KILLCHAIN, DARKRYPT & CARNAGE INC To Feature On The 2nd Edition Of Durance Of Hate India Tour This November

By | |
3 Comments

The Indian Metal scene is on the rise and the country is undergoing a renaissance period in terms of the development of the scene, whether it be bands coming down from every corner of the planet to the subcontinent, or be it the sudden surge of tours within the nation. One such new and dynamic series of tour has recently started to shape up well, with mainly the focus being thrown on underground and upcoming bands. This year’s edition of Durance Of Hate Tour is a sophomore one and it features three hot and happening bands, death metallers KILLCHAIN and DARKRYPT and thrash metal juggernauts CARNAGE INC, all hailing from the western coastal metropolitan city, Mumbai. They will possibly be supported by local bands from every city on the tour. Many props to Proximity Productions on planning what looks and promises to be an awesome multi-city tour, with straight up, pure, unadulterated death and thrash metal attack from the west coast!

Continue reading →

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

By | |
Comments Off on Interview: Blothar Says “GWAR Is An Elemental Force”!

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 →

Album Review: THE WALKING DEAD ORCHESTRA – ‘Resurrect’

By | |
Comments Off on Album Review: THE WALKING DEAD ORCHESTRA – ‘Resurrect’

With a name like The Walking Dead Orchestra, you can’t help but conjure up depictions of a post-apocalyptic zombie wasteland where all life is obliterated and the outlook is bleak and demoralising… but fear not, for French Deathmetallers are absolutely annihilating the hoard with their sophomore album ‘Resurrect’! Soon to be released on Fri 13th October via Unique Leader Records (the pioneering label that have already brought you Arkaik – ‘Nemethia’, Decrepit Birth – ‘Diminishing Between Worlds’ and Inanimate Existence -‘Underneath A Melting Sky see review here). ‘Resurrect’ marks a new chapter for the band, having emerged victoriously from the entanglement of wretched spawning bodies, stronger, more determined and aggressive as hell! Pre-orders are live and bundles are available here. For digital click here.

Following in the footsteps of the Architect (the main character of the bands concept world), you are thrown violently into an onslaught of punishing fretwork in ‘Resurrect The Scourge’. With the worldwide epidemic surrounding us, the world we have entered is one of sheer ferocious pounding melody entertained by emotionally charged vocals from lead singer Florian Gatta (also of Rise Of Doom). The vocal dynamics add to intensity of the drama unfolding, from grunts and growls to an exasperated top-end, a familiar appraoch from their deathcore history. The aggression is paramount across the release with a ritualistic feel, almost like the band is willing the dead to join them in their rampage. This is carried upon in ‘Through The Realm Of Chaos’, a frenzy of duality in vocal range and the in-your-face fast tempo which only intensifies the impending Armageddon. It has a pummelling playfulness and incorporates more mid and gruntal vocals, offering a far more brutal old-school dynamic with an ability to combine primal influences to full effect!

Continue reading →

Album Review: THE DARKNESS – ‘Pinewood Smile’

By | |
Comments Off on Album Review: THE DARKNESS – ‘Pinewood Smile’

 

The Darkness

Pinewood Smile

Cooking Vinyl

There are those who dismiss The Darkness out of hand as little more than a one-hit novelty act doing a faux-operatic glam-metal piss-take. Those unfortunate souls are A) probably not much fun at parties, and B) missing the point entirely. Rock and roll, especially heavy rock, has become a dour and earnest beast in the past quarter-century or so, plodding along a loud but often joyless path, rife with negativity and self-loathing. Since day one, The Darkness have served as an antidote against this encroaching gloom, a glittery, sequined outpost shining brightly in a vast expanse of brutal grey. Misery and introspection certainly have their place, but so do joy and outrageousness and just plain fun, dammit, and that’s where The Darkness come in. Yes, their songs are over-the-top; they’re also expertly crafted nuggets of kick-ass rock and roll, stuffed to bursting with beefy riffs, intricate melodies, and cocksure swagger. And sure, some of their lyrics might be a little silly, but those great big jagged hooks they’re attached to ain’t no joke. Their newest album, Pinewood Smile, is a bawdy buzzsaw with peacock plumage, a devastating roundhouse right from a manicured fist. Outrageous and opulent yet fiery and muscular, it’s the finest album in their catalog so far and unless you’re a real fuddy-duddy, it’s likely one of the best times you’ll have listening to a record this year.

Continue reading →

RINGS OF SATURN’s Release Video Discussing Album Reception & Touring

By | |
Comments Off on RINGS OF SATURN’s Release Video Discussing Album Reception & Touring

Technical death core metallers, Rings Of Saturn, released their highly acclaimed fourth full length studio album, “Ultu Ulla,” on July 28th. The alien death core quartet presented an entirely new and esoteric proposition to heavy metal that led to their highest first week sales. The band released a new video discussing the album’s reception, what they have been up to since the release, and what they have in store for the remainder of 2017.

