Hey, you: have ya heard? March Is Metal Month! This is not just some clever re-naming of a month that starts with “M” done so in the name of celebrating metal, although it’s certainly that too. Throughout all of March, EMI/Caroline and the metal labels they distribute (among them Century Media, Nuclear Blast, Earache, Candlelight, Season of Mist, Willowtip and Earache) will be teaming up with retail stores and metal websites to provide special new releases and prizes.

This year’s prizes: 2 tickets to Rockstar Mayhem on behalf of Century Media artist Suicide Silence (transportation will not be provided), a Carcass box set on behalf of Earache and prize packs from Season of Mist and Century Media TBD.

For March is Metal Month two years ago we ran a “Show Us Your Metal” contest, so this year we’ve decided to bring that back. To enter, simply go to the metal section of your local record store and take a picture of yourself doing something metal. That’s it. You don’t even have to be wearing MetalSucks garb (although that would certainly increase your chances of winning!). Vince and Axl will choose the winner in early April. Send your photo to news [at] metalsucks [dot] net with the subject line MARCH IS METAL MONTH, and you’ll be entered to win.

Last Chance to Reason and Son of Aurelius are both terrific bands, and I’m quite pleased to let you know that they’re touring together. I’m a little less pleased to say that Wretched are on the bill, too. I mean, Wretched aren’t the worst band in the world or anything, but Vince has to keep reminding me who they are, despite the fact that I’ve written about them before, which is not a good sign for their memorability.

But I think they go on last every night, so even if, like me, you feel pretty indifferent towards them, you should still go to this tour and check out SoA and LCTR. ‘Cause those dudes are awesome, fo’ reals, and worst case scenario is you leave before Wretched plays… or at least before they finish — might as well give ‘em a shot while you’re there, because they could end up being one of those bands who are way awesomer live than on record. Especially since Adam Cody, formerly of the MetalSucks-approved acts Vanisher and Glass Casket, will be touring with band this go-round.

Here are tour dates, via the often-helpful Lambgoat:

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Oh, man, remember Demiricous?  Their Metal Blade debut, One (Hellbound), fucked our faces off in 2006, and they released an equally crushing follow-up, Two (Poverty), just a year later. They had such a bright future! They were Kerry King’s favorite band! And then… well, they pretty much fell apart. Word around the campfire is they got completely fucked by some scumbag manager, and then they fell split with Metal Blade in 2008. In 2009 they announced that they were working on new material, but 2010 came and went with no news whatsoever from the band.

But there’s news now! According to Lambgoat, they’re releasing a four-song EP/demo this Thursday, March 10 (rad cover art above). And there’s already two new songs streaming on their Facebook page! Hoo-ray!

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Last month, I got the following e-mail from reader Ceth Carter, regarding the fact that Tim Yeung is currently operating as the drummer for Morbid Angel while Pete Sandoval recovers from surgery:

“Do you think its possible to have a real Morbid Angel album without Sandoval? I know David Vincent and Steve Tucker have been back and forth and it has worked in both cases and even Erik Rutan has been in and out but I can’t imagine a Morbid Angel record without Trey Azagtoth or Pete. Tim Yeung is as amazing as they come on drums but it doesn’t sound right. Any insight on this?????”

Well, Ceth, I know how Sergeant D. feels about Sandoval, but, no, I do not have any insight on this. However, I do have the below video of Yeung playing a new Morbid Angel song at a drum clinic recently. So maybe you could watch it and see what you think? It sounds pretty promising to these old ears, but I think you have a lot more invested in this emotionally than I do.

Soooo… what do we think?

-AR

[via Metal Injection]

We enjoy Lazarus A.D.’s new album Black Rivers Flow here at the MS Mansion. This you should already know from our posts about the album here, here, and here, and this here interview with bassist/vocalist Jeff Paulick [although Corey Mitchell respectfully begs to differ]. But didja know that Lazarus A.D. enjoy us too? That’s a MetalSucks “Appetite for Deconstruction” t-shirt guitarist Alex Lackner is wearing! We applaud his wardrobe choice, but lest other bands think they too can woo Vince and Axl into a video premiere by sporting our garb, be warned… it only kinda works.

We keed; this song rocks. Stream the new video for “The Ultimate Sacrifice” below and purchase Black Rivers Flow here.

[this streaming promotion has ended]

The SXSW Day Party, once frowned upon by event organizers, is now an expected addition to the music extravaganza. It provides bands more opportunities to be seen during the music conference and it also gives the regular music fan (the ones who don’t want to plunk down $750+ for a badge) the opportunity to catch showcasing bands whom they would not have been able to see otherwise.

Below you will find an exhaustively thorough (yet still incomplete) list of the majority of day parties and/or one-offs that involve hard rock, punk rock, avant garde, experimental, and/or heavy metal bands/musicians that are expected to appear in Austin, Texas between March 15 and March 20.

