MetalSucks

At the beginning of the year I wrote a piece highlighting the sudden abundance of awesome metal festivals in the U.S.. Though our friends across the pond still retain an advantage in metal festivals in both number and size, 2009 saw a whole host of upstarts in the U.S.: Scion Rock Fest, L.A. Murderfest (in its 5th year), California MetalFest, Texas Metal Up Your Ass, Dudefest and of course long-established destinations such as Maryland Deathfest, New England Metal and Hardcore Festival and Dirtfest. SXSW and CMJ both made surprisingly strong showings for metal this year, too.

The party keeps on rolling into the fall with another brand new festival, Planet Caravan, to take place September 18th and 19th at the Orange Peel in Asheville, North Carolina. The lineup is headlined by Clutch and Pentagram, with Orange Goblin, Kylesa, Burst (!), Yob, Wino, Astra, and Revolution Mother rounding out the bill. I haven’t heard of Taddy Porter, Orchid, or Pick Up the Snake, but even if all 3 bands are terrible (highly unlikely) that’s still a fucking killer lineup!

MetalSucks is co-sponsoring the event so we’ll have more news as it’s available. Check out the press release and festival details after the jump.

Click to read more…

So I was thinking back to the CMJ Music Marathon here in NYC last fall, and how Bison B.C. seemed to be the “buzz” metal band on everyone’s tongue. If you were there to see them you witnessed something awesome, and if you weren’t there you heard about it from everyone else and felt like a dipshit because you missed it. At the Scion Rock Fest last month in Atlanta the buzz bands were Krallice and Salome, depending on who you asked (there were, after all, four stages running simultaneously). So who’s it gonna be at this year’s SXSW? My bets are on any one of the awesome bands on The End Records / MetalSucks showcase, but your guesses are as good as any.

Here’s a live video of Bison B.C. performing in their native Vancouver. What are the shows you absolutely must see at this year’s hoedown in Austin?

-VN

It snowed 8 inches in NYC on Monday, but we got back from the Scion Rock Fest in Atlanta just in time to deliver you our usual drudge report. Can you imagine if we’d been stranded? No MetalSucks for two days. What would you have done? Contemplate these noteworthy events of the week as you get ready to enjoy your weekend (65 degrees Sunday in NYC!):

• Mastodon release early contender for best metal video of ‘09.
• Watchmen got metal… or not.
• We spoke with NEMHF founder Scott Lee.
• Lamb of God and God Forbid make strong Soundscan debuts.
• We looked at new releases from Hatesphere, Wolves in the Throne Room, Abacabb, Centaurus-A and General Surgery.
• Chimaira released a new single and a super-duper-deluxe pre-order.
• We waxed ecstatic about the weed in Atlanta… oh yeah, and some bands played at the Scion Rock Fest too.
• Doc Coyle struck back at the Internet.
• MetalSucks got nominated for a Metal Hammer “Web of Death” Award!

We’re big fans of pagan metal here at the MS Mansion. BIG fans. Just last night Sammy O’Hagar waltzed in at about 5pm, still drunk and rowdy from the night before (!), dressed in a full get-up of warpaint and animal skins. Obviously there was no other choice at that point but to hand over control of the MS Mansion Mothership to the capable hands of the monkeys, so we put on Turisas’ The Varangian Way and started the party right back up again for the ol’ chap; the freight train kept rolling until at least 4am. Last thing I remember is Kip jumping on top of Axl’s desk and screaming something about “Battle!” and how we need to take vengeance against the other metal websites that constantly rip us off. As I type this, Sammy’s passed out in the bathtub clutching a bottle of Jim Beam while DBR and Satan Rosenbloom are snuggling in my bed; I had to sleep on the couch. Those fucking assholes.

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Axl did such a fine job recapping this past weekend’s Scion Rock Fest that there’s no need for me to reiterate what he already wrote. But even your MS editors part ways once in a while, and while Axl watched the end of Pig Destroyer’s shortened set I headed inside to catch Krallice purely for the curiosity factor. What I saw completely blew my mind and was easily the highlight of the day for me.

