Well, this blows.

Earlier this week, Buried Inside put up a post on their MySpace page which reads “Hand Out The Loot Bags… This party’s over.” And in case the meaning of that little message isn’t clear to you, guitarist/vocalist Andrew Tweedy has the following to say in a new interview with Exclaim:

“We’ve sort of refrained from calling it a break-up… We’re playing a few more shows, which will be our last, and then taking a break with no intention of resuming as of right now. It’s less dramatic, I suppose…. Life is catching up with us, I guess… It’s hard to just take one step back at this point. You’re kind of in or you’re out… we’ve been less and less available for shows and tours the last little while, and ultimately the timing seemed right. The idea of continuing on half-hearted is the opposite of what this band has always been about.”

So this is one of those “indefinite hiatus”-type things, but we all know what that means. I think it’s safe to wave “bye-bye” to this band.

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I feel icky just writing about this.

When a young guy like Paul Gray passes away so suddenly, and he’s a rockstar, and he’s a rockstar who has been arrested for crashing his Porsche while in possession of needles, cocaine and weed, your mind, unfortunately, goes pretty much right to one place: “He overdosed.” And after Drowning Pool’s Dave Williams and Evile’s Mike Alexander both died young, and everyone said “overdose,” and then it turns out they didn’t overdose, well – you don’t wanna jump to any conclusions. You wanna wait for the doctors to do their thing and tell you why the guy passed away.

Which is all well and good. But now TMZ (there’s that icky feeling again) has obtained the 911 call an Urbandale hotel employee placed on Monday after finding Gray’s body, and the employee reports seeing a hypodermic needle and a bottle of pills in Gray’s room, and even speculates that Gray died from an OD.

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Throughout the course of L O S T’s sixth and final season, my guest-column writing approach has been (somewhat) consistently this:

- Step 1: Watch the episode
- Step 2: Ponder, reflect, dissect, and overanalyze everything presented in the then-current episode as much as is in my capacity to
- Step 3: Ponder, reflect, dissect, and overanalyze how the concepts presented fit in the grand scheme of the L O S T story
- Step 4: Lurk amongst my favorite L O S T-related sites to see what my fellow nerds are thinking. Filter through to find thoughts that challenge or reinforce my own, then ponder, reflect, dissect, and overanalyze as per usual.
- Step 5: Share my current understandings and questions with you here to hopefully strengthen the former and minimize the latter.

This weekly process was my best attempts at keeping myself (and hopefully a lot of you) pumped up and interested in what would happen next. The end was coming, the end was nigh, and the end has happened. The completely obvious and appropriate question now is: how do you feel about it? Personally – in a somewhat frustrating but true-to-form manner with regards to how I’ve felt about this show historically – I don’t quite know how I feel.

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Tonight Vince and I are hitting up one of those nifty pre-MDF shows, this one with Gorguts (YES!), Krallice (YES!!), Portal (YES!!!), and Bloody Panda (whatever). And as stoked as I am to see Gorguts and Krallice, for me, personally, the expected highlight is Portal. Listening to Swarth for the first time is still one of the biggest “What the fuck is this?” moments of my life. And the readers who have e-mailed us about the previous stops on this mini-tour have all raved. And, to my surprise and delight, tonight’s show is already sold out.

The trek hits Philly tomorrow, and then MDF, of course, is this weekend. Here’s some footage of Portal playing Outre‘s “Black Houses” last night night in Allston, MA.

-AR

As part of our ongoing coverage of the Scion No Label Needed series, today we’ve got the latest video documenting the music industry crash-course bestowed upon much-deserved contest winners Iron Thrones. In this installment, the band gets to take some new pics with renowned metal photographer Jeremy Saffer.

I love this kinda shit, ’cause I’ve never been to a band photo session, and, in all likelihood, I will never go to a band photo session; I also know little to nothing about photography (hell, until five minutes ago I’d never actually seen a photo of Saffer or heard his voice). So getting to listen to Saffer talk about his methods for shooting bands… well, that’s some vicarious livin’ for me.

Stay tuned for continuing video updates from Metal Injection.

