MetalSucks

Okay, so in case you somehow don’t know, Cobalt vocalist Phil McSorley’s day job is being a sergeant in the U.S. army, which automatically gives him +10,000,000 street cred points. Little wonder that the band’s latest album, Gin, received accolades up the ass – there’s no way in fuck you can accuse Cobalt of being tough guys poseurs.

So. Here’s McSorley on Fox News’ Red Eye. I have a really hard time watching Fox News because I’m a crazy liberal (or so your e-mails and comments keep telling me) and all the yelling and graphics give me a headache. But I managed to make it through this entire clip. The start is almost surreal as the hosts make incredibly awkward attempts to rock out before introducing McSorley, Greg Gutfeld seems a little too happy to learn about Gin’s dark lyrical themes. But McSorley never comes across as anything other than articulate and intelligent. That’s the kind of image both metal and the army want to be sending out right now.

Gin is out now on Profound Lore.

-AR

I write books and also for MetalSucks so it’s about time I reviewed some metal books. I’ll start with a few rock autobiographies that have been out for awhile. First up is Nikki Sixx of Mötley Crüe and his needle gazing memoir The Heroin Diaries: A Year in the Life of a Shattered Rock Star.

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I know that Cristina Scabbia hates me ever since I admitted that I’d like to see her naked (This is such an admission? Every heterosexual male who’s ever laid on eyes on her has wanted to see her naked!), but I’d like to state for the record once again that I am, in fact, a Cristina Scabbia fan who thinks very much of her singing ability, in addition to the fact that I’d like to see her naked.

To wit: Cristina covered Metallica’s “And Nothing Else Matters” at Christmas Metal Symphony 2009 in Tilburg last month, and I really, really dig her rendition. Here’s a good example of a cover that isn’t totally awful. Her voice sounds great, and her emotional investment in the song seems sincere. In fact, I like this better than that version of “A Tout Le Monde” she did with Dave Mustaine a few years back. And, bonus: I’m not sure who the other dudes in the band are, but she left Male Vocalist from Lacuna Coil at home for a change! Hoo-ray!

-AR

This tip courtesty MetalSucks Maniac Josh Kidd.

A reader known simply as “Al G” submitted this, and… man, just… I just wanna say, thanks, Al. This is incredible. Truly incredible. It brings a tear to my eye, it does. And brings new meaning to the word “tool.”

-AR

From all of us to all of you…

-Axl, Vince, and Everyone at MetalSucks

For those of you who won’t spend today at the movies prior to enjoying dinner at a Chinese restaurant… have a great holiday! Here’s Ronnie James Dio, Tony Iommi, Rudy Sarzo, and Simon Wright doing “God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen.” If only Christmas carols were this metal…

-Axl & Vince

Somewhat unexpectedly but undoubtedly awesomely, the bid to propel Rage Against the Machine’s “Killing in the Name” to the top of the U.K. Christmas Singles chart has actually been successful. The initial download sales figures showed Rage ahead, but X Factor winner Joe McElderry was expected to overtake them when his track was released on CD. Snow, ice and a general boredom with X Factor prevented that from happening as Rage held onto the coveted top spot, ending a four-year run of #1 tracks by winners of Simon Cowell’s X Factor (the U.K.’s version of American Idol).

News like this is ultimately pretty inconsequential, but it always feels like a victory when an artist of merit overtakes generic pop tripe. Check out a live, expletive-ridden performance of “Killing in the Name” that Rage did on the BBC last week.

-VN

Writing headlines for Rage Against the Machine is too easy, because those dudes just rage against everything (except a couple of shitty Audioslave albums… oh snap! But I did enjoy the first one). Rage, rage, rage.

The latest raging is happening in the U.K., where the band are jumping on board with a fan-led initiative to land “Killing in the Name” on Top of the U.K. Christmas Singles chart. MS Maniac Charlie F. sent in this clip of Zack and Tom doing an interview with the BBC, followed by a full-band live electric performance of the track. The performance is passionate and fierce, and the song is still as vital as ever all these years later. Make sure you listen to the entire performance (which starts around 4:10); there’s a special surprise at the end that would make Howard Stern proud.

Man, when this album came out I could not get enough of the “Fuck you! I won’t do what you tell me!” part. My ten year old ass was running around screaming that shit EVERYWHERE! It still gives me shivers.

After you listen to the performance below, click through the jump for a special surprise that’s a new take on an old joke but still really fucking funny [thanks: Morizz].

-VN

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Speaking of Invisible Oranges: Anthony Abboreno wrote a piece today on a band I’ve never heard of, called Slugathor. Based soley on the band’s name, I decided to check them out, and guess what? They rule. I could tell you why, but Abboreno did a pretty good job and I’m lazy, so I’m just going to quote him here:

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[from GraphJam, via MS Uber-Maniac Josh Kidd]

I’ll keep this short and sweet: Devin Townsend’s genius knows no limits, and as part of an ongoing effort to promote his awesome new album, Addicted, he’s launching a series of short videos, “Deep Thoughts with Devin Townsend.” Which are very much like “Deep Thoughts with George Handy,” only way, way more METAL!!!

