Photo by Agnieszka Krysiuk

Seven months is a long time to hold your breath, but that is what metal fans have been doing since late August when Behemoth frontman Adam “Nergal” Darski was diagnosed with leukemia. Nergal, a formidable opponent to religious zealots and their disregard for his human rights, now was no longer fighting for his liberty, but for his survival. For fans, the announcement was a new and debilitating shock coming mercilessly soon after the losses of Peter Steele and Ronnie James Dio. But both Nergal and his supporters rallied, the former undergoing a successful bone marrow transplant in December and the latter staging an awe-inspiring series of leukemia awareness events. (Believe it, metal people: We are capable of awesomeness.)

But another scare came in late January after an infection landed Nergal back in the hospital. Astoundingly, he and I had planned an interview just prior to this episode; no doubt his determination is illustrated by this desire to get back to Behemoth business mere weeks after a physically- and emotionally-taxing medical procedure. And though I’d been unspeakably eager to ask him a million questions, I could have never anticipated the bombshell nature of our discussion once we finally connected on Tuesday morning. He described to me his current condition (good and improving), his lowest days (“I had some shitty moments”), and his reaction to the outpouring of support (“I had tears in my eyes”). But I didn’t have to start holding my jaw in place until he disclosed that Behemoth has tour plans for this year (!) and more tour plans for next year (!!); that he “expects serious changes” to Behemoth’s music (!) and that he doesn’t plan to employ “the same entourage and the same outfits” on tour (!!); and that the two of us agree on Motorhead (duh!) but disagree on Maiden (huh?). Stop what you’re doing and read the words of a man hobbled but still as strong as the most powerful among us. He may not be healthy, but he must be hell-thy. We love the guy — and we have proof. Nergal is back.

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Shining’s Jorgen Munkeby with Melissa Auf der Maur

When Melissa Auf der Maur, one of the most metal not-really-metal musicians on the planet today, tipped us off that she was going to be collaborating on a new project with Shining’s Jorgen Munkeby, well, we pretty much got down on our hands and knees and begged her to write a guest blog about the experience. Luckily for us, Melissa is used to having men beg her for things, and she took mercy. And so here are her recollections of how she came to learn about Shining, befriend Munkeby, and the collaboration that ensued. Enjoy!

Belgium, Summer Festival 2010 : My bearded Dutch booking agent friend, Bob, insisted I check a band he works with: SHINING. Since I saw and heard them explode out of that festival tent, they have topped my favorite albums of 2010 list with their one of a fucking kind blend of industrial, metal, and jazz: the phenomenally original Blackjazz. Check this Shining shit out:

We became fast friends, bonding over full-time music making, independent music making, intensity, keeping a hold of wicked band members on top of doing absolutely everything else that needs to be done in a band, and much more. Shining  leader/visionary/detail-oriented hard-ass worker, Jorgen Munkeby, became a friend and peer. Later in the year, Jorgen, his sax, and his snake scream joined us on stage during my Out of Our Minds Tour in Europe, in both Istanbul and Oslo (below):

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It once was a source of humor for me that I might’ve never heard the great He Is Legend if not for a longtime friend’s occasional visits to a Christian goods shop. It was there that said bud — a thick, bruiser-type death-metallist ironically nicknamed “Bubbles” — picked up I Am Hollywood and later, with no regard for my protests and allergies to Solid State bands, blared it into my face. I was won over instantly. He Is Legend had everything — licks, hooks, and muscle. Major skillz!

But as I went from HiL doubter to HiL evangelist, it seemed less funny that these were the circumstances of my acquaintance with such superlative jamz. This is the band, I reasoned, that deserved the Rolling Stone covers and the marquee MTV performances then reserved for shrill pap-peddlers with cute bass players and wacky hats; it seemed unconscionable that the eminently marketable He Is Legend was light years off my radar. I mean, come the fuck on.

Alas, my hopes for He Is Legend were dealt another blow in 2006 when their thudding, misshapen sophomore album Suck Out The Poison helped to conspire against even a medium-sized breakthrough. That year, my puzzlement turned to frustration as the band’s nearby tour stop nearly slipped by without my knowledge; after a barely-attended but face-fuckingly awesome headline set, I was left to rage and wonder: Who is responsible for promoting this hunky, mega-talented band? And to what extent are they brain-damaged?