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As Axl said this morning, Mastodon’s set at this weekend’s Scion Rock Fest was absolutely monstrous, a highlight of which was the new material from their epic new album Crack the Skye. So much so that when we finally boarded the plane to take us home we both went straight for our iPods and simultaneously selected Crack the Skye as the album that would take us into the air to, err, Crack the Skye (rimshot!). So trust us when we say that you won’t want to pass up this opportunity: The End’s Omega Mailorder is running a special pre-order blitz for the new album, and they’ve got four different configurations you can order — CD, CD/DVD, vinyl, and double-vinyl w/7″. They are also taking pre-orders for the “Divinations” picture disc vinyl, which features two versions of the first single from Crack The Skye. Not only are these packages all insanely affordable, but there’s also a special package deal that includes an exclusive Mastodon t-shirt. So get on your shit and order one right now!. The album’s damn fine, and you don’t want to pass up this opportunity.

-VN

TheFuckingWeather.com tells me “21°!? IT’S FUCKING COLD. Should have gone south,” as if looking outside at the foot of snow on the ground didn’t make it obvious. Funny enough, we did go south this weekend. But it snowed 4 fucking inches down there, stranding all of our friends and causing inexperienced Atlantans to drive like complete and utter assholes (seriously, people… get it together), worsening my pot-induced paranoia as Ax and I attempted to high-tail it to the airport to make our flight out (we missed it).

This morning I was listening to Misery Signals excellent 2008 album Controller on my iPod and it seemed to perfectly fit the cold, morose mood of the day. Here’s the video for “A Certain Death,” not my favorite track on the record but a pretty good one nonetheless.

-VN

Several of you have emailed us inquiring about a possible meetup at tomorrow’s Scion Rock Fest in Atlanta… but what would be the fun in that? So let’s do it this way instead: we’ll be there, you find us. I have a full beard, Axl has a chin-strip beard and a goatee. I’ll be wearing a green hoodie, and if I were a betting man I’d say Axl will be wearing a black one. We look very Jewish, and strikingly similar to our South Park avatars (+ beard for me). We’ll be hanging with Rob from Metal Injection, and ya’ll know what he looks like. Ask around, and ye shall find us.

See you there!

We regret to inform those who entered our contest to win tickets to the Scion Rock Fest that those who win will still not be guaranteed entry. You’ll still have to get there early and wait on line like everyone else. However, since we’re one of the only places left where you can even get tickets, we still think it’s a pretty sweet deal. Sorry about the mixup! Winners will be chosen tonight and notified tomorrow, so enter now!

PLEASE NOTE: THE DEADLINE FOR CONTEST ENTRY IS NOW THIS THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 12TH!

As promised, MetalSucks has 10 pairs of tickets to give away for the cumgasm inducing Scion Rock Fest set to take place on February 28th at The Masquerade in Atlanta. Axl and Vince will be partying down in Atlanta, and this is your chance to join in on the fun. As usual, we prefer to leave the selection of the winners up to skill and not to fate, so here’s what you’ve got to do to win: tell us which of the bands on the bill you’d be most excited to see and why. In case you need a refresher, you can take a look at the full list of confirmed bands after the jump or squint at the pint-sized version of the official poster at right.

Remember, this is MetalSucks: in other words, the funnier/wittier/crazier your entry is, the better the chance that we’ll like it. Email all entries to news AT metalsucks DOT net with the subject “SCION ROCK FEST,” and be sure to include your full name and address. Winners will be announced and contacted on Friday, February 13th and will receive their tickets in the mail shortly thereafter. While tickets available to the general public do not guarantee entry, all MetalSucks winners will be guaranteed entry via a list at the door (details TBD). We’ve just been informed that even contest winners are not guaranteed entry, so still make sure you get there early!! Plus, from what we hear, entries at the official Scion Rock Fest website are now closed, so this is your only chance to get ‘em.

And the confirmed bands so far are…

Click to read more…

In the summer of 2006, before MetalSucks was even a twinkle in our young, stoned eyes, Axl and I headed across the pond to England’s famous Download Festival at Castle Donington to get our metal on. Our minds were literally blown; neither of us had ever been to an event of such magnitude and we were literally shocked at the seemingly endless and welcoming metal community in Europe. In 2007 and 2008 we talked of going to other European festival mainstays like Wacken and Hellfest, and though we never made it back we were continually jealous of the rich European metal festival scene.

Americans have reason to be jealous of their European forefathers no more; a glut of both indoor and outdoor festivals have hit the American circuit in the past few of years, and in 2009 even more promoters are jumping on the bandwagon with a glut of killer destination metal festivals already lined up.

