There are a lot of metal and metal-related movies out there. There are classics like This is Spinal Tap, which I’ve introduced to countless people, all of whom eventually admitted to loving it. And of course, every metalhead worth his or her Woolite Dark knows the answer to the question “Who’d win in a wrestling match, Lemmy or God?” Detroit Rock City is one of my favorite movies, which is a little odd, because I don’t particularly like KISS, although I do enjoy fire and explosions. And no account of metal movies would be complete without the celluoid genocide that was Rockstar. No matter how god-awful that movie was (though it’s still one of my top “bad” movies to watch), every single person in the civilized world knows the words to “Stand Up and Shout” — and I don’t mean the Dio song. They play it at my alma mater’s hockey games.

And on top of those films, there are the documentary explorations of the genre, which gave us such memorable moments like Chris Holmes from W.A.S.P. chugging vodka in a pool while is mom watches miserably in Decline of Western Civilization Part II.

I am here to add another illustrious title to this collection of cinemetal classics. I will show you exactly how Cool As Ice is a metal movie, and not a rap one, as everyone assumes. And I have various degrees in film, so you know my word is truth.

Click to read more…

So I think the last time we heard about the new Gridlink album, it was scheduled to come out on via Hydra Head on February 22; that obviously didn’t happen, but it is coming out on March 29! And Noisecreep has premiered the title track*, which was formerly available only in instrumental form. And it’s just not Grindlink without Jon Chang’s vocals, y’know?

Needless to say, the song is a scorcher, and makes me really, really wanna hear the rest of the album. Like, right now.

Sigh. March 29 is just a couple of weeks away.

Whet your appetite for Orphan here. It’s a great way to blow off steam at the end of your work day. Just don’t mosh right into your boss, okay?

-AR

*You know how I know one of the dudes from Black Army Jacket is running Noisecreep now? Because they’re premiering a Gridlink song.

So remember last year, when I reviewed this really good album called Orogeny that this really good band from Alaska called Turbid North had released all by themselves? Well, that band won’t hafta self-release their shit no more: Unearth front man Trevor Phipps has signed the band to his Ironclad Recordings label, and Orogeny is getting a re-release “in mid to late June,” according to a press release.

Here’s Phipps on how this all came to pass:

“We got their self released disc a few months ago and it is in constant rotation here at Ironclad. With only a few copies released we wanted to broaden the exposure of the band and this phenomenal album.”

So if you had a hard time finding Orogeny before, hopefully, that’s about to change. This is a really, really aardvark-impaling record, so I’m glad these dudes will now be exposed to a wider audience.

Here’s the band’s video for the song “Between the Glacier and the Sea.” It’s not the greatest video ever made, but it will give you a sense of how hard these dudes impale aardvarks.

-AR

“Embrace the Sun” is my favorite song on the new (most recent I guess) Firewind album, Days of Defiance. It is that rarest of animals: a power metal song I love. “You can’t change the world, but you can change yourself” — that should be on a t-shirt or a bumper sticker or something. That shit is DEEP, man. I’m not being facetious, either — that is one of my favorite lyrics of 2010.

So I’m not going to say anything about shots of dudes staring out pensively at I’m not sure what, or the champagne, or Gus G. sitting on… is it rooftop? Is that a rooftop he’s sitting on?

Whatever. Awesome song. Days of Defiance is out now on Century. You should get it.

-AR

[via Metal Injection]

On Friday night I got to see Dysrhythmia not only play their first show since August, but also debut some new shit for a packed room at Union Pool in Brooklyn. And if you’re jealous that I was there and you weren’t, and that I got to hear some new Dysrhythmia and you didn’t, well, you oughta be.

Lucky for you, the always-reliable Joshua James (a.k.a. (((unartig)))) was there to video the show, and he got some great footage of two new songs. So now you can be a little less jealous. I still breathed the same air as Colin Marston’s awesome haircut and you didn’t, so I still win.

-AR

No guitar pedal is more well-known and widely used (or over-used if you’re Kirk Hammett) than the Cry Baby wah-wah. If you’ve got some time, dig into this new hour-long documentary on the Wah that started it all and its lasting effect on music, which our Brohemoths at Metal Injection posted over the weekend. Interviews with Eddie Van Halen, Jerry Cantrell, Slash, Kirk Hammett and Zakk Wylde should make it interesting for staunch metalheads while interviews with dozens of other guitar luminaries will delight your inner guitar-nerd.

Oh, what’s that? You’re not made of time? Make sure you at least watch the 2-minute intro sequence in which grown men do their best to vocally imitate the sound of the pedal. Because nothing says “metal” like a 65 year-old dude making funny noises with his mouth. Also, Eddie Van Halen officially sounds like he’s 153 years old.

