The interview that accompanied Noisecreep‘s debut of “Subverse,” the new video from This or The Apocalypse, tells me that “the song is sung from the perspective of a solider at war,” and not from the perspective of a band that relies almost as heavily on choreography as the Pussycat Dolls do. Still, I can see where such lyrics would nonetheless fall under the category of “write what you know” — I mean, it takes a lot of work and discipline to be in the army and then go off to war, and it takes a lot of work and discipline to plan out the choreography, practice it over and over again until you get it right, etc. So being in This or The Apocalypse and being in the army is pretty much the same thing.

In other news, it’s good see that the popularity of autoLabonte is finally waning.

-AR

If you’re a regular reader of MetalSucks, then you already know how much we love The Human Abstract; their new album, Digital Veil, is surely one of the best of the year so far, and guitarist A.J. Minette’s recurring MS column, “Abstract Theory,” is always a fascinating read.

Which is why we’re so thrilled to be co-sponsoring the band’s first headlining run in support of Veil! With Scale the Summit, This or the Apocalypse, Letlive, Across the Sun, No Bragging Rights, and (on select dates) Elitist all playing support, you just know that these shows are gonna be an awesome time. Seriously, this is the first can’t-miss tour of the spring/summer season, so make sure you get your ass to a show! Dates after the jump…

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There’s a bunch of new shit streaming right now that I think may be worth your time, even if I don’t love of all it… if that makes sense. Anyways, rather than do a bunch of separate posts, I’m just collecting it all here, because I’m lazy like that. And so…

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Well, the line-up for this year’s New England Metal & Hardcore Festival — one of the oldest and most revered extreme music fests in the U.S. — has been announced, and it’s… interesting. The fest returns to a three-day format after being only two days last year, but if I’m not mistaken, this is the first time that the initial day will be a Thursday, not a Friday. And as reader Brian Kessler pointed out to us via e-mail, there are two noteworthy aspects to the lineup:

• It seems like metal and hardcore have been further segregated on the bill — Thursday appears to be almost entirely dedicated to deathcore and crabcore bands, Friday seems to be entirely devoted to hardcore bands, and Saturday is dominated by metal bands. There are pros and cons to this approach — the pro being that if you’re only a fan of one particular style of extreme music, you can cherry pick which day you’re going to attend, and the con being that new fans are less likely to be exposed to bands with whom they were not already familiar.
• There seem to be fewer “big name” acts. Sure, Hatebreed and Biohazard are on there, but that’s still a far cry from years’ past. In fact, plenty of big name who have new albums scheduled to come out this year — like Amon Amarth, DevilDriver, Arch Enemy, In Flames, and Children of Bodom — aren’t playing the fest.

Please note that I’m not knocking the fest — in fact, I think Saturday, April 16 is full of killer bands — and I don’t think every fest needs to be headlined by a band of Megadeth’s stature. I just think this particular line-up is… interesting.

Anyway, here’s the full bill:

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Well, the line-up for this year’s New England Metal & Hardcore Festival — one of the oldest and most revered extreme music fests in the U.S. — has been announced, and it’s… interesting. The fest returns to a three-day format after being only two days last year, but if I’m not mistaken, this is the first time that the initial day will be a Thursday, not a Friday. And as reader Brian Kessler pointed out to us via e-mail, there are two noteworthy aspects to the lineup:

• It seems like metal and hardcore have been further segregated on the bill — Thursday appears to be almost entirely dedicated to deathcore and crabcore bands, Friday seems to be entirely devoted to hardcore bands, and Saturday is dominated by metal bands. There are pros and cons to this approach — the pro being that if you’re only a fan of one particular style of extreme music, you can cherry pick which day you’re going to attend, and the con being that new fans are less likely to be exposed to bands with whom they were not already familiar.
• There seem to be fewer “big name” acts. Sure, Hatebreed and Biohazard are on there, but that’s still a far cry from years’ past. In fact, plenty of big name who have new albums scheduled to come out this year — like Amon Amarth, DevilDriver, Arch Enemy, In Flames, and Children of Bodom — aren’t playing the fest.

Please note that I’m not knocking the fest — in fact, I think Saturday, April 16 is full of killer bands — and I don’t think every fest needs to be headlined by a band of Megadeth’s stature. I just think this particular line-up is… interesting.

Anyway, here’s the full bill:

Click to read more…

If you told me there was a tour with Born of Osiris and As Blood Runs Black, I’d probably tell you to have a nice time and let me know how it was. And if you told me that there was a tour with Darkest Hour and The Human Abstract, I’d probably trample your grand ma to get there. I mean, I’m sure she’s a nice lady, but she ain’t no Darkest Hour and The Human Abstract live, y’know?

