At around 2:00 pm on Wednesday, November 13, I connected by phone with Vidar Landa, one of Kvelertak’s guitarists. At that time he was just unloading the band’s the tour bus in preparation for a show at Underground Arts in Philadelphia. The fast-growing rock group is currently on tour with High On Fire – be sure to check them out live! The conservation below was all about the tour, vices, and recreation – check it out.

The band Across Tundras is a group of musicians who have actually been able to successfully construct their own fusion of music which is simultaneously seamless and creative. This past April the band released their latest LP, Electric Relics, via Neurot Recordings. Recorded by Mikey Allred and Tanner Olson at Ramble Hill Farm during February of 2013, the album would also be mixed and mastered by Allred.

For me at least, A Textbook Tragedy’s 2008 album Intimidator is nothing to rave about. A few songs were good and I would certainly recommend the release to anyone who’s really into hardcore, screaming, or menacing metal. When I first heard the music I could feel the artists’ rage; it was palpable. Moreover, I can attest that the band are assertive and tried to put a ton of energy into their music.

“The Boys Are Back” is a fantastic preview to the rest of the Dropkick Murphy’s new album, Signed and Sealed in Blood. Really, they could not have picked a better track for the first song of the new release. The tune showcases their signature sound while maintaining that they do also have something new to offer. The song has the same saucy beats and fun melody as can be expected, but it’s also raw and fresh.

What’s not to love? Zombie Inc. has an uber-intense sound that is in large thanks to the band’s line up of awesome musicians, plus the music’s old-school nature, flair and zombie-rich theme. Old school death metal and/or zombie culture enthusiasts would be very keen to check this group out. A collaboration of experienced metal artists, Zombie Inc. includes vocalist Martin Schirenc, guitarists Wolfgang Rothbauer and Gerald Huber, bass player Daniel Lechner and on drums, Tomasz “Nefastus” Janiszewski. Together this quintet have pooled their collective talents and released their zombie-raising new record A Dreadful Decease in February 14, 2012 via Massacre Records.

What kind of name is Freak Kitchen anyway? Who are these people? Just how crazy is their music? The Swedish heavy metal/hard rock trio consisting of Mattias “IA” Eklundh, Christer Ortefors and Bjorn Fryklund, has been performing together as Freak Kitchen since 1992. Until recently their music has been rare in North America, except for the lucky few who have been able to track it down. In May Freak Kitchen will release a new album, Land of the Freaks, rendering their music much more available and accessible to us on the other side of the pond.

The Fallen Divine’s style of progressive and extreme metal is a sick listen. Sailing guitar riffs combined with Magnus Kvist’s raspy voice made me fall in love with them instantly. Their single, “Dissention,” smoothly changes between styles of metal showcasing the band’s creativity and skill. One second you’re hearing soft melodies and the next the polar opposite; changing from a soft melodic style to death metal and even to gothic, etc…

Oslo, Norway’s Wolves Like Us brings their earth-shaking hardcore sound overseas with their new album Late Love. Like many bands, their sound is a combo of various genres: they fuse punk, metal, hardcore and rock to form their fantastic mark in metal music. The instrumental elements combined with soaring vocals form this band’s cohesive sound; one which is supremely solid and catchy.

City and Color’s much anticipated new album Little Hell is as fresh as clean sheets. The artist, while staying true to his style, has produced a cohesive and creative album. The songs are well written; they have delightfully depressing melodies which are brought to life by Dallas Green’s fantastic voice – which just sucks in you in.