MetalSucks

It may be a new year on the calendar, but we’re still talking about the same stupid shit here at MetalSucks. Here’s where we focused our energies this week:

• Most awesomest metal festival EVARRR! Not to be confused with the most awesomest tours of early 2009.
  
• New music from Cannibal Corpse!!!
• Mastodon counted down to a new website while Trent Reznor counted down to giving away approximately 400 Gigs of HD concert footage for fans to tinker with.
• We questioned Drew Barrymore’s interest in metal and demanded she take off her shirt.
• We spoke with members of All Shall Perish and Job For a Cowboy.
• Mike Schleibaum declared The Crown’s Deathrace King underrated while Dallas claimed music critics are overrated.
• Can’t anyone make a decent heavy metal TV show?
• One Roadrunner Records staffer named MetalSucks.net the #10 best album of 2008.

Later, gators…

We’re all critics in our own right. The age old adage of “Everyone’s got an opinion” has never been more true… Maybe the internet has something to do with it? *wink, wink* I don’t have a problem with critics at all. I love seeing records get shit-canned, especially when they are good records. What I don’t love seeing is critics analyze a record and act like they know exactly where a band is coming from. That shit annoys me. Whether it’s a good record or bad record, just review the songs. Don’t review the overarching idea of the album. I want to know about your thoughts about the record, not your thoughts about your presumptions about the record.

This has become a problem nowadays with the “cool” magazines and the “cool” bands. There don’t need to be reviews where people are looking up words in the thesaurus to “paint” the picture for the reader. Or fans on a message board talking about why they won’t listen to new stuff from a band because they think the band is “over the hill.” A lot of you may be wondering if I’m talking about us; yes and no. We’ve always been lucky enough for the critics to shoot God Forbid a lot of love. I guess there is media bias for GF. hehe. But, at the same time you don’t really need to look into the shit that deep. And we’re well regarded for the most part so, no, I’m not talking about us. But, yes, I am.
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By now a lot of you have had a chance to hear some of our new shit floating around, or you’ve had the chance to hear the whole album if you’ve been SO LUCKY… I can say that I’m very excited to have this record come out on February 24th 2009. By the way, February 24th will be a huge day for metal. Us and Lamb Of God have our records coming out the same day. The coolest thing about this is every one can see how far metal has progressed from each of our first albums to our latest. We’ve come a long way. And I think both of our bands haven’t compromised. I also think we’ve produced quality material through our respective careers. So big ups to us and them!!! Big ups to metal!!!

I keep saying big ups because this blog is going to be all about one thing: Haterade. The big ups is a precursor to the new words or phrases that come out over time. Yeah, maybe being in a metal band makes it harder to say things like true dat, big ups or haterade but I’m gonna say that shit anyway. I am in a metal band but I am also from the streets so I have carte blanche to say all that ghetto shit.

Seriously, I’m talking about haterade because I think bands that get hated on generally become more successful. Right now, I’m hoping, pleading and wishing for this album to be panned by critics, internet trolls and whoever wants to shit on it. You may ask me, “Why Dallas? Why dost thou-eth needest us to protesteth soeth mucheth?” Because we need some boiling water in our career. We need people to hate. We need people to defend. We need to fight a fucking war for this record to push us to another place. We are a successful band. I want to be more successful. I want anyone out there who hates God Forbid to say they hate us. I don’t want reasons. I don’t want debates. I want hate!!!

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We’ve heard Earthsblood, the new album from God Forbid that will drop approximately February ‘09, and man oh man, are you guys in for a treat. This album slays. SLAYS. And before you say “You have to say it’s awesome ’cause Dallas writes for the site,” you should know that a) we were God Forbid fans before we even started MetalSucks and b) Dallas thinks we’re just money grubbing Jews and doesn’t actually like us anyway. So there. Ppppppffffttttt.

