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
While She Sleeps has been keeping the UK metalcore scene alive for a long time now and after the release of ‘So What?’ I believe they will become one of the main players in the entire game!
Blues and garage rock have given birth to a child and the child is the new band, The Stroppers. Previously known as Play Pretend, The Stroppers released an album in spring of 2018 under that name before changing their name and image. This album will be re-released under the new name with new cover art on March 1, 2019. With Joel Monroe on the guitar and Jasmina Bonilla banging the drums, The Stroppers are here to give everyone tons of fuzzy goodness. Continue reading
BWAK DWAGON was forged in the rock n roll town of Cleveland, Ohio. The three piece band is made up of Matthew Clement on drums and vocals, Dave Busch on guitar, and Jason Robinson on bass. Together, they mix heavy riffs with haunting tones and lyrics. This powerful trio has plenty to offer and though this band may be small in numbers they are big in sound. The band released their self-titled debut album in 2014 and was released independently by the band. It is also now available on vinyl via Gotta Groove Records, I might add. The debut was recorded by Paul Maccarrone (Obnox) at 71st Door in Cleveland, OH and mastered by Charlie Loudin (The Pistolettes) at My Other Car Is The Space Time Continuum in Kent, OH. The band of course has had a strong string of live performances in and around the Cleveland area and has quickly garnered attention for their heavy and haunting sound. Just 2 years later the band has released a follow up to their debut titled ‘Plum Island’ which released in September of 2016. The band coming off the heels of a successful first album again went to Paul Maccarrone for recording and Charlie Loudin for mastering. The lyrical content is one of the strongest points within the Bwak Dwagon sound and those words are brought to life on paper and in voice by Matthew Clement. It’s not often we get a chance to hear the drummer show off his pipes while also beating his drum kit to shreds but Clement is able to easily accomplish this. The band’s brand new release is ‘Underground and Passed Around’ which released on January 26, 2019. Bwak Dwagon recorded the new album again with local producer Paul Maccarronne and again locally based Gotta Groove Records to press the vinyl. However, this album includes 3-D glasses to enhance the album art. “The color scheme [of the album art] has a lot of red and blue to it,” Clement explained to CleveScene. “There happened to be a pair of 3-D glasses in the room, and when we tried them on, the artwork looked great, so we decided to include a pair with the album. We have a gimmick of some sort with each record.” ‘Underground and Passed Around’ includes 12 well thought out tracks. 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
It’s old and it’s new, it’s funky but familiar, Kings Destroys’ pseudo stoner melodic rock harkens a fresh taste of experimental riffage with slow-mo head bobbing. New York City dwellers they are and a hotbed of artistic exploration they inhabit since their 2010 formation. Gracing the shelves March 8th, “Fantasma Nera” is the bands upcoming fourth LP through Svart Records, a Finnish based label that is home to Acid King. Continue reading
We are back with another Indian metalband and this time we present to you the mighty Dark Helm. After releasing their first album back in 2011 they are at it again with their second release called ‘Hymnus De Antitheist’. So grab some popcorn and let’s enjoy some quality metal from our Indian brothers! Continue reading
Invisions may only have 2 albums on their name but they already are beginning to climb their way to the metalcore top. ‘Between You And Me’ has been out since the 8th of January but it has already made it in my top 10 records of this year! Can’t wait to witness this live!
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
Blaine Cook (also known as The Wizard) is a musical figure who has been around since the 80’s. He started his music career fronting the Seattle based political punk band The Fartz, but he is perhaps best know for his time in Splatter Rock kings The Accused. Founded in 1981, The Accused were one of the most important bands of the time as they were one of the first to bridge the gap between Punk Rock and Thrash Metal which eventually lead to the creation of Crossover. Despite being an influence on everyone from Lamb of God, Cannibal Corpse, Dead Cross and Municipal Waste, The Accused largely remained underground and underappreciated. Fast forward to 2019 and we no longer have The Accused; but we do have something just as great: The Accused AD! This is a band that features the iconic vocals of Blaine Cook as well as the talents of Alex “Maggotbrain” Sibbald, Steve “The Beast” McVay, and Poison Idea drummer Mickey Widmere! Later this year, The band is scheduled to release a limited edition tape entitled ‘The Ghoul in the Mirror’ via Blackhouse Records Ltd. The album will be produced by Jack Endino (Nirvana, Toxic Holocaust) and mastered by Pig Destroyer’s Scott Hull! Continue reading
