Hey friends! Do you love metal? Do you love getting hammered? Do you live in NYC? If you answered “yes” to all of these questions, you should be thrilled to learn that we’re teaming up with our friends at Metal Injection and Metal Insider to bring you a monthly Metal Night at Idle Hands, one of our most favoritest places to get drunk in the whole wide world. On the fourth Thursday of every month, a member of the MetalSucks, Metal Injection, or Metal Insider crew will be DJing while partygoers enjoy drinks specials, giveaways, and all manner of debauchery.

And we’re kicking it off this Thursday, January 26 in style, with both Bram from Metal Insider and the one and only Doc Coyle of God Forbid and MetalSucks fame providing the soundtrack to your blackout. So, basically, if you’re in the area and you don’t come hang, you’re a total loser and will probably never have sex again.

The festivities kick off at 8 pm at Idle Hands, 25 Avenue B at 3rd Street in the basement, ’cause that’s where wretched metal scumbags like you belong. You can get more details here. Be there or be  .

-Axl & Vince

If you live in L.A. and you’re looking to break into the metal industry — or just have a passing interest in the business side of the metal/music world — you’re definitely not going to want to miss the Metal Meet-Up happening next Wednesday, May 11th. The event is taking place at the annual NARM convention and will be a great learning experience for anyone who attends. This year’s Metal Meet-Up panel will serve as a state of the address of the current state of  metal from a retail standpoint and will also focus on figuring out the best way to break a band. The panel includes this all-star cast of characters:

Moderator: Brian Slagel, President Metal Blade Records

Panelists:
Mike Gitter, A&R, Century Media Records
Jackie Kajzer, developer and host, Full Metal Jackie
Wayne Pighini, head of marketing, Vagrant Records
Bram Teitelman, editor, Metal Insider
Pat Egan, retail, Relapse Records

Visit Metal Insider for more details.

-VN

The 2010 incarnation of the CMJ Music Marathon is almost upon us! A solid week of booze, partying and music in the streets and clubs of New York City makes us all just a little bit crazy every year, but there’s just so much fun shit happening all week that impossible not to heed its beck and call. Fortunately for you and for us, there’s plenty of metal at this year’s festival including some killer shows that aren’t even officially sanctioned by CMJ. Here’s a list of MetalSucks-approved events happening next week:

• Mon, Oct. 18: The Syndicate Conflict of Interest Party feat. Nada Surf, Reggie Watts, Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. and more. Drink specials. 7pm at Club Rebel. RSVP only.
• Mon, Oct. 18: Cattle Decapitation, Son of Aurelius, Devourment, Knights of the Abyss and Burning the Masses at Santo’s Party House. 7pm, $13 advance, 18+. This is not a CMJ-sanctioned event.
• Tues, Oct. 19: Nevermore, Warbringer, Blackguard and Hatesphere at The Gramercy Theater. 6pm Doors, $32.25, tickets available here. This is not a CMJ-sanctioned event.
• Wed, Oct 20: The MetalSucks / Metal Injection / 1000 Knives Official CMJ 2010 Showcase! Featuring A Life Once Lost, Car Bomb, This or the Apocalypse, Baptized in Blood and Last Chance to Reason at Club Europa, Brooklyn. 7pm, All Ages, and tickets are only $10 (buy them here).
• Thur, Oct 21: Metal Insider’s Mosh Potatoes book release party! Release party for the forthcoming metal cookbook Mosh Potatoes and listening party for the new The Damned Things album Ironoclast, with drink specials and yummy treats of recipes from the book. Idle Hands Bar, 5-8pm. Private event (if you think you should be invited, you should know who to contact).
• Thur, Oct 21: Skateboard Marketing / Nova Entertainment CMJ Showcase featuring SuperMetal Records / Megaforce artists Misery. 5:30-7:30pm, Bowery Poetry Club. Budweiser and Jaeger drink specials. First hour is RSVP only, second hour is open to the public and CMJ badges.
• Thur, Oct 21: Doomsday Mourning, Hivesmasher, The Judas Syndrome, Fin’amor at the Charleston in Brooklyn. 7:30pm doors, show starts at 8:30pm, 21+. This is not a CMJ-sanctioned event.
• Thur, Oct 21 – Sunday, Oct 24: The Grill ‘Em All burger truck guys will be here all the way from L.A. without their truck, making special guest chef appearances at area restaurants!! Get details here.
• Fri, Oct 22: Smell the Glove Party / Holy Grail Crisis in Utopia CD Release Party at St. Jerome’s (155 Rivington). No cover, 21+, 9pm.
• Fri, Oct 22: Tee Pee Records / Metal Insider Showcase: Naam, Priestess, Quest for Fire, The Atomic Bitchwax, Mirror Queen, Hopewell, and Weird Owl. 6pm, Union Pool, Brooklyn, $10/adv and $12/dos. Tickets available here.
• Sat, Oct 23: MetalSucks and 1000 Knives present: Powerglove, Wetnurse, The Binary Code, Pack of Wolves, Meek is Murder and Batillus. Free drinks courtesy of Sailor Jerry Rum from 4-5pm, and $3 drinks after that ’til they run out! 4pm, $10, 21+.
• Sat, Oct 23: Helmet, Intronaut and Fight Amp at the Gramercy Theater. 7pm, 16+, $29 (tickets available here). This is not a CMJ-sanctioned event.
• Sat, Oct 23: Brooklyn Vegan / Black Bubblegum CMJ Showcase featuring The Body, Cough, Inter Arma, Royal Thunder + more TBA. Union Pool, Brooklyn, 7pm, $5, 21+.

