Album Review: NYC Sucks Vol. 1

Don't be fooled by the title, this compilation anything but sucks. If you're curious as to what NYC Sucks is (and why it is called that in the first place), merely read under the album title. It is "the best of New York City's Metal Scene as Compiled by the Editors of Metalsucks." For those who don't know, Metalsucks is pretty much the premier source of metal news on the net, and is arguably the most successful blog garnered towards this type of music (but Mosh Rebellion kicks some ass too, *cough cough*), so it's nice to see the editors get together and put forth a compilation actually worth listening to. For some reason, almost every compilation set I have heard in recent history has sucked for one reason or another, but Metalsucks did a great job putting together arguably the best Metal compilation disc I have heard in all my days of listening to the heaviest, most brutal genre of music on this planet. And best of all, its free.

For one, there is a great deal of variety in this compilation. There's Mathcore (The Binary Code), Technical Death Metal (Pyrrhon), Progressive Black Metal (Castevet), and Doom Metal (Batillus), along with many more genres represented by the ten other bands. There is seriously something for every Metal fan in this compilation, and I have to say I was very pleased when I started listening to find that variety was just as commonplace as the quality of music, and with fourteen different bands it's gonna be awhile before this release gets boring.

Another thing I really like about NYC Sucks is how both bigger bands and smaller bands are represented. Made Out of Babies, who have nearly 700,000 plays on Last.fm have a track on this compilation which is followed by one by Tiger Flowers, who at the time of this writing have only 262 plays on Last.fm. The editors of Metalsucks weren't kidding around when they said they were compiling the best of New York metal scene, and it's great see quality bands represented no matter how large their fan base is. It seems like the editors just went out to shows, found the best live bands no matter how many people were in attendance, and signed them up for NYC Sucks, which is unendingly awesome.

So, the quality of these tracks is incredible. Each song is great in its own regard, and it's great to see smaller acts getting some recognition along with the big dogs. Plus with the number of different genres in this compilation, there's something for everybody. Normally I would give a great release like this four out of five stars, but c'mon, it's free. There's literally no reason you shouldn't get this if you are a fan of brutal music, which is why NYC Sucks gets a very deserving

5/5

This review can also be found on breakthrough review website, Critic Hammer.

Winds of Plague may suck, but at least they have a good sense of humor

"I just want to be taken seriously!" ... ... I'm sorry, what?

I'm still baffled as to why people make such a big hooplah about Winds of Plague. Just because you have keyboards and MIDI orchestration doesn't make you black metal, and just because you occasionally wear Behemoth shirts doesn't make you not a bunch of deathcore posers. They have even gone so far as to insist in interviews that they don't consider themselves deathcore at all, but I find that hard to swallow for the following reasons: they play excessive amounts of breakdowns (with gang chants I might add), they all wear flat brimmed hats and basketball shorts, they tour exclusively with other deathcore/metalcore bands, and oh yeah, THEY PLAY LOTS AND LOTS OF SHITTY BREAKDOWNS.

But all that aside, WOP just released a silly video via Metalsucks to promote their upcoming two-day Xmas show, and while the lineup is impressively unimpressive, the video itself is actually quite entertaining. Take a look, and while you're at it, listen to the song that starts around the 2:30 mark and tell me that's not deathcore.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zWg09axZ6qw

Christmas with Winds of Plague? Thanks but no thanks, if my Christmas is going to be metal I'll stick with the good old Trans Siberian Orchestra. Speaking of funny holiday videos, if you haven't seen it yet here's Corey Taylor's new-ish Christmas music video to help you wash the scene off you from that last video. As always, leave your comments in the, well, comments section. Take care.

http://www.metalinjection.net/tv/view/6086/corey-taylor-x-mas-%282010%29

New Children of Bodom album!

Well isn't this a pleasant surprise. According to Metalsucks, Children of Bodom's new album Relentless Reckless Forever is set to release in the US on March 8th via Universal Music and Spinefarm Records. I've been a fan of Bodom for some time now, but I'll confess, recently I'd almost forgotten about them. I mean let's face it, Follow the Reaper and Hatebreeder are classics, and while their last couple of albums were pretty good, they just didn't quite live up to the monumental standards they had set for themselves. Still, that doesn't change the fact that they're a very talented band, and even if this new album isn't Hatebreeder 2 I'm sure it'll still be worth a listen or twelve. C'mon, it's fucking Bodom. Check out the teaser trailer for the video for the single "Was It Worth It" here, and leave your thoughts and/or concerns about the upcoming album or Children of Bodom in general in the comments below.

Judas Priest are retiring(?)

