Last summer or something I tried to go down to UC Berkeley to see Dethklok of Adult Swim’s Metalocalypse perform a free show. We got there so early, there was no one online. That’s when we found out Berkeley is the best university ever, because it’s got a bar right there on campus. We ended up drinking a few pitchers of this strong, cloudy ale that completely demolished us, and by the time we stumbled out of the bar, the line was a mile long.

We waited all night, but didn’t get in. We also found out why Dethklok hates their fans so much, because a lot of the kids waiting in line were complete tools.

Now, Dethklok, the most brutal animated metal band on Earth, is ready to hit the road for reals. With actual tickets and everything.

The Dethklok tour will begin on June 2nd and run through early July. Tickets will range from $20 to $25, and Chimaira and Soilent Green will be in support. Full list of dates after the jump. (more…)

Big thanks to Sludge Swamp for turning me on to this stuff. I was perusing their archives for some cool stuff to put on a mix CD for an upcoming BBQ, when I stumbled upon the psychedelic doom of Jex Thoth. Formerly known as Totem, the band takes its name from its beguiling frontwoman, who seems to have a bit of Grace Slick coursing through her veins (and God knows what else).

It’s nice to see how diverse the metal scene is getting, especially since that’s all I’ve been listening to lately, and I usually like to mix it up. This stuff is spacey, hypnotic but still has plenty of rock punch, and it doesn’t completely drag ass like a lot of doom you’ll hear. Jex Thoth releases albums on I Hate Records, which is out of Sweden (Jex Thoth hails from California), but unfortunately, their debut LP seems to have been delayed due to a printing error. With any luck, they’ll be able to fix that up soon.

Gods of the Earth is turning out to be a prophetic title for The Sword’s latest album. First off, congrats goes to the band for topping the Billboard Heatseeker chart this week and also showing up at 102 on the top 200. Not bad for an indie metal band from Texas. I don’t know if that means their rich yet, but I’m sure they’ll have extra cash for medieval weapon replicas and sweet bongs.

They also premiered a new video for my favorite song on the new album “Maiden, Mother and Crone,” which you can view on the MTV’s Headbangers Blog. It’s got beards, eerie backgrounds and a hot, witch-y chick, so pretty much everything you could ever want from a metal video.

If that weren’t enough, the band will now tour with fuckin’ Metallica in Europe. No shit. The Sword/Metallica tour starts in June in the most metal place on Earth, Norway. With any luck, the boys from Austin will remind Metallica that they used to be a metal band.

I’d like to think that some of this success has to do with me blogging about them everyday. Just saying.

Here are The Sword’s dates with Metallica:

06/16: Bergen, Norway @ City of Bergen Festival*

06/18: St. Petersburg, Russia @ SKK Hall*

06/20: Riga, Latvia @ Skonto Stadium*

06/22: Bologna, Italy @ Parco Nord*

06/23: Bucharest, Romania @ Cotroceni Football Stadium*

06/25: Sofia, Bulgaria @ Levski Stadium*

06/27: Istanbul, Turkey @ Inonu Stadium*

This is a bit atypical of the bands that we generally choose for Synthesis Band of the Day. No horn-rimmed glasses, waifish broads with ugly indie-rock haircuts, ‘roid-bicep hardcore meatheads, striped sweater wussies or epic Dungeons & Dragons progressive metalheads. No, Phredley brings the funk-rock.

In my fledgling college days, back when tie-dye wasn’t as vomitous and my roommate’s constant Phish-Grateful Dead-Phish musical rotation didn’t drive me completely bonkers, I would have broken my left leg to check out a band like Phredley. Now bad photoshop effects kinda irk me, patchouli oil makes me want to hurl and hippie funk in general just pisses me off. But not Phredley. They’s alright.

Based around a brother-sister duo (Phred Brown on Vocals, Guitar & Horns; Alesha Brown on Keys & Vocals) and a rhythm section (Paul Loos, Drums & Vocals; Samuel Tobias Winn, Bass & Vocals) Phredley lays down funk that is far closer to the heart of nearby Detroit than that of longhair revivalists in Colorado or Vermont. And when they stray toward the pop side of the spectrum, it comes across more as radio-friendly than looking for a parking lot miracle. More importantly (for me at least), their lyrics hold water. With the aforementioned hippie-funk enthusiasts, it’s most often the lyrics that drive me to enraged hysterics; Phredley uses some clever (or nearly clever) turns of phrase. No, Phred’s not Leonard Cohen by any means, but in a sometimes poppy, sometimes rocky funk quartet, it works. Their track “The Truth About Capricorns” also has some pretty, Beatelesque, tonally complex passages. If you’re a big fan of Ben Harper/Jack Johnson/Maroon 5, or your ’70s R&B records don’t have much dust on them, do yourself a favor and look into Phredley.

Okay, kudos to Sneak Attack Media on the email pitch I received the other day. I have NO idea what it’s for, and if it sucks that PR company will be the recipient of a manila envelope with headshot and glitter stars, ala Tobias Funke. But here goes:

“On April 15th there’s going to be a pretty huge announcement in LA, that seriously affects the rock world. Please check out the link below.

http://newmedia.10thst.com/teaser/teaser_rockvine.mov

On April 15, there will be a huge announcement in rock. It will take place in LA and you can win a chance to hear the news first-hand. Check out this video for clues and if you think you know what’s up, enter your guesses at THEROCKVINE.COM for a chance to win.”

Okay, I’ll bite. I’m guessing it’s the announcement of some supposed badass supergroup, or maybe a rock reunion of some sort. I’m hoping dyed long hair and piles cocaine will be involved, though. Sneak Attack Media, your move…

I got the full album copy of The Sword’s sophomore album Gods of the Earth just a couple days ago. It’s sweet. If you’re the law abiding type, you’ll have to wait until April 1st to get your hands on it yourself (I’m not going to share mine with you, so don’t ask), but you can at least listen to it on the band’s MySpace page. It’s not as sweet as actually having the album, but it’s still pretty sweet.

Upon the release of Gods of the Earth, The Sword is going to be all up in your business. The band will embark on two headlining tours: a West Coast leg from April 14th through the 29th; an East Cost leg from May 9th through the 29th; and a spot on Bonnaroo with a whole bunch of awesome bands. If you happen to be planning on catching The Sword on their West Coast tour (as I will be), be sure to get there early and check out San Francisco’s Slough Feg, because they’re pretty fucking rawk. All sorts of concert dates after the jump. (more…)