I'm just going to preface this post by saying that catching pneumonia in the summer fucking sucks – especially when you come down with it on the day of a show you've been looking forward to seeing for literally months.

(Buried Inside photo via Evan Hunter)

Dragging myself down to the 7th St. Entry in Minneapolis, MN (against the stern device of my trusty doctor) wasn't easy; but while laying in bed, pondering the fact that BATTLEFIELDS would soon be plugging in their equipment in to prepare for their first appearance in the metro since the release of this year's stellar The Thresholds of Imbalance opus (on Translation Loss Records) AND that BURIED INSIDE would be headlining, I let my excitement get the better of me. Needless to say, I pulled my weary ass together and was there at the 7th St. Entry, assuming my position stage left as the curtain was pulled back to reveal one of the most exciting doom metal shows in recent memory.

Slowly,  BATTLEFIELDS descended into an expansive journey through their new album, and all the symptoms of my illness seemed to melt away as their calculated, proggressive dirge carried my mind off into psychedelic abandon. After months already spent on the road, honing these new songs, the band was locked into an incredibly strong groove during this performance in front of their friends and the hometown crowd, and it showed.

By the time the raging crush of BURIED INSIDE took center stage, I was at the front banging my head with the rest of the beardos and had totally forgotten about my formerly miserable state of mind. The band's new album Spoils of Failure (released on Relapse Records) is an amazing, mind-numbing, torrential package when you're listening to the massively heavy Kurt Ballou-produced recordings, but HOLY SHIT, these are songs that need to be heard live. Twisting and turning seamlessly through every nuanced sound – both the beautifully serene and the disturbingly cataclysmic – the quintet's incredible (and long-awaited) performance commanded the strict attention of the audience for all the best, most satisfying reasons.

And the best part? I had the sense to capture some videos from the show, and I'm posting them here for your viewing pleasure. Continue browsing below to watch live videos of "II" and "III" from BURIED INSIDE and "Disacknowledge" from BATTLEFIELDS. Lucifer only knows how many times I've already replayed these videos from my sickbed while I try to relive the night and ignore my persistent phlegmy cough…

VIDEO: Buried Inside, "II" (live at 7th St. Entry in Minneapolis, MN on 7/16/2009)

VIDEO: Battlefields, "Disacknowledge" (live at 7th St. Entry in Minneapolis, MN on 7/16/2009)

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As Mayhem brought Blackened Fest to St. Paul, MN on June 9, 20009, the vibe was unexpectedly and unfortunately even more somber than one would have hoped for the return of some of Norwegian black metal's reigning elite. After already suffering the crippling blow of a late visa-related cancellation from Marduk before the tour began, the rest of the lineup except for Mayhem (Cephalic Carnage, Cattle Decapitation, and Withered) were forced to cut the trek short the night before St. Paul due to a variety of complications described by Justina V. already. Whether or not Justina's indictment of Mayhem's responsibility for the festival's implosion is accurate or not, I'm not here to argue. However, I certainly can understand her resentment as a fellow Metal Injection reporter (non-roving, based in MPLS) and someone who was on the opening band's guestlists that never arrived. To put it shortly, it was a huge bummer to be greeted with the cancellation announcement sign as I walked in, and it made me skeptical I'd even enjoy what was now becoming an expensive evening for me (although, I must admit, the ticket price was actually slashed to 1/2 the original cost for those who bought advanced tickets, and refunds and free tickets to next week's Absu show were being offered to attendees – in other words, the venue was graciously being overly apologetic for the unfortunate circumstances).

