"Sorry, Dudes, My Bad,"

So where the hell have I been? Parties, friends, everything in between. Until I can catch up, check out the AP.net best of 1008 list right myah. It has over 150 best of lists from staff, to labels, to bands.

The Lamb Of God Wrath Map

First the in studio videos, and now this. Lamb of God have a Google Earth sort of configuration that allows you to plot your place on it and upload a photo and your thoughts on the song or anything else. The prognosis thus far is global domination, mark your place on the Wrath map, and assist the cause.

Just Like The Good Ole' Days

The first track from New Found Glory's upcoming album Not Without A Fight can now be seen below.  



This song could be "My Friends Over You part 2" for a number of reasons, but mainly because its totally awesome. I was right in my hope that this album would be more like the music that got me to love music like I do. I can already imagine blasting this cd with my windows down on the first warm spring day.

Presenting: Lamb of God - Contractor

Unlike the live concert video that has given us our previous peeks at the new Lamb of God, finally we have a near studio quality rip of a new track off of one the most anticipated albums of 2009. Be amazed by "Contractor".

Watch more YouTube videos on AOL Video

 This whole album is gonna be a shark attack. (Oh, and there's album art too).

New Taking Back Sunday

Be appalled by a new Taking Back Sunday song.  I was hoping that the loss of Fred wouldn't leave the band devoid of awesomeness, however, given this new song, it seems that TBS has lost their luster.  Does anyone like this song?

Punk Goes Pop 2 Tracklisting

This is gonna be awesome.  The tracklisting for Punk Goes Pop 2 has been released, and it's totally badass.

Alesana- "What Goes Around...Comes Around" by Justin Timberlake
Attack Attack- "I Kissed a Girl" by Katy Perry
August Burns Red- "...Baby One More Time" by Britney Spears
Bayside- "Beautiful Girls" by Sean Kingston
Breathe Carolina- "See You Again" by Miley Cyrus
The Cab- "Disturbia" by Rihanna
A Day To Remember- "Over My Head (Cable Car)" by The Fray
Escape The Fate- "Smooth" by Rob Thomas
Four Year Strong- "Love Song" by Sara Bareilles
Mayday Parade- "When I Grow Up" by Pussycat Dolls
Silverstein- "Apologize" by One Republic
A Static Lullaby- "Toxic" by Britney Spears
There For Tomorrow- "Ice Box" by Omarion

I'm exited as hell for this.  My love for pop covers runs deep, and imagining what some of these bands are gonna do to some of these songs has me giddy.  I can hear Bayside's version of "Beautiful Girls" in my head already.  It's gonna be a long wait till March 10th (that's when the album comes out.   See what I did there?)

More Best of 2008: Pitchfork

If you been paying attention to my blog than you understand my feelings twoard Pitchfork (hint: they aren't good).  However since I promised comprehensive best of coverage, you can find their list here.

More Best of 2008

James Montgomery already released his list of the best songs of 2008, now here is his list for the best albums of 2008.  Discussion encouraged.  

Instant Inspiration: Criteria

The "Instant Insperation" tags are for songs that might randomly come up on shuffle (or just get stuck in head) that no matter what the circumstances just really juice me the fuck up: the following is such a song. Not only is thia song totally awesome, but despite its simplicity, it's one of the best music videos I've ever seen too. It's very possible that Criteria are one of the best alt rock bands that you've never heard; and if you have heard of them, why haven't you told your friends...dick.

It's a shame that this band has fallen into relative obscurity. If you like this song, you'll definately like the rest of their album. Pick it up at you local record store or get it on Amazon.

More New Lamb of God Videos

A new fan video of a new Lamb of God song allegedley called "Fake Messiah" has been posted on youtube.

This shit sounds sick. I can't think of any more ways to express how stoked I am for this album than I already have.

Pitchfork Best Songs of 2008

Though I'm often skeptical and critical of Pitchfork, I figured I'd link to their very comprehensive list of best tracks of 2008.  Check it out myah.

Senses Fail Tour Update

From Senses Fail's Myspace:

National tour dates were announced today for Saints & Sinners, one of the most cutting edge music tours of 2009, featuring Hollywood Undead, Senses Fail, Haste the Day and Brokencyde. The tour kicks off on February 27, 2009 in Fort Lauderdale, FL at Revolution with more dates to be announced soon. Saints & Sinners tickets go on sale beginning December 12th and are available at www.livenation.com.



I'm not sure how Senses Fail and Haste The Day got roped into this tour, but I hope they're getting a lot of money for it.  I guess Senses Fail and Haste The Day can hang out and Hollywood Undead and Brokencyde can kick each other in the balls and do drugs with prostitutes.

Between the Buried and Me Writing New Material

According to a Lambgoat post, Between the Buried and Me are at their practice space in Winston-Salem writing new material.  Sweet.

Decibel Best of 2008

The blackmetalheads at Decible have put together their list of the best albums of 2008.  I don't know much about many of these bands, but Gojira is awesome.

