Album Review: Behemoth “I Loved You At Your Darkest”

Behemoth is just one of those bands that really do not require an introduction.  Spawning from pure darkness in Gdansk Poland in 1991 and emerging on to the black metal scene with raw, unfiltered ferocity, they maintained this style with heathen lyrical content into the late 90’s where they shifted to occult, and thelemic inspiration and showed that they could also be a reckoning force in the death metal scene with the release of “Satanica. At this time the world also quickly came to realize that Behemoth was unique in it’s own way thanks to the drum styling of Inferno, multi layered vocals and some middle eastern influence. Behemoth is now comprised of Nergal (vocals/guitar), Orion (bass/vocals), and Inferno (drums).  There are plenty of those who would like to say that Behemoth is a blackened death metal project, but Nergal prefers to consider them without a label, which to me is completely acceptable when facing a true artist who does in no way conform to the status quo. Behemoth has released 10 studio albums since conception, and tomorrow, October 5th 2018, they grace the world with their 11th release “I Loved You At Your Darkest” via Metal Blade Records. Continue reading

How to Pass Cisco CCNP Routing and Switching Certification Exams in the First Attempt

How to Pass Cisco CCNP Routing and Switching Certification Exams in the First Attempt

If you want to become a networking professional in the IT industry, then the Cisco Certified Network Professional CCNP courses are the best to choose. Out of the various certifications that Cisco offers, the Routing and Switching certification is highly sought after because it means you can easily install and operate a Cisco WS-C3850-24T-S Networking Switch as well as other Cisco devices. This certification helps to prove a candidate’s ability to implement, plan, verify as well as troubleshoot LAN and WAN systems and work in a collaborative environment with expert on voice, advanced security, video and wireless solutions. To excel in the field of networking, you must take up the CCNP Routing and Switching Certification. For this, you should have at least a year’s work experience, and then you can use this certification for advanced learning Cisco CCNP SWITCH 300-115 Practice Test. Continue reading

Grand RockTember VI Day 3: AUTOGRAPH, LYNCH MOB, HERICANE ALICE, TUFF, QUEENSRYCHE, TESLA

Tesla

Minnesota’s own HERICANE ALICE opened up the final day. In 1990 they released “Tear The House Down” and we got some of the great cuts off that album. The band is fronted by Bruce Naumann and also features Johnny Holiday (guitar), Johnny (Super J) Keyte (Bass) and Jerry Babcock (drums). The band opened with a cover of “Radar Love” but the crowd really reacted to “Tear The House Down” and “Wild, Young, and Crazy”. There is new material on the way and I know a lot of people looking forward to that. They were a great way to get the day started.

Tuff

The Stevie Rachelle lead TUFF brought a great show to the stage next. Flanked by founding member Todd Chase on bass the band opened with “God Bless This Mess”. The roster was filled out with Jimi Lord on drums and Billy Morris on guitar. They were a lot of fun and Rachelle’s personality kept you dialed in. Some songs that made the playlist included “Spit Like This”, “Ruck A Pit Bridge” and “In Dogs We Trust”. Stevie gave a nice shout-out to Nicci Wikkid and dedicated “Good Guys Wear Black” to him. He was the guitarist for one of Minnesota’s most loved metal bands, Slave Raider, and sadly past away recently. “The All New Generation” and the anthem “American Hair Band” brought the TUFF gang’s time on the stage to an end.

Autograph

AUTOGRAPH launched into “Deep End” and then “Loud and Clear” to get people moving. Steve Lynch (guitar) and Randy Rand (bass) have been waving the Autograph flag since the beginning and have recruited drummer Marc Weiland and singer Simon Daniels to carry the band forward. They released a new album in 2017 called “Get Off Your Ass” and showcased the title track along with “Every Generation” and “You Are Us, We Are You” during the set. It’s hard to imagine an AUTOGRAPH without a Steve Plunkett on vocals but I’ve seen this line-up multiple times now and they have won me over. Daniels is a true talent and his vocals play well with the Autograph catalog. Your not leaving an AUTOGRAPH show until you get the built in closer, “Turn Up The Radio”, and it still consumes everybody within earshot of it.

