Now, if you had stumbled on to this site towards the end of last year, you may recall that I wrote about Dallas, TX-based metal quintet Power Trip. Comprised of Riley Gale, Blake Ibanez, Chris Ulsh, Nick Stewart and Chris Whetzel, the Dallas-based quintet have developed a reputation for a sound that draws heavily from 80s metal, complete with similiar guitar pyrotechnics and thundering drumming. “Firing Squad,” off the quintet’s forthcoming album Nightmare Logic was a mosh pit worthy song that’s reminiscent of Slayer, Metallica and Iron Maiden; but with a modern production sheen. The album’s latest single “Executioner’s Tax (Swing of the Axe)” continues on a similar vein as blistering cascades of power chords, propulsive and thundering drumming and howled lyrics while possessing a subtly modern production sheen –with what sounds like a bit of twinkling piano, just under the surface; but perhaps more important, both singles off the band’s forthcoming album reveal an emphasis on crafting incredibly tight and anthemic hooks while expressing a contemporary sense of complete hopelessness in everything. After all, things do seem increasingly bleak.
Tag: metal
New Video: Monolord’s Punishing Yet Shoegazer Take on Doom Metal
If you’ve been frequenting this site over the course of last year, you might remember a post on Gothenburg, Sweden-based doom metal trio Monolord. Comprised of Thomas Jäger, Esben Willems, and Mika Häkki, the Swedish metal trio can […]
Throwback: Motorhead Live at Rock in Rio
Live footage of the legendary Motorhead at Rock in Rio 2011. #lemmyforever #motorheadforever
Comprised of Riley Gale, Blake Ibanez, Chris Ulsh, Nick Stewart and Chris Whetzel, the Dallas, TX-based metal quintet Power Trip have developed a reptuation for a sound that draws heavily from 80s metal, complete with similiar guitar pyrotechnics and thundering drumming. And “Firing Squad,” the latest single off the band’s Nightmare Logic, their forthcoming album slated for a February 24, 2017 through Southern Lord Records, will futher cement their growing reptuation for pairing blistering and explosive riffs with thunderous, insistent drumming and howled vocals — in a mosh pit worthy song that sounds as though it draws from Slayer, Metallica and Iron Maiden; but with a modern production sheen.
With the release of”Firing Squad,” the Dallas-based metal quintent announced the first leg of a North American tour to support Nightmare Logic — and it includes a March 3, 2017 NYC area stop at The Marlin Room at Webster Hall. Check out the rest of the tour dates below.
Tour Dates:
1/4: RBC – Dallas, TX ^
1/5: Barracuda – Austin, TX ^
2/24: Walter’s – Houston, TX *
2/25: Siberia – New Orleans, LA *
2/26: Saturn – Birmingham, AL *
2/27: Kings – Raleigh, NC *
2/28: Broadberry – Richmond, VA *
3/1: Soundstage – Baltimore, MD *
3/2: Webster Hall’s Marlin Room – New York, NY *
3/3: Spirit – Pittsburgh, PA *
3/4: Now That’s Class – Cleveland, OH *
3/4: Now That’s Class – Cleveland, OH *
3/8: Les Foufounes Électriques – Montreal, QC *
3/9: Brass Monkey – Ottawa, ON *
3/10: Velvet Underground – Toronto, ON *
3/11: Marble Bar – Detroit, MI *
3/12: Reggie’s – Chicago, IL *
3/13: Triple Rock – Minneapolis, MN *
3/14: Vaudeville Mews – Des Moines, IA *
3/16: Riot Room – Kansas City, MO *
3/17: 89th Street Collective – Oklahoma City, OK *
3/25 – 3/26: South by So What? – Dallas, TX
3/31 – 4/2: Tacoma Hardcore Fest – Tacoma, WA #
^ – w/ Antwon
* – w/ Iron Reagan
2/27 – 3/1 – w/ Genocide Pact
2/28 – 3/4 – w/ Concealed Blade
3/2 – w/ Krimewatch
3/3 – 3/4 – w/ Protestor
# – w/ Destruction Unit and Primal Rite
Live Concert Photography: Hallowolfbat at House of Vans featuring GWAR, Darkest Hour and Mutoid Man 10/29/16
Live Concert Photography: Mondo Drag with The Well and Crypt Trip at Saint Vitus 10/15/16
Comprised of Thomas Jäger, Esben Willems, and Mika Häkki, Gothenburg, Sweden-based doom metal trio Monolord can trace its origins to 2013 when both Jäger and Willems started the band as a side project and opportunity to play dark and heavy material away from their primary gig as members of boogie rock band Marulk. Häkki, who was best known for his work in The Don Darlings and Rotten Sound was recruited to flesh out the band’s sound and complete their lineup. And as the story goes, while working on material that would wind up comprising their debut effort, Empress Riding the trio realized that they had a special creative simpatico — although interestingly enough Jäger took up vocal duties for the first time in his recording career.
