MetalSucks

Mostly this week I just watched the Puppy Cam. But when I could pry myself away for a few moments, this is what I focused on:

• Proto-jazz-metallers Intronaut released an artsy new video, as did Protest the Hero and Dir En Grey.
• We interviewed Brother Von Doom.
• Ozzy may be pretty good at shilling for Samsung phones these days, but we still like him better the old way.
• Arsis did some member-swapping. Yes, again.
• We reviewed new releases from The Faceless, The Bronx, and a bunch of awesome bands on Prosthetic Records.
• We contemplated the prospect of new releases by Carcass, Napalm Death and Down.

Party it up, it’s the weekend. See you next Tuesday Monday.

This is your brain:

This is your brain on The Faceless’ Planetary Duality:

Any questions?

(4 ½ out of 5 horns)

-AR

Prog/death/thrash/jazz/spazz/generally better than youcore metallers The Faceless have posted a new song, “Coldly Calculated Design,” on their MySpace page. It’s the first fully mastered song from the band’s new album, Planetary Duality (Sumerian), to be released for public consumption (A demo of another song, “The Ancient Covenant,” was released in June, and  Metal Injection captured footage of the band playing yet another new track, “Xenochrist,” in July.).

This shit is so crazy I literally can’t even wrap my brain around it unless I’m on some kind of hallucinogenic. Luckily, I’m usually on some kind of hallucinogenic, so that’s not much of a problem for me.

Planetary Duality will stab you to death with its dick on November 11.

-AR

I’m not quite sure what a “Xenochrist” would be, but I know that this new song by The Faceless rules. Metal Injection, the Dan DeVero to our Gaahl, captured this killer footage a couple of weeks back at the NJ stop of the Summer Slaughter tour, and now we’re stealing it to share with you fine people. I’d feel bad about that, but I’m a sociopath.

The Faceless have a new album, Planetary Duality, coming out in the not too distant future. Click here to listen to a demo of another new song, “The Ancient Covenant,” and then head over to Metal Injection to check out lots more footage from Summer Slaughter.

-AR

So at least one of you has complained that we don’t talk about The Faceless enough, which is probably true, so here we go.

The band has posted a demo of a new song, “The Ancient Covenant,” on their MySpace page… but the sexy bastards over at Metal Injection have just gone ahead and ripped an mp3 for alla y’all, which you can listen to below. It’s proggy technical deathcore at its finest.

“The Ancient Covenant” comes from the band’s forthcoming album Planetary Duality. We’ll bring you more details as we feel like it.

The Faceless, “The Ancient Covenant” (Demo) – Planetary Duality

-AR

If our current poll is any indication, most of our readers feel that the subgenre not-so-kindly referred to as “deathcore” is “the next annoying trend in metal.” And that’s too bad, ’cause deathcore – like any genre – has its good bands and its shitty bands, and frankly, at this point, nothing should deter you from listening to, say, Despised Icon, who know how to the bring the heavy-as-fuck as well as anyone.

I mention it ’cause Sumerian Records seem to be getting really good at signing young, up and coming, awesome “deathcore” acts: The Faceless, Born of Osiris, and now Broadcast the Nightmare, who are about to enter the studio with Black Dahlia Murder producer Andrea Magnusson to pump out their Sumerian debut. The samples currently posterd on BTN’s MySpace page are a little more “traditional” than the stuff from The Faceless and BOO, but it also kicks serious ass: this band seems to specialize in crunchy, neck breaking riffs piled atop one another like a knife straight through the fuckin’ skull. Suh-weet.

Consider us stoked to hear the completed album; don’t write these dudes off just ’cause of some media label.

-AR