Comfort came in 2009 with He Is Legend’s second masterpiece, It Hates You, their first for Tragic Hero Records. But again, traction seemed to elude He Is Legend, and rumors of imminent break-up followed the announcement of singer Schuylar Croom’s temporary gig fronting Maylene & The Sons of Disaster — mere months after It Hates You came out. Was there a falling out among HiL guys? Were they no longer into it? Would It Hates You be left to sink without a trace? What the motherfuck?

But here’s the thing: No matter how vital, success and solvency remain secondary to He Is Legend’s awesomeness. In this sense, the band is prisoner of their own rare genius. And in my crusade to ensure that they continue to share it no matter the cost, my allies are HiL fans like Bubbles, other would-be lovers of awesome shit, and, most recently, HiL manager Zach Neil, who graciously took time to take me behind the scenes of He Is Legend’s amazing creative output, past industry woes, current status, and tenuous future.

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Last month, I told you about S.O.S., a bonafide hardcore supergroup featuring current and former members of Agnostic Front, Hatebreed, Madball, Terror, and Trapped Under Ice. Obviously, a band with that sort of pedigree surely couldn’t stay unsigned for very long. You’ll read it here first, folks: S.O.S. has partnered with Good Fight Entertainment, home to The Chariot, Disembodied, and, oh yeah, Madball.

Sometime in late Spring/early Summer, Good Fight will drop S.O.S.’s first release, an as-yet untitled CD-EP. (Hardcore elitists, fear not, Reaper Records will cover the vinyl.) But you can finally hear what the band sounds like in this awesome (and yes, exclusive) video below featuring the band recording with producer Dean Baltulonis (Goes Cube, Madball, Sick Of It All) at Wild Arctic Studios in Queens, NY. This short preview should leave no doubt in the hearts and minds of hardcore fans that this is going to be fucking solid.

-GS

OH HELL YES. Volume 2 of NYC Sucks, the completely free comp we’ve put together to spotlight some of the best metal bands currently dominating the New York metal scene, IS FINALLY HERE. Featuring thirteen songs by as many bands, who run the gamut from death metal to stoner metal to black metal to grind to we-don’t-even-know-what-the-hell-to-call-it — this is a great sampling of all that New York’s thriving metal scene has to offer. And we’re giving it to you for the low, low cost of FREE.

You can stream, or, better yet, just download the comp below. It contains high-quality 320kbps MP3s, as well as a PDF of digital liner notes with information about all the bands. Please help get the word out… send the comp to your friends, put it up on torrent sites, submit it to .rar Mediafire blogs… just spread the friggin’ music by any means necessary!

And don’t forget that Volume 1, featuring fourteen more great bands and songs, is already out and available for free download here!

—> DOWNLOAD NYC SUCKS VOLUME 2 HERE <—
(includes 320kbps MP3 files, Album Cover, PDF Liner Notes)

1. Wetnurse – “Not Your Choice”
2. Tombs – “The Great Silence”
3. Moth Eater – “Aftermath”
4. Hull – “Healer”
5. The Austerity Program – “Song 6″
6. Defeatist – “Dawn of No Light”
7. Goes Cube – “Year of the Human”
8. Krallice – “Autochthon”
9. Empyreon – “Beyond Perception”
10. Abacinate – “The Bundy Curse”
11. IKILLYA – “Godsize”
12. Atakke – “Fight Makes Right”
13. The Ghost in Black and White – “Restraint Impalement”

Since their emergence in 2006, Baltimore’s Pulling Teeth have become one of the most vicious, ready-to-rumble hardcore bands out there; this band makes some real take-no-prisoners, burn-your-neighbor’s house down shit that isn’t for the weak of heart or mind.

Which is why we’re only too happy to be debuting Scion A/V’s video interview with vocalist Mike Riley and bassist Dom Romeo. In the clip, the duo discuss the formation of the band, the importance of the message in their music, and how they’ve come to be that rare hardcore act who actually place a ton of emphasis on their studio work, as opposed to just fuckin’ shit up live. Check it out below… and cross your fingers that we get a new Pulling Teeth album this year.

