photos by Greg Cristman

Anthrax @ Wellmont Theatre, 10/5/2012

With Joey Belladonna fronting the band again, Anthrax made their way to the stage in front of a house full of metal thrashing fans... While I was a little disappointed that they didn't play more songs off their current album "Worship Music," the band put on an amazing performance that quenched my thirst. Their set included "Caught In A Mosh", "Death Rider", and "Antisocial". After finishing their set with "In My World", Anthrax left the stage but returned a few minutes later for a four-song encore including the Joe Jackson cover of "Got The Time" and ended the show with "I Am The Law". -[Concert Blogger]

Anthrax was joined by Testament and Death Angel at Wellmont Theatre on October 5 as part of the trio's ongoing set of dates together. The Montclair, NJ show was the second-to-last date (they played Atlantic City the next night, where the above review comes from) for the second leg of the tour, the first of which included a stop at Best Buy Theater earlier this year. After a month, look for the trio to hop the pond to play European dates to close out 2012.

More pictures from Wellmont Theater (though we missed Death Angel) are below.

Continue reading "Anthrax, Testament & Death Angel @ Wellmont Theater (pics)"

Anthrax at Yankee Stadium in 2011 (Dana (distortion) Yavin)

Anthrax, Testament and Death Angel will kick off another leg of their "Thrashfest Extravaganza" with dates in late September and October. The shows include a stop in the NYC area at Wellmont Theater on October 5. Tickets for that show go on sale Friday (6/1) at noon.

Testament are preparing to release their new LP Dark Roots of Earth, the follow-up to The Formation of Damnation, which will be out in North America on July 31.

All dates are listed below...

Continue reading "Anthrax, Testament & Death Angel expand 2012 tour (dates)"

Anthrax at Yankee Stadium (more by Dana (distortion) Yavin)

After playing a show at Best Buy Theater to promote their new album Worship Music before their Yankee Stadium appearance earlier this year followed by a tour with Testament that hit Long Island's Paramount Theater on 11/12, Anthrax has announced even more touring with Testament, and Death Angel. The new 2012 tour includes another show at NYC's Best Buy Theater on 2/8. Tickets go on AMEX presale at 10AM on 12/7, with regular sale hitting on Friday. Anthrax will also be offering fan presale tickets at their website starting at 3PM today (additional details TBD).

All tour dates and some videos below...

Continue reading "Anthrax, Testament & Death Angel --- 2012 Tour Dates"

photos by Adam Murray and Genie Sanchez, words by BBG

Morbid Angel

Two outdoor tents, a club, and a theater hosted 26 bands. Perhaps by design, the premises lacked alcohol (except for the theater). So bad behavior was scarce. Fans happily bounced from venue to venue, queuing for some bands (Wormrot, Floor, Atheist, Obituary, Morbid Angel), and eating burgers from the Grill 'Em All trucks. To order the Witte Burger (beef, bun, cream cheese, deep-fried bacon, beer-and-Sriracha-soaked onions, malt vinegar aioli), my friend Robert merely pointed several feet away, where Dave Witte himself was standing.
-[Invisible Oranges]

Saturday (3/5) was the left coast's turn for Scion Rock Fest 2011. The one day, multiple venue festival relocated to Pomona, CA this year, and housed legendary names like Morbid Angel, Obituary, Integrity, Agalloch, and many more alongside names of tomorrow and underground favorites like Bastard Noise, Anaal Nathrakh, Floor, Wormrot, and many more.

Kvelertak were supposed to play too. but their passports and visas were stolen at the airport moments before they boarded the plane to the US. As a result, they'll also miss some days of the Weedeater/Zoroaster tour, but should "be in the states by Friday" (3/11). That means they should have no trouble making it to SXSW where they're on board to play Full Metal Texas. The band was replaced in Pomona by Black Cobra.

More pictures and some videos from Scion Rock Fest 2011, below...

Continue reading "Scion Rock Fest 2011 in pics & video (Morbid Angel, Obituary, Integrity, Agalloch & more) (but not Kvelertak)"

photos by Tim Griffin, words by BBG

Nearing 30 years in the industry, D.R.I. took the stage shortly before midnight and played till 1:37 a.m., setting off a flurry of bodysurfing from the pent-up teenage-and 20-somethings in the crowd seconds before the first song even began... No matter the viewing point, songs such as "The Application" and "Slumlord" were enjoyed by the youngsters with a fury of moshing angst, and by the older crowd with relaxed appreciation. After original singer Kurt Brecht pointed out that D.R.I. played its first show in 1982, he and original guitarist Spike Cassidy, longtime drummer Rob Rampy and bassist Harald Oimoen also delivered the goods on "Suit and Tie Guy" and closers "The Five-Year Plan" and "Violent Pacification" -[Examiner]

That review comes from D.R.I.'s San Antonio date at White Rabbit, the day after they got all romantic with an Austin crowd at Emo's (on 2/14 aka Valentine's Day). With the lights dimmed and turned red, the Austin crowd swayed to the sexy sounds of the Houston crossover legends alongside Death Angel, Lazarus A.D. & Bonded By Blood, and with Before Dishonor & Southern Front adding a little hometown sensuality.

