A couple years back, the Memphis based band Egypt Central got their first taste of success- as their first two singles “You Make Me Sick” and “Taking You Down” both hit the Top 40 of the Modern Rock charts. The band also [...]]]>

Egypt Central opens for Nonpoint at the Hayloft on Thursday.

A couple years back, the Memphis based band Egypt Central got their first taste of success- as their first two singles “You Make Me Sick” and “Taking You Down” both hit the Top 40 of the Modern Rock charts. The band also stayed on the road much of 2008 and into 2009, as the band criss crossed America in the quest to make it big.

The band got a good base on the first album, but are looking to expand their fan base as the band prepares to release their sophomore release, due out later this year or early next year. The band has tapped Skidd Mills as the producer, who has worked with 12 Stones and Saving Abel most recently.
Egypt Central has been kicking out some new songs while on the road, and plan to finish up the album after their upcoming tour.

But until they get into the studio, Egypt Central will be on the road with Nonpoint, with dates running through October 7^th. Nonpoint is out in support of their latest album, “Miracle”, and will be blasting out a lot of new tunes along with Egypt Central. The bands make their way into the Detroit area as Egypt Central plays the Hayloft this Thursday (September 9^th).

So, until the band releases their new album head to the east side and bang your head at the Hayloft as Egypt Central prepares to show off their new rockers.

Egypt Central plays with Nonpoint at the Hayloft on Thursday, September 9^th. Tickets are $12 and are available at www.ticketmaster.com. Additional band info and dates can be found at www.egyptcentral.net.

The band now known as Orbs was not born out of a close mutual personal bond over years and years, but one bond that was born out of an appreciation for each member’s music and the bands they are or were with. [...]]]>

Lansing will see some "Science" when the Orbs hit Tuesday.

The band now known as Orbs was not born out of a close mutual personal bond over years and years, but one bond that was born out of an appreciation for each member’s music and the bands they are or were with. Orbs was the brainchild of Ashley Ellyllon, now former keyboardist for the black metal band Abigail Williams (Ellyllon is now playing keyboards for Cradle of Filth). Wanting to venture out beyond the parameters of her band, she enlisted the help of Between the Buried and Me guitarist Dan Briggs.

Along with vocalist Adam Fisher, lead singer of Fear Before The March of Flames, Orbs was born and has released their debut, “Asleep Next To Science”, that came out on August 17^th. The album is an eclectic blend of prog rock, metal and various other elements that the band members have obsessed about for a long time.

The 9 songs on “Asleep” are lead by Briggs’ guitar work, which gives the album the BTBAM signature sound, but Fisher’s vocals make things a bit more accessible than some of the BTBAM moments are. Ellyllon’s keyboards give the album its ambient moments and adds some depth and fullness to the songs. You definitely will want to check out songs like “Megloblastic Madness” and “People Will Read Again” for the best example of how these songs come together.

Orbs is in the midst of a short tour, which will conclude September 12^th. But the band will make a Michigan appearance as they play Mac’s Bar in Lansing this Tuesday (September 7^th). Make sure to take a look at Orbs for a taste of their dynamic prog-rock.

Orbs plays Mac’s Bar in Lansing on Tuesday, September 7^th. Tickets are $10 and are available at www.macsbar.com. Additional band info and tour dates can be found at www.myspace.com/orbsband.

If there is a model of consistency in hard rock today, Disturbed holds that candle for keeping things rocking, but not veering off in a vastly different direction throughout the course of their first four albums.

Even though their debut, “The Sickness” [...]]]>

If you loved the other Disturbed albums, you're gonna love "Asylum".

If there is a model of consistency in hard rock today, Disturbed holds that candle for keeping things rocking, but not veering off in a vastly different direction throughout the course of their first four albums.

Even though their debut, “The Sickness” still stands above all the rest, the band’s catalog has remained steady and has watched their fan based remain loyal and dedicated. With the Chicago band’s fifth album, “Asylum”, Disturbed sticks with what’s tried and true and keeps the band’s signature sound.

