Seems like there’s been a spate of significant band signings over the last week in the world of metal. Despite all the industry’s woes, it’s good to know that labels are still investing in bands. But that begs the question… what kind of deals are these bands getting? Do their deals have advances? Do they include merch? Do they include mandatory monthly ass-fuckings? Inquiring minds would like to know.

After the jump let’s take a look at the new label homes of Chimaira, A Life Once Lost, Demolisher, Funeral for a Friend and Mercenary, and how those new relationships might work out.

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Last night Axl and I (along with Good Fight Entertainment via the Internet drones at YouSendIt) shared the following email exchange upon both being sent The Chariot’s new Long Player Long Live:

Good Fight via YouSendIt: “This link is good for 1 download of The Chariot – Long Live. the link will be active for 48 hours. please download asap. thanks!”

Vince [to Axl]: “Holy shit. This RIPS.”

Axl: “I DLed it but still need to listen.”

Axl [20 minutes later]: “Wow. I think this dude must have been single handedly responsible for how awesome those old Norma Jean albums were. Either that, or he and the band had a SERIOUS divergence in artistic intent.

Obviously it’s a little of both; it’s clear now what Josh Scogin’s influence was in Norma Jean, as both bands’ post-2003 output has been a testament to that. I rather enjoyed what I heard of Norma Jean’s recent release Meridional, but Long Live is a completely different ballgame; these two bands are so different in 2010 that they barely even justify being discussed together anymore.

So let’s not mention the N[J] word for a minute and just focus on the C word. While The Chariot’s prior endeavors have all been really heavy and have all been really good, Long Live takes things to the next level.

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There is something wrong with a world in which a generic Christian-core / haircut-core / breakdown-core band can sell more records first week than a truly talented group like Chimaira. Apparently The Devil Wears Prada’s new album With Roots Above and Branches Below is on pace to sell between 25k and 30k first-week and a press release tells us the band is #2 on iTunes. Can I get a rousing round of “What the fuck???” from the MetalSucks Haterati??

WHAT THE FUCK?!?!?

Chew on that as you sip your morning coffee and contemplate where the fuck you went wrong in life.

-VN