I knew I got out of bed this morning for a reason!!!

Not only have Cannibal Corpse unveiled the typically-gross cover art for their new offering, Torture (by longtime Cannibal Collaborator Vincent Locke), but, more importantly, they’ve officially released the first single from the album, “Demented Aggression.” And, yes, it is fucking awesome, and a glorious illustration of why this band is still worth caring about: they’ve struck that perfect balance between the whole Slayer “Let’s never stray too far from our sound!” thing and the Metallica “But artistic evolution is important!” thing. They continue to improve as musicians and songwriters (seriously, I can’t believe I constantly have to stress this, but songwriting is so goddamn imporant!!!), but at no point does it seem to have occurred to them to, say, write a bunch of Godhead songs. Why can’t other bands pull this off?

Enjoy “Demented Aggression” below:

Cannibal Corpse “Demented Aggression” by Metal Blade Records

Torture was produced by Erik “I Am Incapable of Being Involved with Something Shitty” Rutan, and comes out March 13 via Metal Blade; there’s already a wide variety of attractive pre-order packages available here.

-AR

I love Goatwhore because a) I love telling squares I make my living writing about bands with names like “Goatwhore,” and b) more importantly, they never seem to let us fans down. And their latest, Blood for the Master, is no exception — the Nawlins quartet has, once again, delivered a capital-”E” Evil album that is sure to fuel many a night of anti-social behavior and scare the living shit out of your neighbors.

The band has unveiled a new song from the album, “Collapse in Eternal Worth,” which you can stream below. I’m not even sure I understand what it means to collapse in eternal worth, but when the song is this good I don’t really care.

Goatwhore are going on tour with Hate Eternal — whose mastermind, Erik Rutan, produced Blood for the Master – starting next month. Get dates here.

Meanwhile, Blood for the Master comes out — when else? — on fucking VALENTINE’S DAY via Metal Blade. Buy it for someone you love.

-AR

Although their respective sounds are quite different, Goatwhore and Hate Eternal have three important things in common: they’re both on Metal Blade, they’re both produced by HE’s Erik Rutan, and they’re both so endlessly awesome that they put most other bands to shame. If aliens landed tomorrow and said “What is metal?”, you could do a lot worse than to point to these two bands as examples.

So the news that they’re touring together should make you very happy if you live near one of the announced dates, or very depressed, if, like Vince and myself, you do not. I have little doubt that these shows will be spectacular.

Support is coming from Fallujah and Cerebral Bore, who I think are both intriguing young bands with potentially bright futures ahead of them, if not necessarily instant home-run acts. Still, Goatwhore + Hate Eternal should = your attention.

Here are dates, via The PRP:

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Legendary thrashers Forbidden parted ways with drummer Mark Hernandez last week, a happening we failed to report upon because, Jesus Holy Christ, there’s basically two of us and it’s just not feasible that we’re going to be able to write about everything that happens ever, especially given that this entire site is editorials, which actually take some time to write, as opposed to, say, just cutting and pasting press releases.

ANYWAY, Forbidden. Down a drummer. They’re snagged some dude named Gene Hoglan to fill-in for a few dates — namely, the upcoming Alcatraz Festival in Belgium and the ProgPower Festival in Atlanta — but, of course, they’re going to need a permanent replacement. And thus, the band has decided to scour the land so full of undiscovered and unappreciated talent: the internet.

Here are the details, direct from the mouth of guitarist Craig Locicero:

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By the time Hate Eternal took the stage on a hot Saturday night early this month, I was gonna barf and pass out. My day had been spent at sea, teetering and bobbing aboard an overloaded and hot-rodded pontoon boat. The captain: a winner brah of mine; the craft: a two-tiered party tub with bar, arena-sized bank of speakers, and water slide (!), like something out of Caddyshack if Al Czervik were a Volcom rep. Fun!

And though dude is my super-brah, I dispute his shipboard music policy, which can be described as inescapable dance music at levels meant to blast the clothes off sluts. Add a merciless sun, the actual sluts, and drugs? Bam, you’re woozy as fuck.

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Go cry in your pea soup if you missed the Hate Eternal/Origin/Vital Remains/Abysmal Dawn tour. Seriously: get a bowl of pea soup and fucking cry in it, for you are a loser. Vince and I caught the trek when it hit NYC last weekend, and holy shit, did all four bands CRUSH. I was excited about this line-up from the moment it was announced in March, and, boy oh boy, did the bands not let me down. All death metal tours should have a bill this good.

