MetalSucks

SWEET.

MetalSucks Maniac “mankvill” directed us to this tweet from Coalesce, in which the band – or whomever runs their Twitter account at least – posted the above photo. Converge and Coalesce? And Gaza? I’m not really familiar with Lewd Acts or Black Breach – does that say Black Breach? – but on this bill, I’d be willing to give them the benefit of the doubt.

I haven’t seen this reported anywhere else yet, which makes me a little suspicious – but maybe Coalesce just let the cat out of the bag early. They above says they’re only on select dates, and we don’t have dates yet. But everyone just start hopin’ the tour comes near them, and comes near them with both bands in tow.

-AR

So apparently Ozzfest is coming back this summer, and is coming back as a traveling tour again (as opposed to the one-off fest it was in 2008). And that’s all well and good, only… who’s gonna be on the bill?

Mayhem, which is basically Ozzfest 2.0, has already scooped up a lot of big-name bands for the summer, including many who have played multiple past Ozzfests – namely Korn, Rob Zombie, Lamb of God, Atreyu, Shadows Fall and Hatebreed, the latter of whom I think have been on something like 90% of all Ozzfests ever.

Add to that other Ozzfest alum like Chimaira, In This Moment and Norma Jean, and some bands the kids today all seem to like, such as Winds of Plague and They Who Shall Not Be Named, and, well, that’s a whole bunch of potential mainstage and second stage draws right there.

Then there’s the mini-fests like Summer Slaughter. I can’t tell you which bands we already know are booked for some of these tours without betraying a lot of people’s confidence, but I can tell you that some great bands are now no longer available for Ozzfest.

And, oh yeah, Megadeth, Slayer, and Testament are now doing their American Carnage tour in the summer, so they’re out.

So who’s left? After the jump, I’m going to play my favorite game: it’s called “over-think about something incredibly unimportant.”

Before we proceed, it’s worth noting that I’m going to try and be semi-realistic when moving forward with some barely-educated guesses about who’ll be playing Ozzfest. If a band already has summer tour dates booked, I’m going to assume they’re not avail, although I acknowledge that they could cancel those dates in favor of playing for a bigger crowd. And I’m not even going to bother with bands like Pig Destroyer, Sigh, and Salome – bands that will play Ozzfest right around the time Joey Belladonna’s solo band plays four sold-out headlining shows at Giants Stadium. Also, obviously not all of these bands are gonna end up on the bill – these are just bands I think could end up there.

And so, without further bullshit…

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Following its postponment last month due to Tom Araya’s need for back surgery, Megadeth, Slayer and Testament have re-scheduled the dates for their American Carnage Tour. The shows will now take place this summer, which strikes me as somehow more appropriate… I don’t know why. I’d just rather go watch these three bands in warm weather than nice-to-mediocre weather.

And, uh, that’s it I guess. Get the new dates after the jump!

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While the first run of the MetalSucks-sponsored Metal As Art Tour — featuring Hyno5e, Revocation and The Binary Code — is now entering the home stretch as it winds its way back east (get dates here), the crazy motherfuckers in France’s Hypno5e are gearing up for another month-long U.S. tour that focuses on mostly Northeast, Southeast and a few Midwest markets that the 1st tour leg missed. Starring Janet Leigh and Fallen Martyr will accompany the band for the 2nd run of the tour, which kicks off February 9th in Philadelphia and wraps March 4th in NYC.

Check out this live video of Hypno5e performing “Tutuguri” in their native France. These dudes fucking bring it live with a coordinated light show and video projections, and they sound perfect every night. A full list of tour dates for the 2nd leg is posted after the jump.

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Blabbermouth posted the below footage of Arch Enemy nailing the crowd’s nuts to the wall in New York last week as headliners of the MetalSucks sponsored Tyrants of Evil North American Tour 2010 with Exodus, Arsis, and Mutiny Within. It only captures a teensy-weensy little bit of the amount of energy coursing through the air during this performance, but it will at least give you some sense of how great the show was.

It’s not too late to check out this awesome tour! Remaining dates after the jump.

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Yesterday I wrote about The Dillinger Escape Plan’s upcoming tour with Iwrestledabearonce; well, it now seems that it’s actually a tour with Darkest Hour, Iwrestledabearonce, and Animals as Leaders.

