Oh noes! Soilwork have been forced to drop off their Spring North American tour with Nevermore and Symphony X because guitarist Peter Wichers has a herniated disc in his back. Ouch.

I feel your pain, Peter. Literally… because I have a herniated disc too (actually two). It’s uncomfortable to do pretty much anything; sitting is a challenge (especially in the cramped confines of cars and airplanes) and standing for longer than a couple of hours is a chore… I can’t even fathom having to rock out on stage every night.

So when drummer Dirk Verbeuren says Wichers requires a “prolonged period of rest,” I can’t help but feel for the guy because I know exactly what he’s going through. Worst. Pain. Ever. Peter, can we be herniated disc buddies?? I hope you rest up and get that treated, and if you get better, um, kindly let me know how you did it because nothing I’ve tried to date has worked.

That official statement from Verbeuren after the jump (with news on the band’s future touring commitments):

Click to read more…

So my aunt does stuff for Victory Recordings where she tries to get magazines and websites to write about their bands or whatever and she sent me and email about an upcoming acoustic show from basically my favorite band A DAY TO REMEMBER:

The boys from Ocala, A DAY TO REMEMBER, will be streaming live from the XFINITY Performance Theatre in Philadelphia on March 10th. The acoustic session for WRFF Radio 1045 marks the kick off of the highly anticipated Gamechangers Tour featuring support from Bring Me The Horizon, We Came As Romans, and Pierce the Veil.

So can we talk about how acoustic songs are like THE MOST AMAZING THING EVER, because they are like you are actually there watching the band?!! IDK I mean I like listening to bands on my Zune and stuff, and if I REALLLLLY like them I will buy there vinyls, but the most awesome thing is going to one of they’re concerts- like when you are moshing, singing along to all the words with a bunch of strangers and you look like an idiot but totally having the time of ur life haha. But sometimes you can’t see your favorite band because it’s on a school night or after your curfew or whatever, and your like “WTFFFFF MOM I AM 15 NOT 12 QUIT TREATING ME LIKE A BABY.”

Click to read more…

With the demise of MySpace — and, let’s face it, the constant shittiness of that platform to begin with — the market has begun to fill up with alternatives designed to help bands pimp their wares.  You probably already know Stereokiller for their music premieres, myriad reviews, forums, and social networking profiles, but the long-standing metal site has just introduced brand new custom band profiles.

Click to read more…

It must be that time of year, because new metal is seemingly streaming from every orifice of the Internet. So much music, in fact, that it’s increasingly difficult to keep up with it all (first world problems, we know)… so I’ve decided to pool ‘em all together in one handy-dandy post.

Québécois avant-garde metallers Unexpect have a freakishly fervent cult following; within minutes of new song “Orange Vigilantes” going live on Unexpect’s website earlier this week we had a swarm of emails from excited readers. It’s been nearly five years since Unexpect’s last album In a Flesh Aquarium dropped on The End Records, so I can understand why folks are so excited. And then there’s that other thing: this band is awesome. They’re kind of like extreme metal’s answer to Mr. Bungle, but nerdier, or as reader Chris Dávila calls them, “crazy circus metal.” Look for a release date for Unexpect’s new still-untitled album to be announced soon.

The March 29th release of Surtur Rising draws ever closer, but you don’t have to wait any longer to hear another new song by Swedish viking cock-metallers Amon Amarth.

Click to read more…

Havok, the neo-thrash band that makes all other neo-thrash bands look bad, have a new album coming out on Candlelight on March 29. It’s called Time is Up. Yes, it’s terrific — if you dug Havok’s 2009 debut, Burn, you will dig this, and if you didn’t hear Burn, you should hear this, and if you didn’t like Burn, go jump in a fire.

I mention this because Metal Injection have a behind-the-scenes video of Havok in the studio making Time is Up. And you should watch it! Here, I’ll make it easy for you:

If you’re going to SXSW next week, don’t forget that Havok are playing MetalSucks’ ABSOLUTELY FREE South by Southdeath party at Headhunters, at 720 Red River, from 2-6pm on Friday, March 18th. Kvelertak, Red Fang, Wormrot, and Meek is Murder are also on the bill, and Full Blown Chaos’ Ray Mazzola, a.k.a. “One of the Funniest Motherfuckers in Metal,” is MCing. Be there.

