From the “News So Good I Still Can’t Believe it’s True” department: Behemoth played their first show since Nergal was diagnosed with, and subsequently defeated, leukemia last year. And while no one from the MetalSucks staff was there, because none of us live in Poland and what are we, made outta money?, but a Polish reader did e-mail us to say “Nie wierzę, że to nie jest masło!” which I think translates to “IT WAS GREAT!” And the pics and cell phone vids that have emerged suggest that the band returned with full mother-effin’ force.

You can check out said pics over at Metal Injection; I’ve posted some videos for ya below and after the jump.

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We got like a gajillion e-mails yesterday about The Mini Band, a sextet that consists of four eight year-olds and two ten year-olds who recently covered Metallica’s “Enter Sandman” and Guns N’ Roses’ “Sweet Child O’ Mine.” And when I say “a gajillion e-mails,” I am exaggerating only slightly. My own personal e-mail was flooded with “tips” from friends and family members who don’t even give a shit about metal.

It’s not surprising, though, ’cause these lil’ tykes are adorable, and actually sound really good, especially when you take their ages into consideration. And given how the actual Metallica and Axl Rose’s pseudo-GN’R sound these days, well…

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There are no words for how much I love this. Apparently these Russian kids call themselves “The Bremen Town Musicians,” but I think we should just call them “FUCKING SWEET.”

-AR

Major thanks to Ryan Badami for brightening my day. 

Before we went to see them this past Monday night, Vince and I had already heard that the Foo Fighters were gonna be backing the legendary Roger Waters on Late Night with Jimmy Fallon as part of “Pink Floyd Week.” So when the band suddenly broke into a rendition of “In the Flesh?” from The Wall towards the end of their show, we lept to our feet with excitement, ’cause we thought that maybe, just maybe, they were about to bring Mr. Waters himself out on stage to perform.

Alas, no such luck. Luckily, though, the performance they did do with Waters for Fallon is now online, and you can check it out below. Vince asked, “How does Grohl get to perform with every single one of his heroes?” But I suspect he already knew the answer: “Because he is fucking awesome.”

And while we’re on the topic of Grohl and the Foos, I mentioned earlier this week that the band did, indeed, have a very special guest at the show — Grohl’s old Nirvana bandmate, Krist Novoselic, who played the accordian for FF’s “These Days.” You can enjoy some fan-filmed footage of that performance after the jump!

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Today is the twenty-fifth anniversary of the death of Cliff Burton, who remains one of the most influential and innovative bassists in the history of metal. And while we’re aware that normally you’d have a moment of silence to commemorate a loved one’s passing, well, we don’t think Cliff would want a moment of silence at all. The dude devoted his life to METAL — clearly, he’d want us all to make as much noise in his honor as possible.

So here’s all of Cliff’s bass solos from the Cliff ‘Em All DVD. This might truly be the most glorious racket we can imagine. R.I.P., Cliff.

The highlight of last week’s Big Four show at Yankee Stadium was Slayer, and with all due respect to Kerry King, Tom Araya, Jeff Hanneman, and, in this instance, guest guitarist Gary Holt, the highlight of any Slayer show is Dave Lombardo. Never mind that, at the age of 46, he hasn’t slowed down a bit, and is still ten time better than most drummers half his age — he’s so good he has the ability to make Slayer songs on which he did not originally play, like “Disciple,” sound better. And I say that being a fan of Paul Bostaph, who recorded “Disciple” originally.

So, while I’m as sick as discussing of the Big Four as anybody, I just HAD to post these drum cam videos of Lombardo at the concert, ’cause you can’t celebrate that dude’s excellence too much. Also, because they offer the best perspective of just how many people (41,451!) were at this damn show.

Here’s “Disciple”…

…and you can check out “Post Mortem,” “Hate Worldwide,” and “War Ensemble” after the jump.

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Dunno how we missed this one but our favorite prog metal band from the city of lost angles has had a previously unreleased in ‘merica song up online for maaaany months now.

We suck.

But the Song, “Vernon”, which was included on the European release of Valley of Smoke, is pretty awesome and you should check it out over at the blogronaut…

-KW

In case you somehow still doubt that Dave Grohl rules…

Apparently the Westboro County Church, that bastion of all that is right in the world, decided to protest outside of a recent Foo Fighters concert in Kansas City, because, uh… I guess the Foo Fighters have a particularly large homosexual audience? I’m not saying that’s the case, I just can’t for the life of me figure out what made the Foo Fighters a special target for these lovable ragamuffins.

