[UPDATE, 5:41pm EST: The new Gorod album will be called A Perfect Absolution. Check out the sick cover art at No Clean Singing.]

Original Post:

I hereby posit that Psycroptic, Spawn of Possesion, Obscura and Gorod are the four best tech-death bands in the world — THE BIG FOUR of tech-death — fight me on that claim if you dare. This year is shaping up to be an incredible year for top-notch tech-death, as three of those bands are poised to release new records in the first half of 2012. Psycroptic and Spawn of Possession have new albums coming out on February 7th and March 13th, respectively, and it appears if the wily Frenchmen in Gorod will have an album out very soon too. Get excitebike!

So, Gorod: they’ve re-signed with Listenable Records and they’re already recording a new album which will supposedly come out in March (though I won’t be surprised if that date is pushed back). They’ve released two studio updates so far, and unlike the videos some bands post consisting of nothing but dudes whacking about, these are both loaded with samples of new music! Watch and listen:

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Cannibal Corpse have been the face of death metal for almost twenty-five years. Since their debut full-length Eaten Back to Life was released in 1990, they’ve dominated the scene with their brand of in-your-face brutal lyrics and slamming death metal. They’ve also managed to make a name for themselves as one of the most commercially successful death metal bands on the planet. Metal Blade will release their latest offering, Torture, on March 12 — you can pre-order it here.

I  recently spoke with bassist/founding memeber Alex Webster about the new album and the band’s upcoming twenty-fifth anniversary, as well as tons of other Cannibal-related activities. Read our full chat after the jump!

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Italian prog metal maestros Ephel Duath are really just an Italian prog metal maestro, singular — the band has gone through something like 1,864,093 line-up changes since 1998, with guitarist Davide Tiso being the only constant. Do hardcore Ephel Duath fans consider that a total bummer, or do they not care? Regardless, this news should make them happy: their new line-up promotes Ephel Duath to a full-fledged supergroup.

For the band’s next release, Tiso has recruited Karyn Crisis (from, y’know, Crisis) to handle vocal duties, Steve DiGiorgio (Death, Testament, Obscura) to play bass, and Marco Minemann (Necrophagist, Kreator) to beat the drums. Holy shit, that’s an interesting collection of musicians, isn’t it?

Minemann is about to start recording drums for the band’s next EP, which will come out in 2012 via Agonia Records. And, clearly, it just became one of the more anticipated releases of next year. So there’s something to be excited for.

-AR

FEATURING MEMBERS OF CANNIBAL CORPSE, OBSCURA, FORBIDDEN, LAZARUS A.D., GIANT SQUID, PYRAMIDS, WOLVHAMMER, BENEATH OBLIVION, HALCYON WAY, AND GADGET

Every year year, MetalSucks asks musicians from across the vast spectrum of the metalsphere (or, in a few cases, the almost-metalsphere) what their favorite albums of the year have been. Death metallers, thrash metallers, black metallers, stoners, grinders, and djenters alike have graciously contributed lists to MS, and we’ll be running them in groups of nine to ten musicians at a time two to three times a day for the whole week.

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

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So, hey, I dunno if you guys heard, but earlier this month we put on this totally rad festival, The Metal Suckfest? No big deal, it was just twenty awesome bands in two days, whatever.

So ANYWAY, our brahs over at Metal Injection were there to film another edition of their awesome “Ask the Artist” series, in which they — duhskis! – ask a variety of artists one particular question… in this case, “What sucks about metal?” Check out the answers from the bands that played The Metal Suckfest — plus a couple of incredibly handsome non-musicians (cough, Vince and I, cough, cough) below:

And don’t forget that you can check out more awesome installments of “Ask the Artist” right here. DO IT!!!

-AR

via Badass Digest

Dj Slashba — noun – 1. A temp. 2.  A fill-in, placeholder. 3. A pretender to the throne. 4. Someone who keeps an unlit cigarette dangling from lips. 5. A retard.

Props to our friend Nick for teaching us a new term.

Here’s some shit we did this week:

• We got a tour of the live rig used by Obscura’s Christian Muenzner.
• We debuted new music by Czar, and, thanks to our pals at Decibel, Agoraphobic Nosebleed.
• We spoke to Nader Sadek.
• We checked out the latest releases from Locrian, The Wounded Kings, and Astomatous.
• We examined Slayer’s tour rider.
• We wondered if this commercial will really help sell lingerie or not.
• We over-thought the latest ramblings of Courtney Love.
• We contemplated the most over-used words in extreme metal writing.
• We considered the music of Fallujah.
• By special request, Sergeant D. reviewed Carnifex’s Until I Feel Nothing.

