MetalSucks

Now the nausea’s
In my guts
And I’m wrestling with doubt
The kind you get when your heroes
Sell you out
And as I watch the drawbridge come down
There’s mass extinction
On my mind
Human cruelty stains my thoughts jet black
I’ve got this feeling
Like things have gone too far and now we can’t get back

Here’s more fun shit that happened in the world of metal this week:

• We debuted new videos from Cradle of Filth and Arsonists Get All the Girls.
• We got exclusive tour blogs from Bison B.C.’s Dan And and Woe of Tyrants’ Chris Catanzaro.
• We spoke to members of Winds of Plague, Decrepit Birth and Born of Osiris.
• I counted down 50 things I love about Pig Destroyer, and then added a 51st.
• Ulrich Vs. Mustaine Vs. Ian and Zakk Vs. Ozzy made us laugh with glee.
• Kerry King Vs. Killswitch Engage was pretty funny, too.
• Dallas Coyle answered more of your questions.

Vince gets back from vacation tonight right around the time Repulsion take the stage, and then tomorrow, hopefully, Craig’s List will lead us to some Tool tickets. See ya Monday!

-AR

MetalSucks is proud to present the exclusive debut of “The 42nd Ego,” the new video from Arsonists Get All the Girls. Directed by Jeremy Weiss, the clip is not the kind of apoplectic video we’re so accustomed to in metal these days, opting instead for a style that allows the viewer to concentrate on the sheer power of the song – which, like all of AGATG’s best work, seamlessly combines elements of death, hardcore and experimental.

Check out the video below. The track appears on Arsonists Get All the Girls’ awesome new album, Portals, which you can purchase here. And don’t forget that AGATG are tour right now; go to their MySpace page for a complete list of dates.

Arsonists Get All the Girls have been through a lot since the release of their last album, 2007’s The Game of Life. From various line-up changes to the tragic death of a bandmate, the last two years have most certainly been a struggle for the Santa Cruz outfit.

The sheer force of those travails – as well as the newfound maturity the band has achieved because of them – shine through on their third full-length, Portals. This album is a major evolution for Arsonists Get All the Girls – the band has created a record that’s angry, experimental, challenging, and, of course, heavy as a motherfucker.

Portals comes out July 14 on Century Media. In the meantime, you can stream the entire album right here! And if ya dig it, pre-order Portals, along with a groovy AGATG t-shirt, here.

[UPDATE: This exclusive promotion has now ended.]

What the fuck is happening in the world of deathcore? Job for a Cowboy’s Genesis didn’t really sound like Doom, All Shall Perish’s Awaken the Dreamers didn’t really sound like The Price of Existence, Suicide Silence’s No Time to Bleed doesn’t really sound like The Cleansing, and all evidence suggests that Born of Osiris’ A Higher Place will not really sound like The New Reign. Whether you love or hate these bands, there’s no denying that they’re evolving at a rapid pace.

And it looks like we can add Arsonists Get All the Girls to the list. The band has a new song, “Saturnine,” currently streaming on their MySpace page, and while it retains a lot of the Sumeriancore elements we love about the group, it’s a pretty far cry from anything off of The Game of Life. And although all the line-up changes since that album’s release probably have something to do with that, I don’t think there can be any doubt that the band has a creative desire to stretch their wings, too.

Click to read more…

I really, really thought that Arsonists Get All the Girls might break-up. They’ve been through so many line-up changes and hardships since the release of  2007’s The Game of Life that you hardly could’ve blamed them if they’d called it quits.

But AGATG ain’t quitters. The game of life is hard, but they know about it, they know about it, the game, the game of life. And so they’re releasing a new album, Portals, on July 14.

Click to read more…

CMJ is almost dunzo. Vince partied way harder than I did and will probably need the weekend to recover. But don’t fret, he can’t be in terrible shape ’cause I didn’t find any piles of vomit in weird places around the MetalSucks Mansion.

If you live in the NYC area and still wanna check out some cool shit and get stupid sloppy drunk like Vince, it’s not too late: Heavy Hitter Inc. have their showcase tonight, with See You Next Tuesday, Arsonists Get All the Girls, Unholy, Catalepsy, and, oh, IWRESTLEDABEARONCE.* Doors are at seven and it’ll cost you a whopping ten bucks to get in. That’s right – for less than the cost of seeing whatever shitty movie opened this weekend, you can see five awesome metal bands.

