SUMO CYCO the Hamilton, Ontario four-piece is fronted by former teen sensation, Juno nominee, and Capitol Records artist Skye Sweetnam, but SUMO CYCO have proven they are nothing but uniquely authentic. Reincarnating as her alter ego, “Sever”, Sweetnam left her bubble-gum past behind and embraced her true calling – heavy rock with an electrifying twist. Continue reading
Why People Criticize Metal Music: A Look
Do you feel your head throbbing and heart pumping out of beat when you listen to heavy metal?
Well, you may not be the only one to dislike metal music. But that is fine to the metal fans if you generally dislike the genre. Yet some people criticize metal music and call it nonsense and “just noise!”
Frankly that stems mostly out of ignorance and any criticism on metal genre goes to strengthen that ignorance. Let’s take on some of the common criticisms of metal music and break them down. For instance, the wrong metal music can affect your casino experience, and you surely wouldn’t want that. That being said, not all types of music is going to affect you negatively. Some have been seen to even improve your casino playing experience!
Metal is about Death and Destruction
Most of the metal bands emphasize themes which you are obviously not going to find in any pop music! If you don’t like serious themes like death, destruction, politics, sexual tendencies, depression or dark things then metal may not be your thing.
We can’t relate to music intentionally- it comes from within. So if you don’t like serious subjects and find the world a very happy place to live without any concern then be our guest and listen to Justin Bieber!
Metal is just Noise
This is one of the most common criticisms against metal genre. Of course metal doesn’t follow the same arrangement as you would find in a Beyonce song! Also, calling the whole genre of metal music ‘noise’ is just plain and simple lazy and shows you have taken no effort to make sense of the music.
Humans by nature seem to like all things orderly and you may fall into the same category. But not all of us have the same taste or preference- there’s a huge chunk of population that lives and breathes metal music which brings us to our next criticism…
Again, if you believe the world is such a wonderful place with bombings going on in Syria and thousands of people dying every day- be our guest and hate metal music but don’t criticize it! The lyrics of metal music deal with serious subjects and meant for people who can see and feel the reality.
If that makes us a bunch of social outcasts- so be it!
Metal is just a New Kid on the Block
Dig a bit into the history of metal and you will find bands trying to get the heavy sound effect as early as 1960s. The bands like Kiss and AC/DC were considered to be heavy metal bands in those days though now you might call them heavy rock. That means metal progressed through a long timeline of over 40 years and influenced many genres to become what it is today!
Metal is as old as rock and roll and if you want you can consult Google for more information.
With the recent passing of drummer, icon and all around nice guy Vinnie Paul loads of rock stars have made statements about the passing of one of Pantera’s founding members. Vinnie Paul passed away on June 22nd in his sleep. One of VP’s current bandmates in Hellyeah guitarist Tom Maxwell wrote on the band’s Facebook. “We don’t have much info to give you other then Vinnie is now with Dime and they are together in a better place.” We all have been waiting on a statement from the two remaining members of Pantera, Rex Brown and Phillip H. Anselmo. Thus far Phil has only shared a picture on his Instagram with a lit candle and no statement yet. However, Rex Brown has made a statement with another one to come as well. On Facebook Rex stated: “The last few days have been very difficult & painful. At this time, I need more time to process my feelings. “Thank you for all the love that has been sent. A formal press release will be coming shortly. Rest In Peace Brother Vinnie!” While we wait to hear his formal press release and something from Phil Anselmo we send our love and thoughts to all VP’s family, friends, crew, bandmates past and present and his fans.
On June 29th, British cult metallers PARADISE LOST will release a remixed and remastered version of their eighth full-length album Believe In Nothing. Initially released back in 2000, the artwork and production of the album never lived up to the expectations of the band. The quintet now present a freshly reworked version of the album with more appropriate, gloomy artwork. Continue reading
Hellyeah
Drummer Vinnie Paul Abbott , co-founder of metal bands Pantera, Damageplan, and Hellyeah, has died. Currently a member of Hellyeah, Vinnie Paul was 54. His rep confirmed the news with Billboard and added there is no more details at this time on the cause of death. Born March 11, 1964 VP found stardom behind the drum kit and his brother Dime Bag Darrell became a guitar legend. Following Pantera’s disbanding, the Abbott brothers formed Damageplan in 2003. The band was performing on Dec. 3, 2004, when Dimebag Darrell was shot and killed onstage during a concert in Columbus, Ohio by an estranged fan Nathan Gale. VP took some time off to grieve the tragic loss of his brother and resurfaced with the band Hellyeah along with Mudvayne vocalist Chad Gray. Continue reading
Kiss
KISS fans, you’re going to want to sit down for this one. There’s a chance that one of the most influential rock bands on the planet is about to say goodbye. Rumors abound in the world of metal that KISS is planning to do their last tour ever, and it might be happening in 2019. Continue reading
Toothgrinder
We have one day behind us with some amazing acts that we will remember their performances for years to come. The Saturday lineup is certainly competitive in regards to both Friday and Sunday and is full of varying genes and new and veterans acts to keep our attention for the entire day. Palaye Royale and Bad Wolves are two of the biggest up and coming bands currently in rock, especially Bad Wolves with their cover of the iconic Cranberries song “Zombie” which has become the number 1 rock song in the world. Unfortunate for us they both play at the same time. Yet another band that performed early in the day that is truly making a name for themselves is Toothgrinder; If you missed their set you truly missed an amazing experience. Then we get into the more veteran acts of the day like Asking Alexandria who have reunited with vocalist Danny Worsnop, as well as Trivium the band that was labeled as “the band that would save metal” when they formed. Then we get the nostalgic performance by The Used, led by eccentric front man Bert McCracken. As the day comes to a close we are left with the headliners Five Finger Death Punch, and the fierce and fiery performance by Godsmack to end our Saturday evening. The dream would be to not miss a single band, but with interviews and overlaps we weren’t able to see every band, but the ones we were able to see impressed us and left some big shoes to fill on Sunday. Continue reading
The Praxis exam is considered to be one of a series of American teacher certification tests that is written and used by the Educational Testing Service. Different Praxis tests are normally needed prior, during and after the teacher training courses in the United States. Prior to your teaching in the Government school settings, it is very important that you take a minimum of one state-compulsory exam before you could be recognized as a certified teacher. Some factors to put into consideration include your state residence, your field of specialization or preferred subject, as well as your qualifications among others. Meanwhile, it is very essential that you pass a series of tests in the course of your teacher certification, which means having access to teacher education resources is a must. The most common teaching exam that you must do as a prerequisite for the teaching profession is popularly called the Praxis teaching test. If you want to identify the actual exams you are seating for, here are the informative details of the most common Praxis exams. Continue reading
Heel Turn
*This is a part of our State Of The Art series, showcasing bands every Monday from the featured state.*
This month’s state is Alabama!
