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)
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!
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.
One of the year’s best releases in Equipoise is finally here for the people! Nick and his supergroup have worked so hard on this awesome piece of music for everyone to enjoy, whether you tour or not. I’ve personally heard this a few times through before this stream dropped and the world was hooked up thanks to the legendary Austin Weber yet again. The album gets better every listen, and you catch more things musically every time. Check out the album below for your technical symphonic death metal needs! Preorder the album on their bandcamp or through their label The Artisan Era if you like what you hear!
Chicago Tech Death group Wounds have signed to the record label Everlasting Spew Records! The label really is peaking my interest more and more……already the home of bands such as Serocs, Fractal Generator, Valgrind and other bands they keep bringing aboard great bands. Wounds have already released their EP, and is making its way physically on CD. If you want the CD you can place your order here with a shipping date is April 19th. Congrats to this great group of musicians! If you haven’t heard home yet click the first link and check out their tunes! Here’s what the label and band have to say:
We are excited to announce the signing of Chicago based death metal powerhouse Wounds for the release of their debut EP “Light Eater” on CD and Digital on April 19th and their following full length to be recorded later this year!
Guitarist Rick Mora says: “Wounds is excited to announce our joining the Everlasting Spew family! We’re eager to get things started working with this great label! The response to the EP has been awesome and very motivating. We have a ton of new material that we are working out and finishing up very soon. Planning to get into the studio for a full length in the not too distant future. Also keep your eyes out for some playthrough videos coming soon!”
Sirius Records band Afterbleeding released their debut EP “Paths Of Decimation” on February 24th and we’re here to bring the low down for you all! One great thing that immediately stood out to me are the great vocals. Consistent gutturals that you can understand are so rare in extreme metal……huge thumbs up! The guitar riffs are so heavy, groovy and occasionally complex. The guitar leads are equally as entertaining churning up a stellar output for the guitars on this EP.
What else I really dig is the artwork. Your average death metal album art is well, usually pretty disgusting. It has a cool post apocalyptic destructive world thing going on. That is a nice change up from the usual gore and ripped body limbs thing that we usually see on most covers.
The production is pretty good for a debut offering. The vocals are up front, but not too overpowering in comparison to the rest of the instruments. My only SLIGHT complaint is the drums and bass need to be turned up a hair. Besides that, nothing dominates the mix too bad to the point that its unlistenable (which it isn’t!). A terrible mix can kill the actual music of an album…..like Cavalera Conspiracy’s album “Pandemonium”. The music is actually great, but it feels like it’s all vocals and guitar. Some tracks, the vocals are much louder than the guitar and drums. You can’t even hear the bass for the most part on that album! Safe to say, that is not the case here with Afterbleeding’s EP.
The drums on “Paths Of Decimation” are very consistent, heavy and groovy. The rhythm between the bass and drums are extremely important in this band, with all the tempo changes. For a young band, they’re pretty solid. It’s a great start for a band on a small label, and I wish them nothing but the best. Afterbleeding will fit into your library if you want a super groovy death metal band that doesn’t overcomplicate the genre. If you want a solid mix of the aforementioned, these guys are your go to for your death metal fix. Check out the album below, they also have physical copies available if you’re interested in a CD as well.
India’s technical death metal grinders Plague Throat released their EP “Evolutionary Impasse” last week on February 20th and it’s a real slammer! The guys have put together a devastating and brutal EP that meshes so well it feels like its over rather quickly. Not that listening to this album multiple times is a bad thing by any means! Plague Throat seamlessly switches speeds every song, catering to fans who love it slower and also love quicker death metal.
The drums are one of the best parts of the EP. They’re so consistent and engaging it adds to the chaotic frenzy that is Plague Throat. One of their strong traits is their sweet rhythm, coming from the stellar guitar riffs and bass that keep them rolling along like a well oiled machine.
PLAGUE THROAT:
Nangsan – Guitar & Vocals Malice – Drums
Plague Throat put out an extremely entertaining, consistent and masterful EP. You will want to mark this band on your radar, and grab CD while they still have them in stock. We have been discovering some great bands from India such as Orchid, Dark Helm, Prophets of Yahweh, and the legendary Demonstealer of course.. Don’t let stereotypes, ignorances and short sighted judgements get in your way. EVERY country has music of every kind believe it or not! People outside of North America, South America, and Scandinavia actually do make music! India is making a bigger name in metal for themselves, whether people will want to check it out or not. Give them a chance, and check out the other bands that are linked as well…..you will not be disappointed. Check out a few of the tracks below via their bandcamp.
Arizona’s Singularity has officially signed with the Artisan Era. These guys have been working hard on a new album that will be out in the summer time through their new record label. Singularity has a polished symphonic technical blackened death metal (enough subgeneres?) sound that will launch you into next year. The band is a truly unique force in the underground, and The Artisan Era yet again makes another great addition to their growing roster of talent. I’ve been following this band for a few years, and what I love about the label too is they will listen to their fans. I remember they asked to recommend some bands or something in a post and Singularity came up somewhere along the way. Ironically they’re now signed with the same label! Well earned guys! If you aren’t familiar with the band you can check out their latest release below. They also have a full length before that, so jam those two releases before the new album arrives this summer!
