The generous folks at Cruz Del Sur Music along with Clawhammer PR have decided that 3 lucky readers of Teeth of the Divine.com should get a copy of Pharaoh’s latest opus of awesome American power metal, Bury the Light. The band’s critically acclaimed fourth effort sees Pharaoh remain atop American heavy metal pantheons and deliver their heaviest and most raw album yet.
Up at 4:30 a.m. involuntarily, but what else is new? Insomina is a way of life and I can never seem to stop the gray matter from percolating, bubbling, and spitting juice.. Then I start thinking that I’ve not done one of these playlists in quite a while. But then again, they are infrequent, as […]
If you don’t know about The Stooges, then it’s time to do some research and learn about the primitive blueprint for punk, the precursor to primal musical minimalism, and an integral part of a late 60s/early 70s hugely influential rock ‘n roll scrapyard in Detroit that also spawned the likes of the MC5, Ted […]
Well, another year. Another late year rush to get staff picks together, which is a lot like herding cats. Another year of rotating staff members. Another year of departed metal icons. But despite of all that, another year of seemingly endless awesome metal. Its seems like each year is always better than the last with a mix of old acts returning, newcomers bringing the thunder and of course the perennials and old reliables. Sit back and feast your eyes on this years cream of the crop according to the staff here at Teethofthedivine.com. And of course feel free discuss, dissect and discredit, but more importantly tell us your picks, good and bad of 2011.
You know all those overused descriptions you read in reviews by writers (like the one penning these words) referencing a great guitarist’s ability to play his ass off each and every time, ones like “tearing it up,” “ripping it out,” “shredding,” and “wailing?” Well, in the cases of Wayne Kramer (MC5) and James Williamson (Iggy & The Stooges) those could not be more apt descriptions. Both icons of the axe have been immortalized as Limited Edition (750) Guitar God “Riffing” Collectibles, individually numbered bobble heads that inclusive of a recorded signature riff that you can hear by pushing a button on the base mount.
I swear, I have every intention of trying to make this a somewhat regular blog.
Here is the true definition of a Bargain Bin Find!!!!. I located this CD in the clearance rack of a Hastings, and grabbed it for a mere 25 cents- though technically it was a dollar, seeing as the bin was 4 for a dollar. So I had to grab a Boys 2 Men Christmas CD, a Jose Stone CD and an album by some Latin rap group.
New Jersey’s Symphony X have been churning out album after album of top-quality neoclassical prog metal for almost two decades. 2011’s Iconoclast, which takes on a heavier, grinding-gears mechanized theme, still sees Symphony X at the tip-top of their game. Guitar virtuoso Michael Romeo spoke to Teeth of the Divine recently about his role in constructing and molding the band’s most solid album to date.
Christmas (or other non denominational festival) is early here at Teeth of the Divine and playing the role of old Saint Nick is Germany’s own FDA Rekotz — home to the likes of German legends Blood and DEAD, as well as releasing the debut from Entrails. Through our divine holiday spirit, the label is offering 18, yes, 18 CDs to 3 lucky readers.
We here at Teeth of the Divine (dot com) love giving people stuff. Especially if its someone else’s stuff. Or Herpes. So, those fine folks and Listenable Records and Clawhammer PR have been kind enough to donate eight (8) CDs to two lucky winners. What CDs you ask? Well how about the latest albums from Listenable artists Sarah Jezebel Deva, Tornado, Tormented and Serpentcult??? Let’s rock’n’roll!
What’s this? A new giveaway? That’s right, folks and what a giveaway it is! We’ve got no other than one of rock and roll’s legends and shock rock originators on board: Mr. ALICE COOPER! The man of horror has just released his latest album ‘Welcome 2 My Nightmare’ and to celebrate the occasion—and the fact that it’s a great record—we’re giving away two copies of the album on CD format. But that’s not all as one of the copies is signed by Alice Cooper! So come on up and take part in Teeth of the Divine’s ALICE COOPER horror madness!
This year Tuska Open Air was relocated from the middle of Helsinki to a new location. Just a five minute ride away to former energy hub, Suvilahti. The scenery had shifted from a dusty city park to pure industrial concrete jungle. With scorching heat and some 30,000 metalheads crammed together, Tuska Open Air’s three-day metallic meal, headlined by Morbid Angel, Devin Townsend and Amon Amarth, could’ve been the onset of the apocalypse. Was it?
Goddammit! Yeah, the summer vacation is over and it’s time to return back to the routines; work, natural disasters, war, famine and whatever else plagues y/our mundane lives from 9 to 5. Luckily for you, Underworld Records have hooked us to provide you with an opportunity to make your fall play out on with a positive note: Three bands. Six CDs. Two lucky winners. We’ve got SLIME IN THE CURRENT, we’ve got KILLGASM and we’ve got EXCOMMUNICATED CDs ready to go.
The Beaumont Club is a good-sized venue (1000 capacity or so) in Kansas City, Missouri’s Westport area, an area sometimes considered to be Kansas City’s birthplace but that now mostly houses good eateries, shops and nightlife options. The Beaumont’s rectangular shape— with the stage at one of the small ends, the bar at the other, and a long-ass walk in between—usually makes it difficult to traverse in the midst of a packed show. But when the place is mostly empty, the difficulty’s not there. Such was sadly the case of the Forbidden, Revocation, White Wizzard, Havok and Vanlade show held at the venue on Monday, June 27th.
