MetalSucks

Remember last month, when we posted that awesome video of seven students from Aaron O’Keefe music-instruction school in Ohio playing Down’s “Ghosts Along the Mississippi?”

Well, Mr. O’Keefe has done it again, this time with seven different kids, ages twelve through sixteen, playing Pantera’s “Cowboys from Hell.”

There’s something kind of hilarious about a pre-pubescent voice doing Anselmo’s vocals, but there’s no getting around the fact that these kids are rule. And if you don’t think so, I’d like to ask you: could you play that well when you were that age? Is your child currently in his room practicing to play like Dimebag? No? Shut up, then.

Here are the names of the kids:

Click to read more…

I haven’t been able to shake this cold, and so I’ve actually been playing a lot of on-line Scrabble with a friend this week (because I’m just that cool). It would be really hard to play Scrabble at a metal show, though, not least of all because so many metal d00dz can’t spell.

When we weren’t beating this whole Uno debacle to death like it had just heckled us, here’s what was happening in the world of metal:

• We streamed Mutiny Within’s self-titled debut album, and premiered a track by Dallas Coyle’s new project, Genetic.
• God Forbid’s Doc Coyle defended mainstream metal, As I Lay Dying’s Nick Hipa discussed the cliffside cave list on L O S T, and, yeah, Intronaut’s Sacha Dunable and Daath’s Eyal Levi each weighed-in on a certain incident involving a certain card game.
• Each of the MetalSucks writers endorsed a finalist for the Scion No Label Needed Contest.
• We checked out new albums by The Breathing Process, Hayaino Daisuki, and Bane and Rhinoceros.
• We debated the morality of a label head posting a link to an album leak.
• We are woman, hear us roar.
• We looked at Mike Patton’s penis, and are now increasingly happy our shrink is coming back from vacation next week.
• Our homeboy Corey Mitchell is co-authoring Phil Anselmo’s autobiography!

Okay. Back to Scrabble! See ya Monday. Stay warm.

-AR

Back when I was a young ‘un and took guitar lessons, my teacher used to gather me and two other students once a week for some jam sessions (that’s not code for “molestion,” you wise guys), which were basically extended rehearsals for “concerts” (e.g., recitals). Each student would pick one song for the band to learn; the student who selected said song had to sing lead vocals and got to take the guitar solo for that song, while someone else played second guitar, someone else played bass, and the instructor played drums.

And it should go without saying that we never, ever sounded as good as this:

Click to read more…

Just wanted to give you guys the first official heads-up that I just signed a contract with former Pantera lead singer Phil Anselmo to help him pen his autobiography. Be on the lookout for an official press release next week.

This one has the MetalSucks handprints all over it, as MS co-head cheese Vince Neilstein hooked me up with Anselmo through the most unlikely of sources — Vince’s dad’s girlfriend and Phil’s aunt and uncle.

Rest assured, MS Maniacs will be privy to many exclusives as I help Phil tackle his incredible story. I will do my best to take you behind the scenes of the making of the book, post advance chapters before the book hits the stores, and post deleted material that won’t make the final cut but will be worth reading nonetheless.

Stay tuned to MetalSucks for more details.

-CM

Corey Mitchell is a best-selling author of true crime books and founder of In Cold Blog. Join him on Facebook and Twitter. His next book, SAVAGE SON, can be pre-ordered now.

Yesterday we discussed all the upcoming Pantera reissues, as well as the fact that the band’s second greatest hits collection, 1990-2000: A Decade Of Domination, is coming out on March 30. I said that it’s hard not to see this compilation as a cash-in, and now that track list has been revealed and details of how the album will be sold, it’s even harder.

For one thing, the band’s original greatest hits album, Far Beyond the Great Southern Cowboys’ Vulgar Hits, not only had six more songs than this new one will, but came with a bonus DVD showcasing twelve (!) music videos.