After the jump, the official description of the documentary:

Click to read more…

WHAT THE FUCK WHAT THE FUCK WHAT THE FUCK WHAT THE FUCK WHAT THE FUCK WHAT THE FUCK WHAT THE FUCK WHAT THE FUCK WHAT THE FUCK WHAT THE FUCK WHAT THE FUCK WHAT THE FUCK WHAT THE FUCK WHAT THE FUCK WHAT THE FUCK WHAT THE FUCK WHAT THE FUCK WHAT THE FUCK WHAT THE FUCK WHAT THE FUCK WHAT THE FUCK WHAT THE FUCK WHAT THE FUCK WHAT THE FUCK WHAT THE FUCK WHAT THE FUCK WHAT THE FUCK WHAT THE FUCK WHAT THE FUCK WHAT THE FUCK WHAT THE FUCK WHAT THE FUCK WHAT THE FUCK WHAT THE FUCK WHAT THE FUCK WHAT THE FUCK WHAT THE FUCK WHAT THE FUCK WHAT THE FUCK…

…WHAT THE FUCK WHAT THE FUCK WHAT THE FUCK WHAT THE FUCK WHAT THE FUCK WHAT THE FUCK WHAT THE FUCK WHAT THE FUCK WHAT THE FUCK WHAT THE FUCK WHAT THE FUCK WHAT THE FUCK WHAT THE FUCK WHAT THE FUCK WHAT THE FUCK WHAT THE FUCK WHAT THE FUCK WHAT THE FUCK WHAT THE FUCK WHAT THE FUCK WHAT THE FUCK WHAT THE FUCK WHAT THE FUCK WHAT THE FUCK…

-WTF

There’s been lotsa speculation following Dredg’s claim that new album Chuckles and Mr. Squeezy would be a big departure from the band’s past. And now that there’s finally a new song for us to hear, the verdict is……

Click to read more…

We didn’t mention recent events in Japan this past Friday because, well, they weren’t metal-related. Sure, some touring bands, like Iron Maiden and Murderdolls, suddenly had to cancel their show plans, and High on Fire, miraculously, survived their second major natural disaster in as many months (the first being the earthquake in Christchurch, New Zealand), but that hardly seemed worth discussing in the midst of this major tragedy.

Then this morning we got the following e-mail from reader  Daisuke Kamiya:

“Hello, I am current university student at University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and an avid reader of Metalsucks. And if you read the email subject, I am assure not here to beg you guys to donate for Japan. All I’m here to ask is if you guys can post an awareness of what happening in my home country Japan and if you guys can just post a yahoo website to make metal heads around the world be aware that they too can help out.

“As we all know on March 11th 2011, an earthquake of magnitude 8.9 occurred 80 miles off the coast of Sendai, Japan, 230 miles northeast of Tokyo. This devastating earthquake is the worst in the history of Japan, causing disastrous floods that obliterated tens of thousands of buildings, devouring almost anything in its path. The government of Japan has estimated an over 10,000 death toll from this catastrophic event.

“And in return, here are some recommended pure Japanese metal bands that people should check out.”

Of course, we’re only too happy to oblige Daisuke. So here’s that website with a list of organizations you donate to if you want to help out.

And after the jump, check out the bands Daisuke recommended… with my own snarky commentary, of course. Because, unfortunately, your country undergoing a horrific ordeal does not necessarily make you talented.

Click to read more…

Have you guys heard this new Meshuggah song? It’s called “Two Worlds of Design.” I was listening to it, and at first I was like, “Oh YEAH! Mesuggah is back, bay-bee!” I mean, Jens Kidman’s voice sounded a little less like the Cookie Monster and a little more like that singer from that band my nephew likes, but whatevs. NEW MESHUGGAH FUCKING RULES. Amiriteoramiriteoramirite?

Then, partway through the song, I heard the ice cream truck outside. So I paused the tune to run and catch it, ’cause as much as I love Meshuggah, the internet ain’t goin’ nowhere, bu the ice cream truck only comes by once a day!

So I run outside, and there’s no ice cream truck. And I’m real bummed ’cause I musta just missed it. But I go back inside and decide to finish the Meshuggah song, ’cause that should cheer me up.

And as soon as I hit “play,” guess what happens? I HEARD THE ICE CREAM TRUCK AGAIN! God answered my prayers and gave me a second chance! So, again, I pause the song and I run outside.

