Soen, an unsigned quartet featuring vocalist Joel Ekelöf, guitarist Kim Platbarzdis, bassist Steve DiGiorgio (Sadus, Testament, Iced Earth, Death) and drummer Martin Lopez (Opeth, Amon Amarth), has posted the song "Fraccions" on its MySpace page. It sounds a whole lot like Tool. Check it out.
 

[Above: Art by Marco Hasmann, from the cover of Embryonic Devourment's Vivid Interpretations of the Void]

Why are so many metal bands convinced that the world is secretly ruled by extraterrestrials called reptoids who are breeding with humans in their hidden caves?

If you believe reptoid "expert" David Icke, our planet is secretly ruled by extraterrestrials who walk on two legs, appear human, and live in tunnels and caves…when they're not crossbreeding with humans to produce leaders like the Egyptian pharaohs, every U.S. president, and the Queen of England. Icke believes the reptoids are the same race, the Anunnaki, discussed in Babylonian creation mythology, and they are prominently featured in his books The Biggest Secret, Children of the Matrix, Tales from the Time Loop and Infinite Love is the Only Truth, all of which are sold as nonfiction.

This wouldn't interest me in the slightest were it not for Icke's curious popularity within the heavy metal scene. As a journalist covering metal, I've encountered multiple artists citing his books in their album liner notes, and/or writing songs about reptoid mythology. Here are some of the greatest hits of reptoid rock.

High On Fire, "Cyclopian Scape" (from Death is This Communion, 2007)
I'm not sure how seriously High On Fire frontman Matt Pike takes reptoid mythology. I've interviewed him a couple of times, and I get the feeling he just thinks it's a funny and awesomely metal thing to write about. Here are the lyrics to "Cyclopian Scape":

Reptile race crossbred down through the golden age
Human haze
Lemurian throne taken and usurped by the alien drones
Controlled and honed
Atlantean keys sunken and destroyed by catastrophe
Left wandering
Bloodline kings slither down through society's reptoid dreams
Cataclysm to the elder tribes
Anunnaki have survived
Continents underwater shrine
Ocean vaults holding time
Say ye grace unto the serpent line
Unveil curse and their lies
Contemplate the lengths they'll go to rule
As their fangs dig into you

Embryonic Devourment, "Eating the Flesh of Gods" (from Fear of Reality Exceeds Fantasy, 2008)
The death metal band Embryonic Devourment seem to take reptoid mythology much more seriously—it's the subject of both their albums, 2008's Fear of Reality Exceeds Fantasy and 2010's Vivid Interpretations of the Void. There's no way you're gonna be able to decipher the lyrics of "Eating the Flesh of Gods," the opening track from Fear of Reality…, by yourself, so here they are:

We live by prophecies of fate employed by the reptilian beings inside flesh
Humans from advanced machines they try to keep ties in royal bloodlines
Manipulated by the gods into using military for resolve
We are being played like a filthy game upon a Republican's chessboard
The smell from the conjured bodies resonates the nostril valves
Lizards going mad creating humans for power
We are merely a sacrifice rooted from a small seedling
We are merely a food source for reptilian god breeding
I am brought into a dim light cave
To be shown a special food that's been kept secret amongst the keepers of ancient knowledge
All our members bow and nod for we are eating the flesh of gods
Hungry lizards devour flesh
To get blood that is so pure
So they can see…
Enlightened scenes I now see clearly as I ingest god skin
Its tough chewy scale-like substance
The taste burns my tongue and boils my throat
For the next few days I am sick with a surging power
I am conducted to a different frequency wave
What is this new found power
I feasted upon the reptile race

The Faceless, "Legions of the Serpent" (from Planetary Duality, 2008)
Technical death metal band The Faceless made reptoid mythology the subject of their 2008 album Planetary Duality, making things most explicit on "Legions of the Serpent." Again, the traditional ultra-guttural death metal vocals make things difficult for the casual listener (though the jazzy elements within the extreme metal sound may draw in some non-headbanging listeners from the world of prog rock), so here are the lyrics:

Bring forth the commencing days
An infernal Saurian nemesis appears
The keepers of Earth
Inferior minions of draconian descent
Enforcing the rules of the ancient covenant
Blazing orbs of the Sun
Beating on a helpless Earth
The serpentine order shall no longer hide
The dimensional door brings the Gods to their side
Warm blooded sacrifice to appease the thirst of the creatures who've hidden so long
A servant of the omni-dimensional
Tall and strange bloodthirsty sentinels
Sent to possess the hybrid creation
Dimensional domination
Keepers of the doorway between worlds
Patrons of destruction
Planters of ignorance
Breeders of malevolence
Sorcerers of possession

