In the News

In the News

Monkeys like METALLICA

Monkeys and MetallicaA new study shows that monkeys are metalheads, particularly fond of the biggest metal band on earth, METALLICA.

"Monkeys interpret rising and falling tones differently than humans. Oddly, their only response to several samples of human music was a calming response to the heavy-metal band Metallica."

I'm curious as to whether the monkeys heard new Metallica or old Metallica. My guess is old, because if they put St. Anger on, the sound of all those pots and pans would make any monkey go crazy!

UPDATE! Newish Metallica was played:

The animals were played a soft piano piece from Nine Inch Nails' The Fragile, followed by Metallica's "Of Wolf and Man" and Tool's "The Grudge." The only music that got any response was Metallica, whose music calmed the monkeys, which the researchers said was an "unexpected effect." The authors of the study hope to help psychologists understand the evolutionary roots of music and its effect on the brain.

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Musicians can hear better than non-musicians?

Frank alerted me of this new post on WIRED which states that "musicians can pick out relevant speech sounds from a noisy environment better than non-musicians, suggesting that musical training helps people hear better under “speech-in-noise” conditions like a restaurant or crowded room."

How did they come to this conclusion? They did some tests, bringing in a bunch of musicians and non-musicians and making them listen to sentences in noisy conditions. The musicians greatly outperformed their less shreddy counterparts. The level of experience a musician had also mattered, as that helped along with focus and memory. Overall, its a pretty fascinating article, definitely worth checking out.

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DECAPITATED announce new drummer

Guitarist Waclaw "Vogg" Kieltyka of Polish extreme metallers DECAPITATED has finally named a replacement for his late brother, Witold "Vitek" Kieltyka, whose 2007 death shocked and saddened the extreme metal community. An incedibly talented and promising youg drummer, Vitek was only 23 when he died in a Russian hospital on November 2, 2007 after suffering from the extensive injuries he sustained in a road collision involving the band's tour bus and a truck carrying wood in Gomel (on the Russia/Belarus border) earlier that year. The band's singer, Adrian "Covan "Kowanek, was also severely injured in the crash, and, according to a statement from his family, "is getting a little and slowly better. Adrian's family would like to thank fans and all the people for their support, donations, patience and faith."

In a new statement on the band's official Myspace, Vogg said, "It's time to introduce [the] dude who will continue the great way of Witek's passion in the band. His name is Kerim Lechner, a very young and very talented drummer from Austria." (more…)

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MEGADETH drummer SHAWN DROVER on Gigantour rumors: "No"

As previously reported, rumored acts for 2009's Gigantour lineup included Bullet for My Valentine and Avenged Sevenfold, under annual headliners Megadeth. Now Megadeth drummer Shawn Drover has reportedly shot down those rumors with a one-word post in Megadeth.com's fan forum–"No."

However, there's truth to the stories that Megadeth are currently working on their next album with producer Andy Sneap (Opeth, Arch Enemy,) will be touring Europe with Judas Priest and Testament, and that "Holy Wars" still totally owns you.

"Priest Feast" with Judas Priest, Megadeth and Testament dates: (more…)

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18-year-old goth metal singer stabs 16-year-old guitarist 50 times for "playing poorly"

Genoa is a city in Italy, famous for its historic parks, its ancient cathedrals and now for Christina Balzano, the teenaged singer of goth metal band Soul Cry, who are presumably breaking up after Christina stabbed her guitarist 50(!) times with a seven-inch kitchen knife (christ!)

Details are surfacing–the axeman (the guitarist, not Christina) is going to live despite multiple stabbings to the head, Christina's 16-year-old bass-playing brother is an accomplice, and attempted murder charges are pending. As for motive, Blabbermouth reports that the guy was stabbed "playing poorly" (read here,) but CBCNews alleges that the guitarist was "sounding evil," and that Christina claimed she was trying to stop him from killing himself (what, by doing it herself?) Read more of that here.

If any of our readers can translate this story from Italian TV, we'd be much obliged.

Beware, those who play guitar in front of 18-year-old goth chicks.

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On this Black Friday, remember the wise words of James Hetfield

Metallica - Black Friday

In other Black Friday news, people in Long Island are savages.

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If you mess up DIO in karaoke, this dude will fuck you up

Man, I know some people love DIO but uhh…

According to The Smoking Gun, a 24-year-old Wisconsin man allegedly became so incensed by a lackluster karaoke performance of DIO's classic song "Holy Diver" that he assaulted the singer and a second man, police charge. According to a River Falls Police Department report, Kyle D. Drinkwine throttled singer James Mischler, 28, and his friend Cyrus Kozub, 29, on November 7 "over one's ability to sing karaoke." Though cops did not specify which song set Drinkwine off last week, Kozub told The Smoking Gun that Mischler was performing "Holy Diver". Following the assaults, police apprehended Drinkwine after a short foot chase. A subsequent Breathalyzer test recorded his blood alcohol content at .169, more than twice the state limit.

