All is not lost in the world of metal; in fact, this past week brought some nice surprises, along with the usual mish-mash of shitty radio rock bands. Last week’s sales numbers, with our usual sardonic commentary, after the jump. (Hint: look at the tags below, and click “read more” if any of those bands interest you!).

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First thing’s first: Axl and I are going to see AC fucking DC at Madison Square fucking Garden tonight. HOLY SHIT! Big thanks to the folks who hooked us up with tickets; you know who you are!

AC/DC also happens to have just released their own Rock Band “Track Pack,” a standalone video game available for around $40 featuring AC/DC’s legendary 1991 Live at Donington concert. This pretty much seals the deal for Rock Band as the instrument-based video game of choice for metalheads and hard rock fans; the list of available full albums already includes Judas Priest’s Screaming for Vengeance, Megadeth’s Peace Sells… but Who’s Buying?, Rush’s Moving Pictures and Dr. Feelgood by Mötley Crüe. They’ve only got one Metallica song (“Enter Sandman”), but we’ll overlook that for now.

If we get a gaming system for the MetalSucks Mansion I’d definitely go for Rock Band, if only because playing the drums is so fucking fun. But we’d have to place a moratorium on drunk girls singing, because this is always, always annoying.

Remember Silvertide? That band was fucking awesome, and it’s a shame they disappeared after releasing only one album. Thankfully now we’ve got The Answer, a Northern Ireland quartet who, like their American predecessors in Silvertide, have barely changed a thing from the ’70s hard rock formula that had its heyday before the band members were born. On their four-song debut EP Never Too Late (The End Records) these lads rock with plenty of AC/DC meat and potatoes bombast and the melody of Led Zeppelin, mixing it with a more modern (relatively), hard-hitting, Black Crowes-y sensibility. Vocalist Cormac Neeson’s wail undeniably calls Robert Plant to mind; if Led Zep do go on to tour without Plant, they should surely give Mr. Neeson a call. Meanwhile, guitarist Paul Mahon wails like Page or Hendrix possessed — the dude can fucking PLAY — while the rhythm section of Michael Waters (Bass) and James Heatley (Drums) holds it down with plenty of energy and power.

As with most throwback bands like this you know what to expect, so there ain’t much in the way of surprises; but that’s just fine when you’re opening stadiums and arenas for AC/DC on their Black Ice tour. When these guys do finally get around to recording a full-length I imagine it’ll sound just like a longer version of this 4 song EP, and if they’re fortunate enough to get to the next one, that’ll probably sound the same too. If it ain’t broke, why bother fixing it?

-VN

(three and a half out of five horns)

[The Answer on MySpace]

The Phillies won the World Series, it’s Halloween, and we have a U.S. presidential election coming up in less than a week. But what’s happening in metal is obviously way more important:

• Living Colour ruled. As always.
• Mastodon announced the title and tracklisting of their new album.
• We spoke with Cynic’s Paul Masvidal and Today Is the Day’s Steve Austin, the latter of whom practically gave us his life story.
• Gaahl publicly acknowledged his homosexuality. Black metal bigots everywhere cried outrage, but we thought it was pretty cool (kvlt/br00tal/tr00/etc).
• Slayer released a new song which sounds just like the old song(s). And that’s a good thing.
• Someone with way too much time made an AC/DC music video in an Excel spreadsheet

Happy Halloween, mofos.

I think it’s officially safe to say that this crosses the line in terms of having wwwwaaaayyyy too much free time on one’s hands…

If you have Excel and would like to view this video in all its Microsoftian glory, you can download the original here.

Thanks to MetalSucks Maniac Jesse for sending this in.