There are numerous other examples—Agent Steel put the song "Hybridized" on their album Alienigma in 2007, and the band Nutrition has released three EPs to date for free download from their MySpace page, all about reptoid conspiracy theories. There's also a Chicago-based band simply called Reptoids, but their lyrics seem to be about more conventionally metal topics. And while stoner rock hero Scott "Wino" Weinrich (of St. Vitus, The Obsessed, The Hidden Hand, Spirit Caravan, Shrinebuilder, etc.) hasn't actually written about the reptoids, he approvingly cited Icke's earlier, more conventionally conspiracy-minded book And the Truth Shall Set You Free in the liner notes to The Hidden Hand's 2003 debut album, Divine Propaganda.

Sure, you could laugh at all this and take it as proof that metalheads are gullible and prone to believe in crazy bullshit…but what if that's just what the reptoids want you to think?

[This article originally appeared atio9.com, an awesome sci-fi site I visit pretty much daily. Go check it out.]
 

The new issue of Revolver comes out on Tuesday, October 19, and it's their annual "Hottest Chicks" issue, the fifth installment to be exact. They've been scorned and ridiculed within the metal scene for doing this, but it sells well, and being in the magazine business is tough enough that it's hard to fault them for recognizing the mercantile value of scantily clad female flesh—even if the women in question are theoretically hoping to be appreciated for their musical talents. And the women who pose for these cheesecake shots...well, let's just say if there were guns at their heads, they were Photoshopped out of the final image with great skill.
There's also an accompanying calendar. Here are some images from that, proving that I, too, know the traffic-driving potential of cheesecake.
Here's the (very mildly) interesting thing, though. For four years straight, this issue was known as the "Hottest Chicks in Metal" issue. Now, in year five, it's the "Hottest Chicks in Hard Rock" issue. Are they trying to say that, for example, Alissa and Anissa Rodriguez of Eyes Set to Kill are not in a metal band? Are they claiming that metal doesn't have enough women in it? Or are they trying to expand their territory because they don't think metal offers enough of a revenue stream anymore? I think the choice of Taylor Momsen—a teenaged TV actress with a vanity-project "band"—for the cover makes it pretty clear where they're going with this.

Around the same time Metal Edge, the magazine I used to edit, closed its doors for good, Revolver went from a monthly magazine to a bi-monthly (six issues a year). Their page counts have gone down, too; I've seen some issues that felt barely thicker than a comic book when I held them in my hand. Are they gonna try to make a shift from covering just metal to covering radio rock? Are we gonna see Daughtry or Nickelback on the cover sometime soon?
 

L-R: Hank Williams III, Collin Yeo, Mike Williams, Phil Anselmo

Insecurity Notoriety, the first full-length release by Arson Anthem, came out yesterday. The band features vocalist Mike Williams of Eyehategod, bassist Collin Yeo of Ponykiller, drummer Hank Williams III of Assjack, Superjoint Ritual and his own solo country career, and Phil Anselmo of Pantera, Down, Necrophagia, Christ Inversion and Superjoint Ritual on guitar.

A few weeks ago, I interviewed Anselmo about Pantera's deluxe reissue of Cowboys from Hell, and while I had him on the phone, we talked about Arson Anthem, as well as some of his other side (as in, "not Pantera or Down") projects. Here's that.

So I’ve heard the new Arson Anthem record…

Do you hate it?

 

No, I don’t. In fact, I was really surprised by it, ‘cause I was expecting more Discharge-y stuff like the debut, but it’s very different.

There’s too many D-beat bands that just get by by doing that. I’m influenced by Black Flag, I mean really, Greg Ginn, that whole style, but also, I like the anthemic stuff. Like take the title track, “Insecurity Notoriety,” man, to me that’s a great hardcore song. It’s a catchy, anthemic song, man. Yeah, I can do some creative stuff with the guitar. I may not be the best guitarist, but I can write some creative stuff.

 

Yeah, the band really evolved into something different and unexpected between the first EP and this album.

