by BBG

DOWNLOAD: Cynic - "ReTraced - King" (MP3)

Cynic at Irving Plaza (more by Justina Villanueva)

Cynic will perform all of their landmark LP, Focus, as well as selections from their recently acclaimed Traced In Air during a short jaunt with Intronaut and Dysrhythmia. The "Hall of Fame" tour will impact Bowery Ballroom on August 6, tickets go on sale at noon today (5/24).

Cynic released Re-Traced, their new EP for Season of Mist, last week. Pick up a copy via the their label and dig on one of those tracks, "Re-Traced - King" above. The band will tour Europe on June 4th before hitting the states for the Hall of Fame tour.

Intronaut are currently grinding away on a new LP, the follow-up to their Century Media debut, Prehistoricisms. Video of the band writing can be found below.

Dysrhythmia are prepping to hit Europe as well, though not before Colin Marston plays the Knitting Factory with his TWO bands, Krallice and Gorguts, alongside Portal and the great Bloody Panda. Tickets are still available for the WEDNESDAY show (5/26).

Full tour dates and some videos are below...

Continue reading "Cynic playing full album on tour w/ Intronaut & Dysrhythmia - 2010 dates & stuff"

photos by Zach Dilgard, words by Black Bubblegum

Mastodon, Kylesa, and Intronaut were back for round two on May 10th at Music Hall of Williamsburg, one night after Irving Plaza. As advertised, the showpiece for the evening was the band's new album Crack The Skye, in it's entirety and in order with an accompanying video show. Until that point, I fell into the sub-section of Mastodon fans that believe the new album is a bit overwrought and uninteresting, figuring the tunes would be given new life on stage. That was not the case, and even though portions of the Crack The Skye live set were impressive, my opinion of the record hasn't changed.

Despite my lack of enthusiasm for the new material, their live show is better than ever. Mastodon may have seemed alot less comfortable on stage with the new material, but it was well-executed, and the signature Mastodon-ian big volume and theatrics were still present. In addition, the Crack The Skye set emphasized some surprisingly impressive vocals by drummer Brann Dailor and vocal harmonizing by Troy Sanders (bass) & Brent Hinds (guitar)... a big compliment considering the show I was just at on friday. The new material was followed by a set of highlights from the remainder of their discography ("Iron Tusk", "March Of The Fire Ants", "Capillarian Crest", others). The full set list is below.

Intronaut (who I missed... sadface) and Kylesa opened the show, with Kylesa drawing from their awesome album Static Tensions and closing with "Hollow Severer" from 2006's Time Will Fuse It's Worth. If you haven't caught Kylesa and their crusty-doom-ridden-dueling-drum attack, you have two additional chances in the coming months.... Cake Shop with Stinking Lizaveta, Unearthly Trance and Darsombra on May 30th and Maxwell's on May 27th with Wetnurse and The Nolan Gate (tickets here).

More Mastodon & Kylesa pics below...

Continue reading "Mastodon & Kylesa @ MHOW in Brooklyn - pics & setlist"

photos by Chris La Putt

"Mastodon played the entire Crack the Skye from the beginning to the end, to the utmost satisfaction of those who have been crazy about the album since it came out in March. They were projecting a video collage throughout the whole thing, with clips from old Russian movies, and various outer-space type scenarios. It was pretty cheesy, but it went well with the music. There was something spooky and uncanny about the combination of Mastodon's ridiculously amazing music, and sinister-looking Orthodox priests and iron-clad warriors from the tsarist times.

Throughout the Crack the Skye part of the show, Mastodon had a keyboardist with them. He left when they moved on their older selections. They played a bunch from Blood Mountain, and then a few less from Leviathan and Remission."
[a review from an earlier show on the tour]

Mastodon, Kylesa, and Intronaut are on tour and stopped at Irving Plaza in NYC last night (5/9). They do it again tonight (5/10, Mother's Day) at Music Hall of Williamsburg in Brooklyn. More pictures, including one of Mastodon's setlist, below...