-AR

When Michael Jackson released his “comeback” album earlier this decade, the first single from it – the tepid “You Rock My World” – managed to overshadow its crushing mediocrity by the sweet relief of hearing Jackson’s familiar, glorious voice in material that hadn’t yet been played to death. And in an example much more appropriate for this website, upon hearing the leaked Chinese Democracy “demos” over the last few years, one cannot help but feel a moment (even brief) of sweet nostalgia hearing Axl Rose’s gravelly falsetto, even if they are over arguably questionable songs. That sliver of the celebrated past over music otherwise in the present vernacular is often enough to keep artists relevant and thus selling records. And while this usually leads to hacky retreads of prior success, that moment in itself is undeniably pleasurable. So the first few moments of “Rock and Roll Train,” the opening track on AC/DC’s Black Ice, that feature the dirty start/stop guitar pecking of bona fide rock legend Angus Young are heartwarming even despite being mired in Brendan O’Brien’s overblown production and the small but persistent (and not to mention douchey) voice in the back of one’s head wondering if the band are finally creatively bankrupt after doing the same exact thing for almost thirty years. If you like AC/DC, you already know you’ll like Black Ice, even if only a little. The question, though, is whether there is a reason for it to exist. If you already heard this album before when it was called For Those About to Rock, The Razor’s Edge, or Back in Black, what point does a new AC/DC album even serve in the 21st century besides a reason to see AC/DC live?

Click to read more…

Things are heating up in the U.S. presidential race, and everyone from Vince to Axl to Dallas to the Blogronaut expressed their opinions; naturally you all got fired up too. But even politics as usual couldn’t stop the flow of happenings this week in the world of metal:

• Dallas apologized. Woah.
• Best Buy claims Chinese Democracy is finally coming out, but we’re skeptical. No word yet from Axl Rose.
• We debuted a new Early Man track and spoke with singer/guitarist Mike Conte, while Nathan Ells of the Human Abstract spilled the beans on just about everything.
• Testament was deemed one of the Top 40 greatest thrash bands of all time.
• We loved new albums from Gojira and Psycroptic. You loved arguing about them even more, especially the former. Meanwhile, new releases from Unearth and Cradle of Filth proved controversial.
• Protest the Hero’s van broke down; they danced.
• AC/DC’s Brian Johnson proved himself old and out of touch, but that didn’t stop us from asking for freebies to see his band live.

We out. See you Monday.

Last time I tried this I ended up with a $67 vintage Warrant tour t-shirt that I absolutely didn’t need. So…. Whaddya say? Axl and I would love to see AC/DC on November 12th or 13th at Madison Square Garden, but we totally snoozed on tickets. We are both AC/DC live virgins (new album be damned), and ya gotta see ‘em once, right? So… Anyone? Floor seats would be sweet — mmkay, thanks.

-VN

AC/DC vocalist Brian Johnson has responded to the Bob Lefsetzs of the world’s complaints about the band making a deal to sell their new album, Black Ice, exclusively through Wal-Mart.

Unfortunately, Johnson’s response makes about as much sense as Sarah Palin’s response to the Troopergate report. After the jump, read Johnson’s comments, with our own thoughts in bold.

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A couple of weeks back I wrote about music biz guru Bob Lefsetz’s anger over the fact that AC/DC’s new album, Back in Black Part Nine Black Ice, is being released as a Wal-Mart exclusive. At that time, Lefsetz wrote “The joke is illegal acquisition will dwarf CD sales. Whatever is sold legitimately will be distributed online INSTANTLY… The only difference is, THEY’RE NOT GOING TO GET PAID!”

And Lefsetz was right, of course. The album leaked this past Monday, a full two weeks prior to its official release.

But I knew I wasn’t excited about this album when I decided not to download it. Let me repeat that: I literally care so little about a new AC/DC album that I don’t even want a free copy. I mean, c’mon: I already know how each and every song sounds. The band hasn’t had any new tricks up its collective sleeve since no one even knew who Metallica were. It doesn’t mean I hate AC/DC or I’m not excited that they’re touring again; it just means I don’t give a fuck about the record that provides the band with an excuse to embark upon said tour.

SO, since there was a time when a new AC/DC album was actually cause for excitement, this seemed like a good time to post this video of “Big Balls,” an song which used to make Vince and I giggle endlessly during our junior high school years (And, truth be told, still makes us giggle today.). It makes a good companion piece to the Job for a Cowboy Spongebob video, but mostly, I just hope it reminds us of a time when AC/DC were more than just a legacy act.

-AR

A couple of weeks ago I cried myself to sleep after Scar Symmetry announced they’d parted ways with their versatile, talented vocalist Christian Älvestam (pictured, front). Would the Swedish “Death Jovi” masters go the way of luminaries Van Halen* and AC/DC, continuing to bring the hits for years to come with a new frontman on board, or would they crash and burn as an echo of their former selves ala Skid Row? The answer remains to be seen, but today’s announcement that two vocalists have been tapped to fill the shoes of just one is a testament to how skilled Älvestam is:

“We’ve used both growls and clean vocals in our music since day one, and with each album we’ve pushed the envelope of what you can do vocally in a metal band to the point where a lot of the songs on ‘Holographic Universe’ would be hard if not impossible to sing live. So the question is: Is it really possible to push the vocals even further and manage to perform everything live?

Click to read more…

Apparently you aren’t the only one who thinks all Nickelback songs sound the same.

In response to this video, bass player Mike Kroeger said “I think that’s remarkable for someone to notice that there is a hit quality. If all hits sound the same, then sorry. When you are a band that has a distinct style such as us or AC/DC, that happens. When you have a distinct style, you run the risk of sounding similar.”

Ladies and gentlemen, the distinct sound of “suck:”

-VN

It made headlines recently when AC/DC guitarist Angus Young told the Telegraph that the band’s music isn’t on iTunes because “We don’t make singles, we make albums.” Other bands have expressed a similar attitude towards the single-friendly digital music store – Tool springs to mind – but in this day and age of iPods, creating playlists, illegal downloading, etc., one wonders if this position is even tenable.

Music biz guru Bob Lefsetz apparently feels the same way, as expressed in his latest rant:

“My blood started to boil when I read the quotes. Because these rich motherfuckers, who happen to have made some great music, are living in the nineties and ONLY care about money. There’s this lip service to creating albums that must be heard this way, but if that’s the case, why don’t they put out records that are one giant cut, so we’re FORCED to listen to the whole damn record.”

Click to read more…

We’re signing off early today here at the MS Mansion. There are bowls to be smoked, beers to be drank, and barbecues to attend in the waning days of summer. Enjoy your weekend! Meanwhile, some stuff that happened here this week:

• We posted interviews from our trip to the Rockstar Mayhem Festival with Mastodon, Machine Head and Black Tide. Well, the latter was not so much an interview.
• Even Dallas got in the ring to weigh in on the politics of Metallica, and we had some fun with Metallica haiku and pontificated the 3rd new song.
• Rage Against the Machine raged against the machine. So did we.
• The new AC/DC single sounds like the old AC/DC single sounds like the old…
• Axl Rose called the FBI on the Chinese Democracy leaker.
• Slipknot goes in another new musical direction with All Hope Is Gone… and possibly has a #1 record.

Toodaloo!

-VN

So the new AC/DC single, “Rock N’ Roll Train,” has been unleashed upon the world, and, shocking though it may be, it sounds more or less like every other song AC/DC has released since Back in Black (I tend to feel like the Bon Scott years had some more variance in them; I’m sure someone out there disagrees).

For some reason, the fact that Angus Young has been recycling his own riffs for years has never really bothered me. I very much doubt I’ll purchase or even listen to AC/DC’s new album, Black Ice – but I’ll sure as fuck go see them in concert when they come to town. I tend to think of AC/DC as what Vince has referred to as a “legacy act” – a band that basically releases new music as an excuse to tour – which may be why I’m not as invested in a discussion of whether or not the new album is any good as I am when it comes to, say, Metallica (it may also help that the AC/DC hype machine isn’t as obnoxious, in terms of trying to tell the world that it’s shit doesn’t stink, as Metallica’s). Or maybe it’s just because rehashed AC/DC is still better than most other bands’ music, period.