Looking at the SAUNA OPEN AIR line-up is like taking a DeLorean for a spin; it’s a rad time machine back to the ‘80s. Or what else would you call a festival that gathers acts like Accept, Ozzy, Saxon, Doro, Helloween and Judas Priest together? Whatever it is, SAUNA OPEN AIR’s metalgrounds were filled with prowling headbangers―old and relatively young―craving for pure Heavy Metal.
It has been nearly two weeks since returning home from Hellfest and I am still trying to wrap my mind around everything I experienced in just a few short days. Such an amazing whirlwind of music,places and most importantly, all the fantastic people we met from all over the globe! The combination of all these things made for a trip that we will never forget. For the majority of the planet, taking a seven hour plane ride, fifteen hour bus ride and venturing into a completely foreign world, where you speak absolutely zilch of the spoken language, may seem like a disaster in the making,but when you are crammed on said bus with fifty other stark-raving mad metal maniacs, it didn’t seem nearly as preposterous! Add to that the thoughts of the endless streams of the glorious music that awaited us in the remote town of Clisson, France and all in attendance were giggling like goons.
So I had this dream that Origin was playing in a venue that appeared to be part American Legion hall and part ornate concert theater. As weird as that sounds, Origin was performing as a seven-piece, including guys playing traditional string instruments. If I recall, it was some kind of record release party and nobody knew what to say about the new material. It didn’t end up mattering because the cops raided the place. I escaped in the confusion, but have no idea where I went next because I woke up and figured I better write this stuff down. Mission accomplished.
It’s a shame to see Von of Liturgy end his label/distro Epitomite Productions, though not a high end label, they released some solid stuff throughout the years, recently releasing decent CDs from the likes of Abacinate and Domination Through Impurity. However, there is a silver lining to every cloud and for me it’s the massive clearance sale that Epitomite Productions had, getting rid of their stock ate ridiculous prices, and while most of the good stuff went early I was able to pick up a couple of older CDs for $3 including Axamenta’s Ever-Arch-I-Tech-Ture and the as yet only released from Polish Death metal act Angerpath, 2007s Forgotten World.
“Look, Larry. Have you ever heard of Vietnam? You’re entering a world of pain.” John Goodman’s role as Walter Sobchak in The Big Lebowksi was arguably the greatest performance by an actor in American cinematic history. You may now dialogue. Can you read? The ability to answer that question grants you access. Go!
So I recently decided to fill in the gaps from My Dying Bride collection as I was missing everything between Turn Loose the Swans (1993) and A Line of Deathless Kings (2006). I have vague recollections of owning The Angel and the Dark River, Like Gods of the Sun and 34.788%, but being utterly disgusted with all three, selling them and giving up on the band until A Line of Deathless Kings a decade later. And while going back and the bands resurgence with 1999s The Light at the End of the World and the subsequent releases that saw the band re-inject some death metal into their once genre defining sound, the bands output from 1993-1996 remains some of the most divisive material in metal. And thanks to a blow out sale at GoHastings.com I was able to pick up used copies all of the missing albums for about $20 total.
Here I sit eating a bowl of Chef Boyardee Cheesy Burger Macaroni and wondering how to begin. I then realize that I’ve already begun and am now teetering on the edge of an abyss called depression, as I lament the fact that I didn’t keep the bowl in the microwave long enough. But here is the funny part about all of this journalistic bullshittery. I’m eating it anyway. Now eat this!
It’s back and it is hopefully no longer infrequent. Isn’t this fun? “I’m having a great time…a great time.” Oh come on now! Old School? Get with it! Onward and sideways. Death to false metal and all that shit.
Still one of my very favorite Bargain Bin finds, this duo of CDs was found at a CD Warehouse in Southeast Missouri after literally hours of perusal. I had never heard of the band, but assumed by the cover, logo, album titles and labels that this was worth a look. And thanks to the old listening station, was able to preview both CDs, and I was sold after preview of mere seconds of each.
Well, we haven’t had a giveaway for a while here at teethofthedivine.com, so we thought we’d reward your patience with a killer giveaway from an upcoming new label. Not just a CD, not just two CDs..oh no amigo! This is a full on 4 CD giveaway and a sick T-shirt will be thrown in for good measure.
As a long forgotten Russian philosopher once said, “Sometimes the shit just comes out.” Welcome to the world of ADHD and heavy metal, bitches! I love playlists and, well, just about any list of metal favorites strewn together by fans, critics, musicians, and pretty much anyone else with a pulse. Combine that with a three decade obsession with heavy metal and a continual need to translate to paper the miasma of absurdities filling my brain on a daily basis, thereby saving the sanity of those around me, and you’ve got “Scott’s Infrequent Playlist of the Absurd.” I’ll to make this infrequent event a frequent one, but it’s not like I can just make this stuff up at will. It’s a disease, man; a wonderful, wonderful disease.
Hold on to your asses, it looks like we have two related, regular blogs in a row! A weekly one no less! Could we be onto something here or am I simply feeling the after effects of a two week meth-binge and shopping spree? Who knows? Stay tuned…