Continue reading →

Exclusive Premiere of DOWNTREND’s “Nobody Gets Out Alive” Official Video! [Stream]

By | |
Comments Off on Exclusive Premiere of DOWNTREND’s “Nobody Gets Out Alive” Official Video! [Stream]

 

Downtrend 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 takes his seat behind the drum kit adding his style and showmanship to the band. 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. Downtrend has been performing live for over 10 years now and has been the opening act for various legends in rock and metal. Some include Adema, Nonpoint, Sevendust, 10 Years, Otherwise, Lynch Mob, Jake E. Lee’s Red Dragon Cartel, and various others. The band has yet to release any official tracks with new vocalist Shawn Williams….UNTIL NOW. The band has recorded a new track as well as an accompanying video. The track as well as the video was recorded by audio and video engineer Tony Mullins at TubeFi studios in Pikeville, Kentucky. Downtrend has kindly allowed us here at Metal Nexus to premiere the video to the world. So here is the exclusive official video of “Nobody Gets Out Alive” Continue reading →

EPICA, LACUNA COIL, INSOMNIUM & ELANTRIS In Baltimore! [Photo Gallery]

By | |
1 Comment

Epica & Cristina Scabbia

The Ultimate Principle tour featuring Epica, Lacuna Coil, Insomnium and Elantris reached Baltimore last Wednesday. This was one of the last dates of the tour and hence I wanted to thoroughly mull over the performance before I put pen to paper. This is hands down the most melodic tour of the year in North America. Rarely do we see a tour with two powerhouse mezzo soprano vocalists in heavy metal. The excitement in the Facebook groups devoted to symphonic and gothic metal has been palpable for months. As I grow older I have slowly gravitated towards the symphonic aspect of heavy metal, and not attending a lineup of genre defining bands was never a question! Continue reading →

Album Review: ‘The Wild Sounds of LORDS OF ALTAMONT’

By | |
Comments Off on Album Review: ‘The Wild Sounds of LORDS OF ALTAMONT’

 

Lords of Altamont

The Wild Sounds of Lords of Altamont

Heavy Psych Sounds

Since their founding in late 1999, the Lords of Altamont have been preaching the gospel of high RPMs and low morals, the Good News about being bad. Well-versed in the rituals, scriptures and sacraments of the sages and prophets who preceded them, the LA-based congregation has unleashed another electrifying testimonial to the healing powers of rock and roll on their sixth album, The Wild Sounds of Lords of Altamont. It’s a cranked-up, psychedelic biker/garage joyride from Detroit to Berdoo, all virile riffs and swirly Farfisa; you can hear the leather and sunglasses, smell the exhaust fumes and truckstop incense. Vocalist/organist/head shaman Jake Cavaliere, guitarist Daniele Sindaco, bassist Rob Zimmerman, and drummer Steven Van Der Werff are a finely tuned machine, expertly spitting out blasts of santification that baptize you with a shot of whiskey and a punch in the mouth.

Continue reading →

The Many Faces of ANTHRAX’s Scott Ian

By | |
Comments Off on The Many Faces of ANTHRAX’s Scott Ian

Scott Ian from Anthrax at Nova Rock 2014

Most of us know Scott Ian as a musician. More precisely, he’s a rhythm guitarist and occasional vocalist, and the founder and only remaining original member of the Queens-based heavy metal group called Anthrax. While all that is true, he is also a man of many talents and interests. Some of the facts about his life are pretty interesting, too.

Scott Ian is married. This is pretty usual, except his wedding attire consisted of Bermuda shorts, trainers, and a regular T-shirt. From what I gathered, this wasn’t supposed to be a casual ceremony as this outfit would suggest. Who was the father of the bride? The famous musician/singer/writer/actor/producer best known by his stage name Meat Loaf.

However, music was undoubtedly Scott’s first love. He was sure about their long-lasting relationship early on. Besides his main musical commitment and a few associated acts (best known as the crossover thrash band Stormtroopers of Death), he found the time for many side projects with fellow musicians. Continue reading →

FIFTH FREEDOM Release Official Music Video for “Midnight Rain”

By | |
Comments Off on FIFTH FREEDOM Release Official Music Video for “Midnight Rain”

Portland, ME Southern Rock Band Fifth Freedom has released the Official Music Video for the single “Midnight Rain” off of their 2016, sophomore album ‘Heartbreak & Hellfire.’ Fifth Freedom are a rockin’ group from the great north in Maine, but their music has it’s roots in the south. The mixture of classic rock and southern rock is a great way to describe their sound. The band went on tour with Kentuckians Black Stone Cherry for two months, and that tour put the spotlight on Fifth Freedom and brought some well deserved attention to the band. “Heartbreak & Hellfire” was recorded with Jon Wyman at The Halo Studios. The album was mastered by the Grammy Award winning mastering engineer Adam Ayan ( A Perfect Circle, Linkin Park, Nirvana) and the renowned Gateway Mastering Studios in Portland, ME. “Midnight Rain, is a bluesy ballad shouted from the very depths of singer, Alan Jones’ soul. It’s a song about moving on from a love lost by knife-twisting betrayal. Midnight Rain showcases the band’s earnest songwriting as well as their technical chops.” – Fifth Freedom Continue reading →