SHOULD METAL JUST BE HEARD AND NOT SEEN?

I’m gonna go ahead and say that music videos are dead. Artists and bands still make em all the same, but who really cares cause the only time you’re gonna see em is on the internet or at 4:30am. They’re a bigger deal for pop stars who do all the choreography and everything, but I can’t remember the last time I really thought that a metal music video was really awesome. Take the new Slayer vid above for World Painted Blood.

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JESUS SAVES, BUT HE SURE IS FLAMMABLE

(photo via Geekologie)

Just north of Cincinnati, Ohio was once a monument known as the “King of Kings” in front of some church. Well, as of this week the King is DEAD. And Norwegian Black Metal musicians and enthusiasts rejoice. 

A bolt of lightning hit the gigantic statue this past Monday, and it consequentially burst into flames. This has nothing to do with metal really, but when I saw it all I could think about was:

• “Brutal”
• “That would make a cool album cover”
• “I wonder if there’s a band out there named ‘Burning Jesus’ ‘Jesus Burns (in Hell)’ or anything combining the ideas of JC and FIRE”
• “There should be a metal band that gets something out of this. Bonus point if they’re from Cincinnati! I’d buy it!”

If you hadn’t noticed, I kinda like to find the metal in everyday life. It’s there if you’re imaginative enough. What’s the most metal part of your daily routine (aside from the obvious listening to music and/or playing it?)

-Julia

SOMETIMES YOU GOTTA LISTEN TO YOUR HEART AND JUST SCREAM “SLAAAAAAYYYYYEEEERRRR!!!”

There’s a facebook group that I used to see all the time called “BLACK PEOPLE WHO SMILE AT OTHER BLACK PEOPLE WHEN YOU SEE THEM ON CAMPUS”

It may be a shock to you, but… I don’t belong to this group. However, I can recognize that feeling of seeing a stranger and feeling a brief connection to them because of an interest or similarity that seems to be readily apparent because of their appearance. In college, on the rare occasion that I would see someone on campus with, say, a Pantera shirt on I would get a warm fuzzy feeling in my heart for a minute. That “Holy shit, a metalhead besides ME!” feeling. I think you get it.

Well, usually I get the little heart flutter, get over it and get on with my day. Sometimes I’ll think I’m ballsy enough to say something to the person, but I almost never do. But yesterday I decided not to hold back, and without a blink of my long black eyelashes I rolled down the car window to yell “SLAAAAYYYYEEEERRRR!!!” and flash the horns at a girl passing by in a Slayer (duh) t-shirt and denim miniskirt. It was on one of the most hipster streets in Syracuse and I just couldn’t help myself. And behold, she returned the battle cry.

Have you ever done this? I’m sure that yelling at a stranger doesn’t always end up in your favor, but you never know who you’re gonna meet? Am I right?

-Julia

CAUSE I’M STILL IMMATURE ENOUGH FOR SOUTH PARK…

And you probably are too if you read this blog. The infamous hippie infestation episode was on last night, and besides the fact that it’s ironic that this is kinda what my life has become recently, it’s also funny because it just reminded me that we actually ARE superior people. Not that it’s hard to be better than hippies, but you know what I mean… Now that I think about it, Reign in Blood has actually done quite a bit for me. There’s the obvious (look up), but then again I’ve written papers about it, debated it, and never seem to get tired of listening to it. SLAAAAAAAYYYEEERRRRRRRR!!!!

STILL better than hippies!

-Julia

TOKEN EASTER POST

Hooray! As you know, today is the day that Christians celebrate worldwide as the day Jesus rose from the dead. I couldn’t care less about the holiday- no offense, just not my religion- but I do like that this is the first time since high school that I’ve been able to celebrate with family. So hence, that’s where I is and what I is doin’. I can’t pass up a chance to post on a theme though, so take these for your day and run with it. 

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THE CURIOUS CASE OF THE METAL-NAMED ESPRESSO MACHINE

I recently received word on a new coffee shop that just opened up here in New York called RBC NYC.  They are home to a very special piece of equipment known as the Slayer Espresso machine.  Yes, you read that correctly.  Someone created a most epic ($18,000) percolator, and appropriately named it the SLAYER.

It’s easy to figure out what my first thoughts were: Was this named after you-know-who? I did some detective work around their website to see if any articles touched on the subject, but I found nothing.  So, I decided to contact the manufacturer and find out for sure.  A few hours later, I received the following response:

Hi Elise,

Thanks for your email. 

