MetalSucks

At the beginning of the year I wrote a piece highlighting the sudden abundance of awesome metal festivals in the U.S.. Though our friends across the pond still retain an advantage in metal festivals in both number and size, 2009 saw a whole host of upstarts in the U.S.: Scion Rock Fest, L.A. Murderfest (in its 5th year), California MetalFest, Texas Metal Up Your Ass, Dudefest and of course long-established destinations such as Maryland Deathfest, New England Metal and Hardcore Festival and Dirtfest. SXSW and CMJ both made surprisingly strong showings for metal this year, too.

The party keeps on rolling into the fall with another brand new festival, Planet Caravan, to take place September 18th and 19th at the Orange Peel in Asheville, North Carolina. The lineup is headlined by Clutch and Pentagram, with Orange Goblin, Kylesa, Burst (!), Yob, Wino, Astra, and Revolution Mother rounding out the bill. I haven’t heard of Taddy Porter, Orchid, or Pick Up the Snake, but even if all 3 bands are terrible (highly unlikely) that’s still a fucking killer lineup!

MetalSucks is co-sponsoring the event so we’ll have more news as it’s available. Check out the press release and festival details after the jump.

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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.
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In the summer of 2006, before MetalSucks was even a twinkle in our young, stoned eyes, Axl and I headed across the pond to England’s famous Download Festival at Castle Donington to get our metal on. Our minds were literally blown; neither of us had ever been to an event of such magnitude and we were literally shocked at the seemingly endless and welcoming metal community in Europe. In 2007 and 2008 we talked of going to other European festival mainstays like Wacken and Hellfest, and though we never made it back we were continually jealous of the rich European metal festival scene.

Americans have reason to be jealous of their European forefathers no more; a glut of both indoor and outdoor festivals have hit the American circuit in the past few of years, and in 2009 even more promoters are jumping on the bandwagon with a glut of killer destination metal festivals already lined up.

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Finally… we have a capable, intelligent, forward-thinking new U.S. president. No, it’s not Dave Mustaine. Here’s what else happened this week:

• We wondered aloud and speculated about Slayer’s co-headline tour, New England Metal & Hardcore Fest, Scion Rock Fest (aka Atlanta Metalfest), and The Faceless’ headline tour. This spring just got awesome.
• We ran to the hills to avoid a shitty classic metal cover. Meanwhile, we found Iron Maiden in Iran and on the big screen.
• We got sexi(vious) with members of Cynic and Textures.
• We looked at new releases from Satyricon, Cattle Decapitation, 16 and Rumpelstiltskin Grinder.
• Maynard got all Jiu-Jitsu on our asses and Carcass played a wedding.

Axl, myself and our girlfriends (we have girlfriends… whowouldathunkit???) are going to see The Dark Knight on the IMAX tonight. Hopefully weed will be involved. Later, suckaz!!

While we had just planned on catching Killswitch Engage, Lacuna Coil and Chimaira on this Spring’s Music As A Weapon Tour and leaving before Disturbed hit the stage, it may be that we won’t have to. The latest round of announced tour dates includes an April 15th date in Lowell, Mass, a Boston exurb on the New Hampshire border that’s only 40 miles (and 2 days) away from the New England Metal and Hardcore Festival in Worcester, Mass. Could we be in for some more additions to the Friday night lineup?

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Forget Ozzfest, Forget the Rockstar Energy Mayhem Tour; the New England Metal & Hardcore Festival is the place to be this summer. The special 3-day lineup celebrating the festival’s 10th anniversary is so awesome and all-inclusive that, if you can make it, there’s no reason to go to anything else. In the typically festival-deprived U.S., it’s a breath of fresh air and rival to the mammoth European festival market.

As reported by Metal Injection, the fest will be merging with Gigantour for one-night, as the Friday night portion of the show will feature Megadeth, In Flames, Children of Bodom, Job For A Cowboy and High on Fire. Saturday’s lineup will be headlined by Dimmu Borgir, Shadows Fall and Behemoth. Sunday will feature Ministry, Meshuggah and Nevermore. And those are just the headliners; take a look at the rest of the bands expected to play throughout the weekend:

The Dillinger Escape Plan, Overkill, A Life Once Lost, God Forbid, Disfear, Hate Eternal, Municipal Waste, Shai Halud, Soilent Green, Skeletonwitch, The Acacia Strain, Vital Remains, After the Burial, Animosity, As Blood Runs Black, Belay My Last, Born of Osiris, Briandrill, Classic Struggle, Cockpunch!, Cold World, Dead to Fall, Demiricous, Eluveitie, Elysia, Embrace the End, Emmure, The End, Ensiferum, First Blood, From a Second Story Window, Full Blown Chaos, The Ghost Inside, Hemlock, Impending Doom, Keep Of Kalessin, Kid Deposit Triumph, Ligeia, Mensrea, Monstrosity, On Broken Wings, Recon, Red I Flight, Rhinoceros, Shipwreck a.d., Since the Blood, Sleeping Giant, Sons of Azrael, Stick to Your Guns, Stray from the Path, Through the Eyes of the Dead, Tony Danza Tap Dance Extravaganze, Trap Them, Turisas, Tyr, Unexpect, Unholy, Vanna, Veil of Maya, Waking the Cadaver, Winds of Plague, Withered, and Xtyrantx.

WOAH! The event will take place from April 25 to 27 at the Palladium in Worcester, MA. The cost is $47.50 for Friday, $45 for Saturday, $45 for Sunday, or the very affordable price of $129 for a three-day pass.

-VN