SEND EMAIL TO
NEWS [AT]
METALSUCKS
[DOT] NET
Two perennial MetalSucks faves, both of whom had seemingly bright futures ahead of them not very long ago, are calling it a day. Well, only one band is admitting they’re calling it a day, while the other is using that old “indefinite hiatus” chestnut, but let’s be real, every broken-up band is on “indefinite hiatus” until they’re not, so, uh, yeah.
ANYWAY, here’s the sad news:
[Read my recaps of Day One, Day Two and Day Three. -Ed.]
No Austin excursion for me and Kip is complete without another round of savory, tasty meat courtesy the Salt Lick, but due to our inability to find a ride out to Driftwood we had to get our BBQ on elsewhere. Rudy’s just outside of town came highly recommended by this trusted guy, so we piled into two cabs and headed out to… a gas station.
We’ve been raving about Pack of Wolves for nearly three years now, and if you’re still not familiar with their unique brand of… uh… y’know, I don’t know what to call it… blackened deathrash?… ANYWAY, you should know this band. And if you don’t know this band and you live in Texas, Mississippi, Alabama, or Arkansas, you’re about to have your chance to get to know them — they’re doing an eight-show mini tour starting this Friday in Austin and continuing through March 28.
Like Meek is Murder, Pack of Wolves is one of those bands whose shit just goes to a whole ‘nother level live. They came all the way from Austin to play our CMJ showcase last fall, and they absolutely blew everyone away — dudes in other bands, dudes in the industry, and just plain old fans all raved to me about their performance at various points during the afternoon. So, yeah, go see ‘em go see ‘em go seem ‘em for the love of all things holy go see ‘em.
(And if you still feel like you need to get to know ‘em first, you can download their EP, Penance of Pestilence, for just six bucks right here. It’s totally worth it. I know they’re working on some new stuff, too, and while I’ve only heard one song so far, it might be my favorite PoW song yet.)
BONUS: Starting at Friday’s show, they’ll be selling the above t-shirt, “Crucidix,” which was designed by Eric Benton. Yes, it is an inverted cross made of penises. Yes, each and every penis is unique, like a snow flake. Yes, you need to own one.
Here are those tour dates:
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:
Whew… it’s going to be a punishing week! See you out there.
Earlier this week Vince discussed the Inspector Gadget theme, his most beloved cover from the new Powerglove album, Saturday Morning Apocalypse; now I’d like to discuss my own personal favorite track from that record.
Tim Burton’s 1989 version of Batman was a seminal moment in my moviegoing life. We waited on a line down the block to see the movie; the audience started cheering as soon as the lights went down even though absolutely nothing had happened yet; and then Danny Elfman’s now-classic march kicked in, and as soon as the main title came up, the crowd applauded with such force that I thought there might be a riot. At that point in my life, I’d never had that movie-as-a-rock-concert experience before. So even though the flick hasn’t aged very well, I will always have a soft spot for it in my heart.
And Danny Elfman’s score is still the best part of the whole thing. That music gets me pumped every time I hear it.
So Powerglove’s metallicized version of the song is something of nerd heaven for me. I might need to make it my ringtone, even.
Saturday Morning Apocalypse is out now on E1. As Vince mentioned, Powerglove are headlining the second of two MetalSucks CMJ Music Marathon showcases; this one will take place during the afternoon of Saturday, October 23rd at Fontana’s in NYC, and will also feature Wetnurse, The Binary Code, Pack of Wolves, Meek is Murder and Batillus. Sailor Jerry Rum will be providing rum mixed drinks for free from 4-5pm and for only $3 after that. That means that we’re all gonna be really, really, really drunk before nightfall, and then watch six totally kick-ass metal bands tear a small room to shreds. Holy shit I am so excited. Is it October 23 yet?
-AR
Yesterday Axl reminded you why you should attend the MetalSucks / Metal Injection / 1000Knives CMJ showcase featuring A Life Once Lost, Car Bomb, This or the Apocalypse, Baptized in Blood and Last Chance to Reason. And guess what? We’re doing two CMJ showcases this year! ‘Cause we love you like that, and we also love seeing our name on top of a flyer. Since the aforementioned showcase features a smattering of bands from across the metal record label spectrum, we decided to devote this one to honoring the best and brightest of NYC’s metal bands, with a few special friends as well. The lineup:
POWERGLOVE
Wetnurse
The Binary Code
Pack of Wolves (Austin, TX – ex-At All Cost)
Meek is Murder
Batillus
Saturday, October 23rd
Fontana’s – 105 Eldridge St., New York
4pm / 21+ / $10 (a limited number of CMJ badge-holders will be admitted, but event is open to the public)
As if that killer lineup isn’t enough to convince you to spend your Saturday afternoon headbanging, Sailor Jerry Rum will be providing complimentary cocktails from 4-5pm, and mixed drinks will be $3 thereafter so even the brokest of the broke can get their buzz on. See you at the show.
From the ashes of early MS faves At All Cost rose Pack of Wolves, a ferocious metal outfit led by ex-AAC guitarist Trey Ramirez. Their 2009 release Betrayer was a beast of its own, but their new album Penance of Pestilence — slated for a Fall 2010 release — promises to be a completely different animal.
Pack of Wolves have two new members — Gabriel Bishop (bass) and Josh Holstein (drums) — and with those two new members comes an almost completely revamped sound. The Swedish-inspired harmony riffing that defined Betrayer (and Trey’s work with At All Cost) is left only in trace amount on the two new songs posted on Pack of Wolves’ MySpace page. In its place is a whole new palette of black metal-inspired grimness and dissonance, which when mixed with the aforementioned trademark sound makes for quite a unique sonic approach. Think Entombed (via At All Cost) meets Wolves in the Throne Room, and you might be close.
