The Faceless have been confirmed for Summer Slaughter 2012. That’s not shocking news, seeing as the band — like the fest’s previously announced co-headliners, Cannibal Corpse and Between the Buried and Me — have been rumored to be participating in the tour for three weeks now.

But it is still good news! Anyone who complains about a show where they’ll get to see Cannibal Corpse, BTBAM, and The Faceless should be hit in the head with a Halestorm album. Plus, there’s still at least seven other bands still to be announced; assuming the rumors continue to be true, those will include Job For A Cowboy, Veil of Maya, and Hate Eternal, all of whom are also awesome. And Vince and I got word of yet ANOTHER great band set to be on the tour over the weekend. So, yeah, everyone is going to this.

The next band will be officially announced on Sunday via the Summer Slaughter Facebook page.

-AR

The rumors are true: Cannibal Corpse and Between the Buried and Me will co-headline this year’s edition of the Summer Slaughter festour. BTBAM and The Corpse obviously play very, very different forms of death metal, but they’re both great. It’s hard to imagine any metal fan who isn’t a total fun-hating grump not being excited about this bill.

None of the other rumored acts — which include The Faceless, Job For A Cowboy, Veil of Maya, and Hate Eternal — have been confirmed yet, and, as Lambgoat reports in a tone I very much appreciate, “Unfortunately, it looks like the Summer Slaughter people are going to string this out, with remaining participants to be announced each Sunday (one-by-one) via Facebook.” The past two Summer Slaughters have featured ten bands apiece, so we should know the full line-up by the end of March.

In any case, between this and the solid line-up Mayhem Fest has put together this year, it looks like it could be a really fun summer…

-AR

Out of all of the big summer package tours, Summer Slaughter has easily become our favorite; it’s so much fun every year that we’re even willing to forgive the to-be-expected presence of some bands we can’t stand (e.g., Oceano, As Blood Runs Black, etc.), because the rest of the line-up built around them is usually so fantastic that having a few built-in beer breaks isn’t the worst thing in the world (as opposed to some of SS’s competitors, where the beer-break-to-cool-band ratio makes the whole endeavor just not worth it). So, yeah, we’re on the edge of our seats to see who makes it onto the bill this year.

To that end, prog metal social network czar Alkahest of Heavy Blog has done it once again, today with some pretty juicy rumors about the lineup for Summer Slaughter 2012.

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[UPDATE: The new release will be a full-length, not an EP. -Ed.]

Once the dust settled, the excitement of brand new music wore off and everyone had time to digest and evaluate Between the Buried and Me’s 2011 EP The Parallax: Hypersleep Dialogues, what did you guys think of it? I know a couple of people who swear it’s one of their favorite BTBAM releases to date, but I never could sink my teeth into it the way I did with some of BTBAM’s past material. To me it felt kinda like stock BTBAM, Colors Part III, and didn’t really offer anything new in the way of artistic progression. Not that BTBAM will ever release something bad — taken in a vacuum, Hypersleep would’ve been great — it’s just that it never really tickled my funny bone and got me all excited, ya know?

I bring up Hypersleep because BTBAM are apparently now writing the second album in the Parallax series (I didn’t even know it was gonna be a series! sweet!).

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Behold Plant Vochestra, the best metal side-project since Ladder Up An Ass!

Like Ladder Up An Ass, Plant Vochestra also happens to feature two of the lovable goons in The Red Chord, along with Between the Buried and Me vocalist Tommy Rogers. The Red Chord played a hometown one-off at the opening date of the Saints and Sinners tour featuring BTBAM this past weekend, setting up the glorious return of this legendary yet reclusive band. Performing live for the first time in several years, Plant Vochestra treated the audience to a wonderful set of the dazzling musicianship and vocal acrobatics you’d expect from a trio consisting of Rogers, Greg Weeks and Mike “Gunface” McKenzie. Courtesy of Metal Injection, here’s their big hit “Surf’s Up Dude.”

-VN

Metalgf and I visited Alaska this past June and had one of the best vacations of our lives. Metal was few and far between, but that’s a good thing when your job involves listening to dozens of metal bands every single day; aside from a dude in a Meshuggah hoodie I randomly saw at a rest stop in Denali National Park (holy fuck look at that landscape in the background), the most metal thing I saw was the Fairbanks minor league baseball team: The Alaska Goldpanners.

