State of the Art – Missouri’s SAVAGELAND [EP Stream]

Hungry and visceral with a hint of southern edge. SavageLand is a beautiful sip of aged bourbon, followed by a punch in the face. Hailing from Kansas City, Missouri they sound more like they are straight from the heart of New Orleans. The band was formed in 2016 and has since released one six song, self-titled EP, with tremendously impressive production value.

Picture groove riffs with guttural stoner vocals. Fans of Crowbar and Corrosion of Conformity meet fans of Baroness and also meet a calloused hard working slide guitar player by a campfire. The EP opens with said slide guitar, and a Mastodon quality riffs. SavageLand crafts these pseudo-stoner anthems with such ease. Down and Pantera influences, too, leak into the blueprints of their songwriting. “Animal Kingdom” has a wiry riff strung through the verses, swelling behind the chorus. The kind of jams to smoke a joint and enjoy a beer to. It’s aggressive but not disruptive.

SavageLand teased the early stages of new material mid 2018, after stating in 2017 they are inactive. Fingers crossed that 2019 will be the year the band gets in gear and releases some new music because this stuff is really something.  

 

A Brand New Supergroup Named IMONOLITH Has Formed And It Just Released Its First Music Video!

A supergroup consisting of Jon Howard, guitarist Brian Waddell & Kai Huppunen, bassist Byron Stroud and drum legend Ryan Van Poederooyen is meant for succes and ”Hollow” proves exactly that!

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Alfonso Civile (Heartsick) Talks About Being Recruited To Sing For ILL NINO!

Photo Credit: Rachel Lynn Craig

 

As veterans of the scene, Heartsick has been at it since 2000 and toured with such names as HatebreedFear FactoryAll That RemainsEvery Time I Die, and more. Their relentless hard work and equally impressive live show has been earning them an ever-growing fanbase throughout the Midwest and the nation. The group consisting of Alfonso Civile (vocals), Waylon Fox (bass), Jerred Pruneau (guitar), and Justin Robison (drums) have an extensive discography already under their belt that’s definitely worth digging into. To check out more, you can find their music on PandoraQ106 FM(Michigan), and as a featured artist on ReverbNation’s Metal Monday. Continue reading

BREWtally Speaking: Alfonso Civile (HEARTSICK)

Alfonso Civile, vocalist for Heartsick, is the guest on this episode of the BREWtally Speaking Podcast.

Podcast hosts Dan and Jon chat with Alfonso about the news making lineup change with ILL Nino, a band that Alfonso had actually been tapped to replace the bands original lead singer. Continue reading

ENSIFERUM, SEPTICFLESH & ARSIS Unite Fans In Minneapolis! [Review + Photo Gallery]

Ensiferum

The Skyway Theatre welcomed the “Path To Glory Tour” to Minneapolis. Performing were Ensiferum, Septicflesh, and Arsis. I have heard the names before but the night proved to be my initiation into each of these bands. Continue reading

BREAKING BENJAMIN, FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH (And More) Rock West Virginia [Review & Photo Gallery]

Breaking Benjamin

What happens on a cold December night in Huntington, WV, when Breaking Benjamin, Five Finger Death Punch, In Flames, and From Ashes to New stop by the Big Sandy Superstore Arena? A scorching night of music with some of hottest bands on the planet! Add a sold out crowd of metalheads and you’ve got the makings of an incredible show! Once inside, this throng of people couldn’t care less about the cold outside – only the heat that was coming from the stage! Continue reading

Indian Folk Metal Band BLOODYWOOD Unveil New Video, ‘Endurant’!

Remember these guys who took the internet by storm with their blend of Indian folk metal? Well, BLOODYWOOD is back with yet another folk yet heavy as hell new music video, ‘Endurant‘. The viral group from New Delhi, India have released new material after almost five months of inactivity ; the new video hits hard and heavy and throws light on the serious issue of bullying. Carrying on with meaningful social messages on their songs with an Indian folk twist, BLOODYWOOD have come a long way ever since they captivated the global audience with their infectious breed of metal.

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BLACKTOP MOJO Release Video For “Prodigal”

Texas hard rockers Blacktop Mojo have released a video for “Prodigal”, off their 2017 LP, Burn The Ships. Blending elements of country and 70s hard rock, Blacktop Mojo has a timeless sound that pairs well with any drink you got in your hand. Formed in 2012 by frontman Matt James and drummer Natan Gillis, the band eventually became a 5-piece with Matt Curtis on bass and Ryan Kiefer and Chuck Wepfer on guitars. After releasing I Am in 2014, they hit the road sharing the stage with acts like Bon Jovi, Sammy Hagar, Darryl “DMC” McDaniels, Black Stone Cherry, Drowning Pool, and many others.

With their sophomore album, Burn The Ships, they went into the studio with Muscle Shoals producer Jimmy Johnson. Released via their label Cuhmon Records the album received critical acclaim, hitting the Top 40 Billboard Active Rock Chart with singles “Where The Wind Blows” (#27) and the band’s cover of Aerosmith classic, “Dream On” (#31).

As for the video, according to frontman Matt James, the band had a good time with the video: “We had fun making the video with some of our good friends from our hometown acting out the main parts. We felt like the father-son dynamic in the video really reflected the song’s theme. The song is sort of autobiographical. It’s about the experience of growing up in a small town and always talking about ‘getting out’ one day. No matter where or how far you go, though, you always have a little bit of where you came from that you take with you.” This is the band’s second video from their successful sophomore release.

Blacktop Mojo spent most of their 2017/2018 touring, writing, and recording in “The Mojo Mansion” in their hometown of Palestine, Texas. While playing a show at Rock Allegiance 2018, frontman Matt James sat down with Metal Nexus to talk everything Blacktop Mojo. You can find that interview here. To keep up to date on Blacktop Mojo follow them on their website, Facebook, and Instagram.

ROCK USA Announces 2019 Lineup!

ROCK USA in Oshkosh, Wisconsin announced their lineup today and has shown they are one of the top festivals in the Midwest with their powerful lineup in comparison to some recent lack luster lineups. The festival takes place July 18-20th Thursday, Friday and Saturday. Your top headliners of the 3 nights in order are Five Finger Death Punch, Rob Zombie, and Disturbed. If that isn’t enough their immediate support each night in order is Breaking Benjamin, Marilyn Manson and Mastodon Continue reading

INCITE Release New Single “Poisoned By Power” Featuring Chris Barnes of SIX FEET UNDER

Image Courtesy of Jeremy Saffer

Heavy metal frontrunners INCITE – led by frontman Richie Cavalera – are set to release their upcoming fifth full-length album, ‘Built To Destroy’, on January 25, 2019.  You can check out a more detailed and insightful look at the album in a previously released article by our very own Steve Savage HERE. Produced by Steve Evetts (The Dillinger Escape Plan, Suicide Silence) and mastered by Zeuss (Rob Zombie, Hatebreed), ‘Built to Destroy’ is a visceral, urgent, voracious distillation of modern metal with reverence for the past, and boasts a progressed, matured sound for INCITE. Continue reading