Happy July 4th, everyone. Axl and I are closing down the MetalSucks Mansion a day early to get off of this swampy, hot, over-crowded island…. so this is it for us until next Monday. Enjoy your time-off; for our international readers, well… revel in the fact that you get *way* more days off than we lame Americans do throughout the whole year! Anyway, here’s what happened this week:

• Motley Crue and Shinedown had big sales debuts, while Disturbed and Kid Rock kept it going strong.
• The Human Abstract debuted more killer new music.
• We interviewed the brains behind one of our favorite albums of 2008 so far.
• David Draiman insists on having the last word in the ongoing Disturbed vs. Dillinger Escape Plan drama.
• The new Slipknot masks look kinda like the old Slipknot masks, but we like their new song.
• We asked what you thought of Straight Line Stitch; you answered loud and clear.

Cheers, everyone. Enjoy your time off.

-VN

Maybe the CD isn’t a dying format after all. Actually, fuck that, the CD is definitely in its death throes. But at least for one week the inevitable has been delayed, and some rock records actually moved serious tonnage. Motley Crue and Shinedown both debuted in the Top 10, Disturbed continued their inevitable march towards gold (and then platinum) at #9, and Kid Rock continued his rampage back up the charts to reach #12. Some abbreviated Soundscan numbers and positions after the jump:

Click to read more…

Today is the longest day of the year. Why are you sitting there reading this summary of the meaningless events that took place in the metal world this week? Go outside, asshole.

• Nine supposedly mixed and mastered Guns N’ Roses tracks from the 14-years in the making Chinese Democracy leaked. Sites posted, lawyers threatened to sue, more sites posted, lawyers threatened to sue.
• Kid Rock released a “PSA” telling all of his fans “I’m Rich!” and to steal his music… check that, to steal everything.
• A new Slipknot track leaks and then they decide to “release” it for “free.” Me smells a conspiracy, but smart business.
• Dallas writes an open letter to Light This City; Lambgoat members write an open letter to Dallas.
• MetalSucks readers declare new Judas Priest record Nostradamus a big fat “meh.”
• Mastodon play three new songs at Bonnaroo which are captured on film but promptly removed from the Internet (though we’re sure you can find ‘em if you have a brain).
• Metallica did nothing of note.

Until next time, this is Vince Neilstein saying “until next time.”

-VN

To say that Vince and I aren’t Kid Rock fans probably ranks with statements like “Vince and I aren’t Limp Bizkit fans” or “Vince and I aren’t Disturbed fans” in terms of its level of “Well duh”-ness. I once heard some jackass on VH1 says that “Bawitdaba” or whatever the fuck it was called “Sounds like rock re-entering the building,” but to me is always sounded more like dignity taking a nose-dive off the roof.

All of that being said, Kid Rock’s statements in a recent interview with the BBC actually make him sound less like a a rap metal redneck and more like Trent Reznor. When asked why his music isn’t readily available on iTunes, Rock said that “the internet was an opportunity for everyone to be treated fairly, for the consumer to get a fair price, for the artist to be paid fairly, for the record companies to make some money,” but that iTunes stuck to an “old system” whereby everyone gets paid… save for the artist.

Click to read more…