Nevermore, Kingdom of Sorrow, Nachtmystium, Watain, Heaven Shall Burn, Whitechapel…. and, uh, Attack Attack!. All these bands released records last week, and after the jump we take a look at how all of those records performed. Metal Insider‘s Zach Shaw has done a fine job of collecting the data, but you’ll have to visit Metal Insider to get his cheeky commentary. The numbers — with my own cheeky commentary, naturally — after the jump.
After John Bush left Anthrax (again) in May, he had this to say on the topic of Joey Belladonna possibly performing Bushthrax material:
Hopefully they’ll start playing some of the songs I sang on. I think it’s time for Joey to step up and play some songs from my era. I played songs from the whole catalog, including Neil Turbin’s stuff. I think fans should still get to hear songs like “Inside Out”, “Room For One More” or “Only.” There are lots of amazing songs and they should play them. It would be weird if they didn’t, quite frankly.
I thought the idea of Belladonna singing Bushthrax songs was a little odd, but I was willing to give it a shot; then again, I never really thought it would happen, ’cause, well, so often when an original member of a band re-joins said band, all the material that was written and recorded without him goes right out the window. Obviously there are exceptions – like Dave Lombardo playing “Disciple” at pretty much every Slayer concert since he came back to the fold – but that’s the exception, not the rule. Anyone see David Lee Roth sing “Right Now” on the Van Halen reunion tour? No. What about Ace Frehley doing “Lick it Up?” Never happened. If Axl and Slash ever kiss and make-up, do you think we’ll suddenly see the original GN’R line-up playing tunes off of Chinese Democracy? It’s not likely. This is just the way things go.
But now those Sonisphere Big Four shows have started, and, lo and behold!, Anthrax did, indeed, play “Only” – probably the most famous Bushthrax song – with Belladonna belting it out. Now, I know there are people who think that Belladonna could raise the dead and I’d still find a reason to complain, but, seriously. He cut the balls right the fuck off this song. Just snipped ‘em right off. This bootleg isn’t even very good quality, and I still think it sounds weird as fuck:
Pretty funky, right? And there are parts where he sounds kinda winded, too, although I’m willing to forgive that somewhat, ’cause, y’know. It happens sometimes.
…you can still download the show! I was incredibly fucked-up! We made fun of the new Slayer video! Discussed police brutality! Took a bunch of calls, including one from Stabitha Christie! Played “Thrash it or Trash It” using MetalSucks reader suggestions! EXCLAMATION POINTS!!!!!!!!!!!!
Like I said, download that shit here. Thanks again to Team MI for putting up with me.
-AR
Just in case Ozzfest, Mayhem, Summer Slaughter, Thrash & Burn, The Cool Tour, Scream Like You Mean It, and, to a lesser extent, American Carnage weren’t enough to keep you occupied this summer (to say nothing of all the regular plain ol’ tours goin’ on), yet another big package/fest tour has been announced: the Over the Limit tour. (And, yes, I realize the above song is actually called “Push it to the Limit.” But any excuse to listen to that awesome, awesome piece of music will suffice.)
The line-up, my thoughts on that line-up, and dates are all after the jump.
Band: Stormlord
Home country: Italy (duh)
Influences by: Mercenary, Swallow the Sun, Behemoth, At the Gates
Ridiculous Press Photo: Yes
Jew’s Harp in their music: Yes
Corny, Cheesy: Not really so much, actually.
Awesome: Yes
Sent in by: MS reader Michael Brady
-VN
That’s right! You get to listen to my sexy voice again! WHOO-HOO! Don’t you feel privileged?
The livecast begins at 8 pm eastern/ 7 pm central, in case you found the banner directly above this text somehow confusing. You can even call-in and talk to us – the number is 646-929-1357. Last time some dude asked if we were embarrassed to have sponsored an Emmure tour; what silly queries will you have this time?
You can listen here. I won’t lie – if you don’t listen, my feelings will be a little hurt.
