Some people told me I was crazy when I decided I was going to go to the Sick New World Fest, a debut Metal and Rock Festival in Las Vegas. In the month of May. I hate to sound like a boomer and complain about the heat in Las Vegas, which is an actual desert, but the bottom line is I knew in advance it was going to be hot as hell, and it certainly lived up to that prediction. That being said I was really excited to come to the festival enjoy a day with my metal community and see some incredible bands; some I had never seen ever, and some I had not seen in a long time.
I was familiar with Drain thanks to them being name-dropped by fellow Santa Cruz Hardcore outfit Scowl, whose Psychic Dance Routine EP I had the good fortune of reviewing recently. Therefore when the promo list came round and I spotted Living Proof (Epitaph Records) on there, it was simply too good an opportunity to pass up.
System Of A Down, Incubus, Korn, Evanescence and Deftones will headline Sick New World Festival this weekend, a new music festival featuring some of the biggest names in Nu-Metal, Goth Rock, Industrial Metal, and some modern bands as well! Among the dozens of bands on the bill, it will mark the reunions of both Flyleaf with Lacey Sturm and Coal Chamber. Other bands are promising some surprise sets as well as Ice-T’s Body Count might be joined by Ice’s daughter, Chanel Nicole! Tickets are totally sold-out, but you can join the wait list at this link here. The event will be held on Saturday, May 13, 2023 at the Las Vegas Festival Grounds in Las Vegas, Nevada. Check out the stage spits and set times below!
“Negative Approach meets The Breeders” is the description offered by the members of Scowl of this their latest release the Psychic Dance Routine EP (FlatspotRecords) – if that’s not a tagline that grabs your attention outright I don’t know what is and what help there is out there for you! Said EP is the follow-up to the 2021 How Flowers Grow debut full-length.
Time for another edition of The Steve and Keefy Power Hour! Senior Editor Steve Tovey joins Chief Editor Keefy, recapping March 2023 Rock and Metal Releases and previewing April’s essential new heavy music! Two white guys and music nerds pontificate on the music you love. Also, will we have new music soon from Ghost, Slipknot, Foo Fighters, and Iron Maiden? Shoutout to our amazing team of reviewers worldwide. Also, also, RIP Mat Davies as always. Hosted by Ojaay!
MxPx is gearing up for a busy 2023! Today, the band announced they will be headlining Furnace Fest in Birmingham, AL this Fall, closing the first night on September 22, 2023. Other headliners on the fest include Turnstile, Bane, and Pennywise. With new music on the way, the band plans to be making more appearances this year, including the highly raved-about When We Were Young Festival in 2023 alongside Blink-182 and Green Day (now with an additional day).
System Of A Down, Incubus, Korn, Evanescence and Deftones will headline Sick New World Festival, a new music festival in 2023 featuring some of the biggest names in nu-metal. Among the dozens of bands on the bill, it will mark the reunions of both Flyleaf with lacey Sturm and Coal Chamber. The event will be held on Saturday, May 13, 2023 at the Las Vegas Festival Grounds in Las Vegas, Nevada. This was the site of the recent When We Were Young Festival, that was forced to cancel one day of the fest due to high winds.
Grindcore supergroup Fulgora (Pig Destroyer, Misery Index, Agoraphobic Nosebleed) has added guitarist Sparky Voyles (Dying Fetus, Misery Index) for their upcoming string of live dates. They will be pushing their full length recording Stratagem, released last month via Housecore Records.
May 21: The Acheron – Brooklyn, NY (w/ Blooded Head, Sunrot, Scowl) May 23: The Edison Lot (Maryland Deathfest) – Baltimore, MD Sep 12: Full Terror Assault – Cave-In-Rock, IL
Die Choking has completed the recording sessions of their debut recording, III, which is due out later in 2015 with Will Yip (Lauryn Hill, Circa Survive, Blacklisted, Cop Problem) at Studio 4 in Conshohocken, PA. Vinyl will be released via Earsplit’s label The Compound. Stream a brief video teaser below.
The band has confirmed upcoming tour dates.
Apr 25: Ortleibs – Philadelphia, PA (w/ Starkweather, Darkside NYC, Edgewise, Dysphoria) May 01: Bremen Cafe – Milwaukee, WI (w/ No Brainer) May 02: No Tomorrow Fest – Appleton, WI (w/ MDC, Hemdale, Solstice, Sick/Tired, Tenement, Cloud Rat, Deathwish, more) May 03: Spunk Manor – Indianapolis, IN (w/ Cloud Rat, Sick/Tired) May 14: Lucky 13 – Brooklyn, NY (w/ Scowl, Mary Todd) May 15: Whitney House – Hartford, CT (w/ Fantasy Panther, Empty Vessels) May 16: House Show – Worcester, MA (w/ Fantasy Panther) May 17: Kung Fu Necktie – Philadelphia (w/ Drones For Queens, Omotai, Mary Todd, Night Raids) Jun 15: O’Brien’s Pub – Boston, MA (w/ Connoisseur, Ratstab, Eaten, Shroud)
Joshua Cohen of Die Choking. Photo Credit: Charlie Gibb
Philadelphia thrash-grindcore trio Die Choking has completed writing 13 new songs and will be entering Studio 4 in Conshohocken, PA in early April to begin recording their debut full length with producer Will Yip (Lauryn Hill, Circa Survive, Blacklisted, Cop Problem). Stream the video with band drummer Joshua Cohen (also of Cop Problem) here.
Die Choking shoved their second EP of hyperactive, earthmoving grind/thrash down the world’s collective throat, with II. Comprised of members previously/currently hailing from other acts Total Fucking Destruction, Cop Problem, Burden and more, the band follows up their self-titled debut EP with another five tracks in less than six minutes, the material swarming with even more enraged and psychotic songwriting, and more of an ominous powerviolence approach, while stepping things up in the songwriting department and delivery on all levels. II was recorded and mixed at Mark It Zero Studios with Dan O’Hare (Brutal Truth) and mastered by Brad Boatright (Tragedy, Baptists, Code Orange Kids) at Audiosiege. The 7″ is 300 copies on vibrant red vinyl, each copy joined by a document that function’s as a real, personal Living Will, in the theme of the closing track, “Tonsil.” Fans of Wormrot, Brutal Truth, Human Remains, Magrudergrind and Noisear don’t walk away without it.
The band has a string of upcoming live dates:
Mar 26: Main Manor – New Castle, DE (w/ Artificial Brain, Traitor, Wojtek, Vicious Embrace) Mar 27: Ottobar – Baltimore, MD (w/ Artificial Brain, Mother Brain, Kreig, Occult 45) – all ages Mar 28: The Shop – Pittsburgh, PA – all ages (w/ Artificial Brain, Dendritic Arbor, Meth Quarry) Mar 29: The Meatlocker – Monclair, NJ – all ages (w/ Artificial Brain, Organ Dealer, Sunrot) Apr 25: Ortleibs – Philadelphia, PA (w/ Starkweather, Darkside NYC, Edgewise, Dysphoria) May 01: TBA – Milwaukee, WI (w/ No Brainer) May 02: No Tomorrow Fest – Appleton, WI (w/ MDC, Hemdale, Sick/Tired, Tenement, Cloud Rat) May 03: TBA – Chicago, IL May 14: Lucky 13 – Brooklyn, NY (w/ Fantasy Panther, Scowl) May 15: TBA – New England, MA May 16: TBA – New England, MA