ANYWAY, our pals over at Metal Injection have posted the first in a series of videos which will document the band’s time in the studio recording their latest. In this clip, you can watch Dallas and front dude/grizzly bear/all around scary motherfucker Byron Davis laying down some vocals. Suh-weet.

Metal Injection will have more behind-the-scenes clips in the coming weeks. We’ll continue to post ‘em here. but you should probably check out MI anyways, just because they’re the best second best metal site on the web.

-AR

Well, it’s finally over. The presidential race was a hard fought battle and there was a clear winner that was chosen by the American people. Anyone who reads this blog regularly knows who I voted for. This isn’t a time for gloating. It’s a time of reflection and a time of congratulations to President-Elect Obama. It’s weird to type it but after January 20th 2009, it’ll be President Obama. It gives me goose bumps.

It’s still hard to digest. I’m really proud of the fifty three million people who voted in this election. I am surprised by the result honestly but I also expected it. It’s funny. The conservative talk show radio hosts are saying it wasn’t a landslide victory which I have to disagree. It was definitely a landslide. Not in popular vote but by strategic electoral vote. This was a brutal beating in wits and strategy which I think is way more important.

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Election day is only a couple of days away and it’s excruciating. For that reason alone, I’m not going to talk about politics at all until this election is done with. It seems things are so contentious right now that having an objective point of view about things causes arguments that aren’t even intended, so for now: FUCK POLITICS!

Let’s talk about metal music. Every single record we put out seems to get better and better for us musically. Our last record did slightly better than our last worldwide and the record before that did three times better than the last one. So we always seem to step up to the “Next Level” so to speak.

I have a problem with this term “The Next Level.” When bands say, “This album is our best yet! It’s going to get us to the next level,” it makes me wonder. Are bands and musicians playing the music game like it’s Super Mario Brothers? Do we beat final bosses or get power ups on the way? In a way we do. One of the power ups we get when we’re on the road hustling to push a record is fame. Our band over the last five years has become a lot more known so when I go places people recognize me. I get clothes for free because we have endorsements. Our guitar company (ESP) treats us well as does our amp company (Randall). We get to the special level where we don’t to spend as much money on gear, clothes and beer!

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God Forbid’s new album, which has a tentative release date of February ‘09, now has a title: Earthsblood. Here’s what guitarist Doc Coyle (brother of MetalSucks blogger Dallas – duh) says in a statement:

“The title Earthsblood came to me after watching the film There Will Be Blood. What is the price of ambition? Is the blood of our bodies and the blood of the earth one and the same? With the current energy crisis, and its relation to many of the military conflicts worldwide, there has been a global, collective consciousness that has emerged in regards to the interdependence between humankind and the planet in which we inhabit. Coincidentally, the lyrics that Byron Davis and Dallas Coyle had written meshed with these revelations perfectly. This isn’t a preachy, trendy, ‘hip to be green’ album, nor is it a concept album. It’s just an abstract observation.”

The title is, as my favorite God Forbid shirt says, metal as fuck; and like Doc says, it’s not “trendy.” There’s always been been a political component to God Forbid’s music – they’re not hopping on any bandwagons.

We’ve already heard four tracks from this album, and I now feel 99.9% certain that this record is gonna be the shit. If you’re not excited already, you fucking should be.

-AR

When God Forbid’s new, still-untitled album is released in 2009, it will have been more than three years since their last record, the epic Constitution of Treason. Since then, the band has done an insane amount of touring and thrown their fans a few bones to tide us all over – a rarities collection here, a DVD there – but if most of our fellow God Forbid fans are like Vince and myself, they’re jonesin’ pretty hard for some new material.

So, speaking purely as fanboys, we were insanely excited when Dallas Coyle offered to give us a listen to four tracks off the new album. And we became even more excited when the songs turned out to be totally worth the wait, foretelling of a record as good as, if not better than, past God Forbid releases.