Of course, I have a special place in my heart for Hate Eternal, who I think are one of the best death metal bands of the 21st century, and whose most recent release, Phoenix Amongst the Ashes, remains pretty much unchallenged as THE death metal album of 2011, even in the face of really amazing competition from bands like Decapitated and The Black Dahlia Murder.

Now the band has re-teamed with director David Brodsky, who also helmed their clip for “Bringer of Storms”, for a video of Ashes‘ “Lake Ablaze.” The video certainly seems to be an aesthetic cousin of the “Storms” clip, which is to say, it’s another insanely intense visual experience which provides ample atmosphere for Rutan’s umpteenth lesson in how to castrate men using nothing but sound.

Phoenix Amongst the Ashes is out now on Metal Blade, and if you’re not listening to it, you are seriously depriving yourself of something special.

-AR

[via Noisecreep]

We’ve been trying to get one of the dudes from Cannabis Corpse do a “Metalcal Marijuana” column for us for what seems like forever now, and they said they were gonna do it but never actually did, and now I’m finally going public with this request in the hopes that if enough of you post comments to the effect of “YES PLEASE DO THAT,” it will actually happen.

Then again, it’s hard to blame stoners for forgetting to do stuff. Especially when you’re a stoner who sometimes forgets to do stuff.

Speaking of blaming shit on bud: the band has a new song called “Blame it on Bud” that our, uh, buds at Brooklyn Vegan are now streaming. It comes from Cannabis Corpse’s new album, Beneath Grow Lights Thou Shalt Rise, which is coming out on July 12 via Tankcrimes. And if you still think of Cannabis Corpse as “just some joke band,” well, you oughta know that Erik motherfucking Rutan mixed the album, SO THAT SHIT IS SERIOUS.

So “get right,” as we like to say, and then go rock out to the song. But don’t toke up and then forget what you were gonna do next, you silly stoners!

-AR

We’ve been raving about Hate Eternal’s Phoenix Amongst the Ashes for some time now, and as of this coming Tuesday, you can finally own the wooly mammoth of an album for yourself. But if waiting another four days feels like waiting an eternity — and with a record this good, it ought to — well, fret not! Your friends Axl and Vince worked it out nice, so you can hear the album right now. And you MUST hear this album RIGHT NOW. It is a goddamn motherfucking masterpiece of death metal, and will surely end up on every sensible year-end list. But be forewarned, dear readers: this album will crush your skull into dust.

Like we said, Phoenix Amongst the Ashes comes out this Tuesday, May 9, on Metal Blade. You still have time to pre-order it, though! Choose from a variety of physical packages here, or order a digital download from iTunes here.

And if you haven’t done so already, you should definitely check out this interview that MetalSucks’ own Axl Rosenberg and Anso DF conducted with the mighty Erik Rutan. He had all kinds of fascinating things to say about this record’s creation!

Now enjoy Phoenix Amongst the Ashes…

[Sorry, this stream is no longer available!]

No, seriously — COREY AND ANSO FUCKING KILLED IT THIS WEEK while we were at the Golden Gods, didn’t they? I’m still catching up, but I’ve been getting a serious boner from reading all the shit I didn’t write this week. Some of my favorite pieces that neither Vince nor myself had anything to do with:

• Phil Anselmo’s thoughts on weed, and, oh yeah, Corey’s update on the progress of Mr. Anselmo’s book.
• This awesome interview with Hate Eternal’s Erik Rutan. (Okay this one I actually had a little to do with, but Anso did the heavy lifting.)
• Mike IX Williams from EyeHateGod/Arson Anthem/Drip/Crawlspace/Outlaw Order’s thoughts on being underground and unsigned.
• Anso’s mourning for the loss of Nevermore.
• Corey’s analysis of the Columbine massacre on its twelfth anniversary.
• Anso’s assertion that Nicko McBrain wants to fuck Lady Gaga.
• Corey’s wrangling of about a million cool metal folk to give their thoughts on weed, too.
• Anso’s decisions to let his hatred for Kiss flow.
• Corey’s coverage of K.K. Downing’s retirement from Judas Priest.
• Anso’s coverage of Dream Theater’s ongoing search for a new drummer.

Unfortunately for all of you, Vince and I are now back full-time, and you’ll be stuck with us all next week. See ya then.

