Since forming in 2012, All Them Witches has been bringing their awesome brand of psychedelic/stoner rock via prolific studio time and live performances. They have four full-length studio albums available – with their recently reviewed self-titled LP just released – plus multiple EP’s, live albums, and singles for fans to check out. Their sound often has a retro quality and rawness that allows the music to breathe organically without the filter of flashy studio polish. Continue reading
Deftones
This year was my third year in a row attending the Aftershock Festival at Sacramento, California’s Discovery Park with my wife. This time around, it was the first year I was not only attending as a regular fan but also had the great opportunity of experiencing VIP perks as part of the media for the show. I had a full schedule of bands to watch throughout the day and a couple of potential interviews. This was definitely going to be a new and exciting experience. 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 Rhode Island.*
Hailing from Providence, Rhode Island, Wreak have been bringing their unique brand of extreme music since January 2015. Just last month, the band released their second album ‘Perpetual Cycle of Uncertainty’ which contains six killer tracks. Sonically, Wreak is super intense while displaying strong influences of 80s thrash, grindcore, death, and anything else violent and insane you can think of. At times it’s a bit Morbid Angel or Pungent Stench, and at other times it’s got a bit more Napalm Death going on. When the blast beats and psychotic vocals really reach the extreme, their sound can enter into somewhat of an Anal Cunt vibe. Overall, Wreak is all about sheer destruction and their newest album is a great example of the fun and exciting intensity they bring to their performance. Continue reading
This October 19th, 2018 Brazilian metal veterans Soulfly are set to release their 11th full-length album, ‘Ritual’ via Nuclear Blast. In recent interviews, frontman/guitarist Max Cavalera has described the new album’s sound as “tribal-death-thrash.” In the early years, Soulfly could be described as more of a nu-metal act that incorporated elements of thrash, tribal percussions, and reggae into the mix, so the direction of ‘Ritual’ was intended to be something of a return to earlier form for the band which has taken on more of a traditional groove-thrash approach as of late. Max, who left the legendary Sepultura to pursue Soulfly as his main musical outlet in 1998 has traditionally invited a number of guest artists to feature on each album, while the main band lineup itself has been something of a revolving door for a number of years – aside from lead guitar shredder Marc Rizzo since 2003. In 2012, Max’s son Zyon Cavalera joined the group as drummer and has continued on as a permanent member ever since, while providing progressively more impressive skills behind the kit with each new album release. Appearing for the first time on album with the band and signing on in 2015 is Mike Leon on bass. Staying true to tradition, ‘Ritual’ features powerful guest performances from metal heavy-hitters Randy Blythe (Lamb of God) and Ross Dolan (Immolation). Continue reading
The 7th annual Monster Energy Aftershock Festival returns to Sacramento’s Discovery Park this October 13th and 14th featuring live performances by System of a Down, Deftones, Alice in Chains, Godsmack, Incubus and many more! In addition to the massive lineup of 39 amazing bands, festival-goers can check out a wide selection of artisan street foods, Caduceus Wine Garden, Belching Beaver Bar, contests, and many more unique and interactive experiences. For cannabis-enthusiasts, Heavy Grass (the loudest weed brand in the world) will be offering premium weed products and merchandise. For a peek behind the scenes at all of the elements that are involved in recording a professional record, fans can visit The Music Experience which also features autograph signings and artist interaction throughout the day. Continue reading
The 7th annual Monster Energy Aftershock Festival returns to Sacramento’s Discovery Park this October 13th and 14th featuring live performances by System of a Down, Deftones, Alice in Chains, Godsmack, Incubus and many more! In addition to the massive lineup of 39 amazing bands, festival-goers can check out a wide selection of artisan street foods, Caduceus Wine Garden, Belching Beaver Bar, contests, and many more unique and interactive experiences. For cannabis-enthusiasts, Heavy Grass (the loudest weed brand in the world) will be offering premium weed products and merchandise. For a peek behind the scenes at all of the elements that are involved in recording a professional record, fans can visit The Music Experience which also features autograph signings and artist interaction throughout the day. Continue reading
