Molder ticks off a lot of my sonic checkmarks, but something isn’t quite right here. If Engrossed in Decay (Prosthetic Records) were a dish in its ingredients section you’d read that it contains Autopsy, early Death, Slayer, and a hint of vintage Carcass. Seems like a pretty appetizing meal, right? And there are several moments to sink your teeth into, but overall, I was left unsatisfied. I’ll still recommend the eatery, no doubt, but here’s to hoping that the next entre hits the spot.
Australian pop-rock trio Short Stack have put out their fifth studio album Maybe There’s No Heaven (UNFD), using it as a means to tell the story of their career ups and downs and love lives since their debut Stack Is The New Black in 2009. Though it has its faults, punchy choruses and exhilarating instrumentals come and go to keep it worth hearing more. Continue reading
New Mexico metallers TombSnakes , featuring members of The Saint James Society, Vigilantics, and True Widow will drop their debut EP, No Graves, due out March 18th, 2022 via Blank City Records. Check out the first single “Two Shakes”, which features guest vocals from True Widow’s Nicole Estill. The song was written spontaneously the night the group heard of the passing of Power Trip frontman Riley Gale (RIP). Pre-orders are live at the link below. Watch it now!
Lamb Of God have confirmed that due to restrictions in various territories, they have had to postpone their intended ‘State Of Unrest’ UK headline tour until late 2022. Lamb Of God’s headline UK trek will now take place December 2022. German Thrash kings Kreator are still on the bill. Joining them are Thy Art Is Murder and Gatecreeper. Power Trip is now off the bill, following the passing of frontman Riley Gale in August of 2020.
No better way than to start the year than with some new Death Metal is what I say. I’ve quit coffee and don’t touch Red Bull, so I need something to kick start the day. It’s a particularly cold winter here in New England and every time I check Twitter there is a freshly developed shitshow going on so the more extreme music the merrier. Long story short, thank you Frozen Soul for kicking in the 2021 door with Crypt of Ice (Century Media).
Metal mainstays such as In This Moment, and Body Count, while upstarts Code Orange and modern legends Power Trip were among the “Best Metal Performance” nominees at the 63rd annual Grammy Awards, which will be broadcast in HDTV and 5.1 Surround Sound on the CBS television network on Sunday, January 31, 2021 at 8:00 p.m. ET/5:00 p.m. PT. The 63rd annual Grammy Awards will be hosted by “The Daily Show” host Trevor Noah. Last year’s best Metal Performance award went to Tool, honored with a Grammy in the pre-telecast ceremony at the 62nd annual Grammy Awards, which was held on January 26 at the Staples Center in Los Angeles. Tool was nominated for “7empest”, a track from its 2019 album Fear Inoculum. Other related nominees include Beastie Boys and ZZ Top in the film category and Bill and Ted 3 for multi-media.
It”s been four years since Eternal Champion unleashed The Armor Of Ire in 2016, but the hype has only intensified with their sophomore full-length. Ravening Iron (No Remorse Records) continues the Austin group”s Epic Metal aspirations as the coarse but melodic guitar work casts a dungeon friendly atmosphere and the vocals forever echo Manilla Road”s Mark Shelton (RIP) with their nasally yet bombastic character. Thankfully, there are enough alternate approaches explored that keep this album from feeling like a retread. Continue reading
The music world is still reeling from the loss of Riley Gale of Power Trip last week. There have been numerous tributes, memories, and more love from across the music and beyond. The band has taken a second to acknowledge the absolute outpouring of love from fans and the world at this difficult time. RIP Riley. Continue reading
Terrible news for the music world as published reports announced that Power Trip frontman Riley Gale, has passed away. He was 34 (UPDATE: Riley’s age was originally said to be 35, and we have edited this story). Power Trip ascended to the new wave of American Metal, combining Crossover Thrash and Hardcore, partly on the strength of Riley’s incredible performances, brilliant politically-minded lyrics, and killer style. No cause of death has been revealed and according to a statement from the band, funeral and visitation arrangements are pending. Riley was a brilliant talent and mind, and he will be missed. Many leaders of the music world paid respect from Ice-T of Body Count, Lamb of God, Code Orange, Slipknot, Hatebreed, Jesus Piece, Anthrax, Thursday, Thrice, Machine Head, Creeping Death and more you can read below. Even Fox News, once a source of ire from Riley, had to pay respect! We interviewed him a few years back and he was awesome. The band has been one of the best in the world live in a short period of time. Riley’s family released a statement via social media which you can read below and you can read the many condolences of fellow peers. RIP Riley.
Lamb of God, riding high on the strength of their recent self-titled release (Epic Records) have announced they’ve rescheduled their European tour dates, which had been postponed/cancelled due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Originally intended for April 2020, the dates will now be in November & December 2021. Reconfirmed to join them as special guests are labelmates, German thrash classics Kreator, with Texan thrash squad Power Trip opening proceedings each night.Continue reading