Click to read more…

As promised, MetalSucks has 10 pairs of tickets to give away for the cumgasm inducing Scion Rock Fest set to take place on February 28th at The Masquerade in Atlanta. As usual, we prefer to leave the selection of the winners up to skill and not to fate, so here’s what you’ve got to do to win: tell us which of the bands on the bill you’d be most excited to see and why. In case you need a refresher about which bands are on the bill, you can take a look at the full list of confirmed bands after the jump or squint at the pint-sized version of the official poster at right.

Remember, this is MetalSucks: in other words, the funnier/wittier/crazier your entry is, the better the chance that we’ll like it. Email all entries to news AT metalsucks DOT net with the subject “SCION ROCK FEST,” and be sure to include your full name and address. Winners will be announced and contacted on Monday, February 16th and will receive their tickets in the mail shortly thereafter. It is important to note that a ticket does not ensure entry; the event organizers are giving away approximately twice as many tickets as the venue can hold. HOWEVER, all MetalSucks winners will be guaranteed entry via a list at the door (details TBD).

Those who prefer not to leave their ticket chances up to the illogical writing tastes of the MS staff can register at the official Scion Rock Fest website starting on January 28th.

And the confirmed bands so far are…

Click to read more…

Finally… we have a capable, intelligent, forward-thinking new U.S. president. No, it’s not Dave Mustaine. Here’s what else happened this week:

• We wondered aloud and speculated about Slayer’s co-headline tour, New England Metal & Hardcore Fest, Scion Rock Fest (aka Atlanta Metalfest), and The Faceless’ headline tour. This spring just got awesome.
• We ran to the hills to avoid a shitty classic metal cover. Meanwhile, we found Iron Maiden in Iran and on the big screen.
• We got sexi(vious) with members of Cynic and Textures.
• We looked at new releases from Satyricon, Cattle Decapitation, 16 and Rumpelstiltskin Grinder.
• Maynard got all Jiu-Jitsu on our asses and Carcass played a wedding.

Axl, myself and our girlfriends (we have girlfriends… whowouldathunkit???) are going to see The Dark Knight on the IMAX tonight. Hopefully weed will be involved. Later, suckaz!!

According to a press release delivered to the MS Mansion this morning via Pony Express, nine more bands have been added to the already boner-ific lineup at the COMPLETELY FREE Scion Rock Fest in Atlanta on February 28th:

Converge
Pig Destroyer
Septic Flesh
Coalesce
Trash Talk
Evil Army
US Christmas
Gaylord
Apocalyptic Visions

Like, holy fucking shit!!@$^&*^@!!!

So, about those free tickets, you’re wondering. We’ll be giving away 10 pairs right here on MetalSucks starting next week. But if you aren’t lucky enough to win a set here or you just want to ensure entry now, here’s what you gotta do:

Click to read more…

It may be a new year on the calendar, but we’re still talking about the same stupid shit here at MetalSucks. Here’s where we focused our energies this week:

• Most awesomest metal festival EVARRR! Not to be confused with the most awesomest tours of early 2009.
  
• New music from Cannibal Corpse!!!
• Mastodon counted down to a new website while Trent Reznor counted down to giving away approximately 400 Gigs of HD concert footage for fans to tinker with.
• We questioned Drew Barrymore’s interest in metal and demanded she take off her shirt.
• We spoke with members of All Shall Perish and Job For a Cowboy.
• Mike Schleibaum declared The Crown’s Deathrace King underrated while Dallas claimed music critics are overrated.
• Can’t anyone make a decent heavy metal TV show?
• One Roadrunner Records staffer named MetalSucks.net the #10 best album of 2008.

Later, gators…

The New England Metal and Hardcore Festival finally has a rival. MS Maniac Toxteth O’Grady and about a bazillion others have tipped us off to one of the most exciting new U.S. festival to hit the scene in years, The Scion Rock Fest, to be held at The Masquerade in Atlanta on February 28th. Before you balk at the corporate name, consider a) that the tickets are fucking FREE, and b) this lineup:

Mastodon, Neurosis, High on Fire, Boris, 1349, Cryptopsy, Torche, Nachtmystium, Wolves in the Throne Room, Baroness, Harvey Milk, Kylesa, Zoroaster, Withered, Krallice, Toxic Holocaust, Skeletonwitch, Rwake, A Storm of Light, Warbringer, Salome, Suidakra, Tyr, Alestorm and more…

And it’s fucking free. Is this for real??

Yes, friends, it is. We aren’t sure how tickets will be made publicly available yet, but we do know this: we will have 20 pairs of tickets to give away on MetalSucks.

Have a fucking great weekend everyone!

-VN