Metal playlists from the underground
Christian rock clan Sever Your Ties incorporates the sound you’d expect from a band hailing from Southern California that calls itself hardcore yet prominently uses keyboards would on their 11-track debut SAFETY IN THE SEA. Injected with a smattering of Thrice and Senses Fail (especially in the vocal department), this sextet’s chops are undeniably solid […]
Don’t forget to take a moment to honor and remember the legendary Pantera guitarist Dimebag Darrell, as today marks the four year anniversary of his cowardly murder—play it loud and proud. “Once you’re into it, you’re into it for a lifetime. And maybe it’s not the coolest thing when it comes to what’s on top […]
Female fronted hard rock act Hydrogyn hammer home the notion that you can be sultry without sacrificing the heavy on their latest 10-track sojourn DEADLY PASSIONS. Liberally borrowing from the best end of ’80s hair metal while adding in a slew of keen production tricks (the male background vocals are particularly stellar) and razor sharp […]
That Metal Show starring hard rock guru Eddie Trunk, comedian Jim Florentine, and Inside The NFL’s Don Jamieson aired its fourth episode on VH1 Classic last night at 11 p.m. The first topic of discussion was “rockstars being rockstars,” with much emphasis on Scott Weiland of Stone Temple Pilots and Velvet Revolver. Jim Florentine made […]
Once the horns blast in about a minute into “Prolog Auf Erden”, you know what kind of experience you’re headed for courtesy of Bavarian quintet Equilibrium and their authentic 13-track folk metal explosion SAGAS. Shades darker than their peers, this act bashes out with the same strep throat vocals and voluminous velocity of bands such […]
Twisted Sister put on a stunning rock and roll show while spreading holiday cheer in New York City at Times Square’s Nokia Theatre. The set included TS classics as well as their revamped heavy metal Christmas songs displayed on A Twisted Christmas. The band channeled a great degree of effort and a large sum of […]
Los Angeles trio Chingalera’s latest disc suggests this unit definitely spent a lot of time with their Melvins and Tool discs with a smattering of Queens of the Stone Age and Fantomas on the side prior to stepping into Sylvia Massy’s lair. The sprawling five-track, near hour long exhibition DOSE is the end result of […]
A dose of rousing metal from Italy comes courtesy of Revoltons, a quintet whose Iced Earth by way of Hammerfall style melds virtuoso abilities with strong compositions on UNDERWATER BELLS. This 15-track release comfortably straddles the line between power metal’s presence and progressive metal’s prowess with the grace of bands such as Fates Warning shining […]
It is common knowledge that the annual Grammy Awards Show and the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences (NARAS) are absolute trash, especially when it comes to legitimate rock music. Let’s take a quick look at this year’s nominations that contain a semblance of meaning, namely the rock categories, followed by likely winners, as […]
Iced Earth returns with THE CRUCIBLE OF MAN, the long-awaited follow-up to their 1998 landmark concept album SOMETHING WICKED. Replacing the departing Ripper Owens with former frontman Matt Barlow, this troupe sounds reinvigorated when maintaining their patented power metal maneuvers on cuts like “I Walk Alone” and the rousing “Divide and Devour,” yet this disc […]