Yeah and you know what, I don’t think any of us expected it either. We really didn’t. And I gotta say, to me, comparatively, the EP versus the new stuff, the EP’s like child’s play compared to the new stuff. I think the new stuff, it’s true, there really, really is something different there for people to dissect for themselves.

That tends to happen with your bands, though, cause Superjoint Ritual evolved between the first and second records, too.

You know, I play guitar, I wrote most of the stuff in Superjoint as well…I like the first Superjoint better than the second Superjoint, personally. And really I think it’s more of a vocal thing. I think I was a little out of my mind when I did the second record—matter of fact, I guarandamntee I was way out of my mind when I did the second record. Lyrically and vocally I should have taken some more time. But I didn’t. But yeah man, I’ve been playing guitar a while, believe it or not, I’ve written riffs for Pantera that you know totally sound different when I play ’em, for God sakes [laughs], but I’ve written plenty of stuff for Down, most of the stuff for Superjoint, all the stuff for Necrophagia, all the stuff for Christ Inversion, most of the stuff for Arson Anthem, you know, I’ve been doing this for a long time. I love playing guitar. And I want every band I play in to sound different and be different from the other bands. To me, it would almost crush my heart if someone said that Arson Anthem was an extension of Superjoint or something like that, because I think it’s a different animal, you know. Hopefully it inspires people to check out some old Die Kreuzen records [laughs].

 

So are you planning on touring with Arson Anthem?

We’re discussing that right now and I think—you know, it’s really all on Hank, because Hank does a lot of touring.

 

Yeah, he gets around. Mike’s been touring quite a bit recently with Eyehategod, too.

Yeah, but he’s been off the road now for over a month, so you know, we been talking, in contact. He’s up for these shows. He knows he has to practice these songs cause he can’t get away with what he does with Eyehategod with Arson Anthem. Cause you know, that’s the clearest Mike you’ve ever heard on the new Arson Anthem. So he’s gotta know his chops, just like I do. But we’re trying to get something together right now. I cannot say anything definite or I’d be a liar. But I would love to do any shows, as many as possible, with Arson. It’s just up to Hank’s schedule, man.

 

There is a ton of new music out today. I'll run through some of it on your behalf:

All That Remains, For We Are Many (Prosthetic/Razor & Tie): A surprisingly strong effort by this Massachusetts metalcore squad.
Annihilator, Waking the Fury (reissue) (Earache): I've never heard this particular album, but Jeff Waters is a hell of a guitar player, so it's probably worth your time.
Arson Anthem, Insecurity Notoriety (Housecore): Noisy, discordant hardcore album by a supergroup featuring vocalist Mike Williams of Eyehategod, guitarist Phil Anselmo (you may have heard him sing a time or two), and drummer Hank Williams III (who you may have also seen/heard as a solo act or with Anselmo's now-defunct Superjoint Ritual). Good stuff.
Circle of Animals, Destroy the Light (Relapse): Interesting, arty industrial side project of Bruce Lamont (Yakuza) and Sanford Parker (Minsk, Twilight, highly regarded producer), plus a bunch of guest drummers including Sonic Youth's Steve Shelley, Municipal Waste's Dave Witte, Cephalic Carnage's John Merryman and others.
The Crown, Doomsday King (Century Media): Comeback album by the excellent Swedish death metal band. Very welcome.
Dimmu Borgir, Abrahadabra (Nuclear Blast): The latest slab of pomptastic post-black metal from these Norwegians. If you like 'em, you'll like this. It's not as bad as their last one, to be honest, but I still don't really love anything since Death Cult Armageddon.
Donnybrook, The Beast Inside (Eulogy): Knuckle-dragging hardcore.
Hail of Bullets, On Divine Winds (Metal Blade): Second full-length by mad Dutchman Martin van Drunen (Pestilence, Asphyx). The debut was a concept album about war on the Russian front in World War II; this one's about the battles against the Japanese in the Pacific theater.
Intronaut, Valley of Smoke (Century Media): A pretty fervent cult is building around this prog-metal band. I don't think that's quite the right term for their music, but I don't have a better one. In any case, this is really good and you should hop on the bandwagon and try to make them Tool-level famous, 'cause they're much better than Tool.
Madball, Empire (Good Fight Music): See Donnybrook.
Titan, Sweet Dreams (Relapse): Instrumentally adventurous, psychedelic stoner metal. I liked their last album better than this one, but this is still pretty good.
 

