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Showing posts from March, 2012

SONISPHERE KNEBWORTH IS CANCELLED

Loads of speculation has been flying around the internet the past couple days about the cancellation of Sonisphere at Knebworth. Everything from poor ticket sales to less than inspiring line up has been the basis for the rumors. Unfortunately, the rumors are true. One of the easiest festivals in the UK for me to get to (one train and a free bus with a stop off in Stevenage at the Tesco for food.) is now no more. It's not a bad run for a "new" festival. When Sonisphere first got "big" four years ago, I wondered how they would fare in an already glutted UK/EU festival market. How could they sustain themselves financially. Then they grew by leaps and bounds entering Scandinavia, Poland, France, and Spain - I thought they were growing too big too fast. I was right. Knebworth bit the big one this year. Metallica, Machine Head, Slayer, and Soundgarden will grace the stages of the other festivals with Metallica being the constant in Poland, Spain, Switzerland, and

Hate Squad - Katharsis

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Simply because it's half one in the morning and I think everyone should be listening to this with me!!!! It was one of the best albums to come out in 2011. Germany's best.... HATE SQUAD !!!!  Katharsis dropped back in October, but if you missed it here is your chance to make up for it! It's a frakking brutal album full of heavy metal thrash goodness. Marcel Griese and Mark Kunnemann do things with guitars that are illegal in 7 states. Katharsis is in your face, ear bleeding, straight up sick as shite metal/speed/thrash. My deep and abiding love for Burkhard Schmitt knows no bounds. I am tickled pink whenever he opens his mouth. His vocals are crazy wicked. The tunes here are so catchy, you'll be singing along and moshing about in no time. Bring on 0200! Go Buy KATHARSIS! http://www.hatesquad.com http://hsosd.com/ http://www.facebook.com/hatesquad http://www.myspace.com/hatesquad http://hatesquad.media-toolbar.com/ http://www.youtube.com/user/pzyco72 http

New Track released by Thames Burial

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Get ready to have your metal handed to you on a silver platter! Colchester's own Thames Burial have graced the evil DJ in our brains with a new brutal track! Sebastian and Dex play some frenetic wild guitar riffs. Gav beats the drums like he's taking down a horde of Zombies. The new vocalist is just sick sick sick!!!! The harmonies ooze from the pit of hell itself. Apocalypso is a kick ass song that deserves to be heard by the entire world. It brings happiness to all those who listen. Trust me on this... Go HERE   and listen for yourself. You will love the song! Trust me. Stop by their Facebook page: facebook.com/thamesburial  and give them a huge shout out! Show Thames Burial some much deserved love!

The Devastated "Devil's Messenger"

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Just straight up wicked. OMFG!!! The bass... the bass... the bass.... Did I mention I love the bass lines on this song? The drumming is sick. Andrew is a beast!  I of course totally love Greg's vocals on this. The Devastated just kill it with this track. It's funky. It's wicked. It oozes evil. It's metal. If you aren't listening to The Devastated what are you waiting for? Go buy Devil's Messenger:  Like, seriously, click >   The Devastated's Devil's Messenger   and buy!!!! Catch them live in May 2012... The "Noise In The Machine" Tour Dates with Fear Factory: 5/1 - San Antonio, TX @ Backstage Live 5/2 - Dallas, TX @ Trees 5/3 - Houston, TX @ Scout Bar 5/5 - St. Petersburg, FL @ State Theater 5/6 - Ft. Lauderdale, FL @ Culture Room 5/9 - Winston Salem, NC @ Ziggy's 5/10 - Philadelphia, PA @ Theater of Living Artist 5/11 - Hampton Beach, NH @ Wally's Pub 5/12 - New York, NY @ Gramercy Theatre 5/13 - Baltimore, MD@ Sona

Ensiferum in Studio

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Hot diggidy! Ensiferum are back in the studio recording thier fifth album. They are recording at an astounding three different locations and new music looks to drop fall 2012. Rumour has it will contain 10 tracks. The band are releasing videos from each week they are in the studio. Here is the latest video: Ensiferum are slated to play a handful of dates (as of press time). You don't want to miss them live. 25.05.2012  Finland  Salo, Keikkamesta, Facebook Event 26.05.2012  Germany  Open Air am Berg, www.openairamberg.de Metalfest Open Air Tour 2012 www.metalfest.eu 01.06.2012 Austria Mining, Metalfest 02.06.2012  Germany  Dessau 03.06.2012  Poland  Jaworzno 05.06.2012  Croatia  Zadar

Cop Probem streams 7" at Brooklyn Vegan

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Next week sees the release of the self-titled 7" Cop Problem . It's more of the great music we've come to expect from Philly's own punk band. 01 Monuments Squeeeeee let the bodies hit the floor! Monuments starts out sludgy and doomy but careens into mondo flailing happiness. It's a wall of sound with some wicked cool drumming and Dick Dale guitar playing juxtiposed with faster than light skater riffage. The vocals channel some serious Henry Rollins in his Black Flag days. They are relentless. 02 Along For The Ride 87 seconds of killer drumming, excellent Motorhead type guitar and bass playing, and insane vocals by Deb. 03 Blinded By Power Dive right into this song because it just goes from start to finish; no let up. Even the interlude halfway thru the song is intense. Joshua Cohen's drumming is just gobsmackingly amazing. Randon Martin's guitar work is stunning. Catch them April 1 in Bethlethem, PA at the Secret Art Space April 15 in Philadelph

Wretched "Dilated Disappointment" video

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Wretched displays some amazing chops in the song "Dilated Disappointment" off the upcoming album Son of Perdition out March 26. The tone of the guitar playing is comfortably familiar. John Vail and Steven Funderburk's speed is madening. The guitar solos blindingly choice. I gotta tell yas, Steven and John have great fingers! Marshall Wieczorek's drumming is machine gun fire wicked. Wretched is a true metal symphony of speed goodness. Vocalist Adam Cody spits out some deep and growly and just plain evil vocals! "The song is about the regrets you'd feel watching the world come to an end", says vocalist Adam Cody. He adds, "The message is more about feeling  the anxious and angry content of the song rather than a cinema experience." Son of Perdition is an album that you want!

Prometheus UK Trailer

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Whiskey....Tango....Foxtrot!!!! Prometheus UK Trailer... Are you excited yet? You should be!

Metal Alliance Tour 2012

Sporting one of the best line ups ever - the Metal Alliance Tour 2012 is about to criss cross the USA and make a lot of die hard metal-heads very happy indeed. The tour starts March 19 and for the next 30 days (give or take) mondo carnage will be wrought. The most awesome Job For A Cowboy is hitting the road with Devildriver and 3 Inches of Blood. If this isn't enough to get you salivating, The Faceless, Impending Doom and Wretched are on the bill.   To get you in the mood, swing by this site and check out Job For A Cowboy's brand new song, "Black Discharge," exclusively at Metal Underground  http://t.co/Ipnq5siu 3/19/2012 Kingdom – Richmond, VA 3/20/2012 Sonar – Baltimore, MD 3/21/2012 Gramercy Theatre – New York, NY 3/22/2012 The Palladium – Worcester, MA 3/23/2012 Le National – Montreal, QC 3/24/2012 Opera House – Toronto, ON 3/25/2012 Alrosa Villa – Columbus, OH 3/26/2012 Mojoe’s – Joliet, IL 3/27/2012 Station 4 – St Paul, MN 3/28/2012 Garrick Center

Diamond Plate + EVILE + Savage Messiah !!! What are YOU doing tonite? HAMMERFEST!!!