”Asylum” starts out with an short instrumental, followed by the title track- which is signature Disturbed, complete with the always passionate lyrics of David Draiman. What may be different this time are some of the topics of the songs: “Never Again” tackles Draiman’s disdain with the Holocaust and some people who tend to glorify the paraphernalia of the Nazi era, while the first single “Another Way To Die” delves into the global warming debate. The songs move away from the usual lyrics of pain, struggle and empowerment and might be the most ambitious material the band has put forth. A personal favorite is “The Animal”, which seems to be the perfect blend of all the material Disturbed has put out at this point.

Where the album might sputter a little is in the mid-tempo tracks, such as “The Infection” and “Crucified”. These two tracks recall the band’s least satisfying work from the “Believe” album and aren’t terrible, they just aren’t memorable.

All in all, “Asylum” shows some lyrical and topical range from the band, but at the end of the day, all sounds like Disturbed and will please the band’s fan base and keep them at the forefront of the modern rock world.

After their 2007 album “Temptation Come My Way”, the Tennessean based band The Showdown found a heavy groove and seemed to please a rock of heavy metal and hard rock fans as well. The band’s next album, “Back [...]]]>

"Blood in the Gears" is a step in the right direction for The Showdown.

After their 2007 album “Temptation Come My Way”, the Tennessean based band The Showdown found a heavy groove and seemed to please a rock of heavy metal and hard rock fans as well. The band’s next album, “Back Breaker”, was a throwback to the band’s roots with blazing riffage and much heavier vocals than the previous album.
After taking some time off, the band is back with the brand new “Blood in the Gears”, which leans more on the sound of “Back Breaker”, but stays accessible enough to still keep the fans of “Temptation” happy.

Lead singer David Bunton sounds as a man unhinged and in the zone on the opener “The Man Named Hell” and “Heavy Lies The Crown”. Bunton’s vocals stay clean enough to understand everything, but keeps enough of a piercing growl to his vocals and successfully steers clear of the metalcore trappings many bands of the genre continue to milk. He almost goes for a Brian Fair (Shadows Fall) styled vocal on “Bring It Down” that shows some range beyond most of the other songs on the album.

Guitarist Josh Childers turns “Blood” into a thrash-fest that keeps the album entertaining and delivers the perfect enhancement to the vocals on the album. Defintely check out “No Escape” and “The Crooked Path” for the full range of Childers’ show stealing work on the album.

In retrospect, “Back Breaker” was a bit disappointing and really didn’t give the listener a good combination of the southern hard rock groove and thrash metal, but the Showdown definitely has bridged the gap with “Blood in the Gears” and continue to be one of the more vibrant bands on Solid State Records. The tracks on “Blood” could be just what the band needs to make that next big step.

The Chicago based psychedelic rock band Nachtmystium has under a bit of a metamorphosis during the band’s existence. The band, lead by vocalist/guitarist Blake Judd, started out as a straight on American version of black metal. But over the years as Judd’s musical [...]]]>

Judd and Nachtmystium hits the Stick September 10th.

The Chicago based psychedelic rock band Nachtmystium has under a bit of a metamorphosis during the band’s existence. The band, lead by vocalist/guitarist Blake Judd, started out as a straight on American version of black metal. But over the years as Judd’s musical interests have changed, the band has interjected more industrial and hard rock sounds into the band’s music.

The results have been staggering- the band’s last two albums (“Assassins- Black Meddle Pt. 1” in 2008, and “Addicts- Black Meddle Pt. 2” earlier this year) have been huge critical success and beloved by the fans of the band.

The band is gearing up for a tour, and I had a chance to catch up with Blake while at home in Chicago prior to the tour. We discussed his early obsession with black metal, as well as the different vibes of the “Black Meddle” albums. Here’s my interview with Blake:

AM: With the major critical success of the “Black Meddle” albums, how much of a surprise has that been to you?
BJ: I’ve been surprised that the more mainstream rock and music magazines have been as receptive to the album as they have. I think our music is so far removed from the rest of the metal scene these days, so far away from the metalcore scene and so on- that the respect for the album has been amazing. We’ve been able to receive this acclaim and not lose our credibility, so that’s important as well.

