Thursday, October 22nd, 2009 at 4:30pm by Vince Neilstein
The Monkeys are cranky today so let’s make this quick. The winner of last week’s funny photo caption contest and proud new owner of 10 random CDs from Prosthetic Records:
Devin Townsend Sr.: “ALL OUR DICKS COMBINED ARE THIS BIG.”
I actually LOLed at that one. This week we’re giving away a three-pack of CDs from Metal Blade Records: Amon Amarth’s The Avenger (reissue, 2CD Digipak), Ravage’s The End of Tomorrow, and Gwar’s latest, Lust in Space. Just come up with a funny caption to the below photo [sent in by MS reader Pelin] and they’ll be yours.
Monday, August 31st, 2009 at 12:30pm by Axl Rosenberg
MS Maniac Leo Kannaly sent us an e-mail over the weekend where he wondered if this was the worst pit ever:
Leo, to answer your question, I don’t think that this is the worst pit ever, because I think to call this a pit would be an insult to pits everywhere. That being said, I do think it’s incredibly silly… but at least it doesn’t involve any karate moves.
Tuesday, January 6th, 2009 at 4:00pm by Axl Rosenberg
Even before we were an “industry type” (I think we can safely call ourselves that now), I loved the fact that Roadrunner Records posts their staffers and some of the artists “best of” lists every year; these people work at/with one of the biggest metal labels out there, so it’s pretty interesting to see what they were grooving on from year to year.
Tuesday, November 18th, 2008 at 12:10pm by Vince Neilstein
The Absence, who are quickly becoming one my favorite new American metal bands, have released a new video for the song “Dead and Gone” from their excellent 2007 release Riders of the Plague. The video showcases just how hard the band rips live, as I found out last month when I saw them open for Amon Amarth.
In other news, there is nothing more metal than a pink guitar.
Thursday, November 6th, 2008 at 5:30pm by MetalSucks
Congrats to MetalSucks devotee Joel V. who proved himself worthy of metal god status by photoshopping corpsepaint on his own photo to win last week’s contest. For your troubles, you’ll receive that awesome Early Man prize package; a limited edition gatefold colored vinyl of Beware the Circling Fin, said album on CD, and an Early Man t-shirt (aka this package).
This week we’re going back to the good ol’ photo caption contest, and we’re giving away one copy of Amon Amarth’s latest Viking onslaught Twilight of the Thunder God and one copy of Massachusetts metallers Unearth’s new record The March, courtesy our friends at Metal Blade Records. Just come up with a funny caption to the below photo and post it in the comments, and one of them is yours.
Wednesday, October 29th, 2008 at 3:10pm by Christopher Roddy
When you’re a melodic death metal band from Finland what you really need are the multi-faceted talents of a producer such as Dan Swanö to bring out all the best elements of your music. Sure, an ability to write and play well are necessities but the proper direction and production can elevate your music from the ranks of the fledgling many to the proven few. Omnium Gatherum are an act with which you may not yet be familiar but, given the strength of The Redshift, you should be made aware. The reason? This release deftly surpasses the mediocrity of their past couple and even trumps their impressive 2003 debut, Spirits And August Light. The band have finally brought all the pieces together in a synergistic manner creating a cohesive and impressive work that should make their name more accessible to the larger community of metal brethren the world over. And their music will even appeal to our Sisters in Metal as well, so let’s not pretend this is all part of a special, masculine group. We can’t even get the handshake down.
Tuesday, October 21st, 2008 at 3:29pm by Vince Neilstein
As my good friend Axl noted this past May, The Absence are one hell of a fucking good metal band. I’ve been highly digging on their Spring release Riders of the Plague but perhaps I haven’t written about them here enough, so let me just put it bluntly: THIS BAND FUCKING RULES AND YOU OUGHT TO PAY ATTENTION.
