Retro Recommendation: Dokken - Breaking The Chains
Every Friday I turn the blog over to Dan Marsicano for his Retro Recommendation, giving you a chance to learn about underrated and overlooked gems from metal's past. A lot of hair metal fans spent the '80s "Rockin with Dokken." Although they never had the radio success of groups like Poison or Motley Crue, they sold millions of CDs, but tensions between vocalist Don Dokken and guitarist George Lynch broke the band up just as they were reaching their peak. There have been several reunions over the years, and the band is still releasing new music. Their 1983 debut Breaking The Chains is this week's Retro Recommendation.
Retro Recommendation: Dokken - Breaking The Chains
Other Recent Retro Recommendations:
Psycroptic Interview
For more than a decade the Tasmanian devils in Psycroptic have been delivering their brand of technical death metal. The Aussies' latest CD is The Inherited Repression. I caught up with the band's drummer Dave Haley, and he gives us the lowdown on the writing and recording of the new CD, where the title came from, his musical inspirations, what genre he thinks is the most difficult for a drummer to play and other subjects.
Read the complete Psycroptic Interview
(photo courtesy Nuclear Blast Records)
Pallbearer - Sorrow And Extinction Review
Their 2010 demo caused a bit of a buzz deep in the underground, but Pallbearer's full-length debut Sorrow And Extinction is earning rave reviews. The Arkansas doom metal trio brings heaviness and sadness along with flawless songwriting that gives the CD such an impact. Their pain and passion is your pleasure, as this is a top-notch doom metal album.
Read the complete Pallbearer - Sorrow And Extinction Review
Other Recent Heavy Metal CD Reviews:
Lay Down Rotten - Mask Of Malice
Monarch - Omens
Orange Goblin - A Eulogy For The Damned
Pilgrim - Misery Wizard
(CD cover courtesy Profound Lore Records)
New Heavy Metal CD Releases: February 14, 2012
Here are the new heavy metal CD releases for this week. For the most detailed and up-to-date schedule, check out our complete Heavy Metal CD Release Date calendar.
February 14, 2012
Amoral - Beneath (The End)
Anguish - Through The Archdemons Head (Dark Descent)
Anvil - Pound For Pound Re-Release (The End)
Anvil - Strength Of Steel Re-Release (The End)
Anvil - Worth The Weight Re-Release (The End)
Avatar - Black Waltz (eOne)
Beneath The Massacre - Incongruous (Prosthetic)
Blood Ceremony - Blood Ceremony (Rise Above)
Breag Naofa - Breag Naofa (Panic)
Carnalation - Deathmask (Spinefarm)
Celestial Season - Forever Scarlet Passion Re-Release (Metalhit)
The Devastated - Devil's Messenger (Century Media)
Dimesland - Creepmoon (Vendlus)
Dunderbeist - Black Art & Crooked Tails (Indie)
Earth - Angels of Darkness, Demons of Light II (Southern Lord)
Goatwhore - Blood For The Master (Metal Blade)
The Howling Void - Megaliths of the Abyss Re-Release (Metalhit)
Immolith - Stormdragon (Metalhit)
Iron Mask - Black As Death (AFM)
Knives Out - Black Mass Hysteria (Razor To Wrist)
Lillian Axe - XI: The Days before Tomorrow (CME)
Macabra - Blood-Nurtured Nature (Metalhit)
Nocturnal Torment - They Come At Night (Deathgasm)
Ominous Crucifix - The Spell of Damnation (FDA Rekotz)
Orange Goblin - A Eulogy For The Damned (Candlelight)
Pilgrim - Mystery Wizard (Metal Blade)
Ribozyme - Presenting The Problem (Indie)
Strikemaster - Vicious Nightmare (Metalhit)
Temple Of Baal/Ritualization - The Visions Of Fading Mankind Split (Agonia)
Witchaven - Terrorstorm (Metalhit)
Wykked Wytch - The Ultimate Deception (Goomba)
Zombie Inc - A Dreadful Decease (Massacre)
Best Hair Metal Ballads
Heavy metal isn't the most romantic of genres. There's a lot of brutality, violence, death and destruction in the music. However, on this Valentine's Day, we feature the softer side of metal, namely hair bands. And nearly every hair metal band in the '80s and early '90s had at least one power ballad when fans at concerts would fire up their lighters (that was before cell phones, kids). So break out the acid-washed jeans and the hairspray and enjoy a guilty Valentine's Day pleasure of some of the best hair metal ballads.
(CD cover courtesy Capitol Records)
BlancaWhite Interview
If you like classic hard rock and heavy metal, BlancaWhite may be right up your alley. The band's latest CD Resurgence Of Rock features guest vocalists Paul Shortino (Rough Cutt), Lorraine Lewis (Femme Fatale), Terry Ilous (XYZ) and Jeff Paris (Cinderella). The band's guitarist and songwriter Ken Savage fills us on BlancaWhite's CD.
Read the complete Blancawhite Interview
Dave's Underground Laboratory: February 13, 2012
His day job and passion is as a high school physics teacher, but Dave Schalek's obsession is extreme and underground heavy metal. Every Monday he holds class in the depths of his underground laboratory, bringing you brief reviews of the latest black, death, grind and other extreme releases. And since he is a teacher, each CD earns a grade. Under the microscope in the week's lab are Witchaven, Macrabra, Strikemaster, Immolith, Xenomorph and Oz.
