Review: APE CAVE – ‘Language of the Earth’ [Album Stream]

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Ape Cave are a talented band from the musically rich city of Portland, Oregon. The band’s debut release was on May 31, 2015 in the form of an EP titled ‘Primordium’. It was engineered by Ryan Grunest and The Human and mixed/mastered by The Human at Human Studios. ‘Primordium’ has been described as an eighteen minute long embarkment spanning over bountiful sonic landscapes – listeners will find themselves immersed in formidable singing, kaleidoscopic guitar solos and rigid rhythms. I have become addicted to their unique sound since hearing their 2016 release ‘Pillars of Evolution’ which also made my best of album list for that year. It was engineered/mixed by Fester at Haywire Studios and mastered by Stephan Hawkes at Interlace Audio. The band describes the album “Prepare to undertake a momentous odyssey through Kashmir’s bluffs, devastating Egyptian plains and volcanic panorama in Ape Cave’s LP ‘Pillars of Evolution.’ The psychedelic guitar work, roaring bass lines, thunderous percussion and dark vocals soaring to pyramidal heights are just a fraction of the elements that will leave listeners captivated. The tale of a wanderer experiencing an intensely hallucinogenic, trans-continental journey is yet to be unraveled.” The band has now released their follow up to that album with ‘Language of the Earth’ which like the last album released on January 1st. Ape Cave continues to bring amazing gifts on January 1st with their album releases and though it’s the first day of the year when December rolls around it will still be in your album rotation. This was true with ‘Pillars of Evolution’ and I’m sure the same will be true with ‘Language of the Earth’. This album was Engineered/mixed/produced by Billy Anderson who has worked with notable acts like The Melvins, Neurosis, Swans, Brutal Truth and many more. Continue reading →

Philip H. Anselmo On First Meeting Dimebag “He Looked Like A Freaking Unraveled Q-Tip!”

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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 →

Guitarist Alfred Morris III Of IRON MAN Has Passed Away

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Maryland based doom metal band IRON MAN guitarist Alfred Morris III is unfortunately no longer with us. He passed away this morning at the age of 60. Their Facebook page confirms the same news and the cause of death  is unclear at this time. Alfred being one of the founding members, carved out some of the most ghastly doom riffs during his time in the band. He managed guitar duties on most of the band’s studio recordings. He has also showcased his abilities on the keyboard on the band’s 1993 debut, ‘Black Night‘ and the subsequent year’s sophomore effort,’The Passage‘.

Alfred Morris III was also involved in a different band called FORCE with whom he recorded just their debut EP and their eponymous debut full length in 1981 and 1991, respectively.

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Review of Leaves’ Eyes Spectacular “Sign of the Dragonhead”

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Leaves’ Eyes is:

Elina Siirala – Vocals

Alexander Krull – Vocals

Thorsten Bauer – Guitar/Bass

Pete Streit – Guitar

Joris Nijenhuis – Drums

Sign of the Dragonhead

Any fan of Symphonic, female-fronted Metal is intimately familiar with, now legendary, Leaves’ Eyes. Over the course of the last fourteen years, the band has released a total of six albums including Lovelorn (2004), Vinland Saga (2005), Njord (2009), Meredead (2011), Symphonies of the Night (2013) and King of Kings in late 2015. Based on a myriad of Nordic themes such as the mystical, underwater world of the mermaid, adventures of the ancient mariner, Celtic folk songs, tales of heroic women over the course of mankind’s existence and, most recently a concept album revolving around the first king of Norway, Leaves’ Eyes has carved their epic status in stone and set a firm foundation for the entire Symphonic sub-genre of Metal. By April 2016, Finnish vocalist Elina Siirala replaced long-standing front-woman Liv Kristine amid much drama and controversy. Fans from all over the world held their collective breaths as the first act of the band played out to its close. Once Elina proved herself at Hammersonic in Jakarta, Indonesia, Metal Female Voices, Wave Gotik, Treffen, Masters of Symphonic Metal, Full Metal Cruise and many other, fans breathed a sigh of relief knowing that Elina had what it takes to carry the standard. This should come as no surprise since Liv had a hand in choosing her replacement. Last year, Leaves’ Eyes ventured on their most bold world tour yet, hitting Europe, Asia, North America and South America; even being joined by one of my favorite bands, Sabaton, among many others and selling out shows throughout. Unfortunately, I have not had the pleasure of seeing Leaves’ Eyes live but are said to have “shows [that are] are spectacular events featuring breathtaking stage sets like a Viking ship or the unforgettable ‘Swords in the Stone’ monument.”

