TAX THE HEAT Rocks Frome As THE CORAL’s Opener [Review & Photo Gallery]

Tax the Heat (TTH) supporting The Coral for Frome Festival 2019 at Cheese & Grain? Hell yeah I’m going to that! But just to assure you, we are only covering TTH, as The Coral are a bit mellow for Metal Nexus. Continue reading

State of the Art: Mississippi’s PARTHURNAX

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

Parthurnax is born out of Hattiesburg, Mississippi although it might as well be out of the snow covered forests of Finland. Much like the origin, Parthurnax is a bit of a mystery. It is unclear who is behind the project. A bit of snooping gives credence to the fact is a solo project as Facebook posts use “I” in the available few. One thing that is certain however, is the fantastic instrumental music. Classic heavy metal riffs with hints of Scandinavian prog. Fans of Dragonforce, Wintersun, Eluveitie, etc. That very Eurocentric sound that goes over so well at Wacken. Continue reading

Monster Outbreak Tour Feat. Frank Carter & The Rattlesnakes, The Beaches Announces Dates!

Launched in 2011, the Monster Energy Outbreak Tour showcases the biggest new names in music each year amidst their culture-impacting, breakthrough moment. The Monster Energy Outbreak Tour is the largest national touring in the club & theater space, recognized as the ultimate tastemaker in the live arena, and currently consists of five annual music tours (Hip Hop, EDM, Rock, Country, College) and one annual comedy tour. The tour finds bands on the verge of becoming headlining breakthrough artists and gives them that extra push. Notable alumni of the Outbreak tour have been Post Malone, 21 Savage, Kane Brown, Mike Shinoda, and Asking Alexandria. Continue reading

TEXAS HIPPIE COALITION Brings Party To Tennessee W/ BELOW 7, DIRTY SOUL REVIVAL, & More [Review & Photo Gallery]

Texas Hippie Coalition

Big Dad Ritch and the guys of Texas Hippie Coalition (THC) made Johnson City, TN the last stop on the Haulin Moonshine Tour. THC had Below 7, The Dirty Soul Revival and Belfast 6 Pack help them make this Sunday night in Tennessee one night not to be forgotten! On a personal note, this was my third time covering THC in Johnson City, and second time in this venue, although it was under a different name the last time they played here. Doesn’t matter what the venue name or location is, one thing is certain, Johnson City loves some THC! Continue reading

Bourbon & Beyond Festival Spotlight: BLACKBERRY SMOKE [Official Videos]

 

Welcome back to our ongoing series of Bourbon & Beyond 2019 artist profiles, our weekly guide through the lineup of acts who’ll take the stage at Louisville, Kentucky’s Highland Festival Grounds at Kentucky Expo Center September 20-22nd in what’s sure to be one of the biggest concert events of the year. This week, we’re taking a closer look at Blackberry Smoke.

Blackberry Smoke is one of the up and coming bands to play this year at the Bourbon and Beyond Festival. Bourbon and Beyond has a new home this year. It is still in Louisville, Kentucky of course, but a different festival grounds. This new location is the Highland Festival Grounds at the Kentucky Expo. The former location, Champions Park, was flooded last year and day 2 of Bourbon and Beyond was cancelled along with the whole Louder Than Life festival. Bourbon and Beyond was previously a 2 day festival but this year has expanded to 3 days, so you get an entire additional day of bands. Blackberry Smoke was set to play last year but didn’t get the opportunity due to the park flooding. So, all the fans that missed out last year, get ready because they are making their phenomenal return and I’m sure they will make up for the rains that washed them away last year! Let’s talk some about Blackberry Smoke. Continue reading

Review: WOLVES AT THE GATE – ‘Eclipse’ [Album Stream]

Cedarville, Ohio is the birthplace of Wolves At The Gate. The five piece post-hardcore band have been known to balance the beauty of melody with the barbaric bite of riffs so heavy they make gravity seems weak.  ‘Eclipse’ is their fourth full length outing and is a thoughtful slice of melodic Metalcore.  I must confess, I had never heard any of their catalogue before ‘Eclipse’, but was pleasantly surprised by quality of musicianship, the strength of the songs and the production.

