After covering Conquest in a recent article, I had the unique opportunity to talk with Derrick Brumley, lead singer and guitarist for this killer band. I found him very friendly, intelligent, open and extremely conversant about his band and how it fits into the music business. If you have not heard of Conquest, you have now. What are you waiting for? Go check them out! But first, a conversation with the man himself…
Lo-Pan has been one of the driving forces in the Columbus music scene for some time now. That band has a unique sound that draws any and all ears toward the music they create. Each member of the band is a master at their instrument. The band welcomed guitarist Adrian Zambrano a little over a year and a half ago to the band. Today it was announce that Adrian had left the band and Lo-Pan is again looking for someone to fill the role of guitarist. Lo-Pan announced his departure via Facebook making this statement:
“Our guitarist Adrian Zambrano has decided he needs to walk away from Lo-Pan at this time to focus on some other important parts of life. We would like to emphasize that this is an amicable split and we wish him all the best. We are currently on the hunt for a new guitarist and we hope to see you all again as soon as possible. Stay tuned for announcements and new music.”
*This is part of our State Of The Art series, showcasing bands every Monday from the featured State*
This month’s State is Arkansas!
I have to say that Arkansas has been one of the easiest states to find good, Metal bands to cover for our State of the Art series. All types of Metal have been represented over the course of the month as well: Traditional, Thrash, Christian, Bluesy, Sludge and Doom. As a matter of fact, it took all but a single search to pick out four of my Arkansas bands. Collectively, none of us can read a calender and were getting ready to move onto our next state this week when BloodRoseRed pointed out that we still had one more week in Arkansas. Boneheads. I humorously felt like a complete idiot. Meh. Shit happens. Moving on… I again, had zero difficulty finding another unique band to cover so his week I give you Iron Iris.
Being a veteran along with both of my grandfathers (WWII), my Dad (during Vietnam), two of my brothers and two of my cousins, Memorial Day holds a very sacred and special place in my heart. I know first-hand that the blood of my Brothers and Sisters in Arms have paid the ultimate price for the freedoms that we, as a country, so often take for granted. It is painfully difficult to put into words what this sacred day truly means. Respect. Honor. Pride. Resilience. Espris de corps. Retrospect. All common and terribly inadequate descriptors for the precious value of human life bartered in the name of our country’s independence.
Unlocking the Truth Malcolm Brickhouse
Sunday was the last and final day of Carolina Rebellion. I was able to get a full dose of Unlocking the Truth for breakfast. The band is comprised of 3 teenagers from Brooklyn, New York that was one of the youngest groups to ever play both Coachella and Van’s Warped Tour in 2014. They have been on most tv talk shows like The Tonight Show, Jimmy Fallon, The View, The Colbert Report and more. The band has been talked about and talked about. Let me go ahead though and tell you now that the hype is real. The band is everything you’ve heard and probably more. Guitarist/Singer Malcolm Brickhouse can shred on his axe like nobody’s business. He requested that the crowd start a mosh pit, and moments later there dust kicking up everywhere from a vicious pit. Unlocking the Truth shared with us their hit song “Monster”, by the time the song ended we were all singing along. The guys in this band are some great musicians, not just for their age but they are better than most musicians twice their age. Continue reading
Under Pike Skies is a band based in the Appalachian region of Kentucky. The band is comprised of 5 talented young men that are destined to have their music heard around the world. Not only are they musically amazing but their lyrics really hit home and are emotionally driven. The band is preparing to head into the studio to record their debut album with an amazing team at Crisis Lab Studios (Flaw, Saturate) in Mississippi. The group has quickly drawn the attention of fans all over the region and was even showcased on Eastern Kentucky Broadcasting’s Mountain Music segment. The band is from a poverty stricken section of Kentucky and isn’t financially stable to pay for the entire recording process themselves. They have created a GoFund Me campaign for fans that would be interested in helping them make history by recording their debut. Under Pike Skies is offering some rewards for people that make a donation toward their dreams coming true. For instance certain donations could garner you a live Skype performance by the band, your name in the “thank you” section of the album once released, a shout out on their social media pages and a few other things. They are really special and can’t really be compared to anything else in modern music right now. Continue reading
It’s been 6 years ago that Robb Flynn‘s Martinez, CA house was burglarized. Stolen with the cash, jewelry, and other items were four guitars, and amongst these four was easily one of his most meaningful possession, a 1997 Washburn Dimebolt guitar that was given to him onstage at the Aragon Ballroom in Chicago, by the late-great Pantera guitarist, Dimebag Darrel. It’s something that holds a huge sentimental value and can never be replaced.
Last night, some six years later, it was returned to him along with an un-released Epiphone prototype.
How? Continue reading
Red Sun Rising
Day 2 (Saturday) was the day I was anticipating the most. The lineup for Saturday was chock full of heavier bands that I had been wanting to see or already seen and love very much. The first band I got to see was Red Sun Rising. The band had this amazing intro that started up and then came to a screeching halt before kicking back in, the crowd lovingly applauded. It was just barely noon and these guys had more energy than half the bands the day before. It was nonstop movement on the stage as they played their hit songs “The Otherside” and “Emotionless.” Vocalist Mike Protich took this stance or pose on stage while singing that reminded me of the late great Scott Weiland. Not only was Mike mesmerizing on stage but his vocals sounded just as good live as on the record. Continue reading
Chad Grey – Hell Yeah
Carolina Rebellion has become one of the biggest festivals in the country and is 2nd only to Rock on the Range. This year the North Carolina based festival was bumped up to 3 days instead of the normal 2. In doing that this year became the most attended Carolina Rebellion ever. So if you were there as well you were part of the 90,000 people that helped set the record. The festival takes place in Concord, North Carolina at Rock City Campgrounds which is part of the Charlotte Motor Speedway area. The lineup was very thought out to draw fans of all ages who like music from various metal and rock genres. The festival shows its ability to have a wide range of acts that’s music is very different. Day 1 included some acts that would welcome some old school rock and metal heads. Headliners were Lynyrd Skynyrd and Scorpions for the first day. Originally Texas rock n rollers ZZ Top were also supposed to be there, but had to bow out do to an injury to bass player Dusty Hill. Festivals like these are the only place you will ever find Lynyrd Skynyrd, Cypress Hill, Anthrax, Baby Metal and August Burns Red all playing the same event. The only bad thing about their being 20+ bands per day at an event is having to miss a few bands here and there due to overlapping or the distance in the stages. The greatest things about overlapping though is the ability to choose who you want to see. Sometimes it works out in your favor and you can skip a band you don’t want to see and other times you have to pick between two amazing bands like I had to do a couple times. You can’t always see every band there. 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 Arkansas!
I have always had the opinion that there is no sense fixing what ain’t broken. As those that know me and readers of my articles know, I am an old guy that has grown up listening to all types of music and have a passion for all things Metal: new stuff, old stuff, super heavy stuff, melodic stuff; I don’t care and I simply love it all. Truth be told though, if I am looking for something guaranteed to please, however, I drop back into music that never seems to get old: Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Metallica, Megadeth, Metal Church, Savatage, Flotsam and Jetsam, Overkill, Slayer; and on and on. These are the bands of my formative years that help keep me in a youthful state-of-mind. Again, if ain’t broken…