The gentleman to your right is the man responsible for said beatdown. Can you imagine what that was like? "DUDE YOU'RE FUCKING UP DIO MAN! MOTHERFUCKING DIO!! ARE YOU CRAZY???" ::smack::. I've never been so drunk that I beat somebody up for fucking up Dio… does that make me less of a metal head? [via Blabbermouth]

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GLOBAL METAL documentary gets a release date

Fans of Sam Dunn and Scott McFadyen's 2005 documentary Metal: A Headbanger's Journey rejoice: The duo's follow-up, Global Metal, is scheduled for DVD release this upcoming November 4. Addressing metal as an international phenom, Global Metal documents the culture, dedication and stigma that comes with extreme music all over the world. The film, which enjoyed a limited theater release earlier this year, features interviews with members of Sepultura, Slayer, Metallica, Sigh and others, as well as metalheads in Asia, South America and the Middle East. Check out the filmmakers' website for Global Metal and Metal: A Heabanger's Journey here. Watch the trailer below…

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Boredoms plans a Deluxe CD/DVD release for unbelievable 77BoaDrum jam

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..

Boredoms playing 77BoaDrums - photo by PitchforkMedia

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):

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SATYRICON prepare to unleash hell – "Age of Nero" details & tour dates announced

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Norwegian black(ish?) metallers SATYRICON have issued the following update on their new album, due out November 3rd via grimmest-ov-the-grim label Roadrunner Records:

"We have completed the new album The Age Of Nero in its entirety and we are very very proud of it! The release date is November 3rd and will be followed by a full European headlining tour opening in Stavanger, Norway on November 12th and ending in Hamburg, Germany on December 20th. A few more shows will be added soon. Opening act on the tour is EVILE and the direct support act will be added soon. Expect updates with tons of information on the new album and the tour, competitions, interviews and music in the next few weeks!"

Staying super-tr00 to their black metal roots, Satyricon will also be hitting the road with equally-kvlt labelmates Cradle of Filth for an, appropriately enough, winter US tour in January/February of '09. Expect to hear some rawkin' black'n'roll from Satyr, Frost, and hired guns Gildas Le Pape (rhythm guitar) & bassist Victor Brandt (Dominion, Totalt Javla Morker) alongside Cradle of Filth's bombastic "No really guys, we used to be black metal in the '90s!" shtick.

Say what you will about the lack of rawness inSatyricon's newer material (I know I sure do) but you've gotta admit that they're putting out some diabolically-catchy music. In a way, they've pulled a Darkthrone – regressing so far past their orthodox black metal roots that they bypassed metal altogether and ended up entrenched in a pit of sleazy, dirty rock'n'roll, and you know what? It works. Not to say that I wouldn't have been happier to hear that Dark Medieval Times Part II was coming out, but hey, I'll take what I can get nowadays. At least it's not deathcore. For those interested in European tour dates…. (more…)

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SKINLAB finish prepping new digital ep Bloodclot

The long-running Bay Area metal band SKINLAB has announced plans to release the Bloodclot digital EP later this summer. This is the band's first new material since taking a hiatus following the recording of their album Revolting Room. SKINLAB was rubbing elbows with some of the biggest names in the scene at the end of the last millenium; Robb Flynn landed them their recording deal, Andy Sneap recorded their first album, and they toured with everyone from ENTOMBED and IN FLAMES to FEAR FACTORY and the DEFTONES. It's disheartening to see that since disbanding they seem to have faded into relative obscurity. However, the band just found a way out of their contract with horrendous Crash Music label, they are now working with Dez Fafara, and they are in the studio recording a new full-length album so I would say that things are looking up for them. Hopefully the release of the Bloodclot digital EP will be a precursor of better times ahead. In the least, the tracklist indicates the EP should be worth a listen – who else has covered NAILBOMB, anyway? Check their MySpace page to listen to two of the tracks from Bloodclot and to check out studio video from the forthcoming LP.

Bloodclot digital EP tracklisting:
1. Face Of Aggression (listen)
2. In For The Kill (listen)
3. Bloodclot (demo)
4. Planets Collide (CROWBAR cover)
5. Wasting Away (NAILBOMB cover)

We leave you with some "classic" SKINLAB from their 1999 album Disembody: The New Flesh, this is "Know Your Enemies":

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And now for something completely different…

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Introducing the $2,500,000 Signature Cocaine Guitar

guitar

Well, sort of. Apparently, some wacky rock-n-roller thought it would be a great idea to gut a Stratocaster and fill it with pure Peruvian white gold. This dude was trying to get to Rome from Costa Rica when some narc happen to spot some residue coming out of the guitar. Good idea, poor execution. What have we learned? Don't go to Rome!

[Music Thing via Gizmodo]

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In the News: Tommy Chong PWNZ MSNBC Anchor

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I'm not sure if you guys heard, being that you're so grim and necro, but Paris Hilton recently was taken to jail. The media blitz surrounding it was at near-emergency levels, you'd think the president got shot or something. MSNBC, being on the cusp of investigative journalism, got the best expert they could find for the situation….Tommy Chong. Yes, that Tommy Chong. Tommy Chong luckily smoked the reporter and caused her some chronic headaches with his valid points….GET IT?

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