Check out Pack of Wolves on MySpace and be on the lookout for the new album this coming Fall.
-VN
Photo credit: Davis Ayer
I’m all for break-up sex. Yeah, the relationship is over, and yeah, it might be kinda bittersweet, but you were into each once, so why not enjoy one last fuck, right?
To that end: I really appreciate it when a band announces that they are going to break-up, and plays a few last shows to give the fans a chance to say good-bye. Burst have done it, and now another long-standing MetalSucks favorite are doing it: At All Cost.
Congrats to Exor666t for coming up with the winning caption to last week’s our most recent funny photo caption contest. For his troubles, Exor666t will get a trifecta of classic In Flames CD reissues, each “Reloaded” with bonus content: Whoracle, Colony and Clayman. The winning entry to the photo at right:
Global recession forces Somali pirates to downsize operations.
This week we’re giving away a vinyl copy of Betrayer, the debut full-length from Austin, TX’s Pack of Wolves (featuring Trey Ramirez, ex-At All Cost). Watch Pack of Wolves’ latest video here. Just come up with a caption to the below photo that tickles our funny bones, and the record is all yours.
Wednesday has done and drawn to a close, and an awesome day it was. Highlights included Young Widows, The Bronx, Fighting With Wire, Jucifer, El Mariachi Bronx (The Bronx as a full mariachi band), Valient Thorr, Pack of Wolves, These Arms Are Snakes, and finally meeting MS contributor Corey Mitchell in person. There’s so much to be seen today, Kip has gone missing, and I’m hungry, so I’ll make this quick:
In December we told you about Pack of Wolves, the new(ish) project from former At All Cost guitarist Trey Ramirez; well, their debut album, Betrayer, is being released this coming Tuesday, March 10 on vinyl, and the band has announced its arrival in grand style – with a new video for the track “Concession.”
Only 350 copies of Betrayer will be pressed, and each one comes with a free digital download of the record, so you can listen to even if you’re not close to your turntable.
The band will also be playing this year’s SXSW; if you go the fest, make sure you check ‘em out!
-AR
Monday was 2008 Sucks day here at MetalSucks, but we rocked out the rest of the week with some ridiculous shit as per usual:
Tonight it’s new The End Records-signees Hull for Kip and me. Have a good one, everybody.
Back in April we told you about Pack of Wolves, a new project from guitarist Trey Ramirez, late of MetalSucks’ most favoritest totally underrated (and now, sadly, defunct) band, At All Cost. At the time POW (how’s that for band initials?) were unsigned…
…but Ramirez just e-mailed us to say that the group will be releasing their new album, Betrayer, on vinyl through Arclight Records on March 10. Three tracks from the album, “Walking Dead,” “Concession” and “The Death of my Old Self,” are currently streaming on the band’s MySpace page.
If you dug At All Cost, it’s hard for me to imagine you won’t dig Pack of Wolves; they’re not as druggy/experimental/whatever as AAC, but their riffs are just as tasty.
More info as we get it…
-AR
MetalSucks reader David A. has alerted us to the fact that one of our collective favorite bands, At All Cost, have possibly broken up. In a blog posted yesterday on the band’s MySpace page, singer Andrew Collins revealed the news that we can’t say we didn’t see coming, which is that the band is taking some time off to collect themselves and figure out what’s next (without using the words “break” and “up”). After guitarist Trey Ramirez departed last fall for Pack of Wolves, bassist Clean Bobby left after the Hatebreed tour to pursue other interests, and drummer Johnny Oswald put up a message on his own MySpace blog announcing his drum kit was for sale… things didn’t look too good. Apparently Century Media dropped the band in the meantime after just one album, and it all went downhill from there.
It’s been a while since we’ve written about At All Cost, the Austin, Texas metal quintet whom we wouldn’t shut up about last summer and whose phenomenal 2007 Century Media debut Circle of Demons placed close to the top of both mine and Axl’s year-end Top 10 lists.
Since we last saw them this past Christmas as part of Hatebreed’s Stillborn Fest (also featuring God Forbid, Agnostic Front and others), there have been some changes within the band. By that time guitarist Trey Ramirez had already departed (we’ve since written about his new outfit Pack of Wolves) and had been replaced by new guitarist Ryan (above, second from right). In an interview conducted that night that we never published, bassist CleanBobby told us he would be leaving the band and that’s exactly what happened, to be replaced by the dude above, middle, whom MySpace tells us is named Liam. We are also sad to report that the band also lost their unofficial sixth member, the collosal beard of lead guitarist Michael Garrison Throeald.
At All Cost has a couple of Texas dates posted on their MySpace page, and we can assume they’re working on new material in their down time. In the aforementioned interview Throeald told us the band was working on new stuff that was stonier and trippier than their past efforts. Color us interested.
-VN
So this Texas band Pack of Wolves are going to act as support, alongside Time of Cholera, on a brief upcoming tour headlined by Century. Now, the reason Pack of Wolves are worth paying attention to is because their guitarist, Trey Ramirez, used to be a member of At All Cost, one of MetalSucks’ most favoritest young bands in the whole wide world. Listen to the demos on Pack of Wolves’ MySpace page, and it’s easy to hear some AAC in there; in fact, the band often sounds like a more straight-forward, meat n’ taters, less trippy version of At All Cost.
Pack of Wolves are still without a label and the tour is coming nowhere near NYC, so I won’t be able to check ‘em out live; but I encourage anyone in the vicinity of this tour to go and let us know how the show was. All dates after the jump.
