Sonic Perspectives

Coming out of the ashes of 3 Inches of Blood, which disbanded in 2015, Ritual Dictates released their debut record ir” on April 3rd via Artoffact Records. The band is inspired by a wide array of styles and instruments. The music itself has straightforward elements of metal and grind, with detours into anything from black metal [...] The post RITUAL DICTATES Singer JUSTIN HAGBERG Reflect...

Sorcerer continues to deliver epic doom metal in all of its might with their third full-length album “Lamenting of the Innocent,” set to be released on May 29th. Reborn in 2010 with original members Anders Engberg and Johnny Hagel after splitting in the early 1990s, the band joined forces with a new lineup and rejuvenated [...] The post KRISTIAN NIEMANN Discusses New Album and SORCERER’s Future: “...

“It was mentally draining…” for the audiences to experience one of the landmark songs of both progressive metal and epic doom being performed live, in its entirety. I can personally confirm that Kjetil overstates nothing with this seemingly grand claim. Half the Atlanta’s Center Stage audience was stunned, and the other half wept. The towering [...] The post GREEN CARNATION Front...

Stewart Copeland doesn’t seem to ever stop. With The Police he toured the world “six times over, from the sea of Japan to the Cliffs of Dover”, as their song “Too Much Information” used to say. The band went on an extended hiatus after the Synchronicity Tour ended in 1984, and would only play together [...] The post STEWART COPELAND Chimes in On Why THE POLICE Didn&#8...

Nightwell, the best kept secret in Toronto emo-rock, released their self-titled debut album on April 3rd 2020. “Nightwell” is packed with the kind of tight, punchy sound and glossy, arena-ready vocals that are prerequisites for a band descended from mid-’00s post-hardcore like Saosin, Emarosa and Funeral for a Friend. The addition of new singer Jason [...] The post NIGHTWELL&#821...

“…At a show in Sacramento, in the space of five minutes, three people came up to me with life-changing stories. They told me how my music had helped them to deal with the loss of people close to them… ” The White Buffalo is Jake Smith – singer, songwriter, guitarist, teller of stories, Emmy nominee; [...] The post THE WHITE BUFFALO’s Driving Force JAKE SMITH Discuss New Album: “O...

Mainstays in the American metal scene since the early 2000s, Trivium are preparing to release their most definitive work to date on April 24th, offering up an album brimming with the strong character the band has spent almost two decades building. Each album Trivium has produced has lent itself to their gradual evolution, including transitions [...] The post TRIVIUM Bassist PAOLO GREGOLETTO Talks...

The Hollywood Monsters – a music collective that includes Steph Honde, Vinny Appice and Ronnie Robson as the core, with an amazing collaborative of internationally known musicians with huge resumes – have released their third album entitled; “Thriving On Chaos” with a star studded selection of guest musicians: Glen Drover, Greg Godovitz, Tommy Denander, Danko [...] The post...

For several years, singer Jan Willem Ketelaers has been pondering the meaning of life—and what comes afterward.  It’s not like he’s had a lot of time on his hands.  Last year, he wrote the lyrics for and sang lead on Knight Area’s WWII epic concept album “D-Day.” But there’s much more in Jan Willem‘s musical [...] The post INTO THE OPEN’S Vocalist JAN WILLEM KETELAERS Talks A...

Greek melodic power metal masters FIREWIND, the group led by guitar wizard and ex-OZZY OSBOURNE band member Gus G., will release their newest album, simply titled “Firewind” on May 15th, 2020 via AFM Records. Each time Firewind released an album over the last 20 years, it wasn’t just the brilliancy of Gus G that fans [...] The post FIREWIND Leader GUS G On Upcoming Self-titled Album: “...

In a perfect world, Cirith Ungol should have been prominently featured in every half respectable metal publication, as much as other pioneers like Black Sabbath or Iron Maiden. Formed in 1971 in Ventura, California, they first appeared on the scene with their self-financed debut album, “Frost and Fire”, via their own Liquid Flame Records imprint [...] The post CIRITH UNGOL’s Bass...

Mainstays in the death metal scene for almost three decades, Vader have embodied the spirit of old school in each release since their 1992 debut album “The Ultimate Incantation.” On May 1st, Vader will release their latest full-length album titled “Solitude in Madness,” following close on the heels of their 2019 EP “Thy Messenger.” Crafted [...] The post VADER’s Front-man PIOTR WIWCZAREK Tal...

You may not know exactly who Michael Alago is, but if you’re a metal-head, you have a lot to thank him for. Working as an A&R for Elektra Records in the 80’s and Geffen Records in the 90’s he worked with bands like Metallica, Flotsam & Jetsam, Misfits, PIL, White Zombie and many more. The [...] The post Former Music Executive MICHAEL ALAGO Talks Signing METALLICA, Working...