While performances from Cattle Decap, Cephalic Carnage, Withered, and Marduk would never occur, Mayhem pushed on alone, against the odds and advice of financial experts, carrying the torch of blackness alone on the remaining dates of a now-solo headlining tour. Playing to a crowd of devoted Twin Cities extreme metal faithful, Mayhem's blistering, theatrical black metal combined with a choice selection of local supports bands eventually succeeded and won over the dejected. (more…)

(Destruction)

DESTRUCTION and KRISIUN played a show at Station 4 in St. Paul on Friday, March 13th, a small festival of all things metal. Unfortunately, I missed MANTIC RITUAL and a whole slew of awesome local thrash, grind and death metal due to a prior engagement, but the show that Krisiun and DESTRUCTION put on to close the night made my trip to St. Paul from Minneapolis more than worth it. The Brazilian death metal trio of brethren known as KRISIUN played their revered brutal death metal to perfection, drawing material mostly from their newest high quality albums. Songs such as “Bloodcraft” & “Combustion Inferno” threw the tight knit crowd into a frenzy that was very deserved, given the massive, spectacular sound coming from the stage. While I admit I’m not as familiar with the German thrash legends in DESTRUCTION as I am with many 80s thrash acts, their show was very, very awesome; no frills thrash metal at maximum headbanging velocity. Dates are remaining on this tour, and everyone is in top form; get out to it if you can, because these band’s deserve to be seen. Anyway, on to my brief set of photos from both the band’s performances.

(Krisiun)

The rest of the gallery and the remaining tour dates are all waiting for you after the jump! (more…)

It's unlikely many metal fans know it, but I want to go on record and say that the small independent Translation Loss Records label is home to two of the most noteworthy progressive metal albums that are being released this winter/spring. On February 17th, IREPRESS will begin selling, Sol Eye Sea I, their 1st album in six years, and BATTLEFIELDS will be welcoming their second album, Tresholds of Imbalance, on March 31st. Luckily for those of you may be unaware, both bands have already posted music on their websites from their releases for you to preview. One can only hope that these awesome songs are accurate representations of the rest of the material: IREPRESS's "Cyette Phiur" is a stellar production of adventurous polyrhythmic progressive metal and hardcore wrapped in post-rock and shoe gaze, and BATTLEFIELDS' "Quake and Flood" is a hard-charging, many-layered epic of vicious hardcore-infused-doom metal and heady psychedelics.

Thanks their new connection trough Translation Loss, they will be soon setting out on a massive North American coheadlining tour through the Midwest to SXSW to the Pacific and back across the country to support these new releases. So far, it's not even clear where and when the tour is even going to stop; be on the lookout for a show in your area, because seeing either of these bands right now would be worth the ticket price (and the conjoined ticket makes it impassable).

Here are the tour dates we've received: (more…)

This year's release schedule is coming together very nicely. According to their website, Sweden's post-metal leaders Cult of Luna are releasing a feature DVD entitled Fire Was Born as a part of a redux release of their much-heralded recent album Eternal Kingdom (which even appeared on my 2008 recap..) on March 23rd, 2009.

Fire Was Born will focus on a gig recorded at the Scala in London on the tour last July 2008 (featuring the extended lineup of the band – including two drummers) playing a 1 hour 30 min set. It will also include an interview with Johannes and Anders answering questions from fans all around the world and the videos for "The Watchtower", "Leave Me Here", and "Back to Chapel Town" and will be available for sale on March 23rd. For now, check out the following preview clip:

To some, they may be known as HENNES SISTE HØST – the North Dakota based underground USBM band whose brilliant new album of frostbitten black'n'roll progressive metal, Høst, broke new ground with its fusion of the band's blackened Norwegian traditions and a variety of other abstract and punk oriented influences. Last week, they made the trip from Fargo to Minneapolis for the second time in as many months, and are now performing under the simpler moniker HØST. The turnout was meager, however the show was incredible – their dynamic songs playing with an exceptional clarity and evoking psycotic, psychedelic madness through their relentless riffage, chaos, and rhythm. Here are some photos:

HØST were preceded by a showcase of some of the most innovative and promising Minneapolis' acts: doom-gaze metal band VERNAL POOL (photos), techmetal from SAID THE SHOTGUN TO THE HEAD (photos), crusty grind'n'roll from AMBASSADOR GUN (photos), and dirty, sludgy thrash from Eau Claire, Wisconsin's DESOLATE VOID (photos).

If you have no idea what I have just been talking about, do yourself a favor and visit them online now.

