First of all, congrats to Ash Patterson, who correctly identified last week’s incredibly readable logo as belonging to glam metal band Every Mother’s Nightmare. Ash wins a hair metal mix made by yours truly. I know some people wanted me to post the complete track list for said mix after I teased it last week; I’m actually still finishing it up, but will definitely post that as soon as it’s done. ‘Cause, really, who gives a shit. You all win! YAY!

This week I did a bad job and got distracted by personal stuff, so I didn’t line up a prize to give away for this week. So here’s what we’re gonna do: I will e-mail the winner a list of CDs (and possibly DVDs) that we have lying around here at the Mansion, and you can pick one of your choice as your prize. We could practically stock a record store here, so I’m sure we’ll have something you find interesting. And if not, well, you get a new coaster/frisbee/whatever.

All you gots 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. ALL ENTRIES WITHOUT AN ADDRESS WILL BE DISQUALIFIED. From everyone who gets it right, we’ll randomly select one winner and announce his or her name next week.

Thanks to Mitchell Williams for suggesting this week’s logo!

-AR

MetalGF and I are about halfway through Season 3 of AMC meth-fueled drama Breaking Bad… which means we’re just about caught up. Shit is real, son. It was recently brought to my attention that mega-hunk Aaron Paul (who plays lovable fuck-up Jesse Pinkman on the show) had a pre-Breaking Bad career of various fledgling roles including the main character in Korn’s video for “Thoughtless.” So I looked up the video… oh yeah, this song! “Thoughtless” was one of only two Korn songs I ever liked (the other: “Make Me Bad”) and though I’d never seen the video before it was fun to see Paul in a different albeit somewhat similar role. Ladies, try to keep from grabbing at him through the screen.

-VN

I looked it up, and that’s not Mike Shitoda.

After they reunited with C.C. DeVille circa 2000, one of the most brilliant things Poison ever did, business-wise, was to put together those summer shed tours where they take out three other prominent glam bands (e.g. Cinderella, Warrant, Faster Pussycat,Dokken, Slaughter, etc.) and only charge like thirty bucks a ticket. They were like the Ozzfest main stage, exclusively for hair bands. Talk about playing to your target audience! And I think it’s only a matter of time before Limp Bizkit follow suit. Fuck trying to win over new fans by touring with young, hip bands — just take out a few other bands that sounded kinda like you and were big at roughly the same time as you, and watch the nostalgia dollars roll in.

Why do I mention this? Because Crazy Town are reuniting for this August’s SRH Fest in California, and while I’d never heard of SRH Fest before, once I had a glance at the line-up, I realized that this basically was the shed tour of my nightmares. Kottonmouth Kings? (hed) p.e.? Unwritten Law? Did the promoter lose a bet or what? (I’ve never heard of a bunch of the other bands on the bill, but based on their names — Zero Authority, Big B., etc. — I assume that I’d hate them, too.)

How long can it be before some clever industry peeps put together a full tour with some of these bands? I bet with the right headliner, a (hed) p.e./Crazy Town bill would attract every High-School-Bully-turned-Gas-Station-Attendant within driving distance.

-AR

The new James Labrie solo effort “One More Time” — streaming today on Noisecreep — starts out much like you’d expect from a side project of a member of Dream Theater; deep, rich guitar tone (heyo John Petrucci), a pounding, driving but intricate drum beat (heyo Mike Portnoy), some proggy time shifts here and there and even a Johny Myung-esque bass solo mid-song. And… screaming vocals. Zuh???

Not that this is a bad thing. It just caught me completely by surprise. The screams come courtesy of guitarist/keyboardist Matt Guillory, and Labrie’s trademark pipes comes back into play in the choruses. The effect is a good cop / bad cop vocal scheme which, in concert with the music, really has a melodic death metal feel with a very slight technical edge. This is exactly what Soilwork would sound like if they had James Labrie singing for them instead of Speed Strid… now that’d be a cool duet, wouldn’t it?

