8 Years Gone...

We love and miss you, Darrell...

Rest In Peace, Brother.

(Vince... It wasn't Phillip's fault. Make peace with him.)

Long Live Pantera.

Forever,

Stronger Than ALL.

I Know, I Know...

I've been neglecting this blog for FAR too long....

Life. 

It gets in the way.

No, but seriously? I've just been trying to focus on getting my shit together, like... personally.... Between work, a beautiful, yet impossibly arrogant, naggy, and bossy 22 year old girlfriend,  and two kids, I not only have my hands pretty full,  I also tend to procrastinate with the online presence ..  I'm lazy... And inconsistent. And I'll pretty much think of anything to say to not be productive... Even if it's shit I love doing. Writing, podcasting, etc.. You name it. I spent nearly 6 hours today, watching Blue's Clues with Jocephus, and reading assorted "Bitchy Waiter" blogs... Great shit, if you've ever been a server.

But rather than do what I ALWAYS do on this blog, and promise to be more productive, and that new goodies are "imminent" and a new podcast is coming "soon"... I'd rather just let shit happen organically and let the chips fall where they may.

If that means getting on here daily to bitch about daily life, like I used to... So be it.

I've been kinda productive....

There's a new  Furbush Tumblr page... An updated deviantArt page ( with all kinds of goodies, like CD covers I've done for Emeney and Marshall... Etc.)... And twittahhhh... Or, since Google+ has wiped out any shred of anonymity I had left on this motherfucking blog... If you're not a creeper, Hit me with a friend request on facebook (NO DUDES!!! Haha)... and mention that Under Destruction sent ya...

Big Cat is back in the fold.
(Applause) 

Though, not in an "Official Capacity"...(My boy is his typical "Non-Committal" self....)  I'm sure he'll find time to contribute to whatever the fuck he see fit to... So leave him alone.. ;) The two of us are fucking around with the idea of promoting some local music... Stay tuned.. In the meantime, for more info, and updates when they become available, follow Project MayHAM Promotions on the twittahhhh
(The art may be a little familiar....)

As for the podcast... The forthcoming "MAYHAM Redux"... It'll happen when it happens.... I know there's a shit ton of people that miss it.. It'll be back... Though without Big Cat( Maybe the occasional "Guest Spot"), I can assure you, it will not be the same. That's what's causing the delay... I have lots of ideas... But, I can't let the "quality" suffer as a result... When it does surface, ( And, I assure you ALL that it WILL)... It will meet or exceed what you've expected outta MAYHAM since day one. A shit show ....How do you replace something as integral as Big Cat? I mean, fuck... Come ON... That'd be like Axl Rose trying to relace Slaa.... Wait... Forget it.


Peace, Bitches...

**EDIT**

I'm reinstating all of the old "Project MayHAM" posts... Like, Right now. Too much gold has been hidden from public view for waaay too long. Enjoy a trip down memory lane...

-Furbush.

$30 In Damages....

Download It NOW

The Great American Failure...

... The Under Destruction Review

Life is measured by success. We all work hard to attain certain goals. We spend a lifetime building what we would like to eventually consider “Our Perfect Life”. We make our mark on the world any way we can.  To achieve status. To have more. We find comfort in our homes, love in our families… Security in our careers.


What happens when it all falls apart? When everything you thought you knew about your life, everything that you held dear vanishes? When comfort, love, and security are replaced with pain, hate, and uncertainty? When it’s all ripped away....

And you are left without hope?


The Great American Failure is a harrowing journey into the soul of man who has lost everything, and is forced to find comfort within the emptiness of what his life has become. It's the dark celebration of a man who has given up all illusions that his life will once again become “normal“.. The treacherous voyage into the kingdom of oblivion.


The Great American Failure chronicles the descent of a proud man into the throes of  hopelessness.... And his transformation into a  spiritual warrior… With  courage and confidence, and against all odds… He revels in his failure. He thrives on discord.  He becomes The King Of Oblivion. 

And he is us.

We are The Great…


Title Zero welcomes you to the show. There's a storm moving in. Coming to the realization that success is futile… A waste of time. A slow groove painted with strokes of minimalist lead guitar work sets a tone for things to come.

