Metal In Ruins

I DON'T KNOW, ASK OBSCURA!

2011-11-16T10:21:00.001-08:00

Photo taken from MetalSucks.net

On December 5th, Germany's Death Metal master's OBSCURA will be having a little chat with yours truley, as they enjoy their current headline tour supporting their recent release Omnivium with Abysmal Dawn, Enfold Darkness, and Last Chance to Reason. Well, as I was on my way home from the recent Atlanta stop of the Exhumed All Guts, No Glory stop recently in Atlanta, I got the thought of this: instead of me asking your favorite band questions I want to know and hope you want to know, what if YOU asked YOUR favorite band what YOU KNOW YOU want to KNOW?...

With that being said, I am going to follow through with this, so much as you all keep asking questions. HERE'S HOW TO ASK!

Send ME (davidmetalinruins[at]gmail.com) what is called an "e-mail" with your name, homestate/home country, and of course your question with the subject OBSCURA QUESTION
That is absolutely it.

So get to work guys! Let's see all the rad things you guys can ask!

SEE OBSCURA ON THIS TOUR

Nov. 16 – Vancouver, BC @ Rickshaw Theater
Nov. 17 – Portland, OR @ Branx
Nov. 18 – Seattle, WA @ Studio Seven
Nov. 20 – San Francisco, CA @ DNA Lounge
Nov. 21 – Hollywood, CA @ Key Club
Nov. 23 – Tempe, AZ @ The Clubhouse
Nov. 25 – Denver, CO @ The Marquis Theater
Nov. 27 – Tulsa, OK @ The Marquee Theater
Nov. 28 – Dallas, TX @ The Rail Club
Nov. 29 – San Antonio, TX @ White Rabbit
Nov. 30 – Houston, TX @ Warehouse Live
Dec. 2 – Tampa, FL @ Brass Mug
Dec. 4 – Orlando, FL @ Firestone Live
Dec. 5 – Atlanta, GA @ Masquerade
Dec. 6 – Richmond, VA @ Kingdom
Dec. 7 – Baltimore, MD @ Sonar

LIVE REVIEW: ANIMALS AS LEADERS

2011-11-07T10:41:00.000-08:00

It all started after TesseracT's performance. They began taking their things off-stage as Animals' drummer, Navene Koperweis stepps out on stage to set up. Guitarist Javier Reyes enters the small lit stage to set up his gear, leaving the final peice of the puzzle to unveil it's appearance. Lead guitarist Tosin Abasi enters on stage to prepare his gear and instrument to play, as the crowd goes insane, just by the sight of Tosin. People are chanting his name and cheering as if their leader had shown himself from higher places. It was now showtime.

The lights go out and the audience cheers as "An Infinite Regression" the opening song off their new album Weightless, begins. Blending together the low and high pitches of Tosin and Javier's 8-string guitars, backed by Navene's intense drumming, a harmony so powerful is unleashed upon a started and starstruck audience that is pumped with all the energy fed from the stage. Soon the band goes silent after the song is through, the stage goes black yet again. With a sudden climactic increase, "Tempting Time" the first song off their self-titled debut, Animals as Leaders begins playing. Unvailing an even wilder side of the audience. The crowd is in attempt to synchronize head banging with the band, leaving an amazing sight to see from the corner of the room, as every head is moving at the same pace, the same way, giving Tosin Abasi a great smile as he plays the song. After that, almost immediately "Song of Solomon" kicks in as the crowd yells and claps along to Tosin. It is amazing how much the energy of the crowd increases through each song. Next, the calming yet hard and heavy "Point To Point" makes it's appearance on the setlist, as everyone again claps along with the rhythm of Tosin's guitar. It's great to see the connection build up between the band and the audience. It was now where everyone began getting even more excited, as "Isolated Incedents", the first song on Weightless to be officialy premiered by the band was being played. Portraying the advancement in sound Animals as Leaders has achieved. Next, the heavy hitting "Thoroughly At Home" was playing as people were jumping literally all over the place. Though not my favorite song from them, a definitely amazing piece to hear live. Up next is the digital release "Wave of Babies" a fun trip that combines several amazing Animals as Leaders elements into one song. Just as everyone made the assumption that the night could not get any better, Animals played yet ANOTHER new track off Weightless entitled "Cylindrical Sea" an adventurous jam of epic proportions with a very trippy and exciting intro. AaL hits the bottom of the setlist now, with the obviously obvious closer that will surely rip off any excrements of flesh you still have left on your body, "CAFO" the hard hitting purely face melting shreddage of a song, in which the crowd proves themselves worthy of being able to live through this night. Ensuring memories to last everytime they hear another Animals as Leaders song.

OVER-ALL: If this explanation seised to make it clear enough, this was indeed ONE HELL OF A SHOW. You had progression, smooth and soothing music, harmonies and melodies, fast picking, head banging, intense band to fan moments, fun, and most importantly, METAL. This whole tour deserves an A++ for being so fucking rad. Go do yourselves a favor and see the remaining shows on this tour, you will NOT be let down. Again, Go see this, Go see this, Go see this. JUST GO SEE THIS.

Dates below:

11/8      Indianapolis, IN - Egyptian Room @ Old*
11/9      Cleveland, OH - House Of Blues*
11/10    Detroit, MI - St. Andrews Hall*
11/11    Chicago, IL - House Of Blues*
11/12    Cincinnati, OH - Bogart's*
11/13    St. Louis, MO - The Pageant*
11/15    Little Rock, AR - Juanita's*
11/16    New Orleans, LA - House Of Blues*
11/17    Houston, TX - House Of Blues*
11/18    Dallas, TX - House Of Blues*
11/19    Austin, TX - Emo's Outside*
11/20    San Antonio, TX - Backstage Live*
11/22    Tucson, AZ - Rialto Theatre*
11/23    Las Vegas, NV - House Of Blues*
11/25    Anaheim, CA - House Of Blues*
11/26    Los Angeles, CA - House Of Blues*
11/27    San Francisco, CA - The Fillmore*
11/29    Boise, ID - Knitting Factory Concert*
11/30    Spokane, WA - Knitting Factory Concert*
12/1      Calgary, AB - The Republik*
12/2      Edmonton, AB - Starlite Room*
12/3      Saskatoon, SK - Louis' Pub*
12/4      Winnipeg, MB - Garrick Centre*
12/6      Pittsburgh, PA - Altar Bar *
12/7      Toronto, ON - Phoenix Concert Theatre*
12/8      Montreal, QC - Club Soda*
12/9      Clifton Park, NY - Northern Lights*
12/10    Philadelphia, PA - Theatre of Living Arts*
* w/ Between The Buried And Me & Tesseract
^ w/ Between The Buried And Me, Cave In, The Red Chord, & Tesseract

