I’ve never been to Australia, but everyone I have ever met from there — literally, every single Australian I have ever known in my life (and I’ve known a surprising amount of Australians) — has been cool. I know it started as a penal colony, but at some point the prisoners must have just, like, smoked mad doobs or something, because Australians are awesome people.

That being said, I do not give enough of a fuck about Australia to post about shows in Australia… normally. I’ll make an exception for this video promoting Devin Townsend’s upcoming appearance  on the Aussie’s Soundwave Revolution festival, though, because Ziltoid (the real Ziltoid, not Zilty Wilty) is in it.

And that’s it. If you don’t like this, you’re a spazz.

-AR

Hey, remember this guy from that Dr. Acula video I wrote about that one time?

Well, according to Lambgoat, his name is Joey Simpson, and he has quit the band. I would re-post his statement explaining his departure here, except it’s really long, really boring, and doesn’t really give any actual information on why he decided to he didn’t want to flip his keyboards for Dr. Acula any longer. Also, who fucking cares? Dr. Acula are terrible.

But here’s the thing: I think this is actually really bad news for Dr. Acula.

Click to read more…

Bill Bailey is a British comedian with whom I’m not familiar… in fact, the first thing I thought when reader Charles Farmer sent us a link to the below video was that the video was going to be Axl Rose-related (Rose’s real name is William Bailey, in case ya didn’t know).

It has nothing to do with The Ginger One, though, and everything to do with Metallica. I don’t think there will be much entertainment value if I give the whole video away, so you should really just watch and enjoy for yourself.

Not bad, eh? Bicycle horns > Hetfield’s actual vocals, if you ask me…

-AR

And here’s a great way to continue continuing your morning: fan-filmed footage of Shrinebuilder performing two new songs — “Let the Hell Come” at Scion Rock Fest back in March, and “Nagas 1&2,” at the recent Roadburn festival. As was the case with that Neurosis footage we posted a little earlier, one of these clips ain’t new, but for some reason I’ve never seen it posted elsewhere, so, y’know, it’s new to us.

Here’s “Nagas 1 & 2″…

…and check out “Let the Hell Come” after the jump!

Click to read more…

And here’s a great way to continue your morning: fan-filmed videos of Neurosis performing not one but TWO new songs at All Tomorrow’s Parties earlier this year. The footage is from back in February, but I haven’t previously seen it posted anywhere.

I know that there are readers out there who are far bigger Neurosis fans than I, so I’ll leave it to you folks to judge, but… sounds pretty Neurosis-y to me.

Here’s the first song…

…and you can check out the second after the jump!

Click to read more…

Well, here’s a great way to start your morning!

A reader who for some inexplicable reason thought it was cool to choose a variation of the N-bomb as his user name sent us the below video of Animals as Leaders performing a new song at a recent gig in California. The audio quality is actually not completely terrible, and is certainly good enough to let us know that, yes, the new AAL album is probably going to rule. As for the video itself, well, if you watch it lying down, you can see it properly!

Animals as Leaders’ yet-to-be-titled sophomore album should be out later this year.

-AR

Have you ever noticed that the bands who metal nerds fawn over today were universally-despised rage magnets just a few short years ago? For example, trashing Pantera in 2011 is asking to get chased with torches and pitchforks — the polar opposite of 1993, when you would be hard-pressed to find a band that metal nerds hated more. Or how everybody jizzes over Suffocation now, but in the mid-90s you couldn’t read two pages of Metal Maniacs without someone pissing and moaning about “Suffoclones.” Are metal nerds crazy, or is there some rhyme and reason to their seemingly-contradictory behavior?? I believe that there is indeed a way to understand metal nerds, but it’s not what you might think!

Psychologists have long compared metal nerds to women. The similarities are certainly undeniable: like the fairer sex, they are fickle, emotional, and irrational. They even have long hair! However, my research suggests that, unlike women, they actually operate by a primitive form of logic and are highly predictable. After the break: my SCIENTIFIC MODEL OF METAL NERD PSYCHOLOGY, the FOUR KINDS OF METAL BANDS, and an exclusive METAL NERD CHEAT SHEET that reveals a foolproof formula for whether you should like a band or not!

Click to read more…

This might be the worst post ever. Vince is away and my internet is fucked, so I’m actually writing this from the WordPress app on my iPhone. Which blows. But I wanted to make sure you guys go to check out this footage of Periphery doing a new song, “Face Palm Mute,” at a recent Euro festival. I originally saw it on The PRP.

Periphery will do their first headlining tour this fall, with support coming from The Human Abstract, Textures, and The Contortionist. Get dates here.

I’m out until I get this internet BS sorted out. There will be a Sergeant D. post at 4:20, and then you’re on your own ’til tomorrow. Sorry!

-AR

We got a whole mess o’ reader suggestions while I was away, so over the course of the next few days, I’m gonna try and do some catching up. There’s no real theme to these editions of “Reader’s Choice,” beyond the fact that all the bands were, y’know, chosen by readers.

