Next week will bring the release of two excellent new metal albums – Through the Eyes of the Dead’s Skepsis (Prosthetic) and Charred Walls of the Damned’s self-titled debut (Metal Blade). But AOL is now streaming both albums in full! Hoo-ray!

In case you don’t know, Charred Walls of the Damned is the new supergroup from legendary drummer/professional prank caller Richard Christy. As you’d expect for any project featuring “Ripper” Owens on vocals, it’s a pretty classic-sounding project. But with these players involved, well… let’s just say they actually pulled it off.

TTEOTD meanwhile, fall sqaurely into The Black Dahlia Murder’s camp: they’re not at all reinventing the wheel, just trying to be the best possible death metal band they can be. Skepsis is the natural next step from 2007′s Malice, and it’s great to see that all the line-up changes haven’t had any noticeably negative effect on the band.

Listen to Skepsis here and Charred Walls… here. They’re both definitely worth check out.

-AR

Charred Walls of the Damned are barely even in their new video, for the song “Ghost Town,” and when they do show up, it’s in a manner that I find kinda cheesy. Still, I really dig this video overall, and I kinda wonder why more metal bands don’t remain absent from their own videos. That way they don’t have to stand there doing take after take of the same song, and they can just hire a director with some vision to go off and make something cool for them. I mean, it worked for Tool, right?

“Ghost Town” comes off of Charred Walls of the Damned’s self-titled debut, which Metal Blade will release on February 2. If you haven’t done so already, check our interview with CWOTD drummer/founder/main man Richard Christy… yes, that Richard Christy.

-AR

Alright! After an initial slow news week, 2010 is finally start to get back into the swing of things. Here are some highlights from this week:

• Vince got an exclusive interview with Obituary/ex-Andrew W.K. drummer Donald Tardy about the AWK conspiracy mystery. We also spoke to Richard Christy and Pelican’s Larry Herwig.
• We debuted new music by The Tony Danza Tap Dance Extravaganza, Karnivool, and Blood of the Tyrant.
• Dallas is giving away free music, Eyal’s faith in metalheads has been restored, and Justin pontificated on the format wars.
• These Arms Are Snakes are done…
• …but System of a Down are reuniting! Or maybe not. But maybe.
• The dude from Weedeater shot himself in the foot. Literally.
• We’re sponsoring The Red Chord’s Burgers & Bowling tour!
• Underoath don’t like abortions.

Next week we’ll have some previews of 2010 releases we’re stoked on for you. And Vince is gonna be in sunny Los Angeles, so you poor-ass muthafuckas is stuck with me. BWA-HA-HA-HA!!!

-AR

If all Richard Christy ever did was play drums on Death’s phenomenal final album The Sound of Perseverance, it would be enough to secure his place in heavy metal Valhalla. That death metal classic gained so much from Christy’s nuanced performance that it’s almost criminal that he isn’t mentioned alongside your Lombardos, Reinerts and Dailors as one of the most creative drummers in extreme music. But you won’t find Christy complaining about lack of recognition, especially since he’s been so busy in the decade since Death’s demise. To fill in the gaps between his film directing and acting gigs (Christy played a Ku Klux Klansman in Harold and Kumar Go To Guantanamo), Christy has drummed for Iced Earth, Incantation, Acheron and Demons and Wizards. Of course that was all before he began his tenure as the resident prank caller on The Howard Stern Show. In fact, the only thing missing on Christy’s CV is a successful musical project of his own. That’s all looking to change with the forthcoming debut album by Charred Walls of the Damned, his new metal band with the ridiculous lineup of guitarist Jason Suecof (member of Capharnaum; producer/mixer for The Black Dahlia Murder/Trivium/All That Remains), bass god Steve DiGiorgio (Sadus/Death/Autopsy) and caterwauling vocalist Tim “Ripper” Owens (Judas Priest/Iced Earth). Christy took some time to yak with MetalSucks about his many career paths and the truly bizarre genesis of that band name.

Click to read more…