Big news from Winds of Plague

Winds of Plague have just released the following statement via the band's myspace account.

In February of last year, WINDS OF PLAGUE exploded onto the metal scene as the frontrunner of the new generation of heavy music. With their innovative and high energy style, the band captivated audiences across the US and sold upwards of 50,000 units of their Century Media debut album, Decimate the Weak. WINDS OF PLAGUE are now heading back in the studio with the goal being to redefine extreme all over again.

WINDS OF PLAGUE have now entered Sound Temple Studios in Ranch Cucamonga, CA with producer extraordinaire Daniel Castleman, who worked with the band on Decimate the Weak, to record The Great Stone War. WINDS OF PLAGUE is also extremely excited to be on board as part of the summer’s most extreme package tour, SUMMER SLAUGHTER, alongside Suffocation, Necrophagist, Darkest Hour and others. Dates for the trek are posted at the band’s MySpace page. More blockbuster touring is in the works that will see the band through the rest of 2009!

Vocalist Johnny Plague comments: “This week we lock ourselves inside Sound Temple Studios in Rancho Cucamonga, CA with the up and coming recording wizard Daniel Castleman. We will leave a month later drained and beat but with a new 12 track full length named The Great Stone War. This is the first time we have had to create an album from scratch so we took advantage of the situation and built a themed, well constructed album compared to Decimate the Weak which I feel was more of a collection of songs.”

Winds of Plague are one of my favorite bands out there right now, I'm looking forward to their sophomore effort.

TAS in MASS

Way back in December I was fortunate enough to catch The Acacia Strain live for their DVD shoot at the Worcester Palladium. Word on the street is that the actual DVD is going to be out by the end of the summer or fall? Don't quote me on this, just interweb buzz, but nevertheless I'm looking forward to it. The show was an ass kicker.

Just found this on youtube, Cthulhu live from the DVD shoot on 12/28/08, posted by user ThatDietGuyPlus. Click "HQ" to get the best sound and visual quality. Sit back and enjoy the destruction. Also, note to anyone planning on catching TAS live, don't ask Vincent (not Vince) to play the song he literally just finished playing. Haha.

Atreyu Working on new album

Courtesy of Blabbermouth.net..

Orange County quintet ATREYU has entered Henson Studios in Los Angeles with producer Bob Marlette (SALIVA, SEETHER, OZZY OSBOURNE) to begin work on the highly anticipated follow-up to 2007's "Lead Sails Paper Anchor".

"We started as a heavy hardcore band," says lead vocalist Alex Varkatzas, "and I think we've gotten away from that in recent years. The last record, for example, showcased us as a rock band with heavy parts. With this record, we want to return to our roots while also continuing to move forward. It's about finding the right balance between the two."

"This album will scream as a statement of where we've been, what we've become and where we will go," adds drummer/vocalist Brandon Saller. "We think this record will be a huge marker in the life of ATREYU and we can't wait to unveil it."

According to Varkatzas, the band has demoed 30 songs and plans to narrow it down to 16, with the goal being to finish recording by June. "The songs definitely have a dark, heavier feel and I think the current climate has a lot to do with that," says the vocalist. "Personally, I just feel…angry and it's coming out in the music. Failed bailouts, unemployment on the rise, troops still in Iraq — I watch all this stuff on the news and it carries over to the sessions. It gets me fired up."

My thoughts.. I'm definitely looking forward to this new album. Atreyu have changed their sound with each successive album that they've released, and fortunately I've loved it all. In particular, The Curse, my favorite, and Lead Sails Paper Anchor are dynamite albums from start to finish, and respectively represent the hardcore roots and 80's rock vibe that the band have come to cultivate. With the new album being advertised as a 50/50 of these two ends of the Atreyu spectrum, the OC quintet has definitely got my attention.

New England Metal & Hardcore Festival Recap

This show was amazing, my first time at the NEHMF, definitely not my last though. Here are my thoughts on each band that I got to see.



Suicide Silence -
These guys weren't listed on the bill, yet they were playing when I walked in the doors at around three. Granted I'm not complaining, they were good and fun to watch, favorites were No Pity For a Coward and Price of Beauty. Seems more often these days that its the skinny dudes with the deepest screams.

Thy Will Be Done -
Local boys from Providence. Never really gave them much of a listen, but I think this was my third time seeing them and I was really impressed by their performance. They played a new song from their soon-to-be-released new album and it really shredded. Shredded? Is that even a word? Is now.

Iwrestledabearonce -
Utter shit. My review for their set is a simple two word review, "shit sandwich." Despite some cool heavy parts the joke-metal gimmic got old way too fast and this novelty act wore thin on me. Goofy music for bandwagon scenesters to wank to.

Austrian Death Machine -
Regardless of my opinion of Iwrestledabearonce, I do still have a sense of humor. Austrian Death Machine put the right amount of humor into their music without fucking it all up. "Ahhnold" and the Predator on stage were pretty badass, as well as Ken Susi tearing it up on guitar and Jon Rice for Job For a Cowboy on drums.