Decible Magazines Best of 2008:

40. Coffins - Buried Death

39. Withered - Folie Circulaire

38. Graveyard - Graveyard

37. North - What You Were

36. Decrepit Birth - Diminishing Between Worlds

35. Witch - Paralyzed

34. Aura Noir - Hades Rise

33. Cynic - Traced In Air

32. Meshuggah -obZen (Edit: I recommend)

31. V/A - This Comp Kills Facists Vol. 1

30. Samothrace - Life's Trade

29. Blacklisted - Heavier Than Heaven, Lonlier Than God

28. Bloodbath - The Fathomless Mastery

27. Testament - The Formation of Damnation

26. 5ive - Hesperus

25. Hennes Siste Host - Host

24. Gridlink - Amber Gray

23. Trap Them - Seizures in Barren Praise 

22. Hour 0f 13 - Hour of 13

21. Hail of Bullets - Of Frost and War

20. Intronaut - Prehistoricisms

19. Gods and Queens - Gods and Queens

18. Toxic Holocaust - An Overdose of Death

17. Esoteric - The Maniacal Vale

16. Enslaved - Vertebrae

15. Gojira - The Way of All Flesh (Edit: I recommend)

14. Pyramids - Pyramids

13. Amon Amarth - Twilight of the Thunder God (Edit: I recommend)

12. Krallice - Krallice

11. Harvey Milk - Life...The Best Game In Town

10. Disfear - Live the Storm

9. Made Out of Babies - The Ruiner

8. Wetnurse - Invisible City

7. Origin - Antithesis 

6. Rotten Sound - Cycles

5. The Gates of Slumber - Conqueror

4. Opeth - Watershed

3. Genghis Tron - Board Up the House

2. Nachtmystium - Assassins: Black Meddle Part 1

1. Torche - Meanderthal

There ya go...What do you think?

Last.fm Best Of

This will be one of the most interesting "best of" lists simply because it is not a list composed by a few people, rather hundreds of thousands of people.  Compiled using plays as votes, this is a list of the most listened to artists, songs, and albums of 2008 by last.fm users.  The downside is that there isn't any merit other than popularity, therefore coldplay whoops everyone else's ass (spoiler alert).  If this angers you as much as it does me, then sign up for last.fm and help make next year better.  Check out the lists myah.

Best Inventions

Here is Time magazines list of the best inventions of 2008.  Some pretty cool stuff on that list.

Horrible Tour

I just tried to write something funny in hopes that this is a joke, but the reality that it might be true is too horrible for words.  

More Best of Lists

I'm currently agonizing over my best of 2008 list.  I'm seriously considering coping out and just doing a "Listen to these albums" sort of deal, rather than going through the personal and social agony of listing the best albums on a "1 through 10" scale.  Regardless of what kind of list I end up creating, I would invite anyone who feels so inclined to submit a list as well.  If you read this blog often enough to consider submitting a list, then chances are you might have a couple of gems that got released this year that all the rest of us would benifit from hearing. 

I created this blog to try and provide a one sided version of the converstation that music enthusaists have whenever they talk, and I would be doing my original goal a sever disservce to not invite all of you dear readers to join in on the conversation.  I'll be posting more best of lists as they come in.  

Enjoy your last bits of 2008!  Start making your New Years Eve mixes now (and if you already have a good one, what's on it).

More Mastodon Album Details

More details about Mastodon's upcoming album Crack The Skye have been reveled.

From Blabbermouth:

Patrizia Mazzuoccolo of the "Tinitus" radio show, which airs every Wednesday on Norway's NRK P3, spoke to MASTODON drummer Brann Dailor in late November prior the band's concert in Oslo as part of the"Unholy Alliance: Chapter III" tour with SLAYER, TRIVIUM and AMON AMARTH. 

Although MASTODON's new album, "Crack The Skye", is a conceptual piece in the same vein as the band's previous releases, it is not about air but "ether." "The whole story has little to do with what the album emotionally is really about," clarifies Dailor. "But everything in the lyrics and the story is metaphors. We wanted to stick with elements and we wanted to do the 'ether' record. Ether is what the soul is made out of and it took a few months to connect all the dots."

Dailor goes on to explain the "Crack The Skye" concept: "There is a paraplegic and the only way that he can go anywhere is if he astral travels. He goes out of his body, into outer space and a bit like Icarus, he goes too close to the sun, burning off the golden umbilical cord that is attached to his solar plexus. So he is in outer space and he is lost, he gets sucked into a wormhole, he ends up in the spirit realm and he talks to spirits telling them that he is not really dead. So they send him to the Russian cult, they use him in a divination and they find out his problem. They decide they are going to help him. They put his soul insideRasputin's body. Rasputin goes to usurp the czar and he is murdered. The two souls fly out of Rasputin's body through the crack in the sky(e) and Rasputin is the wise man that is trying to lead the child home to his body because his parents have discovered him by now and think that he is dead. Rasputin needs to get him back into his body before it's too late. But they end up running into the Devil along the way and the Devil tries to steal their souls and bring them down…there are some obstacles along the way."

The title track, "Crack The Skye", features vocals by Scott Kelly ofNEUROSIS. "We heard Scott's voice all over that track," Dailor says. "It's really NEUROSIS-sounding and then when it became the title track, in particular vocally and lyrically it had a lot to do with Skye so it made it even more perfect that Scott would be doing the verses on it just because he is very familiar with that tremendous loss, suicide, stuff like that…"

The album, due out for release in March 2009, is a dark conglomeration of musical as well as conceptual layers. "'Crack The Skye' means a number of different things," Dailor offers. "You'd probably get a different answer from the other members of the band as to what the meaning of it is and I can also come up with three different ones. The main one for me would be (that) Skye was my sister’s name and she died when I was 15. She was 14, she killed herself and it changed my life. When we started working on the material, I knew that Brent [MASTODON singer/guitarist Brent Hinds] was coming from a deeper place musically. He was shaken up from his accident in Las Vegas, was traumatized by that and I think that has a lot to do with the sound of the record. He is pretty emotive with the guitar and from that depression he was in came a lot of that material — kind of slow and spaced out, real psychedelic. I could see that there was something a lot deeper going on so it was the perfect opportunity lyrically to dig a little deeper myself into some demons in the past and I'd never really gone there before; you know, it's a touchy subject. But I felt that with the songs being the way they were that it was the perfect opportunity to get rid of some stuff myself… the 'Crack in the Skye' is the moment you realize that that person is gone."