Static Impulse comes out on September 28th via InsideOut. Stream “One More Time” at Noisecreep; it’s addictively catchy.

-VN

Last month I criticized Melvyn Grant’s art for the cover of the new Maiden album, The Final Frontier, and I stand by that criticism; I still feel that the purple and blue hues are too soothing, that all the rounded edges take the, uh, edge off the art, and that SME — that’s “Space Monster Eddie” — looks too much like a cartoon Predator.

But guess what? All those changes from Derek Riggs’ classic design were deliberate, and that’s not Eddie at all. Here’s what Grant recently told Examiner:

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A lot has happened since Chimaira released their first full-length DVD, The Dehumanizing Process, in 2004; as captured by director Todd Bell, the band portrayed in that DVD is struggling to make the album they want to make, struggling to stay signed, struggling to get good tours, struggling just to stay together. The Chimaira of Coming Alive — the band’s third excellent collaboration with Bell — are opening for Disturbed, playing arenas, and taking bets on how many copies The Infection will sell in its first week. We’re obviously not in Metallica territory or anything here, and we do see that the band’s members are still working their collective ass off (a scene in which bassist Jim LaMarca personally hands out band stickers and canvasses fans is particularly striking) — but Coming Alive has less conflict and drama than its predecessor. And while no one should begrudge a band this talented and hard-working, unfortunately, conflict and drama are the things great stories are made of.

It’s the biggest — and, really, the only — strike against Coming Alive. Luckily, Bell is such a talented guy that it also really doesn’t matter in the scheme of things.

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Remember Infinite Tales, the best Ukranian metalcore band ever? Honestly, neither did I. But I saw the band name in an e-mail and was like, “Wait, that sounds kinda familiar,” and so I did a search of our site (see how easy that was, kids?), and then I was like, “Oh yeaaaaaahhhh. That band. Okay.” And then I actually read the e-mail and saw that the band has a new video, for the song “Running Away.” And I have to support my favorite Ukranians, right? I mean, if I don’t, who will?

Unfortunately, the video for “Running Away” has no butterflies, choreographed leaps, matching outfits, or references to an antibiotic, and is therefore inferior to its predecessor, “Amoxicillin… Extermination.” That being said, it does features what are either fireflies or specks of dust (I can’t quite tell which) and community theater caliber performances, so, y’know. It’s got that going for it.

This band’s album is called Only the Beginning. Well, goll-ee, I hope that’s true!

-AR

I completely, 110% share Metal Injection’s enthusiasm for seeing Animals as Leaders at Summer Slaughter this coming Sunday, for I was also at their SXSW performance and my mind, like Rob’s, was also shattered into a thousand little puny pieces by the superior super-human ability of Tosin Abasi and co. As we’ve said ad nauseam the Summer Slaughter lineup this year is absolutely stacked and I’m excited to see all the bands (except for one), but Animals as Leaders are definitely THE band I’m most pumped to watch. I’ll be rocking out up front and screaming like a little school girl fapping away in the corner as this band of extraordinarily talented gentlemen display their extraordinary musical powers… and somehow I’m gonna have to find a place to burn a doobie before their set. Hey, Summer Slaughter bands, if you wanna do a little puffin’ with Axl and Vince this Sunday, we’ll supply the greens if you supply the locale!

Here they are performing “CAFO” at the Summer Slaughter stop in Fort Worth, TX. Fuck yeah to the guy up front who’s doing windmills despite the fact that the band isn’t playing in any discernible time signature whatsoever for more than a few seconds at a time.

Summer Slaughter rolls through your town soon! Get dates for the MetalSucks-sponsored tour here.

-VN

I know that making fun of Linkin Park is like making fun of a retarded cripple — it’s just not fair and probably not nice. Except that this particular retarded cripple happens to have more money than some small countries and is worshipped around the world by other retarded cripples.

