Scale the Summit makes awesome party music, as I found out this Sunday when I had some folks over to the Vince Division of the Mansion to celebrate my birthday. It’s heavy enough to get the metalheads’ in the room bopping, but it’s not so abrasive that it’ll offend those who don’t like their music heavy. This applies for a lot of instrumental metal, actually; I tried it out with Animals as Leaders and was pleased to see a non-metalhead friend of mine doing a stationary headbang in a seat right next to one of the speakers.

But back to Scale the Summit. In case our world premiere of the new StS track “Whales” wasn’t enough for you, Prosthetic is streaming another new song, “Gallows,” over at their store. Just in case, ya know, you like it so much you actually feel like pre-ordering, you can do so right on the spot. Which I highly, highly, highly recommend; The Collective, officially out March 1st, is one of my favorite records of 2011 so far.

Head on over to Prosthetic’s store to stream “Gallows,” then come back here and tell us what you think.

-VN

BING! Still funny. Amazing.

I was kinda flattered last week when some people said they actually DO read the intros to “Worst Week.” So, uh, thanks for the ego boost!

In addition to Groundhog Day, here are some things we celebrated this week:

• The debut of new music from Scale the Summit and American Heritage.
• The formation of The Fred Durst Society of the Humanities and Arts.
• The announcement of this year’s line-up for The New Engalnd Metal & Hardcore Festival.
• The legacy of 18 Visions.
• The incredible comedic skills of Rush’s Neil Peart.
• The impending return of Beavis and Butt-Head.
• A new Protest the Hero song.
• Academy Award winner Francis Ford Coppola’s declaration that musicians shouldn’t be rich.
• Metal Injection’s Black Metal History Month.
• Dime.

Speaking of celebrating — don’t forget that Vince is DJing at Idle Hands Bar from 7 to 10pm tonight. All the cool kids will be there. You wanna be cool, don’t you?

-AR

Boy oh boy oh boy oh boy oh boy am I excited to bring you this, an exclusive premiere of the very first publicly available track from Scale the Summit’s forthcoming album The Collective (which I’ve been raving about for weeks)!! The track is called “Whales,” it’s the second song on the album, and it pretty much encapsulates everything Scale the Summit and The Collective are all about. It’s expertly orchestrated and arranged, soulfully played, alternatingly heavy and soothing, metallic and not-so-metallic, atmospheric and grooving… and since it’s Scale the Summit, there are no fucking vocals, praise the lord. These guys are experts at their instruments but they don’t barrage you with endless passages of shred and blast-beats; what makes Scale the Summit so great has always been their ability to craft songs with extremely memorable melodies. The crisp, clear production courtesy of Mark Lewis (Black Dahlia Murder, Devildriver, Holy Grail) only serves to underscore those songs.

Here’s STS guitarist Chris Letchford on new track “Whales:”

We’re all very proud to be releasing a new song and not only just any but our personal favorite from the record, “Whales”. This song was already all of ours personal favorite during the final stages of writing The Collective. We felt this song was a great first release since it has a little of everything; melodic, aggression, great solos, clean jazzy vibe, and a very chill outro. Hope a lot of you out there really enjoy it and that it gets you guys even more excited for the release of The Collective!

Expect big, big things from this band in 2011; I’m telling you right now, it’s an early pick for one of my favorite records of the year. Expect them to do a whole bunch of touring this year, too: they’ve already announced a string of dates with Periphery and Fair to Midland running March 3rd through April 15th.

Stream “Whales” below. The Collective comes out March 1st. Pre-order it here with a sweet t-shirt design based on the album cover.

[this streaming promotion has ended]

There are two kinds of video studio updates worth watching: funny ones that actually take time and effort to produce, like the three-part series Protest the Hero put together for the album that’s now called Scurrilous, and videos where you actually get to hear solid chunks of new songs. Everything in between — which, sadly, is most of the drek that bands pass off as “studio updates” in an effort to get Blabbermouth to post so 10 dudes in the Czech Republic will have to change their pants — is just boring.

