At just over five and a half minutes long, the gorgeously-packaged Menace of the Universe 5” from Providence, Rhode Island, bash and thrashers Megasus is over almost before it starts. Where their 2009 20 Buck Spin self-titled full-length offered a few minutes here and there of respite, on such a small vinyl, there’s barely time for the songs themselves, let alone a breather, so you’re in, you’re out, all of a sudden you have a black eye, and that’s it. Time is not wasted, either theoretically or practically, as Megasus up the intensity on both of the included tracks, “Menace of the Universe” and the b-side “Damned Hammer,” enough so that I wondered in my first time hearing it if I wasn’t listening at the wrong speed. I wasn’t. Megasus bring out the thrash and let it run roughshod all over Menace of the Universe.

The two songs, released via Brutal Panda Records, run 2:48 and 2:46, respectively. “Menace of the Universe” is a quick kick in the ass, guitarist Ryan Lesser’s tone reminding of Entombed and drummer Brian Gibson hitting a bright, punkish snare to accent the riff. Jason Kendall’s vocals are far back and similarly effected here as they were on the self-titled, but he screams maniacally on the first track, and is no less appropriate in doing so than he is the subtle, sub-psychedelic melody he throws in later on before Lesser’s solo brings the song to a close. Bassist Paul Lyons has more of a role to play on “Damned Hammer,” which is slower (still not as slow as some of the Megasus material was) and offers more room for him to run counter to Lesser’s riffing. The Motörheaded aspect of “Menace of the Universe” is all but gone from “Damned Hammer,” and Megasus show more of their doom side in the shorter track, still managing to keep the immediacy of the a-side, just cutting the pace.

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We live in an age where beasts and wizards and magic and metal have all come together into one steaming chaosserole. In the last decade, acts like High on Fire and Mastodon made it big on tales of giants and wildebeests, and now we can see bands from throughout the world taking on and defeating such monsters. The Providence, Rhode Island four-piece, Megasus, on their self-titled debut, gather their brave kinsmen and ride into epic metal glory, with just a hint of tongue-in-cheek good times (okay, more than a hint). What’s most important, though, is they’re heavy.

Comprised of vocalist Jason Kendall, guitarist Ryan Lesser, drummer Brian Gibson and bassist Paul Lyons, Megasus has already seen international acclaim thanks to exposure via the Guitar Hero series of videogames. Since all four members of the band work at Harmonix, the company responsible for Guitar Hero and its sundry spinoffs, it’s no big surprise that Megasus would be included, but the response their songs — over 30,000 downloads and countless videos of people trying to keep up with them on YouTube — speaks for itself, as does the fact that after catching wind of the independently released vinyl version of Megasus, respected underground label 20 Buck Spin picked up the band for the CD release.

It’s good news for Megasus, who’ve found the virtual enthusiasm shown for the band translates to the real world as well (or as real as this world is, anyway) and who continue to spread the word of swords and sorcery across the barren metalscape. Kendall and Lesser recently checked in to inform on the band’s origins, processes and proclivities for the riff. Thanks to them for taking the time and to you for reading. Interview’s after the jump.

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It?s a new school form of the Heavy in which Megasus traffic. The Providence, RI, four-piece unit, making their debut on 20 Buck Spin with this self-titled effort — originally a digital release and independently pressed to 200 vinyls — riff with a post-High on Fire largess and crash and rumble with the grandiose 21st Century definition of doom. The traditional groove is all but completely absent, but the frantic, chaotic, seemingly unhinged headbang-worthy fury that has come to typify the genre in this decade is present and then some.

Without getting into a debate over whether something must necessarily be played slow to be doom (I?d say no and point to any number of faster songs in the Sabbath and Pentagram catalogs), it?s clear Megasus are drawing more on the modern than the classics for their influences. This doesn?t necessarily have to be a detriment, but it does make the album Megasus easier to pigeonhole, which works against it. And with songs like ?Swords,? ?Paladin vs. Berserker? and ?Iron Mountain,? they?re not exactly breaking new thematic ground.

However, they are falling right into line with this generation of metallers? re-embracing classic metal subject matter: wizardry, mythology, epics, etc. And let?s face it, if we didn?t think that stuff was cool at least on some level, we probably wouldn?t be here in the first place. But, like a lot of what Megasus are doing on this record, it?s been done before. Moments like ?Hexes/Szaadek,? which give Slayer a Lair of the Minotaur-style dirtying up before a tempo switch and some cymbal panning from drummer Brian Gibson, are more satisfying, particularly as regards the performance of vocalist Jason Kendall. The centerpiece track of the total seven, listening to it makes me want to say, ?Yes, do this.?

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