Click to read more…

I’ve only just begun to dig into Protest the Hero’s new album Scurrilous — and by “just begun” I mean four listens, which for an album/band this dense is nothing — but so far so very, very good. Rest assured, these Canadians have neither made a go at the mainstream by dumbing down or gone so over-the-top wonky that they’re unlistenable; they’ve kept their Protest The Hero-ness intact while pushing things forward just that extra little bit.

Regular MS readers know that I don’t really ever listen to lyrics, and that’s certainly held true with Protest the Hero’s penchant for abstractness. But as I listen to Scurrilous I can’t help but be drawn in by the words… and then I come to find out that for the first time in the band’s history vocalist Rody Walker was left to pen the vocals instead of bassist Arif Mirabdulbaghi (on 7 of the album’s 10 tracks). Maybe Walker’s lyrics are more relatable, or perhaps they just strike a chord with me.

I bring up lyrics ’cause PtH just released new song “The Reign of Unending Terror” with one of those nifty-fifty lyric videos, great for people like me who have trouble deciphering lyrics at all. All that said above, I’ve watched this thing twice now and I still have no idea what the song is about. If I had to guess, I’d wager this is one of the three songs whose lyrics were written by Mirabdulbaghi, but that’s pure conjecture. Either way, the song is killer.

-VN

I know we give Bret Michaels a lot of shit around here, and rightfully so. But I actually do think he deserves a big pat on the back for this.

In case you haven’t been following the drama: Nikki Sixx has been saying no band of his would ever tour with Poison since as far back as 2004, and then in November Bret Michaels said that Motley Crue were going to tour with Poison, and then Tommy Lee was all “Oh no we’re not,” and then it turned out the tour was happening anyway, and then Nikki, rather than admit that The Crue are putting aside whatever hatred they have for Poison in order to please the fans/get paid, came out and was like, “Yeah, we’re just doing this tour with New York Dolls,” who will act as support on the bill.

Now, inevitably, Michaels has been asked about all the brewing drama in a recent interview. And he could have started some shit by smack talking Sixx right back, which I certainly would have found entertaining. Or he could have told some bullshit lie like Sixx did, which would have provided me the opportunity to make fun of him some more. But, no, he did something kind of unusual instead: he took the high road and told the truth.

Here are some choice excerpts:

Click to read more…

A++++ WDBWA to whoever put this together; we can’t believe it wasn’t done years ago.

Can I get “Bop bozadee bozadee bop zitty bop” in the house?

-VN

Thanks: Mykee Shaffer

After seeing that Red Fang are streaming a new song, “Dirt Wizard,” over at AP, I Googled the phrase “dirt wizard” to see if it has any special meaning of which I was unaware. But Google assumed I meant “dirty wizard,” which, according to the Urban Dictionary, is actually a sexual act I personally have yet to try:

“When one waves their dick around while saying ‘abracadabra’ and then cums on the girl’s face.”

It can also mean a dude with long, greasy hair. Red Fang probably meant that. That would make more sense for a metal band.

ANYWAY, the song rocks, and you should check it out. It comes off of Red Fang’s new album, Murder the Mountains, which Relapse will release on April 12.

And don’t forget that Red Fang are playing at our absolutey FREE SXSW party, South by Southdeath, from 2-6pm this Friday, March 18th at Headhunters, 720 Red River Street. Kvelertak, Wormrot, and Meek is Murder are also on the bill, and Full Blown Chaos’ Ray Mazzola is MCing. There are probably other SXSW  shows you could go do at this same time, but only if you’re lame. You’re not lame, are you?

-AR

The lucky ducks in Textures have the luxury of taking their sweet ass time to craft the perfect follow-up to their stunning 2008 release Silhouettes. That’s because they’re recording at guitarist Jochem Jacobs’ own Split Second Sound studio in Amsterdam, and only good things can come when you aren’t constrained by time and money… unless you’re Axl Rose.

While we already know Textures’ new record is going to be pretty much the best thing ever, for now we’ll have to settle for a little taste of all the savory goodness to come in the form of a video update from the studio. We get to hear what sounds like pre-production in the background while drummer Stef Brooks lays down his tracks, and we also get a glimpse into the creative process and how things are going with the two new band members.

Watch, get excited, then try your best to wait patiently for the next update.

-VN

Howdy pardners!!  This recent run of warm weather has us NYCers perplexed about what done happened to the Winter…..???

Not that we’re complaining, but in order to keep things coooool while Vince & I are shuckin fit up in sunny Austin this week, here are some ice-related tunes for y’all:

this one’s for Burley O…..

and this one is for Big Mac….

