Interviews


Jake Kiszka Of GRETA VAN FLEET On Their Song Being Featured On Shameless “This Better Be In A Sex Scene”

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Photo Credit: Sean Murphy Photography

 

By now Greta Van Fleet should be a household name to anyone that even remotely listens to rock and metal. If the band has somehow not made it on your radar let us catch you up. Greta Van Fleet– which took its name from one of the close-knit community’s town elders – is a hard rocking quartet whose creative ambitions and achievements reach far beyond the ages of the four band members, not all of them old enough to have voted in last November’s election. The band includes brothers Josh (vocals), Jake (guitar) and Sam Kiszka (bass, keyboards) and best friend drummer Danny Wagner (Who I also must add is an accomplished golfer) – are dedicated to bringing real rock’n’roll back to the mainstream. The band delivers high-energy, sweaty, rock’n’roll loaded with attitude and bravado that exemplifies each band member’s killer musical chops and Josh’s simply jaw-dropping voice. Greta Van Fleet bring back a throwback kind of sound that most old school metal heads thought was gone forever. The band has been kicking down doors of venues all over the country and gracing stages at dives and renowned venues. Their four-song debut EP ‘Black Smoke Rising’ was released on April 21, and the group deftly straddles the line between timeless and future, sounding at once like many things you’ve heard before and also something you’ve never heard before. Some have even referred to the band as America’s next greatest rock band. The band doesn’t have an intense history or discography to tell you about as of right now. Greta Van Fleet is currently making their own history and you can be a part of the crowd when they take the stage in your area. Pick up their record because it’s an instant classic…mark my words.  Continue reading →

Andrea Ferro Of LACUNA COIL “Metal Today Is Wider Than It Has Ever Been” [Video]

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Lacuna Coil is currently on their 20th year together as a band. They have been a dominant force in the gothic metal and the godfathers of Italian metal. The band released ‘Delirium’ in 2016 their 8th studio album, which was a concept album of sorts. Lacuna Coil just wrapped up a co-headlining tour with Epica and we happened to see them on that tour (see review here) and then we also had the opportunity to witness the band again at this years Louder Than Life Festival in Louisville, Kentucky.  Continue reading →

Interview: Blothar Says “GWAR Is An Elemental Force”!

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A few days ago we here at Metal Nexus had the opportunity to chat with Blothar, singer of the highly influential, seminal,  and (mildly) controversial rock group GWAR, a name so jam-packed with layers of history that even its mere utterance will bring tears of nostalgia to all sorts of metal devotees. Now, don’t be so quick to judge, – although they’ve been around for a long time this is no reason to cast notions of incorrigible antiquity upon the face of the group. In actual fact they’re promoting a new album titled The Blood of Gods via Metal Blade Records, which you can pre-order at Amazon, iTunes, Spotify and plenty other websites.  The album is scheduled for release on October 20 2017, – the best way to describe the record is that it is full of diversity, quirkiness, humour and spark. Songs like ‘War on GWAR’ offer unique doom-laden riffage to their new sound whereas songs like ‘El Presedente’ includes a dynamic and versatile array of instrumentation, notably brass. Continue reading →

INTERVIEW: Anthony Vincent Of “SET THE CHARGE” and “10 SECOND SONGS”

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SET THE CHARGE is a four piece “Diamond Rock” band hailing from Port Chester, New York. Mainly a studio band until 2014, founding members Anthony Vincent Valbiro, and Frank Valbiro connected with Derek Ortiz and Tom Dicarlucci. Anthony plays guitar/vocals, Tom on lead guitar, Derek on bass, and Frank on the drums. The band released their first E.P. in 2015 titled ‘Auditory Insemination‘ and has recently released their first full studio album on Sept. 26, 2017 entitled “Sky Goes On“. The band has a plethora of different influences between the members which has allowed the band to create a unique sound, and pay homage to musics past while staying contemporary and in the now. Continue reading →

Interview: Chris Volz of FLAW [Video]

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Louisville, Kentucky’s nu-metal heroes Flaw have been dominating stages since before the release of their debut ‘Through The Eyes’ in 2001. The band is now revived and better than ever. Their comeback release last year ‘Divided We Fall’ proves the band hasn’t lost their touch. Chris Volz and Jay Daunt are the core of the band and have led the charge of a nu-metal resurgence over the past two years. Flaw have toured relentlessly playing both as a supporting act and as a headliner and even made numerous festival appearances including back to back performances at Louder Than Life in their hometown and also Ink In The Clink. Still on the heels of their full length release the band has now finished up a companion EP to ‘Divided We Fall’ and it’s titled ‘United We Stand’. The 6 track EP includes 4 brand new tracks and two live tracks. Both live songs are from the ‘Through The Eyes’ album and include “Payback” and “Only The Strong”. The EP will be released September 1st via Pavement Entertainment. Continue reading →