-AR

Girls like Meytal Cohen should not have to wear corsets and other ridiculous outfits to get attention for their skills as a musician.

Yeah, dude, but corsets are hot!

Isn’t this exactly the kind of thing you rally against when you speak out about bullshit like Revolver‘s “Hottest Jail Bait Girls in Metal” issue?

Dude, a cute Jewish girl playing Pantera? It’s like the Inception people extracted one of your wet dreams and made it a reality.

Well, do we even know for sure that she’s Jewish?

Uh, are you fucking kidding me?

Why does she keep turning to the camera and smiling?

Shhh, don’t ask so many questions. Just go with it.

I think I need to call my shrink…

Or, at the very least, your rabbi.

-AR

Thanks: Justin.X.XIII

This isn’t quite as funny/clever as that Slater graffiti, but whomever designed it clearly did his or her homework… the placement of each letter is perfect.

So, yeah, that happened.

-AR

[via Buzzfeed... thanks to Hetal Bhatt for the tip]

Speaking of heavy metal peeps and HBO: according to Deadline, Lars Ulrich has joined the cast of the cable network’s upcoming film, Hemingway & Gellhorn, which, in case the title didn’t give it away, “recounts the tumultuous romance and subsequent marriage of literary master Ernest Hemingway and up-and-coming war correspondent Martha Gellhorn, following them through the Spanish Civil War and beyond.” The movie is being directed by Philip Kaufman (Twisted) and executive produced by James Gandolfini (8mm).  Clive Owen (The Rich Man’s Wife) is playing Hemingway and Nicole Kidman (Bewitched) is playing Martha Gellhorn, because nothing says “Spanish Civil War” like botox. David Strathairn (Simon Birch), Tony Shaloub (Men in Black II), Parker Posey (Blade Trinity), and now Ulrich round out the cast.

The diminutive drummer will be playing “Joris Ivens, the Dutch documentarian of The Spanish Earth.” Ulrich is actually Danish, but was apparently cast both because no one can tell the difference between the Danes and the Dutch, and because, like the real-life Ivens, he enjoys having ridiculous hair cuts.

So I guess the only question now is, “Can Ulrich possibly top his performance in Get Him to The Greek?” Personally, I think he should have made like Heath Ledger and died immediately after filming to ensure that his legacy remains unvarnished, but who knows, maybe now he’ll finally get the Emmy he so richly deserves?

-AR

When word got out that Academy Award Winner Trent Reznor would be working on the upcoming film adaptation of Seth Grahame-Smith’s Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, some of us fans were understandably a little bummed. For one thing, FUCK VAMPIRES, and for another, for Reznor to follow-up working on back-t0-back film projects with the makers of Fight Club, No Country for Old Men, Schindler’s List and The West Wing with a project being made by the dude who made a movie about how bullets don’t have to fly in a straight line and Angelina Jolie’s ass, well… it felt kinda like Trent disbanding Nine Inch Nails to go join Orgy.

Well, hey, guess what? Turns out Trent isn’t working on that movie after all, in any capacity. Here’s the explanation he gave on the official NIN message boards:

Click to read more…

8-bit remixes of songs aren’t exactly rare these days, as NES music seems to be all the rage amongst the youngins who weren’t even alive when NES was the baddest, hightest-tech system on earth, so it takes a lot for an electronic re-interpretation of a metal song to impress me. But Kasio Kristmas’ take on Ratt’s greatest hit “Round and Round” is definitely worth a listen. If you’re a fan of the original, of course. It’s actually not even 8-bit — it’s a full-on electronic version — but it takes Pearcy’s original vocal track, alters it, and places it on top of Kasio Kristmas’ own version of “Round and Round.” Most importantly, it’s really well done.

So check it out on Kasio Kristmas’ MySpace page. There’s a sweet Radiohead remix there for the listening as well. Buy “Round and Round” or the whole album on iTunes.

-VN

Thanks: Privoe

Live in the Bay Area and looking to get your METAL on this coming weekend? The folks at Illogical Contraption have got something super-sweet for you: the appropriately titled Oakland Black/Death Fest! The two-day festival, this Saturday and Sunday March 12th and 13th, will take place at the Oakland Metro and will cost you a measly $15 for a 2-day pass or $10 for just one day.

