We generally use the Reviews category at MetalSucks to highlight lesser known bands that we feel could use the exposure instead of slapping an “official” but ultimately subjective and arbitrary rating on albums and bands we already cover on the site ad nauseam. But sometimes once a big album comes out we kind of forget about it; once the press releases, new track premieres, music videos and random tidbits stop coming at a breakneck pace and the record label is less focused on producing that big first week sales number, suddenly there’s a lot less to post about and certain records get lost in the fray of whatever’s new that’s come along since. Today I want to briefly reviews two of those albums, Animals as Leaders’ Weightless and Mastodon’s The Hunter.

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FEATURING MEMBERS OF AT THE GATES, TEXTURES, GRIDLINK, FIGHT AMP, MONSTRO, GLORIOR BELLI, VALLENFYRE, HOODED MENACE, AND PORTRAIT

Every year year, MetalSucks asks musicians from across the vast spectrum of the metalsphere (or, in a few cases, the almost-metalsphere) what their favorite albums of the year have been. Death metallers, thrash metallers, black metallers, stoners, grinders, and djenters alike graciously contributed lists to MS, and we’ll be running them in groups of nine to ten musicians at a time two to three times a day for the whole week.

After the jump, check out the next group… we hope you enjoy seeing what some of metal’s heaviest hitters were into this year as much as we have!

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For those of us that still get a little queasy inside when we think of the tragic bus accident that killed Cliff Burton, this has been a really tough past year and change to stomach. Bonded by Blood and The Chariot both experienced van accidents; earlier this month, Decapitated survived an emergency plane landing in Warsaw, four years almost to the day after the horrible crash that killed drummer Vitek and left vocalist Covan in a coma. The tail end of 2010 found All Shall Perish and Pathology enduring accidents unscathed, and Makh Daniels of Early Graves losing his life in a crash.

It’s an unfortunate fact of being a touring musician that driving conditions aren’t ideal, and the vehicles that scrappy metal bands can afford usually aren’t in the best of shape. All the more reason to thank whatever god you disbelieve in that the members of Philadelphia noise-rock band Gods and Queens (frequent gig-mates of our own Justin Foley’s band Austerity Program) are all still alive after their van skidded and rolled off a highway in the Czech Republic, en route to Dresden, Germany. Here’s the full story, from the band’s frontman Jamie Getz:

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I was pretty bummed a few weeks ago when Dreaming Dead’s new album, Midnightmares, wasn’t actually released on November 1 like it was s’posed to be. And there was no immediate statement from the band explaining where the heck the album was, so, y’know. Double bummer.

Now the band’s website says that Dreaming Dead “have postponed the street date to sometime in 2012.” No further information regarding the cause of the delay, or a more specific new release date for the album, has been given. So, uh, that’s kinda yucky.

The good news, though, is the band has released a video for a new song from Midnightmares, “Lapse.” And it’s not the best video ever made or anything, but it does allow us to hear some new Dreaming Dead, which can’t be a bad thing, right?

Check out the clip below and see what you think…

-AR

So it looks like my boyhood hero, The Ultimate Warrior, is getting his own reality web series, The Warrior Show, in which he tortures various Sumerian bands because… I really have no idea why this exists, actually. It obviously has nothing to do with music. The Warrior tells the band “I want you to prove the haters wrong,” but speaking as a hater, I don’t know how this will achieve that goal; I mean, it’s not like being in tip-top physical shape will make I See Stars’ music any better — and there are plenty of talented fat dudes in extreme music. So is it is just good cross-promotion? I can’t imagine young fans of Sumerian bands care about The Ultimate Warrior, and I can’t imagine old fans of The Ultimate Warrior care about young Sumerian bands. Then again, I am writing about this now, so I guess there’s publicity to be had. Huzzah!

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As the season winds down, this column continues to be shorter (and my workload easier). Just a few new things today, as well as the Devin Townsend Project box set. 2012 is going to have to really impress to match the number of awesome things we’ve seen this year…

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Julie Christmas is apparently going to have a new song called “Scalps” on the European Falling Down IIV compilation next year, and now a minute-long preview of that song is available for streaming (below). And, oh my dear, does it ever sound gorgeous. Christmas has to have one of the most haunting voices in all of music today — not just metal, either, but just music, period — and when she starts going nuts towards the end of the clip, my heart pretty much melts. I wanna hear the rest of this, and I wanna hear it now. A new Made Out of Babies album — or even another Christmas solo outing — would be terrific, too, don’t you agree?

