Interview with SKY KATZ (America’s Got Talent) & UNLOCKING THE TRUTH [Song Stream]

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This month we have been showcasing artists from the state of New York in our State Of The Art Series, and this just so happens to be a two for one in regards to amazing New York based artists. America’s Got Talent Season 11 star Sky Katz has teamed up with Heavy Metal band Unlocking the Truth for intense new single “Rockstar”. We have seen it before when metal and hip hop team up with various examples like, Helmet and House of Pain, Jay Z and Linkin Park, Public Enemy and Anthrax, to Ice T and Slayer. In the metal world collaborations aren’t as common as they are in hip hop, pop or more mainstream music. Both Sky Katz and Unlocking The Truth have reached successful levels with their music at a very young age. Sky was recently on America’s Got Talent and made it through the first round and received overwhelming applause for her performance. Unlocking The Truth went from making viral videos on the streets in Times Square to opening up for veteran acts like Metallica and Guns N Roses. Both of these artists have made a name for themselves based solely on their talents. I can attest that Unlocking The Truth is the real deal, after seeing them live at 2016’s Carolina Rebellion Festival they put on one of the best performances of the weekend. This collaboration truly appeals to both the hip hop and metal communities. We felt that this song has great staying power and wanted to get more details on how the collaboration came about and how the artists were able to bring out the best in one another. We spoke with both Sky Katz, and members of Unlocking The Truth to get the lowdown about the formation of this super-collab that produced the song “Rockstar”.  Continue reading →

State Of The Art: New York – Trigger Pig

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

This month’s State is New York!

So, with this week’s SOTAs, New York is in the bag. This state ended up being one of the easiest to choose killer Metal bands from and no one on our staff had any difficulties finding a plethora of deserving bands to spotlight. Hell, the difficulty for me was only covering four. This scene is nothing short of spectacular and should leave no Metal fan in the cold, looking for local talent to get behind. Overwhelming really. Well, this week, I did not even have to look because my friend David LaMay already had a band ripe for the picking sitting in his band list. Knowing his impeccable taste in music, Trigger Pig was an automatic hit with me as well! Simply blown away… Just, damn…

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Review: HATE UNBOUND – ‘Plague’

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The Motor City’s HATE UNBOUND are like a high performance engine that keeps cranking. The band are the sonic equivalent of a booze fueled fist fight among friends. The band heralds a do it yourself attitude that has allowed them to lead the charge in defining today’s heavy metal landscape. Singer Art Giammarra, guitarist Daryl Mitchell, guitarist William Cundiff, bassist Sean Demura, and drummer Franklin “Foot” Hannah have a range of influences like Death and Lamb Of God. The members equally collaborate together to create their unique sound. After their formation in 2013 the band has performed along side acts like Beyond Creation, Rivers of Nihil, Warbringer, Havok, and Belphegor. HATE UNBOUND have made a name for themselves due to their energetic live performances. HATE UNBOUND released 3 track demo in July of 2015 and now things are about to heat up even more for the band. Their debut album ‘Plague’ was just released on February 17th via Inverse Records. ‘Plague’ was recorded, mixed and mastered during the spring and summer of 2016 at Elaire Studios in Detroit, Michigan. The process was delayed so HATE UNBOUND could perform at the New Jersey Metal Fest and Full Terror Assault festivals in the summer of 2016. Putting their album on hold shows to perform live shows the respect and admiration they have for their fans, and they do not disappoint when they take the stage either. HATE UNBOUND aren’t just another metal band, they are the keepers of all that is heavy. Continue reading →

Interview With Skeletoon’s Tomi Fooler!

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My boyz in Skeletoon are:

Mr. Tomi Fooler – Vocals
Charlie “Roxy” Dho – Bass Guitar
Henry “Sydoz” Sidoti – Drums
Andy “K” Cappellari – Lead Guitar
Fab “BLACKIE” Taricco – Rhythm Guitar

Alright. If you are not familiar with Skeletoon, you are in for a real treat! Founded by Tomi Fooler in 2011 in Italy as a Helloween cover band, these guys decided to start writing their own material based on old-school Power Metal, but done a bit heavier and faster than traditionalist are used to. I can hear the gears grinding to a halt in your head. Great… Been there, done that, right? Well, here’s the kicker: these guys have a devious sense of humor and usually deals with stuff that is normally not a laughing matter. PC making you crazy (yeah, me too!)? Skeletoon have got you covered! Picky as I am about Power Metal? They more than have you covered on that front as well! This is seriously good Power and shows not one single chink in their musical armor. Terming their brand of Metal as Geek or Happy Metal, they already have one killer release under their belts, entitled The Curse of the Avenger (watch for references from Dr. Who, 80’s video games and superhero movies and television shows from the past) from 2015 (kick-ass album!) and are just a few days away from releasing Ticking Clock on March 3rd! Think nerdy Steel Panther without all the sexual overture set to brilliantly done Power Metal. Not quite visualizing this yet? Well, go check out their music. You will absolutely thank me for this one! Until then, check out what Tomi Fooloer had to say to our queries! (Be sure to check out their latest video when you finish with the interview as well!!!)

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DAYBREAK EMBRACE Release Video For “The Moment”!

