Tag Archives: Ohio

Review: Static Tension – ‘Out Of Reach’

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Static Tension is a band I have been watching grow for quite some time. It was about a year or so ago that I became aware of the Cincinnati, Ohio based band. As a fan of music I tend to always prefer original music, but these guys really captured my attention with their cover of Dax Rigg’s (Acid Bath) song “Night Is The Notion”. (Let me note that there is not a bigger Acid Bath, or Dax Riggs fan than me.) Static Tension draws influence from classic rock, 90’s grunge, and progressive metal, but they have really become masters to their own unique musical blend. They refer to their sound as progressive grunge. Melodic vocal harmonies is a big part of their sound, but they also have creative and powerful riffs to go along with it. The band has only been reformed since 2014, lead guitarist Greg Blachman first used the name Static Tension in 1999. During that time the band recorded the album, ‘Paint By Number’ before parting ways in 2001. After a 13 year absence the name was resurrected in 2014 with a new line-up, including lead vocalist Rob Rom, and bassist Ritchie Paik. In early 2015 the band completed a four track EP entitled ‘Rebirth’, which contains two vocally reworked tracks off of Greg’s solo album ‘Beyond Horizons’ released in 2013, as well as two new, more collaborative tracks “Bottom Rung” & “Rebirth”. Static Tension has now finished their most recent EP ‘Out Of Reach’, which is set to release January 6th, 2017 via Buried By Sky Records. The album was written, recorded and produced by the band. Static Tension will be celebrating the release with a show on January 14th at The Southgate House Revival in Newport, Kentucky. The band will be joined by three amazing bands The Past, Hemp Noose, and Motel Faces. Continue reading →

LO-PAN Set To Release ‘In Tensions’ Via Aqualamb Records!

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LO-PAN had announced their upcoming fifth release, titled ‘In Tensions’. The release is a new five-song EP that showcases the Columbus, Ohio unit continuing their blistering trajectory, building on the infectious, riff-filled grooves of their 2014 full-length, ‘Colossus’. Continue reading →

Columbus, Ohio: Slayer, Testament, Carcass @ Express Live!

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Slayer playing shows by themselves is more than enough to get metal heads out to a show. When you add Testament and Carcass to the bill that makes the tour a must see. Any of these 3 bands could headline a show or festival and draw a massive crowd. I knew we were in store for a massive turnout at Express Live in Columbus, Ohio. The first band of the night to take the stage was the Liverpool band Carcass. They quickly came out and got the crowd’s attention opening the show with their song “Unfit for Human Consumption”. When you are in the crowd it’s always great to catch a guitar pick, drum stick or really anything the band throws out at you. Bassist and singer Jeff Walker threw out more picks that night than I have ever seen anyone throw. The crowd kept growing and growing with each song Carcass played. By the time they were playing “Cadaver Pouch Conveyor System” there wasn’t even enough room to scratch your own ass. Carcass sounded flawless on stage. Note after note everything was perfection. It’s always amazing when the opening band is on stage and they blow you away. Carcass then played one of my favorite songs which is “Heartwork” the title track of their 1993 release. The song just has this fast paced shredding guitar riffs that flow into some slowed down groove section of the song makes you want to move around the mosh pit and tackle people. I am not the only person that feels this way, because during this song the pit was going absolutely insane. Continue reading →

Rock On The Range Reveals Line Up!

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We are very surprised about the lineup. Not saying it’s bad and not saying it’s great we just expected something different. Of course Red Hot Chili Peppers has a great fan base, but I expected someone slightly different. We happened to get about 11-12 bands right in our prediction. Megadeth is a major draw for thrash fans and the festival. Some of the bands lower down the list that are much deserving of stage time are Sevendust, Glorious Sons, and Monster Truck. One of the bands that surprised me was At The Drive In. I have been a longtime fan of the band and even the band that launched out of it The Mars Volta. I had no idea that At The Drive In (ATDI) was even back together, and looking through their Facebook they haven’t made a post since 2013 so this should come as a shock to most. The band is super energetic on stage and should create a lot of buzz after their set. As Motley Crue is just finishing up their ‘final tour” it looks like Nikki Sixx is going to spend more time with his project Sixx: Am. To be honest there isn’t really any filler bands on the list. Each band could hold their own on a smaller scale tour. Clutch, Ghost, Avatar, The Sword, Wilson and others are amazing bands that can easily pack a venue by themselves. I expected a much larger set of headliners but they added a tremendous amount of good bands rather than a couple huge headliners and filler bands. I expect a couple more bands to be added and look for some surprises at the festival.

Beneath Oblivion

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*This is part of our State Of The Arts series, showcasing bands every Monday from the state of the month*

This month’s state is Ohio.

Beneath Oblivion are based out of Cincinnati, Ohio. They have been together since 2003 and self released their first full length in 2006 titled “Existence Without Purpose”. The album they released in 2011  “From Man to Dust” is an incredible piece of doom from start to finish. The band defines funeral doom. The symphony of darkness on tracks like “Atomic Mother” capture you and have you listening and out of nowhere the vocals take hold of your throat keeping your attention. Each song seems to capture a darkness in its own way. The only way to convey the sound is like feeling each stage of death then hitchhiking your way back from hell. They are expecting another release soon. This band should not slip by anyone the vocals Scott T. Simpson brings to this album are flawlessly combined with the guitar work by himself and Allen L. Scott II. Nothing in the music is overdone, it’s the correct amount of everything. Bassist Keith Messerle and drummer Nate Bidwell play off each other like dirt beating down on a casket. When everything seems unbearably dark they let just a little light in, only so they can again bring you into the darkness again.

 

 

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http://www.beneathoblivion.info/

 

The Great Iron Snake

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*This is part of our State Of The Arts series, showcasing bands every Monday from the state of the month*

This month’s state is Ohio.

Cleveland, Ohio is home of the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame, and Lebron James, but most importantly it’s home to one of Ohio’s best rock bands in The Great Iron Snake. The band is a trio of hard rocking guys that have some chemistry when it comes to being in a band together. The comradery and stage presence they have may seem like déjà vu, but that’s only because they are ¾’s of the band Red Giant. The guys have been together sporting this new band name since 2012. You have Damien Perry at the helm on vocals and rocking out his Gretsch White Falcon guitar that sounds absolutely amazing. Brian Skinner is setting the low tones on bass, and behind the kit is Eric Matthews on the sticks. The band recently released a single in February entitled “Pungent Porcelain”. Like a trucker in a roadside brothel, the song gets right to business. The guitar work leads the song through its paces, from start to finish it’s an uphill to downhill rhythm. Playing off every up tempo and downtempo change the song perfectly showcases the talents of the band. They have been playing live shows in and around the Cleveland area with some other bands we enjoy like Trouble, and Black Pussy (and no I’m not referring to the kind of black pussy you can see if you go to www.tubev.sex/categories/1160/black I am on about an actual band called Black Pussy, great choice for a name don’t you think). Presently The Great Iron Snake is unsigned to a label, which we don’t think will last very long. With a unique sound and with as much chemistry Damien, Eric and Brian have together it won’t be long before they are fighting away offers. Other than the one song “Pungent Porcelain” that has been recorded and is streaming on Bandcamp there are a few good quality live videos available of the band as well. The song “Elipsis” (which we will link below) has this great little bluesy groove to it that just has this amazing energy to it. We always say that the best way to see a band is live and in person. We look forward to catching these guys on the road soon.

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/thegreatironsnake

Bandcamp: http://thegreatironsnake.bandcamp.com/releases