Holy shit, that’s a good line-up. That’s a “get to the venue early so you don’t miss any of the bands” line-up right there. These are the kinds of bands that jump around on stage like they were having epileptic fits or something, and yet somehow never hit any sour notes – in others words, the best kind of live bands. And there’s some diversity amongst these groups – even if there are sonic correlations, no two really sound the same. Very nice.

Here are initial dates… there should be more announced in the not-too-distant future, so try not do flip out just yet if you realize the closest show is a six hour drive away or something.

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Here’s a scenario about which I often wonder. Let’s say there’s a fan. And said fan thinks that Artist A is a capital-”G” Genius, and Artist B represents everything that’s wrong with the world. The fan screams this opinion to anyone who listen, and maybe even goes so far as to make it an intelligence issue – e.g., “Only a moron could ever like Artist B.” Now… how does reconcile this conflict when Artist A in someway associates himself with Artist B? We’ve seen that on this very site – everyone’s favorite MS reader, Ziltoid, has made endlessly disparaging marks about certain artists, and insisted only ree-rees like those artists, but then his hero, Devin Townsend, has praised some of those same artists. So does Ziltoid therefore think that Devin is a pea-brained man child, or does he shrug and say “Well, there’s room for gray area?”

I raise the issue because, according to The PRP, The Dillinger Escape Plan will tour this year with Iwrestledabearonce. That’s a great tour, if you ask me, but I know that a lot DEP fans think that that band is the second coming and the IWABO kids are the collective Antichrist. Of course, someone will say “Well, DEP have little to no control over which bands they tour with,” except that a) it’s my understanding that that’s not really true and b) DEP guitarist Ben Weinman has already worked with IWABO once before, on a remix for the iTunes version of their album, It’s All Happening. So clearly the guy doesn’t mind rubbing shoulders with these kids who are supposed to spell the end of good metal music as we know it.

I’m not looking for DEP to validate my opinion that IWABO are a good band. That would be ridiculous. But the announcement of this tour did me get thinking about the problems with making blanket statements like “Only assholes enjoy such and such a band.” And, yes, I’m fully aware I’ve made statements like that before. But I know good, smart people who enjoy or have enjoyed Limp Bizkit and ICP, and I know good, smart people who don’t see what the big deal is about Pig Destroyer, and while I do question these friends’ sanity, I’m not about to stop being friends with them just we disagree about whether or not Fred Durst is Adolf Hitler reincarnate.

So. DEP and IWABO. Two very forward-thinking bands, part of a package that makes perfect sense to me. I’m stoked for this one. There’s only two confirmed dates so far, but you can get those after jump.

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Black metal legends Mayhem have announced another North American tour, and while that might be good news in and of itself, I’m actually more excited about their announced support acts for this trek: Ludicra and Krallice. I’ve never seen Ludicra live but I’ve been listening to them a lot as of late, and Krallice put on a truly transcendental show. Even if Mayhem somehow ended up sucking the big one, you’d probably get your money’s worth just from these first two bands alone.

This is gonna be a solid tour. Get dates after the jump…

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Well, ya gotta hand it to Dave Mustaine. He’s trying real hard to give the people what they want.

Following the postponement of the American Carnage tour with Slayer and Testament, Megadeth have announced a Rust in Peace twentieth anniversary tour of North America, to kick off in March. Not only will the band play Rust in Peace in its entirety, but they’ll have Testament (still playing The Legacy in its entirety) and Exodus playing support. In other words: whomever put this thing together is tugging on the same nostalgia strings that the Slaygadeth tour was supposed to pull on. Maybe Exodus don’t sell as many records as Slayer, but they’re still a hugely important part of the American thrash metal movement, and anyone who isn’t excited about this tour just because Slayer aren’t on it is probably pretty dopey.

Why, I just saw Exodus play the other night! And they killed! No less so than Megadeth and Testament (and Slayer), Exodus are experiencing a second golden age of their career.

Of course, there is something kinda funny about getting excited to see Megadeth do the entire Rust in Peace album when Dave Mustaine is the only remaining member of the Rust in Peace-era line-up. It’s like if someone were excited to hear Axl Rose and whatever other dudes he’s currently calling Guns N’ Roses play all of Appetite for Destruction, an album with which they have no actual association. That being said, this Mega-line-up is great, and Rust might be my favorite Megadeth album of all time… so I’m not gonna bitch too much. Maybe just a little. Okay I’ll keep quiet.

Get tour dates after the jump. And just as an FYI – the press release announcing this tour also promised that next week would bring new information on the rescheduling of those American Carnage dates, so if you’re such a sissy cry baby face that Exodus and the complete Rust and Legacy performances doesn’t substitute for Slayer, well, just sit tight. Click to read more…

Last month, Ozzy Osbourne continued his campaign against the hearts and minds of his longtime fans by announcing Soul Sucka as the title of his new album, which is tentatively scheduled for a July release. Kind of amazingly, though, it seems as though the Ozzman hasn’t completely lost touch with his supporters, has heard all of our bitching and moaning, and has decided to do something about it. Metal Underground reports that Ozzy’s bassist, Blasko, has released a statement which reads in part:

“Until yesterday, the disc was going to be called Soul Sucka. However, Ozzy realized that “None of my fan base liked the title. They were like, ‘I can’t imagine me walking around the fucking house with the words ‘Soul Sucka’ on my T-shirt.’ So I was like, ‘Fuck it. I’ve got to come up with something else!’”

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Given that I’m a jet setting go-getter always on the move, I didn’t have the time or the energy to rank my favorite EPs of 2009. But if I had, Defeater’s Lost Ground 2×7″ would likely have topped that list. A concept record, it tells the tragic fictionalized tale of an African-American who serves in World War II, only to come home and end up a beggar praying for death. Furious and caustic, the music reflects the desperation of the subject matter (read the lyrics here) and reminds why Defeater are one of the best hardcore acts to come out of the 2000s so far.

West Coast hardcore folks can expect to hear tracks from this and their 2008 Bridge Nine debut Travels when the Boston-based band plays a run of dates in California, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, and Washington. Opening for all of these dates is Northern California’s All Teeth, whose smart and noisy hardcore should naturally appeal to Defeater’s discerning fans. Defeater will bookend this two-week tour with a few New England dates (sadly, sans All Teeth), which are included below.

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Vince and I had an AMAZING time at least year’s absolutely free Scion Rock Fest in Atlanta, GA. For the price of, well, nothing, we can to watch Mastodon, Neurosis, Pig Destroyer, Converge, Kylesa, Torche, Wolves in the Throne Room, Salome, and a host of other awesome bands. It was really quite the experience. And did I mention it was FREE?!?

Well, Toyota is it again this year, and Scion Rock Fest 2010 will take place on Saturday, March 13, this time in Columbus, OH. Vince and Kip Wingerschmidt are 100% committed to being there, and I’m trying to figure shit out right now. Meanwhile, the line-up is, once again, really killer. Check it out:

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Hypocrisy were s’posed to follow-up the November release of their excellent new album, A Taste of Extreme Divinity, with a North American tour – with Children of Bodom’s Alexi Laiho playin’ the gee-tar, no less. We were super stoked for that tour, but unfortunately, the swine in U.S. immigration wouldn’t let Peter Tagtgren and company into the country, presumably because The Man wants us all to keep fighting each other so we don’t notice that He’s screwing us, and He knew that a North American Hypocrisy tour could maybe, just maybe, bring peace and love to the huddled masses. Either that, or the band’s paperwork wasn’t quite in order. But either way, it blew goats.

Luckily, it seems that Hypocrisy’s problems are now behind them, and they’ve announced another North American tour. And while, unfortunately, it seems like Laiho won’t be in tow this time out, they will have Hate, Blackguard and Swashbuckle with them. So that’s not bad.

Get dates after the jump.

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I have absolutely no idea how to describe Orphaned Land’s new album, The Never Ending Way Of ORwarriOR. I almost wanna call it Middle Eastern-flavored power metal, but I don’t want visions of Axxis floating in anyone’s head. The album is considerably more distinctive than that; it really is a unique listening experience. And I’m not sure that calling it “prog” really works, either, although the band wouldn’t feel out of place on a Dream Theater tour. So let’s just call it “good” and leave it at that.

