This past January and February Hypno5e, Revocation and The Binary Code criss-crossed the nation on the rigorous Metal As Art tour that saw them play 31 shows in 33 days. The bands faced van wrecks, breakdowns, snow storms, crazy groupies and even withstood a contest to see who could go the longest without showering (Todd from The Binary Code ended up victorious, if you’re wondering), but they all lived to tell the tale and are all the better for it. If you were one of the lucky ones who got to catch a show then you know what I’m talking about; I got to catch 6 shows, including 5 on the west coast from Los Angeles through Portland. I even got to visit the bizarre-as-fuck Meth-haven known as Reno; I hope I never ever end up there again.

Our Bro-jiras over at Roxwel.com were on hand at Red 7 in Austin to catch the action. They captured excellent live footage of Revocation and The Binary Code and conducted interviews with both bands. Check out an interview / live footage montage of each band below, and check out the rest of the live footage at Roxwel.com.

The Revocation:

Revocation – Interview & Live Performance
Watch Music Videos at www.roxwel.com

The Binary Code:

Binary Code – Interview & Performance
Watch Music Videos at www.roxwel.com

Yo, fuck James Cameron and his blue-cat-people-fucking-in-the-rain-forest movie. If you released this promo for Backsliders and Apostates Will Burn, the forthcoming four song EP from The Austerity Program, in Imax 3D, it would gross $2,667,907,958. That’s a dollar more than Avatard has made worldwide as of this writing. Suck it, Cameron.

Unfortunately, a Titanic-sized conspiracy is preventing this life-altering film from being seen in the format for which it was intended. Oh, well. At least they stuck it up on YouTube, so all the world could get a little taste.

Backsliders and Apostates Will Burn comes out May 4 on Hydra Head. And if you ask real nice, maybe TAP vocalist/guitarist Justin Foley will write some columns for MetalSucks in the not-too-distant future.

-AR

I’d never heard of Costa Rica’s Sight of Emptiness before I saw their video for the track “Faceless Dream.” Luckily, I have the music to go on, and not just the clip, which is about as ugly and generic as ugly and generic comes. I am really digging the music, though – and the stuff on their MySpace page is pretty cool, too. With some better production, I think they could be onto something…

-AR

At this point, how much of an introduction do The Dillinger Escape Plan really need? They’re one of the most talked-about bands of the last decade, and that talk hasn’t quieted down very much in the face of their latest release, Option Paralysis, which comes out today. The album is a very natural evolutionary step from Ire Works, and has (rightly) been met with the heaping tons of praise we’ve come to expect DEP to garner.

When I went to interview vocalist Greg Puciato, bassist Liam Wilson, and drummer Billy Rymer – the latest addition to the band’s line-up – they were right in the middle of signing a table-full of Option Paralysis CD booklets, and only had about twenty minutes to spare before they had to participate in a live web-chat; then they were set to kick-off their headlining tour the next night. You might think that such an abundance of promotional activities would leave these fellas frazzled or at least exhausted, but they were clearly far too excited about the impending release to be bothered by having to talk to a schmucky blogger like me.

After the jump, get Greg, Liam, and Billy’s thoughts on Option Paralysis, the pressure of following Ire Works, their search for a new drummer, fans who wish they’d just stick to crazy-ass mathcore, the joys of their ever-increasing fame, and more.

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When I wrote an article in the wintry depths of December proclaiming Finnish melo-doomsters Barren Earth “Metal to Be Really, Really Cold To” and likened their dark, epic music to bands like Swallow the Sun (among others), I didn’t even realize that the genetic makeup of Barren Earth essentially makes them a melo-doom supergroup. For those filling out their roster cards in the stands, here’s the starting lineup:

Mikko Kotamäki – Vocals (Swallow The Sun)
Olli-Pekka Laine – Bass (Ex-Amorphis, Mannhai)
Kasper Mårtenson – Keyboards (Ex-Amorphis, Ben Granfelt Band)
Janne Perttilä – Guitar (Rytmihäiriö)
Marko Tarvonen – Drums (Moonsorrow)
Sami Ylisirniö – Guitar (Kreator, Waltari)

I mean, like, WOAH, right? Barren Earth’s Our Twilight EP, released this past fall, was a dark and doomy affair reminiscent of Swallow the Sun (duh), Agalloch, Daylight Dies and you know exactly what I mean if you’ve made it this far into the article. On the eve of the release of their new full-length, Curse of the Red River (March 29th in Europe, April 6th in the U.S.), Barren Earth have offered us an exclusive stream of their new track “The Leer.” Both this track and “Forlorn Waves” (available on their MySpace) are a bit more uptempo than the material on Our Twilight but no less characteristic of the parts from which the band is comprised.

Stream “The Leer” below and pre-order the new album here.

