Dave Mustaine might be a drama queen, but he’s no idiot. So when Megadeth played a new song called “Public Enemy Number 1″ live in Hamburg last night — before which he proclaimed, “We’re gonna play a new song for you. This song is from our new record. It’s never been played anywhere. It’s never been heard by anyone but us,” — he had to know that some audience member(s) would film it and have it up on the youtubes by night’s end. And that was probably his intent; play it live, let the Interhole gossip machine do it’s thang, and sit back and watch as the hype for Megadeth’s new album builds all on its own. And hey, look, that’s exactly what’s happening!

Check out the above footage of the new song being played live in Hamburg, courtesy of MS Reader GK3. The song sounds good; I love that classic-sounding riff that comprises the main part of the verses, although the chorus feels a bit stock. Mustaine’s voice… well, if you’ve seen Megadeth live in the past few years you should well know how bad it sounds. Still, the song is good enough to hold my interest in the forthcoming Megadeth album, on which Mustaine will have as much time and technology as he needs to make his vocals sound right.

-VN

Gotta hand it to Megadeth — they really seem to have connected with the video game market. A few years ago, they unveiled their single, “Gears of War,” as part of the launch for the game of the same name; then last year they recorded a new song, “Sudden Death,” exclusively for Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock; and now they’ve got ANOTHER new song in ANOTHER video game. The game is called Never Dead, and the song appears in the trailer, which you can watch below — the trailer begins at the 22:22 mark, but the song doesn’t kick in ’til the 24 minute mark.

And I gotta say, I think exploiting video games as a promotional outlet is a really smart move (and Dave Mustaine must feel the same way, or he wouldn’t keep doing it over and over again). I have no idea how these songs do as singles (or, in the case of “Gears of War,” as parts of a larger album) sales-wise, but presumably the band gets a nice paycheck just for including the tune in the game. And if it attracts a new generation of fans, well, all the better.

ANYWAY, it’s a little hard to really listen to the song with all the audio from the trailer laid over it, but, uh… it basically sounds okay to me. Check it out, then weight in with your thoughts in the comments section.

-AR

Thanks to the anonymous reader who sent this in!

Devin Townsend has so much explaining to do. As a tireless songwriter and producer, he’s set to release two albums on June 21, Ghost and Deconstruction, to complete the Devin Townsend Project cycle that he started with 2009′s Ki and Addicted. That’s four full-length records, 43 songs, and 260 minutes of music unleashed over about two years. But for Townsend, discussion goes beyond song ideas and his exhaustive studio work required to bring them to life; he could talk all day and yet only touch on the subjects of touring, sales, and modern music industry calamity; and, shit, his back catalogue is too huge and varied to even approach in a Q&A of any reasonable length.

You see, being a modern musician and being Devin Townsend are not the same thing. Sure, he grinds out records and then tours like everybody. However, our latest MetalSucks interview with Townsend reveals an artist unbound by the limits of imagination, but pretty aware of averse reactions to his art; his self-expression is total and unapologetic — until fans and media misinterpret him or disapprove of his humor. He’s confident as a person, but shakeable as a virtuosic guitar player, a theater and puppet enthusiast, and a production wiz. He lets no truth about his world go unexpressed, beit via the hair-raising cacophony of Deconstruction (think Strapping Young Lad’s Alien: The Ride) or Ghost‘s murmuring calm. He puts himself out there all the way; now, let him explain why.

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My dad had kidney stones once when I was a kid and I remember him being in all kinds of agony. So please understand that I am not making fun of him for playing a show despite suffering from this particular malady, because that is very admirable. The set at this gig was apparently abbreviated, for obvious reasons, but for him to do what he did for the fans deserves a big pat on the back.

I am, however, making fun of him for being pompous, and for thinking that he was healed by the power of prayer.

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With the occasional exception, guitar solo albums are basically ear porn. I mean, a feature film depends on things like narrative coherence and visual aesthetics, but porn consists merely of all-star fuck machines slamming junk. So the comparison to guitar mega-wankery is obvious: To dispense with the frills (lyrics, vocals) and just get to the acrobatics magnifies one aspect of music to veiny, cartoonish proportions. Shit, have you ever made it to the end of a guitar album? Have you ever sat down with some popcorn and enjoyed 50 straight minutes of dimly-lit shag videos? For non-weirdos, each answer probably is a firm no.

That’s why it’s so fucknuts when a shred album works. But it has happened. Cuz to some guitar records, there’s a message despite the absence of a vocalist; others succeed by sheer momentum and irresistible, awe-striking displays of skill; and at least one guitar instrumental album is a staggering work of narrative art every bit as epic as the greatest conventional rock record. Great guitar albums are hard to find; according to our own analogy above, the creation of one is as unlikely as an Oscar win for All Tit-Fucking Vol. 8. But defying the odds and deserving a spot in every music library are the following awesome axgasms:

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Welcome to “Question of the Week,” a (sometimes) weekly debate amongst the MetalSucks staff regarding a recent hot button issue.

