MetalSucks

Well, I guess Alice in Chains can’t hit a home run every time.

The metal-related iPhone apps thus far – or, at least the ones I’ve seen – have, by and large, sucked. Oddly enough, Metallica, who haven’t released too many products worth owning this (or last) decade, have the best ones: their Live Metallica and Tap Tap Revenge apps are both totally solid. I didn’t get the Suffocation one, but Invisible Oranges’ review didn’t make it sound too appealing.

And now there’s the AIC “Mobile Roadie” app, which, quite frankly, is waste of 99 cents for anyone but the most die-hard (and brain dead) Alice fan. The app allows you to listen to a few songs from the album, which you probably already own; watch some videos, which you a) may have already seen or b) were capable of watching on your iPhone via YouTube anyway; read a bio of the band that is pretty much just a glorified “AIC are awesome” press release; look a discography which would suggest that Black is the band’s debut; get tour dates and news which, again, you could already do on an iPhone; post on a “fan wall;” or play with some art from the Black album booklet. And, seriously, even if you’re high, it’s fun to play with that art for precisely .02 seconds. This shit is lame, lame, lame.

Don’t believe me? Watch the video below. It pretty much demonstrates that your buck would be better spent on almost anything but this app.

If anyone knows of any metal apps that are actually worth a damn, let us know…

-AR

Did you know that only total tool bags don’t like Blood Oath? It’s a fact.

So here’s a new video for a song from that very album – “Cataclysmic Purification.” Suffocation’s one of those bands where I really like watching ‘em play ’cause they’ve got some sick talent, and David Brodsky’s performance footage certainly allows for that – but I also really dig this animation by Tim Kellan. It’s just fucking gross and wicked, both of which seem appropriate for Suffo, doncha think?

Blood Oath is out now on Nuclear Blast.

-AR

If you’ve never seen Suffocation live, well, you need to. Not only do they kill, but Frank Mullen is one of the funniest fucking front men ever.

I haven’t gotten to listen to the band’s new live album (actually recorded in ‘05), The Close Of A Chapter: Live In Quebec City, yet, so I don’t know it captures Mr. Mullen in all his gallows humor glory. But the record is now streaming right here, and even if all it does it showcase what a powerful live act this legendary death metallers are, well, that’s reason enough to give it a listen.

The Close Of A Chapter: Live In Quebec City comes out October 27 on Relapse.

-AR

I haven’t done a blog in a while because the last blog I did really got me thinking about the mentality of people in the metal scene. Most particularly, the mentality of shit talking. We’re all guilty of it. I admitted to shit talking Bring Me The Horizon in magazines over in Europe when I was in God Forbid. I never heard them at that point. But now, I dig them and I feel pretty stupid for slagging them.

In my last blog I mentioned my excitement for the band Eryn Non Dae and how I was going to “borrow” some of their ideas for my new project. First of all, my last blog was PACKED with information about band business, touring and juicy tidbits of amazing knowledge :) But, the funny thing about the last blog was this guy ‘Jamie.’ Out of a five hundred word blog, he took the phrase “borrow ideas” and accused me and God Forbid of riding the coat tails of other popular bands. Killswitch was his biggest gripe. Then it was Opeth.

He claimed Gone Forever (2004) was a Killswitch rip and Earthsblood (2009) was an Opeth rip. This type of thing usually doesn’t bother me. In this instance I was fucking bothered. Jamie and I entered into a written brawl about the history of God Forbid and the intentions of our song writing for the last ten fucking years. Why would I waste my time to defend myself from this sort of claim?

Click to read more…

Where the hell does the time go? The year is more than half over already! Sheesh.

ANYWAY, here are, in alphabetical order, albums that have really knocked my socks off so far this year…

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Darkest Hour are currently out on the road doing the MetalSucks co-sponsored Summer Slaughter tour, and they’re doing a video tour diary for our gay lovers at Metal Injection. Check it out below.