Here’s the track list for the new collection, A Decade of Domination…

Click to read more…

This July will mark the twentieth anniversary of the release of Pantera’s Cowboys from Hell, and while I know that some of our readers who either a) weren’t born yet when the record came out or b) were in diapers when the record came out don’t “get” what the big deal is about Pantera, I’m hoping that their youthful arrogance will give way to some appreciation of history – which is to say that just because you’ve heard ten thousand bands that sound like Pantera doesn’t mean that Pantera didn’t do it first, and do it best. Remember that dude who told the Alternative Press “fuck Black Sabbath” and claimed they had no influence on his band? Remember what band that dude was in? Atreyu. You don’t wanna grow up to be a member of Atreyu, do you?

So. Pantera have an assload of reissues coming out. Details are still kinda scarce, but here’s what we know right now:

Click to read more…

Our Bro-test the Heroes over at Crustcake posted the video for a personal favorite of mine, Down’s “Stone the Crow.” Sure, it was Down’s most popular song but it earned that distinction for a reason, namely that it’s fucking great.

I love the interplay between Pepper Keenan and Kirk Windstein’s guitars in the intro/main riff… each guitar is playing a completely different line that perfectly compliments the other. Metal bands just don’t write riffs like that anymore… any time there are two guitars they’re playing the same damn thing (or close). Also, Phil Anselmo is second only to Layne Staley in the constantly-changing-hair-styles-and-overall-looks department, and I love observing his constant metamorphosis throughout the years. In this video he’s sporting a ’50s Greaser kind of look from the neck up and an early-mid ’90s neo-grunge rocker (flannel and camo shorts) from the waist down… an odd combination, but with Philip it works.

-VN

Jello Biafra is one of the very few people living today who can honestly be called a musical pioneer. The importance of the Dead Kennedys cannot be overstated, and as that hardcore punk act’s frontman and voice, Jello’s words continue to influence generations of people worldwide dissatisfied with the status quo, whether that apply to the music scene or the socio-political climate. Fortunately, he continues to rail against the crimes inflicted by governments and corporations in his own unique way, whether it be through bitingly witty spoken word performances or those from his new band, The Guantanamo School of Medicine. Yet after all of these years, Jello still prides himself on not stagnating or repeating himself. In his own words:

One thing we’ve gone out of our way to do with [The Guantanamo School of Medicine] and what I do in general, I’m kinda proud that no two music albums of mine have ever sounded alike. Not even the Lard albums or the two I did with the Melvins, let alone Dead Kennedys. There’s so much punk and so much metal that gets put into these little genres and sounds so much like other bands that you wonder, “what’s the point?” This is like drawing in a coloring book instead of making a picture from your imagination as a kid. Part of what that comes from is drawing my sources and my ideas from other parts of music besides punk, including even that weird tiki cocktail lounge music from the Fifties… You wanna put a unique stamp on your band, you’ve gotta draw from forces outside your favorite kind of music. I didn’t even realize until years later that when I’d hide out at my parents’ place in Colorado to write songs and plan out the next Dead Kennedys album that I was listening to almost no punk whatsoever when I was doing it.

Below, check out more from my interview with Jello.

Click to read more…

Last week’s Worst Tattoo Ever of the Day post — in which some sucker drew with crayons tattooed his back with logos of ’80s hair metal bands from the most popular all the way down to Tora Tora — seems to have struck a nerve. The post elicited a healthy number of comments while being spread on the Interwebs via Twitter and Facebook. Whether people were laughing at this poor chap or laughing with him really matters not — regardless of whether your skin is virgin clean or you’ve got a few bad tattoos yourself, this shit’s kinda funny, right?

MS Maniac Ryan F. sent in a photo of a bad tattoo of his own doing, pictured above. Explains Ryan: “I bought a tattoo gun online for about 50 bucks and my friends and I used to get wasted and tattoo each other. I decided one night to get ‘What Would Phil Anselmo Do?’ down my leg.” I can see Ryan explaining this one when his grandkids ask, “Grandpa, who’s Phil Anselmo?” “Well, Phil Anselmo sang for this metal band and sometimes ranted and raved about white pride… err, um, nevermind.”

This is fun. I could see it becoming a regular series. Got a funny/bad/embarrassing metal tatoo? Send ‘em in to news [at] metalsucks [dot] net, or better yet post ‘em in the comments for all to see/laugh/excoriate.

