Seems like forever ago that A Life Once Lost released Iron Gag in 2007; the PA groovesters haven’t done a whole lot of touring following the initial album cycle and as such they aren’t at the forefronts of metalheads’ minds at the moment. Their deal with Ferret Music has expired, and not having a record label at the moment probably isn’t helping. Will their absence from the scene over the past couple of years help build anticipation for a new release or will it kill any momentum they had? Hard to say, but I for one am definitely excited to hear what they come up with next.

In the meantime, guitarist Snake Sustaine (his momma calls him Doug) has been keeping busy with a band of his own namesake, also featuring his brother and ALOL drummer Justin Graves. As I’ve said before in this space, side projects provide a great look into the influences — often non-metal — it’s really interesting to see what drives musicians and where their creativity will take them when they aren’t bound by having to write in a certain style for a certain band. For Sustaine it’s bluesy garage rock with just a trace of screaming / post-hardcore shouting vocals to bridge it to metal, like something The White Stripes might make if they had a bit more balls.

Snake’s solo project has been making noise for a couple of years already, but they’ve got a new track called “Divinity” up on their MySpace page right now. Check it out.

-VN

“The last day of SXSW is always the most metal.” – Kip Wingerschimidt, the morning of the last day of SXSW 2009, before staying up all night partying with Dredg and then tearing the insides of his knee to shreds in the most non-metal of ways whilst getting ready to go to the airport. Fortunately there would be no injuries this year, but the last day of SXSW was indeed quite metal, we did stay up all night, and we worked out some really sweet deals.

Only one problem: it was fucking cold outside. Not just Texas cold… actual cold, like low 40s / high 30s. We New Yorkers are used to that kind of weather (on a good day in the winter) but having to endure it in Austin in the Spring was a major buzzkill.

The calm before the storm… E. 6th St. at about noon, while trucks are making their beer deliveries and everyone else is still sleeping off their hangovers from the night before.

But we had our own method of keeping warm. With at least half of the bag o’ herbals left and only one day to smoke it, it was do or die time for the sweet leaf we purchased in Dallas. First mission of the day was to roll it all up. Fifteen minutes later we were ready to begin our final mission, five joints in tow.

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The arrival of June means that all the big metal bands are over in Europe playing the festival circuit, but this isn’t all a bad thing. For one, it means some much-needed R and R (that’s rest and relaxation, fuckos) after a hectic Spring show season. It also means more time to go to smaller shows; ya know, ones that aren’t in huge concert halls where beer costs $7, and ones that are in real places where actual real / non scene-kid people hang out. The DIY (by comparison) shows of late Spring and early Summer offer a welcome respite from the big headline tours of early Spring and the packaged, brand-sponsored traveling festivals of Summer. This weekend I went to see the debut of NYC’s Motheater — a wicked brew of southern soul and northern fury — and a four-headed best of underground metal at Pitchfork’s “Show No Mercy” show serie, featuring Salome, Woe, Black Anvil, and Snake Sustaine.

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