Killed the Fixtion - Moonlite Blue review

What happens when you take Pantera, move them to the north-east coast, and throw in a little blusey-kick? You come up with "Killed the Fixtion," a band from Newark, NJ. They just released their new single entitled "Moonlite Blue" at midnight today...100% free. More details after the break

Killed The Fixtion in the studio May 2nd!

Killed The Fixtion

Killed The Fixtion On-Air Interview 5/2/12

Wednesday, May 2nd, I will be interviewing Killed the Fixtion live on Midnight Metal Massacre. Taking your calls and question via my Facebook and Twitter. I will also be debuting their new single 'Moonlight Blue.' Join me in welcoming Midnight Metal Massacre's first in-studio guests on May 2nd!











Check out their single 'Pulse' below!

System of a Down, Deftones to tour North America starting

System of a Down

System of a Down have announced tour dates with the Deftones. Three dates are in the NYC area! Check out the full blog post for the rest of the tour dates below:


 "System Of A Down is pleased to announce a slate of North American tour dates with special guest, Deftones. Full tour information below:

August 2, 2012: Susquehanna Bank Center – Philadelphia, PA*
August 4, 2012: PNC Center – Holmdel Township, NJ**
August 5, 2012: Nikon at Jones Beach – Wantagh, NY**
August 7, 2012: Verizon Center - Washington, DC*
August 9, 2012: Comcast Center – Boston, MA*
August 11, 2012: Heavy MTL Festival -  Montreal, QC***
August 12, 2012: Heavy TO Festival – Toronto, ON***
August 14, 2012: DTE Energy Amphitheater – Detroit, MI*
August 15, 2012: Allstate Arena – Chicago, IL*

*Tickets go on sale at 10 AM May 4th.
**Tickets go on sale at 10 AM May 5th.
***Tickets now on sale.
Fan pre-sale begins May 1.  Details coming soon."

Scurillous 2012 Review, Gramercy Theatre, NYC 4/20/12

Scurrilous 2012 Tour Poster

Protest the Hero, Periphery, Jeff Loomis - Gramercy Theatre 4/20/12 Review

It was a beautiful night in New York City. Calm weather, slight drizzle, and a sold out crowd at Gramercy Theatre. The Scurrilous Tour 2012 was in full effect by the time I had gotten to the crowded venue. Today I Caught The Plague and The Saftey Fire had already taken the stage prior to my arrival, and Jeff Loomis' set literally began as I walked through the doors.

The Jeff Loomis Band

For a band that carries the name of the ex-Nevermore guitarist, there wasn't much to be heard from Loomis, himself. Their set lasted six songs...5 of them being instrumentals that just seemed to blend into each other after a while. The crowd was dull, and so was watching this set performed. In between breaks, Joe Nurre, the band's second guitarist, kept trying to rile up the crowd. To me, I feel this was a terrible mistake. Seeing as it's called The Jeff Loomis Band, I would expect that more people would want to hear from Loomis, not his guitar player. All in all, I was really excited to see Loomis' band perform... until the moment the band came on. Sub-par performance by a man who is considered a legend in the eyes of many.
Overall Grade:5/10

Periphery

I'm not a huge fan of Periphery. Not that I don't like them, I just haven't heard enough of their music to warrant a well-enough opinion. Though, after last night, I can honestly say I will listen to them a lot more. You can feel the energy radiating off this band even before their set started; hyping up the crowd while they were setting their instruments up. The lights went dark, the crowd roared, and out came Periphery. The moment the opening riff to 'Zyglorox' began, a pit erupted in front of me. Bodies were flying, people were slipping or getting decked in the face. Definitely a band that could keep a crowd entertained while putting on a stellar performance all at the same time. If you live in a city where these dudes are coming to town, I highly suggest you sit back and watch... Unless, you're down getting shoved into a pit where fat men reign supreme.
Overall Grade:8/10

Protest The Hero

Much love throughout the night for these headliners. Except for one unlucky fan who kept flipping-off Rody and was escorted out by security. I was a little skeptical about seeing Protest The Hero live. Not because I'm not a fan of them, if you know their music, you know it's not something that can be replicated easily. These dudes were on-point, never missing a beat, or note and sounding just like they would on record. It's rare, in this day and age, to see a band perform as well as Protest The Hero. Of their 12 song set, they played 5 songs from their most recent record 'Scurrilous;' something a few fans I knew of were disappointed about. (They honestly wanted more tracks from their newer album.) Though, despite this minor conflict, everyone I had spoken to said they LOVED (they emphasized the word love) the show. A Protest The Hero concert is definitely one any metal-fan should indulge themselves in, stellar performance by a great band. And, thanks, Rody, for sharing the story about how Arif hooked up with a chick in NYC and gave all of you guys scabies.