-VN

Reader James Keglor sent us the following e-mail about the band The Sign of the Southern Cross:

“in case yall aint heard ov this band then check em out.  Especially check out the tune Purge, its really fuckin badass but the rest are kinda like Tera filler songs.  The dude sounds EXACTLY like Anselmo its insane like i wouldnt be surprised if Phil was actually the singer in secret.”

Although it’s clear that the singer wishes he were Phil Anselmo, I don’t think this band is anywhere near as good as Pantera. I also don’t think James should continue to spell “of” with a “v” more than once in any given e-mail, but that’s a personal decision that James has to make on his own.

Also… a confederate flag, fellas? Really?

If you feel so inclined, check out The Sign of the Southern Cross here, then share your opinions with James in the comments section below.

-AR

Boasting a resume that features members of Pantera more prominently than any Nashville session players, multi-instrumentalist Hank Williams III has defiantly cultivated a career and an image in stark contrast to the country roots evoked by his iconic namesake. Though hardly abandoning his heritage, the grandson of the honky tonk pioneer continues to mystify and enthrall with this, the first “official” release from this band.

Click to read more…

This is Phil Anselmo performing Alice in Chains’ “Nutshell” in Tel Aviv.

And… that’s all I have to say about this.

-AR

[via Metal Injection]

After the horrific murder of his brother, no one would have faulted Pantera/Damageplan drummer Vinnie Paul for dropping off the face of the Earth. But instead, the man chose to soldier on, starting his own record company, Big Vin Records, and resuming his drumming duties for boozy groove metallers Hellyeah. The former has signed Type O Negative side project Seventh Void and released the successful Dimebag Darrell tribute DVD Dimevision; the latter’s toured the globe in support of their debut album, with plans to record and tour again in the near future. A relentlessly positive guy who sounds a little like the metal version of King of the Hill’s Boomhauer, Vinnie seems content with the past and satisfied with the present (upon hearing that I was conducting the interview from Massachusetts after I shut my tape recorder off, he gave his thoughts on the Boston Bruins’ then-upcoming playoff game with Montreal Canadiens and stated that his dream Superbowl would be between the Cowboys and the Patriots, if it were possible). In his inteview with MetalSucks, he gives his thoughts on the upcoming 20th anniversary of Cowboys from Hell, running a record label, and the future of Hellyeah.

Click to read more…

I can’t believe that there’s going to be a new Hellyeah album. I honestly thought we’d be rid of this insipid band after one phoned-in cash-in. I guess I don’t have any real reason to be too upset though, as not only will I never ever never listen to this record, but I honestly don’t know anyone else who ever will either.

In any case, here are some things I’d rather hear than new “music” from Hellyeah:

Click to read more…

So it’s a slow news day. I mean we’ve gotten some press releases but nothing really exciting.

So a-sniffin’ around YouTube I did go, and I found this pretty cool footage of Kerry King playing three songs with Pantera on two separate occasions.

First up is a rendition of “Raining Blood” from 1989.

Click to read more…

I was pretty excited that Exhorder’s albums are getting reissued, since I thought it meant a lot of kids who have never heard of Exhorder might now check ‘em out.

And yet, somehow, the news that Exhorder have reunited and are working on new material bums me out. I can’t even really figure out why; part of me thinks it’s that “new material” part. Almost every reunited band puts out a new album at some point, because, well, it’s a good way to make money; but these albums, even if they’re any good, can never, and do never, live up to band’s output from their heyday. At the Gates, at least, admitted as much in Decibel (though they didn’t rule out the possibility of recording under a different name, which, truth be told, is just as shitty an idea as recording under their original name, because anyone with an IQ bigger than his shoe size will still know that it’s At the Gates). So while I’m stoked to be able to catch Exhorder at a not particularly large concert venue in the NYC area sometime real soon, I really wish they would please just not make any new music.

Then again, a couple of new songs might provide the perfect bathroom break during the show.

Anyway, below enjoy a photo of Phil Anselmo in an Exhorder shirt. The photo of a member of Pantera in Exhorder merch should help convince 15 year olds that Exhorder really are important to the history of metal, in case actually listening to the band’s music and realizing that they pre-date Pantera somehow fails to convey this fact.

