Word of who was gonna be on the bill for this year’s Scion Rock Fest, the totally free annual metal super-show, got out yesterday — hell, Wormrot even decided to just go ahead and confirm their presence at the festival. So in that regard, the official announcement of this year’s fest is a little anti-climactic.

Until you realize, holy shit — there really is gonna be a free festival with Morbid Angel, Obituary, Death Angel, Municipal Waste, Agalloch, Wormrot, Kvelertak, Atheist, Black Breath, Nails, Fuck the Facts, and tons more awesome bands. That is a fact about which one ought never to complain.

You can RSVP for the event here starting tomorrow. In the meantime, enjoy the finalized poster:

-AR

FEATURING MEMBERS OF ISIS, MUNICIPAL WASTE, ELUVEITIE, WORMROT, LAST CHANCE TO REASON, ZAPPA PLAYS ZAPPA, GOD DETHRONED, OWEN HART, NIGHTFALL, HORSEBACK, AND OCTOBER TIDE

For 2010, we decided to do something special as part of our regular end-of-year festivities here at MetalSucks — namely, ask musicians from across the vast spectrum of the metalsphere (or, in a few cases, the almost-metalsphere) what their favorite albums of the year were. Death metallers, thrash metallers, black metallers, stoners, grinders, and djenters alike graciously contributed lists to MS, and we’ll be running them in groups of ten to eleven musicians at a time twice a day for the rest of the week.

After the jump, check out the fourth group… we hope you enjoy seeing what some of metal’s heaviest hitters were into this year as much as we have!

(And please note that these are musicians and that they, um, have a lot on their minds. So some of ‘em named albums that actually came out last year. Please don’t freak out.)

Click to read more…

Hopefully Dave Witte needs no introduction to MS readers, but for those who don’t already know him, he is a hardcore/death metal legend that’s been dropping jaws for nearly twenty years as the drummer for bands that include Municipal Waste, Black Army Jacket, Human Remains, Discordance Axis, Melt Banana, Iabhorher, Burnt By The Sun and probably several others I’m forgetting at the moment. He’s a pioneer of progressive metal, awesome drummer, and as far as I can tell, a very nice, approachable guy. Oh, and I was just trolling with the Assuck thing — I do think Rob Procter was overrated by hardcore kids back in the day, but like Dave says, I’m far too old to care about things like that anymore. I hope Dave doesn’t think I’m a dick :(

Thanks to Dave for taking the time to answer some questions, and be sure to check out the latest Municipal Waste album, Massive Aggressive, courtesy of the one-and-only Earache!

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The below advertisement is for software I’ve never heard of, Guitar Rig 2 (although I don’t claim to be an expert in music software). I stumbled across it quite by accident while YouTube surfing, and apparently it’s at least four years old, which makes the fact that I’ve never seen it before all the more surprising. In any case, it’s best that I don’t tell you much about it, lest I spoil the fun — so just watch.

This is so much better than that cell phone ad with Rob Halford, or that beer ad with Motorhead, or pretty much any metal-themed ad I’ve seen this year that isn’t this one. As my man Vince likes to say, A+++++++, would do business with again.

-AR

Hey, it’s time for another edition of “Cinemetal Round-Up,” in which I lump a bunch of new metal videos together rather than write individual posts for each one! YYYYAAAAAYYYYY!!!!

First up today we have Triptykon’s video for “Shatter,” the title track from their new, five-song EP, which comes out next week. I don’t know what to say about about this video other than “It looks really, really cool.” Tom G. Warrior apparently came up with the concept himself, which shouldn’t surpirse anyone, and director Philipp Hirsch did an awesome job with the execution. It’s a great song, too! If you love it as much as we do, check back later today for more extra-special Triptykonian goodness, exclusively here at MetalSucks.

