This week gets stupider … but Ryan Adams makes it better (??)

This has been the stupidest week since, well, last week.
First, Helmuth from Belphegor missed my phone interview time. Twice. I know he’s all nihilistic, hates humanity and whatnot, but come on, Helmuth – do you want to promote your new album or not? 
Then, to make matters even dumber, I missed my opportunity to interview Udo Dirkschnieder, the ex-Accept [...]

Cliff Burton (how quickly time flies)

I realized this morning that I’d completely forgotten to mark the anniversary of Cliff Burton’s death. Has it really been 23 years? God, where does time go?
The cliche is that baby boomers will always remember where they were when they heard about the assassinations of, say, John F. Kennedy or John Lennon. I don’t know [...]

I’ve been away for a while

I haven’t posted much lately: Frankly, I’ve been tied up with the daily grind.
BUT, I’ll be back next week with interviews from Scar Symmetry’s Jonas Kjellgren and Megadeth’s Dave Mustaine. So check back then.
Also, congrats to Brian Fulkerson of Owensboro, who won himself two passes to see In Flames on Sept. 30 in Louisville. A [...]

Is Dokken Rokken Your Chicken?

I first saw this over at MetalSucks. While reposting is lazy, this is simply too good not to share.
Question: Why is Dokken slumming for Norton Antivirus? It makes no sense to me … except for the fact that a paycheck is a paycheck.
Nevertheless, this is pretty hilarious.

Later, I dug through my [...]

So there’s a new metal sub-genre, it seems

So, Canadian band The Agonist released a video for the song “Thank You Pain” yesterday on the PETA2 YouTube channel.
A link on the channel refers to the song as “Vegetarian Metal.” Is that a new metal sub-genre? Is The Agonist gonna hit the road with Cattle Decapitation on the “Meat Is Murder Metal Tour?” I [...]

Dimmu drama continues, as Shagrath and Co. fire back at canned band members

Earlier this week, Dimmu Borgir members Shagrath, Silenoz and Galder fired keyboardist Mustis and bassist/clean vocalist Vortex. And the fit, as they say, hit the shan.
Mustis fired off a statement to Blabbermouth and other metal media sites, claiming he was fired via text message out of retaliation, after asking that he receive credit for songs [...]

Shagrath needs more people to fire

Today was a busy day for Shagrath’s Human Resources department.
First, Nuclear Blast let the world know that Shagrath’s main band Dimmu Borgir, had fired not one but two members – bassist/clean vocalist I.C.S. Vortex and keyboardist Mustis. Just a few hours later, Nuclear Blast put out a second release, saying Shagrath’s other band, Chrome Division, [...]

In defense of metal: A response to an unfair critic

 I’m used to snobbery against metal. You are too, I’m sure. But sometimes, I read something so breathtaking, arrogant, ignorant and rude that I just have to respond.
I was surfing Google last week, looking for references to heavy metal and Satanism when I ran across Hole in our Soul: The Loss of Beauty and Culture in [...]

Why Spinal Tap is bad for metal

The world does not need another album by “Spinal Tap.”
I know how that sounds, like I’m a humorless jerk with a yardstick in his posterior, so let me explain a bit. I like “This Is Spinal Tap” the movie, but I think the periodic resurrection of “Spinal Tap” the band is, ultimately, a slap at metal and [...]

Coming this week …

I was a little overloaded with work last week, so I didn’t have time to post anything new. Sorry. Work’s a jungle sometimes.
However, this week I plan to make it up to you with a tour update with Enslaved’s Ivar Bjørnson, an interview with Devin Townsend and another recommendation from my Essential Albums list.
Look for [...]