*This is part of our “Aftershock Festival 2018 Spotlight” where we branch out and focus on some of the up-and-coming bands that fans can see at this year’s Aftershock Festival on October 13th & 14th. This week, we’re checking out ALL THEM WITCHES.*
Bringing their awesome brand of psychedelic/stoner rock to the stage at this year’s Aftershock Festival is Nashville’s own All Them Witches. Since forming in 2012, the band has been quite prolific with recording. They have four full-length studio albums released – with their recently reviewed self-titled LP set to drop later this month – plus multiple EP’s, live albums, and singles for fans to check out. Their sound often has a retro quality and rawness that allows the music to breathe organically without the filter of flashy studio polish. The stony vibe will have you reaching to turn on your lava lamp and blacklight as you trip out to The Doors-esque, groovy keyboard jams on tracks such as “Fishbelly 86 Onions” from the band’s upcoming album. Continue reading
As frontman, bassist, and one of Deicide’s founding members, Glen Benton is a certified death metal legend and ever-engaging character who has never been known to hold back his opinions. This week, he returns to Talk Toomey: The Metal Nexus Podcast for a second time to deliver another exciting interview with host Joshua Toomey. They discuss Deicide’s upcoming new album ‘Overtures of Blasphemy,’ social media, the downside to getting older, metal elitism, and much more. Continue reading
*This is part of our “Aftershock Festival 2018 Spotlight” where we branch out and focus on some of the up-and-coming bands that fans can see at this year’s Aftershock Festival on October 13th & 14th. This week, we’re checking out AMIGO THE DEVIL.*
Adding a healthy dose of variety to the Aftershock lineup this year is acoustic folk artist Danny Kiranos, aka Amigo the Devil. For the most part Kiranos delivers a one-man unplugged performance with just his vocals along with a guitar/banjo. His musical style can range from tongue-in-cheek humored, singalong bar ballads such as “I Hope Your Husband Dies” to the dark and morbid, Harry Chapin-esque “Cocaine and Abel” while drawing inspiration from bluegrass, southern rock, and extreme music. The sonic depth and emotion of Amigo the Devil received a much-appreciated, unfiltered treatment in the studio via veteran mega-producer Ross Robinson (Korn, Slipknot, Limp Bizkit) who produced the new album ‘Everything is Fine.’ It was recorded at Valentine Studios, which had been untouched since the seventies, with all original gear, straight to tape. With Brad Wilk (Rage Against the Machine, Audioslave) overseeing the project, the record is exactly what Kiranos had always wanted, commenting, “It was the first process of recording that ever made complete sense with absolutely no filler or veil to compensate for the sounds … It was absolute and pure brutal honesty …” 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 Florida.*
Hailing from Tampa, Florida, Sin Scythe (Kevin Nichols) is the one-man mastermind behind the brutally dark and aggressive, blackened death metal project Element of Eclipse. On wax, you’d never know by the immense atmospheric sound that it was created and performed solely by one person. Scythe recorded his first demo for Element of Eclipse back in 2003 and has since released five full-length albums, with 2015’s ‘HeretiKvlt Manifesto’ being the most recent. The first album ‘Apocalyptic Life’ (2006) was an all-acoustic project with synth and vocals that began laying the groundwork for much heavier things to come. As a distinct evolution from his acoustic beginnings – and packed with high-speed, distorted riffing and blast beats – ‘HeretiKvlt Manifesto,’ is one of Scythe’s most refined and crushing works to date, improving upon the format that was solidified on the previous two records. With a sound that’s equal parts Immortal and ‘Alters of Madness’-era Morbid Angel, Element of Eclipse delivers powerful extreme metal with a well-executed and crisp production value that propels the music’s power and atmosphere to the limits. Continue reading
