Beauty and the Beat
Few names in rock and metal illicit more opinion, praise and passion than Tarja Turunen. The three-octave soprano takes her stage encompassing voice to the romantic classical arena belting out classics from Bach, Strauss and Mozart, along with rock fueled anthems from Led Zeppelin, Queen and her own catalogue. Veteran rock drummer Mike Terrana blasts out his own voice with loud, thunderous crescen...[Read More]
Anette Olzon Shines Once Again
The voice of Dark Passion Play/Imaginaerum era Nightwish has returned with her first solo album on Armoury Records in conjunction with Ear Music, Shine. Those who fell in love with the pop, bubble gum perfect, soothing caress of Anette Olzon’s vocal charm can rest assured its present throughout the 10 new tracks. A recording that showcases her unique range carrying elements of hope, fragil...[Read More]
Dwellers Release The Pagan Fruits Of Labor
What would a jam session circa mid-late 60’s, early 70’s sound like if Tony Iommi, Geezer Butler, The Doors, Soundgarden, Grand Funk Railroad and Alice In Chains were all jamming in the same room with Glenn Danzig, Layne Staley and Chris Cornell trading vocals? Pagan Fruit takes the darkness from Sabbath, dark depressive tones of Alice, the trippy psychedelics of The Doors blending each int...[Read More]
Scream Arena Hits The Spotlight
With a basic, honest garage sound approach to the spotlight lit arena stage York England’s Scream Arena showcase a sound heralded in the 80’s bringing both the nostalgic decadence and a few new ingredients to the tried and true sunset formula. Formed by Andy Paul, taking musical and vocals hints and nods from LA Guns, Wasp, Tuff, Asphalt Ballet, Kingdom Come, Shotgun Messiah and Michael M...[Read More]
Kansas City’s Cimino Delivers Angels & Animals LA Style
It’s often said that youth is wasted on the young. Try telling that to Kansas City quartet Cimino who clock in at the ripe and wisdom expounding ages of 20-21 and who put out their first album before they could legally drive. “For being 15, the music Kyle was writing was incredible, well beyond his years to say the least,” reflects drummer, Sebastian Anderson says of sing...[Read More]
Pyrrhon Gives Us The Mother Of Virtues
New York City progressive death metal collective and recent Relapse signees, Pyrrhon (pronounced peer-on), emerge from the urban decay with a new full-length. Death metal growls, vocals with mixtures of Entombed and Ministry, basement black metal screeches and ingredients, heavily influenced Gorguts sound and breakdowns. This could be their Colored Sands. The Oracle of Nassau starts out w...[Read More]
Die Choking Release Debut EP
Philadelphia’s brutalizing manic grind/thrash trio, Die Choking raided the opening slot of the Decibel Magazine Tour April 12th date with Noisem, Gorguts, The Black Dahlia Murder and Carcass also hammering ‘bangers in Pittsburgh on April 24th with label mates, Enabler. At a staggering pace and running time of in or around six minutes the EP carries five raw, loud, superfast tunes embra...[Read More]
T.O.M.B’s Pennhurst/Xesse Issued By Crucial Blast
T.O.M.B. (Total Occultic Mechanical Blasphemy). Founded in 1996, heavily influenced/inspired by the ideology and themes of ‘black’ in black metal and being drawn to death, destruction and the occult, T.O.M.B’s music was started in cemeteries and doors from mausoleums and crypts were literally banged on for percussion. Also using electrical devices to capture field recording and noise...[Read More]
Stoneburner’s Life Drawing
Portland sludge grinders and recent Neurot family additions, Stoneburner, have unleashed their new full-length, Life Drawing. The follow-up to their 2012 debut, Sickness Will Pass, which The Sludgelord appropriately crowned “an ugly, visceral and truly terrifying beast of an album,” with www.metalunderground.com dubbing it “a bruising sludge/doom debut that’s the perfect antidote to the dog days...[Read More]
Columbus Celebrates Paganfest
Paganfest 2014 via Columbus Events Group came to the Alrosa Villa Friday May 2nd and was a night of truly multicultural exchanges with bands from Columbus, Cincinnati (by way of medieval times), Germany, Taiwan and Finland. The evening of armor and knightly chivalry commenced with the Kingsblood of Columbus. A mix of melodically epic, Viking, thrash and Swedish death metal, when Amon Amarth...[Read More]
The Architects of Ohio Metal at Blind Bob’s
Saturday May 26th, four Ohio bred metal bands came to Blind Bob’s to make noise, scream, yell and thrown down in a small deadly space, where the moshers really danced and the pit was much more friendly than the ones outside. Columbus’ Northern Widows opened with a short set of six songs, just long enough to keep the hardcore fans attention, because Sargent D was coming, and you’re all on his list....[Read More]
Dead In The Manger Tease With Transience
Olympia, Washington based 20 Buck Spin continuously defies what extreme music genres are capable of with the label’s vast juggernaut roster containing top-tier acts from all realms and scenes of the underground and below, continuing this tradition with the introduction of the new mysterious entity known as Dead In The Manger. Very little information was given to 20 Buck Spin regarding the unknown ...[Read More]