Converge are in the studio right now, and have just announced a two-week tour that will kick off on April 1. And in case you’re retarded, that obviously means they’re going to have completed their new album sometime in March. (Unless they’re doing some Metallica-esque “Escape from the Studio” deal, but I find that unlikely.)

Hopefully that means they’ll unveil some new material at these shows, but even if not, whatever, it’s Converge. They are a rabid dog attack live, so you should go see them one way or the other.

Support is coming from Loma Prieta and Git Some on all shows, with other various cool bands, including Ringworm, Deafheaven, and Weekend Nachos, also participating when regionally convient.

Here are dates, via Lambgoat:

Click to read more…

Though we can pretty much rule out a long-awaited follow-up to Axe To Fall before year’s end, Converge aren’t planning to finish 2011 quietly. According to the band’s latest news update, the hardcore hellions will play two December dates, in Denver and Seattle, respectively. The former of these (12/8) is a make-up show with Alternative Tentacles’ Git Some opening, while the latter (12/9) serves as a birthday party of sorts for their tour manager. That second show features some openers you’ll likely recognize, including Black Breath and ex-Botch frontman Dave Verellen’s Narrows. Other things in the pipeline include an “eco-friendly repackaging” of The Long Road Home and a 12″ edition of Unloved And Weeded Out, both due out on J. Bannon’s Deathwish imprint.

Now, two gigs do not a tour make, and unless you live near these towns you’re probably a bit bummed about the whole thing. Still, since Converge claim to be hard at work writing that new record, let’s go a little easy on them, all right?

-GS

Ahhh, the Autumnal transition is finally upon us and here in New York the newfound chill in the air has already created a different vibe almost immediately.  No more mugginess, the putrid garbage in the streets isn’t melting into various layers of stench, and hooded sweatshirts are being pulled out of the deep recesses of closets left and right.

We here at MetalSmells are excited to invite you to relish with us the arrival of our favorite season, and remind you to enjoy it while it lasts.  Before too long the icy edge of winter will be shivering our broken collarbones and fiery libidos, so if you’re gonna fall, best get on that right away. 

-KW

We hope you guys are ready to have your skulls crushed, ’cause boy oh boy, do we have one skull motherfucking crusher for you today — “Avalanche,” a  brand new track off Black Cobra’s brand new album, Invernal. (We’re also stoked to be debuting the totally killer album artwork, above.) As the song’s title suggests, the music conjures nightmarish images of trying to outrun a massive force of nature which, of course, will inevitably catch up with you, overpower you, and destroy you. If that ain’t fuckin’ metal, nuthin’ is.

Check out “Avalanche” below — you’ll be glad you did. Invernal, which was produced and mixed by the great Kurt Ballou, comes out October 11 on Southern Lord. Stay tuned to Black Cobra’s official website for more info.

[this streaming promotion has ended]

Today really IS the day! After four long years, Today is the Day having an awesome new album, Pain is Warning, is out as of right now via Black Market Activities (read our own glowing review here). And we couldn’t think of a better way to celebrate than to debut one more song from the album. And so we proudly bring you “Death Curse,” a kick-ass metal anthem that could only have come from the twisted, brilliant mind of Steve Austin.

Stream the track below, then buy the album on iTunes for just eight bucks!!! It may be the best money you spend all week.

Today is the Day’s new album, Pain is a Warning, comes out on Tuesday, and all of the reasons you’re going to buy it are contained within our own Sammy O’Hagar’s review. Here’s a sample of that review:

“Pain is a Warning is filled with fucking cock rock. AC/DC riffs, fiery solos, twangy ZZ Top chorus riffs, and other pleasantly surprising flourishes pop up everywhere. That being said, implying that it’s a straight-up cock rock album — or a straight up any kind of album — is misleading. The band shifts gears from song to song, from the aforementioned cock rock… to breathy Sonic Youth quietness… to hardcore, complete with gang vocals. Even the more typical TITD fare… sounds bigger, more brash. Don’t get me wrong, this is clearly a Today is the Day album (Austin’s scream is pretty hard to mistake for anyone else, after all), but the revelations and asides feel fresh. It’s also the most listenable thing the band has released, and easily the most rocking.”

If that all sounds awesome, it’s because Pain is a Warning is, indeed, awesome. And you have one last chance to stream a new song before the album’s release: Brooklyn Vegan has debuted the track “This is You.” Check it out here, then celebrate the end of a too-long wait for a new TITD album in our comments section.

