Dead Rhetoric.com Week in Review June 15 – June 21, 2014
Saturday, 21st June 2014
With record sales at an all-time low, labels have to come up with unique ways to showcase their bands. Case in point, both Sumerian and Victory Records sponsoring side stages at this year’s Rockstar Energy Drink Mayhem Festival. It’s a smart move considering the environment: Trot out as many of your own bands as possible to the largest assembled crowd possible, and hope for the best (less illegal downloads?). The branding benefits are numerous (i.e. lower overhead, easier advertising), not to mention taking into account how impressionable the kiddies who attend such fests are. That being said, the lineup for this year’s Mayhem fest is suitably weak, but that won’t stop people showing up in droves. Just not DR…
General housekeeping
Septicflesh’s new Titan album is a must-have, which is why we’re running a giveaway for it right here.
Caught in the act: Pallbearer in Philadelphia.
Features
Montreal thrashers Trainwreck Architect have let us in on their summer tour blog, which can be found here.
Heavy Metal Movies author Mike “McBeardo” McPadden checked in with us to discuss his new book, and his affinity for Heavy Metal Parking Lot.
Go back in time, or just 20 years ago, with Matt Coe’s always-entertaining Land of the Lost column.
Kyle McGinn caught up with the members of Colorado technical death metal masters Allegaeon to discuss their new album, and science, of course.
Reviews
Anathema’s new Distant Satellites is a favorite among the staff. Read to find out why via this Review Face-off.
Corrosion of Conformity maintain an obvious level of quality on IX, their second sans-Pepper Keenan reformation album.
Long-running (and ageless) German metallers Grave Digger do their thing on Return of the Reaper.
Acclaimed cascadian black metallers Wolves in the Throne Room go experimental on Celestite.
Recently elevated to headliner status on the Euro festival circuit, Powerwolf release the all-encompassing History of Heresy I (2004 – 2008) box set.
The Casualties of Cool bonus disc is no slouch in relation to the main disc.
Tankard – unlike the beer they so enjoy – continue to get better with age, as heard on R.I.B. (Rest in Beer).
A rare bird is Inanimate Existence’s A Never-Ending Cycle of Atonement. And it’s highly recommended.
German folk metal upstarts Equilibrium keep it happy on Erdentempel.
Finnish atmospheric rock/metallers The Chant keep it morose on New Haven.
The news in ten
1. Behemoth’s Nergal to release English version of autobiography.
2. Metallica releases their new jam, “Lords of Summer” on iTunes.
3. First new shot of Zetro back with Exodus can be found here.
4. Black Crown Initiate signs with eOne Music.
5. Dragonforce releases the video for “The Game.”
6. Novembers Doom streams a new cut, “The Memory Room.”
7. Mastodon posts two making-of videos for their new album.
8. Check out this awesome rendition of Iron Maiden’s “The Trooper.”
9. Wolf reveals details of new album, Devil Seed.
10. At the Gates check in from the studio.