SHINING To Release Live DVD

2011-10-21T04:44:00.000-07:00

Norway's SHINING have released a video trailer of their upcoming Live Black Jazz. For the first time ever, the raw energy of SHINING's legendary live performances has been captured on tape and film, by the band themselves. The end effort is the live album/DVD package, entitled Live Black Jazz. Produced by the multi-talented front-man Munkeby, and backed by the same mixing and mastering team as on their previous Blackjazz studio album, we could not get a truer version of what Blackjazz is meant to be. Live Black Jazz will be released on January 17th, 2012 in North America. SHINING will tour Europe this November; the dates can be seen below:
11/05 -Damnation Festival, Leeds (UK)
11/06 -Fleece, Bristol (UK)
11/08 -Patronaat, Haarlem (NL)
11/09 -Doornroosje, Nijmegen (NL)
11/10 -Point FMR (Musiques Volantes Festival), Paris (FR)
11/11 -STUK, Leuven (B)
11/12 -ULU, London (UK) W/ Devin Townsend Project (Deconstruction show)
11/14 -De Kreun, Kortrijk (B)
Order links below
NORTH AMERICA
NORWAY
EUROPE
UK

5 Reasons you should buy the re-release of KVELERTAK'S Self Titled Album

2011-10-20T14:34:00.000-07:00

To celebrate the arrival of KVELERTAK'S Deluxe Re-Issue of their self-titled debut, we have listed 5 reasons in which you should go buy this release

NOTE: The item is for North American buyers only (sorry, not my fault.)

1. IT'S HEAVY

C'mon guys. I know a heavy record when I hear one, and this is absolutely insane. It's so heavy and hard-hitting it hurts! Hurt can equal brutality, and us metal heads LOVE brutality.

KVELERTAK showing how party worthy this album is

2. IT'S PARTY WORTHY

If an album has a sense of hardcore influence, and it's good, you can surely know that you'll open a few brew-ski's, bring forth the headband, and roll out the party!

This could be you if you don't buy this CD

3. IT REPELS ZOMBIES

To ensure the party never ends and you get whiplash from headbanging so much, the album has a secret scent that warns away zombies. If however, Zombies do get near the album, a safety mechanism will trigger and will bring out vikings to slay the party-crashing undead fiends.

4. IT COMES WITH BONUS MATERIAL

You like extra shit? Well, along with the music, the party privelage, and zombie protection, you get some cool stuff with the purchase!

- You get a sweet ass DVD!

You like watching shit on your TV? Well, your in luck. This special re-issue contains a DVD that features THREE Music Videos, FIVE Live Videos, and a special Band Documentary.

- More Tracks on the CD!

KVELERTAK has some rad shows! And aside from being able to watch them on your TV screen, you can now listen to a few live songs in the comfort of your car, iPod, whatever you play your CD's in!
Aside from live tracks, you get the Demo Tracks for Ordsmedar av Rang and Utrydd dei svake. Can you say "FUCKING WIN!?"

-Extended Artwork!

For all of you who dig the artwork displayed on the album, you can now see more of it! The release comes with tons more artwork than the original release. HELLYES!

Simple enough????

5. THERE ARE ONYL 5,000!!!!!!!!!!!!!

If you like being idividual, and you enjoy having bragging rights, you can tell your friends that out of 6.97 Billion people in the world only you and 4,999 others own this deluxe edition pack of amazing-ness!

There are tons more features that I have yet to explain about this release. But the only way you can find out about them is if you BUY IT!

KVELERTAK are on tour right now with Skeletonwitch, so if you hurry you can see them live!

10/19 Atlanta, GA @ The Earl
10/20 Charlotte, NC @ Tremont Music Hall
10/21 Brooklyn, NY @ Europa (no Zoroaster)
10/22 New York, NY @ Rocks Off Cruise (no Zoroaster)
10/23 Philadelphia, PA @ Johnny Brenda's
10/24 Columbus, OH @ The Summit (no Skeletonwitch)
10/25 Cleveland, OH @ Peabody's
10/26 Chicago, IL @ The Empty Bottle
10/27 Grand Rapids, MI @ The Pyramid Schene
10/28 Pittsburgh, PA @ Belvedere's

Click the link to buy the deluxe CD before it's gone!

this is the link to buy the CD before it's gone

*WARNING: REASON #3 MAY NOT WORK ALL THE TIME. IF ZOMBIES ARE ABLE TO CRASH PARTY HIT IN HEAD WITH BLUNT OBJECTS. DO NOT TOUCH ZOMBIES DIRECTLY OR FEED THEM,*

TEN Bands To Know: Criminal Element, Level the City, OCOAI and MORE

2011-10-12T15:55:00.000-07:00

We've been lacking a tad on our Bands to Know's. And We're sorry. We have missed out on countless opportunities to support some rad underground acts. But now we're taking advantage of that and putting together a BIG ASS BANDS TO KNOW. Ten bands, Ten songs. Ten million little cells in my brain dying from such awesomeness. And I promise you all this selection is very diverse, so there's something for every metal head in this batch

ENRUINED -

Enruined is a Metal band from my current city of residence, Cleveland, Tennessee. With a bit of a modern thrashy sound mixed with a death metal element as well as s soothing melodic sound, Enruined is definitely a band your ears should enjoy. They are currently getting ready to enter the studio to work on releasing their next full length. Click a few of the links below to check them out!

FACEBOOK|REVERBNATION|TWITTER

MISGUIDED AGGRESSION -Incase you are not aware, Canada has some pretty fucking awesome metal. Misguided Aggression is one of those awesome metal bands from Canada. With a killer technical deathcore sound, these guys are sure to rise up to glory like their genre's biggest figures before them.

BANDCAMP|OFFICIAL WEBSITE|FACEBOOK

PROTESTANT -
This is one of my favorite bands right now. Hailing from Milwaukee, Wisconsin. This Heavy Hardcore/Punk band is nothing but pure fucking music. Protestant was formed in 2004, and since then have released a shit-load of awesome tunes. You can buy their stuff here

NATUR - If you're into bands like Judas Priest, Merciful Fate, or any band that gives you an old school metal vibe, this band is your kind of tunage. Formed in 2008, NATUR is a Heavy Metal band from Brooklyn, New York. They recently got signed to Earache Records for being so awesome. They have shared the stage with acts like Ghost, Aura Noir, and Toxic Holocaust! Links below!
|MYSPACE|

O C O A I - If you're a fan of tunes that drone you into the music and get you mellowed out, only to get smacked in the face by hard hitting riffs and a cello, then you'll absolutely love O C O A I . These guys are a small instrumental band from Johnson City, Tennessee . With a bit of a metal sound and tons of melody, these guys are definitely one to know what a diverse sound is and how to create it. I have had the opportunity to see these dudes shred the christ out of my brains live. And let me tell you, that was one of the best underground show I have ever been to Period. |FACEBOOK|OFFICIAL SITE|LAST.FM|