AM: Did you try to write both of the albums at the same time, or did you write the albums separately?
BJ: No, they were totally separate. I think with “Addicts” versus “Assassins”, we went with more of a rock vibe with this album and were far more interested in that than putting out something pure metal. Lyrically, I don’t think it’s much different as well. I try to write about real life situations and portray this view of an outsiders’ look of the world that we live in.

AM: The band played a lot of black metal early on, at what point did the band consciously try and steer away from that scene?
BJ: I think it was definitely after the “Demise” album (2004) that we decided to switch things up and add more of the psychedelic side of the band. With our album “Instinct: Decay”, that was the first time that the band decided to try and see if we could move away from that black metal sound. The fans loved it, so we decided to keep trying new things and not being pigeonholed in the black metal scene.

AM: What was your first exposure to the black metal scene, and what sort of things are you listening to now?
BJ: When I was younger, I really got into Emperor, early Immortal, Mayhem and Burzum. This was back in ’95 or ’96, when the stories were all over the place about the church burnings in Norway and stuff. I seemed to gravitate towards a lot of negative situations back then, and black metal was my big sign of defiance, my way of saying “f— you to the world”. My parents used to be worried about the negativity, but listening to that sort of music got me to start my own band, and in actuality, it was the best thing to ever happen to me. These days, my musical tastes are all over the place. I’ll listen to Lady Gaga, then I’ll listen to classic rock. I am really into bands like Joy Division, Interpol, and Editors. But recently, I have been more interested catching up on my current music collection than going out and seeking out new bands.

AM: Has the band been working on new material since the release of “Black Meddle, Pt. 2”?
BJ: Actually, yesterday, my drummer and I went to go work in our studio space. We did a whole full song in the span of that day. I think the new material is gonna be more aggressive and perhaps even revisiting some of the band’s past. It will still have a lot of that outsider theme to it as well.

Nachtmystium plays at the Magic Stick on Friday, September 10^th. Tickets are $12 and are available at www.ticketmaster.com. Additional dates and band info can be found at www.myspace.com/nachtmystium.

Wednesday 13 has been a very busy guy over the past 6 years since his first band, the Murderdolls went on hiatus in 2004. Wednesday has put out 3 solo albums, as well as a country-tinged project called Gunfire 76 since Murderdolls partner in [...]]]>

"Women & Children Last" is out tomorrow.

Wednesday 13 has been a very busy guy over the past 6 years since his first band, the Murderdolls went on hiatus in 2004. Wednesday has put out 3 solo albums, as well as a country-tinged project called Gunfire 76 since Murderdolls partner in crime Joey Jordison had been recording and touring with Slipknot. But now that Jordison is taking time away from Slipknot, he is playing drums with Rob Zombie and him and Wednesday have re-ignited the Murderdolls.

The Murderdolls are gearing up to release their second album, “Women & Children Last”, which is due out August 27^th. Wednesday was doing press at the Detroit stop of the Rockstar Mayhem Festival when I got a chance to catch up and talk with him. We discussed the creative reunion between him and Jordison and how all things horror influenced his music to this day.

Here’s my interview with Wednesday 13:

AM: What do you think are the major differences between the new album and the “Valley of the Dolls” album?
W13: This is the first time that we actually sat down and write songs. On the first record, it was a combination of songs that Joey and I worked on while in other bands and we just came together and reworked them in the studio and put the album out. This record, we had 8 years of ideas going on in our heads. We had different ideas, but didn’t have lyrics or music completed on a lot of the songs- so we sat down and worked on those together. We have been saying that this album is a rebirth of the album, or the first true Murderdolls album. This album is 8 years of growth musically, and it’s a real violent rollercoaster.

