Category Archives: Artist Showcase

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 →

“The Bucketlist” with LILIAC!

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Photo Courtesy of Liliac

We’re back again with another installment of our beloved Bucketlist segment where we pose the age-old question and find out which acts make the personal bucket lists of your favorite bands and artists! Quite often, we all get to check off on our own bucket lists and most of the time that list is ever-growing, but nonetheless, Metal Nexus will be here to keep asking that question and do our best to bring artists and fans just a little closer! This week, we’re looking at Liliac – a hard-rocking family quintet all under the age of 20! Continue reading →

Sonic Temple Spotlight: DIRTY HONEY

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With their debut EP is still in the works, Los Angeles CA’s own Dirty Honey have already been wowing listeners across the country with a refreshing twist on their rock roots.  The band is currently gearing up for a busy 2019, kicking off in March as a supporting act for Red Sun Rising on their “Peel” tour alongside Goodbye June, and making appearances at some of the biggest rock festivals the Summer has to offer including Epicenter and Welcome to Rockville! Continue reading →

Epicenter Festival Spotlight: DEAD GIRLS ACADEMY [Interview & Official Videos]

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*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 Dead Girls Academy!*

In 2016, when the curtains closed on Vampires Everywhere, Michael Orlando sought out other avenues for his new musical vision. “I’ve had the name DEAD GIRLS ACADEMY on the tip of my tongue for a few years” admits Orlando. He then formed the post-hardcore/alternative/pop punk metal outfit with the name that had been on the tip of his tongue for years; Dead Girls Academy. He removed the spooky occult shock-rock themes and look that Vampires Everywhere! was known for, and his new band leaned closer to the post-hardcore, punk side of the spectrum, while retaining Orlando’s dark and dramatic aesthetic. Orlando adds “I’ve always been on the darker side of things in rock & roll, and the name fits the sound and overall image. Split personalities, fake friends, hangers-on, social-climbing and attention-hunting whores are all ingredients I wanted to exploit with this project. I called together Ronnie [Radke] (Falling In Reverse) and our friend Elvis Baskette (Slash, Sevendust) and we started arranging songs and melodies. Living in Hollywood, there are so many fucked up things I’ve seen, the stories in my head, I could write six novels about them all. But that’s what breeds the creative juice and you will believe me once you hear Dead Girls Academy.” His previous band had a theme and brought a dark element to the stage and his vocals also invoked darkness, with a gravely growl and ferocious screams. However; with Dead Girls Academy he has turned his vocals completely around and its much more of a pop punk sound now. You still get those dark story telling lyrics that he is known for but with a more melodic approach.  Continue reading →

State of the Art: Hawaii’s GORGOS

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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 Hawaii.*

Ever wonder what the soundtrack of mutilation might sound like? Pretty sure it’s Gorgos. Hailing from a beautiful place like Honolulu, Hawaii, yet they have no shortage of brutality. It’s death metal, it’s slam, a little bit of grind thrown in the mixer. What churns out is blood soaked and meaty riffs. This is carnivorous music. Continue reading →

Epicenter Festival Spotlight: HIGH ON FIRE [Official Videos]

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*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 High On Fire!*

