So 70,000 Tons of Metal, the most metal cruise EV-AR, has now ended — but that doesn’t mean the fun is over. We’re gonna have a couple more Tons of Fun for you during the week, starting with the below video, taken during the cruise, of Testament’s Alex Skolnick, Exodus’ Tom Hunting, and Death Angel’s Rob Cavestany doing a karaoke version of The Eagles’ “Lying Eyes” onboard the ship.

Yep. We’re being totally serious.

We first saw this amazing video over at Metal Insider; they also have clips of karaoke performances from members of Fear Factory, Sodom, Ensiferum, Tyr, and Swashbuckle. So head on over to Metal Insider if you wanna see some of your heroes embarrassing themselves in the name of fun.

Also, our bro-bros at Metal Injection were actually on the cruise, giving constant live updates. Go here if you wanna read all about their adventures, or if you just wanna look at pictures of MI’s resident female, Noa Avior, in a bikini.

-AR

FEATURING MEMBERS OF KYLESA, DARKTHRONE, BRUTAL TRUTH, KATAKLYSM, 3 INCHES OF BLOOD, TEXTURES, SWASHBUCKLE, THIS OR THE APOCALYPSE, DISFIGURING THE GODDESS, BURNING THE MASSES, CHRISTIAN MISTRESS, MISERY, AND GRIFTEGARD

For 2010, we decided to do something special as part of our regular end-of-year festivities here at MetalSucks — namely, ask musicians from across the vast spectrum of the metalsphere (or, in a few cases, the almost-metalsphere) what their favorite albums of the year were. Death metallers, thrash metallers, black metallers, stoners, grinders, and djenters alike graciously contributed lists to MS, and we’ll be running them in groups of ten to twelve musicians at a time twice a day for the rest of the week.

After the jump, check out the seventh group… we hope you enjoy seeing what some of metal’s heaviest hitters were into this year as much as we have!

(And please note that these are musicians and that they, um, have a lot on their minds. So some of ‘em named albums that actually came out last year. Please don’t freak out.)

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It’s a Soilwork kinda week at the Mansion. The Panic Broadcast finally came out in North America (read my thoughts about it), Anso DF published his riveting interview with one of metal’s biggest Peters, guitarist/producer Peter Wichers, and the MetalSucks co-sponsored Panic Over North America Tour — with Soilwork (duh), Death Angel, Augury, Mutiny Within and Swashbuckle — finally got underway. Get dates here.

We’ll be seeing our favorite Soilworkers tonight at New York’s Gramercy Theater. They always put on an awesome show, but the rest of the lineup is really solid too and should make for a fun evening if we don’t drink too much beforehand at DJ Brambo’s Heavy Metal Happy Hour at the Arrow Bar on Ave. A. It’s been a long while since I’ve seen NJ’s finest Mutiny Within live — May of 2010 at Brooklyn’s tiny Trash Bar, to be exact, shortly after they’d signed to Roadrunner but long before their album had come out — so it’ll be cool to see them on a big stage, all grown up and stuff. Here’s a performance clips video of “Lethean” they recently put together.

-VN

The Panic Broadcast, Soilwork’s new album marking the return of guitarist/producer Peter Wichers, dropped on July 2nd in Europe… meaning by now most of you have likely heard the whole thing regardless of the “North American release date” of July 13th. But whether you have or haven’t heard it, I figured I’d share my thoughts with ya’ll since that’s why you visit MetalSucks, isn’t it?

Soilwork embark on the MetalSucks-sponsored Panic Over North America tour with Death Angel, Augury, Mutiny Within and Swashbuckle starting on July 14th. Get dates here then get stoked, ’cause we sure are.

My thoughts on The Panic Broadcast after the jump.
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Y’know what’s fucking metal? Using the carcass of your prey as a means of camouflage yourself in order to hunt and kill MORE of that prey. Now THAT is fucking-A metal.

Nuclear Blast will release Death Angel’s Relentless Retribution on September 3 in Europe and September 14 in North America. And don’t forget that Death Angel are on the the MetalSucks co-sponsored Panic Over North America Tour 2010 with Soilwork, Augury, Mutiny Within and Swashbuckle. Get dates here.