Hot on the heels of last week's announcement of the "Best. Tour. Ever!", Gothenburg's THE HAUNTED have organized a show that is sure to fill the North American metal clubs in the early part of the year. For the month of April they'll embark on their first U.S. tour in support of the blistering new album Versus, and they have revealed they will be joined by none other than some of the best metal bands America could possibly offer - NACHTMYSTIUM, KYLESA, and INTRONAUT (UPDATE 3/6/09 – INTRONAUT and KYLESA dropped off to do a tour with MASTODON. THE AGONIST and MERAUDER will be replacing them. More info here). .. Holy shit. Be there early; there's no excuses for missing any of this party! Dates are below:

April 02nd Pomona, CA – The Glasshouse
April 03rd Hollywood, CA – The Key Club
April 04th San Francisco, CA – Slim's
April 05th Portland, OR – Hawthorne Theater
April 06th Seattle, WA – Neumo's
April 07th Vancouver, BC – Commodore Ballroom
April 08th Edmonton, AB – Starlite Ballroom
April 09th Calgary, AB – The Warehouse
April 11th Winnipeg, MB – Royal Albert
April 12th St. Paul, MN – Station 4
April 13th Mokena, IL – The Pearl Room
April 14th Detroit, MI – Majestic Theatre
April 15th Toronto, ON – Opera House
April 16th Montreal, QC – Club Soda
April 17th Worcester, MA – The Palladium
April 19th New York, NY – BB King's Blues Club
April 21st Millvale, PA – Mr. Small's
April 22nd Springfield, VA – Jaxx
April 23rd Raleigh, NC – Volume 11
April 24th Atlanta, GA – The Masquerade

Visit everyone online: The Haunted – Nachtmystium – Kylesa – Intronaut

The MELVINS are fresh off their unbelievable ATP Winter festival showcase that they curated with Mike Patton. If you missed it, too bad; for three nights the UK was home to an unbelievable lineup that included MASTODON, ISIS, BUTTHOLE SURFERS, THE DAMNED, FANTOMAS, MELVINS, SQUAREPUSHER, THE LOCUST, BIG BUSINESS and tooooo many more amazing artists to name. Now King Buzzo and friends are turning up in the unlikeliest of places – namely performing a set with a puppet on the Pancake Mountain children's show. Needless to say, I don't really mind knowing there's a kids show out there that's letting the MELVINS teach America's children about music. Enjoy!

If you're cooped inside tonight, tune to UK's BBC Radio 1 to hear the recent in-studio performance by Philadelphia's unpredictable electroprogcore scientists in GENGHIS TRON. Their set will air tonight (Monday, December 15) at 12 midnight GMT (6:00 p.m. CST) on Radio 1's "The Rock Show with Daniel P Carter". The program will also be available for seven days at this location.

Just last week, GENGHIS TRON released volumes 3 and 4 of their amazing new 5 VOLUME SERIES(!) of limited edition remixes, and it features some of the brightest underground musicians retouching songs from the band. Artists involved include JUSTIN K. BROADERICK (JESU, GODFLESH), ELUVIUM, ROB CROW (PINBACK, DRIVE LIKE JEHU), STEVE MOORE, TOBACCO (BLACK MOTH SUPER RAINBOW), DNTEL, SCOTT HULL (PIG DESTROYER, AGORAPHOBIC NOSEBLEED), DANNY LOHNER (NINE INCH NAILS, A PERFECT CIRBLE), ULVER, TELEFON TEL AVIV, ODD NOSDAM, TIM HECKER, NADJA, and many, many more. Before the show starts, I recommend headng to their special myspace remix site to listen to some of these unbelievable remixes if you haven't already; Volume 5 is now up for preorder here.

Podcast: Download

The thrash masters in KREATOR have been working on their new album for many months, and today they have posted the first music to be leaked from the release. The song is "Warcurse", a massive beast of hate-fueled thrash that has the band sounding more pissed off and defiant than ever! By January 13th, U.S. headbangers should have their hands on a full album of deadly new German thrash when Hordes of Chaos hits shelves and download sites everywhere. KREATOR will be on the road for a gigantic 4 month live stint (with other greats such as EXODUS, BELPHEGOR, WARBRINGER, CALIBAN, ELUVEITIE, EPICUREAN, and EMERGENCY GATE) soon, and so far it looks like the new album will definitely add to the insanity in the pits this time around. Click below to check out "Warcurse" and keep reading to see all the dates for KREATOR's spring tour.

