…three previous LPs already on the slab, the fourth IN DEFENCE LP – the follow-up to their 2011-released Profane Existence full-length, Party Lines And Politics – was recorded in recent weeks at Signaturetone Studios in Minneapolis, with Joel Grind from Toxic Holocaust handling mixing and producing duties. Additional details on the album, including its title, release date and label destination, will be announced in early 2015 amidst heavy bouts of…
…like a pile of influences slapped together. Vocally speaking, it’s almost completely in the clean spectrum (minus some well-placed growls during the appropriately titled “Doomscapes”). The vocals are the finest treat on the album, with a faint similarity to Tuomas Tuominen of Fall of the Leafe (especially on “Unseen Infinite”) and keeping a balance of softness and emotive power when needed. Outside of the notably heavier “Doomscapes,” there are s…
…eturn for a second go around with Citadel, mesmerizing again through one-of-a-kind music melding, dual clean/extreme vocal patterns, and violin use that is more in line with perennial rockers Kansas than folk bands. The band encompasses divergence, strength, ingenuity, and talent beyond borders. Hard to believe what album three will bring to the table. 4. Insomnium- Shadows of the Dying Sun (Century Media) Half way through the year, this was my nu…
…roes) Bands take note, this is how you open an album! A real up-tempo, sing-a-long friendly number that is sure to get you pumped for whatever is coming next, this is the kind of energy that should introduce an album. Being one of the few crowds that got to hear this one live this fall with Amon Amarth was just the icing on the cake. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C7NSUFDHFgg 6. Arch Enemy – “No More Regrets” (from War Eternal) War Eternal really…
…– “A New Dawn” (from Hymns for the Broken) Hymns for the Broken was a quasi-comeback for Evergrey, who at one time, were a serious Swedish metal threat circa 2003 and their Recreation Day album. “A New Dawn” is a song that most closely resembles that promising period, with a memorable keyboard pattern, and Tom Englund’s hulking, but no-less-tender vocals merging in perfect harmony. 9. Decapitated – “Nest” (from Blood Mantra) One of the better exam…
…support of their recently released, Aeon Unveils The Thrones Of Decay full-length. Vocalist Dominik Goncalves dos Reis comments: “We are pretty excited to return to the States and present our new record Aeon Unveils The Thrones Of Decay for the first time live on stage! Six months of silence has passed and finally we are ready to hit the road again! Can’t wait for this ride!” Tour dates: January 23 – Kung Fu Necktie – Philadelphia, PA 24 – Mojo 1…
…he top of the music scene in the country’s third-largest city, winning back-to-back-to-back titles at the Houston Press Music Awards as Houston’s “Best Metal Band.” VENOMOUS’ most recent album, Beg Upon The Light, hit with adamantine force, and has met to widespread celebration, being called “Lovecraftian” and a “masterpiece” by Metal Injection, “mayhem without mercy” by Decibel and “super-thick occult doom” by Rhapsody. Not only did “Beg Upon The…
…show the best part about being in a band — the friendship and energy that comes with playing in a tiny, sweaty-ass room with no stage. As we get older, many have come and gone, so this video is a snapshot of some of our friends new and old that are keeping shit wild and awesome in the Boston DIY scene in 2014.” Join in on the party and check out the new video streaming below. Directed by Mikael Lee Simpson and John Nunn for Mindless Films. In add…
…n. There are some upticks in speed, such as “Elder Things,” which are a welcome change from the mostly mid-tempo ranged cuts that tend to dominate the album. You can expect to hear some audio clips tossed in from time to time, such as on “Fear the Priest” and “Angel Blake” but it never gets too obnoxious (as these things have a tendency to become), and the lyrics are very vintage death metal, full of the usual clichés (blood, Satan, violence) but…
…shop and beauty salon for men in Warsaw. Dubbed Barberian Academy & Barber Shop, the business offers a variety of beauty care services, including haircuts, beardtrims, stylings and even manicures. Nergal told the Polish newspaper Metro that he decided to launch the barber shop at the suggestion of his business partner MaΕgorzatΔ MarczewskΔ because he was “in need of a new challenge” and inspiration. The musician added that had just returned from I…
