Grayceon’s Jackie Perez Gratz auditions for the new Whitesnake video.

I’d be super curious to see Grayceon live; as Cosmo Lee points out at Invisible Oranges, since the trio consists of a cellist/vocalist (Jackie Perez Gratz, who’s also a member of Giant Squid, and played on Agalloch’s Marrow of the Spirit), a guitarist, and a drummer (Max Doyle and Zack Farwell, respectively), so “Two-thirds of the band performs sitting down.” That might make for a low energy show when compared to the live act of most metal bands, who thrive on getting physical, physical on stage.

But if any band can pull it off, it’s probably Grayceon. Their new album, All We Destroy, was our own Satan Rosenbloom’s pick for 2011′s edition of “Albums That Will Fuck Your Face Off,” and that dude has good taste.

Now you can preview the album for yourself: the aforementioned Invisible Oranges is streaming the track “A Road Less Traveled.”

Click to read more…

Well, the line-up for this year’s New England Metal & Hardcore Festival — one of the oldest and most revered extreme music fests in the U.S. — has been announced, and it’s… interesting. The fest returns to a three-day format after being only two days last year, but if I’m not mistaken, this is the first time that the initial day will be a Thursday, not a Friday. And as reader Brian Kessler pointed out to us via e-mail, there are two noteworthy aspects to the lineup:

• It seems like metal and hardcore have been further segregated on the bill — Thursday appears to be almost entirely dedicated to deathcore and crabcore bands, Friday seems to be entirely devoted to hardcore bands, and Saturday is dominated by metal bands. There are pros and cons to this approach — the pro being that if you’re only a fan of one particular style of extreme music, you can cherry pick which day you’re going to attend, and the con being that new fans are less likely to be exposed to bands with whom they were not already familiar.
• There seem to be fewer “big name” acts. Sure, Hatebreed and Biohazard are on there, but that’s still a far cry from years’ past. In fact, plenty of big name who have new albums scheduled to come out this year — like Amon Amarth, DevilDriver, Arch Enemy, In Flames, and Children of Bodom — aren’t playing the fest.

Please note that I’m not knocking the fest — in fact, I think Saturday, April 16 is full of killer bands — and I don’t think every fest needs to be headlined by a band of Megadeth’s stature. I just think this particular line-up is… interesting.

Anyway, here’s the full bill:

Click to read more…

Well, the line-up for this year’s New England Metal & Hardcore Festival — one of the oldest and most revered extreme music fests in the U.S. — has been announced, and it’s… interesting. The fest returns to a three-day format after being only two days last year, but if I’m not mistaken, this is the first time that the initial day will be a Thursday, not a Friday. And as reader Brian Kessler pointed out to us via e-mail, there are two noteworthy aspects to the lineup:

• It seems like metal and hardcore have been further segregated on the bill — Thursday appears to be almost entirely dedicated to deathcore and crabcore bands, Friday seems to be entirely devoted to hardcore bands, and Saturday is dominated by metal bands. There are pros and cons to this approach — the pro being that if you’re only a fan of one particular style of extreme music, you can cherry pick which day you’re going to attend, and the con being that new fans are less likely to be exposed to bands with whom they were not already familiar.
• There seem to be fewer “big name” acts. Sure, Hatebreed and Biohazard are on there, but that’s still a far cry from years’ past. In fact, plenty of big name who have new albums scheduled to come out this year — like Amon Amarth, DevilDriver, Arch Enemy, In Flames, and Children of Bodom — aren’t playing the fest.

Please note that I’m not knocking the fest — in fact, I think Saturday, April 16 is full of killer bands — and I don’t think every fest needs to be headlined by a band of Megadeth’s stature. I just think this particular line-up is… interesting.

Anyway, here’s the full bill:

Click to read more…

IT’S HERE! IT’S FINALLY HERE!!! Volume 1 of NYC Sucks, the completely free comp we’ve compiled to spotlight some of the best metal bands currently dominating the New York metal scene. This volume features fourteen songs by as many bands, who run the gamut of genres, from death to tech to prog to grind to black to hardcore to doom and more. We truly feel that this is a great sampling of all that New York’s thriving metal scene has to offer, and we’re beyond proud to be sharing it with you — absolutely, 100% free of charge.