Continue reading "Mastodon, Kylesa & Intronaut @ Irving Plaza in NYC - pics "

words by Black Bubblegum, photos by Anthony Childs

Scott Kelly of Neurosis on stage with Mastodon

SCION ROCK FEST OUTDOOR STAGE (2/28)
1:00-1:40pm Kylesa
2:00-2:40pm Torche
3:00-3:40pm Baroness
4:00-4:50pm Boris
5:10-5:40pm Pig Destroyer
6:00-7:00pm High On Fire
7:30pm-9:00pm Neurosis
9:30pm-11:00pm Mastodon

Mastodon played the Scion Rock Fest in Atlanta on Saturday (2/28). Their set included three new jams including the single "Divinations" (which has a newly released video below) as well as some old favorites like "The Wolf Is Loose", "March of The Fire Ants", "Iron Tusk", and "Colony of Birchmen" (unconfirmed set list from 2/28 below). Unlike in Brooklyn last year, Mastodon went on after Neurosis who are a hard act to follow, so Mastodon followed the proverb "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em" and invited Scott Kelly of Neurosis on stage to perform their last three songs with them.

Mastodon is scheduled to play two nights in NYC in May, as part of their tour where they'll be performing the entire Crack The Skye album. The NY dates are May 9th at Irving Plaza (on sale Saturday at noon) and May 10th at Music Hall of Williamsburg (on sale Saturday at noon).

Along for the ride is Kylesa and Intronaut, both of whom had to drop off the previously mentioned tour with The Haunted and Nachtmystium (tickets for that BB Kings show on April 19th are here - The Agonist and Merauder are the new openers)
(not sure what the deal on refunds is).

New video, and more Scion pics and the setlist, below...

Continue reading "Mastodon played Scion Rock Fest (pics), released new video "

by Black Bubblegum

Mastodon @ Scion Rock Fest - Feb 28, 2009 (by Michael Woodruff)

Less than 36 hours after Mastodon left the stage at Scion Rock Fest where they played a few tunes with Scott Kelly of Neurosis (!!!), the band announced a tour that includes a NYC date at Irving Plaza (May 9th, tickets on sale soon) and a Brooklyn show at Music Hall of Williamsburg (May 10th, presale starts Wedesday). All dates will include Kylesa (who was also at Scion) AND Intronaut. Both openers will be coming off of their tour with The Haunted and Nachtmystium.

During the April & May North American trek, the Atlanta crew will play all of their upcoming album Crack The Skye (out March 24):

The complete album performance is something new for the group, says guitarist Bill Kelliher, but "there's something about [the album] where it would be weird to leave a song out. We'll incorporate a whole stage show, which will hopefully make it even more exciting for kids to come see and more visually stimulating." The band is also hoping to make a short movie from all the songs, which Kelliher predicts will be Mastodon's version of "The Wall." -[Billboard]

Word is that the band have employed Josh Graham to incorporate visuals into their stage show, similar to Neurosis and A Storm of Light's projection show. Billboard also got more of a straight story on the record's concept

"It's about a crippled young man who experiments with astral travel. He goes up into outer space, goes too close to the sun, gets his golden umbilical cord burned off, flies into a wormhole, is thrust into the spirit real, has conversations with spirits about the fact that he's not really dead, and they decide to help him. They put him into a divination that's being performed by an early-20th-century Russian Orthodox sect called the Klisti, which Rasputin is part of.

"Knowing Rasputin is about to be murdered, they put the young boy's spirit inside of Rasputin. Rasputin goes to usurp the throne of the czar and is murdered by the Yusupovs, and the boy and Rasputin fly out of Rasputin's body up through the crack in the sky and head back. Rasputin gets him safely back into his body."

"That's the basic story," he [Brann Dailor] says, "but it's all metaphors for personal sh*t."

Oh word? See if you can decipher more at the Crack The Skye website.

Tickets are still available for the April 19th BB Kings show with The Haunted, Nachtmystium, Kylesa, & Intronaut.

A Storm Of Light recently played Europa with Amenra & Zoroaster.

All Mastodon shows go on pre-sale on Wednesday (password = CracktheSkye), and then regular sale Friday. All dates on this "intimate" tour are below...

Continue reading "Mastodon playing full new album on 2009 tour w/ Kylesa & Intronaut - dates & presale info"

by Black Bubblebgum

sunn o))) @ Knitting Factory (more by Damien Neva)


Ya hear that rumble? Thats the sound of great records perched in the distance waiting to descend on 2009 (more on that later). While this year will bring about great music and another set of "next big things", let's take the time to be thankful for 2008 and all of it's memorable records and shows. Here are my favorite records of 2008:

Continue reading "the year in Metal (Best of 2008, what's coming in 2009)"

by Black Bubblegum

The Haunted (with the Bjorler twins of At The Gates) have announced their 2009 North American tour, in support of 2008's Versus, with unfuckwitable support from Nachtmystium, Kylesa, AND Intronaut (!!!) including one show at BB Kings in NYC on April 19th. Tickets are on sale today (@ 10AM).