Exclusive excerpts from the interview were originally aired on the November 26, 2008 edition of "Tinitus". The show is now available on podcast at this location.

Clipse Push Pitchfork's Shit In

Few things are sweeter than having something you like totally and justifiably rock the hell out of something you don't like. 

From The Daily Swarm:

Hiphop from its genesis was a meritocracy—a bunch of dudes lined up in a sweatbox trying to outshine the next man. Their aim wasn’t MTV rotation or club spins; it was renown around their hoods. While the technology has improved and the production has gotten more sophisticated, we still approach our music with that same purity. We rap about things we’ve done and seen, and we aim to tell the story in a unique and intriguing way. Our critical success and uncommonly loyal fanbase stand as evidence. We don’t count any perceived lack of club visibility as a shortcoming. In fact, it’s a source of pride, that we’ve managed to endure over a decade without pandering, without compromising, without deviating from our signature sound.

It’s very hard to swallow a review wherein the author slams the album for a full paragraph, but then backs off, saying ‘I’m mostly just quibbling here.’ Well, if you’re admitting the criticism is unimportant and misaimed, what then is the intent? The Clipse have smashed the mixtape circuit for years with the untouchable We Got it 4 Cheap series. That’s indisputable. And the Clipse are gonna come with it like nobody’s ever heard with our ’09 official studio release, Till the Casket Drops. As a major label release, it’ll have the energy and polish to merit full-bore scrutiny. We invite Tom Breihan and anyone else to focus that critical gaze on it; we’re certain it’ll shine. And by the way, that snide remark about Play Cloths; unless everyone who’s seen, bought, and fawned over the line is lying to us, we seem to have a fashion staple in the works. We’ll take that kind of unilateral reception any day, with (dis)respect to Breihan’s flawed fashion sense. Stick to music, Tom. Well, maybe not our music.

Every Time I Die Sign To Epitaph, Epitaph Headquarters Developes Own Gravitational Pull

I don't know how I missed this and I'm not going to spend time lamenting on how pissed I am that I missed it, but Every Time I Die has signed to Epitaph, and for my money Epitaph has one of the Gnarliest rosters in music right now, period.  Check it out.

So many of the bands that are playing today are playing music because of the bands on Epitaphs roster.  The music scene would be painfully bleak/shitty if it weren't for these bands.  With the exception of a small few, you can't find a band or even mediocore band on this label.  Check them all out, they're all worth your time.  

A Day To Remember, Devil Wears Prada Tour

Tour dates for the upcoming A Day To Remember, The Devil Wears Prada tour can be found myah.  I'm sure ADTR will be playing lots of new stuff on this tour.

Bad News For Postal Service Fans

I know we all hoped it would happen, or that it was happening under our noses, but apparently Ben Gibbard and Jimmy Tamborello don't care enough about us to do another Postal Service record.

From Rolling Stone:

"No update. It’s the record that never seems to want to come out. It’s also just never been a priority for either Jimmy [Tamborello, Postal Service co-founder] or myself. The anticipation of the second record has been a far bigger deal for everybody except the two of us. [...] I don’t know about it being the indie-rockChinese Democracy but now that Chinese Democracy has come out, I guess it just becomes the second Postal Service record that will never come out. There never really was a plan to do a second album. We work from time to time together but we have other things that take up all of our time."

Ohh well.  

Throwdown Announce "Deathless" As Album Title, Switch Drummers and Record Labels

Throwdown have switched drummer (disappointing, Ben Dussalt was awesome), and signed to KOCH records, press release below:

"Throwdown and KOCH Records have joined forces. The band will begin recording Deathless, their first album under this new deal, in early 2009.

"Signing with KOCH Records is a breath of fresh air for us," said Throwdown frontman Dave Peters. "KOCH looks at their artists in a progressive way and can see that what we've given a decade of our lives to build is still far from completion. It's no mystery that the music industry is caught in upheaval right now. We're confident in the mutual autonomy of KOCH and Throwdown to come together and not only weather the storm, but thrive in it."

"I am thrilled to add Throwdown to the growing KOCH Metal roster and am looking forward to putting out what is surely one of the most anticipated releases of 2009," says KOCH Records VP of Metal Scott Givens. "The band is poised to claim a major stake in the American metal scene and we are thrilled that they have chosen KOCH to be their partners."

The largest independent record label in the United States, KOCH is home to recent releases from Throwdown's friends and touring mates In Flames and Hatebreed, and has recently signed both Satyricon and High On Fire.

"We look forward to the continued development of our relationship with KOCH and the opportunity to be included with the wealth of talent on their roster," added Throwdown bass player Mark Mitchell.

Throwdown recently completed touring behind their last album, Venom & Tears, which was produced by the band with Mudrock (Avenged Sevenfold, Chimaira). The past two years saw them on the road with Korn (Australia), Killswitch Engage (Canada), Cavalera Conspiracy (U.S.), Machine Head/Arch Enemy (U.S.), headlining the Ernie Ball stage on the Vans Warped Tour, hitting major European festivals like Download UK, and headlining a U.S. tour of their own.

Revolver called Throwdown's last album the band's "most metallic," combining "the hateful groove of Sepultura and Pantera." Outburn elaborated further: "This is a much more expansive, daring record, featuring longer songs and a greater diversity of influences while retaining that core pummeling heaviness the band has built its rep upon."

The band is in the writing stages now for Deathless, which promises to be even more dynamic and pulverizing than the last one. Deathless will be the band's fourth album with Peters as frontman and primary songwriter, its second with Choiniere (who joined the band in 2005) and first with Mitchell. Drummer Jarrod Alexander (ex-Death By Stereo), who performed on the band's breakthrough Haymaker album in 2003, will return to work on Deathless.

