I love YouTube for many reasons, not the least of which being that the site has completely changed the way video content makes it way out into the world. Case in point: this past Saturday I got to see hardcore act H2O celebrate its fifteenth anniversary with a sold-out show at New York’s Gramercy Theatre. Of course, not everyone who wanted to could attend, and one awesome fan put up a whole bunch of clips from the show for all of our enjoyment. The one above is for “Still Here” off the record, and features guest vocals by noneother than Civ of Gorilla Biscuits.

Below you’ll find a few more videos, including their cover of Madonna’s “Like A Prayer,” along with the rest of their known tourdates. I had a blast, as my friends who were there with me can attest, so don’t miss out!

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Although the editors of MetalSucks get a vote in he Scion No Label Needed Contest, the staff of MetalSucks, alas, does not. Thus, over the course of the next few days, each MetalSucks writer will post an endorsement for his favorite finalist for the contest. You can check out all the finalists, and vote for your personal favorite, here.

Reciprocal initially hearken back to the halcyon days of 2005, where if you got a free jazz/fusion shredder guitarist, talented bassist and drummer, and… well, admittedly generic singer, and listened to a lot of Atheist, Calculating Infinity-era DEP, and/or Cynic, you had a shot at getting on Black Market Activities or even Relapse. But to reduce them to riders of a bygone trend would be really unfair: the band are excellent at what they do, and simply relegating them to a cluster of bands that combine brutal death metal with noodly Psyopus/Behold… the Arctopus parts would be stiffing them. These guys are the real deal: death metal dudes partaking in as much awesomeness as possible, managing to weld together parts that normally wouldn’t gel particularly smoothly.

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Our email inboxes have been flooded with links to a leaked version of the new Burzum album, Varg Vikernes’ first after 16 years of imprisonment, and the near unanimous opinion is that it sucks. But it seems like our readers aren’t the only ones sharing these behaviors and sentiments; Earache boss Digby Pearson posted the above from his Twitter account yesterday, as noticed by Second Period and re-posted by Invisible Oranges. Props to his hilarious use of hashtags!

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Someday making fun of Juggalos will get old… but today is not that day.

And in any case, these clearly aren’t real Juggalos, but, rather, satirists. (I don’t think that most Juggalos know what the word “satirist” even means.) And I say “Bravo!” to them, because this is short, sweet, and hilarious:

And just for the record, if there were really a show called Shit’s Fucked Up Hospital, I would totally watch it.

-AR

[via Metal Injection]

A couple of weeks ago we premiered a new Veil of Maya song, “Namaste;” now our bro-bros at Metal Injection have gotten their hands on some footage of the band performing another new track, “Unbreakable.” Check it out:

Presumably, “Unbreakable” will appear on VOM’s forthcoming album [id], which is out April 6 on Sumerian. So far I like what I hear…

-AR

There’s a NSFW image after the jump. You’ve been warned.

Angela Gossow in the 2006 edition of Revolver’s “Hottest Chicks in Metal”

I love masturbating as much as the next guy who spends most of his day at the computer, but there’s no getting around the fact that Revolver’s annual “Hottest Chicks in Metal” issue – and now, apparently, accompanying calendar – is completely ridiculous. It has nothing to do with music, and there’s no equivalent issue for “Hottest Dudes in Metal,” because, well, metal is mostly a sausage fest and I imagine that a “Hottest Dudes” issue wouldn’t sell very well.

Now Arch Enemy’s Angela Gossow – who has been featured in past “Hottest Chicks” issues – has spoken out against the concept… as if you needed another reason to love her. From a recent interview with KNAC:

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The shelved Deftones record Eros is going to make a collector’s item some day. For one it seems like it’ll never see the light of day which in and of itself would make it a hot commodity, but more importantly it very likely could end up being the last album bassist Chi Cheng played on before slipping into a coma following his car accident. And with each passing day it seems less likely Cheng will wake up. I’m not trying to be morose and I certainly wish him and his family well… I’m just saying. You know the files for Eros are on some A&R guy’s hard drive somewhere; hopefully one day they’ll see the light of day.