-AR

It’s bizarre and unreal to contemplate a new Morbid Angel record without famed drummer Pete Sandoval, the eenventer of deh blazt beit. Even onetime Morbid Angel guitarist Erik Rutan of Hate Eternal gave it a passing mention last week to Axl and I in our interview. But alas, the drums on the forthcoming Illud Divinum Insanus are the domain of Tim Yeung and his excellent hair, though we can be reasonably certain of Sandoval’s involvement in some measure. Whatever, cuz Morbid’s radness is evident in Amazon’s clip of new jam “Nevermore” regardless of the absence of their ace skinsman. The shit JAMS — all 30 seconds of it. Now, the clip listed as the Combichrist remix of “Destructos Vs. The Earth” on the other hand …

–ADF

Morbid Angel’s Illud Divinum Insanus comes out June 7 on Season of Mist. Fuck yes.

Thanks to tipster Ashley Lee!

Last week, MetalSucks mega-hunk Axl Rosenberg and I spoke to producer and Hate Eternal frontman Erik Rutan (interview coming soon!). He gabbed at length with us, and I was super-pumped when he stated that his goal was to eschew uber-precise metal production and embrace the human vibe of older records. I love that! Perfect is perfectly boring. Rutan is the ru-Man! See what I did there?

In this spirit, we take hats off to Hypocrisy’s Peter Tägtgren, also a producer and frontman, whose stomping new Pain jam “Dirty Woman” instigates another nascent extreme metal movement: Rock! Yes let us all rock, even the most grizzled, frowny underground metal purists (cough Axl) alongside party-hardy crotch boys (like me)! And let us pack videos with writhing underwear chicks (knockerz!), a misbehaving and ignored drummer (funny cuz it’s true!), fire (hot!), and a suspiciously chummy pair of man-sized animals (fuck it, sure!). You might be rolling your tr00 eyes at me right now, but I’ll laugh last when a few months from now Nergal from Behemoth returns to the stage with a flying splits off of a fiery drum riser. Suck it!

–ADF

Peter Tagtgren and Pain release You Only Live Twice via Nuclear Blast on June 21.

If you’re not excited about the new Hate Eternal album, Phoenix Amongst the Ashes, lick my calloused heel. Lick it with spicy mustard. I don’t even really know what the hell that last thing I wrote means, but, seriously, GET EXCITED BECAUSE IT’S SO GOOD.

I don’t have a good segue, but, knowing now, as you do, that this record rips, you should watch the below video, the first in a series of behind-the-scenes studio clips that the eternal haters over at Metal Injection are going to be running over the course of the next several weeks. Not only does it contain footage of the mighty Erik Rutan recording my favorite part of my favorite song on the album (that would be “Haunting Abound”), but it demonstrates that the atmosphere in the studio during the making of a Hate Eternal is really, really not what you’d expect based on the resulting music. I mean I would have guessed  that these guys all sit in complete silence on beds of nails in a windowless room with walls made of stone and lit only by candles resting atop human skulls, but, surprisingly, this is not actually the case.

Phoenix Amongst the Ashes comes out May 10 on Metal Blade. Seriously, my heel is now dipped in spicy mustard and awaiting licks from any who doubt its epic epicness.

-AR

Alright, so I have no idea if I played any part in the decision to release “Haunting Abound” as the debut track from Hate Eternal’s Phoenix Amongst the Ashes. But last week I did say it was one of the five best songs of 2011 thus far. I’m just sayin’.

And it is. It’s all kinds of awesome. I love it so much, there are no words. This is one of those oh-so-incredibly-special songs that reminds why I ever fell in love with metal in the first place. The machine-gun-fire burst section that starts at 3:53 makes me SO FUCKING HAPPY TO BE ALIVE that I can’t even put it into words. And while this is, at least for the time being, my favorite song on the record, that doesn’t mean the rest of the album isn’t awesome. Erik Rutan is a god amongst little specks of shit as far as I’m concerned.

Listen here, and, no joke, fuck you with a knife that was just held over fire if you disagree with me about the song’s power.

Phoenix Amongst the Ashes comes out May 10 on Metal Blade. Those of you who do not own a copy will find your existence poorer for it.

-AR

You are reading this on Wednesday morning (or maybe some other time, depending on various circumstances), but I am writing it on Tuesday night. And as I write it, I am about halfway through listening to Hate Eternal’s new album, Phoenix Amongst the Ashes, for the first time.

And it is glorious.

