EXMORTUS Unveil North American Dates For ‘The Summer Of Steel Tour’!

With the new album release date just around corner and inching closer as days roll by, EXMORTUS have come up with yet another killer announcement. The neo-classical thrash metal outfit will celebrate the release of their upcoming record, ‘The Sound Of Steel‘ by following it up with a massive headlining tour of North America. This would also be the group’s maiden voyage as headliners, after having released three albums already in their short but illustrative career. So, EXMORTUS will hit the road this summer headlining ‘The Summer of Steel Tour!’ Featuring support from THE ABSENCE and HATCHET alongside IMMORTAL GUARDIAN, BLACK FAST and label mates MICAWBER on select shows; EXMORTUS will embark on tour dates beginning June 28th in San Diego. Take a look at the dates below and see if you’re in the lucky draw.

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An Interview With DIAMOND HEAD’S Brian Tatler

 

Formed in 1976 Diamond Head have been one of the most iconic yet underrated New Wave Of British Heavy Metal bands in the history of music. The band has influenced a long list of musicians and bands around the world but some of those topping the list would be Metallica, and Megadeth’s Dave Mustaine. You may have heard Metallica’s cover of “Am I Evil”, which they have also performed with the Big 4 during their tour. The song was originally written and recorded by Diamond Head in 1980 on the bands album ‘Lightning to the Nations’. The band has released 7 studio albums, 5 live albums, and several EPs, singles and splits. The bands most recent album released in 2016 and is self titled. The album was the debut of the bands new vocalist Rasmus “Ras” Bom Andersen. Ras is the third vocalist the band has had since their formation over 40 years ago. The bands original vocalist was Sean Harris who last left the band in 2004 and from then until 2014 the bands vocalist was Nick Tart. Though both the former singers released great material with the band I do feel that the vocal style Ras delivers in the bands new album is exactly what the band needed, and I believe it’s some of the best material the band has released to date. Diamond Head has been working on a follow up to the self titled album with plans to have it released during the winter of this year.

 

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THE VINTAGE CARAVAN Announce 2018 ‘Gateways’ European Tour

Icelandic classic rock trio THE VINTAGE CARAVAN recently announced the release of their upcoming 4th studio album Gateways (August 31st, 2018 through Nuclear Blast). The included tracks need to be presented live on the world’s stages, of course. That’s why the band is pleased to announce their supporting ‘2018 Gateways Tour’ today. Leading THE VINTAGE CARAVAN through 25 cities in 10 European countries, the run stretches from mid October to early December. Get ready to go full retro with the new tunes on the upcoming tour. The full itinerary can be found below.

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SuckerPunch Set to Release “Underground Anthem” on June 1st!!!


After taking some time off to secure a new position after being laid off, I hope to return to Metal Nexus and share my continued love of music with you guys with some regularity. I have sincerely missed writing and supporting bands locally and all over the world. I would like to thank our editor, Fist, for his unfaltering support and patience during my hiatus. It has meant a lot and given me something to look forward to once the dust settled. For those looking for meaningful employment, I pray that everything works out well for you. Definitely a trying time and a soul-crusher. Horns up to all of you!

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HELMET & PRONG Enchant Hometown Fans In New York City [Review & Photo Gallery]

 

There is nothing better than watching the two iconic bands Helmet and Prong play to their hometown fans in New York City. I was fortunate enough to be in The Big Apple when these two powerhouse bands were playing at the Highline Ballroom. I arrived early, as I always do, and managed to catch Prong during sound check playing “Beg to Differ” which was just a tease for what they had in store for the rest of the night. There were only a few people queuing outside so I thought it was going to be a pretty quiet night, I was completely wrong! When the doors opened people started arriving so I got straight up the front to guarantee a spot to capture photos of the band and within 15 minutes the venue filled up. Continue reading

An Interview With Senior Vice President of Festival Talent At Danny Wimmer Presents, Gary Spivack!

 

Gary Spivack has one of the toughest jobs in American when it comes to the music industry. He is the Senior Vice President of Festival Talent At Danny Wimmer Presents. He is responsible for finding and booking all of the bands that play the DWP Festivals all across the country that we so passionately look forward to year after year. Those festivals include: Fort Rock, Welcome To Rockville, Carolina Rebellion, Rock On The Range, Northern Invasion, Chicago Open Air, Aftershock, Louder Than LifeBourbon & Beyond and Rock Allegiance. It is nearly impossible to please every fan that attends these festivals. There are always going to be bands there that they don’t like, or possibly even hate, and in return there are also going to be bands there that they absolutely love. Regardless how amazing the lineup is there will always be complaints along with the praise. However, year after year Gary Spivack is able to book not only some of the most iconic or nostalgic acts in the country but also book those up and coming bands that we instantly become new fans of. New bands are given the opportunity of a lifetime when they get booked on these festivals. They take the stage and have the chance to instantly gain thousands of new fans if their performance impresses the crowd. Gary is not only the person in charge of festival talent he is also a fan, and immensely passionate about music. Gary Spivack and the entire Danny Wimmer Presents team continue to impress us year after year with the wide variety of acts they bring to the stage to entertain us.

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THE REALITY OF YOURSELF Releases ”Wicked World” And It Is Truly Wicked!

The Reality Of Yourself is one of those bands you randomly find but instantly fall in love with. But what else can you expect from an act that has played with Korn, Skillet, Papa Roach, 12 Stones and Breaking Benjamin? They have been around since 2004 in the small town of Pleasent Hope MO and have released 3 albums so far. So with that in mind let’s move to the official music video of ”Wicked World”!

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The Bucketlist With Winston McCall of PARKWAY DRIVE! [Video]

Parkway Drive

*In this series we pose the age old questions to a wide array of music lovers. As fans of music most of us keep a mental list of active bands we want to see live that we haven’t yet seen. The Bucketlist brings to you those lists of your favorite artists and why those bands mean so much to them*

 

Parkway Drive have truly been one of the leaders within the metalcore genre and probably one of the most popular and brutal bands to come out of Australia. Winston McCall leads the charge with his brutal yet catchy and poignant vocals; he is supported by the insane riff creator Jeff Ling, rythm master Luke Kilpatrick and bassist Jia O’Conner and the earth crushing drums of Ben Gordon. The Australians formed in 2003 and have released 6 studio albums and one EP. Their 2015 release ‘Ire’ propelled the band even further into metalcore glory and it’s only the beginning of things to come. The band on May 4th released what I believe is their best work yet in ‘Reverence’ via Epitaph Records (see our review here). They have been a must see band for fans all over the globe and Parkway Drive has been feeding the addiction those fans have of seeing the band perform live. The band just wrapped up a set of U.S. tour dates along with festival appearances at Welcome To Rockville, Carolina Rebellion,  and Northern Invasion and they are about to come upon U.S. shores once again in August and September then back to Australia during the month of October to tour with Killswitch Engage and Sydney, Australia’s Thy Art Is Murder. They are by no means slowing down and there are tons of opportunities to see the band live, don’t miss yours. Continue reading

Carolina Rebellion 2018: Friday [Review & Photo Gallery]

 

Underoath

 

After a whole year of waiting Carolina Rebellion 2018 has finally arrived. As the gates opened fans sprinted to stages all across the festival grounds in hopes to hang on to the rail at the stage their favorite band would be performing on. As we eagerly awaited tickets to go on sale, then for the lineup, and finally for the set times and keeping our fingers crossed our favorites bands don’t play at the same time. Another big thing most of us wait for is our first carton of Island Noodles of the festival season. We certainly wish we could cover every band that played this year but it just isn’t logistically possible with interviews, and other media related happenings. Friday was a day filled with great bands and if you wasn’t there you certainly missed an epic Carolina Rebellion. The day 1 lineup was pretty stacked with up and comers like Counterfeit and Dubé, then also those veteran acts like Sevendust and Stone Temple Pilots. Then you had some acts that are amazing we aren’t use to seeing in the festival circuit like Andrew W.K., and Power Trip. Then closing out the night you have Shinedown followed by the legends Alice In Chains. Friday wasn’t my favorite lineup of the festival but it certainly had a lot of talent hit the stages and some very impressive performances. Continue reading

Review: WITCH MOUNTAIN – ‘S/T’ [Track Stream]

 

Releasing albums since 2001, but not gaining it’s steam until nearly ten years later, Portland, Oregon’s first doom metal band Witch Mountain have been a force to be reckoned with. After the departure of vocalist Uta Plotkin who did three incredible albums ‘South of Salem’, ‘Cauldron of the Wild’, and the masterpiece ‘Mobile of Angels’ with the band, many people were skeptical that the bands could continue. Like troopers though, Witch Mountain could not be kept down and were officially back in action after a hiatus that was only a few moths long. In this line up we have drummer/ band leader Nathan Carson, guitarist Rob Wrong (also a member of doom outfit ‘The Skull’), Justin Brown on bass, and the incredible Kayla Dixon on vocals who had previously been known for her work in the heavy metal band Demons Within. Dixon may have seemed like an odd choice at first, but it was quickly apparent that she had a range that not only matched her predecessors, she also has a voice that is leagues above a majority of modern music’s so called “best vocalists.” Now in 2018, after nearly three years of touring with bands such as Enslaved and Saint VitusWitch Mountain are set to release their fifth album which is self titled on May, 25 via Svart. Continue reading