"Mark Choiniere and I have been writing material on our own time for months now," Peters explained. "We have a great head start on the writing process. It's always hard to say how the songs will ultimately evolve. You think it's going one way and the slightest idea or change turns it into a whole other animal. The mix of riffs and loose song skeletons we have right now is a lot more eclectic at this phase than it was for any of our other records."

Throwdown has spent the last several years touring relentlessly. Ozzfest (2004), Sounds Of The Underground (2005), Vans Warped Tour (2006 & 2007), Black Dahlia Murder (co-headline), and several other headlining and support tours across the globe including packages with Lamb Of God, Fear Factory, As I Lay Dying and more.

In the coming weeks, the band will announce who will be producing and mixing Deathless."

When I dug a little deeper into the Throwdown situation I found a post that Dave Peters made regarding Trustkill Records, also printed below:

Throwdown has always and will always be a band for our fans before anyone else.

So it is with great regret that we find ourselves in a situation where we are left with no alternative but to air out years of dirty laundry with Josh Grabelle of Trustkill Records for our fans to read and become as disappointed by as we are.

Several months ago we were forced to send Trustkill Records a “breach of contract” notice (despite the legal fees involved for us with such action) and our “breach of contract” was not cured within the 30 days legally allotted. Trustkill has been in this current breach with Throwdown (it’s not the first time) since March 31, 2008. By his own accounting, Josh currently owes the band tens of thousands of dollars in unpaid royalties for CDs sold. We have not once in the history of our relationship with the label received a royalty payment on time. And now that our three album contract with him is fulfilled, we are not hopeful that will change.

It should be said that our relationship with Josh Grabelle started very positively. We were friends before entering into a business relationship and there was a sense of camaraderie between us and several of the bands on the Trustkill roster. As years passed, however, we saw that not only was Josh driving the label in a direction that none of us could respect, he was developing habits that diminished any trust we once had in him and often left us in a variety of compromising situations.

For example, we were forced to cancel dates on the Vans Warped Tour in 2006 when the necessary and agreed upon tour support to put gas in our van wasn’t delivered on time as promised. Trustkill’s failure to make payments on time during the making of our newest album, Venom & Tears, left us wondering how we would pay our rent and bills. Our producer nearly stopped the recording process after Josh and Rob Dippold at Trustkill repeatedly promised to pay him and repeatedly failed to deliver on time.

Please know that we are not “rock stars” looking to be pampered. In order to do Ozzfest in 2004, we took out a loan from one of our family members and gave up mechanical royalties for six months in exchange for the opportunity — the rest of the money Trustkill has been able to recoup from our artist royalties. It was a wise investment. Ozzfest was great for us, and one we made on our own as you can see. We just want what is owed and what is fair and when it is due according to the terms of our contract.

These stories are the very tip of the iceberg and emblematic of our experience with Trustkill. Josh Grabelle consistently attempted to patronize and dismiss our concerns by calling us the band that ‘was
never happy with anything [I] do’, a tactic we quickly realized was used with several other bands as well. Bands do talk when they see each other and it is a shame that the same camaraderie we felt with a variety of bands from all over the country on his label is now present for very different and undesirable reasons.

We know that our band is not alone. Whether more bands with records on Trustkill choose to make public statements as Hopesfall, Bleeding Through and now our band has done is of course their prerogative.

In spite of our hard and often ill-funded work on the road, in the rehearsal space and in the studio, we were told by Josh that we needed to be willing to sacrifice now and then. There is not a single word
that better represents what we have been forced to do under the Trustkill umbrella these past few years — sacrifice.

We truly feel that if Josh Grabelle would see the bands on Trustkill as actual groups of people with the same needs as him or anyone else versus a simple account or bill to be pushed to the side of the desk in his beautiful suburban home, then we would not be here today writing this unsightly account and maybe even have remained friends with him.

For the sake of new bands signing with Trustkill records, we sincerely hope that Josh can adopt such a perspective and begin to rebuild his label. And we hope that by making this situation public, Josh will be
motivated to get his business in order and set things right with Throwdown and everyone else who has been burned by the increasingly difficult situation.

With love and respect to all of those who support us and touring musicians around the world,

Throwdown

I'm glad Throwdown has moved on, but it sucks that some really good bands have gotten caught in the tank treads because of Josh Grabelle's irresponsibility.  A band like BEDlight For BLUEeyes, that put out two great records but got virtually no support from Trustkill as a label has now broken up.  Who knows where bands like them or Love Is Red would be had they had more label support. Ohh well.  

News Coming tommorow

Lots of posts coming tommorow (or later today I suppose).  Just a little too tired tonight.  

Craig Owens Solo Tour

SHIT.  This isn't coming to VA.  

If you get a chance, go see this tour.  I haven't heard Craig Owens solo stuff, but I'm sure it won't dissapoint.  I can vouch for the radness of Ace Enders, The Gay Blades, and the Color Fred though.

New Thursday Single

So, I'm a little late on this, my bad. You can stream the new Thursday single on their myspace.

Best of 2008 lists

As the best of lists from this past year start to roll in, I'll post them on the blog.  Best of lists are one of the best ways to find new good music, and hopefully after reviewing the lists, you'll find a couple of new artists that you like.  I know that this has been a very fruitful year of music discovery for me.  

The first two to go up are James Montgomery from MTV's best songs of 2008 list, and Rolling Stones best of 2008 list (Normally I hate Rolling Stone, but their list is somewhat bearable this year).  

James Montgomery's List.