You can stream, or, better yet, just download the comp below. It contains high-quality 320kbps MP3s, and as well as a PDF of digital liner notes with information about all the bands. Please help get the word out… send the comp to your friends, put it up on torrent sites, submit it to .rar Mediafire blogs… just spread the friggin’ music by any means necessary!

And don’t forget that Volume 2, featuring thirteen more great bands and songs, will be out on February 22nd!!!

—> DOWNLOAD NYC SUCKS VOLUME 1 HERE <—
(includes 320kbps MP3 files, Album Cover, PDF Liner Notes)

1. East of the Wall, “The Ladder”
2. Made out of Babies, “Invisible Ink”
3. Tiger Flowers, “Cuts”
4. Black Anvil, “The Evil of All Roots”
5. Naam, “Frosted Tread”
6. Batillus, “The Children of the Night Make Their Music”
7. Meek is Murder, “Sundowners” (demo)
8. The Binary Code, “Encircled”
9. Castevet, “Stones”
10. Hung, “Desert of Sad”
11. Wizardry, “The Falconer”
12. Pyrrhon, “King of All Tears”
13. Mutant Supremacy, “Epitaph”
14. Incendiary, “Victory in Defeat”

I only vaguely remember Yellowcard, which is to say I remember that there was a terrible band called “Yellowcard,” but I don’t remember their music/hit song/whatever. I was about to look it up on YouTube, but then I decided to just slam my nuts in the door and call it even.

ANYWAY, I mention them now ’cause the MetalSucks Maniac known as “MetalRod” sent us a link to the below video of Yellowcard trying to get a wall of death going. I say “trying” because even though they do get everyone to run around and stuff, the crowd doesn’t part more than about two feet away from one another before the charge begins. So they probably ran into each other with the force of cotton falling on other cotton.

Even funnier, though, is the Yellowcard dudes’ instructions to the crowd. I’ve never seen such a timid demand for a wall of death (and they never use the phrase “wall of death,” I guess because it might scare their fans). And, needless to say, this music in no way, shape, or form calls for a wall of death, or moshing of any kind. In fact, I’d say the only band whose music is moshable even though they have a violinist is Hung. In fact, let’s just go ahead and make that rule, okay?

-AR

I’m really digging this Australian band Ne Obliviscaris today. They combine Pacific Northwest-style black metal with what I can best describe as classical (not classic) metal. If you don’t immediately know what I mean by classical metal then this music probably isn’t for you, but if you’re a music nerd like I am and you enjoy complex arrangements and orchestrations that evoke the work of some of the best composers Classical period composers to grace the earth, I highly recommend you give Ne Obliviscaris a shot. I especially like the bass and violin work in the second half of the 12-minute long epic “Tapestry;” that section really reminds me of the excellent NYC band Hung…. and if you don’t know about those guys you’re doing yourself a severe disservice.

-VN

Thanks: Mike Petrasek

Friendly reminder: our own Vince Neilstein will be DJing “Heavy Metal Happy Hour” this Friday the 13th at The Arrow Bar in Manhattan (Ave A and 5th St., downstairs). All drinks are 2-for-the-price-of-1 from 6pm-9pm, and Vince will be spinning the best of 2009′s metal offerings. At least for the first two hours, after which he’ll surely break down and start playing Ratt and Skid Row. Come on down and get your drink on, and since your inhibitions will be lowered feel free to tell Vince how much his taste in metal sucks.

Afterwards, there are THREE killer metal shows taking place in NYC. There’s the Krallice/Liturgy joint at Union Pool. Hung are headlining a bill that also includes Ikillya and Devil to Pay at Ace of Clubs. Hecate and The Austerity Program are performing with Rise of Because, Theologian, Chaos Majik and Statiqbloom at S.I.R. studios as part of the two-day Apex Fest III. Yowza! So many choices. But Heavy Metal Happy Hour with Vince is the obvious choice for your early evening activity!

