I can’t say I’ve followed everything that Jello Biafra’s done post-Dead Kennedys, but I was quite excited when I heard that Faith No More bassist Billy Gould is part of his new band The Guantanamo School of Medicine. Those familiar with Jello’s two collaborative albums with the Melvins (2004′s Never Breathe What You Can’t See and 2005′s Sieg Howdy) will find the new songs streaming at the band’s MySpace page familiar in style: punky, quirky, and political.

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“Highly anticipated” does not even begin to describe the hype surrounding Shrinebuilder’s debut album. The doom supergroup features Saint Vitus / Obsessed / Spirit Caravan / Hidden Hand guitar hero Scott “Wino” Weinrich, Neurosis / Tribes of Neurot leader Scott Kelly, former Sleep and current Om bassist Al Cisneros, and Melvins drummer Dale Crover… basically THE definitive who’s who of doomo all-stars. Roadburn.com is now reporting that the album is finally coming this autumn via Neurot Recordings, and they’ve posted the breathtaking artwork by A Storm of Light’s Josh Graham (a small portion of which I’ve posted above). They also report that the band will play several gigs in the U.S. later this year with European dates to possibly follow.

Speaking of A Storm of Light, they’ve got a crushing new track called “Midnight” streaming on their own website (take that, MySpace!). The track comes from the new double-disc record Forgive Us Our Trespasses, due in September via Neurot as well.

Thanks to MS Maniac Charlie F. for the tips.

-VN

As one of the founding members of arguably one of the most important metal bands, Scott Kelly helped navigate Neurosis from a crust punk genesis to the lords of abstract doom they’ve become. Despite going on to semi-normal adult lives not built around touring, they’ve still managed to put out some of the most challenging and, ultimately, best music of the decade. Kelly himself splits his non-Neurosis time among Tribes of Neurot (the band’s ambient side project), an acoustic solo career, the post-apocalyptic folk of Blood & Time, and, most recently, stoner metal wet dream Shrinebuilder, featuring Melvins drummer Dale Crover, Sleep/Om bassist Al Cisneros, and doom icon Wino. In an interview Scott was kind enough to grant MetalSucks – conducted during his trip to the airport on his way to some European Neurosis shows, stopping once to get through airport security and ending when the plane was ready to take off – he discussed his collaboration with the gentlemen in Shrinebuilder, his history with Neurosis and long-time collaborator Steve von Till, and punk’s limiting ethos vs. metal’s acceptance.

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A couple of months back I complained about the expensive All Tomorrow’s Parties weekender in the Catskills region of New York. Though noise rock royals The Jesus Lizard and The Melvins are both scheduled to appear at the September festival, I just haven’t been able to justify the hundreds of dollars I’d have to shell out for tickets and to stay at some bullshit resort swarming with trustafarians. Thankfully, it turns out that we can all save our hard-earned dough (and avoid contracting swine flu), as both of these bands are planning other U.S. performances that wont break the bank.

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This Friday, the one-and-only Melvins kick off a 25th anniversary celebration at New York’s Webster Hall, where (as I’ve mentioned before) the group will perform the classic Houdini LP in its entirety, followed by a set of tracks from the founding 1983 incarnation featuring original drummer Mike Dillard. The talented Trevor Dunn, who played some shows with his new band MadLove a couple weeks ago, will fill in on bass duties as the Big Business boys are currently touring in support of the just-released Mind The Drift album. Yet incidentally there’s another former Melvin who just happens to be in the Big Apple this weekend: Joe Preston.

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While headbanging and throwing the horns at an indie metal act along with countless others in a packed crowd, the last person you expect to see rocking out is a dude from The Sopranos. Well, that’s exactly what I spied with my little eye during the Big Business show in New York City last night.

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A few years ago Slayer performed Reign in Blood in its entirety, a year later Metallica did Master of Puppets, and now Exodus are gonna do Bonded by Blood, Judas Priest are doing British Steel, Motley Crue are doing Dr. Feelgood, Ratt are doing Out of the Cellar, Aerosmith are doing Toys in the Attic, Melvins are doing Houdini, etc. What does the MetalSucks Haterade Mafia think; is this trend lame, or is it cool?

n

This provocative and entirely untrue headline was my way of:

1) capitalizing on the goodwill fostered by our previous swine flu posts,

2) letting you know that the recently reunited Boss Hog has joined the ATP NY weekender lineup, which also includes The Jesus Lizard, Melvins, Boredoms, and Black Dice.

Echoing my earlier sentiments about this overpriced music fest, even this new addition isn’t enough to convince me to shell out over $250 for tickets and a couple hundred more for accommodations. I mean, come on.

-GS

[Gary Suarez is still gonna call it swine flu. He also writes for Brainwashed and usually manages the consistently off-topic No Yoko No. Say, why don't you follow him on Twitter?]

Trevor Dunn has a new band called MadLove–and apparently it isn’t some freak jazz thing for a change. Just the idea of the legendary bassist making what he calls “straighter, more commercial” rock music should sound irresistible to fans of his heavy work in Mr. Bungle, Fantomas, and the Fantomas-Melvins Big Band. A regular in New York’s downtown avant-garde community, he can frequently be found playing artsy-fartsy venues like The Stone, supporting likeminded subversives such as John Zorn or even leading his own ensembles like PROOFReaders, an Ornette Coleman cover band. That might suit jazz aficionados, but for metalheads it just aint heavy enough. Judging by the video above, MadLove should interest at least some of you.

If you didn’t happen to catch MadLove during the ATP Nightmare Before Christmas weekender last December, the band is playing three shows this week, in Philly, Joisey, and Brooklyn, the latter of these featuring openers Pink Noise and some Thurston Moore trio.

-GS

[Gary Suarez has swine flu. He also writes for Brainwashed and usually manages the consistently off-topic No Yoko No. Say, why don't you follow him on Twitter?]

All Tomorrow’s Parties festivals have a pretty irksome format. Essentially, no matter where they’re held, it’s so out-of-the-way that in order to attend you’re compelled to stay at some overpriced resort. Ticket prices aren’t exactly cheap to begin with, so what started out as a neat weekend with bands you love rapidly becomes tough to justify in these doleful economic times. Up until now, this coming September’s lineup for the Catskills, NY weekender didn’t have much for heavy music fans to get pumped about, but today’s announcement that both The Jesus Lizard and The Melvins are scheduled to perform on the Friday and Saturday nights, respectively, changes that – sorta.

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According to those bearded weirdos at Hydra Head, Mind The Drift, the third album from Big Business will be available for consumption this coming April. (For you depraved losers who still require turntables to maintain an erection, the vinyl will be available later this month.) If you’d talked to me a few months ago, I’d be downright thrilled for new music from these guys. But after my palpable disappointment with “Gold and Final”, I remain skeptical as to whether or not this record will even come close to the mighty metal mined on Here Come The Waterworks. Much to my surprise and, yes, dismay, the inclusion of guitarist Toshi Kasai (Dale Crover’s partner in Deaf Nephews) on the two (out of eight) new tracks streaming at the band’s MySpace page left this fan less than impressed.

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2009 is a big year for big boys Dale Crover and Buzz Osbourne. Indeed, the Melvins plan to fucking commemorate twenty-five long years of making music to make you sick. How exactly do these sludge metal monoliths intend to do that? Why, by playing anniversary shows, of course!

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Now that you’ve all come down from the Death Magnetic food coma, perhaps you’d be interested in reading about something other than the latest output from four millionaires. Back away from the ledge, you pimply faced virgins, because it’s time for your noise news.

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