I now understand why bands so rarely tour Alaska: a) it’s far (duh), b) everything is fucking EXPENSIVE because pretty much everything this side of whale blubber has to be imported from somewhere else, and c) there are really only two Alaskan cities that are big enough to be worth playing. It really sorta is the end of the earth. So, understandably, Anchorage residents must’ve been beyond stoked when Between the Buried and Me played two headline dates in Anchorage earlier this month. BTBAM fittingly whipped out their old classic “Alaska” from the album of the same name, which they hadn’t played live in quite some time. Here is it in multi-camera, pro-shot glory via the always reliable HBIH:

-VN

Not Seth Putnam

One mind-blowing aspect of Devin Townsend’s Deconstruction album is its coterie of guest personnel. A who’s-who of pivotal screamers, the list includes that awesome dude from Gojira, legendary super-stud Ihsahn, and extreme metal’s loveliest alto, Tommy Rogers from Between The Buried And Me. And though Townsend rightly rushes to downplay the distraction/sketchy motives of high-profile guest contributions, it’s exciting as shit for metal fans to have those guys — plus studz from Meshuggah, Cynic, and Gwar — all in one place.

Likewise, I super-hail Chino Moreno and his 2005 Team Sleep record, which finds the Deftones frontman enlisting the non-metal voices and pens of Helium’s Mary Timony and Rob Crow of Pinback (above). Each sings awesomely on at least two of the self-titled album’s jamz (e.g. “Our Ride To The Rectory” with Crow here). Just like Townsend’s gang on Deconstruction, Crow’s and Timony’s presence legitimizes the album (ie. busy, inspired aces wouldn’t appear on some hack shit) and helps it to achieve a specialness, like the NBA All-Star game or the time I ate a pizza that a bag of Cheetos had spilled onto (aka Cheetzza©). Best of all, it makes me feel in sync with another human being (Moreno) who happens to ass-worship Timony and Crow and um Moreno. It’s like finally somebody put my needs first when making an album!

Okay here we are at paragraph three, so I bet my editors would like me to deliver on the headline’s promise :) Speaking of Team Sleep MVP Rob Crow, you love the dude cuz he’s awesome (see also: Optiganally Yours’ Exclusively Talentmaker!), and cuz he’s metal (see: his non-serious doom metal project, Goblin Cock), and cuz on his new solo album He Thinks He’s People, he offers an affectionate tribute to Seth Putnam, the recently deceased Anal Cunt mainman and author of history’s best song titles. Check it out and chuckle after the jump!

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[UPDATE! BTBAM have officially announced the tour and all dates on their Facebook page. Thanks to all who emailed us and commented. Looks like it will be hitting several major markets after all; even our constantly neglected readers in Florida get lucky with three dates. -Ed.]

That rumored BTBAM, Animals as Leaders and Tesseract U.S. tour we mentioned a couple weeks go? No longer a rumor! A Facebook event page has popped up promoting a December 9th date with all three bands at the Northern Lights club in Clifton Park, NY (20 miles north of Albany) which would seem to indicate that a surrounding tour is all but certain: bands don’t just book one-offs in fucking Albany, NY. It would also seem to suggest that this tour is going to focus on secondary and tertiary markets, so if these bands always pass by your town in favor of the big city there’s a good chance they’re coming a lot closer to you this time around while us spoiled folk in NYC, L.A., Chicago, Dallas and the like watch enviously from hundreds of miles away (although ya never know.. sometimes routing needs make certain cities indispensable).

Also of note, the Facebook event page and associated show flyer dub this the Saints and Sinners Tour. The last Saints and Sinners Tour, which went out in 2009, featured Hollywood Undead and Senses Fail… so, uh, I’d say this is a big step up for the Saints and Sinners brand!

We’ll post the rest of the tour dates as soon as we have them.

-VN

Thanks: Remo Apuzzo

Hey, remember that awesome tour with Between the Buried and Me and Job for a Cowboy that we sponsored earlier this year? Well, I guess JFAC decided to prank BTBAM on the last night of the tour (and fairly common tradition), and now video of that event has surfaced. And by “and now,” I mean, “back in May, although it’s only just now coming to your attention.”

ANWAY, I thought you might enjoy said video of said prank, so it’s below for your viewing pleasure. It’s not as good as Kvelertak’s end-of-tour-prank on Converge from last year, but it’s still fun.

-AR

Thanks: ton0290

The commenters at the official BTBAM message board at SMNnews.com make Lambgoat posters look like friendly little teddybears; the volume and ferocity of childlike name-calling, homophobia / racism / <inserthere-ism>, trolling and pointless arguments are unrivaled on the Metalnets, even if their members do have some really entertaining animated .gifs in their sigs.

In other words, take the following rumor with a heaping, giant, overflowing bowlful of salt: BTBAM are rumored to be planning a fall/winter U.S. tour with TesseracT and Animals as Leaders. The only reason I even give this rumor any attention at all instead of dismissing it as a dreamlike BTBAM fanboy wish is that I have it from a good source that BTBAM are indeed taking TesseracT on tour in the U.S. this fall. With that in mind it certainly makes sense that they’d need one more band to fill out the tour bill, preferably as direct support, as I don’t think TesseracT are quite big enough in the U.S. yet for that role.

