MetalSucks

I am going to assume that a decent portion of the followers of this site are themselves musicians with bands of their own. That is generally how it goes with metal. There are seamless lines blurred between the “fans” and the “bands” because, like myself, many metal patrons represent both categories. Without this large sector of musician fans, technically proficient bands that cater directly to this base (like Dream Theater, Meshuggah, and Necrophagiast) would be much less successful. So to those musicians, I would like to use this blog to shine a light on one of the harsh truths in all music and entertainment that many musicians choose to ignore -

Image matters a lot in this industry. In fact, it’s probably just as important as the music.
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Okay. I started SYL in 1993 after hearing Soul Of A New Machine. I saw Fear Factory open for Sepultura with Clutch, and I remember running around the venue telling everyone: “THAT is what I want to do, except with extra chaos…”

My creative process is directly tied to my emotional development. There are some folks that make music by picking up a guitar until they have a riff that is defined by the musical roads they choose to hone. They then sculpt it into that framework and voila, Metallica, Slayer, Priest etc. I think that’s awesome, and in some ways I’m envious of that. In many cases, if you mix that with tenacity and a certain amount of talent and luck, you can sustain a decent career.

That’s not how I create, again… as it is tied to life and circumstance, my music has generally been cathartic observations of what life presents, and each new record in many ways is a reaction to the one before. So in the most blunt of terms, I make music to better understand myself as I change.

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I haven’t sung the praises of Salome in awhile, so here goes: this band crushes. Everyone I know who has seen them live has just been floored with them. Guitarist Rob Moore and drummer Aaron Deal (read my interview with Mr. Deal here) play as though they’re actively attempting to use soundwaves as a weapon, and vocalist Kat… well, she goes to some other place. Like, she temporarily becomes psychotic or something. (Actually, maybe she’s always psychotic. I’ve never actually met her, but her art is pretty dark. I once considered buying a piece because I think it’s so cool, but I was afraid if women saw it on my wall, I’d never get laid again. Of course, right now I’m having trouble finding the link to the page where you can buy her art, but just take my word for it. It’s bleak.)

Now Salome have signed a deal to release their next full-length – actually, I think it’s their first full-length – through Profound Lore. That makes them label mates with Agalloch, The Gates of Slumber, Cobalt, Alceste, and some other awesome bands. In other words: it seems like a good fit.

The band is still writing said full-length, but they have a split with Thou coming out sometime soon (more details as I get them!), and I strongly encourage you to check out their EP in the meantime – or, even better, go see them live. As we reported before, they’ll hit the road in September on a tour with the equally fantastic Hull and Batillus, and will even be playing the MetalSucks co-sponsored Planet Caravan fest in North Carolina alongside Clutch, Kylesa, Burst, Wino, and a whole bunch of other great groups. Really. Go see them. It is truly a fucking experience.

Complete tour dates after the jump. If you don’t know Salome, visit them on MySpace ASAP.

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A couple of weeks back we reported on the sudden glut of U.S. metal festivals this year, the latest of which is the MetalSucks-sponsored Planet Caravan 2-day metal festival being held in Asheville, NC this September. Quick refresher: Clutch, Pentagram, Kylesa, Burst (first and last U.S. tour ever!), Wino and many others. Today we’re thrilled to announce that the already strong bill has gotten that much stronger with a slew of heavyweight bands added: Tombs, The Gates of Slumber, Zoroaster, Bison B.C., Sourvein, doom kings/queen Salome, and friends of MetalSucks Hull and Battilus, the latter 3 of which will be touring the U.S. together around that time. All of the newly added acts will perform on the also-newly added second stage, right next door to the Orange Peel mainstage at Mo Daddy’s.

If you live anywhere close to North Carolina, how can you even consider not going to this event? It’s going to be a fucking rager. Tickets are on sale here or at the Orange Peel box office.

-VN

I’ve gotten a few e-mails today from people asking me where Vince is. Well, the truth is, Vince can’t write because he’s ill. And he’s quitting the site. No, really, he quit. We didn’t fire him. Swear it. We stand by that statement.

Here’s some other shit that happened in the world of metal this week:

• We’ve heard the new Alice in Chains album, and it is good.
• Gwar’s Oderus Urungus answered some of your questions, and will answer more in the future.
• John Bush is coming back to Anthrax because Dan Nelson quit. Oh, wait, no he didn’t. Yes he did. He probably didn’t, though.
• We spoke with Poison the Well’s Ryan Primack and Sunn O)))’s Greg Anderson.
• We checked out the latest releases from He Is Legend, Magrudergrind, Novembers Doom, and Clutch.
• Unfortunately, the 10th Annual Gathering of the Juggalos really is a real thing.
• Baby-eater Dino Cazares must be stopped!!!

Alright. Time to go buy a vaporizer of my very own. See ya Monday.