It’s good to see that Lonestar is growing his mega-beard back. It’s also good to see his package.

ANYWAY, I’ve seen enough of the touring lifestyle to know that I don’t ever want to go on tour. But then again, it looks like these dudes are having so much fun…

Look for more Darkest Hour tour diaries at Metal Injection throughout the rest of the summer. And you can Summer Slaughter tour dates here. In addition to Darkest Hour you get Suffocation, Necrophagist, Ensiferum, Dying Fetus, Origin, Born of Osiris, Winds of Plague, and a bunch of other cool bands, so definitely check it out!!!

-AR

• Suffocation’s new album, Blood Oath, is streaming here. Our own David Bee Roth called it “the best death metal record released this year,” so ya best check it out. Nuclear Blast will release the album July 7. And don’t forget that Suffocation are one of the headliners on this year’s edition of Summer Slaughter, which we are co-sponsoring. Get tour dates here.
• Infini, the final album from Voivod, is streaming here. It is also, of course, the last recording made by the late Denis “Piggy” D’Amour. Relapse actually released the record yesterday, but if you feel the need to sample before you buy, here’s your shot.

-AR

There’s already enough long winded discussion going on about this list we’re still in the process of revealing, so let this review be one from the Corey Mitchell school of telling it like it is. No hustle.

Blood Oath is the best death metal record released this year and barring something out-left-field and totally unexpected, it’s going to rank up there among the years best.

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How did we miss the fact that Suffocation appeared in a History Channel commercial? Feel free to chime in with “this is old” comments; we know, but it’s still brutal and it’s still hilarious. Thanks to MS Maniac Brock for sending this in.

-VN

Noisecreep have unveiled their list of the Top 10 Death Metal Debut Albums (although the list is in no particular order), courtesy Friend of MetalSucks, Carlos Ramirez.

And for once, I don’t actually have any complaints. The list is pretty good.

That being said, I’m sure you folks will find something to bitch about, so… have at it!!!

-AR

New music that might tickle your pickle…

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Blood Oath comes out July 7 on Nuclear Blast.

-AR

In case that new KSE song was too soft for ya: here’s Suffocation performing a new song, “Mental Hemorrhage,” off their forthcoming album, Blood Oath. I kinda wish it had some faster parts. Other than that, no complaints on my end.

-AR

[via Blabbermouth]

So the line-up for Summer Slaughter – a.k.a. the big summer package tour that isn’t Ozzfest, Mayhem, Warped, or Sounds of the Underground (R.I.P.) – has been announced, and, pretty much as expected, it’s totally solid. Yes, there are a few bands on the bill I don’t care for (I’m looking at you, Winds of Plague), but the presence of co-headliners Suffocation and Necrophagist, plus Darkest Hour, Origin, Born of Osiris, Dying Fetus and Blackguard pretty much guarantees this will be a day (well, late afternoon at least) worth your time and money. Especially since, unlike the aforementioned summer fests, this one plays smaller venues and comes at a cheaper price.

Also kind of advantageous: you’re basically just dealing with death metal on this tour. So… you pretty much know if you’re the audience or not for this tour.

No dates yet… stay tuned for more details.

-AR

2009 is Suffocation’s twentieth anniversary (!), and they’re celebrating in all the usual ways: a headlining tour, a new album, a DVD, and… a video game?

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So many of you have e-mailed us this week to instruct us to post news about the fact that Opeth and Enslaved are touring together that I’m fairly certain posting news about the fact that Opeth and Enslaved are touring together is a complete waste of time; I mean, clearly, everyone and their mother is already aware of this tour.

I’m not saying this isn’t an awesome package – clearly, it is – I’m just saying, you’ve all sent us the news and the tour dates, so what can we tell you that you don’t already know? How about this: we will be at the show at the Starland Ballroom in NJ, and we will be high. Actually, you probably knew that already, too.

