Metal Riot

One of the best shows I have seen in awhile made it worth it to trek out on a kind of gloomy Thursday night to the Hudson Valley, NY’s best indie concert venue BSP Kingston (I also am partial to Bearsville and The Chance for mostly other genres). There was a solid, if infrequent, metal booking of three bands who I really enjoy, Kingston’s own sludgy grimers Clover, expansive Boston space trio InAeona and the proggy mathic doom of Junius.

Of the three, I had been a fan of all of them for awhile (especially InAeona who are in my top ten fave bands in the world right now), but I’d only had the fortune of raging to Clover before. I was a bit fried from a long concert the night before in Albany, but am so glad I soldiered out to this smaller town show.

More BELOW.

An inspired East Cost short run pairing between the melodic and yet massive styles of Junius and InAeona is just what the doctor ordered to start Spring with a kick to the crotch. Junius are supporting an excellent new record Eternal Rituals for the Accretion of Light and InAeona are between releases but keeping the juices flowing as they contemplate what new material will follow the brilliant catharsis of Force Rise The Sun (which was on our 2015 top 5 year end list, fyi). My friend Michael Guthaus’s driving and chaotic band Clover open the Kingston show.

04/17 Boston, MA – Great Scott
04/18 Baltimore, MD – Metro Gallery
04/19 Philadelphia, PA – Kung Fu Necktie
04/20 Kingston, NY – BSP Kingston
04/21 Pittsburgh, PA – Black Forge Coffee House
04/22 Brooklyn, NY – Saint Vitus Bar

Today, Swiss avant-garde extreme metal titans SCHAMMASCH proudly unveil the first track from their highly anticipated new album, Triangle, which is set for worldwide release on April 29 via Prosthetic Records.

Triangle marks the band’s third album and encompasses 100 minutes in its entirety, with three distinct 33-minute movements differing in atmosphere and style and each representing the three stages of the album’s strong concept – Part I: The Process Of Dying, Part II: Metaflesh and Part III: The Supernal Clear Light Of The Void. This very unique concept is visually presented by a series of four photographs presented as a bold triple-gatefold, limited-edition 3LP set and a 3CD set with imagery realised by acclaimed photographer Ester Segarra (Watain, Behemoth) and graphic designer Valnoir (Alcest, The Black Dahlia Murder). Rarely is such a grand musical and aestethic feat accomplished within the bounds of extreme metal.

“Consensus,” the first track to see the light of day from their forthcoming epic, can be seen streaming below.

PROSTHETIC RECORDS will be releasing legendary progressive metallers WATCHTOWER‘s recent digital-only tracks on LP and CD. The four tracks will be combined with one brand new song, creating the EP “Concepts of Math: Book One” and will be released on limited edition vinyl and digipack CD later this year.

Comments vocalist Alan Tecchio:

“I am so stoked to be a part of this legendary jazz-metal-prog group once again! Right now we are close to finishing the tracking for the additional 10 minute song that we are adding to the other four tunes. This will complete the EP that Prosthetic plans to release later this year. I can tell you that the new song is especially super cool and has that classic Watchtower sound. I think the fans, both new and old, will have a deep appreciation for what is going to be available from us later this year.”

Guitarist Ron Jarzombek further remarked on the partnership:

“I’m psyched to be on the same label as my old friend Marty Friedman! Prosthetic has also been home to great bands like Gojira, Animals As Leaders, All That Remains, as well as my fellow Texans, Scale the Summit. It’s nice to know we are in good company on this label. The music we’ll release later this year picks up right where we left off with ‘Control And Resistance’.”

More below.

Exmortus return with Ride Forth, another powerful team up between the band and Prosthetic Records. From a razor edged cover of Beethoven’s “Apassionata” that would make The Great Kat and Bill & Ted of Wyld Stallyns proud to rugged and rowdy thrash originals with grimy yowls that invigorate with the same battle hardened intensity you’d expect from Skeletonwitch or the much missed crimson screams of early 3 Inches Of Blood.

“Black Sails” is a mid paced march that really stands out, the band a single entity of undeniable dueling guitars, melodic veined fiery runs and drumming that pumps you up and holds things together. Exmortus always get me charged up and wanting to go jog up a mountain. “For The Horde” is one of the fastest tunes from the group yet, a lightning blur of guitars that swipe like the downward killing stroke of a vorpal blade. It’s easy to envision the ramparts, just sayin’.

“Let Us Roam” is another favorite, the band really allowing themselves to cut loose with the shred but with an emphasis on cool songwriting arrangements and strong vocal engagement that deifies the grasp of some tech death bands, for example. Perhaps it is the thrashier influence at the heart of these also very classic heavy metal influenced tunes that invigorates rather than the distraction that comes with tech death in knowing that you could be listening to classic old school death metal and it would probably be better (though I love some tech stuff like Revocation and Fallujah bigtime). “Fire and Ice” gives Evile a run for their money with a very Metallica-tastic intro before a super medieval tinged gallop ensues, just an epic metal treat for fans of this stuff.

Verdict is once again Exmortus fans shall behold triumph.

The Los Angeles-based, neoclassical metal-inspired extreme shred quartet EXMORTUS will further their claim that “metal is king” in early 2016 with their blistering new album, Ride Forth. The menacing cover for the new release – featuring oil-painted artwork by the legendary Philip Lawvere (Kreator, Celtic Frost), who previously contributed his epic artistry to the band’s critically-acclaimed 2014 label debut, Slave To The Sword – can be seen above.

“Ride Forth” was recorded earlier this year with producer Zack Ohren (Suffocation, Immolation) before the group hit the road alongside guitar legend Marty Friedman on his recent North American tour. More details about the new album will be revealed in the coming weeks.