"Warcurse" – LISTEN HERE
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Can any of us really believe that it has already been 5 years since our friends in BURNT BY THE SUN presented us with a full album of new music? If you’re not aware of the last several years of breakup rumors and lengthy member searches, forget about it; there’s no need to worry, because as far as you’ll ever know, all is well in the realm of the grind-influenced metallic hardcore masters in BBTS (at least for one last album). Just last week, the recently revitalized band posted a new demo called “F-UNIT” online from their forthcoming album(!!!) Heart Of Darkness, and judging by the sounds of this song and the songs on their split with CAR BOMB that came out last year, they are even more pissed off than ever.

Although they have been pretty quiet for the half a decade, as this raw cut shows, the band hasn’t lost any steam. In fact, it would be hard to say that the rest of the metal scene has caught up with BURNT BY THE SUN at all during the last few years. I’m still listening to Soundtrack to the Personal Revolution and The Perfect is the Enemy of the Good quite often, and in all honestly, they sound much heavier and more vicious than 90% of the music that's been released by their peers since BBTS dropped their last album. Personally, I can’t wait for the new release any sooner, although it does make me a little sad to know that this has been revealed to most likely be their finale album. For now, I'm excited for spring 2009; this new track continues the tradition of the BBTS that I love exactly as I remembered – music that leaves me a bit more fearful for my life.

Head over to their official myspace to have listen to "F-UNIT" or play the video below to get a sneak peak at the new album!

Heart of Darkness "F-Unit" Album Preview

The temperatures may have finally taken a dip here in Minnesota, but none of that mattered last Wednesday, November 12 at the Myth in Maplewood, as In Flames and their touring partners set the venue ablaze to some roaring metal anthems. We were there to witness it, and we have posted an entire gallery of photographs for all the bands to prove it. Check it out!

Click on a photo to access the album.

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SPYLACOPA began as an obscure ambient-electronic side-project for Brooklyn-based CANDIRIA guitarist John LaMaccia, but after accruing a band of notables – namely Greg Puciato of DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN, Jeff Caxide of ISIS, and Julie Christmas of MADE OUT OF BABIES – the project was bound to gain momentum. Judging by the sounds of the new song "Haunting A Ghost" that was posted to the band's MySpace earlier this week, SPYLACOPA has evolved into an entirely different beast all together. While LaMaccia proved to have a knack for combining head-pounding beats with ambient soundscapes on SPYLACOPA's earlier output, this song is far more rocking and metal-friendly than anything I've heard from them so far. LaMaccia's distorted guitar progressions and electronic sequencing seems to have matched perfectly with the lush mix of Puciato's own touches and his trademark vocal approach – the high contrast of soaring melodies and screaming and bellowing – and the thick layer of groove from Caxide. Their forthcoming debut self-titled EP (available November 18th) has already garnered high praise from Terrorizer Magazine, and Puciato seems to like it well enough… but don't just listen to us! Listen to "Haunting a Ghost"yourself online here.

In related news, LaMaccia has finallly made an update regarding CANDIRIA and has revealed more about their forthcoming Toying With The Insanities 4 volume series of remix/interpretations 12" LP's that will be released on his label, Rising Pulse Records. The release is said to feature contributions from members of SUICIDAL TENDENCIES, DILLINGER ESCAPE PLAN, DYSRHYTHMIA, DUB TRIO, KAYO DOT, DÄLEK, and more. However, this great collection will only be released as a limited edition available on vinyl (with free mp3 download with purchase) with only 250 of each volume pressed. Pay attention to their myspace for release updates so you can get your hands on one of these!

What's even more intriguing is that LaMaccia implied that there will be new CANDIRIA recording in the future(!), saying that the band is "moving forward" and was "back on track". After news last year, that CANDIRIA wasn't allowed to release their last album through Type A records since they couldn't tour, many people were unsure if we'd ever hear from them again. I'm looking forward to hopefully getting my hands on this remix collection, and thankfully now I've got hope for more CANDIRIA in the future. Stay tuned here.