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Cosmo Lee at Invisible Oranges called the below commercial, for next month’s Brainsqueeze Fest, ”the best ad I’ve ever seen for anything,” and it’s hard to argue with him. The spot is clever, funny, understand its target audience, and, oh yeah, small detail, makes it clear what it’s selling long before the product logo actually appears on screen. (Although, truth be told, it’s so damn good that even if it turned out to be an ad for Garnier Fructis, or Axe Body Spray, or Maximum Douche, or any other number of products, I probably would have purchased that item.)

I suspect that at least some of the ad’s success stems from the fact that it is truly DIY — it was made, in part, by musicians and indie label peeps involved with the fest. So its creators actually have a passion for what they’re selling, as opposed to some Madison Avenue executive whose attitude is ostensibly, “We’re being paid to shill for this product that no one actually needs and that doesn’t really do anything, so let’s not-so-subtly tell the viewer that his or her life sucks and will cease sucking only when they buy this useless piece of shit.” You should head over to Invisible Oranges to learn all the ins and outs of who did what — but I will tell you that the ten year old is MetalSucks’ favorite prepubescent blogger. No, I don’t mean Ziltoid.

Ads like this one can exist today because television is no longer required for broadcasting. That’s the good news. The bad news is, I don’t think this spot will ever actually run on T.V. But holy shit, it would be awesome if it did.

Brainsqueeze Fest takes place October 8 and 9 Oakland. The line-up is pretty killer, and includes Municipal Waste, Cannabis Corpse, Toxic Holocaust, Ghoul, and more. Get details and tickets here.

-AR

Life is tough for the modern touring metal band, ’cause when you gotta put gas in the van and the 4-6 members of the group are splitting twenty bucks a night, paying for, say, food can become a real problem-o. So even though I’ll only eat at Taco Bell late at night, after a show, when friends (like, say, Metal Injection‘s Rob Pasbani and awesome metal photographer Justina “English Waffle” Villanueva) drag me, I fully endorse Taco Bell’s annual “Feed the Beat” program, which offers bands free diarrhea via Taco Bell Bucks, which can be redeemed at any one of the chain’s eight gajillion locations.

The fifth annual installment of the program is now accepting applications here, and while you might think Taco Bell would only wanna support wholesome, all-American artists who fit in with their image, filthy, stinky metal bands such as Shadows Fall, Atreyu, Municipal Waste and Iwrestledabearonce have all benefitted in the past. So if you’re in a poor touring group and you’ve got a strong stomach, go apply now.

-AR

[via Metal Insider]

Municipal Waste is an awesome band, and a large part of their awesomeness comes from the fact that they’re just fun. I don’t mean the term “party band” to be a derogatory slander; their music just seems custom made for partying. Their last video, for “Wrong Answer,” was maybe the most perfect cinemetallic representation of the band I can imagine, but as much as I like the song “Acid Sentence,” its new, David McKendry-directed video just strikes me as kinda off. Metal Injection tells me that a company called Dapper Cadaver, who have worked on Dexter and Bones, did the effects, but that’s just about the only thing in the video that doesn’t look cheap; and the tone seems more suited to a death metal band that takes themselves (too?) seriously, not a band whose most recent albums includes songs with titles like “Horny for Blood” and “Upside Down Church.”

That album is called Massive Aggressive, by the way, it’s out now on Earache, and even if I don’t like this video, I can’t recommend the record enough. It rips.

-AR

Sick Of It All has been representing New York hardcore for well over two decades, refusing to become a nostalgia act by regularly releasing albums of new material. Whether you love them for their rough and riotous initial records, the more accessible punkier albums during their Fat Wreck Chords days, or the heavy metallic sounds of their 21st century records, you’re undoubtedly familiar with the voice of frontman Lou Koller. With the fierce and undeniably memorable Based on a True Story, Sick Of It All show no signs of mellowing as they mature, as the below interview indicates.

