Oakland’s newest Death Metal/Death Core band, Suffokate, have released a new video for their song, Not the Fallen. Their new album, No Mercy No Forgiveness comes out February 23rd on Mediaskare records. Last year, they opened for Dying Fetus and The Faceless on the Planetary Depravity tour and are currently on the road as part of the Small Town Shakedown tour.
Musical Chairs
Posted February 6th, 2010 by DS in the News category.What do Job for a Cowboy, Animals as Leaders and the band in this video have in common?
More than you think…
Chico’s Armed for Apocalypse Opening for Sepultura
Posted February 5th, 2010 by DS in the Check These Guys Out, News, Tours category.Sludge / Hardcore metal band Armed for Apocalypse, from Chico, California are opening up for Sepultura and Crowbar this April. Check it out:
A4A came through the Bay in December on tour, but their upcoming tour with Sepultura appears to be a Europe-only deal. You can read an awesome review of their show here. The band is signed to Metal Blade records and has tunes from their album Defeat up on their myspage page.
Hatchet Thrash
Posted February 5th, 2010 by DS in the Check These Guys Out category.The final band in this week’s Thrash dedication toured the U.S. last year in support of their album, Awaiting Evil. Signed to Metal Blade records, Hatchet is the only band in this week’s list of Thrashers signed to a major record label. I caught their show at the end of the ‘09 tour, when they toured with Havok and opened for Warbringer (check out the show review). The bands, the venue and the people all made it one of the “truest” Thrash shows you could’ve ever witnessed. The band is full of Thrashy-goodness, with a good mix of modern Thrash double-bass and old-school Thrash vocals and guitar harmonies.
Check out their latest track Signals of Infection on their myspace page. Hatchet Thrash!
Zombie Holocaust Thrash!
Posted February 4th, 2010 by DS in the Check These Guys Out category.Today’s Thrash band in this week’s Thrash dedication week is Zombie Holocaust. Signed to indie label EBM records (same label as Hirax and other thrash bands), the Zombies have managed to thrash the Bay Area with their punked-laced metal for a a few years now, finally releasing their debut CD, Strike Force in 2009. These guys definitely have a party vibe going on at their shows, so anyone not paying attention better watch out!
Any album that has that much green on it can only sound one way – metal!
For more info about the band, including how to order their CD, check out their myspace page. Zombie Holocaust Thrash!
Ridiculous Band Name of the Day: Destroy Destroy Destroy
Posted February 4th, 2010 by DS in the Ridiculous Band Names category.Destroy Destroy Destroy. It just rolls right off your tongue. It’s not as bad as say, Anal Cunt, but it’s way too close to Attack Attack for comfort. I’ll just call them Triple-D, which I’m sure is a term that most folks would agree conjures up fond memories.
Unlike most of the bands I’ve mentioned with ridiculous names, Triple-D actually sound good. They’re like a melodic Thrash Power Metal band from Tennessee. Still, what’s with the unicorn skeleton in the logo?
Check out the Triple-D myspace page to hear songs from their last album, Battle Sluts.
I’m going to give you the keys to the Lamborghini
Posted February 4th, 2010 by DS in the Videos category.Why Michael Angelo is better than you:
- Can make a career with non-stop guitar shredding.
- Not afraid to sport a Gold’s Gym tank-top, despite lack of working out.
- Has a tattoo on right arm of custom signature guitar.
- People expect him to have a ridiculous hair cut.
Demotivational?! I think not!
Posted February 4th, 2010 by DS in the Friday Funnies category.Thanks to myspace pal roseman for this one:
Getting Low: An Interview With Renowned Bassist Steve DiGiorgio
Posted February 3rd, 2010 by DS in the Interviews category.Ask any metal-head to name the first bass player that comes to mind and 99% of the time you’ll get one of two Steves: Harris or DiGiorgio. Both are great, but only one of them is considered the de-facto go-to person for bands in need of someone that can dominate the low-end of the audio spectrum.
DiGiorgio has worked with countless legendary metal bands like Death, Testament and Sadus, and continues today with his new bands Charred Walls of the Damned and Future’s End. Picking up the bass wherever he is needed, DiGiorgio is renowned for playing fast and for bringing the fretless bass into metal.