Next week we have some very cool interviews, some very cool music premieres, and, oh yeah, we gorge ourselves on Turkey and celebrate ridding ourselves of that pesky little Native American nuisance. See ya then.

-AR

Obscura are currently touring North American with Abysmal Dawn, as well as Last Chance to Reason and Enfold Darkness on select dates. For any curious shredders interested in knowing how Obscura guitarist Christian Muenzer dials in such sweet tones on such a consistent basis, we asked the man himself if he’d take us on a tour of his rig. As an added bonus, Christian also told us a little bit about his studio setup and how it differs from his live rig. Here’s Christian:

My gear set up for live shows and studio recording is for the most part the same, but it does differ in certain small details.

I play a rack system, and my setup is not too complex. I like to keep things simple, but there are certain things I can’t go without.

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We had a blast at The Metal Suckfest in NYC last weekend, but don’t worry if you couldn’t make it; earlier this week we shared Justina Villanueva’s photos from Night 1 (featuring Municipal Waste, God Forbid, Today is the Day and more) and today we’ve got Mariel “Tormentia” Pietrykoski’s photos from Night 2. After the jump, relive all the glorious metal brought down upon us by Cynic, Obscura, The Red Chord, 3, A Life Once Lost, Scale the Summit, Last Chance to Reason, Fight Amp, Rosetta and Ultrageist on Night 2.

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In case this year’s mind-bending new release from Obscura, Omnivium, wasn’t enough crazy German prog-death for you, the band has now announced the impending release of a demos and rarities collection, Illegimitation. That’s not a real word, and the album won’t come out on a real label, either — the band will self-release the compilation, which will include their earliest recordings from 2003, unreleased songs from 2006′s Cosmogenesis sessions, and covers recorded by their current line-up.

In fact, they’re already accepting pre-orders via Kickstarter. Packages range from five bucks — which will get you an immediate download of the song “Crucified” and a download of the full album two weeks prior to its official release — to fifteen-hundred dollars, which is a lot of money, but gets you a lot of cool shit, including concert tickets, a drum or guitar lesson, and dinner with the band. Other purchase options come with such prizes as stickers, patches, posters, meet n’ greets, and a private tickle fight with Steffen Kummerer. (I may have made one of those things up.) Go here to explore your options and make a pledge.

Meanwhile, the band’s MetalSucks-presented North American headlining tour with Abysmal Dawn, Last Chance to Reason, and Enfold Darkness rolls on! Obscura and LCTR both absolutely slayed at The Metal Suckfest this past weekend, and Abysmal Dawn rule really hard, too; I’ve never seen Enfold Darkness live, but I hear nuthin’ but good things! Get remaining tour dates after the jump.

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Ron Jarzombek is a name that’s too seldom heard outside of progressive metal circles, despite his extensive metal legacy. Sure, a handful of people may be familiar with Blotted Science — the so-called “supergroup” of which he is a part — but by and large, even those who know Blotted Science are unfamiliar with the man himself.

Jarzombek began his musical work with the underrated-yet-incredibly-influential prog band Watchtower in the 80s, then delved into the realm of technical instrumental music with Spastic Ink in the 90s and 2000s. Blotted Science’s debut, The Machinations of Dementia, was released in 2007, and  also featured Cannibal Corpse’s Alex Webster (who is still in the band) and Behold… The Arctopus’ Charlie Zeleny (who is not).

That band is now back after four years (with a new drummer, Obscura’s Hannes Grossman, to boot!) to release The Animation of Entomology, an EP centered around bugs and horror — so much that the songs were actually written to already-existing videos as kind of horror movie scores. You can see the video for the first one, “Cretaceous Chasm,” here; the second one, “Vermicular Asphixiation,” is here.

I Skyped with Ron last week to discuss the new EP and ended up learning a lot about Jarzombek’s musical history, Blotted Science, Jarzombek’s views on the current metal scene, and ESPN exercise videos.

