Simon Says Die: Vancouver Death Metal

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Modern Death Metal is alive and well from one corner of the United States to the other. The emerging band Simon Says Die from Vancouver, WA definitely has the upper, West Coast covered in this respect. Originating as a one-time show act in 2011 by guitarists Sean “The Beard” Bowden and Josh Bridge, Simon Says Die was born.

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State of the Art: Dreaming Dead

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

This month’s State is California!

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Coming to us from Los Angeles, CA this week is the killer, Melodic Death Metal band Dreaming Dead. Founded by front-woman vocalist and exceptional guitarist Elizabeth Schall and drummer Mike Caffell in 2006, this band has garnered fans from around the world and has toured much of the United States, but generally plays in the Southern and Mid-California areas. Comprising the rest of the band is guitarist Chris McCarthy and former Manslaughter bass player William Palacios-Toledo.

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Forsaken Memoriam – From Greece, With Perfection…

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Forsaken Memoriam: Forsaken Memoriam, Artwork by Neopithecus Illustration

Damn! Greece’s Stoner band scene continues to impress our staff! From Heraklion, Forsaken Memoriam is the latest in an ever-growing stream of winning bands we have had the pleasure to review.

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State of the Art: Omery Rising

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

This month’s State is California!

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Omery (N): The God of Heavy Metal; with armor of leather and the Power of Metal, He ruled the Earth and Sea…  And now his time has come to rise again and bring back True Heavy Metal.  With thunder and lightning he shakes the sky.  Omery will rise, but he shall never die!

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Columbus, Ohio: Slayer, Testament, Carcass @ Express Live!

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Slayer playing shows by themselves is more than enough to get metal heads out to a show. When you add Testament and Carcass to the bill that makes the tour a must see. Any of these 3 bands could headline a show or festival and draw a massive crowd. I knew we were in store for a massive turnout at Express Live in Columbus, Ohio. The first band of the night to take the stage was the Liverpool band Carcass. They quickly came out and got the crowd’s attention opening the show with their song “Unfit for Human Consumption”. When you are in the crowd it’s always great to catch a guitar pick, drum stick or really anything the band throws out at you. Bassist and singer Jeff Walker threw out more picks that night than I have ever seen anyone throw. The crowd kept growing and growing with each song Carcass played. By the time they were playing “Cadaver Pouch Conveyor System” there wasn’t even enough room to scratch your own ass. Carcass sounded flawless on stage. Note after note everything was perfection. It’s always amazing when the opening band is on stage and they blow you away. Carcass then played one of my favorite songs which is “Heartwork” the title track of their 1993 release. The song just has this fast paced shredding guitar riffs that flow into some slowed down groove section of the song makes you want to move around the mosh pit and tackle people. I am not the only person that feels this way, because during this song the pit was going absolutely insane. Continue reading

Review: ACE FREHLEY – ORIGINS VOL.1 (Track Streaming)

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Legendary former KISS axeman Ace Frehley is back at it again! This time paying homage to songs and artists that inspired him to become the “Space Ace” that he is today. “ORIGINS VOL. 1” is a high energy collection of rock ‘n roll classics re-purposed and repacked by the Spaceman giving them all a fresh new sound like only Ace can. Coming fresh off of a Billboard 200 Top 10 release with 2014’s SPACE INVADER (the only KISS related solo album to accomplish that feat) Ace keeps the momentum rolling with his latest offering that will hit the streets April 15th 2016 via eOne Entertainment.

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Joe Satriani “Surfing To Shockwave”: The Florida Theater, Jacksonville, FL

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It has been many, many years since last seeing Mr. Satriani (I believe it was the “Surfing With the Alien” tour in Louisville, KY; back when he had hair for you younger folks), so this was a particular thrill for me. Being self-identified as a guitar nerd, I have however kept up with all of his music and love everything he has produced.  I was about ready to come out of my skin waiting for him to take the stage…

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Interview with THE Kurdt Vanderhoof of Metal Church

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When we asked to review the pre-release of “XI” for Metal Nexus (Please see: Metal Church “XI”, for the review), we had no idea that Metal Church would be so gracious as to offer us an interview. When we found out that the interview was going to be personally handled by Kurdt Vanderhoof himself, there was collective gasp among the staff. The Man himself! We are truly honored!

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Byzantine Set to Announce New Drummer

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West Virginia’s kings of metal Byzantine have been without a drummer for a short period of time now. The band released their latest album ‘To Release Is to Resolve’ in February. The single “The Agonies” received major air play on Sirius XM and was on their top 10 list for a substantial amount of time. The band has always been the metal underdog and this album helped show how truly great they are and helped give them the respect they deserve. Chris “OJ” Ojeda (guitar, vocals) is one of the most down to earth people you will ever meet. Not long after they toured in support of the new album it was announced in December that the band had parted ways with drummer Matt Wolfe. They were quick to announce try outs for a new drummer. The following was posted on the Byzantine facebook page: Continue reading

Lord Almighty Announce April Tour!

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The backwoods metal band Lord Almighty is about to take their show on the road. Departing their home in Boston and bringing the unique sound they create to a venue near you. If you haven’t had the chance to hear the band you are doing yourself a great injustice. The style they play is truly their own as I previously described in the review of their album “Paths” (Read review here). The band doesn’t try to imitate anyone and have some of the most original music I’ve heard in recent years. If you want something that isn’t generic and stands out from all the other metal flooding the scene make sure to check these guys out on tour. They are spending the whole month of April on the road, so if you have an opportunity to see them don’t let it pass you by. You won’t be disappointed. Continue reading