And so…

Click to read more…

I got forwarded this video by one of my delightful editors, and, man, they do know me. It’s “Bullet,” by Broken Teeth, and I do enjoy it’s Danko Jones-meets-Airbourne-ness. The video itself is kind of boring and doesn’t do much for me, but that last scene reminds me of The Darkness. That might not be such a good thing though, because now I want to listen to them rather than Broken Teeth, but Broken Teeth are still worth checking out if you want inoffensive strut-rock. It’s off their newest release, Viva La Rock, Fantastico.

-LF

According to MSN, Michael “Würzel” Burston, who was the guitarist for Motörhead from ’84 to ’95, has passed away from “ventricular fibrillation, caused by cardiomyopathy, better known as heart disease.” He was 61 years old.

We’ve written so many obituaries this year, and… there’s never really anything you can say other than “That’s terrible.” 61 is really not that old in this day and age, and Burston should have had many more good years ahead of him still. Our thoughts are with his family and friends.

Here’s video of Burston performing the song “You Better Run,” from the album March ör Die, with Motörhead in Sweden in 1993. Watch it in his honor, and then share your remembrances of the man in our comments section.

Anyone who got their hands on Gorod’s new EP Transcendence had to attend the band’s May 23rd show in Paris, which left the entire world outside of a couple of hundred people shit out of luck. Until now; MetalSucks is incredibly pleased to present to our readers Transcendence in full, right here, right now!

The EP includes three of the band’s classic songs “re-worked” into new versions, a cover of Cynic’s “Textures,” and the self-titled pièce de résistance, an epic, brand new 15-minute long Gorod song.

Stream Transcendence now ’cause we’re only gonna have it up here for a few days. Make sure you order your very own copy at Gorod’s webstore.

[this streaming promotion has ended]

Wowee wow wow wow, there is a lot of new music out today. Not that I’m complaining. But it seems like it’s fast turning into “New Shit Day” here at MS. (Just wait until you hear what we’re premiering in thirty minutes.)

So. “Where the Kind Lives,” the new Cannabis Corpse ditty we premiered last month, is an awesome tune, but I think that “Sworn to the Bag,” the new new Cannabis Corpse ditty now streaming at Metal Insider, is even awesomer. The band’s new album, Beneath Grow Lights Thou Shalt Rise, comes out tomorrow on Tankcrimes, and I’m sure you guys already have it on your radar, but if you don’t for some reason, listen to this song and get it on your fuckin’ radar STAT. The album features lots of great old school death metal and weed references and zero autoLaBonte, so, yeah, you’re gonna wanna own this album.

Also, if you haven’t been reading CC bassist Landphil’s awesome series of pro-wrestling-related blogs, you should be doing that. They are educational.

-AR

NOTE: Yep, I originally said it was Aaron Deal and not Rob Moore. I’m a dope. Apologies.

When Kat Katz split with Salome back in March, I wondered if the band would even try to replace her. And I guess the answer is “No, they won’t,” because now guitarist Rob Moore is in a new band, Auroboros, and on their Facebook page, he is listed as “ex-Salome.” So, the good news, I guess, is that Salome get to go down in history as being one of those bands that did a few really, really killer things, and then quit while they were ahead.

The even better news is that Auroboros — which also includes former Baroness guitarist Brian Blickle — are fucking sweet. No, they don’t sound anything like Salome (they’re much more Baroness-y), but that’s fine, ’cause good luck putting together a new doom band that is superior to Salome, and also ’cause, like I said, Auroboros are frickin’ sweet.

And the bestest news is that Auroboros’ five-song demo is available for free download right here. So you are a goddamn fool if you don’t at least check it out. You can’t even really use lack of hard drive space as an excuse, ’cause you can also just stream the demo. So do it do it do it. You will be glad you did.

-AR

Thanks to Dayv for the tip!

I like Suicide Silence, and I’m happy for them that they are now big enough to be able to get Korn’s Jonathan Davis to guest on a song. But I’m sad that they used their current stature to get Korn’s Jonathan Davis to guest on a song.

I guess in all fairness, the Silencers have always been open about their love of Korn, and I imagine it was a dream come true to have Davis appear on “Witness the Addiction,” which is definitely the second best song I’ve heard today that uses the word “addiction” in its title. Still, Davis’ presence pretty much ensures that this is my least favorite Suicide Silence song ever, or until they do a song with someone even worse than Davis, whichever comes first.

But feel free to check out “Witness the Addiction” here, then let us know what you think in the comments section. Suicide Silence’s new album, The Black Crown, comes out tomorrow on Century Media.

-AR

Vince was all on his own last week, so I forgive him for letting the news that there’s a new Brutal Truth song called “Addicted” streaming over at Noisecreep. But now I’m home and I want you to know, so I’m telling you now.

Now, the last time I wrote about a new Brutal Truth song, we got a whopping six comments on the story, one of which was to complain that enough people weren’t commenting, two of which were to complain that there’s still no new Pig Destroyer album coming out, and two of which were olds bitching about this damn Facebook thingamajig. I don’t know if that means you guys aren’t checking out the new Brutal Truth tunes or you just have nothing to say about them. Assuming the former is the answer, well PLEASE DO ME A FAVOR AND LISTEN TO THIS SONG, because BRUTAL TRUTH ARE FUCKING AWESOME AND DESERVE YOUR ATTENTION. If it’s the latter, just do me another favor and write “Yay this song is kewl!” or something in the comments section so I know you’re at least giving BT a shot. I’m bummed that there won’t be a new PxDx album until 2067, too, but fresh Brutal Truth is much too exciting to be considered a mere consolation prize.