Nachtmystium have one other show on the calendar, at The Masquerade in Atlanta on Feb 28th as part of the Atlanta Metal Festival. The psych-black metal "assassins" recently played Public Assembly with Velnias, Javelina, and Malkuth as part of the inaugural event of the Show No Mercy series. Skeletonwitch, Cannabis Corpse, and Atakke are lined up for round two on Jan 11th, 2009.

Kylesa will be in town even sooner - on January 29th to open for crust pioneers Amebixx. The band is also prepping their new album, due in 2009, and will tour Japan in Feb 2009 with Birushanah.

Intronaut released Prehistoricisms earlier this year and was last seen in NYC with Mouth Of the Architect.

All tour dates below...

Continue reading "The Haunted, Nachtmystium, Kylesa & Intronaut - 2009 Tour Dates (tix on sale)"

by Black Bubblegum

DOWNLOAD: Vitamin X - "Deal With It" w/ John Brannon of Negative Approach (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Vitamin X - "You Suck" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Hooded Menace - "Grasp Of The Beastwoman" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Mammoth Grinder - "God is Stuck in a Black Hole" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Saros - "Reversion" (MP3)

Cattle Decapitation live @ Gilman, photo by Taija Lynn

Cattle Decapitation have announced dates in support of their new record, The Harvest Floor due on 1/20/09. Supported by Psyopus, Book Of Black Earth, and Gigan, full tour dates are below, but no NYC just yet.

Adding insult on top of insult to injury, Maryland Death Fest have added powerviolence bad-asses Despise You (with Phil Vera of Crom), as well as grinders Pigsty. This is on top of Mayhem, Bolt Thrower, Enslaved and soooo many others... Unfortunately, Repulsion have cancelled their appearance.

Need a fix of fun, skull-splitting hardcore? Vitamin X have dropped their new record, Full Scale Assault on Tankcrimes and it is one awe-inspiring slab of lightning riffery and old-school hardcore punk produced by none other than Steve Albini at Electrical Audio Studios. Sporting ultra-suh-weeeet artwork by John Baizley of Baroness, the band has been kind enough to drop off a pair of MP3s from the record... check out "Deal With it" featuring John Brannon of Negative Approach and "You Suck" downloadable above and pick up the album here.

How many times has a headliner you dug dropped off a bill, and you were actually pleased with the results? In a bit of shuffling, Doomriders have dropped off their bill with Tombs at Union Pool on 12/20 (frown), BUT Bloodhorse (who are working on a new record), Keelhaul(!), and Acid Tiger (Ben from Cave-in, Converge) have been added! So Keelhaul in NYC, huh? Exciting, and it sounds like they have more than just the show on their agenda...

We are going to Brooklyn to record another cd with Andrew Schneider in December. Yee haw.-[Keelhaul myspace]

NOICE! Meanwhile, look for Tombs to play a show at Death By Audio on Dec 6th, play a few shows opening for Don Caballero at both Maxwell's and Europa, and embark on a short tour in the new year with Dysrhythmia. Full Keelhaul and Tombs dates are below.

Doomers My Dying Bride have revealed details of their new album, For Lies I Sire due in 2009 via Peaceville! Spanning nine tracks and recorded with producer Mags, vocalist Aaron Stainhorpe recently discussed the new record with Beyond The Dark Horizon.

Saros, the Bay Area blackened prog metal band contructed from members of the almighty Weakling and Amber Asylum, will drop their new album Acrid Plains on Profound Lore 2/17/09. Album art is below and check out the new MP3, "Reversion" available for download above.

Mammoth Grinder are scheduled to rage through the tri-state in the new year. The trio will be in town on Jan 3rd to double up.. playing shows at ABC No Rio (matinee) AND The Charleston (night) in support of their long-player Rage & Ruin and No Results 7" due together on Assassinated Records. Alternating between thundering doom and crusty hardcore, check out heavily doom-oriented "God is Stuck in a Black Hole " from Rage & Ruin, downloadable above.

Gracial death-doomers Hooded Menace are responsible for the massive Fulfill The Curse on Razorback Records. It's out NOW and it's absolutely frightening.. highly reccomended for fans of Coffins and death-doom in particular. Check out the track "Grasp Of The Beastwoman" from Fulfill The Curse and pray for your own safety that these Finns never make it to the US... it'll be a massacre.