Having met RidingEasy Records‘ head Daniel Hall through Instagram, the band immediately sent the finished album to Hall, and after hearing it, Hall immediately signed them and then released their back in 2014. Their long-awaited and critically applauded sophomore effort Vænir was released last year and building upon the buzz they’ve received both nationally and internationally, the doom metal trio will be releasing a 10″ EP on August 12, which they’ll be supporting with a lengthy headlining throughout August and September with Beastmaker and Sweat Lodge — and it’ll include an August 27, 2016 stop at Greenpoint metal den St. Vitus. And just as they announced tour dates, the members of Monolord released the latest single off their 10″ EP, “Die in Haze,” a sludgy power chord-heavy dirge with thundering drumming and Jäger’s vocals ethereally floating over the murky mix; however, interestingly enough if you pay close enough attention there’s a shoegazer-like quality as their sound manages to be equally enveloping — with a subtly contemplative beauty just underneath the surface.
Check out tour dates below.
MONOLORD LIVE:
08/05 Seattle, WA @ Barbosa at Neumos *
08/06 Bellingham, WA @ The Shakedown *
08/08 San Francisco, CA @ The Chapel *
08/09 Los Angeles, CA @ Viper Room *
08/11 San Diego, CA @ Soda Bar *
0812 Phoenix, AZ @ Rogue *
08/13 Albuquerque, NM @ Launch Pad *
08/15 Dallas, TX @ Rail Club *
08/16 Austin, TX @ Sidewinder *
08/17 Houston, TX @ White Oak Music Hall *
08/18 San Antonio, TX @ Korova *
08/19 New Orleans, LA @ Siberia *
08/20 Tampa, FL @ The Orpheum *
08/21 Ft Lauderdale, FL @ Kreepy Tiki *
08/22 Orlando, FL @ Will’s Pub *
08/23 Atlanta, GA @ Masquerade *
08/24 Richmond, VA @ The Broadberry *
08/26 Baltimore, MD @ Windup Space *
08/27 Brooklyn, NY @ Saint Vitus *
08/28 Philadelphia, PA @ Voltage *
08/30 Boston, MA @ Great Scott *
08/31 Montreal, QC @ Turbo Haus *
09/01 Toronto, ON @ Coalition *
09/02 Cleveland, OH @ Grog Shop *
09/03 Chicago, IL @ Empty Bottle Festival *
09/04 Minneapolis, MN @ The Cabooze *
09/05 Omaha, NE @ Lookout Lounge *
09/06 Denver, CO @ Lost Lake *
09/07 Salt Lake City, UT @ Metro Bar *
09/08 Sacramento, CA @ Starlite Lounge *
09/09 Portland, OR @ Ash St. Saloon (no Beastmaker)
09/10 Vancouver, BC @ Astoria (no Beastmaker)
* w/ Beastmaker, Sweat Lodge
Denver-based post-metal, instrumental trio Cult of the Lost Cause have developed a reputation for compositions that eschew solos and jam-based songs and focuses on dynamic songs that balance a sense of beauty with a muscular insistence — and for songs that can stand up to the live concert experience as you’ll hear on the enormous, cinematic, power-chord driven “All Those Opposed” off the band’s soon to be released Contritions, which is slated for a February 26 release through Sailor Records. Sonically, the song manages to remind me quite a bit of Irata‘s self titled effort; however, without the psychedelic jazz leanings.
Throwback: RIP Lemmy Kilmister/Motorhead Forever!
A dear friend of mine had posted something about Motorhead‘s Lemmy Kilmister and at the time, it was so funny that I had to tell my mother about it because like me, she’s a big […]
New Video: The Giraffes’ Behind-the-Scenes Video for “Blood Will Run”
Although they’ve gone through a number of lineup changes over the years, the NYC-based quartet The Giraffes have a long-held reputation for a brutally intense live show since their formation back in 1996. And as […]
New Video: Kylesa’s Pulp Fiction and Natural Born Killers-Inspired Video for “Lost and Confused”
Comprised of Philip Cope, Laura Pleasants, and Carl McGinley, the trio of Kylesa have developed a reputation for being difficult to pigeonhole; in fact on the band’s latest effort, Exhausting Fire, the metal band’s sound […]
Guitarist, composer and (occasional) actor Dweezil Zappa, as we all know is the son of the legendary Frank Zappa. As the story goes, when Dweezil was born, his father Frank listed the boy’s religion as “musician” and gave him a Fender Master when young Dweezil had turned 6. Learning directly from guitar heroes, Steve Vai, Eddie Van Halen and others, Dweezil Zappa became a renowned musician himself, releasing his first album, produced by Eddie Van Halen when he was 12. And although Dweezil has a long-held reputation as a musician in his own right as he won a Grammy in 2008, he has spent the better part of the past decade or so carrying on his father’s musical legacy by performing renditions of his father’s material with Napoleon Murphy Brock, Steve Vai, Terry Bozzio and others in Zappa Plays Zappa.