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Guitar God Joe Satriani Shows Us “What Happens Next”

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What Happens Next musicians:

Joe Satriani – Guitar

Glenn Hughes (Deep Purple and Black Country Communion) – Bass

Chad Smith (Red Hot Chili Peppers ) – Drums

Mike Fraser (AC/DC, The Razor’s Edge and long time Satriani collaborator since Crystal Planet) – Producer/Engineer/Mixer

Joe Satriani certainly needs no introduction and remains one of my favorite guitarists of all time. What will be sixteen albums over the course of thirty one years, teacher of many other great guitarists (Kirk Hammet, Andy Timmons, Steve Vai, Alex Skolnick, Charlie Hunter, Larry LaLonde, Kevin Cadogan, Rick Hunolt, David Bryson, Geoff Tyson, Phil Kettner, to name a few), member of supergroup Chickenfoot, undeniably one of the most influential guitarists of all time, multiple Grammy Award nominations, headliner of G3 since 1995 featuring a veritable who’s who of the greatest the guitar world has to offer and a man that just exudes passion and fun on every stage he has ever landed on are just a few meager mentions of this man’s incredible talents. I have had the pleasure of seeing Joe quite a few times over the course of his long career and he so obviously loves what he is doing now more than he ever has. He just keeps getting better and enjoying it more and more as the years wear on. Where a jaded view of the music business has tainted the passion of so many other bands I have seen lately, Satriani hits the stage with continued wide-eyed wonder. Honestly, I think Satch enjoys playing more than his fans like watching him slay his beloved Ibanez.

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Watch LETHAL INJEKTION Cover LIL UZI VERT’s “XO Tour Llif3”

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LETHAL INJEKTION exploded on the scene in January of 2016 and have quickly become one of the strongest up-and-coming alternative metal acts on the West Coast. The band has been labeled nu metal, rap metal, and have even become known for creating their own sound and movement, a genre known as “West Coast Metal”. LETHAL INJEKTION takes heavy influences from artists like LINKIN PARK, PAPA ROACH, TECH N9NE, STAIND, KORN, DISTURBED.

The band released their highly anticipated sophomore release “Judgement Night” on September 15, 2017 via RuffLife Recordz, and have entered into a mutual partnership agreement with Zombie Shark Records, home to bands such as KEYCHAIN, DIRTY MACHINE, NoSelf, and RIKSHA.

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State of the Art: Nebraska – Fallen Reign

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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 Nebraska!

On this week’s State of the Art spotlight of Metal from Nebraska, I would like to introduce a Progressive/Power Metal band that call Omaha home. Members include guitarist/vocalist Jody Kermoade, bass player Leigh Jamieson, drummer Andrew Pace and Rocky Pulley covering keyboards during live shows and will be featured on their forthcoming album. The band is Fallen Reign.

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Review: Nebula – ‘Let it Burn’ 20th Anniversary Reissue

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For fans of Nineties psych-fused heavy rock, a group that commonly springs to mind is Los Angeles based power-trio Nebula, a group whose initial incarnation was formed out of the ashes of Fu Manchu and their decaying line-up at the time. Celebrating their 20th Anniversary, the group are planning to reissue their first three recordings under the newly-established, slightly esoteric label under the name of Heavy Psych Sounds. Each individual release features two bonus tracks as well as the original track-listing and is certainly marked by a deep feeling of sentiment and accomplishment. Today we’ll be focusing on the first of their upcoming releases which is also evidently the first plunge into oblivion the group embarked upon as a recording unit; – why yes, of course I’m talking about the EP ‘Let it Burn’ which was in its heyday originally released via Relapse Records. Continue reading →

Allegaeon’s Release of Their Second Rush Cover, “Animate”

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Little did we know that Allegaeon, whose album Proponent for Sentience hit our lists for best of 2016 (check out our extensive review here), recorded not one, but two spectacular Rush covers! Those of us that heard “Subdivisions” immediately fell in love with their rendition of it and made it their most streamed song off of the aforementioned album. Celebrating today’s date, January 6, 2018, the date version of the band’s song “1.618”, Allegaeon have just cut loose with “Animate” worldwide on all of the digital music services. It can be sampled and bought at your favorite source here.

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