I’m going to put about as much effort into this introduction as the writers of The Artist put into that movie’s dialogue.

First up we have Anthrax’s new video, for “The Devil You Know.” The song is catchy as heckfire, but it’s really just a boring clip video, with a bunch of footage of shit the band did in the months since Worship Music has been released. The only thing even kinda interesting about it is that there’s a bunch of Yankees shit in there, which will make Vince mad. But it’s not even like he’s gonna get upset enough to burn all his ‘Thrax albums, so that’s no fun.

[UPDATE: Embeds have been disabled, so go watch the video here.]

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Last year Into Eternity announced that they were looking for a touring vocalist since their own singer, Stu Block, is gonna be busy with Iced Earth for awhile. And now Metal Injection tells me that they’ve found their touring vocalist, and it’s not at all the kind of person you’d expect. By which I mean, you’d probably expect them to hire a dude, since Stu Block is a dude. And yet, they have hired a lady: Amanda Kiernan, from a band called The Order of Chaos (see what they did there?).

So, yeah, that’s kind of unusual.

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Into Eternity — a band of which Vince and I are both huge fans — haven’t released an album since 2008′s The Incurable Tragedy, and a large chunk of the touring behind that release was done without guitarist/creative head honcho Tim Roth. They did release a pretty good single, “Sandstorm,” back in July, but concrete news of a new album has not been forthcoming. And then, somewhere along the way, vocalist/glass breaker Stu Block joined Iced Earth.

And now the band is looking for a touring vocalist to fill-in for Block:

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“The ’90s were a challenging decade for metal,” opens Loudwire writer Joe Robinson. You got that right! ’90s nostalgia hasn’t firmly set in for metal yet; Limp Bizkit’s new record tanked, less people are interested in Korn than ever, and some of the more credible ’90s acts from Europe never even stopped to take a drink of water. But that hasn’t stopped Loudwire from publishing a “Top 11 Metal Albums of the ’90s” list. For once, I think this topic is quite ripe for list-making given metal’s widespread unpopularity during the decade. Sure, decades themselves are artificial constructs with which musical trends don’t neatly align (hair metal was still huge in ’90 and ’91 and the true stuff was already filtering back in by the end), but they do provide convenient language for discourse, much like metal sub-genres aren’t always perfect but give us some kind of approximation of what a band sounds like.

Loudwire’s list is actually pretty solid; it’s hard to argue that any of these albums shouldn’t be included on a best-of-the-’90s metal list, and I love the inclusion of Alice in Chains and Tool. I could do without Korn’s debut, but I know it was important to a lot of people and it certainly left its mark on the metal landscape. I have a hard time believing Anthrax’s Persistence of Time would’ve appeared on this list had the band not just released a new album. The list completely omits European bands, and I think In Flames’ The Jester Race, Whoracle or Colony — any one of ‘em — deserve a nod for all the impact they had on metal to come. For that matter, how about At the Gates? Or Refused’s Shape of Punk to Come? And what ’90s metal list is complete without Nevermore or Iced Earth, two bands that essentially flied in the face of “cool” and held up giant middle fingers?

But whatevs… it’s a list, and therefore cannot be perfect. Go check it out here, then come back here with your arguin’ pants on and tell us what you think the comments.

-VN

Thanks: Andrew Robbins

No surprise, but Evanescence and Five Finger Death Punch nabbed the #1 and #2 spots on the Current Hard Music charts for the third week in a row. The rest of of the Top 10 isn’t much better; aside from Foo Fighters (#4) and Mastodon (#8), the lot is pretty disappointing. BUT, there were solid debuts from Carnifex, Russian Circles (!), Structures, Black Tusk, Junius and more. Those numbers after the jump.

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I am definitely one of those media people who Vince complains show Iced Earth no love. In all fairness to me, though, I can’t help how disinterested I am in that band; my brain literally will not allow them to make any impression on me. Case in point: I completely left their new video, “Dystopia,” out of this morning’s “Cinemetal Round-Up,” for no better reason than I just completely forgot to include them, despite having previously made a note to do so. It’s like I’m Peter Griffin and Iced Earth are Meg Griffin or something.

ANYWAY, I will now make it up to both Iced Earth and Vince by not only posting the video (and the song is actually good so sheesh I don’t know why I don’t love this band), but by posting news of an upcoming North American tour on which they’ll be co-headlining with Symphony X. I bet that bill will make a lot of people happy, even if I’ll probably completely forget about it ten seconds after completing this post.