Austin & San Antonio were rare dates that converged two tours, D.R.I. and Death Angel/Lazarus A.D./Bonded By Blood. The D.R.I. tour continues on and the band will play Starland Ballroom on 2/27 with Mucky Pup before looping back afer European and South American tours to play Gramercy on 5/13 with Apathy & Horrifier. Death Angel's tour does not include an NYC date, but it does include a show at Scion Rock Fest (no BbB or LAD).

All tour dates and more pictures from Austin are below.

Continue reading "D.R.I., Death Angel, Lazarus A.D., Bonded By Blood, Before Dishonor & Southern Front played Emo's, touring (pics & dates)"

by BBG

Yob at Scion Rock Fest 2010 (more)

Scion has confirmed exclusively to LA Weekly that they will be bringing their metaltastic Rock Fest this year to Southern California.

"Scion's major event of the year," confirms their publicist, "is a huge metal festival with four stages and 30 bands. We did the first in Atlanta and the second in Columbus [check out part one and and two of our pics & review]. It's always a mix of legendary bands, important bands and up-and-coming bands, representing all the areas of underground metal. And like all the stuff we do it's all ages and free."

"What no one knows yet," he continues "is the next one will be on March 5, 2011 in Pomona. We're taking over the Fox Theater and the Glass House and building two more stages nearby."

Headlining the Scion Rock Fest in the LA area will be death metal royalty Morbid Angel with their first US show in six years (and as of now, the only scheduled US date in 2011)

...Founding member guitarist Trey Azagthoth, regarded by many as the greatest death metal guitarist of all time, will be at the helm along with bassist David Vincent (member 1986-1996 & 2004 - present) and Destructhor (member since 2008).

The Scion Rock Fest will include 26 bands on four stages (including The Fox Theater, The Glass House and two outdoor stages). -[LA Weekly]

Rumors circulated right around the announcement of Scion Rock Fest 2010 that Morbid Angel would play that year's show. Glad to hear that those were (somewhat) true. Hopefully Morbid Angel schedule some shows outside of California too.

One of the bigger names at Scion Rock Fest in 2010 was Shrinebuilder. Don't forget that half of Shrinebuilder, Scott Kelly and Wino, are going on a solo tour in February. Tickets are still on sale for the February 12th Mercury Lounge show which now looks like this:

Scott Kelly (of Neurosis) 11:30
Wino (of Saint Vitus) 10:30
Man's Gin (of Cobalt) 9:30
Hunter Hunt-Henrix (of Liturgy) 8:30

You can also catch all of Liturgy (who played Scion Rock Fest 2010) on January 14th At Silent Barn with Controlled Bleeding, Cellular Chaos, PAK, and Diablo, January 27th at Union Pool with Naam, Yr Youth, and Arms, February 10th at Glasslands with Extra Life, Lichens, and Chaos Majik, and February 25th At Monster Island Basement with Talk Normal and Nat Baldwin. More local metal shows are listed in the latest edition of Evillive.

The PRP is also reporting a rumored list of other artists playing Scion Rock Fest 2011. I can confirm that at least half of a dozen of those are true. That list is reprinted below...

Continue reading "Scion Rock Fest 2011 will be in California, Morbid Angel confirmed (and more artists rumored) ++ more Liturgy dates"

by BBG

DOWNLOAD: Metal Swim Compilation (Zipped MP3s)

Zoroaster at The Studio at Webster Hall (more by Markus Shaffer)

Adult Swim have posted an album of FREE downloadable tracks. The record, entitled Metal Swim features rare and unreleased tracks from some familiar names around these parts (Isis, Boris, Skeletonwitch, Ludicra, Zoroaster, Red Fang, etc) including new tracks from Withered's forthcoming LP Dualitas, Torche's Songs for Singles, AND Kylesa's Spiral Shadow among many many others. Download the album at the site or above, and dig on the tracklisting (and some video) below.

Continue reading "new tracks by Boris, Isis, Torche, Kylesa, others on free comp "

by Black Bubblegum

DOWNLOAD: The Sword - "Fire Lances Of The Ancient Hyperzephyrians" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Soilent Green - "Antioxidant" (MP3)
DOWNLOAD: Iron Maiden - "Intro", "Aces High", & "Two Minutes To Midnight", Live in Tokyo Feb 16th, 2008 (VIDEO, WMV)

Neurot Recordings have announced details for THREE Neurosis-related releases in the next two months! First up, a new solo album from the mighty Scott Kelly, who will release The Wake on May 5th, his first release in the seven years since his debut Spirit Bound Flesh. Two weeks later, the world's most intense elementary school teacher Steve Von Till drops A Grave is a Grim Horse, his first non-Harvestman release in six years (Harvestman recently collabo'd with Fear Falls Burning). More details on A Grave Is A Grim Horse can be found here. The third we knew about, but has now gone official: A Storm Of Light's debut And We Wept the Black Ocean Within will be released on June 2nd. Read our recent interview with Josh Graham here.

Tickets for the previously mentioned second At The Gates show go on sale Thursday April 3rd at 10 AM here. Tomas Lindberg's other band, the mighty Disfear, have announced a few more dates, including another show in Brooklyn at Europa on May 22nd with Trap Them and Bloodhorse! Ticket info for Disfear at Europa isn't available, but there are still tickets for their show at the Knitting Factory. New tour dates are down below.

MUCH MORE..............

Continue reading "This Week In METAL (04/02/08)"