Tomorrow sees the release of Crowbar’s new album, Sever the Wicked Hand, on eOne (you can pre-order a physical copy here or a digital copy here, and watch an EPK for the album here). To celebrate, Crowbar main man Kirk Windstein offered to tell MetalSucks readers fifteen things they did not already know about him. And far be it from us to say “no” to Kirk Windstein! And so, enjoy a rare intimate look into the mind of Kirk Windstein, directly from the man himself…

15) I’m addicted to diet soda and sparkling water! I’m always drinking one or the other.

14) I like to wake up no later than 7:00 a.m.

13) I love Journey.

12) My first arena concert was Van Halen, “The 80′s Invasion,” on the Women and Children First tour.

11) Ace Frehley is the reason I play guitar.

Ten more things you didn’t know about Kirk after the jump!

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Last Tuesday we released Volume 1 of NYC Sucks, our completely FREE digital compilation featuring the best of NYC’s metal bands. Shockingly, you all seem to have pretty good things to say about it as opposed to the overwhelming negativity usually seen in our comments:

• Curmudgeon: “….. I love you.”
• Mordecai 9000: “I just came.”
• matty2fatty: “wow, not a shitty song in the bunch. Thanks!”
• Shitz Nolte: “Awesome comp, with an excellent line up. Good lookin’ out, boys.”

So take it from your fellow Suckalos and download Volume 1! The download features 320kbps MP3s by all of the bands listed below and includes PDF liner notes with info about all of said bands. It’s also streaming here if you’d prefer that instead of the download. Enjoy.

—> DOWNLOAD NYC SUCKS VOLUME 1 HERE <—
(includes 320kbps MP3 files, Album Cover, PDF Liner Notes)

1. East of the Wall, “The Ladder”
2. Made out of Babies, “Invisible Ink”
3. Tiger Flowers, “Cuts”
4. Black Anvil, “The Evil of All Roots”
5. Naam, “Frosted Tread”
6. Batillus, “The Children of the Night Make Their Music”
7. Meek is Murder, “Sundowners” (demo)
8. The Binary Code, “Encircled”
9. Castevet, “Stones”
10. Hung, “Desert of Sad”
11. Wizardry, “The Falconer”
12. Pyrrhon, “King of All Tears”
13. Mutant Supremacy, “Epitaph”
14. Incendiary, “Victory in Defeat”

IT’S HERE! IT’S FINALLY HERE!!! Volume 1 of NYC Sucks, the completely free comp we’ve compiled to spotlight some of the best metal bands currently dominating the New York metal scene. This volume features fourteen songs by as many bands, who run the gamut of genres, from death to tech to prog to grind to black to hardcore to doom and more. We truly feel that this is a great sampling of all that New York’s thriving metal scene has to offer, and we’re beyond proud to be sharing it with you — absolutely, 100% free of charge.

You can stream, or, better yet, just download the comp below. It contains high-quality 320kbps MP3s, and as well as a PDF of digital liner notes with information about all the bands. Please help get the word out… send the comp to your friends, put it up on torrent sites, submit it to .rar Mediafire blogs… just spread the friggin’ music by any means necessary!

And don’t forget that Volume 2, featuring thirteen more great bands and songs, will be out on February 22nd!!!

—> DOWNLOAD NYC SUCKS VOLUME 1 HERE <—
(includes 320kbps MP3 files, Album Cover, PDF Liner Notes)

1. East of the Wall, “The Ladder”
2. Made out of Babies, “Invisible Ink”
3. Tiger Flowers, “Cuts”
4. Black Anvil, “The Evil of All Roots”
5. Naam, “Frosted Tread”
6. Batillus, “The Children of the Night Make Their Music”
7. Meek is Murder, “Sundowners” (demo)
8. The Binary Code, “Encircled”
9. Castevet, “Stones”
10. Hung, “Desert of Sad”
11. Wizardry, “The Falconer”
12. Pyrrhon, “King of All Tears”
13. Mutant Supremacy, “Epitaph”
14. Incendiary, “Victory in Defeat”

