Trivium’s latest triumph, The Crusade, drops October 10th through Roadrunner Records and is an album that blows away many new releases in metal’s current stable of bands. Crusade follows their radically successful release of Ascendancy and is an impressive follow-up for Trivium who we saw recently as one of the headliners at this year’s Download…
From the first screeching howl of “I’ll Go Until My Heart Stops” this new effort by Alaska natives 36 Crazyfists stands out above all the albums I have heard this year. With a raw melodic edge and a furious delivery, this band, newly signed to the DRT label, are poised to make genre-breaking history. Undeniably…
Clean and clear isn’t supposed to be dirty, but The Nameless has done exactly that with their debut EP Driven. From first to last, each song is flawlessly recorded and timed to create a sleek machine that is The Nameless. Yet, don’t be deceived into thinking you’re not going to feel a bit of that…
Apocalypse Head is one of those bands that when playing live always guarantees there is going to be bloodshed before the end of their set. In fact, they encourage it! Recorded at Smegma Recording studio in Portland, Oregon, the first thing that strikes you about this band is the brutally abrasive vocals. Once you have…
Livid Minds is a Portland based metal quartet that is known for their hard work promoting shows and their energetic live performances. After three years playing locally and still boasting their same four original members, the band releases The Know which is eight tracks of rock flavored metal goodness. The first track “Drive” is aptly…
You would think it would be hard to get a feel for a band in only four tracks, but Portland, Oregon metalers Vintegaas prove this theory wrong as the opening track “Hardway” finds its way into my head with its crushing breakdowns and head banging prowess. I love the dose of old school this band…
For more than a decade Summer- Slam has been bringing fans to a little known area called Vernonia in the foothills of Oregon. To get to the venue we followed a long and windy tree lined road until we spotted one small cardboard sign on the side of the road announcing that we had arrived….
“Music is recycled and unless you have your own niche then you won’t stick out. We just play what we love, if people like it, great, if not, we’re still gonna play it.” Full Blown Chaos is the definition of true New York hardcore. The band delivers some of the most intense and punishing music…
Directed and written by Kian Kaul and branded a film of intimate horror, Flesh is an independent effort that is garnering interest in many areas since its release. The movie is set within the confines of a seedy hotel room while an angry and mysterious woman waits for her friend to carry out a suicide…
Come What(ever) May is one of the most significant albums of 2006. I would begin by comparing this new effort by Stone Sour to my sophomore year in high school, an adolescent year filled with sex, drugs, sports and rock n’ roll. Freshman year wasn’t much fun, but my sophomore year was brilliant, which is…
Blazing power metal based on fantasy themes is an acquired taste, but DragonForce creates an art form out of it by turning up all their instruments and ripping your heart out with super-catchy melodies, riffs and solos. Their newest album, Inhuman Rampage raises the bar for instrumental talent like never before. The CD kicks off…
After nearly three years of relentless touring Hatebreed is back more determined and stronger than ever with Supremacy, which is comprised of 13 bone crushing anthems that will motivate anyone to fight for what they believe in. “Defeatist” opens things off with a full assault and “Horrors of Self’ and ‘Mind Over All’ are positive…
The South has been known to produce some of the best rock ever released, and Kentucky can be proud to claim Black Stone Cherry as their own. This modern Southern rock band has a place amongst the greats and knowing that not one of them is over 23 years old only leads to the belief…
Slayer is back! The pioneers of speed/thrash metal release Christ Illusion, their first new studio album in five years. Slayer welcomes back Dave Lombardo on drums to reunite their original lineup for the first time in fourteen years. Rick Rubin signing on as executive producer completes the original recording team. With a newly rekindled passion…
If havoc is wreaked on your eardrums or speakers this summer then you can blame Canada. On what is their fifth and most ambitious album to date since 1997’s City, the Canucks in Strapping Young Lad show they are one of the most eclectic and innovative bands in all of heavy music today. The New…
