‘Silence is Consent’ EP – The One They Fear
Albany, New York metalcore band, The One They Fear, has just released their debut EP, ‘Silence is Consent. It was independently released on August 6th, 2016. The band formed in 2013, consisting of Rick Hardy, Jon Robinson, Jake Wilde. They released their first single is 2014 called “Ascending”, so it has been a little bit of a wait for new music. With that being said, it was well worth the wait. Continue reading
*This is part of our State Of The Art series, showcasing bands every Monday from the featured State*
This month’s State is Tennessee!
December takes us to the fine state of Tennessee for our State of the Art Series here at MN. Bordered by Kentucky, Virginia, North Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas and Missouri, Tennessee is the sixteenth state in the United States; admitted June 1, 1796. At 42,143 square miles, the Appalachian Mountains dominate the eastern side of the state while the Mississippi River runs down the western border. Tennessee has the 17th highest population at just over 6.5 million and boasts over 82,000 farms, production of textiles, cotton, and electrical power. Major corporations such as FedEx, Autozone, Pilot, Regal Entertainment and many others have located their headquarters there as well. If not for cold winters, I would live in Tennessee. It is the most beautiful state I have ever been to and holds many, many fond memories dating from high school to my honeymoon and my 25th wedding anniversary. I absolutely love the state! Beautiful, wonderful people and very close to where I grew up. When I learned of the recent wildfires in and around Gatlinburg, I was heart-broken. My thoughts and prayers remain focused on the fine folks affected by this tragedy. Just northeast of there lies the state capital of Nashville, where my spotlight band this week, Man Behind the Curtain, calls home.
Soundgarden (Friday), Def Leppard (Saturday) and Avenged Sevenfold (Sunday) will headline the 7th annual Monster Energy Carolina Rebellion May 5, 6 and 7 at Rock City Campgrounds at Charlotte Motor Speedway in Concord, NC. Carolina Rebellion presale tickets and layaway packages, as well as hotel, camping and VIP packages, are on sale now at www.CarolinaRebellion.com. In 2016, Monster Energy Carolina Rebellion had another record breaking year with over 90,000 fans in attendance, so fans are encouraged to buy early and save and to be sure to secure a ticket for 2017. Continue reading
Man! When we first got wind that Flotsam and Jetsam, Helstar and Hatchet were hitting the road together, all of us here at MN (particularly Dragon and me) were praying this would stop somewhere within striking distance. Not just to see this collection of top shelf bands but also to get this match made in heaven available to our loyal readers. Who wouldn’t want to see this? Love Hatchet. Been listening to them for since around 2013 when Dawn of Evil hit. Helstar. Hell, I have listened to them on and off for the better part of thirty years. Don’t even get me started on Flotsam and Jetsam. They have ranked among my favorite bands consistently since Doomsday for the Deceiver way back in 1986. Saw them on their tours supporting No Place for Disgrace and Cuatro at Bogarts in Cincinnnati and one other time in Indianapolis in the late nineties. I have relentlessly listened to them even with my long hiatus seeing them live. While I like some of their releases better than others, Flotz is one of those bands that apparently cannot put out a bad album. I can only think of a couple of other bands that I hold in equal regards. To say the least, this was a dream show for me and was elated to find that it was coming to Jack Rabbits in Jacksonville, FL; just minutes from my house! So, you ask: “How was the show?”…
After returning from their recent Mission Possible Tour, supergroup, Soften the Glare have just released their new single and associated video for “Mission Possible”, produced by Michael Hull! While checking out their musical wizardry, please consider giving them a hand funding their new album to be released in March of 2017 or at least sharing the video around to all of your friends. This is music of the highest caliber performed by some of the best in the business! The Soften The Glare Pledge Site includes pre-orders for all kinds of goodies, including signed CDs, vinyls, posters, cards, shirt packages, guitar lessons from the master himself Bon Lozaga via Skype (!), a custom Framus Panthera Supreme guitar (this thing in absolutely gorgeous!), signed cymbals and drumsticks from Mitch Hull, a Warwick 1124 bass signed by Ryan Martinie (Holy Cow!), and many other packages with various and sundry, highly desirable swag. So head over there and pick up what grabs you. Prices are really reasonable and would make great Christmas gifts for your favorite music fan! Heck, treat yourself too while you’re at it!