[this promotion has ended]

This is easily the best video of its kind since that jazz version of Lamb of God’s “In Your Words” which was uncoincidentally done by the very same man, one Andy Rehfeldt. Andy’s got a very special talent. I’m sure his mom is very, very proud of him.

-VN

Thanks: Jeff G., Antonin Skullia

I just saw this video on SMN of Annihilator’s Jeff Waters showing off his signature Epiphone Annihilation Series guitar, which he claims is the “most metal guitar” ever. It’s basically just an ad for his guitar, so you don’t really need to watch it for more than a few seconds:

Now, with all due respect to Jeff Waters, who probably knows way more about guitars than I do, this is in no way, shape, or form the most metal guitar out there. MetalSuckers who know what’s up are aware that this is, has been, and always will be, without a sliver of a shadow of a doubt, the most metal fucking guitar in the history of forever-ever-ever:

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Psych!

Every time I hear about an amazing unsigned band and then I think about the fact that a band like Vampires Everywhere got signed — in large part because I posted a ‘Shitstain’ about them — a little part of me dies inside. So, HEY, A&R guys, THIS is the column you need to pay attention to for your signing perusal, not the Shitstain series. Our readers know what’s up and send us emails about awesome bands (and naturally a lot of shitty ones) every single day.

Without further adieu, here are some of the best Readers’ Choice bands you all have sent in lately:

• Dr. Slaggleberry: Like Keelhaul if Keelhaul had a more restrained Les Claypool on bass and Ben Weinman on guitar… and they all smoked a shitload of weed. [Thanks: Lee Mezcallo]
• Persefone: Modern prog metal / melodeth with a hint of Power Epic, hailing from the country of Andorra (I had to look it up too). Like the country from which the band hails, their music is pretty diverse. [Thanks: Brian K.]
• Exotic Animal Petting Zoo: Between The Binary Code, Cynic and Me. The MS Mansion Monkeys are getting a bit riled up about this one. [Thanks: Tim Meyer]

‘Tis all for today. Keep ‘em comin’ and I’ll keep posting about ‘em.

-VN

Pictured: Exotic Animal Petting Zoo.

I know the name wouldn’t be very metal, but I’m increasingly convinced that Misery Index should change their name to “Happy Index,” ’cause they make me so happy. And you so happy. I mean, right now, I’m cranking this new MI song, “Heirs to Thievery,” that our bro-bros at Metal Injection snagged on film, and there are birds chirpin’ outside my window! They’re all “YEEEEAAAAHHHHHH!!!!! MISERY INDEX FUCKING R00LZ MOTHERFUCKER!!!!!!!!” And the birds are right. Misery Index fucking r00lz.

“Heirs to Thievery” will presumably be on Misery Index’s new album, which should be out later this year on Relapse. While you’re waiting, Metal Injection has more footage of the band crushin’ it at this show, as well as some cool footage of Swarm of the Lotus. Check it out here.

-AR

“Scared to Death,” the new video from H.I.M., is insanely glossy, to the point where, even though there’s not really that much going on, I kinda wonder how much it cost. Not much, I hope, ’cause it bores the crap outta me. Ville walks! There are some pyramid thingies! It looks pretty but none of it seems to have anything to do with the song! Is this a Lex Halaby joint?

“Scared to Death” comes off of H.I.M.’s latest, Screamworks. Vince basically liked the album, but I gotta say, I can’t remember ever having felt so “meh” on any of the band’s past releases. It’s just so devoid of energy. It’s like the whole band took a Lunesta before they hit the studio.

-AR

Ratt’s new album has gotten more than just the best of me; Axl agrees that Infestation is undeniable, and as for Anso DF, that dude came out of the womb with a premonition that in 2010 Ratt would release a fantastic comeback album. He’s been telling me this ever since he started writing for this here web rag!

The band just released a music video for the album’s lead single “Best of Me,” which our bro-bby Blotzers over at Noisecreep have premiered. Like Infestation as a whole, the video does a great job of bridging the old and the new. The concept is ’80s in feel, with two yunguns transported to a dream-like world of rock n’ roll, women and hard partying. Though the concept is an old one, like the songs on the album the execution and production techniques don’t make it feel dated. Says Bring Back Glam scribe Allyson B. Crawford:

The video also points to a bigger issue here: younger kids on the outside looking in, trying to be a part of the Ratt pack, and the overarching idea that infectious hooks can permeate all aspects of daily life.

Indeed… if you were too young to experience Ratt the first time now might be a good time to check ‘em out. Get into Infestation and go backwards from there.

-VN

The artwork for Soulfly’s forthcoming Omen has been released, and… it’s not at ALL what I was expecting, but I’m really digging it. Soulfly artwork has been, in the past, more rooted in traditionalist metal imagery (skulls, weird creatures, etc.) and pseudo-ancient iconography; but this is some Dune-looking shit right here. I dig it.

