MetalSucks recently polled its staff to determine who are The Top 25 Modern Metal Guitarists, and after an incredible amount of arguing, name calling, and physical violence, we have finalized that list! The only requirements to be eligible for the list were that the musician in question had to a) play metal (duh), b) play guitar (double-duh), and c) have recorded something in the past five years. Today we continue our countdown with Nile’s Karl Sanders…

No one is saying Nile’s Egyptian themes are obscure or necessarily revolutionary: it’s a particularly brutal part of history taking place in an unforgiving environment, so it’s pretty easy to make something metal out of it (see also: vikings). But in a field as broad-yet-limited as death metal, even the smallest of tweaks or gimmicks can make you a visionary. When all your contemporaries are squabbling over whose dick is bigger, people will be more inclined to pay attention to an argument that your dick is more unique and interesting (note: not a great ice-breaker with women).

Of course, words like “gimmick” exist to demean what Karl Sanders does with Nile, and by no means is Nile worthy of being shrugged off. Playing ten-fingered riffs blisteringly fast? Karl Sanders is on that shit. Menacing, memorable slow parts that sound oppressively evil and evocative? Karl Sanders has that shit leased with an option to own. If he did none of that well, he and his band would be remembered as That Band That Wrote Songs About Mummies and Stuff. But Amongst The Catacombs Of Nephren-Ka, Annihilation of the Wicked, Those Whom the Gods Detest, and the rest of Nile’s discography are masterful, epic, and brilliant death metal albums with interesting thematic elements. But while there are guys who can play faster and slam harder, none can do it with the soul Nile does. Karl Sanders is that soul, and his playing is much more than a focus on modal riffs in lieu of atonal chromatics. It’s crafting a world of brutal heat, oppressed millions slaving for the benefit of a chosen few, and a complex system of gods, religion, and politics so ancient that it’s completely foreign to us now, all before dropping a pen to a legal pad for lyrics. His dexterity makes him a solid death metal guitarist; his penchant for atmosphere in addition to brutality is what makes him great.

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Last week we began to unveil the line-up for the awesome new tour we’re sponsoring by providing you with three clues as to the identity of the first two bands (out of four total) on the bill; by now you already know that orient metal masters Chtonic are on the trek, and a lot of you correctly guessed that the second band is Skeletonwitch. And we’d be sad that you’re all so damn good at this, only we’re way too excited about this tour to be sad about anything!

So here are your three clues as to the identity of the third band on the bill…

• They have released a new album every other year since 2003.
• They have debuted multiple music videos on MetalSucks!
• One of their most famous anthems is about the weather on the West Coast.

Have you figured it out? Get all your guessin’ in now before we reveal who it is on Friday, June 3!

-Axl, Vince, and Everyone at MetalSucks

Mazel tov to reader Will Underwood, who correctly identified last week’s logo as belonging to the band Anguished. For his troubles, Will wins five CDs from the MetalSucks Mansion Archives. Congrats, Will!

Don’t be sad if you lost, though, ’cause we’re doing it again this week: the winner will get five CDs from the MetalSucks Mansion Archives. We have lots of cool shit just laying around here, so there’s bound to be something in the package that you dig. And if not, well, that’s what eBay is for.

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 one winner and announce his or her name a week from today.

This week’s logo was suggested by Kraghen… thanks, dude!

-AR

Velvet Revolver guitarist Slash tells a funny story about his first listens to Aerosmith’s Rocks album. That day, he’d planned some afternoon doobage/canoodling with a comely young lady only to have his attention devoured by that then-new and always awesome Aerosmith record. I imagine him on her bed, shushing her and batting away her caresses — all because Rocks was totally rocking his world for the first of a billion times. I get that. Horny hotties come and go; an instant connection to timeless music is bigger.

And the very same thing happened to me Saturday night! Just replace Slash with hunky me (mental image note: I play lefty), his sexy chick with this chatty mess from my neighborhood, and Aerosmith’s Rocks with The Time Of No Time Evermore by Dutch occult rockers The Devil’s Blood.

