This entire week, I’ve been seeing various blurbs popping up online about a “sex video” starring the one and only Gene Simmons getting down and dirty with a woman with what has now been revealed to be “questionable” history. This very day capped off with said realizations, as well as cease-and-desist letters being dropped off at various other blogs.

I’ve thought nothing much of it, with the week’s other celeb nudity stories (Lindsay – yeah, does anyone else find our young drug-addled starlet posing as Marilyn’s last shoot somewhat foreboding?), letting it simply pass by. Admittedly, for a man who claims such prowess in bed, I certainly found his claims of “garbage” (see: Gene’s personal site) a little odd – wouldn’t he be proud? (more…)

Working here at The Syndicate definitely has its advantages - hearing new music first, free CDs, tickets…you rarely hear complaints about these perks.

The other day, our management department played three new tracks from THURSDAY to the office. Score! As a Jersey kid who’s resided in New Brunswick for the last 10+ years, I’m always down to hear me some Thursday songs. Management had just picked up new tracks that the guys are currently prepping for their new DVD/CD release due out at the end of October on Victory records.

I asked if it was okay to do small write-ups of the three songs I heard. Given a few stipulations - like I can’t name who the special guest is on one of the tracks - but trust me, it’s a good one! You will have to wait for that. (more…)

All this Gwar/Lordi/Sounds of the Underground hullabaloo put us into a generous spirit. We put together one monster-sized (ha ha) prize pack from both bands for you! As Gwar’s Dave Brockie (aka Oderus Urungus) pointed out in a recent interview, both these bands ultimately take inspiration from KISS and Alice Cooper, but a little friendly rivalry never hurt anyone, right? Well, they are murderous monsters… So who would win in the ultimate rock monster fight, Oderus or Mr. Lordi?

Let us know what you think in the comments section and you could win one Sounds of the Underground 2-CD/DVD pack, one autographed Lordi poster, one copy of Lordi’s The Arockalypse: Special Edition, one copy of Gwar’s Beyond Hell imited edition, one copy of Gwar’s Blood Bath and Beyond DVD and a whole buncha stickers and stuff. We’ll randomly pick one lucky commenter at 5 PM EST on Monday, July 23. Good luck! Sorry international folks, this contest is open to US residents only.

We were at SOUNDS OF THE UNDERGROUND in Sayreville, NJ yesterday, the largest show of the 2007 metal and hardcore tour. EVERY TIME I DIE was one of the premier acts, and they delivered despite singer Keith Buckley being a bit under the weather. We got close enough to catch this sweet video of them performing a new song for you. “No Son of Mine” is the first track from their upcoming fourth full-length, The Big Dirty. It’s one of two new songs they are performing at SOTU, the other being “Imitation is the Sincerest Form of Battery”, which was posted recently on their MySpace Page. The Big Dirty hits shelves September 4 via Ferret Music.

GWAR has been using their live show to take a shot at LORDI, the other monster rockers on the other summer metal festival. Since rising from obscurity after winning the 2006 Eurovision contest, Lordi has been berated with accusations of shtick-stealing.

Frontman Mr. Lordi has denied even knowing of Gwar until recently, claiming that Gwar is little-known in his native Finland and that the claims didn’t start until Lordi was discovered in America. It seems Gwar’s Oderus Urungus doesn’t care one way or another, as the band has been including Mr. Lordi in their massacres on SOUNDS OF THE UNDERGROUND this summer. After their opening song, Oderus asks the crowd “Oh, were you expecting Lordi?” and proceeds to take a replica of Mr. Lordi’s head out on a stick. Obviously, the crowd gets covered in blood. We caught footage of it last night during their SOTU set at the Starland Ballroom in Sayreville, NJ.

In true Homer Simpson fashion, the limited edition packaging for The Simpsons: The Movie soundtrack will feature some super cool limited edition packaging for the album art.

The artwork features donut packaging. Open it up and you will see one of Homer’s favorite confections inside housing quite nicely, the soundtrack to the movie.