Pain is a Warning is out this coming Tuesday, August 16, on Black Market Activities.

-AR

Even in Today is the Day’s hard-to-classify catalog (Deeply disturbed psychogrind/doom with apocalyptic deathfolk influences? Intense grindy noisecore with suicidal outlaw country asides? Christ, who the fuck cares?), Pain is a Warning is somewhat of an anomaly. Granted, there are elements on it that have been touched on my the band before — big-ass riffs and quiet, contemplative moments — but… something’s missing. Early TITD albums (and Kiss the Pig, of course) were akin to starting up a conversation with the guy standing alone and twitching at the train station: he’ll be intense, at times hard to relate to, have some interesting things to say, and ultimately very much not for everyone. There’s been a tense wall of standoffishness to the band’s stuff, and that’s what made it great. If it was your thing, it was like someone was speaking to an intensely personal place. If it wasn’t your thing, it was incredibly unnerving. Even the folks in the middle would at least say it wasn’t a band they could listen to every day. That element is missing on Pain is a Warning.

Well, not completely, but it’s more manageable on their new album. And while the NEW THING=NO DEAL! kneejerk reaction awaits, Pain is a Warning, a curveball in a career full of them, is boldly different, and thus, fucking excellent. Whereas something like In the Eyes of God is taut and jittery like a rabid animal, Pain is a Warning is elephantine. We know what Steve Austin sounds like when he’s pissy, losing his religion, furious, murderous, bummed out, depressed, despondent, and fairly angry; what does he sound like when he just wants to bowl shit over? Pain is a Warning answers that question.

Click to read more…

What an awesomely massive week for Today is the Day fans. Just this past Monday, the new and improved TITD released the title track for their new album, Pain is a Warning, as a free download; now they’re streaming another new track, “The Devil’s Blood,” over at Revolver.

I’m a little wary of saying too much about Pain is a Warning, since our own Sammy O’Hagar is working on a review of the album, and I don’t wanna steal his thunder. The mere fact that it’s Today is the Day should make you wanna check out the song. And the added bonus of TITD now counting two members of Wetnurse among their ranks should really make you wanna check out the song. And now me telling you that song is some kinda goddamn awesome death n’ roll anthem (and I do mean ANTHEM) should make you really, really, REALLY wanna check out the song.

So check out the damn song already.

The Kurt Ballou-produced Pain is a Warning comes out August 16 on Black Market Activities.

-AR

Somehow, it’s fucking August already. So the bad news is, I forgot to send in my rent check on time again, and the good news is, we’re just a couple of weeks away from the release of Pain is a Warning, the awesome new album from Today is the Day.

And — HOO-RAY!!! — the increasingly-metal-friendly NPR is now giving away a free download of the title track. When I spoke to new TITD drummer Curran Reynolds (who also plays with the totally righteous Wetnurse, along with TITD bassist Ryan Jones) this past March, he told me that Pain is a Warning “is the most accessible Today is the Day record” and that mainman Steve Austin “is embracing rock more so than ever before” — and this song certainly demonstrates that. It manages to be a huge rock anthem — some of it reminds me of pre-pussification Queens of the Stone Age — without sacrificing any of the fucknutsness that has drawn so many of us to Mr. Austin’s work in the past. It’s friggin’ great.

Download the track here, then tell Josh Homme to toss Steve Austin’s salad in our comments section. Pain is a Warning – which, it’s worth mentioning, was produced by the legendary Kurt Ballou — comes out August 16 on Black Market Activities.

-AR

We’ve gotten to hear a shitty live bootleg of “Runaway,” the new Converge song which appears on their new split 7″ with Dropdead — but now the official studio version is available, too. You can check it out on the band’s Facebook page.

I’m still wrapping my head around the song (which is some crazy, crazy, crazy shit), but I can say that “Runaway” does not just sound like a leftover from Axe to Fall. It’s a perfect illustration of one of the reasons we love Converge so very much — unlike too many hardcore bands, Converge never keep evolving and never make the same record twice.

Headbang here, then let us know what you think in the comments section. Converge’s split 7″ with Dropdead is out now.

-AR

Holy shit, this is the biggest release day of the summer so far. Tons of good stuff from Devin Townsend, The Black Dahlia Murder, Helms Alee, Sourvein, Jungle Rot , and more.

Also, some stuff that just sucks.

