If you still have any doubts that being in a band is for losers, watch Why You Do This, the documentary by Car Bomb’s Michael Dafferner. It is a cold, hard bitch slap of reality. Including interviews with Richard Christy, Randy Blythe, Joe Duplantier, Ben Falgoust, and a bunch of other cool dudes, Why You Do This premiered last year at the Queens World Film Festival, and is now streaming online in full. Check it out:

If you enjoyed that, you can order a DVD right here.

-AR

[via Metal Insider]

In case your fall wasn’t already action-packed with awesome tours, The Chariot have announced a U.S. headlining run, which will start in November. Support will come from Vanna, The Crimson Armada, Former Thieves, and Listener, four bands I can’t really say anything about. But I can reiterate the message in my headline: Go see The Chariot, go see The Chariot, go see The Chariot, please please please do yourself a favor and go see The Chariot.

Here are tour dates, courtesy of Lambgoat:

Click to read more…

The Chariot’s last video, for “David De La Hoz” (watch it and read Vince’s discussion with vocalist Josh Scogin about its creation here)  was so awesome that whatever clip the band released next, it was bound to be disappointing. So I’m willing to cut them some slack on their new video, “Evan Perks.” It’s basically just home movie-quality footage of the band playing in Australia; none of it is even shot from inside the pit to really convey the energy of the performance, the way, for example, Landmine Marathon’s “Shadows Fed to Tyrants” video does.

But even from such a distanced, third-person vantage point, these shows looks pretty crazy. If there’s one thing I know about Australians, it’s that those fuckers know how to party.

“Evan Perks” comes off the album Long Live, which is out now on Goodfight.

-AR

Did you know that Car Bomb vocalist Michael Dafferner’s day job is working as a satellite engineer? No, no I did not. Well, did you know that he also directed a documentary, [why_you_do_this], about how difficult and shitty it is to be a touring metal musician? No, no I did not know that, either. Yeah, well, neither did I, but apparently both facts are true.

[why_you_do_this] (it’s a statement, not a question asked by an immigrant) is going to make its premiere next week at the Queens World Film Festival (as in a world film festival which takes place in Queens, not a film festival which takes place on a world full of royal women), and even though I didn’t know about it until like ten seconds ago, it look pretty interesting — Dafferner interviewed all kinds of cool people, like Richard Christy, Randy Blythe, Joe Duplantier, and Ben Falgoust, all about the very simple question posed by the title. Or, perhaps a little less succinctly, this move could be called Holy Shit There is No Money to be Made in Metal and Touring Fucking Sucks, Why the Fucking Fuck Do You Keep Subjecting Yourself to this Crap? Which is a question every aspiring metal musician should ask him or herself, since the chances of making a living at playing music are only slightly better than the chances that you’ll be struck by lightning while receiving a wristie from Marilyn Monroe.

ANYWAY, the movie premieres at the aforementioned film festival on Friday, March 4, at 7:00pm EST at The Renaissance Auditorium (81^st Street & 37^th Ave) in Jackson Heights, NY. You can get more details, as well as tickets, here; you can also watch the trailer here and a clip here (they’re not embeddable… I guess they’re trying to keep the film a secret). I don’t think I can make it ’cause I’ll be on an airplane just hours prior, but if anyone goes, please let me know how it is. Hopefully this thing will get a DVD release or something soon so the rest of us can check it out.

Also, the press release says that Car Bomb are working on new music. That’s what they told me in 2008, too, but maybe we’ll actually get a new album before I turn eighty.

-AR

How come Miss Piggy can’t count to 70? ‘Cause every time she gets to 69, she gets a frog in her throat.

ANYWAY, here’s how we amused ourselves this week:

• We debuted new videos from DevilDriver and Intronaut.
• We also debuted new music from Battilus and VYGR.
• We started a cool new series of tour blogs from Eluveitie and learned fifteen new things about Crowbar’s Kirk Windstein.
• We spoke to Josh Scogin from The Chariot and Mark LeVine, author of Heavy Metal Islam.
• We checked out the latest releases from Regicide, Dragged Into Sunlight, Macabre, and Abraham.
• We helped Burzum launch a new clothing line.
• We learned a sexy new stage move from Dr. Acula.
• We continued to feel embarrassed for Slash.
• We pleaded with record labels to start using Bandcamp and stop using MySpace.
• We mourned the loss of Guitar Hero.

