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Review: Chimaira at Altar Bar Pittsburgh, PA 2/5/2014

Posted in All Metal, Artist Watch, News, Photos, Reviews, Shows on February 20, 2014 by Randy

Regardless of the insanely low temperatures, there was one thing that pierced the air near the Strip District that Pittsburgh hadn’t experienced in quite some time: a hard hitting metal tour led by none other than the great Chimaira. The band kicked of 2014 by announcing their headlining “Celebrate the Chaos” tour, which includes some pretty chaotic bands on the bill as support. (Fit for an Autopsy, Reflections, Oceano, and I Wrestled a Bear Once)

The show opened up with two local bands playing, and well, let’s all be happy they weren’t a notion of things to come for the night. I’m not sure if it was ill preparation or just the pressure of opening for some stellar acts, but the locals dropped the ball on this one. They seemed to have problems of every sort…from instrument difficulties, to long stuttering pauses in between songs, and what seemed to be nerves in their voices, regardless if it was during clean vocals or demon like screams. The verdict? Weaksauce.

Following the openers, Reflections stepped up and took control of the venue and everyone in it. By the midway point of the opening song they managed to have the whole floor turn into a huge mosh pit full of flying elbows and spin kicks. Continuing the barrage were Fit for an Autopsy and Oceano…two very heavy metal bands who both put on a good show filled with hard hitting guitar riffs and demon like “pig squeal” vocals that really got the crowd out of their shell and into circle pit after circle pit. But let’s not forget to mention the two bands everyone came for, I Wrestled a Bear Once and Chimaira. If you haven’t seen IWABO live, put it on your bucket list because you are missing out on some technical guitar riffs, unique female vocals, and their ability to connect with every single person in the crowd during and in between songs.

There is a reason Chimaira have been around for Fifteen years and are still going strong. Not only did they have an innovative style that set them above every other band of the new wave American Metal, but they possess an array of songs that enable them to put on a clinic. From Mark Hunter’s (vocalist) intensity on stage to their ear piercing guitar riffs, they leave their presence known before the first song is over. While on this tour you can expect Chimaira to play songs off their most recent release “Crown of Phantoms,” to the old-school favorites “Resurrection,” “Power Trip,” and even “Pure Hatred.” This tour is still in its early stages so check out the dates when it comes to a city near you. Oh yeah, brush off your moshing boots and go to a show, because a tour this badass doesn’t come around very often!

Chimaira, a set by logan.rocktribune on Flickr.

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SPARTAN RECORDS SIGNS NORWEGIAN HARDCORE BAND BARREN WOMB;

Posted in Artist Watch, New Music, News, Previews, Releases with tags Barren Womb, Hardcore, Kill Hicks, Norwegian, Norwegian Hardcore, Spartan Records, The sun's not yellow it's chicken on February 14, 2014 by Randy

Stream Barren Womb’s Hard Hitting New Track “Kill Hicks” Today At BrooklynVegan.com

Seattle based indie label Spartan Records is proud to announce the signing of Norwegian hardcore band Barren Womb and the upcoming release of their debut full-length album, The sun’s not yellow, it’s chicken, onMarch 11th . The record will be available digitally and on limited edition vinyl, which can be pre-ordered now athttp://spr.tn/barrenwomb.

In anticipation for the upcoming release, BrooklynVegan.com has premiered the first new track, “Kill Hicks,” today. Stream it now at http://www.brooklynvegan.com/archives/2014/01/norwegian_hardc.html.

“”Kill Hicks” was one of the last songs we finished up for the record, and it came together fast,” says guitarist/vocalist Tony Gonzahl. “We had this kind of bluegrass influenced riff kicking about for a little while, but hadn’t really had the chance to do much with it. Then one day we started jamming and that riff came up. A couple of hours later we had the song pretty much done. Although there is a lot of beauty to humanity, I feel that right now the negative far outweighs the positive. This is not a holier-than-thou attitude, I most definitely see myself as part of the problem. Lyrically Kill Hicks deals with apathy and the bleak future ahead of us if we continue on this path.”

Formed late 2011 in Trondheim, Norway, the duo, featuring Gonzahl and Timo Silvola (drums), blends hardcore punk with elements of black metal, rock ‘n’ roll, and country to create a nasty swill all of their own, while recalling some of the greats before them like Refused, Turbonegro, The Bronx, Drive Like Jehu and The Hives. Sometimes it’s fast and intense, other times slow and pulsating. Seldom however is it quite like anything heard before, always keeping somewhat to the left of the beaten path.

After a handful of successful singles and EP’s, the Norwegian noise mongers are now set to unleash their first full length, entitled The sun’s not yellow, it’s chicken, with their new label Spartan Records.

“We went to the top of the world to find our newest band and we couldn’t be more excited about releasing the debut full-length album from the Norway’s Barren Womb,” says Spartan Records’ label head John Frazier. As only a duo, they have written one of the most interesting heavy records of the year – a record that is diverse from beginning to end and ripe with some strong commentary about the current state of our world. We can’t wait for people to hear the record on March 11th!

From the first jangly chords of the opener “Kill Hicks,” The sun’s not yellow, it’s chicken quickly becomes apparent how much the band has grown since their previous efforts. The dynamics are broader, the songwriting more focused and the sound is heavier – all topped off with the bleakest lyrics they’ve written to date.

Recorded by Ole Spangrud of Mørkemakt at Better Than Your Fucking Studio Studios and mixed by the band themselves, The sun’s not yellow, it’s chicken features 13 blisteringly honest noise punk ditties, all set in the key of apocalypse. Look for it at digital outlets and on limited edition vinyl on March 11th on Seattle’s Spartan Records.