Podcast: Download

The premiere Philadelphia hardcore group, BLACKLISTED, has announced plans to come to a city near you. The Deathwish Records' band will be hitting the road for the month in support of their recent incredible, Kurt Ballou-recorded album, Heavier Than Heaven Lonelier Than God. And while I've personally considered BLACKLISTED to be among the top of the hardcore heap since they emerged, they've also proven to be a band that consistently improves with each release. In my humble opinion, their most recent album being their finest to date. Even if they didn't already have a awesome enough back catalog to warrant checking out the show, seeing them perform the new songs will be the biggest reason to go out and raise your fist alongside them. The tour begins today, October 20th, in Baltimore and circles around the country before ending on November 19th in NYC. BLACKLISTED will play as direct support to headliners HAVE HEART, and CEREMONY and LET DOWN will open.

10/20 – Baltimore, MD @ Sonar
10/21 – Richmond, VA @ Canal Club
10/22 – Atlanta, GA @ MJQ
10/23 – Orlando, FL @ Blackbox Collective
10/24 – Tallahassee, FL @ Beta Bar
10/25 – Birmingham, AL @ Cave 9
10/26 – Memphis, TN @ Nocturnal
10/27 – Tulsa, OK @ Pinkeye
10/28 – Austin, TX @ Red 7
10/30 – Phoenix, AZ @ Modified Arts
10/31 – Anaheim, CA @ Chain Reaction
11/01 – Berkeley, CA @ Gilman
11/02 – Portland, OR @ Satyricon
11/03 – Tacoma, WA @ Viaduct
11/05 – Denver, CO @ Marquis Theatre
11/06 – Mission, KS @ Mission Theatre
11/07 – Minneapolis, MN @ Triple Rock
11/08 – Madison, WI @ Club 770 / University Of Wisconsin
11/09 – Chicago, IL @ Beat Kitchen
11/10 – Covington, KY @ Mad Hatter
11/11 – Detroit, MI @ Magic Stick
11/12 – Cleveland, OH @ Peabodys
11/13 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Roboto Project
11/14 – Syracuse, NY @ Klub Polski
11/16 – Philadelphia, PA @ First Unitarian Church
11/17 – Manhattan, NY @ Knitting Factory
11/18 – Maplewood, NJ @ Garden State Music
11/19 – Deer Park, NY @ Deer Park VFW

For now, we've got the music video for their song "I Am Weighing Me Down" from the new Heavier than Heaven… album for you below, courtesy of the Deathwish Inc. Video Channel! Visit BLACKLISTED online at myspace.com/blacklisted.

Progressive metal's best Italian trio, the bizarre, jazz heavy, avant-garde experimentalists in EPHEL DUATH , have revealed a release date for their forthcoming followup to Pain Necessary To Know . The band have confirmed a January 26, 2009 release for their long-anticipated fourth studio album, Through My Dog's Eyes , through Earache Records. Over the past couple albums, EPHEL DUATH has progressed through a number of (..pardon the pun..) palettes and have never failed to bring something new to the world of music. From the forward thinking progressive-influenced black metal of their early albums, to the off-time chaos of The Painter's Palette , to the spacecy avant-garde jams of their most recent album, EPHEL DUATH always keeps everyone – including themselves, it often seems – guessing about where they'll take their sound next. Thanks to a profoundly unique vision, it appears that the band's next album will not be an out of line with this trend… (more…)

Impressed by Slipknot's use of three drums in their metal onslaught? Although they are by no-means "metal", Japan's long-running, highly influential institutional noise rockers in Boredoms are releasing a DVD with a drumming army that makes Slipknot's percussive attack look a bit more like monkey with cymbals in comparison..