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The Metal Suckfest is this weekend!!! And in case you’re not familiar with, or are somehow not sold on, the twenty incredible bands we’ve booked to play THE party of the year, we have scoured YouTube for recent live footage of ALL the artists playing the fest… so you can have a little taste of the madness we have in store for ya! You can see clips from all the bands playing on Friday, November 4 here; and check out clips of all the bands playing on Saturday, November 5 below.

And don’t forget: TODAY and TODAY ONLY, ALL TICKETS TO THE METAL SUCKFEST ARE JUST $25 EACH with no added fees, regardless of whether you buy tickets online, or just walk up to the box office at the Gramercy Theatre. So if you don’t already have your tickets, make sure you take advantage!!!

And now, without further ado, enjoy concert footage of all the bands playing Day Two of The Metal Suckfest!

CYNIC

More after the jump!

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Fuckin’ A right! MetalSucks is proudly teaming up with Guitar World and Hails & Horns to bring you Obscura’s first ever North American headlining tour!!! Earlier this year, the German tech death masters released Omnivium, possibly their strongest album yet, and now they’re coming to your town to kick your ass so hard the scars will be permanent.

And in case that’s not enough for you, they’re bringing out three totally killer bands for support — Abysmal Dawn, Last Chance to Reason (from November 4 through November 25), and Enfold Darkness (from November 28 through December 7). These gigs are gonna be un-fucking-missable, so make sure you get your ass to a show.

Here’s the full tour schedule:

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…Linus Klausenitzer, who has been touring with the band since Jeroen Paul Thessling quit back in July. Klausenitzer is also a member of a band I’m not familiar with, Noneuclid. But since I saw Obscura when they toured with Devin Townsend and Children of Bodom post-split with Thessling earlier this year, and I have no recollection of there being a damn thing wrong with the bass, and his playing in the below video statement certainly seems impressive, I am ready to give Klausenitzer my full endorsement.

And now seems like a good time to remind you that Obscura will be playing Day Two of The Metal Suckfest on Saturday, November 5, along with Cynic, The Red Chord, A Life Once Lost, Scale the Summit, Fight Amp, Rosetta, Ultrageist, and two more awesome bands that we have yet to announce; Day One will feature Municipal Waste, God Forbid, Today is the Day, Howl, Black Tusk, Magrudergrind, Ramming Speed, Prime Evil, and two more bands TBA. Tickets are on sale now!

-AR

That’s right! Tickets for The Metal Suckfest — the two day festival with a line-up so ridiculously awesome we can’t believe we actually put this thing together — are ON SALE RIGHT NOW.

You can buy tickets to Day 1 (November 4) or Day 2 (November 5) individually for thirty bucks a pop — that’s just three dollars per band!!! — or, for your best value, buy a THREE DAY PASS! for seventy-five bucks.

“Wait, there’s a THIRD day?” you ask. That’s right! On November 3, the night before the fest officially kicks off, we’re hosting The Metal Suckfest Pre-Game, which will be headlined by legendary black metallers Mayhem and will also feature Keep of Kalessin, Hate, Abigail Williams, and Woe. Individual tickets to that show cost twenty-five dollars, but with your Metal Suckfest 3 Day Pass, you get a ten dollar discount. Pretty sweet, eh?

So GO BUY TICKETS NOW. The full line-up is after the jump, in case you forgot… do not forget that four more bands are still yet to be announced!!!

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At long last, Blotted Science are getting ready to make their return! The band’s new EP, The Animation of Entomology, is coming out in less than a month, and now they’ve unveiled the album art (above), and two minutes of a new song, “Omitting Eyes” (below). And while I suspect the EP cover will cause some debate — I think it looks pretty cool, but I wouldn’t be surprised if some fans may find it too cartoony — I can’t imagine what anyone’s complaint about the song could be. It’s too awesome, maybe? I dunno I dunno. Check it out and see if you can find something bad to say about it that doesn’t make you sound like an irrational tool. I don’t think it’s possible.

BLOTTED SCIENCE – Omitting Eyes (edit) by EclecticElectric

The Animation of Entomology comes out October 4 via EclecticElectric.

-AR

Click to enlarge the ridiculously sweet poster art by Rodney Githens from Vertebrae 33 and Metal Band Art

When we first announced The Metal Suckfest, we promised you that it was NOT just a bunch of tours already-in-progress, routed so that they all converge for one event. That it was NOT just bands that all sound alike and one would normally expect to find on the same bill. That it would be a wholly unique concert in which some truly incredible artists are coming together JUST to play THIS ONE SINGLE EVENT.