ANYWAY, the Foo Fighters decided that the best way to respond to the protest was to… well, just watch…

I wann give Dave Grohl a hug. Can someone please arrange that? I’ll be quick, I promise. Just one big bear hug and I’m done.

You can also check out a news report on this blessed event here.

-AR

Thanks to everyone who e-mailed us about this!

I am a massive David Cross fan, but this is the first time I’ve ever heard his story about the time he was in a celebrity poker tournament with Creed vocalist/wife beater Scott Stapp. I really don’t wanna give it away, because the less you know going into it, the funnier it is… so just listen. The entire clip is about five and a half minutes long, and every second is delicious.

Bonus: Cross also takes shots at Evanescence and P.O.D.

-AR

Thanks to The Binary Code‘s Jesse Zuretti for sending this to us!

We have successfully arrived at Yankee Stadium and are sitting in the press box. We feel so professional!

We’re gonna put the live blog after the jump so it doesn’t eat up the entire page. You’ll hafta refresh to get updates. Sorry.

And now, enjoy the snark…

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Remember a couple of years back, when we saw that video of Machine Head’s Robb Flynn rocking out at a Metallica concert while watching from the floor and not the VIP section or the side of the stage or wherever? Well, if the below footage of Dave Grohl doing likewise at a Soundgarden reunion show in Los Angeles this past July isn’t quite as cool, it’s really only because at no point does Grohl grab the camera and sing into it the way Flynn did.

It’s still pretty freakin’ awesome, though. Not only does Grohl clearly have legit love for the band, but it’s not even like he’s standing in the back — he’s right up front, getting crushed by all the other Soundgarden nerds. Seriously, I don’t know how you could not love this dude.

-AR

Thanks: Stefan Smiljanoski 

That’s right! The wait is finally just about over; tomorrow, Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth, and Anthrax will play Yankee Stadium in the Boogie Down Bronx. If you can’t make, fret not — thanks to a last minute invitation to hang out in the press room, we’ll be there, and Rob from Metal Injection and myself are going to live blog the whole event right here on MetalSucks! Come for the descriptions of all the fun and excitement that you’re missing, and stay for what is sure to be witty commentary completely lacking in sarcasm and/or sophomoric humor.

Anthrax are scheduled to take the stage at 4 pm; I imagine we’ll get started shortly beforehand, and, internet connectivity and sobriety level allowing, continue to give you the blow-by-blow throughout the afternoon and evening. Join us, won’t you?

-AR

Whether you’re going to the Big Four show at Yankee Stadium tomorrow and wanna start pre-gaming early or you’re just in the NYC area and looking for something fun to do this evening, do not forget: we’re teaming up with  Metal Injection, Metal Insider, and Metal Army to throw a massive Big 4 pre-party at our favorite bar, Idle Hands. John Jospeh from Cro-Mags is DJing, and there are gonna be some other metal celebs in attendance, although if you wanna know who… we’ll, you’ll just have to be there, won’t you?

$4 drafts starting at 7 pm; you can get even more details from Idle Hands’ website. See ya there!!!

-Axl & Vince

That’s right, kids: On Tuesday, September 13 — the evening before The Big 4 show at Yankee Stadium — MetalSucks is teaming up with our pals at Metal Injection, Metal Insider, and Metal Army to throw a massive Big 4 pre-party at our favorite bar, Idle Hands. As you can see from the poster above, there’s gonna be $4 drafts starting at 7 pm, and you should really and try and get so drunk so as to be still drunk at the show the next day, ’cause four bucks is approximately 1/1,000th the cost of a beer at Yankee Stadium.

And to make the whole affair that much more fun, John Jospeh from Cro-Mags is DJing! And a little birdie told me there may some other very special guests may be on hand. So whether you’re coming to NYC specifically for the event, or you’re just looking for an awesome hang to get the party started a little early, Idle Hands is the place to be the night before the show.

Get more details from Idle Hands’ website. See ya there!!!

