Words By: Kevin Akers | Photography By: Estil Robinson
Lexington Kentucky decided to celebrate Halloween a day early as DevilDriver brought their Outlaws til the End Tour to the Manchester Music Hall. The venue has hosted a bunch of hard rock acts in the past year including Sevendust, All That Remains, and Trivium. But it has never hosted a tour this heavy before. In fact, it may be the heaviest tour to ever play in Lexington.
The New Jersey funeral doom masters, Evoken return with their long-awaited, sixth full-length album, ‘Hypnagogia.’ It’s the quintet’s first LP in six years since 2012’s ‘Atra Mors.’ Over the course of an hour across the eight tracks on ‘Hypnagogia,’ John Paradiso (guitar/vocals), Chris Molinari (guitar), Dave Wagner (bass), Don Zaros (keyboards), and Vince Verkay (drums) take the listener on an atmospheric, psychological mindfuck of a journey from dark to even darker. The low, sludgy riffs crush with the weight of massive concrete slabs under the sorrowful weeping of crisp, lead guitar melodies. Drums and bass are deliberate and punishing, while keys provide an ominously haunting complexity. Vocally, Paradiso’s deep, guttural growl resounds like an otherworldly being beckoning through the endless void. For those who care to indulge in such morose pleasures, ‘Hypnagogia’ is a beautifully depressive, brutal, and immersive rite of passage into the darkest abyss. Continue reading
A product of Los Angeles, California All Hail The Yeti formed in 2006. The band has released two full length albums, their self titled debut in 2012 followed by ‘Screams from a Black Wilderness’ in 2016 which was produced by Matt Hyde (Slipknot, Machine Head). The band creates a southern-sludgy stoner rock that electrifies listeners. The band is influences by iconic NOLA legends like Acid Bath and Eye Hate God and also a touch of the sunset strip with Motley Crue. All Hail The Yeti is now preparing to release their third studio album ‘Highway Croses’. The album was recorded, mixed and produced by three-time Grammy winning producer Warren Riker who is well recognized for his work with metal artists such as Down, Cathedral, Korn and Crowbar, as well as mainstream names such as The Fugees, Mary j. Blige, Santana and more. ‘Highway Crosses’ releases on November 16th via Minus Head Records.
Thomas Giles Rogers Jr. has made a name for himself musically, there’s no doubt about that. His tenure with the mighty Between The Buried And Me may have already cemented his legacy as one of the pioneers of new-age progressive rock, however, outside of BTBAM’s extensive discography, there’s still much to be heard in the frontman’s arsenal. With the upcoming release of his fourth SOLO studio album, “Don’t Touch The Outside,” (via Sumerian Records) we have one of your first looks at the next chapter of his solo career, and, what an ambitious effort it is!
Between The Buried And Me are probably a step ahead of many bands in terms of songwriting, and Tommy doesn’t hit the brakes when it comes to his solo work either. Don’t Touch The Outside dives deeper into the frontman’s musical endeavors with music that will send chills down your spine from the into to the last song. His grand scheme of songwriting is a persistent wave of emotion that crosses all musical boundaries with no intent on slowing down. Songs like “Incomplet,” with spiraling guitar riffs from the start into melodies that will put you under a trance, underneath Tommy’s distant vocals that draw you to the edge of your seat while you’re listening. Heading into songs such as, “I Win,” featuring experimental vocalist, Carley Coma (Candria) with heavy synth-driven beats with Carley’s aggressive voice and rhyme schemes as the cherry on top. “Sway,” a song that stuck out with its drum-heavy backbeat, light-hearted vocals to make this an immersive listening experience.
For all of our readers that are fans of the elite musicality of Raleigh, North Carolina’s Between The Buried And Me, be sure to check out vocalist Tommy Giles’ impressive, mesmerizing fourth solo effort entitled, Don’t Touch The Outside, releasing this Friday (November 9th) via Sumerian Records.
After the death of brother/band member Tom Searle Architects took a huge hit, as a band and as people who were close to him. But it only made them stronger and even more dedicated than they already were to create music that is able to touch you like nothing else. I present to you: ‘Holy Hell’!
Blacktop Mojo
Blacktop Mojo have been riding on the successes of their sophomore release ‘Burn the Ships’ and they hit the stage at this year’s Rock Allegiance in Camden, New Jersey. 2018 has been a busy year for them between touring, their crowdfunding campaign, and recording. They are currently unsigned to a major label even with the success of crowd favorites like “Where the Wind Blows” and their cover of Aerosmith’s “Dream On”. Continue reading
Our Hollow Our Home
I’ve been eagerly awaiting this day and it’s finally arrived. Time seemed to pass so slowly, and then once the day arrives, it’s over in the blink of an eye. UK’s finest, Our Hollow Our Home host their annual Holloween festival at The 1865 venue in Southampton. This is the second year of the event, and due to the great turnout last year, the show was moved to The 1865 because of the increased capacity. It was a perfect location, with two bars (essential to any metal show), and all the bands’ merch on sale upstairs. As you can see in the poster, the lineup for Holloween 2018 is why I was keen as mustard to go. The hosts, Our Hollow Our Home headline this beast of a day just after the release of their new album titled ‘In Moment // In Memory.’ I have a copy on black marble vinyl which looks and sounds amazing. I’m sure there will be an album review soon on Metal Nexus, so keep your eyes peeled for that. Continue reading
Doyle
Doyle is currently on tour supporting the 2017 release “Doyle II: As We Die”. The horror punk outfit was welcomed to Minneapolis by its hardcore followers for a night of adrenaline-fueled music. Continue reading
Gwar
The “Gore, Core, Metal and More” Tour has been making its way across America combining some of the most brutal hardcore music with a visual spectacle that is second to none. Gwar teamed up with Hatebreed and enlisted Miss May I and Ringworm for support. Continue reading
With only a debut album out Currents have already made clear on what they bring to the table and after releasing ”Into Despair” I got no doubt in my mind that their up and coming EP ‘I Let The Devil In’ is going to sound amazing!