AM: Did you and Joey always leave room open for a Murderdolls reunion at some point when going on hiatus?
W13: I think we always thought that and texted each other over the years and discussed ideas. But there was a time around 2007 & 2008 where we both kinda thought that it wasn’t ever going to happen. But within the past year, there was more talk about doing another album and especially so in the 6 months prior to recording the album. But prior to that, people would come up and ask me about a new Murderdolls record, and I’d said “F—, I don’t f—in’ know!”. But now, I can sit here and say that it’s done and ready to go.

AM: Did you feel this album came together easier than “Valley of the Dolls”?
W13: The first one was really easy, I tracked a lot of things. But Joey actually worked on a lot of the songs. I would come in and record my vocals or play a guitar part here and there. This time around, we were in the studio for 30 straight days and didn’t take any breaks. I think I might have went to Hooters once (laughs), but other than that- I was just focused on the album.

AM: You enlisted Mick Mars from Motley Crue on the album- how did you come in contact with Mick?
W13: Our tour manager worked for Motley Crue (Mad Manager Sully) and we finished tracking a song. Joey and I were sitting down at dinner one time, saying that the song we did sounded like it needed a “Mick Mars” type solo in it. We do that on occasion- say that something needs an Ace Frehley type riff, or a Slayer riff or something. So, our manager said that why don’t you just get Mick to do it- because he lived down the street from us. We came in, did the solo and f—in’ nailed it. It wasn’t about money or anything, it was about having a good time and getting that sound for that song.

AM: How did horror movies influence when you were growing up in North Carolina when you were younger?
W13: I always somehow balanced a diet between cartoons and horror movies. Whether it was something from G.I. Joe, to the old Universal horror movies. In the 80’s, I was watching all those slasher flicks. I wasn’t really into music until I started paying attention to Alice Cooper. I remember playing with my G.I. Joe’s in front of the TV when I was a kid and saw an TV ad for an upcoming Alice Cooper show and wondered “who the f— is she?” (laughs). My parents thought he bit the heads off chickens and stuff and growing up in North Carolina, that sort of fear in people made me want to do some research and check this out.

AM: You have a lot of projects outside the Murderdolls, are those projects on hold with the new Murderdolls album?
W13: Pretty much. To be honest, I was just biding my time until the next Murderdolls album. As proud as I was of the 3 solo albums I put out, and the Gunfire record- I always knew I wanted to get back and do another Murderdolls album and now we’re here.

The Murderdolls’ new album, “Women & Children Last” comes out August 31st on Roadrunner Records. For upcoming tour dates and band info, check out www.murderdollsband.com

Even though the wildly popular band Disturbed won’t be hitting Detroit until mid-October when they hit the Fillmore, the band will be very, very busy in the interim. The band’s latest album, “Asylum”, will be out next Tuesday (August 31st), [...]]]>

Before "Asylum" comes out Aug. 31st, check out their documentary Thursday night.

Even though the wildly popular band Disturbed won’t be hitting Detroit until mid-October when they hit the Fillmore, the band will be very, very busy in the interim. The band’s latest album, “Asylum”, will be out next Tuesday (August 31^st), and the band will be releasing a documentary, called “Decade of Disturbed”.

The documentary shows the band as they rose from the sea of nu-metal bands of the late 90’s/early 00’s to become a worldwide touring and sales force with their catalog of hard hitting hard rock. From the 2000 breakthrough “The Sickness” through the 2008 release “Indestructible”,

Disturbed has remained a consistently strong hard rock arena draw, where many of their counterparts are playing clubs or completely out of existence.

Fans will have a chance to see the documentary in preparation for the release of “Asylum”, as venues across the country will be showing the documentary on August 26^th. Detroit fans can go check out the documentary this Thursday at the Crofoot Ballroom in Pontiac.

Make sure to check “Decade of Disturbed” and see what makes the hard rock heroes tick and see a vision of the band’s future.