IRE & SENTIMENT - Post-Hardcore fan? Well, if you are, keep reading. IRE & SENTIMENT is a post-hardcore band hailing from New Jersey. They have played with tons of huge acts in their genre, and have been receiving tons of acclaim for being good!
OFFICIAL SITE|TWITTER|BIGCARTEL

GENERATION OF VIPERS - Oh, What's that? You like DOOM? and SLUDGE? Haha, no stress. Generation of Vipers has got you covered on that. These guys are from Knoxville, Tennessee. And if I could describe these guys in two words....FUCKING METAL...... Like O C O A I, I have had the chance to see this live I literally felt a spec of blood in my ears from the spine shattering show.
|BANDCAMP|BIGCARTEL|OFFICIAL SITE|

LION SPLICER - You like Mastodon? Opeth? Clutch? or how 'bout Foo Fighters? Well, Lion Splicer has a sound combining all of those bands. Breaking out into the metal music scene, Lion Splicer are currently establishing a name for themselves in the abyss known as New York Fuckin' City! Lion Splicer put out a killer free release called Slicer, that you can download. But if and ONLY IF you click the following links. (just kidding, click this if you want it. But still. Please click the mother fucking links. Thanks.)

This is the only link....
|FACEBOOK|

CRIMINAL ELEMENT - This band is for all of you pure fucking brutal ass Death Metal and Grind fans. Criminal Element in my opinion is one of the heaviest bands of this decade. The band hails from Washington, DC, and holds ex-members of Misery Index and Suffocation. Do yourself a huge favor and LISTEN TO THIS FUCKING BAND.
|FACEBOOK|MYSPACE|

LEVEL THE CITY- Hailing from Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Level the City is pure deathcore at it's finest. Combining the sounds of bands like The Faceless, Born of Osiris, and OCEANO, These guys add a sick level of brutality to their genre not to many can accomplish. Be on the look-out for these guys! Links below!

|TWITER|FACEBOOK|

HOUR OF PENANCE to Enter the Studio

2011-10-12T10:34:00.000-07:00

The time has come friends and fiends! ITALIAN DEATHMETAL-ERS Hour of fucking Penance is entering the studio to record their Fifth-album! Guitarist Giulio Moschini commented on this news:

"Following the tradition of releasing an album every two years, the time has come now and we're ready to hit the studio and record our fifth album. You've probably read the same words million of times on the band's press releases so I will not tell you how much better this album sounds and how much faster and more technical it is compared to the last one we did , BUT - we're fucking proud of this upcoming beast and we're sure you guys will love it! We know how much our fans are expecting from the new album so we worked as hard as we can to not disappoint any of them. Moreover, as some of you know, this will be the first album with a new line up and as you can imagine having a new singer and a new drummer helped us to renew and improve our sound, once again.. this will be like the rebirth of Hour of Penance, in a better shape of course !"

More news and updates about the upcoming release will be announced on their official facebook page. So be on the lookout!

-MIR

Interview: Pat DeFrancisci of Ninety Six

2011-10-12T09:47:00.000-07:00

I like hardcore/punk alot, and we all know how rare it is to find a good one these days...(seriously. what the hell is up with that Post-Hardcore bullshit?) There are a few bands that bring back that good old Punk sound back to the modern times, and Ninetly Six is one of them. I got to have a spiffy little interview with their guitarist Pat DeFrancisci. Read it up!

Metal in Ruins: Before I start this interview I just want to say thanks for doing this interview! Your band really kicks punk-ass ! How are you? How has reception from the recent release of "Dogs of the Day" been?

Patrick: Hey man doing good, reception has been great we threw it up on our bandcamp for free once it was all done getting mixed and mastered and whatnot and alot of people have been downloading/streaming it through there, we've been more than happy with the response MIR: What is 96 currently up to?

P: right now we are writing for a new full length we're hoping to have written by around february with a release around spring time other than that we're just gearing up for our show with Cro-Mags and Suburban Scum on the 27th and trying to book any show people will put us on in the meantime MIR:Tell me a little about the band. How did it form? What made you guys play the genre and style you portray in your music? P: Well we are a 5 piece band from Essex County New Jersey story of how we formed is me (Pat) Corey (vocals) and Marc(guitar) went to go see Terror, Foundation and Gravemaker at Dingbatz (one of our favorite places to play now) and after the show Corey came up to me and marc and said " I want to start a hardcore band called 96, you down?" obviously the answer was yes and now a little over a year later here we are. We've always been into hardcore and we felt that true hardcore punk bands were becoming too few and far between in our area so we felt it was the best way for us to go being its peaked our interest for so long. MIR: What do you guys write about when you create your music? What is the base of all the lyrics?
P: Most the time me and marc bounce ideas off each other until we find that perfect medium between both our styles to fit into what we're going for as for the lyrics Corey is very creative whether he is writing about something that has happened in his personal life such as "Home Sick" or making up a character and building a story around him like our song "Lone Wolf" so it really varies from song to song there is no real common theme between all the songs which i think makes them unique

MIR: Are there any bands you guys have been getting into lately?

P: We just played with these two bands from Tacoma they were called Power and Wreck who were super nice dudes and killed it when they went on other than them Cruel Hand has always been a favorite of ours as well as Rotting Out whose new record has been spinning in all our cars for at least the past month and Backtrack those dudes have always ruled
MIR: How do you feel about the current hardcore music scene this nation has built? What do you expect of it in the future?

P: I think the hardcore scene is flourishing now in regards to true hardcore the punk part of hardcore is coming back right now and we love it it's fast and intense again. The future seems bright for hardcore everyone always says things like music and style are cyclical and i feel like hardcore is coming back to where it used to be when it used to be about community

MIR: Speaking of the future, what plans do you guys have in store for the future of the band?
P: Like i was saying before we're just trying to book any show possible while we write for this new full length we're trying to put out by the spring
MIR: well, thanks for taking the time to do this quick interview. Is there anything you need to say before we go?

P: Support your local music scene hardcore, metal, punk whatever it is support it because if you don't all the good music is going to be washed out by the polished, mainstream bullshit radio and big labels try and shove down your throat, support your underground scene and make sure the people who really care about the music have the opportunities to keep doing just that care about the music...

If you want some rad music from these guys, visit their official bandcamp

Until next time guys! Thanks for reading!

-MIR

Interview: BLACK TUSK'S Andrew Fidler

2011-10-07T09:59:00.000-07:00

We interview alot of great bands, but this has to be one of the best bands we've gotten a hold of. Today I'm giving you all my interview with Andrew Fidler of Black Tusk. If you haven't checked out our track-by-track review of Set the Dial, (Black Tusks latest release.) click this!

Hey! Glad we could do this interview! I'm really stoked to have the opportunity to do this and hope you are too! I cannot wait to see the results of the upcoming album from you guys.

