Category Archives: Interviews

Interview With A.J. Channer Of FIRE FROM THE GODS! [Video]

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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 2016’s ‘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. They followed the album up first with an amped up re-release titled ‘Narrative Re-Told’ and this year saw the release of their new studio album ‘American Sun.’ The album boasts charting singles like “Truth to the Weak (Not Built to Collapse)” and “Right Now.” 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 →

KNOCKED LOOSE On Fans At Their Shows “Do Whatever You Want, You Paid To Be Here.”

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Knocked Loose

Have you ever just been standing there, minding your own business when someone kicks you right square in the teeth? That’s exactly what Knocked Loose sounds like. These riffs are so grimy and down tuned so low that the neck of the guitar might as well snap due to lack of tension. They make you want to take a bite out of the sidewalk. Continue reading →

Dropkick Murphys On New Album “We’ve Got A Couple Songs That Are Like Pretty Ready To Go”

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Celtic-American punk rock band Dropkick Murphys formed in 1996 in Boston, Massachusetts. Originally the band just jammed for fun with a goal of blending the music they grew up with which included punk rock, Irish folk, rock and hardcore. It seems like a mess of genres to mix together but the sextet has created a genre all to themselves. Their band includes an array of different instruments that you won’t find on stage at a normal rock or hardcore show. Those include accordion, bagpipes, mandolin, bouzouki, keyboard, bodhran, piano, banjo, harmonica, tin whistle and then of course your everyday hard rocking guitar, bass, and drums. It helps that both Tim Brennan and Jeff DaRosa are multi-instrumentalists and can play 7 or more instruments each. In the bands storied career they have released 9 studio albums. The band’s first 5 albums were all released via independent punk record label Hellcat Records. Since 2007 the band has released everything on their own imprint label, Born & Bred via Alternative Distribution Alliance. Dropkick Murphys biggest hit thus far is “I’m Shipping Up to Boston.” The track was featured on the start studded 2006 Academy Award-winning movie The Departed, and went on to become a Platinum-selling single. Dropkick Murphys is most well known for their super energetic live shows and are beloved in the city of Boston for their St. Patrick Day performances and their charity work in their local communities. The band’s charity The Claddagh Fund was founded by bassist and vocalist Ken Casey. Their mission statement states “The Claddagh Fund honors the three attributes of the Claddagh Ring: Friendship, Love & Loyalty. Our mission is to raise money for the most underfunded non-profit organizations that support the vulnerable populations in our communities.” For more information about the Claddagh Fund you can visit their website here. The band just wrapped up their headlining tour with support from Clutch, Hatebreed and Amigo The Devil. The band has been touring in support of their 2017 album “11 Short Stories of Pain & Glory.” Continue reading →

Phil Anselmo Talks Possible DOWN Anniversary Tour; Hints At Return Of Kirk Windstein To DOWN [Video]

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Philip H. Anselmo is a name synonymous with metal. He has been at the helm of several iconic bands that have broken barriers in the music world. One of the hardest working musicians of the generation Phil is a member of several bands each one just as amazing as the next. Pantera got everything started for the singer back in  1986 when he replaced previous singer Terry Glaze and joined forces with brothers Vinnie Paul and Dimebag Darrell Abbott along with Rex Brown. The band blazed new trails in American Heavy Metal and raised the bar of what was expected in regards to modern bands. Phil also went on to form the illustrious supergroup Down which has featured well known members like Jimmy Bower (Eye Hate God), Kirk Windstein (Crowbar, Kingdom of Sorrow), Rex Brown (Pantera), Pepper Keenan (Corrosion Of Conformity), and Pat Bruders (Goatwhore). As if that wasn’t enough of a workload Phil also has Superjoint (Formerly Superjoint Ritual) in which Jimmy Bower is also a member. In the past few years he has also brought two new bands into the realm with Philip H. Anselmo & The Illegals, and his black metal project Scour. His work history doesn’t end there as he has also been a part of the bands Arson Anthem, Christ Inversion, Southern Isolation, Viking Crown, Eibon and En Minor as well. Around a year ago Phil also stepped in and took over vocal duties for Mike IX Williams of Eye Hate God when he was ill recuperating from a liver transplant. (Mike is now back with the band and is as healthy as ever). In addition to his various bands Phil also runs and owns the label Housecore Records which has an amazing lineup of bands including Author & Punisher, The Mystick Krewe of Clearlight, Child Bite, King Parrot, Crowbar, Warbeast and various others including some of his own projects. Continue reading →

