UPDATE: It’s official. Nevermore are off this tour. WHAT A BUMMER.

Well, here’s a potentially sucky situation.

We just got the following e-mail from reader Glenn Pillsbury:

“Just got a canned email from the promoter of the May 8 Symphony X concert in San Francisco that does not mention anything about Nevermore appearing on the dates, even though Nevermore was on the dates when I purchased my ticket a few weeks ago.  I sent a reply asking about it and got a statement from the promoter guy himself that Nevermore has indeed dropped off.  Haven’t seen anything from Nevermore itself though (their MySpace still has all the dates listed).”

Click to read more…

Oh noes! Soilwork have been forced to drop off their Spring North American tour with Nevermore and Symphony X because guitarist Peter Wichers has a herniated disc in his back. Ouch.

I feel your pain, Peter. Literally… because I have a herniated disc too (actually two). It’s uncomfortable to do pretty much anything; sitting is a challenge (especially in the cramped confines of cars and airplanes) and standing for longer than a couple of hours is a chore… I can’t even fathom having to rock out on stage every night.

So when drummer Dirk Verbeuren says Wichers requires a “prolonged period of rest,” I can’t help but feel for the guy because I know exactly what he’s going through. Worst. Pain. Ever. Peter, can we be herniated disc buddies?? I hope you rest up and get that treated, and if you get better, um, kindly let me know how you did it because nothing I’ve tried to date has worked.

That official statement from Verbeuren after the jump (with news on the band’s future touring commitments):

Click to read more…

Holy crap, there’s a lot of new music coming out today. It’s like everyone knew that all the lonely metal heads would home alone jerking off, so they all released new songs at once. It’s hard to even keep up with it all!

One that’s worth keeping up with, though, is Darkest Hour’s “Love is a Weapon.” It’s another new song from their forthcoming offering, The Human Romance, and I think it’s my favorite yet.

Why? Well, for one thing, it amalgamates my two favorite emotions: rage and melancholy. But, perhaps more importantly, it just hits all my g-spots: it’s well-written, it’s well-played, and it’s well-produced, by some dude named Peter Wichers. I ain’t never heard of him before, but I think he could have a bright future ahead of him if he continues to do work as good as this.

To listen, go to the band’s Facebook page and tell the world that you want Darkest Hour to be your valentine. Let’s be real here, Mike Carrigan is prettier than your real valentine anyway.

The Human Romance comes out next Tuesday, February 22, on eOne. It is the perfect music to make love to.

-AR

We still haven’t gotten to hear the new Darkest Hour album, The Human Romance, in its entirety — but Chris Dick gives it an 8 outta 10 score in the March 2011 issue of Decibel, the first new song from the record that the band released, “Savor the Kill,” was awesome, and now the second new song from the record the band has released, “Your Everyday Disaster,” has also proven to be pretty wicked. So it’s looking like Darkest Hour have, once again, delivered the goods.

Which is no shock… they’re Darkest Hour! And the great Peter Wichers produced this record! So the odds were pretty much always in DH’s favor.

And “Disaster” sounds like classic Darkest Hour in pretty much every way imaginable. So check that shit out here.

The Human Romance comes out February 22 on eOne. Get stoked.

-AR

We still haven’t gotten to hear the new Darkest Hour album, The Human Romance, in its entirety — but Chris Dick gives it an 8 outta 10 score in the March 2011 issue of Decibel, the first new song from the record that the band released, “Savor the Kill,” was awesome, and now the second new song from the record the band has released, “Your Everyday Disaster,” has also proven to be pretty wicked. So it’s looking like Darkest Hour have, once again, delivered the goods.

Which is no shock… they’re Darkest Hour! And the great Peter Wichers produced this record! So the odds were pretty much always in DH’s favor.

And “Disaster” sounds like classic Darkest Hour in pretty much every way imaginable. So check that shit out here.

The Human Romance comes out February 22 on eOne. Get stoked.

-AR

I am really, really excited for The Human Romance, the new Darkest Hour album. These dudes are still at the top of their game, it’s their first release for a new label, Peter Wichers produced it, and, well, they’re Darkest Hour! How can you not get excited?

The band described their new album art to Metal Injection back in November, but now they’ve finally released it for all the world to see:

So that’s pretty fuckin’ metal, right?

The Human Romance comes out via eOne on February 22.