-AR

[via The PRP]

OMG U GUISE, Fred Durst has promised that some “huge Limp Bizkit news” is going to be announced in December. (See above tweet for details.) I am, obvs, totes excited.

What do you think it could possibly be????????? Here are some thoughts I had:

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For every Vince there’s a Nikki, for every Steven Tyler there’s a Joe Perry, for every Axl there’s a Slash (or Izzy, as it were); rarely is the frontman of a band the driving creative force and chief songwriter, even when he’s the outsize personality. I love Stephen Pearcy to death and what he brings to the table in Ratt as a frontman and voice, but his new solo stuff just ain’t doing it. Without Warren DeMartini’s sweet n’ tasty riffs, “Don’t Wanna Think About,” Pearcy’s new solo single, could be any old group of dudes in an aging bar band. I’m sure the dudes in his band are all great guys, but the way they’re dolled up in this video they look like the waiting room of a Five Finger Death Punch audition session:

Ratt’s last album was so good (#1 of 2010 good!) that I wanted to like Pearcy’s upcoming solo record Sucker Punch at all costs, but if this is the best song that just ain’t gonna happen. Hopefully those guys get to kissing and making nice instead of talking smack in the press sooner rather than later

-VN

Whether due to cocaine usage, an insatiable desire to create, or some combination thereof, Nachtmystium have, rather miraculously, released new music every year since 2002. And if you thought “Well, 2011 is basically over, so I guess they finally missed a year,” you thought wrong. The band has recorded a new song, “I Wait in Hell,” for a 7″ split with Murmur, which will be available any second now via Inferna Profundus Records. Here’s the band’s statement regarding the track:

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FEATURING MEMBERS OF MACHINE HEAD, EPICA, NAILS, CLINGING TO THE TREES OF A FOREST FIRE, ARGUS, EVERYTHING WENT BLACK, AND WEAPON

Every year year, MetalSucks asks musicians from across the vast spectrum of the metalsphere (or, in a few cases, the almost-metalsphere) what their favorite albums of the year have been. Death metallers, thrash metallers, black metallers, stoners, grinders, and djenters alike graciously contributed lists to MS, and we’ll be running them in groups of nine to ten musicians at a time twice a day for the whole week.

After the jump, check out the next group… we hope you enjoy seeing what some of metal’s heaviest hitters were into this year as much as we have!

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Dave Brockie is out for the season. Our crack team of Medical Monkeys did their best to get Brockie back out on the field, but it’s not to be. Given the extenuating circumstances, we understand, and we wish Brockie some peaceful downtime in which to ponder where, exactly, the Redskins went so very, very wrong.

Meanwhile, all I’ve been hearing about these last few weeks as Tim Tebow. Tebow, Tebow, Tebow, every sports channel I watch, every annoying talk radio host, every newspaper headline. If this guy keeps it up he’s quickly going to supplant Tom Brady as the most hated quarterback pretty boy in the NFL. Running a spread option offense in the pros is already drawing the ire of NFL purists, and his ability to single-handedly initiate miraculous fourth quarter comebacks since being thrust into Denver’s starting role last month has fans of any team opposing Denver fuming. The kid’s good, there’s no doubt about it, but is he THAT good? As teams have more time to prepare their defense for the spread option — and as Tebow eventually learns a pro-style system, as is likely to happen next year — he might come back down to earth sooner rather than later. His passing game is suspect. I guess time will tell.

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Even though I don’t know any personally, I keep hearing that Volbeat have a lot of fans. And I’m guessing it’s true, based on how many albums they sell and the tours they get.

So those fans will probably be pretty bummed to read this message from the band:

“Volbeat has decided to part ways with Thomas Bredahl. Being in a band is in many ways similar to a marriage with ups and downs. At times you can work it out and sometimes you need to go separate ways…

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One thing’s for damn sure: Coliseum know what they’re doing. They’ve been around long enough and they’ve seen parts of the world some of us (myself included) still dream of visiting; needles to say, the notoriety they’ve built up has been well earned. That worldliness, minus the pretentious undertones you might expect from a band as well traveled, is articulated quite well on their latest EP, Parasites.

