Crustcake Picks - LA Shows 6/5 - 6/11

by beatmasterspeech (LA)

It's a bum week in LA for metallic music. I got one, only one show on my radar folks... the illustrated metal phenomenon, Dethklok, is in town. Actually, I think Brendon Small (creator, voices, music, man of many talents) lives in town as he's a regular at local metal shows, or at least he was before Dethklok kicked him into a constant busy schedule.

You can find the live incarnation of Toki Wartooth, Pickles the drummer, William Murderface (best name ever), Nathan Explosion, and Skwisgaar Skwigelf at the Wiltern tomorrow night. Soilent Green (major selling point for me, minus their latest artwork) and Chimaira (boo... hisss) are the supporting acts.

LA show picks 6/5 - 6/11:

Friday 6/6 - Dethklok, Soilent Green, Chimaira @ The Wiltern [tix]

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Crustcake Picks - LA Shows 5/22 - 5/28

by beatmasterspeech (LA)

Slow for shows this week but there are two good 'uns. Soilent Green will be in the House... of Blues mixing up their batch of southern sludgy death metal with a few friends, but my money will be spent on many drinks at the Knitting Factory saluting my favorite necro-death metallers Anaal Nathrakh. Go rip it up with them, you will not forget it.

Or you could just wait for Maiden next weekend.

LA show picks 5/22 - 5/28:

Saturday 5/24 - Death Angel, God Forbid, Light This City, Soilent Green @ House of Blues, Sunset Strip [tix]

Wednesday 5/28 - Anaal Nathrakh, Sumeria, Lightning Swords Of Death, Diabolos, Nekcrium @ Knitting Factory [tix]

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Animosity Frontman talks with Soilent Green

Fresh off the release of Inevitable Collapse in the Presence of Conviction, Soilent Green recently rocked the New England Metal and Hardcore Festival. While there, Leo Miller from Animosity tracked them down and interviewed them for Metal Injection.

The interview may be a bit on the long side, and get a little off track in the middle, but we can't say no to topics like recording with Erik Rutan, awesome guitar tone, hitting the road once again, Dethklok, and how the band has managed to survive all these years, line up changes, and natural disasters.



Soilent Green - "Antioxidant":



Soilent Green - Tour Dates:

May 18 - Rock Bottom Bar San Antonio, Texas *
May 19 - Club 101 El Paso, Texas *
May 21 - Gator’s Farmington, New Mexico *
May 22 - The Sets Tempe, Arizona *
May 23 - Jillians Las Vegas, Nevada *
May 24 - House of Blues - Sunset Strip Los Angeles, California *
May 25 - Slim’s San Francisco, California *
May 26 - The Dome Bakersfield, California *
May 27 - Fat Cat Music House Modesto, California *
May 28 - The Boardwalk Orangevale, California *
May 30 - Hawthorne Theatre Portland, Oregon *
May 31 - Studio Seven Seattle, Washington *
Jun 5 - The Fillmore San Francisco, California %
Jun 6 - The Wiltern Theatre Los Angeles, California %
Jun 7 - House Of Blues Las Vegas, Nevada %
Aug 9 - OZZFEST - Pizza Hut Park Frisco, Texas

* w/ Death Angel, God Forbid
% w/ Dethklok

Download: Soilent Green - "Antioxidant" [MP3]
Listen: Soilent Green [MySpace]
Buy: Inevitable Collapse in the Presence of Conviction [Amazon]

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New England Metal and Hardcore Fest - Photo Wrap-Up Part 2

Welcome to part 2 of crustcake's 2008 New England Metal and Hardcore Fest Photo Wrap-up! Check out part 1 here.

words and photos by Jesse Angelo

The thing about a festival is that you have to make choices. When sets are overlapping all day long, you can't possibly see every band. Many bands played on Saturday (including Dimmu Borgir, Shadows Fall, Behemoth, Hate Eternal, Kataklysm, Soilent Green, and Disfear, to name a few) and we had to plan a schedule that not only included all the bands we wanted to see, but one that fit in some drinking time outside.

Fortunately we easily found a new place to tailgate; a lot right next to the Palladium. Not having to run through the streets of Worcester drunk is a good thing.



But, there was no time to hang around outside... Skeletonwitch was on:



Some serious head banging:






In years past, there was really nothing to eat at or around the Palladium besides some random snacks. But after ten years, we finally have something more substantial: Ron's Kitchen (truck) featuring the $6 "Steak Bomb" sandwich. Hell yeah!



