Last week, we were only too happy to learn that one of our most favoritest doom bands on the planet, Batillus, have a new split 7″ with Mutilation Rites coming out July 12; now the two bands have announced a tour together, which will kick off just days before said split’s release.
And I implore you to go to a show if they’re coming to your area. Honestly, I can’t speak to the quality of Mutilation Rites live, because I’ve never seen them before; but Batillus MUST be experienced in a concert setting. They are just so… fucking… crushing. And if they’re doing all this stuff with Mutilation Rites, I’d be willing to wager that that band is pretty frickin’ cool, too.
On Tuesday Kia and Adult Swim’s weird download wall will offer (for freeness) an unreleased Mastodon song from the fruitful Crack The Skye sessions. This is boner news cuz while Skye is rad, its mere seven tracks aren’t enough — no matter how lengthy and multi-staged. Right or wrong, I need no fewer than nine jams per LP even if that means the damn shit is two hours long. All perfect albums have about that many cycles of verse, hook, and junk. (And the reverse is true cuz I top out at about 12 tracks — no matter how brief. TMI.)
In this way, Skye resembles Frances The Mute by Masto-labelmates/-collaborators The Mars Volta, right? It too is ambitious, wild, woolly, just ka-blammo. But The Mars Volta counteracted Mute‘s endless noodling and low number of complete cycles with a B-side, “Frances The Mute,” that slides tightly into the lead track slot of the album. And bam! the album just got bigger and better and yes longer, but we already went over that. So tomorrow, Mastodon might do the very same favor for Crack The Skye via “Deathbound”. Go here to get it.
–ADF
Mastodon’s forthcoming album The Hunter is officially slated for release in 2011 and allegedly features songs titled “The Octopus Has No Friends,” “Stargasm,” and “Blasteroids.” Sure why not.
Oh, hell to the muthafuckin’ yes. After a long four-year wait, Today is the Day will finally release a new album, Pain is a Warning, on August 16 — and now they’re streaming a brand new track from the record, the appropriately titled “Expectations Exceed Reality,” over on their Facebook page.
And, no shock, it’s awesome. TITD mastermind Steve Austin brings his usual, singular brilliance to the song, and the band’s new members — Wetnurse’s Curran Reynolds (drums) and Ryan Jones (bass) — more than live up to the challenge of filling the humongous shoes of previous TITD members (like Mastodon’s Brann Dailor and Bill Kelliher, Derek Roddy, and Mike Rosswog, to name but a few… like I said, some humongous shoes to fill).
Headbang here, then celebrate the return of Today is the Day in our comments section below. And don’t forget to check out the interview I conducted with Curran Reynolds back in March, right after the band had completed recording the album.
Like I was sayin’ before, Pain is a Warning comes out August 16 via Black Market Activities.
All rock stars wanna be actors and all actors wanna be rock stars, I guess because they think it matters how you get money, drugs, and pussy, not just that you get those things at all. And so Pirates of the Crapibbean star Johnny Depp is not only working on some material with Steven Tyler, but last night he hopped on stage with Alice Cooper during a show in London. Here’s some video for your amusement:
So, y’know. Whatever prevents Depp from making another Jack Sparrow excuse to take a nap adventure is fine by me.
Check out more videos of the performance at Metal Insider.
The thing about Sebastian Bach is, he’s a pathetic loser and a total idiot, but he’s also really talented. His voice is still in amazing shape, and his performances haven’t lost any of their verve. That’s way more than I can say for more dudes his age, who have been in the business for more than two decades. If Bach ever gets some decent collaborators for one of his solo albums, or joins a good band, he’d be a force to be reckoned with again.
Case in point: Baz recently hopped on stage with Children of Bodom during the West Hollywood stop on their now-in-progress tour with Devin Townsend, Obscura, and Septicflesh (remaining dates here). Needless to say, it was much, much cooler than Baz performing with Asking Alexandria.
Here’s some fan-filmed footage of the blessed union:
“What the fuck is going on with Into Eternity?” seems to be a common question amongst metal fans these days, and with good reason. It’s been three years since the release of the band’s last album, The Incurable Tragedy; guitarist Tim Roth sat out a chunk of that album’s touring cycle, which seemed kinda odd given that he pretty much is the band; and just this past March, vocalist Stu Block was announced as the latest singer for Iced Earth. So you can’t exactly blame folks for thinking that Into Eternity’s future might be in question.
But apparently they’ve been working on new stuff! And will have a new single called “Sandstorm” out as soon as next month! There’s even a sample of that single available now! You can listen below! EXCLAMATION POINTS!!!
But wait — there’s more! After the jumps are some studio clips of the band recording this new single, including footage of Rob Doherty, a singer I’m not familiar with, laying down the death metal vocals for “Sandstorm.” Check it out:
Trent Reznor has been talking about doing a Year Zero television series on HBO for so long that, frankly, I had pretty much given up on the thing ever happening. But I guess Trent is a persistent dude — and that Oscar win probably didn’t hurt his ability to get shit done — so now the proposed series is taking a serious step towards becoming a reality: Jim Uhls, who was credited with writing the screenplay for the film version of Fight Club, has been hired to script the show, according to The Hollywood Reporter.
