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Flub Signs With The Artisan Era!

Flub has now officially joined the great ranks of upcoming record label The Artisan Era. The experimental metal band has been working on new tunes, and to sweeten the pot the band is officially signed! Once again, TAE proves its value in the metal community. I’ve been a big fan of Alvarez’s voice since his limited stint with Alterbeast and totally impressed us at the Stamps show last summer. Can we also give a shoutout to the most underrated and hard working drummer out there Jared from Rivers Of Nihil and a bunch of other projects? What an exquisite lineup! Flub is also playing select dates on the recently announced Inanimate Existence headliner tour featuring select appearances with Aethereus, Waforged, Æpoch, and Eye Of Horus. This tour is totally stacked featuring now 4 Artisan Era bands! Lots of shuffling going on this tour, so you’re going to need to pay attention who is playing where. Congratulations to the Flub guys on this wonderful signing! Cheers mates! Check out their latest EP “Purpose” below as we patiently await more potential music from this group! They also have two other releases, as well.

FLUB:

Vocals: Michael Alvarez (Ex- Alterbeast)
Guitars/Programming: Eloy Montes (ex-Vale of Pnath)
Bass: Matthew Mudd
Drums: Jared Klein (Rivers of Nihil, Grindfeld)

Target- Deep Water Flames

Target put out “Deep Water Flames”at the end of January and I’ve given it some time to sink in. They’re a death metal band with lots of groove, like that Meshuggah and Gojira kinda groove if you know what I mean. They’re a very cool band more people should familiarize themselves with and hopefully this is a good start. The guitar riffs are absolutely relentless and extremely varied. Oh…..and that artwork…..SO COOL RIGHT? It’s like a burning Death Star, Star Wars fans. It perfectly sets up a creepy mood the moment you look at the album art. Really, really cool!

“Deep Water Flames” is a sonically heavy experience not every band can provide. The absolutely punishing drums and bass really help this album take off. Most notably, that is extremely effective in the outro of “Random Waves”. Listen and find out, folks! 😉

TARGET:

Luis Soto – Guitars

Andrés Piña – Vocals

Rodrigo Arias – Drums

Rodrigo Castro – Bass

The vocals are absolutely great. Very up front, emotional and powerful. This band has a stellar chemistry and it shows big time. Target would be a good choice for someone who is stuck in a musical discovery rut. Not really too technical to throw someone off, but the groovy rhythms they provide will surely get people tapping their foot. Show them Target and challenge them NOT to start a pit. Just saying. Check out “Deep Water Flames” below, if you dare.

ICYMI; Lecherous Nocturne with Olkoth

TLDR; this show ruled, it would’ve ruled even harder if you were there.

I promised myself I wouldn’t go on a tangent about the poor attendance, and I plan on keeping that promise (for this article, anyway). But really, y’all missed a gnar death metal show. Each band brought their own flavour of the genre, and absolutely killed it.

Since I’m an asshole, I completely forgot Begat the Nephilim would be gracing us with their presence. I have no idea why the hell they were that far from home, but I’m certainly not upset that I got a legitimate chance to check them out. Vocalist Tyler Smith stole the set, with his witty banter and incredible vocal range. I know a bunch of our readers are into bands like Inferi, Enfold Darkness, and Vale of Pnath. Assuming you are, Begat are 100% up your alley.

In my humble opinion, last night was all about keeping an eye on the drummers. If you didn’t, you might miss something important. Olkoth, as a whole, totally brought their A game, regardless of some technical difficulties. But man, drummer Josh Ward is incredible all on his own. It’s impressive to watch someone blast at close to 300 BPM, its even more mind blowing to watch them do that plus bellow out some gnar gutturals and clean sing. Oh, and something something, “that guy from Nile”.

And of course, our headliner Lecherous Nocturne melted everyone’s faces off with their sweet gutturals, nasty basslines, awesome solos, and ridiculous tempos. But again, the drummer, man. Alex Lancia has some of the fastest hands I’ve seen, and I love that I got to scoot to the side of the stage to see all of those little intricacies. Honestly, that was probably my favourite part of the night.

