MetalSucks

Photographer Jason Nakleh was on hand at the Skeletonwitch / Black Anvil show this past Saturday in Brooklyn, part of the 3-day “Blackened Weekend” festival at which we saw a ton of awesome bands. We unfortunately had to miss Saturday’s show, but Jason was kind enough to contact us and let us live vicariously through his photos, offering to let us share them with our readers as well. We like the unique quality of these photos — dirty and raw, just like the bands. Check out the gallery after the jump.

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This past weekend was “The Blackened Weekend” here in NYC, a 3-night series of metal shows put on by the same folks behind the Mastodon / Neurosis show a couple of winters back and the Pig Destroyer / Brutal Truth / Repulsion joint this past summer. Krallice headlined Friday’s show with support from Liturgy, Malkuth and Orphan, while Black Anvil teamed up with Skeletonwitch to destroy the very same venue (Brooklyn’s Union Pool) on Saturday night. Last night’s weekend-ending show was the grand poobah of The Blackened Weekend headlined by the grand poobah of doom supergroups, Shrinebuilder. The band put on an energetic show to a packed house at Manhattan’s Le Poisson Rouge — a curious choice of venue for a metal show but by no means a bad one — that, as expected, highlighted elements of all of the band-members’ respective “other” bands in the best possible way.

Friday night’s Krallice show was a rager — Union Pool was packed to the gills and even spawned a moshpit, a rarity for these types of shows. Though I had some difficulty with Krallice’s recent release Dimensional Bleedthrough, the band absolutely smoked live and proved that their show-stealing set at last winter’s Scion Rock Fest wasn’t an anomaly. Check out some fan-filmed footage from right up-front below; I doubt anyone’s going to sit through all 20 minutes, but at least watch a sample or let the audio play in the background while you go about your morning routine. The audio quality is even pretty decent.

-VN

Krallice | NYC @ Union Pool | Friday 13th November 2009 from (((unartig))) on Vimeo.

With Converge’s critically acclaimed Axe To Fall still commanding the attention of the metallic hardcore faithful, this week’s release of a new album from Belgium’s Rise And Fall could naturally be overlooked. However, that would be to the detriment of those currently enjoying that higher-profile record. An intelligent, intense burst of recorded vehemence, Our Circle Is Vicious–which you can and should buy now–was (like so many Deathwish Inc. albums) produced by Converge’s Kurt Ballou and stands as a considerable improvement on 2005’s Into Oblivion. Listen to “Built On Graves” and “In Circles” at the band’s MySpace page.

The band play a few U.S. shows this week before heading back to Europe for a month-long tour with Iron Age, whose recent album The Sleeping Eye we streamed back in August and is on Vince’s “Best Of 2009″ shortlist. That tour culminates in Rise And Fall’s hometown of Gent, with a final show that also features Goatwhore, Skeletonwitch and Toxic Holocaust. The band will wrap up 2009 with a December tour through Australia, only to kick of the new year with a few gigs with labelmates The Hope Conspiracy. All dates are below.

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Not that we had any doubt Baroness’ Blue Record would have a strong debut, but it’s always nice to see the proof. And Skeletonwitch’s ripping new record Breathing the Fire had a great debut too; I’m elated to see the band sell as many records first week as they did. Elsewhere it was the usual radio rock / alt-metal suspects dominating the charts. Click through to see chart positions and sales figures.

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Pretty big week here at the MetalSucks Mansion. We laughed, we cried, we fired someone, we rocked out with our cocks out. Here’s a rundown of the highlights:

• We debuted a new song by The Devin Townsend Project, a new video by Skeletonwitch, a new song by Javelina, and the cover art for Sigh’s new album.
• Horse the Band’s Lord Gold blogged about Nawlins and cocaine, God Forbid’s Doc Coyle gave us an exclusive statement about that whole cup throwing incident, Dallas Coyle is giving away music for free, and Daath’s Eyal Levi talked about a run-in with the Polacks and drum triggers.
• We spoke to Dethklok’s Brendon Small, Converge’s Jacob Bannon, Gojira’s Joe Duplantier, and Liturgy’s Hunter Hunt-Hendrix.
• We checked out new releases from Baroness, The Red Chord, Skeletonwitch, Immortal, Vains of Jenna, Vampire Mooose, and Javelina. Also, some asshole really likes Oceano.
• We’re sponsoring the incredibly awesome Tyrants of Evil North American Tour 2010 with Arch Enemy, Exodus, Arsis, and Mutiny Within!