Truth be told, I haven’t heard of any of these bands (at least those whose logos I can actually read)… but that’s the beauty of a fest like this. The ticket price is cheap, so why not head out for at least one night to discover some new music? Drink a few beers and smoke some of Cali’s finest medical while you’re at it. Win/win!

-VN

At long last, Slipknot have announced who will be taking the late Paul Gray’s spot as their new bass player… at least for the time being. And it’s someone hardcore Slipknot fans already know! Here’s the statement from the band’s official website:

For their upcoming shows in 2011, Slipknot has asked Donnie Steele to fill in for Paul Gray on bass. Donnie, as some may recall, was the original guitar player in Slipknot and had actually reconnected with Paul in recent years. Said the band on their decision, “Donnie was in the band at the very beginning, and rather than get an outsider, we thought it would be a fitting tribute to Paul to play with someone from within the family. Donnie was great friends with Paul and we can’t think of a better way to celebrate his memory than with someone who was there with us at the very beginning. The eight of us are looking forward to being onstage again and honoring Paul’s legacy with our families in Europe and Brazil this summer.”

So there ya have it. Whether or not Donnie ends up back in Slipknot on a full-time basis remains to be seen, but for now…

-AR

Thanks: Hetal Bhatt

In lieu of our weekly photo caption contest (for which we’ll announce the winners next week), we’re doing something very special this week; in conjunction with Catstackers.com, we’re hosting our very own Cat Stacking contest!

The premise is startling simple yet insanely fun: Stack your cat with whatever says “metal” to you. Need some ideas? Check out the amazing entries from Catstackers.com. Contestants will be judged according to stacks that show pleasing height and balance, creativity and good use of materials. Please note that putting dumb outfits on your cat doesn’t count as stacking. But if you want to dress your cat up and THEN stack stuff on him, bully for you. Don’t have a cat? Well, you know somebody who does, right?

The cat with the most metal stack will get Amon Amarth’s new album Surtur Rising on CD and a t-shirt from Metalsucks! We’ll choose the winners after the contest ends at midnight on March 24th. U.S. and Canadian residents only on this one, please.

—> ENTER HERE AND MAKE SURE YOU PUT “HEAVY METAL CONTEST” AS THE SUBJECT! <—

Comment entries will not be accepted. Have fun!

In its mere three years of taking over Austin for one afternoon every March, Full Metal Texas has become an institution: without knowing anything in advance, you can easily predict that every year there will be a multi-stage event with Grade A metal bands, top to bottom. This year is no different, and we’re proud, once again, to be a sponsor of the event!

This year’s FMT will take place at Emo’s on Thursday, March 17th, starting at noon, and is All Ages as per usual. Without further ado, here is this year’s stellar line-up:

OUTSIDE
The Red Chord  5:10pm
The Word Alive  4:10pm
Upon A Burning Body  3:15pm
Letlive  2:30pm
Elysion Fields  1:45pm
Better Left Unsaid  1:00pm
Contest Winner from Roadrunner Records’ SignMeTo  12:15pm

INSIDE
Yob (first Austin performance in over 5 years)  5:00
Trap Them  4:05pm
Hull  3:10pm
Kvelertak  2:20pm
Rwake  1:35pm
All Pigs Must Die  12:50pm
Goes Cube  12:05pm

Fuck to the yes. So stoked. Make sure you RSVP at the official FMT website lest you be locked out, and since the event is free it’ll fill up fast. See you there.

Back in July, Vince and I visited The Human Abstract at the Machine Shop in New Jersey, where they were recording their new album, Digital Veil, with producer Will Putney. Between the (then) six members of the band and the two of us, there were way too many people to do one interview, so we ended up splitting up into groups and conducting three interviews. Below is the first, with guitarist A.J. Minette (before he was a MetalSucks columnist) and vocalist Travis Richter; we’ll run the rest in the coming weeks.