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The first thing the album art for Brutal Truth’s End Time reminded me of was the poster for the Steven Spielberg version of War of the Worlds. But then I remembered that Danny Lilker is ten-thousands times more handsome than Tom Cruise, and Rich Hoak makes Dakota Fanning look about as cute as a camel’s anus, and all was right with the world.

End Time comes out September 27 on Relapse. The title track is already streaming, and strongly suggests that BT have no intention of letting us down with this outing. That means you need to at least make it through the summer without drinking yourself to death!

-AR

So last week we got all excited after hearing some new demos from Josh Travis, guitarist for The Tony Danza Tapdance Extravaganza; the demos sounded pretty TTDTE-esque, so it seemed like a reasonably safe assumption that they might, indeed, be rough versions of songs for the upcoming, presumably-going-to-be-titled Danza IV.

Alas! This is not the case! Reader ZackP personally reached out to the band through their Facebook page to get some clarification, and here’s the response he received:

So that settles that. Too bad, too — those tracks we heard sounded mighty fine.

In any case, the band did enter the studio to record Danza IV last week, so we will get to hear some actual new music from them sometime in the not-too-distant future… and maybe Travis can make a solo album or something, too, so those other tunes find a good home.

-AR

Shining — the Swedish “Opeth of black metal” band, not the Norwegian Blackjazz-with-saxophone one — have a new album out called VII / Född Förlorare, which in English means “Born Loser.” I haven’t had a chance to give it a listen yet, but thanks to the always-reliable Islander at No Clean Singing I hereby pledge to do so immediately after writing this post.*

Like Nachtmystium’s haunting video for “Every Last Drop,” the new video for Shining’s “Förtvivlan, Min Arvedel” (English translation: “Despair, My Inheritance”) deals with drug addiction, and in this case self-mutilation, in a very serious way. It’s not NSFW, but if you just ate lunch and plan on keeping it down you’d do best to wait until later to watch it. For the really faint of heart, there’s a “PG” version that I’ve posted after the jump. Make sure you watch it one way or the other; the video was shot and edited extremely well and held my interest all the way through.

As for the song, it’s positively arresting and immediately has me aching to hear the rest of the album from which it came. I love the way Islander summarized it: “It’s almost two songs in one — a galvanizing charge of groove-inscribed black-metal catharsis and a haunting melody carried by acoustic guitar and clean singing. Yet those two creations are twined together, the one flowing seamlessly into the other and back again in a way that makes perfect sense.”

*As a side note, apparently I will be forced to pirate this album. As Spinefarm Records apparently doesn’t want money from Americans, the album isn’t available for digital download on either Amazon or iTunes. Of all record labels that are really blowing it in 2011 with regards to international release dates, Spinefarm is pretty close to the top. Money left on the table. Sucks to be them, and worse, sucks for Shining to be on a label that doesn’t “get” the Internet.

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The new red band (read: NSFW) trailer for David Fincher’s cinematic adaptation of Stieg Larsson’s everyone-but-me-has-read-it international bestseller The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo is out in the world. And, holy shit, someone filmed it on their cell phone because they were so desperate to share it and/or watch it on a loop that they couldn’t be bothered to wait until it officially appears online later this week. This is the world which we now inhabit.

ANYWAY, the trailer is of interest to the metal community because a) as you probably already know, Oscar-winning composers Trent Reznor and Atticus Ross are scoring the film, and b) the trailer features a cover of Led Zeppelin’s “Immigrant Song” recorded by Reznor and Karen O from Yeah Yeah Yeahs. It seems safe to assume that Ross probably had more than a little something to do with the track, too, but Ross still doesn’t get any credit for all the work he does (check out the documentary about the making of the music for The Social Network on that film’s DVD if you want to get a better sense of how vital he has become to shaping Reznor’s sound), so as of yet he involvement hasn’t been officially confirmed.