…o tracks like “Dark Matter” and “Stolen Voices.” There are even some more progressive elements, like the sludgy yet melodic riffing of the title track. Clearly the album keeps you on your toes from start to finish, yet avoids sounding disjointed. Coffin Wisdom exceeds any one-note expectation that the visceral cover may provide. Don’t worry about spending time pigeonholing Generation of Vipers into a specific subgenre. Enjoy the multi-pronged appr…
…returned for a third time to The A.V. Club. With new Scumdog warriors Blóthar and Vulvatron by its side, GWAR takes on the Pet Shop Boys classic “West End Girls” in what is no doubt the most head scratching followed by headbanging cover yet! Kneel before your overlords and watch them go New Wave below. Then remember to vote early and often for GWAR because the Scumdogs command you to do so! A.V. Club VP/Editor in Chief Josh Modell had the followi…
…a blast, such a success, and everybody had such a great time. Nobody worked as hard as Corey. He believed in it so fucking much. He fought for it every inch of the way. It’s like lightning striking, man; you just never know.” At the time of his death, Mitchell — an accomplished writer who penned several best-selling books, including “Murdered Innocents”, about the Austin Yogurt Shop killings — was working on Anselmo’s autobiography “Mouth For War:…
…lay. Their sounds, tones and temperaments may come off as excessively consistent but they pass and will very likely exceed for executing such terrifically terrorizing, primal, old-school Scandinavian-style death metal. There’s nothing to complain about but plenty to admire. Whore of Bethlehem official website…
…due to a family emergency, Pete Webber will sit out select dates on this upcoming tour, with Wretched’s Marshall Wieczorek filling in temporarily. Pete comments: “As some of you may have heard, my mother was in a tragic accident and is in very serious condition in the ICU in Boston. This unfortunately means I will have to miss out on at least a portion of our future shows. I must be by mom and family’s side during these difficult times…Our pal Mar…
…touring in support of their mammoth Constricting Rage Of The Merciless full-length unleashed to the masses in July via Metal Blade Records. Crowned “the new high water mark of the group’s work thus far,” by Metal Injection, Constricting Rage Of The Merciless debuted at #81 on Billboard’s Top 200 chart, toppling their last entry position of #171 with Blood For The Master. The infernal masterwork also ranked in at #21 on Billboard’s Rock chart, #7 o…
Heavy metal up-and-comers EXMORTUS decided to warm up for their current North American tour supporting Arsis and Allegaeon by stopping by a home game of the Class A minor league baseball team Bakersfield Blaze to deliver a rousing, metallic rendition of the National Anthem! You can watch guitarists’ Conan and David shred-worthy performance below! EXMORTUS acclaimed Prosthetic debut Slave to the Sword proved that the SoCal based quartet are a forc…
…fans south of the border this October. Mexico, prepare for attack…” See below for all upcoming dates. “Symmetry in Black” tour dates feat. HAVOK w/ CROWBAR, REVOCATION, FIT FOR AN AUTOPSY, ARMED FOR APOCALYPSE Sept. 11 – Birmingham, AL – Zydeco Sept. 12 – Atlanta, GA – Masquerade Sept. 13 – Charlotte, NC – Chop Shop Sept. 14 – New York, NY – Gramercy Theater Sept. 15 – Baltimore, MD – Ottobar Sept. 16 – Worcester, MA – Palladium Sept. 17 – Montre…
…onstant from the quartet’s early days. Moving forward to their seventh full-length Devil Seed it’s obvious they are comfortable in their own musical skin, and one wonders if they can continue to produce high quality ripping riffs and chilling melodies that scream for the Iron Maiden meets Mercyful Fate heights a la the 1980’s. The “Overture in C Shark” instrumental that opens the record is a decent surprise, a swirling affair that chugs along at a…