Click to read more…

We’re just a few weeks away from Maryland Deathfest 2010, which will take place from May 28-30 in (duh) Baltimore, Maryland. This year’s edition of the annual fest promises to be the best one yet, with a line-up that includes Gorguts, Autopsy, Obituary, Entombed, Sodom, Repulsion, D.R.I., and a ton of other kick-ass bands. In anticipation of the event, we thought it would be fun to get some recollections of past MDFs from artists who were there. So we’re teaming up with Relapse Records to do just that! The inaugural edition, by Matt from Rumpelstiltskin Grinder, is below; in the coming weeks, we’ll also present entries by members of Brutal Truth, Disfear, and more. Enjoy…

Day 1

I forget what year it was exactly… but it was the time Municipal Waste played… Eli (Relapse Sales Manager, XXX Maniak) and I (Rumpelstiltskin Grinder, Absu, Woe, XXX Maniak, Creeping Vine Productions) drove down to MDF in one of our shitty cars… we were hoping to get there in time to see Municipal Waste.  We get to the parking lot, and the only spot there is too small because some jerk-off parked between two spots.  We yell at two nearby dudes to come help us and the four of us lift up this loser’s car and move it out of the way so we can park.  High fives and last car-beers finished…

We scam our way inside somehow and Municipal just started… we each grab two beers from the bar and get involved in the circle pit. I forget much of the rest of the day but here are some recollections:

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Actually the song in this video is called “Lord of the Wasteland,” but I wanted to do my usual put-the-song-title-in-the-headline bullshit. So I cheated. Sue me.

ANYWAY, Toxic Holocaust and Municipal Waste, two bands that certainly both have a sense of humor, are playing here in New York on Earth Day next week; unfortunately I can’t make it (although I think MS will represented at the show by Antonin Skullia, Esq.). The show is most certainly going to be better than Avatard, which comes out DVD the same day (My local Best Buy is advertising a special midnight release party for the Smurf movie’s arrival; if I walk by there in the hours prior and see anyone lined up and as though OHMYFUCKINGGODWHATIFTHEYDON’THAVEENOUGHCOPIESOFTHEAVATARDDVD?!?!?, I’m going to give them a titty twister.) But at least I can watch Toxic Holocaust play live via the footage in this video! And I don’t even need stupid glasses to enjoy it! (I mean besides the stupid glasses I always have to wear in order to see. But not another pair of glasses on top of that.)

Find out if you’re luckier than me and can go see these dudes live – check out their current tour dates. “Lord of the Wasteland” appears on the album An Overdose of Death…, which is out now on Relapse.

-AR

Cosmo Lee of Invisible Oranges wrote an editorial a few weeks back about the 20th anniversary of Scatterbrain’s Here Comes Trouble, noting that there’s a certain element of fun and audaciousness that’s not only been missing from metal for two decades but that would be considered downright ridiculous these days:

Listening to Scatterbrain now is a trip because its sound is so dated. It comes from a time of “fun metal”, in which D.R.I., M.O.D., Anthrax, Suicidal Tendencies, Fishbone, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Primus, Faith No More, Mr. Bungle, and Ugly Kid Joe were all likely cohabitants in CD collection.

While it’s hard to imagine anything as silly as “Mr. Johnson and the Juice Crew” (MP3 posted at Invisible Oranges), not all metal is frowny-faced gloom and doom these days. There’s bands like Municipal Waste and Rumpelstiltskin Grinder who take their thrash with a sense of humor. There’s the pagan metal set, which is completely serious but is also all about having a good time and getting jolly wasted. And there’s Reading, PA’s The Gloominous Doom, whose unlikely combination of ska and metal harkens back to some of the bands that Cosmo name-checked.

Take The Gloominous Doom’s new video for “Portal Potty” as proof; it’s about a special porta-potty with Bill & Ted-style time-traveling qualities. This is a band that has plenty of chops and songwriting ability but doesn’t take themselves too seriously. Their new record The Feature will come out on May 4th via DRP Records. They’ll be on a Northeast mini-tour with The Binary Code in May, and their CD release show on May 1st also features none other than fellow fun-lovers Rumpelstiltskin Grinder.

