“Horrible Band of The Day: Hazardhead”

“Headliners don’t watch the opening bands”.

I’ll just leave that statement where it is for now. I’ll let you judge where it came from.

From what I’m told, these guys have a pretty strong affliction of “rock star” plaguing them at the forefront. I could comment about their sound, image, and presentation but that is strictly based on someone’s perception of what their tastes are. I will say this, though, from the way things appear here nobody in their right mind involved here should be demanding headlining slots. Oh, did I forget to mention that already? Yes, HH has been known to do that.

It’s completely absurd to me to think that people still act this way. We’ve all heard some sort of stories from back in the day about bands making outlandish requests simply because they are stars, right? News flash, Hazardhead. You aren’t rock stars.

 

None of us are. I’m not sure what rock you’ve been living on but the days where bands were once worshipped as gods is long gone, thankfully for a good reason. Who the hell do you think you are to be regarding yourselves as above anyone in this scene? Have you not noticed we’re all about doing the same fucking thing you are?

Now I’m not saying that a good band shouldn’t get what they deserve. When you put the time in earning and showing respect to your peers, sure you rightfully should get a few cookies for it. Hell, if you’re good and humble enough you just may impress some key people who can propel your band into an even bigger spotlight. Funny how that works, huh? Flat out, saying things like what I started this article off with it is a slap in the fucking face to people I know damn well put just as much work into their projects without having golden fucking vagina about it. Are you shitting baby-blue turds that hatch fucking swans, too? If not, guess what? You’re no fucking different than anyone else. Don’t like watching the opening bands you demanded to play over? Well, don’t go crying to daddy when they don’t give a shit about you.

Get the hairspray out of your ears, humble it up, and earn your respect just like the rest of us have to.

I’ve heard that there quite a few stories regarding this. Have one? Share it.

If people were expected to be given insane special privileges for being able to play a goddamn instrument, I’d have my own country by now.

Bringing The Family Back: Metal Doc Brown Speaks

 

Okay, so you’re probably all wondering what the hell this is about, as I’m sure you’ve seen it floating around Facebook. Here is the info: 

Metal Doc Brown is going to be hitting the road for some upcoming weekend speaking events. We’re going to be speaking about our experiences in the metal community, how we feel we can unite everyone and stop the bullshit that has been going on, Q&A, sharing some personal anecdotes, and generally having a fucking great time. We’ll have a merch booth set up where you can come meet us and harass us as much as you’d like. We’ll also be doing giveaways, contests, and all kinds of other crazy shit. We’re going to have bands playing and possibly other guest speakers depending on the date. We promise you’ll have a fucking blast. Email us if you’d like to host an event!

“Let’s Cuddle and Talk About Our Feelings.” by Metal Doc Brown

We are a very strange and diverse group of individuals. Some of us are covered in tattoos, piercings, scarification, implants, etc. Some of us look are not. Some of us have some of those things, but not all.

I used some way too much right there, I’m well aware of it.

My point is that not all of us can have the same taste in appearances, just like not all of us can have the same taste in musical preference. Thrash, Death, Grind, Hardcore, Rock, Nu, etc.

I really don’t care what people think of the music that I like. I used to have a complex about people telling me that a band wasn’t cool. I’d feel uncool for liking them. These days, I really could not care less. I still love Slipknot. I will jam Limp Bizkit every now and then just to hear “Rollin.’” I love Maroon 5, NWA, The Offspring, Digital Underground, Job For A Cowboy, Coheed & Cambria, It Dies Today, Nodes of Ranvier, the list could go on and on.

I’m just saying that we all need to stop worrying about what everyone else thinks about our musical preferences.

Topic two: If you don’t know anything about metal or rock, don’t try to have a conversation and pretend that you’re a fucking genius. It makes you look stupid because those of us who DO know what we’re talking about just think you’re a jackass. If you want to know something, fucking ask, don’t blabber your mouth and try to talk out of your ass until you make everyone want to punch you in the face.

I get that not everyone can be a walking dictionary of metal, but the next time I hear someone complaining that Meshuggah is ripping off Periphery and Veil of Maya, I’m going to choke them to death with my bare hands. At least know your fucking roots, people.

“Saint Nicked” by Doc Brown

Well, tis the season.

To be brutally fucked over and left penniless.

Dont’ get me wrong, NS Studios does a GREAT job when it comes to the finished product. The only problem is getting the finished product.