Click to read more…

I feel like there’s been some backlash against Arch Enemy in the comments section the last few times we posted about them, and I can’t for the life of me figure out why. They’ve never released a bad album, and their live shows are still fun.

So I’m stoked to hear Khaos Legions, their latest — and doubly so now that I’ve seen the awesome album art by Brent Elliott White, who has previously done work for Megadeth and Death Angel. It looks like an updated version of the kinds of things Moebius used to do for Heavy Metal, which is a-okay in my book.

Khaos Legions will be out later this year on Century.

-AR

When a press release dropped last week about a new song “The Platform” by a Swedish band called Beardfish I thought to myself, “Hmm, Vince Neilstein… Beardfish. Beardfish. Isn’t that the band that Mike Portnoy loves? Beardfish… hmm.” And yes, indeed, they are. A little research on this here weblog turned up long since smoked-away ones and zeroes, confirming that Beardfish were slated to open for Dream Theater on the Progressive Nation 2009 tour (not the year with Opeth and BTBAM) but had to drop off because their label lost funding. I remember not liking them very much when I checked them out following the original Prog Nation 2009 tour announcement, but decided I’d give ‘em another go this time around.

And you know what? Beardfish 2k11 are pretty good. They remind me of King Crimson and Yes in their best, most coherent moments, a little bit more hard rockin’ than KC and a little less noodlin’ than Yes for a modern take on prog rock with a clear nod to the past. Good songs, great sense of melody, excellent but subdued chops. That’s my take on “The Platform,” anyway, which is streaming at ProgArchives.com.

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While Anso was running the site last Thursday and Friday and Axl and I were away coordinating our next shipment of Maldovan prostitues on a business trip, we somehow had the good fortune of ending up on a limousine-style party bus with a bunch of metal industry cohorts. Some whiskey, beer, and a [new, fake] can of Four Loko later, DJ duties on the bus’s decked-out but impossible-to-operate sound system fell into my clearly incapable hands. Black leather seats, champagne glasses, black lights, big screen TV… what better party music that I happened to have on my iPhone than the almighty CHROMEO???

Picture the scene! I had some booze in me and was GROOVIN’, maybe even dancing, and shit was BANGIN’!. Party time! Pass the joint! Rob from Metal Injection was all over that shit and backed my DJ pick. A couple of other folks nervously nodded along, putting their very metal cred on the line in favor of some fuckin’ disco JAMZ, son! Bold!

“What is this crap? Fuck this bullshit! Don’t we have some band’s demo CD or something we can put on?” These words rang through the air from the mouth of a high-up metal industry dude and cut through my heart like that time I found out the super-hot girl in my 9th grade gym class was only into other girls.

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Hey Trent Reznor: You just won the Oscar! What are you gonna do now? Are you going to Disneyland???

“Fuck no! I’m gonna jump on the vampire bandwagon, that’s what I’m gonna do!”

Yep yep. According to Badass Digest, Academy Award winner Trent Reznor will not only score, but will also act, in the upcoming movie adaptation of Seth Grahame-Smith’s novel, Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter, which is about exactly what you think it’s about. Reznor will apparently play the vampire who kills Lincoln’s mother, thereby setting the future president (he’s being played here by 29 year-old Benjamin Walker) down his path as a, uh, y’know. Vampire hunter. Talk about giving new meaning to With Teeth! (I had to get it outta my system. Please disregard.)

Okay, so as regular readers are aware, I’m usually Pro-Reznor all the way. But this is a terrible fucking idea, for a number of reasons:

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So this Motley Crue/Poison/New York Dolls tour is really happening, and now Nikki Sixx has to do some backpedalin’, seeing as just a few years ago he declared that no band he’s in “would ever, ever tour with a fucking band like Poison,” because Poison are “fake bullshit.” Thing is, it’s hard to backpedal from a statement as definitive and aggressive as that one. So Nikki probably did the menschy thing and just came right out and said “Yeah, well that was then and this is now and the fans really want this tour and cha-ching!”, right?

