Interviews


An Interview With Joshua Toomey (Talk Toomey Podcast / PRIMER 55)

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Most of you are some time or another have heard something that Joshua Toomey has created, whether it be his music with the Nu-Metal legends Primer 55, or his Nashville based band 12 Volt Negative Earth, or his popular podcast Talk Toomey. The bass player turned podcaster was originally from the Nashville area, but moved to the Bluegrass state in order to join Primer 55. From 2002–2007 Toomey was the bands bassist and toured both near and far with the band. Prior to Primer 55 Toomey was a member of the band 12 Volt Negative Earth. I happened to see the band live and their sound was incredible and a band that should have went much further than they did. When Toomey left 12v to join Primer 55 he was replaced by another bassist you may know, Chris Kael now famously known as the bass player for Five Finger Death Punch. When Toomey left the stage and started a family (who are adorable by the way) he still had that creative itch, and was inspired by other podcasters like Jamey Jasta. He felt like he had something to say in a creative manner so Talk Toomey was born. His last name which I’m sure has been a headache at times was finally put to some good use and it didn’t take long before a vast amount of fans were familiar with the name. After speaking at the Louder Than Life festival in 2016 and 2017 Toomey and I (Fist – Editor & Founder of Metal Nexus) decided to join forces bringing together Talk Toomey’s incredible conversations, already established fan base, guests and insight with the hard working Metal Nexus staff and our fans. The partnership was instantly a hit and Metal Nexus is incredibly happy to have Talk Toomey as part of the Metal Nexus family. This interview was an opportunity to allow you – the fans to get to know the man behind the mic a little better, and also for two friends to just shoot the shit.

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The Bucketlist With HOGAN’S GOAT

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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*

 

Hogan’s Goat is named after a tale from Scottish folklore. The band initially formed in late 2014. As the story goes, a farmer (Hogan) owned a goat rumored to have an odor said to travel miles away. The goat’s been described as having patchy fur, an eye out of socket, and flies abound. For the band, this perfectly symbolized their unorthodox style, that which is anything but unnoticeable. They couldn’t have picked a better fable for their namesake. More like a powerful mountain ram the band roams through various styles of music never staying in one place too long. Their first show (at SXSW, on the rooftop of The Blind Pig) was part of an all Nashville (non-country) showcase. Soon after, Hogan’s Goat returned to Nashville, they competed in BMI’s “Road To Bonnaroo” (winning the fan vote) and played many other shows around the Nashville area. While most people think Nashville is only a country town, there is a vibrant rock and metal scene there as well. Hogan’s Goat has hoofed their way out of sea of country music to spread their music to the masses. While the band is based in Nashville it’s members migrated from all around the country like Billings, Montana, Denton, Texas , Southern Pines, North Carolina as well as Nashville. Like their music their roots run further than the eye can see. In March of 2016, Hogan’s Goat began recording their first LP, ‘Hogan’s Goat’ which released July 18th, 2017. The album was self-produced, mixed by Alex Gilson and Nathan Zensen at Gold Cassette and mastered by Tommy Dorsey. The band looks to tour regionally, nationally, and globally.  Their album was one of my favorite albums of the year and would likely be in the top 20 albums I heard last year. However, the stand out track “Shitkicker” from the album stayed in my listening rotation from the moment I heard the track until this very day. While that was one of the strongest tracks on the album the rest of the album is just as good including their most recent single they released a video for “Annie Off The Rails”. This isn’t your run of the mill Nashville band, forget about Nashville being the home of the Ryman, Nashville hot chicken and country music legends, Hogan’s Goat stands out more than those combined.  Continue reading →

Interview: Justin Graves of VEXES [Audio Stream]

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I recently had the great pleasure of interviewing Justin Graves, drummer for the band Vexes; who are about to release their full-length debut album, ‘Ancient Geometry’ tomorrow, February 23, 2018.  Metal Nexus also featured a review of the album last month which, in case you missed it, you can check out here.

During our conversation, Justin shared some great insights into the band’s writing and recording process with me, as well as what’s to come for Vexes in the future, and more.

Vexes originally formed in 2016 from the ashes of A Life Once Lost, Vessl, Fury of Five, and Downstage.  Lineup consists of Charlie Berezansky (vocals/guitar/keyboard), Justin Graves (drums), John Klagholz (guitar/keyboard), and Bobby Carpenter (bass).  Their sound is modern but proudly pays homage to their 90’s influences including Deftones, Cave In, Thrice, and Helmet.  For those of us who grew up in the era from where much of this music draws its inspiration, listening to this album will bring a warm sense of nostalgia as it transports you back into high school with your baggy jeans and Puma Suedes.  For newcomers, expect a moody and oftentimes melancholic hard rock/metal experience with powerfully melodic choruses and crooning vocals.  Continue reading →

The Bucketlist with Phil Freeman of SMALL TOWN TITANS

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*In this series we pose the age-old question 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 Small Town Titans are a power trio from York, PA who love to constantly create, as well as play live.  Gone is the notion that a rock band should only release 10 songs at a time every 2 years.  In a world where music fans crave new content constantly, the Small Town Titans aim to deliver their brand of art all the time, drawing inspiration from a new wave of rock bands such as Royal Blood to rock legends such as the Foo Fighters, Audioslave, and Deep Purple.  Thanks to their efforts at assembling their own studio in a basement, STT can create and release songs, podcasts, live online concerts, and more with no rules. Continue reading →

‘The Bucketlist’ With THE INOCULATED CANARIES

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New York is the home of some of the biggest names in music ranging from Blondie, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, and the New York Dolls to KISS, Anthrax, and the Beastie Boys.  It has proven, time and time again, that it’s one state that definitely hosts a breeding ground for talent; and with no exception, The Inoculated Canaries are on their way to write their names beside those who laid the road on which they now travel with their latest release, ‘Trying Times’ which you can order HERE. Continue reading →

The Bucketlist With Gino Colucci of DOMESTIC GODZILLA!