I’ve had multiple complaints from numerous bands wanting me to call this studio out for awhile because of their lack of work ethic. When I say “their” I’m referring to the owner, Nick. When your name becomes a negative verb in the english language, maybe its time to just call it quits or actually do what bands pay you to do. I’m sure all of you have seen the term being “Nicked” floating around the interwebs over the last few months.

I’m not saying to not record at this studio. I’m not even saying they’re a bad studio. I’m saying that they need to fucking do their job or start giving bands their money back instead of trying to pocket it. When you start fucking over bands they talk to each other and tell everyone what has happened to them. I can tell you right now that if I was in a band, I wouldn’t be recording there just based on reputation alone.

Some bands have had to physically sit with Nick to make sure their work was being done. This is NOT how a business functions. They’ve heard every excuse in the book, from heart attack to loss of computer memory, and I’m telling you right now that there is no excuse for MONTHS in between recording and receiving the finished product. I’ve seen this guy record a song and 2 weeks later have the finished product out and playing online. It’s bullshit.

So, NS Studios, can we expect you to straighten up and get your work done or are we going to add you to the blacklist and tell everyone we know about what you’re doing?

 

 

The Great Scott Awards!

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Doc Brown Presents: The Great Scott Awards

By docbrownmetal

Doc Brown Presents: The Great Scott Awards!
Bands, fans, promoters, managers listen up!
We here at Doc Brown are having an awards article for all of the bands in the Michigan-Ohio-Indiana area. The categories are as follows:

Best Band:                 Bury The Silence

Best Vocalist:          Clint Harkness from The Devastator

Best Guitarist:        Hiran Deraniyagala and Tony Asta from Battlecross

Best Bassist:             Don Slater from Battlecross

Best Drummer:      Mike Kreger from Battlecross and Cody McCoy from Winterus/Boreworm

Album of the Year:    “Push Pull Destroy”- Battlecross

Best New Act:            Last Seen Dead

Most Influential Band:       Bury The Silence

Horrible Band of the YEAR:      CEMETARY DESEKRATOR  and Dead-Like-Us                                      

and my personal favorite

Best City for Metal:       Lansing, Michigan

The Metal Doc Brown Blacklist

2 Soon 2 Quit Clothing and Promotions (Michigan): Fucked over several bands after making them sell tickets. Did not pay the guarantee of the bands that had them and lied to cover it up. Rude, unprofessional, and have no clue what they’re doing. Try to maintain a professional appearance but operate as amateurs. Roughly $600.00 is unaccounted for.

Carnival of Chaos (Michigan): Forced bands to sell tickets for their events, guaranteed them time slots before national acts only to cancel the national acts and not allow some of the bands to play. Did not pay Motograter for their performance. Hatebreed and Kittie both have called Carnival of Chaos out for their shady dealings.

Seth D Myers (Illinois): Has overbooked shows, failed to pay guarantees and all around has no clue what he’s doing. Promises headliners who don’t even show up.

The Next Big Thing Tour (National): We have an article about this group. They tell bands to sell a huge amount of tickets in exchange for a prize of only $500.00 or 16 hours of recording time. They have the bands foot the bill to make them money.

The Champ (Pennsylvania): Bans bands for playing at any competing venue.

Gorilla Productions (National): Forcing bands to sell a large amount of tickets, overbooking their shows, never giving anyone a prize when they actually win the battle of the bands that they put on.

Harpo’s Concert Theater(Michigan): Has bands sell large amounts of tickets with no payout, cut set times short after bands work their asses off to sell tickets, promise them main stage but set them up on a tiny stage in the back, not letting bands play at all after they sell tickets. Staff is rude and have damaged band’s equipment when they don’t move as fast as they’d like. (seen this with my own eyes.)

Metal For The Masses Blogsite (Massachusetts/National): Charges for a compilation CD that has no physical form, claims charges are to cover professional studios for “volume balancing” and for art design while using copyrighted artwork downloaded from the internet without the artists’ knowledge or consent,  constantly talks down to people who post questions, makes fun of bands with no money to pay their fees, openly posts pirated leaks of local and national releases without their knowledge or consent, highly unethical and should be approached with severe caution.

Club Loaded (Long Island, NY): Harpos’ brother from another mother. Large presales, no payout, set times cut, the same deal as Harpo’s.

