Meshuggah Releases New Lyric Video For ‘Born In Dissonance’

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Cover art Keerych Luminokaya

With the October 7th release of their eighth LP, The Violent Sleep of Reason on the Nuclear Blast record label looming on the horizon, Sweden’s Meshuggah has put out a brand new lyric video for their latest single entitled “Born In Dissonance”. Dressed in doomed, End of Days garb, this new track gives us a taste of what to expect from the widely regarded beasts of the most extreme end of the Progressive Metal spectrum. If this is the teaser, the whole work is sure to be among Meshuggah’s best and heaviest releases to date. Lyrics were written by drummer Tomas Haake and were intended to conjure images of the Biblical apocalypse, as stated to Rolling Stone. It definitely has that dark, oppressive feel of getting your soul stomped to dust by the Four Horsemen of the Apocolypse or being dragged through a Giger nightmare. The new album was not, however inspired by a Giger painting, but by Francisco Goya’s “The Sleep of Reason Produces Monsters” (1799) and was rehearsed for over two months before heading to the studio assuring us that these known perfectionists have everything covered to their ear-splitting and bone-crushing signature sound. I, for one, cannot wait for The Violent Sleep of Reason. Hell, I’m not even tired any of their older releases yet!

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Francisco Goya’s “The Sleep of Reason Produces Monsters” (1799)

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Review Of Sabaton’s Masterpiece: ‘The Last Stand’

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Sabaton is:

Joakim Brodén: vocals and keyboards

Pär Sundström: bass and backing vocals

Chris Rörland: guitar and backing vocals

Thobbe Englund: guitar and backing vocals (recently replaced by Tommy Johansson )

Hannes van Dahl: drums

Rob Halford: guest vocals on “All Guns Blazing“

Recorded April – May 2016, Abyss Studios, Sweden

Peter Tägtgren: Producer

Sabaton’s eighth album “The Last Stand” was recently released on the Nuclear Blast record label and sets a new standard for Progressive Power Metal. This is another of Sabaton’s signature, history based concept albums and does not disappoint. Intelligent, well thought out and brilliantly written, “The Last Stand” is a formidable album following the critic and fan acclaimed “Heroes” in 2014. This is growth in a very positive direction.

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Review Of Medevil’s Killer Debut ‘Conductor Of Storms”

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Conductor of Storms

Medevil. Chilliwack, British Columbia’s favored Metal sons and top six finalist in the 2015 Wacken Metal Battle Canada are about to drop their debut release of Conductor of Storms. We recently got our grubby paws on this beast and it has impressed a number of us here on the MN staff. Never heard of them? Let’s start with introductions…

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State of the Art: Lust for Glory

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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 Washington!

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Just about everyone likes Led Zeppelin, Black Sabbath, The Eagles, old Aerosmith, Blue Oyster Cult and other late sixties/early seventies Hard Rock favorites. If you like Rock in any form, you are not likely to find friends with similar tastes saying they hate these bands, right? Heavy riffs, bluesy, heavy hitting solos, blasting drums and booming bass lines were the foundations for everything that we listen to today, much of it having direct underpinnings paying homage to these gods. As good as the music has always been, the live shows were where all of the glory was, however. Festivals that lasted weeks in a time of free love, fun Rock ‘n Roll and overt illicit drug use are pillars on which today’s Metal grounds itself. Such is the case with my SOTA band this week. Lust for Glory flies in the face of just about everything modern in favor of their Lo-Fi take on what music should be.

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Ted Nugent & Grimsley Rose At Eastern Kentucky Exposition Center

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Ted Nugent

Rock N Roll was alive and well Friday night in Pikeville, Kentucky. The coal mining town doesn’t often see kick ass rock bands like Ted Nugent and Grimsley Rose. The town usually sways more toward country and bluegrass when it comes to music. But not on this faithful night. The crowd was pumped before the first note was struck at the East Kentucky Exposition Center. Ted of course is touring in support of his 2014 release ‘Shut Up And Jam’ which features one of the best rock songs released in quite a while. “She’s Gone” featuring the Red Rocker himself Sammy Hagar. The honor of opening the show went to a rock band that consisted of Kentucky born musicians. The members hailing from various towns around the Bluegrass State like London, Paintsville and Salyersville they pretty much felt at home in Pikeville.