-VN

I guess some metal dudes are annoyed by neo-thrash metal bands like Warbringer, Mantic Ritual, and Municipal Waste. No scene is fun for everyone, so whatever, to each his own and all that. But even if Whorebanger, Spandex Ritual, and Munificent Waste make music of no appeal to your fun-hating ear, frankly, I still insist that you acknowledge their value to metal as a genre. First, each makes music that sounds like five guys making music, which feels great when you’re overwhelmed by metal that sounds like the universe collapsing onto itself (SYL, Emperor), a jet landing in your eye socket (Hate Eternal, Minus’ Jesus Christ Bobby), or mankind’s overthrow by fridge-raiding Nazi robots from the future (Fear Factory). Of course, I love that enormity in metal, especially when it’s the expression of an awareness of Earth’s microscopic significance in the universe. But sometimes it’s more fun to just rock out with a bunch of heshers. That’s good thrash metal. It sounds great at the beach.

And a second and unexpected side effect of neo-thrash’s artistic and commercial successes is their impact on other metal bands. This is all conjecture and surmise, but Municipal Waste’s records are big winners, and now we got a goddamn fucking D.R.I. reunion tour to enjoy. And isn’t it reasonable to conclude that Warbringer’s success would provide a shot of confidence and vigor to elder thrash bands, like fucking awesome Overkill? If you’ve heard their excellent 238th record, Ironbound, you know it’s all energetic and snappy metal (normal for them), but also that it’s their most unabashedly thrashy record in forever. And few deserve wallet-love as much as Overkill, who, contrary to their name, exemplify the unpretentious hesher approach. (See The Years Of Decay‘s “I Hate” which features gang vocals that sound like six dirtballs hollering out the back of a van, not a million-strong army of angry mutant outcasts, like say “Hook In Mouth” by Megadeth.) Big sales or not, Overkill did their part and made a metal record to be reckoned with. For this, we can thank the best neo-thrash bands and fans. For the best parts of neo-thrash, we can thank Overkill.

-ADF

I’m not much of a fan of Municipal Waste, though I respect what they do and totally understand why so many people dig their scuzzy brand of revival thrash metal. It’s sometimes easy to overlook that hardcore punk and thrash have intertwined histories, with many of the former genre’s pioneers subsequently becoming thrash metallers. D.R.I., Suicidal Tendencies, and even the Cro-Mags have made a mark on both styles. So when I learned that Municipal Waste frontman Tony Foresta was also in a hardcore band, I just had to learn more.

They’re called No Friends, and if your love of hardcore begins and ends in the 1980s, then this one’s for you. Foresta handles lead vocals for the group, which also features dudes from New Mexican Disaster Squad. The four songs streaming at their MySpace page recall Circle Jerks, Dag Nasty, Government Issue, and a less dorky Descendents. You can download a free MP3 of “Never Ending Fight” if that sounds like something up your alley. While you’re at it, pick up a copy of their self-titled debut through their record label here. It’s just $7 for the CD version and $8 for the vinyl LP (which comes with a digital download card). Oh, and next month they’re hitting the road for some East Coast shows. Check out those dates below.

Click to read more…

It’s been a while since our bro-bros at Metal Injection posted any solid live footage, but now they’re kicking off the new year with a plethora of sick clips featuring Skeletonwitch, Municipal Waste, and Coliseum.

Here’s a sample… Skeletonwitch doing “Fire from the Sky.” I think this footage does a pretty good job of conveying why Skeletonwitch are one of the most fun live bands out there right now:

Head over to Metal Injection for more excellent footage of Skeletonwitch, plus Municipal Waste and Coliseum!

-AR

A couple weeks ago, I did an interview with Metal Injection for a retrospective on the highlights, trends, and cultural significance of the heavy music scene from an insider’s perspective concerning the last ten years. Near the end of the interview, I was asked if there were any sub-genres or trends that I didn’t like, or that seemed to get on my nerves. I thought about it for a minute, and generally annoying things like nu-metal or screamo or stale metalcore just seemed obvious and an easy target, when something dawned on me. I was generally annoyed by the whole ReThrash scene.