So we helped keep this show in Buffalo, and we got assigned jobs. Vick was running doors and collecting teh monies, and for some reason they trusted Dave to do sound. It went okay, unusually enough! Dave took some crappy pictures but was right on stage side, so we just won’t put them up on here out of respect for these solid bands. And some of the mosh pits kinda made it tough……so yeah no fuzzy pics.
For some reason, Vick and myself asked like 10 (close to!) bands and NOBODY could hop on as local support. We were legit fishing for a couple weeks….so fucked Vick even memed us on our journey looking for a local band. After we cast a line to at least 8 closing on 10 bands, we FINALLY got a bite…..from Rochester tech freaks SASTRUGA. We both love the band, and they chomped at the bait. I first saw them open up for Seplophile and was beyond blown away. Buffalo couldn’t pull off a band as technical, heavy, and entertaining as Sastruga. Vick is a Sastruga veteran and has been harping about them for so long I’ve finally seen the light this time was the convincing show. The fret work is absolutely blistering, technical and also well written…..not Brain Dill wild, but enough that you won’t be lulled to sleep or feel like they’re repeating the same licks. Sastruga not only is a technical powerhouse, they put on a hell of a show to backup their enormous talent. Alex’s drumming is an absolute treat to see live, and their bassist Dan has some tasty licks when the guitarists aren’t going batshit crazy. Guitarist and Vocalist Dan (YES THERE’S TWO DANS!) voice is as stellar as his fretwork, having them consistent gutturals almost like Steffen of Obscura who is kinda like these Rachacha tech powerhouses…..wait did I just type that? According to my colleague Vick, the guys are working on an actual full length which will be wild. The guys made Western New York proud that evening…..and even Cognitve embraced them at the end of the night, who headlined the show. If that’s not respect, I don’t know what is. The demo doesn’t do them any justice but at least you have some tunes to backup these wild words until that full length is done.
Vick being Vick HAD TO CHOOSE the photo I put online of wearing the poop emoji hat I won at a local fairground a few summers ago. She’s good at these memes.
This band was a last minute add-on, literally a few days before the show. They were supposed to play somewhere in Rochester and the show fell through is what I remember hearing? Either way, they put on a powerful performance and didn’t slack one bit. This death metal crew from Baltimore brought the extended range pain, and really proved their worth in my opinion. The brutal 5 piece kept the train a rollin’ that Sastruga started earlier in the evening. I talked with their drummer Dan before they played (ANOTHER DAN HOW ODD!) and was as nice as could be. The rest of the band was thankful for the show, and even got some props for running the sound board. You can check out their EP and one of their newest tracks below!
Enter New York City’s THE MACHINIST……..yeah, wow. This progressive metal band really, really grooves. And, they really tore the roof off. The energy this band was just absolutely influential and radiating. I did my homework and checked out one of their albums a few weeks before the show, and dug their interesting sound. I wasn’t totally familiar with them and they totally surpassed any expectations I had. Very, very solid live band to say the least. The energy started from their vocalist Amanda and was a constant force to the rest of the band their whole set, and to the crowd as well. I didn’t even know their vocalist was female, until I listened to the album and checked out the band! Without even looking up any info, you’d think it was a guy with how heavy her voice is……and yeah I’ll say it’s even BETTER live. Way to go against the stereotype. Her stage presence was probably the best of anyone that evening. If you want to try a new band and has the talent to back up the show (rhythmically speaking, as well!) give The Machinist a try if they every play near your neck of the woods. TOTALLY WORTH your time, trust me. Check out their music below and TRY not to break your neck, I dare you.
Next up is one of the biggest reasons I wanted us to help keep this show in our area. If you remember I loved the band’s latest release “Scourge” from last year. The Florida progressive death metal band by far had the most unique sound on this absolutely bonkers tour package. Their heavy track layering, emotion, melodic guitar solos and interesting rhythms are just the beginning of the sound of this underrated band. I wasn’t disappointed with the set by any means, being slightly new to the group for almost 2 years it just brought everything together. I was so happy they made the trek to hit up my small town, coming from so far away. They blend the perfect mix of technicality, melody and emotion to their songwriting. Monotheist won’t go Necrophagist crazy on you, but there’s plenty of stellar riffs and beautiful guitar solos they’ll throw in your face. And some pretty heavy vocals, as well. The sound is absolutely comprehensive considering they’re a newer band (“Scourge” is only their 3rd album). You need more of a reason to check ’em out? There’s also some saxophone, flute and conga drums on the latest album as well! I HIGHLY SUGGEST THIS BAND! If you desire an original progressive death metal band pushing the boundaries of the genre, Montheist will be a stellar choice for you. You can check out their latest album below!