We’ve gotten to hear a shitty live bootleg of “Runaway,” the new Converge song which appears on their new split 7″ with Dropdead — but now the official studio version is available, too. You can check it out on the band’s Facebook page.
I’m still wrapping my head around the song (which is some crazy, crazy, crazy shit), but I can say that “Runaway” does not just sound like a leftover from Axe to Fall. It’s a perfect illustration of one of the reasons we love Converge so very much — unlike too many hardcore bands, Converge never keep evolving and never make the same record twice.
Headbang here, then let us know what you think in the comments section. Converge’s split 7″ with Dropdead is out now.
I have a friend who swears that the basement of her workplace is haunted by a g-g-g-g-ghost… She also mentioned an affinity for reality shows about paranormal activity. So naturally I asked her if the ghost at her workplace came before she started watching said reality shows or vice versa. What do you think her answer was?
My humble apologies to the apparition-believers among us — I don’t mean to sound so skeptical. As a matter of fact, I suspect there are plenty of cosmic/extrasensory phenomena I have faith in that many of you might scoff at.
Destiny?
Fate?
G-d?
Unicornzzz?
MS Mansion Monkeys????
(That last one is undeniably real)
In any case, it’s hard not to appreciate m-m-m-m-music about g-g-g-g-ghosts, right? Let’s get our spook on after ze jump…
MetalSucks tipster extraordinaire Hetal Bhatt sent us the below video, and while it has nothing to do with metal, it did make me laugh, and I did forward it to friends. So, enjoy:
And on that note, here’s some stuff we did this week:
Can I make one thing clear? The debut Bravest Man in Metal column wasn’t designed to be provocative. Nor was it designed to make fun or denigrate those of you who enjoy the mind, body, personality and sexual function altering properties of alcohol. That came more from the title that Ol’ Neilstein saddled said entry with. Granted, coming on to the internet to not rip on people for who they are, what they do, the choices they make and the music they listen to is like breathing to most people, but not something I like to spend my time engaging in. “Fuck, dumb ass, why even log on to the ‘net then? Dumb ass!” I hear a number of you ask. Good question! But my little corner here isn’t designed to point fingers or rip on anyone but myself and my like-minded friends so as to possibly display to the prejudicial part of the world that still believes metal is all about blood, guts, lawnmower decapitations and listening to records backwards that metal isn’t about blood, guts, lawnmower decapitations and listening to records backwards (well, not entirely, anyway) via my own nerdish and geeky proclivities. And those of KEN Mode, the Winnipeg noise rock/metal band I roadied and slung merch for on a recent North American tour.
If you read the first instalment, you’re already aware that the amount of drinking on this tour clocked in at a humiliating low. This should be an indicative hint that the amount of drug use was even less. Actually, it was nil. I don’t know about the circles you roll in, but I don’t really think any of my drug-addicted friends aren’t drinkers. One kind of goes with the other, like a doctor’s office and waiting or public figures getting caught in “sex scandals” and denial. But this pairing of myself and KEN Mode was a boring dude’s match made in heaven. In fact, one of the first questions I was asked by the band’s members upon hauling myself into their van the first morning of my tour tenure was if I wished to partake in a wolfing down ritual of a couple gummi vitamins and vitamin C tablets. Granted, getting sick on tour is a recipe for being sick for a long, long time and one should take whatever measures possible to avoid illness, but group morning vitamin chugging in the parking lot of a rainy suburban Buffalo, NY motel doesn’t exactly scream metal the last time I checked. Not only that, but even after having only first met me about 12 hours earlier, the band were genuinely expressing concern about my decision to scarf a day-old muffin and donut. Caring for your fellow man, having empathy and compassion? What the fuck?
Over a few hours of interviews with Peter Steele’s closest compatriots and family last March, I kept rolling my eyes at myself for inquiring seriously about their reactions to Peter’s Playgirl photos. It’s like, really, Anso? You ask these nice, giving people about the man’s artistic genius, his singular intellect, his battles, and then the brandishing of his boner for a national magazine? This is journalism?
But hey, yes it is, ‘cuz that was Peter. As I told Type O Negative keyboardist/producer Josh Silver, it screwed with me to watch the band rock when into my mind would flash an image of Peter gripping little Peter. I should have avoided his pictorial in the first place, but, c’mon, you looked, I looked, whatever. After all, that’s the internet’s function: providing more information than you bargained for. And so I relate immediately to Thursday’s NEMI comic (above, don’t sue us?). But will the next three panels also match my experience by depicting the naked-Pete viewer in states of wowed disbelief, smirking mirth, and uncomfortable silence? Probably!
Very special thanks to the Ratajczyk family for the tip.
-ADF
Read part I and part II of MetalSucks’ massive exclusive Peter Steele retrospective featuring new interviews with his family, friends, and Type O Negative bandmates.