Click to read more…

Oh, man, remember Demiricous?  Their Metal Blade debut, One (Hellbound), fucked our faces off in 2006, and they released an equally crushing follow-up, Two (Poverty), just a year later. They had such a bright future! They were Kerry King’s favorite band! And then… well, they pretty much fell apart. Word around the campfire is they got completely fucked by some scumbag manager, and then they fell split with Metal Blade in 2008. In 2009 they announced that they were working on new material, but 2010 came and went with no news whatsoever from the band.

But there’s news now! According to Lambgoat, they’re releasing a four-song EP/demo this Thursday, March 10 (rad cover art above). And there’s already two new songs streaming on their Facebook page! Hoo-ray!

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Today sees the release of Abysmal Dawn’s first new album in more than two years, and Full Blown Chaos’ first new album in more than three; that alone would be cause for celebration, but there’s plenty of other good shit coming out today, too! Our previews of this week’s new releases after the jump.

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Today sees the release of Abysmal Dawn’s first new album in more than two years, and Full Blown Chaos’ first new album in more than three; that alone would be cause for celebration, but there’s plenty of other good shit coming out today, too! Our previews of this week’s new releases after the jump.

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In any band, there’s usually one member who’s the driving force behind the group, and carries the other guys: Greg Ginn, Les Claypool, Justin Timberlake… you get the idea. Such is the case with death metal legends Morbid Angel — the whole band essentially stands on the shoulders of one member, but it’s not the one most of you dorks are thinking of. Lettuce be reality, brahs: Pete Sandoval’s drumming is the definition of mediocre (and before you start arguing, remember that trusted, mainstream news outlets such as NPR have recognized me as an authority on metal drumming).

File this under “sacred cow barbecue” if you want, but I’ve finally come to terms with the truth about Morbid Angel: they have their moments, but are held back by Pete Sandoval’s dull, unimaginative playing (and consistently bad drum sounds). I’m not saying Pete is a bad drummer, because he certainly isn’t, but I am saying that his playing is several orders of magnitude behind Trey Azagthoth’s, and that the bad would be approximately 1 zillion times better if they had someone else on drums.

U MAD?? See if you don’t change your mind after the break…

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Having spent much of 2010 on the road celebrating their landmark Victim In Pain album, NYHC originators Agnostic Front have apparently decided to work on new material. As per the band’s Facebook page:

The Godfathers of New York Hardcore, AGNOSTIC FRONT, will enter Mana Recording Studio in Tampa, FL tomorrow to begin recording the highly anticipated follow up to their 2007 release, Warriors. 15 new powerful and anthemic songs will be laid down by Erik Rutan under the watchful guide of producer Freddy Cricien of MADBALL. The record is rumored to be their strongest to date and an early 2011 release is expected.

Even with the obvious and unnecessary marketing copy, I’m thrilled to hear that there’s going to be another Agnostic Front record. What’s especially interesting about the album is that the band opted to work with metal producer Erik Rutan (of Morbid Angel and Hate Eternal fame), who also produced the recently released Madball album Empire. Evidently, Roger Miret, Vinnie Stigma, and the rest of the group are looking for a heavy metallic sound like what Rutan brought out on Madball’s last one. The above video comes from the aforementioned Warriors LP, and if this new record is a continuation of that sound, consider me officially fucking stoked.

-GS

As someone who came up in the 90s West Coast hardcore scene (see my post “5 Things I Miss About 90s Hardcore” for some especially ridiculous memories), I first came across Dave Astor when he was playing drums for Locust. I saw them back in 1995 with Man Is The Bastard at the Velvet Elvis in Seattle, and they blew me away. Back then, it was almost unheard of for hardcore kids with short hair to play blast beats, and while I kind of lost interest in them when they became The Locust, got scene hair and just generally became completely lame, they were definitely ahead of their time. Dave apparently agreed with me, because he quit to join the excellent Cattle Decapitation, then moved on to his current band Pathology.

Their new album on Victory just dropped, and it’s honestly one of the best straight-up, no-frills death metal records I’ve heard in a long time. With veterans like Dave and Matti Way (Disgorge, Liturgy, Cinerary) on board, their experience and craftsmanship really comes through. I know that 99% of MS readers will write it off because I like it, but this is one of the rare instances where they might actually be missing out on something they’d enjoy. It’s by far their best, combining melodic parts that somehow aren’t retarded with brutal slamz that will have you moshing around your room in seconds.

Dave is a man of few words, so I can’t say this is the most in-depth interview I’ve ever done, but he’s real nice and the Pathology record slaps, so pick it up on iTunes ASAP!

Click to read more…