Rolling Metal Thread 2010

so they've scaled it back? A bad sign then. The mag will prob not exist in a years time

i would pick Terrorizer up if the import prices weren't so expensive here in America -_-

It's moved to http://www.darkartsltd.com, which redirects to http://www.truecultheavymetal.com.

I have some stuff appearing in Sick Sounds in the near future. It's a cool little Terrorizer spin-off, more of a gear, lessons, and features-oriented mag.

apparently they have a website: http://www.Sick-Sounds.com/

RIP Pete Steele. He was a self-aware cornball; lots of newer Marilyn Mason type fans didn't get that, I think. I used to be a big fan but lost track of him as I got older and his angsty image wore thin. I'll drink to him later tonight.

RIP. Type O Negative were one of the soundtrack bands to my teenage years, and I still spin Bloody Kisses pretty frequently. Guess we're never going to get a Bloody Kisses HOF now.

Listening to the new and final Xasthur. Long way from knowing how much I'm going to end up liking it, but it's very clearly interesting, and has at least a chance of summarizing and standing in for and maybe even superseding the rest of the Xasthur catalog. Marissa Nadler's vocals conjure a little more Leviathan into Xasthur, for me, which I consider a good thing, but more than that the compositions here feel hugely more varied and imaginative and invested-in than the waves of gray miserablism on the last few releases before this. Dynamic, timbral, harmonic and even emotional range! And maybe this is just me being my romanticizing-prone self, but I think the idea of a portal into sorrow actually goes a long way towards explaining the life-function of music like this: delineating suffering and emptiness as a separate realm, and looking into it not to enter it, but to understand how and that it is not where we are.

really, really looking forward to hearing the Xasthur even more than i was before now

have to admit that the marissa nadler has me intrigued and I never even bothered with the stuff on hydra head.

not that I have anything against it, I just never really felt like I needed more than one xasthur album in my life. but this sounds like it could be cool.

Terrorizer site went down cos of some ridic hosting spat, nothing to do w/ funds or lack thereof - forum has started again here http://www.truecultheavymetal.com/forum/index.php

loooool @ that post i linked to upthread when he said something like "i'm not an online black metal merchant" or whatever

really now? http://xasthurnews.blogspot.com/2010/04/poster-signed.html

does anyone know if there's any easy way to buy a legal copy of Portal of Sorrow? i'd like to hear it, but i'd rather not download it w/o paying too

these will be way rocking eyehategod shows!

6/11/2010 Unitarian Church - Philadelphia, PA w/ Brutal Truth, Black Anvil, Tombs
6/12/2010 Europa - Brooklyn, NY w/ Brutal Truth, Black Anvil, Tombs

and why does the idea of an Eyehategod VIP Package seem funny to me:

6/04/2010 Ground Zero - Spartanburg, SC ** 50 VIP ticket packages available for $40 each; includes soundcheck access, BBQ, meet & greet with the band + a signed poster.
http://www.myspace.com/groundzerorocks

6/06/2010 Headliners - Louisville, KY ** 50 VIP ticket packages available for $40 each; includes sound check access, BBQ, meet & greet with the band + a signed poster.
http://www.headlinerslouisville.com

6/10/2010 Krug’s - Frederick, MD ** 25 VIP ticket packages available for $40 each; includes early entry, soundcheck access, meet & greet with the band + a signed poster.
http://www.myspace.com/krugsplace

No Eyehategod for me, I see; I don't go to shows in Brooklyn, and the Philadelphia one is on my wedding anniversary.

Is that like a principled thing, 'no brooklyn'? Or just logistical?

has a fear of bridges and tunnels?

Logistical. I live in NJ and I don't drive, which means getting to Brooklyn = NJ Transit to Penn Station, followed by NYC subway out to Brooklyn, reverse to get back home. I can't get back to Manhattan by subway post-show in time to catch the last NJ Transit train home.

Oh ok I thought you lived in manhat and I was all 'damn', but that makes total sense.

LOL, as fate would have it, they just announced a last minute Shrinebuilder show tonight at Europa in Brooklyn. Ima goin'.

I'm guessing this doesn't bode well for Shrinebuilder making it to London on Sunday...

Oh shit it's the volcanic ash cloud isn't it! Oddly appropriate for Shrinebuilder...

Is roadburn this weekend?

Anyone got thoughts on the new Line-up Negură Bunget album?

xxpost

Indeed...shame I've been looking forward to Shrinebuilder for a couple of months :-(

I'm just praying that this ash cloud is going to dissipate by the time All Tomorrow's Parties comes around at the start of May. Last time this volcano erupted it lasted for two years...

Flights in Scotland are all back on tomorrow so the rest shouldn't be long

Ludicra tonight! With Krallice, Ocean and AoK Suicide (a couple of the guys from Conifer). Haven't seen a show since last fall - overdue and excited.

damn that's gonna rock

This fucking serves me right for laughing my ass off about Los Camp! getting grounded by a volcano (not out of spite - it's just a funny concept)... I'm severely pissed off that this is going to stop Shrinebuilder.

