Every Time I Die have parted ways with bassist Josh Newton, making him the forty-seventh bassist to ever hold that particular position in that particular band. (I’m exaggerating, of course… but not by much.) Based on statements from both Newton (“Thanks to all the ETID dudes and all who cared. ’twas fun. ch-ch-ch-changes…”) and the band (“The last 3 weeks have been the most grueling tour we’ve ever done and we have cherished every second. Rock In Peace, Josh Newton, we love you.”), the split appears to be amicable, which is always nice.

And, not to be insensitive or disrespectful, but it’s hard to imagine the loss of Newton will have any negative effect on the band’s sound; after all, the dude didn’t even join ETID ’til 2007, and only recorded one album, 2009′s New Junk Aesthetic, with them. (The band is scheduled to release a new offering next year, but it’s not presently clear if Newton had already recorded any parts for that offering, and, if he did, if those parts will remain on the final product or will ultimately be scrapped.) Every band has its core members who are ultimately the most important contributors, and in the case of Every Time I Die, that core — vocalist Keith Buckley and guitarists Jordan Buckley and Andy Williams — remains intact. So I don’t think ETID fans should be freaking out or anything.

I am curious to see whether or not Newton remains in The Damned Things, the supergroup which features other members of ETID, as well as personnel from Anthrax and Fall Out Boy. That band has something like eighteen guitar players, but at least as of now, Newton is their only bassist.

-AR

[via Lambgoat]

Okay so I think Fall Out Boy is pretty lame, but Every Time I Die is anything but, and this is for a very good cause, so I think we should all just make like the Germans and the British at Christmas in 1914 and play nice for the sake of making the world a better place.

Last year Every Time I Die guitarist Jordan Buckley did an original pen and ink drawing (above) that was used to create the 20′ x 20′ backdrop for Fall Out Boy’s summer tour; now Buckley is auctioning off the orignal illustration and donating 100% of the proceeds to Toys for Tots, a terrific charity that, in case the name doesn’t make it clear, collects new toys and then donates said toys as Christmas gifts for needy kids. To make it even more special, the drawing is framed and autographed by Mr. Fall Out Boy himself, Pete Wentz — and if the winner would like, it can be signed by the rest of the band as well.

So like I said, this is for a great cause, and even if, like me, you’re not a Fall Out Boy fan, well, it’s an awesome drawing and it doesn’t even say “Fall Out Boy” on it! You can just ignore Wentz’s signature and appreciate it as a piece of art. The important thing is that you’ll be giving money to a great charity.

You can get more details and bid on the drawing here. If you can’t afford the price of the art (which is understandably hefty), you can learn more about Toys for Tots and other ways you can donate/help here. And if all you really want is to see more awesome art by Jordan Buckley, you can do that here.

-AR

As one of the chief riff providers for swaggercore titans Every Time I Die, Andy Williams takes pride in making the discordant into catchy. For a perfect example of this, look no further than the band’s latest (MetalSucks-approved) album, New Junk Aesthetic. Distilling the band’s decade-plus essence into a tight half hour, it’s a satisfying mix of thunderous heaviness and easily the most appealing material the band have put to tape. But while he’s often overshadowed by vocalist Keith Buckley’s relentless wiseassery, it’s his and Jordan Buckley’s Skynard-by-way-of-Dillinger-Escape-Plan guitar work that make the band stand out and ultimately worthwhile.

A self-described “chatty Cathy,” Andy Williams was remarkably frank and refreshingly earnest in a recent interview with MetalSucks on the eve of the release of New Junk Aesthetic. Among other things, he discussed why he can listen to the new album and none of the band’s other material, his thoughts on the new Converge record, the changing landscape of the scene he came up in, and life over at ETID’s new label, Epitaph.

Click to read more…

Those that felt underwhelmed by Every Time I Die’s The Big Dirty (a company of which this writer is a part) need not worry – New Junk Aesthetic, their new album, has the energy, texture, and savagery the prior record lacked. And this isn’t to say The Big Dirty was a massive, St. Anger-style failure; it was just an alright album in the company of the splendid Southern-fried rock of Gutter Phenomenon or their debut, the up-there-with-Jane Doe lost metalcore classic Last Night in Town. And when viewed in retrospect, Big Dirty appears to be the band’s “growth” record: where they fumbled around, sounding somewhat bored and uninspired (though admittedly still pretty entertaining), perhaps even unsure of what to do next. New Junk Aesthetic is a band completely comfortable with itself, and pushing different boundaries because of that. Vocalist Keith Buckley belts out ridiculously catchy vocals hooks with his same refreshingly smarmy lyrical approach, while guitarists Andy Williams and Jordan Buckley tone down their Southern riff attack to eschew the risk of sounding like a novelty. The album finds the band at its most likable while occasionally incorporating a riff that wouldn’t sound out of place on their debut. If you liked Every Time I Die before, you’ll probably find reasons on this record to like them more. Click to read more…