It’s almost the weekend, so it’s time to get tr00ly, tr00ly evil with this shit — like, black metal tr00ly evil. And who’s more tr00 — or evil — than Mayhem?

The band is currently in the midst of a North American headlining run with Keep of Kalessin, Hate, and Abigail Williams (tour dates here). MetalSucks’ own Alyssa Lorenzon attended the tour’s recent stop at the Trocadero, and, HAIL SATAN!, she captured some truly shadowy, scary shit. See all of her awesome photos after the jump!

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Everyone remembers Bob Larson, right? He’s the evangelical radio personality that Glenn Benton used to prank phone call?

Well, that dude somehow got Mayhem bassist Necrobutcher (né Jørn Stubberud) to agree to be the victim beneficiary of an exorcism on Norwegian television, and that footage is now available for your viewing pleasure. Check it out below; it starts around the 22 minute mark. And, yes, it is highly, highly entertaining, in no small part because Larson is a humorless, self-righteous prick, and Necrobutcher is… well, he’s also pretty humorless, but the difference is that he’s, y’know, right.

In case you somehow forgot, Mayhem are headlining tonight’s Metal Suckfest pre-game at the Gramercy Theatre here in NYC; the show also features Keep of Kalessin, Hate, Abigail Williams, and Woe. Tickets are still available! Come see some awesome black metal, hang out with us, and let kick off the weekend’s festivities early. We’ll see ya there!

-AR

[via Metal Insider]

Mayhem are one of black metal’s most infamous and legendary bands, but it’s been a hot minute since they toured North America — in fact, I believe the last time they were here, they even had a different line-up.

In any case, they’re returning this fall to fuck your shit up, and they’re bringing Keep of Kalessin, Hate, Abigail Williams, and Woe with ‘em. Regular readers of this site know I’m not so sweet on Abby Will, but otherwise, this is a solid line-up — I’m especially excited about the inclusion of Keep of Kalessin, who I haven’t yet had the opportunity to check out live, but I hear are awesome.

Here are dates, courtesy Lambgoat:

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As various Interhole metal outlets start trotting out their “best of” lists for 2010 we’re also sure to see a smattering of “under-appreciated album” posts to go with them. You’re gonna have to wait until December 16th to get trolled by Sergeant D and the rest of the MS staff’s full “best of” lists but until then I plan on giving you a sampling of what’s in store for my own list by sharing a few of what, in my opinion, are some under-appreciated gems of ought-ten.

Norway’s Keep of Kalessin created ripples with 2008′s Kolossus and with this year’s Reptilian I’d say they upgraded to waves, though their influence and stature within the worldwide metal community hasn’t quite made it to tsunami status yet as far too many people don’t know about this phenomenal band. I knew Reptilian was going to be a crusher from the very first notes of it that I heard; this is intricate, technical black metal (!) that doesn’t get bogged down by bad production or many of the genres other tropes (i.e. corpse paint). Keep of Kalessin are only too willing to push the boundaries of black metal, and with Reptilian they’ve elevated their game to a whole new level of progressive energy.

-VN

According to reports by SMN and other various metal sites across the web, Pathology, who are currently part of the MetalSucks-sponsored Nile headlining tour (along with Ex Deo, Psycroptic, and Keep of Kalessin), ”have been involved in a serious bus crash.” No further details are available at this time.

This is obviously horrible news… hopefully everyone is okay. We’re sending out good thoughts for the dudes in Pathology.

More info as we get it.

-AR

For a hot minute my friend and I contemplated inviting Karl Sanders on our big trip to Egypt this past February. It had come to our attention that Nile’s guitarist had never been to the country all of his songs are about, and wouldn’t it be badass to take him around? But then we reconsidered; assuming he would ever even accept an invitation from us buffoons, what if we ruined Egypt for him? What if the mighty Karl Sanders was underwhelmed by the knowledge and ambition of us peons? Would we be embarrassed to jam Nile songs on our headphones whilst staring at the pyramids in awe? What if he got annoyed with our constant farting? Please Mr. Sanders, spare us for we must pass peacefully to the underworld! No, better not to take the risk; Mr. Sanders, you’ll have to make it to Egypt on your own time.