Maybe they'll still make it to London... somehow...?

The new Negură Bunget has more forest-nymph-ish bits than Om, but I also think they're much better integrated with the metal, production-wise. If you're a line-up purist I imagine you'll find something to dislike, but for me it's not that far offbase to think of Vîrstele Pamîntului as doing for Om what Maiestrit did for Mãiastru Sfetnic: take the original good ideas, and clean them up now that you know better how.

Right now I'm totally into the French black/doom/post-metal Celeste. They kind of sound like Cult of Luna with some black metal vocals from time to time, and based on their website, the packaging on their albums is amazing. They offer their music for free download, so I'm checking out their two most recent albums, and as soon as I have a little more money in my Paypal account I'm gonna buy both. Here's the link; check it out for yourself.

yeah I like Celeste.

That new Celeste sounds really good alright.

And I haven't listened to the new Negura Bunget yet, I just haven't had time, but it's interesting to see, judging by Glenn's comments, that it just might not be the disaster all the skeptics are predicting it to be.

Phil, thanks for the heads up! going to check out Celeste now

i nearly bought a celeste vinyl last year but the shipping was crazy expensive. Wonder if they've sorted that out yet.

Celeste are great. Two of their last trilogy of albums have been year end stuff for me.

'Misanthrope(s)' by Celeste is a really good example of 'that kind of thing', also I like that on their Myspace page, if you look up the place in France they say they come from it doesn't actually exist and is in fact the name of a really terrible sounding beer

I got Misanthrope(s) last year...the artwork on that CD is something else. Pretty good album, too.

Completely unrelated, Amon Amarth and Eluveitie were so much fun tonight. I never get sick of seeing those two bands.

I'm going to that show on Sunday (4/25) and will be shooting a video interview with Eluveitie for my MSN blog...definitely looking forward to it. I haven't seen Amon Amarth live since 2006 and my shirt from that tour is getting worn out from frequent wear.

Quick thoughts on Ludicra in Maine:

AoK Suicide was not very good. Shame, really, because Conifer was great live. I always thought the drummer was Conifer's secret weapon, and, based on this set I was right; he was sorely missed. Stoner post-rock power trio with little to differentiate them from the crowd.

Krallice was everything the opener wasn't. Incredibly tight and interesting. I'm not a big fan of them on record - not much of a black metal guy, to say the least - but they were masterful. Live music is always much more visceral, and they overcame my dislike of the tropes and conventions of the genre within minutes.

Ocean was typically great. They curtailed their performance to one 25 minute song so Ludicra could play a full set (technical difficulties seemed to plague all the bands, so the show ended up pushing up against Portland's noise ordinances that kick in around 1am), but they killed it.

Ludicra closed the night in style. They were the best band there, and, as with Krallice, the live experience overcame my black metal reticence in seconds. The are extremely tight but still manage to swing a little more than in studio. Cobbett's guitar tone is the secret weapon - the classic metal touches are more apparent live.

Got to talk with Aesop for a long time before the show; talked about Cosmic Hearse, the current tour, the joys of cock-rock stage banter, and lots of other stuff. An incredibly nice guy, as were all of the artists on the bill.

I can't overstate it - if Krallice or Ludicra are coming 'round it behooves you to see them. If I were able I'd head to Boston tonight to see them again with Tombs.

This week in Metal Listening Club #2:

Fates Warning: Parallels
Cradle of Filth: Nymphetamine
HIM: Screamworks

Holy shit, the new Howling Wind disc on Profound Lore, Into the Cryosphere, is ridiculously good. Black metal from one Unearthly Trance dude and one other dude. Kinda reminds me of what I like best about Nachtmystium, without all the other unlikable/goofy aspects. Really excellent guitar work, and some subtle touches that make the whole thing. Highly recommended.

available 4/27. looks like Amazon mp3 will have it for $6.93

Buy the cd! Profoundlore is a great label, fuck paying for mp3s.

they also send out the albums before theyre in the stores usually.

Its a seriously great label.

yeah, i probably should buy the CD. haven't really bought a lot of CDs in a while

Amaseffer news!

http://www.amaseffer.com/news.htm#april9

(Won't let me copy/paste from the news bit, but basically -- second album in their Exodus trilogy is coming out this year.)

Slightly inappropriate for rolling metal but I'll do anything to help Dan, my engineer metal buddy from work. Dude has a ticket for the Sayreville, NJ Mastodon/Baroness/BTBAM show on Wednesday, but no idea how he's getting there from NYC. Does not drive but is otherwise awesome/smart/funny/good company at shows. If anyone is driving to this show from NYC and has extra room in their car, ILXmail me. Dan will chip in car costs. This ends my abuse of rolling metal 2010.

(the obvious solution of me finding a ticket for said show and driving a rental car hasn't succeeded)