Vocalist/guitarist Stephen Cobucci says of the album: “We named the record ‘Eclipse’ because of how well it encapsulated the relationship the light and the dark can have. An eclipse tells you that it’s dark,but it takes truth and faith to know that the sun is still shining. All of this revolves around my walk of faith in believing the truths of the gospel message, seeking to help others find hope and peace in the love of God, as well as how to come to grips with various social/political/personal issues.

Alongside Cobucci is Ben Summers(bass), Abishai Collingsworth(drums), Nick Detty(vocals), and the band’s newest member Joey Alarcon(who co-produced with Cobucci).

The album ‘Eclipse’ follows the development path of other metalcore bands, with more clean singing and a studious dedication to melody.  This is none better demonstrated than by final song “Blessings & Curses.”  This pushes toward pop music, but with more power.

The music washes over you in waves of adrenaline and (weirdly) stillness.  It pushes you into a widescreen version of reality, where everything is epic but slowed down.  The sound makes you reflect and there is a sombre mood to the art.  Peaceful waters are moved to areas of sonic perfection, only to be brought back to life by banging songs such as my favorite, “Counterfeit” – there is nothing counterfeit about this band!  They know how to bring emotion to the boil and let it simmer on a flame of pure metal.

Epic songs?  There are more than a few on this banger.  The title track demonstrates this perfectly.  Cobucci sings like some angel and the tune is filled out with keyboards and harmonies.

Kicking songs? “Evil Are The Kings” is a great stomper, with a more old-school metalcore vibe and nice use of growling vocals.

The whole record brims with intent to be tuneful, thoughtful and emotional whilst retaining some brutal riffing.  Check it out.

Review: DRIVETRAIN – ‘Muscles Big’ [Album Stream]

The 70s and 80s were both staple decades in the evolution of rock that most consider as the “classic” era for rock bands. Killer riffs and heavy drums are what made the music, and Portland, Maine’s Drivetrain are continuing those great characteristics that made the 70s and 80s rock. Since forming the group in 2012, Drivetrain has decided to unleash their killer debut album, ‘Muscles Big.’ Taking inspiration on the traditional aspects of loud cars and even louder rock, this debut is one of my favorite first albums from a band. With Kevin Beling handling vocals and rhythm guitar, Alex Fabish beating the hell out of the drums, Butch Fabish tackling lead guitar duties, and Ben Philbrick on the thunderous bass, they have released this mayhem on January 21, 2019. Continue reading

Review: SUM 41 – ‘Order In Decline’ [Official Video]

 

Sum 41 found its way into my musical playground back in 2001. The album was ‘All Killer No Filler’ and the single that got cemented into my head was “Fat Lip.” Although I was deeply entrenched within the metal genre, that song was so catchy that it tattooed itself into my brain and I couldn’t stop listening to it. The band was labeled pop punk and by all accounts, based on that album, it seemed to fit but if you listened closely, and peeked through the cracks, there was more than met the eye. They found their sound on the brilliant ‘Does This Look Infected?’ record in 2002 and its follow up, ‘Chuck’, in 2004. That’s where my passion for this band reached its peak. They found a way to put punk, pop, hard rock, alternative, and metal together to create a sound that was unique. The next decade and a half saw the band losing members and dealing with health issues. They put out three records in that period and although there were some solid songs, none of them could capture that magical formula that made them such a force until now. The band is set to release their seventh studio album called ‘Order In Decline’ via Hopeless Records on July 19thand it burns a path back to those iconic albums. The songs are heavy, angry, emotional, and most of all, catchy, and those ingredients are the blueprint Sum 41 built itself on. Continue reading