JUST WHAT THE WORLD NEEDED: MOTORHEAD SKIS
So, uh, Noisecreep tells us that a company called Head USA is now making Motorhead-themed skis. Because when I think “beautiful snowy resort getaway,” I think “dude with a giant mole on his face,” y’know?
Archive for February, 2011
WANNA HEAR AN EPIC, ORCHESTRATED VERSION OF CONVERGE’S “JANE DOE?”
OF COURSE YA DO! So thank the anonymous reader who sent us a link to the below vid. Yes, it would be way cooler if this were being played by an actual orchestra and wasn’t just a synth-simulation, but it’s still pretty frickin’ amazing that someone took the time to do this… and he did such a good job, too! Whenever my non-metal friends express disbelief that I “can listen to this stuff,” I try to tell them about the kinship between extreme music and classical music, and assert that if you took out all the screaming and had an orchestra play the same music, they would all “get” the skill involved in these compositions. But they usually just look at me like I’m crazy. Hopefully, this will do a little more to prove my point in the future…
And just for kicks, here’s an 8-bit version of the same song… sounds kinda like a Genghis Tron demo…
FREE DOWNLOAD FOR YOUR LISTENING PLEASURE: NYC SUCKS, VOLUME 2, FEATURING THE BEST OF NEW YORK CITY’S METAL SCENE
Tuesday, February 22nd, 2011 at 5:00pm by MetalSucks
OH HELL YES. Volume 2 of NYC Sucks, the completely free comp we’ve put together to spotlight some of the best metal bands currently dominating the New York metal scene, IS FINALLY HERE. Featuring thirteen songs by as many bands, who run the gamut from death metal to stoner metal to black metal to grind to we-don’t-even-know-what-the-hell-to-call-it — this is a great sampling of all that New York’s thriving metal scene has to offer. And we’re giving it to you for the low, low cost of FREE.
You can stream, or, better yet, just download the comp below. It contains high-quality 320kbps MP3s, as well as a PDF of digital liner notes with information about all the bands. Please help get the word out… send the comp to your friends, put it up on torrent sites, submit it to .rar Mediafire blogs… just spread the friggin’ music by any means necessary!
And don’t forget that Volume 1, featuring fourteen more great bands and songs, is already out and available for free download here!
—> DOWNLOAD NYC SUCKS VOLUME 2 HERE <—
(includes 320kbps MP3 files, Album Cover, PDF Liner Notes)
1. Wetnurse – “Not Your Choice”
2. Tombs – “The Great Silence”
3. Moth Eater – “Aftermath”
4. Hull – “Healer”
5. The Austerity Program – “Song 6″
6. Defeatist – “Dawn of No Light”
7. Goes Cube – “Year of the Human”
8. Krallice – “Autochthon”
9. Empyreon – “Beyond Perception”
10. Abacinate – “The Bundy Curse”
11. IKILLYA – “Godsize”
12. Atakke – “Fight Makes Right”
13. The Ghost in Black and White – “Restraint Impalement”
COMPLETELY UNREADABLE BAND LOGO OF THE WEEK: WIN A COPY OF LEMMY ON BLU-RAY
Congratulations to reader Cody Coates, who correctly identified last week’s logo as belonging to the band Anencephalic Phallopagus. Cody wins a copy of the new Abaddon Incarnate/Phobia split 7″! Three cheers for Cody! Hip-hip-hoo-ray! Hip-hip-hoo-ray! HIP-HIP-HOO-RAY!
This week we have another super-duper special prize for you, courtesy the nice folks at Megaforce: a Blu-ray copy of the new documentary Lemmy: 49% Motherfuckker, 51% Son of a Bitch. I just watched this bad boy over the weekend and it’s a really, really in-depth and fascinating look into the life and mind of one of metal’s most influential icons. And the Blu-ray comes with a metric TON of extra features. It hits shelves today (and entered this week’s Soundscan video chart at #1) — you can order a Blu-ray copy here or a DVD copy here, or, of course, just enter this contest!
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.
This week’s logo was provided, yet again, by the great David Foust. David, I really appreciate you scouring the internet for these things so that I don’t have to!
-AR
WILD STEVE: NO ONE DOES NOT BRING HIM DOWN
Alright, so our friend Allie first showed this to us way back in December, and it’s pretty much the greatest thing in the history of ever. And yet, we somehow never got around to posting it. But we’re correcting that error right now!