Rolling Stone's List:

1 | TV on the Radio: Dear Science

2 | Bob Dylan: Tell Tale Signs — The Bootleg
      Series Vol. 8

3 | Lil Wayne: Tha Carter III

4 | My Morning Jacket: Evil Urges

5 | John Mellencamp: Life, Death, Love
      and Freedom

6 | Santogold: Santogold

7 | Coldplay: Viva la Vida or
       Death and All His Friends

8 | Beck: Modern Guilt

9 | Metallica: Death Magnetic

10 | Vampire Weekend: Vampire Weekend

11 | Fleet Foxes: Fleet Foxes

12 | Guns n' Roses: Chinese Democracy

13 | Blitzen Trapper: Furr

14 | Ryan Adams and the Cardinals: Cardinology

15 | The Black Keys: Attack & Release

16 | Randy Newman: Harps and Angels

17 | B.B. King: One Kind Favor

18 | Lucinda Williams: Little Honey

19 | Erykah Badu: New Amerykah: Part 1
      (4th World War)

20 | Kings of Leon: Only by the Night

21 | Kaiser Chiefs: Off With Their Heads

22 | Jackson Browne: Time the Conquerer

23 | Conor Oberst: Conor Oberst

24 | Girl Talk: Feed the Animals

25 | The Magnetic Fields: Distortion

26 | Mudcrutch: Mudcrutch

27 | Brian Wilson: That Lucky Old Sun

28 | The Knux: Remind Me in Three Days...

29 | Bon Iver: For Emma, Forever Ago

30 | Duffy: Rockferry

31 | MGMT: Oracular Spectacular

32 | Jamey Johnson: The Lonesome Song

33 | Ne-Yo: Year of the Gentleman

34 | Stephen Malkmus: Real Emotional Trash

35 | Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds: Dig,
      Lazarus, Dig!!!

36 | The Hold Steady: Stay Positive

37 | Nine Inch Nails: The Slip

38 | Ra Ra Riot: The Rhumb Line

39 | Taylor Swift: Fearless

40 | Jonas Brothers: A Little Bit Longer

41 | AC/DC: Black Ice

42 | David Byrne and Brian Eno: Everything
       That Happens Will Happen Today

43 | Nas: Untitled

44 | The Raconteurs: Consolers of the Lonely

45 | Be Your Own Pet: Get Awkward

46 | The Academy Is...: Fast Times at
      Barrington High

47 | Of Montreal: Skeletal Lamping

48 | Raphael Saadiq: The Way I See It

49 | Hot Chip: Made in the Dark

50 | No Age: Nouns

What do you think?  Any that they missed?  Love it? Hate it?  I think Rolling Stone had some good ones, but generally sucked it up pretty hard.  

Three Good Things

This, this, and because of the post number...this.  

August Burns Red Carol of the Bells

Though they posted it a couple of weeks ago, I feel I should let you know (in case you didn't) that August Burns Red has posted their excruciatingly badass version of "Carol of the Bells" on their myspace.  You can buy the track on iTunes, or buy Tooth and Nails recently released seasonal compilation X Christmas (dumb name, I know).  

Dillinger Escape Plan Genius

If you think that The Dillinger Escape Plan suck, THIS is why you're wrong.  Ben Weinman is a genius.  These would make pretty good christmas gifts...just sayin....

Another Lamb of God Video

There's another video online of Lamb of God playing their new song of Wrath.  However the song is not called "Overhauled" as originially thought; the name of the track is Dead Seeds.  Check the video below:

New He Is Legend

You can view a video of He Is Legend playing a song off their upcoming album below:

If you've never been a He Is Legend fan, don't be put off by the video. Simply go listen to I Am Hollywood and Suck Out The Poison and then wait for the new album like the rest of us.

If you are a He Is Legend fan, pay no attention to Schyuler's vocal antics and wait for the end of the song.

Darkest Hour Interview

Well, it's not really an interview, it's a studio update, but whatever.  You can read it myah.  There are also some tour dates at the bottom that I hadn't posted before.  You'd be a lucky dog to get to go.

New Fall Out Boy

You can stream Fall Out Boy's new album myah.  But I'm sure if you're motivated enough you can find it for download.  I'm not condoning it, just sayin....

About To Explode

Don't say you weren't warned about More Amor.  I'm here to give you the heads up.  With a user reviewed record of 86% on AP.net, the backing of former The Starting Line Guitar players Matt and Mike, experience from their previous bands The Higher and Youinseries, the current trends in music, and most importantly good songs, More Amor are the next big thing waiting to happen.  

           

         Their music has an intelligence about it that distinguishes it from the hordes of "emotronic" bands that dress like The Blood Brothers but sound like a farting computer.  Where many bands use excessive electronics as a substitute for songcraft, More Amor have solid melody and well written songs as the base of their music.  All of their songs could be recreated in a meaningful fashion with an acoustic guitar.

         More Amor sounds like a collaboration between The Matches and Her Space Holiday, but without the weirdness of the former and the melancholy of the latter.  If you want to do yourself a favor, start adding More Amor to you mix tapes now.

Want To Know Who's Playing Taste of Chaos This Year?

NEW LAMB OF GOD

YES. I've been waiting for this for a long while now. Lamb of God debued a new song on the first night of their west coast dates with Metallica. Check out the two fan vids of the song (rumored to be called "Overhauled" below:



From the sound of things, I think we're definately in for something mounstrous in February. Expect better quality rips and maybe a new song or two in the next couple of days.

500

The Rock and Roll Takeover now has over 500 hits.  It might seem like a small milestone for some, but it means a lot to me.  Thanks everyone.

Himsa Break Up

So, given the date on this news realease I was at camp when the announcement was made, thus my shock at discovering the news, but it pains me to inform everyone that Himsa has broken up.  They released a totally promising album "Summon In Thunder" that had more old school metal vibe than most modern releases and I was completely stoked to see where they band was going to go from there...alas.  