I saw Despised Icon play this same room last year at the Heavy Hitter CMJ show, and they fucked shit up so hard I almost can’t believe that the Bowery Poetry Club was willing to have Heavy Hitter back. But hey! The loss of the cost of the property damage is metalheads’ gain.

Vince and I will be there. I’m not gonna do that thing where I tell you what we’re wearing so can find us. If you wanna find us, fucking find us.

More details on the show are avail here.

-AR

*Who I think should temporarily change their name to ISHOTABEARFROMAHELICOPTERONCE in Sarah Palin’s honor.

Some good bands have lost members in the past few days. We could devote a post to each of them or be insensitive dicks about it and just do one big post.

Guess which one we chose?

Click to read more…

Fast rising deathcore up n’ comers Arsonists Get All the Girls have announced that Adam Swan will take the place of the late Pat Mason, who passed away the day after his 21st birthday. Guitarist Nick Cardinelli has also stepped down and will be replaced by Derek Yarra.

I don’t understand people who think AGATG are “just another deathcore band” – they’re considerably more creative and, well, just plain crazy than most of their peers in the genre (read my review of last year’s The Game of Life). I’m thrilled that they’re persevering in the face of such a loss.

They’ll be playing a memorial gig for Mason on January 19 in their hometown of Santa Cruz; check out their MySpace page for additional details and a complete tour itinerary. In the meantime, here’s some footage of them playing live. I don’t know what dump this is they’re playing, but you gotta love the amount of energy they’re putting into it for a crowd of what looks like about twenty people.

[kml_flashembed movie="http://youtube.com/v/hdn6nOR7JiM" width="425" height="350" wmode="transparent" /]

-AR

Arsonists Get All the Girls will play a benefit show for the family of recently deceased bassist Pat Mason on December 28 at The 418 in their hometown of Santa Cruz. Knights of the Abyss, Elysia, and Animosity will also perform.

More information can be found at Arsonists Get All the Girls’ MySpace page. If you live in the area, you have absolutely no excuse not to attend and show your support.

-AR

Pat Mason, bassist for Arsonists Get All the Girls, has passed away. He had literally just turned 21 years old. A posting on the band’s MySpace page reads as follows:

“We can’t describe the pain and sorrow that we all are feeling right now. Last night/early this morning our bassist, Pat Mason, passed away. Pat was an amazing person and brother to all of us. It was his 21^st birthday and we all got to see him at band practice. He then proceeded to go out to the bars. He went to sleep at a friend’s house. We don’t know the full details but when friends tried to wake him up this morning he didn’t wake up. We could never trade him for the world and could never replace him. We will always love him and will always be in our hearts. We are going to continue with the band cause that is what Pat would have wanted. There will be a donation account set up soon for his family and possibly a local benefit show as well. Thanks for everyone for the support that the band has since the beginning. We love you all and Pat loves you all as well.”

This is truly, truly devastating news. We didn’t know Pat personally, but you’ll recall that AGATG did the “Song to Get Stoned To” column for us a few weeks back, and not only did they seem like great guys, but their most recent album, The Game of Life, is pretty fantastic. There are really no words for how much this saddens all of us here at MetalSucks.

More news will be forthcoming. In the meantime, here’s Aronists Get All the Girls’ video for “Shoeshine for Neptune.” Pat, wherever you are – this one’s for you, dude.

[kml_flashembed movie="http://youtube.com/v/AY1L8lY8qUg" width="425" height="350" wmode="transparent" /]

-Everyone at MetalSucks

It was only a matter of time ’til a band came around that was inspired by Napalm Death, Morbid Angel and Faith No More in equal measures. Arsonists Get All the Girls have the same cock-eyed sense of humor as a band like Mr. Bungle, whether it be in their name or their song titles (my personal favorites are “Save the Castle, Screw the Princess” and “To Get Eaten by Rats”) – and something about this complete inability to brood in the dark seems to rub people the wrong way (ATGATG isn’t the only band stuck with this bullshit problem; check out See You Next Tuesday, Nights Like These, etc.). Like their labelmates At All Cost, AGATG are willing to break the rules of any particular metallic subgenre as it suits them, all in the name of making the most schizofrantic music possible. Listen with an open mind – it’s a fuckin’ blast, man.

