MetalSucks

16 is a fucking brutal band on Relapse that doesn’t get nearly enough coverage here, largely due to the band’s apparent refusal to embark on a lengthy tour to promote its latest collection of furious violent outbursts Bridges To Burn, which our own Satan Rosenbloom reviewed back in January. I actually dig this album way more than my colleague, and it ranks among my favorite records released this year thus far. In order to express my love for this band, in the hopes that you’ll check 16 out and become a fan of its de-motivational music, here’s an update on the group’s current goings-on.

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Finally… we have a capable, intelligent, forward-thinking new U.S. president. No, it’s not Dave Mustaine. Here’s what else happened this week:

• We wondered aloud and speculated about Slayer’s co-headline tour, New England Metal & Hardcore Fest, Scion Rock Fest (aka Atlanta Metalfest), and The Faceless’ headline tour. This spring just got awesome.
• We ran to the hills to avoid a shitty classic metal cover. Meanwhile, we found Iron Maiden in Iran and on the big screen.
• We got sexi(vious) with members of Cynic and Textures.
• We looked at new releases from Satyricon, Cattle Decapitation, 16 and Rumpelstiltskin Grinder.
• Maynard got all Jiu-Jitsu on our asses and Carcass played a wedding.

Axl, myself and our girlfriends (we have girlfriends… whowouldathunkit???) are going to see The Dark Knight on the IMAX tonight. Hopefully weed will be involved. Later, suckaz!!

What with forthcoming albums from Necrophagist, Baroness and Obscura hogging most of the spotlight reserved for Relapse’s 2009 release schedule, and the nation’s attention focused elsewhere on their January 20th release date, it’d be easy to overlook these two solid Relapse contenders. We at MetalSucks couldn’t let that happen, could we?

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Just because it’s simple don’t mean it ain’t good. In fact, 16’s brand of stripped-down sludge is strikingly simple and raw but so, so brutal in its agitated energy. A press release we received yesterday declares 16 “Legendary sludge misanthropes” — I can’t argue for “legendary” ’cause I’ve never heard of ‘em (there go my precious scene points) but I’ll take the press release’s word for it; I can’t argue for “misanthropes” because I’m not focusing on the lyrics (not that I ever really do); but 16 are most certainly swampy, dirty, murky, muddy and sludged the fuck out. If Page Hamilton had taken a few more bong hits he just might have formed 1 instead of Helmet.

I just listened to all five songs on their MySpace page twice through (my favorite: “Born To Lose”) and I still want more; guess I’m gonna have to pick up their new (reunion!) album Bridges to Burn when it drops January 20th on Relapse Records.

-VN

[Read about 16's history on the Relapse website.]