What do James Dean in Rebel Without a Cause and folk-rock legend Bob Dylan have in common? A pair of sunglasses and a leather jacket. Sunglasses have long been associated with hardening a man’s looks — and the image is often accompanied by hard rock guitar in the background. For example, Tom Cruise popularised the Ray-Ban Aviator in 1986’s Top…
When thinking about metal music, we all have a fair idea of what to expect. There are various associations that the style of music has, with its hard-hitting music and head-banging just part of the expectation when listening to a track. While music is all about the sound that is made, there is no denying…
Metal songs and commercials have actually gone hand-in-hand on occasion. While many may find the songs from the genre that are usually created to be a little “too much” because of their style, they do appear to have worked perfectly well for some brands when advertising the products or services they want to sell. To…
If you are in the Chicago area check out YOU WILL DIE! Known for its admiration for the dark and macabre, extreme metal is an acute reaction to—and subsequent subversion of—established social, cultural, economic, and religious structures. On the surface, the genre may merely explore various facets of human terror. However, beneath the layers of…
The Dun Ringill illustration features an amalgam of various horror scenarios, with several subtle and not-so-subtle references to the lyrics. The music pays homage to a lot of rock and doom history without being retro for the sake of it, and I wanted the same to be true for the cover. Since I perceived the…
Unleash the Archers return with their new EP Explorers, to be released on 11th October 2019 via Napalm Records, only two years after having released their smashing album Apex. The EP will feature two cover songs. The first single to be released on 30th August 2019 is called “Northwest Passage”, originally written and performed by Stan Rogers. Unleash the…
Metal’s roots can be traced back to the 1960s, when the wave of psychedelic rock bands wanted to get a little louder. In its early days, the genre was associated with heavy blues bands such as Cream and Led Zeppelin. This changed with the emergence of bands like Blue Cheer, Vanilla Fudge, and Leaf Hound,…
Venom Prison have released a video interview featuring artist Eliran Kantor – the creator of their captivating album artwork on both Animus and Samsara. The video was shot in Germany on Venom Prison’s recent European tour with Fit For An Autopsy; vocalist Larissa Stupar sat down with Eliran to discuss his work. The band comment:…
On September 6th, Finnish melodic metal titans Sonata Arctica will release their tenth studio album, called Talviyö (which means Winter Night), which includes eleven new tracks. “We were speaking about having an album cover made from a photo, and luckily managed to find the award-winning photographer Onni Wiljami who actually hails from a village not too far from our hometown. His pictures…
Old school metal veterans MEMORIAM are set to unleash their third album, Requiem For Mankind, on June 21st, 2019 via Nuclear Blast Records. Frank and Karl discuss enlisting the legendary artist Dan Seagrave once again to create the art for their new offering and how Karl introduced the idea of doing a trilogy of albums.…
This being our 10th studio album we wanted to incorporate all of our collaborative efforts into something dynamic. Vast tempo changes and arrangement complexity has an enduring presence in all our material, but with a fresh approach. Be it production, lyrical content, art etc. The writing process comes so natural and easy for the four…
Dante Divina Commedia accounts ‘Under each face two mighty wings stretched out, / of size proportioned to so huge a bird; / sails of the sea I never saw so large. / They had no feathers, but were like a bat’s / in fashion; these he flapped in such a way, / that three winds issued…
One of the really cool things about heavy metal is that it involves more aesthetic focus than most genres of music. Plenty of other bands and artists have a general look that they cultivate. Album art is always important, and usually there’s some kind of logo, or even just a font, that makes a band…
Sun, sea and… metal! The city of Barcelona is not only a famous tourist destination but also for Rock Fest, a huge festival held in summer over three days. This event only started 4 years ago but quickly established itself being Spain’s best Rock and Metal music festival, attracting big names in the international scene.…
For the Sake of Heaviness HMA: You have a book out ‘For the Sake of Heaviness: The History of Metal Blade Records.’ How does the book have a central message, or in other words, what do you like for the readers to take in? Brian Slagel: It’s the history of a record company kind of…
Your favourite Stoner Rock, Doom, Psych & Sludge bands are coming back to London once again this year for the 7th edition of Desertfest. The event, taking place May 4th to May 6th is ready to jumpstart the festivals season with another colossal and solid line-up of bands playing on stages in six different venues…
Progressive rock, metal, atmosphere and skill are fused with almost pop music flavoured melodies in what becomes the perfect marriage of inspiration and history of the great progressive and rock bands from the seventies until today. Novelty and experimentation that also manage to grant the pleasure of familiarity. Such drive will see the birth, in…
Costa Rican band Nostoc was founded in 2010 by Freddy L. and Ariel J. They were looking to create groovy music that would be groundbreaking and unique. They soon found comrades in Leonard C. and David M. In 2011, Ariel departed from the group, but they found a new face in Emmanuel C. With this…
“Tonight We Stand is a 5-piece melodic-metalcore act from Venice, Italy. Each member of the band comes from different musical influences, ranging from Avenged Sevenfold to Trivium. In this way the sound of their songs is really particular, creating a unique form of metalcore music. Their unique sound can be heard already in their debut…
The Italian studio-band is formed with the initial intention to create Black Metal songs, tending to be Raw and Atmospheric but with a latent tendency to melancholy and to the melody. In 2010, the 1st album ‘The Darkest Dream’ is released. With the flowing of the time, is decided to slightly customize the sound, engaging…