Arriving at Gramercy Theater to finally catch Sepultura on their long-awaited Quadra (Nuclear Blast) tour was a pretty surreal feeling. Not only were we about to catch the legendary Brazilian groove metal masters, but they brought with them an absolutely stellar line-up: LA’s Art Of Shock, New Orleans heavyweights Crowbar, and the recently reunited Phoenix maestros Sacred Reich.
It’s always a special occasion when Killswitch Engage comes to town. This time, however, fans got an extra special treat as the band brought along supporting acts August Burns Red and Light The Torch.
One of the fastest rising bands in the metal scene today, it’s no surprise that fans have been eagerly awaiting the return of Jinjer to the United States, supporting their recent album Wallflowers (Napalm Records – read our review here). Having sold out numerous shows on their tour with Suicide Silence and All Hail The Yeti, it was incredibly exciting to see what this team could deliver during their stop at The Warsaw in Brooklyn.
In certain circles, some might say “so goes Matt Pike, so goes the entire metal scene.” As the co-founder of two of the most iconic bands of the last two generations of die-hard metal fans, Pike’s mighty riffs laid down with SLEEP and later with High on Fire has led him from the underground to mainstream love from critics and fans alike. With his debut book about to drop, and a solo album tentatively due in 2022, Pike is on a roll and a High on Fire show, playing their first concerts in a few years now, is a necessary ritual for fans.
Black metal connoisseurs rejoice!
The latest Vreid record is an homage to the classic black metal sound the members helped create way back in the days of Windir while simultaneously experimenting with bold new soundscapes and storytelling. Wild North West (Season of Mist) is a pounding cataclysm of power and fury, yet it does so with a style and panache in a way that only these Norwegian black metal stalwarts could deliver. They offer a fresh take on the traditional black metal tropes while cutting the growls and blast beats with a melody that keeps your head banging and your mind racing, like on the hypnotic “Dazed and Reduced” and the ominous tone-setting title track.
Avatar is not your ordinary metal band. Melding crushing melodic groove metal with humor and mysticism, Avatar creates something new and intriguing that breaks the mold. For the second performance of their epic 4-part “Avatar Ages” livestream event, dubbed “Illusions”, the band performed fan-voted tracks off their records Feathers and Flesh (2016) and Avatar Country (2018).
Ho holy shit, did you catch The Black Dahlia Murder’s holiday livestream? I hope you did because it was a Christmas miracle. Aptly titled “Yule `Em All,” this was definitely not your typical livestream (or Black Dahlia show, for that matter.) Jam-packed with the bands’ trademark sense of humor and brutal riffage, the night was fueled by holiday joy and metal mayhem.
Greg Puciato is a force of nature. You never know where his music is going to take you but you know it’s coming from a place of raw emotion. His recent creation “Fuck Content” is a powerhouse of energy that displays his passion and power in a fresh and original production. Part live-streamed concert and part documentary, “Fuck Content” takes a deep dive into the creative process of the former The Dillinger Escape Plan frontman. It was a real treat to be given an inside look into the creation of multiple new tracks that premiered on the stream.Continue reading
While sugary-sweet pop vocals coupled with head-crushing heavy metal doesn’t seem like a recipe for success, Poppy has been changing the game. We were there when she took the stage at Brooklyn Steel last month and saw firsthand what everyone has been buzzing about.Continue reading