Click to read more…

Total bummer news of the day: Converge have been forced to cancel the remainder of their current tour due to a health scare involving bassist Nate Newton (also of Old Man Gloom and Doomriders fame, in case you somehow didn’t know that). A statement from the band tells fans…

“Unfortunately on our day drive from St. Louis to Austin, one of our members had a serious health scare. We rushed him to the nearest ER were he was looked at by some fine Oklahoma doctors. After a night’s stay in the hospital and a battery of tests we were able to have him discharged earlier today. We are now racing (quite literally) to make it to our show at Chaos In Tejas, albeit extremely late, to play an abbreviated set. Wish us luck.

“Because of this health issue, we are canceling the remaining few shows of this current U.S. tour so he can get home and get some medical attention asap. To those in Little Rock, Nashville, and Raleigh, we will add you to our list of places for make up shows later down the road.

“Thanks to all of you for your continued support, it is appreciated by all of us.”

So’s that’s obviously scary and upsetting, but hopefully everything will work out okay. Like the headline says, we’re sending out good thoughts to Mr. Newton… feel free to do the same in the comments section!

-AR

Earlier this month we told you that Converge had recorded a new song, “Runaway,” for their forthcoming split 7″ with Dropdead; now the band has performed the song live, and, thanks to the magic of cell phones and the internet, we can all listen to it. As is so often the case with these fan-filmed affairs, the quality is not so great, but it’s good enough to know that this sounds like Converge going for the jugular, or, if you prefer, Converge being Converge.

The band’s aforementioned split with Dropdead comes out June 21 via Deathwish.

-AR

[via The PRP]

In 2001 I went to the now-defunct NYC venue Brownie’s to catch Cave In, who I’d recently discovered, and ended up catching Old Man Gloom and Scissorfight in the process. The way I viewed heavy music was forever altered, the show a railroad switch that sent my descent into the gnarlier side of metal over the edge.

All three bands took lengthy hiatuses shortly after peaking mid-decade. Cave In, as we know, got back together in 2009 to record Planets of Old and have a new album White Silence due on May 24th. Old Man Gloom — whose members include Aaron Turner of Isis, Nate Newton of Converge, Caleb Scofield of Cave In and Jay Randall of Agoraphobic Nosebleed, among others — are jumping on the reunion bandwagon too (did they ever officially break up? whatever); according to Gun Shy Assassin, producer (and Converge guitarist) Kurt Ballou posted a Facebook message that his next project is a new Old Man Gloom record. Good news indeed.

So where are Scissorfight in all of this? Word on the street is that frontman Ironlung is totally over it. We beg him with all our granite hearts to reconsider. Axl and I jammed Potential New Agent for Unconventional Warfare no less than 30 times (seriously) whilst driving around in L.A. a few weeks back, in part because it was the only CD we had and in part because sick fucking riffs dude! C’mon, Scissorfight… do it, do it, do it!

-VN

In March we found out that Converge were working on a split 7″ with Dropdead; now, thanks to Lambgoat, we know the release date of that split — June 21 — and the title of the Converge song that will appear on the album — “Runaway.” Despite my greatest wishes, there is currently no evidence that this is a cover of the classic Bon Jovi album.

And, uh, that’s it, really. We get one new Converge song in 2011. Hey, beats nothing!

I don’t have a pre-order link or anything, but if you keep your eyes peeled to the Deathwish website, I’m sure something will pop up sooner or later.

-AR

Sad to say, I don’t think anyone should get excited about a new Converge album in 2011, ’cause I don’t think we’re getting a new Converge album in 2011. Sucky, I know, but look at it as motivation to stay alive another year. (See, I can find the silver lining.)

You can and should, however, get excited about seeing Converge live in 2011, ’cause they just announced a headlining trek. And support is coming from Trap Them, which is to say, there will most likely be blood on the stage and in the crowd by the end of the night, which is to say, these shows are gonna be a success!

Here are tour dates…

Click to read more…

AT LAST!!! We first offered to play a part in the distribution of Meek is Murder’s Algorithms last summer, before we’d heard a single note of a single demo — such was our faith that this incredible band would make something truly memorable. And they haven’t disappointed. With the aide of the masterful Kurt Ballou as their producer/mixer, Meek is Murder have now delivered what Decoy Music recently called “a banger” that is “packed with energy and charisma.”

And now you can hear for yourself — ’cause Algorithms is out today! We’re streaming the entire thing below, so you know we’re not full of shit when we tell you that this album rules. And once you hear that we’re not full of shit, you can order the album here. The limited edition CDs are all sold out, but you can still get a high-quality digital download for just $5, or a download and t-shirt combo for just $15!