-AR

Clutch fans have become somewhat accustomed to expecting the unexpected from the band. So, with Strange Cousins from the West, they must certainly be wondering what the surprise is gonna be this time. Well, oddly enough, what’s most shocking about Strange Cousins is the fact that Neil Fallon & Co. have decided to stay the course, continuing to deliver the same sort of clean and direct blues-rock bludgeoning they began to dabble in with 2005’s excellent Robot Hive/Exodus and 2007’s From Beale Street to Oblivion. As much as Robot Hive was a neck-snapping departure from Blast Tyrant, it’s been weird to watch the band stay on this stylistic path for three entire records; one almost could be forgiven for expecting that this new disc would find Clutch heading into some new direction.

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At the beginning of the year I wrote a piece highlighting the sudden abundance of awesome metal festivals in the U.S.. Though our friends across the pond still retain an advantage in metal festivals in both number and size, 2009 saw a whole host of upstarts in the U.S.: Scion Rock Fest, L.A. Murderfest (in its 5th year), California MetalFest, Texas Metal Up Your Ass, Dudefest and of course long-established destinations such as Maryland Deathfest, New England Metal and Hardcore Festival and Dirtfest. SXSW and CMJ both made surprisingly strong showings for metal this year, too.

The party keeps on rolling into the fall with another brand new festival, Planet Caravan, to take place September 18th and 19th at the Orange Peel in Asheville, North Carolina. The lineup is headlined by Clutch and Pentagram, with Orange Goblin, Kylesa, Burst (!), Yob, Wino, Astra, and Revolution Mother rounding out the bill. I haven’t heard of Taddy Porter, Orchid, or Pick Up the Snake, but even if all 3 bands are terrible (highly unlikely) that’s still a fucking killer lineup!

MetalSucks is co-sponsoring the event so we’ll have more news as it’s available. Check out the press release and festival details after the jump.

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This has got to be the best and most fitting name for a Clutch song in the history of ever.

Clutch are like the Slayer of stoner/blues rawk — they just keep doing what they’ve always been doing, despite changing trends and musical climates, and they keep doing it well. Not that Clutch was ever part of any specific trend to begin with; these guys have always forged their own path. Like I’ma do with this sweet machete I just got as soon as I get back down to the Kentucky MS Mansion Annex in a coupla weeks.

Anthrax! Ham Radio! And liquor! Clutch’s new record Strange Cousins From the West comes out today on Weathermaker Music.

-VN

We gots the goods. And so do Clutch; like a fine wine, these Marylanders just get better and better with age. We’ve got their brand new track “50,000 Unstoppable Watts” –  from their forthcoming new album Strange Cousins From the West (out July 7th) — streaming for free. Produced by Clutch and the legendary J. Robbins, the effort is the first Clutch original to be released on the band’s own Weathermaker Music. Clutch, the road dogs that they are, already have a 7 month worldwide headlining tour planned, taking flight in the US on May 6th with support from Wino and Maylene & the Sons of Disaster, followed by a July US tour with the wicked, wicked Baroness as main support. Full list of confirmed dates after the jump and the brand new track streaming below — enjoy!

- The MS Dudes

[This promotion has ended. -Ed.]

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Me and my advanced reptilian brain (ahem, rather: ‘my advanced reptilian brain and I’) were never the biggest fans of stoner rock mainstays Clutch, but they sure did make it hard to hate on their simple n stony hardcore-flavored early jamz from the beginning of the gay 90s.

These daze the spirited Maryland band is still goin, allbeit in a much blusier thump-rock fashion — currently on the road in Europe and soon back in the States, whilst gearin up to release yet another album this July entitled Strange Cousins From The West. Congrats on th’longevity!

Now pass the ten-footer this way, k?

CLUTCH – “Big News I”, from Clutch (1995)

CLUTCH – “Spacegrass”, from Clutch (1995)

CLUTCH – “Binge and Purge”, from Transnational Speedway League (1993)

“Come on motherfucker, come on motherfucker, come on motherfucker — LET’S THROW DOWN….just try me, just try me — what are you waiting for?!?”

TRIVIA FACTOID: drummer Jean-Paul Gaster played drums on Wino’s recent solo album Punctuated Equilibrium, and has also worked with Opeth keyboardist Per Wiberg on a side project that will hopefully see daylight soon. with the other Clutch dudes too (minus vocals) called The Bakerton Group, which we’ve actually discussed before. Duh.

Clutch (and JP Gaster w/Wino) tour dates after the jump the jump.

-KW

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There were a fuck load of entries for last week’s funny photo caption contest. That’s ’cause the prizes are so damn awesome; 1 grand prize winner gets a signed copy of God Forbid’s new record Earthsblood, a Beneath the Scars of Glory and Progression DVD, a t-shirt and a poster. And 10 runners-up win a signed copy of Earthsblood! We’re not gonna waste your time with the 10 runner-up entries (though these people will be contacted shortly), but here’s the grand prize winning caption to the photo at right (side note: anyone who thought this vegetable is celery is a fucking moron and needs eat somewhere other than Taco Bell occasionally.):

Mike: “After seeing the looks on Manowar’s faces, the doomed roadie realized that they had asked him for “noble stallions,” not “noble scallions.”

