I haven’t really been on board with Lamb of God actively since As the Palaces Burn. I’ve kept up with them, but after a few spins (especially with their last two albums), I’ve been disinterested. The familiar Lamb of God sound is there, but the appeal isn’t. It’s not bad music, just sort of… existent. And for a band often hailed as one of the torchbearers of modern metal, that’s not enough. True, they aren’t the same scrappy bunch of Southern longhairs that made the weird, dark groove metal of New American Gospel – nor should they be — but for me, that didn’t excuse reasonably inoffensive metal on cruise control. But after a while, I recognized that it could simply be me and my relationship with LoG fandom, and chocked it up to a “no offense, but this isn’t for me anymore” frame of mind.

Regularly, here is where I would say, “But Lamb of God’s latest, Resolution, restores my faith in their ability to slay motherfuckers like a hybrid of Ted Bundy and Genghis Kahn,” or something less caffeinated and hackneyed. But I’m stopping short of that, because there’s still that slickness Lamb of God added around the time of Ashes of the Wake that doesn’t sit well with me. That being said, this is the first album where I feel like they’re comfortable in their role as a well-funded major label act. Sure, the production is slick, and there are a few bizarro-radio singles here, but more importantly, the music sticks while still being thoroughly Lamb of God. The songwriting may be a little more streamlined, but there’s also more underneath it than there had been as of late. Perhaps Resolution is not the bridge upon which old and new LoG fans can high-five eachother — if such a thing is even in the cards — but a little more of a warm welcome than I’ve come to expect from them.

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While we continue to wait for that Killcorpse Murder project with Adam D., Corpsegrinder, and Shannon Lucas to get off the ground, here’s another newly-teased supergroup to get you all hot under the collar.

Noisecreep noticed on Friday afternoon that DevilDriver vocalist Dez Fafara and Lamb of God guitarist Mark Morton announced — via their respective Twitter accounts, natch — that they were collaborating on “a bunch of KILLER tunes,” with Circus of Power, Soundgarden, and Trouble being cited as influences. And, uh, I really have no idea what that would sound like. I hear the aural relationship between Trouble and Soundgarden, but Circus of Power is where I get thrown for a loop.

ANYWAY, on Saturday The PRP strung together a bunch more of Fafara’s tweets, which seek to clarify/update the news:

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I was inspired to put some thoughts down after reading Sergeant D.’s post about what a terrible decision it is to commit yourself to the band life at a young age, because eventually the wheels will fall off and you’ll end up just like some morose version of the Anvil story: Sad, old, broke, and disillusioned by shattered dreams of rock stardom.  I know his blog was supposed to be funny and sarcastic, and was even sprinkled with a hint of sour grapes: Not getting to be that “cool band guy,” but justice being served down the line by seeing how those guys ended up. But I have to say that post hit home for me, because in many ways it was about me. I mean generally, not specifically. I’m pretty sure Sergeant D. didn’t follow me around and base his post on me autobiographically.

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Actually, I don’t think so, despite what this tweet that Morton sent out over the weekend might lead you to believe:

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We knew that there would be a video for “More Metal Than You,” the song Brian Posehn co-wrote with Scott Ian for the former’s new album, Fart and Wiener Jokes, and here it is. (Also worth noting: the song features additional guest appearances by Lamb of God’s Mark Morton, Death Angel’s Mark Osegueda, Armored Saint’s Joey Vera, Dethklok’s Brendon Small, the always fashionable John Tempesta, and The Donnas’ Brett Anderson.) The animation style is fairly simple, but there are some real gems in here – including a moment when Posehn head-butts Sharon Osbourne, and then Ozzy gives him a high-five. Oh, if only Ozzy really did recognize that Sharon is a problem.

True story: when I first heard this song, I thought Posehn was saying “My cat’s name is ‘metal.’” In fact, until five minutes ago when I watched this video, I didn’t realize he was saying “Manowar.” Still really funny, though.

Fart and Wiener Jokes is out now on Relapse. I’m giving a copy away for this week’s Completely Unreadable Band Logo contest, so enter that shit now. Also, if you haven’t done so already, check out my interview with Posehn right here.