So while I’d consciously decided to hold off on posting anything about the new Scale the Summit record Collisions — which I already did here and here — until there was actually new music for us to hear in full, I’m forced to go back on that self-promise because the band’s latest studio update is chock full of clips from the record. In case you can’t tell I really like this band and want you to like them too so I can re-assure my frail ego that my taste in music doesn’t suck.

My first take on the new material is that it sounds PHENOMENAL. It also sounds a lot mellower than much of what was on Carving Desert Canyons, not that this is a bad thing at all. That’s Mark “Pretty Women and Cheap Rent” Lewis in the producer’s chair; why, we were just hanging out with Mark this weekend! Hi, Mark!

-VN

Thanks: Travis Neyhart, ton, and Jacob Gibson

Are we suffering from an embarrassment of riches or what? New Devin, new BTBAM, new Protest the Hero, new Meshuggah, new Obscura… Mastodon are writing, Opeth and Dream Theater are already recording… surely there’s never been a better year to be a prog metal nerd than 2011. And it just keeps getting better; SMN News is reporting that Scale the Summit have set a March 1st release date for their new album The Collective.

For the uninitiated, Scale the Summit are an extremely talented young instrumental band from Colorado. Their Prosthetic debut Carving Desert Canyons ranked as #11 on my 2009 year-end list. They rocked our faces off when they opened for BTBAM, Cynic and Devin Townsend last year (that they were invited on such a tour should give you an idea of their pedigree), and did so tagain when they played our 2010 SXSW showcase. Most importantly, they’re insanely talented and original. In an era when “instrumental” usually means “djent” in the metal scene, Scale the Summit are far from it. But enough waxing ecstatic; listen in for yourself to some of the tunes from their last album.

Click to read more…

I thought I’d already publicly waxed ecstatic about the fact that Colorado instrumetal young guns Scale the Summit are recording a new album this year, but I guess I actually only did so in my mind. Which is absolutely unacceptable, because I know there’re plenty of other prog dorks out there who will be just as excited as me to hear about this:

Scale the Summit are back in the studio!

Scale the Summit’s debut Carving Desert Canyons ranked #11 on my list of most favoritest albums of 2009, and they rocked our faces off live on the Progressive Nation tour earlier that same year. They rocked our faces off again when they opened for BTBAM, Cynic and Devin Townsend this past winter (that lineup still gives me a raging hard-on), and then yet another time when they played our co-sponsored SXSW showcase in March. You could say I really like this band a lot and you’d be understating it.

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UPDATE: The Deciblog has confirmed that the Cynic tour mentioned below is, in fact, the previously announced Decibel Hall of Fame Tour (even though Cynic are the only band on the tour to be honored in Decibel’s revered HoF). Cynic will be playing their entire classic album Focus on this trek. Check out a full list of tour dates and a nifty admat over at The Deciblog!

We really like our nerdy prog tours here at the MS Mansion; first it was the Meshuggah + Cynic + Faceless tour in February of 2009 which we dubbed “The Erection Tour” when it was announced, questioned whether it might be the best tour ever, then argued over which band gave the best performance. Then at the end of the year Between the Buried and Me announced they’d do an early 2010 run with Cynic, Devin Townsend Project and Scale the Summit; we immediately dubbed this “The Super-Orgasm Tour” and waxed ecstatic about it so much that we probably made those of you who aren’t into to prog metal (can you imagine such a thing???) sick of reading about it.

Get ready to become sick of us raving in anticipation of two more uber-proggy metal tours on the horizon, ’cause shit’s about to get real, son.

