Live Review: Anagnorisis And Cryptic Hymn

20161103_205511Who doesn’t love going to a metal show? The sweat, the hair, the ringing ears. Every time I get to go and see great artists ply their craft on the stage, I always consider myself to be extremely fortunate to be a part of such an experience. It’s an even bigger thrill when the artists that I get to scream my lungs out for are from my home state of Kentucky. Continue reading

State of the Art: Tr3ason

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

This month’s State is Utah!

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So we enter into week number two for our State of the Art: Utah series. Man, this Metal scene is replete with really, really good bands! I have run into so many, as a matter of fact, I am putting back a number of them for review later. A month will simply not cover everything that has caught my ear while looking for bands to cover in Utah! Seriously, if you are looking for new music, do a search for “Utah Metal” on Google, ReverbNation, Spotify, Soundcloud, Bandcamp or whatever you use and rest assured you will be rewarded with a plethora of killer bands for any musical palate. My next band is so good that I was hooked from the first song I heard, “I, Machine”. Any band that drops something that hits this hard musically and emotionally cannot be a fluke! I was not disappointed. While “I, Machine” remains my favorite, as well as the band’s, everything is else is great as well. The band is Tr3ason and they are one of Metal’s future shining stars!

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Review: DOMKRAFT ‘The End of Electricity’ [Stream]

I’ve always been big on Swedish bands and that does not change here with Domkraft. Domkraft, hailing from Stockholm, Sweden have outdone themselves with this splendid new release. They manage to take that doom/stoner feel and grab you by the throat, asking for your full attention for the complete duration of the album. The End of Electricity, coming out on November 11th on Magnetic Eye Records, is a stellar follow up to their debut self-titled album released in October of 2013. The group continues to get better, and this is no exception, it is a very powerful, gripping record. Continue reading

OOLUU Release Video For “Polyvalence” [Video]

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We recently reviewed OOLUU’s new album ‘Ophus’. You can read that review here. The band has released a brand new video from that album. The video is for the song “Polyvalence” which is one of the slowed down more emotional tracks on the album. The video was recorded and edited by hX. The video takes an abstract artistic approach to relaying Ooluu’s vision of this song. The video along with the somber melodies of the track work well to truly capture the songs lyrical content. Enjoy the video below and read the lyrics as well.  Continue reading

Review: No Gods No Masters ‘Fear In a Handful of Dust’ [Stream]

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No Gods No Masters was formed in 2013 in the Netherlands. By the sound of the band you may think that they are from the swamps of Louisiana, as most sludge bands hail from. However, these guys aren’t lacking anything when it comes to sound. The band has brought sludge to the Netherlands. They aren’t your ordinary sludge band, they know what they do and they do it well. The band released a self-titled EP in January of 2013 and it received rave reviews. That EP was released via Torn Flesh Records. Recently, No Gods No Masters have finished recording their debut album ‘Fear In a Handful of Dust’. At the moment the band does not have a label but is negotiating with labels and plan to release on a label in the upcoming months. The album was recorded by Michiel Toenink (Total Infection, Devious) and Olaf Skoreng been mixed and mastered by JB Van Der Wal (Herder, Korpse, Ditch) at the Hewwetover studio. The album released March 4th, 2016. Don’t let the above picture of these gentlemen fool you in their nicest attire, their music is pure gritty, dirty sludge that we all know and love. Continue reading

Colin Tench Project: “Hair In A G-String (Unfinished But Sweet)”, The Prog Mad Hatter!

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A domino falls and strikes another, causing a chain reaction that continues until there are no dominoes left to fall. Such is the case with this review of Hair in a G-String (Unfinished but Sweet) by the U.K. artists in the Colin Tench Project. Mr. Tench is also known for his work with Corvus Stone and, wait for it, Coalition. There it is! The first domino! After recently reviewing Coalition’s spectacular new release, Bridge Across Time, I was offered a listen to Colin’s solo project, which is due for CD release on the 28th of November. Refuse new music that is related to a newly found gem? Nah, I’ll pass… Yeah right! Keep believing that! Hell yes I am interested. In a single listen, I was sold. Killer guitar? Check. Good song-writing skills? Absolutely. Entertaining? In freaking spades and in a manner few albums have been able to. So, as he so eloquently puts it on his website: “Who the hell is Colin Tench?”