The Slayer espresso machine was not named after the band.  It was named after the idea of “slaying orthodox thinking around espresso making in specialty coffee”. 

However, one of our technicians is way into the band Slayer.

And I’m from southern California.

Hope all is well.

Eric

Well, ok…but whatever.  I can’t help but still feel that it was done on purpose.  I mean, come on… “slaying orthodox thinking around espresso making in specialty coffee.” That has Slayer written all over it.  And as my friend Mike says, it’s:  “like calling your cinnamon liqueur ‘High on Fire.’” Pretty much.

Even so, would you wear a SLAYER ESPRESSO t-shirt?

I’m not going to lie, I kind of want one.

-Elise

P.S. Do you folks like COFFEE?? </obligatory>

NO WHAMMIES FOR THE GRAMMYS

Oh yeah boiii, the nominations for the 2010 Grammys have been announced. Taylor Swift, blah blah blah, Beyonce, blah blah blah, Lady Gaga, ya ya ah ah ah roomba room ba ba ga ga oo la la… let’s get to the shit we care about, Category 18: Best Metal Performance. As per usual we’re dissappointed that we only get ONE category, but the nominees are pretty solid:

Best Metal Performance
(For solo, duo, group or collaborative performances, with vocals. Singles or Tracks only.)

Dissident Aggressor
Judas Priest
Track from: A Touch Of Evil — Live [Epic]

Set To Fail
Lamb Of God
Track from: Wrath [Epic]

Head Crusher
Megadeth
Track from: Endgame [Roadrunner Records]

Señor Peligro
Ministry
Track from: Adios… [13th Planet]

Hate Worldwide
Slayer [American / Columbia]

With a lineup like that, how can you pick a winner? Like this: LoG or Slayer FTW. My money is on Slayer, but I’d like to see Lamb of God win a Grammy (since they got beat out once before)

Readers? Who are YOU rooting for? Or is their a band that you think got snubbed?

-Julia

IN THIS MOMENT: STILL NOT THRASH, BUT WORKIN’ ON IT

I just caught wind of a Slayer cover by In This Moment that ain’t half bad. ITM have covered quite a bit from Pantera to Blondie, but their version of Slayer’s “Postmortem” is music to my pierced little ears.

ITM and Maria Brink have caught a lot slack lately for not being “metal enough” but I say, live and let live. Lighten up. Tis the season to be thankful. Imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, right? RIGHT? Except when it’s imitation mashed potatoes. No bueno.

You can hear the cover and decide for yourselves over at Revolvermag.com

-Julia

GETTIN’ LUCKY IN KENTUCKY, PART 2

Well, it wasn’t so great of a weekend for me here in the South. First of all, Syracuse LOST (how embarrassing) and secondly, I’m STILL IN Kentucky. Eff you Delta. If someone could explain to me why the “Cinicinatti Airport” is actually in Erlanger, KY and not Cincinatti, Ohio I’d greatly appreciate it.

Anyway, as I had previously posted this state isn’t quite known for metal. However, I did come across one place that wasn’t half bad: earX-tacy in Louisville, KY. Check it out:

Very nice. Kinda like Louisville’s own Empire Records/SoundGarden.

Well, I’m off. Time to finally get back to Brooklyn… before I leave again later in the week. As they say, Death is: dwelling on the past or staying in one place too long. It’s also a metal band that ain’t too shabby. I’ll let you choose your own ending there.

-Julia

MY METAL BIRTHDAY

WHAT- a weekend. Both of us were pretty busy this weekend with all of the Halloween/birthday hubub (thanks to everyone that wished me a happy one on Twitter!), but a good time was had by all. Here’s the recap:

• Elise and I hit up the Dethklok/Mastodon/Converge/High on Fire show here in NYC Friday night. If I could describe it in one word, energetic would be it. All the bands AND the audience were cuckoo bananas and it made for quite the show. Plus, Dethklok DID play “Birthday Dethday” which made me a giggly little girl.
• Saturday (Halloween) we did a little boozin with our buddies and metal bros over in our home borough of Brooklyn.

But what’s a birthday without PRESENTS??? Not a birthday, that’s what. The beardo got me these pretty girly brutal Swarovski headphones:

And check these out! The vinyl was part of my gift from Elise (ain’t she the best? Killadelphia is my fave LoG album), and the rest was from my parents.

A very metal birthday indeed. Hope you all had as brutal of a Halloween as we did!

-Julia