More news on Intronaut, Pelican, The Sword, Krallice, Saint Vitus, Total Fucking Destruction and more as The Week In Metal continues...

Continue reading "This Week In METAL (11/20/08) "

DOWNLOAD: Black Anvil - "Ten Talons Deep" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Transitional - "This Paradise Pt. 1" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Capricorns - "November Suicides" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Capricorns - "The Bell Rang Backwards" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Phobia - "Protest/Solution" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Phobia - "Savannah's Assault" (MP3)

Agalloch

Folkin' black proggers Agalloch has announced that they are at work on their fourth LP, the follow-up the the critically acclaimed Ashes Against The Grain! The band recently parted ways with The End and "have received several offers ranging from the ridiculous to the very interesting" with respect to a new home, but no decision is expected until 2009. Meanwhile, Agalloch also announced the release of The Demonstration Archive, a retrospective of songs from 1996 - 1998 before they signed to the label. For more info on The Demonstration Archive, including how to pick it up, head here.

As we announced a couple weeks ago, doomy instrumental trio Capricorns have released River Bear Your Bones in jolly old England, but the US will see the record on September 30th. Have no fear, as we have posted 25% of the whole record (above) for you to download!

Intronaut's new record, Prehistoricisms, is up for preorder, with or without a limited edition tee ($4 more). Check out "The Literal Black Cloud" from Prehistoricisms here.

Black Anvil

World, Black Anvil. Black Anvil, world. I wish it was that easy, because word needs to get out on these grim lords constructed from ex-members of Kill Your Idols. Drawing from early black metal and thrash and with only an occasional foray into Emperor-style tremolo picking, their new LP Time Insults The Mind is an unholy creature of shadow. Check out "Ten Talons Deep" available for download above and the video of the band tearing through "Deathsomnia" (also from Time...). and pick up the record at Momentum Records when it drops. The band is also playing Traxx in Ronkonkoma on August 23rd and The Charleston on Sept 30th.

That video, plus Neurosis, Coalesce, Converge, Municipal Waste, Rosetta, sunn 0))), Corrupted and more after the jump...

Continue reading "This Week In METAL (08/07/08)"

by Black Bubblegum

DOWNLOAD: Intronaut - "The Literal Black Cloud" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: KEN mode - "The Romanticist" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Discordance Axis - ENTIRE Live Set from CBGB, 6/3/00 (Mediafire Link, setlist/credit)
DOWNLOAD: Noothgrush - Live at KZSU 5/01/96 (Mediafire Link, setlist/credit)
DOWNLOAD: Wolves In The Throne Room - Live at Slim's 10/2/07 (Mediafire Link, setlist/credit)

Gojira's The Way Of All Flesh

Gojira has finally announced news on it's latest punch to the gut, The Way of All Flesh! The much anticipated follow-up to From Mars to Sirius will drop on October 13th on Prosthetic, and look for the band to hit Europe with In Flames in late Sept/Oct (tour dates below). Joe Duplantier played on the Cavalera Conspiracy album, who recently played Irving Plaza with The Dillinger Escape Plan.

As we discussed before, Intronaut are on tour with Behold The Arctopus and Mouth Of The Architect (Deadsea and Wetnurse are also on the colossal NYC bill), packin heat from the forthcoming Prehistoricisms on Sept 16th. Check out "The Literal Black Cloud", available for download above!

KEN mode dropped their new record, Mennonite on their own label, Arctodus Records. Pick it up here. The follow-up to their 2006 release on Escape Artist, Reprisal, KEN mode draws from the glory days of Am-Rep and noise punk, adding a brute force Mastodon-type approach. We have "The Romanticist" from Mennonite available for download above, but be careful, it's mean & nasty.

much, much more below...

Continue reading "This Week In METAL (07/29/08)"

by Black Bubblegum

DOWNLOAD: U.S. Christmas - "The Scalphunters" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Lions Of Tsavo - "The Hooven Swarm" (M4A)
DOWNLOAD: Lions Of Tsavo - "Body Drift" (MP3)

Intronaut

Intronaut is about to get prehistoric on dat azz, when the new LP Prehistoricisms (full tracklisting below) hits the shelves on September 16th via their new label Century Media. Metalkult has a preview in the form of "Australopithecus" which is downloadable at their site. .Tickets are still on sale for their show at Knitting Factory on August 8th with Behold The Arctopus, Mouth Of The Architect, Deadsea, and Wetnurse (one helluva bill). Mouth Of The Architect drops Quietly this week and Wetnurse drops Invisible City on September 30th. Deadsea's S/T record is out now, catch it at their myspace. "Prehistoricisms" album art there to the right.

