Allegaeon Have New Song and New Album!!!

As most of you may know, I am particularly fond of melodic tech death metal band Allegaeon as seen in my Favorite Metal Albums of 2010. And by courtesy of the band's Facebook page they have announced that their brand new album Formshifter will be released via Metal Blade Records on May 8th! This was one of the albums that I have been most looking forward to (see I'm not lying!) and this news brought a smile to my face today. Along with this announcement was the premier of new song "Tartessos: The Hidden Xenocryst", I have no idea what that means but its an absolute ripper of a song. It follows along with songs off their previous album Fragments of Form and Function bringing forth tight melodies with crushing vocals and mindbending solos. Hopefully this means that there will be some tour dates announced soon but in the meantime the new track will keep us satiated.

Meshuggah is Koloss-al Once Again

The buzz that is surrounding the metal underground is all coming from Sweden, something that is not novel to us. Meshuggah have announced that their new album Koloss will be released March 27th in the US and they will be touring with Decapitated and Baroness, a tour that no one should miss. To get everyone pumped up they have have released 2 songs from the album already. Check out "Do Not Look Down" here and listen to another track below. The godfathers of djent are back!!!!

Metallica Announce Their Own 2-Day Festival

Today Metallica announced that they are to make their own festival this summer, it’s a 2 day festival with bands they supposedly picked on their own. It takes place June 23 and 24 with Metallica headling both nights. They are also going to be playing the Black Album in its entirety one of those night. You might be thinking that this is going to be a huge metal festival with tons of amazing bands both underground and above, yet when looking at some of the bands already announced, this is not the case. Artic Monkeys, Avenged Sevenfold, Modest Mouse, The Gaslight Anthem, Cage the Elephant and more odd bands fill out the list. Even the worst black metal band ever is going to be there, Liturgy. This seems to be just another Lollapalooza or Cochella, more big name bands that have nothing to do with good metal. The hate that a lot of metalheads have towards what Metallica has become is not going to be diminished by this announcement. Check out www.orionmusicandmore.com for more info on the fest as more bands should be announced in the coming weeks. The band is still doing their announcement as I publish this to discuss the fest in more detail, but it isn't telling me anything that would make me want to actually attend the show. It is streaming at the above mentioned site.

Stay tuned for more info as it develops

A View From The Pit: Ghost, Blood Ceremony, and Ancient VVisdom

Doom and gloom, a feeling that is easy to have in the Pacific Northwest this time of year. To go along with that atmosphere one needs music that is as heavy as the torrential downpour outside the windowpane and as dark as the ominous clouds encompassing the skyline. And what better group of bands than this trio of dark lord loving misanthropes! Whether through doom, 70s occult rock, or a more traditional heavy metal approach to doom, these bands came to celebrate all that is evil and dark, and the masses were more than happy to oblige on this particular night.

End of January Playlist

We haven’t given you guys a new playlist recently, and for that we are ever so sorry. You need new music, you want to listen to something that has slipped past you, and you want to relive some oldies that haven’t spun in your player in a while. Trust me, I know what’s best for your all. We’ve got everything from death/grind to thrash to black to proto-70s prog/cult/doom-ish to tech-death, and oh so much more. So here’s a little variety that will be sure to get your fists pumping and your blood spewing from all ends!

The Return of the Traveling Metal Festival?

Earlier this week, the initial lineup for this year’s Rockstar Mayhem Festival was released, and it contained some typical mainstream rock names and some legitimately good metal bands. One has to wonder if this bringing together of not just one good underground band with a bunch of fad hopping, teenage girl obsessing pin-up bands might lead to some more righteous touring festivals.

More Exciting Metal Tour News!!!!!!

There have been several great announcements as of late concerning some epically awesome tours. These are the lineups that get all your metal loving panties in a bunch. A couple of them do not have any dates posted as of yet, but we can all agree that everyone is moist with anticipation. Just the names that have been released have made my head spin. First up is the must looked forward to return to the US by blackened death metal heroes Behemoth! Decibel Magazine has announced that after defeating leukemia, Nergal and his horde of beasts are coming back to these shores kill every living being with their mighty roar. Coming along on the trek black metal titans Watain, doomy newcomers The Devil's Blood, and heavy metal bruisers In Solitude. No dates have been released yet but this is guaranteed to be one of the biggest tours of the year.

New Cannibal Corpse Shows Old Guard Can Still Dominate

One of the originators of death metal, a living legend that just about everyone loves, Cannibal Corpse are coming back to mutilate the ear canals of every living beast in this world. They just premiered a track off their upcoming album Tourture entitled “Demented Aggression,” and I have to say that this is one of the better songs the band has put out in recent years. It starts off fast, really fast, faster than anything they have played in a looooong time. Corpse Grinder seems to be able to keep up well with his signature growl without losing any steam. The riffing solos are short but amazing, they are exactly what people would want who have been a little disappointed with recent efforts. While I enjoyed such works as Evisceration Plague and Kill, many old school lovers did not like them as much as their classic works, but this track might be evidence of something they can cling on to. The song is fast, heavy, yet melodic; all characteristics of a great Cannibal Corpse death metal classic.

Goatwhore, Goatwhore, and More Goatwhore!!!!!!

Louisiana based blackened death troupe Goatwhore are seemingly popping up everywhere. They are on the cover of the newest issue of Decibel, one of the last remaining US metal magazines that actually still write about metal, good metal, they have just announced a co-headling tour that is going to obliterate audiences all over the US, and they have also released a new song off their upcoming album Blood for the Master. So far 2012 is starting out to be the year of the Goatwhore, and this writer could not be more happy to see this happen.

Weekend Metal Madness

As the new year has begun, the metal underworld has already reared its ugly, frostbitten, mutilated face. Bands are announcing new albums, knew tours, and posting some off their news music for heshers of all ages to enjoy. Whether they are young bands trying to get their careers off to a good start or established bands continuing their legacy of domination, every new year comes with exciting news of new music. Here are a few of the ones we are looking for in the coming months.