FEATURING MEMBERS OF DRAGONFORCE, A LIFE ONCE LOST, ALL SHALL PERISH, CANCER BATS, THE ACCUSED, AIRBOURNE, ABSU, WOE, WHILE SHE SLEEPS, DIAMOND PLATE, MALEFICE, MUTANT SUPREMACY, GENGHIS TRON, AND TRENDKILL BOOKING AND RECORDINGS

For 2010, we decided to do something special as part of our regular end-of-year festivities here at MetalSucks — namely, ask musicians from across the vast spectrum of the metalsphere (or, in a few cases, the almost-metalsphere) what their favorite albums of the year were. Death metallers, thrash metallers, black metallers, stoners, grinders, and djenters alike graciously contributed lists to MS, and we’ve be running them in groups of ten to twelve musicians at a time twice a day all week.

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

(And please note that these are musicians and that they, um, have a lot on their minds. So some of ‘em named albums that actually came out last year. Please don’t freak out.)

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FEATURING MEMBERS OF KYLESA, DARKTHRONE, BRUTAL TRUTH, KATAKLYSM, 3 INCHES OF BLOOD, TEXTURES, SWASHBUCKLE, THIS OR THE APOCALYPSE, DISFIGURING THE GODDESS, BURNING THE MASSES, CHRISTIAN MISTRESS, MISERY, AND GRIFTEGARD

For 2010, we decided to do something special as part of our regular end-of-year festivities here at MetalSucks — namely, ask musicians from across the vast spectrum of the metalsphere (or, in a few cases, the almost-metalsphere) what their favorite albums of the year were. 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 ten to twelve musicians at a time twice a day for the rest of the week.

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

(And please note that these are musicians and that they, um, have a lot on their minds. So some of ‘em named albums that actually came out last year. Please don’t freak out.)

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FEATURING MEMBERS OF GOD FORBID, AT THE GATES, DISFEAR, MACHINE HEAD, BETWEEN THE BURIED AND ME, THE OCEAN, JUCIFER, THE BINARY CODE, HULL, DYSRHYTHMIA, INDIAN, AND DARKEST ERA

For 2010, we decided to do something special as part of our regular end-of-year festivities here at MetalSucks — namely, ask musicians from across the vast spectrum of the metalsphere (or, in a few cases, the almost-metalsphere) what their favorite albums of the year were. 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 ten to eleven musicians at a time twice a day for the rest of the week.

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

(And please note that these are musicians and that they, um, have a lot on their minds. So some of ‘em named albums that actually came out last year. Please don’t freak out.)

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FEATURING MEMBERS OF INTRONAUT, DARKEST HOUR, THE RED CHORD, KYLESA, GORGOROTH, CORMORANT, RETURN TO EARTH, KRIEG, LAZARUS A.D., HAIL OF BULLETS, AND BLOODHORSE

For 2010, we decided to do something special as part of our regular end-of-year festivities here at MetalSucks — namely, ask musicians from across the vast spectrum of the metalsphere (or, in a few cases, the almost-metalsphere) what their favorite albums of the year were. 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 ten to eleven musicians at a time twice a day for the rest of the week.

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

(And please note that these are musicians and that they, um, have a lot on their minds. So some of ‘em named albums that actually came out last year. Please don’t freak out.)

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FEATURING MEMBERS OF ISIS, MUNICIPAL WASTE, ELUVEITIE, WORMROT, LAST CHANCE TO REASON, ZAPPA PLAYS ZAPPA, GOD DETHRONED, OWEN HART, NIGHTFALL, HORSEBACK, AND OCTOBER TIDE

For 2010, we decided to do something special as part of our regular end-of-year festivities here at MetalSucks — namely, ask musicians from across the vast spectrum of the metalsphere (or, in a few cases, the almost-metalsphere) what their favorite albums of the year were. 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 ten to eleven musicians at a time twice a day for the rest of the week.

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

(And please note that these are musicians and that they, um, have a lot on their minds. So some of ‘em named albums that actually came out last year. Please don’t freak out.)

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FEATURING MELISSA AUF DER MAUR AND MEMBERS OF WATAIN, CATTLE DECAPITATION, FORBIDDEN, VANISHER, HOWL, THE CONTORTIONIST, DISEMBODIED, EVOCATION, AND ROSALINE

For 2010, we decided to do something special as part of our regular end-of-year festivities here at MetalSucks — namely, ask musicians from across the vast spectrum of the metalsphere (or, in a few cases, the almost-metalsphere) what their favorite albums of the year were. 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 ten to eleven musicians at a time twice a day for the rest of the week.