Check out the trailer/song below. Hopefully a better version will turn up online soon.

-AR

In a scene where yearly festivals are as abundant as they are sweaty, This Is Hardcore has emerged as the leader of the pack, unequivocally the most anticipated of all hardcore music events in America. Combining coveted reunions with plentiful appearances by modern acts big and small, the event brings revelers and pit beasts to Philadelphia for a humid August weekend. Part of the fest’s success stems from its notorious secrecy, and 2011′s is no exception. The lineup was embargoed until noon EST on Monday May 30, at which point tickets immediately went on sale online and at AKA in Philly. Extended from three to four days of music, the fest boasts performances from metallic acts like Madball, Maximum Penalty, Mother of Mercy, Nails, Reign Supreme, Ringworm, Suburban Scum, Terror, and Victims.

If you’re reading this now and you haven’t bought your ticket yet, you’re not attending This Is Hardcore 2011. Four-day as well as weekend passes sold out in less than 24 hours, and at the time of this writing, extremely limited numbers of single-day tickets were available. The full lineup, organized in order by day, can be found below.

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Actually I dunno if “Malenchantments of the Necrosphere” is still Vince’s favorite song from The Black Dahlia Murder’s Ritual or not, but I know he proclaimed to be so when we first got the album. In any case, it would be hard to blame him if it were his favorite song on the record, because, by golly, does it ever rock.

The swirling riff that appears beneath the verse always makes me envision a sentient, malicious tornado that has specific aims with regards to whose life it wants to royally fuck, and the riff beneath the chorus is some pretty sweet machine gun shit. And, of course, Ryan Knight’s guitar solo is totally killer. Really, there’s nothing bad about this song. If for some reason you weren’t already desperate to hear Ritual, hopefully this will do the trick.

The track is now streaming over at AP. Crank that shit, and then crank that shit again (these songs are so well-written as to be fairly addictive, so we won’t blame you should you feel the need to listen multiple times in a row), and then come back and let us know what you think in the comments section. But our guess is that what you think will be some variation of “YES!!!!”

Ritual comes out via Metal Blade on June 21. It’s so goddamn good.

-AR

Earlier this month we told you that Converge had recorded a new song, “Runaway,” for their forthcoming split 7″ with Dropdead; now the band has performed the song live, and, thanks to the magic of cell phones and the internet, we can all listen to it. As is so often the case with these fan-filmed affairs, the quality is not so great, but it’s good enough to know that this sounds like Converge going for the jugular, or, if you prefer, Converge being Converge.

The band’s aforementioned split with Dropdead comes out June 21 via Deathwish.

-AR

[via The PRP]

I saw The Human Abstract with their revamped line-up live for the first time this past Saturday night as part of their MetalSucks-sponsored “Pull Me From The Gallows Tour,” and holy crapticles, did they ever rule. This band is tighter than a newborn baby and has enough energy to power the sun. If you were at all concerned that THA would turn out to be the kind of group who can make great records but then can’t pull that shit off live, well, don’t be; they sounded more or less perfect.

Alas, the band has just announced that the remainder of the tour “has been cancelled due to a sudden and devastating loss to the THA family,” so if you didn’t get to see one of the initial dates, you’re out of luck. But the silver lining is that they’ve released a new video, for the song “Holographic Sight,” which was one of the tracks that got the crowd particularly worked up when I saw them. I’m gonna lie to you and say that it’s a great video (it’s basically reconfigured footage from a hip hop video, at least as far as I can tell), but it’s a great song, and if you happen to enjoy watching African American women with junk in their trunk shake shake what their momma gave ‘em, your appreciation for the clip will be that much greater. (And, by the way, if women shaking their ass for the camera is the kind of thing which your boss will find inappropriate for a work environment, don’t watch this ’til you get home, okay?)

The Human Abstract’s so-good-it-makes-me-wanna-punch-them-each-in-the-face Digital Veil is out now on eOne. We’re sending out good thoughts to the band during this difficult time, and we hope they get back out on the road real soon.