Headbang here, then write the aforementioned kudos in our comments section. Brutal Truth’s latest album, End Time, comes out September 27 via Relapse. And if you haven’t already done so, watch the latest episode of MS’ “Cooking Contaminated,” in which fatures BT drummer Rich Hoak teaches you how to make a fucking pig’s head. Holy shit.

-AR

Hi, everyone! I am back from my first vacation since 2006. I look forward to my next vacation in 2016. In the intervening five years, please do not send me countless e-mails about your friend’s terrible deathcore band, insisting that they are awesome. It would really help my stress level/ever-increasing therapy debt. Thanks!

ANYWAY, after sitting out by a lake in Connecticut for the past week, I returned to NYC and the MetalSucks Mansion to learn that bass players suck. I mean, I guess that’s not really fair; not all bass players suck. But between the news that Michael Todd is apparently the only rock star in the history of ever to not be able to score drugs without threatening to kill people, and now the news that Jeroen Paul Thessling has quit Obscura, and, well, one could reasonably deduce that bass players suck, or, at the very least, are inveterate heartbreakers.

So why oh why did he leave Obscura, mere months after the release of their latest and greatest album,  Omnivium? Here’s his official statement:

Click to read more…

TMZ reported Sunday that Coheed and Cambria bassist Michael Todd was arrested for armed robbery in Massachusetts. Whoa! Police reports say that Todd threatened to detonate a bomb in a drugstore, then fled by taxi with six bottles’ worth of ya-ya pills. Yikes. That first part feels like a felony charge. And though the taxi escape plan is not fundamentally horrible, Todd counteracted its anonymity factor by getting dropped off at his actual destination. Which was the Coheed and Cambria gig with Soundgarden at the Comcast Center in Mansfield. Where he would be for the next three hours or so. I guess he expected to blend in with all the other old high people with pills spilling from their pockets. Sigh.

Click to read more…

Let’s face it; like Michael right here, you’ve probably “gotta’ get off these drugs” and who better to help you than every major cartoon character from the ’80s?

In 1990 the programming powers that be had the bright idea to create an animated, public-service musical entitled Cartoon All-Stars to the Rescue to spread awareness about the uncoolness of Mary Jane. This special, funded by McDonalds, aired on the three major American television networks and received critical acclaim from an unintentional cult fanbase of well-meaning stoners.

The preachy, half-hour trip reaches a head within the surreal two-minute sing-along that closes this nightmare; amidst the nails-on-an-eardrum croons of those three color-coordinated duck fucks (seriously, Chad Kroeger is starting to sound pretty good right now) Garfield drops a piece of wisdom that rings especially true:

A good excuse is something you never outgrow

Ain’t that right Afroman?

Amazingly, though, the shit that goes down in this flick is probably more unsettling than whatever talking foods or flying toasters you saw during your last bad trip. Baby Ms. Piggy isn’t your friend! She doesn’t know you!

But oddly enough, this song might not even be the most amusing thing about the movie. Hearing the nerdy, blue chipmunk awkwardly say “Marijuana” at the beginning takes the cake. Here it is slowed down!

So next time MetalSucks tries to bully you into smoking sumthin’ you ain’t so keen on, make sure you say no! (There are a million wonderful ways to say it…) Send all your excuses to Axl; I’m sure he’ll appreciate it.

-Shanbomb

First it was my turn to take a vacation and now it’s Axl’s; I haven’t spoken with him since he left for the lake house last Saturday and that’s a good thing, not because I don’t love the dude but because it means he’s having fun instead of stressing about work. Hopefully as I write this he’s stoned out of his gourd and enjoying something tasty from the grill. But guess what? I’m gonna be away again this coming Monday and Tuesday conducting super-top-secret business in L.A., meaning it’ll just be Axl and the rest of our fine contributors for the early part of next week. But don’t worry; come Wednesday things will be back to normal with our usual Axl + Vince full frontal attack.

Meanwhile, here’s what Axl missed this week:

• We premiered new music by ’90s hardcore legends Earth Crisis and new Metal Blade signees Battlecross, and we premiered a new video from Last Chance to Reason
• We spoke with In Flames’ Bjorn Gelotte and IKILLYA’s Jason Lekberg.
• Landphil pondered the best wrestling “shoots” of all time.
• We looked at new releases by After Oblivion, Doctor Midnight and the Mercy Cult and Michael Monroe while Corey Mitchell gave us the rundown of his bleeders and blowers for June.
• We checked out Mastodon’s “different” new album artwork.
• Sergeant D wondered whether or not melody has a place in metal.
• Periphery lost guitarist Alex Bois while Pig Destroyer gained drummer Adam Jarvis.
• The metal world chimed in on the Casey Anthony verdict; we chimed in on the metal world.

Adios.

-VN