As it stands, though, all four of these bands will be doing one tour together:

But y’know what? I am not going to bitch about two bands I love touring with two bands I feel lukewarm on, because, hey, at least it’s not two bands I love touring with two bands I hate, y’know? I haven’t seen Born of Osiris live since, uh, I think it was 2007, right when The New Reign came out, and at the time, I was actually pretty impressed — I didn’t sour on them until later, and even then, it was for reasons really having nothing to do with their live show; and I’ve never seen ABRB live, so I can’t talk any smack there, even if I don’t quite understand all the hype that once surrounded that band. So I’ll still take this over a Mayhem Fest or whatever, where I’d have to slog through who knows how many crappy bands just to see Slayer, any day of the week.

Dates are as follows… some of ‘em even have additional bands, like This or The Apocalypse and Sleeping Giant, on the bill:

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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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Newsflash: You’re not going to get signed and become a rock star. Fucking get over that dream. I know I’ve talked about this before, and here I am talking about it again. You see, DAATH just went out on tour again, and once again, we’re getting demos and pressure to hand them over to our A&R guys and hook people up with their dreams. Once again, we’re seeing decent people of all talent levels that are  just plain misguided. Maybe they don’t want to accept what’s going on right now? Maybe they just are not aware.

Either way, while the people running the show are trying to get out of a huge bind and keep their lights on, there’s still many people trying to get into the game with starry eyes and puckered assholes. The saddest part is they have no idea the game may not exist in this form for very much longer. This is a PSA to all bands who think that anybody in the music industry that’s isn’t on the highest of levels can do anything for your career: Kill that idea. It’s doing you more harm than good.

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I definitely woke up on the wrong side of the bed this morning, most likely because I fucking hate Thanksgiving and just want it to be over with already. So I could have used some good news, like maybe Pig Destroyer surprising everyone with a new song, or a leaked Cristina Scabbia/Marta lesbian sex tape, or someone raising Chuck Schuldiner from the dead in order to have him wipe deathcore from the face of the planet.

Instead, I see this statement from Chimaira on The PRP:

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The PRP has debuted a deleted scene from Chimaira’s excellent DVD/CD set, Coming Alive (read my review here), which you can watch below. You’ll understand pretty quickly why this didn’t make director Todd Bell’s final cut, and now it’s basically been turned into a commercial for the band’s upcoming “Blue Collar Brawler” tour with Impending Doom, Dååth, and This or The Apocalypse. But I’m totally okay with that, ’cause I think it’s a cool tour that you should go to.

Also, because this makes me laugh. You’re trying to tell me you’ve never done something like this when you were alone? Puh-leeze.

-AR

They came, they saw, and they fucking destroyed. A Life Once Lost, Car Bomb, This or the Apocalypse and Last Chance to Reason made for an awesome night of metal on Wednesday at Club Europa; big “thank you”s are in order to all the bands for coming to NYC to make our CMJ showcase a huge success.

Fred Pessaro of BrooklynVegan was on hand to capture all the rocking on film. Fred totally nailed the intense feeling of what it was like to watch A Life Once Lost and Car Bomb absolutely destroy this Polish nightclub, and he got a few lulz-worthy pics of This or the Apocalypse’s choreographed ballet stage moves. Unfortunately he didn’t catch Last Chance to Reason, but those guys came all the way from Maine and put on a phenomenal show; they have a very bright future ahead of them with Prosthetic Records. A big “thank you” is in order for Fred as well!

Check his pics after the jump.

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Okay, so what videos have debuted since last night? Let’s find out!

First up we have “Charmer” from This or The Apocalypse, which our bro-bros at Metal Injection debuted. I gotta say, the choice of back-lighting the guitarist during his solo so you can’t see him playing was a excellent one. I mean, who wants to see a guitar player shred? This is metal, not fucking flamenco. Am I right or am I right?

[crickets]

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We regret to inform you that unfortunately recent Roadrunner signees Baptized in Blood will not be able to make their scheduled appearance at tonight’s MetalSucks / Metal Injection / 1000 Knives CMJ showcase at Club Europa in Brooklyn. According to a representative from Roadrunner, the band was denied entry to the United States at the border despite the fact that this show is a promotional appearance and not for pay.

But the show will go on! Last Chance to Reason, This or the Apocalypse, Car Bomb and A Life Once Lost will just have to step up their game, as if there was ever any worry that they wouldn’t bring it 110% anyway. Comedian Big Jay Oakerson, who is hosting the event, will be doing a little extra stand-up between bands as well. See you all out there! The show starts at 7pm and is All Ages.