-AR
Bobby Blotzer’s life reads like something out of the mind of a Hollywood screenwriter. Raised in a blue collar neighborhood in Pittsburgh, PA, he achieved fame and fortune playing drums for Ratt in the mid-‘80s, only to find himself, and the kind of hard rock his band played, out of fashion throughout the ‘90s. During the time when boy bands and pop punk acts like Blink 182 and The Offspring ruled the Billboard charts, Blotzer figured out new ways to keep busy and make money. One of the things he did was start a small steam cleaning carpet business. Here was a guy who had headlined Madison Square Garden driving a van around Los Angeles and hustling Scotch Guard to housewives who might have had Out of the Cellar in their music collection. The music business can be cruel.
Despite the career turn of events, Blotzer pushed forward, and the musical climate finally was ready for Ratt’s brand of Sunset Strip kissed rock-n-roll. The band signed to Roadrunner Records in 2009 and recently released Infestation, one of the finest hard rock albums of the last few years – period. Even though Blotzer was busy writing and recording the record, he still found time to finish Tales of a Ratt, his newly released autobiography.
Anyone familiar with the drummer already knows that he’s never been one to hold back his feelings. If you’re looking for inside stories about Ratt and the golden age of the Sunset Strip, the book will not disappoint you. There is plenty of shit talking too. Don Dokken, Nikki Sixx, and Kevin DuBrow (the late lead singer of Quiet Riot) are among some of Blotzer’s targets. There are some grammar issues and spelling mistakes throughout the book, but that’s beside the point. The way I like to explain Tales of a Ratt to people is this: imagine sitting next to Bobby at the bar at The Rainbow, and he’s telling you stories without any kind of filter.
Metal Sucks spoke with Bobby a few days after he was arrested for DUI, though he didn’t mention it during the interview. As you’ll read below Blotzer seems a bit uneasy about the current state of Ratt. He complains about vocalist Stephen Pearcy and lead guitarist Warren DeMartini and their stubbornness. A few days after our interview, Ratt cancelled their European tour, saying that Pearcy needed to undergo hernia surgery. Hopefully Ratt can get everything worked out and get back out on the road, because Infestation is worth the hassle. Check out the interview below and make sure you also pick up Tales of a Ratt directly from Blotzer’s official website today.
Honestly, I have nothing against Abacabb. Sure, I hate their music. But if you look in the comments section of my review of their album, Survivalist, then you’ll see that they had a sense of humor about me giving them shit. Which is the right attitude for any musician to adopt when considering MetalSucks.
So the rumor is that they’re dunzo, and if that’s true, it’s a bummer. I mean, a bummer for them and their fans. My life will pretty much go on as is.
From Lambgoat, who broke the story:
The most valid confirmation we can find regarding the group’s demise comes from an online post via their guitarist: “Couldn’t think of a better end to this band than a final meal at Whataburger with Stick To Your Guns.”
There’s still no mention of it on the band’s MySpace page, but Lambgoat have been pretty reliable in the past. One way or the other, I imagine we’ll know if it’s true or not soon.
While we wait, here are some more photos of female Abacabb fans debasing themselves (NSFW):
I love Slayer with all my being, but there are only three words to describe this video: Ho. Lee. Shit.
Slayer, why the fuck didn’t you call me? I’d of lent you ten bucks. That would have tripled your budget!
And why does this seem kinda familiar? Oh, yeah:
After seeing the lyric video to Disturbed’s new song “Another Way to Die” I was all set to write a post commending David Draiman for taking a stance against our country’s woefully over-indulgent lifestyle and the effects it has on our world. And though it seemed like something of a cheap publicity grab to link the song with the Gulf oil spill despite the fact that the song had to have been written before the spill occurred, still, I was gonna do it. I was gonna praise David Draiman. Swear to God.
Then I saw the below video of Draiman on MTV Cribs and I had to take it all back. How the fuck can someone live such an extravagant lifestyle and open a song with lyrics like this:
The indulgence of our lives has cast a shadow on our world
Our devotion to our appetites betrayed us all
An apocalyptic plight. More destruction will unfold.