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Grimsley Rose

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A Killer Interview With Houston’s Love N War

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Love N War is a killer, Hard Rock/Heavy Metal outfit based out of Houston, TX that has been packing venues for years. Very popular, with a very cool, vintage Metal vibe, they are poised to explode onto the world stage. I recently was able to catch up with these vintage Metal monsters to get their perspective on the band, their music and where they are going. Enjoy what they had to say in our interview with this up and coming band.

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Psychoprism Sets The Power Metal Standard Outside The Stratosphere

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Bands form for a lot of reasons and have limitless paths to success. Growing up surrounded by musicians and naturally forming a band, churches or other like groups that need music, studio players or substitute band members that are taken on tours with bands they have recorded with and kept for one extenuating circumstance or another; the list goes on and on. Sometimes a band’s story is as good as their music. Such is the case with a completely sick band called Psychoprism out of New York/New Jersey.

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Fifth Freedom “Heartbreak & Hellfire” Review!

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Photo Credit: Sugar Skull Photography

Photo Credit: Sugar Skull Photography

A few months ago I let you know about a band that is bringing good old fashioned rock n roll back to its rightful place at the top. Fifth Freedom call Portland, Maine home, but their roots are most certainly in the South. The band has the type of guitar work that will bring you to your knees. The term “Fifth Freedom” is a permit to disregard to any law to accomplish the mission, and that’s exactly what the band does. Regardless what is popular the band has set its sights on their sound, put their hearts into it and journeyed forward. As a listener and fan I’m already thankful for what they have done for music. They are already reaping the rewards as they have an incredible fan base both in their home state and across the country. The band recently released their sophomore record “Heartbreak & Hellfire”, a follow up to their self-titled debut from 2014. The album was recorded with Jon Wyman at The Halo Studios and mastered by Grammy Award winning mastering engineer, Adam Ayan and the renowned Gateway Mastering Studios in Portland, Maine. The songs on the album are a window into frontman Alan Jones’s soul. The heart wrenching and powerful lyrics play right along with the bluesy American rock n roll sound they have so gracefully created. Continue reading →

Progressive Metal At Its Very Best – The Arbitrary

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If you are like me, you think “The Big Easy”, Mardi Gras, Cajun food, Tulane or Katrina when New Orleans is mentioned, right? Well, it is also considered the birthplace of Jazz, in all of its wonderful variants. Horns, tubas, upright bass, snare drums, accordions; often played in the streets as part of a festival or parade. Sue me. I love it all (mostly traditional Bop and Hard Bop). You get my point. But, you ask yourself, this is a Metal site, correct? This is where things go a little sideways, because there is a new name in Progressive Metal that was born and bred in this same city at the end of the Mississippi River. Hold on tight because, The Arbitrary is about to change your perception of New Orleans music.

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The Beautifully Rough Edges Of Layden And The Lion

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Being involved with music and musicians is a real blessing. I have gotten to meet and speak to long time heroes that have kept me sane for as long as I can remember as well as discover new music by just showing up at a show just because I need a break from my life for a couple of hours. These are also the shows that I have met and gained so many new friends that I am grateful to be surrounded by today. I don’t mind driving a few hours to see bands coming through that I have reviewed because, as you know, our staff only covers what we like (we are a diverse group, so most music is going to be liked by at least one of us). Such was the case when I was recently on vacation in Louisiana. I have worked extensively with Chelle Nelson of Rawk Promotions out of Dallas so when presented the opportunity to hit a show with her and her husband, I took it. Turns out, it is a small world because I got to see and meet Space Ape, who Dragon had already reviewed (Space Ape) and a new band out of Lafayette, LA/Santa Rosa Beach, FL called Layden and the Lion, who I think deserves some serious attention. Continue reading →