Even the gay guy is more manly and awesome than you

Well, this certainly comes as a surprise. After approximately forty years, one of the most iconic metal bands of all time are apparently calling it quits. According to the perpetually awesome dudes at Metalsucks, the band announced that their next tour is scheduled to be their last before officially retiring as a band. Now, I'll confess, since I'm a youngster I really don't listen to Judas Priest, like ever, but whether you listen to them or not there's no denying that they are one of the most legendary, long lasting heavy metal bands of all time, and the thought of them not being around anymore is something that's really hard to wrap your head around. Let's face it, Dio's dead (RIP), Black Sabbath haven't released anything since I was about five, and Ozzy is still around but hasn't released any material that even comes close to what he did back in his heyday. Priest, on the other hand, kept the train rolling, releasing new albums that were just as well-received as their old ones and continually touring, making damn sure nobody forgot about them. Even if you don't listen to them, the fact is they've always been around, so from that perspective it may even be more surprising to the younger generation than to the older fans. Either way, here's some cool live footage of their timeless classic "Breaking the Law" circa 2004.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Nu5gv9A2zc0

Many people are questioning whether or not Judas Priest are actually serious about breaking up; after all, what better way to get people to come to your show than to tell them there won't be any more? This isn't an unreasonable argument, but whatever the case may be, once the dates for this supposed final tour are announced they will be put up here post-haste. And hey, if this whole thing does turn out to be a publicity stunt, what's the worst that could happen? Judas Priest will play more shows and record more CD's, oh darn.

I'm Cursed. The Worst Band I've Heard From Long Island May Have More in Common With Forrest Gump Than They Imagine

Oh Metalsucks, you are such a double edged blade. On one hand, you generously gave us a good deal of readers, and I regularly check your site for the latest in metal news. On the other hand however, you sometimes introduce me to some of the worst bands I have ever heard, such as these guys.

If you followed the link don't let your eyes play tricks on you, these guys actually label themselves as "gumpcore." Unsurprisingly they play a horrible mix of grind and slamming deathcore, full with "Bree Bree's" and samples from Forrest Gump. What the fuck. I understand the irony in playing Forrest Gump samples when most bands in your genre are sampling horror movies and snuff films, but honestly how long can you pull this shit off? It might be funny for one song, but to base an entire band around this concept is bound to fail. Especially if your music is shitty. Which it is.

Even worse, these guys are from Long Island. I think I might be cursed, because it seems shitty bands somehow follow me wherever I go. New Jersey doesn't have any metal scene outside of terrible deathcore and Waking the Cadaver, and now it seems the awful trend is following me to the Long Island area. Sigh... Oh well, check out the band if you'd like to hear the musical stylings Little Chocolate, Forrest, Indiana Jonas, Bobby, and John Ocean-O'Connor. And if you really want to get mad watch the video embedded on their myspace, full of pathetic hardcore dancers who seem unsure of when it's appropriate to dance. Thanks a lot Long Island, keep the good stuff coming!

End of the Week: What are You Guys Listening to?

It's been a big week for us here at Mosh Rebellion. The website just started, and thanks to the awesome dudes at Metalsucks we have a lot of new writers! You all heard Dingus', The Baby Killer's, and Choops' take on hardcore dancing, some of which were more strongly worded than others. We told you about awesome Lamb of God breakdowns (which you probably already knew about), and introduced you to the most brutal Englishman ever, Kev.

So I think at the end of the week we should all share what we're listening to. Here are some of my favorite songs as of lately.

All Shall Perish - Gagged, Bound, Shelved and Forgotten 
When Awaken the Dreamers first came out I could never get into this song, but for some reason I can't stop listening to it now. The intro pumps me up so fucking much, and I love the lyrics. Here's an excerpt.

"Don't let them take our nation
Take
Our nation, leaving us drifting through falsehood
Redemption is gone
They tell us that were fine, that we choose our rights
Our choice, a fight
What fucking lies
They slay our minds
This is for penance
We all are taking the fall
And if they think they've won, they better think...
They fucking better think twice"


It can kinda be contorted to represented my hatred towards hardcore dancers. They might think they've won the pit, but they don't know what's comin to 'em. We can't let them take our nation (of metal). I guess. Or something. Whatever, listen to it below.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=naAbTq2TbrY


Cynic - Adam's Murmur
Oh god. The melodic part that starts at 0:40 gets me every time. Such a goddamn fantastic bands from one of the best bands around. Listen to this shit.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OQivkZJaoq0


N.W.A. - Straight Outta Compton
Honesty time I here. I don't just listen to metal. In fact, I fucking love gangsta rap, especially stuff from the 90's, and this shit is some of the most ghetto stuff you'll find. This song makes me want to fuck shit up, it's so good, almost as gangsta as Dr. Dre's The Chronic (arguably the best rap album ever). Also, it's funny to think that the guy who spits the rhyme, "When I'm called off, I got a sawed off, Squeeze the trigger, and bodies are hauled off" went on to star in such prestigious films as Are We There Yet? No matter, download this shit and blast it in you're car. 


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=33jyoyJNa2c&feature=related


So, that's what I've been listening to, what about you guys? Post in the comments below, give us some good music for the weekend!

Special Thanks to Metalsucks!

So the guys over at metalsucks.net gave our little blog a shout out in one of their posts today. I just wanna say thanks for helpin to get the word out, you guys fucking rule. You can check out the post here:

http://www.metalsucks.net/2010/10/27/the-end-of-the-karate-moshpit-trend/

Not to suck their dicks or anything, but I visit this site multiple times a day to get my metal news. Seeing as Axl and Vince also both hail from NY and have probably been to many of the same shows I've been to it's no surprise that they sympathize with the anger I, and all other writers here, feel towards hardcore dancers. 

Check out the site, it fucking rules, and once again thanks a lot guys.