In any case, here’s the new song… curious to see what y’all have to say about it…

Black Ice hits Wal-Marts, and only Wal-Marts, on October 20.

-AR

In 2004, Judas Priest went on before Black Sabbath at Ozzfest and pretty much decimated Ozzy and his cohorts; a year later, Iron Maiden did the same, and Sharon Osbourne got so pissy about it that she resorted to not-so-friendly “pranks” like having “X”s drawn through Maiden’s name on Ozzfest merch, cutting the band’s sound mid-song, and recruiting second stage musicians to help her throw eggs at Bruce Dickinson and company. Classy.

Now Sharon reportedly wants AC/DC to co-headline next year’s Ozzfest, when the festival will allegedly return to its status as a tour instead of a one-off gig, because they’re her “favorite band” (I’m sure Ozzy takes no offense at that statement).

The last time AC/DC toured the U.S., the only other band on the bill was Slash’s Snakepit (Version 2.0), and they were still selling out football stadiums. In other words, I think Ozzy probably needs AC/DC more than AC/DC needs Ozzy; I really just can’t imagine them wanting to go on before Ozzy to play an abbreviated set.

Still, maybe they will play Ozzfest. If they do, look for Sharon to be throwing eggs at them sometime in summer ’09.

-AR

Holy crap, dude. Did you hear about this awesome new tour? It’s gonna be rad, dude. It’s Desaster with Throwdown, Airbourne, and Trivium are the headliners. It’s called the “Close Your Eyes” tour, ’cause if you close your eyes, you’ll think you’re at some awesome show with Venom, Pantera, AC/DC and Metallica. For reals, dude!

What’s that, dude? Oh, you don’t know Desaster? Yeah, they’re these totally smart black metal dudes. Like, while those chumps in Sigh were off recording a tribute to Venom, this band just made an album that sounds exactly like Venom – and they don’t have to pay any of the royalties! I know, dude, it’s totally sick, isn’t? Totes sicko.

Cool, dude. So I’ll see you at the show. And, hey, did I mention the best part? Each ticket comes with a free blindfold! WICKED!

(one and a half out of five horns)

-AR

Amidst the news that Ozzy Osbourne’s latest ho-hum release Black Rain has been certified gold and AC/DC’s classic Back in Black just crossed the 22 million units sold in the U.S. mark, was this interesting bit: according to a report on Yahoo News [via Buzzgrinder] half of all Mac users in the third quarter paid to download tunes, compared with 16% of their PC-using counterparts. In addition, 32% of Mac users reported buying CDs in the third quarter of this year, compared with 28% of PC users.”

So, for you 14.5% of MetalSucks readers who use Macs and 84.33% of MetalSucks PC users… where do you fall?

-VN

Proof:

[kml_flashembed movie="http://www.youtube.com/v/U2KM-_zpCno" width="425" height="350" wmode="transparent" /]

-VN

MetalSucks has teamed up with the legendary, almighty AC/DC to offer you another awesome prize package, celebrating the recent release of their new DVD Plug Me In, the ultimate career-spanning DVD box set of live performances, interviews and more. One lucky winner will receive:

• AC/DC Plug Me In DVD
• AC/DC T-Shirt
• AC/DC Belt Buckle
• AC/DC Guitar Picks

So how do you win? All you’ve got to do is answer the following question, and email your answer to vince [at] metalsucks.net with the words AC/DC CONTEST as the subject:

Who was the better AC/DC frontman, Bon Scott or Brian Johnson, and why?

Axl and Vince will sort through your answers and choose their favorite one. Make ‘em good. You know how we like it.

In the meantime please enjoy this clip from the DVD of the band performing “Highway to Hell” at the Tushino Airfield in Moscow, September 1991: (WMA, Real, Quicktime)