Congrats to Jeremy Byrd and Jenna LaGras, who both correctly identified last week’s logo as belonging to the band Sinworm (finally!). For their troubles, Jeremy and Jenna each win a copy of The Haunted’s excellent new DVD/CD set, Road Kill. (And in case ya haven’t seen it, we have an exclusive clip from the DVD here.)

But don’t cry if you didn’t win – I have one last copy of this bad boy to unload this week. 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 youraddress. From everyone who gets it right, we’ll randomly select a winner and announce his or her name next week.

This week’s logo was suggested by reader Evren Seven… thanks, Evren!

-AR

How are we feeling about this current trend of bands playing entire albums live? I remember when Slayer first did it with Reign in Blood, it seemed pretty awesome; a year or two later Metallica did it with Master of Puppets, and even though it was a pretty obvious attempt to sell fans on the idea that ‘Tallica could still rock, I’d be lying if I said that Vince and I didn’t love every minute when we saw them do it at Download in 2006. But since then it seems like every band in the fucking world has done it or is about to do it (hell, Slayer are about to do it for the second time). So this a really awesome idea that we should all embrace, or metal’s answer to 3D movies – a soon-to-be-forgotten gimmick meant only to bolster flagging ticket sales?

Former Metal Edge editor-in-chief and current MSN blogger wrote an interesting editorial this week in which he weighs in, asserting that it needs to stop. And he makes some valid points:

Click to read more…

Yes, Bitter End may be based in Texas, but their sound is pure NYHC. The influence of bands like Cro-Mags, Madball and Leeway is apparent on “Unjust,” the first track unveiled from their upcoming record entitled Guilty As Charged. You can hear that tough-as-fuck new tune at the band’s MySpace page or download it as part of Deathwish’s latest label sampler. Thankfully, they don’t seem to have haven’t deviated all that much from the thrashy hardcore style found on 2007′s noteworthy Climate Of Fear, though towards the end of the new song things get even more interesting and melodic. Be sure to check out the recently released teaser trailer above. Then, peep the imminent tourdates with Donnybrook, The Mongoloids, and New Morality below. Guilty As Charged is due out August 3 on Deathwish Inc.

Click to read more…

I like this time of year. Yeah, the weather’s great; it’s warm enough that you don’t really have to worry about bringing a coat or hoodie out most of the time, but not so hot and sticky that you can’t sleep.

But I’m talking about the metal: a lot of the bigger bands are over in Europe doing the festival circuit, so the show schedule Stateside is a little more laid back than the craziness of Spring and Summer and the shows that we do get are more of the smaller bands / intimate venue variety. The kind of shows where you can hang out with your buddies (and likely the bandmembers themselves), drink casually at a decent price, walk around the corner to smoke a doobie, check out the bands without having to worry about getting karate chopped by some white-studded belt asshole kid, and just generally have a good time.

On Friday, Hull, Fight Amp, Millions, Mose Giganticus and Dark Vibe played the intimate but awesome Glasslands venue in Brooklyn, brought to us by Brutal Panda Records and Chronic Youth, and it was exactly that kind of show. A laid back night full of metal, booze, doobies, and friends. And it was one for the ages.

Click to read more…

I’ve never personally metal Cody Barrick, but he is the definition of a MetalSucks Maniac – he’s been reading the site for a long time and has supplied us with some really good tips for stories in the past. So when I got a “Reader’s Choice” e-mail from him today, I was curious to listen to the band he wanted to suggest.

But when I opened his e-mail, I saw the following claim…

“These guys by the name of Ennui Breathes Malice are so awesome! Way better than Daath and Slayer if you ask me.”

…and I knew I was in trouble.

Click to read more…

Rare is it that Señor Suarez and, well, anyone else in the MS Mansion agree on a band. And though I’ve a feeling that Gary and I like the Norwegian version of Shining — and their most excellent 2010 release Blackjazz – for slightly different reasons, hey, I’ll take it.

So, since all metal musicians are broke by definition, help us help Shining win the Norwegian A-Ha Grant (yup, that A-Ha) of 1 million NOK (equal to $150,000 or €125,000) so they can get off their broke asses and hopefully come tour the U.S. The band is one of two bands that will receive the award — if they get enough votes, which is where you come in. Voting starts today and lasts until Friday, June 18th at 20:30 Central European Time (that’s 6 hours ahead of Eastern Standard Time).

Vote here. Sure, the text is in Norwegian, but I’m guessing you can figure out how to click the box next to where it says “Shining,” and that you’re capable of figuring out where to enter your email address (hint: where it says “email”). If not, I’ve grossly underestimated the intelligence of the average MS reader.

