MetalSucks

It’s raining in New York today. AGAIN. At least it’s warm; it’s been fucking rainy and cold for all of June (seriously… hoodie weather in June??). I feel like I’ve been cheated out of an entire month of summer. Fuck the world.

Here’s what happened this week:

• More arguing ensued over our 21 Best Metal Albums of the 21st Century… So Far list. You bitched and moaned to the tune of 444 comments (and counting) about the #11 pick of Deftones’ White Pony — just as you did last week with the debatably metal Tool (#12) and System of a Down (#14) picks — and then when we finally announced more trve/cvlt/br00tal albums you approved of (#10 Opeth, #9 Gojira, and #8 In Flames), comments were few and far between by comparison. You people are fucking morons. Especially Ziltoid.
• Rumors flew about the resuscitation of Headbanger’s Ball in 2010 with Jose Mangin as the host.
• More shit-talking between the two sparring Fear Factory camps provided us with endless amusement. We wondered aloud whether or not FF should be considered nu-metal.
• Shinedown’s Brent Smith claimed to have insider knowledge of a Soundgarden reunion, to which Axl — and possibly but not definitely Soundgarden’s own Ben Shepherd — took offense.
• We spoke with Scott Kelly of Neurosis and Vinnie Fucking Paul.

We out. Stay tuned in a couple of hours for our #7 Best Metal Album of the 21st Century… So Far. I’ll be at tomorrow night’s Black Anvil show at the new Duff’s location in Brooklyn if anyone wants to come out and hang. See you next week for more shenanigans!

SPECIAL GUEST BLOGGER D.X. FERRIS, AUTHOR OF 33 1/13: SLAYER’S REIGN IN BLOOD

We recently polled a wide array of musicians, managers, publicists, label reps, and writers from within the world of metal to find out what they thought the 21 Best Metal Albums of the 21st Century So Far have been. Eligible albums were released between January 1, 2000 and  April 1, 2009. Each panelist turned in a ballot, with their #1 album worth 21 points, their #2 album worth 20 points, and so on and so forth. The ballots are now in and we’ll be counting down one album a day until we reach #1. Today we present the #9 album, coming in with a total of 166 points…

Gojira, From Mars to Sirius (Listenable/Prosthetic, 2005)
Joe Duplantier – Vocals/Guitars
Christian Andreu – Guitars
Jean-Michel Labadie – Bass
Mario Duplantier – Drums
Produced by Joe Duplantier

In modern metal, water is the new fire. Mastodon, Isis, Gojira. Especially Gojira. Who knew that environmental concerns could be metal as fuck? Sure, Kreator, C.O.C., and others grazed on some eco-friendly themes back in the day. But these four French dudes make a full meal of it. And it’s not feel-good hippie shit. In Gojira’s threatened world, nature’s green is splattered with red blood. Metal is best when it’s elemental. From Mars to Sirius is a concept album that – if I follow correctly – relates an interplanetary quest to resurrect a dead planet. We’re talking life, death, and rebirth on a grand scale.
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When I read that Repulsion, Pig Destroyer and Brutal Truth are all playing a show together at the Brooklyn Masonic Temple on July 31, my head literally exploded. I don’t mean “literally” the way some people misuse that word; I mean I am actually typing this right now sans melon. Pretty crazy, I know.

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… Metal Injection has three decent-quality live videos of the band performing in Springfield, VA on May 1st. The videos don’t *quite* capture the dick-hardening rush of actually being at the best show we’ve seen all year, but they come damn close. Here’s a clip of both “Oroborus” and “The Heaviest Matter In The Universe,” the first two songs of their set; go here and here for two more full songs from Metal Injection.

-VN

It’s Friday, and it’s nice out. I’ma go have a whiskey. Booze and drugs make you look cool and get lots of pussy… it’s true.

Here’s what happened this week that made us batty enough to turn to the dark side:

• We got sick of metal bands doing ironic pop cover songs just in time for a metal band to do another terrible pop cover song.
• We spoke with Barney Greenway of Napalm Death, Chris Arp of Psyopus and Karl Sanders of Nile.
• We were Gay for Gojira and Crazy for The Chariot.
• The Devil Wears Prada: way too popular.
• We looked at new records from Black Math Horseman, Agoraphobic Nosebleed, as well as a new track from Suicide Silence and a new track from Dream Theater.
• xAxlRosenbergx got all anti-straight edge on your asses.

See you next week. Don’t get too stoned tomorrow with yer Uncle Kip.

-VN

To celebrate the release of their new record Wars and Rumors of Wars this past Tuesday, The Chariot have pulled a Trent Reznor and gone above and beyond; of the initial run of 25,000 CD copies, the band have hand-stamped, hand-signed and hand-numbered each and every one. A little extra something to get the fans excited, to know that the CD you’re holding was personally assembled by the band is pretty fucking cool, especially when it’s 25-fucking-THOUSAND copies we’re talking about, not just a limited run of 500 or something. Watch the video of the band putting them all together, above!

