Max Cavalera Describes Upcoming SOULFLY Album as “Tribal Death Thrash”

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As a member of one of the pioneering bands in the death/thrash scene of the 80’s and 90’s, Brazilian-born, Max Cavalera was the original vocalist and rhythm guitarist in Sepultura from 1984 to 1996; his brother Igor was the original drummer. Throughout Max’s tenure with Sepultura, he would act as one of the predominant creative forces for pushing the band’s musical style to experimental new territories. Their 1993 release, ‘Chaos A.D.,’ with its groundbreaking industrial/tribal sound, is considered by many to be one of the greatest metal albums of all time. As an industrial metal side project, Cavalera recorded another groundbreaking album, ‘Point Blank’ under the monicker, Nailbomb with Alex Newport of Fudge Tunnel in 1994. Sepultura’s ‘Roots’ LP, released two years later, would further expand upon tribal elements as well as incorporate nu-metal influences that would contribute to creative differences within the group and ultimately to Cavalera’s departure from the band. His leaving would create a rift between the Cavalera brothers as Igor remained on as drummer for Sepultura. Max would then go on to form the tribal/nu-metal outfit, Soulfly in 1997 and has since released ten albums with the band, and one in the works for 2018. In 2007, Max and his brother Igor reconciled and formed the groove/thrash band Cavalera Conspiracy together, along with guitarist, Marc Rizzo of Soulfly. The band has released four albums to date. As part of another side project, Cavalera co-founded the metal supergroup, Killer Be Killed in 2011 along with Greg Puciatio of The Dillinger Escape Plan. The band released their self-titled LP in 2014. Continue reading →

Review: MOS GENERATOR – ‘Shadowlands’ [Official Album Stream]

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Mos Generator are a heavy riffing trio from Silverdale, WA, who have made it their life’s mission to breathe new life into classic rock.  They revel in the sounds of the 1970’s, with a nod to a progressive era long since taken over by being too inaccessible for casual listeners.

The band has a strong pedigree, comprised as it is by Tony Reed (vocals, guitar, Wurlitzer; ex-Treepeople), Sean Booth (bass), and Jono Garrett (drums).  They came together in 2002 and followed a self-titled debut with a concept album entitled ‘Late Great Planet Earth’ in 2005.  This was followed by several great records, including ‘Nomads’ and ‘Abyssinia’.

Their latest release on Listenable Records is the majestic ‘Shadowlands’.  I am finding it a real pleasure to absorb the grooves and power on this collection.  There is an epic opener in “Shadowlands“, full of riffing and roaring. There is also fuzzbox overdrive on songs like “Drowning In Your Loving Cup” and “Woman Song“.

The songs are compact and lean, swaggering into your consciousness like boxers entering the ring, full of confidence and focus.  What makes them elevate from average to great is the tunefulness that sets them apart from the pack.

Reed makes his mark with a melodic maelstrom of musicality with his ripping guitar and cool walking vocals.  There is the added bonus of solos that don’t outstay their welcome.  It is taste over flash for sure.  The bass playing from Booth is rock solid, but busy and I can only imagine what this band would do live.  When you have a four piece, a busy bass is essential and you get that in spades on ‘Shadowlands’ – just listen to “The Blasting Concept” for a demonstration of Haslip’s skill.  Any review would also be remiss not to make mention of Garrett’s drumming, which drives this album forward.

Combine all of the elements together and you have an album of power, melody and heart.  It is not one dimension and I recommend it highly for all lovers of classic rock, infused with stoner tendencies and superb musicianship.


 

Jesse Leach Requires Surgery; KILLSWITCH ENGAGE Cancels Tour!

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Modern metallers KILLSWITCH ENGAGE in a sudden turn of events have been forced to cancel their upcoming tour from April 26th through May 5th. The unpleasant news has come in the wake of Jesse Leach’s surgery, to fix his vocal chords, an issue that has been stopping him from performing in his full capacity lately. Jesse is expected to pull of a quick full recovery, but to inhibit any damages to his vocal chords for future touring, the band chose to take the hard decision to call the curtains down off a few dates. Here is what the band has to say about the same.

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Album Review – RRRAGS [Album Stream]

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Belgian/Dutch power trio RRRags came together a mere eight months ago, but the songs on their self-titled debut sound like the work of a band that’s been at this rock and roll game for years and years. The band’s musical telepathy is remarkably refined, and the songs are both well-crafted and catchy as all hell. They hit hard without ever plodding, emphasizing groove and atmosphere over sheer brute strength and mixing their upbeat stoner vibe with flashes of soul, funk, southern rock, and power pop. RRRags are obviously true believers and lifelong devotees, my friends, and they’ve conjured up a slab of classic rock for the here and now.