So, is this tour gonna happen? Can’t say for certain but it’d sure be cool if it does.

-VN

Thanks: Fuzzy Dunlop

Intensus’ self-titled debut may be the very definition of “forward-thinking rock music.” The one man project from Knife the Glitter/Burden/Normal Love drummer Eli Litwin thinks way, way, way outside the box, creating an experience that is simultaneously cerebral and unrestrained. No wonder it’s been a constant source of conversation around the MetalSucks Mansion as of late. Which is why we’re proud to be debuting the track “Outlast Robinsum,” which features guest vocals from Between the Buried Me’s Tommy Rogers!

Here’s what Mr. Litwin had to say about the song, and collaborating with Rogers:

“This is one of the two tracks on the album featuring Tommy from BTBAM.  He’s the only singer on the album that wasn’t in the studio recording his vocals with me right there so I had no idea what he had done when I got the completed track in my e-mail.  Needless to say, he exceeded any expectations I may have had.  His mix of creative vocal effects and brutal screaming fits the track perfectly.  I couldn’t be happier with how it turned out.”

Stream the track below, and then pre-order Intensus here. Other totally excellent guests who appear on the release include Robert Meadows (A Life Once Lost), Jesse Korman (The Number Twelve Looks Like You), Chris Alfano (East of the Wall / Postman Syndrome), Jerry Jones (Trophy Scars), Travis Weinand (Burden/Tetsuo), Evan Moore (Gypsy Wig/Birth Screams), Ruston Grosse, Alex Nagle (Satanized/ex-Normal Love) and Jason Herrmann (Burden/Tetsuo).

[this streaming promotion has ended]

The days when a musician stands a chance of making a living as a musician may very well be coming to a close. It’s one thing for the members of Crowbar Abortion to have to get jobs at the mall when they’re not on tour, but when even the dude from Guns N’ Roses is giving guitar lessons on his down time, you know times are tough.

Which gives a little extra edge to the below video, in which our doppelgängers at Metal Injection ask various musicians what they’d do with their lives if they weren’t in a band. Because that’s a question most metal musicians should probably ask themselves at some point or another.

Best answer comes from Revocation drummer Phil Dubois-Coyne, although I’m down the response A Life Once Lost’s Doug Sabolick and Bob Meadows provide, too.

This video is the first in a new series Metal Injection is doing, called, cleverly enough, “Ask the Artist.” Go here to make sure you stay up-to-date on all future installments, as I’d wager that they will continue to be this entertaining.

-AR

Photo by Andrew Lipovsky

It will surprise no one to learn that our Top 25 Modern Metal Guitarists Readers’ Poll basically came down to a race between Devin Townsend and Between the Buried and Me’s Paul Waggoner, a.k.a. “The Two Omissions About Which MS Readers Seemed the Most Distraught.” But in the end it wasn’t even close — as of this writing, Heavy Devy has an impressive 86 votes, not nearly enough to overtake Waggoner’s 116 votes.

In any case, they’re both great guitarists — as are pretty much all the candidates you folks selected — and it was a painful choice to cut them both from the list, so we’re only too pleased to see you, our beloved MetalSucks Maniacs, give them some love.

Now, to celebrate his victory, here’s a video of Waggoner tracking his solo from “Selkies”:

-Axl, Vince, and Everyone at MetalSucks

Is George Michael’s “Careless Whisper” the new Rick Roll? This morning I saw the following video at Gun Shy Assassin, allegedly of Between the Buried and Me drummer Blake Richardson, making careless whispers at the camera for a minute-plus:

Baffling, to say the least. But I really just bring it up as an excuse to post this hilarious “improv everywhere”-style viral video of “legendary” saxophone player Sergio Flores playing… well, just watch:

And now that sax line will be stuck in my head for days. Damn you, Blake.

-VN

Devin Townsend has so much explaining to do. As a tireless songwriter and producer, he’s set to release two albums on June 21, Ghost and Deconstruction, to complete the Devin Townsend Project cycle that he started with 2009′s Ki and Addicted. That’s four full-length records, 43 songs, and 260 minutes of music unleashed over about two years. But for Townsend, discussion goes beyond song ideas and his exhaustive studio work required to bring them to life; he could talk all day and yet only touch on the subjects of touring, sales, and modern music industry calamity; and, shit, his back catalogue is too huge and varied to even approach in a Q&A of any reasonable length.

