LOUDER THAN LIFE 2019: Friday [Review & Photo Gallery]

After being forced into a flood-induced sabbatical last year, LOUDER THAN LIFE 2019 roared back to life the last weekend of September. Over 50 artists and nearly 130,000 fans descended on Louisville, Kentucky’s Fair and Exposition Center, making Derby City the undisputed capital of the hard rock world (for at least a couple days). Your intrepid METAL NEXUS away team braved the teeming throngs and the suffocatingly oppressive heat, chasing slivers of shade while soaking in the sights and sounds in order to bring you these dispatches from the front lines of the biggest rock festival in America. Continue reading

Breathe In BLACK LUNG’S ‘Ancients’ [Album Preview Video]

Doom three-piece Black Lung have returned with their new record, Ancients, via Ripple Music. Formed in Baltimore during the winter of 2014 by Adam Bufano and Elias Schutzman (founding members of The Flying Eyes) with multi-instrumentalist Dave Cavalier (Snakefeast). Creating a loud, effects-driven sound, they used their doom influences with touches of palatable melody. After the release of their self-titled album, they were named Best New Band by the Baltimore City Paper in 2015. In that same year, they went across the pond to Europe, playing Rockpalast Crossroads Festival (which was broadcast on German television), Freak Valley, and Desertfest Belgium. This is where they shared the stage with doomsters Graveyard, Dead Meadow, and All Them Witches. In 2016, they came back with a second full-release, See The Enemy, an album that put them on the map as a rising band. Now with more songs written, they went into the studio with Frank “The Punisher” Marchand (The Obsessed, Borracho) and came out with a sharper tuned-up sound.

Right off the bat, I am glad that they did not use distorted vocals on this album. Although I do enjoy distorted reverb vocals from stoner rock/metal and alternative artists occasionally, I think it can limit the songs. Dave Cavalier does great vocal work on this album, without making it sound like they are playing in a tin can. It feels cleaner, and it’s refreshing. That’s not to say I don’t love the guitar tone created by effects for this album. “Mother of the Sun” was an inviting first track with an intro that acts almost as an introductory track, without becoming too exhausting. The title track is really groovy and has a partnership between riff and chorus that will get in your head (in a good way, not a Bachman-Turner Overdrive kind of way). “Gone” is a fun track that has solos woven in and out of it, blended with another catchy riff. The album slows down with the heavier tone of “Badlands”, a song that radiates a Spaghetti Western aesthetic. Just when you think the track is ending, it pans out into an atmospheric jam. This album is a nice turn for Black Lung, making their sound a little more accessible without still being very heavy in the right places. I would recommend this to any hard rock fan who was looking for something heavier, as a stepping stone even heavier music.

Ancients will be released March 8 via Ripple Music (North America, Asia, and Australia) and March 22 on Noisolution (the UK and Europe). To preorder the album go here, and follow Black Lung on Facebook and Bandcamp

My AFTERSHOCK FESTIVAL 2018 Experience, Part Two [Review & Photo Gallery]

System Of A Down

Photos By: Johnnie Crow [Instagram, Twitter, Facebook]

Continuing on with my Aftershock Festival 2018 experience for day two, we entered the venue on Sunday at around 12:30 PM to catch Amigo the Devil performing on the Monster Stage. With our media credentials already taken care of, the entry process went far smoother than it did on Saturday. Thankfully, were able to simply walk right through the gate. Continue reading

Aftershock 2018 Spotlight: ALL THEM WITCHES [Video Stream]

*This is part of our “Aftershock Festival 2018 Spotlight” where we branch out and focus on some of the up-and-coming bands that fans can see at this year’s Aftershock Festival on October 13th & 14th.  This week, we’re checking out ALL THEM WITCHES.*

Bringing their awesome brand of psychedelic/stoner rock to the stage at this year’s Aftershock Festival is Nashville’s own All Them Witches. Since forming in 2012, the band has been quite prolific with recording. They have four full-length studio albums released – with their recently reviewed self-titled LP set to drop later this month – plus multiple EP’s, live albums, and singles for fans to check out.  Their sound often has a retro quality and rawness that allows the music to breathe organically without the filter of flashy studio polish. The stony vibe will have you reaching to turn on your lava lamp and blacklight as you trip out to The Doors-esque, groovy keyboard jams on tracks such as “Fishbelly 86 Onions” from the band’s upcoming album. Continue reading

Review: ALL THEM WITCHES – ‘All Them Witches’ [Track Stream]

They have evolved once again. All Them Witches are a versatile, psych-rock group that come from Nashville, Tennessee. They are comprised of vocalist/bassist Michael Parks Jr., guitarist Ben Mcleod, drummer Robby Staebler, and performing for the first time for the band on a record, keyboardist Jonathan Draper, replacing Allan Van Cleave from the band’s previous four albums. Their new self-titled, self-produced album is being released on September 28th with the help from New West Records. Continue reading

PRIMUS, MASTODON, ALL THEM WITCHES In Nashville, TN [Review & Photo Gallery]

Primus

The city of Nashville, Tennessee has always been a household name for famous music cities around the globe; as a matter of fact it may just be the music CAPITOL of the world. Legendary venues such as the Grand Ole Opry have hosted some of the most famous names in music like Johnny Cash and Chet Atkins, but there’s no shortage of Metal in the country music capitol of the world. On May 15th, 2018, the Primus rolled into town on their summer tour with support from Mastodon and All Them Witches at the Nashville Municipal Auditorium. The tour started on May 6th in Denver, Colorado and ends on July 7th in Phoenix, Arizona.