Here’s the regular edition…

…and the special edition is after the jump!

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At the Gates recorded two albums of disruptive, grind-influenced Swedish death metal before they found the sound that would launch a thousand shitty metal bands. Beginning with their third album Terminal Spirit Disease, and climaxing with their stunning swansong Slaughter of the Soul, At the Gates melodicized brutality (and brutalized melody) with heretofore-unmatched cohesion. While the band developed their harmonically pleasing sound at the same time that Gothenburg compatriots In Flames and Dark Tranquillity were honing similarly tuneful death metal aesthetics, it was At the Gates that arguably stayed truest to the filthy spirit of underground death metal. This, even as Slaughter of the Soul yielded minor MTV hits and was nominated for a Swedish Grammy. Un-dissonant and streamlined as the album is, Slaughter of the Soul’s guitar tone is just beastly, and every aspect of its execution, from Adrian Erlandsson’s rock steady thrash oompah to Tomas Lindberg’s iconic roar, seethes with conviction. And my god, the songs – by career’s end, At the Gates were churning out compact three-minute death metal classics as if by will. As their song structures got less complicated, At the Gates’s mastery of “melodeath” became ever more apparent. The band secured their place in heavy metal Valhalla by disbanding on a high note.

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Modern death metal masters Job for a Cowboy are kicking off their Runation North American Tour 2010 in just a couple of weeks, and to celebrate, the band is teaming up with MetalSucks and Ibanez to give away the sweet guitar pictured above, plus a copy of the band’s latest and greatest, Ruination. NICE!

All you have to do to win is go to the comments section below and tell us what is the scariest possible headline you could ever imagine seeing on MetalSucks. For example:

• FRED DURST NAMED NEW LEAD SINGER OF METALLICA
• OOPS: TECHNICAL SNAFU CAUSES ALL PHYSICAL AND DIGITAL COPIES OF OPTION PARALYSIS TO ACTUALLY PLAY ATTACK ATTACK! ALBUM
• ZILTOID ELECTED PRESIDENT

And so on and so forth. You get the idea.

Please make sure you register for the comments section with a valid e-mail address, as the winner will be contacted via e-mail. And please note that this contest is only open to U.S. residents, as shipping a whole gee-tar costs mad bank, yo.

Good luck! Entries will be closed on April 21st and a winner chosen shortly thereafter. And don’t forget to check out JFAC’s headlining tour when it hits your town. Get a complete list of dates here.

-Axl, Vince, and Everyone at MetalSucks

Virginia doom crew Salome have been busting eardrums and making waves across the Eastern half of the US on their latest tour, with stops at NYU (with Shrinebuilder/Wolves in the Throne Room) and at the SXSW madhouse, where they decimated showcases from Profound Lore/20 Buck Spin and BrooklynVegan alongside Coffinworm, Yakuza, The Atlas Moth, Zoroaster, Landmine Marathon, and tons more. The next leg of the tour is taking them through the Dirty South, and they’ve brought their buddy “Grim” Kim Kelly along for the ride to sling merch and document the whole thing, Almost Famous-style. First stop: Baton Rouge, Louisiana…

Current time: 3:13 am
Current location: A Super 8 somewhere outside Baton Rouge, Louisiana

Louisiana is a pretty desolate state to drive through. For hours at a time, you’ll be cruising down battered highways lined with billboards for “adult super centers” and “Buy 1-Get-11” fireworks stands (talk about recession-proof – if not death-proof – pricing!), staring out into the scrub pines and swamps in the shadow of a thousand Waffle House signs. It’s also not what I’d call “cosmopolitan” by any stretch of the imagination, judging from the reactions we got whenever we stopped to refuel and grab munchies. [Salome vocalist] Kat and Rob [Moore, guitars] look pretty “normal” by anyone’s standards, but Aaron [Deal, drums] and I caused some waves – he with his massive septum ring, tattooed arms and Wolfman beard, and me for my piercings, neck tattoos, 1” lobes and, especially, the inverted cross gracing the back of my Dragged into Sunlight hoodie.

“Dude, they were totally talking shit about you in there,” Aaron chuckled as we pulled away. “Did you see all the religious shit in there? I heard one of them say, ‘That one girl had an upside-down crucifix on her shirt, I never seen something like that before in my life!’”

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Though Megadeth are currently playing the entirely of Rust in Peace on their U.S. tour to commemorate the album’s 20th anniversary, the rest of the world appears to be left out of the celebration and some Argentinian Megadeth fans are pretty bummed out about it. MS reader and editor of Argentina’s Jedbangers Magazine Hugo Garcia has started an online petition to convince Mr. Mustaine to share the Rust in Peace live show love with South America as well.