”Decade of Disturbed” is playing at the Crofoot Ballroom on Thursday, August 26^th. Tickets are $5 and available at the door and more information can be found at www.disturbed1.com or www.thecrofoot.com.

Through a lot of touring and homegrown support, the Troy (yep, Michigan) based band We Came As Romans made quite the splash last year. The sextet’s debut album, “To Plant A Seed” debuted within the Billboard Top 200- not bad at all for a band [...]]]>

Troy's own invades the Hayloft Friday night.

Through a lot of touring and homegrown support, the Troy (yep, Michigan) based band We Came As Romans made quite the splash last year. The sextet’s debut album, “To Plant A Seed” debuted within the Billboard Top 200- not bad at all for a band that has been only been officially in it’s current incarnation since early 2007.

The group, lead by the vocal duo of David Stephens and Kyle Pavone, show their flare for a mixture of the rage and melody through “To Plant A Seed”. Songs like “Intentions” and “Beliefs” give the band a perfect blend of melodic based hard rock that will probably go a long way in the coming years.

Throughout the album, the band tries and portrays a very positive and upbeat message through their music. It is no surprise that people needing an outlet like this has latched onto the band- as the band’s MySpace page has had their music played nearly 5 million times, and their debut EP in 2008 was downloaded 50,000 times when it was offered free.

But paying for the album hasn’t stopped fans from relentlessly following the band: the band has been on the road since the release of “To Plant A Seed” and just recently took part in the “Scream It Like You Mean It” tour with Silverstein. Now the band is doing a headlining tour, that will take them on dates in the States that will last through the end of September before heading off the Europe. The band plays a near hometown show when they play the Hayloft in Mt. Clemens on Friday, August 27^th.

This will be your chance to check out the next big band bubbling under coming out of Detroit. Catch them now before you can’t reach out and touch them anymore.

We Came As Romans plays the Hayloft in Mt. Clemens on Friday, August 27^th. Tickets are $12 and are available at www.ticketmaster.com. Additional band info and tour dates can be found at www.wecameasromans.com.

For black metal fans here in the States, it should be a good upcoming few months for the scene. Even though the Behemoth tour has been cancelled for the States, due to lead singer Nergal’s health issues- there are still plenty of shows [...]]]>

Black Metal from Belgium takes over Blondie's Thursday night.

For black metal fans here in the States, it should be a good upcoming few months for the scene. Even though the Behemoth tour has been cancelled for the States, due to lead singer Nergal’s health issues- there are still plenty of shows to keep the corpsepaint legions happy.

One of those tours rolling through the States is the long awaited return of Belgium’s Enthroned. Born in 1993 in the wake of the wild stories of church burnings in parts of Europe, the band has toured extensively in Europe, but has not been here in the States since 2001. But now the band is back here in the States behind the release of their new album, “Pentagrammon”.

The album is a eleven song rip-roarer of blast beats and fury. Lead by songs like “Ornament of Grace” and “Unconscious Minds”, lead singer Nornagest and company pound and deliver doses of evil sounding metal that will please fans of the genre alike.

The band is currently out in the States through September 1^st, before heading back to Europe. But the band will be making their way to Detroit as Enthroned (along with Destroyer 666 and Pathology) hits Blondie’s this Thursday (August 26^th) for a night of searing black metal.

Enthroned plays Blondie’s on Thursday, August 26^th. Tickets are $20 and are available at www.ticketmaster.com. Additional tour dates and band info can be found at www.enthroned.be.

When you thought of ska in the 1990’s, the Boston collective known as the Mighty Mighty Bosstones was the biggest name of all of the groups that broke out. 1997 saw the band’s biggest moment, as their album “Let’s Face It” went platinum. [...]]]>

Dicky & The Bosstones hits St. Andrew's August 27th.

When you thought of ska in the 1990’s, the Boston collective known as the Mighty Mighty Bosstones was the biggest name of all of the groups that broke out. 1997 saw the band’s biggest moment, as their album “Let’s Face It” went platinum. The Bosstones went on hiatus in 2002, only to return a few years back to give each other another shot. Last year, the Bosstones released their first album in 7 years, as “Pin Points & Gin Joints” was released and the group have been putting together tour dates since the release.