Diamond Eyes, the new record the Deftones have recorded in place of Eros, now has a release date (May 18th) and a new song to give fans a taste of what’s in store. “Rocket Skates” (of which we postage live footage from November’s Smokeout Festival) is available for free download today only at GunsRazorsKnives.com, although at the moment the site is spitting back error messages that “the code you entered is in use.” Thanks, fuckwads at Warner Bros.; you provided the code yourselves. Thankfully the song is posted on the Deftones’ YouTube page too which is actually a better deal ’cause you also get the lyrics. The song sounds like it’s got a White Pony type of vibe, which I like. And despite Chino Moreno’s claim that the lyrics on this album are less personal, it really seems like this song is about Chi Cheng. Have a listen for yourself.

-VN

After the 2009 edition of Rocklahoma – a.k.a. the Wacken of Hair Metal – turned out to be an epic fail,  it was announced that AEG live, “the world’s largest producer of music festivals,” had been put in charge of “revamping” the fest for the 2010 version – including helping with “talent booking.” At the time, I suggested that this might be code for “no more hair metal bands,” and as it turns out,  I was right. Here’s the line-up for this year’s fest, in nifty poster form (via Bring Back Glam):

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I guess yesterday’s story about Rose Funeral beating up on some concertgoers for playing Uno during a recent set in Tulsa has caused a stir – because people are still e-mailing us about it. Here are some tidbits from those e-mails, both directly and indirectly related to the incident:

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When it comes to music (and other things really), I tend to play devil’s advocate. If everyone is shitting on a certain band, for some reason, I become more attracted to that band and seek them out. I don’t know what it is about my personality, but I think it stems from the same perspective that inspired me to write the antagonistic blog about rethrash. It may be a character flaw, but I’m sure it has something to do with a need to be an individual. From what I gather, this website is inhabited mainly by “true” metal heads. What I define as “true” are people whom are purists in the realm of metal and usually scoff at any band or trend that reeks of premeditated commercialism or an overt play for popularity, and who usually demand a certain level of musicianship and underground credibility. These fans usually hate every Metallica record after …And Justice For All, and for that matter always prefer any particular band’s older releases, which usually have a more raw and unrefined recording quality, as well as more abstract, less traditional song writing. For example, they will prefer Carcass’s Necrotiscim to Heartwork, or Morbid Angel’s Blessed Are The Sick to Domination. Oh yeah, and these guys gave up on In Flames and Soilwork years ago.

I have a good deal of that purism in my bones, but it always seemed short sighted and close minded. You have no idea how many arguments the Adler brothers from Lamb of God and I have gotten into over the merits of a particluar Metallica or Megadeth record. If you even bring up Disturbed or Limp Bizkit on MetalSucks, it is mocked and disregarded 100% of the time. I think metal heads often have a sheep mentality because of the fear of being viewed by their peers as less credible for liking bands that aren’t considered “true” or “real” enough. We all have guilty pleasures, but the real question is “Why should we feel guilty about something we enjoy?”

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…then it’s gonna be one of the awesomer releases of the spring. Check it out:

Holy shit, I love that. It’s just as awesome as the cover art for the band’s previous release, Myocardial Infraction, which has been a cornerstone of my own personal rotation ever since reader Parker Werley recommended the band to us back in January.

The Farthest Reaches comes out April 13 on the newly-formed Good Fight Music, and was produced by Zack Ohren. Ohren has produced, mixed, and/or mastered such albums as Suffocation’s Blood Oath, Decrepit Birth’s Diminishing Between Worlds, Arsonists Get All the Girls’ The Game of Life, and all three releases by All Shall Perish, so his involvement can only be a good thing.

I can’t fucking wait to hear this record. If you’re still not familiar with Son of Aurelius, get off your ass and check out their MySpace page.

-AR

BBBBBRRRRRROOOOOOOOOOTTTTAAAAAAALLLLL!!!