Edsel Of DOPE “I’m Not Sure That Our Consumer Is Really Built For Albums Anymore.” [Video]

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Some bands from the late 90’s and early 2000’s have faded away. Others have made a stale return and then there are bands like Dope who have stayed true to their sound and succeed since their formation. From the very moment in 1999 when I first saw the video for “Everything Sucks” I was hooked. While their were dozens of nu-metal bands already taking over the airwaves Dope had that extra something that others didn’t. One of their keys to success is the lyrics by singer and founder Edsel Dope. The lyrics are some of the most relatable you will ever hear.Any listener can take something away from each and every song. The band is about to release their 6th studio album and the bands first release in 7 years. ‘Blood Money, Part 1’ released on October 28th 2016 via eOne Music. While we eagerly await the release of Part 2 of Blood Money we had the opportunity to speak with Edsel Dope.  Continue reading →

The Bucketlist With DOWNTREND! [Video]

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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*

The band formed in 2004 and has went through a few lineup changes since then. The band retains founding members Josh Crum and Jeremy Chaney. Long time member drummer J.D. Hall completes the current lineup. Hall and Chaney were also formerly bandmates in the crushingly heavy group Voices Of Aggression. The chemistry among these three gents is amazing, which can be heard in their music and seen live when they take the stage.  In the bands 10+ years their sound has changed and progressed but the biggest thing about the band is the heart and passion they have for music. This year the band held auditions and welcomed new singer Shawn Williams formerly of Hollow. The band’s sound has adjusted somewhat since the addition of Shawn to the band but it’s all changes in a great direction. The band has performed with Shawn around 6 times and each and every time they perform their sound continues to become even more electric. The bands most recent release is ‘Southern Fried Hell Ride: Live’ that was recorded in West Virginia and truly captures the bands ability to perform live.

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DROWNING POOL Vocalist Jasen Moreno Says He Used To Help Sell Merch For Them When They Played Local Gigs Together [Audio Interview]

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It’s hard to believe that DROWNING POOL vocalist JASEN MORENO is already 5 years into his tenure with the group. Jasen spent some time with METAL NEXUS at the ‘BLUE RIDGE ROCK FESTIVAL’ in Lynchburg, VA and he had a lot to talk about.  We discussed the ‘MAKE AMERICA ROCK AGAIN’ tour that DROWING POOL is currently in the middle of along with SCOTT STAPP of CREED, SICK PUPPIES, TRAPT and more.  Jasen also spoke about his long history with DROWNING POOL before he even joined the band.  He spoke candidly about how they played local gigs together in Texas before they hit the national scene.  He even went on to say that on occasion he would help watch their merch table for them.   Continue reading →

BELPHEGOR’s Helmuth: “I Almost Cum If The Ceremony Is Great And The Audience Gets Wild While Glorifying Death Musick.”

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Hailing from Salzburg, Austria Belphegor has been raising hell with their signature sound since 1993 and they are set to unleash album number twelve on September 15th via Nuclear Blast records. The band has already released a few tracks from the upcoming release, so until then get your ears full below. Continue reading →

New Source Album, Tour Stories and the Search for a New Drummer: An Interview With Ben Gleason

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Well, I have been absent for a while now, but I will always put in extra effort to make time for some of my favorite bands and people. Of course, my man from Source, Ben Gleason ranks among the top of these aforementioned groups, so when given the opportunity for another interview, I immediately jumped at it. Our story goes back a couple of years now when I was sideswiped and flattened by Source’s music during our State of the Art: Colorado series. Love at first listen, shall we say. Little did I know that my freshman article would spurn a great friendship with this uber-talented group of fine musicians that has been enormously valuable to me personally and professionally. After multiple interviews, show reviews, album reviews, naming their debut, Return to Nothing the Best Album of 2016 and recently crowning bass player Dan Crisafulli as one of our Kings of Strings, I am happy to bring you an inside look at the most current goings-on for a band I would rank as one of the best in the world. One listen to these guys and you will understand exactly what I am talking about. Be fortunate enough to meet them and you will love them even more. Curious? Want to learn more? Read on my friends…

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