-AR

Like a lot of people, I first became familiar with Brian Posehn because of his time on David Cross and Bob Odenkirk’s brilliant HBO sketch comedy series, Mr. Show, for which he was also a writer. A few years after that show went off the air, my then-roommate and I went to see Posehn do some stand-up at a comedy club here in New York. I don’t think we were even there to see Posehn specifically – if memory serves, David Cross was the actual draw for us – but he was so funny that I actually laughed so hard I became winded and fell out of my chair. Since then, he’s been on a very, very short list of stand-ups that I never miss the chance to check out when they come through town. Mr. Show sketches about a fictional band called “Titannica” led me to believe that someone on the series’ writing staff was a metal fan, but I didn’t know that it was Posehn until later – and the revelation that he was just as obsessed with metal as I was only made him that much cooler.

Fart and Wiener Jokes, Posehn’s second album for Relapse, comes out today (and you can order a copy here). Like its predecessor, Live: In Nerd Rage, it features not only recordings of his brilliant stand-up, but also an original song he co-wrote with Anthrax’s Scott Ian (“More Metal Than You”) to poke fun at some of metal’s more regrettable foibles. It also has a metal cover of Kenny Rogers’ “The Gambler,” and between the two music tracks, Posehn has managed to rope in guest appearances by such all-stars as Jamey Jasta, Mark Morton, Mark Oseguenda, John Tempesta, and Russ Parrish. Assuming you love great comedy and great metal, there’s no way you’re not gonna dig Fart and Wiener Jokes.

A few weeks ago I got to talk to Posehn about putting comedy albums out on a metal label, what it’s like to be friends with some of his boyhood heroes, the state of metal today, his take on the Anthrax vocalist situation, and more. He even turned the tables at the end and asked me a question! Read the complete transcript of our chat after the jump.

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Even more new shit! Jeez Louise!

We’ve spoken at great length about our love for Brian Posehn, who has to be one of the five funniest stand-up comedians working today. He’s also a colossal metalhead, which is just kind of a bonus, ’cause not only does he make you laugh, but he makes you feel like maybe there’s some world where he isn’t famous or you’re cooler, and the two of you are pals, sitting around rockin’ out to Anthrax albums. Sigh.

ANYWAY, Posehn’s new album, Fart and Wiener Jokes, seems like it should come out on 4/20, but it’s actually coming out on 4/27 on Relapse. As with his last album, there will be some metal songs with comedic lyrics (and guest appearances by Scott Ian, Jamey Jasta, Mark Morton, John Tempesta, and Russ Parrish), but there will also be a lot of his brilliant stand-up stuff on there. And now two clips have been released. As though there were any doubt, they’re great, and bode really well for the album as a whole.

First up, one about the wonders of iTunes…

After the jump, check out one about farting in a car. Fwomp!

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I’m not going to give you Chris Adler’s resumé the way I might in a normal interview intro. If you’re reading MetalSucks, you either know who Chris Adler is, or you’re my mom and you’re just trying to be supportive. Rather, I want to tell you a quick story about my experience interviewing Adler.

When I called him for our scheduled interview, he apologized and asked if he could call me back in a little while. “I’m just sitting my daughter down for dinner,” he tells me. When I later told him that I’m impressed that he actually still sits his daughter down for dinner, he chuckled and replied, “Yeah, dude, when I’m home, I’m totally Mr. Mom.”

And that’s Chris Adler in a nutshell: one of the most accomplished drummers from one of the biggest bands in modern metal is actually a really down-to-earth dude. And that’s not just hype; this is the second time I’ve spoken to Adler, and the second time I’ve walked away with the distinct impression that he is a sincerely nice guy who has managed to keep his head on his shoulders despite all his success. Isn’t that a nice change of pace for once?

After the jump, read my chat with Adler about this Sunday’s Grammy Awards, touring with Metallica, what the future holds for Lamb of God, and, oh yeah, the MetalSucks comments section.

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As you are probably aware, God Forbid guitarist Doc Coyle recently filled-in for Lamb of God’s Mark Morton while LoG played support for Metallica. A video of Doc getting hit in the head with a cup of liquid while performing on that has been the source of much internet banter as of late (see above). Doc has issued the following statement regarding the incident exclusively to MetalSucks.