-AR

I’m peripherally aware that there is a large contingent of metal fans who have been eagerly awaiting a new Wintersun album ever since 2004′s debut. I am not one of them, but I know that Metal Injection’s Frank Godla is and I know that there are many others like him. I’ve got nothing against the band at all, just never really had a friend grab me, shake me, and go “Listen to this album!,” ya know?

For those of you who’ve been waiting patiently these past 7 years, today we have something for you: a live version of Wintersun performing a new song called “The Way of the Fire” at this past weekend’s Metalfest in Germany. As of this writing 7,236 people have already watched the video — which was posted just two days ago — so I’d say general interest in this band is indeed really fucking high. While the new song doesn’t get me particularly excited about Wintersun it doesn’t turn me off either; I’d say it does leave me curious to hear their new album whenever it finally comes out. Thanks to Tyler Drainville for sending this in.

-VN

When Axl and I visited Atlanta for the inaugural Scion Rock Fest in 2009 we checked out local rock n’ roll dive bar Elmyr for beverages and hangs the night before the festival. We’d heard that local metal luminaries like Brent Hinds liked to hang out there and we’re totally scary stalkers, plus hey really cheap bar! Wouldn’t you know it, ’round about midnight Hinds showed up completely off his rocker on booze and god knows what else, and within the blink of an eye it was like the Tasmanian Devil had rolled in. Hinds “confronted” good friend / High on Fire frontman Matt Pike and within seconds the two were in full-on brawl mode, like two teething puppies excited they finally had someone else on their level to scuffle with and gnaw on. Drinks went flying, glasses broke, tables were knocked over and at one point I think Hinds actually body-slammed Pike (or was it the other way around? sorry, booze) onto a chest-level table. It was all over in a couple of minutes; the bar-back came out with a broom to sweep up the broken glass, tables were righted, the jukebox roared back to life, and it was as if nothing had happened at all. Just a regular night in your favorite rock n’ roll dive-bar.

There’s no doubt that the 2-minute Royal Rumble we witnessed that night added to the bar’s charm, and apparently their owners think so too; Hinds is now shilling for Elmyr, which now serves food, in a minute-long actual TV commercial parodying pharmaceutical ads. In case you’re wondering, the interior shot of the bar at around 0:23 is the entirety of the tiny room in which the above Hinds v. Pike brawl took place, making it all that much more exciting. Super-lulz at the idea of Hinds playing golf, doing yoga and coaching his son in Little League. How many takes do you think it took him to sink that putt?

-VN

I wanna hear the new Chimaira album so badly I can feel it in my bones, and while a shitty live bootleg ain’t gonna satisfy that craving, it’s better than nuthin’!

So. The band did a mini-tour last week/this weekend, during which they not only made their live debut with their new and improved line-up, but they apparently announced the title of that forthcoming release — The Age of Hell — and debuted a new song, “Trigger Finger.” Check out some fan-filmed footage below. The audio quality is really not good (if anyone finds a better video, by all means, drop me  a line), but what I can make out sounds like classic Chimaira, which is to say, yes more please!

There’s still no word on a release date for The Age of Hell, although it should be out sometime this summer via eOne. The PRP, where I first saw this video, reports that the initial single from the album is called “Year of the Snake”… hopefully we get to hear it very soon.

-AR

Thanks to everyone who e-mailed us about this!

Sheesh you are getting old…  The best years and achievements are clearly behind you, and it’s time to give in to the slow ride downhill to mediocrity.

Right?

Hmmm…..let’s hope not.

Regardless of what’s ahead, it’s important to keep remembering where you came from, how your experiences have shaped you, and what to learn from them for the future. Duh.

Case in point: three of our very favorite bands are currently recording new albums, and while the jury may be out on how awesome said follow-ups will be, we have ample opportunity to look back at the past and think about what solid foundations have been built to make way for a healthy and expansive evolution…

Or the new albums may just all suck.  Who fucking knows?