Axl and I saw the Chariot open for Gojira this past Wednesday, and — life-changing experience that was Gojira’s performance aside — The Chariot fucking killed it. Going in with a completely open slate and not knowing what to expect, I was mightily impressed by the fury, fervor and reckless abandon with which the band approaches their live shows. Think about what you’re getting into when you go see Dillinger Escape Plan, and you’ll have a rough idea of what it’s like to see The Chariot. That’s a compliment.

-VN

[Thanks: Fueled by Adam]

I love Gojira. I love them the way Mel Gibson loved that lady he killed all those people for in Braveheart. I love them the way Mel Gibson loved that lady he killed all those people for in Lethal Weapon 2. I love them the way Mel Gibson loved that lady he killed all those people for in Mad Max. I love them the way Mel Gibson loved the son he killed all those people for in The Patriot. I love Gojira the way Mel Gibson hates the Jews.

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New Jersey progressive death metallers The Binary Code have released a new song, “Suspension of Disbelief,” and I could not be more in awe (as if I wasn’t already). The new song, which comes from the band’s debut full-length to be released later this year, is the band’s most progressive, intricate, brutal and genre-challenging work to date. If the following bands mean anything to you, you owe it yourself to check out the new song: Gojira, Between the Buried and Me, Textures, Decapitated.

Once you’re through having your mind blown by the new song, you’ll need to see this band live; the young gents who comprise The Binary Code are some of the most next-level players I’ve seen anywhere, and will absolutely rip your fucking face off as your jaw drops to the floor in disbelief. The band has some upcoming dates around the Northeast with Tiger Flowers, culminating in a May 15th show at Brooklyn’s Trash Bar with recent Roadrunner-signees Mutiny Within and MetalSucks-faves Hung. Full dates are on their MySpace page. Get ready!

-VN

I’ve been dying to see Gojira do a full headlining set for a long time now, but said desire increased a hundred fold after I watched them pretty much blow In Flames off the stage back in December. Seriously: anyone who says the French are weaklings has never seen this band live. Because they will crush you. Crush your balls.

So. Looks like I’ll get my chance to see Gojira play for at least an hour this spring, when they’re doing a headlining trek with The Chariot and Car Bomb as support. I’m honestly not that familiar with The Chariot’s music, but I do know that Norma Jean started their descent into being the world’s most boring band after Josh Scogin left the fold; and Car Bomb are the tits. And even if you don’t like either of those bands, well, have I mention that FUCKING GOJIRA WILL CRUSH YOUR FUCKING BALLS?!?

Tour dates after the jumperooni.

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If 2008 was the year of Gojira, then 2009 will most certainly be the year every new band looking for some traction starts saying they sound like Gojira. Especially bands from France. Take recent Metal Blade-signees END. (all capitals, followed by a period. not to be confused with The End, the Tool soundalikes from Canada, or The End Records, based right here in New York). A press release announcing the signing informs us that “Much like fellow homeland heroes Gojira, END. pull off a signature sound that can immediately be picked up by the metal critics.”  Sheesh, I guess they have my number!

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Next week the U.S. gets a new President, thank fucking God, and Relapse Records is celebrating by issuing a 7″ box set of their This Comp Kills Fascists compilation. How fucking awesome is that? Until then, here’s what we’ll mull over during the long weekend (MLK day in the U.S.):

• Would you like to suck my cock, Berzerker? Or would you just like to look at some bloody titties, Berzerker?
• Lamb of God announce most awesomest tour ever with As I Lay Dying (meh), Children of Bodom, God Forbid and Municipal Waste, while Killswitch Engage, Chimaira and Lacuna Coil will be worth the ticket price as long as we leave before Disturbed goes on.
• Best soundboard ever. (Hint: fun with David Lee Roth sound bites)
• Bring Me The Hair Irons Horizon continued being boring.
• We spoke with Gojira’s Joe Duplantier and Animosity’s Leo Miller.
• Behemoth’s Nergal showed his face, while this dude just buried his in a bunch of watermelons.

I don’t think this needs much of an intro. Gojira’s The Way of All Flesh topped Vince’s and Kip’s and my own top ten of ‘08 lists and appeared on almost every other MetalSucks contributor’s list as well. And the band’s new, animated, Jossie Malis directed video, for the “All the Tears,” is just awesome. Check it out below…

-AR

This coming Monday the entire MetalSucks staff will each release Top 10 lists for the entire year in metal of 2008. Get psyched! Things have been slowing down here at the MS Mansion as the holidays approach, but we still found ways to keep it fun this week:

• Axl Rose finally did some press to support Chinese Democracy… but as usual, there’s an asterisk.
• We debuted a new, exclusive Daath track — a medley of Cannibal Corpse, Morbid Angel and Dying Fetus covers.
• We interviewed members of Clutch, Bison B.C., Dir En Grey, and Fear Factory / Arkaea.
• Job For a Cowboy’s Jonny Davy blogged about urination and hotel trashing, while Darkest Hour’s Mike Schleibaum’s guest blog claimed that Entombed’s Uprising and Morning Star are two of the most underrated albums of all time. Oh, and The Haunted’s Peter Dolving blogged about sleep.
• Gojira’s Joe Duplantier orders you to stop the killing of baby seals but apparently has no problem with ripping New York City a new arsehole.
• Meshuggah + Cynic + The Faceless = The Erection Tour of 2009.
• The metal industry lost a kindred soul. R.I.P. Adrian Bromley.