Mother earth will show her darker side and take her toll
Uh… hypocrite much? All those gas-guzzling cars, that big house, that giant manicured back-yard and pool… those aren’t “indulgences,” David? Those items aren’t a devotion to your appetite? What makes you so special that you’re exempt from your own advice? If you’re going to attempt to preach a positive message from your pulpit that’s great, but you’ve got to walk the walk. Your lie is equivalent to a kid in a straight-edge band going home to shoot up heroin nightly. Fuck you, David Draiman; you give environmentalists a bad name.
-VN
Thanks: Hetal Bhatt
Tales of Korn guitarist James “Munky” Schaffer are well-documented, like the time he got pummeled by a member of Droid, and now his wasted exploits are available for all the world to hear courtesy of the Noisecreep CreepShow. Host Jon Wiederhorn greets Munky on the phone at the very top of the broadcast, and the Korn guitarist is completely wasted lying poolside at the Hard Rock Cafe in Las Vegas (’cause that’s where the cool kids hang out at 11:30am). Munky is next-level drunk and pretty much everything that comes out of his mouth is gold; I don’t want to ruin it for you, but a choice nugget includes him pining for Head to come back to the band.
-VN
Yep. I made a Living Colour reference in my TTDTDE headline. ‘Cause that’s the kinda guy I am.
Listening to Danza III: The Series of Unfortunate Events is like willfully submitting to letting a tank roll over you. It is OPPRESSIVELY and CRUSHINGLY fucking heavy. In fact, “crushing,” although obviously a metal-writer cliché, is the word that most often comes to mind when I think of this record. But it is crushing. It will also make your balls rattle, if you have balls. If you don’t have balls, allow me to describe that sensation for you: it’s tingly.
“W.A.L.L.S.”, which is now streaming at Stereo Killer, is your latest taste of Danza Trois, and it’s a good taste – it’s actually one of my favorite songs on the album, and exemplifies everything I like about it. They should have just called the song “P.U.M.M.E.L.Y.O.U.P.U.S.S.I.E.S.” Maybe that would have taken up too much space on the album sleeve.
So give “W.A.L.L.S.” a listen, but make sure somebody you trust is nearby when you do. I don’t want you to hurt yourself.
Danza III is out July 6 on Black Market Activities.
-AR
And by “nightmare,” I mean “I actually think it’s pretty bad-assed.” I know that admitting you enjoy A7X is high treason to some metal heads, but fuck’s the fun of having a website if you can’t be honest?
And if this had almost any other band’s name on it, you’d all think it was the fucking shit. Now, you might argue, “Sure, but if it had Limp Bizkit’s name on it, you’d slam it,” and I suppose that could be true – I am definitely biased against certain bands. But I’d like to take this moment to say that Limp Bizkit have honestly never had an album cover this cool, and do you really think I enjoy enjoying Avenged Sevenfold? They call themselves things like “Zacky Vengeance” and “Johnny Christ,” for fuck’s sake! And they wrote a pro-Bush anthem! And they dress like douche bags! I see guys dressed like that sometimes, and I judge them. It’s hard to reconcile thinking that people are idiots with thinking that they’re talented. But it happens, so. Yeah.
Nightmare comes out July 27 on Warner Bros.
-AR
It was just a month ago that Scott Hull’s This Comp Kills Fascists Vol. 2 was announced, and look! It’s coming out this Tuesday, June 22 on Relapse! I think our resident powerviolence expert, Sergeant D., is working on a semi-formal review, which I am honestly waiting for with baited breath, as it’s sure to be insightful, hilarious, and enraging pretty much all at once. And I’m sure you’re excited, too.
While we all hold hands and wait, you can now actually stream the entire album right here. Like I said, it was compiled by the great Scott Hull (you either knew he was from Pig Destroyer and Agoraphobic Nosebleed or fuck yourself) and features Drugs of Faith, Crom, Apartment 213, Owen Hart, Noisear, and a plethora of other excellent grind, powerviolence and hardcore acts. And one of the most fun aspects of a project like this is that while you may know some of the bands, you may very well not know them all, and now you get to learn about some cool bands you didn’t know before from someone awesome (that would be the aforementioned Mr. Hull). I didn’t know Owen Hart before Comp Deuce, for example, and I’m really digging them. Thanks, Scott!!!
