Coalition is:
Steve Gresswell – songwriter, keyboards, drums, bass
Blake Carpenter – lyrics, vocals
Colin Tench – guitars
Bridge Across Time: October 7, 2016
From Reading in the UK comes the brilliant, recent release of Bridge Across Time from the Prog Rock trio called Coalition. This album has been a long time coming and has been well worth the wait since their 2011 release of In Search of Forever.
*This is part of our State Of The Art series, showcasing bands every Monday from the featured State*
This month’s State is South Carolina!
Decadence (noun):
1. The act or process of falling into an inferior condition or state; deterioration; decay:
2. Moral degeneration or decay; turpitude.
3. Unrestrained or excessive self-indulgence.
4. (often initial capital letter) The decadent movement in literature.
5. Kick-ass Hard Rock/Metal band from Columbia, SC!
Khemmis is:
Ben Hutcherson – vocals/guitars
Phil Pendergast – vocals/guitars
Daniel Beirs – bass
Zach Coleman – drums
Hunted
Release date: October 21, 2016
Man. After doing my State of the Art: Colorado on Khemmis earlier this year I have been flat, wearing out Absolution (2015) and chomping at the bit waiting for Hunted. Once we were able to procure a copy of this wicked release, Dragon and I debated on who was going to review it. Both of us are huge fans but in the end he let me have it (Yes!) due to a couple of scheduling difficulties with other MN responsibilities. We are singing from the same hymnal, so, in the end, don’t think either of us would have been too far off from the other. One thing we definitely agree on is that Khemmis’ Hunted is one of the best albums of 2016.
Los Angeles, California’s Once Human has recently dropped their new single “Eye of Chaos” on iTunes along with an accompanying video in preparation for their upcoming album Evolution. Who is Once Human, you may ask? Well, take the guitarist-turned-vocalist butchery of Australian born, Lauren Hart, the guitar wizardry of Logan Mader (Soulfly and Machine Head) and Skyler Howren, wicked bass of Damien Rainaud and penultimate drum skills of Dillon Trollope and throw them off a bridge to be mixed in blood on the rocks below and you have one of the most brutal and blunt forces in Metal available today. Promising to top their 2015 release of The Life I Remember, Evolution is due out sometime in 2017! We have a standing request for album upon its completion so stay tuned!
Check out Once Human on Facebook
Inner Demons is:
Karl Hasse: vocals
Chuck Hillyard: lead guitar
Zakk Hillyard: bass
Sean Watson: rhythm guitar
L.P. Parsons III: drums
I can’t tell you guys how excited I have been since being informed that my good friends in Inner Demons were releasing their new album, Feel the Cold, due out October 21, 2016! Well, I got my grubby paws on this beast shortly after the production was complete this last weekend and have been spinning it almost constantly between other music duties with MN ever since. So freakin’ killer, this release! Everything I have come to expect from them and more! Raging guitar work, some of the coolest bass lines around, blasting drums and the unique, powerful vocals of producer/vocalist Karl Hasse. As I was preparing to write my review, another good friend of mine, one of the founding members of That Riff Promotions and die-hard supporter of local Metal dropped his review. Not willing to pass up the opportunity to support MN, That Riff and Inner Demons, all at the same time, I asked permission from him, the members of Inner Demons and my editor to allow him a guest spot in the MN family. So, without further ado, it is my pleasure to introduce my buddy, Jason Jagodzinski’s review of Feel the Cold by Jacksonville, FL’s very own, Inner Demons!
*This is part of our State Of The Art series, showcasing bands every Monday from the featured State*
This month’s State is South Carolina!
State of the Art: South Carolina just got unexpectedly very, very personal with a band that I have listened to long before I started writing for MN. From Columbia, SC, I give you hard rockin’ Osara…
Sacred Steel is:
Gerrit P. Mutz – Vocals
Jens Sonnenberg – Guitar
Jonas Khalil – Guitar
Kai Schindelar – Bass
Mathias Straub – Drums
Germany’s traditional, European Metal icon, Sacred Steel is set to unleash their eleventh, highly anticipated album, Heavy Metal Sacrifice on the Cruz Del Sur Music label October 14, 2016 as they celebrate twenty years of kicking teeth in. With a sound that vacillates somewhere between pure, NWOBHM and early Thrash at a time when we are seeing a resurgence in the popularity of both, Sacred Steel is assured continued success with Heavy Metal Sacrifice. In all honesty, I don’t give a damn how popular it is (although I sincerely wish them all the success in the world!), because good music is good music; Heavy Metal Sacrifice kicks some serious ass and they pride themselves on being trend neutral as reflected by their motto: “SACRED STEEL is a trademark in the metal scene: all METAL with its own attitude, never everybody’s darling – and damn proud of it!”
*This is part of our State Of The Art series, showcasing bands every Monday from the featured State*
This month’s State is South Carolina!
So we move on to week two of our State of the Art: South Carolina series. I again went on a tear for something distinctive since I had the time to look for something special after Hurricane Matthew (that bastard!); something that I could really sink my teeth into. Those that have followed my writing know that I like just about everything, but have a particular taste for complex, guitar base Technical Metal of any sort, often with female vocalists. Well this week, I chose the former, so I present you with the Ultra–Tech Metal shredders in Invoking the Abstract.
State Theater in St. Petersburg, FL; Saturday, October 1st, 2016. This was the place to be for what is sure to become one of the biggest and memorable historic events for all the Metal fans fortunate to be present. Max and Iggor Cavalera Return to Roots Tour stormed this gulf city with more force than any damned hurricane and left more crushed skulls in its wake than the largest of epic World War II tank battles. Heavy, harsh and rowdy were the rules of the night as these two Metal Masters welcomed three local acts and four national touring acts to grease the skids for their dominant return to what now is considered a classic: “Roots”. Another long show that was well worth my four plus hour drive and eight hour Metal ride of shows. Wouldn’t have missed this event for all the tea in China!
Oni is:
Jake Oni – vocals
Martin Andres – guitars
Brandon White – guitars
Chase Bryant – bass
Joe Greulich – drums
Johnny D – Xylosynth
The Technical Metal band Oni recently dropped my jaw when opening for Max & Iggor Cavalera on their Return to Roots tour in Tampa (my review to follow shortly). Recently signed with Blacklight Media/Metal Blade Records, Oni has just announced the release of their debut album entitled Ironside on Black Friday, November 25th.