Alright. I’m going to see Where the Wild Things Are now. I’m fairly certain that it is going to make me weep like Gary Suarez. See ya Monday.

-AR

“Repulsive Salvation” is one of my favorite tracks from Skeletonwitch’s ripping new record Breathing the Fire, out today on Prosthetic Records (order here). I was lucky enough to be on hand for the David Brodksy-directed video shoot last month at Brooklyn’s famed Lucky 13 Saloon, surprisingly one of the few metal hangs in a borough you’d think would be full of them. While the band rocked out to the track over and over like their careers depended on it, I stood in the corner watching the band rock whilst getting my drink on with $1 Busch cans (win!). The dudes in Metal Injection were on hand to conduct an interview with the band, and in between takes we hung out and drank with the Skeletonwitch dudes and bar-owner Melody Henry like a big, happy family, with guitarist Nate Garnett as the jubilant uncle who has everyone in stitches every time the guy opens his mouth. Great times were had.

Enjoy the video below. Also check out the interview I conducted with guitarist Scott “Scunty D.” Hedrick and the band’s hilarious webisodes (the 5th of which was just released). And pick up the album; highly worth it!

Skeletonwitch has been a welcome anomaly these past few years. Amidst a resurgence of thrash and 80s throwback nostalgia, the band managed to stand head and shoulders above most emerging, like-minded acts, no doubt many thanks to their inclusion of equal parts thrash, N.W.O.B.H.M. melody, black metal vocals and Nordic nods in the quintet’s riffing and tempos. Breathing the Fire, their new Prosthetic Records release, further codifies these styles and influences, and confirms The ‘Witch’s music as both original and refreshing.

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I’m running out of ways to say “Skeletonwitch’s Breathing the Fire rocks.” We’ll run Bob Cock’s review next week, before Prosthetic releases the album on Tuesday. And reader Michael Bergin, Jr. tells us he got his pre-order in the mail already, so hopefully by now some of you are aware of how hard this record hits anyway. AND THE ALBUM IS STREAMING RIGHT NOW!!!

So in the meantime, enjoy what I assume is the final in-the-studio webisode! You can watch the first one here, the second one here, and the third one here.

-AR

In case you can’t tell, we love this fucking band and almost wish we had uteruses (uteri?) so we could have their babies. We hope you enjoy this. Or don’t. Fuck you either way.

And in case you’re playing catch-up, you can watch the first webisode here and the second webisode here.

Skeletonwitch’s metal-as-fuck new album, Breathing the Fire, comes out October 13 on Prosthetic.

-AR

Thanks to Michael Bergin Jr. for the link!

As our friend John said to me last week, on the list of things a metal band should do, Skeletonwitch have a “check” under each and every “yes” column. This band is seemingly unable to do wrong. They rip faces off, and, what’s more, those faces are only too happy to have been ripped off. They are Metal with a capital “M.”

Skeletonwitch’s new album, Breathing the Fire (Prosthetic), doesn’t drop ’til October 13, but Terrorizer is streaming it right now. I suggest you go listen.

Then, as always, come back here and let us know you think. Although know we’ll judge you if you don’t like the album.

“Stand, Fight and Die” is my personal favorite track from the record. Just givin’ my two cents.

-AR

On the way to Friday’s final-U.S.-appearance-ever Burnt by the Sun show, Axl and I were lamenting how fucking tough it is going to be to chose ten favorite albums at year’s end. Even in early August our preliminary lists of favorites hinted that some difficult choices would be in store, but with new albums out now or about to be released by Revocation, Converge, Between the Buried and Me, Baroness and more, this December shit is gonna get real, son. What’s even tougher is trying to remain unbiased when it comes to judging albums I’m super-stoked on because they’re new to me (i.e. Revocation) vs. albums that seem like old news already because they came out all the way back in January (i.e. Obscura).

Thankfully, Elise at Reign in Blonde has a solution: match up albums based on album cover similarity, and choose the winners from there. Way easier, more efficient, and less heart-breaking.

What are your top picks of ‘09?

-VN

[PS: If you've got a spare moment, go vote in ex-Metal Edge editor-in-chief Phil Freeman's poll]

A few weeks ago Skeletonwitch shot a video for the song “Repulsive Salvation” at Lucky 13 in Brooklyn, under the watchful eye of director David Brodsky. Vince got to go visit and have fun for awhile, and I didn’t, ’cause I’m a goober.

