Monday Metal Update 3/10

by crustcake gerf (NYC)

It's no secret that we dig The Sword. It's also no secret that the band's sophomore album drops on April Fools' Day. The album, Gods of the Earth, is no sophomore slump-- the band has taken their signature proto-metal sound and honed it into an album so badass that its 40-some minutes fly by in what seems like half the time. The band will be heading to the UK for a few dates with Saviours and Black Cobra before heading back stateside for a west coast run with Slough Feg and Brooklyn's Children.



The Sword - West Coast Tour 2008 (with Slough Feg and Children):

April 14 - Lubbock, Texas - Jake’s Sports Center
April 15 - Albuquerque, New Mexico - Launchpad
April 16 - Phoenix, Arizona - The Brickhouse
April 17 - San Diego, California - The Casbah
April 18 - Los Angeles, California - El Rey Theatre
April 19 - San Francisco, California - Slim’s
April 21 - Pan Portland, Oregon - Berbati’s
April 22 - Seattle, Washington - Neumo’s
April 24 - Boise, Idaho - Neurolux
April 25 - Salt Lake City, Utah - Club Vegas
April 26 - Denver, Colorado - Bluebird Theatre
April 28 - Wichita, Kansas - BarleyCorns
April 29 - Oklahoma City, Oklahoma - Conservatory

The Sword - Gods of the Earth cover art:



Download: The Sword - "Fire Lances of the Ancient Hyperzephyrians" [MP3]

Several dates for At The Gates' forthcoming North American reunion tour have been announced. The tour, which features support from Darkest Hour and Municipal Waste, kicks off in New York on July 10.

At The Gates - North American Tour 2008 (with Darkest Hour and Municipal Waste):

July 10 - New York, NY - Irving Plaza
July 11 - Worcester, MA - The Palladium
July 12 - Montreal, QC - Le Medley
July 13 - Toronto, ON - Opera House
July 14 - Chicago, IL - House of Blues
July 15 - Sauget, IL – Pop's
July 17 - Houston, TX - Warehouse Live
July 18 - San Antonio, TX - White Rabbit
July 21 - Denver, CO - Cervantes Masterpiece Ballroom
July 23 - Seattle, WA - El Corazon
July 24 - Portland, OR - Roseland Theatre
July 25 - San Francisco, CA- The Fillmore
July 26 - Pomona, CA - Glasshouse
July 27 - Hollywood, CA - Henry Fonda Theatre

Tickets for the Denver show go on sale this Saturday, 3/15, at 10 am, but no other ticket info is yet available.

Download: At The Gates - "Bister Verklighet" (No Security Cover) [MP3]

If you're down in Austin, TX right now, you're probably not reading this blog. You're probably out getting hammered, watching some great bands, schmoozing with industry types, etc. But, if you are reading this blog, why? we wanted to let you know about another cool SXSW showcase.

Radar Recordings, Giant Step Productions, and Sargent House are putting on a swell show to close out the festivities this Sunday. The show features Coliseum, Constants, Genghis Tron, Maps and Atlases, Caspian, Russian Circles, crustcake favorites Junius, and a reunited Seneca, among others. It's definitely one of the festival's better showcases.



Download: Junius - "Hiding Knives" [MP3]
Download: Seneca - "Too Late for Yesterday" [MP3]

In other SXSW-related news, MetalSucks is starting rumors.


(Nadja)

Toronto duo Nadja, who played to a small, but captivated audience on Friday in Brooklyn, will be releasing their new album, Desire In Uneasiness, on April 8th. So says the press release:

The music on Desire... explores some new territory for the band, the addition of a real live drummer taking the band down some new paths of psychedelic wandering and jazzy atmosphere while maintaining the brutally grinding bass groove and beautifully corrosive shoegazer guitar distortion that makes up Nadja's sound.

Yup, that sounds about right.

Download: Nadja - "Stays Demon" [MP3]

That's it for today, happy Monday!

Download: The Sword - "Fire Lances of the Ancient Hyperzephyrians" [MP3]
Download: At The Gates - "Bister Verklighet" (No Security Cover) [MP3]
Download: Junius - "Hiding Knives" [MP3]
Download: Seneca - "Too Late for Yesterday" [MP3]
Download: Nadja - "Stays Demon" [MP3]