Oh, and as for the "fan" that was ejected from the show, I was able to speak with Rody when the band came out. He said (I'm quoting very loosely here.) "I honestly didn't want them to kick him out. I felt bad. The dude was wearing our shirt and singing along. But, he was being an asshole, flipping me off all night." Come on, dude. That's not how you get a band's attention.
Overall Grade:9/10

Pantera "Piss" review

Pantera - Piss It's been twenty years since Pantera released their sixth studio album, 'Vulgar Display of Power.' A lot has happened to the band since then. They released three more albums, broke up in 2003, and suffered the loss of their guitarist, Dimebag Darrell, a year later. Fans revere 'Vulgar Display of Power' and one of the best that Pantera has released; and, still remains, to many, one of the greatest heavy metal albums of all time. During the process of putting together the 20th anniversary edition of the disc, drummer, Vinnie Paul, came across a track that they had recorded during these sessions that never made the final cut of the album due to it 'not feeling right' at the time.

Well, the time has come and the track has been released after being forgotten for 20 years. And, it will not let you down.

Like a child on Christmas morning, I unwrapped the disc and placed it into my CD player. And, just like that, I was taken back to my Fourteen-Year-Old self coming across "Vulgar Display of Power" for the first time. The song is as alluring as the album it was meant to be on; Dime's sweet signature guitar tone flowed through my ears as if he was alive and well and playing before me. After a magnificent, swift intro, the song took a turn toward the slower side, and in comes Phil Anselmo. This song grabs your ears and literally starts beating on them until you become deaf. Why this track didn't make the final cut is well beyond me.

Classic Pantera, as if this song had emerged from a time capsule buried in the archives of Vinny Paul's personal collection. This track is sheer excellence.

Below is a music video for Pantera's lost track. "Piss" can now be purchased via iTunes and will be released on the 20th Anniversary Edition of 'Vulgar Display of Power' May 15th. Check it out, leave a comment!

An review for Iced Earth's 'Dystopia' I wrote a few months ago.

> Iced Earth - Dystopia album review.

Iced Earth's newest album, "Dystopia" is the first album to feature Matt Barlow's replacement on vocals. Stu Block hails from Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada where he fronted the band "Into Eternity." I'm going to be honest, when I first heard that Stu was fronting Iced Earth, I was a little skeptical. I wasn't really sure how Iced Earth's dark, gloomy sound was going to fare with Stu's more "angelic" (for lack of a better term) vocal tone. Being a huge fan of Matt Barlow and his work with Iced Earth, I was fairly certain I was not going to enjoy this album one bit (also, since I'm a bit biased); just like I didn't enjoy their previous two albums.

Boy, was I wrong. The first song on the album; Dystopia, is the title track. This song opens up with a fairly powerful intro accompanied by an equally powerful "march-style" drum beat. I feel this song sets up the tone for the rest of the album. The verse riff is classic Iced Earth. But, once Stu starts singing, you feel the "turn" Iced Earth has taken with this album. The bridge is very unique for Iced Earth. Stu's high pitched vocals captivate you and set you up for an astonishing chorus. This is the title track for a reason. Amazing.

The next track,Anthem, starts off fairly slow and gloomy. After a few seconds, commanding guitars kick in and you get that old Iced Earth feel. The lyrics are pretty compelling, as well. It makes you really appreciate the good things that happen in your life. Stu's voice fits so well within this song. It's as if he's been working with Iced Earth for years. The solo then kicks in and you get an 80s glam metal sort of feel. Amazing guitar work.

The next track,Boiling Point, opens up with a quick, heavy intro. This song makes you want to jump into a pit and start thrashing around. Stu's vocals shine yet again on this song, whether it comes to his low-tones for the verse or, his high-pitched tones for the pre-chorus, it's all around astonishing. This track in the second to last in terms of length. However, this is efinitely not a track you would want to skip over.

Anguish of Youth comes next in the succession of tracks. A fairly soft, mild-mannered intro paves the way for Stu to captivate you with his voice. The lyrics to this song are dark and desolate. The chorus kicks in and Stu kills it, again. Schaffer's guitar tone fits so perfectly with his voice. Another amazing track on this wonderful album.

Though I'm skipping a few tracks (this doesn't mean they're not worth a listen), another song to note on this album is entitled End of Innocence. A soft, acoustic intro leads right into Stu's voice. The verses of this song are amazing. You can hear the talent within Stu's voice with every word he utters. An overwhelming passionate feeling entrances you into this song. The chorus kicks in and, there goes Schaffer with his distorted guitar. Works extremely well with this song. In my opinion, this is one of the best songs on the album.

Overall, this is a wonderful collection to Iced Earth's discography. As stated earlier, I was a little disappointed with their last few albums. But, with this, I feel they're back up there like they were with "Something Wicked This Way Comes." Such an enticing, emotional album. Definitely worth a listen. Even if you're one of those people who says "Oh, man. It's not Matt Barlow, I can't," I recommend you just give it a shot.

Overall Rating: 8/10

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