-AR

To celebrate the release of Sick of it All’s awesome new album, Based on a True Story, we asked SOIA vocalist Lou Koller to compile the definitive list of quintessential hardcore albums. Luckily for us and all of you, he agreed! So we’ll be running one entry a day from Lou’s list of the top-ten (+1) hardcore records of all time for the next couple of weeks. You can catch up on previous installments here; the sixth one is after the jump…

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1994 was a year of great musical discovery for me. Like most youth, my main sources for music were MTV and the radio, but with majors rolling in dough and taking chances that’d be deemed suicidal in today’s record industry climate those media were actually pretty decent ways to find new music. Since my recently inherited MetalSucks Time Machine 1988 Honda Accord has only a tape deck, I raided the tape collection that I still have at Mama Neilstein’s apartment and uncovered a mix that I’d compiled by sitting next to the radio with my finger on the “record” button. Listening back to my mix there were some surprising strikes that proved even at that age I knew what I was doing — songs by Down, Corrosion of Conformity, Pantera, Killing Joke and more — and yeah, some misses too that I won’t bother to enumerate here (ok, I’ll give you one: Presidents of the United States of America. LUMP!). But can you imagine hearing a band like Corrosion of Conformity on mainstream, primetime radio in 2010? Hard to imagine there was ever a time.

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I don’t know how to explain this any better than reader Hetal Bhatt already has, so I’m just gonna cut and paste:

So, apparently, some Python coders have developed a .WAV algorithm (sexily dubbed “The Swinger”) that makes any song “swing” by stretching the first half of its beat and truncating the second half. Check out what they did to GNR and Lars & Co. below…

“Swing Child O’ Mine”

“Swingin’ Sandman”

Details and source code are here. — I wonder if it could be pulled off with 180+ BPM blastbeats?

Most of the time the results are pretty good, but it does sometimes just kinda sound like the CD is skipping. Anyways, if someone who’s not me wants to see if it works with the aforementioned 180+ BPM blastbeats, by all means, let us know the results. The world is on the edge of their seats.

-AR

Saw this on Metal Injection, via SMN. Pretty self-explanatory, methinks. At least these kids seem to have a shred more intelligence than your average ICP fan. A shred. But just wait until this phenomenon spreads and we’ll talk then.

-VN

Profound Lore Records has a hard-on for American black metal, especially the NYC variety. Not that this is a problem for yours truly, considering that I goddamn motherfucking love Krallice and am also quite fond of The Howling Wind. But upon hearing Mounds of Ash, the debut album from Brooklyn black metallers Castevet, it becomes clear that the Profound Lore folks certainly have a type: big riffs, proggy inclinations, refusal to play by the genre’s rigid rules. And obviously all this is wonderful, in that it’s what’s kept black metal alive (or slagging its good name if you’re an OG in Norway, 38, and very, very bitter) over the years. And yet, Castevet seems to be doing something slightly different with it, and the result really isn’t that black metal at all. What it is, however, is fucking great.

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Slash allegedly plays on the new Rihanna single, “Rockstar 101.” I say “allegedly” because there’s barely any guitar in the damn song, and what guitar there is sounds like it could have been played by just about anyone with fingers and five free minutes to spend in the studio. But apparently the guitars are by Slash, and he was supposed to be in the video, too, but couldn’t make it ’cause I guess he afraid he was gonna make Fergie jealous. So Rihanna decided she was just gonna dress-up as Slash, which is, uh, an interesting solution.

Meanwhile, Nuno Bettencourt is part of Rihanna’s band now, and he’s in the video, but he never gets a close-up. In fact, most of the time he’s either in the background or out-of-focus.

So, to review: Rihanna would rather have a fake Slash in her video than a real Nuno.

Swell.

-AR

When I interviewed Darkest Hour guitarist Mike Schleibaum last month the band was wrapping up their tour with Dillinger Escape Plan and en route to their final show of the touring cycle for The Eternal Return — a private house show for the winner of a contest. I’ve always wondered how these house shows for contest winners go down: like most Americans, I’m assuming the winner lives in a suburb with neighbors in close proximity to whom noise would be a concern. And where does the band set up inside a house? Where do they get a PA? Do cops come to shut down the madness?