Meanwhile, over at Darkest Hour’s old label, Victory, they’re preparing to release a new Emmure album. The record is called Speaker of the Dead and the Emmure guys are nothing if not clever, so the cover, of course, is literally a photo of speakers:

Click to read more…

I started dreading middle age a little early, and not only for the universal reasons. Of course, I fret that my staggering good looks will fade, my wang will begin to betray me (more often), and the psychic fatigue of drug abuse will finally mangle my sunny disposition. Those are typical concerns; I can deal with that shit. What I couldn’t handle, however, is the likely transformation into a mean old jerk who constantly complains that new music sucks and fuck everybody who listens to it. You know people like this. I’ve spent my life among them. They are the worst!

I don’t want to be an oldist, ever. It means missing out on too much good new shit in exchange for the comfort of the familiar. And it makes you sound like an out-of-touch douchelord. So I’m constantly checking myself, like a prostate self-exam. And for the last few years, the outlook was kinda alarming: In my honest moments, I was longing for more singing and less screaming; I keep waiting for some real singers to step forward and become the Tate, Dickinson, and Halford of this new era. Also, my phobias came to include breakdowns, the Krank guitar sound, random riffs, hyper-precise drums mixed to resemble farts in the bath, and macho diary-style lyrics — each a touchstone of post-Pantera commercial metal. So, yeah. Fuck, I thought, I might as well start pricing dentures.

Click to read more…

The next Darkest Hour album is gonna be something of a turning point for the band, regardless of how it’s ultimately received — it’s their first away from Victory Records since 2000′s The Mark of the Judas, and guitarist/all-around awesome d00d Mike “Lonestar” Carrigan is no longer “the new guy,” so I suspect that his shredtastic powers will be even further exploited than they were on The Eternal Return (and to the band’s credit, my understanding is that they welcomed Carrigan as a songwriter from the get-go, and never really treated him like “the new guy”). Also, it’s a new Darkest Hour album. That’s just reason to be happy right there.

And now there’s reason to be even happier: the band has announced that Soilwork’s Peter Wichers will produce the still-to-be-titled effort. Of course, Swedish melodic death metal has been a HUGE influence on Darkest Hour’s sound; it’s hard to think of anyone better suited to said sound than Wichers, who is Swedish melodeath royalty.

This album was always gonna be one of my most-anticipated of 2011, but now my desire to hear it has grown exponentially. Obviously, there’s no word on a release date from E1 yet, but we’ll keep you up to speed…

-AR

Just so you know, when Vince and I cuddle, he’s usually the big spoon.

Here’s what happened in MetalSucks Land this week:

• Misery Index’s Jason Netherton joined us for the latest edition of Cooking Contaminated.
• Intronaut’s Sacha Dunable wondered if corporate-sponsored metal shows are killing the live concert market.
• We chatted with Soilwork’s Peter Wichers, Mantric’s Ole Halvard Sveen, and Black Army Jacket’s Carlos Ramirez.
• We checked out new releases by Norma Jean and Lightning Swords of Death.
• We celebrated the excellent year currently being enjoyed by Metal Blade Records.
• Korn played to the largest audience they deserve. (That would be an audience of zero.)
• New BOO means debates by you.
• Poison the Well poisoned our week.
• We were on the Metal Injection Livecast!
• Booty shake.

Next week is hair metal week! We’ll still be reporting on regular metal, too, so don’t freak out too hard. See ya Monday.

-AR

Soilwork’s Peter Wichers doesn’t really know how to disappoint. He’s shepherded his band through a stretch of eight albums in a frenetic 12 years. He’s helmed potentially underwhelming projects like the Nuclear Blast All-Stars (not a softball team) and a career band guy’s first solo record (Warrel Dane’s nifty Praises To The War Machine). On top of that, he’s a thrilling guitarist and songwriter. Dreamy.

But he’s more than all that. Like, did you know that the native Swede doesn’t give a shit about soccer? Have you heard his opinion that Devin Townsend is underrated? Could you tell that he can tell the difference between Soilwork singer Bjorn “Speed” Strid and the chairman Frank Sinatra? Don’t take my word for it. It says so right down there after the jump. Right in and among all the talk about Soilwork’s new album The Panic Broadcast, his new and new-ish bandmates, being a metal tastemaker, and crappy guitar solos.

