This past April, Gojira announced they’d be recording a new five-song EP this summer featuring “guests from the international metal community,” the proceeds of which would benefit anti-whaling organization Sea Shepherd. As of July, we were still wondering what the heck has been going on with that, and since then, we’ve received fairly regular e-mails from readers asking us for updates — in fact, MetalSucks Maniac Ray Pecheone e-mailed us looking for info just this monday.

And, hey, guess what? The PRP has the scoop! They report:

Gojira will enter a Los Angeles, CA area studio next week to begin recording their new four song EP with producer Logan Mader (DevilDriver, Cavalera Conspiracy). The band have also revealed that the EP will feature some “very special guests singing.”

So the EP is still happening, it’s still gonna have some presumably awesome guests (my money’s on Randy Blythe, amongst others), the recording schedule just seems to have been delayed a little. But I’ll take tardy Gojira over no Gojira.

-AR

The last time Protest the Hero came out with a new album was in early 2008, a little more than a year into the life of this site. At the time I raved about Fortress endlessly, and it ended up as #2 on my year-end list for 2008 topped only by Gojira’s The Way of All Flesh [side note: so many awesome records came out that year!]. It’ll be interesting to see how the MetalSucks Maniacs at large react to my pending coverage of Protest the Hero’s next record, which they’re supposedly working on right now. Our site’s readership has grown a ton since early 2008 and the amount of vitriol spewed our way in the comments section has vastly increased for better or worse. Back then our readers seemed to mostly support my penchant for prog wankery and really got behind Protest the Hero too; would it be the same these days?

The knock on PtH always seems to be that people don’t like their vocalist Rody Walker. I happen to think that he’s the icing on the cake, a truly unique vocalist that really brings something extra to a band full of amazing musicians. Whereas most bands of amazing musicians simply get a dude to scream over what they’re playing — so that people whose attention spans are too short to pay attention to an instrumental band won’t lose interest — Rody Walker really adds something to the formula, and what the other 4 dudes do is all the better for it. He’s a really talented vocalist too, and PtH certainly wouldn’t be the same without him.

But apparently MS reader Damien doesn’t agree, or perhaps he was just bored and fiddling around with the instrumental versions of Fortress that the band released when he created the below mix of “Sequoia Throne” with Randy Blythe’s vocals for the Wrath track “Fake Messiah” laid over top of it. It’s a cool concept, and though I feel like the use of Blythe’s vocals in the chorus could use work (seems too sparse), I think it’s pretty well done.

-VN

When Randy Blythe was nineteen years old and Jamey Jasta was thirteen years old, a really silly white dude who is named Rob Van Winkle but insisted on calling himself “Vanilla Ice” released a song entitled “Ice Ice Baby,” which was a huge megahit. There can be no doubt that Blythe and Jasta were aware of the song’s existence, for such was its prevalence in pop culture. Of course, we have no way of knowing what these someday-modern metal legends thought of the track, but I think we can reasonably assume that at no point did the thought “Someday Vanilla Ice will come see me perform and we will hang out backstage after the show” cross their respective minds.

And yet, this:

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Just last week Lamb of God’s Randy Blythe hopped on stage with Hatebreed to help out with “Doomsayer,” and I wondered why musicians on these mega-package tours don’t do cool shit like that more often — and now, it seems, Mr. Blythe has struck again! Here’s some video of him doing “Pure Hatred” with Chimaira in Idaho (potatoes represent!) recently. Looks like Blythe is aiming to be Mayhem’s MVP this year.

Chimaira’s new three DVD/CD set, Coming Alive, is out tomorrow on Ferret. I’ll have a review up ASAP.

-AR

[via The PRP]

So the Rockstar Mayhem tour is underway, and for the first stop in San Berdino, CA, Hatebreed brought Lamb of God’s Randy Blythe on stage for a rendition of “Doomsayer” from 2003′s The Rise of Brutality. And, honestly, I don’t understand why bands don’t do shit like this more often. You’ve got twelve bands all out on the road with one another for a month and thousands of excited fans — why isn’t everyone hopping on stage with everyone else? Even if it’s for something ridiculous: two years ago, “supergroup” Ladder Up an Ass was the highlight of Mayhem’s stop at Nassau Coliseum.

The Rockstar Mayhem tour is ongoing through mid-August. Most years all of the bands party together after every show; hopefully as they all begin to bond, we’ll see more of this kind of thing on future dates.

-AR

[via Metal Insider]

Apparently taking their revenge for that smooth-jazz version of “In Your Words,” Lamb of God “have recorded a cover of the iconic Pearl & Dean theme, familiar to cinema-goers across the UK since the 1970s,” for Iron Man 2, according to the Roadrunner UK site. Since I’ve never been a cinema-goer across the UK (I actually did see a movie in London once, but I barely remember the experience), I’m not at all familiar with this theme, but when I sought it out on YouTube, well… I was surprised, to say the least.

