We don’t hear much metal from the Eastern European countries all that often. Coming out of Turkey, Burial Invocation is one of the rare instances where we do hear something. And guess what? It’s death metal. Tried and true, shredding death metal, it just goes to show that even in the most extreme of metal genres, we can get over the hurdle of language barriers with blast beats and tremolo picking.
Taking creative risks tend to be a thing bands are afraid to make. They’re called “risks,” after all, but why not keep your fans on your toes? That’s not to say your local black metal band needs to incorporate 80’s synthwave into their sound, but breaking the norm is always worth a try. Oklahoma’s Dischordia are willing to take some sort of risk with their newest release, Binge/Purge, as the technical death metal act break the formula a bit and aim for something different by their own standards.
Tremonti, the band comprised of Mark Tremonti on vocals/guitars, Eric Friedman on guitars/backing vocals, and Garrett Whitlock on drums, have a lot to celebrate this week. The band’s latest studio album, A Dying Machine released worldwide via Napalm Records on June 8th, has stormed the US sales charts giving the group their fourth Top 10 on the Independent Current Album Chart.
The 80’s were a magical time for the growth of heavy metal, but I believe Operation: Mindcrime is one of the prime examples of why that era still is fondly remembered. Alongside Melissa by Mercyful Fate and Ride the Lightning by Metallica, Operation: Mindcrime made waves for the bands that followed, creating a waves of influence felt through the next few decades. It was also imperative to progressive metal as a whole, and while being a conceptual album and debatably what we call “prog metal” today, it still remains the middle ground between traditional heavy metal and what Dream Theater would solidify in the following year. So with Geoff Tate and friends getting together to celebrate 30 years of this timeless...
Portland doom quartet USNEA announce Fall 2018 tour dates throughout North America. The band continues to tour in support of their recent full-length album Portals Into Futility. The tour commences September 9 in Boston, MA, ends September 21 in Washington D.C and includes two dates with Monolord plus a performance at Basilica Soundscape. A full list of tour dates is available below.
Yob’s latest album, Our Raw Heart, has been receiving high marks all across the metal community. I myself chimed in last week with nothing but praise for this accomplishment, and the hype is absolutely real for this beast of an album. With a North American tour with Bell Witch recently underway, things are looking great for the Oregon doom trio. Before heading out, I was able to catch up with bassist Aaron Rieseberg, who was able to give us some insighto n the going ons with the band, the new album, and the upcoming tour.
Sheesh, are we already seven albums deep into Wisdom In Chains’ discography? So long as I’ve enjoyed hardcore punk, the Pennsylvania band has been a steady and reliable force in the genre for putting out a constant stream of tried and true hardcore, epitomizing it for the modern landscape. Nothing In Nature Respects Weakness keeps the band going into 2018, following up 2015’s The God Rhythm, and while bands typically fall into a groove of comfort by this point, Wisdom In Chains are still playing in the full spectrum of their respective genre instead of pigeon-holing themselves into a corner. Refreshing? Enjoyable? You bet.