-VN

The cover for Kataklysm’s forthcoming Heaven’s Venom marks the third straight appearance of the so-called “Heartbeast,” which I guess officially makes him the Canadian death metallers’ answer to Eddie or Vic Rattlehead. Will we someday see him launched into outer space, toiling with the ancients, or engaged in politics? Only time will tell, but for now, I’m perfectly content just to watch him fuck shit up.

Heaven’s Venom comes out August 20 in Europe and August 24 in North America on Nuclear Blast. Kataklysm will also be one of the best reasons to hit up Ozzfest this summer; get dates here.

-AR

Well, that didn’t take long; just one day after Kingdom of Sorrow took over MetalSucks, Crowbar debuted two new songs at a show in New Orleans and Axl posited that Crowbar must be working on a new record. After all, it’s been five years already. And as we learned yesterday via press release, he was correct.

“Sludge Metal legends CROWBAR have signed a worldwide deal with E1 Music,” says the press release. “The band will be releasing a new full-length album later this fall. ‘CROWBAR is very excited to have landed this deal with E1 Music! We have always been very proud of what we do and the new record will not disappoint and of our die hard fans.’ says front man and guitar player Kirk Windstein.”

Click to read more…

Well, we’ve been talking about it for months, and now the time has arrived to listen for yourself: the Ozzman is streaming his entire new record, Scream, right here. It will be officially released next Tuesday, June 22 on Epic.

I’m not even gonna weigh in. I’m just gonna let you fine folks duke it out in the comments section. So give it a listen, then have at it!

-AR

This edition of Metal Mets is written by none other than Decibel Magazine managing editor and die-hard Mets fan Andrew Bonazelli! We thank Andrew for his contribution, and welcome him a respite from his most unfortunate current home of Philthydelphia any time he’d like.

It’s an honor to take the reins on Vince’s (not recurring enough) Metal Mets column this month. As for actually complimenting our beloved collection of past and future choke-artists, despite their mildly surprising 35-28 record this morning… well, I’m going to go as easy on them as they do on me.

I’ve belabored this point to death elsewhere, but as much as Vince and I (and Mookie Singerman, and Scott Kelly, etc.) wish the contrary, pro ballplayers do not give a flying fuck about extreme music. Twins reliever Pat Neshek is probably the only active player who can speak in polysyllable about the Red Chord or Isis. So, it’s no surprise that the Mets are but one of 30 teams whose starting lineup comes out to at-bat music that totally gargles balls. This is not just from a metalhead’s perspective, mind you, but a Person Who Values Their Sanity’s. Let’s grade their selections (with special thanks to the forum-crawlers at operationsports.com for collecting this crap):

Jose Reyes
“All I Do Is Win” by DJ Khaled
“El Sapito” by Villanosam
“Watagatapitusberry” by Black Point

Not white, presumably has little interest in USBM cassette-trading. Also “the most exciting player in baseball,” hence he gets a pass. DJ Khaled’s “WE THE BEST” shtick is pretty fucking annoying, for the three of you in MetalSucks land who have listened to him, which certainly aligns with how Jose is perceived by opposing fans. Whatever.
GRADE: Incomplete

Click to read more…

The aesthetic of both the performance footage and the animation in the new David Brodsky-directed video for As I Lay Dying’s “Parallels” differs vastly from the aesthetic of the performance footage and the animation in the video he helmed for The Red Chord’s “Demoralizer” earlier this year, as is befitting cinematic representations of two bands that play such divergent forms of metal (The Red Chord will be on The Summer Slaughter tour, AILD on The Cool Tour – the very monikers of those treks demonstrates huge stylistic differences in the music) and employed different animators for each clip. (The animation in “Parallels” is by Mike Milyavsky with an assist from Brodsky; Tim Kellan and Brodsky did the animation for “Demoralizer.”)

However, it seems to me that there are some interesting thematic connections, primarily in the portrayal of Man as a cog in modern society, robbed of His individuality. The strongest example of this correlation might be the use in both videos of not-dissimilar (and strongly Freudian) images of people drinking blood from a pipe, but it is also worth nothing that the characters in both videos have been robbed of that most distinct display of an identity: a unique face.

Of course, I could just be overanalyzing all this shit.

As I Lay Dying’s The Powerless Rise and The Red Chord’s Fed Through the Teeth Machine are both out now on Metal Blade.

