State of the Art: Mechanism

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

This month’s State is Washington!

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So I was on vacation last week and, as a result, did not post a State of the Art: Washington showcase article. Well, when looking for Washington bands to cover this week, I was almost overwhelmed with the number of really good bands deserving some attention and have decided to make up for last week by posting two this week. So, let’s go to Tacoma, Washington, just northeast of Olympia, home of Melodic Hard Rock/Metal monsters, Mechanism.

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DEATH WILL TREMBLE “Mona” Review & Stream!

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Modern music and fans are always racing to put a title on a band. Genres and sub-genres have run rampant. Sometimes a band comes along and refuses to be tagged as one specific sound. Let me introduce you to DEATH WILL TREMBLE. They are a band that melds together a handful of elements from various genres. It’s impossible really to wrangle them into one specific category or two for that matter. I simply like to refer to their style as creative. Lots of bands attempt to create a whole new sound that hasn’t really been heard before and fail miserably. DEATH WILL TREMBLE call Austin, Texas home. The musicians that make up the band have played in various projects in the past. You can hear the chemistry within the band, breaking ground and musical barriers isn’t easily done and the band has already made amazing strides. Continue reading →

State of the Art: Elephant Gun Riot

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

This month’s State is Washington!

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After a week off, I am back with you here at MN. So we are off to Washington this month. Population of 7.062 million spread over 71,300 square miles in the upper, northwest corner of the continental United States. Known for its snow capped mountains of the Cascades and the rainforests of Olympic National Park, tech industry and cultural diversity in music, art and business, Washington definitely deserves a month in the spotlight. For my first SOTA lets head just a little north and all the way east from Washington’s capital of Olympia to Spokane and check out Elephant Gun Riot…

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Flaw “Divided We Fall” Review

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Flaw is one of the legends as far as Kentucky metal bands go. They put the Bluegrass State on the map for something other than country when they hit the airwaves in the late 90’s thru early 2000’s. Their last major release was 2004’s ‘Endangered Species’. The band has been back together and playing some live shows over the past couple years and we even got a taste of the new album pretty early with “Bleed Red”. At the Louder Than Life festival in 2015 we had a chance to speak with the band about the upcoming album and music in the current era. Singer Chris Volz and guitarist Jay Daunt both stated that rock and metal was on a 10 year cycle and that it was time for popularity to sway back towards rock rather than pop. After hearing the latest record by the band ‘Divided We Fall’ not only do I agree that rock is making its way back but I believe Flaw is leading the way. The new album will be released via Pavement Music. The album was recorded with Rick Lander (Dead Horse Trauma, Under Pike Skies) at Crisis Lab Studios. The album is the monumental comeback record we have all hoped for. It was always FLAW fans’ connection to their songs that carried the band on.  “We would not be where we are today without our hardcore fans,” says Volz. The Flaw Family is the motor that drives the band and this album will just double the size of that family once it’s released. ‘Divided We Fall’ is scheduled to hot stores August 19th. Make sure to pick the album up directly from the band on their upcoming tour with Dope and Motograter, or pre-order here.   Continue reading →

State Of The Art: Washington – Wolves in the Throne Room

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

This month’s State is Washington!

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One of my all time favorite black metal acts, Wolves in the Throne Room make their home in the misty forests of Olympia, Washington.  Brothers Nathan and Aaron Weaver have been playing stellar ambient black metal epics since 2003, and released their first full length in 2006 with “Diadem of 12 Stars“. This album really made people reconsider what made black metal “BLACK METAL“.   WIITR effortlessly juxtapose haunting ambient and choral passages with the usual blasting and tremolo riffing that BM is so well known for. The addition of waterfalls, wind blowing, and other sounds one would hear whilst traveling across the Cascade Mountains bring life to a genre of music that is most often associated with the cold and the dead. Continue reading →

Fall Of Messiah’s “Empty Colors” Is Almost Too Good For Words

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Man! Have you ever had a band stop you cold; dead in your tracks? Just absolutely blow you away; leaving you wondering how in the hell the band ever got past you before that moment they grabbed your attention? Well, this recently happened to me when Dragon suggested I check out Fall of Messiah’s latest release, “Empty Colors” which was released earlier this year. “This is definitely your kind of thing” he said. “I’d cover it, but this is right up your alley.” Yes. It definitely is. Hook, line and sinker! It drives straight through me, even after listening to it endless times. Way to much to take in with a single listen. I may be a little late to the party, but remain awestruck by this French band from Saint Jans Cappel.

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Old Hounds “Tooth & Nail” Album Review and Exclusive Song Release

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Old Hounds

The Anchorage, Alaska based band Old Hounds is about to release of their new Album titled “Tooth & Nail”. The Album has 11 sound crushing tracks that are all unique in various ways. The whole album is amazing and has explosive dynamics that really set the tone for their hardcore sound. The band includes 5 members: Alberto (Vocals), Argel (Lead Guitar), Joshua (Guitar), Toph (Bass) and Mac (Drums). The members of this band have come together to create an Album that really showcases the amazing talents within Old Hounds.

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Irish Groove Metal Mechanics: Sixth Extinction

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Digging the Nu-Metal/Groove Metal scene? Looking for something new to entertain your ears that you and your friends have not likely heard before? Of course you are. Hell, we are all always searching for stuff we have never heard before. Nature of the damned beast, right? In addition, I also like supporting local music, no matter what locale a band hails from. With that in mind, let me introduce you to Tipperary, Ireland’s own Sixth Extinction.

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State of the Art: 3 Kisses

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

This month’s State is Alaska!

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3 Kisses. Where the hell do you start describing a band that has been around since January 2004, performed thousands of shows, has nine albums under their belts, been in endless music magazines, on countless radio stations, been on ABC’s “Wife Swap”, had their own reality show, been featured in numerous commercials, video games, movies and TV shows (including the 2014 Nickelodeon Kids Choice Awards; Restaurant Impossible; Diners, Drive Ins & Dives; Dallas Card Sharks; Disaster Decks; Plants vs. Zombies Garden Warfare; Sonic Boom; Lifetime movies, and Hot Wheels spots), had songs in the Top 15 by Rock Solid Preasure, is currently rated #1 for Alaskan Alternative Music on ReverbNation, heavily supports breast cancer research through the Susan G. Komen Race for the Cure and the American Cancer Society and been inducted into the Independent Artist Registry? I honestly don’t know, but let’s give it a shot. Here we go…

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