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Things are heating up in the U.S. presidential race, and everyone from Vince to Axl to Dallas to the Blogronaut expressed their opinions; naturally you all got fired up too. But even politics as usual couldn’t stop the flow of happenings this week in the world of metal:

• Dallas apologized. Woah.
• Best Buy claims Chinese Democracy is finally coming out, but we’re skeptical. No word yet from Axl Rose.
• We debuted a new Early Man track and spoke with singer/guitarist Mike Conte, while Nathan Ells of the Human Abstract spilled the beans on just about everything.
• Testament was deemed one of the Top 40 greatest thrash bands of all time.
• We loved new albums from Gojira and Psycroptic. You loved arguing about them even more, especially the former. Meanwhile, new releases from Unearth and Cradle of Filth proved controversial.
• Protest the Hero’s van broke down; they danced.
• AC/DC’s Brian Johnson proved himself old and out of touch, but that didn’t stop us from asking for freebies to see his band live.

We out. See you Monday.

Mistakes

Last week’s blog was a fiery debate about politics, racism and the age old subject of musicians keeping their mouth shut and just sticking to music. As most of you know, I don’t adhere to the policy of musicians or artists keeping their mouths shut about politics whether they’re informed or not. I think people should be able to say what they want especially if they are given a platform to do so.

I will admit, my words about McCain’s comment were said out of anger and I stepped over the line. For that I apologize and I will say I made a mistake in charging McCain and his supporters with charges that aren’t necessarily true. If they are true I have no way of knowing so I concede the point that I was too harsh and I take my statements back in inferring that he may have deep rooted prejudices that will affect his style of governing.

I do think the debate on the blog last week was healthy and it was great to see people rage against me because of my regrettable comment. Someone said in a comment responding to the blog, ‘It’s better to be hated for who you are, than loved for who you are not.’ I’ll live by that standard and I can deal with it. I can fly off the handle and last weeks blog proved it.

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Here we go again. After the most boring debate in history we were given a McCain soundbite that will live on for the rest of the campaign. McCain’s derogatory remark of “that one” referring to Senator Obama was pretty much a game changer in my opinion. This little remark showed the inner nature of John McCain and the Republican, conservative base. “This is mine. You don’t deserve to be here, you people…”

When you look at a small remark such as “that one”, it makes me think about going to vote. I was going to vote for Obama regardless but back during the primaries I was one of those Obama supporters who would have considered McCain if Hillary Clinton were the nominee. Now as I think about it, I should have had my fucking head examined. McCain is harboring some deep prejudices regarding black people and it clearly showed in that remark.

Do you want a bigot in the highest office in the world? I know I don’t. The funny thing is I’m sure there were a good amount of presidents who were bigots behind closed doors, but we live in a new time and a new day and that aggression will not stand. The fact that McCain’s disposition toward Senator Obama reeks with disdain, contempt and disrespect shows me he is unfit to be a president. I’m going to say it. McCain is a fucking loser. And he’s a punk.

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When it comes to the bailout, I tend to be more in the “it was definitely needed” camp*; but regardless, this shit is damn funny. Someone should actually try this on the phone with a recorder going; I’d pay to hear the other end!

* Like it or not, the bank crisis affects every working American and the bailout is necessary. I have big issues with the government (aka our taxes) taking on this massive debt, and I loathe the financial advisors who caused this crisis in the first place. But everyone’s job and well-being is seriously jeopardized without a bailout, not just the wall street tycoons. On a micro level, when one wall street firm goes down so do all the supporting businesses; their car drivers, the food service workers, the cleaners, and pretty much anyone whose lives they touch — and they touch a LOT of people. On a macro level, business is done by borrowing credit. I promise that your employer doesn’t just always have reserves of cash sitting in a bank; they often have to borrow to make payroll and buy supplies. Can you imagine them saying to you, “oh, we’re owed a bunch of money. Just hang tight for a couple of weeks and THEN you’ll get your paycheck!” No, they sometimes have to borrow to get you paid on time every week. This is reality. And it extends to every job in every walk of life. No credit = you don’t always get paid. No credit = no new construction. No credit = no public improvements. Etc. Without the bailout, our economy grinds to a halt.