Thankfully Darkest Hour documented the show and answered some of these burning questions. From the looks of it, this show ended up in a warehouse. I still wonder about the logistics of procuring a warehouse and who paid for it, but alas, those questions will have to wait for another day. No idea where the PA came from (the band obviously wouldn’t carry one on tour with them), but as for the cops… well, yeah, they showed up, but fortunately the band only had one song left in their set. Had Lonestar not stopped the show to take a piss break perhaps they would’ve been able to finish; come on dude, you couldn’t hold it for one more song?

-VN

I don’t think anybody with half a brain really ever believed that Scott Weiland was still sober. Sober people can take their coats off like a big boy, and Scott Weiland cannot. And sober people generally don’t fall off the stage and forget the words to, ironically, a song called “Dead and Bloated,” as their band mates exit the show “in apparent embarrassment and disgust.”

But that hasn’t stopped Scott Weiland from swearing up and down that he’s clean, and even writing a song about it.

So he probably feels at least a little embarrassed that STP bassist Robert DeLeo has now publicly admitted that Weiland is now “popping pills.”

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I’ve always wanted to ask Brian “Head” Welch if the Jesus tattoo on his hand has been a success as a masturbation deterrent, ’cause I feel like if I really, really wanted to jerk-off, no picture of a deity could ever really stop me. To that same end, I’ve never been sure if having an “X” tattooed on my hand would prevent me from having a drink or smoking weed or putting any number of other substances into my body. But I’ve never gone to rehab, so maybe I just don’t understand the power symbols can have when helping one fight his inner demons.

So. James Hetfield’s struggles with addiction have been about as well documented as any rock star’s struggles with addiction; in Some Kind of Monster, you can watch the guy morph from a grumpy, introverted, inarticulate alcoholic to a talkative, bespeckled and frosted, touchy-feely whimp right before your very eyes. (That’s not a criticism of his sobriety, by the way; his music lost its appeal for me long before he went to rehab, so I’m not someone that believes we’re just a few beers away from Master of Puppets Part II. And I actually appreciate that Hetfield seems to have become a more self-aware and articulate man since he stopped drinking.) But according to Double Cross Webzine, in latest issue of Metallica’s fan club magazine, So What!, Hetfield identifies himself as “a reborn straight edge,” and even got a new “X” tattoo on his hand to prove it.

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Well, clearly, Trent Reznor has been using all the downtime from not touring productively. Not only have How to Destroy Angels, his new project, announced a July 6 release date for their six-song debut EP, but he’s now written, recorded, and released his first Nine Inch Nails track of the post-live show era. It’s a theme for the upcoming movie Tetsuo: The Bullet Man, the latest entry in director Shinya Tsukamoto’s Tetsuo series.

I’ve been hearing about the Tetsuo movies for years, but I’ve never actually seen one, so, uh, geek fail, I guess. But I know that this latest movie is the first to be filmed in English, and that it got a good reception at the Venice Film Festival last year (before Reznor had actually delivered his contribution) and the Tribeca Film Festival this year (after Reznor had delivered his contribution), so take that for what it’s worth. In any case, the NIN track is – do I really have to say it? – awesome. It’s instrumental, and for large chunks of it my mother would probably argue that “it’s just noise,” and it would be hard to argue with her – if this was the sound of my alarm clock, I’d never hit the “snooze” button again. But it’s epic; awesomely, epicly epic, in fact. You can listen to it below, or just download it from Some Kind of Awesome.

And I’ve put the trailer for after the jump. It certainly looks like Reznor-appropriate.

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There are really two questions on the mind of every Slipknot fan right now: “How did Paul Gray die?” and “Will Slipknot go on without him?” And, unfortunately, it doesn’t appear that either question is getting answered just yet.

Slipknot, Gray’s widow, Brenna, and his brother, Tony, held a press conference yesterday, but the question of Slipknot’s future wasn’t addressed – which makes sense. These guys are clearly grieving, and to even think about whether or not to try and replace their friend is probably just too much right now. So the press conference basically amounted to Brenna, Tony, and various members of the band eulogizing Gray. It’s sad and it’s touching and there isn’t really much else to say about it.

Meanwhile, Metal Insider reports the immediate results of Gray’s autopsy were inconclusive – although there are no signs of foul play, and it could take four to six weeks for the toxicology reports to be delivered. Consequently, the cause of death is “still under investigation” by the Urbandale, IA police force.