The Bucketlist With SAY NEVER

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In this series we pose the age old questions to a wide array of music lovers. As fans of music, most of us keep a mental list of active bands we want to see live that we haven’t yet seen. The Bucketlist brings to you those lists of your favorite artists and why those bands mean so much to them*

Since originally forming in 2017 by Jonathan Pruitt (vocals/guitar) and Paul Lawrence (bass), Say Never has been honing their brand of blue-collar hard rock in the thriving Atlanta, Georgia music scene – along with Rick Gatheman (drums) and Ben Sumpter (lead guitar). With big choruses and hard driving riffs, their sound is one that will surely resonate with fans of bands like Seether and Black Stone Cherry. Just last month, Say Never released a music video for their party anthem, “Do It Again,” whose catchy hooks are sure to be stuck in your head for days. Find it below, but first check out The Bucketlist for Jonathan, Paul, and Ben: Continue reading →

The Bucketlist With THE NORTHMEN

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In this series we pose the age old questions to a wide array of music lovers. As fans of music most of us keep a mental list of active bands we want to see live that we haven’t yet seen. The Bucketlist brings to you those lists of your favorite artists and why those bands mean so much to them*

Originally formed in Watertown, New York, The NorthmeN have a sound that is equal parts epic, grandiose heavy metal and catchy, hard rock groove. For my ears, The NorthmeN are kind of what you might get if you threw Iron Maiden and Load-era Metallica into a blender with a dash of Scorpions guitar harmonies – a refreshing treat indeed. Check out their music video for “Forevermore” that not only features a killer track, but some interesting behind-the-scenes footage of the band as well. Continue reading →

Alien Weaponry On Hanging With Al Jourgensen “That Was A Real Life Changing Experience” [Video]

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Alien Weaponry brings their immense sound from New Zealand to America and there is no looking back now. Brothers Henry and Lewis de Jong formed the band back in 2010 before they were even teenagers. The third member is Ethan Trembath. The trio bases a lot of their lyrics off of their Māori ancestry, which all three of them have. Most of their songs are also performed in the native language, te reo Māori. The band really took off last year and saw international success with the release of their debut album, ‘Tū’ via Napalm Records. The band received millions of streams within weeks and had their songs added to several popular playlists on Spotify. Soon, Sirius XM Liquid Metal turned their attention to them and their song “Kai Tangata” eventually made its way up to number on their weekly top song countdown, “The Devil’s Dozen”. You can check out the epic music video for it below along with another song below it. I’ve always enjoyed listening to bands that sing in other languages and these guys are no exception. I loved the comparison that Revolver made in their article about the band comparing them to Sepultura. It is honestly the best comparison I’ve seen for the band so far. This won’t be the first time that the band has been over here as they have appeared on Liquid Metal before with Jose Mangin hosting them. Following that, they went on a tour throughout North America with Ministry and Carpenter Brut. I heard from many people that the trio absolutely blew them away. Continue reading →

The Bucketlist With HELL & HOLLAR

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*In this series we pose the age old questions to a wide array of music lovers. As fans of music most of us keep a mental list of active bands we want to see live that we haven’t yet seen. The Bucketlist brings to you those lists of your favorite artists and why those bands mean so much to them*

We are half way through the week and sometimes the grind can get boring, so here we are at Metal Nexus willing to lighten up your mid week blues. Presenting to you another edition of The Bucketlist. This week we’re featuring HELL & HOLLAR a West Palm Beach, FL based Stoner Rock band. The band consists of Blake Burns on guitar and vocals, Nate Largent on drums, Johnny Dusko on bass and Mike McCleary who’s the multi instrumentalist. Drawing from their many influences that span the areas of blues and heavy stoner rock, they are developing a brand of rock all their own. Their heavy yet inviting sound is a refreshing straight forward rock music that anyone can have a good time with. This power trio has an old school heavy rock vibe with an open eye on the future.