That’s really the only way to describe the Road to Metalfest tour, which will be co-headlined by Impending Doom and Through the Eyes of the Dead, with support coming from Arsonists Get All the Girls, The Tony Danza Tap Dance Extravaganza, and Chelsea Grin. This are five bands that don’t know the meaning of the words “tread lightly.” They might as well have called this the “FUCK MELODY RIGHT IN THE EAR” tour. You know who won’t be going to this tour? Pussies. You’re not a pussy… are you?

We’re really stoked to be a part of this one. Get dates after the jump!

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That’s right, folks, new autobiographies are headed to your nearest bookstore and online retailers from former Guns ‘n Roses drummer/VH1 house boy, Steven Adler and Megadeth mastermind/Metallica thorn, Dave Mustaine.

Adler, renowned not only for being the original drummer for Guns N’ Roses, but also for getting shit-canned by the band for being too much of a druggie, releases his allegedly self-penned account on June 22, entitled My Appetite for Destruction: Sex, and Drugs, and Guns N’ Roses.

I’m looking forward to Adler’s tale of his fall from rock ‘n roll grace, as I considered his druggen misadventures to be the lone highlight from Andy McCoy’s otherwise dreadful Hanoi Rocks tell-all, Sheriff McCoy.

Meanwhile, Dave Mustaine’s autobiography (co-written by Joe Layden of the New York Times), titled, no surprise, Mustaine: A Heavy Metal Memoir, hits the bookshelves on April 13. Dave had originally planned on calling the book, Hello Me… Meet the Real Me, the classic opening line from his 1992 track, “Sweating Bullets.” Word has it that the book may also be titled Wake Up Dead.

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What can I say, I like my f’s.

1. When I imported this shit into iTunes, the artist name was NOT Fuck The Facts. Either that means that these dorks stole these five songs, or they don’t want me to leak it. But you know what, I’m gonna do it anyways. Actually, I’m not. It’s only six bucks. So I’ll just link you to the pre-order form.
2. Speaking of stolen music: the same day FTF sent me this EP, the new Burzum album, Belus, leaked. Now, there is something you all should know about FTF and Burzum: Varg Vikernes, the man behind Burzum and the once upon a time session bassist for Mayhem, is IDENTICAL to FTF bassist Marc Bourgon. 

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Tongue-in-cheek covers are kind of lame which is why I find Slaughter of the Bluegrass so entertaining; these guys aren’t being ironic at all. These Swedes love their metal but they also love their bluegrass, having already done bluegrass cover versions of At the Gates and Dark Tranquillity songs. The Deciblog alerted us to the latest Slaughter of the Bluegrass cover of Amon Amarth’s “Twilight of the Thunder God.” While bluegrass and viking metal might seem to be at odds, in a way it makes perfect sense: Swedish “redneck” music done in the style of another country’s redneck music. A perfect fit.

Listen to the track above and download it here if you feel so inclined.

-VN

MS Maniac David M. recently spent a month in India and had some fun with his newly minted MetalSucks t-shirt, snapping some photos of himself (or in some cases just the shirt) in various settings around the country. So in celebration of David’s awesome pictures, we’re going to hold a contest: email in (news[at]metal[dot]net) or a post a comment with a picture of yourself in your MetalSucks t-shirt doing something funny/awesome/bizarre and we’ll  hook up with a prize pack of assorted metal goodies we have lying around the Mansion.

Of course, if you don’t already have a MetalSucks shirt then you need to get one pronto. They start at only $13!

More photos of David’s Indian adventure after the jump.