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Review: UNFLESH – ‘Savior’ [Official Video Stream]

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Boston-based, extreme metal band, Unflesh is set to release their first full-length studio album, ‘Savior’ on May 25th, 2018. The musical style on this record embodies the aura of black metal wickedness, while infusing technical death metal ferocity and rich, complex melodies in a way that transcend the confinements of a single sub-genre. The riffing is ingeniously intricate and inspired, vocals are venomous and vile, but those drums! The hyper aggressive drumming performance on ‘Savior’ is utterly relentless and impressive thanks to the otherworldly kit skills of drummer, Chris Dovas (Seven Spires). Not to diminish the other elements, which are arguably just as awesome, but what Dovas so phenominally brings to this record is almost its own selling point. Continue reading →

Review: STRYPER – ‘God Damn Evil’ [Official Video Stream]

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Legendary Christian rock band, Stryper, are coming back with a brand-new album to add to their discography. ‘God Damn Evil’ is the title and it will be released on Frontiers Music SRL April 20th , 2018. Stryper’s current members are Michael Sweet (vocals, guitar), Oz Fox (guitar), Perry Richardson (bass), and Robert Sweet (drums).  It’s amazing to think that Perry Richardson is the new bassist for Stryper. Being a bassist for the 1990’s glam band, Firehouse, it’s mind blowing to think that in the future, Perry would stand along with Michael and Oz. Continue reading →

State Of The Art: GREYLOTUS [EP + Video Stream]

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

This month’s state is Maryland!

Welcome to the final installment of this months SOTA! I thought I would end this one with an artist that I believe will quite literally blow your mind. This is songwriting at its highest conceivable level, but what is most remarkable, is the fact that it is solely the work of one man! From Baltimore, Maryland, let me welcome the technical/blackened deathcore project Greylotus. January saw the release of the explosive debut EP ‘Savior’ which in my opinion is undoubtedly one of the most exciting releases of this year (up there with the likes of Inferi and Slugdge who have both dropped AOTY contenders) and forms the first part of a total 3 installments. Collectively the 3 EPs will form Greylotus’ debut full-length album, with work already underway on the second installement ‘Dawnfall’.  Continue reading →

Who is Yayo “KISS GUY” Sanchez? [Video Stream]

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If you’ve been following the internet recently, you most likely have come across a new viral video of Austin, Texas artist, Yayo Sanchez – or as Foo Fighters frontman, Dave Grohl dubbed him, “KISS guy.” The video shows the 25-year-old Sanchez performing “Monkey Wrench” onstage with his favorite band, Foo Fighters, while wearing full Gene Simmons’ “The Demon” face paint. In an interview with KVUE ABC following the event, Sanchez described the experience by saying, “It was nuts, man. That was definitely the best day of my life, hands down.” Continue reading →

The Bucketlist With RAZORWIRE HALO

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*In this series we pose the age-old question 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*

RAZORWIRE HALO is an established; award winning electro-rock group based out of Kansas City, MO. RWH has proven time and time again that they can captivate their audience and bring a fresh sound year after year. This has allowed for RWH to perform live with many other national acts across the U.S., while gaining their respect. RAZORWIRE HALO has an unwavering commitment to bring the best music possible and most immersive live experience to its fans. Since inception, RWH has released multiple albums with a cohesive concept that has drawn in casual listeners and die hard fans alike.

Today, we throw our most famous question from The Bucketlist at them. Let’s see what bands feature on their bucketlist.

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The Bucketlist With THE DARK

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*In this series we pose the age-old question 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*

It’s Friday and is the start of another weekend, and what better way to pump up the weekend jolly mood by knowing your favourite artist’s favourite live artists. Yeah, more like “art-ception”. Anyways, welcome back to our regular segment of The Bucketlist where we shoot the simple but yet so tough question of “five favourite bands yet to check mark off their bucketlist”. Now when you think of it, this rather sounds like another “tell me about yourself” kinda slam book segment. Today we throw this million dollar question to alternative rock band THE DARK who are based out of Berlin, but having been originated in Los Angeles, CA in 2015.

THE DARK‘s music will remind you of bands like ‘THE KILLERS’, ‘WHITE STRIPES’, ‘FOO FIGHTERS’, ‘SHE WANTS REVENGE’. Their rhythmic section it’s formed by a big, heavy drums sound coming from the stoner school with sensuous bass lines performed with a total unforgiving punk attitude. High gain guitar riffs will introduce you to a wall of fuzz creating a perfect pad for Brandon’s gritty, melodic vocals that will get immediately stuck in your head.

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