I can’t post dates because the band has only included them on their website in a manner which makes cutting and pasting impossible, and I’m far too lazy to type them all out one-by-one. So just go here and look for yourself. Support will come from Warbringer, so, in all seriousness, this is a pretty solid line-up, no?

-AR

[via Metal Underground]

Today’s release of Iced Earth’s new album Dystopia is kind of a big deal. The band’s been around since the late ’80s and released their first album in 1991; since then they’ve released nine more full-lengths and they were one of the flag-wavers of true heavy metal when it was the farthest thing from cool throughout most of the ’90s and early ’00s. This is also their first album with new vocalist Stu Block (Into Eternity).

So why the fuck is no one talking about Dystopia? When Vic Vaughn included it in this morning’s weekly Shit That Comes Out Today column I actually had to check multiple websites to make sure that Dystopia was, in fact, coming out today. Other than this Revolver premiere of the album’s title track and Axl’s commentary on the album artwork I really haven’t seen anything about Dystopia at all. Iced Earth should be on the fucking cover of Revolver. Perhaps Jon Schaffer is too busy railing against the Federal Reserve to worry about press. Perhaps metal fans have moved on and just aren’t interested in the brand that Iced Earth are peddling… but man, if so, that’s a travesty.

Recognize and support true heavy metal. Recognize and support Iced Earth. Listen to “Dystopia” here; it’s big, it’s anthemic, and Stu Block sounds fantastic. Buy Dystopia.

-VN

New releases from Iced Earth, Insomnium, Electro Quarterstaff, Evile and Puscifer top this week’s list of new face-melters, while a b-sides / re-imaginings compilation from Cradle of Filth might actually be the week’s biggest new record. As usual, all of these are available at Amazon for less than you’ll find them at most other places. We take a look at the above releases and more after the jump:

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I frequent Tumblr every once in a while for the usual dose of cute cat antics and half-naked men. Occasionally, a hot metal (female) babe pops up on my feed. This in and of itself is not so surprising, since I actually follow Metal Babes. I have a delightful friend who is often posted there. Pictures on the Internet never stay contained though, and one particular image of her got passed around and garnered many, many notes. Mostly because she’s a pretty girl wearing a Lamb of God shirt, which automatically means she doesn’t really like the band, she’s just doing it for fashion.

Well, that’s just silly. Why would a pretty girl work to impress the most socially awkward of music fans? Yeah, stereotypes work both ways. However, it is kind of apparent that metal has become a fashion statement, and according to a recent piece on Metal Army, a really popular one.

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I was just talking with a friend earlier this week about how much I miss Howard Stern. See, I used to wake up to his voice each and every morning while we were living together before he left me for that bitch Beth Ostrosky before he made the move to satellite radio, which, to this day, I do not have. As it stands, it’s literally been years since I’ve heard Howard’s show.

And I miss Stern all the more now that I’ve gotten to listen to the interview he did with Lars Ulrich this past Tuesday. It’s a great interview, even if it requires you to ignore Stern’s over-appraisal of Ulrich’s drumming skills. (The funniest part of The New York Times‘ review of yesterday’s Big Four show: “Rhythmically, [Slayer] swung, unlike Metallica, whose rhythm often grew unstable and plodding.”] There’s lots of juicy gossip in here, including how Ulrich is self-taught (shocking!) and had to take drum lessons for six months in-between Kill ‘Em All and Ride the Lightning, how he stole Dave Mustaine’s woman, how his wife left him, and how Hetfield isn’t exactly a social animal. Bonus: the great Richard Christy (Charred Walls of the Damned, Death, Iced Earth) — a drummer with, like, a gajillion times more skill than Ulrich — even gets to chime in.

Here’s part one…

…and you can listen to the rest after the jump.

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The dictionary defines a dystopia as “a really fucking miserable place to live,” and, as you can see, the cover art for Iced Earth’s new album of that name is a wonderful depiction of just that kind of unhappy town. The people are being kept in pens, held captive by IE’s mascot, Set Abominae (which I believe is pseudo-Latin for “Not Eddie”), as well as a seemingly not-very-tall wall with barbed wire, large vines, and blimps. That’s how the Nazis kept the Jews from escaping the camps, it’s how the U.S. keeps prisoners at Guantanamo, and, most tragically of all, it’s how we’ve kept our staff from fleeing for cushier jobs at Hit Parader and Circus.

Century will release Dystopia on October 18.