I wonder what the heck a LOG version of this little ditty sounds like? And how it fits into Iron Man 2? And if it’s part of the movie at all, or only plays before the movie in UK cinemas (which is Limey for “theaters”)? Do you think US audiences will get a Lamb of God version of the old Loews theme song or something? I would KILL to hear Randy Blythe howl “THANK YOU FOR COMING TO LOEWS, SIT BACK AND RELAX, ENJOY THE SHOWWWWWWWWW!!!!!”

Iron Man 2 opens in the UK today, but we don’t get it here in the States for another week. So if any of our beloved readers from across the pond check it out, please drop us a line and let us know how the LOG cover plays into the film. Also, don’t forget that Lamb of God have a new song, “Hit the Wall,” in the Iron Man 2 video game, which hits stores this Tuesday, May 4.

-AR

[via The PRP]

I’m not going to give you Chris Adler’s resumé the way I might in a normal interview intro. If you’re reading MetalSucks, you either know who Chris Adler is, or you’re my mom and you’re just trying to be supportive. Rather, I want to tell you a quick story about my experience interviewing Adler.

When I called him for our scheduled interview, he apologized and asked if he could call me back in a little while. “I’m just sitting my daughter down for dinner,” he tells me. When I later told him that I’m impressed that he actually still sits his daughter down for dinner, he chuckled and replied, “Yeah, dude, when I’m home, I’m totally Mr. Mom.”

And that’s Chris Adler in a nutshell: one of the most accomplished drummers from one of the biggest bands in modern metal is actually a really down-to-earth dude. And that’s not just hype; this is the second time I’ve spoken to Adler, and the second time I’ve walked away with the distinct impression that he is a sincerely nice guy who has managed to keep his head on his shoulders despite all his success. Isn’t that a nice change of pace for once?

After the jump, read my chat with Adler about this Sunday’s Grammy Awards, touring with Metallica, what the future holds for Lamb of God, and, oh yeah, the MetalSucks comments section.

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If you’ve ever wanted to see Randy Blythe in facepaint and tight black leggings covered in Jello and wrestling with a chick, now’s your chance. The YouTube user who posted this video surmises the event took place on January 5th, 1997, but he/she isn’t sure.

I love that once upon a time Randy Blythe participated in local Jello wrestling matches in Richmond, VA… so metal! Watch as he slips and slides about the tub, and stick with it until the end when we get up close and personal with Randy for a hot second.

Maybe this is the reason Lamb of God weren’t included in Decibel’s Top 100 of the decade list. Jello wrestling ≠ tr00.

-VN

[Thanks: Micah Larson]

In case you didn’t hear, Patrick Swayze is dead. And while I’ve never seen Dirty Dancing (or Road House… that seems like it might be a major oversight on my part), I did enjoy the man’s work in Point Break (he really jumps from the plane, man!!!) and, more recently, Donnie Darko.

So. Elise at Reign in Blonde found this video of LOG doing a concert back in ’08, around the time Swayze was initially diagnosed with cancer. Here’s what Randy says right around the 2:10 mark:

“This next song goes out to… our other special guest, who appeared backstage. Believe it or not, Mr. Patrick Swayze is in the house. Un-fucking-believable. Here we go Patrick, this is for you! NOW YOU’VE GOT SOMETHING TO DIE FOR!”

Well, I’m confused. Blythe’s tone sounds pretty sincere, but dedicating a song called “Now You’ve Got Something to Die For” to a dude who just found out he has cancer seems kind of, um, insensitive, for lack of a better word. Was Swayze really in attendance for this show? Is Blythe trying to do something cool, or is he being a dick? If Lamb of God cover “She’s Like the Wind” on their next album, I guess we’ll know the answer.

-AR

So Vince and I were talking the other day about this question that both of us have wondered about from time to time, and since then I haven’t stopped thinking about it. So here it is: DO ANY OF YOU GIVE A FUCK ABOUT LYRICS IN METAL?

Is it just the sound of the voice and how it works with the sound of the music, or is it also what the vocalist is saying that matters to you? I’m going to take a guess and say that fans of hardcore and straight edge bands really do care about the lyrics because the bands are representing the ideals and beliefs of their respective communities. But what about in death metal, black metal, or any other genre of metal? When you listen to Necrophagist or Cannibal Corpse or Suicide Silence, can you comprehend what they’re singing about, and do you even care? Is it what they’re singing about, or is it more what it sounds like with the music, or both?

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I love horror movies. Especially cheap-o horror movies. Sleepaway Camp is like my Citizen Kane; fuck, I even love Sleepaway Camp 2 & 3, where Bruce Springsteen’s kid sister, Pamela, played the killer.