Gwynbleidd are another one of New York City’s best kept metal secrets (see also: Wizardry, The Binary Code, Hung). Though the bandmembers all originally hail from Poland and Brooklyn is the base of their current operations, their sound most recalls that of a 3rd country, Sweden, particularly the epic peaks, valleys and landscapes conjured by Opeth.

Any time a local band gets a national shot I can’t help but feel a sense of pride, especially a band as good and deserving as these guys. Gwynbleidd will get their shot October 27th when BlackCurrant Music releases their full-length album Nostalgia. The band has posted a full track from Nostalgia on their MySpace page for your enjoyment, so go and give it a shot. You’ll surely be hearing more about this band in the near future.

-VN

… is the metal show going down at Trash Bar in Brooklyn. The two absolute best young NYC-area metal bands — progressive death metal masters The Binary Code and neo-classical death shredders Hung, both of whom you’ve read about on these here Interwebs pages many times — will be performing, which in itself is worthy of the super-low ticket price of $7. If that’s not enough, you also get to see the latest Roadrunner Records’ signees Mutiny Within in a small venue before they blow the fuck up; last we saw these dudes they completely tore shit up live. AND, if you get there at 8pm there’s an hour-long open bar of PBR and well drinks. Yours truly and Axl will both be there too if you wanna come down and get silly with us. Hey, beer’s cheap in Williamsburg, all the more reason to come to this show so you don’t have to buy us expensive drinks in the swanky confines of Manhattan!

The show starts at 8pm SHARP with Jesus Knevil opening and Turrigenous closing the bill. The Binary Code are on at 8:45pm, and trust me… you do NOT want to miss these modern-day virtuosos.

See you there.

-VN

Congrats to “tyler09,” the winner of last week’s photo caption contest. Tyler will receive a vinyl copy of Pack of Wolves’ Betrayer for coming up with this gem of a caption to the photo at right, which was actually the very first comment posted:

“Lil Jon…meet Lil Jonathan Davis”

This week we’re giving away some very special prizes: five signed copies of Progeny, the excellent debut album from Hung, one of New York City’s absolute best unsigned bands. Alls ya gotta do is come up with a funny caption for the below photo which is actually a picture of two of the members of Hung — but don’t worry, they can take your cheapshots, so let ‘em fly!

To say that Hung is back and better than ever would be an understatement. After nearly 10 months without a drummer, the New York progressive metal outfit absolutely killed it at the Ace of Clubs in downtown Manhattan Friday night. New drummer David Mieloch fit right in with the band, offering a level of precision and stage-presence never before seen on the Hung drum throne, and the result was a completely riveting set that had the usually tame Manhattan audience in an absolute frenzy. Levels of rockingness and audience excitement this high are rarely seen in New York, let alone at a show of a “local” band. Record labels ought to start paying attention; this band is the fucking real deal.

Click to read more…

Progeny, the first proper release from New York City’s Hung, is one of the more musically complex CDs I’ve heard in some time. This is always surprising coming from a local band but shouldn’t be seeing as that band is Hung, a band we’ve followed and written about on MetalSucks from time to time. Following in the tradition of European influenced prog-metal, Hung’s take is both fresh and well-done. With a non-traditional, almost classical approach to song structure and arrangement, Hung — though they still have some growing to do — are one of the most interesting and promising bands in the New York City metal scene.

Click to read more…

This is exactly why I love blogs like Invisible Oranges (and Aversionline) — they dredge up bands from the deep, deep underground that I would never in a million years find on my own. Like Brooklyn’s Ambient Death in my own back yard, a band that mixes classic metal guitars with progressive song arrangements and a melodic sense gleaned from ’90s European death metal. In fact, they remind me a whole lot of another band from the area, the very excellent Hung about whom we’ve written before on these pages.

Ambient Death – “Manhunt”

Check out some more of the bands material on their MySpace page. Hopefully they’ll schedule some live dates soon.

-VN