Enter the tour headliners, my Jersey boys COGNITIVE. These guys have always been brutal and heavy as fuck, and did they ever prove it. Their latest release from last year “Matricide” was absolutely head turning, if you never heard of the band. I never, ever questioned the bands sound….but what really pleased me was they got a GREAT production, with more guitar leads and even better grooves than their earlier work! The mix turned out beautiful, and is a listenable record production wise. Don’t need to question the band’s talents, the guitar work is absolutely flawless and a huge standout. An okay production can deter you from listening to a band and honestly may have been guilty of it with Cognitive, but man I’ve had “Matricide” on repeat for MONTHS now. The band overall has matured and on that album had better song structures. There are even greater vocals with an equally diverse range as well. Their performance that evening was absolutely mind-blowing and tight as could be. Ansh (Wormhole’s vocalist) filled in for their other guitarist on this tour, and seeing his talents well just put me through the roof. I already know how stellar of a vocalist he is, but man he didn’t hold back playing guitar. Seeing him and Rob Wharton rip it up on guitar was one hell of a treat, I have to be honest. You can check out their super impressive and most polished album “Matricide” right below. DON’T FORGET TO SUPPORT THESE BANDS FOOLS!
Every band was a serious treat, and a diverse bill with something for many metalheads who are sub genre nerds (some tech, prog, death metal for everyone!). For the price of admission, the audience got one heck of a show many people missed out on. Every band was extremely nice and helpful, as well. As much as I liked these bands, interacting with them and seeing their human side increased my respect for these artists. Everyone was down to earth, and a great time was had by all. Y’all done fucked up A-aron, if you didn’t show up!
The perfection that is the Technical Death Metal supergroup that is known as Continuum is releasing their second album this Friday February 22nd. My good friend Austin Weber at Metal Injection premiered this beast of an album on Tuesday, and can check it out in in its entirety right here. Wanna know why this band is so great? The veterans of quality metal bands of many subgeneres, and ones that made very big impacts on the genre. Vocalist Riley McShane fronts Allegaeon and Suns Of Aurelias (3 bands!), lead guitarist Chase Fraser plays in Conflux (ex Arkaik, ex Decrepit Birth and ex scour…..impressive resume, I’d say), Rhythm Guitarist Ivan Munguia plays in Deeds Of Flesh (ex Arkaik, ex Brain Drill, and ex Odious Mortem), bassist Nick Willbrand of Eviscerated (ex Flesh Consumed) and newest member Ron Casey of Inanimate Existence on drums (ex Arkaik live, ex Rings of Saturn, ex Flesh Consumed)…….so again, look at the quality of bands (lots technical) these super talented artists have been in. So I reiterate the obvious and going on a stretch saying this will be a top record of 2019, but not really a stretch. Let’s get rolling.
Allegaeon rips, no lie. They’re a modern melodic technical death metal band with some serious flavor, but man Riley’s voice is SO PURE on this record. He’s squealed and breeeeeeeeeed like I’ve never heard him before! Methinks he’s been holding back, but on “Designed Obsolescence” he sure as heck didn’t hold a dang thing back. His consistency in his gutturals is amazing…..maybe that’s why he was temporarily recruited to front brutal death metal legends Pathology (for a few minutes, I think?).
What can I say about Ron Casey? It’s no secret I’m WAY too obsessed with Inanimate Existence and his drumming has helped catapult Continuum to modern day legendary status. The band’s debut was so cool and groggy, I couldn’t say no to check it out and have been curious to what the guys had been up to. Then I see updates get excited…..then get more excited when Ron is added to the group to replace Spencer Edwards (their original drummer). His precise drumming is always a treat, no doubt. His blast beats are so clean, so fast and so….beautiful? Ron won’t overdo it, and won’t overfill you with them tasty fills. He adds a consistent element to a technical band, and holding down a great rhythm keeps a project as wild as this at bay. Having a great drummer in a band as this is SUPER important, and Ron adds the RIGHT flavor on his fills and its the rhythmic backbone along with Hillbrand’s loud thundering bass with fills as tasty as Casey’s (I JUST RHYHMED!).
The guitar talents of Chase and Ivan are just well…..damn, that swear is the best adjective that describes it. The guitar leads are so melodic, powerful and shockingly not over the top in a tech band. What is though, are those meaty techy riffs the guys have come up with for the album. The production is absolutely crisp, especially the guitar. Overall this album just fucking smashes, mixing enough brutality and enough technicality to combine for an absolutely stellar death metal effort to blend all sorts of extreme metal into one amazing album. Coming in at a mere 32 minutes, you’ll have this album on repeat as much as I have (about 4 times since the stream dropped, no lie. And you don’t wanna know how many times I’ve heard the 3 singles before Tuesday’s stream…..so we’ll leave it at that!) I urge you all to preorder this album like I did (CD and both vinyls HURRAH) because it’s a 2019 contender and after I finish composing this article I’m adding it to my list (the good part of the list, that is!)! Check out the record when it drops Friday and check out the guys when they go on a quick west coast tour with Alterbeast!
Definitely hit up these shows if you live out west with the guys active bands you don’t know when Continuum will play next…..and also for the Alterbeast guys I have no idea who’s in that band but I saw GABE SEEBER is filling in on drums for the band. Michael Alvarez who left the Beast is filling in on this tour (that’s what they all say….right?) on vocals, but there’s been no confirmed drummer or vocalist in the band…..so we’ll see what the future holds for Alterbeast. Aethere are no slackers either, this lineup is stacked!
