Author Archives: Steve Savage

About Steve Savage

Writer and music enthusiast based out of the San Francisco Bay Area, always interested in discovering new and different music no matter what the genre. Hit me up anytime if you know about something I should be listening to or if you just wanna talk music in general. Peace!

State Of The Art: New Mexico’s VANUM [Album Stream]

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*This is part of our monthly State Of The Art series, showcasing bands every Monday from the featured state. This month’s state is New Mexico.*

Like the hot winds of Armageddon’s wrath, Sante Fe, New Mexico’s Vanum delivers a modern black metal inferno of atmosphere and intensity that harkens back to a classic sound. Their appropriately titled release ‘Ageless Fire,’ which just dropped last month on Profound Lore Records, could easily be the soundtrack to the end of days. While stylistically, Vanum’s sound is reminiscent of black metal’s golden era, thankfully they opt for a more modern, post-black metal production quality that gives the songs’ vast soundscapes the appropriate canvas on which to shine at their best. Not to be confused, however, the riffs on ‘Ageless Fire’ sound as filthy as to be expected while the drumming is able to effectively maintain a certain garage-like nastiness. Vocals genuinely and viscerally convey the primal screams of a tormented soul, especially during the music’s frequent, intense tremolo-picked passages. Continue reading →

Review: SWORN ENEMY – ‘Gamechanger’ [Official Trailer]

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Queens, New York’s Sworn Enemy is set to drop their new album ‘Gamechanger’ via M-Theory Audio on April 5th, 2019. As veterans of the metallic hardcore game, the band consisting of Sal Lococo (vocals), Matt Garzilli (guitar), Mike Pucciarelli (bass), Jeff Cummings (guitar), and Taykwuan Jackson (drums) just celebrated the 15th anniversary of their debut album ‘As Real as It Gets’ last year. The new album, which will mark their eighth full length release, was produced by the one-and-only Robb Flynn (Machine Head) and engineered, mixed, and mastered by Zack Ohren (Suffocation, Fallujah, Warbringer). For fans of bands like Hatebreed, Biohazard, and Madball, ‘Gamechanger’ is an album that offers a similar street-level attitude and testosterone-fueled rage that is sure to quench the bloodthirst of old school loyalists as well as place Sworn Enemy prominently on the radar of new listeners. Continue reading →

Review: BAND VS BRAND Documentary By Bob Nalbandian [Official Trailer]

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Director and writer Bob Nalbandian, who is probably best known for his compelling ‘Inside Metal’ documentary series, returns as the director and producer of the new documentary “Band vs Brand.” The new film, which will be coming to DVD and digital streaming outlets in March 2019 via Cleopatra Entertainment, covers the topic of making the comparison between the artistic integrity of a band vs the often exploitative business side of the music industry. It’s an interesting deeper dive into a topic that’s been heavily discussed lately among music enthusiasts, especially fans of classic hard rock and metal bands of the seventies and eighties. With many of these now “legacy” acts having, in one way or another, endured multiple lineup changes, deaths of key members, breakups, legal battles, and other turmoil, the idea of when a band is still the same band worthy of carrying on their original namesake logically comes into question. Well-known names such as Dave Ellefson (Megadeth), Jack Russell (Jack Russell’s Great White), Frank DiMino (Angel), Dave Lombardo (Sucididal Tendencies, ex-Slayer), Marc Ferrari (Keel, Ferrari), Nik Turner (Hawkwind), and other notable veterans of the music industry weigh in to offer their personal insights on the “Band vs Brand” debate. Continue reading →

State Of The Art: Hawaii’s NESTA [Track Stream]

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*This is part of our State Of The Art series, showcasing bands every Monday from the featured state. This month’s state is Hawaii.*

In the land of tropical paradise with its picturesque beaches, near perfect weather, and aloha vibes, it may be hard to imagine heavy music coming from the Hawaiian Islands. It was certainly no easy task finding metal amidst the vast sea of island reggae and ukuleles for this month’s SOTA, but this pick from the Honolulu underground is one I’m sure metal fans will enjoy. Hailing from Waianae, Hawaii, Nesta proves that their volcanic brand of metal can not only compete with its mainland contemporaries, but also push the envelope in some unexpected and highly innovative ways. Continue reading →

Deron Miller (96 BITTER BEINGS, ex-CKY) – “We Got Signed To A Major Label So They Could Control How Popular We Got”

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Deron Miller joins the Brewtally Speaking podcast this week for an interview to discuss ‘Camp Pain,’ the newest album from 96 Bitter Beings. Among other conversation topics, host Jon Beatty gets into the business side of Miller’s newest project including why the band went the route of crowdfunding as well as the impact of the internet and social media on the music industry in general. “Sometimes I think we got signed to a major label so they could control how popular we got and how popular we didn’t get,” Miller describes at one point. Click below to check out the whole episode including the full interview with Miller. Continue reading →

Just Announced: FAILURE & SWERVEDRIVER Reveal U.S. Tour Dates

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Failure

Los Angeles alt-rock trio Failure announce a 7-week North American tour with U.K. psych-rockers Swervedriver. The trek begins on March 11th in Phoenix, Arizona with 29 stops in several major U.S. markets before ending on April 24th in Los Angeles, CA. Failure will be touring in support of their recently released 5th studio album ‘In the Future Your Body Will Be the Furthest Thing From Your Mind.’ Continue reading →

P.O.D. And ALIEN ANT FARM “Full Circle Tour” Hits Europe In 2019

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San Diego rock quartet P.O.D. prepare to embark on the European leg of their Full Circle Tour, starting this February 15th, with confirmed dates spanning through March 22nd, 2019, in support of their recently released album ‘Circles’ via Mascot Records. Alternative rock veterans Alien Ant Farm will be joining them along with Atlanta noise punk duo ’68 as special guests. The trek will hit multiple European markets with an extensive run throughout the U.K., including a much-anticipated stop at the renowned O2 Academy Bristol. Grab your tickets here. Continue reading →

Review: INCITE – ‘Built To Destroy’ [Track Stream]

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Returning with their fifth studio album, Incite brings the heavy with ‘Built to Destroy’ – scheduled for release on January 25th, 2019 via Minus Head Records. Veteran producer Steve Evetts (Suicide Silence, The Dillinger Escape Plan), who also produced the band’s previous release ‘Oppression’ (2016), lends his hand once again on the new record. The sound is straight ahead groove/thrash for the most part on ‘Built to Destroy,’ in the vein of heavyweights like Machine Head, Devildriver, and Slipknot, minus any cringeworthy tough guy posturing sometimes found in such acts – largely in part due to Richie Cavalera’s authentic, yet outright punishing, vocal delivery and lyricism that avoids all possible pitfalls of going over-the-top in a forced attempt to sound “extreme.” The extremeness of the music comes through in its own organic way without any gimmickry or image to maintain – it’s just flat-out, badass metal. Continue reading →

State Of The Art: Missouri’s ECHOES FROM ASHES [Track Stream]

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Photo Credit: Money Shotz Photography

*This is part of our State Of The Art series, showcasing bands every Monday from the featured state. This month’s state is Missouri.*

Hailing from Saint Louis, Missouri, Echoes From Ashes delivers their soulful hard rock tinged with early 2000s post-grunge sensibility. The four-piece, consisting of Matt Kelly (guitar/vocals), Michael Wallis (guitar/vocals), Dan Stefl (bass/vocals), and Derek Keller (drums/percussion) formed the band in 2017 and have just recently released their debut self-titled EP in 2018. With the help of Michael Bivens as engineer and producer, along with Stefl, the five-track EP was recorded at Redwood Studios and released to solid local airplay and rotation on major streaming platforms. One of the more powerful singles from the release is “Victim (In Your Hands)” that starts off with a Pantera “5 Minutes Alone”-influenced opening riff and progresses into a melodically heartfelt verse and chorus, reminiscent of genre veterans Chevelle and Breaking Benjamin. Continue reading →

Top 10 Albums Of 2018 [Assistant Editor Picks]

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With so many great metal album releases in 2018 to choose from, it was no easy task to narrow them down to the 10 best. Last year seemed to offer something for every musical taste, with standout record drops representing every current sub-genre. For my list, I went in with the intention of exploring as outside-the-box as I could, while still honoring the albums which I believe to be some of 2018’s strongest that mostly fall under the vast umbrella of metal. This list will no doubt seem like an eclectic one for some, as it does cover a fairly wide range of styles from technical death metal, hardcore, progressive metal, black metal, and funeral doom (just to name a few). So, with that in mind, here are my picks for top 10 metal albums of 2018: Continue reading →