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Formed in 2009, Daybreak Embrace aims to become more than a genre. Though their foundation is firm on energetic Rock, the band members take pride in being true admirers of all music. They draw influences from bands in genres all over the board, they are true music fans and non-elitists. In 2010, Daybreak Embrace released their first EP, ‘Tomorrow Awaits’, under the direction of Producer Paul Trust, who also produced ‘Mercury’, their second EP that released in 2013. The South Florida based band has released an Official Music Video for their newest single, “The Moment.” Utilizing footage from their performance at Woodstock Poland 2016, “The Moment” was self-filmed and includes live stage shots as well as behind the scenes moments. Daybreak Embrace are one of those bands that truly appreciates their fans. Guitarist Kenny Figueroa said “The Moment” is a tribute to the fans and family gained on a cross-continent journey full of love, life and loud music.” Of course he isn’t the only member of the band that has been outspoken and thankful for their devoted fan base. Bassist Ryan “Fry” Dorries added “We realize that we are living dreams right now because of your love and support.”

Follow DAYBREAK EMBRACE on Facebook here.

ALL HELL Stream “Vampiric Lust” From Upcoming Album ‘The Grave Alchemist’

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ALL HELL formed back in 2013 in Asheville and have quickly amassed fans from all over. The style of music they play sounds more European than from the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. Their dark and eerie Blackened Thrash sound quickly becomes addictive. If there is any other bands out there claiming to be blackened thrash I can inform you now that they aren’t doing it nearly as good as these guys. With each chorus screamed and riff strummed my jaw drops a little more. The three piece band released their debut “The Devil’s Work”, in 2014. They wasted no time dropping their sophomore release titled “The Red Sect” on October 16th 2015. ALL HELL have now finalized their latest work ‘The Grave Alchemist’ which will be their debut for Prosthetic Records. The album was produced by Kris Hilbert (The Body), who worked with the band on their earlier release ‘The Red Sect’, and mixed and mastered by Joel Grind (Toxic Holocaust), ‘The Grave Alchemist’ will be available worldwide on April 14th. The new album is a twelve-track, narrative-driven, horror concept album that weaves a tale of alchemy, necromancy, and vampirism over the span of three centuries, ‘The Grave Alchemist’ is a potent blend of violence, mysticism, psychology, and the occult, distilled into an aural elixir of Blood and Gold. The context is not surprising at all on this album, as I’ve once seen them perform live with only candle light illuminating the room. The band not only worries about their sounds but also the surroundings in which it’s experienced. Vocalist Jacob Curwen holds nothing back on this newly released track “Vampiric Lust.” The rhythm throughout the songs and his demonic growl are ferocious. This track is just the beginning of what to expect from these North Carolina natives. ALL HELL have a savage sound that refuses to be tamed. Continue reading →

Review: The Metalhead Box – February 2017

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This is the box I was greeted with at my front door this past week. A seemingly small box that is claimed to be filled with goodies for metal heads. For those of you who have never seen or heard of this box before, I’d like to share with you my very first opening of one. But first a little bit of information about The Metalhead Box. This box contains everything from mugs, pictures (signed and unsigned), CDs, shirts, buttons and patches. The list could go on and on. Every month the box is filled with different things as far as genres and bands go. From hard rock to black metal merch and everything in between. Let’s take a look inside of the box for February 2017.

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APE CAVE Release Video For “Ego Death”!

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Ape Cave are a talented band from the musically rich city of Portland, Oregon. I have become addicted to their unique sound since hearing their latest release ‘Pillars of Evolution’. The album dropped on January 1st, 2016 getting the year off to an amazing start. The album boasts a mixture of both doom and psychedelia throughout. In addition to being a great album in general it also made my Best of 2016 list coming in at number 8. Ape Cave has now released a new video for the track “Ego Death” from that album. You can read the full review of the album here. The video was filmed by Karl Whinnery and Josh Whinnery of HKMusic. The video includes the band playing the song outdoors, and follows the lead character as he travels through a rural area experiencing various things. The lead character is freshly head shaven lead vocalist Nathan Nielson. The song has an overwhelmingly creepy tone that pairs well with the lead character. I’ve said before about their music that it would be a phenomenal soundtrack to a creepy thriller movie and it seems like the band has approached the video in that fashion.

Follow Ape Cave on Facebook here, and listen to the full album on Bandcamp.

Milestones In Music: King Diamond ‘Abigail’ 30th Anniversary

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King Diamond – vocals, producer

Andy LaRocque – guitar

Michael Denner – guitar, assistant producer

Timi Hansen – bass guitar

Mikkey Dee (Micael Kiriakos Delaoglou) – drums, assistant producer

Roberto Falcao (Roberto Johansson) – engineer, keyboards

What an honor and a privilege to cover the thirty year anniversary of one of the most beloved, important and influential Metal albums of all time: Abigail by the almighty King Diamond! AThirty years. Man, how time does fly. I can remember listening to Mercyful Fate as a kid, loving King’s first solo album, Fatal Portrait and the first time I heard Abigail shortly before graduating from high school back in 1987. Like many others from that time, my jaw dropped into my lap and has still not fully recovered to this day. It never comes close to getting old and is the album that scared the shit out of my girlfriend (now my wife of almost thirty years), shying her permanently away from the darker side of Metal this thing gave rise to. Hell, I was jamming it shortly before I learned that I would have this rare indulgence to cover a timeless Classic! It just always manages to snake its way into just about every playlist I listen to and/or create. Like many from my era, Abigail remains one my most loved albums of all time.

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Live Review: AZREAL Live @ Baltimore Soundstage

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We recently covered the Bound By The Road Tour which features DevilDriver, Death Angel, Winds Of Plague, The Agonist and Azreal during their stop in Toronto, Canada (See Review Here). Unfortunately, Azreal was unable to make the trek across the border for the Canadian dates of the tour.  We of course was highly looking forward to seeing the Australian based band take the stage. So we caught up with them on another tour stop in Baltimore, Maryland at Baltimore Soundstage on February 20th. Continue reading →