Click to read more…

Amidst all this talk of Joey Belladonna bending over and taking it from Anthrax, it’s been easy to lose site of the fact that Armored Saint released a pretty decent comeback album this year in La Raza. I was never as big of a Saint fan as I was of Anthrax, but there’s been enough cross-polination between the members that the presence of Bush’s voice on top of La Raza‘s already good songs almost makes it sound as if you’re listening to a Bush-era Anthrax record… almost. “Little Monkey” is my favorite track on the album and in my opinion the most Anthrax-y, both musically and lyrically. Check it out above and pick up La Raza here from Metal Blade if you like.

I also completely forgot about John Bush’s guest appearance on the Nuclear Blast All-Stars Out of the Dark project in 2007 helmed by ex-[at the time]-Soilwork guitarist Peter Wichers. The album was incredibly solid through and through, and “Paper Trail” was one of the bestest songs on it. I find it fascinating that Wichers took on the task of writing a more “rock” oriented song, did a fantastic job with it, and how Bush’s voice really brought it home.

What can I say… I love John Bush’s voice. Enjoysies.

-VN

Few people could be unsure that they’ve ever heard the voice of singer Warrel Dane. A conjurer of dread, anxiety, and doom, Dane doesn’t so much sing as signal an assault, like a bayonet on the musket of his band Nevermore, if you will. In simpler terms, his voice is hard to forget. So it’s fitting that Dane shares a hometown with Queensryche’s Geoff Tate, another skilled operatic vocalist who teamed with a distractingly awesome guitarist. In Dane’s case, it’s seven-stringer Jeff Loomis, now established beyond all doubt as a uber-skilled guitar freak. And though five years has elapsed since the last Nevermore record, Dane and Loomis have kept high profile via a pair of essential solo albums. But it’s now again Nevermore time, and on seventh album The Obsidian Conspiracy, we find a less frenetic and more seasoned Nevermore, one more dependent on composition than tireless riffing. Equally as exciting is Dane’s recent reactivation of Sanctuary, the beloved proto-Nevermore thrash quintet whose two records were produced respectively by future-pop punk guru Howard Benson (Hoobastank, My Chemical Romance) and a presumably wasted Dave Mustaine.

Dane talked to MetalSucks about the exciting new Sanctuary song he’s working on, his planned resumption of voice training, awful McDonald’s food, and my super A&R work on his next side project.

Click to read more…

While news that Peter Wichers rejoined Soilwork a year and a half ago was met with widespread jubilation, any theories that his return to the fold would have a profound impact on their sound were just that, theories. But no longer do we have to speculate, as Soilwork just posted a brand new song called “Two Lives Worth of Reckoning” on their MySpace page.

This may be comparing apples and oranges, but I’d say that Wichers’ return to the group has the same effect as that of Clint Lowery’s return to Sevendust. Both men just bring a sense of musicality, musicianship and production know-how to the table that the remaining members lack on their own; not that sole Wichers-less Soilwork album Sworn to a Great Divide was bad, but it was certainly lacking something. The new Soilwork song certainly demonstrates that sense of musicality up-front… I’d recognize those specific chord voicings as emanating from the mind of Wichers any time and place you played them to me, and those bluesy riffs and a scorching guitar solo? Oh my. Yes, this is very, very right. Of course it’s just one song, but it certainly bodes well. I’m not crazy about Bjorn Strid’s vocals in the choruses, though; they sound auto-tuned to me. What up with that?

The Panic Broadcast drops July 13th in America and July 2nd in Europe.

-VN

I mean, that is COOL, dude. I don’t even know what to say… it’s so different from any album art Soilwork have ever had before, but it just looks so bad-assed to me. Do we think there’s any chance the music is gonna have some kind of Asian influence, too, or do we think they just used said influence for the cover because it’s awesome?

This + the return of Peter Wichers = me really excited to hear this puppy. Nuclear Blast will release The Panic Broadcast on June 25 in Europe, and presumably there’ll be a Stateside release roughly around the same time.

-AR

While we have no intention of going to see Kittie play with a bunch of clowns and The Insane Clown Posse, I suspect we will find our way to Soilwork’s next U.S. tour, which will be with Death Angel and feature support from Augury, Mutiny Within, and Swashbuckle. We haven’t gotten to check out the band since Peter Wichers re-joined, and, truth be told, it didn’t feel quite right without The Wichmeister.