Anyways, lets begin!

So Black Tusk is releasing their upcoming album, Set the Dial, on October 25th. Does the album differ much from previous Black Tusk releases? How do you feel about the reception it's been receiving so far?

We like to try and keep every Black Tusk album different. We want people to be able to see the progression of our band through our releases. We don't want to put the same record out again and again. Some bands fall into that you know? It's easy to find a formulas that works and then stick with it. I'm not saying that its a band thing to do that, because you can make five badass albums that all sound the same, but they all same the same. People can say that they've heard one record and the've heard them all. We are trying to make it so people can say that the've head us, but you gotta listen to all the records to "hear us." Each record has a different sound, but it's the Black Tusk sound. Thats the effect we are going for.

The album was produced by Jack Endino, who has done albums by bands like Skeletonwitch, High on Fire, Toxic Holocaust, and even Nirvana! Did you enjoy working with him to create this album?

It was amazing working with Jack! When the project was presented to him, he said he knew just how to record it. We were able to capture a huge sound, the record has an organic feel. We were going for a big open sound, and Jack has been specializing in that since the 90's, it was a perfect match.

What was the influence for the album and the songs portrayed on it? What about the absolutely amazing artwork? Each album seems to build of the themes of the record prior. "Set the Dial" deals with apocalyptic themes. We have been watching the world around us seem to fall apart, yet not. That was a the influence for this record.. We got together with John Baizley and talked about our ideas and references from Greek Mythology dealing with apocalypse and he created an amazing piece of art for the cover!

There are tons of great bands out there right now, working at getting known and spreading their music like no other. Are there any you guys have been getting into? Would you mind recommending a few to the rad people reading this?

You are right, there is a a welcome spurt of good bands putting out new records. Check the new releases section on Relapse to see what our label mates are up to for sure! there is a ton of great music there. Check the new Red Fang, the new Mastodon, the new Big Business, the new Graveyard, the newish Watain, the new Weedeater, the new Black Cobra, watch out for the new Struck By Lightning……so much good stuff coming out!

So touring is a main thing for bands. It's just mandatory for a band to go on the road. What's the craziest thing that has happened to you guys while touring?

We have been touring for just shy of a decade now, so we have definitely seen our share of interesting things on tour. There's no telling what has been the craziest thing. So many different things happen on tour, good or bad, that it's just hard to pin point an exact situation that was the craziest. We get to meet so many cool people on the road, so hopefully the good times keep rolling!

What bands do you enjoy playing with? What bands are you interested in going on the road with?

We enjoy playing with any band that shares a similar love of music, heavy or not! We can play with Metal bands from all over the different spectrums of the genre, or rock n' roll bands or stoner bands or doom bands or even outlaw country bands. It doesn't really matter, we want to travel and play with cool likeminded people. Its all about having fun and playing good music.

Speaking about tours, you guys are playing a shows! On October 1st, then a few shows from the 21st to November 7th. Do you guys have any more tour plans supporting the new album after that?

We have regional shows in October and then a headlining tour in November confirmed. The November tour ends on the 19th and we will have Monstro and Thou supporting us, it should be an amazing tour! There are plans to keep us touring the US through the end of the year and then there are plans to do a full US tour and an European tour early next year.

Aside from shows, what other plans do you guys have in support of the upcoming album?

There are definitely shows in the works to support "Set the Dial." We are setting up US and European tours to support the record and we have been doing interviews with various US and European websites and magazines. We are also in the planning stages for a video, so stay tuned for updates on that!

Where do you see Black Tusk after the next coming years? What do you hope or expect to happen for the band?

In the next few years, i hope to see Black Tusk still on the road and still making records. We want to tour Japan and Australia in the future definitely. We just want to keep touring and playing shows and making new fans!

Thanks again for taking the time to do this, Do you guys have anything to add?

thanks for digging on the new album, and we hope to see you all on the road!

Black Tusk's new album :Set the Dial" iwill be released on October 25th. Pre-order the album at thei Relapse Records official MERCH STORE

Review: ALPINIST | MASAKARI Split

2011-10-04T18:21:00.000-07:00

When it comes to underground doomy/sludgy/pure fucking metal, no one knows how to choose the best of each better than HALO OF FLIES. They've put out bands like NORTHLESS, Light Bearer, Protestant, and a few great others, including MASAKARI, who recently put out a split record with Alpinist. The rad dudes at Halo of Flies sent me a copy of that record, and all I can say is this: Go buy this record. Go buy this record. Seriously, do yourself a huge favor and Go buy this record.

For those people who do not know what a split album is. (you'd be surprised. ) It is exactly what it's named. a split between two bands on one record. One half being one band, the other, well.. being the other band.

Today I'm doing two seperate parts of this review. One for each band.

beginning with.....

ALPINIST:

This side is absolutely crazy. It opens up with this mind-blowing kinda doomy introduction for the song "Abgerichtet" this angry, demented song that . A definitely revealing and straight forward opening to a killer side. The madness doesn't end once we hit "Subjection", a jam that's just packed with pure havoc, telling about subjecting yourself to daily routines and rotting the world, all while caring less about the problems affecting everyone around you. It surely speaks out more than the other songs on the album. "Steps" just flies by on the album. A great song, definitely fast and energetic. This is the "Face-pounder" of the album. The song is definitely fucking killer/ "Postmodern Problems" is an anthem for those who waste time complaining about useless decisions and have yet to focus on actual issues that occur around you and your existance. The song definitely shows what the hell it's talking about, proving that Alpinist is not fucking around. At All. The next song is my favorite. "Unwanted Encore" to me is a big "Fuck you" to all the negativity and fascists around the world. Explained in the album the song basically states that there are no innocent enemies (Nazi's portrayed in the explanation) and that people still think that what the Nazi's did in the early 1940's was right and that this racism is needed. It's a shame people in the world actually still revolve their life-styles around this. And that is why I really like this song. The final song on the Alpinist side is "Quelle Valeur Reste?" Translated from french, means "What Value is?" (correct me if I'm wrong guys). The song starts slow and slowly progresses into a full blown machine of anger, melancholy, and confusion. The song is derived from a World War documentation and questions a last minute decision as to whether or not it is efficient to save a mans life.

MASAKARI:

Masakari's side of this album is a Killer! From the beginning of their side to end, it is purely outstanding. When it opens up with the dramatic sequence of "The Obscene Underbelly" you are attached to a darkened dignifying atmosphere. When that climax hits and you reach the uproar of the guitars and drums, you get a taste of vocalist Tony Yanick's powerful sound. Punk and Metal collide to make one hell of a band known as Masakari. "Void Manufacturing" only pulls you deeper and deeper into the twisted fast sound and headbanging action that this album provides. With songs like "Hexenhammer" and "Trapped Into The Mold" you're ears will be begging for release from this brutality. My favorite song on this side though is "Progress." it has a twisted, tormenting opening, killer bass, and makes me want to just go ballistic. There is literally nothing completely calm about this side. It thrashes, it kills, cuts like a knife and digs into your ears like daggers slowly pushing into your skin.