This weekend sees the return of Hammerfest, the annual metal festival held at Pontin's Holiday Village in Prestatyn, Wales. Set to cause a storm at this year's edition of the festival are Earache's very own talents EVILE, CEREBRAL BORE, SAVAGE MESSIAH and DIAMOND PLATE, joining a line-up that includes the likes of ANTHRAX, AMON AMARTH, CHIMAIRA and more.  BEN CARTER - EVILE: "Evile are again going to be let loose at Hammerfest, and we can't wait to unleash Five Serpent's Teeth on our cult!  It's an honour to play the main stage, we always have a great time with great people, and everybody knows more people equals more carnage!  So see you all there for beers and mayhem!!" KYLE RUTHERFORD - CEREBRAL BORE: "What an honour to be asked to play on this bill, and straight off the back of the Suffocation tour.  We love playing these kind of shows as they're not death metal shows, and we stick out like a sore thumb.  This is good for us though

Get Psyched Up for PHOENIX COMICON

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I don't know about you guys, but I'm getting excited! May 24 - 27 brings the Pheonix Comicon. It's one of the best comicons in the USA! I've covered quite a few and been to even more, but Phoenix Comicon is by far the most comfortable, easiest to navigate, funnest, and gosh darn it - the venue smells like fresh buttered popcorn! #winning This year's line up is simply stellar! For those deep into Star Trek, Phoenix on Memorial Day Weekend is where you want to be! William Shatner AND Patrick Stewart will be in attendance! SQUEEEEEEEE Arguably, the two best captains not only of the Federation, but of the entire multiverse / underverse! They are joined by LeVar Burton, Michael Dorn, Marina Sirtis, and Brent Spiner! Come get yer geek on! And for all you Boba Fett fans - and there are many! Jeremy Bulloch is in attendance. If you want to get your ***swoon**** on, come to the Phoenix Comicon for Gigi Edgely (Farscape), John Bernthal (Walking Dead) and Casper Van Dien (

Deadman - Deadman

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From the romantic Madrid, Spain Deadman emerges. Steve channels a quiet desolation with his voice that draws the listener into his world of crestfallen love lost. Deadman - The 9 track album of the same name sports some awesome riffage.  Deadman comprises of two Englishmen  and a drummer from Peru. Their album opens with Without Me You're Nothing . It's angst times ten. It's black and bleak. The guitars are a wall of sound undercut by some steady beats. Steve wails and wallows in hurt. His vocals make you ache in sympathy. Gorgeous Waste of Time is a slow burn that needles into your brain. It is waver music married to angst ridden American pop. This track takes me back to the early 80s - almost but not quite totally unlike the Manchester scene. This track should be a staple on college radio stations. It exemplifies the 8os waver sound. Steve has some amazing vocals. The harmonies are haunting and ethereal. The song is sad and wanting. You feel the whinge. Hati

Black Cobra - oh hellz yeah!!!

The most dynamically wicked duo, BLACK COBRA, have been confirmed as one of the support acts for Corrosion Of Conformity's June tour. The rampage will begin June 1st and surge clockwise through North America with 18 dates confirmed through June 23rd. This stateside trek will follow BLACK COBRA's scheduled European tour also supporting COC along with Zoroaster, the fun to begin on April 4th and leading up to the band's performance at the annual Roadburn Festival in Tilburg, Holland. BLACK COBRA European Tour w/ Corrosion of Conformity, Zoroaster: 4/04/2012 Schurr - Luzern, Switzerland 4/05/2012 Keller Club - Stuttgart, Germany 4/06/2012 Kulturfabrik - Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxemburg 4/07/2012 Trix - Antwerp, Belgium 4/08/2012 Desertfest - London, UK 4/09/2012 Matrix - Bochum, Germany 4/10/2012 Amadeus - Oldenburg, Germany 4/11/2012 Conne Island - Leipzig, Germany 4/12/2012 Arena - Wien, Austria 4/13/2012 Rock and Roll Club - Romagnano Sesia, Italy 4/14/2012 Feier

SSS on episode of "No Sleep Till"