All Them Witches

Getting the night started off the RIGHT way, All Them Witches didn’t hesitate to make their presence felt early. As an opening band, you don’t have a lot of room on stage to perform, but for these three gentlemen, space was not an issue. Sludgy, muddy guitar tones and thunderous drums roaring throughout the venue set the tone for the rest of what was an incredible bill to be a part of. Their set was incredibly well received for an opening band, and if you weren’t a fan going into the show, you definitely were when you left.

Mastodon

Rolling into the second performance, the mighty Mastodon showed Nashville why they are some of the masters of their craft. Intelligent songwriting, cut throat guitar and bass tones, and the bouncing vocals of all the members roar through the speakers and bring Nashville off their feet. Their set was diverse, containing songs from multiple records released through their storied career. From the ominous chimes on the intro of the opening song, “Sultan’s Curse,” to the heavy outro to the final song, “Steambreather,” both off their new record, ‘Emperor of Sand,’ Mastodon proved why hardships in their personal lives served as fuel for them to continue on to make music that pleases them and all their fans, and they proved it with a murky stage presence. Mastodon are veterans of the road and made sure Nashville left this concert with a new favorite artist.

Primus

The headliner of the evening, Primus, brought that of what you expect from a band of this stature. Opening their set with, “Too Many Puppies,” every voice in the auditorium was singing along with Les Claypool and moshing along to the complex rhythmic patterns of Primus’ music. At this point, it’s hard to not love this band, or at least heard of them. Technical difficulties on Ler’s end at one point couldn’t even stop them from performing. An impromptu bass solo from Claypool along with comedic stories kept Nashville enthused the entire night. The stage presence of Tim Alexander is astounding even behind his mountain of drums, along with in your face rhythms that are the core part of Primus’ music. All the fans were engaged throughout every song, and even at lower points of the evening, the cheery Nashville crowd were involved with every set, singing along, moshing and pushing, proving why their city is THE music capitol of the world even for this genre.

Editor’s Top 25 Albums of 2015!

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It has been very hard to narrow down all the albums released this year into 25 selections and even harder to put them in order. Some of these albums came as a surprise to me and some I just can’t seem to put down, I love each and every one of these albums for some particular reason. If you haven’t heard one or several of these albums I highly suggest you give them a shot. Continue reading

All Them Witches Release New Song [Streaming]

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All Them Witches are preparing for another release after their sophomore album “Lightning At The Door” really turned heads. The band has saw success with their retro sound which helps them stand apart from the slew of other bands that are flooding the market. The band has successfully scored a slot on the Louder Than Life festival in Louisville, Kentucky that is usually more mainstream rock and metal. This may be a sign that the band is breaking into the mainstream, but at the same time able to maintain the sound we all grew to love. The band is set to release their 3rd album “Dying Surfer Meets His Maker”, on October 30 via New West Records. They have released a new song from the album (which is streaming below) titled “Dirt Preachers”. The song is more of exactly what any All Them Witches fan would want.

Continue reading

All Them Witches

All Them Witches

All Them Witches

 

   Rising out of the country music capital of the world, All Them Witches formed in 2012 and quickly became one of our favorite bands. They released their second album entitled “Lightning at the Door” in 2014 and it’s an album that never grows old. They can be called anything from desert rock, stoner rock, to psychedelic. The sound they create is like a potluck, where everyone in the band brings something to the table. Last year’s release is going to be hard to compete with in regards to a follow up, but they announced they have been working on their 3rd release. Unlike “Lightning at the Door” the 3rd All Them Witches album will not be self-released, as they recently signed with New West Records. They have been making the festival rounds this year as they just played Bonnaroo on June 13th and have been added to the Louder Than Life festival taking the stage on October 3rd in Louisville, Kentucky. They are by far one of the best bands on the bill that is filled with other big names. Not only is the music they play different from some of the rest that will be playing at the festival, but you can expect them to have a breakthrough live performance that will leave you wanting more. They are a raw talent that has a beautiful and unpolished sound that is sure to create fans by the masses. Festival goers who aren’t familiar with the band will be pleasantly surprised and we think All Them Witches will be leaving Kentucky with a much larger fan base. They are just one of many reasons to attend the festival this year as we will continue to showcase the bands appearing at Louder Than Life.

 

 

http://www.allthemwitches.org/

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Get tickets to Louder Than Life: http://louderthanlifefestival.com/tickets/

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