Nile have a new video for “Permitting the Noble Dead to Descend to the Underworld” which we’re premiering exclusively for you all below. They are about to embark on their second MetalSucks-sponsored U.S. tour in support of their recent album Those Whom the Gods Detest — with the incredibly awesome support bands Ex Deo, Psycroptic and Keep of Kalessin in tow — starting on Halloween. Get dates here. In the meantime, watch this video and ponder how we can get Karl Sanders a plane ticket to Egypt; think of the awesome music that would follow.

[this streaming promotion has ended]

If you missed Nile earlier this year on the MetalSucks-sponsored Those Whom the Gods Detest Tour, this fall is your chance to get your fix of Egyptian-themed death metal. MetalSucks is proud to once again bring you a Nile tour, but this time around Karl Sanders and co. will be hitting cities they didn’t visit on their first go-round. And it’s a sweet deal too, ’cause in addition to Nile you’ll also get to see Maurizio Iocono’s Roman-themed Ex Deo, a rare U.S. appearance by Tasmanian tech-deathsters Psycroptic, Norwegian epic black metal maestros Keep of Kalessin and Sergeant D-approved slam deathsters Pathology.

Dates after the jump.

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A few hours ago authorities evacuated Times Square for the second time in a week after someone found a “suspicious cooler” on the street. Of course, everyone was just being overly cautious, but as long as it doesn’t infringe on my civil rights, there’s nothing necessarily wrong with that. I think Vince was in Michigan when 9/11 went down, but I was here, and if I never see another tank rolling down my street again or run all over the city because there’s no cell service and I need to make sure that all of my friends and family are still alive, well, I’ll be good.

While I nurse my PTSD, here are some happier, metalier things that happened this week:

• We’re streaming Keep of Kalessin’s new album, Reptilian. We also debuted new music by Lamb of God and The Funeral Pyre.
• We also also also debuted new videos by Soulfly and Cancer Bats.
• We also also also also debuted our new cooking show, Cooking Contaminated.
• Cynic’s Paul Masvidal discussed the shape of silence, Periphery’s Bulb taught you how to get that “big” studio tone, As I Lay Dying’s Nick Hipa had some questions about L O S T, Matt from Rumpelstiltskin Grinder fondly recalled Maryland Deathfest, and Batillus bassist Willi Stabenau gave us a studio update.
• We talked to Darkest Hour’s Mike Schleibaum, Reign Supreme’s Jay Pepito,  Jackyl’s Jesse James Dupree, and unveiled part one of our massive two-part interview with Buzz Osborne.
• We checked out the latest release by The Howling Wind.
• Does the fact that Mike Portnoy is touring with Avenged Sevenfold make you wanna see ‘em?
• We don’t want Joey Belladonna to return to Anthrax. Seriously.
• Sergeant D. wants to know if u mosh 4 Christ???
• Damnocracy’s Evan Seinfeld and his porno Howdy Doody also do bar mitzvahs.
• We wish there was really such a thing as a Slayer burrito.

Next week brings even more betterer br00tal goodness – interviews, debuts, guest blogs, all that shit. It’s gonna get real up in this bitch. See ya then.

-AR

I know I’ve been hyping Keep of Kalessin’s new album Reptilian ever since it was announced in January. And though my hype was based somewhat on the strength of the two advance songs from Reptilian that have been released to the world over the past few months, it was also largely based on the fact that I really liked their last album Kolossus and believed this band possessed something great inside of them that would work its way out with time.

And now that I’ve heard all of Reptilian I can say with 100% confidence that I was absolutely right; this band is fucking fantastic, and they’ve grown leaps and bounds since Kollosus (which was really good itself). Reptilian is a step up in every way: the songs are better, the arrangements and composition more intricate, the production crisper, the performance tighter. All it took was a taste of album-opener “Dragon Iconography” and I was already sold, but this album keeps delivering and delivering and delivering, song after song after song.

2010 is still young, but Reptilian is definitely making a case for inclusion on my year-end list. The album officially comes out on Monday, May 10th in Europe and not until June 8th in the U.S… but since the Internet exists, we’re streaming the whole thing for all the world to hear for an entire week, starting right now. Get to it.

-VN

[this promotion has ended]

November seems like an eternity from now given that April is almost over but it’s still blustery and cold outside, but when you’re a foreign band trying to tour the U.S. it’s never too early to book a tour; just ask any of the countless bands who’ve been denied entry to the U.S. because they couldn’t get their visa papers together in time. So although it’s more than 6 months away, Egypt-themed (but U.S. born) death metallers Nile — who recently wrapped up their MetalSucks sponsored Those Whom the Gods Detest Tour — have announced a Fall U.S. tour with Ex Deo, Psycroptic and Keep of Kalessin in tow. That’s a damn solid lineup, and at this early juncture I proclaim it the best Fall tour to be announced so far!

Nile are Nile, and I’ve actually never seen ‘em live; I look forward to getting pummeled live by the soundtrack that guided my camel journey to the Pyramids of Giza. I dig Maurizio Iacono’s Roman-themed Ex Deo project a whole lot more than I do his main squeeze Kataklysm, and ever since seeing the beyond-epic music video for “Romulus” I’ve wanted to see the band play live. Psycroptic are one of my absolute favoritest tech-death bands; their 2008 release Ob(servant) was one of my favorites of the year, and since they’re from Tasmania it’s rare for them to visit the U.S. And I’ve already waxed ecstatic about Keep of Kalessin enough in recent months for you all to know that I’d be stoked to see them live, especially since last time they reminded me of a troupe of Legolas look-a-likes.

Tour dates for the Those Whom the Gods Detest Tour II after the jump.

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2010 is shaping up to be a great year for black metal; Ludicra’s fantastic The Tenant and Burzum’s comeback album Belus (love Varg or hate him) have already impressed and ex-Emperor frontman Ihsahn released a stellar new solo album in After (which admittedly isn’t very black metal at all). Much-hyped new releases from Nachtmsytium and Keep of Kalessin are on the way, Krallice are keeping busy on the road, and then there’s this: a rousing new track by New York City newcomers Castevet.

Castevet are new to me, although they released a 7″ in 2009; thanks to the gents at Crustcake for putting me onto them, both in person (thanks Gerf) and on the blog. Like Crustcake, new song “Grey Matter” has piqued my interest in new album Mounds of Ash, recorded by Krallice’s Colin Marston and scheduled to see the darkness of night on May 25th. The Marston matching is definitely a good fit; like Krallice, Castevet bring a certain amount of technicality to the table that isn’t usually present in black metal and mix it with blackened psychedelia. Maybe we’re witnessing the birth of progressive black metal first hand.

Check out “Grey Matter” below, courtesy of the band’s label Profound Lore.

Castevet – “Grey Matter”

-VN

Anyone else as excited about Keep of Kalessin’s new album as I am? Their 2008 album Kolossus was one of my favorite black metal-ish records of the year, close to Nachtmystium’s Assassins: Black Meddle Part 1 and Enslaved’s Vertebrae; it was the most traditionally black metal sounding of the three, but it too had flecks of psychedelia and progressive experimentation. The album wasn’t without faults but was a really solid record that showcased the unique brand of black metal the band had to offer.

Two years later Keep of Kalessin are back with new album Reptilian, having gained a lot of notoriety since then both via word-of-mouth and through the Eurovision competition earlier this year. Their new song “The Dragontower” took them surprisingly far in the Eurovision competition; that song’s been streaming at Keep of Kalessin’s MySpace page since then, and the band has just posted another new song from Reptilian called “The Awakening.” It’s an ambitious 8+ minute epic — counter to the 3-minute pop structure of “The Dragontower” — which hopefully hints at what this album’s going to offer.

Reptilian comes out on May 10th in Europe via Indie Recordings and June 8th in the U.S. via Nuclear Blast. Stay tuned to MetalSucks for a full album stream soon.

-VN

2008 was something of a banner year for psychedelic black metal. The obvious breakthrough was Nachtmystium’s Pink Floyd-worship piece Assassins: Black Meddle, Pt. 1, the reverberations of which are still being felt with a slew of decade-best list inclusions. Norway’s Enslaved also released the very excellent Vertebrae in 2008, continuing the band’s progression from traditional black metal into psychedelia and landing the album a slew of “best of” nods for the year as well. Keep of Kalessin, a lesser known band from Norway, also made waves ripples in 2008 with their Nuclear Blast release Kolossus, another excellent record. Kolossus was neither overlooked or overhyped — it got precisely the amount of attention it deserved, garnering attention in all the right places and allowing the band to grow, develop and spread their worldwide reach organically.