Formed in Huntsville, Alabama this 4 man band pays tribute to the hey day of wrestling. Heel Turn is a 80’s and 90’s wrestling themed dark hardcore band. You heard that right. The glory years of wresting are rejoiced and moshed to in their breakdowns. The band also keeps their face concealed wearing wrestling masks as well, which you can also purchase yourself one from the band at their merch table when you see them live. The band formed sometime last year and it was around October when they played their first couple live shows. The band of course asked their fans what they wanted to see in regards to their performance and there were some comments made about possibly doing a Frog Splash (Eddie Guerrero’s signature move) onto the drum kit, and the people’s elbow (The Rock’s signature move). The band only drew the line in regards to the people’s elbow drop being a little too modern for them as they are much more old school and instead offered some more old school moves. The band certainly knows their stuff when it comes to old school wrestling and even welcomes fans to come drink beer and talk to them about wrestling after the show. Metal has seen various themed bands, like pirates, clowns, executioners, aliens, dinosaurs but I believe Heel Turn is the most concise wrestling themed band I have encountered. Continue reading
It’s been twenty years since Morgan Lander helped start the Canadian metal band Kittie (with sister Mercedes and original bandmates Fallon Bowman and Tanya Candler) in London, Ontario. They brought one of the heaviest and most fierce acts we had seen to date, and this is for all bands not just girl bands. There was a thing or two the guys could have learned from the harsh anguish they brought to their music, and I’m sure plenty of their male counterparts took notes and learned from Kittie’s quick rise to stardom in the metal world. Their debut album ‘Spit’ was what got everything started in 2000. The album still to this day is highly regarded as one of the best metal albums of that era. ‘Spit’ was was certified gold by the RIAA and sold at least 600,000 copies in the United States. Keep in mind when ‘Spit’ was recorded the members of the band were only 15-18 years of age. Kittie went on to release their sophomore record ‘Oracle’ in 2001. It was also in 2001 that guitarist and backing vocalist Fallon Bowman left the band. Her infamous growls on the song “Brackish” instantly made her a fan favorite. They followed ‘Oracle’ with the release of ‘Until the End’ in 2004.
Kittie incorporated nu-metal influences as well as incorporating speed, groove and death metal vibes. The combined chemistry of Mercedes and her sister Morgan gave the band this flare that wasn’t seen or heard with other bands. Kittie went on to release ‘Funeral for Yesterday’ (2007), ‘In the Black’ (2009) and ‘I’ve Failed You’ (2011). One of the saddest things the band had to deal with more recently was the death of bassist Trish Doan who passed away in 2017. Vocalist Morgan stated after Trish’s passing “She with her boundless energy, 10,000 ideas and a fiery, vibrant light that could never be extinguished, even now.” In the time spent in the band Trish added an amazing creative element to the Kittie and we were all saddened by her passing. Though ‘I’ve Failed You’ was the bands last release as of now in 2011, they started filming a documentary about the band in 2014 that would include all the past and present members of the band as part of a 20 year anniversary for the band. On August 30, 2017, the band announced the reunion of the original lineup for a one night only concert. They performed on October 27, 2017 in their hometown of Ontario. The show also coincided with the launch of the documentary. Whoever was in the crowd that night witnessed something that most of us would give anything to see. Kittie not only formed in the late 90’s but they molded the whole metal scene and they worked hard to get to their rightful place at the top.
Talk Toomey: The Metal Nexus Podcast host Joshua Toomey welcomes Kittie vocalist Morgan Lander on this week’s episode of the podcast. Morgan talks about everything that is currently going on with Kittie and the recent documentary showing their history titled ‘Origins’. Toomey and Morgan also talk about forming the band and sometimes coming down to just looking for anyone that played an instrument. Morgan even talks about touring in the earlier days with much heavier bands like Nile and it made them need to go out with a chip on their shoulder. Morgan also talks about trying to get all the former and current members of the band together and playing a couple shows maybe in L.A. and New York and do something similar to what they did on ‘Origins’ documentary. You can hear the entire interview below.