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EAGLESON Release Video For Self-Titled Track! [Video]

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Canadian rockers, EAGLESON is powerful four piece act band. The band formed in 2011 and have perfected their sound. They have had some lineup changes, but the bands vision is now more clear. Eagleson has released a video for the self-titled song “Eagleson” which they recorded themselves. The band is on the brink of recording their second EP. The forthcoming EP will be the follow up to their previous release ‘White Buffalo’. This hard-hitting single outlines their story in getting to where they are now. The band has an overall rock feel, with some stoner elements. The vocals have this grit to them that keeps you craving more. We are very anxious to see what else this band has to offer and we look forward to the upcoming release of their EP. Continue reading

GWAR: ORGASMAGEDDON Comic Series Has Exclusive Rewards For Kickstarter Contributors!

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The out of this galaxy band GWAR need your help to conquor the world through art. Due to massive demand – GWAR: ORGASMAGEDDON, a fun and blood-drenched 4-issue full-color comic book series now on Kickstarter, unveils a ton more new and exciting limited edition rewards to bestow upon loyal backers. They aren’t expecting you to give your hard earned currency for nothing either, and they have some sweet treats for people that help out. New rewards include a second Kickstarter exclusive GWAR T-shirt, signed art and merchandise from the band, original painted art from the band, and very rare prints of new GWAR art from artists Stephen Blickenstaff (the artist behind the iconic The Cramps “Bad Music for Bad People” album cover art), Chris Pyrate, and Tom Neeley. More art to be revealed later this week from artist Kyle Strahm. The comic series is blowing up Kickstarter, raking in a whopping $32,000 in less than two weeks, and is written by the cosmic shock rock legends GWAR, co-writer Matt Miner (Toe Tag Riot, Critical Hit), artist Jonathan Brandon Sawyer (Welcome Back, Critical Hit), colorist Marissa Louise (RoboCop, Escape from New York), letterer Taylor Esposito (The Paybacks, Red Hood and the Outlaws) and editor Brendan Wright (Archie vs. Predator, Grindhouse: Doors Open at Midnight). Continue reading

We Explore Animals As Leaders “The Madness Of Many”

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Formed in 2007 by guitarist Tosin Abassi, Los Angeles native, Animals as Leaders’ music has become a staple among instrumental/instrumental guitar-based heavy Progressive Rock fans throughout the world. The collective chins of guitarists everywhere simultaneously hit the floor when their self-titled album hit the presses in 2009 which elevated Animals as Leaders into the spotlight as one of the premiere instrumental bands in the world. Upping their game in 2011, Weightless was released to critical and fan acclaim everywhere. Staying on schedule with an album release every three years, The Joy of Motion was released in 2014 which put them on the Billboard charts in position 23, a whopping jump of 69 spots from the previous album’s placing. An extremely impressive showing for any band, much less from a band sans vocalist and bass player. This successful run is about to continue with Animals as Leaders release of The Madness of Many on November 11, 2016 on Sumerian Records and also saves fans an additional year’s wait for more of what they have grown to love.

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State Of The Art: Utah – Cult Leader

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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 Utah!

Cult Leader was formed in 2013 by 3 members of the band Gaza. The band Gaza was legendary in their region, and created some of the most fierce music I’ve heard. By far one of my personal favorite bands. Gaza was active for 9 years, from 2004 to 2013. The band had elements of mathcore, sludge and grindcore in their sound and some of those elements have their way to Cult Leader. In addition to some of the already influences they also add a progressive twist to their new band. The band has released two EPs and one album. The first EP ‘Nothing for Us Here’ was released in 2014 and June of 2015 saw the release of their second EP ‘Useless Animal’. Cult Leader wasted no time putting out a full length which they released in October of 2015 titled ‘Lightless Walk’. All 3 of their records have been released via Deathwish Inc. which is owned by Converge’s vocalist Jacob Bannon. Cult Leader has quickly become one of my favorite bands.

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