Headbangers’ Brawl is a weekly column where Metal Insider’s Bram and Zach take a moment to debate and analyze two opposing sides of a topical issue occurring in the world of metal and/or the music industry.
Yesterday, dates for Mayhem Fest 2012 were revealed (albeit without mentioning the actual venues). And while the lineup won’t be officially revealed till January of 2012, and chances are the organizers are still trying to book bands as we speak, we can’t help ourselves from playing the guessing game. Thus, Bram and Zach discuss which bands they think are likely to appear on the Mayhem Fest’s next installment.
Zach: Of course, it’s rreeaalllllyy too soon to know for sure who will be playing Mayhem Fest next Summer. However, one name I think will most likely be on the 2012 Mayhem lineup is Five Finger Death Punch. They’ve been on the tour twice now (on the side stage in 2008 and the main stage in 2010), and American Capitalist’stop 5 debut on the charts this month proves that they’ve become one of metal’s best selling acts right now. They may not be big enough to headline the entire festival, yet I bet they’ll be one of the bigger draws on the main stage. I think it’s also likely that Shadows Fall (also Mayhem Fest 2010 veterans) will appear on the festival since they’re in the studio right now and hope to release a new album sometime in 2012.
One name that I think is unlikely to appear is Slipknot (who headlined the festival back in 2008). Although they’ve only been playing a handful of dates in Europe since the death of bassist Paul Gray, Slipknot have been showing signs of slowly getting back into the swing of things. In fact, Corey Taylor and Clown have stated plans for Slipknot to tour the US this coming Summer. However, Clown confirmed that a U.S. tour would take place in June of 2012 (Mayhem Fest kicks off on the last day of June). So unless if they haven’t booked anything yet, Slipknot will most likely not be on the Mayhem Fest lineup.
Bram: Ooh ooh, I like this game! It’s completely pre-emptive right now to guess anything, really. There’s probably bands that don’t even have their next album written that will inevitably wind up on the tour. And this past year’s headliners were so mainstream that I don’t think anyone would’ve guessed them this time last year.
I’m not a hater, but I’d be a little disappointed to see Five Finger Death Punch come back. Three times in five years is a bit much, regardless of the band’s selling power. I think it would make sense for Mastodon to come back as one of the headliners. They’ve come into their own as a touring act, and while they’re not going to sell out a shed by themselves, they’d be a welcome addition to the fest. Another returning band that would make sense is Lamb of God. They have a new album coming out early next year, so after their own headlining tour, it’d make perfect sense for them to jump on Mayhem for a summer. I wouldn’t be surprised to see High on Fire play too, since they have an album coming out early next year as well. I’m sure there’s some mainstream band of the Breaking Benjamin ilk that I’m not thinking of that’s all over rock radio that’ll headline.
As far as bands I’d like to see on it? I’m going to go with the lineup of the boat show I saw last week: Kvelertak and Skeletonwitch. Kvelertak is in the middle of their first proper US tour, but they’re so fun live that it’d be amazing to watch them play nationwide. And Ghost weren’t able to tour before due to whatever, but their King Diamond meets KISS meets Blue Oyster Cult sound would win over a ton of converts. Read more »
By now, you’ve probably already heard Machine Head’s “Locust” and Trivium’s “Built To Fall,” as well as the albums they appear on. Regardless, the music videos to both songs have made their way to the web. So if you’ve ever wanted to see Machine Head getting eaten by a bunch of killer bugs and Trivium getting tortured by pale cave monsters…then you may be a sick weirdo. Nonetheless, your dreams have come true. You can watch the video to Machine Head’s “Locust” above, while Trivium’s “Built To Fall” (which thematically is a continuation to the band’s video for “In Waves”) can be seen after the jump. Read more »
Those crazy bastards at Metal Injectionhave done it again. They’ve uncovered Baby Metal, a Japanese band featuring 12 and 13 year-old girls as singers. When the music first kicks in with a masked and anonymous backing band playing, it sounds a bit like Fear Factory, but as soon as the “Su-Metal,” “Moametal” and “Yuimetal” start singing, it turns into generic Japanese sing-songy pop. The band’s Facebook page describes them as a “mix of Idol and metal.” Presumably, that means Idol as in American Idol, but these Hot Topic harajukus aren’t about to win any vocal competitions. If you like bouncy pop with occasionally heavy syncopated riffs underneath them, you’ve found your new favorite band. And hey Revolver, we’ll take a finders fee for next year’s “hottest chicks in hard rock and metal” issue…
Metallica was supposed to perform their first show ever in India tonight. However, the show (which was to have taken place in Gurgaon) had to be postponed till the following night. While organizers are blaming “technical issues” for the postponement, many believed it was due to the damage caused by the surge of 20,000 people who arrived at the show.
