When I heard about the Dream Theater-shaped hole in the life of drummer Mike Portnoy back in September, I wanted to pitch him on my long-gestating idea to form a killer Jellyfish cover band. I bet he’d be into it cuz of his Jellyfish super-fandom (he has cited 1993′s Spilt Milk as a top ten favorite album); and he’s a pro at pulling together all-star jams, like his awesomely fun tributes to The Who, The Beatles, and Led Zeppelin with guys like Paul Gilbert, Jason McMaster, and Dave LaRue; and lastly, The Ghosts At Number One (that’s my vote for our band name) could serve as a totally non-cynical tribute to another hardcore Jellyfish fan, the late Dimebag Darrell Abbott. And what better way to hip headbangers to irresistible non-metal jams? How could Mike say no to that? Can I call him Mike?

But, shit, while I was dicking around, gobbling drugs, and failing to corner, pressure, and/or threaten Portnoy about the Jellyfish idea, he teamed with qualified musicians he knows who actually, like, realize their ideas. Even if those ideas aren’t so great. Symphony X singer Russell Allen talks about Adrenaline Mob, one of Portnoy’s new bands:

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Welcome to “Question of the Week,” a (sometimes) weekly debate amongst the MetalSucks staff regarding a recent hot button issue.

This week’s query was suggested by a reader identifying himself simply as “Andy” –

WHICH MODEL OF GUITAR IS THE MOST METAL?

The MS staff’s answers after the jump.

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There is something both inspiring and kitschy about the melding of unexpected musical genres.  Rockabilly, surfpunk, jazzcore, deathpolka…..it’s rather hard to smush two (or more) wildly different sounds together and have it flow seamlessly (unless if you’re Fishbone).

But Brooklyn’s own Dub Trio have been succeeding at such a feat since 2004.  The group has taken instrumental heavy progressive riffage and the almighty dub, and is able to flip on a dime between the two genres without it seeming abrupt in the least.  How do they do it, you ask?  Well obviously exceptional musicianship, for starters.  And the most interesting factor comes from the rhythmic shifts, which in and of themselves could be called unusual or daring, but the drastic style-flip always feels original, even when one might be expecting it.

And fear not, my br00tals…..over the years, the sound has evolved into something quite aggressive.  At least until the dub pedal activates.

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In 1997 there was this girl that I was really into. I don’t even remember what her name was now, but I remember being very excited when I finally found myself at her place with just the two of us for company.

“Hey, wanna hear something awesome?” she asked me. The correct answer in that situation is obviously “Yes,” and so she walked over to her stereo and hit “play.” And this is what came out of the speakers:

The song ended and I figured out some excuse to leave and I left. Later I wondered if the girl really liked the song (she certainly seemed to) or if she played it knowing it was awful because she couldn’t think of a polite way to reject me, but it’s a moot point: I will never know how my relationship with that girl might have played out, all because she had to go and be the first person ever to introduce me to Limp Bizkit, and, more specifically, Limp Bizkit’s terrible covers.

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Okay — I was just about to post “I’m Burned” (’cause it’s super stony), and then Bloodhorse‘s extremely awesome cover of The Who‘s “Sparks” (from the almighty Tommy) came onto my itunes and impressed me so very much that I couldn’t allow myself to hold back either tune from you kiddies…

What can I say? I’m a giver.

So enjoy the first and last tracks off this Boston band’s solid debut EP, entitled…EP. How original!

BLOODHORSE - “I’m Burned”, from EP (2007)

BLOODHORSE - “Sparks”, from EP (2007)

[Visit Bloodhorse on MySpace]

[Visit Bloodhorse's website]

-KW