-Axl & Vince

A reader named Adam D. — although I’m reasonably certain it’s not the Adam D. — sent us a link to this article from the Edmonton Journal, which focuses on Gabby Riches, a 25 year-old masters student at the University of Alberta who “ is writing her thesis on mosh pits for a degree in recreation and leisure studies.” I had no idea there was such a thing as a degree in recreation and leisure studies, but then, my college hosted a porn film festival every year and there was some dude in one of my lit classes who was getting a degree in Wicca Studies, so I guess I shouldn’t be surprised.

ANYWAY, some of Riches’ work seems to be a little silly — she says that “Circle pits are most common in Europe,” which strikes me as a little huh?, given that I went to three different concerts and saw three different circle pits just last week — but some of it I think is worth your attention… like her thoughts on mosh etiquette:

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Art by Mike Capprotti

HOLY SHIT, YOU GUYS. DID YOU HEAR ABOUT THIS?!?!?

I always thought that Jesus was made-up, like Luke Skywalker, or evolution, but after reading this, I am getting my ass to a church to start some serious effing repenting.

The Gazette says that this weekend at a Godsmack show in Dubuque, Iowa, FUCKING DIMEBAG showed up and gave some poor Godsmack fan a lesson in manners by ripping out the motherfucker’s tracheotomy tube. HOLY CRAP THAT IS AWESOME.

Brad Kluesner says he was minding his own business in the front row at the concert. That’s when he says a stranger to him, Darrell Abbott, started bothering him.

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I somehow missed this when The PRP posted it earlier this month, but caught it yesterday on Metal Injection: a video of the first time Rage Against the Machine ever played in front of a public audience. (According to Tom Morello, the band “had done one show previously but that was a living room party,” so I guess it doesn’t count.) It’s not just a clip, either — it’s the whole damned show.

And I think it’s worth watching, not just because it’s a fun look at the earliest days of a now-legendary band — but because the band was okay but not great, and because most of the crowd, clearly, does not give a hoot about them. People routinely just walk on by the stage, with no idea that they’re missing out on a seminal moment in rock history. (Not that it’s their fault; how could they possibly have known?) And I think that’s a valuable thing for young bands to see: EVERYBODY HAS TO START SOMEWHERE. Once upon a time, Rage Against the Machine were just some local band, playing to an audience of three people, just like every other group in the history of ever. Don’t you find that, I dunno, encouraging?

-AR

From The Arkansas Democrat-Gazette:

“Three men convicted of the murder of three West Memphis boys have pleaded guilty to lesser charges in a deal with prosecutors that will have them released from prison with time already served.”

This is obviously GREAT news. There’s really nothing else to say… it’s been a long, hard road for these fellas, and we’re elated that they’re now out of jail.

Celebrate in the comments section.

-AR

As has been widely reported elsewhere, it looks like The West Memphis Three — Damien Echols, Jessie Misskelley Jr., and Jason Baldwin – may be about to catch a break: there’s rumored to be a plea deal in the works which could finally see the men freed as early as today.

Which is obviously great news! According to Deadline, documentary filmmakers Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky*  – whose two Paradise Lost films have been instrumental in both raising awareness of the case and making a strong argument for The Three’s innocence — are apparently present in Arkansas for the hearing today, hoping to be able to stick a new, triumphant ending onto Paradise Lost 3: Purgatory, which will debut at the Toronto International Film Festival next month, and that would also be pretty amazing.

But here’s the story takes a weird/funny twist: Deadline also reports that Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh — the happily unmarried duo responsible for some little trilogy of indie movies called The Lord of the Rings (amongst other films) — apparently “‘played a leading role’ financially and legally behind seven years of efforts to get justice” for the trio:

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I can’t believe that this has been going on for as long as it has, but to review:

• Nergal tore up a Bible on-stage during a performance in his native Poland.
• A conservative Christian sect consequently took Nergal to court, ’cause insulting someone’s religion is actually illegal in Poland.
• Nergal was acquitted of all charges.
• The group appealed and took Nergal back to court.
• And now Nergal has been acquitted again.

And, hopefully, that’s finally the end of this nonsense. Metal Insider points out that the case could be appealed again, but if that happens, I say we invade Poland and take shit over. We’ve done more damage to a foreign country for lesser offenses, so why the fuck not? Everyone needs to get the fuck off of Nergal’s nuts so he can concentrate on important shit, like, y’know, getting one of the best bands in metal today back up and running.

I pray (joke intended) that we never have to write about this BS again, but I guess we’ll wait and see what happens.

-AR