A little more than one-quarter of the way through 2010, Ihsahn’s After still ranks at or near the top of my list for the year. It’s just so dynamic, so well-thought out, musically astonishing and full of subtleties… and it’s just as good with every repeated listen. Picking my favorites is not getting any easier as the year rolls on, though — new entries from Nachtmystium, The Ocean, Unleashed, Levi/Werstler, Nevermore, Son of Aurelius, Tryptikon and yeah of course Ratt are gonna make 2010 another stellar year for metal.

Of course Ihsahn’s live shows are just as awesome judging by the video below, my first glimpse at the ex-Emperor playing live. If Ihsahn ever decides to take his show to the roads of the U.S. there’s no way the production will match this, filmed at Oslo’s Inferno festival a week ago — like there’s no way we’d get all those lights or saxophone player Munkeby [of Norway's Shining, who also happen to have put out one of my fave albums of 2010]… but I’ll bet it’d still be pretty intense. Come on Vegard, do it.

-VN

I’m really, really disappointed in you, male MetalSucksians. After reader Ashley sent in some epic photos of herself in a MetalSucks hoodie and not very much else, I predicted we’d get an identical pic from a wise-ass dude by the end of the week. Nope. Either no one thought of it, or no one had the balls to do it. For shame. And now what are the three ladies who actually read this site to look at? Pics of Lars Ulrich’s dick?

Oh well. Here are some other things that happened this week:

• We debuted new music by Daughters, Woe of Tyrants, Stigma and Nails.
• As I Lay Dying’s Nick Hipa wondered “Who is coming to the island on L O S T?”, while Eyal pondered whether it’s better to burn out or fade away.
• We listened to the God of War EP and new releases by Shining, Burzum, and H.I.M.
• Antonin Skullia taught us about the law of Metalocalypse.
• Did this shitty Matthew Fox show steal The Haunted’s logo?

And next week I expect you, our beloved readers, to be back up to your usual level of witty repartee.

-AR

Though much lauded by critics, Fear Factory’s Mechanize served mainly to remind me that the bifurcated band — reuniting vocalist Burton Bell and guitarist Dino Cazares with a brand new rhythm section — had neglected to make any real progress from 1995′s Demanufacture. Indeed, fifteen years later, Bell and Cazares appear content to rest on their laurels, assuredly to the delight of many of the band’s nostalgic fans who have long yearned for a so-called “return to form.” And while industrial metal fell out of favor Stateside some time back (not long before nu-metal began to outstay its own welcome here), over in Europe the sound has carried on, if not exactly moved on. Accordingly, many of those originally drawn to industrial music by the breakout sounds of Fear Factory, Ministry, or Nine Inch Nails have long since abandoned the messy scene for more niche subgenres (power noise comes to mind) or other music altogether. This is why, as one who’s all but given up on industrial in recent years, I have quickly come to love Shining‘s Blackjazz.

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Ihsahn’s amazing record After is easily the album I’ve listened to most in 2010, but one that’s giving it a run for its money is Shining‘s Blackjazz. The Norwegian band has no relation to the Swedish black metal outfit of the same name, but interestingly they do have a relation to Ihsahn. Shining’s vocalist, guitarist and saxaphonist Munkeby lends his sax skills to Ihsahn’s After, one of the many subtle twists that makes that album such a great listen.

Shining just released a video for the track “The Madness And The Damage Done.” It’s one of the more straight forward tracks on Blackjazz but it’s still pretty fuckin’ out there, and even though the video is a pretty standard live performance clip I’m enjoying seeing for the first time how the band performs and looks. Blackjazz is out now on Indie Recordings in Europe and The End Records in the U.S.

-VN

If not, you’re seriously missing out.

After is easily my favorite thing released so far in 2010, up there with Shining’s Blackjazz… with whom Ihsahn shares a saxaphone player, interestingly enough. Those expecting black metal akin to Ihsahn’s Emperor alma mater should look elsewhere, because you definitely won’t find that here. I find the music on After to be uncategorizeable other than just “metal” and [perhaps] distinctly Scandinavian. It’s avant garde, it’s experimental, it’s deep and it’s complex yet catchy and accessible, but it doesn’t come close to fitting into any pre-defined niche. It’s just really, really fucking good music, the kind you just know is the result of intense scrutiny of every single sound and note.

Check Sammy O’ Hagar’s glowing review of After as well as his fascinating interview with the man himself.

Ihsahn’s only got one song from the new album up on his MySpace page (“The Barren Lands,” all the way at the bottom of the player), but even this one song gives a good taste of what After is about (though by no means summarizes it).

-VN

There are only so many metal riffs you can assemble out of the 12 notes in the western scale. Perhaps that’s why I’ve found myself extending my musical arms outside of what might be traditionally called “metal” lately; bands like Carnal Rapture and Lye by Mistake blew my mind last year because they take something that’s distinctly not metal and pile upon it something that distinctly is.

Norway’s Shining do much the same thing, although the “black” lexeme in the title of their latest album Blackjazz — released this week on Indie Recordings, and by The End in the U.S. — is kind of misleading. It’s more like Industrojazz. With the assistance of producer Sean Beavan (NIN, Marilyn Manson, Slayer), the songs on Blackjazz pulsate, undulate, bleep and bloop underneath progressions and note combos that sound jazzy to these admittedly untrained ears. The snarls and growls of vocalist Munkeby keep things firmly grounded in modern metal though, in stark contrast (in the best possible way) to the lead saxaphone lines played by the same man.

Intrigued? Check out the two tracks from Blackjazz that Shining have up on their MySpace page. I’ve yet to sink my teeth into the full album, but after focusing on the frenetic, mind-spinning instrumental passage in the middle of “The Madness and the Damage Done” and the scorching saxophone solo at the end of “Fisheye” I’m going immediately to dig this one out from the pile of MS promo packages. Shining are fucking different, and I like it.

-VN

[Thanks: Fritz]

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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