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Chicago based groove rockers Domestic Godzilla formed in 2001. The band has a style and sound that really melds various genres together creating this beast of a band that has gained attention all across the Windy City of Chicago and afar. One of the most recognizable elements of the band is the vocal style of singer Scott Coca. Moments pass and you have these beautifully sang melodies, by the time you blink it slams into these break neck screams that haunt your ear drums. Chicago was usually always a tour stop for national acts and Domestic Godzilla often opened for some of those headlining acts. If you had to make comparisons the band sounds like a mixture of a much more brutal Incubus with elements similar to the band Flaw, and a dash of Nothingface. Chicago natives loved the band and showed up in hoards to see them live. Unfortunately the band ended up going into a hiatus. Fast forward to 2008 and Domestic Godzilla drummer Gino Colucci is now the founder of an independent record label called Converse Records. In 2013 he was able to release a Domestic Godzilla album of previous material that includes several live tracks. The album is entitled ‘Language Barrier’. It had been almost a decade when the two founding members (Gino Colucci & Scott Coca) were drawn together yet again to bring the beast back to life. The chemistry they built together writing songs all the way back in high school helped them reform and got the ball rolling again. They started to work on new material in the studio at Converse Records in 2015. Gino has now moved across the country to Arizona and Scott is still residing in the Chicagoland area. Thankfully the technology advantages the two are still able to keep Domestic Godzilla alive, and their new material shows that no distance can dull the chemistry these two have together. The band recently released their newest single in the form of a lyric video for “O.C.D.” and are also working on another track that should be released sometime soon as well.  Continue reading →

Interview: Ritchie Randall of GRAVEHUFFER

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Photo Credit: Chet Smith

If you’ve been keeping a watchful eye upon the current state of affairs within extreme metal’s underground vaults, the likelihood is that you may have came across a band named Gravehuffer. Their second LP, titled ‘Your Fault’ is a mature follow-up to their debut which was released five years earlier. The album’s tonality highlights one’s most earnest thoughts about modern society with a vague sense of jocularity and cynicism. The album’s line-up is comprised of Mike Jilge on bass, Larry Deardorff on drums, James Hiser on vocals and Ritchie Randall on guitars. The album also features ex-Carcass / current Monstrance guitarist Carlo Regadas as a session musician. It was released via Reality Impaired Recordings in March 2017.

Almost a year later, we here at Metal Nexus thought it would be a good idea to check up on the Gravehuffer camp and see how they’re doing. With rehearsals now underway and new material being written, it’s fair to say that Gravehuffer is anything but inactive at the moment.

Interviewer Jaime Regadas had the immense opportunity of chatting with guitarist Ritchie Randall about their origins as a band, their plans for 2018 and more!

 

An Interview With ATALA: “I Think I Was Born To Be The Villain In Real Life!

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Photo Credit: Jenifer Stratton

After years of turning heads in the subterranean metal scene, Twentynine Palms, CA-based sludge/doom metal group Atala are rising above with the release of their most confident album yet – the full-length crusher ‘Labyrinth of Ashmedai’ out January 26, 2018 via Salt of the Earth Records, the bands first release on the label. This album is a follow up to their previous album ‘Shaman’s Path of the Serpent’ which was released in May of 2016. Atala has an inspiring sound that is made up of various influences. Psychedelic desert sludge combined with crushing doom riffs and stoner rock melodies. Though the band hails from the barren desert of Twentynine Palms they aren’t anything like the standard desert rock bands you may be familiar with, Atala are breaking the mold and solidifying a new sound associated with the desert. As with their last record, ‘Shaman’s Path of the Serpent’, ‘Labyrinth of Ashmedai’ was produced by Billy Anderson, recognized for his work with colossal bands such as Sleep, Melvins and Mastodon. The album is available for pre-order as digital download, cd, and also on Limited edition black and blue splatter vinyl. Pre-order your copy here today!

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Interview: FOR WE ARE MANY “We Are Next To Bands That We’ve Idolized” [Video]

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This 5 piece metal band formed in 2012 in Michigan and has been making a name for themselves ever since. Last year the For We Are Many won an opening spot on the Chicago Open Air Festival through a contest on Reverb Nation. 1000’s of bands and they came away as the winner which lets you know immediately this band doesn’t mind competition and they certainly showed they are winners. If that wasn’t enough, prior to this the band in a similar contest or audition process also won a slot on the Vans Warped Tour as well a year or so ago. Though the band has had to fight for spots on theses festivals I believe they have now established themselves as an act that stands their ground and can entertain and please a huge crowd of fans. Because of their jaw dropping performance at Chicago Open Air the band was also invited to play the Louder Than Life festival in Louisville, Kentucky which like Chicago Open Air was also organized by Danny Wimmer Presents. For We Are Many has a true melodic metalcore sound that you have to witness in person just to believe.

 

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The Bucketlist with SILENT THEORY

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Alas, ladies and gentlemen, we’re back again with another Bucketlist!  For those who aren’t up to speed on things, the Bucketlist segment focuses on the artists that today’s hottest bands and artists themselves would like to see live in concert.  In this segment, everyone is fair game.  From our favorite stars to the bands that have just begun, everyone has their own bucketlist and the guys in Silent Theory are no different.  Continue reading →