-AR

I saw the below video this morning at RiB. I’m inclined to agree with Elise’s assessment that an adult put him up to this, and that he “likes that ‘Iron Man’ riff a lot more than he’s letting on” – in fact, I’d take it one step further, and say he clearly LOVES the “Iron Man” riff. But the video is kinda funny. And before anyone spews too much vile towards the lil’ tyke in the comments section, I’d like to point out that there is absolutely no need to take this brat seriously. Why?

• Because he’s just a kid, and despite what Nickelodeon would have them believe, kids’ opinions don’t really matter.
• He clearly has many years of getting beaten up on the playground ahead of him. He will also most likely escape high school and possibly even college with his virginity intact. He will tell you that he thinks that’s a good thing, but trust me: no teenage boy that isn’t a eunuch thinks that’s a good thing, no matter how much sexual repression and guilt religion has instilled in him.
• He’s just a kid.
• He uses the word “gay” as a derogatory word. Speaking as someone who used to have that terrible habit, I feel qualified to say: It’s 2010. Only retards still use the word “gay” as a derogatory word.
• He’s just a kid.

And on that note… get yer LULZ on…

-AR

The number of great unsigned metal bands out there that send us their music is mind-boggling. Really, despite all the crap we get, there are just so many quality bands out there totally deserving of a record contract who don’t get one for reasons that basically amount to wrong time, wrong place. That’s why I’ve become increasingly interested in these Readers’ Choice picks; there’s so much good metal out there and I want people to hear it. Despite their shrinking relevance, the record labels still have a pretty big influence and can give bands a real big push to get their music out to the masses and let people decide whether they like it or not… and as for the rest of the world’s great bands, they unfortunately go mostly unnoticed.

Anyway…

• Awjita: Guitarist Alan Rigoletto tells us “The best way to describe our breed of vulgar noise is if Frank Zappa were to get involved with PCP and joined a sludge band to make ends meet.” Not sure I’d totally back this description (I’d say it’s more grindy, too), but it’s close enough, and it got me to check these guys out. You should do the same.
• Burden: Doom fucking metal, slow n’ heavy! Progressive too, not just by-the-numbers doom. The tags on their Bandcamp page (where one song is available for free download and all are available for streaming!) are as follows: “doom drone epic evil metal oppressive progressive sludge Philadelphia.” Agree.
• The Antioch Synopsis: Proggy tech-death ala The Faceless. Really good stuff that feels a bit derivative at times (and the obvious and over-bearing drum replacement is a bit too much for me), but a solid band with a whole lot of upside that could lead them big places in the future if they keep at it.

-VN

Its 4:21 am on June 14th, 2010. We’re exactly one week into the drum sessions for the new DÅÅTH record. I’m sitting in a makeshift control room that was constructed for us at the Atlanta Institute of Music. After a very insane start, we’ve hit a great workflow.

Let me explain what I mean by “insane.” One of our stated goals for this record is to make it real. What I mean by “real” is that what you will hear is what we played. No smoke and mirrors, no trickery, no using the studio as a crutch. In the older days, when albums actually sold and recording budgets were high, albums would take months and months to create. Of course, the technology that is available to us today was not around back then, so things that now can be done in an hour would take a day or more. Like editing drums, for instance. It’s much easier to edit drums on a computer with a monitor than on tape that you have to cut together. For a good example of what I’m talking about ,check out that scene in A Year and a Half in the Life of Metallica where they’re talking about editing together the drum fills. While the editing capabilities have gotten better, lots of people have taken these new tools to the level of completely manufacturing what in the 90’s and earlier would be performed. Why do you think bands these days sound so damn tight on record? Its not that they’re actually tighter. It’s that they’re edited better. Bands, for the most part, were actually tighter in the analog days, because they HAD to perform their parts. They couldn’t rely on the editing skills of the engineer to fix their shortcomings.

Click to read more…

We’ve given Dino Cazares a lot of shit on MetalSucks. And I know he’s read at least some of it. And I’ve been operating under the impression that he had no sense of humor about it whatsoever. But, hey, I’m happy to see that I was dead wrong.

These photos were taken by MetalSucks Maniac Ben Alden (right) and his friend Sam (left) at a Fear Factory show at Northern Lights in Clifton Park, NY on Friday night – and I give Dino major, major props for participating in their creation:

More photos, and Ben’s explanation of how this all went down, after the jump!

Click to read more…

If you’re one of those people who read this site every day (God bless you, you fucking masochists!), you may have noticed a lack of premium content from yours truly these past couple of weeks. That’s because I’ve been in Japan soaking in neon, dining on fresh sushi, and recoiling in horror at the perverse underbelly of otaku. I did manage to hit up a few rock bars in Osaka (Rock Rock — check out who else has been there!) and Tokyo (Beat Cafe), but otherwise this was a pretty metal-free trip–and that’s okay with me.

