Chris Dick posted the below video on The Deciblog yesterday, and… holy shit. It’s amazing. Apparently someone took the audio from a hit viral video I’ve never heard of ’cause I’m not cool, “Kittens Inspired by Kittens,” and set it to various black metal images instead of, y’know, pictures of kittens. Amazingly, the audio matches up pretty much perfectly, and the results will make your beer come out your nose.
-AR
As one of the few MetalSucks writers willing to wax poetic on the merits of deathcore, I am often subjected to a litany of nasty, grammatically incorrect comments below my posts on such notable artists as Emmure and Suicide Silence. Several basement-dwelling, WiFi-leeching mouthbreathers regularly feel the need to slag the subgenre for perceived crimes against metal. Yet today, I empathize somewhat with these pimple-faced sex-starved haters, feeling especially vexed by a troubling turn of events in the community. Chelsea Grin vocalist Alex Koehler, having suffered a jaw fracture, has had to bow out of a planned Canadian tour with Blind Witness and Attila. Rather than cancel, the group has instead recruited Oceano vocalist Adam Warren to take on pig squealing duties for these dates (which you’ll find below).
And while this does sound like a unique and special opportunity for my neighbors to the north, it does raise an ugly nagging question that I pose to you, faithful reader: are deathcore vocalists interchangeable?
n
Feel free to elaborate in the comments section!
Of the many black metal bands that have come to gain wider acceptance in the United States over the past few years, Woe are one of my favorites. I find their brand of crunchy, angst-filled blackness to be the most approachable of the lot and the least bogged down by pretentiousness and genre cliches like awful production and silly imagery. I’m hesitant to call Woe more straight-forward — because their music has a palpable level of complexity to it — but it’s just that at the end of the day Woe understand how important it is to just rock and don’t seem too concerned about over-thinking this oft-forgotten fact.
Woe’s 2008 release A Spell For the Death of Man is an album I’ve come back to many a time since its release, so I’m happy that soon enough — on October 12th, to be exact — we’ll get to hear its follow-up, Quietly, Undramatically. In a way, the album name perfectly encapsulates how I feel the band approaches their music; they just do it, without making a big deal of what it is or is not. Their live show is the same way; they’ve completely and intensely rocked my face off every time I’ve seen them.
Until Quietly, Undramatically drops on October 12 via Candlelight we’ll have to settle for this one track from the album, “A Treatise on Control.” But what a doozy it is… “settle” is hardly the word. Stream it below, and check out more Woe on their MySpace page.
[this promotion has ended]
Yes, Godsuck are touring with The Band That Shall Not Be Named. Yes, this is happening because there is no such thing as God. Yes, this is terrible, terrible news. Luckily, I don’t have to actually attend this tour, and unless you fit the description of the people on this list, neither will you.
We knew this stuff was out there, waiting patiently for years to hear it. But the day we finally get to hear an unreleased Pantera track is almost upon us, and it will be this coming Monday, August 30th!
Pantera will be releasing a special 20th anniversary edition of their landmark album — and my favorite of theirs – Cowboys From Hell on September 14th, and from what I can tell from poking around Amazon (Pantera’s website doesn’t make it easy to find out… nice work, guys), two of the three configurations they’ll be releasing will have a song called “The Will to Survive” that was recorded during the original Cowboys From Hell tracking sessions. Configuration 1 is a 2-disc set with the re-mastered Cowboys on Disc 1 and a bunch of live tracks on Disc 2, Configuration 2 adds a third disc that contains “The Will To Survive” and some of the original Cowboys demo tracks, and Configuration 3 contains all 3 discs bundled up in a super-dookie box set (which won’t come out until November). Whew, why they gotta make it all complicated?
ANYWAY, MS reader “shitsandwich” sent us a link to an announcement on Pantera’s Facebook page saying that “The Will to Survive” will premiere right there on Pantera’s FB page at Noon EST on Monday, August 30th. Naturally we’ll be all over that and we’ll let you know what we think of it.
-VN
It’s like my good pal Axl said — we’re swimming in new music this week! Isn’t the end of August supposed to be a slow time for news? Aren’t you all supposed to be on vacation squeezing in those last weeks in your summer homes on the lake?? Oh, I forgot, it’s metal, and metal never takes a vacation.
Tennessee metallers The Showdown are the latest to join the new music party, as they’re streaming their entire new album Blood in the Gears at AOL Music. As I’ve written before, I prefer their earlier cock-rock inspired work to the heavier material they’ve released of late, but I haven’t disliked anything they’ve put out; it’s just that the newer stuff hasn’t really grabbed me.
But I’m listening to Blood in the Gears all the way through for the first time right now, and it strikes me as a good balance between the hair-inspired riffs of Temptation Come My Way and the all-out heaviness of Back Breaker. I’m hearing a lot of Pantera influence, especially in album opener “The Man Named Hell” — for which the video is posted above… holy crap! awesome way to start an album! try and see past the silly, cliched monster truck / motorcycle imagery — and I like that. The main riff that comprises “No Escape,” in all its No More Tears-era Zakk Wylde glory, is as good as any the band’s ever written. These Tennesseeans really seem to be letting their southern roots shine throughout the album and maybe letting those cock rock influence seep back into their sound, and there’s enough good stuff here to pique my interest. I’m looking forward to sitting down with this album and giving it a good listen.