So. I just saw the cover art for the new Linkin Park album, A Thousand Suns. And as I was looking it at it, I had two thoughts. The first thought was, “What the fuck am I looking at?” But the second, more pressing thought was, “Why does this look so familiar?”

And then it hit me:

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As you all probably know by now, I’m a bit tired of the whole re-thrash thing; I wasn’t even that into it from the get-go. I look for music that pushes forward rather than music that recycles what’s already been done, but that doesn’t mean that I think re-thrash is bad — a lot of is quite good, actually — it just doesn’t often tickle my fancy. It also doesn’t mean that sometimes I can’t bang my head to some killer new thrash tunes from time to time without getting overly analytical about it. So to that end, here are a few re-thrash bands to come through our inboxes lately and my thoughts on ‘em.

• Angelus Apatrida: Sent in by El Peras, the self-proclaimed “Spaniard Suckaloo,” this young re-thrash outfit apparently recently signed to Century Media. But where most re-thrash bands re-hash early Metallica, crossover, Testament or Exodus, these guys channel the Megadeth spirit which is kinda a rarity in today’s re-thrash scene for some reason. I don’t see the world going gaga over Angelus Apatrida, but they’re a solid band for sure.
• Solity: The first track on Solity’s MySpace page starts off all thrashy and you’re all like “OK, yeah, this is alright! Thrash on, bros.” Then the chorus kicks in and you’re all like “When the fuck did this band decide they want to be Weezer instead of early Metallica?” Then the post-chorus kicks in and they’re all about Soundgarden drop D riffing. And later on, a bluesy rock Jerry Cantrell-ish solo. Zuh? I’m all for bands taking influence from different genres of music, but this just does not work. Sorry dudes.
• Vektor: Blackened progressive thrash? I can get down with this. Tempe AZ’s Vektor mix thrash metal riffing with a black metal sense of melody, tremolo picking and high-pitched scream vocals and the results are pretty interesting. They inject a bit of technical/progressive playing into the sonic stew as well, giving the music an epic compositional feel that takes the listener for quite a ride. The mix is so seamless that it’s a wonder no one tried this sooner. [Thanks: Adam Ellsworth]

-VN

Nothing! But I like both bands, and both bands have announced new albums, and neither band was nice enough to release a single or cover art or something that I can actually discuss in detail, so I’m making them share a post. My apologies to all who may be offended.

Here’s what we know about each new release:

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Avenged Sevenfold’s Nightmare is out today (read Vince’s interview with A7X’s Johnny Christ here), and I’ve only listened to it twice so I reserve the right to completely rescind everything I’m about to type. But my initial impressions are that it’s a really good record, maybe the best pop metal album of the year so far, and that it’s not quite as good as the band’s last, self-titled album. I don’t think the band have pushed themselves quite as hard as they did last time out, when they suddenly revealed aspirations of being Queen. Even the really epic songs, like “Save Me” and “Victim,” don’t quite have the WHOA! factor of tracks like “A Little Piece of Heaven” or “Unbound” — songs that no one could have predicted after Waking the Fallen and City of Evil. Yeah, “Natural Born Killer” and “Tonight the World Dies” are excellent songs, but they’re songs that will surprise exactly no one who heard Avenged Sevenfold. (The one exception might be “Fiction,” which is a straight-up piano ballad.)

But don’t get your panties in a twist if you’re an A7X fan. I still think it’s a really good album.

Now the band has made their Rev-less live debut with Mike Portnoy on drums, and… yep, it stills sounds like Avenged Sevenfold. But for some of us, bootleg vids like this one (of the new song “Welcome to the Family”) will be our only chance to see Portneged Sevenoy so… enjoy!

Check out more clips of our favorite Jewish drummer from Long Island playing with our favorite glam Republicans from Orange County over at The PRP.