-AR

“What the fuck is going on with Into Eternity?” seems to be a common question amongst metal fans these days, and with good reason. It’s been three years since the release of the band’s last album, The Incurable Tragedy; guitarist Tim Roth sat out a chunk of that album’s touring cycle, which seemed kinda odd given that he pretty much is the band; and just this past March, vocalist Stu Block was announced as the latest singer for Iced Earth. So you can’t exactly blame folks for thinking that Into Eternity’s future might be in question.

But apparently they’ve been working on new stuff! And will have a new single called “Sandstorm” out as soon as next month! There’s even a sample of that single available now! You can listen below! EXCLAMATION POINTS!!!

But wait — there’s more! After the jumps are some studio clips of the band recording this new single, including footage of Rob Doherty, a singer I’m not familiar with, laying down the death metal vocals for “Sandstorm.” Check it out:

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I’ve never really been an Iced Earth fan. Which is why, despite a ton of e-mails from Iced fans who were sad that Matt Barlow recently announced he is leaving the band for the second time (following their European tour this summer), I did not write anything about it. I had nothing to say. Sorry.

I am, however, a huge fan of Into Eternity. So I guess now that their singer, Stu Block, is the new front man for Iced Earth, I’ll have to start paying attention to both bands. Actually, the last time I saw Into Eternity live, they were opening for Iced Earth, so, yeah, this makes sense I suppose.

While Into Eternity just announced a new drummer last week, we still have no idea when the band will release another new album — it’s been three years since 2008′s The Incurable Tragedy. But I’m glad Block found a gig to occupy his time while Into Eternity guitarist/primary songwriter Tim Roth completes filming his lead role on the Fox series Lie to Me.

In case you’re not familiar with Block’s glass-breaking vocals, after the jump is the video for Into Eternity’s “Severe Emotional Distress.” You should really just know this song anyway, ’cause it rules.

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I don’t really like Sabaton, and I think this song, “Uprising,” stinks as a piece of music. But it’s hard for me not to appreciate this video, for the following reasons:

• I don’t think I’ve ever seen the Warsaw uprising portrayed in a metal video before, and I’m inclined to believe that I never will again.
• The band somehow got Peter Stormare from Fargo and Bad Boys II (and a million other movies) to play a Nazi officer. Stormare is Swedish, so maybe he’s friends with the band (everyone in Sweden knows everyone else in Sweden, right?), or maybe he just needed a free lunch. Either way, score for Sabaton.

Maybe the History Channel could start a metal program where they show this video along with some God Dethroned clips and maybe some Iced Earth or whatever. I’d watch that.

“Uprising” comes off of Sabaton’s latest, Coat of Arms, which is out now on Nuclear Blast.

-AR

Iced Earth guitarist Jon Schaffer is an interesting dude. As a founding member of Iced Earth he helped create one of the most enduring power-ish metal bands of the past 20 years. But that hasn’t stopped him from exploring other avenues, as his new solo project Sons of Liberty proves. Schaffer has devoted this project entirely to one cause: raising awareness about and rebelling against the Federal Reserve system that controls our world’s economy.

From what I can gather, Schaffer is trying to keep politics out of his argument. I have to admit, I know very little about the Federal Reserve system, its roots, its effects, its strengths and its weaknesses. But watching videos like the above has caused me to dive deeper into this issue — which undoubtedly affects every single one of us — and I think that’s Schaffer’s goal. I’m still not sure what I think; it’s a very complex issue with hundreds of years of back-story. But I’m enjoying learning about it. Musically speaking, Sons of Liberty are a bit heavier and more straight-forward than Iced Earth; if you’re perpetually turned off by IE’s power leanings, don’t dismiss this music without first giving it a shot.

Sons of Liberty, which sees Schaffer handling all guitar and vocal duties, self-released their debut album Brush-Fires of the Mind in late 2009. That album has subsequently been picked up by Century Media who will re-release the album worldwide on July 13th. You can download the opening track “Jeckyll Island” for free below.

Sons of Liberty – “Jeckyll Island”

-VN

If all Richard Christy ever did was play drums on Death’s phenomenal final album The Sound of Perseverance, it would be enough to secure his place in heavy metal Valhalla. That death metal classic gained so much from Christy’s nuanced performance that it’s almost criminal that he isn’t mentioned alongside your Lombardos, Reinerts and Dailors as one of the most creative drummers in extreme music. But you won’t find Christy complaining about lack of recognition, especially since he’s been so busy in the decade since Death’s demise. To fill in the gaps between his film directing and acting gigs (Christy played a Ku Klux Klansman in Harold and Kumar Go To Guantanamo), Christy has drummed for Iced Earth, Incantation, Acheron and Demons and Wizards. Of course that was all before he began his tenure as the resident prank caller on The Howard Stern Show. In fact, the only thing missing on Christy’s CV is a successful musical project of his own. That’s all looking to change with the forthcoming debut album by Charred Walls of the Damned, his new metal band with the ridiculous lineup of guitarist Jason Suecof (member of Capharnaum; producer/mixer for The Black Dahlia Murder/Trivium/All That Remains), bass god Steve DiGiorgio (Sadus/Death/Autopsy) and caterwauling vocalist Tim “Ripper” Owens (Judas Priest/Iced Earth). Christy took some time to yak with MetalSucks about his many career paths and the truly bizarre genesis of that band name.