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Bane, Curitiba 7:58PM

Eminently (almost cultishly) popular, Bane capitalized on their continued success late last year by ostensibly defecting from their long-time label Equal Vision to release several region-specific CDs and 7″ records–replete with timestamped cover photos of namesake cityscapes–for unrelated indies. Of course, with a fanbase like theirs, it was only a matter of time before the forces of globalization and fetishist fanboy consumerism brought these releases (which have incestuously overlapping content) to foreign distributors. That, dear reader, is how I ended up with Curitiba 7:58PM, a CDEP for Brazil-based Hurry Up! Records that conveniently collects all the tracks from the various vinyls in one place. Curiously, the songs are named after American soap operas, yet thankfully vocalist Aaron Bedard only uses these titles as starting points for more personal, if awkward lyrics. “As The World Turns” is a profession of bromance set to a furious tempo, culminating in a soaring, emo-tional final minute. The breakneck “One Life To Live” contains a particularly guffaw-worthy lyric in “I didn’t find God and he didn’t come looking for me / but someone showed me Minor Threat / and that was plenty good enough for me.” Curitiba 7:58PM closes with highlight “The Young And The Restless,” a trudging and not-infrequently creepy track that features a ghostly female vocal refrain provided by Mayra Montijo. Only the obsessed would bother collecting every version, but overall the material here is worth buying at least one of these releases.

(3 1/2 out of 5 horns)

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Mutiny Within‘s long-awaited self-titled debut record finally comes out tomorrow. It’s been a long time coming for these New Jersey (and British) younguns who I first saw play a cramped basement at NYC’s Lit Lounge about two years ago, back when they were simply called Mutiny. I’ve said it quite a bit leading up this release but it bears repeating: not a whole lot of “commercial” (for lack of a better word) metal has tickled my fancy these past couple of years, but Mutiny Within hit that sweet spot for me. It’s the perfect mix of technicality, brutality and melody and of European and American metal sensibilities. For what it’s worth, it’s one of my favorite releases of 2010 so far. Enjoy the full album stream below and be sure to purchase the record when it comes out tomorrow. It’s available for only $11 with an autographed booklet if you order today.

[this promotion has ended]

NOTE: Devin Shidaker is no longer in Rose Funeral, even though for some reason he’s still listed as a member on the band’s MySpace page. Our apologies for including his name when we initially ran this story.

UPDATE: A source very close to the band tells us that this entire story is true. So that sucks. Original story follows…

Alright. So we’ve been getting e-mails about this since Thursday, and Vince and I struggled with whether or not to run anything about it because, well, the internet can be a terrible place full of nonsense, and we have no way to verify whether or not this event ever actually occurred. But now we’ve gotten so many e-mails about it, it seems like we have to say something.

Still, two disclaimers before we move forward:

1. This should be treated as an unsubstantiated rumor until further notice. Like I said, we’re currently unable to verify if there’s any truth to this story or not.
2. We’re not making any judgments, positive or negative, about Rose Funeral’s music. Whether or not we or anybody else thinks they’re a good band or not is the very definition of “beside the point” in this instance. The point is whether or not one or more members of the band did something really heinous.

And with that being said, here’s the story, as described to us via various e-mails from people who claim to have been present when this all went down…

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The idea of Alice Cooper and Rob Zombie touring together is such a “Well, duh” kinda thing that I can’t believe it’s taken so long for it to become a reality. (In a press release Zombie says that “Me and The Coop have been talking about touring together for the last 15 years” – so at least it’s not like the idea just occurred to them or anything.) There wouldn’t even be a Rob Zombie if not for Cooper, the original dude to put on make-up to sing anthemic hard rock and pop metal based around the kinds of themes usually reserved for horror movies (The Universal Monster kind, not the Slasher-flick kind – that’s more Cannibal Corpse’s territory.). Cooper has likened this tour to Dracula Vs. Frankenstein, and that’s a dead-on assessment of the bill; the only thing that could make the line-up even more obvious is if they got The Misfits (or, at the very least, Wednesday 13) to open for them.

Unfortunately, the tour is only going to last all of seven dates. Hopefully this ends up being like that original run of Megadeth/Slayer Canadian shows, where it seems like everyone was just testing the waters before moving forward with a more extensive tour. And Zombie’s commitment to this summer’s Mayhem Festival may have something to do with why there are so few stops on this trek – he may be contractually obligated to stay away from certain markets for X period of time on either side of those shows. But this sounds like it will actually be a really fun tour. Hopefully the fall will bring round two… just in time for Halloween, perhaps?

Dates after the jump.

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