The underground lab is always looking for new subjects to dissect, so extreme metal labels, bands and fans, if you know of a band we should include, send me an email!
Dave's Underground Laboratory: February 13, 2012
(CD cover courtesy Metalhit.com)
5 Questions With Inferion
5 Questions With... is your chance to get to know a new or up-and-coming metal band. Inferion hail from Florida, and their latest CD is The Desolate. Vocalist/guitarist/drummer Nick Reyes introduces us to his band.
Give us a brief history of Inferion.
We formed in 1996 as the first black metal band in Miami. We have released 8 albums to date including two under a different band name (Farewell my Angel): Infinite Dying Souls (1998), Given To The Ground (1999), The Cursed Path (2002), Firewar (2003), 2003's Aborted By The Sun (recorded under the name Farewell My Angel), 2005's Palingenesis (recorded under the name Farewell My Angel), The Arts Of Blasphemy: Divine Hatred (split with Heaven Ablaze in 2005) and our new CD The Desolate.
We currently play as a two piece. I do vocals, guitar, and drums/programming and Frank Gross plays bass.
How would you describe the style/sound/genre of The Desolate?
The style is a black/death hybrid. There is a lot of rhythmic variation, not just typical blast beats and thrash beats. This album was intended to be more stripped down and refined. We weren't interested in anything over the top like solos, synths, or affiliating ourselves with standard "black metal" protocol.
Did your army service impact your lyrical or musical perspective?
Yes. The album cover art was taken in Kuwait. After driving for hours, the landscape didn't change. It was just a desolate place. The disconnection from (stuff) that people take for granted is very sobering. Most of the songs share a similar lyrical theme inspired by this disconnection.
Do you have plans to do any Inferion live shows?
Yes and no. We don't have any planned at the moment, but if any came up that were worth playing, it wouldn't be too difficult to put a live show together. We're always ready for any eventuality.
Anything else you'd like to mention or promote?
Just want to promote the fact that The Desolate is available now. Our previous albums are also available along with free shirts with any download of the new album. Also I have a project called Cayos. It's more experimental and noisy ambient music definitely worth checking out for fans of that genre. We have two albums released on Schematic and one more on the way.
All Shall Perish Tour Dates
All Shall Perish will embark on a headlining tour this March/April dubbed the "This Is Where It Ends" 2012 U.S. Tour. Joining them are Carnifex, Fleshgod Apocalypse, Conducting From The Grave and The Contortionist.
"Stoked to get on the road again," commented bassist Mike Tiner, "especially with this sick ass line-up. What could be better than touring with good friends and meeting all the awesome fans? Well... solving world hunger and curing cancer but who has time for that? LET'S GET STUPID!"
All Shall Perish, Carnifex, Conducting From The Grave and The Contortionist Tour Dates:
03/29/12 Oakland Metro Operahouse - Oakland, CA
03/30/12 118 West - Simi Valley, CA
03/31/12 Desert Breeze Skate Bar - Las Vegas, NV (All Shall Perish only)
04/01/12 The Clubhouse - Tempe, AZ
04/02/12 The Launchpad - Albuquerque, NM
04/03/12 Dos Amigos - Odessa, TX
04/04/12 Trees - Dallas, TX
All Shall Perish, Carnifex, Fleshgod Apocalypse, Conducting From The Grave and The Contortionist Tour Dates:
04/05/12 Warehouse Live - Houston, TX
04/06/12 White Rabbit - San Antonio, TX
04/07/12 Eclipse - Tulsa, OK
04/08/12 Fubar - St. Louis, MO
04/09/12 Mojoe's - Joliet, IL
04/10/12 Emerson Theatre - Indianapolis, IN
04/11/12 Harpo's - Detroit, MI
04/12/12 Expo Five - Louisville, KY
04/13/12 The Muse - Nashville, TN
04/14/12 The Masquerade - Atlanta, GA
04/15/12 Greene Street - Greensboro, NC
04/17/12 Empire - West Springfield, VA
04/18/12 Stanhope House - Stanhope, NJ
04/19/12 Gramercy Theater - New York, NY
04/20/12 The Palladium - Worcester, MA ็ NEW ENGLAND METAL FEST
04/21/12 Lost Horizon - Syracuse, NY
04/22/12 Peabody's - Cleveland, OH
04/24/12 The Granada Theater - Lawrence, KS
04/25/12 The Marquis Theatre - Denver, CO
04/26/12 In The Venue - Salt Lake City, UT
04/27/12 The Alley - Sparks, NV
04/28/12 Ace of Spades - Sacramento, CA
(photo courtesy Nuclear Blast Records)
Retro Recommendation: Manilla Road - Metal
Every Friday I turn the blog over to Dan Marsicano for his Retro Recommendation, giving you a chance to learn about underrated and overlooked gems from metal's past. Manilla Road got their start in the late '70s, and released their debut album in 1980. They split up in the early '90s, then reformed in 2000 and have been together ever since, and released a new CD in 2011. Manilla Road's second full-length, 1982's Metal, is this week's Retro Recommendation.
Retro Recommendation: Manilla Road - Metal
Other Recent Retro Recommendations: