Soften the Glare “The Funky Lady Tour” coming to a town (hopefully) near you!

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Have you heard of Soften the Glare? Sure you have, just maybe not in this particular form. Heard of Mudvayne? How about that bad-ass bass player and songwriter? What’s his name again? Oh yeah, right: Ryan Martinie. You game now? Alright then, add the mind-bending guitar talent of Bon Lozaga. That’s right, the one from Gong, Tiny Boxes and been featured with other notable guitar gods as Allan Holdsworth, Kai Eckhardt, David Torn, David Fiuczynski among many others. This match made in heaven is joined by the drumming skills of Mitch Hull who has played with Gongzilla, Staxx, Chameleon, War 4 Peace and shared the stage with Tiny Boxes and many other in the past. Well, now you know and you can see them on “The Funky Lady Tour” that kicks off tomorrow in Jacksonville, NC!

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CHICAGO OPEN AIR Brings Amazing Metal Lineup to Windy City!

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So I’ll admit that I was totally on board for Chicago Open Air when the only band they had announced was German power house Rammestein. But….. Once they revealed the rest of the lineup it sent chills down my spine. I think this is likely the heaviest festival that DWP has put on EVER. The rest of the bands added are over the top and make this inagural year for the festival one that you will not want to miss. It will be the go to event for metal heads that like their metal just a little on the heavy side. Overall, Chicago Open Air will feature performances by more than 40 bands, including Rammstein (did I mention it’s the group’s only 2016 U.S. performance and first Chicago show since 2012), Chicago’s own Disturbed (who recently returned from a 4-year hiatus with their #1 album Immortalized), global rock juggernauts Slipknot, Chevelle, Korn, Five Finger Death Punch, Ministry, Breaking Benjamin, Marilyn Manson, Gojira, Meshuggah, COC, Carcass, Hatebreed, and many more. The festival will also include Gourmet Man Food featuring local and regional cuisine, a craft beer village highlighting top brews from the region, other entertainment and fan experiences, and will be hosted by the metal ambassador himself Jose Mangin from SiriusXM.

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Are you sitting down? Because things just got better! There is now an official pre-party for Chicago Open Air as well that includes more amazingly talented bands. The Chicago Open Air Pre-Party: The official Chicago Open Air Pre-Party presented by 95 WIIL Rock and 100.7 QRock will be held at Concord Music Hall on Thursday, July 14. Otep headlines the show with Shaman’s Harvest, Islander and Through Fire supporting. Chicago Open Air ticket holders will have the opportunity to purchase discounted tickets in advance for $10. Regular tickets are $17. Go here for tickets. If you haven’t seen Islander they are one of the best up and coming live acts.

We wouldn’t miss this weekend of shows for anything. If we are still breathing we will be there, and if you call yourself a metal head you better be there too!

Website: www.ChicagoOpenAir.com

Facebook: www.facebook.com/chiopenair

Twitter: https://twitter.com/chiopenair

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chiopenair

State of the Art: FIFTH FREEDOM

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Photo Credit: Sugar Skull Photography

Photo Credit: Sugar Skull Photography

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

This month’s State is Maine!

Great American rock bands have been on the decline in the music world for the past several years. Fifth Freedom have put the state of Maine on the map and brought some attention back to good old fashioned rock-n-roll. The band may call the great north home 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, that tour put the spotlight on Fifth Freedom and brought some well deserved attention to the band. They have had various lineup changes through the bands existence but long time members Alan Jones (vocals/guitar) and Gary Marston (drums) have remained fully invested in the band. The group released their self titled debut in 2014 and it was an immediate success in the state of Maine.  It debuted at No.1 at Bull Moose music (a 12 location New England record store chain). Continue reading →

State of the Art: Destination: Void

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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 Maine!