Freya picks up the pace, finding our subject reaching a desperate hand out to Death for one more night on Earth before taking the plunge into Hell. Fucking Brilliant. Amazing song….

I’ll Be Gone… A great song that continues the same vibe.. This is one of the few tracks that actually suffers from having a full band playing on it. At it’s essence, Dave Emeney’s solo work is Spartan. Vocals.. Guitar... Raw Emotion. 
While I will give producer Frank Santos credit for assembling a fine arrangement around this song… at times, it seems to distract from it’s heart and soul.

Santos immediately redeems himself on the hauntingly epic October Fires… A post apocalyptic death march that lingers with painful lead guitar work by Emeney that rings in a way only Jerry Cantrell could fully understand. Emeney rips his guts out… begging us to not give up on him. The gorgeous sound of hitting bottom… If your eyes aren’t at least glazed with tears by the time this song fades to silence… You weren’t paying attention.

The Fear has Got To… This is the second, and last, example of , for lack of a better term,  over-production. At it’s heart… It’s one of the best songs Emeney has ever written. However.. This version has too much going on. When it’s just his voice and a six string… Fear is a MUCH more rewarding experience…

Deadline closes the first half of the record in superior fashion. A burst of uplifting comfort amidst crumbling sandcastles…

The heart of the album lies in it’s second half. Dave Emeney at his purest.  In his element.. From here on out… you experience the artist in the way you were meant to hear him
And the only place one could possibly begin this aural redemption…

The Great American Failure.. The title track starts with a one man southern-style acoustic jam and builds into a rallying cry for all of us that have been written off by society. We don’t need you.  Our success is dependant on rejecting all that you value… We Are The Great American Failure…

Buzzards is another winner…  The path to enlightenment. Direct your hate towards the ones who deserve it.  Indeed.

Unprepared, Whisky River, and Same Old Feeling  revisit the darkness of the first half of the album with a poignant maturity and understanding…  Where there was once confusion, there now sits wisdom.

Part One and Your Wings close The Great American Failure with intensity, power and promise.

Nowhere else, will you, after repeated listens, finds yourself singing along with every heart wrenching word, despite the lack of discernable hooks. There’s something in Emeney’s songs  that instantly connects with your deepest painful memories.  They immediately come off as stream-of consciousness ramblings, but upon further inspection, it becomes clear that traditional structure would do the material a great disservice.

Emeney’s wealth of influences converge to create a unique voice that must be heard. A few minor production annoyances aside, his first full length album is the cathartic triumph of a brilliant artist in turmoil, that hints of redemption, and leaves room for growth in any direction..

 The Great American Failure is essential listening… 


8.5/10

Buy at Amazon
Buy at iTunes

Support your local artists...

The Misfortune Teller,...

Down played a new song from their forthcoming E.P.this week, and by gum... Some kid taped that shit.

Lucky us...
The E.P. is the first of 4 being released over the next few years. Each one is supposed to showcase a different style or vibe. The first, which is being hyped as "The Doomy One",  is scheduled to drop in July or August. This song is pretty good evidence of that.
I love it.
It definitely is a helluva lot more aggressive than the last couple of Down Cd's. It harkens back to the St Vitus, Trouble, and Black Sabbath influenced vibe of NOLA...

"We're right back where we started from"... 

Indeed.

Enjoy....

Not For Me...

New Slash shit...
Myles Kennedy doesn't really do it for me, but he nailed the Hall Of Fame performance, and he's slightly tolerable in this beautiful track. Check it out:

So Much For That...

The bottom line for me, is this...

I don't want a GN"R reunion tour or album.


I want to hear the unreleased Chinese Democracy material. More than anything. I know that a reunited old school Guns will sound closer to The Spaghetti Incident than it will Appetite... These guys aren't those scumbags anymore. It will not be the same. Everyone should just move forward with their own thing.

Having said that...

Nobody thought all five of these guys would still be alive to see this, 20 years ago... And they are.
Duff hit the nail on the head. This is a once in a lifetime opportunity, not only for them... But, the fans as well.
Us 30- 40 somethings that bought it ALL. The albums, tapes and CD's.. The singles... The imports, and posters.. The shitty magazines that gave us any little mention of them. The PPV... Making Fucking Videos 1, 2, and 3... The (sold separately) Tokyo show ON VHS. If it was branded with a GN'R logo, we had to have it. And for good reason.

