Review: SKINLESS – ‘Savagery’ [Official Video]

 

Skinless are back again with another brutal release from Relapse Records titled, ‘Savagery’. Starting in the early 1990’s, these guys decimated the underground scene with intense live performances. Noting Cannibal Corpse, Suffocation, and Deicide as influences, they gained a large following to support their 1998 release ‘Progression Towards Evil’. Signing a deal with Relapse Records, the band released four more albums: ‘Foreshadowing Our Demise’, ‘From Sacrifice To Survival’, and ‘Trample The Weak’, ‘Hurdle The Dead’. Gaining a loyal fan base worldwide, they have shared the stage with likes of Slayer, Dying Fetus, and Hatebreed. After lineup changes and an eventual hiatus, Skinless reformed to lay waste to the world once again with ‘Only The Ruthless Remain’. With that terribly appropriate title, Skinless proved to us that they could stand the test of time, the most brutal force of all. With ‘Savagery’, they show their pure strength once again. Continue reading

FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH Calls Out Blabbermouth In New Song “Sham Pain” [Song Stream]

Today, Thursday, April 19, the multi-platinum, hard rock band Five Finger Death Punch have unveiled the new song “Sham Pain,” off their long-awaited seventh studio album ‘And Justice For None’, due out May 18.  The new song marks the second of three brand new pre-order tracks and follows last week’s release “Fake” (out 4/6) which generated just under 1 million streams in the U.S. during its first week and made the viral chart on Spotify in multiple countries. Fans can expect one more additional song to be revealed on May 4. Continue reading

INGESTED Decimated The UK With Headline ‘The Level Above Human’ Tour and America, You’re Next! [Photo Gallery]

The past few weeks saw the mighty kings of slam Ingested bring a full on aural assault across the UK on their headlining tour, giving it’s homeland fans what they have been waiting over 3 years for… a first glimpse at their upcoming 4th album and debut on Unique Leader records ‘The Level Above Human’*! In support of this career-defining album, their headline tour kicked off across various UK venues alongside the best in the UK metal scene, including Osiah, Abhorrent Decimation and Harbinger.

Now, the Mancunian death metal titans are in pursuit of global domination, bringing this game-changer of an album to 4 headline shows across Mexico, then North America with Bodysnatcher and Signs Of The Swarm. And then will embark on a ferocious stint at this years “Devastation On The Nation” tour alongside Aborted, Psycroptic, Disentomb, Arkaik, Vale of Pnath and more, including fellow brits Venom Prison who are embarking on their first ever North America tour! You do not want to miss this!

We caught up with Ingested at the sold-out London album launch show, which coincided with the first ever (and annual) Tone MGMT/Embedded Promotions showcase, at the club/venue Birthdays in Dalston, with the action taking place in the 200 capacity basement for a whole day of in-your-face brutality. Featuring the very best up-and-coming and rising artists across the spectrum of the UK death and tech metal scenes right now, the line-up was stacked with 8 bands as supports who are all causing a stir up and down the country, and should definitely be on your radar!

Here’s the low down! Continue reading

Review: THE MELVINS – ‘Pinkus Abortion Technician’

The Melvins….what is left to say about this band that hasn’t been said hundreds if not thousands of times over the course of their nearly 40 year career? They are the godfathers of sludge as well as grunge, they were a huge influence on countless artists including Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain, Mike Patton of Faith No More, Tool, Neurosis, Boris, Full of Hell and countless others. They have one of the strongest work ethics in music (they once played 51 shows in 51 days) and most importantly they are a band who have never lost their drive to create! They have one of the largest discographies in metal which includes 26 studio albums, 14 EP’s, 12 live albums, and 10 compilation albums. They don’t waste any time, and everything they put out is binge worthy material. The Melvins are constantly experimenting and taking new approaches to writing music and more often than not, it’s a success! The Melvins return with the new album ‘Pinkus Abortion Technician’ releasing April 20th, via Ipecac Recordings. Continue reading

Brian “Head” Welch (KORN) “I Think I’m Traumatized From Trying To Keep Family Together.”