Whew… it’s going to be a punishing week! See you out there.

Last month we told you about the Scion No Label Needed Contest & Series, which would allow one lucky unsigned band to win, well, just about anything and everything an unsigned band could ever possibly want. Seriously, this contest is amazing.

Well, the time for submissions has past, and the judges have now selected twenty finalists for the contest. You can listen to all of these unsigned bands, and cast your vote for who you think should win, here. Two of them, Iron Thrones and Iris Divine, are even bands we’ve written about before! But all of these groups are really talented, and would make worthy winners. This is an awesome way to discover some great unsigned bands, at least one of whom could very well represent the future of metal.

All the details after the jump.

Click to read more…

MetalSucks will be involved in this very cool contest for unsigned bands, brought to you by Scion. We hope you like what we have in store… it’s going to be really cool and we’re quite excited. And now the details from Mr. Dan Rodriguez at Metal Insider:

The No Label Needed Contest & Series presented by Scion is now open for submissions! You can sign up your unsigned band now at metalinsider.net/nolabelneeded (terms and conditions apply).

The contest and series is an unprecedented experiment in helping one lucky unsigned band circumvent the dated label system and learn the industry ropes on their own. It’s a DIY crash course in the metal biz, and the winner will get all the tools they need to produce, release and market music on their own terms.

By everything, we mean everything: the winner will travel to Massachusetts to meet with their new mentors, Shadows Fall. The Grammy-nominated artist will be there to offer advice and work on the winner’s songs. Then they’ll go to the Machine Shop to record a 5-song EP with legendary producer Machine (Lamb of God, Every Time I Die). The winner will get a shopping spree with Maria Brink from In This Moment and Blasko from Ozzy’s band to pick out new wardrobe – for a photo shoot. After all, they’ll need new press photos for a press campaign from Big Machine Media. We’re also going to bring in partners for radio promotion campaigns, new merchandise, website re-designs and a ton more.

This band will be completely set up with nearly everything they’d be asking a label to do for them, and they’ll learn all about it themselves, hands-on.

The best part? Metal Insider will be reporting back on progress along the way, so readers like you can learn every bit as much about the industry as our winner. You’ll see a ton of videos, how-to blogs, live chats and other educational pieces from our experts.

Hit the jump for the full press release and tell everyone you know to sign up at metalinsider.net/nolabelneeded!

Click to read more…

[MetalSucks will be involved in this very cool contest for unsigned bands, brought to you by Scion and Metal Insider. We hope you like what we have in store... it's going to be really cool and we're quite excited. -Ed.]

Your band shows tremendous promise. You have accumulated a solid following, written memorable songs, put together a great live show and have real momentum. With help from MetalInsider – including advice from industry professionals including a mentoring session with Shadows Fall and the opportunity to record with super-producer, Machine – you’ll be well on your way to the next level.

The No Label Needed Contest and Series presented by Scion in collaboration with MetalInsider will help one band leave labels behind and take on the industry all on their own.  The series will show readers how it’s done, all while helping one special contest-winning band get ahead in a spectacular way.

From 1/18 through 2/1, unsigned acts can submit demo packages at www.metalinsider.net/nolabelneeded. Twenty finalists will be selected and one winner will be voted on by a panel of label heads, A&R executives, writers, and site readers to win all the help and education they need to become a truly self-sufficient artist without having to sign a traditional record deal.

Click to read more…

In case ya’ll don’t know, we’re down with all the cool kids. Join us on MySpace, Facebook and Twitter if you haven’t already. OK, maybe not MySpace.

The killer metal news site SMNnews.com has just re-launched with a brand new design and interface; we highly recommend you use SMN as your metal news source rather than that other site.

Also be sure to check out the intrepid industry reporting the lads at MetalInsider.net are doing — smart, timely and sadonic, just the way we like it.

That is all. You may now return to your regular daily business.

There’s a new website on the metal block called Metal Insider. Launched yesterday, the new site offers a candid inside look behind the scenes of the metal industry featuring interviews, industry news, exclusive insider dirt and more. Check out Metal Insider’s recent interview with Sun O))) / Southern Lord’s Greg Anderson in which he talks smack about major labels, and an interview with Roadrunner A&R guru Mike Gitter about the future of the metal industry and what he looks for in bands he signs. Expect more in the coming days / weeks / months as the site continues to grow. Check it out!

SECOND ANNUAL METAL INSIDER SUMMIT ANNOUNCED

Panel series added as part of the
11th Annual New England Metal and Hardcore Festival

New England Metal and Hardcore Festival, Crimson Management and The Syndicate are proud to announce the Second Annual Metal Insider Summit on April 17, 2009. The Metal Insider Summit is an interactive, educational conference consisting of two panels where fans and the metal music industry can engage, share ideas and help further the scene. The Metal Insider Summit will give fans an opportunity to meet key members in the business and gain valuable insight on how to start their own careers. It will also give labels, managers, agents, endorsers, publishers, media promoters, bands and more the chance to interact with the people who buy their albums, tickets and merchandise.

Admission is free with an RSVP at MetalInsider.net and a ticket to New England Metal and Hardcore Festival, or appropriate proof of purchase. Those unable to attend will be able to partake and contribute with exclusive coverage at MetalInsider.net, MetalSucks.net and MetalInjection.net in the days following the event.

Panel details and more, after the jump.
Click to read more…