I have heard from a very credible source that the mighty sunn 0))) will return to NYC to play a special show in celebration of the ten year anniversary of The Grimmrobe Demos. Um, yowsers. As details come in, you'll get em.

Sweden's Burst have posted two new tracks from and announced a release date for (September 16th in the US) their new record Lazarus Bird. Dig on "Cripple God" and "(We Watched) The Silver Rain" streaming at their myspace. The band has commented "Expect an album that will NOT be Origo Part 2, but something new", and if this is any indication, should be a good 'un.

Speaking of good 'uns, the Bowery Ballroom show on July 25th featuring Early Man, Valient Thorr, and the mighty Monotonix should be a grand ole time. Wanna get in gratis? Email us at BVCONTESTS@HOTMAIL.COM (subject: Denim Vests) with your first & last name, and we'll randomly pick two winners and drop 'em a pair of tickets each.

Lions Of Tsavo, Agoraphobic Nosebleed, Akimbo, Obituary and more below...

Continue reading "This Week In METAL (07/24/08)"

by Black Bubblegum

DOWNLOAD: F*ck The Facts - "The Storm" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: F*ck The Facts - "Absence & Despite" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Amenra - "Razoreater" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Grand Magus - "Like The Oar Strikes The Water" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Grand Magus - "Silver Into Steel" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Soulfly - "Unleash" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Humanfly - "Shot Into Space" (EDIT) (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Cavalera Conspiracy - LIVE in Arendal, Norway on June 26 2008 (PROFESSIONALLY SHOT WMV, Megaupload)

Welcome to This Week In Metal, Special Potty Mouth Edition! Fuck The Facts shall rage from sea to sea as they begin "Grinding Into Cataclysm" (their tour name) with Psyopus, War From A Harlot's Mouth, and Left To Vanish. FTF have a new record, Disgorge Mexico, due July 22nd on Relapse Records and have been kind enough to bless us with some tracks for download! Check out "The Storm" and "Absence And Despite" above and check 'em out at the Knitting Factory on August 18th (ticket info forthcoming). Full tour dates are below. Fuck The Facts also have an upcoming split LP with Leng Tch'e.

Opeth has announced two new dates as part of their previously mentioned North American tour. Here is the best part (as if THAT wasn't good enough): Word is that High On Fire & Baroness will open the shows! As more dates roll in, you'll have em, but so far all we have are Chicago on September 24th and San Fran on October 6th. Pics from their last NYC show at Terminal 5 HERE.

Doomriders have announced a show at Europa in Brooklyn on August 24th! Tickets are on sale.

Doom riff lords Grand Magus will drop Iron Will on July 9th in the US via Candlelight and recently sat down with Metal Hammer to go over Iron Will track by track. Check out "Like The Oar Strikes The Water" and "Silver Into Steel" downloadable above.

Continue reading "This Week In METAL (06/30/08)"

by Black Bubblegum

DOWNLOAD: Opeth - "Lotus Eater" (edit) (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: The Gates Of Slumber - Ice Worm (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: The Gates Of Slumber - Trapped In The Web (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Leviathan - Made As The Stale Wine Of Wrath (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Lurker Of Chalice - I (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Wold - Frost Crystal Symmetry (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Ascend - Ample Fire Within (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Wolfbrigade - "Prowler" (MP3)

Intronaut Live in Barcelona, 2007 (buckyrocks)

New Century Media signees Intronaut will be back in town in August 8th at the Knitting Factory (on sale NOW), this time bringing Behold... The Arctopus and Mouth Of The Architect! Following up last year's excellent yet grab-baggy The Challenger sort-of-EP, the boys will head back into the studio in April to record a new LP. Mouth Of The Architect have a new album on the way as well, Quietly, and you can preview first single "Hate And Heartache" at the Translation Loss MySpace.

Speaking of Colin Marston, the new record for his black metal project with Mick Barr, Krallice, is in the can and is due in July via Profound Lore. Mick Barr's Ocrilim are on board to play a Todd P show opening for the mighty Thrones at Death By Audio on May 22nd. Thrones, aka Joe Preston of Melvins, High On Fire, and many other esteemed projects was spotted playing guitar with the mighty Harvey Milk at SXSW and WFMU has the whole thing available for download.

more...........

Continue reading "This Week In METAL (05/02/08)"