Destination: Void is a Progressive Metal band that calls the Southern part of Maine home. They have been working really hard to make their way into becoming a big part of the local Metal Scene in Maine. The band originally formed in 2009. They have been preforming with their current line-up since 2013. Their current line-up includes 5 members: Ryan Cummings (Guitar), Caleb Ring (Guitar), Nick Crosen (Bass), Seth Perkins (Drums) and Luc Damen (Vocals). The band really has a sound that is purely their own. Their song titled “Hive Mother [annihilation] is available on Bandcamp for free download with the “Name you price” of zero dollars. This track is also a part of their Album entitled “TEMPVS FVGIT” that is set to release later this year. The band has a consistently heavy sound throughout this track. From listening to the band I have concluded that I can hear some Mastodon influence in their music. The melodic and harsh vocals give a great contrast to their sound. The overall sound has a smooth yet abrasive overtone. The band is definitely guitar driven, so if you are a guitar enthusiast your mouth will water over this band! We will soon be reviewing their upcoming album, so make sure to keep an eye out for it!

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Review: RED CLOUD – Ursa Minor [Album Stream]

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I’ve always said that the best music is sometimes harder to find. Well today i’ve been proven wrong. The best thing that can ever happen is when an amazing new band and album is essentially delivered directly to my front door. That’s what happened to me when singer/guitarist Aaron Williams sent me the new album ‘Ursa Minor’ by his band Red Cloud. The album was released independently by the band on May 24th, 2016. The band was formed in 2012 in Eugene, Oregon. This album is a follow up to 2013’s ‘The Cloud’s Sound EP’. Red Cloud just adds to the list of amazing bands that call the state of Oregon home. The band has this refreshing sound that gives them this overwhelming listen-ability. The straddle the fence when it comes to declaring them hard rock or metal. There are stoner rock and psychedelic elements in there but they have so much more to offer that you can’t really classify them with a few measly words. Continue reading →

Cairiss: Black Metal Forever Changed With the Release of “Fall”

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Black Metal is usually a polarizing sub-genre of Metal. Very fast. High-pitched vocals; oftentimes dealing with oppressively dark and/or overtly Pagan/Satanic subject matter, barked out at an unintelligible rate. It is usually either loved or absolutely hated for one or all of the reasons above. Every now and then, however, a band rises above the genre and puts out a release so striking, it ruptures the box attempting to surround it. One such band is Southampton, UK’s, Cairiss.

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Anniversary Giveaway!!!!

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This week (June 11th) makes one year ago that Metal Nexus first hit the interwebs, but music has been coursing through our veins since birth. We didn’t expect to amass the amount of readers that we have in our first year. Without all of YOU this would all be for nothing. Our goal has always been to bring new bands and music to your ears that you may not have found otherwise. As a way for us to show our appreciation to you we are giving away 4 huge prize packages to 4 lucky readers. Help us kick off year two with a bang. All of us at Metal Nexus appreciate YOU! Continue reading →

A New Breed of Shredding: Toronto Canada’s Mike Milan Dedic

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Today I bring you something special to me. As you all know, I love solo guitar work and have since the inception back in the early days of the Neo–Classical, shred guitar craze. Uli Jon Roth, Yngwie Malmteen, Cacophony (Marty Friedman and Jason Becker), Joe Stump, Andy Timmons, Vinnie Moore, Steve Vai, Satch, Dream Theater (I know, not solo, but Petrucci has to be in this list) and many others. These were my heroes when I started playing guitar and bass when I was in my mid-teens. I could not get enough of them and still listen to all of the same music more than 35 year later. It never gets old and never gets boring. Needless to say, with this pedigree, it is hard to impress me when it comes to this form of music. This is a very, very tough form of guitar skill to play and play well. I don’t say that to be a guitar snob, but just stating the fact that this is a hard row to hoe when these are still the go-to artists for shred.

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PLACE OF SKULLS Announce Tour!

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Victor Griffin famously of Pentagram has announced some tour dates over the next few months for his other extremely kick ass band Place of Skulls. Founded in 2000 by Griffin, bass player Lee Abney and drummer Tim Tomacelli the three piece has turned heads since their debut. The tour will kick off on June 23rd in Harrisonburg, VA. They will make an appearance at the 2015 Maryland Doom Festival (See Below) which is a must see for any doom lover and then the tour will come to an end on August 20th in Murfreesboro, TN at the Tennessean Sludge Fest (See Below). The band is working on new material and we can’t wait to hear it. Don’t miss this opportunity to see them live if they are in your region. Continue reading →