OVER-ALL REVIEW: This split rips and shreds a whole new perspective on the Halo of Flies releases. Just as I though they could not possibly put out anything better than they have this year, these two excellent bands push the barriers and prove me wrong. Even if any of you are stupid enough to not like one side, I'm almost positive you will like the other. Do yourselves an awesome favor and buy this. I promise. You will not regret the purchase.

*Because I am reviewing this into two parts, each side will recieve one-to five stars. Adding them together equaling the over-all MiR grade of this album

ALPINIST: 4.5/5

MASAKARI: 5/5

Metal in Ruins rates this piece of action a 9.5 stars out of 10! For blowing our brains into an oblivious pile of crap! with all the insanity and malevolence felt through the album, it'll leave all you metal heads wanting more and more from these bands

You can buy this awesome release at the Halo of Flies release store. (click this, idiot.)

Your precious money will go to good use and will support the band and label ensuring that the bands keep making awesome music as well as ensuring that the labels have the funds to put out the music that these bands are putting out. Support the music guys!

-DZ

Bands To Know: Controlling Evolution

2011-10-01T06:00:00.000-07:00

Well, It's been awhile. After reviewing tons of stuff, posting news, and getting back in touch with this friggin' blog, I decided to make a new BTK. This week I bring you some new blood to the progressive metal scene: Controlling Evolution.
Hailing from my current city of residence, Cleveland, Tennessee, this Three-piece progressive metal group will turn heads for all of you metal lovers. These guys have a spine-shattering technical metal sound, with tough and raw vocals and alternates into a more melodic and jazz/fusion sound, with cleaner vocals finishing up the intensity of the music they play. Their rise is sure to come faster than you know, so get in on this action before everyone else in the world does.

Here are TWO tracks to give you a feel of what you're all missing out of

09 SkullSplitter, Part 1 by Controlling Evolution

04 Caught In The Uproar by Controlling Evolution

Their latest release, In the Wake of Leviathan's Campaign, is available for a Name your fucking price download at their BANDCAMPahhhhhhhhhh
Seriously guys, if you did not listen to either of the songs above, you are extremely fucking stupid.

Links BELOW!

www.Facebook.com/controllingevolution

www.reverbnation.com/controllingevolution

-DZ

Review: Ninety-Six's "Dogs of the Day"

2011-09-26T19:52:00.000-07:00

Traditional Hardcore bands come in two different sounds. It's either a Hardcore band is great, or it's a Hardcore band that sucks. For 96, well. They obviously don't suck. So I'll leave the obvious to you. 96 is a four piece hardcore band from New Jersey. The dudes have shared the stage with bands like Sick of it All, Suicidal Tendencies, and This is Hell. They recently came out with a free E.P. that they put up for download, So I decided to check it out and review it. So with out further ado, Ninety-Six's Dogs of the Day.

The E.P. opens up with Rescue Boat (Dogs of the Day) opening up with this old hard punky riff and some straight forward drums, just speeding out there, The breakdown in the song kinda wasnt my thing, But hey. It opened great. All the sudden, the 54 second jam Hardluck kicks in. My mind leaves me speachless. That is the way hardcore should be. No -waiting for the intro-intros. Just IN YOUR FUCKING FACE STRAIGHT FORWARD DO OR DIE. That's how the intro should be. Always. The next song on here is Lone Wolf. A tad bit slower than the songs on the E.P. but equally as great. Which leave us to the final track: Homesick. A definite anthem for the band. This song is what makes up the release. It has some killer riffs, and just makes me want to bash my face into the wall. The lyrics are catchy, with a simple sentance: "You can try to take me out of the grave but you can’t take the grave outta me" It leaves me with a line that just sticks out of the whole release. By far my favorite lyrics on it

Closing statement: Though the release was only four songs long, and didn't give me TOO much to review for you all, It was something. And that something was classic hardcore with a hint of modern influence, it's kinda like an older version of This is Hell. To be honest, I dig it. A lot. It's rough, the quality doesn't have the best production values. It's just the way it should be. Pure Hardcore.

If you like what you just read and you want to hear this piece of action/download it for FREE Go to 96's Bandcamp! (yes, this is a link. That's why it's highlighted, dumbass.)

-DZ

ANIMALS AS LEADERS Debut New Track! Pre-Orders for WEIGHTLESS Available

2011-09-23T10:09:00.000-07:00

YES YES YES YES YES YES!!!!!!!!!!!

The new Animals as Leaders track, "Isolated Incidents" has been released! Anyone stoked???
Check out the song here

As well as that, Pre orders for Weightless have been announced! Click HERE For the Pre-order options!

Album Review: BLACK TUSK's Set the Dial

2011-09-22T08:18:00.000-07:00

Relapse is just on a roll with the releases they've been coming out with this year. So far this is one of my favorites they have released for 2011. The album opens up with a bit of a sketchy intro that leads to this catchy instrumental opening to the album, to me it honestly sounds kinda.... funky! The track is just this instant blood rusher that is making me anticipate the next song, which hits not too long after. The next track is called "Bring Me Darkness" and is definitely a hell of a track. It opens up with three, simple words. "Six... Six... Six.." repeated a few times. It also has this killer bass riff to fill my interest. The song is definitely reminiscent of previous Black Tusk songs, only BETTER. Next up comes this Mastodon meets Red Fang jam called "Ender of All" The song sounds a bit different, but is definitely one of my favorite songs on the album. It has a few nice hard-rock riffs and killer lyrics, but I can also notice a lot more of a hardcore influence in the song that most of the other tracks.

Track Four on the album is "Mass Devotion", a bit more of a weirder side on the album. The song chills out a little in the beginning, and kicks into a full cut raw piece of fucking meaty ass tunage! This album is just getting better and better. The song definitely shows a different personality portrayed a lot in the album. Next up, "Carved in Stone" an instant kick in the nuts from this pure fucking music. A lot of catchy riffs used in this song. The song seems as if it involves religious state. The next song is the Title Track of the album (kinda. I mean, it's longer. But it's it.) "Set the Dial To Your Doom", A crushing instant threat to your ears. I literally broke into movement and could not refrain from head banging to this song. I definitely see why the album got this name. The album completely passes my expectations immediately at the wake of this track. Just as I thought the album could not possible get any better, the instrumental jam of the album "Resistor" kicks in. With a nice, soft little opening, only to be over ruled by the catchy stomach curling riffs that can easily get stuck in your head. Soon, the end of the song comes, and yet again the soft, melodies of an acoustic guitar (like the one heard in the beginning of the song) occupy me, yet making me wonder what bit of heaviness is about to stomp on my skull.Soon, I wonder no more, as Track Eight, "This Time is Divine" heads in. The song sounds like a more Mastodon meets more Sludge. The next song "Growing Horns" sounds like Bring Me Darkness' fucked up cousin who just made a deal with the devil. Definitely one of my favorite tracks on the album, until the final song on the album, Track Ten, "Crossroads of Thunder" comes along. A full blown southern sounding hardcore sludgy killer that definitely closes an excellent album well.