The album comes out February 9 on Century (at least on these shores – Europe gets it next week!), and now the band has announced a too-brief North American tour – only four dates! – where they’ll be acting as direct support for Suidakra. Suidakra put on a really, really fun show… combine that with this rare chance to see Orphaned Land play my hometown and, well, I’m already there.

Get dates after the jump. And above, check out part one of Orphaned Land’s electronic press kit for The Never Ending Way Of ORwarriOR.

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Released stealthily though Deathwish Inc. quite late last year, Blacklisted’s vinyl-only No One Deserves To Be Here More Than Me secured a well deserved (Dis)honorable Mention on my Best Albums of 2009 post, as I’ve found myself listening to it more and more over the past several weeks. It doesn’t quite top the extraordinarily aggressive Heavier Than Heaven, Lonelier Than God, but frankly neither do most hardcore albums of the past decade. Though my proper review of the album will come later, you can check out the title track streaming at the band’s MySpace page. Blacklisted’s sound has evolved into something… else. If you own a turntable, you should buy the record here.

After playing a great one-off gig last week in NYC with The Hope Conspiracy, United Nations and Mother Of Mercy, Blacklisted will finally tour for the new album beginning next month. A handful of the U.S. gigs will feature Gods & Queens, a phenomenal noise rock band that formed out of the ashes of Versoma. The opportunity to see both them and Blacklisted on the same bill is as awesome as dipping a chocolate bar in a jar of creamy peanut butter. Yum. The tour wraps up later in March when the band plays the United Blood fest, which (as I’ve already reported) will include sets from Madball, Maximum Penalty, Cruel Hand and a whole bunch of others hardcore acts. All dates below.

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The line-up for the 2010 Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival (Jesus I hate typing all that shit) has been announced. See who’ll be playing one of the summer’s biggest metal tours after the jump, along with my snarky commentary, of course…

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Vince is living it up in sunny Los Angeles this week, but he just sent me this:

We’ve known since October that the Faith No More reunion would finally be hitting the U.S. this year, but now it’s extra-super-duper-official. I’m assuming this will part of a full tour – but if it’s not, I guess I’m going to Coachella in April…

-AR

Just in time for their stint on the MetalSucks sponsored Tyrants of Evil North American Tour 2010, Exodus have unveiled their new DVD/CD, Shovel Headed Tour Machine: Live At Wacken & Other Assorted Atrocities. I haven’t gotten to check out the video portion of this multidisc set yet, but the live album is killer, a terrific snapshot of a legendary band who are now firmly back at the top of their game.

Last Friday in Los Angeles, Metalocalpyse’s Brendon Small hosted an advanced screening of the concert film and documentary that are included in the set, and then moderated an q&a with the band. If you couldn’t make it, you can – and should – check out video of the event below:

Shovel Headed Tour Machine: Live At Wacken & Other Assorted Atrocities is out now on Nuclear Blast – and it should whet your appetite for the MetalSucks sponsored Tyrants of Evil North American Tour 2010 with Arch Enemy, Exodus, Arsis and Mutiny Within. It starts next week! Get dates here.

-AR

… and the lineup is that much stronger for it, if you ask us, because they were kind of the odd band out on this tour anyway. Seems that drummer Ken Meyers has been injured, but no other details have been released.

The MetalSucks-sponsored U.S. trek also features Krisiun and Dreaming Dead, the latter of whom Axl recently realized are the cats pajamas and then some. The tour kicks off TODAY in Baltimore, so make sure you check the list of dates after the jump to see when it rolls through your town.

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Hard to believe it’s been almost a year since Dallas Coyle and God Forbid parted ways, but there ya have it. And a lot of God Forbid fans – including this one – were wondering who was gonna take Dallas’ spot in the band. Former Himsa guitarist Matt Wicklund has been doing live shows with the group since last summer’s Mayhem Fest, and the rumors have been swirling that he was taking the job pretty much ever since -  a couple of readers e-mailed us to say that Wicklund was introduced as “our new guitar player” on-stage, and earlier this month he tweeted that he was “Getting ready to go to rehearsal!”, although rehearsal for what was left kinda-sorta vague.

Well, the rumors are no longer rumors: Wicklund is, in fact, the new full-time guitarist for God Forbid. A statement from Doc Coyle reads as follows:

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