After all the Metallica hooplah from the last couple of weeks, I decided to take last week off. I thought about all of the responses to the blog I wrote last week and thought that people needed a break from my stupid face. It’s cool to see a blog get a big response but sometimes it can become too much for your own good. I felt I needed to step back from it and let the dust settle. With that said, the overwhelming consensus of people’s views regarding my last blog was, “Yes, the Metallica album kicks ass.” I give credit to the people out there who know a good thing when it’s staring them in their face.

The new album is out, its selling like wildfire and we should all agree to disagree at this point. One thing I will say is that Metallica doing well means that metal does well, so I’m happy I can enjoy the album and it’s effect on the metal scene.

One thing that became very apparent to me was the sensitivity in the ‘blogosphere.’ I hate that word but I don’t know what else to call it. When a new Metallica album comes out, every site that’s worth it’s salt always has a wealth of responses from ‘mostly’ faceless names spitting out their worthless opinions. I say worthless because when you talk shit you should at least say who you are so you’re held accountable.

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Why The World Needs Metallica…

It’s funny. It really is. I’ve been bothered by the bullshit I’ve seen regarding the new Metallica album. People are shitting on the album left and right, not paying respect to one of the greatest bands ever and it’s complete fucking bullshit… I’m not saying you should like something just because it comes from a certain band, I’m saying you should like it if it’s good. And news fucking flash: THE NEW METALLICA IS THE SHIT!

The really sad thing is Blabbermouth got it right with the new Metallica record! What in the fuck world are we living in? With this new Metallica album and the reviews I’ve been seeing, I feel we’re living in an opposite reality. How is it that Blabbermouth gets it right and the majority of Metalsucks reviews looked like an Iann Robinson night at the movies? Straight haterade. It makes me think of politics (again). Why is McCain holding on? People just don’t see good shit in front of them when it’s there. Or it’s like Katt Williams says: people hate good shit.

To those people who gave the Metallica album a BAD review, give a good fucking reason why. And spare me your Barack Obama voting, elitist post-Black album bullshit. Give me something real. How does this new record NOT sound like Metallica? Cause it’s not TR00? Fuck all that. My bro and I were chilling out and listening to the new Metallica rocking out like when we were kids. It was crazy. We’re talking about the record and he says,’You were the first person to give the album a good review…’ I thought about it and I thought, ‘That is fucking sad.’

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Dallas Coyle just e-mailed us to let us know that a new God Forbid song, “Empire of the Gun” (somewhere Spielberg is smiling), has just been posted on the band’s MySpace page.

The song is the shit. It has everything you want from a God Forbid song – aggression, melody, strong hooks, a killer guitar solo, groove, chunky riffs, all that good shit.

God Forbid’s new album still doesn’t have an official release date or title, but it will drop sometime in early ‘09. Personally, I vote for just calling the whole album Empire of the Gun, but maybe the band has something cooler up their collective sleeve.

GO CHECK OUT THE SONG RIGHT FUCKING NOW.

-AR

For all of you who may call bullshit on my last blog regarding the St. Nigger idea, our old management The Syndicate sent me the artwork that we mocked up for a St. Nigger album cover. The original idea was to do a St. Nigger medley taking all the best parts from St. Anger and making them into one song reminiscent of the And Justice For All… medley Metallica did on Live Shit Binge & Purge. If you notice the old GF logo is on the artwork which means this was before we released Gone Forever. Once again the power of Metallica is within the history of God Forbid. One question: Would you have liked to hear a St. Nigger medley from God Forbid? If so, would it have ruined our second-rate metalcore (emocore according to Blabbermouth posters) career? Thanks to the Rev for the artwork!

