Louder Than Life Festival Spotlight: GRAVEYARD [Videos]

 

Welcome back to our ongoing series of LOUDER THAN LIFE 2019 artist profiles, our weekly guide through the lineup of acts who’ll take the stage at Louisville, Kentucky’s Highland Festival Grounds at Kentucky Expo Center September 27-29 in what’s sure to be one of the biggest concert events of the year. This week, we’re taking a closer look at Swedish neo-psych blues chooglers GRAVEYARD.

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State Of The Art: Delaware’s TO THE DEATH [Song Streams]

 

Formed in June of 2016 in Delaware City, Delaware To The Death brings us some of the finest metalcore to birthed in the New England states. The current lineup includes Josh Tucker on vocals, Tyler Sargent and Chris Bullen providing the riffs on guitar and current drummer Tyler Foraker. The band is currently looking for a new drummer  as the current percussionist Tyler Foraker is moving to Florida.  The band has yet to release a full length or EP but they have dropped tracks over their 3 year career that have instantly made us fans. The bands recent member changes have cause the band to delay work on their upcoming EP, but they are in hopes to get the ball rolling again this winter. In addition to providing guitar work for the band Chris Bullen also produces the bands work and does a tremendous job as we can see in previously released singles. “Bred For War” was the first single To The Death released in 2016 not long after their formation. They followed that up with the release of “Beyond Repair” in 2017, and most recently the band dropped the single “Triumph” in May of this year. Continue reading

Bourbon & Beyond Festival Spotlight: +LIVE+ [Official Videos]

Photo: Janson Bulpin

+LIVE+ will be one of the upcoming acts at this year’s Bourbon and Beyond. The festival now has a new home. It is still in Louisville, Kentucky of course, but will call a new festival grounds home. This year, Bourbon and Beyond will take place at the Highland Festival Grounds at the Kentucky Expo on September 20th, 21st, and 22nd. The previous location, Champions Park, had a terrible flood last year and day 2 of Bourbon and Beyond as well as Louder Than Life the following weekend was cancelled. However, to make up for that, Bourbon and Beyond is now a 3-day festival. This means an additional day of bands, bourbon and best friends! How awesome is that? This will be +LIVE+’s debut at the Bourbon and Beyond Festival. If you have never had the opportunity to check this band out, prepare yourself to be amazed! With that said, let’s discuss +LIVE+. Continue reading

Aftershock 2019 Spotlight: THE HU [Video Stream]

*This is part of our “Aftershock Festival 2019 Spotlight” where we branch out and focus on some of the up-and-coming bands that fans can see at this year’s Aftershock Festival on October 11th – 13th.  This week, we’re checking out THE HU*

Mongolian phenomenon, The HU (derived from the Mongolian root word “hu” for human beings) will be bringing their one-of-a-kind brand of “hunnu rock” to Sacramento this October. Infusing elements of Western rock and metal music along with traditional Mongolian instruments (like a horsehead fiddle and Jaw harp) and guttural throat singing, The HU have become online, viral sensations, having already racked up over 22 million views of their two YouTube videos, “Yuve Yuve Yu” and “Wolf Totem” this year. In addition to their rapid rise to Internet fame, The HU – who originally formed in November of 2018 – have been mesmerizing audiences worldwide with their hypnotic beats and powerful stage shows. Just recently, Metal Nexus caught up with The HU at UK’s SWX Bristol. Check out the full show review and photo gallery here. Continue reading

Aftershock 2019 Spotlight: SPIRIT ADRIFT [Video Stream]

*This is part of our “Aftershock Festival 2019 Spotlight” where we branch out and focus on some of the up-and-coming bands that fans can see at this year’s Aftershock Festival on October 11th – 13th.  This week, we’re checking out SPIRIT ADRIFT*

Phoenix, Arizona’s Spirit Adrift will be offering a taste of darkness and doom under the hot Northern California sun this October. Originally formed in 2016, the quartet consists of Nate Garrett (vocals/guitar), Marcus Bryant (drums), Chase Morgan (bass), and Eric Wagner (guitar). Spirit Adrift’s late 70s/early 80s, retro metal vibe is a sharp contrast to the more extreme death metal project, Gatecreeper, of which Garrett, Mason, and Wagner are also members. Impressively, both bands are devastating in their own right; but where Gatecreeper takes its influences more in the form of bands like Entombed and Bolt Thrower, Spirit Adrift’s inspiration seems to lie somewhere within the stoney realms of Black Sabbath and Candlemass. Continue reading