I met Mr. DiGiorgio outside of the Cynic show last month and, after a brief update, I knew that I had to find out more about what the bass phenom was up to. I was fortunate enough to speak with the man about his bands, his bass playing and his inspiration. He also opens up about the final days of Death and the meaning of completing a new Control Denied record with Chuck Schuldiner’s final work on it.
Fog of War Thrash
Posted February 3rd, 2010 by DS in the Check These Guys Out category.Day 3 of Thrash week! Today’s Thrash band is Fog of War from Benicia. Fans of old Flotsam and Jetsam or King Diamond will appreciate Fog’s thrashing vocals and bass-forward sound in the mix. This is perhaps the only band so far this week with a vocalist that could pull-off the high-pitch screams and falsetto. There are also plenty of shredding guitar solos and harmonies to accompany said thrashing. Fog of War are not currently signed, but they have still managed to produce a self-titled CD, which you can find out more on from their myspace page.
Fog have made the rounds in the Bay Area along with many (if not all) of the other bands mentioned in this week’s Thrash dedication. And while there are no shows listed yet, I would look out for them to be playing more shows in 2010.
Keep track of the band and listen to their tunes on their myspace page. Fog of War Thrash!
Spitting Venom: An Update From Black Cobra’s Rafa Martinez
Posted February 2nd, 2010 by DS in the Interviews category.It’s been 8 years since Jason Landrian (guitars, vocals) and Rafa Martinez (drums) started making noise together as Black Cobra. The two-piece sludge metal band, having just released their 4th CD Chronomega last year (check out our review), are getting ready to unleash their fangs on tour in 2010. Before they hit the road, I was able to exchange a few quick emails with Rafa to get the scoop on what he thought about their recent successes and what they had in store for us this year.
Laceration Thrash
Posted February 2nd, 2010 by DS in the Check These Guys Out category.The second band in this week’s Thrash dedication is the Bay Area-based band Laceration. Formed in 2006, Laceration have been playing shows throughout the Bay Area and released an E.P. in 2008 titled Consuming Reality. The band lists Death Metal as an influence, and you can hear the darkness come through in their songwriting. The production on the E.P. is pretty “vintage”, but what do you expect when you’re on a metal budget!? Although the band has gone through quite a few line-up changes over the past few years, fans can expect some more shows and new recordings in 2010.
You can purchase their E.P., Consuming Reality by contacting the band, or check them out for free on their myspace page. Laceration Thrash!
Cormorant / Atomic Bomb Audition / Times of Desperation / Fights Monsters
Posted February 2nd, 2010 by DS in the Tours category.
Light This City Playing Farewell Shows This April
Posted February 1st, 2010 by DS in the Tours category.San Francisco’s Light This City is playing what appears to be their “final tour.” If you recall from two years ago, the band, at what seemed to be their peak metal moment, “disbanded” and left fans saying, “Whaaaa?”
From their myspace bulletin:
It has been just about 2 years since Light This City came home from the Death Angel tour and decided to call it quits. Needless to say, it has been an exciting and interesting two years since we put a stop to the band, and since June of 2008 everyone in Light This City has started brand new awesome musical endeavors. That being said, we always knew we would get together one last time to thrash with all our amazing fans up and down California. That time has come, and we are extremely excited to announce 4 “Final” Light This City shows. San Francisco, Fresno, Anaheim, and Hollywood. These should all be absolutely killer, and we expect all our west coast fans to be there! We will play a good amount of “Stormchaser” songs as well as all the bangers from “Facing the Thousand” and “Remains of the Gods”. Since we didn’t play any shows in support of “Stormchaser”, this will be the best chance for all of you metalheads in California to come rage with us while we bust out these songs! Hope to see you all there!!
Invection Thrash
Posted February 1st, 2010 by DS in the Check These Guys Out category.The first band in honor of this week’s Thrash dedication is Oakland-based Invection. Formed in 2007, Invection have played various shows throughout California and released an E.P. last November titled Demented Perception. The E.P. features lots of double-bass and epic Thrash riffing, and the production quality is pretty good, which gives it a modern Thrash sound. As a relatively young unsigned band, they have managed to work hard and make a name for themselves, opening for some big names like D.R.I. and Pro-Pain in the process.
You can purchase their E.P., Demented Perception from Stormspell Records, or check them out for free on their myspace page. The band is scheduled to play a show on the East Coast this summer, but I imagine that there will be plenty of shows closer to home before then. Invection Thrash!