OVER ALL: Black Tusk's Set the Dial is a Murderous, Crushing work of art. A Masterpiece to be released by one of the best bands in the southern states now. The album is definitely added to the list of my favorites. It has excellent sound, crunchy guitars, and fucked up vocals. And let's not forget the spine shattering Bass that emphasizes the sound on the album!

Metal in Fuckin' Ruins rates this tasty jam a Ten out of Ten stars! For being Heavy, Perfect, and Diverse. The album does not cut out a single instrument and is one of the most peculiar and intense albums of the year! Definitely go to your local record store and buy this when it's released!

This album's release date is set for October 25, 2011. And you can pre order the album at the Relapse Records Official Website!

Until next time friends,
Have a Metal-ass day!

-DZ

Album Review: Dick Delicious and the Tasty Testicles "Vulgar Display of Obscurity"

2011-09-21T06:38:00.000-07:00

I love comedy. I love metal. I love album art that makes fun of Pantera's Vulgar Display of Power.
Another thing I love is reviewing albums for great bands. Which I have here. The album being reviewed today is Vulgar Display of Obscurity, the new release from Comedy Metaller's Dick Delicious and the Tasty Testicles. Lets have a little read in.

The album opens up with a Law and Order feel, an audio sketch entitiled "The Earth Vs. Dick Delicious". Instant laughter kicks as a court session involving Dick Delicious, 57 gallons of semen, and "surprise sex". All the sudden we kick into the song "Viagravated Assault." Catchy name, obviously implying extreme amounts of Viagra used during "surprise sex" with a woman. Which is why "Bitch got him arrested for Viagravated Assault." The song made my 15 year old ass laugh instantly due to the comedic proportions of talking about how big your dick is and Viagra. Another sketch kicks in after the song called "A Message From The Makers of Ciagra" leading to the official end of talking about Viagravated Assault. Then leading into Beer, Shit, Aids, and bad drugs, basically a song about all four of those, combined into one person to make this stupidly funny and inappropriate tune. Next sketch involves Hugh G. Rection and a nice little dutch oven left for a woman he's in bed with. Thus leading us to our next song, "Nothing Says Loving Like A Brutal Dutch Oven" a song about Dutch Ovening women after fucking them (Nice.) The song just leads on into sharting during the dutch oven, not cuddling after sex or "blowing your load." The dudes in DDATTT say no to spooning and yes to Dutch Ovens! Next, we lead into "I won the Drug War" a song clearly sounding like cocaine laced thrash. Excellent tune. Next we kick into a nice little jam called "The Odor of the Floater"..... I think I'll just let you guess about what that ones about. Next comes the song "I Want To Kill the Black Eyed Peas". Yes, it's about killing the Black Eyed Peas. Which is why I love that tune. More short sketch-age comes in called "Pillow Talk". a sketch about not being able to cuddle with a woman after sex. Which is exactly what "Post Coital Cuddling Syndrome" the song following the sketch, is about. It's a nice little soft tune for all you slow lovers out there. Two more sketches come after until we hit "Feed the Homeless To Each other." Which is a great idea, because I'm tired of those fuckers.
This next sketch I like alot because it makes fun of southern people and women. The sketch is called "I'm From Georgia." and it takes us straight into "Retarded Girls" a song about having sex with retarded girls, watching "Merril the retarded chef," and shitting on salad and calling it dressing. Yet another sketch comes (keep in mind this album has 40 tracks...) called "Got Meth?" leading into "Ghetto Biscuits." A song about Meth. MORE Drug refrences are used in the next song "A Friend With Cocaine Is A Good Friend (Until the Cocaine Runs Out)" a Country-ish tune about cocaine. and friends. The Twenty fourth track "I'm on Probation" is about, you guessed it. Being on Probation. Another sketch kicks in about boobs, and leads into a song about more boobs called "Mandatory Breast Augmentation". The next song is about groupies, "Groupies Make The World Go Round" and leads straight to "Huge Sharts in Cincinnati" a funny sharting incident taken place as a crowd asks for an encore that leads to "Clinching When I Should Have Been Pinching", a song about clinching your butthole instead of pinching. Ending with a nice little clapping session from one of the band members. Next is a soft song called "Good Lovin' Gone Brown" a song about you and your lover shitting on eachother (chorus is sung by Constance X [Nashville Pussy chick})
The next sketch is about Dick D. and Hugh G. drinking Jager! kicking into the next tune "Jagermeister (It's Not For Breakfast Anymore)" as tune about the aftermath of the rad softcore drink Jagermeister. Next is "Hormones In The Beef" (+1 for all the Thrashy-ness) Coming up after is "Don't Want No Fingers In My Butt".... Uhm... Alright.
Next up we have a song dedicated to one of the best things out there... "Pornography", the 37th song on the album. "Dilation and Extraction" is the 39th track (following the last skit on the album, "A Band With Benefits (slight return)" the song is about accidentally ejaculating in a woman and getting her pregnant... Uh Oh.
We hit the last track on the album, "How To Clear A Room In 5:44", a sketch involving practically all aspects of the album, including the continuation of I Want To Kill The Black Eyed Peas.

Overall, the album is funny, definitely no Psychostick (this is waaaaaaaaaayyy more vulgar and brutal.)
I honestly dig the album, especially the constant fucking with me on the last track. But I would debate how often I would listen to it. Not that I'm saying I don't like it, but it's no album I would listen to Twenty Times a day everyday.

Metal in Ruins rates this album a 7 1/2 Out of a possible 10 Stars! For being rad, metal, and so damn close to perfect!

Check out the Dick Delicious website HERE and BUY THIS ALBUM PLUS OTHER DDATTT ALBUMS HERE

OBSCURA Has a New Bass Player

2011-09-19T09:32:00.000-07:00

.....and I have one thing to ask of them.... US Tour?

So After a while of searching for that very much needed bassist, OBSCURA Finally found someone to fill the void. Yes, the man above is indeed him. His name is Linus Klausenitzer. The dude has prevoiusly toured with OBSCURA, as well as their recent tour with Children of Bodom and the Devin Townsend Project
The guy is also in a progressive metal piece called NONEUCLID.
Watch this new video that introduces the dude

OBSCURA Have a little string of dates in Asia. For all of you in these areas go check them live!