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Many of you here know that I hate just about all of your crappy music. But I obviously have my roots. Here, I wish to go into great detail about my intense infatuation with the greatest guitarist ever. Some of you started with Iron Maiden, Metallica, or Black Sabbath. I started with the best metal band ever—Iced Earth. Iced Earth formed as Purgatory in the late 80s, and in the early 90s, changed their name and released their self-titled debut. As a lonely 12 year old with no hope in this cruel world, Jon Schaffer and his amazing band were my glimmer of light. Their debut album is at the very least an intense experience of both the mind and soul, and as a young, self-conscious lad, this album spoke to me in an infinite amount of ways. The masterful and creative guitarwork by Schaffer here set the foundation for all creative and progressive music that would ever be made. Each riff is impeccably and meticulously written, yet never overstays it’s welcome, soon transitioning into yet another riff of equal beauty.

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Allow me to begin by stating unequivocally that I am a Matt Barlow fan. I know there are plenty of Iced Earth devotees out there who were (rightfully) upset by Tim “Ripper” Owens’ unceremonious dismissal and felt he was a stronger vocalist for this act as they moved onward after Barlow, who struggling with his allegiances earlier this decade involving his love of Country, dropped out to take up law enforcement. But Barlow is family (he’s married to guitarist Jon Schaffer’s sister) and, I believe, he’s the more dynamic singer. His emotive wail often resembles Fates Warning’s Ray Alder. His subdued baritone comes close to Queensrÿche’s Geoff Tate. He can also reach the searing, Halfordesque heights Owens is known for though he tends to use them more sparingly. And then he has that snarling growl which is entirely his own. Beyond that he’s much more of a performer who falls into and maintains a character the way an actor might. I don’t dislike “Ripper” Owens but he doesn’t seem to embody the people about whom or situations about which he’s intoning quite as well as Barlow. Also, in a live setting he doesn’t really possess the energy one might want out of a frontman. He has an amazing voice that served the last couple Iced Earth releases well but I’m more a fan of the band’s earlier output, such as ’95′s Burnt Offerings and ’96′s The Dark Saga.

Enough with the diplomacy, though. You’re either going to dismiss this review based on my own stated preference or you’re going to hang in there with me for a spell. The Crucible of Man: Something Wicked Part 2 ends up a vital return for Barlow that, while it may fall short of Iced Earth’s classic material ends up more satisfying than its Part 1 predecessor.

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I hereby promise this will be the last of an unprecedented run of three posts about Yngwie Malmsteen within the past week; but unscrupulously ousted ex-Iced Earth singer Tim “Ripper” Owens has been tapped to front the band of the fur-coat-wearing, orchestra-conducting King of shred, Yngwie himself. After being ditched by Iced Earth late in 2007 in favor of original singer Matt Barlow at a point when the band seemed poised for a great comeback run, Owens was left down and out. Keep in mind this is the same dude who recorded and toured with his favorite metal band of all time, only to have his life bastardized and turned into a really shitty movie — AND be fired when that lead singer, some dude named Rob Halford, wanted to come back to his old band too. So needless to say, the dude deserved a break.

And he’s gotten it. While a gig with Yngwie may not be as cool as the Anthrax gig Axl suggested, it’s certainly something. No word yet on whether fur coats will become part of Owens’ repertoire.

-VN

At the risk of sounding condescending to a dude who got to fulfill his childhood dream of recording and touring with his favorite metal band of all time and had his life bastardized and turned into a really shitty movie starring an Oscar nominee and a sitcom star, I gotta say: I feel really bad for Tim “Ripper” Owens.

I mean, things seemed to be going so well for Iced Earth: their latest album, Framing Armageddon: Something Wicked was getting rave reviews, it was selling surprisingly well, and while the video for the lead single, “Ten Thousand Strong,” is just about the silliest, cheapest piece of dung I’ve ever seen (see below), Headbanger’s Ball showed it at least three weeks in a row, which is really all the success you can wish for for a metal video these days.

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