-AR

When it comes to pirate metal bands I’m firmly in the Alestorm camp — I just don’t find Swashbuckle to be very musically interesting, sorry — but that doesn’t mean I take the whole thing too seriously. I mean… it’s pirate metal, c’mon.

At this year’s New England Metal and Hardcore Festival, Johnny Orlando Jr. — father of Johnny Orlando Jr. Jr., he of the famous “Where do babies come from?” interview — interviewed Swashbuckle frontman Admiral Nobeard for Metal Injection, and the results are predictably hilarious. Nobeard talks salad and getting caught with his pants down before Orlando Jr. gets him to challenge Alestorm to a cannon fight with all the requisite trash-talk.

This is why I like metal. It’s silly. Stop being so damned grim all the time.

-VN

O, Scar Symmetry. How I love thee unconditionally, even though superman/vocalist Christian Alvestam left to pursue a million other projects that sound just like thee (such as the killer new Solution.45 record). For after all, ’tis Sire Jonas Kjellgren who is the genius of this group, thy prowess which cannot possibly be overcome by the shortcomings of one chump who plays the auto-tune machine and another who plays the cookie monster. For on video, thou dual vocal attack dost look goofy. Very goofy.

Woah, time out… is the bassist wearing a Scar Symmetry hoodie in this video? I know it had to be cold out there… but come on. Party foul.

Catch Scar Symmetry and their simultaneously genius and goofy attack on the MetalSucks co-sponsored tour with Hypocrisy, Hate, Blackguard and Swashbuckle starting next week! Thou shalt not be sorry.

-VN

We’re less than three weeks away from the kick-off of the MetalSucks/Metal Injection co-sponsored A Taste of Divinity North American Tour 2010 with Hypocrisy, Scar Symmetry, Hate, Swashbuckle and Blackguard. And now, as if to give you a little taste of what you might see on that sure-to-be-awesome trek, Hypocrisy have released a new video, “Weed Out the Weak,” which is really just a performance/concert clip, but is a really solid performance/concert clip. Check it out:

The Taste of Divinity Tour starts May 11. Get dates here.

-AR

Last year, my esteemed colleagues Vince Neilstein and Van Arseface covered the New England Metal & Hardcore Festival for this site, resulting in a plethora of posts about their experience and the bands. Pretty good stuff, I’d say. For the 2010 Worcester, MA event, I volunteered to be the official correspondent in my capacity as the resident “hardcore expert” (not to be confused with the resident “hardcore sexpert“). With big names like Cro Mags and Disembodied playing the second stage, how could I not?

So, yeah, throughout the weekend, you can follow all of my witty, ascerbic livetweets here (that is, if you have a Twitter account and a major credit card). Show reports will appear here on MetalSucks next week, with some interviews with select bands following in the subsequent weeks (because monkeys can only transcribe so fast). To answer your lingering questions:

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While we have no intention of going to see Kittie play with a bunch of clowns and The Insane Clown Posse, I suspect we will find our way to Soilwork’s next U.S. tour, which will be with Death Angel and feature support from Augury, Mutiny Within, and Swashbuckle. We haven’t gotten to check out the band since Peter Wichers re-joined, and, truth be told, it didn’t feel quite right without The Wichmeister.

And I promise never to refer to him as “The Wichmeister” again.

Dates after the jump!

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U.S. IMMIGRATION COULDN’T STOP THEM! Hypocrisy are finally coming to North America to wreak havoc like it’s never been wreaked before! And they’ve got Scar Symmetry, Hate, Blackguard and Swashbuckle with them! EVERYBODY FUCKING RUN! AHHHHHHH!!!!!

In all seriousness: we’re very happy to be teaming up with our hetero life-mates at Metal Injection to be bringing you guys and gals this tour. It’s gonna be an incredible time. Get dates after the jump!!!

