MetalSucks

I was a big fan of The Showdown’s late-2006 release Temptation Come My Way, a southern-infused steamroller of an ’80s metal-influenced hard rock record. Judging by the band’s new song “Achilles The Backbreaker” — from their new record Back Breaker, to be released August 19th on Solid State — the band hasn’t dropped their ’80s influence at all, but has moved on from Ratt and Crue-infused riffage to Metallica and Exodus pummeling. No kidding. But this isn’t close to yet another entry in the current re-Thrash trend. Heavier riffs, double-bass pummeling, more screaming vocals. It still sounds distinctly modern and distinctly Showdown. It’s the same band (minus one member), just heavier… Which is a fucking awesome thing if you ask me.

Listen to the new track on The Showdown’s MySpace page. I am officially excited about this record.

-VN

Holy shit, I don’t even know what to write. I feel so sick right now. I wouldn’t even categorize myself as a hardcore Exodus fan, and I actually really like new(ish) vocalist Rob Dukes, but the idea that the band is re-recording their seminal album Bonded By Blood just rubs me rawer than my dick after a lubeless, hour long jerk-off session.

I was just talking about re-recordings a little while back, and I think at the time that I came to the conclusion that this was a pointless but ultimately harmless exercise.

I see now that I was wrong. This is the metal equivalent of all those terrible remakes and franchise revivals that Hollywood is pumping out these days. The best case scenario is that the only people who ever listen to this are those who have heard and appreciated the original album and are just kinda curious about why the band would ever waste their time doing such a thing.

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While I’m not sure I agree with Iann Robinson’s claim that Awaiting Evil is the album Metallica would have written if Cliff Burton hadn’t died, one thing is for sure about Hatchet; these dudes sure do love early Metallica. Like the countless other young bands currently indulging in the thrash revival, Hatchet go out of their way to ape their ’80s Bay Area heroes in nearly every way, from the style of playing to the production to the cut-off Slayer and Exodus t-shirts, leather jackets and backwards hats they don in their liner note photos. Not that this is such a terrible thing. Like most of the aforementioned thrash revivalists, Hatchet too do a fine job of recreating the sound of their idols, but ultimately I’m left wondering what about this band is special and different from all the other bands currently imitating their thrash forefathers.

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There’s lots of talk about thrash these days. Amidst killer “comeback” records by the likes of old-schoolers Testament, Exodus, and Death Angel, there’s been a spate of signings of young up and comers who hawk the thrash sound. Muncipal Waste, Warbringer, Bonded By Blood, Evile, etc are all young bands that ape the classic thrash sound to some degree. Not to take anything away from these bands, because they’re certainly talented — but the mass signing of old-school sounding thrash bands begs the question: is this a true revival, or a passing trend?

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FUCK SCOTT WEILAND. I’m glad you’ve been able to get this far based on your limited vocal range and ability to mimic the same style of on-stage dancing that Bowie and Iggy Pop were doing thirty years ago, but seriously, stop trying to compete with Axl Rose for the “Biggest Asshole” award – Axl will beat your ass every time. Calling Slash by his real name in a press release does not make you clever. Claiming the name “Velvet Revolver” was your idea does not make you cool. You’ve always had to suck off the musical talent teat of others, and every time I think about the fact that Layne Staley couldn’t get it together while you go on and on and on I die a little inside. I hope the DeLeo brothers stab you in the eyes with your fucking needles. And fuck your wife Mary, too.

FUCK ROBB FLYNN. I’m a huge Machine Head fan, but telling people that you “once punched some kid in the face for saying that Gary Holt sucked” is moronic. Metal is supposed to be about blowing off steam in a healthy way so as to avoid actual neanderthal behavior. There are plenty of legitimate reasons to fight in this world, but someone insulting the fucking guitar player from Exodus is not one of them. Put more simply: You either a) actually did punch some dude for talking shit about Holt and are therefore a bona fide moron or b) are lying about punching some dude for talking shit about Holt and are therefore a bona fide moron. Also, every Machine Head album in-between Burn My Eyes and Through the Ashes of Empires was a cock sucking trend chasing waste of time. Deal with it.

