On the heels of their recently released magnum opus ‘Heartless’ and fresh off of a U.S. headline tour in support of it, genre-defying giants Pallbearer have announced an extensive North American run commencing in late July (supporting Gojira) and continuing as a headline tour from August through September. Check out the full routing below – these shows are not to be missed. Continue reading
Hogan’s Goat is named after a tale from Scottish folklore. The band initially formed in late 2014. As the story goes, a farmer (Hogan) owned a goat rumored to have an odor said to travel miles away. The goat’s been described as having patchy fur, an eye out of socket, and flies abound. For the band, this perfectly symbolized their unorthodox style, that which is anything but unnoticeable. They couldn’t have picked a better fable for their namesake. More like a powerful mountain ram the band roams through various styles of music never staying in one place too long. Their first show (at SXSW, on the rooftop of The Blind Pig) was part of an all Nashville (non-country) showcase. Soon after, Hogan’s Goat returned to Nashville, they competed in BMI’s “Road To Bonnaroo” (winning the fan vote) and played many other shows around the Nashville area. While most people think Nashville is only a country town, there is a vibrant rock and metal scene there as well. Hogan’s Goat has hoofed their way out of sea of country music to spread their music to the masses. While the band is based in Nashville it’s members migrated from all around the country like Billings, Montana, Denton, Texas , Southern Pines, North Carolina as well as Nashville. Like their music their roots run further than the eye can see. In March of 2016, Hogan’s Goat began recording their first LP, ‘Hogan’s Goat’ which is set to release July 18th, 2017. The album was self-produced, mixed by Alex Gilson and Nathan Zensen at Gold Cassette and mastered by Tommy Dorsey. The band looks to tour regionally, nationally, and globally. Continue reading
There has always been some controversy around Whitesnake’s self-titled 1987 studio album. It seems also the recording of the album and the events that happened around that time is still creating animosity between two former bandmates. Former Whitesnake guitarist John Sykes launched an incredible verbal attack on David Coverdale in the latest issue of Rock Candy Magazine, claiming the singer “used every excuse possible to explain why he didn’t want to record his vocals” for the multi-platinum “1987” album. “He blamed the weather. He wasn’t happy with the studio. He even went so far as to say the microphones weren’t good enough,” says Sykes. “I honestly think David suffered from nerves.” Continue reading
Fit For A King is an American Christian metalcore band from Texas that formed in 2007. The band released two independent EPs in one self titled in 2008 and 2009’s ‘Awaken the Vesper’ and they released one independent album, ‘Descendants’, in 2011. Then, Fit For A King released four studio albums with their label Solid State Records entitled ‘Creation/Destruction’ (2013) this album really kick started everything for the band and gave them the recognition they deserved. The album sold more that 3,100 copies in its first week of sales. Billboard charted ‘Creation/Destruction’ at No. 175, No. 17 on the Christian Albums chart, and No. 6 on the Hard Rock Albums. They then released a re-recorded ‘Descendants’ (2013), ‘Slave to Nothing’ (2014) including the single “Slave to Nothing” featuring Mattie Montgomery of For Today. The last album the band released came in October of 2016 with ‘Deathgrip’ it was produced by Nick Sampson. Thought this album was in the same style that the band had been playing for almost a decade they were noted as one of the bands truly holding the metalcore scene together. They had earned their rightful place in the genre and respect from their fans and other bands came with that as well. Continue reading
Sylar have been dominating the music scene lately, not only with new tracks but also with their killer performances on stage. The band formed in 2011 and quickly started pumping out material. They released the EP ‘Cutting Ties’ in the same year as their formation, and followed it up with another EP in 2013 titled ‘Deadbeat’ produced by Caleb Shomo (of Attack Attack!). Sylar then released their debut album ‘To Whom It May Concern’ a year later via Razor & Tie. This is the album that truly got the bands feet firmly planted in the music world. With powerful and emotional tracks like “Prescription Meditation’ the band put a little bit of themselves in each track. The New Yorkers went on to sign with Hopeless Records and one up themselves releasing ‘Help’ in August of 2016. This would give them one of their biggest hits thus far in “Assume”. The album charted as high as 8th in Heatseekers Albums in September of 2016 on Billboard. Continue reading
Concert attendees are known for holding a lighter up in the air and raising the flame in honor of the bands on stage. Don’t let your fire be extinguished and use a Zippo and it may just get you backstage for more great music…It’s always great when your favorite band has an encore right? Well imagine they had an acoustic encore set and you were one of only a couple dozen people allowed to attend. It doesn’t get any better than that. Zippo Sessions has been providing just that experience to concert goers for the last few years at some of the nation’s largest music festivals. The best thing about it also is you have no idea who exactly you will be seeing until they walk onto the stage. For the price of a Zippo, which is already great enough on its own, you get a special pass to see a performance. Continue reading
Photo Credit: Travis Shinn
