MetalSucks

Mostly this week I just watched the Puppy Cam. But when I could pry myself away for a few moments, this is what I focused on:

• Proto-jazz-metallers Intronaut released an artsy new video, as did Protest the Hero and Dir En Grey.
• We interviewed Brother Von Doom.
• Ozzy may be pretty good at shilling for Samsung phones these days, but we still like him better the old way.
• Arsis did some member-swapping. Yes, again.
• We reviewed new releases from The Faceless, The Bronx, and a bunch of awesome bands on Prosthetic Records.
• We contemplated the prospect of new releases by Carcass, Napalm Death and Down.

Party it up, it’s the weekend. See you next Tuesday Monday.

The Deciblog made reference to “the new Napalm Death record that won’t leave our iPod” yesterday, which means a) they’ve heard Time Waits for No Slave, the new ND album that will drop sometime next year and b) it’s fucking awesome. Napalm, like some of their founding death/grind father peers (Cannibal Corpse, etc.) have been experiencing something of a renaissance with their last couple of albums, so I was already pretty stoked to hear Slave; but now I’m positively overwhelmed with anticipation. Seriously. I’ve had an erection for the last twenty-four hours. I’m getting a little scared and am strongly considering going to the ER.

ANYWAY, here’s Napalm Death’s video for “Silence is Deafening,” off their 2005 release The Code is Red… Long Live the Code. It will have to do until we can get our hands on a copy of Slave…

-AR

Two Napalm Death stories in as many days! Yowza!

So the Gods of Grind have been experiencing something of a renaissance with their excellent last two albums, The Code is Red… Long Live the Code and Smear Campaign; now the extreme metal pioneers are back in the studio working on an album about love, beauty, and helping your fellow man.

Wait… what?!?

Click to read more…

…but apparently they do:

-AR

So I’m a day late on this one, but when it comes to a band as cool as Sigh, better late than never.

Sigh have officially announced a September 2 release date for their aptly titled Venom tribute, A Tribute to Venom, via The End Records. A one-pressing-only limited edition will be available, with an LP with an etching as well as the CD. And, oh yeah, as if all of that wasn’t cool enough, Napalm Death’s Shane Embury and Brutal Truth’s Dan Lilker also make guest appearances on the album.

You know what? That cover art is fucking bad assed, man. What a perfect amalgamation of Sigh and Venom’s personalities. In fact, I wanna start a petition for that son of a bitch to be on a t-shirt, pronto. If the band managed to get that kind of sensibility into the music, too, this fucker is gonna slay.

Sigh are also gonna hit the road with Zimmer’s Hole (who are awesome) and Unexpect (who I don’t know but hear very good things about). Get tour dates after the jump.

Click to read more…

Sigh’s Tribute to Venom, Sigh’s very cleverly titled tribute to, um, y’know, still doesn’t have an official release date – but it will apparently feature guest appearances by Napalm Death’s Shane Embury and Dan Lilker of Brutal Truth/Nuclear Assault fame. According to a statement released by Sigh front man Mirai Kawashima, Embury will play on the song “Witching Hour” while Lilker will appear on “Countess Bathory.”

Gee, I wish I’d known about this back when I interviewed Mirai about the album, for I most surely would have asked him about collaborating with these two super-cool dudes. Oh well. You should still read the interview, ’cause, y’know, I told you to.

ANYWAY, here’s some live footage of Sigh performing “Witching Hour” in Tokyo last year. Without Shane Embury. But still…

-AR

Y’know what’s weird? You never really hear people asking “How can they still call themselves Naplam Death?” Why is that? Is it because right from the get-go, with Scum (possibly the only album ever to feature what ostensibly amounted to two different bands using the same name splitting the same record), the band had so many line-up changes that people have just come to accept the comings and goings of various members as de rigeur?

I dunno. I don’t really care, neither. Here’s what of the band’s more easily palatable numbers…

[kml_flashembed movie="http://lads.myspace.com/videos/vplayer.swf" width="430" height="346" fvars="m=3650213;type=video" wmode="transparent" /]

-AR

Live from the front lines:

“Barney stressing out because he can’t get his buddies in.”