Bourbon & Beyond Festival Spotlight: THE RECORD COMPANY

The Record Company will be one of the upcoming acts at this year’s Bourbon and Beyond. The festival now has a new home. It is still in Louisville, Kentucky of course, but will call a new festival grounds home. This year, Bourbon and Beyond will take place at the Highland Festival Grounds at the Kentucky Expo. The previous location, Champions Park, had a terrible flood last year and day 2 of Bourbon and Beyond was cancelled. However, to make up for that, Bourbon and Beyond is now a 3-day festival. This means an additional day of bands, bourbon and best friends! How awesome is that? This will be The Record Company’s debut at the Bourbon and Beyond Festival. If you have never had the opportunity to check this band out, prepare yourself to be amazed! With that said, let’s discuss The Record Company. Continue reading

State Of The Art: Delaware’s BASTION’S WAKE [Album Stream]

*This is part of our State Of The Art series, showcasing bands every Monday from the featured state. This month’s state is Delaware.*

This is a change of pace from my usual metal fare, but Delaware’s Bastion’s Wake are an enigmatic power/symphonic band that piqued my interest with the fantasy artwork of their first album, ‘Sea Creatures and Sky Pirates’. Continue reading

Louder Than Life Festival Spotlight: THE PINK SLIPS [Official Videos]

Welcome back to our ongoing series of LOUDER THAN LIFE 2019 artist profiles, our weekly guide through the lineup of acts who’ll take the stage at Louisville, Kentucky’s Highland Festival Grounds at Kentucky Expo Center September 27-29 in what’s sure to be one of the biggest concert events of the year. This week, we’re taking a closer look at the Los Angeles based synth-punk band The Pink Slips.

 

Louder Than Life is bringing a wide variety of musical genres to Louisville, Kentucky this year. From Celtic punk rock and hair metal to southern sludge and the synth-punk rockers The Pink Slips. Formed in 2013 in the City Of Angels aka Los Angeles The Pink Slips have been building their sound and their fan base along the way. The band cut their teeth in legendary Hollywood venues like The Troubadour and the Viper Room, well before the band’s members could legally drink at the bar. The Pink slips is led by vocalist Grave aka Grace McKagan the daughter of Guns N Roses bassist Duff McKagan. Duff has also showcased his vocal talents on his side project Loaded, and he is also a member of several other talents bands like Velvet Revolver, Hollywood Vampires and various others. So it’s easy to that musical talent courses through her veins. The remainder of the band is filled out with Trent Peltz on keyboard and backing vocals, Keenan Bevans behind the drum kit and Desi Scaglione  on guitar. Continue reading

Bourbon & Beyond Festival Spotlight: THE WHITE BUFFALO [Official Videos]

The White Buffalo will be one of the upcoming acts at this year’s Bourbon and Beyond. The festival now has a new home. It is still in Louisville, Kentucky of course, but will call a new festival grounds home. This year, Bourbon and Beyond will take place at the Highland Festival Grounds at the Kentucky Expo. The previous location, Champions Park, had a terrible flood last year and day 2 of Bourbon and Beyond was cancelled. However, to make up for that, Bourbon and Beyond is now a 3-day festival. This means an additional day of bands, bourbon and best friends! How awesome is that? This will be The White Buffalo’s debut at the Bourbon and Beyond Festival. If you have never heard The White Buffalo before, prepare yourself to be astonished! With that said, let’s discuss The White Buffalo. Continue reading

State Of The Art: Delaware’s CANCER PRIEST [Track Stream]

*This is part of our State Of The Art series, showcasing bands every Monday from the featured state. This month’s state is Delaware.*

Known for being the first state in the union, Delaware is also home to a brutal band of maniacs called Cancer Priest. Since discovering the death metal/hardcore quintet consisting of Dennis McGonigal (vocals), Rich Strohm (guitar), Brent Lafferty (guitar), Adam Siatkowski (bass), and Evan Williams (drums), their music has been ripping up my headphones ever since. ‘Worldwide Cemetery,’ the band’s 2018 EP, is angry, violent, and chaotic to say the least. With just a five-song track list, whose total runtime is under 10 minutes, Cancer Priest delivers enough explosive riffage and verbal hatred to decimate a small city. Continue reading