photo by Jon Wiederhorn
You say your mounted double-edged battle axe fell off the wall last week and landed on your laptop, leaving you without digital communication for several days? Drag man, but don't worry. You can catch up on everything you missed on last week's Blog right here.
Our exclusive podcast was with Heaven and Hell (a.k.a. Black Sabbath with Ronnie James Dio). Unfortunately, we were unable to reach guitarist Tony Iommi since the old geezer was hanging out in England when his bandmates were in New York, but we did hook up with bassist Geezer Butler and vocalist Ronnie James Die who told us all about their new album The Devil You Know. Click "more" for the rest of the week's highlights. Read more...
Atlanta, Georgia progressive death metal band Daath are getting ready to launch a tour with Cynic and Dragonforce which runs from April 15 in Anaheim, California through July 31 in Urbana, Illinois. Many musicians in such situations dread the endless miles they'll have to drive between cities as they zigzag the country. Guitarist Eyal Levi is more concerned about the planes they'll occasionally have to board to travel extremely long distances, especially overseas. In this edition of "Jumping Darkness Parade," Levi addresses his crippling fear of flight and how he combats his anxiety.
I’m writing this from 33,000 feet where I’m being shaken like a baby by an abusive father, like a heroin addict going through withdrawal, like an alcoholic on the way to work -- YOU GET THE F--KICK POINT!
Anyone who knows me knows that I hate flying with a passion, but that I have to do it a hell of a lot -- Waaaaay too much for someone that hates it. This hate isn’t new. I've been this way since I saw that movie “Alive” when I was 13 years old. No joke. Somehow, that stupid movie about soccer-playing cannibals made me have near-anxiety attacks every single time I stepped foot on an airplane. Read more...
Our friends at Revolvermag.com are streaming the previously unreleased Daath track "Silenced," which comes from the band's upcoming album The Concealers, in stores April 21. Click "more" to hear the song and read vocalist Sean Z's comments. Read more...
On April 21, Atlanta band Daath will release their second album, The Concealers, which was produced and mixed by Jason Suecof and Mark Lewis (Trivium, DevilDriver). Before he gets tied up in promotions and touring, guitarist Eyal Levi wanted to start working with us on a new column, which he hopes to update with some frequency. Here's the first installment of "Jumping Darkness Parade."
I love music. I love the music business. Funny that people say they hate it so much. If it was so truly so bad they wouldn't be in it. True, there are lots of scumbags to deal with. Trust me. In my various pursuits in music I've encountered my share. I've fired plenty and I'm sure I will again. You can't avoid it. These are the bottom feeders. Read more...
They may write songs based on the Jewish mysticism of the Kabbalah, but that doesn't stop Atlanta death metal band Daath from opening up a can of whup-ass every now and again -- and sometimes even more often than that.
In an interview with MTVnews.com Metal File, guitarist Eyal Levi says that during the band's recent tour with Goatwhore, The Acacia Strain and Job For a Cowboy, Daath found themselves in the middle of nine different fights. On one such occasion, an audience member attacked singer Sean Farber after he poured water on the crowd.
"I guess some dude didn't like it, and he told us to stop — in the middle of a song, mind you," Levi says. "First of all, we're not going to stop. Secondly, how do you expect a band to hear that? So he charged the stage and spit in Sean's face. Sean saw him rushing towards the stage and hit him in the face with his microphone. After the show, the dude jumped our merch guy because he thought it was Sean. So let's just say I'm going to be ready next time."
For the rest of the interview with Daath and the week's metal news, read Mtvnews.com's Metal File.
The Funeral Pyre -- The Nature of Betrayal (Prosthetic) They sure sound like they're from Norway, but These Californian headbangers wouldn't know a Scandinavian winter if it buried their inverted crucifixes in two feet of snow. Fortunately, that doesn't impair their ability to destroy. The band's second disc is a blasphemous blend of death and black metal. Their music abounds with swirling keyboards, scabrous vocals and speedy melodic riffs that that clash with crushing blast beats and dissonant flurries of guitar.
Daath -- The Hinderers (Roadrunner) Crafty thrash riffs, death metal beats, technical proficiency, fluid melodicism and hate-filled groove define the music of this eclectic Atlanta band, but their lyrics are even more of an anomaly. All of the songs on their debut album are built around themes of Jewish mysticism and Qabalistic thought. Maybe Madonna will take 'em out on her next tour.
In This Moment -- Beautiful Tragedy (Century Media) Lots of bands create tug-o-war scenarios between harsh and melodic vocals, but when the main vocalist is a stunning babe with a honey-sweet voice it creates an even more striking contrast. On their debut album, the band combines aspects of metalcore, thrash, pop, classic metal and nu-metal and molds them into a fresh and powerful sound that crosses boundaries and breaks barriers.
See You Next Tuesday -- Parasite (Ferret) The debut full-length from these smart-ass Michigan four piece is about as far removed musically as it could be from other day bands like Thursday or Taking Back Sunday. Instead, these guys play grinding, full-throttle noise-metal that sounds like a cross between Napalm Death and The Locust, with shards of Nasum. Devastating.
Clutch -- From Beale Street to Oblivion (DRT) The latest album from Maryland's masters of groove and stomp, From Beale Street to Oblivion is a celebration of bluesy decadanace, garage bluster and stoner metal panache that sounds equally appropriate on the back on a Harley or in bed with a bike gal.
