Titans Eve, a currently independent metal band out of British Columbia, Canada, has a new album out entitled The Divine Equal. This energetic four-piece plays fist-pounding, head-banging modern thrash metal occasionally tinged with a sound that’ll drag you straight back to the California Bay Area metal scene of 1984. This is Titans Eve’s first full-length album, which is made up of the four songs from their first demo/EP, re-recorded, and a handful of new offerings to appease their fans’ appetites....
Ten years ago, Trail of Dead was the hottest band in America. They were the band that played groundbreaking and progressive alt rock, combed their black hair forward, acted like brats and smashed their guitars on stage. It was aggressive, melodic, soulful music and you could not help but hurl yourself into the person beside you with a massive smile plastered across your face when you heard it. Music has changed a lot in ten years; Trail of Dead perfected...
The last three years have been a strange journey for Burning Hell singer Mathias Kom. In that time, the singer has gone from wowing critics to disappointing them to confusing them in as many records; in 2008, the singer announced his arrival with The Burning Hell with Happy Birthday and thrilled both audiences and critics with his unusually deadpan vocal delivery in songs that were both celebratory and macabre (check out the first tow installments of “Grave Situation”) AND re-validated...
Remember the first time you heard The Shape Of Punk To Come by The Refused? Chances are, your first reaction was one of shock; it was heavy and aggressive and the songs flashed through like a blur, and the way they played out only left you with enough time to think, “What is this?” not because it was an unwelcome experience, but because it was totally unlike anything you'd heard before, and you liked it. If you want to get...
Few (if any) Canadian music business success stories have proven to be so personally gratifying to fans as Sloan's has been. In the last twenty years, Sloan has crawled out of obscurity, risen to a celebrated place in the alt-rock community (the members of Nirvana sang the band's praises), survived that scene's implosion unscathed and gone on to occupy an almost charmed standing; free of tastemaker criticism. Because of the combination of Sloan's tenure in the business and standing, they're...
As of 2010, it had been fifteen years since Urge Overkill last released a studio recording and, by then, the general consensus was that Chicago's most notorious alt-rock band was a creatively spent entity. They hadn't broken up and were still touring (one tour featured a stop at North By Northeast Music Conference in 2007), but Geffen Records had cashed in its chips with the band and no one had come rushing in to fill that void. There was talk...
Peter Elkas' new release Repeat Offender is an album I wish I liked. Since stumbling across his 2003 album, Party of One, I have been anxiously awaiting another release featuring the same balance of sexy swagger, gritty guitars and infectious songwriting. 2007's Wall of Fire was adequate but was more sexy than gritty, and consequently disappointing. Elkas last appeared on my radar when he officially joined Joel Plaskett's backing band and signed to Plaskett's label, New Scotland Records. Repeat Offender...
Awrightcha goonie little junkies,So how's tricks ova-dere where you are? Rippin' the world apart yet? Or jus' spikin' yer vein? I got some stuff right 'ere that'll soothe that itchin' no question, ya wanna taste? It's all pretty potent too; this week I got some big names, some little names, some single songs, some EPs and even a full album 'at ya can nab – it's all yours fer the takin'! Some of it's pretty friggin' good too! I tracked...
You've heard the first part of Sonny “Skrillex” Moore's story before. Born in 1988, Moore joined post-hardcore band From First To Last in 2004, and ended up becoming the group's singer for albums including Dear Diary, My Teenage Angst Has A Body Count and Heroine. He then announced his departure from the band in 2007 to pursue a solo career in electronic music. To date, that solo career has been well-received, with Moore having produced a landmark album for Bring...
Ever have one of those days when you stop, after the lunacy and hectic pace of the day has seemed to calm down for a minute, and look around at the mess your life has created (either personally or professionally, the source of the indignities you've had to live with is irrelevant) around both itself and you? At that moment, everything seems at its most hopeless and you feel compelled to collapse from exhaustion/resignation/misery/self-loathing because it seems like a viable...