Check out all of Blood in the Gears here and tell us what you think of it.
-VN
As regular readers of this site are aware, we rarely just cut and paste press releases. But Behemoth and Metal Blade released the following statement yesterday afternoon, and it’s important that everyone read it, and there’s really no editorializing to be done. So here’s the full release, unedited:
BEHEMOTH leader Nergal has just found out he needs a marrow transplant to fight the sickness he has recently been diagnosed with (leukemia). In light of this he wants to remind everyone about the need to be on the marrow registry. The more people get tested and donate, the more of a chance for life there is for him and people in the same situation.
BEHEMOTH and Metal Blade would like to thank everyone for their support and well wishes during this difficult time. The best thing we can all do right now is learn about the marrow donation process, not only help save one of metals leaders, but to also help save countless others out there struggling with the same disease.
To learn more about how you can register to donate marrow check out: http://www.marrow.org/
Fans wanting to help out, register for the marrow program, or have questions on running a marrow drive may contact the organization Music Saves Lives by email at iCare@musicsaveslives.com or visit Music Saves Lives at http://www.musicsaveslives.org/
Music Saves Lives is the bridge between music, entertainment and important life-saving causes. We bring a simple concept; connect the music and entertainment, we all love, to a life saving community action. MSL has focused efforts on blood donation and the marrow registry, reaching out by sharing facts, educating and empowering. We educate about the importance of simple life saving actions they can participate in. These simple actions, like donating blood, running a blood drive, and registering for the marrow program to save those with leukemia, all connect back to the community.
They can call it… FROPETH!!!
So remember how Opeth are releasing a live CD/DVD called In Live Concert at the Royal Albert Hall, which, despite what the title would suggest, is not a collection of trip-hop covers of songs originally by The Brothers Johnson, but is actually a recording of Opeth in live concert at the Royal Albert Hall?
Well, they’re giving away a track from that album for free. It’s “Dirge For November,” if you’re curious. Yeah, you have to give ‘em your e-mail address, but while I can’t endorse that kind of behavior in some bands, I willingly endorse it from Opeth, ’cause they’re Opeth, and I’m biased in favor of good music like that. Also, I’m listening to it right now, and it sounds really good. So go get it.
In Live Concert at the Royal Albert Hall comes out September 21 on Roadrunner. You can order a super-duper special edition version right here. In case it comes up at dinner tonight, you ought to know that it was recorded at one of the only six shows the band did for their twentieth anniversary tour earlier this year.
-AR
I agree with the ibex.
-Sergeant D.
I’ve written about Poland’s Crystal Viper before, but if you’re new to MetalSucks and aren’t hip to this band, well, you need to become hip to them ASAFP. This band defines metal. If aliens came down to earth and were all, “Hey, Axl, what is this metal of which you speak?”, I’d give them a Crystal Viper album to take back to their home planet. And then they’d play it on the mothership during take-off ’cause they’d be just that curious, and then the mothership would explode, and charred alien carcasses would rain down all around us. And then Crystal Viper would write a concept album about it.
And now’s a good time to get on board the Crystal Viper train, ’cause they have a new album coming out October 22 on AFM. They’ve named the album Legends, because they’re humble. The cover is art is by the great Chris Moyen, and is so fucking metal I hear it put King Diamond in the hospital.
DUDE. It’s a fucking werewolf with a scythe riding a horse in front of a castle. Like, every other band should just quit. Seriously, just go home. It’s over. It’s done. Crystal Viper ended it. Time to start trying to make country music or some shit, ’cause this ship has muthafuckin’ sailed.
-AR
All these bands decided to release new videos within the past twenty-four hours. So I’m just lumping them all together in one post, the same way my mom lumps any music with loud guitars together under the heading, “Things I assume my degenerate son must like.”
First up we have this pretty amazing video for “Tres Brujas” from The Sword. I’m not even, like, the biggest The Sword fan in the world, but I gotta hand it to them, they have definitely made the nerdiest stoner metal video I’ve ever seen by a band that isn’t Mastodon. The thirteen year-old zit faced virgin in me thinks that this video is incredible, and the eight year-old autistic kid who’s never heard of Sabbath in me thinks the music is pretty great, too.
Not really, of course. I just think it’s funny that the new Ted Nugent album shares a title with the above 2006 release by Skinless.
As you were.
-AR
You really just can’t say no to the over-the-top theatrics of DragonForce, so when Roadrunner Records offered us the opportunity to premiere to the world “My Spirit Will Go On” from DragonForce’s forthcoming live album Twilight Dementia we just couldn’t resist.
The track originally comes from the band’s pre-Roadrunner 2004 release Sonic Firestorm, but of course the new live album, which comes out on September 14th, features tracks from the band’s entire career. It’ll also be the last DragonForce release to feature recently dismissed vocalist ZP Theart, not that we can really say we think DragonForce are any better or worse for it — ’cause it’s all about the other dudes in the band, right?