Speaking of 69ing: Monday is Valentine’s Day. I’m just reminding you in case you’re a burnout and you forgot to get something for your woman. Don’t say I never did nuthin’ for ya.

-AR

(Photo by Chetan Patel for MetalSucks. More pics from their 2009 NYC show with Gojira here)

Good interviews are made by good interview subjects, not my own boring ass… and so it was with Josh Scogin, the verbose and opinionated frontman of The Chariot, whose recent album Long Live is still fucking my face off. The following is definitely one of the most engaging interviews I’ve done in some time.

Scogin had a lot to say about the reaction Long Live has received, particularly the fact that fans and music critics alike seem to dig it; mostly he’s just psyched that so many people like it and humbled by the fact that people whose job it is to listen to music all day hear something special in it. Scogin was happy to chime in on why he thinks that’s the case, four albums into the band’s career: the entire process of recording Long Live was filled with spontaneity, rare in this day and age of military-like pre-production and recording to click-tracks. This was especially true when it came to the mind-blowingly cool video for “David De La Hoz,” the idea for which was completely organic and spontaneous — but more on that from Scogin in the interview.

My chat with Scogin after the jump.

Click to read more…

Last week we offered up two Primordial prize packs; the grand prize winner gets the All Empires Fall DVD and a CD reissue of their 2000 release Spirit the Earth Aflame while the runner-up gets just the CD. And the winners are…

• Dingas McCloud: “Anyone else sick of shoegaze vocals?”
• Fish: “NY Jets coach Rex Ryan’s younger days hanging in the hardcore clubs.”

This week we’ve got a very, very special prize for you. The Chariot are putting out a 7″ record called The Music of a Greatful Heart limited to only 1,000 copies — 250 each of four different colors, all hand-numbered. The band will be taking their own color set of 250 on the road with them. Hot Topic will have their own color set of 250 available at select locations. One color set of 250 will be made available at varying local indie music retailers while the fourth and final color set is now available for pre-order with special bundle packages at Good Fight’s online store. Needless to say, if you want to get your hands on all four colors you’re really gonna have to hustle!

The copy we’re giving away is copy #1 of 250 of the set available for order in Good Fight’s store; it’s neon green and looks gnarly as hell. There will be two tracks on Side A and an etching of The Chariot’s infamous “Skull Logo” on Side B.  Track 1 is titled “Music of a Grateful Heart” and is a never before released song from the Long Live recording sessions.  Track 2, also from the Long Live recording sessions, is titled “Graciously” and is an extended and alternate version of the original track “The Audience.”

As per usual, alls ya gotta do to win is come up with the funniest caption to the below photo (which was posted on Metal Injection) and remember to use a real email address (or post it with your comment if you’re using FB Connect)!

Axl already told you about The Chariot’s ridiculously cool music video for “David De La Hoz” and Noisecreep named it the #4 best metal video of 2010, but I think it bears repeating: holy shit is this video cool.

Not only did The Chariot film an OK Go-style video in which all the band members appear, not only did they enlist the help of an army of extra musicians, not only did they use half a dozen rooms in a recording studio and not only did they do the whole thing in one take with one camera… but they’re actually playing the song live. Not playing along to the album version of the track and dubbing it over later; playing the entire song live. So not only did they have to get the visual element right but they also had to play the song perfectly, have probably between 50 and 100 mics set up properly, have it recorded well and mixed afterwards. That is no small undertaking. Well done, guys!

In case you haven’t yet listened to The Chariot’s fourth album Long Live yet, you really ought to; it’s a fucking banger and a half. Check out a few tunes here.

