Moonlight Prophecy Set to Release “Eternal Oblivion” on April 17th!

By | |
Comments Off on Moonlight Prophecy Set to Release “Eternal Oblivion” on April 17th!

Moonlight Prophecy is:

Lawrence Wallace: All instruments and composing
Mika Mage: bass

Being that we are covering the great state of Pennsylvania in our State of the Art series this month and it being International Guitar Month, I ran into a band in my search for talented, lesser known gems that I instantly fell in love with that needed to be covered outside of the normal Monday cycle and they have a brand new release set to drop on April 15th. From Philadelphia comes Moonlight Prophecy to abuse your ear drums with the, much anticipated, release of Eternal Oblivion!

Continue reading →

DOWNTREND Auditioning Vocalists Following Exit Of Mike Jackson!

By | |
Comments Off on DOWNTREND Auditioning Vocalists Following Exit Of Mike Jackson!

Kentucky metal veterans Downtrend have announced today that lead vocalist Mike Jackson is stepping away from the band due to unforeseen circumstances. 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. The band’s first lead singer when they formed was Steve Damron and at that time the band had an old school heavy metal sound similar to maybe Dio or Judas Priest. His vocal abilities along with the talents of the band made anyone within earshot of their music an immediate fan. Unfortunately, he left the band in 2004. Downtrend then took some time to regroup and reformed with Daryl Amburgey taking over vocal duties. His style drastically changed Downtrend’s style but in a positive way. He delivered not only amazing vocals but incredible lyrics as well. The music while Daryl was at the help took more of an emo or post-hardcore type vibe. The band of course stayed true to their heavy roots and shredding guitar riffs. Daryl exited the band in 2008 and the band was once again auditioning vocalists. This is when Whitesburg native Mike Jackson stepped up to the mic and became the frontman of the band for almost a decade. Mike truly added a southern metal sound to the band. Along with his harmonica playing his onstage swagger and vocal dominance would be a staple of Downtrend’s uniqueness. The time has come again for the band to search for another singer. After speaking with guitarist Josh Crum we have learned the band has auditioned a few vocalists around the region including West Virginia native Joey Ferris, Jason “Brew” Brewer, Michael McKay Combs (Voices Of Aggression) and Shawn Williams (Hollow). While the auditions are still ongoing the band had a scheduled show opening for Bullet Boys at The Appalshop Theater in Whitesburg, Kentucky. The band has stated they will have a “guest vocalist” for this show which sources say will be Michael McKay Combs. Mike certainly has the ability to take over the void left in the band. He was the deep baritone vocalist of Voices Of Aggression which bassist Jeremy Chaney and J.D. Hall were also a part of. While I’m told everyone is still in the running for this position you can see a live audition when the band takes the stage opening for Bullet Boys.

Auditions continue and if interested in becoming the new voice of Downtrend email [email protected]

For tickets to see Bullet Boys & Downtrend’s special performance go here.

 

The KillThrax Tour: Killswitch Engage, Anthrax, The Devil Wears Prada, Jasta In Silver Springs, MD [Photo Gallery]

By | |
Comments Off on The KillThrax Tour: Killswitch Engage, Anthrax, The Devil Wears Prada, Jasta In Silver Springs, MD [Photo Gallery]

Killswitch Engage

The KillThrax Tour, featuring metalcore giants Killswitch Engage and old school thrash titans Anthrax arrived at the Fillmore in Silver Spring last night. The bands on supporting duty are The Devil Wears Prada, a band good enough to act as headliner, and Jasta, the eponymous band of Hatebreed lead singer Jamey Jasta. No way in hell were I going to not cover this event! Continue reading →

State of the Art: Pennsylvania – Gun Metal Gray

By | |
Comments Off on State of the Art: Pennsylvania – Gun Metal Gray

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

This month’s State is Pennsylvania!

Week number two of the state that brought us bands like August Burns Red, Halestorm, Poison, Cinderella, Britney Fox, A Life Once Lost, Motionless in White brings us a kick ass Metal/Thrash band out of Pennsylvania’s capital of Harrisburg. Winning the QWIK Rock 105.9 Battle of the Bands at the Arena Bar and Grill in State College just a few weeks ago comes Gun Metal Gray.

Continue reading →

Review: FUNERAL FOR THE MASSES – ‘Pitch Black’ [Official Video]

By | |
Comments Off on Review: FUNERAL FOR THE MASSES – ‘Pitch Black’ [Official Video]

 

When we are talking about brutal Finnish death metal we are talking about Funeral For The Masses. This band is currently unsigned but has been rising higher and higher, so watch out! They are from the northern city of Oulu, Finland and I can tell you that this is a band you can add to the good Finnish bands. The band was founded in the winter of 2014 by Eemeli Bodde & Teemu Halmetoja. They have one vocalist, Teemu Halmetoja, guitarists Eemeli Bodde and Juho Näppä, bassist  Aleksi Statsevich and on the drums we have Niko Väärälä.They recorded and produced everything themselves, it got mixed & mastered by Timfy James (Hacktavist, Old School Studios). They have done some tours in the past with one of the biggest metal festivals in Finland. The last years they have been busy finding their sound and this EP shows what they are trying to create, a brutal mix of dark vocals with a feeling of revenge and terror. If you are a fan of their 2 EP’s before this, ‘’Deal With The Devil’’ or ‘’Blood Donation’’, you will be running for this one.

