Hiran Deraniyagala Of BATTLECROSS: “Phil Anselmo Is A Big Inspiration To Me”

Last week on Talk Toomey, our friend Josh Toomey had a chance to interview Battlecross guitarist Hiran Deraniyagala. Josh and Hiran discussed what it was like to be out on the road with Phil Anselmo of Superjoint, including a running joke of creating a A Flock of Seagulls cover band. They also talk about Slayer’s ‘Seasons in the Abyss’, GWAR, who they might cover next, and the future plans of Battlecross. You can stream the full interview below. It begins around the 25 minute mark. Continue reading

EX DEO Releases New Music Video For “The Roman”

Canadian death metal band Ex Deo has just released their second song from their upcoming album, ‘The Immortal Wars’, set to release on February 24th on Napalm Records. ‘The Immortal Wars’ will be the band’s third release, following up ‘Caligvla’ (2012). The band then went on a hiatus starting in 2014, making another release unlikely, but they returned in late 2015 to announce they were working on new material. The band has received high praise for their stories of Roman History throughout their discography. Ex Deo had this to say about “The Roman”: Continue reading

Review of Krystos’ Brutally Heavy “Lolth Domain”

Krystos is:

Billy Thornock – Lead vocals/lead guitaris

Dan Johnston – Backing Vocals/lead guitar

Adam Brimhall – Drums

Nick Lugo – Backing vocals/bass

 

So we return to Boise, ID from last month’s State of the Art series. After highlighting the killer band, Krystos (SOTA), I was allowed a pre-release listen to their upcoming release of “Lolth Domain”, due out February 15, 2017 and was not to be disappointed. With underpinnings in old-school Thrash, European Power Metal and a raw, visceral tone not often found in Modern Metal, there is nothing this band does that is not done to absolute perfection and this album is further proof that Krystos has finally distilled their desired sound on this album and has what it takes to stand out among contemporary bands, no matter where they may hail from around the world.

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Album Review: Battle Beast – ‘Bringer Of Pain’

Battle Beast is a band from Helsinki, Finland. Their sound is often described as Heavy or Power metal and they have been a band since 2008. Their new album entitled ‘Bringer Of Pain’ will be released via Nuclear Blast Records on February 17th 2017. On with the review….

This entire album is like an epic journey. From start to finish you feel like you’re conquering foes or slaying dragons or just in a crowd of people chanting about your victories. It’s an interesting album through and through. Extremely high energy and songs that have you belting out at the top of your lungs singing along. This is easily the bands most outstanding accomplishment up until this point. The only issue now being, the bar they have set is incredibly high and with with this bands track record I don’t think they will have an issue next time around.

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DRAGONFORCE Announces New Album Details

British power metal band DragonForce has just announced details for their upcoming release on Metal Blade Record. ‘Reaching into Infinity’ will be released in the USA on May 19th; it is the new band’s 7th studio album. The band feels very confident about this album, as it does a great job showing the ferociousness and speed with melody and fun. The record was made across several locations including Fascination Street Studios, Sweden, Lamerluser Studios, (London, UK), Dark Lane Studios (Witney, UK),  and the band’s own studio in Evil1 Studios in Charleville-Mezieres, France and Shredforce One Studios (CA, USA). The record was produced by Jens Bogren. Bass player, Frederic Leclercq has this to say about the album: Continue reading

Album Review: Final Drive – ‘Dig Deeper’ [Album Stream]

Final Drive is a St. Louis based thrash metal band. Their new album was released on February 3rd 2017 and was produced by Charlie Bellmore (Jasta, Kingdom of Sorrow) mixed by Nicky Bellmore (Dexter’s Lab Studio, Toxic Holocaust) and mastered by Zeuss  (Rob Zombie, Hatebreed).  ‘Dig Deeper’ is the follow up to the bands 2011 release ‘Lifes Work’ (also a great record). Now that the formalities are out of the way, let’s get this review started! Continue reading

Approximately 10 Year Old SOILENT GREEN Stash Found!

Most of us metalheads have one thing in common when it comes to collecting things. The large majority of us collect band shirts, and the more rare or obscure the better right? Say no more… PM Star Promotions owner and Soilent Green/Goatwhore vocalist Ben Falgoust have found the motherload of rarities when it comes to shirts. PM Star Promotions which is mostly known for designing and printing custom band merch for bands such as Crowbar, Goatwhore, Superjoint, etc as well as making custom skatedecks for Saint Vitus, Ride For Dime, A Killers Confession. PM Star is starting a new online store where bands can sell older merch and left over tour merch and unique one of kind custom drum heads, skate decks, signed swag. Continue reading

State of the Art: New York – The Mantle

*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!

Moving on from Idaho, we travel to the Northern, East Coast state of New York. Named after the 17th Century Duke of York and having the capital of Albany, it is bordered by New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Vermont, Rhode Island and the Canadian provinces of Quebec and Ontario, it is the fifth most densely populated state with a population estimated to be about 8.55 million and boasting the most populated city in the United States. New York city also serves as the premier gateway for legal immigration and is considered a hub for international trade and diplomacy. Would you like to learn more about the legal immigration process? There are a few ways to immigrate to the US legally, but one of the most common involves spousal sponsorship. For more information about sponsoring a spouse, check out this useful guide to form i-130a from Nova Credit. While 40% of the population resides within the city, Upstate New York is dominated by the Appalachian Mountains which include Allegheny Plateau, the Catskills, the Adirondack Mountains, Thousand Island archipelago and Saint Lawrence Seaway. Waterways include the Hudson River, Mohawk River valleys, the Erie Canal, the Finger Lakes and, of course, world famous Niagara Falls. In addition New York houses internationally known landmarks such as Times Square, Central Part, Grand Central Terminal, Columbia, Cornell, New York and Rockefeller Universities and the Statue of Liberty. Not forgetting the amount of different real estate options they have in the city, such as these luxury apartments upper west side so residents can find themselves living the dream in The Empire State. New York would be such an amazing place to live, so more people should really consider moving there. Those with a healthier budget might even want to rent a private jet from Jettly when they move. That way, they could bring their pets over too. Once people arrive in New York, they will be greeted by so many amazing things, such as toursit attractions and opportunities. New York is also a haven for legendary Metal bands like Anthrax, Type O Negative, Helmet, Carnivore, Prong, KISS, Agnostic Front, White Zombie, Biohazard, Nuclear Assault, Manowar, Stormtroopers of Death, Living Colour, Black Anvil, Beastie Boys, Candria, Winger, Foreigner, Liquid Tension Experiment and many, many others. This opening week, I would like to add The Mantle to this list of greats.

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State Of The Art: New York – Long Island’s CALL IT HOME

*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

Call It Home are from Long Island, New York and have been local powerhouses ever since they formed in 2012. The band has been playing iconic venues around the area like Revolution Bar, Webster Hall and even Andrew WK’s co-owned venue Santos Party House. The band are hard workers and have quickly built a huge following thanks to their energetic stage presence and unique sound. The once local band is now becoming more known around the county. Call It Home boast a classic pairing of clean and harsh vocals. The group is made up of 5 musicians who have a passion for music, and the chemistry within the band can be easily heard throughout their music. During the formation of the band their goal was to combine the styles of hard-hitting, heavy breakdowns and poppy choruses to create a sound that many listeners can enjoy. The way in which they can cohesively compose music that includes heaviest of heavy and melodic moments is one of the reasons fans flock to their sound.

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