EP REVIEW: Hollow Leg – Dust


A tasty slice of rhythmic, headbanging Sludge, this groovy, nicely gnarly EP finds Hollow Leg in fine fettle, smoking hot and leaving many others in their wake – leaving them in the dust, you could say.Continue reading


ALBUM REVIEW: Deicide – Banished By Sin


Dear lord in heaven, it’s 2024 and we’re still talking about the fact that Glen Benton has an inverted cross on his forehead. This is not a knock on Deicide, by the way, as they have consistently recorded and toured seemingly nonstop since the early nineties, hence the new album Banished by Sin (Reigning Phoenix Music). No this is regarding a text message I received from an anonymous listener during my radio show, The Stress Factor (cheap plug), last week when I played “Trick or Betrayed.” Continue reading


ALBUM REVIEW: Cave of Swimmers – Aurora


Cave of Swimmers’ first album isn’t much longer than the two EPs they’ve previously released, just barely hitting thirty-two minutes long. However, Aurora (BroomTune Records) serves as a dramatic leap forward for the Miami duo. The songs are rooted in the same hyperactive Heavy Psych last seen with 2015’s Reflection but there is more time devoted to exploring their more in-your-face influences. The resulting hodgepodge of Stoner Rock, Prog, and Classic Metal ends up being somewhere between Hammers Of Misfortune and Galactic Cowboys with a bit of King Gizzard for flavor.

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ALBUM REVIEW: Junior Bruce – Pray For Death – Sludgelord Records


This year has been as chaotic as anyone has ever seen. And for chaotic times we need good, solid, tight riffs, and Junior Bruce provides them on their album Pray For Death (Sludgelord Records). The Florida quintet brings an album with absolute bangers for fans of Stoner/Sludge Metal. Having a clash of different styles, Pray for Death is an album that reflects the collective anger society has against whatever anyone they choose to be mad about, still combining a certain melancholy that grows some of the most interesting aspects of Junior Bruce. 

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Undead Prophecies – Sempiternal Void


I’m beginning to notice a bit of a trend amongst modern Death Metal bands, and by beginning to notice I mean this has probably been happening for a while now. Loads of newer acts like Horrendous and Gruesome are quite eager to strap on the Nike high tops, leather jackets and reminisce about the good old days when guys like Chuck Schuldiner and his outfit Death were blowing the Thrash dudes out of the water with albums like Scream Bloody Gore or Spiritual Healing. Undead PropheciesSempiternal Void (Listenable Records) sure as shit sounds like they’ve been inhaling the ash of whatever’s left of Morrisound Recordings.Continue reading


Mortuous – Through Wilderness


Remember when Roadrunner Records had the hardest hitting metal roster and a slew of death metal classics to back it up? Mortuous remembers. Mortuous remembers it so vividly that they’ve recorded their debut album Through Wilderness (Tankcrimes) and crammed it full of some of those seminal Death Metal sounds. Not unlike Gruesome, Mortuous pays homage and respects its elders, but it never comes across as re-warmed leftovers. Continue reading


Gruesome – Twisted Prayers


Born out of a ferocious love and respect for Death’s early and face-ripping work, Gruesome, the brainchild of Exhumed’s Matt Harvey and Death To All’s Gus Rios are ready to unleash a new full-length onto the world in Twisted Prayers (Relapse). Some may wonder how they’ve stretched out so much from Death’s songbook to cover two LP and a couple of EPs, and the answer is by writing ferocious and infectious Death Metal…

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Welcome To Rockville 2018 Live At Metropolitan Park


 

What happens when you take a tired musician and send him to Welcome to Rockville? You AMP him beyond belief, yes pun intended. As I stood in line waiting to get into the venue, I could feel the wave of emotions in the air. Shouts of joy and chants from all over, spurred on by local rock hype group “The Rockvillans”, were just the tip of what I was about to experience.

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FESTIVAL PREVIEW: Welcome To Rockville 2018


 

Welcome to Rockville kicks off the spring/summer festival season in the USA today with three days of incredible rock and metal bands 2018 at Metropolitan Park in Jacksonville, FL, along the St. Johns River.  Featuring Foo Fighters, Ozzy Osbourne, Avenged Sevenfold, QOTSA, Billy Idol, Godsmack, Stone Sour, Five Finger Death Punch and more, Ghost Cult’s preview has the day by day breakdowns below. Continue reading


Welcome To Rockville Announces Full Weekend Set Times, Festival Season Incoming


The unofficial start to summer is this month’s Welcome To Rockville, kicking off a month of concerts including Carolina Rebellion, Fort Rock, Northern Invasion, Rocklahoma, and Rock On The Range, all created by Danny Wimmer Presents. “Rockville” featuring Foo Fighters, Ozzy Osbourne, Avenged Sevenfold, QOTSA, Billy Idol, Godsmack, Stone Sour, Five Finger Death Punch and more has announced it’s full set times for the weekend. Continue reading