So: MetalSucks Maniacs, meet Wild Steve. Please give him a warm welcome, and show him some respect. No, seriously: He is the heavyweight mosh skills mosh, so GET IT IN YOUR FUCKING SKULLS — YOU’LL GET FUCKING MOOSHED IF YOU FUCK WITH HIM.
Alright, so anyone wanna take any guesses as to what made him so angry before he made this video? Who fucked with Wild Steve? Who fucked with Wild Steve?!?
Here’s another clip from Wild Steve, which he apparently modeled on those videos terrorists send out. Choice moments include:
YOU KNOW DYING FETUS… BUT DO YOU REALLY KNOW DYING FETUS?
Starting this past January, Relapse Records began reissuing albums from Dying Fetus’ back catalogue, re-mastered, re-packaged, and bonus-trackified. First came 1995′s Infatuation With Malevolence early demo compilation and 1996′s Purification Through Violence; next up on the docket are 1998′s Killing on Adrenaline and 1999′s Grotesque Impalement EP, set to be re-issued next Tuesday, March 1st. Both of the latter are currently streaming at DyingFetus.info.
Whether you’re an old-school death metal lover or newcomer to the scene who’s a fan of modern DM of any kind — tech-death / Sumeriancore / deathcore / bree / whatever — you owe it yourself to check out these reissues. Truth be told, I didn’t really get into death metal until later on in my metal evolution (metalvolution?), and this is my first time hearing these older Fetus records. These guys were doing it at kind of a weird time for the genre, after the early ’90s explosion but before death metal became cool again. Much respect to any band who soldiers through an era when their brand of music isn’t popular at all. Listening to these records now, it’s obvious how much influence Fetus had on today’s death metal scene some 15 years later. We’ll forgive them for using the Papyrus font on the cover of Grotesque Impalement; it was only 1999, after all.
Stream both records here, and pre-order them here (Killing…) and here (Grotesque…).
-VN
INSTINCT: AS BLOOD RUNS BLAH
The first cut on As Blood Runs Black’s sophomore offering, Instinct, is called “Triumph,” and it’s an appropriate title. The forty-one second long instrumental is an epic, Gothenburgian score to a horror movie that doesn’t exist — think the riff that begins and concludes The Black Dahlia Murder’s “I Will Return,” and you’ll have some idea of what I’m talking about. I enjoyed this brief intro so much, in fact, that I assumed I was about to listen to an album which, if lacking in innovation, would at least be a lot of fun. Maybe I’d finally become an ABRB fan after all.
Alas — “Triumph” is the best thing on Instinct, an otherwise fine-but-unspectacular effort.
PHOTOS: IMMORTAL AND ABSU IN BALTIMORE ON FEBRUARY 20, 2011
Tuesday, February 22nd, 2011 at 2:30pm by MetalSucks
Can you feel the EEEEEEBBBBBIIIIILLLL?!?! MetalSucks’ own Alyssa Lorenzon was at the Immortal/Absu show at the Sonar in Baltimore this past Sunday night, and, as always, she managed to capture some kick-ass pics while she was there. The above is a just a small taste of the mighty power of Alyssa’s eye and lens; check out the rest of her awesome photos after the jump!
ANACRUSIS: AN INTERVIEW WITH KENN NARDI, PLUS A NEW TRACK!
Tuesday, February 22nd, 2011 at 2:00pm by D.X. FerrisAnacrusis have posted “The Killer in My House,” their first new song since 1993′s Screams and Whispers LP. The band will play a reunion show at St. Louis’ Firebird on Saturday, Feb. 26. Listen below, or click here for a no-hassle free download .
The players came together in the mid-’80s, and formally launched as Anacrusis in 1986. Readers of UK mag Metal Forces voted 1987′s Annihilation Complete Demo of the Year. The band ultimately signed to Metal Blade. Over the years, they toured with Death, D.R.I. and Overkill, playing a melodic, downtuned thrash-prog hybrid that was way ahead of its time. Slayer/Trouble producer Bill Metoyer executive-produced their final album, Screams and Whispers. They split in 1993 and reunited last year to re-record their first two LPs. Two shows followed, in their hometown of St. Louis and Germany’s Keep It True Festival. The band return to Germany in June for the Rock Hard Festival.
[New video, old song: The re-recorded version of "Imprisoned" from 2010's Hindsight: Suffering Hour and Reason Revisited, originally from 1988's Suffering. Live footage from 2010 reunion shows in St. Louis and Germany's Keep It True festival. ]
The new track was born during last year’s sessions. Frontman Kenn Nardi told MetalSucks about what will come next.
YEAH, BUT LOOK WHAT THEY DID TO MY CAT!