-VN

Congrats to readers Samuel Formato and Brad Maddox. They correctly identified last week’s logo as belonging to the band Portae Obscuritas. For their troubles, they each win of Lamb of God‘s Hourglass box set on vinyl! Congrats, fellas!

For the final Unreadable Band Logo of 2010, we have a very special prize for y’all: a Long Live bundle from The Chariot that comes with a CD copy of their awesome new album (Long Live – duh — out now on Good Fight) as well as t-shirt. If you’ve been reading MetalSucks regularly, you know that Vince and I both think this album rules, so if for some reason you don’t already own a copy, well… get on that shit!

All you gots to do to win is identify the name of the band whose logo appears below, then shoot me an e-mail at axl AT metalsucks DOT net with your answer, your name, and your address. ALL ENTRIES WITHOUT AN ADDRESS WILL BE DISQUALIFIED! From everyone who gets it right, we’ll randomly select a winner, andI’ll announce his or her name next week, even though we won’t be doing a new contest until January 4.

This last logo of the year was suggested by reader Curtis Mann…

-AR

While most new releases have trailed off into Christmas Music oblivion, there were still a few notable new metal albums trickling in last week. After the jump, a look at the meaningless sales numbers generated by new ones from After the Burial, Metallica, The Chariot and Yngwie Malmsteen with a look at a few other charting releases as well (take a look at the tags below if you wanna know who). Snarky commentary included, natch.

Click to read more…

A couple of weeks ago, Vince told you how The Chariot’s new album, Long Live, has been blowing our collective mind grapes. He called the album “heavy as fuck,” “chaotic yet controlled,” and “bizarrely catchy in its pure post-hardcore meets grind mayhem.”

Well, now’s your chance to hear some of it for yourself.

Shockhound is giving away the song “The Audience” for free. You do hafta sign up to become a member of Shockhound, but you don’t hafta tell everyone on Facebook how much you love The Chariot or tweet on their behalf or anything else irritating like that. Which seems fair enough.

So go download the song, then let us know what you think. Long Live comes out November 23 on Good Fight.

-AR

I’m enjoying doing these “Cinemetal Round-Up” things, and hopefully you are, too. Actually, I don’t care if you’re enjoying them or not, I’m the one who has to write them and I don’t really know you anyway.

SO, here we go with the latest batch of clips intended to sell you some music.

First up, we have “Bow” from Julie Christmas. The video originally premiered on Stereogum, and the song comes from her new album, The Bad Wife. It’s Julie’s first solo album, although you’d never really know to listen to it — possibly because her Made Out of Babies bandmates apparently helped her write some of the music.

ANYWAY, if you watched this video with the sound off, you’d probably think it was for some viking metal band, ’cause Ms. Christmas and this Sasquatch are running around the woods. Luckily the song is pretty good so you don’t have to watch it with the sound off.

Click to read more…

Last night Axl and I (along with Good Fight Entertainment via the Internet drones at YouSendIt) shared the following email exchange upon both being sent The Chariot’s new Long Player Long Live:

Good Fight via YouSendIt: “This link is good for 1 download of The Chariot – Long Live. the link will be active for 48 hours. please download asap. thanks!”

Vince [to Axl]: “Holy shit. This RIPS.”

Axl: “I DLed it but still need to listen.”

Axl [20 minutes later]: “Wow. I think this dude must have been single handedly responsible for how awesome those old Norma Jean albums were. Either that, or he and the band had a SERIOUS divergence in artistic intent.

Obviously it’s a little of both; it’s clear now what Josh Scogin’s influence was in Norma Jean, as both bands’ post-2003 output has been a testament to that. I rather enjoyed what I heard of Norma Jean’s recent release Meridional, but Long Live is a completely different ballgame; these two bands are so different in 2010 that they barely even justify being discussed together anymore.

So let’s not mention the N[J] word for a minute and just focus on the C word. While The Chariot’s prior endeavors have all been really heavy and have all been really good, Long Live takes things to the next level.