Lynch Mob

George Lynch would make his second appearance of the Festival with LYNCH MOB. “Street Fighting Man” was the opener and then they jumped into “She’s Evil But She’s Mine” and “River Of Love”. Nathan Utz handled the vocals while Sean McNabb (bass) and Scot Cogan (drums) took on the rhythm section. A couple highlights for me were “Tangled In The Web” as loved that second LYNCH MOB record and the DOKKEN cover of “When Heaven Comes Down”. I not sure I’ve ever heard that song sound so heavy and epic, it was brilliant. Utz was very entertaining and was all over the stage and George put in another great performance to follow up the DOKKEN show the night before. The rest of the set included “Mr. Scary”, “It’s Not Love”, “No Good”, and the closer “Wicked Sensation”.

Queensryche

QUEENSRYCHE struck gold when they were able to replace Geoff Tate with Todd LaTorre. He is a true talent with a voice that perfectly fits within the bands sound. Every time I see them I’m still amazed how seamless that transition was. Michael Wilton on guitar and Eddie Jackson on bass are the only original members playing with the band now. Scott Rockenfield is still listed in the band but hasn’t played with them in some time as Casey Grillo has been filling in behind the kit. Guitarist Parker Lundgren was absent and Mike Stone took over those duties for the evening. The band opened with “Best I Can” with a rousing response from the crowd. I like hearing the stuff from the pre-mindcrime era and we got a few, “The Whisper”, “Queen Of The Reich”, “Take Hold Of The Flame” and “Screaming In Digital”. The staples of every set were also present in the forms of “Silent Lucidity”, “Empire”, and “Jet City Woman”. These guys never sound bad and they played a great set that was capped off with “Eyes Of A Stranger”.

Tesla

TESLA would close out the three-day festival. These guys seem to never come off the road and remain one of the busiest rock bands out there. With a ton of great material to choose from, the band opened with “I Wanna Live” and then “Hang Tough” and “Heaven’s Trail (No Way Out)“. There isn’t much left to say that hasn’t already been said but TESLA is simply a great rock-n-roll band. Jeff Keith on vocals, Brian Wheat on bass, Troy Luccketta on drums, and the twin guitar attack of Frank Hannon and Dave Rude powers the TESLA machine. The crowd loved every minute of the set that also included an acoustic section that included “Cumin’Atcha Live/Truckin’”, “Lazy Days, Crazy Nights”, “Paradise” and the ultimate sing-along song “Signs”. All the usual hits like “Love Song”, “What You Give” and “Little Suzi” were played but it was “Mama’s Fool” and “Edison’s Medicine (Man Out Of Time)” that got my attention. A perfect ending to the event was TESLA filling the nighttime air with “Modern Day Cowboy” and I’m sure I’m not alone in that thought.

Grand RockTember VI comes to an end after three days of some of the most iconic material written from a time period that so many hold near and dear to their hearts. The guessing game is already in progress to who will be on the bill in 2019 as hotels are already being booked for next years pilgrimage to the Grand Casino in Hinckley, MN. Let the countdown begin…

 

State Of The Art: Rhode Island’s THE LOW CARDS [Album Stream]

Photo Credit: LittleOutdoorGiants

*This is part of our State Of The Art series, showcasing bands every Monday from the featured state. This month’s state is Rhode Island.*

Hailing from Providence, Rhode Island, The Low Cards are a bluesy, swamp-rock three piece band led by frontman, singer/songwriter/guitarist Dan Baker. Baker has been writing music himself for some time; he has three solo albums where his first was released back in 2008. The Low Cards came to be when Baker joined up with bassist Brian Jablonski, who actually plays an upright bass, and drummer Matt Slobogan. Their debut, self-titled album dropped on November 29, 2017 and was recorded entirely live at Machines with Magnets in Pawtucket, RI. They did this with the intention to capture the raw intensity of their sound, and boy did they ever accomplish that. The audio was mastered together by West West Side Music out of New Windsor, New York. At first glance, The Low Cards have some musical resemblance to The Black Keys and in one track off the record I’m pretty sure they really wanted to be Johnny Cash, but the more you listen, the more you realize that these guys have a genuine sound of their own that I can’t seem to get enough of.
Continue reading