-AR

I know it’s a trite thing to say, but it really does seem like just yesterday that we kicked off this whole Scion No Label Needed Contest back in January — and now, nearly 7 months later here we are at the release day of The Wretched Sun, the amazing new album by contest winners Iron Thrones. In case you’ve somehow missed the gobs of praise we’ve heaped upon these Minnesotans, there really couldn’t be a more deserving band to win this contest. We wish ‘em all the best in the future.

To wrap things up we’re premiering a short EPK for Iron Thrones that wraps up their experience with the Scion No Label Needed Contest and recording their album. Make sure you also check out a premiere of the song “I Once Had the Crown” on Noisecreep and “Like A Moth to Flame” on MySpace.

Their two-week tour kicks off this Thursday in Chicago and rolls through New York on Monday, August 2nd with a very special one-night-only bill we’re beside ourselves for: Iron Thrones, The Binary Code, East of the Wall, Meek is Murder, Name and Last Chance to Reason — holy shite! Get the rest of the tour dates here.

-VN

[This exclusive has now ended.]

Photo credit: Jeremy Saffer

When I was a wee high school youth runnin’ ’round the streets of NYC my band at the time used to often share the stage with a band called The New Mexikans whose incredible guitarist Gabriel Marin you see shredding faces above. The other day I was convinced I saw Marin playing guitar for NYC  progressive post-metallers Wetnurse at their Union Pool show with Salome and Landmine Marathon, and though it ended up just being an equally skilled dude that looks just like Marin, I got to thinking… what ever became of that guy? He’s the kind of player that was so skilled at such a young age that I wouldn’t've been surprised if he ended up being one of those guys who gave up guitar completely later on in life because there was simply nothing left to accomplish with it.

Thankfully that’s not the case, as a quick Google search yielded a ton of results of his current squeeze Consider the Source. It figures that Marin would be involved with something as cerebral, progressive and fucking OUT THERE as this — and I mean that in the best way. Fretless guitar? Jazzy breaks? Oh lordee. Consider the Source create some real deal music dork shit, aka the kind of music I love. The drummer and bass player are phenomenal musicians too. I’ve gotta get out to see these guys live some time very, very soon.

-VN

With the passing of James “The Rev” Sullivan, it hasn’t been an easy year for the members of Avenged Sevenfold. But with their new album Nightmare coming out tomorrow and the band out on tour once again — with fill-in drummer Mike Portnoy of Dream Theater — things are starting to look up for the OC crew. In my quick chat with A7X bassist Johnny Christ last week, the youngest and newest member of Avenged Sevenfold spoke about The Rev’s passing, the late drummer’s role in writing the record, and working with Portnoy and producer Mike Elizondo. Our chat after the jump.

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I really loved The Devil’s Rejects, but at this point, I’m willing to accept that it was a fluke, and that Rob Zombie is not a very talented film director. House of 1,000 Corpses was fun, but I haven’t felt the need to re-watch it since I saw it in theaters, and while I thought that Zombie’s Halloween was the worst thing ever, that’s only because I had not yet seen his Halloween II, which really might be the worst thing ever. And some people said that his straight-to-DVD animated flick, The Haunted World of El Superbeasto, was pretty good, but I turned it off after about fifteen minutes. I think if I was thirteen I would have thought it was the tits, but I’m not so I didn’t.

It’s gotten to the point where the best thing about any Zombie flick is the inevitable shot of some part of Sheri Moon Zombie’s naked anatomy. Because Rob Zombie has a hot wife, and he wants you to know that he has a hot wife. Also, because a quick look at Sheri’s resumé tells me that she’s only ever worked on two projects that her husband wasn’t directly involved in: a Tobe Hooper movie I’ve never even heard of (Holy shit, did Tobe Hooper wipe out or what?), and appearing as a Nurse on an episode of Californication (a not very good show which is apparently written by metal fans who probably knew who Sheri was).