This week’s query was suggested by a reader identifying himself simply as “Andy” –

WHICH MODEL OF GUITAR IS THE MOST METAL?

The MS staff’s answers after the jump.

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Round Two of Heavy Metal Blunders brings us, who else? Vince Neil! Yes, the official MS Mansion punching monkey got shipped off to the can last week. At this point, I don’t really care. But I did get a chuckle out of his girlfriend, Alicia Jacobs, who was concerned for her bank account, err… boyfriend. Jacobs claimed Neil was “not eating much other than peanut butter, Doritos and stuff like that. He had a baloney sandwich one day. It’s not optimal conditions.” I wonder what Razzle thinks about dem apples?

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So, apparently Jeff Hanneman was hospitalized last month, and underwent emergency surgery for a serious infection in his right arm, which he may or may not have contracted from a spider bite. (Not to be insensitive, but I think it would actually be kinda funny if he contracted the infection from, I dunno, jerking off too much, or opening a jar of pickles, or something like that, and the band is just saying it was a spider bite because that sounds so much more metal.)

Hanneman is expected to make a full recovery, but he’s obviously not gonna be picking up his axe anytime soon, and the band has an Australian tour coming up… so they’re gonna do the tour anyway, with a yet-to-be-announced fill-in guitarist.

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I remember a time when if a singer couldn’t sing, they either a) did not get to have a career, or b) fronted a really dirty-sounding band so that it didn’t matter that they sounded kinda, uh, off. I mean, Tom Araya was never exactly Ronnie James Dio, and no one gave a shit. It’s rock n’ roll, man! It’s not s’posed to sound perfect!

This tradition of “Fuck it if the singer doesn’t sound amazing” barely seems to exist anymore. And for that reason alone, I have to tip my hat to Duff McKagan. His band Loaded have a new album, The Taking, coming out in the spring, and they’ve released a bunch of new songs from that album. None of them are great songs by any stretch of the imagination, but I kind of admire the fact that McKagan’s vocals more or less sound like crap. I mean, they’re not modern-day Dave Mustaine bad, but they’re still really bad. He could have auto-tuned the fuck out’ve ‘em, but, no, the guy comes from a punk rock tradition, and clearly just does not give a shit about trying to convince the world that he’s any better than he is.

Check out some new tracks from The Taking after the jump to get a sense of what I mean…

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I remember a time when if a singer couldn’t sing, they either a) did not get to have a career, or b) fronted a really dirty-sounding band so that it didn’t matter that they sounded kinda, uh, off. I mean, Tom Araya was never exactly Ronnie James Dio, and no one gave a shit. It’s rock n’ roll, man! It’s not s’posed to sound perfect!

This tradition of “Fuck it if the singer doesn’t sound amazing” barely seems to exist anymore. And for that reason alone, I have to tip my hat to Duff McKagan. His band Loaded have a new album, The Taking, coming out in the spring, and they’ve released a bunch of new songs from that album. None of them are great songs by any stretch of the imagination, but I kind of admire the fact that McKagan’s vocals more or less sound like crap. I mean, they’re not modern-day Dave Mustaine bad, but they’re still really bad. He could have auto-tuned the fuck out’ve ‘em, but, no, the guy comes from a punk rock tradition, and clearly just does not give a shit about trying to convince the world that he’s any better than he is.

Check out some new tracks from The Taking after the jump to get a sense of what I mean…

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So yesterday The Big 4 finally announced a U.S. show, but it caused as much weeping as it did celebration, ’cause fans were hoping for a full tour, not a single gig. Now Metal Underground tells me that Lars Ulrich was on KROQ-FM yesterday, explaining the decision. Here’s what metal’s most famous living midget had to say, with my own comments in bold:

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The line-up for this year’s Mayhem Fest wasn’t s’posedta be announced ’til tomorrow, but Blabbermouth has posted it so I guess it’s go time. There are supposed to be more bands announced — I know of at least one group who are definitely doing this tour and aren’t on this list — but for now, here are the bands playing, and my thoughts on those bands (UPDATED with tour dates):

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This week’s were my first ever episodes of American Idol, and man, that shit is hilarious in the most unfortunate way. Singing, man. It’s not rocket science. Step one, you visit a voice coach weekly for six months; two, you sing to bars and to your mirror for a few weeks; three, get in line for American Idol auditions. But for some reason, thousands of let’s face it fucktards think that singing is not a skill that you need learn, develop, or even acknowledge. “Hey, I have the ability to make sound with my voice. And therefore I’m going to sing on the TV!” You dunces. I mean, I have arms, eyes, a brain, and an ass — all the tools needed to pilot a chopper — except I’d crash it into a fucking mountain cuz I’ve never taken a Flying Helicopters Not Into Mountains lesson, duh x10000! And one after another, the losers’ refrain was “My friends say I’m a great singer!” Oh well fuck man, if Tina from Accounts Payable thinks you’ve got the stuff, then shut my mouth. Wait, let me pre-pre-order your album. Here’s a twenty.

