Tag Archives: SOTA

State Of The Art: Kansas’ YOUNGBLOOD SUPERCULT [Album Stream]

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

Hailing from Topeka, Kansas, Youngblood Supercult brings the type of stoner rock that’s well-worthy of being more than just a local gem. Combining genuine seventies classic rock styles with more modern influences, their sound delivers the fuzz-laden doom of Black Sabbath along with the vocal soulfulness of Bad Company, wrapped up with the modern-day grit and grunge of Queens of the Stone Age. At times delving deeply psychedelic, the music never fails to immerse the listener into its ultra laidback, hazily smoke-filled atmosphere. The band’s newest album, ‘The Great American Death Rattle’ (2017) opens with the killer opening title track that features Led Zeppelin “No Quarter”-style bass effects and jaw-dropping guitar soloing. Check it out below. Continue reading →

State Of The Art: Hawaii’s THE GRANITE SAINTS [Album Stream]

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

From Honolulu, Hawaii, The Granite Saints are, according to their biog, “a three chord homage to the bands of their youth.”  They are snotty-nosed punks with the attitude of them against the world.  They talk and walk their way and anyone who doesn’t like it can just get out of their way.

Forged in the fires of 2013, they are made up of Lonesome James on rhythm guitar/lead vocals, Brian on bass/backup vocals, Shane Taylor on lead/rhythm guitars and Chad Taylor on drums.  They released a self titled EP in 2017, with some awesome beefy riffing on tunes like “Juju Mama” and “Run The Night.”  However, 2018 saw them really open up the Pandora’s Box of punk rocking music with ‘Red, White & Screwed.’

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State Of The Art: Hawaii’s NESTA [Track Stream]

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

In the land of tropical paradise with its picturesque beaches, near perfect weather, and aloha vibes, it may be hard to imagine heavy music coming from the Hawaiian Islands. It was certainly no easy task finding metal amidst the vast sea of island reggae and ukuleles for this month’s SOTA, but this pick from the Honolulu underground is one I’m sure metal fans will enjoy. Hailing from Waianae, Hawaii, Nesta proves that their volcanic brand of metal can not only compete with its mainland contemporaries, but also push the envelope in some unexpected and highly innovative ways. Continue reading →

State Of The Art: Missouri’s SORRY, SCOUT [Album Stream]

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

Sorry, Scout describe themselves as an “Indie rock/pop punk/ Americana” hybrid out of St. Louis that write songs about “love, gentrification, police brutality, bigotry and survival in an increasingly oppressive reality.”

The band is made up of Randi Whitaker (vocals), Nate Jones (guitar), David Anson (bass) and Zack Schultz (drums).  They are fresh, melodic, powerful and driven. They hammer home their ideas about society with the charm of a well versed poet, armed with a supreme sense of purpose.  Their one release to dste is the anthemic artistically authentic EP ‘Never Asked For It’, which was issued in August 2018. Continue reading →

State Of The Art: Iowa’s SPACE BURIAL [Album Stream]

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

Space Burial formed in 2015. They are a psychedelic/stoner/prog rock band from Dubuque, Iowa. Created as an outlet by singer/guitarist Pinky, Space Burial became, in their own words, “an excuse to stay out late and buy vintage instruments and recording gear.“

Space Burial‘s self titled EP, along with their sophomore release ‘Celestial Seed’ is available on BandCamp.

The band eat heavy musical food, with a mind-altering content. They have successfully fused modern sounds with Seventies prog influences. In addition, they write tunes that matter and have urgency. They pepper spray the listener with spoken word parts in songs and know when to put the hammer to the floor and drive off into the stratosphere.

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State Of The Art: Wisconsin’s MY MEMORY REMAINS [Album Stream]

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My Memory Remains

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

My Memory Remains formed in June of 2015. The band consists of Nicole Steinmetz on vocals, Aaron Aull and Justin Perry on guitar, Kyle Miller pn drums and CJ Schmidt on bass.

They are based in Eau Claire, WI and have appeared on the same bill as killer bands such as The Devil Wears Prada, All That Remains and Otep.

From their biography, the band “write music in a way that everyone can relate to and can feel a connection with.” They are a hard rock band with Metal leanings and a singer with an incredible voice and range.

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State Of The Art: Florida’s ELEMENT OF ECLIPSE [Album Stream]

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

Hailing from Tampa, Florida, Sin Scythe (Kevin Nichols) is the one-man mastermind behind the brutally dark and aggressive, blackened death metal project Element of Eclipse. On wax, you’d never know by the immense atmospheric sound that it was created and performed solely by one person. Scythe recorded his first demo for Element of Eclipse back in 2003 and has since released five full-length albums, with 2015’s ‘HeretiKvlt Manifesto’ being the most recent. The first album ‘Apocalyptic Life’ (2006) was an all-acoustic project with synth and vocals that began laying the groundwork for much heavier things to come. As a distinct evolution from his acoustic beginnings – and packed with high-speed, distorted riffing and blast beats – ‘HeretiKvlt Manifesto,’ is one of Scythe’s most refined and crushing works to date, improving upon the format that was solidified on the previous two records. With a sound that’s equal parts Immortal and ‘Alters of Madness’-era Morbid Angel, Element of Eclipse delivers powerful extreme metal with a well-executed and crisp production value that propels the music’s power and atmosphere to the limits. Continue reading →

State Of The Art: West Virginia’s SCARLET REVOLT

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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 →

State Of The Art: Indiana’s WOLFTOOTH [Album Stream]

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*This is a part of our State Of The Art series, showcasing bands every Monday from the featured state.*

This month’s state is Indiana!

What do you get when you mix equal parts ‘Master of Reality’-era Black Sabbath with ‘Stained Class’-era Judas Priest, and then add a few generous splashes of ‘Meantime’-era Helmet? Hailing from Richmond, Indiana, Wolftooth are delivering bluesy stoner metal through a fuzzy haze of modern freshness. Continue reading →

State Of The Art: Alabama’s EMBER [Official Video]

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*This is a part of our State Of The Art series, showcasing bands every Monday from the featured state.*

This month’s state is Alabama!

One would not expect beautiful Birmingham, Alabama to be pumping out some seriously dark sounds. Ember has managed to create an approachable, drony doom sound with vocals that channel early European symphonic metal elements. In fact, Alabama is the last place one might guess this band is from. Continue reading →