Texas has been a breeding ground for amazing talent (as it always has); and indie rock lads Black Hole Bears are no different. Having released their debut self titled EP earlier this year, the boys have put the pedal to the metal and hit the ground running. If you are looking for something rigid, experimental, and abrasive…..I’m here to inform you Black Hole Bears may not be the fix your looking for. If you’re looking...
Something dark and sinister comes this way from the plains of Cleveland, Ohio. Doom metal enthusiasts Frayle have recently dropped their new release “Dead Inside” and are taking the genre by storm with their brand of dense, ambient groove. I’ll say it and get it out of the way: while Frayle is more than competent in their chosen genre, “Dead Inside” doesn’t reinvent the wheel by any means, BUT the band make up for it...
Find Your Muse(ic)/#findyourmuse Skippy Ickum – “Almost Famous” Today on Find Your Muse we look back at ” Almost Famous” by the infamous king of horrorcore, Skippy Ickum. Starting off with a somber hook, Ickum hypnotizes the listener before dragging them under with his barrage of technical bars and vulgar, yet introspective lyrics. Covering a wide array of topics from the hustle and grind of the starving artist to media censorship, “Almost Famous” hits hard...
“Beyond the Glow” by Greywalker is this weeks Find your MUSE(ic) video feature! In recent years Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania’s Greywalker have started to become something of a household name amongst the ranks of it’s metal scene. The band’s new music video “Beyond the Glow” is a pretty damn good representation as to why the band’s popularity is spreading like wild fire. Ranging from the pseudo-metalcore tendencies of Darkest Hour to the Gothenburg melodeath of At the...
Something wicked comes this way from the deep south. Texas prog aficionados “Color Chemistry” are about to unleash their new album “A Light Above” and plan to hit hard from just about every angle with their take on synthy prog rock and metal. Where do I even begin to start with this album? “A Light Above” hits fast and hard with many influences and styles that come from all angles and genres,...
Let’s face it, we live in a day and age where musically……..originality is hard to come by. That’s not saying bands don’t try to break the mold, but we live in a time where almost everything has been done and every genre has been mixed and matched to form a new sub genre. Every now and then you find a band that releases an album that creatively sticks out a little more than some and...
Post hardcore aficionados “Secret Eyes” have recently dropped the video for their newest single “Never Gave A Damn” and boy is it a scorcher. With sounds echoing the halls of 00’s era post hardcore and emo flavored rock, your inner goth kid will be dancing with joy like it was the Myspace era all over again. With its hard hitting riffs, echoing guitar melodies, and soaring vocal lines, “Never Gave A Damn” hits nostalgia in...
This week on Find Your Muse(ic) we take a look at the song “Claudia” by Delaware’s seafaring beast Bastion’s Wake. Featuring chunky dropped tuned alt metal, enriched guitar melodies, and symphonic elements…it is a welcome change of pace in the world of metal we have today. What will catch the ear most about “Claudia” is the intense harmonious vocals featured in the track. The vocals act almost as another instrument as beautiful 3 part harmonies...
North Carolina death metal/thrash titans Outliar are about to hit the road and make their way to our neck of the woods in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. I was handed their album “Taste the Blood” at a show I was playing a couple weeks ago and asked to do a write up on it. While I was excited, upon first glance of the album art and song titles I had already written off in my mind what to...
In the past few years, the underground sludge and doom metal scene in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania has begun to really thrive. A newer band has emerged recently, having dropped their sophomore album in the back half of 2018, and it is a welcome addition to the Pittsburgh scene. Today we take a look at “Cultivating Mass” by East Pittsburgh’s Salt the Snail. “Cultivating Mass” is mostly what one would expect it to be within this style...
Philadelphia nu-thrash/hard rock outfit Infinity have recently dropped their debut album “Awakening“. With a commanding presence and a knack for melody and blistering technicality, the band are ready to hit the road and not look back with their brand of aggro-thrash. While “Awakening” doesn’t rewrite the handbook on old school thrash in any way, shape, or form….the band does however unite to provide a solid front with their influences on their sleeve. With their militant...
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania doom dwellers “Salt the Snail ” have just released a trippy new video for their single “Nightcrawlers“. Featuring a single riff that elevates and cascades throughout the track, the title is more than fitting for the composition the band have comprised. With haunting vocals that wouldn’t be out of place on a Radiohead track and a sound akin to Tool at their grimmest, “Nightcrawlers” is a slow burner for sure, but certainly worth...
Ever have an angel on one shoulder and the devil on the other? Ever wonder what it would be like if they actually worked together instead of whispering conflicting narratives in your ear? My friends I’m here to tell you that unison would sound like Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania based trio Dematus‘ Ep “Ghost Carnivale”. Dematus has slowly been building a buzz for some time now and with an Ep like “Ghost Carnivale” it’s easy to see...
Pittsburgh experimental juggernauts Prime 8 have emerged with a brand new Ep aptly titled “Metamorphosis“. Having recently signed to Brutal Business Entertainment, the band are hitting the ground running with their fresh batch of auditory tomfoolery. “Metamorphosis” definitely doesn’t waste any time showing its experimental colors. Ranging from the trudging dirge of stoner metal to the swift D-beat of crust punk……on paper it doesn’t read anything out of the ordinary, but it’s an experience you...
Pittsburgh seems to be entering a phase of new talent emerging on the scene. Enter newcomers 30 Days of Pain. Featuring veterans of the Pittsburgh circuit over the last decade or so, the band are ready to throw their hand in the mix and take to the stage for their debut appearance at Yinzfest on July 27th at Mr. Smalls. Featuring a sound akin to late 90’s-early 00’s hard rock and metal (ala Pantera and...
Today’s show review from the First Angel camp is going to be a little different. Today you get a bird’s eye view of a performer and a fan. A menacing fly that was hopping wall to wall if you will. The crazy part about this review is that I almost didn’t have a show to play or write about for June 23rd. You see my band 9 Stitch Method was one of the opening acts...
Catharsis is an amazing thing as it comes in all shapes, sounds, and sizes. Sometimes the process leads to an angelic beauty of release while other times turning into a violent purging of sorts. Illinois based one man experimental cyber-grind outfit Fetish Hotel opts to put both in a blender all the while laughing maniacally on his new record “Ding Dong Ditcher“. “Ding Dong Ditcher” is just that. A cathartic record that purges everything negative...
Feast on the Fallen – “Boneyard” This week’s Find Your Muse(ic) we are rocking “Boneyard” by Steel City’s Feast on the Fallen. “Boneyard” comes in like a 10 ton hammer and sledges away for its 4 minute duration, waking up the dead in the process. Metallic hardcore laced with it’s murky death metal vibe pulses and churns as the band pummels their victims to rubble. People have been waiting for the zombie apocalypse, Feast on...
