For a hot minute Overkill were supposed to be on the currently-in-progress Anthrax/Testament/Death Angel tour, which would have made it the can’t-miss thrash tour of the year, instead of just being a can’t-miss thrash tour (’cause let’s be real, that line-up is still pretty sweet). Unfortunately, they dropped off that tour, and fortunately, it was to record a new album, which, of course, meant it was only a matter of time until they toured again.

Well, hey, guess what? They’re touring again! They’ll hit the road this spring with a bunch of bands of varying degrees of coolness — namely Belphegor, Aborted, Blackguard, System Divide, and Diamond Plate – acting as support. Maybe not quite as cool as seeing them with some other classic thrash bands, but certainly not at all shabby a line-up, either. And, like many of their old school thrash peers, Overkill have been experiencing a renaissance as of late — their last two albums, Immortalis and Ironbound, were both particularly swell. Hopefully the new release will be, too, and the tour will become that much cooler.

Here are dates, courtesy of Metal Injection:

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You want Sepultura pics? We got ‘em, courtesy of MS photographer Mariel “Tormentia” Pietrykoski. Our favorite Brazilians tore through New Jersey’s Starland Ballroom with Belphegor and Hate in tow, and Mariel caught it all via her newfangled picture-taking-device. Have a looksee after the fold.

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Ah, Valentine’s Day. Reviled by most, enjoyed by the smug, and shrugged off by the belligerently ambivalent. But while most of us couldn’t care less about this specific day in February, it’s still an annoyance that comes around every year. Kind of like the common cold.

Now, most places will have shitloads of “quirky” recommendations you can do with your special someone, even if you’re of the metalhead persuasion. You can hold sweaty hands in the privacy of your parents’ basement, pour each other some classy Motorhead wine, and share a blood pudding in the dreamy light of those church candles. It’s all very nice and sweet to be… nice and sweet.

But you know what’s better? DOING IT. With a killer soundtrack. So on this very special day, I’ve made you all a romantically inappropriate mix tape.

Picking “mood” songs is a little too obvious for my taste. I mean yeah, Faith No More’s “Stripsearch” (Actually, that might be more of a stripping song than a sexing one, but ,hmm, “Evidence” maybe? Heh, “Be Aggressive” might work for some. Either way, Patton’s voice = nudity.) and NIN’s “Closer” are both appropriate (for very different reasons), but that’s no fun. Go forth and find that special someone willing to get, get naked to these select songs. There’s a little something for everyone. St. Valentine would’ve wanted it that way.

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The record release season is now in full swing. New albums by Motorhead, Crowbar and Belphegor stand out today in a week that’s got some other relatively high-profile metal releases coming out as well. After the jump, Vic Vaughn slices and dices them all.

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The sooner you just start thinking of these “Cinemetal Round-Up” columns as Headbanger’s Ball that you can watch anytime without commercials, and as hosted by someone who tells you when he thinks the videos actually gobble blowfish cocks, the better.

And so…

First up today we have a video for the title track from Terror’s latest album, Keepers of the Faith. It’s a pretty average video, but I like Terror and the song is catchy, so I’m willing to cut it some slack. Just this one time, though. After this I expect nothing but Avatardian levels of cinematic innovation… do you hear me, Scott Vogel?

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DEICIDE. The very mention of the name strikes fear into the hearts of parents, teachers, religious leaders, politicians, and total fucking pussies everywhere. They are one of the most legendary death metal bands of all time — nay, just one of the most legendary metal bands of all time, period. And on February 15, Century Media will unleash Deicide’s latest catastropiece, To Hell With God, upon the world.

MetalSucks is beyond proud to be debuting a brand new track from that album, the eloquently titled “Hang in Agony Until You’re Dead.” No joke, this is one of those days when we have to pinch ourselves — holy shit, we started this website as a joke, and now we’re debuting a Deicide track. And an AWESOME Deicide track, at that — one that’s just as fucked up and wicked as you’ve come to expect from the band fronted by a dude who burned an inverted cross into his forehead, but that displays the band’s ever-evolving skills as songwriters and musicians, too. And Mark Lewis’ production and mixing gives Deicide a crisp, clear sound they’ve never quite achieved before, without sacrificing any of the nut-crushing heaviness we’ve come to expect from this most venerated of bands.