We hope these dudes had a successful run across northeast Canada and US, and a safe trip home. And of course, big thanks to Vertigo Freeway and Gates of Exile for cracking this bad boy wide open.

Truthfully, the real show was this skinny white boy schleppin’ around outside before the show, walking in such a contorted fashion that he could only be drunk or possessed. Maybe a combination of both. St. Patrick’s day has that affect on people. /shrugs

Happy monday everyone, stay tech!

Unbowed release new song “The Athem Of I”

Unbowed has released a smashing new single “The Anthem Of I”. The track has all the classic Unbowed elements you would expect in a track…..dynamic, melodic and powerful sing along choruses, emotional and brutal verses…..and a whole lot more. The band packed a lot into a shorter 4 and a half minute song, with a nice little widdly woo on guitar. When I saw Unbowed, they were absolutely emotional and plenty heavy as well live. I can basically feel the emotion in the song and power the band resonates in their new song. The riffs are groovy and sludgy as can be, with some short lived progressive moments here and there. The rhythms are great, with some slightly quicker speeds than what I have grown accustomed to with the band. It’s a great lil slice of Unbowed to tide (HA!) you over until their next release. Check it out!

Brainblast Premiere “Dextrorotatory Gammadeon”

Newcomers Brainblast have dropped their first single “Dextrorotatory Gammadeon”. They will be releasing their songs every few weeks, and man do we have well…..a Brain blaster of a song. Tom “Fountainhead” (Ex- Obscura, Defeated Sanity and now recording extraordinaire) handled the production for their upcoming release. If you needed convincing, a technical metal legend stamping his name on a project should surely convince you before you even listen to the music. And WOW, do they really rip! Dynamic guitars, with some great groove…..but don’t overdo it, with some very good guitar leads and sweet riffs. The rhythm is absolutely impeccable, and drumming is very very wild in “Dextrorotatory Gammadeon”. This song is a basically flawless debut single, if you ask me. The group has set themselves a really high standard with this song, and will only get better from here on out. Listen to the song below and make sure to follow them online so you see when the next song drops! Exciting times in BrainBlast land!

Serpents Andrew Mikhail March 2019 Interview

I asked Serpents about a few things, and their upcoming album “Temet Nosce”. Listen to the single from their upcoming album “The Sunset And The Silhouette” right here. Check out this detailed interview!

TMR: What factors led to the birth of Serpents?

I’d like to start this interview in true “Andrew Mikhail fashion” by quoting Plato’s famous line, “Necessity is the mother of invention”; and at that certain time in my life, I had nothing but necessity. I was harboring many mixed emotions then, and yet, at the same time…hours and hours of music. In my heart and soul, it was all meant to stay within; but after speaking with a close friend back in 2010, I was convinced that this needed to be unleashed unto the world…for my own spiritual well-being as well ha. The fact that anyone else wanted to play that music with me, or simply listen to it; was unexpected…but an added bonus in the end. For that, I am always grateful.

TMR: Explain your upcoming album. Who did you record with? What’s the theme and lyrical motivation?

In a nutshell, this is the third album I’ve created under the Serpents name; and it’s the final installment of a “trilogy” of sorts, as the previous albums had an overall theme to them lyrically and conceptually that all tied together in a “grand sense”. This one though? There are about 6 parallel story-lines simultaneously intertwining within “Temet Nosce”, that I purposefully leave to the listener to uncover; but like the previous albums, there is a huge part of myself and my story hidden within the lyrics. However, at times, it’s a bit more obvious; I mean hell, the album title is Latin for “Know Thyself” ha. As far as the behind the scenes credits go, the album was written, recorded, and produced by myself pretty much; with the exception of some additional help by credited friends. Later on in the process though, I had sought out the help of Logan Mader (Gojira, Five Finger Death Punch, DevilDriver) for mixing, mastering, and additional production duties. Being a huge Soulfly fan, and a fan of his production work, I can proudly say that it has been a really cool experience working with him on this album; and from the feedback so far…the people really love it too.