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-AR

[via... thanks to Brendan Collins for the tip!]

FEATURING MEMBERS OF LACUNA COIL, TRAPPED UNDER ICE, ALLEGAEON, CULTED, MILLIONS, BIRTH A.D., AND NIGHTFALL

Every year year, MetalSucks asks musicians from across the vast spectrum of the metalsphere (or, in a few cases, the almost-metalsphere) what their favorite albums of the year have been. Death metallers, thrash metallers, black metallers, stoners, grinders, and djenters alike graciously contributed lists to MS, and we’ll be running them in groups of nine to ten musicians at a time twice a day for the whole week.

After the jump, check out the first group… we hope you enjoy seeing what some of metal’s heaviest hitters were into this year as much as we have!

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That shirt you see above worn by MS devotee Rob Hinkle is something of a collector’s item; they were part of the FYE Fanpack we released earlier this year for just $9.99 with a 20-track CD sampler and there were only 2,000 made, all of which are now sold out. So hang on to that shirt forever and ever, Rob… in the year 2025 you can sell it on the modern equivalent of eBay for a gajillion dollars, or you can just be that cool dad wearing the vintage metal tee from back in the days before MetalSucks starting sucking. Who am I kidding… MetalSucks already blows. We’re total sellouts! Freakin’ FYE, are you kidding me?

But at least Rob gets something for his troubles, a free box o’ metal swag from the Mansion to be exact, by entering our ongoing Show Us Your MetalSucks contest. You, too, can get a box of free stuff by sending fun pics of yourself wearing MS merch to news[at]metalsucks[dot]net. Do it.

That’s Rob with Mecronos from Dethrace in the background of the above pic, taken at the recent Gwar-B-Q. After the jump, a picture of Rob with Mike Derks (Balsac) of Gwar. As a reminder, several awesome bands are hosting a memorial benefit concert for the family of deceased Gwar guitarist Cory Smoot in Richmond, VA on January 7th.

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Did you know that Canadians celebrate Thanksgiving more than a month before we do? Gosh, that’s efficient, although since they hold it on a Monday, I wonder if they do Black Tuesday. But enough of my comical ugly Americanism for a minute; there was a point I was working towards…

Oh yes! Straight outta Montreal, Enforcers have got a crossover thrash update for you with their soon-to-be-released End Of Time 12″ on A389 Recordings. Think DYS, Best Wishes-period Cro-Mags, and ever-lovin’ Madball, and you”ll pick up what I’m putting down. In keeping with the thankfulness of the season, get ready to get grateful because we have an exclusive stream of the record for your listening pleasure. If you dig what you hear, pre-order it directly from A389. And if you’re live in or near Montreal, catch the band’s record release party, which will feature performances from the band and openers Plus Minus, Agitator, True North Strong, Easy Way Out, Wrong Hands, and Sabotage.

-GS

I’ve made no secret of my general distaste for black metal, going so far as to call for a boycott of one of the sound’s most celebrated and influential figures. Without question, I’m not the ideal person to defend any aspect of a subgenre that I consider an eye-rolling, oft-racist joke. And yet, Tim Hunter at Invisible Oranges has driven me to stand up for it (sorta) thanks to his scathing and shoddy article lambasting the sub-subgenre “Cascadian black metal” and those journalists who dare to use the term in their pieces.

I’m not saying the music itself is bullshit – that’s more of a personal taste thing – but I think the sub-genre as a concept is bullshit. Ever since Wolves in the Throne Room garnered a more significant share of the music spotlight (chiefly by playing a corporate-sponsored festival, I’ve seen the term “Cascadian black metal” tossed around in more articles recently. Some of these have been from outside the metal world (the New Yorker, The Guardian), while others are more in tune with the underground. But I’m skeptical by default of any attempt by music media to create new pigeonholes for the music they cover. In some cases, it’s merely lazy journalism; in other cases (I’m looking at you, New Yorker dude), it’s just a way to make it seem like you know more than you really do about your topic.

Here’s why Hunter’s argument is (to reclaim the epithet) bullshit.

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