From the inbox:

ANDREW W.K., the king of party music, needed some sweet merch for the Warped Tour, so Aggronautix created a sweet ass Throbblehead for him. This figure ($19.95 SRP) captures Andrew raging on stage and is limited to 1000 numbered units, stands at 7 inches tall, and is made of super strong polyresin. Displayed in a windowed box, he’s accurately sculpted right down to the bloody face, arm tats, watch, and dirty whites. You can pick it up online here.

- This is the kind of product that was destined for a spot on my work desk…

Fearless Records’ melodic metalcore band THE WORLD ALIVE have busted out a new song titled “Epiphany” for their MySpace page. The tune is from their upcoming full-length Deceiver. The band released Empire, their debut EP in mid-2009.

Despite not uttering a single “KABLAMO!” (at least not in earshot of Pastepunk HQ) Deathwish dropped the hammer on three new titles yesterday, immediately making available and shipping anticipated titles from UNITED NATIONS, BITTER END, and END OF A YEAR. Concurrently, audio players are up for each release too. Of particular note is the jarring the new EP from UNITED NATIONS, the screamy hardcore band which features members of THURSDAY and CONVERGE, among others. Beautifully titled Nevermind The Bombings Here’s Your Six Figures, the cover art alone seems to be worth the price of admission. We’ll have coverage on all three releases in the coming weeks. Check out the Deathwish webstore for details on each release.

New Jersey punk rockers HOOVER FLAGS have teamed up with Bedside Manner to release their debut EP This Brain Won’t Die. The band features former members of FOLLY and THE BANNER, and plays speedy melodic punk rock with a bit of a hardcore edge. Four new songs can be streamed via Bandcamp, and the download includes three bonus tracks.

- Cool stuff, especially the last of the four new songs, “A Letter To Myself From My Future Self.”

From the inbox:

From South Bend, IN comes a band fervent in their ministry and unequivocal in their message.  THE BURIAL have been making a name for themselves in the midwest and beyond since 2005. After several DIY tours and a release on Sancrosanct Records, The Burial are poised for solid growth with their Strike First debut The Winepress. The Burial plays finely executed metal inspired by Becoming the Archetype, Black Dahlia Murder, and Living Sacrifice, and they’re not inhibited about the substance of their music. “There is a war for your mind and soul, whether you believe or not; an enemy who will stop at nothing to destroy you. At the heart of our music is the worship of a Holy God, and a call to aggressive spiritual warfare.”

The Winepress will be available on Strike First Records August 17th. New music is streaming on the band’s MySpace page.

- I’m assuming here that AFTER THE BURIAL is never going to headline a tour with THE BURIAL providing support, despite it making possibly making Abbott and Costello quite proud.

From the inbox:

ENEMY OF THE SUN, the German group from producer wizard and guitarist Waldemar Sorychta, has just released their second album entitled Caedium (Latin for a self-inflicted death). Sorychta, who was involved in some of the most memorable moments of bands like Moonspell, Lacuna Coil, and Sentenced, has taken a slight musical turn on Caedium (The End Records).

While the 2007 Enemy of the Sun debut Shadows was indefinable, Caedium is defined by its diversity. But like a big puzzle that fits perfectly together; all the way from the filthy rock’n'roll rhythms of “Paradigm” to “Castaways In The N.W.O.”‘s techno-metal, the heavy, attitude-driven pieces like “Another End Of The Rainbow” and “The Golden Horizon” to the glimpses of classical guitar virtuosity throughout the album.

And the supporting cast? The irresistible groove of Enemy Of The Sun comes from the wrists and fingertips of drummer Daniel Zeman, and bassist Alla Fedynitch, who already proved herself touring with PAIN. And, as if this wouldn’t be enough, the group is fronted by Jules Näveri from the Finnish band PROFANE OMEN, capable of delivering some of the most powerful and diverse vocals around.

- Several songs from the new release are up on the band’s MySpace page. BIG GROOOOOVES!

San Francisco’s wildly talented EARLY GRAVES have returned with Goner, their second full-length, and follow-up to the 2008 debut stunner We: The Guillotine. Like their first album, Goner is a tremendously fierce, burly offering. Compact in length (only 26 minutes long), but deep on throttling metal/hardcore powerviolence, the album hits with an instant kick to [...]

1. MADBALL have set their sights on releasing their new album this fall, either in September or October. For the first time, they will be recording with producer Eric Rutan, who is more known in the metal scene, after working with bands like MISERY INDEX, CANNIBAL CORPSE, and GOATWHORE. I expect it to sound massive. The record, titled Empire, will be their first for Good Fight Music, which was founded earlier this year by Carl Severson, formerly of Ferret Music.

2. I love when on the same day I get a press releases from a band named AND HELL FOLLOWED WITH, followed by AS HELL RETREATS, and then HELL WITHIN. I suddenly have the urge to listen to some THIS IS HELL…

3. Earlier this week, Fat Wreck announced a new NOFX compendium titled The Longest EP, which will feature 30 songs culled from the band’s various EPs, as well as some rarities and unreleased material. I’m hoping the next NOFX compendium release will simply be titled More Songs.

4. Australian metalcore kings PARKWAY DRIVE are streaming their new full-length Deep Blue on their MySpace page. I’ve admired the brawn of their past couple of releases, but this one is definitely the band’s most developed effort, and it just feels more evolved riff wise and concept wise. That said, to bolster their metal status, and to attract interest from driving commuters everywhere, they should really should have changed their name to PARKWAY DRIVE FROM HELLLLLLLLL!!

5. Not music related, but this xkcd comic is so, soooo backed.

6. Hypebot has a brief story about Google getting involved in the music download store arena, and maybe also music subscription streaming services. I’m wondering how successful this will be, unless it involves the acquisition of an already existing store/service. Can Google bring passion about music into this area? One of the reasons why I’m such an ardent eMusic supporter is because the people that run the site truly are music geeks. That have great editorial material, and the general online experience goes far beyond transaction generation and processing. When I use AmazonMP3, it’s because the music they are offering is downright cheap. The user experience is less interesting, and more results driven (and iTunes sort of falls in the middle of this). Hmm…