-KW

If you’re American, you already know it’s Memorial Day weekend, and, in fact, you’re probably either already on your way to the beach/a BBQ/a terrible summer movie/whatever, and are reading this after it was published. If you’re not American, all you really need to know is that we’re breaking out right now, and won’t be here on Monday. Usual tomfoolery will resume on Tuesday, May 31.

In the meantime, here’s how we kept busy this week:

• We debuted new music from Job for a Cowboy, Tombs, Unearth, and Vaulting.
• We spoke to Neil Fallon from Clutch.
• We continued to unveil our list of The Top 25 Modern Metal Guitarists.
• We checked out the latest releases from Dark Castle and Embers.
• Sergeant D. examined comedy metal.
• Leyla Ford examined Lady GaGa’s metal-ness.
• Anso wondered if Slayer pinball is better than recent Slayer albums.
• We got really excited about the new Gojira song.
• We got less excited about the new Bury Your Dead song.
• We watched you folks debated about the new Trivium song.

Now if you’ll excuse me, I am going to put these tips for using the toilet to good use before I head out for the weekend. See ya Tuesday!

-AR

MetalSucks recently polled its staff to determine who are The Top 25 Modern Metal Guitarists, and after an incredible amount of arguing, name calling, and physical violence, we have finalized that list! The only requirements to be eligible for the list were that the musician in question had to a) play metal (duh), b) play guitar (double-duh), and c) have recorded something in the past five years. Today we continue our countdown with Scott Hull of Pig Destroyer and Agoraphobic Nosebleed…

Scott Hull might be the genre’s most verisimilitudinous exmaple of metal, for, surely, there is no one more metal than he. He has a job, so he isn’t dependent on music to make his living, so he has never had to commit that sin which most offends metal fans  – the compromise of artistic ideals. And that job just happens to be doing IT stuff for the government, which might not sound interesting, until you hear Hull use the phrase “The classified nature of my work,” at which point you realize that Holy shit Scott Hull knows where you live and what porn you download and the codes for the bombs and you had better not fuck with him.

Of course, while these two facts certainly add to Hull’s metalness, they are far too superficial to be the actual source of his metalocity. For no one would give a hoot about Scott Hull the Government IT Guy who Makes Music on the Side if not for the fact that his guitar playing has the ability to endanger entire species.

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Earlier this week we began to unveil the line-up for the awesome new tour we’re sponsoring by providing you with three clues as to the identity of the first band, and asking you to guess who they were. Well, it seems like you had no trouble figuring out that it was Chthonic, masters of orient metal. They’ve got a new album, Takasago Army, coming out later this year, and they’ll be the first band of four on this oh-so-killer line-up.

Wondering who the other three bands on the bill will be? Here’s the set of clues to help you figure out the next band up:

• Their  fourth studio album will be out later this year.
• It will be their first album with their new drummer.
• Two of their members are related.

Get crackin’ on those guesses, and we’ll give up the name of the band this Tuesday, May 31.

-Axl, Vince, and Everyone at MetalSucks

May 18, 2011 – The amount of emotional damage in the Gramercy Theatre last night could fill an orphanage, with large bespectacled women and bleached blonde cardboard cutouts hardly co-mingling with stumbling drug casualties, rock n roll wannabees with overzealous intoxicated girlfriends, and Brads-from-Accounting, along with a morose minority of pitiable sad sacks. Evidently, Scott Weiland’s fanbase is a lot less glamorous and enviable than rock and fashion magazines let on.

In town for a Howard Stern Show inteview and a Barnes & Noble book signing on the release date of his “as told to” memoir “Not Dead And Not For Sale,” the Stone Temple Pilots frontman had also scheduled a solo gig at this small-ish venue. Only the truly naive or ignorant came expecting a show packed with STP and Velvet Revolver jams, though given the aforementioned motley assortment of attendees that might have been a sizable demographic. What even the most sensible of us didn’t expect was the meandering shitshow that we were to wait more than two hours for.

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