Bakersfield native and original Korn guitarist, Brian “Head” Welch is an artist who has undoubtedly battled his fair share of demons. In 2005, his demons, who took shape in the form of overwhelming drug addiction and discontent with road life, caused him to leave the band in search of a savior. He wouldn’t know it yet, but this would be the first step in his recovery before he began looking for a suitable rehab center in California. Realizing that he has a problem with drugs and doing something about it, is something that some people may never come to terms with. Acknowledgment can be really difficult. In fact, some families become so worried about their loved one’s addiction, that they make the decision to step in. Whether that’s through removing them from the situation or looking into services like this “drug testing near you in Durham NC“, both options could help the person realize that they need to change their lifestyle so that it doesn’t have fatal consequences. By quitting the band to search for a saviour, this is the best thing that Welch could have done. He took refuge in religion, became baptized, and devoted himself to Jesus Christ. Part of his decision for his abrupt change in life course was to protect his young daughter from the decadent rockstar lifestyle he was part of. During his departure from Korn, Welch focused on other creative outlets including a solo album, ‘Save Me from Myself’ in 2008, and multiple biographical books chronicling his life experiences. In 2012, he re-branded his solo project as Love and Death, under which name he has released an EP the same year entitled ‘Chemicals EP’ and an LP in 2013 called ‘Between Here & Lost.’ In May of 2013, a clean and sober Welch rejoined his former bandmates in Korn and has recorded two albums with the band since his return – ‘Paradigm Shift’ (2013) and ‘The Serenity of Suffering’ (2016).

Continue reading

Ep. 149 Brian “Head” Welch (Korn) – Talk Toomey: The Metal Nexus Podcast

photo by MDG ROCK PHOTOGRAPHY

Brian “Head” Welch joins the ranks of the Talk Toomey Podcast. Head and I talk about his upcoming documentary “Loud Krazy Love”, being a rock star dad and some Korn memories. Head talks about playing with Mike Bordin from Faith No More. We talk about his coming back to Korn and what Korn means to him today. Head evens gets a few questions in on me.

Robb Rivera gives us one of his favorite Iron Maiden tracks for his weekly Pick From The Kit

Music on this episode from Korn, Iron Maiden and REdEFIND.

Review: FROM ASHES TO NEW – ‘The Future’ [Official Videos]

 

From Ashes to New is a 4-piece rock band from Lancaster, PA. Getting their start in 2013, From Ashes to New has released 2 EP’s. The first was self-titled and released in 2013. Their next EP was titled ‘Downfall’, which released in 2015. In addition to those EP’s From Ashes to New have also released a full length studio album titled ‘Day One’ which hit stores in 2016. The band is now added yet another release to their discography, ‘The Future’ will be out this Friday, April 20th, on Better Noise/Eleven Seven records. Having consistent lineup changes, From Ashes to New started out as a 5-piece band and stayed that way until late 2017/early 2018. The current members of From Ashes to New are: Matt Brandyberry – clean vocals, rap vocals, keyboards, rhythm guitar, and programming, Danny Case – clean vocals, unclean vocals, Lance Dowdle – lead guitar, and Mat Madrio – Drums. In addition to their releases FATN also are credited with creating the theme song for WWE’s 205 Live along with CFO$. Being a fan of the WWE, it’s amazing when you those two worlds collide.  FATN has been going building their fan base and anchoring their sound for 5 years now, and we certainly hope they continue on for many more to come.  Continue reading

Wal-Mart Refusing To Sell STRYPER’s New Album!

 

Expressing concerns over the album title, the leading big box store Walmart has refused to carry Christian rocker band Stryper’s upcoming 10th studio album, ‘God Damn Evil’ — available April 20, 2018 from Frontiers Music SRL. Several Christian retail chains have also objected to the title and declined to carry ‘God Damn Evil’ in their stores. Continue reading

Rock on the Range Spotlight: I PREVAIL

It’s almost that time, folks!  Just a few more weeks and Rock on the Range will soon flood Columbus, OH with thousands upon thousands of rangers who are eagerly awaiting their chance to rock out with some of today’s hottest bands.  In this segment, we’ve aimed to bring you up to speed on bands that are a little bit lower on the bill to get you familiar with their music so you won’t be completely lost by the time they hit the stage.  In this installation, we’re going to focus on a band that most of you have heard of and a band that I’ve personally wanted to see live for a long time.  I’m talking about Detroit, MI post-hardcore rockers, I Prevail. Continue reading

Review: A PERFECT CIRCLE – ‘Eat the Elephant’ [Video Stream]

14 years have passed since A Perfect Circle has released an album. Finally, however, scheduled for an April 20th, 2018 release date comes their highly-anticipated fourth studio album entitled, ‘Eat the Elephant’ via BMG. On this latest effort, the maturation of the band over the last several years is apparent as the minor-chord, melancholic masters have clearly brought a newly awakened sharpness and depth to their craft. Lyrically, the cynicism is front and center and, for the most part, aimed lethally at the misguided ways of present-day mankind. ‘Eat the Elephant’ exhibits many familiar APC elements while also incorporating a slew of modern stylistic influences that many fans may find surprising or even polarizing. At this stage in their career, however, this seasoned and acclaimed group of musicians appear entirely comfortable and confident in creating songs that are unapologetically a distinct shift in their trademark sound – as each successive album ideally should be. This is not an attempt to remake or capitalize upon APC’s earlier musical successes, but rather a natural, creative evolution – 14 years in the making.  Continue reading