The thorny history of New York hardcore pioneers Cro-Mags can’t be done justice in a pithy blog post, what with myriad lineup changes and squabbles that fortunately haven’t harmed the band’s legacy as much as, say, L.A. Guns. The current incarnation of Cro-Mags now playing gigs features Age Of Quarrel-era vocalist John Joseph and drummer Mackie Jayson, yet excludes guitarist Parris Mayhew and bassist/Best Wishes vocalist Harley Flanagan. In a recent interview with the excellent Double Cross blog, Flanagan–one of the founders of the band–had this to say about the situation:

[I]t’s all for money anyways with all these promoters and shit selling a fake band. They can claim whatever they want, it ain’t really the band, it’s some really fake shit, and all the new kids, well, they dont know any better so I guess they’ll take what they can get. I mean I understand, they’re fans of the music, so, it’s like going to see Ozzy instead of Sabbath or going to see Sabbath without Ozzy – but on a much much much smaller level. Believe me I’m not trying to compare us to Sabbath, trust me – you take what you can get. They just want to hear the songs and have a good time – they didn’t see it back in the day so they take what they can get. They dont know what they’re missing, they didn’t see it back in the day and they never saw the real shit. So they’re happy to see whatever they can and I understand.

Click to read more…

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 read his first installment here and his second installment here; the third one is after the jump…

Click to read more…

When we heard that our friends in Brooklyn doom-crew Batillus were heading into the studio to record a new album,  we were all, “Dudes, do a studio blog for us!!!” And they were all, “Okay!!!” And so here we are! Below, find the third installment, which was written by vocalist / synth-master Fade Kainer; read the inaugural entry by bassist Willi Stabenau here and the second entry by drummer Geoff Summers here; this will be the final entry.

Nine days in an isolation tank, electricity bent through circuitry, vacuum tubes glowing, wood assaulting metal alloys and mylar skins. Subsonic grit, larynx shatters the air; all captured, assembled, deconstructed, processed and reassembled. The new album has been created; Sanford Parker has captured our sound at his Semaphore Studios — lovingly dubbed ‘the Submarine’ due to its stark, lightless interior; long, narrow floorplan; and row of bunk beds — in Chicago. We now have no concept of time, day or night, as we head home toward Brooklyn. But our journey was not without incident.

Click to read more…

I’ve already expressed my love of Levi/Werstler’s Avalanche of Worms (read my review here) so many times I’m running out of synonyms for “awesome,” so let me just put it this way: it’s one of the best albums of 2010 thus far. And as much praise has been heaped on Emil Werstler – whose day job is playing lead guitar for Daath – he deserves more. If you love great guitar playing, you need to hear this record, and then you need to bow down before Werstler with a cry of “I’m not worthy!” He is, simply put, the man.

Emil recently took time out from the writing and recording of the new Daath album – which, if all goes according to plan, will be out in the fall – to answer some questions for MetalSucks via e-mail. After the jump, learn how he started playing guitar, how he first hooked up Eyal Levi, his secrets for writing a great guitar solo, how he thinks the lessons of AOW will spill over into the new Daath release, and more.

Click to read more…

I always like to see new metal labels on the scene; new labels means more metal, and more metal is a good thing. The latest entrants to the metal label game are the cats at Science of Silence Records, an NYC-based collective that will specialize in post-rock, instrumental and avant-garde metal releases and has elected to go the vinyl-only route.

In a dazzling display of Northeastern U.S. city harmony that will leave baseball fans scratching their heads, the NYC label’s first foray into the metal scene will be a split between Boston’s Voyager and Philly’s Monolith. The 6-song (45 minute) split will come out on June 8th and will be a limited edition run of 500 copies on clear vinyl, available exclusively at The Omega Order (includes FREE shipping).  Each purchase of the vinyl will receive a FREE digital download for the album as well. The release will also be available on June 8th via iTunes, eMusic, Amazon MP3, and all your other favorite download stores. All digital downloads features a bonus track not on the vinyl.

Monolith have a new song from the split posted on their MySpace page that I really dig, as do Voyager. Check that shizz out and stay tuned for an exclusive stream here at MetalSucks.

-VN

For the longest time I’ve wondered why mosher kids who like Hatebreed, Bleeding Through, and other breakdown-laden metalcore didn’t get into slam metal. I mean, if you like br00tal breakdowns, then clearly you should look no further than the likes of Cephalotripsy and Devourment for best-in-class slamz, right? Perhaps the time has finally come for my two favorite genres to merge, though: a new PATHOLOGY track dropped this week, courtesy of none other than VICTORY RECORDS (seriously).