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Last week Dave Mustaine dropped a not-so-subtle hint that there were more Big Four shows coming this summer, and now the first one has been announced: Metallica, Slayer, Megadeth and Anthrax will headline the U.K. edition of Sonisphere on July 8, 2011. Biffy Clyro and Slipknot will headline the other two nights of the fest, July 9 and July 10.

This is obviously swell news for British fans, but what about the rest of us? Should we be purchasing plane tickets? I don’t think so. It’s hard for me to imagine that more shows won’t follow. These bands have a good thing going with this Big Four stuff, and they know it. So let’s just sit tight and see what happens next.

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Dave Mustaine tweeted the below message yesterday, just a day after promising fans that “a huge announcement is coming for next summer in the States and in Europe and the U.K.” (I guess the U.K. isn’t part of Europe.) And it’s about as subtle a “hint” as when I got home that time and my then-girlfriend had left all my shit out on the sidewalk in boxes.

I’m gonna do any analysis because there’s none to be done here — Davey even capitalized the word “Big” in case any Slayer fans were too dumb to get it.

So the Big Four tour is clearly on for Summer 2011. That either makes you excited, or it doesn’t. But either way, it’s going to be one the biggest events in metal history. Discuss in the comments section below.

-AR

[via Metal Insider]

The Grammy nominations have been announced, and, as per usual, they’ve got nuthin’ to do with nuthin’. This isn’t a shock; the Grammys have been a meaningless award, and will remain a meaningless award. But if you’re morbidly curious, as I am, as to who old white dudes think are the créme de la créme of our music of choice, the nominees, and some more snarky commentary from yours truly, are after the jump.

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So the DVD of the Big Four Sonisphere thing that aired in movie theaters this summer is coming out on November 2 (and possibly earlier, depending on the part of the world in which you live), and to get people pumped, the bands are giving away a FREE video of the now-infamous “Am I Evil?” mega-jam. That’s right, it’s FREE! You can download it here.

Or, you can just watch it below. ‘Cause it’s been available on the internet for free for months anyway. Every single performance clip from the DVD is online, in fact. You can watch them all at Metal Injection. Just sayin’.

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I’m sure I don’t have to tell you that Kerry King was in Megadeth in that band’s earliest days; I don’t think he stayed with the group for more than five or six performances, and obviously never wrote or recorded with them. And while there’s been a lot of bad blood between King and Dave Mustaine in the years since, I guess the now-infamous T.G.I.Friday’s Peace Accord and the subsequent months and months of Slayer’s touring with ‘Deth really paid off, ’cause last night in Los Angeles, King took the stage to perform with Megadeth for the first time in more than twenty-five years.

Here’s footage of MegaKing performing “Rattlehead” last night. In my opinion, this is way cooler than that Big Four Jam that King missed ’cause he was busy with other stuff.

And for fun, here’s footage of King with Megadeth back in 1984, playing “Burnt Offerings.”

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Excuse me. Glenn actually waited outside. ‘Cause he was a married man. And we all know that married men never go to prostitutes. Yep. I believe that.

This all according to Dave Mustaine in the below vintage video interview, for which Mustaine was clearly 100% sober. Some things never change, y’know?

My personal favorite part is when he reveals that he likes girls with hard butts. Dave Mustaine is an ass man! Would’ve figured him for a boob guy myself. You live, you learn.

-AR

Thanks to Ranpal Chana for the tip.

The reason all the hair-metal autobiographies have been disappointing is because the best hair metal band, Motley Crue, did it first, and did a really killer job (treating it like an oral history told from lots of different  perspectives = master stroke), and so there was really no place to go but down. Bret Michaels’ autobiography never actually materialized, Slash’s was good but not great, Steven Adler’s sucked, I only know one person who read Bobby Blotzer’s,  and now all the Motley Crue guys are dipping back into that pool for a second or even third time, only without each other because after thirty fucking years they still haven’t figured out that the unit is stronger than each individual. At this point I think it would take everyone who ever worked on Chinese Democracy, including Axl Rose, all banding together to make a The Dirt-style Roshomon piece if anything is even gonna BEGIN to compete with The Crue’s initial tome.

Now glam’s ugly twin, thrash, has started to catch on that there’s an interest in these books. And they don’t seem to be following the same pattern as cock rock. Sure, Dave Mustaine went first, but no one seems to really believe a word of his book, and it’s certainly not a definitive snap-shot of the time and place the way The Dirt is for the Strip in the 80′s. And I obviously have a lot of faith in Phil Anselmo’s upcoming collaboration with MetalSucks’ own Corey Mitchell, but Pantera weren’t purely thrash, and weren’t around for the Big Four’s heyday.

So. Now Noise Creep says that Kirk Hammett is doing his autobiography. (The news actually originated in an interview with Ultimate-Guitar, but I can’t find it. If anybody does, drop me a line.) There’s no word on which lucky writer will score that coveted “with” credit, but here’s a choice quote from Kirk:

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