And now, with any further ado, we present to you Meek is Murder’s Algorithms. TURN THAT SHIT UP LOUD!

[sorry, this streaming promo is over. buy the album for just $5!]

If you were hoping for a new Converge full-length this year, well, don’t hold your breath. In a recent status update, the band said that “no date is ready to announce yet,” but I heard through the grapevine that when said date comes, it won’t be for 2011. Now, sometimes the grapevine is wrong, of course, but… yeah, I wouldn’t be shocked if we didn’t get a proper follow-up to Axe To Fall until 2012.

That’s the bad news. The good news is that the band has just announced summer headlining tours of both the U.S. and Europe, and that they’ve got some other goodies in the works to tide fans over until we do finally get a new album — namely, a split 7″ with Drop Dead that the band hopes “to be available at the U.S. shows” starting in May, plus a new DVD, which is currently be editing and, “If the Hard Drive Gods smile on us,” will be out this year.

So, there ya have it. If we really aren’t gonna get a new Converge release in 2011, at least the band is coming up with plenty of ways to keep us entertained.

Here are those tour dates:

Click to read more…

Today is the Day, 2011: from left to right — Ryan Jones, Steven Austin, and Curran Reynolds. Photo by Karen Novak.

Curran Reynolds is not just a staple of, but a bona fide blessing to, the New York City metal scene. As both the drummer for Wetnurse and the mastermind behind Precious Metal, the city’s “best and longest running weekly event dedicated to heavy music,” the guy is a FORCE, and anyone who loves metal and lives in NYC should be grateful for him.

So. Wetnurse’s follow-up to Invisible City was my pick for Album That Will Fuck Your Face Off in 2011 (and if you’ve never heard Wetnurse before, please please please go listen to the on the second volume of our free NYC Sucks comp), but before that yet-to-be-recorded record ever sees the light of day, Ryenolds and his Wetnurse band mate, bassist Ryan Jones, will appear on another insanely exciting new release: Today is the Day’s Pain is a Warning. This will be Steve Austin’s ninth release for the constantly-pushing-the-envelope outfit, but it will be the first time Reynolds and Jones have recorded with the band — and you can hear the excitement in Reynolds’ voice. He is a huge fan living the dream — he really did get to go and join one of his favorite bands.

As I’m writing this, TITD is about ten days away from completing the album. Immediately thereafter they’re off to do a five-week tour of Europe (get dates here); in typically fuck-nuts TITD fashion, the very first show of that tour will take place at Litla Hraun prison, the only Maximum Security correctional facility in Iceland, which currently holds violent offenders, burglars, and drug traffickers, and Lucifer knows who the hell else. And yet, despite the busy schedule of completing the album/preparing for the tour/praying there isn’t a prison riot, Curran was cool enough to take some time out of his day and answer a few of my questions.

After the jump, read what he had to say about the new Today is a Day album, how he came to join the band, working with Austin and producer Kurt Ballou, and more.

Click to read more…

Alright! We’re less than two weeks away from the release of Meek is Murder’s Algorithms. And the band is out on tour now! City’s Best recently encouraged readers to “Catch this upstart new combat unit so you can brag about it when they are taking the metal world by storm a year from now.” That’s obviously high praise, but it’s not B.S. — the band absolutely impales aardvark babies live.

There are tour dates after the jump. Of course, what you could also do instead is just download Meek is Murder’s new FREE app for your iPhone, iPod touch, and/or iPad. It was designed by MiM guitarist/vocalist Mike Keller, whose Clark Kentian persona as a maker of apps disguises his Supermanly prowess as a creator of what Brooklyn Vegan calls “off-kilter hardcore-influenced math-terpieces.” It comes with all the usual goodies (tour schedule with links to buy tickets and the ability to add your show to your calendar and maps, exclusive photos, videos, etc.), but it also comes with a new free song from Algorithms.

Yep. You could be listening to new Meek is Murder music right now!

Download the app here.

Don’t forget that MetalSucks is releasing the  Algorithms on March 22. It was produced and mixed by the legenary Kurt Ballou! We’re already accepting pre-orders here; you can get a digital download, a t-shirt package, or one of the few remaining super-limited-edition CDs that the band personally made, put their actual fingerprints on, and sprayed with drummer Frank Godla’s cologne. No, we are not making this up.

And here are those tour dates again:

Click to read more…