All Shall Perish -
These guys were pretty good. To be honest I don't know them beyond hearing their name a lot, but they put on a good show and the crowd was digging it. After their set I'd definitely go check out some of their music.

Winds of Plague -
My only complaint about WoP is that they didn't have their amps turned to 11 as I'd prefer things to be. This was my second time seeing them live and both times they sounded a little quiet. Other than that they were very fun to watch and they played a good set. These guys catch a lot of flack for being just another deathcore band but I still think they bring their own originality to the scene, they have some cool slower parts instead of just blistering riffs and screaming for 3 minutes straight.

Emmure -
Simply put, The Acacia Strain did it first, The Acacia Strain do it better. Despite a sound thats not complete crap, Emmure lack any semblance of originality and their stage presence is stomach churning. After my third or fourth time sitting through these guys, I've come to the conclusion that Frank Palmeri is the biggest douchebag in the modern metal scene. The guy is the fucking Kanye West of metal if that puts it in perspective.

Municipal Waste -
For one reason or another, there was a large congregation of hippies adjacent to the Palladium yesterday. Hackie-sacking and bong-hitting, these tie-die clad vermin were everywhere. When MW hit the stage they were sporting some tie-died Grateful Dead shirts and Tony Foresta was even rocking one mean Peruvian poncho. As always, the Waste thrashed our brains out, all the while preaching of peace and love, and their upcoming Jerry Garcia tribute album. Lucky ladies in attendence even got to see Mr. Foresta strip down to his boxers during their last song.

God Forbid -
Minus Dallas Coyle, who left the band a few weeks ago on questionable terms, God Forbid still brought down the walls. New songs off Earthsblood rocked as well as some old favorites, Byron and company know how to work the crowd. Also, I'm pretty sure I saw Doc check out my girlfriend earlier in the afternoon.

Children of Bodom -
Children of Bodom are one of few bands that sound just about immaculate live. They had a solid career-spanning set list and didn't play too many new songs, which is cool because I prefer their earlier stuff. They played a few songs from Hatecrew Deathroll, including Angels Don't Kill and Bodom Beach Terror, some of my favorites. The New England Hatecrew was definitely into their set.

As I Lay Dying -
If not for Lamb of God, I think AILD might have been the best performers of the night. Their set list was awesome, a perfect blend of new and old, and their stage presence was killer, they know how to get the crowd going. I forgot how much I loved AILD but last night was a good reminder. Definitely gonna be listening to Frail Words Collapse and Shadows Are Security for a while now.

Lamb of God -
There's not much to say about Lamb of God's set beyond it kicked total ass, as expected. Their stage and lights looked awesome and they never fail to just absolutely destroy wherever they're playing by the end of the night. They played a lot of new stuff which was cool, but I still prefer stuff off Ashes, I think the crowd responded more to that stuff too. One hell of a good show from these guys, very professional and Randy was sounding solid throughout.

Its So Easy

Check it out, Avenged Sevenfold do a live version of G n' R's "Its So Easy" with a little help from axeman Slash.

Women in Music: Angela Gossow

Heavy metal as long been regarded as a hyper-masculine genre of music. For a long time it seemed as though the only women in the metal scene were the ones stripping in Motley Crue videos or climbing on cars for Whitesnake.

Its not as though the exclusion of women from metal was anything intentional or premeditated, the trend has just been historically that this style of loud and aggressive music usually draws a predominately male audience.

As it would turn out, some women weren't content with simply being a physical spectacle for metal fans to ogle, they wanted in on the music itself. Bands like Warlock and Girlschool laid the groundwork for and open the gates for girls in metal.

Now, while still a minority, the female in presence in the metal community has grown exponentially with a number of contemporary acts featuring women including Abigail Williams, Winds of Plague, Lacuna Coil, Crisis, Walls of Jericho, Cradle of Filth, Arch Enemy, and many more.

One of the most prominent female metallers in the 21st century is Angela Gossow, vocalist of Arch Enemy. Unlike the women in the aforementioned hair metal videos who are depicted degradingly as something nice to look at, Gossow is easily perceived as being powerful and in command.

She maintains a feminine grace while exerting screams that are just as intense as any of her male counterparts. Her vocal talents and towering presence do the talking for her, and she doesn't resort to making herself into something sexualized to gain attention to fans.

Gossow seems a positive role model to younger girls, she can still exhibit her looks and features without exploiting them, and her voice certainly lets anyone listening know that she can keep up with the rest of her peers.

Tea Time with Lemmy

This interview with Motorhead's Lemmy Kilmister from VH1's That Metal Show is rather entertaining. I'll just let Lemmy do the talking...

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Heathen hearts and Pagan pride

Viking metallers Týr have just finished recording their new album at home in the Faroe Islands. By the Light of the Northern Star is set for a May 29 European release and "Hold the Heathen Hammer High," a song from Star has hit the web (see video inset). Based on this track, Star may be a little more up tempo and melodious than some of its predecessors. Týr have amped up their game to deliver some five-star viking metal here. Can't wait to hear this album in its entirety.



Oh, and how badass is that album artwork?