If modern science has shown us anything, it’s that the next best thing to an album that’s one long song is an album that’s two long songs, and that’s just what Seattle-by-way-of-Kansas doomers Samothrace have promised to deliver with their sophomore full-length, due out next year on 20 Buck Spin. It’ll be four years since they released Life’s Trade, but if the included live footage is anything to go by, they haven’t lost sight of what’s important.

This came in on the PR wire a couple days ago, but I wanted to make sure it got posted, timely or not:

After nearly four years without a new release, ambidextrous sludge purveyors Samothrace were in Soundhouse Studios in their hometown of Seattle with producer Brandon Fitzsimmons (ex-Wormwood) to begin the recording of their second LP.

Samothrace issued the following collective statement about the recording process: “Working on this album at Soundhouse Studios with Brandon Fitzsimmons is amazing. We were fortunate enough to use the Rolls Royce of analog tape machines. The sound of rolling thunder was an inspiration during the whole process. The songs are as soaring and turbulent as the last album, but a bit more mature. We can’t wait for its release and imminent touring to follow.”

The LP will tentatively bear two side-long tracks, “When We Emerged” and “A Horse of Our Own.” The hymn “When We Emerged” originally appeared on the band’s 2007 demo in a much shorter and raw form, and has here been completely reworked and extended into a new song.

The album — its title still TBA — will be released by mid-2012 via 20 Buck Spin, who also released Samothrace‘s praised 2008 debut full-length, Life’s Trade. More info on the new album will be available in the coming weeks.

We live in an age where beasts and wizards and magic and metal have all come together into one steaming chaosserole. In the last decade, acts like High on Fire and Mastodon made it big on tales of giants and wildebeests, and now we can see bands from throughout the world taking on and defeating such monsters. The Providence, Rhode Island four-piece, Megasus, on their self-titled debut, gather their brave kinsmen and ride into epic metal glory, with just a hint of tongue-in-cheek good times (okay, more than a hint). What’s most important, though, is they’re heavy.

Comprised of vocalist Jason Kendall, guitarist Ryan Lesser, drummer Brian Gibson and bassist Paul Lyons, Megasus has already seen international acclaim thanks to exposure via the Guitar Hero series of videogames. Since all four members of the band work at Harmonix, the company responsible for Guitar Hero and its sundry spinoffs, it’s no big surprise that Megasus would be included, but the response their songs — over 30,000 downloads and countless videos of people trying to keep up with them on YouTube — speaks for itself, as does the fact that after catching wind of the independently released vinyl version of Megasus, respected underground label 20 Buck Spin picked up the band for the CD release.

It’s good news for Megasus, who’ve found the virtual enthusiasm shown for the band translates to the real world as well (or as real as this world is, anyway) and who continue to spread the word of swords and sorcery across the barren metalscape. Kendall and Lesser recently checked in to inform on the band’s origins, processes and proclivities for the riff. Thanks to them for taking the time and to you for reading. Interview’s after the jump.

Read more »

It?s a new school form of the Heavy in which Megasus traffic. The Providence, RI, four-piece unit, making their debut on 20 Buck Spin with this self-titled effort — originally a digital release and independently pressed to 200 vinyls — riff with a post-High on Fire largess and crash and rumble with the grandiose 21st Century definition of doom. The traditional groove is all but completely absent, but the frantic, chaotic, seemingly unhinged headbang-worthy fury that has come to typify the genre in this decade is present and then some.

Without getting into a debate over whether something must necessarily be played slow to be doom (I?d say no and point to any number of faster songs in the Sabbath and Pentagram catalogs), it?s clear Megasus are drawing more on the modern than the classics for their influences. This doesn?t necessarily have to be a detriment, but it does make the album Megasus easier to pigeonhole, which works against it. And with songs like ?Swords,? ?Paladin vs. Berserker? and ?Iron Mountain,? they?re not exactly breaking new thematic ground.

However, they are falling right into line with this generation of metallers? re-embracing classic metal subject matter: wizardry, mythology, epics, etc. And let?s face it, if we didn?t think that stuff was cool at least on some level, we probably wouldn?t be here in the first place. But, like a lot of what Megasus are doing on this record, it?s been done before. Moments like ?Hexes/Szaadek,? which give Slayer a Lair of the Minotaur-style dirtying up before a tempo switch and some cymbal panning from drummer Brian Gibson, are more satisfying, particularly as regards the performance of vocalist Jason Kendall. The centerpiece track of the total seven, listening to it makes me want to say, ?Yes, do this.?

Read more »