I don't care if I sound selfish. Guns N' Roses made me who I am, and I... That is WE made them who they are.

They owe us this

If they don't play, I will no longer support Axl or anyone else unwilling to go on stage and play Saturday.. In any way. I suggest everyone follow suit. Maybe, if enough people get this point across, they'll smarten up....


Wait.... What?


antiquiet

The ever unpredictable Axl Rose has just revealed that not only will he not attend the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame ceremony, he has decided not to be inducted as a member of Guns N’Roses.


Taking to GNR’s Facebook and Twitter accounts, Rose posted a lengthy message to the RRHOF, GNR fans and members of the press explaining his decision and once again batting down rumors that a reunion of the classic GNR lineup is coming.

Instead of analyzing it line by line, we’ve decided to share the letter with you in full. Rose is a well-spoken man, and it’s certainly good to hear something directly from him than the rumors that have been running wild surrounding the band’s induction into the hall of fame. The letter is directly below. What it boils down to is that the Hall apparently considers Guns N’ Roses Axl, Slash, Izzy, Duff, and Steven, and Axl considers Guns N’ Roses himself, Dizzy, Stinson, Frank Ferrer, Fortus, Pitman, Bumblefoot, and DJ Ashba. So if the hall wants to induct their version of Guns N’ Roses and not Axl’s, then he wants no part of it. Needless to say, a reunion of the original lineup is nowhere to be found on Axl’s bucket list.

To: The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, Guns N’ Roses Fans and Whom It May Concern,

When the nominations for the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame were first announced I had mixed emotions but, in an effort to be positive, wanting to make the most of things for the fans and with their enthusiasm, I was honored, excited and hoped that somehow this would be a good thing. Of course I realized as things stood, if Guns N’ Roses were to be inducted it’d be somewhat of a complicated or awkward situation.

Since then we’ve listened to fans, talked with members of the board of the Hall Of Fame, communicated with and read various public comments and jabs from former members of Guns N’ Roses, had discussions with the president of the Hall Of Fame, read various press (some legit, some contrived) and read other artists’ comments weighing in publicly on Guns and the Hall with their thoughts.

Under the circumstances I feel we’ve been polite, courteous, and open to an amicable solution in our efforts to work something out. Taking into consideration the history of Guns N’ Roses, those who plan to attend along with those the Hall for reasons of their own, have chosen to include in “our” induction (that for the record are decisions I don’t agree with, support or feel the Hall has any right to make), and how (albeit no easy task) those involved with the Hall have handled things… no offense meant to anyone but the Hall Of Fame Induction Ceremony doesn’t appear to be somewhere I’m actually wanted or respected.

For the record, I would not begrudge anyone from Guns their accomplishments or recognition for such. Neither I or anyone in my camp has made any requests or demands of the Hall Of Fame. It’s their show not mine.

That said, I won’t be attending The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Induction 2012 Ceremony and I respectfully decline my induction as a member of Guns N’ Roses to the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame.

I strongly request that I not be inducted in absentia and please know that no one is authorized nor may anyone be permitted to accept any induction for me or speak on my behalf. Neither former members, label representatives nor the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame should imply whether directly, indirectly or by omission that I am included in any purported induction of “Guns N’ Roses.”

This decision is personal. This letter is to help clarify things from my and my camp’s perspective. Neither is meant to offend, attack or condemn. Though unfortunately I’m sure there will be those who take offense (God knows how long I’ll have to contend with the fallout), I certainly don’t intend to disappoint anyone, especially the fans, with this decision. Since the announcement of the nomination we’ve actively sought out a solution to what, with all things considered, appears to be a no win, at least for me, “damned if I do, damned if I don’t” scenario all the way around.

In regard to a reunion of any kind of either the Appetite or Illusion lineups, I’ve publicly made myself more than clear. Nothing’s changed.

The only reason, at this point, under the circumstances, in my opinion whether under the guise of “for the fans” or whatever justification of the moment, for anyone to continue to ask, suggest or demand a reunion are misguided attempts to distract from our efforts with our current lineup of myself, Dizzy Reed, Tommy Stinson, Frank Ferrer, Richard Fortus, Chris Pitman, Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal and DJ Ashba.

