Download the new KSE track!

New Killswitch Engage track to be found on Roadrunner right about NOW:
http://www.roadrunnerrecords.co.uk/

Trigger, Silent Front, Stick, BFP, Terror...

These last few days (10 to be precise) have been rather generously rammed with awesome gigs. OK, so Trigger The Bloodshed are still a little wet behind the ears but their brand of back-to-the-oldschool death and hypnotic Cannibal Corpse-inspired frontman make them well worth the hype that's followed them this year. It was an empty gig, but a good 'un and I can safely say that (as long as you don't get distracted by the seriously OTT scowling lead guitarist) their drummer is every bit as exciting live as on record.
On Friday I lucked out catching a fairly unknown Brit hardcore three-piece called Silent Front support the 'Henge at the Unicorn and - thanks to a pretty awesome vocalist/guitarist - have now vowed to chase up more of their stuff on-line. Be warned that they do try and entertain the crowd with the odd joke and (justified) anti-BNP rant if they encounter sound problems or break bass strings, though ;-) If you can cope, want to (sensibly) see them regardless and you like the raw side of punk who likes bits of Schedule and Fugazi, here's their MySpace page.

And finally, last night blessed London with Terror, Born From Pain and Stick To Your Guns all on one bill. The Underworld, as a result, was packed beyond breathing room, but you'd expect no less for our Los Angeles metal-tinged hardcore headliners. Where Born From Pain were actually good but not on fire, and STYGs wound up with their singer losing his voice and their set being a hell of a lot less catchy live than on record...TERROR played to absolute perfection.
Singer and scene leader Scott Vogel wore a well-suited Robert De Niro t-shirt, the breakdowns were all in tact and the crowd threw insane shapes both on the floor and through the air from the stage. Push It Away, Spit My Rage, You're Never Alone, you name it...they were all down.
I swear this band should be given out on prescription, they offer that intense an experience. And we're talking: Every. Single. Time.
Oh, and great merch too! If a tad expensive...I mean I know the Terror ethic is that shows are about the fans rather than the band, and that 'if you only like one genre of music you're missing out on life, so always keep an open mind, etc...' but this does not mean you can cut your hardcore roots sharply enough to sell a 40 pound hoody! Hmph. Still, when you rock that much of a solid show and a solid message everything and anything is forgiven. Trust. I, for one, am strapped into my beloved Terror belt for life ;-)

Heaven-sent Slayer merch

I was doing some research on the difference between bike helmets and snowboarding helmets the other day, just to see if I could get away with using my snow gear in the summer...and came across Slayer Motorcycle helmets.
Now I knew you could now get Slayer trainers and skateboards - and even (my most amusing recent find) Iron Maiden Eddie snowboarding jackets (ha ha!) but this is a whole new world of cool. They are a signed and, thus, a small fortune but you have to dream, right?
http://slayer.shop.bravadousa.com/Dept.aspx?cp=805_14259

Steel Panther: Win or fail?

OK, so I normally try and keep this blog to more respectable (and rather heavier) up-dates but Steel Panther are becoming rather unavoidable.

Formerly Danger Kitty, Metal Shop, Metal Skool...(I've run out of breath now!), they're a tongue-in-cheek Los Angeles based band who pay tribute to 80's glam metal and getting a fair amount of attention for their current video to Death To All But Metal

Now, before you decide whether you love or hate them (I'm in the slightly queasy camp) it's worth worth knowing that there is pretty much noone they haven't performed with. For example, here they are with Pink, Juliette Lewis, Godsmack and Kelly Clarkson, no less.

Also worth noting that they are on Universal...Hm...

Thrash'n'Burn

Ah, yes. 6 hours of non-stop death/metalcore at my favourite London venue. It would have been awesome if I had remembered my earplugs. Oh, and if my mate hadn't dropped out last minute and left me with noone able to share trips to the bar. Hey ho.
In all seriousness, though, it actually was awesome.