Without much beating around the bush, let’s get to know which bands are on their bucketlist.

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BLACK PISTOL FIRE: “One Time We Kind Of Opened For Nas” [Video Interview]

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Black Pistol Fire is a high-octane rock duo based out of Austin, Texas by way of Toronto, Canada; composed of Kevin McKeown on guitar/lead vocals and Eric Owen on drums.  Drawing inspiration from blues, R&B and rock greats such as Led Zeppelin, Chuck Berry, Nirvana, Buddy Holly and Muddy Waters; Black Pistol Fire’s gritty and dynamic performances are fueled by undeniable musicianship.  Dubbed the“next big thing” by Huffington Post after SXSW 2013, BPF has developed a reputation for their untamed live performances. Black Pistol Fire has shared the stage with acts like Gary Clark Jr., Weezer, Heart, Wolfmother, The Struts, Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, ZZ Ward, and Band of Skulls.  Their signature sound has been featured throughout television and entertainment.  Their single, “Show Pony” was featured in the Ted 2 official trailer, “Hard Luck” was featured in Toyota’s Super Bowl 50 ad, and they performed their song “Blue Eye Commotion” in a national T-Mobile TV ad.  Their music can also be heard in numerous TV shows including Sons of Anarchy, Castle, and About a Boy. If you thought 68′ or The White Stripes was a powerful duo, you haven’t seen anything yet. Black Pisol Fire’s music doesn’t just speak to you; it screams at you, and its even better heard live. 

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HYDE (Vamps) Feels That He Has Become Freer Going Solo! [Video Interview]

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Hyde

Hyde is best known as lead vocalist of the rock band L’Arc-en-Ciel as well as the lead vocalist of Vamps. L’Arc-en-Ciel was founded in 1991. From 91′ until 2000 the band released 8 albums. In 2001, the band went on an unofficial hiatus as each of the members began work on solo careers. The band reunited 3 years later and have went on to released another four albums the latest ‘Butterfly’ released in 2012. Vamps was formed in 2008 with Hyde and K.A.Z. (Oblivion Dust, Hide With Spread Beaver). Just a year after forming the band went on an international tour including 10 dates in the U.S.. They have released four studio albums, the last of which was ‘Underworld’ released on April 26, 2017. The band has also released 12 live concert dvds one of which includes an MTV Unplugged performance in 2016. All of the bands singled charted #8 or higher in Japan. Hyde and Vamps have amassed a huge following in Japan and some of that fandom has trickled down into the United States with his fans here being very passionate about his his music. On December 1, 2017, Vamps announced that they were temporarily ceasing all activities; and released the statement “Our engines have overheated and we need some time to cool down. As soon as we are at our best temperature and the time is right for our return, we plan to kick back into action in top gear!” Hyde released his first solo album, Roentgen, on March 27, 2002. An overseas edition featuring English lyrics was released in July the same year. He just released his new solo album ‘Anti,’ his first solo album in 10 years. ‘Anti’ is Hyde’s fifth solo album. Hyde in recent years has made appearances on the American festival circuit with Vamps and also went on a U.S. tour with I Prevail in 2017. Now as a solo act Hyde has been on tour supporting In This Moment and Light The Torch as well as making festival stops at Welcome To Rockville in Jacksonville, Florida and Epicenter Festival in Rockingham, North Carolina as well as a few headline dates in Chicago, Los Angeles, and Boston.

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