You guys remember VOYAGER, right? Just last year they released a split LP with Monolith, which we premiered here on MS. Due to legal reasons the band’s been forced to drop a few letters of their name to the “can I buy a vowel, please?” shortened moniker VYGR, but their music certainly hasn’t dropped anything… it’s just as heavy, sludgy, spacey and epic as ever.

VYGR will release their new album Hypersleep via Creator-Destructor Records on March 15th, and it’s a fucking beast. What I like most about VYGR — and in particular this album — is their ability to be sludgy, psychedelic, crushingly heavy AND epic all at the same time; most bands get caught up in being just one of these things to the extreme, but VYGR have struck the perfect balance. And the production, courtesy of tone-master Zeuss, is appropriately both raw and clear, an incredibly difficult achievement.

Stream the album track “Shapeshifters” at VYGR’s Bandcamp page, and the world premiere of the new song “Flares” below. Pre-order Hypersleep here.

[this streaming promotion has ended]

But he, like, totally had it coming. He was the singer for some band called Beneath the Sky.

I’m kidding. I don’t endorse violence against untalented people. Just front row games of Uno.

ANYWAY, here’s some other shit we happened this week:

• We’re streaming Watain’s Lawless Darkness and the Monolith/Voyager split.
• Intronaut’s Sacha Dunable talked about his new band and Sick of it All’s Lou Koller concluded his “Quintessential Guide to Hardcore.”
• We spoke to Nachtmystium’s Blake Judd and Heaven Shall Burn’s Maik Weichert.
• We checked out Thou’s Summit.
• We met the world’s youngest Nile fan.
• We wondered if Opeth ripped-off Immortal.
• We came up with awards that could be named after metal stars.
• Vince isn’t that into Kylesa, and has some advice for Portal, too.
• Anso thinks that No Prayer for the Dying is the worst Maiden album ever.
• As it turns out, Fred Phelps is still an idiot.

Next week we get to debut that video we were supposed to debut this week, and we have another stream, and some other stuff I’m probably forgetting. ‘Til then, enjoy your weekend!

-AR

The Monolith/Voyager split we’ve been talking about for weeks — the very first release by new label Science of Silence Records — comes out on June 8th, less than a week from now. But we’re offering you the opportunity to stream the entire thing, which includes two monolithic songs by Monolith and four epic voyages by Voyager, today. And you best not be disappointed.

The split is a limited edition run of just 500 copies on clear vinyl, available exclusively at The Omega Order. Each purchase of the vinyl will receive a FREE digital download of the album as well. The release will also be available on June 8th via iTunes, eMusic, Amazon MP3, and all your other favorite download stores. All digital downloads features a bonus track not on the vinyl.

We hope you enjoy it… because we do.

[this promotion has ended]

Last week we offered up three prize packs from Massachusetts punk rawkers Never Got Caught. The lucky recipients of some new music to groove to are:

• Lance Zeran: “…clearance in the tool department.”
• Yo Diggity: “Guess which one is the passing fad?”
• Gabe: “Screw-up on aisle 6.”

This week we’ve got two copies of the super-sweet limited edition clear vinyl Monolith/Voyager split we mentioned earlier this week courtesy the folks at Science of Silence Records. Simply leave a comment below with a caption that makes us laugh [photo sent in by Brandon Pewo], and remember to use (or include) a real email address.

I always like to see new metal labels on the scene; new labels means more metal, and more metal is a good thing. The latest entrants to the metal label game are the cats at Science of Silence Records, an NYC-based collective that will specialize in post-rock, instrumental and avant-garde metal releases and has elected to go the vinyl-only route.

In a dazzling display of Northeastern U.S. city harmony that will leave baseball fans scratching their heads, the NYC label’s first foray into the metal scene will be a split between Boston’s Voyager and Philly’s Monolith. The 6-song (45 minute) split will come out on June 8th and will be a limited edition run of 500 copies on clear vinyl, available exclusively at The Omega Order (includes FREE shipping).  Each purchase of the vinyl will receive a FREE digital download for the album as well. The release will also be available on June 8th via iTunes, eMusic, Amazon MP3, and all your other favorite download stores. All digital downloads features a bonus track not on the vinyl.

Monolith have a new song from the split posted on their MySpace page that I really dig, as do Voyager. Check that shizz out and stay tuned for an exclusive stream here at MetalSucks.

-VN

Despite our roots in melodic metalcore (we would like to apologize for All That Remains) and Aerosmith (which was a good thing at first, I suppose), Massachusetts still has a wonderfully vibrant and diverse metal scene going for it. Even when living in non-Mass locales over the years, I felt a twinge of hometown pride when a noteworthy band from the Bay State (Converge, Isis, my profound weakness for Killswitch Engage, and so forth) did something worthy of accolade. And rest assured that there are plenty of commendable bands bubbling beneath the (occasionally frigid and snow covered) surface. Despite demerits (once again, being semi-responsible for hardcore bands ripping off At the Gates while tossing in boring-ass breakdowns; Godsmack), my home state still has much to offer in the way of metal, not simply going under when scenes and trends become passé. I recently stumbled upon two exceptional releases by two Mass-based bands, most certainly worthy of your time, and who will hopefully be making a most-joyful noise later on this year.

Click to read more…