Dweezil Zappa’s forthcoming album, Via Zammata’ slated for a November 27 release marks his return to his own original music — and the album features collaborations with John Malkovich, who reads Plato’s Allegory of the Cave over one of Dweezil’s original composition and a posthumously released song that Dweezil wrote with his late and legendary father. As Dweezil explained in press notes “This whole record is about finding my own voice in the world of music. I decided to collect songs I had written from the past that I felt had strong bones and build new arrangements around them. I also wanted to write new material that would reflect my current musical state of mind. I’ve learned so much in the past 10 years of playing my father’s music. I wanted to be able to express new compositional, arranging and playing skills with my own new musical vocabulary.”
The album’s first single “Dragon Master” is the only song that Frank and Dweezil had a chance to collaborate on. Frank had written the lyrics back in 1988 and he had asked Dweezil to write music to his lyrics. According to Dweezil: “At that time, heavy metal was topping the charts and my dad was lampooning the genre with his lyrics. For this record, I decided to fully embrace the epic metal-osity of his lyrics and create a deadly serious face melting riff to back them up.” The single begins with an oud, blistering heavy metal power chords and Frank’s utterly ridiculous, 80s-inspired metal lyrics about Satan and other subjects sung by Shawn Albro, who was once a member of U.P.O. Yeah, the song’s lyrics are stupid as hell but holy shit the song kicks ass — and it’s a lot of fun.
Comprised of Brandyn James Aikins (vocals, drums) and Daniel Brandon Allen (guitar), the Barrie, Ontario-based hard rock duo Indian Handcrafts formed in 2010 and by the next year, they had written and recorded a self-titled, self-released full-length album for which they went on tour and subsequently caught the attention of Sargent House‘s Cathy Pellow, who quickly signed the band to her management company and record label.
With the release of Civil Disobedience for Losers, the band saw a growing profile across North America, as the album was released to critical praise and the band toured with the likes of Billy Talent, Red Fang and Deafheaven and played at the Heavy Montreal music festival. And building upon the buzz they’ve already received, the band recently released their sophomore effort Creeps last Friday, and as drummer and frontman Brandyn James Aikins joked in press notes, the album is their “80s” album.
Certainly, from the release of the album’s latest single “It’s Late Queeny,” the generalization seems pretty apt as the song is consists of huge, arena rock-friendly, thrashing power chords reminiscent of long hair-era Metallica and Megadeth, thundering drums and howled lyrics while also drawing deeply from Queens of the Stone Age — in particular, I’m reminded of “You Think I Ain’t Worth A Dollar But I Feel Like A Millionaire” as both songs are incredible, ass-kicking, drink too much beer and headbang all night anthems. (I’m surprised that I haven’t heard this song in my regular bar yet; but I suspect that I will soon!)
The duo will be embarking on a lengthy tour throughout October and November, including two NYC area stops. Check out the dates below.
INDIAN HANDCRAFTS TOUR – FALL 2015:
Oct 06 – St Petersburg, FL @ State Theatre **
Oct 07 – Miami, FL @ Grand Central **
Oct 08 – Orlando, FL @ The Social **
Oct 09 – Savannah, GA @ The Jinx **
Oct 10 – Asheville, NC @ New Mountain **
Oct 11 – Nashville, TN @ Basement East **
Oct 13 – Columbus, OH @ The Basement **
Oct 14 – Grand Rapids, MI @ Pyramid Scheme **
Oct 15 – Chicago, IL @ Empty Bottle **
Oct 16 – Cleveland, OH @ Grog Shop **
Oct 17 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Altar Bar **
Oct 19 – Boston, MA @ Brighton Music Hall **
Oct 20 – Philadelphia, PA @ Underground Arts **
Oct 21 – Brooklyn, NY @ Saint Vitus **
Oct 22 – Jersey City, NJ @ Monty Hall **
Oct 23 – Richmond, VA @ Broadberry **
Oct 24 – Washington, DC @ Rock & Roll Hotel **
Oct 25 – Atlanta, GA @ The EARL **
Nov 10 – London, ON @ Call The Office #
Nov 11 – Chicago, IL @ Beat Kitchen #
Nov 12 – Des Moines, IA @ Vaudeville Mews #
Nov 13 – Minneapolis, MN @ The Nether Bar #
Nov 14 – Winnipeg, MB @ Windsor #
Nov 16 – Saskatoon, SK @Vangelis #
Nov 17 – Edmonton, AB @ Mercury Room #
Nov 18 – Calgary, AB @ Broken City #
Nov 20 – Vancouver, BC @ Wise Hall #
** w/ Kylesa, Inter Arma, Irata
# w/ Greys
Throwback: Van Halen’s “Hot For Teacher”
Over the past couple of weeks, I’ve seen an increasing number of Facebook friends around the country posting pictures of their children as they’re being sent off to school. Today marks the first day of […]
Comprised of Dani Neff (vocals, guitar), Greg Yancey (bass) and Zack Humphrey (drums), the Austin, TX-based trio of Megafauna released their sophomore effort, Maximalist late last year and the album has the band taking an […]