The MetalSucks/Metal Injection/1000Knives CMJ Music Marathon showcase is gonna be one of the most-fun shows of the year. (Which is why you’ve already bought a ticket, right?) All the cool kids already know that it’s A Life Once Lost’s first NYC show in eighteen months (!), and you’d have to be moron not to be excited to see those fellas once again slay The City That Never Sleeps.

But you’d have to be just as much of a moron not to be stoked to check out the four other great bands on the bill — namely, Car Bomb, This or The Apocalypse, Baptized in Blood, and Last Chance to Reason. If you’re not familiar with these bands yet, well… for shame. Get educated after the jump.

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They’re all touring with Daath! Not all at once, unfortunately. In two separate groups. But still! These are good bills.

The U.S. tour will see Chimaira headlining with Impending Doom, Daath, and This or The Apocalypse providing support.The Chimaira/Daath bill alone is enough to get my money. When those bands toured Europe together last year, I was jealous of the Europeans. Now I’m jealous of people who live in Poughkeepsie, which has never happened before and may never happen again.

Europe, meanwhile, gets a Fear Factory headlining run with Daath and High on Fire. Those aren’t three bands you’d necessarily expect to see touring together, but they’re all bands of a certain quality, and that’s what makes this tour cool. When I criticized the line-up for Fear Factory’s U.S. tour earlier this year, a member of one of the supporting bands e-mailed me to a) call me a dick, and b) ask who I thought Fear Factory should be touring with. Well… THIS is who I think Fear Factory should be touring with. THIS is an exciting tour. I’m not even a Fear Factory fan, and I’d go to this.

So if you’re in a position to go to either tour, do it. Buy some merch. Give Eyal a high-five. It’ll be fun.

Get dates for both tours after the jump.

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The 2010 incarnation of the CMJ Music Marathon is almost upon us! A solid week of booze, partying and music in the streets and clubs of New York City makes us all just a little bit crazy every year, but there’s just so much fun shit happening all week that impossible not to heed its beck and call. Fortunately for you and for us, there’s plenty of metal at this year’s festival including some killer shows that aren’t even officially sanctioned by CMJ. Here’s a list of MetalSucks-approved events happening next week:

• Mon, Oct. 18: The Syndicate Conflict of Interest Party feat. Nada Surf, Reggie Watts, Dale Earnhardt Jr. Jr. and more. Drink specials. 7pm at Club Rebel. RSVP only.
• Mon, Oct. 18: Cattle Decapitation, Son of Aurelius, Devourment, Knights of the Abyss and Burning the Masses at Santo’s Party House. 7pm, $13 advance, 18+. This is not a CMJ-sanctioned event.
• Tues, Oct. 19: Nevermore, Warbringer, Blackguard and Hatesphere at The Gramercy Theater. 6pm Doors, $32.25, tickets available here. This is not a CMJ-sanctioned event.
• Wed, Oct 20: The MetalSucks / Metal Injection / 1000 Knives Official CMJ 2010 Showcase! Featuring A Life Once Lost, Car Bomb, This or the Apocalypse, Baptized in Blood and Last Chance to Reason at Club Europa, Brooklyn. 7pm, All Ages, and tickets are only $10 (buy them here).
• Thur, Oct 21: Metal Insider’s Mosh Potatoes book release party! Release party for the forthcoming metal cookbook Mosh Potatoes and listening party for the new The Damned Things album Ironoclast, with drink specials and yummy treats of recipes from the book. Idle Hands Bar, 5-8pm. Private event (if you think you should be invited, you should know who to contact).
• Thur, Oct 21: Skateboard Marketing / Nova Entertainment CMJ Showcase featuring SuperMetal Records / Megaforce artists Misery. 5:30-7:30pm, Bowery Poetry Club. Budweiser and Jaeger drink specials. First hour is RSVP only, second hour is open to the public and CMJ badges.
• Thur, Oct 21: Doomsday Mourning, Hivesmasher, The Judas Syndrome, Fin’amor at the Charleston in Brooklyn. 7:30pm doors, show starts at 8:30pm, 21+. This is not a CMJ-sanctioned event.
• Thur, Oct 21 – Sunday, Oct 24: The Grill ‘Em All burger truck guys will be here all the way from L.A. without their truck, making special guest chef appearances at area restaurants!! Get details here.
• Fri, Oct 22: Smell the Glove Party / Holy Grail Crisis in Utopia CD Release Party at St. Jerome’s (155 Rivington). No cover, 21+, 9pm.
• Fri, Oct 22: Tee Pee Records / Metal Insider Showcase: Naam, Priestess, Quest for Fire, The Atomic Bitchwax, Mirror Queen, Hopewell, and Weird Owl. 6pm, Union Pool, Brooklyn, $10/adv and $12/dos. Tickets available here.
• Sat, Oct 23: MetalSucks and 1000 Knives present: Powerglove, Wetnurse, The Binary Code, Pack of Wolves, Meek is Murder and Batillus. Free drinks courtesy of Sailor Jerry Rum from 4-5pm, and $3 drinks after that ’til they run out! 4pm, $10, 21+.
• Sat, Oct 23: Helmet, Intronaut and Fight Amp at the Gramercy Theater. 7pm, 16+, $29 (tickets available here). This is not a CMJ-sanctioned event.
• Sat, Oct 23: Brooklyn Vegan / Black Bubblegum CMJ Showcase featuring The Body, Cough, Inter Arma, Royal Thunder + more TBA. Union Pool, Brooklyn, 7pm, $5, 21+.