Even though these interviews were conducted before the album was even completed, in a lot of ways, they’re far more interesting now that Digital Veil is done and released (it came out Tuesday on eOne, in case you somehow missed it). For one thing, now when the band talks about the music, you will have already heard it and will know what they’re talking about. There’s a lot of discussion in here about music composition and theory, and about lyrical content; having now heard the album, these interviews feel like having running director’s commentary. After reading this, you’ll be able to go back and re-listen to Digital Veil with a fresh perspective, as well as a better understanding of what the band was aiming for.

But for another thing… yeah, a lot has changed since this interview was conducted. As you’ll see, at the time, the band hadn’t even finalized the name of the album; they had three guitar players, not two; hell, they were still signed to a different label than the one that ended up releasing the record! It’s definitely thought-provoking to see how much things have changed in just eight months.

And so, without further ado, here’s my chat with A.J. and Travis…

Click to read more…

Before there were blogs there were these things called magazines, and the only metal magazine we still get excited about reading every month is Decibel. Here’s managing editor Andrew Bonazelli…

Usually around this time of the month I infiltrate your ranks with the Guess the Next Decibel Hall of Fame for a Free Six-Month Subscription Game. (This game does not lend itself to a kick-ass acronym, although you have to admit that GTNDHOFFAFSMSG sounds like onomatopoeia for masturbating with a crucifix.) Well, next month’s HOF was conducted entirely via email, so no dice on crappy audio clips. (One of many, many reasons to wish Peter Steele were still alive: he’d be the first “first” ID below.)

Anyway, time to audible at the line and debut the Guess the Next Decibel Cover for a Free Decibot T-Shirt Game. We’ve got them in S, M, L and XL —s o there’s a 25 percent chance you’ll fit into one of them. If not, well, there’s always some cute young lady at a show you can pass it along to, who will pretend to get the Nirvana reference, laugh nervously, then wave her two friends over immediately for cigarettes they don’t smoke.

As you can see above, this contest is not entirely random — although multiple sarcastic “Mastodon!” comments are always appreciated. Take a close look at the cutaway from May’s cover star, consider the context, and choose wisely.

-AB

If you subscribe to Decibel, you’ll find out the answer when the May 2011 issue comes out! You can also go ahead and buy the current April 2011 issue of Decibel here.

Last week’s best selling “Hard Music” album was a Bon Jovi greatest hits package. I make no effort to hide the fact that I enjoy Bon Jovi from time to time, but COME ON FANS OF HEAVY MUSIC WHAT THE FUCK?! Following Bon Jovi, the #2, #3 and #4 charting hard music releases were a 27-week old Linkin Park album, Red State Rock and a GN’R greatist hits album. #5 was Sick Puppies. Sick fucking Puppies! Oy veys mere. Get it together people!

Other than Sick Puppies, the sole new release to chart in its first week out was the new album by Kopek. Who? Exactly. Take solace, fans of heavy music: at least D.R.U.G.S. are selling records.

A day late but never a dollar short, let’s look at last week’s completely irrelevant record sales numbers:

Click to read more…

Rotten Sound’s Cursed was the last place I expected to find flow. I’m more used to grindcore of the Napalm Death Smear Campaign variety, which is pretty much just death metal at this point, so I wasn’t really sure what to expect besides blisteringly fast riffing, extremely short songs, and all-around chaos. I did find plenty of that chaos (reminiscent of Anaal Nathrakh in both their wall-of-sound and ferocious riffing) on Cursed, but I also found a more structured presence in the album, which was completely unexpected.

Click to read more…

Sure, it’s been a shitty week for Kvelertak and their stateside fans: We reported Saturday that the Norwegian scream-rockers got separated from vital travel documents right before departure for their first-ever US tour dates (including the MetalSucks co-presented SXSW super-jam). That bums me out cuz duh those fuckerz jam (which is good for concertgoers), but moreso because I was pumped for the band’s imminent chance to, like, collect on their roaring buzz here (which is good for them). Okay sorry about that mixed metaphor. But the point is that if I were a member of Kvelertak (please can I be a member of Kvelertak?), I’d want to further enable American rockers to pony up some cash for the record that about a billion of us have possessed/loved for months ahead of its proper US release. All is not lost cuz a bonus track-laden US version of Kvelertak still drops Tuesday, but I can’t help but lament the fact that a string of ballsack-singeing live sets would’ve cranked open a lot more wallets a lot wider. And deservedly so.

Click to read more…