Sept. 23            Dubai, United Arab Emirates    Ratsky Bar
Sept. 25            Bangkok, Thailand                     The Rock Pub
Sept. 27            Singapore, Singapore                Scape Warehouse
Sept. 29            Jakarta, Indonesia                     Mario’s Place
Sept. 30            Surabaya, Indonesia                  Elbow Café and Music Park
Oct. 1               Medan, Indonesia                       Gudang Serbaguna Prsu Taipan Daya
Oct. 2               Makassar, Indonesia                  Liquid Café Grand Clarion
Oct. 7                 Lichtenfels, Germany                 Way of Darkness Festival

A LIFE ONCE LOST Add New Dates To Fall Tour

2011-09-16T09:22:00.000-07:00

Philadelphia, PA’s A LIFE ONCE LOST have added several individual East coast performances to their upcoming fall touring schedule. The band plans to showcase brand new, never-before-heard music that is set to appear on their upcoming full-length releasing with Season of Mist next spring. These shows are a prime chance to hear the band’s unreleased material before it hits the masses, so make sure to grab your tickets soon at your local venue! See below for a full overview of confirmed dates.

ALOL will close these tour dates with a performance at day two of MetalSucks.net’s inaugural Metal Suckfest in New York City on November 5th, 2011. The Metal Suckfest is a two day festival taking place in New York City at the Gramercy Theater on November 4th and 5th, and will also feature performances by many more of today’s most highly-demanded bands such as Municipal Waste and God Forbid on day one, and Cynic, Obscura and The Red Chord on day two. There are a total of 16 bands currently confirmed for the fest, and more are set to be added soon. To get your tickets for Metal Suckfest, head to LiveNation.com now.

ANIMALS AS LEADERS Release Album Art For WEIGHTLESS!

2011-09-15T09:38:00.000-07:00

Weightless Track Listing:

1. An Infinite Regression
2. Odessa
3. Somnarium
4. Earth Departure
5. Isolated Incidents
6. Do Not Go Gently
7. New Eden
8. Cylindrical Sea
9. Espera
10. To Lead You To An Overwhelming Question
11. Weightless
12. David

Check it! This is the official cover art for the most badass proggresive-instrumental band ANIMALS AS LEADERS!!! You like?!

The guys are releasing this Novembahh 8th. So get your wallets ready for the action that is WEIGHTLESS.

Catch AaL on tour now! They just began their current tour yesterday!

ANIMALS AS LEADERS on tour:9/14      Berlin, Germany - Magnet *
9/15      Hamburg, Germany - Logo *
9/16      Amsterdam, Netherlands - Melkweg *
9/17      Cologne, Germany - Underground *
9/18      Antwerp, Belgium - Trix *
9/20      London, UK - Underworld *
9/21      London, UK - Underworld *
9/22      Manchester, England - Moho Live
9/23      Glasgow, Scotland - King Tuts
9/24      Leeds, England - Cockpit
9/25      Birmingham, England - Academy 3
9/26      Bristol, England - Academy 2
9/27      Cardiff, England - Clwb Ifor Bach
9/28      Helsinki, Finland - Nosturia
9/29      St. Petersburg, Russia - Kosmanavt
9/30       Moscow, Russia - Plan B
10/27    Charlotte, NC - The Fillmore*
10/28    Silver Springs, MD - The Fillmore Silver Springs*
10/29    Asbury Park, NJ - The Stone Pony*
10/30    Boston, MA - House Of Blues^
11/1      Richmond, VA - Hat Factory*
11/2      Myrtle Beach, SC - House Of Blues*
11/3      Tampa, FL - The Ritz Ybor*
11/4      Ft. Lauderdale, FL - Revolution*
11/5      Orlando, FL - The Beacham*
11/6      Birmingham, AL - Zydeco*
11/8      Indianapolis, IN - Egyptian Room @ Old*
11/9      Cleveland, OH - House Of Blues*
11/10    Detroit, MI - St. Andrews Hall*
11/11    Chicago, IL - House Of Blues*
11/12    Cincinnati, OH - Bogart's*
11/13    St. Louis, MO - The Pageant*
11/15    Little Rock, AR - Juanita's*
11/16    New Orleans, LA - House Of Blues*
11/17    Houston, TX - House Of Blues*
11/18    Dallas, TX - House Of Blues*
11/19    Austin, TX - Emo's Outside*
11/20    San Antonio, TX - Backstage Live*
11/22    Tucson, AZ - Rialto Theatre*
11/23    Las Vegas, NV - House Of Blues*
11/25    Anaheim, CA - House Of Blues*
11/26    Los Angeles, CA - House Of Blues*
11/27    San Francisco, CA - The Fillmore*
11/29    Boise, ID - Knitting Factory Concert*
11/30    Spokane, WA - Knitting Factory Concert*
12/1      Calgary, AB - The Republik*
12/2      Edmonton, AB - Starlite Room*
12/3      Saskatoon, SK - Louis' Pub*
12/4      Winnipeg, MB - Garrick Centre*
12/6      Pittsburgh, PA - Altar Bar *
12/7      Toronto, ON - Phoenix Concert Theatre*
12/8      Montreal, QC - Club Soda*
12/9      Clifton Park, NY - Northern Lights*
12/10    Philadelphia, PA - Theatre of Living Arts*
* w/ BTBAM & Tesseract
^ w/ BTBAM, Cave In, The Red Chord, & Tesseract

AS I LAY DYING Announce New Album Details AND

2011-09-14T10:17:00.000-07:00

the details of their upcoming release Decas and the "A Decade of Destruction" tour; both coinciding with the band's 10-year anniversary. With over 1,000,000 units sold in the U.S. in just less than 10 years, San Diego metal act AS I LAY DYING will celebrate this milestone with the very special release Decas, available November 8 in North America, November 7 in the UK & Europe, and November 4 in GAS. Decas celebrates the band's accomplishments by offering three brand new songs, cover songs that pay homage to just a few of the bands that have influenced AS I LAY DYING, and remixes by INNERPARTYSYSTEM, Benjamin Weinman, Kelly "Carnage" Cairns, and Big Chocolate.

Go HERE to check out a video of the band talking about the upcoming Decas release and A Decade of Destruction tour.

Decas tracklisting:
1. Paralyzed
2. From Shapeless to Breakable
3. Moving Forward
4. War Ensemble (Slayer cover)
5. Hellion (Judas Priest Cover)
6. Electric Eye (Judas Priest Cover)
7. Coffee Mug (Descendents cover)
8. Beneath the Encasing of Ashes (Re-Recorded Medley)
9. The Blinding of False Light (Innerpartysystem Remix)
10. Wrath Upon Ourselves (Benjamin Weinman Remix)
11. Confined (Kelly "Carnage" Cairns Remix)
12. Elegy (Big Chocolate Remix)

In conjunction with the band's 10th anniversary and the release of Decas, AS I LAY DYING will finish off 2011 with a national headlining tour that will include selections spanning the band's career. Joining AS I LAY DYING on A Decade of Destruction tour are special guests Of Mice and Men, The Ghost Inside, iwrestledabearonce, and Sylosis. A Decade of Destruction kicks off on November 30 in Long Island, NY and wraps up in the band's hometown, San Diego, on December 16.