Steve scored a chili-cheese dog from Ron's:



Some of the ladies at Metal Fest. They cat called at me as they walked by.



A band's bug-splattered and trash-filled van:



Back inside for Soilent Green on the second stage:




Now back outside for a little whiskey!



Eric schooling some little dude on tailgating:




Disfear played the second stage, which is really more of a hallway, but probably the best place to see a band like this:



Just don't get kicked in the face by Tomas!



I didn't know there were dudes this metal still around:



Kataklysm:



This is a brutal looking guitar!





This one too... it looks painful:




We asked the bartender for two Crown and Cokes and a Shirley Temple for our straightedge friend. But instead of using a normal amount a grenadine-- a splash-- she just put in about as much Crown as was in our drinks. Look at how bright red that drink is! It's probably 1/3 grenadine. [He certainly seems to be enjoying it. -Ed.]



Hate Eternal:






Eric Rutan = extra brutal:



Behemoth:






Towards the end of Behemoth's set, Nergal grabbed a bible and began trashing organized religion. He then tore pages out and threw them and the bible into the crowd!



Nergal's new mask:



Sometimes the most brutal part of the Fest is standing there all day:



Shadows Fall:




Some fans with blood splattered all over them. If you look closely, the guy above the blond girl has a giant gash on his eyebrow:



That's it for our coverage of the New England Metal and Hardcore Fest 2008. Hope to see you there next year. If you spot us, don't be afraid to come on over and say hi. I'm sure we'll be able to find a shot or two of Crown to spare!

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Crustcake Picks - NYC Shows 4/24 - 4/30

by crustcake gerf (NYC)

Hey New Yahkahs, here's an update on upcoming shows for ya. Soon, we will be moving these show listings to their own space on the site and updating them in real time rather than once a week like we do now. Hopefully this will be more helpful to our readers, and we also realize many of our readers aren't in LA or New York, so we might even be adding show calendars for other cities as well in the near future. Maybe. Or we might get drunk and forget.

Last time Hate Eternal played, I had to cut out early on them to catch Dead Meadow. I promised to make it up to them, and on Monday I will. They're playing at BB King's with Soilent Green (new album recently) and badass blackened-NWOBHM-thrashers Skeletonwitch.

Hate Eternal - "Bringer of Storms":



Skeletonwitch - "Onward to Battle":



Get techy with Behold... The Arctopus twice this week; once at Silent Barn in Ridgewood and again with Dead Child and Bostonians Irepress at Europa in Greenpoint.

Behold... The Arctopus - "Transient Exuberance":



NYC show picks 4/24 - 4/30:

Thursday 4/24 - Animosity, Through the Eyes of the Dead, First Blood, For the Fallen Dreams, Withered @ Knitting Factory [tix]

Friday 4/25 - Behold... the Arctopus, Krallice, Animal, MAW @ Silent Barn

Monday 4/28 - Darsombra, Bezoar, Ogima @ Lit Lounge

Monday 4/28 - Hate Eternal, Soilent Green, Skeletonwitch, Toxic Holocaust @ BB King's [tix]

Wednesday 4/30 - Dead Child, Irepress, Behold... the Arctopus @ Europa [tix]

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Crustcake Picks - New Music 4/15

Hey, did you hear that one about the string ensemble that recorded a tribute to Bullet For My Valentine? Seriously, we can't make this shit up people. It's very real and it's really being released tomorrow by Koch. Scream, aim, fail.

Fortunately, there are a few new albums this week that won't make you cringe at the merest thought of hearing them.

As we mentioned on Friday, Soilent Green will be releasing their fifth full-length tomorrow, Inevitable Collapse in the Presence of Conviction via new home Metal Blade. Inevitable Collapse (see below) joins In Flames' A Sense of Purpose for worst album cover of the year eligibility.

Download: Soilent Green - "Antioxidant" [MP3]

Technical death metallers (but not in the Hate Eternal way) Arsis are releasing their third studio album tomorrow, We Are The Nightmare. Check out a few tracks at their MySpace and an interview discussing the album at MetalSucks.

And lastly, Children of Bodom's sixth LP, Blooddrunk is out tomorrow, and it sounds pretty much like, uh, Children of Bodom. Though Alexi Laiho and Co. certainly aren't pushing the envelope with this one, we do give them credit for being the only band ever to make General MIDI (specifically 'Orchestra Hit') sound cool. If you don't know what any of that means, you're probably better off.