TMR: Your sound is so unique. Tell us what bands and artists influenced it?

There really is no specific band or artist that directly influences my lyrics or music, as my musical tastes span all across the globe. Specifically, there are obvious ones that many can throw on the table for conversation’s sake; like: Behemoth, Dimmu Borgir, Opeth, Devin Townsend, etc. but even as I type this, I’m checking out the latest Katy Perry single! I mean, the list could go on for days ha. However, from growing up in a household that would have traditional Assyrian music to bands like Ministry blaring in the house; we fast forward to today, where I listen to all different kinds of music no matter what. Every day and every night, it doesn’t matter, I try to stumble across a new band, genre, or artist at least twice a week just to keep things fresh for me artistically and even production wise. These things definitely factor into our sound, but I’d also say my curiosity for finding the “perfect” song keeps me yearning for more as a listener and creator. It’s a happy yet never-ending pursuit.

TMR: Any new bands you discovered recently you wanna share?

Again, it really depends on the genre, but there are a few up-and-coming groups that I feel are going to do great things for their respective genres. Some favorites in my regular rotation as of late, include: Warforged, The Zenith Passage, Painless, DRAEMINGS, Thieves, and more more more.

TMR: Andrew- tell us about the split with Oceano. Do you feel that Serpents is like an artistic rebirth of yourself?

It depends on the day you ask ha. However, looking back, my general understanding of the situation is that we were kids at the time. Plain and simple. There’s really no need to go over details anymore, as it’s been quite some time now. Some grudges had died shortly after, and some still live on; that’s life, and that’s alright. All I can say when looking in the mirror, is that I tried my best and I leave it at that. Not to mention, the band that I had left in 2010, has transformed into something completely different; and that’s great. I’m a fan of what they have done since then; which even solidifies the feelings of it being a “past life” of sorts when looking back. Like the world does after one dies, it has moved on with or without me; and that is the reality. In addition to, I’ve personally been through a lot since the departure; and that journey really set the precedent of Serpents, and my ongoing rebirth as an artist and human being. My days in Oceano are from a past version of myself that is thankfully well-documented and often nostalgic to look back on; but I have “died a thousand deaths” since then. As each album passes, Serpents is a personification and/or manifestation of “the eternal return.” A never-ending cyclical process, yet, a glimpse into times as I see fit; over and over and over again. Within each album, that very idea is plastered all over the imagery, the lyrical themes, the merch, everything; you just have to be able to see it.

TMR: What’s your favorite song you’ve written in Serpents?

That’s a tough question, as I try to never write a song that I don’t enjoy! However, to avoid being cliche by saying anything off the new album; I will say “The Shadow of Timelessness” is a favorite lyrically, and “The Virtuous Remliel” would have to be one of the favorites musically. Both are pretty “deep cuts” in contrast to what our listeners usually enjoy ha. Go figure.

TMR: What is your favorite thing about music? What qualities of it attracted you?

Qualities aren’t really important to me, as I approach music like one would approach a painting; I want the whole picture all at once. I want to skim over, investigate, pick apart, interpret, and even be hypnotized by it. That is my attraction to music. If it is forced or has no substance, then I don’t care for it; plain and simple. Any good song of substance and heart has the ability to take you to another world; that is the truth. If you let it…it even can be a lethargic or euphoric “possession” of sorts. THAT is my favorite thing about music. People everywhere, including myself, are yearning for escape, truth, fantasy, and more; daily. Music gives them that power, and when I am dead and rotting…I am more than happy to have been one of the few to hand over the keys.

TMR: How did everyone get started as musicians?

The stories vary, but overall, we all started out young. Like many others before us, we were loners filled with a passion for music; and yet, we were fortunate enough to be bonded by our peers through metal music. The way it should always be. Some say that “it takes a village to raise a child,” and that is what metal used to be; a community that raised us all up–together. I’m not sure how things are now, so I can’t speak on that confidently; hence the “used to be”…put your pitchforks down, friends ha.

TMR: Any shows in the near future?

