Umbra Vitae Shares a New Single and Video “Belief Is Obsolete” – Sophomore Album Incoming


Photo credit: Hillarie Jason.

Umbra Vitae, the powerhouse which features Jacob Bannon (Converge), Sean Martin (Twitching Tongues, ex-Hatebreed), Mike McKenzie (The Red Chord), Jon Rice (Uncle Acid, Tsjuder) and Greg Weeks (The Red Chord) have announced their sophomore album, Light Of Death. Set for release on June 7, 2024 via Deathwish Inc., the album was recorded by Kurt Ballou and Zach Weeks at God City Studios and mastered by Brad Boatright at Audiosiege. Light Of Death emerges with a spine-chilling violin swell before erupting into duel guitar driven madness, and Umbra Vitae stay redlined onto their first single “Belief Is Obsolete,” which premieres today. Watch and share “Belief Is Obsolete” now!Continue reading


New England Metal and Hardcore Fest 2024 Books Killswitch Engage, Converge, Machine Head, Suicidal Tendencies, As I Lay Dying, Bane, Overkill, Better Lovers, Nails, and More


New England Metal & Hardcore Fest launched back in 1999 and took place at the famed Palladium in Worcester through 2018. It was often held over two or three days, with multiple stages and top-tier acts like Megadeth, Manowar, DragonForce, Opeth, Between the Buried & Me, Meshuggah, Killswitch Engage, Suicidal Tendencies, Anthrax, and more appearing through the years. It was always a “who’s who” of the metal and hardcore scene and was a “not to be missed” event each Spring. It took a brief break after 2018 but returned to much fanfare in 2023 with Parkway Drive, Lamb of God, Hatebreed, and more. Today, the 2024 edition has been announced and the lineup is stacked. It features literally every single band you’d want to see at a metal and hardcore festival. The two-day extravaganza will take place on September 21 and 22 at the Palladium. NEM&HCF faves Killswitch Engage will be playing a special 25th anniversary show and will headline the first night. Slaughter to Prevail will headline the second night. Continue reading


EP REVIEW: Escuela Grind – DDEEAATTHHMMEETTAALL


Yeah, you can score one more for the good guys up here representing extreme metal in New England. Massachusetts more specifically. And that’s not against our friends in New Hampshire, Vermont, or Rhode Island as they are also vital components of the scene, but Massachusetts just hits a little differently.Continue reading


ALBUM REVIEW: Rile – Pessimist


 

Hailing from Salt Lake City and formed by Cult Leader bassist Sam Richards, Rile are a band with fine credentials who have recently landed on the Church Road Records roster and have created a solid debut for the UK label, which unashamedly takes inspiration from Converge, Trap Them and the like.

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ALBUM REVIEW: Year of the Knife – No Love Lost


 

We can’t delve quite into Year of the Knife’s No Love Lost (Pure Noise Records) without addressing the unfortunate accident that this Delaware collective endured this Summer. For those not in the know consult the internet and read up on what happened in Salt Lake City this July.

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INTERVIEW: Thefalls – On Their Favorite Gear, Sources of Inspiration, and Their New Album “Reflections – Void”





The Drammen-born four-piece thefalls crafts their meticulous approach to metal in the most experimental way possible by blending in hardcore, post-metal, and sludge elements altogether. Hailing from the same town as Kambodsja, which I interviewed earlier, they are one of the rising forces that helped build the foundation of the underground scene in the said Norwegian small town.

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ALBUM REVIEW: Filth Is Eternal – Find Out


 

A lot of bands sound like they are writing their albums with a view to the live setting these days, with business perhaps more focused on big riffs or breakdowns and how they’ll go over in a club than fitting in to the overall theme of an album, or a band’s catalog. Washington’s current finest punk band Filth Is Eternal sound like a killer live band who also took the extra time at every element of their craft. From message to delivery, this is the full package.

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FESTIVAL REVIEW: ArcTanGent Festival 2023 Live at Fernhill Farm


 

ArcTanGent Festival, a yearly outdoor four-day fixture at Fernhill Farm near Bristol, attracts a devoted following to its niche yet eclectic lineups of artists who generally have an association with post-rock, progressive metal, or experimental rock. It’s “sort of” a metal festival, but the range of acts it showcases steers towards the more left-field and eccentric end of heavy music and at times stretches beyond what could reasonably even be labelled as “rock”.

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ALBUM REVIEW: Burner – It All Returns to Nothing


 

It All Returns to Nothing (Church Road Records) is the debut album from London-based four-piece Burner, and has been highly anticipated by those in the know, who have been following the singles releases the band have been drip-feeding since the end of 2021. And Burner are the latest in a long line of artists who have found a suitable home on Church Road Records, one of the UKs thriving independent labels for heavy music.

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