When I am not trolling simple-minded, entry-level elitists, I enjoy the soothing, dulcet tones of some classic thrash or death metal. I am definitely not any kind of metal encyclopedia or authority on the subject, but I have realized that (sadly) I’m old enough to have heard a few bands that many younger metal fans have not, just because I have been exposed to a lot of bands over the years — sort of like an ancient desert tortoise who is not a historian, but has seen history unfold before his eyes simply because he is old as fuck. Because I enjoy giving back to my community, I will share some of my favorite older bands in case any of you might like them. If you want to hate on me, that’s OK, too, so feel free to tell me I’m a poser, that everybody already knows about these bands, that I got some trivial detail wrong, or whatever else you think makes you “sound like u rly know what ur talking about.”

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The Deciblog unveiled the cover art for the new Decrepit Birth album, Polarity, this past Friday evening, and, y’know… it’s Dan Seagrave. He has a very distinct style, which you either dig or do not dig. Personally, I think it’s pretty cool, and it makes me that much more excited to hear the record.

Polarity comes out July 27 on Nuclear Blast. And don’t forget that Decrepit Birth will be part of the MetalSucks co-sponsored Summer Slaughter tour – a.k.a. “The only can’t-miss summer festival this year” – along with Decapitated, The Red Chord, The Faceless, All Shall Perish, Veil of Maya, Cephalic Carnage, Animals as Leaders, Vital Remains, and Carnifex. Get dates and details here.

-AR

It might only be the beginning of 2010, but artist and Monstrosity vocalist Mike Hrubovcak is already stoked to know that the metal-minded artwork he’s done for the likes of Decrepit Birth, Braindrill, Rumpelstiltskin Grinder, Aurora Borealis, and Azure Emote (another criminally underrated, Hrubovcak-fronted band) will be featured in an upcoming Hollywood production with plenty of star power to go around.

Dream House, a Universal/Morgan Creek film helmed by Jim Sheridan and starring Daniel Craig, Rachel Weisz, and Naomi Watts, will hit theaters in 2011 and has a plot that’s fitting enough for Hrubovcak’s artwork: a family (Weisz and Craig) move into a new home to find out about a brutal slaying there earlier in its history, while the neighbor (Watts) is the only person able to lend any hint that the husband who allegedly killed his wife and children there may not be dead. Not only is it great exposure for Hrubovcak — who works as a graphic designer for an “adult novelty” company by day, as an artist using oil, airbrush, and photo manipulation for some of metal’s most brutal bands (with cover art to match) by night, and still finds time to participate in Monstrosity, Vile, and a host of other projects — but it’s great for metal. Where else can metalheads hope to see artwork from gruesome metal bands at the movies?

Hrubovcak’s VisualDarkness website has a ton of samples of his past works in his portfolio to check out, but for the uninitiated, the man’s done artwork for bands like Chainsaw Dissection, Fecal God, and XXX Maniak – so you should pretty much know what to expect.

Hrubovcak took some time to talk with MetalSucks about an upcoming showcasing of some of his works, how he deals with having so much on his plate, and zombies. Oh, come on, you knew that was coming.

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The cover of Landmine Marathon’s last album, Rusted Eyes Awake, looked kind of like an old EC Comic. It was definitely all-caps FUCKING METAL, and the non-polished quality of it matched the music perfectly.

The band has gone in a new direction for the cover of the new record, Sovereign Descent, hiring the legendary Dan Seagrave, and while it’s definitely still all-caps FUCKING METAL, the style and atmosphere are completely different. And not “bad” different – just different.

Does the tonal difference from the last cover foretell of a tonal difference in the music, too? I guess we’ll find out when Prosthetic releases the album on March 16.

-AR