-AR

Here’s the thing about Ray Mazzola, vocalist for New York’s own Full Blown Chaos: the guy has a natural born gift for storytelling. I learned this back in February, when I was lucky enough to be invited to dinner with the members of Soilent Green, music video auteur extraordinaire David Brodsky, and Allie Woest, Brodsky’s partner/producer/sometimes editor/general right hand. Full Blown Chaos were on a temporary hiatus from touring at the time (a hiatus which, their fans will be pleased to know, is now over), and so Ray joined us, and within seconds of sitting at the table, he was trading war stories from the road with Soilent Green/Crowbar drummer Tommy Buckley. And, as nice a guy as Buckley is and as many good stories as he had to tell, he just couldn’t keep up with Ray; I won’t repeat any of Ray’s stories second hand ’cause I could never do them justice, so I’ll just say that I can never again hear Napalm Death’s “The Code is Red” without bursting into hysterical laughter.

So after dinner I interviewed Soilent Green guitarist Brian Patton (and some of the dudes from Car Bomb, who also showed up at some point), and then Ray was cool enough to sit down and let me pick his brain for a little while – and to share one of his special stories with our readers. To say that the story is a doozy would be to put it mildly. Little wonder this dude is such a charismatic front man.

Above, watch the David Brodsky-directed video for Full Blown Chaos’ “Halos for Heroes,” from their album Heavy Lies the Crown; after the jump, read the full transcript of my conversation with Ray.

Click to read more…

Dear Maria Brink and the Other Anonymous Dudes from In This Moment,

First of all, I think we all got off on the wrong foot and I’d like to apologize. I know I’ve said some not very nice things about certain members of your band in the past, things that were completely superficial and in no way related to your music. And my own feelings about your physical appearance aside, I hear that you’re actually very nice people. So I hope we can leave the past in the past and just live in this moment.

(Sorry. I couldn’t resist).

Last week you released a free mp3 on your MySpace page of several of your members, including Ms. Brink, performing a cover of Pantera’s “I’m Broken” with the nice men from Talking Metal. Mostly I thought your version of the song served as a nice illustration of why Phil Anselmo was, in his heyday, one of the best screamers in all of metal. I mean, I guess musically you sounded okay enough – your guitar player is no Dimebag, but then, who is? – but really, I didn’t like Maria’s vocals. At all.

But I chose to keep my mouth shut, because, well, some perfectly respectable people thought Maria acquitted herself quite admirably.

But now you’ve posted another cover of a classic metal song on your MySpace page for free download – this time, a version of Slayer’s “Postmortem.” And, once again, your take on the song serves as little more than a reminder of what made the original so great.

Click to read more…

“If Phil Anselmo hadn’t quit Pantera, Darrell wouldn’t have been playing in that shithole where that guy could get to him.”

Well duh, Einstein. Had that or any one of a million other things been different, Dimebag wouldn’t have been shot. This kind of shit-talking, taken from an interview in the March 2007 issue of Guitar World, is the kind of unnecessary bashing sure to add fire to the flames, not to mention that she comes off like an idiot. If I’d left for work one minute earlier today perhaps I would’ve been hit by a car. If Kip hadn’t left the house that day maybe he wouldn’t have broken his shoulder. We can all make ourselves crazy with a million “what if”s, but it won’t do any good because they’re all true and we can’t change them.

Anselmo, for all his past problems, for the most part has made his amends with Dimebag personally, in his music, and in the media. So Rita, why start this kind of public shit-slinging? A million factors could have been different about that night, and had any one of them been different things wouldn’t have ended the way they did. Why chose the one that’s the most convenient and controversial? We all understand the colossal loss and pain you feel, but that’s one step too far. Fuck you, Rita.

-VN

Phil Anselmo isn’t even the vocalist for his latest project – he’s the guitarist. He left the front man duties to Eyehategod’s fresh-from-prison Mike Williams, and it was a smart move: Arson Anthem – the band and the album – is a knuckle-scraping punch of aggression and hostility, and outside the warmth of Anselmo’s spotlight, I suspect it will only find its way into the hands of those that will really appreciate it.

Click to read more…