Nope. Instead, he went on his radio show (oh yeah, someone gave Nikki a radio show) and said this:

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I honestly should not have to sell you on listening to either of these tracks. Like a free bag of weed, shit should just sell itself. So:

• Agoraphobic Nosebleed (the four bad-ass motherfuckers in the photo above) are streaming two new songs, “Possession” and “Ungrateful,” here. The tracks come from And On And On…, their new split with Despise You, which Relapse will release on April 26. Again, I don’t think I should have to sell these songs, but OHCHRISTPLEASESAVEUSALL, “Possession” is already one of the best songs I’ve heard this year. I love it so much I want to make sweet love to it and look into its eyes and weep as I climax. And you’re not reading this anymore, because you’re pre-ordering And On And On… right now.
• Wormrot have thrown another new track, “Spot a Pathetic,” on YouTube — I’ve embedded it for you after the jump. And holy crap, now I feel torn between this and “Possession.” IT’S A GRINDCORE LOVE TRIANGLE, GUYS. OH FUCK ME NAKED WITH A SPOON, WHAT AM I GONNA DO? WHAT AM I GONNA DO?!? While I try to get my romantic life sorted out, you should know that Earache will release Wormrot’s sophomore brain-melter, Dirge, on May 3, but Wormrot will be touring the U.S. long before then — as in, right fucking now. In fact, they’re playing our ABSOLUTELY FREE South by South Death show at SXSW on March 18th along with Havok, Red Fang, Meek is Murder, and, hopefully, Kvelertak. Get tour dates after the jump, too.

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The reader known as “Fantasyoosh” e-mailed us yesterday to point out that Niklas Engelin is now listed as a member of In Flames on the band’s official Facebook page, which also features a band picture featuring the guitarist (above — Engelin is the second guy on the left).

Now, it’s not entirely shocking that Engelin got the gig — he’s toured with In Flames three times before, once from ’97-’98 after original guitarist Glenn Ljungström left the group, and again in both 2006 and 2009 while Jesper Strömblad took some time off (and then eventually a lot of time off) from the band.

What is surprising is that band never made a big announcement about Engelin officially joining the fold. I mean, it’s not like they aren’t aware that fans have been desperate to know who’d try and fill Strömblad’s shoes — they’ve been teasing us for months. Did it not occur to anyone that Engelin’s hiring should have warranted, like, a press release or something?

So, uh, yeah. Niklas Engelin, now an official member of In Flames. Congrats, Niklas!

-AR

Guys, I honestly do not give a fuck if you wear your pants or not. But don’t make me feel like a dick for wanting to discuss relevant metal bands, as opposed to, say, sit around and wonder when Queensryche are get their shit together. (Short answer: Never. Long anser: Abso-fuckin’-lutley never ever never never.)

So. We might have to spend a portion of today catching up on shit that happened last week. For example…

As you know from reading my recent interview with Chimaira guitarist Rob Arnold, the band are currently in the studio recording a new album. And apparently they’ve been swept up in all the Charlie Sheen hysteria that’s been going on as of late (seriously, motherfucker hasn’t been on so many people’s minds since Platoon came out), so they decided to record a cover of The Troggs’ classic anthem, “Wild Thing” (below). For the youngsters out there: the song choice isn’t just a reference to Sheen’s recent behavior, but also to… well, just get your ass to Netflix.

UPDATE: Metal Insider tells me that this cover is now available for purchase on iTunes.

Chimaira’s new album should be out later this year on eOne.

-AR

Thanks: Ryan Badami

It seems unlikely, improbable, almost impossible… but it’s true; Kvelertak’s U.S. visas and passports were all stolen while the band was on their way to the airport in Norway to begin their U.S. tour. The band posted as much on Twitter last night, and my initial reaction was one of complete disbelief; did they just lose their travel documents and not want to own up to it? forget them at home? not get them in time to begin with? But MetalSucks has verified with officials in the band’s camp that the news is indeed true and not just some cruel practical joke or cover-up.

How this most unfortunate turn of events will affect the band’s U.S. tour is uncertain at this point; at the very least they’ll miss their Scion Rock Fest appearance (today) and the first few dates of their tour with Zoroaster. Our sources tell us that the band is looking into having their travel documents replaced, but that’ll have to wait until at least Monday when the appropriate Norwegian offices open for business. Kvelertak’s appearance at the MetalSucks / Narm / Roxwel.com South by South Death show at SXSW on March 18th with Havok, Red Fang, Wormrot and Meek is Murder is certainly in jeopardy, but we’re trying to be optimistic by hoping that two full weeks will be enough time to sort these issues out. As soon as we have more news, so will you.

Major bummer for us, but most of all a major bummer for the band. I can only imagine the range of emotions they’re all feeling right now. We hope you sort it out, dudes.

-VN

We all remember that lost era of yesteryear.  Stolen glances.  Hushed whispers.  Fleeting touches that left us longing for more.  Makes you just wanna reach out and lolz where the sun don’t shine.  Alas, let’s have a moment of silence for that one super-special ex in our lives…

I’m speaking, of course, about the prog metal supergroup Exivious (featuring members of Textures and Cynic), who supposedly threw in the towel last May.

I say supposedly because when our very own Axl Shmosenshmerg reported this past December that Cynic’s guitarist and bassist were leaving the band, he mentioned a tasty morsel of info about said players now talking about working on another Exivious release.

