There have been many speculating a concert and tour such as this and thankfully, through online blogs, rumors and wishful thinking, the time has come! Sofia, Bulgaria was the blessed city to house a concert of such epic proportions and this metal love fest was broadcast at select theaters around the world on June 22, 2010.
Stu Block, vocalist of the Tampa based metal band Iced Earth spoke to me from Germany about the band’s latest record, Dystopia. This is their 10th studio release and the first for Block who joined the band early in 2011. The band is currently on tour in Europe where they are playing 40 shows over the next six weeks. Here is what Block had to say about the record and how he is adjusting to his new role as the frontman of such a well-established act.
Fresh off the release of their third record, American thrash metal band Warbringer’s bass player Andy Laux took some time out from his busy schedule to discuss the new album, Worlds Torn Asunder. Andy talks about how the writing process was very different for World’s Torn Asunder compared to the band’s first two albums, and how new drummer Carlos Cruz was actually the group’s first choice to fill the open void. He also diffuses rumors that have been going around about tensions in the band.
I must admit that somehow the North Carolina based metal band Widow had slipped under my radar, so when I received their new release, Life’s Blood, I was truly unaware that I was about to be blown away. This is some of the best power metal I’ve heard in a log time and it definitely caught me by surprise.
What do you get when you put a Miami Dolphins offensive tackle, a Miami Dolphins guard, a former Pro Bowl guard for the Dallas Cowboys, and a non-football, proverbial guitar hero together? Well… weighing in at over half a ton, and standing at an average height of 6’3, you get a band called Free Reign, which literally puts the “Heavy” in Metal.
For North American Warbringer fans that have been anxiously waiting for the band’s new album, ‘Worlds Torn Asunder’, your day has finally come! ‘Worlds Torn Asunder’ is now available in stores and online for purchase.
I’ve been a fan of UK thrash band Evile since the release of their record, Into The Grave. They’ve always had a way of cranking out solid, good quality thrash metal and this new disc is no exception. Initially I curious to see if they could pull it off without original bassist Mike Alexander (Alexander died suddenly back in 2009), but they do more than just pull it off; with speed and tons of bone-crushing riffs they knock it out of the park!
Brazil’s melodic heavy metal band on the rise, Shadowside, has teamed up with MetalUnderground to premiere the band’s debut music video from the recently released, ‘Inner Monster Out’, for the track, “Angel With Horns.” “The song is about someone trying to escape their own boring reality by putting their hopes in one disturbing and mysterious person that’s pure evil, though innocent as an angel at the same time,” said vocalist, Dani Nolden.
Recently I had the opportunity to catch up with Mark Heylmun, guitarist for the extreme metal band Suicide Silence, at the Virginia stop of The Rockstar Energy Mayhem Festival. The band has just released their latest offering, The Black Crown, and over the next few months will be touring the globe in support of it. Here’s what Heylmun had to say about the band, the tour and their new CD, The Black Crown.
In this interview with bassist Paolo Gregoletto, just prior to the release of In Waves, we get a closer look at the new record and the writing and recording process behind it.
From years of relentless touring, Warbringer have become known as one of the hardest working bands in metal, as well as a ferocious live act-and they bring all of that raw aggression into the creation of their third album, ‘Worlds Torn Asunder’, scheduled for a September 27th release date.
I’m new to the Toxic Holocaust camp and have had no previous exposure to these guys, other than what I’ve read. I have to be honest, from the very first song, “Judgment Awaits You,” I was sold hook, line and sinker. Conjure and Command is top notch blackened thrash metal; brash and in-your-face, this CD grabs you by the balls and does not let go.