Ace Enders Bittersweetness

You can now buy Ace Ender version of The Verve's "Bittersweet Symphony" on iTunes.  All sales go to benifit VH1's Save the Music foundation.

Coldplay Sucks

Though the title might be harsh, it is a fairly accurate representation of my feelings for that band.  If Coldplay were as talented as people though they were, their music would sound like this:

Every Time I Die Keep A Breast Van Slips

Confusing title? The dudes (mainly Jordan) of Every Time I Die have contributed a pair of custom made Van's slips to KEEP A BREAST's auction. You can view the sneaks and bid on them myah.  There are lots of other pretty sweet bands that have stuff up for auction.  Perfect gifts for yourself, or perfect holiday gifts for the person in your life with exceptional musical taste.  

Darkest Hour

Get familiar...

5 Things Rappers Should Stop Doing

Not that we really needed a list to tell us these things, but go here for a list of thing rappers should stop doing.  I pretty much totally agree.  Anything the list is missing?

New Clipse!

The real is back...

VA natives Clipse have a new track that you can hear right myah.  Given the context clues, I'm guessing they have a new album called "The Casket" that's coming out next year...stoked.

Unearth Interview

Check out this video of Trevor from Unearth being interviewed by some dude who sounds like Skwisgaar Skiwgelf:

UNEARTH Interview

Ace Enders Bittersweet Symphony Cover

From AP:

Ace Enders will be releasing a cover of The Verve's "Bittersweet Symphony" on December 2nd, with proceeds to going to VH1's "Save the Music" charity. Guest vocals for the track include Mark Hoppus, Matt Thiessen, Bryce Avary, Kenny Vasoli, Craig Owens, Aaron Marsh, Duane Okun, and Alex Gaskarth.

I'll be paying for a copy of this fo sho...

More Japanese Dates

So, if you happen to live in Japan, like Unearth, Lamb of God, and .... IN FLAMES, then these are dates that you need to mark on you calender.

Japan Tour w/ Lamb of God, In Flames:
March 4 - Tokyo, Japan @ Akasaka Blitz
March 5 - Tokyo, Japan @ Akasaka Blitz
March 6 - Osaka, Japan @ IMP Hall

Don't say you weren't warned

Off To The Woods

Beloved readers,

I'll be gone for a couple of days. Don't panic.

Best Song Ever?

I know thats a bold statement, but seriously, it might be.  Go to the myspace page of the recently discovered (by me) Dr. Acula (get it?) and listen to "Beer Pong Massacre".   The lyrics are printed below.

Oh,
It all comes down to us,
Ten and ten
I'll double block it, bounce it off
(Show you up) We're gonna show you up,
We're gonna drink your beers,
We're gonna take your girls,
We're gonna make you cry

Aye, yo, lemme get a re-rack
Cause your shits wack
Bounce shot, 2 cups,
Bring that shit back
10 cups of glory 1 cup of sink,
Put that ball up, make that bitch drink x2


fucking drink,
tonight we'll get drunk

*talking*

We are the victorious
1, 2, 3 yeah!
We can ?
Give us ?
Next!

God Forbid Album Teaser

God Forbid has a teaser of sorts for their new album Earthsblood:  

Though this band is definitely capable of putting together some badass music, I think that this will be the album that either makes them or breaks them.  Constitution Of Treason was good, but kind of lacked flow.  Hopefully this album will pace itself better.

New Thursday Album Title

Thursday have announced a title and release date for their new album.  Common Existence will be released on February 17th.  Hopefully this CD won't sound like garbled stegosaurus balls like A City By The Light Divided did.  Their music is amazing, it's just the production I have gripes with.   

Keith Buckleys Birthday

Son of a bitch....

As of my posting time right now, Keith Buckleys birthday ended exactly 2 hours and 7 minutes ago.  To quote The Sandlot "I blame myself".  

As I have said before, if this website had a diety, it would be Keith Buckley, and now I feel like we've missed Christmas and Easter all in one mistake.  When he needed it, Keiths tomb of birthday wishes was empty....

Sigh...

What sucks even more is that ETID played tonight in Richmond, and for the first time since I saw them first in high school, I didn't go to an Every Time I Die show in the relative area.  I can really pick em can't I???

Ohh well.  We'll party tommorow night.  Hard.

New Found Glory Album Title and Release Date

New Found Glory has announced that the name of their upcoming return-to-form and Mark Hoppus produced album will be called Not Without A Fight and it will be released March 10th.  Boo-yah.

I realize as I was ascribing tags to this post that I didn't actually write a show review for Easy-Core Tour (New Found Glory, A Day To Remember, Four Year Strong, ISHC, Crime In Stereo), but lets just say that especially after hearing the Tip of the Iceburg EP, I'm super stoked for this album.

If You Live In Japan...

So if you happen to be living in Japan...

Two awesome bands will be playing these dates:

01/28 Osaka @ Sunhall
01/29 Nagoya @ Zion
01/30 Fukushima Koriyama @ Freeway Jam
01/31 Kanagawa Kawasaki @ Club Citta
02/01 Tokyo Shinjuku @ ACB Hall

Parkway Drive and Shai Hulud are both totally awesome. If I lived in Japan, I would totally go see them.  Just sayin...

How In The Hell Did I Miss This?!?

So I'd heard that Kanye, Pharell, and Lupe were forming a supergroup, but I heard that a while ago and hadn't heard anything else about it until just now...

While looking for something else on you tube I came across this:

 

Kanye West, Pharrell, Lupe Fiasco, and Thom Yorke: four of the most selling, most talented and most influential artists of this decade together in one song. Seriously? What do you guys think?