Jaylin Ford (Vocalist from Michigan): Inexperienced, cocky, has a reputation for trash talking bands for no reason with some reports of physical threats, promotes and books his bands with little to no music to play, overbooks his band’s shows just to cancel at the last minute, spreads outright lies about his bands without their consent. Any band involved with Ford should be avoided at all costs.

Dead-Like-Us (Michigan): Former band of Jaylin Ford, continues to utilize an illegitimate amount of Facebook “likes” gained from spamming and “like”-adding sites to book shows with little-to-no usable material, wastes most of given set times standing around onstage not playing, cancels overbooked shows with no public warning, should be avoided by venues and bands alike.

NS Studios (Michigan): Illegitimate excuses for extremely long release delays extending to over 7 months, unreliable communication, tracks released missing key elements, legal actions threatened for releases to be made. Has worked with many local bands that all share identical troubling experiences.

Interview with Ryan Glisan of Allegaeon (Metal Blade Records) by Doc Brown

When I first heard Allegaeon I honestly did not expect them to be an American band. They have a very European sound with the American agression pushing it forward. This band is technical, fast, and unrelenting. I recently had the chance to speak with guitarist Ryan Glisan about the band’s past, present, and future.

MDB: First of all, thanks for agreeing to this interview. It means a lot to all of us here at the site. Second, Fragments of Form and Function is an amazing album. Do you guys think you’ll be able to top it?
RG:No problem, thanks for putting together some questions. Fragments was definitely a good starting point for us but I can honestly say that our next album will surpass fragments in every way, in my opinion anyways. I realize every band says that about every CD they put out, but as far as our discography goes it will really be more of a step outside of what we have done previously. You will still recognize our sound but there are some new aspects, 8 string guitars, a new drummer, more synth aspects that we didnt have time for on Fragments and all completely new songs,  Fragments was a mix of really old material and new, so it wasnt as cohesive as our next album will be. I can say all I want about it but really you will just have to see for yourself haha.

 
MDB: Do you guys have any tours in the works that we should know about or are you focusing more on writing right now?
RG:We have finally started getting some good offers for tours but thus far we have had to pass on them or put tours off until the CD is done, thats our main focus from now until January. I think once the album gets some momentum and a good buzz we will get on some solid tours

 
 MDB:  With all the bands that are coming out of the woodwork, do you have any personal favorites that seem to stick out above the rest?
RG:Honestly, and this is only a reflection of me personally, I dont really care for alot of newer metal. It seems like a good majority of bands are copycat bands and that gets old for me, so I have kind of stopped searching out new metal bands. Im sure there are a ton of good bands out there but I have been so caught up with our band and all the stuff behind the scenes that I tend to listen to more of the music I was brought up on like 80’s metal, early 90’s death metal and the late 90’s and early 00’s European and American progressive styles along with the virtuoso solo guitar players. I have also broadened my musical taste into non metal genres as well and have grown fond of many non metal artists.

 
MDB:  I know that in Michigan things were pretty bad for awhile with bands being cut-throats and not helping each other out.How do you feel about the over all state of the metal community these days?
RG:Well I can only speak of the Colorado scene that we were brought up in and most of the bands are all really friendly with one another, for the most part. Colorado has had good success with bands getting signed to decent labels lately and part of it is definitely due to the respect between the bands annd bands pushing each other, in a positive way. As far as national touring bands are concerned, the bands we have met and toured with all seem really cool so far, so hopefully that continues in the future.

 
 MDB: What, in your opinion, is the biggest obstacle that bands trying to get signed face?
RG:Well there has been a shift in the industry lately when it comes to that. Back in the day there wasnt nearly as many labels and there werent nearly as many channels of distribution and networking so there wasnt many ways to hear about a band other than TV, Radio and word of mouth. Because of that it was harder to get your name out and get “discovered”. Fewer groups were “discovered” and even fewer made considerable money. Although its still an obstacle to making “considerable”  money, the various networking mediums have made it considerably easier to get noticed and inevitably get signed, I would almost venture to say that if you are a truly talented band and work hard that you have a very good chance of getting picked up. That being said, with so many bands out there having unlimited access to getting their music out and getting signed by the tons of labels out there, it has in a sense saturated the market of “SIGNED BANDS” and now you see bands fighting over tours and promotional and advertising dollars and time. In the end, yes its easier to get signed and get your name out, but because of that it makes it even harder to get good tours and differentiate yourself from the billion other bands that are “signed”.  To answer your question, the biggest obstacles, in my opinion are 1. Actually being a good band and 2. the amount of competition 3. dollars available to pursue new artists. This discussion could go on forever but ill leave it at that haha.