British crossover thrashers SSS are the focus of the brand new episode of 'No Sleep Till', a new music series brought to you by Vice and Vans. No Sleep Till offers a candid, fly-on-the-wall view of life on tour, through the eyes of four of the most explosive bands on the circuit.  The series follows SSS, CEREBRAL BALLZY, THE BRONX and TRASH TALK for 24 hours each, giving fans an inside view of the guys behind the bands, the music they've dedicated their lives to making, and the fun, carnage and chaos involved in being a band on tour. Watch the SSS episode of No Sleep Till now at http://bit.ly/wsVaYl Vice write: "In the third episode, we follow thrash legends SSS into deepest darkest Wales as they head to the infamous Hard Rock Hell festival.  We check out some of North Wales' ancient castles and hit up a shooting range, before joining the Village of the Damned themed crowd at the sold out Pontins show." SSS' new album, PROBLEMS TO THE ANSWER, featu

I hope the UK is ready for DIAMOND PLATE!!!!

Chicago thrashers DIAMOND PLATE have arrived in the UK for their first ever shows outside of North America. The band kick off their UK trek with two shows supporting thrash legends ANTHRAX, before heading off to Hammerfest in Wales on Friday, joining a line-up including SKINDRED, AMON AMARTH, EVILE, CHIMAIRA, SAVAGE MESSIAH, CEREBRAL BORE and more.  DIAMOND PLATE will also be taking part in a signing session at the festival at 3pm on Friday, as well as a meet and greet at the Earache stall on Saturday at 4pm. You don't want to miss this as the guys in Diamond Plate are wicked cool! After Hammerfest, DIAMOND PLATE will be teaming up with the amazing SAVAGE MESSIAH for two more unmissable shows in York and London, which are open to ages 14+, with tickets costing just £6 and £7 respectively. C'mon, you can't beat those prices!! Both bands are worth a whole heck of a lot more! DIAMOND PLATE lead guitarist KONRAD KUPIEC comments: "The three biggest shows of our band&

Musing on Music

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Monks of Mellonwah are a four piece alt rock band from Sydney. Saying they are alt rock does them a bit of diservice. The music is rich in texture and tone. They have so much more to offer than college twenty something angst. I came across their track Neurogenisis and fell in love the guitar in the beginning of the song. To wit, the guitar playing is supreme  throughout the track. The solo is just amazing. It's not technically the best, but it's  moving. The vocals made me go WTF!! I wasn't expecting something so rich and contemplative.  The song itself is moody and full of soul. It gave me chills! The lyrics embody a haunting yearning. The song builds and coalesces to a fevered and frenzied plea. It's like falling  off a surf board and being tossed about in the waves before you are dumped uncermoniously on a beach with the frosted tip waters washing over you. You try to take a cleansing breath only to choke on a lungful of salted waters. If you aren't singing

VOTE FOR OL DRAKE!!!!!

OL DRAKE, lead guitarist for British thrashers EVILE, has been nominated for a Metal Hammer Golden God award in the "Dimebag Darrell Shredder" category. According to Metal Hammer, the Dimebag Darrell Shredder award is given to those talented players who have been recognised as melting our faces off with their incredible technical prowess and ruthless talent.  OL DRAKE is nominated alongside ADAM DUTKIEWICZ (KILLSWITCH ENGAGE), DEVIN TOWNSEND (STRAPPING YOUNG LAD, DEVIN TOWNSEND PROJECT), DINO CAZARES (FEAR FACTORY) and SATCHEL (STEEL PANTHER). This isn't the first time that OL DRAKE has been recognised for his contributions to metal, as EVILE won the prestigious "Metal As Fuck" award at the 2010 Metal Hammer Golden God awards. OL DRAKE comments: "I just woke up to find out I've been nominated for a Metal Hammer Golden God award named after one of my biggest guitar influences.  I'm flabbergasted.  I just used the word flabbergasted, that's