Eighteen Visions formed in Orange County, California in 1995. Despite being half the age of the genre’s most legendary architects, Eighteen Visions is literally in the history book of heavy metal, hard rock, and post-modern heavy music. The band were declared part of “The Future of Metal” by Revolver Magazine during their meteoric rise from proto-deathcore indie band, nurtured by the DIY scene, to major label “next big thing” in active rock. Their debut album ‘Yesterday Is Time Killed’ released in 1999 via Cedargate Records. Eighteen Visions went on to record release an album every year up to 2002’s ‘Vanity’ which was their debut on ‘Trustkill’. Eighteen Visions has inspired various bands, one of which is Motionless In White who named themselves after a track with the same name from the band’s 2001 release ‘The Best Of’. The band continued pumping out amazing records. The next would come in 2002 titled ‘Vanity’ and then quickly moved on to release in my eyes one of their best albums ‘Obsession’ in 2004. The album has a lyric that has stuck with me since its release and is one of the best single verses ever. It comes from the track “Lost In A Dream” saying “Locked in a room, Where all my dreams come true, Scrape my mind off of the walls. Painted pretty blue.” The next album would become Eighteen Visions last album for the next 11 years. The self-titled album released in 2016. Many fans thought this would be the last they would hear from the band they loved so much. Bassist Mike Morris announced on Myspace in 2007, “After several years of touring and quite a few album releases we have decided that it is time to go our separate ways. We have been a band for a very long time and feel good about everything we were able to accomplish. At this point in our lives and our careers we feel its time to move on to something fresh and new. Whether it be music, touring or just being at home to live and enjoy life.” Everything came to a standstill for 18V fans for over a decade. Unbeknownst to the public, the band nearly reunited once before, quietly working on new material in 2012. The process that led to their eventual and perhaps inevitable full reunion in 2017 was as organic as it was trans-formative, as the core members reassembled to put their collective passion back on the record, literally and figuratively. Unfortunately bassist Mick Morris passed away on June 3, 2013 in his sleep due to a pre-existing heart condition. It’s sad that he isn’t a part of this new lineup but the band and its core members: James Hart – lead vocals, Keith Barney – lead guitar, backing vocals, and Trevor Friedrich – drums are currently the lineup for the reunited Eighteen Visions. The new album ‘XVIII‘ was made at home in Orange County, with U.K. transplant and multi-instrumentalist producer Mick Kenney at the helm. The album released on June 2, 2017. It is the first album since 2002’s Vanity to feature movie quotes at the beginning of some songs. It is an amazing comeback from a band that was truly missed in both the genre and music as a whole. Continue reading
*This is part of our State Of The Art series, showcasing bands every Monday from the featured State*
This month’s State is North Carolina!
Killing The Catalyst was formed in Raleigh, North Carolina in December of 2010. The members joined forces after their previous groups had disbanded. They moved forward to succeed, and their sound is a perfect example of their success. Their minds were set on making something different from the ordinary; something powerful, positive, and unique. The bands list some of their influences as August Burns Red, Lamb of God, Nothingface, and Mudvayne. You can certainly hear some of those influences in their music, but Killing The Catalyst has a unique sound that can’t really be compared to any other single band. Continue reading
Prophets Of Rage combines the sonic firepower of Rage Against The Machine, Public Enemy and Cypress Hill. Prophets Of Rage, features all the members of Rage Against The Machine except Zack. On vocals is Cypress Hill’s B-Real and Chuck D of and DJ Lord of Public Enemy. Morello declared to Rolling Stone: “We’re an elite task force of revolutionary musicians determined to confront this mountain of election year bullshit, and confront it head-on with Marshall stacks blazing.” The band’s name derives from the title of the Public Enemy song “Prophets of Rage” from its 1988 album It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back. To coincide with the band’s protest performance at the Republican National Convention, it released its debut single, titled “Prophets of Rage”. The band created a major buzz when they postered every wall in Hollywood with their their logo, and no one knowing exactly what it meant until they played its first live show on January 20, 2016. Last year, Prophets of Rage released their debut EP,’The Party’s Over’, and hit the road together for the very first time. The band now has their debut full length ready to hit stores. Due out September 15th, the self-titled record spans 12 tracks, including titles like “Radical Eyes”, “Legalize Me”, “Hail to the Chief”, “Strength in Numbers”, and “Who Owns Who”. Prophets of Rage were joined in the studio by veteran producer Brendan O’Brien (Pearl Jam, AC/DC, RATM). The band has now released their first single from the upcoming record. “Unfuck The World” is a politically charged song and the video carries on with the sentiment as well. It was directed by renowned film maker Michael Moore. Moore and Prophets Of Rage both are always about creating controversy and putting their ideas and beliefs out into the world. The combination of the band and film maker working together makes for an exciting and revolutionary video. It was also just announced that the band will be headlining this years Louder Than Life festival in Louisville, Kentucky on October 1st. Continue reading
Dinosaur Pile Up is one of those bands that straddles not one but several genres. They have a unique blend of sounds that make them one of the most appealing up and coming bands in today’s music scene. The band formed in 2007 in England and quickly released their debut ‘My Rock ‘n’ Roll’ EP in 2008. Dinosaur Pile Up’s newest album ‘Eleven Eleven’ released on August 26th of 2016 via SO Recordings in the U.S. and Europe. The album is the follow up to 2013’s ‘Nature Nurture’ that was released in 2013. The new album was produced by Tom Dalgety (Pixies, Killing Joke, Opeth, Royal Blood). A the title track “Eleven Eleven” first released and fans were flocking to the bands unique style and sound. The band played last years Louder Than Life festival, and this year played Carolina Rebellion, Rock On The Range and Welcome To Rockville. The band has also completed not one, but two tours with Chevelle. First conquering the west coast and just finished up the east coast tour.