This week we’re giving away 3 copies of the new CD El Rojo from The Bakerton Group, aka the dudes from Clutch sans vocals. The CD comes out next Tuesday, February 17th. Alls ya gotta do to win a free one is come up with a caption to the photo below that makes us laugh. Thanks to Daniel for sending in this week’s photo.

I posit a theory: Scott “Wino” Weinrich = doom metal’s Dylan. Even if you can’t stand what he does, you recognize how important the dude is to the development of heavy metal, and must bow to his continued mastery of all things Sabbath-inspired. In a career that’s spanned over three decades, Wino’s fronted a ridiculous number of great bands, including St. Vitus, The Obsessed, Spirit Caravan and The Hidden Hand – one band for every two drug habits he’s kicked. No matter how great his bandmates, it’s Wino himself that draws us to each new project. He’s the denim and leather-clad patron saint of trad doom, its spiritual center and most trusted voice. But somehow, before Punctuated Equilibrium, we’ve never had an album that Wino owned in both name and spirit.

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This coming Monday the entire MetalSucks staff will each release Top 10 lists for the entire year in metal of 2008. Get psyched! Things have been slowing down here at the MS Mansion as the holidays approach, but we still found ways to keep it fun this week:

• Axl Rose finally did some press to support Chinese Democracy… but as usual, there’s an asterisk.
• We debuted a new, exclusive Daath track — a medley of Cannibal Corpse, Morbid Angel and Dying Fetus covers.
• We interviewed members of Clutch, Bison B.C., Dir En Grey, and Fear Factory / Arkaea.
• Job For a Cowboy’s Jonny Davy blogged about urination and hotel trashing, while Darkest Hour’s Mike Schleibaum’s guest blog claimed that Entombed’s Uprising and Morning Star are two of the most underrated albums of all time. Oh, and The Haunted’s Peter Dolving blogged about sleep.
• Gojira’s Joe Duplantier orders you to stop the killing of baby seals but apparently has no problem with ripping New York City a new arsehole.
• Meshuggah + Cynic + The Faceless = The Erection Tour of 2009.
• The metal industry lost a kindred soul. R.I.P. Adrian Bromley.

MetalSucks contributor Christopher Roddy recently had the chance to chat with Clutch bassist Dan Maines. The two spoke about the band’s recently released live CD/DVD Full Fathom Five, side project The Bakerton Group, the band’s internal chemistry and what it’s taken to keep the same group of guys together for such a long time. Check out the interview below the fold.

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We confess: we didn’t know shit about The Giraffes until today. But we know good music when we hear it and we pride ourselves on diversity (within metal, that is); so when we were offered the opportunity to premier a new track by Brooklyn’s own The Giraffes, we jumped at the chance.

“Smoke Machine” from their forthcoming album Prime Motivator is a ripping blend of thrash, classic metal, punk and even elements of boogie/surf guitar. Fans of Metallica, Big Business and Clutch alike are about equally as likely to dig the eclectic blend of rock and metal The Giraffes have going on here.

Prime Motivator drops next Tuesday, November 11th on Crustacean Records; if you dig this track, we think you’ll dig the album too.

The Giraffes – “Smoke Machine”

According to Lambgoat, Clutch have started their own record label called Weathermaker Music which will be the home of all future Clutch releases.

“We have started our own label called Weathermaker Music. Look for all future Clutch and Bakerton Group releases on Weathermaker! Look for the first release in late summer 2008. Our first live DVD and a live CD both released the same day! Exact release date to be announced soon.”

At first I was scratching my head on this one — in these hard times for recorded music, who is actually starting a record label? But as I thought about it more in the context of Trent Reznor’s recent moves and the fact that Clutch has a solid, dedicated fan-base, it makes sense for the band to control all of their interests themselves. Still, I’d think they could benefit from traditional distribution and marketing, at least to some degree.

Thoughts?

-VN

Seriously, they’ve been soldiering on doing pretty much the same thing with no compromises for years and years. Despite bouncing around from record label to record label like it was fashionable, they have continued to dog it out on the road year in and year out, and have never taken “no” for an answer or sacrificed their musical ideals for a big paycheck. It seems like every time I check the local concert listings there’s a Clutch concert listed, and they’re always playing the most respected venues and festivals. And how can you not like their unique brand of southern boogie-metal?

Here’s a pro-shot live video of Clutch performing “Child of the City” in Annapolis, MD on December 31, 2007.

-VN

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If Clutch had listened to a few more Neurosis albums in their day they probably would’ve ended up sounding something like Taint. The South Wales three-piece have just released their second full-length Secrets & Lies on Candlelight Records, and though fellow UK tour-mates Clutch might be a good starting reference to describe their furious approach, Taint are considerably more informed by punk and prog influences. Secrets & Lies ends up a slightly uneven effort, though it has plenty of potential and excellent moments making for a decent record.

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