40 Below Summer Release New Track “Mangina” [Now Streaming]

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New Jersey natives 40 Below Summer released a new song off their upcoming album “Transmission Infrared”. The track entitled “Mangina” and will be on of the tracks on the new album that has a release date scheduled for October 16th. The band reformed in 2011 after initially breaking up in 2006. The last release was “Fire At Zero Gravity” back in 2013. With all the other nu-metal bands currently dominating the airwaves we expect this album to take off. The song sounds as you would expect any 40 Below Summer song to sound. It has aggressive and melodic parts which is what always made the band stand out. The band is just one of many 90’s and 2000’s nu-metal bands re-emerging with new releases. The band is playing some East Coast shows leading up to an album pre-release show on October 10th at the Starland Ballroom in Sayreville, New Jersey.

Interview: Pissing Razors Guitarist Mathew Lynch!

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Mathew Lynch

Mathew Lynch

 

The band Pissing Razors is the biggest name in metal in El Paso, Texas, but their name is known much further than the Lone Star State. The band was formed in 1996 and three of the founding members are in the current line up. Eddy Garcia on drums, Mathew Lynch on guitar and Joe Rodriguez on vocals. No one has come close to creating a sound anything similar to Pissing Razor, and they likely never will. The band has this brand of music they refer to as “Psycho Punko Groove Metal” and that really is the perfect name for it. They can’t fit into a genre because the music they make is always evolving and has completely different influences from track to track. Even though they can’t be pigeon holed into a genre they have still managed to create this signature sound they call their own. Often you would hear the band heralded as the closest thing to Pantera or that the two bands sound very similar. Those are some very big shoes to fill, but the band has ran with it and managed to be some of the most humble musicians I’ve had the chance to meet. When I seen them in Nashville, Tennessee on the Revolution Tour in 2004 and each member took the time to speak to every fan there. The band has been on a hiatus since 2004 and have just reformed in the last year. We are very pleased to know they are back and spreading their infectious groove to the masses from stages all over the country. Can’t wait to see them live again, it’s been far too long.

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Review: Murashita “Inescapable Damnation”

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Murashita

Masaki Murashita

You may have heard the name Masaki Murashita. He is a renowned guitarist and producer and also the voice of the thrash band Hemoptysis. He is now launching his solo project simply titled Murashita. As a fan of Hemoptysis I have very high expectations for this new side project of Masaki’s. The debut EP titled “Inescapable Damnation” is being released on October 16th. Many bands have lately been self-releasing their albums and this is another one that can be added to that list. This EP also features a slew of legendary musicians like David Ellefson (Megadeth), Kevin Talley (Suffocation, Six Feet Under, Chimaira), Kelly Conlon (Death, Monstrosity) and Rodney McGlothlin (Voice of Dissent). Those names should have your attention if it didn’t already. Continue reading →

Pig Champion!

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

This month’s state is Illinois!

You ever heard a band for the first time and it gets you so pumped you just want to jump up and down and smack the shit out of someone? Please make sure your mother isn’t sitting in the room with you and I will introduce you to Pig Champion. The Chicago based crossover band has been tearing up the scene since 2010. The band has released two albums. In May of 2010 they released the debut “Oppression Breeds Violence” which I may add has some amazing cover art. That album has 13 tracks that length wise are more to the punk side of crossover. Most of the tracks average around 1 minute, except for a few standouts like “Apologies” and “I Do The Work” and the almost 4 minute brutal attack of “Bone In The Throat” before the Nixon resignation speech takes over the rest of the 20 minute track. Continue reading →

Sable Beldam

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

This month’s state is Illinois!

Sable Beldam is a vicious and brutal death metal band from Chicago. They formed in 2007 and have had numerous lineup changes over the years but the band is releasing some great material. They have toured throughout the U.S. and even played with another of our favorite bands Diamond Plate. So I’m sure the band has devastated fans, created some chaotic mosh pits and melted faces off with their all up in your grill brand of metal.