And I promise never to refer to him as “The Wichmeister” again.

Dates after the jump!

Click to read more…

Soilwork have a lot to prove with their next record, which a press release from Nuclear Blast tells us will be called The Panic Broadcast. It’s not that 2007′s Sworn to a Great Divide was bad, but it’s that it was just OK. Ever since the departure of primary songwriter Peter Wichers from the band before that album was recorded (and the subsequent departure of his uncle, longtime guitarist Ola Frenning), it’s felt like Soilwork have been rambling along somewhat aimlessly, trying — and falling just short of — re-living their past glory.

But now that Wichers is back in the band the game has changed.

Click to read more…

Watching Peter Wichers play with Soilwork last month at New York’s Highline Ballroom was like witnessing a homecoming of sorts. Sure, it wasn’t the very first show back for Wichers, a founding member and key songwriter who recently returned to the group after a four-year hiatus, who had already been playing with the band for weeks on tour with Darkane, Warbringer and Swallow the Sun. Still, it just felt so right. Without Wichers, Soilwork was like a lumbering beast doing its best Soilwork impersonation… but it wasn’t quite Soilwork. Sworn to a Great Divide was a decent album, but “decent” was exactly as far as it went. Before the show I caught up with Wichers to ask him about the circumstances leading to his return to the band, balancing life on the road and life with a family, what it’s like to play someone else’s material in your band, his production work on the Nuclear Blast Allstars project and Warrel Dane solo record, and what the future holds for Soilwork. Our chat, after the fold.

Click to read more…

What was already shaping up to be one of the most exciting tours of early 2009 just got even better. The North American jaunt, headlined by Soilwork with support from Darkane and Swallow the Sun, just added North Carolina’s princes of gloomy-death-doom Daylight Dies (read Chris Roddy’s glowing review of Lost to the Living) in place of Warbringer, who were forced to drop off due to recording obligations. It’s not that we don’t like Warbringer — in fact, they’re one of our collective favorite bands of the current re-thrash movement — it’s just that… dude, Daylight fuckin’ Dies!! And Swallow the Sun! On the same bill! Headlined (finally!) by a newly re-Peter Wichers’ed Soilwork!! Dude.

Head exploding. For serious. Full list of tour dates after the jump.

Click to read more…

According to a recent post on SMNnews.com, ex-Darkest Hour guitarist Kris Norris will now be pursuing a career in producing in addition to putting out his recently completed solo album. While we certainly wish him all the best, the realist in me is privy to think that Norris’ career arc as a producer will closely follow that of Peter Wichers’, who left Soilwork in ’05 in favor of the producer’s chair only to rejoin Soilwork last month. Not that it can’t be done — Fear Factory’s Christian Olde Wolbers is someone who comes to mind as an example of a metal musician who’s made the successful switch — it’s just that the paycheck ain’t as reliable as the perpetual cycle of touring, merch and album advances (then again, Darkest Hour are on Victory Records, so all bets are off in the advances department). And it certainly isn’t as much fun!

The idealist in me, however, really hopes Norris succeeds, not just because of the warmth in our collective hearts but because ex-At All Cost guitarist and friend of MetalSucks Michael Carrigan (ex-Throeald) has been tapped as Norris’ replacement in DH, and that motherfucker is a sick guitarist deserving of his call up to the big leagues.

-VN

The chill of fall is in the air but the gossip mill never cools off at the MetalSucks Mansion. This week’s notables and quotables included:

• Original guitarist Peter Wichers returned to Soilwork and ex-At All Cost guitarist Mike Carrigan replaced Kris Norris in Darkest Hour; we rejoiced that great Soilwork music will once again be made and that Mike’s got a job. But the good was tempered by the bad as Christian Alvestam left Scar Symmetry and Spineshank reunited. There is no justice.
• Winds of Plague’s Kristen Randall showed the world her bewbs!
• We reviewed solid new albums by Into Eternity, Enslaved and All Shall Perish, and waxed ecstatic about Burst, Vince’s new proverbial wet dream.
• New videos from The Human Abstract and Amon Amarth are unbelievably epic.
• A scandal erupted involving the audio quality of Death Magnetic, alternate Guitar Hero mixes, and the now infamous “Better, Shorter, Cut” abridged edition.
• Vince & Axl [almost] reveal their true identities.

See ya next week.