TRIVIUM & 68′ Display Flawless Performances In Lexington, KY [Review & Photo Gallery]

Trivium

In Early May I got to catch my very first Trivium Concert at Manchester Music Hall in Lexington KY. If you aren’t familiar with Manchester Music Hall, first let me say that its one of, if not the best small concert venues in Central, Kentucky. Prior to this concert, I did a little research on the band. I had heard of the band over the years and had checked out the radio-friendly cuts but I had never really dug into any of the album tracks. One thing I love about listening to tracks off a bands albums 24 hrs before going to see the band really makes me appreciate the hard work, blood sweat, and tears musicians put into making an album. Most bands track songs just for studio cuts while others track just how they would be on stage as if they were performing the songs live. Being a musician myself I can certainly say that in my many years of stage experience less means more. The more backing tracks and other electronic gear you bring to a live show other than whats necessary raises the chances for more shit to go wrong. Continue reading

Album Review: DEAD CROSS – Dead Cross (Ipecac Recordings)

Dead Cross are an American hardcore/progressive metal group, formed in Southern California. The band consists of guitarist Mike Crain (Retox), bassist Justin Pearson (the Locust, Head Wound City and Retox), drummer Dave Lombardo (Slayer and Fantômas) and vocalist Mike Patton (currently of Faith No More and Fantômas).  They released their debut album in August 2017 and then, seemingly out of nowhere, released released a further self-titled EP containing two new songs and two remixes from their previous album.

Their sound is sophistocated, yet brutal.  They are not what would be expected of a hardcore-based outfit and that is Mike Patton’s calling card.  While others dare not progress, Patton constantly wants to evolve and grow.  His voice is as varied on Dead Cross songs as any of his other projects, whether it be snarling, screaming or singing, it is still his very own.  The signature drumming of Lombardo also is very prominent and complements the ferocious guitar work of Crain and the understated bass of Pearson.

The E.P. is four songs of pure adrenaline, being pumped into the black heart of society.  There are two new songs, “Skin Of A Redneck” and “My Perfect Prisoner“.  Both of these are bangers, with a blunt trauma sound that stabs at you without mercy.  There is anger here, directed at the whole world.  It is like a two punch being delivered in the first moments of a boxing match.  The blood is still dripping from your face, whilst the champion is dropping you onto the canvas.

The second part of the E.P. is where the band get experimental.  They take two songs from their album and let the remixing re-imagine the sound.

Shillelagh – Panicker Remix” is an EDM hardcore fusion, with multiple keyboards, beeps and electronica.   It completely changes the tone from the original hardcore ripper that appeared on the debut.  It works superbly well, as it takes the cadaver and fills it with new sonics.  This is probably my favorite track on this E.P.

The final song is “Church of the Motherf*ckers – Planet B Remix” and this is a more restrained remix, but keeps the electronica elements to fill out the sound.  Patton explores every element of his voice on this, whilst Lombardo is strangely muted until the blast beat fills, augmented by drum machines.  A brave song, for sure.

The E.P. is a finely crafted exercise in keeping fans connected to the band whilst they start to tour.  It is a worthwhile addition to their catalogue and shows progression.

Album Review: CHURCH OF THE COSMIC SKULL – Science Fiction (Kozmik Artifactz)

 

Church of the Cosmic Skull

Science Fiction

Kozmik Artifactz/Septaphonic

 

The surest way to stand out in a bleak and dour world? Be a beacon of light. With their matching white outfits, recurring rainbow motifs, and a fully-formed and realized rock band-as-hippie love sect mythos, Nottingham-based occult rock septet Church of the Cosmic Skull have done a more-than-admirable job setting themselves apart from the seemingly endless parade of monsters and demons and scowling young men in varying shades of black that populate today’s heavy rock scene. Their aesthetic is so refined and so well-structured, in fact, that at first glance some folks may be inclined to immediately dismiss the group out of hand as a mere novelty act or an elaborate joke. Those folks would being doing themselves a grave disservice, however, because here’s the thing: Church of the Cosmic Skull is one of the best bands in the world of retro-rock, and with their absolutely breathtaking six-part harmonies, they may be the most singular unit out there. Nobody else sounds like this. Their debut album, 2016’s Is Satan Real?, is one of the best records I’ve heard since I started writing for Metal Nexus last summer. Their newest, Science Fiction, is even better.

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WOODY WEATHERMAN (Corrosion Of Conformity) Talks About James Hetfield Contributing Lyrics To C.O.C.

 

With their first release being in 1984, CORROSION OF CONFORMITY is a band who has made significance impact in not one but two sub genres of music (Hardcore punk and Stoner rock). Therefore, it shouldn’t come as a shock to anyone at how excited the metal community was when it was announced that C.O.C. would be reuniting with Vocalist/ Guitarist Pepper Keenan for a new album! It’s been a dozen years since Corrosion of Conformity recorded new material with Keenan at the helm. Pepper made his exit to spend more time performing with his other band Down which has included Phillip H. Anselmo (Pantera, Superjoint), Jimmy Bower (Eyehategod), and Pat Bruders (Crowbar, Goatwhore) and also former members included Kirk Windstein (Crowbar, Kingdom Of Sorrow) and Rex Brown (Pantera). While Pepper was away Corrosion Of Conformity pumped out two albums with bassist Mike Dean taking over vocal duties the same as he did on 1985’s ‘Animosity’. The band has a sound that truly has no competition tip toeing into several genres like stoner rock, heavy metal, punk, crossover, southern rock and various others. In that time, there have been rumors, whispers, and outright allegations that the legendary southern rock outfit would reunite to blow the doors off the whole damn scene again. In 2015, after nearly a decade traversing the globe with Down, Keenan reconnected with the core Corrosion of Conformity trio of Woody Weatherman, Mike Dean, and Reed Mullin to hit the road hard. The band released their newest album ‘No Cross No Crown’ in January of this year via Nuclear Blast. the first to feature Pepper on vocals since 2005’s ‘In the Arms of God’. Corrosion Of Conformity’s chemistry was still there and the songs ring out as if there has been no days off since Pepper last fronted the band.

 

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Ep. 153 Woody Weatherman (Corrosion of Conformity) – Talk Toomey: The Metal Nexus Podcast

 

Woody Weatherman of the mighty Corrosion of Conformity joins the show this week. Woody talks about the latest COC album “No Cross, No Crown”. We also discuss touring with Black Label Society and some historic tours with Metallica and Megadeth. Woody tells us about the relationship between James Hetfield and Corrosion of Conformity. Woody also remembers a pre-White Zombie Sean Yseult. We end on a breakdown of a track off “No Cross, No Crown”. 

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Review: BLEEDING THROUGH – ‘Love Will Kill All’ [Official Videos]

Formed in 1999, Bleeding Through have run the gamut of countries, labels, genre stylings and immense, genre-defining releases, influencing several generations of artists since their inception. This crushing Californian metal act seamlessly combine hardcore, symphonic and death metal in a maelstrom of magnificent aggression, weaving melody and mayhem together into a chaotic quilt. Dedicated to their craft in a way that has cast countless acts to shame, Bleeding Through are a band that many fans of extreme music may cite as one of their first truly “heavy” bands—and all these years later, they hold up just as strong, if not more so. While the band has been on a self imposed hiatus since 2104, reuniting in 2016 for a benefit show for The Ghost Inside following the bands horrific accident. As such the heavy metal landscape has changed a lot over the handful of years since the band called it a day. Metalcore has fallen out of favor with the mainstream, and theres been a sort of changing of the guard with “newer” bands like Bring Me The Horizon and A Day to Remember dominating the scene and heading in a more poppier direction.