Lucky for me, though – and you! – our bestest friends, Metal Injection, also went, and, hey, guess what? They filmed the shit outta Brodsky filming the shit outta Skeletonwitch pretending to play the shit outta their instruments along to a recording of them actually playing the shit outta of their instruments. If that’s not meta enough for you, well, congratulations, you’re more sober than I am.

Skeletonwitch’s anus-ticklingly good Breathing the Fucking Fire (I might’ve added a word there) comes out October 13 on Prosthetic. We’ll have Bob Cock’s rave review up soon.

-AR

Breathing the Fire. October 13. Get ready.

Watch the first Skeletonwitch webisode here.

-AR

Skeletonwitch’s new album, Breathing the Fire, slays. That’s really all you need to know. Now watch this, the first in a series of webisodes about the making of the album.

Breathing the Fire comes out October 13 on Prosthetic. Read Vince’s interview with guitarist Scott “Scunty D.” Hedrick here.

-AR

Talking to Skeletonwitch guitarist Scott “Scunty D.” Hedrick was like talking to a long-lost bro. The dude is just so incredibly down to earth, straight-forward and easygoing that I felt like I’d already known him for years despite the fact that we were speaking for the first time. Scott spoke a whole lot about Skeletonwitch’s roll in the metal community, about that community as a whole, and the general “we’re all in this together” attitude of pretty much everyone who’s involved in metal right now. We also chatted about the new Skeletonwitch record Breathing the Fire (October 13), working with producer Jack Endino, being able to tour with so many different types of metal bands, Twitter, and Scott’s fanboy reaction to praise bestowed upon his band by Enslaved.

Our chat, after the jump…

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I thought that Beyond the Permafrost was a good album, but to be completely honest, I just did not understand all the hype around this band until I saw them absolutely annihilate at Scion earlier this year. These fellas really know how to put on a live show.

And I fucking love their new album, Breathing the Fire. I don’t know if it’s actually better than Permafrost (e.g., has managed to capture how magnificent they are live in the studio) or if I’m just totally in love with this band since seeing them lay an audience to waste, but either way, I’ve been rocking Fire for a few days now and am pretty enamored with it.

Prosthetic won’t release Breathing the Fire until October 13, but the band is now streaming a new track, “Crushed Beyond Dust,” on their MySpace page. If you’re already a Skeletonwitch fan, you should love this shit; if you’re like me and up ’til now you haven’t understood what the big deal is, this is a good song to get you hooked.

-AR

Three words:

METAL. AS. FUCK.

Breathing the Fire comes out October 13 on Prosthetic.

-AR

Our friend Carlos Ramirez has posted a list at NoiseCreep of the “Top 10 New School Thrash Bands.” There are some really sweet bands on this list – Municipal Waste, Skeletonwitch, Warbringer, and Merciless Death all made the list – but I imagine many of you will be pissed by some of the exclusions (Lazarus A.D., Evile, etc.).

Check out the complete list, then come back and argue about it right here at “Fuck You” headquarters.

-AR

After the antics of the first day of the festival, I felt more than ready to get into day two with a healthy dose of music from the beginning. Unfortunately, that was not to be so for me, as at the time I thought I would be continuing on after SXSW into further ridonkulousness, all the way to a family vacation during Spring Break in Mexico….and today was the day that my renewed passport was meant to be FedExed to the flophouse where Vince and I were crashing.

When I had returned to said flophouse the night prior and to my surprise found an open couch in the living room right by the front door (where I was told FedEx homeboy would appear bright and early), I figured it prolly made the most sense to sleep right there on the ground floor as opposed to the stank upstairs sweat lodge where I would be sure to miss any sounds of door knocking.

Sadly, no FedEx arrived in the morning as promised — I was actually awoken by a phone call from Vince around noon wondering where the hell I had ended up last night. After a couple more hours my passport finally arrived, at which point I had to wait at least another hour for a cab to take me down to the action.

HOLY SHIT.

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After yesterday morning’s scare, thankfully Kip turned up. On the couch downstairs at the flophouse we’re crashing at. Phew!

It was another fine day in Texas; 80 degrees, sunny, lots of metal. First up was Full Metal Texas, at which I saw Black Math Horsemen, Kylesa, Skeletonwitch and Fact. The End Records / MetalSucks showcase followed, at which Junius, Hull, These are They, Goes Cube, Tub Ring and Early Man rocked the confines of a tightly packed room that looked like an old European castle. My quick summary after the jump.

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