Reader Mat Cross sent us a link to Vancouver’s Unleash the Archers with a message insisting that “YOU HAVE TO CHECK OUT THIS BAND THEY RULE SO HARD!!” Well, I appreciate Mat’s enthusiasm, and I’m all for bands that rule so hard, so I decided to check the band out ASAP.
And, uh, I honestly am not quite sure what I think.
HARDCORE GETS OLD
Longevity in hardcore is a rare thing. Black Flag and Minor Threat have been broken up for decades, while groups like Cro-Mags and Dead Kennedys have sporadically revived with curious and even dueling lineups over the years. So last year, when H2O celebrated their fifteenth anniversary, it was a pretty big deal. Yet fellow NYHC figures Sick Of It All have a good ten years on that, with 2011 as their twenty-fifth anniversary year. Daaaaaamn, son!
To celebrate this occasion, SOIA have put together an exclusive concert with a jaw-dropping lineup for fans of hardcore and post-hardcore alike. On March 26, they headline Webster Hall (formerly The Ritz) with Snapcase, Merauder, and Razorblade Handgrenade in the support slots. Tickets are on sale now and, frankly, the reunited Snapcase have enough pull to sell out the venue themselves, so don’t delay in snagging yours.
Check out the video from “Death Or Jail” off SOIA’s awesome 2010 album Based on a True Story.
-GS
THE WORST DUBSTEP METAL BASTARDIZATION YET: PANTERA MEDLEY
Last week I posted about “djentstep,” a sub-genre hybrid that sounds exactly like what you’d expect and is exactly as bad as you’d expect. Shockingly, most of you seemed to share in my disapproval, which was actually more of the “who needs this? meh” variety than outright haterade.
Reader Tony Manka responded by emailing me a whole list of horrible dubstep bastardizations. The worst of those, a dub medley of Pantera riffs, is posted below. Theoretically I could envision that sample-thingy that opens “Cowboys From Hell” being turned into some kind of cool dub remix… but this just isn’t it. Feel free to disagree with me, tell me that I’m just being old, or to show your age by claiming that Pantera suck.
-VN
VICTORY RECORDS SIGNS SOME NU-METAL FURRY BAND CALLED THE BUNNY THE BEAR
The latest addition to the family over at leading independent music retailer VICTORY RECORDS is some band called THE BUNNY THE BEAR. I’m not too familiar with them but they kinda sound like Alien Ant Farm meets Panic At The Disco (with the trancecore breakdowns of Attack Attack! or Abandon All Ships thrown in) — in other words, a very innovative mix of influences that range from old school to cutting edge! IDK, I feel like the press release does a better job of describing it than I can:
I HOPE VINCE NEIL GETS SHANKED IN PRISON
THE FUCKING BALLS ON VINCE NEIL.
Let’s review the man’s past, shall we?
- In 1984, he was in a drunk driving accident that killed Hanoi Rocks drummer Razzle and severely injured two other people, leaving at least one of them with permanent brain damage. Neil was unharmed. He did thirty days in prison, 200 hours of community service, and paid a couple of million dollars in restitution — in other words, a relative slap on the wrist for the super-rich mega-star that he was at the time.
- In June of 2010, he was arrested in Las Vegas and charged with DUI… again.
- A week later, he was back onstage, joking around about his love of alcohol.
- In December of 2010, he gave a video interview where he was not only clearly inebriated, but he was seen getting behind the wheel of his car with multiple passengers while drunk.
- Last month, he was sentenced to fifteen days in prison for his the June DUI — – in other words, a relative slap on the wrist for the super-rich former mega-star that he is.
So what does Neil think of his punishment? He tells the Las Vegas Sun:
SHIT THAT COMES OUT TODAY – THE FEBRUARY 22, 2011 EDITION
New releases from Darkest Hour, DevilDriver and Evergrey top this week’s list of releases in the “veteran” category. Click on through to the other side to see what else is being officially released.
ARE THE HAUNTED ABOUT TO RELEASE AN AWESOME POP METAL ALBUM?
Last month we got to hear a live version of “No Ghost,” a new song from The Haunted’s forthcoming Unseen; now another new track, “Disappear,” has been played on the radio, which, of course, means it’s now on the internet. You can check it out below.
What’s interesting about “Disappear,” especially in conjunction with “No Ghost,” is that it suggests a) that Unseen is gonna be a shamelessly hook-heavy album, and b) that Unseen is gonna make a lot of people very, very angry. Personally, I think both songs are great; I don’t even know if they’re metal so much as they’re hard rock, but it’s nice to hear something so catchy amidst all the unstructured noise that bands are trying to pass off as music these days. Unseen might not exactly be Made Me Do It, but I am betting that it’s gonna be really, really good.
But who knows? Maybe there’s some way heavier shit we still haven’t heard on the album. As long as it gets stuck in my head the way this track did, I really do not care.
Unseen comes out later this year on Century.
-AR
[via Blabs]
PRESENTING “THE HYPERSLEEP DIALOGUES TREK,” FEATURING BETWEEN THE BURIED AND ME, THE OCEAN, JOB FOR A COWBOY AND CEPHALIC CARNAGE
Tuesday, February 22nd, 2011 at 10:00am by MetalSucks
Yesterday we got news of a new Between the Buried and Me record and today we get news of a new Between the Buried and Me North American tour! Yippee!
We already kinda knew that Between the Buried and Me would be touring this Spring with The Ocean and Job For A Cowboy based on one leaked date and the fact that all three bands appear atop this year’s New England Metal and Hardcore Fest lineup. In all honesty, though, we already totally knew; in case you haven’t noticed yet, our logo is on that there tour poster above, meaning we’re a sponsor of the tour… and it was killing us not to tell ya’ll these past couple of months because we knew how excited you’d be. But now you know, we all know, EVERYONE knows, and together we’ll revel in this awesome lineup, which also features Cephalic Carnage on select dates!
Full list of dates after the jump.
LEYLA FORD RAMBLES ABOUT WHY ROCKSTARS SHOULDN’T RAMBLE
Andy McCoy, one of the founding members of Hanoi Rocks, wrote a book. In 2008. [Our own Corey Mitchell reviewed it in 2010. - Ed.] I read it pretty recently as it came to me with a bunch of Christmas/Hannukah/New Year’s loot. My family doesn’t celebrate anything, so we basically give each other presents because the year is over. Yeah, I don’t know. We put up a tree, too.
Anyway, I kind of dropped the ball on Andy, and that’s kind of a recurring thing these days, because every once in a while I get caught up on that “having a life thing.” I did finally read it, though, and I quite enjoyed it. To an extent. Now, I love books. Reading = fun times for me. I usually have three or four books I’m juggling and one of them is almost always a music biography. But Sherriff McCoy; Outlaw Legend of Hanoi Rocks goes on the pile of band books that really could’ve used a good edit.
BARING TEETH HAVE BITE
Photo by Stephanie Mitchell
Willowtip’s press release announcing the signing of Dallas’ Baring Teeth describes the band’s music as “progressive, technical death metal with strong atmospheric doom and avant-garde influences” — but I think Vince’s more succinct delineation is also more accurate: “Awesome/weird proggy grind.”
How else would you describe a band that basically sounds like a ray gun factory run perilously amok? Baring Teeth are impressive because, unlike so many of their peers, they manage to simultaneously retain the tropes that make us love grind in the first place, while creating a sound which is wholly original. This is the kind of band that is going to elicit very, very strong reactions from listeners — I imagine they will instantly fall into the “Holy shit I LOVE this” or “Holy shit I HATE this” category for pretty much everyone.
Here’s a video of the band rehearsing a new song, the title of which, alas, I do not know:
CAPSULE LIVE HARD IN THE POST-BREAKDOWN WORLD ON NO GHOST
Capsule have a bright and kinetic sound that I associate with a lot of bands I out-and-out despise (their merch — the kind with loud colors and random images, often owls — doesn’t help matters). And No Ghost, their latest, is reminiscent of the deluge of boring post-hardcore bands that we’re still getting pelted with today, the kind arrogant rich white kids think is the greatest and only music ever made, rolling their eyes at you when you claim, “No, I’ve heard this, and this is much more dull than the crap it’s ripping off.”
But I don’t hate Capsule. Hell, I like No Ghost quite a bit. They ride the same rail their post-Blood Brothers/Poison the Well scenester friends do, but manage to stay on it and confidently harness what those bands did to captivate: a reservoir of angular chords and noodling, a tight-but-spontaneous rhythm section, and appropriate vocals (No tone-deaf clean singing! Holy shit!). It actually sounds FRESH and NEW. They sound CREATIVE. Most importantly, they sound INTERESTING. That in itself is a small miracle in this genre. It challenges the preconceived notions of its intended audience. But at the same time, it isn’t really a difficult or challenging record. I kept waiting for a moment to drop into No Ghost that would make me hate it. But it never arrived.