*Tickets go on sale the weekend of Sept 17/18
AS I LAY DYING
10/01 Quebec, QC Envol Et Macadam
A Decade of Destruction Tour
AS I LAY DYING & special guests Of Mice and Men, The Ghost Inside, iwrestledabearonce, and Sylosis
11/30 Long Island, NY The Paramount
12/01 Philadelphia, PA Trocadero Theatre
12/02 Sayreville, NJ Starland Ballroom
12/03 Worcester, MA Palladium
12/04 Washington, DC 9:30 Club
12/05 Nashville, TN Rocketown
12/06 Chicago, IL House of Blues
12/07 Minneapolis, MN First Avenue
12/08 Kansas City, MO Beaumont
12/09 Dallas, TX The Door
12/10 San Antonio, TX Backstage Live
12/11 Lubbock, TX Lonestar Center
12/13 Albuquerque, NM Sunshine Theater
12/14 Scottsdale, AZ Venue Of Scottsdale
12/15 Las Vegas, NV House of Blues
12/16 San Diego, CA SOMA

ABYSMAL DAWN and Metal Injection Team Up For Fan Video Contest

2011-09-14T09:57:00.000-07:00

Los Angeles, CA’s death metal powerhouse, ABYSMAL DAWN has partnered with Metal Injection to launch a worldwide fan video contest for the song “My Own Savior” off their new album ‘Leveling The Plane of Existence’. The contest runs until October 31st and interested fans can obtain details and prize information here.

States guitarist/vocalist Charles Elliott: "We were approached recently about doing a fan video contest and thought it was a great way to let fans show us their own visual interpretations of our music. The song is about renewal, becoming a stronger person and taking control of your own destiny in your darkest times. You only have one savior you need to believe in and that's yourself. Good luck to all those that enter!"

WHITE ARMS OF ATHENA Astrodrama Winners!

2011-09-14T09:19:00.001-07:00

Not too long ago, we did a contest giving TWO LUCKY PEOPLE a copy of White Arms of Athenas' new album Astrodrama for the price of nothing. last night I chose who deserves this piece of action. And since I'm not a liar, they were mailed and are awaiting the opportunity to shine and be brought to the most bad-ass CD owner ever! So congrats to Matt G. And Brad W. for being the lucky winners. The two of you seemed to be the most supportive and deserved this. To those who entered and didnt win, I'm sorry. But hey, it's all good. It's not like thats our last contest!

ANIMALS AS LEADERS Releases New Album Details...And Names a Song After Me

2011-09-09T10:28:00.000-07:00

Good news, I have yet to get in trouble at school for wearing my rad A Life Once Lost shirt with a marijuana leaf on it. Oh, plus Animals as Leaders released new album details.
All this AaL talk is making me saucy, so lets read in on this.
The album was produced by drummer, Navene Koperweis and ANIMALS AS LEADERS, and mixed by guitarist Javier Reyes. As said before, the album is scheduled for release here in the states on November 8th, and will ensure the fact I will die happy. The song names and track orders are listed below.

Animals As Leaders' Weightless track listing
1. An Infinite Regression
2. Odessa
3. Somnarium
4. Earth Departure
5. Isolated Incidents
6. Do Not Go Gently
7. New Eden
8. Cylindrical Sea
9. Espera
10. To Lead You To An Overwhelming Question
11. Weightless
12. David

Oh, how I love you Animals as Leaders. What with your amazing harmonies, technicalities, and your Tosin Abasi. You make me feel... shall I say "Weightless".

2011-09-08T10:16:00.000-07:00

The one and only brutal ass metal label that never dissapoints me the slightest what-so-fuckingEVER (WILLOWTIP) Has officially planned out the rest of the years album releases and their dates. So here they are, Check this out!

October 18th sees the release of TWO Willowtip releases, Natural Causes by Austrailian Progressive Metal band ALARUM, as well as Aykroyd, the new album from Canada's instrumental act ELECTRO QUARTERSTAFF

November 1st has the thrill of being the date for the release of ILLCOLOGIST 's new album The Unconsciousness of Living.

On November 15th, the brutallity that is VILE releases their album Metamorphasis. (Hellyeah!)

and finally DIM MAK's The Emergence of Reptilian Altars sees it's release. Ensuring complete global destruction and chaos.

If you enjoy what you see and wish to hear some of these fine, new tunes, be stoked that a song from every upcoming release is available to stream or can be downloaded FO FREE! at Willowtip's bandcamp page (just click the red link. You know you want to...)

CANNIBAL CORPSE Finally Enters The Studio

2011-09-06T12:45:00.001-07:00

CANNIBAL CORPSE enters Sonic Ranch studio in Texas with producer Erik Rutan Cannibal Corpse has begun recording their twelfth studio album at Sonic Ranch studios Texas with producer Erik Rutan. The band ha spent months writing the album and has recorded at Sonic Ranch in the past, but nev with Rutan at the helm. More details on the album, including art, songs, title and more w be revealed in the months to follow. For now the band is hard at work forging their next death metal offering.

Metal in Ruins Contest: Win White Arms of Athena's ASTRODRAMA

2011-09-03T08:09:00.001-07:00

Incase you all didnt know, the kickassedness that is White Arms of Athena released their debut album ASTRODRAMA not too long ago. And since David got a pretty little package from the awesome guys at Prosthetic Records, I'm giving two (2) of you nice viewers the opportunity to own this piece of action if you already dont! Here's how to enter:

1) If you haven't liked these guys on facebook. Do so now.
http://www facebook.com/WhiteArms

2) E-Mail me at davidmetalinruins[at]gmail.com
with the subject "white arms contest"

3) in this e-mail, explain why you want this CD and why you love this.band. (show some support for the dudes, asshole.)
*ALL E-MAILS WITHOUT A FULL ADDRESS GIVEN AT THE END WILL BE DISQUALIFIED. NO EXCEPTIONS*

4) wait untill September 14th to see if your ass wins! (we'll put your pretty name in a special post.)

Until then take the time to browse around our Mayhem Fest Press Coverage!!!
(just look around the site. You'll find the stuff)

Untill then friends, let the games begin!!!

TRIVIUM 8.12 Mayhem Fest Coverage

2011-09-02T09:32:00.000-07:00

Well, so it's come to this. The FINAL 2011 Mayhem Fest picture collection. Here, we display the openers of the Rockstar Mayhem Festival Main Stage: TRIVIUM. So hang around and enjoy this exclusive group of live photos.

*click photo to see a larger version*