 
MDB: Again, Thanks for taking time out of your schedule to talk with us. It’s been an honor and a privilege!
RG:No problem.

Interview with Bobby Burns of Primer 55 by MetalDocBrown

Primer 55 is a band that I listened to relentlessly in my younger years. I fucking loved The New Release, and to this day when I hear any of their songs I get pumped up. Thanks to the unbelievably useful tool that is Twitter, I managed to snag an interview with my childhood hero Bobby Burns.

MDB: You guys were a huge influence on me as a kid. I don’t think The New Release left my cd player. As a matter of fact, I had to buy another copy because the first one was permanently stuck in my car’s cd player. How do you think your sound has evolved since you first started Primer 55?

BB: THANKS! I evolve with ever song I write I think. If you asked me to write a song that sounded like it came from Introduction to Mayhem or The New Release I don’t think I could do it actually. I write something and move on. Lots of bands and songwriters write the same damn song over and over and over…. I guess thats why they’re rich and famous.

MDB: You guys had some line-up issues. Have you found a line-up that you are comfortable with now?

BB: I’m NEVER comfortable actually. People can come and go as they choose to do.. I wont stop you or beg you. If you dig the music you’ll stay I guess. Doesn’t matter to me. I’ll still be here. Im working on a few new projects including a solo record.

MDB: I’ve seen you’ve started a new venture with The South Life Style. What can you tell us about that?

BB: At home my mind races. I don’t want to sit around wondering what to do next when I’m home so I decided to make clothes! Tees, hats and sweats mostly…. It gives me an outlet other than music.. I make all the P55 merch as well as merch for Saint Dog (Kottonmouth Kings) ,The South Life Style originals etc, etc

MDB: You spent seven years with Soulfly. What was your experience with them like?

BB:7 years, 4 records…. Its sucked. No fun at all. Too many egos and attitudes to deal with on a daily basis.. Im not down with it.

MDB: Do you plan on hitting the road with Primer 55  anytime soon?

BB:Leaving tomorrow actually on the Grind Til Death tour . Primer 55, Danny Diablo, DGAF, the DRP and Cousin Cleetus.

MDB: Do you guys have any plans to record some new material?

BB:  I’ve written the whole record at this point. We’ll start recording the album in December up in Minneapolis MN. The album will be self titled with a spring release date. visit http://www.familyforliferecords.com for all info.

MDB: Are there any bands or artists that you’ve been listening to that we should know about?

 BB: Bands? No… I don’t think so. I do love the new record from Dope D.O.D though.

Interview with Battlecross’ Mike Kreger by Doc Brown

I have known Battlecross for about 4 years now and I’m honored to call them my friends. I recently asked them if they’d be interested in doing an interview and being the cool dudes that they are, they agreed. So, after a brief exchange of  messages with drummer Mike Kreger, here is that interview:

MDB:First of all, congrats on Metal Blade! I know you guys worked your asses off to get where you are now. You’ve already announced your first tour with Full Blown Chaos and Rose Funeral, any idea what is coming up after that?

MIKE: Thanks for the kudo’s Doc. We are super stoked about our 1st tour, Finally we get to take this machine out on the road. As for 2012 we have all types of good stuff coming in the year to come. Huge stuff I cannot release!! All I can say is stay tuned to upcoming news in the months to come!

MDB:”Pursuit of Honor” seems to be everywhere I look lately. How do you feel now that the album has gained so many positive reviews?

Mike: It feels great, to push yourself and achieve peoples respect is priceless. Especially in the oversaturated scene. Theirs a lot of competition and I feel in due time we will really be accepted. Also if you haven’t yet picked up P.O.H do so and support the Mitten Metal.

MDB:You guys are still quite vocal in the local Michigan Metal scene and interact with bands just as much, if not more, than you did before you got signed. How do you manage to stay humble with all of the positive press you’ve gotten?

MIKE: This doesn’t in no way change who we are as individuals, we always will support the scene like it has supported us. I can honestly say I love our Michigan metal friends. We’re all in this together and the bond is unbreakable. I know how hard it is to get signed these days and us pushing through just lets EVERYONE know… You can do it!!!!

