Louisiana band, R O G U E are brand new and not something to overlook. They are a four-piece consisting of Jansen Nunez on vocals, Jeffrey Fisher of The Arbitrary on guitars, bass is Taylor Law and Nick Guidry on drums. This month the band will be releasing their debut EP, “Anomaly.” Continue reading
Metalcore is a genre that continues to reinvent itself. Though it may seem like another lifetime since the mid-2000’s, new ideas infiltrate, artists reinvent and arguably somehow create these intricate subgenres of subgenres. Sub-subgenres? Progressive metalcore has been on the up and up since. Exquisite musicianship and sophisticated songwriting allow these tremendous new acts to standout in a crowd where everything is tucked under one umbrella. Continue reading
*This is a part of our State Of The Art series, showcasing bands every Monday from the featured state*
This month’s state is Louisiana!
It’s Monday again and what better way to break your blues with some weed laced good stoner metal. Welcome back to my edition of State Of The Art segment, where today I am going to pass you a joint in the form of Louisiana’s stoner metal outfit MARS. Isn’t that a perfect name for a group of hippie stoner metallers? Like, who doesn’t wanna cash in for some good dark, gooey chocolate snack after you hit the greens? Just as good as Mars tastes in your mouth, the trio from New Orleans, Louisiana makes sure your aural desire gets served with full contentment.
*This is a part of our State Of The Art series, showcasing bands every Monday from the featured state.*
This month’s state is Louisiana!
New Orleans’ Space Cadaver are a band that have fury and finesse, with a groove that stomps all over their songs. They have a sci-fi style and power to match the best in the universe. Guitarist/vocalist John Baleine, bassist Beto Arias and drummer Jason Meserole bring dark and light in equal measure. Formed in 2015, Space Cadaver have shared the stage with heavyweights such as Conan, Acid King and Ufomammut. Their message of spacey doom is spreading quickly!
Their debut self-titled album has been available since 2017. Guitarist/vocalist Baleine commented that “this album is a benchmark of 3 years of hard work and determination – an opportunity to grow…and have closure with a lot of dark things… It was a cleanse to purge the pent up frustrations around the suicide and murders of loved ones, drug addiction and the struggle to break free from the things that are no longer serving me.”
Space Cadaver have a sound that melds Death, Doom and Stoner in a rock hard package. Their self-titled debut album is a tour de force of genre-defying metal. They may only have a bass, guitar and drums to work from, but they know how to work that to make an amazing cinematic sound that sonically destroys everything in the mainstream metal world.
The album kicks off with the riffy ‘The Infinite Black Sun‘. This sets the band’s stall out, with Baleine’s growling vocals and thoughtful lyrics. The sound that a three piece make is genuinely impressive. The bass is high in the mix and the drums splatter through the fuzz storm of guitar. There are light passages that bring the sound into a different sphere and the dark parts take you to a back alley and mug you.
The guitar dominates “Day Ruiner“, as the groove is augmented by a superb guitar solo that is full of heart and power. “Storm” follows with the sound of hell coming out to play. A grunge-type melody lends the song a spirit that cannot be dismissed easily.
“Insufficient Reward” is a masterpiece in cinematic metal. It ebbs and flows with an approach that composers of movie scores love. I can imagine a video of someone escaping evil forces, running down dark corridors in space. The drumming is superb on this tune.
The commercially accessible “Clock Hoarder” continues with its fantastic bass/guitar interplay. It also manages to tip its hat to old school thrash. “Nowhere, Now Here” continues the album with a progressive, minor key insurgency. Once again, a cinematic sound, focusing on a picture in space of desolation and regret.
The closing two numbers, “Sword of the Lord” and “Draco’s Revenge” are urgent, epic sound songs that veer from blast beats to progressive jazz in the space of minutes.
Overall, Space Cadaver are a band that everyone should check out, before they check out (in space, naturally).
*This is a part of our State Of The Art series, showcasing bands every Monday from the featured state.*
This month’s state is Louisiana!
Providing a powerful boost of energy and creativity to old school death metal, is New Orleans own, Orifist. The trio consisting of Devin Jones (guitar/vocals), Matt Fogarty (lead vocals), and Dominick Mora (drums) present a murderous sound, reminiscent of the classics, with names like Suffocation, Morbid Angel, and Death immediately coming to mind. Continue reading
*This is a part of our State Of The Art series, showcasing bands every Monday from the featured state.*
This month’s state is Louisiana!
Any fans of progressive instrumental are severely missing out if The Arbitrary is not a part of their lives. The New Orleans two-piece has been self-releasing since 2015. Together, Jeffrey Fisher (guitar) and Adam Sauter (drums) have continued to boggle the brains of prog fans, yet quench the thirst for musical excellence with their 2017 EP ‘Identity.’ It may only be four songs, but those four songs are all the listener needs. A touch a djent, a brush of tech; it’s about time for a Ph.D. in music theory. Continue reading
JG
As most of you have heard guitarist of the insanely heavy Louisiana band Drysocket was in a car accident a few weeks ago. The accident caused a tear in an artery in the right side of his neck which caused a blood clot to travel to his brain resulting in a stroke. A surgical procedure was done to allow swelling which will occur and to avoid damaging the left side of his brain in this process. He is doing better now and is awake and speaking and giving everyone pure hell like normal. He will have to have some rehab and a long road to recovery but we are glad the axe slayer is making strides towards getting better. We urge you to keep JG and his family and the band in your thoughts and send good vibes his way. Continue reading
The band SpaceMetal have released their debut album and it is pretty far out. After getting an earful of what they have to offer you may think they are from a planet far far away. However, they are indeed from planet earth and yet another product to come from the great state of Louisiana. The self titled debut has some space themed lyrics but the song that first garnered my attention was “Witness to the Witch”. The song with very meaningful earthbound lyrics can connect with most anyone. It’s one of those songs that make you want to take a long drive. They really champion the retro rock sound, with a dash of doom mixed in as well. The riffs come tearing at you in warp speed. It sounds like the band was locked into a time capsule in 1973 and is just now being opened. The retro sound has been making a huge comeback with lots of bands, but the sound Spacemetal achieve is really what everyone is after. The album was recorded in a 1970s analog recording studio, so that can be attributed to the sound somewhat. Singer Travis Acosta has this attention grabbing voice, it keeps lingering in your ear and the melodies are suddenly rolling off your tongue and before you realize it you are singing along. The guitar players John Maracichin and Chris Trentecosta are bound to have bloody fingers by the way the riffs ring out through this album. “The Millipede” starts out with this dominating doom stomp type sound and then the guitars chime in and take over. It has all the ingredients for a classic rock song. Of course the guitars and vocals are up front but the songs would sound completely incomplete without the backbeat of the bass and drums. In songs like “Terra Cat” the drummer Chris Kain is the most integral part of what makes the song have this pace setting groove. The bass lines aren’t without notice either, those thick low tones laid down by Rob Norton help the guitar work stand out even more.
Spacemetal is a band that could and should become a household name. The debut album is independently released and I’m sure they will soon be having labels beating down their doors. There is a demand for the great tunes they provide and hopefully we will be able to see them out on the road soon as they will be gathering fans all over this planet and others as well. The album was released April 2nd and while we wish we had heard it sooner we are now wishing they will go into hyper speed and have another album completed soon. You can pick up this album for $6 from the bandcamp page they have set up (Link Below). The album is a through and through album that has a tremendous re-listen value, pick it up today.
Bandcamp: https://spacemetal1.bandcamp.com/releases
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