SEND EMAIL TO
NEWS [AT]
METALSUCKS
[DOT] NET
Last year (and the year before) I got way too busy with this thing called life and missed out on a lot of quality music. I am here to rectify the error of my ways, month by month.
Here are the May 2011 releases that got under my skin, burrowed their way into my brain, made my ears bleed, or simply tickled my unmentionables:
New releases from A Storm of Light, Anaal Nathrakh, Arsonsists Get All the Girls, Nader Sadek, Scar Symmetry and more; a good day for metal! Check out Vic Vaughn’s thoughts on today’s new albums after the break.
I don’t know if Arsonists Get All the Girls will ever make something I enjoy as much as The Game of Life again. It’s not like they ever stopped being totally schizophrenic in their musical dealings, it’s just that they haven’t quite regained their stance atop that peak of insanity.
That being said, their new album, Motherland, definitely comes pretty close.
So. We’re just a week away from the album’s release, and now the band is streaming it in full on their MySpace page. (MySpace: still a thing.) I’m curious to hear what my fellow AGATG fans think. I’m less curious to hear what people who don’t like AGATG think, but I’m sure they’ll leave some oh-so-intelligent remarks in the comments section anyway.
Motherland is out May 17 via Century Media.
-AR
Motherland is a new Arsonists Get all the Girls album, which is to say it’s pretty wacky… and yet somehow, I wish it were wackier. On their Century debut, The Game of Life, this band sounded like they could, and might, do anything at any given moment; this album feels decidedly more straight-forward. I don’t think it’s a bad record — I’ll take any AGATG over most of their peers any day of the week — it just doesn’t quite kick me in then nuts the way that Life or even 2009′s Portals did.
You’re free to tell me to go fuck a horse, though. The band is now streaming another new song, “Dr. Teeth,” on their Facebook page, so you check that out and then let me know what you think in our comments section. I’m always open to being convinced that I’m wrong when a band I really like puts out an album I only sorta like.
Motherland comes out May 17 on Century.
-AR
There’s a new Arsonists Get All the Girls song called “Avdotya,” and, sensing that this was probably not just some nonsense word the band made up but, rather, that my education has failed me yet again, I decided to Google it. Turns out it’s a Russian girl’s name, and depending on which baby name website you look at, it either means “pleasure,” “delight,” “good gift,” “well,” or “to seem well.” And while I can’t understand what the heck AGATG front man Jared Monette is screaming during the song, it’s that last name meaning that strikes me as being the most relevant to the song — I mean, if this is a love song for girl who is a delight, well, it is a terrible, terrible gift for that poor young woman. On the other hand, if it’s a song about a girl who seems well but maybe isn’t so much… well, that sounds about right.
Regardless of what the song is about, I enjoy it. It’s schizophrenic fuck-nuts shit, which is to say, it’s AGATG doing what they do best. I think that The Game of Life, the 2007 release that first introduced me to the band, is still my favorite of their releases, but this track definitely makes wanna hear the rest of their new album.
That album is called Motherland, by the way, and it’s coming out on Century on May 17. While you wait, you can stream “Avdotya” here.
The band is about to begin a tour with a bunch of other groups I don’t particularly care for, but I’m going to put the dates after the jump anyway, because AGATG are headlining, and because it seems like the menschy thing to do.
So this is pretty cool… in theory at least. Last week, the videogame Homefront was released (I haven’t played it so I have no idea how it is, although I read some decent reviews), and yesterday, the makers of the game started giving away a FREE compilation of metal bands doing covers of war-appropriate songs, sometimes by other metal bands, sometimes by non-metal artists. You can download it here, and should get on that ASAP, as they’re only giving away 25,000 of the free downloads. As of this writing, DLs are still avail, though. Also, I’m sure this thing will remain all over the internet forever and ever, so don’t freak too hard if they’re all gone by the time you get there.
Another reason no to freak out too hard if you don’t get to download this puppy? Even though this is 100% free, like most cover albums, it’s not actually all that amazing. Let’s take a look at what the album has to offer, shall we?