We are setting the release date for “Temet Nosce” as I type this, along with booking select dates to support the album release and bring in the “new” era of Serpents once and for all. So, look out for those if you will.

Dying Awkward Angel releases “Isaih 53:7” Music Video

Death Metal outfit Dying Awkward Angel have just released a new music video for “Isiah 53:7” from their 2018 release “Absence Of Light”. This groovy death metal band is from Italy and bring a good product aboard. It’s very heavy, and also sorta melodic….although not the glorified Swedish 1990’s melodic death metal style. The intense music video encompasses what Dying Awkward Angel brings to the table……no nonsense straightforward death metal to your ears! Check out the video below and don’t forget to score a copy of “Absence Of Light”!

Sludgehammer release single “No Control”

Sludgehammer have released the single “No Control” from their upcoming sophomore effort “Antechamber” due out April 12th. The band mixes groove metal and death metal to an interesting peak to where either sound doesn’t dominate too much. The guitar riffs are extra groovy, with a nice melodic guitar lead smacked in the middle of this rager. The band has only been around for a handful of years, so if you haven’t heard of them check out this track I’m sure you’ll be convinced. 2014 had an EP “Organ Harvester”, and 2016 had their first full length “The Fallen Sun”. “Antechamber” will be their third effort and 2nd full length. Listen to the song below and get your preorders in!

Misery Index- Rituals Of Power

Man oh man, did Misery Index put out yet another great extreme metal release. Baltimore’s death/metal grind act will blow your minds, once again. I kinda feel like Misery Index is a great death metal/grind band that is not on enough people’s radars, and gets passed on a lot. These guys have consistently been putting out great releases since well…..their existence as a band. The band has released a few singles before its official released day today March 8th…..“New Salem”, “Rituals Of Power”, and “The Choir Insivisible”. Dive into those three great tracks while I yap about how under appreciated these cats are.

My time knowing the band has been short since the 2014 headbanger “Killing Gods” but I sure as heck dig them. Legendary drummer Adam Jarvis is the glue that keeps this great band grooving for years and years. As predicted, he’s a top highlight in the band’s new release. The speeds are so varied you need to be on your game, and just listening to these songs tires me…..IF i could drum.

Here’s a playthrough of the title track if you’re not convinced of how amazing Adam Jarvis is.

Jason Netherton’s bass playing is absolutely perfect along side Jarvis, oh and let’s talk about his voice. I love consistency in gutturals…..Jason has that. His voice is basically perfect for extreme metal. His mid ranged growl isn’t too low, and isn’t that high at all. I think these two musicians are huge vocal points for the sound of Misery Index……Adam’s energetic, powerful drumming and Jason’s painful gutturals bring this band’s songs to LIFE.

MISERY INDEX:

Jason Netherton – Bass & Vocals
Adam Jarvis – Drums
Mark Kloeppel – Guitar & Vocals
Darin Morris – Guitar

Mark and Darin are an absolute deadly combination on guitars. They added a bit more melody on their riffs this time around, and have concocted a few stellar leads on as well. The dynamics this band have are pretty mind blowing…..and the guitar duo certainly only adds a whole shit ton of flavor to “Rituals Of Power”.

Again, Misery Index puts out really consistent albums. Their driving rhythms, intensity and aggression are not matched by many. It’s about time these guys got serious respect among the extreme metal scene, and “Rituals Of Power” should do that. The album will awaken people, open their minds and also clean out the wax that’s in your ears. Misery Index rips and should be enjoyed by all of mankind.

Blackguard is BACK! Band releases new song “By My Hand”

Just when you think something is dead, and it randomly reappears. Symphonic Melodic Death Metal act Blackguard have randomly artistically resurrected themselves with a killer new track “By My Hand”. It also features Morgan Lander of Kittie on guest vocals as well. The layering is superb, with those strings and synth that create the melodic atmosphere the band desires. I think its a stellar return to form for a band that was dormant for years, and has graced us with their wild return today March 8th. They also have a comeback show on the 22nd, so hit it up if you live in Toronto! Check out the song below and enjoy it! Exciting times for Blackguard fans!