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I’ve indulged in enough posts about the crazy and random shit we did on the road, so now it’s time for what we were all traveling for in the first place: SXSW. The magnitude of SXSW is inconceivable to anyone who’s never been; every orifice of downtown Austin is literally oozing live music. As MS commenter Joel Bailey said yesterday, “Half the shows at SXSW are in the store room of some coffee house or the smoking patio at an Ihop.” While this is true it’s not for lack of real music venues — in fact, the venues in Austin are all top-notch and blow NYC’s rooms out of the water — but there’s just so much going on that even smaller places that normally have nothing to do with music want to get in on the action. For a glimpse of what the scene looks like, check out Metal Injection’s SXSW wrap-up video.

Kip and I decided months back that this year we’d splurge on a hotel room Downtown. Trying to crash with local friends in years past was economical but a pain in the ass; getting a cab at 2am at SXSW is nearly impossible, and hiking a mile or two just to get home (and not having the option of a mid-day stop-in, or even better a clean place to take a shit!) can be really tiring, or worse, result in injury (just ask Kip). Though the option of staying on the SlayRV for the duration of SXSW later presented itself, we opted for the space and comfort of the Omni Hotel and it ended up being well worth it.

After settling into our room we headed over to the Mohawk to get set up for the Prosthetic Records showcase we were sponsoring. With a killer lineup of Prosthetic bands playing inside and the Action PR showcase going on outside (feat. High on Fire, Priestess, NAAM and others) — all in the same venue for one price of admission — the night was off to a great start before it even began.

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Photos by Adam Haussman

My bosses at MetalSucks love me for my looks, but by now Vince (pictured here) and Axl (here) know that my dazzling physical gifts are accompanied by a lot of blown deadlines and indecipherable twaddle about the band Junkyard and drugs. To compensate, I help out with dropped assignments and try to do a really super job on the big stories that fall to the MS L.A. Bureau. Well I direct your attention to the word try in the previous sentence cuz for the last month or so [Seven weeks, Anso. But who's counting. -Ed.], I have been failing to produce even a coherent thought about the Between The Buried and Me/Cynic/Devin Townsend show back in January. I got zilch.

But it’s not my fucking fault. Stupid tour. It was too good.

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The MetalSucks co-sponsoders Prosthetic Records SXSW showcase is tomorrow, March 17 at Club Mohawk in Austin. And as if performances by Scale the Summit, Landmine Marathon, Withered, Book of Black Earth, The Funeral Pyre, Clinging to the Trees of a Forest Fire and Lions of Tsavo weren’t a good enough reason to attend, one lucky attendee will win an Epiphone Prophecy Les Paul EX guitar signed by the all the bands.

But if you’re not in Austin and can’t get to the show, don’t fret: a second signed Epiphone guitar — a Prophecy Futura Custom EX, to be exact — has been posted for auction on eBay, with all proceeds benefitting the T.J. Martell Foundation, a non-profit organization that supports research for cancer, AIDS and leukemia. The T.J. Martell Foundation came to Prosthetic’s attention after a recommendation from management for the legendary, unfuckwithable Ronnie James Dio, who was diagnosed with stomach cancer this past November. Says Dio himself:

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MetalSucks is double-dipping this year at the annual showdown/brodown/hoedown in Austin, TX by bringing you TWO awesome metal shows. You already know about the amazing Full Metal Texas lineup during the day on Thursday, March 18th — featuring Darkest Hour, Howl, Fair to Midland, Iron Age, Karnivool, Iwrestledabearonce and more — and today we’re pleased to announce that we’re sponsoring the showcase for one of our favorite metal labels, Prosthetic Records. The lineup, starting at 7pm on the festival’s inaugural Wednesday night, features the future of Prosthetic’s roster: Scale the Summit, Landmine Marathon, Withered, Book of Black Earth and The Funeral Pyre. We haven’t heard of Clinging to the Trees of a Forest Fire or Lions of Tsavo before, but if Prosthetic gives them their stamp of approval they seriously must be excellent… and aren’t festivals like this supposed to be about discovering new music anyway?