Click to read more…

Well, it’s 2010 and The Chariot are through playing second fiddle. After spending a significant chunk of last year on the proverbial road opening for bands like Norma Jean and Evergreen Terrace, Josh Scogin’s band of metalcore brothers will finally–and rightfully–venture out on a lengthy American headlining tour of their very own later this month. Unfortunately, said tour will feature some of the blandest, most generic opening acts that heavy music has to offer today.

Click to read more…

Remember that time in 2009 we went on and on about how amazing Gojira were when we saw them in New York City? Oh yeah, that’s right… that happened twice because we got two Gojira headline shows this year. Both were something slightly more than orgasmic, and our heads (along with our testicles) nearly exploded in sheer elation.

At the first Gojira headline show way back in May (read Axl’s review), we had photographer Chetan Patel on hand snapping pics up front. He did a great job capturing Gojira’s epic performance and got some good shots of openers The Chariot as well. His pics, after the jump.

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On select dates of their latest tour, Norma Jean have been playing an older, popular album of theirs in its entirety. That album, of course, is 2002′s Bless The Martyr, Kiss the Child, a metalcore landmark that numerous fans still argue has yet to be matched by the group’s subsequent releases. With so many reunions and anniversaries emerging, the concept of revisiting an album live on tour is not uncommon for metal bands these days. The Melvins covered Houdini for a short multi-city tour, Boris took on Feedbacker at New York’s All Tomorrow’s Parties fest and stoner doom demigods Sleep performed Holy Mountain at the Minehead, UK ATP, throwing in some Dopesmoker to boot! Hell, even stadium-fillers like Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band are trying their hand at it.

However, what makes Norma Jean’s choice of Bless The Martyr, Kiss the Child somewhat unusual is that the current incarnation of the band is radically different from the lineup from 2002.

Click to read more…

To celebrate the release of their new record Wars and Rumors of Wars this past Tuesday, The Chariot have pulled a Trent Reznor and gone above and beyond; of the initial run of 25,000 CD copies, the band have hand-stamped, hand-signed and hand-numbered each and every one. A little extra something to get the fans excited, to know that the CD you’re holding was personally assembled by the band is pretty fucking cool, especially when it’s 25-fucking-THOUSAND copies we’re talking about, not just a limited run of 500 or something. Watch the video of the band putting them all together, above!

Axl and I saw the Chariot open for Gojira this past Wednesday, and — life-changing experience that was Gojira’s performance aside — The Chariot fucking killed it. Going in with a completely open slate and not knowing what to expect, I was mightily impressed by the fury, fervor and reckless abandon with which the band approaches their live shows. Think about what you’re getting into when you go see Dillinger Escape Plan, and you’ll have a rough idea of what it’s like to see The Chariot. That’s a compliment.

-VN

[Thanks: Fueled by Adam]

“Daggers,” the new video from The Chariot, is pretty sweet, if you ask me. We’ve certainly seen live action and hand drawn-lookin’ animation integrated before, but, hey, anything with animated vomit is cool in my book.

The Chariot’s new album, Wars and Rumors of Wars, comes out May 5 on Solid State Records.

-AR

I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Norma Jean started to go downhill after Josh Scogin left. Maybe that’s just a coincidence, an incidental observation about a circumstantial event, but listening to The Chariot’s new song, “Evolve,” I’m inclined to believe there’s a connection.

Click to read more…

I’ve been dying to see Gojira do a full headlining set for a long time now, but said desire increased a hundred fold after I watched them pretty much blow In Flames off the stage back in December. Seriously: anyone who says the French are weaklings has never seen this band live. Because they will crush you. Crush your balls.

So. Looks like I’ll get my chance to see Gojira play for at least an hour this spring, when they’re doing a headlining trek with The Chariot and Car Bomb as support. I’m honestly not that familiar with The Chariot’s music, but I do know that Norma Jean started their descent into being the world’s most boring band after Josh Scogin left the fold; and Car Bomb are the tits. And even if you don’t like either of those bands, well, have I mention that FUCKING GOJIRA WILL CRUSH YOUR FUCKING BALLS?!?

Tour dates after the jumperooni.

Click to read more…