Yes, that’s right: the same label who brought you Snapcase, Earth Crisis and Bloodlet back in the day (or more recently, Hawthorne Heights, Taking Back Sunday, and the excellent powerpop band The Audition) has apparently dipped its toes into the murky waters of SLAM. Make no mistake, this isn’t shitty Waking The Cadaver-style deathcore with some half-assed slamz thrown in. Featuring Matti Way on vocals (Disgorge, Liturgy, Cinerary), and Dave Astor on drums (Locust, Cattle Decapitation), this is PURE PITT RIFFMENT and it SLAPS! Hats off to Victory for having the balls to put out some slam!

-Sergeant D

All bands end eventually and if you had to pick the best way for a band to go out, you couldn’t come up with something much better than what Isis said in yesterday’s announcement. They have done what they wanted, are all still healthy and engaged, feel gratitude to those they have met and stand by what they have done. Folks may feel sad or dramatic about the impact of this – “Isis is breaking up!” – but you’ve got to hand it to those guys: they’re ending it about as well as anyone could.

Tthink for a second about the thirteen years that Isis has been around and you’ll realize a lot has changed for the better in the world of music. Over that near decade and a half, the world at large has come to a different understanding of “metal.” Through the persistent work of a bunch of people the music that falls under that ever-broadening genre description is now understood to be a vast landscape of possibilities. You say “I’m in a metal band” and lots of folks will say ”Okay, what kind of metal band?”

Even the most “I-only-love-Steel-Panther-and-there’s nothing-ironic-about-it” fan has to appreciate that this means more people listening to, making and drawing appreciation from this expanding type of music. And Isis has been one of the most vital forces for this change. They’ve created and presented heavy music that was contrary to expectations – not macho, not fantastic, smart about design and abstraction, focusing less on technique and more on structure, but never too far from a roaring power that could straight-up destroy. When they started they were often lumped into a small box with one or two other oddballs bands on some fringe. The world has come around but it’s only because Isis’s dedication has been so, so persistent and compelling.

Click to read more…

UPDATE: The Deciblog has confirmed that the Cynic tour mentioned below is, in fact, the previously announced Decibel Hall of Fame Tour (even though Cynic are the only band on the tour to be honored in Decibel’s revered HoF). Cynic will be playing their entire classic album Focus on this trek. Check out a full list of tour dates and a nifty admat over at The Deciblog!

We really like our nerdy prog tours here at the MS Mansion; first it was the Meshuggah + Cynic + Faceless tour in February of 2009 which we dubbed “The Erection Tour” when it was announced, questioned whether it might be the best tour ever, then argued over which band gave the best performance. Then at the end of the year Between the Buried and Me announced they’d do an early 2010 run with Cynic, Devin Townsend Project and Scale the Summit; we immediately dubbed this “The Super-Orgasm Tour” and waxed ecstatic about it so much that we probably made those of you who aren’t into to prog metal (can you imagine such a thing???) sick of reading about it.

Get ready to become sick of us raving in anticipation of two more uber-proggy metal tours on the horizon, ’cause shit’s about to get real, son.

Click to read more…

If you’re like me, you’ve spent the last few days alternately frozen in shock and smiling in remembrance of the great Ronnie James Dio. For us the fans, there’s little else to do but crank the many classic Dio records and camp out on Blabbermouth, tearfully reading the innumerable anecdotes and tributes to the man, his work, and his impact. That means you’ve also read how RJD treated his musical brethren — with care, warmth, and love. And it’s not like the man is measured by how many people to whom he showed kindness; the guy really meant it. Here’s how I know:

At the Golden Gods awards back in April, I was staked out at the ass end of the black carpet. This year, however, it was prime real estate thanks to VH1′s That Metal Show, whose set acted as a backstop for the trickle of metal guys who’d just finished answering the same four questions all along the press line. It was an impromptu legends lounge, as Ozzy, oblivious, strolled unnoticed behind a genial Zakk Wylde, Lemmy snuggled with the beknockered Corey Parks, Jerry Cantrell and Mike Inez gabbed with Dave Lombardo and Kerry King, and Alice Cooper hugged Dave Mustaine (and everybody else). The Testament guys were there, Marilyn Manson was there, the Korn guys were there; also packed into this 15′ by 15′ space were Slash, Robert Englund, John 5, Robs Halford and Zombie, Tony Iommi and Geezer Butler, Scott Ian, Deftones… and everybody was goofing around while waiting to chat with TMS‘s Eddie Trunk and his co-hosts. The mood was amazing. I felt like I’d jumped a fence into Coolsville, or as though one of those illustrated rock star dorm posters had come to life before my eyes. Don’t front; you would’ve loved it.

Anyway, I rotated to the other side of the TMS set for some elbow room and saw Ronnie being interviewed by Trunk and crew. Of course, I was scanning RJD’s face, body language, and speech for clues to his condition. He looked good. Moments later, he stepped down from the set, and passed right across my toes en route to the venue. Reflexively, I blurted out “We love you, Ronnie. Get well soon!” at which point he stopped, looked me in the eyes, and, with a smile, gave my forearm a reassuring squeeze. At that moment, he and I were alone on the face of a planet of pure white. That’s just how he makes you feel.