I’m putting tour dates after the jump, although I don’t for the life of me know why.

Click to read more…

Well, I wanted to try and make last week’s logo a little easier, and I guess I succeeded, ’cause a whole bunch of you correctly identified said logo as belonging to the band Bazzah. Unfortunately, there can be only four winners, and the luck of the draw tells me they’re Doug Gross, Jack Smock, Nathan Griggs and Joshua Ray Jacobs. Each of these lucky bastards wins a copy of Cavalera Conspiracy’s Infliked. Be envious.

This week, the noble men and women at Roadrunner Records have donated five copies of The Best of Suffocation for us to give away. Vince, Kip, Anton OyVey and I all just saw NYC’s own Suffocation open for Carcass on Saturday night, and almost two decades since their debut, they still fucking kill it, and Frank Mullen is still one of the funniest motherfuckers ever to front a br00tal death metal band. If you’re just breaking into the world of metal, here’s a great primer on a great band, and if you already love Suffocation, well, here’s your chance to be a completist.

All you have to do to win is identify the name of the band whose logo appears below, then shoot me an e-mail with your answer, your name and address at axl [at] metalsucks.net. We’ll randomly select four winners from everyone who gets it right, and announce their names next Monday.

The bad news is that this week’s logo is fucking hard, and the good news is that this band has a new album out, so more enterprising readers should be able to figure it out. Good luck…

-AR

I’ve been meaning to write about Germany’s Necrophagist for some time now — their last album Epitaph is fucking brutal with a capital BRU and a testament to just how expressive extremely technical extreme metal can truly be. Slays me every time; the playing, the songwriting, the punishing — it’s all here. And much like most of us here at MetalSucks will do this very weekend, you too can see these dudes play as opener along with Suffocation on the Carcass reunion tour for the next week or so on the East Coast. Check out the band’s MySpace page for tour dates.

KILL.

NECROPHAGIST - “The Stillborn One”, from Epitaph (2004)

NECROPHAGIST – “Seven”, from Epitaph (2004)

NECROPHAGIST – “Fermented Offal Discharge”, from Onset of Putrefaction (1999)

[Visit Necrophagist's website]

-KW

Mazel tov to MetalSucks readers Daniel Santana and Mark Moritz-Rabson. They correctly identified last week’s logo as belonging to the band Patisserie. That was a hard one, and for Daniel and Mark’s Herculean efforts, they’ve each won a copy of The Best of Suffocation, courtesy the good folks at Roadrunner Records.

This week Roadrunner has donated two copies of The Best of Obituary for us to give away. Whether you’re a hardcore Obituary completist or a new fan looking for a quick introduction to these death metal legends, this is a pretty sweet compilation.

All you have to do to win is identify the name of the band whose logo appears below, then shoot me an e-mail with your answer, your name and address at axl [at] metalsucks.net. We’ll randomly select two winners from everyone who gets it right, and announce their name one week from today.

Good luck, everyone. Have a br00tal weekend!

-AR

Whoa. So I guess last week’s logo was pretty hard, because very, very few of you got it correct. The band it belongs to is called Abort Mastication, by the way, and five of the lucky MetalSucks winners who did get it right – Andrew Robbins, Sydney Kekoler, Bertie Michaels, Josh Dechter and Earl Eames – will each one a copy of Cavalera Conspiracy’s awesome new album, Infliked. Congrats, kiddies.

This week, the fine men and women at Roadrunner Records have graciously supplied us with two copies of The Best of Suffocation to give away. Whether you’re a hardcore Suffocation completist or a new fan looking for a quick introduction to these death metal legends, this is a pretty sweet compilation.

All you have to do to win is identify the name of the band whose logo appears below, then shoot me an e-mail with your answer, your name and address at axl [at] metalsucks.net. We’ll randomly select two winners from everyone who gets it right, and announce their name one week from today.

Good luck, everyone. Have a br00tal weekend!

-AR