Whew… it’s going to be a punishing week! See you out there.

You know we’re teaming up with our bestest buds at Metal Injection and 1000Knives to put on a showcase at this year’s CMJ Music Marathon, right? It’s on Wednesday, October 20th at Club Europa in Brooklyn, and it’s gonna be one of the best shows of the year. WE SHIT YOU NOT. Which is why we’re not surprised that you’ve already bought a ticket. And if you didn’t, well, please allow us to give you five awesome reasons why you should:

1) IT’S A LIFE ONCE LOST’S FIRST NYC SHOW IN A YEAR AND A HALF. A Life Once Lost put on an absolutely KILLER show; we’ve seen them play festivals, we’ve seen them play basements, we’ve seen them play clubs and we’ve seen them play theaters, and they have never, ever done anything less than rip our faces off, eat those faces, shit out those faces, and then affix that shit on our skulls where our faces used to go. It’s been way, way too long since they played our neck of the woods, and the venue is so scared for its own well-being that they’re enlisting some Expendables-type soldiers of fortune to work security. Seriously.

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‘Cause two excellent free samplers have been released within the last 24 hours:

• Good Fight have released a free sampler featuring songs from Cancer Bats, Son of Aurelius, The Contortionist, This or the Apocalypse, and more. None of the music is new, but if you’re not familiar with these bands, well, here’s your chance to become familiar with them, all for the the low low price of free. Get it here.
• Adult Swim and Scion A/V have also released a free sampler, and this one includes a new Withered song, “Extinguished with the Weary,” plus “rare or unreleased” tracks from Jesu, Skeletonwitch, Death Angel, Kylesa, Torche, Ludicra, and more. I haven’t had a chance to listen to any of it yet, but, again, it’s new or rare music from a bunch of awesome bands and it will cost only the energy it takes for you to click the “download” button, so go get it here.

-AR

Two things you can’t take away from metal: it is truly a brotherhood, and a DIY community. And so, inspired by Nergal’s recent battle against leukemia and his call for awareness of the need of bone marrow donors, our friend Rich Hall at 1000 Knives suggested to both us and our pals at Metal Injection that we hold a bone marrow drive at our upcoming CMJ showcase in October. We were in the process of finalizing details when we learned that some our fellow headbangers were doing the same in Stamford, CT and Los Angeles.

This is obviously a great cause that goes beyond just Nergal; it would be terrific if one of these drives found him a donor, but, really, he’s just the inspiration here, and it’s the chance to save a life, period. Get all the details on all three drives after the jump. And if you’re organizing another one in your area, please let us know and we’ll add it to this list.

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Holy shit… is it really almost time for CMJ again? The ever shorter days, dimming sunlight and declining temperatures tell me that it is… but it’s still kinda hard to believe summer has just about passed us by. Thankfully not all is bad in the forecast; there’s a killer slate of fall metal tours on the horizon, and, as this post’s headline would suggest, our very own CMJ Music Marathon showcase!

MetalSucks, Metal Injection and 1000Knives have teamed up for what is sure to be the marquee metal show at this year’s CMJ Music Marathon in New York City. To be held on Wednesday, October 20th at Club Europa in Brooklyn, the showcase will feature a mix of metal veterans and up-and-coming metal talent. Headlining the bill will be A Life Once Lost in what will be their first NYC appearance in a year and a half. Relapse Records experimental metallers Car Bomb will also bring their brutal brand of metal to the bill, along with metalcore up-and-comers This Or the Apocalypse (Good Fight), new Roadrunner Records thrash signees Baptized in Blood, and progressive hotshots Last Chance to Reason.

There’s no question about it: this is the metal event to be at this CMJ (which spans from October 19th through the 23rd). Tickets are $10, doors are at 7pm, and the show is All Ages.