Izzy came out with us a few times back in ’06 and I invited him to join us at our LA Forum show last year. Steven was at our show at the Hard Rock, later in ’06 in Las Vegas, where I invited him to our after-party and was rewarded with his subsequent interviews filled with reunion lies. Lesson learned. Duff joined us in 2010 and again in ’11 along with his band, Loaded, opening in Seattle and Vancouver. For me, with the exception of Izzy or Duff joining us on stage if they were so inclined somewhere in the future for a song or two, that’s enough.

There’s a seemingly endless amount of revisionism and fantasies out there for the sake of self-promotion and business opportunities masking the actual realities. Until every single one of those generating from or originating with the earlier lineups has been brought out in the light, there isn’t room to consider a conversation let alone a reunion.

Maybe if it were you it’d be different. Maybe you’d do it for this reason or that. Peace, whatever. I love our band now. We’re there for each other when the going gets rough. We love our fans and work to give them every ounce of energy and heart we can.

So let sleeping dogs lie or lying dogs sleep or whatever. Time to move on. People get divorced. Life doesn’t owe you your own personal happy ending especially at another’s, or in this case several others’, expense.

But hey if ya gotta then maybe we can get the “no show, grandstanding, publicity stunt, disrespectful, he doesn’t care about the fans” crap out of the way as quickly as we can and let’s move on. No one’s taking the ball and going home. Don’t get it twisted. For more than a decade and a half we’ve endured the double standards, the greed of this industry and the ever present seemingly limitless supply of wannabes and unscrupulous, irresponsible media types. Not to imply anything in this particular circumstance, but from my perspective in regard to both the Hall and a reunion, the ball’s never been in our court.

In closing, regardless of this decision and as hard to believe or as ironic as it may seem, I’d like to sincerely thank the board for their nomination and their votes for Guns’ induction. More importantly I’d like to thank the fans for being there over the years, making any success we’ve had possible and for enjoying and supporting Guns N’ Roses music.

I wish the Hall a great show, congratulations to all the other artists being inducted and to our fans we look forward to seeing you on tour!!

Sincerely,
Axl Rose

P.S. RIP Armand, Long Live ABC III

That's That... Axl is Dead To Me....


"That said, I won’t be attending The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Induction 2012 Ceremony and I respectfully decline my induction as a member of Guns N’ Roses to the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame.


I strongly request that I not be inducted in absentia and please know that no one is authorized nor may anyone be permitted to accept any induction for me or speak on my behalf. Neither former members, label representatives nor the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame should imply whether directly, indirectly or by omission that I am included in any purported induction of “Guns N’ Roses.”"


...Says the fucking guy touring the world as, and, as such.. Reaping all of the financial benefits from using the name of  "Guns N' Roses" 



This was it, man... The last straw. I defended your fucking ass for years... Lots of us did.  You're on your own, pal.



Rest In Peace Forever, boys...

Education...

...The American Way

I Am Joe's Shitty Father...

Pulling an all nighter after a double in the very silly hopes that maybe.. just maybe I might not be regarded as a "part time" or "deadbeat" father by the "family" I kill myself for. I'm sure it will be swiftly fucking belittled... Can someone please comment with actual REAL examples of the kind of fathers that I've been erroneously compared to? Please? It's so discouraging to bust my balls every day for people that not only don't appreciate what I do for them, they downright villify me for it....

Happy Birthday, Johnny.....

All Salt...

.. No Pepper.


Could be a good thing or a bad thing, depending on your perspective. I like it.... Still digesting... Give it a listen below.

Download here.

Happy 50th, Cliff....

Killswitch Engage Announce New Singer....

BostonHerald.com

Killswitch Engage’s new singer is their old singer.

The Mass metal monsters parted ways with singer Howard Jones around New Year’s. Rumors were the bands was in the studio recording a follow up to No. 7 2009 hit “Killswitch Engage,” but the rumors were wrong. But now the band is back on track with an old friend.

Original vocalist Jess Leach is back in the fold. Leach sang on the band’s self-titled debut in 2000 and on 2002’s “Alive or Just Breathing.” Leach left in 2002 and was replaced by Howard Jones, but his work on “Alive or Just Breathing” has always been revered by

In a statement, the band said:

“After much deliberation and careful consideration, we are pleased to announce that Jesse Leach has rejoined Killswitch Engage. Our job was to find the best person to fill Howard’s shoes: a decision based on talent and not familiarity. Truth be told, Jesse blew us away in auditions. The room seemed charged with electricity. He commanded both new and old material, and proved, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that he wanted to do this. The choice became very clear and apparent.”

