Spanish thrashers, Angelus Apitrada, might be touring hard in the US right now, but that isn’t stopping them from keeping other irons hot in the fire. News is just in that work on their upcoming album, Aftermath is now wrapped. In support, they have also put out the following video, 28 Months Later: A Post-Apocalyptic Metal Documentary. Watch the clip here:
Upstairs at the Worcester Palladium, a venue that most closely resembles a bougie studio apartment, was the host of one of the most anticipated tours of the early summer. Let’s take a journey through the March to Milwaukee Tour, featuring supergroup The Halo Effect, Unearth, and High Command. First up for the night on this world premiere tour was Worcester Massachusetts’ own High Command. Bringing old-school heavy metal, a chain-link microphone stand, a guitarist wearing an executioner’s mask, and an 8-foot-long, broadsword on the stage… these folks sure as hell know how to open up a show. Pummeling riffs, teeth-grinding vocals, and grooves are so infectious. you may want to call a doctor afterward. If you close your eyes you would think that UFO and Goatwhore made a band together. Brandishing a long sword out on stage, I straight up thought they were going to break a pipe in the ceiling… remember, we’re upstairs at the Palladium. You got 8.5-foot ceilings, MAX. Awesome band, I had no idea that they were a local band until after the show. But that only makes the next band of the show even more hype moment for the crowd.
Now decades deep in their extreme metal career, Cleveland’s Ringworm have inked a deal for their upcoming album with Nuclear Blast. With Seeing Through Fire due for release on August 18th, they just dropped its first single. Watch the medieval combat-themed video for “No Solace, No Quarter, No Mercy” below.
The Rave/Eagles Club is an acclaimed live entertainment complex located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and is a one-of-a-kind spot to catch a heavy metal show. The multi-stage and multi-floor building has a fascinating history and many music groups consider playing there a “rite of passage” as performers. The Milwaukee Metal Fest was launched in 1987 by music enthusiast and promoter Jack Koshick, which became one of the most renowned festivals for the heavy genres in the 1990s and early 2000s. All the greats from Slayer to Meshuggah to the Misfits were all part of the impressive lineups throughout the years until it shut down in 2004. After being absent for nearly twenty years, the fest has been brought back to life by Hatebreed‘s Jamey Jasta. He bought the rights in 2022 and put together a fest to take place on Memorial Day weekend at The Rave with some of the scene’s biggest bands. Continue reading
Every once in a while, there is an itch in the back of my brain, and the only way to scratch it is to listen to Swedish Death Metal. With such luck, into my ears goes the full-length debut of Imperishable, appropriately named, Come, Sweet Death (Hammerheart Records). Blistering, chainsaw-like guitar riffs with epic leads, relentless drum work, and harsh raspy vocals is everything to expect from that sweet Gothenburg flavor of death metal. This scorcher of an album hardly lets up across the thirty-eight-minute blaze and will be sure to leave you either exhausted or ready to jump out of an airplane.
Monuments have dropped a semi-animated video for their recent single, “Nefarious”. Produced in collaboration with the creators of the Godslap comic series, it features music from the band’s latest Century Media album, In Stasis, released this April. Watch the video now!
When an album opens with nothing but high hat and then adds the guitars, you know you have a banger. Trespass’ Wolf At The Door (From the Vaults) is quintessential NWOBHM. Even in this digital age, Wolf At The Door still has the tonality of analog seventies metal albums. There is a grounding, brownness to the sound. The pacing and mixing give it a throwback, classic feel. The songs come complete with velvety guitar solos over hard-driving drums. ‘Wolf At The Door’ would sound awesome on vinyl as it has the tones and feeling that support analog listening.
Stoner rock is often thought of in the same dim light as Doom, but this Italian band has dropped an album that serves as an example of how the two genres differ. While stoner rock and doom both share DNA with Black Sabbath, these guys ride on their riffs with a boogie that share a similar cactus patch as Clutch. They do pay homage to Sabbath, mainly in the singer’s piercing declarations that sound like Ozzy by way of nineties grunge. Their fuzz-laden riffs focus on grooving, rather than carrying the stark undercurrent of aggression that powered Sabbath’s darker guitar sound.
Slipknot continues a crazy active week as they surprise release a new EP – Adderall (Roadrunner Records). In addition to the new track “Death March” which already premiered with a new video, the EP features demos and other tracks that did not make their controversial album The End, So Far (Roadrunner Records). The band kicked off their European tour and will perform at Download Festival this weekend. Listen to the EP here:
