The music industry is rapidly contracting; this much everyone knows. But by how much? And just how quickly are things deteriorating? Is it necessarily all gloom and doom across the board?

If you dork out on music industry stats like I do, then this recently released study by ClickItTicket.com is for you. They’ve compiled a giant scrolling graphic that shows a number of different metrics in easy-to-read chart form; recorded music sales, digital sales, live concert ticket sales, most downloaded iTunes songs of all time, how much (on average) each member of a band gets from a record sale, how the money is split up between distributor/label/band… these just are a few of the topics.

Anyone remotely interested in the future of the music biz — which should be all of you — should absolutely take a look. It’s fascinating.

-VN

At the risk of sounding, like, all cheesy and shit, I really look up to the Decidudes. When they say something is good, I really, really, really wanna understand it — that is, I won’t listen to it and, if I don’t like it, just say “Well fuck this” and throw on some IWABO in protestation. I’ll listen to it again and again and again so I can at least have some comprehension of what it is they appreciate about the music in question.

So. Earlier today, The Deciblog posted a full album stream of Ehnahre’s Taming the Cannibals, which reluctant Decibel/MetalSucks go-between Andrew Bonazelli calls “a late contender for mind/face-fuck of the year.” Things is, I’ve been listening to it all morning, and I just do not get it. It’s right up there with Bloody Panda in the “Things Intelligent People Tell Me are Awesome but I Just Find Totally Soporific” club. And I loves me some Portal, so I feel like my tolerance for noise masquerading as music is pretty high. But this shit is just way, way, way the fuck over my head.

Go here to give the album a listen, then come back and tell me what I’m missing. Taming the Cannibals comes out on Crucial Blast, uh, soon I suspect!, and features members of Kayo Dot. So, there’s that.

-AR

‘Cause if I have, I haven’t done so enough and it bears repeating. The new Holy Grail album fucking rips. The new Holy Grail album fucking rips. The new Holy Grail album fucking rips. Seriously folks… this album takes all assholes and leaves them gaping wide open.

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Hey, it’s time for another edition of “Cinemetal Round-Up,” in which I lump a bunch of new metal videos together rather than write individual posts for each one! YYYYAAAAAYYYYY!!!!

First up today we have Triptykon’s video for “Shatter,” the title track from their new, five-song EP, which comes out next week. I don’t know what to say about about this video other than “It looks really, really cool.” Tom G. Warrior apparently came up with the concept himself, which shouldn’t surpirse anyone, and director Philipp Hirsch did an awesome job with the execution. It’s a great song, too! If you love it as much as we do, check back later today for more extra-special Triptykonian goodness, exclusively here at MetalSucks.

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It’s sad that gear getting stolen is a not-uncommon occurrence in the metal world — but the fact that it seems to happen so frequently never makes me any less pissed-off about it. And now it’s happened to a very direct member of the MetalSucks family, so… you might imagine that we’re fuming, and you’d be right.

A post from Periphery’s official Facebook page:

Since it seems that at least two of these guitars are rare/one-of-a-kind, hopefully they’ll be recovered quickly, as was the case with Katatonia’s stolen gear last month. And then hopefully someone will make the thief eat his own nuts.

While we wait for a happy resolution to this woeful tale, read Periphery guitarist Misha “Bulb” Mansoor’s “MetalSucks.net/Gear_Geek” column and learn why the idiot who took this guitar will never do as much good with it as Periphery would.

And don’t forget that Periphery will part of the MetalSucks sponsored Legacy Tour along with Darkest Hour (playing a “best of” set from their fifteen year career), Veil of Maya, and Revocation. Get dates here.

-AR

When all is said and done with The California Blood Tour currently criss-crossing the nation, the poor lads in Knights of the Abyss are going to be remembered not for their live shows but for a series of hilarious and embarrassing viral videos filmed on the road.

It seems as if Cattle Decapitation have taken to hazing their opening act; whether it comes from a place of brotherly love or genuine malice we can’t say for sure! The first incident, you may remember, featured a vicious bitch-slap bestowed upon KOTA’s guitarist Brian McNulty by Cattle Decapitation’s tour manager after the latter over-indulged and missed the second night of the tour. The latest hijinx occurred after Cattle Decap got fed up with Knights of the Abyss’s bass player always leaving his bass out, a big no-no when you’re on tour. So they decided to kidnap the bass, make a piñata out of it and… yep, jizz all over it:

If you’re Knights of the Abyss all of this may be a bit humiliating, but here we are talking about a band we probably wouldn’t be talking about otherwise; a couple of would-be fans are sure to click that there MySpace link I just posted. So I were Knights of the Abyss I’d keep doing stupid shit on tour. Get the remaining dates of the tour (which also features Devourment, Burning the Masses and Son of Aurelius) here.

-VN

I’m a total pop culture noob. Even though Axl posted a death metal version of Antoin Dodson’s “Bed Intruder” a few weeks back, he still had to explain to me what all the fuss is about. I get it now! I feel so cool.

The latest version of the now infamous track comes from New Jersey melodeathsters Mutiny Within. The musical treatment definitely sounds like MW, but the auto-tuned vocals make it sound all crunkcore or something. Which I suppose is the point.

I’d love to hear the bree-bree version of this track. If any enterprising MS readers want to take a stab at it I promise I’ll post it!

-VN

So at some point in 2008, Mick Barr, of Krallice/Orthrelm/Crom-Tech fame, teamed up with Brooks Headley, the ex-Born Against drummer is now a world-class pastry chef — and thus Oldest was born. The project has never performed live, but they’ve finally released an album unto the world. The six-song, thirty minute release combines the band’s “first well-produced recording with the second under-produced recording.” Well, at least they’re being honest!

In all seriousness, Oldest is pretty frickin’ awesome. It combines all the craziness we’ve come to expect from Barr with an off-the-rails punkier feel befitting the former drummer for Born Against. (Alas, they didn’t figure out a way to work Headley’s pastry skills into the mix. Oh well. Maybe next time.)

The band is doing a very, very limited run of these CDs — only a hundred made. You can get details on how to purchase one here, and they’re only twelve bucks (thirteen if you’re a stoopid Canadian or fourteen if you’re a dumm Europeein). So, obviously, don’t dilly-dally; go buy one now.

-AR

Well, it’s Sunday again: Time for nachos, football and terrible beer and car ads. One ad in particular that caught my attention this week opens with a young red coat running through the forest, who rushes to his pals who are awaiting the oncoming Yanks during the Revolutionary War. They seem confident in their numbers and abilities as the Union Jack sways in the wind, when out of nowhere George Fucking Washington comes blasting at them in the new Dodge Challenger complete with an American flag. WOO-HOO!!! Holy shit, Britain, look out!!! He must have built a god damned time machine and decided to forgo the WMD’s and use scare tactics instead. This ain’t no horse and buggy, you English bastards!!!

The best part is when Dexter, who does the voice-over, announces “Here are a couple of things America got right: cars and freedom.” I actually laughed at this point in the ad. Apparently Dodge thinks that all football fans are lowest common denominator no-sleeve American flag t-shirt wearing morons. I mean, I’m sure some of us are, but come on.

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In the early moments of our conversation, I confirmed with busy Atheist frontman Kelly Shaefer that we would limit our interview time to the industry-standard 15 minutes. Shaefer responded amiably, “As much time as you need, man.” To this, I replied jokingly, “Gosh, how much time have you got?” And though we shared a chuckle at this, neither of us could’ve expected our little phone chat to stretch to 2.5 hours over two days. (Of course, it eventually became clear that nothing less should’ve been expected from two lefty pothead metal guitarists who drink a shitload of Mountain Dew and love talking metal.)

Last week, part one found Shaefer and I delving into big, brainy, conceptual stuff, like his approaches to songwriting and singing, the birth of his genre, and the right-on-time return to awesomeness by his classic band (the new record is called Jupiter, but duh you know that).

Today, MetalSucks unsheathes partie deux, in which the tirelessly gracious, funny, and plainspoken Shaeffer (above, right) indulges my questions about more tangible Atheist business, like record label politics, the importance of good packaging, former Atheist guitarist Rand Burkey, current Atheist guitarist Kelly Shaefer (he and his “guitar still are very best friends”), the squashing of inter-band beefs, America’s shameful marijuana policies (I started it, sorry), and so very, very much more. (Spoiler: We do eventually stop talking on the phone.)

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Photo of a real live female in a real live pit courtesy Justina Villanueva. Hey, Justina is a woman, too!

One of the most enjoyable parts of being a metalhead, in my opinion at least, is being able to catch my favorite bands live. The concert experience – whether it’s taking place at an arena, a bar, or a basement – is an integral part of our culture, and that fact alone is one of the few things keeping this industry alive (financially, at least; metal itself is forever. Duh). Now, as many of you may have noticed (and lamented), there is a distinct lack of estrogen floating around amidst those churning seas of testosterone we call metal shows. I’ve been to many, many, MANY metal shows, and am always invariably one of the few (if not the only) women there. It depends on the genre, of course; you’re probably not going to find nearly as much eye candy down front at Darkened Nocturn Slaughtercult or Cannabis Corpse as you’ll stumble across at a stoner rock show or see at, I don’t know… Lacuna Coil or As I Lay Dying. The safer (and lamer) the band, the more chicks you’ll find lining up to buy a ticket. Why? I wish I could share the secret with you dudes, but honestly, I don’t get it either. Why a fly-ass honey wouldn’t want to squeeze into a dark room packed with sweaty, hairy men and blow out her eardrums in the name of Satan is beyond me, but I’m not going to delve into the why-don’t-girls-like-metal debate today – it’s been done. Instead, let’s just be stoked that girls are coming to shows at all, in ever-increasing numbers no less.

I’ve come up with a handy little survival guide of sorts for both my sisters-in-arms, as well as ladies who’ve never been to a metal show before, but are curious about what goes on and might be interested in popping their concertgoing cherries. A lot of this stuff is pure common sense, but I’ve also picked up a trick or two over the years that just might make your night a helluva lot better, and may get you to bring some girlfriends out to the next one!

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It is no mystery that I generally hate tech-death and deathcore, and ESPECIALLY bands who combine the two like Faceless, Braindrill, BTBAM, and so forth. It’s possible that the genres bore the fuck out of me because I’ve been listening to this shit for 20+ years and blast beats stopped being novel to me sometime in the mid 90s, but it’s also possible that I’m just not a beardo who thinks that a metronome is worth fapping over.

I guess there is something in the water up in Canada, or maybe there’s just nothing better to do there than sit in your room and practice your instrument, because there sure are a lot of tech-deathcore bands from up there. I can’t get into that stuff for the most part, but I was pretty pleasantly surprised by the new track from BENEATH THE MASSACRE. Despite having an “X the Y” name and playing a lot of notes, this band is pretty sick– check them out if you are fiending for some Ion Dissonance/The Faceless type shit. I think they have a recording out now on Prosthetic or something.

-Sergeant D.

Are you ready for new music from Gwar?!?! Well ready or not, here it comes! “Sick and Twisted” is your latest sampling of new music from Gwar’s forthcoming release, Gwar’s Bloody Pit of Horror. It might be the band’s most tasteless song EVER, so crank that shit loud and make sure to offend the neighbors, make your dad shit himself, your mom fist herself, and your grandma puke all over her poodle. Then go here to pre-order the album before Metal Blade releases it on November 9.

And don’t forget that Gwar are on tour right now! If you’ve ever seen the band live before, you know how much fun they are, and if you haven’t, well, don’t miss out! Get a complete tour itinerary after the jump, including FIVE NEW DATES which MetalSucks can now exclusively reveal to your, or beloved readers.

Finally — don’t forget to ask Oderus a question for the next installment of the “Ask Oderus” series he does exclusively for MetalSucks!

[this streaming promotion has ended]

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Apparently the Alexi Laiho giveaway we announced last month was a popular contest, and with all these sweet prizes it’s not shocking that so many of you entered and have since been pestering us to announce the winner:

• 1 ESP LTD Alexi Scythe 600 Guitar
• 1 Rock House Metal Pack of 24 Instructional DVDs
• 1 year’s supply of Alexi Signature DR Strings (24 sets)
• 1 “Coffin Case” for the ESP guitar
• 1 Autographed Alexi EMG set
• 1 Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock Guitar Bundle (Winner’s choice on the console)

The suspense is over, as MetalSucks reader RumuluXX is the lucky one who will be receiving all that great gear listed above. We asked you to tell us what your favorite Children of Bodom guitar solo was and why, and here’s the answer he gave:

My favorite Bodom solo is Needled 24/7, and it should be yours too. Why? Because the first time I heard it I got an erection so massive that it tore a hole in time and space that created an alternate universe. An alternate universe where Ted Nugent only plays music and never talks. An alternate universe where Cliff Burton is still alive and Metallica is still relevant. An alternate universe where Chris Farley is alive and the guys who made Vampires Suck/Date Movie/Epic Movie are raped on a daily basis by an incredibly large black man known only by the name of “Incredibly Large Black Man. Every time I hear this solo our world crosses into that one a little bit more, and isn’t that a world you want to live in?

Congrats, dude! Enjoy your bounty.

Remember last year, when I told you about The Elite, a new band featuring Chimaira guitarist Rob Arnold and Bleed the Sky drummer Austin D’Amond? Well, Mr. Arnold has now uploaded the first in what is apparently going to be a five-part mini-movie chronicling the creation of the band’s debut EP, WW3. Check it out below.

I can’t imagine that anyone who digs Chimaira wouldn’t also enjoy The Elite; I mean, the riffs are unmistakably Arnold. Check out The Elite here.

-AR

Thanks: Kristoffer Infante

Ever wondered if there someone who could make James Hetfield’s vocals on “Enter Sandman” sound like a godsend? If there was someone who could just take the whole song and make it sound that much, y’know, Bob Rockier?

Ladies and gents, Mr. Adam Lambert:

I don’t hate this because it’s “not metal.” I mean, I sorta do. But, really, I hate this because it sucks. It sucks really, really bad.

-AR

Blame Hetal Bhatt for telling us about this.

Paul Booth flashes the horns for MS.

This special report from the 2010 NY Comic-Con is brought to you by Rodney Githens of Vertebrae 33, designer of this killer MetalSucks t-shirt!

The mission was simple… to spend time at the NY Comic Con, people-watch and take some pictures of various nerds blazing the horns right smack-dab next to a MetalSucks shirt. I usually attend the Con but this time I thought it would be cool to get the word out about Metal Sucks as well as my clothing company Vertebrae33. There is really no end to the picture possibilities when you assemble that many comic geeks under one roof.

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If you aren’t yet hip to NYC doom crushers Batillus then you’re missing out on some serious metal. Axl and I were toking on some super-potent mega-Chronic he happened to score recently and we popped on the vinyl of their Vendetta Records split release with Maine’s Hallowed Butchery. The pounding, slow, and decimatingly crushing tones that washed over us were the perfect compliment to the perfect high, and coupled with a glass of Knappogue Castle Whiskey put us in just the right mood for that night’s show (Valient Thorr, Junius, and Howl). Batillus’ side of the split features the same tracks that were on their second EP (the Beard Destroyer Tour EP, recorded last summer by Brendan Tobin of Made Out of Babies). Live, the band crushes just as hard as they do on record; even MS commenter / uber-elitist Ziltoid copped to liking Batillus, but that was like two years ago already and they’re probably too popular for him now or something.

Three of the four members of Batillus wrote exclusive studio blogs for us this past Spring when they trekked to Chicago to record with esteemed producer Sanford Parker (Nachtmystium, Rwake, Pelican, etc); we can’t wait to hear the combined efforts of that pairing at some point in 2011.

In the meantime Batillus are playing one of our two CMJ showcases, Saturday, October 23rd at Fontana’s, along with Powerglove, Wetnurse, The Binary Code, Pack of Wolves, and Meek is Murder (4pm / $10 / 21+). Sailor Jerry Rum is providing free booze from 4-5pm and drinks for only $3 after that, so come on out early on your Saturday to get your fix of doom. They’re also doing some dates around the Northeast this fall, posted after the jump.

-VN

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W.A.S.P. have had a problem putting on drama-free shows as of late. They cancelled a few too many here in the States this year, and while the band actually managed to show up for their gig in Orebro, Sweden this past Friday night, they weren’t able to get through the concert without incident: Classic Rock tells us that a “drunken fan” bit the ear off of a security guard at the venue. As though there were such a thing as a sober W.A.S.P. fan.

More tragic, though, is that in addition to biting the poor guy’s ear off, the fan apparently “verbally attacked the guard.” I’m sure the guard’s feelings were very hurt.

Actually, anyone know if the fan verbally attacked the guard before or after he bit his ear off? ‘Cause if it was after, the guard might not have been able to hear it anyway.

Against everyone’s best judgment, Swedish officials announced that Blackie Lawless would still be allowed to live.

-AR

Here’s a fun story. The interwebs were aflutter on Saturday after Every Time I die posted two messages on their official Facebook page which seemed to suggest that they were breaking up. Here are screen caps of the posts in question:

So it’s easy to see how fans might misconstrue those messages to mean that the band were done.

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