metallica needed to make incredible records again is a little bit of pie), but, assuming he didn’t kick my ass afterwards, it would a) make me feel better about how let down I feel by Metallica and b) it would be a funny story to tell.

But the people in the below video aren’t throwing pie at Hetfield because he’s a mere whisp of his former self – they’re doing it to celebrate his 46th birthday.

Fuck me. Hetfield is 46.

-AR

[via Blabbermouth]

I think that I (and about a hundred other people who write about metal) have extolled the virtues of Decibel editor Albert Mudrian’s Choosing Death many times in the past, but just to be sure: it’s an awesome history of death and grind, and if you’ve never read it, you really, really should. He got pretty much everybody to go on record about the early days of metal’s most extreme subgenres. If you’re new to these styles of music and need a primer, it’s a perfect place to start; if you already love these styles of music, I guarantee you you’ll still learn some shit ya didn’t know.

One of the things that Mudrian spends a good deal of time discussing is John Peel’s old national BBC radio show, which was the place to hear all the best new grind. And now Earache will commemorate Peel’s show with Grind Madness At The BBC (The Earache Peel Sessions), a three disc (!), three and a half hour set that will feature 118 recordings of sessions done on Peel’s show, including performances by Carcass, Extreme Noise Terror, Godflesh, Napalm Death, and a shitload more.

This is obviously a must-own for grind fans. Earache puts the set out on October 12. Mark it in your calendars.

-AR

Well, not really. But this “Radio Disney” version of their hit “Wait and Bleed” is still pretty amusing.

-AR

Thanks to Alex for the tip!

For awhile now, we’ve been hyping Greymachine, the new project featuring Aaron Turner of Isis and Fighting with Revolver fame and Justin K. Broadrick from Jesu/Godflesh/Naplam Death. And now their debut album, Disconnected, is streaming in full right here.

I actually haven’t had a chance to give it a listen yet, but I’m all about anything and everything with the name “Broadrick” attached. So check out the record and then let us know whatcha think.

-AR

This made me giggle. I love how spot on AndyRehfeldt and Hao Lam’s arrangement is, especially how well the drums sync up with the video. Someone needs to do one of these for a Slayer song.

-VN

It’s Friday! Glory glory hallelujah! Vince and I are at Mayhem today (all posts you read have been autoprogrammed to self-publish), and Behemoth is one of the bands we’re most stoked to check out, in no small part because we think the band’s latest, Evangelion, kicks so much fucking ass.

So here’s the new Behemoth video for “Ov Fire and the Void.” Mostly it’s your typical epically Satanic blackened death metal shit, but it has a cute girl in it (and some not so cute girls) and nudity and it’s been banned from YouTube (oooh scary!) and the song is sweet, so it has all that going for it.

Our own Anso DF just conducted an interview with Nergal; we’ll get that up as soon as the MetalSucks Mansion Monkeys are done transcribing it.

-AR

Comes out September 8 [UPDATE: release date is now Sept. 29. -Ed.] on Williams Street Records.

Suh-weet.

-AR