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

(And please note that these are musicians and that they, um, have a lot on their minds. So some of ‘em named albums that actually came out last year. Please don’t freak out.)

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FEATURING MEMBERS OF FIREWIND, THROUGH THE EYES OF THE DEAD, TESSERACT, BISON B.C., BONDED BY BLOOD, HAARP, THE UNGUIDED, AND ANNEX THEORY

For 2010, we decided to do something special as part of our regular end-of-year festivities here at MetalSucks — namely, ask musicians from across the vast spectrum of the metalsphere (or, in a few cases, the almost-metalsphere) what their favorite albums of the year were. 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 ten to eleven musicians at a time twice a day for the rest of the week.

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

(And please note that these are musicians and that they, um, have a lot on their minds. So some of ‘em named albums that actually came out last year. Please don’t freak out.)

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FEATURING MEMBERS OF ARCH ENEMY, SUNN O))), MADBALL, FUCK THE FACTS, DOMMIN, DARK CASTLE, IMBROGLIO, EXHUMED, AND THAT METAL SHOW

For 2010, we decided to do something special as part of our regular end-of-year festivities here at MetalSucks — namely, ask musicians from across the vast spectrum of the metalsphere (or, in a few cases, the almost-metalsphere) what their favorite albums of the year were. 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 ten to eleven musicians at a time twice a day for the rest of the 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!

(And please note that these are musicians and that they, um, have a lot on their minds. So some of ‘em named albums that actually came out last year. Please don’t freak out.)

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Remember all the way back on Monday (put down that bong!) when we reported that Darkest Hour and Veil of Maya had been kicked off their shared tour bus just before the Dallas stop of their Legacy Tour with Periphery and Revocation? We caught up with DH drummer Ryan Parrish yesterday and he gave us the full scoop on what went down to result in his band’s eviction from their home on wheels:

Well, okay, here’s the thing: the bus driver is a total douchebag — like, just a cocksucker.  He was OCD as shit.  He was always coming on the bus and we’d be partying and shit and he just didn’t like it.  He didn’t think that we cleaned up, which we cleaned every single day, but he was such a dick that he would say that we weren’t cleaning everything just to start drama and shit.  If there were like 2 beer cans on the table, he’d take a picture of it and send it to his company saying that we were destroying the bus lounge.

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It’s a rare that a supergroup ends up being more than the sum of its parts — and yet, miraculously, such is the case with Murder Construct, a new deathgrind outfit featuring Cattle Decapitation’s Travis Ryan on vocals, Exhumed/Phobia/Impaled’s Leon del Muerte on guitar and vocals, Intronaut/Uphill Battle’s Danny Walker on drums, Bad Acid Trip’s Caleb Schneider on bass, and Fetus Eaters/Watch Me Burn’s Kevin Fetus also on guitar. With a pedigree like that, your expectations for the band are pretty high. And guess what? Murder Construct do not disappoint.

But don’t take our word for it — give the group’s debut album a listen in its entirety below. Once you’ve felt its awesome power, you’ll wanna pre-order it here. Relapse will release the album next Tuesday, November 23. Enjoy it, fuckers!

When I first highlighted The Secret in September based on their ripping new track “Double Slaughter” I described them as “dirty as fuck black metal-meets-hardcore,” and now that I’ve heard their new album Solve Et Coagula in its entirety, I really can’t think of a description that’s any better. The body and soul of The Secret’s fast-paced, fuzzed out, frenetic attack lies in the hardcore bands I’m betting these guys listened to growing up, but they’re clearly metalheads too that pride themselves on incorporating elements from all over the metal spectrum; a tinge of black metal melodies and chord voicings, a blast beat here, a doomy slow-down there. It’s a mix that’s sure to punish, decimate, destroy, and <insert superlative here>.

Check out the 1:47 banger “Antitalian” below. Solve Et Coagula is out now on Southern Lord, and you can order it here. More Secret available at TheirSpace.

[this streaming promotion has ended]