The “new” guy himself also commented on his return to the band after a decade-long absence:

“It is a great honor to rejoin my brothers after all of these years. After some discussion and much reflection, it was obvious to me this was the path I was meant to take. We got together and jammed on the ‘Howard-era songs,’ as well as some Alive or Just Breathing-era songs and we all felt the synergy.”

I'm sooo fucking excited about this. Alive Or Just Breathing is one of my "desert island" albums. When I heard Jesse Leach left the band, I briefly considered trying out for the vacant vocalist spot, before the reality set in that I Can't Fucking Sing.  Howard Jones was a great replacement. He made some killer music with those guys, but there was something missing. After hearing the Adam D./Leach collaboration Times Of Grace, it was clear what was missing. 
I'm psyched. 
Sign me up for this year's New England Metal And Hardcore Festival, where the band (with Leach) will be headlining.

Happy Birthday, Bob...

Gotye....

... Somebody That You SHOULD Know
Bear with me here...I promise it WILL get stuck in your head.

Gotye's Making Mirrors is available now via Eleven Music and can be purchased on itunes

Try in on for size....

Hey, NY Giants...

Van Halen... A Different Kind Of Truth.

..The Under Destruction Review..

"Told ya I was comin' back... Say you missed me... Say it like you mean it".. Blood And Fire

So.. This is it. The long awaited return of a David Lee Roth Fronted Van Halen. The record that all of us old school VH fans have been clamoring for for almost three decades. They put the tip in, so to speak, in 1996 with two DLR fronted tracks on Best Of Volume 1, but abruptly pulled out before we even began to get wet. Look... I'm not going to front like I'm not a bit biased. I can appreciate aspects of every Van Halen era... Yes, even the Gary Cherone shit... But my true love for this band is based on the first four records. And that's why I love love LOVE A Different Kind Of Truth.... 


 A large percentage of this material has roots in the Pre- Hagar era. I was a bit mistaken... In my previous post, I claimed that this record was 1984 Part Two. Nope. It's way closer to Fair Warning... It is classic Van Halen, through and through... I got a little nervous the first time I heard Tattoo. It's probably the weakest track on the record. The lack of Michael Anthony's backing vocals are glaring on that track. Then... throughout the record.. That absence becomes less and less noticeable. Tracks like China Town, As Is and Outta Space blow you out of the water with their patented Pre-Diver Down aggression. (Double Bass, kids?) Songs like Big River, You And Your Blues, and Beats Workin' make you wonder what 5150 and F.U.C.K. would have sounded like had Dave never left. This album is everything I hoped it would be... Just 25 years late. Is it perfect? No.  But, who cares? Do yourself a favor... Hit up Spotify, and listen to the first four Van Halen records then listen to A Different Kind Of Truth. Perfect fit. If vintage VH ain't your thing, look elsewhere. If it is... Look no further. For the first time in 30 years... THIS FEELS LIKE VAN FUCKING HALEN....

8/10

1984 Part 2...

... 28 Years Later.

Tasty.

Check It....

Under Destruction Mixtape Volume 1....

1. Monogamy Doug Stanhope

2. He Was Dead When I Got There The Red Chord

3. Beginner's Guide To Suicide Orange Goblin

4. Skateland Baby Jimbo Mathus

5. Ruiner Nine Inch Nails

6. The Undertow Red Fang

7. Suture Up Your Future QOTSA

8. Shackled Buckethead/Axl Rose/JFK

9. Blort Doug Stanhope

10. Big Barbeque Sam Black Church

11. Messages From Madagascar  Velvet Revolver ft. Axl Rose

12. 3 Kilgore Smudge

13. Room A Thousand Years Wide Soundgarden

14. Waterhaul 36 Crazyfists

15. Dead And Gone The Absence

16. The Bigger Complex Diskreet

17.  Throes Of Rejection Pantera

18. My Feet Pist.On

19. The Dredge Scissorfight

20. All Of This Could Have Been Yours Shooter Jennings

21. Castle Of The Devil The Gates Of Slumber

22. Red House Jimi Hendrix

23. Quittin' Time Joesephus And The George Jonestown Massacre

24. Freemarket Pussy Doug Stanhope

Enjoy Motherfuckers... 

Copyright Industry Calls For Broad Search Engine Censorship....

http://torrentfreak.com

At a behind-closed-doors meeting facilitated by the UK Department for Culture, Media and Sport, copyright holders have handed out a list of demands to Google, Bing and Yahoo. To curb the growing piracy problem, Hollywood and the major music labels want the search engines to de-list popular filesharing sites such as The Pirate Bay, and give higher ranking to authorized sites.

It’s no secret that the entertainment industries believe search engines are not delivering enough when it comes to protecting copyright works. Just last month, the RIAA and IFPI accused Google of massively profiting from piracy, while putting up barriers to make life difficult for rightsholders.

If the copyright industry had their way, Google and other search engines would no longer link to sites such as The Pirate Bay and isoHunt. In a detailed proposal handed out during a meeting with Google, Yahoo and Bing, various copyright holders made their demands clear.

The document, which describes a government-overlooked “Voluntary Code of Practice” for search engines, was not intended for public consumption but the Open Rights Group obtained it through a Freedom of Information (FOI) request.

In short, the rightsholders want the search engines to make substantial changes so that pirated content becomes harder to find, or is de-listed entirely. In addition, they want to boost the rankings of licensed content. Below are the three new measures they propose.

• Assign lower rankings to sites that repeatedly make available unlicensed content in breach of copyright
• Prioritize websites that obtain certification as a licensed site under a recognised scheme
• Stop indexing websites that are subject to court orders while establishing suitable procedures to de-index substantially infringing sites

In the document rightsholders explain that they find it inexcusable that some websites – Pirate Bay and Isohunt in particular – are still indexed by all major search engines even though courts have ruled they facilitate copyright infringement.

Not surprisingly, there is no mention of the collateral damage that such a broad filter would bring with it – many artists and other legitimate individuals are known to use these websites to share their works.

The document further details how many of the top search results for music, movies and books crrently link to pirated copies. In order to stop this, the rightsholders propose that Google and other search engines systematically assign a lower ranking to possibly infringing pages.

“We propose that in order to further protect consumers and to encourage responsible behaviour among websites, the extent of illegal content on a website should become a factor influencing the ranking of that website in search results returned to consumers,” they write.

This should be doable according to the rightsholders, as Google already influences its search results based on various other criteria, such as the lower rankings that are assigned to so-called content farms.

“Given that Google already de-ranks and de-lists sites that do not meet its own ‘quality guidelines’ or otherwise violate its policies, we do not believe that search engines would face significant legal exposure if they were to de-rank or de-list sites using an objective measure, based on their actions in response to legal DMCA complaints, in pursuit of the legitimate objective of preventing their service being used to facilitate copyright infringement,” they write.

Conversely, it’s argued that search engines should also boost the ranking of legitimate sites for certain ‘relevant’ searches. A list of relevant terms to match to these relevant searches should be provided by pro-copyright groups. In the proposal, the rightsholders give the following example in the case of music files.

“We would propose that prioritisation be enabled for searches that contain any of the following key search terms: “mp3″, “flac”, “wma”, “aac”, “torrent”, “download”, “rip”, “stream” or “listen”, “free”, when combined with an artist name, song or album title contained on a list to be regularly updated and provided to a search engine by a recognised and properly mandated agency representing rights holders for a particular sector, such as BPI.”

Aside from these new proposals, the document also calls on the search engines to improve the censorship measures already in place, such as Google’s keyword filter for their “instant” and “autocomplete” services.

Although the proposal from the rightsholders is not a direct threat as it is a long way from being accepted, it clearly shows that rightsholders see censorship as the way forward. The search engines on the other hand were not impressed and are expected to supply a proposal of their own in a future meeting. Again behind closed doors.

Red Fang...

Red Fang’s Murder the Mountains, available now 


through Relapse. Buy it here.

Try it HERE ...

Corrosion Of Conformity....

Corrosion of Conformity will be released by Candlelight Records on February 28.
Preorder from Indie Merch....

