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

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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’

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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.

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The Many Faces of ANTHRAX’s Scott Ian

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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”

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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 →

State Of The Art: WHISPERS OF ANDROMEDA

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*This is a part of our State Of The Art series, showcasing bands every Monday from the featured state*

This month’s state is Massachusetts!

This week’s band hails from the “Heart of the Commonwealth” in Worcester, Massachusetts. Continue reading →

Review: All Pigs Must Die – ‘Hostage Animal’

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Brooding hardcore-punk conglomerated with crushing stoner-esque displays of melody are now indefatigable qualities to what constitutes Southern Lord Records. One particular group to assist in laying down such foundations would have to be the incredibly influential, perennially pessimistic and harrowingly heavy act All Pigs Must Die. Their third studio LP, ‘Hostage Animal’ is scheduled for release on October 27 2017 and is musically their most foreboding attempt to date. The group is now a five-piece act consisting of Kevin Baker of The Hope Conspiracy on vocals, Ben Koller of Converge on Continue reading →

Album Review: GUTSLIT – ‘Amputheatre’

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India is in the bringst of a metal revolution and brutal death/grind legends Gutslit are at the forefront! Fresh from their second massive international tour “Brutal Grooves Grinding Moves” with Germany’s Stillbirth, American Splattered and Colombian Carnivore Diprosopus – Gutslit absolutely pulverised the masses across 15 shows in 8 countries to launch their highly awaited sophomore release “Amputheatre”. Set to be released on Oct 15th via new label Transcending Obscurity India – Asia’s largest label for extreme music, pre-orders are live and available here. 

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MARILYN MANSON Injured By Stage Gun Props At Show; Rushed To Hospital

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MARILYN MANSON‘s concert in New York City came to a horrific and shocking sudden halt when a stage prop which were designed as two big guns fell on the rock-star, and crushing him down to the ground. MANSON was immediately rushed to the hospital.

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Brilliant Rock & Soul Masters, Broken Stems, Reemerge With “Rest Assured”

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When bands talk to us, we always listen. You never know when something spectacular quickly becomes your next favorite band. If you don’t dig it, pass it along to another staff member. We all have diverse tastes and open minds for just about every form of Rock, Hard Rock and Metal. It is what we do and why there are never hit pieces here. We love and respect all of the fine musicians that we cross paths with. Such is the case when I received an email asking about coverage for a new Rock and Blues outfit from San Diego, CA. One listen to their brand new single: “Rest Assured” (see below) was all it took. Man, oh man! No need to pass this along. It gladly stays firmly in my stable. Before checking out their hot new single below, please let me introduce you to Broken Stems.

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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 →