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MetalSucks photo guru Diana Lee Zadlo captured the madness that was the MetalSucks-sponsored Waste the World tour when it hit Philadelphia, PA’s First Unitarian Church (churches are metal) on December 10th. The pit was so brutal for Municipal Waste that Diana had a hard time getting shots of all the band members, but what she did capture is, as usual, awesome. Take a look at her photos of MW, Brutal Truth, Cauldron and Phobia after the jump.

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This past Thursday, November 19th, everyone’s favorite party-thrashers Municipal Waste pulled out all the stops for the L.A. Key Club appearance of their MetalSucks sponsored “Waste the World” trek. In the exclusive footage posted below we see Santa do a beer-bong, Jesus stage-dive, and MW bassist Phil “Landphil” Hall perform a bass solo whilst being hoisted above the crowd in a flying harness. If I were Phil I’d be most worried about dropping my pick, but the dude looks as if he’s a flying bass solo pro! Turns out he rehearsed the move before the show:

We had seen a band called Steel Panther at the Key Club do this stunt before and since they play there every Monday I figured that they had the rig set up all the time. When we arrived at the venue I was right! After asking the stage manager if it was ok we began rehearsing the spot, I think I went up in the air about 3 times before the doors opened. When the show started I was looking at the set list counting down the songs getting more and more nervous about it. When I was hanging over the audience (probably about 20 ft. in the air) I remember thinking  “These WASTE fans are really getting their money’s worth, eh?” Ha ha! When I landed Dave clicked in “Sadistic Magician” and the rest was history!

Watch the clip below.

Some people are talented. Some people are awesome. An even rarer breed happens to be both talented and awesome. Photographer Justina Villanueva is one of those people. If you go to metal shows in New York or New Jersey, you may have noticed this diminutive young lady snapping pics of some of your favorite acts. You may have seen her work on websites like ours (ex. Alice In Chains at Irving Plaza) and BrooklynVegan (ex. Converge at Europa).

Now’s a great time to acquaint yourself with Ms. Villanueva’s work, as she has just released the premiere issue of her self-titled zine. Issue 1: Basements, Blood and Noise features spectacular shots of bands like Black Anvil, Burnt By The Sun, Marduk, Municipal Waste, and Poison The Well, as well as the aforementioned AIC. Whether you’re an old fucker like me or a youngster that has never so much as seen a zine, I strongly recommend that you buy yourself a copy.

-GS

[Gary Suarez is a lover of fine art. He usually manages Wholly Diver (a Dio tribute site) and the consistently off-topic No Yoko No. Say, why don't you follow him on Twitter?]

Anyone remember this from a couple of years back?

Well that Taco Bell isn’t too far from the Mansion, and I’m ashamed to admit, but sometimes, in moments of stoned weakness, I purchased food there. But ever since that little incident, I haven’t eaten at a Taco Bell; I can’t. I know that ALL fast food is crap, but come ON, a man has limits.

Still, I guess it’s nice of them to start this whole “Feed the Beat” program, in which they basically give touring bands $500 worth of diarrhea food for free. And now Metal Insider is reporting that a handful of metal bands – including Atreyu, Iwrestledabearonce, Whitechapel, Municipal Waste and Earthless – are rumored to have been selected for the offer.

And as Metal Insider says, “tour support is tour support” – so I don’t blame the bands for participating. And the dudes in The Waste are probably fucked up half the time anyways, so they won’t be able to tell the difference. Meanwhile, Atreyu have been spewing crap forth from their mouths for years, so they might as well put some back into their mouths for a change.

-AR

P.S. I wanna give extra credit to Metal Insider, not just for originally reporting on this story, but for coming up with a headline that is vastly superior to my own. Nice work, Bram!