Informed music fans on Twitter have been getting serious laughs since July from the @discographies feed, where bands' entire bodies of work are summed up in 140 characters. Examples:

ABBA: 1-7 "The aliens spoke and dressed oddly. Oh, how we laughed!" 8 "We didn't realize what they'd given us until after they were gone."

Foo Fighters: 1-6 "My old position was eliminated and I am seeking employment. I have a strong knowledge of current trends in my industry."

Steely Dan: 1-3 "Yes, it's funny when you make your 'ironic jazz hipster face'..." 4-9 "...but one day it's just gonna get stuck like that."

Radiohead: 1 not a novelty; 2 not "alternative"; 3 not prog; 4-5 not of this earth; 6 not budging; 7 not (conventionally) for sale.

He (I'm assuming it's a he) has also tackled Van Halen, Metallica, Guns N' Roses and Black Sabbath, but metal's not his primary focus. So @METALdiscogs has stepped into the breach. Here are a few samples from his feed, which kicked off on September 30:

Iron Maiden: 1-2 punky 3-5 soaring 6-7 epic 8-11 plodding 12-13 renewed hope 14-15 dreams destroyed

Halford: 1 freshman fifteen 2 honor roll 3 mid-semester elective 4 senioritis

Immortal: 1-8 “There has to be something else we can do in Norway before we get a professional wrestling league.”

Dream Theater: 1 the rough debut, 2 the hit, 3 most polished, 4 for Phish fans, 5-6, 9 for super-fans, 7-8 for Portnoy, 10 for no one

Manowar: 1-6 “wimps and posers leave the hall!” 7-8 “but move quickly since” 9-10 “we’re right behind you"

Both @discographies and @METALdiscogs are well worth following. (As is @MSNMetal, if you're gonna be on Twitter anyway.)

 

Drummer Trivett Wingo has left Texas-based stoner/boogie/space-​rock band The Sword, forcing them to cancel all currently scheduled tour dates. (Now I wish I'd gone to see them in San Francisco on October 2, but whatever.)

Here's his official statement:

"It is with deep sadness that I am announcing my departure from The Sword. After nearly seven years and some of the most amazing adventures of a lifetime,  I have arrived at a place where I am physically and emotionally unable to continue on as part of The Sword. If I could go any further, I would as I love the music and JD, Bryan and Kyle are people that I deeply respect, but I have reached a point where I just can't do this anymore. I would like to thank the wonderful people who made this experience what it has been: the fans, the people that I have worked and all of the bands and musicians that have inspired me over the years. I thank you and apologize for any disappointment that this may cause anyone, not least of which The Sword."

Here's the band's official statement:

"We wish Trivett nothing but the best, and it is with heavy hearts that we bid him farewell. He is a phenomenal musician and has been an integral part of this band's success. He helped to lay the foundation that we will continue to build upon, and we wouldn't be where we are without him. We wish he could continue the adventure with us, but we understand that the life of a touring musician is not for everyone. It's been a hell of a ride, and we're sad to see this part of the journey end. The show must go on, though, and will be back on the road as soon as humanly possible." - JD, Kyle & Bryan

Here's my thoughts on the matter:

Trivett Wingo was the best musician in The Sword. His driving rhythms gave their early records a lot of the impact they had, and their newest (and best) album, Warp Riders, really let him stretch out on some killer grooves, incorporating the influence of ZZ Top and Thin Lizzy into their stoner metal sound. The band really seemed to be reaching an artistic peak, and losing their drummer at this of all possible moments is a harsh blow indeed. I'll be very interested to see and hear what happens once they have someone else in that spot.

Here's some video I shot of the band performing at South by Southwest back in March:

 

Aquarius Records, in San Francisco, CA, has a really strong reputation in the independent metal scene. They've been extremely supportive of local bands, particularly black metal acts like Crebain, Leviathan and Draugar, who've all put out records on co-owner Andee Connors' tUMULt label. Their mail-order operation is highly regarded, and their physical location has a well-stocked metal section featuring plenty of vinyl and cassettes in addition to the expected CDs.

When I was in San Francisco the other week, I stopped into the store and conducted a brief but enjoyable interview with co-owners Andee Connors and Allan Horrocks, both of whom are knowledgeable and generous fans of metal and adventurous music in general. Excerpts can be viewed below. Enjoy, and visit aquariusrecords.org for all your loud/weird/noisy/art​y musical needs.