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Review: Dark Buddha Rising “Inversum”

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Photo by: Sasu Riikonen

Photo by: Sasu Riikonen

 

Dark Buddha Rising are a Finland based band that has been creating music since 2007. They are preparing to release their fifth studio album titled “Inversum”. The album is the follow up to their 2013 release “Dakhmandal”. The new album will be hitting shelves on September 25th and marks the band’s first release on their new label Neurot Recordings. Dark Buddha Rising is comprised of six members and have a very unique sound that really puts them outside the box when compared to other bands in the metal world. Continue reading →

Interview: John Aragonez of Long Beach Vagrant!

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Recently I was able to hear two of the new songs from the forth coming Long Beach Vagrant album “Death Be Thy Name” that released this week. Immediately I was impressed and was fortunate enough to get in touch with one of the members of the band. Drummer John Aragonez took the time to speak with me about everything going on with the band and what the future may hold for the California based metallers. (There was a technical problem when we were speaking on the phone the call was supposed to be recorded so I could later write the information out, Due to the error I’m not able to quote everything exactly, so the following is in my own words). As some of you may or may not know Long Beach Vagrant (formerly Vagrant) has been around since the 90’s and has opened for some amazing acts in their long tenure. John spent some time in the band about 5-6 years ago. He was living in the high desert and the distance from the other members in the band made it difficult for him to commit to the band. However, now he is fully invested in the band and brings a great amount of experience to the band. He has an amazing drumming style which you can hear on each song. Some drummers that he looks up to are Joey Jordison formerly of Slipknot and All That Remains drummer Jason Costa. The one original member of the band is Mike Pain, who is greatly influenced by horror movies. He also is a renowned artist and because of that the band has a lot of horror related lyrics. They have spent time touring with other horror based bands. We also mentioned that a lot of horror based bands perform at horror conventions around the country as well. It really helps define their audience and fan base since they have horror based lyrics. Instead of trying to garner the attention of a broad audience they can narrow down the field to people that are already passionate about the subject matter. The band also has two new members in Randy Blount on vocals and Rob Gresham on bass. John mentions that these two guys have really brought some new life into the new band, and the fact that they are younger has brought some new influences into the band as well.

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Review: Black Temple “It All Ends”

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blacktemple

Black Temple had my attention prior to even hearing one note of their music. There were several variables as to why they impressed me. The first being that they were declared the “most violent and energetic live act in Sweden.” I mean how impressive is that? I’m sure that captures the attention of most every metalhead. It’s been mentioned that the band has probably trashed more instruments and amplifiers than they can afford. Second, they were the first band being signed to the label Razzia Notes. One of the cool things about the new label is that it’s owned by Anders Fridén lead singer of the Gothenburg metal legends In Flames. Razzia also has a collaboration with Century Media as well so they will be distributing this album and possibly future albums. Anders himself is quoted with saying “”First time I heard BLACK TEMPLE, I freaked and I said to myself, ‘I gotta work with these guys somehow.” The trio has been together since 2010 and have a variety of influences which may contribute to their unique sound. Continue reading →

Review: Wildlights Self Titled Album [Now Streaming]

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Jason Shi & Johnny Collins

Jason Shi & Johnny Collins

Over the past several years we have seen the formation of super groups more often. Artists coming together creating an all star team of sorts and releasing material. Now we have a super duo. Jason Shi comes to us from the North Carolina based rock band ASG. They last released “Blood Drive” in 2013. We have been fortunate enough to catch ASG live on two occasions. Jason who also plays guitar has a clean singing voice that sounds just as pitch perfect in person as it does on the recordings. He brings to the table an amazing array of vocal tones that helps build a truly inspiring sound. The other all star in the duo is Johnny Collins from Thunderlip who also hails from the Tarheel State. They recently released Sunday Driving in January of this year (2015). The band has more of speed punk vibe, but has other elements that draws interest from outside the genre. Johnny’s drumming in the band is a staple of their sound and what really gives them that fast paced vibrant sound.

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