Wednesday, October 15th, 2008 at 1:16pm by MetalSucks
At long last, we are pleased to announce the winner of our Amon Amarth Viking Video Contest in which we asked you to make a one minute-long video interpretation of a scene or tale from Viking lore. The contest’s winner is Christian Madsen with his incredible animated short “The Wild Hunt,” below:
Read all about the story and inspiration behind Christian’s video here.
Congrats to Christian! He’ll be receiving the the ultimate Amon Amarth prize package featuring the band’s entire Metal Blade discography and recent DVD set (including their new record Twilight of the Thunder God, out now!)
Wednesday, October 1st, 2008 at 12:00pm by Axl Rosenberg
At this point, I really don’t imagine Slayer need any bait to lure fans to their concerts; I’ve seen them live quite a few times in my lifetime, and I’ve never seen the show be anything less than packed. Regardless of whether or not Slayer actually have anything to promote, if they play it, the fans will come.
Still, they’re trying out a little experiment, as explained in a press release:
“A brand-new Slayer album is expected in 2009, but some fans won’t have to wait that long to get an early listen to some of the new music.
“Fans who attend any of the upcoming European ‘Unholy Alliance Tour, Chapter III’ dates, will receive the new Slayer song via an exclusive download card that will also include special material from the entire tour’s line-up – Slayer, Mastodon, Trivium and Amon Amarth. The download card, along with a limited edition ‘Unholy Alliance Tour’ clothing patch, will be given away free only to ticket holders when they arrive at their local venue the night of the show.”
Monday, September 29th, 2008 at 1:13pm by Vince Neilstein
As MetalSucks pensman Sammy O’Hagar so eloquently stated in his review of Amon Amarth’s latest album Twilight of the Thunder God (which comes out tomorrow in the U.S.), the kings of Swedish viking death metal have always justified their outward ridiculousness by backing it up with skull-crushing, top-notch metal. And when it comes to making music videos things are no different; with their epic new video for the album’s title track — which has a full Viking battle reenactment and lots of synchronized head-banging, natch — Amon have created one of the most visually striking and cinematically beautiful videos released in ages, at least to these untrained eyes. Even if frontman Johan Hegg isn’t sporting his usual bare-chested metal chub this time around, at least he’s got his own band’s shirt on, the very definition of epic if you ask me. And oh yeah, did I mention Viking battles? Viking battles!
Speaking of Viking battles, time is running out (as in tomorrow is the deadline) for our Amon Amarth Viking Video Contest, co-sponsored by Metal Injection and Metal Blade. Create your own minute-long Viking reenacement, and a giant stash of Amon swag and booty could be yours. Enter and read the rules here.
Lastly, don’t miss the epicness when it rapes and pillages the shores of North America starting October 1st; catch the MetalSucks co-sponsored Amon Amarth tour with the unfuckwithable lineup of Ensiferum, Belphegor, and The Absence in tow. Dates after the jump. See you there, beer steins in hand. This might actually be the night where I finally where my viking helmet.
Wednesday, September 24th, 2008 at 3:03pm by Sammy O'Hagar
In theory, Amon Amarth are worth loathing: they’re thematically about as dopey as a band can get and as anyone who’s seen Headbanger’s Ball in the last 2 years can attest to, they’re prone to synchronized headbanging and often appearing shirtless though clearly a decade or so past their physical prime. So then why are Amon Amarth worth our time? The answer, obvious to anyone who’s ever heard Amon Amarth, is the bottomless gauntlet of riffs that the band endlessly takes gargantuan swigs from, sounding both lush and emotive as well as skull crushingly heavy. And for those that have fallen for the band’s dopey big riff attack before, there’s little to dislike on Twilight of the Thunder God, their latest. Though some things have shifted slightly, very little has changed, and the album is a little-to-no bullshit slab of brute melodic death metal in a time where melodic death metal has been seemingly sucked dry and left for dead. Amon Amarth are still Amon Amarth, and there is absolutely fucking nothing wrong with that.