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Review: BURN THE PRIEST – ‘Legion: XX’ [Official Video]

 

Over the past few months Burn The Priest has been giving us a little taste of their roots with singles from their upcoming record ‘Legion: XX’. Burn The Priest, usually known by their second name, Lamb Of God, released a full-length record paying homage to the artists that influence them. Since the mid 90’s, Burn The Priest/Lamb Of God have reached a global audience with their guttural yet thrashy brand of metal. Comprised of Randy Blythe on vocals, Mark Morton and Willie Adler on guitars, John Campbell on bass, and Chris Adler on drums they began their conquest of the world in Richmond, VA. This album is paying tribute to their first label, Legion Records (Philadelphia) and its founder the late Michael “Mikey” Brosnan. Blythe announced the release of the album on his Gimme Radio show, like a late-night punk rock college radio show. It is refreshing to see these guys who are now considered mainstream doing this release with a DIY attitude. Continue reading

RIVAL SONS Closes Out Back 2 Back Nights In Whitesburg, Kentucky [Review & Photo Gallery]

Rival Sons

I’m back at the Appalshop Theater for day 2 of the two night stand, Rivals Sons, Welles and tonight’s special guest SIMO. If you missed last night’s show it was a truly special night! There were fans here from at least 17 different states; most of those folks have stayed the night around Whitesburg to be a part of this second show. Continue reading

BENIGHTED Unveil European Fall Tour Dates With ABORTED, CRYPTOPSY & CYTOTOXIN

French death-grinders BENIGHTED have announced a fall European tour that sees the band joining ABORTED and CRYPTOPSY. The tour kicks off on November 1 and concludes on November 25. A full list of confirmed full dates can be found below.

BENIGHTED are touring in support of ‘Necrobreed‘, which was released last year on February 27. It has been a little over a year now and the sickness of the new and latest record has not ceased spreading yet. The new album was pretty well received by fans and critics all over the world and cemented the band’s impact on the death metal/grind scene even more. Released under French label Season Of Mist, this is their eighth studio effort, and if you ask me, it is the most strongest record in their entire two decade long catalogue.

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TOOTHGRINDER On Legendary Bands Retiring “Maybe They Are Just Making Room For Us”

 

Asbury Park, NJ natives, Toothgrinder, have been making waves in the metal scene for a while now, sharing the stage with huge names including MeshuggahKillswitch EngageBetween The Buried and MePolyphia, and The Contortionist.  The band consists of Justin Matthews (vocals), Jason Gross (guitar), Matt Arsendorf (bass/backing vocals), Willis Weller (drums) and Johnuel Hasney (guitar/backing vocals).  With an extensive live show resume, and two successful albums, ‘Nocturnal Masquerade’ (2016) and ‘Phantom Amour’ (2017) via Spinefarm Records, one thing is predominantly clear – these guys know what they’re doing. The bands incredibly in depth lyrical content has helped them connect with even more fans as their music has progressed since their earlier releases. They have adapted somewhat to the taste of modern fans and began to increase the amount of vocals in their tracks going from essentially an instrumental band to the group we see today with amazing harmony and hooks in their chorus that garner our attention and have us singing along for days upon days. Toothgrinder has already hit the road this year with Bullet For My Valentine and Trivium, the tour kicked off on May 1st in Knoxville, Tennessee and will wrap up on May 18th in Stroudsburg, PA. The band has also made some festival appearances this year as well, and Welcome To Rockville in Jacksonville, Florida was officially the bands first festival appearance followed by Fort Rock in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, then Carolina Rebellion on May 5th and next weekend the band will perform at Rock On The Range in Columbus, Ohio. Toothgrinder is truly coming into their own and receiving the praise that they very much deserve the gentlemen that make up this band are still very much down to earth and care immensely about their fans. They stand behind the lyrical content they put out and they truly want to spread a message that is empowering to the listeners. Their music is already a dominating force to be reckoned with, but when you hear them talk about how they want to be there for their fans and how meaningful fan support is to them it makes you respect the people behind those instruments even more.  Continue reading