Click to read more…

Fridays are usually a great show and someone usually smokes us out ’till we’re stupid. Most of the time we don’t actually play this song but about an hour after the show when we’re driving and the van is all quiet, someone will yell out “Vera, Vera? Does anybody else in here feel the way I do?” Nonstop laughing ensues.

Pink Floyd – “Vera” (from The Wall [Disc 2])

Visit Arsonists Get All the Girls on MySpace.

[We want to sincerely thank Arsonists Get All the Girls for helping us out this week. That was fun, fellas... stop by anytime! - The MetalSucks Dudes]

We usually just smoke ourselves silly and scream this song at each other at the top of our lungs with tears rolling down our rosy cheeks.

[kml_flashembed movie="http://youtube.com/v/xzlq_aY8a18" width="425" height="350" wmode="transparent" /]

Visit Arsonists Get All the Girls on MySpace.

It’s hump day, which means we like roll fat ones and get some double team action going on in the van. With six guys in the band and one merch guy, someone is always left out (we know you’re not too fucked up to do the math and figure that out). It’s usually our merch guy. We feel bad for him, but then again, someone needs to drive.

Tenacious D – “Double Team”

Visit Arsonists Get All the Girls on MySpace.

Given what we just said about a typical Monday, we all need something to fuckin’ get us going on Tuesdays. Pantera is it. I really don’t think there’s much else to say.

Pantera – “War Nerve”

Visit Arsonists Get All the Girls on MySpace.

Monday is usually a day off, which on tour usually means a very long drive day…so it’s usually pretty chill in the van. Lots of sleeping. We love Thrice, and this one, off of The Alchemy Index Vol . 1 & 2: Fire & Water, is perfect to just kick it, pass a pipe around and relax.

Thrice – “The Whaler”

Visit Arsonists Get All the Girls on MySpace.

We’re Arsonists Get All the Girls from Santa Cruz, CA, so naturally, we like to get stoned. Everyday. Three to four times a day. Anyway, we know there are lots of other readers of MetalSucks that do the same, and, well, if you’re like us, you noticed that MetalSucks just wasn’t meeting your needs. “The Saturday Song to Get Stoned to” is great and all, but
what about the other days of the week? To help you guys out, we – and by “we,” we mean the six of us and our merch guy – put together a list of songs for every day of the week. We actually were going to do one song for the entire year, but God damn, that would take too long and, well, there are bowls to pack.

So speaking of bowls…

We guess that this song, from Led Zeppelin I, is a good one to start the week: it’s a happy go lucky song, one of their more poppier tunes that brings a smile to your face, especially after a few pulls… and when that solo kicks in our whole van starts air-guitaring.

Led Zeppelin – “Good Times, Bad Times”

Visit Arsonists Get All the Girls on MySpace.

Between See You Next Tuesday, Nights Like These, and now Arsonists Get All the Girls, I should learn to stop judging bands based solely on their name. The music on the group’s latest release, The Game of Life (Century), is so off-the-wall in a Mr. Bungle-mindfuck kinda way – poppy keyboards mixed with ultra-brutal death-grind?!?! – that two things are clear: these dudes are awesome, and, like all of us here at MetalSucks, they must smoke a llllotttttt of weed.

In fact, starting this Sunday, AGATG will hijack our “Song to Get Stoned To” column, providing all you lucky readers with the perfect soundtrack for all your tokin’ and smokin’ on Sunday through Friday – ’cause let’s be honest, you all get high on days besides Saturday (I know I do). In the meantime, here’s their video – more like a short film, really – for the track “Shoeshine for Neptune.” Dig that Twisted Sister video-meets Fred Savage’s Little Monsters meets-my worst fuckin’ nightmare vibe.

[kml_flashembed movie="http://youtube.com/v/AY1L8lY8qUg" width="425" height="350" wmode="transparent" /]

See… I told you these guys are potheads.

-AR

Visit Arsonists Get All the Girls on MySpace.