So this normally where we write some fairly meaningless bullshit as an intro to our weekly recap, but reader Sean Williams sent us a link to the below video update from one Mr. Devin Townsend, and we really can’t think of a better way to kick-off the weekend. As Sean put it, “Deconstruction AND Ghost as a double record? Holy fucking shit!” And it gets “Holy shittier” when we get to hear a little bit of new music…

Here are some other fun things that happened at MetalSucks this week:

• We debuted Joe Satriani’s first Black Swans and Wormhole Wizards webisode and new music by Sweet Cobra.
• Gwar’s Oderus Urungus answered more of your idiotic questions, The Red Chord’s Greg Weeks got unnecessarily rough, Daath’s Eyal Levi pondered the meaning of sacrifice, and Rumpelstiltskin Grinder’s Shawn Riley taught us how to make delicious hot wings.
• We spoke to producer/engineer/mixer extraordinaire Mark Lewis, The Contortionist’s Jon Carpenter, and Shred Sean from Blessed by a Broken Heart.
• We checked out new releases from Dawnbringer and Merkaba.
• We helped A Day to Remember struggle with young adulthood.
• We gave Jason Newsted a shoulder to cry on.
• We got excited that Byzantine are making a new record.
• The kid of the dude from the E-Street Band is out of Madball.
• We’ve decided that when we die, we want our ashes to be pressed into vinyl.
• Can you please help us find Elote 5?

Until Monday… don’t get alcohol poisoning…

-AR

Some months back, upon learning that Madball had recruited Jay Weinberg (a.k.a. the son of E Street Band member Max Weinberg) as their new drummer, I kept my mouth shut while others in the metal and hardcore community latched on to the novelty of it. I saw his inclusion in the band as somewhat negligible, considering the NYHC act’s long tenure. Founder/frontman Freddy Cricien, longtime bassist Hoya Roc, and guitarist Mitts have honed the band’s metallic hardcore sound, and no drummer — no matter what his pedigree — was going to dramatically impact Madball. Apparently though, Weinberg hasn’t been a great fit with the respect-centric act and, according to a press release, his membership has been revoked — in the middle of a Canadian tour, no less!

In the words of Freddy Cricien himself:

“I’m letting Jay go in Canada because I just feel he doesn’t represent this band well on a character level. It would go against my own code of ethics to keep him around. Not saying he’s a bad drummer. I won’t take that away from him. But the reality is – he has a lot to learn about paying dues, and about life in general. Granted, he is a kid, but I’m not sure that he’ll ever be built for this particular lifestyle. I wish him the best of luck, but the MADBALL machine rolls on!”

Click to read more…

Madball are my Motorhead. Having released a fair share of classic, genre-defining albums, they don’t have to prove shit to anyone anymore. They don’t have to reinvent their sound or jump on bandwagons. Their metallic strain of the NYHC sound has made them a legacy act worth revering, and the albums they’ve released this century so far prove that that the quartet haven’t softened with age or via lineup changes.

So, no, I’m not surprised by the consistency and emboldened aggression of their latest song “R.A.H.C.” Short for “Real American Hardcore”, the track comes from their forthcoming album Empire. The lyrics are pretty fucking great, with the first verse dripping with sarcasm about those who bash/dismiss/disregard the hardcore community and the second curbstomping those same haters into submission. It’s fucking tough-as-nails, and you can hear it at the band’s MySpace page.

Click to read more…

What’s up everyone! In celebration of the new KINGDOM OF SORROW album coming out today, MetalSucks have been nice enough to let me takeover their site! I figured I’d better make the reading interesting and at least cause some discussion, so here goes, this is probably the longest run on sentence you’ll ever read, haha, enjoy!

Since we’re well into 2010. I figured I’d start my blog with my top ten “most listened to” metal and hardcore albums of the last decade, and the top ten albums I hope to enjoy this decade!!! It’s not a top ten “best of” the decade or anything like that, it’s just what I’ve listened to the most while on the road, at home, in the gym, in the office or in my car. Keep in mind that the criteria for these albums to make this list was that they were released between 2000 and 2010, that is all.

The top 10 records I’m “most hopeful & excited for” are more like a wish list. It will be cool to see some of that stuff happen!

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Last month when Madball frontman Freddy let slip some of the bands playing this year’s Black N Blue Bowl, it was clear that the highly anticipated New York hardcore event was going to be awesome. BNB Productions subsequently confirmed that Cro-Mags, Madball, Skarhead, Wisdom in Chains, and Trapped Under Ice would all play the May 15th event at Webster Hall (formerly The Ritz, a legendary New York City venue), but as per the flyer above a few more solid acts have been added, including H2O (who blew me away at their show a couple months ago) and Cruel Hand. But perhaps the biggest surprise was that long-dormant hardcore act Yuppicide will reunite at the BNB Bowl for their first show in twelve years. Vocalist Jesse Jones, who years ago dismissed the idea of a reunion, has “eaten his words.”

After 12 years of silence we’ve decided to take a trip down memory lane and play some shows. We’re planning on a few East Coast locations, and a short trip to Europe (tentatively in October). Pete couldn’t join us on drums due to family commitments, so Gringo Star from The Muggs and Caught in a Trap is ferociously learning the set for the next show.

Click to read more…

The organizers behind New York’s annual Black N Blue Bowl / Superbowl of Hardcore have been steadfastly tight-lipped about the lineup at this year’s event. Though apparently something this big can’t stay hidden very long, as Madball frontman Freddy Cricien let a few names slip at a a recent concert in Poughkeepsie, NY–and subsequently that tasty bit of hardcore intel was confirmed.

Thanks Freddy!

Click to read more…

Earlier this week, the organizers behind Virginia’s annual United Blood festival announced a preliminary list of the bands scheduled to perform at its fourth installment, which runs once again at Alleykatz in Richmond from March 26th through the 27th. For lovers of hardcore young and old, the lineup should seem damn impressive.

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Our friend Dan Rodriguez at Metal Insider tells us that, according to WBIR-TV, ten people were arrested yesterday at the Knoxville stop of 10 for $10 tour, which offers – duh – ten hardcore bands (including Poison the Well and Madball) for the low low price of ten bucks. The charges range from disorderly conduct to inciting a riot; apparently, a fight broke out, and when the venue’s security guards attempted to intervene, even the fucking band jumped in to give them what-fo’.

But here’s the best part: the fight broke out at 3:30 pm… just as the first band on the bill was taking the stage. So that’s ten dollars well spent.

Click to read more…