Follow Barren Womb now at https://www.facebook.com/barrenwomb for additional news and updates.

The sun’s not yellow, it’s chicken Track Listing:

1. Kill Hicks

2. Will you be God’s art or Satan’s graffiti?

3. Evil prevails

4. Only Rain Man doesn’t change

5. Nábrók

6. Obi-Wan Chernobyl

7. From robot jobs to robot homes

8. Live fast, die.

9. Bong Aqua

10. Zombies never go out of style

11. Assmasters of reality

12. Nexus Diplomis

13. Segway to heaven

For More Information:

https://www.facebook.com/barrenwomb

http://www.barrenwomb.org/

https://twitter.com/barren_womb

http://spartanrecords.limitedrun.com/

https://www.facebook.com/spartanrecords

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Review: Stolen Babies @ Chicago House of Blues 1/28/2014

Posted in All Metal, Artist Watch, New Music, News, Photos, Reviews, Shows with tags Chicago, House of Blues, industrial, Logan Rendulic, metal, music, Pop Evil, Randy Hall, rock, shock rock, Stolen Babies, Stone Sour, The Rock Tribune on February 7, 2014 by Randy

Circulating on rock radio right now is a very intriguing band that goes by the name of Stolen Babies. Their sound is very reminiscent of early Industrial Metal, mixed with a strong Shock Rock influence. Sprinkle a little accordion in there, maybe some 55 gallon drum, then choose either a guitar or bass (never both at the same time), and wa-lah.

Stolen Babies are currently embarked on tour with two power house bands in rock (Stone Sour and Pop Evil), and most dates on this tour have been sold out. We were fortunate to cover the Chicago House of Blues stop, and honestly, we were mind blown. They are the opener for this tour, and with only 3 bands on the bill, they had ample time to melt faces. From the first note, to the last riff, they managed to strangle hold the crowd. Regardless if they’ve never been heard, their arsenal of songs is a crowd mover…exploding with an instant pit, full of elbows and crowd surfers.

The band consists of Dominique Lenore Persi (vocals), Rani Sharone (bassist and guitarist) and Gil Sharone on drums. One interesting thing about the band and their sound is Dominique…and she isn’t just a vocalist. On certain songs she beats away at that 55 gallon barrel hanging from what appears to be an engine hoist, giving a slight percussion that you’d expect to hear in bands like Slipknot and Mushroom Head. But, there’s more: the unique sound doesn’t stop there because she also plays an accordion… YES, AN ACCORDION! This throws a completely different aspect into this band’s sound that has already separated them from traditional rock/metal bands. To say the least, these guys are a true experimental rock band and have certainly found their niche in an industry constantly looking for new sounds.

-Pop Evil highlights included Leigh Kakat coming out and climbing on the crowd to sing
-Stone Sour’s Corey Taylor played Alice in Chains’ “Nutshell” solo, and also the first 2/3 of “Through Glass” before the band erupted
-Within each set, there were some sound issues

Only a few more dates remain on this tour…check them out below. If you aren’t able to make it to a show, definitely get on your computer and check out Stolen Babis online and hear their fascinating sound for yourself.

-Randy Hall and Logan Rendulic © The Rock Tribune, 2014

Feb 6 Thu   Anaheim, CA
Feb 8 Sat   Las Vegas, NV
Feb 9 Sun Tempe, AZ
Feb 11 Tue El Paso, TX
Feb 13 Thu Dallas, TX
Feb 14 Fri Houston, TX
Feb 15 Sat   San Antonio, TX

Stolen Babies, a set by logan.rocktribune on Flickr.

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SUICIDE SILENCE release video for “Unanswered” Featuring: Phil Bozeman of Whitechapel

Posted in All Metal, Artist Watch, Featured, New Music, News, Releases, Shows, Videos with tags CD, DVD, Ending is the Beginning: The Mitch Lucker Memorial Show, Kenadee Lucker Education Fund, metal, Phil Bozeman, Suicide Silence, Unanswered, video, Whitechapel on January 15, 2014 by Randy

SUICIDE SILENCE is set to release ENDING IS THE BEGINNING: The Mitch Lucker Memorial Show on CD/DVD/digipack on February 18 in North America andEuropean on March 17th 2014. A Blur-Ray/CD version will be exclusively sold at CM Distro and the band’s merch store. Suicide Silence will be donating all of the royalties earned from this purchase to the Kenadee Lucker Education fund.

Get the first look at one of the songs performed live with Phil Bozeman from Whitechapel here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aoWmvv6VpxI

On December 21, 2012, the metal community came together in an amazing way to celebrate

the life of Mitch Lucker & raise money for his daughter’s future education with an unforgettable evening of collaborative performances between past/present Suicide Silence members and elite heavy vocalists that created a defining emotional event forever captured on video and audio.

Directed by Jeremy Schott of MentalSuplex Productions & Zafer Ulkucu of Backseat Conceptions and available on Century Media Records.

Two trailers for the video have been released and can be seen here:

Trailer #1:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omEXkGZaZD8

Trailer #2:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=omEXkGZaZD8

A documentary on Mitch’s life was also posted online as well. It contains interviews with Mitch’s family, band mates and closest friends.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=spji50Z8Lls

The official track listing and performers is as follows:

1. Destruction of a Statue with Jonny Davy

2. Distorted Thought of Addiction with Greg Wilburn

3. Ending is the Beginning with Brook Reeves