Even Better If You Live In Virginia

BBC (Billionaire Boys Club) has just released these Star Trek/Trak, gloves.  2 up 2 down.

Reclaiming The Blade

Lets talk about how stoked I am for this.

Back Like Syphillis

Call it a comeback, I don't really mind. However unless you've been traversing the lurid and unknown corners of the Internet lately, chances are you might be behind on some fairly important things that have happened in the past couple of days. For a number of reasons I won't recap all of them; the main reason being I need something to talk with you people about when I see you in person (the holidays are coming up).
But if you expected this little seasonal speed bump to be the end, you are grossly mistaken. If I were any lesser of a man, you would all be sentenced to the boo box (17 points for anyone who gets the reference). But we've reached over 100 posts, will have 450 hits most likely by the end of the week, and I generally am feeling pretty damn good about where this whole thing is going.
So again, Tell All Your Friends about the blog, email me if there's stuff you want me to talk about (reviews, reviews, I know) or bands you want me to talk about, and lets see if we cant ring out 2008 with a bang.

Best,
Watson

"The winter's so cold, the summer's over too soon."

Sorry the news posts have been so few lately. I find myself in the middle of a number of colliding parameters which has truly served as a recipe for depression. News these next couple of days may be short. Though I'm sure it will be difficult for some of you, these next couple of days should serve as a sobering reminder that you can't simply go through life spouting my recycled opinions. It's dangerous. Be well, and good luck breaking your addiction to the hottest and most badass music site to never blow up.

Faithfully, Remorsefully, Passionately,

Watson

Say Anything Self Titled Album Announcement

Though it's not really a surprise that Max Bemis is pretty much always writing new music, an update from Bemis has come that changes some of what everyone thought they knew about Say Anything's upcoming release originally called This Is Forever. Message below:

say anything WILL be putting out a new album next year. we'll be recording it in l.a this winter and the record will be called "Say Anything." yes, self titled. the nature of the record has changed since we intended on calling it "this is forever", also these two dj guys put out a record called that and would probably sue us.(EDIT: He's talking about these guys.)

if any person has followed our band, they understand our albums tell the story of a simple dude (me) and his evolution in life. this is the part where, having gone through his "idealistic--yet-furious-virgin" phase (baseball), young "drunk-angry-pukey-sex" phase (is a real boy), his "reaping - the - benefits - of - years - of - self - abuse - by - being - stuck - in - a - terrible -relationship" phase (in defense of the genre), he is finally confronted with the question of what the point of all of it was. what is the moral of the story? why be in a band? why try to "get" the girl? you spend years bitching or hurting yourself and others until you realize there is really something to fight for and something to fight against and being a man means drawing the line. that, my friends, is where the real adventure begins.

this album is self titled for a reason; it will take all the musical and lyrical themes of every say anything song, and attempt to resolve them and infuse them with something pure and direct. i am not going to " brandon flowers it" and say this is going to be the record that saves rock n' roll, or makes pitchfork.com finally admit we had it all along. those things are not only pre-packaged indie rock nay nay but are also pointless and fleeting. i don't know how far our album will get us commercially or even if all of you amazing ap.net friends will show up the day it comes out, say it blows, and change your " fatty max bemis with a cigarette" icon to a "hot picture of first-button-undone anthony green" icon. however, if my opinion matters to you, i promise that i love these songs to death. I REALLY hope you do too and that's all i can pray for. For those who thought in defense, while cool, was too long and serious; i see this next outing as more darkly humorous and concise. for those of you who dug is a real boy but appreciate our later maturity, such as the addition of real singing to the drunken sailor routine; this record looks like it will be even more of a step forward, without giving away too much.

We are so thankful for your love. I am constantly humbled before your appreciation and I never thought we'd get this far, so we NEED to pay you back with a cool album or we'll be doing carnival-cruise-line-emo-nostaglia tours with jefree starr by the time you guys are forty. We will work it to the bone to not let you down. Recording begins ths winter in Los Angeles, California.

Thank you.

Max

Though I'm a fan of the Killers first album, I can say with comfort that their two albums since haven't done dick to "save" rock and roll. I also appreciate the shot at pitchfork, who seem to be so busy catering to shitty indie bands that they really miss out many good bands.
So after churning out roughly 120 songs in the song shop Say Anything and Capt. Bemis rest easy until they begin recording this winter. Rock on Bemis, rock on.

Finale

If this website had a pope it would be Keith Buckley, so I feel honored to report that his other band "Finale" has posted a mastered version of one of its songs on their myspace page.

More Songs Like "Black Sails" and "Art of Drowning" plz

AFI have finished writing their new album. A message from their myspace page can be found below:

Hello dear, it's time. We've officially finished writing the 8th AFI album, and now we enter the studio to put it on tape. We have a fabulous producer we'll be working with, David Bottrill, who has worked on some fantastic and legendary albums by Peter Gabriel, Muse, Silverchair, Placebo, and Tool. We've spent this whole year crafting these songs and we're impatient to share them, so let's get busy. Love, Davey, Adam, Hunter, and Me


Given the news about the producer, it is unlikely that the band will have a return to the glory days of Black Sails in the Sunset and Art of Drowning. I have pretty non commital feelings about DECEMBERUNDERGROUND, but like Sing The Sorrow. Who knows what to expect. I suppose we shal know around early to mid-summer.

News Flash: Rolling Stone Makes Noteworthy Music Contribution

Click myah for a link to a video interview with Adam and new guitar player Matt.

Mark Morton on "Wrath"

Check out an interview that MTV did with Mark Morton myah. Morton talks about Wrath and how it "sounds nothing like Sacrament." Thrash is back, totally stoked.