During the band’s break, lead singer Dicky Barrett was anything but idle: Barrett hosted radio shows in Boston and L.A. and probably his best known non-Bosstones gig- being the announcer on “Jimmy Kimmel Live”. Before the band’s August tour, I had a chance to sit down and talk with Barrett about the band’s return and what sort of bribe he had to pay up on in order to tour with the Dropkick Murphy’s back in 2008.
Here’s my interview with Dicky:

AM: After a 7 year delay, how good was it to release “Pin Points & Gin Joints” late last year?
DB: I really enjoyed the whole experience, the process of making the album was a lot of fun and I always enjoy making new music. Once you get on in there, it’s like riding a bike. Well, riding a really sh—y bike that you really love (laughs).

AM: Did you feel the album was a re-introduction for the band?
DB: It’s an album of what we do and weren’t trying to reinvent the wheel with this album. I think it lets the listeners catch up to date on what the band is doing and what it sounds like. I don’t think it feels dated or anything, it’s really timeless music, timeless ska and punk music- whatever you want to call it. I sit back and listen to an album like (Rancid’s) “Out Come the Wolves”, and feel that is just as great to listen to today as it did when it first came out.

AM: How do you compare the material on the new album to the band’s material in the 90’s?
DB: We were probably in the same headspace that we were in the 90’s when we wrote this album. Some things just don’t change, the same convictions are there. We’re not necessarily smarter, but our thoughts are more well collected and probably have a better understanding of the music at this point. Whether the Bosstones are playing music or not, the members journey’s, past and present, are forever connected. We’ve traveled the world together, wrote music together and developed who we are and fused that all together.

AM: The band toured with the Dropkick Murphys in 2008, other than both being from Boston- how did the two bands hook up?
DB: A lot of people don’t know this, but Ken Casey from Dropkick is a massive L.A. Lakers fan. Being from Boston, people find it weird, but his three favorite sports teams are in this order: Boston Bruins, Boston Red Sox and L.A. Lakers- I know- go figure (laughs). Ken knew I was living in L.A. and if I could get him tickets to a Laker game, any Lakers game, that he would take us out on tour. We’ve known each other for 15 years, and as how the band Murphy’s Law took us out on tour when we weren’t big- we did the same thing for Dropkick Murphys when they were young puppies- we passed the torch to them. They are tremendous people and wanted us to come out on tour with them. So, needless to say- I got him those tickets…(laughs)

AM: You were quite busy during the band’s hiatus, but how did you end up with the announcing gig on “Jimmy Kimmel Live”?
DB: During the hiatus, I came out to L.A. to work and I really didn’t want to tour. I wanted to experience a different aspect of work that wasn’t related to tour. I was going to try and work in the record business, but as you know, the industry dismantled itself and that idea was out. When I got offered the idea for “Kimmel”, it sounded silly to me, kinda like “what the f— is this all about?”. But 6 years later, I’m still doing it and it’s a great way to spend your 40’s. A lot of times, you get a lot of the Hollywood a—hole crowd out here, but Jimmy is the same guy in person that you see on TV- very good guy to get along with. He’s gonna come out on a few dates with us, we’re referring to him as the “17^thth Beatle”- not bad company to be in. Bosstone”, it’s kinda like our version of the “5

AM: Is the band currently working on any new material?
DB: We are always considering writing, thinking and being creative. We will possibly be working on new material, but we’ve never been a band on the clock or on a calendar. I think we worked at our career the right way, by taking our time. It’s a blueprint that we’ve had and I wouldn’t want to do it any other way.

The Mighty Mighty Bosstones play at St. Andrew’s Hall on Friday, August 27^th. Tickets are $20, and are available at www.livenation.com. Additional band info and tour dates can be found at www.bosstonesmusic.com.