*In this segment we put guitarists and bassists from every metal genre you could imagine in the spotlight!*
So, this is my first King of Strings spotlight and it will come as no shock to anyone who knows me, has ever met me, or has had a 30 second conversation with me, that I’ll be spotlighting bassist Ryan Martinie – formerly of Mudvayne and currently of Soften the Glare.
After an electric first day, it was time to get back up early Saturday morning to head in for day two of Chicago Open Air. Several great performances from bands like Rob Zombie, Megadeth, Anthrax, Crobot, The Dillinger Escape Plan, Code Orange, and more had all of us very interested to see if the second day could top it. With Korn, Godsmack, Avatar, Body Count, Clutch, and several others, we knew it would be very close. It only took a few performances and we already knew that Saturday would be on an even higher level. Continue reading
Hold onto your butts, people! Mudvayne is re-releasing one of the singularly best albums of all time! – ON VINYL!!!
Sahil ‘Demonstealer’ Makhija
I recently caught up with Sahil Makhija at AntiSocial, New Delhi, India, also known better as DEMONSTEALER who is the front man of the blackened death metal band from the sea side city, Mumbai in India, DEMONIC RESURRECTION. If you have not heard DEMONIC RESURRECTION yet, you’re clearly blaspheming ! Just kidding, you’re missing out on a lot though to be honest. So the band has been around for a good number of years now, starting out as teenagers back in the day in the year 2000, and they have since then put up a decent catalog of five albums and two EPs all this while, which is incredible in itself. They have really pinned India on the global metal map and are rightly called the ‘flag bearers of Indian metal’. They have also done shows in reputed European festivals like Wacken Open Air in Germany, Bloodstock Festival in the U.K., and the beautiful MetalDays festival in Slovenia etc. They also have a Metal Hammer Golden God award under their belt. It all began with their debut album titled, ‘Demonstealer’ in 2000 and since then you can actually see they have not only been a dynamic outfit but also a reckoning force in the underground scene and also in the domestic scene in India.
Raise your goddamn horns for the vikings of Death Metal Amon Amarth, they will be headlining next to Arch Enemy and Overkill on the second day of Into The Grave. They will add another layer of heaviness to the festival as well as (hopefully) bring a viking ship with them and ofcourse some beer!
Chester Performing For The Final TIme With LINKIN PARK, Barclaycard Arena, Birmingham, England.
We all are truly shocked and devastated to learn that Chester Bennington of LINKIN PARK is no longer with us. We are still reeling from the devastating event as it unfolded in the last 12 hours, it is reported to be a case of suicide by hanging by the front man of arguably 21st century one of the most influential rock bands. The singer was found dead at his private residence in Palos Verdes, California. The singer who over the past two decades has shared many accolades and gathered feathers on his cap is revered by many rock fans as one of the most noted front man in 21st rock music. With lyrics of the band’s music being a mirror image and reflection of some of Chester Bennington‘s own personal struggles and battling his inner demons, his untimely and shocking death hit all of us even harder.
California is known for punk rock/hardcore as well apart from the metal that oozes out normally. Today we bring to you an early stream or pre-release stream of Marysville poetic post hardcore band VVOMEN‘s debut EP, ‘Moving On‘ , which is slated to come out tomorrow itself on Friday the 21st.
The Sacramento quartet recently released a music video for the EP’s first single “Cadence and Carousel” which you can check it out below, a lumbering punk song complete with giant papier-mache heads. Although the band draws comparisons to Touché Amoré and La Dispute, as well as veterans like At The Drive In and Jawbreaker, their quirky, easy-going vibe creates a distinct contrast with the emotionally intensive music.
Terrible and utterly sad news coming in from the nu metal community and rock and roll alike. LINKIN PARK legend and vocalist Chester Bennington reportedly has committed suicide at the age of 41 as reported by TMZ. Chester Bennington has been said to hang himself in his Palos Verdes private residence in Los Angeles on Thursday, July 20. His body was discovered in the residence on Thursday just before 9 AM. The news of his untimely demise was confirmed by the L.A. County Coroner to the Associated Press.
Hailing from the most metal country in the world, Finland, folk metallers or melodic death vikings ENSIFERUM are back to the grind with a new album entitled, ‘Two Paths‘, following the legacy and aura of their previous release ‘One Man Army‘ which was out back in 2015. On September 15, ENSIFERUM will release their new album worldwide via Metal Blade Records. The album is produced is Ansi Kippo and the master was recorded on tape for a true old school analog experience. Talk about being trve!
FALLUJAH vocalist, Alex Hofmann.
Some sad news for fans of Bay Area progressive death metal outfit, FALLUJAH, as vocalist Alex Hofmann, one of the founding members of the band, and also the vocalist who has been through thick and thins with the band since its inception in 2007 has called it quits and pulled the curtains on his career as the frontman for the band.