Well, the line-up for this year’s New England Metal & Hardcore Festival — one of the oldest and most revered extreme music fests in the U.S. — has been announced, and it’s… interesting. The fest returns to a three-day format after being only two days last year, but if I’m not mistaken, this is the first time that the initial day will be a Thursday, not a Friday. And as reader Brian Kessler pointed out to us via e-mail, there are two noteworthy aspects to the lineup:
Please note that I’m not knocking the fest — in fact, I think Saturday, April 16 is full of killer bands — and I don’t think every fest needs to be headlined by a band of Megadeth’s stature. I just think this particular line-up is… interesting.
Anyway, here’s the full bill:
Well, the line-up for this year’s New England Metal & Hardcore Festival — one of the oldest and most revered extreme music fests in the U.S. — has been announced, and it’s… interesting. The fest returns to a three-day format after being only two days last year, but if I’m not mistaken, this is the first time that the initial day will be a Thursday, not a Friday. And as reader Brian Kessler pointed out to us via e-mail, there are two noteworthy aspects to the lineup:
Please note that I’m not knocking the fest — in fact, I think Saturday, April 16 is full of killer bands — and I don’t think every fest needs to be headlined by a band of Megadeth’s stature. I just think this particular line-up is… interesting.
Anyway, here’s the full bill:
Just in case Ozzfest, Mayhem, Summer Slaughter, Thrash & Burn, The Cool Tour, Scream Like You Mean It, and, to a lesser extent, American Carnage weren’t enough to keep you occupied this summer (to say nothing of all the regular plain ol’ tours goin’ on), yet another big package/fest tour has been announced: the Over the Limit tour. (And, yes, I realize the above song is actually called “Push it to the Limit.” But any excuse to listen to that awesome, awesome piece of music will suffice.)
The line-up, my thoughts on that line-up, and dates are all after the jump.
So Arsonists Get All the Girls did this PSA for Metal Injection, basically making sure you don’t set yourself, your home, or anyone you care about on fire:
But here’s the thing: if arsonists get all the girls, then why should I give a fuck about fire safety? The only people I should be concerned about not setting on fire are me and the girls I’m trying to get, right?
I think this PSA is just to trick people. I think these Arsonists just want all the girls to themselves.
Well, I ain’t falling for it, AGATG. Not ol’ Axl Rosenberg. Nope. In fact, I’m gonna go set my cute neighbor’s dog on fire right now. It was howling all night and kept me awake. Then, when the neighbor sees what I did and is all impressed with me, I’m gonna tap that ass. That’ll work… right?
-AR
I resisted checking out The Tony Danza Tap Dance Extravaganza for the longest time, a decision which was based purely on their name. This was poor judgment on my part – this band is just swell! Which just goes to prove, you can’t judge a book by its cover. Unless that cover belongs to Kamelot.
ANYWAY, I mention this ’cause TTDTDE (holy shit, even typing their initials takes a fucking hour) are streaming a new song, “The Union,” on their MySpace page. It’s a discordant mind-melter, which should come as no great shock. But, seriously, if I ever listened to it drunk, I think I might puke. This is the aural equivalent of one of those times when you’ve had a few (or way) too many, and even when you close your eyes, the darkness spins.
“The Union” will be on TTDTDE’s latest, Danza III: The Series Of Unfortunate Events, which comes out July 6 on Guy Kozowyk’s Black Market Activities label. You can also stream the band’s cover of Nirvana’s “Smells Like Teen Spirit” right here at MetalSucks! And don’t forget that they’ll be on the MS-sponsored Road to MetalFest Tour with Through the Eyes of the Dead, Impending Doom, Arsonists Get All the Girls, and Chelsea Grin. Get dates here.
-AR
…then it’s gonna be one of the awesomer releases of the spring. Check it out:
Holy shit, I love that. It’s just as awesome as the cover art for the band’s previous release, Myocardial Infraction, which has been a cornerstone of my own personal rotation ever since reader Parker Werley recommended the band to us back in January.
The Farthest Reaches comes out April 13 on the newly-formed Good Fight Music, and was produced by Zack Ohren. Ohren has produced, mixed, and/or mastered such albums as Suffocation’s Blood Oath, Decrepit Birth’s Diminishing Between Worlds, Arsonists Get All the Girls’ The Game of Life, and all three releases by All Shall Perish, so his involvement can only be a good thing.
I can’t fucking wait to hear this record. If you’re still not familiar with Son of Aurelius, get off your ass and check out their MySpace page.
-AR
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:
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.
[This exclusive has now ended.]
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.
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.
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?
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