…s Montreal, QC 8/16/2014 Mod Club – Toronto, ON 8/17/2014 Salle Nikitoutagan – Jonquiere, QC 8/18/2014 Rock Café – Trois-Rivieres, QC 8/19/2014 Le Magog – Sherbrooke, QC 8/20/2014 Babylon Nightclub – Ottawa, ON 8/23/2014 Pawn Shop – Edmonton, AB 8/24/2014 Sapphire Nightclub – Kelowna, BC 8/25/2014 Rickshaw Theater – Vancouver, BC 8/26/2014 Studio Seven – Seattle, WA 8/27/2014 Hawthorne Theater – Portland, OR 8/28/2014 The Catalyst – Santa Cruz, CA…
…und and no one was saying a word, they were all looking at more screens on tablets, laptops and mobile phones, there’s no escaping it, it’s complete information overload!” Maximum Overload features a couple of surprises, notably a guest appearance on some of the songs from Trivium’s Matt Heafy. “We’ve always gotten on really well with the Trivium guys and it was great when Matt had a couple of days to spare and agreed to weigh in on some of the so…
…er. Because we had all had a couple beers, every bandmember wrote down three songs each and we compared them all, just for a laugh. I wrote down ‘Ring Of Fire’ by Johnny Cash, an idea which the rest of the band loved, so we’ve DRAGONFORCE-ized it.” Maximum Overload is the follow-up to 2012’s The Power Within, which was the band’s first with vocalist Marc Hudson. Since his live debut with the group in July 2011, Marc has gone on to front over 100 s…
…hat you hear is what you get on a live show. If people love guitar and bass-driven heavy metal from the ’70s and mix it with blues and thrash, they are going to love what we do. Be prepared for heavy metal, blues rock and many great guitar riffs along with unique vocals!” From the fiery clatter of opener “So, You Have Chosen Death”, through to astral mystery tour of the closing “Moonstone”, Ascending is an album that oozes a sense of timeless wond…
…heir previous efforts with all of their bite. Don’t expect anything watered-down here. It’s easy to claim The Killing Gods as the most complete and thoroughly enjoyable outing from Misery Index to date. While the initial melodic tendencies may throw some old timers for a loop at first, they make it pretty easy to come around to their point of view when the sheer heaviness factor tosses itself in at full force (e.g. “The Calling”). This is one case…
…don bandmate in some parallel reality. Sanders relies largely on the pseudo-psychedelic vocal delivery he’s mastered in more recent Mastodon records, but a few snap-jabs in “I.E.D.” hint that the rage of Remission still lurks. Lastly, Cavalera is always nearby when the listener needs that injection of brutality, although he shows off a more melodic, hard rock style than usual in tracks like “Save the Robots.” While the occasional stylistic transit…
…the band loved, so we’ve DRAGONFORCE-ized it.” Maximum Overload is the follow-up to 2012’s The Power Within, which was the band’s first with vocalist Marc Hudson. Since his live debut with the group in July 2011, Marc has gone on to front over 100 shows with DRAGONFORCE in 32 countries across the globe, including arenas with IRON MAIDEN as well as a mammoth headlining world tour to support the CD. A demo version of a new DRAGONFORCE song called “…
…om the swooning “Fading Earth,” pouty title track, as well as the orchestra-with-Liv “Saint Cecelia.” But then you have the thrashed-up (?!?) “Hymn to the Land Sands” where Kristine hits a new register (and Krull comes in for some barks), and the bruising/tender see-saw of “Ophelia,” and it’s easy to identify with where Leaves’ Eyes is going. Big-time stuff Symphonies of the Night is, specifically if drama-filled metal is your game, and the sensuo…
…forward with relentless tenacity, transporting the listener to the leather-clad years of yore. The title track follows and somehow picks up the frantic pace even more, and a gang-vocal chorus energizes the song without coming across as cheesy—a task that’s not as easy as it sounds. The group is not afraid to explore its melodic side either. The chorus of “Fallen” invokes mid-career Megadeth with the intriguing way its guitar and vocal lines play…
…can’t beat passion as that’s what’s driven SKINDRED from day one and this combo of Napalm Records and SKINDRED is a lethal injection, People get ready it’s time to spread the Dred!” SKINDRED’s manager Seven Webster at 7pm Management states: “It was always our intention to work with Thomas Caser and Napalm Records as he and the label have always shown a huge passion for the act so both myself and the band are really pleased that Cooking Vinyl Reco…