Chi Cheng Update

From Blabbermouth:

DEFTONES singer Chino Moreno has issued an update on the band's bassist, Chi Cheng, who was seriously injured in a car accident in Santa Clara, California, on Monday (November 3). According to HardDrive Radio, Cheng and his sister were apparently on their way back from a memorial service for their older brother when the accident occurred. Cheng's sister was driving their vehicle, but it remains unknown at this time what caused the crash.

Cheng was reportedly in a coma in an Intensive Care Unit at a local hospital, with his condition listed as "serious but stable."

Moreno posted a message at the band's studio blog in which he wrote, "I am back from up north visiting our brother Cheng. His condition remains the same — serious but stable.

"We, along with the entire Cheng family, would like to extend our gratitude to everyone that's said a prayer or sent out their positive thoughts to Chi. Your support means more than you know.

"During his recovery process, Chi's mother has asked that each day we spread a little bit of good in his name. So each day DEFTONES will be posting what you can do to help Chi recover. Today she has asked that you all remember to buckle your seat belts and remind those you love to buckle up. By doing something so little in his name, you will be helping him find the strength to recover."

New Emery Album Title

With the release of their EP While Broken Hearts Prevail only a few weeks behind us, Emery has announced that their new full length will be titled In Shallow Seas We Sail.
The While Broken Hearts Prevail EP has a man drowning on the cover. Nautical theme?

New Taking Back Sunday Album Title

Taking Back Sunday have decided to name their new and upcoming album New Again. After remaining relatively low key for a number of years, it's good to have some TBS news. I'm assuming that the title relates to having lost Fred and having to re-invent or re-think the way the band operates. I have high hopes.

This Will Be Legendary

Official Press Release:
November 6, 2008 – TWO TONGUES, the new band featuring Max Bemis and Coby Linder of Say Anything along with Chris Conley and David Soloway of Saves The Day, announce a February 3, 2009 release for their self-titled debut. The thirteen-track self-produced disc was recorded late last year at Electric Ladybug studios in Northern California.

Max Bemis comments on the genesis of the project:
“Chris has been my favorite songwriter since I was 15. Ten years later he is now is one of my closest friends. The Two Tongues record is really an expression of the yin and yang; how two "opposite" souls stimulate and battle each other in any truly loving relationship. Chris inspired me as a mentor, hero and friend, and I inspired him as someone who truly cherishes his work that he can respect in his own right. Chris sometimes looks down on himself but is inside a very strong, almost Buddha-like centered soul; I have that whole Steven Tyler/Jerry Lewis extrovert personality onstage but I'm a totally neurotic, restless soul inside. We as two people, therefore, express two sides of a coin. Making the record, and it being the first band either of us has ever been in outside of Say Anything or Saves the Day, was sort of like falling in love for the second time; you have to look outside of yourself and learn to communicate with and trust someone who operates in a totally different manner. Ironically, while making this record I met the girl I am now in love with, so I was experiencing the same thing in the form of friendship with Chris as I was in getting to know this female person. So whether you want to look at the record as songs about two people starting a romantic relationship or this dynamic of how inspiration operates between two people, that's your choice. We hope it functions on both levels. Either way, it's a dream come true for me, and a true labor of love.”

Chris Conley says of the collaboration:
“Working with Max was a dream come true for me. I have never met another musician as inspiring and talented. During a dark period in my life, Max's music lifted my heart, and for that I am forever in his debt. When he approached me about doing this side project together, my immediate thought was, "I would do it with no one else." So my heart was in it from the moment of inception. The process of songwriting and recording was exciting and fluid. As it turns out, we work together quite well! I look forward to our next project together so our learning and growing can continue.”


The band put up their first demo this summer on their myspace page. I've been wanting more info about this for a while, and with this announcement become even more excited for February '09.

More Mastodon Album Details

More details about Mastodon's new album:

The Quietus: You've been quite vocal in the press saying that it isn't a concept album about Rasputin [Russian mystic Grigori Yefimovich Rasputin].

Brann Dailor: "No one wants to go head to head with BONEY M…"

Troy Sanders: "Exactly!" 

The Quietus: Is there a theme or a concept?

Brann Dailor: "Yeah, there's a story which goes from start to end. And there is Tsarist Russia in there and that was picked because ever since the first record we've wanted to do something about this period and their art aesthetics, with the black lacquer boxes and that look was something we were going for. From there, you take elements of that, and it's multi-dimensional and it goes into outer space and it's about the ether and deals with astral travel, out-of-body experiences and deals with Stephen Hawking's theories on wormholes. But I think one of the cool things about our band is that we will leave it ambiguously for the listener to dive into the lyrics themselves and maybe come to their own conclusions and form a little movie that plays in their heads." 

The Quietus: This is what's great about heavy metal — you would never get an OASIS or ARCTIC MONKEYS album about something like this. Just an album about having a top laugh with your mates.

Brann Dailor: "It's fun for us to research all that stuff and get it all in there and make it as nuts and as far out as we can. I feel like we've worked hard on the lyrics, that they're more meaningful and they're going to be able to get more out of them this time. I mean, it's all metaphors for stuff that goes on in your everyday life, like being away from home and missing your lady or whatever, but it's not so literal. You tell it through a totally different mindset. So it becomes that we're not going on tour but we're going into outer space. But that's how you feel sometimes. You're on tour and you can't get Internet and your mobile doesn't work and you haven't talked to your wife for a week and you feel lost… That's what it's like sometimes." 

The Quietus: A good metaphor is a good metaphor and should be celebrated. I for one don't want to hear about how much it sucks being a rock star or how it's not that good being on tour.

Both: "Exactly." 

Brann Dailor: "There are ways you can explain those feelings differently through lyrics."