Agonal Breathing either is or will soon be one of your favorite slam bands, with their album ‘Bloodthirsty Mutilation’ announced and read to spawn somewhere this year and the nasty ‘Pure Agony’ already being part of my daily routine they really are the State Of The Art of the state Kansas!
*This is part of the Rock USA Spotlight segment where we help you get to know some of the non-headlining bands performing at the festival. Let us introduce you to Fire From The Gods*
Fire From The Gods formed in Austin, TX in 2010 and has really sprung onto the scene in the last year or so. Their album ‘Narrative’ had bangers like “Excuse Me” and “End Transmission” with AJ Channer controlling the flow of the songs with his blend of rap, reggae, and rock vocals to keep you on your toes. Fire From The Gods is likely one of the most energetic bands slated to perform at this years Rock USA. AJ Channer is actually the band’s second vocalist after he replaced Eric July who is now doing a project called Backwordz. Fire From The Gods has already played several major festivals like Rock on the Range, Carolina Rebellion, and Welcome to Rockville. They only continue grew in popularity by playing on the Vans Warped Tour a few summers ago. This isn’t just your typical, generic rap metal band. These guys have a message to go with their music that has been needed for a long time. Continue reading
2019’s festival season is already (in my opinion) the biggest and hardest-hitting festival season to date. It seems that just about every other lineup announcement is even more unbelievable than those prior and they keep getting better! Of course, Sonic Temple is among the aforementioned and those who will be in attendance are in for one hell of a show! The degree of artist diversity is exponentially higher than previous years and artists like the Mark Lanegan Band are guaranteed to bring some nice, dark, soulful vibes to the festivals they will grace this Summer! Continue reading
Photo Credit: MDKC Photography
*This is part of our State Of The Art series, showcasing bands every Monday from the featured state. This month’s state is Kansas.*
The clouds clear after a devastating hurricane has hit. Life has changed beyond recognition. You are left with with vivid recollections. Assuming that this scenario is played out, the band Stories Through Storms from Kansas City has a vivid name and certainly are lodged in my brain as being a band telling stories in the storm of Metalcore. They bring the thunder, the power and the freshness that follows. On the melodic end of Metalcore, they are very welcome.
*This is part of the Rock USA Spotlight segment where we help you get to know some of the non-headlining bands performing at the festival. Let us introduce you to Royal Tusk.
Royal Tusk was formed in Edmonton, Alberta in 2011. The band consists of Daniel Carriere (vocals, rhythm guitar), Quinn Cyrankiewicz (lead guitar, backing vocals), Sandy MacKinnon (bass, backing vocals), and Calen Stuckel (drums). The band fuses a classic and progressive rock approach with punk energy and a stoner groove to create something unique that is Royal Tusk. 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 Kansas.*
Black metal and a history lesson? Get your pencil and paper out, Marsh of Swans are about to school you in downtrodden riffage and local history. The black metal duo call Lawrence, Kansas home. They go by CJ and BC, sharing the writing and production duties. BC is the voice that is heard on the tracks and CJ does the drum work, however. Continue reading
Today’s artist is Knocked Loose.
On Saturday, May 18th, Kentucky hard hitters are bringing down their gritty, beatdown sound to the Chicago Open Air stage at SeatGeek Stadium. Similar to Vein, the heavy sounds of Knocked Loose typically just make their way into the small and dark venues to fit the type of music that they bring to the table. They have grown immensely in popularity though and are making their way up to larger venues. Before making their way to Chicago Open Air, the band will be on the road for roughly a month with The Acacia Strain, Harm’s Way, Sanction, and Higher Power. Their huge, heavy sound filled with slow-tempo breakdowns are sure to impress and devastate all the metalheads in the stadium that day to prep them for the bands following them like Code Orange and Meshuggah.
*This is part of the Epicenter Festival Spotlight segment where we help you get to know some of the non-headlining bands performing at the festival. This week we introduce you to Boston Manor!*
Boston Manor is a pop punk band which formed in Blackpool, Lancashire, England in 2013. The band certainly isn’t of the heavier variety of bands performing at the Epicenter Festival, but they help give a break in all the heaviness throughout the day. Boston Manor released their debut EP ‘Here/Now’ the same year they formed in 2013. In 2014, the five piece released both a split with the band Throwing Stuff, as well as another EP titled ‘Driftwood.’ Then in 2015, Boston Manor signed to Pure Noise Records and released a four-track EP titled ‘Saudade.’ In 2016, Boston Manor released their first full-length album titled ‘Be Nothing.’ Continue reading
If you think that you’ve already heard it all when it comes to heavy music, you just haven’t heard Wage War. The group — which is composed of vocalist Briton Bond, guitarist/vocalist Cody Quistad, guitarist Seth Blake, bassist Chris Gaylord and drummer Stephen Kluesener — formed in Ocala, Florida in 2013. After playing shows around the area and picking up steam, they were quickly signed to Fearless Records, and did it the old-fashioned way: By sending a song to the label. From there, the group linked up with the production team of Andrew Wade (Neck Deep, Motionless In White) and A Day To Remember vocalist Jeremy McKinnon who produced their 2015 debut ‘Blueprints’ together and returned to produce the sophomore full-length ‘Deadweight’, and most recently, “Low”, the band’s newest single released earlier this year – check it out!
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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 Kansas.*
Originally forming in May of 2010, Existem have emerged as a progressive force in the Kansas City music scene, combining bursts of technicality, subtle progressions, ambient instrumental passages and jazz phrasing to express their unique sound. Existem was formed by Brad Trinkl on guitar, Chris Gochis on guitar/vocals, Ben Chipman on bass/vocals, and Matthew Chipman behind the drum kit. The band released their self titled debut EP on April 21, 2011 that consisted of 4 tracks. The band went on to release their first full length ‘Years Of Winter’ on September 14, 2012. They would follow that up with another EP in February of 2014 titled ‘Phoenix’ and also a single “Closed Eyes” in November the same year. Continue reading