So now Zombie has released a new video for the song “Mars Needs Women,” a song which just SCREAMS for a naked chick painted red, and where the fuck is Sheri? NOWHERE TO BE SEEN! Sheesh. I’m glad Rob’s band is basically a supergroup now, but you think I wanna look at Joey Jordison’s mask instead of your wife’s hot bod? Puh-leeze. Get it together, Rob!!!

-AR

[via Noisecreep]

Black Flag — at least the Henry Rollins fronted version that most people associate with — won’t be reuniting, ever. Rollins doesn’t need the payday and has shown zero interest in playing music these days, favoring his acting and writing careers instead. But informed fans of the pioneering California hardcore act know that Rollins was one of a handful of vocalists that played in the band. One of those who preceded him was Ron Reyes, best known for his work on 1980′s Jealous Again EP. Though he may not have been as revered as Keith Morris or Dez Cadena, Reyes’ part on that seminal recording will forever grant the-artist-also-known-as-Chavo-Pederast a cache of street cred from hardcore purists.

So it’s pretty cool to learn that he reunited with Black Flag mastermind Greg Ginn at a Vancouver concert celebrating Reyes’ fiftieth birthday. The legendary guitarist joined Reyes and his backing band onstage to play a few tracks including “Jealous Again” (check out the video above) and “Revenge”. While there’s no indication that this is anything but a one-off gig, I suspect that fans would welcome a proper reunion tour from any incarnation of the band. With Morris busy with his new band OFF! (including an upcoming gig at the punk extravaganza known as Riot Fest) and Cadena playing in the current Misfits incarnation, a Reyes-fronted reunion with Ginn and any of the former rhythm section players could be pretty cool. Maybe Rollins could plug it in his Vanity Fair column!

-GS

Sometimes you hear about somebody doing something so unbelievably stupid that you feel stupider just having heard about it; that you wonder how that person’s parents ever managed to potty train him; that you wanna go out and sign a petition bringing back electroshock therapy in asylums everywhere, because holy SHIT, somebody needs to school this dude ASAP.

This is one of those times.

According to Lambgoat, yesterday’s Sound and Fury Festival in Santa Barbara was cut short before a handful of bands — including Earth Crisis and Bane — could even play, because what was either a small riot or a large fight broke out, apparently after some dude decided that this was a good idea:

And, uh, what did this guy think was gonna happen if he brought a motorcycle into the pit? Maybe Halford could get away with that shit, but not just some random dude. Dumb dumb dumb dumb.

I gotta say, if I went to a festival where Earth Crisis were playing and then I didn’t get to see Earth Crisis because someone pulled this shit, well, I’d be pretty pissed.

If any readers were there and have more details, drop us a line. In the meantime, read more at Lambgoat.

-AR

Any readers of MetalSucks that have been milling around here for at least the past year or so should know we love a good burger from time to time, particularly when it comes to the web’s premiere burger aficionado Burger Conquest. When combined with metal, we think burgers are just dandy — see our past “Burger Conquests” with the dudes from Shadows Fall and Mookie from Genghis Tron (who combined burgers and metal with a third love of Vince’s, The Mets). And with the three episodes released so far of our new metal-themed cooking show Cooking Contaminated, it shouldn’t be any surprise that we love good food.

With the commencement of this year’s Rockstar Mayhem Festival, Burger Conquest proprietor The Rev sees an opportunity to invent another of his delicious burger concoctions. Three patties of meat along with handmade fresh mosh-erella cheese, ground black pepper, crispy onions, and bacon… call it the Mayhem Burger. Sounds de-fucking-licious. Watch The Rev explain the recipe below, although you’ll have to sit through a cringe-worthy minute of live Korn footage first (or just skip to 1:20).

-VN

As a man in my early 30s, it’s a little weird for me to go to metalcore/mosh4christ shows by myself, because I’m literally twice as old as most of the other people there. On the bright side, that means there’s never a line at the bar, but it also means that I’m stuck at the bar (aka “retirement home”) with my show buddy Shawn, laughing at teenagers while we try to forget that we have one foot in the grave.

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