But wait — there’s more! The Prosthetic showcase is taking place at the same venue as the Action PR showcase at the very same time, meaning once you’re in you’ll be able to freely roam between both stages, one inside and one outside. And check out THIS fucking lineup: High on Fire, Priestess, Bison B.C., The Gates of Slumber, Zoroaster and Namm. Holy fucktickles, are you kidding me? That’s 13 fucking awesome metal all for just $10 (free if you have a wristband) in one metal-filled evening. FUCK YES.

Coming soon: a MetalSucks-approved calendar of all the metal goings-on at SXSW 2010.

…some dude named Joey! He wins two tickets to see BTBAM at the Bijou Theatre in Knoxville this Friday night, two meet and greet passes for the same show, a BTBAM hoodie, a BTBAM t-shirt, and a copy of BTBAM’s latest release, The Great Misdirect, to have signed by the band at the meet and greet. Be jealous of Joey.

And in case you’re curious, here’s his winning entry:

Click to read more…

This bootleg footage of Saturday night’s show brought to you by someone calling him or herself “OnaiggacA.”

Between the Buried and Me, Cynic, and Scale the Summit are all amazing bands. And on Saturday night at Irving Plaza here in NY, they played amazing shows. The kinds of shows that, at any given moment, might make you think “Hey, this is one of the most fun shows I’ve ever been to.”

But make no mistake. The headliner of this tour is Mr. Devin Fucking Townsend.

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Between The Buried And Me have been selling out most dates on their 2010 headline tour with Cynic, Devin Townsend & Scale The Summit. On February 5th, BTBAM will play their first ever theatre show, when they take over the historic Bijou Theatre in Knoxville, TN. This event will be a highlight of the tour; not only does the Bijou feature unparalleled acoustics, but also has a history of being haunted. (Check out more about the theatre here.) Special surprises will be in store for fans at this show!

To celebrate this very special event, MetalSucks is giving away an awesome BTBAM prize package which includes the following:

• Two tickets to see BTBAM at Bijou Theatre on Feb. 5th.
• Two meet and greet passes for the same show.
• A BTBAM hoodie.
• A BTBAM t-shirt
• A copy of BTBAM’s new album, The Great Misdirect, which you can have the band sign at the meet and greet.

Please note that there is no travel provided for this prize package – so if you don’t live in or near Knoxville, move along. The meet and greet will take place at 4:30, winner will be requested to arrive to the venue by 4:15PM. Valid photo ID will be required to pick up tickets and passes.

All you have to do to win is tell us why you get this awesome prize package in our comments section below. Remember that this is MetalSucks, so make it entertaining if you want a real shot at winning. Please make sure that you register for the prize package with a valid e-mail address, as the winner will be contacted by e-mail. The winner will be announced on Tuesday, February 2.

Good luck everyone!

-Axl, Vince and Everyone at MetalSucks

Self-proclaimed “Long time Suckalo, first time e-mailer” LordBling attended the Super Orgasm Tour in Dallas on Tuesday, and managed to capture what is actually some pretty decent quality footage of Cynic and The Devin Townsend Project in action. In the unlikely event that you still need to be sold on the majesty of this tour, we thought we’d share the clips with you all.

Cynic, “Integral Birth”

More after the jump!

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The Super Amazing Orgasm Tour has kicked off, which means that Mr. Devin Fucking Townsend is now tearing up stages for the first time in more than three years. The show doesn’t pass through NYC ’til the end of the month, but Blabbermouth posted some bootleg footage of Heavy Devy and his band performing, so I get to live vicariously through someone’s cellphone.

I was wondering how Mr. Townsend was going to handle the live absence of Anneke van Giersbergen, whose vocals are such a vital part of why Addicted kicks so much ass, and apparently the answer is play some of them via tape, sing some of them himself, and spend part of the time being the goofy front-dude we all know and love. Works for me.

Here’s “Supercrush,” which is my favorite song on Addicted. It sounds so good it makes me wanna engage in heavy kissing. But not just, like, regular kissing – sex kissing.

Get a list of remaining dates to see Devin with Between the Buried and Me, Cynic, and Scale the Summit after the jump. And Blabbermouth has some more live footage for ya, too.