Continue reading →

An Interview With Dan Briggs of BETWEEN THE BURIED AND ME

By | |
Comments Off on An Interview With Dan Briggs of BETWEEN THE BURIED AND ME

I just recently had the chance to interview bassist/keyboardist Dan Briggs of Between the Buried and Me, Orbs, Trioscapes, and Nova Collective. This is something I’ve wanted to do for a long time as BtBaM are one of my favorite bands in the progressive genre. Briggs gives us the scoop on what to expect to see on the upcoming ‘Coma Ecliptic Live’ DVD, what we might hear on the next album, playing ‘Colors’ again later on this year, his new project titled Nova Collective and more. The ‘Coma Ecliptic Live’ DVD will be released via Metal Blade Records and Good Fight Entertainment on April 28th. You can pre-order it here. Continue reading →

ENSLAVED To Release “Roadburn Live” On Record Store Day, April 22nd

By | |
Comments Off on ENSLAVED To Release “Roadburn Live” On Record Store Day, April 22nd

 

Record Store Day 2017 is upon us! In just a few, short weeks, exclusive releases by artists – ranging from Johnny Cash to Warbringer – will be available for purchase in record stores across the globe. And it is confirmed that among the vinyl releases there will be a limited run of a special Enslaved LP coming on Saturday, April 22nd! The legendary, progressive black metal band’s first official live album, Roadburn Live, will chronicle Enslaved’s performance at Roadburn Festival 2015 in Tilburg, Netherlands. Continue reading →

Carolina Rebellion 2017 Preview!

By | |
Comments Off on Carolina Rebellion 2017 Preview!

Carolina Rebellion has become one of the most anticipated festivals, not only this year but each and every year. Carolina Rebellion along with Welcome To Rockville are really the two events that kick off the festival season. Headliners this year at Rebellion are Sound Garden, A Perfect Circle, Def Leppard, Korn, Avenged Sevenfold, and The Offspring. Not on is the lineup strong but it is diverse both in the headliners and the lower bands on the bill. The festival returns on May 5th, 6th, and 7th at Rock City Campgrounds in Concord, North Carolina. Don’t waste anymore time and pick up your tickets here. Continue reading →

Chicago Open Air Spotlight: PIG DESTROYER

By | |
Comments Off on Chicago Open Air Spotlight: PIG DESTROYER

*Every Thursday from now until Chicago Open Air gets here we will be releasing an article about a band playing the festival to get you familiar with them.*

This week’s artist is Pig Destroyer.

On Saturday, July 15th, one of the heaviest bands on the planet is set to take the stage at Chicago Open Air in Bridgeview, IL. Pig Destroyer is a deathgrind five-piece hailing from the city of Alexandria, VA that was formed around 20 years ago by J.R. Hayes and the legendary Scott Hull. The music consists of a high mix of brutality and ferocity sure to annihilate anyone in its path. There are highly disturbing lyrics sure to appeal to any horror lover as the band blasts through a ton of songs on each record (there are 23 tracks on ‘Prowler in the Yard’ in under 40 minutes). Continue reading →

ANEWRAGE Redefines Themselves With “Life-Related Symptoms”

By | |
Comments Off on ANEWRAGE Redefines Themselves With “Life-Related Symptoms”

ANEWRAGE is:

Axel Capurro – Vocals/Guitars
Manuel Sanfilippo – Guitars/Backing Vocals
Simone Martin – Bass
Alessandro Ferrarese – Drums/Backing Vocals

Like our experiences with outstanding bands coming out of Greece comes yet another killer band out of Italy. Hailing from Milan, ANEWRAGE is a long standing band that describes themselves as a “powerful mix of Alternative Metal and Post–Grunge”. While this may give a general feel for what they are after, I definitely hear influences of Progressive and djent throughout as well; giving them a broad sound that is completely identifiable as their own. In 2014, ANEWRAGE released ANR which vaulted them above the fray and allowed them to play with international, bucket-list bands like Gamma Ray, Freak Kitchen, Dreamshad, Destrage, among others. The teaser for album alone also left them finalists for the SXSW Design Award in Austin, TX for inclusion in projects like Pacific Rim, The Lego Movie, The Last of Us, etc. Their radio friendly sound has also earned them spots in the rotation for RockTV Italy and A One Ukrainian Rock TV Channel, where their singles “Ape’s Legacy” and “Nina” are still being played. After all of the aforementioned attention, ANEWRAGE was picked up by Scarlet Records last year where they recorded “Nina”, produced by Matteo Magni (Rhyme, Audrey, Mellowtoy) and included on the “ANR – Deluxe Edition” re-release. Joining forces again with Metteo, ANEWRAGE is set to release their new album Life–Related Symptoms on April 7th, 2017 (be sure to check out the band release of the entire album on their Spotify channel linked at the bottom!).

Continue reading →