Review: The Metalhead Box – February 2017

By | |
Comments Off on Review: The Metalhead Box – February 2017

This is the box I was greeted with at my front door this past week. A seemingly small box that is claimed to be filled with goodies for metal heads. For those of you who have never seen or heard of this box before, I’d like to share with you my very first opening of one. But first a little bit of information about The Metalhead Box. This box contains everything from mugs, pictures (signed and unsigned), CDs, shirts, buttons and patches. The list could go on and on. Every month the box is filled with different things as far as genres and bands go. From hard rock to black metal merch and everything in between. Let’s take a look inside of the box for February 2017.

Continue reading →

APE CAVE Release Video For “Ego Death”!

By | |
Comments Off on APE CAVE Release Video For “Ego Death”!

Ape Cave are a talented band from the musically rich city of Portland, Oregon. I have become addicted to their unique sound since hearing their latest release ‘Pillars of Evolution’. The album dropped on January 1st, 2016 getting the year off to an amazing start. The album boasts a mixture of both doom and psychedelia throughout. In addition to being a great album in general it also made my Best of 2016 list coming in at number 8. Ape Cave has now released a new video for the track “Ego Death” from that album. You can read the full review of the album here. The video was filmed by Karl Whinnery and Josh Whinnery of HKMusic. The video includes the band playing the song outdoors, and follows the lead character as he travels through a rural area experiencing various things. The lead character is freshly head shaven lead vocalist Nathan Nielson. The song has an overwhelmingly creepy tone that pairs well with the lead character. I’ve said before about their music that it would be a phenomenal soundtrack to a creepy thriller movie and it seems like the band has approached the video in that fashion.

Follow Ape Cave on Facebook here, and listen to the full album on Bandcamp.

Milestones In Music: King Diamond ‘Abigail’ 30th Anniversary

By | | , ,
Comments Off on Milestones In Music: King Diamond ‘Abigail’ 30th Anniversary

King Diamond – vocals, producer

Andy LaRocque – guitar

Michael Denner – guitar, assistant producer

Timi Hansen – bass guitar

Mikkey Dee (Micael Kiriakos Delaoglou) – drums, assistant producer

Roberto Falcao (Roberto Johansson) – engineer, keyboards

What an honor and a privilege to cover the thirty year anniversary of one of the most beloved, important and influential Metal albums of all time: Abigail by the almighty King Diamond! AThirty years. Man, how time does fly. I can remember listening to Mercyful Fate as a kid, loving King’s first solo album, Fatal Portrait and the first time I heard Abigail shortly before graduating from high school back in 1987. Like many others from that time, my jaw dropped into my lap and has still not fully recovered to this day. It never comes close to getting old and is the album that scared the shit out of my girlfriend (now my wife of almost thirty years), shying her permanently away from the darker side of Metal this thing gave rise to. Hell, I was jamming it shortly before I learned that I would have this rare indulgence to cover a timeless Classic! It just always manages to snake its way into just about every playlist I listen to and/or create. Like many from my era, Abigail remains one my most loved albums of all time.

Continue reading →

Live Review: AZREAL Live @ Baltimore Soundstage

By | |
Comments Off on Live Review: AZREAL Live @ Baltimore Soundstage

We recently covered the Bound By The Road Tour which features DevilDriver, Death Angel, Winds Of Plague, The Agonist and Azreal during their stop in Toronto, Canada (See Review Here). Unfortunately, Azreal was unable to make the trek across the border for the Canadian dates of the tour.  We of course was highly looking forward to seeing the Australian based band take the stage. So we caught up with them on another tour stop in Baltimore, Maryland at Baltimore Soundstage on February 20th. Continue reading →

PHLEFONYAAR Set To Release ‘Septic, Bitter and Hardbitten’ This Spring [Song Stream]

By | |
Comments Off on PHLEFONYAAR Set To Release ‘Septic, Bitter and Hardbitten’ This Spring [Song Stream]