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This winter is shaping up to a great incredible one for U.S. metal tours.The European Summer festivals ain’t got nothin’ on us… ok, well yeah they do, but this winter’s U.S. metal tour slate is still most excellent.

There’s the much ballyhooed Between the Buried and Me / Cynic / The Devin Townsend Project / Scale the Summit North American Orgasm Tour, about which Axl shared his man-juice excitement yesterday. On January 15th death metal Egyptologists Nile kick off their mammoth Those Whom the Gods Detest Tour with Immolation, Krisiun, Abigail Williams and Dreaming Dead. Only five days later Arch Enemy embark on the MetalSucks-sponsored Tyrants of Evil Tour with Exodus, Arsis and Mutiny Within. The Pagan/Folk metal tour du jour this Winter is headlined by Korpiklaani with Tyr, Swashbuckle and White Wizzard in tow (the latter of whom are certainly not pagan or folk). And tomorrow The Metal As Art Tour featuring Hypno5e, Revocation and The Binary Code kicks off in Brooklyn and traverses the country for 31 days. Yowza!

Full lists of dates and venues for all four tours are posted after the jump. There’ve been a few venue changes so make sure you double-check… then feel free to bitch about how none of these tours are coming to your city and proceed to blame us.

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Just a few more days and the Between the Buried and Me/Cynic/The Devin Townsend Project/Scale the Summit North American Orgasm Tour 2010 begins! And it’s gonna be your first chance to see Heavy Devy live in what seems like for-ever. Well, okay, it’s only been like three years, but, c’mon, it’s Devin Townsend! Three years is too long!

Here’s a pretty fantastic tease: video of The Devin Townsend Project rehearsing for the tour. In addition to the band sounding awesome, the video gives away at least a few songs they’re apparently gonna be breaking out. I can’t wait…

Get Between the Buried and Me/Cynic/The Devin Townsend Project/Scale the Summit dates after the jump.

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Not quite, but that’s the first thought that popped into my head when the MetalSucks reader known simply as “J” sent us a link to the San Diego-based Chon. While Chon might not have the style, grace or charisma of the aforementioned Twan, they’ve got all sorts of wicked chops that fans of more technically-minded metal should love.*

Chon play semi-frenetic, jazz-tinged instru-metal not unlike that of Lye by Mistake, an insanely talented band whose debut album Fea Jur is worthy of far more praise than it’s gotten. Their sense of melody is more akin to that of Scale the Summit, yet another under-appreciated instru-metal band that released an album in 2009 (Vince’s year-end list, WHAT?), and there’s nary a trace of Sumeriancore/djent in the mix. It’s a fine combo, and it’s a unique sound.

Check out Chon. Twan won’t come over and hunt you down in a fit of jealousy.

-VN

*Trapped in the Closet is a modern masterpiece. I’m not joking or being ironic. It’s really an amazing piece of work. Don’t front.

Ever heard that Behemoth have breaks built into their set so they can run off stage and do some corpse paint touch-ups? To be fair, I’m not sure if the person who told me that was being honest or just joshin’ me, but it makes sense – the band definitely runs off stage from time to time, leaving the crowd to listen to pre-taped orchestral apocalyptic goodness.

True or not, it doesn’t change the fact that Behemoth absolutely crushed in their too-brief set on this past summer’s Rockstar Mayhem Yadda Yadda tour, or the fact that we were looking forward to seeing them do a proper headlining set. So now they’ve finally announced a tour – with Septic fucking Flesh, no less – and it’s hitting NYC the same night as the BTBAM/Cynic/Devin Townsend/Scale the Summit Orgasm Tour. I don’t know what rocket scientists set that up, but now metal fans in our area will have a tough decision to make. We are going to the Orgasm Tour, but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t wish there were multiple mes, like in that awful Michael Keaton movie.

ANYWAY, here are dates for the Behemoth tour. We envy those of you who can make it.

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