Like every year, we have been inundated with tons of killer, new Metal in 2017. Thankfully, we here at MetalNexus have the freedom to share what we personally liked over the course of the year. No sales numbers. No record label affiliation or pressure. No sub-genre infighting. No BS. Just an honest list of what struck us individually. Like past years, my list is as broad as my musical tastes and covers everything from instrumentals, to TechDeath, to PowerMetal, to Thrash and even a top-notch ProgressiveRock band. Hopefully, some of my favorites will become yours and will propagate the audience for each and every band listed below. I sincerely hope that 2018 brings bands and albums this good. Enjoy and continue expanding our Metal family!
*In this segment we put guitarists and bassists from every metal genre you could imagine in the spotlight!*
So, this is my first King of Strings spotlight and it will come as no shock to anyone who knows me, has ever met me, or has had a 30 second conversation with me, that I’ll be spotlighting bassist Ryan Martinie – formerly of Mudvayne and currently of Soften the Glare.
Comments Off on An Interview With Mitch Hull of SOFTEN THE GLARE!
Mitch Hull is a drummer based in North Carolina whose musical resume includes everything from metal to country. Currently, he’s one of the busiest musicians out there – playing with everyone from unknowns to legends (Ryan Martinie & Bon Lozaga in their new band Soften the Glare). To meet Mitch, you’ll immediately find a friendly, kind, unassuming guy, yet within a few minutes of conversation, discover that he’s had a pretty enviable career (and, even had a hand in starting one for a now well-known recording engineer). STG’s highly anticipated first album, ‘Making Faces‘, is set to release Spring of 2017.
Comments Off on Soften the Glare Drop “March of the Cephalopods”!!!
Our friends Ben Lozaga, Ryan Martinie and Mitch Hull out of Soften the Glare have just released their stream for “March of the Cephalopods” off their upcoming release of Making Faces due out in April! This funky little tune truly showcases the diverse texture and talent this supergroup brings to bear! Check it out, share then head over to the Soften the Glare Pledge Music site for your pre-0rder and get in on some other goodies they have to offer; including shirts, posters, vinyl, mugs, guitars, basses and a huge array of other desirable swag! I already have my stuff ordered. If you are like me, April cannot get here fast enough! Enjoy!
SoftentheGlare is an instrumental super-group comprised of Jazz/Blues guitar great BonLozaga of Gong and TinyBoxes fame who has been featured with Allan Holdsworth, Kai Eckhardt, David Torn, David Fiuczynski among many others; Rock/Metal bass wizard RyanMartinie from Mudvayne and Gongzilla/Staxx/Chemeleon/War4Peace drummer MitchHull. The result of seemingly unrelated specialties is some of the most fun, complex and genre-bending music available anywhere! Jazz, Funk, Metal, HeavyBlues and Rock “with a touch of chaos” as they say. With the depth of talent this trio bring to the table, rest assured that no one will find fault with Softenthe Glare’s inspirational fun vibe.
Check Soften the Glare out on Facebook for more information!
With 2016 just barely behind us we are looking at the upcoming releases in 2017. Some of these albums already have specific release dates and titles and some haven’t been announced yet. These albums are not only by bands that we like but a release in which the band is reuniting or hasn’t released an album in a while, or just an album we think will have a huge impact on the band’s career. The albums that follow are in no specific order and our staff has all had input on the albums in which they think are the most anticipated of 2017.
Comments Off on Our Friends With Soften The Glare Release “Mission Possible” Video And Pledge Drive For Their New Album
After returning from their recent Mission Possible Tour, supergroup, Soften the Glare have just released their new single and associated video for “Mission Possible”, produced by Michael Hull! While checking out their musical wizardry, please consider giving them a hand funding their new album to be released in March of 2017 or at least sharing the video around to all of your friends. This is music of the highest caliber performed by some of the best in the business! The Soften The Glare Pledge Site includes pre-orders for all kinds of goodies, including signed CDs, vinyls, posters, cards, shirt packages, guitar lessons from the master himself Bon Lozaga via Skype (!), a custom Framus Panthera Supreme guitar (this thing in absolutely gorgeous!), signed cymbals and drumsticks from Mitch Hull, a Warwick 1124 bass signed by Ryan Martinie (Holy Cow!), and many other packages with various and sundry, highly desirable swag. So head over there and pick up what grabs you. Prices are really reasonable and would make great Christmas gifts for your favorite music fan! Heck, treat yourself too while you’re at it!
SoftentheGlare is an instrumental super-group comprised of Jazz/Blues guitar great BonLozaga of Gong and TinyBoxes fame who has been featured with Allan Holdsworth, Kai Eckhardt, David Torn, David Fiuczynski among many others; Rock/Metal bass wizard RyanMartinie from Mudvayne and Gongzilla/Staxx/Chemeleon/War4Peace drummer MitchHull. The result of seemingly unrelated specialties is some of the most fun, complex and genre-bending music available anywhere! Jazz, Funk, Metal, HeavyBlues and Rock “with a touch of chaos” as they say. With the depth of talent this trio bring to the table, rest assured that no one will find fault with SoftentheGlare’s inspirationally fun vibe.
Check Soften the Glare out on Facebook for more information!
Comments Off on Soften the Glare: ‘Mission Possible Tour’!
Awesome news! Our friends RyanMartinie (bass player of Mudvayne), BonLozaga (guitarist extraordinaire from Gong and TinyBoxes) and MitchHull (drummer for Gongzilla, Staxx, Chameleon, War4Peace) are again joining forces inSoftentheGlareand are hitting the road on their “MissionPossibleTour” for the remainder of September! If you missed their last “TheFunkyLadyTour”, be sure to watch for their trademark Instrumental, ProgRock, Jazz, Rock, Funk, Chaosgoodness if they land anywhere near you!
Comments Off on Soften the Glare “The Funky Lady Tour” coming to a town (hopefully) near you!
Have you heard of Soften the Glare? Sure you have, just maybe not in this particular form. Heard of Mudvayne? How about that bad-ass bass player and songwriter? What’s his name again? Oh yeah, right: Ryan Martinie. You game now? Alright then, add the mind-bending guitar talent of Bon Lozaga. That’s right, the one from Gong, Tiny Boxes and been featured with other notable guitar gods as Allan Holdsworth, Kai Eckhardt, David Torn, David Fiuczynski among many others. This match made in heaven is joined by the drumming skills of Mitch Hull who has played with Gongzilla, Staxx, Chameleon, War4 Peace and shared the stage with Tiny Boxes and many other in the past. Well, now you know and you can see them on “The Funky Lady Tour” that kicks off tomorrow in Jacksonville, NC!
