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Where the hell does the time go? The year is more than half over already! Sheesh.
ANYWAY, here are, in alphabetical order, albums that have really knocked my socks off so far this year…
Coheed & Cambria skinsman Chris Pennie has taken some time out of his day to record a quick video segment with us in which he shares the metal albums he’s currently spinning. Without spilling the beans so you don’t have to click that play button, we’ll just say this: he’s got awesome taste in metal! No surprise, given the guy played drums for The Dillinger Escape Plan for an entire decade.
Catch Coheed & Cambria on the peanut-butter-and-jelly-like combination tour with Heaven & Hell starting this Friday. Full list of dates after the jump.
While Anthrax, Testament, Heaven and Hell and motherfucking Motorhead are among the most anticipated bands that metal pilgrims are converging on western Germany to see, it would appear that my favored people, those crafty Norwegians, also have a few things planned for the mayhem. While Enslaved will be appearing (and hopefully represented on a good stage, because you know they fucking deserve it) some others are teaming up with foreigners in combinations that are hard to ignore.
Let’s cut right to the quick: Noise Creep is streaming “Bible Black,” the new single from the artists formerly known as Black Sabbath . It comes off their new album, The Devil You Know, and I really don’t have much to say about it, other than it rocks every bit as much as I hoped it would. Listen to it now and see if you agree.
The Devil You Know drops April 28.
-AR
Look: I don’t want to play into any kind of imaginary, percevied rivalry between Ozzy Osbourne and Dio-Sabbath Heaven and Hell. They are two separate entities. There’s no reason one has to be “better” than the other. Who cares, right? I mean, all parties involved are getting older and closer to death, which means that people will kinda naturally start to talk about their legacies, but so what if Ozzy’s next big project is some terrible sub-This is Howie Do It variety show on Fox while Black Sabbath are making what I’m 99.9% sure is going to be an album so rocking you’ll have no choice but to rape the neighbors’ cat? I mean, it’s totally irrelevant to the conversation, right?
Anyway, here’s the album cover for H+H Music Factory’s The Devil You Know. Yes, that giant eyeless demon appears to be holding someone who was not only crucified but stuck with hundrerds of additional nails. Yes, somewhere Kerry King and Larry Carroll are pissed they didn’t think of it, first.
The Devil You Know will be released on April 28. A first single, “Bible Black,” should be coming soon.
-AR
The short version: this is an excellent mash-up someone made of Ozzy and Dio singing “War Pigs” as a duet. There’s not much I can say about it, other than as the rare person who holds Ozzy-era Sabbath and Dio-era Sabbath in equal regard, I find it lotsa fun.
Thanks to MetalSucks Maniac Adam Meyers for sending us the link!
-AR
(Rolling Stone ballot filled out by James Hetfield of Metallica.)
I just finished reading the latest issue of Rolling Stone (#1066/11.27.08) which has a cover story entitled “The 100 Greatest Singers of All Time.” Not surprisingly, the metal contingent representation is dismal. Oh sure, they tapped several genre luminaries to place their votes including Ian Astbury, Sebastian Bach, Alice Cooper, Chris Cornell, Ronnie James Dio, Sammy Hagar, James Hetfield, Tony Iommi, Maynard James Keenan, Geddy Lee, Peter Mensch (Q Prime Mgmt – Metallica, Queensryche), Ozzy Osbourne, Iggy Pop, and Scott Weiland, but what about the actual list? How many metalheads (or at least “rockers”) made the final cut?
Here are the pathetic results:
[MetalSucks contributor, resident old fart and best-selling author Corey Mitchell recently attended the San Antonio stop of this summer's Metal Masters tour featuring Judas Priest, Heaven and Hell, Motorhead and Testament. Before the show he caught up with Testament wunkerkind guitarist Alex Skolnick and asked him questions about the band's formation, the steps leading to their reunion, his work with his own jazz trio and his experience being in New York when the twin towers fell on September 11th. Read Corey's review of the show and of course check out his interview with Skolnick after the jump.]
Being a metal master isn’t easy; that skullet certainly doesn’t take care of itself. That’s why we decided to track down Ronnie James Dio* of Heaven and Hell to find out the secrets behind rocking metal’s most metal hair-do, the almighty skullet. Ronnie was kind enough to share his tips and tricks behind his luscious locks with other aspiring skulleteers for the benefit of metal and mankind.
The biggest metal tour of 2008 rolled through San Antonio at the Verizon Wireless this past Sunday with Testament, Motorhead, Heaven and Hell, and Judas Priest in tow. It was Heavy Metal Parking Lot come to life, only with several more “special” parking spaces for the decidedly older crowd.
The title track from the new Judas Priet album, Nostradamas, is available for free download from the widget below. You can also pre-order the album in a variety of super-deluxe packages.
Now, personally, I was left feeling a little cold by Angel of Retibution. Maybe that’s just ’cause my expectations were too high, I dunno. But this song kicks some serious ass, if you ask me. I got chills the second that intro started, and I am now seriously stoked to hear the whole album.
Download the song and debate amongst yourselves. As you’ve probably heard by now, Priest will spend their summer touring with Heaven and Hell, Motorhead and Testament, which has to be one of the hottest tickets of the year.
-AR
Billboard.com [via SMNnews.com] is reporting that Judas Priest will release their 16th studio album Nostradamus on June 17th in North America (a day earlier internationally) via Epic Records.
Yes, folks… a NEW JUDAS PRIEST RECORD!
Supposedly the record will be a conceptual piece about the 16th century prophet Michel de Nostredame (aka Nostradamus). An announcement that the band will tour the U.S. this summer with Heaven and Hell and Motorhead is imminent.
Sounds pretty awesome, yeah? Well… I can’t decide.
Maiden records of late haven’t been too much to talk about (save 2000’s spectacular comeback Brave New World), so what reason do we have to believe a new Priest record will be great? Don’t get me wrong, I certainly hope it will be. But I fear it could be just another Priest record that sounds like… just another Priest record.
Your thoughts?
-VN
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-AR