FUCK MARIA BRINK. Someone told me that if you see her up close she’s not actually hot, but after looking closely at some candid photos (like this one), I realized you don’t really have to be very close to her all to see that she looks like a fucking rodent. Has this bitch had too much plastic surgery (excuse me, “work done”), or does she really just look  like my morning crap? Also, did you know that she sells hand drawn pictures and poems on her MySpace page (I won’t link to it, go find it if you’re so fucking interested)? I haven’t read the poems but the pictures look like they were drawn by a retarded five year old. Stop wearing that stupid blue dress and trying to exploit your non-existent looks to cover up for your lack of talent. I hope Christina Scabbia kicks you in the twat.

Fuck me for writing this, and fuck you for reading it. I’m gonna go kill a fucking bunny that made fun of Alex Skolnick.

-AR

Pretty much every metal site has already posted this news, but fuck it, it’s news-worthy: classic thrash band Testament have posted new music on their MySpace page. The new song “More Than Meets the Eye” comes from their new album The Formation of Damnation due April 29th on Nuclear Blast, the first to feature long-departed guitarist Alex Skolnick since 1992’s The Ritual.

If there’s one thing evident from this new song, it’s that Testament still know how to kick up a fucking metal groove like nobody’s business. After seeing Exodus last month absolutely destroy a New York audience, we’re starting to wonder — what is it about these supposed “B” rate thrash acts, 20+ year later, that actually seems to have outlasted, in terms of quality, the supposed “A” thrash acts like Metallica and Megadeth? Did success get to the heads of those bands, extinguishing the fire inside that bands Testament and Exodus still have burning bright? Whatever it is, Testament still have it; this song is pretty fucking sick.

-VN

So you’re not even of legal drinking age yet, you’re in Warbringer, you’ve just released an awesome album on Century… what do you now?

Tour with every awesome thrash band you can and prove you ain’t just doing this for shits n’ giggles, that’s what. Warbringer just got done acting as support for Exodus; now Lambgoat reports they’re gonna head out on the road with Overkill, the latest thrash act blazing the comeback trail.

After the jump, get a complete list of tour dates for the tour, which will also feature Toxic Holocaust; below, watch Overkill’s new video for “Skull and Bones,” featuring guest vocals from Lamb of God’s Randy Blythe. While the clip is cheesy and cheap, the song itself is pretty killer.

[kml_flashembed movie="http://www.youtube.com/v/fZuiSclz87w" width="425" height="350" wmode="transparent" /]

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MetalSucks recently had the opportunity to have a quick chat with Arsis bassist Noah Martin after their show at BB King’s in New York City on February 4th, 2008 with Exodus, Goatwhore and Warbringer. Martin had some interesting things to say about life on the road, the young lads in Warbringer, and Arsis’ new album We Are the Nightmare which drops April 15th on Nuclear Blast. The full chat transcript after the jump.

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The clock struck 7pm sharp and Warbringer wasted no time, launching right into their abbreviated set and taking advantage of every minute of their alloted time slot. It’s not easy being up first on a four-band bill featuring established acts like Arsis and Goatwhore and legends like Exodus, and it’s also not easy being by far the youngest. But Warbringer did a fine job, rocking the 100 or so folks who had shown up early to catch their set of non-stop vintage thrash.

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Thanks to the MetalSucks reader who tipped us off to the fact that both Exodus and Helloween made this week’s “New Artists” Soundscan chart, for their respective releases The Atrocity Exhibition and Gambling with the Devil. Since both of these bands have been doing their thing for more than two decades now, one has to wonder how the fuck this happened. Is there really no checks and balances system over there to make sure they don’t come across as total ree-ree downey babies?

In other news, A7X will debut at #1 on Soundscan’s hip hop charts this week. Mazel tov, dudes.

-AR

I still say that the new Exodus album has pretty much the worst name possible – but the newly launched e-card for the album gives me hope that the album will be good anyway. Even though said e-card only allows you to hear brief snippets of each song, the riffs sound HUGE. Then again, my problem with Exodus has never been their music – it’s been that I’ve hated every vocalist they’ve ever had, including – sorry to speak ill of the dead – Paul Baloff and, yes, current front man Rob Dukes. And Dukes is in pretty short order on this e-card, so who knows what the finished product will be like. The cover art is pretty metal, though.

The Atrocity Exhibition… Exhibit A comes out October 23 on Nuclear Blast.

-AR