A scandal erupted involving the audio quality of Death Magnetic, alternate Guitar Hero mixes, and the now infamous “Better, Shorter, Cut” abridged edition.
Friday, September 19th, 2008 at 1:29pm by Vince Neilstein
This week saw the release of two delectable new videos from Swedish metal notables Amon Amarth and Scar Symmetry. Those videos, with our cheeky analysis (natch), after the jump.
Monday, September 15th, 2008 at 10:01am by Vince Neilstein
Don’t let the post-weekend hangover get you down; start your week off right by listening a new track from Sweden’s kings of viking metal, Amon Amarth. “Guardians of Asgaard” comes from their new album Twilight of the Thunder God due September 30th on Metal Blade, and the band will kick off a massive North American tour the very next day, which MetalSucks is proud to be sponsoring. Ensiferum, Belphegor, and The Absence will be opening – so ready your beer steins and viking helmets, and check out the full tour routing after the jump. And while you’re at it, don’t forget to enter our Amon Amarth Viking Video Contest to win a huge prize package of Amon Amarth swag.
Tuesday, August 26th, 2008 at 10:15am by Corey Mitchell
[MetalSucks writer Corey Mitchell recently had the opportunity to email some questions to Belphegor vocalist/guitarist Helmuth. Read his replies after the jump -- about bondage, Satanism, Zombies, the band's new album Bondage Goat Zombie, eternally keeping it br00tal, and more. - Ed.]
Wednesday, August 20th, 2008 at 10:18am by Vince Neilstein
Amon Amarth have a new album on the way September 30th called Twilight of the Thunder God (via Metal Blade), and they’ve just posted the title-track from that album on their MySpace page! It contains all the epic glory you’ve come to expect from Amon; if the MySpace music player had hair and was able to do windmills, you’d bet your ass it’d be doing them furiously along to this song.
Which reminds us — the clock is ticking down for you to submit entries to our epic Amon Amarth Viking Video Contest. MetalSucks, Metal Injection and Metal Blade Records are teaming up to give you an awesome Amon Amarth prize package (like, their entire discography), in celebration of the release of the new album. Upload your own Viking-inspired video and win big!
Think you can do better than the below entry posted by “Looka”? Click here to enter and read the official contest rules.
Tuesday, July 29th, 2008 at 3:21pm by Vince Neilstein
After fellating Protest the Hero’s incredible early-2008 release Fortress for two months solid (culminating in my first ever 5 of 5 horns review), I was immediately let down by successive announcements that the band would be touring with shit emo bands through the entire summer. Finally someone in the band’s camp has come to their senses and packaged them with a lineup that will put them in front of the metal audience that NEEDS to know about this band. And finally, I will be able to go see them live. Lambgoat is reporting a fall tour with Protest playing direct support for Unearth, with The Acacia Strain, Whitechapel and Gwen Stacy also on the bill.
Wednesday, July 16th, 2008 at 12:18pm by MetalSucks
So you guys know we’re hosting an Amon Amarth Viking Video contest, right? Create and submit a video like the awesome early entry below, and you could win the entire Amon Amarth CD catalog (on Metal Blade) as well as a DVD! Seriously, I don’t know how these folks have so much free time on their hands, but shit … more power to ‘em.
Things were a tad slow at the MetalSucks Mansion this week, whatwith a lot of the U.S. still on holiday — but between bong rips and acid trips we somehow still found time to post about some events that went on this week:
David Lee Roth got pulled over for speeding as he was trying to rush to the hospital for an alleged allergic reaction to nuts; or did he?
Thousands of dental hygienically challenged guys with mullets are running around Oklahoma wearing Ratt and Ozzy concert shirts from a quarter century ago are at the 2nd annual Rocklahoma festival.
The Monkeys are cranky today so let’s make this quick. The winner of last week’s funny photo caption contest and proud new owner of 10 random CDs from Prosthetic Records:
