Children Of Bodom are about to let loose their tenth studio album entitled ‘Hexed’ on March 8th on Nuclear Blast Records. The band formed in Finland in 1993 originally under the moniker Inearthed. Children Of Bodom rocketed to success by melding thrash, neoclassical metal, symphonic black metal, and melodic death metal into a sound uniquely their own. Continue reading
Queensryche is set to release ‘The Verdict’ on March 1 on Century Media. This will be the third release with Todd La Torre on vocals after dropping ‘Queensryche’ (2013) and ‘Condition Human’ (2015). Fans never like to see an original member, especially the singer, split from a band. The fallout can be unpredictable and replacing Geoff Tate’s unique vocal sound would have seemed difficult. The music gods shined down onto the band when La Torre was given the microphone. He is a powerhouse vocalist that has been able to embody the legacy and sound of Queensryche. ‘The Verdict’ is sonic proof of just that. Handling the production and mixing duties once again was Chris ‘Zeuss’ Harris (Hatebreed, Rob Zombie.) He did the last release for the band as well. An interesting caveat to the album is that La Torre also provided the drums as Scott Rockenfield, the original drummer, continues his leave from the band. Continue reading
The Swedish metal outfit, Avatar, have announced a return to North America for the “Avatar Country World Tour 2019”. The tour will begin in Buffalo, NY on May 16 and conclude in Las Vegas, NV on June 15.
Avatar released the concept album, ‘Avatar Country,’ in 2018 and has toured relentlessly to support it. Vocalist Johannes Eckerstrom stated that ‘Avatar Country’ is nearing the end of the road and this tour will be the last chance to see them in their Royal Glory in tribute to the king. Continue reading
Finland’s melodic death veterans, Children Of Bodom, will release their tenth album, ‘Hexed,’ on March 8, 2019 via Nuclear Blast Records. The band has just released the second single entitled, “This Road,” as a lyric video. Frontman guitarist and mastermind Alexi Laiho commented it was the last song written for the album but ended up being the opening track. He also stated it was one of his favorites and its different from anything they have done since ‘Follow The Reaper’. Continue reading
Time really does fly. It feels like just yesterday, watching the Headbangers Ball on MTV, and some band called Overkill comes on with the video “In Union We Stand.” The name glowed in green with a skull bat logo (please cease and desist Avenged Sevenfold) draped on each side of the drum riser. The song had speed but also a hook in the chorus that had me singing it the next morning. It’s been over three decades since that introduction and now I’m staring at their 19th full-length album titled ‘The Wings Of War.’ Overkill climbed out of the New Jersey gutters with a determination to succeed and has been resilient against the trends and changing climates of the music industry. This latest offering shows no signs that this green and black thrash machine will slow down anytime soon. The new caveat to the equation is the addition of drummer Jason Bittner (Shadows Fall, Flotsam and Jetsam, Stigmata), and he turns in a crushing performance. Throughout the songs you continually notice how lethal the drums are. His playing and energy provided the spark to ignite the fuse on this record. The album will be released on Nuclear Blast on February 22 and once again features a brilliant cover design done by Travis Smith (Nevermore, Opeth, Soilwork, Death). Continue reading
Ensiferum
The Skyway Theatre welcomed the “Path To Glory Tour” to Minneapolis. Performing were Ensiferum, Septicflesh, and Arsis. I have heard the names before but the night proved to be my initiation into each of these bands. Continue reading
I thought 2018 was impressive year for releases in metal music. I didn’t matter what genre of metal was your particular taste, there was something for everybody. Every year shows us some promising young talent, bands continuing to climb the ladder, and musical veterans still proving their value in metal hierarchy. This list was extremely difficult as I left out some great stuff by bands like Avatar, Underoath, and Parkway Drive. They say there is Black Sheep in every family, and my list just might be that lost black sheep of the Metal Nexus family. However, I live in Minnesota and wool is a fiber of warmth, and its cold outside, so I’ll deal with it. Continue reading
Ministry
The Skyway Theatre welcomed an interesting bill to the stage. One band is over three decades into its existence while the other has embarked on its first ever U.S. tour. Ministry is an Industrial Music giant. They gave rise to a genre that has legions of loyal fans across the globe. Al Jourgensen, founding member and singer, is an instantly recognizable figure no matter where he goes. On the other end of the spectrum is where we find the opening band Alien Weaponry. They are band comprised of teenagers that are ready to make their own mark across the vast metal musical landscape. Carpenter Brut was also on the bill but due to unforeseen circumstances were unable to perform. Continue reading
Underoath
Underoath has returned with a vengeance. The band released the album “Erase Me” earlier in the year and is bringing a renewed excitement to its fans across the United States. Dance Gavin Dance, Crown The Empire, and The Plot In You provided support. Unfortunately a weather event pushed my commute time from twenty-five minutes to two-hours. I arrived just as The Plot In You was leaving the stage. Continue reading
Doyle
Doyle is currently on tour supporting the 2017 release “Doyle II: As We Die”. The horror punk outfit was welcomed to Minneapolis by its hardcore followers for a night of adrenaline-fueled music. Continue reading