We’re signing off early today here at the MS Mansion. There are bowls to be smoked, beers to be drank, and barbecues to attend in the waning days of summer. Enjoy your weekend! Meanwhile, some stuff that happened here this week:

• We posted interviews from our trip to the Rockstar Mayhem Festival with Mastodon, Machine Head and Black Tide. Well, the latter was not so much an interview.
• Even Dallas got in the ring to weigh in on the politics of Metallica, and we had some fun with Metallica haiku and pontificated the 3rd new song.
• Rage Against the Machine raged against the machine. So did we.
• The new AC/DC single sounds like the old AC/DC single sounds like the old…
• Axl Rose called the FBI on the Chinese Democracy leaker.
• Slipknot goes in another new musical direction with All Hope Is Gone… and possibly has a #1 record.

Toodaloo!

-VN

The other day I went to NYC to check out In This Moment at their record release party. Needless to say, I had a good night because I got to see a lot of people I haven’t seen in a little while and the night turned out to be very interesting. In This Moment were very good and their new direction gave me hopes about the type of success they may have. I kept joking with them and telling them I can’t wait for them to sell really well so GF can have some cash for fine foods, wine and expensive sex! They are label-mates and we’re supposed to share.

I was joking obviously — well, half joking…

I saw Vince there channeling Hetfield with his new handlebar mustache. It kind of makes him looks like a child-killer. It was an open bar so people were getting their buzz on and just shooting the shit; getting hungover is more precise. Well-liquor is shit-pile! In the midst of all this buzz worthiness, at a bar around the corner Vince, myself and one of the first MetalSucks readers Factor got on the subject of Metallica. In all reality, I’m the biggest fucking Metallica fan. I bought all of their albums and they can do no wrong as far as I’m concerned. Well, as far as I was concerned. Now that I do this blog for Metalsucks I’ve turned into an opinionated asshole who has to dissect everything.

I love Metallica so much that I wanted to do an EP of all my favorite parts on St. Anger and call it “St Nigger.” That’s for real shit. No lie. It was discussed and we decided we wanted to have a 2nd rate metalcore career instead of no career…

Long story short, the St Nigger EP was panned.

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What Is Real, Neo…

Most of us have had those moments where an opportunity comes up that hits our senses so hard that there are three ways which things go down in our body: there’s a good feeling, a shady feeling and a bad feeling. There is a rush of blood that hits our brain so fast that the only reaction we get is of the gut.

When we found out we were going to be signed I got that GOOD feeling. The feeling of goose bumps. The nervous energy in the pit of your stomach we call butterflies. That was a good feeling. Those moments where you wonder,”Am I dreaming? Is this real?” Then there’s the fear that something can go terribly wrong and you don’t want to look like an idiot for having that feeling that things are going to be OK. Misery is an easy friend and feeling good has it’s consequences. In most cases, the better you feel the worse it can get.

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I’ve lost track of how many of these blogs I’ve done so far. I used to number them but now I don’t know what number I’m up to. Speaking on the phone with Vince, we both realized I’d been doing this blog for over six months and it blew my mind.

Where does the time go?

I let the cat out of the bag when I mentioned we were covering a MUSE song. I’m not sure if I should have told everyone but I don’t think that information needed to have a chastity belt on it. Just to clarify though, the cover is NOT going on the album. We just recorded the song for some extra diddies and maybe some extra sack action! Women love angelic voices and skinny dudes with pale skin. We’re the exact opposite of that but maybe sack action can be in our future because of that song! I’m sure MUSE will hear our cover and say in an English accent, “Ian, these niggas have ruined a fucking classic…”

Ok, enough heehawing. On to the real news! I was blown away by the Poison vs. Def Leppard debacle. I mean come the fuck on. What the hell is our world coming to? Remember East Coast vs. West Coast rap? Motherfuckers were getting shot. Back then it was who was the hardest most stone cold motherfuckers out there. With Poison and Def Leppard this shit reminds me of one of those Ben Stiller movies like Zoolander or Tropic Thunder. What are they fighting about? Who sucks worse? What over-40 chick wants you more?

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