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Hypocrisy were s’posed to follow-up the November release of their excellent new album, A Taste of Extreme Divinity, with a North American tour – with Children of Bodom’s Alexi Laiho playin’ the gee-tar, no less. We were super stoked for that tour, but unfortunately, the swine in U.S. immigration wouldn’t let Peter Tagtgren and company into the country, presumably because The Man wants us all to keep fighting each other so we don’t notice that He’s screwing us, and He knew that a North American Hypocrisy tour could maybe, just maybe, bring peace and love to the huddled masses. Either that, or the band’s paperwork wasn’t quite in order. But either way, it blew goats.

Luckily, it seems that Hypocrisy’s problems are now behind them, and they’ve announced another North American tour. And while, unfortunately, it seems like Laiho won’t be in tow this time out, they will have Hate, Blackguard and Swashbuckle with them. So that’s not bad.

Get dates after the jump.

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If you read this site regularly you know I’m fascinated with temporary team-ups, like Dave Lombardo playing drums for Metallica or Doc Coyle playing guitar for Lamb of God. I just love these little glimpses into some alternate reality where great bands traded great musicians.

So here’s a good one: according to Metal Underground, Children of Bodom’s Alexi Laiho will be playing guitar with Hypocrisy on their upcoming North American tour.

Says Hypocrisy mastermind Peter Tagtgren:

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It’s hard to believe there are two new Pirate Metal bands breaking in 2009, but here we are in June and both Alestorm and Swashbuckle have already toured the U.S. extensively. We’ve gotten 3 irate reader emails demanding we post the new Alestorm video “Keelhauled,” so here it is; and it’s pretty fucking bad-ass.

For reference, the new Swashbuckle video is posted after the jump. While both videos are pretty cool, I’m feelin’ the Alestorm track way more than I am the Swashbuckle track. The Alestorm track sounds like true, beer-swiggin’, raping and pillaging Scottish Pirate Metal, while the Swashbuckle track sounds like tongue-in-cheek thrash played by guys dressed up as pirates from… New Jersey. You be the judge, and tell us what you think in the comments.

-VN

Alestorm – “Keelhauled”

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Between the Somalis and Jerry Bruckheimer, it’s just not cool to be a pirate anymore. Luckily Swashbuckle are here to restore the good name of pirates everywhere.

Here’s the band’s video for “Cruise Ship Terror,” off their Nuclear Blast debut, Back to the Noose, which drops July 24. It was directed by the ultimate pirate documentarian, Cap’n David Brodsky.

-AR

Is it already that time of year? Holy shit, it is! The second annual run of the MetalSucks-sponsored Paganfest USA tour kicks off tomorrow in Toronto and runs through May 18th all over the U.S. and Canada! This is huge news for the following reasons:

1. You finally get to dust off that old viking helmet that’s been lying around since last year’s Paganfest.
2. You get to drink lots of beer, repeatedly pump your fist in the air and yell “hey!,” and generally act like an asshole at a concert without feeling bad about it.
3. You get to see this year’s lineup of ridiculously awesome pagan metal bands: Korpiklaani, Primordial, Moonsoorow, Blackguard and Swashbuckle.
4. Last year’s Paganfest was the most fun we had at a show all year; for serious!

We’ll be at the New York date on Monday, May 4th at Irving Plaza. Brownie points to anyone who dresses up in warpaint and loincloths. Bonus: after the jump, check out the chill-inducing Metal Injection-filmed live footage of Turisas performing “Rasputin” at last year’s Paganfest.

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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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The second annual run of the MetalSucks-approved Paganfest USA tour — which one month ago announced it would include Primordial, Eluveitie, Moonsorrow and Blackguard (formerly Profugus Mortis) — has now announced the final lineup. Finnish folk-metallers Korpiklaani, whom to Kip W.’s dismay I once described as “Tetris metal,” will round out the bill along with New Jersey’s own Swashbuckle. If you can’t closely guess what a band called Swashbuckle might sound like, I suggest you get that eyepatch adjusted.

For more info check out the official Paganfest USA MySpace page. Dates are still TBA. Also check out the MySpace pages of Korpiklaani and Swashbuckle to dabble in the pagan/folk metal awesomeness.

-VN