HELMET @ RED 7 – 4:30 P.M., Thursday, March 13

One of my all-time favorite top 10 records is Helmet’s Meantime. I have not seen Helmet since back in their heyday when they tore through San Antonio, Texas in support of their not quite as impressive but still excellent follow-up Betty back in 1994. They played the old Showcase along with Therapy? and San Antonio industrialists Evil Mothers.

I cannot say I am a huge fan of Helmet’s work in later years, especially Page Hamilton’s higher pitched vocal stylings. The scratchy baritone he displayed on Meantime is easily one of my favorite vocal styles in all of metal. As a result, a part of me was hesitant, yet excited to see Helmet again for the first time in fourteen years.

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Metal has always been the unwanted red-headed stepchild at the annual SXSW Music Conference in Austin, Texas. Back when I was the metal/hardcore DJ at the University of Texas’s student radio station KVRX (’88-’90), metal at SXSW was usually relegated to one showcase at the Backroom, way far away from the hub of activity in downtown Austin.To counter that mentality, my best friend and co-DJ, Ray “Raydog” Seggern used to create our own showcases to spotlight heavier bands not cut from the dying days of glam.

Our biggest success was in 1990 when we threw our own anti-SXSW showcase in a run-down, but still active, Riverside Drive dollar movie theater, seats and all. The show featured Austin bands Zero Tolerance and Dread (featuring future Skrew/16Volt/Daniel Ash bassist Mike Peoples), Arlington thrashers Arcane, and Houstonians Dead Horse. The major coupe from the gig was getting a rep from Metal Blade to come to the show and eventually sign Dead Horse.

Fast forward 18 years to SXSW 2008 – Metal is everywhere!

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Photos from yesterday’s Motorhead show at Stubb’s and Relapse Records showcase at Emo’s Annex featuring High on Fire, Municipal Waste, Genghis Tron, Coliseum and Vverevvolf Grehv. And Jamey Jasta hangin’ out at the show. Click on the thumbnail to see a full-size picture. Also, a short video clip of Genghis Tron after the jump!

Motorhead:

Vverevvolf Grehv:

Click through for photos of Genghis Tron, Coliseum, Matt Pike and Jamey Jasta + video of Genghis Tron!

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More live pics from today’s SXSW madness. Matt Pike of High on Fire, the crowd at the show, and guest DJ Iggor Cavalera. Click the photos for bigger versions.

Live from the front lines:

“Barney stressing out because he can’t get his buddies in.”

So it’s that time of year again, when hundreds of annoying hipster bands and hundreds of thousands of annoying hipster fans descend on Austin, TX for the five day non-stop drug and alcohol binge music festival South by Southwest. Whatwhat hipster rags like Brooklyn Vegan and Pitchfork (and I think even Stereogum) suddenly deciding they are now covering metal, this year actually sports a pretty impressive smattering of metal bands.

Though your esteemed editors Axl and Vince will not be attending this year (nor will Kip, whose friendship with the MetalSucks brethren was forged through a couple of all-night benders at last year’s festival), we’d like to introduce MetalSucks correspondent and talented writer Corey Mitchell, who will be giving us a day-by-day account of the various metal goings-on in Austin. You may also know him as MetalSucks commenter LiquidMan666. We’re psyched to have Corey on board.

After the jump, a full list of the events Corey will (God willing) be attending. It’s also a pretty comprehensive collection of all metal-related happenings at SXSW, so if you’re going to the festival you might want to check it out. And of course, feel free to send any show or party tips / reviews / whatever to news [at] metalsucks.net.

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MetalSucks commenter LiquidMan666 was kind enough (or just bored at work) to compile this list of MetalSucks-friendly artists playing this year’s edition of SXSW, the yearly Austin, TX music festival usually dominated by flavor-of-the-moment indie rock turds. Is metal finely getting a fair shake in the music community at large? The following bands are confirmed to be playing SXSW official showcases, which says nothing of other bands who might be playing day parties or unaffiliated shows:

High on Fire, Between the Buried and Me, Blue Cheer, Enslaved, 1349, At All Cost, Fucked Up, Yakuza, Vvervvolf Grehv, Weedeater, Tub Ring, Russian Circles, Alex Skolnick, Trio, The Warriors, Pissed Jeans, Graveyard, Goat the Head, Coliseum, Genghis Tron, and Roger Miret & The Disasters.

Sadly MetalSucks will not be throwing down at this year’s 5-day booze and drug bender music festival. Throw your horns in the air for us.

-VN