Victor from MarsAttacksRadio.com and FusionSonica.com recently interviewed Jeff from Lazarus A.D. and Jerry from Bonded By Blood before their recent show in Bilbao, Spain. As you can see, Victor was sporting his Reign In Blog MS t-shirt. Thanks for the love, dude!
The “Reign in Blog” shirt Victor is wearing is still available, as are our many other shirt designs… dig ‘em here. Send in pics of yourself wearing your MS merch and we’ll reward with you a box o’ free shit. Sweet deal.
Every year in the summer I do the obligatory trek back home to Turkey. For most people, this is kind of a nuisance, but not that big a deal. However, I need to take at least two planes and cross the Atlantic to visit my family. This is why I usually go home onlyonce a year. Or whine at them to just come to me if they have to see me.
I grew up somewhere were we didn’t get many bands. I’m pretty sure that’s partly why I moved to a large city in the States. But when I found out that the Sonisphere Festival was hitting home sweet home, right when I was visiting, I took it upon myself to take my two youngest cousins and little sister. I figured it’s my duty to take them to their first metal show. We decided not to half-ass it. We’d stick it out from start to finish and see all five bands. One day of metal culminating in Iron Maiden. None of them had ever seen them. It was the most awful and awesome day.
Alas, there won’t be a new installment of “Landphil Marathon” today. So I thought all you pro-wrestling fiends might instead enjoy the below video, which is a mash-up of Hatebreed’s “Tear it Down” with various Hulk Hogan sound bites. And, I gotta say, it’s done pretty artfully! Jamey Jasta’s lyrics are already kinda rasslin’-ready (I always say he’s like the Tony Robbins of hardcore… there is nothing better at the gym than having Jasta literally shout “PERSEVERANCE!” in your ear when you get tired.), so this doesn’t seem like too much of a stretch.
And we should have a new “Landphil Marathon” soon!
Twelve years ago, Limp Bizkit released Significant Other, and an ungodly amount of casual acquaintances and friends of friends told me that I had to check it out. But I saw the video for “Nookie” and immediately knew that, dear heavens no, I most certainly did not have to check it out. And it was bad enough that Limp Bizkit could actually be a make-it-or-break-it point in a friendship; I once knew a millionaire alcoholic who declared my clothes to be “welfare,” but loved Limp Bizkit so much he got a black eye in one of their pits, so I felt pretty confident that anyone who even liked Limp Bizkit was more worthless than the plaque I brushed off my teeth in the morning.
But for the next, oh, I dunno, five years or so — I knew the tide had turned circa Ozzfest ’03, when Lamb of God and Hatebreed were all the rage and Otep was the only nu-metal artist on the whole bill — anytime someone who didn’t really know me would find out that I listened to metal, they would inevitably bring up Limp Bizkit or Korn. Consequently, I beat a lot of people to death with a rusty lead pipe during those years, and am now forced to write under an alias so as to conceal my true identity from the authorities.
So I don’t know what it says about me that I don’t think Gold Cobra deserves an especially harsh beatdown for its sins.
Captain America is a comic book movie about a wimp who takes a special serum and becomes a super-soldier who fights the Nazis during World War II. So, of course, it makes perfect sense to use Tool’s “46 & 2″ in the new trailer for the movie, since Tool are the most jingoistic band ever, and since “46 & 2″ was, in fact, all the rage in 1942.
My sarcasm aside, I guess the inclusion of the song here does kinda-sorta make sense, assuming it was chosen for its lyrical content, which basically uses Jungian theories (the shadow) to discuss personal evolution (Like the Cap going from zero to hero!).
ANYWAY, here’s the full song, on the off-chance you’ve never heard it before:
Love ‘em or hate ‘em, you gotta admit — the nameless, by and large faceless dudes in Ghost are some pretty interesting characters. And that web of mystery that surrounds them definitely adds to their appeal; I mean, if you really wanna know, it’s not hard to find their real identities on the internet, but it’s more fun not to know, isn’t it?
Metal Injection‘s new video interview with two members of Ghost — the first video interview the band has ever given — only adds to the mystique. You’ll learn a lot about the group, and really nothing at all, if that makes sense. Just think of it as an episode of Lost.
When I think about the most bloggable, trendy genres of the last eighteen months or so, two things come to mind: djent and dubstep. I don’t have a ponytail, so I don’t really know much about djent, but I know that Tumblrsluts, moshbros, and other tastemaking, high-value music consumers who were into deathcore and metalcore last year are into dubstep this year. With that in mind, it makes a lot of sense to me that leading independent music retailer SUMERIAN RECORDS added dubstep sensations BORGORE to their roster.
Two different readers, Chris Vanderwerf and Thomas Kopreitan, both sent us a link to the below video, and both utilized the same silly bun for their subject line: “Oh, Lordi!”
But it’s easy to see why that particular joke would spring to mind. This is fucking pathetic. And the worst part — besides the fact that there are people who actually like Lordi, I mean — is that the clip is from 2006, but for some reason, it doesn’t seem to be a well-known incident. Hopefully that will change now.
[NOTE: I know some people are having problems with the video embed. You can also just watch the clip here while we try to get this sorted out.]
Photo by Scott Irvine