Check out “Hang in Agony Until You’re Dead” below, and then pre-order To Hell With God here. Believe us when we tell you that the entire album is this good. And don’t forget that Deicide kick off a headlining tour in support of Hell the day of its release, with support coming from Belphegor, Neuraxis, Blackguard, and Pathology; you can get dates after the jump.

[this streaming promotion has ended]

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I’ve always felt indifferent towards Belphegor, but enough of you e-mailed us about their new song, “Impaled Upon the Tongue of Satan,” that I feel obligated to post about it.

So: Belphegor have a new song! It’s called “Impaled Upon the Tongue of Satan,” which is an early contender for “Silliest Song Title of 2011,” but I’ll let it slide if the band makes a shirt bearing that phrase and a graphic of The Dark Lord going down on some poor girl. You can listen to the track here. It sounds like Belphegor to me, but, again, I’m not the hugest fan of this band (don’t hate ‘em, just kinda don’t care), so maybe one of you can find a more articulate way to describe it in the comments section.

“Impaled Upon the Tongue of Satan” comes off of Belphegor’s new album, Blood Magick Necromance, which comes out in North America on February 8 and in Europe on January 14 via Nuclear Blast. The band is touring with Deicide in February and whatever is currently passing for Sepultura in April, so it looks like they’re going to have an eventful 2011. You can get dates here.

-AR

Heathenfest America, the not-Paganfest-monikered tour which is otherwise basically Paganfest for all intents and purposes, gets underway next week! Break out those viking hats and beer steins and get on out there to catch Eluveite, Belphegor, Alestorm (the superior pirate metal band), Vreid and Kivimetsan Druidi at what’s sure to be the best / dorkiest / drunkest show of the Fall. Full list of dates for the MetalSucks-sponsored trek after the jump.

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I’ve always felt that Belphegor are silly. There are plenty of black metal bands that I do not find silly, who for all intents and purposes dress, look and sound exactly like Belphegor . It’s just that whenever I see Belphegor I feel the uncontrollable need to giggle. Perhaps it’s because they’re so serious-looking all the time… what’s more hilarious than being super-serious? This new video for “Der Geistertreiber” does little stop my giggling.

If Belphegor do not make you giggle too, you might like to know that their new album Walpurgis Rites – Hexenwahn will be released via Nuclear Blast on October 20th (N. America) and October 9th (Europe).

-VN

The headline says it all; isn’t that lineup awesome? It’s kind of like Paganfest except slightly less dorky / more evil (nothing against Paganfest — we love that tour too). We were bummed Eluveitie canceled this year’s Paganfest II appearance so we’re excited to see them again, and we’re all for a tour that includes blackened death metallers Belphegor and the better-of-the-two pirate metal bands, Alestorm. Kivimetsan Druidi and Vreid are mostly new to me but they seem like they’ll fit right in on this tour.

Honestly, this year’s Paganfest was a bit underwhelming so perhaps this is a chance for redemption. Korpiklaani shouldn’t have been headliners, and while the lineup was solid it wasn’t strong enough to bring out all the crazy pagan-metal partiers: I was the only douchebag in the entire place wearing a viking helmet, for realz. Seeing as Heathenfest kicks off in the dark, dim early days of November, maybe it’ll provide a good excuse for sun-deprived metalheads to go and get rowdy with some frosty brews and pagan metal. Psyched!

-VN

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.

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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.

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[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.]

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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.

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As if this summer’s touring season isn’t already shaping up to be an excellent one — whatwith the likes of Metal Masters (Priest / Heaven and Hell / Motorhead / Testament), the At the Gates reunion, Boris/Torche, and a whole shitload of other great shows — this fall is already shaping up really fuckin’ nicely. This is terrible news for the rest of my social life, but fuck, how can I miss out on these awesome shows?

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