Top Hat Time with Hatesphere!

I know I've been gone for a minute...Life is busy and time is always short it seems.

So I've been digging on the brand new Hatesphere album, "To The Nines"...Who cares that 4/5ths of the original lineup is gone, or that 4/5ths of the lineup from the last record is gone. This is brutally heavy and groovy metallic hardcore with low-hanging balls. This is for fans of Pantera, Lamb of God, Slayer, Sepultura and to some extent, Hatebreed and Terror, except without the shitty adolescent "Say It To My Face" hardcore chants.

Check this band out. I haven't been able to see them live just yet, as their popularity is less than none here in the states. Hey, at least they have proper distribution this time!

To The Nines is out now on Napalm/SPV Records in both regular CD and deluxe CD digipak versions (w/3 bonus tracks).

"Drinking With The King of The Dead" (from 2007's Serpent Smiles and Killer Eyes):

"500 Dead People" Live in Germany:

Fancy Caravan

If Metallica is Led Zeppelin, then Pantera definitely is Black Sabbath. In fact, this weeks' fanciness comes courtesy of Pantera covering Black Sabbath. I really had my pick this week. I counld've gone with their ball-smashing rendition of "Hole In The Sky" or their Whiskey-soaked version of "Electric Funeral". I chose to stay as fancy as possible and honor "Planet Caravan", one of my favorite Sabbath songs, covered by one of my favorite metal bands.

The thing about Black Sabbath and Pantera that always pulled me in, was that beyond all the obvious heaviness and METAL, their softer side was eons darker and more tortured. Sure, "Iron Man" is heavy, but "Changes" pulls out your goddamn heart and crushes it with a baseball bat. God, I love that song. Pantera ran the same course. "Mouth For War" is pissed off and can make you pick up cars and throw them at old ladies, but "Floods" will literally make you feel like the walls are closing in around you.

Every time I saw Pantera (other than one Ozzfest slot in 2000), they played "Planet Caravan". The four dudes would set up shop in the middle of the stage with bongos and pot, fly swirly pot leaves out over the lights and turn the entire arena green (in color and smell). Even if you don't smoke the weed, you somehow got high as a motherfucker. Good music will do that...

"Planet Caravan":

The Only Way To Know For Sure

Yes, this is the title of a sweaty-ass live record by the 1999-2005 Rollins Band and yes, that record is awesome. One of the best live albums I've ever heard. Raw, unedited, b-sides, rare tracks, fan favorites...All played with perfect techinacal proficiency and skill.

Today, I'm in awe of the drumming of Sim Cain and the bass playing of Melvin Gibbs, Rollins' thuderous duo for most of the 1990's (and the late 80's in Sim's case). These dudes were always in the pocket, rivaling some of the most solid bass/drum tandems in hard rock history (Timmy C/Brad Wilk, Vinnie Paul/Dimebag). My favorite album by the Rollins Band is easily 1997's "Come In and Burn" and the 2005 re-release of the entire sessions is fucking amazing.

This is just the right way to start off the week...With Rollins yelling at you.

"On My Way To The Cage" Live 1997:

Testicular Tuesday!

(I know it's Wednesday...at least that's what my wife tells me. It's about the balls, not the day).

Who likes metal? Who likes Southern metal? Who likes videos that look like they were a blast to film? If it's not you, we can't be friends. Alabama Thunderpussy were always good at being average (at least vocally)...especially at a horrific performance with some guy that looked like one of the Geico Cavemen, two years ago with COC and Crowbar in NYC. The band also must've felt this way and got rid of the Neanderthal and replaced him with one of the baddest motherfuckers, Kyle Thomas (Exhorder, Pitts vs Preps, Witch, FLOODGATE). Exhorder was the band that showed Pantera how to groove long before they were badasses (although the Cowboys From Hell perfected it, and have now been ripped off...cough...influential...whatever).

Kyle Thomas made his debut with ATP on their latest release, Open Fire, a motherfucker of an album. Think about all that you like about rock n' roll, turn that shit up to 11 and there you go!

A great video and a greater song.

In Honor of Down III...

Instead of talking up the much-anticipated release Down III: Over The Under, I decided to recommend some records of the members that make up this Megalodon of a band. Just within the walls of Down, the following bands exist (or have existed at one point): Pantera, Superjoint Ritual, Graveyard Rodeo, Corrosion of Conformity, Eyehategod, The Mystik Crewe of Clearlight, Crowbar and Kingdom of Sorrow, not to mention hundreds of guest spots and other smaller projects. My loyalties lie with the best songs and COC had em' all beat by a long shot. I love me some Pantera and Crowbar, but there's just something about the way Pepper Keenan can write a riff/song/melody/lyric, that can make you feel like you know exactly what he was going through when he put the pen to the paper.

Check these records out and you will cease being a douche bag almost immediately:

** Note that the bold titles are the essential LP's to start with **

COC- Blind, DELIVERANCE, Wiseblood, America's Volume Dealer, In The Arms of God and the Live Volume CD/DVD

Pantera- Cowboys From Hell, VULGAR DISPLAY OF POWER, Far Beyond Driven, The Great Southern Trendkill, Reinventing The Steel (also check out Official Live 101 Proof and Power Metal, for the nutbag who needs to see Phil in all his cheesy glory...Rex Rocker, priceless).

Crowbar- s/t, Time Heals Nothing, Broken Glass, ODD FELLOWS REST, Sonic Excess In Its Purest Form

Superjoint Ritual- USE ONCE AND DESTROY

and of course all three Down LP's. The new one kills, just as I expected. I'm not recommending any Eyehategod, not because I don't like them...Simply becausse I was never a big enough fan to push their records on anyone. I love the heavy shit, but if there's no structure or understandable vocals, I have no use for it.

Respect this:

...And this:

...And then this:

...And if you think you're awesome enough, the heaviest thing ever: