New from PressPop in Tokyo, Japan. This figure of H.R., the lead singer of the hardcore punk pioneer band Bad Brains, is officially approved by H.R.  

Sometimes reviews don’t require an extensive, two-to-four page analysis to get the point across. As such, albums come out where the opinions are blunt and they don’t need to be justified. For Mastodon, Pallbearer, and Obituary, that’s entirely the case.  

French death metal legion THE WALKING DEAD ORCHESTRA is the latest addition to Unique Leader Records’ expanding roster of brutality. The band will release their self-produced, as-yet-untitled second full-length later this year  

The multi-dimensional, progressive-rock band, Coheed and Cambria announced today that they will be touring the US this spring, performing their landmark third album, “Good Apollo, I’m Burning Star IV: From Fear Through The Eyes of Madness”, in its entirety. The tour, entitled NEVERENDER GAIBSIV, will take the band across North America commencing on April 11, and ending May 20, and including stops at the Hollywood Palladium; Aragon Theater in Chicago; and the Blues Hill Bank Pavilion in Boston.  Support on all non-festival dates will be from The Dear Hunter.   

Following up on an incredibly successful Kickstarter campaign late last year, GWAR will bring the blasphemous, blood-soaked series that fans demanded to print in June, courtesy of Dynamite Entertainment!  

Brooklyn hard rock legends LIFE OF AGONY have completed work on their new album and Napalm Records debut A Place Where There’s No More Pain, which will be released April 28th via Napalm Records.  

Swedish post-rock/sludge/doom/hardcore wizards with electronic vibes, THE MOTH GATHERER, are premiering their new EP “The Comfortable Low” exclusively via Invisible Oranges, prior to its March 31st release on Agonia Records. The two-track EP includes a guest appearance from Dennis Lyxzén (of Refused fame) and  Fred Burman (Satan Takes A Holiday).  

Portland, OR doom / sludge juggernauts NORSKA (featuring members of YOB) have announced their sophomore full-length, Too Many Winters. Their first full-length since 2012, Too Many Winters will see its release on May 26th via Brutal Panda Records. Stream the opening track “Samhain”  

The world is always shocked when the evil frontman of an accomplished death metal band reveals interest in softer, more accessible music. I don’t even think it was a year ago that news broke about David Vincent of Morbid Angel fame having a country band he was playing out with, but in actuality it’s a simple explanation: they can do whatever the hell they want. Nergal of Behemoth, Poland’s blackened-death metal pride and joy, joins that collective of musicians by teaming up with John Porter on Me and That Man’s Songs of Love and Death, which could not be more of a polar opposite to the rest of his discography if he tried. Stepping outside of the prolific career he’s had, Me and That Man allows the often-demonic... 

Bands once considered djent are now morphing from the groundwork that they displayed in establishing the scene’s basics. The likes of Periphery and TesseracT have gone in their own, more progressive directions, with some acts pushing forward with new directions, such as America’s own Veil of Maya. Australia’s Northlane, however, has always been something of an interesting act. Since their second album, Singularity, the band seemed to form their own sound and mixed signature djent qualities with more focused songwriting and a larger sense of scale to their music. Following 2015’s Node, the band decided to drop their new album, Mesmer, out of the blue with little-to-no warning. Beyoncé style.  

  Century Media Records are very happy to announce the signing of IMPLORE. Hailing from Berlin, but with their roots in Spain and Italy, the three-piece IMPLORE have gained a strong following within the extreme metal scene since the band formed in 2013 in Hamburg, Germany. Hard working and dedicated since day one IMPLORE have released several EPs and demos as well as the critically acclaimed debut full length album “Depopulation” (Pelagic Records, 2015). With over 200 live shows all over Europe, North and South America as well as major festivals shows (Summer Breeze, Party.San and many more) IMPLORE’s name has widely spread among fans of brutal death metal, grindcore, hardcore and crust punk.... 

With each new metal/trash band that hits the scene comes the challenge of standing out in a segment characterized by cookie-cutter style and classification. Equally problematic is an at times harsh and abrasive vocal style that might be described as an “acquired taste” at best. The significance being that a good percentage of metal/trash bands all end up sounding the same. The rare exception is in which a metal/trash band blends thrash with some sort of other form of music/melody. The latest group to get in on this metal/trash renovation, and perhaps start the wave and convey “old school” roots to a modern spherical freshness, is Tucson, Arizona’s TRIBULANCE.