So it says something that even I think that The Graves, a new horror film which will feature an appearance by Lamb of God’s Randy Blythe (here billed as “D. Randall Blythe”), looks like crap. I mean, I obviously really like all the cleavage at the start of the trailer, but otherwise, this looks just awful. Not funny-awful, like Sleepaway Camp, but awful-awful, like any Halloween movie that wasn’t directed by John Carpenter. In other words: VO work for Cradle of Filth is still the best thing Tony Todd has done in years.

Metal Insider – which is where I first saw this trailer – also has footage of an on-set interview with Blythe, where it’s revealed that he plays a deacon. Oh, the irony! I wonder if he eventually gets set on fire?

-AR

Word on the street is that the new Shadows Fall album, Retribution, is one heavy motherfucker, and the first song released off the record, “King of Nothing,” would seem to confirm this. It’s already a shitton heavier than anything off of Threads of Life; this sounds like classic Shads, with enough of a musical progression to keep it interesting. If anyone still doubts that Bachand and Donais can bring the shred, this should shut ‘em up, and my neck already hurts from just one quick listen/headbanging session.

And, of course, having a guest spot by Randy Blythe doesn’t hurt.

Check out the song here. Retribution comes out September 15.

And just for shits n’ giggles, if you’re really bored at work, watch the mediocre Metallica video for the mediocre Metallica song of similar name after the jump.

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Dallas may be laying off the haterade as of late, but thankfully Peter Dolving is always there in a pinch to take a big, giant swig of the Internet’s favorite, venomous beverage. In his latest rant sent to us in a press release, The Haunted frontman tells you why you should come see his band on their MetalSucks-sponsored North American tour (also featuring Merauder and The Agonist), and takes a swipe at Lamb of God as being part of the big, bad, generic, corporate metal machine:

Seriously folks. You could go out and see any of a number of bands in the next four weeks. What you’ll receive will of course be generic deliverance of generic metalcore by the numbers and certainly you won’t be more than slightly disappointed. The big one this time around out there being the Lamb Of God tour. Which will according to business-planned management crawl itself around the North Americas for the next year and a half or so like a big snake. You could dig that shit and think ‘Holy mutherfucking hell! That shit rocks!’ or you could go and see the Haunted once and for all prove what metal is all about. But only if you want to have a good time. Only if you want to feel alive. Only if you like that feeling of actually realizing everything is not fucked utterly and beyond belief. But I guess if you are a sad, self-pitying son of a bitch you won’t go. Oh what the hell, really, don’t go. Most of those who read this don’t really give a shit anyway do you? You’d rather stay in a saline filled tank fed intravenously with a constant intake of whatever, whoever carries the biggest gun and wad of dollars has to say wants to feed you.

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Wrath, Lamb of God’s highly anticipated new album, opens with a track entitled “The Passing,” which has to be one of the best soft intros ever not written by Metallica in the 80s, before exploding with a typically rockin’ riff on the first real song, “In Your Words.” It’s a rousing start, and one which might lead the listener to think that Wrath is gonna be another winner from one of the American New Wave’s most popular and widely adored bands.

And then something strange happens: you wait for a chorus that never really arrives.

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Do you know how to say “brutal” in French? Brutal. True story. Six years of French. Suck it, bitches.

ANYWAY, The Way of All Flesh may not be the most br00tal album of the year, but it’s certainly the most vicious. L’album le plus méchant de l’anée. Hooky but heavy, proggy but not pretentious, and French but not froggy, The Way of All Flesh instantly jumps ahead of this year’s melodic death metal pack.

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Anyone fearing that Lamb of God’s current hiatus could turn into a full-on break-up can rest easy: Metal Injection’s Metal Nick spoke to Randy Blythe over the weekend at a gig for Randy’s excellent side-project Halo of Locusts, and Blythe reported that the band is heading back into the studio in September – which, presumably, means we’re getting a new LoG offering in ’09.

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So you’re not even of legal drinking age yet, you’re in Warbringer, you’ve just released an awesome album on Century… what do you now?

Tour with every awesome thrash band you can and prove you ain’t just doing this for shits n’ giggles, that’s what. Warbringer just got done acting as support for Exodus; now Lambgoat reports they’re gonna head out on the road with Overkill, the latest thrash act blazing the comeback trail.

After the jump, get a complete list of tour dates for the tour, which will also feature Toxic Holocaust; below, watch Overkill’s new video for “Skull and Bones,” featuring guest vocals from Lamb of God’s Randy Blythe. While the clip is cheesy and cheap, the song itself is pretty killer.

[kml_flashembed movie="http://www.youtube.com/v/fZuiSclz87w" width="425" height="350" wmode="transparent" /]

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