” Now, metal has become big again because George Bush is in office. Metal was big when Reagan and the first Bush were in office because everyone was pissed off, angry, and wanted to change but enough people wanted that change.”
— Unearth front man Trevor Phipps during a recent interview with FourteenG.net.
I still haven’t picked up the last Unearth disc. The band’s earlier material was killer and I’ve heard enough from “Oncoming Storm” to know I’d love it … I just haven’t had the urge to buy it yet …
This week’s most listened to CDs by yours truly were Burn the Priest’s self-titled debut (you know, Lamb of God before it was Lamb of God) and Susperia’s “Unlimited.”
I mentioned Susperia at the end of last week’s column … I did get a chance to pick up the band’s latest effort, “Unlimited,” and boy is it good! The band is like a giant hurricane of metal genres, picking and choosing the best of what metal has to offer and spewing it out.
Throughout “Unlimited,” there’s elements of Pantera, Testament, Slayer and even the less heavy mood of a band like Godsmack. Don’t get me wrong, this band is full-on metal, a blistering mix of thrash and power-groove metal.
I know this Norwegian five-piece was heavier prior to this release (with more death metal vocals), but this album seems like a great introduction to the band. The only real problem I have with it is the production: everything sounds great but the songs tend to stop suddenly and it gets pretty jarring at times.
Check out “Unlimited,” my album of the week…
I don’t want to go off on another European metal rant here (feel free to check this out if you want extended thoughts on the matter). Needless to say, I am continuously impressed by the bands I seek out from that side of the world, so if you aren’t already, check out bands like Susperia, Children of Bodom, The Haunted, Amorphis and so on… you won’t be sorry.
..:..Megadeth tour takes shape..:.. The “mystery” tour that Megadeth front man Dave Mustaine and co. have been hinting about for months has finally started to take shape. The band will be headed out on a six-week North American trek this summer, referred to as “Gigantour.” The tour will be feature Megadeth and Dream Theater in co-headlining positions, with Fear Factory, the overrated Dillinger Escape Plan and Nevermore set to also appear on the main stage. A second stage is reportedly being put together by Mustaine himself, but bands have yet to be announced. More information is expected in the coming weeks.
..:..Ozzfest line-up complete..:.. While no major announcement has been made, Mudvayne has been confirmed for the final Main Stage slot on this year’s Ozzfest. Mudvayne joins Black Sabbath, Iron Maiden, Killswitch Engage, Shadows Fall and Zakk Wylde’s Black Label Society. The band’s new album “Lost And Found” is due out April 12. For more information on the tour and a full line-up, visit the official Ozzfest Web site.
..:..Speaking of tours..:.. The big metal/hardcore summer tour, The Sounds of the Underground, now has a revamped official Web site. The trek, featuring Clutch, Opeth, Poison the Well, From Autumn to Ashes, Unearth, Devildriver, Norma Jean, All that Remains and a slew of other acts, will kick off June 25. Much more information can be found here.
..:..Belladonna talks Anthrax..:.. Joey Belladonna, who recently returned to vocal duties in Anthrax, had an in depth interview with Blasting-Zone.com recently. While he seemed to go out of his way to speak well of John Bush, you could tell there was a little tension there. Regular readers know I prefer Bush in Anthrax. Belladonna seemed excited for the reunion (like he had anything else going on), said he could’ve recorded the vocals for “The sound of White Noise” (“I could have done that record if they hadn’t wanted me to part ways with them. I could have pretty much continued on with them…”) and that he didn’t see a point to “The Greater of Two Evils” disc (older tracks re-recorded with Bush that came out last year). Oh, and couldn’t help but point out the band seemed more successful prior to Bush joining the group (I have no idea how he backs that one up). I really wonder where this reunion is headed. Most of the band has been pretty quiet at the moment, no one has really mentioned what was to become of Bush. Check out the full interview here.
..:..Deicide dilemma..:.. According to Blabbermouth.net, former Deicide guitarist Eric Hoffman recently told the site he was not joining the band unholy Ghost. Hoffman is currently battling Deicide front man Glen Benton in court over the rites to the band’s name. “My brother (Brian Hoffman, ex-Deicide guitarist) and I are working on getting a new Deicide together … The court will decide who gets the name.” There is no further information available at the moment. Deicide was one of the most notable death metal acts of the late 80s/early 90s. It’s a shame things had gotten to this point, though it seemed inevitable following a war of words among the Deicide camp last year. Personally, I though the group would just disband… I’m not sure how to feel about the group moving forward with a new front man. I always assumed Benton was the soul of the group, though recent stories seem to indicate otherwise. On top of it all, Deicide hit its highest point years ago, so it would be better if the group just called it a day instead of going the route of Cannibal Corpse or Napalm Death.
Corrosion of Conformity: “In the Arms of God” … oh hell yeah! Finally, some new material from the band the perfectly mixed metal, southern rock and groovy riffs into a beast of a machine. I can’t wait to get my hands on this…
Fantomas: “Suspended Animation” … only mentioned here since Mike Patton is involved. Personally, I think the band’s a little too “out there” … this disc features 30 tracks that supposed correlate to each day in April. Weird!
Hammerfall: “Chapter 5” … this power metal band’s latest hasn’t been getting the best reviews, but fans seem to like it…
A Static Lullaby: “Faso Latido” … saw most of the songs of this album performed live recently, should be pretty good alternative metal/hardcore stuff. I was once told this would show up in the mail (review forthcoming?) …
Here’s a little mix I put together featuring the song’s of Fear Factory. I wanted to spotlight a band to try and turn readers on to music they might not be aware of. Check one, some or all of them out … who knows, you might discover something you like or remember something you used to …
“0-0 (Where Evil Dwells)” (off “Obsolete” (bonus track))
“Cyberwaste” (off “Archetype”)
“New Breed” (off “Demanufacture”)
“Crisis” (off “Soul of a New Machine”)
“Big God/Raped Souls” (off “Concrete”)
“Edgecrusher” (off “Obsolete”)
“Linchpin” (off “Digimortal”)
“Bite the Hand That Bleeds” (off “Archetype”)
“Zero Signal” (off “Demanufacture”)
“Timelessness” (off “Obsolete”)
Trust me … that doesn’t even scratch the surface …
And that’s that. As always, drop me a line. Until next time, I’ll be here at Inside Pulse making sure no metal news falls through the cracks.
Take it easy…