State Of The Art: Rhode Island’s WREAK [Album Stream]


*This is part of our State Of The Art series, showcasing bands every Monday from the featured state. This month’s state is Rhode Island.*

Hailing from Providence, Rhode Island, Wreak have been bringing their unique brand of extreme music since January 2015. Just last month, the band released their second album ‘Perpetual Cycle of Uncertainty’ which contains six killer tracks. Sonically, Wreak is super intense while displaying strong influences of 80s thrash, grindcore, death, and anything else violent and insane you can think of. At times it’s a bit Morbid Angel or Pungent Stench, and at other times it’s got a bit more Napalm Death going on. When the blast beats and psychotic vocals really reach the extreme, their sound can enter into somewhat of an Anal Cunt vibe. Overall, Wreak is all about sheer destruction and their newest album is a great example of the fun and exciting intensity they bring to their performance. Continue reading

OTEP Announce The Art of Dissent U.S. Headlining Tour

 

This summer, heavy revolutionaries OTEP unleashed their most uncompromising, candid, all-inclusive and controversial assessment of the current residing political regime that they have ever released – the new album ‘Kult 45.’ In support of the album, OTEP recently announced her upcoming “The Art of Dissent” U.S. headline tour, kicking off in Bakersfield, CA on Friday, November 23. Tickets are available now via all venues – see below for a full listing of tour dates. Continue reading

BOURBON & BEYOND 2018 [Review & Photo Gallery]

David Byrne

Danny Wimmer Presents the second annual Bourbon and Beyond festival which made its way into Champions Park in Louisville, Kentucky. The grounds were setup with all kinds of different food vendors and they smelled great as soon as you walked through the gates. Every kind of bourbon you could desire was on hand. The VIP tent really made you feel at home with a huge bar, big screen TV’s with a live feed from the main stages, and plenty of tables and couches.

I didn’t know what to think of the weather. Just about everyone I saw had a poncho or rain suit and for good reason. On this cool, rainy, gloomy day in September, a day of live music, great food, and bourbon was upon us. The Bluegrass Situation Stage and the Mash Stage were home to the smaller side stages and the Barrell Stage and the Oak Stage were setup for the headlining acts. The first day had some heavy hitters with John Mayer, Sheryl Crow, and Lenny Kravitz. The Louisville crowd was setup for a great time. Continue reading

CHEVELLE Announces New Record “12 Bloody Spies: B-Sides and Rarities” Preorder Available Now!

Alternative rock veterans Chevelle have announced the release of 12 Bloody Spies: B-Sides and Rarities. This album will be a compilation of beloved B-sides and deep cuts from 2002-2016. The album is due out October 26 and available for preorder via Epic Records.

The preorder comes with access to the single “Sleep Walking Elite” from the Vera Sera sessions. This hook-filled riff adventure will be a nice treat for fans who thirst for classic Chevelle tracks. The full collection includes such tracks as an acoustic version of “Sleep Apnea” from Sci-Fi, the bonus tracks “Until You’re Reformed” from Wonder What’s Next, and “A Miracle” from The North Corridor. It will be sought-after gold for dedicated fans of Chevelle. Track list is below!  

Continue reading

Review: REVOCATION – ‘The Outer Ones’ [Tour Dates]

With all of the momentum of being in high gear for their last album, “Great Is Our Sin,” progressive death metal masters Revocation are back and screaming with a hellish, visceral vengeance with their latest chapter, “The Outer Ones.” The Boston extreme rockers are redefining and improving on the signature sound they’ve been crafting for years, with 5 genre-bending albums being released since 2005. Shane Frisby was the man behind the boards on this album to ensure the group got the most out of the tenacious and gut-wrenching death metal sound they were striving for. This amazing piece of work is being released under Metal Blade records on Friday, September 29th and we have your first look at it here. Continue reading