Doro to guest on That Metal Show

DORO To Guest On ‘That Metal Show’Live Online Chat With Fans Scheduled Reigning Queen of Metal DORO PESCH will be appearing as a guest on VH1 Classic’s Season 10 of “That Metal Show.” “It’s awesome that there’s such a great and unique metal show on television. ‘That Metal Show’ is my favorite show to watch when I’m in America! I’ve known Eddie Trunk for a very long time. He’s a long-time supporter and I love what he does… and he’s always a great interview when I’m in New York. I’m very excited and looking forward to being on the show!” Hosted by Eddie Trunk, Don Jamieson and Jim Florentine, the DORO episode will air Saturday, May 12th at 9 p.m. PACIFIC / 11 p.m. EASTERN. Other guests include Ian Astbury and Billy Duffy of The Cult and Tesla guitarist Frank Hannon. DORO will be participating in a live web chat with fans on Tuesday, March 13th at 10:30 a.m. PACIFIC / 1:30 p.m. EASTERN / 18:30 (6:30 p.m.) CET at the Nuclear Blast Streaming Room. Keep up with DORO PESCH at: htt

THE BROWNING KICK OFF U.S. TOUR

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Oh Happy Day!! The Browning kick off their USA tour. March is indeed going to be a goodly month! THE BROWNING drummer NOAH "SHARK" ROBERTSON comments: "We're on our way to the big NYC to start our tour with our new friends in Design The Skyline and From Atlantis.  We can't wait to get out there and play for the fans and make new ones in the process!  We are so grateful to have such a dedicated following and we hope to reach even more listeners this year by hitting the road harder than we ever have before!  The Browning will be destroying a town near you in 2012; look out for us!" Check them out at the following dates. THE BROWNING w/ DYING FETUS, GOATWHORE, VOLUMES Mar. 09 - Peoria, IL - The Brass Rail THE BROWNING w/ DESIGN THE SKYLINE, FROM ATLANTIS Mar. 10 - Buffalo, NY - Broadway Joe's Mar. 11 - Brooklyn, NY - The Acheron Mar. 12 - Trenton, NJ - Championships Mar. 13 - Allentown, PA - Crock Rock Mar. 15 - Grand Rapids, MI - Intersection

March Friday Night Dance Party!

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So the Friday Night Dance Party for March was waylaid to Saturday Afternoon. My MAC suffered a catastrophic failure. I spend Friday day at the Apple Store and the Genius Bar bloke told me my hard drive was fried. Everything on it is gone. Kaput. So there is TONS of work, reviews, magazine layouts that I have to redo. Not to mention either 1) Replacing hard drive and ALL the operating systems (you don't really realize how much you've spent on programs until they go bye - bye) and hope the mother board isn't friend. or 2) Since my MAC was 5 years old with more than 3000 cycles on the battery (whose maximum time on a charge was 90 minutes) buy a new one. Either way, it's gonna cost me a lot of dosh to get the hard ware. If you are so inclined to help a geek out, you may donate to the Kali Diaries here. Any little bit will help. Now for what you've tuned in for - the Friday Night (Saturday Afternoon) March Dance Party! Featuring ten tantalizing tunes!!! SQUEEE

Primal Rock Rebellion - Awoken Broken

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*****sigh****** SQUEEEEEEEEE My love for the amazing Adrian Smith is vast. I admit to having rose coloured glasses on when it comes to what ever musical alley this man wanders down. The only exception being Maiden's last offering, The Final Frontier, of which he wrote a great deal. It didn't stop me from seeing the tour, attaching myself to the rail and making goo goo eyes at the man.  I was over the moon when I started getting information about his latest solo project, Primal Rock Rebellion. Awoken Broken has dropped on the shores of Europe and the UK on February 27 on Spinefarm Records, with an American release to follow on April 17th. My advice? BUY THE ALBUM!!! from  Play , HMV or Amazon UK   or get it on CD/vinyl from  What Records . You can even download a digital version from iTunes .  If you don't want to take my word for how amazingly wonderful Awoken Broken is, head over to PrimalRockRebellion.com and listen for yourself!  The guitars are fantastic,