MetalSucks

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.

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So while it was rumored for awhile that this year’s edition of Ozzfest would be a two day event – but it has now been announced that it’ll be just one single day, on Saturday, August 9, at at Pizza Hut Park* in Dallas, Texas. The line-up will be as follows:

Main Stage
OZZY OSBOURNE
METALLICA
SERJ TANKIAN
HELLYEAH
JONATHAN DAVIS
CAVALERA CONSPIRACY
SHADOWS FALL
APOCALYPTICA
IN THIS MOMENT
All-Star Tribute To “Dimebag” Darrell Abbott

Second Stage
SEVENDUST
DEVILDRIVER
KINGDOM OF SORROW
SOILENT GREEN
WITCHCRAFT
GOATWHORE

Texas (Third) Stage
THE SWORD
DROWNING POOL
RIGOR MORTIS

Actually, that is, by no means, a terrible line-up; if the stages are staggered at all (and I imagine they will be), it would be plenty easy to keep oneself occupied during sets from In This Moment, Jonathan Davis, and HellNo. And I guess it’s honorable of Metallica to let Ozzy play last, even though, at this point, a) they’re much bigger than Ozzy and b) Ozzy has to be in bed by 8 pm. I mean, if I was Ozzy, and I’d spent recent Ozzfests getting blown off the stage by the likes of Maiden and Priest, I certainly wouldn’t wanna follow Metallica. But, y’know, nice of Ulrich and Hetfield to step aside for one night and let the Ozzman cometh.

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Today is the third big Tuesday in a row, and it’ll be the last for a while; new releases in the metal world are at a minimum over the coming weeks with a few notable exceptions (among them Textures). But fear not, because some truly awesome music came out today.

It’s a big day for death metal; to start, we have Arsis with their long-awaited We are the Nightmare (read our interview with bassist Noah Martin) and Soilent Green’s Katrina-inspired Inevitable Collapse in the Presence of Conviction (read Axl’s interview with Soilent Green’s Brian Patton). Embrace the End released Ley Lines, and Thine Eyes Bleed released their self-titled disc (read Axl’s review). In the melodic death category we have Blooddrunk from Children of Bodom, which is as solid a Bodom album as any (read my review).

Apocalyptica, the cello metal band who cut their teeth covering Metallica, put out their first album of all originals (minus one), Worlds Collide, with the single “I’m Not Jesus” featuring Corey Taylor; the song is apparently the #6 charting song on Active Rock radio (who knew?). Emo-turned-metal-turned-avant-garde-rockers Thrice released the third and fourth parts (Earth & Air) of their Alchemy Index concept album suite, and the results are exceptional.

Some of you might also like to know that Rush released their double live-disc Snakes & Arrows Live as well. Yee-haw.

What’s your favorite release to come out today?

-VN