-KW

I like doing MetalSucks, in part, because I really do learn something new each and every week. You know what I learned this week, for example?

FUCK VAMPIRES.

Here are some other things we learned this week:

• The dudes in Lazarus A.D. like MetalSucks.
• Swamp Thing and Indian have awesome new music coming out.
• The Human Abstract’s A.J. Minette and Travis Richter know a lot about music theory, Mr. Big’s Eric Martin knows a lot about Mighty Morphin Power Rangers, and Vicious Rumors’ Geoff Thorpe knows a lot about line-up changes.
• The new Rotten Sound album is choice.
• Earache Records is a good label.
• Kittie are bad at making music videos.
• TesseracT are tardy to the djent party.
• Joey Belladonna still can’t sing.
• Rites of Darkness III is gonna be a great festival for bands no one has ever heard of.
• Losing someone you admire still sucks.

I’ll be flying solo for much of next week as Vince and Kip head down to Austin for SXSW and I stay behind to ensure you are as irritated as possible. Won’t you come back and learn some more with me?

-AR

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Welcome to “Question of the Week,” a (sometimes) weekly debate amongst the MetalSucks staff regarding a recent hot button issue.

This week’s query was suggested by our very own Gary Suarez after he read this really interesting article on music criticism:

HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE YOU TO “GET” AN ALBUM?

The MS staff’s answers after the jump.

Click to read more…

American Idol week 8

Wed: The final 13 perform

Thur: Live results

Misery index: Sweet justice/Random

Tyler-o-meter: Bonerz

Going into Thursday’s American Idol live results show, I was encouraged by its promised 60-minute runtime. That should leave plenty of time to slash the Idol ranks down to the deserving few. But then, Thursday’s broadcast opened with a gaseous Idol group medley of  Michael Jackson tunes. (Hey question, if the vocals were pre-recorded in studio, why was Stefano out of tune? And shit, aren’t all Idol hopefuls ostensibly in possession of live singing skills?) Next up after that bit of bad Broadway, a Hooray For Everybody-style spot starring the would-be idols for a compact car line. Then, a lengthy crossover ad for a new Hollywood thriller which included some words of wisdom to Idol contestants from the sage, experienced Amanda Seyfried. Soon after, former Idol runner-up Adam Lambert (above left, with Heavy Metal James)performed his 2009 hit. Then Sean “Shiddy” Combs performed his new Kanye-aping single; his advice to the budding vocalists? “Keep god in your life.” Shudder. It seemed like no singer would ever be eliminated.

And then one finally got the boot (below in red). One!? Man, this Idol slog is gonna wrap later than the freaking NBA post-season. The good news is that this week, Idol contestants got to work with Jimmy “Check out my red headphones” Iovine and some big-bonerz producers like Don Was and Tricky Stewart. And there was plenty of Steven Tyler hilariousness to counteract giga-hog Jennifer Lopez. Nice.

The bad news is that our prolonged nightmare continues. It was all there: The contestants’ near-simultaneous placating and contradicting of the judges. The marathons of thinly-veiled excuses. The fruitless quests to disguise soulless imitation as art. Even for me, making fun of this shit is easy. I feel so unchallenged. Sigh. Here’s what happened:

Click to read more…

Alright! We’re less than two weeks away from the release of Meek is Murder’s Algorithms. And the band is out on tour now! City’s Best recently encouraged readers to “Catch this upstart new combat unit so you can brag about it when they are taking the metal world by storm a year from now.” That’s obviously high praise, but it’s not B.S. — the band absolutely impales aardvark babies live.

There are tour dates after the jump. Of course, what you could also do instead is just download Meek is Murder’s new FREE app for your iPhone, iPod touch, and/or iPad. It was designed by MiM guitarist/vocalist Mike Keller, whose Clark Kentian persona as a maker of apps disguises his Supermanly prowess as a creator of what Brooklyn Vegan calls “off-kilter hardcore-influenced math-terpieces.” It comes with all the usual goodies (tour schedule with links to buy tickets and the ability to add your show to your calendar and maps, exclusive photos, videos, etc.), but it also comes with a new free song from Algorithms.

Yep. You could be listening to new Meek is Murder music right now!

Download the app here.

Don’t forget that MetalSucks is releasing the  Algorithms on March 22. It was produced and mixed by the legenary Kurt Ballou! We’re already accepting pre-orders here; you can get a digital download, a t-shirt package, or one of the few remaining super-limited-edition CDs that the band personally made, put their actual fingerprints on, and sprayed with drummer Frank Godla’s cologne. No, we are not making this up.

And here are those tour dates again:

Click to read more…