According to Rolling Stone India, the large crowd reportedly caused the barricades to collapse, causing several injuries in the process. The rush of the crowd entering the venue further did damage to the barricade in front of the stage. It was only around 6pm when organizers supposedly announced the show’s postponement. Considering that many already in attendance traveled across the country for the show, fans were rightfully frustrated. The announcement led to a full on riot, with fans setting fire to banners and damaging equipment near the stage.
While fan filmed footage of the riots are hard to watch, one particular Indian news cast makes it hard for us to not laugh. “It was meant to be a rocking musical evening with fans swaying to Metallica’s beat,” the news anchor proclaims. We’re sorry, but this might be the best news report we’ve seen in a while. You can watch the Indian news report of the riot above, while fan filmed videos can be seen after the jump. Read more »
Now more than ever, it’s a tough time to be in the radio business. In between smart phones, satellite radio and the internet, it’s easier than ever for music fans to get their fix elsewhere. And while the majority of people still listen to radio more than any other medium, there’s been a lot of tuning out. And if you live in a small to medium-sized radio market and still listen, you might want to get ready for a lot of the local flavor of your radio station to disappear, if it hasn’t already. Clear Channel, a major corporation that operates over 800 radio stations, laid off a number of local DJ’s believed to be in the ‘hundreds.’
“We’ve completely rethought our regional market strategy and reinvented our operations in those markets in a way that will let us compete on a new level — and succeed using all of Clear Channel’s resources, scale and talent,” the New York Timesreports company spokesperson Wendy Goldberg as saying. Translation: get ready for syndicated shows that are voicetracked in major cities and say goodbye to local DJs, some of whom have been at radio stations for years. Goldberg says that those syndicated jocks will be cutting local liners and breaks so it appears that they’re in the markets, but they obviously won’t be. She also maintains that content will be more localized than it was before. I can’t imagine how that could be the case. A local DJ knows their city inside and out, has formed a bond with their listeners, and can be seen at local events. That’s not the case for someone that’s never even been to the town. And even those stations that are keeping talent, look for voice-tracking to occur. One DJ in the Times article was doubling as the morning host and pre-recording the afternoon show at the same station. Granted, if you’re not a discerning listener, you probably won’t even be able to tell the difference, but that’s a lot of DJs that are out of jobs.
And while this is a cost-cutting move that makes sense for Clear Channel’s bottom line, it’s not the only place where cuts are taking place. Cumulus Media, who recently took over smaller company Citadel Broadcasting, announced layoffs in New York and Los Angeles. Among those impacted were Jim Ladd, the longtime personality at classic rock station KLOS that inspired Tom Petty’s song “The Last DJ.”
Granted, this doesn’t really effect metal that much. However, one of the only places to hear metal on the radio is from local hosts that do one or two hour shows on the weekends. College radio is still the best place to hear underground music, much of it metal. But it’s a shame to see generic, non-local programming take over radio and give more people a reason to tune out.
Oderus and the gang must have really gotten along with Jimmy Fallon, because a year after their first appearance on Late Night With Jimmy Fallon, GWAR came back for more. The band performed “Hail, Genocide!” last night (October 27) on the NBC late night talk show. And unlike their performance last year, GWAR included more crazy theatrics (including Oderus getting scalped). In other words, the average late night viewer’s mind probably exploded while watching.
You can watch GWAR performing “Hail, Genocide!” in the video above.
The Ocean found themselves in a pickle in early September. They were supposed open on a major tour that was going to run in October and November. However, those plans fell through and left the European band (who already booked their flights to the U.S.) with limited options. Luckily, though, they were able to hop on the road with The Devin Townsend Project. As fortunate as that was for them, the tour comes to an end tomorrow night (October 29) in Vancouver, BC, and the band isn’t heading home to Berlin, Germany until the end of November.
Thus, The Ocean are scrambling to book headlining dates for the upcoming weeks. Here’s what they’ve booked so far:
10/31 Boise, ID @ The Shredder TBC
11/1 Ogden, UT @ Mojo’s (+ White Arms of Athena)
11/2 Denver, CO @ Casselman’s
11/3 Omaha, NE @ 5810 Grover St (house show)
11/4 Saint Paul, MN @ Station 4
11/5 Indianapolis, IN @ Indy’s Jukebox (note: venue upgrade)
11/7 Pittsburgh, PA @ Mr Roboto Project
11/10 CAN – Toronto, ONT @ Wreckroom (+ Cynic, 3, Scale The Summit)
And now they need your help! They are still looking for shows on the following dates:
11/6 OHIO DATE
11/8 DC area OR Buffalo OR Syracuse OR NYC / NJ
11/9 Buffalo OR Syracuse
11/11 NYC, Buffalo OR Syracuse
11/12 CT / RI / MA / NH
The Ocean have said that they’re willing to play pretty much anywhere. If you have a gig offering or can hook the band up with a show on the available dates, email them at info@theoceancollective.com. Keep an eye out on The Ocean’s Facebook page for updates on booked shows.