“I’m sure many of you have seen the video of me getting pegged on stage while I was on Metallica tour filling in for Mark from Lamb of God. Although 95% of the comments were really supportive, I just wanted to clarify a few things about the incident. First off, it was a beer, not a water. A big ol’ tall boy plastic cup of beer, and whoever threw it must have been a quarterback because it was full and hit me square in the eye at full steam. It felt like I got sucker punched. I had a mark by my cheek bone and it was swollen all night. I surprised I didn’t have a black eye. The way it hit me is probably the reason why I reacted the way I did. I’m no tough guy, but I wasn’t really thinking. I just reacted. I really don’t know what I would’ve done if anyone would’ve have owned up to to throwing it, but I have no clue if I would’ve hit the person. I can say that I’m not violent at all, and don’t think violence is a productive way to solve problems. I’m glad nothing came of it, but obviously the person was pretty cowardly to throw it and not own up to it. Anyway, shit happens. I just think it’s kind of funny how it spread on the internet. Beer in the face and all, it was still more than an honor to play with Lamb of God and open for Metallica.”

Partway through Gojira’s set last night, my knees got wobbly. At first I thought it was just a natural reaction the awesomeness of the French metaller’s ball-rattling live show, but then I realized: “Nope, nope. I’m just really fucked up.” So fucked up that I turned down weed – and I never turn down weed. I went back to the Mansion at a fairly reasonable hour (whereas Vince and Kip were still out partyin’), but since I woke up this morning, I’ve still been feeling the effects of last night’s debauchery. My head fuckin’ hurts, dude.

So with all due respect to you, my loyal readers, who I love and who ensure that we continue to have the best job in the world: I did not want to start my day by calling you “nitwits.” But you’ve left me no choice.

We got a whole bunch of e-mails this morning from people who were concerned because Mark Morton didn’t play with Lamb of God at last night’s LoG/GWAR/JFAC show. There seems to be some serious concern from these fans that the lead guitarist has quit the band.

And that would suck… if it were true. But Morton’s absence from this tour was announced over a month ago. He’s at home with his woman and their new baby, being a dutiful daddy. God Forbid’s Doc Coyle is filling in for him. In fact, here’s a video of Doc playing with the band that Blabbermouth posted yesterday:

So, everyone should remain calm. Mark Morton is still very much a member of Lamb of God. I’m sure he’ll back for the band’s next tour.

More disconcerting: a number of you who wrote in didn’t know who Doc Coyle is. Seriously people: God Forbid. Listen to them. They’re awesome and it’s good for you.

-AR

It’s no secret that pretty much every band in metal wants to open for Metallica, even if that band’s best days are behind them – and God Forbid are no exception. Since we consider GF like family around the mansion, seeing them fulfill one of their ambitions and get to open for ‘Tallica would be pretty swell.

For better or worse, for right now we’re going to have to settle for Doc Coyle opening for Metallica.

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I’m not really a regular comics reader anymore so I have no idea if they still do this, but DC use to have this thing called Elseworlds where they basically reimagined the lives of various heroes – e.g., What if Superman had been Russian?, What if Batman was a vampire?, What if Wonder Woman had a dick?, etc. And I always really enjoyed those.

That same interest in the “what if?” questions must be why I’m also so fascinated when a band has to do a one-off gig without a key member and replaces said member with some other all-star musician – e.g., Metallica with Dave Lombardo and Joey Jordison, Trivium with Doc Coyle, and now Lamb of God with Unearth’s Buz “Banned from Wal-Mart” McGrath.

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Wrath, Lamb of God’s highly anticipated new album, opens with a track entitled “The Passing,” which has to be one of the best soft intros ever not written by Metallica in the 80s, before exploding with a typically rockin’ riff on the first real song, “In Your Words.” It’s a rousing start, and one which might lead the listener to think that Wrath is gonna be another winner from one of the American New Wave’s most popular and widely adored bands.

And then something strange happens: you wait for a chorus that never really arrives.

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