You see, being a modern musician and being Devin Townsend are not the same thing. Sure, he grinds out records and then tours like everybody. However, our latest MetalSucks interview with Townsend reveals an artist unbound by the limits of imagination, but pretty aware of averse reactions to his art; his self-expression is total and unapologetic — until fans and media misinterpret him or disapprove of his humor. He’s confident as a person, but shakeable as a virtuosic guitar player, a theater and puppet enthusiast, and a production wiz. He lets no truth about his world go unexpressed, beit via the hair-raising cacophony of Deconstruction (think Strapping Young Lad’s Alien: The Ride) or Ghost‘s murmuring calm. He puts himself out there all the way; now, let him explain why.

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From what I understand, it is not okay for “real metal” fans to like any deathcore bands. For example, you are not allowed to be into both Deathspell Omega and Winds Of Plague, because WoP don’t have the right haircuts or clothes to be considered a “legit metal band.” It is also important to share your unsolicited, excessively strong opinions whenever deathcore bands come up, letting everybody know that you “are into real metal,” and that “deathcore is the worst shit ever.”

With that said, I’m confused about how there are a few deathcore bands that seem to get a pass from metal nerds: Darkest Hour, The Faceless, Between The Buried And Me, etc. The same people who get very, very angry about the popularity of bands like Suiside Silence or Miss May I love The Black Dahlia Murder, All Shall Perish, and The Red Chord, which is weird to me because they do not really sound any different.

Can anyone help me understand this??? Why are some deathcore bands considered “generic garbage for idiots who shop at Hot Topic” but other deathcore bands are “brilliant musicians who keep pushing the boundaries of the genre,” according to metal nerds???

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Job for a Cowboy are killing it lately. I’ve heard nothing but good things about their performances as part of their current MetalSucks-sponsored tour with Between the Buried and Me and The Ocean, and the two songs we’ve heard from their forthcoming EP, Gloom, both suggest that all the behind-the-scenes folks who have told me that mini-album is the best thing JFAC have ever made aren’t lying. Simply put: shit rocks.

One of those songs, “Misery Reformatory,” has been available on Amazon for nearly a month now, but in case you’re seriously so cheap/broke/whatever that you won’t pay a dollar for this excellent song, the bad is now streaming it online. Check it out below. That guitar solo RIPS, doesn’t it?

The band has just announced a June 7 release date for Gloom, via Metal Blade, natch. I’m seriously stoked to hear the rest of this EP. While we wait, be sure to check out some live footage of another new song, “Signature of Salvation,” which also sounds really promising.

And after the jump, get remaining dates for the aforementioned BTBAM/JFAC/The Ocean tour.

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In the absence of any big metal debuts, this week I decided to run with a question posed last week: how does Amon Amarth’s current chart-buster Surtur Rising stack up against their past releases? After the jump, a look at those numbers.

Foo Fighters were #1 and Hollywood Undead were #2 for the third week in a row on the Top Hard Music charts; elsewhere, Otep Shamaya had a nice debut and shitstains on the ass of the universe like Winds of Plague and Asking Alexandria also had solid weeks. Whoopie.

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[A couple of weeks ago The Ocean's Robin Staps took the piss out of us with a mock gear column... and now he's back to take you on a step-by-step walk-through of his actual live rig. Gear nerds, you're gonna love this one; Robin's got a very, very interesting setup. Check out our recent Rigged columns with Between the Buried and Me guitarists Paul Waggoner and Dustie Waring and BTBAM drummer Blake Richardson. Between the Buried and Me, The Ocean, Job For A Cowboy (and on select dates Cephalic Carnage) are on tour through May 15th; get dates here.]

My tone obviously starts with my guitars, two Paul Reed Smith Custom 24s.

I have always loved these guitars but simply couldn’t afford them until we got an endorsement with them 2 years ago. The elegance of their design is really just the surface-level: beyond lies unrivaled playability, perfect craftsmanship, a comparably light weight and yet endless sustain. And yes, these guitars are not just pretty, they are also more sturdy than any other guitar I’ve ever had: I have had to deal with 5 broken headstocks in my career as a musician with this band, but to date my PRS guitars have remained in good order. I guess you are naturally taking better care when you are playing such a classy and precious instrument.

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Two days late but not two dollars short, I figure ya’ll might like to know how all the albums that came out last Tuesday (April 12th) fared sales-wise, even though I think we can all agree that album sales aren’t the be-all-end-all measure of a band’s success. So without further ado, here’s how the new Between the Buried and Me, Foo Fighters and Red Fang albums sold last week.

Also, Dave Grohl is a very rich man; in addition to the ginormous debut of his new Foo Fighters album, seemingly every Foo catalog album made a return back onto the charts this past week.

Right, the numbers:

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