Napalm Strike came to the attention of our staff recently after the release of their latest EP, No Lives Matter on June 15th. I took one listen to the release and snapped it up before anyone else could stake claim on the review of this ass-kicking, Thrash release.
*This is part of our State Of The Art series, showcasing bands every Monday from the featured State*
This month’s State is Washington!
Not looking for the normal fare this week. I was looking for something different, but couldn’t quite put my finger on what specifically I was looking for. When I heard it, I would know, right? Washington has, so far, provided a bevy of super music, so I figured it couldn’t be too difficult. Two hours later I found EXACTLY what I was looking for. Heart of 70’s Rock with elements of Funk and fuzzy Psych they have termed as “Head Banging, Ass Shaking, Molten–Hot–Sludgefunk”. I’ll buy that. Saves me the trouble of trying to categorize them and sounds much cooler than anything I would have come up with anyway. So, without further ado, let’s check out what makes Mind Vice such a kick ass band.
Illustration by Chasing Photons
According to Wikipedia:
Raijū (雷獣,”thunder animal” or “thunder beast”) is a legendary creature from Japanese mythology. Its body is composed of lightning and may be in the shape of a cat, fox, weasel, or wolf. The form of a white and blue wolf (or even a wolf wrapped in lightning) is also common. It may also fly about as a ball of lightning (in fact, the creature may be an attempt to explain the phenomenon of lightning). Its cry sounds like thunder.
Raiju is the companion of Raijin, the Shinto god of lightning. While the beast is generally calm and harmless, during thunderstorms it becomes agitated and leaps about in trees, fields, and even buildings (trees that have been struck by lightning are said to have been scratched by Raiju’s claws).
Another of Raiju’s peculiar behaviors is sleeping in human navels. This prompts Raijin to shoot lightning arrows at Raiju to wake the creature up, and thus harms the person in whose belly the demon is resting. Superstitious people therefore often sleep on their stomachs during bad weather, but other legends say that Raiju will only hide in the navels of people who sleep outdoors.
Recently I was given the opportunity to interview San Jose, California’s own Angerhead. Beginning their quest in February of 2011, they have developed a very cool mix of Thrash Metal and Punk that harkens back to days of real music played by real musicians. Keeping up the tradition for over five years now, they have played with Exodus, Testament, Kittie, Loudness, Quiet Riot and a host of other national touring acts. Check out what they had to say and put them on your list of “must listen to bands” list. Turn it up and hang on for the ride!
*This is part of our State Of The Art series, showcasing bands every Monday from the featured State*
This month’s State is Washington!
So I was on vacation last week and, as a result, did not post a State of the Art: Washington showcase article. Well, when looking for Washington bands to cover this week, I was almost overwhelmed with the number of really good bands deserving some attention and have decided to make up for last week by posting two this week. So, let’s go to Tacoma, Washington, just northeast of Olympia, home of Melodic Hard Rock/Metal monsters, Mechanism.
*This is part of our State Of The Art series, showcasing bands every Monday from the featured State*
This month’s State is Washington!
After a week off, I am back with you here at MN. So we are off to Washington this month. Population of 7.062 million spread over 71,300 square miles in the upper, northwest corner of the continental United States. Known for its snow capped mountains of the Cascades and the rainforests of Olympic National Park, tech industry and cultural diversity in music, art and business, Washington definitely deserves a month in the spotlight. For my first SOTA lets head just a little north and all the way east from Washington’s capital of Olympia to Spokane and check out Elephant Gun Riot…
I have been heavily involved with local music for years and have made a slew of friends and discovered some of the best music available anywhere by going no further than my local music venues. Hell, at this point, most of my friends are people I have met just hitting a show at least one week. Cost ranging from free to about $10 to be on the front row or within a few yards from the stage; it is hard to beat for entertainment bang for the buck. Plus, everyone, bar none, have been approachable and just as passionate about playing as I am about listening to their work. All of us here at MN love what we do and could not do what we are doing if it was not for the artists creating what we love. Network a bit more and drive a few more miles out of town and the number of local bands available to support grow at an exponential rate. So it goes with my spotlight on Orlando’s own, A Brilliant Lie.
Man! Have you ever had a band stop you cold; dead in your tracks? Just absolutely blow you away; leaving you wondering how in the hell the band ever got past you before that moment they grabbed your attention? Well, this recently happened to me when Dragon suggested I check out Fall of Messiah’s latest release, “Empty Colors” which was released earlier this year. “This is definitely your kind of thing” he said. “I’d cover it, but this is right up your alley.” Yes. It definitely is. Hook, line and sinker! It drives straight through me, even after listening to it endless times. Way to much to take in with a single listen. I may be a little late to the party, but remain awestruck by this French band from Saint Jans Cappel.
Digging the Nu-Metal/Groove Metal scene? Looking for something new to entertain your ears that you and your friends have not likely heard before? Of course you are. Hell, we are all always searching for stuff we have never heard before. Nature of the damned beast, right? In addition, I also like supporting local music, no matter what locale a band hails from. With that in mind, let me introduce you to Tipperary, Ireland’s own Sixth Extinction.
*This is part of our State Of The Art series, showcasing bands every Monday from the featured State*
This month’s State is Alaska!
3 Kisses. Where the hell do you start describing a band that has been around since January 2004, performed thousands of shows, has nine albums under their belts, been in endless music magazines, on countless radio stations, been on ABC’s “Wife Swap”, had their own reality show, been featured in numerous commercials, video games, movies and TV shows (including the 2014 Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards; Restaurant Impossible; Diners, Drive Ins & Dives; Dallas Card Sharks; Disaster Decks; Plants vs. Zombies Garden Warfare; Sonic Boom; Lifetime movies, and Hot Wheels spots), had songs in the Top 15 by Rock Solid Preasure, is currently rated #1 for Alaskan Alternative Music on ReverbNation, heavily supports breast cancer research through the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure and the American Cancer Society and been inducted into the Independent Artist Registry? I honestly don’t know, but let’s give it a shot. Here we go…