-AR
Someday I want to walk either up or down some stairs and then along a very bland-looking hallway towards the increasingly loud sound of people either chanting my name or the name of something cool with which I am closely associated – like a band, or, I dunno, this website. Of course, that’s likely never to occur, since I am not now, nor have I ever been, nor am I ever likely to be, in a real band, and you don’t often hear people chanting the names of bloggers or websites. Unless it’s Cum Fiesta. But, c’mon. MetalSucks is no Cum Fiesta.
(By the way, I didn’t put a note that Cum Fiesta is NSFW because, well, it’s called “Cum Fiesta.” If you clicked through and did not realize that it was going to be a porn site, please never reproduce, as there are enough idiots in the world as it is and we don’t need your gene pool to continue. Thanks.)
ANYWAY, I mention it because it’s how the new Nevermore video, for “Emptiness Unobstructed,” begins. And why wouldn’t you chant for Nevermore? Nevermore are fucking awesome. We’re sponsoring their North American tour with Warbringer, Mutiny Within and Hatesphere (dates here), and I totally intend to go, and I totally intend to start a “NEV-ER-MORE!” chant. Okay, I probably won’t do that because I’m not really an extroverted or even social person, but I will go to the show and chime in with a chant that someone else started.
In case ya haven’t heard, lemme drop some knowledge: “Emptiness Unobstructed” is off of Nevermore’s new album, The Obsidian Conspiracy, which is out now on Century. It’s awesome. Go get it.
-AR
[via Bloody Disgusting]
It was just Monday that I was saying how stoked I am to hear Decrepit Birth’s new album, Polarity, and now the band are streaming a track from that forthcoming release, “(A Departure Of The Sun) Ignite The Tesla Coil.”
And it’s sssssssiiiicccckkk. Technical and proggy and just as shove-a-fist-up-your-enemy’s-ass-and-rip-out-his-intestines brutal as you’d expect from, well, any band that would call itself “Decrepit Birth.” And none of what I’ve just written is news to DB fans, but, y’know. Now there’s more of it! And it seems a lot “er,” too. As in, “proggier,” “heavier,” “betterer,” etc. So check that shit out and let us know what you think.
Polarity comes out July 27 on Nuclear Blast. Cutting and pasting from myself on Monday: Decrepit Birth will be part of the MetalSucks co-sponsored Summer Slaughter tour, along with Decapitated, The Red Chord, The Faceless, All Shall Perish, Veil of Maya, Cephalic Carnage, Animals as Leaders, Vital Remains, and Carnifex. Get dates and details here.
-AR
Tonight is the first of the European Big Four shows, and sixteen of the seventeen musicians that now comprise those bands all gathered in one room and put their differences aside long enough to snap this picture (click on it to make it enlarge… heh heh, he said “enlarge”):
Should we over-analyze the reasons why certain people are standing near one another, or far apart, or how they’re standing? Well, this is MetalSucks, ain’t it?
Yesterday I gave longtime reader Cody Barrick shit for recommending a terrible band and claiming they were superior to Slayer and Daath.
Well, Cody was being sarcastic.
This is one of the dangers of e-mails – especially e-mails from someone you don’t really know: that you will completely misinterpret someone’s tone.
So my apologies to Cody, who suggested we post the below video. I salute you, good sir.
-AR
Welcome to the second installment of Cooking Contaminated, the brand new heavy metal cooking show brought to you by MetalSucks and your host, Eli Shaika! This episode’s guests are Athon and James from Savannah metallers Black Tusk, who bring their road-tested stuffed blue cheese burger recipe to Eli’s kitchen, along with their own home-made barbecue sauce.
After the jump you’ll find a list of ingredients so you can follow along at home. Also be sure to check out Episode 1 with vocalist Mike Hrubovcak of Monstrosity and his brother, bassist JJ Hrubovcak of Hate Eternal.
