Ben U.

Ex-MetalSucks (co-founder/co-editor-in-chief). Band manager, dad, gardener, ball player.

[Ben U. @VinceNeilstein]

So long and thanks for all the fish.

[Ben U. @VinceNeilstein]

@SuspiriaPR The best regular old chocolate chip cookies!

[Ben U. @VinceNeilstein]

Welp, my DMs have been quite interesting this week, that's for sure!

[Ben U. @VinceNeilstein]

@Glasswhales @Erik_Quill ✂️🏃

[Ben U. @VinceNeilstein]

I NEED to find a way into one of the final Scissorfight shows in New Hampshire in September! Get at me if you can help!

[Ben U. @VinceNeilstein]

@theprp The highest quality site still doing it, IMO. Good work!

[Ben U. @VinceNeilstein]

@lisalovescheese Those are the BEST weekends!

[Ben U. @VinceNeilstein]

@JBeatty616 Tavastia, yes! That makes sense. Thanks for the explanation.

[Ben U. @VinceNeilstein]

The house lighting truss at the rock venue in Helsinki is a heartagram. Because of course it is.

[Ben U. @VinceNeilstein]

@RossBeagan So many riffs

[Ben U. @VinceNeilstein]

Children of Bodom are firmly in "classic metal" territory now. Very obvious "I'm old" take here, but... man, Hatebreeder is now 26 years old!! Fuck.

[Ben U. @VinceNeilstein]

@ScottRogowsky Rogo 👏👏👏

[Ben U. @VinceNeilstein]

@TheOneSoVile First time I heard them I thought “wow, they’re repackaging cave in’s and converge’s earliest records to teenagers who don’t know any better, that’s smart!”

[Ben U. @VinceNeilstein]

@lisalovescheese Wow, congrats Lisa!

[Ben U. @VinceNeilstein]

@gatcofficial No

[Ben U. @VinceNeilstein]

@lisalovescheese We did. Years ago. Then they un-did it.

[Ben U. @VinceNeilstein]

@lisalovescheese All timer record

[Ben U. @VinceNeilstein]

@MercyfulKate Which album was that? The obsidian conspiracy had Loomis on it. But yes, overall, the Loomis/Warrel vibe was magic. But bands have replaced iconic frontmen before and gone on to make great material. I’m open to the possibility.

[Ben U. @VinceNeilstein]

@MercyfulKate Like most “controversial” metal topics, I’m just glad I don’t have to form an opinion right away and write about it! lol. Put another way, I don’t know yet. It always was Loomis’s project above all, but it def is weird when a main figure is dead (see Pantera). So, I dunno.

[Ben U. @VinceNeilstein]

@DocCoyle It’s so bad now.

[Ben U. @VinceNeilstein]

Knowing when to end a creative pursuit that’s also a job that’s become unfun is difficult. Respect to anyone who gets that moment right (wish I’d done it way sooner) while also walking away with some money in the bank. 4/4

[Ben U. @VinceNeilstein]

Anyone who’s worked full time in music media knows well what Finn meant. When it’s a career you’re forced to cover artists you don’t care about instead of the ones you love, and regardless of who you’re covering, writing/talking about it becomes very tiresome and draining. 1/4

[Ben U. @VinceNeilstein]

Three years after signing the deal with Sony I’m STILL burnt out. Surely Finn doesn’t actually hate music… he’s just exhausted from talking into a camera every damn day for hours on end about it. 3/4