Here’s the first one, “Hot Sex.”

You can watch future installments by visiting Dev’s Addicted e-card. I bet they’re only gonna get funnier from here.

Addicted is out now on InsideOut Music.

-AR

…reader Mark VanDeusen just tipped us off that Crack the Skye has been named number three on Time Magazine’s The Top 10 Everything of 2009 list. Which I imagine will be read by slightly more non-metal fans than, say, Decibel’s year-end list. Just a guess, though.

Unfortunately, the author of the accompanying blurb, Josh Tyrangiel, comes across as kind of a tool. For example:

The band name doesn’t inspire confidence. Nor does the warlock-strewn album cover. Nor the fact that Crack the Skye is the last of a four-album cycle about the Earth’s elements.

He sounds like my mom: Ewwww, warlocks! And, by the way, dipshit, I don’t see a single warlock on that cover. Also, “Mastodon” is a great name for a band. Sorry if it’s no “Air Supply,” you putz.

That being said, if a tool speaks the language of other tools, perhaps that’s the best emissary to send to convince people that Crack the Skye is really worth their time.

Read the complete entry here.

-AR

Over at Invisible Oranges, Cosmo Lee recently revealed his own #1 pick for Decibel’s 100 Greatest Metal Albums of the Decade: Hate Eternal’s 2005 release, I, Monarch. I don’t have that magazine in front of me, but if memory serves, it didn’t make the list. Come to think of it, I haven’t seen it – or any other Hate Eternal albums – on any decade-end lists.

I, Monarch isn’t my favorite Hate Eternal album – I’d argue that Erik Rutan far surpassed it with 2008’s Fury and Flames – but it is an awesome, awesome album. Few, if any, bands make more brutal music than Hate Eternal, and Rutan is constantly pushing the envelope of what death metal can be.

So here’s “I, Monarch” – the song – in Cosmo and Rutan’s honor.

Find out my own personal favorite Hate Eternal song after the jump.

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I seem to recall an interview with Howard Jones from a few years back where, when discussing the importance of a good hook, he said something along of the lines of “You could play most Slayer songs on an acoustic guitar and they’d still sound great.”

While I doubt we’ll be seeing a Slayer edition of Unplugged anytime soon, reader Jon Dolente did send us the below video of someone calling himself “ALUxoxo” doing a cover of Mastodon’s “Oblivion” on the piano. So maybe if you can get that certain person in your life who hates metal to admit that this is very pretty, then you can play them the real thing (which isn’t really metal anyway but whatever), and then smoothly segue them into some Obituary and then… what? Too much too soon?

-AR

The headline says it all.

Full credit to our friend Jen Guyre at Noisecreep for finding this.

-AR

Following my post yesterday about Metal Hammer’s Dimebag tribute album, Earache Records has sent out a press release confirming that Evile’s cover of the Pantera classic “Cemetery Gates” was, indeed, late bassist Mike Alexander’s final recording with the band before he passed away. That means the track has obviously taken on new meaning for the band – both because of the lyrical content (a study in death and grief) and because what was intended to be a tribute to one fallen brother will now also serve as a tribute to another.

You can watch video of the band recording the track above; after the jump, read a quote from Evile’s lead guitarist, Ol Drake:

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Inspired by our realization that William Murderface looks just like pop star Lady Gaga, MS reader “Contoberfest” wins the MetalSucks 2009 Suckies Award for “Best Use of Photoshop While on the Clock at Work.” The only way he could’ve done better is if he did it on his iPhone whilst on the shitter (at work, natch — THAT’s productivity).

-VN

Thanks to Mister Booze for drawing attention to two forgotten shred greats, the indomitable Fat Mr. Crab and Uli Con Carne Rotweiler. Vai, Satriani, Thor Shredsteen and Yngwie haven’t got shit on these guys!

Here’s part 1 of their DVD Born to Shred 2: Emotional Playing; Stage Positions and Wild Antics, undoubtedly one the greatest instructional shred videos of all time.

After the jump, Part 2. The part about “slow amps” = gold.

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Even if Wikipedia and Urban Dictionary deny the existence of Sumeriancore, at least someone is carrying the torch. A user named “MaidenPriest420″ (a great handle!) at SputnikMusic.com has compiled a list called “Best of Sumeriancore.” The list includes some of the usual suspects such as The Faceless, Born of Osiris and Veil of Maya, and some commenters are even suggesting additions like Broadcast the Nightmare and Periphery!

Sumeriancore 4evr.

-VN

I don’t think we’ve ever talked about Mini Kiss on the site before, but at this point, I strongly prefer them to the actual Kiss (or whatever is left of the actual Kiss). They play awesome old Kiss songs, the fact that they’re a straight-up cover band means that their wearing of the classic make-up is inoffensive, and, oh yeah, they’re midgets, which is still God’s best joke. I mean, besides tsunamis.

-AR