Sort it out

Let's cut straight to the chase; free Randy Blythe. There seems to be more than one issue with the alleged manslaughter case against him and all we know so far is that despite putting up $200,000 bail, he's still being held in a Czech prison. It seems he could be there for some weeks yet whilst he's waiting for this case to come to trial.

I genuinely feel for the friends and family of Daniel, the lad who died after the alleged altercation in 2010, but how in the name of all that is metal can it be proved, or even suggested, that a fan at a gig died of injuries sustained from a fracas with Blythe? If he rushed the stage and was pushed out into the crowd, the injuries could have come from anywhere. I'm not an expert on the law of the land but if anyone has ever been to a Lamb of God gig they'll know that not sustaining injuries is virtually impossible anyway.

The saddest point of this story is that musicians over the years have fucked up in a monumental way, from the chicken-slaughtering rampages of Ozzy Osbourne to the tragic and irresponsible death of Hanoi Rocks bassist Razzle thanks to Vince Neil's drunken driving, but this allegation against Randy Blythe is ridiculous. There's now no way it could ever be proved that he was directly responsible for the death of the lad, who let's not forget, was a Lamb of God fan after all. The videos emerging all over the net have been widely discredited as a different incident and short of jumping in the DeLorean and steaming back to Praha '10, I don't see how a verdict of guilty could be credible in any way.

Fans of heavy metal in Prague will feel the sting of this too. The whole metal fraternity is behind Blythe, with many including Slash and GWAR going so far as to sign a White House petition on the matter. The knock-on of this is that metal fans in Prague may find themselves a little short of gigs if this isn't sorted soon. Let's get this insane situation rectified not only for the sake of one of the most important metal bands of the last decade, but for bloody human rights in general.

To Oz or not to Oz

I got a message from Shithouse the other day asking me if I wanted to go and see Guns N' Roses in October. If it were the original lineup I wouldn't be able to buy the tickets fast enough but as they are I find it difficult to get excited. Slash playing Paradise City and Sweet Child O' Mine with Myles Kennedy at Download 2010 was a beautiful thing, as not only does Kennedy hit every single note but witnessing one of the greatest guitarists in history playing some of the most anthemic riffs ever created was truly immense.

This being said, Kennedy's not the same kind of old school gritty frontman as Axl Rose who despite being pretty much a full on fucking lunatic, has to be one of the most distinctive lead singers in the history of rock and metal.

Thinking about it, maybe I do want to go...

This kind of flakey non-commitment is happening to me a lot at the moment. I've been toying with the idea of Ozzfest when it returns to London for one night only as Ozzy is one of the few remaining stalwarts of metal who I've not seen live. However, I have a fear that I'm going to be a tad disappointed. Maybe I'm being a bit negative but does Ozzy still have it? I'm actually asking that question because for me, I just don't know. The lineup is decent - Korn, Murderdolls, and the always excellent live Skindred - and it's only £40 so I can probably justify it to myself to head along. Perhaps.

I'm off up to Nottingham today for a stag do with the oft' mentioned Big Mearz and I'm wondering how we're going to cope with wearing relatively smart clothes so we can get into places. It's fair to say we're both scumbags and although I've not seen him for a few years I doubt he's ditched his Bad Religion t-shirt and general hairiness in exchange for some brown slacks and a red turtleneck.

Whilst I'm on the subject of clothes (which will happen very rarely on this blog) what the fucking fuck is going on with 'fashion'? Trying to find a shirt that didn't make me look like either an ugly woman or a homosexual lumberjack was nigh on impossible. And let me make this point loud and clear: CARDIGANS ARE WHAT GIRLS WEAR. And skinny jeans? If I wore skinny jeans I'd look like a Mr Whippy. What about normal jeans for the gentleman who enjoys perhaps a few too many beers, huh? Fucking fascists.

Anyway, enough of this. I've a bag to pack and a head to shave so must be off. Oh, and if you haven't played the new Iron Maiden game yet, get stuck in here.

Love you
M
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A day to remember. Or possibly not.

There's some fucking stupid "days" floating around but on September 10th, the bar was raised. Ozzy Osbourne Day? Don't get me wrong, the guy is a legend and has done great things for the world of metal - some believe he even started the fucking scene - but an actual day? And how does one celebrate this day? Sniff a line of ants? Attempt to murder family members? Speak like you've had a stroke or five?

But I started to wonder; who else should have a day, and what would it entail?

Brett Michaels Day - each man has 12 whorebags move in, he nails them all, then proclaims a winner, which doesn't work out. Repeat next year. I can see this being popular with 50% of the population.

Lars Ulrich Day - after spending the whole day being pretentious, compulsory sub-standard drumming for all.

Johan Hegg Day - compulsory growth of an enormous beard and drinking of much mead. Those unable to grow a beard (guilty) to have stick on facial hair subsidised by NHS.

The opportunities are endless so please feel free to add yours. Oh, I've already thought of Varg Vikerenes Day and Gary Glitter Day before anyone tries to be hilarious.

On the subject of Johan Hegg's beard, I reviewed The Crusher Reissue from Amon Amarth this week. If you're a fan of these Nordic deathmeisters, read my soon-to-be-published scribblings on MetalasFuck as this is an absolute must for the collection.

Alongside this, the debut outing from Wisconsin thrashsters Lazarus A.D. was some impressive shit. This'll be up soon, so read it if you're a fan of Megadeth and the Bay Area cartel as this is a real circle pit-inducing pounder. Megadeth were also kind enough to stream the whole of new album Endgame on MySpace. I've only heard one bad thing about this album and that was from some fat bespectacled goon in Canada. Apart from that, general consensus is it's the best thing since Rust In Pieces. I've not sat and dissected it yet so am keen to know what you lot think. I'm not really; just being polite.

And as expected, Teutonic homo-industrialists Rammstein are back. There's rumours of a headline slot at next year's festivals (and so the Sonisphere vs. Download row begins) but before hand they're playing a number of big ticket shows around the UK, including London Wembley Arena on February 4th. Tickets go on sale Friday September 18th at 9:00am so will be on eBay being sold by "Mr. No_Interest_In_Music_Cunt" at 9:15am.

So all in all, now's a good time to be into metal. The stupid hot summer is over and once again, darkness is sweeping across the land. The gig season is getting closer, which is exciting me to the point of vinegar strokes, as it seems like ages since I've had the shit beaten out of me by a group of sweaty men.

I'm off to listen to Outloud some more. Still not got the album yet? Fucking idiot.

M
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