Exclusive Premier: THE FLOOR’S EMBRACE – ‘Monarch’ EP [Track Stream]

New England metalcore five-piece, The Floor’s Embrace are set to debut their first EP, ‘Monarch.’ Founded in 2014 in Braintree, Massachusetts, these guys have shared the stage with such acts as Suicide Silence, Upon a Burning Body, Feed Her to the Sharks, and Scale the Summit. With their sharply barbed sound, they have gained a fanbase by playing live shows around New England.

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Album Review: OBLIVION “The Path Towards…’ [Partial Album Stream + Video Stream]

It’s been over 3 years since the release of Oblivions critically acclaimed debut ‘Called To Rise’, and now their highly anticipated follow-up release is ready to be unleashed. ‘The Path Towards’ is the next exciting chapter for Oblivion in their odyssey of musical mastery, with internationally acclaimed composer (and Antagony founder) Dr. Nick Vasallo at the helm. Boasting not only an impeccable line-up itself*, ‘The Path Towards’ also features an all-star line-up of guest artists that include Karl Sanders (Nile, guest songwriter), Eddie Hermida (Suicide Silence/All Shall Perish, guest vocals), Enrico H. Di Lorenzo (Hideous Divinity, guest vocals), and Carlos Saldana (Connoisseur, guest vocals). This album also marks the return of Ben Orum (All Shall Perish and Antagony founder) and Nick Vasallo collaborating on music since Antagony’s debut album in 2001. ‘The Path Towards…’ is out November 17th via Unique Leader Records and is available to order here.

A follow-up is always a hard feat for many an artist, but with 2013’s debut having been crowned “the must-own album of 2013” by Metal Injection, and comments such as “the band’s eleven song display of nothing more than pure aggression with more musical depth than many bands can find in their entire discography” from Sputnik Music; Oblivion had already set the bar extremely high and left fans and media outlets alike with a burning desire for their sophomore release. Vasallos talents as an accomplished composer certainly bring a whole new dimension to the music, with this record giving off an overwhelming experience of boundary crossing metal at its finest. This release is arguably the most exciting death metal release of the year, giving off a lasting impression that we are listening to veterans in the death metal scene (despite in real terms only being early on in their career.) Continue reading

Chicago Open Air 2017 Day One: Kiss, Rob Zombie, Megadeth, The Dillinger Escape Plan, & More [Photo Gallery]

It has been a few days, but we are still recovering from an absolutely legendary weekend at Toyota Park. We witnessed several remarkable performances across the rock and metal genres from bands like Code Orange, The Dillinger Escape Plan, Clutch, Body Count, Godsmack, Amon Amarth, Avatar, and more. There were the classic artists like Ozzy Osbourne, Kiss, Megadeth, Anthrax, Slayer, and Metal Church while new comers like Aversed, Whores., Code Orange, Crobot, and more lit it up early in the day. Without these younger bands, there won’t be any of these festivals in the future, so make sure you get out early and support these young talents. The wide variety of bands playing the festival made for an eventful weekend as there was something for everyone attending. Today’s article will be about the performances on Friday. Before I dive into that, I’d like to talk about the other experiences at Chicago Open Air. Continue reading

Chicago Open Air Spotlight: SUICIDE SILENCE

*Every Tuesday and Thursday from now until Chicago Open Air gets here we will be releasing an article about a band playing the festival to get you familiar with them.*

Today’s artist is Suicide Silence.

On Friday, July 16th, deathcore legends Suicide Silence will be taking the stage at Chicago Open Air for their third Danny Wimmer Presents festival. They previously played Aftershock last October along with several other acts that day like Korn, Puscifer, Whitechapel, and more. They also just recently played Rock on the Range with Metallica, The Dillinger Escape Plan, and Amon Amarth. The band formed in 2002 in Riverside, California in 2002 and released their first full length album in 2007 titled ‘The Cleansing’. The record sold extremely well for a debut and showed that the band would be very successful in the future. “Unanswered” and “No Pity For A Coward” grew to be fan favorites. ‘No Time To Bleed’ followed this record in 2009. Songs like “Wake Up” and “Disengage” have become staples in Suicide Silence‘s live sets. In 2011, the band released their final record, ‘The Black Crown’, on Century Media and also their final record with frontman Mitch Lucker. Lucker passed away in 2012 after sustaining injuries in a motorcycle accident. It was announced a year later that the band would continue with a new vocalist. Continue reading

2017’s Most Anticipated Albums!

With 2016 just barely behind us we are looking at the upcoming releases in 2017. Some of these albums already have specific release dates and titles and some haven’t been announced yet. These albums are not only by bands that we like but a release in which the band is reuniting or hasn’t released an album in a while, or just an album we think will have a huge impact on the band’s career. The albums that follow are in no specific order and our staff has all had input on the albums in which they think are the most anticipated of 2017.

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