So, 2009. I don’t even know where to begin. So far, so good as far as metal year goes. This is in no particular order so bare with me.

We got a new Lamb Of God album that I still think is not as good as everyone else thinks; and a new Mastodon album that is musically amazing but people seem to bitch about because it’s not heavy enough or something.

Cannibal Corpse release an album that is, well, another good Cannibal Corpse album. Nothing extravagant enough to go on a murder spree, but a good album. Cattle Decapitation almost convince me to not eat beef while Sepultura almost gave me hope that I could listen to them again. That didn’t last. Psyopus almost convince me that something is wrong with my ears.

Thrash is still alive and vibrant with new releases from Kreator and neo-thrashers Lazarus A.D. bringing an old school sound with a modern touch. God Dethroned give us a WW1 History lesson.

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Let’s be honest with ourselves. It’s hard to be unique in this metal age. With the ass-load of bands out there you’d have to pull off something pretty big and establish a sound that no one else has. Is it possible? I suppose it is, but there would be someone that would find a band that sounds just like you. If the music is good then it’s not a problem, but if the music is bad then you’re just another band in the cesspool of metal.

With that said, let me introduce Hemoptysis out of Tempe, Arizona. Formed in 2007 by frontman and guitarist Masaki Murashita and drummer Travis Thune, Hemoptysis (the medical term for coughing up blood) mixes a sound of old school thrash and death metal with a modern feel to it. Hemoptysis self produced Ep, Who Needs A Shepherd?, was recorded by Steve Conley from F5.

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Metallica was the very last band that was inducted at last nights Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame Induction ceremony. It wasn’t until after 1 AM that they stopped thanking everyone and performed two songs. They played Master Of Puppets, a song that every early Metallica fan loves and then Enter Sandman, a song that made everyone that wasn’t a fan say; “Wait, who is that?” when they heard it on the radio back in 1991. James rattled off a handful of names that he wanted to “Invite In” as a hint to the committee, which included Iron Maiden, Judas Priest, Motothead, Thin Lizzy and a few more names that I can’t remember right now.

The band sounded tight although Master Of Puppets started out much faster than anyone really seemed comfortable with. It was kind of awkward seeing two bass players up there and it was even kind of funny watching Rob Trujillo do his spider-walk thing in a suit. James’ voice didn’t sound great at points as he tried to sing-sing Master Of Puppets, but it didn’t sound totally awful. Lars sounded as tight as he always has on the drums for those two song and Kirk was tearing up the fretboard and the solos sounded amazing. Check out the videos of the two songs after the fold.

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Yeah, yeah, yeah, Metallica are getting inducted in to the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame this coming week. We get it, already. My question is; what metal band do you think should be inducted in the Rock & Roll hall Of Fame?

Off of the top of my head I can think of two bands that should get inducted, well before Metallica, such as Judas Priest and Iron Maiden. There are other bands that I’d like to see get inducted…after the previously mentioned bands. I don’t want to see Dave Mustaine inducted under Metallica. He deserves to be inducted for his band, Megadeth, not a band that he contributed to. So with them on top, here are five bands of the Metal Genre that I believe should be inducted.

• Megadeth: A given. If Metallica can get inducted after releasing albums such as St. Anger then Megadeth deserve a nomination, right?
• Motorhead: A huge influence on so many of the rock and metal bands of today. How has this not happened yet?
• Pantera: Seriously, they had a huge impact on the metal scene and they don’t get enough credit for persevering and pushing through the grunge era.
• Danzig: With the contribution of The Misfits, Samhain and , well, let’s at least say the first four Danzig Albums, Glenn has made some great music that has influenced a lot of bands to include Metallica. Though I get tired of the satanic overtones in everything that he does these days, Glenn is a a great composer of music.
• Slayer: If Metallica can get inducted, why can’t Slayer? They had some totally awesome albums over the years, even though everything kind of went bland after Season In The Abyss. they still have had a huge impact on the metal scene since their inception.

Sure these are some old school names, but there aren’t many other bands that deserve recognition. There are a handful that deserve an honorable mention such as Exodus and Anthrax. Sadly Motley Crue will probably be inducted before any of these bands, even Maiden or Priest. That’s how the corporate jack-offs in the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame roll.

So, the ultimate question; who do YOU think deserves to be inducted in to the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame from the metal (in general) genre?

It’s Metallica Monday on Fuse. With the band being inducted in to the RRHOF, there’s bound to be a lot of press on then. I try to be choosy when picking what I think should be posted and if you have no better way to spend your evening you can start with Some Kind Of Monster at 6pm. Me, I’ll opt to wait until 9pm for the better Metallica shows. Every time I watch Some Kind Of Monster I get all pissed off because it’s not like some behind the scenes look at the band in a fun way. It shows a bunch of over 40 men pissin’ and moanin’, cryin’ and bitchin’ like a bunch of kids. Sure it showed the “softer” side of Metallica, but who really wants to see a bunch of dudes that need a therapist help them write a bunch of shitty songs and a producer that thinks he’s in the band. I would have loved to see some good behind the scene footage from the early days before the 90’s.~~end of rant…

Metallica: Some Kind of Monster - Premieres Today, Monday, March 30th at 6PM
Metallica: In Their Own Words - Premieres Today, Monday, March 30th at 9PM
The Metallica Chronicles - Premieres Today, Monday, March 30th at 9:30PM
Metallica: Cunning Stunts - Premieres Today, Monday, March 30th at 10PM

Metallica blog, Metallicablogmagnetic recently posted about Metallica’s induction in to the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame and Jason Newstead appearance. Former members were invited to appear and/or perform, but only those that performed on released official records will be among the inductees.

Dave Mustaine was invited to attend but due to touring he couldn’t make the date. Do I think Dave Should be inducted among the members of Metallica? Honestly it’s kind of a maybe but no, not really type feelings. He may have had a great influence on their sound in the early days and they may have even used a few of his songs he wrote before being fired, but fame and fan-hood doesn’t revolve around records alone. You have to get out there and play the music. The records don’t get big by just being released, the band has to go out there and play the records live and promote them just like anything else. Metallica have toured their asses off in the last 26 years.

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Every band that wants to make an impact on their fans, not only through music but through their album art needs a good logo or mascot. Megadeth has Vic Rattlehead, Iron Maiden has Eddie, The Misfits have The Crimson Ghost and etc. Over the years sometimes these logos and mascots evolve through better artwork and technology. Some bands stay with what works while others make changes to keep it interesting.

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Metallica playing at Austin’s SXSW wasn’t a big surprise. There were rumors of it happening about a week before SXSW kicked off. It was said to be a “secret” show. SXSW is one of those events that helps out the smaller, independent labeled and unsigned bands get noticed by the public and people that would otherwise not have heard of them.

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Fuse.tv recently conducted a Q&A press conference with Metallica about their Rock N Roll Hall Of Fame induction. My first question would have been; “Lars, how many other Metallica albums have you illegally downloaded?“. Don’t miss Metallica get inducted into the 2009 Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, live April 4th at 9p/8c only on FUSE! (Thanks for the tip, Carrie)

Warner Brothers music and Q-Prime Management have jointly filed a lawsuit against Metallica Drummer Lars Ulrich after he admitted to downloading Death Magnetic illegally via an undisclosed file-sharing network. Ulrich claims; “if there is anybody that has a right to download ‘Death Magnetic’ for free, it’s me.”. Warner Bothers Music begged to differ.

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