Just because Jane’s Addiction no longer exists doesn’t mean that the creative juices have stopped flowing. Out of the ashes of that once notable and revered group of talent rises a new band that holds the same power and impact but delivers it in a revamped package. The Panic Channel brings the experimental styling of…
Dirty…beautiful….Southern trash metal. All words I would use to describe this new effort from Black Label Society. The legendary voice of Ozzy guitarist Zakk Wylde is now widely known as he has become one of the greatest and most influential guitar players in metal history. Black Label has an underground alliance of fans who are…
After the successful release of The Oncoming Storm in 2004, Unearth returns with a more aggressive and intense assault. With legendary producer Terry Date (Pantera, Deftones) at the helm, Unearth strive to push their sound toward an even heavier direction than their previous releases. “This Glorious Nightmare” opens things off with intense riffing and in…
As the follow-up to Lamb of God’s smash record Ashes of the Wake, their latest effort Sacrament could be the prime example of taking elements from a previous album and sticking to your guns. The band has decided to bust into a more mainstream sound and it’s a formidable force in a highly defining year…
MUSIC BUSINESS SCAMS (and how to avoid them). As if it weren’t hard enough to try to make a buck from your music, there are many costly traps set for the unwary. Because the music business is so competitive, with thousands of bands desperately fighting for the same gigs, record contracts and other opportunities, many…
“It’s like a bar band vibe when we’re up there, you bring the drinks, and we’ll bring the music.” Seether, hailing from South Africa and originally called Saron Gas, signed to Wind-Up Records in 2002. They established a name for themselves in the States with the release of their major label debut Disclaimer which was…
Rock outfit The Bangkok Five opens this year’s Rockfest, as the Dew Action Sports Tour riders pulled impressive stunts, catching major air to the delight of an adoring crowd. Auralust takes the live and local stage next which is tucked into a back corner of the meadow. The Bangkok Five is still on stage and…
“Pure Black Label Comedy,” a title that says it all about this 4+ hour DVD that highlights Black Label Society, live in Europe. Let’s just burn this one down from the get-go and get to what’s real about BLS on video. The footage for this production isn’t as typical as standard offerings in the past….
Founder of Jane’s Addiction, one of the most influential bands in rock n’ roll and later the alternative summer festival known as Lollapalooza, Perry Farrell has often been lauded as the modern day Jim Morrison. With his colorful lifestyle and on stage antics he has never fallen short of the comparison. West Coast punk historian…
This novel gives you a front row seat to some of rock’s greatest moments. Lonn Friend has worn many hats in the music industry with his most famed being the executive editor of the infamous RIP Magazine. Friend is also noted as hosting his own show “Friend At Large” on MTV’s Headbanger’s Ball while later…
From love lost to love tossed out, car crashes and cheaters to weepers and wandering souls, this one covers it all. No broken heart scenario played out in song is spared in this hilarious release from author Tom Reynolds. With a brief overview of each song, Reynolds then dissects each verse with an often cynical…
Drug-fueled dysfunction is the order of the day in this first novel from Les Claypool. South of the Pump House follows two brothers and their childhood friend out onto the calm waters of the California bay for an afternoon of sturgeon fishing and reminiscing. Ed and Earl, brothers trying to reestablish a friendship after the…
I have always wanted to go to England and when I saw the line up for this years Download Festival I knew my time had finally come. Held at Donington Park known worldwide as the spiritual home of rock, Download is an annual three-day festival with over 100 bands and 80,000 people in attendance. Most…
Years ago, as two little boys with paper and pencils, my cousin and I would set out to draw cartoons and stick figures. Mine were of houses and little families and his were of monsters and ghouls. I quickly realized he had the ability to see and feel things I couldn’t. Recently, I had the…
In 1935, a roller skating fad arose and walkathon promoter Leo Seltzer decided to combine the two concepts and call it the Transcontinental Roller Derby. The event was more than a month long and held at the Chicago Coliseum. Twenty-five two-person teams skated 11½ hours a day, to cover 3,000 miles. Both members being off…