Check out the live version of “My Spirit Will Go On” from Twilight Dementia below, and pre-order the album here with some nifty extras while supplies last.
[this promotion has ended]
Eddie Van Halen rage stories are pretty legendary, but I’d thought that Mr. EVH had calmed down in recent years. Not so according to Shinedown singer Brent Smith, who toured with Van Hagar in 2004 and became chummy with the OG shredder before a little backstage incident set him off and re-ignited the raging dickitude of old. Good to know that the old man’s still got some vinegar (and piss) in ‘im.
The clip comes from MTV’s new self-described “dude blog” called Clutch in which the goal I suppose is to be a modern-day online Maxim full of stories about hot chicks, sports, and other silly dudebro shit. Like Shinedown or hate ‘em (I happen to love ‘em!), Brent Smith does an excellent job telling the story. I won’t ruin it for you.
-VN
Just in case you weren’t already feeling overwhelmed by all the new shit that’s streaming today, Stereogum has a new Torche track, “U.F.O.” I don’t really know what to say about it, other than it sounds like Torche, by which I mean it’s pretty fuzzy and really catchy, like an STD you’d get from sleeping with Alf. [Obligatory "Alf loved to eat pussy" joke here.]
Anyways, the good news is it’s only 1:53 long, so it won’t take too much time out of your day, which, like I said, is already being eaten away by lotsa other new stuff. The bad news is, it’s only 1:53 long, so like that time in junior high school that you finally convinced Sarah Lifshin to let you feel her up over her shirt, it’s gonna be over way too soon.
Check out the song here. “U.F.O.” will be on Torche’s latest, Songs for Singles, which comes out September 21 on Hyrda Head.
-AR
Either Jon Leon’s ass is constantly emitting horrible smelling farts or the guy is really difficult to get along with… because according to this Craigslist ad, sent in to us by multiple sources, California trad metallers White Wizzard are looking for their fourth singer in just two years.
For those unfamiliar, the story goes something like this (and please pardon me if I miss some details — there’s a lot to keep track of). Bassist Jon Leon founded White Wizzard in 2007 with the lineup that would record what would eventually become the High-Speed GTO EP, released as a self-titled EP in 2008 and re-released by Earache in 2009. But by the time Earache put out the EP the lineup was completely different, and as I understand it the dudes whose pictures appeared on the album liner notes weren’t even the dudes who played on the record (except for Leon and possibly one other guy). The dudes who played on the record, however, had since gone on to form their own band, Holy Grail, now signed to Prosthetic Records.
By which I do not mean that Ms. Christmas has found God. I meant “CHRIST!” more in a “screaming random shit when you orgasm” kinda way.
‘Cause while Made Out of Babies’ often seemingly badshit crazy (in the best possible way) front lady announced her first solo album, The Bad Wife, back in June, now the album has a November 9 release date via Rising Pulse Records, and — score!!! — not one, but two tracks from the album have been released: “Bow” and “July 31.” And if for some reason you were worried about a Baby-less Christmas, well, don’t be. These songs are just grand: original and visceral and elegant and scary and intriguing and all the things you’ve loved about Christmas’ work with MOOB, Battle of Mice, and Spylacopa. I can’t wait to hear the rest of this album.
Check out the new songs here.
-AR
Anyone wanna hear something awesome? I mean, no pressure. Maybe you don’t like awesome things. Maybe you just e-mailed us to tell say that we should give the new EP by The Devil Wears Prada “an honest listen” because it’s “something real different for them.” Maybe you think the Bring Me the Horizon album is “a real let-down,” ’cause, y’know, that band is usually so overwhelmingly brilliant. Maybe you’re deaf, and you enjoy just picking bands at random and sending links to bloggers, ’cause that amuses you, even if you can’t hear your own laughter as you hit “send.”
But if you do like awesome things, Cephalic Carnage are now streaming their latest, Misled by Certainty, right here. I’m not gonna tell you to “give it an honest listen,” because I don’t even know what the fuck that means. Just listen with your ears, the way you normally would. The music will scream gutturally for itself.
Misled by Certainty comes out August 31 — that’s this coming Tuesday!!! — on Relapse. And if you haven’t done so already, please read my droll “Metalcal Marijuana” interview with vocalist Len Leal here.
-AR
Holy shit, this is hilarious.
Last month rumors started to circulate that Snowy Shaw was the new bass player and clean vocalist for Dimmu Borgir. I mean, really, they were barely rumors. Everyone knew it was true. Therion, Shaw’s previous band, even basically said as much in a press release.
Then, yesterday, Dimmu Borgir finally confirmed the so-called “rumor,” and even released photos of Snowy in his Dimmu Borgetup:
Call me cynical, but I assume that announcement was made now, a month after we all already knew what the deal was, to help promote Dimmu’s new single, “Gateways,” which went on sale via various digital retailers yesterday (it is not, as of this writing, streaming anywhere that I know of). I still haven’t heard the song, but I assume that it sounds an awful lot like Dimmu Borgir, only with Snowy Shaw singing instead of ICS Vortex.
Problem is, I just read that Snowy has now quit Dimmu and returned to Therion.