Children of Bodom - "Blooddrunk":



Our picks:


Arsis - We Are the Nightmare [Amazon]


Children of Bodom - Blooddrunk [Amazon]


Soilent Green - Inevitable Collapse in the Presence of Conviction [Amazon]

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Monday Metal Update 4/14

As we recently alluded to, Judas Priest, Motörhead, Heaven and Hell (Dio-fronted Black Sabbath), and Testament are rumored to be embarking on a massive tour de force in the US later this summer. Nothing 'official' has been announced yet, but the tour's been confirmed by several sources including Testament's Chuck Billy at their recent NYC gig.



Obviously, these shows will be at those massive arenas and amphitheaters with names like Such-and-Such Bank Center and So-and-So Automotive Company Pavilion, so let us give you that lineup once more to revive your enthusiasm:

• Testament
• Heaven and Hell (that's Ronnie James Dio, Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, and Vinny Appice for those keeping score at home)
• Motörhead
• Judas Priest

Dates (rumored, so far) are as follows:

Aug. 06 - Camden, NJ @ Susquehanna Bank Center
Aug. 07 - Bristow, VA @ Nissan Pavilion At Stone Ridge
Aug. 09 - Holmdel, NJ @ PNC Bank Arts Center
Aug. 10 - Wantagh, NY @ Nikon At Jones Beach Theater
Aug. 13 - Toronto, ON @ The Molson Amphitheatre
Aug. 15 - Uncasville, CT @ Mohegan Sun
Aug. 16 - Burgettstown, PA @ Post-Gazette Pavilion
Aug. 18 - Clarkston, MI @ DTE Energy Music Theatre
Aug. 19 - Tinley Park, IL @ First Midwest Bank Amphitheatre
Aug. 22 - Dallas, TX @ Superpages.com Center

In almost-equally-but-not-quite-because-it's-really-apples-and-oranges awesome news, animated death metallers Dethklok (yes!) will be touring this summer with Soilent Green (meh) and Chimaira (Zzzz...). This will be the general public's first chance to catch a glimpse of William Murderface and the entire cartoon crew live and in the 'flesh,' as the bogus band's debut trek last year was only a brief college tour.

Dethklok, Soilent Green, Chimaira - 2008 Tour:

6/2 Portland, OR @ Roseland Theatre
6/3 Seattle, WA @ Showbox SODO
6/5 San Francisco, CA @ The Fillmore
6/6 Los Angeles, CA @ Wiltern Theatre
6/7 Las Vegas, NV @ House of Blues
6/8 San Diego, CA @ House of Blues
6/10 Tempe, AZ @ Marquee Theatre
6/11 Albuquerque, NM @ Sunshine Theater
6/12 Englewood, CO @ Gothic Theatre
6/14 Minneapolis, MN @ First Avenue
6/15 Lawrence, KS @ Liberty Hall
6/16 Chicago, IL @ House of Blues
6/17 Pontiac, MI @ Clutch Cargos
6/19 Cleveland, OH @ House of Blues
6/20 Toronto, ONT @ Kool Haus
6/22 Buffalo, NY @ Town Ballroom
6/24 Worcester, MA @ The Palladium
6/25 New York, NY @ Nokia Theater Times Square
6/26 Baltimore, MD @ Ram’s Head Live
6/27 Philadelphia, PA @ Theater of Living Arts
6/29 Myrtle Beach, SC @ House of Blues
6/30 Orlando, FL @ Hard Rock Live
7/1 St. Petersburg, FL @ Jannus Landing
7/2 Atlanta, GA @ Tabernacle
7/4 Houston, TX @ Meridian
7/5 Dallas, TX @ House of Blues
7/6 Austin, TX @ La Zona Rosa

Tour blasts; one, two, three GO!

The Black Dahlia Murder:

5/2 Huntington, WV @ Paradox Rift #
5/3 Augusta, GA @ Sector 7G #
5/4 Birmingham, AL @ Cave 9 *
5/5 Metairie, LA @ The High Ground *
5/7 Columbia, MO @ Blue Note *
5/8 Oklahoma City, OK @ Bricktown Ballroom *
5/9 Wichita, KS @ Eagles Lodge *
5/10 Des Moines, IA @ House Of Bricks *
5/15 Anchorage, AK @ Chilkoot Charlie's
5/16 Anchorage, AK @ Club Millennium

* w/ A Life Once Lost, Arsis
# w/ Arsis

Intronaut, Behold... The Arctopus, Mouth Of The Architect:

8/1 Columbus, OH @ Ravari Room
8/2 Indianapolis, IN @ Melody Inn
8/3 Pittsburgh, PA @ Howler's Coyote Cafe
8/4 Buffalo, NY @ Xtreme Wheels
8/5 Endicott, NY @ Downtown Quarterback
8/6 Cambridge, MA @ Middle East
8/7 Providence, RI @ Living Room
8/8 New York, NY @ Knitting Factory
8/9 Doylestown, PA @ Siren Records w/ Fight Amp
8/10 Washington, DC @ DC-9
8/11 Richmond, VA @ Nara Sushi
8/12 Charlotte, NC @ The Milestone
8/13 Atlanta, GA @ Drunken Unicorn
8/14 Orlando, FL @ The Haven
8/15 Tampa, FL @ Brass Mug
8/16 Gainesville, FL @ The Atlantic
8/17 Metarie, LA @ High Ground
8/18 Memphis, TN @ Hi Tone Cafe
8/19 Fayetteville, AR @ OPO Downstairs
8/20 Little Rock, AR @ Downtown Music
8/21 Dallas, TX @ Red Blood Club
8/22 Austin, TX @ Red 7
8/23 Oklahoma City, OK @ The Conservatory
8/25 Farmington, NM @ Gator's
8/26 Tempe, AZ @ The Clubhouse
8/27 Hollywood, CA @ Knitting Factory
8/28 San Diego, CA @ Chaser's
8/29 San Francisco, CA @ Annie's Social Club
8/30 Portland, OR @ Rotture
8/31 Roseburg, OR @ Riversdale Grange
9/1 Seattle, WA @ Studio Seven
9/3 Denver, CO @ Marquis Theater
9/4 Lawrence, KS @ Replay Lounge
9/5 St Louis, MO @ 2 Cents Plain
9/6 Des Moines, IA @ Vaudeville Mews
9/7 Chicago, IL @ Reggie's Rock Club

Despised Icon, Ion Dissonance, Beneath The Massacre, The Plasmarifle - Spring Canada Tour 2008:

5/30 Toronto, ON @ Opera House
5/31 Hamilton, ON @ Casbah
6/01 Ottawa, ON @ Mavericks
6/02 Sherbrooke, QC @ Bar Le Magog
6/03 Chicoutimi, QC @ Bunker
6/04 Trois-Rivieres, QC @ Rock Cafe Le Stag
6/05 Montreal, QC @ Club Soda
6/06 Quebec, QC @ L'Anti
6/07 Victoriaville, QC @ Bar L'Evasion

That's it for us today, happy Monday!

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Flick Friday - Animosity, Soilent Green, Beach House

by crustcake gerf (NYC)

Animosity's (not bobblehead edition) new video for their song "Toothgrinder" was directed by the band's vocalist, Leo Miller, and filmed in their hometown of San Francisco.

"We are all pretty sick of these retarded music videos of bands playing in dark warehouses or on top of snowy mountains and whatnot. It made more sense to make a video that is more relative to our band and our lives. The whole day [of filming] was a blast," Miller told Headbanger's Blog.

Animosity - "Toothgrinder":



Frolicking about San Fran on a bright sunny day isn't very metal, guys. Perhaps in the future you ought to consider filming in a dark warehouse or on a snow-capped mountaintop or something.

Buy: Animosity - Animal [Amazon]

NOLA sludge metallers Soilent Green have a troubled history. The band has been involved in multiple automobile accidents; in 2004 former bassist Scott Williams was killed in an apparent murder/suicide; and a year later former vocalist Glen Rambo was killed in Hurricane Katrina.

Soilent Green will be releasing their new album, Inevitable Collapse in the Presence of Conviction, next Tuesday via Metal Blade.

"[The album is about] the basic idea of no hope. It's in reference to the history of Soilent Green and also just life in general," vocalist Ben Falgoust notes. "Everybody is always picturing things with a happy ending, but life's not always like that."

Soilent Green - "Antioxidant":



Download: Soilent Green - "Antioxidant" [MP3]
Buy: Soilent Green - Inevitable Collapse in the Presence of Conviction [Amazon]

Time to take the energy down a notch or twenty. Beach House, who we like to refer to as the Earth of indie rock, just released a new video for the song "Gila" off their recently released sophomore album Devotion. It's dark, a little creepy, and if it happens to be raining where you are, it'll provide the perfect soundtrack.

Beach House - "Gila":



Download: Beach House - "Gila" [MP3]
Buy: Beach House - Devotion [Amazon] [iTunes]

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