If you are familiar with High On Fire you will be in agreement that it’s hard to believe they are billed earlier in the day on the inaugural Epicenter Festival lineup. The mastermind behind the band is of course Matt Pike known famously as one of the best doom guitarists ever from his work with his other band Sleep. He formed High On Fire in 1998. Pike is a talented musician that has a huge discography between his bands. With Sleep he has released 5 albums and one EP, and with High On Fire he has released 8 studio albums and 1 live album. He was also a part of the bands Asbestosdeath (which was was an early incarnation of Sleep) and Kalas who combined have released 2 EPs and 2 albums. The one area where High On Fire differs is that Matt Pike in addition to playing guitar also is the vocalist as well. His vocal style is gritty, raw, aggressive and it’s impossible to not thoroughly enjoy. The bands most recent album is ‘Electric Messiah’ which released in October via Eone Music and the album has been on nearly everyone’s best albums of the year list. In addition to that successful album High On Fire has also been nominated for a Grammy for Best Metal Performance. With the nomination they are joining some legendary past nominees like Metallica, Motörhead, Faith No More and TOOL, this is the first time the band has been nominated in their twenty-year career. In regards to their nomination the band had this to say: “We are so honored to be appreciated by our peers,” says vocalist and guitarist Matt Pike. “We love and live our art.” “It doesn’t matter whether we win or not,” says drummer Des Kensel. “It’s just an honor to be recognized for our hard work and sacrifice after devoting our whole lives to music.” Finally, bassist Jeff Matz adds, “This is pretty mind-blowing. We’re beyond thrilled about the nomination. We all put a lot of sweat and sleepless nights into writing and recording this album. It’s amazing that our efforts are being recognized in this way.” On February 10th High On Fire won that Best Metal Performance Grammy for  their album ‘Electric Messiah’ beating out other metal powerhouses Between The Buried And Me, Trivium, Deafheaven and Underoath. With that much talent in one category it certainly shows you the talent that High On Fire will bring to the Epicenter stage. Continue reading →

State Of The Art: Hawaii’s THE GRANITE SAINTS [Album 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.*

From Honolulu, Hawaii, The Granite Saints are, according to their biog, “a three chord homage to the bands of their youth.”  They are snotty-nosed punks with the attitude of them against the world.  They talk and walk their way and anyone who doesn’t like it can just get out of their way.

Forged in the fires of 2013, they are made up of Lonesome James on rhythm guitar/lead vocals, Brian on bass/backup vocals, Shane Taylor on lead/rhythm guitars and Chad Taylor on drums.  They released a self titled EP in 2017, with some awesome beefy riffing on tunes like “Juju Mama” and “Run The Night.”  However, 2018 saw them really open up the Pandora’s Box of punk rocking music with ‘Red, White & Screwed.’

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Epicenter Festival Spotlight: HO99O9 [Official Video]

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Ho99o9 (pronounced Horror) is one of the up and coming band performing at the inaugural Epicenter Festival in Rockingham, North Carolina. This band is like nothing you have ever seen or heard before. Their sound is a mixture of punk, industrial and rap. The band finished up 2018 on tour with The Prodigy in the U.K.. Their sound is somewhat similar to The Prodigy mixed with Nine Inch Nails, Dead Kennedys and a touch of rap. Ho99o9’s sound changes somewhat drastically from song to song and they can’t really be pigeon holed to one specific sound or style. The New Jersey duo explains that they weren’t exposed to rock, punk or metal growing up and all they really heard was hip hop. Now days you will see the band members repping such bands as the Misfits, Cro-Mags, and even Eye Hate God.  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 →

Epicenter Festival Spotlight: BLACK COFFEE

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*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 Black Coffee!*

Black Coffee formed in early 2017 after drummer Tommy McCullough introduced singer/bassist, Ehab Omran, to guitarist Justin Young. Within the first few days, these artists began songwriting and the chemistry was overwhelmingly apparent. With the release of Black Coffee’s debut album, ‘Take One’, on April 21st, the Columbus, Ohio rockers definitely possess the sound, style, confidence and work ethic that created legends in music in the previous few decades. The bands style is slightly retro rock and with the recent success of bands like Greta Van Fleet, The Struts and Rival Sons they have timed the formation of the band perfectly. Black Coffee are a band that certainly appreciates a good riff and you will easily notice how they flaunt their guitarists talents within their music. Ehab Omran’s vocals pack immense power into such a small frame. He sings in a melodic manner but also at times can wail with an aggressive grit to his voice as well. The band unveiled a music video for “I Barely Know Her”. The song and accompanying video was the first taste of Black Coffee that we would receive and it sent music fans into a whirlwind. The video was filmed at the Johnstown Opera House in Johnstown, Ohio. “I Barely Know Her” was filmed, directed and produced by the extremely talented John Payne of Payne Productions, who is one of the most talented photographers in and around Columbus, Ohio. With the attitude of the years gone by and the sound of a new resurgence of the classic rock, Black Coffee parts the proverbial sea for the next generation of artists. Continue reading →