Review: CITY OF INDUSTRY – ‘American Habits Are Hard To Break’ [Album Stream]

City Of Industry is a hardcore punk band that was formed in 2017 in Seattle, Washington. The band is a three piece comprised of Jack Thompson on bass, Mauro Contreras on drums and rounding out the band John Suede on guitar and vocals. Though City Of Industry was just formed last year they have wasted no time getting material out to fans. In December of last year they released their debut EP and the band has now released their follow up titled ‘American Habits Are Hard To Break’ on July 27, 2018. ‘American Habits Are Hard To Break’ was recorded and mixed by Jon Lervold at Big Name Studios and mastered by Brad Boatright at Audiosiege. The band notes Coke Bust, Converge, Ceremony, Iron Lung, and Despise You as some of their biggest influences.  Though you can easily hear the bands hardcore and punk styles meld together within their music you can also hear touches of the crust punk genre throughout their songs as well.

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DEVILDRIVER Take Their Outlaw Country Tribute On The Road [US Tour dates]

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American metal band Devildriver have announced a coming tour to support their outlaw country inspired album Outlaws ‘Til The End Vol I. The tour will begin October 23 in Phoenix, AZ and will end in San Diego on November 11. Supporting them on this tour are Jinjer and Raven Black. Frontman Dez Farfara explains, “It’ll be well over a year since we last headlined a full tour when DEVILDRIVER returns in the fall… and on a number one metal charting record! We are bringing some special guests with us – our friends Jinjer will be joining from the Ukraine, and Raven Black as well. We have decided to do clubs in order to make sure this is a very close up and personal special event for everyone attending! Get your tickets now, this tour is going to sell out!” Continue reading

State Of The Art: West Virginia’s SCARLET REVOLT

Photo Credit: Rogue Crayon

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

A gritty blend of classic rock and stoner/doom metal is what’s on the menu from female-fronted quartet, Scarlet Revolt. Lead singer Eve Marcum Atkinson’s striking vocals will seductively draw you into the murky, moody sonic depths on tracks such as “Bleed” which presents an imaginative interpretation of Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Raven.” The fuzzily-toned, Orange-amplified guitar riffs ooze and chug along with purpose under minimal production polish that allows for a pleasingly unaltered, natural sound. The song and music video come from the band’s 2017 CD release, ‘Cold Town’ via Von Artists. Continue reading

Exclusive Premiere: HEARTSICK – “Snake Man” [Official Video]

Today Metal Nexus drops the exclusive music video premiere of Heartsick’s “Snake Man.” Hitting the streets, we see imagery of a mixed martial arts fight, badass lowered pickup trucks, drunken house party debauchery, and a protest rally while the Michigan quartet performs in a small, darkly-lit venue. The track is powerfully groove-laden and drenched in attitude with lead vocalist Alfonso Civile especially knocking it completely out of the park during the chorus. The overall look and feel is pleasingly DIY which adds to the track’s street-level grittiness; and the heavily-effected, tripped-out guitar solo is the perfect cherry on top to solidify its immediate replay-ability factor. Continue reading

Review: DOPE DEFAULT – ‘Ofrenda’ [Album Stream]

 

 

Formed in late 2012, Dope Default are a stoner/heavy rock’n’roll band from Thessaloniki, Greece, influenced by artists such as Alice in Chains, Queens of the Stone Age, Monster Magnet and Planet of Zeus. While the band has an array of influences ranging from grunge to stoner rock their wheel house seems to be centered around hard rock. They do include elements of stoner rock within their music, but unlike most grunge they truly showcase riffs and solos throughout their music. They released their debut EP, ‘Nuclear Honeymoon’, in 2015, to favorable reviews by fans and press alike. Like most modern era bands Dope Default has solidered through several lineup changes, and have continued on with their passion to create music for fans around the world. They released their sophomore EP, ‘Tales From the Wasteland’, in 2017 and have now released their debut full length ‘Ofrenda’. The album released March 3rd, 2018 and was recorded at Ypoga Studios in Thessaloniki, Greece. The band has toured extensively, which has not only made their stage presence more superior but also better prepared them for the studio and releasing what is likely their best release yet.

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Beasto Blanco, The Buddz, American Dropouts Slay In Tennessee! [Review & Photo Gallery]

 

Beasto Blanco

I find myself back in Johnson City for what promises to be a great night of Rock N Roll! It’s a short 2.5 hour drive to The Hideaway which is next door to Capone’s were I was photographing two nights before. The Hideaway is a 150 person, standing room only venue, a very intimate setting to see a band like Beasto Blanco! I’d venture a guess and say this is probably the smallest venue they are playing on this tour. Continue reading

Rock Allegiance Artist Showcase: DEVOUR THE DAY

Hard rockers Devour the Day formed out the ashes of Egypt Central with Joey “Chicago” Walser and Blake Allison in 2012. Hailing from the bluesy city of Memphis, Walser and Allison began working on their new project immediately with Skidd Mills (Sick Puppies, Skillet, Pop Evil). After picking up former Egypt Central guitarist Jeff James and drummer Dustin Schoenhofer (Walls of Jericho, Bury Your Day) for touring they released their debut record Time & Pressure.  Devour the Day was able to sell over 220,000 copies and their radio single “Good Man” hit the Top 10 Rock charts. Continue reading

Mike Williams (The Agony Scene) “We Feel The Gap Between The Myspace Era & Facebook Era”

Coming straight out of Tulsa, Oklahoma The Agony Scene was formed in 2000. Inspired by bands like  Zao and Overcome the band set out as a three piece, but soon added a fourth member to round out the band. The band released three albums, beginning with their self-titled album in 2003 on Solid State Records. The majority of bands on the Solid State label were Christian bands; However, The Agony Scene in a later interview explained they were not a Christian band. followed up by ‘The Darkest Red’ on Roadrunner Records, and ‘Get Damned’ on Century Media Records om 2007. It wasn’t long after that album’s release that vocalist Mike Williams confirmed on October 8, 2008,  that the band had broken up early in that year. After 8 years the band decided it was time to put The Agony Scene back together and in August of 2016 they announced plans to tour and release a new full length album. The band has now released that album titled ‘Tormentor’, as July 20, 2018 via Outerloop Records.  Continue reading

CAST THE STONE(Feat. MISERY INDEX, ex-CATTLE DECAPITATION & SCOUR Members) New Single Is Intense!

American death/black metallers CAST THE STONE present a brand new lyric video for their song “A Plague Of Light”, taken from the “Empyrean Atrophy” EP. The EP is all set to be released at the end of this month, on August 31st, via Agonia Records.

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Rock Allegiance 2018 Spotlight: FROM ASHES TO NEW

Nu-metal is undoubtedly swinging back into the forefront and From Ashes To New is breathing new life into the 20+ year old musical subgenre. Elements of rap introduced with catchy radio friendly vocals and melodies make for an extremely palatable lead-in to rock and heavier music. Continue reading