So, shit, man. Quite a bit happened in the wonderful world of hardcore while I was away! Ruiner broke up. This Is Hardcore 2010 finally revealed its drool-inducing lineup and sold out in less than two days. (I wasn’t able to get my tickets in time, sadly.) Unsane announced a series of U.S. dates where they’ll play 1995′s awesome Scattered Smothered & Covered live in its entirety. Notable releases included Ceremony’s Rohnert Park, for which I’ll be posting a review later this week. Some pretty awesome tours were announced as well. Check out the dates for some of these below.

Looking forward to your “Welcome Back” sentiments in the Comments section!

Click to read more…

The MetalSucks-sponsored Pestilence Reigns Upon North America tour is now more than half complete, with the action set to wrap in New York City this Thursday at the Gramercy Theater. In addition to the technical metal legends, Warbringer, Vital Remains, Enfold Darkness and Sacrificial Slaughter will also be in tow; in addition to NYC, those of you in Chicago (tonight!), Montreal and Toronto still have a chance to catch this excellent tour, so don’t snooze and lose.

Axl and Vince will be in attendance at the NYC show on Thursday; as usual, feel free to buy us beers.

-VN

To say that Max Cavalera put metal on the map isn’t exactly accurate; metal’s formative years dealt with pond-crossing pollination between Europe and the U.S. But Sepultura helped bring the idea that metal was a global entity into being, from their early death metal albums, proving them more than competen,t to their later thrash/groove metal records, which combined primal heaviness with South American instrumentation. Max has continued this in Soulfly, which, despite  hisliving in the U.S. for the last decade and a half, still includes bits of his heritage. Though Sabbath, Priest, Maiden, and so forth may have (unintentionally) presented metal as a mainly Anglo-Saxon phenomenon, Sepultura proved that if metal were going to be adored worldwide, it would be made worldwide as well. Their far-reaching success (both in the form of Max Cavalera’s Soulfly and the current incarnation of Sepultura) cements their very important place in metal.

Despite being in the game for more than twenty-five years, Max hasn’t shown any sign of slowing down. He founded Cavalera Conspiracy with his formerly estranged brother/ex-Sepultura drummer Igor; Soulfly’s recently-released Omen shows the same strength, vitality, and palatable riffs that the band has always been known for; and he’ll no doubt be hitting the road for the foreseeable future. In an interview with MetalSucks conducted shortly before the album’s release, Max talks about making Omen, discusses how he manages to rope in guest performers, and makes some lofty claims about the upcoming Cavalera Conspiracy album.

Click to read more…

Axel Rudi Pell is kind of like the balladeer of the German power metal / hard rock scene. It seems kind of ridiculous to say given that the entire genre is one big fat indulgence in cliches, but Pell takes that indulgence to the next level with… well, pretty much everything he does. Which is just how I like it, naturally. Unlike many of his contemporaries, Pell’s got a particular interest in the slower, creamier side of the cheese spectrum. That’s not really my speed as far as power metal goes, but I can still get down with some of his tracks.

Watch the above performance clip of “Fool Fool” and I dare you not to simultaneously laugh and headbang. Come on; it’s great shit, and if this song had Dio singing on it you’d all be lapping it up. Axel Rudi Pell’s latest The Crest is out now.

-VN

Son of Aurelius are one of the most exciting new bands of the year, and we’ve been singing the praises of their Good Fight Entertainment debut, The Farthest Reaches, since its release in April. But this summer, Reaches is gonna reach that much farther: SOA have recorded five brand new tracks for a digital only deluxe reissue. You can purchase the entire album – the original tracks plus the new ones – for just ten bucks, or, if you already own the album, you can buy the new additions individually.

The new tracks won’t be released ’til July 6, but because we love you so much, we’ve arranged for you hear two of ‘em early. You can go ahead and stream “Slaughter The Immortals” and “Feast Of Feminine Flesh” on the player below. It’s entirely possible that these songs are even better than the original batch from Reaches (and we LOVED the original batch). They’re techier, tighter, heavier, catchier, and just generally more betterer. If the band has come this far just since April, can you imagine what they’ll sound like in six months, a year, five years? We are so excited for the future of SOA, we can’t even tell you.

So go ahead and enjoy these new tunes. Like we said, Good Fight will release the new and improved The Farthest Reaches approved on July 6.

[this promotion has ended]