MDB: speaking of Michigan Metal, are there any bands in the scene that you feel are worth mentioning?

MIKE: First I wanna say Bury The Silence just lost their drummer, so if your hungry to tour and want to be in a band that will not stop until the goals of world dominace is under your belt. Hit them up and try out! I love BTS their a hard working group that remind me of us! I hope they find someone who just brings them to the next level. So to answer the question. Bury the Silence, 3 Parts Demon are another band that is just AMAZING, Shitlife, Infinite Design are fucking Great, Dwarf Corpse, Genocya, The Devastator, Dagon, Satarysis, Deadringer. All these bands are so worth to check out and support, all different genres of metal from the MITTEN!

MDB:Is there anything you want to say to the people who nay-sayed the band and told you that getting signed was a pipe dream?

MIKE: Oh yeah!!!! I told you mothafuckas we’d get here! Just so everyone is informed too: Being signed is harder work than getting to the level of being signed. There is much more demand in your personal life, quitting jobs, sacraficing relationships, going into debt, a lot of traveling for crumbs. You have to want this like nothing else. Also certain countries won’t let you in if you have felonies or Dui’s so make sure you check into that cause it will HINDER your goals of travel. all these things come into play as soon as you sign your name. The privelage to being signed is amazing, to go out and destroy the masses will be a fun yet trialing. We wanted this since we were kids. We all know the demand this has on our personal lives, but we want the world to know of Battlecross and how hard we worked to melt your face off! So with that being said…… LET’S ROLL!

Thanks Metal Doc Brown for the interview! Hope to see you soon!
~Mike

“Not the Usual Article.” by Doc Brown

Over the last few months Michigan Metal has exploded. There are shows eevery weekend, bands are once again helping each other out, and venues are starting to realized that they depend on the bands just as much as the bands depend on them.

While I’d like to take some credit for this, I can’t.

There are a lot of people who see me as some kind of crusader for Michigan Metal and the bands that make up this scene. I’m really not. I just call bullshit when I see it and I’m certainly vocal about bands, venues and promoters when they fuck up. That isn’t anything special.

What IS special is that I’m providing a means for everyone in the scene to have a voice. When I first started writing as Doc Brown I didn’t expect much support. Hell, I didn’t even expect anyone to read my articles.

As long as I can remember I’ve wanted to do something to benefit the metal scene. I honestly don’t know if what we are doing here at MDB is helping the scene at all. I personally feel that we are.

I’ve said numerous times on my site and my facebook that Doc Brown is a fictional character, but lately I’m not too sure. If enough people believe in Doc Brown and the Michigan Metal scene, why should I try to fictionalize my role in trying to revive something that I care about?

Metal Doc Brown may have started out as a fictional entity, but I think I’ve finally come to a point where I’m comfortable in saying that I AM Metal Doc Brown. I’m going to stand behind everything that I say. I’m embodying the role entirely. You all may not think that any of this is important, but it definitely is to me.

A couple of weeks ago I nearly passed the role of Doc Brown on to another writer. I was tired of the constant bullshit that comes with the territory.

I’m glad that I didn’t. After very nearly bailing on this creation of mine, I began to realize several things:

There are quite a few things in my life that I have started and given up on. Whether it be bands, relationships, books, etc. Metal Doc Brown is something that I created. I’ve built this fucked up community and I’m proud of everything I’ve accomplished so far.

I do not make any money by being Metal Doc Brown. I don’t get any freebies, merch, CD’s or any other physical rewards. I work full time and run the site as well as I can. You guys have no clue how much work goes into being Metal Doc Brown.

On average I receive 100 emails a day. I get texts from a ton of people feeding me information about what is going on in the scene. I am constantly on the facebook page interacting with everyone. I get phone calls at all hours of the night. I sacrifice my free time and receive nothing in return.

By nothing I again am talking about money and other physical rewards. I do receive a sense of self-satisfaction. I’ve finally done something that I can be proud of. If all of us stood our ground and spoke up when we needed to, this scene would be even better than it is now. Don’t let people walk all over you just because you’re afraid that it will hurt your bands reputation. If you’re that worried about it, send me an E-mail and I will personally take out whoever is hurting this scene.

We all have something to say and I think its about time people started fucking listening.

” We are Legion, for we are many.”