The campaign to convince Megadeth to play Rust in Peace in Buenos Aires has an official website and, naturally, a Facebook page with over 5,000 supporters already enlisted. The campaign encourages fans to send in pictures of themselves holding Rust in Peace, one of which is pictured above. Very MetalSucksian in concept if I do say so myself.

Curiously, Megadeth’s official website doesn’t even list an Argentina date. The sole show between their U.S. “Rust in Peace Tour” and European “Endgame Tour” is an April 17th date in Mexico City, and even that date isn’t listed on Megadeth’s MySpace page. Perhaps some dates have been postponed or canceled, but there’s certainly a big enough gap in the routing to make a South American run happen.

-VN

I’m going through barbecue withdrawal. Seriously — I just made a fruit smoothie and my body almost rejected it due to lack of meat intake.

There were many highlights of this year’s SXSW shennaniganza, but nearing the top of the list was our annual trek to The Salt Lick in Driftwood, TX for some serious BBQ. This time around we rocked a raging dudefest (NINE strong, including bros from Goes Cube and East of the Wall) and two joints/many beers in we were more than ready for the all-you-can-eat family style mouthwatering trifecta of some of the best brisket, ribs, and sausage known to man…

Words cannot express the barbecue high; you literally get wasted on meat. Drooling, giggling, guffawing, gurgling, gnawing, food coma — it’s all part of the excursion, and surely not to be missed.

I’m gonna pass the mic over to Adam Richman of Man vs. Food fame to elaborate:

After the jump, the true origin of the Salt Lick’s name…

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What do you think Varg is thinking about in this photo?

Reader K-Milo alerted us to the fact that Stereogum recently conducted an interview with the man of the hour, Varg Vikernes. Most of it is exactly the kind of idiotic nonsense you’d expect from this creep – he slams Wolves in the Throne Room (“I haven’t even heard about them before”) and a lot of his Norwegian peers (Enslaved, Immortal, Emperor) who are considerably more talented than he is (“These guys are fucking rats, or they play in bands with rats”) – but there is one section of note: when the topic turns to Vikernes’ political views and his fanbase:

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Full confession: until about an hour ago, I had no idea who the hell Ke$ha was. I think I’ve read some shit about her on Stuff You Will Hate, or maybe she just looks like someone I’d read about on Stuff You Will Hate (she’s collaborated with SYWH favorites 3OH!3); in any case, I didn’t really know any of her music.

Then I saw on The Number of the Blog that Metal Hammer played her a bunch of metal songs – including selections by Slayer, Megadeth, Horse the Band, Atreyu, DevilDriver, Steel Panther, and Kiss – to get her opinions, and decided I had better check out her music so I knew how seriously to take her reactions.

Holy shit, is this bitch ever lacking in talent. It’s like she looked at Brittney Spears and Lindsay Lohan and said “Nah, those chicks are too classy and prude for me.” If I ever caught my daughter listening to this garbage, I’d probably send her to a convent. And given that I’m Jewish, you should know if I ever send my daughter to a convent, I mean business.

But as it turns out, Ke$ha (I assumed it was pronounced “kee-sha” but apparently it’s “keh-sha,” which sounds like a dish my mom’ll be making at Passover next week) does not have terrible taste in metal – just kinda mediocre taste in metal. Her assessment of Atreyu pretty much hits the nail on the head, and it’s hard for me to talk too much smack on anyone who has good things to do say about the recent output of Slayer and Megadeth. But Horse the Band, “too emo?” Seriously? How about a nice cold glass of go suck a dick, Ke$ha?

-AR

One of the more talked about metal bands at this year’s SXSW festival were Rhode Island doomsters Howl. The chatter wasn’t just because the band seemed to be playing at every event I attended or because of their awesome artwork, but because this four-piece of furious, bone-crushing, head-splitting doom really seem to be turning heads in underground metal circles and, it turns out, beyond.

At Thursday’s MetalSucks-sponsored Full Metal Texas show an exasperated singer/guitarist Vincent Hausman exclaimed “Am I the only one who’s drunk this early in the day?” before ringing in another steamroller of a song with one of the most firey performances I’ve seen the band muster to date. The beauty of Full Metal Texas was that it wasn’t an official SXSW-sanctioned event, meaning locals could easily attend (for free!) without the hassle of worrying about official badges or wristbands. The diverse bill, which also featured “scene” bands like Iwrestledabearonce and Born of Osiris, exposed bands like Howl to a wider audience than they might otherwise have played to, and wouldn’t ya know it I saw a lot of “scene” kids really getting into Howl. Everyone wins.

Howl’s new album Full of Hell is coming via Relapse on May 11th. Get a taste of it with their new song “Asherah/Jezebel,” currently streaming on their MySpace page.

-VN