-AR

(Email exchange after being asked by a reader to check out a Taco Riff)

Me: Oh. No. That is a generic breakdown riff. We’ve got to be able to come up with a name for that. Feel free to give it a shot.

Axl: A Taco Bell Riff (like a taco in theory, but completely disgusting, generic, and bad for you).

Me: I do like the Run For The Border aspect. Let’s keep that one in a holding pattern. We maybe could call it the Triple A riff. You know, what you resort to for everyday breakdowns.

Axl: That’s pretty funny.

I’ve got to hurry up and type fast. It’s 9:15 PM on a Monday  and I’m giving myself four hours to see if I can get this little experiment done.

I’ve done a pair of posts now on trying to find the perfect Taco Riff, and do note that I’m hunting for something I haven’t done a very good job of describing. That’s due in part to my limits as an explainer, but more due to the elusive nature of what we’re seeking. So before we spend some more time talking about what a Taco Riff is, let’s talk for a second about what it’s not.

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Well OH-KAY! Someone was finally able to identify last week’s logo as belonging to the band Gorepot. And that someone was reader Karina Valentine. Karina wins a copy of The Haunted’s new DVD, Road Kill! Congrats, Karina.

Don’t weep if you didn’t win – we’ll be giving away more copies of Road Kill soon. In the meantime, Century Media has donated another excellent prize for this week’s competition: a copy of 20 Years of Century Media: 1991 -1995, the first of four planned comps celebrating the illustrious label’s anniversary. This double-CD set features 33 songs by a host of some of the best bands ever to be on Century, including Strapping Young Lad ,Nevermore, Cro-Mags, Eyehategod, and a ton more. Suh-weet.

All you have to do to win is identify the name of the band whose logo appears below, then shoot me an e-mail at axl AT metalsucks DOT net with your answer, your name, and your address. From everyone who gets it right, we’ll randomly select one winner and announce his or her name next week.

I actually found a logo to use myself this week! Although it’s pretty easy. If none of you get it right, I’m gonna cry.

-AR

We’re just days away from Maryland Deathfest 2010, which will take place from May 28-30 in Baltimore, Maryland. This year’s edition of the annual fest promises to be the best one yet, with a line-up that includes Gorguts, Autopsy, Obituary, Entombed, Sodom, Repulsion, D.R.I., and a ton of other kick-ass bands. In anticipation of the event, we thought it would be fun to get some recollections of past MDFs from artists who were there. So we’re teaming up with Relapse Records to do just that! Read the raucous inaugural entry by Matt from Rumpelstiltskin Grinder, memories of a jam-packed day from Tomas Lindberg of Disfear (and At the Gates), how Pete Benumb of Agenda of Swine got swindled, John from Weekend Nachos’ memories of the Bolt Thrower show, and today’s final entries, a double-shot from Dan Lilker of Autopsy, Brutal Truth and Nuclear Assault fame, and Marc from Fuck the Facts. Have fun at MDF!

I am definitely looking forward to this year’s MDF for a very good reason – I will be playing bass for Autopsy there.

I’ve had the pleasure of playing MDF a couple of times with Brutal Truth and once each with Nuclear Assault and Venomous Concept, but even with all that in mind this will be a special one for me due to the honor bestowed on me by Chris and the guys by asking me to fill in on bass. As most people know, Autopsy has not performed live since the early 90s, so this will be the first show in a very long time for a band that was “kult” before that word was intentionally misspelled by a bunch of message board members.

I hope all you motherfuckers come down to witness a little death metal history!!

- Dan Lilker / Autopsy, Brutal Truth, Nuclear Assault

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…then mazel tov, ’cause you outlasted me. And I even snorted some coke and tried to think of my grandma naked to dull the sensation, but, nope – absolutely nothing was able to prevent me from feeling like I wanted to hop in a pick-up truck, drink beer, have more children than I can reasonably afford to support, vote for people who don’t have my best interests at heart, and be all pissy about how this ain’t the America I grew up in, and it ain’t the America my daddy grew up in, either. And that’s not a good feeling. Especially since my daddy ain’t from here in the first place.

-AR