Click to read more…

Is Yahoo’s crossword puzzle creator a metalhead? Given the fact that there are a million and one other hints I could think of that would lead to the implied answer “lad,” I’d wager he or she is. Even just plain old “Strapping Young ___” without the “(Canadian Band)” descriptor would’ve been enough to jog even the most pot-addled of brains.

It’s aways fun to see metal shout-outs in the most unlikely of places, especially a more off-the-beaten-path reference like SYL. Mama Neilstein would totally send me a link like this… if she even knew SYL were a metal band.

-VN

Thanks: Brandon Fountain

It’s not really a surprise that Isis broke up. Their last Decibel cover story had the members alluding to at least a hiatus, and if you heard the band’s last two albums, something wasn’t the same. Even Cosmo Lee was taking (imaginary) bets on it. But that didn’t make hearing Isis’ decision to call it a day any easier: despite Wavering Radiant not being on par with the band’s first three full lengths, it still hinted at what could be a new beginning, with a renewed sense of collaboration evident in the album’s songs. Of course, it wouldn’t suit the band to go out with a whimper in lieu of a relative bang, and perhaps that album’s team spirit best suits their mental state at the nadir of their journey: five guys who were alright with eachother, but had just run out of stuff to say. The instinct to want a band to flog its potential to its bones comes with being a fan, but almost any Isis enthusiast knew that the they wouldn’t go out like that. Still, there’s something kind of sad seeing them go, in that in the increasingly predictable metal world, the band, even when not at their best (see: In the Absence of Truth) still promised something different. The rigid rulebook of metal was something they didn’t want to play by, which won them their fair share of slavish fanboys (see: Sammy O’Hagar) and confused and irritated detractors. You could say “we need them now more than ever” when any important band calls it a day, but it feels a little more apt with Isis.

Click to read more…

I can’t keep all these fucking bands straight. Destroy the Runner and Haste the Day and Escape the Fate and Salt the Wound and blessthefall and Bleed the Sky and Scatter the Ashes and Clone the Fragile and Pierce the Veil and Remove the Veil and Kiss the Ass and every other “verb the noun” band – holy shit, guys, you gotta start coming up with names that will allow potheads like me to more easily distinguish you from one another. ‘Cause your music certainly ain’t doing the trick.

Although I do like Protest the Hero. And Poison the Well. And Swallow the Sun. So I guess there are exceptions to every rule. But still.

Wait… how did I get on this rant again?

Oh, yeah, Destroy the Runner.

So anyway, they broke up.

-AR

This clip, from the forthcoming Judd Apatow-produced comedy Get Him to the Greek, isn’t all that funny. I’m hoping that’s just because Lars Ulrich is in it, and everything Lars touches these days turns to whatthefuck. Because it would be really neat if this movie was actually funny. It’s a de facto sequel to Forgetting Sarah Marshall (like Marshall, it was directed by Nicholas Stoller, and Russell Brand plays the same character he did in Marshall - although Jonah Hill, who was also in that movie, does not), and I enjoyed Sarah Marshall. I also really like Jonah Hill; the more shlubby, Jew-y, nerdy-looking movie stars we have, the easier it is for me to get laid. (Although nothing will ever get you into a woman’s pants faster than whispering “I run a metal blog” in her ear.) And I forgive Russell Brand for looking like  a fucking alien. YOU LOOK LIKE A FUCKING ALIEN, RUSSELL BRAND. WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOUR HEAD?!?!?

In any case, the movie can’t be any worse than The Darwin Awards, Ulrich’s last bid to win an Oscar. I already like that Greek takes place in a world where he’s not with Connie Nielsen, because in that world, she’s available. And if she’ll date a midget like Ulrich, then, y’know, we all have a shot. Or she really likes money. But it’s definitely one of the two.

WHAT THE FUCK IS WRONG WITH YOUR HEAD, RUSSELL BRAND?!?!?

Get Him to the Greek comes out June 4. I’ve put the full trailer after the jump in case you wanna know what the other 89 minutes of this movie are about.

Click to read more…

Obituary coming.

Okay, straight-up, I am always seriously disappointed in you cats when so few of you are able to actually identify a band logo. Last week I had two copies of The Haunted’s awesome new DVD, Road Kill, to give away, but only one entrant – reader Alex Aguiar – was able to correctly identify the band in question as Ultimo Mondo Cannibale. So Alex wins a DVD, and now I still have one to give away this week. GET IT TOGETHER, PEOPLE!!!

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. Even though Road Kill is already out in Europe, it doesn’t come in North America ’til June 8, so please note that the prizes won’t ship until a week prior to that date.