Dark Days Are Upon Us....

In the wake of MegaUpload getting shut down, and it's founders being arrested, a large percentage of file hosting sites are running fucking scared...


MegaUpload.com – Closed.(on the bright side... I'll never have to encounter the dreaded 'you have watched 72 minutes' shit anymore...haha)



4shared.com – Deleting files with copyright and waits in line at the FBI.


Crocko.com – Called to testify in the next 90 days and it will open doors. Pro FBI.


EnterUpload.com – Down.


FileJungle.com – Affiliate program was closed. Deleting multiple files. Banning Accounts. Locked in the U.S.


FilePost.com – Affiliate program was closed. Banning Accounts. Deleting all material.


FileServe.com – Affiliate program was closed. Deleting multiple files. Banning Accounts.


FileSonic.com – Affiliate program was closed. Deleting multiple files. Banning Accounts. Under FBI invstg.


Hotfile.com – Affiliate program was closed.
open doors. Pro FBI.


MediaFire.com – Called to testify in the next 90 days and it will open doors. Pro FBI.


MegaShare.com – Affiliate program was closed.


Netload.in – Affiliate program was closed.


Oron.com – Affiliate program was closed. Deleting multiple files. 
Banning Accounts.


UploadBox.com – Closing. All files will be deleted on January 30th.


Uploaded.to – Not available in U.S. Available in other countries.


Uploading.com – Affiliate program was closed.


UploadStation.com – Affiliate program was closed. Deleting files. Banning Accounts. Locked in the U.S.


VideoBB.com – Affiliate program was closed. Will disappear soon.


Videoz.com – Closed and locked in the countries affiliated with the USA.


Wupload.com – Closed affiliate program before Megaupload fiasco citing financial reasons.


x7.to – Closing.

This is complete bullshit. 
I hear talk of "the free ride being over"... 
Fuck you... That's a cop out. 
Let me tell you about a "free ride"... 


I'm relatively new to file sharing. up until about 4-5 years ago I bought every single record and movie in my possession. I didn't have immediate internet access... I had no clue. 
Friends would tell me about downloading an album or song, and I would chastise them.
I loved going to Strawberries every Friday, after cashing my check, and scanning shelves for cool shit. 
 Downloading was too easy. These faggots were cheating. 
I loved the whole experience... Still do.  Opening that sucker, reading the liner notes.... Everything about buying a new CD makes my dick hard, and these morons were missing out. When I finally did get regular internet access, I was floored by how much shit I was missing out on. You gotta think... How many amazing bands I was completely unaware of. A multitude of blogs with download links expanded my musical palate a million fold.I downloaded a shit ton of music. It took me less than 3 months to fill a 1.5 TB HD. 
I was hypnotized... 
And, for the first time, making educated decisions about which music to buy... and what was utter fucking garbage.
I'm sure I'm NOT alone. 
I spent most of my life at the mercy of listening to mainstream bands because I hadn't the foggiest clue of a whole new wave of shit that had been growing under the surface... An entire generation of acts. Had it not been for these blogs, I would have never purchased albums from (just to name a few) Killswitch Engage, Lamb Of God, Mastodon, Baroness, The Melvins, Trouble, Crowbar, Clutch... I could go on for days... I maybe eventually would have discovered and loved these bands, but... as any of you old enough to remember the days before the internet know... We only had so much money, man... And how many CD's or tapes did we buy back in the day based on hearing one song we liked, or a good review, and pay a ridiculous amount of our hard earned fucking money for, only to bring it home and be profoundly disappointed with the rest of the trash contained on it? I got weary of committing 10-20 bucks on something that could suck.
Buying a CD sight unseen was/is a frightening prospect... So I played it safe. 


On top of that, how many fucking records did I have to RE-BUY because they were lost, stolen or damaged? I've purchased at LEAST  20 copies of Appetite For Destruction in my life. Cassette... CD... Vinyl... And that's just one example.


FREE RIDE MY FUCKING ASS..


I've never had lots of money... And for years I spend thousands upon thousands of dollars on music. Most of which I had already purchased previously. And sites like MegaUpload guaranteed that I would no longer have to do that...


So...Why go after them, rather than the "owners" of the online lockers that contained all of this illegal shit? After all.. You put a Kilo of cocaine in a locker at the airport, someone else grabs it... They aren't taking airport officials in custody, are they?


