If you are missing some new Thrash Metal then I would gladly invite you to give the new album from Bay Area Thrashers Infex a listen. I came into this review with no idea at all who Infex was, but now I know! This album is in a word, thrashtastic. I love to write about a band that’s all about riffage and crafting around said riff. This album took me back to when I was playing in a “Threath band” (thrash/death metal), a term coined by my former singer.
Well what does one do when deciding to call a new town home. If you’re anything like me you wanna hit up a live show asap. I just recently moved to West Palm Beach FL. After being here for about a week it was time to hit up a big show. I’ve already been to a couple spots around town to get some of the local flavor and I’m telling you this is a killer place for live music. But, I was ready to bask in the glory of a full on production. So, I looked up some different shows in the area before realizing that I actually now live about 15 min. from iThink Amphitheatre. I really dig the place. It’s almost exactly the same as Tinley Park up by Chicago (my old haunt) I mean like almost exactly. Feeling quite at home I was ready to catch the show, the line-up consisted of Korn, Staind, and ’68. It was so nice to be outside at a huge venue like this, people everywhere having an awesome time. I had almost forgotten how awesome the experience really can be to us music lovers. First up was ’68 and of course I was a little late so I walked in about half-way through their set. Totally my bad, because I shoulda been there for the whole thing. I really dig ’68 they are like a blues hardcore band if you will. Very entertaining with a style all their own.
You want brutal? You got it! The debut album from Yautja (members of Thou, Coliseum, Mutilation Rites), The Lurch (Relapse Records), is that in spades. If you’re into just an all out onslaught of driving grooves mixed with crazy, double stops, and all the above, this is the cut for you! Not to get too into it, but this is right up my alley. I dig it when a band is their own thing, or their own entity, so to speak. They are just themselves.
A Melvins Valentine’s Day Special……. Yeah…….. let that sink in for a moment. If you were anything like me you started with a puzzled look that slowly turned into a grin as the gears began turning trying to imagine what this could entail. With Covid changing the game everyone has had to dig into their bag of tricks and hustle like never before. It’s like touring (thanx to social media) has turned into who can be more creative and really tap into what they think their fans are going to want. So, a lot of bands have been going the route of the “Live Stream ”, but how the hell do you get ppl to pay to watch a band play in front of nobody? I mean it’s like sitting in on a rehearsal, it’s cool but you’re not getting the feels or the energy of the crowd and artist interaction.
Last Friday (1/29/21) I got to check out the live stream from Housecore bands Scour and Shock Narcotic. Both of these groups are “supergroups” but I’m not going to get into that right now. I will say though that the list of bands that make up the background for each band are some of my favorites so I was kinda excited for this show.
The first word that comes to mind when listening to Gravehuffer’s new album NecroEcolosion (Black Doomba Records) is “fun”. Gravehuffer takes us on a journey through many different styles. Their versatility and ability not to be genre bound is on full display with this entry.
2020..What can I say? A year where Poppy releases a metal album and Glenn Danzig does an album of Elvis covers (for real go look it up)! Seriously though I think it was a bad year for everyone. Luckily there was some killer music to help us all get through. So, I’ve compiled a list of what helped me. This list was a lot harder to make than I first thought it was going to be so much good stuff out there. To be clear though, this isn’t a “best of” it’s just a list of my personal fav’s this year. So, enough bullshittin’ I present to you Torbjorn‘s 13.
Today on the block we have Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes by Australian Stoner Doom band Fumarole, out now from the excellent Interstellar Smoke Records. I’ve heard a couple of their singles and dug what I heard, so I was definitely stoked to get the album in hand. Valley of Ten Thousand Smokes starts off pedal down and never really lets up. Loaded with hooky as hell riffage, driving rhythms, and killer spots where the bass and drums lay down the groove while the guitar has its fun. The solos are tasty, they have a rock feel sprinkled with some blues that truly add to the overall vibe.