Another step in their continuing evolution, The Black Dahlia Murder return with more sonic diversity and emotionally-driven songwriting than ever in their upcoming album “Verminous.” Longtime mainstays in the death metal scene, The Black Dahlia Murder have never stopped striving for forward motion in their creative scope, and “Verminous” is no exception. Growing in confidence [...] The post TREVOR...

The time is now again for Testament to unleash new thunder to the masses, as the band has revealed their thirteenth studio album “Titans Of Creation” last Friday. With an even better mix than before, the bass is prominently showcased, new vocals are introduced, and as expected, the guitar-work of Eric Peterson and Alex Skolnick [...] The post TESTAMENT’s Guitarist ERIC PETERSON D...

Having risen to fame in what is now regarded as the “classic” Symphony X lineup, Mike Lepond has surely kept himself busy in recent times. Aside from commanding the grooves on Symphony X, he decided to put his metal influences to good use on Mike Lepond’s Silent Assassins and Ross the Boss Band. More recently, [...] The post MIKE LEPOND Talks New Band DEADRISEN and Debut Album: &...

Flattening the curve is a strange concept for Clutch, the Maryland rockers who continue to experience an exponential growth in their loyal fan-base. If you dig songs that have “groove,” with a mix of bluesy hard rock and funky riffs, and an oozing touch of hardcore, you are missing out f you are not already [...] The post CLUTCH Frontman NEIL FALLON Reflects On Their “Weathermaker Vault Seri...

WOLFHEART, the solo project of Tuomas Saukkonen, has done it again. Their brand of Finnish melodic doom death, or as they like to call it, “winter metal”, has gained another worthy installment of their victorious saga, in the shape of their new album “Wolves of Karelia”. With a new member in tow (Vagelis Karzis on [...] The post WOLFHEART Leader TUOMAS SAUKKONEN Talks Upcoming Album: “I Have...

Back in the mid-1970s, a Prog group came out of Harrisonburg, Virginia of all places.  It was not a YES or Genesis or ELP knockoff.  It had its own very unique sound, one that blended free-form jazz along with classical and some other sounds that were hard to pigeon-hole. The band was Happy the Man [...] The post Prog-Rock Veteran FRANK WYATT On His New Album “Zeitgeist”: &#8...

Kansas City’s newest metal heroes Hyborian are a young band, formed in 2015. Combining the octane-coated stoner metal of High on Fire, the progressive thunder of early Baroness and Mastodon and Bay Area thrash metal influences, they released their first full-length, “Volume I” in 2017, to critics and fans’ delight. In 2020 the band took [...] The post HYBORIAN Members Talk New Album “Volume II” an...

When it comes to 80’s guitar playing, the first obvious names that come to mind are shredders like Yngwie, Eddie Van Halen, Steve Vai and Joe Satriani. One unsung hero of that era, however, is Ross the Boss. Coming straight out of the Bronx, New York, as a member of The Dictators and Manowar he [...] The post Heavy Metal Founding Father ROSS THE BOSS Reflects On New Album and His Playing Sty...

Virgil Donati belongs in a different class of musicians: his determination to improve himself and challenge past concepts is second to none, and his prowess on the instrument is envied by many. More importantly, he was able to find his own identity, and come up with an instantly recognizable style. Through the years, Virgil was [...] The post World Renowned Drummer VIRGIL DONATI Reflects on the Wr...

In late 2019, progressive metal band The Night Watch released their third full-length album, a stunning instrumental masterpiece titled “An Embarrassment of Riches. Weaving together classical guitar, violin, and breathtaking cinematic effects,The Night Watch managed to create an immersive experience like no other in a conceptual adventure following a shipwrecked explorer. Though they already had [...

With over 40 years of Pendragon under his belt, Nick Barrett has guided the band as its principle songwriter, guitarist and vocalist. Often considered part of progressive rock’s second wave that built a following through the 80s along with the likes of Marillion, IQ and many others, Pendragon’s star began rising in earnest in the [...] The post PENDRAGON’s Guitarist NICK BARRETT Reflects On...

From his work as a guest vocalist in projects such as the metal opera Avantasia, to heading bands such as Masterplan, to running a band under his own name, there are few vocal powerhouses that stay as busy as Jorn Lande. After spending months on the road with Avantasia for the “Moonglow” world tour, Jorn [...] The post JORN LANDE on Cover Album HEAVY ROCK RADIO II: “It’s Great to Bring These...