The last time Chimaira keyboardist/sampler (and singer of Daath) Sean Zatorsky took over vocal duties onstage, it was because frontman Mark Hunter fell ill. Last night, though, Hunter was absent from the stage due to a little problem with the law.
Last night (October 27), Hunter was forced to miss Chimaira’s show in San Antonio, TX. The Gauntlet discovered that venue had posted the sign (as seen off to the side) in front of the venue notifying fans of the singer’s absence from the show. While it started off as a rumor, the El Paso police department reportedly confirmed that Hunter was arrested earlier that day following a traffic stop for possession of marijuana. Hunter was reportedly booked and has since been released.
Following his release, Hunter gave the following update in a series of tweets:
“Out of the clink. Didn’t drop the soap.
I deeply apologize to the fans of San Antonio. I was detained at the same spot they got Willie. You know I will make it up to you.”
We guess now we’ve finally found a common thread between Mark Hunter and Willie Nelson. Hunter also assured everyone this morning via Twitter that he is doing well and will rejoin the band for tonight’s show in Dallas, TX. We’re just glad, though, that Hunter was able to get out of jail before dropping the soap.
Fans who got to see Rush on their 2010-2011 Time Machine tour, where they performed 1981’s Moving Pictures in its entirety, will recall a humorous skit that was shown before the band ripped into “Tom Sawyer.” The filmed skit shows each member of the Canadian prog rock trio portraying a goofy character on the set of a young Rush’s music video, all the while a time machine alters everything (showing the band members at different ages and time periods). While it’s included in the DVD version of Time Machine 2011: Live In Cleveland, which comes out on November 8, Rolling Stone has posted the skit in its entirety online. You can watch the intro skit, along with Rush’s performance of “Tom Sawyer” in the video above.
Tonight marks the end of a long wait: new episodes of Beavis and Butt-Head on TV. We’ve enjoyed the teaser clips we’ve seen so far, and were pleased to hear creator Mike Judge say that the show will still feature a few hard rock videos. In a new interview with Time Out New York, though, Judge reassured that though music isn’t as big of a focus as in the show’s first run, Beavis and Butt-Head will still make fun of rock videos.
When asked whether the two “still love metal and rock music,” Judge responded with the following:
“I didn’t make them quite as metalheaded as some people remember, but yeah, there are a couple of rock music videos in the show. It’s about half music videos and half reality shows. Maybe a little more reality shows, actually. Probably like 60/40.”
Now like Judge’s previous comment about the show’s metal influence, this statement may at first be a little disheartening to some fans. Basically, it remains unlikely that the new series will feature as many non-mainstream metal bands as the original show did, which is a shame. Nonetheless, there’s still a chance that a few heavier videos will make their way onto the show (maybe not as obscure as Crowbar or Napalm Death, but still better than nothing), and Beavis and Butt-Head will still crack us up.
One thing is for sure, though: it’ll be the first time we’ve watch anything on MTV in a long time. Check out Beavis and Butt-Head’s return to MTV tonight at 10pm.
Did you love hearing Anvil’s new song “Mankind Machine”? Then stream the Canadian thrashers’ new album Hope In Hell in its entirety before it’s released on May 28 over at Loudwire.
Kylesa’s new album, Ultraviolet, is streaming online at Pitchfork. Check out the album, as well as some pretty awesome visuals, here. The album will come out on May 28 on Season of Mist.
Unsigned & Streamed vets Anciients, who’s Season of Mist debut Heart of Oak is out now, have landed the opening slot on the Lamb of God tour. They’ll be playing from May 16 – June 10. Check out the dates here.
Sinestra Studios (who very often provides Metal Insider with some killer live photos) is hosting its very first art galleria and metal show on Saturday, May 25, at The Knitting Factory in Brooklyn, NY. Tickets for the event are onsale now.
Louna has premiered a new music video for the song “Business” with Crave Online. The extravagant and politically themed music video comes in support of the Russian hard rock group’s new album, Behind The Mask, available now via Red Decade Records and MEG/RED.
Headbangers’ Brawl is a weekly column where Metal Insider’s Bram and Zach take a moment to debate and analyze two opposing sides of a topical issue occurring in the world of metal and/or the music industry.
Posted by Metal Insider on Fri, Oct 28, 2011 at 4:21 pm
Headbangers Brawl