The doom partners from Britain of Phlefonyaar have just announced the details of their upcoming release, ‘Septic, Bitter and Hardbitten’. The album will be released on Cavernous Records on April 14th. It will be the band’s follow up to their 2016 release ‘Kissing Carrion’. There will be 7 songs on the record that are expected to leave you shaken, frightened, and with your mind blown. Phlefonyaar is Paul March and Jim Males. You can check out artwork, the track list, and the new song “Temple Bells After Midnight” in a stream below. Vocalist Paul March had this to say about the upcoming release: Continue reading →

Review: POWER TRIP – ‘Nightmare Logic’; Full Album Stream

By | |
Comments Off on Review: POWER TRIP – ‘Nightmare Logic’; Full Album Stream

POWER TRIP; Hailing from Dallas, the band has toured the world relentlessly for years. Their musical proficiency, perfect song structure, rich tones, fierce riffs, delivery, and collective attitude has seeded them as one of today’s most prolific acts in any astute or heavy genre. POWER TRIP executes music with raw energy, and it’s easily heard on their previous material as well as this new release. They are the up and coming thrash band that everyone should keep their eyes on. These thrashers have 2 full length albums ‘Manifest Decimation’ and their most recent release ‘Nightmare Logic’ out and both are impressive feats. With 5 other releases in their discography that include EP’s, a split and a demo, it shows that nothing can hold this band back from success.  Continue reading →

Soften the Glare Drop “March of the Cephalopods”!!!

By | |
Comments Off on Soften the Glare Drop “March of the Cephalopods”!!!

Our friends Ben Lozaga, Ryan Martinie and Mitch Hull out of Soften the Glare have just released their stream for “March of the Cephalopods” off their upcoming release of Making Faces due out in April!  This funky little tune truly showcases the diverse texture and talent this supergroup brings to bear!  Check it out, share then head over to the Soften the Glare Pledge Music site for your pre-0rder and get in on some other goodies they have to offer; including shirts, posters, vinyl, mugs, guitars, basses and a huge array of other desirable swag!  I already have my stuff ordered.  If you are like me, April cannot get here fast enough!  Enjoy!

Soften the Glare is an instrumental super-group comprised of Jazz/Blues guitar great Bon Lozaga of Gong and TinyBoxes fame who has been featured with Allan Holdsworth, Kai Eckhardt, David Torn, David Fiuczynski among many others; Rock/Metal bass wizard Ryan Martinie from Mudvayne and Gongzilla/Staxx/Chemeleon/War 4Peace drummer Mitch Hull. The result of seemingly unrelated specialties is some of the most fun, complex and genre-bending music available anywhere! Jazz, Funk, Metal, Heavy Blues and Rock “with a touch of chaos” as they say. With the depth of talent this trio bring to the table, rest assured that no one will find fault with Soften the Glare’s inspirational fun vibe.

Check Soften the Glare out on Facebook for more information!

Tour Review: Bound By The Road Tour With DevilDriver, Death Angel, Winds Of Plague & The Agonist

By | |
Comments Off on Tour Review: Bound By The Road Tour With DevilDriver, Death Angel, Winds Of Plague & The Agonist

The Bound by the Road Tour 2017 is a 5 band affair featuring DevilDriver, Death Angel, Winds of Plague, The Agonist and Azreal. It had plenty of stops in the USA and had 2 stops in Canada which I was lucky enough to attend the one in Toronto Ontario at The Phoenix Concert Theater (formerly known as The Diamond) and it holds up to 1,350 people.  Continue reading →

Lifelines Tour: I PREVAIL, STARSET, VAMPS, AS LIONS And COVER YOUR TRACKS! Dates Released!

By | |
Comments Off on Lifelines Tour: I PREVAIL, STARSET, VAMPS, AS LIONS And COVER YOUR TRACKS! Dates Released!

I Prevail have announced that they will be headlining a North American tour this April and May with support Starset, Vamps, As Lions and Cover Your Tracks. I Prevail are currently headlining the North American ‘Lifelines Tour’ with support from Wage War, Islander and Assuming We Survive in support of their record ‘Lifelines’, which was released Oct. 21, 2016.  After I PREVAIL’S Taylor Swift cover propelled them to stardom they have been building off the success ever since. Their most recent effort ‘Lifelines’  landed at #15 on the Billboard 200. The band has continually surrounded themselves with amazing talent when putting together a touring package.  Continue reading →