Reader Elijah Bliss sent in this week’s logo… thanks, Elijah!

-AR

The winner of our Revocation Shredathon contest has been chosen; a big round of “congrats” are in order for Metal Injection user rgrwkmn whose performance of “Dismantle the Dictator” was so good that it not only netted him a sweet new Jackson guitar and a bunch of other swag, but the accolades of Revocation shredder Dave Davidson himself. Says Dave:

Hey what’s up guys? First of all we’d like to thank everyone for participating in the shredathon contest. “Dismantle” is not an easy song so props to the shredders that gave it their all. A lot of the entries were really good, and choosing a winner was hard but ultimately the guitarist that played the whole song with the most feeling and accuracy was rgrwkmn. Congratulations! Also, special thanks to all the sponsors for providing all the prizes; free shit is always a good motivator. We’re currently on tour with JFAC, Whitechapel and Cattle Decapitation, so come hang out with us at a show and keep up the shred!!!  - Dave

Like a lot of projects that are the project after the project that made someone famous (got all that?), Soulfly seems to inspire a lot of heated debates. (Then again, this is metal, where the question “What’s for lunch?” seems to inspire a lot of heated debates.) I never liked Soulfly as much as a certain trio of Sepultura albums, but I never thought they were bad, either; Max Cavalera clearly wanted to follow the same creative path he started out on with Roots, and being one of three people in the world who doesn’t think that Roots was a brilliant game-changer, Soulfly just hasn’t been the super-awesome experience I’d like it to be.

But I did like 2005′s Dark Ages quite a bit; when I saw Soulfly play at Download in ’06, they put on a really fun show; and I think that their latest, Omen – which is now streaming in full – is the best album they’ve ever made. It is, by and large, far less nu-metally and considerably more old-Sepultura-ish than Soulfly has been in the past. Hell, a lot of the songs on the release are Sepulturic enough that they could be Cavalera Conspiracy songs. (Because let’s be real – the Sepultura we grew up with and love is alive in well, they just ain’t called “Sepultura” anymore.)  And since the new CC album ain’t comin’ out ’til 2011, well, Omen is not at all a bad way to tide yourself over.

Stream Omen here, then rage on in the comments section.

-AR

The evidence increasingly suggests that Ozzy’s Scream is not going to be his Endgame, and there’s really nothing more that I’d like right now but for a newly-sober Zakk Wylde to make an incredibly kick-ass record, the quality of which bitch-slaps his former boss for firing him via the internet. That album art for Black Label Society’s upcoming Order of the Black isn’t anything special, but it doesn’t scream “SUCK!” the way the last BLS cover with the nuns playing billiards did.

Of course, chances are that Order isn’t gonna be much fun, either, but a fella can dream, can’t he? Once upon a time, Zakk seemed like the coolest fucking guy in the world.

Such thoughts are probably why I recently found myself revisiting No More Tears again – it’s the same thing that happens with Metallica, where I end up listening to Justice everytime I see some kid wearing a Death Magnetic tour tee. What struck me this time is that the album opener, “Mr. Tinkertrain,” doesn’t just rock – it’s still incredibly creepy nineteen years later. These days, Ozzy would never release a single about being a kiddie rapist; all his singles now are about how old he is. (“Gets Me Through,” “Not Going Away,” “I Don’t Wanna Stop,” and now “Let Me Hear You Scream” are all, lyrically-speaking, stubborn insistences that he won’t retire.) Not super-metal a topic, is it? (And now he’s making a Christmas album. Oy.) I mean maybe if one of the songs was called “Prostate Exams Suck,” I could get behind it… at least that would be br00tal, y’know?

-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 read his first installment here; the second one is after the jump…

Click to read more…

I have a personal grudge against Rosetta‘s Wake/Lift: on three separate occasions, I had it enthusiastically recommended to me by similarly twinkly-post-metal-sympathetic friends, and each time, I was bored to goddamn tears. And it’s not like I wasn’t in a place where I wouldn’t have taken to it: at the time, anything that sounded remotely like Isis, Jesu, or Neurosis was something I would have given at least a nod of approval. But each time — even the latter two with an attitude of, “Alright, what am I missing?” — I felt massively let down. After the last attempt, I gave up on Rosetta completely; they came to represent, to me, the genre’s inherent excess and pretension, boiling down to a bunch of guys with tattoo sleeves in love with the sound of their amps. Though the same three guys would eventually insist that maybe I just “didn’t get” the album, perhaps it wasn’t an album — and subsequently a band — to be gotten.

So imagine my surprise when hearing A Determinism of Morality, Rosetta’s latest, and discovering that it’s a masterfully crafted record of carefully executed dynamics and the sort of subtle brilliances that define the post-whatever world. The band manage to sound lush and epic while at once being heavy and not necessarily even metal. Which is to say, they do this thing just right.

Click to read more…