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 inspirationally fun vibe.
Check Soften the Glare out on Facebook for more information!
Naga is:
Richard Park – guitar
Nick Popoawski – guitar
Luke Robinson – bass
Juan Franco – drums
Naga:
(From Indian mythology) A member of a semi-divine race, part human and part cobra in form, usually associated with water and sometimes with mystical initiation.
A member of a group of peoples living in or near the Naga Hills of Burma (Myanmar) and northeastern India who practiced head-hunting until the early 20th century.
Any of the Tibeto-Burman languages of the Naga.
A Bhuanese war axe.
Remember my review of The Arbitrary from New Orleans, LA a few month’s back (The Arbitrary)? This brilliantly talented pair of young men, Jeffery Fisher and Adam Sauter, have just released a new single and associated video for “Glacial Tranquility“. These masters of progressive, instrumental Metal never cease to amaze! Unbelievably complex harmonies and melodies, woven together to create an intricate and uplifting sound that manages to be both beautiful and extremely heavy at the same time. Definitely shows a polish and maturity well beyond the years these two gentlemen have behind them! With the bar set this high, I cannot wait to hear what they will have in store for us next! Enjoy! Continue reading
We were recently fortunate enough to attend the inaugural Doomed & Stoned Fest in Indianapolis, Indiana at the 5th Quarter Lounge. Over 20 bands played the two day festival. One of the most anticipated acts of the festival was Metal Blade recording artist and West Virginia natives Brimstone Coven. The occult rock band has been turning heads everywhere they play, and not too long ago even opened for the legendary Pentagram. That show was our first experience seeing the band and we haven’t been able to shut up about them since. Brimstone Coven have these three part harmonies that aren’t found anywhere else in the rock or metal world today. They bring to the table something that has been missing for quite a long time. The chemistry on stage within this band is something you can not only hear but also feel as they perform. We will be including much more about them in our upcoming review of the Doomed & Stoned Festival. In the meantime we were able to catch up with bassist Andrew D’Cagna prior to the band taking the stage and he was kind enough to sit down with us and talk about everything the band has going on. Continue reading
Iron Age Mystics was formed in 2010, but their members are music veterans who have the battle scars to prove it. Formed of not only veteran musicians but also extremely talented individuals. Those individuals quickly became one, and what they have produces is a musical blend of dissonant yet melody driven rock beneath passionately intelligent lyrics. Their sound has a cornucopia of styles. Within their songs you will hear influence from rock, punk, grunge, metal, and funk. It’s not often a band can meld all these styles into one band and create a cohesive album. However, Iron Age Mystics has done just that. Their new self released album ‘Pride Before The Fall’. The band is currently not signed to a label, but we are certain labels will be beating on their doors soon enough.
Alabama rockers BrokenRail have set out on a journey to create their own signature style of music. BrokenRail sets themselves apart with their own blend of post-grunge rock and other various elements that make them unique. The band consists of four members: Blake Clawson (vocals), Nelson Rezek (guitar), Dick Black (bass), and Alex Hilton (drums). The band has been working hard and simply want their music to be heard and they have succeeded in that already in such a short period of time. BrokenRail’s music has been featured on ESPN, NBC Sports, and, most recently, Tony Hawk’s RIDE Channel. Reaching millions of viewers, the band has already attained fans around the globe and were also nominated in their home state in 2016 for the Alabama Music Awards “Rock Artist Of The Year”. They have already been awarded the state’s highest musical achievement and now they look to take on the world. Continue reading