I feel bad for anyone who hasn’t seen Gojira live. This band is inhuman. I seriously have no fucking idea how they do what they do. Fuck, we watched them blow In Flames off the stage on Sunday night, and we fucking love In Flames. That’s how fucking good Gojira are live.

ANYWAY, a few hours before said destruction of In Flames, Vince and I got to interview Gojira guitarist/vocalist Joe Duplantier, who is such a nice fucking guy that he actually made me hate myself a little for being such a prick. Duplantier had a lot of really interesting things to say, and we’ll publish the interview as soon as the MetalSucks Mansion Monkeys finish transcribing it (Yes, we’ve trained monkeys to understand English and to type.). But after the interview, Duplantier – who, as you probably no, is an avid environmentalist – asked us if we could mention something about an environmental group called Sea Shepherd, who are devoted to the protection of the world’s whale population.

Here’s what Duplantier wrote about the group on Gojira’s MySpace blog:

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From the event listings in this week’s issue of The L Magazine:

Now obviously this was written by someone who is anti-metal, or at least extremely un-metal — for those of you not “in the know”, Vampire Weekend is a super-buzzy indie-rock band from NYC that recently blew up (pretty sure one of their tunes is in some boppy commercial or another) — but for realz, it’s like comparing apples n oranges…the fact that a self-respecting journalistic rag could make reference to a metal show but describe under a clearly “indie” lens seems to miss the point of having show listings in the first place.

I am not only offended as a fan of aggressive music (duh), but also as a music lover and show-goer of all different genres. If I were genuinely curious about this show (and rest assured, I already have a ticket, natch), a description such as this wouldn’t help in the least.

Word to the un-wise, L Magazine: Gojira’s new album is among the best of the year, and perhaps you ought to employ a “metal” aficionado that can accurately report on “earsplitting” shows/albums. The truly hep kids know how cool and “cool” metal is, especially in our current musical climate. You also might wanna stop pretending to be anything more than a softie one-dimensional ‘zine.

After the jump, a much more reputable (and diverse) NYC publication’s blurb on the same show…

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2008 has been a fucking great year for metal, and in due time — Monday, Dec. 15, to be exact — Axl, myself and the rest of the writers of MetalSucks will all release our Top 10 year-end lists so you can incessantly argue over which great album was left off or tell us we’re assholes for ranking a certain album higher than it should’ve been.

But for now, ya’ll can argue about something else: here’s my personal short/working list for said year-end list containing all of my favorite metal releases from this year as well as a few that aren’t likely to make my own list but will surely be appearing on others’. Feel free to pipe in with your thoughts or to notify us of any egregious omissions before we put together our final, ordered lists. Regardless, it is going to be really fucking hard to pick just 10 of these and put them in order of awesomeness.

And, my favorite metal records of 2008 in no particular order are…

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Metal… Politics… Environmentalism… Spiritualism… Unnhh unnhhh…

… ahhhhhh.

-VN

[via HardTimes.ca]

(See also: Axl’s review of The Way of All Flesh and the video for “Vacuity.”)

My man-crush on Gojira’s Joe Duplantier just got even larger. Not only is the man largely responsible for one of the best records of the year, but Duplantier continues to prove himself an all-around good dude,  responsible citizen of planet earth and flag-waver of humanity. The man’s environmentalist sentiments are pretty well known and have been covered in this space before, but in a recent guest blog for Headbanger’s Blog, the level-headed Duplantier comes off sounding like the Dalai Lama:

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Things are heating up in the U.S. presidential race, and everyone from Vince to Axl to Dallas to the Blogronaut expressed their opinions; naturally you all got fired up too. But even politics as usual couldn’t stop the flow of happenings this week in the world of metal:

• Dallas apologized. Woah.
• Best Buy claims Chinese Democracy is finally coming out, but we’re skeptical. No word yet from Axl Rose.
• We debuted a new Early Man track and spoke with singer/guitarist Mike Conte, while Nathan Ells of the Human Abstract spilled the beans on just about everything.
• Testament was deemed one of the Top 40 greatest thrash bands of all time.
• We loved new albums from Gojira and Psycroptic. You loved arguing about them even more, especially the former. Meanwhile, new releases from Unearth and Cradle of Filth proved controversial.
• Protest the Hero’s van broke down; they danced.
• AC/DC’s Brian Johnson proved himself old and out of touch, but that didn’t stop us from asking for freebies to see his band live.

We out. See you Monday.

Do you know how to say “brutal” in French? Brutal. True story. Six years of French. Suck it, bitches.

ANYWAY, The Way of All Flesh may not be the most br00tal album of the year, but it’s certainly the most vicious. L’album le plus méchant de l’anée. Hooky but heavy, proggy but not pretentious, and French but not froggy, The Way of All Flesh instantly jumps ahead of this year’s melodic death metal pack.

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