The full layout of the packaging and tracklisting can be seen after the jump. (more…)

We’ve been singing the praises of ECHOBOY for a while now so you could only imagine our joy when we discovered the new video for the song “Lovesick Antelopes” in our inbox. The first thing we thought was that we just had to share with you all. So without further adieu we give you “Lovesick Antelopes”, from the most recent Echoboy album, Eletrik Soul Psymphonie.

The folks at Pirate! seem to think their summer event is cooler than our summer event. So much so, yesterday they published the Top 12 Reasons Why Flag Day Is Better Than Hoodstock (note: They were only able to come up with 6 reasons).

Anyway, here at The Syndicate we feel it’s about time for you to hear the truth, so without further ado:

The Top 12 Reasons That Hoodstock Is Better Than Flag Day

1. “Hoodstock” is a delightful play on words, while the name Flag Day is simply plagiarized from a 5th rate holiday. Flag Day isn’t even a federal holiday. Amateurs.

2. Woodrow Wilson was the President who founded Flag Day. Nobody cares about Woodrow Wilson.

3. Hoodstock has been historically held on July 24th. The same day that:

- Amelia Earhart and Jennifer Lopez were born!
- British lecturer Gerald Brooke was returned to London after four years in a Soviet jail!
- Lance Armstrong won his seventh consecutive Tour De France!

4. One morning Don Larsen heard about Hoodstock. He then went on to pitch a perfect game in game five of the 1956 World Series

5. Number of cars lifted by forklifts during Flag Day: 0 
    Number of cars lifted by forklifts during Hoodstock: 1

6. Bruce Springsteen lives in New Jersey. Tourists and rats live in New York.

7. July 2002: The Syndicate decides to throw a pirate themed installment of Hoodstock. Petey the Pirate attends, hilarity ensues.

  Winter 2004: Doug and Steve decide to start a company called Pirate…Coincidence?

8. Outside of the States, in places like India, China and the UK, “flag day” refers to when a charity raises funds by collecting in the street and door-to-door. We think charity is cool and whatever, but come on - that is sooo annoying.

9. According to a recent Associated Press article titled, “Teen talk: Can You Hang With The Slang?” - Young hip trendsetters in various US metro areas have been observed using the word “hoodstock” in text messages to mean, ‘a role model or individual who has courage and integrity. Ex: “u want 2 com oVr N watch Senator Barack Obama’s speech on Net Neutrality 2nite? Dat dood iz hoodstock.”

10. Dead bodies found in lot where Flag Day takes place: 0
      Dead bodies found in lot where Hoodstock takes place: 1  (proof)

11. In addition to Flag Day, other notable events which occurred on June 14th:

- Anna Slesers becomes the first victim of Albert DeSalvo, better known as the Boston Strangler. (1962)
- Paris falls under German occupation. (1940)
- A weeklong product tampering scare occurs as customers throughout the USA discover syringes in unopened cans of Diet Pepsi. (1993)

Boy…Really makes you want to have a party, doesn’t it?

12. Doug Blake has nothing to do with Hoodstock.

Flag Day: 2
Hoodstock: 12

SIX.BY SEVEN have recently put out a new studio album entitled 04 via The First Time records. The album is a mixture in a sea of sonic shoegazer reverb awash in feedback, and chock full of rock hooks.

We have the exclusive video for the first single “Ready 4 U”. You can only watch it here.

Want to hear another track from 04? Well you are in luck for we have the track “Sometimes I Feel Like…” exclusively for you.

MP3: “Sometimes I Feel Like”

Related Posts:
EXCLUSIVE: Six.by Seven - “Sometimes I Feel Like…”

Our good friends at Ferret Music are helping us bring you a track from one of their newest signings, MAYLENE AND THE SONS OF DISASTER. The band, fronted by former UNDEROATH vocalist Dallas Taylor, features a fresh new flavor of southern-fried hardcore. The band’s songs tells tales loosely based on infamous 1930s mob boss Ma Barker and her sons in the Barker-Karpis gang. We think this band is going to dominate in 2007 after their new album, II, hits stores next Tuesday. After you’ve had your fill of “Dry the River”, you can check out two more songs in their new E-Card. You can catch them on tour this spring with FROM AUTUMN TO ASHES and HASTE THE DAY, check those dates after the jump.

[Download "Dry the River" Here]

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