Of course, the fact that MegaUpload and it's whopping 4% of Internet traffic was essentially erased from the Internet came the day after massive and successful protests of SOPA and PIPA have spurred all kinds of theories that the takedown was just a giant middle finger to the Internet.


Let's dig into this a bit...


"MegaUpload, which the U.S. government shut down.... is a Hong Kong-based ‘cyberlocker’ service that allows users to download pirated films, TV shows, music and e-books with just a few clicks."  


This sentence vastly misrepresents the purpose of MegaUpload.


 In fact... MegaUpload always responded promptly and correctly to all correctly filled in DMCA takedown notices. 


Therefore, under US law, the site acted legally at all times. I'll be interested to see what invented evidence they use in court to show the contrary. 
The real reason for shutting MegaUpload down probably had much more to do with their new music store which would cut out the record company middle man, and therefore reshape the industry, which was only weeks away from a full public launch.


Guess what... record companies don't want to be "cut out" of the picture, and they certainly don't want artists taking 90% of profits, or to be paid for free downloads, as would have happened under MegaUpload's plans. 


Wait... Maybe not...
"The real reason MegaUpload was taken down has more to do with a large, well-documented collection of staggeringly flagrant illegal actions, many of which took place long before MegaBox was ever announced.. Now, there there are plenty of completely legitimate bones to be picked with the way the takedown took place, but to sum it all up to “‘The man’ was afraid of MegaBox” is a gross oversimplification. Before we get into any of the greyer areas of intent, lets just take a look at some of the things in that 72 page indictment, shall we?

There sure is a lot on that indictment, and I recommend  – if you really, really care – that you give it a skim yourself, but here are some highlights. It’s worth mentioning that Ortmann and Van Der Kolk, mentioned below, were MegaUpload’s CTO and “Programmer-in-Chief,” respectively.

From the section relating to Count Two — Conspiracy to commit copyright infringement — and the subsection relating to “Overt Acts”:


On or about August 31, 2006, VAN DER KOLK sent an e-mail to an associate entitled “lol”. Attached to the message was a screenshot of a Megaupload.com filedownload page for the file “Alcohol 120 1.9.5 3105complete.rar” with a description of “Alcohol120, con crack!!!! By ChaOtiX!”. The copyrighted software “Alcohol 120” is a CD/DVD burning software program sold by www.alcohol-soft.com.

q.
On or about December 3, 2006, DOTCOM distributed a Megaupload.com link to a music file entitled “05-50_cent_feat._mobb_deep-nah-c4.mp3” to ORTMANN. A copy of this file was still present on servers controlled by the Mega Conspiracy as of December 20, 2011.
y.
On or about May 17, 2007, a representative from Google AdSense, an Internet advertising company, sent an e-mail to DOTCOM entitled “Google AdSense Account Status.” In the e-mail, the representative stated that “[d]uring our most recent review of your site[Megaupload.com,]” Google AdSense specialists found “numerous pages” with links to, among other things, “copyrighted content,” and therefore Google AdSense “will no longer be able to work with you.” The e-mail contains links to specific examples of offending content located on Megaupload.com. DOTCOM and his conspirators have continued to operate and financially profit from the Megaupload.com website after receiving this notice.

vv.

On or about November 23, 2008, DOTCOM received an e-mail from a Mega Site user entitled “video problems.” The e-mail described, “I’ve been trying to watch Dexter episodes, but… the sound doesn’t match up with the visual… I didn’t choose to use your site, you seem to dominate episodes 6 and 7 of Dexter on alluc[.org, a linking site].” DOTCOM forwarded the e-mail to ORTMANN and wrote, “… on many forums people complain that our video / sound are not in sync… We need to solve this asap!” “Dexter” is a copyrighted television series on the premium cable channel Showtime.".  .GeekOSystem.com


Dude... I'm confused. I'll get to the bottom of this... In the meantime...
I'm following the lead of the kind folks over at  Angry Chairs:


"Will this stop me from downloading? fuck no it wont. I now vow to never help this industry out again, Ill send my money straight to the artists no fuckin middle men and I hope you all do as well."


So... What do we do??

In the meantime...

NERDS.... Earn your keep and FIX THIS.