This is good news for those proggateers among us who have been patiently awaiting some new jamz from the almighty Textures; bad news for your ex’s new beau.

Bring it on…

Let Exivious warm your earholes on TheirSpace and go see them LIVE on April 30th in Switzerland!!!!!

-KW

Hey studs and foxes, Anso here. Please accept my most gracious hugz in return for partying with me these last two days. Running this site in the absence of Axl and Vince has been so superfun thanks to you, our cherished MetalSucks readership. I learned a lot of stuff too, for example that I should hereby refrain from “ass fucking [my] boyfriends cock” [sic]. K I’ll work on that while you all re-live some hilarious, informative, and sexy moments from this week:

• We debuted new music by Maruta.
• We spoke to Rob Arnold from Chimaira/Six Feet Under/The Elite, Jack Strong from The Acacia Strain, Varg Vikernes of Burzum, and Takis Kinis from prog-thrash legends Realm.
• We checked out the latest releases from DevilDriver and Wino. Plus, hot hardcore 7″s and all the stuff that Corey Mitchell rocked in February.
• We reveled in official confirmation of the System of a Down tour story we broke ahead of everybody.
• We proffered scientific evidence that to be in a band is a poor life decision.
• We were wowed by Evan Brewer, player of two basses!
• We peeped Devin Townsend’s nod to Sinatra and incredible new jams from Scale The Summit, Between The Buried And Me, Graviton, and All Shall Perish.
• We cheered Taylor Momsen and her desire to “fuck for Satan.”
• We met the new Dragonforce singer. It’s not Corey Taylor.
• We took a stand against D.R.U.G.S.

You’ll have a couple days to de-Anso yourselves, but please do rush right back to MetalSucks on Monday for more hot action when the bosses return from muling heroin in from Ecuador their business trip and we resume our regularly-scheduled action. You may now put your pants back on!

-ADF

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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 Anso DF…

IF YOU HAD THE POWER TO GIFT A RECORD TO EVERY ACTIVE MUSIC LISTENER IN THE WORLD, WHICH RECORD WOULD IT BE AND WHY?

The MS staff’s answers after the jump.

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Tues: The final 12 (men)

Wed: The final 12 (ladies)

Thur: Live results

Misery index: A dropped taco

Tyler-o-meter: 1%

For years I’ve secretly wanted an excuse to watch American Idol. And Aerosmith frontman Steven Tyler’s appointment to the panel of judges provided one. Hey, I want music programming on primetime TV. I want to enjoy great songs sung by nice people. I want some schlub to get a career-enabling break.

Too bad there’s so much baggage. The fabricated human drama. The Running Man-esque torturedome. The pandering, ass-kissing, and marginalizing. The Jennifer Lopez. I hate this damn shit.

But here in week seven, things are looking up slightly. It’s live broadcast time, so no kind editing for the persistently idiotic ‘Fer-‘Pez. The Idol house band helps drown out all the weak, scared singing. And since there remained only 24 contestants, we can see a distant end to this rancid slobberfest. Thank fuck.

Now that judge input is reduced to a minimum (though ‘Fer-‘Pez displays no compunction about talking into Randy Jackson’s time) and the 100% inept singers are removed (several 80% inept singers remain), it’s probably the safest time for music lovers to join Idol season ten in progress. Before you do, get to know the singers — and see who moved on to next week — with our Idol Remains Week Seven Contestant Sc’whorecard.

Click to read more…

We’ve all seen a movie in which a monster or alien or alien monster or monstlien spends 90 minutes terrorizing people with its brute strength and supernatural firepower, right? But at the end, some hunky guy who uses tons of hair product fells the beast with some hokey, implausible trick-move like turning on a microwave near it or mounting and riding it while attaching an IED to its nads. It’s a fundamental flaw in this type of movie; comparatively speaking, do filmmakers mean to impy that if a particularly motivated ant so desired, he or she could take me out with a wee little poison dart-shooting taser or something? Fuck that.

Well, that’s what I used to think until I saw a clip (above) of feeble Kiss frontman Paul Stanley heroically toppling the unstoppable party beast called Steel Panther. It’s incredible! That band is all-powerful and merciless — I’ve never seen even a ho-hum Steel Panther performance, in person or otherwise — yet it took Stanley about two seconds to explode a shittiness bomb in their midst and reduce their jam to rubble. Now, Kiss apologists will rush to point out that the clip’s audio quality is unkind to Stanley and suggests a toy microphone inputted direct to a 1989 camcorder. And Stanley is cold and old and just walked onstage to belt “Lick It Up.” And Panther guitarist Satchel kinda jukes Stanley with a premature move to the bridge. Sure, I guess that would justify a C+ performance. This shit is F. F for fffffail.

–ADF

Steel Panther plays Mondays at House of Blues Sunset Strip and weekends in Vegas. Dates here.