Are you familiar with with the psychedelic ambient noise makers in Japan's Boredoms? If not, do yourself a favor and get informed on that now. For those of you already on the boat, I'm sure you heard about the near-mythical 77BoaDrums concert that took place. An event in which the ever-unpredictable Boredoms gathered an orchestra of 77 drummers from various backgrounds and with kits of varying sizes for an epic syncopated jam of primitive, avant-pyschedlia. Well, now thankfully for those of us who were not fortunate enough to attend the 7/7/07 concert in Brooklyn, Boredoms will be releasing their poly-rhythmic tribal drum jam from that day as a CD/DVD on November 26.

Their set that day succeeded in accomplishing something that was altogether unbelievable (and was only to be superseded this year by the 8/8/08 88BoaDrums set featuring 176 drummers). The release of 77BoaDrums
can be thought of as a film, directed by Jun Kawaguchi, and even the concept of the project follows through to the editing. The movie is 89 minutes, which is approximately 77 minutes and 777 seconds you want to think too hard about it. Although it appears that the DVD won't contain the entire 77BoaDrum film, it is clear that this project is one that'll be worth the buy. If you want to see the entire concert again, you have to make it to the screening of 77BoaDrum at Tokyo's NYTFGP Film Festival in New York on Monday, October 13. Director Kawaguchi will be present for a Q&A at the first of two screenings scheduled that night, and will introduce the second. Stay tuned to myspace.com/boredoms and myspace.com/film77boadrum to find out how to preorder this beast of a release!

It's going to fucking kick ass!

Here's an excerpts from YouTube, just to give you an idea of the complexity of organizing an event like this (much less making an amazing film about it):

Guitarist ANDREAS KISSER has posted four new songs from his debut solo album Hubris I & II which will be available on October 20, 2008 through Mascot Records. Go to his myspace now and preview "Vivaldi", "God's Laugh", "Page", and "Eu Humano" – four classically trained blues-heavy rock and metal songs that show us a different side of Kisser than we've ever seen before. Although these songs are probably not representative of what to expect on the forthcoming SEPULTURA release A-Lex that is due in November, there are some awesome headbang inducing guitar heavy grooves and intense sweep-picking to whet your appetite for all of the releases featuring Andres Kisser that will be coming out this year. On Dante XXI Kisser and his Sepultura bandmates did quite well to rebound from the chaos that surrounded their band in the late-90s and early-00s, and (despite the fact that I'm not sure how the new drummer can possibly fill the shoes of the since departed Igor Cavalera) this writer is honestly fucking excited to see what is to come from the thrash legends from Brazil. Here's to the future! For now, check out myspace.com/andreaskisser and myspace.com/sepultura to stay tuned for release updates.

Stockholm, Sweden's brilliant death metal supergroup BLOODBATH has just posted the brand new song "Ieosos" from their forthcoming aptly titled third full-length album The Fathomless Mastery to their Myspace and their mini-site for the album, due for European release on October 6th and North American release on October 28th. For those not familiar with this incredible group and their crushing barrage of hateful brutality, the band consists of OPETH mainman Mikael Åkerfeld on vocals, OPETH drummer Martin "Axe" Axenrot, KATATONIA guitarist Anders "Blakkheim" Nyström, KATATONIA vocalist Jonas Renkse on bass, and Per "Sodomizer" Eriksson of 21 LUCIFERS and GENOCRUSH FEROX on guitar. For those of you only familiar with these guys recent work in the aforementioned bands, you might want to beware – BLOODBATH is as fucking brutal as death metal can get, period. Counting the songs "Mock the Cross" and "Slaughtering the Will to Live" that have previously been posted, "Ieosos" is the third song from the new album that has made it to the web before the release. The release date is soon approaching, so click the links below to see what awaits you.

The Fathomless Mastery track listing:

01. At The Behest Of Their Death
02. Mock The Cross (download)
03. Iesous (listen)
04. Wretched Human Mirror
05. Treasonous
06. Devouring The Feeble
07. Hades Rising
08. Slaughtering The Will To Live (listen)
09. Earthrot
10. Process Of Disillumination
11. Drink From The Cup Of Heresy

Until the album drops though, we'll tide you over with some awesomely-heavy footage of their 2005 performance of "Eaten" at the best festival in the world (aka Wacken Open Air). Enjoy the carnage!