I missed the first band due to a guest list muddle, but luckily made it in time for Arsonists Get All The Girls, who were hilarious. Not one for the metal puritans, but the mad pinball machine / gaming sounds that come out of that keyboard are brilliant fun and inject the whole venue with the atmosphere of a weird heavy metalcore house party.

War From A Harlot's Mouth were a lot less jazzy live than on record, but brilliantly brutal as a result, and Carnifex and Beneath The Massacre were just plain HEAVY. Like deafeningly, earth-shatteringly heavy. Beneath won over Carnifex simply due to their blindingly talented band members, though. The singer has a majorly deep growl, but is a bit pit-bull on stage and not all that engaging, but the rest of the band are so fast and powerful it's almost something you want to have recorded to watch in slow motion when you get home.

It was a toss up between Darkest Hour and Bleeding Through, who are both massively talented headliners in totally different ways. Where Darkest Hour turn suddenly more raw and credible live, not giving a hoot about image or plans, Bleeding Through are polished and melodic. Both worked for me, I gota say, and between them they had enough great songs to play for a good hour or two more.
Maybe we need two Thrahs'n'Burn tours a year from now on!

Battle of the H's

Happy to share that the awesome Hatebreed are now streaming tracks from their fun-filled new covers album on myspace.com/hatebreed.
I've written a full review of the covers album and epic live DVD in this month's Metal Hammer but can assure you, in brief, that they are both well worthy of investment. 'For The Lions' is recorded which such obvious love and respect for the bands features that listening becomes a little bit like taking a trip down memory lane with the band, meanwhile the 'Live Dominance' DVD gets across every bit of the intensity of the boys' live performance. Jamie Jasta is, as always, the ultimate prowling leader and the crowd shots are terrifying. There is really no excuse not to pre-order, like, yesterday!

Meanwhile, Heaven Shall Burn are about to release their own (and very first) live DVD; a five hour 2DVD+CD package including a Vienna live show, a Summerbreeze festival show, an amusingly soothing but subtitled band documentary and...a metal cooking piece, no less :-) It's out May 25th and a glorious example of just how damn good they are live. Look out for the great renditions of Endzeit and Black Tears cover, the fierce wall of death and the fans-views courtesy of moshers with helmet-cams on!

BladestorM turn MaissianN

It seems that my 2008 unsigned crush, London-based Polish death/hardcore band BladestorM, have gone through some changes in the last few months.
It's ok, though, I have faith.
I first stumbled across these guys when they supported a mate's band (Meantime) near Mornington Crescent last year and I can't deny that, as a brutal death-metal/hardcore crossover with a ferocious scream-in-your-face frontman, I fell for them hard. I've tried to keep up on news on them ever since, but trying to locate the right 'BladestorM' using gormless search engines is much like typing in 'hardcore' without expecting to find naked flesh...hopeless!
However, since the late loss and gain of a few members (including a second guitarist!) they've now re-surfaced calling themselves MaissianN, so cyber-stalking's become a little simpler. And the great news is that their truly awesome heavily-tattooed singer Kamil remains. My faith is well-founded :-)
So, take a look at their old offerings and maybe join my quest by checking their new WIP website and myspace.com/maissiann for the follow-up to 2008 debut e.p Obliteration.

New music. Old tours.

Some rather cheery in-coming metal news...

1) Deftones have just announced a headline show at the Forum in London on August 27th, before they rock Reading. Tickets went on sale TODAY so click quick!

2) Fear Factory are reforming (been waiting a while to shout that!!!) to play both Sonisphere and Bloodstock this year. Here is a reminder of what we've been missing for so long...Bring on summer!

3) Similar but different: Fear Factory members Christian Olde Wolbers (guitar) and Raymond Herrera (drums) will be releasing the debut album of their new group ARKAEA (featuring young vocalist Jon Howard from Threat Signal) Autumn this year on KOCH RECORDS and will follow with a tour. Find their stunning artwork and new music at www.myspace.com/arkaeamusic