Here we are in 2010. Nachtmystium are reportedly working on Black Meddle Part 2, tentatively due for release this Spring. No word from Enslaved yet, but one can only hope. And according to Blabbermouth Keep of Kalessin are working on a new album called Reptilian tentatively due in “early 2010″ to which my reaction is yes yes yes yes YES!! It’s unclear whether they’ve finished recording the album yet, but they’ve at least finished one song, “The Dragontower,” for inclusion in the Eurovision contest Melodi Grand Prix. “The Dragontower” has more of a black n’ roll flavor than anything from Kolossus, and at only 3 minutes it’s also shorter, both qualities I’d attribute to the nature of the contest they’re entering (Bmouth tells us that the full, 5-minute version of the song will appear on Reptilian). If Rage Against the Machine can beat out UK pop in sales, maybe an extreme metal band can win a national TV competition in Norway? Stranger things have happened.

Stream the shortened version of “The Dragontower” below. We’ll keep you apprised of further developments related to Reptilian and try not to blatantly gush.

-VN

When news of Ex Deo, the new band featuring Kataklysm’s Maurizio Iacono, first began to bubble this winter, I yawned. I’ve always thought of Kataklysm as a solid, serviceable but not especially interesting group, so the prospect of a side-project of a band I’m not especially into in the first place wasn’t all that appealing. But now that new tracks from the Ex Deo debut Romulus are starting to surface I’m being forced to reconsider.

This shit is epic!

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More often than not we’re making of fun of black metal on MetalSucks, but that’s because black metal this good don’t come ’round these parts too often. Ya see, when a press release came across my e-desk announcing that Swedish black metallers Rimfrost had signed with Season of Mist Records I just had to click through the link to listen, if only because pretty much everything Season of Mist has released in the past year has been top fucking notch (see: Cynic + all of these bands). Since that fateful click-through decision I’ve literally been listening to the 5 songs Rimfrost have on their MySpace page on repeat all week.

Without getting too involved in micro-genre labeling or band comparisons, Rimfrost’s sound can be described thusly: they’d make fine touring partners with Enslaved, Keep of Kalessin and Nachtmystium. Do with that information what you will; ridiculous photo and sub-zero butt-hole-licking band name aside, Rimfrost are really fucking good.

-VN

[Rimfrost on MySpace]

Is it too early to get excited about a tour that doesn’t even kick off ’til May? Not when the tour is Enslaved, Keep of Kalessin and Swallow the Sun. Truth be told, I’m not as familiar with KOK (say it aloud for a cheap giggle) as I oughta be, but Vince has been raving about them to me for months, and Enslaved and Swallow the Sun are both awesome. So, consider this the first tour of ’09 that I’m already stoked about.

Complete itinerary after the jump, or, as the French call it, le jump:

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Monday was a crazy night for metal in the city, with no less than 4 awesome shows happening simultaneously. Yours truly chose to attend the most eccentric, with Keep of Kalessin, Eluveitie and Dying Fetus opening for metal stalwarts Kataklysm.

The night’s biggest calling card for me was Norway’s Keep of Kalessin; their recent release Kolossus is a fierce slab of fast, psychedelic black metal, an album I’ve jammed several times and really, really like.

For anyone not familiar with Keep of Kalessin, I would describe them thusly: four dudes that look like a goth version of Legolas from Lord of the Rings — on heroin — playing passionate, fast, psychedelic black metal. The following description would also be accurate: Enslaved on an 8-ball of cocaine.

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It always happens this way; you wait and wait and wait for a band you love to come around, and when they finally do they’re playing at the same time as that other band you’ve waited and waited and waited for. So it is tonight in NYC, FOUR-fold. So if you’ve still got an open card for the evening, check out at least one of these awesome shows, and if you’re ambitious and have deep pockets lined with cab money, check out all four! It’s a great night to be a metal fan in NYC, with headliners Wetnurse, Origin, Amorphis and Kataklysm sitting atop 4 totally well-rounded and deep tour bills.

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You know those annoying stickers that Victory Records puts on CD covers that invite fans of really cool bands to check out a really shitty band by proclaiming similarities even though none exist? Think of this article as one of those, minus the sticker, CD, and shitty bands, and with some actual relevancy thrown in.

Nachtmystium have been receiving gobs of praise from the metal press (and with good reason) for their excellent release Assassins: Black Meddle Pt. 1, but Trondheim, Norway’s Keep of Kalessin are doing amazingly progressive things with the oftentimes staid black metal genre equally as well as their stateside brethren. The band has actually been around since 1993 and put out 5 albums before their most recent release Kolossus, which hit stores last month.

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