And now you know — we weren’t lying.

We are SO PROUD to announce the line-up for the inaugural Metal Suckfest, which will take place November 4 and November 5 at The Gramercy Theatre in Manhattan. As you can see, the bands range from thrash to death to grind to prog to noise rock to NWOAHM to stoner to we don’t even know what you call it, but they all have one thing in common — they are all fucking awesome, and they are all 110% MetalSucks approved. This fest is gonna be so great, we keep having to pinch ourselves to make sure it’s real.

Tickets go on sale Friday at LiveNation.com at 10 am. 12 noon. We’ll be announcing the final four bands on the bill shortly, but trust us — you don’t wanna wait to get your ticket.

Here’s the rest of the line-up:

FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 4
Municipal Waste
God Forbid
Today is the Day
This is Hell
Howl
Black Tusk
Magrudergrind
All Pigs Must Die
Ramming Speed
Prime Evil

SATURDAY, NOVEMBER 5
Cynic
Obscura
The Red Chord
3
A Life Once Lost
Scale the Summit
Last Chance to Reason
Fight Amp
Rosetta
Ultrageist

-Vince, Axl, and Everyone at MetalSucks

Earthquakes. Hurricanes. New records by The Devil Wears Prada. Come at us, brah! We can survive anything.

Here’s what we did while shit conspired to kill us:

• We debuted new music by East of the Wall and 400 Blows.
• We spoke to Amos Williams from TesseracT about the band’s recent vocalist swap.
• We checked out the latest release from Landmine Marathon.
• We wondered: Which is better, grindcore or doom metal?
• We also wondered: Is it better to make great albums but suck live, or to be great live but put out sucky albums?
• We also also wondered: Who are the top ten metal lyricists?
• We learned what not to do if you’re in an unknown band.
• We were bummed to learn that vocalist Travis Richter has split with The Human Abstract.
• We continued to count down 31 Days of Faith No More.
• We confirmed The Red Chord, Obscura, and Rosetta for The Metal Suckfest.

Alright, I’m gonna go set up my slip n’ slide and get ready for the rain. Come hell or high water (pun intended), I promise you we will be back on Monday. See ya then.

-AR

We really cannot wait to share with you the entire lineup of the inaugural Metal Suckfest, our very own metal festival in New York City featuring 20 bands over the course of two full days; you will like, very, very much!

Last week we unveiled Cynic and Municipal Waste as the headliners. You’re gonna have to wait a little longer to see what the entire bill will look like, but for now you can get a sneak peak via the sleuths at Brooklyn Vegan. First they noticed a post on The Red Chord‘s Facebook page announcing themselves and Obscura on the same day as Cynic, and then they got a tip from a reader that Rosetta will be playing that very same day. All true; we can’t deny it.

November 5th: Cynic, Obscura, The Red Chord, Rosetta + 6 TBA
November 4th: Municipal Waste + 9 TBA

Stay tuned for the rest of the lineup.

So, to review the ways in bass players let us down this week:

• Coheed and Cambria’s Michael Todd robbed a pharmacy.
• Nick Oliveri from Queens of the Stone Age/Kyuss held his girlfriend hostage in a four-hour standoff with a S.W.A.T. team.
• Jeroen Paul Thessling quit Obscura.

Awww, yeah. In case you don’t recall, MetalSucks recently offered MS Maniacs a chance to win an amazing, ONE OF A KIND, Silver Surfer-produced, Obscura vaporizer (above), with a retail value of $600 — and to sweeten the deal, we tossed in some copies of Obscura’s orgasm-inducingly good new album, Omnivium (out now on Relapse — order one here!), and some killer Obscura merch, too. What did fans have to do for a chance to win? Why, design weed smoking apparati that would be ideal for use in outer space (in keeping with the theme of Obscura’s album art for both Omniviumand Cosmogenesis), of course.

Now, clearly, vaporizing and metal are two subjects very close to the hearts of MetalSucks readers — and so we got a lot of great entries. But, alas, there could only be one grand-prize winner, and two runners-up. So after much deliberation, the members of Obscura themselves have now selected those champions! And the winning entries are pretty mind-blowing.

Check out said entries after the jump. And don’t forget that Obscura are on tour right now with Children of Bodom, Devin Townsend, and Septicflesh starting June 24. Get remaining dates here.

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